Thursday, December 28, 2023

12/28 Links Pt1: Matti Friedman: The Wisdom of Hamas; Israel must stay the course on Gaza war; Many hostages released by Hamas still being treated for trauma

From Ian:

Matti Friedman: The Wisdom of Hamas
In the days after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on October 7, triggering the current war in Gaza, many believed that Hamas had erred. The word “miscalculation” recurred in news analysis and in statements from Israeli leaders. People here in Israel were galvanized into action by the massacre. Western governments responded with shock and revulsion. The civilians of Gaza were staring at a looming catastrophe. Hamas was in for it now! What were they thinking?

But as I write nearly three months later, with several acquaintances dead in battle and one still held hostage in Gaza, it’s easier to understand what Hamas leaders were thinking. Indeed, it’s increasingly worth considering the possibility that they weren’t wrong.

In many ways, Hamas understood the world better than we Israelis did. The men who came across the border, and those who sent them, may have grasped the current state of the West better than many Westerners. More than anything, they understood the war they’re fighting when many of us didn’t—and still don’t.

Some aspects of Hamas’s success are easy to see, like the behavior of the Western press. After dealing with reporters through many rounds of violence since coming to power in Gaza in 2007, Hamas understood that most can be co-opted or coerced, and that coverage of Gaza would reliably focus on civilian casualties, obscuring the cause of the war, portraying Israel’s military operations as atrocities, and thus pressuring Israel to stop fighting.

This may have seemed unlikely in the first few days after October 7, when the shock of Hamas’s barbarism was fresh. But it happened, as we’ve seen in a recent rash of stories containing variations on the claim that this war is one of the worst in history and that responsibility lies with Israel.

Hamas also knew that when faced with heartbreaking images of civilian death, some Western leaders would eventually buckle and blame the Israelis, helping Hamas live to attack another day. It took about five weeks before this happened to Emmanuel Macron of France (“These babies, these ladies, these old people are bombed and killed. So there is no reason for that and no legitimacy”) and Canada’s Justin Trudeau (“The world is witnessing this killing of women, of children, of babies. This has to stop.”)

And Hamas knew that the international organizations that bankroll Gaza, like the United Nations, having mostly turned a blind eye to Hamas’s vast military buildup at their expense (and, in some cases, on their property), would focus their fury at Israel alone and do their best to blunt the consequences of Hamas’s actions.

All of this shows not a miscalculation by Hamas, but an admirable grasp of reality.

Getting at Hamas’s understanding of what’s going on, and at our own misunderstanding, means asking what the Hamas war is. It’s this question that will help us begin to solve one of the core mysteries of October 7: namely, why an historic massacre of Jews, even before the Israeli response got underway, triggered a powerful wave of hostility not toward the attackers—but toward Jews.
Use Link in Tweet, you might have to copy the tweet URL into a new tab.

Alan M. Dershowitz: Who Supports Hamas?
Many of the protests that now demand a unilateral ceasefire -- including the attempts to shut down Christmas celebrations -- are orchestrated by some of the same radical groups that organized the pro-Hamas demonstrations before Israel went into Gaza.

Demonstrations and protests by groups such as the Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace or the National Lawyers Guild seem anything but spontaneous and grassroots responses to "Israel's military actions in Gaza." They are not demonstrations against what Israel does; they are protests against what Israel is, namely the democratic nation-state of the Jewish people.

Recall that these protests began before Israel counterattacked against Hamas. They were in full bloom on October 8, even while the bodies of 1,200 murdered Israelis, including babies burned alive, were still being gathered and counted, and the roughly 240 hostages taken by Hamas to Gaza identified.

The protests are exclusively anti-Israel, anti-American, pro-Hamas, and pro-terrorism.

Where are the calls for anything that would actually help the Palestinians or make their lives better: freedom of speech, equal justice under the law, freedom of the press, better job opportunities, and an end to government corruption and abuse?

So when you watch an anti-Israel demonstration on television, please understand who is behind it and what are their ultimate goals, because the next target is American democracy -- and you.
JPost Editorial: Israel must stay the course on Gaza war
The going is slow and painstaking, and as Halevi hinted, the international community's pressure to agree to a ceasefire without achieving our goals is growing stronger all the time. From the UN Security Council to human rights groups and countries throughout the West, the carnage of October 7 and the continued cruel imprisonment of the hostages are old news and disconnected from Israel’s offensive against Hamas.

Thankfully, the US, and especially President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, understand the cause and effect at play and realize that the untenable situation in Gaza is solely due to Hamas. That understanding has enabled Israel to pursue its goals with its greatest friend in its corner. However, that support should not be taken for granted, and as the war drags on, the pressure from the US will increase as well.

