Saturday, July 20, 2024

07/20 Links: IAF strikes Houthi targets in Yemen; The Left’s Self-Defeating Israel Obsession; Natasha Hausdorff's immediate response to ICJ Advisory Opinion

From Ian:

John Spencer: Vilifying Israel's Use of 2,000-Pound Bombs Only Ends Up Costing More Lives
This week, Israel very likely killed the long-time head of Hamas's military, Mohammed Dief, with multiple 2,000-pound bombs. This comes directly after United States announced it was lifting the restriction on 500-pound bombs shipments to Israel but keeping a block on larger diameter munitions to include 2,000-pound bombs. In his press conference on the issue, President Joe Biden laid out his rationale. "I have not provided them 2,000-pound bombs," President Biden said. "They cannot be used in Gaza or any other populated area without causing great human tragedy and damage."

President Biden's remarks reflect the conventional wisdom about these powerful weapons. Like all conventional wisdom, it is at least in part misguided and unfair. To be sure, the war in Gaza has been incredibly destructive, and thousands of Palestinians have tragically been killed. Unfortunately, widespread destruction and high civilian casualty rates are common in urban warfare. And in Gaza, the numbers are as high as they are because Hamas has cynically dug itself in beneath densely populated areas.

The penetration depth of a 2,000 pound bomb, depending on the kind and whether it must go through concrete, is believed to be from 16 feet to more than 30 feet. Hamas's military wing is hidden in more than 400 miles of tunnels, some as deep as 200 feet underground. And to Israel's north, Hezbollah, like Hamas, has spent years digging tunnels deeper and deeper to protect what is believed to be an arsenal of over 100,000 rockets, missiles and drones. Southern Lebanon is referred to as the "Land of Tunnels" due to the miles of deep buried underground networks.

Israel has used its 2,000-pound bombs against what it assessed to be military targets in bunkers and tunnels, even while knowing that there would be unavoidable civilian casualties—just as the United States has done in its past wars.

Some weapons experts and veterans have recently claimed that the United States has rarely used 2,000-pound bombs. That's simply not true.

During the first Gulf war, the United States dropped more than 16,000 2,000-pound bombs on Iraqi targets. During the opening month of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it dropped more than 5,000 of these bombs in Baghdad, a city of over 5 million residents at the time and other urban areas. The U.S. dropped four of the bombs on just one building in a residential neighborhood in Baghdad, after receiving intelligence reports that some senior Iraqi officials, possibly including Saddam Hussein and his two sons, were there.

The current debate over the use of 2,000-pound bombs is part of a much larger fight over the use of all bombs in urban areas. It can be traced back years to the creation of a massive human rights advocacy coalition, led by Human Rights Watch, established in 2011. This coalition sought to have all bombs, missiles, artillery, and mortars banned from use in any urban area, termed "populated areas," no matter the context, situation, or even if a military was able to evacuate all the civilians from the area.

The war on bombs was eventually titled "explosive weapons in populated areas" (EWIPA). A political declaration was crafted whereby nations would commit to restrict or ban their forces from using all of these weapons in urban warfare. To date, 87 countries have endorsed the political declaration committing to adopt and implement national policies and practices to reduce civilian harm in urban warfare by restricting or refraining from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

The unhappy reality is that urban warfare is inherently destructive—and also unlikely to end any time soon. As a scholar of urban warfare, I have concluded and presented to the United Nations that banning bombs and artillery in urban warfare would perversely result in more destruction, not less. Restrictions on the use of bombs in cities sucks the fight into cities from rural areas. And once in the city, if the attacking army is deprived of those weapons, defenders engage in protracted block-by-block street fights that lead to mass destruction and thousands of lost lives. Without bombs or artillery, urban battles become bloody sieges. And this drags out war.
Australian investigation into WCK strikes expected to back Israel's official response
Following an IDF strike on the World Central Kitchen aid truck, which killed seven international aid workers in April, the Australian government opened an investigation into the incident in which an Australian citizen was killed.

In addition to the Australian citizens, citizens from Poland, Canada, the UK, and the US were also killed in the strike.

As a result, the Australian government appointed retired Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin to serve as Special Adviser to the Australian Government on Israel's response to the Israel Defense Forces strikes.

Biskin was chief of the Australian Defence Force from 2014 - 2018 and Chief of the Air Force from 2008 - 2011. He has significant expertise in air operations, having served as a fighter pilot at the beginning of his military career.

As part of his mission, he was required to examine several areas, including IDF policies and procedures for operational incidents and measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.

According to a report by the Australian published on Thursday, Binskin's report is "set to largely back the Jewish state’s official response to the tragedy."

Citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, Biskin "although mistakes were made," was satisfied with the IDF's response and civilian safeguards and was "in line with those of Western counterparts ­including Australia."

The report has not yet been released, with the Australian saying that Biskin must first brief the government before briefing the family of Zomi Frankcom.
IAF strikes Houthi targets in Yemen in retaliation for Tel Aviv attack
Israeli Air Force jets struck Houthi terrorist targets in Yemen on Saturday following a deadly drone attack by the Iran-backed group in Tel Aviv the previous day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed.

“From the beginning of the war, I made it clear that Israel would harm anyone who harms us,” Netanyahu said in public remarks on Saturday night. “Accordingly, earlier today, I convened the Security Cabinet and asked it to support my proposal to attack the Houthi targets in Yemen.”

