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Tuesday, December 17, 2024

12/17 Links Pt1: Welcome to the New Great Game; How Israel Can Win the War; Will Hamas Be Emboldened by the Hostage Deal?; 100,000 Bodies in Syrian Mass Grave

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: Welcome to the New Great Game
Where in the world is Bibi Netanyahu? Like the old Carmen Sandiego computer game, we’re following clues, tracking steps, investigating sightings. Turns out he’s on Mount Hermon in Syria today, at a briefing with top IDF brass.

He was rumored to be en route to Cairo for Hamas cease-fire talks, and while he wasn’t there this morning, he may be by tomorrow. Negotiations over a hostage deal appear, by all accounts, to be in the home stretch.

The visit to Mount Hermon is significant: it might be the first time a sitting Israeli premier has been in Syria (openly, at least) while in office. What his Syria trip and his expected Cairo trip have in common is that they are to assess the status of de-Iranization in the region.

The last time a power vacuum of this magnitude opened up in the Middle East was the fall of the Soviet Union. Before that, it was the end of the British Mandate for Palestine. Iran is not gone completely, of course—far from it. Yet its empire is collapsing in much the way the Ottoman Empire collapsed a century earlier: In a global conflict, it is aligned against the West and it is paying for that choice.

Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Jordanian king Abdullah cannot wait for the dust to settle, because nature abhors a vacuum.

As does Turkey.

“Senior U.S. officials say Turkey and its militia allies are building up forces along the border with Syria, raising alarm that Ankara is preparing for a large-scale incursion into territory held by American-backed Syrian Kurds,” reports the Wall Street Journal today. “The forces include militia fighters, Turkish uniformed commandos and artillery in large numbers that are concentrated near Kobani, a Kurdish-majority city in Syria on the northern border with Turkey, the officials said. A Turkish cross-border operation could be imminent, one of the U.S. officials said.”

Turkey has backed a collection of rebel forces and has been newly empowered by those groups’ territorial gains in the wake of Assad’s fall. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former al-Qaeda offshoot that has led the overthrow of Assad and now controls Damascus, is in alliance with Turkey, allowing Turkish forces to “operate within territories it controlled and the establishment of Turkish observation posts in northern Syria” before the fall of Assad, notes FDD analyst Ahmad Sharawi in a policy brief today. “HTS has even positioned itself as a gatekeeper for Ankara, curbing drug trafficking into Turkey, preventing ISIS infiltration, and apprehending individuals wanted by Turkish authorities. HTS leader Ahmad al-Shara, long known by his nom-de-guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, had also allegedly supported Turkish military operations east of the Euphrates, according to a report by the Turkey-based Syria TV broadcaster.”
How Israel Can Win the War
It is important to remember that the war did not break out because Israel wanted it. The war is Israel's response to Hamas's barbaric assault on civilian communities on Oct. 7, 2023, and it was Hizbullah that opened fire on northern Israel the day after the attack.

The outbreak of war was rooted in Iran's ambitions and preparations for Israel's collapse and destruction. To this end, Iran conceived and implemented the "Ring of Fire" around Israel - a coordinated campaign from all fronts conducted by terror movements built with Iranian support with the aim of destroying Israel.

The war's end must make clear to the world, especially the Muslim world, that radical Islamic movements, both Sunni and Shiite, bring disaster to their people and destruction to their believers. Hizbullah is Iran's most robust proxy; the greater the damage done to Hizbullah, the more Iran is weakened.

After Iran on two occasions fired hundreds of missiles at Israel, the actual extent of its military power was revealed, and effectively the Iranian strategy collapsed. The Israeli operation on Oct. 26, in which 20 targets in Iran were hit, made clear to the Iranians the price of direct confrontation with Israel and its weakness in the face of the capabilities Israel demonstrated.

Israel is not operating as in previous wars to achieve "threat postponement" on its borders but based on the understanding that threats must be destroyed (Hamas) or at least drastically reduced in intensity (Hizbullah).

In Lebanon, no Hizbullah personnel and no Hizbullah infrastructure should remain in the south, which should become a buffer zone mostly without residents and without the presence of any entity threatening Israel. The IDF will oversee this. The buffer zone's purpose is to prevent flat-trajectory fire toward Israeli communities and to push Hizbullah's ground forces beyond the range of executing a surprise Oct. 7-style attack.

In both Syria and Lebanon, the IDF should employ the same kind of campaign between wars as it did in Syria over the last dozen years to continue degrading Hizbullah's capabilities and not allow it to rebuild.
How Israel Can Press for Victory on Its Northern Fronts
Just before the collapse of Syria took over the Middle East news cycle, the big question was the prudence, viability, and results of the cease-fire agreement that ended the war between Israel and Hizballah. Eran Lerman outlines Jerusalem’s strategic challenge going forward:

The IDF has already begun to implement a strict policy of enforcing the letter and spirit of the cease-fire terms, backed by the American position as conveyed in a crucial side letter. Swift reaction and retaliation are being used to restore deterrence, and reverse the patterns of past years, during which Israel often shrugged off Hizballah provocations, including the presence of Hizballah tents on sovereign Israel territory.

