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Wednesday, May 21, 2025

05/21 Links Pt1: Israel is still the world’s scapegoat; How the UN Invented a Blood Libel — and the Media Ran With It; Kneecap charged with terrorism over Hezbollah flag

From Ian:

Israel is still the world’s scapegoat
So why has Israel been singled out by the ICC and the ICJ, as it battles to cripple the terrorist Hamas regime in Gaza? For starters, Israel is seen as an easy target for these international bodies – a kind of ‘low-hanging fruit’. This is largely because Western opinion has already cast it in the role of the villain in its conflict with Hamas. In the broader international arena, Israel is seen as the archetypal wrongdoer.

Of course, the reality is very different. Israel is the only democracy in the turbulent Middle East. It is also the only Jewish state in the world. It is currently engaged in a war against an anti-Semitic enemy that wishes to wipe it off the map. Israel is not a ‘colonial’ or genocidal oppressor, as is so often claimed, but a country marked by its own tragic history of invasion, violence and suffering. Yet with few sympathisers left on the world stage, Israel ends up being the convenient focal point for global indignation.

That is not the end of the story. The ICC’s aggressive stance against Israel is also a sign of deeper troubles among international institutions. In the era following the Second World War, a network of progressive lawyers, non-governmental organisations and activists – often working through the UN – set out to champion universal rules of warfare. Their goal was to dismantle the traditional notion of state sovereignty in favour of global accountability. However, that postwar consensus is now unravelling. Even the US, once a pillar of that world order, has resorted to sanctioning the ICC, claiming it plays favourites against both the US and Israel.

In fact, from the beginning, the ICC has struggled to earn universal support. While it was established as a guardian of international justice, major powers such as the US, China, India and Russia never signed up to it. Hungary has also recently signalled its discontent by removing itself from the ICC after a visit from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

At their core, projects like the ICC and ICJ are a globalist challenge to national sovereignty and are deeply undemocratic. Laws gain moral authority from being passed by elected representatives of the people – something that international tribunals simply cannot replicate. Without democratic backing, these institutions too often fall prey to political agendas, rather than serving as unbiased arbiters of justice.

Against this backdrop, the prosecution of Israel has transformed into a high-stakes test for the credibility of bodies like the ICC and ICJ. This could be seen playing out at the ICJ hearing against Israel in The Hague last month. While lambasting Israel’s actions against Gaza and the UN, Palestinian counsel Blinne Nรญ Ghrรกlaigh urged the court to reassert the moral compass of the UN Charter. She warned that the international order was crumbling and expressed the ‘continuing desperate hope that international law might finally prevail’.

We should hope that these organisations continue to lose their clout. Then they will no longer be able to unjustly target a sovereign state like Israel for exercising its right to self-defence. The collapse of these hollow institutions cannot come soon enough.
Melanie Phillips: Keir Starmer's new admirers
Israel is stepping up the war in order to force Hamas finally to release the remaining hostages. Starmer, Macron and Carney complain this is “disproportionate”. What’s disproportionate about this when Hamas is refusing to release the hostages unless Israel totally capitulates? What’s disproportionate about continuously moving the Gazan civilians to relative safety — and food aid — in order to trap and target the remaining Hamas battalions? What’s disproportionate about controlling territory to prevent any more thousands of rockets and depraved attacks against Israeli civilians? What’s disproportionate about an overwhelmingly just war against genocide?

The statement threatens “further concrete actions in response” if Israel doesn’t halt “settlements which are illegal and undermine the viability of a Palestinian state”. The much-repeated claim of illegality is a lie. The Jews alone are legally entitled to live in the disputed “West Bank” territories of Judea and Samaria. And why are these residents said to undermine the “viability of a Palestinian state”? Israel’s population is 20 per cent Arab. Yet Britain France and Canada are in effect demanding the ethnic cleansing of Jews from a future state of Palestine.

And since the vast majority of Arabs living within Gaza and these disputed territories say repeatedly they support the October 7 attacks and want to destroy Israel and murder Jews; and since the Palestinian Authority declares its intention to wipe out Israel, pays terrorists and their families for the murder of Israelis and teaches the children in its schools to murder Jews and steal their land, the insistence by Britain, France and Canada on a Palestinian state means they have become the allies of genocidal fanatics against innocent victims. That’s quite an achievement.

The statement threatens to suspend trade negotiations with Israel. Really? Britain depends upon Israeli intelligence and its military know-how to fight its own battles against the same kind of fanatics that Israel is fighting. Is the Starmer government’s hatred of Israel so unhinged that it’s really intending to damage Britain by denying a trade deal — which Israel says wasn’t even on the agenda anyway?

At the same time as it issued this statement, Britain imposed sanctions on two illegal Israeli settlement outposts and three Israeli “settlers”. The UK Foreign Office accused the three of being involved in “threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinian individuals.” Where’s the evidence of unprovoked attacks? Why is Britain arrogantly interfering in the internal affairs of another sovereign country?

Britain has sanctioned no Palestinian Arabs for the murderous daily attacks against Jewish residents of these areas. A few days ago one such resident, Tzeela Gez, was murdered as she was being driven to hospital for the birth of her fourth child.

The Starmer government ignored this latest atrocity against one of the “settlers” it has thus dehumanised and singled out for vilification. Instead it condemns the Israelis for trying to end such slaughter. “History will judge them,” said the Foreign Secretary David Lammy in a sickening Commons debate yesterday. “Blocking aid, expanding the war and dismissing the concerns of their friends and partners is indefensible and it must stop.”

Who on earth does he think he is? How dare he say Israel must stop defending its people. And this from a country that has so much Jewish blood on its own hands, going back to when British officials were the land’s colonial overlords — whose imperial disdain can be so clearly heard in Lammy’s tone — and who created the whole Middle East mess in the 1930s, when they tore up the UK’s treaty obligation to settle the Jews throughout what is now Israel, the “West Bank” and Gaza and offered instead to reward genocidal aggression by giving away part of the Jews’ entitlement to their aggressors, a murderous betrayal that Britain attempts to repeat to this very day.
JPost Editorial: When Hamas applauds you, it's time to rethink your stance
However, from Israel’s allies, there is no creativity, and no pressure on the real culprit: Hamas. Instead, they threaten sanctions on the country trying to get back its citizens.

Is this truly the smartest way to act towards an ally that has promoted and fought for Western values? Where, in that joint statement, was the equally weighted warning to the terrorist groups that birthed this entire operation: Hamas, its allies, and its parent backer, Iran?

As the Trump administration says it is closing in on a nuclear deal with the Iranian regime, where is the weight levied against Tehran to pressure Hamas? Why is Israel being singled out here?

An appeal to help Gazans, who are indeed suffering, is warranted. But by ignoring the larger context and who is to blame for the carnage in Gaza, the UK, Canada, and France are simply going for the easy target: Israel.

The proof in the pudding that the warnings by the three countries were misguided and damaging was the immediate reaction by the terrorist group, which “welcomed the joint statement issued by the leaders of Britain, France, and Canada, rejecting the policy of siege and starvation pursued by the occupation government against our people in the Gaza Strip, and the Zionist plans aimed at genocide and displacement.

“This position is an important step toward restoring respect for the principles of international law, which the terrorist Netanyahu government has sought to undermine and overturn,” it added.

Perhaps when terrorists who committed the worst massacre of the century agree with you, it is time to recalibrate your beliefs.


