Monday, April 08, 2024

04/08 Links Pt1: The Right Dishonourable Foreign Secretary; Germany Stands by Israel; Islamic Jihad spokesman admits taking over hospitals

From Ian:

In Six Months, Everything Has Changed for Israel
On Oct. 6, Israel appeared on the cusp of a new era of recognition from the Muslim world, close to a peace deal with Saudi Arabia that would move it to the center of a realigned Middle East after years on its fringes. The historic conflict with the Palestinians that had defined its existence for most of its 75-year history appeared to have finally receded into the background.

It all changed on Oct. 7.

Today, after a bloody attack that might have brought it the world’s sympathy, Israel is closer to being a global pariah than ever before. Its Saudi peace deal is on hold. The Palestinian question is again roiling its Arab neighbors. It is in open argument with its main ally, the U.S. And its physical living space has been shrunk by dangers on its northern and southern borders.

In six months, the world has turned upside down for this small nation. On Oct. 7—or Black Sabbath, as Israelis now call it—the Jewish state experienced a fundamental shock that upended its sense of security and belief in the strength of its military. It responded with a heavy-handed invasion of Gaza that in much of the world’s eyes left it the aggressor and its attackers the victims. The resulting isolation could be more of a threat to its future than the attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people on Oct. 7. “Israel’s longevity is in question for the first time since its birth,” said Benny Morris, an Israeli historian. The only time Israel faced a similar existential threat, he said, was in its war for independence in 1948, when it battled five Arab countries and local Palestinian militias.

The outpouring of global sympathy on display after the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust has dwindled, having been replaced by images of starving and dead Palestinians in Gaza. Images projected across the world show swaths of the Gaza Strip turned into rubble. More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Palestinian health authorities, whose numbers don’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.

This week, the killing of seven aid workers trying to feed desperate Gazans appears to have punctured the notion for much of the world that the Israeli military isn’t running amok in Gaza and has caused a rethink by the U.S. about its support for Israel.

Normalization with Saudi Arabia is on hold, while ties with Arab allies such as Egypt and Jordan have frayed. Pro-Palestinian protesters have thronged the streets of Western capitals, at times calling for Israel’s demise. A surge in antisemitism has shocked and alarmed not only Israelis but Jews across the globe. It is all strengthening a feeling inside Israel that the country can only rely on itself.

Israel faces a dilemma where it wants to be loved by the West, but needs to be feared by its enemies in the Middle East to ensure its long-term existence, said Micah Goodman, an Israeli author and philosopher.

“That’s the catch-22 we’re in,” he said.
Melanie Phillips: The Right Dishonourable Foreign Secretary
Is Britain’s Foreign Secretary unaware that Israel has again agreed terms for a ceasefire that Hamas has again rejected? Can he really not understand that the only conditions under which Hamas would release the hostages would be Israel’s total surrender and the release of all its Hamas prisoners?

Does he really fail to grasp that the hostages with whom Yahya Sinwar has reportedly surrounded himself are the Hamas leader’s ultimate bargaining counter to protect his life, and so he will never voluntarily give them up? Is Cameron really so badly informed that he thinks a man like Sinwar would choose to go into exile rather than die the “martyr’s” death he craves if he is defeated, taking the hostages with him? Does he really imagine that the unconscionable threat posed by the psychopathic, religious fanatics of Hamas and its equally fanatical patron, Iran, can be solved by political means?

Surely Cameron, with his first-class degree from Oxford and reputedly stellar intellect, cannot possibly be so stupid and ignorant as to think like this? But the only alternative to that is that he is driven by profound malice towards Israel. And Cameron is an honourable man.

Then comes the article’s zinger. For it turns out that Cameron is indeed well aware that Hamas has refused a deal that releases the remaining hostages. So he says:
We all want to see an end to the fighting, but we must face up to the difficult question: what should we do if Hamas refuses a deal and if the conflict continues?

What indeed. And then he comes up with this astonishing answer:
We cannot stand by with our head in our hands, wishing for an end to the fighting that may well not come — and that means ensuring the protection of people in all of Gaza including Rafah.

As an occupying power, Israel has a responsibility to the people of Gaza. But it also means that the international community must work with Israel on humanitarian efforts to keep people safe and provide them with what they need.

Ordinary civilians must be safe and able to access food, water and medical care. We need the UN, with the support of the international community, to work with Israel to make practical, deliverable plans to achieve this in Rafah and across Gaza.

He doesn’t want a solution that ensures the protection of all the people of Israel. He want instead a solution to protect all the people of Gaza — while Israel, the victim of the monster born from the people of Gaza, has to produce it. The absolute and overriding requirement to protect Israel against further genocidal attack from Gaza is nowhere in Cameron's vision. His only gesture is a meaningless bromide about wanting
the people of Israel and the people of Gaza to be able to live their lives in peace and security.

Yes, Gaza’s civilians should be protected as far as possible from the war — but this cannot take precedence over the requirement to stop Hamas once and for all. It is Israel that is threatened with being wiped out, not the people of Gaza. They are the unfortunate casualties of the Hamas strategy to maximise the numbers who die in order to turn the west against Israel — an infernal manipulation of gullible westerners that has worked to the letter — plus the refusal by Egypt to open its border to the Gazan refugees, and indeed the refusal by every other Muslim state to allow any of them in.

Moreover, the majority of Gazans voted for Hamas, still support Hamas, and exulted over the October 7 pogrom. Untold numbers of “ordinary” Gazans took part in that pogrom, murdered Israelis, took them hostage and are currently keeping some of them locked up in their homes where they are reportedly using them as slaves. And the vast majority of Gazans, when asked, say they support the further killing of Jews and the destruction of Israel.

These are the people whose welfare Cameron is more concerned to protect than the lives of the Israelis who would continue to be subjected to genocidal attack if he had his way.

This is presumably what he means by Britain aiming to “exercise leadership in the region and at the United Nations”.

For Cameron is an honourable man.
Kurt Schlichter: Israel Is Risking Losing This War by Caring What People Who Hate It Think
Israel is risking losing this war because it is focusing more on avoiding criticism from its enemies than winning. I blame Benjamin Netanyahu in large part, but also our incompetent and loathsome alleged president. Now, I’m not one of those reflexive Bibi haters, and while I certainly don’t think the United States should have a say in who Israel chooses to lead it, I do believe in accountability. The disaster of October 7 happened on his watch, and he should’ve resigned the day after, but that’s not up to me or up to any American. What is up to me as an American is who our president will be next year, and it can’t be Biden again. But the desiccated old zombie aside, Bibi needs to go. He screwed up on October 7, and now he appears to be screwing up this war.

