Sunday, January 19, 2025

01/19 Links: Hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Doron Steinbrecher return to Israel after 471 days

From Ian:

Melanie Phillips: An obscene spectacle
To all those in the west who have perpetrated the lie of Israeli genocide in Gaza for the past 15 months: look at the pictures of the mob surrounding the three Israel women hostages who were freed today, and see thousands of Gazans who are well-fed, well-groomed and well-dressed.

What do you have to say now about the murderous libel you have perpetrated against the Israeli victims of these people, the lie that the Israelis were deliberately starving them, that they were the victims of Israeli-induced famine, that the Jews were behaving like Nazis? Do you have a scintilla of shame or regret about what you have done in spreading this foul incitement? Do you even understand what you saw today? Or are you too busy cheering on instead the pictures of those “pro-Palestinian” hate-marchers in London yesterday, dozens of whom were arrested by the police because they were absolutely determined to harass and terrorise British Jews at their synagogue Sabbath services nearby?

Look at that horrifying footage of those Gaza mobs, those enormous potential lynch mobs jeering and threatening the three Israeli women as they were handed over to the Red Cross — the same mobs who abused the live hostages and desecrated the bodies of the murdered ones when they were all dragged into Gaza after the October 7 massacre; look at that footage and then tell us all again that the vast majority of Palestinian Arabs in Gaza are innocent civilians and victims of the Israelis.

Listen to those mobs chanting ecstatically for the murder of Jews in a willed repetition of the slaughter of Jews by Islam’s founder Mohammed in 7th century Khybar; then watch Sky News report this as a “celebration,” and then begin to understand the depravity of the western media that’s sanitised this barbarism for 15 months and demonised its victims.

Look at the thousands who have emerged in Hamas uniform and armed to the teeth, vowing to carry out more and more October 7 massacres until every Jew is dead and Israel is destroyed — Hamas murder squads loudly declaring that they will use the ceasefire to regroup, rearm and attack Israel; and then listen to the politicians hailing this development as the beginning of peace.

Look with breaking heart at the poignant joy and indescribable relief from suffering of the families reunited with their newly freed girls — how can this be anything other than a source not just of joy but also shuddering horror at what they have endured and at who knows what scars they will bear for the rest of their lives; and a source also of the most profound agony over the vast majority of the Israeli captives, both alive and dead, who remain incarcerated as pawns of these Palestinian Arab psychopaths, and who will now be used to eke out further unbearable distress among the hostages and their families, and to extort and manipulate the Israelis into ensuring that Hamas survive, regroup and resume the business of genocide.
Jake Wallis Simons: The West stands on the brink of destruction
Over coffee a little while ago, during one of her visits to London from her home in Israel, the British public commentator Melanie Phillips fixed me with her characteristic warm and penetrating gaze and remarked: “As you know, Jake, in my career there hasn’t been a hill I haven’t died on.”

Her penetrating mind is familiar to everybody who knows her work; but her warmth is most tangible in person. Nonetheless, both qualities come across strongly in her new book, The Builder’s Stone: How Jews and Christians built the West – and why only they can save it, which reads like both an anguished letter to friends and a desperate map of blood-stained battlefields.

Melanie’s basic thesis is that the West can only be saved by restoring to its rightful place its foundation stone of Judeo-Christian faith. Prescribing religion as a remedy for a sick society? In these days of arrests of people praying in silence outside abortion clinics, this is one of the least fashionable and most badly defended hills of all. We have arrived at Melanie’s Little Bighorn. Along the way, however, are many other hills and she defiantly circles the wagons on each.

This is risky writing. Melanie raises her musket at the destruction of childhood in a tsunami of “all must win prizes” and “drag queen story hour”, the liberalisation of drugs and the decline of the family.

She also takes aim at the collapse of religion, demographic malaise, the decline of Western deterrence, the denial of Islamism, the weaponisation of human rights and conservatism itself, which has “forgotten what it needs to conserve”.

