Sunday, December 15, 2024

12/15 Links: How Israel Turned the Mideast Around; Israel closes embassy in Ireland; Senior Hamas official admits: 'October 7 ruined us'

From Ian:

How Israel Turned the Mideast Around
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer interviewed by Barton Swaim

Critics used to complain about the "Israel lobby" and its supposed ability to bend U.S. policy to its will. A saner case could be made that Israel is constantly doing America's dirty work at immense cost to itself. Its war against Hamas and Hizbullah isn't some regional conflict over disputed territory but a battle in a worldwide cold war between an alliance of democracies and a confederation of anti-American dictatorships.

Ron Dermer, 53, Israel's minister for strategic affairs who grew up in Miami Beach, was Israel's ambassador to the U.S. from 2013-21. He says, "A lot of people...think America is hated because of Israel. I think Israel is hated because of America. We're seen as an extension of your values. And guess what? They're right."

Six months ago, global opinion-makers spoke mainly about the "genocide" perpetrated by Israel in Gaza. Dermer says, "The Jews must be the dumbest genocidal force in history. We win Nobel Prizes, but we're idiots when it comes to genocide - the Palestinian population is about 10 times what it was in 1948."

He asks me to imagine I'm president of the United States and I have to pick one ally for the next half-century. "Just one, strictly in terms of American interest. You want an ally that can defend itself by itself and you don't have to send in troops to protect it. You want an ally with formidable intelligence capability and cyber capability and all the new forms of warfare. And you want an ally that can develop new weapons. If you're honest, you're down to Britain and Israel. And I think we have a bigger standing army than the Brits."
‘Very friendly’ Netanyahu-Trump call focused on hostages, victory
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a “very friendly, warm and important” phone call with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on the need to complete Jerusalem’s victory over Iranian-backed terror proxies and free the hostages held by Hamas, the Israeli leader said on Sunday.

Netanyahu in a statement said he and his “friend” Trump discussed the situations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria during the call on Saturday night.

“A year ago, I said something simple: We would change the face of the Middle East, and we are indeed doing so. Syria is not the same Syria. Lebanon is not the same Lebanon. Gaza is not the same Gaza. And the head of the axis, Iran, is not the same Iran,” Netanyahu said in the video statement on Sunday.

“We are working today forcefully and with due consideration in order to have security regarding all the countries of the region and in order to have stability and security on all of our borders,” he stated, adding that challenges remain in fighting Iran’s “bloodied proxies.”

Netanyahu emphasized that Jerusalem has “no interest” in a confrontation with the incoming Syrian regime, stressing that his policies towards it will be determined “according to the reality on the ground.”

“Together with Defense Minister [Israel] Katz, I have directed the IDF to thwart the potential threats from Syria and prevent terrorist elements from taking control close to our border,” he stated. “Over the course of several days, we have destroyed the capabilities that the Assad regime took decades to build.”

The Israeli leader quoted Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem as confirming that the Iranian-backed terrorist group has lost its Syrian supply route. “This is, of course, additional testimony to the severe blow with which we have struck the entire Iranian axis,” according to Netanyahu.

“I would like to both clarify and warn: I would like to make it clear and to warn: We are committed to preventing the rearming of Hezbollah,” said the premier. “I unequivocally declare to Hezbollah and to Iran: In order to prevent you from attacking us, we will continue to take action against you as necessary, in every arena and at all times.”

Regarding the war in Gaza, he declared, “We will continue to act relentlessly to return home all of our hostages, the living and the deceased. Let me add that the less we discuss this, the better, and so, with God’s help, we will succeed.”

In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Dec. 8, Trump made it clear that while he hopes for an end to the conflict, Jerusalem must secure a decisive victory. “I want [Netanyahu] to end it, but you have to have a victory,” he stated.

He also addressed the growing criticism of Israel and the downplaying of the Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, comparing it to Holocaust denial: “You know, you have Holocaust deniers. Now you have Oct. 7 deniers, and it just happened. No, Oct. 7 happened. What happened is horrible.”
Jonah Goldberg: What the Headlines Missed about Amnesty International's Accusation that Israel Commits Genocide
Reporting on Amnesty International's new report about Israel's War in Gaza, the New York Times headline read: "Amnesty International Accuses Israel of Genocide in Gaza." The Los Angeles Times was similar: "Amnesty International says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza."

Calling the report unfair would be a profound understatement. Here's its first sentence: "On 7 October 2023, Israel embarked on a military offensive on the occupied Gaza Strip." In other words, the story begins not with Hamas's unprecedented terrorist attack on Israeli civilians that day. Rather, it begins with the Israeli response to the aggression of Hamas. This is a bit like reporting on America's "genocide" in Japan by stating, "On April 18, 1942, the United States embarked on a military offensive on the Japanese nation" - leaving out that whole Pearl Harbor thing.

The Genocide Convention of 1948 is very clear about what constitutes actual or attempted genocide: "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group." But the Palestinian population has grown more than eightfold since Israel's founding, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, and the population of Gaza has increased 600% since 1960.

One of the most important words in the UN definition of genocide is "intent." If Israel, which even its enemies characterize as supremely competent and lethal, intends genocide, it's really, really, bad at it. Indeed, if genocide were the goal, you would think Israel would stop warning civilians to evacuate areas it's about to attack and sending Palestinians caravans of aid.

On page 101 of Amnesty's 296-page report, the authors essentially concede that Israel isn't committing genocide under prevailing interpretations of international law, as they reject "an overly cramped interpretation of international jurisprudence...that would effectively preclude a finding of genocide in the context of an armed conflict."

