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Friday, July 11, 2025

07/11 Links Pt1: How Humanitarians Help Warlords and Prolong Bloodshed; The Media’s War on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation; Murray: Hamas, Iran, and the Collapse of the Two-State Solution

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: The Media’s War on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
Last month, the Washington Post ran a sensational accusation against the Israel Defense Forces, posting on social media that Israeli troops killed over 30 people by shooting into a crowd of Palestinians lining up to get food aid.

The Post had no way to verify this before reporting it. The accusation was worded in a way that obscured that the information came from Hamas, and the wording also indicated that the Post had at least confirmed the report. In fact, what the Post had printed was literal terrorist propaganda disguised as reporting.

This came less than two weeks after a pro-Palestinian activist murdered two young people at the Capital Jewish Museum, an act of violence spurred on by nearly two years of meritless accusations of Israeli crimes.

Two days later, the paper retracted its post drawing attention to the story and admitted that it didn’t know for sure whether the IDF shot anybody. Meanwhile, Hamas continues to maim and murder Palestinians who try to collect aid.

To say the Washington Post’s behavior was unethical and grossly irresponsible is to put it far too generously. Yet rather than serve as a cautionary tale for reporters, the story was an example of the new norm of media coverage of one organization in particular: the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

GHF is the America- and Israel-backed humanitarian distribution firm that feeds Gazan civilians but doesn’t funnel its supplies through Hamas. This way, there is no secondhand market that enriches and entrenches Hamas’s rule.

The launch of the GHF should have been treated as a major step toward ending the war and prioritizing the wellbeing of Gazans over that of Hamas. Instead, the fact that GHF excluded Hamas was treated as a drawback.

Even still, the backlash against a humanitarian organization feeding Gazans was deranged—pro-Hamas NGOs and the anti-Israel media went to war against the humanitarians. The Washington Post article was one example. There would be more.

Last week, the Associated Press published a poorly sourced “investigation” into violence at GHF distribution points. It “found”—according to unverified sources—that GHF contractors were shooting at or near crowds of Palestinians approaching aid sites. The AP published this despite the fact that there was no visual evidence of the alleged abuses, even though Palestinians have been videorecording everything they can. The AP used the sound of gunfire on videos as its proof.

GHF reviewed the available footage and found that—surprise!—“at no point were civilians under fire at a GHF distribution 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. It was not directed at individuals, and no one was shot or injured.”
How Humanitarians Help Warlords and Prolong Bloodshed
As Omari suggests, the hardest part of the task now before Israel is removing Hamas from power. In order to do so, Jerusalem has taken steps to end Hamas’s control over humanitarian aid. These efforts have recently generated much controversy in the international press, within Israel, and even in the Israeli cabinet. Netta Barak-Corren and Jonathan Boxman explain how humanitarian aid became a weapon in Hamas’s arsenal in the first place—part of a phenomenon that Shany Mor calls the “constitution” of Gaza.

From Syria to Somalia, Yemen to Gaza, aid diversion is now routine—and too often enabled by the very institutions tasked with preventing it. UN agencies and the World Food Program (WFP), in particular, have tolerated systematic abuse of aid pipelines. Worse still, they have consistently downplayed or concealed the extent of the problem, even when their own internal reports document extensive diversion, fraud, and abuse.

These are not accidental lapses. They are part of a systemic pattern in which oppressive regimes, armed militias, and terrorist organizations use aid strategically—and are quietly accommodated by humanitarian organizations, rather than confronted.

This reflects a deeper contradiction in the humanitarian model itself. The principle of “humanity”—delivering aid no matter what—often overrides the principles of neutrality, independence, and impartiality. But aid is a resource like any other, and in war zones, resources mean leverage, power, and control. The more desperate the population, the more valuable the aid becomes to local power brokers.

In reality, most humanitarian operations now maintain covert accommodations with these power brokers. The question is no longer whether diversion exists, but whom it benefits. All too often, the answer is: those perpetuating the conflict.


With hostage talks stuck on dispute over IDF withdrawal, US urges moving on to other issues
No significant progress has been made in the ongoing hostage negotiations in Doha since Wednesday, an Arab diplomat and a second source familiar with the negotiations tells The Times of Israel.

While Israel agreed to ease some of its demands regarding the redeployment of its troops during the 60-day truce under discussion following US pressure, the new series of maps depicting the partial withdrawal of IDF troops was not sufficient to satisfy Hamas, the two sources say.