Several gory hills will take you by surprise. The Greeks. Dawkins. Freud. Eastern religion (“part of the West’s ongoing cultural tragedy”). Tattoos (“I ink therefore I am”).

Last but by no means least, the author kneels for seppuku on the most dangerous hill of all when she places Islam outside the spheres of progress and modernity, embracing the dagger with both hands.

These are not isolated debates. To Melanie, all are battles in a greater war, one that will only be won when faith is restored in the debauched and arid heart of society.

Is she shouting into the wind? Despite the widely publicised uptick in church attendance in recent years, this is little more than a blip in a wider trend of spiritual decline. At one point, Melanie calls for a “PR makeover” for religion. If the future of the West rests on the Alpha Course, I’m packing my bags for Israel.

Nonetheless, her call for society to learn lost resilience from the Jews is compelling and her plea for the West to rediscover its soul is both vital and poignant.


Khaled Abu Toameh: A Deal that Keeps Hamas in Power Is Meaningless
Those who think that the Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group Hamas will abandon its Jihad (holy war) to murder more Jews and destroy Israel in the aftermath of the recent ceasefire-hostage agreement are mistaken. The deal does not require Hamas to disarm or cede control over Gaza. To Hamas, this is just another deal similar to ceasefire agreements reached with Israel after previous rounds of fighting over the past 20 years.

Hamas supporters in Khan Yunis took to the streets to celebrate the ceasefire-hostage deal and chanted: "We will go to Jerusalem, we will sacrifice millions of martyrs!" Hamas supporters in Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinian Authority, chanted slogans in support of slain Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, the masterminds of the Oct. 7 carnage.

A ceasefire-hostage deal that allows Hamas to remain in power means that it is only a matter of time before the terrorist groups attempt to launch another Oct. 7-style attack on Israel. Hamas's defiant statements show that its leadership is willing to sacrifice more of its people to fulfill its objective of destroying Israel. The only deal that will actually bring peace is one where Hamas ceases to exist.
What Hamas Looks Like after the Ceasefire Deal
For the IDF commanders involved in the protracted and complex fight against Hamas, it is clear that further action will be necessary.

Defense officials believe that Hamas or other rogue groups in Gaza likely will provide justification for resuming combat operations.

Military commanders anticipate years of ground operations in Gaza to scale Hamas back to its size of two decades ago.

Hamas still retains tens of kilometers of tunnels, particularly in central and southern Gaza, that could be used to restart limited weapons production, conceal thousands of weapons, and hide senior commanders.

Hamas has also recruited and armed hundreds of new members, including teenagers, to replenish its ranks.

Hamas retains two brigades in Nuseirat and al-Bureij in central Gaza, which have been largely untouched - possibly due to the presence of hostages in the area.
The Terrorists Live to Fight On
The ceasefire deal legitimates Hamas as a continuing force in Gaza. They will remain on the ground and Israel will not. Hamas now knows they will be part of future negotiations. Plenty of malign actors - many of them in Western governments, policy elites and media - will even start to hail them as peacemakers.

Moreover, the deal will prove that hostage-taking works. If Hamas had simply murdered those 1,200 plus people on Oct. 7, they would have won themselves no protection against Israeli retaliation. Because they took the hostages, they were able to make Israel hesitate.

The deal will also be seen in Islamist minds as a successful precedent. Capture Jews, will be the internal message, torture them, kill a proportion of them, play cat-and-mouse about the ones who live, and it will give you power. So, when you get the chance, do it again.

As the country founded to offer refuge to Jews everywhere, Israel has a Talmudically inspired duty to rescue them wherever it can. It is pierced, too, by the deep personal pain inflicted on so many families. Politically, it may be that there is an Israeli consensus round the idea that this deal is, as one Jewish friend expert in the region put it to me, "bad, but essential."

But I cannot let go of the point that, with this deal, Hamas have pried open the jaws of defeat and won, if not a victory, at least the chance to live and fight and murder for much more than another day.


Hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Doron Steinbrecher return to Israel after 471 days
For the first time since November 2023, three hostages taken during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel were released by Hamas on Sunday under a ceasefire deal, returning to Israel after 471 days in captivity in Gaza and being reunited with their families.