The problem is not that Netanyahu has been too harsh, as our idiot president claims. It’s that Netanyahu has been too gentle (Yes, I understand a war cabinet is leading Israel, but he is still the face of it.). And too slow. Joe Biden has betrayed every ally America has had, from South Vietnam to Afghanistan and Bibi somehow imagined that creep would not sell-out Israel? Speed was of the essence. Why was Rafah not glass months ago? Netanyahu waited, and that gave Biden the time to sell out Israel.

Restraining was a mistake. The fact is that Israel has, to a far too great extent, tried to fight this war on terms that would satisfy its leftist enemies in the United States and other anti-Semites around the world. That was an error from the beginning. Israel’s strategy should have focused on victory, not on trying to mollify its critics. They will cry no matter what. Let them cry over defeated terrorists. Do you know what mollifies critics most effectively? Winning. Israel should’ve done that, and fast. But it didn’t. Despite the courage and skill of the IDF, who are a credit to their great nation, Israel’s leadership chose to fight this war and is still fighting this war in a manner that allows others who do not have Israel’s best interest at heart to dictate its strategic and tactical prerogatives. That is a grave error. That is putting Israel in danger.

Israel has three main related strategic military objectives at the moment. First, Israel needs to keep Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Second, Israel must eliminate Hezbollah on its northern border. This Jihadi militia is dug in inside Lebanon with enough Iranian-supplied rockets to devastate Israel’s infrastructure, as well as having the ability to launch October 7-style attacks. And third, Israel must destroy Hamas in Gaza. A surviving Hamas can launch more October 7-style attacks and has promised to do so if able.


Netanyahu: Date set for Rafah offensive, essential to victory
Israel has set a date for the military offensive against the remaining Hamas terror battalions in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday night.

“We are constantly working to achieve our goals—first and foremost the release of all our hostages and achieving a complete victory over Hamas. This victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there,” the premier said in a video released by his office.

“It will happen; there is a date,” revealed Netanyahu, adding that he had received a “detailed report” on the high-level hostages-for-ceasefire negotiations that ended in Cairo earlier on Monday.

The Israeli government has repeatedly emphasized that telling Israel to refrain from operating in Rafah is equivalent to demanding that it lose the war. Many of the 133 hostages still in the hands of Hamas after 184 days are believed to be held in Rafah. Two captives were rescued from the city by special forces in a daring military operation last month.

According to Israeli estimates, the final four Hamas battalions—with some 3,000 gunmen—are concentrated in Rafah. Netanyahu has said that all battalions must be defeated to prevent the terror organization from regrouping and reestablishing itself to threaten Israel again.

Around 64% of Israelis support expanding the military operations against Hamas to Rafah, even if it means a clash with the United States, which opposes such a move, according to a poll published last week.

The Biden administration is pressing Israel to refrain from a full-scale ground incursion, claiming the move could lead to a humanitarian “disaster” in Gaza. Instead, the White House favors a limited operation aimed at high-value Hamas targets and securing the border with Egypt.

The administration is seeking to explore alternative plans when a senior Israeli delegation visits Washington, though a date has yet to be set.

“We were hoping to be able to do it this week, but I’m not sure,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday. “I’m not expecting one this week.”

The meeting was originally scheduled for late last month but was canceled by Netanyahu at the last minute after the U.S. failed to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution on March 25, decoupling the demand for a ceasefire from the release of the hostages held by Hamas.
Islamic Jihad spokesman admits taking over all Gaza hospitals
The Shin Bet and IDf Unit 504 revealed on Monday that Islamic Jihad Spokesman Tarik Salame Uda Abu confessed to Gazan terrorists taking over all of the hospitals in Gaza.

"Gaza terror groups use all of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip...the organization lied and deceived regarding the story of an Israeli rocket hitting a hospital at the start of the war," he told his interrogators.

The Islamic Jihad spokesman was arrested recently during the second takeover of Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, along with 500 other Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, plus another 200 who the IDF killed when they refused to surrender.

The terror spokesman said that his role was to fool the global media and foreign countries to turn them against Israel.

On October 18, IDF Spokesman R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari laid out the IDF’s full comprehensive intelligence case to prove that a failed rocket launched by Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza was the cause behind the damage and the death Tuesday night at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital.

This was the incident that Uda Abu was referring to on Monday.

Previously revealed recordings of Hamas members blaming PIJ

At the time, Hagari presented audio recordings in which Hamas members can be heard saying to each other that PIJ was responsible for the explosion.

He also presented a detailed video, topping off earlier videos put out by Israel’s public-relations apparatus, showing different stages of the rocket’s trajectory and the layout of the hospital being hit. A camera that Channel 12 had over Gaza City all night captured the rocket launch and hit as well.

The press conference was a nod to Israel’s acknowledgment of the importance of the international perception of this particular hit, as a ground invasion into Gaza is imminent.

“The IDF has concluded an after-action review and confirmed that PIJ was responsible for the strike,” Hagari said. “We did an immediate review for all relevant branches of the IDF.”


Richard Goldberg: Did Israel surrender to White House pressure in Gaza? Iran likely thinks so
Israel, meanwhile, needs US support in pressuring Egypt into a new security arrangement along the Gaza border — including an end to tunnel smuggling — and eventually in finalizing evacuation plans for civilians in Rafah ahead of any future ground operation.

Tactical adjustments to appease the White House need not indicate any change in strategic objectives.

The problem for Israel, however, is that in the Middle East, perception is reality.

Look at the chessboard from Tehran’s point of view: Biden is giving Iran a $10 billion sanctions waiver and free flow of oil to China, offering carrots to the Houthis in Yemen amid nonstop attacks in the Red Sea and holding Israel back from military operations in southern Lebanon to destroy Hezbollah’s capabilities near Israel’s northern border.

Now comes a decision that looks a lot like backing down from Hamas destruction in Gaza, too?

To the extent Tehran perceives Israel to be weak, wholly dependent on the United States to execute military operations and susceptible to American pressure to reverse course on its security promises, the ayatollah will be emboldened to escalate on all fronts.

Such a perception will also reassure Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who believes Israel lacks the will and capability to strike back harder in Lebanon despite daily terror attacks that have forced 100,000 Israelis to evacuate their homes in the north.

And most tragically to admit on the six-month anniversary of the attack, such a perception makes it less likely Israel will secure the return of all its citizens Hamas took hostage — at least not without giving its leader, Yahya Sinwar, everything he needs to reconstitute power in Gaza.

What Israeli leaders say and do in the next 48 hours matters more than what they’ve said and done in the last 48 hours.

What assurances can be provided that Israel remains committed to an operation in Rafah and Hamas’ ultimate destruction?

What consequences will be promised should Iran attack Israeli territory in the coming hours or days?

What Israeli operations will be conducted — on any and all fronts where Iran fights — that put Tehran and its proxies back on their heels?

