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Thursday, August 29, 2024

08/29 Links Pt1: The United Nations is ‘terrified’ of Trump; Dozens of Palestinian diplomats celebrated October 7; Torres accuses U.S. airlines of ‘effectively boycotting’ Israel

From Ian:

Strangling Iran: What holds true in the West Bank, holds in Gaza
The IDF’s actions on Wednesday in Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, and the Far’a refugee camp in the Jordan Valley indicate that it has learned that lesson. The failed suicide bombing attack last week in Tel Aviv was the catalyst for implementing this lesson.

A terrorist believed to be from Nablus, identified as Jafar Muna, carried an 8 kg. bomb outside of a crowded synagogue when the device exploded – apparently a “work accident” – killing him and injuring a passerby. The country heaved a sigh of relief at its good fortune for this miracle, at having averted a mass-casualty incident.

But it was a wake-up call. That an explosive device of this magnitude was smuggled into Israel showed that the country needed to take the growing terrorist infrastructure developing in Judea and Samaria quite seriously. It also needs to take threats from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which took responsibility for the bomber, seriously as well.

Iran, which successfully identifies areas of weak governance around Israel to set up proxies to lash out at the Jewish state, has been making serious inroads into the West Bank for the last decade, smuggling weapons to a myriad of different terrorist groups there through Lebanon and Jordan.

Last August, after a 42-year-old mother of three, Batsheva Nigri, was murdered near Hebron in a shooting attack on her car, both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant pointed fingers at Iran.

“We are in the middle of a terrorist onslaught that is encouraged, guided, and funded by Iran and its proxies,” Netanyahu said. Gallant added that the wave of terror at the time, two months before October 7, was “guided by Iran, which is looking for any way to harm Israeli citizens.”

Both Palestinian terrorists and Iranian officials have also acknowledged Iran’s involvement. Since October 7, Iran has stepped up these efforts, hoping to ignite another front against Israel.

In July of 2023, senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk was quoted in the Iranian press saying Iran is actually fighting alongside “the resistance in Palestine” through its generous support. An editorial published by the Iranian Tasnim News Agency that same month said Iran’s successful arming of the West Bank would sink the “leaking ship of Israel.”

Automatic weapons and crude pipe bombs have been replaced in the hands of terrorists by powerful improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used against troops conducting counter-terror actions in the West Bank. These IEDs, including the one that Muna wanted to explode in Tel Aviv, reveal a terrorist infrastructure developing – including IED manufacturing labs – directly under Israel’s nose that Iran could use as yet another pressure point against the country.

This is something that Israel cannot allow, and last week’s attempted suicide bombing set alarm bells ringing regarding how far Iran’s program had advanced and convincing policymakers of the need now to quash it.

The IDF’s action on Wednesday was reportedly the most significant military maneuver in the West Bank since Operation Defensive Shield which began in March of 2002, following the Netanya Park Hotel Passover Eve massacre where a suicide bombing attack killed 30 people at a Passover seder.

Up until then, the IDF – under the Oslo Agreements – stayed out of the large Palestinian cities, thereby enabling a terrorist infrastructure to thrive, one that included labs for manufacturing bombs for suicide attacks.

The Park Hotel bombing was the trigger for bringing the IDF back into the Palestinian cities. It took several years of intense military action throughout Judea and Samaria, but these actions did lead to an end to the Second Intifada and significantly degrade terrorist capabilities, leading to a precipitous drop in the number of Israelis killed in terrorist attacks: from 457 fatalities in 2002 to 9 in 2019.

Just as some of the lessons learned from Gaza on October 7 can be applied to the West Bank, the reverse is also true: lessons learned over the years fighting terror in Judea and Samaria can be applied in Gaza. For instance, the operation currently underway in northern Samaria is an indication of what the future holds in Gaza.

The 42-day Operation Defensive Shield that began in March of 2002 was a turning point, and Israel did degrade terrorist capabilities. But this was not a one-off deal, with Israel just leaving the territory after the operation.

Rather, it takes continuous work to ensure that the terrorist infrastructure does not reappear, what security officials continuously refer to as “mowing the lawn.” What this predicts is that when the intense fighting stops in Gaza, the continuous war against terrorists – preventing the resurrection of a terrorist infrastructure there – will continue for years, if not decades.

Just look at Judea and Samaria. Twenty-two years after the IDF launched Operation Defensive Shield, it is still “mowing the lawn” there and trying to prevent the re-emergence of a vast terrorist infrastructure. It is endless labor, with no clear finish line. What holds true in Judea and Samaria will certainly be the case in Gaza as well.
Revealed: Dozens of Palestinian diplomats celebrated October 7
Scores of Palestinian diplomats at the United Nations, across Europe and around the world celebrated the attack on Israel on October 7, compared Israel to the Nazis or made other disturbing statements, the JC can reveal.

The findings raise serious questions about the legitimacy of Palestinian Authority (PA) officials on the world stage. The PA is increasingly expected to participate in governing Gaza after the war and help build a two-state solution.

A dossier of evidence compiled by investigators from the GnasherJew group uncovered troubling details from the social media activity of ambassadors, other officials and even embassy accounts.

The analysis of hundreds of posts from more than 30 profiles found senior diplomats smearing Israeli troops as Nazis, supporting the actions of Hamas and advocating the erasure of Israel.

The most disturbing statements began on October 7 itself. Hassan Albalawi, the deputy head of the Palestine mission to the EU, reacted by celebrating Hamas as “heroic”, while Adel Atieh, the Palestinian ambassador to the EU, described the terrorists as “the people of the mighty”. Meanwhile, Khuloussi Bsaiso, a Palestinian diplomat at the UN, shared a map of the Middle East without Israel. “Palestine as it should be,” he commented.

When questioned by the JC, Bsaiso claimed that his social media posts were not shared in a professional capacity, adding: “For your information we the Palestinians are Jews, Christians and Muslims.”

