Tuesday, July 08, 2025

07/08 Links Pt1: Five IDF soldiers killed, 14 wounded in northern Gaza; Israel Is America's Trump Card in the Middle East; The Risks of Ending the Gaza War

From Ian:

Israel Is America's Trump Card in the Middle East
Israel is the single most effective force advancing American interests in the Middle East. Iran wishes to destabilize the Middle East, and it propagates chaos through its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and its proxies in the region. Iran doesn't want a seat at the regional table; it wants to flip the table altogether.

Last month, when America actively joined Israel's response to Iranian aggression, it was a watershed moment. The U.S. attack on Iran was a strategic message to the entire world: The West still has teeth. For once, America didn't need to send in the Marines. With its unmatched intelligence, cyber capabilities, air force, technologies and spies, Israel did the heavy lifting. Iran was humiliated. The myth of its regional invincibility was shattered.

Israel has proved to be America's most reliable, efficient and cost-effective ally in the region. No other partner is willing or able to take the initiative, act decisively and serve as the West's first line of defense. Israel removes the Iranian nuclear threat against America and its allies, dismantles Iran's terrorist proxies, and protects the Gulf States, all without requiring American boots on the ground.

This is what smart power looks like. Leverage strong allies that share your interests and do the job right. America needs friends who aren't freeloaders. Israel is the one holding the line of liberty, stability, security and prosperity.
The Risks of Ending the Gaza War
Why, ask many Israelis, can’t we just end the war, let our children, siblings, and spouses finally come home, and get out the hostages? Azar Gat seeks to answer this question by looking at the possible costs of concluding hostilities precipitously, and breaking down some of the more specific arguments put forward by those who have despaired of continuing military operations in Gaza. He points to the case of the second intifada, in which the IDF not only ended the epidemic of suicide bombing, but effectively convinced—through application of military force—Fatah and other Palestinian factions to cease their terror war.

“What we haven’t achieved militarily in Gaza after a year-and-a-half probably can’t be achieved.” Two years passed from the outbreak of the second intifada until the launch of Operation Defensive Shield, [whose aim was] to reoccupy the West Bank, and another two years until the intifada was fully suppressed. And all of that, then as now, was conducted against the background of a mostly hostile international community and with significant American constraints (together with critical assistance) on Israeli action. The Israeli chief of staff recently estimated that the intensified Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip would take about two months. Let’s hope that is the case.

The results of the [current] operation in [Gaza] and the breaking of Hamas’s grip on the supply routes may indeed pave the way for the entry of a non-Hamas Palestinian administration into the Strip—an arrangement that would necessarily need to be backed by Israeli bayonets, as in the West Bank. Any other end to the war will lead to Hamas’s recovery and its return to control of Gaza.

It is unclear how much Hamas was or would be willing to compromise on these figures in negotiations. But since the hostages are its primary bargaining chip, it has no incentive to compromise. On the contrary—it is interested in dragging out negotiations indefinitely, insisting on the full evacuation of the Gaza Strip and an internationally guaranteed cease-fire, to ensure its survival as Gaza’s de-facto ruler—a position that would also guarantee access to the flood of international aid destined for the Gaza Strip.

Once the hostages become the exclusive focus of discussion, Hamas dictates the rules. And since not only 251 or twenty hostages, but any number is considered worth “any price,” there is a real concern that Hamas will retain a certain number of captives as a long-term reserve.
Israel Has Exposed the Iranian Regime as a Paper Pussycat
The debate about how long Iran's nuclear program was set back misses the point. The most significant consequence of the Israel-Iran war is the everlasting humiliation and exposure of the regime. On June 4, just before the war began, supreme leader Ali Khamenei declared: "They cannot do a damn thing [to us]."

Twenty days later he had lost six top generals, a dozen senior military and IRGC commanders (including the entire leadership of his air force), 11 of his most senior nuclear scientists, key missile production capabilities, his air defense system, and suffered damage to his most important nuclear sites. The regime took hit after hit all while fighting completely alone. Not one of its proxies or allies lifted a finger to help defend it.

Ali Khamenei rules under the doctrine that his authority is divinely ordained. Yet, Khamenei's shrinking base just watched their divine leader utterly humiliated by Israel and America, the regime's two greatest enemies. No amount of propaganda can erase that disgrace.

