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Friday, December 06, 2024

12/06 Links Pt1: Amnesty International’s antisemitic agenda; Latest attack on Melbourne synagogue 'not surprising'; Bill Clinton: Arafat turned down a Palestinian state

From Ian:

WSJ Editorial: The Propaganda War on Israel Never Stops
From the people who brought you “Israeli apartheid” comes another trendy smear: “Israeli genocide.” With a new report Wednesday night, Amnesty International assures its good standing in the anti-Israel herd. The price is to swallow an inversion of reality.

Amnesty poses as a fair-minded critic of Israeli policies, but it tipped its hand in its 2022 report that tried to claim “this system of apartheid originated with the creation of Israel in May 1948.” That’s well before any “occupation,” but it reflects the ideological obsession that treats the Jewish state’s existence, in any borders, as a crime.

Amnesty’s headline-grabbing apartheid report quietly conceded it wasn’t arguing Israel’s laws are analogous to South Africa’s. This new report uses a similar sleight of hand by redefining genocide. The case law at the International Court of Justice requires a finding that “intent to destroy the group, in whole or in part, must be the only reasonable inference which can be drawn from the pattern of conduct.” Amnesty says that’s too high a bar and looks at the “broader picture” and “context.”

By context it means apartheid and all its previous slanders of Israel. What about Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, which was genocidal in character? Here’s the report’s opening line: “On 7 October 2023, Israel embarked on a military offensive on the occupied Gaza Strip (Gaza) of unprecedented magnitude, scale and duration.”

Gaza wasn’t occupied, and Hamas, not Israel, embarked on a military offensive. But Amnesty says it will get to the Hamas mass murder later. Here it uses the Oct. 7 massacre to pathologize the Israeli “state of mind resulting from the attacks.”

While Amnesty uses the casualty figures of the “Gaza-based Ministry of Health,” aka Hamas, it never mentions that Israel says 17,000 dead Hamas fighters are among them. It omits the crucial civilian-to-combatant ratio, which would suggest Israel has done better than most in urban warfare.

The report essentially blesses Hamas’s strategy of using human shields. It suggests Israel has no right to attack in civilian areas even if Hamas is using them, just as it wouldn’t if some enemy soldiers had gone home on leave. As if that’s equivalent to terrorist headquarters in hospitals and a 400-mile, terrorist-only tunnel system beneath cities.
Ruthie Blum: Amnesty International’s antisemitic agenda
None of this is surprising. For the better part of two decades, Amnesty has been fixated on singling out Israel for condemnation.

In February 2022, Amnesty labeled Israel an apartheid state. This term, originally associated with South African segregation, has been misappropriated by anti-Israel activists to paint the Jewish state as inherently racist.

Amnesty ignored the active participation of Arab citizens in Israeli society, from serving in the Knesset to holding prominent roles in medicine, academia and law. It omitted the historical context behind Israel’s security measures, designed to thwart relentless waves of Palestinian terrorism, and distorted the legal and political realities on the ground.

During “Operation Protective Edge” against Hamas in 2014, Amnesty accused Israel of grave violations of international law. Overlooking substantial evidence of Hamas’s use of schools, hospitals and mosques as weapons depots and command centers, Amnesty decried Israel’s defensive measures. It issued reports lamenting civilian casualties and damaged buildings while downplaying Hamas’s use of densely populated areas to provoke such tragedies.

Meanwhile, Amnesty remained silent on Hamas’s brutal treatment of its own people, including executions of alleged “collaborators” and the forced recruitment of child soldiers. Nor did it acknowledge Israel’s unprecedented measures to warn civilians—via phone calls, leaflets, and “roof-knocking”—before conducting strikes.

The aftermath of “Operation Cast Lead” in 2008-09 prompted a similarly warped narrative. Amnesty’s report “22 Days of Death and Destruction” portrayed Hamas as a minor player, rather than a bloodthirsty terrorist group that had fired thousands of unprovoked projectiles into Israel.

During the Second Intifada (2000-2005), when Palestinian suicide bombers attacked buses, cafรฉs and nightclubs, Amnesty directed its ire at Israel’s counter-terrorism measures, such as the construction of a security barrier to reduce attacks on innocent Israelis.

Despite Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, forcibly removing every last Jew from the Strip, Amnesty continues to describe the enclave as “occupied.” The pattern is undeniable: Amnesty seizes every opportunity to vilify Israel.

Founded in 1961 by British lawyer Peter Benenson to advocate for prisoners of conscience, Amnesty won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for its defense of human dignity and a United Nations human-rights prize the following year. Once lauded for impartiality, it has devolved into a slanted advocacy group with a pernicious agenda.