The first three hostages freed under the deal were civilians Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31. Gonen was abducted from the Supernova music festival, while Damari and Steinbrecher were taken from their homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

The three women were said to be in relatively good physical condition.

On Sunday evening masked Hamas gunmen handed the three women to the Red Cross at Saraya Square in central Gaza City, where a large rowdy crowd of mainly young men gathered, waving flags of the Palestinian terror group and holding cellphones in the air to film the event.

Looking thin and frightened, the hostages disembarked from a Hamas military vehicle, surrounded by armed men struggling to hold back the crowd, and quickly boarded the Red Cross SUVs.

An AFP journalist on-site said the Hamas gunman initially tried to keep the public away from the ICRC cars. But when another convoy of white vehicles arrived in the square carrying the three women to be handed over, the crowd of several thousand surged forward to surround them. Footage showed armed and balaclava-wearing gunmen stationed around the van containing the three women, as others stood on top of it.

Many of those in the crowd chanted “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is greatest” in Arabic.

Hamas released a propaganda video showing the release of the hostages, with gunmen from the Palestinian terror group giving the women “gift bags” and “certificates” before they were freed. The bags reportedly included photos of them in captivity.

In the video, a Red Cross representative wearing a red vest could be seen signing a document provided by Hamas operatives in the terror group’s distinctive green headbands, before the hostages were handed over.

Around half an hour later, the Red Cross handed the hostages over to elite Israeli troops and Shin Bet agents inside Gaza.

They were then transferred to Israel to a complex set up by the IDF near the Gaza border at Re’im Base, where they met their mothers for the first time in over 15 months.

They also met with IDF representatives, doctors, psychologists, and mental health officers, and received initial treatment at the facility.
Mandy Damari: “Emily’s nightmare in Gaza is over”
The mother of British hostage Emily Damari has thanked supporters for helping to secure the release of her daughter in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal which took effect today.

In a statement, Damari said: “I want to thank everyone who never stopped fighting for Emily throughout this horrendous ordeal, and who never stopped saying her name. In Israel, Britain, the United States, and around the world. Thank you for bringing Emily home.

“While Emily’s nightmare in Gaza is over, for too many other families the impossible wait continues. Every last hostage must be released, and humanitarian aid must be provided to the hostages who are still waiting to come home.

“We ask that the media please respect Emily’s and our family’s privacy during this time.”

Releasing a photo of her and Emily speaking with her son, the Damari family confirmed that Emily had lost two fingers in the October 7 attack that saw her taken hostage.

Damari said earlier on Sunday that her nightmare would not be over until she saw Emily and the other 98 hostages still held by Hamas back in Israel.

Emily, 28 a joint UK and Israeli citizen and the only living remaining British national held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7th, 2023, is expected to be released later today, together with Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher. After 471 days in Hamas captivity, they will finally return to Israel to be reunited with their families.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists attacked Emily’s home, in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Emily was shot in the hand and kidnapped into Gaza in her own car. Her friends in Kfar Aza - one of the worst hit Kibbutzim that day - and her pet dog Choocha were killed. From Kfar Aza, some 64 residents were killed and 19 more were kidnapped including Emily and Doron Steinbrecher.

Aside from accounts from other hostages freed just six weeks later that Emily had lice and was living in filth, forced to use a bucket as a toilet – and a single sign of life last year – there has been no word from her or proof of life.

Emily’s mother, Surrey-born, Mandy Damari,63, who grew up in southeast London,has spent the past 15 months campaigning for Emily’s return, travelling around the world, meeting world leaders, fighting for them to help bring Emily home.

Mandy has woken every day, giving her daughter an imaginary hug and sending her a virtual message to “Keep strong, keep alive” and telling her, “you are going to be OK.” She describes the past 15 months as “a nightmare, living a life like this.” She adds: “What she’s been feeling there – who knows. It must have been ten times worse for her than it has been for me.”


