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Why ‘ceasefire’ might show up alongside ‘Trump’ and ‘Haley’ in New Hampshire primary results
(JTA) — Pro-Palestinian activists in New Hampshire have encouraged voters to fill in “ceasefire” on ballots as the state goes to the polls in one of the most watched primaries this cycle.
“We have to get out and show Biden that we’re not just asking for a ceasefire, we’re demanding it,” says the Vote Ceasefire website, launched to send a message to President Joe Biden to press Israel into a ceasefire in its war with Hamas. “And one of the most impactful ways to do that is through the power of your vote.”
A sample ballot on the campaign website shows how to fill in the blank space on the ballot with “ceasefire.” The campaign, launched by local peace activists, has the backing of some prominent state politicians, including Andru Volinsky, a former member of the five-member State’s Executive Council that functions as a check on the governor.
State election officials say they are expecting a larger-than-normal number of write-in votes, and organizers of the ceasefire write-in effort are pressing for the state to disclose just how many votes the write-in campaign draws. They want to influence contests in other states as well, particularly as it appears likely that both parties’ nominating contests will be resolved early in the primary season.
The effort comes as Biden’s backing for Israel’s war with Hamas is under attack from the party’s left, increasingly in Congress as well as among the progressive grassroots.
All eyes are on New Hampshire on Tuesday as Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, hopes to mount a successful enough challenge to former President Donald Trump in the Republican primary to stay in the race. Trump has driven out virtually every other candidate.
Haley, who has the backing of much of the Republican Jewish establishment, adamantly opposes a ceasefire. Trump claims he could bring an end to the war “very fast,” although he does not say what that would entail.
Biden, who got the Democratic Party to rearrange its primary schedule to start next month in South Carolina, is not on the Democratic ballot, but New Hampshire is running a Democratic primary in any case, although it will not send delegates to the convention.
Long-shot candidates, including Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and self-help author Marianne Williamson, who are both Jewish, are on the Democratic ballot. There is a local effort to write in Biden’s name as a means of discouraging the long shots from continuing their bids. The Democratic Majority for Israel, a pro-Israel Democratic political action committee, is encouraging voters to write in Biden’s name.
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The post Why ‘ceasefire’ might show up alongside ‘Trump’ and ‘Haley’ in New Hampshire primary results appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Israel’s National Security Council Issues Travel Warning to Canada
Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters, primarily university students, rally at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square on Oct. 28, 2023. Photo by Sayed Najafizada/NurPhoto
i24 News – Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) issued a new warning to the public to take increased precautions in Canada, whether those living there or planning to travel there.
There was no perceived threat prior to his, and now the level stands at Level 2 – occasional threat.
In the past year and a half, several attacks have been carried out against Jewish centers and institutions, including shootings, throwing Molotov cocktails and threats against Israelis or Jews in the country. The NSA recommended Israelis and Jews avoid displaying Israeli-Jewish symbols, and exercise increased vigilance in public spaces.
Later on Sunday, an anti-Israel demonstration in Toronto and Waterloo is expected. This is part of a larger trend of extremism surrounding the war in the Gaza Strip, which include “calls that imply an intention to violently harm Israelis and Jews.”
The post Israel’s National Security Council Issues Travel Warning to Canada first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US Special Envoy Praises Syrian Leader’s Steps on Foreign Fighters
Thomas Barrack at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Syria on Saturday said he met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and commended the leader’s steps taken regarding foreign fighters and relations with Israel.
Thomas Barrack, a special envoy to Syria and the current US ambassador to Turkey, said in a statement that the two met in Istanbul on Saturday, and that he commended Sharaa for “taking meaningful steps” on foreign fighters as well as “relations with Israel.”
The meeting comes after US President Donald Trump’s administration issued orders effectively lifting sanctions on Syria after its 14-year civil war. Syria welcomed the sanctions waiver, describing it as a “positive step.”
It mainly focused on following up with the implementation of the sanctions waiver, with Sharaa telling Barrack that sanctions remain a heavy burden on Syrians and hinder economic recovery efforts, Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Sunday.
They also discussed means to support foreign investments in Syria, especially in the fields of energy and infrastructure, according to SANA.
The Syrian side expressed readiness to provide the necessary facilitation to attract investors and contribute in reconstruction efforts.
The post US Special Envoy Praises Syrian Leader’s Steps on Foreign Fighters first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Syrian Leader al-Sharaa Holds Talks With Erdogan on Surprise Istanbul Visit
Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s interim president, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey’s president, met during al-Sharaa’s first diplomatic trip since the fall of the al-Assad regime. Photo: Screenshot
i24 News – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was holding talks with Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa in Istanbul on Saturday, local media reported. No further details were available.
This comes one day after the US administration of President Donald Trump issued orders that it said would effectively lift sanctions on Syria in order to help the country rebuild after a devastating civil war.
The Treasury Department issued a general license that authorizes transactions involving the interim Syrian government led by Al-Sharaa, as well as the central bank and state-owned enterprises.
The general license, known as GL25, “authorizes transactions prohibited by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations, effectively lifting sanctions on Syria,” the Treasury said in a statement.
Syria welcomed the sanctions waiver early on Saturday, which the Foreign Ministry called a “positive step in the right direction to alleviate the country’s humanitarian and economic suffering.”
Syria is keen on cooperating with other countries “on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs. It believes that dialogue and diplomacy are the best path to building balanced relations,” the ministry said in a statement.
The post Syrian Leader al-Sharaa Holds Talks With Erdogan on Surprise Istanbul Visit first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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