February 2025 ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Sunday, February 02, 2025

Report: Jordan asks Sbarro terrorist Ahlam Tamimi to leave the country immediately or else they would extradite her to the US

The Qatari Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news outlet corroborates an earlier report from Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV channel that Jordan is seeking to deport Sbarro pizzeria bomber Ahlam Tamimi.

According to the outlet, Jordanian intelligence authorities informed Hamas earlier today that the terror group must either find a country willing to take in Tamimi by the end of the day, or she will be extradited to the United States, where she is wanted by the FBI for the murder of two US civilians in the 2001 Jerusalem pizzeria bombing.

Tamimi was sentenced to 16 life sentences by Israel for orchestrating the August 9, 2001, Sbarro pizzeria bombing, but was released in 2011 as part of a deal with Hamas for the release of captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

The family of Israeli-American victim Malki Roth has been battling ever since, seeking Tamimi’s extradition to the US.

During US President Donald Trump’s first term in office, his administration said it was considering withholding aid to Jordan until it agreed to extradite Tamimi, but ultimately no action was taken.

It is unclear what triggered Jordan’s reported ultimatum to Hamas, but it comes on the heels of an invitation for King Abdullah II to visit Trump in the White House later this month.

This is huge news if true.

The US asked Jordan to extradite Tamimi in 2017 but Jordan's court ruled that they cannot, even though Jordan has an extradition agreement with the US and has extradited other terrorists.

In 2020, I interviewed Arnold Roth, whose daughter Malki was murdered by Tamimi along with 15 others in the pizza shop. He has spent the past 14 years seeking justice since Tamimi was released in the Shalit deal.

As of this writing, when it is Monday in Jordan, I cannot find any updates of any country willing to take Tamimi. However, In October 2020, Jordan deported her husband, also a murderer of Jews, to Qatar. If she goes anywhere, that is probably where she would end up. But let's hope she gets extradited to the US to stand trial and get put behind bars for life.

It seems likely that this sudden about face by Jordan after years of protecting the proud terrorist is due to US pressure under the new administration. Trump has shown an eagerness to have a more muscular foreign policy and a threat to withhold US aid to Jordan is almost certainly what would prompt this change in policy, if true.

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02/02 Links: Trump’s Second Shot at Peace in the Middle East; BHL: The Imperative Remains: Destroy Hamas; Jordan seeking to deport 2001 Sbarro bomber

From Ian:

Jonathan Schanzer: Trump’s Second Shot at Peace in the Middle East

With Donald Trump’s return to the White House, Washington is bracing for a reprise of the president’s now-famous unpredictable and mercurial approach to governance. But if there was one area of Trump’s presidency that was more-or-less consistent last time around, it was the Middle East.

Trump’s support for Israel was unwavering. His "Peace Through Prosperity" plan promoted a performance-based path to statehood for the Palestinians. The Abraham Accords cemented normalization between Israel and several Arab states. The maximum pressure sanctions policy on the Islamic Republic of Iran squeezed the regime financially. Trump’s hard-nosed approach to the regime in Tehran was punctuated by the January 3, 2020, killing of IRGC Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani.

Just before Trump’s return to Washington, two of his top Middle East foreign policy advisers released new books. And they may provide a hint of the president’s policies on Israel.

David Friedman, the president’s former attorney who then became America’s ambassador to Israel, encourages Israelis to "begin a national conversation regarding the future of Judea and Samaria"—the disputed territory also known as "the West Bank" inhabited by both Jews and Arabs who lay claim to it. In his book, One Jewish State, Friedman describes this sought-after real estate as "Israel’s biblical heartland," which must be preserved by Jews and Christians, alike. He asserts that "Palestinians would be receptive to life under Israeli sovereignty if accompanied by the opportunity for better health, education, and prosperity and the assurance of human dignity."

Friedman throws shade upon the "peace process" that has consistently failed to serve American interests for more than three decades. He notes that consecutive presidents, Democrat and Republican alike, have failed to achieve the two-state solution, primarily because of Palestinian rejectionism. Friedman believes that the Palestinians are simply not willing to make the compromises necessary for such a diplomatic outcome. And it is for this reason that he proposes a completely different paradigm—one that will be viewed by traditional Palestinian nationalists with disdain.

Friedman writes that the United States should embrace the Puerto Rico model for Middle East peace. He notes that Puerto Rico (Spanish for "wealthy port") is an alternative standard for Palestinian autonomy. He notes, "the residents of Puerto Rico do not vote in U.S. national elections. They do, however, benefit from well-recognized human rights and elect their civilian leaders. While not a perfect analogy to Israel, Puerto Rico ensures the human dignity of its citizens while forgoing collective national rights." Under Friedman’s vision, "Palestinians will be free to enact their own governing documents, as long as they are not inconsistent with those of Israel."

