Friday, January 05, 2024

01/05 Links Pt1: Your Aid Dollars for Palestinian Terrorists; Col Kemp: The morality of IDF maneuvers in Gaza; Al-Arouri Had "American Blood on His Hands"

From Ian:

My Father Is an Imam in Gaza. Hamas Kidnapped Him for Refusing to Be Their Puppet
On Saturday, December 30, our front door was busted down, and twenty masked men barged in and took my father, a widely respected and deeply learned imam here in Gaza.

One dragged him by his head, and another grabbed him by his beard. My younger brother tried to intervene and reason with the kidnappers, but they beat him. I have a medical condition that makes it hard for me to breathe, so all I could do was watch as the horror unfolded.

I know that if Hamas kills my father, they’ll say that the Israeli army did it. But my father was very keen that even if he died, we should make known the despicable demands they made of him. It was his last request to us, literally as he was being carried out of the door, that should he die, we should publicize the real reason for his death, and it is this:

He wouldn’t preach what Hamas told him to. He refused to tell Gazans that violent resistance, and obedience to Hamas, is the best way out of our current hell.

This story starts before October 7, and even before 2007, when Hamas took control of Gaza.

Our family has lived in Gaza for generations. Before 2007, my father worked for the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. After Hamas took over, they forced him out of his position. This was a hard time for my family; my father was the sole breadwinner. Finally, after three long years, he came back to work first as a mosque servant, then a mosque guard, then an employee of the ministry and finally, he was appointed as a mosque imam. (My father is known throughout the Gaza Strip. He has a doctorate in sharia from Cairo’s storied Al-Azhar University, and is well-respected by his peers.)

For Hamas, being Muslim means supporting Hamas, and people who do not support Hamas aren’t Muslims. If you don’t abide by what Hamas tells you, you’ll lose your job or worse. To keep my father in line, ensuring that he would deliver only Hamas-approved Friday sermons and allow Hamas to use his mosque as a clandestine weapons depot, they arrested my brother and me at least ten times between 2016 and 2019. Sometimes they would speak politely, sometimes they would ask us to comply “for the sake of your sisters,” but always the threat of violence loomed in the background. And several times we were beaten and humiliated in front of our father. They beat him, too, once nearly blinding him.

He was forced to do things for Hamas; move money around, store things, keep their secrets.

As an imam, my father keeps the keys to the mosque and is responsible for safeguarding large sums of money that Muslims give as zakat, the mandatory almsgiving of our faith. Hamas members would take advantage of his duties and use the mosque to stash money, weapons, and equipment.

Sometimes they’d bring a large, wrapped-up prayer rug, which they said had been donated—except my father wasn’t allowed to open the rugs; only special volunteers were allowed to open them or transport the rugs in and out. My father had to open and close the doors and allow the sacred space to be used as a warehouse for Hamas. What choice did he have? It’s a bitter truth that Hamas thinks of mosques as the property of their regime and that they store weapons there.
WSJ Editorial: Your Aid Dollars for Palestinian Terrorists
The terrorists who started a war on Oct. 7, according to Palestinian Authority law, will be compensated financially for a massacre well done. The same PA that President Biden wants to run postwar Gaza will reward the murderers’ families with grants followed by monthly stipends for life. That means taxpayers from the U.S. and Europe will help pick up the tab.

The Palestinian postal service said at the end of the year that “martyrs, wounded and prisoners”—Palestinian terrorists or their families, in other words—will receive their November stipends starting this past Saturday via the Palestine Post Bank. The PA is in a fiscal crunch, so this time payments will be at a reduced rate of 65%, plus 14% of the money that the martyrs & co. are owed from past deductions.

The money is paid out in the PA-run West Bank as well as Hamas-run Gaza, often with a lag. Before the Oct. 7 terrorists can be rewarded, their families must submit paperwork for proof of martyrdom and power of attorney to open a bank account. But unless something changes, a salary will be sent to reward the family of the terrorist who was recorded calling home on Oct. 7 to tell his mother, “I killed 10 Jews with my own hands!”

So we have that to look forward to. For now, the PA keeps paying the established terrorists, unmoved by Mr. Biden’s combination of U.S. pressure and endorsement. According to Itamar Marcus of Palestinian Media Watch, “martyr families” typically receive 1,400 shekels (almost $400) a month for life. Salaries for terrorist prisoners rise over time from 1,400 shekels to 12,000 shekels ($3,300) a month.

This “pay-for-slay” program costs more than $300 million a year, about 8% of the PA budget. Mr. Marcus also shows that 65% is the same rate at which the PA is paying civil servants. Apparently, compensating terrorists is no less a priority than staffing the government. The PA may judge both essential in keeping the streets at bay as President Mahmoud Abbas begins the 20th year of his four-year term in office.
US Posts $10 Million Bounty for Hamas Financiers
The U.S. government is offering $10 million for information about the Hamas terror group's chief financiers, according to a Friday morning notice from the State Department.

In the wake of the Iran-backed terror group's Oct. 7 slaughter of more than 1,200 Israelis, the State Department is prioritizing efforts aimed at disrupting Hamas's financial channels, which stretch across the region, including into Sudan, Iran, and Turkey.

The department will provide the award to anyone who can offer information about "any source of revenue for Hamas or its key financial facilitation mechanisms," including "major Hamas donors or financial facilitators" and any banking institutions that are funneling cash to the terror group. The U.S. government also seeks information about businesses controlled by Hamas and front companies used to launder money into the terror group's coffers.

