Pages

▼

Monday, February 10, 2025

02/10 Links Pt1: The Chilling Implications of Hamas’s Suspension of Hostage Releases; The strange reluctance to see Jews as victims; PA to drop pay-for-slay … if US repeals Taylor Force Act

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: The Chilling Implications of Hamas’s Suspension of Hostage Releases
Throughout the period of the current cease-fire, Hamas has been systematically dismantling its own side’s propaganda. The claim of Israeli “genocide” was always false, but Gaza officials acknowledging that the enclave’s population increased during the war, and that Israeli bombs were mostly dropped on uninhabited neighborhoods, and that Hamas had been using hospitals and humanitarian zones as active war bases made it clear that Israel’s defenders were telling the truth and Hamas’s fans were lying all along.

Then on Saturday Hamas released a propaganda video showing its men keeping Sharabi, Or Levy, and Ohad Ben Ami in a claustrophobic, airless underground cell. We’ve seen Hamasniks driving a fleet of well-maintained vehicles through Gaza and past its gleaming buildings.

At the release ceremony itself, the viewing public was treated to watching well-fed Gazans taking selfies while the gaunt hostages could barely stand. We had already known that Israel had allowed into Gaza enough food for each Palestinian to have 3,000 calories per day. But now we were seeing proof that full-bellied Gazans had been spending the war guarding starving Israeli hostages.

Every claim made against Israel was projection. Hamas had been doing all the things it accused Israel of, accusations that the media gleefully echoed like pet-shop parrots.

And so there was a collective gasp from the world, and a backlash. A gentle backlash, but a backlash nonetheless. Hamas’s co-conspirators in governments and NGOs and news organizations around the world were exposed to their own reflections, and they recoiled.

So how can Hamas release the next round of captives in five days without building on the backlash? Well, it can release non-tortured, non-starving hostages—if it has anyone who meets that description in its dungeons.

There is also the fact that the cease-fire deal had one key strategic advantage for Hamas baked in: Israeli troops were agreeing to withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor, a military road that bisected the enclave and enabled the IDF to protect some parts of Gaza from Hamas’s return to full strength. On Monday, Israel reportedly withdrew from the corridor.

Israel still has plenty of incentive to hold up its end of the deal—especially now that we know the hostages are clinging to life in Hamas’s torture cells. But what is Hamas’s incentive? If the IDF is out of the Netzarim Corridor, Hamas has been handed back the Gaza Strip. Hamas may decide it has more to lose than to gain from continuing to release hostages.

Perhaps this is the end of the cease-fire, perhaps not. But there’s no going back to a time when one could pretend Israel was the villain here.
Heidi Bachram: Colours of rage
The three men had lost half their body weight. They were starved. Hung up by their legs. Chained. One only walked for the first time on the day he was released. He had to learn how to use his feet again. They were strangled, beaten, burned. The hostages were supposed to be the terrorist’s grand plan, their prize assets. Yet they treated them with malice and brutishness. Part of the strategy with the men could have been to weaken and humiliate them deliberately as psychological warfare. To show well-fed gun-wielding Palestinian terrorists in contrast to frail and thin Israelis. All it did was expose the lie of famine and reveal who was actually starving in Gaza.

Hamas is always speaking to many different audiences, often with opposite messaging. To Arab countries a show of strength and intimidation. To the West an exploitation of sympathy. To Gazans a signal of dominance. The releases have been challenging to satisfy all those needs and Hamas finally succeeded in displaying for the West the true psychopathic nature of their organisation. In a way they could not ignore. Though some still are determined to look away and continue the narrative of victimhood. It is becoming more difficult with every abused innocent.

The shock of seeing Jews so skeletal immediately evoked those haunted images of survivors in concentration camps. We just saw the 80th commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz. A camp that my husband Adam’s great grandparents were murdered in. To pause for one second on the thought of his cousin Tsachi being subjected to the tortures that the released hostages endured is to walk on emotional shards of glass. My jaw clamps and my body starts to shake. I have cried enough tears of sorrow and fury. There is only white, red and black rage now.

For those monsters in green.
When Hamas hands back coffins, will there still be crowds and celebrations?
The group has prided itself on turning hostage releases into a media spectacle, complete with orchestrated crowds and celebratory fanfare. But will those same crowds gather when the bodies of hostages, starved or tortured to death, are returned? Will there be certificates of release for the lifeless remains of a Holocaust survivor who survived the Nazis only to perish in Gaza?