Israel Advocacy Movement: Gazan Leader EXPOSES The SHOCKING Reason For Accepting Ceasefire
Hamas explicitly declared they're using the ceasefire to regroup, rearm and attack Israel.

But instead of listening to them, naive politicians in the west, praise the ceasefire as step towards peace.




Freed Israeli hostages given ‘gift bags’ by Hamas in horrific commemoration of their captivity – here’s what the brown paper bags contained
The first three Hamas hostages, who have been in captivity for 15 months, have been handed over to the Red Cross in a historic moment on the first day of the cease-fire between Israel and the terror group.

Romi Gonen, Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher were named as the first 3 people who would be released on Sunday — as officials expect 30 more hostages to be released from Hamas captivity, but a timeline was not announced on the releases.

Each hostage released by Hamas so far was reportedly given “gift bags” commemorating their terror captivity.

The bags contained some kind of “certificate,” along with photos from their time in captivity, according to the Times of Israel.

All three hostages were seen carrying the same brown paper bag when they were handed over to the Red Cross Sunday.

The cease-fire, which was meant to go into effect at 1:30 a.m., was delayed after Hamas failed to deliver a list of the 33 hostages set to be released as part of the first phase of the deal.
'Completion certificates' Hamas members gave to released captives included Red Cross signatures
Two of the recently released Gaza hostages, Emily Damari and Romi Gonen, who were held together in captivity, were forced by Hamas to participate in a staged ceremony where they received "gifts and souvenirs" from their captivity Israeli media reported Sunday night.

All three released hostages received a 'gift bag' which included a photo of Gaza from Hamas terrorists.

Hamas terrorists gave the survivors "certificates of release" and made them pose and smile with their certificates before being transferred to Red Cross custody.

The representatives of the ICRC present signed the documents, according to the video.

What items did the released hostages receive as 'memoirs'?
Inside the bag, each of the released hostages received a map of the Gaza Strip, photos of them during their time in captivity, and certificates.

According to Israeli media, each certificate had an inscription with the "release decision" on it.

The survivors called the tactic a "cynical game."


‘A deeply meaningful moment,’ it ‘fills our hearts with hope’: World hails hostage release
World leaders hailed the release on Sunday of three Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, calling it overdue good news, and calling for the three-phase deal between Israel and the terror group to be implemented in its entirety.

The Hamas terror group released civilians Romi Gonen, 24, Emily Damari, 28, and Doron Steinbrecher, 31, who were abducted by terrorists during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel, on the first day of a three-phase hostage-ceasefire deal. The women were the first of 33 hostages, alive and dead, that Hamas is to release in the deal’s first phase, while Israel will release up to 1,904 Palestinian security prisoners.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the release of Emily Damari, a British-Israeli dual citizen, along with the two other hostages as “wonderful and long-overdue news.”

Praising the hostages’ families for their “tireless fight” to bring Damari home, the British premier wished all three returnees “the very best as they begin the road to recovery after the intolerable trauma they have experienced,” saying the UK stands “ready to offer assistance and support.”

Starmer also cautioned that the world must not forget about those still in Hamas captivity, as Sunday “also represents another day of suffering for those who haven’t made it home yet.”

“While this ceasefire deal should be welcomed, we must not forget about those who remain in captivity under Hamas,” he said. “We must now see the remaining phases of the ceasefire deal implemented in full and on schedule, including the release of those remaining hostages and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

Israel and Hamas have only so far agreed on the first phase, and will begin negotiating the second — which would see the war ended — in some two weeks’ time. Many members of Israel’s coalition have said they will not agree to a deal that ends the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the women’s release as a “deeply meaningful moment.”

“Seeing families reunited, and knowing the tears of relief and joy it brings, is something we can all connect with,” Zelensky posted on X. “As Ukrainians, we know the pain of separation and hope of bringing loved ones back home.”

“The path to lasting peace and dignity for all people is still long and challenging, but we hope for further progress toward security, stability, and normal life in the entire Middle East,” he added. “Ukraine wishes for peace, justice, and reliable security guarantees for all nations, just as we continue to fight for them ourselves.”