The $10 million bounty is part of a new U.S. push to crack down on Hamas's revenue streams as the terror group wages war on Israel. The American government is seeking information on several top Hamas officials who have ties to Iran and other Arab countries known to support terrorism against the Jewish state.

One of the financiers named in the bounty notice, Muhammad Ahmad 'Abd Al-Dayim Nasrallah, is "a longtime Hamas operative with close ties to Iranian entities," according to the State Department. He is responsible for transferring "tens of millions of dollars to Hamas," including to the group's military wing.

The State Department is also seeking information on three Turkey-based Hamas financiers who run the organization's investment portfolios.




Col Kemp: The morality of IDF maneuvers in Gaza
Measures that the IDF routinely take include selection of munitions to achieve the necessary effect on enemy targets while reducing the prospects of civilian casualties, especially in air operations where such calibration is more practicable; calculating proportionality; discriminating between combatants and non-combatants; and warning and enabling civilians to leave areas that are to be targeted.

The latter includes, at the time of writing, airdropping 6 million leaflets warning civilians to leave specified areas and indicating places of greater safety. In addition, the IDF has made 14 million pre-recorded phone calls and 72,000 personal calls warning civilians to leave targeted areas. The IDF then extensively monitors target areas from the air and ground to confirm the departure of civilians where possible before striking.

With these and other measures, the IDF has done all they are able to warn civilians of impending attacks. Temporary evacuation of civilians from areas of intense fighting into places of relative safety is the best way to keep civilians as far as possible out of harm’s way when fighting an enemy that has no regard for its own population, and, in fact, actively seeks to cause their deaths in order to bring pressure on Israel to cease its defensive operations inside Gaza. This latter factor may not be unique to this conflict, but for Hamas, it is a top operational priority, which makes it far more challenging for the IDF to minimize the number of civilian casualties. The IDF recognizes this and consequently makes efforts beyond those of any other army. In fact, taken together, the techniques I have described and the IDF’s other civilian harm mitigation measures represent by far the largest scale and most sophisticated efforts ever made to avoid civilian casualties in battle.

The IDF is also working hard to alleviate civilian suffering by facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid. That includes daily pauses in fighting and the opening of humanitarian corridors and humanitarian relief zones. The IDF enables the supply of hundreds of tons of aid each day, and current constraints on aid delivery are due not to IDF-imposed restrictions but to the capacity of U.N. aid organizations. The IDF is striving to make the flow of aid more effective than it has been so far, including potentially opening an additional crossing point into Gaza. These efforts show Israel’s commitment to humanitarian assistance, despite its often negative impact on military operations. The fact is that unilateral humanitarian pauses and creation of corridors provide a military advantage to Hamas; additionally, there is no doubt that some of the aid delivered into Gaza is appropriated by terrorists.

Information and intelligence shortcomings, operational mistakes, human error, miscalculations and technical malfunctions occur in all wars, and sometimes tragically lead to loss of civilian life and indeed to fratricide (“friendly fire” or “blue on blue”). I have witnessed and been involved in several such events in other conflicts. Inevitably, dreadful incidents of this nature have occurred in this war, too. When errors or unlawful activity are suspected, the IDF uses its Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism (which I have observed in action) to learn lessons, prevent repetition, and, if appropriate, refer cases to the Military Advocate General for further investigation.

Based on my own military experience in similar types of conflict and on my direct observations throughout the first three months of this war, in my opinion, the IDF has taken all reasonable measures to achieve its mission while minimizing harm to the civilian population and maximizing humanitarian relief. Nor are Israel’s military objectives optional or negotiable. To eliminate the potential for a recurrence of another Oct. 7-like massacre, which Hamas’s leaders have repeatedly threatened, Hamas’s fighting capabilities must be destroyed; its ability to continue firing lethal rockets into the Israeli population must be denied; and every possible effort must be made to rescue the hostages.


Col Kemp: Iran gets a taste of its own medicine in deadly blast
The greatest terrorist regime in the world got on Wednesday what may seem like a taste of its own violent medicine with the most deadly attack inside Iran for 42 years. But it may be more complex than that. Dozens were killed and about twice that number wounded, some seriously, by two explosions, 15 minutes apart, on the fourth anniversary of the assassination of master terrorist Qasem Soleimani.

The day before, leaders of one of Iran’s terrorist proxies, Hamas, perished in a drone strike in Beirut that is widely viewed as Israel’s work although Jerusalem has not commented. Some have suggested that Jerusalem may also have been responsible for the twin bombings in Kerman, close to Soleimani’s tomb.

Although Israel is currently under assault from Iranian proxies in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, this kind of attack is not in its playbook. Israeli operations inside Iran have focused on targeted killings of key individuals associated with the nuclear weapons program as well as cyberattacks and sabotage at nuclear facilities. Like the assassinations of the Hamas leaders in Lebanon, these are all legitimate defensive operations. The Kerman bombings, on the other hand, were acts of terrorism, and, unlike Iran, Israel is not a terrorist state.

So who could be responsible? So far ISIS has claimed responsibility but no hard evidence has come to light, so we can only speculate. Potential culprits include a range of opposition groups in Iran, including the Mujahadin-e Khalq which has carried out terrorist attacks inside the country in the past, although these have generally been more targeted operations, not the kind of indiscriminate attack we saw at Kerman. Another possibility is the Islamic State or other Sunni extremist groups opposed to Shi’ite Iran, none of whom would balk at such mass carnage.