Amnesty’s animus toward Israel transcends politics. Naturally. Considering the existence of the Jewish state to be illegitimate means never having to care about the ideological makeup of the ruling coalition in Jerusalem.
Lawmakers say Amnesty’s genocide report amplifies Hamas propaganda
House lawmakers are circulating a joint statement condemning Amnesty International for its report accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian people.

The statement, which is still open for additional signatories, according to a source familiar with the effort, accuses Amnesty of echoing “misinformation that has been spewed by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran — the U.S’ shared enemies with Israel” and of “mislead[ing] the public by standing with the narratives produced and promoted by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.”

The statement is being organized by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ). Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Max Miller (R-OH), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Tom Kean (R-NJ), Don Bacon (R-NE), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY) had signed on as of Thursday night.

The lawmakers accuse Amnesty of making “slanderous” claims, in line with a “long-standing, historically biased position against Israel and the Jewish people.” They said the NGO had “admittedly and nefariously created its own definition of the legal term ‘genocide’ in their report simply to fit their defamatory narrative.”

The lawmakers said that Amnesty’s “[f]alse statements about Israel’s conduct in its war of self-defense rewards self-proclaimed genocidal terrorist organizations intent on destroying the Jewish state and murdering Jews everywhere” and would “embolden Israel’s enemies” in their fight against both the U.S. and Israel.

“The promotion of this misleading report will further threaten the safety of the only Jewish nation in the world and undermine those working to achieve the safe return of all hostages,” they continued.


Australian synagogue set on fire in arson attack
An Australian synagogue has been set on fire while congregants were inside the building during morning prayers.

Firefighters were called to Melbourne’s Adass Israel synagogue just after 04:00 local time on Friday finding the building fully ablaze when they arrived.

One person was injured and the fire caused extensive damage to the building.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese later said the incident in Ripponlea, in the city’s south-east, was an “act of hate”.

Jewish community leaders say they the attack is a deliberate escalation of a recent documented increase in antisemitism in Australia.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion said.”None of the Jewish community is surprised. We’ve known this has been coming”.

Synagogue board member Benjamin Klein told The Age newspaper that people inside “heard banging on the door and the window, and some liquids came through which were lit”.

“The whole thing took off pretty quickly,” he added.

Yumi Friedman, who was inside the shul at the time of the incident said a window had been smashed, sending “glass flying”.

Police confirmed that a witness told them two people in masks appeared to have spread an agent used spread fire inside the building.

Victoria Police’s Det Insp Chris Murray pealed for anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or who may have CCTV or dashcam footage from the local area, to contact police.

In a statement, PM Albanese said the incident was “clearly aimed at creating fear in the community”.

“This violence and intimidation and destruction at a place of worship is an outrage,” he wrote.

“I have zero tolerance for antisemitism. The people involved must be caught and face the full force of the law.”

“None of the Jewish community is surprised. We’ve known this has been coming,” Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion said.
Footage inside Adass Israel Synagogue of Melbourne reveals extent of damage after suspicious fire rips through building
A Melbourne synagogue has been left with significant damage after a fire ripped the building in a suspected arson attack in the early hours of Friday morning.

Dozens of emergency crews including 65 firefighters were called to Addas Israel Synagogue of Melbourne in Ripponlea about 4.10am to find the building ablaze.

New footage, obtained by Sky News Australia from inside the synagogue, has shown the extent of the destruction to a number of rooms inside the building.

While a number of books remain intact in shelves, debris can be seen scattered across the floor with the interior walls and roof covered in burn marks.

It is understood a number of Torah scrolls survived the fire and have been recovered from the building.

Members of the Jewish community could also be seen on Friday afternoon carrying religious material out of the synagogue and loaded into vans.

Police have appealed to the public to check CCTVs and dashcams as a major manhunt is underway for two masked individuals who set fire to the synagogue.

A Jewish worshipper attending Friday morning prayer about 4am had opened the doors of the synagogue and witnessed two people pour an accelerant inside before it was set on fire.

Firefighters worked for more than an hour before the blaze was contained.

Victoria Police Arson and Explosive Squad Detective Inspector Chris Murray confirmed he had "spoken to my counterpart in counter terrorism".

However, when asked if the firebombing of the Synagogue was a "suspected terrorist attack", Detective Inspector Murray said: "No".

While telling reporters there was "nothing to indicate" an act of terrorism, he clarified that Victorian Police was not "going to rule anything in or out".


Synagogue FIREBOMBED in Melbourne overnight
I'll be on the scene all day to cover the story and hold elected officials accountable for doing nothing to combat the shocking rise of anti-Semitism in our city.




Adass shul blaze ‘suspicious’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed his outrage over the arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue.

A major fire swept through the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne’s Ripponlea on Friday morning, with police treating it as a suspicious blaze.

The fire, which caused substantial damage to two buildings of the synagogue, left Adass congregants shocked, some turning up as usual for morning prayers to find their shule badly gutted by the fire.

