Saturday, July 13, 2024

07/13 Links: Muhammed Deif dead?; Trump shot at during rally; The Lancet libel: Lies masquerading as medical research; Dr. Ruth passes away at 96

From Ian:

Palestinian destruction of Jewish archaeological sites must be halted
A large group of the most prominent Israeli archaeologists (including Zartal critics and anti-Biblical-narrative archaeologists at Tel Aviv University including many Israel Prize laureates in archaeology) twice signed a public petition to then-Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Netanyahu demanding protection for the “altar” site on Mount Ebal; to no avail.

In January 2023, a Palestinian building contractor started again to plow-up the area. An Israeli officer even found the PA plans to destroy the entire site inside one of the tractors in operation.

An Archaeology Staff Officer then acted to demarcate the site as a protected site, but the Civil Administration insisted that the line be drawn narrowly around only the “altar” without the surrounding plain where the biblical “swearing-in ceremony” may have been held and which could be an archaeologically rich zone. The excuse: insufficient legal authority.The battle continues.

Another infuriating story relates to the incredible aqueduct identified as King Solomon’s magnificent water system in Judea that runs from Hebron through Bethlehem to Jerusalem, including what is today termed “Solomon’s Pools,” southwest of Bethlehem.

This marvel of ancient engineering, 40 km. long, is described in detail in the Bible, and the description matches the archaeological findings precisely. The pools and aqueducts survived 2,000 years of summer and winter and many invaders and predators – until the arrival of the Palestinian Authority.

In 2022, the PA dug an enormous 1,500-dunam quarry pit at Beit Fajar right through a section of the aqueduct. The quarrying caused irreversible damage to the aqueducts, with some 100 m. of tunnel and approximately 2,000 m. The Government of Israel did nothing to stop this.

This is the place to point out that PA-directed destruction of Jewish heritage sites in Judea and Samaria is a gross and explicit violation of the Oslo Accords and all relevant international legal frameworks, including heritage preservation obligations under UNESCO (which the PA joined in 2011), and the World Heritage Convention (known as ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites).

The flip side of this is that the government of Israel has been derelict in its international heritage preservation legal obligations too (in addition to its responsibility for Jewish memory and historical truth), under provisions of The Hague Convention and Jordanian law which still partially apply in the West Bank.

The Israeli Supreme Court in particular has been a comatose, regressive actor in this ongoing saga – foregoing opportunity and after opportunity to force the hand of the Israeli government into action against Palestinian destruction-ism.

The sad result to-date is truly annihilationist: Three thousand years of heritage on its way to near-complete wipe-out within a mere 30 years. This is a tragedy that must be stopped.

I salute the activist archaeologists and Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Amichai Eliyahu, MK Amit Halevi, and others who have driven this matter to the government table. Clear policy directives must be issued to the IAA, IDF, Israel Police, and Israel Security Agency to prioritize the preservation of heritage sites in Judea and Samaria and to punish the PA for its belligerence.

Preservation and protection is a necessity so that something of biblical heritage remains for future generations. So that the land of the Bible is not erased by Palestinian aggression and denialism.
The Lancet libel: Lies masquerading as medical research
THERE ARE multiple issues to call out regarding this “gold-standard” publication. The entire premise of the article (aka “letter”) argues that conflicts lead to non-combatant deaths, meaning that the fatalities can be as high as 186,000 due to “indirect deaths.” Yet the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health casualty numbers already included indirect deaths, which the authors did not adjust for. The 186,000 figure also includes “post-conflict deaths.” However, according to international law, any deaths that occur after the war’s conclusion are not counted as part of the official death toll.

Early in the article, they write that the Hamas casualty figures were “accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services” – but this claim is false. The authors cite one Vice article that references a Mekomit article claiming that unnamed Israeli “intelligence sources” found Hamas numbers reliable. There is also no evidence that some Gazan “first responders” are counting bodies in addition to “Gaza Health Ministry.” They are relying on a fringe news item based on unidentified sources to legitimize Hamas’s numbers.

The authors also claim the UN estimates that 35% of Gaza has been destroyed, but the UN study referenced cites only 12%. They also present all the deaths as civilians and ignore that 17,000 terrorists have been killed, ignore the thousands of natural deaths, and ignore any deaths that were caused by Hamas or Islamic Jihad terrorists themselves from misfiring rockets.

I have not been able to scratch the surface of the amount of false information in this piece. It is disinformation masquerading as “reliable research,” which cites unreliable sources, presents gross misrepresentations, and suffers from omissions. Even one of the writers, Prof. Martin McKee, retracted from the numbers he presented and co-signed on, claiming that “our piece has been greatly misquoted and misinterpreted.”

