Wednesday, March 13, 2024

03/13 Links Pt1: BHL: Stop the War in Gaza by Defeating Hamas; John Spencer: Why the World is Wrong in Comparing Gaza to Any Other Conflict

From Ian:

Bernard-Henri Lévy: Stop the War in Gaza by Defeating Hamas
Those crying out against genocide are the same people who call for the birth of a Palestine from the Jordan River to the sea that would involve an ethnic cleansing purging the entire region of all Jewish presence. (Apparently, pure genocide is OK, where imagined genocide is worthy of an impassioned outcry!)

A small, fragile, and threatened country, confronted with the most sadistic mass terror attack in modern history, responds like any other democracy would have in its place, and, in fact, like the U.S. did when invading Afghanistan after Sept. 11. Instead of supporting Israel in its legitimate self-defense, the world accuses the Jewish state of poisoning wells and starving the civilian population.

It takes for granted that Israel is "indefensible," that Zionism - alone among national liberation movements - is a curse word, and that the very survival of the Jewish people on its land is an entirely legitimate object of dispute.

"Ceasefire now!" is a solution that would hand victory to Hamas; prolong the hold of a Muslim Brotherhood death cult on a population that serves as its guinea pig in a horrific experiment; and see the aura of the terror cult and its backers grow beyond Gaza, with all the cataclysmic consequences that one can imagine, both throughout the Middle East and in Europe.

Does anyone care about peace and justice enough to demand an end to this war in the only way it can actually end - with the defeat of Hamas?
Seth Mandel: Time for Biden to Deliver an Inconvenient Truth on Gaza
America can only reduce the threat by capitulating to Hamas and Iran, according to this reading of the report. There are two major problems with this. The first is that it’s hogwash, and the authors of the report know it’s hogwash.

As terror experts pointed out in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7 slaughter, the attacks themselves were a catalyzing force for global terrorism, much more so than was Israel’s dismantling of Hamas in response. In October, I quoted Lynn O’Donnell on the “broader impact of the Hamas attacks,” which was, she said, “the possibility that terrorist groups around the world will try to match the spectacular carnage that Hamas pulled off earlier this month, which had a death toll equivalent to multiple Sept. 11 attacks on a per capita basis in a small country such as Israel.”

This is because it’s the successful attacks, not the failures, that garner funding for terrorist groups. Hamas has had fairly steady financial patrons because it is somewhat fixed territorially and serves a very specific purpose that is tied to Israel. But the global terror groups that could represent a threat to America are in competition for resources that Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks will free up for groups other than Hamas. The Hamas attacks serve as model and inspiration for copycats and their moneymen.

Which means the most dangerous option is to allow Hamas to get out with anything it can reasonably claim as a victory. Hamas’s defeat will benefit America’s security; its survival will put more targets on Western backs.

The other problem is that administration officials know this—the Post says the report itself acknowledges the public-relations coup that Oct. 7 was for Hamas. The administration feels the need to spin how the report is sold to the press and the public because the truth contradicts the president’s political interest in uniting his party in an election year. To do that, he wants (though he doesn’t need) to bring back into the fold enough dissenters on his Gaza policy to take the air out of the pro-Hamas faction of his progressive base.

This is becoming a pattern. In a stunning moment in the president’s MSNBC interview over the weekend, Biden admitted that “Hamas would like a total ceasefire across the board, because then they see they have a better chance to survive and maybe rebuild.” The president sputtered immediately after saying that and fumbled out four separate segues as if he were a skipping record: “But that’s not what—I think the majority of people think—you have to—look—.” Then he went silent to collect his thoughts and get back on track. He wasn’t supposed to make the argument against a permanent ceasefire precisely because that argument is unassailable. He can’t pretend to want to give in to his left flank if he’s also going around explaining why their demands are so ludicrous and contrary to U.S. interests.

But he’s going to have to explain this, eventually. And when he does, he cannot pretend he misspoke. The fact of the matter is Biden and the intelligence community know what’s best for America and are choosing to dissemble at a time when U.S. leadership is called for. This will continue to backfire until someone is willing to be honest with the anti-Israel caucus in the party and align American policy and the president’s rhetoric with what Biden knows to be true: Israel must win this war.
Bret Stephens: Israel Has No Choice but to Fight On
If Israel were to end the war now, with several Hamas battalions intact, at least four things would happen. First, it would be impossible to set up a political authority in Gaza that isn't Hamas: If the Palestinian Authority or local Gazans tried to do so, they wouldn't live for long. Second, Hamas would reconstitute its military force as Hizbullah did in Lebanon after the 2006 war with Israel - and Hamas has promised to repeat the attacks of Oct. 7 "a second, a third, a fourth" time.

Third, the Israeli hostages would be stuck in their awful captivity indefinitely. Fourth, there would never be a Palestinian state. No Israeli government is going to agree to a Palestinian state in the West Bank if it risks resembling Gaza.

This is the fifth major war that Hamas has provoked since it seized power in Gaza in 2007. After each war, Hamas' capabilities have grown stronger and its ambitions bolder. At some point this had to end; for Israelis, Oct. 7 was that point.

