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Thursday, January 09, 2025

01/09 Links Pt1: ICC sanctions bill passes 243-140; Poland will not arrest Netanyahu at Auschwitz memorial; The UN's Secret War Against Israel

From Ian:

Poland says it will not arrest Netanyahu for ICC should he attend Auschwitz memorial
The Polish government said Thursday it will ensure that Israel’s highest representatives can participate freely and safely in the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp later this month after the country’s president asked for a guarantee Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not be arrested over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Netanyahu is currently not planning on attending the commemoration, an aide to the premier told The Times of Israel Thursday, after an aide for Polish President Andrzej Duda confirmed that he had asked Prime Minister Donald Tusk to guarantee Netanyahu’s safety.

Polish media reported last month that Netanyahu would avoid attending events commemorating the 1945 liberation of the Nazi camp in late January, fearing he could be arrested due to Poland’s commitment to respecting an International Criminal Court warrant issued for him over the war in Gaza.

Duda’s aide Malgorzata Paprocka confirmed Thursday that the president had sent a letter to Tusk “to ensure that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is able to participate in the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, should he express such a wish.”

Duda said “Every person from Israel, every official from that country, should be able to take part in this unique event,” Paprocka posted on X.

According to Bloomberg, which first reported on the Wednesday letter, Duda had asked for Netanyahu’s potential stay to be “unhindered” due to the events’ “absolutely exceptional circumstances.”

He called on the Polish government to “devise an adequate formula” to both guarantee Netanyahu isn’t arrested and ensure the country respects international law, according to the outlet, which said it had seen the letter.

Duda has frequently been at odds with the Polish government, suggesting it may not cooperate with his request, according to Bloomberg.
In vote of 243-140, ICC sanctions bill passes House, heads to Senate
The bill seeking sanctions against members of the International Criminal Court over its issuing of arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant passed 243-140 in the Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday, marking the body’s second vote in favor of the legislation.

The “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,” reintroduced this week by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), received overwhelming Republican support.

Roy attacked the International Criminal Court’s “unprecedented action of issuing arrest warrants” for the sitting prime minister and former defense minister of Israel.

“Let that sit in,” he said. “This is an entity, the International Criminal Court, that has no jurisdiction over the people of the United States. [The ICC] should have no authority over our people, no authority over the prime minister of Israel.”

Mast invokes 'America first'
Mast invoked the “America first” agenda and continually offered his tagline about the legislation, saying the US needs to “get in the way of those that are getting in our way.”

He said the bill sends an incredibly important message across the globe, that “when we make this law, do not get in the way of America or our allies trying to bring our people home. Don’t get in our way.

“You will be given no quarter, and again, you will certainly not be welcomed to American soil,” Mast said.

According to Mast, the ICC had time to “abandon the shameful effort” of issuing Netanyahu and Gallant’s arrest warrants but instead the court attempted to obstruct Israel’s right to defend itself, prolonging the war and preventing the release of American hostages.

“If you’re boosting the morale of Hamas, you are on the other team. And in November, the ICC’s Trial Chamber approved the arrest warrants,” Mast added. “We have to pass this bill today to prevent this travesty from moving any further and to deter any more illegitimate actions by this kangaroo court to halt or stall the military success of our allies trying to bring hostages home, both American and Israeli and others.”
Can ICC sanctions get to 60 votes in the Senate?
Legislation imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court passed the House on Thursday with bipartisan support, but it remains unclear whether it can pick up sufficient Democratic backing in the Senate to meet the 60-vote threshold in the upper chamber.

Depending on when it comes up for a Senate vote, the legislation will likely need seven or eight Democrats’ votes to pass. There are early signals that some Democrats will back the bill, but none are offering concrete stances yet.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who voted for the bill as a House member last year, told Jewish Insider that she hadn’t given the issue any thought yet, but “I tend to vote consistently.”

A spokesperson for Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) told JI she supports sanctions in concept, but will want to review the specific bill that Republicans plan to bring forward.

“Sen. Rosen supports sanctioning the ICC in response to its biased targeting of Israel, and she hopes this can be done in a bipartisan way,” the spokesperson said. “She looks forward to reviewing the legislation that comes before the Senate.”

The bill has not yet been formally introduced in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has described the legislation as an early priority, but has not yet specified a concrete timeline for its advancement.

