Friday, January 17, 2025

01/17 Links Pt1: Melanie Phillips: Dealing with the devil Schrödinger’s Ceasefire; Antisemitic vandals target home once owned by high-profile Jewish leader

From Ian:

Melanie Phillips: Dealing with the devil
Taking the Israeli hostages was an evil masterstroke by Hamas. However, America is largely responsible for abandoning them to their fate and allowing Hamas to continue to deploy these innocents as an infernal weapon of blackmail and extortion.

The “hell” of which both Trump and Cotton have spoken should have been threatened on Oct. 8, 2023, against Hamas’s sponsor and protector, Qatar. If the Biden administration had told Qatar that unless the hostages were released within five days the United States would end every arrangement with it on which the Gulf state depends, the hostages would have been freed.

Not only did the Biden administration not do this, but it has continued to this day to treat Qatar as a legitimate interlocutor—while undermining Israel’s desperate attempt to defend itself.

The United States threatened and blackmailed Israel into admitting into Gaza aid supplies most of which were stolen by Hamas, enabling it to make millions of dollars to reinforce its own genocidal war machine. The Bidenites repeatedly instructed Israel to reduce attacks on Iran or its proxies, forcing it to fight its war of survival with its hands tied behind its back in a way that America wouldn’t have dreamed of behaving had it been targeted itself in this way for annihilation.

In part, the Bidenites’ attitude toward Israel—in many respects a continuation of former President Barack Obama’s profound animus against the Jewish state—has been driven by malice. But it’s also infused with the belief that Israel can never win its battle against the Palestinian Arabs and therefore must compromise with them.

That, in turn, is rooted in the liberal belief that all conflict is soluble through negotiation and compromise. But when the conflict is between those committed to genocide and their intended victims—as is the case between the Iran/Palestinian Arab axis and Israel’s Jews—any compromise by Israel is tantamount to offering its throat to be slit.

Trump doesn’t subscribe to this liberal delusion. And his commitment to Israel is genuine and deep. However, Trump is famously transactional. He appears to believe that all conflict is soluble through a deal—provided that he, the supreme practitioner of “the art of the deal,” is directing it.

And so, alarmingly, he has apparently reached out to Iran to begin negotiations over its nuclear program and other nefarious activities. But any negotiation with people who have a non-negotiable agenda strengthens them and weakens their victims.

Trump doesn’t want a war on his watch. He has virtually promised the American people that he will bring an end to war. But sometimes an enemy arises with whom any agreement is a deal with the devil.

If Netanyahu is seen to have been forced to agree to Israel’s defeat in Gaza, he will be finished. As for Trump, the fear is that his transactionalism will mean he ends up playing the same role as the Biden administration in empowering evil.

We can only hold our breath.
Douglas Murray: A real cease-fire deal must ensure the destruction of Hamas
“Bring them home” has been the slogan of the hostage families in Israel since October 7, 2023.

But when Hamas murdered 1,200 people, including 46 Americans, and when it took 254 people hostage, including 12 Americans, there should have been a different slogan: “Give them back. Now.”

Since that day, so many opportunities have been missed.

On October 8, Joe Biden could have called up the governments in Qatar, Iran and other rogue states and told them to get their friends in Hamas to hand over the hostages now.

Or else.

With the leverage the US has in the Middle East, a hardball approach against the Qataris, Iranians and Turks could have solved this mess 15 months ago.

Instead it has taken the pressure of the incoming Trump administration to get a deal agreed to.

It is still a bittersweet moment.

On the one hand, everyone except Hamas and its goons in the West must feel their hearts lift at the idea of the remaining hostages being released.

These are men, women and babies who did nothing wrong but have spent 15 months in the hell of Hamas captivity.

On the other hand, the deal includes the release of Palestinian prisoners, including murderers.

In the first round of releases, nine ill and wounded hostages will be exchanged for 110 Palestinian prisoners who are serving life sentences.

Just think about that.

An Israeli baby could be released in exchange for a dozen grown murderers.

This is very difficult for the Israeli public to stomach, not least because the last time a similar deal was done, Israel released Yahya Sinwar, who went on to mastermind October 7.

Biden has tried to make matters worse by claiming this deal is exactly the same as one he had put in place last May.

What he misses is the work that the IDF has managed to do in the last eight months.
Seth Mandel: Schrödinger’s Ceasefire
Secretary of State Antony Blinken was confident enough to make his farewell speech all about implementing a plan for postwar Gaza: “For many months, we’ve been working intensively with our partners to develop a detailed post-conflict plan that would allow Israel to fully withdraw from Gaza, prevent Hamas from filling back in, and provide for Gaza’s governance, security, and reconstruction… We will hand it off to the Trump administration to carry forward.”

But now that another full day has gone by without a signed agreement, a familiar feeling that comes when covering the Middle East is overtaking the media. The New York Times currently has the following two headlines next to each other on its website: “Hamas After Cease-Fire: Weakened, Isolated but Still Standing” followed immediately by “Deadly strikes in Gaza continue despite the announcement of a cease-fire deal.”

