Saturday, October 05, 2024

10/05 Links: Murray: Israel was right to ignore the West; The Year American Jews Woke Up; Wilders: Why Western Patriots Should Support Israel; Al Jazeera: Propaganda or Journalism?

From Ian:

Israel Takes the Gloves Off
October 7 showed why Zionism is necessary. As the attack, the worldwide celebrations, and the ongoing genocidal rallies reveal, hatred of Jews has not abated. The Holocaust shamed most anti-Semites into silence. Hamas's depravities, however, enthuse them.

But now, the Jews can fight back. As one father remarked at his son's funeral, without Israel, "the image engraved in our collective memory would have been the photograph of that helpless Jewish boy in the Warsaw Ghetto holding his hands up in the air with Nazi rifles pointed at him." Instead, "the Jewish people are no longer helpless in the face of our enemies." Whoever heard of a pogrom where the dead murderers outnumber the murdered?

Few sights are more inspiring than a free people defending their homeland, and the Israelis are hammering Hamas, Iran, and Iran's other minions who joined the fight. Hamas planned to rule a captive Israel, but instead it skulks beneath the ruins of Gaza. Nearly all of Hezbollah's leaders are dead, and Israeli forces recently entered southern Lebanon to protect northern Israel's besieged communities. For the second time this war, Iran launched hundreds of missiles at Israel to little effect.

There are still 101 hostages in Gaza, 7 Americans among them. Israel recently recovered the bodies of six murdered by Hamas just before they could be freed. One of them, Ori Danino, was only there because he left safety to save lives and was taken. Amazingly, these hostages—emaciated, half-suffocated, kept in a pitch-black tunnel so cramped that they could not stand—fought back when their tormentors became their murderers.

The cost of October 7 has been too high, both for the Israelis and for the innocent Arabs whom Hamas and Iran have cynically and systematically thrown into the line of fire. No one wants to see this suffering—including the Israelis, who routinely expose themselves to danger to warn Gazan and Lebanese civilians. This is the price for years of American appeasement, and the Lebanese are the latest to pay it.

In Shakespeare's Henry V, the king tells his men before a desperate battle, "This story shall the good man teach his son." Like Henry's men, the Israelis are winning a famous victory. But they do not fight for the dubious claims of some king, or even for their own gain. They fight for the right to live in peace. All people of good will should help them.

The lesson of October 7 is that even in the face of enormous cruelty, there are few forces more tenacious than a free people defending the ones they love. And when the battle comes, it is no longer the Jews who should feel afraid.
Douglas Murray: Israel was right to ignore the West
There are sources in the Jewish tradition that warn against exultation at the downfall of one’s enemies. But I am not Jewish, and so I have exulted greatly these past two weeks.

If you follow most of the British media, you may well think that the past year involves the following events: Israel attacked Hamas, Israel invaded Lebanon, Israel bombed Yemen. Oh and someone left a bomb in a room in Tehran that killed the peaceful Palestinian leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Of course all this is an absolute inversion of the truth. Hamas invaded Israel, so Israel attacked Hamas. Hezbollah has spent the past year sending thousands of rockets into Israel, so Israel has responded by destroying Hezbollah. The Houthis in Yemen – now so beloved of demonstrators in the UK – sent missiles and drones hundreds of miles to attack Israel, so Israel bombed the Houthis’ arms stores in Yemen. And Hamas leader Haniyeh, who was born under Egyptian rule and died in Tehran, never brought the Palestinian people anything but misery.

On 7 October last year Israel was surprised by a brigade-sized invasion of terrorists into its territory. These terrorists raped, murdered and burned their way as far inside Israel as they could get. How this intelligence and military failure was possible is something that Israelis still have to work out. But the first answer is because they face a fanatical, ideological opponent which wants to destroy them. Hezbollah joined in the action on 8 October. All these attacks were funded and orchestrated by the Revolutionary Islamic government in Iran, which as I write this is sending hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel from Iran – strikes that have so far proved a failure.

Hamas still holds a hundred Israelis hostage inside Gaza, but the Israeli government has managed to bring half the hostages home already. For many people in the first days of the war, it seemed impossible that even one hostage would be able to come back to their families alive. So this is no mean feat in itself. Aside from saving the hostages, the other most important thing for Israel has been to strike and destroy the proxy armies of Iran who wish to make the whole of Israel unlivable for Jews.

All this time the governments in Britain and America have given the Israelis advice which mercifully they did not listen to. Earlier this year, Kamala Harris warned that the IDF shouldn’t go into Hamas’s Gaza stronghold in Rafah. As she wisely said: ‘I’ve studied the maps.’ Fortunately the Israelis did not listen to Kamala’s beginners’ guide to Rafah. They went into the Hamas stronghold, continued to search for the hostages, continued to kill Hamas’s leadership and continued to destroy the rocket and other ammunition stores that Hamas has built up for 18 years.
Bret Stephens: The Year American Jews Woke Up
After Oct. 7, it became personal. It was in the neighborhoods in which we lived, the professions and institutions in which we worked, the colleagues we worked alongside, the peers with whom we socialized, the group chats to which we belonged, the causes to which we donated, the high schools and universities our kids attended. The call was coming from inside the house.

It happened in innumerable ways, large and small.

The home of an impeccably progressive Jewish director of a prominent art museum was vandalized with red spray paint and a sign accusing her of being a “white supremacist Zionist.” A storied literary magazine endured mass resignations from its staff members for the sin of publishing the work of a left-wing Israeli. A Jewish journalist scrolled through Instagram and recognized an old friend from Northwestern gleefully tearing down posters of Hamas’s hostages while saying “calba” — dog in Arabic — to the pictures of kidnapped infants and elderly people. A leading progressive congresswoman was asked during a TV interview about Hamas’s rapes of Israeli women and called them an unfortunate fact of war before quickly returning to the subject of Israel’s alleged perfidy. An 89-year-old Holocaust survivor petitioned the Berkeley City Council to pass a Holocaust Remembrance Day proclamation in light of the resurgence of antisemitism and was heckled by demonstrators. An on-campus caricature depicted an affable Jewish law school dean holding a knife and fork drenched in blood. A Columbia University undergraduate posted on Instagram: “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.” Tucker Carlson platformed a Hitler apologist. Trump warned Jews that he is prepared to blame them should he lose the election.

All these stories became public, but what could be at least as upsetting were the stories you heard about only over meals with friends and acquaintances. A publishing executive who wanted to promote a novel set during the Holocaust but faced internal resistance from staff members who saw it as “Zionist propaganda.” A college freshman with a Jewish surname being the only person in her dorm to have anti-Israel leaflets pushed under her door. A student who suggested to me, during a give-and-take at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, that Israelis should heed the words of the Book of Matthew and turn the other cheek. It reminded me of Eric Hoffer’s quip that “everyone expects the Jews to be the only real Christians in this world.”

At some point, an awakening of sorts occurred. Perhaps not for every American Jew, but for many. I’ve called them the Oct. 8 Jews — those who woke up a day after our greatest tragedy since the Holocaust to see how little empathy there was for us in many of the spaces and communities and institutions we thought we comfortably inhabited. It was an awakening that often came with a deeper set of realizations.

One realization: American Jews should not expect reciprocity.

Few minorities have been more conspicuously attached to progressive causes than American Jews: Samuel Gompers and labor unionism; Betty Friedan and feminism; Harvey Milk and gay rights; Abraham Joshua Heschel and civil rights; Robert Bernstein and human rights. A proud history, but whatever we poured of ourselves into the pain and struggle of others was not returned in our days of grief. Nor should we expect much understanding: In an era that stresses sensitivity to every microaggression against nearly any minority, macroaggressions against Jews who happen to believe that Israel has a right to exist are not only permitted but demanded.

A second: “Zionist” has become just another word for Jew. Anti-Zionists deny this strenuously, because a vocal handful of Jews are also anti-Zionist and because outright antisemitism is still unfashionable and because they’d like to believe — or at least tell others — that their objection is to a political ideology rather than to a people or a religion.

But when the wished-for dire consequences of anti-Zionism fall directly on the heads of millions of Jews and when the people the anti-Zionists seek to silence, exclude and shame are almost all Jewish and when the charges they make against Zionists invariably echo the hoariest antisemitic stereotypes — greed, deceit, limitless bloodlust — then the distinctions between anti-Zionist and antisemite blur to the point of invisibility.

And a third: This isn’t going to end anytime soon.

It won’t end because anti-Zionism has a self-righteous fervor that will attract followers and inspire militancy. It won’t end because politics in America are moving toward forms of illiberalism — conspiracy thinking and nativism on the right, a Manichaean view on the left that the world is neatly divided between the oppressors and the oppressed — that are congenial to classic antisemitism. And it won’t end because most Jews will not forsake what it means to be Jewish so that we may be more acceptable to those who despise us.


Netanyahu: Israel has a ‘duty and right’ to hit back at Iran over missile attack
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday repeated his promise to strike back against Iran for its ballistic missile attack earlier in the week, saying Israel has an obligation to retaliate and will do so.

Speaking from the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said: “No country in the world would accept such an attack on its cities and citizens, and Israel won’t either.

“Israel has the duty and the right to defend itself and respond to these attacks — and it will do so.”

The attack of some 180 ballistic missiles launched Tuesday caused some damage in Israel, including in Israeli airbases. The military has said that no aircraft or critical infrastructure were hit, and the Israeli Air Force is operating at full capacity.

Most of the incoming missiles were either intercepted by air defenses or landed in open areas. However, the attack sent 10 million Israelis rushing for cover and caused damage to civilian structures as well, including a school.

The Israel Defense Forces said earlier Saturday the response would be “serious and significant.”

Iran’s rocket barrage, the second such attack this year, came amid the war against terror groups Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran said it fired the missiles into Israel in response to attacks that killed leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. It referenced Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforoushan, both killed in an Israeli airstrike last week in Beirut. It also mentioned Ismail Haniyeh, the former leader of Hamas who was assassinated in Tehran in July in an attack widely attributed to Israel.

Most of Netanyahu’s other remarks focused on the fighting in Lebanon, where he said Israel was changing “the balance of power in the north.”

Nearly a year into a war that began on October 7, when Hamas led a devastating attack on Israel, the military is also battling Iran-backed Hezbollah which began attacking Israel’s north the day after the Hamas assault. Over the past few weeks, Israel has moved its military focus to the north, where near-daily rocket and drone attacks by Hezbollah since October have forced over 60,000 people to leave their homes.

“About a month ago, as we moved toward the end of the destruction of Hamas battalions in Gaza, we started fulfilling the promise I gave to the residents of the north,” said the premier, referring to his pledge to return them to their homes.

“We eliminated [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah and the Hezbollah leadership, we eliminated the commanders of the Radwan Force who planned to invade the Galilee and carry out a greater and more terrible massacre of our citizens than that of October 7,” Netanyahu said, referring to a series of successes Israel has scored against the group.
IDF kills Palestinian who lynched soldiers near Ramallah in 2000
An Israel Defense Forces strike in the Gaza Strip on Thursday killed Aziz Salha, who gained global notoriety for a video of him lynching two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah’s twin city of el-Bireh on Oct. 12, 2000.

The images of Salha standing at a window in the Palestinian Authority’s el-Bireh police station, waving his blood-soaked hands in front of a Palestinian mob during the early days of the Second Intifada, became etched into the collective Israeli psyche, and for many remains a direct consequence of the Oslo Accords.

IDF Cpl. (res.) Vadim Norzhic, 33, a truckdriver from Or Akiva who had made aliyah from Irkutsk 10 years earlier, and Sgt. First Class (res.) Yosef Avrahami, 38, a toy salesman from Petach Tikvah, were pulled from their vehicle and beaten and stabbed to death, and then mutilated, after accidentally entering the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Ramallah, located in the Judaean Mountains some 10 km. north of Jerusalem.

Salha, 43, was arrested a year later but was among the 1,027 Palestinian terrorists released from Israeli jails as part of the 2011 deal to free IDF soldier Gilad Shalit from Hamas captivity in Gaza.

Salha was targeted in an airstrike in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah, the military said.

“In recent years he was involved in directing terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria and continued to engage in terrorist activity even in these past days,” the IDF said.


Will Israel Bomb Iran’s Nuclear Sites?
In Palestine Square, in the center of Tehran, Iran, stands a clock tower that doesn’t tell regular time. Rather, it tracks forward to the year 2040, by which Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has proclaimed the state of Israel will be destroyed. Today, it reads: 5,567 days.

“God willing, there will be no such thing as a Zionist regime in 25 years,” Khamenei told his followers almost a decade ago. “Until then, struggling, heroic, and jihadi morale will leave no moment of serenity for Zionists.” Banners and billboards celebrating the doomsday countdown have proliferated across Iran, and even into neighboring Iraq.

Many Western analysts dismiss Khamenei’s threat as bluster. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet are taking the Supreme Leader at his word as they plan Israel’s response to Iran’s unprecedented ballistic missile attack on the Jewish state this week.