“The violence, intimidation and destruction of a place of worship is something that we should never see in Australia,” said Albanese.

“It’s risked lives and it’s clearly aimed at creating fear in the community.

“There are two persons of interest who were there. What was witnessed was them using accelerant and spreading it with a broom clearly designed to maximise the damage that could occur.

“I have zero tolerance for antisemitism. It has absolutely no place in Australia. This violence and intimidation and destruction at a place of worship is an outrage.

“The people involved must be caught and face the full force of the law.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the attack was “absolutely abhorrent”.

“I want to pretend that this wasn’t expected or that it couldn’t be predicted,” said Dutton.

“Everybody knew that antisemitism, that hatred and that vilification, that racism, was lurking beneath the surface. But what we’ve seen on our university campuses, what we’ve seen online, what we’ve seen against people of Jewish faith in the community has been completely and utterly unacceptable, and it should be totally condemned in our country.

“To see the firebombing of a synagogue, a place of worship, is something that is not welcome and has no place in our country whatsoever.”


New insights on Melbourne synagogue blaze

‘We’re all reeling’: Jewish leader’s emotional on-air interview after synagogue blaze
A Melbourne Jewish leader says the community has been "rocked" after a fire ripped through a synagogue in what police believe was a suspected arson attack on Friday morning.

Emergency crews including 65 firefighters were called to the Addas Israel Synagogue of Melbourne in Ripponlea in the city's south-east to reports of a blaze about 4.10am.

The synagogue has been left significantly damaged by the fire, which investigators confirmed is being treated as suspicious.

Speaking to Sky News Australia outside the synagogue, Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann was visibly emotional as he detailed the impact on the local community in the aftermath of the fire.

"To wake up to this news is just shocking. It's frightful," the Jewish leader told Sky News Melbourne reporter Simon Love.

"A synagogue being targeted at the wee hours of the morning, people inside, windows being broken, fuel being spilt, fires being lit.

"You can smell it...the damage is just horrendous."

Mr Kaltmann, a rabbi at nearby Ark Centre in Hawthorn East, said a synagogue is not only a place for worship, but a community space for people to connect with one another.

"You can come in have a coffee, pray, learn something, have a chat with somebody - it’s an incredible, beautiful community and we’re all reeling," he said.

Rabbi Kaltmann's voice began to crack as the interview went on, recalling his "fear and anxiety" upon hearing the news of the attack.

"This is the fear and anxiety and the hurt that a lot of my community have been feeling for now over a year," he said.

"For a place of worship to be attacked, this is our worst fears coming true."

It is understood at least two worshippers were inside the synagogue at the time of the fire, one suffering minor injuries.

Rabbi Kaltmann speculated the worshippers praying and learning at the time of the fire would have been "rocked".

"This is their worst nightmare," he said, speaking of the impact on the tight-knit community.

"The members of the community that were there learning, that’s all they were doing, they were sitting and learning Torah, as is common practice for people to get up in the morning, learn together and then pray."
‘Incredibly traumatic’: Jewish leaders respond to Melbourne’s suspicious synagogue fire



Antisemitism has run ‘rampant and wild’ in Australia

Cop’s tense moment with angry Jewish community after targeted synagogue fire
Frustrated members of the Melbourne Jewish community have criticised Victoria Police after a worshipper was injured when a synagogue was targeted by arsonists.

Emergency services were called to Addas Israel Synagogue of Melbourne in Ripponlea, near St Kilda, on Friday about 4:10am after calls about a building fire.

Fire Rescue Victoria arrived to find the building consumed by flames, with a crew of 65 firefighters working for more than an hour before the fire was contained.

The synagogue has sustained significant damage.

Speaking at a press conference, Arson and Explosive Squad Detective Inspector Chris Murray tried to reassure the Jewish community that police will track down the masked individuals who were spotted pouring an accelerant inside the synagogue.

While confirming he had spoken to his counterpart in counter terrorism, Det Insp Murray said the incident was not being investigated as a suspected terrorist attack.

While telling reporters there was "nothing to indicate" an act of terrorism, he clarified that Victorian Police was not "going to rule anything in or out".

However a member of the local community hit back at the senior cop.

"What do you mean there’s nothing to indicate? An attack on a Jewish synagogue is not a suspected terror attack?" a member of the Jewish community claimed.

"Four o'clock in the morning, when no one is around.

"When are you going to say, 'enough is enough?'"

One journalist questioned what the Det Insp Murray would tell Jewish families, given there was a "snap rally" of about 150 pro-Palestine protesters outside a synagogue some two kilometres from the fire scene just one week ago in Caufield North.

"What would you say to people in this community who don't feel like Victoria Police are doing enough to protect them?" the journalist posed to the officer.

Det Insp Murray described it as "sad to hear" before he was interrupted.