Then there is Ukraine. Iran is a major weapons supplier to Russia and many Ukrainian cities as well as military forces have been attacked using Iranian-supplied suicide drones. Kyiv has every reason for striking at the regime in Tehran; but, like Israel, is hardly likely to launch an act of indiscriminate terrorism rather than a carefully targeted attack against military objectives.

Counterintuitively, many Iranians are blaming the Tehran regime itself. Certainly, such acts of terrorism against their own people are not beyond the ayatollahs. In this context, it is interesting to note it has been reported that, surprisingly, none of Soleimani’s children were present at the Kerman memorial event that was hit, nor were any top IRGC commanders.
The Theology of Jihadist Strategy
What did Hamas expect to achieve with the October 7 attacks? To Gershon Hacohen, the answer to this question must begin with the concept of muqawama (usually translated “resistance”) that underlies its approach to warfare, one that it shares with Iran, Hizballah, and other related groups:
The muqawama concept . . . views warfare as a means of maintaining a constant momentum of conflict and struggle designed ultimately to bring about global Islamic religious conquest. In the context of the struggle against the state of Israel, this vision is simple and clear: the goal is completely to eliminate Jewish sovereignty over the Land of Israel, banish any Jewish presence, and “liberate” Jerusalem.

To simplify the concept of muqawama somewhat, it can be viewed as the inverse of Clausewitz’s well-known description of war as “the continuation of politics by other means.” The muqawama idea sees politics as the continuation of war by other means. Thus, negotiation is viewed not as a means to bring about the end of a war but simply as a pause that serves its continuation at a more opportune time under more favorable conditions.

It is from this perspective that we can understand the logic employed by [the Hamas leader] Yahya Sinwar in his decision to go to war on October 7. From his point of view, after Hamas fulfilled its duty to take the initiative and act, trends would develop later that would advance divine intention.

Israel, therefore, must shape its own aims accordingly:
The central goal of the war for Israel should be that upon its conclusion, a profound disappointment will be instilled in the Islamic believers who started and sustained it. They must be forced to accept that once again their time has not come, and the gates of heaven have not opened before them.

As Hacohen explains in part 2 of the essay, Hamas understands very well that the “desire to avoid extensive and prolonged ground warfare is rooted deeply in Israeli culture.” Israelis still long for the sort of quick, decisive victory the IDF achieved in the Six-Day War. Their enemies have spent four decades adjusting their way of fighting accordingly. And this is why, Hacohen argues, Israel has taken the correct approach, fighting exactly the kind of war Hamas believes Israel has no stomach for. Thus, the sheer “audacity of the IDF leadership and the war cabinet” to order “an attack deep into Gaza’s densely populated, confined, and fortified urban terrain, both above and below ground . . . must be recognized as an achievement of strategic significance” in itself.
JPost Editorial: Israel will defend itself at the ICJ
Israel’s decision to participate in the upcoming ICJ hearing to counter South Africa’s allegations of crimes against humanity in Gaza marks a significant and potentially beneficial shift in its international legal strategy. This move to engage directly with the ICJ signifies a proactive approach to addressing and dispelling accusations, which could help improve Israel’s international standing and narrative.

Firstly, by choosing to appear before the ICJ, Israel is seizing an opportunity to present its side of the story, something that was missing in previous international legal proceedings. For example, in 2004, Israel’s decision to abstain from ICJ proceedings regarding the West Bank security barrier led to an unfavorable ruling. This outcome might have been different had Israel articulated its case. By actively participating now, it can ensure that its perspectives and defense are adequately represented, potentially influencing the court in its ruling.

Israel’s participation in the ICJ hearing could also demonstrate its commitment to international law and this could help counter the narrative that Israel disregards international legal norms, as seen in its previous stance of nonrecognition and denial of jurisdiction in dealings with the ICC and the UN Human Rights Council. Engaging with the ICJ could show that Israel is willing to be held to the same standards as other nations.

Additionally, addressing the allegations head-on at the ICJ could help Israel mitigate the impact of what it terms as “blood libel” inherent in the genocide allegations. By presenting evidence and legal arguments, Israel has the chance to clarify its actions and policies, possibly dispelling misconceptions and misinformation. This approach not only addresses the immediate concerns at the ICJ but also contributes to a broader narrative, influencing public opinion and international relations.

Moreover, this engagement with the ICJ could offer a platform for Israel to highlight the complexities and challenges it faces, which are often oversimplified in international discourse. Presenting its security concerns, historical context, and efforts to minimize civilian harm in conflict zones can provide a more nuanced understanding of the situation, fostering a more balanced view among international observers.
Countering the South African claims of Israeli genocide
The word must open its eyes and remove its mask of hypocrisy. Those countries and groups who are now criticizing Israel for its conduct of the war in Gaza were silent during the civil war in Syria, in which more than 230,000 civilians were killed. They were utterly silent in the face of terrible crimes committed in Africa. They remain silent in the face of tyrannical dictatorship and the slaughter of civilians in countries around the world, such as Iran. They have completely ignored the actions of Hamas, whose crimes have been well documented and filmed, with ample testimony supplied by survivors, and about its widespread use of the civilian population and public buildings for the benefit of terror.

