Veterans Fired From Federal Jobs Say They Feel Betrayed, Including Some Who Voted For Trump
Veterans fired from federal jobs say they feel betrayed, including some who voted for Trump. Nathan Hooven is a disabled Air Force veteran who voted for Donald Trump in November. Barely three months later, he’s now unemployed and says he feels betrayed by the president’s dramatic downsizing of the federal government that cost him his job.
1 of 4| James Stancil is seen outside the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)Nathan Hooven is a disabled Air Force veteran who voted for Donald Trump in November. Barely three months later, he’s now unemployed and says he feels betrayed by the president’s dramatic downsizing of the federal government that cost him his job.
“I think a lot of other veterans voted the same way, and we have been betrayed,” said Hooven, who was fired in February from a Virginia medical facility for veterans. “I feel like my life and the lives of so many like me, so many that have sacrificed so much for this country, are being destroyed.”
The mass firing of federal employees since Trump took office in January is pushing out veterans who make up 30% of the nation’s federal workforce. The exact number of veterans who have lost their jobs is unknown, although House Democrats last month estimated that it was potentially in the thousands.
More could be on the way. The Department of Veterans Affairs — a major employer of veterans — is planning a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. Veterans represent more than 25% of the VA’s workforce.
READ Sweeping Layoffs! Conditions in America Have Only Just Begun to Change. Anger, chaos, and confusion take hold. The insight!
In interviews, several veterans who supported candidates of both parties described their recent job losses as a betrayal of their military service. They are particularly angered by how it happened: in an email that cited inadequate job performance — despite, they say, receiving positive reviews in their roles.
James Stancil, a 62-year-old Army veteran who was fired last month from his job as a supply technician at a VA hospital in Milwaukee, said it felt like he’d been shot and dumped out of a helicopter.
“And you just free fall and hit the ground — that’s it,” said Stancil, who supported Democrat Kamala Harris last year. “I’m not dead weight. You’re tossing off the wrong stuff.”
Stancil said the email he received telling him his performance wasn’t good enough came as “a complete shock” because he had previously received positive feedback. Hooven also said his performance was cited despite similarly positive feedback during his 11 months as a probationary employee.
“I’ve been blindsided,” Hooven said. “My life has been completely upended with zero chance to prepare. I was fired without notice, unjustly, based on a lie that I’m a subpar, poor performer at my job.”
Stancil said he believes Trump owes fired veterans an apology.
Asked this week about fired federal workers who are veterans, Alina Habba, a former member of Trump’s personal legal team who now serves as a counselor in the White House, defended the cuts.
“But at the same time, we have taxpayer dollars, we have a fiscal responsibility to use taxpayer dollars to pay people that actually work,” Habba told reporters. “That doesn’t mean that we forget our veterans, by any means. We are going to care for them in the right way. But perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment, or not willing to come to work.”
Veterans were much likelier to support Trump than Harris in November’s presidential election, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the American electorate conducted in all 50 states. Nearly 6 in 10 voters who are veterans backed Trump, while about 4 in 10 voted for Harris.
Cynthia Williams, an Army veteran who lost her job as a dispatcher at a VA in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said she didn’t vote for either candidate but suspects fellow veterans who backed Trump might have changed their minds had they known this was coming.
“It was blindsiding because he said he wanted to make the country great again … but this is not making it great again,” Williams said.
Matthew Sims, an Army veteran, lost his job last month as a program support assistant at a mental health clinic at a VA in Salem, Virginia, after moving with his wife and three children from Texas. He voted for Trump and said he supports reducing the size of the federal government but not this way.
“I support downsizing, but it’s just the way they’re going about doing it. It’s like the chainsaw approach, I guess, versus the surgical approach that they should be doing,” Sims said.
Jared Evans, a recreation therapist at the Salem VA, was fired in February, his eighth month as a probationary worker. Evans said a patient had just told him how much he appreciated his work when he received his email. He had moved from California with his wife, 3-year-old son, and 1-year-old daughter for a job that he had long wanted.
Evans, a 36-year-old Army veteran, was the only one working in his family. He said he feels scared, numb and angry.
