Sunday, May 11, 2025

05/11 Links: Spencer: Why Palestine Cannot and Should Not Be Recognized as a State; Hamas claims it will free Edan Alexander; ICC decided to charge Netanyahu after Khan accused of sexual assault

From Ian:

John Spencer: Why Palestine Cannot and Should Not Be Recognized as a State
With renewed reports that the United States may consider recognizing a Palestinian state as part of a potential normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, the question of Palestinian statehood has returned to the diplomatic forefront. While such recognition remains unlikely in the near term, the fact that it is even under discussion reveals how detached the conversation has become from legal reality. The question of Palestinian statehood is not just political or moral—it is legal. Under international law, recognition of a state is contingent on specific criteria. As articulated in the 1933 Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, a state must meet four basic qualifications: a permanent population, a defined territory, a functioning government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. At present, the various Palestinian political entities fail to meet several of these criteria.

3. The Endorsement of Terrorism and Rejection of Nonviolence
The Palestinian Authority’s “pay to slay” program—which provides monthly salaries and benefits to terrorists and their families—does not just glorify violence; it institutionalizes it. These payments are enshrined in Palestinian law and have consumed hundreds of millions of dollars, including foreign aid, to reward acts of terrorism. This isn’t social welfare—it’s incentivized murder. Hamas goes further, openly embracing violence as a core strategy and executing the mass atrocities of October 7, which included the deliberate targeting and torture of civilians. Together, these policies do more than violate international humanitarian norms—they sever any claim to lawful statehood. No polity that uses terrorism as a political tool, codifies it into law, or glorifies it as national identity can meet the threshold of a legitimate sovereign actor under the UN Charter or the binding principles of jus cogens. Statehood requires more than victimhood; it demands adherence to the most basic standards of international law.

Just as Germany was not allowed to rebuild under Nazi ideology, and ISIS was denied any path to statehood despite its de facto control of territory, so too must the world reject the idea that October 7 can become a Palestinian Independence Day. Statehood must be built on peace, legitimacy, and law—not on atrocity.

4. International Precedents and Recognition Criteria
Recognition as a state is not a right—it is a consequence of meeting objective legal thresholds. Entities like Kosovo or South Sudan only achieved widespread recognition after meeting internal governance benchmarks and securing international agreements. In contrast, the Palestinian national project has repeatedly refused to renounce terrorism, dismantle militant factions, or engage in sustained negotiations without preconditions. Recognition without reform would reward intransigence and undermine the integrity of international legal standards.

Palestinian self-determination may remain a legitimate aspiration. But sovereignty comes with responsibilities, not just rights. Until Palestinian leadership unifies under a legitimate government, renounces terrorism in both word and deed, and agrees to defined borders through negotiation—not violence—it cannot be granted the legal status of a state. To do so would set a dangerous precedent: that a fractured, terror-abetting entity can bypass law and diplomacy to claim statehood through bloodshed. That must never become acceptable under the international order.
Ruthie Blum: No, Trump isn’t about to recognize a Palestinian state
Naturally, a flurry of panic or glee ensued, depending on the views of those highlighting the “scoop.” Yet all one had to do was peruse the article to realize that there’s “no there there.”

It isn’t until the fifth paragraph that the author, Ali Hussain, mentions the controversial topic. The passage, which opens with a question in bold letters (“Will Donald Trump recognize a Palestinian state?”), reads as follows:

“A Gulf diplomatic source, who declined to be named or disclose his position, told The Media Line, ‘President Donald Trump will issue a declaration regarding the State of Palestine and American recognition of it, and that there will be the establishment of a Palestinian state without the presence of Hamas.’

“The source also added, ‘If an announcement of American recognition of the State of Palestine is made, it will be the most important declaration that will change the balance of power in the Middle East, and more countries will join the Abraham Accords.’”

An anonymous source from an unnamed country surmising about something that hasn’t happened isn’t news. Nor does Hussain claim that it is.

In fact, he goes on to cite others—on the record—refuting the above. One is U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who “denied the statements made by this source on X/Twitter Saturday afternoon, saying that Israel has no better friend than the U.S.”

Another is former Gulf diplomat Ahmed Al-Ibrahim, who “told The Media Line, ‘I don’t expect it to be about Palestine. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan have not been invited. They are the two countries closest to Palestine, and it would be important for them to be present at any event like this.’”

It would behoove i24News to issue an apology for instigating a phony brouhaha, based either on indolence or political slant. Meanwhile, viewers of both sides of the spectrum would do well to pause before jumping to conclusions based on hot air.

A case in point is a post that’s been circulating on X about a response to the report by White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

The tweet claims she said, “Contrary to the lies being spread, there will be no recognition of a Palestinian state at all.”

Nice. As it happens, however, a search for such a comment in this context comes up empty.

Competing for clickbait may be hard to avoid in the current climate. Credibility, on the other hand, is a more valuable commodity in the long run.
ICC Set Plan to Charge Netanyahu Just After Prosecutor Was Accused of Sexual Assault
The incident is one of multiple allegations of coerced sexual intercourse that the woman has made against Khan, according to documents, her testimony and officials familiar with the allegations. The woman, who is married and has a child, alleges Khan performed nonconsensual sex acts with her on missions to New York, Colombia, Congo, Chad and Paris. Khan also did so multiple times at a residence owned by his wife where he stayed in The Hague, the headquarters of the ICC, according to her testimony.

