Wednesday, April 09, 2025

04/09 Links Pt1: Israel’s second war of independence; Israel's High Court Shattered the False Gaza Narrative by the International Courts; Israeli Air Force jet crashes in Lebanon due to technical malfunction

From Ian:

Clifford May: Israel’s second war of independence
These developments are encouraging but, as Israelis are now more acutely aware than ever, there can be no higher priority than preventing the regime in Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“If Tehran gets a nuke,” one senior military officer told me, “all our other military achievements will be for nothing.”

Last year, Iran’s rulers attacked Israel directly on two occasions. In April, they launched more than 300 drones and missiles. Most were intercepted with minimal damage thanks to Israeli, U.S., and other defenses.

In October, they fired more than 200 missiles at Israeli targets. Again, combined air defense systems proved astonishingly effective.

Israel retaliated with a series of airstrikes that destroyed Iranian missile production facilities and air defense systems (many of the latter made in Russia).

That has left Tehran weaker than it’s been for decades. But because Moscow and Beijing, too, are believed to be helping the regime build back better, its window of vulnerability is likely to remain open for only about six months.

President Trump has now deployed at least six B-2 stealth bombers to Diego Garcia, an air base in the Indian Ocean. He is reminding Iran’s rulers—who continue to threaten to assassinate him—that he has the means to swiftly and effectively demolish their nuclear weapons facilities, including even those buried under mountains.

As a result, Iran’s rulers now say they’re ready for “indirect high-level talks.”

You can be sure they plan either to either drag out the palaver while making nuclear warheads that fit on intercontinental ballistic missiles, or fool Trump into accepting a deal as fatally flawed as was President Obama’s 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (which was neither comprehensive nor a plan of action).

The only acceptable deal would require that Iran’s nuclear weapons infrastructure be completely and verifiably dismantled. “They can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said on Monday. “That’s all there is.”

If that result cannot be achieved diplomatically (and quickly), Trump should fulfill his promise to take military action to ensure that Iran’s Islamists do not become the fourth nuclear-armed member of an aggressive, ambitious and anti-American axis that also includes Chinese Communists, Russian neo-imperialists and the dynastic dictator in North Korea.

Alternatively, Trump could assist an Israeli effort to cripple Tehran’s nuclear weapons program. “Without proxies and nukes,” a senior Israeli official told the FDD group, “the Islamic Republic is an eighth-rate power.”

Should that transpire, Israel will have won its second war of independence. Extreme vigilance will be required to prevent a third.
Richard Kemp: The Israel-Hamas war grinds on. It’s time to try something different
Many countries have tried deradicalisation initiatives, with varying degrees of effectiveness, including the UK, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Algeria and Egypt. Singapore seems to have had the greatest success in their endeavours to rehabilitate Jemaah Islamyia terrorists.

Specially tailored programmes around the Muslim world, perhaps based on Singapore’s, would be the destination for thousands of Palestinian prisoners. Joined by their families, they could subsequently be released and resettled on satisfactory completion of the programme.

Yes, there would be outrage from human rights groups and practitioners of legal warfare against Israel. Many of the prisoners are likely to resist, as would Palestinian leaders whose priority is to perpetuate the conflict rather than secure a better life for the communities they have kept under their ruinous heel for so long.

It would also be a quandary for Western political leaders who have allowed themselves to be convinced over many years that the problem is Israel and not the radical Islamists who seek its destruction. Accepting the reality would be a bitter pill for these individuals to swallow. By falsely blaming Israel for this conflict and making zero demands on the actual aggressors, they have encouraged the Palestinians to keep up a fight they should not be fighting. Continuation of the present misguided approach will not only cause further bloodshed but also condemn the Palestinians to a never-ending existence of unresolvable limbo, poverty and deprivation.

There is only one viable way to break this malignant cycle and that is the reform of the Palestinian population, primarily by moderate clerics and younger, forward-looking leaders if such can be found. To show them that their vicious war against Israel can never be won while holding out the prospect that they can live prosperously, side by side with their Jewish neighbours if they can bring themselves to accept Israel’s existence. In other words, the opposite of the thinking of generations of peace processors whose untenable schemes have been constantly exploited by hard-line Palestinian leaders. The Abraham Accords sowed the seeds here, demonstrating to the Palestinians that their Arab brothers could live in harmony while dealing and trading with Israel. The extension of that initiative to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries will give greater strength to this cause but it will not be enough on its own.

In addition, the malignant and all-pervasive anti-Israel education, propaganda and preaching, often subsidised by the West, has to be ended. Counter-intuitively perhaps, deradicalisation of Palestinian prisoners, who are among the most radicalised, could serve as the model for wider reform. They are literally a captive audience, and they have the most to gain by accepting reality and an understanding that their future can be brighter if they are willing to move away from hatred and violence.

With international support and cooperation from the Islamic world, such a project could become a reality rather than a utopian dream. Despite the predictable objections, giving deradicalisation a chance has to be better than just repeating what has been done before and hoping for different results.
John Spencer: Israel's High Court Just Shattered the False Gaza Narrative by the International Courts in The Hague
On March 27, 2025, Israel’s High Court of Justice, led by Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit,delivered a measured, fact-driven, and deeply legal judgment , reaffirming that Israel’s decision to halt aid to Gaza, following Hamas’s rejection of the U.S. proposal to continue the hostage-ceasefire negotiations, was fully compliant with international law.The ruling should send a powerful signal to international bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), which have rushed to indict and accuse with politically charged narratives untethered from operational facts and legal substance.

The High Court found that Israel is not in violation of international humanitarian law in itsdecision to halt the facilitation of aid to Gaza and—critically—not an occupying power in the Strip. This rebuke, coming from Israel’s own top court—widely regarded as one of the most independent in the world—matters immensely. It is everything the ICC and ICJ have failed to be: rooted in evidence, guided by law, and aware of the real-world consequences of war against terrorist enemies who embed themselves within civilian populations.

This was no rubber stamp. Israel’s Supreme Court has a longstanding history of challenging its own government, particularly on national security policy. The idea that this court would serve as a political puppet is laughable to anyone familiar with Israel’s democratic and judicial culture.