This is largely the belated lesson of October 7. . . . Only the IDF can be fully relied upon to deliver such necessary swift and decisive reactions.

Yet, Lerman emphasizes, the IDF’s campaign against Hizballah must be understood as “the beginning, not the end” of a war to break the Iranian attempt to encircle Israel with hostile forces. Responding to the fall of Bashar al-Assad, he adds:

Hizballah has not collapsed altogether, but it does face a multidimensional threat to its long-term survival as its routes of supply have been disconnected. Syrian rebels may resume direct pressure on Lebanon (as Islamic State did a decade ago—when Hizballah was the main force preventing the group’s entry into the country). Anti-Assad forces in Lebanon, hostile and vengeful toward Hizballah, may well gain the upper hand in Lebanon itself. These developments could significantly diminish Hizballah’s ability to resume its attacks on Israel or even re-establish its presence in south Lebanon, provided Israel maintains a policy of zero tolerance toward any violation of the November 2024 understandings.
Seth Mandel: Iran Tries To Make a Stand in Jenin
The future of Gaza depends to some extent on what’s happening in Jenin this week.

The West Bank city is a hotbed of Iranian-backed militias who have spent years carving out a separatist haven there. It is a significant challenge to Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority. Both Israel and the Palestinians who want self-determination share an interest in preventing the Iranian colonial project from accomplishing its primary aim in the West Bank: Palestinian civil war and the disintegration of the Palestinian Authority.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, that has only become more urgent. At some point, the PA is expected to take over the administration of the Gaza Strip after Hamas is removed from power. If Abbas cannot maintain control over the West Bank, the PA cannot take on Gaza as well.

And so Abbas’s decision to send Palestinian security forces into Jenin is a crucial test for the aging autocrat and his government.

“The gunmen in Jenin are not resistance fighters, but mercenaries serving the dubious agenda of an outside party,” declared PA spokesman Anwar Rajab.

The New York Times describes the riddle that the PA, Israel, and the U.S. are trying to solve. Israel has been stepping up its security raids in Jenin because Abbas is barely able to step foot in the city. Israel does not want an Iranian terror-and-tunnel project in the West Bank to match the one currently undergoing disassembly in Gaza. The U.S. wants Israel to back off a bit, to enable the Palestinian security forces to gather the strength to take back Jenin. But if Israel backs off too much or for too long, the PA will fail when it does try to restore order there.


Will Hamas Be Emboldened by the Hostage Deal?
During the last year, Israel has substantially progressed in dismantling Hamas. The goal of freeing the hostages has, however, remained elusive. Of the 250 hostages taken during the massacre, some were released in return for a few days of ceasefire and the release of Palestinian terrorists, some were freed in daring IDF operations, others were murdered in captivity by the terrorists. As of Dec. 15, 2024, the terrorists continued to hold 100 people hostage, of whom an estimated 60 are still alive.

The Palestinian terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 massacre and those who are today holding the hostages are not the product of Hamas alone. Rather, they are the product of three decades of Palestinian Authority brainwashing, hatred of Israel, and dehumanization of Israelis.

Thus, when discussing the future of Gaza, Israel stressed that the PA would play no further role and would not again be allowed to promulgate its hateful indoctrination of Gazans. If the PA returned to governing Gaza, Israel would be condemning itself to suffer the Oct. 7 massacre, sooner or later, over and over again.

While freeing the hostages is, of course, of the utmost importance, the public information about the emerging deal seems to suggest that Hamas will be awarded a substantial prize, with Israel's agreement to cease some of the fighting in Gaza and release hundreds, potentially even thousands, of terrorists, including murderers. The combined effect is that Hamas will continue to play a central governance role and will also be emboldened in Palestinian society as the freer of terrorists.

The war with Hamas is not solely kinetic. It is also a war of perception. Israel must take effective control of the distribution of humanitarian aid to the Gazan population and rethink the consequences of providing the Hamas terrorists with the rewards of forcing Israel to release terrorists.
Former Top Israeli Security Official: "Hamas Will Never Give Back All the Hostages"
Former top Israel Security Agency official Arik Barbing told the Jerusalem Post in an interview that he does not expect a quick and comprehensive resolution of the hostage issue. He believes that any deal with Hamas will leave a certain number of hostages in Hamas's possession and that some kind of extended standoff is inevitable.

