Saturday, August 10, 2024

08/10 Links: IDF: 19 terrorists killed in strike on Hamas HQ embedded in school; Lessons from the Taylor Swift terror plot; Remembering August 9, 2001

From Ian:

Lessons from the Taylor Swift terror plot
It’s very easy to ignore the bombs that never go off. But there are worrying aspects to this foiled plot that ought to capture the distracted attention of the UK’s own security services. For a start, Taylor Swift is due to perform at Wembley towards the end of August. London mayor Sadiq Khan may have said that the event can go ahead safely, but worries persist. After all, mass-casualty terrorist attacks on concert venues are something we in the UK are already sadly familiar with, following the bombing of an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in 2017. Perpetrator Salman Abedi killed 22 people, and injured over a thousand, many of them young girls.

Venue security was and still is a problem in the UK. The Manchester Arena Inquiry, which concluded last year, revealed myriad security failures around the Ariana Grande concert. Some of these are now the subject of civil claims, after survivors and relatives launched legal action against MI5 earlier this year. Indeed, the security arrangements at the Manchester Arena were so deficient that the then Tory government announced Martyn’s Law in 2022. Named after one of the victims of the Manchester atrocity, this law requires locations with a capacity of more than 100 people, such as places of worship and health facilities, to put certain counter-terrorism measures in place, from training to threat-mitigation processes. This legislation still has not been enacted.

There is further facet to the foiled Vienna plot that ought to concern us here in the UK. Austrian police have revealed that one of the alleged plotters had been hired only days earlier by a facilities company providing services at the concert venue – access which no doubt would have been exploited by the alleged terrorists to maximise casualties. This is a problem in the UK, too. The Manchester Arena Inquiry showed that concert support staff, including security staff, were inadequately screened and trained.

At Wembley, there are likely to be anywhere between 300 and 500 ancillary staff supporting the gig. Vetting people to screen out those with criminal records, or anything else that might make them unsuitable, is a time-consuming business in both the public and private sector. In commercial enterprises, the vetting process must compete with the bottom line. This means hiring temporary staff as cheaply as possible, often at the last minute with minimal training. In the public sector, the United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) service has been described by consultants as the ‘worst government shared service’ because of its acute staff shortage and bureaucratic processes. The National Audit Office warned last year that dire and slow performance in clearing job applicants was putting UK national security at risk. In Vienna, a potential suicide bomber on a watchlist got a job as a cleaner with apparently no questions asked. It’s not difficult to imagine something similar happening here.

No doubt there is considerable preparation and intelligence gathering taking place in the UK to ensure the safety of those attending the London part of Swift’s Eras tour. But complacency and depleted police resources, even more so after this month’s riots, are not good companions to safety.

The decision to cancel all Swift’s Austrian tours will have disappointed tens of thousands of her fans. It can also be seen as capitulation to the Islamist threat posed to young people at concert venues – a threat that has come back into focus after Hamas massacred 260 youngsters at the Supernova festival in Israel on 7 October. Islamists, their misogyny rarely far from the surface, seem to have a particular rage against young women enjoying themselves.

As much as I’m against terrorists controlling behaviour and sapping morale through stoking our fear of what might come, we do need to be vigilant. Think it couldn’t happen here in Britain? It did and it can. The monsters are already inside the castle.
Arnold Roth: Remembering August 9, 2001
On this date in 2001, my life and the lives of all the members of my family underwent the kind of turbulent and violent reset of which nightmares are made.

That day, we lost a beloved child, blown up in a vicious bombing. But in meaningful ways we lost even more than that. And absolutely against our will, we were initiated into years of re-education about values we thought were the bedrock of the lives we lived until then.

Eleven years have passed since criminal charges were issued by a Federal judge in Washington, D.C. against the woman who murdered my sunny, lovely, empathetic 15-year-old daughter Malki. The fugitive remains free until the present moment. Understanding why requires confronting a string of decisions, acts and failures made by officials that have been systematically concealed by the news industry and disregarded by politicians.

The fugitive killer admits to her central role in the massacre for which U.S. have gone after her. And though she brags about her atrocity (“the crown on my head“) and even hosted a television show (it’s mentioned below), she lives the life of a media figure, inspiring others to do what she did, in Amman, Jordan.

Something is shocking, even confounding, about the fact that her ongoing freedom gets negligible-to-no attention in the news industry and public discourse—even in the US. By painful contrast, to the extent the Arab media report on her, it is overwhelmingly favorable and sympathetic.

It’s not hard to uncover the dry details of Ahlam Aref Ahmad al-Tamimi’s long-thwarted prosecution. The mugshots, the biographical details and the charges can be accessed via three US government sites: The FBI’s list of Most Wanted Terrorists, the 2017 Department of Justice unveiling of the hitherto secret charges and the State Department’s 2018 post of a $5 million reward that is still unclaimed years after it was made public.

But who and what is behind Tamimi’s freedom? That’s harder to ascertain.

