Sunday, July 21, 2024

07/21 Links: Biden out, endorses Kamala; Natasha Hausdorff: Anti-Israel lawfare has reached a dangerous new low; BBC deliberately deceives with dog attack story

From Ian:

David Collier: Unforgivable: BBC deliberately deceives with dog attack story
Last week the BBC ran a story about a young man with Down’s syndrome in Gaza who was they said was mauled and ‘left to die’ by the IDF.

How does the BBC know this story is true? Because the mother told them it was.

Digging into the story unravelled the truth – and it is as shocking, as it is extreme. The BBC not only provided cover for Hamas – whitewashing a terrorist family – putting a highly distorted and edited narrative online – and blaming the death of a Hamas human shield on Israel – the BBC journos then deliberately butchered an IDF statement to make sure the truth was never told.

The problematic journo
My first real suspicions about the article were raised by the involvement of BBC Journalist Haneen Abdeen. She was one of the three journalists involved in creating the article and the only native Arabic speaker. These situations create a massive agency problem for the BBC, and one that they apparently remain oblivious to. The other two journalists (Fergal Keane and Alice Doyard) become dependent on the integrity and motivations of a single Palestinian journalist – and this skews the output in favour of an anti-Israel position from the beginning. Abdeen has even run and promoted anti-Israel events – so she can hardly be considered an impartial journalist. Abdeen also has form, and in November she was the Arabic speaking BBC Journalist that helped put together an entirely fake story (100% junk) that platformed a terrorist supporter and promoted a bunch of lies about trapped young footballers.

Her involvement as the lead Arabic speaker suggests that the BBC never honestly sought evidence to rigorously challenge the story they promoted.

The witnesses and probable cause
Mohammed Bahr had Down’s syndrome. His family home was in a combat zone and was raided by the IDF on the 2/3 July.

The first mention of Mohammed online comes from his brother Mekael at 8pm on July 3. He was not a witness – but he tells the story of the IDF arresting his two brothers (Adam and Saif) at a family home in the east of Al-Shujaia neighbourhood near Gaza City. Only after letting us know about his arrested brothers, and telling us his mother, sisters, and other ‘women of the family’ were there – does he tell us that another brother, Mohammed, was injured by a dog. This post is accompanied by pictures of his brothers and another image of Mohammed sitting alone by a bed.

But here is the thing. The person who introduced Mohammed to the world – Mekael Bahr- works for Islamic Jihad. He is a journo at their TV station, ‘Palestine Today’. He is a paid terrorist-supporting propagandist. Here is Mekael given VIP press treatment at the 29th anniversary celebration of the Islamic Jihad. He posted the footage on his Instagram. alongside hashtags praising ‘Jihad’.

Then there is the face of the BBC article, the mother Nabeel Al Yazji. Nabeel was a witness to what happened. I tracked down her FB account. It turns out her husband was killed in 2002 and buried in Hamas colours:

The BBC article even ackowledges she is a widow (did they not bother to check)? Which means the BBC’s key witness was the wife of a Hamas terrorist. The third key voice was a sister, ‘Sarah’. She was also in the home and a witness to the event. Her timeline is FULL of glorification of violence, murderous terrorism and the adoration of Hamas officials.

We are told of two brothers who were arrested in the house by the IDF (Saif and Adam). The Facebook timeline of one of them, Adam, carries numerous images of weapons. And this is him on the right in this image:

All this immediately creates TWO massive problems with the BBC article
1. Context. There was ample information available online to show that this house, this family, would rightly be considered a family of terrorists. There was EVERY reason to treat this house as a military target – and the use of dogs as a way of mitigating risk – becomes a clear and obvious military strategy. The article implies (lying through omission) that the IDF randomly used dogs against a peaceful civilian family. This is a false image and in the circumstances it is a highly misleading and demonising one. 2. Nobody is denying Mohammed was bitten by a dog – but the details and the narrative of the event and what followed are dependent on the honesty of the witnesses. This is a family that literally works with Islamic Jihad propaganda channels and has a history of supporting Hamas and providing fighters for the ’cause’. How can the BBC rely at all on what they are being told?
Where did BBC 'special correspondent' Fergal Keane get his latest Gaza story?
Did Fergal Keane and his team get this story from the ‘Middle East Eye’ contributor Maha Husseini who, according to one of her colleagues was “the first journalist to break this horrible story” and whose own article is illustrated with the same main photograph as that appearing in the BBC’s report? Given the lack of transparency on the BBC’s part regarding the sources of stories it publishes about the Gaza Strip and its insistence on not identifying the ‘freelancers’ presumably paid with licence fee funding, it is of course impossible to say.

What we do know based on the BBC’s past record is that despite the fact that Hamas is a proscribed organisation in the UK, the corporation has in the past used contributions from employees of the clearly partial and politically motivated Hamas-linked NGO ‘Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor’ which was founded and is headed by a person who publicly lauded Hamas’ October 7th atrocities.

An alternative explanation is of course that Keane and his team are simply of the opinion that content put out by a partisan, Muslim Brotherhood supporting media outlet with ties to the regime which hosts and has funded the Hamas terrorist organisation is worth copying – despite their inability to fact check and verify such content.
US President Joe Biden withdraws from presidential race, endorses Kamala Harris
US President Joe Biden announced in a post on X that he will be exiting the race for president.

This comes amid weeks of speculation about Biden's health and increasing pressure from the Democratic Party to withdraw.

In the statement to X, published on Sunday, he said, "I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."

"I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision."

In his statement, Biden thanked Vice President Kamala Harris and expressed his "heartfelt appreciation for the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me."

"We just have to remember we are the United States of America," his statement concluded.

It was unclear whether other senior Democrats would challenge Harris for the party's nomination, who was widely seen as the pick for many party officials - or whether the party itself would choose to open the field for nominations.

The president later posted "My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this."
Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race. What now?
How does this impact the Democratic Party?

This decision by Biden could significantly shift the already fraught dynamics in the Democratic Party, within which several prominent voices had already been calling for Biden to step down from the race before the announcement.

In the past, potential candidates within the party would begin positioning themselves for a presidential run, leading to a competitive primary season. However, we are already quite close to the elections, so that may not be true. A candidate will most likely be announced very soon.

Is Biden becoming a lame duck?
A president becomes a lame duck after a successor is elected, during which the outgoing president and the president-elect typically initiate the transition of power.

While no new president has been elected yet, Biden is no longer in the race, so he may very well take on that title sooner rather than later. It represents a significant waning in his influence. Has this happened before?

This is not the first time a US president has decided not to rerun for office. In 1849, President James K. Polk chose not to run for a second term.

President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would not seek re-election in 1968 amidst the Vietnam War and domestic turmoil.


Natasha Hausdorff: Anti-Israel lawfare has reached a dangerous new low
The virulently anti-Israel Advisory Opinion handed down by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday, arguing Israel’s “policies and practices” have breached international law, is just that: an opinion. It does not have legally binding status. The value of that opinion is ultimately undermined by the weakness of its reasoning, the misapplication of international law and the false factual basis upon which it is predicated, admirably highlighted by the powerful Dissenting Opinion of the Court’s Vice President Julia Sebutinde.

For context, the Opinion was requested from the Court by General Assembly Resolution 77/247, which already pre-judged Israel as a violator of international law for political reasons. Out of the 32 states that drafted and sponsored that Resolution, two-thirds do not have any diplomatic ties with Israel, and several of them do not recognise Israel as a state.

