‘Reactionary Anti-Imperialism’ as the new Totalitarian Temptation, from Foucault to 7 October
It may seem ridiculous, but it is a serious matter in both senses when some queer activists— apparently with suicidal disregard for what they are endorsing—express their solidarity with Hamas. One can only imagine how long a queer solidarity group would survive in the realm of Sharia [it’s worth noting that anti-Israel Palestinian LGBTQ activists have their headquarters in Tel Aviv and not in Ramallah]. But one doesn’t have to use imagination to see the enthusiasm that the annihilation of Israel, explicitly propagated by Hamas and Iran, generates among millions upon millions of sympathisers of these Palestinian ‘freedom fighters.’ The most prominent advocates of Hamas, Yanis Varoufakis and Judith Butler, waited until Israel reacted (as Hamas had no doubt expected) with counter-strikes, which have since resulted in the deaths of an appalling number of civilians in Gaza, before publicly denouncing the Israeli counter-attack while ignoring the gang of murderers who massacred more than 1,200 people on October 7thjust because they were Jews or associated with Jews [the sort of people that the Nazis had called ‘Jew servants’].The US sees situation in Gaza throughout Hamas' optics
Others didn’t wait that long. Like some of her American counterparts, the Austrian Nicole Schöndorfer (who is very prominent on social media) rushed the very first day after the pogrom to celebrate on Instagram the terrorists who themselves died in the butchering of Jews as ‘martyrs.’ One remembers the atheist Foucault, who denounced religious criticism of the Islamist movement; so why should we be surprised by women who explicitly describe themselves as feminists and yet celebrate as martyrs of a just cause the young men who raped, mutilated, murdered or kidnapped Israeli women and presented them as trophies to the mob? A linguistic collateral damage of today’s misery is that laudable terms like anti-racism, anti-colonialism, and anti-imperialism are so thoroughly discredited by those who misuse them that one has to ask oneself whether new terms will be necessary in order to make linguistic sense of the old ones—to name them correctly to stand up against racism, colonialism, and imperialism.
A few weeks before the Hamas massacre, I was asked what was the easiest way to fuel antisemitism. Today I would have to answer: by massacring as many Jews as possible. Nothing has fuelled hatred of Jews more than the worst attack on Jews since the Shoah, and because the attack was carried out against Jews, the rapists and murderers can only be called ‘resistance fighters’ motivated by a ‘holy Hatred’ against foreign Jewish rule in Palestine. ‘Heilige Hass’ (holy hatred) is, by the way, a motif that literally comes from Julius Streicher’s Nazi magazine Der Stürmer and which has been taken over in anti-colonial discourse. There are forms of ignorance that are entirely culpable. One of these is when Israel haters, who see themselves as left-wing, simply refuse to acknowledge the political foundations of Hamas.
Hamas has never made a secret of the fact that it is not concerned with national equality, social justice or a so-called ‘two-state solution’, but only with the destruction of Israel—which Hamas says represents the most important stage in the battle for final victory between believers and unbelievers. Its foundational charter from 1988 is a compact collection of anti-Semitic stereotypes and a blatant declaration of intent: that an Islamic theocracy will one day be established ‘between the river and the sea.’
When the Israeli army withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Hamas won free elections. Richly supplied with funds from all over the world, it then had the opportunity to establish self-government for the benefit of the residents of Gaza. But that was not its goal; rather, it quickly set about liquidating its Palestinian opponents and imposing a series of fundamentalist laws on the population. Hamas has done everything in its power to turn Gaza into the ‘largest open-air prison in the world,’ while denying that it was they who had created it. In 1970, after Israel had taken over Gaza, 280.000 people lived there. When Israel withdrew completely in 2005 there were about 1.2 million residents, and after fewer than twenty more years there are now 2.2 million: This is what the demographic development looks like when the ‘Zionist aggressor’ engages in ‘genocide’ for more than five decades.
Forty-five years after Foucault abandoned his intellectual and moral standards to support ‘political spirituality,’ the most sensitive youth in the West are forming an alliance with one of the most brutal terrorist representatives of ‘political spirituality.’ There are some new things that the anti-Zionists put forward between Berkeley and Berlin—such as the rigorous rejection of the Enlightenment legacy, which is denounced in self-loathing as a weapon of white supremacy; but the core of their accusation is ancient.
The administration’s policy is gradually but consistently drifting toward hope-based and optimism-based policy, rather than being pragmatic, which raises serious concerns regarding their ability to develop realistic plans for the conflict going forward.
For the United States, the optics of the situation in Gaza supersedes long-term thinking, which would put in place the conditions for improving the lot of the people in Gaza - in other words, by toppling Hamas' rule in Gaza.
As a terrorist organization and a non-state player, Hamas is able to use the most powerful weapon in its arsenal, which is to create a humanitarian crisis in Gaza in order to generate international pressure. This tool of theirs is a force multiplier, which it uses to the utmost effect on world public opinion which, quite justifiably, is shocked by the human suffering there.
In such a situation, a terrorist organization will always be able to extract concessions from the other side. Hamas loses nothing when Gazan civilians die. It can only gain from this. Therefore it has no interest whatsoever in avoiding actions that would exacerbate the humanitarian predicament in Gaza while still maintaining the pretense of fighting for the good of the Palestinian people.
When American humanitarian aid enters Gaza by sea, there is no guarantee Hamas won’t commandeer it. In an extreme scenario, which is by no means unrealistic, Hamas might indeed attack the American warships using the ever-effective excuse - defending the Palestinian people against a Western invasion, rejection of aid from a world power that is aiding the Israeli “occupation” in Gaza or other propaganda-friendly pretexts.
Anyone who has a genuine interest in stabilizing the Gaza situation and preventing Hamas' growth long term, must insist on three conditions: 1. Destruction of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities. 2. Prevention of any dependency between the civilian population and Hamas, which will exploit its distress to pursue its own goals and 3. De-radicalization of the education system, purging it of incitement, in such a way that it will no longer toxify the next generation of Gazan children, preventing them from becoming tomorrow’s terrorists.
To achieve these goals, and to reduce the number of dead in the long term, Hamas must be defeated at all costs. Failure to get the job done is going to be much more costly to Israel and to the Gazan population in the long term.
The United States, too, was forced to make some highly agonizing decisions during World War II, such as the fateful decision to drop two Atomic bombs on Japan. In the short term, the bombs killed hundreds of thousands, but in the long term, they saved millions of Japanese lives since that country surrendered several days later.
This, according to historical estimates, prevented the unnecessary death of millions more on both sides - American and Japanese. Israel, for its part, is not even seeking to end the war in Gaza in this same painful way - it only seeks legitimacy for the eradication of Hamas’ military and government apparatus and is doing so with the greatest surgical precision possible under the difficult circumstances presented by the battlefield.
To be able to comprehend this simple principle, it is advisable first to begin understanding the Hamas enemy itself - instead of assuming it is ultimately interested in the good of the Gazan population.
Israel accepts US hostage swap compromise, awaits Hamas response
The Israeli delegation in Qatar has agreed to an American compromise on the issue of the number of Palestinian prisoners who will be swapped for each Israeli hostage and await a response from Hamas, Israeli media reported Saturday night.
According to the reports, there were originally major disagreements about this number, prompting the American compromise proposal.
The Israeli team in Qatar has been authorized to discuss the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza, according to N12, who also reported that a Hamas response will likely take a few days to receive due to the logistics of getting approval from Hamas leadership in Gaza.
Mossad Chief David Barnea flew to Qatar Friday to meet CIA director William Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani, and Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamal to discuss a hostage deal that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he believes is possible to agree on, although there is "still difficult work to get there."
N12 reported that Senior Hamas officials, such as Ismail Haniyeh, were also present for the talks in Qatar.
Qatari-based news network Al-Jazeera published an exclusive report on Saturday claiming some conditions agreed upon during the compromise.
The report claimed that Israel has agreed to let 2,000 Gazans return to the north of the Gaza Strip, starting two weeks after the agreement is signed. The report also stated that Israel had denied Hamas's request to release 30 prisoners for every female soldier and countered with an offer to release five prisoners for every female soldier.