What the High Court did was what international tribunals have refused to do: look at the facts. After reviewing extensive classified materials, multiple hearings, and actual data—not rhetoric—the Court ruled that Israel has met and continues to meet its obligations under both international and domestic law. It confirmed that Israel facilitates humanitarian aid to civilians, with no quantitative restrictions, and has taken extensive steps to coordinate with international aid groups—even amid a complex war against a terrorist army that systematically steals that same aid.

The Court also addressed allegations that Israel was using starvation as a method of warfare. Citing the entry of 25,000 aid trucks carrying over 57,000 tons of food since January 19—during the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire agreement—it found no violation of the prohibitions on starvation or collective punishment “not even remotely.” The Court emphasized that international law only obliges a state to facilitate the passage of humanitarian supplies when there is no reason to believe they are being diverted for hostile use. Given overwhelming evidence that Hamas has been systematically stealing aid and repurposing it for military operations, including hostage captivity, the Court concluded that Israel acted within the bounds of international law when it halted certain aid flows.


Donald Trump Didn’t Give Israel What It Wanted, but Things Aren’t All Bad
On Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest to meet with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban. His visit to Europe was met with calls, from various countries, to arrest him pursuant to a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC). His flight path was even modified so that, in the event of an emergency landing, he would not find himself in a country that would carry out the ICC’s order. While still in Hungary, he received an invitation to meet with President Trump at the White House, and departed directly to the U.S. on Sunday. Let’s have a look at the second visit first, and then return to the summit with Orban.

Amit Segal evaluates Netanyahu’s meeting with the president:
What did Netanyahu want? Two key things: an announcement from Trump that he’s reducing the 17-percent tariff on Israel, and a green light to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. And he got neither. On the issue of tariffs, . . . Trump wouldn’t commit, saying, “don’t forget, we help Israel a lot,” while adding, “we give Israel $4 billion a year—that’s a lot.”

And Iran? “Everyone agrees a deal would be preferable to doing the obvious,” Trump claimed, while adding that neither he nor Israel wants to be involved in “the obvious.” He then went one step further, announcing that Washington and Tehran are holding direct talks on Saturday. So no tariffs agreement, and no green light to strike Iran.

So, are Washington and Jerusalem are on different pages? Not necessarily. Senior Israeli officials, including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, have recently expressed openness to American negotiations with Iran. Why? It may well be a coordinated move: let’s give direct talks a chance, and if that doesn’t work, a military strike will have to do. . . . After all, it was Trump who said yesterday that Iran is entering “very dangerous territory.”
Analysis from inside the Trump-Netanyahu meeting (what’s next?) | Jerusalem Minute
JNS CEO Alex Traiman reports directly from Washington, D.C. after covering Prime Minister Netanyahu’s visit with President Trump at the White House. JNS Middle East correspondent Josh Hasten joins Alex to break down the major issues shaping Israel and the world right now:
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s second Oval Office meeting with President Trump
U.S. tariffs on Israeli goods and Netanyahu’s diplomatic response
Trump’s plans for direct Iran talks — and the looming threat of military action
The humanitarian and security crisis in Gaza and the hostage negotiations
Trump’s proposal for voluntary Gaza emigration and future rebuilding plans
Turkey’s growing influence in Syria — and Trump’s offer to mediate between Israel and Turkey
Hungary’s bold move to exit the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its unwavering support for Israel

From Washington to Jerusalem to Budapest, Alex and Josh connect the dots on the latest geopolitical moves that could shape Israel’s future and the stability of the Middle East.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Context of Netanyahu's Visit
03:00 Press Conference Insights and Key Questions
05:58 Tariffs and Economic Discussions
09:05 Iran Negotiations and Military Considerations
11:59 Gaza Hostage Situation and Humanitarian Concerns
14:54 U.S. Military Actions and Regional Implications
18:03 Gaza Resettlement Plans and International Response
20:58 Turkey, Syria, and U.S. Mediation
23:52 Netanyahu's Diplomatic Tour in Hungary
27:06 Concluding Thoughts and Future Implications


FDD: Arsenal of Democracy
China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are sprinting to strengthen their military capabilities and are increasingly working together to threaten the United States and its interests. Thankfully, Americans have valuable partners in Taiwan, Ukraine, and Israel who are willing to fight to defend themselves and the interests they share with the United States. But to be successful, Taipei, Kyiv, and Jerusalem need American weapons. By transferring these arms, Washington can defend its interests without sending American troops to the battlefield.

But can the United States simultaneously arm Taiwan, Ukraine, and Israel? Or must Washington choose between them? And can the United States arm its partners while also producing the weapons the U.S. military needs? How healthy is the American defense industrial base (DIB) when it comes to building the weapons beleaguered democracies need? And how can the American arsenal of democracy be strengthened?

To answer these questions, this paper examines in detail 25 weapon systems that the United States provides or may provide to Ukraine and Taiwan, or to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel. The evidence shows there has not been a material delay in the delivery of the examined weapon systems to Taiwan or Israel because of American efforts to support Ukraine. But this does not mean America’s DIB is in good health. Without prudent reforms and substantial new investments, the DIB may not be capable of sustaining America’s role as the arsenal of democracy.

America’s Interests in the Defense of Taiwan, Ukraine, and Israel
The United States is in intense global competition with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and that competition is most acute in the Taiwan Strait.1 If China initiates a naval blockade or invasion of Taiwan, the United States could be forced to make a difficult choice: 1) go to war against China and potentially see thousands of American service members lose their lives; or 2) take no military action — abandoning a democratic partner, empowering the CCP, and dealing a serious blow to American security, credibility, and prosperity that will reverberate widely for years to come.2

However, the United States may never have to face that choice if it provides Taiwan with the military capabilities necessary to convince Beijing that aggression against Taipei would fail or not be worth the high costs. Reinforcing deterrence is far less costly than confronting aggression. That is surely a lesson that Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has underscored.

