Thursday, July 03, 2025

07/03 Links Pt1: When Israeli civilians die, human rights norms disappear; How the West Got the Israel-Iran War So Wrong; GHF Suing AP Over ‘Categorically False’ Story

From Ian:

When Israeli civilians die, human rights norms disappear
No human rights organisation, no professor of international law, no outraged cultural figure signing tendentious statements for publication in this or that Review of Books thought that the arguments about consequence or hypocrisy had any bearing on their principles when it came to Gazans.

Not only was it irrelevant that the war was launched by Gazans on October 7 or that the Palestinian public overwhelmingly supported the massacre (no protests were registered anywhere in the Palestinian Territories or, for that matter, anywhere in the Arab World as a whole), but the lack of consequentialist thinking held for the duration of the war. None of the humanitarians who vociferously oppose the Israeli blockade demand, say, the immediate and unconditional release of the Israeli hostages as a way of ending it. And no western “international law expert” wags their finger at Palestinians suffering in Gaza and says, “Oh now you don’t like civilian casualties? You felt otherwise on the Seventh.”

The hospital version of this argument shows just how problematic the whole claim is. The IDF operated around (and under) hospitals where Hamas militants were hiding, holding hostages, storing weapons, and directing offensive operations. The Iranian missile that fell on Soroka hospital fell on a building treating patients. No matter. The Israelis have no moral standing to be upset about an attack on their hospital when they have attacked Palestinian hospitals.

There’s just one problem with this argument – that is, one problem beside the overall moral obscenity of it. The first hospital to be attacked in the October 7 War was attacked on October 7, and it was not in Gaza, but rather the Barzilai hospital in Ashkelon, which was hit by a rocket during the initial assault that started the whole war. And among the first targets to be hit in the kibbutzim that were invaded that deadly morning were the ambulances that otherwise would have evacuated some of the wounded.

These facts never factored into the condemnations of Israeli military action around Gaza hospitals. Which is entirely understandable as, unlike Hamas’ use of those hospitals for military ends, it has no bearing on the justice or injustice of any IDF operation. On the contrary. It is safe to assume that the self-appointed arbiters of human rights would be appalled if one of their own mocked pictures of a damaged hospital in Gaza with a reference to the Barzilai rocket attacks and a tweet about how “finally Gazans found a hospital bombing they oppose,” though versions of this were the basis for numerous clever posts and a punchline on Radio 4’s Friday Night Comedy.

A moral economy that allots all the outrage for the Israelis who were the targets of a murderous attack and leaves none leftover for those, whether Iranian, Palestinian, or Lebanese, who attacked them, cannot be the basis for global norms in war or in peace.
Iran Begins New Long Game of Nuclear Hide-and-Seek
On Wednesday, Iran's president signed a new law suspending all cooperation with UN nuclear inspectors. A new chapter in the quarter-century saga of Iran's nuclear aspirations may now be starting, one in which the country's main objective is to keep the world guessing about how fast it can recover from a devastating setback - and whether it has the uranium, the hidden technological capability, and the will to race for a bomb.

No regional war broke out, as past presidents who considered similar military action always feared. Even skeptics acknowledge that the 18,000 centrifuges that were producing near-bomb-grade uranium at a record pace are now inoperable.

President Trump has hinted about new negotiations that could lead to the lifting of sanctions - presumably only in return for Iran's commitment to dismantle whatever is left of its nuclear program and let inspectors verify that work. But that does not seem to match the mood in Tehran right now. Trump has also said he is "absolutely" willing to strike again if there are signs that Iran is trying to rebuild its capabilities.

After the strike, Iran will keep shuffling its nuclear assets around, as the Mossad, American intelligence agencies and UN inspectors will constantly be looking for human intelligence or satellite evidence of the tunnels and caves where the projects might be hidden. With Iran's leaders portraying the end of the conflict with Israel as a victory, and downplaying the damage done by the U.S. strikes, experts see little hope of an accord that would satisfy both sides.
How the West Got the Israel-Iran War So Wrong
In the early days of this round of the ongoing Israel-Iran combat, pundits lined up to claim that the Middle East was on the brink of a full-blown regional war. Tehran would unleash waves of asymmetric revenge through a web of proxies from Beirut to Sanaa. Some predicted a war lasting years.

Yet 12 days later, no Arab nation has joined the fray. Oil markets remain remarkably steady. Tehran has neither launched a regional war nor exacted the cataclysmic reprisals so confidently predicted. There was one small attack on one U.S. base. In fact, the response from Iran - a heavily telegraphed barrage largely intercepted by air defenses - resembled a performance: a bruised regime saving face.

The collective miscalculation was built on the assumption that Israel's resolve would provoke uncontrollable chaos. That Iran's threats were not bluff but gospel. But in this case, Iran's nuclear infrastructure was targeted, its prestige was wounded, yet it responded with a gesture, not a war, because it was outmatched and cornered.

