INTERNACIONAL
Trump pick for religious freedom envoy visits Holy Land, cites strong US-Israel bond
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On his visit to Israel this week, Ambassador-Designate for International Religious Freedom Mark Walker said meeting families of hostages and survivors of Hamas captivity left him «overwhelmed,» reaffirming what he called the «spiritual and historic bond» between the United States and Israel.
Walker, a former Republican congressman and Baptist pastor from North Carolina, was nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the nation’s top global envoy for religious liberty. He will officially assume the post once confirmed by the Senate, becoming the seventh American to hold the role since it was created by Congress in 1998.
His visit to Israel, he explained, was driven by both friendship and timing. «All these other historic landmark agreements are happening the same week we’re here,» Walker said. «It’s been amazing to see the excitement — literally banners hanging from buildings and parks thanking President Trump for his ongoing efforts and the strength he’s shown to drive the region toward peace.»
VANCE WARNS HAMAS AS GAZA PEACE PLAN’S CIVILIAN MILITARY COOPERATION CENTER OPENS
Ambassador-Designate Mark Walker, center, visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel, in October 2025. (Warren Cohn)
Walker said he was particularly moved by his meetings with hostage families.
«I was overwhelmed to spend some time with Keith Siegel, who endured 483 days of captivity and torture, and with Ruby Chen, whose son, Itay, was killed by Hamas — his body still not returned,» Walker said. «To hear the passion in Ruby’s voice, to see his perseverance, it’s overwhelming. In America, we’re watching this from a distance. But being here on the ground, seeing how the community has banded together to stand up for these hostages — alive or dead — has impacted me in a different manner.»
The experience, he said, deepened his appreciation for Israel’s resilience. «The people of Israel have stood resiliently in the face of evil,» he said. «Their faith and courage remind the world what strength looks like.»
With U.S. officials visiting Israel to monitor the fragile ceasefire, Walker said he remains confident in the administration’s leadership.
Ambassador-Designate Mark Walker for religious freedom with freed hostage Keith Siegel and Rubi Chen, father of hostage Itay Chen. (Warren Cohn)
ISRAEL IDENTIFIES 2 HOSTAGES RETURNED FROM GAZA AS RESIDENTS OF SAME KIBBUTZ
«I have no confidence in Hamas based on their history,» he said. «But I have great confidence in President Trump and what he’s doing. He’s committed to peace and showing it with his actions — sending Vice President Vance, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff here this week.»
He also praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio for advancing the administration’s diplomatic agenda. «This isn’t a photo opportunity,» Walker said. «It’s a real plan for long-term stability.»
When asked how he views Israel’s importance, Walker reflected on his years in Congress.
«I think historically, we’ve had a long-standing relationship of supporting each other through times of peril as well as times of success,» he said. «Certainly, military and business relationships, but from a spiritual standpoint, America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.»
He added, «When you sit in the House chamber where President Trump gives the State of the Union, there are 22 or 23 philosophers — great men of genius — depicted above. But there’s only one historical figure looking directly at the speaker’s rostrum, and that’s Moses. That tells you a lot about the spiritual connection that binds our two countries.»
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Knesset as President Donald Trump and Amir Ohana, speaker of the Israeli Knesset, look on at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025 in Jerusalem. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via AP)
When asked about criticism from some within the evangelical community regarding its close alignment with Israel, Walker said he welcomes open discussion but rejects efforts to undermine the partnership. «I don’t have a problem with anyone questioning — we ought to be able to defend those relationships,» he said. «But when you see some of the talk lately that aims to degrade that relationship, maybe for personal gain or attention, I do have a problem with it, and I think it needs to be condemned.»
He added that such views are far from mainstream. «The evangelical communities that I’m part of — and I happen to be a member of the largest Protestant organization in the United States — don’t have those issues,» he said. «There may be some who are loosely affiliated and use that kind of rhetoric, but the overwhelming majority of evangelicals in America applaud and encourage the relationship we have with Israel.»
Attendees wave Israel and the United States flags at the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) summit on July 17, 2023 in Arlington, Virginia. GOP presidential hopefuls for 2024 are making their cases before the pro-Israeli group. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
On his new role, Walker said the mission was deeply personal.
«When President Trump reached out and asked us to serve as the ambassador for International Religious Freedom — that’s a global position — it was humbling,» he said. «The responsibility is to advocate for people of all faiths, especially in places where they’re persecuted or punished by blasphemy laws.»
