Tuesday, November 07, 2023

11/07 Links Pt2: Praising the Slaughter of Babies, the Rape of Women and the Beheading of Civilians Is a Stain on Humanity; Yes, Obama Is Complicit

From Ian:

Praising the Slaughter of Babies, the Rape of Women and the Beheading of Civilians Is a Stain on Humanity
There is an inescapable moral chasm between those who publicly rejoice in the purposeful massacre of innocent civilians and those who seek to avoid harming them. There is a moral chasm between those who use non-combatants as human shields and those who are deterred by their use. There is a moral chasm between those who proudly broadcast their desecration of life for all the world to see, and those who unequivocally lament the inadvertent loss of any innocent life as a tragedy.

There is a moral chasm between those who positively celebrate the inhuman war crimes of rape, torture, mutilation, burning alive and child-killing, and those who would immediately prosecute any person found to have committed such heinous crimes. The contrasting world views are presented nowhere more starkly than in the rallying call of Hamas leaders themselves: "We love death as our enemies love life."

It is a stain on our common humanity that so many seem to have lost sight of the moral distance between Hamas and Israel. Advocating for the welfare of innocent Palestinians must go hand in hand with a clear-eyed condemnation of the barbarity of Hamas.
Jonathan Tobin: Obama’s moral equivalence between Hamas and Israel encourages hate
In times of crisis, the public looks to its most revered leaders for insight and wisdom. But in the case of Barack Obama, the man who is, although nearly seven years into retirement, still America’s most popular living public figure, politician and Democrat, what passes for wisdom is not only unwise but amoral.

After weeks without saying much of anything about the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas terrorists in southern Israel on Oct. 7, the 44th president has weighed in on the subject while appearing on a podcast hosted by former staffers Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vieter. In the wake of the greatest mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, the most brazen example of terrorism on the international stage since 9/11 and amid a shocking spike in antisemitism, it’s likely that many among the nearly two-thirds of American Jewry who were faithful supporters of Obama were hoping that he would say something to bring them comfort or at least take a strong stand in support of the Jewish state.

If you were looking to Obama for moral clarity, however, you came to the wrong shop. According to the former president, the main takeaway from Oct. 7 is that as bad as Hamas is, Israel is just as bad. “You have to admit that nobody’s hands are clean, that all of us are complicit to some degree,” he declared. That means acknowledging, he continued, “that what Hamas did was horrific and there’s no justification for it. And what is also true is that the occupation and what’s happening to Palestinians is unbearable.”

In Obama’s moral universe, Israel’s alleged sins are as grievous as those of Palestinian terrorists who were cheered by their own people and their foreign enablers for depraved acts, including rape, torture, the murder of entire families and the kidnapping of as many as 240 men, women and children who were dragged back to Gaza. No stern judgments about terrorism or its backers from Obama. He thinks what’s needed is “an admission of complexity.”

Fueling pressure on Biden
While the comments of former presidents can often be dismissed as irrelevant to present-day discussions, the same cannot be said for anything uttered by Obama. He remains enormously influential among Democrats, especially among the large number of his former staffers who hold positions of influence in the government of President Joe Biden. Whether or not that amounts to Obama pulling the strings in his former vice president’s administration, there can be no doubt that when he speaks, everyone in the White House listens.

What’s more, it comes at a time when Biden’s stance in support of Israel and its goal of eliminating Hamas is under fire from his party’s base, causing both the president and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to try to balance that with demands for “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting that would benefit Hamas. Polls show Biden losing to former President Donald Trump in key battleground states largely due to his losing support from minority and young voters who are more likely to be hostile to Israel. In that context, Obama’s proclamation of neutrality in the war between Israel and Hamas sends a message to the White House that if Biden wants another term—and withdrawing from the 2024 race is anathema to the president, even if many Democrats are hoping for it—then he will have to start distancing himself from the Jewish state.

Seen in that light, Obama’s podcast comments should be viewed with trepidation by supporters of Israel. Should Biden heed Obama and choose to use the leverage of U.S. military aid to put the brakes on the Israel Defense Forces’ operations in Gaza, it would allow those who perpetrated the crimes of Oct. 7 to both escape justice and maintain their despotic rule over the Strip.


National Review Editorial: Yes, Obama Is Complicit
Obama entered office in 2009 as one of the most hostile presidents to Israel in the history of American relations with the Jewish state. Meeting with the leaders of major Jewish organizations, he said he would intentionally attempt to create more distance between the U.S. and Israel. “When there is no daylight, Israel just sits on the sidelines, and that erodes our credibility with the Arab states,” he said, the Washington Post reported. All his policy of “daylight” accomplished was to convince Palestinians to demand more concessions before negotiating a peace deal, and to make Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more suspicious of signing a deal based on security guarantees from Obama. Even as Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas repeatedly rebuffed Obama on peace talks, his administration consistently pointed the finger at Israel as the primary barrier to getting a deal. This, even after the PA signed a unification agreement with Hamas, which ruled Gaza but was splintered from the government.

