An Allegedly Civilized World Genuflects to Hamas
Suppose we had an incident like what Israel suffered on Oct. 7, 2023. The equivalent of 1,200 murdered in Israel is over 44,000 Americans.Please define, Western leaders, this Palestinian state
Suppose they, like what Israel suffered through, were not just murdered but violently raped and sexually mutilated.
Would we negotiate with these creatures? Would their demands touch sympathetic chords among our population?
Could we even imagine granting them sovereignty next to us, knowing their great dream is that we are eliminated?
The Israelis would have to be crazy to concede autonomy to a Palestinian state with a history of terror.
There are some 50 majority-Muslim countries in the world. There is one Jewish state.
No solution will be reached if those who pretend to represent the civilized world give credibility to depraved murderers.
Watching France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia announce plans to recognize a Palestinian state is maddening. While 50 Israeli hostages, some alive and some dead, remain trapped in Hamas tunnels in the de facto Palestinian state of Gaza, these Western governments are sending a message: They are not with us.Western Recognition of a Palestinian State Is a Betrayal of Israel
They don’t seem to care about the hostages. They seem unmoved by footage of an emaciated Evyatar David, an innocent 21-year-old Israeli forced to dig his own grave in a tunnel in the coastal enclave. They ignore the truth that Israel’s war against Hamas is not about land, borders or statehood. These Western leaders are not bothered that the Houthis, from thousands of miles away, continue to fire rockets into Israeli land, despite having no territorial dispute with the Jewish state.
They must know that if the dispute between the Arab world and Israel were simply about borders, then it would have been resolved long ago.
Can French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese articulate where the so-called Palestinian state they want to recognize exists? Can they identify who governs it or where its borders are? These questions remain unanswered, but the mainstream media will not press world leaders on any of this. Why
Because much of the mainstream media agrees with these Western leaders and the more than 140 other nations that, CNN says, have or will recognize Palestinian statehood. Yet such recognition does not advance peace. Instead, it is a political slap in the face to Israel and the Jewish people in their home countries.
Many dismiss these recognitions as legally meaningless—a hollow gesture with no real-world impact—and so they don’t matter.
But they do. Not in the sense of changing facts on the ground but in continuing to shift the global climate against the Jewish state. These proclamations embolden our enemies and further isolate Israel diplomatically. And it serves as tacit support for the wave of antisemitism flooding the streets of their cities.
On July 30, Robert Malley and Hussein Agha, known for their pro-Palestinian positions, published an op-ed in the UK's Guardian warning that Britain and France's recognition of a Palestinian state would actually undermine efforts to end the Gaza war. "This step is completely detached from reality and contradicts its own stated goals. It will do nothing to bring the sides closer to a two-state solution."Robert Satloff: The Twisted Logic behind Recognition of Palestinian Statehood
Israeli officials said the move amounts to giving a gift to terrorism. A terrorist organization that has effectively become an army, attacking Israel with a level of barbarism unseen since the Holocaust, is now being rewarded. Israel views the recognition moves not merely as betrayal but as active support by Western governments for Hamas and its Oct. 7 massacre. These Western governments have lowered Hamas's motivation to agree to a ceasefire or a hostage-release deal.
The fact remains that the Palestinians have no functioning governing or state infrastructure worthy of recognition. When they have been granted territory and the opportunity to govern, the entity created has descended into violent barbarism. Hamas's brutal aggression is directed not only at Israel but also at the civilians of Gaza, a level of exploitation of one's own population that experts say has no precedent in history.
France, Britain, and Canada have announced their intention to extend full diplomatic recognition to the "state of Palestine" at the UN General Assembly next month. Recognition of Palestinian statehood may address some domestic political needs in Europe and Canada but it will do nothing to assuage the concerns of the constituency that matters most - Israel's voting public - which fears the dangers to its safety that might accompany Palestinian statehood, rejects the idea by a large majority, and has elected successive governments that reflect that view.
It is difficult to see the mechanism by which even near-global recognition of Palestinian statehood translates that concept into fact. The unalterable reality that has governed diplomacy since 1967 is that Israel needs to be convinced that its security will be enhanced, not threatened, by territorial withdrawal and the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state.
This requires winning over Israel's increasingly skeptical public, a fact that countries who choose the easy symbolism of recognizing a Palestinian state seem to ignore. The deeper reality is that the second intifada and two decades of diplomatic stalemate followed by the trauma of Oct. 7 have turned the vast Israeli center against the two-state solution.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Speech at US Independence Day Reception Hosted by Newsmax
From Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Address to the US Independence Day Reception Hosted by @NewsmaxTV :
“Thank you, Chris, and thank you, Newsmax, for helping us on the eighth front war. Seven fronts against Iran and its proxies, the eighth front—the battle for truth. And Newsmax, you have let the truth circle the globe against the lies that have circled it before and continue to do so. There's only one way to beat the lies, and that's with the truth. Thank you for standing up with Israel. Thank you for standing up with the truth."