Indeed, according to the IDF, “Muhammad Hasham Zahedi Abu Al-Rus, a Nukhba terrorist who infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and participated in the massacre at the Nova Music Festival, was eliminated overnight in an intelligence-based strike. Additionally, the IAF conducted strikes on approx. 50 terrorist targets across Gaza over the last day, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, military compounds, weapons storage facilities, launch posts, weapons manufacturing sites, and observation posts.”

Meanwhile, the Washington Post’s headline writers must think they’re being pranked, as they ping-pong from “Gazans eye ceasefire with mixed feelings: ‘What do we have left?’” to “Ceasefire deal delayed as Netanyahu bargains with far-right allies” and back to “Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal brings hope for devastated northern Gaza”—again, one right after the other.

It’s Schrödinger’s ceasefire!

The real lesson, however, is that there is no such thing as a permanent ceasefire so long as Hamas is in power. After all, there was a ceasefire in place on Oct. 6, 2023. And the trove of reporting in the wake of the attacks made clear that Hamas never had any intention of upholding that ceasefire: its restraint was a key part of its Oct. 7 strategy to lull Israel (and the world) into thinking it was becoming a responsible party in Mideast politics.

Yes, this particular deal is unique because of the circumstances, namely Israel’s hopes of getting back its captives—not because it is going to bring about a permanent truce.

The Middle East you’ll find in Western newspapers doesn’t exist. The reality for those who live in Israel is that, as its enemies say every day, there is one conflict: the attempt to eradicate the Jewish state. Does a boxing match end permanently between rounds? In football does the score go back to 0-0 after halftime?

There’s nothing wrong with diplomats touting a deal they helped negotiate. But the triumphalism from every corner except Israel ought to tell you that one party isn’t expecting a reprieve.
Richard Kemp: Hamas must be eradicated. If it isn’t, this Gaza ceasefire is a failure
Hamas is now isolated and to crown it all Donald Trump is entering the White House next week. They fear that will unshackle Israel from the constraints of Joe Biden who tried his best to prevent Netanyahu’s “total victory”. They also fear that Trump will do what Biden failed to do: force Qatar to expel their political leadership and also reduce the international pressure on Israel on which Hamas depends. There is every likelihood Trump will sanction the International Criminal Court and at the same time put the boot into the Israel haters at the UN.

All that is why Hamas has now accepted Israel’s red line: the IDF will maintain military forces in key strategic areas in Gaza and Israel retains the right to resume the war when the ceasefire ends. The terrorist organisation will meanwhile be planning to utilise its international backers to pressure Israel not to resume hostilities – including the useful idiots who parade on our streets and university campuses every week.

But while any hostages are retained in Gaza and while Hamas continues to represent a threat to its people, Israel can and should go back on the attack. For that they will have Trump’s backing. His nomination for National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, told Fox News: “I’d like to make something very clear to the Israelis, if you need to go back in, we are with you. We are 100 per cent committed to destroying Hamas as a military organisation”.

Meanwhile the focus of the war is likely to shift to the head of the jihadist octopus, Iran. Netanyahu and Trump have almost certainly already agreed on that, and this deal should be seen as one element of their joint strategy. Eliminating the ayatollahs’ nuclear programme and further undermining their regional proxy network is vital. Isolating Iran and strengthening Israel’s security is not a military project alone. Trump is also likely to return to the Abraham Accords, bringing Saudi Arabia into the fold. The prospect of that alarmed Iran so much that it triggered Hamas’s murderous atrocities on 7th October.

Nevertheless, those who are horrified by this deal are right to highlight its grave risks. It seems to involve release of more than a thousand Palestinian terrorists in exchange for 33 Israeli hostages. And a cessation will give Hamas some opportunity to regroup and rebuild its capabilities. Above all it leaves Hamas in a position to maintain its stranglehold on Gaza’s population. That would certainly be disastrous and the eventual eradication or survival of Hamas will be the true measure of the success or otherwise of this ceasefire.


List of 33 hostages to be released in first stage of deal published
The list of the 33 hostages set to be released in the first stage of the hostage deal was published on Friday.

The names are: Liri Albag, Itzhak Elgarat, Karina Ariev, Ohad Ben Ami, Ariel Bibas, Yarden Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Shiri Bibas, Agam Berger, Gonen Romi, Daniella Gilboa, Emily Damari, Sagui Dekel Chen, Iair Horn, Omer Wenkert, Alexandre Sasha Troufanov, Arbel Yehoud, Ohad Yahalomi, Eliya Cohen, Or Levy, Naama Levy, Oded Lifshitz, Gadi Moshe Mozes, Avraham (Avera) Mengisto, Shlomo Mantzur , Keith Samuel Sigal, Tsachi Idan, Ofer Kalderon, Tal Shoham, Doron Steinbrecher, Omer Shem Tov, Hisham Al-Sayed , Eli Sharabi.

The Prime Minister's Office stated that the release of the hostages would be able to begin on Sunday, pending the cabinet's approval of the deal.

"Pending approval by the Security Cabinet and the Government, and the agreement taking effect, the release of the hostages will be implemented according to the planned framework in which the hostages are expected to be released on Sunday," the statement read.