Khan, through his lawyers, said it was “categorically untrue that he has engaged in sexual misconduct of any kind.”

The woman, a lawyer from Malaysia, stayed at the job because she didn’t want to leave one of the most important offices in human-rights law and worried she wouldn’t be able to pay the medical bills of her mother, who was dying of cancer, according to her testimony and ICC officials. She also came to fear retaliation from Khan, according to interviews with current and former ICC officials.

The accusations facing Khan have become entwined with the international conflict over Gaza. Just 2½ weeks after Khan learned of the allegations against him last spring, he surprised Israeli and U.S. officials by announcing the most dramatic arrest warrant in the court’s history—for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

It was the first time in the ICC’s history that the court’s prosecutor sought a warrant for a Western-aligned democratically elected leader, a move the U.S. had been working to avert for months.

The timing of the announcement has spurred questions about whether Khan was aiming to protect himself from the sexual-assault allegations. The day before announcing the warrant application, Khan abruptly canceled a trip to Israel and Gaza that he had previously said was important to make his decision.

Khan denied that the prosecutor’s decision on the Israeli warrants had any link to the sexual-assault allegations, according to his lawyers.

The warrant shored up support for Khan among anti-Israel ICC nations that would likely back Khan if the allegations ever became public, according to court officials. The warrant also discouraged his accuser for a time from pushing her allegations, officials said, because she strongly supported the investigation of Israeli leaders.

As the abuse allegations were swirling among ICC staff and others, Khan allegedly tried to get his accuser to disavow them by telling her the charges would hurt the Palestinian investigation, according to her testimony.

The casualties of the allegations would include “the justice of the victims that are on the cusp of progress,” he said to her, according to a record of a call that is now part of an independent U.N. investigation into her allegations. “Think about the Palestinian arrest warrants,” she said he told her on another occasion, according to the testimony.

The U.N. is also investigating whether Khan attempted to intimidate or retaliate against the woman and other officials who reported his alleged misconduct, according to ICC officials. A report from the U.N.’s Office of Internal Oversight Services to the ICC’s board is expected in coming months. Any action to remove Khan would require the majority vote of the court’s 125 member nations.

Further complicating the episode is the tenuous authority of the ICC itself. The world’s most powerful and populous nations—including the U.S., India, Russia and China—aren’t members of the ICC and at times clash with the court. Israel isn’t a member either. The Trump administration sanctioned Khan and the ICC in February for issuing the arrest warrant for Netanyahu.


Hamas claims it will free Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander
The Hamas terrorist organization said in an official statement on Sunday night that it had decided to release Israeli-American Edan Alexander as part of efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the war in the Gaza Strip.

The U.S.-designated terror group said the release of Alexander, 21, was “part of the steps being taken to achieve a truce, open the [border] crossings, and allow aid and relief to reach our people in Gaza.”

The agreement to free Alexander, who is believed to be the last living American citizen held in Gaza, came following talks with the Trump administration’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.

Alexander’s family confirmed the development to Israel’s Channel 12, saying earlier on Sunday, “We are waiting for Hamas’s announcement, and Witkoff updated us that this is expected to happen.”

A Hamas terrorist source cited by local media said that Alexander would be released within 48 hours, after his parents and Witkoff arrive in Israel.

Jerusalem was reportedly not a party to the negotiations that led to the deal and will not be required to free terrorists in return for his freedom.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told lawmakers of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Sunday that there was a chance that Hamas would release Alexander as a “tribute” to Trump ahead of his Middle East tour, which is scheduled to start Monday, Hebrew media reported, citing from the confidential discussion.

Edan Alexander, a native of New Jersey, was abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border terror attacks in Israel’s south, in which Hamas-led terrorists murdered some 1,200 people and abducted another 251.

Fifty-eight other abductees remain captive in Gaza, according to official Israeli army figures, including the remains of four deceased Americans.


IDF, Mossad recover body of Sgt.-Maj. Tzvi Feldman after 43 years
The IDF and the Mossad recovered the body of missing IDF soldier Sgt.-Maj. Tzvi Feldman in Syria, after 43 years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.

Netanyahu thanked the Mossad, the IDF, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), along with the Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch for their efforts in returning Feldman, in addition to securing “the return of all our missing and abducted – both the living and the fallen.” The IDF said the body had been recovered during a complex and secret operation deep in Syria, using precise intelligence information.

The operation occurred dozens of kilometers away from the border with Israel, endangering the lives of Mossad assets.

Under the new Syrian government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, a breakthrough occurred in the operation, which had begun years earlier.

However, the new government was not involved in the operation. Those involved were at the scene multiple times, recovering various samples.

Feldman served in the First Lebanon War and has been considered missing in action since 1982.

He fought in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub between Israel and Syria in June 1982, in which six soldiers were declared missing in action.

The military said the family of St.-Sgt. Yehuda Katz, who also went missing in the battle, had been notified of the finding.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “We continue to act in every possible way to bring back St.-Sgt. Yehuda Katz,” adding that bringing “back all the missing and captives to our land – both the living and those who are no longer among the living – is not only a profound commitment, but also our moral and national duty.”

Recovery of Sgt. Zachary Baumel
In 2019, Israel recovered Sgt. Zachary Baumel, who went missing in action during the same battle.

