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Tuesday, May 13, 2025

05/13 Links Pt1: ICC prosecutor issued warrants for Netanyahu to make West 'turn against Israel'; Why Qatar Doesn’t Pass the ‘Tito Test’; Hamas leader Mohammad Sinwar targeted in IDF strike

From Ian:

Israel's Red Lines with Trump Are Vital for Survival
Disagreements with the Trump administration regarding Gaza, the Houthis, Iran, and Saudi Arabia represent positive developments for Israel.

The absence of such differences would be cause for deep concern.

It would be deeply troubling if Israel simply acquiesced and failed to defend matters essential to its security and existence.

Should Israel accept a potentially flawed nuclear agreement with Iran?

When Saudi Arabia is poised to receive American approval for a civilian nuclear reactor without normalizing relations with Israel, should Israel submit meekly?

When moments after Ben-Gurion Airport experienced the shock wave from a Houthi missile, the U.S. announces it will cease bombing the Houthis, should Israel simply disregard this?

While relations with the U.S. are indeed extremely important, matters affecting the security of every Israeli citizen are even more crucial.

Israel must remain steadfast and navigate skillfully through disagreement, even with a supportive administration that demonstrates affection for Israel.
Seth Mandel: Why Qatar Doesn’t Pass the ‘Tito Test’
For example, consider Qatar’s sponsorship of Hamas. The reason Israeli leaders believed they could live with a situation in which Qatar ensured that Gaza didn’t run out of money was because that money was supposed to come with strings attached. Qatar would keep Hamas afloat as the cost of keeping Gazans’ standard of living stable. (If you’ve seen the “this is what Israel destroyed” social media posts, you’ll know that not only was Gaza not an open-air prison but it actually had a lot to lose in from the invasion of Israel.)

In return, the Qataris would make sure that the level of terrorism was also kept stable at a manageable level. Under Hamas, Gaza was never going to become a peace colony, but putting a ceiling on Hamas’s threat was worth the price—at least, that was the gamble.

Oct. 7 destroyed that narrative. The Qataris weren’t, it turned out, keeping a lid on Gazan extremism; They were using the money instead to keep Hamas afloat while it planned the massive pogrom-like violence of that day.

Before Oct. 7, you could say “Yes, the Qataris fund Hamas, but….” There’s no “but” in the equation anymore.

Another example would be Qatar’s flooding of America’s elite universities with money. These donations at times reach unfathomable amounts, and they entrench a certain tolerance of extremism on campus when it comes to Israel and Jews. But it turned out—though surely many at these institutions expected the events of the past 18 months, and plenty of them approve of the riots—that the academic argument against Israel was also the academic argument against America. The students at Harvard also want Harvard to be destroyed, and they say so freely. Same goes for Columbia and the rest.

Then there’s the larger question of what can be controlled at all. Plant a carrot, declares Bellomy in The Fantasticks, and you get a carrot. But Qatar planted the seeds of self-hatred, anti-Semitism, and paranoid discontent among young and impressionable minds. That genie isn’t going back in the bottle even if Qatar wanted it to.

The Qataris don’t know how to play the game of geopolitics. They just have money and like spending it. The chaos they breed is far more of dangerous to the West than anything they accomplish with their occasional goodwill gestures.
Eitan Fischberger: Trump Should Listen to Qatar’s Own Words
As Donald Trump prepares land in Qatar this week — the first visit by a U.S. president since the Gulf state’s entanglement in the October 7 attacks began drawing renewed scrutiny in Washington — it’s paramount that his administration understand exactly who they’re dealing with.

Few regimes have mastered the art of duplicity quite like Qatar: On one hand, glitzy PR campaigns, lavish real estate investments, and global counterterror conferences; on the other, direct support for Hamas and antisemitic statements that would make Kanye West blush. The cracks in the facade become visible during those fleeting moments when Qatar lets its guard down — when it speaks under the assumption that nobody in the West is listening.

Qatar’s longstanding ruse has led many ostensibly well-meaning individuals to view it as a responsible mediator in global conflicts and a partner for business, diplomacy, and progress. Among these people is Steve Witkoff — President Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East and trusted negotiator, who has been working closely with the Qataris on a ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel war. During a recent appearance on Tucker Carlson’s podcast, Witkoff described Qatar as “well-motivated” and “good,” adding that the regime had “moderated quite a bit.”

Yet the mirage of morality vanishes the moment you take a hard look at what Qatari officials actually say — both in public statements and through its state-run media.