With the press of a button, the international court can view and see all of the proof of the war crimes committed by Hamas and their use of innocent civilians as human shields. The pictures that have come through since the IDF’s entry into Gaza cannot be contested. We have seen it in photographs, in videos, in documents, and via the interrogation of Hamas terrorists. They hide missiles and weapons in mosques, in schools, underneath the beds of children, under couches in private homes, prepare explosive suicide vests for children, and place warheads inside toy chests in a Gaza kindergarten. Every second house in Gaza is a weapons cache of lethal explosives.

After the discoveries made by IDF forces of these weapons, the briefings on the subject from the IDF Spokesperson, and the overwhelming evidence presented to foreign correspondents, who took correspondents to Gaza with all of the evidence, the facts are indisputable.

The vast mountain of evidence that illustrates how Hamas turned Gaza into a place of terror must be placed before the judges at The Hague. The entire responsibility for this tragedy rests upon the heads of Hamas, and not the State of Israel.

Despite the anger and pain caused by the Hamas massacre of October 7, the Jewish people is a nation that always prefers to extend its hand for peace and shared life, rather than living by the sword and war.

It is hypocritical of South Africa, a country that instituted apartheid racial separation, to lecture Israel on issues of morality. Just this week, Israel’s Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the government’s plan to limit the powers of the judiciary shows that Israel will remain a beacon of democracy in the Middle East with a strong and independent court. This includes Israel’s military legal advisors, who accompany every decision made by the Israeli military and provide legal backing to its actions, enabling it to fight against terror while observing ethics and international law.

The IDF Prosecutor’s Office is a part of all of the military operations and the decision-making process. The commanders and pilots are doing as much as they can to minimize the damage, but we must understand that thousands of Hamas terrorists attach themselves to the civilian population, and they built all of their terror infrastructure among the population. If the Gazans want a future for their children, they have no choice but to get rid of the infrastructure of terror in order to build anew.

But when terror is millimeters away, when we are speaking of tens of thousands of active terrorists who hide among the population and use it as human shields, who crossed Israel’s borders and decapitated people, murdered and raped, we have no choice but to fight a complex war, and keep fighting the war, despite the significant losses. The destruction in Gaza is a warning sign for those countries who choose terror – for Beirut, for Hezbollah, for the Huthi in Yemen, and for everyone who wants or values terror or death over life.

Israel will reply to the charges of genocide by South Africa and explain and justify its actions. In the meantime, the judges in The Hague must view the proof of the true genocide and murders perpetrated by Hamas. The truth is in plain sight.


U.S.: Israel Can Eliminate the Threat Hamas Poses to the Israeli People
U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said Wednesday: "The United States remains focused on working with a range of partners to help Israel defend itself, to surge humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, and, of course, to defend our national security interests in the region. That most certainly includes protecting the free flow of international commerce in the Red Sea. To accomplish these goals, we have established and will continue to maintain a significant force presence in the Middle East."

Regarding the killing of the Hamas leader in Beirut, "Al-Arouri was a noted designated global terrorist. And if he is, in fact, dead, nobody should be shedding a tear over his loss."

"We believe that it is absolutely an attainable goal for the Israeli military forces to degrade and defeat Hamas' abilities to conduct attacks inside Israel. It can be done militarily. Are you going to eliminate the ideology? No. And are you likely going to erase the group from existence? Probably not. But can you eliminate the threat that Hamas poses to the Israeli people? Absolutely."

"We showed that with respect to ISIS and al-Qaeda; it can be done. ISIS and al-Qaeda still exist, but they are nowhere near the kind of threats that they once posed. So, it can be done militarily."

Regarding South Africa accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice, "We find this submission meritless, counterproductive, and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever."
The six top Hamas leaders in Israel’s sights
While the assassination of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in an airstrike in Beirut on Tuesday was the highest-profile attack on the terror group, it is by no means the last.

Israeli leaders have vowed to track down and kill Hamas leaders wherever they are.

Israel has not confirmed that it was responsible for the strike, which killed al-Arouri along with several senior operatives at Hamas’s Beirut headquarters. But Mossad chief David Barnea hinted that Israel was behind the assassination, as is widely believed in Israel and across the Middle East.

“Let every Arab mother know that if her son took part in the massacre [of Oct. 7], he signed his own death warrant,” Barnea said on Wednesday at the funeral of former Mossad director Zvi Zamir, who died this week at the age of 98.

Zamir, who ran the intelligence agency in the 1970s, oversaw “Operation Wrath of God,” which tracked down and killed a number of Palestinian terrorists linked to the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics of 1972.
U.S.: Al-Arouri Had "American Blood on His Hands"
With the killing of Saleh Al-Arouri in Beirut, a skillful emissary for Hamas has been removed from the equation. Arouri was seen as responsible for helping Hamas forge relations with Iran and its allies.

Since 2015, the U.S. has offered a $5 million reward for information on Arouri, stating that he "funds and directs Hamas' military operations in the West Bank and has been linked to several terrorist attacks, hijackings, and kidnappings."

A senior U.S. official said Arouri had "American blood on his hands. Very senior members of Hamas must be held accountable, and [Arouri] was held accountable."
Kirby: US not ‘chipping in’ from sidelines, grading Israel
John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council of the White House, balked at a reporter’s question at a Jan. 4 press briefing about “disproportionate” civilian casualties in Gaza.

“If an estimated 22,000 people have died, and you’re saying that Hamas still has a significant presence in Gaza, aren’t you essentially saying that this campaign is not effective?” the reporter asked.

“That’s not what I’m saying at all. First of all, we’re not chipping in from the sidelines here and giving them a report card on all their operations,” he said. “You can still be effective against the leadership of an organization and still have many members of the organization survive.”

