Thursday, November 28, 2024

11/28 Links Pt1: There’s No Such Thing As a ‘Ceasefire with Lebanon’; Hezbollah lost 4,000 fighters; Send in the clowns, arrests at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: There’s No Such Thing As a ‘Ceasefire with Lebanon’
Yesterday, President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron crowed that, “after many weeks of tireless diplomacy, Israel and Lebanon have accepted a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon.”

Between Israel and Lebanon? Have there been hostilities between Israel and Lebanon? Because it would be very silly to have Lebanese troops patrol the buffer zone if the buffer zone is meant to separate the IDF from Lebanese troops.

It’s wonderful that “Israel and Lebanon have accepted a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon.” Whoever this “Lebanon” guy is, he sounds nice. But I have no idea what he’s doing here.

Last week, men almost surely hired by Iran murdered in cold blood a Jerusalem-born Chabad rabbi in Dubai. Are Biden and Macron working on a “ceasefire” between Israel and the United Arab Emirates? Of course not, and no one is even suggesting such a thing, because it would be patently ridiculous on its face and arguably a mockery of the victim.

So that’s the conceptual absurdity of this ceasefire. What about its practicality?

“Eight vehicles and a motorcycle carrying Hezbollah personnel arrived at the ruins of Kfar Kila near Matula,” Israel’s Kann News reported this morning. “The IDF force that was on the spot drove them away with warning shots.”

Metula is an Israeli town on the border with Lebanon. Hezbollah had begun the ceasefire by advancing on Israel. Wrong direction, guys! Like legendary Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall recovering that fumble against the 49ers in 1964 and then running 65 yards into the wrong end zone—except on purpose.

And Israel’s response was to fire warning shots, because anything more aggressive—anything actually appropriate to the threat, in other words—would have triggered condemnation from the very allies that negotiated this ceasefire.

The Lebanese Armed Forces cannot enforce this ceasefire. If they could, they would have already cleared the area of Hezbollah, which has been operating with impunity for four decades. And the UN peacekeepers are Hezbollah’s trusted allies—that may sound harsh but it is just plain fact.

Yes, Israel is hoping to run out the clock on the Biden administration and have freer range of action once Donald Trump takes office. But Hezbollah knows Biden is on his way out, too, and that Trump is on his way in. And the enemy always gets a vote. Sometimes that vote is expressed by a nine-vehicle Hezbollah convoy encroaching on Israel’s sovereign border, in contemptuous contravention of a ceasefire signed by “Lebanon.”


Avi Issacharoff: Hezbollah can only claim Pyrrhic victory, but the real one is Israel's
While Hizbullah spokesmen may claim victory, the reality is clear to most Lebanese citizens. Hizbullah suffered a devastating defeat in the recent conflict.

Israeli intelligence demonstrated its ability to locate Hizbullah operatives down to the level of company commanders and including those facilitating weapons smuggling from Iran through Syria.

This campaign will undoubtedly be studied in military academies as a model of how Israel, through a combination of deception, tactical ingenuity, precise intelligence, combat spirit and soldierly sacrifice, managed to bring the conflict to a decisive close once the decision was made to act.

Israel had allowed Hizbullah to grow unchecked over the past 17 years without decisive action to stop its military buildup.

After the ceasefire, Hizbullah will undoubtedly resume its reconstruction efforts. Will Israel act decisively to prevent Hizbullah's next military buildup?
Ben-Dror Yemini: IDF's achievements against Hezbollah are tremendous and we should talk about it
Hizbullah's strength was supposed to deter Israel from any contemplation of striking the Iranian nuclear program. Everything written about Hizbullah's potential was accurate.

Then Israel struck Hizbullah with the pager operation, with massive bombings of missile and rocket depots, and with the elimination of Nasrallah and other top leaders in an unprecedented achievement.

Israel comes out of this conflict much stronger and Hizbullah has folded after a heavy blow.

Israel is in a position of strength. We lost this strength once because of a conciliatory approach. It must not happen again.


WSJ Editorial: Hizbullah's Ceasefire Is a Victory for Israel
Israeli hard power has secured Hizbullah's agreement to abandon Hamas. Iran's terrorist proxy in Lebanon resumed firing rockets at Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, and it had pledged to continue until Israel conceded to Hamas's demands. The ceasefire deal marks Hizbullah and Iran's retreat under fire. The real achievement of the war is a change in the balance of power.

Hizbullah had been deterring Israel, which feared that Hizbullah might launch thousands of missiles a day and topple buildings in Tel Aviv. But once Israel took the initiative with air strikes and daring sabotage, Hizbullah couldn't deliver on its threats.

Israel killed Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah and tore through its chain of command. Its ground invasion cleared weapons stores and tunnels in the border villages. "This is no longer the same Hizbullah, we set it back decades," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday. With Iran newly vulnerable and Hamas isolated in Gaza, Israel has fought through to its strongest strategic position in at least a decade.
SPECIAL REPORT: Assessing the Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire w/ Military Correspondent Yaakov Lappin
JNS military correspondent Yaakov Lappin joins JNS CEO and Jerusalem bureau chief Alex Traiman for an in-depth conversation about the ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Lappin reveals details about the truce deal that you won’t hear anywhere else—you don’t want to miss this episode!


CEASEFIRE: How Hezbollah Was Forced to Abandon Its War Aims | The Quad Interviews
Join "The Quad" for an exclusive inside look at the ceasefire in the war against Hezbollah! Israeli innovation envoy Fleur Hassan-Nahoum sits down with Middle East expert Jonathan Spyer for analysis and perspective you won't hear anywhere else.