The new maps still envision Israel maintaining control of roughly one-third of Gaza’s territory, including a three-kilometer (1.86-mile) buffer zone in Rafah where it aims to create a controversial “humanitarian city” to which Gaza’s entire population will be herded, checked for weapons and be barred from leaving as Israel will seek to encourage their emigration outside of the Strip.

Channel 12 reports that Hamas has agreed to expand the buffer zone Israel wants to create along much of the Gaza perimeter from 700 meters to one kilometer, but Israel is still demanding that it be expanded to as much as two kilometers.

Amid the apparent stalemate on the issue, the US is urging Hamas to move on to discuss other remaining issues — something the terror group has refused to do until disagreements regarding Israel’s partial withdrawal from Gaza are solved.


Douglas Murray on Hamas, Iran, and the Collapse of the Two-State Solution
Drawing from intensive on-the-ground reporting in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon, Douglas Murray places the latest violence in its proper historical context. He takes listeners on a harrowing journey through the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, piecing together the exclusive accounts from victims, survivors, and even the terrorists responsible for the atrocities.

Douglas Murray is a bestselling author and journalist. His books include the Sunday Times number-one bestsellers The War on the West: How to Prevail in the Age of Unreason; The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity and Islam; and The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity. He has been Associate Editor and regular writer at The Spectator since 2012, and contributes to other publications, including the Wall Street Journal, The Times, the Sunday Times, the Sun, the Mail on Sunday and the New York Post. A regular guest on broadcast news channels, he has also spoken at numerous universities, parliaments, and the White House. His new book is On Democracies and Death Cults.


French-Saudi UN confab on two-state solution said rescheduled for July 28-29
An international conference meant to revive work on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been rescheduled for July 28-29 following its postponement due to the Israel-Iran war last month, diplomatic sources told AFP Friday.

The sources could not provide details on any changes to the agenda or level of attending representatives. Heads of state and government had been expected to attend the jointly French- and Saudi-chaired conference at the UN General Assembly in June.

Originally set for mid-June, the conference, set to take place at the UN headquarters in New York, was postponed on June 13 after Israel launched a surprise military campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear program, missile production and military leadership.

Iran retaliated against Israel’s strikes with deadly ballistic missile strikes that caused heavy damage to Israeli cities. The war lasted 12 days, until June 24, when it ended with a US-brokered ceasefire.

On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron called during his UK state visit for joint recognition by France and Britain of a Palestinian state, saying such moves are “the only hope for peace” in the region.

Diplomats say French recognition of Palestinian statehood could lend greater weight to a movement hitherto dominated by smaller nations generally more critical of Israel. Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starm


Lebanese president says Beirut currently seeks peace, not normalization, with Israel
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Friday that his country currently has no plans to normalize ties with Israel, but that Beirut wants peaceful relations with its southern neighbor, which maintains some troop presence in Lebanon’s south following last year’s war against Hezbollah.

Meeting in Beirut with members of an Arab think tank, Aoun called for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, and said the decision to maintain a state monopoly on arms — a veiled threat against the heavily armed Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah — was “final.”

Addressing relations with Israel, Aoun “distinguished between peace and normalization,” according to a statement by his office.

“Peace is the lack of a state of war, and this is what matters to us in Lebanon at the moment. As for the issue of normalization, it is not currently part of Lebanese foreign policy,” Aoun was quoted as saying.

Aoun’s comments were Lebanon’s first official reaction to a statement last month by Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressing interest in normalizing ties with Lebanon and Syria, which have both been in an official state of war with Israel since it was founded in 1948.

An Israeli official has said normalization with Lebanon could not proceed until Hezbollah is disarmed.

Aoun, whose election in January ended a two-year vacancy in the Lebanese presidency, has vowed to uphold a state monopoly on arms. Addressing the issue on Friday, he said “the decision to restrict arms is final and there is no turning back on it,” according to his office. A view from the IDF’s Margaliot Defender military post in southern Lebanon, on the outskirts of Markaba, April 2, 2025. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)

Aoun was also quoted praising Lebanon’s powerful parliament speaker, Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri, for his “contribution to… achieving the principle of restricting weapons.”

Hezbollah emerged weakened from the war with Israel, which ended with a November 27 ceasefire deal. Under the agreement, Hezbollah was required to vacate southern Lebanon. Israel was given 60 days to do so, to be replaced by the Lebanese army and international peacekeepers.

The IDF has since withdrawn from all but five points, which overlook the border. In his comments on Friday, Aoun said Israeli troops in Lebanon “obstruct the complete deployment of the army up to the internationally recognized borders,” according to Lebanese state broadcaster LBCI.


