Saturday, January 04, 2025

01/04 Links: UNRWA Defenders’ False Choice; Trump administration plans crippling sanctions on ICC; Hamas releases video of hostage Liri Albag

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: UNRWA Defenders’ False Choice
Usually, when people make the case for UNRWA, they speak in generalities. They point to the nearly 200 schools that UNRWA at one point operated in Gaza. The implication is that Gazans are reliant on the agency for education. The truth is that Gazans aren’t getting education; they are getting—as the children at these schools openly admit—a Sovietesque radicalization against Jews. This brainwashing, in turn, produces another generation of war, and then another and another in perpetuity.

The Palestinian child who learns to hate Jews does not benefit from this status quo. The opposite is true. So Hashash isn’t the only UNRWA hostage among Palestinians. There are arguably many thousands of them.

Until about 2014, UNRWA was merely an ally of Hamas. But after that, UNRWA practically merged with Hamas. The agency shared space with Hamas all over the enclave.

In February, the IDF discovered something shocking. UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza City sat atop a Hamas data center with sleeping quarters for Hamas commanders. The data center was connected to UNRWA’s own wiring in the building. This was done so that Hamas would be protected from an Israeli airstrike. When I say UNRWA merged with Hamas, I mean it: The only reason UNRWA remained nominally a separate entity was so it could safeguard key Hamas figures and facilities and keep Hamas communication lines open during its war with Israel.

We should reject the idea that aid to Palestinians must necessarily come with terrorism and widespread human misery. Keep the dialysis machines, lose the hostage-takers.
Kristallnacht now: Oct. 7 led to the worst demonization of Israel in history
That is why most self-anointed champions of “Palestine” are peaceable Palestinians’ worst enemies by doing Hamas’s bidding. If anti-Israel agitators truly cared about Gazans, they would be up in arms against Hamas, since the terrorist group has inflicted far more harm on them than Israel has ever done by keeping them in penury as permanent refugees, even in their own autonomously run enclave where a mini Dubai could have sprung up in nothing flat since Israel vacated the premises in 2005. And all this in the name of a monomaniacal pipe dream that one day the Jews will be driven into the Mediterranean and “Palestine will be free.”

Then what? With Israel gone, a theocratic state of Palestine under Hamas and its ilk would be no more a bastion of democracy, religious tolerance, free speech, gender equality, and gay rights — which Israel is — than Afghanistan under the Taliban or Iran under the mullahs. It’s unlikely, though, that leftist anti-Israel diehards are thinking that far ahead. These days, having the correct “progressive” opinions relieves you of the burden of having to know much about the Arab-Israeli conflict or anything else.

“Having engaged with numerous protesters [over six months in London], I have noticed a startling disconnect between their strong opinions on the Gaza conflict and their shaky grasp of basic facts about it,” Potkin Azarmehr, an Iranian-British activist, wrote in O’Neill’s own Spiked magazine last summer. “It wasn’t just young people who were uninformed. An older woman with an American accent, seemingly a veteran protester, admitted she knew that Hamas was linked to the Muslim Brotherhood but had no deeper knowledge of its ideology or history.”

There’s more: In a recent survey of American students, only one in two of those “who regularly chant the infamous slogan ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’ were able to name the river and the sea it references. Some thought it referred to the Nile and the Euphrates. Others to the Caribbean,” O’Neill observes. “Less than a quarter of the students knew who Yasser Arafat was. More than 10 percent thought he was the first prime minister of Israel.”

Such acute nescience would be comical if its consequences weren’t so dire for Jews everywhere. Across much of the world, particularly in Western Europe, they haven’t had it this bad since the Holocaust, and things are bound to get worse, what with the unrelenting demonization of “Zionists.” This, too, is telling, by the way: No Muslims in Europe need fear being lynched, stabbed, or blown up by said Zionists, but rare is the Jew safe from militant Islamists.

O’Neill steers clear of these fratricidal matters, but After the Pogrom is a well-argued jeremiad, a heartfelt cri de coeur against the shrill histrionics and wanton double standards of anti-Zionists. Kudos to the author for it. “Israel is the great corrupter of Earth, the spoiler of men’s souls, threatening to ail us all with its disease of inhumanity,” he ventriloquizes the Jewish state’s most slanderous detractors. “They once said that about the Jewish people – now they say it about the Jewish nation.”

This headlong relapse into the oldest hatred greatly harms Jews and Israel, no question. But it harms the West no less because, as O’Neill’s book shows, when hard-won civilizational values erode, lunacy, bigotry, and savagery follow. ■
MEMRI: New Leader Of Hamas's Military Wing Al-Qassam Brigades And Head Of Ceasefire Negotiations Delegation To Qatar Khalil Al-Hayya: 'Go And Besiege Israeli And American Embassies'; 'The Blood Of Martyrs Marks The Path To Victory'; 'Only The Gun Will End The Occupation' – Clips From The MEMRI TV Archive
On December 26, 2024, top Hamas political bureau official Khalil Al-Hayya was appointed leader of the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing.[1] Al-Hayya also heads the Hamas delegation to Doha, where he met with Qatar's Prime Minister to discuss a ceasefire and hostage deal with Israel.[2]

Senior Hamas Official Khalil Al-Hayya At Haniyeh's Funeral In Tehran: The Zionist Entity Is The Source Of Evil, Injustice, Instability – The World Must Uproot This Cancer – August 2024
Khalil Al-Hayya, a member of Hamas political bureau spoke at the Tehran funeral of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on August 1, 2024. He said that the "Zionist entity" is the source of evil, injustice, and instability and that the world must unite to "uproot this cancer." Al-Hayya vowed to "go after" Israel until it is uprooted from the land of Palestine and from Jerusalem. The funeral was posted on Khameni.ir.

Senior Hamas Official Khalil Al-Hayya Calls On Arabs And Muslims To Besiege Israeli And American Embassies – May 2024
Khalil Al-Hayya of Hamas’s political bureau said on a May 16, 2024 show on Al-Manar TV (Hizbullah-Lebanon) that the Arab and Islamic nations must not become acclimated to the bloodshed. He called on them to besiege Israeli and American embassies in Arab countries, letting them know that the "Arab nations do not accept any injustice against the Palestinians."

Senior Hamas Official Khalil Al-Hayya: Israel Is The Head Of The Serpent; By Fighting It We Weaken Its Bad Global Influence; Qatar And Iran Support Us – March 2023
Hamas Political Bureau member Khalil Al-Hayya, who also serves as the head of Hamas's Arab and Islamic Relations Portfolio, said in a March 19, 2023 interview on Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar) that Hamas's confrontations with Israel are the "greatest gift" to anyone who hates occupation. He said that Israel is the "head of the serpent" and that by fighting it, Hamas weakens its evil influence around the world. Al-Hayya also praised the aid Qatar gives to the Palestinians and particularly to the Gaza Strip. Speaking about the recent rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Al-Haya said that Hamas's relations with Iran are focused on its support of the Palestinian enterprise. He added that Iran supports Hamas and other "resistance forces" by providing them with money and weapons.

Senior Hamas Official Khalil Al-Hayya In Tehran: The Path To Victory Is Marked By The Blood Of Martyrs; We Do Not Fear Death – April 2022
Senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya said in an April 29, 2022 International Quds Day speech in Tehran, Iran that aired on Palestine Today TV (Gaza/Lebanon) that the spirit of Islam and martyrdom is increasing every day in the souls and hearts of the Palestinians, who are determined to achieve victory. He said that death does not scare the Palestinians, that martyrdom brings one closer to Allah, and that the path of victory towards Jerusalem is marked by the blood of the martyrs. In addition, he said that fear of Israel and the U.S. has disappeared and that the Islamic nation, with Iran at its heart, supports the resistance and the Palestinian people. Khalil Al-Hayya's speech was translated live into Farsi.
MEMRI: Celebrating October 7 Attack As It Happens, Eulogizing Slain Designated Terror Leaders, Encouraging Protests In The West: A One-Year Review Of Samidoun On X – October 7, 2023- October 7, 2024
Samidoun, the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, has maintained an account on Twitter, now X, since November 2011 (X.com/Samidounpp). As of this writing, it has posted 58,300 tweets and has over 26,000 followers. In the year following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel, it has shared photos, videos, links, and retweets via with a focus on celebrating the attacks, lionizing and eulogizing slain and assassinated terror leaders including Hamas's Yahya Sinwar and Hizbullah's Hassan Nasrallah, promoting and encouraging violent protests, including vandalism and destruction, and expressing support for and solidarity with designated terrorist organizations.