Those who know don’t talk openly, And those with a stake in her ongoing freedom are too often untruthful about it. Understanding this and conjecturing why it keeps happening is at the heart of the nightmare my wife and I endure years after our beautiful child’s life was extinguished.
No matter how bad the threats, this is why Jews won't flee Israel
How could I leave when my country needed me? How do I get on a plane when so many of my friends in Israel can’t because they don’t have a second passport? It might not have been the most logical move, but I stayed.

I wasn’t the only one. An estimated 330,000 Israelis, civilians, and reservists, as well as olim and Sabras (native Israelis) from all over the world, had rushed back to Israel to help the Jewish state in its time of need. There was a collective understanding that if the Jewish people don’t have Israel, then we have nothing.

Staying in Israel after October 7 meant I experienced more pain than I had ever felt in my life, but I also saw acts of kindness and unity that exist nowhere else in the world. The way Israeli society rallied and went above and beyond for one another was beautiful and made the whole situation easier to digest.

Volunteers would work together daily to gather supplies, pack them, drive them to bases, and feed and entertain soldiers. Individuals visited hospitals to entertain the wounded soldiers and victims of October 7. Dizengoff Square, where a fight over a mehitza (prayer partition between men and women) erupted on Yom Kippur, became a hub for anyone who needed to grieve. People who were strangers came together to sing, hug each other, cry, and heal.

At one point, I stood outside the apartment of a friend returning from the Lebanon border. He got 24 hours of leave, and he was letting me use his army vest and helmet, which, as a journalist, I was required to have to enter the Kfar Aza kibbutz, which was utterly devastated by Hamas. As we stood outside his building, I noticed an elderly lady staring at both of us but paid no attention to her.

My friend, still in uniform, was preparing the plates in the vest to make sure they were bulletproof, and out of nowhere, the lady grabbed my friend’s hand. I was initially alarmed by what she was doing and ready to pull her off, but then I noticed her eyes were filled with tears. She took my friend’s hand away from the vest, placed a 200 shekel note in it, kissed him on the cheek, the tears still in her eyes, and walked away.

It is a memory of this war that I will never forget.

There was collective trauma, but there was also collective healing, and I don’t think leaving Israel would have made me feel safer or better about what was happening to us.

AS I write this now, more reports are coming in about the impending attack from the Islamic Republic of Iran, stating that they intend to punish Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The reports keep getting more alarming, but Israelis are still going about their day, sitting in coffee shops, going to work, running errands, and seeing their friends.

Many are asking us why we would stay in a war zone, and it is a fair question. The answer might not be a logical one, but the reality is that Israel needs both its army and its civilians. I think about the War of Independence and how so many Palestinians fled their homes because Arab leaders told them to return after the war was over.

Maybe if they stayed, they would have had a real chance of a Palestinian state.

The Islamic Republic and its threats are just one of many in the long list of entities that want to eradicate the Jewish people. They will not succeed.

Those of us who choose to stay in Israel during these times do so because this is our home, and we have decided we will not allow terrorism to dictate our lives. I may not have grown up in Israel, but to me, there is nothing more Israeli than that.


Melanie Phillips: The madness since October 7
I delivered a talk this week to the Jewish Community Centre in Aspen, Colorado, where I am spending the weekend. It was entitled The world on the brink: the madness since October 7. You can watch a recording by clicking the arrow below. A lightly edited transcript of the talk follows the video.

There’s one question on all our minds. Has everyone else simply lost their mind?

How on earth can we make sense of what we’ve been living through these past 10 months? How is it going to develop? What’s going to happen next? What does it mean for us Jews, both in the diaspora and in Israel?

War is raging against Israel. At this very moment, we are on tenterhooks about whether Iran is about to unleash, whether Hezbollah is about to unleash; we don’t know. But what we do know is that the war against Israel is being fought in what I would call a looking-glass world.

This war is being waged by Iran through its proxies — in its own words — to wipe Israel off the map. Yet the Biden administration here insists that the way to stop this war to wipe Israel off the map is through the establishment of a state for the Palestinians.

Hamas has said it will perpetrate October 7-style attacks again and again until Israel is finally destroyed. The response of the Biden administration, the British government, the UN and Uncle Tom Cobley and all is to pressure Israel into an immediate ceasefire — which would mean victory for Hamas.

America says, however, that its support for Israel’s defence is “ironclad”. The British government says it entirely supports Israel’s right to self-defence. This “ironclad” support for Israel by both America and Britain apparently does not mean Israel defeating its genocidal enemies.

Iran is waging this war through a seven-front ring of fire trapping Israel inside it. Immediately after the October 7 pogrom, the Biden administration told Israel that it must not pre-emptively attack Hezbollah — which has something like 150,000 rockets and missiles pointing at Israel — as it was intending to do, because that would mean a dangerous escalation.

The result has been rocket and missile bombardments against Israel every day for ten months, with swathes of northern Israel burned to the ground and the displacement from their homes of tens of thousands of Israelis who cannot go back. Last month, Hezbollah sent a missile over that massacred 12 Druze children playing soccer in Majdal Shams. But apparently, to the Biden administration, to the British government, to the UN, this is not escalation. Escalation is only when Israel responds. That is escalation.




