Thursday, December 19, 2024

12/19 Links Pt1: The ‘Machinery of Death’ and Its Apologists; Israel calls HRW ‘genocide’ report a ‘blood libel’; IDF hits Houthi targets in Yemen after missile fired at central Israel

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: The ‘Machinery of Death’ and Its Apologists
The sheer scale of the horror in Syria is going to be almost incomprehensible. And the names of many of the missing will never be known.

Organized mass atrocities require enormous bureaucratic systems. “The graves were prepared in an organized manner — the truck would come, unload the cargo it had, and leave,” one farmer told Reuters. He lived near a former Syrian military base and would often see refrigerated trucks full of bodies driving to a nearby cemetery with a full military escort.

Digging and then expanding such graves can be decade-long projects, as satellite images showed. And that means the UN is only part of the problem, because the world cannot plausibly feign ignorance. The anti-Western propaganda on campuses and in textbooks and flooding through the discourse of the activist class is being disseminated precisely for the benefit of the regimes digging those mass graves.

It may get tiresome to keep hearing questions like “Where were the tentifada protests and the flotillas to Syria?” But the answer is important. The students and activists marching for Gaza are not overlooking the Syrian victims; they are actively on the side of those committing the atrocities. Waving a Hezbollah flag is an act of anti-Israel incitement, yes. But it is not only that. It is also a show of support for the “machinery of death” putting Syrian civilians in the ground.

At moments like this we see the activists and protesters who have enabled these crimes for who they are. They aren’t just now finding out what goes on in Sednaya prison and others like it. They did not back a regime that turned out to be evil. They chose to back an evil regime, eyes wide open. The Syrian civil war has been going on for nearly a decade and a half. Eleven years ago, the Obama administration announced to the world that, yes, Assad had used poison gas on families trying to hide in their basement:

“The situation profoundly changed… on August 21, when Assad’s government gassed to death over a thousand people, including hundreds of children. The images from this massacre are sickening: Men, women, children lying in rows, killed by poison gas. Others foaming at the mouth, gasping for breath. A father clutching his dead children, imploring them to get up and walk. On that terrible night, the world saw in gruesome detail the terrible nature of chemical weapons, and why the overwhelming majority of humanity has declared them off-limits — a crime against humanity, and a violation of the laws of war.”

The Iranian empire responsible for the barbaric crimes in Syria, in Gaza, in Lebanon may be receding, but now is not the time to look away. Now is the time to sear into our memories just how low Tehran’s apologists are capable of sinking.
Middle East Scholar: "The Sunnis Can Smell Blood"
Dr. Mordechai Kedar interviewed by Nadav Shragai (Israel Hayom) Lt.-Col. (res.) Dr. Mordechai Kedar, 72, a frequent guest on Al-Jazeera, served for 25 years in IDF Military Intelligence. Now closely monitoring developments in Syria, he said, "Iran has abandoned its proxies - Hamas, Hizbullah, and Assad. The glue that has held the Shi'ite alliance together is now disintegrating, and the Sunnis can smell blood."

"I sense that Iraq, too, might disavow the Iranian presence there in the not-too-distant future, and we could even witness the fall of the Houthis in Yemen. The events in Syria have provided a real boost to the Sunnis everywhere, encouraging them to get organized against the Iranian presence."

"We need to encourage the minorities in Iran to rise up against the Persian hegemony....There is no Iranian people. There are Persians and other large groups, such as Baluchis, Arabs, Kurds, Azeris, and Turkmen, alongside an additional 40 or so smaller groups....In Iran today, at least 80 out of the 90 million people there are over the moon about what has been happening in Syria, as this is a blow to the Iranian government and its plans to spread out over the entire Middle East."