Baumel’s remains were repatriated via a third country aboard an El Al flight, following an operation by Israeli intelligence agencies.

The recovery of the body of Feldman from Syria is a reminder of the state’s duty to its citizens, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said on Sunday.

It “serves as a powerful moral and national reminder to the prime minister and cabinet members – a proper burial isn’t a privilege, but a fundamental duty the state owes to its citizens and soldiers,” the statement noted.

“In Israel, we leave no one behind,” the forum added.
'The Jerusalem Post' looks back on search for Sgt.-Maj. Tzvi Feldman
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that the Mossad recovered the remains of soldier Sgt.-Maj. Tzvi Feldman, who was declared missing in action in the 1980s.

On May 6, 1984, a report on The Jerusalem Post’s front page named Feldman as one of three soldiers declared missing in action. Feldman was taken from the same tank as Zachary Baumel and Yehuda Katz from a separate tank.

The next month, the Post reported that his parents, Nina and Avraham Feldman, received no updates over the 26 months since their son went missing. They were left in the dark, preceding and echoing statements from today’s hostage families.

In the same report, his sister, Anat, said that it was two years before anyone was informed of another soldier, Hezi Shai’s, whereabouts, so it was possible that he was still alive. Shai and Feldman were in the same tank.

The family carried out a hunger strike until the government offered information on their missing son.

Tzvi Feldman's disappearance and the effect on Israeli society
By January 1985, Israel had offered to send the assassinated former mayor of Hebron, Fahd Kawasme, back to Amman for burial in exchange for four missing Israeli soldiers, including Feldman, Baumel, Katz, and Samir Assad. The offer was ignored.

Feldman’s disappearance prompted Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin to seek additional international assistance in seeking the missing.

On August 9, 1989, the Post reported that Israel was demanding “signs of life” for the missing before negotiations with the Shi’ites.

“As long as we don’t know who is alive and who isn’t, we will discuss no other details,” Rabin said. “When the Red Cross comes to us — and it will do so only when it has a partner for negotiations — we will first demand a sign of life from all those to be exchanged by the other side,” he added.

In December 1993, the Post ran a story from Reuters saying that the Syrian government promised to help determine the fate of seven missing Israeli soldiers, a move then-US Secretary of State Warren Christopher called “an important humanitarian gesture.” This included Feldman and other soldiers who went missing in the same year, as well as four who disappeared in 1986.


Witkoff said to tell hostage families Israel pointlessly extending war, US urging deal
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff recently told families of hostages held in Gaza that he disagrees with Israel’s approach to the war in the Strip, and believes reaching a new ceasefire and hostage release deal is the correct next step to take, a report said Sunday, as reports of the growing rift between the US and Israeli leaders mount.

According to Channel 12, Witkoff told the families that the US “wants to return the hostages, but Israel is not ready to end the war.”

“Israel is prolonging the war, even though we do not see where further progress can be made,” Witkoff said, according to the report, which cited sources who attended the meeting.

“Still, there is currently a window of opportunity that we hope Israel and all the mediators will take advantage of. We are putting pressure on all the mediators and doing everything to return the hostages,” he reportedly said.

Channel 12 cited the families as saying they’ve not heard this kind of criticism of Israeli government policy from Witkoff in the past.

The report also quoted unnamed senior Israeli officials as issuing a warning: “If there are no agreements by the end of [US President Donald] Trump’s visit to the Middle East, Israel will launch a ground operation and it will take several weeks until the next ‘exit point.’ Once we have begun the intensified operation, we won’t agree to quickly halt it. Hamas will not determine the timeline.”
Trump’s meeting with Saudi ruler said set to include leaders of PA, Lebanon, Syria
US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday is also set to include Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, Arabic media reported Sunday.

Citing an informed source who declined to be identified, Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds said the Saudi prince “looks forward to Trump’s agreement to the Saudi condition of establishing a Palestinian state.” Trump had said in February that Saudi Arabia was no longer demanding Palestinian statehood as a condition for normalizing ties with Israel, a statement that at the time drew an urgent Saudi denial.

According to the source cited by Al-Quds, Trump had acceded to bin Salman’s request to include the other Arab leaders in the meeting, which will come at the start of Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates between May 13 and 16.

Trump will not be visiting Israel, whose government accuses both Abbas and Sharaa of supporting terrorism.

The US president predicted ahead of his trip that Saudi-Israeli normalization would happen “very quickly,” but in the meantime, he has reportedly dropped normalization with Israel as a condition for progress on Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear program.

It had been reported Saturday that Trump would announce US recognition of Palestinian statehood, but Washington’s envoy to Israel Mike Huckabee dismissed the report as “nonsense.”


Iranian terror suspect arrested over 'foiled plot to attack Israeli embassy' was 'asylum seeker living in taxpayer-funded house'
An Iranian men arrested over an alleged plot to attack the Israeli embassy in London is understood to be an asylum seeker living in taxpayer-funded accommodation.

GB News previously revealed that asylum hotels were searched as counter-terror police and military personnel detained five Iranian nationals last weekend.

Footage on social media showed Special Forces and armed police dragging the semi-naked man from a house, managed by Serco on behalf of the Home Office to house asylum seekers, in Rochdale on May 3.