There’s also internal pressure at play, with the movement surrounding the hostages' families gaining more traction in their call for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages as the priority over the current offensive. They don’t buy the argument presented by the government and the army that military pressure is the only way to drag Hamas to an agreement that would enable more hostages to be released.

Israel needs to remain firm against the forces, both external and internal, that would prevent it from achieving its end goals.

The revelations that are still emerging two and a half months after the atrocities of October 7 show that Israel needs to stay the course, realize there is no quick fix, accept the pain and anguish that comes with losing the best people that Israel has to offer, and strengthen all of our resolves that the war we’re fighting is just and necessary.

The deaths of the October 7 terror victims and the 164 soldiers who have fallen in the battle to eliminate the Hamas threat and ensure that another October 7 can’t occur must not be in vain.

Even if the road ahead is long and difficult, we must carry on, hoping that a future generation of Israelis can one day live in peace.


Michael Oren: To earn America's respect, Israel must strike first
It is clear that an Israeli military move against Hezbollah could entangle the American naval forces in the area. These forces are there, among other things, to help us intercept Hezbollah's missile fire. But if one missile or drone hits an American destroyer, the United States could find itself involved in a war. In fact, those same forces serve as a deterrent against Hezbollah and Iran but also deter us, by giving the United States an effective veto over the scope of Israeli military activity

Therefore, the administration wants to see things resolved diplomatically by promoting the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 from 2006, which Hezbollah has repeatedly violated while removing terrorists to a line beyond the Litani River. This move – even if successful – will not significantly change our security situation, because the moment we are part of this process, we will have to give up the military option

Israel faces an intolerable situation in the north and a threat that no sovereign state in the world would tolerate. Among Israeli decision-makers, there is hope that our victory over Hamas will deter Hezbollah, but that victory will likely take time. In the meantime, there is a danger that Hezbollah will wait until the IDF tires and American support for Israel wanes, and then it will open fire.

Perhaps, like in 1973, if we let Hezbollah strike first we would get more American support, but we would pay a high price for it

Two months ago I asked in this column: "If not now, when?" Today I repeat this question: Are we willing to tell our allies "Yes, but", thereby earning not only our security but also their respect?
The American support for Israel in light of the approaching U.S. election
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Michael Oren, and Eric Mandel, Senior Security Editor at Jerusalem Report discuss the many factors shaping Washington's attitudes toward Israel and the war


The Regional and International Repercussions of Israel’s War Against Hamas in Gaza

Biden needs to strike back hard against Houthis to protect Red Sea — and US influence

Israel's war cabinet to discuss Qatari proposal for Gaza ceasefire - report
Israel is holding ongoing talks for the release of hostages who remain in Gaza captivity, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told representatives of the Hostages and Missing Families forum in a Thursday meeting.

"We are holding talks right now," Netanyahu said. "I cannot elaborate on the status [of negotiations] - we are working to bring them all home. That is our goal," he told the families.

Israel's war cabinet, set to convene later on Thursday evening, will discuss a Qatari proposal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza, N12 reported.

The reported Qatari initiative is different than former proposals shut down by either Israel or Hamas, the report noted.

Mossad chief David Barnea was set to take part in the cabinet meeting to disclose the details of the Qatari proposal to the ministers. Egypt ceasefire proposal flounders

The war cabinet examined on Monday an Egyptian proposal for a new hostage deal while Islamic Jihad representatives visited Cairo.

Egypt confirmed on Thursday that it had put forward a framework proposal to end the bloodshed in Gaza, including a three-stage plan for a ceasefire, the head of its state media body said.

Egypt has yet to get responses on the proposal from the parties involved and will give details about the plan once those responses are received, said Diaa Rashwan, head of Egypt's State Information Service.
Seth Frantzman: Will Iran escalate the conflict against Israel, US in the Middle East?
Iran is trying to manage the conflict against Israel in much the same way Israel sought to “manage” the conflict in Gaza over the last decade. What this means is that Iran seeks to bring the war to Israel’s borders but not escalate it into a massive conflict.

This can change depending on Iran’s calculations. For instance, the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officer Sayyed Razi Mousavi has led Iran’s regime into a state of fury and mourning.

Iran’s management of the conflict is designed to push its pawns and proxies closer to Israel’s borders. Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hashd al-Shaabi in Iraq, and militias in Syria are all part of Iran’s movement of pawns to threaten Israel and the US in the region.

This includes dozens of attacks on ships in the Red Sea, more than 110 attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria, and hundreds of attacks by Hezbollah since October 7. Iran is trying to reverse the “campaign between the wars” in which Israel was seeking to end Iranian entrenchment in Syria. Iran is trying to do to Israel what Israel was doing in the West Bank and Gaza.

This policy by Iran is not always clear and direct. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant this week said Israel was facing a multifront conflict, and he mentioned seven fronts. International media are now focused on what is perceived as an escalating and widening conflict.