“I don’t see the dissonance there,” he said.

Kirby added that “zero” is the right number of civilian casualties. “We want to see them do more to reduce the impact on the civilian population and to protect innocent lives,” he said. “I mean, we don’t want to see a single more civilian killed here.”

The reporter asked Kirby—who has reportedly drawn the ire of Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, for overshadowing her including on domestic areas—at what point Washington would say Israel’s strategy isn’t working.

Kirby, who has developed a reputation for being fair to Israel and whom the Israeli Embassy invited to light a candle on Chanukah, told the reporter that Israel has to make its own military decisions.

“They believe that they still have a viable threat by Hamas, that the Israeli people are still under a threat by Hamas—an organization that has vowed to do Oct. 7 over and over and over again, that doesn’t believe that Israel should exist as a nation,” he said.
Gaza will be governed by a Palestinian body after Israel-Hamas war is over, says Yoav Gallant
Gaza will be run by a Palestinian body under overall Israeli security control after the war, Israel’s defence minister has said.

Yoav Gallant outlined Israel’s plans for the next stage of the Jewish state’s war with Hamas terrorists in the Strip and his vision for a future arrangement of governance.

Gallant's statement gave no details about what sort of Palestinian body he envisioned running Gaza but he said the entity "will build on the capabilities of the existing administrative mechanism (civil committees)” in the Strip.

After the war, Gallant said Hamas would no longer control Gaza and Israel would reserve its operational freedom of action, with a multinational task force led by the United States in partnership with the European Union and regional partners taking responsibility for rehabilitating the territory.

He stressed that Israel would "provide information to guide civilian operations" and continue to inspect goods entering Gaza for security reasons.

"Gaza residents are Palestinian, therefore Palestinian bodies will be in charge, with the condition that there will be no hostile actions or threats against the State of Israel," he went on to say.

He also ruled out a return of the Israeli settlements in Gaza withdrawn in 2005, saying there would be no Israeli civilian presence.

Turning to military approach, Gallant said the IDF would base its strategy on a new, more targeted approach in the northern section of the enclave and a continuing pursuit of Hamas leaders in the south.


Nasrallah threatens response to al-Arouri assassination in Beirut
There will “undoubtedly” be a response to the Jan. 2 targeted killing of Hamas deputy political chief Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, Hassan Nasrallah threatened on Friday.

The Hezbollah terror chief said his terror organization could not remain silent in response to the “major and dangerous violation,” per the Lebanon-based website Naharnet.

“The battlefield will respond and this response will undoubtedly come,” Nasrallah said. “We cannot remain silent over such a dangerous violation, because this would mean that entire Lebanon and its cities and personalities would be exposed.”

The leader of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah organization claimed that there is an opportunity for Lebanon to “liberate what’s left of its land” in disputed border points with Israel. “Any talks” will take place after the Gaza war, he said.


IDF kills Hamas terrorists in tunnels, others surrender
The Israel Defense Forces offensive against Hamas’s tunnel network in the southern Gaza Strip is yielding results, with many Hamas terrorists killed and the group’s command and control capabilities sustaining severe damage, the Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday.

During operations in the Hamas stronghold of Khan Yunis, troops from the 4th “Kiryati” (reserve) Armored Brigade located and destroyed hundreds of feet of tunnels, and five members of Hamas’s elite Nukhba squad surrendered to the 55th “Tip of the Spear” (reserve) Paratroopers Brigade, the IDF said.

The terrorists told interrogators that many Hamas operatives, including two company commanders from the Khan Yunis Brigade, have been killed in Israel’s attacks on underground infrastructure.

“We have killed many dozens of terrorists, including Nukhba operatives and company commanders,” Col. Miki Sharvit, commander of the 4th Brigade, stated.

“During the activity in the area, we discovered underground tunnels such as the one used by terrorists on Oct. 7,” he added, of Khan Yunis. “We developed a dedicated method to find and terminate the enemy in the underground—to damage the infrastructure, neutralize the enemy and maintain the security of our forces.”

After an assessment on the Israeli-Gazan border on Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that Palestinian terrorists “who started counting down until the IDF’s departure from Gaza need to change the count until the end of their lives.”


Nova Massacre Survivors Retreat to Cyprus for Healing
Guilt—along with fear, helplessness, loss, and anger—was among the prominent emotions and feelings that mental-health professionals at the retreat helped attendees to process. Pervading all was trauma, several therapists said in interviews.

It was palpable even to some of the spa’s guests who hadn’t come for the retreat.

“These kids are not in post-trauma—they’re in trauma,” said Idith Shukron, a vacationer from the Tel Aviv area who met some of the Nova guests. “They’re still in the process.”

Nova survivors seemed ambivalent about sharing their insights for this article. Within hours of arriving, two women expressed a willingness to discuss their experiences, but repeatedly thereafter said they were busy. Another woman answered questions, then stopped when asked her surname. One man agreed to be interviewed, subsequently demurred several times when approached to sit down for the interview, and ultimately spoke on the record. Four others in separate conversations provided their names, spoke for a moment or two, excused themselves, then disappeared.

Opening up to outsiders isn’t easy for some Nova survivors. Therapists leading the group-therapy sessions offered one-on-one meetings on-site, with some taking them up on it. After everyone returned to Israel, follow-up includes referrals to other therapists and drug and alcohol counselors.

Conversing informally with each other, even those newly met, and in group meetings, came easier—among the aims of the retreat.