Four other Senate Democrats served in the House when the ICC sanctions bill initially came up for a vote last year. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) voted for the legislation but did not respond to a request for comment, Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) was not present, while Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) voted against it.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) told JI last May that sanctions “should be a part of our conversation, 100%,” but did not respond to a request for comment on his plans for the vote.

Then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told JI last year that he has “always had deep concerns about the ICC’s long-term, anti-Israel bias,” but a spokesperson declined to say how he might vote before a vote is officially announced.

Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Gary Peters (D-MI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) all told JI on Tuesday they hadn’t yet seen Republicans’ proposed legislation and would need to review it before saying how they might vote.

Blumenthal has condemned the ICC in the past for seeking arrest warrants against Israel but told JI in November that sanctions, while deserved, “may dignify the warrant more than it deserves.”


House passes bipartisan ICC sanctions for a second time
The House passed a bill sanctioning the International Criminal Court for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by a 243-140-1 vote, with 45 Democrats in support. The outcome was similar to the vote by which the bill passed last year.

The bill passed the House last year by a 247-155-2 vote, with 42 Democrats voting yes. Twenty Republicans and 30 Democrats were absent for Thursday’s vote, which overlapped with former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral.

The legislation was the first Middle East policy test for newly elected members of Congress. Ten freshman Democratic lawmakers — Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Wesley Bell (D-MO), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), Shomari Figures (D-AL), Laura Gillen (D-NY), Adam Gray (D-CA), George Latimer (D-NY), April McLain Delaney (D-MD), Josh Riley (D-NY) and Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) — supported the bill.

Twice that number, 20 first-term Democrats — Herb Conaway (D-NJ), Cleo Fields (D-MD), Nellie Pou (D-NJ), Sylvester Turner (D-TX), Janelle Bynum (D-OR), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI), John Mannion (D-NY), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Sam Liccardo (D-CA), Sarah McBride (D-DE), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Eugene Vindman (D-VA), Derek Tran (D-CA), Dave Min (D-CA), Kelly Morrison (D-MN), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Julie Johnson (D-TX), Emily Randall (D-WA) and Johnny Olszewski (D-MD) — voted against the bill.

Reps. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) and Tim Kennedy (D-NY), who were sworn in last year after the bill passed, also voted no. Democratic freshmen Reps. George Whitesides (D-CA), Luz Rivas (D-CA) and Laura Friedman (D-CA) were absent.

Two Democrats who voted against the bill last year, Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) and Haley Stevens (D-MI) voted for it on Thursday, as did Rep. Rob Menendez (D-NJ), who was absent last year. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), who voted no last year, said he supported sanctions after the warrants were issued, but returned to his district to assist with the response to the California wildfires.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was the only Republican in attendance who didn’t support the bill, voting present. Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), who voted present last time, voted yes on Thursday.


American-Israeli dual citizens hit with sanctions sue Biden administration
Two American-Israeli dual citizens filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration on Thursday after they faced sanctions meant to apply to “foreign persons” who engaged in extremism in the West Bank.

Issachar Manne and his business, Manne Farms, were sanctioned in July “for being a foreign person who is responsible for … directing, or participating in an act of violence or threat of violence targeting civilians, affecting the West Bank; and … for being responsible for or … directing, or participating in seizure or dispossession of property by private actors, affecting the West Bank.”

The State Department imposed sanctions on Yitzhak Levi Pilant — called “Filant” in the announcement — in August, claiming that he “engaged in malign activities outside the scope of his authority,” specifically that he allegedly “led a group of armed settlers to set up roadblocks and conduct patrols to pursue and attack Palestinians in their lands and forcefully expel them from their lands.”

Both were sanctioned under Executive Order 14115, signed in February, against “persons undermining peace, security and stability in the West Bank,” which states explicitly that it applies to a “foreign person” engaged in such activities.

Their credit cards were canceled and their bank accounts were frozen, making them unable to make essential payments, such as school fees for their children. This has damaged Manne’s business and prevented Pilant from receiving payments from the IDF for the reserve duty he has done continuously since October 2023, the suit alleges.

Attorneys with the National Jewish Advocacy Center, as well as with the Jerusalem-based law firm Zell, Aron & Co. and Marcus & Marcus in Pennsylvania filed suit in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia asking that the designations be canceled, claiming that they violate the constitutional rights to due process and equal protection under the law. They also argue that the charges against their clients are false.

