Friday, December 20, 2024

12/20 Links Pt1: Poland Says It Will Arrest Bibi If PM Attends Auschwitz Liberation Anniversary; Car ramming kills 11 German Christmas market; Sweden Stops Funding UNRWA

From Ian:

Poland Says It Will Arrest Bibi If Israeli PM Attends Auschwitz Liberation Anniversary
Polish officials said they will arrest Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in compliance with a warrant from the International Criminal Court if he attends the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

"We are obliged to respect the provisions of the International Criminal Court," Władysław Bartoszewski, Poland’s deputy foreign minister, told Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita on Friday.

Dozens of world leaders are expected to attend the anniversary event on January 27, which will honor the estimated 1 million Jews who died in the Nazi genocide. Netanyahu is not due to attend the ceremony, according to Rzeczpospolita.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November, which Israel appealed last week. Israel argued that the ICC does not have power over Israelis since the country is not bound to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the international court in 1998. Neither Israel nor the United States are parties to the treaty.

"The State of Israel denies the authority of the International Criminal Court in The Hague and the legitimacy of the arrest warrants," Netanyahu said in response to his arrest warrant.

U.S. Republican lawmakers also vowed to sanction the ICC and erode its legitimacy on the world stage following Netanyahu’s arrest warrant.

"The ICC has no credibility and these allegations have been refuted by the U.S. government," said Rep. Michael Waltz (R., Fla.), President-elect Donald Trump's incoming national security adviser. "Israel has lawfully defended its people & borders from genocidal terrorists. You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC & UN come January."
Rapid-Onset Political Enlightenment
Then there was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who gave the story a further epic dimension by returning to the original field of battle. Bibi, as you may recall, played the role of Obama’s piñata during the fight over the Iran deal, fated to go down to defeat by opposing the will of a sitting U.S. president on a foreign policy question that most Americans cared very little about. But this past summer, Netanyahu turned himself into the active party, with the means to reverse Obama’s achievement and unveil the origins of his power grab, by showing that the “peace deal” that he had sold to the American people—founded on the idea that Iran was itself a formidable adversary—was a mess of lies. Iran was not and never was a regional power, capable of “balancing” traditional American allies. It was a totalitarian shit hole regime that is deeply hated by its own people and throughout the region, entirely dependent on American backing in its efforts to gain a nuclear bomb.

Netanyahu’s decision to invade Rafah on May 6, 2024, was the culmination of two long and otherwise separate chains of events whose consequences will continue to reverberate throughout the Middle East, and also at home. Netanyahu had been promising to invade Rafah since February. The fact that he had not done so by May had become both a symbol of Israeli weakness and indecision in the face of a global onslaught of Jew-hatred, as well as the continuing solidity of the regional power structure established by Obama’s Iran deal. Within that structure, Israeli interests were held to be subordinate to those of Iran, which was allowed to finance, arm, and train large terrorist armies on Israel’s borders. Even when one of those armies decided to attack Israel in an orgy of murder and rape directed against civilians and recorded and broadcast live by the terrorists, Israel’s response was to be limited by its subordinate place in the regional hierarchy, underlining a reality in which Israel was fated to grovel before the whims of its American master—and would sooner or later most likely be ground into dust.

Israel could not strike Iran. Nor could it directly strike Hezbollah, the largest and most threatening of the Iranian-sponsored armies on its border, except to retaliate tit-for-tat for Hezbollah’s missile attacks on its civilian population. While it could invade Gaza, it could do so only while being publicly chided by U.S. officials from the president and the secretary of state for violating rules of wars that often appeared to be made up on the spot and were entirely divorced from common military practice and necessity. In particular, Israel was not to invade Rafah, a prohibition that ensured that Hamas could regularly bring in supplies and cash through the tunnels beneath its border with Egypt while ensuring the survival of its command-and-control structure, allowing it to reassume control of Gaza once the war was over, thereby assuring the success of U.S. policy, which was that Israel’s military invasion of Gaza must serve as the prelude to establishing a Palestinian state—an effort in which Hamas was a necessary partner, representing the Iranian interest, and must therefore be preserved in some part, even after being cut down to size.

Netanyahu’s decision to override the U.S. and take Rafah would turn out to be the prelude to a further series of stunning strategic moves which would enable Israel to smash the Iranian regional position and take full control of her own destiny. After conquering Rafah, in a campaign that the U.S. had said would be impossible without large-scale civilian casualties, Netanyahu proceeded to run the table in a series of rapid-fire blows whose only real point of comparison is Israel’s historic victory in the Six-Day War. In fact, given the odds he faced, and the magnitude of the victories he has won, that comparison may be unfair to Netanyahu, who has provided history with one of the very few examples of an isolated local client redrawing the strategic map of the region against the will of a dominant global power. Netanyahu killed terror chiefs Yahya Sinwar and Hassan Nasrallah; spectacularly eliminated nearly the entire upper military and political echelons of both terror armies on his border, Hamas and Hezbollah; turned both Gaza and Hezbollah’s strongholds in southern Lebanon and Beirut into rubble; and finally, last week, took out the entire stock of modern tanks, aircraft, naval vessels and chemical weapons and missile factories accumulated over the past six decades by the Syrian military.