Watch Prime Minister Netanyahu’s interview with Newsmax pic.twitter.com/BY1FPkAJdG
— Eye On Antisemitism (@AntisemitismEye) August 14, 2025
PM Netanyahu:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 14, 2025
"I want to talk to you about appeasement then and appeasement now. Before World War 2, the western countries tried to appease Hitler. He said, " Just give me a piece of Czechoslovakia and I'll make peace with you," and they cowed, and they bowed, and they yielded. pic.twitter.com/F27fiLpXof
🔴This outstanding US admin is the most pro-Israel admin in the history of the state of Israel. Thank you, @POTUS, and thank you @SecRubio https://t.co/nbIKPs2CkA
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) August 14, 2025
You are naive and incompetent and stupid.
— David Collier (@mishtal) August 14, 2025
You side with the Jihadists and alienate a democratic ally.
You thought you'd play a big man with your threat of recognition. The only thing now happening is that your international impotence is being exposed.https://t.co/1BdwjRSF3p
Mossad chief meets Qatari leader in Doha as Israel shuts door on partial hostage deal
Mossad Director David Barnea was in Doha on Thursday to meet with the Qatari prime minister, in a visit Israeli officials attempted to play down as unrelated to efforts to revive ceasefire and hostage deal negotiations.
Barnea’s visit was organized against the backdrop of Israel’s increasingly vocal opposition to pursuing another partial hostage deal, even as security officials have warned that reaching a comprehensive agreement is highly unlikely at this time.
While two Israeli officials had told Reuters that the purpose of Barnea’s meeting with Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani was to restart the hostage deal and ceasefire negotiations, another Israeli official was quick to shoot down that idea.
Instead, the senior official said, Barnea was in Qatar “on matters related to the Mossad, and not regarding the negotiations for a hostage deal.”
“Still, the head of the Mossad clarified in the meeting that a partial deal is off the table,” the official said.
No country in the world is going to engage Netanyahu and the Israeli government on plans to permanently displace Gazans and push them out under the guise of voluntary migration. While most Gazans would welcome an opportunity to leave the coastal enclave in pursuit of safety and a… https://t.co/byWxGsme2i
— Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib (@afalkhatib) August 14, 2025
Egypt to start training 5,000 Palestinian officers for postwar Gaza
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Wednesday that lists had been finalised for about 5,000 Palestinian officers to begin training in the country to help fill the security vacuum in a postwar Gaza Strip.Andrew Fox: Gaza's Food Crisis Is Due to Failed Distribution, Not Lack of Supply
Mr Abdelatty told local broadcaster DMC TV that Egypt was working with Jordan to prepare Palestinian police to manage and administer the war-ravaged enclave after Israel's war.
Cairo will host an international conference for Gaza’s reconstruction, during which Egypt’s vision for administering the strip will be announced, he said. Postwar civilian transitional rule may last up to a year, says Gaza's proposed governor
Despite no major breakthrough in ceasefire talks, there has been increasing speculation on postwar Gaza, with different plans and names circulated in Arab and Israeli media.
Mr Abdelatty said an agreement had been reached on 15 prominent figures from Gaza to administer the enclave in the first six months. The Palestinian Authority was the only legitimate body to do so, he added.
The broader plan for Gaza, adopted by the Arab League during a summit in Cairo in March, is for Hamas to step aside and a technocratic committee to take over for six months.
Gaza's humanitarian crisis has become a focal point of international debate and widespread misinformation. Distinguishing fact from fiction is crucial to understanding Gaza's aid crisis and holding the correct parties accountable.Apparently, Some Much Bigger Famines Just Aren’t as Newsworthy as Gaza Is
We do know that Gaza's two million residents have faced severe shortages of food, water, and medicine since the war began. We also know that by early summer, millions of tons of aid had entered Gaza, and that the U.S. and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation delivered over 100 million meals within two months. What we do not know with certainty is how much aid has actually reached Gaza's most vulnerable citizens, or how many people have truly died from starvation rather than other causes.
The sheer volume of aid sent into Gaza should have prevented mass starvation. From November 2024 onwards, daily convoys carried enough food to meet the population's basic needs, and warehouses in Gaza filled up during ceasefires.
However, supply is not the same as access, and much of this aid did not reach those who needed it most. The final stage of distribution broke down, particularly for families without ties to powerful factions of influential clans or militant groups. In short, Gaza's crisis was one of distribution failure rather than a lack of food.
Most notably, Hamas authorities in Gaza actively undermined the distribution process. From the war's outset, Hamas openly refused any responsibility for civilian well-being. Hamas built tunnels to protect its fighters but not bomb shelters to protect Gaza's citizens. Moreover, maintaining a degree of civilian deprivation has served Hamas's interests, both financially and as propaganda.
These troubling realities challenge the simple story that Israel's blockade alone caused starvation in Gaza. Sensational claims of imminent famine spread faster than the more straightforward truth that aid is available but not always reaching people.
If the actions of the Israeli government — a so-called “genocide,” we’re told, over and over again — warrant front-page coverage in the New York Times and elsewhere, day after day, shouldn’t we pause and pay at least a little attention to the fact that officials on Russian state television are openly calling for the complete elimination of the Ukrainian state?A Brown Study Says Gaza is the Deadliest War Ever for Journalists. It’s a Lie.