Whenever Israel's critics lecture the country on better calibrating its use of force, they don't have any concrete suggestions. The reality of urban warfare is that it's exceptionally costly and difficult. The U.S. spent nine months helping Iraqi forces flatten the city of Mosul to defeat ISIS, with results that looked even worse than Gaza does today. I don't remember calls for "Ceasefire Now" then.

Israel is fighting a war it didn't seek, against an enemy sworn to its destruction and holding scores of its citizens hostage. Around 200,000 Israelis are living as refugees inside their own country because its borders aren't secure. No country can tolerate that. There should be more public pressure on Hamas to surrender than on Israel to save Hamas from the consequences of its actions.


Netanyahu: For Israel, Every Civilian Death Is a Tragedy; for Hamas, Every Civilian Death Is a Strategy
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the AIPAC Conference in Washington by video link. I deeply appreciate the support we've received from President Biden and the administration and I hope it will continue. But let me be clear, Israel will win this war no matter what. To win this war, we must destroy the remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah. If not, Hamas will regroup, rearm and reconquer Gaza and then we're back to square one.

That's an intolerable threat that we cannot accept. We will destroy Hamas, free our hostages, and ensure that Gaza doesn't ever pose a threat to Israel again. We will finish the job in Rafah while enabling the civilian population to get out of harm's way. We've taken measures to minimize civilian casualties that no other army has taken in history.

To our friends in the international community, I say this: you cannot say you support Israel's right to exist and to defend itself and then oppose Israel when it exercises that right. You cannot say you support Israel's goal of destroying Hamas and then oppose Israel when it takes the actions necessary to achieve that goal. You cannot say that you oppose Hamas' strategy of using civilians as human shields and then blame Israel for the civilian casualties that result from this cynical Hamas strategy.

For Israel, every civilian death is a tragedy. For Hamas, every civilian death is a strategy. So it is wrong and immoral to hold Israel to a standard for avoiding civilian casualties that no other country on earth is held to.
Israel Must Go Ahead with an Operation in Rafah
The IDF is succeeding in systematically dismantling Hamas, although the fighting in Gaza is fierce and exacts painful costs. After more than four months of war, the IDF has taken control of northern Gaza and has full operational freedom of action in the area. Progress has also been made in Khan Yunis, where the IDF is eliminating terrorists and destroying their infrastructure.

Hamas is deeply embedded in the population of Gaza. Hamas terrorists receive support and assistance from the population. Gaza has seen the emergence of a generation whose sole goal is to kill and exterminate Jews. In the face of this resistance, the IDF is advancing methodically and systematically.

Israel's prime minister has said on several occasions that this war will not end until the IDF operates in Rafah and takes over the border between Gaza and Egypt - the Philadelphi Corridor. The operation in Rafah is necessary and inevitable. Rafah is Hamas' last organized stronghold, and the elimination of Hamas' military capabilities will not be achieved without the destruction of the battalions stationed there. Israel must remove Hamas' governmental capabilities in this area. Moreover, in order to free hostages, it is essential to reach the areas where they are held.

Israeli communities in areas opposite Rafah will not return to their homes if operational Hamas battalions are on the other side of the border. Finally, weapons still enter Gaza through a network of tunnels under the Philadelphi Corridor. The IDF will have to eliminate this smuggling route.
Bethany Mandel: Biden’s confused Israel policy only strengthens Hamas
The Israeli people of course would prefer to have the full support of the American President and his administration behind them, but ultimately, they understand that they may have to go it alone not just with an invasion in Rafah, but also with future military action against Hezbollah in the North. For months, most Mideast experts in and outside of Israel believe that a coming head-on conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is a matter of when, not if.

In an interview over the weekend with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capeheart tried to strike a reassuring tone for the Jewish State, explaining, “I am never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical. There’s no red line. I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the iron dome to protect them.”

But his comments came on the heels of saying there is indeed a red line: the invasion of Rafah. You’re not the only one confused, we all are.

Today it was announced that a 19-year-old American citizen, Itay Chen, was murdered on October 7, and his body is still being held hostage by Hamas. The President issued a statement,

“No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through.

Today, as we join Itay’s parents, brothers, and family in grieving this tragic loss, I reaffirm my pledge to all the families of those still held hostage: We are with you. We will never stop working to bring your loved ones home.”

But the fact is, the President’s schizophrenic messaging does nothing but strengthen Hamas’s position. It’s one that is unspeakably bewildering and defeatist, given the fact that Hamas murdered dozens of American citizens on October 7, and still holds five American citizens hostage.
‘Israelis elect government, no one else,’ says top official, hitting back at US report suggesting PM’s coalition may be in jeopardy
A senior Israeli official hits back at a US intelligence report overnight that warned Israel will be challenged by Hamas for years to come, and that the viability of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “may be in jeopardy” amid criticism over the management of the war.

“Those who elect the prime minister of Israel are the citizens of Israel and no one else,” says the official in a statement issued to the media, interpreting the intelligence report as an effort to unseat Netanyahu.

“Israel is not a protectorate of the US but rather an independent and democratic country whose citizens are the ones who elect the government. We expect our friends to work to bring down the terror regime of Hamas and not the elected government in Israel,” the official says.

Opening its main nightly news broadcast, Israel’s Channel 12 says the statement came from “the most senior Israeli political source you can imagine.”

It says the new US intel report suggesting Netanyahu may lose power has the prime minister “fuming” and he has “decided to embark upon on strong, public and dramatic confrontation with the president of the United States.”