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued an urgent call for action following Hamas’s announcement, demanding "swift assistance in finding an immediate and effective solution to restore the implementation of the deal."

The forum warned: “The hostages are out of time, and they all must be rescued from this nightmare urgently.”

Hamas's latest move should serve as a wake-up call. If this is how it behaves when the world is watching—stalling, posturing, and feigning moral outrage at supposed Israeli violations—then what horrors remain unseen? The terrorists claim that Israel is not fulfilling its end of the agreement, but it’s Hamas that has already shattered every basic standard of decency by taking civilians hostage in the first place.

One Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post that, in his view, Hamas did not attempt to sabotage the deal in its latest statement. Another dismissed the terror group’s claims as “fake,” suggesting that Hamas is attempting to reignite the conversation over a second phase of negotiations.

The images of the hostages this past weekend should have put an end to any illusions about their treatment in captivity. Now, the real question is this: When Hamas is done toying with its prisoners, when its propaganda machine can no longer extract value from them, will the world still watch in silence when the final "exchanges" are not hostages but corpses?


Seth Frantzman: What does Hamas achieve by threatening Gaza hostage, ceasefire deal?
Hamas has been wrestling with what to do in the next stage of the deal, even as it claimed late Monday night that it won’t even fulfill the first stage of the deal.

The terrorist group is continuing to try to decide – internally – if it has the upper hand. It clearly tried to show that it was victorious in Gaza. It has been mocking Israel, mocking the IDF units that fought in Gaza, and mocking the claims of Israeli politicians of “total victory.”

Hamas sent a delegation to Tehran over the weekend to discuss with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei what to do next. Hamas is clearly considering different options. One is to destroy the deal during the first phase, which would likely lead to a new round of fighting and could see the Netzarim Corridor again split Gaza City from central Gaza.

Hamas openly said Israel has violated the deal, citing delays in returning displaced Palestinians from the south to the north, and when they do cross, they are in danger of bullets, as well as a delay in aid.

The next hostage release is due Saturday; Hamas has said it will not release hostages. During the short first phase of the deal, it has already acted in several ways that created small crises. For instance, it would wait until the last minute to transfer a list of names and even delayed it in the first week of the ceasefire.

It also created a crisis over releasing Arbel Yehoud, which led Israel to delay letting Gazans return to northern Gaza. At the time, this pressure on Hamas appeared to work, but Hamas also mistreated the hostages, parading them, letting people crowd around them, and using them as theater to humiliate them. The last three hostages released – Or Levy, Eli Sharabi, and Ohad Ben Ami – were emaciated. It is clear that Hamas knows this will lead to outrage within Israel.

Hamas claimed it wants Israel to “provide compensation for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively” and reaffirmed its commitment to the deal. What Hamas knows

The terrorist group may feel it has the upper hand on some days, and then not on other days. For instance, Hamas knows Gazans don’t want to see a return to war, and is also enjoying the spotlight of the hostage releases.

On the other hand, Hamas knows that it faces diminishing returns in this stage and future stages. It will release some bodies of hostages, and receive fewer returns in terms of Palestinian prisoners. The female hostages were Hamas’s biggest prize, and it has given them up. Hamas knows that as the number of living hostages it holds is reduced, it will have less leverage.
Trump: Patience with Hamas running out, freed hostages ‘looked like Holocaust survivors’
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the three Israeli hostages who were released by Hamas a day earlier looking gaunt and frail resembled Jews under Nazi Germany, and warned that “at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.”

Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami “looked like Holocaust survivors,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to New Orleans to attend the Super Bowl. “They were in horrible condition, they were emaciated… and I don’t know how much longer we can take that.”

He went on to say the trio “look like they haven’t had a meal in a month,” and that they are “people that were healthy people a reasonably short number of years ago, and you look at them today, they look like they’ve aged 25 years, they literally look like the old pictures of Holocaust survivors, the same thing. No reason for that.”

Trump noted that according to the current ceasefire and hostage deal, captives are supposed to “keep drippling in,” but added: “They are in really bad shape, they have been treated brutally, horribly. Even the ones that came out earlier, they were in a little bit better shape, but mentally they were treated so badly. Who could take that?

“You know, at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience.”