And what steps will the White House and Congress take to make sure Tehran believes the United States still has Israel’s back?

The answer to these questions will determine Israel’s fate — not the timing of any single move in Gaza.
Biden ally opposes halting US weapons transfers to Israel
A Senate ally of President Joe Biden said the US should continue sending weapons to Israel, rejecting a call by House members to withhold arms transfers pending a full investigation into the Israeli missile strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza.

Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, cited a heightened risk of an attack by Iran or its proxies after a strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria that Iran blamed on Israel.

“In the face of a possible attack from Iran, I don’t agree that we should in any way constrain or stop the delivery of defensive material that is essential for Israel’s defense,” Coons said on Fox News Sunday.

Biden has come under renewed pressure to restrict US support for Israel after the aid workers, including a US-Canadian dual national, were killed last week. Israel’s army responded by dismissing two officers, calling the strike a case of “mistaken identification, errors in decision making, and an attack contrary to standard operating procedures.”

Biden delivered a warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, urging him to take new steps to protect civilians and provide humanitarian aid to Gaza or face a consequential shift in US support.
Intel report: Qatar’s funding, policies led directly to Oct. 7; it shouldn’t be key mediator
A confidential report by a team of veteran US and Israeli intelligence professionals working on behalf of lawyers for the families of October 7 victims contends that Qatar should not be allowed to continue to serve as a key mediator in the Gaza conflict, notably in negotiations for the release of hostages.

Compiled on the basis of research in English, Arabic, and French in the Middle East, Europe and the US, as well as public sourcing, the report concludes that Qatar is a fundamentally disingenuous actor, falsely presenting itself as an honest broker, moderating influence in the region, and “friend of the West.”

In fact, the report states, “Qatar operates not as an independent mediator as it claims, but benefits directly from the bloodshed and geopolitical fallout and unrest that result from its policies.”

As regards Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people were massacred and 253 abducted, the report specifies that “Qatari funding and policies led directly to October 7.”

The “Doha-Gaza Alliance at all levels — financial, political, and military — has resulted in the current regional upheaval, the impact of which is being felt worldwide,” it further states.

Therefore, the report argues in its conclusions, “Continuing to allow Qatar to act as a key mediator in the Gaza conflict is mistaken.”

Sections of the report, including its executive summary and “interim policy conclusions,” were made available to The Times of Israel. Its authors include veteran CIA intelligence officers and Israeli intelligence professionals.

It was produced on behalf of lawyers for families of October 7 victims, including for use in legal action being undertaken on behalf of the families.

Its findings include material known for years to US intelligence about Qatar’s malign activities but not strategically acted upon — a failure, the authors argue, that allowed Qatar to advance policies harmful to the interests of the US and its allies in the Middle East and beyond, including the souring of the Arab Spring, the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the rise to power and arming of Hamas, culminating in October 7 and its ongoing regional and global consequences.

Looking more broadly at Qatar’s dealings with Gaza, the report specifies that Qatar has been fully aware and supportive of Hamas military activities and strategy for over a decade, and that its publicly declared assertion that its funding for Gaza was going to Palestinian welfare rather than Hamas military activities “has no credibility.” Rather, the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and his government “know the vast majority of funds Qatar was sending to Gaza were going to assist Hamas’s terror infrastructure, weapons, and training.”

The Qatari government offers “significant financial support” to the Muslim Brotherhood in general and has provided at least $2 billion in total to Brotherhood-affiliate Hamas, it states.


Urban Warfare against Terrorists: Military and Legal Challenges
This is a recording of a UKLFI Charitable Trust webinar recorded on 7 April 2024, with Major (ret) John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and chaired by Natasha Hausdorff.

Last October the Israeli government tasked the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) with destroying Hamas as a military and governing organisation in the Gaza Strip and rescuing over 250 hostages abducted from Israel.

Hamas was estimated to have around 40,000 fighters embedded in, around and underneath a population of over 2 million people, mostly in urban centres, in a strip of land 40km long and 10km wide. Hamas controlled a network of more than 600km of tunnels, while flight of civilians out of the territory was barred.

This webinar discusses the extraordinary military and legal challenges that have faced the IDF in this theatre and its response to them.


Special Briefing - The October 7th War with John Spencer
Tune in to StandWithUs TV for briefing, six months on from October 7. In conversation with Michael Dickson is John Spencer, an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, national security and military analyst. He served as an advisor to top four-star generals and other senior leaders in the U.S. and is considered one of the world’s leading experts on urban warfare, military strategy and tactics.


Israel Daily News – War Day 184 April 07, 2024
Tonight on @ILTVNews, I spoke with US (ret.) Army Maj. John Spencer @SpencerGuard, one of the leading experts on urban warfare, about Israel’s achievements in the #Gaza war and efforts to prevent civilian casualties at an unprecedented level.


Germany Stands by Israel
Germany has taken strong positions against the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which has been exposed countless times now as a partner to Hamas terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip. German politicians from across the political spectrum called for a cut in UNRWA funding, with one member of the Social Democrats vowing, “there cannot be a status quo ante with UNRWA.” That cut came in late January. Admittedly, Germany did contribute €45 million to UNRWA in March for “work in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and occupied West Bank,” but funds for Gaza remained suspended.

After the South Africans hauled Israel before the International Court of Justice, alleging that Israel was carrying out genocide in Gaza, Germany stepped in. On January 12, the Germans announced they would “intervene as a third party” and strongly rejected the charge of genocide—noting that Germany had experience in such matters, and that it knew better than most how to differentiate between a defensive war and genocide.

None of this is to say that Germany has been one-sided. The country continues to talk about the need for a two-state solution and it has expressed concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, providing financial assistance to support responsible players in this space. Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, spoke privately with Netanyahu (she did not chide him publicly) to challenge some of his statements opposing a two-state solution. Germany has even stated that it supports the notion of a Palestinian state.

As reports of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza emerged, Scholz called upon Israel to “do everything possible to better protect Gazan civilians,” but he also was quick to noted, “war can end immediately if Hamas ends its inhumane activities,” including the release of Israeli hostages. The German government supports an Israeli operation in the town of Rafah, but has warned against “forced displacement.” Scholtz tweeted last month, “As a friend of Israel, I expressed my concerns to Prime Minister @netanyahu,” calling upon Israel to allow for more aide to enter Gaza.

As the humanitarian challenges mount in Gaza, the statements of concern issued by the German government have taken on an increasingly urgent tone. The World Central Kitchen Debacle elicited a response from Germany, too. And Germany quietly welcomed the recent UN resolution calling for a ceasefire through the end of Ramadan. Remarkably, even as it struck this balance, Germany must now defend itself from charges that it is “facilitating the commission of genocide” in Gaza. This insane charge has been brought by the government of Nicaragua.