The people of Ukraine are defending themselves against that unprovoked invasion, in what constitutes the largest war in Europe since World War II. Sending arms to help Ukraine defend itself is a wise and sustainable investment for the United States, as it degrades Russian combat capabilities, decreases Russia’s ability to launch further aggression, and reduces the chances that Moscow will attack NATO member states.3 Supporting Ukraine not only serves core U.S. national security interests in Europe but also sends a valuable deterrent message to other adversaries contemplating aggression against American allies and partners.4

Deterrence is based on the adversary’s perception of both U.S. military capabilities and Washington’s political will to use those capabilities. Thus, a failure to support Ukraine after publicly committing to do so would have consequences far outside the region, which is perhaps why Taiwan has supported American assistance to Kyiv.5 Not a single U.S. service member is fighting in Ukraine, and the U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine is equivalent to less than 3 percent of what the United States spent on the Pentagon since the 2022 Russian invasion.6 If Americans nevertheless abandon Kyiv or pressure it to accept terms favorable to Moscow, Beijing will likely conclude that the United States will not send American forces to fight in the Taiwan Strait.7 This would render aggression toward Taiwan and a costly war in the Pacific more likely.8

Finally, the Islamic Republic of Iran — which views the United States as its archenemy — is undertaking a methodical campaign against the State of Israel, America’s most reliable and capable partner in the Middle East.9 Since 1979, and especially in the past year, Israel has proven it has no equal among America’s partners in countering Iran and its terrorist network, which includes terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.10

The American military is more capable because of its intelligence sharing and security cooperation with Israel. In addition, the U.S. and Israeli governments, along with companies from both countries, regularly cooperate on cutting-edge systems that have improved the safety and capability of U.S. troops.11 Helping Israel deter, degrade, and defeat terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, which have attacked and killed hundreds of U.S. citizens and service members, strengthens U.S. national security.12


'Maximum Pressure': Trump Unleashes Fresh Sanctions on Iranian Nuclear Program
The Trump administration unleashed another round of sanctions on Iranian entities fueling the country’s illicit nuclear weapons program, ratcheting up pressure on the hardline regime ahead of major diplomatic talks this weekend.

The Wednesday sanctions primarily target "key entities managing and overseeing Iran’s nuclear program," including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and a subordinate group, the Iran Centrifuge Technology Company (TESA), which manufactures the machines powering Tehran’s uranium enrichment program.

The fresh sanctions are the most biting to date and strike at the heart of Tehran’s nuclear industry, effectively choking off its ability to source the materials required for uranium enrichment and the construction of research facilities. They are certain to get the Iranian leadership’s attention ahead of negotiations with the United States on Saturday.

"The Iranian regime’s reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons remains a grave threat to the United States and a menace to regional stability and global security," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. "Treasury will continue to leverage our tools and authorities to disrupt any attempt by Iran to advance its nuclear program and its broader destabilizing agenda."

Iran has spent years perfecting its ability to enrich uranium, the key component in an atomic bomb, through advanced centrifuges, which spin the fuel at high speeds to bring it towards weapons-grade levels. The latest sanctions aim to disrupt this activity by targeting the Iran-based Atbin Ista Technical and Engineering Company (AIT), which helps Tehran’s technology sector secure various components from foreign suppliers.

Iranian national Majid Mosallat, who serves as a managing director at AIT, was also hit with sanctions for his role in overseeing "the purchase and shipment of items to TESA on behalf of AIT," according to information provided by the Treasury Department.

Another Iranian company, Pegah Aluminum Arak Company, was also designated for manufacturing aluminum products on TESA’s behalf.

Additional sanctions target a constellation of companies that feed Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, the main government body "responsible for research and development activities in the field of nuclear technology, including Iran’s centrifuge enrichment and experimental laser enrichment of uranium programs," according to the Treasury Department.


Reza Pahlavi: U.S. has a third path on Iran aside from diplomacy, military strikes
Reza Pahlavi, the son of former Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, argued on Monday that the U.S. has another option to address the Iranian nuclear program and other issues with the regime, aside from diplomacy and military strikes, which have come under serious discussion by the administration in recent weeks.

Speaking at an event organized by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the National Union for Democracy in Iran, Pahlavi and others argued for a strategy of providing support for Iranian dissidents, whom he said are prepared to overthrow the regime from within.

The event was designed to promote that policy, which supporters have dubbed “maximum support” for the Iranian people, a play on and companion to the Trump administration’s “maximum-pressure” sanctions policy.

“All I’m asking is give the Iranian people a chance to put an end to all of these concerns,” Pahlavi said. “And if we fail, you always have those options. But jumping straight from ‘diplomacy is not working’ [to] ‘let’s go bomb the hell out of them’ — once again, you’re throwing the people of Iran under the bus which will only add insult to injury.”

“I think that the Iranians have understood that the more they are in numbers, they reach that critical number where change can really happen,” Pahlavi continued. “We are getting pretty close to that number.”

He said that the weakening of the regime and its proxies provides the “perfect opportunity to finally cut the state’s head, not by an outside force doing it for us, but … by supporting a change which is a combination of external pressure and internal pressure combined to ultimately bring the regime to its knees,” Pahlavi said. “If that is successful you won’t have to worry about having military strikes. You won’t have to worry about the existential threat [to] Israel.”

Pahlavi argued further that negotiations are a “waste of time” that the regime will only use to buy time. President Donald Trump said earlier on Thursday during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office that “high-level” direct negotiations between the U.S. and Iran will begin on Saturday.
Senate confirms Huckabee as Israel ambassador, Fetterman only Dem backer
The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to confirm Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, to be U.S. ambassador to Israel by a vote of 53-46.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was the lone Democrat to back Huckabee, who has mounted two presidential campaigns since leaving office, and has been a TV and radio host since 2008. Every Republican voted to confirm Huckabee except for Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), who did not vote.

Ahead of the vote, Republicans said that Huckabee would be a more pro-Israel diplomat than his predecessors in the Biden administration.

“For years, the previous administration wrung its hands and withheld American support for Israel in the wake of the horrendous, awful Oct. 7 terror attack by Hamas,” Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said Wednesday on the Senate floor. “To execute on President Trump’s iron-clad support of Israel, we urgently need a qualified ambassador in the region. I have no doubt Governor Huckabee is that person.”