Palestinian leaders turned down a ceasefire, resulting in their defeat and expulsion from #Lebanon, allowing #Israel to impose its terms. Similarly, #Hamas in #Gaza is refusing conditions and holding hostages, likely leading to history repeating itself. Moreover, Arafat was… pic.twitter.com/pXFYI88Ljv
— Amjad Taha أمجد طه (@amjadt25) March 22, 2024
I didn’t know this. Wow.
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) March 22, 2024
Watch— pic.twitter.com/eRa23f5H1G
UNSC vote set for Monday on new Gaza ceasefire resolution; US unlikely to back it
The UN Security Council is set to vote on Monday on a resolution demanding a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but the United States warned the measure could hurt negotiations to pause the Israel-Hamas war, and is unlikely to back it.Israel lauds US ban on UNRWA financing until 2025 under new government funding bill
The resolution, put forward by the 10 elected council members, is backed by Russia and China, who vetoed a US-sponsored resolution Friday that supported “an immediate and sustained ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The 22-nation Arab Group at the UN issued a statement on Friday night appealing to all 15 council members “to act with unity and urgency” and vote for the resolution “to halt the bloodshed, preserve human lives and avert further human suffering and destruction.”
“It is long past time for a ceasefire,” the Arab Group said. Ramadan began March 10 and ends April 9.
The council is expected to vote on the resolution on Monday morning. The vote was earlier scheduled for Saturday morning, but was delayed early Saturday, according to a UN diplomat.
The US Congress passed a massive appropriations package early Saturday including a one-year ban on US funding to UNRWA. The ban is the latest blow to the United Nations relief agency for Palestinian refugees, following allegations earlier this year that 12 of its employees actively participated in Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught and that many others have ties to terror groups.
The approved legislation banned UNRWA funding “for any amounts provided in prior fiscal years or in fiscal year 2024, or for amounts provided in fiscal year 2025, until March 25, 2025.”
The clause was separated from the rest of the appropriations package and is stipulated as a calendar-year ban, which leaves open the potential for allocating any leftover funds to UNRWA after March 2025. Had it been a fiscal-year ban, there would not be any opportunity to fund UNRWA before October 2025. Moreover, it would have set a precedent much harder for Congress to overcome in subsequent spending packages.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz praised the measure in a post on X, writing: “The historic ban on US funding to UNRWA that passed today with overwhelming bipartisan support, demonstrates what we knew all along: UNRWA is part of the problem and can not be part of the solution.”
“UNRWA will not be a part of Gaza’s landscape in the aftermath of Hamas. Thousands of UNRWA employees are involved in Hamas terror activities and their facilities were used for terrorist purposes.”
He added a call for other countries to also ban funding the UN agency for Palestinians over the allegations.
AIPAC commends Congress for including key pro-Israel provisions in the funding bills for Fiscal Year 2024. Importantly, the legislation provides the full $3.3 billion in U.S. security assistance to Israel, as agreed to in the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding.
— AIPAC (@AIPAC) March 21, 2024
This essential… pic.twitter.com/UrexksvQFw
Daniel Greenfield: The IRS Helps UNRWA Fund Hamas
UNRWA USA’s report claims that it was able to provide $3.8 million to UNRWA in 2022. That money and previous funds raised by UNRWA USA could have bolstered Hamas before Oct 7.Blinken's warning: Rafah operation could isolate Israel and harm long-term security
While survivors and their families are entitled to sue UNRWA USA, the IRS has failed to act.
This is in sharp contrast to the IRS pursuit of pro-Israel groups under the Obama administration.
Z Street, one of those groups, launched a legal battle that exposed the administration’s targeting of political opponents.
Z Street’s founder, Lori Lowenthal Marcus, told Front Page Magazine that, “One of the excuses given to Z Street by an IRS official was that the IRS had to make sure we were not ‘engaged in terrorism’ because we mentioned ‘terror’ in our mission statement. The part of Z Street’s mission that mentioned terror? ‘We will not engage with, negotiate with or appease terrorists.’”
The IRS however appears to have a different position on terrorism. And that may explain its actions.
Among the more recent targets of the IRS has been the David Horowitz Freedom Center which spent 5 years battling the federal agency because we reported on Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Front Page Magazine had previously exposed the role that the IRS has played in enabling the funding and political support for Hamas in the United States by 501(c)(3) charity nonprofits.
But UNRWA may be the single large beneficiary of the IRS’ willful blindness to Islamic terrorism.
What is true of UNRWA is also true of much of the United Nations.
“Hamas is not a terrorist group for us, as you know, it is a political movement,” UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths recently argued.
But UNRWA is unique as a UN agency that functions as an employment agency for Hamas, provides it with facilities and aid, and political cover for its campaign to kill Jews.
The lawsuit by the survivors of the Hamas attacks states that, “UNRWA USA was fully aware that UNRWA employees supported, engaged in, and celebrated the terrorist attacks on October 7, but Defendant continued to fund UNRWA and its terrorist activities before, during, and after the October 7 terrorist attack.”
Even as the investigation of UNRWA goes on, the IRS has expressed no interest in examining the nonprofit status of UNRWA USA as they did Z Street, the David Horowitz Freedom Center and other conservative and pro-Israel groups who have been targeted for political reasons.
The Freedom Center and Front Page Magazine will not stop holding the IRS and those organizations, like UNRWA, that aid and abet terrorism against America and Israel accountable.
Former U.S. Ambassador Danny Ayalon examines the shared and differing strategies of Israel and the U.S. in concluding the war in Gaza and the elimination of Hamas
I love how this guy, whose foreign policy record is failure after failure, with zero military experience, parachutes into Israel and lectures the IDF about tactics in Gaza. 🤡🤡🤡 https://t.co/u5a4RbCNlN
— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) March 23, 2024
Canadian foreign policy hijacked for Hamas's benefit
In hindsight, Canada seems to always apologize for its poor judgment. In recent years, our government has apologized for nearly everything under the sun, including when it turned the St. Louis back to Germany in 1939, where most of its Jewish passengers were gassed to death. Now we wonder if these apologies were sincere.Why would Israel ever listen to Canada's concerns again?
I was in the House of Commons when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued that apology, which expressed remorse for blocking Jews from protecting themselves and their loved ones from fleeing Hitler’s gas chambers. He said this would never happen again. But it happened again this week when his party, along with the NDP and the Bloc Québécois, decided to give a genocidal terrorist organization (Hamas) the upper hand by promising to block arms sales to Israel that would help the Jewish people defend themselves.
Canada’s lean-in to radical and terrorist groups like Hamas is disconcerting to many Canadians. The reverberations are felt in Europe and America, where in my travels around the globe, many shake their heads in bewilderment, asking just what happened to Canada? They wonder how Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, and a noted Member of Parliament, Ya’ara Sacks, could stand warmly alongside the terror-inciting, Holocaust-denying, corrupt Palestinian “President” Mahmoud Abbas.
Our long-standing foreign policy is withering away. Canadians at large — those who are paying attention — find this behaviour irresponsible and reprehensible. They worry about Canada losing its moral high ground on the world stage. They see our traditional values eroding and our stance with democratic allies diminishing. Most want the good old days back when being Canadian meant something more than a passport and a quiet place to live.
There is a systematic effort in our institutions to erode our global standing and our long-held alliances that placed us in a community of allied democratic nations. What happened this week in parliament is a wake-up call for all Canadians: we need to stand our ground and voice our displeasure, so that we can once again feel proud and free.
While there’s no certainty that Biden will be successful in convincing the Israeli government of the merits of his plan, his continued support for Israel, and active involvement in ongoing negotiations, has ensured that America at least has some say over what happens.Israeli ambassador to Ireland receives 'white powder,' death threats in mail
The U.S. has also taken concrete steps to help civilians by pressuring Israel not to cut the territory off from power and water, urging it to take steps to allow more aid to get in, airdropping supplies into the enclave and building a temporary port off the coast that will facilitate a humanitarian corridor from Cyprus.
Canadian officials, meanwhile, suggested at the end of last month that we’d soon begin participating in airdrops, but seem to have gone silent ever since. And we were not involved in plans to build the new port and establish the sea corridor (though Joly claimed after the fact that Canada would somehow lend a hand).