But even as the mess compounds, there is no ugly war of words between Germany and Israel. There are no leaks from the Chancellor’s office implying that a full rupture between Jerusalem and Berlin is possible. There are no threats of cutting off support to Israel amidst the country’s multi-front battle with Iranian proxies spanning from Gaza to Lebanon to Yemen.

Contrast this with the shrill tone and language coming out of the White House right now. Biden’s repeated and public broadsides against Israel have heaped additional tension and challenges upon an already tense and challenging situation.

Germany will not likely ever be Israel’s most important strategic military partner. That’s America’s traditional role. But it may be time for Germany to step in and remind Biden that, election season notwithstanding, there is a moral obligation to stand with Israel. In an era of resurgent anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, few other countries will.
Nicaragua seeks to halt German arms exports to Israel at World Court
Nicaragua asked the International Court of Justice on Monday to order Germany to halt military arms exports to Israel and to resume its funding of UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, saying there is a serious risk of genocide in Gaza.

Nicaragua's agent ambassador Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez told the court Berlin had violated the 1948 Genocide Convention by continuing to supply Israel with arms after ICJ judges ruled it was plausible that Israel violated some rights guaranteed under the genocide convention during its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

"There can be no question that Germany (...)was well aware, and is well aware, of at least the serious risk of genocide being committed," in the Gaza strip, Arguello Gomez said.

He told the judges that Berlin was ignoring its obligations under international law by continuing to provide military assistance to Israel.

"This has got to stop," Arguello Gomez said.

The German government rejected Nicaragua's allegations.

"Germany does not, and never did, violate the Genocide Convention nor international humanitarian law, neither directly nor indirectly," Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, a legal advisor for the German Foreign Ministry told journalists at the ICJ.

Berlin will present its case in more detail in court on Tuesday.




Has any other country been treated as Israel was after the WCK accident?
There is a saying that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. “Biden: Gaza policy to change unless IDF protects Gaza civilians” (April 5) speaks of a threat on the part of the US administration.

Much has been written about the conduct of the IDF in the war in Gaza. Putting aside the opinions of countries like Russia, China, Iran, and those with a long history of antisemitism, experts have written that the IDF is the most moral army. Now comes the US with its threat.

It is unfortunate that the IAF mistakenly bombed a group of aid workers, but it apologized and is researching the details of how it happened.

On the other hand, did the US apologize for killing unarmed Italian civilians in Canicatti during World War II? Did it apologize for bombing a wedding ceremony in Afghanistan in 2002, causing the death of 48 civilians and many injured? Of course, it did not.

What about the bombing of Doctors Without Borders in a hospital in Kunduz in 2015, leaving 42 dead? The list is very long of the US involvement in mistaken bombings not only in Afghanistan but also in Iraq and other countries.

As usual, since the beginning of the Gaza war, the US has criticized Israel as if it knows better, putting our soldiers in danger.

At the beginning of March, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz went on an unauthorized trip to Washington. He met Vice President Kamala Harris, who pressed for increased humanitarian aid and a ceasefire.

Ten days later, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for elections in Israel. The very next day, President Biden endorsed Schumer’s message.

Last week, Gantz called for new elections in September. The following evening, Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu, threatening to change his Gaza policy unless certain steps were taken by Israel immediately regarding hostage release and humanitarian aid.

You don’t have to be a political expert to connect the dots. All the main characters have one goal: to replace the Netanyahu government. But I believe that Biden and Gantz are making political mistakes. Biden, looking at the polls, thinks that pressuring Israel will help him in Michigan.

What he is not recognizing is that the great silent majority of Americans favor Israel over Hamas, and increasing the daylight between the two nations may be a detriment to him in November.


Alexander Downer: Albanese and Biden’s opportunism on aid deaths is contemptible
I try to avoid using strong language when criticising people – it’s ungentlemanly and divisive – but I’d have to say the reaction of Western leaders, including our own opportunistic Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, to the accidental killing by the Israelis of seven aid workers was nauseating.

Of course, the death of the aid workers was tragic, and it was particularly upsetting for us that one of the victims was Australian Zomi Frankcom.

And of course, it is right for the Israelis to have had an independent investigation into the circumstances which led to this incident and for there to be consequences for those military commanders who made this tragic mistake. That has happened.

But US President Joe Biden might like to remember that when he was vice president and Barack Obama was in the Oval Office, the Americans mistakenly bombed an Afghan wedding party, killing 24 innocent civilians.

Of course, they didn’t do it deliberately and this tragic incident was put down to the consequence of war.

Or the West might like to reflect back on the Kosovo war in 1999 when US president Bill Clinton was in the White House.

On that occasion, a US cruise missile dropped hit the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, killing three people.

The Americans swore it was an accident and an investigation was set up. Western aircraft killed 12 Libyans in 2011, including ambulance workers, who were helping people wounded by the forces of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

That, too, was a tragedy. But it was an accident.

These things happen in wars. But the confected outrage to the Israeli bombing goes way beyond the reaction to these earlier incidents.

Lack of staying power
The West is now ranting against Israel, demanding the Netanyahu government agree to a ceasefire.

The West wants to end attacks on a terrorist organisation that not only slaughtered Jewish civilians on October 7, but has the intent of destroying the state of Israel, killing Jews more generally and is holding a large number of Israeli hostages, most of whom are civilians. It’s disgraceful.

What is it about Western leaders that they’re incapable of holding any international position for more than a few weeks?

How is it that they initially supported retaliation to the grotesque October 7 deaths, but now think Israel should stop attacking Hamas?

No wonder the likes of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin think the West has no staying power in support of its values and its interests. They’re right.

What will the consequence be if Israel stops attacking Hamas? Think it through. It will be a huge victory for Hamas.
Canberra taps former defense chief to scrutinize killing of Australian aid worker
Australia on Monday tasked a former military chief with monitoring Israel’s probe into the deaths of seven aid workers in Gaza, seeking “full accountability” for the killings.

Australian national Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom was among the group of seven World Central Kitchen volunteers killed on April 1 in an Israeli airstrike on central Gaza’s Deir El-Balah.

Mark Binskin, a former chief of Australia’s Defense Force, was appointed by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Monday to serve as a special adviser working with Israel’s military on continuing investigations.

Israel’s military said on Friday that the strike had been a result of “serious mistakes” and that it had fired two senior officers in the aftermath, but its attempts to explain have done little to curb international outrage.

The probe found that the strike was ordered against the convoy of WCK vehicles after officers suspected they carried a Hamas gunman, despite a low level of confidence, and against army regulations. The officers did not identify the vehicles as belonging to WCK when the strike was ordered, according to the investigation.

Speaking to state broadcaster ABC on Monday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Canberra does not “find the explanations to be satisfactory at this point.”

