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Monday, November 18, 2024

11/18 Links Pt1: Biden threatened to leave Israel defenceless; Iranian plot to murder Irwin Cotler; Large Gaza food convoy violently looted, UNRWA says

From Ian:

Ruthie Blum: Elise Stefanik’s UN debut can’t come soon enough
Whether the Biden administration is planning a last hurrah for the Jewish state at the United Nations—a lame-duck good riddance, à la Barack Obama, in the form of an abstention in a hostile Security Council vote—remains to be seen. The updated draft of a resolution relating to the war in Gaza and Lebanon is no better, if not worse, than its first anti-Israel version.

No surprise there. The only question is how Washington’s current dubious “ironclad commitment” to its key Mideast ally will stand up to scrutiny where the international vipers’ nest in Midtown Manhattan is concerned.

What’s certain is that President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to replace U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield can’t come soon enough.

To grasp the difference between Thomas-Greenfield and her soon-to-be-successor, Elise Stefanik, one need only compare their statements about Israel and the Iran-backed enemies bent on its annihilation.

Thomas-Greenfield opened her address last week to the UNSC by issuing a harsh rebuke. Not to Hamas, of course. No, instead, she began her Nov. 12 tirade by citing remarks by acting U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and relief coordinator Joyce Msuya.

“There is no need to mince words here,” Thomas-Greenfield stated at the outset. “As we heard from our briefers, the situation in northern Gaza is dire. Catastrophic, as we heard from Ms. Msuya. An unconscionable number of Palestinian civilians, many women and children, have been killed.”

She proceeded to invoke a false Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report, according to which “nearly every civilian in Gaza is without adequate food, medication, clean drinking water or housing,” adding, “They simply cannot be left to suffer indefinitely.”

Paraphrasing Secretary of State Antony Blinken, she continued: “We need to end the armed conflict, bring the hostages home, including the seven Americans held by Hamas, and chart a path forward in the post-conflict period that provides governance, security and reconstruction in Gaza.”

Not a syllable about the monsters who make such a task impossible. Never mind, though, Thomas-Greenfield, like her boss Blinken and the rest of the outgoing administration, has been focused on currying favor with the world’s malign actors.
Bassam Tawil: UNRWA Hires Palestinian Terrorists, Glorifies Violence And Terrorism
According to Israeli intelligence, more than 450 terrorists belonging to terrorist organizations in Gaza, mainly Hamas, are also employed by UNRWA.

"By not firing them, the UN Secretary-General and UNRWA's Commissioner General are brazenly demonstrating their determination to continue employing members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad even after having been presented with incriminating evidence to this effect. It is time for donor governments to wake up and stop funneling their taxpayers' money to members of designated terrorist organizations." – www.idf.il, August 5, 2024

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini recently told the UN General Assembly that his agency provides tolerant, respectful and anti-extremist education in Gaza. However, IMPACT-se's new report unveils institutional teaching material taught in five UNRWA schools in Gaza, where Hamas commanders have been exposed masquerading as school principals.

A poem taught to seventh-graders... calls on knights, symbolizing Arab leaders, to liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem "from the fist of unbelief, from Satan's aides – revenge to the Jews."

What is disturbing is that the UN chief and other donor countries refuse to see what many Palestinians already see, namely that UNRWA has long been playing a significant role in inciting hatred against Israel and raising another generation of Palestinian children on the glorification of violence and terrorism. It is time for this agency, as well as the entire UN, to be dismantled and removed, or at least, as suggested years ago, to have nations pay only for what they want and to get what they pay for.

It is also time for the Palestinian "refugees" to move on with their lives and stop relying on Western taxpayers' money.
Canada foils Iranian plot to murder Irwin Cotler
Canadian security forces last month foiled an Iranian assassination plot against Irwin Cotler, the Jewish former politician and human rights advocate, the country’s The Globe and Mail newspaper reported on Monday.

A source told the daily that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police warned the former Liberal justice minister on Oct. 26 that he was the target of an “imminent threat of assassination within 48 hours from Iranian agents.”

The source said authorities knew of two suspects in the plot, but it is unknown whether they were arrested or fled the country. The RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The source claimed to The Globe and Mail that Cotler was informed last week that the threat level against him had been significantly lowered.

Cotler, 84, has reportedly been under 24/7 RCMP protection since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led cross-border massacre in Israel’s northwestern Negev.

The protection provided to Cotler by Canadian authorities was said to include bulletproof vehicles, armed bodyguards and other measures.

“After Oct. 7, my wife and I attended the March for Israel in Washington, D.C. When we flew back to Montreal, security asked us not to leave the airport. Security personnel spoke to me and informed me of what has been characterized as imminent and lethal threats, without going into further details,” Cotler said in an interview with JNS earlier this year.

The international legal scholar noted at the time that “the community of democracies including Canada does not understand the threat of Iran.”

Cotler, who served as Canada’s justice minister and attorney general between 2003 and 2006, has been on the Islamic Republic’s radar for his calls to list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity.

The Jewish jurist has also represented Iranian political prisoners and is a strong supporter of Israel. He was Canada’s special envoy on Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism from 2020 to 2023.


