Tuesday, March 04, 2025

03/04 Links Pt1: Could Hamas Possibly Make This Any Clearer?; Kontorovich: International Law Is No Bar to Trump's Gaza Proposal; Is it time to declare the failure of the Oslo Accords?

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: Could Hamas Possibly Make This Any Clearer?
There is one clear goal regarding postwar Gaza: The absence of Hamas. That absence could be brought about by the terror government’s total defeat in the battlespace or by its surrender, in which it would hand over all governing institutions to an approved non-Hamas entity after returning the remaining hostages.

The reason Hamas cannot be left in a position of political power in Gaza is that such an outcome would guarantee the resumption of war. Hamas has made clear, through its statements just as much as its behavior, that as long as it survives it will launch periodic wars of annihilation against Israel. In a region as confusing and volatile as the Middle East, this is one of the few things we know with certainty: Death, taxes, and Hamas trying to burn people alive.

No one disputes this, and no one is naïve to it. If you support leaving Hamas in Gaza, it means you are comfortable with the status quo of permanent war. Hamas rules Gaza with an iron fist, and because of its foreign backing (Iran, Qatar, Turkey) it cannot easily be dislodged by rival parties, even if there were rival parties willing to take it on.

All of which makes Hamas’s overtures remarkably daft. The West wants Hamas out of government because it wants an end to the cycle of war. So Hamas… promises to stay out of government but asks only that it be allowed to remain for the sole purpose of waging war?

Egypt is trying to be accommodating, so it has proposed a middle ground: Hamas disbands as a party but Hamas members join a new joint governing committee with officials from the Palestinian Authority and—crucially—Hamas leaders turn over missiles and rockets to be guarded by a third party until the establishment of a Palestinian state. “But Hamas’s senior negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, categorically refused the proposal during a meeting with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Hassan Rashad, in February, Egyptian and Hamas officials said,” the Journal reports.

Again, the fact that Hamas officials are among the sources here takes a lot of the guesswork out of these negotiations. We don’t have to wonder if Hamas is aware of what’s being floated on its behalf. Hamas is part of the conversation. And it is saying very clearly that it exists for the sole purpose of total war against the Jews.

This is why Hamas’s presence makes it harder to raise financial contributions from any donor nation not named Qatar. It is a waste of money to build structures that Hamas will immediately rig with explosives.

The choice here, according to Hamas itself, is between Hamas and the possibility of a peaceful life for Palestinians. Those who are even considering choosing the former should stop lecturing Israel, the U.S., or anyone else about the welfare of the Palestinians.
The Genocide Libel: How the World Has Charged Israel with Genocide
This essay concerns the post-October 7 accusation of genocide against Israel. Genocide is the crime of crimes. States committing genocide are viewed as permanently illegitimate. By itself a genocide accusation is not antisemitic. During the Cold War, the charge was leveled dozens of times by government officials, legal scholars, and activists against France, Portugal, Nigeria, China, Cambodia, the US, and other states.[1] Since the end of the Cold War, judicial proceedings for genocide have been carried out against officials from former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and elsewhere both in ad hoc tribunals and at the International Criminal Court.[2]

Genocide accusations against Israel are different. First, Israel, unlike other states, has been charged with genocide throughout its existence.[3] The genocide accusation is tied to charges of racism, colonialism, and other accusations leveled against Israel since the 1960s.[4] Second, the speed and fury with which the accusations exploded after the Hamas massacres of October 7, 2023, are unusual in the annals of lawfare.[5] And yet regarding Israel’s 2023 war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, there has been not only a rush to judgment but an effort to redefine genocide itself so that the constitutive elements of the crime itself are lowered.

The genocide libel also deploys a range of antisemitic tropes. One is the linkage of genocide to violent passages in the Hebrew Bible, a linkage which plays on the theme of Jewish chosenness at the expense of others’ existence and which even claims that God is genocidal. Another is the whitewashing of Hamas’s own genocidal intent in lieu of tropes concerning the outsized Jewish thirst for vengeance in the form of disproportionate response.[6] A third is the coupling of the genocide charge with the deliberate killing of children, images of whom are ubiquitous on NGO, social media, and other platforms that charge Israel with genocide.[7] A fourth is the attribution of special powers to the Israeli government by which it and its supporters have fooled western governments into believing that Israel’s actions are legitimate and that the history of the Israeli- Arab conflict is too complex for snap judgments.[8]

A fifth, and this is what makes the genocide libel particularly dangerous, is the association of all Jews with the crime. Jews worldwide are all in on it, either as Zionist enablers, as dishonest back-room lobbyists, or as community leaders who, we are told, “weaponize” the charge of antisemitism to silence the truth-tellers.[9] Other genocide charges over time have not targeted Hutus living in Belgium or Serbs living in Germany. But the genocide libel, fueled by everything from electoral campaigns to public demonstrations to social media, drives rage against Jews throughout the world.

In North America, Europe, and Australia, antisemitic incidents have been too numerous to count, ranging from physical threats against Jews in New York City, to a pre-planned pogrom in Amsterdam, to synagogue attacks stretching from Montreal to Melbourne.[10] And as the Conseil represéntatif des institutions juives de France [CRIF] noted in a January 2025 report concerning the nearly 1,600 antisemitic acts in France the previous year, “The hammering of the false genocide accusation, and its corollary of accusing Israel’s supporters of being ‘pro-genocide,’ have helped to demonize the image of Jews in France and justify hostile . . . behavior towards them.”[11]

My aim, though, is not to discuss why the genocide charge is antisemitic. Nor is it to point to the numerous instances of mass violence in Syria, Sudan, and elsewhere for which activists can never seem to summon the outrage. Nor is it, here anyway, to dismantle the South African genocide charges against Israel from December 2023 or the subsequent ruling of the International Court of Justice that it is “plausible” that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Rather my aim is to discuss some of the history of how the genocide accusation has been leveled at Israel and the Jews. By looking at the history, which began even before the genocide convention was completed, we can begin to deconstruct the charge itself, how it has been used against Israel over time, and the stunningly bad faith behind the genocide accusation.
Eugene Kontorovich: International Law Is No Bar to Trump's Gaza Proposal
EU and UN officials who have insisted that President Trump's Gaza plan would violate international law are wrong. Gaza is one of the very few pieces of land not under the sovereignty of any nation in international law. A distinct Gaza came into being as a result of Egypt's invasion of Israel in 1948.