While the questions of how and when the Iranian regime might fall are for the moment unanswered, it seems clear that Obama’s imagined new regional order in the Middle East, centered on the imagined power of the ayatollahs, is now gone—having disintegrated on contact with Netanyahu’s unanticipated willingness and ability to aggressively defend his castle. What role Biden’s resentment of Obama, especially after the humiliation of his removal from the Democratic ticket, contributed to his continued public backing of Israel, and his repeated declarations of his own Zionism, can be left up to the individual imagination, and to the diligence of future historians. I doubt it was zero, though. Again, the fault in the Obama party’s scheme to use Biden as an empty figurehead was the same fault in his handling of Musk: hubris.
Khaled Abu Toameh: How the International Community Can Best Help the Palestinians
Had the international community held the Palestinian Authority (PA) accountable for financial and administrative corruption after the signing of the Oslo Accords 30 years ago, the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group would not have gained popularity among Palestinians.

Although many Palestinians support Hamas's policy of rejecting Israel's right to exist, the Islamist group's victory greatly reflected the desire of the Palestinian public to end corruption in the PA government and institutions.

The most common forms of corruption seem to be the offenses of favoritism, nepotism, embezzlement of public funds, breach of trust, abuse of power, bribery and money laundering.

The best way to undermine Hamas and help the Palestinians is by offering the people a better alternative to the Islamist movement. The current Palestinian Authority leadership is just not seen by many Palestinians as a better alternative to Hamas. That is because the United States, European Union and other donors are not banging on the table and demanding an end to the PA's authoritarian and corrupt conduct.


Iran’s Oct. 7 blunder — and Israel’s response — have transformed the Middle East
The Obama Doctrine is as dead as Yahya Sinwar. And the world is better off in both cases.

While the massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, was one of the most traumatic events in modern Jewish history, it’s obvious now that it was a massive, perhaps existential blunder by Iran as well as a stunning defeat for its allies both in the Middle East and Washington.

Oct. 7 transformed the Middle East in ways that seemed impossible only a few years ago.

Hamas, perhaps the most immediate threat to both Jewish and Arab lives in the region, is largely eradicated. Hezbollah, the theocratic militia that’s kept Lebanon in a state of turmoil and war for decades, is reeling.

Indeed, it was Israel’s success against the latter that helped send Bashar al-Assad, a real-world genocidal dictator, into Russian exile.

Most of all, events have left Iran, which spent decades building its proxies throughout the Middle East, impotent.

It’s no surprise that on their way out, Barack Obama’s cronies in the Biden administration approved another $10 billion in sanctions relief for the mullahs by waiving restricted payment transfers from the Iraqi government.

These are the same people who had attempted to lift Hamas and propped up its benefactors in Iran with planeloads of treasure.

And the same people who did everything possible to handcuff Israel in its war against Hamas and Hezbollah.

Not only had the White House threatened to withhold aid if the Israeli military went into Rafah to eliminate Hamas battalions cowering behind women and children, when Israel pulled off its ingenious pager operation, wounding and killing hundreds of Hezbollah operatives, our uncannily misguided Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that “all parties” should “avoid escalating conflict,” treating our close allies and Islamists — in this case a group that once murdered 220 Marines in Beirut — as equals.

Fortunately, Israel ignored President Biden and eliminated Hassan Nasrallah, who was involved in those murders, and decimated much of Hezbollah’s capacity to wage war.


Col Kemp: The mullahs could fall. If they do, Turkey rises
Is Assad’s fall from power going to lead to the further dismemberment of Syria? What are the wider consequences for the Middle East?

First, it’s important to recognise the true dynamics behind this geopolitical shockwave.

Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei blames the US and Israel for overthrowing Bashar al-Assad. Indeed President Joe Biden has proudly taken credit for what happened in Syria. That’s great for his legacy perhaps, but far from the truth. In reality, Biden tried to obstruct Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decisive campaign against Iran and its proxies – especially Hezbollah – which was directly responsible for the fall of Assad.

Instead of the US, Israel’s “partner” in ousting Assad was Turkey. Whether there was any coordination between the two we can only speculate, but it was president Racip Erdogan that unleashed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which Turkey sponsors with Qatar, to spearhead the drive on Damascus.

The future of Syria is going to be influenced by Israel and Turkey beyond all other forces. The two countries are far from friends, but both have national security interests in Syria. Until Netanyahu ordered the shattering of Syria’s military hardware last week, the country had for decades represented the greatest direct conventional threat to Israel. Courtesy of Assad, Syria was also the principal supply route from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Unlike Netanyahu, Erdogan has broader designs on the Middle East, including, at least in his mind’s eye, the resurrection of the Ottoman caliphate. He has close ties with Qatar and Sunni jihadist groups in the region, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which themselves may now gravitate further towards Ankara as Iran descends: an increasing threat for Israel and many of the Arab countries as his regional power strengthens.