We Iranians are not sheep. We are known for being critical, confrontational, and proud. We know how to smell weakness. The regime knows the truth too. Should it attempt to rebuild its nuclear weapons infrastructure, it will be destroyed again. Those inside Iran feel it daily: rolling blackouts, water shortages, and billions of national wealth squandered. The supposed "axis of resistance" has collapsed, from Gaza to Lebanon, through the Assad regime's demise, and into a shattered nuclear program that delivered neither dignity nor prosperity.

Israel's greatest victory in this war was psychological: the exposure of the regime not as a paper tiger, but as a paper pussycat - and a badly beaten one at that.
The Iran War Scorecard
Israeli planes flew 400 sorties over Iran with 600 aerial refueling connections.

IAF attack and surveillance drones flew an additional 1,100 sorties into Iran, and only eight drones were lost.

Together, the jets and drones struck 900 targets in Iran with 4,300 munitions, including nine nuclear sites, six airports and air bases, and 35 missile and air defense production facilities.

IDF commandoes and Mossad agents operated inside Iran or from bases just across Iran's borders, launching UAVs and secret weapon systems to neutralize Iranian abilities and target Iranian military and intelligence leaders.

Not a single Iranian defensive system or force discovered these Israeli boots-on-the-ground in real time nor managed to interfere with these operations.

All undercover Israeli soldiers and agents returned home to Israel safely.

Over 14 days, Israel demolished 80 Iranian surface-to-air missile systems, 70 radars, 15 Iranian warplanes, 200 of Iran's 400 missile launchers, and 800-1,000 of Iran's 2,000 ballistic missiles.

Unfortunately, 50 missiles and one drone broke through Israeli defenses, killing 29 Israelis, wounding 3,500 more, destroying 2,300 homes in 240 buildings, and leaving 16,000 Israeli civilians homeless.

Enemy missile fire struck a central military base, a key Israeli oil refinery, and one of the country's top scientific research institutions.


Israeli Air Force Raced to Ready Aging Jets for the Most Dangerous Attack in Its History
Aside from UAVs and one and a half F-35 squadrons, most of Israel's jets were antiquated by Western standards: older-model F-16s and F-15s, Boeing 707-based refuelers. An officer said, "Remember, less than two years ago, we couldn't even fly freely over Lebanon due to Hizbullah's 100 Iranian-aided anti-air batteries. Now imagine sending hundreds of aircraft on thousands of sorties into Iran's airspace."

Toward the end of 2024, the Defense Ministry, Air Force, and IDF Planning Directorate quietly launched a multi-pronged, secretive race against time to prepare for the operation. While jets were airworthy for quick strikes on nearby Hamas or Hizbullah targets, they were not mission-ready for deep-strike missions to Iran. Many of the replacement parts were no longer in production.

"We quietly enlisted the manufacturers, without disclosing the full reason, but they didn't have all the solutions," an IAF officer said. "So we turned to friendly nations to ask for rare spare parts. These were added to components 3D-printed here." Meanwhile, the U.S. provided a vast range of weaponry in recent months and led an air and sea supply bridge involving thousands of spare parts.

"We asked them to reopen old production lines - and thanks to a new, friendlier tone in Washington, it happened," said a senior officer. The deputy commander of CENTCOM, Vice Admiral Charles "Brad" Cooper, "went all-in to help us - opening U.S. stockpiles around the world for critical IAF needs....Some crucial parts arrived just a day or two before zero hour." U.S. support for the Iran operation peaked with the landing of the 8,000th cargo plane in Israel since Oct. 7, alongside dozens of supply ships. "The Air Force was rearmed over the past year with a decade's worth of munitions and systems," one officer noted.

Nevertheless, multiple fighter jets and refueling planes suffered technical malfunctions mid-air, hundreds of miles from Israel. Brig.-Gen. Shlomi, head of the Equipment Directorate, said, "Not everything went smoothly. We lost some important drones. But to finish an operation like this without a single manned aircraft down - that's unprecedented."
Iran operation leaves US longing for Israeli F-35 upgrade
Israel’s successful attack on Iran, which saw the combat range of its U.S.-built F-35 fighter jets stretched well beyond what had been assumed to be its limits, has left the U.S. Air Force stunned and wanting that same long range for itself, the Israeli daily Maariv reported on Monday.