The Court has adopted the politicised allegations made against Israel in the Resolution, even erasing Israel from the map, purporting that the “contiguity” of “Palestinian territory” is to be “preserved and respected”. Neither cartography nor history seem to be the judges’ strong suit. As a consequence of deeply flawed findings, the Court has called for the “evacuation” of Jews – read ethnic cleansing – from Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, and Israel’s capital Jerusalem. It will not be lost on students of history that these are the very places that Jordan ethnically cleansed Jews from in 1948.

This Opinion is based upon an incorrect factual basis. Worse still, the majority of judges at the Court signed onto patent falsehoods with respect to the information available to it. For example, concerning the legal status of the territory, the very core of the matter, the majority claimed that “no information has been provided to the Court to substantiate [Israel’s] claims”. The “information” was provided by multiple states and international organisations, and is on the Court record, as acknowledged in the dissenting Opinion. Just as in its 2004 Opinion against Israel, the Court has refused to address Palestinian terrorism. Instead of addressing the facts, the Court has made up its own narrative, rewritten history, and misapplied the law.

The Opinion is driven by a clear political agenda from the Court’s President Nawaf Salam, who twice ran to be Lebanon’s Prime Minister. He has a virulently anti-Israel track record, including from his time as Lebanon’s Ambassador to the UN, where he voted to condemn Israel 210 times. His lengthy history of inflammatory speeches accusing Israel and “terrorist Jewish organizations” of the worst possible crimes makes a mockery of the Court’s claim to impartiality. His refusal to recuse himself, despite a requirement under the Court’s statute and repeated formal calls from around the world for him to do so, damages the credibility of the UN’s highest court and tarnishes the reputation of international law more generally. This irreparable harm to the Court’s credibility, and the integrity of its judicial role, spells dire consequences which are far reaching and should worry anyone who purports to care about international legal order.


Herzog to attend Olympics in Paris, meet leaders of France, Italy
On Wednesday evening, Herzog will participate in a memorial commemoration together with the Israeli delegation, members of the Olympic Committee and bereaved families marking 52 years since Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israeli sportsmen at the Munich Games.

The president will then watch Israel’s soccer team play against Mali at the Parc des Princes Stadium.

On Thursday, Herzog will visit Rome where he will meet with President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

He will then return to Paris to attend a reception hosted by President Emmanuel Macron for heads of state arriving for the opening of the Olympics. Herzog will meet with the French leader on Friday.

Also on Friday, Herzog will meet with members of the Jewish community in France.

“We are in the midst of a difficult and painful war, which is also reflected on the international stage. At this time, it is especially important for the State of Israel to take our place resolutely and appear on every global stage, and particularly on such an important stage as the Olympics,” said Herzog on Sunday.

“Our determination to hold our heads high despite the pain we endure, and in defiance of terror and hatred, to stand firm in our right—as any sovereign nation—to participate in the Games and do so with a high profile, with honor and great pride, as an expression of the resilient and inspiring Israeli spirit,” he continued.

“At every moment, our thoughts are with the hostages and their families. This is our highest mission and duty as a state—to never forget for a moment and to constantly work for their release, both in Israel and abroad.

“I am embarking on this diplomatic visit with this mission in mind, and I know that our athletes feel the same way. We have a wonderful delegation with tremendous potential, with an entire nation behind them, embracing, supporting and encouraging each and every one of them. We all hope to see the Israeli flag raised as many times as possible and know that, for us, they are already winners,” said the president.
‘Largest-ever’ security efforts underway as Israeli Olympic athletes receive death threats ahead of their arrival in Paris
Israel is sending armed Shin Bet agents to Paris to prepare for the largest-ever security operation for Israeli athletes at the Olympic Games.

Israeli Olympians taking part in the world’s foremost sports competition have been receiving death threats online over the last few days, according to Israeli media.

Approximately 88 Israeli athletes and their teams are set to receive a security detail from Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency, but not all will have their own bodyguard.

Israeli broadcaster Walla reported over the weekend that Israeli athletes have received threatening online messages written in poor Hebrew. As many as 15 athletes and their teams reportedly received identical death threats via email, warning them they would be killed if they arrived in France.

The anonymous email threatened to repeat the atrocities of the Munich Massacre during the 1972 Summer Olympics, promising harm to “any Israeli presence at the Olympics.”

The Munich Massacre saw 11 Israeli athletes and coaches murdered by 8 individuals belonging to the Palestinian militant group Black September.

Many Israeli athletes competing this year have also received suspicious calls from foreign numbers in the last few days.

Miki Zohar, Israel’s minister of culture and sport, told The Telegraph that the team’s security budget this year had been doubled, and security detail planning has been ongoing for “more than a year”.

“We know there are threats, but we don’t want to talk about it,” he said. “We try our best to make sure the athletes feel free but also safe and not afraid. We don’t want them to notice the security guards too much. We want them to feel confident so they can do their job,”
‘We will repeat Munich 1972’: Israeli Olympic athletes threatened ahead of Paris Games
Israel’s Olympic athletes have been receiving threatening messages by email and phone in the last week, according to Hebrew media reports over the weekend.

The first messages were sent to 15 athletes’ emails, and were signed by an entity that identified itself as “the People’s Defense Organization,” which doesn’t exist.

“The People’s Defense Organization announces that it intends to harm any Israeli presence at the Olympics,” the message read, adding that “the Jewish lobby that controls the French Parliament won’t decide anything anymore.”

The letter went on to say that “the fate of the Zionists will be like the fate of the Palestinians in Gaza if the Zionists continue to threaten everyone.”

“Therefore, you’re not invited to Paris 2024. If you come, take into account that we intend to repeat the events of Munich 1972,” the letter continued, referring to the Munich Massacre in which the Black September terrorist group broke into the Olympic village and took Israeli athletes hostage, eventually killing 11 and a German police officer.

“You will be awaiting attack at every moment — in the airport, the hotel, and the streets which belong only to us. Even a wave of arrests against our organization won’t stop us from seeing our plan through. Prepare for the intifada!” the letter ended.

On Saturday, athletes continued to receive threatening messages to their phones written in broken Hebrew.

In addition to the messages, the athletes received phone calls from foreign numbers they didn’t recognize.
Outrage after far-left French lawmaker says Israeli athletes not welcome at Paris Olympics
A hard-left French lawmaker has come under fire from fellow left-wing politicians, as well as a major French Jewish group, for saying that Israeli athletes were not welcome at the Paris Olympics, due to the war with Hamas in Gaza.

France Unbowed (LFI) lawmaker Thomas Portes is “putting a target on the backs of Israeli athletes,” says Yonathan Arfi, head of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, on X.

Portes said at a rally in support of Palestinians that “the Israeli delegation is not welcome in Paris. Israeli sportspeople are not welcome at the Paris Olympic Games.” He called for “mobilization” around the event.

He later told the Parisian newspaper that “France’s diplomats should pressure the International Olympic Committee to bar the Israeli flag and anthem, as is done for Russia.”

“It’s time to end the double standard,” Portes added.

In response, Arfi says Israeli athletes are “already the most in danger at the Olympic Games,” and recalls the 11 “murdered by Palestinian terrorists” in 1972 at the Munich Games.

Beyond the Jewish group, Portes is also criticized by nominal parliamentary allies in the Socialist Party and by conservatives.

“Of course, Israeli athletes are welcome, like all sportspeople from all over the world. Not for who they are, but for what they do,” Socialist MP Jerome Guedj writes.
Multiple Belgian cities refuse to host football match against Israel, citing security concerns
Israel’s football team will face off against Belgium in the Nations League at an undisclosed private venue in Hungary after multiple Belgian cities refuse to host the fixture out of security concerns.

The Belgian Football Federation (RBFA) has been looking for a new venue to host the match after Brussels said the game would be “impossible” to host due to security fears. Other Belgian cities also reportedly refused to host the match.

The match will now take place behind closed doors in Debrecen, Hungary on 6 September.