Netanyahu is now weighing directly striking Iranian nuclear, military, and energy installations to deter Iran—and derail Khamenei’s countdown clock. Current and former Israeli officials told The Free Press that the prime minister sees the next four months—when the U.S. is helmed by a diminished president and consumed by an election and political transition—as a singular window for Israel to pursue its military aims without Washington’s constraints. (The White House has sought to hold the Israeli military back repeatedly in the past year, most notably, according to a recent report in the Financial Times, by blocking a 2023 strike on the leader of the Lebanese militia, Hezbollah, in the first days of Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. And on Wednesday, President Joe Biden said he wouldn’t support an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.)

The Israel Defense Forces have made significant gains in their campaign against Tehran by crippling Hamas, Iran’s proxy in Gaza, and, over the past weeks, taking out the leadership of Hezbollah. What began as pager explosions in the hands of Hezbollah militants last month, and then airstrikes against the militia’s positions in Lebanon, has turned into an IDF ground operation into the country’s south in recent days.

But Israeli officials insist that crippling Iran’s proxies is insufficient. Ultimately, what the Jewish state’s security requires is eliminating the possibility of Iran gaining nuclear weapons.
Sinwar, Hamas, have no intention of reaching hostage deal with Israel
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar reportedly seeks a wider regional war and has hardened his stance on a hostage deal, US officials told the New York Times on Saturday.

Sinwars' attitude has "hardened in recent weeks," US officials told NYT, and they believe that Hamas currently has no intention of reaching a hostage deal with Israel.

These US officials said Hamas has not shown any engagement or desire to continue talks in recent weeks. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, while speaking at press briefings on Tuesday and Wednesday, stated that Hamas has refused to take part in hostage deal negotiations over the past several weeks.

According to reports, Sinwar believed that he would not survive the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, which has allegedly hindered talks to secure and finalize a hostage deal, NYT reported, citing US intelligence assessments.

According to SInwar, a larger regional war that sees further pressure on Israel would force the IDF to limit operations in the Gaza Strip, the US officials said.

The NYT reported that the US officials estimated Sinwar’s reported gambit was a miscalculation in light of the ongoing Israeli ground operations in Lebanon and the Iranian ballistic missile attack, which failed to inflict much damage on Israel.
Netanyahu bashes Macron’s call to halt sale of some weapons to Israel: ‘A disgrace’
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday urged a halt to deliveries of arms to Israel that can be used in its war against Hamas in Gaza, drawing a furious reaction from Jerusalem.

“I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza,” Macron told broadcaster France Inter.

“France is not delivering any,” he added during the interview recorded early this week.

Macron reiterated his concern over the conflict in Gaza that is continuing despite repeated calls for a ceasefire.

“I think we are not being heard,” he said. “I think it is a mistake, including for the security of Israel,” he said, adding that the conflict was leading to “hatred.”

Macron also said avoiding an escalation in Lebanon was a “priority,” asserting that “Lebanon cannot become a new Gaza.”

Responding to Macron on Saturday evening, Netanyahu called his comments “a disgrace.”

“Israel is defending itself on seven fronts against the enemies of civilization,” he said in a video statement, pointing to Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Iran. “As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized countries should be standing firmly by Israel’s side.”

“Yet President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel,” he continued. “Shame on them.”

Netanyahu asked rhetorically whether Iran is imposing an arms embargo on its proxies. “Of course not,” he said. “This axis of terror stands together.”

“But countries who supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel,” Netanyahu continued. “What a disgrace!”


Richard Goldberg: Biden-Harris should help destroy Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure
The mass murder of 1,200 Jews and capture of 250 more hostages, including Americans among the dead and captive, followed by Tehran unleashing a war on seven fronts — from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Judea and Samaria and Iran itself — still did not force any changes in US strategy. Waivers issued to give Iran access to cash were renewed. Oil sanctions remained unenforced. And the international missile embargo on Iran was allowed to expire despite the US and its closest allies having the power to maintain it by simply sending a letter to the UN Security Council.

Three dead American soldiers in Jordan prompted retaliation against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, but Iran was spared. And as the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen effectively closed international shipping in the Red Sea and began a daily drone and missile war on the US Navy, the White House refused to put the group back on the foreign terrorist organization list, let alone unleash Central Command to decimate the group’s leadership, infrastructure or capabilities.

As the presidential election season drew nearer, the White House strategy got worse — pressure increased on America’s ally, Israel, in the middle of its existential war for survival, instead of on the aggressor and its terror axis. From imposing sanctions on Israelis to withholding weapons from Israel’s military, the message to Tehran was clear: You have a green light to escalate.

Israel has now emerged from months of US hand-wringing, threats, undermining press leaks and other pressure tactics with a full-throated campaign to turn the tables on Iran and decimate its ability to wage war across the Middle East. And Israel is winning despite its greatest ally making the situation as challenging as possible.

Biden and Harris reportedly want credit for Israel’s success. They also want applause for helping defend Israel from large-scale missile attacks that were launched only because of their complete evisceration of American deterrence and appeasement of the attacker.

An arsonist playing firefighter deserves no applause. But if they want to atone for their ideologically driven foreign policy malpractice, they can do so now by fully supporting Israel in destroying Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure and by helping the Iranian people take back their country.


Last Time Iran Attacked, the Biden-Harris Admin Held Back Israel's Response. This Time, the Jewish State Will 'Not Be Deterred.'
Israel has also made clear in recent weeks that it has the ability to wage sophisticated cyber attacks. Its opening salvo against Hezbollah last month included a daring intelligence operation that caused the terror group’s pagers and handheld radios to explode simultaneously, wounding thousands of fighters.

"A combination of kinetic strikes and cyber attacks could result in a substantial blow to the regime in Tehran," said Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. "Israeli covert operations against military leaders who carried out the strikes on Tuesday should not be discounted either."

President Joe Biden is nonetheless working to minimize Israel’s response, saying publicly on Wednesday that he does not support an attack on Iran’s nuclear program. This establishes a fresh U.S. red line meant to handicap Israeli war planners as they assemble a list of strategic targets.

"We'll be discussing with the Israelis what they're going to do," Biden said, adding that Israel has "a right to respond, but they should respond proportionally."

In its pursuit to further degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities, including its remaining stockpiles of advanced Iranian missiles, Israel has been conducting cross-border ground raids meant to pave the way for a "limited, localized, and targeted ground offensive."

Hezbollah launched more than 240 missiles on Israel’s northern territories Wednesday morning, suggesting the terror group is still interested in escalation even after its entire senior leadership was wiped out by Israeli airstrikes over the past two weeks. At least eight Israeli soldiers have been killed so far during limited ground operations.

Amid the northern conflict and a continued threat from Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel has shown it can wage a multi-front war that is now expected to reach Iran, the source of all terrorism against Israel.

"There is no free pass this time. Israel is going to respond," said David Schenker, a former Department of Defense official who most recently served as head of the State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs bureau.

"I anticipate Israel will want to do something meaningful," Schenker said, noting that Iran’s oil sites are an attractive target for an initial Israeli strike.

For other regional analysts, the Biden-Harris administration’s bid to dissuade Israel from hitting Tehran’s nuclear sites represents a "misguided" foreign policy that will only embolden Iran’s regime.

"The president should not be saying this publicly as it undermines American deterrence against Iran at a time when its nuclear program is galloping ahead," said Jason Brodsky, a former Senate aide who serves as policy director at United Against a Nuclear Iran. "Israel must escalate here, and its response should be disproportionate."
Trump Blasts Biden's Refusal To Back Israeli Strike on Iranian Nuclear Sites
Former president Donald Trump blasted the Biden-Harris administration's declaration that it would not support an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear sites as payback for Tehran's massive ballistic missile attack on the Jewish state.

Asked Wednesday whether he would support such a strike, President Joe Biden said, "The answer is no." Trump, speaking Thursday at a campaign rally in Michigan, said Biden's position shows that "we have incompetent people running our country."

"I said, 'Did he say that?'" Trump said of Biden. "Isn't it supposed to be the opposite? 'As long as you do destroy the nuclear weapons,' right?"

"He's the worst foreign policy president in history, and everybody knew that from the beginning," Trump went on. "He said, 'As long as they don't destroy the nuclear.' And I'm still trying to figure that one out. Nobody can figure it out. He can't figure it out either, come to think."

Biden's fresh red line, experts and former U.S. officials told the Washington Free Beacon, was meant to handicap Israeli war planners as they plot a retaliatory strike on Iran that is expected to unfold in the coming days.

"We'll be discussing with the Israelis what they're going to do," Biden said, adding that Israel has "a right to respond, but they should respond in proportion." Israeli officials have nonetheless teased a "harsh response" to Iran's second missile strike in less than a year.

"We see indications that Israel will likely not be deterred from an appropriate response this time around," a U.S. official told the Free Beacon on Wednesday. "The Biden-Harris administration foolishly held Israel back after Iran's missile attack in April, and now we see the result."


Biden tells Israel to seek ‘alternatives’ to striking Iran oil sites
Joe Biden has urged Israel against striking Iran’s oil facilities, a day after he said the United States was discussing the possibility of such strikes with its ally.

“If I were in their shoes, I’d be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields,” Mr Biden said on Friday, adding that Israel had yet to decide on its promised response to Tehran’s ballistic missile attack on Tuesday.

“That’s under discussion,” he told reporters, but warned Israel had to be “very much more careful” in its retaliation in regards to civilian casualties.

It is an apparent reversal of his remark on Thursday that he was considering an Israeli strike on Iran’s oil production – a comment that triggered a spike in crude oil prices.

Mr Biden said earlier this week that a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be disproportionate. His decision drew a sharp rebuke from Donald Trump who told Fox News: “That’s the craziest thing I have ever heard” as he warned that Iran was “soon” going to have nuclear weapons.

The former president, speaking later at a campaign event in North Carolina, referred to the question posed to Mr Biden about the possibility of Israel targeting Iran’s nuclear programme.

“When they asked him that question, the answer should have been: ‘Hit the nuclear first, and worry about the rest later’,” Trump said.

‘Target their energy sources’
Earlier on Friday, Iran threatened to retaliate to any direct attacks by Israel by striking the country’s energy and gas infrastructure.

“If the occupiers make such a mistake, we will target all their energy sources, installations and all refineries and gas fields,” said Ali Fadavi, deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, on Friday.

The threat came shortly after Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made a rare sermon, describing its missile attack a “legitimate” act in response to Israel’s killing of Nasrallah and the July assassination of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Earlier on Friday, two Israeli soldiers were killed in a drone attack launched by Iran-backed militants from Iraq.


We’re on the brink of World War Three – and only one country can stop it
If you crave peace, a war against Iran will be necessary first. If you want to avert a nuclear apocalypse, Iran’s atomic programme must be obliterated. If you long for a better, saner world, Iran’s repugnant theocrats need to be extirpated.

Israel must be allowed to attack Iran’s evil regime, and the West must support it. The regime is the original Islamist extremist state; it is the fount of almost all trouble in the Middle East, the foremost exporter of terrorism, an ally of Russia, a friend of China, a cancer eating away at humanity’s common destiny.

The regime has oppressed its wonderful, peace-loving people for 45 years, often in the most savage ways, pitilessly persecuting women and minorities. The West, wracked by self-doubt, ignorance, selfishness and cowardice, has been willfully blind to their pleas for deliverance. We have instead attempted to appease the Mullahs, to relativise or normalise their genocidal machinations, to sign deals with them, to protect the oil market, to endlessly buy time.

It hasn’t worked, and Judgement Day beckons. It is time for Israel to save the West from itself, to conduct the dirty, dangerous work that far larger, richer and more powerful countries are too debilitated to pursue themselves.

This wouldn’t be the first time: Israel did the world a historic favour when it bombed Iraq’s Osirak reactor in 1981 and destroyed the Al-Kibar planned nuclear plant in Syria in 2007; a similar move targeting Iran’s many such facilities is no longer beyond the realm of the possible.

If Israel doesn’t have the equipment to do so itself, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris must send in their own bunker-busting bombs. I’m not calling for any kind of land invasion, or even for the UK to get directly involved. But we need to be honest: regime change in Iran should be a top foreign policy priority for every democracy in the world. Why has Britain still not proscribed the IRGC?

Tuesday’s strike was a disastrous gamble by Iran. It failed to kill any Israelis or to meaningfully damage civilian or military infrastructure. Iran has already used up a tenth of its 3,000 ballistic missile stockpile (as estimated by a US general last year) for nothing: it has exposed its fundamental military and technological inadequacy, it didn’t establish deterrence, it forced a drastic hardening of America’s position, it stopped Europe’s useful idiots from calling for a ceasefire in Lebanon and, for the first time, created a critical opening for Israel to deliver an overwhelming military blow.
Hezbollah has not committed violence, Lebanese ambassador tells BBC
The Lebanese ambassador to the UK has claimed that “Hezbollah has not been committing violence”.