Over 12 days in June, Israel launched more than 1,500 sorties against the Islamic Republic to knock out that country’s nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs.

Sorties averaged about 1,000 miles (one way) and, at least in one case, stretched to 1,400 miles to bomb an Iranian Air Force aerial refueling tanker at Mashhad Airport.

A portion of those flights were made by the F-35I, or “Adir” (Hebrew for “mighty”), the Israeli-customized version of Boeing’s F-35A Lightning II fighter jet.

According to reports cited by Maariv, Israel was able to increase the range of its planes by using external fuel tanks and conformal fuel tanks—extra fuel tanks fitted closely to the aircraft’s profile—without compromising its stealth capability.

The combat range of the F-35A is about 670 nautical miles (745 miles). The U.S. Navy’s version, the F-35C, has a slightly longer range, according to some sources.

Israel also relied heavily on aerial refueling, carrying out more than 700 midair refueling hookups with its Boeing 707 “Re’em” aircraft, as detailed in a June 25 Ynet report. However, aerial refueling is not always practical when stealth is a priority, such as over enemy territory with advanced defenses.
Iran Strikes Made World Safer, MAGA Voters Overwhelmingly Agree
An overwhelming majority of MAGA voters believe the world is safer thanks to America’s strikes on Iran, according to a new poll.

Eighty-two percent of those voters said Operation Midnight Hammer made the world at least "somewhat safer," with 61 percent agreeing that it was "much safer," according to the Vandenberg Coalition poll, which was conducted between June 24-26. Across all Trump voters, 72 percent said the assault made the world more secure.

The June 21 strikes that President Donald Trump ordered saw seven B-2 bombers drop 14 bunker buster bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities, while a U.S. submarine fired more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles, Axios reported. The Pentagon announced Wednesday that the attack degraded Iran’s nuclear program by up to two years.

The United States also brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran just days after the strikes, ending a 12-day war between the two.

The poll reported additional findings that echoed earlier surveys. More than 97 percent of MAGA voters backed Operation Midnight Hammer, for example, further bucking claims of a civil war among Trump supporters. A June 21 GrayHouse poll similarly found that 9 in 10 MAGA voters supported the strikes.


Netanyahu: Any Future Palestinian State Would Be a Platform to Destroy Israel
Speaking at the White House on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "I think the Palestinians should have all the powers to govern themselves, but none of the powers to threaten us. That means sovereign power, like overall security, will always remain in our hands."

"After October 7th, people said the Palestinians have a state, a Hamas state in Gaza, and look what they did with it. They didn't build it up. They built down into bunkers, into terror tunnels, after which they massacred our people, raped our women, beheaded our men, invaded our cities and our towns, our kibbutzim, and did horrendous massacres, the kind of which we didn't see since World War Two and the Nazis, the Holocaust. So people aren't likely to say, 'Let's just give them another state.' It'll be a platform to destroy Israel."

"We will work out a peace with our Palestinian neighbors, those who don't want to destroy us, and we will work out a peace in which our security, the sovereign power of security, always remains in our hands. Now people will say, 'It's not a complete state, it's not a state, it's not that.' We don't care. We vowed: never again. Never again is now. It's not going to happen again."


Israel Is ‘Getting Close’ to Palestinian Resettlement Deal, Netanyahu Tells Free Beacon
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Washington Free Beacon that the Jewish state and the United Nations are working together to find Middle Eastern countries in which Palestinians can relocate from Gaza and resettle.

"I think President Trump had a brilliant vision," Netanyahu said during a White House press conference after the Free Beacon’s Jon Levine asked whether a Palestinian relocation plan is still on the table. "It’s called free choice. If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave. It shouldn’t be a prison. It should be an open place and give people a free choice."

Israel, Netanyahu continued, is not far from finalizing a suitable relocation plan.

"We’re working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realize what they always say, that they want to give Palestinians a better future ... and I think we’re getting close to finding several countries, and I think this will give again the freedom to choose," the prime minister said. "Palestinians should have it, and I hope that we can secure it."

President Donald Trump then chimed in, saying the United States and Israel have gotten "great cooperation" from Middle Eastern countries—"every single one of them," in the president’s words.