Friedman’s book suggests a wholesale change in the diplomatic paradigm that would certainly provoke controversy. By contrast, Victoria Coates proposes a series of more modest steps that would merely mark a return to sensible previous Trump policies. The final chapter of The Battle for the Jewish State enumerates these policies, most of which were conceived when Coates was deputy national security adviser for the Middle East and North Africa on the Trump National Security Council.

JPost Editorial: Israel must seize the momentum to prevent Hamas's return

Objectively, it is a bad deal – Israel is releasing prisoners who rightfully earned their cell spot, some with blood on their hands. But it is a deal that must continue to the end because we don’t leave our people behind.

Since taking office, as well as for some time before, Trump’s messaging was loud and clear: These images of war, this active conflict, must end. He has, so far, held up that pressure.

The problem is the conflict between the goals of the two sides in this war – Israel and Hamas. Israel would be willing to end the war if Hamas ceased to exist as a military, civilian, and political power – effectively volunteering to cease to exist.

Hamas’s stated goal is exactly the opposite: Israel withdraws from Gaza while Hamas retains control. These conflicting goals are going to bubble up and may challenge the endurance of the deal because the war won’t be over if Hamas is still in charge.

Trump doesn’t want to see Hamas leading Gaza any more than Jerusalem does. Netanyahu must use all the tools at his disposal to convince the president that the conflicting goals of Israel and Hamas can’t coexist. This would mean even more support for Israel should it eventually return to active fighting in the enclave.

As breathtaking and moving as the scenes are of families reunited, we must remember that in the last week of the first phase, Israel is set to receive the bodies of hostages killed on October 7 or in captivity.

This whole process is and will be marred with tragedy, which only adds more layers and nuances.

On Saturday, the Bibas family said, “Yarden is home. There are no words to describe the relief we feel to hold him, hug him, and hear his voice. Yarden is back, but the home is lacking. He is a father who left his safe room to protect his family, bravely survived captivity, and returned to an incomprehensibly difficult reality.” His wife, Shiri, and their two boys, Ariel and Kfir, remain in captivity.

Trump says he wants peace; Israel must leverage that momentum while it is alive and push for the next best stages of the deal it can achieve so that Hamas has no chance, ever again, of posing a terror threat to the Jewish state, like it once did.

Bernard-Henri Levy: The Imperative Remains: Destroy Hamas

The Jewish people respect the imperative to redeem captives. I know no one in Israel who could watch, without immense emotion, the images of the four young IDF women soldiers reuniting with their families.

But there was another image that preceded the magnificent moment of reunion. It was the image of the small stage on which the four were forced to stand, wearing strained smiles, waving at - whom? The Palestinian crowd perched across from them on rubble? Their jailers? Then they were handed over to the Red Cross, the same Red Cross that did not visit one hostage over the past 481 days.

This second image was chilling because of the childlike smiles of the petrified prisoners, knowing that everything could still go wrong. Chilling because of the black-clad, masked men surrounding them - some pressed close. Chilling because of what the scene signified to the crowds who watched it live, from Jabalia to Rafah, from Jericho to Ramallah, from Cairo to Amman. An army of criminals, wounded but not sunk, weakened but not defeated. An army that often returns only the remains of its captives.

It is vital to remember that Israel has always pursued two objectives in this war. The first is the release of the hostages. The second is the total defeat of the last pogromist squads, which would otherwise emerge from this disaster cloaked in a dark aura that would again inspire those tempted, in Israel and elsewhere, by jihad.

Nothing would be more dangerous than leaving behind, as Machiavelli put it, a wounded prince. As long as Hamas retains even a fraction of its capacity to strike - or to govern - Israel can tolerate neither a "durable ceasefire," a "peace of compromise" nor a "political solution." Hamas must be destroyed. Israel didn't seek this war, but it must decisively win.

Hamas forced hostage Keith Siegel to write a letter thanking his terrorist guards

In a cynical move showing its evil, today Hamas released a letter written by released hostage Keith Siegel that supposedly thanks the terrorists.

To Al-Qassam fighters…

My name is Keith Siegel and I am from Kfar Aza. I was a captive in Gaza from 7.10.23 until 1/2025.

The fighters guarding me during this period made sure to meet all my needs, including food, drink, medicine, vitamins, eye drops, blood pressure monitor, and more. They also brought me a doctor when I felt unwell for a long time.

The guards were responsive to my requests regarding food, food problems, etc.