As Commentary's Seth Mandel writes, "So Amnesty International dissents from international law. That's fine. Just be up-front about it: Amnesty is not accusing Israel of 'genocide,' it is accusing Israel of a different crime which Amnesty has named 'genocide,' just so it could use that word." Amnesty didn't want a discussion about the proper definition of genocide. It wanted headlines alleging that Israel committed the crime - and it got them.


First Order of Business: Permanently Neutralize Iran's Nuclear Threat, but for Long-Term Stability Do Not Stop with That
The regime's primary goal is, first, to stay in power; second, to acquire nuclear weapons. No amount of diplomatic engagement will deter it from pursuing these objectives. Any agreement would merely buy more time for Iran to refine its nuclear technologies while easing international pressure. The regime's strategy is to outlast all sanctions and inspections, while continuing its covert nuclear activities, repressing it citizens, and planning its future expansion.

The international community would do the world a favor by stopping Iran from reaching both goals. If not, there will be no chance of durable stability in the Middle East. It is as simple as that.

The idea of negotiating a "deal" to limit, control or "verify" Iran's nuclear activities has proven to be both ineffective and dangerous.... Iran has repeatedly violated international agreements and deceived global watchdogs. It seems clear that any new deal would likely meet the same fate. Trusting such a regime to honor its commitments is like trusting the cat to guard the cream.

Only by neutralizing the entire Iranian threat will the world be able to work toward a future of stability, prosperity and peace.
Israel Paves Way for Strike on Iran's Nuclear Facilities after Taking Out Syria's Military Infrastructure
Israel's air force and navy are estimated to have destroyed around 80% of the Syrian army's equipment since Islamist rebels seized Damascus last Sunday, including air defense systems that may have been used to protect Iran against any attack.

Assad's collapse, combined with the fact that Iran is already weakened by the systematic dismantling of its proxy Hizbullah in Lebanon, has opened a unique window of opportunity for Israel to strike, a senior Israeli official told the Telegraph. "Iran is at its weakest and lowest point in 30 years. All the terrorist organizations it funded and built have fallen one after another. This is the time to strike a blow that will destabilize the regime of evil and terror in Tehran," the official said.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has long called for Iran's nuclear program to be stopped in its tracks. Yair Lapid, Israel's opposition leader and former prime minister, said he agreed with Netanyahu's desire to hit Tehran's nuclear capabilities. "The Iranian nuclear program is not only a threat to Israel; it is a threat to world peace and a risk to global security. Israel needs to work together with its allies to thwart the threat in every possible way, including bombing nuclear facilities," Lapid told the Telegraph.

Maj.-Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, a former national security advisor, said Israel should "hugely accelerate" its plans for an attack. "Hizbullah was the deterrence against Israel. And I think [their weakening] is very important for the future decision [on Iran] by Israel," he said. Amnon Sofrin, the former head of Mossad's intelligence directorate, agreed that now would be an opportune time to attack.
Trump Team Weighs Options, including Airstrikes, to Stop Iran's Nuclear Program
President-elect Donald Trump is weighing options for stopping Iran from being able to build a nuclear weapon, including the possibility of preventive airstrikes. The military-strike option against nuclear facilities is now under more serious review by some members of his transition team in light of Iran's weakened regional position and recent revelations of Tehran's burgeoning nuclear work.

Trump has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent calls that he is concerned about an Iranian nuclear breakout on his watch, signaling that he is looking for proposals to prevent that outcome. The president-elect wants plans that stop short of igniting a new war. The president-elect's transition team is devising what it calls a "maximum pressure 2.0" strategy against the regime that would include military steps paired with tighter financial penalties.

Iran has enough highly enriched uranium to build four nuclear bombs, making it the only nonnuclear-weapon country to be producing 60% near-weapons-grade material. It would take just a few days to convert it into weapons-grade nuclear fuel. U.S. officials have previously said it could take Iran several months to field a nuclear weapon.

Trump aides and confidants supporting military options said the main idea would be to support Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities like Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan, and even potentially have the U.S. participate in a joint operation. More needs to be done than increased economic and financial pressure because Iran "is actively trying to kill President Trump," a person on the transition team said. "That certainly influences everybody's thinking."
Senior Hamas official admits: 'October 7 ruined us'
A senior Hamas official currently based in Turkey told Saudi media that the 37th anniversary of the terrorist organization's founding comes during a period of decline due to defeats in Gaza and the broader region.

The official disclosed, "Hamas is suffering from a genuine leadership crisis. The Al-Aqsa Flood attack backfired on us, submerging us in a sea of blood and crises. The most recent blow was the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, with which Hamas had been attempting to rebuild relations."

According to a report by the Saudi news site Elaph, the Syrian government has ordered Palestinian terrorist groups to shut down their offices, hand over their weapons, dismantle training camps, and leave Syria as soon as possible. The primary Palestinian group active in Syria has been the Islamic Jihad. In contrast, Hamas's political bureau left Syria earlier due to its support for Islamist rebels at the start of the Syrian civil war, which sparked a rift with Assad.

Despite this, Elaph reported that senior Hamas official Mohammed Nasser was forced to flee Syria before Syrian rebels captured Damascus. Similarly, Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad Nakhaleh and leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) also had to leave Syria.

Nakhaleh recently visited Cairo with a delegation from Islamic Jihad, holding discussions with senior Egyptian intelligence officials about ongoing negotiations for a prisoner exchange deal. He was accompanied by his deputy, Mohammed al-Hindi.

Elaph further reported that it is believed senior leaders of Palestinian terrorist organizations have relocated to Tehran. However, it is expected that they will seek other host countries due to fears of targeted assassinations in Iran, as happened to Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's political bureau chief.

IDF soldiers in a Namer APC in the Gaza Strip (Archive), Photo: IDF Spokesperson.