During Huckabee’s nomination hearing in March, Democrats expressed concern about Huckabee’s views on Israeli policy toward Judea and Samaria, as well as the viability of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“His idea that he’s not supportive of a two-state solution or a path forward,” Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) told JNS. “We have to have a path forward that has buy-in in the region.”

Rosen, who is Jewish, voted against confirming Huckabee on Wednesday, as did the nine other Jewish senators, all Democrats.

Christians United for Israel touted Huckabee’s confirmation, saying that he was “a true friend, a statesman and a Zionist.”

“When our emissary to Jerusalem is a true friend to the Jewish state, he has the potential to move mountains,” said Sandra Parker, CUFI Action Fund chairwoman. “Ambassador Huckabee is a lifelong friend to Israel, and we have every confidence that he will not only strengthen the alliance but will help Israel bring the war in Gaza to an appropriate end and stabilize the region.”
Hungary Stands with Israel for Justice and against the ICC
Viktor Orban is not a well-loved figure in European capitals, and has no shortage of critics in America—and some of their complaints ought to be taken seriously. But he is a friend of Israel, as his meeting with Netanyahu demonstrates. Not only did he dismiss the ICC’s allegations, he took the visit as an opportunity to announce that Hungary is leaving the Rome Statute, which established the court, altogether. Fiamma Nirenstein writes:

This was more than a diplomatic visit—it was a symbolic act of resistance. Stepping foot safely on European soil, Netanyahu confronted the legitimacy of the ICC and the falsehoods it propagates, especially as Orbán declares his intention to withdraw from the institution.

And yet, many European newspapers refer to the ICC’s decisions as if they were soundly legal and beyond reproach. But a closer look at its procedures reveals political betrayal: its goal was never justice, but rather the strategic paralysis of Israel. By placing Netanyahu—the only democratically elected leader in the Middle East—on the same level as Yahya Sinwar, the mass-murdering head of Hamas, the ICC has exposed its own moral and procedural collapse.

Only a few have dared challenge this narrative. Some, like Italy and France, questioned the ICC’s jurisdiction; others, like Slovakia and Belgium, have voiced their discomfort. But only Orbán and the United States have fully stepped outside the UN-driven institutional onslaught against Israel. As Netanyahu said in Budapest, this is a “corrupt game”—and it’s time to ring the bell for a new international legal order, one not hijacked by political interests.
France to recognize ‘Palestine,’ Macron announces
France is set to recognize a Palestinian state in the coming months, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday.

“We must move towards recognition, and we will do so in the coming months,” he declared in an interview with the France 5 channel.

“Our aim is to chair this conference with Saudi Arabia in June, where we could finalize this movement of mutual recognition by several parties,” he said, referencing plans for a global summit on the issue in New York.

“I won’t do it for unity or in order to please someone. I’ll do it because I think that at some point it would be fair. And also because I want to take part in a collective dynamic—one that allows everyone who defends Palestine to also recognize Israel,” added Macron.

Announcing the initiative with Riyadh in December, the French leader said his government would recognize a Palestinian state “at the right moment” and “when it triggers reciprocal movements of recognition.

“We want to involve several other partners and allies—both European and non-European—who are ready to move in this direction, but who are waiting for France,” Macron explained at the time.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem did not immediately respond on Wednesday night to a request for comment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has opposed recognition of “Palestine,” a state which does not exist according to international law.

“There was a Palestinian state. It was called Gaza,” Netanyahu said in a Feb. 6 interview with Channel 14. “Look what we received. The biggest massacre since the Holocaust. To establish a Palestinian state after October 7 is a huge prize, not only for Hamas [but also] for Iran.”
Indonesia offers to fly wounded, orphaned Gazans out of Strip
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said on Wednesday that his country would be willing to fly out and temporarily host wounded and orphans from the Gaza Strip.

“We will evacuate the wounded, orphans, and those traumatized [by the conflict]. Or anyone whom the Palestinian government and relevant parties believe should be evacuated to Indonesia,” said Subianto, according to the Jakarta Globe.

The first phase would include 1,000 people, he added.

Prabowo made the announcement at Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma airport before heading on a weeklong tour of the Middle East to talk with regional leaders about the Gaza crisis.

His first stop will be the United Arab Emirates. He will also visit Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan, according to the report.

Indonesia’s foreign minister would immediately travel to consult with the Palestinians and other “parties in that region regarding the implementation,” said Prabowo.

The Indonesian president specified however that certain conditions would have to be met, including that all parties approve of the evacuation. He emphasized that the move would be temporary.

“The evacuees may only stay in Indonesia temporarily until they have recovered. They must return to where they come from once the situation in Gaza allows it,” said Prabowo, according to the Globe.

Indonesia had received “many requests” to take a more active part in resolving the Gaza crisis, he added without elaboration.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday renewed his call to relocate Gazans who wish to leave to safer locales.
Daniel Greenfield: US Should Not Fund UN ‘Food Programs’ in Islamic Terror States
Most of those are Islamic terror states. The good news is they don’t seem to include the funding for programs in Afghanistan and Yemen, but it’s still terrible.

The WFP has a long history of ‘crying famine’ and claiming that cutting off money to it will kill millions.

It lied about the famine in Gaza. Before that there were similar lies about a famine in Yemen. The supposed famines in Syria and Afghanistan likewise remain dubious. Terrorists fake famines to make money. From us.

Dismantling USAID is worth little if we continue sending money to some of its biggest contractors, vendors and affiliates like the UN’s WFP. Funding the WFP doesn’t save lives. Considering that WFP continues doing business in Islamic terror states, funding the WGP is more likely to cost lives.


UN won’t participate in limited aid delivery to Gaza, Guterres says
The United Nations won’t resume delivering aid to Gaza under the parameters offered by the Israel Defense Forces, António Guterres, the global body’s secretary-general, told reporters on Tuesday.

“Let me be clear. We will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality,” Guterres said at the press conference, during which he said Gaza is a “killing field.”

Israel cut off delivery of aid to the Strip in early March to pressure Hamas to release more hostages.

“With crossing points into Gaza shut and aid blockaded, security is in shambles and our capacity to deliver has been strangled,” Guterres said. He blamed the Jewish state, which he said had an “unequivocal” responsibility as the “occupying power” to facilitate aid entry to Gaza. (Israeli soldiers and citizens were removed, many forcibly, from Gaza in 2005.)