They discuss details of the agreement; what the ceasefire means for the Jewish state, Lebanon and Iran; how President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration may have influenced the deal; and how the truce affects Hamas and Israel’s future.


Secret ‘Iranian clause’ included in US Lebanon-deal guarantees
A confidential clause in the U.S.-Israel side agreement to the Lebanon ceasefire deal focuses on the Islamic Republic, Hebrew media reported on Wednesday.

Dubbed the “Iranian clause” by Israeli officials, the provision is part of a two-and-a-half-page letter the full contents of which have not been fully disclosed, according to Channel 12 News.

“The U.S. commits to working with Israel to prevent Iran from destabilizing the region, establishing a foothold in Lebanon, or undermining the principles of the agreement—either directly or through its proxies,” the letter states, according to the report.

The “Iranian clause” also stipulates, “If Israel decides to act, it will notify the United States as soon as possible. The United States expects all Israeli actions to comply with international law and aim to minimize harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

Additional provisions in the letter reportedly include guarantees of Israeli operational freedom against Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire.

The Israel Defense Forces is authorized to counter immediate threats in Southern Lebanon, such as observed preparations for a Hezbollah rocket launch, and also to address emerging threats, for example the digging of new tunnels or arms transfers, if Lebanon’s government is unwilling or unable to act.

The letter further outlines U.S. responsibilities as chair of the monitoring mechanism, stating, “The United States will lead and direct the Lebanese Armed Forces to prevent and effectively address violations.”


The United Nations and ICC are at war with Israel
The question Jews around the world face today is a new one: Is it possible to be at war against something other than a country, terrorist organization or religion? For eons, people have fought wars between religions. Israel is currently fighting a war against multiple terrorist organizations, so we know that type of war exists. And in the age of nation-states, countries go to war with one another. But can the United Nations or the International Criminal Court go to war against a country? If the last 14 months are any indication, the answer is a resounding yes.

Even before Oct. 7, the United Nations was at war against Israel. UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that is in charge of declaring historical sites, named the Cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs in Hebron a “Palestinian Heritage Site.”

It is crazy to say that the place where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah are buried is anything other than a Jewish and Israeli heritage site. They are the forefathers and foremothers of Judaism, the religion practiced by the Jews in the Land of Israel and around the world. To suggest otherwise is an attempt to erase Jewish history and its connection to the Land of Israel. UNESCO, an arm of the United Nations, does just that.

No arm of the United Nations has done more to incite war against Israel than UNRWA, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. In recent years, 58% of the UNRWA’s budget went to education needs. Yet according to UN Watch, a watchdog group that publishes periodic reports on the agency, the education they provide has a devastating impact on youth by inciting hate in the region by teaching Palestinian children to aspire towards martyrdom in the form of murdering Jews and Israelis.

They do so through the erasure of Israel and glorification of violent jihad, which is why UNRWA arithmetic is taught by counting the number of martyrs in the First and Second Intifadas, and physics lessons revolve around sling-shotting stones at Israeli soldiers. The United Nations knows what’s in the textbooks; its educators teach Palestinian children to hate, and everyone accepts it.
Unable to destroy Israel militarily, its enemies resort to lawfare
Rep. Mike Waltz, tapped by President-elect Donald Trump as National Security Advisor, tweeted, “The ICC has no credibility and these allegations have been refuted by the U.S. government. Israel has lawfully defended its people & borders from genocidal terrorists. You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC & UN come January.”

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited Netanyahu to visit his country, assuring him he faces no risk of arrest.

While ambiguous at first, France has declared it will not enforce the warrants as Israel is not a signatory to the ICC.

Some analysts have questioned whether France’s decision was linked to the ceasefire announced Wednesday between Hezbollah and Israel.

Famed lawyer Alan Dershowitz has announced he is assembling a “dream team” to defend Israel in The Hague.

This support is crucial because so much of the international community has fallen for the widespread anti-Israel propaganda.

Hala Rharrit, a former U.S. State Department diplomat who has made her anti-Israel opinions well known, said in an Al-Jazeera interview that most of the world is feeling that “finally, finally, there is a sense that the international community is taking action, far little too late.”

She said that in the State Department, “secretly, many American diplomats are celebrating this.”

Rharrit resigned in April in protest over Biden’s support for Israel.

Several world leaders have condoned the ICC decision.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the ICC warrants “courageous.”

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, “The states that signed the Rome convention are obliged to implement the decision of the court. It’s not optional.”

Some experts have questioned whether the warrant and its implications could prevent civilized nations from fighting terrorism.

“If this progresses to a large-scale issuance of arrest warrants for a wider range of military people and politicians, it could certainly serve as a warning to states involved in fighting terror,” said Amb. Baker.

“But this issue is more of a blatant Israel-directed issue and would not necessarily be used against other states fighting terror,” he added.

According to Natasha Hausdorff, legal director of UK Lawyers for Israel Charitable Trust, “Every phrase of every sentence” in the court’s warrant “was in fact false.”

In a conversation with Matt Frei of Leading Britain’s Conversation (LBC), Hausdorff provided a stinging rebuke to the ICC. “One example is that in furtherance of this allegation of starvation, the prosecutor relied on a report that suggested that famine might come to parts of the Gaza Strip,” she said.