The Lancet once again allowed disinformation to spread on what is considered a “well-respected magazine” with a readership of 36 million people. When healthcare and medical professionals and policymakers read such reports, it has a direct impact on the Jewish state that is fighting an unprecedented urban war where the terrorists are hiding under the civilian population.

These three authors completely misconstrued the reality and repeated falsehoods based on fringe sources. We live in a world where the facts matter and should matter, especially when the lives of Israelis and Palestinians are at stake.


Trump bloodied after apparent shots fired at Pennsylvania rally
Former U.S. president Donald Trump was rushed off stage—apparently bleeding from his ear—after shots were fired at a political rally of his in Butler, Pa.

The president lifted his fist in the air as Secret Service agents walked him off stage. The Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger told the Associated Press that the shooter is dead and another attendee of the rally was killed.

“President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick action during this heinous act,” stated Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the president’s campaign. “He is fine and is being checked out at a local medical facility. More details will follow.”

“An incident occurred the evening of July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. The Secret Service has implemented protective measures and the former president is safe,” stated Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the U.S. Secret Service.

“This is now an active Secret Service investigation and further information will be released when available,” he added.

David McCormick, a Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, told Politico that he was sitting in the front row at the event, and someone appeared to be shot behind him.

“All the sudden shots started to crack, someone behind me appears to have been shot,” McCormick told the publication. “There’s lots of blood, and then the Secret Service were all over President Trump.”

Live video footage of the event appeared to show Trump clutch his ear mid-sentence as pop sounds could be heard and Secret Service agents rushed on stage to protect him.

Secret Service agents appeared to yell “get down” repeatedly as they rushed to the stage, with more apparent shots ringing out. Someone either picked up by the microphone on stage or in a live feed said, “what are we doing?”

Secret Service agents appeared to say, “Are you ready? On ‘move.’ Move!” Before anyone moved, soldiers with rifles and bullet proof vests came up on stage.

Someone said, “Shooter’s down. Good to move. We’re clear. We’re clear.”


Report: Trump grazed by gunfire, audience member at rally killed, shooter dead as well
Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet while onstage at a campaign rally, Butler county district attorney Richard Goldinger says in a phone interview

He adds that the suspected gunman is dead and at least one rally attendee was killed, with another seriously injured.


IDF strike targets Hamas military leader Mohammad Deif, fate unclear
The IDF targeted Hamas’s years-long and mythic supreme military commander Mohammad Deif on Saturday in the al-Muwasi humanitarian zone near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.

There are many signs that Deif could be dead, with additional signs coming in over the day on Saturday, but due to the long range attack, the number of structures obscuring the area, the volume of casualties, and the many times Deif has been thought to be killed only to survive in the past, the situation is far from clear.

Further, all of the above factors mean that there may be no clarity on the issue for an extended period.

Since the current war started, Deif has emerged as Hamas’s No. 2 in command and, if killed, he would be by far the most important Hamas leader to be killed since the start of the war.

Previously, the IDF killed Hamas’s Marwan Issa and Saleh al-Arouri, Deif’s deputy and the deputy of Hamas’s leader outside of Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh.

But Deif has been the Hamas leader Israel has most sought to eliminate for years, at least until October 7.

Besides Deif, it is highly likely that Rafa Salama, the commander of Hamas's Khan Yunis Brigade, who has also been one of the few intermediaries for Gaza Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar regarding hostages, was killed in the same strike.

Sinwar became the No. 1 target for Israel following October 7.

The location of the strike was an open area surrounded by trees, several buildings, low sheds, and with tunnels not far away, but not in the immediate vicinity.

IDF intelligence believes that Salama and Deif were not in a tunnel.

Further, the IDF believes that Salama spent more time at the location with it being one of his primary areas of operation, whereas Deif likely arrived at the location on Saturday on a more transient basis.
Israeli airstrike targets Hamas military leader Muhammed Deif and Khan Yunis commander Rafa’a Salameh
Since the start of the war, Hamas has primarily employed a strategy of not acknowledging the deaths of fighters and commanders in Gaza. However, at the beginning of the war, there were a handful of occasions when they did.

If Deif and Salameh have been eliminated, Hamas will likely continue to employ this strategy until after the war has ended. Hamas is fighting for its survival, and the killing of commanders, especially someone like Deif, would be a significant blow to the group. Deif has been a successful commander and a substantial part of the group’s image over the decades. Furthermore, Hamas is unlikely to concede a significant victory to Israel by confirming the death of Deif.

For example, Hamas has yet to acknowledge the killing of Deif’s deputy, Marwan Issa, who was reportedly killed in an airstrike in March by the US and Israel.

