Cuba is in the North closest to USA's Florida; Panama is the bridge between Central America and South America
Cuba has links to Hamas through political support and intelligence sharing, while Panama has no known connection to Hamas and maintains strong pro-Israel relations.
They are both said to be on Trumps radar for further take-overs for thesake of US security.
Arafat made as many eight official visits to Castro's Cuba [The Arafat Foundation]
Cuba has significant political and historical connections to Hamas and its primary patron, Iran. The Cuban government publicly supports the Palestinian cause, views the conflict through an anti-imperialist lens, and refuses to condemn Hamas's actions, leading the U.S. to again designate Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SSOT).
Cuba has a decades-long history of supporting the Palestinian national movement and views the Palestinian struggle as an anti-colonial effort. The Cuban Foreign Ministry released a formal statement after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks,blaming Israel and the U.S. for the violence and describing the massacre as a "consequence" of Israeli actions,while refusing to condemn the attacks themselves.
Cuban officials have held meetings with high-ranking officials from Iran and Hamas. For example, a Hamas delegation publicly visited the Cuban ambassador in Lebanon in February 2023 which was after the gross slaughter by Palestinians, where the ambassador recognized the "legitimate right of the Palestinians to defend their land".
Reports from sources such as the Center for a Free Cuba and U.S. congressional testimony allege that the Cuban intelligence service provides intelligence to Hamas and allows Hezbollah to maintain a base in Cuba.
The Cuban government has organized large, official pro-Palestinian marches in Havana, some of which included banners of Hezbollah leaders, to express solidarity and protest Israel's military actions.
Historical Context:Cuba has not had diplomatic relations with Israel since 1973. Historically, the Castro regime trained members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in the 1970s and 1980s and has a history of promoting anti-Israel and allegedly antisemitic propaganda.
State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation: The U.S. placed Cuba back on the SSOT list in 2021 (having previously been removed in 2015) due to its continued support for international terrorism, including its relationships with groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
In March 1960, U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his approval to a CIA plan to arm and train a group of Cuban refugees to overthrow the Castro government.
Raúl Castro and U.S. President Barack Obama at their joint press conference in Havana, Cuba, 21 March 2016. As of December 2014, talks with Cuban officials and American officials, including President Barack Obama,
Alan Gross, Jewish US Federal worker resulted in the release of Alan Gross , age 76, held for 5 years , fifty-two political prisoners, and an unnamed non-citizen agent of the United States in return for the release of three Cuban agents currently imprisoned in the United States. (ratio of 54:3)
Raúl Castro stepped down from the presidency on 19 April 2018, and Miguel Díaz-Canel was elected president of the State Council by the National Assembly following parliamentary elections. Raúl Castro remained the First Secretary of the Communist Party and retained broad authority, including oversight over the president.
On 12 January 2021, then-U.S. President Donald Trump added Cuba to the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, implementing a new series of economic sanctions on the country. The2024–2025 Cuba blackouts were the most severe living crisis that the country has experienced since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.President Díaz-Canel blamed the blackout on the United States embargo against Cuba, which he said prevented much needed supplies and replacement parts from reaching Cuba.
PANAMA
The United States cooperates with the Panamanian government in promoting economic, political, security, and social development through US and international agencies. Cultural ties between the two countries are strong, and many Panamanians go to the United States for higher education and advanced training.
Panama is the 96th most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2024 Global Peace Index.
It's past is something else.Since the end of Manuel Noriega's military dictatorship in 1989, Panama has completed five peaceful transfers of power to opposing political factions.
Noriega's mug shot after his surrender to U.S. forces in 1990. Beginning in the 1950s, Noriega worked with U.S. intelligence agencies, and became one of the Central Intelligence Agency's most valued intelligence sources. He also served as a conduit for illicit weapons, military equipment, and cash destined for U.S.-backed forces throughout Latin America..
The political landscape is dominated by two major parties and various smaller parties, many of which are driven by individual leaders more than ideologies. Former president Martín Torrijos is the son of the general Omar Torrijos. He succeeded Mireya Moscoso, the widow of the former president Arnulfo Arias. Panama's most recent national elections took place on May 5, 2024.
By 1964, the primary Palestinian groups were earlier nationalist movements and emerging militant organizations that predated the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in May of that year.
Arab Higher Committee: This was a prominent, older Arab nationalist group that had been active since the British Mandate era and the 1948 War. Led by Hajj Amin al-Husayni, the former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, it was largely sidelined after the establishment of the PLO.