Nah? Just not a big deal?
Israel does not bring a light touch to armed conflict. And Israeli society is not awash in sympathy for the Palestinians.
The New York Times editorial board denounced the Trump administration and Israel’s joint creation of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, lamenting that the foundation “has operated only four distribution centers for Gaza’s entire population, compared with more than 400 that the United Nations and other aid groups previously operated.”
We can argue about whether the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is doing a good enough job; from all available evidence, it isn’t. But if you’re trying to commit genocide against a people, you don’t set up any food distribution centers, not four of them. You don’t “urge people to evacuate areas before ‘military operations that will escalate and intensify.” You don’t facilitate the airdrop of 131 tons of food aid to the targeted population in one day, or 675 humanitarian aid packages in a nine-day period.
If Bibi Netanyahu really is trying to wipe out every last Palestinian, this is the most incompetent genocide ever.
It is true that Israel is responsible in part for the killing of 15-year-old Muhannad Zakaria Eid on August 9. He was crushed by an airdropped pallet of food landing on him.
And oh, by the way, if Hamas would release the remaining hostages, we could go a lot further in calming down the conflict. But it’s as if everyone long ago recognized that Hamas is not a good-faith negotiator, is not interested in peace, and is not interested in anything other than the extermination of the Israeli people. (You know, genocide.)
All responsibility for the safety of everyone in the conflict is placed on the backs of the Israelis; no one ever seems to expect any Palestinian leaders to do anything to ameliorate the situation.
Another glaring omission in Turse’s accounting of WWII journalist deaths is the complete exclusion of Jewish journalists serving Europe’s pre-war Jewish population of more than 9 million. The Yiddish and Jewish press was vast and vibrant before the war. In Poland alone , there were 130 daily newspapers and magazines in Yiddish, 28 in Polish, and around 20 in Hebrew. Across Europe, there were thousands of Jewish journalists, many of whom were killed during the Holocaust. There were no doubt thousands of Jewish journalists in pre-war Europe, many of who were killed. A search for journalists killed in the Holocaust in the Yad Vashem database shows 1,425 persons (see search results below). Omitting this segment of the press, despite its massive pre-war presence, erases an entire population of journalists from history, conveniently avoiding numbers that would dwarf Gaza’s toll.Gaza Journalist Identified as Hamas Terrorist Won a Pulitzer; Reuters Can’t See the Problem
Critics may argue that many or even the large majority of these Jewish journalists were not killed while actively working as journalists, yet in most cases the historical record provides too little detail to determine who died in the line of duty and who did not. But the same uncertainty applies to Gaza as well. CPJ’s own records show that many of the journalists it counts were killed in their private homes , not while working. In fact, a review of the first 18 Gaza journalist fatalities listed by CPJ reveals that only 10 were considered to have been on journalistic duty at the time of their deaths. (I did not check all 184 names).
Beyond distorting, omitting, and manipulating fatality data, Turse ignores the most critical fact about the Gaza journalist figures: a significant number of the claimed journalists were confirmed Hamas or PIJ operatives, meaning they were legal combatants. Hamas, as a terrorist organization, deliberately erases the distinction between civilian and combatant—not wearing uniforms, operating from civilian areas, and embedding fighters in other roles. Documented evidence shows that many dozens of the individuals labeled as journalists also served as combatants, with many photographed in military gear and eulogized as military fighters. A particularly egregious example is the so-called cameraman for Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, Abdullah Darwish. Photographic and other evidence (see below) shows that he was a combatant who participated in the 10/7 attack.
While detractors may attempt to dispute or downplay this evidence, it is impossible to credibly dismiss it entirely. Another undisputed example is Abdallah Aljamal , a so-called journalist who held Israeli hostages in his home. CPJ’s database itself relies heavily on Palestinian media sources for both identification and cause of death, with little independent investigation and no apparent analysis by either CPJ or Turse into combatant status of those killed. While CPJ’s methodology is generally respected for its consistency and transparency, its nearly exclusive reliance on local sources without rigorous verification leaves the Gaza dataset especially vulnerable to inflated or misclassified fatalities.
Turse’s conclusion was set before he began: declare Gaza the deadliest war for journalists in history, no matter the evidence. He omits Syria’s 717 journalist deaths. He omits Iraq’s higher toll. He inflates Gaza’s count with Qatari Al Jazeera numbers while ignoring CPJ’s much lower total. He repeats an Allied-only WWII figure that erases thousands of foreign journalists, including the Jewish press. He ignores clear evidence that many Gaza fatalities were active Hamas or PIJ operatives. This is not research, but political advocacy dressed up as scholarship. Somehow, Brown University found it worthy of publication.
While shame is most associated with being exposed for lies, Reuters wears theirs like a badge of honor.
After Israel exposed this week that Gaza journalist Anas al-Sharif was a Hamas terrorist, the news agency dismissed the evidence and stated that the Al Jazeera reporter previously won a team Pulitzer prize for Reuters.
