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Monday, August 18, 2025

08/18 Links Pt1: 10 Questions 'Genocide in Gaza' Accusers Cannot Answer; Trump: Israeli hostages to return only when Hamas is ‘destroyed’; The Palestinian Authority's Human 'Slaughterhouse'

From Ian:

Aizenberg: 10 Questions 'Genocide in Gaza' Accusers Cannot Answer
Only days after October 7, a chorus of so-called “genocide scholars,” NGOs, and activists began hurling the charge of genocide at Israel. In reality, this accusation functions as a deliberate inversion of 10/7 itself. Hamas carried out mass killings with openly genocidal intent, yet the charge has been flipped onto Israel to whitewash those crimes and blame their victim. In the months since, the charge has only accelerated, turning into a kind of groupthink repeated through recycled slogans ("Israel is targeting healthcare"), canned storylines ("intentional starvation"), and misrepresented quote snippets ("remember Amalek"). These claims are delivered with an air of authority, but they collapse under even basic scrutiny. If Israel truly had a national policy to exterminate the Palestinian people, the evidence would be overwhelming and undeniable. The ten questions that follow cut through that haze. They cannot be answered honestly without exposing the genocide accusation as false, which is precisely why the accusers never confront them directly.

1. If extermination of the Palestinian people is Israel's goal, why hasn’t it happened?
If Israel wanted to kill 100,000 or more Gazans in a single day it easily could, for example by carpet bombing the Al-Mawasi humanitarian area. You claim Israel’s leaders are pursuing a policy of extermination, directed from the highest levels of government and the IDF, against Palestinians solely for their identity. Some point to Hamas’s claim of 60,000 deaths as proof, but that only sharpens the question: if extermination of the Palestinian people were truly the goal, why stop at tens of thousands when Israel has the capacity to kill millions in days? Why, after 22 months, has no such attack ever been carried out? Do not evade by pointing out that genocide does not require mass killings; address why a state supposedly bent on extermination of the Palestinian people has not taken the obvious steps to achieve it.

2. Why are millions of Palestinians safe under full Israeli control?
Arab-Israelis, about 2 million people, are ethnically the same people as the Palestinians in Gaza and are often called Palestinian citizens of Israel. They live under full Israeli authority, yet not a single one has been exterminated. History shows that when genocidal regimes have unimpeded access to the very population they seek to destroy, that population is in immediate and mortal danger. Can you cite a single genocide where millions of the supposed victims lived safely under the perpetrator’s rule, even serving in its government and institutions? If Israel is pursuing extermination of the Palestinian people, how do you reconcile this reality?

3. Why are Palestinians in the West Bank untouched?
Three million Palestinians live in the West Bank, the same people as in Gaza. Israel could kill many thousands there in a matter of hours if extermination were truly the policy, but this has not happened in 22 months. Why would a state bent on destroying the Palestinian people leave millions unharmed while supposedly carrying out a genocide next door? If extermination of Palestinians as such were the policy, there would be no reason to differentiate by geography or governance. And do not fall back on the claim that the West Bank is different because the war is against Hamas, since your own accusation insists that the only reasonable inference from Israel’s actions in Gaza is exterminating Palestinians as such.
Khaled Abu Toameh: The Palestinian Authority's Human 'Slaughterhouse'
None of these countries... [France, Canada, Australia, the UK] has demanded that the Palestinian Authority halt its human rights violations against its own people. Ending financial and administrative corruption and excluding Hamas from governance is pointless as long as the PA continues to crack down on its political rivals and impose severe restrictions on freedom of speech.

Last month, Palestinian Authority security officer Ammar Saeed Abu Thahri reportedly died while in PA custody. It remains unclear why Abu Thahri was arrested by PA security forces in the first place.

"Most of the arrests were related to freedom of expression or participation in demonstrations in solidarity with the Gaza Strip." — Palestinian human rights group Lawyers for Justice, safa.pa, July 30, 2025.

The Palestinian Authority security officers who beat political activist Nizar Banat to death in 2021 have still not been punished. Banat, an outspoken critic of the PA leadership, was beaten to death by PA security officers in Hebron.

"We have documented hundreds of cases of arrest, torture, and ill-treatment of activists and political opponents since Nizar's killing.... Those involved in most of these crimes have not been held accountable." — Lawyers for Justice, June 24, 2025.

If France, Australia, the UK and Canada really cared about the Palestinians, they should be demanding that the PA respect public freedoms and stop its crackdown on political and human rights activists.

The last thing the Middle East needs is another Arab dictatorship run by corrupt leaders whose main goal is to batter their own people while siphoning off still more European and international aid money into their own bank accounts.
Babylon Bee: Problems In Middle East Blamed On The 0.3% Of It That Isn’t An Islamic Dictatorship
As experts and diplomats continue to search for the solution to the generations-long conflict in the region, one surprising study has concluded that problems in the Middle East should definitely be blamed on the 0.3% of it that isn't an Islamic dictatorship.

Though opinions on the conflict have been divided over the decades, a consensus was reached that all of the problems flow from the minute portion of the region that isn't ruled by bloodthirsty, murderous terrorists who want to conquer the entire world.