In Obama’s second term, his foreign policy was focused primarily on securing a nuclear deal with Iran. Much of the criticism of the deal has focused on what was in it — i.e., that it delivered billions in sanctions relief while allowing Iran to bolster its conventional military and preserve a glide path toward a nuclear weapon. What is more overlooked is the fact that in its desperate pursuit of the nuclear deal, the Obama administration turned a blind eye toward Iran’s malign behavior around the globe, despite its being the leading state sponsor of terrorism. This included funding, training, and transferring weapons to Hamas and Hezbollah. In fact, a 2017 investigative report by Politico revealed, “In its determination to secure a nuclear deal with Iran, the Obama administration derailed an ambitious law enforcement campaign targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, even as it was funneling cocaine into the United States.” Money raised by the drug trafficking helped fund Hezbollah’s terrorism against Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and elsewhere.

This should have been no surprise given that one of the key players in crafting Iran policy was Robert Malley, who had been sidelined from the 2008 Obama campaign after it was revealed that he met with Hamas. (Malley served as President Biden’s special envoy for Iran and was trying to revive the nuclear deal before he was suspended by the State Department over an investigation into his security clearance.)

At the end of the Obama administration, Hamas was much richer, stronger, and more accepted than at the start of his administration.

Obama may have had more subtlety than Representative Ilhan “It’s all about the Benjamins” Omar, but the antisemitic rhetoric we’re hearing today was mainstreamed during his administration. He appointed Chuck Hagel as secretary of Defense; Hagel had once lamented that “the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here” and repeatedly slammed “lobbyists” and “money” for working against the Iran deal rather than considering American interests.

Obama was indeed complicit in the troubling events of our times. But if he’s going to reflect on his own failed legacy, he should leave the rest of us out of it.
Obama's comments on Israel-Hamas war 'nothing short of disgusting': Josh Hammer
Newsweek's Senior Editor-at-Large Josh Hammer has branded former US president Barack Obama's comment that “nobody’s hands are clean” in relation to the ongoing Israel -Hamas war as “disgusting”.

“This is a former president of the United States while there are 15, 20 American hostages currently being held in the worst American hostage crisis since, as you alluded to, the 1979 Tehran hostage crisis,” he told Sky News host Rita Panahi.

“To have a former president get up there and try to both sides this thing, you know, it’s nothing short of disgusting.”

The former president weighed in on the conflict during a recent interview with Pod Save America.

The conflict that began with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 has divided opinions across the world.


Videos From Pro-Hamas Rally Where Paul Kessler Was Killed Show Just How Vile His Attackers Are
A 69-year-old Jewish man, Paul Kessler, was murdered Sunday when a pro-Hamas agitator attacked him during a demonstration in Thousand Oaks, California. According to an eyewitness who spoke to RedState on condition of anonymity due to fears for their family's safety, it appeared that Kessler was targeted by members of the pro-Hamas group who had protested at the same corner the Sunday prior, possibly because police were called at that time after one of the pro-Hamas agitators brandished a gun.

The man holding the flag in the photo above allegedly lifted up his shirt to show that he had a pistol in his waistband during the October 29 protest at the same corner (Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Westlake Boulevard, just north of the 101 Freeway). Police were called to the scene, but the man left before they arrived.

This Instagram video, which was published October 30, shows the tone of that event, which carried over to the day Kessler was attacked and killed.

During the November 5 protest, eyewitnesses say that this man led an older gentleman over to the corner with the Shell station (across from where the bulk of the pro-Hamas faction were located), to where Mr. Kessler was, as if he was pointing Kessler out to the older gentleman.

The pro-Hamas faction were located on the southwest corner of the intersection, in front of Paul Martin's American Grill.

Eyewitnesses, who have shared this information and their photos and videos, say the attack happened within five minutes of the time the agitators went to the corner where Kessler was. The eyewitness doesn't have video of the moment the attack occurred, but says that the gray-haired, bearded man in khaki pants is the man who confronted Kessler then hit him in the head with the bullhorn.

In this video, a different witness tells law enforcement that Kessler was "decked" but a Hamas supporter tells officers that Kessler "slipped."