U.N. agencies are prepared to start delivering aid again, “but the Israeli authorities’ newly proposed ‘authorization mechanisms’ for aid delivery risk further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour,” Guterres said.

The United Nations says that the food situation in Gaza is dire and approaching famine levels, although no U.N. agency would confirm that a famine had taken place after repeated JNS inquiries. An internal review committee found that data projecting widespread famine in Gaza was incomplete and misleading.

Israeli military leaders are reportedly urging the Jewish state to begin delivering aid again, fearing global legal repercussions. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has denied that any such plan was approved.

Asked at the U.S. State Department press briefing on Tuesday about the U.N. secretary-general’s remarks, Tammy Bruce, the department’s spokeswoman said that “the reason there’s aid issues and movement issues in Gaza is because of the resumption of the conflict.”
Despite laws banning it, UNRWA continues to operate almost as usual in East Jerusalem
In late October, the Knesset passed a pair of laws effectively banning the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees from operating within Israeli territory. The legislation also prohibited state officials from cooperating with the organization, in a step deemed likely to radically constrain its activities in the West Bank and Gaza.

Shrugging off international criticism of the measures, Israeli lawmakers celebrated the passage of the laws targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. “UNRWA terrorists, your story ends here; enemies have no right to exist in the State of Israel,” tweeted MK Boaz Bismuth, a Likud hawk who sponsored the legislation.

But five months later, UNRWA continues to operate in East Jerusalem almost entirely uninterrupted, according to Palestinian sources and the agency itself, with police only taking action in recent days. And the legislation is seen as having had little effect on UNRWA operations in other areas where Israeli cooperation is required.

Shortly after the law went into effect at the end of January, Israel shut down UNRWA’s logistics center in East Jerusalem. But the agency’s service centers across East Jerusalem remain operational.

The main hub of UNRWA’s activity is located in the Shuafat refugee camp, the only Palestinian refugee camp within Israel’s declared sovereign territory and thus subject to the law. Two UNRWA-run schools, several healthcare centers, and social service facilities in Shuafat continue to operate as usual.

“The staff who operate the facilities in the camp say that if the police or army come in with an order to shut the place down, they’ll comply,” said a resident of the Shuafat refugee camp who is an UNRWA aid recipient and who asked not to be identified by name. “But for now, it’s business as usual.”

The agency, which was established in 1948 to provide services to Palestinian refugees and, later, to their descendants, operates primarily inside refugee camps, which have grown in the last 77 years from tent cities into densely packed urban slums.

It also operates outside the camps, providing services to refugees and their descendants living in regular East Jerusalem neighborhoods such as Silwan.


Israeli Air Force jet crashes in Lebanon due to technical malfunction
An Israeli air force jet crashed in Lebanon due to a technical malfunction, the IDF announced on Wednesday.

There is no concern over security issues nor over an information leak.

The incident is being investigated.

IDF plane crashes are a fairly rare occurrence
The most recent IDF plane crash occurred last August, when an aircraft crashed in the maritime area off the coast of Palmachim due to a technical malfunction.

IDF forces later recovered the aircraft.

Several weeks later, an IDF helicopter crashed in an unexplained accident in Rafah, killing two soldiers, including the lead pilot, and wounding seven soldiers on board.

The accident occurred after midnight in an attempt to rescue a wounded soldier in the field with Unit 669 forces.

Further, the accident occurred when the helicopter was close to the ground. The accident occurred after midnight in an attempt to rescue a wounded soldier in the field with Unit 669 forces.

Further, the accident occurred when the helicopter was close to the ground.
IDF demolishes home of terrorist responsible for deadly attack
The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday night demolished the residence of terrorist Mujahid Mansour in Deir Ibzi’a, located in the Binyamin region.

Mansour was responsible for the March 22, 2024, attack at HaParsa Junction, which resulted in the death of Staff Sgt. Ilai David Gurfinkel and injuries to six other soldiers.

Garfinkel, 21, from Sitria, a moshav in central Israel, was a member of the Duvdevan unit of the IDF Commando Brigade.

The IDF stated that the demolition serves as a deterrent against future terrorist activities. This action aligns with Israel’s long standing policy of demolishing the homes of individuals involved in fatal attacks against its citizens and military personnel.
Israel security forces apprehend two terrorists, one member of 'Lion's Den'
Israeli security forces apprehended two terrorists, including a senior terrorist in the dismantled "Lion's Den" network, during counterterrorism operations, the IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and Israel Police said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

Additional weapons were also confiscated.

The IDF, Shin Bet, and the Lahav 433 "Gidonim" Unit apprehended Muhammad Bana, who was previously a senior member of the Nablus terrorist organization, and was armed with an M-16 rifle and a spray grenade, the statement said.

Bana had previously been involved in planning attacks toward Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.

During his apprehension, he attempted to flee and was shot in his leg.

Additionally, the IDF’s Duvdevan unit, following the direction of the ISA, detained Khalil Hanbali, a terrorist wanted by security forces for his involvement in multiple shooting attacks, as well as for his role as a weapons supplier.

The terrorists were taken for questioning and their weapons were transferred for further processing.


IDF advances in Gaza, expands buffer zone to pressure Hamas, but no fighting taking place
Little to no fighting has taken place in the Gaza Strip since the Israeli military resumed its offensive against the Hamas terror group several weeks ago.

The Israel Defense Forces has advanced in the Strip’s south, capturing the so-called Morag Corridor, located between the Palestinian cities of Rafah and Khan Younis; vastly expanded its buffer zone along the Gaza border; carried out over 1,000 airstrikes on Hamas targets, eliminating more than 40 senior officials and mid-level commanders; and located several new tunnels.

The current offensive is aimed at “increasing the pressure on Hamas for the sake of releasing the hostages” and preparing the ground for Israel’s plan to “defeat Hamas,” Defense Minister Israel Katz told reporters on Wednesday during a visit to the Morag Corridor, an area where the IDF has previously not operated.