In certain strategic environments, force, credibly and appropriately projected, is more stabilizing than endless rounds of negotiation that allow nuclear weapons to be created. Western prediction models are broken. They are reactive, pessimistic and addicted to narratives of collapse. They interpret every act of strength as provocation and every moment of calm as fleeting illusion. But sometimes, bold action, especially when it is disciplined, proportionate and backed by capability, resets the game.

The Western delusion is that process is always preferable to power, that negotiation is morally superior to preemption. But when executed with precision, intelligence and legitimacy, preemption prevents greater wars. It reinstates deterrence. And it spares civilians, infrastructure and economies the toll of prolonged conflict. Restrained power can be more humane than endless diplomacy, especially when that diplomacy serves only to delay the inevitable, embolden aggressors and paralyze allies.


Gil Troy: Israel Under Fire
Even before America joined and bombarded Iran, we in Israel - and the world - were much safer than on June 12. And we are far safer than we were on Oct. 7, 2023.

Threats remain, but Israel restored deterrence, crushed Iran's proxies, and exposed Iran's dictatorship as weaker and more evil than most Westerners acknowledged.

The mullahs have targeted Israeli civilians with over 800 ballistic missiles since April 2024.

We and our loved ones are within millimeters or milliseconds of a hell that our enemies gleefully impose and much of the world justifies. But there's no place I'd rather be.

Menace imperils Jerusalem during terrorist bursts, then the Gaza corridor on Oct. 7, then the Lebanese border for months, then, thanks to Iran, it reaches Tel Aviv, Bat Yam, Beer Sheba, Haifa.

Fortunately, the IDF blows the evil back onto our enemies.

We're a resilient bunch. In Israel-under-fire, we laugh a little harder, hug and bless our kids more intensely, dance at weddings and other celebrations more furiously, and started rebuilding even as missiles kept detonating.

Israelis live the eternal Jewish lesson not to ask God for lighter burdens, just broader shoulders and wider smiles.


Hostage Forum publishes health report for 24 living hostages, warns ‘time is running out’
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum published on Monday a medical report detailing the condition of the living hostages still held captive in Gaza, based on known medical conditions and injuries, propaganda videos published by Hamas, and testimonies from those released during the recent two-month ceasefire.

The report, which the forum stressed did not provide a full depiction of the hostages’ health, examined both their physical and mental state. It warned that some have been isolated for the majority of their 550 days in captivity, increasing the chances of severe psychological distress, and that many of them were likely suffering from digestive problems, prolonged dehydration and serious infections.

Fifty-eight of the 251 hostages seized during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught remain in the clutches of Gazan terror groups. Hamas is also holding the body of a soldier killed during the 2014 Gaza war, bringing the total number of captives to 59. Of that number, 24 are thought to be alive.

The testimonies from hostages released during the recent ceasefire from mid-January to early March reveal proof of “severe shortages of food, water and medical care, leading to malnutrition, severe weakness and the deterioration of their health,” the forum said.

On top of that, they are undergoing “physical and mental torture,” it said, including “strangulation, being tied up, being hung by the legs, burns and deliberate starvation.”

Some of the hostages are chained up, “for weeks or months at a time,” and they are all being held in tunnels underground “without natural light and air,” the report said. Images of those held captive in Gaza are displayed at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, on March 31, 2025. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

“Captivity survivors held for long periods of time described conditions of complete isolation, with no contact with other Israelis, or knowledge of their loved ones’ conditions,” the forum said.

“Many suffered from severe malnutrition and deteriorating health due to the lack of proper medical care. Some battled serious infections or illnesses without any access to medical care, and sometimes remained wounded, without bandages or painkillers.”

Israel has received proof of life for 20 of the 24 hostages since the start of the war, the forum said, but information about their health is still lacking. Of the remaining four, it said “concerns for their safety are growing.”

The remaining captives are a mix of soldiers and civilian men — many of whom are treated by Hamas as soldiers because they are still within the age range eligible for IDF reserve service.

Returned hostages have recounted experiencing “particularly severe torture” if their captors determined that they were IDF soldiers or other “key figures,” the forum said. Many of them were subjected to “prolonged isolation, sleep deprivation and frequent beatings.”
Text of the hostage-ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas

Pleading for deal, families okay clips showing hostages Maxim Herkin, Bar Kuperstein
Families of hostages held in the Gaza Strip released a video Thursday calling for a deal to free their loved homes, including footage of two hostages not previously published by Israeli media.

The families of hostages Maxim Herkin and Bar Kuperstein allowed a brief snippet from a Hamas propaganda clip released by the terror group in April to be included in the video plea, which also included previously published clips from Hamas propaganda videos featuring other captives.

Israeli media outlets have generally refrained from publishing videos of hostages unless okayed by their families, though the same content is openly circulated on social media.

The 44-second video published by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the largest group representing hostage families, spliced together excerpts from multiple Hamas propaganda videos showing captives begging for their release.

The video called for a comprehensive ceasefire deal rather than another round of staggered, partial hostage releases, which are said to be at the core of a current proposal being pushed by the US that is reportedly gaining traction.

The video begins with a video of US President Donald Trump saying that the US “wants to get the hostages back,” before it cuts to clips of the hostages.