Bari Weiss: Is Campus Rage Fueled by Middle Eastern Money?
Since Hamas’s October 7 massacre, it has been hard to miss the explosion of antisemitic hate that has gripped college campuses across the country. At Cornell, a student posted a call “to follow [Jews] home and slit their throats,” and a professor said the terror attack “energized” and “exhilarated” him. At Harvard, a mob of students besieged an Israeli student, surrounding him as they bellowed “shame, shame, shame.” At dozens of other campuses, students gathered to celebrate Hamas.

The response from school administrations has been alarming. With few exceptions, in the immediate aftermath of October 7, university presidents issued equivocal statements about the initial attack. Some professors even celebrated it. And the focus on the part of administration bureaucrats has been on protecting the students tearing down posters and being shamed for doing so.

Where did all of this hatred come from is a question worth pondering. As Rachel Fish and others have documented, for several decades a toxic worldview—morally relativist, anti-Israel, and anti-American—has been incubating in “area studies” departments and social theory programs at elite universities. Whole narratives have been constructed to dehumanize Israelis and brand Israel as a “white, colonial project” to be “resisted.” The students you see in the videos circulating online have been marinating in this ideology, which can be defined best by what it’s against: everything Western.

Many are rightly questioning how it got this bad. How did university leaders come to eulogize, rather than put a stop to, campus hate rallies and antisemitic intimidation? Why are campus leaders now papering over antisemitism? How could institutions supposedly committed to liberal values be such hotbeds of antisemitism and anti-Israel activism?

In large part, it is a story of the power of ideas—in this case, terrible ones—and how rapidly they can spread. But it is also a story of an influence campaign by actors far outside of the university campus aimed at pouring fuel on a fire already raging inside.

We’ve known for some time about the links between anti-Israel campus agitators, like Students for Justice in Palestine, and shady off-campus anti-Israel activist networks.

But thanks to the work of the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), a nonprofit research center, we now have a clearer picture of the financial forces at play at a higher, institutional level.

Today, after months of research, the NCRI released a report (comprising four separate studies) following the money. The report finds that at least 200 American colleges and universities illegally withheld information on approximately $13 billion in undisclosed contributions from foreign regimes, many of which are authoritarian.

Moreover, while correlation is not causation, they found that the number of reported antisemitic incidents on a given campus has a meaningful relationship to whether that university has received funding (disclosed and undisclosed) from regimes, or entities tied to regimes, in the Middle East.

Overall, authors of the report write, “a massive influx of foreign, concealed donations to American institutions of higher learning, much of it from authoritarian regimes with notable support from Middle Eastern sources, reflects or supports heightened levels of intolerance towards Jews, open inquiry and free expression.”

The NCRI report found that:
From 2015–2020, institutions that accepted money from Middle Eastern donors had, on average, 300 percent more antisemitic incidents than those institutions that did not.
From 2015–2020, institutions that accepted undisclosed funds from authoritarian donors had, on average, 250 percent more antisemitic incidents than those institutions that did not.
At least 200 American colleges and universities illegally withheld information on approximately $13 billion in undocumented contributions from foreign regimes, many of which are authoritarian.
Campuses that accept undisclosed money are on average ~85 percent more likely to see campaigns “targeting academic scholars for sanction, including campaigns to investigate, censor, demote, suspend, or terminate.”


Seth MandelThe Foul Tokenization of Anti-Zionist Jews
This anti-Zionist lovefest has been a long time coming. “There are really amazing organizations of young people, groups like IfNotNow, that they are young Jews organizing for justice because they realize that all of our fates and our destinies are intertwined and that there cannot be justice in Israel without justice for Palestinians too,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gushed in 2019. Jamaal Bowman and Rashia Tlaib run to JVP and INN any time they need the protection of token Jews.

What makes them all look particularly grotesque at the moment is not only that we’re in the wake of the biggest mass-killing of Jews since the Holocaust. It’s also that there are politicians who respect the Jewish community enough to push back on token pressure groups.

“A fringe figure wrote an Op-Ed attacking me for affirming Israel’s right to defend itself in the wake of the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” posted Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat and the spine of his party when it comes to Israel and anti-Semitism. “She is part of an Anti-Israel organization, named Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (do not be fooled by names), that described Hamas’ terrorist attack as not ‘unprovoked.’ That should tell you everything you need to know about this person and the company she keeps.”

At an April speech by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, IfNotNow activists rushed the stage yelling “Jews Against DeSantis.” DeSantis shrugged it off with a joke, not fooled for a second into believing it was a legitimate representation of Jewish opinion. The banner the activists raised said “Ron DeSantis: Loves Israel, Hates Jews.” DeSantis was clearly puzzled as to why anyone would take seriously an organization that believes it’s anti-Semitic to support Israel.