The comments came amid fresh uncertainty over whether the ceasefire deal will be seen through until all remaining 76 hostages are freed, and days after the US president called for the removal of Palestinians from the enclave and for the US to take control of it.


Kassy Akiva: Ambassador David Friedman: Make U.S.-Controlled Gaza A ‘Monument To The Failure Of Radical Islamism’
In an exclusive interview with Morning Wire, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman discussed President Trump’s plan to have the United States take control of Gaza, saying it could become a “permanent monument to the failure of radical Islamism” if executed correctly.

“Why not now take this extraordinarily valuable property in the hands of decent people, make it what it could be,” Friedman told Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. “Let’s create a permanent monument to the failure of radical Islamism. Because that’s what this will become.”

During a Tuesday press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump announced his plans to relocate all Gazans out of the area and to rebuild the strip into a U.S.-owned-development zone.

Friedman said the effort could be funded by the new American Sovereign Wealth Fund, a government-owned investment portfolio that will be used to purchase assets and invest for future generations.

“He’s looking at the incredible violence and waste and human misery and then he’s looking at what this could be,” Friedman said. “When I was working on this, we always had one gaping issue when it came to Gaza, which is, how are we going to get Hamas out?”

Friedman pointed out that Hamas has a lot of support and was democratically elected in 2006, though the terror group has not held elections since. But despite this, Friedman believes that many Gazans would willingly relocate for the chance at a better life.

“From my direct conversations with lots of people who come from Gaza, many people would love to leave,” Friedman said, adding that although some people will say they rather fight to the media, “there aren’t a lot of people who really feel that way.”


First hand report from inside the Trump-Bibi Oval Office discussions | Jerusalem Minute
JNS CEO Alex Traiman joined Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu for his historic meeting with President #Trump last week and he’s back in our #Jerusalem studio with the full report. Join Alex and JNS correspondent Josh Hasten for this exclusive look behind the scenes as they dive into all the details. Learn about the critical conversations that took place and hear key takeaways that could change the course of Israeli history.


Jews and Israel Supporters Have a Natural Home in the GOP and True Friend in Trump
The first few weeks of the Trump administration demonstrated that the Jewish people have a true friend in the White House.

However, if that theme hadn’t been obvious beforehand, even the first hours of the administration made it profoundly clear.

One scene in particular spoke volumes throughout the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States.

It was not the pre-inauguration rally, the swearing-in ceremony, the inaugural parade, or the inaugural ball. Instead, it was a scene that should convince all Jewish Americans, or anyone who cares about Israel, to abandon the Democrat Party forever.

Trump, the people’s president, decided that the freed Israeli hostages and their families would be standing directly behind him as he stood at Capital One Arena during his inaugural parade. As the most powerful person on the planet, with everyone clamoring for his attention, Trump could have chosen anyone to stand in those coveted spots, with millions of people watching. But the people’s president made the right and moral choice to make a statement that, once again, the United States will side with good over evil, morality over barbarity, and Western Civilization over radical Islamic terror.

And that theme has continued throughout the first few weeks of the new administration.

On the first day of the new administration, the sanctions on Jews in Judea and Samaria, now known as the “West Bank,” put in place by the Biden regime, were revoked by Trump. The original executive order, Executive Order 14115, issued on February 1, 2024, had placed sanctions on certain Israeli groups “on Persons Undermining Peace, Security, and Stability in the West Bank.”

Sadly, but unsurprisingly, a mere four months after the October 7th terrorist massacres and kidnappings, the problem was, to the left and the Democrat Party, the Jews.
American Jewish leader: Community pleased with US-Israel policy alignment under Trump
Many American Jewish leaders were troubled by US President Donald Trump’s proposal last week that the US should take over Gaza. At the same time, organizational heads are pleased to see a strong alignment between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, widely considered to represent mainstream US Jewry.

“There certainly are a number of American leaders who are not pleased by specific policy proposals that came forth in the meeting [between Trump and Netanyahu in Washington last week], particularly the Gaza proposal,” Daroff told The Times of Israel in an interview in Jerusalem on Sunday, ahead of the Conference of Presidents’ gathering of 75 leaders of Jewish organizations set for next week.

“But at the moment, Netanyahu and Trump seem aligned in a way that is indicative of the close bond in the relationship between America and Israel, and that is something that every leader in the American Jewish community supports.”

