NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT WEDNESDAY 11/14/2018

(UPDATES, EDITING AND EXPANSION ARE POSSIBLE UNTIL 745 AM)

Israel's Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman resigned today saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is responsible for "surrender to Hamas terror".

This could set the stage for new elections within the next 3 to 5 months in Israel.

Following a botched Israeli military operation in Gaza Sunday night some 500 rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza and Israel attacked targets in Gaza in response.

Calm has returned after a reported cease-fire following 36+ hours of conflict.

A thousand protestors were on the streets of the southern Israeli city of Sderot near the Gaza border last night protesting the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and demanding military action.

The mayor of Sderot says the imaginary cease-fires serve no purpose.

Some demonstrators came out to protest at the Chords Bridge in Jersualem as well where police prevented them from blocking the road.

A Parliament member from the conservative Jewish Home Party criticized a television commentator who was blaming the Israel Defense Forces for inaction in a tweet.   Betzalel Smotrich said;

"We have a government and this government has a head, and you know him well.  And he and only he, is responsible for the loss of deterrence whose rotten fruits we have been eating for the past 24 hours.  This man is called Binyamin Netanyahu.  B-I-N-Y-A-M-I-N  N-E-T-A-N-Y-A-H-U.  Your Twitter account can't write those words?"

The Jewish Home Party, led by Education Minister Naftali Bennett who came to Pittsburgh for the memorial service following last month's synagogue massacre, favors a stronger military response to Israel's enemies including Hamas in Gaza.

THE JEWISH HOME PARTY IS DEMANDING THAT NAFTALI BENNETT BE MADE DEFENSE MINISTER OR ELSE THEY WILL LEAVE THE GOVERNMENT.

IN RECENT HOURS AHEAD OF LIEBERMAN'S NEWS CONFERENCE PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU HAS PUBLICLY DEFENDED HIS ACTIONS OVER THE SITUATION IN GAZA, CLAIMING ISRAELI MILITARY ACTIONS DURING THE ROCKET BARRAGE CAUSED HAMAS TO BEG FOR A CEASE FIRE.

NETANYAHU IS REPORTED TO HAVE DECIDED THAT HE WILL BE DEFENSE MINISTER FOR NOW.

The United States issued statements in support of Israel during the missile barrage from Gaza.

"The worst deal in history" 

That's the response of "Mr. Brexit" Nigel Farage to Prime Minister Theresa May's plan for Britain to withdrawal from the European Union.  He said all it achieves is a 40 billion pound payment to the EU for the deal.

Brexiteer activists say Mrs. May is selling out the country and falsely claiming her plan gives the UK control over its borders and economy.

The British cabinet is set to meet at 9am Eastern, 2pm in London to approve her plan.   They weren't allowed to read the 500 page plan until last evening.

A PROTEST HAS BEEN CALLED OUTSIDE DOWNING STREET, THE PRIME MINISTER'S RESIDENCE, AT 1 PM AHEAD OF THE CABINET MEETING TO SUPPORT A REAL BREXIT DEAL THAT TAKES THE UK OUT OF THE EU.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg says that while the cabinet is not going to like the deal she doesn't think many cabinet ministers will resign over it.

The Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland is opposing the deal since it will treat Northern Ireland differently from the rest of the UK which the DUP sees Northern Ireland as part of.  The DUP members help Prime Minister May's government maintain its majority in the House of Commons.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says May has shown that she wants the UK to be part of Europe.

The 'INSA' poll in Germany continues to show lackluster numbers for the party of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.    The Christian Democrats (CDU-CSU) stand at 25.5 percent support, the Greens at 20 percent, with anti-mass immigration Alternative for Germany at 16.5 percent with other party in Merkel's government the Social Democrats trailing at 14 percent.

This polling data compiled two weeks after Merkel's decision to begin a slow withdrawal from political leadership ahead of the 2021 national election shows her decision has done virtually nothing to improve her party's position.

An interagency inspector general's report says some US humanitarian assistance to Syria had been knowingly diverted to the jihadist Hayat Tahir al-Sham group which is the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda.

The US Agency for International Development was forced to suspend the food program and an aid organization was forced to fire dozens of employees because of the diversion of the food aid that occurred late last year and early this year. LINK TO SOUTHFRONT STORY

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will go to California today to visit the areas affected by wildfires.

48 ARE CONFIRMED DEAD FROM THE 'CAMP FIRE' THAT WIPED OUT THE TOWN OF PARADISE, CALIFORNIA POPULATON 26-THOUSAND AS THE SEARCH FOR MANY DOZENS MORE MISSING CONTINUES.

POLICE IN PARADISE HAVE ARRESTED THREE LOOTERS.

President Trump has nominated retired Army General John Abizaid as ambassador to Saudi Arabia.  Abizaid led the US Army's Central Command during the war in Iraq.

The Deputy National Security Adviser Mira Ricardel  should no longer have her job according to the First Lady.   Melania Trump  called for her to be fired in a statement released by her Communications Director hours before.

More shakeups are expected among high ranking officials in the days ahead before Thanksgiving.

President Trump is expected in the coming days to answer written questions from the Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Jerome Corsi, a target of the Mueller probe who says he expects to be indicted, says he's been asked about Brexit campaigner and British Member of European Parliament Nigel Farage and Farage's role in Trump's 2016 campaign.

President Trump has tweeted about the French President Emmanuel Macron, who appeared to be criticizing the President with his comments about "nationalism" last Sunday in Paris during the World War I armistice commemoration.

He noted France is unfair on trade, has 10 percent unemployment with President Macron at a 26 percent popularity rating.  He said there is "no county more nationalist than France" and that the people of France are proud and "rightfully so".

The President was disturbed by Macron's call for a "European Union Army" last weekend and mentioned it again yesterday.  Macron's been backed in that call by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Chancellor Merkel says the EU will propose a digital tax on internet companies by December at the latest when EU finance ministers meet.

Apple has decided on two additional locations for "corporate headquarters".  They will be in the metropolitan New York and Washington DC areas.   Long Island City, New York and Crystal City, Virginia are the sites with large tax breaks being given to Apple.