“I cried,” Evans said about learning of his firing. “I haven’t done that in a while, because you’re just kind of free-falling now. You’re in an area to where you’re not really familiar with, and you’re just being left out to dry.”
This article first appeared on APNews!Share your thoughts in the 'Post Comments' section of this article if you believe this is the appropriate way to downsize the federal workforce.
Special Counsel, Jack Smith's Final Report: Cutting through the noise and laying down the facts
The report lays out why charges were pursued or dropped—no politics, no games, just federal guidelines. It tackles two critical investigations involving Donald Trump: election Interference and Classified Documents. Smith dismantles Trump's 'witch hunt' cries and delves into how Trump tried to hijack democracy itself, bending federal laws to cling to power after losing in 2020. Some parts stay sealed.
Theo Edwards for YAME Digital
Jack-Smith and Donald Trump
The US Department of Justice released Special Counsel Jack Smith's final report, claiming that Donald Trump illegally conspired to overturn the 2020 election.
The report lays out why charges were pursued or dropped—no politics, no games, just federal guidelines. It tackles two critical investigations involving Donald Trump: election Interference and Classified Documents. Smith dismantles Trump's 'witch hunt' cries and delves into how Trump tried to hijack democracy itself, bending federal laws to cling to power after losing in 2020. Some parts stay sealed.
What does this say about our once-great nation?
The lengthy 137-page document, dated January 7, summarized years of Smith's investigation into the 2020 election interference case involving President-elect Donald Trump. It concluded that Trump would likely have been convicted in the case if he had not been elected president in 2024.
Preview or Download the full report Here:
Theo Edwards for YAME DigitalTags #Final Report on the Special Counsel's Investigations and Prosecutions | #The US Department of Justice [DoJ] | #Jack Smith | #election-LAW-blogHighlights from the "Final Report of the Special Counsel Under 28 C.F.R. § 600.8":
- Investigations: The report covers two major investigations involving former President Donald J. Trump. The first investigation focused on potential interference with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election. The second investigation examined the possession of highly classified documents at Mr. Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence
- Findings: The Special Counsel, Jack Smith, and his team conducted thorough investigations and subsequent prosecutions under their mandate. The report details the findings and prosecution decisions made during these investigations
- Public and Confidential Volumes: The report is divided into two volumes. Volume One is available to the public, while Volume Two remains confidential due to ongoing criminal proceedings
- Attorney General's Remarks: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized the importance of independence and accountability in handling these sensitive matters. He highlighted the Department of Justice's commitment to impartiality and fairness
- Special Counsel's Commitment: Upon his appointment, Special Counsel Jack Smith pledged to exercise independent judgment, follow the best traditions of the Department of Justice, and conduct his work expeditiously and thoroughly to reach whatever outcome the facts and law dictated
What's Behind White-America Support for Donald J. Trump
Anybody who does not understand the majority of white Americans' unflinching support for Donald Trump should listen and watch the video.
In Video: Excerpt
Jared Taylor White-America
In Video: Excerpt
The 45th lost the 2020 election, trailing Biden by about 7 million votes. He made repeated and false claims of election fraud, in the process fueling the violence of Jan. 6, 2021. He continues to push those falsehoods.
He was impeached for his role in the Jan. 6 — becoming the only president in American history to be twice impeached. Throughout 2023 was indicted four times and faces 91 criminal charges. Separately, in a civil trial last May, he was found liable for the sexual abuse of writer E. Jean Carroll.
Despite all of this, the majority of white Americans still express their unflinching support for the Don. Why? You have to watch and listen to the recording. Just Listen!
In Video: What's Behind White-America Support for Donald J. Trump.
Jared Taylor White-America
So, who is Jared Taylor speaking for White-America?
You Can Feel Something Historic Building in The Air
Kamala Harris delivers a show-stopping rally in front of a roaring crowd in Pennsylvania with her new running mate Tim Walz — and shares a moving anecdote.