Netanyahu and Trump answered a second question from the Free Beacon, this one on Democratic nominee for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani and his pledge to arrest Netanyahu should he come to the city under a Mamdani mayoralty.

"No, no, I’m not concerned about that," Netanyahu replied. "Look, there’s enough craziness in the world. But I guess it never ends. I mean ... it’s silly in many ways, because it’s just not serious." Asked whether he would visit New York City next year, Netanyahu said, "I'm going to come there with President Trump, and we'll see."

Trump said Netanyahu would be "very fine" were he to do so.


Netanyahu nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in advancing peace initiatives in the Middle East.

Netanyahu handed Trump his letter to the Nobel Committee—submitted on July 1—during a White House meeting between the two leaders on Monday evening, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

Trump has shown “steadfast and exceptional dedication to promoting peace, security and stability around the world,” Netanyahu wrote, adding that his efforts led to a “dramatic change” in the Middle East through the Abraham Accords normalization agreements.

“These breakthroughs reshaped the Middle East and marked a historic advance toward peace, security and regional stability,” Netanyahu wrote, praising the U.S. president’s “vision and bold leadership” for promoting “innovative diplomacy defined not by conflict and extremism but by cooperation, dialogue and shared prosperity.”

“Few leaders have achieved such tangible breakthroughs to peace in such a short time. In these times of great historic change, I can think of no one more deserving than President Trump of the Nobel Peace Prize,” Netanyahu concluded in his letter to the Norway-based Nobel Committee.


Seth Frantzman: Beit Hanun disaster causing death of five IDF soldiers was a year in the making
Beit Hanun is a microcosm representation of Gaza. The IDF has cleared it several times. Most Israeli commentators who follow IDF operations noted on Tuesday that the area has been retaken numerous times.

Yet, the enemy was able to set up an apparently complex ambush. The same methods were used to soften up the area before the IDF entered with infantry.

The problem is that the enemy has become familiar with IDF tactics over the last 640 days of war. The tragedy in Beit Hanun was more than a year in the making. If Beit Hanun, which is close to Sderot, cannot be cleared, how will most of Gaza be fully cleared of terrorists?

Every military leader knows that plans only look good on paper until they are put into action against the enemy. Then, both sides should shift tactics as they learn what works and what does not.

Although the IDF has learned a lot in Gaza, the enemy is also learning. It is waiting in the wings for an opportunity to strike.

Hamas controls the central camps and Gaza City, and it assumes the IDF will not enter this 30% region of Gaza.

As such, it uses that as a redoubt and then fights a low-level insurgency in the 60% of Gaza where the IDF is operating.

Hamas knows that Israeli officials have vowed to disarm the terrorist group, exile its leaders, and defeat it. But it also knows that Israel has made these vows in the past and that Israel tends to convince itself that it is victorious, while Hamas survives each round.

All Hamas has to do is sit and wait. If it has survived in Beit Hanun, this indicates the difficulty of uprooting it from elsewhere as well.
Five IDF soldiers killed, 14 wounded in northern Gaza
Five Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Beit Hanoun area of the northern Gaza Strip, the military announced on Tuesday morning.

The casualties were identified as Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, 20, from Jerusalem; Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, 20, from Jerusalem; Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, 20, from Haifa; and Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll, 21, from Beit Shemesh.

Four of the fallen were members of the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Battalion, while Asulin served in the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade.

Of the 14 wounded in the bombing, two servicemen, both from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, sustained serious wounds, the military announced.

According to Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster, the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade launched its operation in Beit Hanoun, which had been captured by the army multiple times during the 21-month-long war but has seen a resurgence in terrorist activity, on Saturday night.

Around 10 p.m. on Monday, the soldiers of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion, which has been operating under the Northern Brigade, were targeted by a terrorist ambush while crossing Beit Hanoun on foot, per Kan News.

During attempts to evacuate the wounded for treatment, troops were said to have been shot at by the terrorists who had ambushed them.


Andrew Fox: Netzarim Corridor killings
Sky News is the latest outlet to publish an anonymous, single-source interview with an IDF soldier from Division 252. The soldier alleges numerous war crimes in the Netzarim Corridor.

Haaretz published something very similar in January 2025. Judging by the content of the Sky News piece, and the unit of the soldier, I would assess a high probability that this is the same soldier talking to both Sky and Haaretz.