Lawmakers slam Arab MK for saying he’s ‘happy for release of hostages and prisoners’
Hadash-Ta’al chair Ayman Odeh drew outrage from lawmakers across the political spectrum Sunday after saying he was “happy for the release of the hostages and prisoners” as part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

“Now we must free both peoples from the yoke of occupation. We were all born free,” the longtime leader of the country’s main Arab political bloc posted on X, as three Israeli women who were kidnapped by terrorists during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre were released from the Gaza Strip after over 15 months in captivity.

The first phase of the three-phase hostage-ceasefire deal provides for a total of 33 captives to be released over 42 days in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including many serving life sentences for deadly terror attacks and murders.

Otzma Yehudit’s Yitzhak Wasserlauf, who tendered his resignation along with the rest of the far-right party on Sunday morning in protest of the deal with Hamas, said he would gather signatures to oust Odeh from the Knesset over his comments.

“At this time, when the entire Israeli nation — supporters and opponents of the deal alike — are weeping with excitement over the return of Romi, Emily and Doron, terrorist supporter Ayman Odeh is comparing vile murderers to our kidnapped daughters,” Wasserlauf wrote on X.

“On Tuesday, when I return to the Knesset, I will act to get the Knesset members to sign a petition to oust Odeh. He should be thrown out of the Knesset immediately!” Hamas terrorists hand over hostages abducted during the October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners deal, in Gaza City, January 19, 2025 (Reuters)

“Anyone who rejoiced over the release of child-murdering terrorists belongs in prison, not in the Knesset,” Culture Minister Miki Zohar wrote.

“Comparing hostages who were snatched from their beds and held in harsh conditions to the scum of the earth… exposes the hypocrisy and disgustingness of those who make this sick comparison,” Likud MK Eliyahu Revivo tweeted.


IDF retrieves body of Oron Shaul, held in Gaza since 2014
Israeli security forces have retrieved the body of Israel Defense Forces Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, who was killed in 2014’s “Operation Protective Edge” and whose remains were held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip for more than 10 years, the military announced on Sunday morning.

Shaul’s remains were rescued “In a special covert operation of the IDF and Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency],” the military said in a Hebrew statement.

The operation was the result of a decade of work by the Missing Persons Unit and the Special Operations Division of the IDF’s Military Intelligence Directorate, the statement continued.

Shaul’s family was informed of the operation’s success on Sunday morning following an identification process carried out by the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv and the Military Rabbinate, according to the IDF

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Hebrew statement shared by his office, “Overnight, in a special operation by the Shin Bet and the IDF, before the ceasefire came into effect, we returned the body of the late Golani fighter Oron Shaul to Israel.”

“A picture of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, of blessed memory, who fell in ‘Operation Protective Edge’ in 2014, has been displayed in my office for many years as daily testimony to my commitment to bringing them home,” he added.

“Tonight, we completed the mission to return Oron, and we will not be silent or rest until we also complete the mission to return Hadar Goldin.

We will continue to work to return all of our hostages—both the living and the dead,” the statement concluded.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke with Shaul’s mother, Zehava, after she was informed that the IDF retrieved his body from Gaza.

“I send strength to her and her family, on behalf of the entire nation, upon hearing the news of the return of his body after more than a decade. I told her that an entire nation held its breath this morning,” said Herzog.

“This is a moment of solace, of resolving uncertainty and agonizing sorrow,” the head of state continued. “I grieve that Herzl—Oron’s late father—is not with us at this moment. With the images of Oron Shaul, and Hadar Goldin, before my eyes, I also spoke with Simcha, Hadar’s father, and committed to him that we will do everything in our power to bring him home as soon as possible.”

Herzog extended his gratitude to the IDF and the Shin Bet for their “courage, determination, and sense of mission.”


‘Not dealing with a democratic state’: Israel negotiating with ‘jihadi death cult’
Former Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy discusses the ongoing drama and turmoil around the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

“It was supposed to released yesterday - the list of the first three hostages it would release from its terror dungeons,” Mr Levy said.