“Given that in Belgium, no local authority considered it possible to organise the home match of the Red Devils against Israel, the RBFA had to look for a solution abroad,” the federation said.

Most of the home games for the Belgian national team will take place at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, with only Israel being forced to play in a separate country.

The news comes as FIFA is currently deliberating a proposal from the Palestinian Football Association to suspend Israel from competing internationally. The football world’s governing body said the issue and its legal considerations would be discussed and shared with its council on August 31, only after the Paris Olympics which runs between July 26 and August 11.
Netanyahu urged to denounce Judea and Samaria sanctions to Congress
Fifty-five Israeli lawmakers, including government ministers, on Sunday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to use his address to the U.S. Congress this week to denounce the Biden administration’s sanctions against Israeli citizens and entities in Judea and Samaria.

The letter, an initiative of the Knesset’s Land of Israel Caucus, also urged the premier to invite the heads of local authorities in Judea and Samaria to join the delegation scheduled to leave for Washington on Monday.

“We, the undersigned members of Knesset, are deeply shocked by the decision of the U.S. administration to impose economic sanctions on Israeli citizens and entities,” the missive reads.

The signatories include Interior Minister Moshe Arbel (Shas Party), Religious Services Minister Michael Malchiel (Shas), Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer (Religious Zionism), Development of the Periphery, the Negev and the Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf (Otzma Yehudit), Economy Minister Nir Barkat (Likud), Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chair Yuli Edelstein (Likud) and MK Gideon Sa’ar (New Hope-National Right).

According to the lawmakers, the U.S. government’s recent blacklisting of Israelis amounts to “a blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty, as well as the long-standing friendship between the two countries and the democratic values that America has always been the flag bearer of.”

The MKs said that “not a single” sanction was imposed on Gaza’s Hamas terrorist group and the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria, which they noted are “immersed up to their necks into terrorism.

They added, “It is inconceivable that movements, organizations and individuals that work to promote our rights to the land, whom we are all grateful for due to their many years of blessed activity on behalf of our land, will be denounced and harmed by our great friend, the U.S.

“Ahead of your address to Congress, we urge you to express our position in your speech and make it clear that Israel will not be able to let such severe decisions go unanswered,” the letter to Netanyahu concludes.


TV report: Sinwar’s message to Israel was not regarded as a warning before an attack
Yahya Sinwar’s message to Israel, sent a few weeks before October 7 and warning of a flare-up in the prisons and on the issue of the captives, was immediately understood by its recipients to be referring not to violence and disturbances among Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel, but to potential developments regarding Israelis held captive and/or missing, Channel 12 reports. That is how the message was defined and cataloged, the report says.

Prior to October 7, when Hamas seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still held captive, the terror group was holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014. Furthermore, in March 2023, a Russian-Israeli researcher named Elizabeth Tsurkov was kidnapped in Baghdad, and is being held by an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia.

Sinwar’s message was regarded as “highly sensitive” and was circulated in only a very limited way in the political and security echelons. It was given “the highest possible security classification… very few people” were given access to it.

The Mossad, the Shin Bet, and the IDF all held several discussions regarding the message. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “were updated about these discussions,” the report says, and were involved in some of them.

The conclusion of these discussions was that Sinwar was indeed referring to Israeli captives and missing.

Israel “did not interpret the message as a warning ahead of an attack,” even though, as has been widely reported in the months since October 7, Israel intelligence had in its hands material relating to Hamas’s attack plans.
How Israel Turned the Tide in Rafah
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz interviewed by Elliot Kaufman (Wall Street Journal)
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that for months Western powers pressured Israel to end the war in Gaza. They called for an "immediate cease-fire," which would leave Hamas victorious. "The main reason that this murderer, [Hamas leader] Sinwar, didn't do the hostage deal is because he expected the world to stop Israel without it. He expected the ICJ, the ICC, the Security Council, maybe...the United Nations...and the EU" - surely one of them would force Israel to capitulate.

Katz was on the receiving end of many lectures from Western officials. "I sat with foreign ministers, and they told me, 'Don't go to Rafah, don't go to Rafah. It'll be a mess.'" The Rafah operation was delayed by months as the White House withheld weapons from Israel. On May 6, Israel invaded Rafah anyway.

"And we were right. Everyone knows it now, even the U.S....They said that it would take four months to evacuate the population. It took only days." More than a million Gazans quickly evacuated Rafah to designated safe zones. No critics recanted, but the pressure on Israel quietly diminished.

"There will be a deal only if Sinwar will understand that he doesn't have any other choice. The people that deal with the negotiations are telling us now: 'Don't stop, continue'" - push Hamas even harder.

"You will sit there, in the fjords in Norway, and decide that there will be a Palestinian state? It will not happen. We want peace more than you do." It's suicide that Israelis object to. "We don't ask anyone to fight instead of our soldiers. It's a principle for us." But "we need you to back us, and to let our enemies know that you back us. This is not a regular war. Iran and Hizbullah, Hamas and the Houthis and the Shiite militias - they want to eliminate Israel. To destroy Israel. It's not a game. We don't have another homeland, OK?"

"It's not like the Holocaust. I'm a son of Holocaust survivors...but it's the same intent. If they would have the power to do the same thing, they would do it."
IDF pushes forward with anti-terror ops in Rafah, Gaza City
Israeli soldiers located and dismantled ready-to-fire mortar rounds in Rafah on Saturday as forces continued their months-long military operation against Hamas terrorists entrenched in the southern Gaza city. An armed terrorist cell advancing on Israeli forces was eliminated via an air strike in the Rafah area.

Additionally, IDF troops located and dismantled tunnel shafts and underground infrastructure in the area of Tel al-Sultan, just north of Rafah city.

In the central Gaza Strip, IDF troops conducted targeted operations on military structures.

150 terrorists killed during Gaza City operation
The IDF said on Saturday that over the past week, soldiers have killed over 150 terrorists and destroyed 100 terror infrastructure sites in the Gaza City area, as well as located an underground workshop.

Troops also conducted raids and carried out searches in an area being used by Hamas to rebuild its military, inside an UNRWA headquarters.

During the searches, troops raided buildings where Hamas terrorists were holed up, including a building in a civilian neighborhood in which a Hamas terrorist had barricaded himself. Troops located weapons, ammunition, equipment and intelligence materials.

IDF soldier wounded
An IDF soldier from the 401st Brigade’s 52nd Battalion was severely wounded during combat operations in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, the army said.

The total death toll among IDF troops since the start of the Gaza ground operation on Oct. 27 now stands at 326, and at 683 on all fronts since Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, according to IDF data.

Additionally, Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, a member of the Israel Border Police’s “Yamam” National Counter-Terrorism Unit, was mortally wounded in Gaza earlier this month during a mission to rescue four hostages.


'Israel's most significant achievement': Psychological impact of Deif assassination
If the attempted assassination of Mohammed Deif, the head of the military wing of Hamas, is confirmed, it will be Israel's greatest psychological achievement amid the current war. It is true that from a military perspective Operation Arnon and the rescue of Ori Megidish were very complex and significant operations, but the elimination of Deif is a different sort of victory for Israel.

The psychological achievements in the war are not measured in the same way as war on the ground. The psychological war has its own set of rules since it operates in the realm of perception. Psychologically speaking, hitting a political figure has a much higher weight than hitting a Hamas battalion or eliminating weapons depots.

Our brains are built for dogmatic, black-and-white thinking. Therefore, the elimination of Deif, one of the architects of the October 7 massacre, was seen as an 'eye for an eye' more than any other military achievement achieved to date. Even externally, this is Israel's most significant achievement. People tend to appreciate and admire characters who appear to be invulnerable. It is part of the human need for idealization.