“I condemn any act of violence, but Hezbollah has not been committing violence,” Rami Mortada told the BBC’s Today programme.

“They [Hezbollah] were firing exclusively at military targets,” he added, referring to the group’s rocket attacks on northern Israel that began on October 8.

He also said that Lebanon had been trying to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis in the region, but the “hotheads” in Israel “chose a different path”.

Asked if he would describe Hezbollah as “hotheads”, Mr Mortada said: “Hezbollah… they have [their] modus operandi, it’s a Lebanese matter. Now they are in a self-defence posture.

“Israel has chosen an escalatory path in a very volatile and dangerous region. It’s opened Pandora’s box.”

He repeated his calls for a diplomatic solution, adding that “we need to stop this carnage in Gaza, stop this carnage in Lebanon”.

Richard Kemp, head of an Israeli military charity and a former British Army commander, said: “I’m afraid the Lebanese ambassador is very mistaken.”

“Hezbollah has been firing at villages and towns in northern Israel and farther into Israel, into Tel Aviv,” he added.

Referring to the deaths of 12 Druze children killed in a rocket strike on Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights in July, Mr Kemp said: “All of them were civilians.”
The U.S. Isn’t Ready for a Modern War
Early last month, I visited a drone unit within Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade. Positioned outside of Kharkiv, they boasted an array of drones. These included long-range reconnaissance drones to the first-person-view lethal drones used to attack Russian personnel and armor. These drones were made of everything from hard plastic to balsa wood to heavy construction paper. Most were modified in the field, particularly the lethal drones, which the Ukrainians equipped with a warhead. This past year, Ukraine has expended 10,000 lethal drones. The most used platform is the Mavic 3, an off-the-shelf drone that costs $2,999 on Amazon and is made by DJI—a Chinese company.

Ukrainian field commanders understand the dangers of relying on a Chinese company to provide them with one of their most essential pieces of equipment. Yet they have few alternatives. The equivalent lethal U.S. drone, the Switchblade, has a production cost of between $60,000 to $80,000 and remains in short supply, with only 700 having been delivered to Ukraine. This past May, a bipartisan group from Congress grew so concerned they sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. It read, in part: “. . . we strongly encourage you to include the delivery of small, American-made drones, which are essential for tactical success on the battlefield.” Six months later, these American-made drones have yet to arrive in Ukraine.

Fast execution isn’t impossible. In the Second World War, when the United States needed a long-range fighter escort to support its strategic bombing campaign in Europe, it designed and fielded the P-51 Mustang. This iconic fighter became a mainstay of U.S. airpower and remained in service for decades. From its first design to prototype, the P-51 was produced in 102 days. The United States went on to produce 15,000 by the end of the war.

So how do we do business today?

The most recent fighter produced by the United States, the F-35—which, by all accounts, is an exquisite piece of technology—took twenty years to develop. It comes with a price tag of $100 million per jet. Compare that to the cost of a P-51, which, when adjusted for inflation, would cost $675,000 today.

Exquisite technologies are effective in limited wars. They’re less effective in a total war like those being fought in Ukraine and Israel. Unlike a limited war, a total war is existential for its participants. You either win or you cease to exist. Every national resource is marshaled for the prosecution of the war. The United States hasn’t fought this way since the Second World War. Our defense industry is currently built to fight limited wars, in which the scope of the conflict remains contained and we fight a nonpeer-level adversary that is easily overwhelmed by exquisite technologies. This slows the pace of innovation because our adversary has minimal capacity to field new weapons that we must counter.

Innovation is a blade that cuts both ways. In the Black Sea, the Ukrainians have leveraged low-cost technology against the Russians, logging a remarkable string of victories without precedent in the history of naval warfare. A combination of armed surface drones and ballistic missiles have allowed Ukraine to sink or damage nearly half of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, denying Russia access to Ukraine’s southern coast. The Battle of the Black Sea is historically significant because it’s the first time that a country with virtually no navy has won a naval battle.

In the future, it’s easy to imagine how a nation with essentially no air force might win an air battle, and how one with effectively no army might win a land battle. An axis of nations—China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea—have marshaled their collective resources to prosecute multiple wars around the globe. In Ukraine, Russian soldiers fly Iranian-supplied Shahed drones and fire North Korean artillery shells. In the Middle East, Iran has signed an economic cooperation agreement with China, in which Beijing will invest $400 billion in Iran’s economy over the next 25 years in exchange for heavily discounted oil. These aren’t idle preparations.

If the United States has to fight a war against a peer-level adversary, quality of systems will matter—but so will quantity, and we have discounted quantity for too long. If we fail to reinvest in our military industrial base, and if we continue to rely on a sclerotic, bloated defense acquisition system, we will be unprepared. We will be the Germany of the Third World War.


Iran Is Not Ready for War With Israel
This is a terrifying moment for Iran. Khamenei has long pursued what he calls a “no peace, no war” strategy: Iran supports regional militias opposed to Western interests and the Jewish state but avoids actually getting into a war. The approach was always untenable. But Iran is not ready for an all-out war: Its economically battered society does not share its leaders’ animus toward Israel, and its military capabilities don’t even begin to match Israel’s sophisticated arsenal. Iran lacks significant air-defense capabilities on its own, and Russia has not leapt to complement them.

“We don’t have a fucking air force,” a source in Tehran close to the Iranian military told me, under condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Of the attack on Israel, he said, “I don’t know what they are thinking.”

Iran’s diplomats have said that the attacks were an exercise of self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran targeted “solely military and security sites” that Israel was using to attack Gaza and Lebanon (an odd fit for self-defense claims, because neither of these is Iranian territory). He added that Iran had waited for two months “to give space for a cease-fire in Gaza,” and that it now deemed the matter “concluded.” Other regime figures have contributed more bluster. “We could have turned Tel Aviv and Haifa to rubble, but we didn’t,” said Ahmad Vahidi, the former head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. “If Israel makes a mistake, we might change our decision and turn Tel Aviv into rubble overnight.”

For Israel, a war is worth avoiding for strategic reasons. “Israel has no choice but to retaliate,” Yonatan Touval, a senior policy analyst at Mitvim, a Tel Aviv–based liberal-leaning foreign-policy think tank, told me. But the Axis of Resistance is on its back foot, and for this reason, he said, Israel has a stake in not escalating: “Israel should ensure that, whatever it does, it does not reinforce an alliance that is remarkably, and against all odds, in tatters.”
As Israel Plots Response to Iranian Missile Barrage, Supreme Leader Khamenei Delivers Rare Address Pledging To End the 'Zionist Regime'
Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei delivered his first public address in five years on Friday, pledging to end the "existence of the Zionist regime." His remarks come as Israel plots a "harsh" response to Tehran's Tuesday missile barrage, with the Jewish state expected to launch a direct attack on Iranian military and infrastructure sites.

Khamenei, speaking before a large crowd that carried Palestinian flags and posters of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, sought to project strength as he railed against Israel and justified firing nearly 200 ballistic missiles at cities across the Jewish state. Though Israel has kneecapped Iran's terrorist proxies in recent months, Khamenei said his regional "Axis of Resistance" will ultimately "emerge victorious." He similarly declared Hezbollah "the victor" on Sept. 25—two days before Nasrallah's death.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will powerfully and resiliently perform any duty in this regard," Khamenei said Friday. "We will neither hesitate in our duty nor make a hurry." Israel, he added, "will finally be wiped off the earth and God willing we will do this."

The remarks preview what could become a direct war between Israel and Tehran. Iran's ballistic missile attack, Khamenei said, was the "least punishment" he could deliver. Iran will attack again "if needs be," Khamenei added.

Khamenei's speech came against the backdrop of ongoing Israeli ground operations in Lebanon, where the Jewish state's forces have killed scores of Hezbollah fighters in recent days. The fiery speech also gave Khamenei the opportunity to eulogize Nasrallah, one of his closest friends, following his death last week at the hands of an Israeli airstrike.

"He was the high flag of resistance against oppressive and predatory demons—an eloquent voice and a brave defender of the oppressed," Khamenei said of Nasrallah. "He was a source of encouragement and valor for fighters and rights seekers. His popularity and influence had gone beyond Lebanon, Iran and Arab countries, and now his martyrdom will increase this influence." Khamenei's language was not dissimilar to rhetoric deployed in mainstream media outlets' obituaries eulogizing the late terrorist butcher.

The speech marked a rare public appearance for the 85-year-old Khamenei as his hardline autocracy awaits an Israeli strike that is expected to unfold in the coming days. Tehran has been on edge since Israel promised a "harsh response" to Tuesday's ballistic missile barrage, with reports indicating the Jewish state will not shy away from hitting Iran's top military sites and oil facilities.

Khamenei described the attack on Israel, the second this year, as "completely legal and legitimate." He also praised Hamas's Oct. 7 terror spree on Israel as "legitimate," even though it sparked a year-long conflict that destroyed the Gaza-based terror group and left Hezbollah in a similar position following Nasrallah's death.


David Collier: It really is time to shut down BBC Verify
BBC Verify is promoted as BBC’s flagship ‘fact checking’ news service. But as you will see below – BBC Verify is a cheap, amateurish, propaganda device- that is driven by unacceptable bias, and publishes blatant lies worthy of a Russian Soviet era misinformation service.

BBC Verify ‘verifies’ the Iranian missile strike
On Tuesday evening, 1 October 2024, Iran fired approximately 180 ballistic missiles at Israel. Many were intercepted, but several sites were hit. On Wednesday evening BBC Verify published a 1 minute 20 second video – titled ‘where Iran’s missiles struck in Israel’.

The BBC Verify team tells us they have been looking at ‘where Iran’s missiles have landed’ and the video is to counter ‘a lot of false imagery’ being circulated online. They say they managed to verify strikes in the vicinity of three key locations – all of them military sites:

BBC verify military sites
This creates an immediate problem. Why only these three? For example, a verified strike by Ramat Gan shopping mall has not been included. The BBC had reported on this – and so were well aware of it – but for some reason, BBC Verify left the shopping mall strike out of their analysis.

It is difficult to escape the conclusion that BBC Verify were deliberately pushing a pro-Iranian propaganda line that the missiles were fired only at military targets.

But it gets a lot, lot worse.

BBC Verify and the five mile miss
Having told us that the three targets verified were ‘in the vicinity’ of military targets, we are then shown the evidence. The first we see are several apparent strikes on Nevatim airbase, but it is when the journalist turns her attention to the attack on the Tel Nof base that things become surreal.

Location two is the Tel Nof airbase. In this video you can see a crater where a missile has landed. It is not the airbase itself, but a school a few miles away”:

What? So the Iranian’s didn’t hit Tel Nof airbase with this missile – they hit a school. So why isn’t the school listed in the original map. How on earth can BBC Verify know that the intended target of this missile was an airbase? They can’t.

The school that was hit is the Shalhavot Chabad school in Gadera. About 5 miles from the place BBC verify tells us was the target.

To put this into context. Below on the map are two marks, Gaza City Centre and Jabalia camp. The distance between them is approximately the same distance as between the school and the airbase. Can you imagine Israel hitting a school in Jabalia camp and BBC Verify virtually forgiving them by suggesting it was a close call on a Hamas military target 5 miles away.

There is no excuse for this – and it appears to be a deliberate attempt to whitewash an Iranian ballistic missile strike on a school. Why on earth didn’t the BBC put the school as one of the verified strikes on the map at the start? We all know why. For the same reason they didn’t mention the strike on the shopping mall. It doesn’t fit the propaganda story they are seeking to tell.

The journalist – Nawal Al-Maghafi
The piece was presented by BBC Verify’s Nawal Al-Maghafi.

Nawal Al-Maghafi was born in Yemen – one of the countries that just happens to be firing ballistic missiles at Israel. She gives talks at the British Yemini Society.

Following her career path, she began with Al Jazeera – the Qatari state mouthpiece – and wrote for Middle East Eye – another pro-Qatari propaganda machine. Some of her MEE pieces – such as a 2015 video on a journey to ‘Al Aqsa Mosque’ – have (for whatever reason) been removed from the web.

More troublingly she has worked with PRESS TV – a state media outlet of Iran – the country that launched the 180 missiles that Maghafi is meant to be reporting on.

And in 2012 – she is tagged into a conference in Tehran, where the participants ‘held talks with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Khamenei’ (his speech is here). Attendees also discussed topics covering the Islamic revolution and the victory of the ‘glorious’ resistance in Lebanon and Palestine against the Zionist regime. I cannot ‘verify’ her attendance at this Islamic youth event – but she is clearly tagged into this event.

And then there are things like this – several ‘free Palestine‘ posts on her social media. In this image she is even displaying classic pro-Palestinian stupidity – by implying the Neturei Karta cult (a tiny and very Iran friendly group) are somehow representative of British Jews:

This is the impartial, unbiased journalist fronting the BBC Verify propaganda piece.