Large Gaza food convoy violently looted, UNRWA says
A convoy of 109 trucks was violently looted on Nov. 16 after crossing into Gaza, resulting in the loss of 98 trucks, an UNRWA aid official told Reuters on Monday.

The convoy carrying food provided by UN agencies UNRWA and the World Food Programme was instructed by Israel to depart at short notice via an unfamiliar route from Kerem Shalom crossing, Louise Wateridge, UNRWA Senior Emergency Officer told Reuters.

"This incident highlights the severity of access challenges of bringing aid into southern and central Gaza," she said.


Biden and Blinken threatened to leave Israel ‘alone,’ deny weapons over Rafah offensive, Netanyahu claims
President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken both threatened to leave Israel “alone” and deny the Jewish state’s military critical weapons ahead of a planned offensive in southern Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Monday.

During a secret meeting with an Israeli parliamentary committee, Netanyahu disclosed that Biden, 81, began warning him in April against the assault on the city of Rafah — even telling the PM that “you will be left alone,” the right-leaning Israeli outlet Now 14 reported.

Netanyahu, 75, told members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee that he replied to Biden, “We will do it alone,” foreshadowing public remarks he would make early in May.

Days after the phone call, Blinken also traveled to Israel to meet with Netanyahu and discourage the offensive by saying: “You will not have weapons.”

Netanyahu reportedly shot back: “We will fight with our hands and nails.”

The PM also crowed that US officials had vastly overestimated the number of potential civilian deaths in a Rafah assault, putting the number of likely fatalities around 20,000.

While there were some “tragic” civilian killings, Netanyahu said in a joint address to both chambers of Congress in July that the “lowest” ratio of combatant to non-combatant casualties came in Rafah.

“Remember what so many people said? If Israel goes into Rafah, there’ll be thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of civilians killed,” the prime minister told US lawmakers. “I asked the commander there, ‘How many terrorists did you take out in Rafah?’ He gave me an exact number: 1,203.”

“I asked him, ‘How many civilians were killed?'” Netanyahu went on. “He said, ‘Prime Minister, practically none. With the exception of a single incident, where shrapnel from a bomb hit a Hamas weapons depot and unintentionally killed two dozen people, the answer is practically none.'”

“You want to know why? Because Israel got the civilians out of harm’s way, something people said we could never do, but we did it,” he said.
Biden admin sanctions more Israeli ‘settlers,’ NGOs, including key development group
The Biden administration announced a new round of sanctions on Monday against three Israelis and three organizations, including the leading Amana development group, which it accuses of undermining “peace, security and stability” in Judea and Samaria.

Matthew Miller, the U.S. State Department spokesman, said that the sanctioned individuals and entities had engaged in “violence targeting civilians or in the destruction or dispossession of property.”

“Their actions, collectively and individually, undermine peace, security and stability in the West Bank and the safety of both Israelis and Palestinians,” he said. (The Biden administration and some others refer to Judea and Samaria as the “West Bank.”)

He called on Jerusalem to “take action and hold accountable those responsible for or complicit in violence, forced displacement, and the dispossession of private land.”

The Biden administration “will continue to promote accountability for those who further destabilize conditions in the West Bank and support extremist violence in the region,” Miller stated.

On Feb. 1, U.S. President Joe Biden issued Executive Order 14115, sanctioning “persons undermining peace, security and stability in the West Bank.” The order cited “high levels of extremist settler violence, forced displacement of people and villages and property destruction.”

The executive order places those sanctioned on the specially designated nationals and blocked persons list of the Office of Foreign Assets Control, which is part of the U.S. Treasury Department.

It blocks property and interests held in America that belong to any designated individual and prohibits U.S. citizens from contributing or providing funds, goods and services to or to benefit those designated.

Monday’s State Department announcement targets Eyal Hari Yehuda Company, which it said provided support to rancher Yinon Levi, who was listed in the first sanction round in February. The corporation is “directly involved” in providing vehicles that have been used to expand the U.S.-designated Meitarim Farm, the Biden administration said.


Caroline Glick: Hear the Latest Insane Moves Made Against Bibi
This is what a "color revolution" looks like! Israel’s judicial, political and media mafia have thrown off the gloves in their quest to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.

They’ll stop at nothing—even violence, apparently—to stop Netanyahu and the Jewish state from achieving total victory over its enemies.

Chapters
00:00 Political Turmoil in Israel
03:05 Investigations and Allegations Against Netanyahu
05:56 Protests and Public Sentiment
09:09 The Role of the IDF and Military Leadership
11:54 U.S. Influence and International Relations
14:48 Judicial Reform and Political Dynamics
18:01 The Future of Israeli Governance
21:10 Conclusion and Call to Action




Documents found in Gaza detail Iranian sponsorship ahead of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack
Iran was an essential part of Hamas’ preparations for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, according to a report released by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center on Sunday, based on documents found by the IDF in Gaza over the last year.

Though Iran has denied foreknowledge of the Oct. 7 attack, the documents cited by the Meir Amit Center report indicate Tehran’s involvement in Hamas’ preparations.