I am deeply sceptical of single source, anonymous reports. We had one from the BBC yesterday, from an anonymous Hamas source, discussing the terror group’s internal collapse. I do not trust that either, without verification.

I have been to the Netzarim Corridor and met 252 Division soldiers personally, as well as IDF troops from other units. Here is a republish of my January 2025 Substack article addressing the points raised in the original Haaretz article.

I am sure you may have been as disturbed as I was to read the recent report in Haaretz about the conduct of the IDF in the Netzarim corridor in Gaza. For those who have not read it, the lurid allegations certainly raised my eyebrows. In later November 2024, I went to the Netzarim Corridor with the IDF. I saw nothing in the behaviour, conversation or ethos in the many soldiers I spoke to there that resembled the accounts described in Haaretz. This inspired me to do some digging of my own into accounts of serving in the Netzarim Corridor. The corridor runs East to West from the Israel-Gaza border to the Mediterranean (see map below). It is designed to control movement between Gaza City and the South of Gaza. There are reports that checkpoints there are fitted with fiberoptic cable and facial recognition software to pick up Hamas and their allies attempting to move with civilians.

The area around this corridor is indeed flattened. As you cross the border fence from Israel into Gaza, it does not feel like a traditional entry into a kinetic war zone—it is more like entering the aftermath of a battle (which, of course, in some ways, it is). This is clearly not an area where fighting happens any more on a regular daily basis. Our escorts were more relaxed than on previous visits to the Philadelphi Corridor in July 2024. That said, I watched the vehicle in front with an experienced soldier’s eye, and I saw the level of professionalism I would expect. The top cover gunner was staying alert, rotating his machine gun barrel to the areas of likely threat I would expect, and the convoy drills were good.

I went to Gaza with Stefan Tompson from @Visegrad24 and a cameraman. The visit was laid on just for us. After a ten minute drive, emphasising just how small Gaza is, we reached a base approximately midway along the corridor. It was an area of rear operations. Although in the distance we could hear operations in Nuseirat to our southwest, the base was behind large, built-up sand berms, festooned with stray dogs, and security felt relaxed. The soldiers had a Playstation, and one guy sat in a corner and strummed his guitar. Other troops were preparing a barbecue whilst their colleagues kicked around a football.

The soldiers were spoke to were all reservists from 252 Division, the reserve formation who were the focus of Haaretz’s hit piece. The atmosphere I observed was more relaxed than a British or American base would have been, but it was well maintained and free of litter and detritus. We met one of their commanders, who was intense and focused, but who spoke eloquently about their mission and the need to dismantle Hamas after 7th October.

As with all IDF commanders I have met, he was the opposite of vengeful against Palestinians. The IDF’s ethos and rules of engagement are always referenced early and often in every conversation with IDF front line officers. Many times now, I have observed the cold determination for the job in hand these men project. In some ways, it is more intriguing than if they were expressing rage or anger. I believe that the IDF does not care, on an institutional emotional level, about damage or death in Gaza—but to them it is very important to them to carry out such things legally. I find this whole approach appropriate. As a former soldier, I have no issue with it. War is bloody and brutal and requires controlled aggression. The blood and brutality are constrained by the law of armed conflict; but ultimately a soldier’s job is to carry out the mission within those parameters. And the mission for the IDF, after 7th October, is to conduct a war of national self-defence so that 7th October can never happen again. The ethos I have observed is the ethos I would expect.
IDF eliminates Hamas commander who raided gas station on Oct. 7
The Israel Defense Forces had eliminated the Hamas terrorist who led the Oct. 7, 2023, infiltration of a gas station near Kibbutz Magen, the military said on Tuesday.

Taha Abu Ayadeh, identified as a platoon commander in Hamas’s Nukhba Force, was killed in a July 1 attack in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza, according to the IDF.

He “infiltrated Israeli territory during the brutal Oct. 7 massacre and led the infiltration of the gas station in Kibbutz Magen,” the military stated. “In addition, throughout the war, Abu Ayadeh advanced and led numerous terrorist attacks, including several attacks in the last few weeks against IDF troops operating in the Khan Yunis area.”

The IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) “will continue to operate against all of the terrorists who took part in the brutal October 7th massacre,” the army added.