"Hamas will never give back all of the hostages. They will preserve some ambiguity about who is left."

"There are also questions about where the dead bodies of those hostages who were killed are. Hamas lost some of the bodies. Some, Islamic Jihad is holding. Some, criminal Gazan elements who are loyal to and associated with Hamas are holding."

He believes Hamas will play games and only give hostages back in rounds of deposits.

"We probably cannot get 100% back - there will be some Ron Arad-type cases where we will never get the bodies back."

"We cannot leave Gaza now because Hamas will not keep the deal for the rest of the hostages anyway, and then it will be harder for the IDF to go back."

"There is no one yet to replace Hamas. We need to be very strong against Hamas. If we leave a vacuum, Hamas will come back fast."
Atop Syrian Hermon, Netanyahu says Israel to stay until ‘another arrangement’ found
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Tuesday that Israeli troops would remain stationed inside Syria for the foreseeable future, as he met with senior security officials for a situation review atop Mount Hermon.

The premier was joined by Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bat and Northern Command head Maj. Gen. Uri Gordin, and his visit appeared to mark the first time a sitting Israeli leader has entered Syrian territory.

Israel entered the United Nations-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights hours after rebel groups in Syria took Damascus on December 8, stressing that the seizure of the buffer zone established in 1974 is a temporary defensive move that will last only until security is guaranteed along the frontier. Israel says it has no desire to become involved in the conflict in Syria.

Standing atop Mount Hermon, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel would remain on its peak “until another arrangement can be found that guarantees Israel’s security.”

“I was here 53 years ago with my soldiers on a Sayeret Matkal patrol,” he said, speaking of the nostalgia that the site brought him.

“This place hasn’t changed, it’s the same place, but its importance to Israel’s security has only been reinforced in recent years, and especially in recent weeks with the dramatic events taking place below us here in Syria,” Netanyahu said.

He added that going forward, Israel would “determine the best arrangement that will guarantee our security.”


The Free Press: Syria’s “Liberators” Tortured This American Journalist for Years
Last week marked a historic turning point in Syria. Rebel forces seized control of the nation, toppling the regime of Bashar al-Assad and ending his family’s brutal 50-year stranglehold on power.

For decades, the Assad dynasty ruled through unimaginable violence—launching chemical attacks on civilians, silencing dissent with mass imprisonment and torture, and presiding over a civil war that killed an estimated 600,000 people and drove 13 million into exile.

In cities across the world, jubilant Syrians have celebrated the regime’s downfall, having deemed it to be one of the world’s most oppressive dictatorships.

But not everyone is celebrating. Or at least, some people are saying there is reason for caution.

That’s because the coalition of rebel forces taking control of Syria now is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, a militant Islamist organization which originated as an offshoot of al-Qaeda. Its leader is a Saudi-born Syrian who calls himself Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. A 21-year-old al-Jolani left Syria for Iraq in 2003 to join al-Qaeda and fight against America. There, he was captured by the U.S. and put into Bucca jail, which housed some of the most notorious al-Qaeda prisoners.

But since emerging on the world stage in the last week, al-Jolani has indicated that he is a reformed man, leading a moderated organization. He insists his al-Qaeda days and their methods—the detentions and torture and forced conversions—are over, and HTS is not going to persecute religious and ethnic minorities. But is it… true?

Few people in the West might know that answer as well as journalist Theo Padnos. In October 2012, Padnos ventured from Turkey into Syria to report on the Syrian Civil War. There, he was captured by HTS (then known as Jabhat al-Nusra) and held captive for nearly two years.

Throughout his captivity, Padnos endured relentless torture at the hands of his captors. He was savagely beaten until unconscious, given electric shocks, and forced into severe stress positions for hours at a time. All of this is to say nothing of the psychological torment inflicted on him.

Today, he joins Michael Moynihan to discuss his harrowing experience, the psychology of jihadists, and what the future of Syria will look like under the leadership of his former captors.


At Least 100,000 Bodies in Syrian Mass Grave, US Advocacy Group Head Says
The head of a US-based Syrian advocacy organization on Monday said that a mass grave outside of Damascus contained the bodies of at least 100,000 people killed by the former government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Mouaz Moustafa, speaking to Reuters in a telephone interview from Damascus, said the site at al Qutayfah, 25 miles (40 km) north of the Syrian capital, was one of five mass graves that he had identified over the years.

“One hundred thousand is the most conservative estimate” of the number of bodies buried at the site, said Moustafa, head of the Syrian Emergency Task Force. “It’s a very, very extremely almost unfairly conservative estimate.”

Moustafa said that he is sure there are more mass graves than the five sites, and that along with Syrians victims included US and British citizens and other foreigners.

Reuters was unable to confirm Moustafa’s allegations.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are estimated to have been killed since 2011, when Assad’s crackdown on protests against his rule grew into a full-scale civil war.