Occupy Democrats | @OccupyDemocrats
Philadelphia: August 6, 2024
Kamala Harris delivers a show-stopping rally in front of a roaring crowd in Pennsylvania with her new running mate Tim Walz — and shares a moving anecdote.
"So America, for some folks, they're just getting to know Coach Walz's story," said Harris to the enthusiastic crowd. "And I'll tell you he is the proud product of a middle-class family in rural Nebraska. He is a veteran who served our nation in uniform for more than two decades as a member of the Army National Guard and he went to college on the G.I. Bill."
"He is someone who long before he entered politics worked as a teacher. When Coach Walz and his wife Gwen moved from his native Nebraska to Minnesota nearly thirty years ago they both took jobs at the local high school," Harris continued.
"Coach Walz taught social studies. Gwen taught English. After school, Tim was the linebackers' coach for the football team where I've heard the stories, he had a knack for using the game of football to teach life lessons," she went on. "He saw the potential in kids who sometimes didn't even see it in themselves."
"Under those Friday night lights, Coach Walz motivated his players to believe they could achieve anything, and together they defied the odds — hear this out — going from a winless record to the school's first-ever state championship," said Harris.
At that point, the crowd lost it, applauding and cheering at the top of their lungs.
"And I'll say and I'll add: Tim wasn't only a role model on the football field," continued Vice President Harris. "Around that time, Coach Walz was approached by a student in his social studies class. The young man was one of the first openly gay students at the school and was hoping to start a gay-straight alliance."
"At a time when acceptance was difficult to find for LGBTQ students, Tim knew the signal that it would send to have a football coach get involved," she continued. "So he signed up to be the group's faculty adviser. And as students have said, he made the school a safe place for everybody."
"In the high school yearbook, the students voted Coach Walz the most inspiring faculty member," said Harris. "And as I think everyone he can see, Tim Walz was the kind of teacher and mentor that every child in America dreams of having and that every kid deserves."
"The kind of coach — because he's the kind of person — who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big and that's the kind of vice president he will be," said Harris, as the crowd once again roared.
"And that's the kind of vice president America deserves!" she added.
What a breath of fresh air!
The Harris-Walz campaign released its first video introducing Tim Walz to America. Please watch and share!
“Who is Tim Walz? Meet Kamala Harris VP pick.”
Comment from Barrack Obama on Twitter
Like Vice President Harris, Governor @Tim_Walz believes that government works to serve us. Not just some of us, but all of us. That’s what makes him an outstanding governor, and that’s what will make him an even better vice president. Michelle and I couldn’t be happier for Tim and Gwen, their family, and our country.
China Reconciliation Talks Between Fatah, Hamas, and Palestinian Factions Sign Reconciliation Agreement
The national factions agreed during their meetings in China to achieve comprehensive Palestinian national unity, including all Palestinian forces and factions within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) framework. They committed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, following United Nations resolutions, and ensuring the right of return following Resolution 194.
Firas | @FirasPalestine via ‘X,’ formally Twitter
July 23, 2024
The factions have agreed on an ‘interim national reconciliation government’, says the Chinese Foreign Ministry
READ: Al Jazeera: Hamas and Fatah sign unity deal in Beijing aimed at Gaza governance
Mahmoud al-Aloul, vice chairman of the Central Committee of Fatah (L), China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C), and Mousa Abu Marzouk, senior Hamas member, attend an event at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, July 23 [Pedro Pardo/AFP]
Firas | @FirasPalestine on ‘X,’ formally Twitter China reconciliation talks between Fatah, Hamas, Palestinian factions sign reconciliation agreement.
The national factions agreed during their meetings in China to achieve comprehensive Palestinian national unity, including all Palestinian forces and factions within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). They committed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with United Nations resolutions, and ensuring the right of return in accordance with Resolution 194.
The participants also agreed on the Palestinian people's right to resist occupation and end it according to international laws and the United Nations Charter. They decided to form a temporary national unity government with the consensus of the Palestinian factions by decree of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas based on the Palestinian Basic Law. This government will begin by unifying all Palestinian institutions in the territories of the Palestinian state, initiating the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and preparing for general elections under the supervision of the Central Elections Commission as soon as possible, according to the approved election law.