In Syria, "we have exchanged radical Alawites for Sunni jihadis, who are backed by a megalomaniac in the form of [Turkish President] Erdogan, who provides refuge for Hamas, who talks in favor of Hamas, from his land Hamas mastermind terrorist attacks carried out in Israel, who has sworn to revive the days of the Ottoman Empire....Only last July, he made a clear threat to invade Israel." Regarding the hostage talks, he said, "Hamas will not release all of them. The hostages are their life insurance policy. That is the reason why, to date, they have yet to provide Israel with a complete list of names of all of them. In any deal, they will seek to keep hold of a certain number of hostages."

"Even after a deal, they will definitely suddenly discover some additional hostages, holed up somewhere or other, with some other organization or local clan, hostages of whom they really 'had no idea.' They have absolutely no intention of returning them all."
Reasons to Be Hopeful
In a crisis, you are going to want an Israeli on your side. In times of difficulty, Israelis have a way of stepping up to help that goes way beyond the norm.

Whether you were a farmer who couldn't get the crop in on time, the partner of a reservist struggling to support the family, or a business from the north or south in trouble, Israelis rushed in their hundreds of thousands to help.

During the first two weeks of the Oct. 7 war, more than 1,000 civil initiatives emerged across Israel and 48.6% of the Israeli population engaged in volunteering, according to a report from Hebrew University.

In addition, locally-based international humanitarian aid organizations continued to send out dedicated and trained staff to help in all sorts of crisis situations.

In January, SmartAID sent help to earthquake-hit Japan, then to Taiwan after another earthquake in April.

In October, SmartAID provided solar power units and communication systems to communities in Florida and North Carolina in the wake of two devastating hurricanes.

In June, IsraAID sent help to Papua New Guinea after a deadly landslide. It also expanded access to safe water in Ukraine and drilled new bore holes in Kenya after the country suffered its worst drought in 40 years.

Israeli villages and towns near Gaza are finally rebuilding. Destroyed buildings are being bulldozed and rebuilt, volunteers are cleaning and clearing, residents are returning, businesses reopening.

Since the ceasefire with Hizbullah on Nov. 27, the north has also seen signs of recovery.

Citizens are beginning to return home, communities are regrouping, farms are getting back to normal, businesses are reopening, and rebuilding is beginning.

Israel's air defense systems more than proved themselves in the last 15 months. According to Rafael CEO Yoav Turgeman, the Iron Dome and David's Sling systems intercepted more targets than all other air defense systems combined in the past 50 years.

In one year since Oct. 7, there had been 26,000 rockets, missiles and drones launched at Israel - 13,200 from Gaza, 12,400 from Lebanon, 400 from Iran, 180 from Yemen, and 60 from Syria.


FBI arrests man for plotting mass casualty attack against Israeli consulate in NYC
The FBI has arrested a suspect for a planned mass casualty terror attack against the Israeli consulate in New York City, the consulate said on Thursday.

The suspect, Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, was an Egyptian national living in Falls Church, Virginia, who instructed an FBI informant to carry out the attack, according to a criminal complaint filed on Monday.

Hassan ran several social media accounts that supported ISIS, al-Qaeda and Hamas, and advocated for violence against Jews, the FBI said in the complaint filed in a federal court in Virginia.

Local police located Hassan after receiving a tip about one of Hassan’s accounts on X. An undercover FBI asset then connected with Hassan on social media and secure messaging apps.

Hassan allegedly instructed the informant on how to join ISIS and shared jihadist propaganda, including a video that advocated for killing Jews.

He encouraged the informant to carry out an attack, sending him instructions on how to create a “martyrdom video,” the complaint said.

The suspect sent the informant bomb-making instructions and told the informant, who said he was in New York, to target a building representing Jews, later settling on the Israeli consulate. The bomb-making instructions allegedly included the suggestion that packing the explosive with 30 mm aluminum ball bearings, for shrapnel, “will do the trick.”

Hassan told the informant how to surveil the consulate and how to escape to ISIS territory after the attack, and also suggested he could “lay havoc on them with an assault rifle” instead of a bomb. He also told the informant to livestream the attack so Hassan could give the footage to ISIS.