Nearly all American Jews disagree with JVP and INN’s anti-Zionism. But AOC & Co. aren’t looking for consensus Jewish opinion, they’re looking for Jewish flak jackets. Normally this behavior is bad enough. But it comes at a moment when Jews are in mourning and facing existential threats. And the Jewish community is far more united these days than it has been in recent memory. The fear of that Jewish unity, and the communal strength and solidarity that comes with it, is the glue that binds the Squad to JVP and INN.
Triggernometry: Douglas Murray: This is About Survival
Douglas Murray is a British writer and political commentator. He is an associate editor of the Spectator and a columnist at the Telegraph and the New York Post among others. He is the author of many best-selling books including The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam (2017), The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity (2019), and The War on the West: How to Prevail in the Age of Unreason (2022).


Douglas Murray: I've Had Enough: Worst Predictions Coming True & the Way Forward
Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks to Douglas Murray at the ARC Conference about his predictions from his book "The Strange Death of Europe" coming true; his concerns about the current state of Europe; the massive "free Palestine" protests in London; the rise of extremism; how police are failing to protect the public; what happens if the government and police do not address support for Hamas in Western nations; the disconnect between the people and the government in the West; the infiltration of extremist ideologies into political systems; why supporters of Hamas should be deported; and much more.


Family of Kidnapped: THIS is What Needs to Happen to Bring Them Home From Gaza | Caroline Glick Show What are the families of the kidnapped by Hamas going through? What should Israel do in order to free the hostages in Gaza?

Caroline's guest today is Hemi Goldin. Hemi's younger brother, Capt. Hadar Goldin was killed and his body kidnapped in 2014 during a ceasefire with Hamas. Hemi Goldin spoke of his family's experiences, his family's assistance to those currently kidnapped by Hamas, and the unified front to bring them home.

This is a gut-wrenching interview you won't want to miss!

Are police, politicians and Jewish communities worldwide taking the threat to Jews seriously? CEO of RealityCheck and political analyst Daniel Pomerantz and Middle East expert Avi Melamed explains the global threat to Jews.

Amb. Michael Oren: Agreeing to a Ceasefire Will Reduce Israeli Deterrence to Zero
Israel cannot agree to a ceasefire. A ceasefire means a victory for Hamas, which will immediately begin planning its next terrorist attack. It means death for Israel, which won't be able to restore basic security to its border residents, or even to those in the central region. It means that Israel's deterrence will be weakened and reduced to zero.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel last week to propose a "humanitarian pause." The Israeli government responded that they could not agree to a limited humanitarian ceasefire without the early release of the captives. The Israeli public has not seen any humanitarian aid for its captives in 30 days. Moreover, Israel is aware that Hamas will exploit such ceasefires to reorganize and seize a significant portion of the aid being sent to Gaza.

At the same time, there is a strategic need to maintain a united front with the U.S. So far, President Biden has supported Israel, both in words and deeds. Israel will soon need another supply of munitions from the U.S. Hamas doesn't deserve a ceasefire, not even for a few minutes. Nevertheless, to maintain U.S. support for our security mission, we must seriously consider the demands of the Americans and work to find common ground for agreement.
WaPo Editorial: To Leave This Iranian-Backed Terrorist Organization Intact Would Reward Hamas' Aggression
A unilateral or unconditional cease-fire by Israel would be inconsistent with the country's right to defend itself against the authors of the massacre on Oct. 7: Hamas. To leave this Iranian-backed terrorist organization intact and in charge of Gaza would be untenable, not only for Israel but also for the region. It would reward Hamas' aggression, which means it would encourage more of it.

Nor would it be morally and politically appropriate to put the entire onus of civilian casualties on Israel, since Hamas itself has consciously exposed noncombatants to danger by provoking Israel militarily - while protecting its own leaders and fighters in tunnels. At least some of the dead in Gaza have likely been killed by the militants' own errant rockets.

A case can be made for a cease-fire to facilitate possible hostage releases along with humanitarian aid for Gaza's civilians. But that would have to be on the basis of a verifiable pledge by Hamas to free all of its 240 captives and to stop indiscriminate rocket fire at Israeli civilians - two blatant, unjustifiable violations of international law. Oct. 7 showed fair-minded citizens of both the real dangers Israel faces and the character of its enemies.
EU President: Hamas Cannot Govern Gaza
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told EU ambassadors in Brussels on Monday: "There is no justification for the horror that Hamas unleashed against innocent men, women, children and babies on 7 October. In the wake of the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust, it is our moral duty to demonstrate our full solidarity with the people of Israel. Israel has the right to defend itself, in line with international law and international humanitarian law. This is and continues to be the essential starting point."

"Supporting Israel is essential. Aiding civilians in Gaza is essential, too....Hamas is clearly using innocent Palestinians and hostages as human shields. It is horrific. It is pure evil....Every single hostage matters. Their captors should free them, and should free them now."