Now, by passing the NDP’s anti-Israel motion, Canada has virtually guaranteed that it will have no influence over Israeli policy. After all, why would Netanyahu listen to us when we refuse to support his country in its time of need? Why take direction from a country that continually chastises you over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but can’t seem to lift a finger to help change it?
Rather than promoting peace, the NDP motion will only serve to further sideline Canada on the world stage, and diminish our influence over international affairs.
The Gardai (Irish police) are investigating death threats and a package of white powder that was sent to the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, according to a report in the Irish Times on Friday.Brazil’s Socialist President Lula Again Accuses Israel of ‘Genocide’ for Fighting Hamas
A package arrived at the Israeli embassy in Dublin on March 14, leading to the evacuation of the building and the deployment of military Emergency Ordnance Disposal teams, which respond to suspicious packages.
Soldiers in Hazmat suits took the bag of powder away for analysis and determined it was sugar.
The sugar was accompanied by a "collage of images" showing victims of the October 7 massacre with the logo of Hamas and the words "You are next" beside a photo of the Israeli Ambassador Dana Erlich.
Brazilian radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva resumed his condemnation of Israel on Wednesday by once again accusing it of committing “genocide” in Gaza over its self-defense actions against the jihadist terrorist organization Hamas.
Lula, whose previous condemnations and antisemitic remarks against Israel have single-handedly strained the historically friendly relationship between both countries in recent weeks, once again accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza during an event held in Brasília that commemorated the 44th anniversary of the ruling Worker’s Party (PT), which Lula founded.
The Brazilian president, right before singing a “happy birthday” to his PT party alongside Brazilian first lady Rosângela Lula da Silva and PT’s president Gleisi Hoffmann, called for Hamas to release the hostages that it still maintains in captivity since the October 7 terrorist attack — but demanded that Israel stop what he described as a “genocide” in Gaza.
“People who advocate peace in the world don’t have the courage to defend women and children in the Gaza Strip, who are being murdered every day, because that’s not a war, that’s genocide,” Lula said. “We have to have the courage to say these things, otherwise it’s not worth our time on planet Earth and it’s not even worth doing politics.”
Lula has repeatedly accused Israel of “murdering women and children” in its self-defense actions against Hamas.
Jordan’s extremist FM is at it again, warning of terrible things in Gaza that only serve to whip up popular sentiment.
— Jonathan Schanzer (@JSchanzer) March 23, 2024
Ayman Al-Safadi has been toxic for years. Since the war, he’s been over the top. https://t.co/AcyUOCvj5O
Toll in Moscow terror attack up to 133; US intel official: We warned Russia of a plot
Eleven people have been detained after gunmen stormed a concert hall in Moscow and opened fire on the crowd, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service told President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, according to Russian state news agency Tass.What Is ISIS-K, the Group that attacked a Moscow concert hall?
Russian investigators said Saturday the death toll from the deadly attack Friday had risen to 133 from an earlier figure of 115 dead.
“While clearing the debris in the Crocus City Hall concert hall, the number killed as a result of the terrorist attack rose to 133 people. Search operations are continuing,” the Investigative Committee said in a statement on Friday’s attack.
Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted the FSB security service as saying that the four suspected perpetrators of the attack were heading towards Russia’s border with Ukraine when they were apprehended early on Saturday, and “had contact” on the Ukrainian side.
Four of those detained were directly involved in the attack, Tass said.
The FSB said the attack had been carefully planned. At least three children were among the dead, authorities said.
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on affiliated social media channels, although neither the Kremlin nor Russian security services have officially assigned blame for the attack.
The terror group said four of its members carried out the attack and released photos of them.
In a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency, the Islamic State’s affiliate in Afghanistan said it had attacked a large gathering of “Christians” in Krasnogorsk. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the claim.
However, a US intelligence official told The Associated Press that US intelligence agencies had confirmed that ISIS was responsible for the attack.
The U.S. has intelligence confirming Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for a deadly shooting attack at a concert near Moscow on Friday, a U.S. official told Reuters.
Here is information about the Islamic State’s Afghan branch known as ISIS-K and their motives for attacking Russia:
WHAT IS ISIS-K?
Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), named after an old term for the region that included parts of Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, emerged in eastern Afghanistan in late 2014 and quickly established a reputation for extreme brutality.
One of the most active regional affiliates of the Islamic State militant group, ISIS-K has seen its membership decline since peaking around 2018. The Taliban and U.S. forces inflicted heavy losses.
But the United States sees the group as an ongoing threat. General Michael Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told Congress last March that ISIS-K was quickly developing the ability to conduct “external operations” in Europe and Asia. He predicted it would be able to attack U.S. and Western interests outside Afghanistan “in as little as six months and with little to no warning.”
Attacks within the U.S. itself were less likely, he said.
The United States has said its ability to develop intelligence against extremist groups in Afghanistan such as ISIS-K has been reduced since the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country in 2021. The U.S. military has said it can see the “broad counters” of an impending attack, but does not have the specific detail it did previously.
I have a strong suspicion that Russia’s view on a proper response to Islamist terrorists slaughtering civilians will differ when the targets are Russians as compared to their dismissive attitude when the targets were in Israel.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) March 22, 2024
Now that ISIS has apparently taken credit for the Moscow terror attack, let's remember:
— Gad Saad (@GadSaad) March 22, 2024
1) To redouble our efforts to combat Islamophobia;
2) To recognize that ISIS has absolutely nothing to do with Islam; its leader who held a PhD in Islamic Studies completely misunderstood the…
The Russian government should strive to reach a permanent ceasefire with the attackers, and avoid any aggressive actions such as eliminating the terrorists.#Moscow https://t.co/5YoYrtokku
— Mor Hogeg (@MorHogeg) March 22, 2024
ISIS has now claimed Responsibility for the Terrorist Attack tonight on the Crocus Concert Hall in the Russian Capital of Moscow, with them stating that the Attack was specifically attempting to Target a Gathering of Christians. pic.twitter.com/alUpZV4yqO
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 22, 2024
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 23, 2024
The official ISIS outlet “Al-Amaq” releases a longer statement on the attack in Moscow and includes a photo of the attackers.
Here is the statement translated into English
“The attack is part of the war between the Islamic State and the countries waging war on Islam” pic.twitter.com/i9dcFcXrXe
My favorite part is the claim that ISIS has done nothing for a decade while they had a major terror attack in Afghanistan just the other day, were behind the attack in Iran in Jan, and have countless other attacks in the last few months.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) March 23, 2024
But this is just further evidence of how…
Both #Russia and #Iran, which were forewarned by the United States ahead of #ISIS terror attacks, have exploited these attacks by blaming others—Russian propaganda has blamed Ukraine, Iranian propaganda blamed Israel and the U.S.
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) March 23, 2024
'ISIS is managed by Israeli intelligence': Ahmad Tibi 'likes' conspiracy
MK Ahmed Tibi "liked" a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday that places blame for the terror attack in Moscow, for which the Islamic State has claimed responsibility, on Israeli intelligence and the United States, N12 reported Saturday.
Ahmad Tibi is an Arab Israeli lawmaker and a Member of Knesset from the Hadash-Ta'al party.
The post that Tibi "liked" was written by Daniel Haqiqatjou, who wrote, “How exactly does it help Muslims or Palestinians to launch bombing attacks on Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Russia? If past behavior is any indication, one can expect future ISIS attacks on Qatar, Yemen, Lebanon, Algeria, China, South Africa, Ireland, and Latin America. It is widely recognized that ISIS is a false flag operation run by Israeli intelligence to harm Muslims.”
ISIS being run by Israel is a conspiracy theory held by a number of those who are opposed to Israel.
They didn't kill enough Jews I guess. pic.twitter.com/kBUp7e4eg3
— The Mossad: Satirical, Yet Awesome (@TheMossadIL) March 23, 2024
While they share a love for terrorism and a hatred for Jews + the west, Hamas and ISIS don’t like each other.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) March 22, 2024
ISIS wants to build an Islamic state based on a very specific and extreme form of Sunni Islam. They view Hamas as puppets of Iran and thus traitors to that cause.… https://t.co/g4pl0JeWng
The BBC is absolutely determined never to use the word "terrorism" when it covers Hamas.