Take the Qatari Shura Council, the country’s top legislative body. After the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the summer of 2024, the Speaker of the Council, Hassan bin Abdullah Al-Ghanim, delivered a glowing tribute to him, praising Haniyeh for “embodying the highest meanings of sacrifice and determination” and “defending the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

Even more revealing are the statements of Sa'oud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, now Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. In 2014, during fighting between Israel and Hamas, Al Thani tweeted “We Are All Hamas” and “Revive the memory of [Izz Al-Din] Al Qassam” — a reference to Hamas’ military brigade. In 2021, Al Thani tweeted that “Israel’s control of the U.S. is clear,” and that Qatar must “plan how to influence the decision-makers in the U.S.”
Brendan O'Neill: How Some Americans Betrayed Edan Alexander
When a U.S. citizen, just 19, was taken captive by a fascist militia, some Americans wrapped their faces in the keffiyeh in gleeful mimicry of the militants who seized their compatriot. They cheered the jailers of their fellow citizen. "Glory to our martyrs," some cried, meaning the radical Islamists who had dragged their teenage countryman into a hellish lair and kept him there for 583 days.

Even as we share in the joy of the Alexander family, we must never forget how others in the U.S. betrayed this young American. Some even became unpaid propagandists for his captors. For 18 months, America's self-styled "anti-fascists" didn't so much as mention the words "Edan Alexander." They saved their warm words for his persecutors. That American radicals expressed more sympathy for Hamas than for its victims, even the American ones, is surely one of the greatest betrayals of decency of our time.


Seth Mandel: The Most Revolting Case of Anti-Zionist Derangement Yet
From this we learn three things. First, the investigation was always a sham, because as soon as Khan fact-gathering trip became inconvenient he canceled it and issued the warrants anyway. Second, the warrants against Israeli leaders would insulate him from criticism from many of the ICC member states, who didn’t care if there was evidence that he was raping a subordinate to the point of driving her to considering suicide. Third, according to testimony, Khan explicitly tied the rape allegations to the Israeli warrants.

“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 Journal reports. “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.”

This testimony, if accurate, describes a monster. Not a jerk with poor impulse control; an actual monster. He also accused her indirectly of being part of a conspiracy to bring down the ICC, which is basically his way of saying she’s some kind of agent of the Jews.

The accuser also wrestled with whether to come forward. Her mother was sick and needed care, which her salary helped provide. She told a friend she wanted a job transfer rather than to hold Khan accountable: “I held on for as long as I could because I didn’t want to f— up the Palestinian arrest warrants,” she testified.

There is obviously no defense of the arrest warrants’ legitimacy now—if they are not canceled, the ICC should be subject to every applicable sanction. If Khan doesn’t resign, this is the end of the ICC experiment: A permanent such court was always going to be less effective than the situational courts that were set up to investigate war crimes in the past, and its permanence meant the court was full of revolting employment incentives. That part is now beyond dispute as well.

In addition to that, there is the matter of what anti-Semitism does to people. Khan’s alleged victim hesitated to come forward because she, too, backed the arrest warrants that were issued in order to protect her alleged rapist.

Civilization is going to have to decide if there is anything in the universe more important to it than its war on the Jews. I’m not looking forward to hearing the answer.
ICC prosecutor issued warrants for Netanyahu to make West 'turn against Israel' - exclusive
Karim Khan, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, hoped that issuing arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant would make the West turn against Israel, a senior Western diplomat with firsthand knowledge of the ICC case has told The Jerusalem Post in an exclusive interview.

The diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that he believed Khan’s decision to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders was based on a combination of a desire to see powerful, Western nations turn against Israel and inspire public pressure from pro-Palestinian groups.

He recalled a conversation he had with Khan last year, where Khan allegedly said: “You just wait and see. If I apply for warrants against Netanyahu, this would give countries like Germany and Canada the excuse they need to turn against the Israeli government.”

“I remember thinking to myself first: How naive can you be?” the diplomat said.

“But secondly, I thought: That’s not the job. You should be driven by the law and by facts and evidence, not by the thought that Germany might turn on an elected official,” the diplomat said.

Prior to the October 7 massacre, Khan was not seen as a champion of Palestinian rights.

In late 2023, when the war between Israel and Hamas was at its peak, a campaign against Khan kicked off, led by the BDS movement and pro-Palestinian NGOs and activists who went after him for not clamping down on Israeli officials for alleged war crimes.

The BDS movement called Khan a “genocide enabler,” demanding that he be fired and replaced with someone who would go after Israel. Khan's pre-arrest warrant timeline doesn't add up

In a letter addressing these claims, Khan insisted that they were “based on false premises” and that his decision to issue arrest warrants was not based on political motivations or personal matters.