"Gaza can be no safe haven for terrorists. We know what happened after the previous Gaza wars. Hamas immediately started rebuilding its arsenal and preparing for the next conflict. This cannot be the case any longer....The terrorist organization Hamas cannot control or govern Gaza."
Bassem Eid: Hamas's Terrorism Isn't Only Aimed At Israel but Against My Palestinian Brothers and Sisters in Gaza
Meanwhile, in the West Bank where I live, senior Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders praised the Hamas carnage of October 7 as a "dream come true," a "miraculous victory" and a "source of great joy." These so-called Palestinian and Arab leaders are cowards who are afraid of Hamas and its purported "street power" in the aftermath of the killing, which has inspired the worst elements of society to acts of violence.

Listen, instead, to those of us on the ground. Any legislator right now calling for a ceasefire is misguided. Leaving Hamas in power after the horrific human rights violations they have committed is not just unimaginable because it would leave Israel's deterrence eroded and its population catastrophically unprotected; it is dangerous in the short-term to Palestinians in the West Bank and in the long-term to the world.

Life under Hamas is unbearable, much like under the similar regimes of the Taliban and ISIS; many Gazans are tortured and killed for deviating from the approved lifestyle. Similarly, in the West Bank, the PA dictator Abbas uses Hamas as a bogeyman when talking to the West—then actively collaborates with Hamas. The military wing of the Fatah party, the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, joined in the violent October 7 assault on Israeli civilians.

And let us not forget why my brothers and sisters in Gaza are in this situation in the first place. If Hamas had never violated Israel's borders and butchered 1,400 Israelis, torturing and raping 80 percent of the massacred, there would be no fuel crisis in Gaza today. This assault made Israel's decision to cut off fuel painful but necessary. If the terror group negotiated in good faith to release the 240 innocents who they still hold captive in Gaza, Israel would not be engaged in a ground operations against the Strip.

Hamas alone is responsible for Gaza's energy crisis.

Hamas cannot remain in power. The Palestinian people ask one thing of Israel, the United States, and the whole world community. Do not be deceived by the power of anti-Israel thugs to besiege embassies and intimidate dictators. The good people of our nation are with you. Please, remove Hamas from power and defeat these wicked terrorists who hold us captive, just as they hold captive over 224 Israelis and civilians from other nations. Only when you free our people from these evildoers, who have tried to indoctrinate a generation of Palestinian youth, will we have a chance at peace and healing.
I dedicated my life to the progressive movement. The Left’s anti-Zionism left me behind
Somewhere along the way, our collective history was replaced by a new narrative — that American Jews who support Israel are colonialist oppressors who support apartheid and genocide. Decades of lived experience ignored, our allyship not just called into question, but shot into flames without a moment for the slow discourse we know is critical in moments of crisis.

We have watched our identities and ancestry completely erased, our very existence demonized for being unapologetic Zionists, and have been forced into silence in our shared progressive spaces. Does anyone who knows us really think our commitment to peace, justice, and equality does not extend to the Palestinian people? That we don’t mourn the loss of all innocent lives? Instead of seeing us for who we are — and who we have always been — many of our trusted progressives allies have reduced an entire group of people to a slur, and turned their backs on us.

The Left has left us behind.

The left looks upon Zionism as a unique evil, without a clear understanding of what it even is — simply, the critical necessity of a Jewish homeland after two thousand years of persecution, expulsion, and genocide.

Since Oct. 7, antisemitic incidents in the U.S. have increased an alarming rate, up 400% over the same period last year. From rallies calling for violence against Jews on American college campuses to the desecration of Kosher restaurants to rioters storming a Russian airport in search of Jewish passengers, this global hunting of Jews is exactly why we need Israel to exist.

You can be a Zionist and support the existence of a Jewish state, while at the same time opposing the policies of the Israeli government — just as Palestinian activists have demanded we don’t paint them all as Hamas supporters. Don’t we deserve the same, nuanced understanding that Jewish Israeli citizens are not the Israeli government, and prior to the Hamas attack, a vast majority of Israelis were protesting their government in the streets? After four long years of living under Trump, American progressives should understand this more than anyone. We didn’t say we were anti-America, we just fought back harder than ever.

We must start addressing anti-Zionism and antisemitism. We must slow down and have the very human conversations we demanded for other recent paradigm shifts towards a more just and whole America. This insidious, divisive hate is weakening the progressive movement. It undermines our values and credibility as a movement that aims to fight all forms of oppression. It silences and erases an entire community, the majority of whom identify somewhere on the left of the political spectrum. And yet the progressive movement is so invested in anti-Zionist sentiment that we aren’t able to see that anti-Zionism is in fact, antisemitism.