Samidoun maintains a website and social media accounts for all its branches in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and worldwide, in a range of languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish, Arabic, Farsi, and more. It publishes its own unique content as well as content from other sources.

In October 2024, Samidoun, along with the Samidoun-affiliated Palestinian-Canadian senior PFLP official Khaled Barakat, were sanctioned by both the U.S. and Canada as "key international fundraiser[s] for Foreign Terrorist Organization PFLP."


Chosen to lead: Netanyahu will be remembered as one of the greatest leaders of all time
I know one day Bibi will be remembered as one of the greatest leaders of all time. There will be airports, cities, and roads named after him; sadly, the greatness of these men is always celebrated too late. When asked on that TV show if Bibi is the right leader to handle this war, I answered firmly that only he has the ability to lead our nation right now.

When you have such mental strength combined with strong charisma, it provokes a lot of jealousy and obsession.When I debate with people who are “anti-Bibi,” whose hatred for this man overcomes their mind and heart, their arguments make no sense.

It is clear that it comes from a deep jealousy of a man who was blessed and chosen by God to lead. Did he make mistakes? For sure. Does he have flaws? I have no doubt. He is human at the end of the day, even though his work schedule doesn’t make sense to human nature.

A friend of mine told me that Bibi reads a book a week. I read a book in four months. When does he have time?I look at the videos of Bibi in his 30s, a future leader written all over his persona.

Instead of being proud of a man who loves his people, his country, and his God, and a man who has faith in us, we keep fighting ghosts – those who try with all their strength to bring him down because he is too good, too charming, too powerful, and does the right thing.

I pass by Balfour Street, where the Prime Minister’s Residence used to be but is now “undergoing construction.” Meanwhile, while construction stalls, Bibi is residing in a private home on Aza Road, in the middle of the hustle of town, a simple home, not a venue for a man who is running this world’s fate.
It Was a Very Good Year—At Least for Trump and Bibi
The Beltway consensus is that Americans will look back fondly on 2024. Other than the major war or two, the Biden years were a welcome interlude in Washington from the chaos and tumult of Donald Trump's hyperactive tweeting.

As the mandarins look back wistfully, the hoi polloi may recall a different set of events. There were some big winners last year. Among them:
Donald Trump: After the tumultuous 2016 and 2020 elections, the last thing the country needed was a contested election result. Donald Trump obliged, winning bigly in both the Electoral College and the popular vote. In the process, he reshaped American politics by attracting a slew of working-class voters to the GOP. The Republicans won by slim margins in the House and Senate, so much of his policy agenda will depend on executive orders and the bully pulpit.

Benjamin Netanyahu: This time last year, Bibi looked finished. The greatest security lapse in Israel's history had just occurred, and although Israel was pummeling Hamas, Iran's other proxies circled menacingly.

But since then, Israel has fared well and Bibi has too. The IDF annihilated its most threatening neighbor, Hezbollah. Iran's missile and drone waves did little damage, unlike the Israeli response. Even international pressure, such as the Biden administration's flirtation with Bibi's political rivals and the ludicrous International Criminal Court arrest warrants, worked in Netanyahu's favor, and his corruption trial and recent surgery have barely slowed him. Israeli politics are notoriously turbulent, and Tehran has not yet run out of expendable (in its view) Arabs to throw at Israel, but Israel's longest-serving prime minister has gotten back to the top of the polls and the center of Israeli politics.

The losers:
Iran: In early 2024, Iran's minions were on a roll. Hamas had dealt a heavy blow to Israel on October 7, Hezbollah had rendered much of northern Israel uninhabitable, and the Houthis had practically closed the Red Sea to international shipping. Tehran had grown so confident that it exported extra arms to Russia.

Over the past year, Iran's empire unraveled. Hamas managed to get most of Gaza destroyed without hurting Israel much more. Israel then mauled Iran's regional strategic reserve, Hezbollah, and Turkey polished off Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Israel also destroyed Iran's most advanced air defenses, showing that the Iranian regime cannot even defend its nuclear and military facilities. Ozymandias died long before his empire dissolved into dust; Supreme Leader Khamenei can only envy that good fortune.

Barack Obama: Most presidents flee the swamp when their terms end, but former president Obama settled into Kalorama, a tony neighborhood close to the White House. From there, he's had a ringside seat as his signature initiatives crumbled.

His campaign to appease Iran reshaped the Middle East, and Iran emerged from his presidency with a regional empire and international approval for its nuclear program. Peace did not come, though, and the Biden team had to reluctantly abandon Obama's Middle East strategy. Obama also helped push Joe Biden into retirement and lined up some of his best campaign advisers to work for Kamala Harris. But neither they nor Obama, who accused black men of sexism during the campaign, could make this flawed candidate win.
Trump administration plans crippling sanctions on ICC
President-elect Donald Trump plans to implement devastating sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague immediately after taking office, sources close to the matter disclosed to Israel Hayom. These executive orders could be unveiled as soon as January 21, just one day after his inauguration.

The sanctions package will target both individual ICC personnel, including judges and prosecutors, and the institution as a whole. The administration intends to classify the ICC as an organization threatening US interests, employing designation procedures similar to those used by the US State Department for terrorist organizations globally. This designation will trigger severe restrictions on anyone involved with the court's operations.

Financial institutions worldwide will be required to terminate relationships with ICC personnel or face US sanctions themselves. Mirroring actions taken against sanctioned Israeli citizens by the outgoing administration, ICC staff will find themselves unable to perform routine banking operations or use credit cards. Their economic activities will be effectively frozen, with exceptions only for essential needs such as food purchases. Furthermore, all US-based assets belonging to ICC employees and the institution will be frozen.

The incoming administration's strategy extends beyond unilateral actions, as it plans to secure commitments from US allies to reject cooperation with arrest warrants targeting Israeli officials.

These measures aim to create conditions allowing the court to independently withdraw its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minster Yoav Gallant. Officials hope that during appeal proceedings, either Prosecutor Karim Khan or the judges will identify legal grounds to rescind these warrants.


Trump appoints Morgan Ortagus as deputy envoy for Middle East peace
Donald Trump named Morgan Ortagus as deputy special presidential envoy for Middle East peace to work under Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, the US president-elect announced in a Friday evening post to his social media platform, Truth Social.

“I am pleased to announce Morgan Ortagus as Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for Middle East Peace, to the Honorable Steven Witkoff.” Trump wrote. “Early on, Morgan fought me for three years, but hopefully has learned her lesson.”

Trump went on to note that the decision to appoint Ortagus to the position was made due to her Republican backing.

'Lets see what happens'
“These things usually don’t work out, but she has strong Republican support, and I’m not doing this for me, I’m doing it for them. Let’s see what happens.”

The president-elect continued, expressing his desire that Ortagus would prove useful to Witkoff as his administration aims “to bring calm and prosperity to a very troubled region.”

“Morgan Ortagus has had experience in Diplomacy and National Security, and is an active US Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer,” Trump wrote. “From 2019-2021, Morgan served as spokesperson at the Department of State (Pompeo!), where she was a member of my historic Abraham Accords team that brought unprecedented peace to the Middle East.”

Before that, Ortagus served as a financial intelligence analyst at the Treasury Department, Trump stated, noting that she was also the deputy US Treasury attaché to Saudi Arabia in 2010 and 2011.

