Winning This Regional War Is the First Step to Creating Regional Peace
Following the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, the strategic goal of Israel's counteroffensive was to restore its shattered deterrence. Israelis across the political spectrum agreed that the first step was destroying Hamas's ability to govern, not allowing the regime responsible for Oct. 7 to remain on Israel's border.What the West Could Learn from Israel
Destroying the Hamas regime meant denying it immunity. Terrorists would not be allowed to massacre Israeli civilians, cross back into Gaza and hide behind Palestinian civilians. Destroying Hamas's capacity to govern required pursuing terrorists wherever they operated, including inside hospitals and mosques. It meant entering Hamas's vast network of tunnels.
But the war that began in Gaza was never about Gaza alone. Defeating Hamas was only the first stage of a regional conflict between Israel and the Iranian-led axis of radical Islamism. Israel's stunning success against Hizbullah has gone a long way to restoring our military credibility.
Today, Iran sits at the nuclear threshold. No country, including the U.S., is likely to use force to prevent the Iranian regime from developing a nuclear bomb - except Israel. The Jewish state, founded on the promise of providing a safe refuge for the Jewish people, cannot allow the ayatollahs to attain the means to fulfill Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei's prophesy of the destruction of Israel.
Israel's determination to prevent a nuclear Iran is precisely what has attracted Sunni Muslim states to seek normalization with the Jewish state. Arab leaders are terrified not of Israel but of an imperial Iran, which seeks hegemony over the region. The worst-kept secret in the Middle East is that Arab leaders are quietly hoping for an Israeli victory over Hamas and Hizbullah and, most of all, Iran. Winning this regional war is the first step to creating a regional peace.
While the U.S. under Biden and the yesterday nations of Europe continue to view the Middle East through their twin doctrines of Iran appeasement and two-state solutionism, Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE understand - as Israel does - that Western good intentions are a dangerous indulgence in this region, and that responsible statecraft means dealing firmly with Tehran and its proxies.IDF: We Are Dismantling Iran's Stranglehold, Piece by Piece
As commentator Andrew Klavan notes: "I just hope Israel can save Western civilization before Western civilization can stop them."
Truth be told, Israel isn't in the business of saving Western civilization, it's in the business of saving itself.
It just so happens that doing so benefits a Western civilization that is busy dismantling itself.
IDF Major Roy Ofir, commander of the 71st Armored Battalion Tactical Command Post, described the fighting in southern Lebanon.Iran Gives in to Spy Mania
"We just returned from one of the villages. We hit Hizbullah hard, destroyed their infrastructure, and neutralized several of their forces and enemy squads. We found a lot of weapons, some of which we've brought back for research in Israel. We crushed anyone who confronted us."
"We're coming in with significant force. Hizbullah can't even lift its head. They're taking hit after hit. The IDF has prepared for this... we've been preparing for Lebanon and Hizbullah."
Ofir, who began the war in the Gaza sector, continued: "In the end, we are dismantling the stranglehold Iran has built around us, piece by piece."
This week, there have been numerous unconfirmed reports about the fate of Esmail Qaani, who is the head of the Quds Force, the expeditionary arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Benny Avni writes:
On Thursday, Sky News Arabic reported that Mr. Qaani was rushed to a hospital after suffering a heart attack. He became [the Quds Force] commander in 2020, after an American drone strike killed his predecessor, Qassem Suleimani. The unit oversees the Islamic Republic’s various Mideast proxies, as well as the exporting of the Iranian revolution to the region and beyond.
The Sky News report attempts to put to rest earlier claims that Mr. Qaani was killed at Beirut. It follows several reports asserting he has been arrested and interrogated at Tehran over suspicion that he, or a top lieutenant, leaked information to Israel. Five days ago, the Arabic-language al-Arabiya network reported that Mr. Qaani “is under surveillance and isolation, following the Israeli assassinations of prominent Iranian leaders.”
Iranians are desperately scrambling to plug possible leaks that gave Israel precise intelligence to conduct pinpoint strikes against Hizballah commanders. . . . “I find it hard to believe that Qaani was compromised,” an Iran watcher at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, Beni Sabti, tells the Sun. Perhaps one or more of [Qaani’s] top aides have been recruited by Israel, he says, adding that “psychological warfare” could well be stoking the rumor mill.
If so, prominent Iranians seem to be exacerbating the internal turmoil by alleging that the country’s security apparatus has been infiltrated.
Israel in Danger: Enemies Foreign and Domestic
"[Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar wants everyone to be a martyr—except for him." Now he appears to want to have discussions again on the condition that the Israelis will not try to kill him during the negotiations on a deal. — David Greenfield, CEO and executive director of Met Council, August 28, 2024.Palestinian Beliefs Force Us to Confront a Harsh Reality
When Israelis clamor for the release of their hostages, they are, unfortunately, just letting Hamas know what a valuable bargaining chip it has – so the price goes up. For Hamas, if the families of the hostages succeed in getting Netanyahu pushed out of office, so much the better: he will likely be replaced by a "peace" coalition who will grant massive concessions to Hamas and allow it to stay in power.
As far as the Biden-Harris administration is concerned, a new Israeli prime minister it hand-picks to replace Netanyahu would presumably agree to US demands to let the Palestinians in Gaza set up a sovereign terrorist state on Israel's border, from which to continue attacking Israel until it is destroyed. A new prime minister installed by the Biden-Harris administration would also agree to Iran having as many nuclear weapons as it likes. Iran, after finishing off Israel, which Iran's former President Ali Akhbar Hashemi Rafsanjani called a "one-bomb country," could then resume trying to take over its oil-rich neighbors, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The Biden-Harris administration also appears to want Hamas to stay in power because that is what Hamas's patrons, Iran and Qatar (America's supposed ally) want.
Meanwhile, back in Gaza, the Associated Press reports, "Sinwar wants to end the war — but only on his terms." These terms include a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, including the "Philadelphi Corridor" border between Egypt and Gaza. That is where immense cross-border underground tunnels are located, allowing the resumption of unlimited supplies of new weapons to be smuggled to Hamas in Gaza, as well as the ideal gateway for Hamas leader Sinwar to escape to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula -- with the remaining Israeli hostages in tow.
For Hamas and Sinwar, the bottom line for is to stay in power to be able to attack Israel "time and again until it is annihilated," as one of its officials, Ghazi Hamad, straightforwardly said.
Israel's opposition political leaders, journalists, trade unionists, and many senior security officials all appear to be walking into a trap that Hamas has laid out for them: having Israeli anti-government demonstrators demand new elections to force Netanyahu out and a US puppet -- agreeable to terrorist Palestinian state, Hamas's continued rule in Gaza, and a nuclear-armed Iran -- in.
Hamas, remember, never offered to release all the hostages, only a few, alive or dead. Sinwar will undoubtedly try to string out the negotiations as long as he can – refusing to provide hostage names again, and so on. His job will be to keep as many hostages as long as possible, to buy time for Hamas to resupply and regroup.
For months, Hamas has rejected any agreement, and blamed Netanyahu. They have, of course, been helped by the Biden-Harris administration, which snubbed Netanyahu at the airport in Washington DC in July as well as at his address to the United States Congress. The snubs evidently only succeeded in giving Hamas the impression that the US was done with Netanyahu, that a Hamas victory was in the bank, and that all Iran and its proxies had to do was sit back and wait.
The Oct. 7 Remembrance Day starkly exposed the profound difference between our narrative and the one our enemies tell themselves and the world. I accessed pro-Hamas information sources, but found no difference between them and pro-Fatah channels.A Year On: Can the Raging War in the Middle East End With a Cease-fire?
From their perspective, the near-total destruction of Gaza, the death of tens of thousands of their people, and the displacement of the vast majority of Gaza's residents were all worth the price of that one euphoric day when they were allowed to fulfill their perceived purpose: to murder Jews, behead our children, brutally rape our daughters, and tie parents and children together and burn them alive.