More immediately the 3.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey are politically problematic for Erdogan and he wants them sent home.

But his highest priority is ending the idea of a Kurdish autonomous region in northern Syria, which he sees as a direct threat to Turkey given the pressures over Kurdish separatism in his own country. There are indications now that Erdogan is winding up for a major assault against the Syrian Kurds.

Significant though they are, the Kurds are just one part of a complex ethno-religious patchwork of rivalry and often deadly antagonism, which includes Sunnis, Shia, Alawites, Druze and Christians. It is unlikely HTS leader Al-Julani will be able to re-unite a long-fractured country any more than Assad could.
Will Trump Allow Israel to Win? w/ Victoria Coates | Think Twice
With President-elect Donald Trump taking office in just a month, the question arises of how victory can be achieved in the Middle East. Is it time to abandon the "peace process" with the Palestinians? What message needs to be sent to the Arab world? Will America allow Israel to win?

JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin talks with Victoria Coates, a Heritage Foundation scholar, former Trump administration deputy national security advisor and the author of the new book, The Battle For the Jewish State: How Israel—and America—Can Win.

Tobin and Coates unpack the failed policies of Biden and Obama administrations and what really leads to peace and stability in the Middle East.


Car ramming kills 11, wounds over 60 at German Christmas market
At least 11 people were killed and 60-80 wounded after a car rammed into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany on Friday night, Bild reported.

The driver has since been arrested, according to multiple German media reports. Police said the driver drove "at least 400 meters across the Christmas market" through the crowds.

German newspaper Welt published that the driver was a doctor from Saudi Arabia and is approximately 50 years old. The site also claimed the driver had a number of suitcases with him, and police were searching to see if any contained explosive materials. They also searched the area for explosives.

Emergency services have set up tents to care for the wounded, while 10-20 have reportedly arrived at Magdeburg University Hospital for emergency treatment.

The spokesperson for Magdeburg, located some 150 kilometers (93 miles) south-west of Berlin, said the incident appeared to be a deliberate attack.

Matthias Schuppe, a government spokesman in the province of Saxony-Anholt, said it was an “attack” in comments to local media.

A spokesperson for local police said: “We do not yet know exactly what happened.”

Eyewitnesses told German media the car drove directly into the crowds. The vehicle was described as a black BMW.


College freshman busted for plotting attack on Israel’s NYC consulate — as he was facing possible deportation
An 18-year-old freshman at George Mason University in Virginia was arrested Tuesday for allegedly plotting a mass casualty attack on Israel’s General Consulate in New York City, which he described as “a goldmine of targets,” according to a report.

Abdullah Ezzeldin Taha Mohamed Hassan, an Egyptian national, was charged with one count of demonstrating how to manufacture an explosive with intent to murder internationally protected persons after allegedly instructing an undercover FBI agent in November to target the consulate with explosives, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

“Two options: lay havoc on them with an assault rifle or detonate a TATP [suicide] vest in the midst of them,” Hassan allegedly told the agent posing as a terrorist sympathizer on Nov. 27, prosecutors alleged in court documents obtained by the outlet.

Hassan, who had been facing deportation proceedings, was arrested by the FBI in Falls Church and subsequently banned from campus, according to the report.

The first-year college student has an extensive digital paper trail with social media accounts praising the Islamic State and Osama bin Laden and spreading terrorist and antisemitic propaganda, the FBI charging documents state.

He had been interviewed by the FBI in 2022 over his online ramblings spreading Islamic State messaging across the web but was not charged, according to the Washington Post.

The information technology major was skilled at concealing his online activity and at accessing the dark web for things like step-by-step video instructions on how to make a bomb with the greatest kill rate in a crowd, according to the FBI.

Hassan allegedly sent the undercover agent an Islamic State propaganda video in mid-November calling for the death of Jewish people, the newspaper reported.

The agent then agreed to follow Hassan’s orders to commit a mass slaughter.

Over multiple days of back-and-forth, the teen suggested several weapons — including assault rifles, a suicide vest or a homemade acetone-peroxide bomb in a backpack — to use in the attack and sent Islamic State-stamped bomb-building instructional videos, according to the charging documents.

The college student eventually landed on Israel’s General Consulate in Manhattan as the target, authorities said.

Hassan allegedly told the FBI informant the Big Apple would provide “a goldmine of targets” — those targets being Jewish people, whom he referred to in Arabic as “Yahud,” according to the FBI documents.


Chikli: CAIR leader praised October 7 massacre, called Gaza 'concentration camp'
Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry Minister Amichai Chikli escalated his campaign against the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Thursday, exposing the organization’s alleged ties to Hamas and sharing a damning quote from its executive director, Nihad Awad, about the October 7 Hamas-led massacre in Israel.

In a series of posts on X, Chikli wrote: “The time has come to discuss @CAIRNational, its origins, and the hidden ideology behind its self-definition as a ‘human rights organization.’ Let’s begin.” He continued by linking CAIR’s establishment to the Palestine Committee, a Hamas-affiliated network in the US, and cited FBI wiretaps from a 1993 meeting in Philadelphia where plans to create CAIR were allegedly finalized.