Footage of the Oct. 7 incident shows two workers of the gas station rushing to hide as Abu Ayadeh’s gunmen opened fire. The two civilians reportedly hid in a freezer for hours before being discovered by the IDF.


IDF kills Hezbollah Radwan Force terrorist in Southern Lebanon
The Israeli military eliminated Ali Abd al-Hassan Haidar, a senior commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, during an airstrike in the Deir Kifa region of Southern Lebanon on Monday.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, Haidar was responsible for orchestrating several attacks against Israeli civilians and military personnel, including involvement in the so-called “Conquer the Galilee” plan—a plot by the Iranian terror proxy to infiltrate northern Israel, seize territory and capture hostages in the Galilee region.

The military further stated that in recent months, Haidar played a key role in efforts to re-establish Hezbollah’s operational infrastructure in Southern Lebanon, actions Israel considers a direct breach of previous understandings between itself and Lebanon.

Approximately two hours after the strike on Haidar, the IDF reported the elimination of another Hezbollah operative in the Beit Lif area, also in Southern Lebanon.


GHF updates total distributed meals to 66m, decries false media reports
The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation delivered some 1.5 million meals on Monday, bringing its total to more than 66 million meals, the organization announced. It also distributed three truckloads of potatoes to its distribution site in Khan Yunis, in the southern part of the Strip, as part of an “ongoing pilot program.” “As the number of meals delivered continues to grow, the heart of our mission remains the same—getting food into the hands of those who need it most,” said GHF interim president John Acree. “GHF is here to feed the people in Gaza, and we will not be pulled off course by disinformation, intimidation or distraction,” he said.


Seth Frantzman: Houthi attacks show Israel is not entering quiet period after Iran ceasefire
The Houthi attacks on shipping, which resumed on Sunday, have now turned deadly.

According to British daily The Guardian, “Two crew members of the Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier Eternity C were killed in a drone and speedboat attack off Yemen on Monday evening, Liberia’s shipping delegation told a meeting of the International Maritime Organization on Tuesday.”

This is a dangerous escalation.

The Houthis had stopped their attacks on shipping over the last six months, following a ceasefire in Gaza and then a short US bombing campaign.

However, they have begun the attacks again after the Israel-Iran War. It is not clear why the group feels it should return to attacks on ships. It has long said it will continue attacks until the war in Gaza ends.


UKLFI: 7 October and the War of Return
This is a recording of a UKLFI Charitable Trust webinar that took place on 7 July 2025 entitled "7 October and the War of Return" with Dr Einat Wilf and Dr Adi Schwartz, and chaired by Natasha Hausdorff. In 2018 Dr Einat Wilf and Dr Adi Schultz wrote a seminal book, titled “The War of Return”, which identified the supposed “right of return” of Palestinian “refugees” to Israel as the fundamental obstacle to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Their analysis has had a major impact on the development of Israeli policy towards UNRWA. They have updated and expanded their book, reflecting on the massacre of 7 October 2023 and arguing that it was carried out in the name of the Palestinian idea of “return”. The new edition is available in Hebrew under the title “שיבה באוקטובר” and an English translation is coming soon.


Commentary Podcast: Trump the Neocon?
Today we discuss the president's dinner with Bibi Netanyahu and the clear bond between the two—and Trump's consistent support for Israel over his two terms. And we relate it to the surprising turn on Ukraine, with Trump now saying he will send weapons there and disavowing his own administration's withholding of arms.
Zohran Mamdani, Antisemitism & NYC’s Future — Melanie Phillips on the Viktor Frankl Podcast
In this urgent and eye-opening conversation, award-winning journalist and author Melanie Phillips joins me on the Viktor Frankl Podcast to discuss how Mamdani, rising antisemitism and radical ideologies threaten the future of New York City — and what can be done to stop it.

Her new book "The Builder’s Stone: How Jews and Christians Built the West—and Why Only They Can Save It" - can be purchased at http://bit.ly/3IfILtp.

We examine:
✅ The rise of Zohran Mamdani and what his pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel stance reveals about NYC politics
✅ Why antisemitism is surging in Western societies and how it endangers Jews and everyone else
✅ How the moral decline of the West fuels extremism and division
✅ Lessons from her groundbreaking book Londonistan
✅ Insights from her latest book, The Builder’s Stone: How Jews and Christians Built the West—and Why Only They Can Save It
✅ How meaning, morality, and courage can help reverse this dangerous trend


Connecting the dots: Tucker's ties to Tehran
Iran’s brutal crackdown, Hamas cease-fire games, and Tucker Carlson’s Tehran audition—this episode of Axis of Truth rips the mask off today’s Middle-East power plays.

