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Thursday, December 28, 2023

12/28 Links Pt2: A Coordinated Media Attack on Israel by the NYTs, WaPo, and CNN; Europe is terrified and Kowtows to Hamas; The rise of woke anti-Semitism

From Ian:

A Coordinated Media Attack on Israel by the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN
The New York Times (December 21, 2023) claimed Israel's air force used U.S.-provided 2,000-pound bombs in Gaza, specifically a model that "is one of the most destructive munitions in Western military arsenals." But the Times based its analysis on the wrong bomb, a Mark-84, a bomb that explodes on impact with little penetration properties.

The Washington Post (December 22, 2023), with its satellite and visual analysis, claimed that "the evidence presented by the Israeli government falls short of showing that Hamas had been using the [Shifa] hospital as a command-and-control center."

CNN, following the New York Times, claimed that Israel's 2,000-pound bombs were responsible for the high casualty rate among Gazans. But it appears that CNN was also relying on data from general-use MK-84 bombs and not earth-penetrating bunker busters that explode underground.

What is clear in one CNN map is that the bunker-buster bombs did not damage nearby schools or injure children, but they were deployed to destroy Hamas tunnels, which also explains why the craters were in a linear pattern as if the Israeli pilots were bombing a long stretch of tunnel.

Even suggesting that the IDF sought to harm Gazan school children is a blood libel. But genuinely puzzling is why CNN had a very tiny caption that admits Israel used bunker-busting bombs that avoid explosive damage on the surface.

All three media analyses relied on "weapons experts and investigators" formerly from the U.S. government, the UN, and non-governmental organizations such as Human Rights Watch. Not surprisingly, the experts are also known for their animosity to Israel. The consequences of the fraud are Members of Congress calling to cut military aid to Israel.
Ben Dror Yemini: Europe is terrified and Kowtows to Hamas
Hamas could not have become what it is without the support of the free world. Palestinians would not have rejected any peace initiative or compromise without the protection they have been given by Western media and academia. The intellectuals encouraged Palestinian obstinance. There is a long list of professors, journalists and human rights activists who backed Palestinian rejection of peace initiatives and justified "resistance," which is another word for terrorism. Hamas, as part of the Jihad, is not the oppressed. It seeks to impose its oppressive Islamist imperialism on the rest of the world.

Highlighting and bolstering the nakba, when Palestinians were displaced in the 1948 War of Independence, does not help resolve the problem of refugees; it perpetuates it and UNRWA only ferments more hate.

The West funds UNRWA annually. In 2022, it was to the tune of $1.6 billion. This massive amount of money delivered to the offspring of refugees year after year since 1950 could have paid for housing for each of those families and the construction of infrastructure and industrial zones. But no. The money is spent on perpetuating their refugee status, and on an education system that nurtures the hope of the destruction of Israel.

It is the free world that is ultimately paying the price because it nurtured the hatred of Israel in headlines and on campuses and that hate is now turning on the free world itself. Muslim clerics in Hamburg, Paris, London and Chicago are raising a new generation filled with hate and when they enter universities, they hear the same from their professors: hate for the West, hate for America, hate for Israel and hate for Jews. That is not the way to advance reconciliation, compromise and peace. Israel ultimately can defend itself, but can the free world say the same?
Stephen Fry and the rise of woke anti-Semitism
The great irony of the tidal wave of anti-Jew invective that has come Stephen Fry’s way over the past 48 hours is that it has perfectly proved his point. He goes on TV to say we are witnessing a ‘rise in anti-Jewish racism’ and right away there’s a spike in anti-Jewish racism. Even before he’d finished his touching fireside homily on Jew hate, the Jew haters were out in force to ask: ‘Who the fuck does he think he is?’ A Jew on TV? At Christmas? Wanging on about the victimisation of Jews? Vomit emoji. That was literally the response of the army of arseholes that passes for the left these days, every one of them too dim to realise they were making Fry’s case for him.

Fry made his remarks on The Alternative Christmas Message on Channel 4. That’s the non-royal Christmas Day TV sermon, a little witty, a little right-on, in which a celeb is invited to hold forth on a hot issue the monarch is likely to overlook. Normally middle-class radicals lap it up, but not this time, because… oh you know why. The last thing they needed while tucking into their pigs in blankets was a lecture from one of those people who don’t even eat pigs. I swear they were more rattled by Fry than they were when Channel 4 invited then Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to give the alternative message in 2008. A literal Holocaust denier? What fun. A Jew concerned about anti-Semitism? Pass the remote.