The strikes, which Israel said hit several “military targets” in the port city of Hodeidah, appeared to be the first on Yemeni soil since the Houthis joined the war against the Jewish state in support of Hamas in October.

“The Israeli Air Force struck dual-use infrastructure used for terrorist activities, including energy infrastructures,” IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.

Netanyahu said the strikes were a “direct response to the drone attack that killed an Israeli citizen and wounded several others. It also followed the Houthi’s aggression against the State of Israel since the start of the war. Over the past eight months, the Houthis have launched hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones towards Israel.”

An Israeli man was killed and four other persons were wounded at 3:12 a.m. on Friday when what the Israel Defense Forces described as an “aerial target” exploded in a residential neighborhood in central Tel Aviv. The slain man was identified as Yevgeny Ferder, 50, who immigrated from Belarus around two years ago to escape the Russia-Ukraine war.

Medics treated a woman in her 20s and a man in his 30s for shrapnel wounds at the scene before evacuating them to the hospital. Two others were wounded either by shrapnel or the shockwave of the blast.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they used an advanced suicide drone dubbed “Jaffa.” Hagari confirmed that the UAV was an Iranian-made Samad-3, which was upgraded to increase its strike range.

Netanyahu said on Saturday that the retaliation against the Houthis hit targets some 1,120 miles from the Jewish state. “There is no place that the long arm of the State of Israel cannot reach,” he said.


The Left’s Self-Defeating Israel Obsession
Ask most Americans what DSA stands for and they are unlikely to know the Democratic Socialists of America, the country’s largest leftist organization, with about 92,000 members. But ask about AOC and they are likely to be familiar with DSA’s most famous member: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Bronx-born socialist firebrand known for her fierce advocacy of trade unions, universal medical care, tuition-free university, migrant rights, and pro-environmental policies. So why did DSA’s national leadership recently decide to withdraw its conditional endorsement of her?

For any sane organization, the 34-year-old lawmaker would be a treasured asset. She is principled, politically talented, and able to make national headlines on a regular basis. Her victory in 2018 led to the most significant single-day membership increase in DSA’s history. She has a grassroots background and knows how to talk to ordinary people, but she is also an agile political operator. In the space of a few short years, she rose to the vice ranking position of the House Oversight Committee and made herself a unique place in the Democratic Party.

But Ocasio-Cortez has one important failing in the eyes of DSA’s leaders: She is not sufficiently anti-Israel. As the organization declared its non-endorsement of her, the only rationale it cited was disapproval of her position on Israel.

Never mind that Ocasio-Cortez was one of the first elected politicians in the United States to advocate for a cease-fire in the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, or that since March, she has called the Israeli operation in Gaza a “genocide.” Never mind that she is estimated to be the fifth-most-pro-Palestinian member of the House. None of this is enough for DSA’s leadership, which includes a faction openly supportive of Hamas. Ocasio-Cortez has been faulted for endorsing a resolution that affirmed Israel’s right to exist; for being open to funding the purely defensive Iron Dome, which has saved thousands of innocent Israeli and Palestinian lives; and for not backing the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign, which is so extreme in its opposition to “normalization” that it opposes left-wing Israeli writers as well as the Palestinian Israeli pro-peace and anti-occupation movement Standing Together.

In fact, some in DSA have condemned Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders for speaking at Standing Together’s national convention. DSA further faulted Ocasio-Cortez for holding a public panel on anti-Semitism last month with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. There, she engaged Jewish advocates in an admirably nuanced and empathetic conversation that might have appealed to a wide audience. But those in DSA who have asked her to stop “platforming Zionists” were not impressed.
Stephen Pollard: David Lammy is dangerously naive about Hamas
As the IDF tweeted to Unrwa after the discovery: “How many more times will your facilities and infrastructure be exploited by terrorists?” Last Wednesday, IDF troops of the 99th Division were engaged in a close-quarters battle with terrorists operating from the Unrwa HQ.

None of that concerns Mr Lammy. Nor, it seems, is he bothered by the list of 100 Unrwa employees named by Israel as allegedly being members of Hamas in a letter sent by the Israeli Foreign Ministry last week to Unrwa’s head, Philippe Lazzarini and to its funders – including the UK. Who cares, eh?

One group is certainly not satisfied by Unwra’s alleged role in enabling Hamas’s terror. 101 victims of the October 7 massacre have filed a lawsuit in the US against Unrwa for “aiding and abetting” Hamas. They claim Unrwa “helped Hamas build up the terror infrastructure and personnel that were necessary to carry out the October 7 attack”. The plaintiffs (up to 800 are expected to join the lawsuit) include hostages, Nova festival survivors and families of people who were murdered.

Specifically, the lawsuit claims that Unwra was “deliberately paying its local personnel in the form of cash US dollars, requiring them to turn to Hamas-affiliated moneychangers to receive the local currency (Israeli shekels) they actually need to be able to make purchases, thus predictably generating millions of dollars per month of additional income for Hamas from the spread charged by the moneychangers – money that was not merely denominated in dollars but was in cash. By doing so they provided Hamas with access to hard US currency which Hamas desperately needed to pay its illicit weapons procurement network to smuggle into Gaza vast quantities of weapons, ammunition, explosives, rockets and the other materials needed by Hamas to perpetuate the October 7 attack as well as numerous other genocidal attacks on civilians.”