“Hamas documents taken by IDF forces in the ground operation in the Gaza Strip … provide a rare glance at the extent of Iran’s penetration into Hamas as part of building its ‘axis of resistance’ against Israel,” the report states. “The documents teach us about Iran’s strategic process of establishing their foothold and influence in what happens in Hamas specifically and Gaza generally.”

On December 18, 2022, a letter from Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ Qassam Brigades who was killed in March of this year, wrote to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar — also killed by the IDF this year — that Iran agreed to provide a special budget of $7 million per month for a year to prepare for a war with Israel, but Issa thought Hamas should ask for a three- or four-month advance so that the group could prepare faster.

The letter also states that the sides discussed ways of smuggling weapons from Yemen to Hamas through “a network of smugglers that he totally trusts,” as well as using an Iranian submarine, according to the Meir Amit Center report.

In May 2022, former Hamas leader Khaled Mashal, who is still a senior figure in the terrorist group, wrote to Issa about an Iran-Hamas joint project to prepare to infiltrate Israel. Hamas would establish bases in Lebanon, starting with 2,000 terrorists meant to act under the command of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force.

“There are two main missions,” the letter reads. “If there is a joint battle and the Radwan force seeks to attack, Hamas will be on the forefront. If there are circumstances similar to [the 11-day Israel-Hamas war in May 2021], there will be independent infiltration actions, meaning groups from Al-Qassam [Hamas] will infiltrate.”
Tehran signals Hezbollah to accept ceasefire deal
Tehran is telling its Lebanese terrorist proxy Hezbollah that it supports ending the war against Israel amid an American push for a ceasefire agreement, The New York Times reported over the weekend.

Ali Larijani, senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, met with senior Lebanese officials in Beirut on Nov. 15 to discuss the matter.

Two Iranians affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps told the Times that Larijani conveyed messages to Hezbollah from Khamenei that he supported the end of the war and that the regime would assist with rebuilding the terror group’s forces and recovering from the war.

The sources also said that Khamenei told Hezbollah to accept the terms of a ceasefire deal that would see Hezbollah retreat to north of the Litani River in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War but which was never enforced.

Hezbollah has launched some 16,000 rockets, missiles and drones from Lebanon at Israel since joining the war in support of Hamas on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after the Gaza-based terrorist group’s massacre in southern Israel. Over 60,000 residents of northern Israel remain internally displaced due to the ongoing rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon, which have caused widespread material damage and multiple deaths and injuries.

However, Hezbollah’s leadership has been left in tatters following a series of assassinations by Israel, including of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on Sept. 27. This was preceded by Israeli sabotage of Hezbollah communication devices that killed 39 people and wounded more than 3,400 members of the terror group. Israel has been waging a devastating aerial campaign against Hezbollah throughout Lebanon, including its stronghold of Dahieh south of Beirut. According to Israeli estimates, the terror group has lost most of its arsenal to the ongoing strikes.
Israel May Have Already Destroyed Iranian Nuke Site | Jerusalem Minute
A new Axios report claims that Israel may have already hit one Iranian nuclear weapons research facility.

Join JNS Middle East correspondent Josh Hasten and JNS CEO and Jerusalem bureau chief Alex Traiman for insight and analysis!

They also cover President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks and what they mean for the Jewish state; ceasefire talks with Lebanese Hezbollah; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's direct message to Iranians; more Israel hate from the U.N. (and Biden may join in); and other topics.

Chapters
00:00 Trump's Pro-Israel Appointments
03:07 The Impact of Huckabee's Selection
05:55 Disruption of the Deep State
09:13 Netanyahu's Strength Amidst Protests
12:06 Kushner's Role in Middle East Policy
14:56 Total Victory: What It Means for Israel
18:11 Iran's Nuclear Threat and Regional Dynamics
21:00 Khamenei's Health and Potential Regime Change
23:49 Israel's Military Strategy Against Hezbollah
27:07 Ceasefire Talks and Strategic Maneuvering
29:58 The Future of U.S.-Israel Relations
33:02 Conclusion and Future Prospects


UNIFIL draws criticism for blaming ‘non-state’ actors without naming Hezbollah
The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, which is responsible for Lebanon’s border with Israel, said it was ambushed on Saturday, “likely” by “non-state actor members.”

UNIFIL stated that French and Finnish troops were patrolling the village of Bedias when a group of unnamed people—at least one of whom was armed—obstructed the U.N. soldiers.

They continued along their route and, when they crossed into the village of Maarakeh an hour later, they were “fired upon about 40 times from behind.”

The troops hustled out of the area and reached a UNIFIL base in Deir Kafa. There were no injuries, and UNIFIL said some of its patrol vehicles were struck by bullets.

“It is the responsibility of Lebanese authorities to ensure that UNIFIL peacekeepers can carry out their mandated tasks without fear or threats,” UNIFIL stated.

The U.N. mission did not mention Hezbollah, the terror group that controls southern Lebanon and is the reason that the United Nations maintains a presence in the area.

“UNIFIL has a hard time saying who the armed people denying them freedom of movement might be. Hezbollah,” wrote Matthew Levitt, director of the counterterrorism and intelligence program at the Washington Institute.
US warns Turkey not to host Hamas leaders after they fled Doha to Ankara
The US warns Turkey against hosting Hamas leaders, after an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel over the weekend that the terror group’s senior officials based in Doha fled last week to Ankara.