Fry’s message was fair and benign. You’d have to be a frothing loon to object to it. He ‘came out’ as a Jew. He offered cold, hard facts. Since the Hamas pogrom of 7 October there have been 50 anti-Semitic incidents a day in London, he said. That’s an eye-watering 1,350 per cent rise in Jew-hate incidents. It’s the greatest rise in anti-Jewish racism in the UK since modern records began. He slammed the ‘venomous slurs’ heaped on Britain’s Jews in recent weeks. He made a plea for a return to the ‘decency’ our nation is famed for. And he ended on a note of Kumbaya. The ‘simple truth’, he said, is that ‘we are all brothers and sisters’: ‘It’s naive, but it’s as good a message as any other.’

Imagine hearing that and feeling enraged. Imagine seeing a famously genteel ‘national treasure’ express concern about anti-Jewish racism and shaking with fury. The Fryphobes protest too much. ‘We are not anti-Semites!’, they essentially screamed, in unison, all over the web. How interesting that you assumed Fry was talking about you…


Why Israel Can't Accept a Ceasefire
Hamas has never pretended to be fighting for the well-being of Gaza's population, or for Palestine as a national cause. It serves global Islam that rejects all nationalisms and demands supremacy over all other religions. In other words, it accepts no responsibility for the dead and wounded of the war, or for Gaza's reconstruction. Hence, if there is a permanent ceasefire, Hamas can start to prepare its next surprise attack, hoping for another Oct. 7 of indiscriminate killings.

Steadfastly ignoring this inevitability, retired generals and even Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin have urged the Israelis to reduce their attacks in order to win over Gaza's population. Yet this is to forget that such a formula failed in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan: populations dominated by brutal extremists cannot be "won over."

For the Israelis, however, there is clarity. While the end of the offensive that Hamas, the UN, and countless American and British undergraduates demand would mean a complete defeat for Israel, the continuation of the war is the essential precondition of victory.

The Biden Administration has been asking the Israelis to hurry up with their fighting and to use less air power, less artillery, and more infantry to reduce civilian casualties. But to move faster in Gaza's intricate urban terrain would sharply increase Israeli casualties. The same is true of any imposed reduction in artillery fire and air strikes.

The unavoidable reality is that Israel cannot end its offensive, nor even accept protracted ceasefires in exchange for hostages. Instead, its forces must persist until every basement and tunnel has been cleared and Hamas' cadre of trained fighters has been drastically reduced. Of course, destroying the military power of Hamas cannot by itself bring about a permanent state of peace in Gaza. But if Hamas can no longer subject Gaza's population to its perpetual war, it will be victory enough.


Securing the "Philadelphi Corridor": A Strategic Imperative for Israel
The IDF's imminent security control over the Philadelphi Corridor separating Egypt and Gaza underscores the critical importance of controlling this key passageway.

The corridor, stretching approximately 14 km. along the entirety of the Gaza-Egypt border, has become a highway for weapon-smuggling from Egypt to Hamas, despite Egypt's claiming to have destroyed the smuggling tunnels years ago.

Both Egypt and Hamas vehemently oppose Israel's control over the corridor.

Recent requests by Israel to have Egyptian military units relocate away from the Gaza border have been rebuffed by Egypt.

Gaining control of Gaza's southern border through the Philadelphi Corridor is important for the demilitarization of the region after the conflict.
How will the October 7th massacre be remembered?
We must remember: 3D-model museum preserves October 7 destruction. i24NEWS correspondent Uri Shapira.


Video Interview with Einat Wilf

Israel Advocacy Movement: Is Jesus mentioned in the Talmud?

NYTs: Hamas and Other Palestinian Groups in Gaza Are Firing Rockets into Israel Every Day
As Israel wages a war in Gaza aimed at dismantling Hamas' military capacity, the armed group and its affiliates have continued to fire rockets at Israel nearly every day. Since Oct. 7, Hamas and other armed groups have fired 12,000 rockets into Israel, a quarter of them on Oct. 7, the Israeli government has said. The ongoing salvos, although less frequent than at the start of the war, are an indication of the size of Hamas' arsenal. In nearly three months of war, 15 people in Israel have been killed in strikes and 700 others injured, according to Israel's emergency services.