“That report was subsequently debunked by a Famine Review Committee report that indicated it had been based on insufficient or incomplete information and it drew implausible conclusions,” she said.

“The overall conclusion of that process and also from the press release the court put out on Thursday is that they have made that determination to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant on the basis of this slew of false information,” she said.

Should Israel be approaching this challenge differently?

According to Baker, Israel needs to show the countries that are party to the ICC statute “that the issuance of the warrants is ultra vires the terms of the statute since the ICC cannot exercise jurisdiction in the territory of a non-state entity that has no sovereign territory.”

He added that it is “widely acknowledged that no state of Palestine exists, and the fact that the Palestinian leadership has manipulated the United Nations and ICC to treat them as if they are a state doesn’t alter the basic legal and political fact that there is no state of Palestine. Hence the ICC cannot be given jurisdiction by a non-state, and cannot issue arrest warrants.”

“Also,” he said, “as Israel is not a party to the ICC statute, its senior officials enjoy state and diplomatic immunity and thus cannot be arrested.”
The ICC’s dangerous gamble - undermining democracies while aiding terrorists -
The ICC’s actions raise a troubling historical parallel: would wartime leaders like Winston Churchill have faced accusations of war crimes had the ICC existed during World War II? Churchill’s difficult decisions, such as the bombing of German cities, were deemed necessary to secure victory. Similarly, Israel’s leaders face hard choices as they work to protect their citizens from an enemy openly committed to their annihilation. By targeting Israel, the ICC undermines the ability of democracies to defend themselves, setting a dangerous precedent for other nations.

This dilemma is not unique to Israel. The United Kingdom, as an ICC member, is now expected to detain Netanyahu or Gallant should they visit British soil, despite Israel being a crucial ally in the fight against Islamist terrorism. Such a scenario puts the UK in an impossible diplomatic position, a challenge exacerbated by inconsistent responses from British political leaders. As a matter of fact, a Downing Street spokesperson confirmed Wednesday (27.11.2024) that UK courts would evaluate whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu qualifies for immunity from arrest under international law if he visits the UK.

Mongolia, also an ICC member recently faced a similar situation, when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the country for an official state visit, despite an ICC arrest warrant against him. The legality of the ICC’s warrant against Putin is highly controversial, reflecting ongoing conflicts and lacuna in international law. Mongolia’s decision to host Putin underscores the impracticality of enforcing ICC mandates in cases involving complex geopolitical realities and foreign policy issues of sovereign states.

These examples highlight the risk of politicizing international justice. The ICC was never intended to become a tool for political agendas. Democracies must be able to defend themselves without the constant threat of politically driven legal action.

The ICC’s actions risk emboldening terrorist organizations while undermining the Court’s own legitimacy. True justice requires acknowledging the complexities of modern warfare and upholding the right of democracies to protect their citizens. By prioritizing politics over impartiality, the ICC endangers the principles it was established to defend, setting a dangerous precedent for future conflicts.
Hague: the countries who attack Israel and those who defend it
With Hague’s Court mandates to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant we are witnessing the collapse of the free world.

Hamas celebrates.

Iran rejoices.

Turkey is ready to do its part with Sultan Erdogan who always gets away with bombing Kurds, Armenians and other peoples sacrificed to his Ottoman expansionist aims.

The European Union, through the mouth of the useless Spanish socialist Josef Borrell, says it is faithful to international law.

China is tempted to celebrate, but cannot do so fully since it has not signed the Rome Statute on the Court of The Hague.

Donald Trump, who is putting together the most pro-Israel administration in American history, has already made it known that he will impose sanctions on the Hague Court.

Orban’s Hungary is the most pro-Israel. Orban also invited Netanyahu to Budapest.

Belgium, with its subjugation and Qatari penetration, is for arresting him (there is something rotten in Brussels).

Norway, with its progressive quislings, is the country with the fewest number of Jews in Europe and is the most pro-Hamas. The Norwegian Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, is more pro-Hamas than the Arab countries and was photographed alongside the daughter of the Palestinian Arab terrorist involved in the Paris attack in which six people were killed at the Jewish restaurant Jo Goldenberg.

In Vichyist France, Islamogoscism will play its part.

Holland, with its pogroms, is for arresting Netanyahu. But Geert Wilders distances himself and writes: “The world has gone mad.”

Dhimmi-Labour England is for arresting the Israelis. London has enough problems with Islamists to alienate them even more. Not only because the Muslim population of the United Kingdom is growing ten times faster than the general population. Prime Minister Starmer also fears the rise of the “Communists for Islam” party led by Corbyn.

Social-communist-Eta Spain is for arresting Netanyahu. The Spanish left is with Cuba, Iran and Hamas.

Germany and Italy are taking their time.

The Canada of the super woke Trudeau wants to arrest Netanyahu (the Conservatives are against). In the streets of Canada, people are marching now shouting “Jihad Jihad Jihad”.

The Argentina of the heroic Javier Milei is with Israel. Afuera!

The Brazil of the communist Lula is for the arrest (when will Jair Bolsonaro return?).

The Colombia of the communist Gustavo Petro is for the arrest.

Chile too. “Forward to the Bolivarian revolution!”. This is how the young and woke Chilean president Gabriel Boric supported the regime of Nicholas Maduro in Venezuela. “I die as I lived... my respects, Commander”, wrote Boric upon the death of Fidel Castro. The same Boric who promised to “bury liberalism”. Like when he calls Greta Thunberg “the best thing that has happened in a long time.”
Why France Agreed to Change View on Netanyahu Arrest Warrant
France has withdrawn its commitment to enforce the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in exchange for securing its role in the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire agreement, an Israeli Security Cabinet minister has revealed.

