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Saturday, August 24, 2024

08/24 Links: Hamas: Oct. 7 derailed normalization processes; Police officer wounded in blast at synagogue in France; ISIS claims German knife rampage ‘to avenge Palestine’

From Ian:

'If we stayed in Gaza, Oct. 7 wouldn't have happened,' says general who led evacuation
Even when he commanded the evacuation of Gush Katif, retired Major-General Gershon Hacohen felt it was a mistake. But even in his darkest predictions, he could not have imagined the massacre on October 7. In a recent interview, Hacohen claimed that October 7 was made possible because it evacuated the Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip.

Nineteen years after Israel's departure from the Strip, he reflects on the mindset that led to the disaster, the failure of military commanders, the responsibility of the political echelon, the increasing Iranian threat, and the future.

In the days following the massacre, amidst the horror and cries, while the army remained uncertain about when the ground invasion of Gaza would occur, Hacohen publicly supported the offensive. It wasn't a simple or popular stance. While many soldiers and commanders called for an all-out assault, senior military officers and former generals urged caution, advocating patience or even abandoning the ground operation. Retired Major-General Yitzhak Brick, who had foreseen the events of October 7, gained public favor by arguing that a ground invasion would entangle the army, lead to significant losses, and destabilize the country. Hacohen thought the opposite and voiced his opinion openly. "Then I received messages from women who admired Brick," he recalls. "They told me, 'Why are you in favor of a ground invasion? You're going to kill our children.'" That’s a serious accusation.

"Yes, but it’s also legitimate. After all, these are mothers of soldiers, deeply anxious about their children's fate. But despite understanding their concerns, there comes a time when you must stand and say, 'Do not fear, my servant Jacob,' and take action."

To ensure that action was taken, Hacohen went straight to the top. Together with senior members of the security movement, where he serves as the chairman of the board, he met with Prime Minister Netanyahu to encourage him to initiate a ground operation in Gaza. "I did this because there was considerable hesitation at the political level," he recalls. "The Chief of Staff was receiving calls from retired generals and former Chiefs of Staff, who weren’t aware of the situation on the ground, warning him against a ground invasion. Eventually, someone had to bang on the table and say, 'Give it to me, and I’ll handle it.'"
Hamas official boasts Oct. 7 derailed normalization processes, says never to two states
Hamas political bureau official Ghazi Hamad praised the October 7 attacks during a livestream with the pro-Palestinian NGO Masar Badil at the end of June, stating that they had challenged the normalization of ties between Arab states and Israel and that the war had sold the Palestinian cause to the West, the Middle East Media Research Institute published on Friday.

The same official had previously told Lebanese media that Hamas would repeat October 7 "again and again."

The interview, titled "Al-Aqsa Flood and the Palestinian Resistance Today," saw both Hamad and interviewer Khaled Al-Rehab praise the October 7 attacks on southern Israel - where Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and murdered over 1200 people.

“We say long live October 7, which has brought the Palestinian struggle to the top of the agenda of global politics,” Al-Rehab said in the opening remarks.

Hamad told Al-Rehab that thanks to Western support and its strong economy, Israel “reached the level of normalization with countries in the region to reinforce itself as an element of the region,” but the attacks “turned the tables on this whole view.”

The hostages held captive in Gaza
Hamad claimed that Hamas had sent terrorists to target “the Gaza Brigade of the Israeli army, and the goal was to destroy this brigade and to take some soldiers as prisoners.”

However, Hamas killed a large number of civilians on October 7, including foreign workers and fellow Palestinians. Many of the remaining hostages in their captivity have never served in the Israeli military. One-year-old Kfir and 5-year-old Ariel Bibas, who remain in Gaza, were civilian children abducted.

When previously confronted with this in an interview by the BBC in October, Hamad stormed out.

During the interview, Hamad claimed Hamas did not intend to kill any civilians during its assault.

When the interviewer stressed that many civilians were killed and asked if Hamad believed that Hamas’s murder of civilians in their beds was justified, Hamad ripped off his microphone and responded, “I want to stop this interview,” before storming out.
'Exhilarated' Lebanese Palestinians rush to join Hamas after October 7
As the war in Gaza drags on, Hamas has begun to face some resistance from the population for its actions, but in Lebanon, Palestinians who have been traditionally excluded from public life are rapidly joining the terrorist organization, according to a report in the New York Times on Saturday.

Ain Al-Hilweh is one of 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, which were founded in 1948 and have evolved into city-states within a city.

The Lebanese military has kept out of the camps, preferring to let armed Palestinian groups fight it out in the quasi-independent refugee camps.

Journalists have been kept out of the camps by the Lebanese government for years; New York Times journalists were able to sneak into a camp during a funeral and speak with residents.

Hundreds recruited
The journalists spoke with the Hamas chief in the area, Ayman Shanaa, about the recruitment situation.

Shanaa told them that hundreds of young men had been recruited from that area alone but refused to give an exact number.

During the funeral procession, calls of support for Hamas and Yahya Sinwar could be heard loudly and clearly, “Al-Aqsa Flood Battle, the Battle of Glory and Victory. Our blood and our souls we will sacrifice to you, martyr!”

The journalists maligned the loss of Palestinian secular armed groups that dominated the Palestinian side of the conflict. Replacing them is a slew of radical Sunni Islamist groups, of which Hamas is the principal group.