The Hamas official reiterated that the organization's leadership is currently directionless, stating, "Gaza has been completely destroyed." He expressed hope that a prisoner exchange deal might slightly alleviate the leadership's dire circumstances.
Israel refuses to release terror mastermind serving 5 life terms in latest hostage talks ‘obstacle’
Israel is refusing Hamas demands to release a high-profile terror mastermind in exchange for hostages, according to reports.

Hamas terrorists have demanded the release of Marwan Barghouti, the former leader of the late Yasser Arafat’s Fatah party, since August, presumably to help the group maintain power in the Gaza strip, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Barghouti is serving five life sentences for his role in the murder of five Israelis in 2000 during the second Palestinian intifada, which raged until 2005.

He was also a leader in the first Intifada, from 1987-1993.

While Israel at one point considered releasing Barghouti, it is now objecting to granting him and other Palestinian prisoners their freedom, the Jerusalem Post reported.

“Israel has a vision of alternative lists of Palestinian prisoners, including people who were recently arrested,” reports quoted the source as saying.

Israel has also requested that some Palestinian prisoners be sent abroad instead of to the West Bank or Gaza, “which may be accepted by the mediators as a compromise to end this new obstacle,” the official said.
Brother of Hamas leader Khaled Mashal unexpectedly released from US prison
Mofid Abdel Kader Mashaal, the brother of former Hamas political wing chairman Khaled Mashaal was unexpectedly released from the US prison where he was held, Walla reported on Friday morning.

The sudden release comes amid talks regarding a possible hostage deal.

The US has not confirmed the release of Mashaal, but the news has been widely reported in Arab media.

Mashaal was sentenced for 20 years on charges of financing Hamas through the Holy Land Foundation. According to Israeli media, he has been released after serving 16 years, and will spend one year in a rehabilitation facility.

Allegedly, the shortening of Mashaal's term comes alongside the shortening of four other American-Palestinians, including Muhammad al-Zain, a relative of Hamas Deputy Chairman Musa Abu Marzouk. The US court ruling, Arab media stated, means that the sentences will be shorter by "dozens of years."

Biden administration commutes sentences
The Holy Land Foundation, which is prohibited, used to be one of the largest Islamic charitable organizations in the US.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden announced that he was commuting the sentences of some 1,500 individuals and pardoning 39 people convicted of non-violent crimes, the largest such act in US history. It is not clear whether the reports of the release of Mashal are connected to this.
Trials expose logistics, planning behind Amsterdam pogrom
A month after dozens of Arab men went on a "Jew hunt" for Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam, the trials of seven suspects last week revealed new information on the logistics of the event.

Organizers worked for days to bus in culprits from across the Netherlands to ambush Israelis, whom the attackers often referred to as "Jews."

More than 20 fans returning from a soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local Ajax team were wounded in the assaults.

Police were deployed in large numbers near the stadium but failed to protect the Israelis in the city center, where they walked into an ambush that had been planned days in advance by Arab men, including dozens of taxi drivers, the indictments showed.
‘Anti-Zionism’ has become the new Antisemitism in Ireland
My Holocaust legacy means the perennial question of gauging the safety of my country of residence is never far from my mind. I have always been ready to flee at a moment’s notice. My wife and I have been having these discussions. For her, the now openly expressed antisemitism in Ireland is deeply disturbing. She is not Jewish, and the behaviour of her Irish compatriots continues to shock and disappoint her in equal measure. When we met, I wanted so much to protect her from my own fears, to contain my paranoia. Families like mine do not easily dismiss or downplay antisemitism. Living history tells us the price of that attitude is extortionate.

But sharing a life with a second-generation survivor has its own challenges. Even though it was her encouragement and support that motivated me to tell my family story publicly, I wanted my wife to be spared the very suggestion of my worst fears. The Zeitgeist in Ireland says differently. But to show another face of Limerick, home to the infamous pogrom 120 years ago, Limerick is also my wife’s home town. Her father, a much-loved solicitor was friends with Benjamin Weizmann, the son of Chaim, Israel’s first president and her maternal grandmother often attended the sabbath dinners of their neighbour. Jewish characters were part of their lives, and I was embraced by my in-laws, unconditionally.

Right now, I’m prepared to fight on, to continue to honour the memory of my family. Fleeing my home in Europe because of antisemitism, with the Holocaust still in living memory, cannot be allowed to happen. In Ireland we have no antisemitism watchdogs. Along with my organisation, Holocaust Awareness Ireland, the Jewish Representative Council with links to the World Jewish Congress is a vocal advocate for Jewish rights, highlighting incidents of antisemitism when they occur. But we both run our organisations part time with no government funding. There are only a handful of brave individuals who also challenge the public narrative and speak out. We are outnumbered and overwhelmed.

I want the politicians in Ireland to properly recognise how difficult life has become for Jews living here and for education courses on antisemitism to be mandatory in schools, in universities and the workplace. I want Israel, where half the world’s Jewish population live, to exist. I want an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a return of the hostages, an end to regional hostilities and a sustainable, just peace settlement for Israelis and Palestinians based on a two-state solution. This makes me neither a spokesman for Israel nor the Palestinians and it certainly does not make me a Nazi. However, that Anti-Zionism has metamorphosized into a new form of antisemitism is no longer a debate.
Ireland has brought a diplomatic disaster on itself
First, an obvious statement: Not one single thing that the Irish Government has done since October 7th 2023 has impacted Israeli policy one way or another. Ireland has tried to use that thing we boast so much about – soft power, punching above our weight internationally – to apply diplomatic pressure to the Israelis to get them to stop their war on Hamas prematurely. Every single effort has been rebuffed.