"It's definitely all Israel's fault," said analyst Ibrahim Hamzi of the Institute for Blaming Jews in Jordan. "We have looked closely at all of the evidence accumulated over the last century and have come to the conclusion that none of the issues that arise in the Middle East can be blamed on the multiple Islamic dictatorships that have caused oppression, rape, murder, and terrorism around the world. Yes, the West lives in fear of Islamic extremists carrying out deadly attacks on heavily populated areas, but that's not the problem. No, it's Israel. Totally Israel."

The scientific study was controversial in some circles but received support from experts in other parts of the world as well. "I concur with the findings," said Professor Mohammed al Muhamad in London. "Even here in the unbiased United Kingdom, we can confidently state that the nation of Israel is solely to blame for the problems in the Middle East. Not the other dozen countries ruled by crazy Muslims."

At publishing time, an impartial coalition of Middle Eastern countries that are Islamic dictatorships presented a solution to solve tensions in the region by wiping Israel off the map.


Netanyahu says Hamas under ‘immense pressure’ as it drops some demands
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the nation in brief remarks on Monday evening, stated that Hamas was “under immense pressure” as the terrorist group signaled a willingness to negotiate after previously refusing Israeli offers.

The prime minister said he spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, about plans for a military offensive in Gaza City.

He also visited the IDF’s Gaza Division, where he expressed his “tremendous appreciation” for the “great achievements” of Israel’s military in the Gaza war, which he termed both a “War of Redemption” and a “War on Seven Fronts.”

He conveyed how impressed he was with the” spirit of battle” he encountered during his visit and the military’s determination to finish off Hamas and secure the release of the remaining hostages.

Reports on Monday said that Hamas has accepted a 60-day ceasefire proposal that includes the return of half the hostages it holds (estimated at 20 living hostages and 30 bodies of those held captive who have died). The deal would include the release of some Palestinian prisoners, along with the temporary halt to hostilities.

“The movement [Hamas] has submitted its response, agreeing to the mediators’ new proposal. We pray to God to extinguish the fire of this war on our people,” senior Hamas official Bassem Naim posted to Facebook, according to Agence France-Presse.
Hamas says it agrees to latest ceasefire proposal; Netanyahu sounds dismissive
Hamas on Monday informed mediators that it accepted the ceasefire-hostage release deal proposal that was submitted to the group a day earlier, which sources said involves a 60-day pause and the release of 10 living captives, as mediators scramble to find an agreement before Israel launches its planned mission to conquer Gaza City.

“The Hamas movement and the Palestinian factions have conveyed their approval on the proposal presented yesterday by the Egyptian and Qatari mediators,” the terror group said in a statement.

After the agreement was reported, an Israeli official confirmed to The Times of Israel that Jerusalem had received Hamas’s latest proposal, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemingly dismissed the Hamas response and signaled that Israel was moving forward with its plan to take over the Palestinian enclave’s largest city and transfer its population to the southern Strip. “We can see clearly that Hamas is under immense pressure,” Netanyahu said.

An Israeli official later said that Jerusalem’s commitment to a comprehensive deal remains unchanged. “Israel’s position has not changed — [regarding both] the release of all the hostages and adherence to the other conditions defined for ending the war,” the official said in a statement.

Notably, however, Netanyahu did not publicly rule out the partial deal being advanced — a possible indication that Jerusalem is still weighing its options. And several Hebrew media reports said Netanyahu would examine the proposal.

Revealing details of the proposal that Hamas said it had approved, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that Hamas’s chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya presented Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani on Sunday night with an updated ceasefire and hostage release proposal that backs down from the vast majority of the demands raised by the terror group that led to the collapse of talks last month.


Trump: Israeli hostages to return only when Hamas is ‘destroyed’
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Israeli hostages will return from Gaza only when Hamas is “destroyed,” appearing to express a position aligned with that of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, amid indirect talks of a ceasefire.

“We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!” Trump wrote on TruthSocial. “The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be.”

“Remember, I was the one who negotiated and got hundreds of hostages freed and released into Israel (and America!),” he added, seemingly referring to the 30 hostages released during the January-March ceasefire deal and the May release of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.

“I was the one who ended six wars in just six months. I was the one who OBLITERATED Iran’s Nuclear facilities,” Trump wrote. “Play to WIN, or don’t play at all.”

Netanyahu, who has often said that Israel’s war objectives in Gaza include dismantling Hamas, announced on Saturday night his support for an agreement with Hamas to end the war in Gaza, but only if it meant the release of all the remaining hostages and the disarmament of Hamas.

“We will agree to an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war, which include the disarmament of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Strip, Israeli control of the perimeter, and the establishment of a governing authority that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority, and that will live in peace with Israel,” the premier said, according to his office.
Huckabee to 'Post': 'European leaders gave Hamas cover - that's when negotiations were over'
Huckabee, however, reserved his harshest criticism for European leaders, whom he accused of undermining negotiations by threatening unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, which, in essence, rewards Hamas for October 7.

“When you have all these European nations saying, ‘Israel’s not going to have a ceasefire, we’re going to go ahead and unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state,’ what do you think that did with Hamas? It emboldened them. It empowered them. And that’s when negotiations were over right then,” Huckabee told the Post.