Seth Mandel: Stop Quoting the UN
When it comes to the conflict in the Middle East, UN representatives should no longer be quoted on live news broadcasts—if at all. This will do more to reduce the spread of misinformation than anything Mark Zuckerberg has been asked to do over the past decade.

Yesterday, Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian chief, said this to a BBC anchor on-air: “There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them.”

Just to put this in perspective, that number would equal more than half of the total number of civilian casualties during the entire course of the war so far. The BBC’s Anna Foster replied that 14,000 is “an extraordinary figure.” To which Fletcher replied that he would characterize it as a “chilling figure.” To anyone listening to the interview undistractedly, it would be immediately recognizable as “a made-up figure.” Foster’s even engaging with it was extraordinary. It was Fletcher’s willingness to spread a lie of that magnitude that was chilling.

How did Fletcher come to the 14,000 figure? “We have strong teams on the ground.”

With that, the number was off and running. According to the Times of Israel, British lawmakers in the House of Commons cited the number during parliamentary debate.

It turned out that the number of dead babies in the UN projection was actually zero. Zero babies. Fletcher had garbled a report that worried that 14,000 children could possibly suffer malnutrition over the course of an entire year if no food aid were allowed into Gaza for that entire period of time.

Again, number of deaths in the study: zero. Timeline for the study: one year.

Obviously Tom Fletcher cannot ever be allowed near a news audience again. I would say that Fletcher should probably find another line of work, but whoever would succeed him atop the UN humanitarian pyramid would likely be just as unreliable and unethical.

And that’s the problem. It’s true that no one outside of Goebbels’ communications team has so propagandized a global audience during a war to exterminate the Jewish people. But the UN inflates figures all the time, and it collaborates with genocidal fascist death squads to do so. Fletcher is what happens when you irresponsibly allow the UN to be considered a voice of authority.

No UN personality should be quoted without the news agency first checking into the statement. About anything.
Ex-Israel envoy calls to dismantle UN, honors EMT whose daughter died in Hezbollah attack
At the Jerusalem Post 2025 Annual Conference in New York, Gilad Erdan, the former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations and the current Global President of Magen David Adom (MDA), gave a passionate speech denouncing the UN while paying tribute to Israeli emergency responders.

“The United Nations is beyond reform. It’s beyond repair,” Erdan declared to an applauding crowd. “The institution created to prevent atrocities after the Holocaust now protects genocidal regimes.”

Erdan, who served at the UN between 2020 and 2024, criticized what he called the UN's "staggering moral distortions," pointing to Israel being the subject of 70% of its condemnations. “Cuba and Somalia sit on the Human Rights Council while their citizens suffer,” he added. “And at the ICJ, a Lebanese child presides over genocide charges against Israel while we are at war with Lebanon.”

His address pivoted from global politics to personal heroism, as he turned to praise MDA, Israel’s national emergency medical service, which he now leads. “After four years at the evil UN, I chose to channel my devotion into an organization of pure good,” he said.

“Magen David Adom doesn't just save lives – we directly combat the strategy of our enemies. When Hamas and Hezbollah attack our home front, their goal is to break our spirit and drive us from our homeland in fear. Targeting our life-saving teams is part of this monstrous strategy to terrorize our people. But with every life we save, we send a message: We will not be broken!

Erdan closed his remarks by honoring Adham Safadi, a senior EMT and ambulance driver from Majdal Shams. Safadi recounted the harrowing day a Hezbollah rocket hit the soccer field where his daughter was playing. “I saw my daughter lying on the grass… lifeless,” he said. “I stood beside her, then fell to the ground and asked her forgiveness for not being able to help her.”

Despite his loss, Safadi continued to treat wounded children at the scene. “There are still children screaming… needing help,” he said. Erdan and Jerusalem Post Editor-in-Chief Zvika Klein presented Safadi with the conference’s award for courage and service, citing his “unwavering commitment” in the face of unimaginable tragedy.
John Spencer: Learning to Learn: Lessons for the US Army from the Israel Defense Forces’ Wartime Adaption
In war, survival often depends not just on strength or firepower, but on how fast an army can adapt—and whether it can do so in time to save lives. In late 2023, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pushed into Gaza following the October 7 Hamas invasion, one horrific moment underscored the urgency of battlefield adaptation. While navigating the complex urban terrain in a column, Israeli infantry soldiers had been staying inside their armored personnel carriers too long as they waited for the lead vehicle—typically a bulldozer or tank—to clear the path forward. Hamas exploited this hesitation and attacked that specific type of vehicle with a rocket-propelled grenade from a close and elevated position, killing eleven soldiers in one attack. Hamas had not only found a way around Israel’s advanced active protection systems, but also recognized the vulnerability in the IDF’s dismount timing. Hours later, another Israeli unit spotted a militant attempting the same tactic.

In response, the IDF did something remarkable. They paused combat operations for twenty-four hours across multiple brigades. The goal was not discipline but diffusion: ensuring that all personnel, from brigade commanders to squad leaders, received the lesson and immediately adjusted their tactics. Soldiers would no longer sit in idling armored personnel carriers before dismounting. One moment of battlefield horror became a lifesaving protocol—disseminated in a day.

But how do you make a military learn at the speed of battle?

Three Vectors of Learning: Digital, Document, and Direct
Over five visits to Israel and Gaza since the war began, I had the opportunity to observe firsthand how the IDF adapted in real time to the brutal realities of urban combat. What began as informal conversations soon turned into focused inquiry, as I recognized the uniqueness of what I was seeing. I spoke with commanders, learning officers, and frontline troops, and followed tactical evolutions as they unfolded on the ground. The more I asked, the clearer it became: the IDF was not just learning—it was learning how to learn. And it was doing so with speed, purpose, and institutional resolve that few modern militaries have achieved.

The IDF discovered that email, chat messages, and digital alerts—standard in most modern militaries—often fell short. Commanders and staff in combat zones face floods of messages, many marked urgent. The result: Important lessons could get buried. To address this, the IDF turned to three vectors of communication: digital, document, and direct.

Digital tools remained in use—email, chat, and text—but their limitations became painfully obvious in the fog and friction of combat. Commanders and soldiers alike were inundated with messages, many flagged as urgent, until the very concept of urgency lost meaning. Important tactical updates were easily buried under a deluge of logistics reports, administrative reminders, and battlefield communications. Under the stress of urban combat, it became impossible to discern the vital from the routine. Urgency became ordinary.

Recognizing this, the IDF’s learning officers turned to a more tactile, deliberate method for transmitting critical information: the hard copy document. For nonimmediate but still essential lessons—like equipment failures or emerging enemy patterns—they created single-page briefs and distributed them in a uniquely identifiable format. These briefs were placed in white bags and sent with fresh food during resupply.
The Benefits of Chaos in Gaza
With the IDF engaged in ground maneuvers in both northern and southern Gaza, and a plan about to go into effect next week that would separate more than 100,000 civilians from Hamas’s control, an end to the war may at last be in sight. Yet there seems to be no agreement within Israel, or without, about what should become of the territory. Efraim Inbar assesses the various proposals, from Donald Trump’s plan to remove the population entirely, to the Israeli far-right’s desire to settle the Strip with Jews, to the internationally supported proposal to place Gaza under the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA)—and exposes the fatal flaws of each. He therefore tries to reframe the problem:

[M]any Arab states have failed to establish a monopoly on the use of force within their borders. Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan all suffer from civil wars or armed militias that do not obey the central government.