So where do progressive Jews go from here? We are facing an identity crisis. Is there anywhere in the movement we will not only feel welcomed, but understood? Can we continue to be in community with our progressive family, and be our whole selves — our Jewish selves?

I implore my progressive friends, those very groups and individuals we have marched with and worked alongside for decades, before you regurgitate the social media and pop culture fetishization of “From the River to the Sea,” recognize that it is a literal call for Jewish genocide. These ignorant and reductive chants and posts are alienating our spirit and breaking our hearts.


Chancellors, Presidents At Over 100 Universities Condemn Hamas Terrorism

Shocked by the Jew-Hate on College Campuses? I Wasn’t.

Double Standards at Princeton

Brandeis becomes first private university to ban Students for Justice in Palestine on campus

Philadelphia Eagles clarify why fan displaying US/Israeli flag was removed from game

McGill University Newspaper Gives Platform To Anti-Israel Groups Denying Israel’s Right To Exist

Le Journal De Montreal Columnist Falsely Claims Israel Is Indiscriminately Attacking Gaza

Toronto Star Commentator Claims Israel Is Exterminating Palestinians – And Fails To Mention Hamas A Single Time

CBC Radio Guest Falsely Accuses Israel Of Moving Toward Genocide In Gaza Harvard Law Student Says Pal at Anti-Israel Protest Was Protecting Her From 'Aggressive' Jew

Daniel Greenfield: Defund the Soros Hamas Insurrection

After Turkish Muslim Assaults Jewish Students, UMass Administrators Defend Anti-Israel Hate

Reporting Under the Influence (RUI) of Hamas propaganda: CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Al Ahli Hospital
NB: the footage he shows without comment are the same loop CNN has been showing for hours. None of them prove any of the claims made about them. On the contrary, they are all close-up, dark, jerky, unfocussed clips of chaos and injury. None of them show large numbers of bodies, of damage to the hospital. It’s classic Pallywood (although in this case I do not doubt the dead, just the magnitude, exaggerated by an order of ten (50 vs. 500).
Anderson Cooper: We cannot independently confirm how many people were killed in this blast, but the pictures are sickening.

Really? It’s sad, but sickening? Aren’t you a war correspondent?
One photojournalist who has witnessed many moments like this telling The New York Times, quote, “There were so many bodies I couldn’t even photograph.”

Poor man. Wait. Isn’t he a photographer? Wouldn’t this be the money shot? Where is it?
Many, many wounded people, women, children were taken to al-Shifa Hospital nearby. Here you see a child and an adult being taken from an ambulance that the number of dead and wounded was so great, there was almost no room for the medics.” Another reporter who witnessed the initial wave of casualties telling the Times, quote, “Their bodies are now in the courtyard. The morgue freezer is full. The morgue extension is full. And now they are storing the bodies in the area designated for journalists.”

Apparently it did not occur to either the team under Kinglsey at the NYT, nor Anderson Cooper’s to wonder why they had received no pictures of these piled up corpses in the reporter’s area. Surely every reporter there had a cell phone.
Hamas officials are blaming Israel for the blast. Israel categorically denies that, saying a failed rocket launched by the group Islamic Jihad fell short, landing by the hospital.

Oh, so you have heard about the parking lot.
RUI of Hamas Propaganda II: Clarissa Ward questions the Israeli claims
Transcript:
Clarissa Ward: I will say, just based on seeing these rocket attacks many times over the years,

she admits to the frequency of rocket shortfalls, something that (I’ll bet) she’s never reported at the moment they happened.
that they don’t usually have an impact like that in terms of the size of the blast, in terms of the scale of the death toll and the scope of the damage.

Here she uses the Hamas narrative of a massive strike to question the Israelis, when they’ve looked at the evidence and she has clearly not.
It’s also not the first time. It’s important to add that we have seen the IDF categorically deny something before being forced to kind of do an about face after an extensive investigation.

She invokes the time(s) that Israel has admitted error and taken the blame, without mentioning
the frequency of Hamas disinformation,
their spotless record of denial of any fault no matter what the evidence, and, last but certainly not least,
the many times CNN has been taken in, specifically in the matter of fell-shorts.

This is not reporting, this is lethal journalism. In the end, every Hamas claim was false, every IDF claim was supported by evidence: the hospital wasn’t hit, the “size of the blast and scale of the death toll” were exactly pro
Two sides of the story: The women and children shot while fleeing northern Gaza
Thus, with a combination of ancillary facts and Hamas-supplied figures, the authors make it sound plausible that Israel is responsible, without any serious analysis. Hamas is not even a suspect.

