NEWS SUMMARY-INTELLIGENCE REPORT MONDAY 11/19/2018

(UPDATES WHEN ABLE BUT POSSIBLE, EDITING ETC. TILL 8AM EASTERN)

Benjamin Netanyahu has declared himself to be the Defense Minister of Israel saying that the security situation makes early elections "irresponsible".

His move came after the die was cast for early elections in Israel with Netanyahu's refusal to make  Education Minister and Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett Defense Minister.

Minister Bennett and another Jewish Home cabinet member Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked were reported to be resigning.   Their announcement at 3:30 AM Eastern time US turned into an announcement that they were not resigning.  They were critical of policies that hurt Israel's ability to fight its enemies but in the end threw their support behind Netanyahu.

Former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman resigned and his party departed from the government following Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision for a cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza.

Following the Jewish Home cabinet ministers reversal on plans to resign, Mr. Lieberman said:

"Now everyone understands why we lost deterrence"

in regards to security threats including the 500 rocket barrage from Gaza a week ago into southern Israel.

The Jewish Home party's departure would have taken away Netanyahu's parliamentary majority leading to the new elections.  As it is Netanyahu will operate with a slim total of 61 seats in the 120 seat parliament.

But the Kulanu Party, another party in the coalition government, is at odds with Netanyahu and at last word still wanted new elections.

There are some corruption investigations pending against Mr. Netanyahu as he still has to face elections by November 5th of 2019 regardless of how the present crisis ends with one being that he secured profitable regulatory action for the owner of the "Ynet" news website in Israel during a period when Netanyahu was also Communications Minister while he was Prime Minister.

The headline on "Ynet" in recent hours is:

"Bennett, Shaked expected to resign, dragging Israel to early elections"

The case against Mr. Netanyahu's wife Sara was moving towards mediation in Jerusalem Municipal Court last week.   Sara Netanyahu was accused in connection with spending 90-thousand dollars on restaurant food at the Prime Minister's residence.

Spending on such food is not allowed unless a cook is not available to the Prime Minister's residence.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is speaking to a business group today in the UK claiming her controversial Brexit plan will change immigration policy for the better.

There is a report that 42 Conservative MP's have signed letters to challenge her leadership, six short of the number needed to trigger a contest.

NEWSDUMP ALERT

The US government is not ready to officially say who was behind the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2nd.

That follows word that the Central Intelligence Agency has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's murder.

But it appears that the matter is under review at the highest levels in Washington during this Thanksgiving holiday Newsdump Week and some move is possible while public attention is distracted.

President Trump said in a "Fox News Sunday" interview that he was briefed on the recording of Khashoggi's murder and doesn't need to hear it saying:

"It's a suffering tape, it's a terrible tape"

The President stressed the need for Saudi Arabia to remain a US ally prompting this headline from the pro-government "Yeni Safak" website in Turkey:

"Trump wants Saudi Arabia as an ally despite 'vicious' Khashoggi murder."

Senator Lindsey Graham on "Meet the Press" said it was hard to believe that the Crown Prince didn't know about the killing.

There was no final statement following the weekend meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) in the southern Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea.

The US and Chinese disagreement over trade prevented that from happening.   Vice-President Mike Pence represented the United States at the meeting.   President Trump will meet the Chinese President at the G20 summit in Argentina starting November 30th.

President Xi of China, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and other leaders were at the meeting.

Achtung!  French President Emmanuel Macron wants a closer relationship between his country and Germany.  Macron spoke in Berlin at Germany's annual day of mourning for the victims of war.

He said that Europe "has the obligation not to let the world slip into chaos".

Macron is pushing the idea of a European Army which has drawn criticism from President Trump.

The anti-mass immigration Alternative for Germany Party held its conference in the eastern German city of Magdeburg over the weekend under attack from the media and the government.   The AfD laid its plans for the campaign for next May's European Parliament elections with 99 seats being contested in Germany.

Allegations of improper campaign donations against AfD leader in Parliament Alice Weidel have prompted her to put the blame on the media.

Meanwhile the internal security agency in the southwestern German state of Baden Wurttemberg it will begin surveillance of the AfD's youth wing there saying they have made statements that "appear to have anticonstitutional  political aims".

Politics here at home and it's now official but the outcome is just what Florida's Governor Rick Scott said it would be, he is the next US Senator from Florida.  After all the flim flam and shim sham of the recount process,  Republican Scott wins by some 10,000 votes.  He defeated incumbent Democrat Senator Bill Nelson.

And updated information on the Camp Fire in California.  77 are now dead, with nearly 1,000 still listed as missing according to the Butte County Sheriff.

The fire has consumed some 150-thousand acres and is 65 percent contained according to the latest update from Cal Fire.

Reports from Japan's media that the Chairman of Nissan, Carlos Ghosn, was arrested for undereporting his compensation by 44 million dollars over a five year period from 2011 to 2016.

The company has apologized for concern that its caused to shareholders and stakeholders.

It is proposing removing Mr. Ghosn from his post.