State Dept. confirms to Post it released $3.5 billion to Israel on Thursday to spend on US weaponry
The State Department has notified Congress of its intent to “obligate $3.5 billion in FY 2024 Foreign Military Financing using funding provided by the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act,” a State Department spokesperson confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Friday night.

CNN first reported the release of the funding.

According to CNN’s reporting, it takes time for the money to be released from these packages, and Israel won’t receive the $3.5 billion worth of American-made weapons immediately. The funding that Israel will receive is for systems that are being built now, but won’t be delivered for several years.The action comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and fears of the widening of the war in Gaza that has already killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.

There has been an increased risk of escalation into a broader Middle East war after the recent killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut drew threats of retaliation against Israel.


Report: Jordan to Allow Israel to Use Its Airspace Against Iran
Jordan is reportedly permitting Israel to use its airspace to counter potential Iranian attacks, despite the official stance of the Jordanian government.

According to a high-ranking source in Amman cited by Israeli Channel 12, this decision aligns with Jordan’s broader security interests and its policy of collaboration with Israel, as demonstrated in April when Jordan assisted in thwarting an Iranian attack.

The source emphasized that Jordan’s actions are consistent with its strategic alliance with the United States, despite its public denials of such cooperation. This revelation comes amid heightened tensions following the recent killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which Iran attributes to Israel, although Israel has not officially confirmed or denied involvement.

Reports suggest that Jordan had previously granted Israel similar permissions in April during an Iranian missile and drone attack. This latest development reflects the complex geopolitical dynamics in the region as Jordan navigates its alliances and security concerns amid ongoing regional conflicts.
Several US and coalition personnel suffer minor injuries in Syria attack
Several US and coalition personnel were wounded in a drone attack on Friday in Syria, a US official told Reuters, in the second major attack in recent days against US forces amid soaring tensions in the Middle East.

The US military initially assessed no casualties in the drone attack, but a more in-depth review found that some personnel had minor injuries including smoke inhalation and moved some to a different location.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity on Saturday, said none of the injuries were serious but some personnel were also being examined for traumatic brain injuries.

Several troops were moved to a different location for further evaluation, the official added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the official said, but similar attacks in the past have been carried out by Iran-backed groups.

The injuries from the drone attack followed a rocket strike by suspected Iran-backed militia on Monday that wounded five US personnel at Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq on Monday.

News of the latest injuries came as the Middle East as the region braces for a possible new wave of attacks by Iran and its allies.


MFA: Israel can no longer trust Norway as a partner on the Palestinian issue
Following Jerusalem’s decision to revoke the diplomatic status of Norwegian officials who were working with the Palestinian Authority, Israel's Foreign Affairs Ministry (MFA) explained on X, formerly Twitter, that Norway has been "extreme, one-sided, and anti-Israel" following the attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Houthis, and other actors.

"The Norwegian government - which only last week chose to support the baseless case against Israel at the ICC, recognized a Palestinian state, and even today, exactly ten months after the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, refuses to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization - has lost Israel's trust and the special role it has played since the Oslo Accords," the MFA stated.

He said that these policies prevent Israel from trusting Norway as a partner in "dialogue or activity with Israel on the Palestinian issue."

"a one-sided policy is not the way to influence what is happening in our region, and it is certainly not the way to promote any chances for real peace negotiations," the MFA noted.


PA said aiming to have UN General Assembly outlaw Israel’s presence in West Bank, East Jerusalem
The Palestinian Authority is working to secure a General Assembly resolution outlawing Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israel’s Channel 12 news reports.

It says the PA will ask the GA, when the UN body convenes in New York next month, to adopt last month’s International Court of Justice ruling that Israel’s 56-year-long rule in “the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967” is “illegal,” and that it is obligated to bring its presence in that territory to an end “as rapidly as possible.”

The ICJ in The Hague is the UN’s top court. Its July 19 decision was non-binding. General Assembly resolutions are also non-binding, but in this case it could potentially snowball and lead to pressure for arms embargoes and the blacklisting of settlements, the TV report says.

In its July decision, the ICJ said it determined Israel’s policy of settlement in the West Bank violates international law, and that Israel had effectively annexed large parts of the West Bank — along with East Jerusalem, which was formally annexed and designated as sovereign Israeli territory in 1980 — due to some of the apparently permanent aspects of Israeli rule there.

The legal consequences of its findings, the court ruled, were that Israel must end its control of these areas, cease new settlement activity, “repeal all legislation and measures creating or maintaining the unlawful situation” — including those which it said “discriminate against the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” — and provide reparations for any damage caused by its “wrongful acts.”

In addition, the court said that all UN member states are obligated not to recognize changes to the status of the territory, and that all states are obligated not to aid or assist Israel’s rule of the territories, and ensure that any impediment “to the exercise of the Palestinian people of its right to self-determination is brought to an end.”