"Without receiving this concession from the French, we would not have included them in the agreement," he said.
Netanyahu, Gallant should turn themselves in, ICC spokesman tells JNS
“The suspects can decide to appear on a voluntary basis and surrender to the ICC. They have all the rights of the defense that are guaranteed, including the presumption of innocence.”

That’s what Fadi El Abdallah, the spokesperson and head of the Public Affairs Unit at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, told JNS when asked what is expected now from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, now that the ICC has issued warrants for their arrest on charges of genocide.

“There is an arrest warrant that has been issued for the individuals, and it is the legal obligation of the states that are parties to the Rome Statute to cooperate with us,” El Abdallah continued. (Israel is not a party to the treaty that established the court—A.S.)

But how is it possible, JNS asked, that only Israeli leaders are standing trial in connection to the Gaza war (an arrest warrant was also issued for Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, but he is dead). ICC Spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah. Credit: Academy for Cultural Diplomacy/Facebook.

“The ICC is checking if during a war crimes have been committed, and who is responsible. Even in wars there are rules that need to be applied to everyone,” El Abdallah said. “The judges simply decided based of the evidence and based on the rules.”

Will U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to sanction all those involved in the arrest warrants affect the court’s decision, JNS asks.

“The ICC has a legal mandate and we have to fulfill it. There are 124 states that gave the ICC a specific mandate to serve justice and to serve victims, and we have to fulfill our duty. We cannot take any political matters into consideration. We can only look at things with total independence and impartiality,” the spokesman responded.

But still, JNS asked, you see countries such as France and Germany saying they won’t arrest Netanyahu and Gallant. You cannot say this doesn’t damage the court credibility or authority.

“As I said,” El Abdallah replied, “no political matters can be taken into consideration. The judges are independent and impartial and will only decide based on the applicable legal rules and the evidence that are before them.”
Academy of Ideas: Don't stretch the meaning of 'genocide' | Natasha Hausdorff | Battle of Ideas 2024



PMW: Palestinian Authority: ICC arrest warrants are the PA's achievement
PA has been "submitting daily requests to the ICC prosecutor"

PA has been "documenting the appropriate testimonies according to the required criteria so that these testimonies will be accepted before the ICC"

ICC campaign was led by "the foresight and wisdom of Mahmoud Abbas"

Abbas uses the ICC to push Israel "into a corner… to expose its true ugly face to all the nations of the world"

PA: We will "continue to engage with international justice institutions and courts" such as the ICC

US Consolidated Appropriations Act prohibits PA from receiving aid from Economic Support Fund if it initiates or helps an ICC investigation against Israelis

Fatah: "We are now living in a state of euphoria and joy" thanks to the ICC decision

"Around 80 meetings have been held between Palestine and the ICC… nearly 60 cases and letters that have been submitted… monthly reports are being submitted," already in 2021

Hamas: "International justice is on our side"
PMW: Hamas steals 28% of Gazans' salaries. Will the ICC blame Israel?
How ironic is it that while the ICC decided last week to blame Israel for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority is placing the blame on Hamas.

A reporter from official PA TV stationed in the Strip reported that Hamas steals 28% of Gazans' salaries as well as other money transfers:
Official PA TV host: "There are other crimes that are being committed against the civilians [in Gaza]. They are being financially extorted through [Hamas'] deduction of part of their money. In other words, every employee, whether he is a PA employee, a state employee, or works for any other source, or someone who even wants to receive a transfer from his relatives abroad – they must pay a heavy sum..."

Official PA TV reporter in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza: "There is no trade in cash. The cash is worn out in the central and southern areas [of the Gaza Strip], and even in the north. The [only] ones who have cash are certain groups. If you want to receive your salary in cash of more or less good quality, they [Hamas] deduct part of your salary. The deducted sum is 28%. They deduct more than a quarter of the salary."

[Official PA TV, Nov. 13, 2024]

An editorial by the official PA daily also criticized Hamas for continuously stealing the humanitarian aid that Israel is letting in for the benefit of Gazan civilians:
"The aid that is arriving there [in the northern Gaza Strip] after many hardships... is exclusively controlled by the Hamas militias and others, until it arrives in the greedy free market of commerce that craves forbidden profit."

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Nov. 10, 2024]


Estonia's Kallas succeeds anti-Israel EU foreign policy chief
The European Union finalized on Wednesday its roster of commissioners who will oversee all European internal and external affairs for the next five years beginning next month. These pivotal appointments, selected through a phased process over recent weeks, will function as ministerial positions overseeing various aspects of governance and daily operations in EU member states, while also impacting non-member nations maintaining strategic partnerships with the union.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, securing her second term, achieved another victory as all 26 of her commissioner nominations received parliamentary confirmation, though by slim margins, for five-year terms.

Key appointments include Kaja Kallas, Estonia's prime minister, who will next week step into the role of High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. She is expected to maintain the EU's firm stance against Russia while working to rebuild relations with the American administration under President Donald Trump. Kallas succeeds Spain's Josep Borrell, who emerged from the center-left political spectrum and was known for his contentious relationship with Israel.

Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa was elected as European Council President, replacing Belgium's Charles Michel next week. Among new commissioners is Hungary's Oliver Varhelyi, overseeing health and animal rights – areas particularly relevant to Jewish communities regarding circumcision and ritual slaughter. Varhelyi's appointment, alongside Italy's Raffaele Fitto, faced opposition from left-wing parliamentary groups who rejected their nominations due to their strong conservative credentials.

However, these appointments secured backing from strengthened right-wing factions, who managed to establish a majority without center-left support, including from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), a party that experienced substantial growth in recent elections under Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's leadership. Another significant appointment is Belgium's Hadja Lahbib, who is participating in an international peace conference advocating a two-state solution, despite Israel's reservations. Europe's rightward shift

The distribution of positions reflects the EU's broader political shift rightward, with each of the 27 member states allocated one commissioner. Of the 27 commissioners, including the Commission President and 26 national representatives, the center-right European People's Party (EPP) secured 14 positions, while the centrist Liberal party, which saw significant losses in recent elections, obtained five seats. The center-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D) received just four positions.
Former Human Rights Watch Exec Dismisses Hostages Of Hamas As ‘Utter Irrelevancies’
A former head of Human Rights Watch (HRW) described dozens of hostages held by Hamas as “utter irrelevancies” on Wednesday.

Kenneth Roth, a visiting professor at Princeton and the former executive director of HRW, accused the Israeli government of giving “diversionary excuses” in response to charges against two top officials by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The ICC charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, of committing war crimes in the war against Hamas in Gaza.

One of the “excuses” cited by Roth is Israel’s mission to rescue roughly 100 hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7, 2023, terror attack.

“The Israeli government responded to the ICC war-crime charges with the usual diversionary excuses – the need to liberate the hostages, Hamas’s use of human shields, Israel’s democracy and self-defense, supposed ICC antisemitism – all utter irrelevancies,” Roth said in a post on X.

In a later post, Roth said that the ICC charges are not about whether Israel’s war is just, but about “HOW [Israel] is waging the war. Nothing justifies war crimes.” But he also called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and said Israel’s only reason for continuing the war in Gaza was Netanyahu’s “need for a forever war to retain power and avoid prison…”

Roth served as the executive director of HRC from 1993 to 2022. He received pushback online for his characterization of the hostages held by Hamas.

“I can think of 101 people, in addition to their families, who might argue that the hostages are not ‘utterly irrelevant’ to IDF operations in Gaza,” Melissa Weiss, executive editor of Jewish Insider, wrote on X.


The toxic role of UNRWA & UNIFIL with Hillel Neuer, Executive Director, UN Watch
Hillel Neuer has been the leading voice exposing the corruption and terrorism links of the UN agencies in the Middle East.


Dismissing October 7 gang rape and comparing Israel to the Third Reich: Who is UN ‘Special Rapporteur’ Francesca Albanese?
The UN’s independent expert for Palestinian human rights has expressed doubt about the findings of a landmark UN report which found evidence of Hamas’s sexual violence committed on October 7.

It’s the latest example in a long chain of remarks made by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, which have led to the accusation that she exhibits anti-Israel bias in a role where she should be impartial.

Albanese was appointed for the role in 2022 by the United Nations Human Rights Council, to follow and report on the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Appearing on an episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored this week, Albanese shed doubt on the conclusions of the report by a senior UN official published in March, which found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Hamas committed conflict-related sexual violence — including rape and gang-rape — occurred across multiple locations of Israel and the Gaza periphery during October 7.



Referencing the writer of the report, Albanese described dissmissively how “the Special Representative of the Secretary General went to Israel, didn't interview any victims, [and] made very controversial statements”.

Albanese has previously denied the allegation that Hamas committed rape as part of its October 7 onslaught. In a tweet from October 11, she said the allegations had not been confirmed, and only served to “escalate tensions and endanger lives in a volative [sic] context”.

When pushed by Morgan on whether she now agreed rape, including gang rape, occurred on October 7 — as was revealed by a UN team in March — Albanese responded: “I prefer to rely on the two reports issued this year by the commission of inquiry.”
UN envoy Albanese says Israel had no right to wage a war in Gaza after Oct. 7
Reluctantly acknowledging that Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 in southern Israel and hostage-taking of 251 to Gaza “could qualify” as terrorism, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese nonetheless told British television personality Piers Morgan that the nature of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza following the terrorist group’s rampage on southern Israel was illegal.

In an interview on Tuesday by Morgan for his Uncensored YouTube program, Albanese said that, on “the day Israel was attacked, it had all the rights to defend itself, to protect its citizens in its territory and therefore to repel the attack with all necessary and proportional measures — which means using force, including lethal force, arresting, detaining all persons involved and found on its territory — which happened on the 7th, 8rth and 9th of October.”

However, she went on, “Israel didn’t have the right to wage a war against the Palestinians in Gaza.”

When it was put to her by Morgan that “absolutely” Israel had the right to go after the 3,000 terrorists who had poured over its border and massacred its people, and had taken the hostages to Gaza, and that “it doesn’t stop at the border,” she replied that Morgan should be “very careful because… this ‘eye for an eye’ logic would justify what had happened on October 7.”

“The fact that we call it terrorism doesn’t justify what Israel has done since,” said Albanese, arguing that “waging a war” was “not proportionate.”

Albanese told Morgan that she believed the International Criminal Court’s case against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant was too narrow, and should address Israel’s entire offensive beyond its borders.