“Biden struggles to contain Israel-Hamas war as conflict spreads on multiple fronts,” Voice of America news network reported.


Israel-Hamas war: 'Post' sees Hamas intelligence gathered by IDF in Gaza
Intelligence gathered from items seized by Israeli forces from Hamas has saved IDF soldiers in the field in real-time on multiple occasions. This intel is collected at the IDF’s Document and Technical Means Collection Unit and is processed through inspection, cataloging, and, finally, translation into operational intelligence.

Since October 7, the office of around 350 people, mostly reservists, has sorted through more than 65 million electronic files and 500,000 physical documents. The rate of new incoming electronic files is reaching about one million per day.

For example, physical maps and electronic files disclosed to the IDF many of the locations of concealed Hamas tunnel shafts and spots for sharpshooters set up for ambushes. In one instance, a map was seized from an aide to Wessam Farhat, Hamas’s Shejaia battalion commander. Intelligence Unit 9900 translated it into an operation to attack specific tunnel ambush points.

IDF engineers then coordinated the destruction of the tunnel.

Findings are helpful to soldiers in the field
In an audio file played for reporters on Thursday at the base, soldiers in the field could be heard thanking the Document and Technical Means Collection Unit for essentially saving their lives from what would have been an almost-certain ambush.

In another case, soldiers in the field seized and sent to the unit documents indicating where improvised explosives were hidden in one particular spot in Beit Hanun. After the unit decoded and translated the documents, it sent information back to field units, which were able to neutralize the IEDs.
An inside look at Israel’s elite 504 Espionage Unit

Son of Hamas leader Marwan Issa killed in IDF strike - report
Muhammad Issa, the son of Hamas's Deputy Military Commander Marwan, was killed in an IDF attack on Thursday morning, Israeli media reported, citing Palestinian media.

Issa serves as the top deputy to Gaza military chief Muhammad Deif.

Palestinian killed in clashes with Israeli forces in Ramallah - report

A Palestinian man was killed, and several others were injured amid clashes with Israeli forces in Ramallah in the West Bank early Thursday morning, according to Palestinian reports.

Clashes were reported in several cities throughout the West Bank on Wednesday night, including in Jericho, Halhul, Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nablus. At least nine Palestinians were injured in clashes in Halhul overnight, according to Palestinian reports.

In Jenin, one Palestinian was moderately injured, and two others were lightly injured in an Israeli drone strike, according to Palestinian media.
Israeli media air second-ever known photo of Hamas terror leader
Israel’s Channel 12 News on Wednesday evening published an exclusive photo of Hamas’s top military commander, Mohammed Deif, approximately a quarter-century after the only known image of the shadowy terror chief was first made public.

The undated picture, which was reportedly obtained by Israel’s security forces in recent weeks, shows Deif limping and missing one eye, ostensibly due to Israeli attempts on his life, according to Channel 12.

Though Israeli intelligence agencies believed for years that Deif was paraplegic, Israeli forces in Gaza uncovered recent videos of the terrorist mastermind walking, though with a slight limp, Maariv reported last week.

Deif is said to have directed the Oct. 7 attack against Israel, making him a prime target for Israeli forces. On Oct. 11, Israel hit the home of Deif’s father, killing his brother along with his brother’s wife and children.

The day of the attack on Israel’s south, Deif called on Arabs and Muslims across the Middle East to “set the Earth on fire under the feet of the occupiers [Israel].”

He released an audio message in which he dubbed Hamas’s multi-pronged attack “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” and called to “expel the occupiers and demolish the walls” of the Jewish state.

He also urged the “Islamic resistance in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon” to “merge their resistance with that of the Palestinians” and “start marching toward Palestine.”


IDF takes no action against soldiers who killed Gaza hostages
The IDF announced on Thursday that it will not take any current action against soldiers who mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages on December 15 who were waving a white flag, screamed “help” in Hebrew, and were bare from the waist up .

The three, named Yotam Chaim, Samer Talalka, and Alon Shamriz, were all taken hostage during Hamas’s October 7 massacre against southern Israeli communities.

In publishing the results of its final probe into the issue, the IDF said that despite the soldiers clearly violating the rules of engagement – by firing on persons who presented no immediate danger and were waving a white flag – the enormous complexity of the circumstances led to no immediate punishment. Soldiers who killed hostages to remain in Gaza

IDF sources suggested that once the war was over it was possible that disciplinary or other action might theoretically be taken against some of the soldiers involved, but in the meantime the soldiers are being left to continue to fight in the field.

The IDF legal division also technically can second-guess the IDF chief, but that is a very rare occurrence.

Also, with it being ambiguous when the war will be “over,” given discussions of higher and lower intensity stages, it seems that no action will be taken for the foreseeable future.