Perhaps Israel needs to get used to the idea that in the absence of an entity willing to take Gaza under its wing, chaos will prevail there. This is less terrible than people may think. Chaos would allow Israel to establish buffer zones along the Gaza border without interference. Any entity controlling Gaza would oppose such measures and would resist necessary Israeli measures to reduce terrorism. Chaos may also encourage emigration.

Israel is doomed to live with bad neighbors for the foreseeable future. There is no way to ensure zero terrorism. Israel should avoid adopting a policy of containment and should constantly “mow the grass” to minimize the chances of a major threat emerging across the border. Periodic conflicts may be necessary. If the Jews want a state in their homeland, they need to internalize that Israel will have to live by the sword for many more years.
Netanyahu: 20 hostages are still alive, Israel has brought back 148 alive
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his first press conference since December 2024 on Wednesday, calling the offensive in Gaza “an unprecedented operation in the history of wars” and publicly stating that there are 20 hostages still alive in Gaza.

“We have returned, so far, 197 hostages, of whom 148 are alive. Twenty are alive; we will return them all,” he said.

Before the release of Edan Alexander, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said it believed there were 24 living hostages. The fate of three of them, one Israeli and two foreign nationals, is a serious concern for officials.

“If there is an opportunity for a temporary ceasefire to return hostages, we are prepared for it,” he said.

He also fired back at the High Court’s ruling regarding his attempt to fire Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Ronen Bar and stated that he intended to select a new agency head.

“In my opinion, there is a simple question here: Will the High Court and the attorney-general respect the law, which is the will of the people?” he said. “The country is based on the democratic rule of law; it was established by elected officials… Now the question is whether they will respect the law or not.”

Netanyahu provides outline for IDF plan in Gaza
The prime minister confirmed that all of Gaza will be under IDF control, but that Jerusalem must “avert a humanitarian crisis.”

He also noted that the military’s new operation, Gideon’s Chariots, would feature three stages.

In stage one, the IDF will allow a flow of basic food aid into Gaza to “prevent a humanitarian crisis.” In stage two, American companies will open up aid points for aid delivery. In stage three, the military will facilitate the movement of Gazans southward to organized points and prevent Hamas from infiltrating and benefiting from aid.

He added that he was ready to end the Israel-Hamas War in exchange for specific demands: the return of the hostages, the removal of Hamas from power, full demilitarization, and the implementation of the Trump Gaza plan.

He added that the IDF “enforces the ceasefire in Lebanon with an iron fist at all times and that the IDF’s operations in Lebanon led to the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.
El Al had one mission after October 7: Keep the skies open
At the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York, Sharon Brownstone, General Counsel of El Al, spoke about the airline’s crucial role after the attack on October 7 and its continued commitment to serving as Israel’s aerial lifeline. Her remarks provided a rare behind-the-scenes look at how Israel’s national airline operated under crisis conditions.

“I believe on October 7, it was very clear to El Al what our responsibility is as the flag carrier of Israel,” Brownstone said. “We had one mission, and it was to keep the sky open, and the bridge from Israel to the world open.”

Brownstone recalled the chaos of those first days, as demand for flights surged. “Our call center gets about 6,000 calls per day—on October 7, we received 60,000 calls. We needed to bring people who were stuck all over the world back to Israel… soldiers who wanted to come back and fight, medical personnel, civilians. El Al employees worked day and night just to keep this 'air bridge' open and bring everybody back home.”

Flying in wartime came with new and unprecedented challenges. “We were flying under fire. I don’t think there is any chapter in the books on how to operate an airline under fire,” she said. “Just imagine what it is like to have a civilian airline share airspace with the Israeli Air Force during an active conflict. Combat pilots were telling us where we could fly, or what routes we should use.”

She noted that roughly 10% of El Al’s workforce—pilots, technicians, and other staff—were called to military service. Simultaneously, the airline faced constant GPS disruptions and safety threats, with daily risk assessments conducted by the management team to determine how to safely continue operations.
Yisrael Medad: A two-state solution was never really an option
The immediate result of the removal of Transjordan from the area of the Jewish national home was the prohibition of Jews purchasing land in Transjordan or immigrating to the area. A British proposal in 1924 of a Legislative Council in Mandatory Palestine that would have effectively stymied any future Jewish development in the country was boycotted by the Arabs.

In 1937, the Peel Commission suggested the partition of the remaining western region of historic Palestine, an offer rejected by Arab leadership. The U.N. 1947 partition plan was likewise rejected. Following the Six-Day War in June 1967 and the major loss of territory by Jordan, United Nations resolution 242, while declaring “the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war,” defined the operative “principles for peace” as “the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area.”

As Palestine was not a state, the resolution glossed over the matter of the two-state solution. While mentioning “a just settlement of the refugee problem,” neither Palestine nor a so-called Palestinian people were noted. Obviously, a “Free Palestine” was not considered part of a peace settlement at the time, as also in 1949, when the Armistice Agreements were concluded with Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon.

In fact, it was specifically noted that no provision of the agreement “shall in any way prejudice the rights, claims and positions of either party hereto in the ultimate peaceful settlement of the Palestine question.” Israel’s demands and its rights received recognition for a future round of negotiations. Even the 1978 Camp David Accords limited the local Arabs to a “self-governing authority in the West Bank and Gaza.”

In 2009, Benjamin Netanyahu, with conditions, accepted the principle of an Arab Palestinian state, but Abbas eventually walked away from any deal, even with Ehud Olmert’s largesse.

In spite of all this rejectionism, some hold out hope. On May 6, Amos Schocken, publisher/owner of Haaretz, wrote in his newspaper: “A Palestinian state based on agreements with Israel would bring security and prosperity to Israel and the Palestinians.” Is that a perceptive view?

As Aviram Bellaisha outlines, a second state in this area, an Arab Palestinian state, bears destructive consequences for Israel’s security, regional stability and the future of the Palestinians themselves. The budgets of both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas are based mainly on external aid. There is no effective taxation, an independent central bank or an orderly economic policy. Such a state, if established, would be a completely dependent entity, not an independent, sovereign one. It most likely would become a plaything of external or internal forces.

A two-state solution was consistently rejected by the Arabs after first accepting it, as it contradicts the intention of the League of Nations and makes no sense in the geopolitical reality.
Jake Wallis Simons: Labour’s attack on Israel is completely unjustified
Britain may have the luxury of suggesting that Israel downs weapons before it finishes the job, but that’s only because our people aren’t the ones who will be raped, kidnapped, butchered and mutilated – again – if Hamas is able to regroup. Likewise, the two-state solution.

In Israel, support for that plan is at rock bottom, across the political spectrum. Why? Because their children are the ones who will suffer the results of a terrorist state, endorsed by the international community, just across the border. From the point of view of Westminster, however, the feelgood factor is more important.

It all reminds me of the hullaballoo over Rafah. Remember? Israeli forces were held up for four months by the Biden administration, backed by the international community, who all insisted that a “humanitarian catastrophe” would occur if the invasion went ahead.

The propaganda campaign was intense. Footage of suffering children was everywhere. Every single public figure was talking about the campaign. A social media meme called “all eyes on Rafah” went viral, viewed by almost 50 million people.