“We need proper accountability, we need full transparency about the circumstances and I think that is what the Australian public would expect,” said Albanese. File – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (R) speaks as he sits next to Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong during a meeting with Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape (unpictured) in Parliament House in Canberra, December 7, 2023. (Hilary Wardhaugh/AFP)

Wong has also been deeply critical of Israel’s initial response. Announcing Binskin’s appointment via X on Monday, Wong wrote, “The Australian government has been clear that we expect full accountability for these deaths.”
‘Who’s in charge?’: Andrew Bolt exposes emerging ‘split’ between PM and Penny Wong
Sky News host Andrew Bolt highlights the “split” between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong over the Israel-Hamas war.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly refused to demand Israel immediately stop fighting Hamas, while Ms Wong called for an “immediate cessation of fighting in Gaza”.

The Foreign Minister on Saturday repeated she wanted “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, leading to a sustainable ceasefire”.

“It is a split where Wong, the Foreign Minister, is winning over Albanese who only happens to be the Prime Minister, which is bad luck for Israel and a great win for the Hamas terrorist group,” he said.

“It also raises serious questions about who's really in charge of this government and its foreign affairs.

“It is extraordinary to see a Prime Minister openly contradicted by his Foreign Minister but that's exactly what we're getting.”


Labor’s reaction to Australian aid worker's death was ‘disgraceful’
The Australian’s Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan says the Albanese government’s reaction to the killing of seven aid workers by Israel is “disgraceful”.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton claimed Labor’s appointment of former ADF chief Mark Binskin as a special advisor is "political".

“I think this is disgraceful, sensationalist and wicked stunt by the Albanese government,” Mr Sheridantold Sky News host Andrew Bolt.

“Which is not only wrong … bad morally."

Mr Sheridan said Labor's reaction "threatens to politicise" the Australian military in the face of Israel.

“In democracies, uniformed soldiers do as they’re told."




Zomi Frankcom ‘not the only Australian’ to be killed in Israel-Gaza conflict
Shadow Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister James Paterson has pointed out aid worker Zomi Frankcom is not the only Australian to be killed in the Middle Eastern conflict.

Mr Paterson noted Galit Carbone was killed in her kibbutz on October 7 by Hamas fighters.

“She was minding her own business on a Saturday morning in her unit and Hamas fighters came into her home and killed her,” he told Sky News Australia.

“There hasn’t been the same strong response from the Australian government for her death.

“There’s been no calls for Hamas to investigate it.”


Exclusive: Israel may block Australia’s special advisor after hostile letter
Sky News host Sharri Markson has revealed Israel may not allow the special adviser appointed by the Albanese government to access its investigation into the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom.

A letter signed by Penny Wong and Richard Marles all but demanded a criminal investigation into the Israeli soldiers who mistook the aid workers' convoy for Hamas.

"We acknowledge that the findings of the investigation have been transferred to the military advocate general, Major General Tomer Yerushalmi in order for her to determine whether to open a criminal investigation,” the letter read.

"Appropriate action should be taken against those IDF personnel who have not acted in accordance with the law."

Ms Markson criticised the pair for revealing they would be appointing a special advisor before waiting for Israel to respond to the letter.

“As a direct result of Penny Wong's handling of this situation, the bilateral relationship between Israel and Australia has deteriorated to its lowest point under the Albanese government,” the Sky News host said.


Brother of Hamas victim speaks out on six month anniversary of attack
Geoffrey Majzner, the brother of Hamas victim Galit Carbone, speaks out on the six-month anniversary of the horrific October 7 attacks.

Mr Majzner joined Sky News Australia host Sharri Markson to describe the day he found out about his sister’s death.

“It took me a few days really to figure out for sure because I voice-messaged her at 12:09 midday and then it was ten minutes after that no one had any contact with her," he said.

“Then she was shot but it took about three days to identify her and go through … her DNA and whatsoever.

“Took really three days after.”




‘Iron Swords’ by the numbers
Six months into Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, 600 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 3,188 wounded, 12,000 projectiles have been fired toward Israel, 300,000 reserve soldiers mobilized, approximately 13,000 terrorists eliminated and 33,000 targets attacked from the air. These are just some of the data published by the IDF on Sunday.

In addition to the 600 fallen soldiers (256 since the start of the ground campaign on Oct. 27) and nearly 4,000 wounded, some 10,500 soldiers suffered from stress reactions (82% of whom returned to combat) and about 1,900 received psychological support (85% of whom returned to combat).

Many of the casualties are reservists. Of the approximately 300,000 reserve-duty soldiers mobilized since the beginning of the war, 17% are women and 83% men. Some 77% of the reservists are between the ages of 20 and 39.

Despite significant criticism over the lack of support for reservists, grants totaling 12.5 million shekels ($3.3 million) have been distributed so far. In addition, the families of the wounded have received vouchers worth a total of 5.5 million shekels ($1.4 million) and additional economic assistance amounting to some 3 million shekels ($795,000).

Over the course of the war to date, 32,000 terror targets have been struck from the air in the Gaza Strip, and 1,400 in the northern theater. More than 3,300 strikes have been carried out from the ground. During the ground and air maneuvers in both theaters, thousands of terrorists have been killed or captured. In the Gaza Strip, more than 12,000 terrorists were eliminated, including 125 commanders. In the northern theater, 330 terrorists were eliminated, including 30 commanders.

In Judea and Samaria, arrests and counter-terror activities have intensified since Oct. 7. There have been more than 70 operational activities, during which more than 6,000 detainees (including 1,600 Hamas operatives) were arrested. Some 420 terrorists were eliminated, and 19 terrorists’ houses were demolished.

As for the situation in Gaza 369,990 tons of humanitarian aid have been transferred into the enclave, including food, shelter equipment, medical supplies, water and fuel. This is in addition to 50 humanitarian airdrops comprising 3,000 individual aid packages. Israel has placed more than 15.5 million evacuation calls to Gaza residents, and has dropped 9.3 million leaflets.
Gov’t urged to prepare for paraglider attacks in central Israel
Palestinian terrorist groups in Samaria could attack Israeli cities in the central Sharon region using paragliders, similar to the way Hamas terrorists did down south on Oct. 7, an umbrella organization uniting hundreds of civilian security squads warns.

“Terrorists can infiltrate by air from Jenin, Tulkarem and Qalqilya to communities along the Seam Line and nearby cities within minutes,” Sharon Turgeman, chairman of the Hineni Forum, which represents more than 360 security teams consisting of thousands of volunteers all over Israel, said on Sunday.

“We have to change our outlook immediately and prepare for an aerial incursion,” said Turgeman, urging the government to “equip the standby squads with appropriate equipment to deal with these threats.”

The Hineni Forum drafted a detailed plan with operational suggestions to improve the emergency teams’ readiness for various threats facing the Israeli communities near the Judea and Samaria security fence.