Trump’s decision was commended by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R–South Carolina), who described Ortagus as someone who “understands the region as well as anyone I’ve ever met.”
Biden to present Hillary Clinton, George Soros and 17 others the Presidential Medal of Freedom
President Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, billionaire Democratic megadonor George Soros and several others at a White House ceremony on Saturday.

The White House said Clinton, Soros and the 17 other recipients of the prestigious award are “individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”

“President Biden believes great leaders keep the faith, give everyone a fair shot, and put decency above all else,” the White House said in a statement. “These nineteen Americans are great leaders who have made America a better place. They are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world.”

Soros, 94, has been one of the most prolific fundraisers for the Democratic Party in recent history.

The Hungarian-born hedge-fund billionaire gave more than $175 million to Democrats during the 2022 midterms, according to Federal Election Commission records.

In 2024, Soros funneled another $60 million for House and Senate Democrats and other left-wing causes through his Democracy PAC, records show.

Soros, who has shifted tens of billions of dollars of his personal net worth over to his Open Society Foundations, which funds a multitude of progressive projects around the world, has also heavily invested in races to install far-left district attorneys in major American cities.

Soros-backed DAs, including Manhattan’s Alvin Bragg and Philadelphia’s Larry Krasner, have been criticized by Republicans for pursuing priorities such as criminal justice reform over prosecuting criminals.

The left-wing investor has also come under fire for funneling tens of millions of dollars to groups supporting anti-Israel protesters on college campuses.


George Soros is paying student radicals who are fueling nationwide explosion of Israel-hating protests

'His disguise was a facade': How IDF revealed identities, Hamas's plans in hospital
During interrogations by IDF investigators, soldiers learned that senior Hamas operatives were running the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabaliya, Gaza, and planned to escape from the hospital during the IDF raid there last Friday using ambulances, Unit 504 investigators revealed to N12 in an interview published Thursday.

The Kamal Adwan Hospital was raided last Friday by the IDF and Shin Bet, who arrested more than 240 terrorists, some of whom participated in the October 7 massacre. Security forces decided to raid the hospital after intelligence revealed there were hundreds of terrorists hiding inside the compound.

An IDF reservist, Lt. (Res.) D., told N12 that while interrogating terrorists at the hospital, they all pointed to the hospital director and asked for him to come see them and help them. “We understood that the person at the very heart of the event, orchestrating the terror and Hamas activity in the compound, was the hospital director himself,” Lt. (Res.) D. said.

The reservist recalled that during the raid on the hospital, the hospital director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyeh, was “strutting around like a peacock” and was “confident he wouldn’t be arrested, believing he was untouchable and in control of the situation.”

Sgt. Maj. (Res.) A., another investigator present during the raid, confirmed that they discovered that the hospital director was a senior Hamas operative.

Master Sgt. (Res.) G., a commander and combatant in Shayetet 13 who was also at the raid, also said that the hospital director “really did walk around the premises like a peacock.”

"Dr. Abu Safiyeh watched as his doctors were incriminated one by one. He thought he wouldn’t be arrested. We realized that his disguise was just a facade—they were terrorists with blood on their hands. The hospital director understood that the entire charade had fallen apart, and in the end, he too was arrested," he told N12.

Sergeant (res.) A. revealed that Hamas terrorists were planning to use ambulances to escape from the IDF raid during interrogations. “We received information that one of them would try to fake an injury, and based on that, we decided to check anyone inside the ambulance,” A. told N12.

“I approached the ambulance area and questioned a man who seemed suspicious from the outset,” A. continued. “He gave me a false name, presented a fake ID, and claimed he had been injured a few days earlier—but I noticed that the cast on his hand was fresh. The people around him also reacted to his lie with body language that reinforced my suspicions. I confronted him, telling him he was lying and that I knew exactly who he was and what his role was," A. continued.

The man who was posing as a wounded civilian was actually a Hamas commander who had been involved in terrorist activities since October 7.

During his interrogation, he confessed and told interrogators that the doctor, who was with him, faked the cast so that he could escape in a humanitarian aid ambulance. “They know that there is little chance that the IDF will interrogate wounded people who are being evacuated for treatment, so he tried to take advantage of the opportunity and escape,” A. said.


The curious case of Francesca Albanese
One cannot help but marvel, albeit with mounting dismay, at the peculiar priorities of Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories. In her latest display of selective indignation, she has called for a global medical boycott against Israel – a proposition so morally absurd, so flagrantly counterproductive, that it borders on farce. Yet beneath the veneer of bureaucratic officiousness lies something far darker: a relentless campaign to weaponize her position against the world’s only Jewish state.

Ms. Albanese’s call for a boycott of Israel’s medical field – of all things – demands closer scrutiny, not least because it epitomizes her troubling track record. Far from serving as an impartial custodian of human rights, Albanese has leveraged her role to advance an ideological agenda, one that singles out Israel for disproportionate scrutiny and condemnation. It is not simply an affront to Israel; it is an affront to the principles the United Nations was founded to uphold.

To understand the significance of Albanese’s latest salvo, one must first consider the broader context of her tenure. Since assuming her position, she has displayed a singular fixation on Israel, portraying it as a pariah state while neglecting the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, indeed, the broader landscape of human rights abuses worldwide. Her rhetoric – peppered with terms like “apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing” – has consistently eschewed nuance in favor of inflammatory sloganeering.

Even before her appointment, Albanese’s partiality was evident. She has openly aligned herself with anti-Israel movements, and her past statements are littered with phrases that betray not only a lack of objectivity but an almost visceral disdain for Israel. Such predispositions should have disqualified her from serving in a role requiring neutrality and balance. Instead, they appear to have been qualifications for it.

Her language is not merely hyperbolic; it is dangerous. By framing Israel’s actions in terms designed to evoke the darkest chapters of human history, Albanese does not advance peace or understanding. Instead, she inflames tensions and provides rhetorical ammunition to those who seek Israel’s delegitimization, all while ignoring the grave human rights violations committed by other states.

The call for a medical boycott represents a new nadir. Medicine is a domain that should transcend politics, a universal pursuit of healing and hope. To weaponize it is to strike at the heart of what makes us human. Israel’s contributions to global health are staggering: pioneering technologies, groundbreaking research, and humanitarian aid that has reached the farthest corners of the earth. From the pill camera that revolutionized diagnostics to lifesaving interventions in disaster-stricken areas, Israeli medicine has improved and saved countless lives, irrespective of nationality or creed.


Rocket from Gaza hits Erez Border Crossing, no injuries reported
A rocket launched from the northern Gaza Strip a short while ago struck the Erez Border Crossing, the military says.

It is unclear if the attack had caused any major damage. There are no immediate reports of injuries.

Sirens had sounded in the nearby town of Netiv Ha’asara during the attack.

The crossing is currently used to allow aid into Gaza.

It marks the ninth day in a row of rocket fire from Gaza.


IDF troops destroy compound in northern Gaza serving as hideout and terror hub
IDF troops destroyed an entire compound in the “Officers’ Neighborhood” in northern Gaza, which served as a hideout and terror hub for Hamas commanders, during the first week of January, the military announced Saturday.

The area consists of structures that overlook Israeli territory and contain anti-tank missile posts, booby traps, tunnels, numerous explosives, and rocket launchers aimed at Israeli territory.

The operation was completed by Kfir Special Operations Command soldiers in collaboration with Yahalom Unit soldiers under the command of Division 162. Hamas's hold on northern Gaza

Hamas terrorists are struggling to move within Jabalya, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanun due to the IDF’s aggressive operations in these areas, it was previously reported. The military has deployed large ground forces that are conducting ambushes and targeted raids.

However, Palestinian terrorists have still managed to fire rockets into Israel for nine consecutive days.

Most terrorists are attempting to flee from Jabalya and the northern Gaza Strip to Gaza City.

The IDF has struck hundreds of them over the past week. However, the terrorists now operate by rigging traps in nearly every standing structure.


Hamas releases video with signs of life from hostage Liri Albag
The Hamas terror group has released a propaganda video showing signs of life from hostage Liri Albag, 19.