Khan also said that he visited Washington in person at the end of March 2024, “at which time he informed senior administration officials that he would be applying for warrants against those persons named in the warrants by the end of April 2024.”
By recognizing Israel, ‘you’ll be greatly honoring me,’ Trump tells Saudis
U.S. President Donald Trump told Saudi Arabian officials that they ought to recognize Israel formally, and by doing so, “you’ll be greatly honoring me.”

“It’s been an amazing thing, the Abraham Accords. It’s my fervent hope, wish and even my dream, that Saudi Arabia, a place I have such respect for, especially over the last fairly short period of time—what you’ve been able to do,” Trump said in a speech in Riyadh on Tuesday, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looking on.

“But we’ll soon be joining the Abraham Accords. I think it will be a tremendous tribute to your country and something that’s going to be very important for the future of the Middle East,” the president said. “I took a risk in doing them. They’ve been an absolute bonanza for the countries that joined.”

Trump added that the Biden administration “did nothing for four years.”

“We would have had it filled out, but it will be a special day in the Middle East, with the whole world watching, when Saudi Arabia joins us,” he said. “You’ll be greatly honoring all of those people that have fought so hard for the Middle East, and I really think it’s going to be something special.”

Trump added that the kingdom “will do it in your own time.”


Netanyahu, Witkoff, and Huckabee meet, discuss hostage release framework and ceasefire negotiations
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and the US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Monday.

Netanyahu is set to meet with ministers and senior Israeli defense leaders to brief them on his meeting with Witkoff, Israeli officials told The Jerusalem Post.

The three discussed the latest efforts to implement Witkoff's outline for the release of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander ahead of a widened expansion of military operations in Gaza, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) noted.

US hostage envoy Adam Boehler arrived in Israel on Monday with the Alexander family ahead of Edan's release, which will reportedly occur around 6:30 p.m.

Netanyahu thanks Trump for securing hostage's release
After the three leaders met, Netanyahu called US President Donald Trump and thanked him for his assistance in securing Edan Alexander's release from Hamas captivity.

The release from the PMO noted that "President Trump, for his part, reiterated his commitment to Israel as well as his desire to continue the close cooperation with Prime Minister Netanyahu."

Israel will continue to hold negotiations under fire, the release noted.
Harvard Poll: 77% of Americans support Israel against Hamas
Americans’ support for Israel over Hamas in the Gaza conflict remains high, with 77% of voters supporting the Jewish state, according to poll results released on Feb. 24.

The February Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll is a monthly collaboration between the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard (CAPS) and the Harris Poll and HarrisX.

Some 67% of voters have heard of U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal that the United States should take over the Gaza Strip to redevelop it, the survey found. And 47% believe Trump was being serious, while 53% believe he was posturing to start negotiations.

A total of 70% said the United States taking over Gaza is a bad idea, while 56% opposed removing Arabs from Gaza to rebuild the territory.

So far, 54% of voters support Trump’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

A strong majority of voters, 76%, say Iran’s nuclear-weapons facilities should be destroyed. Fifty-seven percent of voters say the United States should support Israel in airstrikes on such facilities (Democrats: 45%; Republicans: 74%; Independents: 51%).
Poll: 81 Percent of Israelis Oppose Leaving Hamas in Power in Gaza
A majority of Jewish Israelis oppose a potential hostage deal that would allow Hamas to remain in power in Gaza, a survey conducted on May 5-6 by Lazar Research for the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs found.

78% of Jewish Israelis oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state; 81% fear a repeat of the Oct. 7 attack originating from the West Bank.

85% oppose Hamas maintaining a military force in Gaza, while 81% said they oppose Hamas playing any civilian governance role.


Seth Frantzman: How did Hamas terrorists get the Austrian rifles seen in hostage handoff?
When Hamas terrorists released Edan Alexander on May 12, they chose to pose with him and a member of the Red Cross. It appears that two of the men in the photo are Hamas, because they have green headbands, and another is from Palestinian Islamic Jihad. These groups work together in Gaza and have often appeared at ceremonies releasing hostages.

What caught some people’s attention on May 12 was the fact that the men were all posing with the same type of rifle: an Austrian Steyr AUG.

The rifles stand out because they don’t look like the more common AK-47 that Hamas members usually use in Gaza. They are also very different than the M-4 or M-16 type rifles that are common in the IDF and which have shown up increasingly among terrorist groups. The Steyr uses a 5.56×45mm cartridge, which means it is similar to the ammunition being used in Israel, as opposed to the 7.62×39mm used by the AK.

The rifles look strange because they don’t appear as bulky as the M-4 and AKs we are used to seeing. They have a kind of futuristic look, but they also look a bit dainty for the conflict. Nevertheless, they have been used in the Middle East since the late 1970s and in Tunisia, Morocco, and other countries, including Oman.