Standby squads are made up of locals, usually former military, who train together and serve as first-response teams, holding down the fort until regular troops arrive. At least two kibbutzim in Israel’s western Negev were saved during Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre because of such squads.

Hamas terrorists used paragliders to infiltrate southern Israel on Oct. 7, after which they slaughtered some 1,200 people and wounded thousands.


IDF kills Hezbollah Radwan commander in Lebanon
An Israeli strike in Southern Lebanon on Sunday night killed a field commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Monday morning.

The attack was carried out near the village of As-Sultaniya, according to the IDF, which named the commander as Ali Ahmed Hassin, Radwan commander of the Hajir region.

According to the IDF, he “was a senior operative in the terrorist organization and held a rank equivalent to that of brigade commander. In his role, he was responsible for planning and carrying out terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians in northern Israel.”

The army added, “Since the beginning of the war, Hassin carried out numerous launches towards Israeli territory.”

Hezbollah confirmed Hassin’s death, saying that he was from Beirut.



Seth Frantzman: Reporter's Notebook: The Gaza border, six months after Oct. 7
On October 7, the members of the security team, using modern rifles, defended this community successfully from the terrorists. In many cases, the terrorists assigned groups of 30-40 men to attack each border community. When they didn’t succeed in some places, there was no second wave. When they did succeed, such as breaking into Kfar Aza, waves of men came from Gaza to loot and murder.

In Sderot, terrorists shot upon entry, firing bullets at the streets, targeting the police station in a battle that went on for hours into the night. The building eventually burned down. Residents had to hide indoors for several days amidst fear that infiltrators were still inside. Eventually, the city of 30,000 was evacuated. Six months later, it recovered a lot: many residents returned, and there were even traffic jams downtown. But the signs of war remain – soldiers stand at the city entrances, checking cars.

In Ofakim, around 30 minutes away from Gaza by car, one particular neighborhood saw an intense gunfight; more than two dozen people were killed in different incidents. In total, around 50 residents of the city were killed, some in a bus for retirees that was traveling to the Dead Sea from Ofakim through Sderot. The bus was attacked, and the people were killed. Police officers in Ofakim were killed as well. In one neighborhood, the terrorists attacked several homes. Residents helped defend the city and eventually, the terrorists were hunted down.

Back on the border with Nirim, the small, 240-person community, it is quiet, but eerily so, like a ghost town. The kibbutz minimarket has been reopened, and the customers are mostly soldiers who come over from units stationed nearby. Several green parrots inhabit a tree, apparently escaped pets. Other former pets are wandering around, including a cat that wouldn’t stop following me. Wild dogs had infiltrated from Gaza on October 7, following the marauding looters.

In contrast to Sderot and Nova, fields of memories, Nirim is almost deserted, the burned homes on one side of the kibbutz unchanged since October 7, cleared on October 10 and 11 of bodies.

In the background, like a whisper, ring concerns about what comes next in Gaza, with the IDF decision to pull out Battalion 98, though the military remains steadfast in its goals, holding as a stark symbol of a lack of strategy, a symbol that haunts these roads.

I drive back along the 232, the same road the terrorists would have driven on; it is quiet today. Six months ago, this was a road of death. No matter how much the fields are full of green today, and the orchards of oranges are pregnant with fruit, this place will always hold the massacre it witnessed.
Uncle of Israeli mom Shiri Bibas kidnapped with redhead boys demands Biden give Hamas an ultimatum: ‘Do something, or else’
The uncle of the Israeli mother who was captured on video being kidnapped by Hamas with her two red-headed toddlers is calling on President Biden to give an ultimatum to the terrorist organization to secure their immediate release and warn, “Do something, or else.”

Maurice Shnaider, 67, said he will forever be haunted by the image of his niece, Shiri Bibas, being led away from her home on Oct. 7 by Hamas terrorists while she desperately clung onto her boys, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 1, the youngest hostage being held in Gaza.

Now six months after their kidnapping, Shnaider, of Kingston, NY, said he’s tired of waiting and traveling from rally to rally only to hear that the hostage talks have been delayed again.

“I want Biden to tell Hamas, to tell Qatar negotiators, ‘Do something, or else,'” the frustrated uncle told The Post. “If enough pressure is put on them, then maybe we can finally see something change.”

Shnaider said he was at home when he first found out that Shiri, 32, and her husband, Yarden Bibas, 34, were victims of Hamas, with the frightened uncle turning on his TV to be greeted with the harrowing image of Shiri’s kidnapping.

“I never want to watch that again,” he said as he teared up recalling the footage. “I can’t erase that image from my mind. I just want to remember Shiri’s smiling face.”

The Bibas family, however, received more grim news the following month, when Yarden was forced to be in a Hamas propaganda video claiming his wife and children were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Shnaider said he could only stomach two seconds of the video before shutting it off.
7,000 New Yorkers join hostages' families in demanding Israeli government to reach a deal
More than 7,000 people gathered Sunday afternoon near the United Nations Headquarters in New York calling for the return of the remaining 133 hostages in the largest rally outside of Israel to date.

Hostages' family members and rescued hostage Louis Har were joined by members of Congress, local community leaders as well as over 150 organizations including synagogues, churches and schools.

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett was also in attendance and seen embracing Ruby Chen, father of deceased hostage Itay Chen.

The rally began with an exhibit by activists with the Hostage and Missing Families Forum chained in cages with the goal of shocking passersby and reminding them what life in captivity looks like.

Former hostages made speeches
Har, who was rescued from Hamas captivity after 129 days, told the crowd he can't start healing until all of the hostages are returned home.

"People might think that after one-hundred-and-twenty-nine days in Hamas captivity there are easier things to do than to fly here and stand with you - but I can't start healing until they are all back. None of us can," Har said. "I'm demanding all the relevant leaders - you know who they are, from all countries and governments, including my own: Strike a deal! Bring them home, now."

Shira Matalon, whose two uncles, Yossi and Eli, are held captive, also spoke.

Matalon's family learned of Yossi's death in a recent Hamas video showing his body.

"In the past six months, we sat Shiva at my home, honoring the memory of four of my most favorite people in the world," Matalon said. "Eli’s return and Yossi’s proper burial is the least we can hope for in this devastating time."


Congressmen, state leaders stand with Israel six months after
Members of Congress offered a range of comments on and around the six-month mark since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel and kidnapped civilians to Gaza, where they continue to hold them.

“Six months ago today, Israelis suffered unspeakable violence and terror. The slaughter of innocent lives by Hamas will forever be etched in the memory of our Jewish brothers and sisters, and I join Americans across the country who are mourning the loss of those tragically taken on Oct. 7,” House Majority Leader Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated.