“It’s a reminder of who we’re dealing with.

“We’re not dealing with a democratic state, we’re dealing with a Jihadi death cult.”


‘Cannot begin to imagine’: Israelis ‘so torn’ over ceasefire and hostage deal
Israel’s Foreign Ministry Special Envoy Fleur Hassan-Nahoum discusses how Israelis are in “two different places” regarding the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

“I can’t really describe how people are feeling. It is like our heart and our heads are feeling two different things or in two different places,” Ms Hassan-Nahoum said.

“People are so torn on the one hand it is our moral duty to bring back these hostages … we can’t begin to imagine what those families are going through, on the other hand we are releasing convicted terrorists who have killed multiple people.”


Pro-Palestinian protesters demand Australian government help rebuild Gaza
Sky News host James Macpherson discusses how pro-Palestinian protesters are demanding the Australian government contribute to the rebuilding of Gaza.

“Despite the fact there is all but a ceasefire arranged they continue protesting,” Mr Macpherson said.

“These protesters are demanding the Australian government contribute funds to the rebuilding of Gaza.”


Erin Molan: In conversation with Bill Ackman: on Trump, Elon, Biden, his own political ambitions & plenty more!
0:00 - Erin Molan in conversation with Bill Ackman
00:08 - X and the 'new' media
1:50 - Change the world
3:00 - Why Donald Trump?
9:40 - What about Joe Biden?
11:06 - Views on Elon Musk
11:56 - TikTok ban
13:10 - Fannie & Freddie
17:44 - October 7 Israel and Middle East
22:36 - The Israel hostage deal
23:25 - Ackman running for office
25:25 - What makes you happy?
26:15 - Bill Ackman a matchmaker?


Hind Rajab Foundation file complaint against Israeli soldier in Barcelona
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed another war crimes complaint against a soldier in Barcelona, the organization announced on its website on Saturday.

The Belgium-based group has filed multiple complaints over the last few months, including recent ones against soldiers in Thailand and Sweden, COGAT lead Maj.-Gen. Ghassan Alian in Rome, and numerous others.

At the beginning of 2025, Brazilian authorities decided to place an arrest warrant for an Israeli soldier on holiday based on the HRF complaint. The soldier subsequently fled to Argentina before returning to Israel via Miami.

The Barcelona complaint has been lodged against Sgt. A of the Givati Brigade, who the HRF accuses of “genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.”

“The actions of Sgt. A and his platoon demonstrate systematic violations of international humanitarian law [by] targeting civilians and protected infrastructure,” the HRF said.

Both the Palestinian Community in Catalonia and the HRF lodged the complaint.

The former posted on its social media that the complaint was launched based on evidence of Sgt. A “targeting a UN school with a grenade launcher, demolishing civilian homes, and indiscriminately firing on civilians in Gaza.”


Campaign Against Antisemitism: A Dark Day for London
This is a dark day for London. Not only did we see the usual antisemitic bile and open support for Jew-hating terrorist organisations to which our nation’s capital has become accustomed, but extremists repeatedly breached the modest restrictions imposed by the police on today’s protest. Frontline officers acquitted themselves superbly in the face of extremely challenging circumstances, making numerous arrests across central London, but why had they been put in such a dangerous position by their superiors?

The Met’s Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, is learning what happens when you bend over backwards to accommodate extremists for fifteen months and then dare to impose a minor restriction. For over a year we have called for these marches to be banned; we reiterated that call yesterday when it was clear that the police would not be able to control the situation. Police authorised a static protest for activists who repeatedly declared, ‘#WeWillMarch’. The result was chaos in London.

What happened today was not a case of a few bad apples. It is time that the organisers of the protest, several of whom appeared to be involved in trying to break the police lines and defy the conditions, finally be arrested and their organisations’ future demonstrations must be contained as static rallies. Anything short of that would broadcast the message that the police have lost control of law and order in our nation’s capital, or, worse still, that some people are above the law, and some forms of extremism are acceptable.