The filing notes that the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Treasury Department agency that enforces sanctions, defines a “foreign person” as “any person that is not a U.S. person,” and a “U.S. person” is a “U.S. citizen,” among other categories. While in other cases, sanctions against foreigners specifically included U.S. citizens, EO 14115 made no such specification.

Eugene Kontorovich, a legal consultant with NJAC, argued to Jewish Insider that Pilant and Manne are “being sanctioned in violation of the due process clause. The government is punishing U.S. citizens without notice, hearing or actual substantive investigation into the facts before punishing them.”

Kontorovich called the State Department’s actions “recklessness in imposing life-shattering penalties on a U.S. citizen.”
Families of American hostages held in Gaza to attend Trump’s inauguration
Relatives of the seven American hostages held in Gaza will attend Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, representatives of the families announced.

The announcement Wednesday comes as Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden are both working to close a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would free some of the nearly 100 hostages, dead and alive, who have been held there since Hamas abducted them in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Deputies for both Trump and Biden are saying that a deal is close, though the sides have appeared optimistic in the past only for talks to falter.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Trump threatened that “if they’re not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East and it will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone.”

Representatives for the families of the American hostages also said that the relatives will meet with Trump administration officials when they are in Washington, D.C. for three days surrounding the inauguration. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected to attend the inauguration, though Wednesday’s announcement did not mention any plans for the relatives of the hostages to meet with him.

There are currently thought to be three living US citizens held in Gaza
Israeli officials have confirmed that four of the seven US citizens held in Gaza have been killed and that Hamas is holding their bodies in Gaza. They are Omer Neutra, Itay Chen, and husband and wife Gad Haggai and Judith Weinstein.

Americans Keith Siegel, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Edan Alexander are also being held captive.

The relatives in attendance will be either parents, children, siblings or the spouse of a hostage. Two sets of parents who spoke at last summer’s political conventions — those of Neutra and of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was murdered in captivity — will be among the attendees.


How Trump can help Israel take out Iran’s exposed nuke sites
Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan haunted his presidency.

His poll numbers at home never recovered, and foreign aggressors took his ineptitude as an invitation to challenge US interests.

Donald Trump will have a unique opportunity to do the exact opposite at the start of his second term — a sort of “reverse Afghanistan” that shocks the world through the successful application of American power — by cooperating with Israel to destroy Iran’s nuclear program.

Thanks to Israel, Iran is reeling.

Its most powerful proxy, Hezbollah, has been rendered impotent, and its pivotal ally, the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, has collapsed, its military capabilities laid waste by Israeli air power.

As for Iran itself, an Israeli attack in late October destroyed its most advanced air defenses, leaving the country naked to follow-on raids. Iran’s nuclear facilities are completely exposed.

Not only do Iran’s defenses lie in tatters, so too does the credibility of its longstanding threat to answer any attack on its nuclear facilities with a region-wide war.

The second-strike capability posed by Hezbollah’s massive rocket stockpile is no more. As for Iran’s own vaunted missile force, it fired two large salvos at the Jewish state and inflicted barely any damage — and that was before Israel’s October operation succeeded in crippling Iran’s missile-production capabilities.

Israel did all this without sparking the broader war the Biden administration had long feared.

Yet in Iran’s vulnerability lies a real danger: With its conventional deterrence in ruins, the regime now has enormous incentive to cross the nuclear threshold — a possibility its leaders today openly discuss.

It wouldn’t take much.

Iran already stands on the precipice, days away from producing enough highly enriched uranium for one bomb and a few weeks from having enough for a small arsenal.

It could take them anywhere from two to 18 months to turn that material into a usable weapon.

Making matters worse, this work could occur in secret without the world finding out until it was too late to stop it.

While US and Israeli intelligence believe they could detect such moves, their past record in predicting when other countries cross the nuclear Rubicon is decidedly poor.

In short, the moment to take out Iran’s nuclear program is now.
Former Israeli Military Officials Float Audacious Plan To Strike Iran in Final Days of Biden Presidency
Two prominent Israeli national security analysts have proposed that the Jewish state go it alone with major attack on Iran in the final days of Joe Biden's presidency.