Geert Wilders: Why Western Patriots Should Support Israel
Israel is hated by the left for the same reason that European patriots should support it: Because it shows us how vital it is for a people to have its own nation-state with strong and guarded borders.

Almost 130 years ago, Theodor Herzl, the father of Jewish Zionism, wrote in his book The Jewish State: “Some may say we ought not to bring up new differences between people; we ought not to raise new borders, we should rather make the old ones disappear. But men who think in this way are endearing dreamers.”

A Jewish nation-state, Herzl argued, was essential because only through a Jewish state with its own territory could the Jewish people express their culture freely, practice their religion without hindrance, and defend themselves. Without a nation-state, without self-governance, without self-determination there can be no security for a people nor preservation of its identity. This was the insight that led the Zionists to strive for the re-establishment of the state of Israel. And this is the insight that leads Israel to defend itself.

What we need today is Zionism for the nations of Europe. The Europeans should follow the example of the Jewish people and safeguard the sovereignty of their nation-states.

As David P. Goldman has pointed out, the state of Israel was the very first nation-state in history. The story of the Jewish people as recorded in the Old Testament is a long history of patriotism, from Gideon, Samson, and Judith to the Maccabees and the warriors of Masada.

“The nation,” writes Goldman, “is the bearer of our immortality. That is why young men leave their families and sacrifice themselves on the battlefield to preserve their nation. In human history the human hope for eternity has a specific embodiment, namely Israel, the eternal nation.” The European nation-states, originating in the early Middle Ages, were modelled on the old Davidic Kingdom of Israel.

Having been a nation without a country for 19 centuries and barely surviving the catastrophe of the 1940s, the Jewish people, better than the Europeans, understand the importance of a territorial state with sound borders for the survival of a nation.

This is why after the Second World War the Jewish people did the opposite of what the Europeans did. While Europe’s political elites began to abolish the European nation-states and dissolve them in a supranational institution, the Jewish nation proudly reasserted itself as a sovereign nation-state and vigourously defended its borders.

That is exactly what Israel is doing at this very moment. That is exactly why the Left hates it. Because it is the reborn nation-state. That is why we stand with Israel. Not just because it is the frontline against the totalitarian threat of Islam, not only because we support the Jewish homeland in their fight for existence, but also because it is a beacon for nations striving to maintain their national identity.
Parting shot: Borrell accuses Israel of exacerbating conflict, intentionally withholding aid
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, strongly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for exacerbating the conflict and intentionally withholding aid from Gaza in an interview with Spanish radio on Friday.

Borrell shared his concerns with Onda Cero over the intensity of any Israeli response to the Iranian attack on Israel last Tuesday.

He emphasized that Israel is only able to achieve military superiority thanks to the support it receives from the West.

He warned that an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities was sure to lead to a response that could spiral the region into regional, or even global war, if other actors, such as Russia and China become involved.

Borrel then accused Netanyahu of wanting to start a war, stating, "Netanyahu wants a conflict, and he wants to start it from a position of strength."

He criticized Israeli restrictions on the entry of goods into Gaza, saying that Israel does not allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip.

He accused Israel of leaving warehouses of food to rot, saying, "I have seen warehouses and warehouses of humanitarian aid piled up, rotting, that cannot enter when on the other side of the fence there are two million people who are dying of hunger or diseases."

Borrell has been a persistent critic of Israel throughout his term, but in particular in the year since the October 7 massacre.


Arsen Ostrovsky: Who is running the Foreign Office? Lammy or Corbyn?
The news that Lammy is now seeking to adopt further sanctions against Israelis that the British government unilaterally deems as ‘extremist’ or ‘violence’, also only underscores the glaring arbitrariness and politicization of the existing UK sanctions regime, which has singled out Israelis for opprobrium and punishment, but not Palestinian extremists and officials who continue to incite violence and racial hatred, or those who call for jihad and intifada on the streets of London every other week, with impunity.

Whilst a robust sanctions regime is as a key foreign policy and national security tool for any nation, it is only credible insofar as it is fair, transparent and based on clearly defined criteria. It must also conform with Britain’s obligations under international law and respect for the principles of due process and individual rights, not a politicized tool to be used at the whim of any sitting Foreign Secretary.

Speaking at the same Labour Party conference, Starmer’s Attorney-General, Lord Hermer, said that the Government must be “militant about our belief in the rule of law and human rights.”

Indeed, it ought to, yet this British government betrays that very commitment, in endorsing the ICC Prosecutor’s attempt to indict Israeli leaders, which is the most egregious and unprecedented abuse of rule of law in recent memory, while applying an arms embargo on Israel, based on a false and politicized interpretation of international humanitarian law and arbitrarily singling out Jewish Israelis for illegitimate sanctions.

In view of the Starmer government’s abdication of principled leadership on the foreign stage and unequivocal determination to fight terror, it is therefore hardly surprising that ahead of his G7 meeting this week, Lammy has refused to condemn Hezbollah, a UK-designated terror group which has fired almost 10,000 rockets against Israel the last 12 twelve months, displacing almost 100,000 residents from the north of the country.

Instead, in a Chamberlainesque display, Lammy demonstrated only pitiful moral cowardice, in calling for a “ceasefire on both sides”.

It this kind of exasperation with a once cherished ally, that led even Israel’s normally exceedingly diplomatic President, Isaac Herzog, to proclaim in a Sky News interview this week that “there is a sense of disappointment in Israel. We expect that all our allies will be side by side with us.”

Yet regrettably, the cold hard truth is that, given the choice between standing with its democratic ally Israel, or the jihadist proxies serving at the behest of the Islamic Republic of Iran, this UK government has shamefully turned its back on Israel, betraying an ally engaged in an existential battle and its very own principles and commitment to rule of law.


Nobel prizes to coincide with Oct. 7 anniversary; expert urges withholding peace award
Wars, a refugee crisis, famine and artificial intelligence could all be recognized when Nobel Prize announcements begin next week under a shroud of violence.

The prize week begins on Monday, coinciding with the anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 invasion, massacre and mass abduction in southern Israel, which began a year of bloodshed and war across the Middle East.

The literature and science prizes could be immune. But the peace prize, which recognizes efforts to end conflict, is scheduled to be awarded on Friday in an atmosphere of ratcheting international violence — if awarded at all.

“I look at the world and see so much conflict, hostility and confrontation, I wonder if this is the year the Nobel Peace Prize should be withheld,” said Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

As well as events roiling the Middle East, Smith cites the war in Sudan and risk of famine there, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and his institute’s research showing that global military spending is increasing at its fastest pace since World War II.

“It could go to some groups which are making heroic efforts but are marginalized,” Smith said. “But the trend is in the wrong direction. Perhaps it would be right to draw attention to that by withholding the peace prize this year.”

Withholding the Nobel Peace is not new. It has been suspended 19 times in the past, including during the world wars. The last time it was not awarded was in 1972.


Iran’s Foreign Minister in Lebanon amid war with Hezbollah
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei disclosed that Iran’s foreign minister had arrived in Beirut on Friday. “The Iranian delegation, accompanied by two members of parliament and the head of the Red Crescent Society, will meet with high-ranking Lebanese officials, he added.

Additionally, he underlined that a shipment of 10 tons of food and medicine would be presented to Lebanon as part of Iran's humanitarian aid,” Iranian state media IRNA noted. The Iranian diplomat is claiming “unwavering” support for the people of Lebanon.

Araghchi’s trip to Beirut came after he attended an important meeting in Qatar with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The meetings were part of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue Forum. "Delighted to be in Doha for important engagement", Araghchi said, regarding the Iranian delegation meeting the Emir of Qatar and the Prime Minister of Qatar. "On the sidelines of The Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), [the] first Iran-Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) informal Foreign Ministers level gathering was held," he noted. "Our neighbors are our priority, strong region is our goal, and dialogue is a must," Araghchi said.

The Iranian diplomat also arrived in Beirut as Iran’s president has threatened a “stronger” and “crushing response” if Israel responds to the Iranian ballistic missile attack. Iran refers to the October 1 attack as Operation True Promise 2.

“The continuation of the atrocities committed by the Israeli regime has led to a decisive response from the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and certainly, this regime will receive an even more crushing and stronger response if it commits the slightest mistake again,” Pezeshkian said.


State Department Rebuts Lebanese FM's Claim That Nasrallah Agreed to Ceasefire Before His Death
The State Department denied claims from Lebanon's foreign minister, made during an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, that former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a ceasefire deal just before Israel killed him in a strike on the terror group's Beirut headquarters.

In the interview, which aired late Wednesday, Lebanese foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib said Nasrallah agreed to a U.S.-brokered three-week ceasefire just days before his death. "He agreed, he agreed, yes, yes," Habib said. "We informed the Americans and the French what happened."

A State Department spokesman, however, denied the account. "This is not something we had heard before," the spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon. "If true, it was not communicated to us."

Habib's claim was extraordinary, given that Nasrallah had spent months greenlighting near-daily missile attacks on Israel in the wake of Oct. 7, including the day before his death, which came while he was meeting with his senior commanders. One week before the Hezbollah HQ strike, meanwhile, Nasrallah said Hezbollah would unleash a "reckoning" on Israel.

Amanpour did not disclose that information in her conversation with Habib and did not push back on his claim. Instead, she blamed the lack of a deal on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"He actually said publicly, 'The IDF must fight on,' and then he ordered the assassination and the targeting of that headquarters, which killed Nasrallah," Amanpour said before asking Habib who he has "any faith in, if the strongest country in the world, the United States, seems to have no or very little influence."

CNN covered the interview in its Wednesday live thread of Middle East coverage, writing that Nasrallah "had agreed to a 21-day ceasefire just days before he was assassinated by Israel." The post did not indicate that CNN had reached out about the claim to the State Department or Israel.

One day later, CNN published a standalone story on the interview, again saying Nasrallah had agreed to the ceasefire. That story includes the Biden-Harris administration's denial in its 10th and 11th paragraphs—after citing an unnamed "Western source" who said Hezbollah "had agreed to the temporary truce."


'Growing Assessment' From Israeli Security Officials That Beirut Strike Killed Former Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah's Successor
Israeli security officials believe they killed former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's presumed successor, Hashem Safieddine, in a Beirut airstrike, according to reports. The news, if confirmed, would deal a lethal double whammy to the Iran-backed terror group after it was left reeling last week by Nasrallah's death in a similar strike.

The "growing assessment" from the Jewish state's military establishment is that Safieddine is likely dead, Israeli media reported Friday. Safieddine, much like Nasrallah, was meeting with other senior Hezbollah leaders in an underground bunker, which Israel struck late Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a Washington Free Beacon request for further information.

Safieddine's death would cap an extraordinary two weeks for Israel's military, which has decapitated the terror group through strikes on its leaders and "targeted" raids on its tunnels and other infrastructure. In the week since Nasrallah’s death, Israel has continued to hammer the terror group’s outposts across Lebanon, killing another 250 fighters through air assaults and ground operations, according to the IDF.

Israeli ground forces conducted "limited, localized, and targeted raids" on Hezbollah outposts on Friday following the strike on Safieddine, seeking to further degrade the terror group's capabilities along the country’s northern border, where more than 50,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes. The Jewish state has hit more than 3,000 Hezbollah sites across Lebanon, representing the largest ongoing air operation in Israel’s history.

Israel's week of intensive air and land operations has fundamentally changed the regional landscape, putting Iran on the back foot as the Jewish state plots a "harsh" response to Tehran's Tuesday ballistic missile barrage.


Blasts seen in Dahiyeh as Israel strikes Beirut, secondary explosions heard
Explosions were heard in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut on Saturday night, with the IDF confirming it was conducting strikes in the area against Hezbollah terror targets.

Lebanese MTV also reported that a fire had broken out at the studios of Hezbollah-affiliated news outlet Al Manar, in the same suburb.

This came shortly after IDF spokesperson in Arabic Avichay Adraee posted on social media, asking residents of specific areas of Dahiyeh to evacuate.

In the post, he attached maps with labels on some of the buildings. Adraee warned residents of the buildings that they are located near Hezbollah facilities, against which the IDF planned to operate in the near future.

He called on the residents to leave immediately and stay at a distance of 500 meters.

Soon after, videos circulated on social media and Israeli media showing strikes, and secondary explosions, indicating the presence of explosion materials or weapons in the area.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar wrote that Israel had launched strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, concentrated in the areas of Harat Hreik, Al-Ruwais, Burj Al-Barajneh, and Al-Shuwaifat.
Israel Air Force strikes Hezbollah command centers in Beirut
The Israeli air force conducted strikes on additional Hezbollah command centers and terrorist infrastructure in the area of Beirut, the IDF reported Saturday afternoon.

The Israeli air force struck Dahieh, Beirut, in Lebanon six times in 20 minutes, Kan News had reported earlier Saturday afternoon.

The IAF also struck Hezbollah weapon storage facilities, command centers, and additional terrorist infrastructure in the area of Beirut overnight on Saturday.