In Britain, meanwhile, Rana Abuayyash, consul at the Palestinian mission to London, shared a post on November 3 showing the Israeli flag morphing into Hitler and reposted a TikTok video of Netanyahu underneath the Nazi dictator. There are dozens of similar examples.

As the war in Gaza continues to rage, many of those named in the dossier are regarded as moral authorities in their host countries, invited to discuss the conflict on television and posting to thousands of followers on social media.
Sullivan: Israel-Hamas truce talks down to ‘nitty-gritty’
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Thursday that Gaza ceasefire-and-hostages-for-terrorist-prisoner talks were making progress.

“The negotiators are bearing down on the details, meaning that we have advanced the discussions to a point where it’s in the nitty-gritty, and that is a positive sign of progress,” Sullivan told reporters in Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On the Gaza issue, officials from the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Israel met in Doha on Wednesday to follow up on talks that took place in Cairo over the weekend and extended to Monday.

Jerusalem’s delegation—composed of officials from the Israel Defense Forces, the Mossad and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet)—had returned on Tuesday from the round of negotiations in Cairo.

The high-level Cairo talks ended on Sunday without a deal, but discussions continued on Monday with lower-level officials to attempt to bridge the remaining gaps.

“In Doha, the delegation is expected to meet with representatives of Egypt, Qatar and the United States who are continuing the negotiations and work with Israel and Hamas,” according to Israel’s Channel 12.

U.S. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Brett McGurk held talks on Tuesday in Doha with senior Qatari leaders ahead of Wednesday’s negotiations, the Associated Press reported, citing a U.S. official.

While American officials have expressed optimism about closing a deal, Hamas has publicly rejected the terms on the table and is accusing the United States of supporting Israeli demands. Egyptian officials have also expressed skepticism.


The United Nations is ‘terrified’ of Trump, official admits in undercover video
The United Nations is “terrified” at the prospect of a second Trump presidency, according to a leaked conversation with a senior official at the global agency.

“I’m not sure the United Nations is going to survive a second term from Donald Trump,” Jorge Paoletti, an associate legal officer at the UN Office of Legal Affairs in New York, told an undercover reporter from podcaster Steven Crowder’s Mug Club.

“I mean, we are terrified. They’re terrified,” Paoletti is heard saying of his colleagues on a hidden camera recording released Thursday.

“Absolutely nobody wants Trump … because the purpose of Donald Trump is to end the international institutions that somehow level the playing field. He wants America first.”

Paoletti went on to explain that he dreads Trump’s “America First” policies interfering with the UN’s globalist agenda.

“One of the objectives of the UN is to create an identity of a global citizen, someone who shares an identity, a political identity, with everybody on this planet. [This idea] is a threat to the absolute power of the United States because [Americans] don’t want an institution over the US telling the US what to do.”

As the largest financial contributor to the UN, funding 22% of its budget, the US has undue influence, Paoletti complains, and under Trump, he fears it will refuse to go along with UN edicts.

“For example, say that the United Nations creates an environmental agency. And that environmental agency says that countries can only reach a certain level of pollution. How do you think all these crazy MAGA people are going to react to that? [Trump will say,] ‘Who are you globalists to tell me, the United States, what I can do?’”


Jewish House Democrats blast U.N. for ignoring Israeli terrorism victims
A group of Jewish House Democrats blasted the United Nations for excluding Israeli and Jewish victims of terrorism, including the victims of the Oct. 7 attack, from a recent U.N. headquarters exhibit honoring victims of terrorism.

“This clear and conspicuous omission of Israeli victims of terrorist attacks, including the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, is an insult to these innocent victims and seriously undermines the UN’s credibility on terrorism and human rights,” the lawmakers said in a letter to Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday.

The letter, led by Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC), is the latest instance of lawmakers raising concerns about the response to the Oct. 7 attack by the U.N., which they’ve said has repeatedly ignored or downplayed the attack.

The letter refers to an Aug. 21 exhibit in the U.N. headquarters lobby that honored victims of terrorism worldwide. It did not include any Israeli victims of terrorist attacks, past or present.

The lawmakers said the “blatant omission” was “unacceptable” and “undermines the credibility and neutrality of the UN and its work to support victims of terrorism.”

They asked Guterres for an “immediate explanation” of why Israeli and Jewish terror victims were not included “and absent a legitimate justification, a clear and unequivocal apology.”

They also asked Guterres to explain how the U.N. would ensure that Oct. 7 victims are properly honored going forward, including during the U.N. General Assembly next month and a U.N. conference on victims of terror in October.
US sanctions based on false information, NGO says
According to Hashomer Yosh, an Israeli nonprofit organization that assists farmers and protects agricultural state land in Judea and Samaria, the sanctions the United States imposed against it on Wednesday are based on false information provided by left-wing groups.

“We ask, why? And we have an answer,” Meir Bertler, the group’s foreign relations chief, told Israel’s Kan public broadcaster.

“The answer isn’t about the activities of Hashomer, which are legal and legitimate and coordinated with the government. It is about false and distorted information conveyed by left-wing groups,” he said.

Kan also published a statement from Hashomer Yosh, which read:

Hashomer Yosh “strongly condemns the government’s decision. This is a fundamentally wrong political decision. The organization operates according to the law and supports agriculture in the entire country. Sanctions on the guard are the same as sanctions on the State of Israel. Together we will stand firm, together we will support Hebrew agriculture in the Land of Israel.”
Borrell asks EU members about sanctioning Israeli ministers
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in Brussels on Thursday that he asked the bloc’s member states if they would consider imposing sanctions on Israeli ministers, Reuters reported.

“I initiated the procedure to ask the member states if they consider [it] appropriate to include in our list of sanctions some Israeli ministers [who] have been launching unacceptable hate messages against the Palestinians, and proposing things that clearly go against international law,” he told reporters before a meeting of E.U. foreign ministers in the de facto capital of the international organization.

Borrell did not name any of the specific ministers or messages he was referring to, according to Reuters.

However, in recent weeks he has publicly criticized Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for statements he described as “sinister” and “incitement to war crimes.”

Diplomats told Reuters that it was unlikely that all the bloc’s 27 member states would agree to levy such sanctions, as would be required.