Kobi Michael and Gabi Siboni, both former senior Israeli military officials, argued in a policy paper published last month that only a series of airstrikes on Iran's nuclear, military, economic, and government infrastructure can prevent the regime from rebuilding its regional terrorist network, which Israel has degraded over 15 months of war. Israel should start the attack just ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, according to the analysts—thereby minimizing the risk of diplomatic retaliation by Biden and forcing the hand of the president-elect.

"With this attack, Israel will demonstrate to the United States … its absolute refusal to accept the continuation of the Iranian nuclear program and its unwillingness to risk Iran’s breakout to a bomb," Michael and Siboni wrote for the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, a think tank in Jerusalem where they are researchers. "As several rounds of attacks on Iran will be required, [the subsequent rounds] will take place after Trump takes office and under a U.S. administration that is more sympathetic than Biden's."

Few Israeli politicians would contemplate such a move in public, and even in the think tank world, Michael and Siboni's proposal stands out as audacious. But their paper, which has been discussed in Hebrew media, comes as Israeli leaders signal new willingness to go it alone against Iran if necessary.

When prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed for a strike on Iran's nuclear program more than a decade ago, he was repeatedly blocked by his powerful security chiefs and criticized by his political rivals. Today, Israel's security establishment has reportedly advocated such a strike, as have leading politicians across the Zionist political spectrum.

In recent months, the Israeli military has smashed Iran's missile and aerial defense capabilities and its terrorist affiliates Hamas and Hezbollah, leaving Iran exposed. Netanyahu has said that Israel's war with Iran and its terrorists affiliates must end in a decisive confrontation with Tehran. But he and his associates have projected confidence that Trump's America will stand with Israel in the fight.

"Iran has one option left, arming itself with a nuclear weapon, and it is striving to achieve this," Netanyahu said in remarks to the Knesset following Trump's election in November. "We will be tested by our ability to thwart the nuclear program. We held Iran back by a decade, but it advanced. The test rests upon us, on the government of Israel and on our friend the United States."

Amir Avivi, a former senior Israeli military official who has advised Netanyahu during the war and met with members of Trump's team at the Mar-a-Lago, Florida, headquarters last month, put the odds of a "massive" joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear program at 80 percent.

"I don't see any scenario where Trump ties our hands," Avivi told the Washington Free Beacon. "So the question is: Will Trump lead the attack or will we do it alone, and maybe he will provide us with additional capabilities?"

But Michael and Siboni assessed that Trump will not want to start his presidency with escalation in the Middle East and will instead "try to make a deal" with Iran.

"And the Iranians will do what they do best and manipulate the Western negotiators and then subvert any deal they agree to," Siboni, who is also a researcher at the Jerusalem Institute for National Security Studies, told the Free Beacon. "Israel cannot allow this to happen. We have to strike Iran now."


UN Watch: UN “Will Not Respond” to Investigation Exposing Agency’s Ties to Islamic Terror Groups
The UN is refusing to address the findings of an investigation into UNRWA management’s ties to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, on grounds that the 50-page report was revealed in the media instead of being sent directly to the UN.

“We’re not going to respond to yet another report from UN Watch,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in a Tuesday briefing, saying the world body’s officials “appreciate information being given to us directly, instead of done through the media.”

Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a Geneva-based non-governmental organization, said he was “astonished at the audacity of the UN’s stance.”

“The UN spokesman claims they won’t respond to our report because we didn’t provide the evidence to them beforehand. Yet that is exactly what we have been trying to do these past few months, in repeated letters and appeals requesting to meet.”

“We urge Western donor states to take note that our new report reveals how UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini regularly meets with the leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist groups, and yet by contrast he has systematically declined our requests to meet,” Neuer said.

“I urged to meet with him ahead of his visit to Geneva on June 25, and his visit to Lausanne on August 1. I was right next to him on both occasions, yet he refused to to receive our evidence of UNRWA terror ties. Neither would he meet with me in New York in November, despite our repeated public appeals for him to receive our dossier. UNRWA won’t respond to our letters and emails, and pressures groups to disinvite me from panels where they appear.”

“The audacity of the UN in refusing to respond to our detailed report, while dismissing our efforts to engage directly, is staggering,” Neuer added. “It’s a shameful abdication of accountability, especially given the serious nature of the allegations.”
Israel Advocacy Movement: The UN's Secret War Against Israel
In this mini-documentary we expose how the UN has been hijacked and is now one of the greatest existential threats Israel faces.
Board of Deputies calls for Francesca Albanese’s dismissal after she endorses David Miller
The Board of Deputies has called on the UK Government to request the dismissal of the UN’s independent expert for Palestinian human rights after she expressed support for disgraced academic David Miller.