Eventually, however, Israel gave up listening. It evacuated the million civilians to safety within ten days and took the fight to Hamas. As a result, very few innocents were killed but the redoubt of the jihadis was razed. The smuggling tunnels into Egypt, the lifeline of Hamas, were captured and blown up, and Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of October 7, was killed.

Israel, it seems, was on the right side of history that time. The war is messy, the loss of life agonising and the Netanyahu government deeply compromised by the hardline elements within it. Take a step back, however, and this is a fight against jihadism. Our foreign secretary should take heed: There’s only one way that history is going to judge that struggle.


Seth Frantzman: Trump’s Syria Opportunity
The U.S. role in eastern Syria had provided America leverage over developments in the country. This role was generally opposed by Russia and Iran, as well as by Turkey. Turkey opposes the SDF because it says the SDF is linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a terrorist group. Now, the PKK says it will dissolve itself. This could reduce a thorn in the side of U.S.-Turkey relations.

Trump is close to Erdogan and would likely appreciate having tensions over U.S. backing of the SDF put on the back burner. Developments in Syria now enable this to happen. The SDF leader, Mazlum Abdi, flew to Damascus in early March and met with Shara. They agreed to integrate the SDF into Syria’s new security forces. Now, U.S. support for Syria could enable a successful draw-down of troops.

U.S. training for Syrian forces over the last decade may help secure the future of Syria. The SDF in eastern Syria is a US-trained armed force and, as such, would provide Damascus with a competent force that amounts to several divisions worth of light infantry and several regiments of elite counter-terrorism units.

The United States also trained the smaller Syrian Free Army based at Tanf in southern Syria. This force conducts patrols and helps stabilize southern Syria near the Iraqi border. “We welcome the lifting of sanctions on Syria. Thank you for giving Syria a great opportunity to rebuild and support stability and security,” the Syrian Free Army said after Trump’s speech.

This means that the new policy of sanctions relief and U.S.-backed forces in Syria now provide key elements of how Syria can prosper. They also enable influence over where Damascus goes next. Some have expressed skepticism regarding whether Shara and his allies are ready to have an inclusive, democratic Syria. History shows that if there is a vacuum in power or influence, then others will fill it.

Shara has sought to balance engagement with the regional powers, not becoming beholden to any one of them, whether Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, or the UAE. A decade and a half of fighting in Syria during the Syrian Civil War likely taught him how most of the countries that intervened in Syria did not have Syrians’ best interests at heart, or at least did not contribute to peace and prosperity via military intervention. It’s clear that the Ankara-controlled parts of northern Syria, for instance, are not prosperous or stable. Eastern Syria has been cut off from investment for many years.

Much work remains, and there are major challenges ahead. Trump’s decision to end sanctions and the recent visits by members of Congress show that Washington believes engagement with Damascus can lead to positive outcomes. Shara will need to show commitment to stabilizing the country and integrating its regions, while the United States may find it has more leverage now by embracing Damascus.
Seth Frantzman: Turkey re-positions itself to influence the Middle East during Trump admin - analysis
Turkey also has a role to play in Libya, where there have been recent clashes. Ankara has ties with the Gulf as well, primarily via Qatar, and it also has close relations with Azerbaijan.

Most important for the Trump administration is that Ankara has offered to help mediate in the talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Solving this crisis is important to Trump, and Turkey may have a better chance of helping than the European countries. This is because Russian President Vladimir Putin has an interest in Turkey.

Erdogan’s ties with Putin include trade, given that Ankara acquired the S-400 air-defense system from Russia.

Turkey always seeks to balance its affairs so that it has ties on either side. It is part of Europe as well as being linked to Central Asia.

Ankara works with other Turkic countries and also supports Islamic causes. Turkey finds that playing both sides can result in each trusting it and becoming dependent on it as a broker.

This is also the Qatar model, which is how Doha is able to be friends with Iran and also host a US military base. Turkey is the same; it is a NATO member and also supports Hamas.

It previously sought to position itself as essential to the Trump administration’s policies. Ankara attempted to do so during the first Trump administration, despite tensions over how Turkey conducted itself in the Eastern Mediterranean and that Ankara had detained an American pastor. Sometimes, Ankara uses these methods to wring concessions.

Regarding Moscow and Kyiv, Turkey is trusted by both sides. The US has so far been unable to get the ceasefire that Trump wants.

It is possible that Ankara may have a way to get a deal done or at least help lay the foundation for face-to-face meetings between Trump, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Saudi Arabia also tried to help with these talks.

It remains to be seen what steps Turkey may take next. Israel has been wary of Ankara’s role in Syria.

Turkey is likely to want to provide Damascus with more security and defense assistance.

Notably, Ankara has another potential win up its sleeve. The PKK has said it intends to dissolve itself, ending 40 years of war with Turkey. This could enable Ankara to reduce its forces in Syria and Iraq.

Turkey is addicted to this conflict, however, and it may find it hard to suddenly reverse course. That is why Ankara is still telling Damascus it is wary of Syria working with “terrorists” in eastern Syria.
Trump to meet leader of ‘out of control’ South Africa at White House
President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday for a make-or-break session, despite new accusations from the president this past Friday that South Africa is "out of control" and committing genocide.

Speaking on Air Force One as it returned from the Persian Gulf region, Trump repeated his claim that White Afrikaner South African farmers are being slaughtered and forced off their land. The Afrikaners are descendants of mostly Dutch settlers who first arrived in South Africa in 1652.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio elaborated on these claims Sunday on CBS, saying "all evidence [indicates] the farmers in South Africa are being treated brutally."

Some 50 Afrikaners were flown to the U.S. as refugees last week. Rubio said there’s "more to come". South Africa, and its president, denies claims of genocide and harassment.

Could the Oval Office and the Wednesday meeting be the setting for a Zelenskyy-style dressing down of the South African president? In February, Ukraine’s president was involved in a shouting match with Trump and others, which reportedly led to him being ejected from the White House.

"The meeting is set to occur at a time when the relationship between the two countries has soured to unprecedented lows," analyst Frans Cronje, Yorktown Foundation for Freedom advisory board member, told Fox News Digital.

Contentious issues:
South Africa's ambassador to Washington was thrown out of the U.S. for calling Trump a "White supremacist."
South Africa took legal action against U.S. ally Israel, accusing it of genocide in its war in Gaza, at the International Court of Justice.
Ramaphosa’s ruling party, the ANC, has shown support for the terror group Hamas.
Trade and military links with Iran and allegedly nuclear co-operation.
Shown support for the designated terrorist group Hezbollah.
Military links with Russia.
The creation of the controversial Land Expropriation Act, which is aimed at seizing land the government wants in certain circumstances without compensation and which reportedly led to Trump’s focus on White Afrikaner families and claims they are being killed.

South Africa is "hosting Hamas and Hezbollah, doing business with Iran’s IRGC, prosecuting Israel at the ICJ and cozying up to Beijing and Moscow. These choices have consequences," Max Meizlish, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.


U.S. Justice Department Calls for Removal of Francesca Albanese After Pro-Hamas Funding Exposed by UN Watch
Dear Ms. Albanese:
We write in response to your alarming campaign of letters targeting institutions that support or invest in the State of Israel. Your suggestion that these organizations may be criminally liable for aiding and abetting genocide or war crimes is not only legally groundless. Your actions are defamatory, dangerous, and a flagrant abuse of your office.