Appeals to High Court regarding release of Palestinian prisoners
Earlier on Friday, it was reported that efforts were being made to begin the release on Sunday.

Attempts were being made to limit the time given to appeals to the High Court of Justice regarding the Palestinian terrorists who are set to be released in the framework of the deal, which can only occur on weekdays.

Israeli media later reported that the High Court would deal with the appeals with the required rapidity, including during the weekend if needed.

In each phase, only after the hostages are received by the IDF and their families are notified will the Prime Minister's Office issue an official announcement with the names of the hostages expected to be released that day.

In the early hours of Friday, Hamas and Israel signed the hostage deal in Doha.
Justice Ministry releases names of Palestinian prisoners to be released in deal
The Israeli Justice Ministry released a page on its website on Friday that listed 95 Palestinian prisoners that would be released in a hostage release deal with Hamas.

According to the deal's outline, their release will not take place before Sunday at 4:00 p.m.

Most of the prisoners on the list are women, and only one prisoner on the list under the age of 18 at the time of their arrest was convicted of murder, according to Ynet.

The list of names on the ministry's website shows that a vast majority of those arrested were after the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023. Less than 10 were arrested before the attacks.

Among the prominent names on the list is attorney Khalida Jarrar, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council who represents the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Jarrar is designated by the Shin Bet as the head of the PFLP in the West Bank.

Jarrar is a political activist and a feminist figure in Palestinian society. She played a significant role in the Palestinian Authority’s legal battle against Israel at the International Criminal Court, according to Ynet.

Who else is being released?
Abla Saadat, the wife of Ahmed Saadat, Secretary-General of the PFLP, who planned the assassination of Minister Rehavam Ze’evi and has been imprisoned since 2006, is set to be released as well. In November, more than 60 PFLP members involved in terrorist activities, including Abla, were arrested. Hamas eagerly is seeking the release of her husband.

Additionally, Nahil Masalmeh, 37, who planned an attack on a security officer at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, will be released. She was arrested while carrying a knife. Nahil's husband, Ahed Dodin, a senior Hamas operative, is also in detention, Ynet reported.

A 17-year-old East Jerusalemite girl who attempted a stabbing attack on police officers in the Old City in May 2024 will also be released in the deal's first phase, as well as Noal Abd Fattah, who stabbed a 70-year-old man with a 20 cm knife on the Armon Hanatziv Promenade, will also be released. She was scheduled to be released in 2028.

A 16-year-old who conducted a shooting attack near the City of David, wounding an IDF officer over three years ago, will also be released. The prosecution is seeking an 18-year sentence for him, and his trial is still ongoing.

Almost all of those who are listed do not have Israeli citizenship, according to the ministry's website.
How Trump’s ‘salty’ envoy may have forced Israel’s hand on hostage deal
The call last week from Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy was reportedly blunt and short on diplomatic nicety.

Steven Witkoff is said to have told aides to Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, that he was headed to Israel on Saturday afternoon.

When informed that would be in the middle of the sabbath, but the prime minister could meet in the evening, his reply was apparently “salty” and clear, according to Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper.

The sabbath did not interest Mr Witkoff, the aides were told.

Mr Netanyahu duly went to his office to meet the US envoy, who afterwards jetted back to Qatar to push further on a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza.

The exchange over the weekend illustrated how negotiations stretching more than a year on how to end the war had been shaken up by the impending Trump administration, Israeli sources said.

With Israel and Hamas said to have agreed a ceasefire deal after months of heavy diplomatic efforts, it may be Mr Trump’s election victory which provided the final impetus to get an agreement over the line.

Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire and the release of dozens of Israeli hostages, although the plan still needs to be submitted to the Israeli cabinet for final approval.

The enemies have been discussing how to end the Gaza war by swapping Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners for more than a year.

Discussions stretched into months of secret talks, spurred on by mediation from regional and global power brokers, particularly Washington, Qatar and Egypt.

While both sides had broadly agreed on the principle of halting the fighting in return for the release of hostages held by Hamas, and Palestinian detainees held by Israel, the detail and choreography remained elusive.

Hamas has always insisted that any deal must lead to a permanent end to the war and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Israel said it would not end the war until Hamas had been comprehensively dismantled.
Alan M. Dershowitz: It Wasn't a Deal – It Was a Crime
The decision by the Israeli government to make significant concessions to the Hamas kidnappers should never be called a "deal." It was an extortion.... The kidnapping was a crime. And the extortionate demand was an additional crime.

When a terrorist group "negotiates" with a democracy, it always has the upper hand. The terrorists are not constrained by morality, law or truth. They can murder at will, rape at will, torture at will and threaten to do worse. The democracy, on the other hand, must comply with the rules of law and must listen to the pleas of the hostage families.

Especially complicit, with blood on their hands, are supporters of Hamas on university campuses who chant for intifada and revolution. Also complicit are international organizations, such as the International Criminal Court, that treat Israel and Hamas as equals.