When Israel retook Gaza in 1967's Six-Day War, it had sovereign claims on it. These were based on Gaza's location within the boundaries of the League of Nations Mandate for Palestine, the predecessor entity to Israel. As an experiment in "land for peace," Israel withdrew its entire civilian population and military presence in 2005. Since then, Gaza has been up for grabs.

Because Gaza isn't a state, it isn't subject to military occupation under the Fourth Geneva Convention, making the restrictions the treaty places on occupying powers irrelevant. The sovereignty gap makes a U.S. bid legally feasible. Israel, having taken parts of the territory in a war of clear self-defense, should be able to claim sovereignty over all or part of the territory, as it did in the Golan Heights.

The "right of self-determination" doesn't allow local ethnic groups to choose which country they are in - ask the Kurds, the Catalans or the Greenlanders. In any case, the Palestinian population has categorically rejected sovereignty unless it includes Jerusalem, which is Israeli sovereign territory, and is accompanied by the migration of millions of Arabs into the sovereign borders of Israel.


WSJ Editorial: Israel Throws Off the Shackles
The six-week Gaza ceasefire ended on Saturday. Israel didn't return to war Sunday, meaning Hamas is getting free days of quiet without releasing more hostages. But U.S. and Israeli pressure is increasing. In phase one, Israel ransomed 33 hostages for nearly 2,000 terrorists and security prisoners, and withdrew from most of Gaza. The deal's terms, affirmed by the U.S., give Israel the right to resume fighting.

Israel backed the proposal of Trump envoy Steve Witkoff to keep trading terrorists for hostages, and at a faster pace, without the strategic concessions of phase two. Hamas rejected it. It is down to 59 hostages, including as many as two dozen of them alive.

To prompt Hamas to reconsider, Prime Minister Netanyahu has chosen an intermediate step. "In light of Hamas's refusal to accept the Witkoff outline," he said Sunday, "we have decided to prevent any entry of goods and supplies into Gaza."

This is what President Biden promised at the start of the war. On Oct. 18, 2023, Mr. Biden said aid would enter Gaza "based on the understanding that there will be inspections and that the aid should go to civilians, not to Hamas. Let me be clear. If Hamas diverts or steals the assistance, they will have demonstrated once again that they have no concern for the welfare of the Palestinian people, and it will end."

Yet Mr. Biden sanctioned an Israeli protest group that opposed the aid, and kept pressuring Israel to send more, no matter how much Hamas stole. This let Hamas control Gaza's people despite its losses. An Israeli siege means time is no longer on Hamas's side. Israel flooded Gaza with aid during the deal, and it estimates Gaza is stocked for several months. The determination to cut off Hamas's supply and control of new aid is a signal that Israel will no longer play with one arm tied behind its back.
Is it time to declare the failure of the Oslo Accords?
Suggested paths forward
Acknowledging the failure of Oslo: By constantly subjugating policy development to the Oslo Accords and the “Land for Peace” paradigm, Israel, the United States and other countries have ignored the realities on the ground. Recognizing and accepting the Oslo Accords’ abject failure would allow all the relevant actors to re-evaluate and develop alternative solutions.

Abandon the policy of wilful blindness: In an almost desperate attempt to breathe life into the Oslo Accords, Israel, the United States and other actors adopted and implemented a policy of wilful blindness to the actions of the PLO-P.A. and the Palestinian leadership. This approach undermined the foundations of the accords and emboldened the Palestinian actors, who constantly pushed and exceeded all limitations. To foster Palestinian-Israeli peace, any future Palestinian leadership should be held to strict adherence and conformity with accepted norms and held directly and immediately accountable for any deviation.

Demand the immediate abolition of the PLO-P.A. “pay-for-slay” policy: In the short term, the PLO-P.A. should be required to abolish all manifestations of this policy immediately. To achieve this goal, the PLO-P.A. should be given a clear ultimatum that sets a short deadline for compliance. Failure to entirely abolish the policy must result in the PLO-P.A. being internationally designated as a sponsor of terrorism, and all Palestinians and others who continue to participate in the implementation of the policy should be sanctioned and, if necessary, held criminally responsible and punished accordingly.

Dismantle the P.A.: The P.A. has failed to uphold its commitments and has consistently rejected fundamental reform. In practice, under the banner of the “P.A. Security Forces,” the PLO-P.A. has established an army trained and funded by both the United States and the European Union. This army should be immediately disbanded.

A new reality: In place of an antagonistic and rejectionist P.A., the international community and Israel should adopt a policy to promote localized civic autonomy. The Palestinians would elect their local leadership through municipal elections. These municipalities would have the power and jurisdiction to enact local ordinances and provide services. The new entity would be devoid of any nationalistic characteristics and goals and would work, under international supervision, to provide essential services and opportunities to the Palestinians.

Socio-economic development over national aspirations: Israel and the international community should work to foster economic development within Palestinian society as an alternative to unachievable nationalistic aspirations. Within this goal, all actors should be required to work toward eradicating Palestinian corruption and developing a Palestinian middle class that would support economic prosperity, social stability, and peace. These efforts would be complemented and founded on the principles discussed and suggested in the U.S.-led 2019 Manama dialogue.