Deif has established himself as one of the symbols of Hamas and has become one of the cultural heroes of the young Palestinian generation, many of whom chanted "We are your soldiers, Deif." His avoidance of public appearances and his ability to survive a large number of Israeli assassination attempts contributed to the formation of an aura of an untouchable, ghostly figure that resonated in Gazan society for decades.

The significance of psychological warfare
When such a figure is damaged, it undermines confidence and severely damages morale. This damage creates doubts among Deif's people and is therefore seen as a greater achievement than conquering territory or damaging military equipment. It touches deeper feelings and emotions.

Mohammed Deif also became a symbol for the IDF and Shin Bet as this is one of the longest and most significant achievements for Israel in many years. Deif survived a total of seven assassination attempts over the years, and was injured in four of them, including in Operation Protective Edge in 2014.

If Deif was taken out, such an achievement would be a shot of encouragement to our forces and cause motivation to keep moving forward. Documentation of the attack on Khan Yunis, attempted assassination of Mohammed Deif (credit: Arab networks)


Rockets hit empty school, preschool in north after IDF strikes arms depot in Lebanon
An empty school and preschool were hit in rocket barrages fired from southern Lebanon toward Israeli communities on Sunday, as several fires sparked by Hezbollah missile attacks raged in the north of the country.

There were no injuries as the rocket struck a school in Kibbutz Dafna in the Upper Galilee, which has been largely evacuated of civilians since cross-border attacks from the Lebanon-based terror group began on October 8.

Another rocket hit the yard of a preschool in Kibbutz Hanita in the Western Galilee, similarly causing no casualties.

Hezbollah took responsibility for the attacks, saying that they came “in response to the Israeli enemy’s attacks that targeted civilians in the town of Adloun, injuring several of them,” referring to overnight IDF strikes on terror targets in Lebanon.

Rocket and drone alert sirens rung out across northern communities near the border with Lebanon several times throughout the day on Sunday, with impacts and shrapnel from interceptor missiles sparking fires in the Golan Heights, potentially increasing risk of damage, due to the blazing summer temperatures.

Earlier in the day, the IDF carried out a drone strike on a Hezbollah cell spotted in southern Lebanon’s Houla, while two Hezbollah weapon depots were struck by Israeli fighter jets in southern Lebanon overnight Saturday, which the IDF said were used to store rockets and other weaponry.
Security forces thwart Hamas terror plot directed from Turkey
Security forces have foiled a significant terrorist plot orchestrated by Hamas operatives in Turkey and involving students from Birzeit University in Samaria.

The operation, a collaborative effort of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), IDF and a specialized police unit, led to the arrest of several suspects and the seizure of weapons and funds earmarked for the attack.

The cell, operating under the banner of “Kutla Islamiya,” was in the advanced stages of planning a major attack when it was uncovered. Intelligence gathered by the Shin Bet indicates that the suspects were acting on directives from Hamas leadership in Turkey, with the ultimate goal of establishing a foothold for Hamas operations against Israeli targets.

The Shin Bet’s investigation revealed that the cell members were actively preparing to execute a significant attack and were involved in a complex network of Hamas fund transfers to operatives in the field. These activities were reportedly coordinated by high-ranking Hamas officials based in Turkey.

A resident of a village in the Binyamin region of Samaria is suspected of leading the cell. He allegedly recruited a “military” unit of activists from Birzeit University in Ramallah.

According to the investigation, the suspected leader used connections with another activist, a student from Ramallah studying at Al-Quds University, to establish communication channels with the Hamas command in Turkey. These connections were reportedly used to secure funding for weapons acquisition and to facilitate the planned attack.

As the investigation unfolded, all cell members involved in the attack planning were swiftly arrested by Israeli police. The security operation also led to the surrender of an M16 rifle and the confiscation of tens of thousands of dollars, which had been funneled from the Hamas command in Turkey to finance the plot.
‘Two IDF soldiers were killed securing US Gaza aid pier’
Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed last month while securing the United States’ humanitarian aid pier off the coast of Gaza, an Israeli military source deployed to the Strip told JNS.

The Biden administration project was plagued by technical and logistical dysfunction and is now being decommissioned by the Pentagon.

“What led me to talk is really just the frustration towards the end of the last few weeks. It’s a very unsafe operation; anything could happen,” the source said. “They [the United States] could have delivered the aid through any land port and finished within a week, but for whatever publicity reason they built the pier. Then they failed and tried to cover it up.”

On June 15, IDF tanks based at a makeshift military outpost set up near the pier ran over a large IED some 400 meters north of it, killing two soldiers and wounding two others, according to the source.

“The operation was conducted in defense of the pier. Anything that occurred in the area, they [the Israeli troops] were responsible for protecting it [the pier],” the source said. “Ultimately, the reason they were engaging these terrorists is because they posed a threat to the forces protecting the aid,” he added.

“The mission was in support of the larger goal of protecting the pier and occurred within that context. Soldiers would not have been positioned within these areas otherwise,” he told JNS.

On June 16, the IDF announced that Capt. (res.) Eitan Koplovich, 28, from Jerusalem, and Warrant Officer (res.) Elon Waiss, 49, from Psagot, were killed in northern Gaza. Both served in the 8th Reserve Armored Brigade’s 129th Battalion.

Two other troops were seriously wounded in the attack, according to the military.
IDF to give booster vaccinations to soldiers after polio virus found in Gaza sewage
The IDF announced Sunday that it had begun a campaign to offer polio vaccination boosters to all soldiers serving in the Gaza Strip.

The move comes after traces of poliovirus type 2 were found in sewage samples in the Gaza Strip last week. No cases of polio have been detected so far in the Gaza Strip, according to the World Health Organization.

The wide-scale vaccination campaign is for all forces in regular service as well as reserves and is not compulsory.

“The IDF will work in coordination with the Health Ministry to ensure the health of IDF soldiers and the public, and will continue to carry out inspections in the Gaza Strip,” a spokesperson said.

IDF soldiers were also instructed to take preventive actions and maintain personal hygiene.

Alongside the vaccination campaign for soldiers, the IDF is working with international organizations to bring more vaccines into the Strip for Gazans.

Polio is primarily spread through fecal-oral contamination, sometimes by drinking contaminated water, poor sanitation, or poor control of sewage.


Israel’s Arrow 3 intercepts incoming Houthi missile
Israel’s Arrow 3 anti-missile defense system on Sunday morning intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.

The surface-to-surface missile was downed outside of Israeli airspace, according to the military.

Sirens were activated in the southern city of Eilat due to fear of falling shrapnel.

Israeli Air Force jets struck Houthi terrorist targets in Yemen on Saturday night following a deadly drone attack by the Iran-backed group in Tel Aviv the previous day.

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.


Israel’s strike on Houthi fuel port is a warning to Iran
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi highlighted the broader implications of these actions, telling Israeli forces during a visit to Rafah in southern Gaza, “It’s all Iran. This UAV is Iranian, right? The Houthis took it, upgraded it, made its range longer, and this is Iran, and the funds for the tunnels here is from Iran, and we are operating against Iran with great determination.”

The Islamic Republic is “an octopus, it has many arms, you struggle with one arm here, you struggle with others there, and we must understand this matter. It demands excellence against each one,” he added.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who was present at the IAF Command Center in Tel Aviv during the Yemen strikes, made clear that Israel’s response was a signal to the entire Iranian-led jihadist axis. “The fire that is currently burning in Hudaydah is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear,” he said.

“The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required. The blood of Israeli citizens has a price. This has been made clear in Lebanon, in Gaza, in Yemen, and in other places—if they dare to attack us, the result will be identical.”