"It’s true! That’s the truth! People have been attacked here. You haven' taken it (seriously). Why don’t you put someone in here?" a second Jewish man shouted.

The detective insisted officers are "doing our best".

"You’re not. People call you, you don’t want to answer them," the man hit back.
Anthony Albanese’s weakness once again on full display after horrific synagogue attack: Sharri Markson
The fire-bombing of a busy synagogue in Australia in 2024 is heart-wrenching and deeply shocking.

The mere thought that Jewish Australians aren’t safe praying peacefully in our place of worship is unfathomable and unacceptable.

Australia is meant to be the epitome of a successful multicultural society but we have watched that erode before our very eyes as racism against jews has been tolerated.

The Jewish community has warned repeatedly that antisemitic incidents are exploding.

We have begged political leaders and police to take this more seriously.

I personally have implored the prime minister on Sky News virtually every night for the past 14 months to take action on this despicable trend before it’s too late.

Yet, as little action is taken, antisemitic terrorist incidents, like these, have only escalated in frequency and severity. Australia’s Jewish community is being terrorised and intimidated.

In response to the firebombing of the Adass Synagogue in Melbourne, the Prime Minister uttered condemnation of the attack on Friday at a press conference, in a voice that lacked emotion and heart.

He also said this:
“Antisemitism is something that has been around for a long period of time, of course. But antisemitism has been on the rise, we’ll call it out wherever we see it.”

It’s a statement that infuriates me and should anger every Australian because, for our beautiful country of Australia, it’s simply untrue.

Yes, antisemitism has been around for thousands of years, but not in Australia it hasn’t. Not in my lifetime, it hasn’t. We are experiencing an unprecedented rise in Australia in antisemitism since October 7 2023. It’s on Albanese’s watch.

15 months ago, it was perfectly safe for Jews in Australia. We didn’t live with daily fear and anxiety of what may unfold next.

For Albanese to say that antisemitism has been around for a long time, in response to questions about the firebombing of a synagogue, downplays the severity of what Jewish Australians are experiencing.

He is also washing his hands of responsibility for this racism crisis and abdicating his leadership on this issue.

He has been the prime minister through the entire period where antisemitism has arisen, been tolerated and condoned, festered and then exploded to reach a genuine crisis point.
Sharri Markson rips into PM's lack of ‘leadership’ following synagogue arson attack

Sharri Markson: Government ‘downplaying’ Melbourne synagogue attack

‘Shocking and despicable’: Dave Sharma labels synagogue attack an ‘act of domestic terrorism’

TV host recounts experience with antisemitism amid latest synagogue attack

Jewish community has been ‘let down’ by the Labor government

Labor has ‘never made a serious attempt’ to control antisemitism



Eve Barlow: The scrolls are burning
Hear that sound? The sound of broken glass. The sound of spitting fire. The sound of Jewish buildings burning. This is what Hamas did on October 7. This is what the Nazis did 90 some years ago. As we have said, ad nauseaum, words matter. It starts with words. It started in the memories of some still alive today with the burning of books by students at universities some ninety years ago. With signs and slogans and symbols. Then it led to firebombing Jewish villages, Jewish businesses, Jewish synagogues. It is nothing new. It is as old as Amalek. It is alive and well. It is here.

A day prior to this morning’s Melbourne incident, over in Sydney, the Great Synagogue was under siege, targeted by a pro Palestine mob – while people were inside. During this fiasco, a Sydney police officer detained a Jewish man for holding an Israeli flag outside the synagogue in the face of a hundred hatemongerers. The police said that the one Jewish dissenter was “antagonizing” those protesting the synagogue. The synagogue wound up being forced into lockdown.

What is there to do? Scream, yes. Gather, yes. Find the real friends who will shout next to you and hold your hand, yes. Read. I’ve found reading a great source of comfort. Some of the books I have read this year have kept me breathing. Books like Gad Saad’s “The Parasitic Mind”. Books like Douglas Murray’s “The Madness Of Crowds”. Books like “The Coddling Of The American Mind” by Jonathan Haidt. I’m reading so much about how we got here, and you should be too. Read and it will free your mind; untangle yourself from the insanity that has gripped our neighbors and turned them away from us. They are systemically chasing us out of our societies, and many of them are not even conscious of it. In fact, they’ve convinced themselves that we’ve gone insane. That we have joined a cult. While foregoing the notion that maybe they’ve been radicalized. They aren’t brave enough to read these books. They have already told themselves the content is dangerous and the authors extreme. In the last few business meetings I’ve taken in the past few weeks, I’ve been told that it’s becoming virtually impossible to be published if you’re Jewish. Jews are not eligible to write books any more.