Chikli directly quoted Awad’s remarks about the October 7 attack that left over 1,200 Israelis dead: “The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege, the walls of the concentration camp, on October 7. And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege… walking free into their land, which they were not allowed to walk in.” Chikli labeled the statement as an endorsement of terrorism and a vivid illustration of CAIR’s true agenda.

The statement has drawn widespread condemnation, with Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, describing it as “outrageously antisemitic.” The White House, in response, disavowed CAIR’s involvement in any federal programs, particularly its previous role in discussions surrounding combating antisemitism.

Ties to Hamas and the Holy Land Foundation
Chikli’s posts drew extensively from an August 2024 report by the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry. According to the report, CAIR was established in 1994 by figures connected to the Palestine Committee, a Hamas-affiliated group responsible for fundraising, lobbying, and propaganda in the U.S. during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The report describes a 1993 meeting in Philadelphia, where members of the Palestine Committee strategized on how to create a “moderate” front organization to continue supporting Hamas under the radar. “CAIR’s founders, including Nihad Awad and Omar Ahmad, were directly involved in this meeting,” the report stated, calling CAIR’s establishment “a calculated effort to mask its extremist roots.”

Chikli also highlighted financial links between CAIR and the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), which was shut down following its conviction for funneling $12 million to Hamas. Evidence presented at HLF’s trial showed financial transfers between the foundation and CAIR for “consulting services.”






‘Same recycled nonsense,’ Danon says of UN asking ICJ about Israel’s obligations in Gaza
The U.N. General Assembly voted 137-12 on Thursday in favor of a Norway-drafted resolution calling for consultation with the International Court of Justice in The Hague to weigh in on the Jewish state’s humanitarian obligations in the Gaza Strip.

The vote, which drew 22 abstentions, turns the question over to the U.N. court for a non-binding advisory opinion about whether Israel is meeting requirements under international law to provide aid to civilians in Gaza.

The ICJ, which has criticized Israel in the past, has no mechanism with which to enforce its decisions, but the opinions it issues can carry political and diplomatic weight, and they can drive news cycles.

“This is the first time in history, that I’m aware of, when an armed force has facilitated aid deliveries into its enemy population while fighting at the same time, and they get criticized for this,” Richard Kemp, a retired British Army officer, said recently on the Jewish National Fund podcast. “But they’ve done a phenomenal job.”

The resolution, which the U.N. General Assembly adopted, expresses “grave concern about the dire humanitarian situation” in Gaza and “calls upon Israel to uphold and comply with its obligations not to impede the Palestinian people from exercising its right to self-determination.”

Israel removed its permanent military and civil presence in Gaza in 2005, but the United Nations, the ICJ and some other bodies say that the territory is still “occupied.” Using a definition of “occupation” that appears to apply uniquely to the Jewish state, they charge that Israel’s blockade on the Strip, after the Hamas terror group assumed power in Gaza, means it has full control over the territory.


UN ‘has not yet begun earnest conversation with Israel’ about UNRWA legislation, US envoy says
As recently as October, the Biden administration stated that Israel’s legislation targeting the U.N. Relief and Works Agency might violate American law and called on the Jewish state to halt its efforts. On Wednesday, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the Security Council that the global body must take more initiative.

“The secretary-general’s recent letter regarding UNRWA and the future of aid delivery in Gaza suggests that the United Nations has not yet begun an earnest conversation with Israel regarding implementation of the legislation,” the U.S. envoy said.

“Nor does it appear that relevant U.N. agencies have had detailed conversations regarding steps they could take to help ensure continuity of U.N. aid deliveries to Gaza,” she said. “With lives in the balance, this must change. The United Nations must demonstrate that it will continue to work to find a path to support the people of Gaza.”

The Israeli legislation, which passed in late October, goes into effect in late January and bars UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory and prohibits state officials from cooperating with the U.N. agency.

JNS asked a Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, at a Thursday press briefing if the global body plans to turn over responsibilities to Israel on the day the law goes into effect next month or if it will work with Jerusalem and have other U.N. agencies absorb UNRWA’s responsibility.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Dujarric said.

“That’s some of the things we’ve been trying to get. The details we’ve been trying to get, operational details. So UNRWA continues to proceed as is,” he told JNS.
Stockholm to stop funding terror-tainted UNRWA
Sweden will stop funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the country’s aid minister, Benjamin Dousa, said on Friday.

Stockholm will find other conduits through which to send humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, Dousa told the TV4 network.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli hailed the move as a “courageous and critical decision by the Swedish government.”

“UNRWA, whose personnel actively participated in the October 7 atrocities, whose facilities became terror hubs, and whose schools spread Hamas propaganda and incitement, has lost its legitimacy to exist,” Chikli wrote on X.

An Israeli intelligence report released in January showed that at least a dozen UNRWA employees actively participated in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, and that the agency has hundreds of “military operatives” belonging to Hamas and other terrorist groups on its payroll.