The drone attack on Tel Aviv is a stark reminder of the growing threat posed by Iranian-backed militias in the region. These terror entities, operating in Yemen, Iraq and Syria, together with Iran’s flagship proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon, have increasingly relied on UAVs—long-range in the case of Yemen, Iraq and Syria, to target Israel. This strategy aims to stretch Israel’s air defenses, which are already dealing with frequent rocket and UAV attacks from Hezbollah in the north.

IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari addressed the UAV threat, stating that the Samad 3 UAV had entered Israeli airspace from the sea to the west. He confirmed that the UAV was an Iranian weapon system upgraded to increase its flight range.

Hagari also mentioned the continuous efforts to intercept UAVs launched from Yemen, noting, “So far, dozens of UAVs have been launched from Yemen alone; most have been intercepted or shot down while en route or before entering Israeli territory.” Most were intercepted by the U.S. naval Task Force in the Red Sea, while the remainder were intercepted by Israeli aircraft and air defense systems.

The same array is now prepared to deal with any future Houthi attacks.

He emphasized that defense is not airtight and that Israel is constantly improving its capabilities to better protect its citizens. “We are in a multi-front war, operating in all arenas, and in the defense of the state’s airspace every day,” said Hagari. “These arenas are both near and far. We operate against all threats.”


Simone Ledeen testifying on Iranian Proxy Houthi Threat
In this testimony in front of Congress from February 2024, I delve into the Houthi threat in Yemen and why it is a significant risk to regional security and international maritime trade.

Key Points Covered:
The role of the Houthis as Iran’s proxy.
How the Houthi threat affects Middle East stability.
The impact on global shipping and maritime security.
Risks faced by US servicemembers stationed in the region.

Detailed Analysis:
With Iran's backing, the Houthis have become a formidable force, disrupting global peace and stability. This video explores the geopolitical ramifications and the threats to international shipping lanes.


Israel Hit Yemen Harder in 1 Day Than Biden did in 7 Months
The US Navy is tasked with intercepting incoming Houthi attacks. The few airstrikes that were authorized targeted Houthi rockets and radar rather than trying to do real damage.

After a Houthi drone attack hit Tel Aviv, a block away from the US Consulate building which may have been a possible target, Israel hit back, not by trying to play ‘whack-a-mole’ with the Houthis, but by going after major targets and inflicting major damage.

The IAF attack in the Hodeidah area of Yemen was carried out by 20 fighter jets, some of which were refueled in mid-air, and at a distance of more than 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles) from Israel – 200 kilometers farther than Tehran, as confirmed by the IDF.

The port of Hodeidah is one of the main routes through which military supplies and weapons from Iran enter Yemen. About 70% of the goods arriving there go to the Houthis, who act as protection racket for the humanitarian aid arriving at the location. The strike damaged infrastructures that would affect its function as a supply route for weapons launched at Israel.

And the US Navy.

This is going to be a crucial point this week. The so-called “aid” groups will scream bloody murder and claim that Israel is causing a ‘famine’ in Yemen. (No, they don’t have any new propaganda ideas.)

Biden didn’t dare put the port out of commission because it’s where the ‘aid’ comes into Yemen. So he allowed Iran to use it to funnel weapons to the Houthis.

By hitting the port, Israel didn’t just protect its own people, but protected the US Navy.


20 fighter jets, 1,000 miles away: This is how Israel hit the Houthis in Yemen
The IAF attack in the Hodeidah area of Yemen was carried out by 20 fighter jets, some of which were refueled in mid-air, and at a distance of more than 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles) from Israel – 200 kilometers farther than Tehran, as confirmed by the IDF.

This operation was a cumulative response to the Houthi attacks via drones and missiles, which numbered at about 220 over the past nine months, most of which were intercepted and downed by the American Central Command and the air defense system.

The Israeli attack was executed not just due of the Houthi drone strike in Tel Aviv, but also because it was the first time a Houthi attack crossed the airspace and caused casualties. In this case, Evgeny Frader, 50, was killed early Friday morning by said drone strike.

The attack had been long planned, but was prepared for execution in a short time, starting from yesterday by the IAF and with US knowledge. The Chief of Staff and the Air Force Commander commanded from the Kirya bunker, with the presence of the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister. The military states they are prepared for a response, even if it is more extensive, similar to the Iranian attack in April, but added that there is no change in Home Front Command guidelines.

A security source told Israel Hayom that the decision to strike was made despite Israel's understanding that such an action would lead to prolonged exchanges of blows. This was because the assessment was that not responding to the UAV in Tel Aviv would be more severe – both in terms of deterrence against Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Before the decision to attack, Israel identified an 'increased appetite' of the Houthis after their success on Friday morning and a reluctance to be content with the strike in Tel Aviv. The ability to carry out the strike within 24 hours stems from prior preparation in the Air Force and a series of discussions on the subject in recent weeks. The last discussion on the matter took place just 10 days ago with Galant.

The port of Hodeidah is one of the main routes through which military supplies and weapons from Iran enter Yemen. About 70% of the goods arriving there go to the Houthis, who act as protection racket for the humanitarian aid arriving at the location. The strike damaged infrastructures that would affect its function as a supply route for weapons launched at Israel.
2 hours 50 minutes: Every detail of Israel's strike on the Houthis at Hodeidah
It took two hours and 50 minutes for the IDF F-15s, F-35s, and other fighter jets, which carried out around 10 airstrikes on Saturday evening against the Houthis, to reach their targets in the area of the Hodeidah Port in Yemen, the IDF announced on Sunday.

The aircraft took off around 3 p.m. and struck their targets around 6 p.m.

Although the IDF kept classified the exact number of aircraft it used to refuel its fighter jets to make the 1,800-kilometer flight and return safely, it provided a dramatic video showing some of that mid-air refueling in real-time.

Moreover, the IDF provided a separate video showing four different missiles honing in on the Hodeidah Port area target, with one missile after the next lashing into the industrial site until there was almost nothing left.

A third video recorded IDF Air Force Chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar congratulating his pilots on their way back, once they were safely out of range of enemy forces.

Furthermore, a wide variety of attack aircraft, intelligence-collecting aircraft, refueling aircraft, rescue aircraft, and defensive forces participated in the attack, although the exact quantity of aircraft remains classified.

Israeli airstrikes targeted oil-refining facilities in Hodeidah as well as Yemeni air force assets, to disrupt the transport of Iranian weapons to Yemen. According to reports, dozens of people were killed or wounded in the strikes.

Port was used as a shield for mixing massive weapons imports with humanitarian aid
Although the Houthis try to present the port as being used for humanitarian purposes, multiple top Israeli officials said that it is a shield for mixing massive weapons imports with humanitarian aid. Local sources in Yemen told Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen that there were power outages in several areas in Hodeidah as a result of the Israeli strikes that hit an electricity production plant.

Israel was clear that it had undertaken the attack without US help, though it had notified Washington in advance.

There were also hints that allied Arab countries, like the Saudis, could have assisted by allowing the use of their airspace or with refueling issues, which have been long discussed.


Deadly Houthi drone spent 16 hours in flight before reaching Tel Aviv on Friday; in vital minutes, IAF radar operators were focused on drone from Iraq
The Iranian-made drone launched by the Houthis in Yemen at Tel Aviv on Friday morning traveled more than 2,600 kilometers (1,600 miles) to reach Israel, according to an Israeli Air Force probe.

The modified Iranian-made Samad-3 used a non-direct flight path, which may have contributed to it not being classified as a threat, which resulted in it not being intercepted. It struck a residential building in Tel Aviv, killing an Israeli man.

