lsraeli occupation forces abduct tens of Palestinians from Jabalia Camp, Northern Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/182yCaV5Sl

— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) November 6, 2024

A top priority for the next European Commission will be making the EU self-reliant and ready for war, as the US is likely to focus on China in the coming decades, Andrius Kubilius, the nominee for the EU’s new top defense post, has said. | “Adversaries and strategic rivals are rapidly outpacing us,” with Russia and China far ahead in defense spending, Kubilius went on to say. He claimed that Russia will spend more on defense than all of the bloc’s 27 states combined in terms of purchasing power parity. ■ In the meantime, the best defense strategy for the EU would be to continue funding Ukraine, he stated. Since 2022, the EU has spent nearly €120 billion ($128.8 billion) on supporting Ukraine, with another €74 billion pledged but yet to be allocated, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

■ NATO boss says members will bow to Trump’s financial demands (RT.com)
■ Путин назвал НАТО анахронизмом и единственным оставшимся в мире блоком (TACC)
■ US Preparing Europe to Start Direct War With Russia If Ukraine Fails - Lavrov (11/04/24)
■ EU tells citizens to stock up for nuclear disaster (10/31/24)

Donald Trump has been declared the winner of the 2024 presidential race, prompting a meltdown in the Kamala Harris camp and the US corporate media – who are struggling to understand what went wrong. | Wall Street analyst Charles Ortel gives the top three reasons behind Trump's victory:

● Abject Failure of “Bidenomics” Despite Borrowing and Spending Trillions of Dollars
● Soaring Crime, Especially in Cities
● "An Arrogant Slate of Idiots on the Democrat Ticket Backed by Out-of-Touch and Classless 'Celebrities'"

Ortel drew attention to a high number of black, Latino and women's votes for Trump, even though those demographics have long been considered pro-Democratic. ■ The analyst believes Democrats tried to rig the 2024 election "in countless ways" but the wave of support from Trump’s supporters was "too big to rig." Misconduct by Democrats can only be fully exposed after Trump gets his cabinet picks confirmed into key positions, Ortel believes.

■ Trump May Travel to Washington, DC Next Week to Meet With Biden - Reports (Sputnik)
■ REPORT: OBAMA FLED THE UNITED STATES LATE LAST NIGHT (Hal Turner)
■ Election 2024 - Random Thoughts (Moon of Alabama)

Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement has struck the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa in the occupied Palestinian territories with kamikaze drones and missiles, besides unveiling a new precision missile that it seeks to deploy in its ongoing struggle against the Israeli regime. | In a statement on Wednesday, the movement said it had launched a retaliatory aerial attack “with a squadron of attack drones on the Belo Base, which belongs to the reserve paratrooper brigade of the Israeli enemy army’s 98 Division south of Tel Aviv, for the first time and hit its targets accurately.” ■ Hezbollah said it had carried out the operation as part of the Khaybar series of operations under the slogan, "We are at your service O Nasrallah," referring to the movement’s former secretary general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was martyred during intense Israeli airstrikes against Lebanon’s capital Beirut in late September.

■ Nation led by Sayyed Nasrallah cannot but be victorious: Sheikh Qassem (Al Mayadeen)

Yossi Verter | The Terrifying Reason Netanyahu Fired His Defense Minister, as the War in Gaza and Lebanon Rages | Yoav Gallant has been offloaded for the benefit of the draft-dodging ultra-Orthodox in a bid to keep Netanyahu's government intact. It's a direct blow to the country's security that's horrifying us in a way we've never known. We're days, maybe hours, before another attack by the Iranians, one that could be worse than the onslaught a month ago. We're days, maybe hours, before senior officials at the Prime Minister's Office are grilled in two cases involving security issues. Against this backdrop, Benjamin Netanyahu chose to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

■ Israeli soldiers revolt against Netanyahu for Gallant (Mehr News)

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has announced a vote of confidence, potentially paving the way for snap elections | Germany’s ‘traffic-light’ coalition has fallen apart, leaving Olaf Scholz at the helm of a minority government consisting solely of his Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens. This follows the chancellor’s dismissal of Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader Christian Lindner as finance minister. ■ In response to Lindner’s dismissal, which came after failed crisis talks on Wednesday night, the FDP’s parliamentary group leader, Christian Durr, announced that the party is withdrawing its ministers from Scholz’s government, formally ending the three-way coalition. ■ The Greens expressed regret over the development, but stated that they wish to remain part of a minority government, emphasizing the need for the EU – and Germany in particular – to demonstrate its capacity for action following Donald Trump’s election as US president.

■ Germany faces uncertainty as Scholz's ruling coalition collapses (Al Mayadeen)

Amira Zaiter, a mother and a nursing student from Nice, France, was sentenced to three years in prison for denouncing the ongoing Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. | A pro-Palestinian activist in France has been sentenced to three years in prison for allegedly "glorifying terrorism" on social media, according to broadcaster France 3. Amira Zaiter, an activist from Nice, was arrested on September 19 for allegedly "promoting terrorism, glorifying crimes against humanity, and spreading hate speech online," as per the channel.