The US assessment last night read: “Distrust of Netanyahu’s ability to rule has deepened and broadened across the public from its already high levels before the war, and we expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections. A different, more moderate government is a possibility.”


The Israel-Palestinian Conflict Can’t Be Solved. But It Is Less of a Problem When Israel Is Strong
Israelis have a justified reputation as being a blunt and opinionated people, but Dan Schueftan, a political scientist who advised multiple prime ministers, may possess these qualities in a greater dose than most. He is also a shrewd and knowledgeable analyst, and the combination makes this discussion with Pamela Paresky both entertaining and enlightening. There is no solution, Schueftan contends, to Israel’s conflict with its neighbors. But the Jewish state has the ability to improve its situation, above all by fighting its enemies with vigor and fearlessness. Schueftan is no Machiavellian, however; concerns about freedom and morality go alongside his belief in hard power.

Schueftan says some controversial, even outrageous things in the wide-ranging conversation, and I certainly don’t agree with all of it. (How, for instance, does he square his commitment to unilateral Israeli territorial concessions with his belief that Palestinians will try to slaughter Jews no matter what the circumstances?) But I learned a lot from listening, and I hope you will too. (Video, 61 minutes.)


The Commentary Magazine Podcast: And Now, the Threat from the North
Hosted by Abe Greenwald, Christine Rosen, John Podhoretz & Matthew Continetti
Jonathan Schanzer joins the podcast to note how, just in the last week, things have been heating up between Israel and Hezbollah on the northern border of the Jewish state. We also discuss the peculiarities of the Biden administration’s approach to Israel finishing the job in Gaza—and whether there might be a weird Egyptian component at work.


Caroline Glick: John Spencer: Why the World is Wrong in Comparing Gaza to Any Other Conflict
Caroline Glick speaks with the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute John Spencer about, in his analysis, the wrongful comparisons between the Israel/Gaza war and other urban warfare conflicts. Spencer first made waves when he posited in several Newsweek articles that the civilian casualty number is actually quite low, that Israel was in full compliance with international law and that any comparison to urban warfare in Afghanistan and Iraq is entirely incorrect.

Spencer breaks down his arguments and explains that despite what the international community thinks Israel is actually winning the war "spectacularly".


Gaza hostage deal: Hamas denies agreeing to US proposal for ceasefire
On Tuesday night, Al Arabiya reported that Hamas could agree to a modified US proposal for a second hostage deal and planned to send a delegation to Cairo to finalize the arrangement in the coming days.

Sullivan said he had not heard that Hamas was amenable to a deal.

“If there is an offer from Hamas to start releasing prisoners as part of a ceasefire, that would be welcome news,” he said.

He charged that a “ceasefire is on the table today,” but the hang-up was Hamas, which could make a deal happen if it would just “simply release women, children and elderly.”

Sullivan stressed that the “fact that they will not do so says a lot to me about Hamas’s [lack of] regard for innocent Palestinian civilians.” As the US pushed for a deal, it also increased its efforts to bring humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

Hamas denied that it had agreed to a new proposal, stating early Wednesday morning that "there is no truth to the news published by Al-Arabiya attributed to a 'senior Hamas source' about the movement receiving an international offer for an extended ceasefire in Gaza, the gradual return of the displaced, or a delegation heading to Cairo to discuss the details."

"We ask that the media ensure accuracy and credibility in reporting the news, and not manipulate the feelings of our people who are being subjected to a Zionist aggression and a Nazi war of extermination," added the terrorist movement.


Director of National Intelligence: U.S. does not take Gaza casualty numbers ‘on face value’
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said that the U.S. does not “take on face value” Gaza casualty numbers provided by the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, after multiple recent instances when U.S. officials have referenced those figures.

Haines said at a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Tuesday, alongside other intelligence community leaders, the U.S. primarily relies on figures provided by Israel, but emphasized those numbers are generally close to those provided by Hamas’ health ministry.

“We really don’t have our own collection to be able to tell you with real confidence what the numbers are,” Haines said. “We also talk to and largely rely on our Israeli counterparts, and the numbers are not that different.”

Haines said that “the challenge” with the figures from the health ministry is that they don’t distinguish between civilian casualties and Hamas fighters — describing all casualties as civilians.

CIA Director Bill Burns, who has been a key negotiator in the latest rounds of cease-fire and hostage release talks, appeared to attempt to temper expectations for a deal, while still stressing the importance of such an agreement.

“I think there’s still the possibility of such a deal… It won’t be for lack of trying on our part,” Burns said. “This is a very tough process. I don’t think anyone can guarantee success. The only thing I think you can guarantee is that the alternatives are worse” for Palestinian civilians, the hostages and their families.

“As long as there’s the smallest possibility,” he continued, “I think it’s essential for all of us to do everything we can.”

The CIA director also suggested that Israel’s goal of fully eliminating Hamas will not be possible through military force alone.


Food airdrops, pier construction can’t overcome chaos in Gaza aid distribution, say officials
A ship containing some 200 metric tons of food is set to arrive in Gaza on Thursday — even though there is no pier in place to receive it and the capacity of international aid agencies for distributing the food to those most in need is questionable, both Israeli and U.N. officials told Jewish Insider.