The Palestinian factions meeting in Beijing are:
Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah)
Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas)
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement
Palestinian People's Party
Palestinian Popular Struggle Front
Palestinian National Initiative Movement
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command
Palestinian Democratic Union (FIDA)
Palestinian Liberation Front
Arab Liberation Front
Arab Palestinian Front
Vanguards of the Popular Liberation War (As-Sa'iqa Forces)
The attendees agreed on the following points:
1. Unifying national efforts to confront Zionist aggression and stop the genocide perpetrated by the occupying state and settler gangs supported by the United States of America. They also agreed to resist attempts to displace our people from their homeland, Palestine, and to force the Zionist entity to end its occupation of the Gaza Strip and all other occupied territories, while maintaining the unity of Palestinian lands, including the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
2. The Palestinian factions welcomed the opinion of the International Court of Justice, which affirmed the illegitimacy of the Israeli presence, occupation, and settlements on the land of the State of Palestine and emphasized the need for their removal as soon as possible.
3. Based on the National Reconciliation Agreement signed in Cairo on 4/5/2011 and the Algiers Declaration signed on 12/10/2022, the factions agreed to continue following up on the implementation of agreements to end the division with the assistance of Egypt, Algeria, and friends in the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation as follows:
a) Commitment to establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, following relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly Resolutions 181 and 2334, and ensuring the right of return following Resolution 194.
b) The right of the Palestinian people to resist occupation and end it following international laws and the United Nations Charter, and the right of people to self-determination and their struggle to achieve it by all available means.
c) Formation of a temporary national unity government with the consensus of the Palestinian factions and by a decision from the President based on the applicable Palestinian Basic Law. This government will exercise its powers and authority over all Palestinian territories, emphasizing the unity of the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. It will begin by unifying all Palestinian institutions in the territories of the Palestinian state, initiating the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and preparing for general elections under the supervision of the Central Elections Commission as soon as possible, according to the approved election law.
d) Until practical steps are taken to form the new National Council according to the approved election law, and to deepen political partnership in bearing national responsibility and developing the institutions of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), it was confirmed to activate and regularize the unified temporary leadership framework for partnership in political decision-making as agreed upon in the Palestinian National Reconciliation Document signed on May 4, 2011.
4. Resisting and thwarting attempts to displace our people from their homeland, especially from the Gaza Strip or in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and affirming the illegitimacy of settlements and settlement expansion following the decisions of the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly and the opinion of the International Court of Justice.
READ: UN Top Court Says Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Territories is Illegal
5. Working to break the brutal siege on our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and to deliver humanitarian and medical aid without restrictions or conditions.
6. Supporting and endorsing the heroic steadfastness of our struggling people and their valiant resistance in Palestine to overcome the wounds and destruction caused by the criminal aggression, and to rebuild what the occupation destroyed, supporting the families of martyrs and the wounded, and all those who lost their homes, properties, and sources of livelihood.
7. Confronting the occupation's conspiracies and its continuous violations against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and resisting any harm to it and the city of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites.
8. Paying tribute to the martyrs of the Palestinian people and reaffirming full support for the brave prisoners in the occupation's prisons and camps, who are subjected to various forms of torture and repression, and prioritizing all efforts possible to liberate them from the occupation's captivity.
In light of this declaration, the attendees agreed on a collective mechanism to implement all aspects of the declaration and decided to consider the meeting of the general secretaries as a starting point for the urgent work of the joint national teams. It was also decided to set a timeline for implementing this declaration.
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Joe Biden Drops Out of 2024 Race Amid Growing Pressure From Top Democrats
Biden made the announcement from his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., where he's self-isolated since testing positive for COVID-19 Thursday night. Several Democrats, including those who formerly served in the Obama-Biden administration, urged him to consider dropping out.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden drops out: President leaves 2024 race amid party pressure
Sunday, July 21, 2024
WASHINGTON − President Joe Biden said Sunday he is ending his bid for reelection amid intense pressure from Democratic leaders sounding the alarm that his path to beat former President Donald Trump in November had vanished.