Israeli officials have said the rocket attacks show that Hamas is continuing to terrorize Israeli civilians. "If we don't diminish Hamas' rocket-firing capabilities, Hamas will continue firing rockets at Israelis," IDF chief spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Wednesday. Many rocket launches early in the war were from northern Gaza, where the Israelis say they now have operational control.

Israel has accused Hamas of using civilian centers like hospitals and crowded neighborhoods as cover for their military operations. The military recently publicized video that shows rockets and launching infrastructure that soldiers found near a mosque, in a compound used for youth activities, in playgrounds, and near children's swimming pools. Some 10-20% of Hamas rockets fail and fall into Gaza, killing Palestinians, Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.
Four big lies driving the alarming surge in antisemitism
After Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis in the most barbaric ways imaginable, perpetrated horrific sexual violence, and kidnapped hundreds of civilians – it’s hard to imagine anyone excusing – or even worse – celebrating this attack.

Unfortunately, many have.

These celebrations and attacks on Jewish communities and institutions have caused a major uptick in antisemitism worldwide. If we are going to counter this post-October 7 surge, we must identify the forces driving it. There are four big lies we must tackle head-on if we are going to be successful.

The first is the notion that “From the River to the Sea” means the liberation of Palestinians or a secular binational Palestinian state. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It is a rallying cry for the erasure of the State of Israel and its people.

The second is that “intifada” is a legitimate form of resistance. Rather, calls to “globalize the intifada” are a celebration of brutally violent terror campaigns waged against Israeli civilians. Those who call for a global intifada are exhorting such acts worldwide to incite violence against Jews and those who support Israel.

The third is the idea that Israel is a white settler-colonialist state. The opposite is true. Jews have called the Land of Israel home for millennia, as proven by historical and archaeological evidence. The majority of Israelis are people of color from the Middle East and North Africa.

Actual European colonists set out to enrich their mother countries and/or themselves, but Jews settling in Mandatory Palestine had no mother country; they were fleeing persecution and returning to their indigenous homeland.

The fourth, and perhaps most egregious and dangerous, is the accusation that Israel is committing genocide. While we all can mourn the loss of innocent Palestinian life, we also must state the facts. The word “genocide” – first coined in response to the Holocaust – refers to acts “committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.”


Whistleblower exposes Amazon for rampant Antisemitism on Internal Communications Channels
A recent revelation by a whistleblower within Amazon has sparked a controversy regarding the use of the company’s internal communication channels and physical offices for sharing discriminatory and insensitive remarks about Israel, leading to a potentially hostile work environment for Jewish and Israeli employees. The whistleblower, a programmer at Amazon, has disclosed that certain employees have been posting anti-Israel comments on an internal Slack channel, reportedly having over 3,000 members.

Evidence of antisemitism on internal channels arises in the context of Amazon already facing criticism for its lack of response over Amazon’s own Israeli employee, Sasha Troufanov, having been one of the October 7, 2023 hostages taken by Hamas during the surprise attack over two months ago. Despite repeated appeals, Amazon’s management has failed to even acknowledge that its employee was kidnapped or that he remains a hostage.

The issue came to light following the sharing of flyers with symbols associated with Palestine in Amazon’s offices across the world and on the company’s internal wiki on November 29, 2023. The flyers displayed a watermelon symbol, shaped like the Jewish state of Israel, which was interpreted as a call to destroy the existing state of Israel. The flyers were accompanied by calls on the Amazon slack channel of “from the river to the sea” and attempts to raise money for Islamic Relief Canada, an affiliate of Islamic Relief Worldwide, which was banned by Israel a decade ago for alleged ties to Hamas.
Among the contentious posts on Slack, one by Amazon employee, Laith Abad, stated, “Idk how Palestine gets their freedom, but simply asking nicely isn’t the solution.”

Another, from Zaid Akel, expressed explicit support for Hamas, stating, “I stand with any and every revolution against their occupiers, so I stand with Hamas.”