The three-and-a-half-minute-long video is not dated, though Albag states that she has been held for over 450 days, indicating it was filmed recently.

Albag, a surveillance soldier stationed at the Nahal Oz post, was abducted along with six others by Hamas terrorists on October 7. One was rescued and another was recovered dead after she was murdered in captivity. The other five — Albag, Karina Ariev, Agam Berger, Naama Levy and Daniella Gilboa — are still hostages.

Hamas has previously issued similar videos of hostages the terror group is holding, in what Israel says is deplorable psychological warfare.

Albag’s family ask that the media not publish the video or images from it.

Most Israeli media do not carry the video clips published by Hamas unless the families expressly request so.


Hostages’ families accuse Health Ministry report of violating captives’ privacy
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has criticized the Health Ministry’s decision to publish a recent report on the hardships hostages had faced while in Hamas captivity, saying it violated freed captives’ right to privacy.

In a letter to the ministry, the Forum wrote that the hostages were not “public property” and that released hostages may not have agreed to have the information publicized.

While the report, which is based on testimonies from released hostages, does not identify any of them by name, the Forum said it was possible to identify some of the victims based on the descriptions in the report.

Dana Pugach, an attorney representing the families who wrote the letter, told the Haaretz newspaper that some of the released hostages did not know about the report or that their testimonies would be used in it.

The letter stressed the violation of privacy of minors mentioned in the report, saying it was unclear whether their guardians had consented to having the information published.

Pugach said previous letters to the ministry regarding the violation of released hostages’ privacy were ignored. A Hamas terrorist stands guard as a Red Cross vehicle transports newly released hostages in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on November 28, 2023. (AFP)

She told Haaretz that the violation of privacy began immediately upon their return. “Doctors were interviewed and gave indications that made it easy to identify which hostages they were talking about. We wrote to the Health Ministry and expected something would be done, but here comes this report showing there is a systematic violation of privacy and doctor-patient privilege.”

Pugach also said the report repeats information that was already provided discretely by families to Alice Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. “You don’t need to go publish things for them to reach the UN rapporteur,” she said.
'Hear them die': Recordings reveal horror of Hamas hostage crisis in Be'eri
New recordings of a hostage-taking situation during Hamas's October 7 attacks in Kibbutz Be'eri were published by Channel 12 on Friday.

The recordings were from Be'eri resident Pessi Cohen's house, which became notable during a situation on October 7 where 40 terrorists barricaded themselves in the house with 15 hostages. Only two of the captives survived.

The recordings were taken in real-time by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the report noted. As negotiations with the terrorists for the hostages' release were held, an intense firefight between Hamas and Israeli forces raged outside the residence.

Cohen's house became a symbol for the battles that went on in the kibbutz, and the fight there lasted for about six hours.

The recordings that were found
One recording released was between one of the two survivors at Cohen's house, Yasmin Porat, speaking to a Shin Bet representative, saying, "I am here in Kibbutz Be'eri with 50 hostages along with Palestinian guys, everyone here is crying a lot. They want to take us with them to Gaza."

Porat continued, saying "Things are very bad, there's one person here badly injured, another already starting to feel unwell, and one that was killed. They're taking us with them either way - alive or dead."

She then recalled that the Hamas terrorists saw that she wasn't "nervous enough" and that she was "speaking calmly," the report quoted her as saying.

Porat then reportedly noticed the Hetzroni children near her begging for their lives. Their pleas were captured by the recording. The children were later discovered to have been killed by Hamas.

Also with her in the recording is a Hamas terrorist, which the N12 report named "Hassan."

"I have 50 people hostage with me," the recording captured Hassan saying. "I want to go with the 50 to Gaza. Listen to my instructions now, so that I don't start murdering them. You now have five minutes for me to leave the settlement and take them to Gaza. Any attempt at intervention by the air force, fighters, tanks, or vehicles - I will murder all 50."

The Shin Bet representative tried to buy time with the Hamas terrorist, the N12 report added, asking him for 20 more minutes to update the Israeli forces on the ground.


HonestReporting: Who Really Wins After Assad? Jonathan Schanzer on Syria, Hamas, and Iran’s Role
In this insightful conversation, we sit down with Jonathan Schanzer to discuss the geopolitical implications of Assad’s removal in Syria. Who are the real winners and losers? How do Iran, Turkey, and Qatar play into the unfolding chaos? Schanzer dives deep into the roles of Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and Israel’s strategic responses in an ever-shifting Middle Eastern landscape. From hostage negotiations in Gaza to the broader implications for regional stability, this is a discussion you don’t want to miss.


Jonny Gould’s Jewish State: 112: Ronen Bergman: Rise and Kill First, Israel's secret history of targeted assassinations
“Since World War II, Israel has assassinated more people than any other country in the Western world.” is a brutal sentence from the start of “Rise and Kill First”.

Our guest is Ronen Bergman, author of the New York Times bestseller, which has sold hundreds of thousands of copies. It’s the product of a thousand interviewees, some of whom Ronen quizzed multiple times, along with millions of words of research.

The detail also comes from a wealth of unclassified documents, some long forgotten in the private possession of veterans who gave them to him.

There were many suggestions for the book’s title but “Rise and Kill First” from the Babylonian Talmud kept on coming up in the many conversations he had with his interviewees.

It’s a phrase which has become a mission statement, seemingly inscribed in the mindset - even hearts - of many of Israel’s defensive operators and underpinned by generational Jewish persecution.

But for all the sudden, brutal decision-making and actions, this remains a humane account and the hope which emerges from it for a more progressive society.

None of the contents of the book are endorsed or verified by the Israeli defense establishment - which makes the reading still more fascinating. Listen to this fascinating interview with Ronen Bergman.

Recorded in May 2023.


Gaza ‘chief rabbi’ exposes Jewish illiteracy of suspected Turkish-run ‘Hasidic’ organization
A fake rabbi has apparently exposed fake Jews.

An X parody account purporting to be Rabbi Linda Goldstein, the ultra-liberal non-existent “chief rabbi of Gaza,” showed screenshots on Jan. 2 of an interaction with an associated account of Torah Jews, which purports to be an anti-Zionist organization affiliated with the Satmar sect.

The person (or people) running Goldstein’s account previously sent private messages to several well-known anti-Zionist figures, with their responses revealing a startling lack of knowledge of some of the basics of Judaism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Critics have previously accused Torah Jews of being fronted by non-Jews operating in hostile foreign countries, including Turkey.

The screenshots posted on Goldstein’s account show the “rabbi” soliciting a donation to her OnlyFans page to help pay for her temple’s lease in Gaza and asking the Authentic Jew account, which says it is aligned with Torah Jews, whether he is based in Turkey.



Upon receiving a response that Authentic Jew is based in Brooklyn and confirming that they are Hasidic Jews, “Goldstein,” posing as a Brooklyn resident, asked whether her new follower went to the comically named Yeshiva Ahevet Banot, which translates to “I love young girls.”

The Authentic Jew account responded in the negative but assured “Goldstein” that the school is a “Viznitz” school, meaning one that follows in the tradition of the rabbinic dynasty of Viznitz in what is present-day Ukraine.

“Goldstein” offered to provide Torah Jews with her connections at the similarly-absurd Yeshiva Bul-Bul Ketana, which translates to “small penis.”


‘The Palestine Exception’: How anti-Israel voices cry suppression while silencing others
For years, the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, of which SJP is a chief driver, has routinely disrupted pro-Israel speakers on college campuses, organized campaigns to boycott Israeli academic institutions, and engaged in actions that impede the ability of Jewish university students to freely express their Zionist identities. Their activism and tactics have undermined and threatened to erode well-established principles of academic freedom and free speech on a growing number of US campuses.

In one particularly egregious case, Law Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of California Berkeley voted in 2022 to adopt a bylaw in their constitution stating that they “will not invite speakers who have expressed and continue to hold views – or host/sponsor/promote events – in support of Zionism.” Twenty-two other law student groups followed suit. No exception was made, even for Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, who considers Zionism integral to his Jewish identity.