They also made sure to bring food that was suitable for my health condition, vegetarian food and without oil.

The guards treated me well.

I believe that the Israeli government did not do what was required of it to reach a deal to return the prisoners and end the war, which led to many victims and additional damage to both sides.

I hope peace will come soon.

To the fighters who watched me during this period I give thanks.

Keith Siegel

The Siegel family released a statement: “The Hamas terrorists who held Keith forced him to write a detailed letter of thanks. This is just one of many examples of their cruel and cynical tactics.”

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Last week, Israel's Rafael Systems announced that the Iron Beam directed energy system will be deployed this year as an additional tool to combat missiles, rockets and drones aimed at Israel. It will truly be a game changer in countering threats from short range missiles.

National Defense adds details about the system that do not seem to have been previously reported.

Rafael chairman Yuval Steinitz said Iron Beam is a groundbreaking technological achievement, solving a challenge that had long hindered laser weapon development—atmospheric dispersion. Traditional high-energy lasers lose effectiveness as air density scatters their beams, but Iron Beam overcomes this by firing hundreds of small, coin-sized beams instead of a single large one. While individually weak, these beams collectively focus on a target, using a telescopic feedback system to lock onto a vulnerable spot and continuously increase energy until the target is disabled. Integrated with Iron Dome’s advanced algorithms, this system ensures precise targeting at the speed of light. Already tested at ranges of tens of kilometers, Iron Beam is expected to improve further, offering a highly effective defense against missiles and drones.

I haven't seen anyone discuss this, but why not use a similar system to defend against ground-based threats?

If Iron Beam can be programmed to identify and hit missiles flying at 5,000 kilometers an hour, it should be relatively simple to adapt it to stop any Hamas or Hezbollah attempts to infiltrate Israel above ground. Tracking, hitting and disabling people or SUVs is much easier than for a rocket - they are moving far slower. Also, the amount of energy needed to disable people or Jeeps would be much less, which should make it possible to stop threats from longer distances than the 10 or so kilometer range of Iron Beam for rockets. The systems would just need to be deployed on an elevated platform to be able to destroy threats from kilometers away at the speed of light.

The potential uses for a directed energy system don't end at Hamas or Hezbollah Radwan forces style attacks. Iron Beam can be used to disable - and potentially destroy - tanks as well.

Tanks have weak spots. Their optics and sensor systems can be targeted to blind the crew's ability to see where they are going. The tracks could be hit to immobilize the tank. And if the tank's rear is exposed, the ammunition and fuel tanks there are usually lightly protected and a hit can explode it and destroy the tank altogether.

A beam moves at the speed of light and is far more accurate than any projectile could possibly be, so even the smallest weak spot of a tank could be aimed at and hit accurately, even in the better protected front. One obvious target would be the gun barrel itself, which is not as well protected as most of the tank, and it just needs to be heated up enough to be deformed, which would make the tank ineffective as a weapon. (In extreme cases, a tank round that is meant to be fired could explode within the warped barrel itself, which could injure or kill the crew.)

Perhaps Iron Beam could also be modified to add the ability to fire at other light frequencies as well, such as microwaves, which could fry electronics systems and disable any modern threat from miles away.

Other issues would need to be addressed, not least that a ground-to-ground Iron Beam itself would be a target for attacks and need to be defended and deployed appropriately. It would need a reliable and permanent power supply. It has weak spots, too. But I see no reason directed energy weapons cannot be adapted, in a few years time, to defend Israel's borders more effectively and with lower cost that ever before.

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All of Israel and the Jewish world is wrenched with simultaneous grief and elation at the tortuous trickle of release of hostages in this first phase of the hostage deal. We all fervently pray for the safe return of every hostage.

I cannot get past the fact that the price appears to be too high.

The Gilad Shalit deal in 2011 was the release of 1,027 prisoners for the abducted soldier. One of them was Yahya Sinwar, the architect of October 7. In retrospect, was the Shalit deal worth it, knowing that 1,200 Israelis would be killed through the efforts of one of the released terrorists? Not to mention the soldiers who have fallen in the war.

There are lots of halachic opinions on prisoner swaps, and they run the gamut from permissive to very restrictive. When the Air France airliner was hijacked in 1977 to Uganda, the Israeli government asked all of the prominent leading rabbinical figures in Israel (including R' Ovadia Yosef, R' Shlomo Auerbach and R' Elyashiv) and for an opinion on whether they can negotiate with the terrorists and potentially release murderers to save the lives of the passengers. The rabbis answered in the affirmative, telling Yitzchak Rabin: “Although it is clear that releasing terrorists carries with it grave dangers, nonetheless, being that the Jewish hostages are found in a state of immediate danger, according to Jewish law they therefore override the danger of releasing the terrorists and therefore it is obligatory for the government of Israel to enter negotiations with the terrorists and do everything they can to save the captives from the danger that hovers over their lives.”