De-radicalization of the Palestinian education curriculum and system: The radicalized P.A. education curriculum and system would be replaced with content that supports and promotes peace and coexistence. Adopting, for example, an education curriculum similar to that of the United Arab Emirates would provide the basis for the long-term de-radicalization of the Palestinians. While this process may take many years, preventing further hostilities is a fundamental prerequisite.

Gaza after the war: Allowing the P.A. to assume any future governance role in the Gaza Strip will only guarantee more violence. Thus, as already suggested by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, Gaza, after the war, will come under exclusive Israeli security control. Together with Israel, an international coalition of Western and moderate Sunni Arab countries would work to rehabilitate and reconstruct the area in a manner that would support peace and economic development. In place of a centralized governance structure, the Strip would be divided into administrative districts run by Palestinians who are not affiliated with either Fatah or Hamas. A new education curriculum and system would ensure the long-term de-radicalization of the Gazan population.

The “Palestine Refugees”: Instead of relying on false and unattainable promises that have held the “Palestine refugees” in perpetual limbo for the last 76 years, the unsustainable United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) would be disbanded. The “Palestine refugees” who have been living in their host countries for almost eight decades should be integrated into those countries.

Abbas replaced the P.A. with the PLO: Since its creation, the P.A. has been dominated by Fatah, first under the rule of Yasser Arafat and then under the rule of Mahmoud Abbas. In his twilight years, Abbas, now 89, has effectively replaced the P.A. envisaged by the Oslo Accords with PLO mechanisms. His decisions and moves were designed to obscure the new reality from public discourse and scrutiny, and ensure Fatah’s continued hegemony and corruption.

The same body in different clothes: When Abbas is no longer capable of performing his duties, the PLO-P.A. will present the new, unelected PLO leadership as “pragmatic” and “new faces,” in a manner similar to the passage of power from Arafat to Abbas. While this tactic would create the false hope of fundamental change, the new leadership will be no different from the existing leadership.

Conclusion
Seize the opportunity: The opportunity to dismantle the Palestinian Authority is time-limited and will effectively close, for the foreseeable future, upon the transfer of power from Abbas to whichever Palestinian leader seizes control of the Palestinian entity. Accordingly, Israel should seize the opportunity presented in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre together with the aging of Abbas to announce the fundamental change.
Palestinians blew their best chance for peace
Last week, the former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert displayed a map drawn up in 2008 delineating borders for a Palestinian state. Olmert had famously shown it to the Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, encouraging him to accept the offer, but Abbas never replied, and the map itself has never been shown to the public. Stephen Daisley reflects on the Olmert plan, which would have given the new state more than 94 percent of the West Bank, and compensated it for the remainder with land that belonged to Israel before 1967:

Every time the Palestinians rebuff a peace proposal, commentators reach for an observation by the Israeli diplomat Abba Eban: “The Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” It’s pithy, and depressingly accurate, but I’ve always been more struck by another Eban aphorism: “Men and nations behave wisely when they have exhausted all other resources.” Not as witty, I’ll grant you, but it gets closer to the psychology at play in this conflict. The Palestinians have been able to miss one opportunity after another because doing so has brought no lasting diplomatic consequences.

The Olmert map was the best offer the Palestinians ever received. They will never see another one like it.

Arafat’s decision to spurn a state at Camp David in 2000 has come to be seen as a tragic error, followed as it was by a quarter-century of bloodshed in the second intifada and several more wars between Israel and Gaza. The same cannot be said for Abbas’s decision, for he had one thing Arafat did not: the lesson of Arafat’s failure. Abbas understood the wages of inflexibility, he knew the price of rejection and that the Palestinians would pay it in blood. In declining Olmert’s blueprint, he condemned his own people to decades of dispossession. He didn’t just deny them a state, he stole the Palestinians’ future. That is not a tragedy, it is treason.

Yet there is a rationality to Abbas’s decision. International aid continues to flow into the West Bank, he and his family continue to grow wealthy, and, on the one hand, he can blame “the occupation” for his failures of governance while, on the other, he can rely on Israel to protect him from a Hamas putsch. Had he accepted statehood, he would have to face complaints about his failures as a ruler and shame over not having liberated the rest of Palestine from Israel’s clutches.
Israel: Hamas has ‘a few days’ to agree to extended truce
The Hamas terror organization only has “a few days” to agree to a U.S.-proposed ceasefire extension, an Israeli government spokesman confirmed on Tuesday.

“If they don’t, the Cabinet will convene and decide on the next steps,” Omer Dostri, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman, told Israel’s Army Radio.

The Security Cabinet, which is responsible for defense-related decisions and composed of senior ministers, is scheduled to meet on Sunday at 4 p.m., the Ynet outlet reported on Tuesday, noting that the forum would convene only after Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir was sworn in as the 24th chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces.

Jerusalem is developing a plan to resume the war in the Strip in four to six weeks in a decisive campaign to wipe out Hamas, The Washington Free Beacon reported on Friday, citing several current and former Israeli officials.

Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed Zamir to develop the plan, which is projected for completion when he enters office on Thursday, according to the report.

The plan is to conquer the entire Gaza Strip in one fell swoop with more than 50,000 soldiers, relocating the civilian population to humanitarian zones and waging a “ruthless ground campaign” in terrorist-heavy areas that will receive no humanitarian aid, according to the Beacon.

The campaign is to commence with a heavy aerial assault, followed by a reduction of aid entering the Strip. IDF divisions would simultaneously enter the Strip in the north, center and south, carving it into three parts.

The campaign could be paused if the Hamas leadership agrees to free captives, or if it disarms and goes into exile, the report added.
Aid to Hamas terrorists ‘is not humanitarian,’ Sa’ar says
Israel’s decision to freeze aid shipments to the Gaza Strip was motivated by Hamas’s takeover of the goods and rejection of a truce extension, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar reiterated at a press briefing on Tuesday.