[L]et us put the blame for ALL the deaths in Gaza where it belongs: on Hamas and the useful idiots and useless bigots who support murderous terrorists.
My Son Hersh Was Killed in Gaza. I Won’t Stop Speaking Out Until All Hostages Are Home
My only son, Hersh, was kidnapped from a music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, after having his dominant forearm and hand blown off. He was held captive, tortured, starved and then, after 328 days, shot in the hand (his only one), shoulder, neck and twice in the head in a dark and airless tunnel in Gaza on Aug. 29, 2024.

Hersh’s name had been on the list, in July, of who would be released in a deal between Hamas and Israel. But that deal did not happen, because decision makers did not want it to happen. And Hersh, along with five other beautiful young people, with whom he was being held hostage, are now all dead.

My husband Jon and I, after having suffered more than 300 days of every parent’s nightmare of utter and indescribable torment, continued advocating and pushing for the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. We did not want anyone else to go through what we are and will continue grappling with for the rest of our lives. At this time there are 98 hostages still in Gaza. The live hostages must come home to be physically and psychologically rehabilitated, and the deceased must return to have proper and respectful burials.

Finally, on Wednesday, the news came that a deal was reached and will begin to be implemented imminently.

Over 200 messages flooded my phone. People seemed confused that Jon and I are relieved and happy that so many of our hostage community, with whom we feel like family, will finally be reunited with their loved ones. This does not mean we are not in agonizing mourning and oozing with grief for our beloved Hersh, who we buried 135 days ago. It means we can hold two truths; we can even hold more.

Humans are fascinating creatures. We can experience a multitude of diverse feelings simultaneously. So we can experience suffering while still having the capacity to laugh, we can be longing for someone and capable of celebration, we can be weeping and resilient, we can be yearning and hopeful.

What is essential to us at this moment is that we make sure this phase of the deal is the beginning of the end, and not the end. Getting out 33 cherished human beings is critical. BUT, there are still going to be 65 hostages left in captivity. This remains a microcosm of failure of all of humanity.

The remaining hostages represent 23 different nations. They are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. The youngest is Kfir Bibas, who will turn two years old on Saturday, Jan. 18. And the oldest is Shlomo Mansur, who is 86 years old. They are both slated for being released in this first phase of the deal. Yet back in November 2023, they were also supposed to be released (as was my son Hersh), but the deal broke down and now Hersh is dead. I pray Kfir and Shlomo come home as planned, alive and able to recover.


THE HOSTAGE DEAL - with Nadav Eyal
After fifteen months of war, and months of on-again, off-again negotiations, Israel and Hamas have reached a hostage deal, which is set to take effect this upcoming Sunday.

What are the key points of the deal? What should we expect - or brace for - as hostages return home to Israel? And - will this deal mean the end of the war?

To take in this historic development, and to help us understand all the above questions, we welcome back Nadav Eyal to the podcast.

Nadav Eyal is a columnist for Yediiot. He is one of Israel’s leading journalists. Eyal has been covering Middle-Eastern and international politics for the last two decades for Israeli radio, print and television news.

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
2:09 What are the details of the deal?
11:34 Why is Hamas going for this deal?
13:08 The value of the Netzarim corridor
17:00 Will Israel resume monitoring Netzarim following the deal?
19:47 Where will Hamas terrorists be sent?
23:11 What will happen with Hamas after this deal?
25:00 Will there remain a new buffer zone?
26:16 Importance of the Philadelphi corridor
30:22 Hamas’s demands for a formal declaration to end the war
35:15 The Biden administration’s perspective
37:51 Prime Minister Netanyahu’s perspective and the domestic Israeli politics surrounding the deal
44:07 The Trump effect on the deal
47:02 Israel’s transformation of the region as leverage for the deal
51:12 The symbolic importance of this moment


What Matters Now PoidCast: What Matters Now to Haviv Rettig Gur: Hamas's survival is Gaza's tragedy
Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with The Times of Israel's senior analyst, Haviv Rettig Gur.

When this podcast conversation was recorded, the deal between Israel and Hamas for a hostage release and temporary ceasefire in Gaza had not actually been signed and sealed. Despite jubilant announcements by mediators on Wednesday night, by Thursday morning, claims of last-minute demands from Hamas had prevented a formal announcement.

Whether or not the deal will go through, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new flexibility on several previously immovable points is noteworthy.

In our conversation, Rettig Gur postulates that there’s a reason Netanyahu seems to be struggling to speak clearly to his coalition partners and the electorate about his reasons for supporting the deal — and about what’s going on in the talks. Much of it may have to do with a potentially watershed moment -- the Trump inauguration on January 20 -- or maybe there is a secret second deal that Trump is already forwarding.

Hamas's very survival is its victory, acknowledges Rettig Gur, who mourns the tragic fate that awaits Gazans as the agents of destruction again return to power.

So this week, we ask Haviv Rettig Gur: What matters now?
Shin Bet head Ronen Bar: '82% of those released in Shalit deal returned to terror activity'
Shin Bet head Ronen Bar presented data to the ministers in the security cabinet on Friday, stating that "82% of of those released in the Gilad Shalit deal in 2011 returned to terrorism," and that 15% of them carried out attacks themselves after their release in the deal, or planned the attacks.