Netanyahu visits kibbutz devastated on Oct. 7, promises to rebuild
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, on Thursday visited Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the worst-hit communities during the Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Located only one mile from the Gaza border fence, Nir Oz lost one-quarter of its residents in the attack, with one-in-four residents either killed or kidnapped, among them the Bibas family.

“I feel a deep obligation to ensure the return of all our abductees and to work here to rehabilitate this kibbutz,” Netanyahu said, promising to cut through the red tape to speed the community’s reconstruction.

In November, a majority of Nir Oz members voted to return to their destroyed homes and rebuild.

The prime minister met with the families of hostages, including Einav Zangauker, an activist with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group advocating for the end of the war in return for the remaining hostages.

Zangauker’s son, Matan, 25, was kidnapped from the kibbutz on Oct. 7 along with his girlfriend, Ilana Gritzewsky. Ilana was released in a deal in November 2023. Matan remains in captivity.

Despite Zangauker’s hostility to Netanyahu—in March, The New York Times described her as “Netanyahu’s fiercest foe”—the two greeted each other cordially.

Commenting on his meetings with hostages’ families, the prime minister said, “You feel to the depths of your soul the magnitude of the pain, the depth of the sorrow, the trauma that befell an entire community, and is still afflicting it.”

“I feel a deep commitment—first of all, to ensure the return of all our abductees, all of them. There are still 20 lives, and there are more casualties, and we will bring them all back,” he added. Hamas holds 50 Israelis in total, living and dead. Forty-nine of them were kidnapped on the day of the invasion.


Trump ‘can make it happen,’ Edan Alexander says of president’s ability to achieve ceasefire deal
Former Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander met with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday to thank the president for securing his release and to urge him to broker another ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

“I shared with the president my fear that continued fighting endangers the hostages,” Alexander said. “I hope he can achieve another historic breakthrough—a comprehensive deal to free all 50 hostages.”

“I told him I am confident he is the person who can make it happen,” the 21-year-old continued.

Alexander returned home to Tenafly, N.J., on June 19, after nearly 600 days in Hamas captivity.

“I’m deeply moved that I could celebrate my own freedom on the eve of Independence Day,” Alexander said, adding that he was grateful to be able to “thank the person who is responsible for saving my life.”

“I told the most powerful man in the world what I went through, what my friends there are enduring and asked him to continue doing everything in his power,” he said.


Karoline Leavitt meets hostages, vows continued US support
U.S. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt met with a group of recently released Israeli hostages in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, praising their courage and resilience while reaffirming the Trump administration’s efforts to secure the release of those still held by Hamas in Gaza.

“It was my honor to meet with another group of brave released hostages from Gaza,” Leavitt posted on social media.

“The horrors they faced while in Hamas captivity are unimaginable, but their strength, and their faith in God through it all, is beyond inspiring.”

She added that U.S. President Donald Trump remains focused on ending the war and bringing all remaining hostages home.

The meeting came as part of a broader push by U.S. officials to maintain pressure on Hamas and support ongoing negotiations.

In late June, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also held discussions with families of captives, reiterating the administration’s “unwavering commitment” to securing the release of all 50 known hostages.

Rubio stressed that Israel, bolstered by recent operations in Iran and Lebanon, is still in a strong position to defeat Hamas. “True victory in Gaza will only be realized when all the hostages return home,” he said.


Hamas discussing ceasefire with Palestinian factions as security cabinet discusses positive reports
Hamas confirmed early on Friday morning that it was discussing the US-Qatar ceasefire proposal with other Palestinian factions. The terror group promised to announce the final decision after the meetings.

The security cabinet convened on Thursday night to discuss reports shared by Hamas-affiliated groups that the Gaza-based terrorist organization accepted the latest hostage-Gaza ceasefire deal, Maariv reported.

Hamas's response to the deal has not yet been formally announced but is expected in the coming hours.

Reports Hamas accepted the deal
The Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa Channel reported on Thursday night that Hamas responded positively to the deal.

The agreement after months of stalled talks comes after the US added into the deal proposal, "President Trump will commit that negotiations for the terms of the end of the war will continue even after the temporary ceasefire, and will do everything in his power to help the parties agree on the terms for a permanent ceasefire," N12 reported.


Khaled Abu Toameh: Qatar Must Not Be Allowed to Play Any Role in Gaza
Allowing Qatar to be part of an Arab consortium that would replace Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip is essentially placing the alpha-fox in charge of the henhouse.

Al-Jazeera, Qatar's flagship media network, operates around the clock as a propaganda outlet in the service of Hamas.

After America's attack on Iran's nuclear sites on June 22, journalists and those who shape public opinion in Qatar condemned the US and President Donald J. Trump. Al-Jazeera presenters and columnists for Qatar's government newspapers took to social media to slam the US and Trump, calling him a "brazen liar", "the leader of a modern crusade", and a "war criminal"...

"... Israel must be destroyed and eliminated and must disappear. This should be a strategic Arab doctrine. [Operation] Al-Aqsa Flood showed us that the Israelis have no connection to the land...." — Qatari General (ret.) Mubarak Al-Khayreen, X.com, June 22, 2025.