At a press conference with Netanyahu in Washington last week, Trump said that the US would “take over” Gaza and relocate its residents, so the Strip can be razed to the ground and turned into a “riviera of the Middle East.” While Netanyahu and other right-wing Israeli leaders have praised the proposal, it has been widely condemned and rejected in the region and beyond.

Overall, “it was a very positive week where the closeness between our two countries was more evident than ever,” Daroff said of Netanyahu’s six-day visit to Washington. “Trump’s Middle East team is comprised of people the US Jewish community knows and likes. Executive actions that were taken, relating to [sanctioning] the International Criminal Court and [investigating] antisemitism on university campuses, are all in sync with policy agenda items supported by many in the Jewish community.”

Daroff noted it is evident from Trump’s first three weeks in office that he understands how Washington works better than he did during his first term, and that he has learned to operate more effectively.
Supreme Court to hear case on Palestinian Authority’s ‘martyr’ payments
Many American Jewish leaders were troubled by US President Donald Trump’s proposal last week that the US should take over Gaza. At the same time, organizational heads are pleased to see a strong alignment between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, widely considered to represent mainstream US Jewry.

“There certainly are a number of American leaders who are not pleased by specific policy proposals that came forth in the meeting [between Trump and Netanyahu in Washington last week], particularly the Gaza proposal,” Daroff told The Times of Israel in an interview in Jerusalem on Sunday, ahead of the Conference of Presidents’ gathering of 75 leaders of Jewish organizations set for next week.

“But at the moment, Netanyahu and Trump seem aligned in a way that is indicative of the close bond in the relationship between America and Israel, and that is something that every leader in the American Jewish community supports.”

At a press conference with Netanyahu in Washington last week, Trump said that the US would “take over” Gaza and relocate its residents, so the Strip can be razed to the ground and turned into a “riviera of the Middle East.” While Netanyahu and other right-wing Israeli leaders have praised the proposal, it has been widely condemned and rejected in the region and beyond.

Overall, “it was a very positive week where the closeness between our two countries was more evident than ever,” Daroff said of Netanyahu’s six-day visit to Washington. “Trump’s Middle East team is comprised of people the US Jewish community knows and likes. Executive actions that were taken, relating to [sanctioning] the International Criminal Court and [investigating] antisemitism on university campuses, are all in sync with policy agenda items supported by many in the Jewish community.”

Daroff noted it is evident from Trump’s first three weeks in office that he understands how Washington works better than he did during his first term, and that he has learned to operate more effectively.


PA signals willingness to drop pay-for-slay … if US repeals Taylor Force Act
The Palestinian Authority has reportedly reached out to the Trump administration and senior members of Congress, saying it will drop its so-called “Martyrs’ Fund” that rewards terrorists for carrying out attacks against Israelis.

The P.A. said it would change its system of payments to Palestinian prisoners convicted of terror attacks so that the money would not be based on the acts they committed but on their socioeconomic status, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Tuesday.

Senior sources in Ramallah said that in exchange for this concession, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is asking that the United States repeal the Taylor Force Act, which cuts financial aid to the P.A. until it ends its payments to terrorists and their families.

Abbas also wants Washington to lift other sanctions imposed on the P.A.

In addition, he wants Israel to stop deducting tax money from the P.A. equal to the amount the P.A. pays to terrorists. The Knesset passed a law to that effect in 2018.

Although Israel and the United States have targeted the P.A.’s “pay-for-slay” program, the Fatah Party-led authority has shown determination in maintaining it. Abbas said in October 2019, “The martyrs and their families are sacred, [and so are] the wounded and the prisoners. We must pay all of them. If one penny remains in our hands it is for them and not for the living.”

Abbas has made good on his pledge. The P.A. has cut salaries to its employees to ensure that imprisoned terrorists are paid in full. When P.A. banks risked falling afoul of international terror financing laws for having bank accounts for imprisoned terrorists, the P.A. started a new bank dedicated solely to paying out terrorist stipends.


Netanyahu: Gaza return to be conditioned on deradicalization
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday night that returning Gazans must “disavow terrorism” as part of U.S. President Trump’s temporary resettlement plan for the war-torn coastal enclave.