Albanese has a history of antisemitic, anti-Israel and pro-Hamas statements.


Hezbollah believed to have lost as many as 4,000 fighters
In the past 14 months, Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah is believed to have suffered as many as 10 times the casualties as it did during the month-long 2006 Second Lebanon War.

According to an assessment by Israel’s Channel 12 News and Institute for National Security Studies, the Israeli military believes that approximately 3,000 terrorists were killed in Lebanon, including at least 11 brigade-level commanders, 37 battalion commanders and 46 company commanders.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and noncombatants, reports 3,823 killed and 15,895 injured during the conflict.

A source familiar with Hezbollah’s operations told Reuters on Thursday that as many as 4,000 terrorists may have been killed, the vast majority of them since September, when Jerusalem stepped up its offensive in Lebanon after adding the return of tens of thousands of displaced residents to their homes in the north to its official war goals.

The figure is over 10 times the number of Hezbollah members killed during the 2006 war.

Hezbollah’s chain of command was also decimated, as highlighted by the Sept. 27 assassination of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. Other high-ranking officials killed include Hashem Safi al-Din, Nasrallah’s successor; Radwan Force commanders Ibrahim Aqil and Wisam al-Tuwail; Ali Karaki, commander of the Southern Front; and Fuad Shukr, the terror group’s chief of staff.

Furthermore, some 80% of Hezbollah’s stockpile of 150,000 to 200,000 rockets and 70% of its drone arsenal were destroyed during the war, according to the Channel 12/INSS assessment.


IDF jets strike Hezbollah terrorists entering rocket facility on day 2 of truce
The Israeli Air Force on Thursday attacked a Hezbollah rocket facility in Lebanon after detecting terrorist activity in violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Israel Defense Forces said.

“A short time ago, terrorist activity was identified in a facility used by Hezbollah to store medium-range rockets in Southern Lebanon,” the IDF confirmed. “The threat was thwarted through a fighter jet attack.

“The IDF is deployed in Southern Lebanon and acting and thwarting any violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the army statement added.

The IAF strike was the first attack with fighter jets since the truce in the Hezbollah war came into effect at 4 a.m. on Wednesday.

According to reports in Lebanon, IAF jets hit a Hezbollah position in the Al-Bissariya area, near the city of Sidon. Immediate reports did not say if there were any casualties.

Earlier on Thursday, the IDF reported another violation of the ceasefire. “Several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in Southern Lebanon, breaching the condition of the ceasefire,” the army reported, adding that the IDF opened fire toward them.
IDF found chemicals, gas masks in Hezbollah bases
Israeli troops in Lebanon found chemicals and gas masks in Hezbollah strongholds, possibly part of a plan to drug and abduct Israelis in cross-border raids, Hebrew media reported on Thursday.

The reports, which appeared in several mainstream Israeli outlets, did not indicate the source of the information. Some of the reports came from military correspondents, who often publish without attribution information given to them by the Israel Defense Forces.

The materials were found several weeks ago and may have been part of an attempt by Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force to use or develop chemical weapons, Channel 12 reported.

But Walla described the items found as “gas masks, chemicals and drugging means in the hands of Hezbollah operatives.” The materials were recovered two months ago, according to Walla.


JackCarrUSA: Hezbollah’s Master Plan to ATTACK The West—Exposed!
Dr. Matthew Levitt is a subject matter expert on Middle Eastern terrorism and has published extensively on Hezbollah and Hamas. He is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and the Director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and as a counterterrorism intelligence analyst at the FBI. He is the author of Hamas, Negotiating Under Fire, and Hezbollah. He also hosts the Breaking Hezbollah’s Golden Rule Podcast.

CHAPTERS
00:00 - Introduction
01:40 - Hezbollah's Background
04:04 - Hezbollah's Ideology and Goals
06:20 - Hezbollah's Shift to Targeting the West
09:59 - Hezbollah's Tactical Operations
18:40 - Hezbollah's Use of Front Companies
25:20 - Hezbollah's Tactics in Iraq
31:59 - Hezbollah's Criminal Enterprises
39:49 - Surprises in Recent Conflicts
42:16 - Surprise Attack on October 7th
44:23 - Cross-Border Shelling and New Rules
47:51 - Israeli Military Strategy Explained
50:37 - Targeting Hezbollah's Leadership
53:35 - Current Status of Israeli Operations
58:43 - Israeli Strategy and Regional Implications
01:02:10 - Iran's Response to Israeli Actions
01:07:10 - Hezbollah's Rocket Capabilities
01:17:30 - Future of Hostage Negotiations
01:20:05 - Hostage Situation Update
01:22:44 - Israel's Military Strategy Changes
01:27:48 - US and Israel's Military Cooperation
01:32:28 - Political Dynamics in Israel
01:34:46 - Iran's Nuclear Threat Assessment
01:38:41 - Mughniyeh's Elimination
01:41:24 - Hezbollah's Threats Post-Funeral
01:43:34 - Closing Thoughts




IDF downs drone carrying rifles, ammo on Egypt border
The Israel Defense Forces troops shot down a drone that was carrying weapons and ammunition and crossed from Egyptian territory into the western Negev, the army said on Wednesday evening.

“Earlier today, IDF forces identified a drone that crossed from Egyptian territory into the territory of the State of Israel in the area of ​​the Paran Brigade,” the military said in a statement posted to X.

The unmanned aerial vehicle “was shot down by the forces of the Caracal Battalion, who arrived at the scene and discovered four rifles, five cartridges and hundreds of bullets on the drone,” it added.