Fatah (Palestinian National Liberation Movement): Founded as a political movement in 1959 by members of the Palestinian diaspora, including Yasser Arafat from Egypt, Salah Khalaf, and Khalil al-Wazir. Fatah operated clandestinely before 1964 and publicly emerged in January 1965 when it claimed responsibility for attacks in Israel. Fatah members attended the first Palestinian National Congress in a personal capacity.
Arab Nationalist Movement (ANM): Founded in 1953 by George Habash, a Palestinian Christian, the ANM was a secular, pan-Arab movement with branches in several Arab countries. Its commando group, "Heroes of Return" (Abtal al-Audah), was established in 1966 in collaboration with the PLO's army. The ANM was a precursor to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which was formed in 1967.
Palestine Popular Liberation Organization: This far-left group was founded in 1964.
Ba'ath Party: Members of the al-Ba'ath Party also attended the first Palestinian National Congress in a personal capacity.
It is important to note that many of the major factions prominent in later years, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), were established after 1964.
Origins:The PLO was formed in 1964 as a secular, nationalist umbrella organization for various Palestinian groups, with Fatah being its dominant faction.
Hamas, an Arabic acronym for Islamic Resistance Movement, was founded much later in 1987 (at the start of the First Intifada) as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, making it an Islamist organization.
Arafat was the PLO leader, so Israel had been fighting those terrorists since 1964, before the 1967 War.
Opposition to Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation: The Obama administration, like the Bush administration before it, opposed attempts at reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, stressing that Hamas needed to accept the Quartet Principles (renunciation of violence, recognition of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements) to be considered a legitimate political actor. This stance made it difficult for a unity government to function or gain international support, thereby entrenching the existing split.
Lack of Credible Peace Process: The administration's failure to make significant progress on a peace settlement, despite President Obama's initial declaration regarding the 1967 borders, led to widespread frustration and a sense among Palestinians that the U.S. was a biased mediator favoring Israel."The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine. The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states."
After all the dickering that went on, the Jewish Homeland was eaten up by Jordan's Abdullah who received 80%, leaving 20 % for the Jews, and now they are to lose at least 10% more of it to Palestinians who never ever had land in Palestine. These people came from surrounding countries, like Syria.
This disillusionment with the U.S.-led peace process and the internationally-backed Fatah leadership may have indirectly sustained or increased underlying support for alternative, more resistant factions like Hamas.
Seated at the table for these important talks were noteworthy leaders, including PLO head Yassir Arafat, former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres, Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Norwegian deputy foreign minister Jan Egeland. The Norwegians effectively served as mediators between the two sides.
Now they say that: Although the Oslo Accords were noteworthy in that the PLO agreed to formally recognize the state of Israel and that Israel, in turn, allowed the Palestinians some form of limited self-governance in Gaza and the West Bank (the so-called Occupied Territories), they were originally seen only as a stepping-stone toward the ratification of a formal peace treaty between the two sides that would end decades of conflict. However, the Oslo Accords have yet to result in any lasting peace—and their overall impact remains up for debate. Why? Because they keep on attacking Israel, like the town of Sderot; attacked almost daily.
Late 2001 onwards: The city of Sderot has been a target of continuous, though often less lethal, Qassam rocket fire from the Gaza Strip since this time, with rocket fire intensifying significantly after the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005. The first Israeli fatalities from rocket fire occurred in the Sderot area in June 2004.
Hamas
The Oslo Accords were caused by a convergence of factors, including the Israeli government and PLOfacing pressure to end the First Intifada, which eroded Israel's international standing, like today.The Intifada began on 9 December 1987 in the Jabalia refugee camp after an Israeli truck driver collided with parked civilian vehicles, killing four Palestinian workers, three of whom were from the refugee camp. Palestinians charged that the collision was a deliberate response for the killing of an Israeli in Gaza days earlier.
The accords were brokered through secret, back-channel negotiations in Norway and began with the premise of gradual self-governance for Palestinians, based on the mutual recognition of Israel and the PLO.
The Oslo Accords were made up of the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). They also involved other parties as mediators and witnesses, most notably Norway, which hosted the initial secret negotiations, and the United States, which hosted the signing ceremony for the first accord and played a role in its implementation.
Main parties: The primary signatories and participants were the Israeli government, represented by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and the PLO, represented by Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Mediators: Secret negotiations took place in Oslo, Norway, and were facilitated by Norwegian officials like Jan Egeland and Johan Jørgen Holst.
Witnesses and supporters: The signing of the accords was witnessed by leaders from other countries, including the United States and Russia, as well as representatives from Egypt, Jordan, and the European Union. The U.S. played a significant role in bringing the parties together and helping to implement the agreement.