The five Iranian men, arrested by Special Forces soldiers and police in a coordinated operation, were aged between 24 and 46, with raids taking place in West London, Swindon, Manchester, Rochdale and Stockport.

Four of the suspects remain in custody after the Met Police secured warrants for further detention until next Saturday.

The fifth suspect, a 24-year-old Iranian, has been released on conditional police bail.

One of the five is reportedly said to have close ties to Iran's government.

Police are still investigating how the others arrived in the UK.


IDF strikes terrorist targets in Yemen
The Israel Defense Forces attacked targets in Yemen’s Hodeidah Port on Sunday evening, Arab media reported, citing the Houthi terrorist group.

The attacks late on Sunday came after the IDF had issued evacuation warnings for three ports controlled by the Iranian-backed terrorists.

“In light of the use of the seaports by the Houthi terrorist regime for its terror activities, we urge everyone present at the ports to evacuate and stay away from them until further notice,” Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, the military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, wrote on social media.

“Failure to evacuate the ports until further notice puts you at risk,” the spokesperson warned.

On Friday, the IDF intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Yemen by the Houthis, triggering air raid sirens across central Israel, including in Tel Aviv. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The missile attack marked the latest in a string of escalations between Jerusalem and the Houthis, who have intensified aerial assaults on the territory of the Jewish state in recent weeks.

The military response followed a ballistic missile strike by the Houthis on May 4 that targeted Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, injuring six civilians and causing significant and ongoing flight disruptions.


StandWithUs: Special Briefing with Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, Natasha Hausdorff, Yuval Raphael
🔴🎥The latest news, insight and analysis direct from Israel: Join StandWithUs TV for Special Briefing - featuring the latest war update from former IDF Spokesperson, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, International Law expert Natasha Hausdorff and meet Israel’s Eurovision contender Yuval Raphael as she prepares to represent her country at the international song contest!




Terror Gets a Pass, Israel Gets Prosecuted – Natasha Hausdorff Explains
Natasha Hausdorff joins The Western Spirit to expose the truth behind international law, Gaza, and Israel’s war against Hamas. As the Legal Director of UK Lawyers for Israel Charitable Trust, Natasha breaks down how law is manipulated by dictators, why Israel is held to impossible standards, and how media and legal institutions have become tools of propaganda.

We cover:
The moral and legal double standards Israel faces
How Hamas exploits international law and civilians
The ICC arrest warrant scandal
The media’s complicity in spreading lies
Why Gaza isn’t “occupied” under international law
What Western democracies must do before it’s too late


Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Natasha Hausdorff and Her Work
01:22 The Dual Perspectives on Law in Democracies vs. Dictatorships
04:51 The Misapplication of International Law and Its Consequences
09:07 Challenges of International Law in Asymmetrical Warfare
12:08 The Eighth Front: Media and Legal Challenges Against Israel
18:29 The Palestinian Perspective and Agency
21:59 International Law and Israel's Conduct in Warfare
30:03 The Role of the ICC and Jurisdiction Issues
33:49 Jurisdictional Challenges in International Law
36:12 The Role of Aid and Misconceptions in Gaza
40:15 The Narrative of Starvation and Humanitarian Aid
43:25 The Impact of International Perceptions on Conflict
45:00 Expertise vs. Misinformation in Public Discourse
49:03 Morality and Intention in Warfare
53:38 The Palestinian Narrative and Regional Politics
56:28 Challenges in Parliamentary Discourse on Israel




FDD Morning Brief | feat. Lord Andrew Roberts (May 5)
DOCUMENTING THE TRUTH ABOUT THE OCTOBER 7 MASSACRE

HEADLINE 1: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Qatar to stop playing games.

HEADLINE 2: The UK arrested 8 men on suspected terror offenses.

HEADLINE 3: Israel carried out a strike near the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria.

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with British historian and author Lord Andrew Roberts, who chaired the United Kingdom's October 7 Parliamentary Commission Report.


FDD Morning Brief | feat. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus (May 7)
HOUTHIS, HAMAS, AND THE HOSTAGES

HEADLINE 1: Israel prepares for “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” — a new, expanded ground offensive in Gaza.

HEADLINE 2: The United States and Iran are set to resume nuclear talks.

HEADLINE 3: Things are heating up a little in Lebanon.

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow and former IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus.


FDD: FOREIGN PODICY | Melanie Phllips on Who Built the West and Who Can Save It
Melanie Phillips is a British journalist, broadcaster, and author.

Her weekly column currently appears in The Times of London. She’s a regular panelist on BBC Radio’s The Moral Maze and speaks on public platforms throughout the English-speaking world.

Her best-selling book, “Londonistan,” about the British establishment’s capitulation to Islamist aggression, was published in 2006. She followed this in 2010 with “The World Turned Upside Down: the Global Battle over God, Truth and Power.” She has a new book: “The Builder’s Stone: How Jews and Christians Built the West – and Why Only They Can Save it.”

She joins host Cliff May to discuss her work's pertinence in the context of Israel's defensive war in Gaza and rising global anti-Semitism.


Borrell: Israel ethnically cleansing Gaza to create 'splendid holiday destination'
Israel is ethnically cleansing Gaza to turn it into a vacation spot, former European Commission vice president Josep Borrell said.