Let us be clear: Israel acts in lawful self-defense. On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists carried out the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, murdering over 1,200 people and taking hundreds of others hostage. Atrocities included gang rapes, the burning of children, and other unspeakable acts of violence. Since that day, Israel has been forced to confront a terrorist organization committed to its destruction.

Consider the story of Hadar and Itay Berdichevsky, a young Israeli couple murdered in their home as they tried to protect and feed their 10-month-old twin babies. Terrorists executed the couple at point-blank range. The babies, miraculously found alive more than 14 hours later, had been left crying in their shelter. Why? Because the terrorists left them there knowing the sound of crying infants might lure neighbors out of hiding so they could be gunned down too. That is who Israel is fighting. That is the terror you continue to excuse.

Then there is the Bibas family, 9-month-old Kfir, 4-year-old Ariel, and their mother, Shiri Bibas, who were kidnapped and later murdered in captivity. In a calculated act of psychological torment, the children’s father, Yarden Bibas, also held hostage, was told on video that his entire family had been killed. Hamas later returned three bodies they claimed were those of Shiri and her sons in exchange for terrorists and publicly celebrated the exchange, treating the return of murdered Israeli children as a moment of triumph and celebration. Only afterward was it revealed that one of the bodies was not Shiri’s at all, compounding the cruelty and deception.

And most recently, the murder of 30-year-old Tzeela Gez, a pregnant mother on the way to give birth. Terrorists ambushed her on the road, killing her, and Hamas then praised the attack as “heroic.” These are not isolated tragedies. They are the core strategy of a terrorist movement that glorifies civilian death and aims to globalize the intifada, which would lead to more tragedies like these. The horrors inflicted by Hamas continue to this day. There are still hostages being held and tortured in Gaza, their fate largely ignored by the international community and by your office. We know from the hostages who have returned to Israel that Hamas tortured them, sexually assaulted them, starved them, chained them so tightly their skin tore, and mocked them when they cried out in grief at the news that their loved ones had been murdered. Hostages were often given scraps of pita while Hamas fighters feasted on aid boxes they had stolen from Palestinian civilians.

Where are the clear, unequivocal statements from your office demanding the immediate release of all hostages and calling for unfettered access by humanitarian agencies to feed, visit, and provide medical care to those in captivity? Where are the unambiguous condemnations of the deliberate slaughter of Jewish civilians, the murder of babies, the execution of pregnant women, and the public glorification of these crimes? Generalized expressions of concern are not enough. The moral failure to speak forcefully and specifically against such atrocities, and to unambiguously defend the raped, tortured and murdered, is a staggering moral lapse. Your persistent evasiveness and rationalization of terrorism do not reflect neutrality. They reflect complicity. A Special Rapporteur who consistently minimizes or excuses terrorism when it targets Jews forfeits all authority to speak on human rights.


Jake Wallis Simons: The ‘14,000 dead babies’ smear shows how low Israel’s critics will sink
For one thing, this achievement by the BBC is almost enough to make you forgive the indiscretions of Gary Lineker. Of course, the broadcaster should by rights be pushing this debunked canard towards the top of its news agenda, as it certainly would if Israel had been found to have made such an egregious error. But let’s applaud the baby steps. This was spectacular.

For another, it underlines what we knew all along: the United Nations is not to be trusted. If you hadn’t been persuaded by the fact that 12 UNRWA staff took part in the October 7 atrocities, such as Mohammad Abu Itiwi, who killed 16 young people as they cowered in a bomb shelter near Kibbutz Re’im before seizing four hostages, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin; or by the fact that ten per cent of UNRWA staff, or about 1,200 people, were found by Israeli intelligence to belong to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad; or by the fact that weapons and hostages have been held in UN facilities; or that terrorists have based themselves at its schools; or that its aid has been passed to Hamas; then this surely would convince you.

This is all part of an overwhelming propaganda campaign that has been launched since Israel resumed the war in Gaza.

The internet has been swamped with lies, vitriol, memes and images of suffering children. The airwaves have been swamped with it too, with activist doctors giving implausible interviews from Gaza – one even compared it to the Cambodian genocide, in which more than a million people were murdered by communist troops with knives, axes and hammers – and all manner of Hollywood stars and commentators of every description searching their brains for the most poisonous turns of phrase they can think of.

Last but not least, to this ignominious list we must add our own foreign secretary, David Lammy, who turned on Israel with some viciousness yesterday in a prelude to an expected unilateral recognition of a State of Palestine next month.

How shameful. If this is what happens when Israel tries to win a war, imagine the delight of these people if it were ever – God forbid – to lose.
UN Relief chief forced to backtrack on ‘14,000 babies could die in next 2 days’ claim
The UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator has been criticised for claiming that “14,000 babies will die in the next 48 hours in Gaza”, after it became clear that the figure cited stemmed from a report estimating the number of young children who risk suffering acute malnutrition over the course of the next year without proper food aid.

Tom Fletcher, who leads the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), stated on the BBC’s “Today” programme that “there are 14,000 babies who will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them”. When the diplomat, who previously served as the UK Ambassador to Lebanon, was queried on the basis for that claim, he responded that the UN had “strong teams on the ground” providing information.

The claim was widely reported by international media publications, and was repeatedly cited by MPs in a House of Commons debate on Tuesday.

However, when the BBC approached the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the office responded by referring to a report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). That report states that without access to food, approximately 14,100 cases of severe malnutrition are expected to occur among young children in Gaza over the course of the next year, rather than deaths within 48 hours.

Avi Mayer, former Editor of the Jerusalem Post, described the claim by Fletcher as “a total fiction”.

“There is a real humanitarian need in Gaza that needs to be addressed”, he posted on social media. And also, the ’14,000 babies’ claim cited by UN Relief Chief Tom Fletcher was completely made up. Is there any accountability for this stuff? Why do UN officials get a pass for lying?”
‘14,000 Babies Will Die’: How the UN Invented a Blood Libel — and the Media Ran With It
While the BBC asked follow-up questions, its acknowledgement that the figure was not supported by evidence was buried.

Other media didn’t even go that far.

The New York Times included the figure in its reporting, with the faint disclaimer that the UN later “appeared to walk back” the claim. But that’s not accurate. The UN didn’t walk anything back. It doubled down by falsely linking its figure to the IPC report.

TIME Magazine ran the number as a headline, and even linked to the BBC article that had already proven it false. The contradiction? Not mentioned.

ABC News reported the number and misleadingly tied it to Israel’s expanded “assault in Gaza” — falsely implying that Fletcher or the IPC blamed Israel for mass infant deaths.

NBC News took the grotesqueness up a notch. They linked Fletcher’s remark to a controversial comment from Israeli politician and former IDF general Yair Golan, subtly implying the 14,000 babies were about to be killed by Israeli forces.

The Guardian included Fletcher’s incoherent defense but still ran the figure in headlines — in its First Thing newsletter and as a breaking news alert.

The Independent managed to publish two separate pieces on the claim, but only hinted that the number lacked any evidentiary basis. One article even included Fletcher’s remarks paraphrased in such a way as to give them an air of legitimacy: “Asked how the UN worked out that 14,000 babies may die within 48 hours… Mr Fletcher said teams on the ground have been working hard in places such as medical centres and schools to assess need.”

Australia’s 7 News didn’t even bother with attribution. It simply declared: “Gaza crisis threatens 14,000 babies as aid fails to arrive.”

