Monday, September 09, 2024

09/09 Links Pt1: Biden is rewarding Hamas; From Naharayim to Allenby: Sad evolution of Hashemite kings response to Jordanian terror

From Ian:

Biden is rewarding Hamas
While Israeli officials continue to debate the cabinet's decision to oppose withdrawing IDF forces from the Philadelphi Corridor, Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas's deputy chief in Gaza, reiterated that this issue is merely one of several demands his group has put forward as conditions for a deal. "We stress that any agreement must encompass a full cessation of hostilities, complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, including the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah crossing, unimpeded return of displaced persons to their homes, aid and relief for Palestinians, Gaza's reconstruction, and a prisoner exchange," al-Hayya stated.

This stance isn't new. What stood out in its presentation was the self-assurance displayed by the senior Hamas official, during a week when he and his associates were expected to be on edge, fearing repercussions for the killing of six hostages. However, the reaction to this in Israel and the United States prompted an opposite response from them. From their perspective, not only did they avoid consequences for the heinous act, but through it, they managed to escalate tensions and internal disagreements in Israel, while also prompting Washington to consider presenting a framework defined as a "final offer, without room for negotiation" ("Take it or leave it"). They swiftly capitalized on the public outrage over the hostages' deaths through a media campaign warning that this would be the outcome of Israeli military pressure, while taking a firm stance on their negotiation demands.

Hamas assumes that a final American proposal will inevitably come at Israel's expense. The primary pressure to reach an agreement is already being applied to Israeli leadership. Hamas faces no consequences for prolonging the process, and as long as it holds hostages, it can always resume negotiations from where they left off.

President Joe Biden has promised that Hamas would face consequences for the hostages' deaths. At the very least, he can be expected not to reward Hamas. Pressuring the Israeli government to yield to Hamas's demands would be tantamount to rewarding the terror group. Instead, the logical step would be American support for Israel's justified position. Such backing might even help advance negotiations.

It's time for the United States to fully leverage its influence over Hamas. One approach is to push for the removal of the group's leaders from Qatar. Washington should demand this from Doha. This leadership bears equal responsibility as the Gaza-based leadership for the October 7 terror attack and subsequent war crimes. It's the same leadership that is currently urging its operatives in the West Bank to carry out suicide attacks. Demanding the expulsion of Hamas leadership from Qatar and imposing personal sanctions on its members is the minimum expected from the US. Israel will find ways to hold the ringleaders accountable.
Qatar Must Extradite a Hamas Terrorist
Qatar isn’t some humble refuge for Meshal. The terror chief lives like royalty in Doha, where he has amassed a staggering net worth of approximately $4 billion.

Beyond that, Qatar offers Meshal legitimacy and a global platform. That was clear in 2017, when Meshal unveiled a new Hamas guidance document at a press conference in Doha. Meshal said Hamas was “ready to support” a Palestinian state along the June 1967 borders. But the document was merely a re-branding exercise. Hamas never altered its 1988 charter, which calls for the annihilation of Israel.

Bizarrely, for the past eleven months, Washington and much of the international community has viewed Qatar as an honest broker in the effort to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the Israeli hostages. This is both ridiculous and dangerous. Indeed, the wealthy Gulf emirate has not only housed Hamas leaders for more than a decade; it has showered Hamas with hundreds of millions of dollars.

Qatar should not be touted as a Major Non-NATO Ally and host America’s Combined Air Operations Center while also hosting Hamas. Hosting and funding Hamas actually qualifies Qatar as a state sponsor of terrorism.

At a minimum, Washington should place significant pressure on Qatar to extradite Khaled Meshal, among other Hamas leaders. Legally, such a move is more than justified and long overdue. Such pressure would begin to reset the relationship between Washington and Doha and perhaps set the stage for Qatar to jettison leaders from Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Islamic State, and other malign actors. The move might also put residual pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages in Gaza and end the current crisis—something that Qatar has repeatedly failed to do.
From Naharayim to Allenby: Sad evolution of Hashemite kings response to Jordanian terror
On March 13, 1997, less than three years after Israel and Jordan signed a peace agreement, a Jordanian soldier opened fire on a group of high-school girls from Beit Shemesh visiting the “Island of Peace” at Naharayim on the Israel-Jordan border. Seven girls were killed.