“Saturday was the last day of the first phase of the framework for the release of our hostages. Israel has fully implemented its part, including the part of humanitarian aid, fully and down to the last day,” said Sa’ar, speaking in English for international media.

He noted that Israel had agreed to the proposal of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, that the truce be extended for the month of Ramadan. “Unfortunately, Hamas rejected the offer. Accordingly, Israel stopped enabling the entry of aid into Gaza,” continued the top diplomat.

“Aid that goes to Hamas is not humanitarian,” he said. “Unfortunately, Hamas’s takeover of goods turned it into an economic engine for them. It became the number one budget income for Hamas in Gaza. They use that money for terror, to restore terror capabilities and get more young terrorists to join their organization.”

Citing remarks in which former U.S. president Joe Biden promised to end aid to the Strip if Hamas stole the shipments, Sa’ar noted that the Islamist terror group was not just taking over the humanitarian aid.

“They are shooting the civilians who try to get access to the aid. They use it as an engine in their war against Israel,” Jerusalem’s top diplomat added, declaring: “This can not continue and will not continue.”
JPost Editorial: Israel must use every tool to force Hamas compliance to release remaining hostages
Sunday and Monday were two days in a row when thousands of people lined the streets of Tel Aviv, Rishon Lezion, and the highways and entrances flanking the southern kibbutzim for the funerals of slain hostages Shlomo Mantzur and Itzhak Elgarat, as they were laid to rest in Kissufim and Nir Oz, respectively.

The nightmarish scenario of burying people who were kidnapped from their homes was slightly relieved only by the show of solidarity from the thousands who stood on the sides of highways, the flags they held signaling a promise to honor, remember, and fight for a better future.

Talks continue to stall on the advancement of the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal to phase two – which both Israel and Hamas signed for – which is set to include the return of all the hostages, alive and killed, and a withdrawal of Israeli forces. What is looking more and more likely is a return to fighting and an indefinite pause in hostage releases, unless external pressure – i.e. American – succeeds in breaking the impasse.

Everyone wants the hostages home; how to go about it is the subject of disagreement. But, as so many released hostages consistently say in their brave testimonies, the captives are living in an underground hell that must end. Time must be the determining factor in the next stages.

The people must keep pushing for their earliest return. The clarity and urgency of this cause might become hazy, especially as the number of hostages drops. It might seem like the urgency is less now because there are fewer hostages and dozens are dead.

The duty is to bring them all back as soon as possible, those alive to their families and to begin healing, and the bodies to proper burial.

Danny Elgarat, Itzhak’s brother, said at his funeral on Monday, “You are home. You came home. We promised, cried it out from every stage we could, that this is what we would do, that you would come home.”
Dec 2024: Amid a cash shortage in Gaza, paper money is starting to disintegrate, adding to desperation
The tools of his newfound trade arrayed before him, Mohammad Al-Ashqar, a jeweler for decades, prepares himself for the first of some 200 intricate repairs he performs every day. In his hand he holds neither gemstone nor gold, but a gossamer-thin 20-shekel note held together with tape.

He takes an X-Acto knife, carefully peels off the old tape, cleans the residue, then applies transparent glue in a way to ensure the bill doesn’t break when it’s folded.

“It’s not easy,” Al-Ashqar, 48, says of his work as a money repairman in a shop in Deir al Balah. “But I’ve become quite good at it.”

In Deir al Balah, Mohammad al-Ashqar, a jeweler for decades, repairs worn-out Israeli shekels with simple tools like glue and an X-Acto knife, aiming to restore them as usable currency. Palestinian territories use the shekel as their primary currency.

More than a year into Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, cash is king. But the destruction across the Palestinian territory, which has left few banks standing and made ATMs inaccessible, along with Israel’s blocking of bill and coin transfers in and out of the enclave, also means cash is scarce.

“People have been passing around the same bills for more than a year now,” says Al-Ashqar, who was displaced from Gaza City. “Of course they’re tattered and fragile.” Most vendors refuse to accept worn-out paper money, he explains, and coins have fared little better. The most common 10-shekel coin is particularly susceptible to rust and wear and tear, and vendors have become suspicious as rumors abound that many of those available in Gaza are counterfeits.

The result, Al-Ashqar says, is yet another indignity for Gaza residents: Even if you’re lucky enough to find the item you want and have the money to afford it, you still may not be able to buy it, because no seller will take your cash.

Gaza, like other Palestinian territories, uses the shekel as its primary currency, with some transactions done in U.S. dollars or the Jordanian dinar. But since the Hamas militant group’s attack on Israel launched the latest war on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has blocked the entry and exit of physical money from the enclave, Palestinian banking officials say.

And counting on banks to recycle and recirculate the supply of banknotes simply isn’t a possibility.

Before the war, Gaza had 10 banks, with 56 branches and 90 ATMs, financial experts say; in July, the Norwegian Refugee Council said only 10% remained operational. Now the number of open branches ranges from a very few to, according to a Bank of Palestine manager, just one.


Jonathan Tobin: Trump-Zelenskyy spat not a warning to Israel
Israel needs no lessons in how to deal with a White House that is hostile or willing to blackmail Jerusalem to get its way.

But it is the height of chutzpah for Trump’s detractors to say that he might do the same to Israel since he has reversed every one of his predecessors’ anti-Israel policies—from arms deliveries to moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Israel may fear a return to a period when America might use its leverage to harm its interests. It is not something they expect from Trump but from a future Democratic president who will be leading a party that is increasingly hostile to Israel and Zionism. If that happens, it won’t be because Trump has set a precedent.

It’s true that most Democrats view the Ukrainian cause as a righteous one because they identify it with the impeachment of Trump and opposition to his foreign-policy goals. And a dwindling (as Graham’s stand shows) number of Republican congress members back Ukraine because they exaggerate the threat to Europe and the world from a Russia that is a shadow of the power it was before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Moreover, a recent poll showed that more Americans back Trump’s position on Ukraine than those who oppose it.