You might recall, for example, a grandiose Government announcement that it was seeking to have EU trade with Israel reviewed. In this effort, it partnered with the aforementioned Spanish. How did that go? They were batted away by an EU establishment that largely regards Ireland as a land of kooks and wackos on the Israel issue.

Ireland’s policy has amounted to jumping up and down, waving its arms, and throwing a tantrum. We recognised a Palestinian state – though no Irish official can tell you who the legitimate Government of that state is – in the hope that this would send some sort of international signal. In truth, everybody ignored us.

We opened an embassy in Iran – a move that got very little attention at home but which drew international diplomatic scorn. When the USA and others defunded UNWRA – a UN agency widely proven to have worked hand in hand with Hamas – Ireland’s response was to send more aid. A piddling amount, but symbolically very clear. Then Michael D. Higgins sent his best wishes to the new Iranian President on his endeavours, shortly before the Iranians launched a missile attack on Israel.

How has Ireland’s “soft power” worked? The policies of the EU and the US towards Israel are unchanged. Donald Trump – a fanatical pro-Israeli – won the recent election. Ursula Von Der Leyen – a quietly determined pro-Israeli – was comfortably re-elected over Irish objection to another term in Brussels.

At home, repeated calls to expel the Israeli ambassador were resisted by the Government. Why?

They were resisted because the Irish Government knew full well that a formal break in diplomatic relations with Israel would send a signal to the US and the EU and Israel’s other powerful allies around the world that Ireland is a fundamentally unreasonable place that cannot be trusted to be an honest broker when it comes to the world’s only Jewish state.

The Taoiseach’s response this afternoon gives you some idea of the fear in Government buildings. Note that now, with the election over, he feels the need to assert that Ireland is not, in fact, “anti-Israeli”. But ask yourself, other than the Irish obsession with needing everyone to like us, why does he feel the need to deny what has been blatantly obvious for years? If we’re not anti-Israeli, then perhaps he could specify even one pro Israeli thing his Government has said or done:

Israel is a powerful country, with one of the world’s most advanced and capable militaries. It is one of the most important allies on earth for the United States, with deep intelligence sharing and technology sharing agreements that give the US an unparalleled advantage in the middle east. It has close ties with the EU, the UK, India, Australia, and even (though strained in recent years) Russia. It has a global diaspora with immense financial power, which is the foot of all those conspiracy theories about “the jews” that are so popular on the extreme left and right of the Irish internet. Though of course, our own Irish diaspora is apparently a source of strength for us, and there’s nothing conspiratorial about that.

The point here is this: Ask the Americans or the Indians or even most Europeans to choose between Ireland and Israel, and they’ll choose Israel every time. We have, for most of our existence, pretended that we can say or do what we like on the international stage because everybody loves us. The truth is that we’ve been able to be liked because we are irrelevant. Nobody has ever had to choose between Ireland and a powerful ally.

In our utter folly, we have now decided to put this country in a position internationally where people who are our natural friends have to take a side: Ireland, or Israel.

The Israelis know who’s going to come out on top there. That’s why they’ve closed the embassy.

We are governed by utter fools.
Israel closes embassy in Ireland
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has announced the closure of Israel’s embassy in Ireland due to “extreme anti-Israel policy of the Irish government.”

“The antisemitic actions and rhetoric that Ireland is taking against Israel are based on delegitimisation and demonisation of the Jewish state and on double standards,” Sa’ar said on Sunday. “Ireland has crossed all red lines in its relationship with Israel. Israel will invest its resources in promoting bilateral relations with the countries of the world according to priorities that are also derived from the attitude of the various countries towards it.”

In May, Israel recalled its ambassador Dana Erlich after the Irish government joined Spain and Norway in announcing it would unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state. Ireland has not recalled its envoy to Israel.

Sa’ar also cited Ireland’s decision last week to become involved in the South African lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which is accusing the Jewish State of genocide against the Palestinians.

The Foreign Minister said that Israel will open an embassy in Moldova, which already has an embassy in Israel. The opening is expected to occur in the next year, and Israel is beginning the process of finding a site and appointing an ambassador.

“There are countries that are interested in strengthening their ties with Israel and do not yet have an Israeli embassy,” said Sa’ar. “We will adjust the Israeli diplomatic structure of our missions while giving weight, among other things, to the approach and actions of the various countries towards Israel in the political arena.”


Appealing ICC arrest warrants, Israel says court violated its own charter and rulings
Israel filed two appeals on Friday against the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

The appeals, filed by Dr. Gilad Noam from the Attorney General’s Office, focused on what Israel argued were serious procedural deficiencies in the decision by ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

The first appeal addressed Israel’s contention that Khan should have provided new notification of his investigation into the allegations regarding the prosecution of the war in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7 invasion and massacre. He instead relied on notification issued in 2021 of an investigation the court had initiated at the time.

The second appeal dealt with Israel’s claim that the ICC lacks jurisdiction over Israelis.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on November 21 on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the war in Gaza.

The allegations related in particular to charges that the two leaders had committed the war crimes of directing attacks against the civilian population of Gaza and of using starvation as a method of warfare by hindering the supply of international aid to Gaza.

Khan also alleged that the two committed the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts as a result of the restrictions they allegedly placed on the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Israel has strongly rejected the substance of the allegations, insisting that it has funneled massive amounts of humanitarian aid through the crossings along the Gaza border, and that any problems with the distribution of that aid to the Palestinian civilian population are a result of inefficient operations by the aid organizations on the ground, difficulties arising from the ongoing conflict in the territory, and the looting of aid by Hamas and other terrorist organizations.


UKLFI: Copenhagen University investigates Prof Kevin Heller over defamatory tweets
A professor of public international law is being investigated by Copenhagen University following a series of tweets that he made about UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).