Further exacerbating the situation was a post that appeared to mock the Israeli hostages. In this instance, an Amazon employee shared a picture from social media accompanied by comments that sarcastically implied the hostages were well-treated. This post cynically suggested, “Jokes, smiles, handshakes, and even hugs! Have we ever witnessed prisoners treat their captors like this? This is why Israel won’t allow these hostages to give interviews. Compare this to how Palestinian hostages are treated by Israel.” Adding to the insensitivity, Amazon employee Ayat Abukhadra commented with evident sarcasm, “torture is really showing…” — a remark that was interpreted as making light of the serious and traumatic experience of the hostages.


Eight out of ten British Jews identify as Zionist, says new poll

On Israel, Labour’s core left is a million miles from Starmer

Israeli-Canadian designer wins defamation lawsuit against Toronto restaurateur
Shai DeLuca, a prominent designer who grew up in Israel and served in the IDF, was awarded $85,000 (Canadian) in damages last week after three years of litigation against a Toronto restaurateur who attacked DeLuca as a “terrorist” with his “sniper rifle aimed at Palestinian children.”

The news was posted by the Lawfare Project, a pro-Israel NGO, on X on Monday, with a snippet of the official court opinion. The full opinion was not immediately accessible.

According to Toronto.com, DeLuca took issue with two Instagram posts by the local business Foodbenders, which had been the focus of controversy after the owner, Kimberly Hawkins, posted anti-Israel messages in the window of her store. These included a sign that said “F–k Mossad, IDF, BIBI,” according to the Canadian Jewish News. Online, Hawkins posted “#zionistsnotwelcome.”

Hawkins was charged for violating Toronto’s Municipal Code, which forbids discrimination on the basis of “race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, or disability.”

Several delivery apps, including Uber Eats, Doordash, Ritual, and Square, cut ties with Foodbenders amid the controversy. The store was also vandalized, including with a spray-painted star of David on its door.

Case has gone on for years, restaurant has since closed
The defamation case has dragged on since 2020, with an initial victory for Hawkins, who nevertheless, under the weight of the cases and controversy, announced in 2021 that she was closing the store. “Foodbenders was my entire life,” she wrote online. “But it has to be over now. My heart is broken.”

According to a statement shared on social media in the name of a member of DeLuca’s legal team, the judge found that “Foodbenders maliciously and unfairly defamed Mr. DeLuca without justification.”

“These kinds of statements,” the judge apparently said, “not only affect people’s reputations, but they also contribute to prejudice, antisemitism and intolerance and have the potential to incite violence.”
I’ve been rejected by a Gen Z friend thanks to TikTok and my editor

Russia's Lavrov attacks US, Israel in interviews, garners praise from Hamas

Lavrov appears to liken Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Israelis Wounded in Terrorist Stabbing Attack in Eastern Jerusalem
At least two Israelis were wounded Thursday evening in a terror attack that took place near the Mizmoriya checkpoint, on the southern side of eastern Jerusalem.

One terrorist, who arrived at the checkpoint armed with a knife, stabbed the two victims before being neutralized by security personnel at the scene.

Paramedics with the Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency medical response service treated a 20-year-old woman and a 25-year-old male before both were taken to nearby Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem with moderate wounds.

Both of the victims were conscious at the time, according to MDA.

The terrorist was critically wounded and died of his injuries shortly thereafter.


Herzog tells US, Canadian students: ‘We support you’
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and pro-Israel activist Noa Tishby welcomed students from U.S. and Canadian college campuses to the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on Thursday for a discussion on the rise in antisemitism across North America.

The delegation told the president about their experiences on the campuses, including intimidation attempts and attacks on Jewish students and pro-Israel associations, Herzog’s office said in a statement. They also discussed the importance of defending the Jewish state.

“We’re very happy to have you here. These are the most challenging times that our nation has endured, but we shall overcome, and we shall overcome together,” Herzog told the students.

“You’re here and seeing the real battlefront, but the impact of this war, this battlefront reaches all the way down to your campuses,” he said, adding that “you are our sons and daughters, and we encourage you, support you and bless you.”

Tishby told the students: “We know what you’re going through. This is the battleground. You guys and girls have been on your own for a very long time. You’re no longer on your own. Everybody woke up.

“When somebody comes up to you and says, ‘I am not antisemitic, I’m just anti-Zionist,’ ask them, ‘Which other countries would you like to dismantle?’ In essence, you cannot separate being Jewish from being a Zionist,” said Tishby.