JOEY GARRISON AND SWAPNA VENUGOPAL RAMASWAMY, USA TODAY | Updated July 21, 2024 at 2:07 PMWASHINGTON − President Joe Biden said Sunday he is ending his bid for reelection amid intense pressure from Democratic leaders sounding the alarm that his path to beat former President Donald Trump in November had vanished.
The president's historic withdrawal throws the 2024 race − already roiled by a shocking attempt on Trump's life − into uncertain territory, with Vice President Kamala Harris widely seen as the Democrat most likely to take Biden's place atop the party's ticket.
Biden made the announcement from his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., where he's self-isolated since testing positive for COVID-19 Thursday night.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," Biden said in a letter addressed to Americans. "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country for me to stand down and to focus solely on my duties as President for the rest of my term."
Biden quickly endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee in a separate statement on X. He said he would speak to the nation later this week to provide more details about his decision.
It marks an extraordinary turn for Biden, who for three weeks remained defiant in the face of growing calls from Democratic lawmakers that he withdraw after a disastrous June 27 debate with Trump raised scrutiny over the president's mental fitness.
In his statement, Biden reflected fondly on his four years in office, saying the U.S. has built the “strongest economy in the world” while touting efforts to lower prescription drug prices, expand health care, tackle climate change, and appointing the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
President Joe Biden speaks on economics during the Vote To Live Properity Summit at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 16, 2024.
The decision upends the 2024 election less than 110 days before Election Day, with Democratic National Committee members now tasked with choosing an alternative nominee to take on Trump, whose polling lead has swelled while Democrats have fought internally.
Biden's departure will soon mean the end of a five-decade career in Washington that began in 1972 with an upset victory for the U.S. Senate in Delaware. He served as a senator for 36 years, and then as Obama's vice president from 2009 to 2017. Biden returned to public life to run against Trump in the 2020 presidential election. He framed the race as a "battle for the soul of the nation" and defeated Trump 51%-47% in the popular vote.
Keep up with the USA TODAY Network's live updates. [Refresh HERE!]
Josh Shapiro calls Biden a 'patriot'
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro hailed Joe Biden as a “patriot” and commended his work as president in a social media post on Sunday shortly after the president announced he was dropping out of the 2024 race.“President Biden has gotten an incredible amount done to move our country forward, defend our democracy, and protect real freedom,” Shapiro wrote on X, formerly Twitter.Shapiro has been floated as a potential Democratic presidential nominee to replace Biden, or as a vice presidential nominee if Kamala Harris takes over the top of the ticket. Shapiro did not mention Harris in his message Sunday.“I am proud to work by his side and am grateful for his leadership and his unwavering commitment to delivering for Pennsylvania — the Commonwealth that raised him,” Shapiro said about Biden in the post.
−Karissa Waddick
Schumer says Biden put 'his country, his party, and our future first'
Chuck Schumer shared in a post on X that "Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he's a truly amazing human being."
"His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first. Joe, today shows you are a true patriot and great American," he added.
−Marina Pitofsky
Biden exits race amid widespread pressure, mounting concerns about his age
Biden's exit came after he received bleak warnings from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., that his candidacy could lead to massive losses for Democrats in the Senate and House. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shared similar concerns to Biden.
More than 30 congressional Democrats had called for Biden to bow out. Former President Barack Obama reportedly also relayed fears privately to Democratic allies about Biden's prospects of beating Trump. Democratic donors from Hollywood to Wall Street also came out against Biden continuing his reelection bid.
Biden, 81, has battled Americans’ concerns over his age since he took office but it turned into panic for Democrats after last month's first debate with Trump, the Republican nominee. Biden's voice sounded faint, he struggled to complete sentences and finish thoughts, and he failed to rebut many of Trump's claims on the debate stage.
Biden's campaign was in a free fall over the past few weeks with his future in doubt. Instead of focusing solely on Trump, Democrats spent as much time and energy debating whether Biden could even defeat his predecessor.