The beliefs of the Gaza Palestinians, and if you investigate, also of those in Samaria and Judea, have remained unchanged for a century. In the wake of Oct. 7, they force us to confront a harsh reality. They see themselves as freedom fighters demanding justice, while portraying us as robbers who plundered land that doesn't belong to us. This is the dominant narrative among many Israeli-Arab citizens as well (see the Vision of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel).
The fact that our enemies use their children as human shields and hide massive explosives in kindergartens, schools, mosques, and children's rooms doesn't matter to them at all. From their perspective, they are not responsible for their residents - "the UN is responsible," and the UN has indeed accustomed them to the idea that they don't need to worry about daily life because of the infinite amount of useful idiots who funnel money to them. In such a situation, they are left with ample time to focus on their reason for existence: killing Jews.
Will we forever live by our sword? Apparently so. Rafael Eitan, the late former IDF Chief of Staff, once said that he prefers to live by his sword rather than having the sword of Damocles hanging over him. This obliges us to have long-term patience and iron resilience in all matters related to defeating the enemy and destroying its military and governmental capabilities.
Despite international calls for a cease-fire, ongoing conflicts between Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah show no signs of resolution as talks stallCol Kemp: The Nobel Peace Prize has become a sick joke
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon entered its second year this week, with international calls for a cease-fire continuing as concerns grow that the conflict could escalate. Though the conflicts are interconnected, they are being fought under different circumstances, which may affect their outcomes.
Gaza
The conflict between Hamas and Israel began when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and thousands of injuries. This prompted Israel to launch its largest offensive in Gaza since disengaging from the territory in 2005. Hamas also kidnapped 250 people, with 101 still in captivity. Israel’s stated war aims are to secure the hostages’ release and to dismantle Hamas’s control over Gaza.
On the attack’s first anniversary, global calls for a cease-fire were renewed.
An early cease-fire, lasting one week, collapsed with both sides blaming each other. During that period, over 100 hostages were released. Fighting resumed and escalated, and since then, Israel and Hamas have intermittently engaged in indirect negotiations aimed at achieving a cease-fire and a gradual release of the remaining hostages.
While in recent months Israel has reduced its military presence in Gaza, it is still very much present with troops stationed in critical areas, conducting pinpoint operations and continuous airstrikes.
“A cease-fire now is very unlikely,” John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, told The Media Line. “When you have irrational an actor such as Hamas, whose main interest is survival and with Israel having the goal of them not surviving as a political and military organization—this makes it really hard to come to a deal, despite the US and others trying to achieve incremental and other types of deals.”
A cease-fire now is very unlikely
With Israel recently shifting its focus to its conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, cease-fire talks have diminished, though some reports indicate efforts are ongoing. Hamas’s demands for a cease-fire remain unchanged, requiring a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a halt to military actions. Israel, which has pledged not to let Hamas remain in power, rejects these terms.
Based on past experience, there is no immediate room for a breakthrough right now
“Based on past experience, there is no immediate room for a breakthrough right now,” Joost Hiltermann, program director for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group think tank, told The Media Line. “It seems the US is not ready to put the required pressure on Israel and it remains to be seen if Hamas agrees to the terms of a cease-fire and whether it acts in good faith.”
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reports that over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. These numbers have not been independently verified, and it is unclear how many of the dead are civilians. Israel maintains that most of those killed are Hamas members. The high death toll and extensive destruction in Gaza have led to tensions between the Israeli government and the US administration. The White House acknowledged delaying the delivery of precision-guided bombs to pressure Israel to scale back its operations, but the effort was unsuccessful as Israel continued its offensive.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces domestic and international pressure to make concessions and end the war to secure the release of the hostages. Critics accuse him of prioritizing his political survival over the hostages and imposing insurmountable conditions on cease-fire negotiations.
“Israel has said it has accepted cease-fire conditions but then Netanyahu blocked them,” said Hiltermann. “It looks like defeating and destroying Hamas is more important than the lives of the hostages.”
Hamas, a prominent actor on the Palestinian political stage for decades, is also part of a network of Iranian-backed groups aimed at Israel’s destruction.
“This is proxy-war with non-state actors, with the Islamic regime in Iran using, funding, training and equipping them,” said Spencer. “You cannot have a conversation about a cease-fire without addressing the Islamic regime’s protection of its proxies.”
Israel is believed to be on the brink of a military strike against Iran following a massive ballistic missile offensive launched by the Islamic Republic. A prolonged, direct confrontation between these adversaries could significantly impact the conflict in Gaza.
The UN and its Secretary General Antonio Guterres also reportedly feature this year as Nobel Peace Prize nominees. The UN itself has an impressive pedigree of anti-Israel bias, not least 155 General Assembly resolutions against the country since 2015, compared to a grand total of only 88 in relation to all other conflicts around the world.
As for Guterres, he was forced to “set the record straight” last October after being accused by many of justifying Hamas’s atrocities, which he insisted “did not happen in a vacuum”. Following Security Council Resolution 1701 demanding Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the Lebanese-Israel border in 2006, the UN has had thousands of peacekeepers deployed there. Throughout that time Hezbollah’s presence has only grown, culminating in the firing of 10,000 rockets into Israel since October 8. So much for the UN’s achievements in bringing about peace in the region.
Many of us thought the Nobel Committee had hit an all-time low by presenting a peace prize to Barack Obama, seemingly for nothing more than winning a US presidential election. Then came the award to the EU whose non-existent function as peace-maker in Europe was resoundingly debunked when Putin invaded Crimea in 2014 and began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
These days of course it would be unthinkable for the Nobel committee to even contemplate an award for any Israeli leader. Lord Trimble, former first minister of Northern Ireland and himself a Nobel Laureate, put that to the test in 2020 when he nominated the Israeli prime minister. Benjamin Netanyahu’s instrumental role in forging the first Middle East peace treaty in a quarter of a century was given short shrift by the Nobel wokerati in Norway.
2/ The Reuters story that an “expert” had inside info about UNRWA being a “shortlisted favorite” for the Nobel peace prize was misinformation — boosted by those with a very specific agenda. See detailed thread: https://t.co/jNFv3UENaF
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 11, 2024
Reuters' story about UNRWA as a "shortlisted favorite" for the Nobel Peace Prize implied they had inside info from an objective "expert."
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 10, 2024
None of this is true. Their source was a UN-funded partisan supporter of UNRWA.
UNRWA only deserves the Nobel Prize for Terror. 馃У https://t.co/j5drMm2smq pic.twitter.com/4lA7RRKFSF
Danon to UNSC: 'Iran must keep its blood-stained hands off Lebanon
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, emphasized that Israel does not intend to occupy southern Lebanon but that Iran must “keep its blood-stained hands” off of the country during a Thursday address to the UN Security Council.Pressed on its silence about Jewish holidays, UN wishes ‘happy, peaceful Yom Kippur’
“The Lebanese people have suffered too long under the tyranny of this terrorist organization,” Danon said. “We all know the ending of this conflict. Hezbollah will be pushed back north of the Litani River.”
The Israeli ambassador then questioned how, once this was accomplished, it would be sustained and who would be responsible for ensuring its continuation.
“The answer lies in the hands of the Lebanese army and UNIFIL,” Danon said. “They must step up. Not only must they fulfill their current duties under resolution 1701, but we must reform those obligations.
'Lebanese people held hostage by Hezbollah'
He added that it was the “Lebanese people held hostage” by Hezbollah that needed this to be implemented in addition to Israel.
“Israel has no desire to be in southern Lebanon,” Danon continued. “Our goal is to protect our people, not to occupy Lebanese territory.”
However, in order to create a situation where Israel does not need to do this, Danon called on the UNSC to “ensure the right mechanisms are in place for the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to meet their obligations.”