Israeli forces battle Hamas’s Daraj Tuffah Battalion in Gaza City
Israeli ground, aerial and naval forces continued operations across the Gaza Strip as the war against the Hamas terror group entered its 83rd day on Thursday.

Israeli forces have been active in recent days in the Daraj and Tuffah districts of Gaza City, battling the Daraj Tuffah Battalion of Hamas’ Gaza City Brigade.

In late October, Israeli fighter jets struck three of the battalion’s senior operatives: Battalion Commander Rifat Abbas; Battalion Deputy Commander Ibrahim Jadba; and Combat Support Commander Tarek Maarouf.

Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade is the terrorist group’s most important brigade, and its operatives played a significant role in the Oct. 7 massacre, according to the Israeli military.

During the previous 24 hours, naval forces continued to assist ground troops maneuvering in the Gaza Strip with fire from the sea.

Three soldiers slain in Gaza
The IDF released for publication on Thursday morning the names of three more soldiers killed in action in the Gaza Strip, bringing the military death toll since the start of ground operations on Oct. 27 to 167 and the overall number of military personnel killed since the start of the war on Oct. 7 to 501.

Sgt. First Class (res.) Asaf Pinhas Tubul, 22, from Kiryat Motzkin, fell in battle in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

Cpt. (res.) Neriya Zisk, 24, from Masu’ot Itzhak, and Maj. Dvir David Fima, 32, from Kfar Yona, were killed in battle in central Gaza on Wednesday.


IDF blasts Hamas terror tunnel complex under Gaza's Rantisi Hospital

IDF uncovers Hamas special forces' terror tunnels, rocket launcher in mosque

Over 500 Israeli soldiers killed since October 7 massacre, IDF says

IDF says 3 soldiers killed in Gaza, as troops battle Hamas’s last northern battalion

US designates four Houthi funders, despite delisting it as a terror group

Lebanese civilians wound UN peacekeeper, block convoy twice
A UN peacekeeper in southern Lebanon was hurt when a group of young men attacked a patrol and tried to stop it from moving through their village, the UN mission said on Thursday.

The incident took place on Wednesday night when residents of the village of Taybeh briefly blocked the peacekeepers' patrol traveling through the area, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement.

The man wounded was an Indonesian soldier, a security source said. A vehicle was damaged, UNIFIL said.

It called on Lebanese authorities to investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.

In a second incident on Thursday morning, a peacekeepers' convoy traveling to UNIFIL's eastern headquarters was briefly blocked by residents, who let them go ahead after a brief discussion, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said.
Hezbollah fighting a war of attrition on Israel’s terms
IAF strikes in Lebanon are exacting a heavy price from Hezbollah for its rocket fire, forcing the terrorist group into a war of attrition being fought on Israel’s terms.

Hezbollah has been firing rockets at northern Israel daily since Oct. 7, when Hamas massacred 1,200 persons near the Gaza border. Concerned about larger barrages and border infiltrations, around 250,000 Israelis have been evacuated from communities near Lebanon and Gaza.

Israel’s strikes have destroyed a significant quantity of Hezbollah infrastructure in open areas, forcing the terrorists to carry out even more of their activities in proximity to civilian villages.

“Hezbollah’s front line of outposts was hit very hard by the IDF and, among other things, the forces hit terrorist infrastructure, command and control facilities, lookouts and warehouses where weapons were stored,” a source in the Israel Defense Forces said.

The fact that Israel is striking Hezbollah targets in towns and villages hasn’t escaped the attention of the Lebanese evacuees. A Shi’ite source in Lebanon said that Israel has targeted Hezbollah facilities located in or very close to 91 villages across Southern Lebanon.

Moreover, 23 civilians have been killed in those strikes, and residents blame Hezbollah for putting them in harm’s way.

“Recently, [Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan] Nasrallah has also been hearing criticism from the Shi’ite communities who ask him whether you have pledged to be the defender of Lebanon or have you become the defender of Hamas and ISIS,” the IDF source said.

Hezbollah—to Hamas’s anger—has not opened a new front against Israel, and cannot even follow through on an oft-threatened “eye for an eye” deterrence.

“The ratio of casualties between the IDF forces and Hezbollah is 1-13,” an Israeli political source said.


Hezbollah Fires Anti-Tank Missile at Church in Northern Israel

Many hostages released by Hamas still being treated for trauma
Many of the hostages released from detention in Gaza by Hamas in November still require intensive treatment for the trauma from their weeks in captivity, a leading Israeli psychiatrist has said.

Renana Eitan, the head of psychiatry at the Ichilov Tel Aviv medical centre, said the hostages had undergone the worst abuse and trauma she had witnessed in her career.