Palestinians generally do not join Hezbollah due to the sectarian difference, mainly Sunni Islamism vs Shia Revolutionaryism, the report noted.


Police officer wounded in blast outside synagogue in France
A French police officer was wounded on Saturday in a bombing outside the Beth Yaakov synagogue in the seaside resort town of La Grande-Motte, close to Montpellier in southern France.

Two vehicles were found at the scene engulfed in flames, according to the European Jewish Press. Worshippers had not yet arrived at the house of prayer for Shabbat services when the blast occurred.

The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) said the incident showed “an attempt to kill Jews.”

The use of a gas canister “in a car at a time when worshippers are expected to arrive at the synagogue is not simply a criminal act,” CRIF president Yonathan Arfi told Agence France-Presse.

CCTV footage reportedly showed a suspect waving a PLO flag near the synagogue.

“Our thoughts are with the congregation at the Grande-Motte synagogue and all the Jews in the country,” said French President Emmanuel Macron.

“Everything is being done to find the perpetrator of this terrorist act and protect places of worship. The fight against antisemitism is a constant battle, that of the united nation,” he added.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin described the incident as “manifestly criminal,” adding, “I want to assure our Jewish fellow citizens and the municipality of my full support and say that at the request of President Macron, all means have been mobilized to find the perpetrator.

Earlier this month, Darmanin said at a ceremony commemorating an Aug. 9, 1982, terrorist attack at Chez Jo Goldenberg, a Jewish restaurant in Paris’s Marais district, that the first half of 2024 saw 887 antisemitic incidents, almost triple the 304 documented in the same period of 2023.

Darmanin warned that antisemitism “no longer hides” and that “it is an insult to the dead, the wounded, the humiliated and our history.” He also noted that to date, law enforcement has only captured one suspect in the Chez Jo Goldenberg attack.


France opens terror probe after blast outside synagogue; suspect seen with Palestinian flag
An explosion outside a synagogue in southern France wounded a police officer on Saturday morning in what authorities said was being treated as a terror attack.

A suspect caught on a surveillance camera outside the Beth Yaacov synagogue in the seaside resort of La Grande-Motte, near the city of Montpellier, was caught in surveillance camera footage clad in a Palestinian flag.

France’s acting interior minister ordered police reinforcements to protect Jewish places of worship after the suspected arson attack.

French President Emmanuel Macron calls the attack “an act of terror,” adding in a post on X that “the fight against antisemitism is a daily fight.”

“Sending thoughts to the faithful of the synagogue of La Grande-Motte and all the Jews of our country,” Macron wrote, promising that all efforts were being made to apprehend the perpetrator and to “protect places of worship.”

Police were hunting for the suspect and the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office was put in charge of the investigation, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said. A French gendarmerie officer blocks a road near a synagogue following a fire and explosion of cars in La Grande-Motte, south of France, on August 24, 2024 (Pascal Guyot/AFP)

“This is an antisemitic attack. Once more, our Jewish compatriots are targeted,” Attal said on X, adding: “We won’t give up. In the face of antisemitism, in the face of violence, we will never allow ourselves to be intimidated.”

Two cars parked at the synagogue in the seaside resort town were set ablaze at about 8:30 a.m., causing the blast that injured the police officer, according to French media reports. One of the cars allegedly contained a propane gas tank.

The blast occurred during Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest that runs from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday and often when many attend synagogue services. There was, however, no religious service ongoing at the time of the incident, a police source said.

Two doors of the synagogue were damaged in the blast.

The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) said the blast was “an attempt to kill Jews.”

The use of a gas canister “in a car at a time when worshippers are expected to arrive at the synagogue is not simply a criminal act,” CRIF president Yonathan Arfi said. “This shows an intention to kill.”

A suspect caught on a surveillance camera after the explosion was brandishing a Palestinian flag, according to a source close to the police’s terror probe into the incident.


Visiting site of synagogue blast, French PM says he is ‘outraged, revolted’ by attack
Visiting the site of an explosion outside a synagogue in southern France, French interim Prime Minister Gabriel Attal says “we narrowly avoided an absolute tragedy.”

“Once more, French Jews have been targeted and attacked as a result of their beliefs,” Attal says. “If the synagogue had been filled with worshippers… there probably would have been human victims.”

Attal says France’s national anti-terror prosecutors have been tasked with probing the incident.

“We are outraged, revolted and scandalized by this, given that antisemitic acts have increased dramatically, even more so since October 7,” he says.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who also visited the synagogue with Attal, calls the incident “an obviously criminal act” and says that “all means are being deployed to find the perpetrator.”
French MEP Rima Hassan accused of ‘apology for terrorism’
Some 50 members of the French National Assembly from President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance Party have asked the president of the European Parliament to lift the parliamentary immunity of French far-left MEP Rima Hassan because of her presence at a pro-Hamas demonstration in Amman in mid-August.

They consider this presence as a form of “apology for terrorism.”

During the demonstration in the Jordanian capital on Aug. 16, “dozens of placards” were brandished in tribute to Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, killed on July 31 in Tehran, wrote the MPs.

The MPs point out that “the slogans chanted” at the demonstration “paid tribute to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, [and] called for the murder of Jews and the waging of jihad against ‘miscreants.'”

The group of MPs has also filed a report with the Paris public prosecutor for “incitement to racial hatred” and “apology for terrorism.”