“We will be supporting Josep Borrell’s recommendation for sanctions in respect of settler organizations in the West Bank who are facilitating (the) expansion of settlements, and also to Israeli ministers,” Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said as he arrived at the meeting.

During the meeting, Martin reportedly accused Israel of targeting not just the Hamas terror group but the Palestinian population entirely in its Gaza campaign, a charge that Jerusalem vehemently denies. He added that the European Union should review its ties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.


Rep. Torres accuses U.S. airlines of ‘effectively boycotting’ Israel
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) is urging U.S. airlines to reconsider their prolonged suspensions of flights to Israel “in order to prevent the appearance and the substance of discrimination against the Jewish State.”

Torres, who serves on the House Financial Services Committee, sent a letter on Wednesday to the CEOs of American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines expressing his concerns over their decisions to suspend flights to Israel without FAA guidance that such flights are unsafe. Torres’ letter comes just over a week after American Airlines announced that it would extend its suspension of flights to Israel through April 2025.

“The suspension has been so prolonged and so pervasive that El Al, an Israeli airline, has become the sole carrier offering direct flights from America to Israel. The lack of competition has made air travel to Israel less available and less affordable, putting customers at the mercy of a de facto monopoly that can easily gouge prices with impunity,” Torres wrote to American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, Delta CEO Ed Bastian and United CEO Scott Kirby.

Torres pointed to the Federal Aviation Administration’s controversial 36-hour ban on flights in 2014 from U.S. carriers to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport during Israel’s war against Hamas that summer, noting that the Federal Aviation Administration had not issued a similar order at any point since Oct. 7, 2023. Instead, Torres accused the airlines of “arbitrarily and unilaterally” imposing “its own ban on travel to Israel, independently of an order from the FAA.”

“Airlines should be prohibited from effectively boycotting or otherwise discriminating against the world’s only Jewish State. It is one thing to temporarily suspend air travel to Israel on security grounds as defined by the FAA. But to unilaterally suspend air travel indefinitely until mid-2025, as American Airlines has done, has the practical effect of a boycott,” he wrote. “Given the arbitrary length of the suspension, one could be forgiven for thinking that the BDS movement had taken over the American aviation industry without anyone noticing, much less crying foul.”

“By what logic and in what universe is it safe for El Al to travel to Israel but too dangerous for American Airlines, Delta, and United to do so? It is worth noting that UAE airlines like Etihad, FlyDubai, and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi continue to fly to Israel without incident,” Torres asked, questioning the logic of their refusal to fly to the Jewish state.
Seth Frantzman: Airline flight cancellation chaos to Israel is unsustainable
A recent article at The Jewish Insider noted that US Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) has sent a letter to “American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines expressing his concerns over their decisions to suspend flights to Israel without FAA guidance that such flights are unsafe.”

This is an important development because the airline cancellation chaos in Israel has become unsustainable and is needlessly punishing people who fly to and from Israel without proper guidelines or transparency.

I am one of the many people affected recently by these cancellations. I bought tickets on a major US airline in the spring to fly to the US on August 2. The airline canceled the flight around 36 hours before because of “unrest” in the Middle East.

This was the second major round of flight cancellations to Israel. The first occurred after the October 7 attack. In both cases, the cancellations have rewarded terrorist groups. In October, it was because Hamas attacked Israel, and in August, it was due to Iranian and Hezbollah threats.

It’s important to point out that these cancellations were not just for a day or a week, but they are occurring for months. Now it appears these cancellations mean Israel has been cut off from international travel by many airlines for most of 2024.

This is not because Israel’s air defenses are worse than they were in previous wars. In fact, Israel’s air defenses are better. Israel’s Arrow air defense system and David’s Sling have proved themselves in this war. The US has also helped bolster Israel’s defenses.

Yet, despite more support and better systems, international airlines are canceling flights anyway. This didn’t happen in previous wars. Israel fought Hezbollah in 2006 and Hamas in 2009, 2012, and 2014, and also short rounds in 2018 and 2021, and there were no long-term massive cancellations.
Seth Frantzman: What happened to the US's temporary pier in Gaza? New report sheds light
The complexity of having the US military build a pier, along with the weather and with USAID and other organizations involved and the Israeli military on the land side, created so many variables that it was clear that this would be a challenge. Every plan does not survive contact with the enemy, so the saying goes. In this case, the “enemy” was the weather and other logistical problems.

The pier ran into problems quickly. The WFP paused delivery of aid on May 19 and resumed it on May 21, adding to the chaos. On May 25, a small storm caused the pier to be dismantled, and several small portions ran aground on the Israeli coast. This caused several days of pulling the pieces of the pier – in fact, a tugboat section of the pier – off the coast by the USAV Matamoros, one of the US ships involved in the operation.

The pier operated again from June 7-9 and from June 19 to July 17, when it was finally dismantled. During this time, the IDF had already launched an operation in Rafah, and it had also opened new crossings for aid to northern Gaza. In addition, the IDF launched a raid into Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, an area several kilometers from the pier, which led to controversy regarding the pier.

In fact, the pier was never popular with any of the sides. The pro-Palestinian side didn’t like it, claiming it was papering over a dire situation in Gaza. Many voices who support Israel also felt it was a failure and potentially endangering the lives of Americans and IDF soldiers because it was a target for Hamas.

In some cases, trucks were looted. Overall, the chaos and the need to dismantle and reattach the pier made it less relevant for aid delivery. The report concluded: “In the 20 days JLOTS operated, 8,100 metric tons of assistance were delivered through JLOTS to Gaza. This was enough to feed 450,000 people for 1 month, according to USAID, at a time when access and security constraints hindered aid deliveries and distribution through traditional land routes.”

USAID had limited control over the decisions regarding the pier, the report said, including “where it would be located, and who would provide security on the beach and during transportation of JLOTS-delivered aid. These issues, coupled with high winds and rough seas in the Mediterranean Sea near the Gaza coast, impaired the Agency’s ability to deliver the intended amounts of aid through the maritime corridor.”