Assad and his father Hafez, who preceded him as president and died in 2000, are accused by Syrians, rights groups, and other governments of widespread extrajudicial killings, including mass executions within the country’s notorious prison system.

Assad repeatedly denied that his government committed human rights violations and painted his detractors as extremists.

Syria’s UN Ambassador Koussay Aldahhak did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He assumed the role in January — while Assad was still in power — but told reporters last week that he was awaiting instructions from the new authorities and would “keep defending and working for the Syrian people.”


Syria’s al-Julani vows adherence to 1974 agreement with Israel
The leader of Syria’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that spearheaded the toppling of the Assad regime on Dec. 8 said on Monday that the rebel alliance in Damascus would continue to uphold the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement that ended the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

According to The New York Times account of an interview given in Arabic to a group of journalists, Ahmad al-Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, also called on the international community to ensure that Jerusalem follows the agreement, criticizing the Israeli military’s deployment to the demilitarized buffer zone on the Syrian border and other areas of Syrian territory.

He assured that it was no longer necessary for Israeli forces to be in the Syrian Golan Heights to protect the border zone, because the collapse of the Assad regime removed the threat from Hezbollah and other Iranian terror proxies.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israeli troops have taken up positions inside and beyond the buffer zone, including the strategic Syrian side of Mount Hermon. The Israeli Air Force has also conducted hundreds of strikes on Assad military assets.

Syria’s new leader said on Saturday that Israel’s “excuses have run out, and they have crossed the lines of engagement” for striking the deposed Assad regime’s military infrastructure, as well as for deploying troops to several demilitarized zones in the Syrian Golan Heights.

“The collapse of the Syrian regime created a vacuum on Israel’s border and in the buffer zone established by the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated on Dec. 12. “Israel will not permit jihadi groups to fill that vacuum and threaten Israeli communities on the Golan Heights with Oct. 7-style attacks. That is why Israeli forces entered the buffer zone and took control of strategic sites near Israel’s border.”

However, the statement stressed, “This deployment is temporary until a force that is committed to the 1974 agreement can be established and security on our border can be guaranteed.”
Seth Frantzman: New Syrian transitional government meets with European, UN officials
The new government of Syria is moving quickly to reach out to Europe, the UN, and the US to end Syria’s isolation ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.

It’s possible that the Idlib-based leadership of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham thought of this before it launched its offensive in late November. It knew it had to “go now” toward Damascus in the wake of Israel defeating Hezbollah and before the new US president takes office.

Why? Putting in place a new government that appears responsible could lead the incoming US administration to take HTS off the terror list and thus lead to rapid engagement with Syria.

The new Syrian government is led by Abu Mohammed al-Julani. Since ousting Assad, Julani and his team appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as the prime minister on December 10, just two days after arriving in Damascus and toppling the regime. The old prime minister was escorted from his home to a hotel to seal the transfer of power.

Two days later, delegations from Qatar and Turkey arrived in Damascus. The Turkish delegation was led by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin. Qatar’s delegation was led by Khalfan bin Ali bin Khalfan Al-Batty Al-Kaabi, head of the State Security Service.

Meeting the new administration
On December 16, the UN’s Syria envoy, Geir Pedersen, met with Syria’s new administration and Julani. They discussed the need to review Security Council Resolution 2254, Reuters reported. French special envoy for Syria Jean-FranΓ§ois Guillaume also said on Tuesday that his country backs the Syrians in their transition.

“France is preparing to be with Syrians for the long term,” he said. He is visiting Syria, and it appears France will hit the ground running with a large team in Damascus as things move quickly. France is the former colonial power of Syria.

The EU is also moving to reopen its mission in Syria, according to EU foreign policy head Kaja Kallas, France 24 reported. German diplomats also arrived in Damascus this week, and it appears Italy will send a team as well.

London was also quick to prepare meetings in Damascus. The UK Foreign Office moved to secure a meeting on Monday.

According to the BBC, “British diplomats have held talks with the leader of the Syrian rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, following its ousting of president Bashar al-Assad more than a week ago.”

Photos showed Julani meeting with Ann Snow, the UK special representative for Syria, and UK diplomat Stephen Hickey, a former British ambassador to Iraq.


Report: Syrian border villagers and rebels collecting weapons and handing them to IDF
Syrian villagers on the border with Israel have been collecting weapons and ammunition left in the area by the army and handing them over to the Israel Defense Forces, Channel 12 reported Monday.

In a video broadcast by the channel, hundreds of crates containing ammunition and weapons could be seen gathered and then loaded onto trucks.

According to the report, rebels who swept out the Assad regime last week are also helping in the operation.