It’s also unlikely that Israel would have launched a strike on Deif without credible intelligence on his whereabouts. The Israeli military has been actively operating in critical areas of Gaza over the past few months, including operations in Rafah and Gaza City. It’s possible that these recent military operations led to intelligence that pinpointed Deif’s location.

Nevertheless, this is a familiar situation for Israel and Hamas. It will take time and evidence to see if Israel has finally caught up to the elusive Muhammed Deif.
Seth Frantzman: Dead or alive, Deif symbolizes the overall Hamas problem
This is the Deif problem. If Hamas was just Deif, then it could be eliminated by killing off its commanders and destroying it bit by bit. But it is not just Deif. It is Deif the “military chief” and also Deif the civilian, and Deif the “armed group” leader. Hamas leaders abroad are backed not just by Western allies but also by Russia, China and Iran. Hamas is a proxy, not only of Iran, but a kind of proxy of Western progressives who hail Hamas as a “resistance” movement. Therefore, Deif is also the “resistance.”

Israel also has a Deif problem because it allowed most of these Hamas leaders to thrive for so long. Most could have been eliminated decades ago. Many, like Yahya Sinwar, were in fact jailed in Israel for murder and then released in previous deals.

Israel has allowed the threat of Hamas to survive, due to negligence, ignorance, or cynical political decisions to pit the terrorist group against the Palestinian Authority – which it violently ousted from being in charge of Gaza even after the PA was democratically elected – enabling Hamas to become the massively powerful genocidal group that carried out October 7.

Deif enjoyed the space to plan and perpetrate this monstrous attack, safe from pursuit, unlike Bin Laden or Baghdadi. Even if Deif is dead, Hamas leaders in Qatar will still relax without fear of personal consequences.

The International Criminal Court applied for an arrest warrant against Deif, alongside Sinwar and Qatar-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. It accuses them of bearing “criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed” on October 7.

If Deif is dead, then someone will need to tell the ICC that one genocidal mastermind can be removed from the docket. Yet, the Deif problem will remain.

In nine months of war in Gaza, Deif should have been eliminated long ago along with the rest of the monstrous genocidal beast that Hamas became on October 7.

The tolerance that the international community has borne for Deif – and which Israel bears too by not removing him years ago – will always haunt us, whether he is alive or dead.
Muhammad Deif: Oct. 7 architect evaded Israel for decades, survived 7 bids to kill him
Israel on Saturday morning carried out a major airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip that it said targeted the commander of Hamas’s military wing, Muhammad Deif, as well as the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade. While Hamas said dozens of people were killed, Deif’s fate remained unknown as of the early afternoon.

It was Israel’s eighth attempt to eliminate the shadowy leader of the terror group’s armed wing, known as the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, who was key to its transformation from a small terror group into a significant paramilitary force. Deif managed to evade and survive multiple attempts on his life between 2001 and 2021, though he was seriously injured in two of them, and his ability to frustrate Israel’s formidable security apparatuses for so long made him something of a mythical figure for Palestinians as well as Israelis.

Deif, along with Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, was an architect of Hamas’s October 7 massacre in southern Israel, when thousands of terrorists broke through the border and killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, while taking 251 people hostage to Gaza. He had topped Israel’s most-wanted list since 1995 for his involvement in the planning and execution of a large number of terror attacks, including many bus bombings in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Born as Mohammad Masri in 1965 in Khan Younis, the terror leader became known as Muhammad Deif after joining Hamas during the First Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, which began in 1987.

He was arrested by Israel in 1989 and spent about 16 months in detention.

Deif earned a degree in science from the Islamic University in Gaza, where he studied physics, chemistry and biology. He displayed an affinity for the arts, heading the university’s entertainment committee and performing on stage in comedies.

Rising up the Hamas ranks, Deif developed the group’s network of tunnels and its bomb-making expertise. He was held personally responsible by Israel for the deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings in the 1990s.

For Deif, staying in the shadows was a matter of life or death. Hamas sources told Reuters he lost an eye and sustained serious injuries in one leg in one of Israel’s assassination attempts.


Hamas hiding among civilians in Gaza to protect itself, ambush IDF troops, NYT reports
Over the last nine months of war in Gaza, Hamas has heavily relied on embedding itself into the enclave’s civilian population as both a method of survival and way to ambush Israeli troops, according to an in-depth analysis of the terror group’s strategy.

In an investigation published Saturday, The New York Times spoke to Hamas members and Israeli soldiers returning from Gaza to piece together an image of the methods employed by the terror group.

The strategy, according to the report, is mainly based on evading Israeli troops while waiting for them to fall into carefully laid traps, and Hamas’s use of the vulnerable civilian population for its own advantage.