Prof. Heller, who is also a Special Adviser to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on War Crimes, an editor of the international law blog Opinio Juris, and a member of Doughty Street Chambers, wrote a short thread of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on 2 December 2024.

The thread referred to criticisms by UKLFI of allegations made by the ICC Prosecutor in support of his applications to the Pre-Trial Chamber for warrants for the arrest of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant.

UKLFI’s criticisms had been set out in detail in a 25-page letter to the ICC Prosecutor and a 13-page annex, between them containing 188 footnotes referring to extensive evidence. Both were published by UKLFI on its website on 29 August 2024 and publicised on X. They could easily be located with minimal research at all times since then.

UKLFI’s letter to the Prosecutor noted that the applications themselves had not been published, but the Prosecutor had summarised his allegations in a pre-prepared, formal statement published in writing and as a video recording on the ICC’s website – where it is titled and described as a “Statement of the ICC Prosecutor” and differentiated from “Press Releases”.

The Prosecutor’s statement referred to a Report of a Panel of Experts, also published on the ICC’s website, which provided additional information about the applications.

UKLFI’s letter to the Prosecutor stated that UKLFI assumed that the Prosecutor’s statement provided a fair and accurate summary of the applications, but if it did not, the statement itself breached applicable professional rules.

UKLFI’s letter showed meticulously that every phrase of every sentence of the Prosecutor’s summary of his allegations was false. It also showed that these allegations were contradicted by additional evidence that came into existence subsequent to the applications, which could not have been included in the applications, but the Prosecutor had declined to update the Pre-Trial Chamber.

UKLFI has not received any communication disputing any element of its analysis.


Prominent human rights attorney quits international court over failure to prosecute Venezuela
A prominent human rights attorney has quietly parted ways with the International Criminal Court to protest what he sees as an unjustified failure of its chief prosecutor to indict members of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ’s government for crimes against humanity, The Associated Press has learned.

The Chilean-born Claudio Grossman, a former law school dean at American University in Washington and past president of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, was appointed special adviser to ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan in November 2021. In that unpaid position, he advised Khan on the deteriorating human rights situation in Venezuela.

In a harshly worded email last month to Khan, Grossman said his ethical standards no longer allow him to stand by silently as Maduro’s government continues to commit abuses, expel foreign diplomats and obstruct the work of human rights monitors from the United Nations — without any action from the ICC.

“I can no longer justify the choice not to take correspondingly serious action against the perpetrators of the grave violations,” Grossman wrote in an email rejecting an offer by Khan’s office in September to renew his contract.


Seth Frantzman: Is Syria's Julani part of a rising generation of younger Middle East leaders?
Ahmed al-Sharaa, the new leader of Syria who also goes by the name Abu Mohammad al-Julani, represents a possible new era of leadership in the Middle East.

He was born in 1982, making him one of the youngest leaders around, close to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was born in 1985, and Sheikh Tamim Ibn Hamad Al Thani of Qatar, who was born in 1980.

This new generation is rising, and it stands in stark contrast to some of the leadership figures in the region who are not only aging but represent eras that reflect more of a Cold War setting than the modern era.

Julani could remain in power for years to come, although it is also possible that he won’t. If he does, he could play a transformative role because he is not just young; he represents the victory of a brand of political Islam that had seemed to be fading.

While many countries have turned on groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, which was more popular in the 1980s and ’90s – others have seen religious groups hold power for too long and ossify.

For instance, the Turkish government has been run by Recep Tayyip Erdogan for two decades, but his brand of Muslim Brotherhood-style politics is not new but old.

This new Syrian leadership appears to already be worrying the Jordanians. King Abdullah II knew he could also face a popular uprising. During the Arab Spring, many of the countries that saw their regimes fall were Arab nationalist regimes, while the monarchies in the region withstood the tide.
Leading Syrian rebel group said to demand disarmament of country’s Palestinian factions
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist rebel group that spearheaded the insurgency that toppled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, has reportedly ordered Palestinian terror factions in Syria to lay down their weapons, close their training camps and dissolve their military formations.

According to a report published in the pro-Hezbollah Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar on Friday, HTS has informed the Palestinian factions, chiefly among them Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, headquartered in Damascus, that they will be able to retain their charities and conduct political activities under the aegis of the Syrian state, but will not be allowed to use Syria as a base or a point of passage for military actions against Israel.

HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, a former al-Qaeda member, has sought to rebrand himself and his group as a moderate force that will stabilize Syria and respect religious minorities, and has indicated that he will not seek military confrontation with Israel.


IDF: Dozens of terror operatives killed in overnight raid in north Gaza’s Beit Hanoun
Dozens of terror operatives were killed in an overnight raid carried out by troops of the Givati Infantry Brigade in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun, the Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday.

According to the military, the Givati troops raided an area of Beit Hanoun where there was a “concentration of terrorists” following intelligence information on “the presence of terrorists in the area.”

During the operation, which also involved airstrikes, dozens of gunmen were killed, and several other terror operatives were detained, the IDF said.

In a separate operation in the adjacent town of Beit Lahiya, the IDF added, troops of the Kfir Brigade killed several terror operatives in ground combat and by directing airstrikes. The soldiers also located and destroyed weapons in the area.

Meanwhile, earlier Sunday, the IDF said it carried out an airstrike against Hamas operatives at a command center embedded within a building that formerly housed the Abu Shabak medical clinic in Jabalia.

“The compound was used by the Hamas terrorists to plan and carry out terror activity against IDF troops and the State of Israel, and many weapons used by the Hamas terrorists were stored there,” the military said.

The IDF also said that on Saturday night, fighter jets struck three terror cells in Gaza City, whose members were planning to carry out attacks against troops in the “immediate time frame.”