Jordan's monarch at the time, King Hussein, quickly decried the murder and responded with a memorable display of empathy and reconciliation.

Hussein went to Beit Shemesh and visited the grieving parents as they were sitting shiva. At one home, he said, “Your daughter is like my daughter. Your loss is my loss,” and expressed deep shame for the crime.

He visited the wounded in the attack at the hospital. He also stood by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was the prime minister at the time and delivered a heartfelt apology.

Hussein’s son, King Abdullah, has not followed his father’s example.

A day after a Jordanian terrorist, Maher Dhiab Hussein al-Jazi, killed three Israelis working at the Allenby (King Hussein) Bridge - Adrian Podmeser, Yohanan Shchori, and Yuri Birnbaum - Abdullah had not denounced the murders as of Monday evening.

Jordanian Foreign Minister spokesman Sufian Quday said the attack was an “individual act,” and - according to the Jordan Times - said that Jordan rejects targeting civilians for “whatsoever reasons.”

Peace strained as attacks and tensions escalate
At the same time, and somewhat contradictorily, Quday “also called for addressing all reasons of escalation that lead to violence and the targeting of civilians.”

That’s code for: it's Israel’s fault that a Jordanian terrorist killed Israeli citizens.

The murder of the seven Beit Shemesh schoolgirls, The Washington Post reported at the time, “threatened to transform Jordan’s image among Israelis from their only friendly neighbor to just another dangerous Arab foe.” Hussein’s actions, the paper reported, were designed partly to prevent that from happening.

In the interim 27 years, much of the original promise of the Jordanian-Israeli peace agreement has faded.

Abdullah, whose ministers and wife, Queen Rania, regularly lash into Israel with vicious tirades, couldn’t care less about Israeli public opinion. This is especially true now, with the country on Tuesday going to parliamentary elections in which the Islamic faction is expected to ride a wave of anger toward Israel because of its war with Hamas into electoral gains. The last thing Abdullah wants to do right now, in this atmosphere, is to show empathy toward Israel.

The Israeli public, for its part, harbors few illusions about the king, the Jordanian public, or the prospects of peace with the Hashemite kingdom. This is a cold, functional peace - mainly between the countries' security apparatuses - that serves each side’s security interests.

Israel benefits from close security cooperation with Amman and - for the last 30 years - having had a mostly quiet eastern border. This, however, is changing, as Sunday’s attack demonstrated.

Even before that attack, there have been a number of incidents - including the arrest of two Gazans in March who crossed over from Jordan and were arrested in the Jordan Valley on their way to carrying out a terrorist attack, and the arrest a month later of a Jordanian parliamentarian smuggling arms and gold into the West Bank - indicating that this border is not what it used to be.


Israel’s hostage envoy: International pressure, domestic protests helping Hamas
IDF Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for the captives and missing, warned on Sunday that international pressure on Israel and domestic protests against the Netanyahu government are helping Hamas.

“Unfortunately, many people repeat the narrative that in fact we are the ones preventing a deal. But this is not the truth. It is a lie. We have never stopped a deal that was on the table,” he told Israel Hayom senior diplomatic correspondent Ariel Kahana at the Middle East-America Dialogue Summit (MEAD) summit at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Washington, D.C.

“Hamas learns what is happening in Israeli society and wants to divide it by using the issue of the abductees. And I have to put it on the table. And for them this is an achievement. There is a direct connection between the international pressure on Israel and the desire of Hamas to be part of the negotiations,” he said.

“When they see that Israel is under enormous pressure from our best allies, or from the United Nations, or Great Britain, or decisions by some and others in the international courts, they say to themselves that they are in no hurry,” he added.