According to the online firearms expert social media account Calibre Obscura, the Steyr AUG has been seen in Gaza in the past. In 2020, Calibre Obscura posted about it in the hands of the terrorist group DFLP. This post postulated it had come from Tunisia by way of Libya and then was smuggling through Sinai.

As such, the appearance of the rifles is not unique. However, it is strange that all three men chose to hold the same type of rifle. It’s not the first time this has happened. Hamas members also held Tavor rifles, which are made in Israel, back in January during a hostage release. The insinuation at the time was that they had somehow captured these from Israel.
Islamic Jihad fires three rockets at southern Israel, intercepted by IDF
The Israeli Air Force intercepted two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip that caused sirens to sound in Sderot and the surrounding Gaza border area, as well as in Ashkelon, on Tuesday evening, the IDF said.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rockets launched at southern Israel, Walla reported.

A third rocket fell in an open area, the military added. The Sderot Municipality stated that no injuries or property damage were reported.

Israel Police were prepared to conduct scans to locate areas where shrapnel had fallen.

While sirens continue to sound periodically in the Gaza border area 19 months since October 7 and the launch of Israel's war in Gaza, rockets fired from the Strip have not been able to pass the Gaza envelope since early April.
IDF intercepts Houthi missile en route to Israel
A missile was launched from Yemen, triggering sirens across central Israel, the IDF said on Tuesday evening.

Following the sirens, the IDF announced that the missile had been intercepted.

Israel's emergency service, Magen David Adom, stated that they were treating and evacuating a 40-year-old woman from Holon in moderate condition with leg injuries, and a 65-year-old woman with a minor head injury, who will also be evacuated for further medical care.

Later in the night, the Houthis fired an additional missile at Israel. However, it fell while on the way to Israel, and as a result, no sirens sounded, Israeli media reported. Rise in Houthi missiles fired towards Israel

This follows an uptick in missiles launched by the Iran-backed Houthis towards Israel, including a missile that fell outside of Israeli territory on Monday.

The US announced last week that it had reached a ceasefire with the Houthis, but the Houthis stated that Israel was not included in the ceasefire, and that the group would continue to fire missiles at Israel.


'Aid will no longer reach Hamas': Danny Danon to UN
Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said the current United Nations humanitarian aid system enables Hamas to benefit from international assistance and must be stopped.

“Aid will no longer reach Hamas,” Danon said during a UN Security Council (UNSC) debate on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Ynet reported on Wednesday.

Before the debate took place, Danon posted on X/Twitter that the UNSC would convene for a special session to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“In my speech, I will emphasize that the UN, led by the secretary-general, insists on preserving old distribution mechanisms that help channel aid to Hamas. Israel will not allow this. Hamas will not benefit from humanitarian aid,” he posted.

Speaking at the debate, Danon directly criticized UN Secretary-General Antรณnio Guterres.

“Instead of admitting that the system has failed, the UN insists on preserving Hamas’s supply pipeline. This is not neutrality – but support for terrorism,” he said, as quoted by Ynet.

Danon added: “Israel will not cooperate with a mechanism that strengthens those who kidnapped, murdered, raped and tortured our citizens.”


Possible killing of Mohammed Sinwar may boost hostage deal efforts, source says
If Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar has indeed been assassinated, it would make it easier to reach a hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday evening.

"[Mohammed] Sinwar was the most extreme figure in terms of negotiation positions for reaching a deal," the official said. "If he is out of the picture, it should ease the efforts to reach an agreement."

The assassination attempt occurred as the Israeli delegation, led by “M” from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the Coordinator for Hostages and Missing Persons, Gal Hirsch, arrived in Qatar on Tuesday evening.


Journalist killed in IDF strike took part in 7 October massacre, says Israel
A Palestinian journalist who crossed into Israel with Hamas on 7 October and was later identified by the IDF as a member of the terror group’s Khan Younis Brigade has been killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Hassan Eslaiah, a freelance photojournalist whose work was previously distributed by AP and CNN, died during a targeted strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Monday, according to the IDF. Palestinian sources confirmed his death on Tuesday.

“The compound was being used by the terrorists to plan and carry out terror attacks against forces and Israeli civilians,” the IDF said, describing it as a “targeted strike” against “key Hamas terrorists”.

The military said the hospital had been used as a Hamas command centre and that Eslaiah was among those operating there. He was reportedly being treated for injuries from a previous Israeli strike in April, which he had survived.