'Iran must keep its blood-stained hands off Lebanon'
Then, addressing the acting Lebanese ambassador to the UN, Hadi Hachem, Danon said, “ I have listened to your words and condemnations very carefully, but the truth is you should be sitting next to me, not next to the Iranian representative because, whether you can admit it or not, Israel, Lebanon, and the free world are on the same side against the Islamic regime of Iran. All of us should declare, shoulder to shoulder, that Iran must keep its blood-stained hands off Lebanon.”
Then, speaking in Arabic in an appeal directly to the Lebanese people, the ambassador added, “Lebanon belongs to the Lebanese, not to the Iranians.”
JNS reported last December that the United Nations appears to see Jewish holidays as less equal than others. Despite issuing regular messages about a variety of non-Jewish religious holidays—Christmas, Orthodox Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Diwali and Vesak—on social media and on the U.N. News Centre, the global body has ignored Jewish ones.Israel Moves Toward All-Out War—With UNRWA
At a United Nations press briefing on Thursday—the day before Yom Kippur—JNS put the question to Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Ant贸nio Guterres, the U.N. secretary-general, how it was possible that mum has been the Jewish holiday word from the global body.
“Well, if—I would actually like to, to do that, uh, today in advance, and I’d like to wish all of, uh, all of the—the Jewish communities around the world to have a happy, uh, and peaceful Yom Kippur,” Haq told JNS. “This has been, without a doubt, uh, a difficult year, and—and we’re hoping that, uh, that the promise of the future can be bright for everyone.”
Israel has been settling old scores with enemies, and UNRWA, the terrorist-riddled U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, may be next.UNRWA has not been told its Jerusalem office is being confiscated, UN says
A series of Israeli legislative, diplomatic, and military actions this month have threatened UNRWA’s presence along the country’s borders like never before. A consensus has emerged in Jerusalem that the agency is part of a terrorist menace that can no longer be tolerated following Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
"UNRWA encourages terrorism and encourages massacres like Oct. 7," Dan Illouz, a lawmaker from the ruling Likud party who cosponsored draft legislation meant to kneecap UNRWA, told the Washington Free Beacon, summing up the general sentiment among Zionist lawmakers. "Those things are completely unacceptable, and therefore UNRWA should not exist."
The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sunday unanimously approved Illouz's bill, which would bar Israeli officials from having "any contact" with UNRWA or anyone acting on its behalf. All the committee members also voted to advance a related bill that would revoke UNRWA's authorization to conduct "any activity, either directly or indirectly," on Israeli territory.
Lawmakers from both coalition and opposition parties cosponsored the bills, combining a slate of previous proposals. The full Knesset plenum was expected to take up the draft legislation for debate and potential enactment later this month after a recess for the Jewish High Holidays.
Together, the bills "would make it difficult if not impossible" for UNRWA to continue to operate in Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank, Illouz said.
The multifront Israeli offensive against UNRWA comes as Israel shows new boldness in its defensive war against Iran and its terrorist affiliates, which have attacked the Jewish state from all directions over the past year. So far in October, Israel has launched a ground campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, moved to encircle Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip, and put Tehran on notice of severe retaliation for a second massive Iranian missile attack on the country—leaving the Biden-Harris administration and other international critics to complain from the sidelines.
"Our counterattack against our enemies of Iran's axis of evil is a necessary condition to ensuring our future and our security," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting on Monday to mark the first anniversary of the massacre. "We are changing the security reality in our region, for our children and for our future, in order to ensure that what happened on Oct. 7 does not recur. Never again."
Kobi Michael, a senior research fellow at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies and Misgav Institute for National Security, told the Free Beacon, "The entire Israeli strategy is totally different from what we knew before."
"It's not a question of being aggressive. It's a question of being much more determined and understanding that enough is enough and we don't have to tolerate this situation," added Michael, a former head of the Palestinian file in Israel's Strategic Affairs Ministry and before that an Israeli military intelligence officer. "If before Oct. 7, the Israeli strategy was to create change of a first order—which means to accept the existing system and try to make changes to the existing system—now the strategy is to create change of a second order, which means to change the entire system, to change the rules of the game, to change the existing balance of power."
"In this regard," Michael said, "there is also an opportunity to change the situation of the Palestinian refugees on the ground."
Although the Israel Land Authority, a governmental body, announced on Thursday that it plans to turn the U.N. Relief and Works Agency field office in Jerusalem’s Ma’alot Dafna neighborhood into a complex with 1,440 housing units, the United Nations told JNS that UNRWA has received no official notification from the Jewish state about its facility being confiscated.Daniel Greenfield: Biden-Harris Admin Defends UNRWA, Blasts Israel
The Israeli governmental body informed UNRWA in May that it had to vacate the premises within 30 days and pay the Jewish state rent, for the years it used the facility, of about $7 million.
But Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for Ant贸nio Guterres, the U.N. secretary-general, told JNS during a press briefing on Thursday that the global body hasn’t heard directly from the Israel Land Authority.
“We’ve only seen through the media,” Haq told JNS.
UNRWA has “not received any formal notification” of the plan to turn the field office into a housing complex nor of imminent confiscation or eviction, according to Haq. The U.N. spokesman reiterated the general U.N. position that “Israel is under an obligation to honor and respect” the inviolability of U.N. premises under international law.
“That inviolability is not subject to any qualification, limitation or exceptions,” Haq told JNS.
The 2024 election may be in the foreground, but in the background, the Biden-Harris administration is moving its ‘Revenge’ plan for Israel forward.
Like its Obama predecessor, becoming a lame-duck administration frees Biden-Harris personnel to live out their dreams of going after Israel in the remaining months. Even assuming Kamala takes power, there will be a shift of personnel. And if she doesn’t succeed in seizing power, the frenzy to do as much damage before a new administration begins reversing its anti-Israel policies will be that much more urgent.
While the real frenzy will begin after the election, the Biden-Harris admin is beginning to implement its agenda, from sanctions on Israelis to predictable moves at the UN, the Revenge plan is underway.
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke at the UN on Oct 8, briefly referred to “Hamas’ horrific terror attack in Israel” which harmed “1,200 innocent people” and other individuals (with no mention of Jews or Israelis or even Americans) before pivoting to claim that the real victims were “the Palestinian civilians in Gaza”.
Most of the rest of the speech was a recitation of propaganda claims about the ‘suffering’ of the Arab Muslim Hamas supporters in Gaza.
And attacks on Israel.
Thomas-Greenfield repeated the now widely discredited lies that Gaza lacks ‘humanitarian aid’ and attacked Israel for continuing to move Arab Muslim ‘civilians’ out of the way before targeting Hamas.
In the Catch-22, it’s wrong if Israel attacks Hamas without evacuating Arab Muslim civilians, and it’s wrong if Israel tries to move them out of the way.
“And so, the United States is concerned by the situation in northern Gaza, including the announcement by Israel of a new evacuation order for several communities,” Thomas-Greenfield demanded that Israel take “urgent steps” to address ‘squalid’ conditions.
No word on whether Hamas and Hezbollah should address the conditions in which Israeli refugees from border communities are living in.
Continuing her tirade, the UN ambassador warned that “there must be no demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza.”
Because the Biden-Harris administration’s priority is protecting the territorial claims of Hamas.
Breaking: A Spanish Member of the European Parliament demanded the EU do 3 things regarding UNRWA:
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) October 11, 2024
1. Apologize to Israel for funding UNRWA
2. Terror-list UNRWA immediately
3. Audit of all EU funds given to UNRWA pic.twitter.com/F6O1ZUofAo
馃У The Red Cross (@ICRC) Has Abandoned Jews … Again!