The ship, which set sail from the Cypriot port of Larnaca early on Tuesday, is part of a World Central Kitchen initiative aimed at providing meals to those trapped in the war-torn Gaza Strip. The operation, which will supplement airdrops of international aid that started earlier this month, has been framed by world leaders, including President Joe Biden, who mentioned the construction of a Gaza pier in his State of the Union address, as a way to circumvent Israeli restrictions on aid going into the Palestinian enclave.

Israel, however, has maintained that there are no restrictions on the amount of aid that can enter Gaza. Instead, they’ve said that the barriers to delivering food and other essential items to more than 2 million civilians are because of limitations with the distribution network facilitated by foreign aid agencies, which are facing serious challenges in reaching those in need.

At the start of this month, Biden announced that the U.S. would join the UAE, Egypt, Jordan and France in air dropping aid into Gaza, and since then the Department of Defense has carried out at least four airborne operations delivering more than 200 bundles containing over 100,000 meals, a White House official told the press in a briefing last week.

“We’re not waiting on the Israelis,” the official said. “This is a moment for American leadership, and we are building a coalition of countries to address this urgent need.”

Biden announced in his State of the Union address that he had directed “the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters…A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in the amount of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza every day.”

Contrary to the Biden administration’s portrayal of the initiative as a way to bypass Israel, Jewish Insider heard Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tout the idea in a press briefing – off the record at the time – on Nov. 5, 2023. Netanyahu said at the time, less than a month into the war, that he had already discussed the idea with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

Israeli officials told JI this week that it is not only involved in the additional aid efforts but that it welcomes all such initiatives.
U.S. Ships Depart for Gaza
Four ships loaded with construction materials and roughly 100 U.S. troops departed Virginia’s Joint Base Langley-Eustis Tuesday, en route to the Gaza Strip. As the vessels pulled away, headed to build a temporary pier on the coast of the war-torn enclave, John Williams’ “Imperial March” blared over one ship’s loudspeakers.

The mission to build a temporary pier on Gaza’s Mediterranean shore began just days after President Joe Biden announced the plan during Thursday’s State of the Union address. The administration estimated that nearly 2 million meals could be delivered to Palestinian civilians per day as part of an effort to dramatically increase the inflow of humanitarian aid. But despite promises from the president that the operation would require no U.S. boots on the ground, concerns persist that this mission could put American troops in harm’s way—and escalate an already tense situation.

Five months of war in Gaza have led to a humanitarian crisis in the territory. The United Nations said in February that famine was “imminent” in the region barring changes, and a spokesperson for the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry on Wednesday said that at least 20 people have died of starvation. Though Israel is allowing aid into the region, there have been delays and difficulties in distributing those supplies to civilians. In late February, dozens of Palestinians were killed as a convoy of trucks attempted to deliver materials in northern Gaza. Israel reported that the majority of the civilians were killed in a stampede or run over by fleeing aid truck drivers, while Hamas officials said that Israeli soldiers opened fire on the crowd.

Foreign entities have since increased their aid shipments to Gaza as a result. The U.S. military, in partnership with the Royal Jordanian Air Force, has initiated airdrops into Gaza, delivering an eighth round of food and water Tuesday. Belgian, Egyptian, and French planes have also parachuted aid into Gaza in recent days. On Tuesday, a ship carrying food aid—coordinated by World Central Kitchen and Spanish charity Open Arms, and supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—departed Cyprus for Gaza to test the possibility of delivering additional aid by sea.

During his State of the Union address last week, Biden announced that the U.S. would step up its humanitarian efforts in Gaza. “Tonight, I’m directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the coast of Gaza that can receive large shipments carrying food, water, medicine, and temporary shelters,” he said.


Will the US port in Gaza deliver ‘aid’ into the hands of Hamas?
President Biden announced that the US Navy is opening a port to deliver aid to Gaza. Can this be successful or even properly inspected? Does this shift scrutiny away from Israel? Is this part of a larger effort by the Biden administration to isolate and undermine Netanyahu and the Israeli government? JNS CEO Alex Traiman and Middle East Correspondent Josh Hasten break this down along with
- Biden's come-to-Jesus Netanyahu comment
- Ramadan violence
- The Haredi draft crisis and much more!


IDF inching closer to Rafah op, Gallant hints during Gaza visit
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during a visit to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, seemed to indicate that the Israel Defense Forces operation against Hamas battalions in the southernmost city of Rafah will happen “soon.”

“Even those who think that we are delaying will soon see that we will reach everyone,” he told IDF troops serving in the western part of Gaza City, according to a readout provided by the Defense Ministry.

Gallant added that “extraordinary work is being done here above and below ground, the forces reach everywhere and the conclusion is that there is no safe place in Gaza for terrorists.

“We will bring to justice anyone who was involved in Oct. 7—we will either eliminate them or bring them to trial in Israel. There is no safe place, not here, not outside of Gaza, not across the Middle East,” he said.

Gallant spoke after the military announced that a Hamas terrorist responsible for many rocket attacks on the Jewish state, including on Oct. 7, was killed in an airstrike in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly emphasized that telling Israel to refrain from operating in Rafah is tantamount to demanding that it lose the war against the terrorists.