In a now-deleted post on X, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese voiced her endorsement of Miller, the former University of Bristol professor, in his ongoing legal battle with the institution.

In February 2024, a tribunal ruled that Miller had been unfairly discriminated against when he was dismissed from the university over allegations that he made antisemitic remarks.

The former professor has previously accused the Union of Jewish Students of creating a “charade of false antisemitism allegations” and has called for the “end of Zionism”.

Now, the university is believed to appealing the tribunal’s decision, which found that his anti-Israel beliefs were “worthy of respect in a democratic society”.

Last week, Miller took to the social media site to ask for donations to fund his fight against the appeal, claiming he needed to raise £75,000.

In her own tweet, Albanese strongly voiced her support for Miller in the legal dispute.

“NEVER AGAIN,” she wrote, citing the Holocaust as justification for her endorsement of the former academic.

“We, the generation who grew up with a sense of deceit, guilt and responsibility for the ignorant and coward ancestors of ours who made the Holocaust happen, WE have a role to play TODAY. In every corner.

“I stand with Justice, against racism, against Apartheid, and WITH Professor Miller.”

The UN official also urged her followers to “#StandWithMiller”.
Halevi: Hamas knows its position becoming ‘unbearable’
Hamas understands that its position is becoming “unbearable,” Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said on Monday, adding, “and I’m telling you—we won’t stop.”

Speaking during a situation assessment on Monday night in the Jabalia area of the Gaza Strip, Halevi emphasized the ongoing military pressure on the terrorist group and vowed to maintain it.

“We will bring them to the point where they understand that they must return all the hostages. Otherwise, the highly professional work you are doing will continue and continue—taking more prisoners and killing more operatives. And I know you are doing everything possible to minimize casualties on our side,” he said.

He was joined by senior commanders, including Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, commanding officer of the Southern Command; Brig Gen. Itzik Cohen, commanding officer of the 162nd Division; and several brigade commanders.

Israeli strikes target Hamas terrorists
In response to ongoing threats, an IDF helicopter gunship targeted a Hamas command center, hidden inside a school building in the Jabalia area, the army announced Wednesday afternoon.

“Hamas terrorists used the school as a base to plan and carry out attacks against IDF forces and Israel,” the military statement said.

The strike was executed following intelligence gathered by the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate, the army’s Southern Command and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), which had been carefully coordinated to minimize harm to civilians.

Before launching the strike, the military implemented several measures to ensure the safety of noncombatants, it said.


IDF kills Hamas Sabra Battalion head Osama Abu Namos, other commanders
The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) killed the commander of Hamas's "Sabra Battalion," Osama Abu Namos, during a strike last week, the military announced on Thursday evening.

Other significant terrorists from the battalion were also eliminated.

According to the IDF, Namos directed Hamas's terror activity against Israeli citizens and military troops in the area of the Netzarim Corridor.

It also added that Namos played a significant role in providing intelligence to Hamas. He was killed in an airstrike conducted by the Israel Air Force.

Additionally, the IDF said that other terrorists, including Mahmoud Al Tarq, the deputy commander of the Sabra Batallion, were killed in strikes.

IDF strikes additional Hamas terrorists
The IDF also said that Tarq also served as a Nukhba Forces company commander in the battalion. He planned and executed terror attacks against Israeli civilians and was responsible for overseeing terrorist operatives and terror compounds in the area.

The IDF also named Sabra Battalion Nukba Forces company commanders Mahmoud Shaheen and Hamada Diri as other terrorists killed by Israeli military action.

Diri and Shaheen were responsible for supplying weapons to Hamas terrorists in the battalion. The two executed attacks on IDF troops in the area, the IDF stated.


IDF strikes vehicle suspected of carrying arms in Southern Lebanon
The Israeli Air Force on Thursday attacked a vehicle in Southern Lebanon suspected of carrying weapons in violation of the ceasefire, the military said.

“Earlier today, a number of suspects who loaded weapons on a vehicle in Southern Lebanon from military facilities that belonged to the Hezbollah terrorist organization were detected,” the IDF spokesperson said in a statement.