Tracy Anne Oberman MBE, a British actress and a dear older sister of mine, wrote in the Jewish Chronicle this week in an op-ed about how Jews are struggling to find work in the arts right now: “Jews have given so much and yet we are slowly being erased.” She reports that half of British publishers are refusing to take books by authors who are identifiably Jewish, with many mainstream publishing houses deeming Jewish books off-limits.

“The British Jewish community is vulnerable today. It finds itself under attack and misunderstood, particularly for those of us who work in the arts or media, healthcare, education or the public sector generally, not to mention students and young people. We find ourselves marginalised and alone.

Supposedly, this is all about Israel, but in reality, it often crosses the line into the same vernacular, images and slogans of 1936, with Jewish school buses attacked, school children abused by adults and little girls pelted with glass in the East End of London. And that was just this week’s news.”

I don’t know if I will ever see a book in my lifetime with my name on it. I hope I will, but at this juncture, in the prime of my productivity and literary flair, I don’t know if I will be able to sit on the shelves alongside my heroes. The reason being that I am a Jew. A Jew who is feared. A Jew who is envied. A Jew who is despised. But what I have to say is so important that I will keep writing it anyway.

I will keep writing it and I will never stop writing it. And this is what I am writing every day: The Jews are being hunted and you’re all watching.

You always stand there, watching.


‘Shame on you, Jacinta’: Vic Premier abruptly ends press conference after Synagogue fire
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has cut a press conference short after she was peppered with questions from a leading Jewish rights activist who accused her of losing control of the state and failing to keep the Jewish community safe after a Synagogue in Ripponlea was firebombed in the early hours of the morning.

Ms Allan attended the scene in Ripponlea after Addas Israel Synagogue was destroyed in a suspicious blaze.

The Premier condemned the “act of antisemitism” and announced that the Victorian government would provide $100,000 to the community to rebuild the synagogue and would increase the police presence.

However, the press conference took a sharp turn when a member of the local Jewish community, Menachem Vorchheimer, started peppering Ms Allan with questions, demanding she admit whether her government had lost control of the state and left the Jewish community under threat.

“You mention that you’re going to increase police patrol, is that not a sign that you’ve lost control of this state, that the Jewish community are now under real threat and that your government has ultimately failed?” Mr Vorchheimer said.

“Let's be clear, in November 2023 there was an attack on a synagogue and the Summary Offences Act gave Victoria Police the ability to charge them under that act, but you didn’t use it and had you done that, we wouldn’t be here today.

“So, let’s stop with the politics and get a short, sharp answer. Have you lost control? Yes or no."

Ms Allan was visibly taken aback by the line of questioning and responded that she takes advice from Victoria Police and the chief commissioner, who informed her that they already possess the necessary tools and powers to manage acts of violence.

A reporter at the press conference questioned why the Jewish community should trust her to keep them safe, emphasising that a state Premier should be able to answer tough questions.

After cutting the press conference short she then turned to some of the members of the Jewish congregation and said “I’m just going to go”.

She then quickly left to her car as locals screamed “Shame on you, Jacinta”.
Premier FLEES SCENE when confronted about Synagogue Firebombing in Melbourne
Jacinta Allan arrived for a photo op at the burned Jewish place of worship this afternoon, but things certainly didn't go to plan




Netanyahu ties Melbourne shul attack to Labor government’s
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the torching of a synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, and suggested that the antisemitic act was inextricably linked to the Labor government in Canberra’s “extreme anti-Israelism.”

“The burning of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne is an abhorrent act of antisemitism. I expect the state authorities to use their full weight to prevent such antisemitic acts in the future,” he said in a statement issued by his office on Friday.

“Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate this reprehensible act from the extreme anti-Israeli position of the Labor government in Australia, including the scandalous decision to support the U.N. resolution calling on Israel ‘to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as rapidly as possible,’ and preventing a former Israeli minister from entering the country.

“Anti-Israel sentiment is antisemitism,” the premier said.

Earlier on Friday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, during which the former expressed his “firm condemnation” of the arson attack.

“Following the atrocities carried out by Hamas against Israel on and since Oct. 7, 2023, there has been an intolerable wave of attacks on Jewish communities in Australia and around the world,” Herzog said.

“I noted to the Prime Minister [Albanese] that this rise and the increasingly serious antisemitic attacks on the Jewish community required firm and strong action and that this was a message that must be heard clearly from Australia’s leaders. I thanked him for his ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism, and expressed my trust that the local law enforcement would do everything in their power to bring the perpetrators to justice,” added the president.


Synagogue arson attack culminates in ‘saddest day in history’ for Jewish Australians

Latest attack on Melbourne synagogue 'not surprising'

‘How did we get here?’: Jewish Australians’ ‘worst fears’ realised after synagogue attack

Jewish community ‘not surprised’ by shocking synagogue firebombing attack

Former Labor MP loses it over handling of Melbourne synagogue firebombing



Two California boys shot at Christian school in revenge for Gaza 'genocide'
Two kindergarten-age boys were shot at a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian school in California on Wednesday by a man with a lengthy criminal and mental health history claiming to be taking revenge of American involvement with a supposed Gaza "genocide" and attacks on Yemen, according to a Thursday Butte County Sherriff's office briefing.