In 2017, [Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates] severed ties with Qatar and imposed a sea, land and air blockade on it. They accused Qatar of supporting various terrorist groups and extremist movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood, and demanded the closure of Al-Jazeera.

Qatar has never abandoned its goal of promoting the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates, including Hamas. Anyone who watches Al-Jazeera (in Arabic) can see that the Gulf state and its media outlets are fully mobilized in favor of Islamist Jihadis engaged in terrorism against Israel and the West.

Qatar cannot be allowed to play any role in the administration of the Gaza Strip.


Danish police rushed to Israeli embassy after it receives suspicious package
Danish Police on Thursday responded to a report that a suspicious package was received by the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen, it said.

“We are present at the Israeli Embassy, where we are investigating a received package,” the Copenhagen Police announced in an X post.

“Ryvangs Allé Street, as well as the residential streets to the east and up to Svanemøllevej Road, are cordoned off,” the Danish capital’s police force stated, adding: “We currently have no additional information.”

The Berlingske newspaper reported that, in addition to police forces, the Copenhagen Fire Department and ambulances were deployed.

A police spokesperson told the Danish daily that a report of a suspicious package was received at 11:05 a.m. on Thursday. Danish civilians in the embassy’s vicinity do not need to worry, the spokesperson emphasized.

In October 2024, three blasts were reported near the Israeli diplomatic mission in Copenhagen, in two different incidents just five days apart.

Iran may have orchestrated the Copenhagen blasts, as well as a separate shooting targeting the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm that same week, Sweden’s national intelligence agency, SÄPO, said at the time.
How the UN Uses Propaganda to Support Terrorism Against Israel
The latest report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) established by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in 2021 with an open-ended mandate to vilify Israel claims to focus on "attacks on educational facilities and religious and cultural sites in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," leaving the impression that Israel arbitrarily attacked the sites without justification. The accounts of the attacks are devoid of any recognition of the intentional use of the sites by Hamas as bases for operations or places to store weaponry.

The CoI's complaints regarding Israel's investments in developing the many historical sites in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem verge on ludicrous. Judea and Samaria are the cradle of the ancestral Jewish homeland. It was in these areas that Jewish people first settled. The excavations and archaeological digs prove, time after time, that entire sections of the Bible are supported by real artifacts. The Jewish people settled in the Land of Israel over 1,200 years before the birth of Christianity, and 1,800 years before the birth of Islam in 610.

While Israel is the epitome of the return of an indigenous nation to its ancestral homeland, in the eyes of the CoI, the liberation of Judea and Samaria from the illegal Jordanian invasion suddenly rendered the area "Palestinian territory" that must be free of Jews.
NGO Monitor: Corporate Guilt by Association: Francesca Albanese’s Assault on Global Corporations
On July 3, UN Special Rapporteur “on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967” Francesca Albanese will present a report to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). In “From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide,” Albanese alleges that global companies across a range of industries “sustain[] Israel’s illegal occupation and ongoing genocidal campaign.”

The companies targeted by Albanese span multiple sectors, including infrastructure, finance, real estate, tourism, and resource extraction. This underscores her ongoing efforts to stigmatize a wide range of lawful commercial activity as complicit in international crimes, based solely on their connections to Israel. As part of her efforts to internationally isolate Israel, the report targets companies domiciled in countries most closely allied with Israel such as the United States.

Albanese’s report advances a highly politicized narrative, alleging that private companies operating in or otherwise linked to the West Bank are in violation of international law. This assertion reflects a fundamental mischaracterization of international legal frameworks, which do not impose direct obligations on private entities under international humanitarian law. By accusing businesses of “complicity” in alleged war crimes, absent any binding legal precedent or judicial findings, Albanese promotes a strategy aligned with the BDS movement, aiming to delegitimize Israel through economic pressure. Her recommendations, including calls for divestment and sanctions, seek to transform complex political disputes into legal indictments of private sector actors, weaponizing human rights language to advance a discriminatory agenda.

Moreover, in preparing her report, Albanese relied extensively on sources from politicized NGOs, including several organizations with documented ties to EU-designated terrorist groups, raising serious concerns about the credibility, objectivity, and due diligence underlying her findings.

Criticism by the United States
The report has already sparked strong condemnation, including formal warnings from the U.S. Department of Justice. In a letter authored by Leo Terrell, head of the Justice Department’s newly established Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, Albanese was urged to terminate her investigation, which the DOJ described as “an alarming campaign of letters targeting institutions that support or invest in the state of Israel.” The letter further states: “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.”

This unprecedented rebuke highlights the extent to which Albanese’s report has crossed from legitimate human rights inquiry into politically motivated targeting.


Eugene Kontorovich: Investigate the International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor
New York City’s Democratic nominee for the mayor’s office, Zohran Mamdani, has said that he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited the city, because of the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). This would be lawless, since the United States has refused to join the tribunal, and Netanyahu is not accused of committing any crimes here. The same cannot be said for the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, who temporarily stepped down from his post last month facing allegations of sexual assault — some of which allegedly occurred in Manhattan.