The ambassador also noted the distinct contrast in recent months between European and Arab positions, praising the Arab League for unanimously calling on Hamas to “completely disarm and let all the hostages go at once” during the same week European leaders were pressuring Israel and announcing declarations to recognize a Palestinian state.

While acknowledging pressure from various parties, including Qatar’s recent re-engagement in Cairo negotiations, Huckabee expressed skepticism about Hamas’s willingness to compromise.

“Hamas is not a nation-state. They’re a terror organization,” he said. “Any expectation that they’re going to behave like civilized people other than savages is quite optimistic.”

When asked about the role Egypt and Qatar have played in negotiations, the ambassador was forthcoming.

“I think there’s been a lot more pressure than maybe people realize. I’m not sure why Qatar hasn’t been more involved, although they would probably claim to have been very involved. They just went to Cairo to re-engage in negotiations,” he said.

“Egypt has been very engaged. Egypt has been, I think, very instrumental in moving things as much as anyone can.”


NY Post Editorial: With EVERY photo of a ‘starving’ Gazan proving fake, how can you believe the famine claims?
You’ve sure got to wonder about all those claims that Israel is sparking starvation in Gaza when every single picture meant to illustrate it turns out to be fake.

That’s right: It wasn’t just the infamous photo of supposedly “malnourished” Muhammad Ayyoub al-Matouq that was grossly misleading; The Free Press looked at 12 other media “symbols of Gazan starvation” and found — in each and every case — the photos and stories “lacked important context.”

Forget starvation: “The subjects have cystic fibrosis, rickets, or other serious ailments,” the FP reported.

Hmm. So, all the world media desperate to offer clear evidence of famine have yet to find even a single Gazan healthy before the war but now suffering from actual starvation, and not other illnesses.

How then can anyone believe claims that hunger is widespread, let alone imply Israel is to blame?

Some reports actually seem like intentional deception: A July 29 Guardian story on Gaza famine depicted Youssef Matar as “malnourished” but omitted that he suffers from cerebral palsy — even though Reuters had noted it just days earlier.

Other outlets offer sad excuses for their fake photos: CNN blamed “agencies and local journalists” in Gaza for its story on Mosab al-Debs, 14, “suffering from malnourishment” — without mentioning that a head injury had left him paralyzed.

Similarly, excusing its story describing Atef Abu Khater, 17, as healthy pre-war but recently malnourished that failed to note a psychological shock led to him refuse food, The New York Times cited how an “official” (in Gaza, which means Hamas-directed) report listed “the cause of his death as severe malnutrition.”

We failed to ensure we weren’t just passing along propaganda is a pretty poor excuse for any news professional.

Plus: Uncovering the “missing context” for these 12 subjects “didn’t require in-depth, on-the-ground reporting,” the FP reporters noted. “It took minutes and required nothing more than a computer with stable internet connection.”

That was too tough for CNN and the Times?
They Became Symbols for Gazan Starvation. But All 12 Suffer from Other Health Problems.
These omissions—whether deliberate or negligent—have appeared in some of America’s most prestigious newsrooms, including The New York Times, CNN, and NPR.

Uncovering this missing context didn’t require in-depth, on-the-ground reporting—or months of investigative work. It took minutes, and required nothing more than a computer with a stable internet connection. We simply ran the story subjects’ names through Google Translate to get the Arabic spelling, then searched those names in Arabic-language media. Even a quick scan of the results revealed that many of these children suffer from muscle atrophy, head injuries, or other serious medical conditions that help explain their emaciated appearance. (In some cases, the relevant information was available in English, too.)

A new report from Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) documents other instances of what it calls “journalistic malpractice,” including one instance in which The Washington Post published a year-old photo in an article arguing that a “worst-case scenario is finally unfolding” in Gaza. A Post spokesperson replied that it issued a correction to reflect that the photo was taken in June 2024.

“These stories were not just shaped by omission: They were laundered from unverified or partisan Arabic- and Turkish-language sources, while being presented as credible journalism to Western audiences,” the report said. “The resulting journalistic products resemble propaganda more than neutral reporting.”

Olivia Rose, NCRI’s extremism researcher, added that Hamas has an incentive to spread panic about alleged famine. That narrative undercuts one of its biggest threats: the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which Israeli and U.S. officials created to prevent aid from falling into the terrorist group’s hands. Last month, the NCRI released a 35-page report about how the GHF became the target of “narrative assault” that alleged it was “systematically murdering civilians.” The report traces those claims back to Hamas-run news agencies and anonymous social media accounts—and yet they were picked up by many top outlets, including BBC, Haaretz, and the Associated Press.

There will be a cost for their basic lack of due diligence, said Rose.

“People in the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, their houses are being attacked,” she said. “Their families are coming under threat here in the United States.”

One leading legal expert says these images aren’t just whipping public opinion into a frenzy—they could also play a role in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case against top Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eugene Kontorovich, who leads George Mason University’s Center for the Middle East and International Law, said that claims of starvation are a “central allegation” in the court’s pursuit of crimes against humanity and war crimes charges.