R' Ovadia Yosef reiterated this opinion in support of the Shalit deal, but we cannot know if the late rabbi would have reconsidered in light of October 7.

IDF soldier Avraham Amram was captured on April 5, 1978, in a clash with Palestinian PFLP-GC forces near Rashidieh camp in South Lebanon. He was exchanged in 1979 for 76 convicted Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. It was the first time Israel negotiated directly with a terrorist organization. The Lubavitcher Rebbe strongly opposed this deal, saying that the price paid should not be higher than what other countries typically use in their prisoner swaps, citing a contemporary swap between the US and Soviet Union of two prisoners for five. But he went beyond that, saying that this crossed the red line of negotiating with terrorists who openly said they would continue their terrorism. Furthermore, said the Rebbe, putting terrorists in prison to begin with, rather than executing them, was a major mistake, since it encourages future kidnappings and invites pressure to release them at some point.

One of the prisoners released in that deal was Hafez Dalkamoni, who was the leader of a PFLP-GC cell in West Germany that was responsible for the bomb that brought down Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, killing 270.

Similarly, the founder of Hamas, Ahmed Yassin, was freed in a 1985 hostage deal. He was responsible for countless murders.

I am in no position to argue with the eminent rabbinical authorities who permit hostage deals. But today we have more information than in the past. One major justification of hostage deals is that definitely saving lives now is a higher priority than being concerned about potential loss of lives in the future. That calculus may have changed.

About 80 percent of those released in the West Bank for Gilad Shalit resumed their terror activities,. This makes it not merely a potential concern about those being released now ending the lives of people in the future but as close to a certainty as is statistically possible.

If we assume each has an 80% chance of staying a terrorist, and each of them has a 1% chance of successfully mounting a fatal attack, that means that for 1,900 released prisoners there is a 96% chance of 10 successful terror attacks from that group and a near certainty of 5 successful terror attacks. This is of course an oversimplification but it shows how definite future terror attacks are from this group.

Actually, this is worse. Looking at the examples of Sinwar, Yassin and Dalkamoni, we can estimate that perhaps 0.1% of released prisoners are uber-terrorists who can be assumed to mastermind attacks that will murder hundreds of people themselves in the future, not just one or two. Israel is releasing about 1,900 terrorists in the first phase but about 4,000 if all the phases are carried out. That means that 3 or 4 of those released will have the ability to mount major attacks with high casualties - much higher than the number of hostages being released.

The question is not if people will be murdered in the future but how many. This may turn it from a question of pidyon shevuyim (ransoming prisoners) to a variant of the trolley problem, where doing an action to save some lives would definitely result in the deaths of others, very probably more, although it is not exactly the same since the deaths will not happen immediately and the action saving the lives is not the action that will kill the others. Rabbis have debated the trolley problem for decades before philosophers first articulated it.

The entire situation is heartbreaking. But Israel should be doing everything possible to ensure that it doesn't happen in the future, and if that means the death penalty for terrorists, so be it. Releasing these terrorists today is a virtual guarantee of many more people being killed tomorrow.

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

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02/01 Links: Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon, Keith Siegel free after 484 days in Gaza; Trump reiterates that Egypt, Jordan will take in Palestinians

From Ian:

Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon, Keith Siegel free after 484 days in Gaza

Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon and Keith Siegel were freed on Saturday after 484 days in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian terrorists handed over Bibas and Kalderon to the Red Cross in Khan Yunis, in the Strip’s south, while Siegel was released in Gaza City.

“The government of Israel is committed to returning all of the hostages and the missing,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office.

The statement concluded with a quote from the Bible: “I will save you from the hands of the wicked and deliver you from the grasp of the cruel” (Jeremiah 15:21).

The Hostage and Missing Families Forum issued a statement saying: “Their release today brings a ray of light in the darkness, offering hope and demonstrating the triumph of the human spirit. Yet their return also reminds us that 79 hostages remain in Gaza, still waiting to be saved. We will not rest until every phase of this deal is completed and every hostage is returned—the living to reunite with their loved ones, and the deceased for proper burial with dignity.”

In exchange, Jerusalem on Saturday was set to free 183 Palestinian terrorists—18 serving life sentence, 54 serving lengthy terms and 111 arrested since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. Freed hostage Yarden Bibas meets IDF troops, Feb. 1, 2025. Credit: Israel Defense Forces.