Hirsch pointed out that Jerusalem has not received a “real answer” from the terror group since December and that the negotiations are “stalled.”

“Since November there have been virtually no negotiations and they don’t seem to want a deal,” he said. “Since December, Hamas is not really in the picture. In March they came for a few days to negotiations in Doha and then disappeared,” he added.

Ynet on Sunday cited Israeli officials as saying late on Saturday that the United States should have demanded that Qatari and Egyptian mediators place more pressure on Hamas.

They said that Qatar should be forced to expel the Hamas leaders living there and freeze the terror group’s bank accounts, but that instead, the United States is pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They expressed disappointment at comments by CIA Director Williams Burns over the weekend.

Burns said on Saturday in London that a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas will necessitate “some hard choices and some political compromises” from both sides.

Some 90% of the proposed deal has been agreed on, he continued, but that “the last 10% is the last 10% for a reason, because it’s the hardest part to do.”
UN rights chief calls on states to challenge Israel over 'occupation'
The UN human rights chief said on Monday that ending the nearly year-long war in Gaza is a priority, and he asked countries to act on what he called Israel's "blatant disregard" for international law in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Nearly 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials, since Israel unleashed a military campaign in response to cross-border attacks by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and a further 250 taken hostage. The conflict has also fueled a surge in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

"Ending that war and averting a full-blown regional conflict is an absolute and urgent priority," the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said in a speech at the start of the five-week UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva.

"States must not – cannot – accept blatant disregard for international law, including binding decisions of the (UN) Security Council and orders of the International Court of Justice, neither in this nor any other situation."

He cited an opinion released by the UN top court in July that called Israel's occupation illegal, and Turk said this situation must be "comprehensively addressed." Israel has rejected the opinion and called it one-sided.
A second Trump presidency has the UN fearing for its future, employee caught on camera reveals
A recent undercover video showing a United Nations legal affairs employee saying the world body is scared of a Trump presidency is shining a new spotlight on Trump’s policy toward many of the U.N.’s scandal-plagued agencies.

The U.N. Office of Legal Affairs official was recorded on an undercover video stating, "I’m not sure the United Nations as an institution is going to survive a second term by Trump." The Louder with Crowder podcast conducted the undercover recording and first disclosed it.

While the Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment, as president he was viewed as being very tough on the world body by taking an aggressive posture against U.N. corruption, anti-Americanism and antisemitism while pushing American interests.

Trump stopped funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Fox News Digital reported in August that the U.N. had been forced to fire nine UNRWA employees over likely involvement in the Hamas massacre on October 7 of nearly 1,200 people in southern Israel, including over 30 Americans.

Trump withdrew from the U.N. Human Rights Council; the U.N.’s World Health Organization; the U.N.’s cultural organization UNESCO; and the Paris climate agreement.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson for Trump said at the time the decision "reflects U.S. concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO."

Biden quickly rejoined the U.N. bodies, including the Paris climate deal, that Trump walked away from during his term. However, Biden suspended funds for UNRWA after its role in the Hamas terrorist attack was exposed by Israel.

In 2021, former Trump U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley warned the White House about rejoining the Human Rights Council, because it is influenced by communist totalitarian regimes like China and Cuba, to name just a few.

"If President Biden truly cared about human rights, he would keep us far away from the cesspool that is the U.N. Human Rights Council," said Haley at the time.
PA wants UN to order removal of 500K Jews from Judea, Samaria
The Palestinian Authority is circulating a draft resolution asking the United Nations General Assembly to urge Israel to withdraw from Judea and Samaria and remove some 500,000 Israeli citizens living in the territory within six months.

According to a report by Israel’s Channel 12 on Sunday, the resolution, which cites a July 19 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, is expected to be brought to a vote next week.

The 79th Session of the U.N. General Assembly is scheduled to open on Sept. 10.

In addition to demanding an end to Israel’s civilian and military presence, the draft text urges U.N. member states to impose sanctions on officials in Jerusalem, banning trade with Jewish businesses in Judea and Samaria and blocking weapons sales to Israel if they might be used in the area.

Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon, attacked the P.A.’s move and called on the 193 members of the General Assembly to “outright reject this shameful resolution and instead adopt a resolution condemning Hamas, calling on it to release all the hostages immediately.

“Let it be clear: Nothing will stop nor deter Israel in its mission to bring back all the hostages and defeat Hamas,” the Israeli diplomat stated.

“If this resolution passes in the General Assembly, exactly one year after the Oct. 7 massacre, the most brutal massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, it would be a reward for terrorism and a message to the world that the barbaric massacre of children, the rape of women and the kidnapping of innocent civilians is a profitable move,” added Danon.

While the Palestinians have a near-automatic majority in the General Assembly—including the overwhelming portion of nearly 60 Arab and Muslim governments—resolutions passed by the body are not binding.

On July 19, the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial arm of the U.N., issued a non-binding, 83-page opinion declaring Israel’s 57-year “occupation” of Judea and Samaria to be “unlawful.”

The non-binding ruling claimed that “Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the regime associated with them, have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law.”

Jerusalem is “obliged to bring an end to its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible,” the U.N. court added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the ruling, saying that no “absurd” ICJ opinion can “deny this historical truth or the legal right of Israelis to live in their own communities in our ancestral home.”
UKLFI: ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan KC and Staff Reported to Regulators regarding Applications to Arrest Israeli Leaders
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has reported them to regulators for not complying with their professional obligations. UKLFI points out that they were obliged to provide the Court with information and evidence that exonerates the accused, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant of the charges, including extensive information and evidence that has come to light since the applications were filed.

UKLFI had provided extensive details of its concerns, backed by numerous cited documents, to the Prosecutor in a letter and annexes on 27 August 2024. In that letter, UKLFI expressed its dismay that the Prosecutor has asked the Court to ignore any information or evidence other than the material he originally filed in his applications for the arrest warrants, “despite [UKLFI] having shown that every allegation against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant set out in [the Prosecutor’s] published summary of them is false, and despite the highly relevant evidence that has emerged since [the Prosecutor] filed the Applications.”

Having received no reply, UKLFI has now reported the Prosecutor, Karim Khan KC, and his assistant, Andrew Cayley KC, both English barristers, to the Bar Standards Board for England and Wales (BSB). UKLFI accuses Khan and Cayley of not complying with their duty not to mislead the Court.

This is a continuing duty – as the BSB’s guidance observes, “knowingly misleading the court also includes inadvertently misleading the court if you later realise that you have misled the court, and you fail to correct the position”.

The ICC Prosecutor has specifically claimed that the Applications for arrest warrants are made ex parte, without the accused being heard. English judges have emphasised that a Prosecutor seeking an ex parte order has a duty to disclose ‘“any material which is potentially adverse to the application” or “might militate against the grant” or which “may be relevant to the judge’s decision, including any matters which indicate that the issue….might be inappropriate”’.

In the words of Hughes LJ, “a prosecutor seeking an ex parte order must put on his defence hat and ask himself what, if he were representing the defendant or third party with a relevant interest, he would be saying to the judge, and, having answered that question, that is what he must tell the judge….”

UKLFI hs also requested the Registrar of the ICC to set in motion a disciplinary investigation of staff of the Office of the Prosecutor (OtP), including Andrew Cayley KC and Brenda Hollis, for breaches of the ICC’s rules.
Q&A: U.S. military expert John Spencer argues Israel isn’t committing genocide in Gaza
Maj. (Ret.) John Spencer is an American army veteran who heads the Modern War Institute at the U.S. military’s prestigious West Point Academy in New York State. His books and courses about fighting historic urban and tunnel wars have been widely quoted—he’s even interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who name-dropped the former combat officer’s research during his speech to Congress in July. The Israel Defence Forces like Spencer’s work so much that they’ve brought the Iraq veteran with them three times inside some of the captured Hamas tunnels under Gaza.