At the time, the IDF and Shin Bet said Eslaiah was a member of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade and operated “under the guise of a journalist and owner of a press company”. Freelance journalist Hassan Eslaiah films himself near a burning Israeli tank during the 7 October Hamas-led assault. Photo Credit: Honest Reporting/X

The IDF had previously released video footage showing Eslaiah inside Israel on 7 October, standing near a burning Israeli tank and photographing Hamas-led terrorists storming Kibbutz Nir Oz, where one in four residents were murdered or abducted, including children and the elderly.

A deleted social media post from 2020, shared by watchdog group Honest Reporting, showed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar embracing and kissing Eslaiah. The photo was cited by critics as evidence of his ties to the terror group.

Following the October attack, both CNN and Associated Press cut ties with Eslaiah after questions emerged about his presence during the massacre. AP later removed several of his photos from its wire service but maintained that its contributors had no prior knowledge of the attack.

The IDF said that Monday’s strike used precision munitions and aerial surveillance to limit harm to civilians. It also reiterated claims that Hamas continues to “cynically and cruelly” use hospitals, schools and aid infrastructure for military purposes.

Nasser Hospital has been previously linked to senior Hamas figures. In March, Israel killed Ismail Barhoum, a member of the group’s political bureau and its de facto prime minister, in a strike on the same compound.


How Hamas used American Hostage Edan Alexander as a pawn
Hamas’ weaponization of Alexander is far more sophisticated than it may appear. It’s a classic example of political warfare that appears to align with US strategy to secure and stabilize a new Middle East with Saudi partnership driven by the 2030 vision of Crown Prince Mohammed Ibn Salman.

Hamas knows that the price tag is a near-term end to the hostilities in Gaza. The stakes are high. The US-Saudi alignment could bring a trillion dollars of Saudi, UAE, and Qatari investment in the US, while adding new Arab state members to the Abraham Accords Circle of Peace and even climaxing in Saudi normalization with Israel.

However, the naysayers of the American Israeli strategic alignment on the Middle East should not be overly optimistic. President Trump has stated clearly that Hamas must be dislodged from Gaza, while Iran will not be permitted to enrich uranium and develop nuclear weapons. Speculation about deepening ties between Trump and Israel’s adversaries has fueled excessive alarm.

Recent reports that the Trump administration might recognize a Palestinian state or engage with actors that undermine Israel's vital security interests were unequivocally refuted by key US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and US

Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Huckabee, in a May 10, 2025, statement, called the reports “reckless and irresponsible,” emphasizing that “the relationship between the US and Israel remains strong”. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was reported to have visited the Israeli embassy in Washington just days ago in an act of reassurance.

These confirmations of a strong US-Israel alliance are underscored by Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer’s personal meeting with Trump on May 8, 2025, to discuss Gaza and Iran, reaffirming the administration’s special relationship with Israel on critical security issues.

While Trump’s “art of the deal” economic and political approach to the Middle East reflects classic Trump “out of the box” thinking, Israel and the US are well aligned, particularly in preventing Iran from achieving nuclearized regional dominance.

While not completely reflective of across-the-board Israeli interests, President Trump’s Middle East visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates is not a snub of Israel. The Iranian regime and its Hamas terror proxy should take note. The US IS committed to regional security, Israeli-Saudi normalization, and the end of Islamic extremist terror.
Released hostage Alexander speaks to Trump, tells Netanyahu he is weak but recovering
Freed American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander spoke to US President Donald Trump over the phone on Tuesday in a call made on the phone of US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who arrived at the hospital to visit him.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke by phone with Alexander, his office said, and released a video of the premier during the conversation, during which the former hostage said he was weak, but recovering after his ordeal.

Alexander was released from captivity in the Gaza Strip on Monday in what has been described as a goodwill gesture from the Palestinian terror group Hamas to Trump ahead of the president’s visit to the region.

Witkoff and Alexander “had the opportunity to speak with [President Trump], whose leadership made this possible. We remain committed to bringing every last hostage home,” the envoy said in a post from his office on X.

“I was honored to meet Edan Alexander today and welcome him home. After months in captivity, the world is inspired by his courage and resilience. His return gives hope to so many,” Witkoff added.

In his own conversation with Alexander, Netanyahu spoke of the national celebration at his release and asked about his welfare. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, left, greets freed hostage Edan Alexander at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center on May 13, 2025. (Office of the Special Envoy to the Middle East/X)

“It is so good to hear you,” Netanyahu said.

“Amazing, unbelievable,” Alexander was heard responding.

Netanyahu asked Alexander how he is feeling, to which the latter responded, “Okay. Weak. Slowly, slowly, we’ll get back to the way things were before. It is just a matter of time.”

Netanyahu told Alexander to hug his parents, who were with him during the call, and that “all of Israel is hugging the three of you. Today we are all one family.”