Fundraising for the Biden campaign took a dramatic hit. And Biden not only fell behind in key battleground states that will decide the election, but his growing unpopularity seemed to put recent Democratic strongholds like Virginia in play for Trump.
−Joey Garrison and Swapna Venugopal
Biden becomes first incumbent not to seek reelection since LBJ
Biden becomes the first incumbent president not to seek reelection since Lyndon B. Johnson who, in 1968 amid national unrest and turmoil within the Democratic Party over the Vietnam War, stunned the nation with his decision not to seek a second full term.
− Joey Garrison
Who could replace Biden?
With Biden's endorsement, Harris is the clear frontrunner to replace Biden as the Democratic nominee, but the party's bench of Democratic governors could also be in the mix including Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gavin Newsom of California.
− Joey Garrison
Trump knocks Biden after exit
Donald Trump, in a post on his social media web site Truth Social after Biden’s exit, wrote: "Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve - And never was!”
“We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly,” Trump added.
−Joey Garrison
Jill Biden reacts to Joe Biden dropping out of 2024 race
First lady Jill Biden reposted the president's message on Sunday with heart emojis. She also retweeted her husband's message endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
− Marina Pitofsky
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden drops out: President leaves 2024 race amid party pressure
With Biden out of presidential race, Kamala Harris emerges as frontrunner with his endorsement
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“Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me. Today, we’ve also been reminded – again – that he’s a patriot of the highest order. ”
Barak Obama
Full Statement on President Biden’s Announcement
“More than that, President Biden pointed us away from the four years of chaos, falsehood, and division that had characterized Donald Trump’s administration. Through his policies and his example, Joe has reminded us of who we are at our best — a country committed to old-fashioned values like trust and honesty, kindness and hard work; a country that believes in democracy, rule of law, and accountability; a country that insists that everyone, no matter who they are, has a voice and deserves a chance at a better life” ~ Barak Obama.
UN Top Court Says Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Territories is Illegal
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said Israel should stop settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and end its "illegal" occupation of those areas and the Gaza Strip as soon as possible.
By Raffi Berg, BBC News, London
The result could have consequences for Israel over its occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza
It also says Israel should end all settlement activity there, in the landmark case.
By Raffi Berg, BBC News, LondonThe UN's top court has said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is against international law, in a landmark opinion.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said Israel should stop settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem and end its "illegal" occupation of those areas and the Gaza Strip as soon as possible.
The court's advisory opinion is not legally binding but still carries significant political weight. It marks the first time the ICJ has delivered a position on the legality of the 57-year occupation.
The ICJ, based at The Hague in the Netherlands, has been examining the issue since the beginning of last year, at the request of the UN General Assembly.
The court was specifically asked to give its view on Israel's policies and practices towards the Palestinians, and on the legal status of the occupation.
Delivering the court's findings, ICJ President Nawaf Salam said it had found that "Israel's... continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is illegal."
"The State of Israel is under the obligation to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible," he said.
The court also said Israel should evacuate all of its settlers and pay reparations to Palestinians for damages caused by the occupation.
Israel has built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967. The court said the settlements were illegal. Israel has consistently disputed that they are against international law.
Israel also claims sovereignty over the whole of Jerusalem, which it considers its indivisible capital - something which is not accepted by the vast majority of the international community.
Change Begins Now, Starmer says
Change begins now, Starmer says - as Labour wins a historic landslide. Sir Keir Starmer enters Downing Street as Labour's first prime minister in 14 years after a landslide victory at the general election.
As Labour wins a historic landslide
July 5, 2024 (UK)
Sir Keir Starmer enters Downing Street as Labour's first prime minister in 14 years after a landslide victory at the general election.
The Labour leader has become the UK's new prime minister - securing the 326 seats required for a majority in the House of Commons - putting an end to 14 years of Conservative rule.
He said "My government will serve you, politics can be a force for good", as he addressed the nation from Downing Street for the first time as prime minister.
"Our country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal, and a return of politics to public service," he said.
"Our work is urgent and we begin it today."
Outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded defeat moments before Labour surpassed the target number of seats needed for victory, declaring at his election count: "The Labour Party has won this general election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory."