Katz said the IDF was bringing about “great achievements” during the resumed fighting, including evacuating the civilian population in Rafah and encircling the city.

But those “achievements” do not appear to be affecting Hamas for the time being.

Talks with the terror group to release the remaining 59 hostages still in captivity have seemingly stalled, and at the same time, Hamas operatives are almost entirely not engaging Israeli troops on the ground.

The terror group has also been recruiting more fighters and attempting to restock its limited weapon caches. The IDF estimates that the terror group has some 20,000 active fighters, half of what it had before the war.

Israeli officials have said the country is willing to engage in talks on ending the war in Gaza but will insist on achieving its aims — the return of all the hostages, the disarming of Hamas and other Gaza terror groups, the exile of Hamas leaders, and a new governing structure that does not include Hamas.

And if the terror group continues to dig in its heels and refuses to meet Israel’s demands, the IDF will eventually call up a large number of reservists to “defeat Hamas,” Katz said.

“If Hamas continues its refusal and will not release the hostages soon, the IDF will move to intensive fighting across all of Gaza, until the hostages are released and Hamas is defeated,” he said.

Some military officials believe that Hamas will never surrender, no matter how hard the IDF hits it.


Around 75% of Hamas's tunnels in Gaza not destroyed by IDF
The IDF has only destroyed about a quarter of Hamas’s tunnels in Gaza, security sources said on Wednesday.

Security sources also added that a significant number of smuggling tunnels crossing from Egypt to the Gaza strip are still intact. The Egypt-Gaza border remains a point of contention, with concerns over weapons smuggling resulting in Israel’s refusal to withdraw from the Philadelphia Corridor.

“I saw with my own eyes quite a few tunnels crossing into Egypt; some were closed, and several were open,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said at a February conference, according to N12. “We had information that Hamas was planning to attack soldiers and settlements during the ceasefire.”

Despite efforts to control the corridor as a buffer zone, numerous experts argue that holding the border may not effectively stop the flow of weapons.

The report follows the recent resumption of combat operations in the Gaza Strip and a military order issued in late March directing residents of Rafah in southern Gaza to evacuate. The IDF had previously withdrawn troops from Rafah after a ceasefire was agreed upon in January, though that ceasefire has since expired.

Less than two weeks ago, the IDF reported that Yahalom Unit troops dismantled a one-kilometer-long Hamas tunnel route. Currently, the 143rd, 252nd, and 36th IDF divisions are operating in the area.


Israel strikes Hezbollah facility in Beqaa Valley
The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday night confirmed an airstrike on a Hezbollah weapons depot in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley. The facility, operated by Hezbollah’s aerial defense unit, was located near civilian infrastructure, according to the military.

The IDF described the site as a “blatant violation” of ceasefire agreements and a threat to Israeli national security. The strike is part of Israel’s broader campaign to degrade Hezbollah’s missile and drone capabilities, which officials say remain a strategic threat from both Southern Lebanon and the Beqaa region.

As international pressure mounts, Israeli intelligence reports suggest Hezbollah has intensified efforts to replenish its arsenal. A report by Israel Hayom, citing Israeli defense officials, claims the group is operating a sophisticated smuggling network to transport weapons from Syria into Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley.

The network reportedly employs tunnels and covert transit routes designed to bypass border controls and international monitoring. Israeli security agencies have responded by ramping up surveillance and precision targeting operations against suspected smuggling infrastructure.

Officials warn that the smuggling network poses a serious threat, particularly in light of Hezbollah’s ongoing efforts to upgrade its air defense systems.

At the same time, Iran is increasingly turning to maritime routes to supply weapons to Hezbollah as overland smuggling through Syria becomes less viable due to ongoing instability, a Western security official told Saudi news outlet Al-Hadath on Tuesday.

Two Quds Force units—Unit 190 and Unit 700—are believed to manage these sea-based transfers, often avoiding Syrian territory by using direct routes or neutral intermediary ports.


Chris Williamson: Douglas Murray’s Opinion On The State Of The UK
The full episode with Douglass goes live on Monday


Hillel Fuld: Western Values Are Under Attack – And Here's the Truth!
This is not just another conversation. This is a wake-up call.

In this powerful and raw interview with journalist and author Melanie Phillips, we dive deep into her journey - from writing for The Guardian and identifying as a liberal, to a total re-evaluation of everything she believed in. And yes, she paid the price: she was fired, ridiculed, and labeled for daring to speak the truth.

This is about much more than politics. This is about civilizational survival.

Melanie connects the dots in a way few dare to. She shows how the attacks on Israel are deeply tied to the West’s own self-destruction, and how Jewish values - the bedrock of Western civilization are the key to rebuilding what’s being lost.


Israel’s internal intelligence scandal: Arrests, cover-ups and corruption | Straight Up
Is Israel’s democracy under threat from within? This week on “Straight Up,” former senior Israeli official Danny Seaman sits down with Moshe Ashkenazi, a strategic consultant and former IDF intelligence officer, to discuss shocking revelations about the Israeli Shabak (Shin Bet) and its rogue behavior.

This episode covers:
Allegations of unlawful arrests by Shabak in Judea and Samaria
Shabak's failure before and after October 7th
The political weaponization of Israel's judiciary and intelligence agencies
External influence on Israeli protests and media
The broader Middle East strategy and Iran’s collapsing proxies
Israel’s post-war economy and alliance with the U.S.

Hear firsthand insights into how deep-rooted political biases inside Israel’s security and legal systems are affecting national security and what must be done to fix it.

Chapters
00:00 Current Tensions in Israel
01:56 Shin Bet's Controversial Actions
06:10 Historical Context of Shin Bet's Operations
10:04 Failures of Leadership in Security
13:57 Political Implications of Shin Bet's Actions
18:05 Threats to Israeli Democracy
22:04 The Future of Israeli Security Services
24:09 Reassessing the Jewish Division's Role
28:27 Judicial System and Security Dynamics
29:35 Economic Resilience Amidst Conflict
34:00 US-Israel Relations and Military Support
39:20 Political Narratives and Hostage Situations
40:43 The Broader Geopolitical Landscape
46:48 Lessons Learned from Conflict


Discovered Hamas documents reveal Iranian involvement on Oct 7 | The Quad
This week on “The Quad,” host Emily Schrader (filling in for Fleur Hassan-Nahoum) is joined by an all-star panel: Shoshanna Keats-Jaskoll, Barbara Heller and Daniel-Ryan Spaulding. Together, they break down the week's most urgent news and hottest debates.