— Arsen Ostrovsky 馃帡️ (@Ostrov_A) October 11, 2024
Here is why馃憞馃憞馃憞
In the 12 months that have now passed since the horrific events of October 7th in Israel, in which at least 1,400 people were massacred in the most barbaric of ways by Hamas, and 240 taken hostage, it is… pic.twitter.com/x5e2Gydj0Q
How about the lives of the Israeli hostages in Gaza? Oh wait, @ICRC refuses to see them! https://t.co/7LBMjejxv2
— Arsen Ostrovsky 馃帡️ (@Ostrov_A) October 11, 2024
Lebanese army, UNIFIL must ‘step up,’ Israeli envoy says
The Biden administration favors a “diplomatic solution” to the conflict on Israel’s northern border, Robert Wood, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said at an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council.Israel ‘compliant’ and ‘transparent’ with international humanitarian law
Wood did not call for a ceasefire in his remarks on Thursday during the session on increased hostilities between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group, which controls Southern Lebanon.
“The solution to this crisis is not a weaker Lebanon,” Wood said. “It’s a strong and truly sovereign Lebanon, protected by a legitimate security force, embodied in the Lebanese Armed Forces.”
Lebanon’s government and its army are supposed to enforce Security Council Resolution 1701, which was designed 18 years ago to bring permanent peace to the country after the 2006 Lebanon War. The resolution calls for disarming Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, and restoring full Lebanese sovereignty in the south.
Despite the resolution being in effect for 18 years, Hezbollah has flourished.
The terror group has fired some 10,000 rockets at the Jewish state since Oct. 8, the day after Hamas’s terror attack on southern Israel. Hezbollah has proclaimed solidarity with Hamas. Both are U.S.-designated terror groups.
Israel has degraded Hezbollah’s capabilities severely over the past month, including sabotaging and donating pagers and other communications equipment belonging to Hezbollah terrorists en masse. “As an act of spy craft, it is without parallel, one of the most successful and inventive penetrations of an enemy by an intelligence service in recent history,” The Washington Post reported.
The Jewish state has also eliminated the terror group’s entire leadership structure.
The Israel Defense Forces requested earlier this week that troops from the U.N.’s Israel-Lebanon peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, relocate out of certain areas near the border to allow the IDF to operate during its ground incursions in Lebanon without putting UNIFIL troops in harm’s way.
The U.N. force, which has regularly heeded Hezbollah’s demands to stay out of certain areas that the mission is mandated to patrol and investigate, for fear of drawing the terror group’s ire, opted not to listen to Israel’s request.
Former army officer and lawyer Dr Glenn Kolomeitz says Israel is “compliant” and “transparent” with international humanitarian law.
Benjamin Netanyahu claims Israel has killed the man tipped to take over Lebanon’s militant group Hezbollah.
“It’s fighting in a very complex battle space and it’s transparent about the way it’s doing its business far more so than Australia has been,” Dr Kolomeitz said.
Israeli forces fire at UN peacekeeper position in Lebanon, two hurt
Israeli forces fired at an observation post belonging to the UNIFIL peacekeeping force at its main base at Naqoura in southern Lebanon on Friday, wounding two people, a UN source said.
An escalation of conflicts in the Middle East is a serious threat to global security, and everything must be done to avoid all-out war in Lebanon, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres later said.
Guterres, speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Laos, also condemned Israeli attacks that wounded UN personnel. He said peacekeepers must be protected.
Israeli forces also breached the perimeter of another UNIFIL position they had fired at on the day prior, the UN source told Reuters. Spain's Sanchez condemns Israeli attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez later condemned Israel's attacks against the UN force in Lebanon and called on the international community to stop selling weapons to the Jewish state.
"Let me at this point criticize and condemn the attacks that the Israeli armed forces are carrying out on the United Nations mission in Lebanon," Sanchez, whose country has often been critical of Israel in the recent escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, said after meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican.
I am deeply concerned that @SimonHarrisTD can make an entire statement on situation in Lebanon, UNIFIL and UNSC Resl 1701, without once mentioning Hezbollah. That is why no one takes the Irish seriously! @dfatirl @EmbassyTLV https://t.co/uG2pq45ZHD
— Arsen Ostrovsky 馃帡️ (@Ostrov_A) October 11, 2024
France, for what it’s worth, gave zero Fs about 1701 for the 18 years that Hezbollah and Lebanon deliberately ignored it. https://t.co/7ZpLx3VKmn
— Melissa Weiss (@melissaeweiss) October 11, 2024
Who Are the U.S.-Designated Terrorists That Israel Has Eliminated Over the Past Year?
In its fight against Iranian regime-backed terror groups in both Gaza and Lebanon, Israel is not only defending its own territory, citizens, and national interests. It is also benefiting the United States and other Western nations that are threatened by the Islamic Republic and its proxies.
Since October 7, Israel has eliminated several top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders who have been designated as terrorists by the U.S. State Department, including some who have had American blood on their hands for over 40 years.
The following is a list of these U.S.-designated terrorists that Israel has eliminated since October 7, 2023:
Marwan Issa
Terror affiliation: Hamas
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: September 10, 2019
Date of death: March 11, 2024
Nicknamed “The Shadow Man,” Marwan Issa was the deputy head of Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, and was considered to be the third highest-ranking Hamas official in Gaza.
One of the earliest members of the Qassam Brigades, Issa was one of the key figures who helped develop it into a paramilitary organization and he was also a central force behind many anti-Israel terror attacks since the late 1980s.
Issa is considered to be one of the central figures behind the planning of Hamas’ October 7 attack.
Ismail Haniyeh
Terror affiliation: Hamas
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: January 31, 2018
Date of death: July 31, 2024
Ismail Haniyeh was the political head of Hamas, having previously served as its head in Gaza (until 2017).
As head of the terror organization, Haniyeh played a role in the violent ouster of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority from the Gaza Strip in 2007.
Following the October 7 attack, Haniyeh both publicly celebrated the rampage and justified it as an effective assault against the Jewish state.
Abu Anas Al-Ghandour
Terror affiliation: Hamas
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: April 6, 2017
Date of death: November 14, 2023
Abu Anas Al-Ghandour, also known as Ahmed Ghandour, was a senior member of Hamas, serving as the Qassam Brigades chief in northern Gaza and also as a member of the terror organization’s decision-making council.
Al-Ghandour was responsible for several terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel in both Gaza and the West Bank, including the 2006 kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
According to the IDF, Al-Ghandour was a “leading figure in the planning and execution of the October 7th massacre.”
Muhammed Deif
Terror affiliation: Hamas
Date added to the U.S. terrorism list: September 8, 2015
Date of death: July 13, 2024
Considered to be the number two Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Muhammed Deif was head of the Qassam Brigades and is thought to be the mastermind behind the October 7 attack.
A prominent member of Hamas for decades, Deif spearheaded Hamas’ use of rockets and tunnels and was also implicated in many terror bombings against Israeli civilians during the 1990s and 2000s.
In the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, Deif was responsible for firing rockets at Israel during humanitarian ceasefires, endangering both Israeli and Palestinian civilians.
Odd. 5% of end strength is an odd data point. % wounded (Operation Grim Beeper) vs killed? % leadership above brigade level? % of rocket supply? % of forces below the Letani river? Combat power is not just a raw number calculation. All fighters not the same. Even in rank-&-file https://t.co/w5fZWXQM04
— John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) October 11, 2024
Hezbollah anti-tank fire kills 27-year-old Thai foreign national in North
A 27-year-old foreign worker from Thailand was killed following Hezbollah anti-tank missiles launched from Lebanon into northern Israel, hitting Kibbutz Yaraon in the Upper Galilee, MDA confirmed Friday morning.IDF announces fallen soldier Ittai Fogel, killed in southern Gaza Strip
In addition to the Thai foreign national killed, who worked as a tractor driver in the region, multiple others were reportedly wounded in the attack.
The missile was fired at an agricultural area, where MDA first responders pronounced him dead, the emergency medical service stated. Second fatal rocket attack in two days
On Wednesday, two people were killed, and several were wounded to varying degrees following a barrage of rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel.
In that incident, the military reported that 20 launches were detected towards Kiryat Shmona alone.