— habibi (@habibi_uk) March 23, 2024
Well, it has used the word a number of times in today's coverage of the attack in Moscow.
Would the Corporation like to explain why Hamas is "different"? pic.twitter.com/dkpRG3QOrF
Israel cannot win Hamas war without Rafah, warfare expert claims
The southernmost city of Gaza, Rafah, also serves as Gaza’s border with Egypt. Israel would like to assert control over a narrow strip of land called the Philadelphi Corridor, which is approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) long and located along that border.
The narrow Philadelphi corridor has proven critical to Hamas’ efforts to gain strength since it violently took over the Gaza Strip from the hands of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 2007. Israel, therefore, views the area as critical to its progress in toppling Hamas.
“Without conquering Rafah, Israel cannot win the war,” said Professor Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. “But because of how Israel is managing the war and the international pressure, it might have to give up on doing so. Without taking over Rafah and essentially leaving Hamas intact, this is a victory for Hamas.”
This could have a crucial effect on Israel’s deterrence in the region, as its many adversaries have been watching it carefully since Oct. 7.
Israel also faces a major humanitarian challenge when contemplating a ground operation there.
The Rafah population before the war was estimated at approximately 300,000 residents. It is now believed to have surpassed 2 million, as those displaced because of Israel’s military operation in the rest of the Gaza Strip headed to the southern city weeks ago. Much of the humanitarian aid currently flowing into Gaza is through Rafah, raising the stakes of an operation threatening the already delicate humanitarian situation there.
According to Inbar, Israel should have planned its war in Gaza differently.
“The army should have operated in a tong movement and been present in Rafah much earlier on,” he told The Media Line. “Pushing the civilian population to Rafah was not constructive to the military plans.”
Netanyahu has said several times that he has approved the military plans for an operation in Rafah. Meanwhile, as the army waits for the green light, it has significantly reduced its presence in the Gaza Strip. Many of the hundreds of thousands of reservists who were called up at the beginning of the operation have been released, and many regular army members have also been deployed elsewhere.
“As of now, the army is not ready to immediately execute such a plan,” said Professor Eitan Shamir, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
Fact: There is zero evidence of Israel indiscriminate bombing or targeting civilians in Gaza. Not one strike. Indiscriminate means not targeted and not against a military target. People that should know better have conducted effects based criticism (look at the destruction,…
— John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) March 23, 2024
Of course, not all of those structures were destroyed by the IDF. And some the IDF destroyed during active combat agianst Hamas fighters who were "mousing" between multiple empty buildings
— Armin Rosen (@ArminRosen) March 22, 2024
I doubt main stream media will correct the narrative with this data. New reports that the damage to Gaza buildings (despite Hamas design and actions) is not as high as previously reported. https://t.co/YdghS6w4D5
— John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) March 23, 2024
IDF Chief Says Shifa Hospital Raid to Continue Until all Terrorists Are Captured Dead or Alive
The Israeli military will finish its operation at the Shifa hospital in Gaza only when the last terrorist is captured dead or alive, Commanding Officer of the Southern Command MG Yaron Finkelman said.Over 800 terrorists were arrested in the Al Shifa Hospital operation
“The operation here in Shifa is significant. A daring, tricky, and most impressive operation so far. We eliminated hundreds of terrorists, apprehended hundreds of terrorists, and brought in significant operational and intelligence assets. We are continuing with this operation, the leadership of the commanders is excellent, and we will finish this operation only when the last terrorist is in our hands – alive or dead. Great appreciation for the soldiers, great appreciation for the commanders, keep moving forward, do not stop for a moment.”
Former IDF intelligence officer Raphael Jerusalmy analyzes the strategic objectives and potential benefits of the operation
Report: Shifa Was an IDF Trap for Hamas Terrorists; Many Killed, 650 Arrested for Interrogations
New details were revealed on Thursday about this week’s IDF operation inside the Shifa Hospital compound in Gaza. According to reports, the IDF waited with the operation in Shifa to numb the many hundreds of terrorists who were regrouping inside, a kind of Roach Motel action. Finally, when the forces attacked swiftly, surrounding and breaching the hospital in a very short time, they surprised Hamas and caught as many as 650 terrorists.
The IDF and Shin Bet forces, led by the 162nd Division, the 401st Brigade Combat Team, and the Shayetet 13 special force carried out the operation. Terrorist funds were found in the hospital that were intended to be distributed to Hamas terrorists.
Senior IDF officials said that the divisional operation had been maturing for close to a month before the order to go in was given. “We numbed the area for three weeks, to carry out a surprise raid,” they said. So far, about 650 terrorists have been arrested, some with blood on their hands. One of the terrorists admitted during his interrogation that he killed four soldiers and kidnapped another ten to the Gaza Strip on October 7.
The IDF is stressing that the operation is not yet close to being exhausted and that they are looking for more fat cats inside the hospital compound, where behind every curtain another gold mine of terrorists and terror assets is discovered. The IDF estimates that the operation may continue into the beginning of next week.
The current estimate is that there are 50 terrorists left in the area, among them as many as 20 senior terrorists. The Islamic Jihad operatives in the area have all surrendered after realizing their choice was to capitulate or die. On the other hand, Hamas terrorists are divided into 2 groups, one raised their hands and surrendered, and the other fought and was killed.
Israel’s operation at Gaza’s Shifa hospital has been masterful. Hamas and Islamic Jihad re-established command centres in the hospital, a flagrant war crime which makes the hospital a lawful military target and endangers Palestinian medics and patients. Israeli commandoes…
— Alex Ryvchin (@AlexRyvchin) March 23, 2024
The complexities of conducting military operations in and around a hospital. Our enemies systematically and intentionally abuse the protections granted to medical facilities, while we distinguish and find ways to maintain the medical mission. https://t.co/el0f9tbrRe
— Lt. Col. (R) Peter Lerner (@LTCPeterLerner) March 23, 2024
In the last few weeks, 9 more IDF soldiers have been killed in the battle against Hamas. May their memories be a blessing; they will forever be remembered as heroes. 🕯️ pic.twitter.com/nNLmKnP1J6
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) March 22, 2024
IDF names soldier killed in West Bank sniper attack; battalion chief seriously hurt
The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday evening announced the death of a soldier killed in a terror shooting attack carried out by a Palestinian sniper in the West Bank a day earlier.
He was named by the IDF as Sgt. First Class Ilay David Garfinkel, 21, of the Commando Brigade’s Duvdevan unit, from the central community of Sitria.
In the sniper attack near the settlement of Dolev on Friday morning, the commander of the 668th “Ram” Search and Rescue Battalion and another soldier were also seriously wounded. Five other troops were lightly and moderately hurt, the IDF said.
Mujahid Barakat Mansour attacked early Friday morning, shooting at an Israeli minibus, which lead to an hours-long exchange of fire and resulted in him being killed in a helicopter strike. Troops began a pursuit after the gunman following the initial attack, during which they came under fire several times throughout the morning.
A Magen David Adom ambulance was also targeted during the attack, with no injuries caused to the service’s medics.
We are heartbroken to report that 21-year-old Sergeant Major Ilay David Garfinkel was murdered in yesterday’s terror attack in Binyamin, West Bank/Judea and Samaria. We stand with Ilay’s family at this difficult time. May his memory forever be a blessing. 🕯️ pic.twitter.com/WG3zUhyluH
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) March 23, 2024
U.S. trained and armed Palestinian sniper carried out terror attack, killing 1st Sgt.Ilay David Garfunkel and moderately wounding several more.
— Caroline Glick (@CarolineGlick) March 23, 2024
Let's give these murderers a state! Right? https://t.co/9sU1wSz1cj
This is rare, usually these guys in the West Bank have the latest M-4/AR types which are all obviously stolen and trafficked, usually the rifles even have on them new sights and grips and other things that show how recent acquisitions they are. https://t.co/zsvpOes4zp
— Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) March 23, 2024
UN chief calls for Israeli 'ironclad commitment' for free humanitarian aid access to Gaza
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian side of the border with Gaza on Saturday as part of a solidarity mission in honor of Ramadan and called a line of blocked relief trucks a “moral outrage.”