In all of the strikes, the IDF said it took steps to mitigate civilian harm, including by using precision munitions, aerial surveillance and other intelligence. Gaza-based medics said that nine people were killed Sunday in Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia. Residents said clusters of houses were bombed and some set ablaze in the three towns.


IAF eliminates PIJ terrorist in Nuseirat, Al Jazeera says he worked as cameraman for the network
The Israeli air force struck Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists who were operating a command center embedded in the offices of the "Civil Defense" organization in Nuseirat in the Gaza Strip, the military said on Sunday.

The IDF said the command center was used by terrorists to plan and carry out attacks against soldiers. One of the terrorists eliminated was Ahmed Bakr al-Lawh, who served as a platoon commander in the Islamic Jihad's Central Camps Brigade, the military noted.

In a statement, Hamas said that the Civil Defense director of the Nuseirat refugee camp, Nidal Abu Hajir, and five others were killed in an airstrike.

"The targeting by the criminal occupation this evening of a Civil Defense point in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, which resulted in the death of the camp’s Civil Defense director, Officer Nidal Abu Hajir, and five of his colleagues, represents the fascist occupation army’s insistence on violating all rules and laws by deliberately striking Civil Defense personnel, rescue workers, paramedics, and all groups protected in wars under international law," the terror group said.

Qatari state-owned network Al Jazeera claimed that Ahmed Bakr al-Lawh worked as a journalist and cameraman for the network and said that he was wearing a press vest and helmet. The entrance to the Al Jazeera studios is seen through a cactus garden in Doha November 30, 2005. (credit: REUTERS)


Tom Gross on freedom of speech and online censorship
Journalist Tom Gross joins The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove to discuss freedom of speech and online censorship. After a recent TV interview, Tom’s Meta accounts were banned, seemingly for no reason. Although they’ve now been restored, what does it teach us about how social media companies police online accounts?

When we contacted Meta for comment, they said it appeared Tom’s accounts were taken down by mistake, and they have now been reactivated. They have apologised for any inconvenience caused.


Huge protest erupts as demonstrators send a message to Anthony Albanese
Thousands of protestors across the nation have called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for more action to combat anti-Semitism in Australia.

More than 400 people, many brandishing the Star of David and placards, gathered at Martin Place, in Sydney's CBD, for the 'Enough is Enough' protest.

Attendees heard from a number of speakers at the protest urging Mr Albanese to take on a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Semitic attacks across Australia.

Signs being held by protestors read: 'Albo the world is watching' and 'stop the hate mate' while one replaced 'antisemite' on the iconic Vegemite logo.

Another sign labelled Foreign Affairs minister Penny Wong, 'Penny Wrong', after her support of a UN motion for a pathway to Palestinian statehood.

The protestors heard from Jewish leaders and politicians who declared recent anti-Semitic attacks had brought Australia was to a 'tipping point'.

'Terrorism lives among us and can even impact peaceful societies like ours here in Australia,' Zionist Council of NSW's former director of creative events and operations Hagit Ashual said.

The event follows two incidents across Australia and was held at the scene of the Lindt Cafe siege which brought Sydney to a halt 10 years earlier.
‘Let them down’: Hundreds rally against antisemitism in Sydney
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma discusses the rally in Sydney against antisemitism and the message sent to the Albanese Labor government.

“The message they wanted to convey (is) they were all loyal and faithful Australians but they think the government has let them down,” Mr Sharma said.

“It has failed to control antisemitism, it has failed to recognise it … it has been too late in many of its responses.”


Antisemitism getting ‘completely out of control’ in Australia
Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson says antisemitism has gotten “completely out of control” In Australia “under the watch” of the Albanese government.

Mr Paterson said it has been “allowed to fester” in the country.

His comments come after a synagogue in Melbourne was firebombed.


‘You saw the destruction with your own eyes’: TV host shares heart-wrenching accounts from Israel
Sky News host Rita Panahi joins Outsiders from Israel as she shares her experiences from visiting the country, highlighting meetings with victims of the October 7 attack and the emotional impact of visiting affected areas.

“What’s been particularly moving has been talking to the victims of October 7, some of the survivors, the families of the hostages, the father of Shani Louk. She was in so many ways the face of the October 7 terrorist event, the harrowing footage of her body, broken body being taken into Gaza on the back of a pickup truck with despicable men spitting on her,” Ms Panahi said.

“So to speak to her father and to understand how he deals with that grief and how he deals with that atrocity was really quite powerful.

“Visited a kibbutz right on the Gaza border, Kfar Azhar, where 62 people were murdered, 19 were taken hostage, many others injured and spoke to survivors there. That was again a really touching, poignant moment and you saw the destruction with your own eyes.

“You saw how these people had no chance. They had no chance as the same with the Nova music festival.”

Ms Panahi went on to discuss the resilience of the Israeli people amidst ongoing conflict and their concerns over antisemitism and global perceptions.


Rise of antisemitism in Australia connected with ‘failure of social cohesion’
Sky News host Caleb Bond claims the rise of antisemitism in Australia is not about a “failure” of the law but is due to a "failure of social cohesion".

“The Victorian government is planning to introduce new laws to crack down on antisemitism following the recent firebombing of the ... synagogue in Melbourne,” Mr Bond said.

“I have a couple of problems with this because the rise of antisemitism in Australia is not about the failure of the law. It is a failure of social cohesion.”


‘Patently false’: Sky News Australia host responds to criticism over Israel coverage
Sky News Australia presenter Caroline Marcus has addressed an “upsetting theory” which has emerged following Erin Molan’s departure from the network this week.