During the call, Netanyahu also spoke with Witkoff, who praised the Israeli prime minister for his role in enabling the release, which has been seen as a Trump administration achievement rather than an Israeli one.


Witkoff gifts Edan Alexander Star of David necklace belonging to his late son
Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, presented released hostage Edan Alexander with a Star of David necklace on Tuesday during a visit to Ichilov Hospital.

The necklace had belonged to Witkoff’s late son, Andrew, according to the Hostages Families Forum Headquarters.

Witkoff’s son died at the age of 22—the same age as Alexander.

Witkoff said he had worn the necklace for more than 25 years and now wanted Alexander to wear it in his son’s memory.

'Honored to welcome him home'
Alexander was released from Hamas captivity on Monday after 584 days in Gaza, in a hostage deal attributed to efforts by the Trump administration.

Following the announcement from Hamas on Sunday that they would release Alexander, Witkoff, and Trump's hostage envoy, Adam Boehler, flew to Israel with Alexander's family to oversee the release.

“I was honored to meet Edan and welcome him home,” Witkoff wrote in a post on X/Twitter. “After months in captivity, the world is inspired by his courage and resilience. His return gives hope to so many.”


Ask Haviv Anything: Episode 13: John Spencer on war, morality, politics and the fight for the future.
After a delay (Haviv got a bad flu), we're happy to share a great panel with Haviv and Prof. John Spencer that took place at the Woodbury Jewish Center in Woodbury, New York on May 7.

Thank you to Rabbi Jason Fruithandler and Rob Dwek for hosting, and to the Malin family for sponsoring the speaker series this event was part of.

Haviv and John talked about whether victory was in the cards against Hamas, what it would require, and whether Israeli society would persevere; about claims of starvation and genocide and the role of propaganda in conflict; about whether Gazans all support Hamas; about the distinction between civilian and combatant and what it might mean for the IDF to be, as many Israel defenders say, the "most moral" army; about Netanyahu's leadership and politicking over the past 19 months; about whether Israel could go it alone on Iran; and finally, about what the rise of a new American antisemitism might mean for the biggest diaspora Jewish community in all of history.

Lots and lots of topics, so it went on a bit longer than our usual episodes.

This episode is sponsored by someone who asked to remain anonymous and to dedicate the episode to someone who fell on October 7. We are dedicating the episode to Yoram Bar-Sinai, architect, kibbutznik and grandpa, who died age 75 in a gunbattle with Hamas terrorists while defending the home of his daughter Ruti in Kibbutz Be'eri. Yoram died in that firefight, but not before forcing the Hamas gunmen to give up on the house, saving his daughter and grandchildren who were inside. May his memory be a blessing.


Jordan B Peterson: The West Is Too Weak For Radical Islam | Douglas Murray | EP 546
What really happened on October 7th? What does it reveal about Israel, Hamas, the West—and the future of civilization?

In this gripping and deeply disturbing conversation, Dr. Jordan B. Peterson speaks with author and journalist Douglas Murray about his newest book, "On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization." Together, they walk through the harrowing details of the Hamas invasion of Israel, the unprecedented October 7th terrorist attacks, and the shocking moral inversion that followed in Western media, academia, and public discourse.

Douglas Murray is a journalist and bestselling author of 7 books. His latest publication is the international bestseller, The War On The West. His previous book, The Madness of Crowds, was a bestseller and ‘book of the year’ for The Times and The Sunday Times. The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam, published in 2017, spent almost 20 weeks on The Sunday Times bestseller list and was a number 1 bestseller in non-fiction. Mr. Murray has been a contributor to The Spectator since 2000 and has been associate editor at the magazine since 2012. He is a columnist for The New York Post, The Free Press, The Sun, The Telegraph, and contributes regularly to National Review and numerous other outlets.

This episode was filmed on May 2nd, 2025.


Call me Back Podcast: Trump's Middle East Plan - with Nadav Eyal & Amit Segal
Today’s episode: As we mentioned in our last update, there is a lot happening in Israel and it’s happening fast.

Hamas has released hostage Edan Alexander, a US-Israeli citizen, in what Hamas is calling a “gesture of good will” to US President Donald Trump. All of this while the IDF has been preparing a large-scale offensive in Gaza and as the Gulf Summit is about to start in Saudi Arabia where President Trump will be meeting with Arab leaders to discuss further US investment and the future of the Middle East.

To discuss all of this and what it means, we are joined by Call Me Back regulars Nadav Eyal, senior analyst at Yedioth Achronot, and Amit Segal, senior political analyst at Channel 12


Commentary Podcast: The Trump-Bibi-Qatar-Hamas Game
Tevi Troy joins us today to talk about his article, "In Praise of Big Pharma," but first we talk about Trump's trip to the Middle East and whether Israel will ever make its final push into Gaza.