Soldier KIA in Gaza, bringing IDF wartime toll to 890
An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed in action in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, the military announced on Friday morning.

The slain infantry officer was named as Capt. Reei Biran, 21, a squad commander in the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, from Shorashim in the Lower Galilee.

Biran was reportedly killed when mines intended to demolish buildings used by Hamas terrorists were detonated, apparently accidentally. The IDF said the incident is under investigation.

On Wednesday, the military announced the death in Gaza of Master Sgt. (res.) Abraham Azulay, 25, a heavy engineering vehicle operator in the Southern Command, from Yitzhar in Samaria.

According to an initial IDF investigation, the incident occurred when Palestinian terrorists emerged from a tunnel and opened fire on Israeli troops in Khan Yunis. The attackers attempted to abduct Azulay, who resisted and was shot and killed during the struggle.


John Spencer: Warning Shots Are a Tactical Risk with Strategic Consequences
Arguably, no modern army is more familiar with the brutal reality of high-intensity, contested, dense urban warfare and fighting ‘small wars’ than the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In Gaza, the enemy is embedded in hundreds of miles of tunnels, inside a labyrinth of concrete and steel, narrow streets and alleys, with improvised explosives hidden in walls, rooms, and roads. They use civilians as shields and civilian infrastructure as cover. And now, as the operation has evolved, the IDF is increasingly facing situations where its forces are operating near large groups of civilians. These include humanitarian zones specifically designed to facilitate the delivery of aid directly to civilians rather than that aid having to go through Hamas. While some IDF soldiers provide perimeter security in these zones, other soldiers—often only hundreds of meters away—are forced to make decisions under fire, under pressure, and under constant global scrutiny.

Urban Combat and the IDF’s Dual Role in Gaza
The IDF has a long history of operating around civilians in Judea and Samaria, including during the First and Second Intifadas, and in southern Lebanon. In Gaza, the current Israeli approach is to isolate civilians in designated humanitarian zones while destroying Hamas in other areas. This is a strategy that attempts to separate the civilian population from enemy forces. This strategy also includes distributing aid directly to the people in four designated distribution sites. The IDF, however, does not distribute the food. Rather, they provide security, almost like police at a major sporting event, so that aid workers can ration the food.

But soldiers are not police. This has put the IDF in the difficult but necessary transition of being asked to conduct combat operations to locate and destroy Hamas in one zone while securing humanitarian centers in another.

These are not hypothetical dilemmas. They are real complexities militaries try to avoid.

The Limits of Military Roles in Humanitarian Zones
The IDF’s challenge is similar to the U.S. Army’s experience in Iraq throughout much of Operation Iraqi Freedom. A common feature of the U.S. Army’s urban missions would often shift quickly from clearing buildings and destroying enemy formations to handing out food and water, setting up checkpoints, and holding perimeters during aid delivery or medical services. All of this often occurred without the doctrine, tools, or public understanding to support the complexity of the mission.


Commentary Podcast: Slandering Bibi and Dems Who Want Blood
Today's podcast takes on the huge and outrageous New York Times piece about how Prime Minister Netanyahu has allowed the Gaza war to go on too long to help himself domestically. And we do a deep dive into the Democratic Party's troubles as it struggles with its own innate pessimism and the hunger for literal blood among the party's radical base.
Tikvah Podcast: Robert Satloff on Revitalizing Middle East Studies: A new graduate program promises to restore scholarly integrity to a debased field
October 7th exposed to everyone what many in and around the academy have known for years: American universities—not all, but many—are failing catastrophically to educate the next generation about the history, cultures, and politics of the Middle East. Instead of producing students versed in the region’s complexities, these institutions have become factories for ideological activism. And nowhere is this truer than in the case of Israel and its history: Zionism in the modern university classroom is rarely examined as a movement of national liberation but instead as a caricature of colonialism, racism, repression, and occupation. And outside of the classroom, we’ve seen the most prestigious campuses in the United States transform into nodes of anti-Israel activism and Jew hatred.

These are immense and long-standing problems. But instead of just diagnosing their sources and discussing their perils, today we’re going to talk to someone who’s actually done something about it.

Robert Satloff saw this crisis clearly. Having published back in 2001 the eminent historian Martin Kramer’s short volume on the corruption of Middle East Studies, Ivory Towers on Sand, Satloff has spent decades watching the field drift toward anti-Israel political advocacy. As the executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, he decided to stop complaining and found his own professional master’s program.