Until April, she served as Israel’s first-ever special envoy for combating antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
Pro Israel students visit and tell Israelis their fight against antisemitism
Pro-Israel students visit Israel, tell Israelis their story of battling antisemitism on college campuses. i24NEWS Senior Diplomatic correspondent Owen Alterman reports.


Ivy League schools haven't learned from their dark past
Magill stepped down within days of delivering a lame apology in a video distributed on social media.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth attended the screening of Hamas’s atrocities on October 7 with 40 faculty members; although even that does not make up for the damage done.

Harvard’s governing board, however, announced that it stood firmly behind Claudine Gay as the university president. Ivy League antisemitism is nothing new

As upsetting as the testimony by the presidents was to watch, it is nothing new to the Jewish community. Ivy League schools – which include Harvard and Penn – have long and well-documented histories of antisemitism, especially Harvard.

In 1909, a future Nazi named Ernst “Putzi” Hanfstaengl graduated from Harvard University. He would later move to Germany with his wife and begin a close friendship and political association with Adolf Hitler. Hanfstaengl would later fund publication of Hitler’s Mein Kampf and the antisemitic V枚lkischer Beobachter (“People’s Observer”).

Harvard never explicitly condoned Nazism, but it subscribed to the modest antisemitism that infested elite institutions during the 20th century. Although Hanfstaengl was a rabid antisemite and his affiliation with the Nazis was well known, Harvard invited him to his 25th class reunion in 1934 and chose to ignore the outcry from Jews across America, who were enraged over the university’s invitation. Instead, Harvard decided to protect Hanfstaengl, claiming that “it is not a university’s function to incite political battles and fan the flames of international discord.”

That sounds all too familiar to those dealing with antisemitism on college campuses today. At the time, Jewish students hung posters around Harvard’s campus to raise awareness of the Nazis being honored by the institution.
Title VI investigations review George Mason, UNC and Newark public schools

MEMRI: American Muslims For Palestine Official Taher Herzallah At San Diego Mosque: This Is The Time To Make Zionists Feel Very Uncomfortable On Campuses; It Is Incumbent Upon The Muslims To Rule Palestine, Enforce The Rules Of Allah On Earth

German Students Convicted of Antisemitism Could Face Expulsion From Universities, Education Minister Says

Stop ‘ideological indoctrination’ of DEI, says Jewish Institute for Liberal Values head

Teaneck board of ed loses control … again
Rabbi Joel Pitkowsky, left, and Rabbi Daniel Fridman

If the Teaneck Board of Education’s October public meeting was a mess, haunted by accusations that speakers were not allowed to bring up the atrocities that Hamas terrorists committed in Israel on October 7 but others were given the chance to talk with specificity and at length about the war in Gaza and what they accused Israel of doing there — issues that are not relevant to the board but are passionately important to the community — it entirely paled in comparison to the board’s December meeting.

Readers should note that this is not hyperbole; a video of the meeting is posted on the board’s website, teaneckschools.eduvision.tvv.

Tirza Bayewitz and Chana Shields, who both live in Teaneck and are active in the newly formed Bergen County Jewish Action Committee, were at the December 13 meeting. They described what happened.

After a fairly unusual beginning, when the board’s chair, Sebastian Rodriguez, set what he hoped would be the tone for the evening by reminding spectators that comments should be civil, respectful, and safe, the first hour was normal. Reports were given, students and faculty were honored, nothing remotely inappropriate happened.

Then the floor was open for comment. Parents, students, and interested others lined up at the microphones, a clock ticked down the three minutes allotted to each speaker, and soon it all went south.

The speakers expressed strong views, as was their right; Mr. Rodriguez alternated between people who were at the meeting and others who were online. That kept the temperature down for a while.

Still, “there were several speakers who said inflammatory things,” Ms. Bayewitz said. “Several of them spoke about the dismantling of Israel.” One of those speakers identified himself as a public school teacher from Montclair. “It is within the board’s purview to prioritize Teaneck residents, but they did not,” Ms. Shields said.

“Several speakers continually referred to Israel as the Zionist entity and the Zionist regime,” Ms. Bayewitz said. “They were not curtailed in any way by anyone.”