On a personal level, I, too, have experienced BDS tactics firsthand. After I had been accepted to speak on antisemitism/anti-Zionism at the annual Northwest Public Employees Diversity Conference in Portland in October, I was informed by the organizers that the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) had implored them to have me removed from the schedule. When that failed, a group of JVP activists stood in front of the Oregon Convention Center, where the conference was held, urging attendees to boycott my talk (I had the highest attendance of all the morning breakout sessions).

The “Palestine exception” claim fits in with all the other false narratives perpetuated by the BDS movement – claims of apartheid, genocide, settler colonialism. The pro-Israel community needs to find more effective ways to counter these lies and distortions. It starts with vigorously challenging the Zionism exception.


CBC Ombudsman Tells Journalists To Avoid Telling Canadians Gaza Health Ministry Is Run By Hamas
One of the most famous lines in cinematic history appears in the 1995 film The Usual Suspects, when actor Kevin Spacey, as character Verbal Kint, says that “the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” By making himself invisible, the Devil has more power.

Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic terrorist organization whose genocidal actions can surely be called demonic in their own right, has long decided to do likewise.

Despite running the Gaza Strip as its personal terrorist fiefdom, the group, at least as it pertains to Western media, all but entirely erases itself, as if it does not exist at all. Everyone who dies in the war inside Gaza is a civilian, and Hamas terrorists virtually don’t exist at all, and Hamas’ operations inside the territory are simply called the “Gaza Ministry of Health,” further erasing the group’s control and presence.

The indisputable reality that Hamas operates its own so-called “Gaza Ministry of Health” apparently rankled a small group of complainants, who wrote to CBC Ombudsman Jack Nagler, arguing that CBC News, by sometimes referring to the “Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health,” was “cheerleading a genocide.”

For some anti-Israel detractors, CBC News, which has produced a mountain of deeply problematic anti-Israel news coverage over the last 15 months, can and should do more to demonize Israel, and that providing facts is objectionable and problematic.

But rather than dismiss these complainants as absurd, Nagler provided them with a lengthy and undeservedly respectful review entitled: “A Divisive Phrase,” which published on December 23, 2024.
In The Conversation.com Column, University Of Winnipeg Religion Professor Levels Irresponsible Accusations Against Israel
Accusations of Israeli “genocide” in Gaza commonly shared themes by anti-Israel detractors. The principal one is that they erase the existential threat that Hamas poses to Israel. They often bypass the October 7, 2023 massacres and Hamas’ passionate desire to repeat it until no Israelis are left. And while these accusations cloak their claims in a humanitarian, emotive appeal, they often neglect to mention the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, dead or alive, who have had no external contact, not even from the Red Cross.

Jane Barter, Professor at the Department of Religion and Culture at the University of Winnipeg, is no different. She penned an article in The Conversation.com on December 19 entitled, “Palestinian Christians call on western churches to ‘humanize’ the children of Gaza”.

In it, she lined up her arguments as to why Christian theologians like herself should take action against Israel’s so-called “occupation” and “genocide” in Gaza.

However, her reasons gave academia a bad name. Her sources were overwhelmingly one-sided, canceling the alternate view. An Overwhelming 1-Sided Anti-Israel Narrative

She began by referring to Amnesty International’s much-criticized report that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. She neglected to point out, among other things, that Amnesty had to create their own definition of genocide to reach their conclusion, nor did the report acknowledge Israel’s assertion that over 17,000+ of those killed were combatants, which, while every civilian killed is a tragedy, makes the casualty ratio of combatant to civilian historically low, particularly given Hamas’ use of its civilians as human shields.

Then Barter tokenly included Jewish support for her viewpoint by referencing the extremist anti-Zionist group, Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP). JVP’s anti-Israel views include opposing US funding of the Iron Dome – a significant part of Israel’s defences against incoming Hamas (and Hezbollah) missiles – that in the first month of the war shot down 9,500 rockets. The lives of the endangered Israeli civilians don’t seem to count.

Barter’s only allusion to Israel’s point of view is her sentence, “Israel disputes the accusation of genocide and states that it is acting in self-defense following the Oct. 7 attacks.”
Walrus Magazine Column Advocates Canada Sending Peacekeepers Against Israel
A recent column in The Walrus united two commentators who have regularly assailed Israel. The first is Jon Allen, who despite serving as Canada’s ambassador to Israel from 2006 to 2010, continues to promote misinformation about Israel and has blamed Israel for Hamas terrorism. And the second is Liberal MP and anti-Israel activist, Salma Zahid.

The December 20 column, written by author Justin Ling entitled: “How Trudeau Turned Canadian Diplomacy into a Spectator Sport,” began with unvarnished criticism of Israeli policies and actions, including “settlements,” “annexation” plans, and its “bombing campaign” in Lebanon. He failed to mention Israel’s goal of restoring safety to northern Israelis after over a year of deadly attacks from Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah.

At the same time, he depicted Palestinian and Lebanese people as victims of international apathy—and specifically of Canadian apathy. According to Ling, Canada could do a lot more to help, specifically in a peacekeeping and diplomatic role.

Ignoring Israeli Security Concerns
At no point did Ling mention Israel’s security concerns, which might help balance the narrative. For instance, he referred to “Israel’s war in Gaza,” as if Israel started the war, rather than Hamas, the terrorist organization that invaded Israel with massacres on October 7, 2023.

True, Ling referred briefly to the “horrific” Hamas assault before declaring that Israel’s actions constitute “one of the great humanitarian tragedies of the twenty-first century—certainly one of few committed by an ostensible ally.”

Israel is more than an “ostensible” ally. Canada may criticize some Israeli policies, but it still “supports Israel’s right to live in peace with its neighbours… and recognizes Israel’s right to assure its own security.”

Ling devoted much of his commentary to his bizarre suggestion that Canada should up its peacekeeping game. He offered the 1956 Suez Canal Crisis as a proud example of Canadian peacekeeping, where more recent missions—Rwanda, Mali, and Haiti—have failed.

Canada is too passive today, Ling suggested, seeing peacekeeping as a “referee” role. He contrasted this with Russian Wagner Group mercenaries who are prepared “to fight and die.” Perhaps Ling wants more Canadians signing up to fight and die. Starting now. Starting in Gaza. Fighting whom? He doesn’t say. But the clear implication is—against Israel, the only wrongdoer in the region, according to Ling’s column.
BBC News breaks silence on events in Jenin
When a female Palestinian journalist was fatally shot in Jenin in May 2022, the BBC News website’s ‘Middle East’ page published ten items relating to that story in just six days.

When a female Palestinian journalist was fatally shot in Jenin in December 2024, the BBC News website’s ‘Middle East’ page did not publish even one word of reporting on that story.

The party responsible for shooting Shatha al-Sabbagh has not been conclusively identified; the family and Hamas blame Palestinian Authority security forces while the PA blames “outlaws” from local militias. However, that story is part of a broader one which has been completely ignored by BBC journalists for weeks.

As reported by the Israeli media, in December the Palestinian Authority’s security forces began an operation in Jenin, years after losing control of that town and others.
Why Russia Has Skewed Its Population Against Israel
Vladimir Putin’s second presidential term (2004–2008) was marked by Moscow’s obvious desire to regain its status as a global superpower, which had been lost by the Soviet Union as a result of its defeat in the Cold War. The point of official departure from the former policy of open partnership with Western countries and close cooperation with NATO was the so-called 2007 Munich Speech of the Russian President and the invasion of Georgia that followed in August 2008. Moscow’s global claims gained momentum sharply after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and received an even more refined doctrinal formulation after February 24, 2022.

A critical element of the Kremlin’s new doctrine, which represented a peculiar synthesis of neoconservatism and formally leftist Soviet ideology, was its anti-colonial aspect: the movement of the unprivileged countries of the Global South against the world economic and political dominance of the Global North, usually identified with the US-led bloc of “old” and “old-new” Western democracies.