Many of the 134 hostages still in the hands of Hamas in Gaza after 159 days are believed to be held in the Hamas stronghold on the Egyptian border. Two captives were rescued from the city by Israeli special forces in a daring military operation last month.
Netanyahu to Dutch PM: Rafah op essential to defeating Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte in Jerusalem on Wednesday, for their fourth tête-à-tête since the outbreak of the war against Hamas.

Netanyahu emphasized that the prospective IDF operation in Rafah, Hamas’s last stronghold in Gaza, was essential to realizing the goals of the war, and that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state would be considered an achievement by the terrorist group.

The two men also discussed the issue of humanitarian aid to Gaza, with Netanyahu calling on Rutte to join the maritime corridor initiative from Cyprus.

Netanyahu added that Israel was determined to replace UNWRA in Gaza without compromising aid, and thanked Rutte for freezing funding to the agency amid allegations its staff participated in the Oct. 7 terror attacks.
Relying on local clans to run postwar Gaza should be off the table, experts warn
Israel, while reluctant to flesh out a postwar scenario for Gaza, has repeatedly rejected a proposal favored by the US and much of the international community to restore the Palestinian Authority’s rule over Gaza. In seeking an alternative to both the PA and the Hamas terror regime, which it has vowed to eradicate, Israel has been floating the possibility of Gazan clans running the Strip’s civilian affairs, while the IDF would retain security control.

Some experts are dubious about the feasibility of Israel’s proposal; a similar attempt was made decades ago, unsuccessfully. But experts’ skepticism is mainly due to the diminished clout that clans now hold in contemporary Gazan society, and the inevitable influence that established Palestinian political movements would exert over them.

“The clans are a thing of the past,” said Yohanan Tzoreff, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), and an expert on Israeli-Palestinian relations. “Relying on them is relying on a broken reed.”

A common social structure in the Arab world, clans are agglomerations of families that forge alliances based on a presumed common ancestry. In the Gaza Strip, the larger clans — such as the Dughmush, the Sinwar, the Hilles, the Radwan, and the al-Masri to name a few — can reach up to 15,000 or 20,000 members, said Dror Zeevi, a professor of Middle East Studies at Ben Gurion University. In Gaza, each typically commands a specific economic sector, in agriculture, manufacturing or trading.

The main issue with entrusting clans with the governance of Gaza, according to the two experts, is that, since 2008, they are not powerful enough to manage the area independently and to compete against the influence and deeply embedded presence of either Fatah, the party led by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, or Hamas, the terror group that rules Gaza.

“If Israel decides to depend on a series of clans, their chiefs would quickly go to the Palestinian Authority and get their marching orders from them. They’re not going to get them from Israel. So you’ll end up having Hamas or PA rule anyway,” said Zeevi.


FDD: Israel Thwarts Suicide Attack in West Bank
Expert Analysis
“Suicide bombings have a profound resonance in the Israeli psyche. During the Second Intifada, just under half of all Israelis killed died at the hands of Palestinian suicide bombers. Terrorists blew themselves up on buses, in cafes, and in other civilian venues. Suicide attacks are not common today, as Israel has become deft at guarding against them, but terrorists continue to attempt to deploy these lethal attacks not only to kill and maim Israelis but also to draw headlines.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

“The return by Palestinian terrorists to old tactics such as suicide bombings signals that the conflict persisting in the West Bank for more than two years remains a serious threat to Israeli security. As a result of the current war in Gaza, terrorist groups are intensifying their efforts to foment violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in an attempt to distract Israel and force a permanent ceasefire.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Terrorists Call for Month of Terror
On March 10, Muslims began the monthlong celebration of Ramadan, which has previously been marred by violence between the Palestinians and Israel. On March 3, the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Hamza called for this year’s Ramadan to be a “month of terror” and for Iran-backed terrorist groups to “unify” against Israel.

The October 7 terrorist attack by Iran-backed Hamas in southern Israel has led to an increase in recruitment for the group in the West Bank as well. A Jenin-based Hamas commander told CBS News in February that the war was helping the group attract new members in the West Bank. According to the IDF, Israeli forces have arrested approximately 3,500 wanted persons in the territory since October 7 — 1,500 of whom are associated with Hamas.
Terrorist stabs two Israelis near Jerusalem
Two Israelis were wounded on Wednesday morning in a terrorist stabbing at the “tunnel road” checkpoint between Gush Etzion and Jerusalem.

Magen David Adom personnel treated a 19-year-old female member of the IDF Military Police and a 25-year-old male civilian security guard at the scene before evacuating them to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem in good-to-moderate condition.

According to police, a 15-year-old Palestinian who rode to the crossing on a bicycle drew a knife and stabbed security forces trying to question him.

IDF troops responded by fatally shooting the terrorist.

He was later identified as Mohamed Abu Hamed, from al-Khader, near Bethlehem.

“There are too many extremists trying to escalate the situation [during Ramadan],” said Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai during a tour of the attack scene.


4,500 Hezbollah targets struck since start of war, reports IDF
The Israel Defense Forces has struck approximately 4,500 Hezbollah targets in the past five months since the start of the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the military spokesperson’s unit announced on Tuesday.

“Over the last five months, IDF troops—under the direction of the Northern Command’s Fire Control Center and the Israeli Air Force—have struck over 1,200 Hezbollah targets from the air and more than 3,100 Hezbollah targets from the ground,” the spokesperson’s unit said in a statement.