The lead plaintiffs include hostage Ditza Heiman, who claims the owner of the home where she was held for seven weeks told her he was a teacher at an Unrwa school for boys – and that she was fed with food labelled for Unrwa schools.

Unrwa has repeatedly denied all allegations that its aid is diverted to Hamas or that it teaches hatred in its schools, and has questioned “the motivation of those who make such claims.” The agency has condemned the Hamas attack on October 7 as “abhorrent.”

Mr Lammy is happy to take those denials at face value. Let’s be charitable and put it down to naivety – not exactly a quality one looks for in a foreign secretary. British policy, it seems, is heading into dangerous chaos under David Lammy.
Natasha Hausdorff: Standing alongside Israel at the ICC is in Britain’s national interest
The Prosecutor’s application is also subject to serious criticism on the basis of the host of factual inaccuracies in the information disclosed as part of the publicity around it. One such example concerns the incorrect and potentially deliberately misleading statements advancing allegations of starvation. These appear to have been grounded on false media reports and earlier findings from the Famine Review Committee. The Committee report contained inaccurate and incomplete information that has since been found “not plausible” on review and superseded by a new report last month.

It should be of significant concern that the applications appear to include false information and to omit publicly available evidence contradicting the falsehoods, including from COGAT, the Israel Defence Forces unit responsible for aid facilitation to Gaza. These points require ventilation over the coming weeks, along with the disturbing track record of the celebrity panel of “experts” whom the Prosecutor turned to for endorsement, a measure unprecedented at the ICC.

Erroneous and malicious claims undermine the ICC’s reputation and ability to dispense justice at a time when its credibility is hanging in the balance. This hampers the Court’s intervention into real breaches of international law. The UK has an important role in this context in upholding the rule of law and keeping the Court to its proper function within the law, exercising jurisdiction based upon the Rome Statute and in accordance with the principle of complementarity. The UK’s submission is plainly in its national interest.

The important issues regarding jurisdiction that arose before the UK’s general election have not changed. Encouraging the new Government to consider submissions to the Court on technical legal issues as a party-political matter does immense damage to the international rule of law and the UK’s reputation in the international legal community.

Calls by senior members of the legal profession for the question of the Court’s jurisdiction now to be treated as a question of partisanship should sound the warning knell to those who still value the international legal order.
Natasha Hausdorff's immediate response to ICJ Advisory Opinion on Times Radio with Ayesha Hazarika
Natasha Hausdorff responds to the mischaracterisation of the ICJ Advisory Opinion and answers questions on the consequences for the Court.




US criticizes ICJ opinion that Israeli 'occupation' of Palestinian territories is illegal
The United States criticized "the breadth" of the top UN court's opinion in which the International Court of Justice said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, with Washington saying it will complicate efforts to resolve the conflict.

"We have been clear that Israel's program of government support for settlements is both inconsistent with international law and obstructs the cause of peace," a US State Department spokesperson said on Saturday in an email.

"However, we are concerned that the breadth of the court's opinion will complicate efforts to resolve the conflict and bring about an urgently needed just and lasting peace, with two states living side-by-side in peace and security," the State Department added.

The ICJ stated on Friday that Israel’s "occupation" of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, as well as its associated policies of settlement, annexation, and discrimination in those areas, are illegal and must end, issuing the first of its kind advisory opinion on the subject.


Battle of the War and Terrorism Experts - John Spencer vs. Robert Pape - Is Gaza Backfiring?
John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, national security and military analyst, and internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare, military strategy, tactics, and other related topics. Considered one of the world’s leading experts on urban warfare, he served as an advisor to the top four-star general and other senior leaders in the U.S. Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy.

He’s authored over 130 articles in our leading intellectual publications. He is the author of three books, including The Mini-Manual for the Urban Defender, which was translated into 16 languages.

Robert A. Pape is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago specializing in international security affairs. His commentary on international security policy has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, New Republic, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, as well as on Nightline, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and National Public Radio. Before coming to Chicago in 1999, he taught international relations at Dartmouth College for five years and air power strategy for the USAF's School of Advanced Airpower Studies for three years. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1988 and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pittsburgh in 1982. His current work focuses on the causes of suicide terrorism and the politics of unipolarity. He is the director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats.

0:00 Introduction
3:36 Coin Toss Decision
5:30 Robert Opening Pape's Argument
11:20 John Spencer's Counterargument
15:53 Pape Responds
29:53 Assessing Hamas's Strategic Goals
34:00 Critique on Planning for the Future
37:13 Rebuilding Democracy in the Middle East
41:01 Pape's Preferred Israeli Strategies for October 8th
42:46 Creating a Wedge Strategy
47:09 Insights from General McChrystal
49:42 Differing Military Strategies
50:23 Debating Military Approaches
51:38 Winning Battles vs. Winning Wars
55:58 Political Power Dynamics
59:00 Importance of Words in Strategy
1:01:27 Acknowledging Past Mistakes
1:04:53 Counterinsurgency Strategies
1:08:36 Role of Threat in Strategy
1:10:20 Separating Militant Groups
1:12:05 Achieving Strategic Objectives
1:12:09 Counterinsurgency Tactics
1:14:20 Importance of Meaningful Conversations
1:14:38 Sharp Arguments and Surviving Contact with the Enemy




Israel's attack on Yemeni oil infrastructure is a strategic warning to Iran
Israel’s attack on a strategic oil refinery in Yemen is more than a tactical strike in the complex conflict between Israel and Yemen. It sends an unambiguous message to Iran: Israel can and will disrupt the energy lifeline of the Middle East. Energy, as a critical element of national and regional security, is at the heart of this strategic maneuver. By targeting essential energy assets, Israel underscores the vulnerability of its adversaries' economic and military capabilities, which heavily depend on a stable energy supply.