The revelations prompted 17 countries—led by the United States and Germany, UNRWA’s biggest donors— to suspend funding. With the exception of the U.S., all have since resumed funding.

Earlier this month, Britain and Spain announced an increase in funding to the terror-tainted agency.

Meanwhile, the Dutch Parliament last week voted to decrease funding to UNRWA over its ties to terrorism.

That decision is a diplomatic victory for Israel, which severed ties with the U.N.’s Palestinian aid organization over it connections with Hamas and other terrorist groups, and a sign of no-confidence among some of Israel’s European allies that are looking for alternative avenues to provide aid.


Biden admin disagrees with Doctors Without Borders charge Israel guilty of ‘ethnic cleansing’
In his final press briefing as principal deputy spokesman at the U.S. State Department, Vedant Patel fielded a question about a new report from Doctors Without Borders report, which alleges “clear signs of ethnic cleansing, as Palestinians are forcibly displaced, trapped and bombed.”

“I know you commented when Amnesty released a report, but Human Rights Watch released a report accusing Israel of genocide. I believe also today Doctors Without Borders had a report that’s accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing,” Shaun Tandon, State Department correspondent at AFP, said.

“I’m not in suspense about what your response is going to be, but what does the U.S. feel about this?” added Tandon, who is president of the State Department Correspondents’ Association. “Do you think that there is something to it, something worth checking out?”

Patel deferred to Doctors Without Borders on the details of its findings. “Even within their report, they make pretty clear that they don’t have the legal authority to determine intentionality,” he said. “I certainly don’t have an assessment from the U.S. government to offer today as it relates to ethnic cleansing.”

The Biden administration appreciates nonprofits like Doctors Without Borders and “we’re deeply concerned about the scale of civilian harm in this conflict, and we’re continuing to emphasize that the parties need to comply with international humanitarian law,” Patel said.

“But most importantly, it is because of the circumstances and the crises that we’re seeing that we are working so tirelessly on an agreement to stop the war and bring all the hostages home, and ultimately improve the humanitarian situation and get us on a path to an enduring resolution to the conflict in Gaza,” he said. “That’s what we are squarely focused on.”

Patel added of Human Rights Watch that ” it should come as no surprise that we disagree with the conclusions in this particular report.”

“Certainly appreciate the role that groups like Human Rights Watch have played over the course of this conflict, but also other conflicts around the world,” he said. “We disagree with the conclusions, and we have not concurred with past findings regarding genocide, and we do not now, and we do not believe that term applies here.”


Support the voluntary union of Druze villages and Israel in the Golan
A viral video on X shows Druze residents in the Golan Heights village of Hader, formerly occupied by Syria, voting to request that Israel annex their village. It is reported that six Druze villages have requested Israeli annexation.

If Israel accepts this proposal, then the United States and other nations should approach the matter with moral clarity and rightly support such a union. To do otherwise is to abandon the residents of these Druze villages to possible annihilation by their enemies in post-Assad Syria.

Residents of Southern Lebanon and the embattled Kurds might also want to consider this possibility. A territory voluntarily surrendering its sovereignty, allowing itself to be absorbed, is not prohibited acquisition of territory by use of force in a war of aggression and conquest.

There are numerous examples of voluntary unions, including the very formation of the United States and the United Kingdom. In this regard, it should be noted that there is a very interesting precedent that I found in the declassified U.S. State Department files that, ironically, is relevant to this analysis.

By way of background, after Jordan illegally conquered Judea and Samaria, including the eastern portion of Jerusalem, in 1948, it sought to legitimize its conquest of these areas, which it proceeded to rename the West Bank of Jordan. On Dec. 1, 1948, it organized a conference in Jericho attended by representatives of numerous constituencies within these areas. The mayors of Hebron, Bethlehem and Ramallah, together with the other participants, adopted what became known as the Jericho Resolutions. Among other things, the resolutions confirmed the desire of the Arab residents of the so-called West Bank to be immediately annexed to Jordan. Subsequent conferences occurred in Ramallah and then Nablus, which declared their support for the Jericho Resolutions.

Instead of seeking to have an independent state in the areas that Jordan conquered and occupied, the residents ceded any rights they may have had to Jordan. The Arab residents of these areas were granted Jordanian citizenship, including voting rights, in December of 1949 (see Article 3, subsection (2), of Jordanian Law No. 6, of 1954, on nationality).


US kills ISIS leader Abu Yusif in precision strike in Syria
ISIS leader Abu Yusif was eliminated in a precision strike by the US Central Command forces on Thursday, CENTCOM announced Friday afternoon.

Another unnamed ISIS operative was also eliminated in the strike.

The area where the strike happened was previously controlled by the Assad regime and Russia, according to CENTCOM. US official speaks out on the strike

“As stated before, the United States — working with allies and partners in the region — will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute," said CENTCOM commander Michael Erik Kurilla.

"ISIS has the intent to break out of detention the over 8,000 ISIS operatives currently being held in facilities in Syria," he continued. "We will aggressively target these leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations external to Syria."