Since early in the war, international agencies have leaned heavily on famine claims. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the international body responsible for declaring famine, initially projected in March 2024 that Gaza was on the brink of famine. But three months later, in June, it walked that back, saying that the evidence didn’t support such a declaration after food deliveries increased. “If this did not lead the ICC prosecutor to change course, nothing will,” Kontorovich said. “This isn’t the kind of thing where a bit of evidence is going to stand in the way of a politicized prosecution.”

A year later, by July 2025, the IPC reversed course again, declaring that famine was unfolding across much of Gaza. As The Washington Free Beacon reported, the IPC quietly changed its methodology in Gaza, essentially redefining the criteria for determining a famine. The IPC shifted away from a more comprehensive approach to tallying weight and height toward merely using arm circumference, a cruder assessment—and halved the threshold for famine from 30 percent of children registering as malnourished to 15 percent.

And the narrative of famine, according to Kontorovich, still matters—chiefly, in terms of optics and politics. “Obviously, it tends to suggest that much of the information coming from Gaza, in general, is false,” Kontorovich said. “It lends further credence to the proposition that information coming out of Gaza is coordinated propaganda.”


BBC admits Gazan woman who ‘starved to death’ had cancer
The BBC has admitted that a Gazan woman it claimed had died of malnutrition was being treated for cancer.

Over the weekend, the broadcaster reported that the 20-year-old, identified as Marah Abu Zuhri, died after she was evacuated to Italy for treatment while “severely emaciated”.

However, the Israeli military unit in charge of aid, known as the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, claimed shortly afterwards that she had been suffering from leukaemia.

The corporation was accused of spreading “shocking misinformation” with the story, which was updated on Sunday to reflect the patient’s condition.

Following the criticism, the BBC issued a statement saying: “We were not initially aware that Marah Abu Zuhri was being treated for leukaemia.

“In line with usual editorial practice, we added this to the story after the Israeli authorities put the information into the public domain, in what the hospital has described as ‘a very complex clinical picture’. We have amended the original headline and tweet and added an explanatory note.”

The explanatory note, added on Monday afternoon, said: “This article’s headline originally said that Marah Abu Zuhri died of malnutrition, with the introduction stating that she suffered a cardiac arrest and died on Friday.

“The headline has been amended to remove the reference to malnutrition being the cause of death in what the hospital described as a ‘very complex clinical picture’.”

The US had led the criticism, with Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump’s ambassador to Israel, urging the BBC to apologise.

He wrote on X: “Will the BBC retract the story and apologise? Of course. The same day a Baskin Robbins opens a franchise in hell.”

Sir Michael Ellis, a former attorney general, accused the BBC of fuelling rising cases of anti-Semitism by spreading such “shocking misinformation”, telling The Telegraph: “The BBC’s anti-Israel reporting is an international embarrassment.

“Their persistent bias against Israel is dangerous, both to the cause of peace in the Middle East and more immediately to the Jewish community in the UK, which has seen unprecedented spikes in anti-Semitism thanks in part to shocking misinformation like this.”

Lord Austin, the Government’s trade envoy to Israel, said the BBC had been “caught out” sharing “anti-Israel rhetoric” and called for the head of news to be sacked. He said Tim Davie, the director-general, should resign if he “can’t get his house in order”.

The former Labour MP, now a cross-bench peer, told The Telegraph: “Time and again the BBC is being caught out peddling misinformation and unfounded anti-Israel rhetoric. Once the world’s greatest broadcaster, now known for dishonesty and bias, it’s little wonder that the BBC has become the source of international derision.

“Deborah Turness [the BBC News chief executive] has got to go, and should be followed out of the door by Tim Davie if he can’t get his house in order once and for all.”

The BBC also deleted a social media post claiming Ms Zuhri died “of malnutrition” after being approached by The Telegraph.
Associated Press Suggests Gazan Evacuee Died of Starvation—Without Mentioning She Suffered From Leukemia
The AP also omitted Israel's role in evacuating Zuhri to Italy. According to COGAT, the Israeli agency that facilitates humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza, Italian authorities contacted the Jewish state to request Zuhri's evacuation, which Israel approved. Zuhri and other Gazans in need of medical attention were then evacuated from the strip before boarding Italian planes in the southern Israeli city of Eilat. The AP said Zuhri was "removed from the Gaza Strip as part of a humanitarian mission" but did not provide details.

The AP has not updated its story to mention Zuhri's leukemia diagnosis and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ordeal is reminiscent of a recent New York Times piece on children purportedly suffering from starvation in Gaza. The piece's lead image—which was plastered on the Times's front page—showed an emaciated Gazan toddler, Mohammed Zakaria al-Mutawaq, being held by his mother. A caption accompanying the photo cited the mother to say Mohammed was "born a healthy child." He actually suffered from cerebral palsy, a condition that appears in infancy and causes developmental problems. The Times acknowledged his "pre-existing health problems" in an editors' note.

In addition to the AP piece, a BBC article published on Aug. 17 under the headline, "Malnourished Gazan woman flown to Italy dies in hospital" said Zuhri died after being "evacuated to Italy for treatment while severely emaciated." The piece also failed to mention Zuhri's leukemia and cited malnutrition death figures from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.