Later, as he resigned as leader of the Conservative Party - signaling a Tory leadership race - Mr. Sunak said it had been an honor to serve as the country's prime minister and he had "given this job my all."
Earlier, a gleaming Sir Keir told a crowd of supporters: "We did it, you campaigned for it, you fought for it, you voted for it and now it has arrived, change begins now."
He added the UK is once again experiencing the "sunlight of hope".
"The sunlight of hope, pale at first but getting stronger through the day. Shining once again on a country with an opportunity after 14 years to get its future back."
With 648 seats out of 650 seats declared by Friday lunchtime, Labour will be forming the next government with a majority of at least 170.
Read more:
Uneasy voters hand Labour 'loveless landslide'
Labour have won - but what happens next?
The results have seen the nation firmly turn its back on the Tories.
Speaking after he held on to his seat, a solemn-looking Mr Sunak said his party had faced a "difficult night" and he took full responsibility for the results.
He said: "The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight... and I take responsibility for the loss.
"To the many good, hard-working Conservative candidates who lost tonight... I am sorry."
Other key moments from a dramatic night of results include:
Several Tory cabinet ministers lost seats to Labour, including Liz Truss, Grant Shapps and Penny Mordaunt;
Others fell victim to the Lib Dem plan to "smash" the Tory Blue Wall, like Alex Chalk and Gillian Keegan;
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn held on to his seat as an independent;
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage won a Commons seat at his eighth attempt;
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer defeated shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire in Bristol Central;
Labour's shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth lost his seat to an independent;
Senior Conservative backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg lost his seat to Labour.
Read more:
Who is your local MP now?
Tory big beasts who lost their seats
Houdini Hunt's great escape
The results mean a Labour prime minister in Number 10 for the first time since 2010 and the Conservatives facing a fight over the future direction of the party.
Already senior figures have been weighing in on what went wrong.
Ms Mordaunt, who is likely to have been a leadership contender if she had survived, said the Conservatives had taken a "battering because it failed to honour the trust that people had placed in it".
Warning against a shift to the right she said the party's renewal would not be achieved "by us talking to an ever smaller slice of ourselves, but being guided by the people of our country".
"Our values must be the people's," she added.
Keir Starmer embraces Victoria at a watch party at Tate Modern. Pic: PA
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, seen as a leadership contender on the right, blamed the result on the Conservative's "not keeping our promises".
And Mr Shapps hit out at the Tory "soap opera" which had turned off voters, as he warned his party against going "off on some tangent, condemning ourselves to years of lacklustre opposition".
The Tories faced a battering not only from Labour, but from the Lib Dems and Reform UK too.
Nigel Farage. Pic: Nigel Farage/Reform/X
The success of Reform UK saw Nigel Farage win in Clacton - his eighth attempt at entering parliament - alongside former Tory Lee Anderson, who won his seat of Ashfield, Rupert Lowe, who took Great Yarmouth for the party, while former party leader Richard Tice won in Boston and Skegness.
It came after a swathe of Reform candidates took second place in Labour seats, pushing the Tories into third or even fourth place.
Mr. Farage said there is now a "massive gap on the center-right of British politics and my job is to fill it".
He added it is not just the Tories he would be taking on: "We're coming for Labour."
Read more:
Meet Victoria, Sir Keir Starmer's wife
Who won the popular vote?
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey hailed the results for his party as "exceptional".
The Lib Dems won their highest number of seats since the party was founded - securing at least 70.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey. Pic: PA
When polls closed on Thursday night, the exit poll by Ipsos UK for Sky News, the BBC and ITV News suggested the Lib Dems would win 61 seats - up from 11 - more than five times the number they secured at the last election in 2019.
They secured a number of gains from the Tories - including in Wells & Mendip Hills, Dorking & Horley, Wimbledon, Yeovil, Hampshire North East and Norfolk North.
They also took the constituencies of two of the four former Conservative prime ministers from the last 14 years - Lord Cameron in Witney and Lady May in Maidenhead.