It failed to mention — or perhaps even realize — the full implications of that revelation: almost the entire Reuters Gaza team that won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for coverage of the Israel-Hamas war has now been compromised. The other three winners either infiltrated Israel during the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack or received awards from the terror group.
Pulitzer as a Cover for Terrorism
Almost all foreign media outlets decried the death of Anas al-Sharif in an IDF strike on Monday (August 11), while doubting or omitting hard evidence presented by the IDF proving that he was a commander of a terrorist cell in a Hamas guided rockets platoon.
The IDF presented an internal Hamas document where al-Sharif was registered as a soldier and team commander, as well as a photo showing him embraced by former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 attack against Israel.
No media outlet presented these documents. But Reuters went further than that.
Its lengthy article-turned-eulogy begins with a declaration that “Al Jazeera says he [al-Sharif] was one of Gaza’s bravest journalists,” automatically adopting the narrative of the Qatari-funded propaganda network that supports Hamas.
Israel’s claims were presented much further down the article as baseless accusations.
Then comes the following paragraph as if to prove that whoever wins a Pulitzer cannot possibly be a terrorist:
Al Sharif was previously part of a Reuters team which in 2024 won a Pulitzer Prize in the category of Breaking News Photography for coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
Clearly, Reuters has no problem acknowledging its own links with al-Sharif, despite the revelations about his connections to terror.
This disclosure is in keeping with Reuters’ wilful blindness when it comes to acknowledging the terror links of some of its employees, as well as the Pulitzer establishment, which has ignored our exposure that this year’s winner for the New Yorker excused the abduction of Israelis by Hamas.
⚠️Trigger Warning - GRAPHIC CONTENT⚠️
— Embassy of Israel to the USA (@IsraelinUSA) August 14, 2025
You don’t get to sanitize this.
The Foreign Press Association representative dares call Hamas “political” - does this look like the actions of a 'political organization'?
Call it what it is: a brutal terrorist organization, that carried… pic.twitter.com/xQq2jm68Es
Writing in @guardian, CPJ's @jodieginsberg gets the laws of war mixed up: a terrorist wearing a press vest is not a civilian. pic.twitter.com/AuyNF4B1gb
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 14, 2025
✅ In response to our complaint, @AP removed the offending sentence that falsely claimed Israel had produced no evidence to show al-Sharif was a Hamas terrorist.
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 14, 2025
❌ But AP now states it "could not authenticate the documents, and the circumstances around the photos were unclear." https://t.co/pdLm1drbik
What a despicable headline from @abcnews Australia.
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 14, 2025
The audacity to question what it calls the IDF's "trust us approach" to supplying information, while unquestioningly parrotting Hamas propaganda.
If you don't trust Israel, why do you trust a terrorist organization? pic.twitter.com/yY0vsDOQWh
From both land and sky - Israel is facilitating unprecedented aid into Gaza: a growing number of trucks loaded with aid is entering daily, while over 1,000 packages have been airdropped - and the numbers keep rising. pic.twitter.com/Qwc7SShZpz
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) August 14, 2025
Humanitarian Efforts for Aug. 13:
— COGAT (@cogatonline) August 14, 2025
🚛📦Aid entry: Close to 380 trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings.
🛻📦Aid collection: Over 400 trucks were collected and distributed by the UN and international organizations.
⛽️Fuel: Tankers of UN fuel entered for… pic.twitter.com/9Poym0BLGT
Water is available from Israeli pipelines, water pumping facilities, and desalination plants.
— COGAT (@cogatonline) August 14, 2025
Israel also actively facilitated the connection of an electricity line to the desalination plant, and approved the UAE' initiative to connect a new water line from Egypt.
UNRWA is just… https://t.co/FadXcOT6LF
Palestinian aid-truck drivers found to be terrorist operatives
Several Palestinian aid-truck drivers—with permission to enter Israel—have been arrested in recent weeks on suspicion of belonging to terrorist groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Israel’s Army Radio reported on Thursday.
All aid drivers undergo a security review before being approved to enter Israel. However, according to Galei Tzahal correspondent Doron Kadosh, Israel’s defense establishment has recently discovered that a few of the cleared drivers have terrorist backgrounds.
One truck driver apprehended in the Kerem Shalom Crossing area is suspected to be the father of a terrorist who abducted Israelis during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, according to the report.
Another truck driver, arrested in the same area, turned out to be a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine released in one of the ceasefires in the current war, the report added. The suspect, who was not cleared to enter the Kerem Shalom area, told Israeli troops he had “gotten lost.”
A third aid truck driver was later identified as a Hamas operative, according to the report.
More than 100 international organizations allege in a joint statement that Israel is blocking most of them from bringing aid into Gaza, leaving millions of dollars’ worth of assistance sitting in warehouses outside the Strip.
— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) August 14, 2025
The facts, according to COGAT: the organizations are… pic.twitter.com/8RZRB1LRm3
Even with 10am-8pm humanitarian pause in Gaza fighting the UN is still delivering less than 9% of food it trucks in. The rest is stolen or looted. Disgraceful! Will Europe leaders stop dissing Israel and hold UN accountable? pic.twitter.com/OltstbTIL6
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) August 14, 2025
Gazans grabbing aid off trucks.