The report is not the final chapter. This is merely a report showing that USAID tried to utilize this pier, and that it was largely unable to do enough with it. The real story will relate to the US military and some of the decisions about why this concept was used in the first place.

There are lessons to be learned here. It appears this capability that the US possesses has many limitations. The concept of a temporary pier is a good one, but if it only works when the seas are calm, then it is limited.

The decision to send the pier came at a time when there was increasing chaos in Gaza. This was after the first phases of the IDF’s ground operation and before the Rafah operation in May. The US wanted to send a pier as a quick fix so that when the Rafah operation began, people would have enough food arriving. This was because of expected disruptions to the Rafah crossing.

This all makes sense, and it’s unfair to judge the operation too harshly. There were many other factors involved. However, it is clear that the land crossings that Israel eventually opened in northern Gaza actually were the best solution.

There was no compelling reason to bring food to a temporary pier when there are many working piers in Ashdod. Ultimately, this is where the aid arrived, and the temporary pier proved it was not capable of doing most of the mission envisioned.
IDF Judea and Samaria op needed to ‘remove immediate terror threats’
The Israel Defense Forces is engaged in significant counterterrorism operations in northern Samaria, targeting terrorist activities in areas like Jenin and Tulkarm. According to IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, these operations are part of a broader effort to address the ongoing and escalating terror threats in Judea and Samaria.

Speaking to journalists via video call on Wednesday, Shoshani emphasized the persistent nature of the threat, noting that “terror in Judea and Samaria is not something new, it is not a new threat.” He explained that even before Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, terror attacks had claimed the lives of over 30 Israelis in 2023 alone. The terror threat has only intensified since Oct. 7, with numerous deadly attacks being carried out against Israeli civilians and security forces.

Shoshani highlighted two recent attacks as examples of the violence emanating from Judea and Samaria. One involved the murder of Gideon Peri, a 35-year-old Israeli civilian who was killed on Aug. 18 by a Palestinian worker in an industrial park that was supposed to foster Israeli-Palestinian cooperation, said Shoshani. The second attack saw the murder of 23-year-old Israeli civilian Yonatan Deutsch on Aug. 11 in a drive-by shooting in the Jordan Valley. These incidents are part of a broader pattern of Palestinian violence in recent months, he said.

The IDF has identified a systematic strategy by Iran to arm and support terrorist groups in seven fronts across the Middle East, including in Judea and Samaria, Shoshani stated. He pointed out that Iran has been actively smuggling weapons and explosives into the region to be used in terror attacks against Israeli civilians. This strategy, he said, is part of Iran’s broader goal to destabilize the region and support terrorist activities against Israel.

In response to these threats, the IDF has been conducting targeted operations to remove immediate terror threats in real time. Shoshani noted that these operations are not new and have been ongoing for the past 11 months as part of Israel’s effort to ensure the stability of the area.

“We need to operate to remove terror threats, immediate terror threats in real time all across our arenas, to make sure that attacks against civilians that can kill our civilians do not happen,” he said.
Top Islamic Jihad terrorist killed in Israeli drone strike on Syria-Lebanon border
Israel confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that it had killed a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist in an airstrike near the Syria-Lebanon border several hours earlier.

The Israel Defense Forces described Faris Qasim as a “significant terrorist in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization’s Operations Division,” who was responsible for developing the terror group’s operational plans in Syria and Lebanon.

“He had a central role in the recruitment of Palestinian terrorists into the Hezbollah terrorist organization responsible for carrying out terrorist attacks from Lebanon against the State of Israel,” the IDF said.

“In recent years, the Hezbollah terrorist organization, with Iranian direction and funding, has been systematically recruiting Palestinian operatives to advance and direct terrorist activity against the State of Israel from Lebanese territory,” the statement continued.

Additional Islamic Jihad terrorists traveling from Syria to Lebanon to carry out terrorist activities for Hezbollah were killed in the strike, according to the IDF.

Earlier reports said that four terror operatives were killed in a drone strike on a vehicle at the Syria-Lebanon border.


IDF destroyed 80% of Hamas's tunnels in Rafah, military sources claim
The military has destroyed 80% of the tunnels in the Rafah area, IDF sources on Thursday claimed, while also confirming Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s announcement on August 21 that Hamas’s last battalion there had been taken apart.

Despite that claim, other senior IDF sources told The Jerusalem Post in late June it could take six months to fully chart all of the tunnels in Rafah and years to destroy them.

Confronted by this contradiction, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit stood by the 80% claim.

In addition, even in northern Gaza, which the IDF entered six months before it deployed in Rafah, there has been no indication that the army has reached anywhere near destroying 80% of the tunnels, with estimates ranging from almost 50% to just over 50%.

On August 21, Gallant said the IDF had destroyed 150 tunnels along the Philadelphi Corridor alone, which makes up only a small part of the full Rafah area.

Other possibilities
One possible resolution of the seeming contradiction is that the IDF has destroyed 80% of strategic tunnels – which includes those that are more critical to communications, intelligence, and weapons storage – but not all tunnels, including more minor ones.

Another possibility is that 80% of all known tunnels to date in the area have been destroyed, but many more have not yet been explored or found.

Yet a third possibility is that the IDF really has destroyed 80% of all tunnels in Rafah – far more than in northern Gaza or than estimated in June – due to having invested more resources in destroying tunnels in Rafah than anywhere else, and this move was unknown by commanders in June.

The Rafah tunnels, and the Philadelphi Corridor tunnels in particular, are viewed as having the greatest strategic importance to Hamas because they allow it to smuggle in weapons from Egypt.
IDF Eliminates Key Palestinian Islamic Jihad Commander in Major West Bank Operation
Israel Defense Forces took out a key Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander who was long wanted by Israel for his role in terrorist attacks against the Jewish state, Israeli officials said Thursday.