The war is now not so much about Ukrainian independence but ownership of the Crimea and the Donbas. And it’s far from clear that most Americans think that issue reflects a vital U.S. interest, let alone one that should require them to send more aid to Ukraine in the last three years than Israel has received in decades.
Rubio to Netanyahu: Support for Israel is a ‘top priority’ for Trump
During a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said American support for Israel “is a top priority” for U.S. President Donald Trump.

This comes after Rubio expedited some $4 billion in military aid to Israel, which was also discussed on the call, according to Tammy Bruce, a U.S. State Department spokesperson.

Rubio also thanked Netanyahu for his cooperation with Steve Witkoff, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, in helping to “free all remaining hostages and extend the ceasefire in Gaza,” per the readout.

The two leaders also addressed the threat that Iran poses in the region, anticipating “close coordination” in working to combat the reach of the Islamic Republic. The issue was also discussed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hagseth in a phone call on Monday with his Israeli counterpart, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
UK to place Iran onto highest tier of new foreign security risk register
Britain said on Tuesday it would require the Iranian state to register everything it does to exert political influence in the UK, subjecting Tehran to an elevated tier of scrutiny in light of what it said was increasingly aggressive activity.

Security minister Dan Jarvis said he would put Iran's state, its security services and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps into the enhanced tier of an upcoming registration scheme designed to protect against covert foreign influence.

"The Iranian regime is targeting dissidents, and it is targeting media organizations and journalists reporting on the violent oppression of the regime," Jarvis told parliament.

In November, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 said that since January 2022, his service and British police had responded to 20 Iran-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in the United Kingdom regarded by Tehran as a threat.

The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), expected to launch in the summer, will require "the registration of arrangements to carry out political influence activities in the UK at the direction of a foreign power," a government briefing document said.

The "enhanced" tier of scrutiny allows a senior minister to require certain countries and organizations to register a broader range of activities to protect Britain's interests.

Failure to register when required to do so would be a criminal offense. The scheme does not prevent activities that are properly registered from taking place, the government said.


Arab states adopt Egyptian alternative to Trump's 'Gaza Riviera'
Britain said on Tuesday it would require the Iranian state to register everything it does to exert political influence in the UK, subjecting Tehran to an elevated tier of scrutiny in light of what it said was increasingly aggressive activity.

Security minister Dan Jarvis said he would put Iran's state, its security services and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps into the enhanced tier of an upcoming registration scheme designed to protect against covert foreign influence.

"The Iranian regime is targeting dissidents, and it is targeting media organizations and journalists reporting on the violent oppression of the regime," Jarvis told parliament.

In November, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 said that since January 2022, his service and British police had responded to 20 Iran-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in the United Kingdom regarded by Tehran as a threat.

The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), expected to launch in the summer, will require "the registration of arrangements to carry out political influence activities in the UK at the direction of a foreign power," a government briefing document said.

The "enhanced" tier of scrutiny allows a senior minister to require certain countries and organizations to register a broader range of activities to protect Britain's interests.

Failure to register when required to do so would be a criminal offense. The scheme does not prevent activities that are properly registered from taking place, the government said.


UNRWA Official Calls Aid Agency a Casualty of October 7 During Hamas-Affiliated Webinar
A spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) attended a Hamas-affiliated webinar last month alongside one of the terror group's operatives and claimed that officials with the embattled aid agency were "also victims" of the October 7 terror rampage through Israel.

Adnan Abu Hasna, an UNRWA media adviser, participated in a February 19 online briefing organized by the Lebanon-based advocacy group Association 302 for Palestinian Refugees. The organization is led by Ali Hweidi, who also serves as an official in the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, a group that Israel designated as a Hamas front in 2021.

During the briefing, which also included a Hamas official and was broadcast on a media outlet linked to the terror group, Abu Hasna argued that UNRWA was also a casualty on the day Hamas slaughtered more than 1,200 Israelis in cold blood, an attack the terrorists carried out alongside more than a dozen UNRWA employees. The aid group's participation in the October 7 strike prompted international donors, including the United States, to temporarily pull their funding, leaving it scrambling for cash. The Trump administration permanently froze all U.S. funding to UNRWA shortly after taking office.

"At the end of the day, we at UNRWA were one of the victims of what happened on October 7," Abu Hasna said in Arabic during the briefing, which was titled "UNRWA After the Ban Law and the Arrival of Trump: Dangers and Coping Mechanisms." It centered on ways the aid group and its supporters can sow divisions between the Trump administration and European countries that still support UNRWA's role as the chief humanitarian aid group in Gaza. Israel in January formally banned the aid group from operating, citing its role in the October 7 attack and longstanding concerns over its anti-Semitic educational materials.

Speaking alongside UNRWA's Abu Hasna was Ahmed Al-Hajj, a Hamas official based in Lebanon, and Abdelhamid Siyam, a Rutgers University professor who formerly worked for the United Nations. Another participant, Saleh Abdel Ati, is a former member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a designated terror group.


Hamas, Israel, and the Death of International Law
International humanitarian law is dead. Ideologically motivated hostility to Israel since the Hamas massacre of Israelis on October 7 killed it.

IHL was invented after World War II. The war saw tens of millions of civilians were killed, some intentionally as in the Shoah, and some because their lives were not valued when military decisions were being made.

The underlying idea was that regardless of which side was right or wrong in any given international conflicts, armed forces on both sides have obligations to protect civilians to the extent possible while engaged in war.

If the IHL community had taken this seriously, imagine what would have happened immediately after October 7.

IHL scholars, activists, and organizations would have been unified in their intense denunciation of the massive violation of all precepts of international law by Hamas in their massacre, torture, rape and kidnapping of Israeli civilians.