According to the IAF investigation, the explosive-laden drone apparently flew west from Yemen over the Red Sea, reaching Eritrea, before then flying north over Sudan and Egypt and reaching the Mediterranean Sea. The drone then approached Tel Aviv from the west.

It was only at this point that the drone showed up on Israeli radar as an unidentified target. In hindsight, the drone had been tracked for six minutes in a row while it approached Tel Aviv from the direction of the sea, before dropping in and out of the radar for several minutes after that, according to the probe.

The drone, according to the probe, was in the air for some 16 hours, flying at a speed of between 80 and 100 knots, or 148-185 kilometers per hour.

The IAF was aware of that the Houthis had such capabilities but had no prior information on the attack itself.

The probe found that if the target had been classified as a suspected drone when it was first identified, then the IAF would have had enough time to engage it, using fighter jets or ground or sea-based air defense systems. Instead, the target was not classified as a threat, due to a human error by the air traffic control operators, and it hit Tel Aviv.


Guterres ‘concerned’ by Israeli strike on Houthis and risk for further escalation
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “is deeply concerned about the reports of airstrikes earlier today in and around the port of Hodeida in Yemen,” a statement from his spokesman says.

“Israel has claimed responsibility for the strikes, noting that this is in response to previous Houthi attacks on Israel,” the statement continues.

“Initial reports indicate a number of fatalities and over 80 people injured in this attack and that there has been considerable damage to civilian infrastructure. The secretary-general calls on all concerned to avoid attacks that could harm civilians and damage civilian infrastructure.”

Guterres also “remains deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation in the region and continues to urge all to exercise utmost restraint,” the statement adds.


Pompeo: Gaza can’t be controlled by Hamas or PA
Both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are terrorist organizations, and as such cannot be in charge of the Gaza Strip after the war, said former U.S secretary of state Mike Pompeo last week.

Speaking at a Republican Jewish Coalition event in Milwaukee, the former CIA director said, “It cannot be that the government that exists there after this is controlled by Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, each of which are controlled by terrorists and underwritten by the world’s largest state sponsor of terror, Iran.”

The RJC’s “salute to pro-Israel elected officials” took place on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention and drew House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Steve Daines, the Montana senator who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Scott Walker and Kristi Noem, the governors of Wisconsin and South Dakota respectively, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.) also attended.

“The world cannot expect that the Jewish state will allow weapons to be smuggled again across the Egypt-Gaza border, which will require either an Israel Defense Forces presence along the Philadelphi corridor or some other mechanism to half the flow of arms into the enclave,” said Pompeo.

That language mirrored recent remarks attributed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

With regard to a possible change in U.S. policy on Iran and its nuclear program should Donald Trump be elected in November, Pompeo said, “We have democracy. Every four years we’re going to have an election. It is what it is.”


Chicago passes ordinance against antisemitic and hateful flyers
The Chicago City Council passed an ordinance against antisemitic and hateful flyers on Wednesday in response to anti-Jewish pamphlets being placed in the city in April.

Chicago’s ordinance on unlawful, threatening objects was amended to prohibit leaving hateful or threatening material intended or likely to intimidate, emotionally abuse, threaten, or slander a person or group of people.

The ordinance was also modified to expand on the unlawfulness of leaving objects that appeared to the public as bombs. The amended version includes objects that appear to contain hazardous materials, such as dangerous radioactive, toxic, poisonous, chemical, and biological substances.

Antisemitic flyers with rat poison discovered in April
In April, 84 antisemitic flyers in bags, some with what appeared to be rat poison, were discovered in Chicago’s Lincoln Park area. Forty-third Ward Alderman Timmy Knudsen, who proposed the new ordinance, noted it was not the first time that antisemitic pamphlets were distributed in the area.


Adidas apologizes for ‘insensitive’ campaign with Bella Hadid
International sports apparel company Adidas has apologized for “any upset or distress caused” by including model Bella Hadid, who is considered as antisemitic and anti-Israel, in its campaign revamping the 1972 Munich Olympic sneakers.

Adidas’ SL72 advertisements feature an Adidas-clad Hadid holding flowers while showing off her sneakers.

The 1972 Olympics in Munich were overshadowed by a terrorist attack that left 11 Israeli athletes and one German police officer dead at the hands of Palestinian terrorists of the Black September group, who had infiltrated the Olympic village.

“We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events—though these are completely unintentional—and we apologize for any upset or distress caused,” said Adidas in a statement on Thursday.

“As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign. We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do.”

European Jewish Association chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin, who spoke to Adidas’ leadership about the campaign, said, “It was deeply insensitive and painful to see Bella Hadid, one of the most vocal and hateful inciters of antisemitism, fronting a campaign for an Adidas shoe marking the 1972 Munich Olympics—games that were made infamous by the tragic murder of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorist.”

Having spoken to the company leadership, “We appreciate the speed with which Adidas have acted,” he added. “It is a recognition that a serious mistake was made. We accept their apology and their commitment to be more mindful and careful of such sensitivities going forwards,’’ said Margolin, whose organization represents hundreds of Jewish communities across Europe.


Bella Hadid prepares to sue Adidas after 1972 Olympics sneaker debacle
Bella Hadid, a model of Palestinian descent, is preparing to sue Adidas, TMZ reported on Sunday.

The alleged legal filings emerged from the controversial Adidas campaign, which featured sneakers initially designed by the sports clothing brand for the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany.

During the 1972 Olympics, eight members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September infiltrated the Olympic Village, killed two members of the Israeli Olympic team, and took nine others hostage. Those nine were later killed.

Hadid has reportedly hired legal counsel to take action against Adidas for their lack of public accountability, TMZ noted.

TMZ cited sources saying that Hadid is upset that Adidas would develop and market a campaign associated with the tragedy of the Munich massacre.

The report also stated that Hadid is still under contract with Adidas, countering reports that the sportswear company dropped her.


Jewish union members condemn PSAC after negotiator praised October 7
A national negotiator for the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) praised the October 7 atrocities committed by Hamas and denied reports that the terror group committed sexual violence.

On the day of the invasion, Hassan Husseini reacted to a social media post by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) that denounced Canadians celebrating the atrocities by responding: “It is called liberation of stolen land, stupid!!!”

Husseini has worked as a PSAC negotiator for more than 12 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He oversees “contract negotiations under all jurisdictions” for the union, and has been involved in organized labour dating back to the 1990s, according to a Quebec community newspaper,

The representative of one of the nation’s largest public sector unions began celebrating the attacks in the early hours of Oct. 7, as the scale of the Hamas massacre was becoming clear.

“Resisting Israeli occupation and apartheid is a right. Unconditional support for the Palestinian resistance movement until full liberation!” he wrote at 1:35 a.m. on X. A follow-up message sent two hours later lauded Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups for their initiative.

“Palestinian resistance mov’t (movement) has demonstrated 2day that Israeli settler colonialism & occupation will not last. Unity of the resistance forces & solidarity is needed now more than ever as a new stage in the war of liberation has begun,” wrote Husseini, who was the Ottawa chapter president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) until 2017.

Husseini elaborated the following day, writing online that the “struggle in Palestine isn’t a humanitarian one, as liberals and some leftists like to think. It is a national liberation struggle with all that entails. This includes not questioning the tools used by the oppressed to achieve their liberation.”

Husseini, who immigrated to Canada at eighteen from Lebanon, and previously served as a leader of the Canadian Communist Party, did not respond to several requests for comment from National Post. David Breault, a PSAC spokesperson, acknowledged receipt of the Post’s inquiry but did not reply afterward.