Turkey has not denied that Hamas officials are now in the country, but has insisted that it is not opening an office for them.

The US says it asked Qatar to oust Hamas leaders, arguing that the terror group has refused to substantively engage in negotiations for months.

Qatar has denied taking this step due to US pressure, but has admitted to halting its mediating role.

Asked during a press briefing about The Times of Israel’s reporting on Hamas officials moving to Turkey, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says Washington does not “believe the leaders of a vicious terrorist organization should be living comfortably anywhere,” including NATO allies such as Turkey.

Miller notes that some Hamas officials, such as Khaled Meshaal, are under US indictment and should be turned over to the United States.

“We will make clear to the government of Turkey, as we have made clear to every country in the world, that there can be no more business as usual with Hamas,” he adds.




Hillel Neuer in Causeur: “Every euro donated to UNRWA is a euro against peace.”
Hillel Neuer was interviewed by Jeremy Stubbs in Causeur. They discussed UNRWA and anti-Israel bias at the UN.
View the full article in English below.

“EVERY EURO DONATED TO UNRWA IS A EURO AGAINST PEACE.”

Israel has banned UNRWA from operating on its territory. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, notoriously corrupted by Hamas, has worked since its creation to delegitimize the Hebrew state, when it doesn’t help to fight it. The director of UN Watch testifies.

Based in Geneva, UN Watch is a special kind of NGO. Founded in 1993 by a former president of the American Jewish Committee (lawyer Morris Abram), it constantly monitors the UN’s actions and assesses its compliance with its own Charter. In other words, there’s no shortage of work to be done! UN Watch experts regularly criticize one of the UN’s main branches, the Human Rights Council, for example when it fails to meet its own admission criteria by accepting countries such as China, Cuba or Venezuela, which are obviously far from respecting the founding principles of “contributing to the promotion and protection of human rights.” Also in the NGO’s crosshairs: the unfair treatment of Israel, to say the least. We interviewed the director of UN Watch, Canadian lawyer Hillel Neuer.

Jeremy Stubbs, Causeur: In UN Watch publications, the UN is portrayed as an organization in the grip of its most despotic member states. Aren’t you exaggerating just a little?

Hillel Neuer: 60% of the Member States of the Human Rights Council are authoritarian regimes. This position of strength gives them wide-ranging powers of appointment to UN bodies, where we find executives and experts who, although often Westerners, share their aversion to democracy and liberal values. A typical case is that of Jean Ziegler, the Swiss sociologist, anti-globalization and anti-capitalist who spent some twenty years occupying prominent positions in UN institutions, thanks in part to Cuban sponsorship. In the end, UN institutions fell under the control of an ill-fated alliance of dictators and militants with a shared hatred of the West.

Jeremy Stubbs, Causeur: Why is this alliance so relentless against Israel in particular?

Hillel Neuer: Of the 193 member states of the UN, 56 are Islamic regimes and they constantly bring resolutions condemning Israel before the General Assembly.

Jeremy Stubbs, Causeur: But they only represent a quarter of the votes. That’s not enough to win a majority at the General Assembly…

Hillel Neuer: The problem is that the UN has a culture of vote trading. Here’s how it works: if you’re a member state and you want the support of the 56 Islamic countries on a matter close to your heart, all you have to do in return is support them in one of the causes closest to their hearts, the fight against the Zionist enemy. Add to this the economic leverage available to the Arab world. Many countries know that they will find it easier to obtain gas and oil from the Gulf monarchies if they take a stand against Israel. Or that they will benefit more from the manna of a sovereign wealth fund like Qatar’s. Another source of motivation: fear of Islamist attacks. This submissive attitude is widespread among chancelleries, with a few exceptions, such as the Czech Republic, Argentina, and the USA. Finally, some of the anti-Israeli positions supported at the UN can be explained by a truly irrational dimension, by which I mean the old background of occidental antisemitism that often rises to the surface.


Senate majority leader-elect threatens to sanction Hague criminal court
If the International Criminal Court and its prosecutor Karim Khan don’t reverse their “outrageous unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials, the Senate should immediately pass sanctions legislation, as the House has already done on a bipartisan basis,” Senate Majority Leader-elect John Thune (R-S.D.) wrote on Sunday.

If the outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) “does not act, the Senate Republican majority will stand with our key ally Israel and make this—and other supportive legislation—a top priority in the next Congress,” Thune added.

In June, the House passed a bill calling on the U.S. president to sanction those who assist the ICC in its investigation, arrest, detention or prosecution of “a protected person” and sanctions and imposes visa bans on those people and their families.

Khan had previously said that he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for Hamas leaders.

Several senators supported the incoming Senate majority leader’s statement.

“The Senate must immediately pass legislation to sanction the International Criminal Court,” wrote Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), chair of the Senate Republican Conference. “Senate Republicans stands with Israel.”

“Well done Senator Thune. The ICC’s actions against Israel have been outrageous, and an independent review into the prosecutor’s actions is more than called for,” wrote Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “The Senate should take up the ICC sanctions bill that passed the House in a bipartisan manner. Standing up for Israel today protects America tomorrow.”