They would have demanded that Hamas immediately release its hostages, and insisted that the world pressure not just Hamas but its allies and enablers in Egypt, Qatar, and Iran, to ensure the safe and unconditional release of the hostages. They would have insisted, publicly and consistently, that Hamas surrender.

And when Hamas would have then, inevitably, refused to give in, the IHL community would have denounced Hamas’s failure to wear uniforms to allow Israel to distinguish enemy fighters from civilians, its intentional placing civilians at risk, its obstruction and theft of humanitarian aid, and, not least, its continuing to hold, torture, and rape hostages.

An IHL community actually devoted to IHL would also of course have had concerns about Israeli actions. They would have reviewed Israeli military responses in Gaza to see if they met the proportionality standard. That standard is quite vague, but surely IHL scholars, activists, and organizations could have contributed measured analyses and occasional criticism of Israeli actions. They also could properly have insisted that to the extent Israel took control of territory that ensured that the civilian population was properly fed and sheltered, consistent with international law.

None of this happened, of course. The IHL community, writ large, had been taken over by the far left, and for a variety of interrelated ideological reasons IHL activists are hostile to Israel’s very existence, and do not believe that Israel has any right to defend itself, including from Hamas terrorism. Therefore any civilian casualties caused by Israeli military action were unacceptable.


Combat soldiers criticize IDF Oct. 7 Kfar Aza probe
Combat soldiers who fought in Kfar Aza during the October 7 massacre criticized the IDF probe into the events on the kibbutz, saying it omitted to mention many forces who fought there that day, according to Channel 12 on Tuesday.

"In my opinion, the investigation does not properly reflect the full scope of the IDF’s operations in Kfar Aza that day or the soldiers who sacrificed their lives there," Sergeant-Major M. said, according to the report.

"We were there—we fought and saw with our own eyes what happened," M. noted.

"There was a large Givati force in Kfar Aza, with severely wounded soldiers who fought in intense battles. That force was not included in the report. We were with Yahalom, and none of the investigation teams spoke to us about the fighting in the new neighborhood," M. added.

Captain H. also shared with the Israeli news outlet his experience on the morning of the massacre.

"I live in the north, and that morning, I woke up at 6:00 a.m. for a walk with my dog. I saw our security coordinator preparing for the possibility of an escalation in the North following the sirens in the south. I realized something was happening, but I didn’t yet understand what," H. was cited as saying.

"I watched the first videos from Hamas, and at the same time, calls for emergency call-ups began."

"I packed a bag for war, and at 8:00 a.m., I headed south," Captain H. said.

A Duvdevan company commander along with a friend of his were engaged in the fight in Kfar Aza. "They were standing on one of the rooftops, fighting in live fire against the terrorists," he said.

Captain H. further noted, "I arrived in Kfar Aza at around noon. At first, all we did was evacuate the wounded and the dead."

"We met a Maglan team that had lost their platoon commander," he said, adding, "It was chaotic, and we had to restore order. At some point, a Shin Bet team arrived and told us that the forces had to go inside. With no other choice, we took military gear and weapons from fallen comrades and went in."

"A Duvdevan team entered Kfar Aza in a military vehicle, and within minutes, it came back out, completely riddled with bullets. We realized that we had to plan a ground entry."
IDF to impose social media restrictions after probe revealed posts assisted Hamas
The IDF is working to impose restrictions on soldiers and officials regarding their activity on social media, following the IDF probe published on Monday which showed markers left by IDF soldiers on social media granted Hamas a complete breakdown of nearly every unit, sub-unit, and building within the Nahal Oz IDF base when it invaded it on October 7.

Among the measures to be implemented are a ban on photography inside IDF facilities and raising awareness on the issue, alongside strict penalties for those who violate the order.

Additionally, security classifications will be assigned to many roles within the IDF, not just intelligence positions.

In addition, soldiers and officers in various positions would not be allowed to open Facebook or other social media accounts to prevent the enemy from constructing intelligence profiles on them. Furthermore, documentation of ceremonies, parties, and events attended by civilians will no longer be permitted.

IDF's Nahal Oz base probe
The IDF probe published on Tuesday concluded that the photos taken by IDF soldiers on their first or last days in their roles granted Hamas significant knowledge of the base, enabling it to build a model of portions of the base to practice its invasion.

Hamas was aware of the location of the base’s generators, the video cameras, the safe rooms, the coordination situation room, how and when the patrols moved around, and where the base commander and the company commanders each slept.
IDF eliminates top Hamas official in Jenin operation
IDF troops killed the head of the Hamas terrorist organization, Isser Sa'adi, in Jenin under Shin Bet direction on Monday night, the military said on Tuesday afternoon.

During the operation, Border Police, together with IDF soldiers from the Menashe Brigade, killed two additional terrorists and arrested three wanted individuals.

At the start of the mission, IDF soldiers in Eitan armored vehicles entered a neighborhood in Jenin. Acting on Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) intelligence, the troops searched a building where Sa'adi was hiding.

A firefight broke out, and in the end, the soldiers eliminated the terrorists and arrested the wanted men. Later, during a search of the area, the troops found an M-16 rifle, a pistol, and other weapons inside the building.

February counterterrorism efforts
The IDF also reported on the results of Operation Iron Wall in February. Over the course of the month, the IDF eliminated 25 terrorists in the West Bank, including arms dealers, bomb makers, and individuals reportedly planning attacks. In addition, troops arrested approximately 350 wanted individuals, confiscated 120 weapons, and destroyed hundreds of explosive devices.


Lebanese Army infiltrated by Hezbollah loyalists
A new report by the Galilee-based Alma Research and Education Center reveals alarming details about the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) deployed in southern Lebanon, warning of its increasing “Shi’itization” and cooperation with Hezbollah.