“Since the massacre, it’s been appalling to watch anti-Israel rhetoric and support for an unconditional ceasefire grow among Democrats in Washington, even as Hamas holds 130 Israelis and Americans hostage in Gaza,” Johnson added. “Unlike our Democrat colleagues, House Republicans remain clear-eyed about who the enemy in this fight is, and we will not stop working and praying until each of the hostages is returned home.”

On April 7—the six-month mark since Oct. 7—”Washington must be united in our support for our great ally, Israel, as they fight for their sovereignty and right to exist,” the House speaker said. “It’s time to stop lecturing Israel on how it should best defend itself and begin equipping our friend with the resources necessary to eliminate the threat of Hamas, once and for all.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) stated that Hamas’s attack “destroyed entire communities, traumatized the nation and directly led to an increase in antisemitic hate against Jews throughout the world.”

“On this solemn six-month observance, it’s important that we reaffirm Israel’s unequivocal right to exist as a Jewish, Democratic state and eternal homeland for the Jewish people,” he stated. “The special relationship between the United States and Israel will always endure.”

Jeffries added that the Israeli military must conduct itself “at all times in strict adherence to the international rules of war.”

“Upon the complete restoration of Israeli security and comprehensive reconstruction of Gaza, the only way forward is an enduring two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel living side by side with a thriving and demilitarized Palestinian state, providing dignity and self-determination for the people of Gaza and the West Bank,” Jeffries said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has faced criticism including from U.S. Jewish leaders and within his party for his recent remarks about Israel, stated of the Oct. 7 massacre that “the viciousness of that attack remains ever present in our minds.”

“Today, we remember those who still remain in captivity at the hands of Hamas,” Schumer said. “For the last six months, I have worked side by side with the families to help secure the safe release of the hostages cruelly held by Hamas. Each day that their loved ones don’t come home carries indescribable anguish and grief.”

Schumer added that he urges “every actor at the table—the Israelis, the Biden administration, the Qataris, the Egyptians and anybody else at the table—to continue doing everything possible to secure a deal to free the hostages. There is no time to waste.”


Police invite Supernova rave survivors, victims’ kin to claim found objects
Police invited survivors of the Supernova music festival and the relatives of the nearly 400 people murdered there by Hamas terrorists to claim thousands of personal artifacts found on the site, near Kibbutz Re’im.

In a statement, police on Monday said it had set up a website containing images of thousands of items from among the 20,000 objects recovered at the festival grounds.

The items contain specific characteristics that police photographed but did not publish.

Claimants who are able to describe those characteristics or otherwise prove ownership or a connection to the artifact they claim will be able to receive it by filing a form available for download on the website.

Last month, artifacts from the Re’im festival grounds were featured in a commemorative display at the Knesset.

One of them was a chunky metal necklace that belonged to Keshet Casarotti-Kalfa, 21, of Kibbutz Samar, who was murdered at Re’im. Keshet Casarotti-Kalfa wears the chain that police later handed his mother, after it had been recovered in Re’im, stained with its late owner’s blood. (Facebook)

“They asked us to bring some object belonging to our loved ones,” his mother, Natalia, said at a ceremony held at the Knesset on March 18.

“It never left his person, heavy though it was. I received it from police, stained with my son’s holy blood,” she said.
Nova festival survivors share Oct. 7 horror stories on US campus tour
To counter the surge of antisemitism on U.S. campuses, ISRAEL-is, in partnership with the Seed The Dream Foundation, has launched the “Survived to Tell” tour during which six survivors of Hamas’s Oct. 7 Supernova music festival massacre will share their story with college students.

Yonathan Diller, Mazal Tazazo, Hadar Or Elmakias, Dor Kapah, Nehoray Machloof Levy and Shye Weinstein will describe their ordeals to a total of 1,200 students in 12 cities including Austin, Boulder, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville and New Orleans.

“We initiated this tour to leverage the profound power of personal stories,” Omer Zimmerman, head of the Global Division at ISRAEL-is, a nongovernmental organization that aims to connect young Israelis with their peers worldwide, told JNS on Thursday.

“By bringing these stories to American campuses, we aim to challenge misconceptions and encourage a deeper, more compassionate insight into the complexities of human resilience and the universal longing for peace,” he said.

JNS spoke to Diller, who traveled to the U.S. in late October to tell his story at East Coast colleges including Harvard, Yale and MIT and who will now visit Colorado, Arizona and California.

“It’s been six months, and October 7 is fading out,” he said last week. “The world has already forgotten while our situation with antisemitism isn’t getting any better.

“It’s important to share our story but, more than that, the main point is telling people that this could happen in their backyard and remind them that hostages are still in Gaza,” Diller added.

On Oct. 7, Diller, who knew the organizers, volunteered to film the Supernova festival with his drone. He arrived at 4 a.m. with his friend Nadav.

The pair joined a group of more than 15 people and at 6 a.m. they all decided to get to the dance floor in time to watch the sunrise.

“Twenty-nine minutes later, we saw rockets fired from Gaza heading in our direction, hundreds of rockets, we didn’t hear any alarm in the open field with the music,” Diller recounted.


Muslim security guard harasses freed Israeli hostage at Amsterdam airport
The Israeli Embassy in the Netherlands will be filing a formal complaint with Dutch authorities after two Israeli citizens, including a woman who was held hostage by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip and later freed, were mistreated by a security officer at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, local media reported.

According to Israel’s Ynet news outlet, the two women were attempting to board an El Al flight back to Tel Aviv on Friday when the officer—reportedly of Pakistani origin—approached them in an aggressive way.

“He placed them in front of dozens of waiting passengers, deliberately humiliated them by loudly accusing them of fraud and ordering their arrest. He also loudly identified them as Israelis,” the outlet wrote.

“It was evident that he saw the Israeli passport and got ticked off,” said the Dutch-Israeli woman accompanying the released hostage, adding that “he had sadism in his eyes.”

Sources at the airport said the Muslim officer had previously faced complaints for harassing Israelis passing through Schiphol, according to Ynet.

A spokesman for Israeli Ambassador Modi Ephraim told the Dutch De Telegraaf daily on Monday that the two women were only allowed to board their flight after the embassy intervened.

“They had all the necessary documents, yet he detained them and humiliated them in front of many people,” he said. “This is especially painful considering all the trauma the abductee has already suffered.”


The Commentary Magazine Podcast: A Dark New Reality
Hosted by Abe Greenwald, Christine Rosen, John Podhoretz & Matthew Continetti
Today’s podcast tries to make sense out of the Biden administration’s now-undeniable harsh turn against Israel and the incomprehensible behavior of the Israeli government over the last 48 hours in relation to the war in Gaza, the negotiations over the hostages, and the threat from Hezbollah.
FDD Morning Brief | feat. John Podhoretz (Apr. 8)
FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis on the war in the Middle East, followed by a conversation with John Podhoretz, Editor of Commentary Magazine.