Among the 14 freed hostages treated at her centre, she said, were child hostages who had been drugged by their captors – including with ketamine – and were suffering from withdrawal, those who had subjected to or witnessed sexual abuse, a woman who had been kept in a tiny cage, and another who had a breakdown after being kept in complete darkness for days.

“I thought that I’d treated the most severe cases there were, but with these patients that came from captivity we couldn’t believe that degree of cruelty,” Eitan said. “Most of the hostages who came back went through very severe physical and mental abuse … We know that they have a long way ahead of them.”

Of the 14 hostages treated by Eitan’s team, nine are under 18 and two are under 10. Most need long-term treatment for trauma. Some have gone to other facilities around the country, and Eitan said six were still receiving “very intensive psychiatric and psychological care” at the Ichilov centre.

Eitan said news footage of joyful reunions as 120 hostages were released in the last week of November masked a darker underlying reality.

“At first when they came back, they seemed very happy and relieved. And we were also very optimistic,” she said. “You probably saw the pictures of the children running to their fathers’ arms.

“But after a day or two, we saw the other side and we realised that they have severe nightmares, they have intrusive memories, they are very, very frightened. Some of them refuse to leave the room, and they had severe dissociative symptoms, where one moment they know that they are back in Israel, in hospital, and the next moment they’re afraid that they’re still in Hamas captivity.”

She added: “Some of them were afraid to go to sleep because they said that when they wake up, for the first minutes they still feel like they are back in Gaza.”

Eitan said the children among the group of hostages treated at her centre had all been given ketamine or benzodiazepines in captivity.
'I went through a Holocaust': Freed hostage Mia Schem speaks on Hamas captivity

Kibbutz Nir Oz confirms Judy Weinstein's death, body still held in Gaza
Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the death of Judy Weinstein Haggai, 70, on Thursday, who was killed by Hamas on October 7, and her body is still being held by the terrorist organization in Gaza.

Judy was 70 years old, and a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz. Mother of four, grandmother of seven. She was an English teacher specializing in children with special needs and worked with children with anxiety by using meditation and mindfulness methods. She was a poet and entrepreneur, and was dedicated to working for peace and brotherhood, the kibbutz said.

Judy's husband, Gadi Haggai, 72, was also murdered on October 7, and his body is also still in the hands of Hamas. The two were attacked while they were on a walk that morning in the kibbutz.

The kibbutz stated that Gadi was “a sharp person, a gifted musician from the age of three, a chef and a follower of a healthy vegan diet.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement on Weinstein's death, stating that "Judy had time to inform her friends that she'd been hit by a gunshot and that her husband Gadi was seriously injured, that was her last contact with them."

N12 reported that Judy also managed to record the beginning of the attack on video - and also tried to contact MDA paramedics when her husband was shot.

Weinstein's daughter, Iris, heard in a phone call that her parents were hiding and that her father was injured, and later lost contact with them.


‘As soon as possible’: Israel’s main goal to free hostages kidnapped by Hamas
Israel’s main priority is to arrange for the release of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the group’s terrorist attacks on October 7, says former Israel justice minister Ayelet Shaked.

“We have two goals,” Ms Shaked told Sky News senior reporter Caroline Marcus.

“One is to bring back our hostages, we still have two babies in captivity, we have young women in captivity.

“The world knows they raped, brutally, our women before they murdered them.

“We need to get out the young women as soon as possible … we are doing all the efforts we can in order to release them.

“The second goal is to eliminate Hamas.”


'Keep this conflict contained': Australians killed in Israeli airstrike
Liberal Senator and Former Ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma says it is “incumbent” on Australia to lessen the chance of the Israeli-Hamas conflict erupting.

Mr Sharma’s comments come after two Australians were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Australians in southern Lebanon are being told to leave.

“It’s a very tense time in the region,” Mr Sharma told Sky News Australia.

“People have to realise that, yes, there’s a war being fought between Israel and Hamas in Gaza but there’s also significant regional elements to this because of Hezbollah’s involvement.”

The Liberal Senator says Australia must do what it can to “keep this conflict as contained” and with “minimal civilian casualties”.


‘Concerning’: Hezbollah claims Australian killed in Lebanon was a fighter for the group
Shadow Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister James Paterson says he was “concerned” to learn an Australian may have been fighting with Hezbollah and has called on the government to be “upfront and honest” once the facts have been established.

Two Australians were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah alleging one of them was a fighter for the group.

“It’s not yet clear on the facts that we have available, but I am concerned to learn that at least one Australian appears to have been a fighter for Hezbollah, a listed terrorist organisation, and was living and operating as a Hezbollah fighter, as claimed by Hezbollah, in Southern Lebanon,” Mr Paterson told Sky News Australia.

“The Australian government travel advice has been very clear: it’s do not travel to Lebanon and leave if you are there and it has been a criminal offence for some time in this country to associate in any way with Hezbollah, let alone fight for them.