EVANGELICAL LEADERS PRAISE TRUMP’S CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AMID WAR WITH IRAN
Walker said he is already building relationships with governments and faith leaders to prepare for his official role advising both President Trump and Secretary Rubio.
«Our job is to engage, expose and eradicate atrocities — whether it’s Christians in Nigeria being massacred, Druze in Syria targeted or rising antisemitic behavior worldwide,» he said. «The United States must remain the beacon of hope for religious freedom. We’re the only country that has it written into law.»
He added that Israel’s example of tolerance stands out in the Middle East. «Christians should be able to live peaceably, share their faith and worship without fear,» he said. «The fact that Israel allows that in a region where so many others don’t is meaningful.»
U.S. President Donald Trump holds the signed agreement of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. (Reuters)
Walker said he plans to «push back wherever persecution exists — whether through diplomacy or by urging governments to repeal blasphemy and anti-conversion laws.»
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He concluded, «President Trump is the only president in American history who called a global conference on religious liberty at the United Nations,» Walker said. «That sent a message across the world — that faith matters, that freedom matters. What we see here in Israel is that same spirit of courage, and it reminds us why this partnership, rooted in faith and freedom, must endure.»
israel,donald trump,conflicts,terrorism,middle east,anti semitism
INTERNACIONAL
Ongoing government shutdown threatens holiday travel as pilots rally for lawmakers to reach an agreement
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A pilots association jumped into the government shutdown fray Wednesday, calling on U.S. lawmakers to pass a «clean continuing resolution» and reopen the government, citing the mounting strain the shutdown has placed on airport employees.
«Our air traffic controllers and the broader air traffic system are already operating under immense pressure — a government shutdown only compounds that stress and threatens the efficiency of our skies as we see the impact of reduced controller availability at facilities across the country,» Jody Reven, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, wrote in a Wednesday statement.
«Likewise, TSA professionals continue to show up every day to safeguard the traveling public, even without pay. These men and women deserve our full support and the certainty of a paycheck,» he continued.
The government shutdown has persisted since Oct. 1, when Senate lawmakers failed to reach a funding agreement before a midnight deadline. The Trump administration and Republicans have since pinned blame for the shutdown on Democrats, claiming they sought taxpayer-funded medical benefits for illegal immigrants.
NOEM AIRS CLIP BLASTING DEMOCRATS FOR GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AT EVERY AIRPORT IN AMERICA
Pilots associations are calling on U.S. lawmakers to reach a funding agreement to reopen the government as holiday travel looms. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images)
Democrats, however, have denied the claims and pinned blame for the shutdown on their Republican colleagues.
The shutdown has led to delays at massive travel hubs such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Newark, New Jersey, as air traffic controllers — who are employed by the Federal Aviation Administration — suffer staffing shortages.
Reven’s statement comes as travelers gear up for holiday flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas, with a White House official telling Fox News Digital that as the shutdown continues, it «threatens to ruin the holidays.» The 2025 holiday season is expected to break travel records as Americans book trips at a higher pace than 2024, travel forecasters reported in October.
«There is no reason the Democrat shutdown should have ever happened, let alone last this long,» the official said. «But the longer it goes on, the more it threatens to ruin the holidays, not only for the Americans missing paychecks but also for every American that travels during the holidays.»
The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association’s press release specifically called on lawmakers to pass a budget as the nation’s entire National Airspace System depends on it.
TRUMP’S WEEK IN REVIEW: SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWNS AND ARMED CARTEL CONFLICT
President Donald Trump said the government shutdown that took effect Oct. 1, 2025, will likely include mass layoffs and program cuts. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
«Pass a clean Continuing Resolution, return to Washington, and work in a bipartisan manner to address the challenges each side is so passionate about,» it stated. «Our National Airspace System, the workers that support it, and the traveling public depend on it.»
When approached for comment on the statement, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers demanded Democrats «stop causing chaos.»
«Democrats say that every day of the shut down gets better and that they want to use suffering families as leverage to achieve their radical left-wing agenda — but the people they’re using as ‘leverage’ disagree,» Rogers said. «From pilots to flight attendants and air traffic controllers, their message is simple: the Democrats need to stop causing chaos and end the shutdown.»
The Air Line Pilots Association, the world’s largest airline pilot union, also called on lawmakers to reopen the government earlier in October.
«The job of keeping aviation safe and secure is tough on an easy day, but forcing them to do it without pay undermines the safety and security of our entire system,» Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said in a statement Oct. 15. «We are at a critical moment in aviation safety, and we need our leaders to be focused on the necessary infrastructure and staffing improvements.»