Working with Pepperdine University, the Washington Institute has established a completely new graduate program designed to train policy professionals with rigorous scholarship and historical accuracy, without anti-Israel bias. The program offers full scholarships, accepts no foreign funding, is fully accredited, and will convene its inaugural cohort in Washington, DC this fall.
travelingisrael.com: FREE PALESTINE? No Thanks! – Responding to the Toughest Comments
In many of my videos I say: “Don’t agree with me? Prove me wrong.”
Today, I respond to the toughest comments on my video “Free Palestine? No Thanks.”
Let’s see if anyone actually managed to prove me wrong.




John Cusack: Israeli, American Flags Symbolize ‘Genocide’ to Many People
Actor John Cusack (Gross Pointe Blank) lamented that Israeli and American flags symbolize “genocide” for some people.

In a post on BlueSky, Cusack said that the “Israeli and American flags are the flags of genocide” for many people now.

“I believe in justice, human rights and dignity for all people, and I oppose hatred and bigotry toward any group based on their race, religion, identity or ethnicity. States & state flags represent many things to many people — to many now Israeli and American flags are the flags of genocide,” he wrote.

Cusack has become increasingly more extreme in his rhetoric during the the Trump era and was recently accused of sharing an antisemitic Nazi meme in his criticism of Israel. Per Breitbart News:
Radical left-wing actor John Cusack has posted a message so antisemitic that it was even criticized by the denizens of the left-wing bubble social media site BlueSky. Responding to the backlash, Cusack quickly deleted it.

In the deleted Cusack post, the actor linked Biden Secretary of State Antony Blinken to convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell all while calling the latter two “Mossad agents,” according to Deadline.

The claim that Epstein and Maxwell were secretly agents of the Israeli intelligence service is an unproven claim that has become popular with the extreme right.

He also recently called Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents Nazis doing the bidding of Trump.


UKLFI: Palestine Action defies proscription
Palestine Action is continuing to raise money from its website and co-ordinate its members from a Telegram account, despite its proscription on 14 July.

It is openly soliciting cryptocurrency donations, including the use of Monero—a privacy-focused coin often used to obscure financial trails—and Bitcoin. They provide instructions for anonymous donations and even link to a downloadable PDF guide detailing how to donate to their cause undetected.

Not only does this represent ongoing defiance of the law following their proscription, but it also provides a mechanism to fund terrorist-linked activities anonymously.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has reported the organisers of Palestine Action to the counter-terrorism police for potential breaches of Section 15 (1) of the Terrorism Act 2000 regarding fundraising which states that a person commits an offence if he (a) invites another to provide money or other property, and (b) intends that it should be used, or has reasonable cause to suspect that it may be used, for the purposes of terrorism.

The organisers of Palestine Action are also likely to be breaching Section 15 (2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 which states that a person commits an offence if he (a)receives money or other property, and (b)intends that it should be used, or has reasonable cause to suspect that it may be used, for the purposes of terrorism.

Anyone donating through this mechanism is also likely to commit an offence by breaching Section 15 (3) of the Terrorism Act 2000 which says that a person commits an offence if he (a) provides money or other property, and (b) knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that it will or may be used for the purposes of terrorism.
Palestine Action protesters told to ‘go floppy’ if arrested
Activists are planning a series of protests in support of Palestine Action in which they should “go floppy” when arrested and use burner phones.

The Telegraph has seen a memo detailing plans for protests in support of the proscribed terror group over the next two weeks in cities including London, Manchester and Cardiff.

The document, called De-proscribe Palestine Action: Action Briefing Doc, advises protesters to bring a burner phone in case theirs gets seized by police, and a book to read while travelling to the protests or while in their cell if arrested.

It also tells demonstrators to consider “going floppy when arrested” because it “adds to the visual drama of the action and is a continuation of civil resistance”.

Palestine Action was made a proscribed terrorist group last month, meaning support for the group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The group’s website has also been blocked in the UK.

Protesters including the Rev Sue Parfitt, 83, were arrested at a Palestine Action demonstration in Parliament Square the day the group was outlawed. Metropolitan Police officers speaking to 83-year-old Reverend Sue Parfitt during a protest in support of Palestine Action

A memo on the forthcoming action, coordinated by the campaign group Defend Our Juries, has been leaked to The Telegraph.

It advises protesters “there’s a substantial risk of arrest, and all taking part should be prepared for that”, but that “the indications from Saturday are that the stakes for action-takers are relatively low”.