Roman Mendez, 6, and Elias Wolford, 5, were in critical but stable condition following the attack on the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo by gunman Glenn Litton.

The 56-year-old assailant, who was found at the school by first responders with a fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound, had left a statement justifying the shooting as revenge for the ongoing Israeli military operation against Hamas in Gaza and operations to counter Ansar Allah's maritime terrorism and missile attacks.

"Countermeasures involving child execution has now been imposed at the Seventh Day Adventist school in California, United States by the International Alliance," read the manifesto shared by Butte County Sherriff Kory Honea at the Thursday briefing. "I, Lieutenant Glenn Litton of the Alliance, carried out countermeasures in necessitated response to America's involvement with genocide and oppression of Palestinians along with attacks towards Yemen."

Honea noted that Litton had "significant" mental health issues and had likely cobbled together information from various different sources to create a different reality.
JPost Editorial: Amnesty International cherry-picked incidents to fit its predetermined narrative
On Wednesday, Amnesty International released a report accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza – a term so gravely heavy with historical weight that it should never be invoked lightly. By Thursday, even Amnesty International’s own Israeli branch had rejected the findings, stating that the evidence “had not been sufficiently substantiated.”

This rare internal dissent underscores that the report is less of a fact-based investigation than a politically motivated indictment.

Let’s be clear: Genocide is one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, requiring proof of intent to destroy a people. Amnesty’s report doesn’t even come close. Instead, it relies on numbers provided by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, which Amnesty Monitor criticized for failing to “distinguish between civilians and combatants.”

According to Amnesty, some 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict – a number that strains credulity and is presented without transparency or critical verification. Cherry-picking the facts

Amnesty cherry-picks incidents to fit its predetermined narrative. Out of thousands of airstrikes conducted in Gaza, the report examines just 15, alleging civilian casualties with no military justification. It disregards Hamas’s deliberate use of civilian infrastructure – homes, schools, and hospitals – as shields for its operations. The IDF, in contrast, issued evacuation warnings and facilitated the transfer of “1.1 million tons of aid into Gaza” while establishing humanitarian corridors.

Yet these efforts are conveniently ignored by Amnesty, as they undermine the NGO’s claim of “genocidal intent.”

The report also accuses Israel of creating “conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction” through its blockade of Gaza. Yet this claim collapses under scrutiny. While Gaza’s civilians have endured hardship, the blockade exists to prevent weapons smuggling. Israel’s measures, including the delivery of humanitarian aid and vaccinations for Gazans, stand in stark contrast to the narrative of calculated destruction. The report omitted these facts, raising questions about Amnesty’s objectivity.

The most damning rebuke came from Amnesty Israel itself. The Israeli branch, often critical of Israeli policies, distanced itself from the report. While Amnesty Israel believes that there is a high death toll of civilians in the Gaza Strip and that the Israeli response roused suspicions of possible widespread international law violations, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, it did not believe that the threshold of proof for the crime of genocide had been met.

“Based on our analysis, put together in consultation with external experts,” it said on Thursday, “many of us have doubts regarding the possibility of proving unequivocally... the element of intent.” This rejection of the genocide accusation highlights the recklessness of the global organization’s claims.
UKLFI: Natasha Hausdorff discusses the latest Amnesty International report on i24 News
Natasha Hausdorff, barrister and UKLFI Charitable Trust Legal Director, discusses the latest Amnesty International report, alleging that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, on i24 News, including the consequences for the standing of international law.




Amnesty report against Israel: ‘Baseless and replete with maliciousd lies, gross distortions of truth and facts’
The International Legal Forum (ILF) said the Amnesty report accusing Israel of committing a genocide in Gaza, which was published on Thursday, is just the latest relentless assault and lawfare campaign by Amnesty against the State of Israel, having previously called for the dismantlement of tne Jewish state.

”This report, written under the guise of ‘’international law and human rights, is uttelrly baseless and replete with maliciousd lies, gross distortions of truth and facts,’’ wrote Aresen Ostrovsky, ILF’s CEO, and Nadav Steinman, ILF’s Board Chair, in a statement.

‘’To accuse Israel of ‘’genocide’’ in Gaza, ‘’is a gross and egregious subversion and weaponization of the very term itself, made ven more scionable given the October 7th attacks were the largest mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust,’’ said the statement.

The statement adds, ‘’In short, this report, which also entirely absolves and whitewashes the heinous actions of Hamas, while abandoning the fate of the remaining hostages still in their captivity, is tantamount to a ‘’blood libel’’ against the Jewish state and deserves to be placed in the dustbin of antisemitic history.’’