WITH THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN THREATENING AIR TRAVEL, A GOP BILL SEEKS TO KEEP FLIGHTS RUNNING
President Donald Trump accused Senate Democrats of «holding the entire federal government hostage.» (Getty Images)
President Donald Trump accused Senate Democrats of «holding the entire federal government hostage» Tuesday while demanding the government reopen by passing a «clean, bipartisan CR.»
«They are the obstructionists,» he said. «And the reason they’re doing it is because we’re doing so well. We’re doing well all over the world.»
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday that he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., reached out to Trump to request a meeting to negotiate an end to the shutdown.
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«Hakeem and I reached out to the president today and urged him to sit down and negotiate with us to resolve the healthcare crisis, address it and end the Trump shutdown,» Schumer said. «He should sit — the things get worse every day for the American people. He should sit down with us, negotiate in a serious way before he goes away.»
Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.
travel,donald trump,government shutdown,democrats senate
INTERNACIONAL
El Parlamento israelí avanza en un proyecto de anexión de Cisjordania bajo una fuerte condena palestina
El Parlamento israelí (Knéset) aprobó este miércoles, en una lectura preliminar con 25 votos a favor y 24 en contra, una propuesta para anexionar el territorio palestino ocupado de Cisjordania.
“El proyecto de ley para aplicar la soberanía a los territorios de Judea y Samaria (como llama Israel al territorio palestino) fue aprobado en lectura preliminar por una mayoría de 25 a favor y 24 en contra”, detalló la Knéset en su cuenta en X.
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Este primer paso precede a otras tres votaciones que serán necesarias en el Parlamento para convertir este proyecto en ley. El proyecto sostiene que “el Estado de Israel aplicará sus leyes y soberanía a las zonas de asentamiento en Judea y Samaria, para establecer el estatus de estas áreas como parte inseparable del Estado soberano de Israel”.
La iniciativa generó una fuerte condena de la Autoridad Nacional Palestina (ANP), que gobierna en algunas zonas del enclave, y del grupo islámico Hamas.
“Gran Israel”
El parlamentario Avio Maoz, líder del partido Noam, es el impulsor de esta ley. Durante la sesión parlamentaria, declaró que “el Señor, bendito sea, dio al pueblo de Israel la Tierra de Israel”, en una alusión al ‘Gran Israel’ que borra del mapa los territorios palestinos.
Esta votación preliminar coincide con la visita en Israel del vicepresidente de Estados Unidos, JD Vance, quien supervisa el plan del alto el fuego en Gaza junto al primer ministro israelí, Benjamín Netanyahu, y altos cargos militares. Un hombre lleva una bandera palestina frente a tres soldados israelíes cerca de Nablus, en Cisjordania (Foto: EFE)
“Ha llegado el momento de aplicar la soberanía plena sobre todos los territorios de Judea y Samaria (Cisjordania) la herencia de nuestros antepasados, y de promover acuerdos de paz a cambio de paz con nuestros vecinos desde una posición de fortaleza”, celebró en X el ministro de Finanzas, el ultraderechista y colono, Bezalel Smotrich.
El ministro de Seguridad Nacional, Itamar Ben Gvir, también de extrema derecha y colono, escribió en su cuenta de X: “¡Ha llegado el momento de la soberanía ahora!”.
Leé también: Israel aseguró que lanzó “153 toneladas de bombas” en Gaza y acusó a Hamas de incumplir el cese el fuego
Ambos ministros ya exigieron a mediados de septiembre al primer ministro israelí, Benjamín Netanyahu, la anexión de la Cisjordania en respuesta al reconocimiento del Estado palestino por parte de más de una decena de países, entre ellos Reino Unido, Canadá y Australia.
Palestina no cuenta con continuidad territorial, y mientras en Gaza gobernaba la rama política de Hamás, en Cisjordania permanece la Autoridad Nacional Palestina (ANP), encabezada por Mahmud Abás.
E la mayor parte de esta zona (la denominada Área C que equivale al 60 % del territorio). Israel posee tanto control militar como civil desde los Acuerdos de Oslo.
Además, existen cientos de puestos de control militares israelíes a lo largo de toda Cisjordania, y un sistema de permisos que no permite el libre movimiento de los palestinos entre ciudades.
Fuerte condena palestina
La organización islamista Hamas consideró que el proyecto de anexión es “nulo, sin valor e ilegítimo”.