1994: Under the Oslo Accords, Israel began a phased transfer of governmental authority in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank city of Jericho to the newly created Palestinian Authority (PA), led by Yasser Arafat.
August-September 2005: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon implemented a full, unilateral disengagement from Gaza, which involved evacuating all Israeli settlers and soldiers and demolishing all 21 Israeli settlements in the territory. The last soldier left the Gaza Strip on September 12, 2005
Following the 2005 withdrawal, control of the territory was transferred to the Palestinian Authority. However, Israel maintained control of Gaza's borders, airspace, and shoreline for self protection-security, leading many international bodies and legal experts to still consider the territory under Israeli occupation according to international law.
2006 Election: Tensions escalated after Hamas, an Islamist movement designated a terrorist organization by the US and EU, won a decisive victory in the Palestinian legislative elections, ending decades of Fatah leadership. The 2006 elections were the second elections to the PLC. The first elections took place in 1996, but the subsequent elections had been postponed for many years due to disagreements between Fatah and Hamas. They vied for being leader with power. Hamas was considered a terrorist organization by countries like the United States. Along with this, Yasser Arafat's cabinet called off the 2003 election because it claimed that the "Israeli military occupation of West Bank cities made a free ballot impossible"
In 2007, the militant group, Hamas, forcibly seized control of the Gaza Strip from the Fatah-led PAafter a violent conflict, and the territory has remained under Hamas's governance since then. This led to Israel and Egypt imposing a significant blockade on the area.The Bush administration, which had pushed for the elections in an effort to promote democracy, chose to ignore the results and isolate Hamas after it won a majority of the seats.
The 2007 conflict between Fatah and Hamas, known as the Battle of Gaza, was a brief but brutal civil war from June 10 to 15, 2007, resulting in Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip and a de facto division of the Palestinian territories.
21 years ago in Halabja near the Iran border, a Sarin gas attack
Today is Memorial Day in the states. We remember our fallen soldiers by going to the cemeteries and placing flowers on their graves. Jews places stones as a reminder that we were there. We recognize what they went through to bring our country freedoms that we enjoy and appreciate and thank our fallen soldiers.
In Syria, a Syrian doctor and several medical students were at a grave also, but they were there to take samples of tissue from a man who had died of respiratory failure after a rocket was reported to have spewed poison gas on Dariya, a suburb of the Syrian capital on April 25th. Syrians have asked the USA to intervene in the 2-year Syrian civil war and are hoping that this further evidence might be enough to get the international community to act.
Obama wants proof that Assad has been using gas or chemical warfare on his people of which over 80,000 have already perished in their civil war. Last month he had sent a letter to Congress that he had received "physiological samples" that led the US intelligence agencies to conclude...that Assad had used Sarin nerve gas on a small scale. The US has provided humanitarian and other nonmilitary aid to the rebels, resisting calls to get more involved . We have found that getting involved leaves us no door to get out of conflicts quickly. We get mired in them. So even though Obama had his red line that was not to be crossed before action would be taken with gas attacks, he needs more convincing. There's always the chance that the rebels would manipulate evidence, so we're being extra cautious.
Israel can't take any chances. They're neighbors of Syria and not on Assad's hit parade of friends, or rather we are on his hit list. Assad wouldn't hesitate to use his storage of chemical warfare on Israel, so Israel is going through a week long exercise of what to do in case of chemical warfare. This is not the first time that Israelis have been issued gas masks and directed to prepare a safe room. This is why they had bombed the shipment of missiles in Syria about a month ago.
Assad is backed by Iran who are backed by Russia. What an evil empire they make.
Nadene Goldfoot
On Obama's 2nd day of visiting Israel, at 7:15 am in Sderot, Quassam rockets were fired from Gaza. What a surprise for a Thursday morning to have a rocket hit your backyard. Another fell into an open area and about 3 others must have fallen into their own Palestinian territory. First off, the air raid sirens went off 5 times. .
This is certainly a break in the quiet enjoyed by the Israelis in southern Israel lately. It's not a very nice thing to happen just before Passover.
Obama is talking to Assad who isn't all that popular in Gaza. Could it be a message for Obama as well?
Nadene Goldfoot Deep Throat is a guided bomb-unit 28 (GBU-28) and weighs 5,000 pounds. It is laser guided and was used in Operation Desert Storm to penetrate Iraqi underground command centers. 2 were dropped.