The TV report says Israel is aware of the PA effort, and has a month to try to thwart it.
'Shameful concentration camp': Albanese renews accusations of Israeli genocide in Gaza
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese renewed her accusations against the Jewish state, claiming in an X, formerly Twitter, post on Saturday that "Israel is genociding the Palestinians."

"Gaza: In the largest and most shameful concentration camp of the 21st century, Israel is genociding the Palestinians one neighborhood at the time, one hospital at the time, one school at the time, one refugee camp at the time, one 'safe zone' at the time," the UN official wrote. "With US and European weapons. And amid the indifference of all "civilised nations". May the Palestinians forgive us for our collective inability to protect them, honoring the most basic meaning of intl law."

Her comments followed an IAF airstrike on a Hamas military HQ in a Gazan school. The IDF estimated some 20 terrorists were killed, while Palestinian reports claimed over 100 Palestinians were killed.

Israel's Army Radio noted that only rooms housing terrorists in the men's section of the school were hit by small and precise weaponry.

The Commissioner General of the United Nations, Philippe Lazzarini, mirrored similar sentiments, writing on the same platform "Another day of horror in #Gaza Another school hit with reports of dozens of Palestinian killed among them women, children and older people. Schools, UN facilities and civilian infrastructure are #NOTaTarget

"Parties to the conflict must not use schools & other civilian facilities for military or fighting purposes.

"Parties to the conflict must protect civilians and civilian infrastructure at all times.

"It’s time for these horrors unfolding under our watch to end. We cannot let the unbearable become a new norm. The more recurrent, the more we lose our collective humanity. #CeasefireNOW"


IDF strikes senior Hamas commander Walid al-Sousi in Gaza
The IDF announced that it killed senior Hamas commander Walid al-Sousi in Gaza on Friday night.

Al-Sousi was head of Hamas's General Security Apparatus in the Southern Gaza Strip. He was involved in managing intelligence and crushing resistance to the regime.

He was eliminated by Israel Air Force jets and the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate.

Continued raids in Rafah
Additionally, Paratrooper Brigade combat teams conducted raids in southern Gaza on targets.

During the raids, the IDF killed dozens of terrorists and destroyed terrorist infrastructure.

Furthermore, in the area of Rafah, Nahal Brigade troops killed several terrorists and discovered weapons in several residential houses.

Aircrafts attacked terrorists who were spotted spying on IDF soldiers in the field and posed a threat to the forces.
IDF determines 19 terrorists killed in strike on Hamas HQ embedded in school
An Israeli air force aircraft, guided by intelligence from the Military Intelligence Directorate (AMAN) and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), targeted terrorists operating in a Hamas command and control center embedded within the Al-Taabin school complex near a mosque in the Dura' Tafah area on Saturday morning, the IDF and Shin Bet reported.

Following an intelligence investigation, at least 19 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were killed, the IDF reported Saturday evening.

The IDF also announced on Saturday night that there is a high probability that the commander of the Central Brigade of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, Ashraf Juda, was also killed.

The IDF carried out the attack using three small and precise weapons, Israeli state broadcaster KAN later reported, citing the military.

The IDF argued that according to professional analysis, these types of ammunition “cannot cause the amount of damage that is being reported by the Hamas-run Government Information Office in Gaza.” Furthermore, no severe damage was caused to the compound where the terrorists were situated, the IDF stated.

Israel's Army Radio later revealed that the school was divided into three sections: men, women, and children. Only rooms containing terrorists in the men’s section were reportedly hit.

The headquarters were reportedly used by Hamas terrorists for shelter and to plan and advance terror activities against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.

“The compound, and the mosque that was struck within it, served as an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility,” Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani posted on X.

He added that casualty figures issued by the Hamas-run media office “do not align with the information held by the IDF, the precise munitions used, and the accuracy of the strike.”

The school had been sheltering civilians, the IDF and Shin Bet added, noting that the IAF took measures to minimize the impact of the airstrike on that population.

Prior to the strike, extensive measures were taken to minimize the risk to Gazan civilians, including the use of precision-guided munitions, predictive means, and intelligence information, according to the statement.

“Hamas systematically violates international law by operating from civilian shelters and using the population as human shields for its terror activities,” the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) stated.

Hamas has been frequently criticized and recorded using civilian infrastructure as a shield for its terrorist activities both during the war and predating it. Only 4 days ago, Israel eliminated a Hamas commander using a Gazan school for cover.

In a statement on X on Saturday night, the IDF spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said that no women or children were present according to IDF intelligence. "In the video published by us today, you can see that the compound is still intact, and that there are no significant craters or damage to the main building," he added.


Trump campaign says it was hacked, blames Iran
The campaign of Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Saturday some of its internal communications were hacked and blamed the Iranian government, citing past hostilities between Trump and Iran without providing direct evidence.

The campaign statement came shortly after news website Politico revealed it began receiving emails in July from an anonymous source offering authentic documents from inside Trump's operation, including a report about running mate JD Vance's "potential vulnerabilities."