“At home, I’m the deviation. They look at me strangely,” one woman named Nicole told other attendees at the survivors’ guilt workshop. “It normalizes me to be here.”


American Victims of Hamas Attack Plan to Sue North Korea for Providing Weapons
Israeli attorney and human rights activist Nitsana Darshan-Leitner told Voice of America News (VOA) she is representing family members of Americans killed and injured in the October 7 Hamas attack who plan to sue the North Korean government for furnishing the Palestinian terrorists with weapons.

Darshan-Leitner said North Korea “knowingly and intentionally” passes weapons to Iran for distribution to Hamas, so the regimes in both Pyongyang and Tehran are “liable” for the deaths and injuries inflicted on October 7.

In an interview with VOA’s Korean Service recorded on December 27, Darshan-Leitner said she currently represents ten Americans, “including family members who lost their loved ones, as well as U.S. citizens who were injured or who incurred property damage in the attack.” She expected more American victims to join the lawsuit, possibly including hostages presently held prisoner by Hamas after they are released.

“More than 30 Americans, many of them dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, were killed in the attack that initiated the latest round of violence between Hamas and Israel,” VOA noted.

Darshan-Leitner admitted the plaintiffs would face a challenging “burden” to “prove the case,” but she said her team has enlisted “experts who know a lot about North Korea” and how its weapons “wound up in the hands of Hamas.”

Within two weeks of the Hamas attack, South Korean officials and international experts said weapons captured from the terrorists included North Korean F-7 shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs).

The F-7 is a popular item among Middle Eastern terrorists and insurgents because it modifies an old Soviet RPG design to make the weapon more devastating against people rather than vehicles. F-7 rocket grenades are marked with a distinctive red stripe to distinguish them from anti-armor weapons.

“North Korea has long supported Palestinian militant groups, and North Korean arms have previously been documented amongst interdicted supplies,” Armament Research Services weapons expert N.R. Jenzen-Jones told the Associated Press (AP) in October.


Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis says Canada needs to leave the United Nations
The Prime Minister’s Office is questioning a high-profile Conservative MP’s support for a petition that seeks Canada’s withdrawal from the United Nations and its subsidiary agencies.

Leslyn Lewis, who ran for the Conservative leadership in the party’s last two leadership contests, sponsored the public petition to bring it before Parliament and is seeking signatories.

Burnaby, B.C., resident Doug Porter initiated the petition last year. To get it into the House of Commons, he needed an MP to back it.

“Over 60,000 Canadians have now signed a petition calling on Canada to protect our national sovereignty by withdrawing from the UN and its subsidiary organizations,” Ms. Lewis wrote on social media platform X.

Mohammad Hussain, a press secretary for the Prime Minister, said Wednesday that Ms. Lewis’s endorsement raises some questions.

“Make no mistake, when someone posts a petition it’s because they agree with it. What is it about the UN that Conservatives don’t like?” Mr. Hussain said in a statement. “Is it the work they do for children around the world, is it their programs to support women’s rights and human rights?”
Funding UNRWA has only served to perpetuate violence in the Middle East
In their book, “The War of Return,” journalists Adi Schwartz and Einat Wilf describe how UNRWA was only supposed to last a year and give the refugees jobs in development projects in agriculture and transportation, which was hoped would eventually lead to their resettlement in Arab countries. But these projects were continually obstructed.

In 1951, for example, UNRWA tried to settle 50,000 refugees in the Sinai Peninsula and employ them to install pipelines under the Suez Canal. But Egypt cancelled the project. From 1951 to 1955, UNRWA used only $7 million out of its $200-million budget for refugee rehabilitation.

By 1958, the United States appeared ready to cut all funding to UNRWA. It couldn’t figure out why UNRWA had failed when the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency (UNKRA), which was tasked with dealing with refugees from the Korean War, was such a stunning success.

In only five years, UNKRA was able to shut down, fulfilling its goal of providing an economic boost to South Korea and helping North Korean refugees following the war. Today, South Korea is a democratic, industrial powerhouse and a technological leader. But the Koreans actually wanted to build their country.

Ultimately unwilling to antagonize the Arab world in the face of Soviet expansion, the Americans caved and continued funding to UNRWA, year after year, decade after decade, until it became a permanent fixture in the Middle East.

Its farcical refugee registration system, perhaps to justify its continued existence, has seen the number of refugees exploding from an original 750,000, to 5.9 million. The country with the highest concentration of registered refugees is Jordan, at two-million people, where UNRWA also has its headquarters. Almost all of them are Jordanian citizens, but are nonetheless still considered refugees.

Understanding how irrational this is, UNRWA takes care to note that it “does not afford refugee status under the 1951 Geneva Convention, but provides services and assistance based on a definition that sets out eligibility for receipt of such services.” In other words, it has created its own definition of a refugee to suit its purposes.

It’s time that both Canadians and Palestinians face reality. Not a single international law or binding UN resolution requires Israel to allow Palestinian “refugees” into the country. Billions of dollars of aid over 74 years has gotten Palestinians nowhere and nothing, and has actually prevented them from building their own state.

Only when Canada and other countries shut off the flow of money will Palestinians finally be forced to accept the fact that Israel is a real country that is here to stay. Palestinians, like my own family, must move on.
The Israel Guys: BREAKING: New Plan Underway To Resettle Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
Israel is talking of encouraging Gazans to immigrate elsewhere. US President Joe Biden stated that this would be a “big mistake” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the idea is “unrealistic,”

Joshua takes a look at this and discusses the possibility of relocating Gazans to other countries.