This report, made through a lawyer, is based on article 40 of the Penal Code, which requires “any constituted authority, any public officer or civil servant, in the exercise of their functions,” to report crimes or offenses of which they have knowledge, the signatories add.

The MPs said that Hassan, who is a member of the La France Insoumise (“France Unbowed”) Party, “provocatively displayed barely concealed support for the terrorist organization Hamas” as part of an “Islamist and pro-terrorist demonstration.”

In their report to the prosecutor, the lawyers for the group of MPs refer to tweets published on Hassan’s X account. According to them, the content she publishes on the social network constitutes “threats against political figures she considers close to the Israeli government.”

“Ms. Hassan has been participating without limit, for several months, in the dissemination of hatred of Jews in Europe, notably taking up several anti-Jewish conspiracy clichés and denying the State of Israel the right to exist,” they said.
Islamic State claims German knife rampage that killed three ‘to avenge Palestine’
The Islamic State terrorist group claimed on Saturday responsibility for a knife attack in Solingen, Germany that killed three people and wounded eight others, according to its Amaq news site.

The group said the attacker targeted Christians and is a “soldier of the Islamic State” who carried out the attack “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.”

Police began raiding a home for asylum seekers in the city center of Solingen, including with special forces, the German news agency DPA reported.

“We have received tips, and therefore we are currently conducting police activities,” a police spokesperson said.

Special police units had joined the search for the unknown knifeman who cut the throats of revelers at a crowded festival in the western German city, killing three people and wounding at least eight others, four of them seriously.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested early Saturday. Police said he was suspected of knowing about the planned attack and failing to inform authorities, but he was not the attacker. Police and ambulances near the scene where people were killed and injured in an attack at a festival in Solingen, Germany, Friday, August 23, 2024. (Gianni Gattus/dpa via AP)

Markus Caspers, from the counterterrorism section of the public prosecutor’s office, told a news conference on Saturday that authorities have not found the perpetrator.

“So far we have not been able to identify a motive, but looking at the overall circumstances, we cannot rule out” the possibility of terrorism, Caspers said, though he did not offer further details.

The three people who died were two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman, authorities said. Police said the attacker appeared to have deliberately aimed for his victims’ throats.
German police make second arrest in connection with festival stabbing attack
German police say they have arrested a second person over a knife attack that killed three people at a street festival, claimed by the ISIS terror group.

Police say they made the arrest at a hostel for asylum seekers not far from the scene of yesterday’s attack in the western city of Solingen.
Hezbollah likely to strike if Hamas rejects compromise deal, Israel believes
The leading assessment in Israel is that Hezbollah plans to launch an attack against Israel the moment Hamas delivers a negative response to the mediators concerning the compromise proposal, as it becomes clear that the talks are heading toward a breakdown rather than a breakthrough.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Saturday: "IDF forces continue [operating] decisively and forcefully against the terrorist organization Hezbollah. In recent days, we have struck about 70 terror targets, including numerous weapon storage sites aimed at Israel, and eliminated over 20 terrorists, including senior operatives. We have damaged Hezbollah’s rocket infrastructure."

He added: "It's important for me to explain our operational approach. We conduct systematic and orderly attacks targeting Hezbollah's capabilities and fighters. In defense, we coordinate, while closing loops on terrorists who have fired or emerged from suspicious areas. We target bases and terror sites, while Hezbollah attacks civilian areas and citizens. We have a wide range of offensive plans and will act according to political decisions."

Hagari continued: "I want to address the residents of the North. I know you have been enduring ten challenging months under the threat of attacks and fires. We will not rest until you can return to your homes safely."

At the end of his statement, the IDF spokesperson emphasized: "It's important for you to know that we are facing a significant week with ongoing negotiations in Cairo, fighting in Gaza, and border conflicts in the North. Our readiness for attack and defense is very high, and we will continue to work to remove threats and fight our enemies. The public must remain vigilant and alert, as you have been so far. We will provide immediate updates on any developments."


John Spencer (Chair of Urban War Studies, Modern War Institute at West Point) with Michael Rapaport



The Philadelphi Corridor: How Hamas Smuggles Terror Into Gaza
Just 300 feet wide and stretching eight miles from Israel’s border to the Mediterranean, the narrow strip separating Egypt and Gaza, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, is once again the focus of intense political debate.

Established under the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty, the corridor was designed as a critical buffer to prevent the smuggling of weapons and materials into Gaza for terrorist activities. However, after Israel’s disengagement from Gaza in 2005, control of the Egyptian side of the corridor was handed over to Cairo, which promised to prevent trafficking and incursions. Despite these assurances, the corridor has become a vital channel for Hamas to sustain its terror operations. The extensive network of tunnels beneath the corridor—often called the “Gaza subway”—has allowed Hamas to smuggle weapons, personnel, and other materials.

From a security standpoint, the Philadelphi Corridor is essential to Israel’s efforts to neutralize Hamas’s capabilities. The tunnels have enabled the group not only to maintain but also expand its terror infrastructure, allowing it to continue launching attacks on Israel. By reasserting control over the corridor, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) aim to dismantle this underground network and prevent future smuggling operations.

The Philadelphi Corridor
Despite Egypt’s public denials about the existence of smuggling tunnels beneath the Philadelphi Corridor, security experts agree that it is the primary conduit for weapons destined for Hamas. Both Egypt and Hamas strongly oppose Israel’s control over the corridor.