"These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process," Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.

Campaign cites Microsoft researchers
The Trump campaign referred to a Friday report from Microsoft MSFT.O researchers that said Iranian government-tied hackers tried breaking into the account of a "high-ranking official" on a US presidential campaign in June. The hackers had taken over an account belonging to a former political advisor and then used it to target the official, the report said. That report did not provide further details on the targets' identities.

A Microsoft spokesperson declined to name the targeted officials or provide additional details after the report was published.

Iran's foreign ministry and its United Nations representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

On Friday, in response to Microsoft's findings, Iran's mission to the U.N. in New York told Reuters that its cyber capabilities were "defensive and proportionate to the threats it faces" and that it had no plans to launch cyberattacks.

"The US presidential election is an internal matter in which Iran does not interfere," Iran's mission to the U.N. said.

The former president had tense relations with Iran while in office. Under Trump, the United States killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020 and withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal.

"The Iranians know that President Trump will stop their reign of terror just like he did in his first four years in the White House," Cheung said.

The former president had tense relations with Iran while in office. Under Trump, the United States killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020 and withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal.


50 peers accuse the IHRC charity of ‘primitive and dangerous antisemitism’
A letter signed by 50 senior peers has accused the Islamic Human Rights Commission of “primitive, dangerous and disgraceful antisemitism” after the charity’s chair blamed “Zionist financiers abroad” for the far-right riots in the UK.

The peers – who included Lord Finkelstein, Lord Watson, Lord Mendelsohn, Lord Wolfson of Tredegar KC, Lord Palmer of Childs Hill, Lord Polak, Lord Pannick KC, Baroness Altmann and Lord Pickles – wrote to the Times in response to claims made by the IHRC”s Massoud Shadjareh.

In an open letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper published on Tuesday, Shadjareh said: “Enabled by their Zionist financiers abroad, far-right elements have weaponised the tragic murder of three young girls in Southport to incite the country into pogroms against Muslims and people of colour.”

Shadjareh’s letter added: “It is now more critical than ever to tackle the racism that drenches our media, social and political discourse. This is the mood music that has emboldened the racists and brought us to the brink of national race wars.”

Responding, the peers letter, also published by The Times, noted the IHRC letter “dated August 6 to the home secretary and police chiefs asserts (with, of course, no factual foundation) that ‘far-right elements’ have been ‘enabled by their Zionist financiers abroad.

“Such primitive, dangerous and disgraceful antisemitism needs to be called out and condemned.”

The peers, who represented all mainstream parties and crossbenchers, also contrasted the IHRC’s claims with a letter also written this week by Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Sayed Razawi, Chief Imam of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society, and other faith leaders pointing out that an appropriate response to the outbreak of hatred, violence and vandalism is to work on building “a cohesive and harmonious society for all”.

The IHRC chair has responded with another letter, published on their website, which sites an article published in Israel looking at the funding of far-right groups by “US pro-Israel lobby groups.”

The IHRC have repeatedly aligned themselves with Iran’s hardline regime, and in 2020 claimed: “Zionists have started to implement an insidious strategy to build ties with the Muslim community in Britain in order to normalise Zionism and the brutal illegal occupation of Palestine.”

They are also behind the notorious Al Quds Days march, at which one of the charity’s leading figures was exposed for attempting to blame the Grenfell fire tragedy on “Zionists.”


Pro-Palestinian vandals deface building of Columbia U. administrator, release insects
Vandals defaced the apartment building of Cas Holloway, Columbia University’s chief operating officer, on Thursday, splattering red paint around the entrance to the building and painting inverted red triangles, a pro-Hamas symbol, on its facade.

The vandals also smashed a glass door, put up threatening posters, and released insects inside the building, according to the New York Post.

Anti-Israel activists have blamed Holloway for the crackdown and arrests of protesters on campus in the Spring.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the vandalism, saying the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force was investigating.

“Hateful, antisemitic displays like this will not be tolerated in New York, and the perpetrators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Hochul said in a post on X.

Mark Treyger, the head of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, said on X, “This disgusting and despicable act is straight out of the 1930’s Nazi playbook.”

The incident comes two months after vandals defaced the home of the Jewish director of the Brooklyn Museum in a similar manner, painting a red triangle on her door. A banner they hung also accused her of being a “white supremacist Zionist.” The vandalism happened shortly after one of the most active anti-Israel protest groups in the city, Within Our Lifetime, called on its followers to target the museum and its leadership.

Police have made two arrests in the case, including a videographer, Samuel Seligson, who was arrested on Tuesday. He was charged with four felonies, including hate crimes charges.

In addition, at least one Columbia trustee has had their home picketed.
Virginia Secretary of Education Warns Universities To Prepare For Anti-Israel Protests Amid Reports Campus Disruptions ‘Will Be Even More Chaotic’
The Virginia secretary of education told the state’s universities they must ensure student safety in the fall amid reports that upcoming anti-Israel protests on campus "will be even more chaotic."