The report of Yusif's elimination comes a few days after the US also eliminated 12 other ISIS terrorists in Syria via precision strikes, with CENTCOM saying that these strikes are to ""disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS, preventing the terrorist group from conducting external operations and to ensure that ISIS does not seek opportunities to reconstitute in central Syria."

In early December, Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by Syrian rebel forces after a presidency of 24 years.
Israel’s got a new neighbor: Turkey's taking over Syria
Israel’s strategic concerns
The fall of Assad marks a significant turning point in the Middle East, with profound implications for Israel. After 54 years of Assad family rule, the collapse of the Syrian regime creates a new and complex reality. This shift demands careful analysis of the potential impact on Israel, particularly in light of its already strained relationship with Turkey.

The vacuum left by Assad raises concerns about hostile entities, such as pro-Iranian militias and jihadist groups taking root along Israel’s northern border. Pro-Iranian militias that had been stationed in Syria are reportedly moving into Iraq, potentially destabilizing the region further.

Turkey may exploit this power vacuum to expand its influence, given its previous involvement in northern Syria. Tensions between Israel and Turkey, already strained by incidents such as the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla raid, could escalate if Ankara decides to take military action in Syria.

Conversely, some argue that the evolving geopolitical landscape could foster closer ties between Israel and Turkey, driven by shared interests in stabilizing the region.

The fall of Assad’s regime delivers a significant blow to the Iran-Hezbollah axis. For years, Syria served as a critical conduit for transferring weapons and supplies to Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, there is growing concern that extremist groups could seize chemical weapon stockpiles and use them against Israel. Reports have already surfaced about Israeli strikes targeting Syrian chemical weapons facilities.

Syria’s civil war has transformed the country into a battleground for competing forces. Assad’s regime relied on military, economic, and diplomatic support from Iran and Russia. With Assad gone, the resulting power vacuum could lead to prolonged chaos, with extremist groups or rival factions vying for control.

This instability may enable groups like ISIS or al-Qaeda-affiliated forces to establish a foothold near Israel’s borders, particularly in the Golan Heights.

Kurdish outreach to Israel
Amid the shifting dynamics, Syrian Kurdish representatives have reportedly reached out to Israeli officials through various channels, seeking assistance and protection. Israel, which views the Kurdish community as a friendly, pro-Western force, has been working behind the scenes with Western allies to ensure the Kurds’ safety.

In northern Syria, Turkish-backed rebels have continued to exploit the chaos to advance Ankara’s interests. Following the capture of Aleppo, these forces attacked the Kurdish enclave of Tel Rifaat, partially neutralizing the “Kurdish threat” in northern Syria.

Erdogan’s stance toward Israel
The geopolitical changes in Syria come at a time of heightened tensions between Israel and Turkey. The proximity of Turkish-backed forces to Israel’s northern border poses new risks.

To understand the nature of this new regional player, one need only listen to Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the leader of the Syrian rebel forces that overthrew Assad. Julani, who now styles himself as the “leader of a new Syria,” recently stated, “People of Gaza, wait for us – our next target is Jerusalem.”

Julani, whose real name is Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, is a Sunni Islamist and commander of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda, he was arrested by US forces and later released in 2008. Following his release, he joined ISIS under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s leadership.

With the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Julani founded the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra and later rebranded his group as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. He united various jihadist factions under HTS, where he now serves as military commander.

Designated a “global terrorist” by the United States, a $10 million bounty remains on Julani’s head. How the US will handle a declared terrorist whose ideology openly targets Jerusalem remains to be seen.

Israel, for its part, must prepare for the challenges posed by this shifting landscape.


'We felt pride': Israel Air Force personnel share about their complex operation in Yemen
The IDF prepared extensively for the strike in Yemen. Over time, more and more targets were added to the attack, and in the end, five targets were hit, each containing dozens of components.

The IDF estimates that the strikes, which involved three women from the Israel Air Force (IAF) team, will disrupt the Houthis' ability to receive weaponry from Iran via shipment.

Lt.-Commander D is the head of the Air Control division and a reservist since his release in February. During Israel’s second strike in Yemen, he was in the IAF control room:

"We’ve been training for orders to strike in 'third-circle countries' (countries that do not share a border with Israel) for a long time. This is a very large operation, and we each have our role to play. Yesterday, we were on high alert and made preparations for the operation. There was a strong sense that it was a special and important mission and special capabilities leading to one night of execution. We accompanied dozens of aircraft, ensuring synchronization with precision and professionalism," says D.

According to him, this was a powerful strike like none seen before in Yemen: "This is the first time we've attacked the capital of Yemen, Sana'a. We hit strategic sites of the Houthis and attacked the ports." D described the tension in the control room: "We were all alert and knew our roles. It was a long strike, and we were constantly on alert. The planes reported the release of the weapons; they knew we were here, and we stayed sharp until the pilots returned home."