During former US President George W. Bush's administration (2001-2009) in 2005, the USA sold 100 bunker-penetrating bombs and refueling aircraft to Israel, possibly thinking they would be used to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. By 2006 Israel accelerated the request and finally 55 units were delivered in 2009 as the order had been deferred for 2 years.
When Obama entered the White House, he approved a string of Israeli requests to purchase advance armament. Netanyahu requested the approval of the sale of advanced refueling aircraft as well as GBU-28 bunker-piercing bombs during a recent meeting with Leon Panetta in March 2012. Obama instructed Panetta to work directly with Ehud Barak, Israel's Defense Minister, on the matter. He indicated that they looked favorably on this request.
WikiLeaks exposed discussions about it about discussions in 2009 noting that it should be quiet to avoid allegations that the USG is helping Israel prepare for a strike against Iran.
The USA sold some to South Korea after North Korea had a practice bomb drill. They were to be delivered sometime between 2010-2014.
Israel had on December 23, 2011 received bombs fused to prematurely detonate before penetration. "According to the Jerusalem Post
on December 23, 2011 the US Justice Department announced that it had
reached a settlement with Kaman Corp. which allegedly substituted a
fuse in four lots of fuses made for the bombs. Under the settlement,
Kaman Corp. will pay the government $4.75 million. " Kaman Corp is a USA corporation.
Nadene Goldfoot
Egypt's military head, field Marshal Hussein Tantawi warned today after Hillary Clinton left that he won't let the Muslim Brotherhood dominate Egypt, even though Hillary had advised him to work with Egypt's elected Islamist leaders, so he wasn't very happy with her suggestions. He stated that "Egypt will never fall. It belongs to all Egyptians and not to a certain group--the armed forces will not allow it." The military has cut Morsi's powers and has taken over the job of writing a new constitution.
Egypt itself wasn't happy with her either, boys holding placards showed they hated Israel just a little more than they hated her. Her motorcade was hit with shoes, tomatoes and a few water bottles. The people called out "Monika, Monika, remembering her husband's affair just to irk her.
While Egypt's liberals were for the Arab Spring, the liberals and Christians are now accusing Clinton and Obama with forcing the Muslim Brotherhood down Egypt's throat to curry favor with the Islamists.
With that greeting behind her, Hillary then met with Prime Minister Binyamim Netanyahu in Jerusalem on the last leg of her trip abroad. She was there to talk about Iran's nuclear power and the stalled peace process with Hamas and Fatah.
As usual, southern Israel at that moment was hit with a rocket at around 9:30pm. An Israel News Daily article explained what happens is that first the scream of the Color Red rocket alert sounds. 15 seconds later a rocket explodes. This time it was a short-range Qassam and it exploded somewhere in the western Negev. Security personel have to go out to locate the site where it exploded. Israelis must stay in their shelters for 10 minutes after its impact to make sure it's not being followed immediately by another which can happen.
An hour later, another attack did come, this time against the nearby city of Sderot, which is the closest to the Gaza Strip. This rocket exploded in a field on the outskirts of the city. Hillary should visit the southern part just to see what it's like and what the population endures from the terrorists.
Nadene Goldfoot
The month of March saw terrorists from Gaza fire over 200 rockets into Israel over 4 days after terrorists Zuhir Musa Ahmed and Mahmoud Ahmed Mahmoud Hanani were killed.
Fire broke out in the Eshkol region in Southern Israel after it was hit by high trajectory firing into the Israeli territory. IAF aircraft retaliated by striking 2 direct hits on weapons storage sites in northern and southern Gaza on yesterday.
Before, on Sunday the aircraft took out a terrorist tunnel with direct hits. This came about in retaliation to being hit by a Qassam rocket in the south late Sunday night, exploding in the Eshkol Regional Council.
Friday morning another fight took place between IDF troops and a Gaza terrorist as they were trying to infiltrate the western Negev from Gaza which took the life of a young Golani Brigade soldier.
All this shooting was supposed to have been under a cease fire maintained by Egypt, but for the terrorist groups, only seems to mean that they just do not fire barrages. They shoot just as it suits them to remind Israelis that they can do it which disrupts the lives of those in Southern Israel. How would you like to be the sitting ducks?
April showers brought 10 rockets fired at Israel in 9 separate attacks, two being launched from the Sinai in Egypt this time. 3 were Grad missiles aimed at Eilat on the Red Sea coast. Some residences suffered from shock. This happened on the 4th. On the 8th 2 Qassam were fired into the Sdot Negev in the morning and a rocket was fired at Sderot in the evening. The Color Red alarm sounded in the city once more. Sderot has taken upteen hits. On the 14th Fatah fired a rocket at night with CARE International detecting it coming from east of Jabalia which exploded prematurely. They did it again the next day with Qassam rockets coming into the Sha'ar Hanegev and Ashkelon areas. The 22nd, 23rd and 30th also had Qassam rockets fall into the areas.