“Since her exit from Sky News Australia made headlines earlier this week, I’ve seen a troubling narrative take hold. A narrative pushed by pro-Israel activists I usually respect,” she said.

“The spin is Erin has been pushed out because of her Zionism, being ‘cancelled’ for speaking out, yet anyone who watches Sky News Australia knows that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Ms Marcus refuted these claims and pointed to the number of Sky News Australia hosts who have been “exceptionally strong” when it comes to Israel and fighting antisemitism, including Sharri Markson, Chris Kenny and Peta Credlin.

Ms Marcus, one of the country’s most prominent Jewish journalists, delivered the editorial on Outsiders where she was filling in for the program’s regular co-host Rita Panahi who is currently visiting Israel for Sky News Australia’s coverage.

She also highlighted former treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s Sky News Australia documentary on antisemitism from this year, claiming the “lie” about Ms Molan’s departure dismisses the “important, fearless work” the network does in speaking against evil and extremism.




Sadiq Khan admits Jews 'living in fear' before claiming police 'doing good job' to protect them
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has admitted that Jewish people are “living in fear” in his city before then claiming “the police have done a very good job” protecting them.

Addressing the issue of antisemitism at People’s Question Time, Khan spoke about the impact of the war in Gaza.

He said: “Over the last 14 months we’ve seen the horror, not just of October 7 in Israel but what's happened in Gaza with more than 45,000 men women and children, their lives being cut short.

“There is no excuse for antisemitism, or indeed for islamophobia.”

He added: “In London, we’ve seen some of our Jewish friends, neighbours and colleagues having heightened fear because of the evils of antisemitism.

“In London, the police have actually done a very good job providing reassurance to Jewish communities.”

He also urged Londoners to play their part in making the Jewish community feel safe, saying diversity was one of the “joys of London”.

“All of us have a role to play in relation to making our Jewish friends, colleagues and neighbours feel safe and feel like it's their city - that's one of the joys of London- our diversity is a strength, not a weakness. We don't just tolerate each other- we respect, celebrate and embrace each other.”

These comments come as antisemitic hate crime has quadrupled in the past year, making Jewish people the most targeted minority faith group.

The Community Security Trust, an organisation protecting the Jewish community, has also reported a 117 per cent increase in antisemitic incidents on campus.

Jews in the city have reported feeling unsafe to be visibly religious and said much of this is due to the huge pro-Palestinian marches that take over London on Saturdays.


British Medical Association president probed over complaints she reposted messages from anti-Semitic social media accounts
The British Medical Association is investigating its own president over complaints she reposted messages from anti-Semitic social media accounts.

The body representing 190,000 doctors has asked external investigators to probe Dr Mary McCarthy, who has posted hundreds of tweets on the Gaza conflict since Hamas attacked Israel last year.

The investigation was ordered after Labour Against Anti-Semitism (LAAS) complained to the BMA earlier this month.

In a letter seen by the MoS, the group's co-director Alex Hearn said: 'The function of the BMA is to represent British doctors, but instead your president appears more interested in a conflict thousands of miles away.'

He said Dr McCarthy 'quoted an anti-Semitic account' and also posted 'someone's description of the war as a 'Holocaust'.'

Analysis of her X account reveals that she reposted a tweet by Susan Abulhawa which said: 'We need teams of lawyers now to go after complicit world leaders and... corporations and 'non-profits' profiting from this Holocaust.'

The LAAS complaint alleged that Dr McCarthy also retweeted 'incendiary' posts by Sarah Wilkinson, an activist for the hardline group Palestine Action.

Earlier this month, Shropshire-based GP Dr McCarthy compared the alleged food blockade of Gaza by Israel to apartheid in South Africa.

The BMA confirmed it was investigating the complaint against Dr McCarthy. In a statement, it said: 'We have received a complaint from LAAS, and in accordance with BMA processes the concerns raised in their letter are being investigated by our external and independent investigators. We take complaints of this nature extremely seriously. The BMA stands firmly against all forms of discrimination and prejudice.'

Dr McCarthy declined to comment on the matter directly.


We Must Be Liberated from Hamas
We've tried an armed struggle in the past and achieved nothing. I oppose such a struggle because violence leads to more hatred and more deaths, taking place in an arena with an imbalance of forces. Israel will always overcome us that way.

This war has changed people's mindset and overturned conceptions. I have lost my loved ones, family members, friends and neighbors. My house is in ruins. I believe that resolving the conflict must be done on a realistic basis, relying on tools available in the present, not on stories of the past and on history.

Illusions must be discarded, such as the illusion that Israel can be removed or that [the old] Palestine can be restored. Israel is a fact and it's powerful, while the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza is impossible. Such a state is perceived as a threat to Israel's identity, and faces many obstacles.

I've always supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state, but if we had such a state now, most chances are that Hamas would be ruling it, turning it into an arm of Iran, like in Lebanon. An independent state could become fertile ground for the appearance of radical groups like Hamas, groups that intensified their activity against Israel after the Oslo Accords, competing politically with the Fatah movement.

In all honesty, I don't think we are ready for a state. We've experienced two ruling authorities in Gaza: a Fatah government, which was characterized by disorder and gangs, followed by Hamas. After Hamas won the election in 2006, we've experienced 18 years of tyrannical rule, with crumbling health and education systems, unemployment, poverty, suicides, and the channeling of tax revenues to the building of a military force.

Hamas rule has turned us into a nation of beggars. Gaza, which used to be a free and diverse place, became a closed and poor enclave devoted to security, replete with displays of militarism and extremism, like in Afghanistan. I don't think that Hamas' liberal supporters overseas know that this movement burned cinemas in Gaza in the early 1990s, preventing their re-opening to this day, with its rule in Gaza being a copy of the regime in Iran. We must be liberated from slavery to Hamas and from organizations working for Iran.