‘’Regrettably, Amnesty International once a storied human rights organization, may as well be renamed Hamas International , as the two have become indistinguishable in pedding such malicious lies and attacks against the Jewish state,’’ concludes the ILF.

According to NGO Monitor, ‘’as reflected in the NGO’s history of antisemitism and hatred for the Jewish State, Amnesty consistently uses false and manipulated claims, as well as lawfare to shield Hamas and demonize Israel.’’

‘’ In this, as in numerous Amnesty campaigns, the explicit objectives include promoting international sanctions in order to cripple Israel’s ability to defend itself,’’ it said.

‘’The allegation of genocide against Israel is a reversal of the actual and clearly established intent of Hamas and its allies (including its patron, Iran) to wipe Israel off the map; it is also a form of Holocaust inversion, in which the Jews (Israel) are portrayed as the new Nazis.’’

NGO Monitor says tha in publishing its report, Amnesty’’ is attempting to strengthen the lawfare efforts led by South Africa and its allies before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as the pathological propaganda of UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and other political actors.‘’


John Spencer - PodCast: Israeli Police on October 7 and the Battle of Sderot Police Station
When thousands of Hamas militants invaded southern Israel on October 7, 2023, there were only 110 police officers on duty spread across hundreds of square kilometers, concentrated in four police stations and several other posts. Despite their relatively small numbers, these officers played a critical role that day. On this episode, John Spencer is joined by Israel Police Chief Superintendent Shlomi Chetrit, head of the Israel Police History and Heritage Branch, who discusses the role of the police on October 7, including their actions during the battle for the Sderot Police Station.
Israel eliminates terrorist who tortured Gazans
The Israel Air Force on Wednesday struck and eliminated several terrorists who were in the humanitarian zone in Khan Yunis, with the help and direction of the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

Among the terrorists killed was Osama Ghanim, a senior member of Hamas’s Internal Security Force. He was involved in activity to suppress the residents of Gaza and was responsible for the terrorist group’s violence within the Gaza Strip, the IDF said in a statement.

Ghanim played a key role in implementing the brutal methods of Hamas, which included conducting harsh interrogations of civilian while violating human rights, suppressing residents suspected of opposing Hamas, and persecuting civilians from the LGBTQ+ community.

Numerous steps were taken before the airstrike to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including aerial surveillance and acquiring additional intelligence information, and then precise munitions were used, the IDF said.

That the terrorists were hiding in the humanitarian zone is further evidence of Hamas’s “cynical exploitation” of the civilian population and infrastructure as human shields for terrorist activity, the IDF said.

The IDF and Shin Bet said they will continue to target anyone who took part in terrorist activities against Israeli civilians.


‘Another nail in UNRWA’s coffin’: Hostage family sues agency
The family of Yonatan Samerano, whose body has been held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, have filed a landmark lawsuit against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The lawsuit, filed on Monday, comes in response to Samerano’s murder and abduction, which occurred at the entrance to Kibbutz Be’eri after he fled from the Nova music festival on that deadly Saturday. Intelligence gathered by Israeli forces during the war indicates that Samerano’s body was taken by Faisal Ali Mussalem al-Naami, a Hamas terrorist who was employed by UNRWA in Gaza’s Nuseirat camp, and remains in captivity to this day.

The lawsuit was also filed against Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s commissioner-general, and other agency officials.

The Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of the family, explained that in this case, the defendants are not entitled to the immunity typically granted to U.N. organizations and their personnel.

The lawsuit argues that UNRWA has effectively become an operational arm of Hamas, thereby forfeiting any claim to diplomatic immunity—a position reinforced by recent Knesset legislation. Furthermore, the legal filing contends that UNRWA’s status as a temporary agency, rather than a permanent U.N. institution, means it cannot claim standard diplomatic protections. The suit also maintains that U.N. immunity does not extend to actions that fundamentally violate the organization’s humanitarian mandate.

“The Attorney General must immediately determine that UNRWA has no immunity and must stand trial for the act of massacre and kidnapping of my son,” said Kobi Samerano, Yonatan’s father. “This lawsuit will be another nail in UNRWA’s coffin, which must pay for its actions. Since October 7, our lives have not been lives. We are waiting to get our son back. We will continue to fight until we achieve true justice.”

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of Shurat HaDin, said that it is now clear to what degree UNRWA has become Hamas’s largest operator in Gaza. “The war on terror does not end on the battlefield, but continues until we achieve justice for victims who were murdered for no fault of their own,” she said.

“In this lawsuit, we demand to deter any entity, under the guise of an international aid organization, from engaging in terrorism and acting against Israeli citizens. We pray for Jonathan’s return home and the return of all other hostages, and we will continue to pursue those who seek to destroy us.”