Francesca Albanese alleges Palestinian doctor 'likely raped to death' in Israeli detention
UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese alleged that Palestinian doctor Adnan Al-Bursh was sexually abused until his death while in Israeli detention, according to a post to her X/Twitter account on Monday.

Albanese wrote, "A doctor. A stellar surgeon. The embodiment of Palestinian ethics. Likely raped to death."

"The racism of Western media who are not covering this, and Western politicians who are not denouncing this, together with the thousand other testimonies and allegations of rape and other forms of mistreatment and torture that Palestinians have suffered in Israeli jails, is absolutely sickening," Albanese said.

Senior Palestinian doctor Adnan Al-Bursh died in an Israeli prison after over four months of detention at both the Sde Teiman facility and Ofer Prison, Reuters reported in May.

Reuters stated that Al-Bursh, head of orthopedics at Al-Shifa Hospital, was detained by the IDF while temporarily working at Al-Awada Hospital in northern Gaza.

The IDF began operations in the Al-Shifa Hospital in mid-November 2023 after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War, with Israel stating that there was a Hamas command center beneath the hospital.


Iran continues to face resistance, increasing dissent at home - analysis
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) announced the death of two of its Basij paramilitary fighters in southeastern Iran this week, claiming they had been ”martyred” in a “terrorist attack in the city of Saravan in the southeastern province of Sistan-and-Baluchestan.”

This is the latest in several attacks and battles between Iran’s security forces and fighters in southeastern Iran who oppose the regime.

Iran’s regime now finds itself facing increasing dissent and challenges at home. The Baloch region is not the only place where groups oppose the regime. Other minorities dislike the regime as well, including Kurds, Azeris, Arabs, and also Persians. Iran’s regime relies on pitting these groups against each other and relying on elements of each group as a pillar of the regime’s stability.

It is incorrect to characterize the regime as having no backers in its periphery, as it is always able to work with and co-opt some people. Its peripheries are also geographically divided from one another.

For instance, Baloch fighters who oppose the regime are closer to the Baloch region of Pakistan than they are to the far-off Kurdistan region in Iran, and the Kurds are closer to their comrades across the border in the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq than they are to Arabs in southwestern Iran. The regime is happy to keep this accident of history and geography as is.
Israel will not allow Hamas to govern Gaza again, Netanyahu vows
Hamas continues to frustrate ongoing hostages-for-ceasefire negotiations in the hopes of ending the war and returning to power in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday.

“The only thing that Hamas wants is a deal that ends the war and for the IDF to leave the Strip in order to return to power,” the premier said, according to Walla. “I am not ready to allow that under any circumstance.”

Netanyahu told lawmakers that the Palestinian terrorist group “sees the pressure” put on his government in both the domestic and international spheres, and believes it can thwart the talks to secure better conditions.

The prime minister said during the closed-door meeting that he believes some 50 out of the 101 remaining hostages held by Hamas remain alive.

He told committee members that while there is currently no concrete proposal on the table, various “ideas have come up” in recent days.

The Qatari-owned Al-Araby Al-Jadeed outlet cited a Hamas source as saying earlier this week that the Islamist organization’s leadership has cut all contact with those actually holding the hostages, due to “strict security measures to protect the important negotiation card.”

The source added that Hamas has refused to provide information on the whereabouts and status of the hostages, in particular those with U.S. citizenship, as it has not been offered “compensation” by mediators.

According to Channel 12, Netanyahu noted on Monday that while the Israel Defense Forces operation in Gaza has destroyed most of Hamas’s “military” infrastructure, its ruling capabilities remain largely intact.

Netanyahu reportedly said he ordered officials to prepare a plan aimed at replacing Hamas in the distribution of humanitarian aid by Nov. 21.
Netanyahu says Israel moved up pager attack due to fears it was about to be exposed
Israel decided to activate its pager attack on Hezbollah in September, ahead of time, because it was about to be discovered, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hints strongly in a Knesset speech.

His cabinet initially planned to launch an attack against Hezbollah in October, he says, but had to move up the planning “when our special means was about to be revealed.”

“From the moment I learned that this was about to be revealed, I decided that it was necessary to act immediately,” he claims. “There were those who argued that the US should be informed ahead of time. I argued that the US should not be informed because this could lead to either resistance or a leak, which is the same thing. A leak would have immediately demonstrated the effectiveness of the move. I denied it outright — and we acted.”

Netanyahu says that in the subsequent operations, 70-80 percent of Hezbollah rocket and missile capabilities were destroyed.

He also speaks about his deliberations ahead of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah: “A legitimate argument arose that such an action could lead to the expansion of the campaign.”

“There was a completely legitimate debate, and there was also a second demand,” he continues. “The demand was to update and coordinate this attack with the US. Again, with all due respect to our friends in the US, I rejected it outright.”

He says that the debate over whether to strike Nasrallah continued on his September flight to New York ahead of his speech to the UN.