Mohammed Jaber, the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad-led Tulkarm battalion, was one of five militants Israeli forces fatally targeted inside a mosque in Tulkarm on Thursday as Israel’s major operation in the West Bank rolled into its second day. Israeli forces stormed Jenin and Tulkarm, two key militant strongholds, killing at least 10 Hamas militants and arresting thousands of suspected terrorists.

Jaber—also known as Abu Shuja’a—was on Israel’s most wanted list for his part in the planning and execution of various terror attacks, including a shooting that killed an Israeli civilian, Amnon Muchtar, in the West Bank in June, the Washington Post reported.

The Tulkarm branch of Palestinian Islamic Jihad posted to Telegram on Thursday confirming the "assassination of our leader," referring to Jaber, according to the Post.

Jaber has been an evasive target for Israel. Earlier this year, Israeli media reported that the IDF had killed the terrorist leader during a raid. He then arrived alive at a funeral days later.

While Israel has primarily focused its war efforts in the Gaza Strip and along the northern border with Hezbollah, the IDF has also led several campaigns to eliminate senior West Bank terrorist leaders. Iran, for the last decade, has been smuggling weapons to these terrorist groups in the West Bank, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Washington Free Beacon reported.


Top Hamas official Mashaal urges resumption of suicide bombings against Israel
Top Hamas official Khaled Mashal called on Wednesday for a resumption of suicide bombings in the West Bank, Arabic media reported, and encouraged Palestinians and supporters of the Palestinian cause to engage in “actual resistance against the Zionist entity.”

According to Sky News Arabia, during an address at a conference in Istanbul, Turkey, Mashaal said that the Hamas terror group wanted to “return to [suicide] operations.”

The war with Israel in Gaza, as well as the frequent IDF raids against Palestinian terror entities in the West Bank, could “only be addressed by open conflict,” Mashaal was quoted as having said. “They are fighting us with open conflict, and we are confronting them with open conflict.”

“The enemy has opened the conflict on all fronts, seeking us all, whether we fight or not,” he said, appearing to refer to the assassination of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in the killing of Haniyeh, who was based in Qatar and had been the head of the terror group’s politburo wing.

“I repeat my call to everyone to participate on multiple fronts in the actual resistance against the Zionist entity,” added Mashaal, who had briefly been seen as a frontrunner to replace Haniyeh before the reins were handed over to Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar.


IDF uncovers Hamas falsification of public opinion polls from Palestinian Survey Research Institute
The IDF uncovered documents revealing a systematic effort by the Hamas terror organization to falsify public opinion polls conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), Israel's military said on Thursday evening.

The documents were uncovered from Hamas's General Security Apparatus and obtained during operations in the Gaza Strip. Images released included a comparison of the original and falsified PSR poll results from March 2024, illustrating the extent of the tampering.

"These falsified results are designed to portray a misleading image of broad public support for Hamas and its leadership, particularly in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre," the IDF explained.

According to the findings, the altered survey results were particularly aimed at bolstering the image of senior Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and creating an illusion of widespread approval for the October 7 attacks and other acts of terror.

Furthermore, the IDF added that the documents had exposed a deliberate strategy by Hamas to mask the organization's declining public support and to manipulate perceptions both within the Palestinian territories and in the international arena.

Hamas's manipulation of PSR
However, the IDF also emphasized that there was no evidence of direct collaboration between Hamas and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. Instead, the terror organization manipulated the results through on-the-ground influence.

"These findings underscore the importance Hamas places on public opinion, as it attempts to falsely project widespread support among Gazans," the IDF added.


Rejecting IDF claims, Palestinian pollster says ‘highly unlikely’ Hamas falsified its results, but vows to probe
Prominent Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki says it is “highly unlikely” that Hamas falsified the results of polls conducted in Gaza by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR), which he heads, rejecting claims by the IDF based on documents it said it found in Gaza.

“Our Gaza team worked with us for more than 20 years. But we will investigate all claims as part of a commitment to ensure full quality control,” Shikaki tells The Times of Israel.

Earlier today, the IDF claimed that it found evidence that the terror group was conducting clandestine actions to fraudulently influence the results of the polls, but said that the documents do not prove that PCPSR was cooperating with Hamas.

Shikaki maintains that the IDF claim is part of a “battle over narratives” between the military and the terror group.

“The center does not involve itself in politics, which is how I view this, the army against Hamas in the battle over narratives,” Shikaki says.

An alleged Hamas document released by the IDF shows the results of a PCPSR poll from March 2024, with both the original data and the falsified numbers. The published poll showed 71% of Palestinians supporting the October 7 Hamas attack, while the IDF says the actual data showed support from just 30.7% of respondents.


The West Bank, Once Quiet, Is Now Flooded With Iran-Backed Terror Groups
Iran has spent the last decade quietly smuggling advanced weapons into the West Bank to arm more than two dozen militant factions responsible for a spate of recent terror attacks, experts say, culminating on Wednesday in a massive Israeli military operation to root out Tehran’s proxies.

Regional analysts have been warning for some time that a weakened Palestinian Authority government in the West Bank has set the stage for Iran-backed groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) to usurp control over the area and use it as a launching pad for Oct. 7-style attacks in densely populated areas near Jerusalem. Now, Tehran is funding, arming, and directing a constellation of more than 20 militant groups that see the West Bank as a pathway to terror in central Israel, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank.

"Arms have flooded the West Bank, and terrorist organizations that used to be confined to some areas in the northern Gaza Strip have now flourished," Joe Truzman, an FDD research analyst who focuses on Palestinian militant groups, told the Washington Free Beacon. "Now, there are more than two dozen branches established by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in the West Bank," a sharp uptick from previous years.

While Israel has been conducting near-daily raids across the West Bank, operations that receive little media attention, Iran’s terror proxies continue to grow more emboldened. Terror groups in the West Bank, including Hamas and PIJ, have carried out more than 600 attacks since Oct. 7, setting the stage for Israel’s early Wednesday military campaign.

In the largest West Bank operation in a decade, Israeli forces stormed Jenin and Tulkarm, two key militant strongholds, killing at least 10 Hamas militants and arresting thousands of suspected terrorists.