May is supposed to bring flowers but the Ashkelon area only got another Qassam rocket and Israel decided to retaliate by hitting a tunnel in northern Gaza on the 1st. Another Qassam rocket shot into Sdot Negev again on the 9th and that brings us to the 15th with a Qassam rocket fired in the morning into Sha'ar Hanegev area.
In this we see that Israel is the target of constant attacks. Israel retaliates once in a while aiming at the cause, not the people. Yet we are seen as the bad guys. Go figure. What kind of logic is this? England is being very anti-Israel with many Brits supporting the Palestinian "liberation struggle against Israeli imperialism" as some see it. This is the same British Empire who conquered and subjugated other countries, controlling over 1/4 of the world at one time where "the sun never set on the British Empire." Queen Elizabeth II is into her "diamond jubilee" and has never visited Israel yet.
Senator Barack Obama flew into Israel vowing that if he became President he would work towards ending the Israel-Palestine conflict "from the minute he was sworn into office." He didn't let on that he meant he would work to push Israel back to indefensible lines from 1967 which would mean untold amounts of Israeli lives to be lost. No, it's not popular to be supportive of Israel, but we are anyway. They're the ones getting attacked and shelled and why? For existing.
Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Palestinian_rocket_attacks_on_Israel,_2012
Arutz Sheva news@israelnationalnews.com IAF Hits Weapons Storage Sites in Gaza by Elad Benari
Here's the situation. We have Israel surrounded by Muslim states that are out to destroy it. I say that because after 62 years of existence, there have been many wars against it from these neighbors. Hamas terrorists in Gaza rule the area and their charter says to destroy Israel. They are still shooting rockets at Israel. Despite this, USA is pressing Israel to give up land again to create a Palestine on its doorstep.
First it was Mitchell meeting with Netanyahu followed up with THE phone call from Hillary Clinton. Abbas has said that he would finally talk to Netanyahu provided:
provided that they were based on a statement from March 19th by the Quartet of mediators: USA, European Union, Russia and the UN. Out of this quartet, I do not see one group that is pro-Israel in any way. The USA used to be, but the new direction it has taken is more likely to be against us.
The Quartet wants Israel to halt settlement building in Judea/Samaria and come to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians within 24 months. They also want Palestine to be created with borders before the 1967 Middle East war. I just read that Russia is supplying Iran with uranium to start up their program, and Iran is a country who has called for Isael's destruction. I can see how Russia will vote concerning anything about Israel.
Obama wants the talks to go back two years where they had broken off when Israel conducted Operation Cast Lead when rockets were being fired from Gaza by Hamas terrorists for 6 long years. Incidently, rockets are still being shot from there. From January to July of this year, 120 rockets have been fired at Israel.
Clinton conferred before the telephone conversation with the foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt. They are former countries that have fought against Israel but right now are at peace. I have a feeling that they will go along with Syria and Iran's feeling about having Israel in their midst. It is Syria and Iran who are backing so much of the terror coming from Gaza.
Abbas has no power over Gaza. They are completely in the hands of the Hamas terrorists.
Netanyahu wants the talks to start immediately without any such "precondition". I go along with him. Talks are to talk about things. You don't settle something before the talks. That's what the talks are for. There are a lot of things to talk about, here. The people with the most at stake are the Palestinians who think they want a state so badly. Yet they're playing the "I won't talk to you until I get my own way " game. Hillary endorses this stand, evidently as she is nudging for it.
All of Mitchell's mediations have made little progress that can be seen. I don't know what he thinks he can do when Hamas, not under Abbas's authority, refuses permanent accommodations with our Jewish state. In fact, their charter says they will destroy Israel. I haven't heard of him trying to change their minds on this as a prerequisite for peace, which in my opinion, should have been done a long time ago.
If I were Netanyahu, and thank Ha Shem that I'm not, I would say, when Hamas changes their charter to accept Israel and welcomes Israel and breaks bread with salt with them, then I'd consider talking to Abbas or whoever it would be by then. Otherwise I wouldn't bother wasting my breath talking to them or stressing about it. They're being pig-headed (pardon the expression) , and one can't reason or discuss a thing when they are at this level of reasoning.
Update: 8/15/10 Hamas refuses to talk. Read reference below. Just as I figured. It'll take miracle to get Hamas to consider peaceful conditions.