Israel's security cabinet voted to recommend the government approve the outline for the hostage deal on Friday.

The just over 1,000 released prisoners engaged in terror activities such as contributing to terrorist funds as well as aiding and providing information to terrorist groups, Bar said.

He also said that the release of terrorists is expected to increase the motivation to carry out attacks in the West Bank, Israeli media reported.

Bar said that the danger does not necessarily stem from terrorists being released as part of the deal, but from the atmosphere that will be created in the West Bank as a result, which will make terror organizations want to attain additional "achievements."

The Shin Bet chief noted that for this reason, the IDF must increase activity against terrorists and terror infrastructure in the West Bank in parallel with the implementation of the deal, Maariv quoted Bar.

IDF Lt.-Gen. Maurice Hirsch told the Post this week that "By 2014, 50% of those released in Judea and Samaria almost immediately returned to terrorism."


Emily Damari is on the list, but I won’t believe she’s free until I see her, says her mother
Emily Damari, the only British hostage still being held in Gaza, is among a list of 33 captives due to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire deal, according to reports in Israeli media.

The 28-year-old was snatched from her home at Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel by Hamas on the morning of October 7, 2023.

Ever since, her mother, Mandy Damari, has been lobbying top politicians in the UK and Israel in a tireless campaign to secure her release.

The mother of the Israeli-British hostage has expressed her gratitude to Donald Trump, the incoming US president, whom she views as fundamental to the deal.

“President-elect Donald Trump, you have really made my dreams come true. A deal has been signed,” she told the Mail.

Trump has claimed credit for the success of the negotiations in Doha, the Qatari capital, which involved his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. In a press conference on Wednesday, outgoing US President Joe Biden made it clear that the deal was an exact mirror of the proposal he put forward in May this year.

“But it’s not over,” Damari said. “My nightmare is still going on until I see Emily and all the other 98 hostages back in Israel with their families.”


Who is Hisham al-Sayed, the Bedouin Israeli held by Hamas since 2015 set for freedom?
Hisham al-Sayed was 27 when he wandered into southern Gaza and was promptly abducted by Hamas. Now, at age 36, the Bedouin-Israeli may be returning to his hometown al-Hura as part of the first phase of a hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and his terrorist captors.

Sayed crossed into Gaza on April 20, 2015. He was believed to have been struggling with severe mental health issues at the time he crossed - having previously reportedly been diagnosed with schizophrenia, a “personality disorder,” and other conditions.

In 2016, Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades published what appeared to be photoshopped photos purporting to show Sayed working as an IDF soldier, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

'There are no civilians in Israel'
Hamas co-founder, Mahmoud al-Zahar told the NGO in September that neither Sayed nor Avera Mengistu, an Israeli of Ethiopian descent who crossed into Gaza the year prior, were civilians.

“There are no civilians in Israel,” the terror leader claimed. “Israelis who enter Gaza are spies.”
Who is Avera Mengistu, the Hamas hostage set to be released after 11 years in captivity?
Among the 33 names of captives set to be released in the first phase of a ceasefire deal with Hamas is Avera Mengistu. Unlike the majority of those listed, Mengistu was not abducted on October 7, 2023, but has spent 11 years in Hamas captivity.

Mengistu, an Israeli Jew of Ethiopian descent, was said to have been suffering from mental illness when he voluntarily entered the Gaza Strip on September 7, 2014.

Originally from Ashkelon, the now-38-year-old was 28 years old when he crossed into northern Gaza after having a fight with his mother, according to Human Rights Watch. Hamas claim that he is a soldier, a claim disputed by both Human Rights Watch and his family, according to DW News.

Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar said in a September 2016 meeting with Human Rights Watch, when asked of the status of Mengistu, “there are no civilians in Israel” since all serve in the army, and that “Israelis who enter Gaza are spies.”

"Avera crossed one of the safest borders in the world, under the eyes of the security services," relative Gil Elias told DW News. "We're talking about a mentally ill person who got lost."

“Hamas’s refusal to confirm its apparent prolonged detention of men with mental health conditions and no connection to the hostilities is cruel and indefensible,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “No grievance or objective can justify holding people incommunicado and bartering over their fates.”

Sign of life
Hamas released a video of him in January 2023, where he asked Israel to negotiate for his release.


Birthday prayers for 2-year old Kfir Bibas: campaigners rally in support of youngest hostage in Gaza
The second birthday of Kfir Bibas, kidnapped by Hamas at just nine months old, was marked on Thursday, 16 January at a special vigil in London.

Held next to Save the Children UK headquarters, it followed the positive news about the hostages-ceasefire deal signed between Israel and Hamas the day before.

Attendees and campaigners prayed and called for the immediate and unconditional release of Kfir and the other 97 hostages still held captive in Gaza.

Speakers included Moshe Levi, a brother-in-law of hostage Omri Miran, and Yotam Cohen, brother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, who were both kidnapped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7th.

Also present were Israel advocate and public speaker Hen Mazzig, former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy and co-founder of the Remember 7.10 campaign, Florit Shoihet,

A message from Ofri Bibas, Kfir’s aunt was broadcast, alongside a message from Thomas Hand and his daughter Emily, a former hostage who was kidnapped at the age of 8. Senior representatives from Save the Children also attended.