Host Emily Schrader (JNS columnist, human-rights activist and fearless regime-watcher) welcomes Benny Sabti, veteran Iranian-affairs researcher and leading analyst of Tehran’s propaganda machine, for a no-holds-barred premiere.

Schrader opens with a searing takedown of “Ayatollah-approved influencer” Tucker Carlson and explains why Masoud Pezeshkian’s “election” is pure theater for an illegitimate theocracy. Sabti then joins to dissect Israel’s recent war on the Islamic Republic: Did the IDF hit hard enough, or did the West stop short of real regime change?

Along the way, Emily breaks down the week’s headlines:
Iran’s post-war terror at home: two young men shot dead, 20,000 security defections and the regime’s Mossad scapegoating.

Gaza cease-fire reality check: hostages, Qatari mediation and Hamas shelling an American aid site.

Iran recruiting inside Israel: Shin Bet foils spies groomed online to gather IDF intel.

Global spotlight: UK bans extremist group “Palestine Action,” Melbourne synagogue fire-bombing and New York politician Zohran Mamdani’s latest anti-Semitic TikTok stunt.

Packed with insider analysis, cybersecurity warnings and hard data on Iran’s worldwide influence network, this episode sets the tone for a series that “doesn’t play nice with tyrants.”

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Axis of Truth
01:41 Tucker Carlson and Iranian Regime Propaganda
04:11 Iran's Crackdown and Internal Dissent
06:56 Gaza Ceasefire and Hamas Tactics
08:20 Recruitment of Israeli Citizens by Iran
09:56 Interview with Benny Sabti on Iranian Ideology
14:38 Countering Iranian Propaganda and Espionage
16:29 Perspectives of Iranians on the Current Conflict
18:17 Global Events and Anti-Semitism




MP uses ‘gas chambers’ slur as he criticises Israeli plan to ‘concentrate’ Gazans in Rafah
The independent MP Adnan Hussain has drawn criticism after referencing “gas chambers” as he shared a newspaper report on Israel’s defence minister calling for the IDF to “concentrate” the population of Gaza in an area of Rafah.

Highlighting the word “Concentrate” the Blackburn MP wrote on X: “We’re on the concentration camp stage. Gas chambers next? Don’t let it make you angry though, that would be an extreme reaction.”

In a statement the Holocaust Educational Trust responded to his post saying:”It is shocking to see these comments from a Member of Parliament. It is disgraceful to use the Holocaust as a stick to beat the world’s only Jewish state.

“Whatever one thinks of what is happening on Gaza, raising the spectre of gas chambers which were used for the industrialised murder of millions of Jewish people as the Nazis tried to wipe out an entire race is a grotesque distortion of the Holocaust and deeply offensive to survivors, their families, and the memory of the six million Jewish men, women and children murdered in the Holocaust.”

The Jewish Leadership Council added:”Mr Hussain knows exactly what he is doing. This post is an absurd attempt to invert the Holocaust to attack the Jewish State. This isn’t just wrong, it perpetuates the antisemitism which is rising in this country.”
Proscribe the IDF instead of Palestine Action, says Scottish politician
AN SNP politician has called for the IDF to be proscribed by the government alongside the likes of Al Qaeda instead of the Palestine Action group.

A Holyrood motion proposed by Scottish Parliament backbencher James Dornan and supported by two former nationalist ministers claimed Palestine Action is a “non-violent campaigning organisation”.

It accused the the UK government of being “terrified to show anything but utter compliance and subservience to the Israeli government”.

It urged Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, to “proscribe only those organisations [that] really do, or did, cause a threat to life, such as the Israel Defence Forces”.

The proposal was endorsed by five other SNP MSPs, including Paul McLennan, who until last month was housing minister in John Swinney’s government.

The Board of Deputies chief executive Michael Wegier branded Dornan’s motion “ludicrous”, saying the IDF was defending Israel against clear threats.

“If the IDF did not exist, Israel would cease to exist,” Wegier added.