The Philadelphi Corridor is more than just a buffer zone; it is Hamas’ last link to obtaining the materials needed to keep its war effort alive, as well as to rearm and regroup. It is also a crucial route for the international travel of senior Hamas officials.

Israel’s intelligence on these tunnels is well-documented, yet Egypt continues to deny their existence, insisting they were destroyed in previous operations. On August 22, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that 150 tunnels along the Egypt-Gaza border had been destroyed and emphasized ongoing efforts to eliminate those that remain.

Israel’s recent requests for Egyptian military units to relocate away from the Gaza border, allowing for greater IDF control, have been rejected by Cairo. Currently, the IDF monitors Gaza’s northern, eastern, and western borders. Securing the southern border via the Philadelphi Corridor would pave the way for the complete demilitarization of the Hamas-run enclave.

The Media’s Philadelphi Tunnel Vision
Only after Israel gained control of the Philadelphi Corridor did international media begin to more prominently cover the crossing’s strategic significance. While many outlets have acknowledged how Hamas has long exploited the border to bolster its terror infrastructure in Gaza, few have focused on why Israel deems it crucial to maintain a long-term presence in the area.

The New York Times serves as a clear example. In a section explaining why the corridor “matters” to Israel, the article noted that “Hamas had dug tunnels beneath the strip—some wide enough for trucks, according to military experts—and used them to smuggle weapons and personnel into Gazan territory.”

However, under the subheading about why it matters to Egypt, the NYT fails to mention one important point: Cairo’s control of the Philadelphi Corridor has been an abject failure in terms of stymying the flow of weapons and other supplies into Gaza.


ICC prosecutor calls for ‘urgent’ ruling against Netanyahu, Gallant
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor on Friday called on judges to “urgently” rule on his request for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over their involvement in prosecuting the war against the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip.

“It is settled law that the court has jurisdiction in this situation,” Karim Khan wrote in a legal brief.

He called on the judges on the pretrial panel to “urgently render its decisions” on the requests he filed in May.

Khan’s brief came in response to legal arguments filed by dozens of countries, academics and rights groups either rejecting or supporting the court’s jurisdiction to issue arrest warrants in this case.

Among the many on Israel’s side who submitted briefs were Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), UK Lawyers for Israel, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and NGO Monitor.

Those opposed ranged from former U.N. Special Rapporteur Richard Falk to Al-Haq and Addameer, two of six Palestinian NGOs designated as terrorist organizations by Israel.

On May 20, Khan requested warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for alleged war crimes. He lumped the two Israelis together with then-Hamas chief in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, “military” leader Mohammed Deif and political head Ismail Haniyeh. The latter two have since been assassinated.

The ICC has no jurisdiction in Israel as Jerusalem is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which established the court. But in a legalistic sleight of hand, the court claimed jurisdiction by accepting the “State of Palestine” as a signatory in 2015, even though no such state exists.


IDF bracing for ‘significant week,’ as Hezbollah strike expected within days
Israel is bracing for a “significant week,” Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Saturday, amid reports that Jerusalem believes Hezbollah will respond in the next few days to last month’s assassination of the Lebanese terror group’s senior commander.

Fuad Shukr, who was at the time the head of Hezbollah’s military wing, was killed in his Beirut apartment by an Israeli air strike in July, and the country has since been bracing for a response by the terrorist organization.

According to Ynet, the attack will come “in the coming days” and is coordinated with Hezbollah’s patron, Iran. The Iranians, however, are not expected to strike alongside Hezbollah, Ynet reported, despite having vowed to seek retribution for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, which Iran attributes to Israel.

Senior Israeli officials speaking to Ynet said the Hezbollah response is expected regardless of the outcome of intensive hostage-ceasefire talks being held this week. “[Hezbollah] don’t really care about the Palestinians,” the officials said. “In retrospect, they could use [the negotiations] as an excuse [to attack].”

Channel 12 and the Haaretz daily also reported that the Hezbollah response will come within days.

Channel 12 said Israel has sent a clear warning to Hezbollah that if it attacks Tel Aviv, it will prompt a harsh Israeli response in Beirut and against “major assets” of Lebanon and Hezbollah.

Hagari said Saturday the country is “ahead of a significant week amid the ongoing negotiations in Cairo, the fighting in Gaza and [on] the northern border. Our readiness is very high in attack and defense.”

Speaking at an evening press conference, Hagari called on the public to continue to be alert. He added that the military will update on “any development immediately.”


Terrorists throw explosives at security forces searching for lost Israelis in West Bank
Terrorists threw stones and explosives at security forces in Kalkilya in the West Bank, army radio reported on Saturday.

According to the report, the forces entered Kalkilya to look for Israeli citizens who entered Kalkilya in the morning, and their current whereabouts are unknown. They likely entered Kalkilya to get their car fixed at a mechanic, and the reason for their disappearance is still unknown.

No injuries were reported by the security forces, who have since left the city, and the efforts to locate the Israelis are being continued with intelligence measures.

About two months ago, Amnon Mokhtar, a resident of Petah Tikva, was killed when he drove into the center of Kalkilya. He was shot on the main street, and his vehicle was subsequently set on fire.

Shortly after that incident, two Islamic Jihad militants, Iyad Abu Hamed, and Ahmed Al-Salami, were killed by the IDF while traveling in a vehicle in central Kalkilya as part of an anti-terror operation.
Four IDF soldiers killed, seven wounded in Zeitun, Gaza Strip on Thursday
The IDF spokesperson permitted publication on Saturday of news that three soldiers were killed and seven soldiers wounded in an earlier incident in the Zeitun neighborhood of the Gaza Strip.