Now this is a no-brainer for both sides. Those who think Hamas are “freedom” fighters and Israel committing “genocide,” know right away who did this, first with airstrikes and then with snipers. Apparently, the Israelis told those fleeing the war zone to carry white flags, not so they wouldn’t get targeted, but precisely in order to target them.

Why would Israel, battered in the world press for killing too many civilians, spend military resources during a war on gratuitously killing Palestinian civilians? Because they’re irrational genocidal maniacs. QED.

For others, it was also a no-brainer. Those who know that Hamas are the genocidal maniacs determined to exterminate free Jews… those who are familiar with how, for over a decade, Hamas engineers their own people’s catastrophes for maximum civilian casualties, who use their 500 miles of tunnels to protect bombs, and force civilians to stay where the IDF has warned it will strike, even with violence if necessary, counting on western compassion for these poor people – my God! women and children! – to arouse hatred of Israel and get a badly needed ceasefire… those people understood right away who had done this (as unthinkable as it is to so many humane minds).

Why would Hamas, target Palestinian women and children? Because they want those people to stay and the north and get killed by Israel, because they’re maniacs sacrificing their own people to wage their genocidal Jihad. QED (alas).

So who’s the no brainer here?

Who’s opening the window to their fantasy narrative? And who’s looking out at the poisoned rain?
Studies in RUI, III: Jake Tapper responds to the Israeli claim that it was a Palestinian rocket
Studies in RUI (reporting under the influence of Hamas propaganda).

Like everyone else at CNN, Tapper was absolutely convinced for many hours, on the basis of a medley of photos they ran over and again that proved nothing of the sort, that the hospital was hit and that the already massive death count (note chiron) would mount as “bodies are pulled from the rubble.”

When he finally gets the news from Regev around midnight (00:06, five hours after the blast) that Israel’s analysis says it was a Palestinian rocket, he responds not by questioning his fantasy world, but by asserting it: “That is a lot of damage for one rocket.” (Meantime CNN’s own reporters are working on an article that went up 20 minutes later (00:24 EDT) that Israel’s military claims lack of structural damage at Gaza hospital rules out airstrikes

(Regev doesn’t seem to realize that the most powerful point he can make is that the rocket hit the parking lot and made a small dent.)
Jake Tapper: Mark Regev, senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a former Israeli ambassador to the UK. So, Mr. Ambassador, thanks for joining us. Israel is saying that the hospital was hit by a misfired rocket launched by Islamic Jihad, one that one that fell short. The Israeli government has posted some video on the social media site formerly known as Twitter. I mean, I’m looking at the video here. I don’t really know what I’m looking at. I can’t interpret it. That doesn’t mean it’s not real. I just don’t know what it is. Is there more proof? Is this definitive proof? How sure are you that this was not an accident until a strike by the Israeli Air Force or the Israeli military?

MR: Well, at the beginning we were investigating and it took its time to find out exactly what happened. And I’m in a position now to tell you, and I can tell you unequivocally that this was an Islamic Jihad rocket. Israel knows it. And I have to tell you, Hamas knows it, too. They are they know it was an Islamic Jihad rocket and they are deliberately putting out this story for their own propaganda purposes. Islamic Jihad has had problems with its rockets for years in previous round, in previous rounds of violence, some 33% of Hamas, of Islamic Jihad rockets fell short and landed in the Gaza Strip, often killing people. And that’s apparently what has happened now. And, of course, Hamas doesn’t want to admit that. How could they? From their point of view, this is a propaganda opportunity. Let’s blame the Israelis for terrible violence. It wasn’t us during. Simple.

JT: That is a lot of damage for one rocket.
THE GUARDIAN, AND THE MORAL POVERTY OF PRO-PALESTINIANISM

Washington Post Column Pushes ‘Genocide’ Libel

UNEVIDENCED CLAIMS OF ISRAELI ATTACKS PROMOTED ON MULTIPLE BBC PLATFORMS

Star Columnist Says Israel Must “Acknowledge Our Responsibility” For Hamas’ Terrorism

ABC News Reporter Attributes Pro-Palestinian Vandalism of White House to 'Passionate Protests'

‘Ridiculous’: ABC and BBC ‘reluctant’ to refer to Hamas as terrorists The Australian’s Media Writer Sophie Elsworth says the ABC seem to be “quite frightened” of describing Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

“They seem to be quite frightened to use the word terrorists and yes they should be using it,” Ms Elsworth told Sky News host Andrew Bolt.

“They are deemed a terrorist organisation – there’s no disputing that.

“These taxpayer-funded organisations seem pretty reluctant to use the word and it seems quite ridiculous, really.”