The operation remains ongoing, a reflection of Tehran’s inroads across the West Bank, according to Truzman.

Iran-backed militant groups have already "established a joint operations room in Jenin, in the northern West Bank, to respond to IDF incursions," according to FDD’s terrorism tracker. "This fusion center enables terrorists from different (and sometimes competing) factions to fight the IDF together."


WFP pauses activities after coming under fire near IDF post
The World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Wednesday that it is pausing the movement of its employees in Gaza until further notice after a WFP team came under fire Tuesday evening, a few meters from an Israeli checkpoint at the Wadi Gaza bridge.

According to WFP, the team was returning from a mission to Kerem Shalom with two WFP armored vehicles after escorting a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian cargo routed to Gaza’s central area.

Despite being clearly marked and receiving multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach, said WFP, the vehicle was directly struck by gunfire as it was moving towards an IDF checkpoint.

None of the employees physically injured
It sustained at least ten bullets: five on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side, and three on other parts of the vehicle.

None of the employees onboard were physically harmed.

The IDF said it is probing the incident.


Israel agrees to pause Gaza fighting for polio vaccination drive
Israel has agreed to temporarily halt some military operations in the Gaza Strip to allow for a polio vaccination campaign, The Washington Post reported Wednesday night, quoting a senior State Department official.

The decision reportedly comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the issue during their meeting last week.

Last week, several Israeli infectious disease organizations jointly called on the country’s health and defense ministers to order an immediate pause in Gaza. Their aim was to enable a widespread vaccination drive to combat the rapidly spreading poliovirus in the territory.

The medical associations warned that the polio outbreak in Gaza poses a risk to Israeli soldiers in the strip, those dealing with imprisoned Palestinian terrorists and the hostages, including unvaccinated infant Kfir Bibas.

In response, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement clarifying that Israel had not agreed to “pauses in fighting for polio vaccinations” but rather to “designating specific areas in the Gaza Strip” for unspecified purposes. This careful wording likely aimed to avoid suggesting a humanitarian pause in the absence of a ceasefire agreement, which some members of Netanyahu’s coalition oppose.


'A new home built for a different life': Be'eri home at the center of Oct. 7 hostage crisis cleared
The ruins of Pesi Cohen's home, which was destroyed on October 7, were cleared on Wednesday as part of the Tekuma Authority's program to rehabilitate, renew, and develop the kibbutz.

The house was located in the Ashlim neighborhood in Kibbutz Be'eri, where all other destroyed homes were cleared six months ago in February. Cohen's house was the last remaining testimony to the devastation of the neighborhood, left standing until now due to military investigations into the battle that took place there and its outcomes, including attempts to understand how 13 hostages were killed in that house.

It was alleged that given an impossible choice over whether to continue to allow the Hamas forces to present a danger and given few clear-cut options for rescuing the hostages, Brigadier General and commander of the 99th Division Barak Hiram ordered a tank to fire on the house, destroying it and killing everyone inside, terrorists and hostages alike.

Among the losses included two children, long-time residents, and guests of the Kibbutz.

Pesi Cohen's daughter-in-law, Sharon Cohen, said, "Dear Pesi, your home was filled with warmth, love, acceptance, and inclusion, but on October 7, it became a place of unbearable grief and endless pain. Today, the ruins of your house sting and ache in every part of our bodies. We will rebuild Be'eri, and this will be our victory and our revival, together with the return of all the hostages."

Omri Shifroni, who lost four family members on October 7, including his aunt Ayala Hetzroni and his cousins Liel and Yanai Hetzroni, who were taken hostage in Pesi's house, commented, "The demolition of the house is neither closure nor a fresh start; it is a painful wound that emphasizes the loss and absence. But we cannot remain with the ruins. While the scars in our hearts cannot be healed, here, a new home built for a different life. We hope it will be as good as the one we once had."

Kibbutz Be'eri's secretary, Gili Molcho, stated, "These days, as the community transitions to temporary housing in Hatzerim, we are working on the physical rehabilitation of the kibbutz. So far, 30 homes and public buildings have been cleared, with hundreds more still to be demolished and renovated. After clearing Pesi's house, the reconstruction of the Ashlim neighborhood will begin. The clearing of the ruins is a painful reminder of the great devastation experienced by Kibbutz Be'eri, but it also symbolizes hope for future recovery."

During the events of October 7 at Cohen's home, the following individuals were murdered: Hana Siton, Yitzhak Siton, Tal Siton, Pesi Cohen, Liel Hetzroni, Yanai Hetzroni, Ayala Hetzroni, Ze'ev Haker, Zehava Haker, Adi Dagan, Chava Ben Ami, Tal Katz, and Suheib Abu Amr.

The survivors of the hostage-taking crisis at Cohen's home are Hadas Dagan, a Be'eri member who lost her husband, Adi Dagan, and Yasmin Porat, who escaped from the Nova music festival to Be'eri. The incident resulted in an IDF probe, as Israel's special forces and IDF soldiers fired extensively on the house, leading to calls for a thorough investigation into the decision-making process and actions taken on the ground.
‘Pure evil’: IDF member details harrowing October 7 attacks
IDF Women’s Chevra Kadish Leader Noa Lewis details her reaction to the “pure evil” October 7 attacks.

“I’ve never seen even anything close to that in my life,” Ms Lewis told Sky News host Sharri Markson.

“There were trucks and trucks of bodies coming.

“Very painful to watch.”




Aryeh Zalmanovich was 'Jewish friend' in captivity with rescued Bedouin
Qaid Farhan Alkadi, the Bedouin-Israeli hostage who was rescued from the Gaza strip on Tuesday, revealed he was held in captivity for two months with Aryeh Zalmanovich, a former hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz who died in Hamas captivity, according to a KAN report on Thursday.

Alkadi testified that he witnessed Zalmanovich's death in captivity in December 2023, KAN added.

The information was brought to light by Ata Abu-Madighem, the ex-mayor of Rahat, on KAN. He claimed Farhan told him that "a Jewish friend died next to him, after two months, in December 2023."