This is in addition to Staff-Sgt. (Res.) Evyatar Atuar, who was killed in the same incident and whose death the IDF announced on Friday. Atuar, 24, from Rosh Ha’ayin, served in the 6310th Reconnaissance Battalion in the 16th Brigade.

The incident occurred on Thursday during a divisional operation aimed at expanding control in the central Gaza Strip. The soldiers’ mission, according to the IDF, was to locate tunnels and eliminate terrorists.

Two of the fallen soldiers, Sgt.-Maj. (Res.) Danil Pechenyuk, 26 and Sgt.-Maj. (Res.) Nitai Metodi, 23, from Ashkelon, served in the 6310th Reconnaissance Battalion in the 16th Brigade.

Warrant Officer (Res.) Yaniv Itzhak Oren, 35, from Ein Gedi, served in the 8119th Battalion in the 16th Brigade.

IDF Spokesperson R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a press conference that the “three were killed in a raid on the Zeitun area from an explosive device. Another IDF soldier fell in a confrontation with terrorists. Four reserve soldiers, heroes of Israel. May their memory be blessed. We do not forget, and must not forget, the unbearable heavy price paid by many families in Israeli society.

“Throughout the past week, IDF forces have continued to fight on all fronts,” Hagari continued, “In Gaza, Division 162 forces are operating in Rafah. Dozens of tunnels have been destroyed. The IDF is active in Khan Yunis and the outskirts of Deir el-Balah. We are making every effort to bring the hostages home as quickly as possible.”

“In the North, IDF forces continue to act decisively against Hezbollah. In recent days, we have struck 70 terrorist targets and eliminated over 20 terrorists, including senior members of the rocket array. We are systematically and methodically attacking Hezbollah’s capabilities and fighters,” Hagari emphasized during the press conference.

Concerning the incident in which soldiers were killed by an explosive device in Gaza, Hagari stated that “the explosive was not inside the building: it was outside, in the wall, and was detonated from the other side of the wall. Our forces are learning from this operational event and are applying those lessons. Unfortunately, in combat, there are casualties.”

During an assault by the brigade, he said, a reconnaissance unit entered a building where an explosive device was hidden in one of its walls. The team commander entered the building with four soldiers, while the rest of the force organized outside. The explosive device detonated, and the impact was felt outside the building. It is estimated that the terrorists used a camera to trigger the explosive.

According to the IDF’s tally, 699 soldiers have been killed since October 7, with 336 of them since the start of the IDF’s ground operations in the Strip on October 27.


‘We must celebrate life’: Noa Argamani dances with friends after captivity
Former Hamas hostage Noa Argamani celebrated her “return to life” at a party with friends and family on Friday night after returning to Israel from speaking with diplomats of G7 countries in Tokyo.

“It’s not ideal that we’re having this party while there’s still a war in the background,” she told the crowd, as seen in a video aired by Channel 12, “while our soldiers are on the battlefield, while there are still 109 hostages there in Gaza, including my partner, Avinatan Or, who we miss terribly.”

“But at the same time, I’m happy to celebrate life itself with all of you,” she said, to cheers from her friends. “To remember that we have to value every day in this life, we have to celebrate every moment that we’re here.”

The party was titled “Dance with Noa” and was attended by her friends and family, including her father Yaakov.

Yaakov also addressed the crowd, saying that they had waited 246 days for Noa’s return.

“I say we waited because the whole family waited, and Liora really waited, but she did see her and feel her, and God granted our wish. I honestly say to you, I didn’t know Noa. On October 7, the day she was abducted, I got to know Noa thanks to you, thanks to the wonderful friends she has,” he said.

Liora was terminally ill with cancer when Argamani was taken hostage and appealed to Hamas to let her see her daughter before she died. However, Argamani was not among the 105 hostages the terrorist organization released during a week-long truce in November.

Argamani was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im on October 7, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed the Gaza border and invaded southern Israel, murdering some 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages.

She was rescued from Nuseirat in central Gaza by IDF forces after nine months of captivity in a daring daylight operation on June 8, along with hostages Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv.

Argamani was rescued in time to see Liora, who died a few weeks later.

Footage of Argamani’s abduction, in which she was seen screaming as her Hamas captor drove her away on the back of a motorcycle while her boyfriend Avinatan Or was held back, became some of the most famous footage of the October 7 terror onslaught.

Addressing G7 nations on Wednesday, Argamani spoke of her time in captivity and her fear that every night in Gaza would be her last.

She also underlined that her boyfriend was still being held captive and stressed the importance of getting all the hostages back as soon as possible.


RJC head: ‘Democrats acted as if Israel didn’t exist’
The Republican Jewish Coalition said speakers at the Democratic National Convention, held this past week in Chicago, had failed to support and celebrate Israel.

CEO Matt Brooks described the RJC’s “Praise Israel Watch,” which had urged anyone addressing audiences to advocate for Israel in exchange for the planting of 1,800 trees in their name, in a statement on Friday, the day after the convention’s conclusion.

According to the group, no one succeeded.

“Unfortunately, the Democrats acted as if Israel didn’t exist, which is exactly what their pro-Palestinian base wanted,” Brooks said. “Of the 155 Democratic Convention speakers, not a single one, including Kamala Harris, praised Israel from the main stage as the Jewish state fights for its very survival.”