“And in fact, a couple of times Jewish members of the audience called out to say, ‘Doesn’t that language violate the guidelines?’ But they didn’t do anything.

“There were other people giggling or making comments too. When I spoke, the people on line behind me were snickering.
Student Newspaper at MacEwan University in Edmonton Accuses Israel of Committing Genocide in Gaza

MORE HAMAS ADVOCACY ON PBS NEWSHOUR

‘Buffalo News’ criticized for antisemitic cartoon
U.S. President Joe Biden lies awake in bed, clad in red-and-white striped pajamas, as he lies awake in bed with his sheets conveniently decorated with “Biden.” The source of his restlessness? A leak in the bathroom sink, in the foreground, in which blood and skulls drip below Star of David-shaped faucet handles.

“This is disgusting, Buffalo News,” wrote Tamar Schwarzbard, head of digital operations at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of a cartoon published in the Buffalo, N.Y. newspaper.

“Is that ⁦the Buffalo News or Der St眉rmer?” asked Lahav Harkov, of Jewish Insider.

Rabbi Mendy Labkowski of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life of Buffalo Downtown called the drawing “really the next level.”

“You could’ve used the flag of Israel. You could’ve made it—in other cartoons, it’s more Israel-based, and this one really went to the core,” the rabbi told the Buffalo television station WGRZ. “Really took the muck end of it—the Star of David, which everyone knows is a Jewish symbol and symbolizes Jewish people.”

Adam Zyglis, the paper’s Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist who drew the cartoon, posted the drawing and tagged it with “Gaza death toll.” He did not appear to respond to many comments calling the cartoon antisemitic.


MORE UNCRITICAL BBC AMPLIFICATION OF CPJ MESSAGING

Mainstream media covers up Australian terrorist ties following Lebanon airstrike

The Walrus Columnist Falsely Accuses Israel of Violating International Law in Gaza

CBC News Article Covering Deaths of Palestinian Youth Downplays Palestinian Terrorism

Guest on CBC Radio Program Accuses Israel of Genocide & Compares Jewish State to Roman Empire

Columnist Gwynne Dyer Accuses Israel of Indiscriminate Bombing of Gaza

Globe & Mail Columnist Blames Israel for Decline of Bethlehem’s Christians

MEMRI: Palestinian Writer To Israelis: The Palestinian Authority Is A Disaster For Us And For You; Let's Work Together To Replace It With A New Authority That Will Prioritize Development And Citizens' Wellbeing

MEMRI: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas: What Is Happening Now Is More Heinous Than The Nakba; Netanyahu, Israelis Are Scheming To Get Rid Of The Palestinians; If Israel Pulls Out Of Gaza, The PA Is Ready To Fulfill Its Responsibility

PMW: Fatah official in Denmark is proud Fatah did not condemn Hamas Oct. 7 atrocities

Abbas’ advisor: Israel is “cause of every problem,” calls on Hamas to unite
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash: “The occupation (i.e., Israel) is the cause of every problem… Now more than ever, we need to end the matter of the internal [Fatah-Hamas] conflict. Our hands are extended, our hearts are open, and our chests are open to every Palestinian voice that wants to put the internal Palestinian home in order, because this is necessary to strengthen our position.”
[PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Facebook page, Dec. 24, 2023] 

Mahmoud Al-Habbash also serves as Supreme Shari’ah Judge and Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari'ah Justice.


Mashaal: US will accept Hamas’s legitimacy ‘sooner or later’

Iranians chant ‘Death to Israel’ at huge funeral of commander said killed by Israel

Most Antisemitic Crimes in Germany Over 'Foreign' or 'Religious' Ideology

Jewish Groups Question Sincerity of Kanye West’s Apology to Jewish Community Over Antisemitic Comments

Schindler's List goes on sale for $1.8 million: Rare historical relic is one of only four copies in existence and belonged to family of Holocaust survivor who was German hero's right-hand-man and accountant

Israel logistics startup forges overland trade route to bypass Houthi Red Sea crisis
Trucknet Enterprise, an Israeli smart transportation company has forged agreements this month to facilitate an overland trade route for the transfer of goods from the Persian Gulf through Saudi Arabia and Jordan to Israel bypassing the Red Sea waterway, which is currently a target of numerous attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi militants.