Alkadi said the two were held in a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip for the first few weeks after being taken hostage on October 7. Zalmanovich told Alkadi about his sons, the kibbutz he was from, and his love for his family,

He then stated that Zalmanovich died five weeks later.

Boaz, the son of Aryeh Zalmanovich, told KAN after that his "Father was in the hospital in the southern Gaza Strip with Farhan throughout the entire time of captivity, about 40 days. A special bond was formed between them. Farhan was also wounded, but he took care of Dad and supported him. Dad was old and sick, did not receive proper medication and treatment - and was murdered in this way - after a period of physical and mental agony. They are not always shot."

"Father told Farhan that he loves us and cares for the members of the kibbutz - he knew what happened to them."

Alkadi was wounded on October 7. He told N12 that he was shot in the leg by terrorists on October 7 and, while in captivity, underwent surgery to remove the bullet in his leg.


Nova survivors ‘horrified’ by fake viral suicide letter
A suicide note that was reported to have been written by an October 7 Nova music festival survivor and was widely distributed on social media has been found to be fake, according to the inquiries of Israeli and international journalists.

After a number of high-profile figures expressed sympathy on social media for the writer of the anonymous letter, allegedly shared by a family member on a Facebook page titled “Stories of Nova,” further probes into the identity of the writer and his or her family to confirm the story’s veracity yielded a substantial lack of evidence.

Israeli media outlet Channel 13 reported that the letter was fabricated during a programme on Wednesday night, about which Channel 13 reporter Adam Shafir wrote on X: “A story that ran in recent days about a Nova survivor who saw horrors and committed suicide, did not leave a single dry eye. After trying to reach the family, to tell their story - the search turned into an investigation.”

Shafir said the investigation revealed the letter to be “a complete fake,” adding that “it is not clear what brings people to invent like this - but to cheapen the real plight of survivors, and to play with the souls of others - is simply disgusting.”

Delilah Schwartz, who volunteers with the Israeli mental health organisation Safe Heart, dedicated to providing professional support for survivors of the Nova music festival, confirmed that the letter was fake after corresponding directly with the administrator of the Facebook group where it was initially posted.

Schwartz said she reached out to the administrator of the Facebook group to get in touch with the poster, guaranteeing to keep the family anonymous as the poster claimed to be sitting shiva and requested privacy. The administrator said that the poster, claiming to be the sister of the Nova survivor who wrote the suicide letter, refused to give her brother’s name. She then told the administrator that it wasn’t her who posted the letter but her friend, at which point “something was starting to smell fishy.”

The segment broadcasted on Channel 13 relayed the same information, also checking with police and social services to verify whether a suicide had been reported, but came up empty-handed.


Andrew Klavan: Should America Be Involved In Israeli Conflicts? | Michael Doran
Michael Doran, a senior fellow and director of the Hudson Institute, joins us to discuss why America must be a staunch supporter of Israel's right to exist.


Caroline Glick: China & Russia & Iran, oh my! Weighing the threat with David Goldman
As if Israel & the West didn’t have enough to worry about, there’s a rising China-Russia-Iran axis adding another element to world affairs. Join us today on the Caroline Glick Show for a deep dive into what this all means for Israel and the USA with renowned expert and editor of Asia Times, David Goldman. We’ll evaluate China and Russia’s involvement in Iran’s proxy war with Israel and try to understand their interests in the region. Learn about China’s long-term strategy, its delicate tangle with Islam, and how Israel and the USA can best navigate the challenge.

Chapters
0:00 China-Russia-Iran alliance
15:00 Chinese antisemitism on the rise
21:00 Mending the relationship w/Russia & China
29:00 Qatar in the mix
31:00 Ending the Ukraine war
39:00 Chinese Interests in MidEast
45:00 China-US relations


Gen. McMaster: To Make Any Progress toward Peace, "You've Got to Destroy Hamas"
Lt.-Gen. (ret.) H.R. McMaster interviewed by Christiane Amanpour
Q: Some have been saying they believe Israel has done as much damage as they can right now to Hamas in Gaza and that this is a time to really try to nail down a ceasefire.

McMaster: "I would disagree with that, Christiane. I think they've got to hunt down the leaders. I think they've got to kill Sinwar or capture Sinwar....You've got to think back to what happened October 7th. We have a reminder, right, that there are still hostages."

"And even despite the gains that the Israel Defense Forces have made against Hamas, it's Hamas still who has the guns in Gaza. So, if you hope to get to any kind of progress toward an enduring peace or a two-state solution, you've got to destroy Hamas, right? Because Hamas is the organization that is committed to destroying Israel and killing all the Jews."

H.R. McMaster is a former U.S. national security advisor who served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for 34 years, including service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Israel Guys: Israel Begins MASSIVE ATTACK on Terror Targets in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria)
Israeli security forces have arrived in full force to dismantle Iranian terror infrastructure in Judea and Samaria! This is the largest anti-terror operation that has been conducted here in the last 20 years!




Jonny Gould's Jewish State: 156: Paul Martin: "I knew slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. i was a reporter jailed by him in Gaza".
Statement from the interviewee: Paul Martin is an independent and unbiased international journalist. He has no connections whatever with the people who interview him or with the platforms on which those interviews are transmitted. He stresses that on Mideast affairs he talks to and presents reportage to outlets of a very wide variety and by speaking he is not endorsing any of the views or biases of any of these platforms.