“We are witnessing the largest ethnic cleansing operation since the end of World War II, for the sole purpose of creating a splendid holiday destination once the millions of tons of Gaza’s rubble are cleared and the Palestinians are either gone or dead,” he said in a speech during his acceptance of the Charles V European Award on Friday. He also said the explosive force dropped on Gaza is three times greater than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

Borrell, who was known for being an outspoken critic of Israel throughout his term, was awarded the Charles V for “his career, defense of peace, democracy, and European values, and his contribution to strengthening the European Union’s role and leadership in the world during particularly delicate times.”

A large part of his acceptance speech focused on Gaza and Ukraine.
“We use a double standard when judging crimes against humanity, depending on who commits them,” he said.He referenced the 1941 Babyn Yar massacre in which nearly 34,000 Jews were murdered by the Nazis.


Police apologise to pensioner after arresting him for tweeting about antisemitism
A retired special constable was arrested and held in a police cell for eight hours after posting a tweet warning about the rise of antisemitism in the UK following pro-Palestinian marches.

Julian Foulkes, 71, who served for ten years with Kent Police, was detained at his home in Gillingham by six officers in November 2023.

His arrest followed a brief exchange on X in which he warned a user about the potential direction of antisemitic sentiment in Britain, referencing scenes from Dagestan, Russia, where a mob stormed an airport looking for Jewish passengers.

Responding to a user who had defended participation in a pro-Palestinian demonstration, Mr Foulkes posted: “One step away from storming Heathrow looking for Jewish arrivals…”

He later told the Telegraph that his intention had been to highlight the risks of antisemitic escalation. Kent Police interpreted it as a potential antisemitic threat. “In hindsight, it would have been clearer had it begun with the words: ‘What next? You are…’,” he said. “But even without the extra wording, it should have been clear to anyone reading it in context that his post was a warning about where anti-Semitic hate could lead.”

Mr Foulkes told the paper; “Free speech is clearly under attack. Nobody is really safe… the public needs to see what’s happening, and be shocked.”

Police body-worn camera footage from the arrest, posted by the Telegraph shows officers inspecting Mr Foulkes’s bookshelves, including works by Douglas Murray and copies of The Spectator, and referring to the material as “very Brexity things”.

“That’s about the level of extremist I am… a few Douglas Murray books and some on Brexit,” said Mr Foulkes. Officers also examined a shopping list belonging to his wife, a hairdresser, and raised concern over items such as bleach and tin foil.

“Bleach, foil, gloves… Bit of an odd list, isn’t it?” one officer remarked on the footage, before realising her profession.


Israel Advocacy Movement: Muslim Disrespects Jewish Women… Instantly Regrets It



Pro-Israel activist faces jail after rushing Roger Waters’s stage
A court in Frankfurt has sentenced Marcel Lamer, a doctoral student at Goethe University Frankfurt, to two weeks in prison for rushing onto the stage with an Israeli flag during a Roger Waters concert held in the German city in May 2023.

Lamer, a 28-year-old pro-Israel activist, was part of a group that tried to get Waters’s performance canceled due to the former Pink Floyd member’s antisemitic statements and frequent anti-Israel elements in his shows.

The activist arrived with a group of protesters at the event, participated in a peaceful demonstration outside, and then entered the venue with the intention of documenting the performance. His plan was to gather evidence if Waters made statements or engaged in activities that violated German law, which could then be reported to the police.

According to Lamer, immediately upon entering the venue, he noticed a prominent stand run by a pro-Arab organization called The Voice of Palestine, a group whose members’ homes had been raided by German police due to illegal activities. The stand featured calls for “intifada” and maps of Israel labeled entirely as “Palestine.”

When the show began, an announcement stated, “If you don’t agree with Roger Waters’s political views, you can leave the hall now and go to the local bar.” This was met with enthusiastic responses from the audience.

In reaction, the pro-Israel activists raised Israeli flags and began singing “Am Yisrael Chai” (“The People of Israel Live”). At this point, Lamer decided to climb onto the stage with an Israeli flag.

Despite the presence of 30 security guards around the stage, he managed to evade them and spent about 20 seconds on stage wrapped in an Israeli flag in front of an audience of 10,000 people and Waters himself. Shortly afterward, a security guard forcibly removed him and handed him over to the police.
NHS staff told to stop wearing uniforms at pro-Palestinian demonstrations
NHS staff will be told to stop wearing their work uniforms on marches and displaying pro-Palestinian badges in the workplace as part of a crackdown on anti-Semitism in the health service.

Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, revealed the plans as he vowed to snuff out “the appalling experiences of anti-Semitism affecting Jewish staff and patients” in the NHS.

Mr Streeting wrote to the Board of Deputies of British Jews on Friday after it requested a tougher approach to staff who bring views about Gaza into the workplace.

The board, the UK’s largest Jewish community organisation, had previously presented Mr Streeting with a number of requests to clamp down on perceived anti-Semitism on wards.

These included a ban on uniforms on marches and the display of pro-Palestinian symbols in the workplace, including images of the watermelon fruit, which has been adopted by pro-Palestine activists.

Mr Streeting told the board that he had endorsed its requests and presented them to Sir Jim Mackey, the chief of NHS England.

He wrote: “We spoke about staff wearing NHS uniforms whilst on political protests and about staff wearing emblems and badges to work. Staff should not be wearing uniforms on political protests, with the exception of protests against the Government about matters of health policy.”