U.S. Continues to Withhold Crucial Military Assistance to Israel
The withholding of crucial military assistance from Israel remains a point of contention between the outgoing U.S. administration and the Israeli government. Israeli officials continue to say that U.S. officials have consistently and indiscriminately slow-rolled and halted military shipments to Israel.

The issue has been a thorn in the U.S.-Israel relationship since April, when President Joe Biden halted the shipment of 3,000 bombs due to concerns over Israel's looming military operations in Rafah. Biden publicly threatened to outright suspend offensive military assistance if Israel continued with its Rafah operation. Biden would eventually partially lift the freeze, permitting 500-pound bombs but not 2,000-pound bombs.

Senators supporting Israel said the delayed military assistance included "120 mm tank ammunition, 120 mm mortar ammunition, light tactical vehicles, air-to-air missiles, F-15s, F-35 engines, joint direct attack munition kits, 2,000 pound bombs, rifles, and guided missile systems," as well as Apache attack helicopters and Caterpillar D9 bulldozers.

Rep. Michael McCaul, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote Biden saying he was "aware of more than 10 other weapons cases purchased via Direct Commercial Sale (DCS) that have experienced unusual, unexplained delays. Under National Security Presidential Directive-56, [the] State [Department] was directed to complete the review and adjudication of license applications within 60 days of receipt. However, these cases have been awaiting final approval for an average of over four months."
Caroline Glick: US Admits It Was Wrong About the Middle East
The United States intelligence community now admits that its predictions about "catastrophic consequences" if the Israel Defense Forces were to attack Hezbollah were wrong, the United Nations declare that the Iran deal is useless and the Israeli left declares civil war.


Caroline Glick: Disappearing Trump & Netanyahu w/ Lee Smith
JNS senior contributing editor Caroline Glick sits down with author Lee Smith to discuss his latest book, Disappearing the President: Trump, Truth Social, and the Fight for the Republic, and the similarities between the campaigns against President-elect Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Smith details how Jerusalem's successes in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Iran and Syria have destroyed the Obama administration's vision of the Middle East and have paved the way for Trump to ultimately defeat those trying to destroy the United States from within.


Debunking Hamas’ Lies on Gaza Death Toll with Military Expert Andrew Fox
How do you count the dead in Gaza? And really when we’re talking about tens of thousands killed does a miscount here or there really make such a difference? The answer is yes, when that misinformation is used to accuse the IDF of purposefully targeting civilians and committing genocide.

Andrew Fox has led the latest report by the Henry Jackson Society, Questionable Counting: Analysing The Death Toll From The Hamas-Run Ministry Of Health In Gaza

An in-depth analysis of the active misrepresentation of deaths by Hamas and how these numbers are weaponized by international organisations to make false claims against Israel on the global stage.

Andrew is an experienced combat veteran, who served in the British Army from 2005 to 2021, completing three tours in Afghanistan, including one attached to the US Army Special Forces. He served in the Parachute Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group, with additional tours in Bosnia, the Middle East, and Northern Ireland.




Israel calls HRW ‘genocide’ report a ‘blood libel’
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday slammed as a “blood libel” a report by Human Rights Watch in which the NGO accuses the Jewish state of genocide.

The report alleges that Israel did this by depriving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip of adequate water supplies.

Israel has rejected such allegations, noting that is has let into Gaza more than 900,000 tons of aid since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, including water, in addition to the water that Israel supplies to the Strip through piping.

“Human Rights Watch is once more spreading its blood libels in order to promote its anti-Israel propaganda. … This report is full of lies that are appalling even when compared to HRW’s already low standards,” the ministry said.

The HRW report follows another from Amnesty International, which also accused Israel of genocide. Amnesty Israel flat-out disputed its parent organization’s allegations.

“This pseudo report is more genocide inversion, built on innuendo, speculation and international legal fiction,” Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, said on Thursday.