Earlier this month, Eilat-based Trucknet, which operates a digital marketplace to match importers with transportation companies, signed a cooperation agreement with Emirati-based counterpart Puretrans FZCO and the Dubai port-operating company DP World. The agreement is geared to facilitate the transport of cargo on trucks on a bi-directional land route connecting the ports of Dubai or Bahrain, passing through Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and getting to the port of Haifa, as well as Egypt, where cargo can continue to Europe.

On Sunday, Trucknet signed a similar memorandum of understanding with Alexandria-based logistics services company WWCS which operates as an agency for the management of container transportation from ports and serves the Egyptian market. The cooperation will allow the use of Israel’s border crossings for the transfer of goods on the land route, from the port of Dubai, through Saudi Arabia and Jordan to Israel, and from there, through the Mediterranean Sea or via land, to Egypt, Trucknet said.

“This week we completed the construction of a land bridge route that will connect the United Arab Emirates to Israel and Egypt,” said Trucknet founder Hanan Friedman.

A pilot to test the land transport line for trucks from the ports of Dubai to Israel has been ongoing in recent weeks.


S&P raises Israel Aerospace Industries’ international credit rating to A-
The S&P Maalot credit rating agency announced on Thursday that it is raising IAI’s international rating to A-, as the company “continues to achieve strong operating results, and its backlog of orders has reached a record 21 billion US dollars.”

Their announcement further added that “the company’s rate of output remains almost unaffected by the current fighting and call-up of reservists.”

The authors of Thursday’s report said they believe that the stable forecast reflects their assessment that a prudent financial policy that safeguards liquidity will allow the company to maintain an adequate margin in line with the conditions that support the rating.

IAI's CFO responds
Eran Anchikovsky, IAI’s Chief Financial Officer, related to the new rating and said, "The increase in the company’s rating, especially during a period of economic uncertainty and volatility in several economic parameters, expresses S&P Maalot’s considerable confidence in IAI’s results.”

Anchikovsky added, “The improved rating is an expression of the continued momentum and improvement in the company's business results, the constant growth in its profitability, deepening of its operational efficiency, strengthening of its cash flow, and a significant increase in its backlog of orders.
On This Day in 1948: Israel crosses Egyptian border en route to independence
December 28 marks 75 years since Israel won the battle of 'Auja and crossed the border of Egypt. 'Auja is currently Nitzana, along the border between Israel and the Sinai.

The battle of ‘Auja was a battle that was part of Operation “Horev,” an attack on the Egyptian expeditionary force in the Negev and Eastern Sinai. After 75 years, the IDF is once again battling in the Negev against a different opponent, Hamas.

Operation Horev was the last operation on the Egyptian front during the war, meant to complete Israel’s efforts of capturing the Negev and expelling the Egyptian military from Israel’s territory.

The operation's first stage was capturing 18 Egyptian positions on the Beersheva - ‘Auja road, including seven around ‘Auja. The attack was conducted by 8th Brigade forces, reinforced by troops from the Harel Brigade.

Operation Horev military strategy
Operation Horev began on December 22, with assaults at Hill 86 and Rafah. These attacks were a diversion from the IDF’s main operations in Beersheba.

The IDF attacked Egyptian units along the coast road at Hill 86 and Rafah while at the same time conducting a wide envelope from Beersheba, outflanking Egyptian forces at Bir Tamila, and attacking across the international border through ‘Auja.

This envelope would cut the coast road and create a circle that denied the Egyptian Army a key line of communication. It would allow the IDF to defeat its Egyptian forces and compel the Egyptian government to enter armistice negotiations.
Argentinian sports anchor meets his aunt Ophelia Rothman who was released from Hamas captivity

Celebrities rally behind Israel amidst horrifying Hamas assault
Celebrities all over the world are using social media to show support for Israel, denouncing Hamas’ terror attack, many of them arriving in the Holy Land to see, and show the reality of the country in these difficult times


Jewish American star of Netflix's My Unorthodox Life Julia Haart spends a day with the IDF in Gaza
Jewish American star of Netflix's My Unorthodox Life Julia Haart arrives in Israel and spends a day with IDF troops in Gaza

'I wanted to come here and show my physical support by putting myself in harm's way like every single 23-year-old who should be enjoying life, but they're fighting for the rights, and freedoms of every ethnicity, and religion that exists within the state of Israel'






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