Footage surfaces of Labor minister Tony Burke discussing Hamas terrorist attack
A senior Labor minister has been accused of making “deeply offensive” comments about Israel, with Sky News revealing footage of Tony Burke speaking at the at the Woodford Folk Festival about the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.

Last Thursday, Mr Burke was being interviewed by The Saturday Paper’s Chief Political Correspondent Karen Middleton at the Woodford Folk Festival in regional Queensland.

He told a cheering audience the history of the Middle East “did not begin on the seventh of October” – the day of the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

“Mr Burke then appears to suggest his audience could make comparisons between Israel's actions and that of the Holocaust, when drawing comparisons between contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis meets the very definition of antisemitism put forward by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance,” Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus said.

“Weaponising the trauma of the Holocaust against the very people who were killed in their millions by it is not only wrong and racist, it's sick.

“Suggesting that, without outright condemning that type of comparison, is disturbing.

“Mr Burke may be careful not to use the word "genocide" himself - but he certainly far from rejects it and he actively leads a receptive crowd to draw that conclusion - which, of course, they dutifully do.

“Mr Burke is trying to walk both sides of the street - he can't condemn hate speech, while simultaneously encouraging radical protesters to draw the most hateful and unsubstantiated conclusions about the Jewish state.”


Minister's comments on Hamas attack 'extraordinary': Australian Jewry Co-Chief Executive Alex Ryvchi
Executive Council of Australian Jewry Co-Chief Executive Alex Ryvchin says federal Minister Tony Burke’s remarks at the Woodford Folk Festival regarding the Israel and Hamas war were “absolutely extraordinary”.

Sky News can reveal video has emerged of federal Labor Minister Tony Burke suggesting October 7 did not happen in a vacuum, and comparisons could be drawn between Israel’s war on Hamas and the Holocaust.

“I found the entire exchange between the minister and that crowd of radicals, of fanatics, absolutely extraordinary,” Australian Jewry Co-Chief Executive Alex Ryvchin told Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus.

“Not only for the things the minister said and the winks and the nudges about things like genocide and references to apartheid … things that a minister, an educated person, should reject outright, and not indulge anyway whatsoever but also the lengths that he went to to placate those extremists with unfounded accusations against Israel," Mr Ryvchin said.

“The only references to Hamas and October 7 were to talk about those events not occurring in a vacuum – there was no condemnation, there was no detail of the atrocities of the heinous crimes inflicted on the Jewish people on that day.

“Yet despite bending over backwards to please those people, they still hounded him, they still called him a coward, they still shouted him down.

“These people can never be satisfied and he should never be led by extremists and outright bigots.”


JNS: Iranian Dissidents: Iranians and Israelis Are Fighting for Their Lives | Our Middle East
Vahid Beheshti, an independent journalist and Iranian human rights activist based in London, became famous after completing a 72-day hunger strike followed by a sit-in last year. In summer 2023, he joined the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs' initiative in the British House of Lords, to outlaw the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Host Dan Diker met Beheshti and his wife Mattie in Jerusalem to discuss their opposition activism against the Iranian regime and the war in Israel from an Iranian perspective on this episode of the "Our Middle East" podcast.




Tziporela_ West is next side story



ISIS: Kill Jews ‘wherever you find them’

Turning Point USA fires rep after posts on 'Zionist Jews controlling our planet'
Morgan Ariel, a fashion designer and self-professed “Lioness for Jesus Christ,” was removed from her role at the conservative activist group Turning Point USA (TPUSA) on Thursday after posting on X that “the Zionist Jews controlling our planet are all pedophiles who have no regard for the sanctity of human life and purity,” adding, “read the Talmud and it will all make sense.”

In a message that Ariel shared with X, a TPUSA representative told her, “we 100% believe you have the right to express yourself as you see fit, but what you’re expressing is further and further out of sync with the values of the organization.”

Ariel doubled down on her statement, writing that she was removed “for exercising my 1st amendment right and upholding biblical principals [sic]."

Ariel, who has also posted on X that the US should “make homosexuality illegal again” and referred to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as “baby eating blood drinking Killary,” promised “more to come” following her removal.

Turning Point USA, founded by conservative activist Charlie Kirk in 2012, is known for organizing events with conservative speakers on left-leaning college campuses, and for hosting annual conferences with speakers such as then-president Donald Trump, who spoke to the group's "Teen Student Action Summit" in 2019. U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) talks with a fan during a book signing as conservative leaders and personalities attend Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. December 17, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/Caitlin O’Hara)


Hamas calls for demonstrations for Gaza throughout the world
Hamas has called for the Arab, Muslim, and free communities of the world to increase solidarity activities for Gaza over the next few days, specifically over the weekend.

Hamas says the activities must become a symbol of protest against aggression, genocide, and ethnic cleansing of Gaza, and a denunciation of the murder of the leader and murderer Saleh al-Arouri, and Western, specifically American, support of the Zionist occupation.

Zahar Jabareen, the deputy commander of Hamas' operations in Judea and Samaria, said that the assassination will only support the Hamas path of jihad.

He stated that October 7th will be engraved in history as the day when the al-Qassem battalions that al-Arouri helped establish achieved an impressive victory and embarrassed the Zionist occupational army.