Deliberately refraining from mentioning the “Hamas underground atrocity infrastructure, HRW’s refrain accusing Israel of ‘deliberately’ and ‘intentionally’ seeking to ‘exterminate’ Palestinians in Gaza has no credibility. Far removed from a ‘highly respected human rights organization,’ HRW, like Amnesty International, is a major source of virulent hate propaganda targeting Israel,” he added.

A rigorous analysis published on Saturday of Hamas authorities’ mortality statistics for Gaza shows they were vastly inflated and methodologically flawed. The report by the London-based Henry Jackson Society security think tank breaks down the figure of about 44,000 deaths since Oct. 7, 2023, that the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza has published, and which international media have reported without scrutiny.


Doctors Without Borders accuses Israel of ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Gaza
The Doctors Without Borders human rights group accused Israel Thursday of “ethnic cleansing” in the Gaza Strip, pointing to a paucity of aid and attacks on medical services during the 14-month war against the Hamas terror group in the enclave.

The report documented what it said were 41 attacks on staff of the medical group, known by its French acronym MSF, including airstrikes on health facilities and direct fire on humanitarian convoys.

MSF said it was forced to evacuate hospitals and health centers on 17 occasions throughout the war, which was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion and massacre in southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 were seized as hostages.

“We are seeing clear signs of ethnic cleansing as Palestinians are forcibly displaced, trapped and bombed,” said Christopher Lockyear, MSF’s secretary general.

Responding to the MSF report, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused the group of lying and misleading the public.

“Israel does not target medical teams or individuals uninvolved in terrorist activities,” tweeted Oren Marmorstein, insisting that Israel works with aid groups and foreign governments to deliver medical equipment and personnel into Gaza, while working to maintain medical infrastructure.

MSF teams “saw with their own eyes how Hamas systematically exploits hospitals for terrorist activities and operations—yet they chose to lie,” the foreign ministry spokesperson added. “Notably, this fabricated report fails to even mention the medical condition of the 100 hostages held by Hamas, whom international medical organizations have never been allowed to see.”


UN Watch: UN Condemns Israel 17 Times, 6 on Rest of World Combined
The UN General Assembly rebuked Israel today in three separate resolutions, concluding the world body’s 2024 activity with a total of 17 resolutions that single out the Jewish state, compared to a total of 6 on the rest of the world combined.

On Tuesday, the UNGA adopted one resolution each on the regimes of North Korea, Iran, Syria and Myanmar, and one on Russia’s violations in Ukraine. In October, there was also one resolution condemning the U.S. for its embargo of Cuba. (Click here for texts and voting sheets.)

“The UN’s latest assault on Israel with a torrent of one-sided resolutions is surreal,” said Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, an independent non-governmental watchdog organization in Geneva.

“It’s absurd that in the year 2024, out of a total of 23 UN General Assembly resolutions that criticize countries, 17 of them—nearly three quarters—were focused on a single country, Israel. Make no mistake, the purpose of the lopsided condemnations is to delegitimize Israel and to demonize and dehumanize Israelis,” said Neuer.

“This demonization fuels the pro-Hamas agitators in America and around the world who today are targeting Jews with hate and violence on campus, at synagogues and community centers, and at their businesses.”

UN Reaffirms Support for UNRWA Despite Proven Ties to Terrorism

In resolutions today and last week, the UNGA completely ignored compelling evidence published by UN Watch that proves UNRWA’s widespread complicity with Hamas terrorists.

• Today a one-sided resolution singling out Israel for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, initiated by Norway, was adopted by a vote of 137 to 12, with 22 abstentions. The resolution expressed support for UNRWA despite its proven ties to Hamas terrorism while “welcoming” a July 2024 ICJ advisory opinion which declared that “Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful.” The resolution now launches another ICJ advisory opinion against the Jewish state. The text made no mention of Hamas’s looting of aid convoys as contributing to the humanitarian condition. “We’re not surprised to see Norway covering for terror-infested UNRWA,” said Neuer, “given that the director of Norway’s foreign ministry, Leni Stenseth, recently served as deputy chief of UNRWA, when she infamously visited Gaza and kowtowed before Hamas terror chief Yahya Sinwar.”