The two killed were a couple, a man and a woman, both aged 40, Israeli media reported.
They sustained fatal wounds due to falling shrapnel while walking their dogs and did not have time to enter the protected area, Ynet reported.
Staff-Sergeant Ittai Fogel was killed in battle while fighting in the Gaza Strip, the IDF announced on Friday.
Staff-Sergeant Fogel, 22, from Yakir, served as a tank commander in Battalion 46 of the Iron Tracks Division (401).
Fogel fell in the southern Gaza Strip.
Soldiers death tally
According to the IDF's tally, the death of Staff-Sergeant Fogel raises the total of soldiers killed on or since October 7 of last year to 735.
Some 352 of this number were killed since the start of the military's ground operations in the Strip on October 27.
We are heartbroken to report on the death of an additional IDF soldier:
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) October 11, 2024
馃暞️First Sergeant Ittai Fogel (22)
Ittai was killed in Gaza during the current operation against Hamas terrorists. May his memory forever be a blessing. 馃暞️ pic.twitter.com/LwZlZ0iD8S
Wounded terrorist tries to seize soldier’s rifle in ambulance
Following the shooting and apprehension of a Palestinian terrorist at the Tarqumiyah checkpoint northwest of Hebron in Judea on Tuesday, the terrorist attempted to seize the weapon of a female soldier who had been accompanying him to the hospital.
The soldier prevented the terrorist from gaining control of her rifle and together with the other soldiers subdued him once again.
The terrorist received initial treatment at the hospital, Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, and was then handed over to security forces to be taken to a detention facility.
The incident took place at Shaare Zedek’s ambulance bay. According to a statement issued by the hospital, Shaare Zedek’s security team identified the serious event and assisted in subduing the terrorist.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Office said following the incident: “Yesterday, IDF forces identified a suspect in the area of the Tarqumiyah checkpoint and detained him. After interrogating the suspect, it was revealed that he intended to carry out a stabbing attack. During his arrest, the suspect resisted, and the soldiers responded with gunfire.
“While receiving medical treatment for the gunshot wound, the terrorist attempted to grab a weapon from the military force accompanying him, but the force successfully prevented it.”
Since the Hamas-led invasion of the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023, the issue of granting medical care to the detained terrorists of the Nukhba Force—the elite Hamas unit that spearheaded the massacres a year ago—has been a source of debate in Israel. The controversy has caused clashes between protesters and police inside and outside the hospitals treating the terrorists.
Another terrorist being treated by an Israel hospital was part of the gang that murdered Matan Elmaleh, 26, from Ma’ale Adumim, and wounded six others in February.
Biden and Harris rejoined the antisemitic UN Human Rights Council over widespread objections, claiming they would go back in to reform it and stop the antisemitism. But in their 3 years on the Council, not a single vote has been held to end the Commission of Inquiry into Israel. https://t.co/YPqUMSSbVD
— Richard Goldberg (@rich_goldberg) October 11, 2024
Israel was accused of targeting a church and health workers in Derdghaya, Lebanon.
— Israel Advocacy Movement (@israel_advocacy) October 11, 2024
In reality, the IDF was targeting militants from the AMAL Movement and we can prove it. pic.twitter.com/kaYNGAz0FO
Senior Hezbollah leader Wafiq Safa in 'critical condition' after IAF strike in Beirut
Senior Hezbollah security official Wafiq Safa was critically wounded during a Thursday Israel Air Force strike on Beirut, sources told Sky News Arabic on Friday.
Safa "was seriously injured and is in critical condition," the sources claimed.
According to Israeli media, the Israeli military conducted two airstrikes on the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahieh in the Lebanese capital on Thursday in an attack that reportedly aimed to eliminate the Hezbollah leader.
Safa is Hebollah's Liaison and Coordination Unit head
Israeli media reports also noted that Safa serves as Hebollah's Liaison and Coordination Unit head.
Subsequently, Sky News Arabic on Thursday reported that a security source claimed Safa "was injured but is still alive."
Three security sources told Reuters the same thing on Thursday.
On Friday morning, CNN Arabic, citing a Lebanese security source, reported that the Israeli airstrike targeting Safa had demolished a residential building.
"The entire building fell," a witness reportedly told CNN. "There were many people inside."
The Lebanese Health Ministry claimed that at least 22 were killed, and another 117 were wounded in the strike.
BREAKING:
— Visegr谩d 24 (@visegrad24) October 11, 2024
Ghareeb Alshuja, the commander of an anti-tank missile unit of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon pic.twitter.com/rgeTRNtFxW
RAW FOOTAGE: Today, I was at a Hezbollah post in southern Lebanon along with a number of journalists. Seeing the reality of southern Lebanon with my own eyes, seeing how Hezbollah embeds itself within houses, was baffling.
— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) October 11, 2024
Watch until the end to see what they used this home… pic.twitter.com/SXNz7LQ5gU
Middle East Shift: Imam Calls for War Against Israel, Boycotted in Lebanon. Today, during Friday prayers in Lebanon, people walked out of mosques after the imam declared, "We must fight the Jews; the war with Israel isn't just against Hezbollah." Angrily, he labeled those leaving… pic.twitter.com/3bjLOlynnK
— Amjad Taha 兀賲噩丿 胤賴 (@amjadt25) October 11, 2024
When you hit an arms deposit at night... 馃巼
— Hamas Atrocities (@HamasAtrocities) October 11, 2024
South of Sidon, Lebanon pic.twitter.com/q1xSJlrYTt
IAF kills Islamic Jihad chief in Samaria’s Nur Shams camp
An Israel Defense Forces airstrike killed the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group in the Nur Shams camp, located east of Tulkarem in western Samaria, the military announced early Friday.
Muhammad Abdullah became the local head of the Gaza-based Palestinian terrorist organization after the IDF killed his predecessor Muhamad Jabber on Aug. 29.
A second unnamed terrorist was eliminated in Thursday’s airstrike, the IDF said.
Abdullah was responsible for planning and directing “many attacks,” including targeting Israeli troops with explosives.
The slain terrorists were found in possession of M-16 rifles, which soldiers confiscated along with their vehicle, the military said.
Last week, an Israeli Air Force fighter jet conducted a rare strike in Tulkarem in northwestern Samaria, targeting top Hamas terrorist Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi.
The Palestinian Authority reported at least 18 fatalities in the strike, with a local security source telling Agence France-Presse it was the deadliest in Judea and Samaria since the Second Intifada of 2000-05.
Ayyth Radwan, the head of Islamic Jihad’s Tulkarem branch, was also reportedly killed.
Oufi was planning a terrorist attack “in the immediate time frame,” according to the Israel Defense Forces, and directed a thwarted car bombing last month near Ateret in the Binyamin region of Samaria.
The IDF said Oufi was involved in smuggling weapons to terrorists who perpetrated several recent attacks against Israelis, including some that wounded civilians.
Hamxs caught on camera firing a ATGM from a UN school in Gaza pic.twitter.com/DkaoLSFEoT
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) October 11, 2024
Tikvah Podcast: Elliott Abrams on Whether American Jewry Can Restore Its Sense of Peoplehood
That the Jews have survived is one of the great mysteries of history, and for some theologians, Jewish survival is even an indication of God’s providence. The stronger the force against the Jews, the more miraculous their resilience and endurance.
But that mystery has another dimension to it–because in America, the Jewish community is not doing well at all. And that’s not because America is like Egypt or Spain or Germany–in fact it’s precisely because America is so decent, so good, and so welcoming that the Jewish community finds itself contracting and growing shallower.
There is a powerful countertrend among the Orthodox subpopulations of American Jewry. Their rates of generational retention and inmarriage are high. Jewish education is advanced, and even flourishing. The U.S.-Israel relationship tends to be a salient issue in their approach to public affairs. But the Orthodox segment of American Jewry is very small. What about the other 85 or 90 percent?