“Nothing justifies the horrific attacks by Hamas on October 7th – and nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” he said in a press statement. Now more than ever, it is time for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
At the crossing, Guterres renewed pleas for a ceasefire and called for Israel to give an “ironclad commitment” to unfettered access to humanitarian goods throughout Gaza. He also called for the release of Israeli hostages held in the Strip.
“In the Ramadan spirit of compassion, it’s time for the immediate release of all hostages,” he said.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded to the visit by saying that the UN “has become an antisemitic and anti-Israel body that shelters and emboldens terror.”
Katz said on X that Guterres “stood today on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing and blamed Israel for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, without condemning in any way the Hamas-ISIS terrorists who plunder humanitarian aid, without condemning UNRWA that cooperates with terrorists."
the UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres, stood today on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing and blamed Israel for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, without condemning in any way the Hamas-ISIS terrorists who plunder humanitarian aid, without condemning @UNRWA that…
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) March 23, 2024
The head of @WHO utterly disregards that Hamas turned Shifa hospital into a military base.
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) March 23, 2024
1,000 terrorists were hiding out in Shifa hospital. One thousand.
The IDF killed more than 170 gunmen and captured 800 terror suspects.
Instead of calling for a ceasefire @DrTedros… https://t.co/2gQwZTyW4a
UNRWA covers up Hamas’ theft of aid from its own warehouses. Exhibit A: an accidental tweet admitting it at the start of the war, hastily deleted and replaced with a tweet denying “reports on social media,” i.e. its own tweet.
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) March 23, 2024
UNRWA is a Hamas front. https://t.co/1oASFB0GoJ
This aid has all accumulated and is waiting for @UNRWA and other @UN aid orgs to distribute it. This is the equivalent of hundreds of aid trucks—which isn’t being distributed to Gazan civilians.
— COGAT (@cogatonline) March 23, 2024
We remain committed to the transfer of aid to Gaza. pic.twitter.com/mEWpUtOLwx
Yesterday (Mar. 22) the @IDF in coordination with Gaza’s CLA facilitated the entry of trucks full of medical equipment, food, and water into the Shifa hospital. The aid was brought into a designated compound, where sick and wounded patients were evacuated to prevent harm to them. pic.twitter.com/sPpvNVs2o6
— COGAT (@cogatonline) March 23, 2024
Be’eri hostage crisis uncovered: New evidence from October 7
New evidence sheds light on the tragic events of the hostage crisis at Pesi Cohen’s house in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, which resulted in 12 hostages dead, most terrorists captured, and two hostages rescued
Angelyn Aguirre, 32, a native of the Philippines, was murdered by Hamas in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7th.
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) March 23, 2024
Angelyn worked caring for Nira Ronen, and they were both slain side by side as they tried to hide inside the apartment’s safe room.
“In her last message, she told us the… pic.twitter.com/OnQTUCfZNd
Why isn't the @UN being a voice for the 130 men, women, and children being held hostage in Gaza.
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) March 23, 2024
Free the hostages. End the war.
Why does @antonioguterres let terrorists get away with murder? https://t.co/tjJnjl31L0
Israel is a startup nation: Hillel Fuld
Visegrad24 presents an in-depth series covering the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. This comprehensive series features on-the-ground interviews, bringing firsthand insights from a diverse range of voices, including politicians, professors, journalists, experts and influencers.
Our guest today: Hillel Fuld
Hillel Fuld is an American-Israeli technology business advisor who moved with his family from New York to Jerusalem at the age of 15.
00:00 - Introduction
01:00 - Ari Fuld
03:43 - Culture shock in Israel
05:23 - The start-up nation
08:38 - Israeli transformation
10:00 - Israel's future
14:20 - Is Israel part of the West?
18:33 - The threat of Islamism
19:53 - Who is innocent?
21:52 - Gaza or Singapore?
23:52 - People believing Hamas
25:30 - What Israel means to Jews
27:48 - Information warfare
31:09 - Peace comes from strength
Why he left Islam - The Apostate Prophet | Israel-Hamas War
Visegrad24 presents an in-depth series covering the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. This comprehensive series features on-the-ground interviews, bringing firsthand insights from a diverse range of voices, including politicians, professors, journalists, experts and influencers.
Our guest today: Ridvan Aydemir, also known as The Apostate Prophet
Ridvan grew up in a very religious Turkish family in Germany and was initially very receptive for Islamist radical propaganda. However, he quickly realized that the ideology was flawed and evil, causing him to leave Islam and become "the Apostate Prophet" encouraging other Muslim to also become apostates.
Many countries in the Muslim world have outlawed apostasy, and there are even examples where the capital punishment is in place for the "crime"
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Amb. Michael Oren (Mar. 22)
FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ambassador Michael Oren, prolific historian who served as Israeli ambassador to the US, and Knesset member.
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Rep. Ritchie Torres (Mar. 20)
FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Rep. Ritchie Torres, Democrat Congressman of New York's 15th District and staunch supporter of Israel.
The Israel Guys: Palestinians Tell Us Who They Want Their Next President To Be
In a new survey, Palestinians happily reveal all kinds of scary information. What they think about Hamas, October 7th, the Palestinian Authority, and who they want their new president to be–this was really shocking. And, we get into an update on the peace deal with the Saudis.
Fetterman 30,000 Dead Palestinians Number Cited by Biden Is Dishonest, Hamas Could End War Right Now
During an interview with the Fox News Channel aired on Friday’s broadcast of “Special Report,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) reacted to claims that 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war — a claim that has been repeated by President Joe Biden — by stating that number includes a huge number of Hamas terrorists and also said that the war could end immediately if Hamas would surrender and release the hostages.
Fetterman said, [relevant remarks begin around 1:55] “I was very disappointed that our caucus wasn’t — we didn’t have the opportunity to do that. I really wanted to hear from Netanyahu. In fact, I even asked the Republicans — back channels, just like, hey, can I just sit there? And I don’t even have to [ask] any questions. And I’ve always been incredibly surprised why we’re not talking about where this was because of Hamas and the things that they’ve done and that why [isn’t there] a protest kind of a surge to demand that Hamas [surrender] on this. If you really want to end all the — just the misery and the death and the destruction, if they would just surrender, and it would end tomorrow, release everybody, send them home. And that’s been very frustrating.”
He continued, “And then we’re talking about now there [are] 31,000 Palestinians that were killed, and, well, you’re not talking about, well, 13,000 or more are actually Hamas fighters on that. So, why aren’t you breaking that out as well, too? And then, if you do, and talk about the casualty ratio, it’s actually very clear that this isn’t a genocide or that the Israelis are targeting civilians. In fact, the only ones that [target] civilians, that’s Hamas.”
Fetterman: ‘Israel Shouldn’t Face Isolation’ Dealing with Hamas
“Hard disagree,” said Democratic Senator from Pennsylvania John Fetterman, reacting to the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken comment on Israel’s potential isolation if the military advances with the Rafah operation plan.
“Israel shouldn’t face isolation when Hamas terrorists are still present and hiding behind civilians,” read Fetterman’s post on X (formerly Twitter).
He added that “Hamas owns this humanitarian catastrophe and must surrender, release the hostages NOW, or be eliminated.”
Senator Fetterman, labeled as a “political anomaly,” emerged as a political warrior for the Jewish state, but has shown probably the most visible support for Israel since the October 7 attack. In November, he displayed posters of Hamas’ hostages in front of his office.
Hard disagree.
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) March 22, 2024
Israel shouldn’t face isolation when Hamas terrorists are still present and hiding behind civilians.
Hamas owns this humanitarian catastrophe and must surrender, release the hostages NOW, or be eliminated. pic.twitter.com/lBOEnnW5Xf
SPOILER: It's a war and Hamas needs to surrender or face elimination.