Unfortunately, just before the event began, an individual deliberately attacked the crowd. According to testimonies from eyewitnesses gathered by the organisers, a young anonymous man scouted the gathering for about 15 minutes before going to destroy a display of toys for Kfir. He smashed personal belongings, and violently stormed into a peaceful crowd, primarily composed of elderly individuals, whilst screaming “Free Palestine”.


Trump names Mel Gibson, with history of Jew-hatred, ‘special’ Hollywood envoy
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson “special ambassadors” to Hollywood, which he called “A great but very troubled place.”

“They will serve as special envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to foreign countries, back—bigger, better and stronger than ever before,” Trump stated. “These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest.”

“It will again be, like the United States of America itself, the golden age of Hollywood,” he added.

Trump drew criticism for his selection of Mel Gibson for the role.

StopAntisemitism stated that it is “deeply concerned” by the selection.

“Mel Gibson referred to a Jewish actress as an ‘oven dodger’ and is known to be one of Hollywood’s biggest Jew haters,” the group wrote. “We strongly urge Donald Trump to reconsider.”

Democratic Majority for Israel stated that “Trump is appointing Mel Gibson, who has a long record of antisemitic remarks, to a made-up position.”

“This is yet another attempt by the incoming administration to distract from the problems everyday Americans face and a troubling example of the antisemitism Trump normalizes,” the pro-Israel group added.

“If Jews really ran Hollywood, I’m pretty sure our first pick for special ambassador would not have been Mel Gibson,” wrote the rabbi and Jewish educator Dovid Bashevkin.

In 2006, Gibson apologized “specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge.”

“Please know from my heart that I am not an antisemite. I am not a bigot,” he added. “Hatred of any kind goes against my faith.”


Former CIA analyst admits leaking secret info on Israeli response to Iran
The former CIA analyst Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, Va., pleaded guilty on Friday to leaking classified information about Israel’s military response to Iran’s Oct. 1 missile attacks.

“Mr. Rahman betrayed the trust of the American people by unlawfully sharing classified national defense information he swore an oath to protect,” stated Matthew Olsen, a U.S. assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s national security division.

“Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that the Justice Department will spare no effort to swiftly find and aggressively prosecute those who harm the United States by illegally disclosing our national security secrets,” Olsen added.

Robert Wells, executive assistant director of the FBI national security branch, stated that “with today’s plea, Asif Rahman acknowledges he betrayed the trust of his country by sharing classified information in spite of the risk to the United States and our allies.”

“Government employees who are granted security clearances and given access to our nation’s classified information must promise to protect it,” Wells added. “Rahman blatantly violated that pledge and took multiple steps to hide his actions.”

The Justice Department announcement didn’t mention Israel. On Oct. 1, Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel—its second direct attack on the Jewish state. Israel intercepted most of the missiles with U.S. and Jordanian military support.

It stated that per court documents, Rahman accessed and printed two top secret documents on Oct. 17 about “a U.S. foreign ally and its planned actions against a foreign adversary.”

“Rahman removed the documents, photographed them and transmitted them to individuals he knew were not entitled to receive them,” per the department. “By Oct. 18, 2024, the documents appeared publicly on multiple social media platforms, complete with the classification markings.”

Rahman also “deleted and edited journal entries and written work product on his personal electronic devices to conceal his personal opinions on U.S. policy and drafted entries to construct a false narrative regarding his activity,” the Justice Department stated.


UN chief: UNIFIL found 100 Hezbollah arms caches in south Lebanon since truce began
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that UN peacekeepers have discovered more than “100 weapons caches” belonging to Hezbollah and its allies in south Lebanon since the November 27 ceasefire between Israel and the terror group.

Guterres, speaking near the Israeli border, and French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in Beirut, also called on Israel to withdraw from south Lebanon.

Guterres reiterated that under the November 27 agreement, Lebanese government forces and UNIFIL peacekeepers are the only parties entitled to bear arms in Lebanon south of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border with Israel.

In an apparent reference to Israel and Hezbollah, Guterres said that the “presence of armed personnel, assets and weapons” in south Lebanon — other than those of the Lebanese army and the UNIFIL peacekeeping force — would “undermine Lebanon’s stability” and also violate UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.

Guterres, who spoke on a visit to the UNIFIL headquarters in southern Lebanon’s Naqura, near the Israeli border, said Israel’s operations inside Lebanon “must stop.”

“The continued occupation by the Israel [military] inside the UNIFIL area operations and the conduct of military operations in Lebanese territory are violations of Resolution 1701,” said Guterres, who also met with Macron in Beirut on Friday.

Israel has said its operations in south Lebanon were in response to Hezbollah’s violations of the ceasefire, and accused UNIFIL and the Lebanese military of failing to enforce both Resolution 1701 and the November 27 agreement.