“These Hezbollah terror targets, located in both Lebanon and Syria, include weapons storage facilities, military structures intended for Hezbollah’s offensive activity, and operational command and control centers where terrorists were located,” it added.

Since the beginning of the war, the IDF has eliminated more than 300 terrorists in the north and wounded more than 750, according to the military, including five senior Hezbollah commanders, and dozens of terrorist cells that directed or fired anti-tank missiles and rockets.
Israeli drone strike kills top Hamas terrorist in Lebanon
A senior member of Hamas was killed on Wednesday by an Israeli drone strike, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The terrorist was identified as Hadi Ali Mustafa, who the IDF said had advanced attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world.

Mustafa was killed while traveling in the area of Tyre, a city on the Mediterranean coast of Southern Lebanon. The military published footage of the strike.

The Lebanese government’s National News Agency reported that in addition to the “Palestinian martyr,” a Syrian national passing by Mustafa’s vehicle on a motorcycle was also killed, and two others were wounded.

In a statement, the IDF described Mustafa as “a significant operative in Hamas’s department responsible for its international terrorist activities. In his position, Hadi directed terrorist cells and activities in the field, and advanced terror attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in various countries around the world.”

Furthermore, the army said that Mustafa operated under the direction of Samir Fendi, the commander of Hamas’s “military” wing in Lebanon, who was killed alongside Hamas deputy political chief Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut in January. That attack also claimed the life of Azam al-Aqra, a high-ranking member of the terrorist group’s Syria operation, along with four other Hamas members.


Morocco Secures Land Route to Deliver Aid to Gaza
A shipment of humanitarian aid from Morocco for Palestinians in Gaza began entering by truck into northern Gaza on Tuesday, a Moroccan diplomatic source said.

The Rabat government was able to secure the route as it had established diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020, the source said.

"Morocco shows that its connections in Israel serve the cause of peace," the source said.
Six aid trucks enter north Gaza in pilot to bypass Hamas
Six aid trucks directly entered the northern Gaza Strip early Tuesday in a pilot program meant to prevent the Hamas terrorist group from hijacking the supplies, the Israeli army said.

“By government directives, six humanitarian aid trucks containing aid from the World Food [Program] entered the northern Gaza Strip via the ’96th gate’ on the security fence last night [Tuesday],” the Israel Defense Forces announced, adding that a security check was first carried out at the Kerem Shalom crossing to the south.

The results of the pilot will be presented to government officials.

On Dec. 15, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing for the transfer of aid to the Strip after intense U.S. and international pressure. All the Israeli crossings to Gaza had been shuttered after the Oct. 7 massacre, with only Egypt’s Rafah crossing from Sinai remaining open.

The smaller Nitzana crossing between Israel and Sinai has also been used for inspections.

Hamas has been stealing up to 60% of the aid entering the Gaza Strip.


Families of hostages offered a warm embrace on Shabbat For Israel
The families of hostages have been warmly welcomed by the UK Jewish community.

Relatives of some of the 134 women, men and children still held captive in Gaza were hosted by congregations around the country as part of Shabbat For Israel.

The event, launched by the Chief Rabbi, is believed to have been the country’s largest coordinated display of support for Israel since the terror attacks.

Organisers said the Shabbat was a chance to let the family members of hostages, abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7, know “their family is our family, and we will hold each and every one of them in our hearts until they are safely returned home”.

Gili Roman, who is the brother-in-law of hostage Carmel Gat and who was hosted by Ealing United Synagogue, said afterwards that the “initiative of Shabbat for Israel has been very powerful and moving”.

Carmel Gat, 39, an occupational therapist from Tel Aviv, was visiting her parents in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7 when Hamas terrorists attacked.

Gat was taken captive along with her sister-in-law Yarden Roman-Gat. Yarden was released in November as part of a temporary ceasefire deal and Carmel’s mother, Kinneret, was killed by terrorists.
If October 7 rape victims want justice, the UN is the wrong place to look
After 20 meetings on the war in Gaza, the UN Security Council met for the first time to discuss the crimes of sexual violence committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7 and the ongoing abuse of Israeli captives in Gaza. Although this is a step forward, Israel remains weary as the UN continues to ignore the cries of women in Israel and around the world or even recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization.

This month, 69 years ago, the term "Um-Shmum" (with Um being Hebrew for the UN) was coined after a series of murderous attacks that came out of the Gaza Strip against Israeli civilians. The unfortunate connotation of the term resonates to this day.

Coined by David Ben-Gurion, perhaps in a moment of unique anger over the fear of the UN's reaction to an Israeli counterattack on the Gaza Strip, encapsulated a simple understanding that we still understand today: The UN is not going to protect us, not then and certainly not now.

The United Nations Security Council is determined to condemn Israel for every attack in which civilians were killed. It served as shelter for Hamas terrorists but did not say a word in the face of evidence and proof of the most shocking acts imaginable: rape, murder, acts of sodomy, and sexual violence against Israeli women, girls, and men.


Outrage as Los Angeles synagogue hosting Muslim group covers up hostage posters
A central Los Angeles synagogue leased its facility to a Muslim group for the holy month of Ramadan, covering up all posters of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 hanging on its walls.