The Yemeni oil facility, while significant, is not the primary target of Israel’s strategic calculations. Instead, it demonstrates what can be achieved on a larger scale—precisely, a hint at the potential vulnerability of Iran’s critical oil infrastructure, most notably Khark Island.

Khark Island, located in the Persian Gulf, is Iran’s principal oil export terminal, handling most of the country’s crude oil exports. This facility is not merely an economic asset but a critical node in Iran’s geopolitical leverage and capacity to fund regional activities and proxies. By showcasing its ability to strike similar targets in Yemen, Israel is effectively placing Iran on notice that Khark Island and other vital infrastructure could be next.

This maneuver aligns with Israel’s broader strategic doctrines of deterrence and preemption. Israel has long been aware of the multifaceted threats posed by Iran, ranging from nuclear ambitions to the support of militant groups in the region. In targeting critical Yemeni oil infrastructure, Israel demonstrates its willingness to engage in unconventional and asymmetric warfare, disrupting supply chains and economic resources that fuel hostile activities.

Moreover, the attack highlights Israel’s operational reach and intelligence capabilities. Yemen is not a neighboring country, and the logistics of such a strike are complex. By successfully executing this operation, Israel underscores its ability to project power across the region, reinforcing its strategic posture and deterring adversaries through demonstrated action rather than mere rhetoric.
House Democrat wants Houthis back on foreign terror list
A staunchly pro-Israel House Democrat is urging the Biden administration to reverse its decision to remove Yemen's Houthi rebels from the Foreign Terrorist Organizations list, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone strike on Tel Aviv that killed at least one person and wounded seven others in one of the most serious attacks on the city since Oct. 7, Axios' Barak Ravid reported.

Driving the news: Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, "I strongly encourage you to consider relisting the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization."
Torres argued that the "the relative stability and de-escalation of violence within Yemen since 2022 is hanging in the balance" as a result of the attack on Tel Aviv.
Torres also said Biden and Blinken have "made it abundantly clear that the United States stands with Israel and its people" and that the strike puts the chances of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas "at risk."

Shortly after Biden took office in 2021, Blinken reversed a Trump administration decision to designate the Houthis as both an FTO and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group.
Blinken cited the designation's potentially "devastating impact on Yemenis' access to basic commodities like food and fuel."
After repeated attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea since Oct. 7 in response to Israel's military operations in Gaza, Biden placed the Houthis back on the SDGP list but stopped short of re-designating them as an FTO.

An FTO designation would allow the U.S. to place more stringent sanctions on the group.


Jon Gabriel: We landed on the moon. Now we can’t even keep the Gaza aid pier afloat
Since its installation, the pier has only been functional for about 20 days. Excuses were legion: bad weather, rough seas, no trucks to bring aid off the beach, attacks from the locals.

Pray that shooting of Trumpwill unite America to rethink our angry division

"The pier is humanitarian theatre," Refugees International President and former USAID senior adviser Jeremy Konyndyk said. "Much more about political optics than humanitarian substance."

Though it was intended to last until at least September, it was heavily damaged in a storm and parts of it washed up on the shores of Ashdod. The U.S. military got it working again on June 8 … then suspended operations for two days and hauled it back to Ashdod, fearing a storm.

On June 20, the Pentagon insisted the pier would return soon and would be in Gaza to stay. “We have not established an end date for this mission as of now, contrary to some press reporting on the matter,” Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said.

The Biden administration agreed, with one official stating that “the maritime pier is a critical additional conduit for aid deliveries.” If only we could have given pier a quiet burial at sea

This week, they gave up and hoped no one would notice. "The maritime surge mission involving the pier is complete,” Navy Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said at a news briefing Wednesday. “So there's no more need to use the pier.”

During its brief deployment, an estimated 8,000 metric tons of aid were delivered via the pier. That’s the equivalent of about 600 trucks worth — the number humanitarian agencies claim need to enter Gaza every day.

Meanwhile, the war continues.

At this point, few Americans expect another "giant leap for mankind." But “one small step” would be nice.
150 terrorists eliminated: IDF battles terrorists, finds weapons in heart of Gaza City
The combat teams of the 3rd Brigade, the 8th Brigade, the Commando Brigade, and the Multidimensional Unit operated under the command of the 99th Division in the heart of Gaza City, the IDF stated Saturday.

IDF soldiers raided Hamas infrastructure used for building up terror operations located inside UNRWA headquarters and also carried out additional searches in the area, the IDF noted.

During operations, with intelligence support, IDF soldiers raided buildings where Hamas terrorists were staying, including a building in a civilian neighborhood where Hamas terrorists were entrenched and a high-rise building in Gaza City.

Weapons and tactical gear uncovered by IDF soldiers
In these buildings, IDF soldiers found weapons, cartridges, equipment of the Hamas naval commando, tactical vests, intelligence materials, and various weapons and firearms.

According to IDF reports, in the past week, IDF soldiers eliminated more than 150 terrorists, destroyed over 100 terrorist infrastructures, and uncovered an underground terrorist workshop.