Ahead of two speaking engagements in Canada this week—in Winnipeg on Sept. 11 and Toronto on Sept. 12 —Spencer joined The CJN Daily podcast to share his eyewitness accounts of three research tours with the IDF inside the terrorists’ tunnels. Spencer explains why the Philadelphi corridor and 100 tunnels between Egypt and Gaza are what’s holding up a ceasefire deal that some believe could free the hostages.

Although Spencer wasn’t present 10 days ago when the IDF discovered the bodies of six executed hostages under Rafah, he understands why the entrance to that tunnel was actually hidden in the bedroom of a Palestinian child’s room in Gaza. Despite the latest heinous war crime that has rocked Israel and people around the world, Spencer feels Israel is still winning the war against Hamas.

The CJN: Readers may not have been following your prolific writings about what’s been happening in Israel since Oct. 7, but they may have seen when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu name-dropped you in his speech to Congress. Can you just give our listeners a bit of background on what role, if any, you are playing officially or unofficially advising the Israeli government in this war?

Spencer: Sure. So I’m playing absolutely no official or unofficial role, but my research and my writings have been used significantly to fight the disinformation. I have done multiple visits to Israel and three visits into Gaza with the IDF since Oct. 7, which has informed my writing and research, but no official or unofficial role.

My research has been, including by the prime minister, many, many times, used to fight the disinformation about what the IDF are actually doing in Gaza to pursue the political objectives provided by the government for the war against Hamas.

The CJN: We’re interviewing you just a few days after the bodies of the six Israeli executed hostages were discovered in a 20-metre deep tunnel under Rafah. What can you tell us about this particular tunnel, and what is significant about it?

Spencer: There’s a lot of unknowns about it, but we know that it was in conjunction to the IDF recent discovery of a living hostage. Nobody knew that in those targeted operations, because intelligence drives operations. Israel was conducting this operation in the Rafah area, successfully retrieving the live hostage in a tunnel, but without knowing nearby Hamas saw and heard the IDF and then entered another tunnel without the IDF’s knowledge, basically in very close proximity. And because of that IDF operation, I believe that Hamas entered their deep tunnel that they were holding the hostages for all their reasons that are illegal and not in accordance with the law of war, and brutally murdered each one of those six hostages. Then we saw the release of the videos that were very recently filmed.

We don’t know if that was filmed in the tunnel, but we do know where the bodies were found was in this 20-metre deep tunnel in Rafah, which does pain a lot of people because of the different delays in the Rafah operation to basically search and clear the areas in which now where this all occurred, where they were later discovered through the IDF operation and brought home, finally to their families.
13 suspects arrested on Route 6, believed to be planning terror attack
Thirteen people were arrested by Israeli forces on Route 6 on Monday. The road was blocked to traffic from the Horesh interchange heading north while the police examined the vehicle.

The main suspect who was arrested on Route 6 is a Palestinian who illegally entered from the West Bank. Recently obtained intelligence suggests that he intended to carry out an attack.

All suspects were detained for questioning after Rosh Ha’ayin police officers stopped a shuttle bus with 13 illegal residents inside. Nothing was found during the car search.

Police announced early on Monday afternoon that the incident had been handled.

Witness to the incident
A witness who was traveling from Beit Shemesh to Jerusalem told The Jerusalem Post that she saw a soldier get out of his vehicle with a window breaker. He was joined by more soldiers.

The witness said she saw "a couple of terrorists being arrested and the trunk of their car opened with what looked like explosives and wires."

The investigation is being managed by the Shin Bet and the Border Police.

One of those arrested was interrogated by the Shin Bet, leading to two house searches in Bani Na'im near Hebron. Weapons and ammunition were found in the houses, leading to the arrest of their residents.


Hezbollah claims drone attack on Nahariya, rockets on north
Hezbollah takes responsibility for this morning’s drone attack on a residential building in Nahariya, though it claims to have targeted an Israeli military base.

In a statement, the terror group says it targeted the IDF’s Shraga Camp, located some 3 kilometers south of Nahariya, with several explosive-laden drones. It says the attack was a response to recent IDF strikes in southern Lebanon.