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) March 23, 2024
Send every hostage back home NOW. pic.twitter.com/KlyGzVu5JL
AOC decries lack of genocide ruling on Gaza, urges halt of weapons
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused Israel of committing genocide in her remarks to US Congress on Friday, claiming that Israel is forcing famine on over one million Gazans.
The far-left representative from New York is a prominent member of "The Squad," four democratic members of US Congress who have been constantly outspoken against Israel since their election.
In her remarks, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez claimed Israel is blocking residents in Gaza from receiving food and humanitarian aid. She continues citing death toll numbers as reported by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry and blamed US resources for responsibility for their role in contributing to Israel's impact in the Gaza Strip.
"If you want to know what an unfolding genocide looks like, open your eyes," she pleaded to a congressional panel.
She accused the US government of complicity with the transfer of US weapons to Israel and called for a suspension.
Ma'am, publicly demand Hamas release all Israeli civilian hostages taken forcefully on October 7th, including infants and the elderly, or kindly sit down, and shut the fuck up. https://t.co/tyCQwW0LLF
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) March 23, 2024
Top US rabbi says Gaza’s plight, distrust of PM make Israel-support harder for US Jews
A prominent Reform rabbi from New York said that distrust of Israel’s government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the suffering of civilians in Gaza were making it more difficult for American Jews to support Israel in its war against Hamas, drawing harsh pushback from other American rabbis.With Purim near, rioters threaten Jews in Teaneck, NJ: ‘You’re not safe here — or anywhere’
Angela Warnick Buchdahl, the senior rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City, commented on this issue during a conference at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem on Wednesday on Jewish peoplehood. She attended remotely via a live video interview.
Her comments, and her assertion that suffering in Gaza is something “that any human being should be devastated seeing,” prompted sharp-worded disagreement, including from Shmuley Boteach, a well-known Orthodox rabbi, who is an outspoken advocate of Israel. He accused her of committing a “public betrayal of her people.”
By contrast, Rabbi Harold Kravitz, a former president of the Conservative-Masorti Rabbinical Assembly, said Buchdahl’s comments were accurate, and also noted the impact of bias in press coverage of the war, and the harm to Israel’s cause done by the presence of extremists in the Israeli coalition.
Coinciding with friction over the war in the bilateral relations between the United States and Israel, Buchdahl’s remarks and ensuing blowback highlight the polarizing effect that the fighting is having both on the relationship that some American Jews have with Israel, and within their own communities.
During a speakers’ panel at Wednesday’s Heschel Conference in Jerusalem, which focused on Jewish peoplehood and Israel-Diaspora relations in times of war, an interviewer asked Buchdahl: “As the war continues, does your community experience difficulty in supporting Israel?”
Buchdahl replied at length. “I think that it’s been really challenging, as the war continues, to see the continued loss of life in Gaza,” she said, adding that: “Americans are seeing very different news” on Gaza than Israelis. (h/t Jewess)
In Teaneck last week, a rumor spread that an Israeli real-estate event held at one of the synagogues would auction off “stolen Palestinian land,” though the event was actually just an educational event about moving to Israel, and no real-estate transactions were occurring whatsoever.
“Imagine seeing your family’s lands being sold online while you helplessly watch, this stirs a rage and a pain that is indescribable,” Lamis Deek, an attorney with the PAL Law Commission, wrote.
“It’s an injustice that should shock the conscience and mobilize authorities and attorneys to action.”
Maybe it would, but absolutely nothing like this was happening at the synagogue.
Yet the flames were fanned.
Two protesters — Letticia Freitas, 29, of Worcester, Mass., and Mahdy Suleiman, 20, of East Hanover, NJ — were eventually arrested for spray-painting cars, throwing objects at Jews, and charged with bias intimidation, criminal mischief and harassment.
Freitas was also charged with assault.
Many more menacing protesters weren’t arrested.
The New York Times pretends the tensions originate on both sides.
“Teaneck, which once touted itself as a model of religious harmony, with a Muslim mayor and an Orthodox Jewish deputy mayor, has become a seat of conflict over the Israeli-Palestinian hostilities.”
Yes, the religious harmony comes to an end when irrational rioters from out of town attack a synagogue over some tale they heard.
Teaneck hasn’t become a “seat of conflict,” but a place where Jews specifically are being targeted for being Jews.
It’s not complicated and it’s not unique to our current moment.
And it may not be as deadly as Kielce, yet — but the impulse to spread lies about Jews, to rage in their communities, is the same.
Here’s the message to Jews from the rioters rolling through Teaneck: “You’re not safe here. You’re not safe anywhere.”
Ironically, a message like this is the very reason modern-day Israel exists.
The SRG unit of the NYPD is the latest target of progressive hysterics, in their ongoing quest to dismantle policing entirely and turn the city into a chaotic horrorshow.
— Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (@VickieforNYC) March 22, 2024
Why the SRG unit? Well, the SRG is our single most effective tool in stopping citywide violence and riots.… https://t.co/YXrsZuBoTg
The pro-murder, pro-rape, pro-abduction mob in Toronto has planned a “family friendly” march through a Jewish neighborhood on a Jewish holiday.
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) March 23, 2024
This is an absolute outrage and should be condemned by every level of government. pic.twitter.com/19IxVCjGZn
Standing outside a Matisyahu concert holding a sign that reads: "All Zionists will burn in hell"
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) March 23, 2024
Totally reasonable welcome for an artist who sings about peace. pic.twitter.com/aw1pOgEM05
“Terrorists, terrorists, off our streets”
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) March 23, 2024
London is taking back its streets from the rabid pro-Hamas mob. pic.twitter.com/21maUmlAGs
Belligerent American Airlines passenger thrown off flight for yelling anti-Semitic slur at flight attendant
The American Airlines passenger who was put in a headlock and thrown off a flight for yelling an anti-Semitic slur at a flight attendant has been pictured.
Shail Patel, 29, was arrested after his filmed outburst on flight 2506 from Tampa International Airport to Philadelphia on Tuesday.
The Florida resident appeared drunk - with bloodshot eyes and reeking of alcohol - before unleashing a hateful rant on his fellow passengers, according to the affidavit seen by The New York Post.
He allegedly yelled: 'F*** you blue-eyed white devils I’m gonna take this plane down with all you mother f***ers on it.'
Patel allegedly began showing unhinged behavior as soon as he boarded the plane, screaming and cursing at passengers.
The situation escalated when Patel allegedly slapped another person in the hand and face and spit on them
Video of the altercation, which was posted in three parts on X (formally known as Twitter), showed the moments leading up to the man being escorted off the plane.
He repeatedly can be heard calling a flight attendant a 'k**k.'
Patel also shouted: 'I’m trying to get to my home country and you all people made it harder for me to get to my home country.'
In one video, another flyer who claimed to be a cop is seen putting Patel in a headlock after a struggle.
The outburst cause the flight to be delayed by 30 minutes.
Source: https://t.co/nDsrwwQ9jt
— Ayelet Azoury (@azoury_ayelet) March 22, 2024
Amid rise of antisemitism, Jewish students seek community
Every Friday, Madison Lieberman (CAS ’24) walks to Chabad Georgetown, where she attends Shabbat, a Jewish service celebrating a weekly day of rest. For Lieberman, the ability to connect with her religion has been a lifeline throughout her college experience.
“It’s family,” Lieberman said. “Everybody’s amazing—I met one of my best friends through Chabad.”
At Shabbat services, Lieberman wears a necklace with a Star of David charm. She used to wear it all the time, but recently, she feels that the display of Jewish pride puts her at risk of antisemitism.
“If I’m going out with my friends at 2 o’clock at the bar, I take it off,” Lieberman said. “It’s scary, and it’s not something anybody should have to worry about—Jews or any other group.”
In the months following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza, Jewish students across the country, including at Georgetown, have reported increased antisemitism. Jewish students who spoke to the Voice shared experiences of being called slurs, being profiled, having fear of speaking about their Judaism, and seeing antisemitic sentiment in online spaces.
The Jewish community has also faced internal challenges and fractures caused by polarizing discussions about Israel and its connection to Jewish identity. These conflicts have led individuals to find solace and meaningful connections in a variety of groups rather than under one umbrella.