Photos of the covered posters circulated through the local Jewish community, stirring an uproar and prompting an emergency meeting on Tuesday by the synagogue administration after hundreds of members threatened to leave the congregation.

The synagogue reconsidered and canceled the contract with the Muslim organization, after it was also revealed that one of the speakers slated for the event compared Israel's actions in Gaza after October 7 to Nazi Germany.

The Conservative synagogue in Los Angeles, HAMAKOM(formerly Temple Aliyah), which also operates a community center, school and kindergarten, rented out its premises to a local Muslim organization, the Islamic Society of West Valley (ISWV), for a Ramadan event, and ordered the hostages' posters to be covered.

"The fact that they felt the need to hide posters of hostages to make terrorists and their supporters feel more what? Comfortable? says it all. They want to bow down to those who hate us instead of standing up loud and proud in support and defense of Israel," a local community member told Ynet.

Another member said the synagogue's management, "Shoot themselves in the foot. What's happening to our people? When did we reach the point where we need to hide pictures of the captives to respect the Muslim community? And to host Ramadan in the synagogue? How can they explain such a thing?" she wondered.


Brother of Hamas Hostage Shares His Heartbreaking & Personal Story | Ilay David
Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” and Karol Markowicz talk to Ilay David about how his brother Evyatar David was kidnapped during the Nova Festival on October 7 by Hamas and his determination to fight for his brother's life.


Exposing the Tricks & Secrets of Hamas’ Propaganda | Dr. Eli David
Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks to Dr. Eli David, an AI researcher and entrepreneur, about Mr. FAFO and other Hamas propaganda tricks that fool major news outlets like the BBC; his outspoken stance against COVID-19 lockdowns and mandates; his advocacy for Israel; the huge financial cost of Israel’s lockdowns and mandates; the rise in anti-Semitism on X during the recent conflict in Israel; his thoughts on Elon Musk's acquisition of X/Twitter; and much more.




"I'm Not Here To Be LECTURED" Israel-Hamas Debate With Wajahat Ali And Sgt. Benjamin Anthony
Has the US lost influence over Israel? And, as Benjamin Netanyahu doubles down as Ramadan begins, should warfare respect religious sensitivity?

Piers Morgan Uncensored is joined by pro-Palestine commentator Wajahat Ali and former IDF reservist and CEO of the MirYam Institute Sgt Benjamin Anthony for a debate on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

00:00 Introduction
01:58 Netanyahu's Rafah attack plan
03:46 "What is the moral justification for bombing a massive refugee camp?"
06:30 What Ramadan looks like in Gaza with no aid
08:02 "Netanyahu is only in this war for Netanyahu"
09:09 Should the IDF be operating in Rafah?
12:25 "Why are you now planning to attack Rafah during Ramadan?"
14:55 Is there hypocrisy from the Muslim world with October 7 attacks?
16:50 "How many generations is Netanyahu killing?"
18:30 "I’m not here to be lectured on the tenets of Judaism"
20:03 Israel’s responsibility for what’s happening in Gaza




The Australian Human Rights Commission: AWOL since October 7
Despite all this, the Australian Human Rights Commission has gone missing.

In the days after the Opera House riot which celebrated the Hamas terrorist attacks and tarnished Australia’s reputation around the world as a bastion of multiculturalism and tolerance, the President of the AHRC did put out one statement. It was a statement on Friday 13 October and it specifically expressed the President’s concerns that the rights of Australians to protest might be curtailed.

Six days after the Hamas attacks, and there was no statement on the evil actions of Hamas, nor was there any reference to the 200 plus men, women and children held hostage, and nor was there any specific warning about anti-Semitic hatred. Instead, there was a statement of bland generalities and a warning that we must protect the rights of demonstrators.

Last week, we saw another media release from the Commission. It did make an oblique reference to “anti-Semitism” but it was in a statement condemning a possible Israeli ground assault on Rafah. That release contained no mention of the word “hostages” or indeed the word “Hamas”.

This is not to make any unfair personal assertion against President Croucher. In 2018, she gave a fine speech speaking out against anti-Semitism. My concern is that the President and the other commissioners haven’t spoken when it’s mattered, and that’s been over the past five and a half months.

Since the pogrom on October 7 and the resultant 738% increase in anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish Australians, as detailed in a report by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the Human Rights Commission has become frozen by political paralysis that has made the Commission fearful of acknowledging and engaging with the anti-Semitism that Jewish Australians are facing.

Its approach is further typified by the Commission’s response to an anonymous letter from AHRC staff condemning the Commission for not speaking out forcefully in support of the Hamas attacks.

During Senate Estimates, the President said the concerns of the staff expressed in the anonymous letter were “a paramount concern”. No Professor, the paramount concern should be racism and Jew-hatred and prejudice faced by Australians, not the preciousness of staff who have the time to write anonymous letters.

I write this as someone whose record of supporting institutions and laws that provide protection on the basis of race is clear. At times, in my career, I have paid a price for those beliefs.

That’s why I believe if an institution charged with protecting Australians from racism and hate is not fulfilling its mandate, then Australians should question why it exists in the first place and whether it is doing the job it should be doing as it is currently constituted.