The Israel Guys: 157 Countries Vote to Hold CONFERENCE to Establish Palestinian State
157 nations voted overwhelmingly this week to hold an international summit with the goal of “settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and implementing the two-state solution. If this wasn’t so ridiculous, sad, and ultimately, a precursor to a certain biblical prophecy, we might be able to laugh. Establish a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria, uproot and expel the 700,000 Jews living there, and expect all of that to lead to peace in the Middle East? Give me a break. We’ll get into all of the details on today’s episode.


Seth Mandel: Clinton, Arafat, and a Century of Rejection
Ever since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, Bill and Hillary Clinton have been unable to hide their frustration with progressives’ retreat into an alternate reality, one in which Palestinian rejectionism doesn’t exist and Jewish perfidy is the only explanation for the suffering of innocents.

At first, Bill Clinton seemed alarmed by progressives’ dishonesty. Now he reveals that they are not pretending to be ignorant; they genuinely don’t know even the very basics of the well-established history.

“I tell them what Arafat walked away from” at Camp David in 2000, the former president told New York Times writer Andrew Ross Sorkin as part of a wider interview, “and they, like can’t believe it.”

What happened at those negotiations is the denouement of the most public and well-documented peace process of all time. The only way to believe that Yasser Arafat wasn’t entirely responsible for the deal’s failure and the misery that followed is to not know that he was offered everything he wanted and turned it down. Arafat chose to reject the establishment of a Palestinian state so he could launch a violent intifada from which the Palestinian economy has never recovered and which resulted in a splitting of the Palestinian national movement.

The line from that day 24 years ago to Oct. 7, 2023, is straight, and it was drawn by Yasser Arafat. This is indisputable—unless, of course, you don’t know that it happened at all. Clinton continued: “I say [to young people] oh yeah, he walked away from a Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem, 96 percent of the West Bank, 4 percent of Israel to make up for the 4 percent that … were beyond the borders in the ’67 war. I go through all the stuff that was in the deal, and it’s not on their radar screen. They can’t even imagine that happened.”

But here’s the thing: It had happened before Clinton, and it happened again after Clinton.

In its 104-year history, Palestinian Arab nationalism has had three leaders. All three were offered a Palestinian state. All three turned it down.
Bill Clinton: Young Americans have no idea that Arafat turned down a Palestinian state
Former US President Bill Clinton has expressed disbelief over the reaction of young Americans when they learn that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat turned down a historic opportunity for peace and a Palestinian state during the 2000 Camp David talks.

In an interview at the New York Times DealBook Summit, promoting his new book Citizen: My Life After The White House, Clinton described how many young people in America are “shocked” when they hear about Arafat's rejection of a deal that would have granted the Palestinians a state with a capital in East Jerusalem and 96 per cent of the West Bank. “I tell them what Arafat walked away from, and they, like, can’t believe it,” Clinton said.

He went on to emphasise the significance of this decision, referring to it as a "once in a lifetime" opportunity that Arafat rejected.

The deal, negotiated with US mediation, included a proposed resolution for Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a key issue in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“You can’t complain 25 years later when the doors weren’t all still open, and all the possibilities weren’t still there,” Clinton added, reflecting on the lasting consequences of the failed talks.

Clinton explained to the audience that the Camp David summit had represented the best chance for peace in the region, and yet it collapsed just six weeks before the end of his second term.

"All [young people in America] know that a lot more Palestinians have been killed than Israelis. But they don't know the history behind that," he noted.

The former president also paid tribute to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated by a Jewish extremist in 1995 for his role in pursuing peace with the Palestinians.

“The first and most famous victim of an attempt to get the Palestinians a state was Prime Minister Rabin,” Clinton remarked, adding that he had loved Rabin “as much as I ever loved another man.”


Jon Ossoff defends his votes on Israel: ‘This is who I am.’
Norman Radow, a major Democratic donor in Georgia who is also Jewish, supported Ossoff in 2020. But Radow doesn’t just think the votes could hurt Ossoff’s reelection in 2026, he hopes they will help defeat him.

“I think it’s a naivete of his part. I think it’s probably part of his deep-seated views (about Israel) that I think he’s masked and hidden for the last four years,” said Radow. “And in a way, I’m glad that he’s come out now, because the election is just 23 months away, and now we know who he is.”

Ossoff said all of his work related to Israel-- his statements of support, his votes to fund its war efforts, and his most recent votes to limit the sale of some arms to the country-- are exactly who he is. And he’s confident he’s doing the right thing.

“This is who I am,” he said. “I made the decision when I was elected that I was going to make decisions on the merits, that I was going to pursue substantive solutions, and that I was going to vote according to my well-informed and good-faith assessment of America’s national interests and Georgia’s interests,” he said. “That’s what I’ve done throughout my tenure. That’s what I will continue to do.”




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