Commentary PodCast: Hostages, Trump's Vision, Schumer's Excuses The deal having been struck, the hostage question now goes to which hostages emerge first and in what condition and what this will do to the Israeli people. As Trump prepares for his second inaugural, what is his moral framework going to be, if there will be any? And what is this nonsense Chuck Schumer is telling the New York Times about how brave he was to tell Joe Biden not to run?

Sean Hannity PodCast: Truth on Hostage Negotiations - January 16th, Hour 3
Caroline Glick, JNS Senior Contributing Editor and Host of the Caroline Glick Show, joins to discuss the hostage negotiations




Antisemitic vandals target home once owned by high-profile Jewish leader
A van and a car were set ablaze in the driveway of a Dover Heights home in what appeared to be yet another attack targeting Sydney’s Jewish community early on Friday morning.

The AJN can confirm that the house targeted recently belonged to Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin.

According to the Daily Telegraph, red paint was splashed across the front of the home, while antisemitic slurs were sprayed on nearby vehicles. The AJN understands the home’s current occupants are not themselves Jewish.

Neighbours expressed fear and shock to the Daily Telegraph, noting that several Jewish families and a rabbi live along the same road.

“It’s disgusting, I feel sick,” one woman said.

NSW Police said it was notified just before 4am “after a number of vehicles were located sprayed with graffiti, two vehicles were set alight, and a house was splashed with paint on Military Road, Dover Heights.

“Officers from Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command are investigating the incident.”

NSW Fire and Rescue Acting Superintendent Aaron Ross confirmed that firefighters quickly controlled the situation.

“Crews arrived to find two vehicles on fire and a third damaged,” Ross said. “It was rapidly extinguished and didn’t spread to the adjacent property.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns said he had been alerted to the attack.

“This is a disgusting and dangerous act of violence that is the latest example of a rising level of anti semitic attacks in our community,” he said on Friday morning.

“Civil society stands united in condemning this flagrant racism.

“I’ll be getting an update from police this morning. We’ll be doing everything we can to catch these thugs.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it “another antisemitic attack that is against everything that we stand for”.
‘Evil at work’: Jewish leader defiant after old home targeted in antisemitic attack
A high-profile Jewish leader once owned the eastern Sydney cliffside home where cars were graffitied with antisemitic slurs and then set on fire.

Emergency services were called to Military Road in Dover Heights on Friday about 4am to find two vehicles in flames, with firefighters working quickly to put out the blaze.

Footage showed a van and a Mercedes Benz car engulfed by fire outside the beachside property, while at least one vehicle had "f*** Jews" written across it in spray paint.

The home was also doused in red paint.

SkyNews.com.au has confirmed it was previously owned by Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which is the peak national body which represents the interests of the Jewish Australian community.

Mr Ryvchin has been outspoken against antisemitism since Hamas attacked Israel 15 months ago and regularly fronts the media holding interviews and press conferences.

The home was sold in 2022 and is occupied by residents who are not believed to be Jewish, with one local telling the media it was a case of mistaken identity.

Sky News Australia has reached out to Mr Ryvchin for comment.

Residents on Friday heard loud bangs and pops before coming out to see the carnage.

One frustrated local demanded for tougher action on antisemitism.

"Shocked, absolutely shocked. Horrified. It's not acceptable. I think our government has to be far more powerful and clamp down on these cowards," he said.

A crime scene has been set up as forensic officers search for evidence, while detectives door knock homes to interview residents and collect CCTV footage.
'Condemn this wickedness': Alex Ryvchin addresses media after his former home targeted
Executive Council of Australian Jewry Co-CEO Alex Ryvchin has remained defiant after his former home was targeted in an antisemitic attack, saying the "wickedness" must be condemned.

The high-profile Jewish leader once owned the eastern Sydney cliffside home where cars were graffitied with antisemitic slurs and then set on fire.

Emergency services were called to Military Road in Dover Heights on Friday at about 4am to find two vehicles in flames, with firefighters working quickly to put out the blaze.

Footage showed a van and a Mercedes Benz car engulfed by fire outside the beachside property, while at least one vehicle had "f*** Jews" written across it in spray paint.

The home was also doused in red paint.

SkyNews.com.au has confirmed it was previously owned by Alex Ryvchin, the Co-Chief Executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which is the peak national body which represents the interests of the Jewish Australian community.

"In this critical time we need each of you to stand up and condemn this wickedness," Mr Ryvchin said.


‘Vile’ antisemitic attacks in Sydney’s east ‘clearly escalating’: Waverley Mayor
Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh says “absolutely vile” antisemitic attacks in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs are “clearly escalating”.

Cars have been graffitied and set alight in what appears to be the latest antisemitic attack in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs on Friday morning.

“These attacks are clearly escalating,” Mr Nemesh told Sky News Australia.

“They’re absolutely vile.

“The community is feeling quite vulnerable, and not only must we condemn these attacks, but all levels of government need to show strong leadership and take proactive measures to stamp this out.”




Labor’s leadership failures have left Australian Jews in daily fear for their safety
This wave of terror in our suburbs against ordinary Australians is unprecedented.

Our country has never been like this before.

The stomach churns at the knowledge antisemites, living among us, feel emboldened to brazenly commit extreme acts of violence targeting Australian jews.