This is not a time to wring our hands. This is a time for Australians to defend freedom and to stand against racism and hatred. It is also a time for moral clarity and that must start with the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Prominent Australian anti-Israel activist confirmed in kidnapping plot
A suppression order was partially lifted on Tuesday, allowing for the publication of the identity of Australian pro-Palestinian activists Laura Allam and Mohammad Sharab as the perpetrators of a kidnapping in a Melbourne suburb.

The details became available following the appeal by media outlets such as the Herald Sun and Rebel News to lift the gag order.

Allam and Sharab allegedly were involved in the plot that saw a 31-year-old St Albans man pulled into a vehicle on the evening of February 16.

The victim was transferred to another car, assaulted, and robbed before being released in Braybrook, another suburb. He was taken to the hospital and according to police suffered minor injuries.

Allam, 28, was charged with kidnapping, armed robbery, false imprisonment, unlawful assault, assault in company and assault by kicking. Sharab, 37, was charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment, armed robbery, threats to kill, intentionally cause injury, recklessly cause injury, unlawful assault and assault with weapon. They are on bail and set to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on May 31.

Australian media reported that there two other masked men besides Sharab involved in the plot, which saw the victim having his head and back stomped on. Sky News Australia reported that the victim's fingers were broken and he was forced to surrender his smartwatch and phone.


The truth about Jews for Palestine Neturei Karta are Hamas's useful idiots
At London’s weekly anti-Israel protests each Saturday, one can often find a small group of strictly Orthodox Jewish men — always men or boys, never women. Generally no more than a dozen, they hold signs with wording such as “Judaism: Godly and Compassionate. Zionism: Godless and Merciless”, or “Authentic Jewry Worldwide Never Recognised the State of Israel or Jerusalem as its Capital”. At the bottom of the placards, there is inevitably a mention of either “NKEurope” or “NKUSA”. “NK” stands for “Neturei Karta”, Aramaic for “Guardians of the City”, the name of the group the men belong to.

The Neturei Karta are around 5,000-strong, at most 0.03% of the world’s Jewish population, although only a fraction of the group attend such rallies. They are not the only anti-Zionist Jews to join these protests, but it is their presence which seems to attract the most support in anti-Israel circles. The reason is obvious. People who are not part of a specific minority often seek to paint an easy picture of what that minority “looks like” — and, to the non-Jewish eye, the Neturei Karta look like stereotypical Jews. Male members will wear a shtreimel, the round fur hat worn on the Sabbath and Festival days, and a bekishe, the black frock coat. They will grow beards and peyos — long sidelocks. The message they propagate also chimes closely with what many extreme anti-Israel ideologues believe: that they are against Zionism, not Judaism, and that the two things are not simply unconnected, but antithetical.

For these reasons, pictures of the Neturei Karta are widely shared, with the suggestion — openly encouraged by the signs they carry — that they are “real” Jews, and the majority of the world’s Jews who support Zionism are in fact fake. When, for instance, someone shared a picture on X of the Neturei Karta at a London protest, William Dalrymple, historian, podcaster and co-founder of the Jaipur Festival, responded saying “They are heroes” (a statement he later deleted). Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, the lawyer and academic, shared a video of a Muslim man thanking this group at a New York protest “for condemning Israel [sic] genocide of the Palestinians”.

It seems highly likely that many of those who believe this group deserves praise do not understand the underpinning of their beliefs or are aware of the full range of their actions. It seems a worthwhile task, then, to clarify who the Neturei Karta are and what they believe.


Surrey, BC, Council Restricts Access Over ‘Disruptive’ Pro-Palestine Protests
City council in Surrey, B.C., says it is restricting public access to its meetings after persistent disruptions from pro-Palestinian protesters.

Mayor Brenda Locke began the Mar. 11 meeting by announcing that the public would be allowed to attend meetings on city premises, but outside the gallery.

She told the meeting that council had adopted provisions for registered members of the public to speak on items on the agenda.

Mayor Locke said the decision was made “reluctantly” because of the escalating protests disrupting meetings since December by protesters who she said had “occupied” council chambers.

Council passed a motion on Mar. 11 to allow Surrey residents to attend and participate in meetings electronically.

The mayor said additional safety measures have also been put in place, including added security and a police presence.
FA asks under-eights football team to remove Palestinian corner flags
A parent has spoken about the “politicisation of under-eights football” after his son’s team walked away from a match with Queens Park Crescents (QPCFC), who refused to remove Palestinian flags from a pitch.

The Football Association is said to have spoken to QPCFC about the incident against Wixams Wanderers (WWFC), which occurred on Sunday, and has asked the team to remove the flags at future games.

WWFC forfeited the match after their request for the Palestinian flags to be removed before kick-off was refused by the hosts.

An Israeli father, whose eight-year-old son plays for WWFC, told the JC that several parents had asked QPCFC to remove the Palestinian corner flags before the match started.

“Me and another dad went to the coaches and asked them: ‘Can you please take the flags down? They are political’”, said the father, who did not wish to be named.

After a short discussion, the coaches agreed, only for another individual associated with QPCFC to put them back up.

“He insisted; he said it was the club’s stance,” the father recalled.

QPCFC claimed they had received an email from the FA which permitted them to fly Palestinian flags at their games. Bedfordshire FA refuted this claim and said no such approval had been made since October 7.

After WWFC abandoned the match, QPCFC parents allegedly picked up the flags and placed them on a larger pitch where children were playing later that morning.




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