Iran ‘bows to pressure’ to release singer who defied regime by performing solo without a hijab
The Iranian regime released a young female singer who was arrested for a risque performance without the mandatory hijab.

Parastoo Ahmadi, 27, was arrested on Saturday in the northern city of Sari, after live-streaming a ‘virtual concert’ wearing a dress that also exposed her shoulders.

Her lawyer said Tehran had bowed to calls for her release, in a sign of the regime’s growing nervousness over protests.

Milad Panahipour said his client’s arrest was carried without prior notification or judicial summons. He added that she was released at 3am local time on Sunday following widespread outrage over the news.

The incident follows similar high-profile protests that have triggered a backlash in recent weeks, including a university student protesting in just her underwear at strict islamic dress codes.

It also comes as Iran has been significantly weakened by Israel’s attacks on its proxies and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.

Ms Ahmadi performed without an audience in the courtyard of a caravanserai, broadcasting the concert live on her YouTube channel, despite the platform being banned in Iran.

Ms Ahmadi said singing for the people she loves is a right she cannot ignore, making her the first and only female Iranian singer to perform publicly without a hijab since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.


Candace Owens named ‘Antisemite of the Year’ by StopAntisemitism: ‘Poisonous hater’
Firebrand pundit Candace Owens has been named “Antisemite of the Year” by watchdog StopAntisemitism, which says she “blew the competition away” with more votes than anyone in previous years.

“Candace Owens’ witch’s brew of antisemitism drew from vile medieval blood libels, including claims that Jews drink Christian blood, conspiracies that Jews are pedophiles who control the media and are ‘taking over America,’ and modern toxic anti-Israel hysteria,” StopAntisemitism’s founder, Liora Rez, told The Post.

“There is no psychotic rabbit hole too extreme for this poisonous hater.”

StopAntisemitism bestowed the title last year on Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). Other recipients have included Ye, the Hitler-loving rapper formerly known as Kanye West, in 2022, and Tlaib’s fellow “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in 2019.

The watchdog shared a video of comments from Owens — who split from The Daily Wire over her views — including her defending Ye’s antisemitic tirades and also her attacking Israel, which she claimed had “occupied” the US, in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

“Jew-hatred is a symptom of a decaying society just as it is a rotting mind,” Rez stated.

“This dishonor is awarded to the individual who has done the most to endanger the Jewish community, and in 2024, Candace Owens has tragically and decisively earned the title.

“Out of dozens of contenders, she blew the competition away with her relentless campaign of dangerous rhetoric targeting the Jewish community, earning more votes than any Antisemite of the Year we’ve ever named.”


A Holocaust survivor’s story transformed my life
I grew up in an almost all-white town. In my school I could count on my hands the number of people whose skin was not white, and on less than a single hand the people who I knew followed a faith other than Christianity. I did not know a single Jewish person.

I grew up knowing what racism was – it was obvious. It was name calling. It was vile graffiti. It was monkey chants in the stadium. As a white girl in an almost all white town, I was sure I knew what to look for. I was proudly anti racist, anti-homophobia, anti-hatred.

I was 17 when I first met a Jewish person. That person was a Holocaust survivor, Kitty Hart Moxon, who paced the stage wearing a tracksuit, telling us her incredible story. She was preparing us for a visit to Auschwitz with the Holocaust Educational Trust – a room full mainly of people who were much like me, and for whom Jews were people we read about in books, but had never met in real life.

Visiting Auschwitz was life changing. I vividly remember the babies’ clothes on display. I remember the dawning realisation that if the Nazis thought that the owners of these tiny baby grows deserved to be murdered, then what we were learning about was something unlike anything I had ever really thought about.

This was a hatred that went so much deeper than anything I could ever possibly imagine.

We got back on coaches – the same 17 year olds that had laughed and joked on the journey out were now stunned into silence. I knew in that moment that I wanted to do something with my life to make what I had seen at Auschwitz make sense, to remember and honour the dead.

And after a few years away at university, I started out on my journey to do just that. I started working at the Holocaust Educational Trust, where I have now been for 17 years, and where I am now chief of staff.

I remember feeling like I would be putting my history degree to good use, that sharing the memory of the past was something vitally important that I could play a role in. I still feel that way. But what I definitely did not fully understand when I joined the Trust was that my work would not only be about history.

Because despite learning about and considering the Holocaust, and despite being so sure that I understood what racism was, what I very quickly came to realise when I started working at the Trust is that I did not know what racism looked like in all of its forms.

I did not understand the nuances of hatred. I did not understand the quieter, more insidious ways that hatred presents itself. I did not understand that racism is not always loud and proud.

And I certainly did not understand that racism today can be and often is targeted at Jewish people.




Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



AddToAny

EoZ Book:"Protocols: Exposing Modern Antisemitism"

 Buy EoZ's book, PROTOCOLS: EXPOSING MODERN ANTISEMITISM


Stellar reviews from:
Algemeiner
Jewish Press
Times of Israel/Jewish Link


Printfriendly

EoZTV Podcast

Podcast URL

Subscribe in podnovaSubscribe with FeedlyAdd to netvibes
addtomyyahoo4Subscribe with SubToMe

search eoz

comments

Speaking

Speaking

translate

E-Book

For $18 donation








Sample Text

EoZ's Most Popular Posts in recent years

Hasbys!

Hasbys!

2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee

Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



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.

Donate!

Donate to fight for Israel!

Monthly subscription:
Payment options


One time donation:

Follow EoZ on Twitter!

Interesting Blogs

Show All

Blog Archive

Copyright © Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News | Powered by Blogger
Blogger Templates