According to the IDF, two drones were launched from Lebanon in the attack, one of which struck an apartment building in Nahariya, causing damage but no injuries.

Hezbollah also takes responsibility for a barrage of rockets at the Western Galilee, again claiming to have targeted a military base. The rockets struck open areas.

The terror group also claims to have launched a surface-to-air missile at an Israeli fighter jet over southern Lebanon, forcing it to retreat.


Hezbollah suicide drone wounds two IDF soldiers in western Galilee
Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were lightly wounded when suicide drones launched by Lebanese Hezbollah landed near the western Galilee border town of Shlomi on Monday morning, the military said.

Both soldiers were evacuated for medical treatment at a nearby hospital, and the army informed their families, it stated.

Iran-backed Hezbollah took responsibility for at least six assaults on the Jewish state on Monday, including an drone attack that hit a residential building in the coastal city of Nahariya. Two apartments were badly damaged, and no casualties were reported in the incident.

“I was sitting with my insurance agent, and suddenly there was siren after siren,” Shahar Toledano, whose flat was struck by the attack drone, told local media. “We are used to explosions, but not this one.”

In response to the attacks, Israeli jets struck several Hezbollah structures and observation posts in Lebanon’s Kafr Kila, the IDF stated.

An Israeli drone targeted a Hezbollah operative in the Tallouseh area, an d IDF tanks shelled a Hezbollah observation post in Kafr Shuba.

Following a situational assessment with the IDF’s General Staff Forum on Monday, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi stressed that the military is “ready for any mission that will be required.”

“The IDF operates strongly in the north, and is at a high level of readiness with prepared operational plans,” Halevi said.

He described Monday’s Hezbollah attack on the Nahariya high-rise as “a serious incident, just like the shooting at the citizens of the north.”


Syria: 14 killed, dozens wounded in Israeli strikes
At least 14 people were killed and 43 wounded, six critically, in a series of Israeli airstrikes in northwestern Syria late Sunday, according to Syrian state media.

The SANA news agency reported that Israel had targeted several military sites around Masyaf in the Hama countryside. According to Reuters, which cited two regional intelligence sources, among the sites hit was the Scientific Studies and Research Center, known as CERS or SSRC, a major military research center for chemical weapons. The center is believed to house a team of Iranian military experts, according to the report.

According to Israel, it is used by Iranian forces to manufacture precision surface-to-surface missiles.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based war monitor aligned with the Syrian opposition, there were four attacks in less than three hours, targeting military sites west of Hama where “where Iranian militias and experts are stationed to develop weapons in Syria,” and a floating object off the coast of Baniyas.

Saudi news channel Al-Hadath reported that three rounds of attacks were carried out against five pro-Iranian militia sites in rural areas around Hama.

Israel rarely admits to attacks on Syrian territory, although in February Jerusalem revealed that it had attacked more than 50 targets belonging to Hezbollah and other Iran-backed terror groups in Syria since Oct. 7.


Jordan condemns Allenby Bridge terror attack, blames Israel
One day after a Jordanian terrorist murdered three Israeli border guards at the Allenby Bridge border crossing, Amman’s foreign ministry on Monday denounced “harm to civilians for any reason” while accusing Jerusalem of “escalatory steps” that provoked the shooting attack.

“The Ministry stressed Jordan’s firm position in rejecting and condemning violence and targeting civilians for any reason, and calling for addressing all causes and escalatory steps that generate it,” said the official statement, which came some 14 hours after the terrorist attack.

Spokesman Sufyan Qudah stressed Amman’s “repeated warnings of the consequences of the continued Israeli aggression on Gaza, the dangerous escalation against the Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank, and the attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and the repercussions of this on the entire region.

“Preliminary investigations confirmed that the incident, in which the shooter was also killed, was an individual act,” the ministry said.

Three civilian guards at the crossing in the Jordan Valley were killed in Sunday’s shooting, which took place around 10 a.m. The gunman, who the Israel Defense Forces said was a Jordanian national, was killed.