“All President Trump is saying is that I’m going to open the gate and give them an option to relocate temporarily while we rebuild the place physically and while we also rebuild it in terms of deradicalization,” Netanyahu said during an interview with “Life, Liberty & Levin” host Mark Levin that aired on Fox News at the end of his week-long trip to Washington, D.C.

“You want to come back? You have to disavow terrorism. But you can come back,” he continued.

Netanyahu welcomed Trump’s Gaza proposal as “the first fresh idea in years,” calling it “a novel and correct approach” that should not be dismissed outright.

Speaking to reporters alongside Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Trump proposed that the U.S. take control of Gaza, resettle its Palestinian population elsewhere and transform the enclave, which he described as a “demolition site right now,” into a developed hub.

During the interview with Levin, Netanyahu criticized past cycles of Israeli military action, withdrawal and renewed Hamas attacks, saying, “we smack them, they rebuild, we smack them again, and nothing changes.”


Gaza Is a Failed Territory
Gaza is not contiguous with the West Bank. By the time Israel decided to withdraw both its military and its citizens in 2005 in the wake of one of the many "peace" agreements with the Palestinian Authority, Gaza was considered a lost cause.

Egypt doesn't want Gaza. In truth, neither does the PA in Ramallah. Jordan certainly doesn't. Not a single Arab nation is game to take in Palestinians from Gaza. Small wonder, given the festering terror mire that Hamas and its UN allies have created there.

Consider Trump's compassionate read on the people of Gaza. He doesn't call them terrorists, or baby killers, or jihadists, or Iranian puppets, all of which too many are, demonstrably. Instead, he bemoans what "this civilization of wonderful people has had to endure."

Negotiations with Hamas have not worked. Efforts to subsume Gaza under the PA have not worked. Rebuilding has not worked. A "two-state solution" has not arrived, and will not work. There is little reason to believe that replaying the last five-plus decades will yield a different outcome.

When you teach people hatred for decades, give them the tools of destruction, and radicalize them, they are beyond reach. Gaza is destined to be a terrorist beachhead. To believe that next time will be different - that they won't try to kill Jews, that they'll focus on a decent future for the people of Gaza - is nothing other than ideological laziness.

What we do know is that Donald Trump in his first term forged the first meaningful peace between Jews and Arabs in decades. And he did it by ignoring the conventional wisdom, the experts, the think tanks, the diplomats and the peace processors. His proposal should shine a light on the bankruptcy of what has passed for a Gaza policy until now.
Gaza Is a Failed Experiment
President Trump suggests that the world must abandon its fixation on failed paradigms and instead explore new solutions that prioritize human dignity and opportunity. Critics may dismiss his proposal as impractical or harsh, but it is rooted in a fundamental truth: no society can thrive while its primary objective is destruction.

When a society teaches that its highest value is the destruction of another society, without placing the betterment of its own people as a top priority, there is no incentive in the world that can be offered which will cause that society to work toward peace or build a proper system of government for its own people.

Trump's call for rebuilding Gaza under new terms is a step in the right direction. It recognizes that simply pouring money into the region without addressing systemic corruption and extremism will only perpetuate suffering. Instead, international aid should be tied to measurable outcomes: dismantling Hamas's infrastructure, fostering economic development, and promoting education that emphasizes coexistence and progress instead of conflict.

For nearly two decades, Israel has extended olive branches, relinquished land, and poured billions into Gaza, together with other nations, in an effort to foster Palestinian self-governance. In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza, uprooting its own citizens, and Gaza became a launchpad for terror.

Hostages who have returned confirm that Hamas's actions are supported by significant portions of the Gazan populace, across generations, shattering any illusions that Hamas operates independently of Gaza's civilian population. This complicity makes it clear that peace cannot be achieved by simply addressing the leadership.

The Gaza experiment of offering Palestinians a land of their own, with self-governance, in the hopes that they would make a prosperous state and avoid conflict, has failed. The vision of two states living side-by-side in peace has been rendered impossible by Hamas's reign of terror and widespread Gazan civilian complicity.
'I'm Asking Trump Himself To Relocate Us': Gazan Citizens Say They Want Out
As President Donald Trump moves forward with his plan to "own" Gaza and relocate its inhabitants, some citizens of the war-torn strip are expressing an eagerness to leave, citing a desolate living situation and an eagerness to live in "a country where you can hold your head up high."