It adds: “There can be safety and support in numbers ... but nobody owns resistance to oppression and unjust laws!”

Explaining the rationale for the action, it said: “The proscription of Palestine Action as ‘terrorists’ is a serious assault on democracy and civil liberties. We’ve got to push back. It’s the actions engaging the police that really expose the absurdity of the law.”
Slovakia festival cancels Kanye gig over ‘Heil Hitler’ song
A major Slovakian music festival has canceled its upcoming event featuring Kanye West following public outrage over his latest release, a song titled “Heil Hitler.”

The Rubicon Hip Hop Festival in Bratislava, originally scheduled for July 18-20, was set to host the U.S. rapper in what would have been his only confirmed European performance of the year, AFP reported.

Festival organizers announced the cancellation late Wednesday in an Instagram statement, citing “media pressure and the withdrawal of several artists and partners” as key reasons for pulling the plug.

“This was not an easy decision,” the statement read, though it did not explicitly name West as the cause.

The decision came after widespread criticism of West’s May 8 track, released on the 80th anniversary of Germany’s defeat in World War II.

The song includes lyrics referencing West’s legal battles and ends with an excerpt of a speech by Adolf Hitler.

The release prompted sharp condemnation and renewed concerns over West’s pattern of antisemitic remarks and imagery.

A petition demanding West’s removal from the Rubicon lineup gathered thousands of signatures in the days following his appearance announcement.

Two Slovak groups behind the petition said the rapper was “repeatedly and openly adhering to symbols and ideology connected with the darkest period of modern global history.”
Anti-Israel trio Kneecap banned from advertising on TfL
Controversial Irish rap trio Kneecap has been banned from advertising its upcoming London show on the Tube network, after Transport for London (TfL) rejected a concert poster featuring a balaclava-style logo linked to Irish paramilitaries.

The decision came as the group posted a message online appearing to accuse the Israeli army of killing children. “Join the IOF, murder kids, fly to London and nothing happens – you’ll be welcomed and applauded,” they wrote on X, using the term “IOF” – a description for the Israel Defence Forces frequently used by anti-Israel campaigners.

TfL said the advert was “likely to cause widespread or serious offence to reasonable members of the public” and confirmed it would not appear across the London Underground. The rejected poster features Kneecap’s signature logo, based on balaclavas worn by Republican paramilitaries during the Troubles, alongside the words: “Kneecap. OVO Arena Wembley, London. Thursday 18 September ’25.”

In a separate post, the group accused authorities of censorship and political interference: “We’ve been banned from advertising on the London Tube. How petty can political policing and interference get… Speak out against genocide and they’ll use every single angle they can to silence you.”

TfL clarified that the decision related only to this specific advert, not a blanket ban on all Kneecap content. “All adverts submitted for display on our network are reviewed on a case-by-case basis,” said a spokesperson. “This advert was rejected as it was deemed that running it would likely cause widespread or serious offence.”


Belgian music festival urged to drop Bob Vylan
The European Jewish Association, a Brussels-based umbrella organization representing more than 650 Jewish communities, has urged the organizer of a music festival in Belgium to cancel the appearance of Bob Vylan next week following the band’s statements at the Glastonbury Festival in England.

During the performance on June 28 of Bob Vylan, a group that combines punk rock with grime rap, the duo shouted cries such as “Death, death to the IDF!” “Free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea.” Behind them, political messaging referenced the supposed genocide.

The British government has requested explanations from the festival’s organizers and the BBC, which broadcast the concert. The British media regulator Ofcom is also demanding answers from the broadcaster.

British police have launched an investigation into the set. Glastonbury quickly distanced itself from the band, while the BBC condemned its performance as hate speech. They—singer/guitarist Bobby Vylan (real name—Pascal Robinson-Foster) and drummer Bobbie Vylan (real name Pascal Robinson-Foster)—have had their visas for a gig in the United States revoked and have been dropped by their talent agency. They have also been dropped from numerous concerts across Europe.

They are, however, still on the list of performers at next week’s Rock Herk, an annual alternative music festival in Herk-de-Stad, in the Belgian province of Limburg.

In a letter to Maarten Ruelens, the festival organizer, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association stressed that “this is not about silencing criticism of Israel, this is about silencing a proud and unbowed proponent of hate speech against Jews, in a very febrile and dangerous environment for Jewish communities across Europe.

“You do not have to support Israel. You can, even if you choose to do so, support the Palestinian cause. We live in a democracy. But hate speech is entirely different. What Bob Vylan is doing is calling for murder,” Margolin wrote.




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