That makes Khan subject to a criminal grand jury investigation in New York — leading potentially to an indictment and arrest.

According to reporting in the Wall Street Journal, one of Khan’s accusers, a member of his staff, has told investigators that Khan sexually assaulted her as they traveled to international crime scenes around the world — from the Congo to Colombia to Chad. He also allegedly did so in his wife’s apartment in The Hague, where the tribunal is based — and in a corner suite at the Millennium Hilton Hotel at U.N. Plaza in Manhattan, in an incident the accuser recounts in detail. Khan has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing, claiming the relationships were consensual.

That incident is enough for the New York County district attorney to have jurisdiction. Sex crimes are no less serious when both alleged offender and victim are foreign nationals. Given the large amount of international tourism and commerce that flows through New York, the city has a strong interest in ensuring that its hotel rooms are not seen as a safe haven for assault.

New York County DA Alvin Bragg has dealt with similarly high-profile cases, even when their primary locus was elsewhere. Last year, Bragg indicted Harvey Weinstein, who had already been convicted in California, based on an alleged assault in a Manhattan hotel room.

Khan has earned the ire of President Donald Trump, who has imposed sanctions on him for attempting to extend the ICC’s power to nonmember states. And the highly partisan Bragg is unlikely to investigate someone whom Senator Charles Schumer had sought to shield by blocking an ICC sanctions bill that had passed in the House of Representatives.


Review: Gaza Doctors Under Attack
The film has several failings.

Firstly, it simply repeats Hamas talking points as fact without any evidence. Several supposed medics allege that they were tortured but look perfectly healthy. They allege being subject to all sorts of horrible abuses but rattle these off as if they had seen them in a movie rather than experienced them personally. There are no signs of emotion when they claim to have been tortured in this way or that. They certainly show no physical scars of what they claim. This isn’t stoicism on display, it is seems to be just made up for the sake of a narrative.

In contrast, Israeli explanations are simply dismissed out of hand in the voiceover, despite there being apparent evidence on-screen. They don’t even bother to address credible IDF claims that Hamas operatives dress as paramedics, or use ambulances to transfer personnel and weapons, or that terror-tunnels are located underneath hospitals – using them deliberately as human shields – or that Hamas launches rockets from parking lots and roofs of medical centers. They don’t have a single spokesperson for the Hamas government or military on-screen to answer these allegations or to explain the evidence for them.

I wasn’t always convinced some of the people claimed to be medical staff actually were. Certainly no evidence of their credentials was offered. I don’t think the producers thought it was necessary. Hamas obviously has, and does, pass off it casualties as non-combatants (such as paramedics) who all – implausibly – seem fit young men of fighting age. The one thing conspicuously absent from this film are the Hamas combat casualties. There must the thousands. Where are they being treated? Who is treating them? They are invisible, and unmentioned by the filmmakers.

Let us not forget that Hamas is the government of Gaza. It has been for almost twenty years. No one becomes a health ministry spokesperson or hospital administrator without being endorsed by Hamas and most likely a senior party member.

One of the most disturbing an perplexing scenes shown was of a malnourished child.

I can’t understand how the child got into this state. Of course we’re supposed to believe it is the ‘cruel and unhuman’ Israeli aid blockade. But the nagging question is: how was this child allowed to starve when the doctor is so well fed and healthy and the women in the background could – I don’t mean to fat-shame – stand to lose more than a few pounds? A single child does not get into this state surrounded by chubby adults – unless it is allowed to. I can only suppose that this child has some sort of medical condition unrelated to nutrition. Alternative theories are too horrible to contemplate. But it clearly is not an aid blockade. Perhaps the subtitle speaks volumes: “Tell me what you want, we will get it for you.”

Then there is the issue of supposed Israeli “whistle-blowers”. These are never shown. We only see a silhouette with a voiceover by an actor. Frankly these people could be anyone. They may as well be scripted actors, because no credentials are established. They say their identities have been obscured for their own protection. Ironically, it is Hamas that ‘kneecaps‘ dissenters and whistle-blowers, not Israel. Israel is full of vocal contrarians and they are protected by law.

In short, what we see between the lines – unintended by the producers of this propaganda film – is a society that enjoyed first-world medical facilities overseen by doctors and medics whose own antisemitic blood-lust saw them supporting Hamas and praising the massacre of Israelis (or ‘The Jews’ if you ask them ) on October the 7th, and then reaping what they sowed. Their wives, from what we see of them, seem just as ideologically committed to this death cult. If there is a tragedy here, it is that they have doomed their children to be caught up in this hell. But – as the saying goes – that is war, and it is clear that is what many of these ‘doctors’ chose.


US- and Israeli-Backed Gaza Aid Group Suing AP Over ‘Categorically False’ Story
A U.S.- and Israeli-backed humanitarian group in Gaza said it is "pursuing legal action" against the Associated Press (AP) over a "categorically false" report that its aid workers opened fire on civilians at a food distribution site.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announced Thursday that it launched an investigation into the claims after the AP reported that aid workers have fired "live ammunition" at "hungry Palestinians" at food distribution sites.