Secretary Aimee R. Guidera urged Virginia public universities on Thursday to take measures to strengthen campus safety and security ahead of the fall semester, according to an email obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. In the spring, anti-Israel protesters caused massive disruptions to learning and jeopardized the safety of Jewish students on campuses across the nation, including at the University of Virginia, the state’s flagship college.

"Considering the challenges faced on college and university campuses last academic year and reports that the fall will be even more chaotic, we have asked each institution [to] take proactive steps to update policies and improve communication channels before students return this fall," Guidera said.

"I cannot overemphasize the critical importance of completing this necessary work within the next couple of weeks before students return to campus," she added in bold.

Specifically, she urged schools to update codes of conduct regarding disruptions of school functions, legal violations, "unlawful masking," encampments, and "facility usage by affiliated and non-affiliated persons/groups."

Guidera also emphasized the need to maintain open lines of communication and encouraged universities to invite campus chiefs of police to university board meetings to provide regular updates on campus safety. Her office did not respond to a request for comment.

In the spring, several Virginia universities faced unruly anti-Israel activists. At the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, a dozen protesters were arrested after they erected an unauthorized encampment and refused to leave the area. Similarly, at the University of Virginia, police broke up an encampment and arrested 27 people after it was declared an unlawful assembly. The school subsequently withheld degrees from four graduating students.


'Losing control': Hamas's grip weakens as Gaza's desperation grows
As the war in Gaza rages on and the Strip continues to be degraded, Hamas’s once-firm grip on power is visibly slipping. Despite some success in maintaining wealth to fund its activities, its ability to maintain control may be on the clock, even if a hostage deal is implemented and the war is concluded.

Al-Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, one of the five hospitals in the Gaza Strip still managed by Hamas’s Health Ministry, has become a refuge for displaced Palestinians seeking shelter and protection from attacks since the start of the war.

Over four days last week, Hamas operatives from southern Gaza, including Khan Yunis, who received partial salaries, gathered around it. Indeed, Hamas is making efforts to maintain basic governance in the Palestinian street in Gaza and, against all odds, is managing to evade the security apparatus and get its hands on millions.

According to IDF sources, Hamas has robbed banks across the Gaza Strip. The largest sum, however, hundreds of millions of shekels, was stolen from the safes of the Palestine Bank in the Rimal neighborhood, which is considered the most affluent area of Gaza City.

The safe in Yahya Sinwar's hideout, which IDF soldiers reached, was left wide open, as were hideouts of other senior Hamas officials and their families. This provided a glimpse into the vast sums of money circulating in the hands of Hamas’s leadership.

Security officials report that Hamas’s ability to govern in the Gaza Strip has been severely compromised. This is evident in the widespread destruction of authority symbols, buildings, and infrastructure – as well as the targeted pursuit of senior Hamas leaders, including high-ranking bureaucrats.

Among them was Dr. Osama Nofal, the recently assassinated director-general of the Economy Ministry, who was killed in an attack in Khan Yunis and was regarded as a key figure within the organization.

The targeting of Hamas’s internal security heads and police officers, as well as any activity aimed at preserving Hamas's rule in Gaza and implementing the organization’s policies on the ground, has also affected the terror organization.

Sinwar’s financial resources remain substantial, largely due to several strategies pushed by Hamas’s field commanders. These tactics go beyond the well-known bank robberies, which Palestinians estimate at around NIS 600 million.

According to military sources, Hamas imposes taxes on the private sector and international organizations, both directly and indirectly, on all goods entering the Gaza Strip. This taxation scheme is a significant source of revenue for the organization.


Turkey restores access to Instagram after 9-day ban over removal of condolence posts for Haniyeh
Turkey says it has restored access to social media platform Instagram after the company agreed to cooperate with authorities to address the government’s concerns.

Turkey blocked access to the social media platform on August 2, accusing it of failing to comply with the country’s “laws and rules” and public sensitivities.

A top Turkish official had accused Instagram of blocking condolence posts over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The nine-day ban triggered protests from users and small businesses who reach their customers through the platform.

Turkey ranks fifth in the world in terms of Instagram usage, with more than 57 million users, following India, the United States, Brazil and Indonesia, according to data platform Statista.

“As a result of our negotiations with Instagram officials, we will lift the access block…after they promised to work together to meet our demands regarding catalog crimes and on censorship imposed on users,” Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu says in a post on X.

Catalog crimes in Turkish law include acts such as murder, sexual assault, drug trafficking, abuse and torture.

“Significant gains have been achieved in increasing security in the digital environment in Turkey, legal compliance, protection of user rights and the development of a fair inspection mechanism,” Uraloglu says.
FDD: U.S. Intelligence Assessment Drops Claim That Iran ‘Not Currently Undertaking’ Nuclear Weapons Development
Latest Developments
The U.S. intelligence community no longer assesses that Iran has paused work on the development of nuclear weapons, according to the latest Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) report to Congress. The report removed a key finding ODNI has included annually since 2019, which states: “Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities necessary to produce a testable nuclear device.” An August 9 Wall Street Journal story illuminated the ODNI development, explaining: “U.S. intelligence agencies are re-examining their criteria for assessing Iran’s nuclear activities in light of what it is learning about the program.”