“Had the IDF not existed since Israel was created in 1948, there would be no Israel. So the only implication of this motion is that it is calling for the dissolution of the state of Israel, which is clearly antisemitic.

“We, as Jews, are not horrified by the idea that people might criticise the Israeli government, but there is a distinction between that and calling for Israel’s dissolution — and the proscribing of the IDF would be exactly that, if it was seen through to its logical conclusion.”
Councillor backing Brent twinning with Nablus accuses opponents of ‘racism and lies’
A Labour councillor who spearheaded Brent Council’s move to twin itself with the West Bank city of Nablus has accused opponents of the controversial proposal of resorting to “racism and lies.”

Ihtesham Afzal, chair of Brent’s Labour group and the driving force behind the campaign for the partnership, told a meeting of the north-west Lonson council:”They’ve tried it all, lies, misinformation, deceit, racism and fear-mongering.

“The people who are trying to derail and delay this twinning, this democratically mandated decision… they’ve tried it all.”

Afzal then made reference to comments made by Conservative deputy group leader Michael Maurice at the last council meeting, where he appeared to suggest Nablus was led by Hamas.

Afzal said this was an “outright untruth, a lie” and noted the councillor had not repeated the claim at Monday’s meeting.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign activist then raised concerns about the petition opposing the twinning arrangement, which has been led by Reform UK activist Ian Collier.

It is alleged that the names of Muslim councillors, including Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt appeared on the petition without them supporting it. Afzal said that the inclusion of these names among 2,200 other signatures should invalidate the petition.


Germany and Italy threaten to boycott Eurovision if Israel is kicked out
Germany and Italy’s national broadcasters have apparently told the European Broadcast Union (EBU) that they will withdraw from Eurovision if Israel’s broadcaster, Kan, is excluded without clear legal grounds.

Israel’s participation in the contest is the subject of a long-running row, which has intensified since the beginning of the Gaza War.

While Germany and Italy have reportedly come out in defence of Israel – alongside Switzerland and Austria, who have previously stated their support – Spain, Iceland and Slovenia have been pushing for the Jewish State’s removal.

It’s also believed that should the matter come to a vote, Greece, Azerbaijan, and Cyprus will defend Israel’s right to take part.

In May, Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, weighed into the argument, saying: "Nobody was up in arms when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began three years ago and [Russia] had to leave international competitions and could not take part, as we have just seen, in Eurovision.

"Therefore Israel shouldn't either, because what we cannot allow is double standards in culture."

Explaining why Israel are included in the competition despite not being part of Europe, the EBU says on its website: “The Eurovision Song Contest is open to all members of the European Broadcasting Union which represents broadcasters from right across Europe and the Middle East.

“The Israeli public service broadcaster has been a member of the EBU since 1957 and has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest for 50 years.”


Council clashes with Ecotricity over Palestine flag
UPDATE: In a statement to Punchline, the Green Party stressed it had no option but to police planning regulations as required by legislation – but that the leading group of councillors at Ebley Mill supports Ecotricity's move.

It added: "The Council had received public complaints about the Ecotricity flag, so SDC officers were obliged to take advice on the matter. This confirmed that the Palestinian flag is not listed among those with automatic or deemed consent, because Palestine is not a state recognised by the UK Government (unlike in 147 of 193 UN Member States). As a result, the Council has had to invite Ecotricity to submit a planning application for the flag on its building.

"Unfortunately, this disappointing outcome is not a matter where political leadership can intervene: councillors, even those who are part of a council's administration, have no influence over this aspect of planning policy – rightly so, as politics should be kept out of such planning decisions.

"Regardless of the action SDC is required to take as Local Planning Authority under national legislation, the Green group of councillors and the rest of Stroud District Green Party support Ecotricity in the decision to display the Palestinian flag on their building.

"The Ecotricity flag is a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian people, and a protest against the violations of international law and the catastrophic violence being inflicted on them by the Israeli government. We join with Ecotricity in calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza and we share their support for all civilians caught up in the conflict. We will be writing to Dale Vince to express this support."

The statement added: "The Greens believe that this situation highlights the pressing need for the UK government to formally recognise the State of Palestine."

Recognising Palestine is a vital step towards justice, equality and a sustainable peace, they said.

"It demonstrates a commitment to international law and a balanced approach to the region."




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