Call Me Back PodCast: Is the war in Gaza over? With Nadav Eyal Hosted by Dan Senor
There have been two major developments in the past few days. First, the IDF has announced it is withdrawing much of its ground force presence from Gaza, at the same time that Iran is threatening a direct military hit against Israel or Israeli assets globally. The Iranian threat is in response to the IDF operation that destroyed Iran’s Consulate in Damascus one week ago.

To help us understand whether we are at a truly new stage (or late stage) of the war, our guest today is NADAV EYAL, who returns to the podcast. He is a columnist for Yediot. Eyal has been covering Middle-Eastern and international politics for the last two decades for Israeli radio, print and television news.


The Quad: 6 Months of War: Has Israel Done Enough to Bring the Hostages Home?
Today marks 6 months since Oct. 7th and over 100 hostages still remain in Hamas captivity. The body of slain hostage Elad Katzir has also just been recovered by the IDF. The Quad (Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Emily Schrader, Vivian Bercovici and Ashira Solomon) discuss the most crucial questions as anti-government protests mount on the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Has the Israeli government done enough to bring its citizens home? What are the war's objectives and are we accomplishing them? Is this a story of Israeli victory or one of colossal failure?

Also, Fleur interviews the Director of BICOM: Britain Israel Communications & Research Centre Richard Pater about recent efforts in the Knesset to ban Al-Jazeera in Israel. Is this a violation of free speech? Will this actually help the nature of reporting from Israel?


ILTV’s Viewpoint: Ayaan Hirsi Ali
ILTV's Emily Schrader sits down with author and founder of the AHA Foundation, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, for a discussion on the future of the West under the threat of Islamist terrorism and how Israel's battle against Hamas is at the forefront of the fight for liberal democracies and critical thinking. ILTV’s Viewpoint, bringing the most important voices from the war directly to you.




Spotlight: the cult of Nasser Mashni and the APAN
“Zionism unmasked is a genocidal, white supremacist, racist movement, and when given the opportunity, with western consent, to unleash its ferocious racist terror, it will kill and destroy everything in its path.” – Quote from Nasser Mashni in A Slow Burn Ethnic Cleanse: APAN’s Nasser Mashni on the South African ICJ Genocide Case, Article by Paul Gregoire (January 2024).

You may have seen his charming face alongside Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Or perhaps you have seen media footage of him leading the way on the frontline of anti-Israel protests, walking arm in arm with predictable sympathisers such as David Shoebridge from the Australian Greens. Upon first glance, he presents as intelligent, handsome, suave, well dressed, and dapper in appearance and demeanour. Nasser Mashni is the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) President and represents an existential threat to the long term safety and security of the Australian Jewish Community through his political and communal agenda.

The APAN often fly under the radar of mainsteam Australian journalism. However, it’s important to become aware of not only the APAN’s current goals and activities, but also understand more about Nasser Mashni who is the public face of this relentless organisation that is dedicated to the descruction of the Jewish State.

According to a Herald Sun article from November 2023, “the leading Palestinian spokesman in Australia is a criminal with convictions for kidnap, violence and threatening behaviour, it can be revealed. Nasser Mashni was 22 years old when he chased a child, beat him with a wooden axe handle, shoved him into the boot of his car and drove him to an abandoned paddock where he threatened to break his legs. Mr Mashni received 23 months in prison after pleading guilty to false imprisonment, intentionally or recklessly causing injury and one count of threatening to inflict serious injury in June 1992. This sentence was wholly suspended on appeal in August 1992, meaning he remains convicted of the crimes, but would only have served time behind bars if he committed another offence within 12 months.”

Interestingly, one of APAN’s Board Members is in fact Jewish. Jordy Silverstein. The APAN’s website describes her as “a Jewish historian and writer based at the Law School at the University of Melbourne. She has worked extensively with Palestinians in Australia, Palestine and elsewhere.” The APAN Board currently comprises the following individuals:

This is all happening right on our front door. The APAN have a strong and supportive relationship with the City of Melbourne (and their most recent Mayor Sally Capp). This is evidenced by the APAN’s 2023 Annual Report, where it states that “for the first time since 2019, APAN was able to host the Palestine National Day event in person in Federation Square in November 2022. City of Melbourne funding assisted the event to grow significantly, so our stall holders were hosted in tents, we were able to use all the technology available at Federation Square.”


‘Hate police’ refuse to investigate symbol because woman who reported it isn’t Jewish
Police Scotland have been caught in a row over their new hate crime laws after a woman who reported an anti-Semitic Facebook post was ‘quizzed about her ethnicity’.

The woman, a one-time officer in the force, reported a post showing a swastika in a Star of David, reading ‘Nazism = Zionism’.


She claimed the image was posted by a close relative of an SNP government minister.

After reporting it to the police, she says she was quizzed about her own ethnic background before the complaint was discarded because she ‘is not Jewish’.

The woman told the Mail Online: ‘They were very much for not taking the complaint at all. One said, “We’re snowed under with all these complaints. How are we supposed to get though all these?”

‘The officer called me later that afternoon. He said, “Can I ask you, are you Jewish?” I said no.

‘He said, “I’m going to ask you again; it’s just because I need the box ticked. Do you identify as being Jewish?” I said no, I’m not going to lie to get anybody charged.

‘He said, “Well, that falls outwith the parameters. It won’t be moving forward as a crime. It will be logged as an incident, but it will not be going further criminally.”‘ Protest in Scotland, man holding sign that reads 'Truth is not hate speech'.


Anti-Israel protesters chant ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel’ at rally in Michigan
Anti-Israel activists were heard chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” at a rally in a Michigan city recently dubbed the “jihad capital” of the US.

The sick chants erupted at a rally Friday in Dearborn marking Al Quds Day, in which Muslims around the world denounce Israel, according to a video posted by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

They came after Dearborn activist Tarek Bazzi ripped the US for supporting Israel — and told the crowd that “the chant ‘Death to Israel’ has become the most logical chant across the world today.

“Imam Khomeini, who declared International Al Quds Day, this is why he would say to pour all of your chants and all of your shots upon the head of America,” Bazzi said of former Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini as chants of “Death to America” started.

“It’s not Genocide Joe that has to go,” he continued, referring to President Biden.

“It’s the entire system that has to go.”

Bazzi said that “any system that would allow such atrocities and such devilry to happen and would support it — such a system does not deserve to exist on God’s Earth.

“So when these fools ask us if Israel has the right to exist … the chant ‘Death to Israel’ has become the most logical chant across the world today,” he said, spurring his supporters to start chanting for the end of the Jewish nation.




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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 19 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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