— Imshin (@imshin) August 14, 2025
Timestamp: 4 days ago
As far as I can see, based on social media, there is still no orderly distribution via UN agencies. The only way to access aid - besides the @GHFUpdates centers - is to grab it off the trucks or buy it in the markets for… pic.twitter.com/m6TtThGCAx
'You're saying we should trust you over MSF?' | Stig Abell challenges GHF over Gaza aid crisis
“They're saying they can't get it in through the border because of Israel.”
“Yeah, that’s false.”
GHF spokesman Chapin Fay claims UN aid is “in Gaza,” and disruptions to delivery are “not a question of access.”
"In the past, I'd not find this. Now we come here to collect and leave.
— Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (@GHFUpdates) August 14, 2025
"The workers here are helpful, the security too serve us well."
— A Gazan woman expresses her gratitude for GHF's work providing free and secure meals directly to her and her community. https://t.co/ACx1YSZh6o
Call Me Back: Israel's Withdrawal from Gaza, 20 Years Later (Part 1) - with Asi Shariv and Amit Segal
On Friday, August 15th, Israel marks the 20th anniversary of its 2005 disengagement from Gaza, a watershed moment in Israeli history. It’s the date when, 20 years ago, the IDF began executing the Knesset’s decision to unilaterally withdraw from all Jewish settlements in the Gaza strip, uprooting the 8,000 Israelis living there.
The plan was spearheaded by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who was head of the right-wing Likud party and had been a lifelong supporter of expanding settlements. Sharon ultimately got his government, including the future Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to support the withdrawal.
On today’s episode, we discuss the Gaza withdrawal and its implications with Ark Media contributor Amit Segal and Asi Shariv, who served as senior advisor to Prime Minister Sharon during those dramatic days.
Uefa accused of promoting Jewish ‘blood libel’ with ‘Stop Killing Children’ banner
Uefa previously announced that one of the children involved in the medal ceremony would be a 12-year-old girl called Tala, who it described as “a young Palestinian girl with fragile health who was transferred to Milan to receive appropriate medical care, as the adequate equipment was lacking in Gaza after the start of the war”.Flouting its own rules, UEFA displays ‘stop killing children’ banner at key match
The other child in the ceremony was Mohamed, a nine-year-old who lost his parents in the war following an airstrike in Gaza.
Under its own rules, Uefa states that political messages cannot be promoted in stadiums before, during or after matches. It had children from conflict zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Palestine and Ukraine involved in the opening ceremony and did not name a specific war with its banner.
Last week, Uefa paid tribute to Obeid, known as the ‘Palestinian Pelé’, who the Palestinian Football Association said was killed when Israeli forces opened fire on civilians waiting for humanitarian aid.
The tribute read: “Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the ‘Palestinian Pelé’. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.”
Egypt captain Salah quoted the tribute in his own post on X, adding: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?”
A former player of the Khadamat Al-Shati club in Gaza, Obeid played in 24 internationals for Palestine.
Ahead of the UEFA Super Cup final played Wednesday night, the top governing body in European soccer displayed a banner reading “Stop killing children – Stop killing civilians” across the pitch, a statement understood to be condemning Israel.
The Union of European Football Associations declined to call out Israel by name, posting on X, “From the UEFA Super Cup in Udine, the message is loud and clear.”
The banner was displayed as players lined up before the game at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy, between Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain. The Super Cup is the annual early-season match between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League, watched by millions around the globe.
UEFA rules prohibit political, ideological and religious messages to be displayed in stadiums before, during, or after matches. The organization did not make any statement following the October 7, 2023, massacre in which Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,200 people and kidnapped 251.
Israel’s Channel 12 news reported Thursday that Israel was aware of the plan to display the banner at the game, and was working behind the scenes to try to block it. In the end, a compromise was reached to display the banner without calling out Israel by name.
The move came after UEFA was criticized this week for a tribute to the late Suleiman Al-Obeid, known as the “Palestinian Pele.”
Have you heard about the death of the "Palestinian Pele"? pic.twitter.com/Co89IbmOtU
— יוסף חדאד - Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) August 11, 2025
It was Hezbollah’s rocketing of Druze children playing soccer on July 27 last year that gave Israel the casus belli to ratchet up pressure on the group, culminating in the assassination of Fuad Shukr as he visited his mistress.
— Saul Sadka (@Saul_Sadka) August 14, 2025
That, in turn, dragged Hezbollah onto an escalation… https://t.co/pUgMQUJHYI pic.twitter.com/F5QDiLvFi8
'It just goes to show how brainwashed the West has become to support the cause of jihadism'
— GB News (@GBNEWS) August 14, 2025
Jake Wallis Simons discusses the controversial display of a pro-Palestine banner on the pitch before the Super Cup final. pic.twitter.com/vkVcQM3ed9
British-Israeli Hamas captivity survivor Emily Damari delivers a powerful message condemning the Union of European Football Associations for their lack of moral clarity and failure to call for the release of Israeli hostages, with 50 still held in Gaza for over 670 days. 🎗️ pic.twitter.com/CofHNKsnBp
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) August 14, 2025
.@UEFA’s hypocrisy: Preventing Beitar fans from bringing a sign calling for the release of hostage Rom Braslavski into the stadium in Bucharest where they will play against Riga.
— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) August 14, 2025
But UEFA is more than happy to place banners on the field saying “Stop Killing Civilians” pic.twitter.com/zKnF4iSmnl
During yesterday’s Super Cup football match between Tractor and Taj at Naghsh-e Jahan Stadium in Isfahan, the crowd repeatedly chanted live on air the slogan: “Shove the Palestinian flag up your arse.”
— Niyak Ghorbani (نیاک) (@GhorbaniiNiyak) August 13, 2025
This slogan was first chanted by Persepolis fans at Aryamehr Stadium in… pic.twitter.com/MJYw2THC7x
Douglas Murray: Why proscribing Palestine Action doesn't violate free speech
“America…has probably the freest speech laws in the world…there’s no world in which attacking US military bases would be regarded as a mere expression of opinion.”
Douglas Murray explains why he thinks proscribing Palestine Action doesn’t violate free speech.
Here’s what Western Leaders SHOULD be doing to help…
— Erin Molan (@Erin_Molan) August 14, 2025
Thank you for having me @N12News 🙏 pic.twitter.com/sRkNNwK8GW
Is Israel starving Gaza? That’s what the aid organisations — and Hamas — want you to think.
— Jake Wallis Simons (@JakeWSimons) August 14, 2025
Me on @AlArabiya_Eng pic.twitter.com/hAMFFMvaoU
After harassing the UN official Nerdeen claimed “everyone in the restaurant stared at me pushing my two-month-old in a stroller.” pic.twitter.com/J6J0oH6fYd
— Canary Mission (@canarymission) August 14, 2025
Praise from Hamas co-founder is bad. Palestinian Authority is also a flaw of recognition
This problem will now be exacerbated because Palestinians will associate October 7 and Hamas with recognition of a Palestinian state.More Hamas officials welcome Albanese’s recognition move, as PM warns against propaganda
Further, from Abbas on down, the PA is behind much of the anti-Israel incitement and indoctrination of Palestinian society, not only via official speeches and media organs, but through the school textbooks it produces, which are used in both its own and in UNRWA classrooms.
Even if the PA wanted to do so, and it does not, an about-face against anti-Israel incitement would only further delegitimise it in Palestinian eyes.
It’s also unclear whether the PA’s so-called “pay-for-slay” program – which incentivises terrorism against Israelis by paying the families of wounded, killed or imprisoned attackers based on the outcomes of the attacks – has been genuinely reformed to be purely needs-based.
The Biden administration was reportedly close to forcing the PA to enact those reforms in March 2024, and Abbas officially decreed the end of the program in February 2025. There is evidence as of May that at least some payments had become needs-based.
What Israel can’t seem to accomplish with intense military pressure, the PA certainly can’t accomplish without. If the IDF itself has not yet managed to destroy Hamas’ governance or military control of Gaza after nearly two years of brutal war, the PA couldn’t possibly guarantee the organisation’s disarmament and disengagement from Palestinian politics.
It should be noted that nearly 80 per cent of Palestinian respondents oppose the disarmament of Hamas, according to the May 2025 poll.
The Palestinian Authority has long been a non-entity in Gaza. It is only relevant in the West Bank because of Israeli protection, and it’s unlikely it will survive the death of its dictatorial leader. Rather, it is more likely to implode and at least temporarily dissolve into warring factions and gangs.
To predicate recognition on impossible commitments made by this corrupt, oppressive, hated, marginal and moribund entity would discredit Australia’s position even if it were otherwise a productive contribution to peace, which it is not.
That the prime minister justified his policy change based on such commitments reflects, at best, a deep misunderstanding of the situation.
Al-Thawabta, who is based in Gaza, said in his comments originally provided to the ABC that Australia’s move to recognise a Palestinian state “reflects a growing global awareness of the necessity to end the injustice suffered by our people for decades”.
“We call on the Australian government to translate this recognition into concrete actions — by exerting diplomatic pressure to end the Israeli occupation.”
Al-Thawabta added that “while recognition has come late”, the move was “better late than never”.
Albanese on Monday confirmed that Australia would recognise a state of Palestine at the United Nations next month, following similar moves from France, the United Kingdom and Canada in an international push to revive momentum for a two-state solution.
Albanese told Channel Seven’s Sunrise earlier this week: “Hamas will be totally opposed to this decision. Hamas don’t support two states, they support one state.”
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim, said in a statement quoted by Sky News: “Any efforts from any party to help the Palestinian people to achieve their national goals of independent state and self sovereignty is very welcomed, but the core question is how to implement this and how to oblige Israel to abide international law.”
Calling for the government to go further than recognition, he said such steps needed “teeth” or the region would “continue to stay struggling in the same violent vicious circle”.
Albanese slammed over ‘appalling decision’ to recognise sovereign Palestinian state
Sky News host Sharri Markson discusses the “appalling decision” from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to recognise a Palestinian state.