No mention of where the number came from. No verification. Just a headline tailored for outrage.

Let’s be clear: this wasn’t a misunderstanding. It was a grotesque smear — a UN official suggesting, without evidence, that Israel was about to kill 14,000 babies.

And instead of exposing the lie, the world’s most influential media outlets repeated it. Amplified it. Headlined it.

Even after the number was disproven.

This wasn’t journalism. It was narrative laundering — where facts are optional, but outrage is essential.

And it reveals something darker: when the target is Israel, truth becomes negotiable. Lies become headlines. And media accountability is non-existent.
Israel won’t work with UN relief chief sans apology, Danon says
Danny Danon, the Israeli envoy to the United Nations, expects an apology from Tom Fletcher, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, for his comments last week about Gaza to the U.N. Security Council.

“For those killed and those whose voices are silenced, what more evidence do you need now? Will you act decisively to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law?” Fletcher told the council on May 13. “Or will you say instead that ‘we did all we could?’”

“He knows better than that,” Danon told JNS. “He has people on the ground. You know that we are doing our best to minimize civilian casualties.”

“We will not work with Mr. Fletcher until he will make it clear that Israel is not committing a genocide,” the Israeli envoy told JNS. “We are not planning a genocide. This is outrageous that a senior U.N. official would use that language.”

Danon and Fletcher have exchanged letters since the speech, but neither side appears ready to back down.

Danon’s message accused Fletcher of delivering “a political sermon” in an attempt to weaponize the meaning of the word “genocide” against Israel.

“You had the audacity, in your capacity as a senior U.N. official, to stand before the Security Council and invoke the charge of genocide without evidence, mandate or restraint,” Danon wrote to the U.N. official.

“It was an utterly inappropriate and deeply irresponsible statement that shattered any notion of neutrality,” he added in the letter.


IDF chief: ‘Hamas will pay the price’ in next phase of Gaza campaign
The Israel Defense Forces is entering a new, intensified phase of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” in the Gaza Strip, aimed at decisively defeating Hamas, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced on Tuesday.

“This is a war we did not choose, but one that was forced upon us on the dark day of Oct. 7,” said Zamir, referring to the 2023 massacre and cross-border assault by Hamas terrorists that launched the current conflict. He emphasized the military’s objectives: returning the hostages, dismantling Hamas’s capabilities and ending its rule in the coastal enclave.

“We are operating according to a predetermined plan and are now moving into the next stage. Hamas will pay the price for its refusal. It will face the full force of our firepower,” said Zamir. “We cannot defend ourselves unless we remove the threat clearly and decisively from the other side of the border.”

Zamir acknowledged the heavy toll of the war, but reaffirmed his commitment to the campaign. “We are in a long, multi-front war—one we did not choose. We are facing a complex and difficult period, but a better time will come at its end,” he said.

The chief of staff also addressed Gaza’s civilian population, stating, “We are not the ones who brought this destruction upon you … Hamas is responsible for starting the war. It is responsible for the difficult situation of the civilian population.”

Zamir reiterated the IDF’s adherence to Israeli and international law, rejecting any claims questioning the army’s conduct. “Any statement that casts doubt on the integrity of our actions or the morality of our soldiers is baseless,” he said.
IDF soldier killed by building collapse in Gaza
An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed on Tuesday during combat operations in the southern Gaza Strip, the military announced.

Staff Sgt. Danilo Mocanu, 20, of the 7th Armored Brigade’s 82nd Battalion, from Holon, died when a building collapsed following the detonation of an explosive device in Khan Yunis. Another soldier was lightly wounded in the incident, according to the IDF.

An initial investigation determined that there had been no prior indications that the structure posed a threat, despite routine safety checks. Both canine units and drones had scanned the building before the blast occurred, the probe found.

The fatality brings the total number of soldiers killed since the outbreak of war on Oct. 7, 2023, to 858.

On Monday, another soldier, Sgt. Yosef Yehuda Chirak, 22, of the Combat Engineering Corps’ 601st Battalion, was killed in northern Gaza. A preliminary IDF probe revealed that Chirak died in a friendly-fire incident during a tunnel inspection near the 401st Armored Brigade.

The IDF stated that Chirak was standing near a tunnel shaft when he was inadvertently struck by fire from another unit securing the perimeter. His family has been informed of the findings.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement expressing condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers:

“Together with my wife and all the citizens of Israel, I mourn the profound pain of the families of Staff Sgt. Danilo Mocanu and Sgt. Yosef Yehuda Chirak, of blessed memory. Staff Sgt. Mocanu and Sgt. Chirak fell in combat in the Gaza Strip while defending the State of Israel and its citizens. We will always remember them, their heroism, and their sacrifice. May their memory be blessed and forever preserved.”


IDF probes warning shots fired during foreign officials’ visit to Jenin
The Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday it was investigating warning shots fired by troops while a delegation of foreign officials was visiting the terror hub of Jenin in Samaria.

The officials, whose visit to Jenin was approved by the military, had deviated from their route, entering a closed area that was an active combat zone, the IDF noted in a Hebrew-language statement.

“An IDF force operating at the location fired a warning shot. There were no damages or casualties,” the statement continued, adding that the military “regrets the inconvenience caused” by the unusual incident.

After it became clear that the delegation included foreign officials, IDF Judea and Samaria Division commander Brig. Gen. Yaki Dolf launched an investigation, the IDF stated. Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim, who leads the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration, was set to personally update the officials on the initial findings of the probe, it said.

According to Qatar’s Al Jazeera outlet, the delegation visiting Jenin included more than 25 diplomats from European and Arab nations.


Terrorist murderer of Tzeela Gez confirmed eliminated in IDF raid
The Israel Defense Forces eliminated the Palestinian terrorist who murdered Israeli mother Tzeela Gez, 30, as she was on her way to deliver her fourth son, the Samaria Regional Council announced.

Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan informed Gez’s widower on Wednesday after the terrorist’s identity was confirmed, the council said.

Terrorist Nael Samara was killed on Saturday during an IDF counter-terrorism operation in the Palestinian village of Bruqin. According to Israel’s Ynet, he was shot after he approached troops while carrying a suspicious bag and shouting Allahu Akbar (“God is great” in Arabic).

“We certainly do not find solace in the killing of this vile terrorist. That is only a small comfort,” said Dagan in a statement. “The true remedy is restoring deterrence and preventing the next attack.”

Bruqin “has become a breeding ground for terror,” he continued. “The entire people of Israel are united in the demand for a strong response.”

Dagan concluded: “The appropriate and true response is strengthening settlement in Samaria—establishing new communities now, in Tzeela’s path and in her memory.”

Israeli security forces apprehended several other suspects in the search for the terrorists who murdered Tzeela Gez and injured her husband in the May 14 shooting attack outside the couple’s community of Bruchin.

“As part of the IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) manhunt for the terrorist who carried out the shooting attack, IDF soldiers, guided by the Shin Bet, carried out targeted searches in the village of Bruqin, near the scene of the attack,” the Israeli military stated on Saturday.

Gez’s baby was delivered after the shooting. The newborn remains in serious but stable condition. Gez’s sister told local media on Sunday that the boy was sedated at Schneider Children’s Medical Center.


IDF eliminates Hezbollah weapons engineer in Tyre airstrike
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Wednesday that it had eliminated a senior Hezbollah weapons engineer in an airstrike in the Tyre area of Southern Lebanon.