• Last week, in an emergency session to condemn Israel, the General Assembly passed a related resolution supporting UNRWA, which made no mention of Hamas infiltration of UNRWA, instead praising the agency for its “neutrality.” It passed by a vote of 159 to 9, with 11 abstentions. Shockingly, the U.K., Canada, and most of the European Union voted in support of this deeply biased resolution.

“Absurdly, both of these resolutions on UNRWA ignore the elephant in the room, with no mention of Hamas tunnels and military infrastructure built under UNRWA facilities, of senior UNRWA educators who double as Hamas terror chiefs, like Fathi Al-Sharif in Lebanon and Suhail Al-Hindi in Gaza, and no mention of the UNRWA schools that teach Palestinian children to dream of invading Israel, killing Jews and becoming martyrs,” said Neuer.


UN votes to ask Hague if Israel upholding aid obligations to Palestinians
The United Nations General Assembly voted on Thursday to ask the International Court of Justice for an opinion on Israel’s obligations to facilitate aid to Palestinians that is delivered by states and international groups including the UN, amid Israel’s ongoing war against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip.

The Norwegian-drafted resolution was adopted by the 193-member body with 137 votes in favor. Israel, the United States and 10 other countries voted no, while 22 countries abstained.

The move was partly a response to Israel’s decision earlier this year to ban the operation of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees in Israel, citing employees of the agency who were revealed to be terror operatives involved in attacks against Israelis.

The new Israeli law, passed in November, does not directly ban operations by the UN Relief and Works Agency in the West Bank and Gaza. However, it will severely impact UNRWA’s ability to work there. Top UN officials and the Security Council describe UNRWA as the backbone of Gaza’s aid response.

The ICJ, known as the World Court, is the United Nations’s highest court, and its advisory opinions carry legal and political weight, although they are not binding. The Hague-based court has no enforcement powers if its opinions are ignored.


Ep. 62. Understanding the Chaos in Syria. Dr. Jonathan Schanzer
In this conversation, Dr. Jonathan Schanzer and Gabe discuss the complex dynamics surrounding the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the rise of Al-Qaeda, and the implications for U.S. national security. Schanzer highlights the roles of Turkey and Qatar as new players in the region, the impact on Iran and Russia, and the nature of the new leadership under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Schanzer emphasizes the need for vigilance and careful management of U.S. interests in a rapidly changing Middle East landscape.




Kassy Akiva: Inside The Search for Kidnapped American Journalist Austin Tice
With the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, the search for an American journalist who has been imprisoned for over 12 years has intensified.

Austin Tice, 43, was detained at a checkpoint while traveling from a suburb of Damascus to Lebanon in 2012. He was working as a freelance journalist for various publications including The Washington Post. A month after his capture, he appeared in a video sent to his family showing him with armed men, titled “Austin Tice is Alive.” It included no other information. It is believed that Tice escaped weeks after he was kidnapped but was recaptured by Syrian intelligence.

The toppling of Assad created new hope in the efforts to find Tice, as one of the rebels’ first priorities was to break into Syria’s prisons and release political prisoners.

Western journalists and NGO workers are inspecting prisons, Israel is refraining from bombing areas where Tice may be, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will get involved in the effort to find Tice, who U.S. intelligence officials believe is alive.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently offering a $1 million reward for information leading to Tice’s return home.

The U.S. government is operating under the belief that Tice is alive and was imprisoned by the Assad regime in one of its detention centers, Axios reported. Tice’s parents — who have been constantly fighting for his release — said they received assurances he is alive.