He also reiterated guidance that states “one or two badges denoting professional qualifications or memberships may be acceptable on uniforms” but that “any more looks unprofessional”.


Israel files complaint after delegation threatened at Eurovision opening
Israel’s Kan public broadcaster has filed a complaint with Swiss police after a man was filmed threatening the Israeli delegation during the opening event of the Eurovision Song Context on Sunday afternoon.

In a video that went viral on social media, a group of anti-Israel activists can be seen waving PLO flags and wearing keffiyehs, with one of them making a throat-slitting gesture and spitting toward the Israelis.

The incident took place during the Turquoise Carpet parade in the Swiss city of Basel. The annual event serves as the official opening ceremony that kick-starts the week of Eurovision Song Contest live shows.

Kan said it asked the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the annual musical extravaganza, for help in identifying the activist who made the threat.

Many PLO flags could be seen during Sunday’s parade, as demonstrators voiced opposition to Israel’s participation in the contest.


JPost Editorial: Jewish students still don’t feel safe — and that’s everyone’s problem
The university, which can be seen as a microcosm for the US educational landscape as a whole, seems to be taking back control from what can only be described as a mob. However, the wrongful approaches and clear lack of knowledge, nuance, and context by the students on an issue, a war that is taking place thousands of miles away from them, is the deeper underlying issue, one that will take years to stem and heal.

These students are arriving on campuses in their late teens or early 20s, armed with the education they received up until that point, their exposure, their biases, and the maturity needed to be able to hold a respectful conversation with someone they disagree with.

Part of the job of universities is to encourage such growth, to be a greenhouse for nuance and respect for the other side, and, most importantly, for learning how to garner information in a responsible way, especially when the issue is far away and as complicated as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

While the protests were going on inside, a demonstration took place outside on the street. “No cops, no K.K.K., no fascist USA,” they chanted. This sentence reflects a stance that is so very far from where it should be. Is this what America wants its young generation to be thinking?

Universities can’t completely rewrite their students - nor should they - but if what happened at the campuses over the past year-and-a-half is any indication, they still have so much work to do.

Where are the dialogue groups? Where is the respectful discussion? Where is the understanding that before one is pro- or anti-Israel, they first must be informed? Most importantly, where is the guarantee that students will feel safe in all corners of a venerated educational institution?

The steps that the Trump administration took seem to be at least starting to work already, but Jewish students don’t yet feel completely safe, and that remains everyone’s problem. Long-term educational goals are needed, as are short-term safety concerns.
UK Education Secretary: Antisemitism in schools is 'national emergency'
Bridget Phillipson, the UK's Education Secretary, has called for more education surrounding the Holocaust following a rise in antisemitic incidents in schools and universities, in a conversation with The Times on Saturday.

Phillipson warned that antisemitism among schoolchildren has become a “national emergency” in the UK and believes that it must be tackled through compulsory lessons on the Holocaust.

“We must confront an alarming truth - the lessons of history are being forgotten by a growing number of our young people,” said Phillipson, during the same week that the UK marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

“These lessons are needed now more than ever. The horrific surge in antisemitism among schoolchildren since October 7 is not merely concerning - it is a national emergency,” Phillipson stated. Adding, “That is why every child in every school across England will learn about the Holocaust, about antisemitism, and about how easily democracy can fracture when hatred goes unchallenged.”

The Community Security Trust (CST) reported a steep rise in antisemitism both in schools and universities since the October 7 attacks by Hamas. The British charity recorded 272 incidents over the past year, five times the average of previous years. In 2024, there were 260 reported antisemitic incidents in schools - the second-highest number on record after 2023, which saw 335 cases. This marks a significant increase compared to the 94 incidents in 2022.
Jewish group exposes antisemitic posts of Quebec med school applicants and students
Canadian Jewish nonprofit B’nai Brith has reported on antisemitic and other hateful content spread by Quebec medical school applicants and students on a social media platform server available to some 1,400 people.

On the public Discord server, the “aspiring doctors openly posted Holocaust denial, praise for the ‘Final Solution,’ hurled racial slurs, glorified terrorism, and degraded women,” B’nai Brith said in a statement, releasing screenshots of the French-language posts.

The watchdog Doctors Against Racism and Antisemitism (DARA) also highlighted the posts in a statement Friday.

One post read: “Don’t worry. You can trust me as long as you don’t have a kippa under your wig.”

Holocaust-related content included a remark proposing “a coalition of doctors to pressure the government and call it ‘The Final Solution Bill'” and another that imagined telling SS officers to “gas the attic as fast as possible” if Anne Frank was hiding in a neighbor’s roof space.

Another appeared to call for an “Islamic State of Quebec,” and alleged that “Quebec is done. We’ll dominate soon.”

While the hateful posts shared on the Discord channel were largely antisemitic, posters also made other racist and misogynistic comments.
University of Toronto Faculty Association votes to divest from Israel
The University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA) has voted to divest from Israel, the association announced on Friday.

This decision stems from Israel’s “illegal occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the UTFA said.

The motion, which passed by 52% of the vote, calls on the Ontario University Pension Plan (UPP) to produce a rapid timeline for complete divestment from all direct and indirect holdings in entities that support or sustain Israel’s “occupation and/or which manufacture” or distribute arms, ammunition, or munitions of war where “there are reasonable grounds to suspect they may have been used by Israel in Palestine.”