Bibas’s wife, Shiri, 33, and their two sons, Ariel, 5, and Kfir, 2, are on the list of the 33 hostages to be released in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Hamas, however, has claimed that Shiri and the children have been killed.

Kalderon, 54, a dual Israeli-French citizen, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, along with his son Erez, 12, and daughter, Sahar, 16. The children were among the 105 captives freed in November 2023 as part of a ceasefire-for-terrorists agreement.

Siegel, 65, a dual Israeli-American citizen, was taken from his home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Oct. 7 massacre. His wife, Aviva, was among those who returned as part of the November 2023 swap with Hamas.

Hostages’ stories: Gadi Mozes paced 7km a day in tiny cell, soldiers rationed grains of rice

Gadi Mozes, isolated, paced 7 kilometers a day in his two-square-meter room; female surveillance soldiers counted grains of rice to fairly divide the scant food they had between them; one hostage convinced her captors to film a propaganda video of her, hoping to offer her family a sign of life.

These are some of the stories emerging as newly freed hostages begin to recount to their families the hellish 15 months they spent as captives of Gaza terrorists, stripped of their autonomy, enduring abysmal conditions and uncertain of their fate as hour after hour ticked excruciatingly by, over the course of more than 470 days.

Channel 12 news reported Friday night on some of those harrowing experiences and the hardships, struggles and moments of bravery they entailed.

Mozes, 80, who was freed on Thursday from Hamas captivity, told family members that throughout 15 months he was never with other hostages. The first Israeli he met was 29-year-old Arbel Yehoud, as they were brought together a few days ago ahead of their joint release.

For some 70 days of his captivity, Mozes was in complete isolation, locked alone in a dark room, he said. He was moved between several apartments over the course of the war, and was not held in tunnels.

Mozes knew his longtime partner Efrat Katz had been murdered during the attack, and mourned her. But he did not know what had happened to his daughter Moran until being freed (Moran survived and met him Thursday upon his return).

For much of his time in captivity, the octogenarian was held in a two-square-meter (2.4-square-yard) room, in which he regularly paced some 7 kilometers (over 4 miles) every day, counting the tiles on the room floor and solving math problems to pass the time and keep his mind sharp.

His glasses were broken during the kidnapping, but after two months he managed to get new ones from his captors and was able to read two books.

At a certain point, Mozes said he decided to live one day at a time, and not think of release. Freed hostage Gadi Mozes reunites with his children (from left) Oded, Moran and Yair at an IDF facility near Re’im on January 30, 2025. (IDF)

Once every five days or so Mozes was given a bowl of tepid water to shower with, using a cup to pour the water over his head. He insisted on shaving himself, despite it being a messy and painful affair, as it was important to him not to neglect himself. Mozes lost some 15 kilograms in captivity, according to the network.

At some points, he feared he would be executed. In one instance, he was held in a hot pickup truck for 12 hours under Red Cross offices in the Gaza Strip, he said. Though he hoped he was being released, he was only being moved between hiding spots.

What medical condition are the Thai nationals released from Hamas captivity

Following the arrival of the Thai national hostages from Hamas captivity on Thursday to the Shamir Medical Center, its director, Dr. Osnat Levzion-Korach, disclosed the details of their condition.

Regarding the condition of the released hostages, Dr. Levzion-Korach stated it was surprising to find that while the hostages "endured unimaginable horrors and harsh conditions, it appeared that those who have been released so far were relatively well cared for."

Dr. Levzion-Korach then elaborated on what is now to be expected for the released Thai hostages as they stay in the hospital for their recovery.

"The Thai citizens who arrived at our hospital are currently in good and stable condition, but we will continue to conduct comprehensive medical examinations alongside extensive psychological treatments as needed," she said.

"Over the next week, they [the Thai hosategs] are expected to stay here and recuperate. In addition to medical care, they will have sessions with psychologists and social workers," Dr. Levzion-Korach added.

She also emphasized, "It is important to remember that despite their good physical condition, they survived nearly 500 days of a horrific ordeal and will require long-term rehabilitation. Moving forward, we will assist them according to the guidelines we receive from the Thai embassy and the families of the hostages as they prepare to return to Thailand."

Dr. Levzion-Korach noted while there has been considerably "less focus" on the Thai hostages, the medical team at the Shamir Medical Center did not "neglect them for a moment."

"In the previous hospitalization [of the released hostages in November 2023], we provided dedicated care to 24 foreigners, including 23 Thai hostages and one Filipino. They received a great deal of respect and warmth from us, and we will once again ensure they receive comprehensive care and attention," she explained.