Children’s YouTube star ‘Ms. Rachel’ defends her Gaza comments in talk with anti-Israel reporter
Children’s YouTube star “Ms. Rachel” appeared on anti-Israel journalist Mehdi Hasan’s Zeteo news Monday to explain why she has been so outspoken about Israel’s war against Hamas.

Rachel Griffin Accurso, who goes by “Ms. Rachel” on her popular YouTube channel, which has 14.7 million subscribers, has shared several posts about the war’s effects on Palestinian children.

“Over 14,000 precious children have been un-alived in Gaza. Gaza has the largest number of child amputees in history. We can’t be silent about these kinds of conditions for children,” Accurso posted to her TikTok channel in Dec. 2024, echoing the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry’s casualty statistics.

Last month, the Hamas-controlled agency’s numbers were revised down by thousands and an analysis of those numbers found that 72% of those killed between the ages of 13 and 55 were males.

“As a teacher, you care about all kids. And I think with so many years of teaching, you just see them all as so similar. They all love to laugh, and they love to learn, and they love to play, and they deserve to play,” Accurso told Hasan, who previously worked for Qatar-funded Al Jazeera and MSNBC.

Hasan has been a harsh critic of the Jewish State, accusing the IDF of killing “hungry people” and comparing it to the regimes of Russia’s Vladimir Putin and ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

In 2021, Hasan rushed to defend Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who suggested the U.S. and Israel were just as guilty of “war crimes” as terrorist groups like Hamas and the Taliban. He also defended Omar after allegations of antisemitic rhetoric online in 2019.

Critics have asserted that the “Songs for Littles” crooner is not merely speaking out for vulnerable children, but is in fact trying to indoctrinate kids into a far-left, anti-Israel ideology.


Corbyn sends ‘Starmer complicit in genocide’ pamphlet to Westminster reporters
Jeremy Corbyn and four independent MPs have sent an inflammatory pamphlet to Westminster lobby journalists urging them to hold the prime minister “to account” over claims the UK is complicit in the Gaza “genocide”.

The 10-page document includes sustained attacks on Keir Starmer over the government’s position on arms sales to Israel, and also of the PM’s criticism of the use of the term “genocide” in relation to the war against Hamas in Gaza.

UK political journalists across all national outlets are told that “exposing the truth comes at a cost” and speaking out against Israel “may damage personal relationships or hamper their professional ambitions”.

But the pamphlet, which was not sent to the Jewish News’ Westminster office, then tells journalists: “In an ongoing genocide, these risks are surely worth taking. In Gaza, journalists have paid with their lives.”

Every major television news outlet was sent the pamphlet in a sealed envelope, as were national print and online titles.

It is signed by the MPs Adnan Hussain, Ayoub Khan, Iqbal Mohamed, Jeremy Corbyn and Shockat Adam, who formed the Independent Alliance in the aftermath of the general election last year, with a series of aims including opposing austerity, the two-child benefit cap, the sale of arms to Israel and the abolition of the winter fuel allowance for most pensioners.

The group’s latest pamphlet, entitled “Journalism During a Genocide” was sent to the offices of lobby journalists at the beginning of this week, and coincided with the pro-Gaza MP Adam asking a question in the Commons on Tuesday on the accuracy of David Lammy’s statements to MPs on UK arms sales to Israel.

It calls for journalists to put mounting pressure on the PM over his comments allegedly “denying the existence of genocide in Gaza” and over the alleged UK “involvement in Israel’s military assault”.

It includes the claim that the UK “has played a highly influential role in Israel’s military operations, including the sale of weapons, the supply of intelligence and the use of Royal Air Force bases in Cyprus”.
Is it time the BBC shows Lineker the red card?
BBC Sports presenter, Gary Lineker, The Telegraph reports, is accused of “posting content on Instagram that ‘caters to Jew-haters’ featuring a trope used by Nazi Germany to depict Jewish people”.

The trope, of course, is the depiction of Jews as rats, which even The Guardian – a decade ago – confirmed was an antisemitic image used by the Nazis.

I don’t have much to add to the existing commentary – which mostly states the plain-as-daylight obvious and doesn’t need to be rehashed – but I have no hesitation in adding to the chorus of calls for him to be sacked. Just look at the state of this (now deleted) post shared by Lineker:

Now of course, whenever these calls happen, they are followed by sneers of “oh, look, the right wing (sic) also indulges in censorship and ‘cancel culture'”. But firstly, it is not censorship as he is free to say whatever he likes. I’m not sure why he deleted his post, but he absolutely has the right to make his views known. More people should be made aware of his views. It is furthermore not an issue of “cancelling” because he works for the BBC, a corporation we are essentially compelled to pay for through via the licence fee. If he said this on a privately-owned network or channel – one which I could opt out of contributing towards – I would not complain in this way. I might criticise, of course.