Who was Ismail Haniyeh, Leader of Hamas?
He was assassinated in Tehran on the last day of July 2024 and buried in Doha two days later.
He's been branded a "moderate”, but was in charge of Hamas’ so-called political wing, who’s murderers, rapists and kidnappers pillaged - and filmed - their way through southern Israel on the Shabbat morning of Simchat Torah on October 7th.
It was the biggest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust.
Slain on Iranian soil in their capital city, Haniyeh’s financiers were deservedly humiliated.
A resident of billionaire's playground Doha, the capital of terror-supporting state Qatar - he was in Tehran for the inauguration of their new president.
The last one, of course, was killed in a helicopter crash.
Haniyeh met the Ayatollah, they tweeted a resistance photo, he then went back to his guest house and was taken out in his bedroom with his security guard.
So what was Ismail Haniyeh like?
Well, he loved sport for kickoff, fitting that he should be eliminated before end of the Paris Olympics.
Here’s someone who knew him. I’m delighted our latest guest joins a list of distinguished guests to have graced Jonny Gould’s Jewish State.
Paul Martin is an exceptional international journalist and correspondent, making it his business to report from the most hostile territories - in the name of journalistic freedom.
He spent 26 days in Hamas jail in Gaza and Haniyeh knew he was there. Did it help Paul that he knew he was in his prison? Who helped him get released? Even arch anti-Zionist Archbiship Desmond Tutu called for his release!
Paul was subjected to mental torture and tried the “Hamas diet”, where he lost two stone in weight during his incarceration.
Yet he also experienced exceptional levels of human kindness from a fellow inmate.
You'll hear how he thought quickly on his feet to avoid deathly danger.
And even when the British consulate promised freedom, he wasn’t sure whether it was a Hamas trap leading to his execution.
I interviewed Paul on the day Evan Gershkovich was freed in a Russian prisoner swap. Listen out for his statement to the waiting media as he walked to freedom into Israel.
But would he ever return? Would his wife let him?
This is Paul Martin's 26-day story as a Hamas prisoner in Gaza
Intrepid doesn’t cover it!


Is FIFA going to ban Israeli soccer this week? All you need to know
Just one month after Israel’s national soccer team returned to the Olympics for the first time in nearly 50 years, the country is facing a potential ban from international competition in the world’s most popular sport.

FIFA, the global soccer governing body, is considering a request by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) to temporarily bar the Israel Football Association (IFA) from future tournaments. The reason, as in Palestinian appeals to other international bodies, is the war in Gaza: Palestinian officials allege that Israel is committing violations of both international law and running afoul of FIFA’s human rights policies.

The PFA submitted its official proposal in March, and a decision is expected by Saturday. FIFA has postponed the ruling multiple times, including days before the Olympics — a tournament in which the Palestinians also challenged Israel’s participation. FIFA sought independent legal review and solicited input from both the Israeli and Palestinian soccer federations.

Israel has denied the accusations in the PFA’s claim, which IFA chief Moshe Zuares called a “cynical, political and hostile attempt by the Palestinian Association to harm Israeli football.”

Zuares said during remarks at FIFA’s annual congress in Bangkok in May, “Make no mistake, the IFA never violated rules set by FIFA and UEFA and will never do so in the future.”

Neither FIFA nor the IFA responded to Jewish Telegraphic Agency inquiries.

A ban would have an immediate effect on Israel’s national team, which is set to compete in the upcoming Nations League tournament organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), the European division of FIFA, of which Israel is a member. Israel is currently scheduled to face Belgium Sept. 6 in a game that has already been mired in controversy, as Belgium refused to host the match, citing security concerns. The game will instead be played in Debrecen, Hungary.


Palestine activist who praised ‘incredible Oct 7 infiltration’ arrested by counter-terrorism police
Counter-terrorism police have arrested the pro-Palestine activist Sarah Wilkinson over allegations relating to her online postings which are alleged to have shown support for proscribed groups.

Wilkinson had previously praised the 7 October Hamas attacks in Israel as an “incredible infiltration”, and had attempted to claim a series of posts casting doubts over the extent of Nazi Holocaust in her name were not written by her.

Jack Wilkinson, a family member, confirmed the arrest at Wilkinson’s UK home this morning posting on X: “The police came to her house just before 7.30am. There were 12 of them in total, some of them in plain clothes from the counter-terrorism police.

“They said she was under arrest for ‘content that she has posted online’. Her house is being raided, and they have seized all her electronic devices.”

Her arrest and action against other pro-Palestine activists had led to claims that under Keir Starmer counter-terrorism police are taking tougher action against alleged breaches of terror laws.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper is also planning to strenghen existing terror laws to ensure better monitoring of extremism.

On the day of the same day of the October 7 attacks, Wilkinson posted:”Hamas airforce publish their incredible infiltration by air into the illegal Israeli settlements in the Gaza envelope.”

Wilkinson, who writes for the anti-Israel MENA Uncensored network, has since posted numerous pro-Hamas messages on X including a tribute to “Hamas leader and hero Ismail Haniyeh” after he was assassinated.

In a statement earlier this month MENA praised Wilkinson for her support for the “Palestinian resistance and relaying what is really happening in Gaza and the West Bank to the world.”

But after posts from 2016 and 2017 emerged in which Wilkenson appeared to claim facts around the Holocaust had been “debunked” she claimed she was the victim of a smear campaign by someone who had set up a fake account.

Wilkinson has also been involved with the Palestine Action group, and appears in one of the groups videos.


Pro-vandalism group turns into 'militant propaganda front' for US,
The American branch of the pro-vandalism, anti-Israel group Palestine Action was removed from social media platforms on Thursday after announcing that it was transitioning into a “militant propaganda” organization devoted to opening a new front of insurgency in the United States.

Palestine Action changed its name to Unity of Fields on Wednesday and explained that “passive solidarity” with Palestinians wasn’t enough, and taking inspiration from the October 7 massacre, it was necessary “to open a new front against the US empire” and “to build the international popular cradle of resistance.”

“Empires do not just collapse on their own,” said the newly rechristened Unity of Fields. “If victory over imperialism is possible, it will be because struggles against it have erupted all across the world, including here in the core.”

The Palestine Action splinter group said that its new name and approach were derived from the coordination of Palestinian terrorist organizations and allies despite geographical separation and ideological differences.

The group cited the Houthi Ansar Allah as saying, “The meaning of the unity of the fields is that we are all one hand, one leadership, one direction, one goal, and one approach, and any attack on any of the components of the Axis is considered a direct attack on us.” Palestine Action activist in Buckinghamshire (credit: SCREENSHOT VIA X)




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