Brooks called Harris’ Thursday night brief mention of Israel and her pledge to uphold its security “the bare minimum.”

Brooks also noted that “she never praised Israel. Instead, she implicitly criticized Israel for the suffering Hamas has caused in Gaza.” He characterized calls by the current vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate for a ceasefire in Gaza as implying that Hamas would survive, saying “that’s unacceptable.”

Even though no DNC speaker passed the group’s challenge, Brooks announced that the RJC “will still donate to plant 1,189 trees in Israel in memory of the 1,189 victims killed on Oct. 7.”
Dear Democrats, there are no two sides to Hamas support
Speaking on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week, outgoing US President Joe Biden blabbered, “Those protestors out in the street, they have a point. A lot of innocent people are being killed, on both sides.”

By “those people” Biden was referring to the pro-Hamas mobs calling for “intifada revolution” and “smashing the Zionist entity.” He was referring to people chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” barking “Bibi, we’re at your gate, we’re taking back ’48,” bellowing that “Hamas is coming,” and promising that October 7 would be repeated “10,000 times and every day.”

Biden was referring to rioters screaming “Stop arming Israel” and calling for “Death to Zionists.”

They were not mildly calling for a reasonable Mideast ceasefire, nor ardently advocating for a peaceful two-state solution.

He was referring to deeply unpatriotic goons, so-called “progressives” that have brought antisemitic street violence to America’s cities and whose prime targets are Israelis and Jews but whose targets also include American democracy.

But Biden says “they have a point” because “a lot of innocent people” have been killed on “both sides,” seeming to suggest that Hamas and Israel are correspondingly culpable: The jubilant murderers of Hamas and the heroic civilian soldiers of the Jewish state, he suggests have both shed “a lot of innocent” blood and are similarly at fault for the continuation of the Gaza war. That is how it sounded to me.

Well, no, Joe, the people who say they support October 7 don’t have a point.
J Street's two-faced response to pro-Hamas protesters
So what’s J Street up to? How come one minute it’s calling pro-Hamas slogans “hateful, antisemitic, vile and abhorrent,” and the next minute it’s saying that such slogans are “not anti-Semitic or even anti-Israel”…?

The answer is that the two faces of J Street were for two different audiences: one public, one private.

J Street was forced to say something about the pro-Hamas protests in Washington, DC: they took place practically in J Street’s back yard. Plus, even President Biden condemned those protests and said that “celebrations of October 7” are an example of “antisemitism.” So J Street had no choice but to condemn them. Hence the moderate face of J Street in public.

But in private, behind closed doors, J Street’s president expressed his true feelings. He doesn't really want the Jewish community speaking out against the antisemitic pro-Hamas protesters. That would discredit the protesters—and those protesters are Jeremy Ben-Ami’s biggest ally right now.

How so? The screaming flag-burners enable Ben-Ami to play a good cop-bad cop game. He can say to the White House: “Look how angry these people are. You better pressure Israel, otherwise you'll lose Michigan.”

The pro-Hamas protesters who J Street pretends to condemn actually give J Street a weapon that it would not otherwise have. But if Jewish Democrats, like the ones Ben-Ami met with last week, start denouncing the protesters as antisemitic, it could undermine the Biden administration’s policy of trying to appease them and gain their vote by pressuring Israel.

For J Street, it’s all part of a cynical political strategy. Say one thing in public, say something different in private. Manipulate Jewish leaders, ply sympathetic reporters with well-timed leaks, and think up new ways to embarrass and pressure Israel. It’s a cold and sometimes brutal political game J Street is playing along the shores of the Potomac. But for Israelis, it’s a matter of life and death.


Pro-Israel progressive Democrat wins Arizona nomination by 39 votes
Yassamin Ansari, an Iranian American who has served on the Phoenix City Council since 2021, defeated Raquel Terán, who previously served in the Arizona Senate and touts anti-Israel positions, with a 39-vote margin of victory.

Jennifer Ryan-Touhill, a superior court judge in Maricopa County, announced the race’s results on Tuesday following a recount triggered by the close vote count.

Democratic Majority for Israel calls Ansari, 32, “a proud pro-Israel progressive” and says she is favored to win the general election in what the group describes as a “deep-blue” congressional district.

“Yassamin is a champion for working Arizonans and is committed to fighting for the Democratic agenda, including strengthening the mutually beneficial U.S.-Israel relationship,” said DMFI PAC chairman Mark Mellman in a release. “Her hard-won victory over her well-funded anti-Israel opponent proves again that being pro-Israel is not just wise policy, but also winning politics.”
Embattled North Carolina Lawmaker Losing Support in Droves Following Attacks on Israel, Zionists
A member of the Raleigh City Council in North Carolina who has come under fire for regularly attacking Israel and Zionists received a major blow to her re-election bid this week, with the local Democratic Party opting to endorse her opponent as the embattled lawmaker continued to receive backlash from Jewish and progressive leaders.

Following two recent reports by The Algemeiner, Mary Black came under increased scrutiny from the media, community members, and fellow Democrats for spending a disproportionate amount of time lashing out at the Jewish state, despite her job having no apparent responsibilities concerning Middle Eastern affairs.

Amid the uproar, the Wake County Democratic Party — who endorsed Black in 2022 — came under pressure not to endorse Black this year.