He also added, "The Air Force is the long arm of the IDF, providing responses for both short-range threats and countries in the third circle. In the end, the Air Force delivers high-quality and successful operations. Our enemy, no matter how hard they try to harm Israel, does not succeed."
Documents captured from Hamas reveal Islamic Republic of Iran's complex weapons smuggling network
Iran's weapons smuggling routes to Syria, Lebanon and the West Bank were revealed by documents recently captured from Hamas, according to a new study by the Maj.-Gen. Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.

The documents revealed details on the collapse of a Hamas smuggling network in Jordan and how the terror organization and the Islamic Republic attempted to transfer weapons to the West Bank in an effort to ignite another front against Israel.

The United States, Israel, and Jordan have also taken major steps to prevent these smuggling operations, the documents revealed, alongside Russian involvement. Additionally, Russia secretly worked to limit smuggling in the Syria-Jordan-Israel border triangle.

The publication and research are based on numerous documents seized by the IDF in Gaza and analyzed by the Shin Bet and IDF Intelligence Directorate.

Until the fall of Assad’s regime, Syria served as a central smuggling route that helped Hezbollah arm itself with advanced and precise weaponry, some of which has been used in combat against Israel.

Smuggling routes to the West Bank
The smuggling routes to the West Bank relied on two main journeys. The first passed through Syria to Jordan, where the weapons were handed over to Bedouin smugglers, who then smuggled them across the Israeli border into the West Bank.

The second route began in Syria, passed through Lebanon, and the weapons were smuggled directly into Israel. "After Hezbollah began firing rockets onto Israel on October 8 of last year, the Lebanese route was partially blocked due to increased Israeli security forces along the Lebanese border,” researchers from the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center noted.

“The first section discusses the land supply lines from Iran to Syria and Lebanon, which operate through three routes,” the document detailed.

“The first route passes through Baghdad, goes through the city of Ramadi, reaches the Al-Bukamal crossing on the Syrian-Iraqi border, then moves through Deir ez-Zor in Syria, then to Palmyra, from there to Damascus and then to Beirut. The second route starts from Tehran to Al-Basra in Iraq, then to Baghdad, and from there to the ‘Al-Tanf’ crossing on the Syrian-Iraqi border, and from there to Damascus. The third route starts from Iran to the city of Al-Muthanna in Iraq, then to Al-Hasakah in Syria, then to Adala, and from there to Latakia. This route is now inactive.
Nazareth man charged with spying for Hezbollah during war
An indictment was filed on Thursday against a 19-year-old resident of Nazareth following his arrest last month for allegedly transferring information to Hezbollah during the Northern Arrows war.

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Police said that their investigation revealed Muhammad Saadi had been in contact with the Iranian-backed terrorist organization in recent years and had expressed a desire to join the Lebanon-based group.

The indictment comes after a ceasefire, which began on Nov. 27, ended over a year of war between Israel and Hezbollah. The conflict saw near-daily rocket, missile and drone attacks on northern Israel, starting on Oct. 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas-led massacre to the south.

According to the security agencies, Saadi reached out to the Hezbollah-affiliated satellite television network Al-Manar, offering to share photos and videos, including some taken during the war. He allegedly provided information about rocket impact sites, aircraft movements and IDF positions.

On Thursday morning, the Northern District Prosecutor’s Office charged Saadi with contacting a foreign agent.

The Israel Police and Shin Bet recently arrested a 23-year-old resident of Jerusalem on suspicion of espionage on behalf of Iran, authorities announced on Tuesday.

The suspect, identified by police as Erdler Amoyal, also made advanced preparations to carry out terrorist attacks in the Jewish state in exchange for money, according to charges filed on Tuesday.


IDF dismantles underground 7.5 km terror tunnel in Gaza, finds equipment seized by Hamas on Oct. 7
The IDF destroyed three tunnel routes that, when combined, ran a length of 7.5 kilometers in the city of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza on Friday, the military announced.

The tunnel routes were first identified by the IDF's Kfir Brigade under the command of its 162nd Division, along with engineering troops and soldiers from the military's Yahalom Unit.

The tunnels also reached dozens of meters in depth, the IDF update noted, and soldiers found military equipment that was captured by Hamas terrorists on October 7 of last year. Forces also discovered maps of Israeli communities bordering the Palestinian enclave.



The Kfir Brigade made this discovery after already operating since last October to locate weapons owned by the Hamas terrorist organization and dismantle their infrastructure "both above and below ground," the update noted.


Report: Several hostage families receive signs of life from loved ones
A number of hostage families recently received signs of life from their loved ones, Channel 12 reports, without citing any sources.

The network also claims that the sides have agreed on the list of Palestinian security prisoners who will be released during the first phase of the ceasefire in exchange for female, elderly and sick hostages.


Tottenham fans release balloons to demand release for Emily Damari and hostages
Tottenham Hotspur fans released hundreds of yellow balloons to raise awareness of the last British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari and the other hundred captives in Gaza during Thursday’s night Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.

They have been held for more than 440 days since being seized by terrorists on October 7 last year.