"Based on time-stamped video footage and sworn witness statements, we have concluded that the claims in the AP’s story are categorically false," the GHF said in a statement. "At no point were civilians under fire at a GHF distribution site."

The AP report cites two former GHF contractors and a video recording in which gunfire can be heard off-screen. According to the story, an unnamed former GHF worker said he "watched another contractor fire at the Palestinians and then saw a man about 60 yards (meters) away—in the same direction where the bullets were fired—drop to the ground," indicating that the individual had been hit. No sources quoted in the story could point to a verifiable instance of a GHF worker shooting a Palestinian.

But the GHF said the gunfire came from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers operating outside the aid site.

"The gunfire heard in the video was confirmed to have originated from the IDF, who was outside the immediate vicinity of the GHF distribution site," the GHF said. "It was not directed at individuals, and no one was shot or injured."

The GHF claimed that the main source for the AP story was a "disgruntled former contractor who was terminated for misconduct weeks before this article was published," adding that the newswire’s "coverage of our aid operations has increasingly echoed narratives advanced by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health."

"What is most troubling is that the AP refused to share the full video with us prior to publication, despite the seriousness of the allegations," the organization added. "If they believed their own reporting, they should have provided us with the footage so we could take immediate and appropriate action."

The GHF said it fired one contractor who can be heard on the video yelling, "Hell, yeah, boy!" after the sound of shots being fired.

The GHF confirmed to the Washington Free Beacon that it would take legal action against the AP but declined to provide further details. An AP spokesman said the newswire "stand[s] by the story."


TARGET GAZA AID GROUP: DISINFORMATION, MEDIA BIAS & HAMAS BOUNTIES
In an in-depth Times of Israel interview today, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) executive director Rev. Johnnie Moore charges that a “disinformation” campaign is fueling hostility towards the American and Israel-backed aid organization.

Considering the wild accusations in Arab media outlets that GHF is distributing bags of flour laced with oxycodone, he probably has a good point. The fever pitch is reminiscent of Hamas’ 2009 fabrication that Israeli intelligence distributed aphrodiasic chewing gum to corrupt Gaza’s youth.

The same terror organization behind the sex gum and oxycodone-spiked flour fables is also the source behind the unsubstantiated claim that more than 500 Palestinians have been killed while trying to collect food at the GHF sites established to circumvent Hamas control over humanitarian aid, depriving the terror organization of a major source of income.

And yet, 170 non-profit organizations yesterday parroted Hamas’ latest unverified claim, stating as fact and with no attribution to the terror organization: “In less than four weeks, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and almost 4,000 injured just trying to access or distribute food.”

Reuters, for its part, concealed the real source of the unverified figure, dressing up the lie-prone terror organization as credible medical professionals, reporting (“Over 170 charities call for end to deadly new Gaza aid distribution“):
More than 500 people have been killed in mass shootings near aid distribution centres or transport routes guarded by Israeli forces since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operating in late May, according to medical authorities in Gaza.

The medical authorities in the Gaza Strip are controlled by Hamas. Worse than the lack of transparency about the unreliable source is Reuters’ grossly tendentious headline about the “deadly new Gaza aid distribution,” perfectly echoing Hamas’ charge that the aid centers are “traps and death ambushes.”

Hamas is not wrong entirely. It’s in fact true that GHF has a target on its back. It’s just that Hamas itself put it there.

Earlier this month, Hamas and its terror allies marked Palestinians working with the GHF as legitimate targets.


Hamas caught on camera torturing Gazans, COGAT reveals
The IDF published footage on Thursday of Hamas torturing civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Maj.-Gen. Ghassan Alian, the coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), shared the video on the unit’s X/Twitter account.

In the video compilation, masked members of Hamas can be seen repeatedly beating citizens with metal pipes and the butts of machine guns, punching and kicking clearly wounded people, and shooting individuals in the legs until they can no longer stand.

”Residents of Gaza, the savage and blatant abuse by Hamas, is trampling and destroying your lives. Hamas׳' spectacles of horror, intended to spread terror and brutality, are tools for sowing fear and harming the people of Gaza - all to preserve the group’s power and survival. Hamas stops at nothing, no matter how cruel or cynical toward its own people, in order to maintain its strength and hold the residents hostage to protect its status," Alian said.

Hamas tortures Gazan civilians during Israel-Hamas War
This is not the first time military personnel have published footage of Hamas torturing civilians in Gaza. In June, Alian published footage of Hamas executing people in the central square of Gaza City.

"Cruelty, destruction, and suffering: that’s all Hamas brings to both Gazans and Israelis," the Thursday COGAT post read.


‘Lies’: Israel denounces Amnesty charge that aid system uses starvation in Gaza genocide
Amnesty International issued a report Thursday claiming it had evidence that a controversial Israeli- and US-backed system to distribute aid in Gaza uses starvation tactics against Palestinians to continue to commit what it called genocide in the Gaza Strip during Israel’s war with the Hamas terror group. Israel responded by saying the group had adopted Hamas lies as its narrative.