Why Is CNN Airing Palestinian Lies and Propaganda as Journalism?
At 2PM on October 7, as Hamas’ barbaric attack on Israel was still ongoing, Christiane Amanpour gave her CNN platform to Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Authority (PA) ambassador to the UK, who blamed that day’s attack on Israel and compared it to Israel’s self-defense with almost no pushback from the anchor. Nine months later, with 120 Israelis and tourists still being held captive by Hamas, Amanpour continues to promote guests who distort reality.

On June 25, Christiane Amanpour interviewed Palestinian propagandist and founder of Al-Haq, Raja Shehadeh. Throughout the interview, both Amanpour and Shehadeh engaged in a tactic of reversing victim and offender, and their descriptions of events often bore little resemblance to reality. While acknowledging that the October 7 attacks occurred, and that Hamas’ killing of civilians was unjustified, both acted totally oblivious to the cause-and-effect relationship that attack had on subsequent events.

Among other topics, Amanpour and Shehadeh discussed Shehadeh’s new book titled, What Does Israel Fear From Palestine? In the wake of October 7, the title beggars belief. In 2005, Israel evacuated every single civilian and soldier from Gaza, leaving behind a greenhouse business that was gifted to the people of Gaza and a beautiful Mediterranean coastline for tourism. At that time, there was no occupation and no blockade, and the people of Gaza, functionally, had independence. In a 2006 election, their first opportunity for self-determination, the people of Gaza elected Hamas. Hamas then started wars with Israel in 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2021, culminating in 2023 in the vicious attack in which 1,200 Israeli men, women, and children were burned to death, raped, tortured, and killed, with another 240 were taken hostage to Gaza.

What does Israel fear from Palestine, indeed.

But Amanpour’s first question to Shehadeh about the book was, “given that Israel essentially has the balance of power, why do you think Israel fears Palestine? Do you think it does?”

Shehadeh replied, “I think they fear the very existence of Palestine, because if Palestine exists, then the Israeli myth, foundation myth would have to be amended, because the foundation myth of Israel was that they came to a land that was empty, that didn’t have any Palestinians or anybody, and they established Israel from year zero, and so to recognize Palestine would require reconfiguration of the Israeli myth, and that’s the main fear, I think.”

This is false, of course.


Pakistan labels Netanyahu a terrorist, institutes BDS framework
Pakistan’s government has declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “terrorist” and demanded he be brought to justice for supposed war crimes against Palestinians.

The move comes as part of a deal to end days-long protests by an Islamist political party near the capital Islamabad.

Rana Sanaullah, an adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, made the statement on Friday while flanked by leaders of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar at a press conference in Islamabad.

“Netanyahu is a terrorist and a perpetrator of war crimes,” Sanaullah said, acceding to a key TLP demand. “We demand that he be put on trial. We wholeheartedly condemn this cruelty [Israel’s actions in Gaza], Israel, and all the powers that are involved in it.”

The declaration was part of an agreement to end a sit-in by thousands of TLP supporters who had blocked a key road connecting Islamabad to Rawalpindi since last Saturday. The protesters had rallied to condemn Israeli strikes in Gaza and demanded the government take action against Israel.

As part of the deal, the government also promised to boycott Israeli products and those of companies seen as supportive of Israel. Sanaullah announced the formation of a committee to research which products have links to Israel.

“We will not only boycott Israel, but all products related to it, and companies that are directly or indirectly involved in this cruelty or are helping those forces,” he said.
The Netherlands' Unrighteous Gentiles
Annemiek Gringold is a Dutch Jew and the principal curator of the National Holocaust Museum, which opened in Amsterdam in March. Some 140,000 Jews lived in the Netherlands before World War II; 102,000 (3/4) perished. After the war, Jewish survivors were ostracized out of fear that they would reclaim property that many Dutch Christians had appropriated. The Jews were a searing reminder that the postwar national self-image - of a plucky, upright folk that had resisted the Nazis to the best of their abilities - was in many cases bogus.

Young Dutch people aren't sufficiently taught in schools of the extent to which the country's people collaborated with Nazi occupiers. Too many older citizens still subscribe to the convenient myth that the deportation of their Jewish compatriots to Auschwitz were crimes in which the Dutch didn't participate. When the museum opened on March 10, anti-Israel protesters outside - many of them white and Dutch - called for the chief guest, Israel's President Isaac Herzog, to be tried for genocide.

A section in the museum is the "corridor of collaborators," where a third of all portraits depict Dutch people. They were Jew hunters, who got a bounty for turning people in, and volunteer guards. The persecution of Jews in the Netherlands took place in plain view. "We didn't have brick walls and barbed wire and ghettos in the Netherlands," Gringold says. The isolation of Jews was done by laws and regulations, enforced by Dutch civil servants.
Dutch anti-Israel activists vandalize Rotterdam city hall
Anti-Israel activists defaced the Rotterdam city hall with red paint on Wednesday, according to Palestine Action and the Rotterdam Municipality.

The front of the city hall was closed off, while the outer facade was cleaned of red paint.

Deputy Mayor comments
The city did not know who conducted the vandalism, but Deputy Mayor Robert Simons said in a Thursday statement that "police are doing everything they can to catch these perpetrators as soon as possible."

"I strongly condemn this hopeless anonymous action," said Simons. "What do the perpetrators want to say with this?"

Activists issued a communique through Palestine Action Netherlands on Thursday, explaining that they had defaced the hall in protest of the civil service pension fund Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP over alleged investments in companies that have financial relationships with Israeli entities. Some of the companies supposedly operate in Israeli settlements.

"This is the blood money of the Netherlands," said the activists. "Invested for the sake of a good life here, at the expense of Palestinian lives there. This is what institutional complicity in Palestinian suffering looks like."

Palestine Action Netherlands called for further activism against ABP, demanding that they divest from Israeli companies and pay reparations for "complicity." The vandalism group called on government employees to call for the divestment and urged its own supporters to pressure ABP by contacting the pension fund's officials.

"If demands are not met, escalate," said the vandalism group.


Despite death threats, young Moroccans visit during Gaza war to hear Israel’s side
When Ali arrived in Israel last Sunday on his first visit to the country, he was surprised by how modern and developed the Jewish state was.

A student and a self-described future hopeful to be his country’s ambassador to Israel, Ali — who requested that his real name not be used because of death threats back home — is one of 23 Moroccan twenty-somethings currently touring Israel.

“We landed in Ben Gurion [Airport], and I thought we were in Miami,” Ali said at a celebratory dinner for the delegation on Tuesday night.

The group is in Israel with Sharaka, an organization that brings delegations of young professionals from around the Middle East to the country to learn more about the Jewish state and connect with its residents on a “person-to-person” level.

Since arriving in Israel, the Moroccan delegation has visited the Knesset, Yad Vashem, the Old City of Jerusalem, Al Aqsa Mosque and other cultural and historical sites around Jerusalem. They went south to visit the site of the Nova festival massacre and kibbutzim decimated by Hamas’s October 7 terror attack, then headed to Tel Aviv.

Youssef Elazhari, Shakara’s director in Morocco, was active in recruiting young civil society up-and-comers — whom he described as primarily nonprofit organization employees — to take part in the trip. Elazhari acknowledged that the participants might face social pressure back home over their journey to Israel while the IDF is fighting the Hamas terror group in Gaza, but that did not deter them from coming.

“There was…. no fear,” Elazhari said.
Mazel tov! Sabra to maintain Israeli identity in ‘Captain America: Brave New World’- report
Marvel superhero Sabra will maintain her Israeli identity in Captain America: Brave New World, two sources told TheWrap on Wednesday, after outrage ensued upon public discovery that Sabra's Mossad background would be dropped.

Sabra, who will be played by Israeli actress Shira Haas, was originally created in 1980. Written as a superhuman to serve the Mossad, her character deeply resonated with American Jewry, according to the Jewish Chronicle. The new movie would see Sabra rewritten to see her linked to the Russian secret intelligence.