“In a wave of media interviews the prime minister angrily insisted his plan was the opposite of what Hamas would want,” Ms Markson said.
“Albanese resolutely claiming Hamas would hate his decision to recognise a sovereign Palestinian state, yet that was not true at all.”
Hamas ‘very happy’ with the global support of a Palestinian state
Former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus says Hamas is “very happy” with the global push to recognise a Palestinian state.
Mr Conricus told Sky News host Sharri Markson that Palestinian recognition will be at the “core of Hamas’ campaign” if there are ever free elections.
“To dominate the Palestinian society, and I think nobody should be confused or surprised, this is what Hamas will campaign on.”
Hamas plays Albanese ‘like a puppet’ with Palestine recognition
Sky News host Chris Kenny says Hamas are playing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “like a puppet” with Palestinian state recognition.
“The Islamist terrorists of Hamas are playing our Prime Minister Anthony Albanese like a puppet after that statement yesterday from the office of Hamas co-founder Hassan Yousef, praising Albanese for recognising the non-existent state of Palestine,” Mr Kenny said.
“That was pretty terrible for Albo, because it just confirmed what so many knew.”
Anthony Albanese undermines negotiations for ceasefire by recognising Palestine
Former foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has undermined negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine by recognising Palestinian statehood.
“Hamas has welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision and applauded it and congratulated him for it,” Mr Downer told Sky News host Chris Kenny.
“He has been roundly condemned by Israel for what he’s done, including undermining the negotiations for a ceasefire, which Hamas just walked away from.
“This is a huge change in Australia’s historic position in foreign policy.”
ABC slammed for pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel ‘tosh’ at taxpayers' expense
Sky News host Chris Kenny slams the ABC for their pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel “tosh” delivered to Australia at the expense of taxpayers.
“Let me show you some of the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel tosh the ABC delivers at your expense, this is a video post made by their so-called Global Affairs Editor Laura Tingle,” Mr Kenny said.
“This clip is essentially an attempt to explain, justify and advocate for the Albanese government’s decision to recognise the non-existent Palestinian state.”
Mamdani says his Israel stance is core to ‘Trump-proofing’ NYC
A Siena Institute poll found that while Zohran Mamdani gains popularity in New York City, voters outside the Big Apple have a negative opinion of him — especially Jews.
Across the state, 75 percent of Jews reported an unfavourable opinion of Mamdani, a much greater share than 37 percent of voters overall. A similar share of overall voters, 34 percent, said they did not know of Mamdani or had no opinion, while 28 percent viewed him favourably.
Surveyed Jews did not particularly like the other candidates, either — 61 percent had a negative view of Mayor Eric Adams, 54 percent said the same of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and 38 percent said the same of Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
A narrower focus on New York City showed Mamdani leading the race by 19 points, similar to his performance in other recent polls. But this poll diverged from others that showed Mamdani also leading among Jewish voters. Instead, Siena pollsters reported 44 percent of Jewish New Yorkers said they would vote for Cuomo, followed by 23 percent for Sliwa and 20 percent for Mamdani.
The pollsters cautioned their NYC sample was small, with a 6.7 percent margin of error that increased for subgroups. They noted that “some results should be taken as anecdotal.”
Mamdani says his Israel stance is core to “Trump-proofing” NYC: In an interview with The Nation published on Tuesday, Mamdani said his stance on Israel was part of his plan to “Trump-proof” the city. He is currently making his way through a “Five Boroughs Against Trump” tour of New York, centring the president in his bid to win the general election.
Along with protecting the city from federal budget cuts and enforcing New York’s sanctuary-city policies, Mamdani said he would fight Trump’s agenda by being a voice for New Yorkers “living through despair,” whether over the cost of living or over “watching in anguish as their tax dollars are used to kill civilians in Gaza.”
Mamdani was also asked about his resistance to changing his language on issues from Israel to taxing the wealthy. “If I’ve made policy commitments, I’ve made them because I intend to keep them,” he said. “I want to be honest about them. That doesn’t stop me from continuing to learn how to be a leader for this entire city.”
Jewish street interviews on Mamdani - Respectful answers… 🙏💙 pic.twitter.com/s4gtXvjnie
— TheJewishAlly (@TheJewishAlly) August 13, 2025
Mamdani not getting the welcome he wants in Staten Island 🙃
— Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) August 14, 2025
"There's the communist. You are not welcome, you Jew-hating piece of sh*t. You hate this country." pic.twitter.com/iKcEosX9u0
Suicide bombing supporting mayor standing for NYC ? If Mamdani wins say goodbye to Manhattan https://t.co/P9b1Ls4oNV
— Eye On Antisemitism (@AntisemitismEye) August 14, 2025
SCOOP @J_Insider via @matthewkassel: "Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh’s staff defended Oct. 7, denied Israel’s right to exist"
— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) August 14, 2025
"Fateh's communications manager wrote on social media that Israel ‘must be dismantled’"https://t.co/SJrlPxoKf9
Thank you @charliekirk11 for this simple point that is so universally overlooked. https://t.co/MU18xueRfL
— David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) August 13, 2025
Wow. Why does @TuckerCarlson seem to care more about Israel than any other country on earth?