The UK-based human rights group condemned Israel and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which the US and Israel have backed to take over aid distribution in Gaza from a network led by the United Nations.

“Israel’s genocide has continued unabated in Gaza, including through the infliction of conditions of life that have created a deadly mix of hunger and disease pushing the population past breaking point, said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary general, said in the report.

The Foreign Ministry denounced the Amnesty report, saying the organization has “joined forces with Hamas and fully adopted all of its propaganda lies.”

“Its new name now is ‘Amnesty Hamas,'” the ministry said.

At the same time, the UN Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian territories — who has been condemned by Israel and the US for antisemitism — urged an international arms embargo on Israel for what she alleged is “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Health Ministry says more than 500 Palestinians have been killed at or near GHF distribution centers over the past month. The figures cannot be verified and do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The centers are guarded by private security contractors and located near Israeli military positions. Palestinian officials and witnesses have accused Israeli forces of opening fire at crowds of people moving near the sites.


‘Despicable’: Douglas Murray blasts Glastonbury festival for anti-IDF chant
Author Douglas Murray condemns the Glastonbury Festival for permitting punk duo Bob Vylan to perform a provocative anti-Israel chant targeting the IDF.

“The sort of instinct one has on it in a way is to wish that these morons at Glastonbury ever got a glimpse of what the innocent young people at the Nova festival saw on the morning of October the 7th,” Mr Murray told Sky News host Rita Panahi.

“It makes you despair at the fact that all of these people would pay and chant along to hate … the organisers and everyone else should be ashamed of themselves.”


Natasha Hausdorff: The great lie of the Gaza ‘genocide’ | The Brendan O’Neill Show
Natasha Hausdorff – barrister and legal director at the UK Lawyers for Israel Charitable Trust – is the latest guest on The Brendan O’Neill Show. Natasha and Brendan discuss Bob Vylan’s vile chants at Glastonbury, the horrors Israel faces in Gaza and how the Holocaust is now weaponised against the Jews.


Questions raised after reinstatement of controversial artist for Venice Biennale
Serious concerns are being raised over Australia’s decision to reinstate artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino to represent the country at the 2026 Venice Biennale, with Jewish leaders and others questioning the government’s mixed messages on terrorism, antisemitism, and Australian values.

The decision, announced by Creative Australia this week after an independent review, reverses the pair’s sacking earlier this year following revelations that Sabsabi’s past artworks included depictions of deceased Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by Israeli forces in 2023. Another video work featured images of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Sabsabi, a Lebanese-born Australian artist known for exploring Middle Eastern identity and conflict, has previously worked in Palestinian refugee camps and regularly engages with themes of displacement and power structures. More than 4,000 people from the arts community reportedly backed calls for Sabsabi and Dagostino to be reinstated, signing petitions and open letters in their support.

The independent review by governance firm Blackhall & Pearl found Creative Australia mishandled the Biennale appointment by failing to anticipate risks linked to Sabsabi’s earlier works. The report cited poor internal processes, unclear responsibilities, and a lack of preparation for public and political scrutiny. While Creative Australia apologised and promised to improve governance, the review’s terms of reference did not explicitly require scrutiny of how or why Sabsabi and Dagostino were originally rejected.

In a briefing to the Minister on 31 January 2025, Creative Australia advised that Khaled Sabsabi, along with other artists, had withdrawn from the 2022 Sydney Festival in protest over the festival’s acceptance of funding from the Israeli Embassy. The withdrawal, reported by the Sydney Morning Herald on 23 December 2021, was described as being made “out of solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian cause.”

In February, then opposition arts spokeswoman Claire Chandler questioned in Parliament how an artist “who highlights a terrorist leader in his artwork” could be an appropriate representative for Australia. At the time, Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke said he was “shocked” by the artworks but claimed he had not been involved in the decision to revoke their appointment.
'Artistic sector eroded': Anti-Israel artist to represent Australia on world stage
Executive Council of Australian Jewry Co-CEO Alex Ryvchin discusses Labor’s backflip on an anti-Israel artist representing Australia.

Creative Australia has reinstated Khaled Sabsabi as Australia’s pick for the 2026 Venice Biennale.

“It’s a question of whether this guy is the best guy we have to represent Australia on the world stage,” Mr Ryvchin told Sky News host Danica De Giorgio.

“What does it say about our artistic scene, about our cultural scene?

“More and more, we are seeing the artistic sector become eroded.”


Coach Bruce Pearl on Speaking Out for Israel, Jewish Identity and Coaching
In this latest episode of the One Jewish State podcast, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman sits down with legendary Auburn Tigers basketball coach Bruce Pearl for a wide-ranging conversation on faith, leadership, Israel, and Jewish identity.

Coach Pearl opens up about what makes him a relentless competitor as a college basketball coach, his deep Jewish roots, and why he publicly stood up for Israel and the hostages after October 7th, even when others stayed silent.