“It is important once the government has established the facts here that they are upfront and honest about this and they disclose that to the public in an appropriate way.”


Hezbollah ‘seeking to distract Israel’ from terrorists on its borders
Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus has criticised the “lack of clarity” about a Sydney man who was “radicalised” to fight for Hezbollah.

Ms Marcus’ comments come after two Australians were killed in an Israeli airstrike with Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah saying one of the two Australians was one of their fighters.

“Hezbollah is a Shiite militia group based in Lebanon and backed by Iran,” Ms Marcus said.

“It inserted itself into Israel’s war with Hamas when it began firing rockets into the Jewish state the day after the October 7 massacre.

“Seeking to distract Israel from its war with the other terrorists on her border.

“There has been daily military activity in southern Lebanon, including airstrikes, rockets and missile fire.”




Call Me Back PodCast: From Hamas to Hezbollah to the Houtis & beyond — with Bret Stephens
Hosted by Dan Senor
Bret Stephens, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for The New York Times, returns for a conversation analyzing how the October 7 War is expanding beyond just the Hamas-Israel. Bret came to The New York Times after a long career with The Wall Street Journal, where he was most recently deputy editorial page editor and, for 11 years, a foreign affairs columnist. Before that, he was editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. And prior to working in Israel, he was based in Brussels for The Wall Street Journal. Today, Bret is also the editor-in-chief of Sapir Journal.




Caroline Glick: The Great Shift to the Right in Israel is Happening
The myth of the two-state solution is shattering among the Israeli left, but not yet among Americans as a new poll finds Israel shifting to the right.




The Israel Guys: Israel is Now at WAR with SEVEN Arab COUNTRIES
Israel’s defense minister Yoav Gallant stated on Tuesday that Israel is now fighting a war on seven fronts! This is insanity. Today we’re going to give you a full update on where Israel is at with the war, which is especially important with all the misinformation going rampant right now.




Evangelical Christian leader says Hamas stole Christmas in Bethlehem: Cut off the 'lights'
A leading evangelical Christian leader, the Rev. Johnnie Moore, accused Hamas of pulling the plug on Christmas lights and festivities in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. This comes as the number of Christians in the city continues to dwindle.

"It is Hamas, not Israel, which cut off the Christmas lights in Bethlehem. Hamas tried to sabotage Christmas in the Holy Land for the world’s 2 billion Christians. Jesus is the prince of peace. Hamas hates peace," Moore, who is the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital.

The U.S. government and the European Union have classified Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization.

Moore added, "Instead of taking a page from Hamas by further politicizing religion, the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah and in Bethlehem should have defied Hamas’ hate by having the biggest celebration they could imagine to spread the message of the Prince of Peace, Jesus … from Bethlehem."

He continued, "But, that’s fine. One only has to drive a mile to Jerusalem where Christmas is alive and well. Jerusalem is alive with holiday celebrations because Israel is, even now, fiercely protecting its sanctity during this time of terror and war. Or, if you want a dose of hope that peace is not only possible but will come, then drive up north to beautiful Haifa. It is a city where Jews, Christians and Muslims live in peace with one another and not only side-by-side but by sharing their lives, joys and sorrows together."


‘Enough evidence’ Israel committed genocide, Cornel West claims
“This is my response to the many media requests as to what my aim would be as president in regard to the catastrophe in the Middle East,” Professor Cornel West, an activist and thinker who is running as an independent candidate for U.S. president, wrote on Oct. 8, the day after Hamas’s barbaric terrorist attack in Israel.

“I would stop the killing of innocent people—be they Palestinians or Israelis—by calling for an end to the vicious U.S.-supported Israeli occupation,” West wrote. “This violent resistance to oppression is the desperate language of an occupied people. And as Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us, only a genuine peace with justice can stop the barbarism of war and domination.”

West, who supports the boycott Israel (BDS) movement, added that “the U.S. government, the Israeli government, and the occupied Hamas forces have blood on their hands.”

Earlier this month, West—who is a professor of philosophy and Christian practice at Union Theological Seminary in New York—issued a statement calling for the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate what he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s and the IDF’s “likely war crimes.”

“I have seen enough, the global community has seen enough, and people of conscience have seen enough evidence of intentional barbaric and genocidal crimes committed by the Israel Defense Force at the behest of Prime Minister Netanyahu against the Palestinian people,” he wrote.

“In addition to the nearly 20,000 murders of civilians, almost half of them children, the IDF’s indiscriminate killings now include three precious Israeli hostages who were clearly waving a white flag of surrender before they were taken out,” West added.

Israel has expressed “deep remorse” for the latter event and said it mistook the hostages for terrorists and that Hamas is known to use human shields.