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) August 14, 2025
Since our interview, he & his show have referenced Israel 14.82 times EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Is there something particular about Israel that he really, really dislikes? https://t.co/Id1NMt8WfE
Tucker Carlson’s guest tried to spread lies in the name of us indigenous Christians in Israel.
— Shadi khalloul שאדי ח'לול (@shadikhalloul) August 14, 2025
The world must not believe her. Here’s the truth. pic.twitter.com/j0aHkv9jSr
The 2002 interview.https://t.co/ofzOSJzCyu
— JewishFury 🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@stock_hock) August 14, 2025
I got to interview the mustache queen herself, Mother Agapia on @TuckerCarlson. I’m still rock hard. pic.twitter.com/JAao4HAq2y
— Lyle Culpepper (@ShutupLyle) August 13, 2025
🧵 I joined @piersmorgan to explain why Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al Sharif was a Hamas supporter who celebrated terror attacks against civilian Jews and Israelis.
— Jotam Confino (@mrconfino) August 13, 2025
I debated Anas’ colleague from Al Jazeera, Jamal, who - surprise surprise - is also a Hamas propagandist and an… pic.twitter.com/sGGdScbUrn
I wish I would’ve gotten more time to speak in the interview instead of having to listen to Jamal’s endless lies and his refusal to answer a simple question; does he condemn Hamas.
— Jotam Confino (@mrconfino) August 13, 2025
Of course he couldn’t say so because he works for a media funded by a slave state which finances… pic.twitter.com/NZBfS23iow
I also asked @piersmorgan if he - back when he was editor of Daily Mirror - would have employed someone who openly celebrated 9/11, had close ties to Al Qaeda and was spreading their propaganda during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars?
— Jotam Confino (@mrconfino) August 13, 2025
I refuse to be put in the same category as… pic.twitter.com/rnUZczeiUa
How can a declaration be made about anything when they have not been there on the ground to pass that judgment? Those who have, including many military experts, have concluded that there is no genocide.
— 𝐀η𝐓 (@AntSpeaks) August 14, 2025
Who the hell decides on who becomes a "specialist" these days. It's all… https://t.co/lojKEwhtdZ
This is how Dave Smith talks about Russia taking Ukrainian land: ‘Deal with it, Ukraine!’
— Ash 🇦🇺 (@TheInspectorAsh) August 14, 2025
Interesting, considering he’s always crying about Israel ‘taking Palestinian land’, which we all know isn’t what’s happening. Israel is clearing out savage Hamas terrorists.
Makes you… https://t.co/qjERrOvVIZ
Ian Carroll's Secret Foreign Source Exposed pic.twitter.com/Mdws4kPpft
— Nima Yamini (@NimaYamini) August 13, 2025
Amazon vows to REMOVE all Palestine Action merchandise following JN exposé
Amazon has confirmed that it will be removing all Palestine Action merchandise from its UK site, after a Jewish News exposé revealed that a range of products supporting the terrorist organisation – including t-shirts designed for three-year-olds – were available for purchase.
Following the investigation by Jewish News, the online retail giant released a statement on Thursday morning, saying: “We require all products sold by independent third party sellers in our store to comply with all applicable laws. We are removing the products in question.”
T-shirts for children as young as three years old were being sold in support of Palestine Action, proscribed as a UK terror organisation on 5 July, following the infiltration of the UK’s largest airforce base and damage to military aircraft.
The organisation has carried out a large number of attacks since its creation in 2020; many have targeted UK locations of Israeli defence firms, but Jewish charities with Israel links have also been hit.
Online marketplace Etsy, which Jewish News discovered is also selling Palestine Action tee-shirts, together with boycott Israel stickers, has not responded to requests for comment.
The invention of AI is the best thing to ever happen to Palestinianism.
— Joo🎗️ (@JoosyJew) August 14, 2025
Fake narratives, fake visuals, fake stories.
They expect the world to believe a can of fizzy pop and a bag of crisps is bad for Palestinians, but Hamas are a great bunch of lads.
(RT’d by Mrs Corbyn III) pic.twitter.com/z7wy9UCSdG
Greta Thunberg is ready to deliver one sandwich to Gaza.
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) August 14, 2025
pic.twitter.com/5xTehDN9eu
A pro-Pal went into a Gail’s bakery yelling that it’s “Israeli-owned”. That’s a lie. It’s owned by an American investment firm. But its cofounders 30 years ago were Israelis. This is a racist movement targeting ppl for the most tenuous link to Israel. pic.twitter.com/1oLsKoBjAT
— Heidi Bachram 🎗️ (@HeidiBachram) August 14, 2025
They love putting yellow badges on kosher food to identify Jews.
— Alex Hearn (@hearnimator) August 14, 2025
This one says “contaminated” because apparently we are impure and dirty. But they aren’t racist. pic.twitter.com/eMf2ra3yzM
Pro Palis are always triggered by the brave German woman for standing against anti Israel protests in Germany! pic.twitter.com/5k3K3jn2jm
— Azat (@AzatAlsalim) August 12, 2025
"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024) PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022) |
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