After the October 7 terror onslaught in southern Israel — in which thousands of Hamas terrorists slaughtered some 1,200 people and seized over 250 hostages — and as Israel prepared for its ground operation inside the Gaza Strip, Hamas fighters vanished underground, the Times reported.

There they remained — using hundreds of miles of tunnels to move around the Strip — until the IDF was deep enough inside the enclave to be effectively ambushed, IDF reservist Lior Soharin said. When they emerged again, they were no longer dressed in the military uniforms they had worn to invade Israel, but in civilian clothes, ready to launch attacks while hidden in plain sight among the public.

A former officer in Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades, Salah al-Din al-Awawdeh, told the Times that the terror group’s objective is “to vanish, avoid direct confrontation while launching tactical attacks against the occupation army.”

Backing up his account, an unnamed Hamas official who left Gaza ahead of October 7 but is in contact with his subordinates, said that as Israel began to issue evacuation warnings to residents of northern Gaza, the terror organization moved in, taking advantage of the suddenly empty homes and residential areas.

Hamas booby-trapped hundreds of houses, setting up mines that were connected to tripwires, movement sensors and sound detectors.

Homes that aren’t booby-trapped are instead often used to store weapons. Speaking to The New York Times, Israeli soldiers recalled finding guns hidden behind a false wall in a child’s bedroom and grenades hidden in a closet. The buildings are marked with specific symbols as a way to inform Hamas operatives of what is being stored inside.

The soldiers explained that Hamas fighters would often emerge from underground without weapons, in order to pass as civilians, and would then pick them arms from the homes-turned-weapons depots.


Army hits Gaza depot storing Oct. 7 paragliders; intercepts aerial targets near Eilat
Israeli fighter jets carried out an airstrike Friday night on a depot in the Rafah area storing paragliders used by Hamas in its October 7 attacks in southern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Several paragliders were used by terrorists as Hamas launched its surprise attack on southern communities from the land, air and sea. Terrorists on paragliders were among those that attacked the Supernova music festival in Re’im, where over 300 revelers were murdered.

In the days and weeks following the attack, the paraglider became a symbol of Hamas supporters around the world, who emblazoned it on placards and clothing.

In a statement, the military added that troops from the IDF’s 162nd Division were continuing to operate in Rafah, destroying several tunnel shafts and killing multiple gunmen in the past 24 hours.

Amid the fighting in Rafah, soldiers from the Nahal Brigade called in an airstrike to eliminate a cell of three gunmen who fired an RPG at them from a tunnel shaft, the IDF said.

Meanwhile the army said it was continuing an operation in Gaza City, where over the past day troops killed several gunmen in close-quarters combat and in airstrikes.

The Hamas-run Gaza’s civil defense agency said it found around 60 bodies after Israeli troops withdrew from parts of the city on Friday. The bodies were found in the Tal al-Hawa and Al-Sinaa districts, the civil defense agency said. Israeli forces had moved into the neighborhoods this week after ordering civilians to evacuate on Monday.

“There are still missing people under the rubble of destroyed homes, which is difficult for our crews to reach,” agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said.
4 IDF troops hurt, including 1 seriously, as north peppered with rockets and drones
Four IDF soldiers were wounded, one seriously, during a rocket attack Saturday on the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, as cross-border skirmishes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continued to flare.

According to the military, the four were hurt by falling shrapnel following a rocket interception. The soldiers, all women, were taken to a hospital.

The Israel Defense Forces said the barrage from Lebanon included some 15 rockets, most of which were shot down by Iron Dome. Several rocket impacts caused damage, according to police.

Another eight rockets were fired at Kiryat Shmona a short while after the barrage that wounded the soldiers, the IDF said, adding that no injuries were caused in the second attack.

Both salvos were preceded by a barrage of of 10 projectiles was launched at the northern city, most of which were shot down by air defenses.

In other attacks during the day, the Israel Defense Forces said two suspected drones heading toward Israel were shot down by Israeli air defenses over southern Lebanon.

Rockets were also fired from Lebanon at the Zar’it, Margaliot, and Maayan Baruch areas. There were no injuries, though Hebrew media reported two houses in Margaliot sustained significant damage. Lebanese soldiers looks at a damaged vehicle following an Israeli strike on a road in southern Lebanon, near the village of Deir Mimas, on July 13, 2024. (Rabih Daher/AFP)

Meanwhile, the IDF said it struck a Hezbollah field commander in southern Lebanon’s Kfar Tebnit, in the Nabatiyeh District, after Lebanese media reported an Israeli strike on a car in the area.
Tuvia Book: The IDF's oldest combat medic and second-oldest soldier in Gaza
For some, age is just a number. This is particularly true in the case of IDF combat medic Senior Warrant Officer (res.) Tuvia Book. At the age of 55, not only is he the oldest combat medic in Gaza, but he’s also the second-oldest soldier serving there. Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, four months older than Book, beat him to the top spot.