Motion equates divestment from Israel akin to policy for Russia
It added that all new investments should be screened, and that these divestment commitments should then be incorporated into the UPP’s investment exclusion policy.

The motion claimed that the divestment from Israel should occur in line with the university’s current divestment from Russia.

One of the prominent driving forces behind the motion was the UofT Faculty and Librarians for UPP Divestment group.

It announced that all people who pledged support to the motion were anonymous, due to alleged fears of a “penalty for taking a public anti-war, anti-apartheid or anti-occupation position.”

The faculty also said it was fearful of “doxxing,” particularly against “indigenous colleagues, colleagues of color, [and] junior [or] precarious colleagues.”


Israel Thwarts Palestinian Authority's Planned Camp for Displaced Residents in Samaria
Israel has blocked a Palestinian Authority plan to establish a new camp in Samaria to house those displaced from northern West Bank refugee camps. Initial earthwork had already begun at the site. Israeli security officials were concerned that it would evolve into a massive terrorist center and concentrate all terrorist forces from northern Samaria into a single compound dangerously close to central Israel, creating the very danger that security forces have been working to prevent for many months.

The IDF has been conducting an operation for the past four months aimed at eliminating massive terror cells that had established themselves in the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur al-Shams camps. Due to the intensive military activity, residents who lived in these areas have relocated throughout the West Bank.

In recent days, the IDF has demolished 100 buildings in the Nur al-Shams and Tulkarem camps to create transportation routes that will allow security forces to reach any location quickly and effectively. Creating new transportation corridors in these small and densely populated camps transforms them from fortified complexes into relatively accessible neighborhoods. For many years, Palestinian Authority security forces have feared to enter these camps.
Hamas said to be stepping up executions in Gaza
Arab media has reported a sharp increase in the number of executions being carried out by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip. According to the reports, many Palestinians have been accused of aiding Israeli intelligence, including by passing on information about senior officials and operatives.

In the past three days alone, five Palestinians were reportedly executed in Gaza City, either by gunfire or hanging.

Suspected collaborators are interrogated and subjected to various punitive measures, including house arrest, beatings and being shot in the legs, according to Palestinian sources.

Execution orders are issued if a suspect is believed to have contributed to fatalities or to have compromised operational capabilities, for example helping locate hostages, according to the reports.

Executions for theft and looting are also on the rise, according to the same sources. Such individuals are often also accused of collaborating with Israel. Those charged only with theft are punished with beatings or shot in the legs.


IDF Continues to Erode Hizbullah's Capabilities
Hizbullah's military capabilities have been significantly degraded. According to IDF data, more than 70% of its firepower has been neutralized, along with a similar proportion of its infrastructure across Lebanon. This includes 80% of the weapons of its Radwan Force and much of its tunnel network in southern Lebanon. About 4,500 military operatives have been killed - including 1/3 from the Radwan Force - and another 9,000 wounded, together accounting for nearly half of Hizbullah's regular military force.

In addition, Hizbullah has also suffered damage to its financial system, including the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association branches, making it difficult to support the recovery of the Shiite population and maintain their support. However, its military and civilian operatives rank in the tens of thousands, and it continues to enjoy support from the majority of Lebanon's Shiite population.

Hizbullah faces near-daily Israeli military activity following the ceasefire declared on Nov. 27, 2024, stemming from the freedom of action granted to Israel under the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, as well as a side letter from the United States. These provisions allow Israel to respond to violations not addressed by the Lebanese army and to immediate threats posed by Hizbullah. As a result, the IDF is severely disrupting Hizbullah's efforts to maintain its presence in southern Lebanon and is steadily eroding its remaining capabilities.

The Shiite axis has been significantly weakened and is showing signs of disintegration, primarily due to the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and the efforts of the new leadership in Damascus to expel both Iran and Hizbullah from the country.

While Hizbullah's ideology and hostility toward Israel remain unchanged, its weakened state - and its desire to avoid renewed conflict in order to focus on recovery - presents Israel with a strategic opportunity to reshape the security environment along its northern border. However, Lebanon's limitations in addressing Hizbullah must be acknowledged. A clear gap exists between the ambitious demands of the U.S. and Israel, and what Lebanon's leadership can realistically deliver.
U.S. Strategy on Iran Must Reverse the Mistakes of 2015
President Trump's recent statement that the U.S. will accept nothing less than "total dismantlement" of Iran's nuclear program is a welcome signal that the U.S. will reverse the mistakes of the Iran negotiations of 2015. That's particularly important because Iran today is much more dangerous than it was in 2015, when I was a member of the Israeli delegation that discussed with President Obama's team what demands to make in its talks with Tehran.

Iran has used the intervening years to significantly advance its military nuclear program. It has accumulated enough highly enriched uranium to produce fissile material for about 10 nuclear bombs within a short time. It possesses missiles that can carry a nuclear warhead and reach any target in the Middle East.

Ten years ago, the U.S. delegation expressed appreciation for our ideas on how to keep Iran in check, but it largely did not enact them and ended up acceding to Iran's demands. The Americans expected that the regime would abandon its malign ambitions and become a contributing member of the family of nations. They failed to grasp that the Iranian regime is on a mission to spread its fundamentalist version of Shiite Islam all over the world.