CNN reported that 13 people were killed in strikes in the area of the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, citing hospital officials.

Residents in the area told CNN that a residential block south of Nuseirat was struck.


Two IDF soldiers wounded by Hezbollah drone attack in Golan Heights
Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were lightly and moderately wounded in a Hezbollah explosive-laden drone attack in the northern Golan Heights on Saturday, the military said.

According to the IDF, several suspected drones entered Israeli airspace in the attack, and interceptor missiles were launched at them. The drones, however, were not intercepted and struck northern Israel, leading to the injury of the two soldiers.

The attack punctuated a day of hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese terror group, which saw Hezbollah and the Lebanese branch of Hamas attack Israel repeatedly.

Throughout the day, Hezbollah fired rockets and at least one drone, setting off sirens throughout the country’s north.

In the morning, the IDF said air defenses intercepted a suspected drone over southern Lebanon, adding that the drone did not cross into Israeli territory.

Also in the morning, the IDF said that its fighter jets struck several buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Houla.

At noon, sirens sounded in Israeli communities in the Galilee panhandle, indicating that rockets or drones were heading to the area. It was unclear, however, whether there were attacks that landed on Israeli territory.


'Post' obtains full text of book hostage families intend to distribute to US congressman
Families of hostages being held in captivity since the October 7 massacre will travel to Washington on Sunday in order to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in support of a hostage deal. Among other actions, they will distribute to US congresspeople a book they created called Dark Legacy: The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages, whose text The Jerusalem Post has obtained in full.

The book criticizes what it argues is Netanyahu’s mishandling of hostage negotiations and the need to secure an immediate hostage agreement. It includes short essays by released hostages and family members of hostages who are still in captivity, as well as by dozens of key figures in Israeli society, including former senior intelligence and security officials, doctors and medical professionals, academics, journalists, and artists.

Among these contributors are former Mossad director Tamir Pardo, former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Yuval Diskin, and former defense minister Moshe “Bogie” Ya’alon.

The essays are extremely critical of the prime minister. The first one, for example, is by Carmit Palty Katzir. She is the sister of Elad Katzir, who was murdered in captivity, the daughter of Hanna Katzir, who was released after 49 days in captivity, and the child of Rami Katzir, who was murdered in his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Her essay is written in the style of a personal letter addressed to Netanyahu.

“I have no illusions that you will read this letter, for correspondence from citizens is rarely your preferred genre – unless, of course, it’s a thank-you note coupled with a photo opportunity for your press relations team. Perhaps you think I should be extending my gratitude. After all, I, the privileged one, have had two family members returned to me: A mother, barely alive, from Gaza, and a brother in a coffin. My father was brutally murdered in his shelter in Nir Oz during that dreadful event, to which you religiously avoid having your name attached,” she wrote. Demonstrators advocating for a hostage deal hold book ''Dark Legacy: The Abandonment of October 7th Hostages.'' (credit: ALEX PERGAMENT)


Shai Davidai: Debra Messing: I was too scared to be an #activist for the #jews
Welcome to the first episode of "Here I Am with Shai Davidai," a podcast that delves into the rising tide of antisemitism through insightful discussions with top Jewish advocates. In this inaugural episode, host Shai Davidai, a Professor at Columbia University known for his viral speech against antisemitism, engages in an important conversation with Debra.

Together, Shai and Debra explore her Zionist upbringing, her personal experiences with antisemitism, and the reasons that compelled her to speak out. They also discuss the defeating silence of Jewish Hollywood.




UKLFI: Glasgow Festival news update
“Appropriate action” has been taken against the organisers who announced that the Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Arts was boycotting Israel.

Glasgow Life, a charity which manages the “delivery” of the Glasgow Festival, has confirmed that the individuals who declared on Instagram, that the festival was boycotting Israel, did so without authority.

UK Lawyers for Israel wrote to Glasgow City Council, one of the Glasgow Festival’s major funders, following an Instagram post by the Glasgow Life team, saying that the Glasgow Festival would boycott Israeli artists.

The Glasgow Life staff had written a letter on Instagram that the Festival would be organized in accordance with the principles of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS).

Those who signed the letter were Richard Birkett, Festival director; Siobhan Carroll, Open Programme Convenor; Poi Marr, Curator; Pelumi Odubanjo, Assistant Curator; and Diana Stevenson, Festival Manager.

Glasgow City Council have now told UKLFI that “Glasgow Life have confirmed that the letter published on Instagram was not sanctioned by the organisation. ….. We are unable to investigate staff who are employed by an external organisation, in this case Glasgow Life. We have been assured that the matter was investigated by Glasgow Life and they have confirmed that appropriate action has been taken.”


NJA Q&A with the BBC News Director of News Content On July 17th the National Jewish Assembly (NJA) hosted a special Zoom Q&A event featuring Richard Burgess, BBC News’ Director of News Content.

Report: Biden won’t give Netanyahu ‘satisfaction’ of quitting before PM’s trip to DC
Joe Biden’s advisers believe the United States president does not want to bow out of the November election before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trip to Washington this week, as Biden is unwilling to give Netanyahu “the satisfaction” given the two leaders’ tensions over the war in Gaza, The New York Times reported on Friday.

The report, citing several unnamed people close to Biden, came after the Axios news site on Friday cited top Democrats as saying Biden had resigned himself to the pressure on him to quit, and could bow out as soon as this weekend.