The report questions the force’s ability to enforce the ceasefire agreement with Israel.

Meanwhile, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is attempting to convince the international community, claiming that “Only the state will be responsible for security,” despite evidence suggesting otherwise.

“Our goal is that the state alone will be responsible for national security. That’s it, no one besides the state is permitted to carry out its national duty to defend the country and protect the people.

“There is no one else who is allowed to play this role. When there is an attack on the state of Lebanon, the state will make a decision,” Aoun declared recently in an interview with the Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat.

On the surface, the senior figure in the country’s leadership is confronting Hezbollah face to face.

Well, not really. Aoun is visiting Saudi Arabia this week, where he is expected to request the renewal of aid to the LAF. The Saudi package previously stood at $3 billion annually and was halted in 2016 when Beirut did not bother to condemn the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran. Iran is the patron of Hezbollah, which ruled Lebanon unchallenged.

Therefore, Aoun is mobilizing all his rhetorical skills to convince the U.S. and Arab countries that a new era has dawned in the land of cedars—together with the new Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and the LAF, he will become a counterweight to Hezbollah.

But hopes are one thing and reality is another. Tal Beeri, head of research at the Alma Center, cast serious doubt on these statements, “Aoun says what the Americans want him to say, but in the end, there is reality, and unfortunately right now it shows other things.


IDF hits Assad assets in northwestern Syria
Israeli fighter jets attacked a military site of Syria’s former Assad regime near Qardaha in northwestern Syria on Monday night in response to “recent developments in the area,” the Israel Defense Forces said.

“The IDF continues to monitor developments in the area and will act as necessary in order to defend the citizens of the State of Israel,” the military said, confirming earlier local reports.

The attack targeted “a military site where weapons belonging to the previous Syrian regime were stored,” the statement added. It did not specify which developments prompted the strike.

Syrian media outlets earlier on Thursday night reported that an Israeli strike had hit an “air defense base” belonging to Assad’s former army.

Since the fall of the Iranian- and Russian-backed Assad regime on Dec. 8, Israel has taken up positions inside and beyond the Golan Heights buffer zone, including on the strategic Syrian side of Mount Hermon. The Israeli Air Force has conducted hundreds of strikes on former Assad military assets to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile forces.

In a series of strikes last week, Israeli jets hit military targets throughout Syria’s southern region, including “command centers and multiple sites containing weapons,” over the course of several hours, according to the IDF.


Trump State Dept. Designates Iran-Backed Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organization
The State Department on Tuesday officially designated Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), cementing President Donald Trump's executive order from January.

"Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, adding that the United States "will not tolerate" countries that do business with "terrorist organizations like the Houthis."

Trump added the Houthis to the FTO list in an executive order shortly after returning to the White House, the Washington Free Beacon first reported. "The Houthis' activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade," the order reads.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted American and Israeli vessels in the Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October 2023.

"Since 2023, the Houthis have launched hundreds of attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as U.S. service members defending freedom of navigation and our regional partners," Rubio said in the Tuesday statement.

Trump designated the Houthis as an FTO during his first term, but former president Joe Biden reversed the designation within weeks of taking office in 2021. He then gave the group a weaker designation last year. The Trump White House in January criticized the Biden administration's "weak policy," vowing to "eliminate the Houthis' capabilities."


Thousands mourn as slain hostage Itzik Elgarat laid to rest in Kibbutz Nir Oz
Itzik Elgarat, who was murdered while in Hamas captivity in Gaza and whose body was returned to Israel last week, was laid to rest at Kibbutz Nir Oz on Monday.

As the funeral procession set out from Rishon LeZion toward Nir Oz, Itzik’s brother Dani recited the Kaddish. Along the route to the kibbutz, thousands stood with Israeli flags to pay their respects.

The funeral in Nir Oz was also attended by thousands.

Eulogies were delivered by his brother Dani, his sister Rachel Danzig—who survived the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre—his nephews Amit, Tor and Mor, his niece Reut Goldstein and The Democrats chairman Yair Golan.

Elgarat, 69, was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7. He was on the phone with his brother Dani when he was taken captive. He is survived by his two children.
‘He was completely alone’: Hostage’s father shares son's harrowing ordeal
For nearly 450 days, Omer Shem Tov was held captive in Hamas tunnels, much of it in isolation—including 50 days confined to what his captors called a “dungeon.” His father, Malki Shem Tov, described his son’s ordeal in his first interview since Omer’s release.

“We had assessments that this was the situation,” Malki told Ynet on Monday. “But we didn’t know for sure. When they told us, it hurt. The hardest part was knowing he was completely alone.”

During the first hostage release deal, Omer was unaware that his fellow captive, Itay Regev—the younger brother of his close friend, Maya—had been freed. “It surprised them both,” Malki said. “Itay didn’t know he was being released. They were just told they were being separated. After two days, Omer realized Itay had likely been freed.”

Following Regev’s departure, Hamas terrorists transferred Omer to a deeper and longer tunnel, where he was confined to a cramped, underground cell. “It was so small he couldn’t even stand or stretch his arms,” Malki said. “No electricity, complete darkness, except for a small flashlight whose batteries would sometimes die, leaving him in total blackness.”

At first, his captors provided flatbread, but eventually, he received only biscuits. “The water was salty, undrinkable,” Malki recounted. “It was incredibly hard. In his last days there, he struggled both physically and mentally to hold on.”

'Even in hell, there are levels'
After 50 days, Hamas moved Omer again—this time to a different tunnel, still alone but in a slightly larger space. The walls were lined with white tiles, creating an illusion of light. “Apparently, even in hell, there are degrees of suffering,” Malki said, his voice tinged with bitter humor.

Omer remained in that tunnel until he was freed as part of the hostage deal. His older sister, Dana, explained that forced labor helped him endure captivity. “They made him cook, clean after them, carry things. That kept him occupied.”