“Two hours later, I called the defense minister and IDF chief of staff, and said that we had to eliminate the man. When we landed in New York, we convened the [security cabinet]. There was almost an absolute majority. One person argued differently, but the entire cabinet got behind it, and we made the decision, it was carried out — and the rest is known.”
Family tragedy worsens for ex-IDF chief Eisenkot, who loses 3rd close relative in war
A Sunday announcement by the Israel Defense Forces of soldiers killed in Gaza deepened the personal tragedy experienced by former IDF chief of staff and current opposition lawmaker Gadi Eisenkot in the ongoing war, who has now lost three close relatives in combat in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of Israel’s war with Hamas in October 2023.

Cpt. Yogev Pazy, 22, a platoon commander with the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion — Eisenkot’s nephew — was declared dead, alongside Staff Sgt. Noam Eitan, 21, after an exchange of fire with Hamas operatives in the Beit Lahiya area in the northern Gaza Strip.

Eisenkot’s son, Master Sgt. (res.) Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25, was killed while fighting in Gaza in early December, and another nephew of his, Sgt. Maor Cohen Eisenkot, 19, was killed in battle a day later.

Eisenkot, who served as the IDF chief of staff from 2015 to 2019, is a member of MK Benny Gantz’s National Unity party that joined the government as part of an emergency coalition in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror onslaught. He served as an observer in the war cabinet until National Unity returned to the opposition in June.

Hebrew media outlets on Sunday evening published an excerpt from a Facebook post written by Pazy back in August on the occasion of what would have been his cousin Gal Eisenkot’s 26th birthday.

“Eight months and three days,” Pazy wrote on August 10. “But today is a day without sad speeches. Today is your birthday. So instead, I will share my thanks and a number of memories.”

The post was accompanied by several images of Pazy and Eisenkot throughout the years, and a photograph of a tattoo that Pazy had gotten in Eisenkot’s memory.
Historic first: Female Israeli combat soldiers conduct Lebanon operations
For the first time in Israel’s military history, female combat soldiers entered Lebanon as part of an operational mission.

Northern Command chief Maj.-Gen. Ori Gordin approved the deployment of a team from the combat intelligence battalion into southern Lebanon several weeks ago.

Since the onset of the war, the combat intelligence team, consisting of female soldiers, had been stationed near the Syrian border and in the Mount Dov region.

Their tasks included gathering intelligence, identifying terrorists, creating target lists, and directing fire from ground and aerial forces to neutralize threats and dismantle terrorist infrastructure.

Cpl. Tehila, 21, a soldier from the Ayit Battalion, described her experience in several operations, including identifying individuals linked to terrorist activities.

Cpl. Shani, 20, explained the mission’s logistics.

“We walked about 1.5 km. into Lebanon, established a position in the field, maintained camouflage, and began intelligence collection using observation tools. Operationally, we entered areas untouched by Israeli forces since the Second Lebanon War.”


Hezbollah rocket hits Israeli Arab city, killing woman
One Israeli was killed on Monday and 10 others were wounded when a Hezbollah terrorist rocket fired from Lebanon scored a direct hit on a building in the northern Arab city of Shfar’am, medical officials said.

The Magen David Adom medical emergency response group initially reported that one woman was seriously wounded after being trapped, while five others sustained light wounds in the attack on the structure.

The Israel Fire and Rescue Authority said multiple rescue teams were deployed to the three-story building to search for additional victims.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, five projectiles were launched as part of the barrage. “Interception attempts were made. Impacts have been detected,” the military announced in a post on social media.

Earlier on Monday, a 65-year-old woman was lightly wounded by shrapnel from a Hezbollah rocket attack on Israel’s Galilee. A 34-year-old man was lightly injured in another barrage less than two hours later.

According to Magen David Adom, the woman was treated on the scene before being evacuated to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya along with another person suffering from anxiety. The injured man was also transported to the same hospital, according to MDA, which said he suffered from “blast injuries.”

Hezbollah launched 30 rockets at the Upper and Western Galilee areas in the attack that injured the woman, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Some of the projectiles were intercepted, while the rest fell in open areas, the military said.


Rocket shrapnel wounds five, damages buildings, a bus in Tel Aviv area
Five people were wounded in the Ramat Gan area in central Israel after a projectile crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon, Magen David Adom (MDA) said on Monday evening.

The IDF said an impact was identified, likely from interception debris, while the police district chief later noted a direct missile hit had been identified in the area.

MDA reported it was transferring a 54-year-old woman in serious condition, three people in moderate condition, and one person who had sustained light wounds to the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva.

Israel Police stated the hit caused damage to several buildings and an empty bus nearby.

Police said that Tel Aviv District forces conducted searches to rule out the possibility of trapped individuals.


IDF thwarts female terrorist during Judea car-ramming attack
Members of the Israel Defense Forces foiled an attempted car-ramming attack outside the Arab village of At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills of Judea on Monday. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Troops fired at the female terrorist after she accelerated toward them, the army said. The terrorist was “neutralized” and detained for questioning by security services.

On Nov. 13, two Israelis were lightly wounded in a vehicular attack outside the Arab village of Deir Qaddis, near Modi’in in the Binyamin region of western Samaria. The attack reportedly took place at the Hashmonaim Crossing near Modi’in Illit, the largest Israeli city in Judea and Samaria.