The smuggled weapons found on the UAV were transferred for further investigation, the IDF statement concluded.


Ben Shapiro: 60-Day Ceasefire In Israel
Ben discusses the recent ceasefire Israel approved with Lebanon. Israel wants to get past the Biden administration and into the Trump administration so they can come in and remove the arms embargo. He also talks about Benjamin Netanyahu and his top priorities during this ceasefire.


The ceasefire in Lebanon may not last long: Gerald Steinberg
A ceasefire deal to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon took effect on Wednesday however Bar-ilan University Professor of Politics Gerald Steinberg has claimed the agreement may not last long.

The agreement stipulates an initial 60-day halt to the fighting that has claimed thousands of Lebanese lives and displaced over a million people.

Mr Steinberg said although Hezbollah has been “weakened” by the ceasefire it still maintains “a lot of capabilities”.

“The Israeli population sees this as a victory. Hezbollah has been very much weakened,” he told Sky News host Chris Kenny.

“It can no longer do the type of attacks that it was planning to do. But it still maintains a lot of rockets, a lot of capability and it’s still playing the game of infiltrating its own forces, its terror forces under the guise of civilians back into southern Lebanon.

“This truce may not last very long.”


Israel won’t ‘hold back anymore’ if Hezbollah violates the ceasefire deal
Israeli Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sharren Haskel has warned that if Hezbollah violates the ceasefire deal, Israel will “not hold back” in its response.

“If there’ll be any violation, we will not hold back anymore,” she told Sky News host Sharri Markson.

“They will be, and there needs to be a direct response to every attack or any breach of this ceasefire.”




Betrayal
We now have confirmation from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the denial of a visa to former Israeli cabinet minister Ayelet Shaked has in fact damaged our bilateral relationship with Israel.

At the same time, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has strongly implied that following the International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) farcical issuing of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minster Yoav Gallant, the pair would likely be arrested for so-called war crimes should they try to enter Australia.

With the Shaked fiasco and the government’s tepid response to the ICC outrage, Labor has confirmed what many in our community have long suspected – they have abandoned any pretence of supporting Israel or being serious about the safety of Australian Jews.

Last week’s horrific antisemitic attack in Woollahra – where buildings and cars were vandalised and a vehicle set ablaze – isn’t just another incident. It’s the predictable result of Labor’s unconscionable failure to take a stand against rising antisemitism in Australia.

This government’s approach has created an environment where antisemitism isn’t just tolerated – it’s normalised. From university campuses to our suburban streets, Jewish Australians are increasingly under siege while Labor ministers offer nothing but empty platitudes.

It appointed a special envoy to combat antisemitism and then ignored her advice.

And its mixed and often negative messaging on Israel has added to an environment of anti-Israel hostility that all too often blurs lines and feeds into outright antisemitism.

The mainstream Jewish community’s relationship with federal Labor has reached a breaking point.
Australia’s shameful government has acted shamefully yet again
There are simply no words to describe how the Australian Jewish community has been feeling in recent days.

Australia, always known to be fair and just, has brought great shame on itself when the current Labor government decided to deny a visa to former Israeli government minister Ayelet Shaked, stating that her presence could “vilify” Australians or “incite discord.”

Yet the same government had no issue granting a visa to UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese in November last year, despite her long record of anti-Israel sentiment and accusations of antisemitism. She has vilified both Israel and Jews, including stating that America was “subjugated by the Jewish lobby” and comparing Israel to the Nazis.

But we shouldn’t be surprised, for this is just one more step in what has become a series of steps leading down a stairwell of moral decline in which the values of decency, democracy, freedom, and justice have been cast aside, and replaced with a twisted alternate reality, in which guidance is taken from morally corrupted institutions like the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the United Nations – a body in which the majority of members are not even democracies.

This point cannot be lost. Australia, a country founded on fair and democratic principles, is taking its lead from organizations that are not democratic.

When Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong decided to reverse the previous government’s recognition of west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, she claimed that “Australia will always be a steadfast friend of Israel.”

Yet the actions of this Australian government have shown the very opposite.
"It's undemocratic"‘A BRUTAL POLITICAL ACT’
In an exclusive interview with The AJN’s director Anna Pasternak in Israel, former justice minister Ayelet Shaked has accused the Australian government of being “confused between good and evil” after she was denied a visa to travel to Australia.

Shaked was invited to Australia by the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) to speak at a series of events across Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, but her visa application was rejected on the grounds that she might “incite discord in the Australian community”. Shaked was last granted a visa to attend a women’s event in Australia in February 2023.

“It’s just a brutal political act,” Shaked told The AJN.

“The Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of the Interior informed the Albanese government that if they did not reverse their decision, they will consider re-examining the current visa waiver program we have with Australia.

“It’s undemocratic and it has never happened to me before from any other country.”

Shaked said Israelis are aware that the Australian government is “pretty hostile” towards Israel and that the decision to deny her a visa is more embarrassing for the Albanese government than it is for her.

“It’s really shameful. The Australian government is confused between good and evil,” she said.

“It is a political act committed against my country, so I’m not taking it personally. I think it mainly embarrasses them and it’s disgraceful for them.”

“Countries that are allies, like Israel and Australia, cannot do such things,” said Shaked. “Australia and Israel have a very warm relationship, and we consider Australia as a strong ally of Israel, and it doesn’t matter who the government is. This government will be [an] antisemitic anecdote in the history of our bilateral relationship.”

A spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The Australian government’s decision to deny a visa to former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked is unacceptable. The decision is deeply offensive and troubling, and will have a negative impact on Israel–Australia relations.”


Second man is charged over anti-Israel vandalism spree in elite suburb after more than 10 cars and businesses were targeted
A second man has been charged after more than 10 cars and several homes and businesses were defaced with anti-Israel slurs in an elite Sydney suburb.

Celebrity chef Matt Moran's Chiswick restaurant was among the three premises that were vandalised at Woollahra during the attack at 12.35am on Thursday.

Multiple cars were covered in white spray paint that read 'f**k Israel' while a vehicle was set alight leaving behind a trail of $70,000 worth of damages.

The damage to the buildings is estimated to be between $20,000 to $30,000.

On Thursday, a 19-year-old man was arrested at a home on Queen Street in Arncliffe over his alleged role in the incident, NSW Police said in a statement.

He was taken to Kogarah Police Station and charged with 21 offences.

The teenager was refused bail and was scheduled to appear before Sutherland Local Court on Thursday.

It comes just days after a 20-year-old man was arrested at Sydney Airport in Mascot.

He was taken to a police station and charged with 21 offences that include 14 counts of destroy or damage property.

Three counts enter building with intent to commit indictable offence, two counts of destroy property in company use fire, face blackened/disguised to commit indictable offence and behave in an offensive manner in public place were among the other charges.

He was refused bail and appeared at Downing Centre Local Court on Monday.

Chiswick is co-owned by Mr Moran and Elliot Solomon, the Jewish CEO of Solotel Group.

The letters 'PKK' were also seen on multiple cars and the windows of Chiswick.

PKK could refer to the Kurdistan Workers' Party which some countries, including Australia, have designated a terrorist organisation.


Send in the clowns Mass arrests at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as anti-Israel protesters block path in front of Ronald McDonald
They’re parading straight into custody.

Anti-Israel protesters tried to ruin the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the second year running Thursday, with cops quickly swarming in to gobble up roughly 25 arrests.

The firebrands entered the parade route at West 55th Street and Fifth Avenue, stopping the Ronald McDonald balloon in its tracks around 9:25 a.m., police said — and drawing loud jeers from parade-goers screaming at the killjoys to move.

Photos showed protesters sitting in the parade’s path, with some unfurling a large banner that read: “Don’t celebrate genocide!”

“Get the hell out of here,” a parade-goer yelled amid a chorus of boos from the crowd, which seemed more interested in the Bluey balloon’s arrival than the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.

NYPD officers quickly descended upon the group, who shouted “Free, free Palestine!” as they were tackled to the ground and placed in handcuffs.

Cops cuffed about 25 protesters “without incident” and hauled them away to face pending charges, police said – but the arrests appeared more violent than the NYPD’s account.

Some unruly protesters could be seen being forcibly pried away and flipped over onto their stomachs to be handcuffed. Footage captured by The Post showed the protesters holding the banner scuffling with cops before they too were thrown onto the ground and handcuffed on top of their crumpled-up sign.

Other demonstrators willingly stood up and walked with police away from the parade.

The rabble rousers were carted to One Police Plaza, where they spent hours during their Turkey Day in the NYPD’s mass arrest processing center, sources said.

”This is disgusting,” said a Brooklyn cop. “There are times and places to peacefully protest, but not the Thanksgiving day parade. This a day for families to enjoy and not be interrupted by these a–holes.”

The protesters were “autonomous anti-genocide activists,” independent reporter Talia Jane posted on X, along with a viral video viewed 1 million times showing them hop barricades, block the Ronald McDonald balloon and sit in the street.

Their antics only disrupted the parade for about five minutes.


PreOccupiedTerritory: Native Americans Relieved Conquerors Not Muslim, So OK To Call Them Imperialists, Occupiers (satire)
The indigenous tribes, some of whom helped the Pilgrims acclimate to the unfamiliar climes of New England four hundred years ago, only to have waves of European newcomers dispossess, slaughter, and dehumanize them, and colonize the continent over the ensuing centuries, took some solace this Thanksgiving Day in the fact that at least political correctness allows them to denounce those Europeans – mostly Christians – as oppressors and racists, which they could not do under the current sensibilities had the oppressors and racists followed Islam instead.

Members of the various Algonquin, Iroquois, and other groups in what became the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada joined representatives of other alliances and tribes further to the south and west in agreement that, even given the genocide that “the white man” perpetrated against the First Nations, they still have the silver lining of begin able to call out that genocide and its attendant crimes – discrimination, kidnapping, exile, intentional spread of deadly epidemics, repeated treaty violations, and numerous other atrocities – without facing backlash from progressive activists, because the people who stand accused venerate, for example, Jesus. Were the accused to venerate Muhammad above others, the accusations would prompt charges of Islamophobia, and trigger immediate cancelation.

“We know it’s not cricket to call Muslims colonialists, occupiers, and oppressors, for some reason,” acknowledged Charles Whitefeather, a member of the Lenape. “Thank the gods, or God, whatever, because we’d be in a tough spot complaining about our suffering and dispossession if that’s what we were up against. Imagine the progressive temper-tantrum that would ensue when we denounced the ‘settler-colonialism’ of those who swept out of the Arabian Peninsula in the seventh century and conquered everything from Iberia to Indonesia.”




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

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