His captors also gave him books—some left behind by Israeli soldiers—including The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, which he read five times. “They also gave him a book on the weekly Torah portions and even a Sudoku puzzle he couldn’t finish because he had no Internet to check the answers,” Malki said.

Despite the psychological torment, Omer relied on his social skills. “He has this personal charm, a way of connecting with people,” Malki explained. “He quickly understood that to survive, he needed to build rapport with them. There was psychological terror, and when new guards arrived, they were harsher. But most of the time, he was with the same captors, and he managed to win them over.”


Call me Back Podcast - with Dan Senor: On Blindness: The IDF’s 10/7 Probe - with Amos Harel & Nadav Eyal
On Thursday, the IDF released the scathing findings of its probe into the military failures that led up to and accompanied the massacre of October 7, 2023.

According to those findings, the military vastly underestimated Hamas’s capabilities, misread its intentions, and failed to mount an effective response to the mass invasion of Israel’s borders. The IDF’s probe into its own failures reveals both the extent to which warnings went ignored, and the extent to which so many communities in Southern Israel were forced to fend for themselves.

While some of these findings come as no surprise, they are still shocking and devastating to process. We spoke with two of Israel’s leading national security journalists to walk through the key points of the findings.

Amos Harel is the Defense Analyst at Haaretz, and Nadav Eyal is a Senior Political Analyst at Yediot Achronot.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
03:19 Events on the night between 10/6 and 10/7, 2023
11:02 Was Shabbat a factor?
12:52 Commotion with the IDF senior ranks during the night
18:23 What are the entities that are featured most prominently in this report?
20:49 What happened at the IDF base at Nahal-Oz?
37:32 What did the probe find that we didn’t already know regarding Israeli intelligence?
43:33 Hamas’s conclusions and planning: post-2014 war to 2022
48:26 Israel’s intelligence failures and blindness to what would come on 10/7
01:06:03 Distinction between an internal IDF investigation and a formal government commission of inquiry
01:12:05 Would it be a mistake to conduct an investigation while the war is ongoing?


"The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza" with Seth Frantzman
Seth Frantzman’s latest book, "The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza" looks into the devastating Hamas attack on Israel, the battles that followed, and the global forces at play. In preparing the book, the author had exclusive access to IDF soldiers and commanders and to military strategists. Mr. Frantzman will in this talk explore how Israel responded to the October 7 attacks, and what this conflict means for the future of the Middle East. How did Hamas orchestrate such a deadly assault? What role did international players have? And how will this war reshape the region?

Seth Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The author of three books, he is the acting news editor and senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post. He has written for a variety of media, including The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, The Spectator, The National Interest, and other outlets. He holds a B.A. in history and political science from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.


Trump’s Bold Gaza Plan: Game-Changer or Fantasy? | w/Mike Doran | True East
Welcome to True East, your weekly source for in-depth analysis on #Israel’s most pressing issues. Hosted by IDF Spokesperson (Res.) Doron Spielman, this episode features Mike Doran, a leading expert in Middle East geopolitics, as we dissect U.S. President #Trump’s controversial #gaza plan and its potential impact on Israel and the region.

🔹 Topics Covered:
✔ Trump’s bold new vision for Gaza: realistic or impossible?
✔ Could millions of Gazans be relocated? Where would they go?
✔ The Arab world’s reaction: why are Middle Eastern nations silent?
✔ Hamas’ control in Gaza: can any plan work while they remain in power?
✔ US-Israel relations: How does the Biden administration's stance differ?
✔ The Saudi-Israel peace deal: a major breakthrough or political misstep?
✔ The hostage crisis: is Hamas stalling for time?

We’ll explore what the plan might mean for the future of Israel and the region. Is this a solution to the long-standing conflict or a recipe for disaster? Join us as we dive into the details of Trump's shocking plan and explore its potential implications. From humanitarian concerns to geopolitical power plays, we'll examine the possible consequences. Stay tuned for a deep dive into the complexities of Trump’s Gaza proposal.


Oscars 2025: Hollywood cowards reward Hamas propaganda | The Quad
This week, the ladies (and honorary power gay!) are taking over with no-nonsense takes on the biggest stories shaking up #Israel and the world. Buckle up, because Shoshana Keats-Jaskoll (activist & writer) is joined by Rashi Elmaliah (marketing genius behind Waze), Daniel Ryan Spaulding (comedian & master of savage truth bombs), and Ruthie Blum (journalist & author) for another unapologetic breakdown of the week’s hottest topics.

💥 Topics we’re tackling this week:
✔ Trump vs. Zelensky: Did Ukraine’s leader just embarrass himself in the Oval Office?
✔ Billions in US aid going straight to #Hamas: How did this happen?!
✔ Israel being “too nice” in war?: Should we cut off water & electricity to Gaza?
✔ Oct. 7th failures: IDF’s internal probe reveals what really went wrong.
✔ Academy Awards propaganda: Why did the #Oscars reward anti-Israel lies?
✔ SCUMBAGS & HEROES OF THE WEEK! (Trust us, this week’s picks are fire 🔥)
⚡ The Quad is where Jewish women, fierce allies, and smart supporters of Israel come to get the REAL story—without the media spin.
🔥 Like, comment, and subscribe for bold, unfiltered, no-BS discussions on Israel, geopolitics, and Western civilization. Let’s go! 🚀


Federalist Radio Hour: Why The West Needs A ‘Wake Up Call’
On this episode of “The Federalist Radio Hour,” author Israel Ellis joins Federalist Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to analyze the rise in antisemitism following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, discuss the “foreign policy fraud” affecting the political landscape of the Middle East, and explain how anti-Western ideology is infecting American institutions.

You can find Ellis’ book The Wake Up Call: Global Jihad and the Rise of Antisemitism in a World Gone MAD here.




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

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



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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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