Nevertheless, age hasn’t prevented Book from carrying out his strenuous and complex duties in the combat medical extraction unit Palmar Asaf 5388 (formed 10 years ago after the 2014 Gaza war) in which he serves. Together with his comrades, most of whom are significantly younger than him, they are tasked with treating and evacuating wounded soldiers on the front lines in double-quick time.

To find out more about this lifesaving unit and its oldest member, the Magazine met with Book, who shared details about some of its incredible work.

London-born Book served as a lone soldier in the Givati Brigade after graduating from high school in Cardiff, Wales, and spending a gap year in Israel. From the start of his service, he was determined to be a combat medic, a position that he achieved once his Hebrew had improved sufficiently.

Having made aliyah during his military service, Book settled in Israel after the army, putting the medical skills he’d learned to good use in his subsequent job as an ambulance medic with Magen David Adom and during reserve duty, which he carried out until the age of 40.

Book also turned his attention to another passion of his – Israel education, with a focus on Zionism and Jewish history, earning a doctorate in the subject. He has authored and illustrated several internationally acclaimed books, including the Jewish Journeys history series, and is a much sought-after lecturer on the global Jewish circuit.Book is also a licensed educational tour guide, introducing people of all ages to his homeland, although in recent months this type of work has largely dried up, he said.

Aside from tours of the Oct. 7 sites where Hamas massacres took place, tourists – of whom there are very few – and natives alike aren’t interested in visiting historical sites such as Masada, he lamented.

While this is galling for him and his fellow tour guides, with reserve duty taking up most of his time since the war started, Book hasn’t had much time for work. Just the odd week here and there when he’s been given leave from the army.

Indeed, when we spoke, his week-long break was coming to an end, and he was preparing to return to his base on the Gaza border, his home for the past eight and a half months.


UNRWA says it’s raised enough funds to continue operations through September
The head of the United Nations agency that deals with Palestinian refugees has said a donors conference raised enough money to keep its operations in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon running until the end of September.

Philippe Lazzarini told the pledging conference at its opening Friday morning that the agency known as UNRWA only had funds until the end of August.

At the end of the conference, he told reporters the total amount in pledges wouldn’t be known until the following week. But he said he is confident there will be enough new money in its $850 million annual budget to keep the agency running for another month and pay its 30,000 staff who provide education, primary health care and other development activities to about 6 million Palestinian refugees.

In the coming months, Lazzarini said UNRWA will be seeking funds to keep its operations going through December — and for emergency appeals for $1.2 billion for the Gaza war and $460 million for the Syria crisis, both of which are less than 20 percent funded.

At the conference, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said UNRWA faces “a profound funding gap” — and Palestinians are also seeing widening gaps in respect for international humanitarian law and recognition of their human rights and dignity.

UNRWA has been underfunded for years, but 2024 has been dire since Israel alleged that 12 of the agency’s 13,000 workers in Gaza participated in Hamas’s October 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. The attack saw terrorists kill some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnap 251, sparking the ongoing war in Gaza.

The agency terminated the contracts of all those employees. Still, 16 countries suspended funding for UNRWA, amounting to about $450 million.

Israel said hundreds of other employees had direct ties to terror groups in Gaza.


The Israel Guys: If You Stand With Israel, They WILL Come After You | This is Why We Fight
Why is the world calling good evil, and evil good? Why are conservatives now turning on Israel almost more than liberals? Why are Jews living in the hills of Judea being sanctioned by a foreign power? Why did it only take a few days for the world to begin doubting the horrible atrocities of October 7th?

Let’s be clear. The anti-Israel, anti-Jewish, antisemitic, anti-God narrative that is currently sweeping the globe is not simply the pro-Israel side versus the pro-Palestinian side. This is a fight for the survival of democratic, free, moral values.




Dutch court: Government not violating weapon exports ban to Israel by supplying US
A Dutch court on Friday rejected a claim from a group of human rights organizations that the Netherlands is dodging a court order to stop sending F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel by supplying the parts to the United States.

The Hague District Court ruled that Oxfam Novib, Pax Nederland and The Rights Forum had not shown any evidence that the Dutch government was ignoring the earlier ruling.

In February, an appeals court told the Dutch government to halt the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel, citing a clear risk of violations of international law if they are used in strikes on Gaza. The Dutch government appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court, but said it was abiding by the order in the meantime by halting direct exports to Israel.