The weapons apparently come from Syrian army bases and outposts where soldiers abandoned their positions amid the rebel takeover. Some were also leftovers from the years of civil war in Syria, the report said.

IDF soldiers at the scene explained that some of the weapons contained “chemical warfare material.”

These included hand grenades they said contained CS gas, commonly used as tear gas.

One soldier said there were crateloads of such grenades. They cause irritation and must not be touched directly, he said.

Israel entered a United Nations-patrolled buffer zone on the Golan Heights hours after the rebels took Damascus. Israel has said it will not become involved in the conflict in Syria and that its seizure of the buffer zone established in 1974 was a temporary defensive move that would last only until it could guarantee security along the frontier.


Israel, Turkey trade barbs over Syrian occupation
Israel and Turkey have entered into a diplomatic spat, with both sides accusing the other of occupying Syria in statements made on Monday and Tuesday.

On Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry published a statement that it condemned Israel's decision to expand settlements in the Golan Heights.

They called it a step in Israel's "expansion of borders through occupation."

Turkey called on Israel to abide by the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, which ended open hostilities with Syria. Netanyahu declared this agreement void after Assad regime troops abandoned their posts on the Golan Heights following the disintegration of the Assad regime.

Accusing Israel
Israel's Foreign Ministry responded the next day with a statement accusing Turkey of occupying Syria as part of a campaign of aggression and violence against Syria's Kurdish minority, which Erdogan and various Turkish officials have accused of harboring PKK terrorists.

Israel accused Turkeu of systematically encroaching on Syrian territory across three major operations in 2016, '18, '19.

It accused Turkey of establishing armed proxy groups, such as the Syrian National Army, to control this territory, where "Turkish currency is in use, and Turkish bank branches and postal services have been operating."

Israel accused Turkey of taking control of approximately 15% of Syria's territory as well as attacking Syrians and supporting jihadi terrorists.

"There is no justification for the continuation of Turkish aggression and violence against Kurds in Syria!" The ministry said.


Saudi Arabia, Israel peace will only happen if Gaza war ends, sources tell 'Post'
Saudi Arabia will not normalize ties with Israel “unless it ends the war in Gaza,” Saudi officials have informed associates of US President-elect Donald Trump, a person with knowledge about the matter told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday evening.

In recent weeks, Saudi officials, headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, met people close to Trump, including Steve Witkoff, Trump’s incoming special envoy to the Middle East. Normalization between the countries could materialize only after the war in Gaza ends, the Saudi officials told Witkoff, according to the informed source.

A pathway toward a Palestinian state
The Saudis are also demanding "some kind" of statement regarding a Palestinian state, the sources said.

The statement does not have to include recognition of a Palestinian state; it can also be about an Israeli “pathway toward a Palestinian state,” the source said

A normalization agreement has been reached between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Haaretz reported earlier on Tuesday.


Israel to Maintain Security Control in Gaza After War With ‘Full Freedom of Action,’ Defense Chief Says
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel’s military will continue to have security control in Gaza with “full freedom of action” after defeating the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in the enclave.

“In response to various publications, my position on Gaza is clear. After we defeat Hamas’s military and governmental power in Gaza, Israel will have security control over Gaza with full freedom of action, just as it did in Judea and Samaria [also known as the West Bank],” Katz posted on X/Twitter.

“We will not allow any terrorist organization against Israeli communities and Israeli citizens from Gaza,” he added. “We will not allow a return to the reality of before Oct. 7.”

The statement came after Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that Katz had told a senior US official in a meeting that Israel “does not want military control or civilian governance over the residents of the Gaza Strip.”

He also reportedly said that no decisions had been made regarding the establishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza, the neighboring enclave that Hamas ruled with an iron fist before the terrorist group led an invasion of and massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7.

Israel responded to the onslaught, in which Palestinian terrorists murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped over 250 hostages, with an ongoing military campaign aimed at freeing the captives and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities.

According to several reports, an agreement to halt the Israel-Hamas war and free hostages still in Gaza could be finalized this month.

Katz told Israeli lawmakers in a closed-door meeting in parliament on Monday that Jerusalem is “closer than ever” to reaching a ceasefire and hostage-release deal. Both Hamas and US officials have expressed similar sentiments this week.


Two IDF soldiers killed in southern Gaza building collapse, two injured
Two Israeli reserve soldiers were killed in southern Gaza, the military announced Tuesday, as Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would control security in the Strip after the war.

The slain troops were named as Maj. (res.) Moshiko (Maxim) Rozenwald, 35, and Sgt. First Class. (res.) Alexander Anosov, 26.

Both served in the Combat Engineering Corps’ 7107th Battalion and were both from the central city of Modiin. Rozenwald was a company commander and Anosov was a squad commander.