"Hezbollah has deliberately embedded its weapons beneath residential buildings in the heart of the city of Beirut, endangering the population in the area," the IDF said in a statement.

The strikes came amid Hezbollah rocket barrages from Lebanon into Israel. As of 3 p.m. Israel time on Saturday, approximately 90 rockets had been launched from Lebanon.


Israeli air force destroys 3.5 km. Lebanon-Syria Hezbollah smuggling tunnel
Israel Air Force fighter jets struck a 3.5-kilometer-long underground tunnel on Thursday, which crossed from Lebanon into Syria and was used for smuggling and storing large quantities of weapons, the IDF reported the following day.

According to the IDF, the tunnel was operated by Hezbollah's 4400 Unit, which is responsible for the transportation of weaponry from Iran to Hezbollah.

The IAF strike on the tunnel was conducted according to intelligence provided by the IDF Intelligence Directorate and succeeded in destroying terror infrastructure and weapons storage facilities, the military stated.

Additionally, Hezbollah infrastructure in the vicinity of the Masnaa border crossing between Syria and Lebanon was also reportedly targeted.

"These strikes join the elimination of the commander of the 4400 Unit, the terrorist Mohammed Jaafar Katzir, earlier this week," the IDF stated, adding that the military would continue to strike at terror infrastructure and weapons smuggling efforts that could harm Israeli civilians or soldiers.
IDF seals Hezbollah 250m underground tunnel in southern
The IDF has sealed a major section of Hezbollah’s underground infrastructure in southern Lebanon, the military reported Saturday evening.

Forces from the Paratroopers Brigade, Yahalom Unit, and Northern Command Combat Engineering Unit, under the 98th Division, destroyed 250 meters of underground tunnels and facilities used by Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces.

The underground network was identified and investigated during recent cross-border operations, coordinated with special units. IDF forces uncovered command centers, terrorist combat packs, and large caches of weapons, which were reportedly intended for use in a Hezbollah invasion of Israel.

The tunnels also contained living quarters equipped with showers, a kitchen, and stockpiles of food.

Notably, the underground infrastructure did not extend into Israeli territory. The tunnels were sealed by the Northern Command Combat Engineering Unit and Yahalom Unit, in cooperation with the Defense Ministry's Department of Engineering and Construction.

IDF soldiers engage in close-quarter combat with Hezbollah forces
IDF troops, particularly the Paratroopers Brigade, remain engaged in combat in the mountainous terrain of southern Lebanon.

Within this Hezbollah stronghold, soldiers uncovered hundreds of weapons and eliminated several Hezbollah fighters in combat while directing air strikes.


Hezbollah rockets crash into buildings, houses in Karmiel, Deir al-Assad
Following red alert sirens activated in Karmiel and the surrounding areas on Saturday afternoon, damage was reported in Karmiel and in Deir al-Assad, according to the IDF.

There have been no reported casualties, although about ten individuals have been treated for anxiety, and three people were injured, according to the police.

Approximately 30 rockets were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory in the barrage towards the center of the Galilee, the IDF reported. The majority of the rockets were intercepted however some crashed.

Sirens sounded in Karmiel again two hours after the initial barrage. In this barrage, about 25 rockets were seen crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory, N12 reported. Several of them were intercepted.

Damage caused by rockets
In two videos and an image published to N12, the inside of a building and a house can be seen with a gaping hole in the roof, where a rocket crashed through in the earlier barrage.

In Deir al-Assad, there is another video showing a hole in the roof of a house from a rocket.

Additionally, shrapnel struck an MDA vehicle in Karmiel.

MDA teams have begun working at the sites of the rocket and shrapnel crashes.


IAF kills 12 terrorists in Tulkarm strike including Hamas commander
The Israel Air Force (IAF) conducted a strike in Tulkarm as part of a joint IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) operational against Hamas activity in the West Bank, they announced late Thursday.

At least 12 terrorists from the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror organizations were eliminated in this strike, the IDF later reported on Saturday.

The strike targeted Hamas commander Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi, who led the Hamas network in Tulkarm, the IDF announced on Thursday night. Hamas confirmed his death on Friday night.

In addition to the elimination of Oufi, head of Hamas infrastructure in Tulkarm, and Jit Radwan, a key operative in the PIJ terror organization in the Tulkarm area, the IDF confirmed on Saturday that ten more terrorists were killed in the strike, including Majdi Salem, Ayman Tangi, Basel Nafaa, Ahmed Jamal Obeid, Issam Kuzah, Atir Majdi Hussein al-Luisi, Anwar Muhammad Musa Masimi, Mahmoud Harwish, Maamun Anabtawi, and Rakkan Bilal.

The first nine on the list were affiliated with Hamas, while Bilal was affiliated with the PIJ.

At least 20 Palestinians were killed in the strike, according to the Palestinian health ministry and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The strike targeted a cafe in the Al-Hamam neighborhood in the east of the town.

Fatah officials announced that there would be a general strike in Tulkarm on Friday in protest of the strike.


Seth Frantzman: Recent IDF casualties show deadly drone threat from Iraq, Yemen is increasing
Two Israeli soldiers were killed by a drone attack from Iraq. The soldiers, members of the Golani Brigade’s 13th battalion, were killed by a drone launched from Iraq on October 3. Their deaths were announced on Friday. The attack involved two drones, one of which was downed by Israel. Soldiers were also wounded in the attack.

This is one of a number of recent drone attacks against Israel. The IDF has intercepted UAVs off the coast of Israel in recent days and drone threats near Beit Shean.

The drone or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) threat against Israel has been growing for years. Hezbollah stockpiled an estimated 2,000 drones in its arsenal, some of them small drones such as commercially available quadcopter types, and some of them larger kamikaze drones whose technology is based on Iranian success in developing similar drones.

The Houthis in Yemen have been using drones for almost a decade. In 2020, the Iranian Shahed 136 arrived in Yemen to be used by the Houthis. This V-shaped design drone is the mainstay of Iran’s drone exports these days. It carries a warhead and has a long-range, around 2,000 miles. Iran exported it to Russia to be used against Ukraine.

In addition, Iraqi militias have acquired drones. They used the drones initially to target US forces based in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In January, the Iranian-backed terrorist group Kataib Hezbollah killed three US service members in a drone attack on Jordan.

Kataib Hezbollah has also threatened Saudi Arabia with drone attacks in the past. The Houthis have used drones against Saudi Arabia and threatened other Gulf states, as well as attacking ships with drones.

The Iranian-backed drone programs that proliferated in the Middle East in recent years have become increasingly deadly. The commercial oil tanker Mercer Street was struck by a drone in July 2021, killing two crew members. A drone launched from Iran’s Chabahar also struck the Pacific Zircon ship in November 2022.
Iraq drone attack kills two IDF soldiers on Golan Heights
Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed and two dozen others were wounded by a drone attack launched from Iraq, the IDF said on Friday.

The slain soldiers were named as:

Sgt. Daniel Aviv Haim Sofer, 19, of the Golani Brigade’s 13th “Gideon” Infantry Battalion, from Ashkelon; and

Cpl. Tal Dror, 19, also of the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, from Jerusalem.

Two explosive-laden drones were launched in the attack on Thursday morning; one was intercepted and the other hit a military base in the Golan Heights.

Last week, Israeli fighter jets intercepted a drone over the southern Golan Heights that had crossed the border from the east, in what was the fifth such incident in a few days.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed militia, took credit for the attack, claiming the target had been a base belonging to the Golani Brigade.

On Sunday, the IDF intercepted a drone fired towards Israel from the direction of the Red Sea. An Israeli Navy Sa’ar 4.5 missile boat downed the unmanned aerial vehicle “outside the country’s borders,” according to the military.


‘Not one girl could be shown to her parents’: The horrors of Oct 7 – as told by the survivors
Some 364 young people who attended the Nova festival were murdered, and 44 were taken hostage (Meirav Gonen’s darling Romi is still in Gaza 12 months on. “We love you, stay strong.”). Noa Argamani was rescued by ground forces, but the boyfriend she cried out for from the motorbike – Avinatan Or – has not come home. The only way Shani Louk’s death could be confirmed was when a piece of her skull was found in Gaza.

“Aner didn’t succeed in saving his life,” Moshe says. “But he succeeded in showing that you can’t go to slaughter like a sheep. You have to stand, and it’s amazing, you know, he did succeed. He succeeded because you show the world that if you have a spirit, even if you’re unarmed, you can face evil and you can fight.”

I visited the Nova festival site on a perfect sunny afternoon. It is an eerily beautiful place; no screams now, no remorseless gunfire, no jubilant monsters hellbent on martyrdom, just the tinkle of wind chimes attached to memorials with their photos of each young victim (so many faces so full of promise, my God, so many), and the sound of visitors softly weeping.

On the drive home, we stop at the megunit, the site of Aner’s last stand. Rust-coloured blood everywhere, on the floors, on the walls pitted by gunfire. It is shockingly small, the size of a garden shed; so small that the living managed to stay alive under the bodies.

As long as they live, today’s young Israelis will always be the Nova generation. Their attitudes have hardened, or so people say, because they saw what your enemy does to you if you don’t pay attention. That’s a cruel lesson students in the West, who idly lend their support to Islamist rapists and murderers, should pray they never have to learn.

What a leader of his country Aner Shapira could have been. A sensitive soldier who inhabited the contradictions of being a Jew surrounded by hatred, a peace-lover who had to take up arms to save people. Who knows? Aner might have persuaded the world that Israel was on the side of good. On the first anniversary of October 7, we may glimpse the tall, fair-haired young man standing there in the doorway still, alert, ready to protect. “I’ll catch the grenades and throw them back.”
In ‘The Killing Roads,’ filmmaker Igal Hecht confronts the visceral pain of Oct. 7
Canadian-Israeli documentary filmmaker Igal Hecht didn’t witness firsthand the Hamas atrocities of last October 7 but the horrors of that fateful day have dominated much of his reality over the past year.

It’s the focus of his new film, “The Killing Roads,” which will see an unconventional release this week, just ahead of the first anniversary of the massacre, which saw 1,200 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, butchered with horrific brutality and 251 kidnapped to the Gaza Strip.

But instead of focusing primarily on the ravaged kibbutzim and Nova music festival targeted by Hamas, “The Killing Roads” concentrates on what happened on Route 232 and Highway 34 where marauding gunmen from Gaza mowed down 250 people in cold blood.

Hecht is making “The Killing Roads” available for free on social media and on a designated website to counter widespread denial of what Israel experienced on the worst day in its history.

For Hecht, it’s the most traumatic of the 52 films he’s directed in his career. Its soul-crushing content still torments him.

“By far, this was the hardest film I’ve ever made due to the emotional impact,” says Hecht during a recent interview with The Times of Israel in a Toronto café. “It took more out of me than my other films. Usually, I love making films. I love the process. I love being on location. Not this time. There was no joy in making this film whatsoever. I hated every moment. At every place we filmed, it was heartbreaking.”

If the nearly two-hour film was excruciating for Hecht to make, it’s extremely difficult to watch. As its title suggests, “The Killing Roads” is replete with death. It combines an exploration of the slaughter by Palestinian terrorists on thoroughfares in southern Israel on October 7 with gut-wrenching testimony of survivors, first responders and those who lost loved ones in the brutal ambushes. It takes viewers on a blood-soaked journey along the ill-fated roads, retracing the steps of the invaders and documenting their acts of carnage, starting at 6:30 a.m.


It was an act of barbarism beyond comprehension - a year on, a powerful new book by BRENDAN O'NEILL argues... far too many in the West who see themselves as good people failed the moral test posed by October 7
Outspoken Western feminists, who see dangerous misogyny in a touch on the knee or a risque joke, fall silent in the face of mass rapes by Hamas fighters, because – in the woke playbook – Jews are the oppressors and Palestinians the victims.

Apart from the charity called Jewish Women's Aid, not one group in England that focuses on sexual violence against women condemned the sex crimes of Hamas. In fact, the radical organisation Sisters Uncut actively challenged the reports of abuse, claiming that there was a risk of stirring up Islamophobia.

The theory that Israelis invented or exaggerated the incidence of sexual assaults for their own ­political ends fits the anti-Semitic stereotype that portrays Jews as cynical, cunning liars, continually manipulating events for their own political advantage.

That belief in the Jews' inherent dishonesty also lies behind the lurid conspiracy theory that Israel fabricated much of the attack on October 7 in order to provide a pretext for pulverising Gaza.

It is an approach that could be called 'Pogrom denial', a smaller version of the vile practice of ­'Holocaust denial' which has been central to modern anti-Semitism.

While few of the Western pro-Palestinian brigade go so far as to question the reality of the Holocaust, they undermine its central importance to the Jews and to humanity in other ways.

One is to scold Israel for using its traumatic legacy as a stick with which to beat Hezbollah and Hamas, even though both groups are built on the desire to wipe the Jewish state off the face of the earth.

Another is to challenge the Jewish people's moral ownership of the Holocaust by robbing the Nazis' genocide of its racial specificity, instead presenting Hitler's policy as a generalised act of extremist wickedness.