The previous day, a Palestinian terrorist tried to stab IDF soldiers outside the Arab town of Deir Sharaf, near Nablus in central Samaria. No injuries were reported in the incident.


Econtalk PodCast: Terrorism, Israel, and Dreams of Peace (with Haviv Rettig Gur)
Over the last 30 years, the Israeli public has moved to the right on the question of how to deal with the Palestinians. Why did this happen? How has this changed Israeli politics and the strategy of the Palestinians? Listen, as journalist Haviv Rettig Gur explores the political and military history of the last three decades in Israel with EconTalk's Russ Roberts. The conversation ends with lessons for the future and a discussion of the differences between American and Israeli Jews.




Labor ‘rewarding Hamas’ by supporting Palestinian sovereignty at UN
Sky News host Peta Credlin says Labor is “rewarding Hamas” by its support for a Palestinian state.

Labor voted at the UN to recognise Palestinian sovereignty.

Ms Credlin said it is showing terrorist groups around the world they can “win hearts and minds” at the United Nations.


‘Grinches’: Protesters crash opening of Myer’s Christmas Windows
Sky News host Chris Kenny has reacted to the small group of pro-Palestine protesters crashing the opening of Myer’s Christmas Windows.

Myer’s Christmas Windows last week cancelled its grand opening of the displays due to a planned protest, and later, they went ahead with a scaled-down unveiling over the weekend.

About eight protesters turned up to crash the event.

“It was pretty sad, Christmas cheer was replaced by Christmas fears, and even still, the idiotic protesters soon turned up, bringing their Christmas jeers to an event designed to brighten lives, especially for kids,” Mr Kenny said.


‘Disgraceful’ pro-Palestine protesters slammed after crashing opening of Myer’s Christmas Windows
Sky News host Sharri Markson has slammed the “disgraceful” pro-Palestine protesters who crashed the opening of Myer’s Christmas Windows.

“Over the weekend, there were ugly scenes in Melbourne, where pro-Palestinian protesters hijacked the opening day of the Myer Christmas Windows even though the official event was cancelled,” she said.

“This demand that Australian children be deprived of joy because of a war thousands of kilometres away is disgraceful.”


‘Completely ignorant’: Activists slammed for targeting Myer’s Christmas Windows opening
Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes slams the protestors who crashed the opening of Myer’s Christmas Windows.

“These are people who are completely ignorant to everything about what is going on,” Ms Hughes said.

“They are idiotic, they are stupid, they don’t understand history.”




With just one line in his new book, Pope Francis disappoints
As the whole world faces the violent growth of antisemitism, unprecedented since World War II, Pope Francis adds fuel to the fire with his new book, Hope Never Disappoints.

One line in the book immediately became a headline in all languages as it suggests that an alleged, possible genocide committed by Israel on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip should be investigated. The implication is that the war in Gaza—an unwanted war necessitated by the devastating Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023—is being carried out with a malign intent.

Perhaps the pope has been misadvised by those who imagine that the world he speaks to is steeped in populist pietism—crowds who march on the cities of the world with violence in the name of a front in which democracy and freedom have no citizenship.

I don’t see the Christian world of ordinary people this way. Friends of the Jews in the democratic world, understand that the term “genocide” brings a wave of antisemitism all over the world today, it leads to signs on which the Star of David is replaced with the swastika while reckless crowds shout “Free Palestine.” It leads to portraits of Adolf Hitler being superimposed with pictures of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, shouts to the media that these two men act the same, a line that makes headlines on Al Jazeera or in Il Manifesto or The Guardian, every day.

Repeating the “genocide” accusation increases the fashionable game of attacking Israel and the Jews to please the Third Worldism of the United Nations, satisfy Iran, Russia and China, and make liberal social-media platforms and talk shows go crazy with joy.

And does this exhortation from the pope have a concrete reason to exist? No.


J Street urges senators to support resolutions blocking U.S. arms sales to Israel
The progressive Israel advocacy group J Street is urging senators to vote in favor of several resolutions put forward by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to protest U.S. arms sales to Israel, a lobbying boost for Sanders’ effort and a marked shift to the left for J Street.

“We are urging Senators to vote yes to send a message, understanding that the sales are going to go through,” J Street president Jeremy Ben-Ami told Jewish Insider on Monday. The votes — a series of measures known as joint resolutions of disapproval, each of which deals with different types of weapons sent to Israel — are expected to take place on Wednesday.

If the resolutions were to pass in both the Senate and the House, they would block the arms transfers, though they’re almost guaranteed to fail. How many senators support the resolutions will be a barometer of Congress’ frustration with Israel more than a year into the war in the Middle East. Eleven senators, including one Republican, supported another Sanders effort that sought to halt arms sales earlier this year.

“The United States government must stop blatantly violating the law with regard to arms sales to Israel,” Sanders wrote in a Washington Post op-ed published Monday. The resolutions, which will touch on $20 billion of proposed weapons sales to Israel, are co-sponsored by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Peter Welch (D-VT).

J Street’s campaign will urge senators to “vote yes on at least one” of the resolutions, Ben-Ami said. He asserted that the resolutions are “symbolic,” but said senators should still support them to indicate “disapproval of the way the war has been conducted, of the Netanyahu government’s disrespect for President [Joe] Biden’s advice and requests and of the failure of the administration to use our leverage appropriately to change Israel policies and actions.”