A gift to Abbas, a betrayal of peace
While Israeli hostages are being brutalized and starved by Hamas and Palestinian terrorists in tunnels deep in the Gaza Strip, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have chosen to reward such terror with the unconditional recognition of the nonexistent “State of Palestine.”

This is not diplomacy. It is treacherous appeasement for domestic political purposes. And it will cost lives.

Wong declared, with self-assured piety, that “it has been more than 77 years since the world promised a Palestinian state,” implying that “the world” made promises to the Palestinians that it never kept.

Unless she is stunningly ignorant of the history of the conflict, she knows that the truth is the exact opposite. It is the Palestinians who have rejected statehood no less than seven times—in 1937, 1947, 1967, 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2008—preferring war to peace.

From 1948 to 1967, Egypt ruled Gaza, and Jordan ruled the West Bank. No Palestinian state was declared. The Palestinian Liberation Organization, which was founded in 1964—three years before Israel controlled a single inch of those territories—existed for one reason only: the eradication of the State of Israel and all who live in it.
If the mountain doesn't come to Australia, it'll come to Rothman
MK Rothman met with the DaMinyan community from Melbourne, Australia shortly after the announcement of his canceled visa to Australia.

“Simcha was supposed to travel to Australia today, and I wanted you all to meet him. I asked him to meet us on Monday morning, just for a quick visit, but we are literally heading up north right now. This morning, Simcha called me at 6:00 a.m. and said, ‘I’m not going to Australia,” said one of the Australian group organizers.

MK Rothman, “I think this follows the saying, "If the mountain does not come to Muhammad…..”

The Australian continued, “You should know that 40 Australians came here today to give a big hug, to hug Eretz Yisrael, and to express their love for the holy land, for the Jewish nation and for the holy soldiers. There is nothing like Eretz Yisrael.”

Rothman responded, saying, “I even received a few phone calls from people in Australia who said that this inspired them to make aliyah. I don’t know if this convinced some people and I do not believe we should yield to threats of terror. The State of Israel has shown the world how to deal with terror, and we, as a people, the Jewish community, should stand together and not give in to such threats and not cave under them.”

“Sadly, the government of Australia, as you may know, gave in to pressure. There is nothing in the quotes they made that is not already nearly 100% aligned with Israeli consensus; nothing new was introduced. They had already approved my visa a week ago. The only new development was the terror threats by the Muslim jihadist mob shouting in the streets, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Apparently, this rhetoric did not concern the Australian government. That is the only change: they were threatened, became scared, and failed to learn the lesson. Sadly, here in Israel, we have paid a very high price for such lessons,” Rothman concluded and received an invitation, “When you receive your visa and come to Melbourne, come to Daminyan.”
Barred Israeli Knesset Member Simcha Rothman breaks silence as Israel revokes Albanese govt officials' visas in retaliation
Israeli politician Simcha Rothman has broken his silence after his visa was cancelled by the Albanese government just a day before he was set to arrive for Jewish community events.

Mr Rothman, who is a member of the Religious Zionist Party in the Knesset, joined Sky News on Monday following a decision to ban him from Australia for three years.

He was set to speak at synagogues, in Jewish schools and hold meetings with the Jewish community, with the decision to bar him from Australia leading Israel to promptly revoke Albanese government officials' visas in retaliation.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told Sky News his government would block anyone spreading "a message of hate and division".

“Our government takes a hard line on people who seek to come to our country and spread division," he said.

“If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don’t want you here.”

Mr Rothman said he had awoken at 5.30am and saw the decision had been not because of “controversial comments”, but for ideas accepted by “wide consensus in Israel”.

Speaking to Sharri Markson, Mr Rothman said Australia’s decision to reject him for views which are accepted by “high-pass resolutions in the Knesset” meant the Albanese government was not just against him, but the state of Israel and the Jewish people.

“I saw many people in Australia chanting in the streets: ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine would be free.’ I would think this is a message of hate and division that calls for the destruction of the state of Israel and for actually for genocide of Jews,” he said.

“I did not see the government of Australia doing anything against those messages.


Sa’ar announces visa restrictions on Australian officials
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced retaliatory measures against Canberra on Monday, following Australia’s announcement last week that it plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September, and its refusal earlier in the day to grant a visa to Religious Zionism lawmaker Simcha Rothman.

Sa’ar also cited the case of former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked, who was denied entry to Australia last November, as well as those of other Israeli figures.

He said that visas for Australian representatives to the Palestinian Authority had been revoked, and that he had instructed Israel’s embassy in Canberra to closely scrutinize any future visa requests from Australian officials.

“While antisemitism is raging in Australia, including manifestations of violence against Jews and Jewish institutions, the Australian government is choosing to fuel it by false accusations, as if the visit of Israeli figures will disrupt public order and harm Australia’s Muslim population. It is shameful and unacceptable!” Sa’ar wrote on X.


France threatens ‘strong response’ if Israel closes its Jerusalem consulate
Israeli plans to close France’s consulate in Jerusalem would provoke a “strong response” from Paris, a French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

The statement followed reports that Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is pushing for Israel to close the French consulate in the capital, in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s intention to recognize a Palestinian state. Macron’s declaration in July that France would recognize a State of Palestine at the UN next month kicked off a series of Western countries saying they would follow suit.