First up, new revelations show Hamas leaders asked the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for $500 million - shocking proof of Iran’s direct terror funding network. The panel discusses Iran’s destabilizing influence across the Middle East and the West, U.S. sanctions and the latest American actions against IRGC proxies like the Houthis.

Next, the team analyzes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s critical visit to Washington, covering U.S.-Israel trade tensions, proposed tariffs and the possibility of a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

They also tackle the insane contrast between Palestinians protesting against Hamas inside Gaza and pro-Hamas protests erupting across U.S. college campuses.

Finally, don't miss their "Heroes and Scumbags of the Week" segment, where the ICC, Code Pink and clueless UK MPs get called out.




Unpacked: The Real Reason the World Sides Against Israel | Explained
Israel once fit neatly into the David and Goliath story—small, surrounded, and fighting to survive. But power complicates perception, and today, many see Goliath when they look at Israel’s military force and technological acumen.

Yet beneath the tanks and tech lies a nation still shaped by trauma, bound by morality, and driven by the belief that righteousness—not might—is what truly wins the day.

00:00 Intro
00:48 Psychological impact of exile
01:40 Psychological impact of the Conflict
02:57 Creative responses to threats
03:41 Israel will never see itself as Goliath
05:11 Perception of power over Palestinians
06:02 Mighty-weak vs right-wrong paradigms
09:34 Holding Israel accountable
09:49 Israeli discomfort with power
10:56 Who are Israel's enemies?
11:45 Israel's superpower


Israel Advocacy Movement: This Muslim's Jaw DROPS When Zionist Quotes Quran



British law firm working for Hamas leader launches bid to de-proscribe the terror group
A British law firm has launched a legal application on behalf of a senior Hamas figure to have the terror group removed from the UK’s list of banned terrorist organisations.

Riverway Law, based in London, is acting for senior Hamas figure Mousa Abu Marzouk in a bid to overturn the group’s proscription under the Terrorism Act 2000.

In a statement, the firm said Marzouk was submitting “an important legal application to [Home Secretary] Yvette Cooper to de-proscribe the organisation Harakat al-Muqawwamah al-Islamiyyah (Hamas)”.

Marzouk has submitted two documents to support the application: a “witness statement,” and a document relating to the events of “Toofan al-Aqsa,” the name used by Hamas for the October 7 massacre.

Documents submitted by Riverway claim that the group’s proscription is “disproportionate” and call on the UK to reverse “its morally and legally indefensible policy of siding with the Zionist oppressor against the oppressed people of Palestine”.

The Islamist group was banned in its entirety in 2021, having been partially proscribed in 2001. Expressing support for or being a member of Hamas is illegal and punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

The 106-page application submitted by Riverway argues that Hamas “poses no threat to the UK people and have been explicit about this”. However, 18 British citizens were among the 1,200 people murdered during the October 7 attacks, placing it among the deadliest terrorist attacks involving British nationals abroad in decades.

Marzouk, a multi-billionaire and Hamas’s former political chief, is considered as the group’s second-in-command. He lives in Qatar and, in interviews with the BBC and The Economist following the massacre, refused to acknowledge the prospect that Hamas had deliberately killed civilians.


Of all the Greens’ crimes against decency, their anti-Semitism is the gravest
Canberra’s worst kept secret is out: at best Anthony Albanese will lead a minority government after May 3.

He will remain PM, but the Greens and a clutch of teals will hold the power.

For all the polls tightening and the Liberals coming off the boil, Labor’s primary is still worse than at the 2022 election, which itself was the lowest primary Labor has ever managed to form a majority government with.

Greens leader Adam Bandt belled the cat at the National Press Club on Wednesday when he publicly issued his blackmail demands.

The Greens are no longer just a bit of political cocaine snorted by climate sophisticates in the well-to-do leafy suburbs. They’re not just the party of dope-smoking inner city layabouts doing their post-grad part-time in gender fluidity.

The Greens aren’t some social drug, but political back alley meth, demanding to be injected into the arm of the next Labor government.

The Greens are anti-capital, anti-worker and anti-Israel. They are a party of economic extremists and hard Left political absolutists.

Of these crimes, the worst is their status as anti-Semitism apologists who continually try to draw a moral equivalence between Israel’s self defence against Hamas’ aggressions and the Holocaust.

Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels would’ve been proud of the Adam Bandt’s spin that the Greens’ candidate who said “Hitler had fun” was actually one of the party’s champions of combatting anti-Semitism.
Melbourne man launches legal action against Greens
A Melbourne Jew is taking legal action against the Australian Greens party and its leader Adam Bandt through the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Menachem Vorchheimer is accusing the party of engaging in or authorising anti-Jewish incitement at rallies where chants such as “all Zionists are terrorists” have been heard.

“I’m suing them under the racial and religious tolerance act for either engaging in conduct or authorising and assisting others to engage in conduct which incites hatred, ridicule and contempt for Jews,” Vorchheimer told The AJN.

He argues that as official endorsers of these rallies, the Greens bear legal responsibility for the conduct at these events.

“The Greens have branded themselves and associate themselves, welded themselves, if you were to use those words to the rallies. So therefore the conduct at the rally is conduct for which they’re responsible,” Vorchheimer explained.

When questioned about whether this could be seen as an attempt to limit political speech, Vorchheimer said that established case law provides clear boundaries.

“There is free speech, there’s freedom of political debate, but those freedoms and those rights are not unlimited. They don’t give someone the right to seriously vilify someone on the basis of their race or their religion.”

He claims the Greens were placed on notice on multiple occasions regarding the controversial chants, yet continued their involvement in the rallies without distancing themselves from such language.

“I think it’s reprehensible that a political party will feel it’s appropriate to label members of any segment of any community as a whole, as terrorists,” Vorchheimer said.