The ODNI report concludes that Tehran has “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so,” while underscoring “a notable increase this year in Iranian [officials’] public statements about nuclear weapons, suggesting the topic is becoming less taboo.”

Expert Analysis
“The new intelligence assessment ideally represents a U.S. intelligence community that is taking a more holistic look at how all Iranian nuclear activities support the progress of a threshold nuclear weapons program. Meanwhile, U.S. policymakers are wasting precious time to detect and stop a possible Iranian breakout that is backed by a clandestine effort to progress the weaponization aspects of the regime’s nuclear capabilities.” — Andrea Stricker, FDD Research Fellow and Deputy Director of FDD’s Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program

“Tehran’s nuclear ambitions have been hiding in plain sight all along. As a reminder, the Islamic Republic resurrected the late Shah’s nuclear program that was specifically designed to pursue nuclear weapons. Enter now the latest ODNI finding, which can assist America and its partners in reconnecting the dots over the costs, aims, intentions, capabilities, and direction of Iran’s atomic infrastructure to date and serve as a baseline for a better counterproliferation policy toward Iran.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD Senior Fellow New Weaponization Intelligence

Axios reported in June that the United States and Israel collected intelligence indicating that Iranian scientists at civilian research institutes were carrying out nuclear “weaponization” work — the process of fabricating an atomic device that integrates weapons-grade fuel with specialized components, explosives, and a triggering mechanism. The work reportedly involved limited computer modeling and metallurgy experiments that could hasten Iran’s production of nuclear weapons. The August 9 Wall Street Journal story quoted a U.S. official who said this research “could shrink the knowledge gap Tehran faces in mastering the ability to build a weapon.” However, an ODNI spokesperson also told the Journal, “Iran doesn’t have an active military nuclear program,” while another stated that the “U.S. intelligence community is well-positioned to detect active work by Iran to build a nuclear weapon.”

According to Axios, in July, Washington utilized diplomatic back channels to warn Iran about the weaponization work and demand clarifications and was satisfied by those communications.

IAEA Role Remains Vague
It remains unclear what role the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has played in investigating or requesting access to the alleged entities conducting weaponization work to verify it has ended, which is part of its mandate to ensure against nuclear weapons proliferation.

In recent years, the IAEA has been unable to assert that Tehran’s nuclear program is devoted to peaceful purposes. Iran remains in non-compliance with its IAEA safeguards agreement due to the regime’s failure to cooperate with an IAEA investigation into Iran’s nuclear weapons work, raising concern that Tehran could match an ongoing weaponization program with a rapid capability to produce several nuclear weapons’ worth of atomic fuel. Iran’s lack of cooperation with the IAEA led world powers to censure Tehran at a June 2024 IAEA Board of Governors meeting.
Iran’s president reappoints UN-sanctioned official to lead atomic agency
Iran’s newly-elected president reappointed a US-educated official who came under United Nations sanctions 16 years ago as head of the country’s nuclear department, state TV reported Saturday.

Mohammad Eslami, 67, will continue his work as chief of Iran’s civilian nuclear program and serve as one of several vice presidents. Eslami’s reappointment by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian comes as the country remains under heavy sanctions by the West following the collapse of the 2015 deal that curbed Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Pezeshkian had said during his presidential campaign that he would try to revive the nuclear deal.

The United Nations sanctioned Eslami in 2008 for “being engaged in, directly associated with or providing support for Iran’s proliferation of sensitive nuclear activities or for the development of nuclear weapon delivery systems” when he was the head of Iran’s Defense Industries Training and Research Institute.

He was appointed as the chief of Iran’s nuclear department for the first time by late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in 2021, before that, from 2018, in moderate former Iranian president Hassan Rouhani’s era, Eslami served as Transport and Urban Development Minister.
Antisemitic Incidents in UK Shatter Prior Records, Numbering Nearly 2,000 in Six Months
The number of antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom from January to June of this year shattered previous records with nearly 2,000 incidents recorded, including more than 120 assaults, according to the CST, Community Security Trust.

The report recorded that while there were 964 incidents of antisemitism recorded in the first six months of 2023, this year that number has more than doubled to 1,978. The previous high number of antisemitic incidents over a six-month period was 1,371, recorded in 2021.

The findings reflect the ongoing high volume of anti-Jewish hate since the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, said CST.