‘Idiots’ slammed for wanting to ‘wipe Israel off the map’
Menzies Research Centre Nick Cater has slammed “useful idiots” for wanting to “fight to wipe Israel off the map”.

Mr Menzies says the death of an Australian killed in an Israeli airstrike with ties to the militant group Hezbollah is a “real wakeup call” for them.

“A real wake-up call for those useful idiots who’ve been joining these Palestinian demonstrations around the country,” he told Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus.

“University students, left-wingers, climate change activists of various kinds.

“Bear in mind the people you are standing next to who are chanting death to the Jews and who are chanting from the river to the sea Palestine will be free – they actually mean that and they are prepared, some of them at least to go to Lebanon to fight for that cause to fight to wipe Israel off the map.”




1,800% surge in 'kill Jews' Google searches globally

Dozens arrested in anti-Israel protests at two major US airports
Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters blocked morning traffic on Wednesday around Los Angeles International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport – two of the nation’s busiest – in coast-to-coast demonstrations that ended with dozens of arrests.

The demonstrations stopped cars on the outskirts of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, where some travelers set off on foot to bypass the jammed roadway, as well as Los Angeles International Airport. Over 60 people were arrested during the two protests, police said.

In New York, activists locked arms and held banners demanding an end to the Israel-Hamas war and expanded rights for Palestinians, bringing traffic to a standstill on the Van Wyck Expressway leading up to the airport for about 20 minutes.

Some of the anti-Israel protesters chanted “from the river to the sea,” a phraseregarded as a call for the destruction of Israel and which Jewish watchdogs call antisemitic. The slogan generally appears as the first half of the chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — referring to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which encompasses Israel, the West Bank and Gaza.

Video posted to social media showed passengers, some carrying suitcases, leaving vehicles behind and stepping over barriers onto the highway median.

Twenty-six people in the protest were arrested for disorderly conduct and impeding vehicular traffic, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey dispatched two buses to help travelers caught in the backup reach the airport, agency spokesperson Steve Burns said.
JFK Airport Access BLOCKED by Pro-Palestine Protesters, ends with Arrests
December 27, 2023- JFK INTL AIRPORT, New York: Protesters blocked multiple roadways including i678 and the JFK service road late Wednesday morning leading to a large traffic jam and upset travelers having to walk to their terminals through the blockade with luggage in hand.

Port Authority Police demanded the group leave the roadway as they chanted "Free Palestine" while locking arms in front of long line of backed up cars traffic. After some time Port Authority police moved in and arrested the group, loadeding them onto an MTA Airport bus. Group chanted on the bus as police organized.

The roads that were blocked are the two main roads leading into the airport that are packed with travelers rushing to catch their flight.

The demonstrators demanded an end to the war in Gaza, a permanent ceasefire and to Free Palestine.




Pro-Palestinian protesters ‘sure’ to disrupt NYE ball drop, NYC mayor says
Pro-Palestinian protesters will attempt to disrupt the annual New Year's Eve Ball Drop event in Times Square, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a Tuesday news conference.

“We’re sure there’s gonna be some type of attempt this year… Everyone looks for events like this if they want to do bad things, and the police department is on top of it,” the mayor said at a Tuesday news conference.

While the NYPD said there are no credible threats to the city for New Year's Eve at this time, Adams said it is a priority for the city to avoid any chaos.

The mayor said there have been nearly 500 protests in New York City since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7.

The annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting on November 30 was disrupted by over 1,000 pro-Palestinian agitators, while the Thanksgiving Day Parade saw protesters glue their hands to the middle of Sixth Avenue and cover themselves in fake blood.

New Year's Eve Ball Drop
An incident during last year’s New Year's Eve event saw a teenager linked to Islamist extremism attack three policemen with a machete near Times Square.

"He knew what he was doing. He knew why he was doing it and he thought he would die in the attack… He did yell out 'Allah Akbar,'" Thomas Galati, the department's chief of intelligence and counterterrorism, told ABC News.


Twist in investigation into shock Carols by Candlelight protest where pro-Palestine demonstrators stormed the stage
Investigators are probing whether an insider working on Melbourne's Carols by Candlelight may have helped two pro-Palestine protesters hijack the stage.

The Christmas Eve debacle saw protesters interrupt the family-friendly event, with one waving a Palestine flag and briefly snatching the microphone away from stunned hosts David Campbell and Sarah Abo.

The embarrassing lapse in security is the subject of discussions between Arts Centre Melbourne, police and sponsors.

Organisers said event staff were suspicious as to how easily the protesters were able to access the stage - yet the performers were the subject of strict security checks.

Arts Centre Melbourne said in a statement: 'Everyone has the right to protest peacefully, but not at the expense of the safety of others.

'The matter has been reported to and is being managed by Victoria Police and it would be inappropriate to comment further.'