From the point of view of the Russian leadership, such ideological constructs were to become the common denominator of the geopolitical, diplomatic and economic strategy of the international organizations that Moscow is building as a tool to confront the “collective West.” Notable among them is BRICS — an informal association of initially four non-Western states with rapidly growing economies, established in 2006 at the initiative of the Russian Federation, which has gradually expanded to nine member states, together accounting for 46% of the world’s population and 37% of global GDP.

Moscow’s bid for leadership in the global South also had an obvious Middle East dimension. Already at the beginning of the shift in Russia’s foreign policy, it was made clear there that Moscow was no longer willing to settle for the rather formal status of “co-sponsor of the Middle East peace process,” but intended to set the tone in the region. It is clear that with such an “anti-imperialist” vision, which, incidentally, is shared by ultra-leftist and radical-progressive circles in Western countries, the emergence of the subject of “Israeli colonialism” allegedly oppressing the “freedom-loving people of Palestine” in the official rhetoric of the Kremlin was a matter of time.
Spanish Far-Left Leader’s 2025 ‘Wishes’ Spotlight ‘Genocide’ Against Palestinians Before Mentioning Own Country
The leader of an influential far-left Spanish political party who recently served as a government minister this week discussed her “wishes” for the new year, calling for an end to so-called “genocide” against the Palestinians and the return of “stolen lands” to them before making any mention of her home country of Spain.

“My wishes for 2025: that the genocide against the Palestinian people ends, that the stolen lands are returned and that the guilty are brought to justice. Also, that the people of my country have a decent roof over their heads without having to spend their salaries and their lives trying to do so. A hug to all of you,” Ione Belarra posted on X/Twitter on Tuesday.

Belarra, who served as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s social rights minister between 2021 and 2023 but is no longer in the governing coalition, is now secretary general of the Spanish hard-left party Podemos (“We Can”).

The Spanish politician’s message for the new year was in line with her seemingly obsessive focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and fierce criticism of the Jewish state since Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel last Oct. 7.

Last month, for example, Belarra accused Israel of “genocide” in Syria following the recent collapse of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“Israel is taking advantage of the instability in Syria to advance its colonial and genocidal plan, bombing several areas, including Damascus,” Belarra posted on X/Twitter. “Virtually no Western media outlets are reporting on it. International inaction in the face of genocide endangers humanity as a whole.”

Belarra appeared to be referencing recent limited Israeli military operations to eliminate much of Syria’s strategic weapons arsenal and secure the buffer zone along Israel’s northeastern border amid uncertainty about the future of Syria. There has been no evidence to indicate Israel’s military activities have resulted in mass casualties or are meant to achieve anything beyond short-term border security with a neighboring country that just underwent a regime change following a years-long civil war.

Such a focus on Israel is not new for Belarra, however.
MEMRI: Senior PFLP Official Khaled Barakat, Sanctioned By U.S. And Canada For Terror Ties, In Podcast From Beirut: Hamas's Israeli Hostages Are Treated 'With Dignity' And Now 'Their Mind Is Liberated' vis-à-vis The Palestinian Resistance; 'The Entire Zionist Project Is Collapsing'; 'Many, Many' Young Jews 'Now Understand' That Israel Is 'Death, Wars, And Domination'; 'We Are In An Interim Stage From Resistance To Revolution'; 'Globalize The Intifada, Globalize The Struggle'
In Episode 13 of the Wartime Café series, titled "The Liberation of Palestine, the Role of Diaspora" and aired on October 12, 2024, senior PFLP official Khaled Barakat, who serves as part of the group's leadership abroad, and host Laith Marouf discussed, inter alia, Barakat's history in organizing from a young age in Jerusalem and the role of the Palestinian diaspora in liberating Palestine.

In October 2024, Barakat was sanctioned by both the U.S. and Canada as "key international fundraiser[s] for Foreign Terrorist Organization PFLP."

During the hour-long episode, which was in English and was filmed October 9, 2024 and, according to the host Laith Marouf, was filmed in Beirut, Barakat stated that Hamas was treating the Israeli hostages it had abducted on October 7 – of whom only 100 are thought to be still alive – "with dignity" and that not only were they not tortured or abused, but now "their mind is liberated" with regard to "how they view the Palestinian resistance" since they had been brainwashed to think that "Hamas and Islamic Jihad and these people are monsters."

Asserting that "the entire Zionist project is collapsing, and the struggle of the prisoners is showing" what Israel is all about, Barakat underlined that the "new generation of Palestine" understands that "two-state solution is a recipe for the death of our cause." Not only that, he said, but "many, many" young Jews "now understand that Israel is, you know, about death, wars, and domination."

He also described a hypothetical situation in which "we, you know, the PFLP" would set up tables at universities "saying we’re recruiting students for some training." Marouf interjected, "That was one of the reasons that they went after us at Concordia." Concordia University is in Montreal.

The discussion concludes with host Marouf's appeal to the audience to donate at "our website, freepalestine. video." The website accepts donations by credit card, PayPal, and Canadian pre-authorized debit (PAD).

Below are excerpts of Barakat's and Marouf's statements in the episode.

Hamas Treated Hostages "With Dignity" And Neither Tortured Nor Abused Them – Now "Their Mind Is Liberated Of How They View The Palestinian Resistance Because They Were Taught That, You Know, Hamas And Islamic Jihad And These People Are Monsters"

Discussing the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza by Hamas, Barakat said: "When you ask any Israeli captured in Gaza who was released how they were treated by the Palestinian resistance, they will tell you they were treated with dignity and that the resistance did not torture them, did not abuse them, and many of them actually are kind of liberated in a way. Their mind is liberated of how they view the Palestinian resistance because they were taught that, you know, Hamas and Islamic Jihad and these people are monsters, cannibals. Yes. But what's important is that the only way to liberate the colonizers is to defeat them. The only way that you have to defeat them first and you have to defeat Israel and the Zionist project first."

"The Entire Zionist Project Is Collapsing And The Struggle Of The Prisoners Is Showing" What Israel Is All About
Claiming that "the entire Zionist project is collapsing and the struggle of the prisoners is showing in so many ways what kind of a system Israel is all about," he went on to explain: "The leadership of the Palestinian resistance are former prisoners. I mean, when you talk about, you know, Abu Ibrahim al-Sinwar [i.e. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar], or when you talk about any leader in the resistance, they have spent at least 5, 10, 15 years [inside]. And that is important. Why? Because it shows that Israel have never broken their will, and that Israel failed in breaking their will, and they come out from prisons and continue to struggle.

"In fact, I remember when the, Ahmed Saadat was, you know, the general secretary of the PFLP, was sentenced 30 years by, you know, an Israeli court, and the judge... [said] how many times I have sentenced you and sent you to prison? And Saadat told him, well, you should realize that you're a failure. You couldn't break my will. And that is exactly what the Palestinian people in October 7 have told, not just the Israelis, but the world, that no matter what you do, no matter what crimes you commit against us, genocide, war crimes, besieging Gaza, attacking people of Jerusalem, threatening our people in the West Bank, stealing our land, all of these atrocities that Israel commits against our people, are not going to break the will of the Palestinian people."

"The New Generation Of Palestine" Understands That "The Two-State Solution Is A Recipe For The Death Of Our Cause"
About "the new generation of Palestine and the Diaspora," Barakat said that they "understand very well what this fight is all about. they understand that it's the Palestinian struggle for liberation and return. And when they say Palestine will be free from the river to the sea, they actually mean it. And it's not just a slogan that they, you know, say it in demonstrations. This is a political conviction that defines everything else. They don't want to talk about or, you know, two -state solutions. They know that the two-state solution is a recipe for the death of our cause. They understand that Zionism should not exist, and that Zionism is a form of racism, and Israel needs to be dismantled and uprooted from our homeland. And as long as Israel exists, we are going to see these war crimes and atrocities and war."