“While our characters and stories are inspired by the comics, they are always freshly imagined for the screen and today’s audience,” Marvel studios said in response to the criticism.

Despite Marvel's response, insiders said that Sabra would maintain her Israeli accent and her cover name Ruth Bat-Seraph.

Jewish community respond to the news
The American Jewish Committee responded to TheWrap’s reporting in a statement: “If true, we are glad that Marvel recognized how essential Sabra’s Israeli identity is to her character. Superheroes have enough things to worry about. Identity politics shouldn’t be one of them.”

“We’re pleased to learn that Sabra will be retaining her Israeli identity in ‘Captain America, Brave New World,’ and is still being portrayed by the wonderful Israeli actress Shira Haas. Marvel Studios should be commended for not capitulating to the anti-Israel forces who wanted this character’s identity quashed, along with her backstory. We welcome the portrayal of a strong Jewish and Israeli woman on screen, and look forward to seeing how this character is developed in the film,” Deborah Camiel, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Media & Entertainment Institute told TheWrap.
Michael Rapaport to perform in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv in October
Outspoken Jewish American comic and actor Michael Rapaport has been visiting Israel regularly to show support for the country and speak at rallies and on advocacy panels. Now, he’s coming back to perform in the Jewish state for the first time. Rapaport will be doing his adult stand-up act on October 13 at the Jerusalem Theater and the following night at Beit Hahayal in Tel Aviv.

“I couldn’t be more excited and honored to perform in Israel," Rapaport told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday. "I hope the hostages will be home and everyone can start to heal. Praying I can bring some laughs and levity for the people I adore in Israel.“

Before October 7, most Israelis recognized the physically towering redhead as Gary, the street-savvy, pigeon-shooting cop boyfriend of Phoebe in a handful of Friends Season 5 episodes. But since the Hamas massacre and the resultant skewering in social media of Israel for retaliating, the 54-year-old prototype “New Yawker” who has appeared in dozens of movies and TV series over his 35-year acting career has emerged as the aggressively profane, politically incorrect mouthpiece for supporters of Israel.

Rappaport has appreciation for Israelis
Rapaport had never visited Israel but since October 7, he’s been back repeatedly. Speaking to the Post in May from New York, he said, “I can just say that there’s a lust for life and an appreciation for life among the Israeli people that’s amazing. Just like there’s something special about New Yorkers, there’s something special about Israelis.

“They’ve been so used to being f***ed with: terrorism, intifadas, soldiers being killed, their fight to exist and the need to explain their existence, it creates an incredible type of person. You don’t really understand it until you engage with them; and since October 7, I’ve been so fortunate to engage with so many of them,” he said.

“These two long trips I’ve been on have changed me as a Jew, as a New Yorker, and as a man. I can’t put my finger on it because it’s still happening right now. But one thing I know is that Israel will be a big part of my life going forward. I’m going to make up for lost time.”

It looks like Rapaport’s a man of his word.
Israel Archaeological Proof: Bringing proof of ancient Jewish settlement in Israel
The world in general has changed since the Black Sabbath of October 7; the Jewish world in particular was forever altered. The calls about Israel’s and the Jewish people’s illegitimacy have only become more shrill since the Israel Defense Forces’ response to Hamas’s brutal onslaught against southern Israeli communities on that dark day.

One of the consistent critiques of the current government’s handling of the crisis is that the message about what Israel is doing – and why it is justified in doing so – appears increasingly opaque. It does not help the situation when some of the people most able to provide both a clear and nuanced narrative – particularly to a highly skeptical and hostile outside world – are sidelined over seeming personality clashes.

Enter George Blumenthal. It was he, an 80-year-old New York-based businessman with the energy and drive of a man half his age, who succinctly described how Israel is failing to tell its own fascinating and historical story. He views it as his mission in life to get Israel’s and the Jewish people’s message out as far and wide as possible, and his latest project is precisely evidence of this. Indeed, since October 7, his drive to tell Israel’s story has only increased.

His first brush with archaeology was as a seven-year-old, walking with his parents among the miraculously preserved historical gems of Ancient Rome – barely six years since the retreating Nazis, in fanatical fighting against the advancing Allies in other parts of Italy, had left the city mostly untouched. Inspired, as people so often are when they walk amid history – where the very buildings and structures seem to whisper their secrets – it left an indelible impression in his mind. Fast-forward several decades, and it was on a trip to Jerusalem that his curiosity was piqued once again. In the late 1990s, Blumenthal was at the home of Hershel Shanks, the founder and longtime editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review. Shanks had accumulated a large collection of artifacts over time and showed Blumenthal four 2,000-year-old oil lamps. It set something off in Blumenthal, and he has been purchasing archaeological objects ever since.

He has devoted more than 25 years of his life to promoting the millennia-long Jewish connection to the Land of Israel. And he is very much into the tangible evidence of this, which brings us to his latest project – Israel Archaeological Proof. His creative partner in this endeavor is Israeli photographer and imaging expert Ardon Bar Hama, who has been at the forefront of digitizing some of the most ancient Jewish sources, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Aleppo Codex.

Bar Hama has been at the cutting edge of photographic technology’s capabilities and has consistently moved with the times as each technological iteration – along with his skill and creativity – has facilitated such imaginative use of the medium. Crucially, it has also made all of these historical artifacts and documents available online.

During our interview at Jerusalem’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Blumenthal casually reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a coin. He allowed me to inspect the weighty silver shekel. In the mid-second century BCE, the Hasmoneans formalized the payment for Temple Tax. The first coin to be specified as acceptable payment for the Temple tax levied was the “Shekel of Tyre.” The coin was probably used for its recognized metal purity grade and weight. It was in circulation from 125 BCE until the outbreak of the Great Revolt in 66 CE.
Fortifications from biblical Jerusalem unearthed
A massive fortification dating back 3,800 years that likely protected the kings of Judah has been uncovered just outside the walled Old City of Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Sunday.

The moat, which measures at least nine meters deep and 30 meters wide, was discovered in the area of the present-day parking lot just outside the Dung Gate to the Old City of Jerusalem.

Created by extensive quarrying, the moat formed a channel separating the City of David from the Temple Mount, dividing the city in two.

The fortifications likely served to separate the upper city, where the Temple and the palace were located, from the lower city, and protect it, the state-run archaeological body said.

“It is not known when the moat was originally cut, but evidence suggests it was used during the centuries when Jerusalem was the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, almost 3,000 years ago, beginning with King Josiah,” said the excavation’s co-directors Tel Aviv University Professor Yuval Gadot and Dr. Yiftah Shalev from the Israel Antiquities Authority.

“During those years, the moat separated the southern residential part of the city from the ruling acropolis in the north.”

Shalev added, “If the moat was cut during this period, then it was intended to protect the city from the north—the only weak point of the City of David slope. Either way, we are confident that it was used at the time of the First Temple and the Kingdom of Judah (ninth century BCE), so it created a clear buffer between the residential city in the south, and the upper city in the north.”

The creation of the moat was a monumental operation, designed to change the natural topography to demonstrate the power of Jerusalem’s rulers to those who entered its gates, the IAA said.

The find reveals that throughout the Iron Age (the time of the First Temple)—the period in which the books of the Bible were compiled—and for centuries afterward the city was divided into at least two distinct parts, the archaeologists said.

“The excavations in the City of David never cease to amaze; once again, discoveries are being revealed that shed new and vivid light on the biblical literature,” said Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

“When you stand at the bottom of this giant excavation, surrounded by enormous hewn walls, it is impossible not to be filled with wonder and appreciation for those ancient people who, about 3,800 years ago, literally moved mountains and hills.”




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