Antisemitism has been prevalent on Georgetown’s campus for many years. In January 2023, antisemitic and racist pamphlets were distributed across campus, including within Bayit, Georgetown’s Jewish Living Learning Community. In the same month, students discovered antisemitic graffiti drawn in Darnall Hall following similar incidents in 2022, 2017, 2010, and 2009. A staff member in the School of Foreign Service was placed on leave in November of 2023 after past antisemitic tweets surfaced.
But in January, the threat of antisemitic violence hit much closer to home for many. Two months ago, a Lyft driver allegedly attacked Rabbi Menachem Shemtov—the founder and director of Chabad Georgetown—by striking him several times. Metropolitan Police later arrested the driver, who was charged last month in D.C. Superior Court. According to court documents, authorities believe he was attacked because he is Jewish.
I’m pleased to share my 2024 university antisemitism rankings:
— Lawrence Muscant (@LawrenceMuscant) March 22, 2024
1. @Concordia
2. Islamic University of Gaza
3. Birzeit University
4. Damascus University
5. @YorkUniversity
Congratulations to @JustinTrudeau’s Canada for having two in the top five.
"Debunking Zionist Hasbara [Advocacy]" is a new "educational" initiative at @Cornell. Its 1st event was a conversation between anti-American/anti-Israel @Columbia Prof Mohamed Abdou & anti-Israel @Cornell Prof Eric Cheyfitz. Why is @Cornell hosting this? https://t.co/HJDoX5oDl0
— Canary Mission (@canarymission) March 23, 2024
Queens College Hillel demands administration take action after pro-Hitler graffiti
Queens College’s Hillel chapter says recent graffiti on campus targeting Jews was a threat to student safety and demanded action from the college administration.
The graffiti on buildings around campus included the messages, “You better start hiding, Jews,” “Israelis, I’m coming after you,” and “Hitler, please come back. Teach Jews a lesson,” according to a statement released by the college’s Hillel director, Jenna Citron Schwab.
The statement, issued Thursday, said the college’s Jewish community had experienced similar threats previously and had been warning college leadership for weeks about escalating antisemitism on campus.
“The vandalism threatens the safety of Jews,” the statement said. “Antisemitism has no place on our campus or in any society.”
The Hillel demanded that the college call out antisemitism, take steps to enforce its code of conduct to prevent antisemitic vandalism and punish the perpetrators.
The college’s president, Frank Wu, sent a statement to the campus community on Thursday saying that “antisemitic graffiti” was found in several bathrooms and police were notified.
“Queens College stands strongly against religious intolerance, racism, sexism, and bigotry of any kind,” Wu said.No this isn't 1939 Germany, it's CUNY (Queens College) 2024 and just another example of the antisemitic rot permeating under the failed leadership of @ChancellorCUNY Matos-Rodriguez.
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) March 21, 2024
"to my fellow Israelis, I am coming after you" - Hitler 2
"you better start hiding Jews lol!" pic.twitter.com/vlmdgvRx1K
"We are able to take what we learn in the classroom about decolonial theories...and put these theories into practice in real time," says @ColumbiaSJP activist Safiya O'Brien, who was featured in an @ajplus video. What exactly is "real time" when it comes to decolonization? WATCH pic.twitter.com/ooE0RKilsQ
— Canary Mission (@canarymission) March 22, 2024
Daniel Greenfield: Goodbye Candace – Part 2
Rather than being a serious conservative activist, Candace Owens spent all her time chasing clicks and clout, doing whatever would get her attention and lashing out at even the slightest criticism.
Now after burning through every ounce of goodwill, the Daily Wire parted ways with Candace, freeing her to build her own brand. While her descent into antisemitism got a lot of the headlines, the real story is that she had spent the past months pushing every kind of ugly and crazy agenda to get attention.
There’s little conservative or moral about anything Candace Owens preaches anymore. Apart from some generic Joe Rogan style ‘anti-wokeness’, it’s a grab bag of stuff meant to appeal to the worst people on social media.
Why? Because it pays.
Someone asked me what Candace will do next? Make more videos. If people stop paying attention, she’ll make even crazier and uglier videos.
When the antisemitism clicks die out, she’ll go do something else ugly.
Social media is a machine for making narcissistic, perpetually unhappy, monsters like this, who exist only as attention vampires.
When you pay attention to AOC or Candace Owens, who became her, they win.
The @guardian doesn’t even try anymore. This is just blatant antisemitic blood libel! https://t.co/TSP7ze0RxY
— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) March 23, 2024
Rosie: the Jews are starving the people of Gaza
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) March 23, 2024
Reality: truckloads of food is entering Gaza and being sold by Hamas to those able to pay for it pic.twitter.com/422qZW9nPa
Amherst - shocking antisemitic cartoon spotted in the @AmherstBulletin depicting a Jewish soldier using the victim card to inflict damage onto others.
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) March 23, 2024
Reach out to the editor here: kheidel@gazettenet.com pic.twitter.com/9T2qK22ltX
Note how the message is hammered home here.
— habibi (@habibi_uk) March 22, 2024
“We don’t take the law in our own hands. But in our hearts, we believe that anyone who blasphemes, he should be prosecuted, and the sentence for conviction in a court of law is that he should be given the death sentence.” 2/9 pic.twitter.com/XVcAPBOjXM
Purely to illustrate the hatred and the dangers, here are a few images from the tsunami of fury Shahpal unleashed on the internet.
— habibi (@habibi_uk) March 22, 2024
The first is a video celebrating the man who attacked two people with a cleaver outside the former offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris in 2020. 4/9 pic.twitter.com/CyqiEeUVSh
What about assassinating politicians perceived to offend Islam?
— habibi (@habibi_uk) March 22, 2024
Yes! Here, Mumtaz Qadri is praised as a “warrior”. He's the fanatic who murdered the Pakistani politician Salman Taseer, an “enemy of Islam”.
Note the praise of Khadim Rizvi too, the “leader of the mujahideen”. 6/9 pic.twitter.com/8RcO2BjZGt
Another restaurant selling shawarma in wartime Gaza Strip - Thailandy Restaurant in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip, is busy serving customers.#TheGazaYouDontSee
— Imshin (@imshin) March 23, 2024
https://t.co/D7Ci3gsB1V pic.twitter.com/s3t0FhcUP7
Selling meat in Rafah, South Gaza Strip, 55 shekels ($15) for 1 kg.#TheGazaYouDontSee
— Imshin (@imshin) March 23, 2024
https://t.co/aRhDRflytL pic.twitter.com/J78CQo3B9W
Food aid corruption in South Gaza Strip. How chickens find their way to the black market.#TheGazaYouDontSee https://t.co/465jpm8jpN pic.twitter.com/l6zNnyz7fn
— Imshin (@imshin) March 23, 2024
Will he demand the release of Elizabeth Tsurkov? The Iraqi government has done nothing to release a researcher kidnapped by militias that operate with impunity in Iraq and operate with clear tacit support from Baghdad. It’s unconscionable that Iraq keeps getting invites and… https://t.co/LsFx9S5iwK
— Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) March 22, 2024
First, “Palestine” is mentioned in @JoeBiden Nowruz message (Ayatollah Khamenei was the only other person to do this). Now, the State Dept’s @USABehFarsi page promotes a member of the regime’s elite as a “defender of women across Iran.”
— Kasra Aarabi (کسری اعرابی) (@KasraAarabi) March 22, 2024
Who is advising the Biden admin on Iran? pic.twitter.com/11vNsHmaQF
.@USABehFarsi:
— Reza Behrouz (@RBehrouzDO) March 22, 2024
Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani is a member of a mafia-like family involved in widespread financial corruption and funding anti-US and anti-Semitic propaganda. The family’s tremendous wealth and financial empire derive from embezzlement and confiscation of properties of… pic.twitter.com/xvMmQWEY4N
Yep! They just don't get it! pic.twitter.com/YVVQiDDQJ0
— Documenting Israel (@DocumentIsrael) March 22, 2024
The Nazi hunter, the IRA and the man who met the Queen
A Nazi hunter with ties to Israeli intelligence was given access to some of the IRA's most sensitive secrets just when the group believed it was about to drive Britain out of Northern Ireland.