"This war is another cycle of imperialist, Zionist war against our people and our region. And they want to impose Israel on 400 million Arabs... [R]acist right-wing media were advocating for, you know, bombing Iran with a nuclear weapon... this is the way Israel could represent the enlightenment of Muslims and bring Muslims into the age of enlightenment. Just imagine the kind of words that they're using, you know, nuke the people of Iran... Nuke them into freedom.... And so this young generation actually sees that..."
Can't Embed This Tweet: Ihab Hassan
A 10-minute video shows Hamas militias attacking displaced Palestinians sheltering in a building that was formerly used as a clinic in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, violently forcing them out.

These terrorist thugs, instead of protecting their people, are terrorizing them—ripping families from their last place of refuge and throwing them into the streets with nowhere to go.
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Seth Frantzman: Iran-Backed Militias Face Crisis After Assad’s Fall in Syria
As Iran’s proxies, such as Hezbollah and groups like Hamas, took a beating from Israel’s war effort, the Iraqi militias looked like they might play a more significant role in November and December 2024. However, they were in for a surprise when the Assad regime suddenly fell on December 8. The militias had already begun to receive pushback due to the increasing spotlight on their drone attacks on Israel. The attacks were also becoming more deadly. Two Israeli soldiers were killed and two dozen wounded in an attack in October.

The militias found themselves facing a major setback as the Assad regime fell. They could no longer operate in Iraq, where they could easily cross the border near Al Qaim in Iraq, across from Albukamal in Syria. The regime change removed their ability to threaten US forces in the Middle Euphrates River Valley.

It also led to them rethinking what they might do next in Iraq. A recent report at The New Arab indicates the militias have halted their attacks on Israel, and they may pull back from the Iraqi border with Syria.

This new stance is an important shift and provides an opening in the region to confront some key threats present in Iraq and Syria. The Iranian-backed militias ended up in eastern Syria via Albukamal, the border crossing that sits on the Euphrates River as the river enters Iraq.

This entry point is a critical area. Across the river in Baghuz is where ISIS made its last stand against the US-led Coalition Operation Inherent Resolve and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. ISIS didn’t disappear; it still exists in desert areas in this same region of Syria and Iraq.

This strategic crossing is vital for another reason. After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 the Syrian regime enabled foreign fighters who wanted to enter Iraq by letting them flow down the Euphrates valley. They moved down this valley through villages where tribes often had connections to Iraq. Iraqi politics influenced some of the tribes here to such a degree that back in the 1980s and 1990s, they used to follow Saddam’s regime as closely as they followed developments in Damascus.

The Assad regime exploited this to harm Americans in Iraq in the 2000s. After the defeat of ISIS in 2018-2019 the militias in Iraq moved the other way, up the valley into Syria. Now, this same area that once helped Sunnis who supported the insurgency in Iraq began to be a waystation for Shi’ite militias.

With the fall of the Assad regime, things may change again. However, this unsettled area could lead to destabilizing influences in both Iraq and Syria. The US role in eastern Syria is a potential lynchpin for stability and a way to keep Iraq’s militias in check. In addition, the US maintains a force at Tanf, a garrison in southern Syria near the Iraqi and Jordanian border. The US trained a force of former Syrian rebels in this location. The group is called the Syrian Free Army (not to be confused with the Free Syrian Army).

The US role at Tanf and the role of these US-trained forces who have experience fighting in the desert between Palmyra and the Iraqi border could help keep ISIS in check and provide another avenue for stability.

The Iraqi militias have faced a setback. Iran has faced a setback. The new Syrian government seeks to unify myriad groups into a new military force. This will take time. Meanwhile, the US has troops in eastern Syria and at Tanf, and the role of the SDF and Syrian Free Army can help fill the power vacuum to some degree. What matters now is what happens across the border in Iraq. Iraq’s federal government appears to be stepping up along the border in Anbar province and areas such as Al Qaim.

This is important. The pressure on the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq should continue. They should not be allowed to seep back into the border region and return to the old days when they used to launch rockets and drones at US troops in Iraq and Syria. When Muhandis was killed in 2020, his removal was not exploited to reduce the role of the militias in Iraq.

Today there is a new opportunity to turn the page on the militias in Iraq.
Turkish officials: Assad's fall wasn't the original plan
Turkish officials have disclosed to the US administration that neither they nor Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) had originally planned or anticipated the overthrow of Bashar Assad and Syria's capture, instead seizing an unexpected opportunity for success – information that US officials subsequently shared with Israel.

The Turkish explanation indicated their original strategy aimed only to modestly expand Mohammad al-Julani's organization's control around Aleppo in northern Syria, near the Turkish border. The unexpectedly rapid collapse of Aleppo and the disintegration of Syrian military forces prompted al-Julani and his supporters to push forward into additional regions of the country.

Simultaneously, contradictory reports emerge from Syria regarding the new leadership's approach toward minority communities. Images obtained by Israel Hayom from Homs show new leadership officials wearing ISIS insignia on their clothing. Additional photographs from Baniyas in northwestern Syria reveal HTS representatives requiring women to wear face-covering niqabs.

Contrasting with these developments, al-Julani personally met with Syrian Christian leadership representatives, repeating his pledge that the new administration would protect minority communities. Despite these assurances, the Kurdish leadership in northern Syria continues to report harassment from the new leadership.
'Israel must go': Israeli attacked in Berlin over Israeli-Palestinian peace pin
An Israeli Jewish street artist was hospitalized in Berlin after she was attacked on New Year’s Eve for wearing a restaurant’s Israeli-Palestinian peace pin, the vegan Israeli-Palestinian restaurant Kanaan Berlin said on Saturday.

The Israeli artist identified as “Soli” was wearing the Kanaan pin, which depicts a heart divided into an Israeli and Palestinian flag, was approached by at least four individuals, according to the Saturday Instagram post.

“Israel must go,” one of the attackers reportedly shouted.

A young Arab woman pulled the Israeli artist’s hair, and the situation escalated with three men joining the physical attack, striking Soli.

According to photographs shared by the restaurant, Soli was hospitalized with a head injury.

'Heinous act of violence'
“This heinous act of violence serves as a stark reminder that intolerance and hatred can manifest in the most unexpected and brutal ways. We raise a red flag, calling on all community and cultural leaders in the city to condemn this violence unequivocally,” said Kanaan. “Berlin must not become a place where violence and hate are deemed acceptable tools. The pain of the Palestinian people is not an excuse for violence and we in Kanaan vehemently condemn all forms of attack.”

Kanaan called on the police to take action to identify and bring the alleged perpetrators to justice. The restaurant urged other to contact the police and spread word about the incident. The Berlin Police did not immediately respond to The Jerusalem Post’s request for comment.
LinkedIn banned ‘proud Jew’ Manhattan CPA for pro-Israel posts, lawsuit claims
Job networking site LinkedIn employed Nazi tactics when it banned an unabashedly pro-Israel Manhattan accountant who regularly spoke out on the platform against antisemitism, he claimed in a lawsuit.

Marc J. Strohl, who had about 14,000 LinkedIn followers between his personal account and his business profile for ProTax Consulting Services, is a self-described “proud Jew” who lost relatives in the Holocaust as well as the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack that left 1,200 Israelis dead, according to court papers.

Strohl, 59, claimed he regularly reported or commented on antisemitic LinkedIn posts, including messages “that appeared to praise” the terror group and the massacre, as well as “posts on LinkedIn that praised Adolf Hitler and Nazis,” he said in the legal filing.

He alerted the platform to multiple offensive remarks, according to screenshots provided to The Post, including, “Death to Israel,” and a post that described Jews as “cruel and emotionless animals that need to be extinct.”

“Most of the reports I filed against people [whose comments] … were abusive to the point of hate speech,” Strohl said. “They didn’t take any action, to the best of my knowledge.”

His account was mysteriously suspended twice in 2024 until he was banned without explanation in October, Strohl alleged in his Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit against LinkedIn.

“The Nazis engaged in similar such behavior in Germany in the 1930s of excluding Jews from public places and from businesses,” he contended in the claim.