A 21-year-old woman from Brunswick has been charged with possession of a controlled weapon following the protest while the second protester was given a move-on direction by police.

Daily Mail Australia revealed this week the protestor who snatched the microphone goes by the handle @violentwaitress online and belongs to pro-Palestine activism group Block the Dock.

The group aims to disrupt Israeli shipping routes in protest against the country's violent retaliation to October 7 terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas.
Police investigate concerns of inside help after Carols by Candlelight protest
The fallout from the Carols by Candlelight protest continues as police are investigating if the protesters had inside help to get on stage, Sky News host James Macpherson says.

The Australian reported on Thursday that insiders have asked why strict control of the event for participants was not applied to the protesters.

“That’s a worrying accusation,” Mr Macpherson said.

The moment a protester ambushed the stage was captured during the live television broadcast and has been slammed by viewers online as an ‘utter disgrace’.

The broadcaster of the event, Channel Nine, cut away from the scenes of the protest in the live broadcast but the audio was still transmitted.


Newly-opened NYC Palestinian diner sparks fury with 'anti-Semitic' menu titled 'from the river to the sea' and 'down with the occupation'
A new Palestinian restaurant in New York City has sparked backlash after opening its doors to customers with menus including the anti-Semitic phrase 'from the river, to the sea.'

Ayat, a Brooklyn eatery with two other locations in the city, also opted to emblazon the front of its menus with the phrase 'down with the occupation', angering some patrons in the heavily-Jewish area.

When the restaurant opened a third location in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, last week, a Facebook group for residents in the area grew hostile as customers slammed the menus as 'openly genocidal', reports the Daily Beast.

The chant 'from the river to the sea' has been deemed by the Anti-Defamation League to be an anti-Semitic call for 'Israel's destruction through violent means.'

In response to the Facebook group's disapproval, the restaurant's owners Ayat Masoud and her husband Abdul Elenani insisted the inclusion of the phrase in their menu's was misunderstood.

Elenani said in his response on Facebook that they chose to include 'from the river, to the sea' in the menus because 'our interpretation on it is just simply freedom and rights to the Palestinian people between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea.'

'We're just against the Zionist mentality of, like, eliminate or flatten now,' he said, adding he meant no ill-will toward Jewish people.

'Our neighbors are Jews, our friends are Jews, we work with Jewish people all day every day. We do not hate Jewish people. It's the opposite,' he continued. 'Judaism and Islam, they are the two most similar religions.'

The layout of the restaurant makes no secret of its affiliation with Palestine, featuring a number of Palestinian flags and depictions of people wearing traditional Palestinian clothing.

Images from the inside of the one of the restaurants also show what appears to be Palestinian children imprisoned behind bars underneath the golden dome of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Jerusalem, guarded by Israeli soldiers.
Palestinian truckers gather in southwest suburbs for 4-hour Christmas caravan
Hundreds of local Palestinian Americans rallied in the southwest suburbs Monday in a truck caravan — many blaring their horns and flying Palestinian flags — aimed at drawing attention to the innocent lives lost as Israel’s war on Hamas continues.

Reem Odeh, the daughter of Palestinian immigrants and a longtime immigration attorney, said “it was very symbolic that it was done on Christmas Day to speak up against the atrocities against innocent people.”

The rally comes as Israel ramps up its attacks on Gaza and the Occupied West Bank, according to the Associated Press.

The rally began about 1 p.m. at the Chicago Ridge Mall, where Odeh said about 150 semi-trucks, tow trucks, cars and other vehicles gathered before embarking on a four-hour crawl through the southwest suburbs.

Monday’s protest is the first of more to come, Odeh said, with a second possibly as soon as Friday.

For Odeh, a cease-fire can’t happen soon enough.

Her parents — former local business owners — retired to the West Bank last summer, and as Odeh spoke with a reporter she watched an Al-Jazeera TV news segment showing the Israel Defense Forces moving into the area near their home.

“Almost every single one of us,” Odeh said of those taking part in Monday’s event, “has relatives, parents, spouses, children in Palestine.”
NY Botanical Garden fires employee for saying Oct. 7 made her ‘proud’
Following the video exposure of her words praising Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Jewish communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) has fired scientist Amelia Fuller, a member of George Mason University’s Students Against Israeli Apartheid.

The video showed Fuller wearing a keffiyeh at a protest and grinning as she smoked a cigarette while someone filming with a cell phone asked questions such as, “How did Oct. 7 make you feel?”

She responded “proud” before another protester to her left called it “one of the greatest days in the history of decolonization.”

Fuller’s former employer soon released a statement saying: “This weekend, a video was brought to our attention that showed an NYBG employee making a disturbing statement recently about the attacks in Israel on October 7. We take this matter very seriously, and following an immediate investigation, this individual is no longer employed by NYBG.”




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