The aid groups went back to court last month, arguing the country was evading the ban by sending the parts to the US, which was then sending them on to Israel. They demanded a fine for the alleged breach.

The groups are “giving too broad an interpretation” to the earlier judgment, the court wrote in Friday’s ruling.

The organizations said they disagreed with the decision and were considering further legal action. “It is unacceptable that the Netherlands remains knowingly complicit in violations of the laws of war by Israel in Gaza,” they said in a joint statement.

During a hearing in June, the Dutch government said it was unable to track the parts after they left the Netherlands and warned against placing further restrictions. Reimer Veldhuis, a lawyer representing the government, cautioned that seeking to prevent more exports of F-35 parts to nations other than Israel could put at risk supplies to militaries around the world who operate the advanced fighter jets at a time of soaring international tensions.

The Netherlands is home to one of three F-35 European regional warehouses.
Case dropped: Deputy PM not prosecuted for saying Jew hatred is part of Muslim culture
The group insult case against Deputy Prime Minister Mona Keijzer has been dropped, the lawyer representing the complainants told NU.nl. She won’t be prosecuted for saying that “hatred of Jews is almost part of the culture” in countries where Islam is the dominant religion. She made that statement on Sophie & Jereon on May 17th, before being sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning.

Keijzer apologized for the statement after criticism from other guests on the talk show, but a group of lawyers and a historian with a Muslim background still pressed charges against her. They believe that a Cabinet member cannot be allowed to get away with such statements with nothing more than a quick apology after criticism.

The complainants are disappointed that the case was dropped but don’t feel like they achieved nothing. “The Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirmed that Keijzer made unsubstantiated statements in the program and therefore behaved irresponsibly,” lawyer Reinout Sterk told NU.nl, speaking on behalf of the complainants. “That behavior can create a breeding ground for intolerance and undermine respect for the equality of others.”

Historian Kasim Tekin, who was involved in the charges, said he was not surprised by the dismissal. “Unfortunately, it has become quite normalized to make strong statements about Muslims,” he told the newspaper. “This has to do with the fact that society is not aware of what such statements do to Muslims. Unfortunately, this apparently also applies to the OM.”

A spokesperson for the OM said that Keijzer made her statements in the context of the “public debate” and that prosecuting her for that would violate freedom of expression. “A politician has more room to say things,” the spokesperson explained.
Argentina designates Hamas a terror group in show of support for Israel
Argentina has designated Hamas a terrorist organization and ordered a freeze on the financial assets of the Palestinian group, a largely symbolic move as President Javier Milei seeks to align Argentina strongly with the US and Israel.

Announcing the decision, Milei’s office cited the Palestinian terror group’s cross-border attack on Israel last October 7 in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians were killed and 251 taken hostage, in the deadliest assault in Israel’s 76-year history.

The statement also mentions Hamas’ close ties to Iran, which Argentina blames for two deadly terror attacks on Jewish sites in the country.

The move comes just days before the 30th anniversary of one of those attacks, the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. It killed 85 people and wounded hundreds more in the worst such attack in Argentina’s modern history.

The other attack on the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, in 1992, killed more than 20 people. Argentina’s judiciary has accused members of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group of carrying out the two attacks.

The announcement professes Milei’s “unwavering commitment to recognizing terrorists for what they are,” adding that “it’s the first time that there is a political will to do so.”


Pro-Hamas Rally Outside Greek Orthodox Church Brisbane
July 12, 2024: Communists and pro-Hamas extremists surrounded the main Greek Orthodox church in Brisbane and tried to instigate a riot to protest a visit by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Extremists scaled the roof of one of the buildings in the complex while the crowd outside bayed for blood and spat on people walking through the main entrance - Muslim refugee members of the Labor Party were singled out by the crowd for attack and denounced as race traitors. The atmosphere was one of pure poison and hatred and police came close to losing control on multiple occasions - they were completely outnumbered and the extremists boasted that they were in charge. Multiple people were assaulted and I myself was punched and kicked multiple times. One extremist even tried to follow me to my car while threatening to kill me - all in full view of police who did nothing. It was just pure dumb luck that nobody was seriously hurt. On the current trajectory they are on I believe they are a serious domestic terror threat and may end up severely injuring or even potentially killing members of Parliament. They would have lynched the Prime Minister if they got their hands on him




Exhibition about Russian political prisoners cancelled over Israel-Gaza row
A Russian art collective which was due to open a show in London highlighting the plight of opponents of the Putin regime claim their exhibition was cancelled at the last minute because one of them was Israeli.