Elliott Abrams, the chairman of Tikvah and a distinguished foreign-policy expert, is the author of a new book addressing these topics, If You Will It: Rebuilding Jewish Peoplehood for the 21st Century. Abrams takes comprehensive stock of the available data on American Jewish communal life and then poses a question. The Orthodox Jews of America have a formula that works. But what can be done to strengthen the Jewish attachments and Jewish identities of the non-Orthodox? What do the data tell us? Abrams joins Mosaic‘s editor Jonathan Silver to discuss If You Will It.
We can never forget Israel is fighting America’s enemies. If we care about safety in America we have to be on their side. pic.twitter.com/2fZiR22BT3
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) October 10, 2024
Yishai Fleisher: “Far From Over” British Col. Makes a Prediction about Israel’s Many Wars
Call me Back: Memorializing a war while still fighting - with Matti Friedman
This past Monday marked the grim one-year anniversary of October 7th. Around the world, Jewish communities gathered to memorialize a war still being fought.
How did Israeli society experience this grief, and how did Diaspora communities memorialize? What are Israelis going through that we might not be able to see from a distance? And what are Diaspora communities going through that Israelis may not see?
To discuss, we are joined by Matti Friedman, who is one of the most thoughtful writers when it comes to all matters related to Israel, the broader Middle East, and also trends in the world of journalism. He is a columnist for The Free Press.
Matti’s most recent book is called “Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai.” Before that he published "Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel," and before that "Pumpkinflowers: A Soldier’s Story of a Forgotten War.” Matti’s army service included tours in Lebanon. His work as a reporter has taken him from Israel to Lebanon, and other hotspots across the Middle East and around the world. He is a former Associated Press correspondent and essayist for the New York Times opinion section.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
03:15 How did you experience the grim one-year anniversary of October 7th?
06:06 How did division in Israel manifest itself on the date?
12:35 How does the string of IDF successes in Lebanon play into the overall mood in Israel?
15:09 Experiences in the Diaspora of the grim 10/07 anniversary
26:29 What do we know about the IDF’s ground operation in Lebanon?
34:36 The current mood in Israel
39:33 How are Israelis processing the developments with Iran and the potential significant Israeli response?
44:02 Reaction to the controversial Ta-Nehisi Coates CBS interview
‘Completely sick’: Douglas Murray blasts ‘365 days of horror’ newspaper front page
Author Douglas Murray has blasted The Independent newspaper in the United Kingdom for its front page marking the one-year anniversary of the October 7 massacre.
The newspaper’s front page read “365 days of horror” and had the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Authority’s casualty numbers on the cover.
Mr Murray branded the cover “completely sick” and warned some people can't commemorate the anniversary without trying to “flip” the story.
“How come so much of the media has, like The Independent you just showed there to the extent that it is still a paper, how have they ended up just regurgitating Hamas figures?” he told Sky News host Rita Panahi.
The Israel Guys: Israel’s deadly surprise attack on Iran is imminent
Israel is prepared and ready to strike Iran with a blow it will likely never rise from, a blow that would cripple and stop the global sponsor of terrorism in their tracks. This retaliatory attack is likely going to happen very soon. In the words of Israel's defense minister the attack will be deadly, precise, and above all surprising! Will it be the destruction of their nuclear facilities, their oil industry, their terror leaders? Join Joshua as he breaks it all down on todays show.
Turns out it was always about relitigating 1948. Act surprised.
— Haviv Rettig Gur (@havivrettiggur) October 11, 2024
You’ve reversed the bigotry, professor. When the Jews are offered their great-grandparents’ homes from which most of them fled or were expelled in the 20th century, then the same can be claimed for Palestinians.… https://t.co/jYsrXBOZEM
Piers Morgan: “We Will NEVER Be Morally Responsible” Palestinian Ambassador vs Ex Israeli Prime Minister
Piers Morgan has made a point of amplifying both Palestinian and Israeli voices, on a devastating conflict that many believe is entirely black and white. Today’s discussion is no different. Firstly, Piers talks to Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, who recounts his heartbreaking upbringing in a refugee camp, and the horrors visited upon his family. According to Zomlot, the Palestinian people have been made to feel like “children of a lesser god” at the hands of the state of Israel.
Piers then turns to Israeli Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, a man who personally strove to protect his nation when it was surrounded and attacked in their 1948 war. For him, the moral responsibility for Palestinian suffering lies squarely on the shoulders of the nations that wanted to destroy Israel. He reminds Piers of the multiple missed opportunities for peace, the ‘causal chain’ of violence and that the Jewish people of Israel cannot be held responsible.
00:57 Introduction
02:00 Ambassador Zomlot one year after Oct 7th: “It’s been a nightmare”
06:35 “We do not condone targeting civilians in any way”
10:05 Indisputably a form of occupation in Gaza
11:31 The Israeli narrative is “total nonsense”
13:31 'It suited Netanyahu to have the Palestinian vote divided in two'
15:44 “Look at what they are doing in Lebanon”
18:21 What is enough for Israel?
27:20 Netanyahu, his deal with the devil to be in power and proportionality
28:20 “Hamas are part of the Palestinian People” Husam Zomlot
30:20 We need to see war criminals behind bars
39:20 Ehud Barak joins Piers Morgan to discuss a two-state solution
42:30 Barak recalls his negotiations with Bill Clinton at Camp David in 2000
46:10 Israel has a compelling need to respond to Iran
47:00 How does this all end?
49:00 'No end game and no sign of peace'
Breaking: The Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom says that the phrase “From the River to the Sea,” is genocidal.
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) October 10, 2024
You can’t make this up. pic.twitter.com/UzSkt2hEzW
The green prince, Mosab Hassan Yousef, once again gives a piece of his mind to a terrorist supporter in a confrontation! pic.twitter.com/YHUv1MDyuy
— 讬讜住祝 讞讚讗讚 - Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) October 11, 2024
Brussels venue de-platforms Al-Jazeera-funded conference over Hamas leader participation
A conference funded by Al-Jazeera and led by Hamas officials in Europe was deleted by its Brussels host venue’s website following a recent US treasury designation.Dutch lawmakers call on gov’t to ban terror-linked Samidoun NGO
The event was organized by the European Palestinian Council for Political Relations (EUPAC), a Belgium-registered lobbying organization led by two Hamas officials in Europe, chairman Majed Al-Zeer and deputy chairman Mohammad Hannoun, both designated only this week by the US treasury as officials in Hamas who raised millions of dollars for the benefit of the terror group.
The conference was supposed to take place on October 14, yet now the invitation has been taken off the venue’s website, and a different event appears on that same date. It was originally titled "The Genocidal War in Gaza One Year On: Humanitarian, Legal and Political Implications in the European Context", and was supposed to feature members of the European Parliament, including Lynn Boylan (Ireland), Daniel Attard (Malta) and Vicent Marz脿 Ib谩帽ez (Spain), with aforementioned EUPAC chairman Majed Al-Zeer as a key speaker. Despite this, as of now, the decision to freeze the conference altogether has not yet been taken, and it is unclear whether the conference will take place at the venue or at a different location.
The Al-Jazeera-Hamas connection
As mentioned, the conference, which is meant to host a designated Hamas official, was funded by Al-Jazeera, a fact which may further highlight the relations between Hamas and the Qatari outlet.
Hamas, a terrorist organization designated by the EU, Canada, the US, and many other nations, defines itself as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political and social movement that was founded almost a century ago in Egypt and seeks to establish an Islamic state with Sharia as its law. Other tributaries of the Muslim Brotherhood include Al-Qaeda and ISIS, both of which are part of the Salafi Jihadist stream of the movement.
Qatar, who owns the Al-Jazeera network, is known as one of the major patrons of the Muslim Brotherhood, promoting its branches across the globe with funding and moral support. In Israel, local courts argued that Hamas views Al-Jazeera as their propaganda and intelligence arm, and indeed on many occasions the Qatari-owned channel publishes exclusive footage and first-hand statements and information originating from Hamas and its militia, the Al-Qassam Brigades.