According to the IDF, Hussein Nazih Barji was targeted by an Israeli aircraft earlier in the day in the Tyre region. Barji served as a key figure in Hezbollah’s weapons-production unit, operating within the terror group’s Research, Development and Production Directorate.

He was instrumental in establishing infrastructure for the manufacture of precision surface-to-surface missiles. The military said the strike was intended to impede Hezbollah’s efforts to rebuild its capabilities following Israel’s “Operation Northern Arrows.”

Barji’s unit has led multiple arms-production projects across the Lebanese theater, including systems to expand Hezbollah’s weapons supply chains. The IDF emphasized that his activity constituted a clear violation of the ceasefire understandings between Jerusalem and Beirut.

On Tuesday, the military confirmed the elimination of another senior Hezbollah commander in the village of Mansouri, also in the Tyre district. The operative had been responsible for planning attacks on Israel, reestablishing the Mansouri complex and facilitating weapons transfers. Video footage published by the military showed the strike targeting a moving vehicle.


Israel's Endgame in Gaza | Operation Gideon's Chariots
Israel has launched Operation Gideon's Chariots to seize full control of the Gaza Strip and end Hamas rule once and for all. But as the war enters a new phase, the dilemmas grow deadlier and the geopolitics more complex. Eylon Levy is joined by DPR (Daniel Rubenstein), former advisor to Israeli Prime Ministers, IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reservist, and Israeli tour guide, for a razor-sharp discussion dissecting the battlefield, the information war, and Israel’s strategic isolation.

๐Ÿ”น Why Israel's new Gaza strategy changes everything
๐Ÿ”น The moral dilemma of humanitarian aid—and how Hamas profits from it
๐Ÿ”น Eurovision shocks the world: Why Europe voted for Israel
๐Ÿ”น Trump's Middle East tour: Why he skipped Israel
๐Ÿ”น Qatar’s role in propping up Hamas—and how the West lets them
๐Ÿ”น Why the Abraham Accords may have triggered the massacre
๐Ÿ”น Can Syria make peace with Israel under a former Al-Qaeda leader?

This is a no-holds-barred episode dissecting the geopolitical stakes, the psychological toll, and the media war Israel must now win.




IDF ROLLS IN! But what’s the strategy to defeat Hamas in Gaza? | Jerusalem Minute
Israel’s future and the fate of the hostages are hanging in the balance.

JNS Middle East Correspondent Josh Hasten and JNS CEO and Jerusalem Bureau Chief Alex Traiman break down the latest developments as Israel officially launches “Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” its most expansive ground campaign yet to fully dismantle Hamas and take control of Gaza. Reporting from both Jerusalem and Washington, D.C., the hosts explore what’s driving this military escalation, the role of U.S. support and what it means for the fate of the remaining Israeli hostages.

Traiman explains why the timing of the operation—despite pressure from world powers—is deliberate and strategic, revealing behind-the-scenes coordination with the Trump administration and the slow but critical flow of U.S. munitions. The episode covers reports on the targeted killing of top Hamas leaders, negotiations in Qatar and whether a diplomatic breakthrough is still possible.

The hosts also unpack President Trump’s Middle East tour, including high-stakes economic diplomacy with Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar, the U.S. stance on Iran’s nuclear program and renewed humanitarian aid to Gaza. Plus: shocking terror in Judea and Samaria, and Israel’s stunning recovery of legendary spy Eli Cohen’s belongings from Syria.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Context of the Conflict
03:11 Operation Gideon's Chariots: Israel's Ground Offensive
06:08 Negotiations and Hostage Situations
08:57 Humanitarian Aid to Gaza: A Controversial Decision
11:58 Trump's Middle East Strategy and Economic Partnerships
15:05 Iran's Nuclear Program and U.S. Negotiations
18:12 Terrorism in Judea and Samaria: Recent Attacks
21:05 Recovery of Eli Cohen's Belongings
24:09 Conclusion and Reflections


European leaders play defense for Hamas (and spell their own demise) | Israel Undiplomatic
Old habits die hard, especially in Europe!

In this episode of “Israel Undiplomatic,” former Israeli Ambassador to the UK Mark Regev and veteran journalist and political commentator Ruthie Blum—both former advisers in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office—tackle the harsh condemnations of Israel by three of its Western allies—Britain, France, and Canada. With Gaza still under Hamas control and hostages yet to be released, the hosts argue that these countries are wrong on the facts and enabling terror. Their statements, they say, give political cover to Hamas at a critical moment in Israel’s war effort and undermine the West’s shared battle against jihadist barbarism.

Regev and Blum also debate whether Israel’s decision to resume humanitarian aid to Gaza is a strategic necessity or a dangerous concession. They call out the United Nations’ bias, expose media manipulation surrounding the Gaza crisis and weigh in on reports of Israel preparing for a military strike on Iran. The hosts challenge the assumption that global pressure will bring peace—arguing instead that military pressure on Hamas is the only language that yields results.

Packed with insight and fierce debate, this episode takes on Western hypocrisy, defends Israel’s moral clarity and explains why the fight against Hamas is a frontline battle for the entire free world.

๐Ÿ“ฉ Send feedback or topic suggestions to: undiplomatic@jns.org

Chapters
00:00 Criticism from Allies: A Harsh Reality
02:53 Humanitarian Aid: A Controversial Decision
06:04 The Role of the UN and International Perception
09:04 Negotiations and Hostage Situations
12:10 Iran: The Bigger Picture
15:04 The Threat of Hamas and Global Implications
17:51 Europe's Role in the Conflict
20:57 The Future of Israeli Defense
24:07 Conclusion: The Path Forward for Israel


'This Is GENOCIDE!' Mehdi Hasan vs Maj John Spencer on Gaza
The bombardment is “wholly disproportionate”, the civilian death toll and suffering is “intolerable” and the denial of aid is “unacceptable.” These are not the words of democratic leaders about Putin’s war on Ukraine but those of the UK, France and Canada about Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza. And now President Trump says it’s time for Netanyahu to “wrap it up.”

Israel is allowing some aid to trickle into Gaza after an 11-week blockade but aid workers say it’s a drop in the ocean and the US president has acknowledged that “a lot of people in Gaza are starving.” Are we seeing a genocide?

Piers Morgan speaks to editor-in-chief and CEO of Zeteo Mehdi Hasan and chair of Urban Warfare Studies War Institute Maj. John Spencer (retd.)

Piers Morgan Uncensored is proudly independent and supported by:

Pique: Use code PIERS for 20% off your order plus a FREE frother & glass beaker with this exclusive link: https://piquelife.com/PIERS

00:00 Introduction and monologue
01:50 How can this war end?
04:30 Spencer: 'Israel is not the cause of this suffering'
07:00 'Israel is starving and killing civilians every single day - it's a war crime'
09:20 Why are international journalists not allowed in Gaza?
10:05 AD: Pique
11:17 Debate resumes
13:30 How should Israel have responded to October 7th?
16:10 Why could Israel not use sophisticated technology to target Hamas?
18:50 Spencer: 'Israel has done more to protect civilians than any other military'
21:40 What does victory look like in Gaza other than wiping out Palestinians?
23:00 Mehdi: 'It is absurd to say that Israel has held back!'
27:10 Spencer on what victory looks like for Israel: 'Destroy Hamas, that is victory'




BBC, NBC repeat OUTRAGEOUS LIE about starving Gazan babies | The Quad
Blood libels are nothing new to the Jewish people, but the latest smear from a UN official claiming that 14,000 Gazan babies would die of starvation within 48 hours is an all-time low.