According to an initial Israel Defense Forces probe, the two soldiers were killed and two others were moderately injured after a building they were in, in the Rafah area, collapsed on Monday afternoon.

The military has assessed that the unstable building, which was already heavily damaged by IDF activity in the area, collapsed due to the movement of tanks on a route close to it.

No explosives or Hamas terror group booby-traps were identified in the area, the probe found.

It took hours for rescue forces to recover their bodies from under the rubble.


Swiss Parliament Votes to Ban Hezbollah
Switzerland’s parliament on Tuesday voted to outlaw Hezbollah, in a rare move by the neutral country that has traditionally followed a policy of promoting international dialogue and mediation.

Proponents of the ban, which was passed by the lower house after receiving upper house approval last week, said Hezbollah was a threat to international security and that Switzerland needed to prohibit it to take a stand against terrorism.

The Swiss government opposed the ban.

“If Switzerland now moves to ban such organizations with special laws, we must ask ourselves where and how the boundaries are drawn,” Justice Minister Beat Jans said during the parliamentary debate.

The ban against the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group passed the lower house with 126 votes in favor, 20 against and 41 abstentions.

The security policy committee that proposed the ban argued that Switzerland’s mediating role will remain intact thanks to a specific provision on peace talks and humanitarian aid.
IDF strikes Hezbollah weapons transport in Southern Lebanon
An Israel Defense Forces aircraft carried out a strike on a Hezbollah terrorist in Southern Lebanon on Tuesday after the army detected a man loading weapons into a car, which violates Jerusalem’s ceasefire deal with Beirut.

An aircraft attacked the vehicle “to remove the threat,” the IDF said in a statement, stressing that the Iranian-backed terror group’s presence in the area “violated the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”

“The IDF continues to be committed to the understandings regarding the ceasefire in Lebanon, is deployed in Southern Lebanon, and will act to remove any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens,” it concluded.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese daily Al Akhbar reported that a drone targeted a vehicle in the village of Majdal Zoun. According to the report, two people were wounded in the drone strike.

Under the terms of the ceasefire deal reached with Beirut on Nov. 26, Israeli forces are to withdraw gradually from the country.

Hezbollah must retreat north of the Litani River, about 20 miles north of the border, while the Lebanese Armed Forces deploy along the 75-mile frontier, along with monitors from the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL.


Jonny Gould's Jewish State PodCast: 170: Mark Birbeck, Our Fight UK founder. Why I fight for Israel, the Jewish people and the West
Mark Birbeck’s civic life changed on October 7th.

Taken aback by the lack of widespread support for the victims from his fellow Britons, he set about being the change he wanted to see. He founded Our Fight UK to support the Jewish community and Israelis following the terrible events of that morning and the wars and plight of the hostages ever since.

With other key figures, notably Kurpa Patel and Iranian dissident Niyak Ghorbani, Mark has fronted protests and counter-protests, challenged boycotts, arms embargoes, and curbs on talking and protesting freely on Israel and antisemitism.

He was arrested for displaying a sign labelling Hamas as terrorists, which led to his ban from attending Palestinian-related protests for three months and even talking to Niyak under his bail conditions.

But for all the street activism, his faith in British democracy, standards in civic life and policing hasn’t eroded one iota and he engages in dialogue with young Muslims countering him on the streets and seeks out common values with them.

He says there are some. Listen for what they are.

And in the course of his extraordinary efforts, he’s re-engaged with a pride in our country.

Mark is an inspiration and comfort for those of us, including me, I confess - who fear that some of our nation's values have been eroded.


Federalist Radio Hour: Peace In The Middle East: What A Trump Presidency Means For Israel And The U.S.
On this episode of “The Federalist Radio Hour,” Victoria Coates, Vice President of Heritage Foundation’s Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, joins The Federalist’s Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to discuss how the United States and Israel can win both the military and cultural war that has led to rampant anti-Semitism and the horrific Oct. 7, 2023 attack. After four years of abysmal leadership from the Biden-Harris administration, Coates explains what a Trump presidency may look like for peace in the Middle East.

You can find Coate’s book, The Battle For The Jewish State: How Israel — And America — Can Win, here.


Empowering Palestinian Moderates | Yardena Schwartz on the Lessons of History
The history of modern Israel is so often linked to the founding of the state in 1948. Failing to consider the pre-history of a conflict that many would argue kicked off in force with the Hebron Massacre of 1929.

Yardena Schwartz has had an esteemed career as an award-winning journalist and Emmy-nominated producer and is now the author of Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine That Ignited the Arab-Israeli Conflict. A seminal look at the conflict that began what is now almost one hundred years of unending war.

Eylon sits down with Yardena for a wide-ranging discussion on the history of this region and how the repercussions of a century-old conflict are still very much being felt today.