The new US designation, which was published on the one year commemoration of the October 7th Massacre, stressed that other parties are prohibited from providing funds, goods or services for the benefit of the newly recognized Hamas officials, warning of ‘secondary sanctions’ to those who engage in “certain transactions.” However, it is unclear whether Al-Jazeera would also be subject to those sanctions in the case of funding this event.
The Dutch House of Representatives approved a resolution on Tuesday calling on their government to designate the Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network as a terrorist organization and ban its activities in the country.Jewish Canadian parliamentarian defends Trudeau, targets Samidoun
The measure, submitted by opposition lawmakers from the Reformed Political Party—a Christian Zionist movement—and the conservative JA21 party, passed by a 100-50 margin due to support from members of the Netherlands’ governing coalition.
All left-wing members of parliament, as well as the Islamist Denk and far-right Forum for Democracy parties, opposed the measure.
The resolution urges The Hague to “promote the inclusion of organizations such as Samidoun on the national terrorism sanctions list and in the CTER [Counter-terrorism, Extremism and Radicalization] register.”
“Organizations like Samidoun, which spread antisemitism and glorify terror, do not belong in the Netherlands, a nation founded on the rule of law,” the Reformed Political Party said in a statement on Tuesday.
Ronnie Eisemann, the chairman of The Hague-based Center for Information and Documentation on Israel antisemitism watchdog, hailed the measure’s adoption as a “great step in the right direction.
“Samidoun does not belong in our open, free and vulnerable society,” Eisenmann said in a post on X, adding, “If we are serious about combating antisemitism, the government must take swift action.”
No sooner did JNS find a seat at a kosher Toronto cafe with Anthony Housefather, who will mark 100 days as the Canadian special advisor on Jewish community relations and antisemitism on Oct. 13, when an admirer of the Jewish parliamentarian interrupted the interview.
“You could sit anywhere, including my house,” the middle-aged woman told Housefather. “I recognized you. I follow you online. I love what you’re doing, and you are one of our heroes.”
“Oh, you’re one of our warriors,” she further gushed at Housefather, who has spent a decade in service in the Canadian Parliament. “Thank you so much for everything you’re doing, and we need it.”
Housefather, 54, has indeed done a lot. Before his election to Parliament in 2015, he worked as an executive vice president for corporate affairs and general counsel at a multinational technology company after earning two law degrees from McGill University and an MBA from Concordia University.
He first entered public service in 1994 as a 24-year-old, when he was elected as a municipal councilor in the Town of Hampstead. He worked his way up through local government to be elected, 11 years later, the mayor of C么te Saint-Luc. He served in the latter role for a decade.
In Parliament, Housefather represents the riding (district) of Mount Royal in Quebec. He has served as chair of the House of Commons Justice and Human Rights Committee (2015 to 2019), after which he was appointed Parliamentary secretary to the Canadian labor minister. After the 2021 election, he became Parliamentary secretary to the public services and procurement minister.
In his new role addressing Jew-hatred, Housefather collaborates closely with Deborah Lyons, Canada’s special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism, including working with the presidents and senior administrators at 15 large Canadian universities on fighting Jew-hatred and hate speech broadly, and seeking to penalize organizers of antisemitic encampments.
“I found honestly that in talking to universities, they were happy to work with us—happy for the clarity lessons learned from last year, and were intent on making things better,” he told JNS over coffee at the Prosserman Jewish Community Centre cafeteria.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Housefather—a Montreal-area parliamentarian who is also part of the Liberal Party—to his new role on July 5. Housefather told JNS that in his new position, he addresses rising Jew-hatred nationwide and concerns about the safety and well-being of Jewish Canadians and enhances the government’s actions against antisemitism.
Breaking: The Conservative party in Canada has set forth a motion demanding that the Canadian government designate Samidoun and the Houthis as terrorist entities.
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) October 11, 2024
The fact that they weren't already listed as terrorist groups is shocking. pic.twitter.com/gFWqCXSJYy
This is a conversation between three Jewish people living in Britain.
— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) October 10, 2024
They met each other for the first time approximately 30 minutes before this conversation took place.
We asked them how they felt about antisemitism in this country following Hamas’ 7th October terror attacks… pic.twitter.com/mhfxQc5Ozj
If you are promoting “armed resistance”—a mere euphemism for violence and terror against Jews in Israel—then you are not “pro-Palestinian.” You are Anti-Israel and Antisemitic.
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) October 10, 2024
The incitement of violence and terror against Israel will never bring peace. It will only lead to… pic.twitter.com/l1XVPDzi3S
Time Magazine published this op-ed by the head of "Jewish Voice for Peace" on October 8th pic.twitter.com/S2P2O65JJF
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) October 11, 2024
The disgusting gall of @WOLPalestine leader @NerdeenKiswani purporting to be against Nazism (by supporting the Oct. 7, 1944, Jewish prisoner revolt at Auschwitz-Birkenau) when her rhetoric is exactly the same as neo-Nazis. https://t.co/gxAI43TXWz pic.twitter.com/W9n05wlDcx
— Canary Mission (@canarymission) October 10, 2024
.@Sharon NYT was doing you a favor. The full tweet reveals not only your hatred, but also your illiteracy. Now don’t you have a cross to burn or something Nerdeen? https://t.co/4YEsv3jy6f
— Eli Lake (@EliLake) October 11, 2024
Anyways here's Nerdeen Kiswani stating that most Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim Americans support the October 7th massacre.
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) October 11, 2024
If anyone else said this, they'd be labeled a despicable racist and be canceled https://t.co/wjZbtAoJ5I
⚠️ Vile Antisemite Jimmy Dore Incites Violence Against Jews on YouTube
— Awesome Jew (@JewsAreTheGOAT) October 10, 2024
Deranged anti-Israel propagandist and Jew-hater @jimmy_dore went on a vile rant on @YouTube against Israel, calling Israel and Zionism a 'cancer,' which implies a wish for the eradication of Jews who support… pic.twitter.com/wDOQHJVyHg
Nomad restaurant owner Al Yazbek’s Jewish landlords not impressed with the charged foodie’s Nazi Israel flag waving
The Jewish landlords of a Surry Hills restaurant owner are not too pleased after Alan Yazbek was charged over holding a Nazi-Israel flag at a pro-Palestine protest in Sydney on the weekend.
The restaurateur was charged with knowingly displaying a Nazi symbol in public after allegedly holding the sign on Sunday.
Mr Yazbek’s restaurant Nomad is located in a building owned by well-known Sydney property investors Robert and Geula Burke’s company, Hanave Pty Ltd.
The sign showed a swastika superimposed on an Israeli flag accompanied by the text “Stop Nazi Israel”.
New footage in The Australian also showed Mr Yazbek holding a green and gold flag in the colours of Hezbollah with a Ned Kelly-like figure on the front.
According to The Australian, members of the Sydney Jewish community say the Burkes were “unhappy” with Mr Yazbek's conduct.
Ms Burke is originally from Israel and is a volunteer at a Jewish school in Sydney.
The restaurateur, who is due to face Downing Centre Local Court on October 24, has faced ardent criticism, with at least five Melbourne businesses cancelling events at Mr Yazbek’s French inspired Reine & La Rue restaurant.
Additionally, French champagne brand G.H. Mumm is “reviewing its partnership” with Mr Yazbek’s Melbourne based restaurant.
Many potential customers have also ripped up their reservations at Mr Yazbek’s award-winning restaurants, with the social media pages of the Sydney and Melbourne dine-ins being hit with calls for boycott.
“We have just cancelled our booking. Never again. Shalom,” wrote one user on Nomad’s Facebook page.
“Do all your dishes come with a side of antisemitism? Asking for a friend,” said another.