One prisoner, an American, appeared in initial videos following his release lying on a mattress, sparking speculation that he might be Tice, until it was later confirmed that he was Travis Timmerman of Missouri. Mrs. Tice said seeing Timmerman’s release felt “like a rehearsal” for her son’s future release.

“It was almost like having a rehearsal … an inkling of what it’s really going to feel like when it is Austin walking free,” she told NBC television’s “Meet the Press.”


IDF hits Houthi targets in Yemen after missile fired at central Israel
The Israeli Air Force struck Houthi targets in Yemen overnight Wednesday, after intercepting a missile over central Israel fired by the Iranian-backed terror group.

An elementary school in the Ramat Efal neighborhood of Ramat Gan, just east of Tel Aviv, suffered severe damage when shrapnel hit it following the interception. According to the city’s mayor, the impact caused a partial collapse of the school’s central building, prompting the cancellation of classes for the day. No injuries were reported.

Following an initial investigation into the impact, the Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday afternoon that “it is likely that the damage was caused by partial interception of the missile launched from Yemen and that the missile warhead was the part that exploded and damaged the school.”

The IDF further stated that the Israeli Air Force and Home Front Command are conducting a more in-depth probe, which the findings will be made available to the public when complete. The damage caused from a ballistic missile fired from Yemen, at a school in Ramat Gan, Dec. 19, 2024. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

The IDF also said that security forces were looking into damage caused by falling shrapnel in additional areas.

Missile interception fragments were found on the grounds of Israel’s parliament complex, the Knesset, in the capital Jerusalem, according to the legislative body.

Guards located the debris during a routine search of the area. There were no injuries or damage from the impact and the pieces were removed by police sappers.

No air-raid sirens sounded in Jerusalem during the attack, which was also the case in Modi’in, a city located roughly halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where its mayor said on Thursday that shrapnel from the missile interception impacted in two places, causing minor damage.

No injuries were reported in the Modi’in incident and Mayor Haim Bibas was said to have asked the IDF Home Front Command why no air-raid alerts were heard.

According to the IDF, the IAF strikes were carried out in two waves by 14 fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes.

The jets were already en route to Yemen when the Houthis launched the ballistic missile at around 2:35 a.m. The first wave of strikes occurred at 3:15 a.m., targeting the Ras Isa oil terminal on the Red Sea as well as the Hodeidah and Salif ports. Eight tugboats, used for guiding ships into the ports, were also destroyed.


Exposing the myth of 'settler violence' with Prof Eugene Kontorovich
One of the ugly blood libels perpetrated against the Jewish State involves an attempt to portray the Jews of Judea/Samaria as violent and that Israeli authorities won't deal with any violence caused by Jews.

Far-left organisations greatly exaggerate rare incidents.

Sadly, even some local Jewish organisations have bought into this anti-Israel lie and AJA is alone among Australian Jewish orgs in challenging Labor’s sanctions.

Prof Kontorovich is an Israeli legal scholar, specialising in constitutional and international law. He is the head of the international law department at the Kohelet Policy Forum and a professor of law at George Mason University.

Kontorovich is taking legal action against the Biden Administration over their discriminatory sanctions.


travelingisrael.com: Understanding SYRIA (and the foolishly optimistic media). Why IRAN will be next.

The Israel Guys: BREAKING: Houthi Ballistic Missile Hits Israel - School Destroyed & Israel Strikes Back!
Last night, the Houthis fired another ballistic missile at Israel, hitting a school in Ramat Gan! The damage was extensive. Israel responded with a powerful airstrike on Houthi targets in Yemen, delivering a message of strength to their enemies. 🌍✈️

In this video, Ben breaks down the miraculous survival of the missile attack, the devastating retaliation by Israel, and the dangerous situation unfolding in the Middle East. PLUS, Israel and Jordan held secret talks about the growing crisis—find out why these two nations are working together in unprecedented ways! 🤝🇮🇱


FBI admits error for saying graduating National Academy student from ‘State of Palestine’
A clip from a graduation ceremony at the FBI attracted attention online this week, showing FBI Director Christopher Wray shaking hands with and presenting a diploma to a graduating student at the FBI’s National Academy, as an announcer described the student as being from the “State of Palestine” — which the U.S. does not recognize.