Ten years on, we have hard-won evidence that dealmaking has failed to constrain the Islamic republic. The deal gave Iran ample resources to arm itself and its terrorist proxies, leading to the 2019 attack on the world's largest oil facility, in Saudi Arabia, and eventually to Hamas's barbaric attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The U.S. must revisit the core assumptions underlying its previous negotiations with Iran.

The Iranians are demanding the right to enrich uranium. Conceding this would allow Iran to haggle over quantities. That's a fundamental mistake because it gives Iran cover to develop centrifuges for enrichment, amass enriched uranium, and ultimately shorten its path to weapons-grade fissile material.

Another Iranian demand to which Washington too readily capitulated in 2015 was that time limits be placed on the nuclear program restrictions. This means that even if Iran adheres to every word of the deal, it will still be able to develop nuclear capabilities. All it needs to do is wait.

Centrifuges are only one part of the nuclear development process. Facilities involved in any part of the process must all be dismantled or at least subject to restrictions, and Iran must not be allowed to develop or stockpile missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Iranian Regime's Trojan Horse "Civilian Use" Lie on Nuclear Weapons
Any deal that permits Iran to keep centrifuges spinning, continue uranium enrichment, or store nuclear material is a deal that guarantees a future nuclear-armed Iran. We cannot afford a disastrous "JCPOA, the Sequel."

Now, after President Trump's return, the world is watching to see whether the United States really has the backbone to compel Iran completely to dismantle its nuclear weapons infrastructure – or actually to deliver the alternative.

The Iranian regime is not to be trusted. Its so-called "civilian" nuclear program is a Trojan horse, a fraud designed to keep the West paralyzed. There have to be no more talks, no more half-measures, no more inspectors playing cat and mouse with a regime that lies to their faces with impunity. The only acceptable outcome is either full dismantlement -- no centrifuges and enriched uranium for "civilian use", no secret sites -- or unfortunately, the less pretty "Plan B," if Trump and his administration are to have any credibility.


The ‘Portuguese Dreyfus’ honored for lifetime of courage
B’nai B’rith Portugal on Sunday honored Capt. Arthur Carlos de Barros Basto (1887–1961), a decorated military hero, pioneering Jewish leader, and symbol of resilience and identity.

Barros Basto is often called the “Portuguese Dreyfus” because, like Alfred Dreyfus in France, he was a loyal military officer who faced persecution and expulsion from the army due to antisemitism.

In 1937, he was stripped of his army rank after a secret military trial, based on anonymous slander that masked antisemitic motives. His dismissal followed his efforts to help descendants of Jews return to Judaism, which provoked hostility from conservative and religious sectors of Portuguese society.

Sunday’s tribute was formalized through the presentation of a certificate of recognition by Luís Andrade, president of the Portugal-based International Observatory of Human Rights (OIDH), to the family of Barros Basto at the headquarters of B’nai B’rith Portugal in Porto.

“Captain Barros Basto is more than a historical figure,” said Andrade during the ceremony. “He is a timeless example of how personal sacrifice, national and cultural pride, and moral conviction can shape a better, more fraternal world. His legacy inspires us all to act with integrity and vision.”

Barros Basto was recognized for his extraordinary life’s work and enduring legacy as a hero of World War I, when, as a lieutenant in the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps, he was decorated for acts of bravery and survived poison gas attacks in Flanders.

He was also a founder of the modern Jewish Community of Oporto in 1923 and succeeded in rallying global Jewish philanthropy to restore Jewish life to the city after more than four centuries of absence.


Hero’s welcome for Emily Damari at Tottenham
Emily Damari’s supporters were never going to let her slip quietly into White Hart Lane to watch her beloved Spurs.

The 28-year old former hostage, Brit-Israeli and devoted Tottenham Hotspur fan has long dreamt of returning to the UK to watch her team play.

And on Sunday midday, having spent 471 days in hell, after being shot and taken hostage by Hamas terrorists, her arrival outside the north London football club she loves most, was heralded with deafening cheers, whistles and applause from a jubilant crowd of hundreds organised by grassroots organisation Stop the Hate.

Sporting yellow tee-shirts, waving Israeli flags and holding bunches of yellow balloons and flowers, a crowd of more than 200 Spurs fans who took Emily into their hearts, vocally demonstrated their euphoria at her return.

Addressing the crowd as supporters cheered Emily’s arrival outside the stadium, Itai Galmudy from Stop the Hate UK said: “We are inspired by your strength and resilience. Today, your presence gives us hope. Hope for the remaining 59 hostages still waiting for freedom. We stand together, with one voice, to say ‘Release the hostages now!'”

To the roaring sounds of Elton John’s ‘I’m still standing’, and ‘She’s one of our own’, the crowd then parted as Emily, accompanied by her mother Mandy, arrived to meet the euphoric crowds who campaigned tireless for her release for 15 months.

Smiling, Emily said: “I’m happy to be here. I want to give a special thanks to all the Jews in the diaspora, but especially to the UK Jewish community, who came out to support my mother and my family campaigning tirelessly to help secure my release.”

She added: “Thank you to everyone who prayed for me, who shouted for me without really knowing me and keeping everything on the table all the time. I don’t really have the words but I hope Spurs is going to win today! All of you are amazing. I’m home, finally, and with you, I’m more. It’s more than a home. It’s like a family. So thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU. Am Y’Israel Chai!”




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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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