From the NCAA court to the hills of Judea and Samaria, Coach Pearl shares personal stories, his visions for Israel, how there can be peace in Judea and Samaria, and reveals whether he will run for Alabama Senate in 2026.

00:55 – Coaching Philosophy
07:49 – Jewish Identity in College Basketball
09:49 – Anti-Semitism and Recruiting Challenges
12:21 – My Family Journey in America
13:05 – Alabama's Zionist Legacy
16:30 – Jews and Christians
18:59 – Taking a Stand as Pro Israel
24:58 – Honoring Edan Alexander at Sweet 16
29:30 – Auburn Philosophy's Higher Calling
33:04 – Judea, Samaria, and Biblical Roots
37:00 – Personal Family Miracle From Prayers in Shiloh
38:53 – A Future Vision for Israel
40:50 – Will Bruce Pearl Run for Senate?
43:25 – Coach Pearl & Ambassador Friedman Offer Blessings


A Conservative Interviews the Head of the ADL
In Decemver 2024, Visegrad24 met with Jonathan Greenblatt at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) headquarters in New York City to ask him about the organization's mission to fight antisemitism as well as other forms of bigotry and racism in the U.S.

As the national director and CEO of the ADL, Greenblatt got embroiled in a conflict with Elon Musk in September 2023. Musk had accused the ADL of defamation and threatened to sue it, writing that advertising revenue was "still down 60%, primarily due to pressure on advertisers by the ADL (that's what advertisers tell us), so they almost succeeded in killing X/Twitter"

Prior to heading the ADL, Greenblatt served in the White House as Special Assistant to Barack Obama and Director of the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. In 2025, Time magazine listed him as one of the world's 100 most influential people.

The ADL has faced criticism from some conservatives who claim that the organization is silencing speech by conservatives and trying to deplatform one side of the ideological culture war taking place.

We asked Mr Greenblatt whether he thinks some of the criticism might be fair and where he would place himself on the ideological spectrum. Another topic discussed was mass-immigration to Europe and the threat of Islamist terrorism.

00:00 - Introduction
02:04 - The ADL's Reputation
03:29 - The ADL and The Right
06:20 - Islamists and Terror
07:30 - Anti-Western Neo-Marxists
08:47 - What's Conservatism Today?
10:52 - Is the ADL Anti-White?
13:22 - Homogenous Societies
15:09 - Mass-migration in the EU
16:32 - Is White Pride Wrong?
20:57 - Hate Crimes
22:48 - Elon Musk and X
24:31 - Free Speech
28:30 - Rising Antisemitism
30:05 - American Patriotism


How I became trapped in a War Zone… and my escape via Jordan… Erin Molan: Israel v Iranian regime
EXCLUSIVE: What started as a quick one-night trip to receive an honorary doctorate from Reichman University in Israel turned into an UNBELIEVABLE 12-day adventure for Erin Molan! Reporting LIVE from the heart of Israel’s war zone during intense Iranian missile strikes, she scored exclusive interviews with high-profile leaders like Israel’s President and Foreign Minister. From dodging missiles to her heart-pounding escape through Jordan back to Australia, this is raw, unfiltered storytelling at its finest! Don’t miss the chaos, courage, and incredible moments—subscribe and hit the bell for more epic stories!




Peers told how Palestine Action attack in north-west London shook the entire community
Luciana Berger has spoken of the devastating impact of an attack by Palestine Action activists on a Jewish owned business in north-west London telling peers:”It reverberated throughout the entire community.”

Speaking in the Lords as peers backed the government’s move to proscribe the violent anti-Israel group, Labour ‘s Baroness Berger said”I bore witness to the attack on the Jewish business in north-west London.

“It reverberated throughout the entire community.

“I have never seen anything like the glass that was smashed and the paint that was daubed.

“It dominated the area for a whole weekend because it could not be cleared up because it took place over the weekend.

“In the interest of community cohesion, I point to that as a very strong example, coupled with all the other points people have made about why this is a violent organisation and how it directly intimidates and attacks people. Its impact goes far wider than what we are discussing today.”

Berger was referring to the attacks on Jewish-owned businesses in Hampstead High Street last October, which was labelled a hate crime by the Metropolitan Police.

There was also another attack by the group on a Jewish business in Stamford Hill in May.

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Palmer broke with his party’s scepticism over the proscription move to also referred to an attack by Palestine Action on a community owned business.

“The glass front of the building was smashed and the floor defaced with red paint and slogans including “Drop Elbit”—Elbit being a defence manufacturer,” he said.

“The attack can be classified as antisemitic under the IHRA definition as the business is solely Jewish, as I am. It has no links to Elbit or to Israel, and the actions suggest that Palestine Action held the owners responsible for Israel’s actions. ”

The Jewish peer added:” It is the violence that pushes it into terrorism, and I support the Government on this issue.”
UKLFI: Daniel Berke discusses the proscription of Palestine Action on i24 News
Daniel Berke, UKLFI Director, discusses the forthcoming proscription of PalestineAction by the UK as a terrorist organisation on i24 News




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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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