The remarks stem from interviews conducted by the Center for Peace Communications, a New York-based nonprofit known for producing on-the-ground videos in Gaza, Syria, and other Iran-dominated areas in the Middle East. The group conducted those interviews in the 36 hours that followed Trump's Feb. 4 joint press conference with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

One interviewee, a young man in a backward cap, says he wants to leave "because there's no life left here; life here is gone." The man makes a direct plea to Trump, saying, "I'm asking Trump himself to relocate us as he suggested, and I'll be the first one to go."

"I mean, just look around you—we simply can't live here," the man says.

Others featured in the video call on Arab nations like Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia to "open the crossings" and take in fleeing Gazans. One man says that Gazans will ultimately agree to move to those countries if given the opportunity "because they want to live."

"In the end, people will accept reality," the man says. "They'll emigrate because they want to live. They want to live in a country that protects and supports them, meaning a country where you can hold your head up high."

"If our country isn't looking out for us, where should we go?"

The interviews stand in stark contrast to remarks aired by mainstream media networks in the wake of Trump's press conference. ABC News, for example, aired remarks from residents of so-called refugee camps in the strip under the headline, "Inside Gaza, Palestinians say they will not leave." One older interviewee said, "We will not leave even if we die here. This is our country."

Many younger Gazans, however, expressed a desire to leave the strip before Oct. 7 and the subsequent war between Hamas and Israel. A Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research poll taken just before Hamas's terror attack found that 44 percent of Gazans between the ages of 18 and 29 were considering emigrating. Nearly a third of all Gazans agreed, according to the poll.


Lee Zeldin reveals Qatar ties in financial disclosures
Newly confirmed EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin recently revealed in financial disclosure forms that he was paid consulting fees by an investor who is a member of the Qatari royal family.

Heritage Advisors, Sheikh Sultan bin Jassim Al Thani’s London-based venture capital firm, paid Zeldin “compensation exceeding $5,000” from April of 2023 through December of that year, according to documents filed with the Office of Government Ethics as required for Cabinet nominees.

Zeldin did not specify what work he did for the fund or exactly how much he was compensated in the filing, though he did state that the role did not require him to register as a foreign agent.

A spokesperson for Zeldin did not respond to Jewish Insider’s request for comment on the work or if it impacted his position on Qatari state sponsorship of U.S. think tanks and universities, which the former New York congressman once vocally opposed.

Zeldin was a vocal critic of the Gulf monarchy during his time as a member of Congress from 2015-2023, publicly cautioning against Qatari government influence in the U.S. amid their ongoing global influence campaign, in which the Qataris have spent billions targeting U.S. academia, politics and critical industries.

He wrote an op-ed published in Newsweek in February of 2023 accusing Qatar and other countries of running an influence operation in the U.S. by funding think tanks.


Natasha Hausdorff discusses the latest hostage release with Julia Hartley-Brewer on Talk TV
Natasha Hausdorff, UKLFI Charitable Trust Legal Director, discusses the torture and release of Israeli hostages Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami & Eli Sharabi with Julia Hartley-Brewer on Talk TV on 10 February 2025.


UKLFI: Natasha Hausdorff discusses the ICC, Gaza and Trump on LBC News on 7/2/2025
Natasha Hausdorff, UKLFI Charitable Trust Legal Director, discusses the ICC, Gaza and Trump on LBC News on 7/2/2025, including the ICC's lack of jurisdiction, incompetence and reliance on false evidence; and how Trump's proposal respects Gazans' humanitarian needs, in contrast to the failure of Egypt and the international community to comply with international law by allowing Gazans to flee a war zone. Audio Only.




UN suspends aid operations in Houthi stronghold after 8 staffers detained
The United Nations said Monday it suspended its humanitarian operations in the stronghold of Yemen’s Houthi rebels after the group detained eight more UN staffers, affecting the global response to one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

In a statement, the UN said the “extraordinary” decision to pause all operations and programs in northern Saada province was due to the lack of necessary security conditions and guarantees.

A spokesman for the Houthis didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The rebels in recent months have detained dozens of UN staffers, as well as people associated with aid groups, civil society and the once-open US Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital. None of the UN staffers has been released.

The UN statement said the pause in operations is meant to give the Houthis and the world body time to “arrange the release of arbitrarily detained UN personnel and ensure that the necessary conditions are in place to deliver critical humanitarian support” in rebel-held areas.