What gives these criminals the right to harass our community, set fire to cars and splash red paint on the front of homes, as took place in Sydney’s predominantly Jewish suburb of Dover Heights in the early hours of Friday morning?

Some criminals are so proud of their hatred against their fellow Australians that they don’t make any serious attempt to disguise their face.

It’s a rebellious challenge to police; a reflection on the lax law enforcement that’s been left wanting on this issue over 15 long months.

The wave of midnight crime targeting Jews is an obscene violation of our safety in Australia, and it has to stop.

We all know how it came to this - weak political leadership and infrequent police arrests and convictions ever since the Opera House protest on October 9, 2023.

Police wasted resources nit-picking the precise anti-Semitic phrase that was uttered during that hate-filled rampage that took place at our national icon, rather than make a series of arrests that would have set the tone that racism will unequivocally not be tolerated.

Hate preachers were also given the green-light to incite racism.

No laws broken, nothing to see here, carry on.

For unfathomable reasons, police and politicians looked the other way, naively hoping the threats to the Jewish community would simply disappear.

That they wouldn’t be required to take any meaningful action or think too deeply about how to stop the racism against Jews from exploding.

Albanese’s top government ministers, even recently, insisted on speaking about Islamophobia when asked about the anti-Semitism crisis.


‘Utter disgrace’: TV host calls out Albanese government’s 'weakness' to 'stamp out' antisemitism
Sky News host Danica De Giorgio has called out the Albanese government’s response to the rise in antisemitic attacks across Australia.

Ms De Giorgio criticised Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s lack of leadership, claiming that he has promised to "stamp out" antisemitism numerous times, but has failed to take concrete action.

“This has gone beyond a crisis now," she said.

"The attacks are becoming more frequent, the perpetrators are clearly emboldened, and Labor's lack of moral clarity must be called into question.

“This is not the Australia we want. This is not us.

“What will it take for something to be done to put an end to the madness?”


Liberal senator warns of danger to Jewish community, criticises ‘slow’ government response
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma expressed concern over the ‘violence’ directed at the Jewish community while criticising the delayed response from authorities.

“The violence and the frequency and the venom and the hate that’s being directed at the Jewish community, I worry that it’s only a matter of time until a life is lost or someone is seriously injured,” Mr Sharma said.

“I was glad to hear the messages that Karen Webb and Chris Minns delivered today but my fear about this all along was that this attitude of zero tolerance … should’ve been evinced well over 12 months ago.

“That response has been far too slow in coming.”


‘Devastating’: Jewish advocate condemns recent antisemitism vandalism in Sydney's east
Jewish advocate Marnie Perlstein has expressed concern over the recent antisemitic attack in Sydney’s east.

Emergency services were called to Dover Heights on Friday morning after cars had been graffitied and set alight.

“I am devasted to hear about this particular attack … this one felt very personal,” Ms Perlstein said.

“As a Jewish advocate and someone who puts themselves out there every single day to talk about antisemitism in Australia and to talk about Israel, it’s really scary to think there could be targeted attacks.”




Anti-Israel protesters hail ‘resistance’ at New York ceasefire rally
Hundreds hail the Palestinian “resistance” at a rally in New York City’s Times Square marking the ceasefire-hostage deal.

The crowd carries signs that say “The movement continues until Palestine is free,” and “Resistance against occupation is a human right.”

The protesters chant, “Resistance is glorious, we will be victorious,” and “Long live the intifada.”

Speakers urge the crowd to continue its anti-Israel activism, despite the ceasefire announcement.

“Our work is only beginning,” a speaker tells the crowd. “Gaza has taught us that the enemy’s defeat is clear and in sight.”

Another hails the “heroism of resistance” and the “Al Aqsa Flood,” Hamas’s name for the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel.

“The price has been devastatingly high but so it has been in every revolution,” she says. “Now is not the time to rest, but to reignite the fire.”

At least two men in the crowd wear Hamas headbands. Another holds a banner for Samidoun, a US designated terrorist entity.

The rally was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement, a US activist group, and attended by several socialist organizations. A handful of pro-Israel counter-protesters sing “The nation of Israel lives” and heckle the anti-Israel demonstrators across a police barricade.


Woman arrested for inciting others to march near synagogue against police orders
The Metropolitan Police have denied putting a “ring of steel” around Broadcasting House after a woman was arrested for inciting others to march near a synagogue against the force’s orders.

Protesters targeting the BBC were planning to gather in Portland Place on Saturday before marching to Whitehall but the plans have since changed to a static rally in Whitehall.

The Met blocked the march from gathering there due to Broadcasting House’s close proximity to a synagogue and the risk that the protest could cause “serious disruption” to the Jewish holy day, as congregants attend Shabbat services.

The force used powers under the Public Order Act to prevent the rally from gathering in the area.

A 61-year-old woman was arrested on Friday on suspicion of inciting others to breach Public Order Act conditions after she was allegedly heard at a rally on January 10 encouraging other protesters to do so, police said.

The Met said further investigations into other allegations of inciting people to breach conditions are ongoing.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) are understood to be confident that none of its supporters will breach the conditions imposed by police.




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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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