An upcoming BBC documentary follows the story of Zwy Aldouby.
Right at the bloodiest point of the Northern Ireland Troubles, he filmed bombers unmasked and met most of the IRA's underground leadership.
The film disappeared for almost 50 years and former IRA members have now told the BBC it was a huge mistake to allow Aldouby such unprecedented access.
Making an IRA documentary
Zwy Aldouby appeared in Ireland in March 1972 as the director of an US crew making a film about the IRA called "The Secret Army" - despite having no apparent track record as a filmmaker.
The team had access to the IRA at a time when it was carrying out daily attacks and many in the organisation believed Britain could be forced to withdraw.
The 1972 film recorded IRA members planning and carrying out attacks while unmasked.
The subsequent disappearance of the potentially incriminating footage is the subject of a feature-length BBC documentary, also called "The Secret Army", which is appearing on the BBC iPlayer on 27 March.
While filming between March and June 1972, Aldouby met and filmed the majority of the IRA's secret leadership, known as the Army Council.
Also among those filmed handling guns and bombs was Martin McGuinness, then a rising young IRA leader.
Six years ago, Mireille Knoll, an 85-year-old #Holocaust survivor, was brutally attacked and murdered in her Paris apartment for one reason: because she was #Jewish.
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) March 23, 2024
May her memory forever be a blessing, and may we continue to #StandUpToHatred and #StandAgainstTerror. pic.twitter.com/5XewwB5mjW
"You're going to die and viva Hamas. I'm going to shoot you", the lady yelled at Emily. Jewish Emily Volovik from Denmark was attacked by a Hamas supporter who saw her Star of David necklace. The incident occurred in Østerbro when she was with her friends.
— Ayelet Azoury (@azoury_ayelet) March 22, 2024
Emily was beaten and… pic.twitter.com/tpeHPiEbAW
'We will continue to invest heavily in Israel': Nvidia chief reassures Israeli employees amid war
"I have 3,300 employees in Israel. I also have nearly a hundred employees in Gaza and the West Bank - and our hearts are with all of them. The most important thing, of course, is to stay safe, and we are doing everything we can as a company to support them," said Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang during a Q&A session with journalists at the GTC conference held in San Jose, California.
"Israel is one of Nvidia's largest homes in terms of population ratio. Israel is also home to some of our most talented engineers. Our most significant investments, like NVSwitch, came from Israel," Huang added.
"The thing I showcased, which is the heart and soul of the Blackwell processor, came from Israel. And so, we will continue to invest heavily in Israel. This entire region is very important to me. We also support all our Palestinian employees in the West Bank, and we care for them and their families. There is no risk that they will lose our support. Therefore, this region is very important to us. The employees need to know that the company stands behind them," Huang further stated.
"For them to do their best work, they need to know that their base is strong. Nvidia is a strong company. Our base is strong and we have unequivocal support for our employees there. And they should know that. They need to know. They do know that we are going to invest in Israel, we are going to support them 100%, and no matter what their background is, we are there for them," according to the CEO.
New Zealand Stands With Israel
— The Persian Jewess (@persianjewess) March 22, 2024
💙🇮🇱🇳🇿💙
Hon @AlfredNgaroNZ, a politician of Cook Islands descent serving in New Zealand’s national government, presents his case for Zionism.#StandWithIsrael#AmYisraelChai
🎥 Israels_heart on IG pic.twitter.com/UCGwOaFE4H
From ancient Persia to Gaza: What can Israel learn from the tale of Purim?
The Purim tale, retold through the biblical Book of Esther in Jewish communities worldwide this weekend, provides an excellent lesson to presidents, prime ministers, and commoners in understanding the link between Providence and human endeavor, as well as the challenges of Jewish history.Jonathan Tobin: Laughing at our foes is good therapy during Purim
The megillah scroll hints that beyond the intrigue of royal courtyards, behind the politics of a White House or a Kremlin, and besides the movement of foreign and threatening military forces, lies a hidden hand operating on a transcendental plane.
Beyond the grasp of man’s finite mind, there is order and purpose. There is a higher Divine order into which man has not been initiated. In short, what appears random isn’t.
The “pur” (the drawing of “lots” as in a gamble or “happenstance” hinted at in the word Purim) is planned. And thus, over and above the threatening actors around us – from the time of Haman in ancient Persia to the Ayatollahs of Shi’ite Iran, and from Amalek of Exodus to the anti-Jewish and anti-Israel wildly woke intelligentsia (so-called) of today’s Western world – there is an engaged and concerned G-d. And he acts to protect the Jewish People, especially when we screw up.
The grand sweep of Jewish history is a sustained tutorial against the evils of brutal dictatorships, totalitarian regimes, and arrogant empires. From the oppression implied in the Tower of Babel story to the slavery of Pharaonic Egypt and from Achashverosh to Nebuchadnezzar, the Bible critiques the politics of absolute power and the penchant of dictators to lord over the Jewish people.
None of these empires lasted too long. And none of these bad actors were able to destroy the physical core and indomitable spirit of the Jewish people.
I see this as a warning to the Islamic Republic of Iran – the most acute wannabe totalitarian hegemon of our times and to the United Nations or the United States of America – who seek to dictate diplomatically to the modern State of Israel. You cannot succeed.
And at this particular moment in history, I can think of no healthier response to the current crisis—both on Israel’s borders and in the United States as antisemitism threatens to become mainstream discourse under the guise of leftist ideologies and faux concerns for human rights and the Palestinians—than to make merry and to mock Sinwar and his accomplices.
Five months after the Oct. 7 massacres, Sinwar is believed to still be in Gaza, commanding the last remnants of Hamas’s military forces. It is to be hoped that he ultimately suffers the same fate as Haman, whom the book of Esther tells us was hanged on the same gallows that he planned to kill the Jew Mordechai after his plans to carry out the mass murder of the Jews of the Persian Empire failed.
But calls for a ceasefire in the war against Hamas continue to grow, with even the United States reportedly proposing that the conflict end with war criminals like Sinwar being allowed to escape to a comfortable exile abroad. And so, it’s far from clear that the most recent example of someone attempting to follow in the footsteps of Haman, as well as Adolf Hitler and the long list of those who have attempted to carry out the genocide of the Jewish people over the centuries, will receive the grim justice he richly deserves.
The best revenge
That’s a daunting thought. But it ought not to deter us from engaging in the usual Purim frivolity. Indeed, it is at moments like this when we need not just release from daily cares that a holiday offers, but to live it up a bit. There is much to weep about and good reasons to worry about the future. Yet at a time of existential crisis, it is more important than ever to remind ourselves that the best revenge on those who would extinguish Jewish life is for it to be lived to the fullest.
As much as anything, the message of Purim this year must be Am Yisrael Chai—“Israel and the Jewish people live.” Genocidal enemies abound, and most of them, sadly, are on the loose. Their apologists and useful idiots, who seek to save the current generation of Hamans from defeat and elimination, occupy positions of power and influence. But thanks to the existence of Israel, the Jews are not defenseless or prepared to meekly accept the status of victimhood, even if doing so might make them more popular in a world otherwise little interested in Jewish suffering. The people of Israel and Jews everywhere can still celebrate their past deliverance and express confidence that—sooner or later, and despite suffering and great loss—the current war on the Jews will also fail miserably.
That will require the continued courage and skill of the Israel Defense Forces, as well as the willingness of leaders and ordinary Jews alike to emulate Esther and Mordechai. Just as he refused to bow to Haman, Jews must now have the fortitude to do the same when it comes to those who demand that Israel surrender to its foes or the idols of contemporary culture that would deny the Jewish people rights no one would think to refuse to anyone else. And this should be done in a spirit of confidence that will allow us to poke fun at our foes and bring temporary smiles to our faces. Happy Purim!
Chag Purim Sameach! pic.twitter.com/NuRjyvxY6X
— GnasherJew®גנאשר (@GnasherJew) March 23, 2024
This guy comes up with the most creative Purim costume every year in Tel Aviv.
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) March 23, 2024
We really could use some help from the avatar… pic.twitter.com/VvpTpg13pN
Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon! Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424. Read all about it here! |
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