Shule protests, symbols, masks to be banned
Jewish groups have welcomed a long-anticipated package of reforms targeting rampant antisemitism and extremism in Victoria, which were announced by Premier Jacinta Allan today (Tuesday).

Facing media, the Premier unveiled the changes, including the banning of flags and symbols of terrorist groups, enhanced police powers at demonstrations and a ban on activism near places of worship.

Flanked by Police Minister Anthony Carbines and Multicultural Affairs Minister Ingrid Stitt in the CBD – the scene of much of the extremist activity over the past 14 months – Allan stated, “The recent protests outside Caulfield Shule and the Great Synagogue of Sydney – and last year’s rally outside Central Shule resulting in a mass evacuation of the congregation – were menacing.

“They affected the right of Victorians to gather and practice their faith in peace. Regardless of your views on the conflict in the Middle East, places of worship should simply be off-limits in Victoria’s multicultural society.”

Allan said the ban on extremist flags and symbols would give Victoria Police more powers and fill any gaps in Commonwealth anti-terror legislation. Face masks at protests, which conceal identities and shield agitators from capsicum spray, will be prohibited, as will attachment devices.

She said her government would consult with the federal government to ban the public display of flags and symbols of listed terrorist organisations include Hamas, Hezbollah and others, including white nationalist extremist. The Victorian ban will expand Commonwealth law which prohibits the display of these symbols for incitement.

At a media conference in front of the heavily fire-damaged Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea, Jewish Community Council of Victoria CEO Naomi Levin welcomed the state government package.

“It shows the premier has really committed to listening to our community and what we’ve been calling for in terms of measures to keep us safe. But this isn’t just about the Jewish community. This is about all Australians … We don’t want to see a society where places of worship come under attack from terrorists.

“We have been having these conversations with government for a long time. It is obviously really regrettable that it took such an extreme and dangerous event and devastating for our community for these changes to come about, but we’re cautiously optimistic that with the introduction of these reforms announced today, Melbourne and Victoria will be a safer place for us all to live.”
‘Had enough’: Victorian Premier reveals crackdown on ‘radical’ protests
Protesters will also be prevented from holding demonstrations outside places of worship in Victoria.

"We've also started to see more and more, the targeting of places of worship as legitimate forms of peaceful protest," Ms Allan said.

"We saw it outside the Caulfield Shule, we saw it at the Great Synagogue of Sydney, we also saw it at Central Shule. That's not peaceful protest, it's menacing behaviour.

"We will legislate to protect the right for people to gather and pray free from fear, free from harassment and free from intimidation from protesters.

"We will also legislate to thwart protests and disturbances at shules, at temples, at churches, at mosques and gurdwaras, anywhere in Victoria where Victorians are simply undertaking their fundamental right of religious freedom. Because that is a freedom that must be enjoyed by all in our strong multicultural state."

Ms Allan further revealed that multicultural groups applying for government grants will have to abide by a social cohesion pledge, with "consequences" if it is broken.

She earlier noted that it was clear that Jewish people "increasingly feel the simple promise of a modern and multicultural Victoria is being denied them".

"How else do you describe a real and demonstrated increase in reports of antisemitic incidents? How else do you describe a tendency for extreme, dangerous and radical protest that is allowing antisemitism and hate to thrive within it," Ms Allan said.

Rise of antisemitism in Australia connected with ‘failure of social cohesion’
"How else to describe the protests that have targeted, of all things, a faith place of worship. How else to describe those two despicable words that greeted schoolkids at Mount Scopus? How else to describe the small but menacing acts of intimidation at a local level which makes communities feel powerless to quickly escalate and respond to.

"And also too how else to describe a synagogue... going up in flames in the middle of the night in an act of terror, while people were inside quietly studying, quietly praying? This is simply unacceptable in our modern multicultural state.

"Today, the government of Victoria renews its promise to Jews and to everyone of every background, whoever you are, whoever you pray to, you deserve to be safe and welcome here in this state. Today we support that promise with strong action... to fight hate and help Victorians heal."

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the state government had been too slow to take action.

"I just can't understand why it's taken the Allan government so long to react to the reasonable requests, particularly of Jewish Australians who have been treated in the most deplorable way," Mr Dutton said.

"The Premier of Victoria says that she needs to do something about it. Well of course she does, and she should have done it 14 months ago."
‘Better late than never’: Questions over timing of ban on protesting places of worship
Sky News host James Macpherson questions why the ban on protesting outside places of worship was not done “months ago”.

“Well I suppose it is better late than never, right,” Mr Macpherson said.

“It begs the question why was this not done months ago?”


Loophole renders Victoria's new mask ban crackdown effectively useless
Victoria's proposed ban on face coverings at protests may do little to deter violent anti-Israel extremists, with radical left-wing protesters and Islamist demonstrators already wearing medical masks and religious head coverings, which will reportedly be exempt from the proposed changes.