I don’t believe him
— Menachem Vorchheimer (@MenachemV) October 11, 2024
Al Yazbek’s actions were arguably considered & deliberate
He made sign with a Swastika & took it to a rally
He also took a mock Hezbollah Terrorist flag with him despite being aware Hezbollah’s flag was banned
His “apology” is seemingly for being exposed pic.twitter.com/HPZk4HYE0w
Get used to many more of these headlines.
— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) October 10, 2024
Labor is bringing in thousands from Gaza and putting Australia's security at risk. pic.twitter.com/fzflBfQMhQ
Credit to Kofy Time. Great work. Check out his page. @kofy_time
— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) October 11, 2024
I'm trying very hard, but I just can't find the palestinians in this list of who ruled over the land of Israel... pic.twitter.com/IQfVmso6Px
— Hamas Atrocities (@HamasAtrocities) October 11, 2024
Wait why did MY tweet get a community note? 馃槀
— The Mossad: Satirical and Awesome (@TheMossadIL) October 11, 2024
Marching Toward Violence: The Domestic Anti-Israeli Protest Movement
Over 150 groups involved in the disruptive anti-Israel protests on college campuses and elsewhere in the United States are “pro-terrorism.” The vast majority support Hamas and/or the October 7 terrorist attacks. The movement contains militant elements pushing it toward a wider, more severe campaign focused on property destruction and violence properly described as domestic terrorism.A Masked Mob Outside a Lawmaker's Home
Its long-term goals are revolutionary. It demands the “dismantlement” of America’s “colonialist,” “imperialist,” or “capitalist” system, often calling for the U.S. to be abolished as a country.
These revolutionary goals are held by the two different factions of anti-Israel extremist groups. The first faction combines Islamists, communists/Marxists, and anarchists. The second faction consists of groups with white supremacist/nationalist ideologies. They share Jew-hatred, anti-Americanism, and the goal of sparking a revolutionary uprising.
This study analyzes the movement and its over 150 pro-terrorist groups and draws 12 conclusions about its supporters, means, and objectives and identifies least 10 options for legislators, law enforcement, and concerned citizens to take action against the movement.
Read the full report here (pdf).
Anti-Israel protesters marked a year since Hamas's Oct. 7 massacre by setting up camp Sunday outside Rep. Greg Landsman's Cincinnati home, in what the Ohio Democrat calls "an attempt to intimidate my Jewish family." For two days, the Landsmans needed a police escort to enter or leave the house. The protesters wore all black, and their faces were hidden beneath kaffiyehs or black masks.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, Ku Klux Klan members covered their faces as they burned crosses and engaged in acts of intimidation and violence. Anti-Israel demonstrators aren't covering their faces for their health, but to intimidate the targets of their protests and to escape accountability for their actions.
As in the days of the Klan, those who wear masks seek not to express their views but to dominate others. Members of the mob outside Mr. Landsman's house have joined America's long history of people who hide their faces in the name of bigotry and intimidation.
Hamas knew what they were doing on October 7th, 2023.@NickJFreitas is completely correct
— Visegr谩d 24 (@visegrad24) October 11, 2024
pic.twitter.com/r536BtgA0L
New images released of anti-Israel mob who bloodied Democratic Majority of Israel co-founder as hunt for attackers continues
Police are hunting for the anti-Israel protesters who whacked a Jewish leader with a tambourine and flag pole during a march on the first anniversary of Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack.
The NYPD released photos of four suspects accused of taking part in Monday’s assault on Todd Richman — a co-chair of Democratic Majority for Israel — which left him bloodied.
Viral video of the encounter shows Richman, 54, unfurling an Israeli flag as a mob of anti-Israel protesters surround him inside Union Square Park.
“Get the f–k out of here!” a woman yells as a keffiyeh-clad protester tries to rip the flag out of his hands.
“Get the f–k off the flag,” Richman says as he struggles with it. “Get off it.”
Protesters then get in his face while his flag is ripped away.
Moments later, Richman lunges for it while the unruly mob turns violent — with one tambourine-wielding woman smashing him in the head and a man hitting him in the face with a flagpole.
The vocal victim was left with a bloody nose.
A day after the attack, Richman said the rouble rousers “crossed a line.”
“As Americans, we have the right to protest, but yesterday, on the one-year anniversary of the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, pro-Hamas agitators in New York City crossed a line,” he said in a statement.
“Pro-Israel Americans must be able to walk freely and fearlessly through the streets of New York,” he added.
“What happened was unacceptable, but it has only strengthened my resolve.”
Update: One of the individuals has been identified as Dr. Gabrielle Francis, a Naturopathic Doctor, Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, and Licensed Massage Therapist practicing in New York City. Be aware! pic.twitter.com/KpLmauESNK
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 10, 2024
Thank you @BillAckman for amplifying this!
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 11, 2024
BREAKING: Various activist groups in Chicago are protesting outside Barclays Bank. These activists do not like that Barclays does business with "war profiteers" like Boeing, Caterpillar, and Rolls Royce.
— Stu (@thestustustudio) October 10, 2024
Notice the "fashion team" that passes out keffiyehs 馃ぁ pic.twitter.com/HAvatmLzvA
Telling Jews they’re terrorists right in front of the NYPD and laughing while supporting terrorism—this is the new normal!
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 11, 2024
Anyone know this Hamas cheerleader? pic.twitter.com/wwqjDsRwwa
"Netanyahu is part of a machine that has been committing genocide against our people since 1492!"
— Canary Mission (@canarymission) October 11, 2024
How much ignorance, lies, lack of historical facts, cultural appropriation, and demonization can one anti-Israel activist pack into a single sentence? https://t.co/6kP779qZSn pic.twitter.com/feiwIr0C9Y
Jewish anti-Zionist group to protest Israel on Yom Kippur in London
A Jewish anti-Zionist group is set to demonstrate against Israel in the London Borough of Camden on Friday night, which falls on the Jewish high holiday of Yom Kippur, Camden Police announced on Friday.
The ‘International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network’ has held weekly protests in Swiss Cottage, protests which have reportedly increased in size and drawn in counter-protesters.
Police enacted the Public Order Act to prevent “serious disruptions,” which would limit the protesters' movement, time to congregate, and ability to use amplified sound equipment.
The protest calls for the British government to expel the Israeli Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely, and accused her of inciting genocide, the network announced on X.
The flyer also claimed that a genocide was being carried out in Gaza, where Israel has battled against the Iran-backed Hamas terror group for 12 months now. The war was kickstarted by Hamas on October 7, when the terror group broke the existing ceasefire, invaded southern Israel and murdered over 1200 people. In addition to killing both soldiers and civilians, Hamas abducted over 250 people, some 100 of whom remain in captivity.
30 Italian police officers were wounded on October 7th when they were attacked by anti-Israeli protesters in Rome.
— Visegr谩d 24 (@visegrad24) October 11, 2024
The rioters used makeshift bombs and dismantled street signs in an attempt to break through police lines.
The protesters were shouting “Intifada” as they attacked pic.twitter.com/G9DSfXfo9K
Journalist: "What's the solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?"
— Canary Mission (@canarymission) October 10, 2024
Delusional anti-Israel activist: "Dismantling Israel and creating a hierarchy-less, feminist-led society. Is not a dream, it's a reality. It's happening in Syria." 馃槼 pic.twitter.com/jQLEvi8xEe
Fred Hahn is the President of CUPE Ontario, Canada. Ontario’s largest public worker union. https://t.co/PDLrtjcy5n
— The Mossad: Satirical and Awesome (@TheMossadIL) October 11, 2024
"Hezbollah is a government of a country...The fact that the United States and Canada get to name them terrorists is called violence. It's called imperialism. And it's called racism."
— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ 讚诇讬讛 拽讜专抓 (@DahliaKurtz) October 9, 2024
This woman has two brain cells and they're each fighting for third place.
馃帴@RebelNewsOnline pic.twitter.com/aUQAVfIB7j
Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon! Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424. Read all about it here! |
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