Strohl claimed he was “aware of a lot of Jews and Zionists” who have been banned from LinkedIn.

The problem “is absolutely huge,” he told The Post.
Alleged would-be Trump ‘assassin’ Ryan Routh offers to become Hamas hostage in bizarre letter
President-elect Donald Trump’s unhinged, would-be assassin Ryan Routh fancies himself a real-life George Bailey from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” is obsessed with Alexander Hamilton — and is offering to become a Hamas hostage.

Routh, 58 — currently locked up in a Miami federal prison while he awaits trial on the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate — included the revelations in a nutty jailhouse letter obtained by The Post.

“Will you go with me to Gaza and surrender to Hamas in exchange for a hostage life, please? Will you help me stop the killing of innocent children and families by offering yourself to restart the peace process and end this war?” begins the rambling, two-page, typed missive.

The envelope showed Routh’s name, prison ID number and return address at the prison.

The letter was also signed by Routh’s daughter, Sara Routh, 31, an electrician living in Hawaii. Reached by phone, she confirmed the letter’s authenticity.

“I would say that I am willing to surrender in Gaza . . . merely to restart the peace conversation,” he writes, saying he and other good Samaritans taking the place of Israeli hostages would eliminate the need for Israel to continue its military campaign in the territory.
Israeli medical team restores sight to hundreds in Ethiopian humanitarian mission
Operation Ethiopia, an Israeli humanitarian medical delegation, concluded their latest mission to provide critical eye care services to communities in Ethiopia, the delegation announced on Sunday.

The 15-member team, led by Prof. Morris E. Hartstein, treated nearly 1,000 patients across the country.

The team treated patients in Addis Ababa and the Seba Kare internally displaced persons camp in Mekelle, Tigray.

Along with providing crucial medical care, Operation Ethiopia trained dozens of teenagers aged 15-18 in basic first aid.

Additionally, the team worked to restore the eyesight of over 500 blind people through an extensive Cataract Campaign, distributed 18 canes to the Mekelle School for the Blind, and provided hundreds of pairs of glasses to patients.
Israeli Basketball Team Wins EuroCup Game in Spain Despite ‘High’ Risk Anti-Israel Protest, Flag Burning
The Israeli basketball team Hapoel Tel Aviv won a round 13 EuroCup match in Spain’s Canary Islands on Thursday, despite a scheduled anti-Israel demonstration outside of the stadium that Israel warned supporters about and the burning of an Israeli flag in protest of the game.

Under head coach Dimitris Itoudis, Hapoel Tel Aviv won an 87-64 victory in a matchup against their Spanish rivals, Gran Canaria, at the Gran Canaria Arena in Las Palmas. The Israeli team secured a lead in the first half 51-25 and ended the game with an 8-5 record. Gran Canaria played its worst first half ever by scoring a mere 26 points. The Spanish team lost its second straight game for a 9-4 record and also dropped to 5-2 in home games.

Earlier this week, activists from the pro-Palestinian group Canarias Insumisa burned an Israeli flag outside of the stadium in opposition to Israel’s military actions during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and the Jewish state’s participation in the EuroCup game.

Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism published a “high” risk level alert about two Spanish far-left, pro-Palestinian groups promoting an anti-Israel demonstration on Thursday outside the Gran Canaria Arena in protest of the basketball game. The groups included Canarias Insumisa and Partido Comunista del Pueblo Canario, which is also known as the Communist Party of the Canarian People (PCPC).

The Israeli ministry said the two groups promoted the protest against Hapeol Tel Aviv on social media, and it was shared by other Spanish far-left, anti-Israel groups and individuals. Many of the same anti-Israel activists expressed support on social media for the flag burning that Canarias Insumisa organized earlier in the week, including Spanish far-left journalist Javier Espinosa.

“While the protest on January 2, which was shared with a large following, has garnered relatively low online traction thus far … the publicity surrounding the flag burning incident may increase the likelihood of violence or disorderly conduct among participants,” said Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism.
Israeli Actress Noa Cohen Responds to Backlash About Her Playing Jesus’s Mother in Netflix Film ‘Mary’
Israeli actress Noa Cohen defended the decision to cast her as Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus, in a new Netflix movie and also admitted she was not surprised about the social media uproar regarding the casting.

“I expected it but you know what, I feel like DJ [Caruso, the director], our producer, and the rest of the team did the best they could to stay as authentic as possible and they just wanted to find the right person and the right cast for the job,” Cohen told the Associated Press on Tuesday. “And I am a Jewish woman, who’s playing a Jewish woman. I grew up in Israel, which is modern day Judea, which is where Mary grew up. So I feel very, very comfortable portraying her and I did that from a place of true sincerity in my heart.”

“People don’t have to like it, but I like this role very much and I’m very, very proud of it,” she concluded.

Netflix released the official trailer for “Mary” in November and began streaming the film on Dec. 6. The coming-of-age drama, which additionally stars two-time Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins as King Herod, tells the story of the birth of Christ. Besides Cohen, “Mary” also stars four other Israeli actors — Ido Tako, who plays Cohen’s husband Joseph; Ori Pfeffer; Hilla Vidor; and Mili Avital. The film was shot in Morocco and American Pastor Joel Osteen served as an executive producer on the film. Netflix said filmmakers “consulted with a wide range of religious scholars and leaders to capture the story’s historical elements.”

After the trailer for “Mary” premiered, pro-Palestinian activists on social media quickly lambasted the filmmakers and called for a boycott of the film because an Israeli Jewish actress was cast to play the lead role. They falsely claimed that Mary and Joseph were Palestinian, and that Jesus was also Palestinian or “a Palestinian Jew.” The Palestinian media outlet Quds Media Network also related the film to the “ongoing genocide of Christians in Palestine.”

Cohen shared in an interview on Tuesday night that she received multiple death threats while filming the Netflix project in Morocco last year.

“I got messages from Moroccan profiles [on social media] who said they know ‘what hotel you’re staying at,'” she told the Keshet 12 Israeli television program “Good Evening With Guy Pines,” according to The Jerusalem Post. “That didn’t make me feel the safest in the world. And you go to film in what is, after all, a Muslim country, Morocco … and you need a special visa to get in, and you have to have heavy security guarding you at all times.”

“It was scary. Some people began to understand that I was in Morocco and I got messages on Instagram, I got threats, the feeling wasn’t always the most comfortable,” Cohen added. She also said that once the trailer was released, “it was amazing to see how the responses started with ‘Zionist,’ then went to ‘Israeli,’ and finally ended up with straight-up ‘Jew … you Jewish whore’ — excuse the language. It was amazing to see how much of it was pure antisemitism and not anything else.”
Meet Valerie Hamaty, the Arab Christian leading the race to represent Israel at Eurovision
A frontrunner on the latest season of “Rising Star,” the Israeli talent show, has advanced on the basis of her renditions of an iconic Israeli song that includes words from the Shema, one of Judaism’s central prayers, and “Hurricane,” the country’s post-October 7 anthem that she performed alongside a survivor of the Hamas massacre that day.

Those might be unsurprising selections in a Jewish country that has lately been defined by its response to October 7. But it’s not just her voice that sets Valerie Hamaty apart: She’s also an Arab Christian, the only such contestant on a show whose winner becomes Israel’s entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest. And her success is sparking debate at a time when Israel’s war in Gaza has tested relations between Jewish and Arab Israelis.

“That an Arab should represent Israel on an international stage is a huge source of pride,” said Zohurha Abonar. “And the fact that she’s from right here? That makes it even more special.”

Abonar is a Muslim resident of Jaffa, the city adjacent to Tel Aviv that is a heart of Arab Israel and Hamaty’s hometown. She was speaking at a Christmas market where Hamaty’s recent advance added to the seasonal cheer.

One teenage girl, who said she was Hamaty’s cousin but asked not to be named, said the singer’s growing success resonated deeply within her Christian community. “She’s inspiring so many of us,” she said.




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PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



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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.

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