“Aircraft of the [Israeli] Air Force opened fire at the weapons on the vehicle to remove the threat.

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

On Tuesday, U.S. Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers and French Brig. Gen. Guillaume Ponchin viewed confiscated Hezbollah weapons during a visit to the Lebanese Armed Forces’ 5th Brigade headquarters in southwestern Lebanon.

According to statements from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the U.S. embassy in Lebanon, the weapons stockpiles, which they referred to as belonging to “unauthorized armed groups,” will be destroyed in the coming days.

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein told reporters on Monday during a visit to Beirut that Israeli forces began withdrawing from the south Lebanon border town of Naqura.

“The Israeli military started its withdrawal from Naqura … and back into Israel proper today, south of the Blue Line,” Hochstein said, according to AFP, referring to the U.N.-demarcated border between Lebanon and Israel.

“These withdrawals will continue until all Israeli forces are out of Lebanon completely, and as the Lebanese army continues to deploy into the south and all the way to the Blue Line,” he said.


Fact vs Fiction | What’s Really Happening with Gaza Aid
Explore the truth behind Israel's humanitarian efforts in Gaza amidst the ongoing conflict. In this episode of State of a Nation, former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy engages with Shimon Freedman, the international spokesperson for COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories). Together, they uncover the challenges of delivering aid in a war zone, the complexities of humanitarian logistics, and the accusations faced by Israel on the global stage. From new aid routes to combating looting and ensuring aid isn't hijacked, this discussion separates fact from fiction about Israel's role in facilitating aid to Gaza.

Gain insights into Israel's policies, the international community's response, and the obstacles to effective humanitarian aid distribution. Don’t miss this deep dive into one of the most critical issues shaping the Middle East today.

Key Topics:
Israel’s humanitarian policies in Gaza
Challenges in delivering aid amid conflict
The role of COGAT and international organizations
Addressing looting and aid misappropriation
International allegations vs. ground realities

0:00 - Coming up
0:14 - Monologue
2:03 - Welcome
4:59 - Humanitarian Policy Before October 7th
9:08 - Challenges of Delivering Aid in a War Zone
12:49 - New Aid Routes and Increased Capacity
21:02 - Dual Use Items
27:03 - Polio campaign and Proactive aid
31:53 - Why no one believes Israel
36:10 - Why Israel doesn't call out UN agencies
39:21 - How to learn more


Caroline Glick: Exposing the Failures of the IDF Leadership w/ Amiad Cohen
Amiad Cohen, founder and CEO of Herut ‒ The Center for Israeli Liberty, joins JNS senior contributing editor Caroline Glick to answer all your questions about the wars on the Jewish state's borders.

Cohen gives an inside look from the front and adds important perspectives on the ongoing failures of Israel’s leadership to win the military battle and return the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Current Situation in Lebanon
03:08 Israel's Military Operations and Strategic Changes
06:03 Hezbollah's Preparedness and Tactical Insights
08:57 The Dynamics Between Hamas and Hezbollah
11:46 IDF's Military Strategy and Challenges
15:06 The Civilian Experience in Conflict Zones
17:57 Hezbollah's Evolving Tactics and Israeli Response
21:13 The Role of International Oversight and Aid
24:06 Public Sentiment and Government Response
26:56 Regional Implications: Syria and Iran
29:51 The Ongoing Conflict in Gaza
32:39 Strategic Challenges in Gaza
35:30 The Role of Leadership in Warfare
37:53 Jordan's Political Landscape and Its Implications
40:40 The Fragility of Jordan and Regional Stability
42:33 The Palestinian Statehood Debate
44:52 Preparing for Future Conflicts
45:51 The Threat of the Muslim Brotherhood
50:01 Reconceptualizing National Security
53:45 Economic Opportunities Amidst Conflict


Tick Tock: Trump Gives Final Warning to Release Hostages Before Inauguration | Israel Undiplomatic
Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president of the United States couldn’t come soon enough for many people awaiting the safe release of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