Dressed up as a step towards greater inclusion, it is a process that downgrades the unique suffering of the Jews.

Other hypocrisies are glaring, such as the habit of self-­regarding activists to don the Keffiyeh, originally a scarf worn by Bedouin tribesmen but now an emblem of solidarity with Palestine.

Yet these are often the same people who shriek about 'cultural appropriation' if a white person wears a sombrero or has their hair braided.

Moreover, in a rich irony, few of the Keffiyehs are made in ­Palestine but rather are ­manufactured in China using forced Uyghur labour.

These double standards are embodied in the figure of Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader and now independent MP for Islington. He likes to see himself as a feminist ally, supporter of gay rights, advocate of democracy, and champion of the oppressed.

Yet in his hatred of Israel, he has ended up colluding with violent misogyny, racism, homophobia and authoritarianism.

Tragically, there are too many in the West who have taken the same route as Corbyn. That helps to explain why we failed collectively the moral test of October 7.

Israel deserved better.
Spiked: After the Pogrom | Brendan O’Neill and Batya Ungar-Sargon
To celebrate the release of Brendan O’Neill’s new book, After the Pogrom: 7 October, Israel and the Crisis of Civilisation, Brendan was interviewed by Batya Ungar-Sargon for this special live podcast. They discussed how the West failed the moral test of 7 October, why all democrats, humanists and anti-imperialists must stand with Israel, and how to fight back against the new anti-Semitism in our midst.


Anti-Zionism is the ‘mask' which 'antisemitism wears’
Spiked Online Author and Chief Political Reporter Brendan O’Neil says anti-Zionism is the “mask that antisemitism wears” in the 21st century.

Mr O’Neil told Sky News host Andrew Bolt that anti-Zionists are repeating “old racist tropes” previously said about the Jewish people.

“It’s the form antisemitism now takes.”


Mother of Israeli hostage shares her story with Erin
Monday October 7 will mark a year since 1,200 innocent Israelis and others were murdered by Hamas terrorists.

It will also be the first anniversary since 251 Israelis were kidnapped from either their homes or the Nova Music Festival.

Israeli mother Idit Ohel has joined Sky News host Erin Molan live to share her story amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Ms Ohel has been battling since October 7 to find her son who was kidnapped in the early hours of the morning from the Nova Music Festival.




IDF rescues Yazidi woman enslaved by ISIS in Iraq and sold to Gazan
After a decade of slavery, a Yazidi woman ISIS terrorists kidnapped in Iraq and trafficked to a terrorist in the Gaza Strip was rescued in an operation spearheaded by the Israel Defense Forces.

Fawzi Amin Sido, taken captive in 2014 at the age of 11, was freed this week and returned to her family in Iraq.

The Palestinian terrorist who had been holding her was recently killed, allowing her to flee and eventually be rescued, the IDF said.

“The young girl was extracted from the Gaza Strip in recent days in a secret operation through the Kerem Shalom Crossing. After entering Israel, she was taken to Jordan via the Allenby Crossing and then on to her family in Iraq,” the army said.

The operation was led by the Israeli military with the participation of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and “other members of the international community.”

The incident proves the “connection between Hamas and the Islamic State and [is] further evidence of the crimes against humanity carried out by the terror group in Gaza,” the IDF said.

“The IDF will continue to act at all times to destroy the infrastructure of the terrorist organization Hamas-ISIS, and to return the abductees,” it continued.


Call Me Back: IDF INVADES LEBANON, IRAN STRIKES – with Nadav Eyal and Matt Levitt
Hosted by Dan Senor The past couple days have seen some of the most fast-moving and potentially region-altering events since the 10/07 War broke out. To help us better understand what has happened and where events are likely heading, we are joined by:

NADAV EYAL — a columnist for Yediiot. He is one of Israel’s leading journalists. Eyal has been covering Middle-Eastern and international politics for the last two decades for Israeli radio, print and television news.

MATTHEW LEVITT — the director of the Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Matt served as deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and analysis at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. He later served as a counterterrorism advisor to the special envoy for Middle East regional security. Previously, Matt was a counterterrorism intelligence analyst at the FBI.


‘The right to respond’: Douglas Murray backs Israel counteroffensive after Iran attack
Author Douglas Murray has defended Israel’s right to respond to Iran’s attack this week.

“My suggestion should be that if you send ballistic missiles into another country, that country has the right to respond and Israel should respond with a full force that its government and military believe it should respond with,” Mr Murray told Sky News host Rita Panahi.

“And I would hope that America and any other country would do likewise.”


John Anderson: Israel, Hezbollah and Iran - A Year After October 7 | Victor Davis Hanson
Victor Davis Hanson joins John to explore the 2024 presidential election and the escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, a year after October 7. Hanson criticises President Joe Biden, suggesting his cognitive decline has left a power vacuum in the American government. He also sees Vice President Harris’ policy shifts as strategic rather than genuine, causing confusion among voters about where she truly stands.

Hanson addresses the evolving situation in the Middle East, arguing that Israel must act disproportionately to reestablish deterrence, given Iran’s extensive backing of terror groups like Hezbollah. Hanson warns that Iran’s nuclear ambitions continue to be a destabilising factor, which may lead to a larger global conflict if left unchecked.

Victor Davis Hanson is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow in Residence in Classics and Military History at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is a nationally syndicated columnist and has written many books on ancient and modern warfare. His most recent books are The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation and The Case for Trump: 2024 Edition.

00:00:00 - Intro
00:06:02 - The Declining Fitness of Joe Biden and the Question of Leadership
00:12:15 - Kamala Harris’s Candidacy: Radical Policy Shifts and Uncertainty
00:18:35 - The Impact of Vice-Presidential Debates on the 2024 Election
00:24:42 - Trump's Election Struggles: Media Bias and Debate Challenges
00:30:59 - Harris’s Record on Guns, Crime, and Immigration Policies
00:37:11 - Mail-in Ballots and Voter Fraud Concerns in U.S. Elections
00:43:29 - October Surprises: Economic Manipulation and Political Strategy
00:49:40 - U.S. Foreign Policy and the Middle East: Biden’s Approach to Iran
00:55:55 - Israel’s Military Strategy: Dealing with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran
01:02:10 - Western Nations’ Reliance on Israel for Counterterrorism
01:08:30 - The Disproportionality Debate: How Wars Are Won and Deterred
01:14:45 - Iran’s Role in Middle East Instability and Nuclear Threats
01:21:00 - Lessons from History: Why Proportional Warfare Fails
01:27:15 - Restoring Global Deterrence: The Stakes of Israel’s Success


Ryan McBeth: How Israel Could Strike Iran
OOPS! I might have made a mistake and mislabeled a KC-10 as a KC-135. Sorry. I'm tired, guys. I might also be wrong about the load out. Sidewinders may have to be loaded on external stores for targeting. Also note that the F-35I and the F-15I may have the ability to probe and drogue refuel. If that's the case, the KC-130Hs could be used to refuel. Other F-15s may be able to carry "Buddy" tanks to refuel.

Everybody wants to talk about Israel "striking" Iran, but what would that actually mean and what would it look like?

The truth of the matter is that any strikes would need to be supported by airborne refueling or "tanker" aircraft. An F-35 does not have the fuel capacity to reach Iran and return without tanker support and Israel only has 7 modified Boeing 707 tankers (similar in capacity to the American KC-135).

Also note that strikes are further hampered by the fact that at any given time, roughly 70% of a squadron's aircraft are down for maintenance.

However, Israel could theoretically strike Iran with 20 F-35 aircraft and 5 tankers. This video shows how it could be done.




The Ricochet Podcast: Screed Adjacent
With Israel’s stunning string of victories over its enemies and the approaching anniversary of October 7th, Eli Lake returns to the Ricochet Podcast. He gives his take on the reasons for the administration’s dithering support and rallies for the West to give its ally the greenlight!

Plus, Charlie, Peter and James discuss the Veep debate, the averted longshoremen’s strike and an ineffective Federal Emergency Management Agency… We count three rants out of Charlie Cooke.
What the Hell Is Going On: Gen. Frank McKenzie Explains the Importance of American Strength in the Middle East
General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie was the Commander of United States Central Command when the U.S. took out Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. What can we learn from Gen. McKenzie’s time as CENTCOM Commander? It’s simple: America’s enemies respect our strength. And when we fail to punish bad actors, stand by our allies, or uphold our commitments, our enemies – from Iran to Russia to China – are emboldened. In our conversation with Gen. McKenzie, we discuss his new book, lessons from his service under multiple administrations, and the decision making leading up to America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie the former Commander of United States Central Command. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the University of South Florida’s Global National Security Institute, the Executive Director of the Florida Center for Cybersecurity, and as a Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Security at the Middle East Institute. He is the author of The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century (Naval Institute Press, 2024).
Former Dep. Admin, USAID Bonnie Glick on Tech, USAID & Israel-Hezbollah Conflict
Join Robert Chernin and Ericka Redic as they welcome American diplomat, businesswoman, and former deputy administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, Bonnie Glick. Bonnie, Robert, and Ericka will discuss Israel Appreciation Day where Bonnie was a featured speaker, Israeli tech, the expanding conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and her work in USAID.

Brash, irreverent, and mostly peaceful!

Bonnie Glick is an American diplomat and businesswoman who served as the deputy administrator of the United States Agency for International Development. She is also an adjunct senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. In addition, she served 12 years as a US foreign service officer in the Department of State. After leaving the State Department she spent 12 years at IBM where she co-authored three patents related to semiconductors and emerging technologies, and started the country’s first “tech tank” at Purdue University, helping to raise funding to ensure the sustainability of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy.
UKLFI: Natasha Hausdorff on The Winston Marshall Show ‘They Have Turned The World Against Israel’.
In Winston Marshall's words:

"For the anniversary of October 7th I sit down to discuss the latest in the year long war between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran with barrister and expert in international law, Natasha Hausdorff.

Natasha, fresh off a tour with Douglas Murray, takes me through the failure of the international community, the legality Israel’s founding and the legality of the so-called settlements in the West Bank.

We also explore geopolitics, specifically Britain and America’s approach to Netanyahu and Israel throughout, and what Trump might mean for the region.

The capture and failure of institutions in Britain - universities and the mainstream media in particularly.

All this and much more in a deep dive you won’t get in the corporate media…"


UKLFI: Natasha Hausdorff corrects Gaza misinformation on Yalda Hakim's The World
Natasha Hausdorff, UKLFI Charitable Trust Legal Director, and Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director of Human Rights Watch, discuss the International Criminal Court and the situation in Gaza on Yalda Hakim's The World on Sky News.


UKLFI: Natasha Hausdorff responds to Lord Ricketts' allegations against Israel
In this excerpt from evidence given to the UK House of Commons Business & Trade Committee on 24 April 2024, Natasha Hausdorff (UKLFI CT Legal Director) replies to allegations by Lord Ricketts (former UK National Security Adviser) that Israel is preventing humanitarian supplies to civilians in Gaza.


UKLFI: Dr Efrat Sopher discusses the thinking in Iran and Israel on Times Radio
Dr Efrat Sopher, Chair of Advisory Board of the Ezri Center for Iran & Gulf States Research at Haifa University and UKLFI Director, discusses the thinking of Iranian and Israeli leaders and people at this decisive time on Times Radio 5 October 2024




Middle East ceasefire would ‘protect Hezbollah’ and its weapons
Sky News host Chris Kenny says a ceasefire in the Middle East would “protect Hezbollah” and its weapons in southern Lebanon.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has called for a 21-day ceasefire in the Middle East.

Mr Kenny said the ceasefire “doesn’t help Israel at all”.




‘Show some leadership’: Australia an ‘international embarrassment’ under Anthony Albanese
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to “show some leadership”.

Mr Dutton’s comments come after the Coalition has called for the Albanese government to exile Iranian Ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi after he posted a tribute to slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

“I think the Prime Minister here frankly needs to show some leadership, show some strength of character for goodness sake and start acting in our country’s best interest,” Mr Dutton told Sky News host Erin Molan.

“Our country’s adrift and we’re an international embarrassment when we have a federal government here making decisions based on domestic political benefit instead of what’s in our country’s best interest.

“The Iranian ambassador should be expelled.”




‘Utterly hopeless’: Albanese government blasted over its response to Middle East war
The Albanese Labor government is “utterly hopeless” over its response to the war in the Middle East, says The Australian’s Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan.

His remarks come after Iran launched a barrage of missiles into Israel overnight.

“The Albanese government is so cowardly that it won’t be caught dead saying a word in solidarity with Israel,” Mr Sheridan told Sky News host Peta Credlin.


UNRWA 'mired in controversy’ following fresh links to Hamas
Sky News contributor Kosha Gada discusses the newest “indictment” of UNRWA and how the Palestinian relief agency has been “mired in controversy”.