LFI write to police chief over Green councillor who shared Hamas video
The chair of Labour Friends of Israel has written to the chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police for an update into an investigation into alleged terror offences committed by a Green Party councillor.

In February 2025, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) set out how Abdul Malik – elected as a Green councillor in Bristol in May 2024 – had admitted to sharing the video on his Facebook page just days after the 7 October 2023 attacks.

LFI chair Jon Pearce MP has now written to Chief Constable Sarah Crew noting that Avon and Somerset Police have not yet made any public comment on the admission, nor has a direct public apology been evident from Cllr Malik or the Green Party.

Given Hamas’s proscription as a terrorist organisation in the UK, Pearce has asked the Chief Constable for confirmation that Avon and Somerset Police were investigating the alleged offences, when those investigations were initiated, and when they might be expected to conclude.

The letter adds:”Given the Hamas video included offensive language directed against Jews, sharing it should also be considered under legislation governing malicious communications and hate crime laws.”

It also notes that Malik is a magistrate and an official at a local mosque, along with being a councillor in the Ashley ward.


Jewish groups condemn social media posts made by Vancouver councillor-elect Sean Orr
The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs say they are “deeply disturbed” by social media posts Sean Orr made before he was elected as a councillor Saturday in the Vancouver civic byelection.

The organizations issued a statement Tuesday calling for Orr to apologize and to commit to “engaging in serious education about antisemitism and the harm he has caused” for posts made in 2021 and 2023 on the X social media platform.

On Aug. 31, 2021, Orr wrote that "everyone knows Vancouver city planners are controlled by a secret cabal of Jews who have a bunker in the earth's core fml."

“This statement invokes a centuries-old antisemitic trope alleging Jewish control of political and economic systems — myths that have fuelled discrimination, exclusion and violence against Jews throughout history,” the statement said.

'Reckless and inflammatory'
More recently, on Oct. 30, 2023, the groups say Orr falsely accused the State of Israel of committing acts of genocide while it acted to defend its citizens and sovereign territory from terrorist aggression in the deadly attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

“Such reckless and inflammatory language not only distorts reality but also endangers Jewish communities by further inflaming antisemitism and denying Israel's right to defend itself,” the statement said.

The groups said antisemitism — whether expressed overtly or cloaked in the language of political discourse — has no place in our society, let alone among elected officials.

“[Councillor-elect] Orr's comments have caused harm to the Jewish community and have eroded trust in his ability to represent all residents of Vancouver,” said the statement, with the groups urging Vancouverites “from all walks of life and all political and civic leaders” to condemn Orr's statements.

“At this time, we do not have confidence that [councillor-elect] Orr can represent the interests of all Vancouverites in a manner that upholds the principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging,” the statement said.

“The City of Vancouver deserves leadership that unites rather than divides. We remain committed to working with municipal leaders to ensure our city is one in which all communities — including the Jewish community — feel safe, respected and represented.”


Pro-Palestine Radicals Admit to Setting Fire to McDonald’s Building in France
A group of pro-Palestinian extremists have claimed credit for a fire that consumed a McDonald’s restaurant building in France this week.

A fire broke out on Monday evening at a new McDonald’s restaurant still under construction in Montrabé, near Toulouse. The fire burned the building to a crisp before firefighters eventually put out the blaze in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

In the wake of the fire, a local activist group named Les Frites insoumise (the unruly fries) claimed responsibility for the fire, claiming that the arson attack was intended to support Palestinians and oppose the expansion of McDonald’s in France over the company’s support of Israel.

The radical group’s name was apparently influenced by the far-left La France insoumise (LFI) party of pro-Gaza zealot Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has been at the forefront of the anti-Israel movement in France.

In a statement reported by the Libération newspaper, the group said: “Les Frites insoumises set fire to the McDonald’s under construction in Montrabé, in support of the Palestinian people, and against the new expansion strategy of the firm, which wishes to open 50 new restaurants this year and impose its presence throughout France in order to compensate for financial losses due to the boycott.”

McDonald’s has been facing boycotts across France and elsewhere after the company’s branch in Israel donated hundreds of thousands of meals to the Jewish state’s military, security forces, and health service in the wake of the October 7th Hamas terror attacks that left over 1,200 people dead in Israel.

In recent weeks, there have additionally been calls in France to boycott American products over opposition to the Trump administration’s policies.

In nearby Toulouse, a Tesla dealership was firebombed last month, with an anarchist group taking responsibility for the attack that left twelve cars destroyed. It was estimated that the arson attack caused upwards of €700,000 (£580,000/$770,000) in damages.

Days later, the Palsetine Action group vandalised President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland, with messages such as “fuck Trump” and “Gaza is not 4 sale” being scrawled in grafitti throughout the grounds of the world famous course.
11-year-old terror attack victim’s memorial unveiling disrupted by Palestine protester
A pro-Palestine protester has disrupted the unveiling of a memorial to people killed in a terror attack in Stockholm, shouting over the father of an 11-year-old victim as a journalist tried to interview him.

Stefan Åkerlund was being interviewed for the Efter Fem news programme next to the new monument commemorating the eighth anniversary of the truck-ramming attack in 2017, which killed five people including his daughter Ebba.

In a video posted to X, a man could be seen loitering in the background with a large Palestinian flag. When Åkerlund tried to speak the man shouted “free, free Palestine, Palestine will be free”. Åkerlund was visibly distressed and had to compose himself before continuing the interview.

The attack was carried out by Rakhmat Akilov, an Uzbek asylum seeker who had been denied residency in Sweden. He hijacked a lorry and rammed into crowds on Drottninggatan, a major car-free shopping street that was thronged with pedestrians, before crashing into a department store.

Akilov, who was hiding from the police who wanted to deport him, had liked a page on Facebook called “Friends of Libya and Syria", which said it aimed to expose "terrorism of the imperialistic financial capitals" of the US, British and Arab "dictatorships".

His page also featured at least two propaganda videos linked to IS, one reportedly showing the aftermath of the Boston bombing.

Åkerland’s parents organised a social media campaign after she went missing, but the police soon told the family she was killed. At the time, her parents spoke of their “despair and pain” after discovering their child was killed as she was walking home from school.




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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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