But advisers say that Netanyahu’s impending visit could draw out the process of Biden pulling out of the race, with the president unwilling to give Netanyahu the satisfaction, given their strained relations lately over the Gaza war.

US-Israel tensions have simmered in recent months over the civilian toll in Gaza and the shortage of humanitarian aid there; the lack of a tangible plan by Netanyahu for Gaza’s post-war governance; Biden’s withholding arms from Israel over its offensive in Rafah; and Netanyahu’s perceived derailing of talks, mediated in part by the US, to secure a ceasefire and release of hostages held in Gaza. At least one member of Netanyahu’s government has also explicitly endorsed Biden’s rival, former US president Donald Trump, in the upcoming election.

Netanyahu is set to address a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday at the initiative of the Republicans. Several Democrats have said they will boycott the speech over Netanyahu’s conduct of the war in Gaza. The premier was also scheduled to meet Biden, but the fate of the meeting is unclear as the US president isolates at his Delaware home following a COVID-19 diagnosis.
US Senator Tim Kaine calls for US recognition of Palestine, following Knesset vote
US Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) called for the US to recognize Palestine on Friday due to the Knesset vote on Wednesday to reject the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River.

In a statement posted to his webpage, Senator Kaine said that due to the Knesset's decision to deny the establishment of a Palestinian state, " the US should no longer condition recognition on Israeli assent, but instead upon Palestinian willingness to peacefully coexist with its neighbors."

The statement was followed by several attempts to highlight Senator Kaine's support for Israel’s right to defend itself as well as his support for humanitarian aid.


What’s next for Jamaal Bowman?
Yet Bowman’s career as a failed politico-turned-professional anti-Israel activist could just be beginning. American history is replete with examples of politicians who have blamed Jews and the Jewish state for their failures.

Among the more recent is Cynthia McKinney, who served as part of Georgia’s congressional delegation from 1993 until 2007. Like Bowman, McKinney began her career as an educator before turning to politics. The two have other things in common, as well.

McKinney lost her reelection bid for Georgia’s 4th District in 2002, only to regain her seat briefly the following cycle. McKinney’s father, himself a Georgia state legislator, knew whom to blame for her defeat. As he told an Atlanta television reporter on Aug. 19, 2002: “The Jews have bought everybody.” After that initial loss, McKinney began to push 9/11 conspiracy theories. McKinney’s personal behavior while serving in Congress was also erratic. In 2006, she allegedly assaulted a Capitol Hill police officer. McKinney was not indicted, nor did she face disciplinary action by the House. In 2007, the congresswoman lost her seat in a primary runoff to Hank Johnson, who, like Latimer, was a former county executive and longtime pol.

Once out of office, McKinney became even more radical, attending events with Holocaust deniers and praising antisemitic books that warned of sinister Jewish financial and political influence. McKinney also displayed an affinity for antisemitic autocrats, praising the Islamic Republic of Iran, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, and others. She took part in anti-Israel propaganda trips, appeared on Iranian state media, and worked to end Israel’s blockade of Gaza — a blockade initiated to prevent the smuggling of weapons to Hamas.

McKinney was more than critical of Israel, however. In 2016, the former congresswoman blamed Israel for terrorist attacks in Germany and France that had been perpetrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. In 2020, she questioned how many Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, posting, “So, the figure wasn’t six million after all? What about those punished and even imprisoned for saying so??” And on June 28, 2021, McKinney posted a meme that implied that “Zionists” were responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On the 21st anniversary of those attacks, McKinney again took to social media to promote a livestream called, “Can Black People and White People Work Together to Defeat Our Common Enemy?” The graphics featured a Star of David. The two hosts of the livestream were Ayo Kimathi, the author of a book titled Jews Are the Problem, and David Duke, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan and noted antisemite.

McKinney is perhaps the most infamous example of a disgraced legislator-turned-anti-Israel activist. But she is far from alone.

In 1982, Republican Rep. Paul Findley of Illinois lost his seat to current Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). A centrist Republican who had served in Congress since 1960, Findley was opposed by AIPAC, which backed Durbin. Findley blamed the “pro-Israel lobby” for his defeat, even authoring a book titled They Dared to Speak Out, which portrayed AIPAC as all-powerful and hell-bent on silencing critics. But as the New York Times wrote in its review, Findley’s book was “the typical reaction of a Congressman who is offended at being challenged seriously for ‘his’ seat, especially if that upstart should go so far as to beat him.” Indeed, as with both McKinney and Bowman, a confluence of factors led to Findley’s defeat. As the journalist Ron Kampeas observed: “Dig a little into the poor performance of most any Israel-critical candidate, and one finds a lot more going on than Middle East policy.” Nonetheless, Findley spent his subsequent years speaking out about what he portrayed as undue Jewish political influence. Findley authored columns, gave lectures, and wrote books while claiming that sinister outside forces were working to silence him.

In 1984, Sen. Charles Percy of Illinois, a Republican, lost his reelection bid to Paul Simon, a Democrat. In the error-laden book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, academics Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer portray Percy as a victim of pernicious pro-Israel forces. Yet while Simon did receive support from Jewish and pro-Israel organizations upset with Percy’s voting record, Percy, like Findley, was out of touch with both his base and his constituents. And Percy, like Findley, would spend subsequent years railing against AIPAC.