This comes as it was revealed the principal of a secondary school run by UNRWA was a senior Hamas official killed over the weekend.

“It’s an indictment of the Albanese government that doubled Australian taxpayer dollars going to UNRWA soon after they took office,” Ms Gada said.

“It shines a light on this concept of actually maybe cutting back a lot of our funding and foreign aid ... that we have little to no oversight over.”


Andrew Bolt slams the Australian National Imams Council
Sky News host Andrew Bolt has hit out at the Australian National Imams Council for their “advice” to help him in his commentary for the anniversary of October 7.

Mr Bolt said he couldn’t see “any sympathy” for the people who died October 7 in the letter he received.

“It read almost like the imams supported the October 7 attack or at least wouldn't condemn it.”


Andrew Bolt blasts protests which swept Australia over the weekend
Sky News host Andrew Bolt has slammed the shocking protests which took place in Australia's major cities over the weekend following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Mr Bolt also slammed the Albanese Labor government for its weak response to the incident.

His remarks come after Immigration Minister Tony Burke said, ‘I will consider refusing and cancelling visas for anyone who seeks to incite discord in Australia’.

“I’ll believe Tony Burke will cancel visas when I see it,” Mr Bolt said.


‘Absolutely deplorable’: Pro-Palestine protesters slammed for planning October 7 rally
Stepmates Studio’s Mark Nicholson has hit out at pro-Palestine protesters for considering an October 7 rally, calling the previously proposed plan "absolutely deplorable".

“It’s absolutely deplorable,” Mr Nicholson told Sky News host Chris Kenny.

“It’s so emblematic of just how much hatred there is for the West at the moment.”




Al Jazeera reveals full names and units of hundreds of IDF soldiers in newly released documentary
In a documentary released by Al Jazeera on Thursday, in which the Qatari-run news agency makes an effort to prove Israeli war crimes in Gaza, full names and units of IDF soldiers were revealed while showing videos published on the soldiers’ social media accounts.

The one-hour Al Jazeera film shows the videos published to the identified IDF soldiers’ social media accounts, accuses the IDF soldiers of war crimes, and claims that this footage can be used in the International Court of Justice to prove that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza.

The documentary begins with Palestinian novelist Susan Abulhawa telling Al Jazeera, “We live in an era of technology, and this has been described as the first live-streamed genocide in history.”

Another speaker in the documentary, Youmna Elsayed, who is a reporter at Al Jazeera’s English bureau and a Gaza resident, said that they did not expect Israel’s retaliation to “be what it turned out to be.”

“The fact that there are Israeli captives in the Strip. Wouldn’t that be a red line for Israel? That it would be afraid for its captives,” she speculated. “Even if Israel wanted to cross these red lines, we were sure that the rest of the world would stand and say no,” pointing to the US, German, and British aid Israel has received throughout the conflict.

Several of the speakers in the documentary claim that the IDF systematically attacks Palestinian civilians, journalists, and human rights workers. Human Rights Watch’s Bill Van Esveld claimed that after Human Rights Watch gave the IDF their coordinates so that the IDF could ensure that they would not strike the rights workers, the IDF purposefully struck those precise coordinates.
Visegrad24: Al Jazeera: Propaganda or Journalism?
The EU banned Russia Today after the invasion of Ukraine.

Qatar’s propaganda machine Al Jazeera and their Muslim Brotherhood allies have been fomenting Islamist radicalism in the EU for years.

The V24 team travelled to Strasbourg to ask EU politicians if AJ should be banned…


Al Jazeera publishes new skit mocking October 7, Hamas kidnappings
The Qatari network Al Jazeera aired a controversial comedic sketch on its streaming platform, Al Jazeera 360, depicting Hamas terrorists infiltrating an Israeli military base.

The terrorists are shown breaking into an observation post while an Israeli soldier speaks to the camera about the importance of the Iron Dome defense system. In the sketch, the terrorists do not kill anyone but instead abduct the soldier without resistance.

The sketch, which appears to mock the October 7 attacks, shows female soldiers on lookout duty failing to understand how the terrorists managed to infiltrate Israeli territory.

The terrorists are portrayed as non-violent, gently abducting the soldier, adding a layer of satire to an already sensitive topic.

Pro-Israel users reacted with outrage on social media, with comments such as “Disgusting,” “Repulsive,” and “This is why Al Jazeera is banned in Israel. Quoting Al Jazeera shows clear bias against Jews.”

Shutting down Al Jazeera
In mid-September, IDF soldiers shut down Al Jazeera’s offices in Ramallah for 45 days. The closure was broadcast live, with footage showing soldiers delivering the closure order to Waleed Al-Omari, the network’s reporter, in front of cameras.

Al Jazeera condemned the incident in an official statement, calling it an “arbitrary military raid” and accusing Israel of violating journalistic freedom by targeting the network’s coverage of Palestinian issues.

In May, the Knesset passed the so-called Al Jazeera Law, allowing the government to close foreign channels deemed harmful to state security. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, a Likud member, advanced the legislation, which was approved by a vote of 71 to 10.

The law will remain in effect until July 31, 2024, or until the special situation on the home front is lifted, whichever comes first. The measure is part of ongoing efforts to address concerns over media coverage during military operations, such as the Israel-Hamas war.


David Gilmour says Roger Waters supports ‘genocidal and autocratic dictators’
David Gilmour shut down the notion that he’d ever perform with former Pink Floyd bandmate Roger Waters again, citing the singer’s notoriously polarising political views.

“Absolutely not. I tend to steer clear of people who actively support genocidal and autocratic dictators like Putin and Maduro,” Gilmour said in an interview with The Guardian on Thursday. “Nothing would make me share a stage with someone who thinks such treatment of women and the LGBT community is OK. On the other hand, I’d love to be back on stage with Rick Wright, who was one of the gentlest and most musically gifted people I’ve ever known.”

Waters has garnered significant controversy over many of his political statements, including claims he’d made about Israel and Ukraine. His record company BMG dropped him over his Israel statements earlier this year. In a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone, Waters said he believed his name was on a Ukrainian “kill list.”

Speaking with Rolling Stone in September, Gilmour called his long-running feud with Waters “boring.”

“It’s over. As I said before, he left our pop group when I was in my 30s and I’m a pretty old chap now…,” Gilmour said. “It seems so totally irrelevant to me now.… People talk about ‘the battle,’ but to me, it’s a one way thing that’s been going on since he left, with different levels of intensity.”
FIFA again defers decision on Palestinian request to suspend Israel from world soccer
FIFA stopped short of suspending the Israeli soccer federation on Thursday, but asked for a disciplinary investigation of possible discrimination alleged by Palestinian soccer officials.

A senior FIFA panel overseeing governance will separately investigate “the participation in Israeli competitions of Israeli football teams allegedly based in the territory of Palestine,” soccer’s governing body said after a meeting of its ruling Council.

The Palestinian soccer federation has consistently asked FIFA for more than a decade to take action against the Israeli soccer body for incorporating teams from West Bank settlements in its leagues.

The Palestinians have also recently accused the Israel Football Association of what it said was complicity in violations of international law by the Israeli government, discrimination against Arab players.

The IFA has denied the charges.

The compromise decisions came more than four months after Palestinian officials had urged FIFA to suspend Israel’s membership at a meeting in May.

The request to FIFA’s congress in May also cited “international law violations” in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict and directed the soccer body to its statutory commitments on human rights and against discrimination.
One year on from 7 October, it is time for universities to act on antisemitism
These findings are concerning for anyone who cares about combatting antisemitism. We know that the vast majority of people in UK universities are not antisemitic and that many are appalled by all forms of discrimination or attacks on minority groups. But the survey findings demonstrate the scale of the problem that this particular minority group faces.

We make a number of recommendations. Firstly, universities should create a sectoral task force to produce a systemic and holistic strategy and approach that can be adopted in a context-specific way for individual universities. And we emphasise that Jewish organisations, students and staff must be represented in any discussions about combatting antisemitism.

We also suggest that universities ensure they have clear definitions of antisemitism and include them in staff and student codes of conduct and other relevant documents. Staff ought to receive clear messaging, including what constitutes antisemitism, their responsibilities for addressing it in physical and online teaching spaces, and where and from whom they can access support. The nature of antisemitism as a diversity and inclusion issue and the legal protections under the Equality Act 2010 must be central to awareness-raising and training – which should be compulsory for all members of the university community.

It is important to underscore that the ICPG is already supporting many universities in their efforts to combat antisemitism, complementing other research we have published on academic freedom and antisemitism, recommendations for the challenges presented by freshers’ week, and reporting mechanisms, among other topics.

This is not a new problem and is not one that will go away on its own. Now is the time for concerted action by everyone in the sector to ensure that Jewish students – like all other students – can study and live in universities without needing to hide their identity or facing reprisals for being Jewish.


'Significant Act of Resistance': Columbia Student Group Praises Tel Aviv Terror Attack That Killed 7 Innocents, Including New Mom
A Columbia University student group praised Tuesday’s Tel Aviv terrorist attack that killed seven innocent Israelis, including a mother who died while shielding her 9-month-old baby. That "bold attack," Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) wrote in an essay, "serves as a reminder that the struggle is not confined to Gaza or Lebanon."

"On October 1, in a significant act of resistance, a shooting took place in Tel Aviv, targeting Israeli security forces and settlers," the group wrote Thursday on its Substack.

"This bold attack comes amid the ongoing escalation of violence in the region and highlights the growing resolve of those resisting Israeli occupation. The shooting serves as a reminder that the struggle is not confined to Gaza or Lebanon but has now reached deep into the heart of settler-colonial territory, further destabilizing the Zionist regime’s claims to security and control."

The pro-terror rhetoric reflects the radical nature of CUAD, which helped organize the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic protests that plagued Columbia in the spring, including the illegal encampments and violent campus building takeover.

Student groups at Columbia and other U.S. colleges are now gearing up for further demonstrations on Monday, which marks one year since Hamas's Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. CUAD has promoted an "October 7th Flood New York City for Palestine" rally organized by Within Our Lifetime, a notorious anti-Semitic group that routinely praises Hamas and Hezbollah.

"Stand with Gaza and uplift the Palestinian people resisting genocide by any means necessary since 1948," the group wrote in a tweet announcing the protest.

Though CUAD's Thursday post says the Tel Aviv terror attack, which Hamas took credit for, targeted "Israeli security forces and settlers," it actually killed innocent Israelis and others, including Jonas Chrosis, a Greek citizen living in Jerusalem to study architecture.

"He expressed infinite optimism in the face of every difficulty that came his way," one of Chrosis's classmates said after his death. "He was talented, funny, and humble. He was always kind to the people around him and was a loyal friend who saw the good in everyone. He was a talented piano player."

Another victim, 33-year-old mother Inbar Segev-Vigder, was murdered while shielding her 9-month-old son Ari, saving his life.


Al Jazeera condemns PA after reporter arrested, beaten in West Bank
Laith Jaar, a West Bank correspondent for the Qatari state-owned media giant Al Jazeera, was arrested and allegedly beaten by Palestinian Authority security forces this week, according to Arab media reports.

The arrest reportedly occured when Jaar arrived to file a complaint against a Palestinian officer, alleging that the officer assaulted him following Israel’s airstrike on Tulkarm, which resulted in the deaths of 18 people, including a Hamas commander in the city.

According to Palestinian reports, Jaar was in Tulkarm interviewing members of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Just minutes after he left the area, an Israeli fighter jet reportedly struck, killing everyone he had interviewed on the spot.

A rumor subsequently spread that Jaar had betrayed the terrorists to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), making him responsible for their deaths.

As a result, Jaar was allegedly questioned and physically assaulted by a Palestinian security officer.

It was after this that Jaar went to file a complaint with the Palestinian Authority’s police.


Police probing Iran link to attacks on Israeli missions in Sweden, Denmark
Iran may have orchestrated the attacks on Israeli embassies in Stockholm and Copenhagen this week, according to Swedish intelligence agency SÄPO.

Danish police arrested three Swedish nationals on Wednesday after two blasts, likely caused by hand grenades, close to the Israeli diplomatic mission in Copenhagen.

“No one has been injured, and we are carrying out initial investigations at the scene,” Danish police had posted to X. “A possible connection to the Israeli embassy, ​​located in the area, is being investigated.”

On Tuesday, the Israeli mission in Stockholm was targeted by gunfire.

“All employees are safe, and none of them were injured,” the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem confirmed.

Fredrik Hallstrom, head of operations at SÄPO, the Swedish Security Service, said that “there are some things that could point in that direction” of Iranian involvement.

In May, the agency confirmed that Tehran was recruiting members of Swedish criminal gangs to commit “acts of violence” against Israeli targets.

Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported on Wednesday that the two embassy attacks had been ordered by the Swedish criminal network Foxtrot at the behest of Iran.
Serially offensive ambassador is unworthy representative of Iran
Diplomatic language is the effort to find common ground. But the inflammatory rhetoric of Iran’s Ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi makes him unworthy of his job.