The Pomidor group was founded in Moscow in 2018 by the artists Polina Egorushkina and Maria Sarkisyants, but the duo was forced to relocate two years ago after the Kremlin crackdown on opposition activity. Egorushkina now lives in London and Sarkisyants in Ashkelon in southern Israel.

Their latest show, Even Elephants Hold Elections, was part of an ongoing project about free expression designed to challenge people in democratic countries to understand life in an authoritarian regime and reflect on their own experience. Pomidor’s work includes embroidered banners celebrating political prisoners which the artists display in friends’ windows and phone booths on the street.

Among these are tributes to Viktoria Petrova, imprisoned in a psychiatric unit for anti-war social media posts, Mikhail Simonov, a 63-year-old pensioner arrested for comments on other people’s social media and 13-year-old Masha Moskaleva, who was taken away from her father after drawing anti-war pictures at school.

The show was due to open on 3 July at the Metamorphika Gallery in east London. But on the evening before, the two artists were told the gallery had received messages raising concerns about “inappropriate behaviour” on social media.

This referred to two posts pinned on Maria’s Instagram account. One post from 7 October expressed her horror at the “terrible evil” and included the words, in Russian, “Israel my beloved, we are here, we are here to support each other, all my thoughts are with the kidnapped, let only them return home alive. Eternal memory to the fallen.” A second post marked the one-month anniversary and expressed solidarity with the Israeli hostages and their families.

Sarkisyants told Index they were called to an urgent meeting the next day: “They showed me the two posts and said you should clarify your position. I said, I am from Israel and there was nothing in the post but facts: 1200 people were killed and 300 became hostages.”

The gallery asked Pomidor to sign a joint statement with Metamorphika condemning “the Zionist regime”, which they refused to do. “I’m Israeli. I was there,” said Sarkisyants. “What they proposed was impossible for me to do”

After several hours of discussion, Pomidor suggested a compromise of putting the exhibition solely in the name of Polina, but the gallery demanded the collective remove all work connected with Maria. At this point the exhibition was cancelled.

Pomidor posted on Instagram: “The problem came up because Maria is from Israel.”

This is something the gallery strongly denies. Metamorphika founder Simon Ballester told Index: “We were really compassionate with her story. But we asked her to say she had empathy for Palestinians and was against the war crimes.”

Ballester said the problem came when Sarkisyants expressed her support for the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza.

“It’s outrageous” the artist told Index. “I told them I do not support Netanyahu or his government. I feel they betrayed us. We expected them to protect us, but they didn’t. But I support my country Israel and its people.”


New Batley MP urged voters to boycott ‘Zionist’ sweets
One of the new independent MPs elected on a pro-Gaza platform urged voters to boycott brands that supported Israel.

At a rally held during the general election campaign, Iqbal Mohamed, the newly elected MP for Dewsbury and Batley, encouraged supporters to “go home and find every brand and every product that has been supporting Israel and Zionism from the beginning of time and throw it away... Put the list on your fridge. Tell your children when you go to the shop to buy sweets ‘do not buy this’ and ‘do not buy that’. That is the least we can do.”

In footage of the speech seen by the JC, Mohamed also suggested that leaders who failed to speak up for Palestine should be arrested.

He said: “Every one of our leaders who has stayed silent or been actively complicit by sending arms, services, by supporting Israel, they’re all complicit, they’re all accessories to genocide … they all should be issued with ICCJ [sic] arrest warrants.”

He said that “we cannot forget for one second what is going on, what has been going on for over 75 years” and that “this struggle is for the whole of the world’s soul. Every living thing has a heart and a soul. The soul of the world today is Palestine.”

Although Mohamed called for a “peaceful two state solution for Palestine” earlier in his speech, he also told supporters that “we have been self-harming for too long. We have been complicit indirectly for too long by electing these Zionists, these unjust leaders. It’s time we stopped now.”

Mohamed is one of five independent MPs elected who received the backing of The Muslim Vote (TMV), an influential group set up to drive Muslims away from Labour and towards more radical, anti-Israel candidates.
Shamima Begum’s lawyer fined £6,500 for breaches in antisemitic broadcast
A solicitor who took part in a PressTV broadcast titled Mishcon de Reya – Zionist Law Firm has been found guilty of two breaches of the profession’s code of conduct.

The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal decided on Thursday that Tasnime Akunjee misled or attempted to mislead and that he abused his position when he took part in the programme in September 2022.

It found that the Iranian state-sponsored channel’s broadcast was antisemitic in tone and content though the panel also made clear that no allegation of antisemitism was being made against Akunjee. Two other accusations relating to recklessness and to events that took place after the broadcast were found to be not proven.