“Afirmamos que los frenéticos intentos de la ocupación por anexionar las tierras de Cisjordania son nulos, sin valor e ilegítimos. No cambiarán el hecho de que Cisjordania es tierra palestina en virtud de la historia, el derecho internacional y la opinión consultiva emitida por la Corte Internacional de Justicia en 2024”, afirmó un comunicado.
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En tanto, el ministerio de Exteriores palestino aseguró que Israel “no tendrá ninguna soberanía” sobre Cisjordania. En un comunicado, difundido en su cuenta de X, reiteró que “la tierra palestina ocupada en Cisjordania, incluida Jerusalén, y la Franja de Gaza, constituyen una unidad geográfica única sobre la cual Israel no tiene soberanía, y que la soberanía pertenece exclusivamente al pueblo palestino”.
La Corte Internacional de Justicia emplaza a Israel
Por otra parte, la Corte Internacional de Justicia (CIJ) advirtió que Israel no fundamentó los vínculos que asegura que la Agencia de Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados de Palestina en Oriente Próximo (UNRWA) tiene con Hamas y pidió al gobierno de Netanyahu cumplir con su obligación de aceptar y facilitar los planes de ayuda a Gaza proporcionados por la ONU. Según afirmó Israel no debe usar el hambre como método de guerra.
El tribunal consideró que el impedimento sustancial por parte de Israel al acceso de ayuda humanitaria a Gaza durante un periodo significativo de tiempo ha tenido consecuencias catastróficas para la población civil en la Franja.
La población local de la Franja de Gaza ha sido abastecida de forma insuficiente. En tal situación, Israel, como potencia ocupante, tiene la obligación de aceptar y facilitar los planes de ayuda, advirtió el presidente de la CIJ, el juez japonés Yuji Iwasawa, durante la lectura de la decisión del tribunal.
Israel tiene la obligación, añadió, de garantizar las necesidades básicas de la población local, incluidos los suministros esenciales para su supervivencia.
(Con información de EFE)
gaza, Cisjordania, Israel
INTERNACIONAL
US carries out 8th strike on alleged drug vessel, this time in Eastern Pacific, Hegseth says
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The U.S. military carried out another strike on a suspected drug vessel, this time in the Eastern Pacific, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday.
The strike Tuesday against a boat allegedly carrying drugs is the eighth conducted by the Trump administration. The previous seven happened in the Caribbean.
«Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel being operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization and conducting narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific. The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route, and carrying narcotics,» Hegseth said.
«There were two narco-terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. Both terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike,» he added.
3 KILLED IN US STRIKE ON COLOMBIAN ELN VESSEL SMUGGLING NARCOTICS, HEGSETH SAYS
The suspect drug smuggling vessel is shown at left, moments before it was destroyed in a U.S. strike on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (X.com/SecWar)
Earlier this week, Hegseth announced that three alleged narco-terrorists were killed in a U.S. strike on a drug smuggling vessel affiliated with Colombia’s National Liberation Army.
That «lethal kinetic strike» happened Friday in international waters at the direction of President Donald Trump, Hegseth wrote in a post on X.
«The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was traveling along a known narco-trafficking route, and was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics,» Hegseth wrote. «There were three male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike—which was conducted in international waters.»
«All three terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike,» he added.
The suspect drug smuggling vessel is shown at left, moments before it was destroyed in a U.S. strike on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. (X.com/SecWar)
Colombia’s Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) is a designated terrorist organization. Hegseth likened the Colombian rebel group to the al Qaeda terror group founded by Usama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
TRUMP GOES ALL-OUT AGAINST COLOMBIA’S PETRO AFTER CLAIMS DRUG STRIKE KILLED FISHERMAN: WHAT WE KNOW
The death toll from the Trump administration’s military campaign against suspected drug-smuggling vessels is at least 34. The operations began last month and are part of Trump’s broader effort to dismantle transnational cartels by force.
Last Thursday, the U.S. military carried out a strike on what Trump later called a «very large drug-carrying submarine» in the Caribbean, killing two suspected narco-terrorists and capturing two others alive.
The U.S. killed six alleged drug traffickers on a boat in international waters near Venezuela, President Donald Trump announced Oct. 14, 2025. (realDonaldTrump/Truth Social)
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A separate strike on Tuesday killed six suspected smugglers aboard a vessel off the coast of Venezuela.
south america,drugs,military,world
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