Ms Elsworth sat down with Mr Bolt to discuss the Israel-Hamas war and the ABC’s identification of the groups involved.





‘Hard to believe’ Qatar claim it doesn’t support Hamas, says British parliamentarian

Republicans introduce new motions censuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib

Corrupt, Crime-plagued, Electricity-starved South Africa Pulls Ambassador from Israel

Armed terrorist attempts to infiltrate Samaria town

Israeli forces thwart attack by woman draped in Hamas flag

Palestinian said killed during clashes with IDF forces near Hebron

‘Allah’s Victory Is Near’: Website of Israeli Basketball Team Gets Hacked With Threatening Hamas Message

Solidarity: Nearly 2/3 of Israelis Donate to War Effort; Over 40% Volunteer

MEMRI: Senior Hamas Official Osama Hamdan: If We Could Turn Back Time, We Would Carry Out The October 7 Attack On Israel All Over Again

PMW: What led 16-year-old boy to murder a Jew? A 22-year-old’s call for “slaughter”?

“The Zionist movement has never hesitated making a pact, even with Satan”

US and Britain created Israel “to resolve the Jewish problem,” “to ensure their interests”

MEMRI: Arab Daily: Hamas And Palestinian Islamic Jihad Ask Hizbullah For More Freedom Of Operation Against Israel From South Lebanon

A MUST-WATCH VIDEO: Testimony of Gazans who escaped Hamas
"We [Israelis and Gazans] share a common enemy. [Hamas] stole our ambitions, hopes, stole the good in our lives." A MUST-WATCH VIDEO: Just before #hamas carried out its merciless massacre and kidnapping of innocent civilians in southern Israel on October 7th, an Israeli journalist traveled to Europe to hear from young Gazans who had fled the unbearable reality of Hamas rule. THIS is what the innocent civilians in Gaza are facing. Gaza MUST be freed from the inhumanity of Hamas, for the sake of Israelis and Palestinians alike.




The Hamas billionaires who live in marble-floored mansions and luxury hotels, wear bespoke suits and travel in private jets - as they decry Gaza poverty while profiting from terrorism and misery

Walter Russell Mead: Iran Might Have Miscalculated in Gaza
What really matters in the Middle East is the battle between Iran, increasingly backed by Russia and China, and the loose group of anti-Iranian powers that includes Israel and the American-backed Arab states.

So far, Iran isn't getting what it wanted from the war. Iran's objective in arming, training and encouraging Hamas wasn't solely to cause Israel pain. The real goal was to disrupt the gradual deepening of strategic ties between Israel and its most important Arab neighbors.

Iran's rulers, believing that controlling the Middle East's energy resources and religious sites would make the country a world power, want to establish themselves as the dominant force in the region.

Sunni Arabs have long viewed Iran as a religious rival and a security threat. More recently, as Iran's march to hegemony left a trail of ruined countries and bloody corpses, suspicion solidified into terror and loathing.

Tehran's support for Bashar al-Assad in Syria is responsible for many times more deaths and refugees than all the Israeli-Palestinian wars combined. Iran's support for Hizbullah converted once-prosperous Lebanon into a poverty-stricken Iranian satellite.

Tehran hoped that Hamas' dramatic attacks would electrify public opinion in the region against Israel, the U.S. and the Arab rulers willing to work with them, forcing these rulers to placate their angry publics by abandoning any plans to work closely with Israel. So far, Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have all signaled that they intend, once the storm has passed, to go on working with Jerusalem for a safer, more stable Middle East.

Instead of dividing Israel from the Arab states, the Hamas attacks reminded sensible people across the Middle East how important it is to hold Iran in check. Iran and its murderous proxies are mortal threats to the economic future that Arab rulers want and their people need. The Israeli-Palestinian problem, while real and consequential, pales before Iran's unappeasable drive for power as the region's leading cause of war and unrest.


Thousands of Holocaust Survivors Ask Steven Spielberg to ‘Speak Out NOW’ in Support of Israel

Arnold Schwarzenegger honoured with courage award for work in combating antisemitism

Spain’s Balearic Islands officially recognize centuries of injustice against crypto-Jews on Majorca

Skyrocketing antisemitism in Britain is ‘perhaps no surprise’

After surviving the Nova massacre, Yoni Diller went to the U.S to fight antisemitism
After surviving the Nova massacre, Yoni Diller went to the U.S to fight antisemitism by telling his story, along with other survivors

'I'm on a mission: I speak on behalf of those who don't have the fortune to tell the story... It is very important to share the story and make people understand who Hamas really is,' he says




‘We Have Each Other, We Have Israel’: More Than 10,000 Gather for Pro-Israel Rally in New York City



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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 19 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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