AIPAC is lobbying heavily against the measures. Last week, Jewish Federations of North America — the umbrella organization of dozens of Jewish communal groups — similarly put out a call for members of the U.S. Jewish community to urge their senators to vote against the resolutions.
Sen. Van Hollen supports joint resolutions of disapproval limiting offensive weapons to Israel
The US should pause delivery of offensive weapons to Israel until Netanyahu’s government meets the requirements of US law and policy with respect to humanitarian assistance delivery, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen from Maryland wrote in a letter to the Senate on Monday.

Van Hollen’s letter to his colleagues comes days before the Senate is set to vote on Wednesday on several joint resolutions blocking certain offensive weapons sales to Israel, brought forward by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

Van Hollen stated he does not support a total arms embargo against Israel.

“At the same time, US taxpayer-funded assistance should not come in the form of a blank check – even to our closest allies,” Van Hollen wrote.

“We need assurances that US interests, values, and priorities will be respected by foreign governments that receive American assistance.”

Van Hollen said that Netanyahu has been rewarded after repeatedly violating the terms of American security assistance, disregarding US priorities, and ignoring US requests.

Last week, the State Department determined it would not limit military aid to Israel after the IDF demonstrated taking steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The State Department’s decision came as the 30-day deadline, whereby Israel had to meet certain requirements in Gaza to avoid triggering the limiting of military aid, passed.


US progressive Ocasio-Cortez suggests blaming AIPAC as Democrats lick wounds
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears to suggest that pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC was responsible for Democrats’ poor performance in this month’s election, which saw Republican Donald Trump defeat Vice President Kamala Harris and the GOP take control of both the House and Senate.

“If people want to talk about members of Congress being overly influenced by a special interest group pushing a wildly unpopular agenda that pushes voters away from Democrats then they should be discussing AIPAC,” the Democrat writes on X.

The comment comes after a senior advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders points a finger at lobbies representing corporate or industrial interests.

The claim from Ocasio-Cortez, a leading member of the party’s progressive flank, comes as the Democrats have entered a period of soul-searching following the drubbing at the polls.

While some have pointed to the Biden Administration’s support for Israel as a factor in driving away some Arab and Muslim voters, most pundits have suggested that the party’s focus on identity politics and embrace of progressive cultural matters rather than economic issues for pushing working class voters into the Trump camp.

AIPAC says it spent $53 million to support 361 pro-Israel candidates from both sides of the political aisle, while helping to defeat 24 anti-Israel candidates. It has recently begun targeting Sanders for his attempts to block arms sales to Israel.

In response to the tweet from Ocasio-Cortez, the lobby snarkily posts screenshots showing vote totals for two fellow members of the progressive anti-Israel “Squad” who were defeated in Democratic primaries by AIPAC-backed challengers.


Capitol Police arrest and charge longtime anti-Israel activist in DC area
U.S. Capitol Police officers arrested Janine Ali of Arlington, Va., in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Nov. 13 after witnessing an altercation between the 72-year-old and a woman with an Israeli flag.

Ali allegedly grabbed the flag that was tied around the unnamed victim’s neck at around 11:30 a.m. in the building cafeteria, according to a police report given to JNS. The victim says that her head was jerked back and that she choked as a result.

According to the police report, when officers asked Ali to step away from the group, the 72-year-old replied: “All I did was grab it.”

She was arrested on an assault charge. Ali has had a longtime presence at anti-Israel protests in the D.C. area over the years.

“Proactive policing is the key, which is what we had in place yesterday,” Tim Barber, a Capitol Police spokesman, told JNS. “We knew two groups, with opposing views on the war, were on Capitol grounds, so we ensured we had plenty of officers, including highly trained civil disturbance officers, onsite in case anyone broke the law.”


Protests in Greece end, potential of violent threat to Israelis, Jews remain
The protests in Greece for which the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry had urged its citizens in Greece to avoid certain areas had ended, Israeli media reported on Sunday evening.

Initially, the Foreign Ministry had called Israelis in Greece to avoid the areas of the Israeli embassy in Athens, Aristotle University, as well as the area around the US consulate in Thessaloniki, as protests were expected, with concerns of participation of anti-Israeli elements, as well as potential escalations to violence.

In addition to urging Israeli citizens to avoid those areas, the Foreign Ministry had suggested they conceal Israeli and Jewish symbols, as they can be clear identifications of their nationality.

"It's not surprising; today is Polytechnic Day, a day of student resistance," Viki Sarkov, an Israeli living in Athens, explained to Maariv, adding that "every year, protests are held." She then emphasized that considering the Israel-Hamas War and the Northern Arrows operation, "pro-Palestinian demonstrators might join, so for safety reasons, it's best to stay away from such riots on days like this."

Sarkov stressed there was a "wide deployment" of security forces, "and they won't let it get out of control." Despite the Foreign Ministry's warning, Sarkov expressed a feeling of security, telling Maariv, "As an Israeli, I don't feel fear or concern. I only downplay my origin when passing by immigrants, never to Greeks."




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