In this episode of "Israel Undiplomatic," JNS senior contributing editor Ruthie Blum and Mark Regev, former Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom—both former advisers at the Prime Minister's Office—discuss the stark differences between U.S. President Joe Biden’s approach to the hostage talks and Trump’s warning that "all hell will break out" if the hostages aren’t released before Jan. 20.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Overview of Current Events
01:04 Trump's Inauguration and Its Implications for Israel
06:13 Economic Sanctions and Military Support for Israel
10:09 Critique of the Biden Administration's Foreign Policy
14:02 International Criminal Court and Its Impact on Israel
18:14 Hamas's Strategy and the Regional Response
26:07 Potential Breakthrough with Saudi Arabia
29:56 Conclusion and Future Prospects


Podhoretz: Biden Left Trump a World on Fire | Think Twice
What is the legacy of U.S. President Joe Biden? As President-elect Donald Trump is set to assume power on Jan. 20, inflation is rampant, wildfires destroy Los Angeles, the Middle East is on fire and the Russia-Ukraine war rages on.

JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin sits down with John Podhoretz, editor of Commentary Magazine, to discuss the legacy of the Biden administration, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategic decision and the future of the American political landscape.




Code Pink slammed for comparing California
The anti-Israel group Code Pink, which has regularly followed members of Congress through the Capitol building accusing them of supporting “genocide” in Gaza, drew widespread criticism for comparing the wildfires devastating California and Israel’s war against the Hamas terror organization in the Strip.

An organizer for the group posted a video outside the office of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), whose “state is being ravaged by fires and the climate disaster,” she said. “At the same time, Congress is set to pass $8 billion more to Israel to continue to bomb and obliterate people in Gaza.”

“We are drawing the parallels where people in communities in California are being evacuated from their homes and people in Gaza have been evacuated from their homes for the past 15 months,” the keffiyeh-clad organizer added.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) wrote that “the nature of antisemitism is to scapegoat the Jewish people and the Jewish state for everything wrong in the world—no matter how tenuous the causal connection.”

“Toward that end, the antisemites of Code Pink are blaming the Jewish state for the wildfires in California,” Torres wrote. “The modus operandi of antisemitism is slanderous scapegoating: when in doubt, blame the Jews.”

Jeff Jacoby, a columnist for The Boston Globe op-ed, wrote that “rabid antisemites have falsely blamed Jews for everything—the Black Death, communism, the slave trade, high rents, killing Jesus, 9/11, Germany’ WWI defeat, control of the economy, you name it.”

“Now, thanks to Code Pink’s crazies, you can add California wildfires to the list,” he wrote.


Jews BANNED from city EVERY Sunday 'for their own protection'
A group of Australian Jews recently found themselves forced to leave Melbourne's CBD 'for their safety' after a peaceful attempt to reclaim the city from ongoing anti-Israel protests. The group, led by Yaacov Travitz and known as Lions of Zion, sought to test whether their presence in the city, while displaying Jewish and Israeli symbols, would provoke the same hostile environment seen at the weekly so-called "pro-Palestinian" rallies.

Yaacov, along with two friends, walked into the city on a Sunday afternoon to simply have a coffee and see what would happen. They were not part of any protest, nor were they provoking anyone.

“We wanted to go, just the three of us, have a coffee, just see what our mere presence does,” Yaacov explained. They entered a Starbucks near the State Library, where they sat for over two hours, discussing their lives without disturbing anyone around them.

However, their peaceful gathering was soon interrupted when one of the anti-Israel activists noticed them and alerted the police. The officers arrived and questioned the group, warning them of the "potential danger" they were putting themselves in.

After further discussion, the police issued a move-on order, instructing the group to leave the area "for their own safety." They were told to move 100m from the Starbucks and not return for two hours. “It’s a lawful order,” the police said, with Yaacov expressing disbelief over the situation.

The action by the group was meant to challenge the narrative that Jews should be afraid to visit Melbourne's CBD, where anti-Israel rallies have been taking place every Sunday since October 2023. Yaacov pointed out that many Jews, even those who wear a kippa or display the Star of David, have been too scared to enter the city on these days due to the rallies turning violent.

While the group made a point of displaying their Jewish pride with subtle Israel-related symbols — Yaacov wore a Lions of Zion shirt and another group member displayed an Israel sticker — it was clear they were not intending to antagonise anyone. “We weren’t hiding, but we weren’t pushing it in anybody’s face,” he explained.

Despite the tension in the air, Yaacov believes the issue goes beyond just the Jewish community. “It’s Australians as well,” he says, highlighting incidents where others, not affiliated with the Jewish community, have also been attacked by the anti-Israel protesters.






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