“This is a difficult day,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. “An abhorrent terrorist murdered three of our citizens in cold blood at the Allenby Bridge. On behalf of the government and myself, I send condolences to the families of those who were murdered.”

All three land crossings between the Jewish state and Jordan were closed following the attack, Israeli authorities announced. The Allenby Crossing (known is Jordan as the King Hussein Bridge), Yitzhak Rabin Crossing (near Eilat, known in Jordan as the Wadi Araba Crossing) and Jordan River Crossing (near Beit She’an, known in Jordan as the Sheikh Hussein Bridge) were reopened for passenger crossing on Monday. On Sunday evening, thousands of Jordanians rallied in support of the slain terrorist in Amman. According to local reports, protesters hoisted signs that read in Hebrew, “Death to Israel.”


Cabinet shown ‘horrific’ video of tunnel where six hostages executed
Israeli Cabinet ministers on Sunday night were presented with video footage of the tunnel in Rafah where the six murdered hostages were held, footage they described as “stomach-churning” and “horrific.”

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi showed the visual documentation from southern Gaza at the request of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Ministers did not see the hostage’s corpses but rather the inhumane conditions in which their Hamas captors forced them to live.

The bodies of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, Eden Yerushalmi, 24, Almog Sarusi, 25, Alexander Lobanov, 32, Carmel Gat, 40, and Master Sgt. Ori Danino, 25, were found in a 65-foot-deep tunnel on Aug. 31. The bodies had gunshot wounds to the head and elsewhere.

Lawmakers were shocked to see the video of the tunnel, which was 31.5 inches (80 cm) wide. Blood stains and torn clothes can be seen in the video and it is believed that the male abductees attempted to shield the female captives.

Ministers were also informed during the session that the murders occurred on Thursday evening, placing their executions at the same time that a Cabinet meeting was taking place regarding the Philadelphi Corridor that runs along Gaza’s border with Egypt. The meeting ended with a vote in favor of maintaining security control over the buffer zone. Therefore, it is impossible that the guards shot the hostages based on the Philadelphi Corridor decision, as some have argued, but instead likely because they felt that the IDF was closing in on them.

“It was perfectly quiet in the room. It was one of the hardest videos to watch. It turns your stomach. The tunnel is narrow and low, you can either lie down, or sit or walk on your knees. You can’t fit more than a mattress and a half across. You can assume that they slept either in turns or along the length of the tunnel,” ministers said.

“You see in the documentation a lot of drinking water and protein bars, some clothes, a chess board or backgammon and notebooks. Seeing the video and realizing that they survived 11 months only sharpens the understanding of what they are going through. No one remains indifferent,” they added, calling Hamas terrorists “monsters” and “human animals.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the ministers: “When you watch this video, it sharpens your understanding of the evil we are facing. They are Satan incarnate.”

Channel 12 on Sunday published other findings from the IDF’s initial investigation into the murders, including evidence that some of the abductees defended themselves and fought their captors.

The investigation found that the hostages had difficult standing in the tunnel, and with no air vents, difficulty breathing. There were no toilets or showers. They showered with water bottles, from which they also drank, and suffered from starvation and drastic weight loss, with Yerushalmi only weighing 36 kilos (79 pounds). The few protein bars found were not enough to prevent hunger.

Notebooks were collected by security forces and will be delivered to the families.
Starved, without air or water: Hostages were murdered just hours before rescue, families told
Families of the six hostages recovered from a Hamas tunnel in Rafah last Sunday were told that their loved ones were starved, denied air, and subjected to inhumane conditions before being brutally murdered - according to a report by Channel 12 News (N12).

IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari revealed that the hostages—kept in a tunnel with no air vents, showers, or toilets—were executed just hours before the IDF arrived to rescue them. Desperate to survive, they were given minimal food and lived in total darkness, illuminated only by a small flashlight powered by a generator.