Jabareen called for members of the battalions in Judea and Samaria to avenge al-Arouri and for the Palestinian Authority Arab public in Judea and Samaria, as well as throughout Israel, to continue the revolution and confront the cruel occupation because it is "weaker than a spiderweb."

He further claimed that the blood of the murders would turn into fuel for the fight against Israel until it had been removed from the land and the holy places.


Biden Admin Not Investigating Violence and Vandalism by Hamas Supporters, Complaint Alleges
The Justice Department has effectively issued a "stand-down order" to federal law enforcement and U.S. attorneys to stop them from investigating "incitement, violence, and vandalism" committed by Hamas supporters who hold U.S. visas, according to a complaint filed with the Justice Department and obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

The complaint, filed this week by the America First Legal Foundation, a conservative legal advocacy group, accuses the Biden administration of turning a blind eye to the massive uptick in violence against Jews across America in the wake of Hamas's Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel.

The Biden administration is dragging its feet on the prosecution of Hamas sympathizers across the country, including among U.S. visa holders and other foreign nationals living in America, according to the group, which cites information from U.S. officials and career Justice Department attorneys.

"It appears that concerns regarding the potential electoral consequences of protecting Jewish Americans and enforcing American anti-terrorism laws and/or sympathy for Hamas's aims are inappropriately biasing the Department's decision-making," the organization writes in the complaint.

In addition to the Justice Department complaint, America First Legal has filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the Education and Homeland Security Departments to unearth information about pro-Hamas activity on U.S. college campuses, which have seen a rise in anti-Semitic violence and public support for terrorism against Israel. The probes could provide answers as to why the Biden administration is not deporting or prosecuting U.S. visa holders and other foreign nationals who have celebrated Hamas's terror campaign and committed violence against Jews.
JFS student physically attacked outside school premises
A 17-year-old JFS student has been subjected to an unprovoked physical attack by a group of individuals outside the school premises.

The assailants physically assaulted the boy and forcibly tried to coerce him into saying ‘free Palestine’ at around 3.30pm on Thursday.

Despite the presence of the headteacher and a security guard in the vicinity, the attackers managed to carry out this assault.

A Community Security Trust spokesperson confirmed: “This was a distressing assault in which a Jewish student was singled out and attacked, and the link between extreme anti-Israel hatred and anti-Jewish violence was made clear by his attackers.

“We are working with the police and JFS security to provide increased protection for JFS students when they leave school each day.”

Since the Hamas terror attack in southern Israel on 7 October, JFS has taken significant steps to ensure the safety of pupils and staff.

Extra security measures have included the presence of teachers and the head in various areas surrounding the school and next to Kingsbury station.

But there have been concerns on some days about a lack of visible police presence in the area.

One parent, who asked not to be named, told Jewish News:”I never know what will happen next. I fear for my children’s wellbeing. The school is going above and beyond in this respect, but I worry about the approach of the police and the government.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed on Friday:”We are investigating a report that a 17-year-old boy was assaulted outside the JFS School in Brent.
Toronto Police investigate hate-fueled arson, 'Free Palestine' graffiti
Toronto police were investigating a suspected hate-fueled arson and graffiti incident at International Delicatessen Foods (IDF) in North York on Wednesday.

At 6 am, when the police and firefighters arrived at the scene, the inside of the business was on fire and “Free Palestine” was scrawled on the business in black graffiti. The windows of the business were also broken.

The business’s name is displayed as the acronym “IDF” on the front of the building.

According to the Toronto Police news release, the incident will be investigated in consultation with the Ministry of the Attorney General and with the assistance of the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office.

Staff Supt. Pauline Grey from the Toronto Police stated that the police “suspect this to be motivated by hate.” Gray told reporters, “Based on the totality of circumstances, we believe that it was committed with bias or prejudice.”

Gray said this act was “criminal” and “violent,” and that the police department would “leave no stone unturned.”

The owner of the deli confirmed to CBC Toronto that he is Jewish and believes it was an act of antisemitism. He has owned the deli for five years.

The UJA Federation of Greater Toronto said in a news release that they are “outraged and deeply concerned by this serious crime.” They urged all Torontonians to “take a stand" and to "speak up against the growing antisemitism in our midst.”
McDonald’s chief says anti-Israel boycotts hurting sales
“Misinformation” about McDonald’s support for Israel is having a “meaningful impact” on its sales in the Middle East, the fast food restaurant’s chief executive has said.

Chris Kempczinski said calls from pro-Palestinan groups to boycott McDonald’s over the Gaza conflict were harming operations.

McDonald’s has been targeted by pro-Palestinan campaigners after photos and videos on social media showed franchised stores in Israel giving free meals to the nation’s soldiers following the October 7 Hamas attack.

The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, a pro-Palestinan organisation, called for people to shun McDonald’s in November because franchisees “openly supported” the Israeli military.

McDonald’s has argued that it has no position on the war and is not responsible for the action of its franchisees, who pay the company a fee to licence its brand and recipes.

Mr Kempczinski said in a blog post on LinkedIn published on Thursday: “Several markets in the Middle East and some outside the region are experiencing a meaningful business impact due to the war and associated misinformation that is affecting brands like McDonald’s.

“This is disheartening and ill-founded. In every country where we operate, including in Muslim countries, McDonald’s is proudly represented by local owner operators who work tirelessly to serve and support their communities while employing thousands of their fellow citizens.”

The majority of McDonald’s restaurants around the world are run by franchisees.

McDonald’s operators in countries including Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Pakistan have publicly said they don’t support the actions of franchisees in Israel.




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