Premier Jacinta Allan announced the new restrictions on Tuesday, intending to give police more power to control protests after a terror attack on a Melbourne synagogue.

The ban will prohibit protesters from covering their faces with masks and balaclavas, and symbols of listed terrorist groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas, will also be banned.

However, critics are questioning the effectiveness of the proposed changes, noting that the groups most responsible for violence, threats and intimidation — radical left-wing and Islamist extremists — already utilise face coverings that will remain largely unaffected by the legislation.

“Face masks aren’t a free pass to break the law. There should be no place to hide in this state if you’re a racist, stirring up hate on the streets,” Allan said, but her comments fail to address that left-wing activists, who already don medical masks long after the COVID-19 pandemic to obscure their identities, will still be able to evade detection.


Antisemitic banknotes dispensed by Bondi ATM misidentified as fake
An ATM in Sydney's eastern suburbs has dispensed multiple $50 banknotes defaced with antisemitic vandalism in the past week.

SBS Examines has received confirmation of three independent reports of a Suncorp Bank ATM at North Bondi Ampol Foodary on Old South Head Road supplying the damaged cash.

The notes have been graffitied with the phrase 'F**k Jews' and a inverted Hakenkreuz on the forehead of Ngarrindjeri activist and preacher David Uniapon.

Images of the vandalised notes were shared on social media, where commenters and X's Community Notes feature were quick to call them "fake," "staged" and "not possible".

But SBS Examines has verified the incident did in fact occur.

NSW Police confirmed officers from the Eastern Suburbs Area Command attended the service station on Thursday, December 12, at 6pm to investigate the withdrawn banknotes.

"The money has been seized for forensic examination," a spokespersons said in a statement to SBS Examines.

The store attendant at the petrol station confirmed to SBS Examines that they were made aware of the defaced money and police attended.

The same ATM dispensed two more vandalised bank notes the following day to a local Jewish man, Ari, who asked to be identified by his first name only.

Ari told SBS Examines he received the notes from the ATM and, in shock, told the store attendant. The store attendant responded saying he could take them to the bank to be replaced.


Biden calls on Jews to ‘keep the faith’ as he pledges to free the remaining hostages from Gaza
US President Joe Biden on Monday reiterated his commitment to bring the remaining 100 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza home, as he enters the final month of his presidency.

"I've gotten over 100 hostages out. I will not stop until I get every single one of them out," said Biden at his final White House Chanukah party.

The remarks come amid reports of an imminent deal with Hamas for the release of hostages before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

President Biden added that he was inspired by the power of the Jewish people's hope and optimistic spirit, both in his own life and in the life of the nation.

"Shine your light. Shine the light of optimism," he said. "Above all, keep the faith."

Months of on-again off-again negotiations have failed to bring about the release of the remaining hostages since an accord reached last year freed 105 of them.

About 250 people were abducted from their homes during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel.


Top DNC chair candidate says anti-Israel activist should have spoken at convention
As Democrats reckon with a stinging loss in last month’s presidential election, the party is facing questions about how it will handle bruising divisions over Israel that Vice President Kamala Harris struggled to navigate during her brief campaign.

Among the party leaders who will be expected to confront such challenges directly and set a tone for handling internal disagreements over Israel, which have fueled ongoing tensions, is the next chair of the Democratic National Committee, a role that several candidates are seeking ahead of the scheduled Feb. 1 election.

Underscoring a direction that candidates for the position have largely embraced, Ben Wikler, the Wisconsin Democratic Party chair and a leading contender for the DNC job, suggested in a recent interview with Jewish Insider that he is in favor of what he called a “big-tent” approach to managing conflicts over Israel between warring moderate and far-left factions, rather than enforcing red lines on key issues.

“In a big-tent party, ensuring the voices of all different parts of our coalition unite around our nominee and our message is a source of strength for us,” he explained.

Despite some major clashes over policy on Israel and the broader Middle East, “the vast majority of Democrats,” he said, “think Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve safety and freedom and respect — and have supported the Biden administration’s call for a cease-fire, return of hostages and a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.”

While he did not address some of the most extreme demands from activists who advocated for harsher policies toward Israel during the election, including an arms embargo, Wikler suggested that he believed the DNC made a strategic error in refusing to allow a representative of the “Uncommitted” movement to deliver remarks at its nominating convention in Chicago last summer.

Referring to the convention, he said that “featuring a voice like” Ruwa Romann, a Palestinian-American state lawmaker from Georgia who was championed by the “Uncommitted” movement but faced scrutiny over her record of anti-Israel commentary, “would have conveyed the strength and unity of purpose of the Democratic Party.”




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