In this episode of “The Quad,” Israeli innovation envoy Fleur Hassan-Nahoum is joined by Syrian commentator Rohan Osman, JNS political analyst Meira K, and JNS senior contributing editor Ruthie Blum to unpack the relentless lies targeting Israel, the hypocrisy of Western democracies and the dangerous propaganda fueling global anti-Israel sentiment.

As the UK, France, Canada and others intensify their condemnations and even threaten sanctions, the panel lays bare how Israel is being vilified while its enemies are appeased. They examine the myth of starving babies in Gaza, Hamas’s aid theft and how misinformation is weaponized across Arab and Western media. The conversation also explores the rise of internal sabotage from Israel’s radical left and the damaging rhetoric of figures like Yair Golan.

Key topics include:
Western governments’ growing appeasement of Islamist extremism
The media's role in amplifying Hamas propaganda
European electoral politics and the anti-Israel bandwagon
The humanitarian aid debate and the hostage dilemma
Trump’s Middle East policy and potential Syrian normalization
Heroism, resilience, and the future of Israeli sovereignty

Chapters
00:00 Unpacking the Lies and Slanders Against Israel
03:00 The Role of Western Governments in the Narrative
05:58 The Impact of Internal Politics on Israel's Image
09:07 The Humanitarian Crisis and Aid in Gaza
11:51 The Future of Israel and Its Neighbors
15:02 The Dilemma of Aid and Hostage Situations
18:04 The Rise of Extremism in Europe
21:03 The Game Plan for Gaza and Regional Stability
23:54 Scumbags and Heroes of the Week




Australia presses Israel on Gaza aid response
Australian Jewish leaders described a joint statement signed by Australia and 22 other countries calling for more aid into Gaza as well-intentioned, but failing to address how to avoid Hamas stealing aid and not acknowledging UNRWA complicity in terrorist offences.

The statement signed by Foreign Minister Penny Wong and other nations on Tuesday said they could not support Israel’s “new model for delivering aid into Gaza”. On Monday Israel said it was allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza following a two-month blockade, which was criticised by the UN as insufficient.

The countries called for Israel to “allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza immediately, and enable the UN and humanitarian organisations to work independently and impartially”, reiterating their “firm message that Hamas must immediately release all remaining hostages and allow humanitarian assistance to be distributed without interference”.

It was signed by foreign ministers of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the UK and senior EU officials.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion noted the statement “calls on Hamas to ‘allow humanitarian assistance to be distributed without interference’, but says nothing about how this essential requirement is to be achieved”.

“Unless this issue is resolved, the benefit to civilians of resuming aid deliveries will be severely undermined, and the unintended consequence will be to benefit Hamas and encourage it not to release the hostages,” he said.

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein said, “More attention should have been paid to the overwhelming evidence that UNRWA and other agencies were being abused on a massive scale by Hamas.”


Kneecap rapper charged with terror offense by UK police
A member of the Irish rap band Kneecap was charged with a terrorism offense for displaying a flag in support of the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, British police said on Wednesday.

Liam O'Hanna, whose stage name is Mo Chara, showed the flag during one of the band's shows in London in November, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. The flag was allegedly displayed at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, on 21 November last year.

It said O'Hanna, 27, displayed the flag "in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organization," in this case identified as Hezbollah.

Kneecap's management team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

O'Hanna is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18.

Kneecap's 'violent rhetoric'
The arrest follows promises of a police investigation as a result of a video surfacing where the band was seen shouting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah" and calling for the deaths of British Members of Parliament. “The only good Tory is a dead Tory,” a band member shouted to crowds, along with the demand to “kill your local MP.”

The daughter of Sir David Amess, an MP murdered by Islamic State, demanded an apology following Kneecap's comments and said she was "absolutely gobsmacked at the stupidity of somebody or a group of people being in the public eye and saying such dangerous, violent rhetoric."

She told BBC News that it was “just beyond belief that human beings would speak like that in this day and age and it is extremely dangerous."


Oversight needed after ambulance with child inside diverted by rally
The emergency for Toronto may not just be that an ambulance with a child on board was blocked from getting to a hospital by a pro-Gaza protest, but that the demonstration is considered by the city to be a higher priority.

An ambulance responding Saturday to a child in medical distress needed to use a detour to get around a pro-Palestinian protest at Yonge and Bloor Sts. and was forced to find another route to a hospital upon loading the stretcher-bound child.

“It was shocking,” said journalist and lawyer Caryma Sa’d, who said paramedic sources expressed their anger that there was difficultly responding to a call for a child facing a medical issue because of a blocked intersection. “I fully expected the ambulance would be able to get through the intersection, as I have seen happen at other demonstrations.”

Certainly from a parent’s point of view, calling an ambulance for your child is traumatic enough, let alone said ambulance not being able to have a clear route to the hospital.

Toronto Paramedic Services and Mayor Olivia Chow’s office have not yet responded to questions about this. But Toronto Police responded, saying they did not believe the incident had risen to the level of an emergency. If they did, police said they don’t need an Emergencies Act declaration from Ottawa to clear the route, as some protesters believe.

“Police have emergency powers and if officers determine that demonstrators need to be moved to facilitate emergency access, they will act accordingly,” said Toronto Police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer.


Brandon Johnson appointee resigns amid criticism for tearing down Israeli hostage poster
A man appointed to an advisory committee by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has stepped down amid outcry over a 2023 video of him tearing down Israeli hostage posters.

Ishan Daya was one of 20 appointees to Johnson’s new Chicago Fiscal Sustainability Working Group. His website identifies him as a community organizer focused on public safety and mental health.

The announcement from the mayor’s office sparked outcry from Jewish groups including the Anti-Defamation League and Chicago Jewish Community Relations Council, as well as Debra Silverstein, a city lawmaker who called the pick a “deliberate slap in the face to the Jewish community” in a statement posted by the JCRC.

The video of Daya tearing down a poster of an Israeli hostage had previously come to light when he mounted an unsuccessful run for local office. In a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Daya said he would be replaced by a representative of the Institute for the Public Good, a policy center he co-directs.

He apologized for tearing down the poster, whose wording he also called “racist and dehumanizing.” The posters, which bore the names and photos of the 250 hostages taken in Hamas’s October 7 Massacre, were put up in cities across the US, and often torn down by anti-Israel activists.

“I understand that my actions in 2023 caused pain within some members of our Jewish community, and for that, I am truly sorry. While I took issue with language on the poster that I felt was racist and dehumanizing toward Palestinians, I see that the act itself was hurtful to families longing for their loved ones’ return and I genuinely apologize,” Daya said in the statement.

“I’ve spent my career working across lines of difference, and anyone who has worked with me can attest to my deep opposition to antisemitism, hate, and bigotry in all its forms,” Daya continued.

Daya’s resignation, hours after he was appointed, is the latest moment of friction in a sour relationship between Johnson and much of the city’s Jewish community. Johnson has received criticism for supporting an early resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, calling Israel’s war against Hamas “genocidal,” and donning a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian headscarf, at an event to mark Arab Heritage Month.




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