The same playbook has been repeated on multiple occasions. Adlai Stevenson III, a senator from Illinois and son of the 1952 and 1956 Democratic presidential nominee, would chalk losing his Senate seat to the “Israel lobby.” More recently, Nina Turner, a progressive Democrat from Ohio, lost a 2021 primary bid for a seat in the House. Turner and her supporters attributed her loss to AIPAC and “outside forces.” But like Bowman, McKinney, Findley, and Percy, foreign policy was just one of many factors — and often it wasn’t the preeminent reason.

Perhaps the most famous politician to blame his loss on a pro-Israel lobby is Jimmy Carter. Over the years, the 39th president has offered several reasons for his 1980 loss to Ronald Reagan. Carter received only 45% of the Jewish vote, and in his diaries and statements, the onetime Georgia governor indicated he believed this loss of support contributed to his defeat. It is possible to view portions of Carter’s post-presidency as an attempt to get even.

The former president has libeled Israel as an “apartheid state” and has placed the onus for the lack of peace in the Middle East on the Jewish state. Like others, he has warned of a “Jewish lobby” that seeks to silence his views — views that have been disseminated in error-filled bestselling books, TV appearances, and New York Times op-eds.

F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said that “there are no second acts in American lives.” Yet some former politicians seem to have made second careers out of warning of undue Jewish political influence. Bowman could be the latest iteration. He has the resume.
Small city branded 'America's jihad capital' descends into civil war - as locals reveal why they hate both Biden AND Trump
In April, Muslim protesters were heard chanting 'death to America' and 'death to Israel' during a rally in Dearborn.

Demonstrators gathered in the city in commemoration of Al-Quds Day in support of Palestinian people and to oppose Israel.

The protest came less than a week after seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, drawing global outrage.

Video shared by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) shows Tarek Bazzi, a local activist, delivering remarks at a podium as chants of 'death to America!' sound in the background.

'It's not just Genocide Joe that has to go,' Bazzi said in reference to President Biden.

'It is the entire system that has to go. 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.'

Bazzi then directed his attention to Israel.

'So when these fools ask us if Israel has the right to exist...the chant 'death to Israel' has become the most logical chant shouted across the world today,' he said.

Audience members then repeated the chant.

Bazzi explained that the rallies have become 'so anti-American' because 'it's the United States government that provides the funds for all of the atrocities.'
Michigan Imam accuses Israel of harvesting Palestinian organs, praises terrorist leaders in sermon
During a series of ceremonies commemorating the month of Muharram in the Shiite Hadi Institute Youth Community Center in Dearborn, Michigan, on July 7 and 8, 2024, Imam Usama Abdulghani accused the Israeli military of skinning Palestinians and harvesting their organs, seen in a video published by MEMRI (The Middle East Media Research Institute) on Thursday.

Abdulghani stated, “There are a group of people in this world who, for 270 days, are facing the worst kind of atrocities imaginable. Now, the Yazids and Shemirs of today would like you and I to believe history began on October 7. No, history did not begin on October 7. These are people who regularly describe their military incursions as ‘mowing the lawn,’ so when you see them skinning the Palestinians or harvesting their organs or butchering…so imagine a group of people surrounded for so long by these kinds [of people], the worst of Allah’s creation.”

The tenth day of Muharram is Ashura, the holiday commemorating the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. On this day, according to Islamic history, Muhammad’s grandson Hussein and his family were killed by Muslim forces loyal to a different individual in pursuit of leadership.

The caliphate of Yazid ibn Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, known as Yazid I, was characterized by the death of Muhammad's grandson and the start of the Second Fitna, a period of general disorder and civil war.

Abu al-Sabigha Shamir ibn Dhi al-Jawshan, known as Shemir, was the Arab military commander who killed Muhammad’s grandson.

Earlier in his speech, the Michigan Imam praised Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for his piety and knowledge and quoted Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in support of the supreme leader.


In the crosshairs: Gazans complain they weren’t told hostages were being held nearby
Palestinians living in Gaza’s Nuseirat camp, where four hostages were rescued in June, complained to CNN that they weren’t warned they were living in the same vicinity as hostages - putting them at risk of being caught in the crossfire, the site shared on Friday.

Several Palestinian terrorists and civilians were killed in the operation. The IDF placed the number of killed at 90, while Hamas claimed over 200 were killed. Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40) were all rescued during the operation.

Family doctor Dr. Ahmed Aljamal and his family held three of the rescued hostages.

“Had we known [the hostages were being held nearby], had he told us, we would have taken safety precautions, hide or move somewhere else,” one neighbor, Abu Muhammad El Tahrawi, told CNN.

Another neighbor, Abdelrahman El Tahrawi, expressed shock, describing the 74-year-old doctor as “a pious man.”

Tahrawi went on to describe the nature of the captor. “He leads the prayer, then he goes back to his home. He didn’t mix with people, didn’t complain about other people, and no one complained about him. He was a man who minded his own business.”

Despite Tahrawi’s description of Aljamal, other neighbors said the family was known for having ties to Hamas.

Aljamal’s 36-year-old son Abdallah, a journalist for the Palestine Chronicle, had been a spokesperson for Hamas’s Ministry of Labor.

The Palestine Chronicle is now being sued by former hostage Almog Meir.

Abdallah also openly supported Hamas on social media, posting pictures of his son dressed as a member of Hamas’s armed wing. He not only endorsed Hamas’s October 7 attack online but also reportedly commended the Hamas operation to kidnap Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006.