On Monday, the Wake County Democratic Party — which includes Raleigh — endorsed Black’s opponent, Mitchell Silver, who is a former New York City Parks Commissioner and Raleigh Chief Planner. Political insiders tell The Algemeiner it is now unlikely Black will be re-elected even as an incumbent in this nonpartisan election.

A local columnist explained, “In a county and city that vote heavily Democratic, the party’s endorsements will guide many voters. That’s especially true this year when a presidential and gubernatorial election will bring a wave of voters to the polls who are unfamiliar with local officials and issues.”

There is widespread agreement that Black won her seat in 2022 in large part based on the endorsement of the party.

Nonetheless, Black dismissed the importance of being passed over by the party.

“I’m actually kinda happy to not be endorsed by the dems this time [sic],” she posted on social media. “That means I can talk shit without fear … I can be a menace now.”

Local Jewish and Democratic leaders told The Algemeiner that they were both “thrilled” and “relieved” that the party did not endorse Black.

“The caucus is thrilled to see that the Wake County Democratic Party shares our belief that Mitchell Silver is the most qualified candidate for District A. Mitchell will continue his long track record of delivering results for Raleigh,” said Conner Taylor, 2nd vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party Jewish Caucus.

Rabbi Eric Solomon of Beth Meyer Synagogue, the largest congregation in Raleigh, added that he was “relieved that the Wake County Democratic Party did not endorse Council Member Mary Black, a city councilor who exploited her position of power to incite against her district’s Jewish community.”


What I learned when a Brooklyn bookstore canceled a discussion of Judaism over my Zionism
What a crazy week it was. I’m still thinking about what it means that in a Jewish town like New York in a Jewish borough like Brooklyn and in a bookstore, a place that is a touchstone of culture for Jews, a talk between two Jews can get canceled because one of them — yours truly! — is a Zionist.

Alas these are the times we live in and such is the price we are paying for dangerous divisions, hateful and unhinged ignorance, and an atomized popular culture of self-aggrandizing social media feeds that create deafening echoes of saturated sameness. The Gaza war has deepened this already horrendous divide in new and dangerous ways.

God forbid one should show up at a bookstore (or a library or a college classroom) and be challenged to expand their mind in a civil, constructive way — which is what the author Joshua Leifer and I had intended to do last Tuesday night to discuss his brilliant new book, “Tablets Shattered: The End of An American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life,” at Powerhouse Arena in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

Though the bookstore had my bio for weeks; and had it posted on their website for some time; apparently one of the employees decided to Google me, discovered that I was a Zionist, and summarily canceled the talk because, in her view, Zionists ought not to appear on stage at Powerhouse Arena. This bigoted and self-righteous idiocy, of course, hid in plain sight behind the false premise of “unforeseen circumstances” leading to the events cancelation that was posted on a sign on the venue’s door. I took a step back and laughed. It was either that, or lose my mind.

For half a day the ownership of Powerhouse Arena hid behind the false story that the author’s publicist had canceled the event until a recording surfaced proving that the store’s employee had taken it upon herself to ban Zionist Jews from the store. She subsequently lost her job and to the owner’s credit, a public apology was issued. Josh and I rescheduled for next week.

But first, after being canceled, we all stood on the sidewalk for a few minutes, getting our wits about us. Josh, family and friends went to a bar for a discussion and drinks; I headed up the hill from Dumbo and sat with my friend Joni Kletter as she tweeted the news out to the world. Within minutes, she received sympathetic messages from former Mayor Bill De Blasio, City Comptroller Brad Lander and Congressmen Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman among many other friends, colleagues and Jewish professionals. A staffer from Rep. Dan Goldman’s team actually called me from the floor of the Democratic National Convention to express his shock and support, which was pretty cool.


Imams blame riots on Zionists
Imams around the country are blaming the riots on “Zionists”, The Telegraph has found.

Several preachers have used their sermons at Friday prayer services in recent weeks to discuss the motives of rioters.

Many of these sermons took place during a week which saw violent clashes between far-Right rioters and Muslim counter-protesters.

The trend has been labelled “alarming” by campaign groups which have condemned the rhetoric as “divisive” and urged the charity watchdog to act.

Imam Ashraf Dabous at Lewisham Islamic Centre in south London claimed in his sermon earlier this month that those involved in the riots were being “misled” and “manipulated” by Zionists.

“It is quite well known now, publicly, due to information that has been released online, that they are Zionists and they are supporters of the state of Israel,” he said.

“And that with the ground that has been lost over the past few months something had to take place that would try to win some ground back for the Zionist agenda. And what better way than to paint the Muslims as being savages and killers and barbaric and so on and so forth – which in reality is a projection of the Zionist state itself.”

Meanwhile, worshippers at the Darussalam Education Centre in Blackburn were told that the “leaders” of the “acts of violence” during the riots were “Zionist people”, adding that “exposing them” as such was “very important”. The centre is understood to be investigating the matter.

At Masjid al Husayn, a Muslim community centre in Leicester known as MKSI Leicester, Sheikh Ali Abbas Malik addressed the rioting and explained that there is a “frustration” among the “white working class” as they have been “overlooked by everyone”.

He went on to say: “Then you have Zionists such as Tommy Robinson, paid by, supported by the fathers of all genocides, the Zionist regime, to perpetuate these ideas amongst them.”