Campaign Against Antisemitism is a volunteer-led, UK-based charity dedicated to countering antisemitism through education and zero-tolerance enforcement of the law.




University of Rochester students advocates: 4 expelled amid ‘wanted’ posters investigation
Four University of Rochester students accused of taking part in the distribution of “Wanted” posters that authorities said targeted Jewish faculty members have been expelled, according to a student protest group. The posters were found hanging around the River Campus in early November.

Rochester Students for Justice in Palestine, a UR student advocacy group that raises awareness about the war in Gaza, announced via social media on Friday that four students were expelled amid the ongoing investigation into these posters. Students Samantha Escobar, Jonathan Bermudez, Naomi Gutierrez, and Jefferson Turcios were charged in relation to the incident. They pleaded not guilty to felony criminal mischief back in November.

The group has since opened a petition, urging the university to reverse course, calling the university’s action “authoritarian overreach.”

“As the death toll in Palestine soars to over 47,000 killed and over 110,000 Palestinians injured, advocacy for justice and liberation has never been more critical. Silencing students who stand against oppression not only denies them their right to free speech but a shameful betrayal of the fight for human rights. These expulsions echo broader efforts to suppress conversations about the ongoing genocide in Palestine and the right to challenge injustices worldwide,” students announced. What does the ceasefire agreement mean for Israel, Hamas and the wider Middle East?

News 8 reached out to the group for comment Saturday afternoon but has yet to receive a response.

When asked to confirm the expulsions Saturday, University of Rochester leadership was unable to do so citing FERPA.

“As a University, we recognize the heightened public attention and concern that has arisen over the past several weeks regarding the posters incident and vandalism on River Campus. However, the University’s obligations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which provides protection of privacy rights of all of our students, prevents disclosure of information about any specific student conduct case that may relate to the incident. The results of all student conduct cases are confidential to the extent required by federal law and are handled consistent with published processes meeting the institution’s obligation of fundamental fairness while effectively addressing actions found to violate applicable policy and preserving a safe campus environment,” a spokesperson announced.


Al-Qassam spokesman calls for ‘West Bank escalation’ following ceasefire agreement
Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’s Al-Qassam militia, called on the West Bank to escalate confrontations with Israel and lauded Iran, the Houthis, and Hezbollah for their aid. These remarks were delivered during an extensive prerecorded address following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, where the spokesman also stressed that his organization sees itself fully committed to the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.

Abu Obeida’s speech began with Quranic verses which reprimand the Israelites for their “arrogance” and blame them for causing “corruption in the land” twice.

The verses also threaten the Israelites with “Allah’s servants,” which would “ravage their homes,” and warn that their enemies will disgrace them and “enter that place of worship as they entered it the first time, and utterly destroy whatever would fall into their hands,” perhaps referring to Hamas’s deadly incursion to Israeli communities on October 7th, 2023, which left 1200 dead and 250 kidnapped.

Al-Qassam’s spokesman then addressed Palestinians in Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank, characterizing the conflict as “a historic battle” that “ignited the spark of Palestinian liberation and demonstrated the capabilities of the rightful owners of the land,” lauding Gazans and Al-Qassam with many a superlative, and commending them for their steadfastness and defending of Jerusalem.

Based on an old Islamic tradition dubbed by some Hamas affiliates “the Hadith (oral tradition) of the Al-Aqsa Flood,” he referred to the Palestinians in Gaza as "Al-Ta'ifa Al-Mansura" (The Victorious Group), a mystical group of people who originates in the Levant and will bear witness to the ‘reign of Allah’ in the world at the end of days.

Addressing the toll of the conflict, Abu Obeida acknowledged the “extensive sacrifices” made by Palestinians, describing a “great caravan of martyrs” over more than 15 months of fighting, which he stressed were carried out by all Palestinian factions “in unison.”

He praised what he called the steadfastness of Gaza's people under what he described as impossible conditions, comparing their resolve to historical religious examples of perseverance under difficulty.




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Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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