Blinken: Iran is 1-2 weeks away from producing material for a nuclear weapon
Secretary of State Tony Blinken said on Friday that Iran has reduced its nuclear breakout period — the time it would need to create sufficient fissile material for a nuclear weapon — to one to two weeks.

In recent weeks and months Iran has been “moving forward in terms of the capacity to break out, in producing fissile material,” Blinken said at the Aspen Security Forum.

Blinken’s estimate of Iran’s breakout time sent ripples through the crowd with some whispers of “Jesus.”

But Blinken said that Iran hasn’t produced a nuclear weapon itself. He said the U.S. is closely tracking Iran’s progress and insisted that it has been “maximizing pressure on Iran across the board” — invoking the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” language — through new and existing sanctions and greater cooperation with European partners.

Blinken also said that Israel and Hamas are close to a deal to secure a cease-fire and the release of additional hostages from Gaza.

“We’re inside the 10 yard line and driving toward the goal line,” Blinken said, while acknowledging that there are still some points of difference to be resolved, which negotiators are currently working on.

“We also know that, with anything, the last 10 yards are often the hardest,” Blinken continued. “So I don’t want to be in any way naive about it.”
French alleged neo-Nazi, suspected of Olympic torch relay plot, jailed for 2 years
A French alleged neo-Nazi sympathizer was sentenced to two years in prison after making threats online and was suspected of wanting to target the Olympic torch relay, French authorities said Saturday.

The Paris public prosecutor’s office said in a statement the 19-year-old man was convicted after a swift trial overnight Friday on charges of sharing bomb-making instructions on social media, posts inciting hate and death threats as well as posts with personal information that put people at risk.

The man — detained on Wednesday morning at his home in the Alsace region of eastern France — ran a group called “French Aryan division” on the social media channel Telegram, the statement said.

The prosecutor’s office said his alleged comments that triggered the probe by its unit, dedicated to fighting online hate, did not specifically target the Paris Olympics, which kick off with a high-security opening ceremony on Friday.

France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Wednesday that anti-terror police detained the man and that he was an alleged neo-Nazi sympathizer suspected of “a willingness to intervene during a stage, evidently, of the torch relay.”

The relay is nearing the end of its months-long trip around France and overseas French territories before the Games’ opening.
Hiroshima dismisses calls to disinvite Israel from atomic bomb commemorations
Japanese officials have dismissed calls to disinvite Israeli representatives from the annual peace ceremony held in Hiroshima in light of the ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, CNN reported Friday.

According to the report, some activists and groups of atomic bomb survivors say Israel should not be allowed to participate because of its ongoing offensive against the terror group Hamas.

The activists say inviting Israel also constitutes a double standard, as representatives from Russia and Belarus have not been invited since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.

“Why invite Israel if they are committing genocide-like crimes, just like Russia and Belarus?” Tetsuji Kumada, executive director of Hiroshima’s Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organization, told CNN. “It is very disappointing that our request [to disinvite Israel] wasn’t taken into account.”

A Hiroshima city spokesperson told CNN they do not view inviting Israel as a double standard, saying, “Our policy is to invite all countries. However, Russia and Belarus are exceptions due to the invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Belarus are not invited in order to ensure the ceremony goes smoothly.”

However, in their invitation to Israel, Hiroshima authorities did mention the war in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire and adding it is “deeply regrettable that the lives and everyday existences of many people are being taken away.”

The Hiroshima-Palestine Vigil Community launched an online petition in May that amassed 30,000 signatures calling for Israel to be disinvited, citing the global protests against Israel, which “clearly outnumber those against Russia in both scale and frequency.” Protests against Israel have been marred with antisemitism and calls for Israel’s eradication.
Workers uncover remains of a synagogue destroyed by Nazis in Poland
While workers cleared out a plot of land for a parking lot, they discovered the remains of a synagogue in Otwock, Poland, Ynet reported Thursday.

The workers discovered the synagogue's walls and columns. The Polish Monument Preservation Authority made this discovery in the last several days, and work was immediately halted following the discovery.

The Goldberg Synagogue was originally built in 1927, at the initiative and expense of Shlomo and Chaim Goldberg, on Warsaw Street, opposite Otwock City Hall. It was designed by the Polish architect Eugenia Jablonska. The synagogue was destroyed in a fire by Nazis at the beginning of the Holocaust. Its library and study hall were destroyed, but its Torah scrolls were saved.

The synagogue could accommodate 650 worshipers. At the outbreak of the war, approximately 14,200 Jews lived in Otwock, according to The Jewish Virtual Library.

The Goldberg Synagogue was burned along with all the other synagogues in Otwock, Poland, in October 1939. After the war, about 400 Jews resettled in Otwock, but all left Poland shortly after that.

'Quite a piece of history'
"This is quite a piece of history that was hidden there," Polish historian Sebastian Rakowski told local media, Ynet reported. "It was discovered at the beginning of June. We knew there was a synagogue there, but we didn't know if something was preserved underground since nothing was showing above ground," he said.

Meir Bulka, who has been researching and exploring Eastern Europe, especially Poland, in recent years and is the chairman of the J-nerations organization, said, "These are indeed exciting findings of historical significance as they represent a chilling testimony of a time capsule from the Holocaust era.”

“I am confident that the authorities will act appropriately to preserve these important discoveries,” Bulka added.

The discovered remains will be transferred to the city museum for investigation.




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