The French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement that Paris had not received any official notice of such a move, but warned against it.

“We have not received any official notification from the Israeli authorities regarding this step, which could seriously harm our bilateral relations and provoke a strong response,” the statement said.

In late July, Macron announced on social media that his government would recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September, a step he called consistent with his country’s “historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”
No sunset for UN force in Lebanon in draft of its renewal
Washington has said it wants to see the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, which the White House said is “fraught with waste and abuse” and has failed to contain Hezbollah, wind down as Lebanon’s military disarms the terror group.

But a France-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution, which JNS viewed, proposes to extend UNIFIL’s mandate by a year, with no definitive end in sight.

The UNIFIL mandate is set to expire on Aug. 31. As a permanent member of the council, Washington holds veto power over its mandate extension.

The Associated Press reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved earlier this month “a plan that would wind down and end UNIFIL in the next six months, according to Trump administration officials and congressional aides familiar with the discussions.”

The French draft contains no mention of a planned end to UNIFIL’s operations, even as the Associated Press reported that the United States is willing to support a one-year extension, so long as it’s “followed by a time-certain wind-down period of six months.”

The draft also contains no mention of a potential force reduction, despite the United Nations facing a financial crisis, which multiple officials have stated will impact its peacekeeping operations.

The draft mandate renewal, which would carry through Aug. 31, 2026, notes that the Security Council “indicates its intention to work on a withdrawal for UNIFIL with the aim of making the Lebanese government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon.”
UN Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon Spends US Taxpayer Money on ‘Gender Diversity’ Training and Therapeutic Yoga Instruction, Drawing Scrutiny From Trump Admin
The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon is largely funded with U.S. taxpayer dollars, money it has used to pursue left-wing programs like "gender diversity" training and lessons on "gender mainstreaming in military operations," as well as therapeutic yoga instruction. Those expenditures are drawing scrutiny as the Trump administration lobbies fellow U.N. Security Council members to vote against a French resolution renewing the agency's mandate, sources familiar told the Washington Free Beacon.

The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), composed of thousands of troops from 46 nations, will need U.N. reauthorization at the end of August. Its force costs between $400 million and $500 million each year, with the United States shouldering roughly 30 percent of the burden. Private diplomatic concerns come amid public reports the Trump administration may allow UNIFIL’s mandate to lapse after last month’s rescissions package clawed back about $158 million from the agency.

Trump administration officials are closely assessing UNIFIL’s expenditures and activities before awarding fresh U.S. cash to the force, the sources told the Free Beacon. Those activities include a host of DEI initiatives UNIFIL has publicly promoted in recent months that run counter to President Donald Trump’s ongoing push to eradicate taxpayer spending on progressive ideological projects.

UNIFIL in July of this year, for instance, initiated a training session on "gender mainstreaming in military operations" alongside the agency’s "gender unit" after a request from the Lebanese Army. But the agency’s focus on gender issues did not begin with that training session.

The agency employs a "Military Gender Advisor" who discussed hiding in a bunker in October 2024 when Israel retaliated against Hezbollah, the terrorist organization UNIFIL is meant to prevent from attacking Israel, in a videotaped interview. Its navy boasts a "Gender Task Force," founded in 2022 "to boost women’s role in peacekeeping." And UNIFIL maintains "gender-sensitive accommodations" at its bases, featuring its facilities online amid a 2023 push "for more diverse and efficient operations."

UNIFIL member Major Rajinish Pandey said in a May 2023 video diary that his "job is to maintain gender diversity and conduct all civic activities planned in the area of responsibility." In another May 2023 X post, UNIFIL touted Lt. Cmdr. Suzanne van Opstal, a "Military Gender Adviser at @UNIFIL_" whose job it was to emphasize "gender perspectives in military ops." A similar post from March 2024 explained how "more gender-balanced, diverse and inclusive security institutions is vital to promoting peaceful and inclusive societies."


Jordan to reinstate military draft amid tensions with Israel
The Jordanian Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) will reinstate conscription starting February 2026, JAF spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Mustafa Hiyari explained on Monday, following Sunday's directive from Crown Prince Hussain bin Abdullah to reintroduce the draft.

Conscripts are slated to receive 100 Jordanian Dinars ($141) per month as their salary, according to the official Jordan News Agency.

The first draft of conscripts will consist of 6,000 men who will have turned 18 by January 1, 2026, eventually rising to 10,000 draftees in the next conscription round, Hiyari and government spokesperson Mohammad Momani stated.

Individuals born in 2007 and earlier will be required to continue postponing their service under the existing mechanisms, the news agency added.

Refusal to serve will be punishable by a prison sentence ranging from three months to one year, Momani added, stating that there will be no exceptions.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan praised the crown prince's directive as "a significant step toward strengthening national values and youth development," according to Jordan News Agency. Further announcements regarding the details of the conscription process will be announced in the coming weeks, Hassan said on Sunday.