It said the latest detained UN staffers — taken late last month — included six working in Saada, on Yemen’s northern border with Saudi Arabia.


Dr. Einat Wilf: Palestinianism has to die, in order for people to live.
Dr. Einat Wilf is a leading thinker on Israel, Zionism, foreign policy and education. She was a member of the Israeli Parliament from 2010 to 2013, where she served as Chair of the Education Committee and Member of the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Born and raised in Israel, Dr. Wilf served as an Intelligence Officer in the Israel Defense Forces, Foreign Policy Advisor to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Company.

Dr. Wilf has a BA from Harvard, an MBA from INSEAD in France, and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Cambridge. She was the Goldman Visiting Professor at Georgetown University.


A Conversation with Seth Frantzman about IDF tactics, tech, doctrine, and strategy in Gaza
A discussion of Israeli tactics, doctrine, and strategy in its war against Hamas in Gaza.

00:00 Intro
04:04 Why Israel was not prepared for 7 October
09:28 Notable Israeli tech and tactics
13:49 The IDF's "Momentum" doctrine
17:15 What happened was not Momentum
19:04 Comparison with Desert Storm
19:46 Effect of Trump Election
20:07 Why were IDF ops so slow?
22:16 The IDF Staff's McClellan Complex
24:33 No clear idea of victory
25:28 Was there no strategy?
25:54 War goals
26:54 How the IDF measured success
29:45 The IDF's refusal to hold ground
33:30 The Israeli Government's refusal to replace Hamas with some other authority
36:03 The Challenge of dealing with a large civilian population
40:13 Egypt's questionable role
42:00 Israeli strategy looks self-defeating...how did the government see it?
45:39 Lessons Learned




The Israel Guys: 🚨EXPOSED: The Dark Truth About the Hostages in GazaWhen three Israeli hostages were released by Hamas this weekend, the world was shocked at
their physical condition. Their testimonies have revealed some dark truths about what the hostages went through in their captivity in the Gaza Strip. Also, a major shift is happening in regards to security in Judea & Samaria.


Trump's Vision for "Gaza-Lago" | Israeli Experts Weigh In
In this episode Eylon Levy sits down with former advisor to Israeli Prime Ministers, IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reservist, and Israeli tour guide Daniel Rubenstein to dissect U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to relocate Gazans out of the territory. In This Episode:
🔹 Trump’s Plan: A deep dive into the implications of Trump’s call for relocating Gazans and what it means for Israeli security.
🔹 Shifting Political Narratives: Exploring how Trump’s remarks are drastically altering the narrative and changing the political discourse in Israel and the Middle East.
🔹 A viable Gazan Future: How state sponsors of terror Qatar, Turkey and Iran are preventing a peaceful and sustainable future for the civilians of Gaza Join us for a compelling discussion that connects the dots between Trump’s comments and the future of Gaza in a post-October 7 reality.

00:00 Coming Up
00:44 Intro
04:45 Inside the IDF Spokespersons’ Unit
06:20 Trump’s Plan for Gaza
23:24 The Palestinian Territories
32:30 The Overton Window Has Shifted
41:38 Hamas’s State Sponsors
55:04 Outro


‘We need to break the cycle’: Sky News Australia announces antisemitism summit
For 16 months, we’ve lamented the shocking explosion in racism towards Jews.

We’ve been horrified at the crime and hatred in our streets and in suburbs that we always considered safe.

We took the quiet safety of Australia for granted, as we should be able to.

Yet, with each passing week, the cruel antisemitism has escalated, and all good-hearted Australians are incredulous at what’s happening.

From the burning of the Adass synagogue in Melbourne, where prayer books smouldered as flames engulfed the place of worship, to the firebombing of a Sydney preschool, where toddlers play.

There’s been vandalism, torching of cars and hatred on university campuses, by both students and lecturers.

The inner cities of Sydney and Melbourne are often no-go zones, thanks to the aggressive and racist Pro-Palestinian protests with their chants against Zionists.

Last month, there was the discovery of a caravan packed with enough explosives to create a 40 metre blast wave.

NSW Premier Chris Minns was visibly shaken as he told the public it could have been a major mass casualty event.

Antisemitism in Australia began on a daily basis in October 2023, right after terrorists attacked innocent Jewish families in Israel at their homes and at a music festival.

This horrendous antisemitism arose before Israel even went into Gaza. In fact, before Israel responded at all.