Seth Frantzman: Iran's diplomatic efforts can achieve its goals without having to attack Israel
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqhchi spoke with his counterpart in Venezuela over the weekend. In the call, he “said that his country has a strategic view on Latin American nations, particularly Venezuela, stressing that the new Iranian administration will continue that approach,” according to the Iranian statement media IRNA.

This is part of a diplomatic offensive that will begin as the new President, Masoud Pezeshkian, takes charge. Araqchi is also trying to make his mark on the foreign minister as he begins his new role.

Iran “will maintain the Islamic Republic’s strategic approach toward Latin American countries, particularly Venezuela,” the IRNA report noted. Iran and Venezuela are key allies. In addition, Brazil's Foreign Minister, Mauro Luiz Iecker Vieira, also sent a congratulatory note to Araghchi.

The Venezuelan minister congratulated Araghchi on his appointment as the top diplomat of Iran, IRNA noted. “The two ministers announced their readiness to follow up on previous agreements to boost cooperation and to explore new ways to further strengthen relations.”

In another development, Iran’s new president appointed a former Iranian ambassador to Russia as his chief political advisor. Mehdi Sanaei was appointed as Deputy for Political Affairs of the Iranian presidential office. This shows how Iran is seeking to increase ties with Russia.

Iran’s president also said the country is seeking to reduce the sanctions it is under. This could mean that the country is willing to push for more diplomacy with the West. Iran’s new foreign minister also put out a statement about the importance of diplomacy to the incoming president.


British businessman who took four people hostage at Texas synagogue forced them to their knees and threatened to shoot them unless the FBI released an al-Qaeda prisoner, inquest told
A British businessman who took four people hostage at a synagogue in Texas forced them to their knees and threatened to shoot them unless the FBI released an al-Qaeda prisoner, an inquest heard.

Malik Faisal Akram, 44, who was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, fired a warning shot and screamed he would 'put a bullet' in the heads of the 'Israeli mother******s' in a final phone call. The extremist, who had previously been investigated by MI5, was shot dead after agents stormed the synagogue minutes later.

The inquest heard Akram, who ran a chain of pharmacies, wanted a female Pakistani scientist called Aafia Siddiqui, who was linked to al-Qaeda, freed from jail. She was being held at Forth Worth around 20 miles away.

Akram, a father-of-six, had travelled to New York, where he purchased a handgun on the black market, in December 2021 before flying onto Texas. At around 10am, on January 15, 2022, he talked his way into the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, 30 miles from Dallas, where a service was underway, by claiming he was homeless and held a rabbi and three Jewish worshippers hostage.

Other members of the congregation, who were watching via a live-stream because of the Covid-19 epidemic, alerted police.

The hearing, at Preston Coroner's Court, was played a recording of Akram's demands during the 11-hour siege.

At 2.42pm, four and a half hours into the stand-off, Akram was on the phone to his sons when he fired the handgun in the air, telling FBI negotiators: 'It was just, you know, my kids I was just saying my last goodbyes to them. I said, shall I fire one? and I just fired one.'

By around 8pm, Akram had become more volatile and aggressive.

He shouted at negotiators: 'You f*****g scumbag bastards, you can't f***ing release one person, one woman, cause your f*****g ego is bigger than a big girl's f*****g bra.'

Akram could also be heard telling the hostages: 'OK, get on your f*****g knees you motherf******s,' adding: 'F*** it, I'm going to take everyone now...I mean f*****g business now.'

He called the captives 'Israeli motherf*****s,' adding: 'I'm going to f*****g cause bloodshed.'

After demanding the FBI bring his 'sister' Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year prison sentence for trying to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan, to the synagogue, Akram said: 'Are you fucking listening now I've got a f*****g trigger on all f*****g three of their heads right? And I'll f*****g pull it too.'

At 9.10pm, the rabbi decided to throw a chair to distract Akram and he and two hostages were able to escape.

CCTV footage showed Akram go to the door and point his gun at the last hostage, who had fallen into bushes a few feet from the back door of the synagogue, but he did not fire and instead went back inside, closing the door behind him.
Israel Aerospace Industries media exposure value nearly twice as high as last year
The value of media exposure for Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has nearly doubled since Shay Gal was appointed Vice President for External Relations in 2023, according to Ifat Business Information Services.

The value of domestic media exposure for IAI rose to NIS 35 million in 2024 compared to just NIS 18 million in 2023, an increase of 94%.

This increase is the result of a new media campaign, launched in 2023 under the aegis of recent appointee Shay Gal.

The value of media exposure is a measure of natural exposure in various media outlets rather than ad purchases, reflecting the public awareness of the company.

Part of this campaign was to place high-level executives in very public roles in the national consciousness; for example, IAI CEO and President Boaz Levy was selected to carry a torch on Israel's Independence Day celebrations.

Public awareness campaign
Another element of the campaign was utilizing Chairman Amir Peretz as a symbol and public face for the company. Most Israelis instantly recognize Peretz after serving around 30 years in the Knesset and heading many significant ministries.

Peretz's status as a former Defense Minister and architect of the Iron Dome has helped to elevate the company in international media, positioning it as one of the chief innovators in the Israeli defense market.

IAI Plus is another new initiative aiming at reaching millions of viewers globally. It offers in-depth interviews in Hebrew and English with leading IAI employees and management personnel on key aspects of company operations.

"Media exposure is vital to our ability to reach new markets and achieve our business goals," Gal said. "During this time of war, it helps get the message across to our partners and customers that despite the ongoing war effort."




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