In addition, Senate President Faisal al-Fayez called the initiative "vital" and that it would play a "crucial" role in reinforcing national identity, Jordan News Agency reported.
Egypt says displacment of Palestinians from Gaza City 'red line' as Gazans evacuate south
The Egyptian Foreign Minister said that any mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza was a "red line" in a Monday interview with CNN.

“We will not accept it, we will not participate in it, and we will not allow it to happen,” Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told CNN, adding that displacement was a "one-way ticket” for Palestinians to leave Gaza.

He also added that Cairo was working with “different channels, with one objective, to alleviate the burden and suffering of Palestinians."

This comes as some Palestinian families began leaving eastern areas of Gaza City for points to the west, and some explored evacuating further south.

Israel's plan to seize control of Gaza City has stirred alarm abroad and at home, where tens of thousands of Israelis held some of the largest protests seen since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining 50 hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza.

The planned offensive has spurred Egyptian and Qatari ceasefire mediators to step up efforts in what a source familiar with the talks with Hamas militants in Cairo said could be "the last-ditch attempt."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Gaza City as Hamas's last bastion. But, with Israel already holding 75% of Gaza, the military has warned that expanding the offensive could endanger hostages still alive and draw troops into protracted and deadly guerrilla warfare.

In Gaza City, many Palestinians have also been calling for protests soon to demand an end to a war that has demolished much of the territory and wrought a humanitarian disaster, and for Hamas to intensify talks to avert the Israeli ground offensive.
Zamir's Gaza strategy: Nearly 100,000 IDF troops to move swiftly to conquer Gaza City
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir has determined the scale of the ground forces that will participate in the new Gaza City operation, Walla learned Monday.

Before presenting the plan to the defense minister on Tuesday, it was decided that numerous brigade-sized combat teams, comprising at least 80,000 soldiers, would encircle and conquer Gaza City to destroy Hamas' core terror infrastructure and the primary government symbols still under its control.

"This is a broad plan that will exact a heavy price from Hamas, but it also carries great risks for IDF forces," said a military source familiar with preparations for the large-scale operation.

The IDF will not wait weeks, military sources told Walla. In the coming days, ground forces, accompanied by the air force, will begin moving toward new areas to increase pressure on Hamas.

Meanwhile, senior IDF officials expressed concern that the conquest of areas in the heart of Gaza City and other locations could lead to the IDF being directly responsible for distributing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population until most of them relocate to the southern Gaza Strip.

Zamir visited the Gaza Strip on Sunday, accompanied by Southern Command Commander Yaniv Asor and Head of the Operations Branch Itzik Cohen, to analyze the plan and gain further insights into the combat strategy and operational logic before making decisions.
Censored Tweet:
The viral video of the girl carrying water — claimed by Al Jazeera to show an Israeli strike — likely shows a HAMAS EXPLOSIVE meant for IDF soldiers, which ended up hitting the girl instead.



US-Backed Gaza Aid Group Launches System Allowing Families To Reserve Aid in Advance
A U.S.-backed Gazan aid group meant to bypass UNRWA, the U.N. Palestinian aid agency that has faced worldwide criticism over its ties to Hamas and Hezbollah, announced Monday that it has launched a system to let families reserve aid packages before pickup.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation—created in February with backing from the Trump administration and the Israeli government to deliver aid in Gaza without relying on UNRWA—said that the voluntary program allows Gazan civilians to "reserve aid parcels in advance," ensuring "safe, predictable access" to humanitarian aid. The system, launched on Sunday, will scale over the coming weeks and bring "more ease, dignity, and order to the collection process," according to the foundation.

"Those who opt to participate will have their photo taken and receive an ID card with their photo and a unique number," the foundation's announcement went on. "A box of aid will be set aside on specific days for each participant, eliminating the need to partake in the rush."

The news comes as UNRWA, which oversees nearly all humanitarian aid into Gaza, has long come under fire over its ties to terrorism. Trump in February said the U.N. agency has been "infiltrated" by foreign terrorist organizations. Survivors and families of victims of Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel sued UNRWA earlier this month for funding and supporting Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists. In April, the Justice Department stripped UNRWA of its immunity in U.S. courts, allowing lawsuits against the agency to go forward.

A Wall Street Journal report last year, citing Israeli intelligence, found that roughly 1,200 UNRWA staffers—about 10 percent of the agency's workforce—were linked to terrorist groups and that 49 percent of the employees had close relatives with ties to terrorism. Following the report, UNRWA spent months denying that its staffers work with Hamas before firing nine employees for participating in the October 7 attacks.

The Trump administration "has determined UNRWA is irredeemably compromised and now seeks its full dismantlement," the State Department told Congress in July.


Call me Back Podcast: Will Israel Take Gaza City? - with Nadav Eyal
On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of Israelis joined in mass protests and strikes to pressure the Netanyahu government to end the Gaza war.

Meanwhile, the IDF is preparing to execute the government’s plan to conquer Gaza City, which would entail the evacuation of the roughly one million Palestinians residing there. This offensive is in the works while there is renewed interest by Hamas in some kind of negotiation (which is likely a result of IDF plans for a new offensive).

On today’s episode, Dan is joined by Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal to discuss (and debate) the cost and benefits of continuing the war in Gaza.