Somehow that barbarity of Hamas signalled the green light for the world to start attacking Jews as well.

Effectively, the international community and progressive activists sided with Hamas, and the leaders of all of our institutions were too weak or ineffectual to nip this in the bud.

Sixteen months on, there's a sense of sadness for everything we’ve lost as a country.
Antisemitism summit to address the antisemitism crisis in Australia
Sky News host Sharri Markson discusses the antisemitism summit to be held by herself and attended by key Jewish community members among others.

“Looking at how the day will work, or the summit will work, we will hear from prominent speakers,” Ms Markson said.

“A list of outcomes that will help address this crisis.”




‘What a war crime looks like’: Sharri slams ‘cruelty’ inflicted on Israeli hostages
Sky News host Sharri Markson says three fathers held by Hamas were finally returned to Israel – but they were “a shadow of their former selves”.

Three more Israeli hostages who were taken by Hamas on October 7 have been released.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the release but expressed outrage at the physical condition of the three men.

“This is what a war crime looks like,” Ms Markson said.

“This is kidnapping, starvation, torture and cruelty – and what cruelty it is.”


Israeli hostages used as 'propaganda tools' right up until their release
Sky News host Chris Kenny reacts to the "sickening" hostage exchange deals between Israel and Hamas.

"I want to mention what we've been seeing unfold in the Middle East – the sickening hostage exchange deals have continued," Mr Kenny said.

"On the weekend, three more hostages were released, innocent men who'd been robbed of more than a year of their lives obviously suffered horrible cruelty.

"When they were freed, they were paraded around by masked Hamas terrorists, made to make public statements, used as propaganda tools right up to their final moments in captivity."


‘Appalling and disgusting’: Hamas engaging in ‘ritualistic humiliation’ with hostage releases
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma discusses the hostages released by Hamas being paraded around by masked fighters with guns.

“I think it’s been appalling and disgusting,” Mr Sharma told Sky News host Chris Kenny.

“With each release of hostages, the depraved depths to which Hamas sinks seems to increase further.

“Hamas seems to be making it more and more of a ritualistic humiliation.”




Super Bowl halftime show performer waves ‘Gaza’ flag
A man interrupted Kendrick Lamar’s live performance on Sunday during the Super Bowl halftime show, waving a Palestinian and Sudanese flag with the words “Gaza” and “Sudan” written on them.

He was later identified as one of the show’s performers.

Footage of the incident showed the man holding up the flag while standing on the back of a black Grand National car that was used as a prop for Lamar’s performance.

The man later jumped into the field, raising his one-piece flag, and ran through other dancers until he was caught by security guards.

The National Football League (NFL) identified the protester “as part of the 400-member field cast” of Lamar’s performance crew. He was dressed in black like other dancers on stage.

“We commend security for quickly detaining the individual who displayed the flag. The individual hid the item on his person and unveiled it late in the show. No one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent,” the NFL said in a statement.

“The act by the individual was neither planned nor part of the production and was never in any rehearsal,” a representative of Roc Nation, the producer of the show, was quoted as saying by NBC Los Angeles.

“The individual will [be] banned for life from all NFL stadiums and events,” said NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy, according to AP.
Who is the man who waved a Palestinian flag at the Super Bowl?
A man waving a joint Palestinian-Sudanese flag attempted to disrupt the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, though the incident did not appear in the broadcast of the event.

Identified by activists as Zül-Qarnain Nantambu, the New Orleans resident had climbed onto a car used as a prop during the Kendrick Lamar performance, waving a flag emblazoned with the words “Gaza” and “Sudan.” Nantambu then ran onto the American football field, waving the flag. He shared an image of himself on social media being escorted away by police.

According to the Associated Press, the National Football League said Nantambu was part of a 400-member field cast and had revealed the flag after hiding it on his person. The AP said the NO Police Department was examining which charges to level.

Nantambu – self-described on social media as a “financial freedom fighter,” hip hop artist, filmmaker, and fashion designer – rarely posts about activist causes, devoting the vast majority of his online presence to his various ventures.

However, on October 14, 2023, he called for the “liberation to land of much history and turmoil from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, from the holy Jerusalem to Jericho.”

“On the isolated outskirts, there’s a strip where it’s Liberty or Death, victory for Gaza,” he said on Instagram.




Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 

at