Sadeghi took to social media last Sunday and with a lengthy post praising Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah — who was killed by an Israeli airstrike on the weekend — as a “blessed martyr” who had opposed the “vile entity of the Zionist regime”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Sadeghi had been “called in” for a rebuke and decried the ambassador’s comments as “abhorrent, hateful and antisemitic”. The Opposition called for his expulsion. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia maintained a diplomatic relationship with Iran since 1968, and it was “a channel to protect Australia’s interests and to communicate the views of Australia and our close partners”.

For nearly a year, the Liberals have raised concerns about Sadeghi with Wong at Senate estimates hearings over his incendiary social media posts, including one suggesting Israelis could be relocated to Birobidzhan, a Jewish autonomous region near the Russia-China border. Last August, Sadeghi was “called in” for a first rebuke for using social media to call Israel a “Zionist plague” and describe Hamas’ commitment to the “wiping out” of Israel by 2027 as a “heavenly and divine promise”.

Unbowed by such kid glove handling, Sadeghi spewed his antisemitic venom on X last Sunday as the Middle East war came home big time with Israel’s attack on Lebanon, reprisal rocket raids, evacuation flights and controversy over plans in Sydney to mark the first anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attack.
Labor ‘failing on diplomacy’ with Iranian ambassador debacle
Strategic Analysis Australia Director Michael Shoebridge has accused the Albanese government of “failing on diplomacy”.

The Albanese government is under pressure to act after Iran's Ambassador to Australia wrote a lengthy tribute to a terrorist leader killed by Israel last weekend.

“That’s something the government has been continually congratulating itself for, about how astute they are with diplomacy – not here,” Mr Shoebridge told Sky News Australia.




Masked Gunman Entered UMich Rabbi's Home During Rosh Hashanah Gathering and Threatened Students, Police Say
A masked gunman entered the home of a University of Michigan rabbi during a Wednesday night Rosh Hashanah gathering, threatening student attendees and saying, "I'm taking everything, give me everything," local police said in a statement provided to the Washington Free Beacon.

Approximately 15 to 20 university students were gathered at the rabbi's home when the suspect entered through a back door. All occupants were able to leave the home safely.

Police in Southfield, a Detroit suburb located roughly 40 minutes northeast of campus, have identified the suspected gunman as a "black male in his late teens/early twenties" who fled the scene before officers arrived. They are "working to bring him into custody," said Deputy Chief of Police Aaron Huguley.

"No one was injured during this incident," Huguley said. "The preliminary investigation indicates this was a crime of opportunity. However, the investigation is ongoing." A second suspect, identified only as "a female," was also found to be involved in the attempted robbery "and has been taken into custody."

University of Michigan president Santa Ono sent a private statement addressing the incident to a group of parents. In it, Ono said he "asked for an enhanced security presence" outside of Jewish organizations on campus both this week and next week.

"I have spoken directly with students on the scene and some parents as well," Ono wrote. "Although we are grateful that the Rabbi, his family and our students are safe, we take the safety of our students very seriously."

Ono later published a public statement on the "incident in Southfield."

"As tensions in the Middle East have escalated in recent days, it is more important than ever that we work collectively to offer solace and safety to one another," he said. "The university is absolute in its pledge to do whatever it can to protect and care for our students, faculty, staff and visitors."

News of the incident first circulated on social media, where a Zionist advocacy organization shared an apparent text message from a parent of a student who attended the dinner.

"Everyone is safe but some are shaken up," the parent wrote. "The war in the Middle East isn't coming to America. It is already here."
Germany arrests teen suspected of planning terror attack on Jews during school trip to Holland
The Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor's Office arrested a 15-year-old Turkish-German teenager for allegedly planning Islamist-style attacks against European Jewry, Spiegel reported on Thursday.

The police reportedly classified the teenager as a “threat.”

The teenager had been in contact with Islamist terrorists online, according to Information obtained by the German news site. The Islamist had reportedly begun grooming the teenager to commit an attack following the stabbing spree committed by an ISIS-affiliated Syrian asylum-seeker in Solingen in August.

The Solingen attack saw three people stabbed to death and a further eight were wounded. The terrorist group said in a statement on its Telegram account, "He carried out the attack in revenge for Muslims in Palestine and everywhere."

Germany’s Special Task Force (SEK) stormed the boy’s home at 9:20 a.m. on Tuesday, where they reportedly found data evidencing the teenager’s plans.

After looking at the suspect’s phone, police reportedly found he shared pro-ISIS videos on TikTok and was encouraged online to commit attacks on Jewish cultural communities and festivals. The attack was allegedly planned to be carried out during an upcoming school trip to Holland.

During the operation, police arrested and released the suspect multiple times. He was initially placed in protective custody after the Solingen attack, according to Bild, but was released the same afternoon he was arrested. He was later detained again on September 9, at a fitness studio. Police reportedly were forced to overpower the suspect.
Dutch police refuse to guard Jewish sites over 'moral dilemmas,' officers say
Officers in the Dutch police force have been refusing to protect Jewish targets, two officers told Nieuw Israëlisch Weekblad earlier this week.

Marcel de Weerd and Michel Theeboom, representing the Jewish Police Network, expressed concerns over changes they were seeing in the force.

“There are colleagues who no longer want to protect Jewish targets or events. They talk about ‘moral dilemmas,’ and I see a tendency emerging to give in to that. That would truly mark the beginning of the end. I’m concerned about that,” Theeboom said.

Adding to Theeboom’s claims, De Weerd said, “We see that leadership is struggling with this. Especially now, with the conflict in the Middle East, we risk drifting away from what we should stand for as a collective. We need to keep discussing this with each other.”

De Weerd also claimed that many of the younger officers he had encountered were ignorant of the country’s history, including the police’s role in World War II.

The officers later spoke with De Telegraaf, where they said that some members of the police expressed they didn’t want to be deployed at the Dutch National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam and refused food and drinks from the venue.

Mireille Beentjes, the police force's spokeswoman, told De Telegraaf she had heard of officers making moral objections, admitting there were “no strict policies.”

“We take moral objections into account when creating schedules. But if there’s an urgent task, you will be deployed, whether you want to or not," she said. “You are expected to behave professionally. Others shouldn’t notice anything.”
Bellevue elementary school principal defends swastika in email to students, parents
If you’re wondering why antisemitism is spreading so virulently in area schools, look to Phantom Lake Elementary in Bellevue where a principal defended the swastika as “a symbol of peace.”

The Bellevue School District has seen a rise in antisemitism since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel. Hamas-sympathizing students have targeted Jewish classmates, chanting “Gas the Jews.” At Phantom Lake Elementary, someone tagged the west wall on campus with a swastika. Principal Heather Snookal sent an email to parents addressing the incident but then followed up with an email to defend swastikas as not inherently hateful, indicating it’s sometimes appropriate to display.

“While the symbol is often associated with hate and intolerance due to its use during World War II, it is important to acknowledge that the swastika has deep historical and cultural significance in other parts of the world,” Snookal wrote. “I apologize that I didn’t acknowledge this in my previous communication.”

Snookal went on to say the swastika “is a symbol of peace, prosperity and good fortune” in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and other cultures.

“As a school committed to inclusivity and cultural understanding, we want to ensure that our students from all backgrounds feel welcomed, valued and celebrated. We also want to make sure our community is educated about the diverse meanings and histories behind symbols like the swastika so that we can all avoid misunderstandings that could inadvertently marginalize or hurt our students,” she continued.

How did parents respond to Bellevue principal defending swastikas?

Needless to say, Bellevue parents reacted angrily to an email defending a swastika.

“There is no reason why a symbol of hatred should be on our school grounds or given any equivocation,” parent Tirzah Dondanville told KOMO-TV. “To me, it is the most warped version of inclusion we could come up with to ask Jewish families in this day and age to be tolerant of the swastika is warped beyond imagination.”


Despite war, 13,679 young Jewish adults visited Israel with Birthright this summer
Summer 2024 in Israel has been marked by a multi-front conflict with Iran and its regional proxies, but this hasn't stopped 13,679 young Jewish adults traveling to experience the Holy Land through Birthright Israel, the organization announced this week.

The young Jews, hailing from around the world, had a choice to join the traditional 10 day Israel tour, or the newly created volunteer program, which was started in November 2023.

Nearly 5,000 of the total number chose the volunteer program, which took them to the kibbutzim to harvest crops, allowed them to talk with October 7 survivors and gave them the opportunity to bear witness to October 7. After the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Israel faced a shortage of farm and agriculture workers, with some leaving for army service, and foreign workers returning home due to safety concerns, the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry said.

One important part of the Birthright trip is the Mifgash [encounter], where Israeli soldiers join the trip's participants and share the journey with them. In the aftermath of October 7, this has been a particularly emotional experience, one participant told The Jerusalem Post previously, as many soldiers have personal experience of the Hamas attack.

Brandeis university conducted a survey on the summer 2024 participants, asking them to reflect on their experiences. Of the group, 95% felt more confident in their Jewish identity after returning home. The majority also felt more equipped to handle antisemitism and challenges on campus.

"We often say that every Birthright experience is transformative," said Birthright CEO Gidi Mark, "but being in Israel during these times provides participants with a unique experience, something to share with their grandchildren."


Yeshayahu Gavish, Six Day War general who captured the Sinai, dies at 99
Yeshayahu Gavish, the last living senior IDF commander from 1967’s Six Day War, died in his home in Ramat Hasharon Thursday, Hebrew media reported. He was 99.

Maj. Gen. (res.) Gavish, commonly known as “Shaike,” was survived by two children, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

As head of the Southern Command during the Six Day War, Gavish led the Battle of Umm-Qatef, during which Israel conquered the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt.

The battle was among the largest in Israeli history, and took place on June 5-6, the first two days of the 1967 war.

On the third day of the war, the IDF completed its conquest of Jerusalem from Jordan, culminating with Paratroopers Brigade chief Mota Gur’s declaration: “The Temple Mount is in our hands” — referring to the site of the ancient Jewish temples, in the Old City.

In his 2016 memoir, Gavish said tears rolled down his face at the emotional announcement, but that he also said: “They stole the show.”

The Egyptian front, he explained, was Israel’s most dangerous, and saw some of the largest-scale combat of the 20th century; “but in the nation’s memory, the strongest thing, which will remain forever, is the liberation of the Old City.”

Gavish retired from the army in 1970, after being passed over for chief of staff. In 1973’s Yom Kippur War, Gavish returned to Sinai as a reservist and commanded the Shlomo Command in the peninsula’s south.

He had also been instrumental in planning Israel’s short-lived occupation of Sinai in 1956, as the country sought to stem attacks from the peninsula and the Gaza Strip.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1925, Gavish joined the Palmach — the IDF’s pre-state predecessor — in 1943, at the age of 18.

He helped lead Ha’apala missions — operations to smuggle Jews into the country — defying the British Mandate’s restrictions on Jewish immigration. The restrictions consigned untold masses to death in Nazi camps during World War II.

After the war, Gavish planned to quit the Palmach and study engineering at the Technion in Haifa. Yitzhak Sadeh, the Palmach’s legendary commander, persuaded him to stay in the military, where he would remain for the next three decades.
Victor Perahia, Holocaust survivor, head of French Union of Auschwitz Deportees, dies at 91
Victor Perahia, the president of the French Union of Auschwitz Deportees and a Holocaust survivor, has died. He was 91.

Perahia, who was deported as a child to the Nazi death camp of Bergen-Belsen, died on Monday in the eastern Paris suburb of Saint-Mande, the Union of Auschwitz Deportees said in a statement. The cause of death wasn’t disclosed.

The union hailed Perahia, as “one of its eminent figures, who worked with great humanity and determination to preserve the memory of the Shoah” for other generations.

As a child survivor of the Holocaust, the ever present “racism and antisemitism tormented him and fueled his strength to awaken minds,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement.

He added: “As a lesson for future generations, he considered human cruelty to be limitless and the duty to fight without fear against all forms of intolerance and all attacks on basic human rights.”

Perahia’s death comes four months before the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. Six million European Jews and people from other minorities were killed there and in other extermination camps across Europe by the Nazis and their collaborators during the Holocaust. Victor Perahia, who was interned as a child in the Drancy camp and deported to Bergen-Belsen, speaks to students during a workshop dedicated to the Holocaust remembrance at the Drancy Shoah memorial, outside Paris, January 30, 2020 (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Perahia was born on April 4, 1933 in Paris into a Jewish family of fairground merchants. He lived in Saint-Nazaire in western France. He was arrested along with his parents in July 1942. They were taken to Lande internment camp, in central France, and then to Drancy camp, in the Paris region, where nearly 4,000 people were detained by French gendarmes.

He was interned in Drancy for nearly two years before he was deported to Bergen-Belsen concentration and a forced labor camp with his mother in 1944. He was freed by Soviet troops at the end of March 1945. His father, Robert Perahia, was deported to Auschwitz, where he died along with Victor Perahia’s maternal grandfather.




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