Gazans speak up with SHOCKING message for Hamas (w/Brooke Goldstein)
Israeli innovation envoy Fleur Hassan-Nahoum leads a hard-hitting discussion on Israel’s war against Hamas, the plight of the hostages and the hidden truth about humanitarian aid in Gaza that international media refuses to cover. With her in the Jerusalem studio are co-hosts Emily Schrader, journalist and human rights activist; Shoshana Keats Jaskoll, founder of Chochmat Nashim; and Brooke Goldstein, U.S.-based human rights attorney, founder of the End Jew Hatred movement, and CEO of the Lawfare Project. Together, they dissect the most urgent developments and expose the misinformation campaign surrounding Gaza.

The episode begins with Israel’s firm stance on hostage negotiations and its preparation to retake Gaza City. The hosts emphasize how Hamas manipulates the narrative of “starvation,” while in reality murdering aid workers and blocking humanitarian relief to keep civilians dependent. Firsthand testimony from inside Gaza reveals how the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has disrupted Hamas’s control by delivering millions of meals directly into the hands of civilians, despite Hamas’s brutal attempts to intimidate and kill those involved.

The discussion also highlights a growing, unprecedented phenomenon: Gazans themselves openly cursing Hamas and calling for its removal, even as they risk retaliation. The panel explores how international media outlets, global institutions and governments are enabling Hamas’s survival, while ignoring the voices of ordinary Palestinians who simply want to live in peace.

Finally, the hosts analyze the wave of protests inside Israel, questioning whether pressure is being directed at the right targets. They argue that international organizations such as the Red Cross and UN should be held accountable for failing to demand the release of hostages, and they warn that appeasing Hamas through ceasefire deals or recognition of Palestinian statehood only emboldens extremism.


Ryan McBeth: I Was Wrong About Israel: What I Learned on the Ground
For years, I viewed the Israeli–Palestinian conflict through the lens of my family’s history in Northern Ireland. Protestants and Catholics, paramilitaries, and sectarian violence — it all looked familiar. But after traveling to Israel, interviewing people from Kibbutzim on the Gaza border, and speaking with officials at the Knesset, I realized my assumptions didn’t fit the reality on the ground.

This isn’t Northern Ireland. In 1948, Israel faced an existential war of survival. And today, generations of Palestinians are raised with maps erasing Israel entirely. A “Sons of Palestine” strategy, like what worked in Iraq, simply wouldn’t work here.

In this video, I share what I saw: weapons depots inside schools, guest workers who betrayed the very Israelis who employed them, and why Israel often loses the information war even when the facts are on its side. I also talk about what Israel gets wrong — from restricting journalists to neglecting the professional NCO corps.




'Mixed message to send out': Albanese slammed over Palestine stance
Former 2GB host Ray Hadley blasts Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s push for Palestinian recognition.

“This is all because of the federal government, they show the way," Mr Hadley said.

“They allowed people to go on the Sydney Harbour Bridge carrying Isis flags, flags of terrorist organisations.

“It’s a mixed message being sent out.”




ADL denounces ‘thinly veiled’ Jew-hatred at anti-Israel rally in New York
Speakers at an anti-Israel rally in New York City on Saturday employed “thinly veiled” antisemitic rhetoric, wrote Jonathan Greenblatt, national director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.

Brian Becker, director of Answer Coalition, told several thousand protesters in front of the New York Public Library in Manhattan that “the US government is standing with the fascist regime in Tel Aviv, but we, the American people, stand with you, the Palestinian people.”

“They’re in Wall Street, they’re in the White House, they’re in the center of imperialism,” Becker said.

“Hmmm, exactly who do you think these protesters are referring to? I wonder…” Greenblatt wrote. “The antisemitism is so thinly veiled, so barely disguised that it’s visible to even the most casual observer.”

The rally was organized by multiple “Arab-led and far-left socialist activist groups,” according to the Times of Israel. Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of antisemitic and anti-Israel protests on the Columbia University campus, also spoke during Saturday’s rally.


'Death to Australia': Anti-Israel anarchist group responsible for series of attacks on freight firm
An Australian freight company has been the target of an anti-Israel and anti-Australian anarchist group, according to the victim, Toll Group, the Victoria Police, and the attackers.

Vandals shared a video in which they stormed the Truganina site in the middle of the night last Monday, smashing keycard locks and spraying the building facade with paint.

“Toll exports weapons which are used to supply Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestine. We are coming for you. We are everywhere. We won’t stop. We’re just getting started,” read the video posted by the Forautonomydestroyaustralia group. “Death to Israel. Toll holdings drive genocide. The colony will fall; death to so-called Australia.”

Toll said that no one was hurt in the incident but that it was taking “incidents and allegations extremely seriously” and reported the attack to the police.

“The safety and wellbeing of our employees is our highest priority,” said a Toll spokesperson. “We are committed to upholding the highest standards of ethics and the law. We do not condone or support any actions that could be perceived as contributing to harm or violence against any individual or group.”

Victoria law enforcement officers said they were investigating the incident of criminal damage in Truganina and were reviewing whether it was linked to other criminal damage incidents in Melbourne.




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