Perhaps Sky has a job for him. He has no place on the screens of our National Broadcaster.

Will this be the last straw? The BBC does seem to have a “two tier” set of standards when it comes to Lineker. And they don’t seem very squeamish about “cancelation” when is suits them.
Gary Lineker shares rat image in post ‘explaining’ Zionism
The BBC is facing calls to sack Gary Lineker rather than letting him leave on his own terms, after the football pundit shared a video on his social media claiming to “explain” Zionism, featuring an image of a rat.

Lineker, the BBC’s highest paid broadcaster, shared the video, titled “Zionism explained in less than two minutes”, on Instagram. It was initially posted by a group called “Palestine Lobby” and features a clip with comments from Diana Buttu, a former spokesperson for the PLO.

“They take the land, claim that its theirs and then they make concessions on land that doesn’t actually belong to them”, Ms Buttu states in the clip, going on to say that “the Zionist movement and Zionism on the ground is the idea of creating not only a Jewish state but at the expense of the indigenous Palestinian population. What Zionism is, is the idea of privileging and giving exclusive rights to one group of people at the expense of another group of people…there isn’t a single Zionist who’s able to say that they actually believe that Palestinians have the exact same rights as Israelis who are living in that country.”

The rat emoji appears prominently alongside the title of the video.

A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies said: “The BBC has allowed the situation with Gary Lineker to continue for far too long. He has caused great offence with this video – particularly with his egregious use of a rat emoji to illustrate Zionists. BBC should ask him to leave now rather than allowing him to dictate his own terms.”

Alex Hearn, co-director of Labour Against Antisemitism, said: “Gary Lineker has been sharing increasingly extreme content as his fixation has grown, and it was apparent that it was only a matter of time before he crossed the line.

“Sharing content that uses a rat to demonise the very idea of a Jewish nation state draws directly from Nazi propaganda. It is unfathomable that this is apparently “hateful conduct” on X, but acceptable conduct for the BBC.

“Lineker made ill-judged comparisons with Germany in the 1930s to further his political point of view, but now he is sharing ideas about Jews popularised in 1930’s Germany. When will enough disrepute be enough for the BBC? It’s time for Lineker to go.”


Russell Brand praises racist rapper Kanye West’s ‘Heil Hitler’ track
Russell Brand has come under fire for praising Kanye West’s new track Heil Hitler, which repeats the Nazi salute in its lyrics and was released on 8 May, the anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany.

Brand described the song as having a “good hook” in a recent post on X, sparking condemnation from the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), which said his comments risk legitimising antisemitism.

“Could the so-called hook be that the phrase ‘Heil Hitler’ is repeated over and over?” the CAA wrote. “Playing with Nazi slogans is not edgy or brave, and neither is Russell Brand.”

The group added that Brand’s remarks were either a “desperate attempt to chase clicks through controversy” or a sign of deeper disregard for Holocaust memory, warning that either way, the outcome was the same: “he trivialises one of history’s darkest chapters”.

The backlash comes just weeks after West, who now goes by Ye, posted a black-and-white image of Adolf Hitler on social media, accompanied by a goat emoji, commonly interpreted as shorthand for “Greatest of All Time”.


Belfast Jewish leader warns of rising antisemitism following Kneecap chants
A Jewish leader in Belfast has warned of rising antisemitism after a wave of support for Irish rap group Kneecap, despite footage showing a band member shouting “Up Hamas” and “Up Hezbollah” on stage.

Michael Black, deputy chair of the Belfast Jewish Community, said the comments were “abhorrent” and branded the group’s apology “pathetic”.

It follows a separate incident in which a brick was thrown through a window of Belfast’s synagogue, and act for which a teenage girl was cautioned. While the motive is unconfirmed, Black said it reflected an increasingly hostile climate for Jews in Northern Ireland. “Hatred is out there and it scares me,” he said.

Kneecap, who are due to perform at Glastonbury and Belfast Vital this summer, have denied supporting Hamas or Hezbollah, claiming the footage was “taken out of all contexts” and accusing critics of “weaponising false accusations of antisemitism”.

In a separate video now being reviewed by counter-terrorism police, a band member is heard saying: The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

“To publicly say ‘Up Hamas’ and support an organisation that openly wants to kill Jews is abhorrent,” Black said. “Hamas wants to kill as many Jews as possible, we said that on 7 October. To see the evidence of what happened and still support them is frightening.”




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