In Wales, the Tories were wiped out, while in Scotland Labour were rampant.
It was a torrid night for the SNP, who were down to just nine MPs by Friday morning.
That is down from 48 at the last election, resulting in the Lib Dems overtaking them as the third-largest party.
In a sign that Sir Keir's landslide may not have been driven by overwhelming public enthusiasm, turnout at the election was on course to be the lowest for more than 20 years.
After all but two results had been declared, the turnout figure stood at 59.85%, the lowest turnout at a general election since 2001.
Faye Brown | Political reporter @fayebrownSky | Friday 5 July 2024 12:57, UKRelated
Miatta Fahnbulleh, the 44-year-old British economist, born in Liberia with matrilineal ties to Sierra Leone, was elected as the new Member of Parliament for Peckham in the UK general election on July 4, 2024. She secured 22,813 votes in what is considered a safe Labour seat.
Fahnbulleh takes over from former Labour MP Harriet Harman, who had represented the area for many years.
Education: BA from Lincoln College, Oxford; MA and Ph.D. in Economic Development from London School of Economics. Prospective Parliamentary Candidate: Labour Party's candidate for Camberwell and Peckham in the UK.
The election result was part of a broader Labour success in Southwark, where the party secured all five constituencies that overlap with the borough.
JP Hitting The Nail. Interesting take on the Tories!
No surprise, the Labour landslide. The comment from a Conservative MP. ‘Frankly, I feel disgusted about how a Conservative Prime Minister can treat decent people who have sacrificed so much with such contempt.
Harvard Profs Argue Biden Admin Well-positioned to Give 'Reparations' to Black Americans
This article makes it clear that the norm, precedent, and federal expertise are in place to make reparatory compensation a reality for black Americans—now. Cited Native American reserve lands as a compensatory program that would be comparable to the process of reparations for black Americans who were descendants of slaves.
Professors Linda J. Bilmes and Cornell William Brooks are both from Harvard University.
June 21, 2024
This article makes it clear that the norm, precedent, and federal expertise are in place to make reparatory compensation a reality for black Americans—now.
A Harvard paper has made the argument that the Biden administration has the "precedent" as well as the "expertise" to implement reparations for black Americans in the United States who are descendants of slaves.
Academics Linda J. Bilmes and Cornell William Brooks, both professors at Harvard, wrote the paper on how models for reparations would be done in the US based on other programs and wrote about the implications of reparations. Bilmes and Brooks claim that the federal government, “already has the norm, precedent, expertise, and resources to provide reparations to black Americans.”
Adding in the paper, the academics cited how President Joe Biden "pledged to cover all uninsured deposits, assuring Americans that 'no losses will be borne by the taxpayers'" when the Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in March 2023. The authors from Harvard wrote that this was a sign that the federal government already has "arrangements to help pay for the wide system of reparatory compensation."
They also cited Native American reserve lands as a compensatory program that would be comparable to the process of reparations for black Americans who are descendants of slaves. Other programs listed included payments to Jews from the Holocaust and Japanese who were put into internment camps during World War II. "US laws and rules governing compensation programs show that Congress has long sought to provide some measure of restitution, compensation, and rehabilitation to those who have suffered harms that are largely beyond their control," the paper said.
The authors claimed that many of the problems today facing the black community can be traced back to slavery, and cited the year 1619 as the starting point, perhaps in reference to the 1619 Project from Nicole Hannah Jones.
In the paper's conclusion, it was recommended to the Executive and Legislative branches of the US to "convene a national commission to study and propose a scheme of federal reparations, authorized by an Executive Order or federal legislation." This would "use the breadth, variety, and diversity of reparatory compensation programs to develop a reparations program that addresses the full range of racial harms, including specifically the racial wealth gap."
It concludes, "This article makes it clear that the norm, precedent, and federal expertise are in place to make reparatory compensation a reality for black Americans—now."
Footnote: Professors Linda J. Bilmes and Cornell William Brooks are both from Harvard University.By Thomas Stevenson For AMERICAN NEWS Jun 21, 2024 / thepostmillennial.com