Itai Gal, a Spurs fan and head of the Stop The Hate campaign, emphasised the importance of the gesture, saying, “Today Spurs fans came together to show Mandy Damari that the British public has not forgotten Emily and expect our government to do everything possible to bring her home to her family.

"Emily is a massive Tottenham fan, and we won’t rest until she is free and back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It will not be a Merry Christmas until all of the hostages are home.”

Emily, 28, was abducted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked the Kfar Aza kibbutz in southern Israel.

Reports indicate that she was shot in the hand and blindfolded before being taken into Gaza. Her mother, Mandy Damari, who has been campaigning tirelessly for her daughter's release, expressed her deep fear for Emily’s wellbeing: “I fear that she’s dead. And if she’s not dead, she’s not getting enough food to eat, she’s not able to wash herself, drink water, she could be ill.”

Mandy has been meeting politicians across the world and speaking publicly to keep her daughter’s story in the spotlight.

In addition to the yellow balloon release at Tottenham’s stadium, supporters have been holding weekly rallies, distributing flyers with images of Emily wearing a Spurs scarf and chanting, “She’s one of our own.”

Fans have also called on club chairman Daniel Levy to use his platform to advocate for Emily’s release.


Why Israel Is Failing To Win Hearts and Minds w/ Gadi Ezra | The Quad Interviews
Israeli innovation envoy Fleur Hassan-Nahoum sits down with Gadi Ezra, the former director of Israel's National Public Diplomacy Unit in the Prime Minister's Office, to discuss the ins and outs of how public diplomacy works in the Jewish state.

Faced with not only a military front but with an information war for hearts and minds, Israel finds itself outnumbered and outsmarted. What can Jerusalem do to fight this battle that it cannot afford to lose?


Comedy Cellar USA: Live from the Table: Anti Americanism, Anti Semitism and Defending Luigi Mangione with Eyal Yakoby
Eyal Yakoby is a twenty two year old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently a student at MIT dedicated to combating anti-Americanism. He has been seen on CNN, FoxNews, Washington Post and more.


Maryland state legislator blasts Van Hollen at JCRC breakfast
Maryland state Sen. Ben Kramer, a Democrat, blasted Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) at a breakfast organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington on Wednesday over his outspoken criticism towards Israel’s war in Gaza and votes to block some military aid to Israel.

The speech, which Kramer told Jewish Insider was well received by the audience, is another sign of the deep dissatisfaction in Maryland’s Jewish community with the state’s soon-to-be senior senator over his approach to the war in the Middle East.

Kramer, who said he’d supported Van Hollen since his first run for Congress and served as a surrogate for Van Hollen in his legislative district, said he didn’t have remarks prepared for the breakfast and hadn’t been planning to condemn the Maryland senator, but described it as “part of my thought process as I was working through my thoughts about the Middle East conflict and what’s going on in the propaganda campaign against Israel and how it’s being responded to.”

Van Hollen was not in attendance at the event and did not respond to a request for comment.

Kramer told JI he’s been “very disheartened and disappointed” at how Van Hollen has approached the conflict, expressing particular outrage at comments questioning whether Israel is fighting the war in Gaza in a just manner and Van Hollen’s support for the resolutions led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to stop some weapons shipments.

“All that does, is simply provides support, moral support, if nothing else, to Iran and its proxies to keep prosecuting their military efforts against Israel, because they are succeeding in the propaganda war,” Kramer said.

He said that Van Hollen’s approach to the conflict is going to be “very much on my mind in the future.” Van Hollen is up for re-election in 2028, in a state with a sizable and politically active Jewish community. Election returns from precincts with a sizable share of Jewish voters suggest some typically-Democratic voters backed GOP Senate candidate Larry Hogan in November.


The Israel Guys: Candace Owens’ USS Liberty Claims Exposed – The Hidden Truth!
Candace Owens recently made waves with a controversial interview featuring a survivor of the USS Liberty attack, a tragic event where 34 American sailors were killed and 171 wounded during the 1967 Six-Day War. Owens' version of the story suggests that Israel deliberately attacked the unarmed U.S. spy ship, claiming the U.S. and Israel covered up the incident for over 50 years. But there's a BIG problem with this narrative.

In this video, we debunk Candace Owens' one-sided portrayal of the USS Liberty attack, revealing key facts that were left out. Did Israel intentionally target the Liberty, or was it a tragic accident caused by a case of mistaken identity? The evidence paints a different picture than what Candace Owens claims.




Tony Greenstein charged with terror offence
Infamous anti-Zionist activist Tony Greenstein has been charged with a terrorism offence after expressing support for Hamas online.

Police confirmed that Greenstein, 70, has been charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on one count of inviting support for the proscribed organisation.

A police spokesperson said: “A 70-year-old man has been charged with a terrorism offence as part of an investigation by officers from Counter Terrorism South East (CTPSE).

“Anthony Greenstein, of Belgrave Place, Brighton, has been charged with one count of inviting support for a proscribed organisation, namely Hamas, contrary to section 12(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000″.

It is understood the charge is in connection with comments made online in relation to the 7 October Hamas attack.

Greenstein is bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 19 December.




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