An FBI spokesperson told Jewish Insider on Wednesday that the announcement was an error and that it would not happen again.

“During a recent graduation of the FBI’s National Academy, one student’s agency location was incorrectly stated. This information was submitted by the student on class completion paperwork in advance of the graduation ceremony,” an FBI spokesperson said. “The language was not in accordance with U.S. protocol, should not have been used and in no way reflects any change in U.S. policy. This graduate was from the Preventative Security Organization in the Palestinian Territories. The FBI has taken steps to assure this does not happen again.”

Six students from the Palestinian security forces, nominated by local FBI legal attachés, have been invited to participate in the FBI National Academy, a law enforcement training program, a source familiar with the program said. Twenty-one Israeli students have participated as well.


Penny Wong’s Dangerous Pandering to Radical Islam: A Call for Stronger Leadership
Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s response to the Israel-Palestinian conflict has raised serious concerns regarding her approach to international diplomacy and security. By unequivocally siding with the Palestinians and condemning Israel’s defensive actions against Hamas, Wong has demonstrated an alarming level of sympathy towards radical Islamism.

This stance not only undermines Australia’s national security but also serves to embolden extremist forces that threaten the stability of the Middle East and beyond.

Wong’s rhetoric, particularly her comparison of Israel’s actions to the repressive regimes of China and Russia, is nothing short of reckless. In a speech given in 2023, Wong stated, “We cannot look at what is happening in Gaza and say that this is an acceptable or justified approach to conflict… We are seeing the same thing in the Middle East that we are seeing from authoritarian states like Russia and China.”

To equate Israel, a democratic nation fighting against a terrorist organization, with authoritarian states that oppress their own people is not only a gross mischaracterization but also a dangerous shift in foreign policy. Her comparison ignores the fact that Israel is defending its citizens from a group that has explicitly stated its goal of eradicating the Jewish state.

This rhetoric is not only misplaced but also damaging to Australia’s global reputation and security interests. By continuing to echo the talking points of anti-Israel activists, Wong has failed to acknowledge the nature of Hamas and its radical Islamic ideology. Hamas is not a political movement seeking peace or statehood but rather a terrorist group committed to violent jihad against Israel and the West.

In contrast, Israel’s response, is rooted in self-defense against a globally listed terror organisation that has been responsible for countless attacks on Israeli civilians and fanatically committed to wiping Israel off the face of the earth.

Wong’s failure to distinguish between the legitimate self-defense of a sovereign nation and the actions of a terrorist group is a clear indication of her inability to effectively navigate the complexities of the Middle East. It is a stance that resonates with radical Islamic sympathizers but alienates the millions who recognize the importance of standing with democratic values and against terrorism.
Australia-Israel relations hit 'lowest ebb' in decades under Albanese government
A heated exchange between Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar has sparked concerns about Australia’s relationship with Israel.

The verbal clash over the phone saw Mr Saar accuse Australia of weakening its support for Israel in its darkest hour, while Ms Wong pressed her counterpart on not doing enough humanitarian work for Gaza civilians.

Shadow Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister James Paterson during an interview with Sky News Australia expressed his disappointment over the situation, stating that it's "no surprise" that relations have hit their “lowest ebb” in decades under the Albanese government's watch.

“It is very unfortunate that we are reading through the media about strained phone calls between the foreign ministers of our two countries,” Mr Paterson said.

“Let's remember that Israel is one of Australia's closest international partners.

“So to have allowed it to get to as bad as it is is a very bad reflection on the Albanese Government and their diplomatic skills.”






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