The six hostages, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, and Ori Danino, were found in one of Gaza's many underground tunnels. According to Hagari, they endured horrific conditions, with barely enough food to sustain themselves, leading to severe weight loss. There were no air vents in the tunnel, making it extremely difficult for the hostages to breathe, and they had no access to showers or toilets throughout their captivity. Personal items of hostages reveal tragic final moments

According to N12, the families were informed that personal items, including a chessboard and notebooks used by the hostages, would be returned to them, offering a painful reminder of their loved ones' struggle to retain some sense of normalcy amid the terror. Despite their efforts to survive, the hostages were killed by Hamas terrorists shortly before Israeli forces could reach them.

These revelations have renewed anger and sorrow across Israel. Many are calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to their deaths, with some accusing the government of delaying a potential hostage release deal. "Were it not for the delays, these individuals might still be alive today," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum stated.


New York City art exhibit marks one year after events of Oct. 7
An exhibition opening this week in New York City, titled “Resilience and Reflection: An Artistic Response to October 7th,” is geared to explore the complex tapestry of emotions and narratives that arose after the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel nearly one year ago.

The collection spans various mediums, including painting, poems, sculpture, video and mixed media, each serving as a personal response and reflection on the events of that day.

It features works from emerging and established Israeli artists such as Dede Bandaid, Pilpeled and Nirit Takele.

Danielle R’Bibo is the curator of the exhibition, her first solo exhibit.

“Art allows us to communicate the inexpressible, to process pain, and to find hope amid sorrow,” said R’bibo. “The artists in this exhibition are deeply moved by the opportunity to share their work in America. Through their art, they aim to honor the memories of those lost, bringing a human face to the war. This exhibition is not about politics; it’s about the people—their stories, their pain and their resilience.”

The exhibit seeks to provide a renewed sense of connection to these events, a deeper understanding of their impact and an appreciation for the role of art in navigating shared human experiences, fostering a sense of empathy and connection among the audience.

It will run from Sept. 12 to Sept. 26 at the David Benrimon Fine Art Gallery at 41 E. 57th St., second floor, in Midtown Manhattan.



Caroline Glick joins Stephanie Coueignoux of LiveNOW From FOX for the latest news from Israel.

Stand with Us: Author and philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy | Special Briefing

The Israel Guys: We Saw the TRUTH in GAZA With Our Very Own Eyes (this is what we’re allowed to show)
We just had the opportunity of a lifetime when we went into the Gaza Strip, and spent time on the Philadelphi Corridor. We saw the city of Rafah, IDF operations in Gaza, the Egyptian border, and a Gaza Beach up close. We also heard firsthand about the hundreds of tunnels that have been discovered running underneath the Philadelphi Corridor, and how, if the IDF withdraws from this road, it will lead to certain defeat for the IDF in this war with Hamas.

While we unfortunately can’t show and tell you everything that we experienced while we were in Gaza, the following is some of the footage that we can show, along with our story of what we saw and heard firsthand. Let’s just say, what you’re about to see and hear is shocking.




Israel: State of a Nation with Eylon Levy: Rallying the Reawakened | Noa Tishby’s Mission to Strengthen Israel’s Support Base with Truth
Noa Tishby, a leading voice in the fight against anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, sits down with Eylon Levy to dissect the complex and often contentious issues surrounding Israel. In this episode, Tishby addresses the growing influence of the BDS movement, the disturbing rise of anti-Semitic rhetoric on college campuses, and the alarming connections between these movements and terrorism financing. She shares her insights on how Israel is portrayed in the media and the challenges it faces on the global stage. Tishby's perspective provides a crucial understanding of the ongoing battle for Israel's legitimacy and the broader fight against hate. This episode is essential viewing for those seeking to grasp the intricacies of Israel's position in the world and the forces aligned against it.




Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism  today at Amazon!

Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424. 

Read all about it here!
 

 



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EoZ Book:"Protocols: Exposing Modern Antisemitism"

 Buy EoZ's book, PROTOCOLS: EXPOSING MODERN ANTISEMITISM


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Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



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

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