A pre-recorded clip shown in the programme, part of PressTV’s Palestine Declassified series, describes Mishcon de Reya as “deeply bonded to Israel at every level of the company”, concluding: “Watch out, [the firm] could have you on their hit list.”

Akunjee, a criminal defence solicitor, was fined £6,500 for the breaches and ordered to pay costs of £30,000. The SRA had sought costs of £45,480 for what it described as “an unusual case” that had required considerable advice and preparation.

Louise Cullerton, for the SRA, reminded the panel that in January this year Akunjee had been rebuked by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority for reckless and abusive tweets, in a matter that was not passed to the tribunal.

David Gottlieb, representing Akunjee, argued in mitigation that the makers of the programme, which is still available online, “took advantage of someone who was grieving the death of their brother”. Akunjee’s brother died tragically in April 2022.

Gottlieb also said the matter had had “harsh consequences” for Akunjee personally, and that the disciplinary proceedings hanging over him had been one reason why he had changed his mind and decided not to stand as an MP in this year’s general election. Akunjee had intended to put himself forward as an independent candidate in Bethnal Green and Stepney to try to unseat Labour’s Rushanara Ali over her refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.


Jewish man targeted in assault motivated by antisemitic hate, say DC police
Police in Washington DC are investigating an assault on a Jewish man as an antisemitic hate crime.

Ariel Golfeyz, 31, who is Jewish, was attacked on his way to work on Wednesday morning. Golfeyz said the attacker, Walter James, 38, knocked him to the ground and punched him repeatedly.

James has now been charged with assault motivated by hate or bias, according to court documents.

Golfeyz was wearing a kippah when James attacked him, something he now says he will no longer do. “After this, I don’t think it’s safe to wear a kippah, or anything like that in public in Washington DC, because of what’s going on,” he told local news.

James, who is now in custody, called Golfeyz a “murderer,” referring the war in Gaza. When arrested, the attacker shouted: “The children in Gaza. The children in Palestine. We know! We know who you are!” according to a video taken by Golfeyz.

The man shouted at Golfeyz: “You corrupt the banks and you corrupt the world”. He also accused Jews of “tainting the minds of our children” and controlling the music industry. “You hold the world ransom, because you control all the money and all the resources,” he said.

Meredith Weisel, Regional Director of The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in Washington condemned the attack. In a statement posted to social media, she said the ADL “are deeply concerned about what appears to be a hateful antisemitic assault on a Jewish man”. Weisel continued: “This latest incident confirmed not only our data but reflects the escalation of anti-Jewish sentiments in our community and our country”.

Antisemitism across the US has increased since the October 7 attacks. According to the Anti Defamation League, antisemitic incidents increased by 140% last year.


Acclaimed sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer passes away at 96
Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the sexologist known as "Dr. Ruth," who became the most famous sex counselor in the world, passed away last Friday at her home in Manhattan at the age of 96. She is survived by her son, Joel, her daughter, Miriam, and four grandchildren.

Dr. Westheimer was born Carola Ruth Siegel in Wiesenfeld, Germany, on June 4, 1928, the only child of Orthodox parents Julius and Irma Siegel. Her father was a wholesaler, and together with her parents and grandmother, she lived a comfortable and somewhat protected life from the dangerous reality in Germany at that time.

The situation changed when the Nazis took her father in 1938. Her mother and grandmother managed to bring her to a Jewish orphanage in the Swiss Alps for children whose parents had perished in the Holocaust, where she was educated until the eighth grade.

Until 1941, she continued to receive letters from her family, but they suddenly stopped. After the war, she discovered that her parents had been taken by the Gestapo and murdered in Auschwitz. Westheimer decided to immigrate to Israel.

She joined the Einot kibbutz in Ramat David, where she changed her name from Carola to Ruth. After about two years, despite being only 1.39 meters tall, she enlisted in the Haganah and trained as a sniper. However, she was later wounded by a bomb during the War of Independence.

In 1950, she left Israel to study psychology at the Sorbonne University in France and continued teaching there. In 1956, she continued her studies at Columbia University in the US, where she earned a master's degree in sociology and later a doctorate in education. She completed her postdoctoral work on human sexuality at the New York University Medical Center under Dr. Helen Singer Kaplan, a pioneer in sex therapy.

In 1980, she began broadcasting her first sex advice show, "Sexually Speaking," for $25 a week. Despite the low pay, it was her entry ticket into the world of sex therapy, which turned her into a brand name. Soon, she was a guest on radio and television shows, gave lectures, had her own TV shows, published articles, and was even mentioned in numerous films. In 2019, a documentary about her, titled "Ask Dr. Ruth," aired, depicting her journey to becoming a famous sex therapist. Alongside her media activities, she continued to run a successful sex therapy clinic in New York.




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