“As documented in CST’s Antisemitic Incidents Report 2023, there was an instant increase in antisemitic incident levels in the UK following Hamas’ attack on Israel, before Israel had coordinated any large-scale military response in Gaza,” the CST report stated. “The subsequent war, and the widespread public focus it has drawn, have continued to impact the scale and content of antisemitism so far this year.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded to the CST report on X, writing: “The rise of antisemitic incidents in the U.K. is deeply concerning. Jewish people, and all those from faith communities, deserve to feel safe on our streets. I’d like to thank the CST for their action. We will work together to eradicate discrimination of any kind.”
Disney Unveils First Look at “Snow White” Live-Action Remake staring Gal Gadot
Disney has released the first trailer for its upcoming live-action adaptation of “Snow White,” set to hit US theaters on March 21, 2025.

The film will star Israeli actress Gal Gadot as the iconic Evil Queen and Rachel Zegler as Snow White, marking a fresh take on the beloved fairy tale.

In a notable departure from the 1937 animated classic, this new version of “Snow White” reimagines the classic story with a modern twist.

According to Gadot, who described her role as “great, evil, and magical,” the film’s Snow White will not be saved by a prince nor will she be focused on finding true love. Instead, the character is portrayed as a determined leader who aspires to fulfill her deceased father’s legacy.

The release of the film was delayed by a year due to the major screenwriters’ strike that impacted Hollywood earlier this year. Despite the setback, anticipation remains high for this updated version of the timeless tale, which promises to blend familiar elements with a new, empowering narrative for Snow White.


Silver medal-winning gymnasts’ quintet: Best thing in our lives; proud to represent Israel
The members of Israel’s silver medal-winning rhythmic gymnastics team at the Paris Olympics tell Israel’s Sport5 channel that they’re still absorbing their success and are delighted that they could give a boost to Israel.

Speaking immediately after the medals ceremony, Romi Paritzki, 20, says the five of them “fought to the end” after being in fifth place following the first of the final’s two exercises. “We had such a great time,” she says, adding that “the crowd was fantastic.” Noting that there are lots of Israeli flags in the hall, she says they are “so proud to represent the state, and to lift it; we’re a strong people.”

“We’re like a family,” she says of the team. “We have crises, we have to compromise… but we were so together and it was worth every second.”

Noting that they were the eighth and last of the finalists to perform the second exercise, Ofir Shaham, 19, praises their “wonderful team” of coaches for keeping them focused.

Diana Svertsov, 19, says that waiting for their score was “incredibly emotional” and adds that they did so well “because we worked together.” Echoing Israel’s much-used slogan in the war against Hamas, she says, “because we can only win together.”

Shani Bakanov, 18, says they “gave up a lot over the years” to focus on their sport, “but now we can make up.”

Adar Friedmann, 18, the fifth of the five to speak, calls the silver medal success “the best thing that’s happened in our lives.”


US Olympic gold medalist Amit Elor confronts antisemitism after historic victory
US Olympic wrestling gold medalist Amit Elor spoke out against antisemitism on Thursday after largely refraining from discussing her Jewish identity ahead of the games.

“Eighty years ago, my grandparents survived the Holocaust, but antisemitism is still all around us,” Elor said in a video posted to Instagram and TikTok. The clip included a comment directed against her, saying, “You belong in the gas chamber,” with an inverted red triangle, a Hamas symbol, posted by an account featuring exclusively anti-Israel posts.

“My grandparents won. I won,” Elor said, holding up her gold medal, her face still battered from her Olympic bouts.

“Humanity will win. Never again,” she said.

In the video, Elor wears a yellow ribbon, a symbol supporting hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Both of Elor’s grandfathers moved to Israel after surviving the Holocaust, and she was born to Israeli parents in the United States.

Elor posts frequently on social media, where she has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram, but had held off on posting about Jewish issues and Israel going into the Olympics. Social media turns its back

After October 7, she posted a few apolitical messages that were intended to convey hope and strength after the Hamas invasion. She received “horrifying, scary messages” in response, including death threats, she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency ahead of the games. Other apolitical posts, like saying “Happy Hanukkah” or writing her name in Hebrew, also drew racist remarks, she said, prompting her to avoid the subject.

“It’s important for me to be true to myself. I want to be real,” Elor said then. “Everything in me wanted to speak up and express how I feel about the situation, but there are things I completely avoid — especially after 1972 in Munich, what happened to Israeli athletes. It’s just not smart for me at the moment.”

In addition to antisemitism, Elor faced personal tragedy on her way to the Olympics. Her older brother, Oshry, was murdered in 2018, and her father, Yair, passed away suddenly in 2022.

Elor emerged as one of the most dominant American athletes at the games in Paris, winning freestyle wrestling’s 68-kilogram weight class, becoming the youngest U.S. Olympic gold medalist in history, and extending a five-year undefeated streak.

Her victory was celebrated in Israeli media, and after winning the gold medal, she was photographed holding a yellow hostage ribbon. Athletes were not allowed to wear the pins in Paris as part of a blanket ban on political displays.

She is the first American wrestler identifying as Jewish to win the Olympics since Henry Wittenberg in 1948.


IDF: It's their way
In the last ten months, giving, donating and being active around the clock for the entire Israeli society have become the new routine of the permanent men and women in the IDF. This is an opportunity to thank them and thank them very much for everything.




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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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