Thursday, August 21, 2025

08/21 Links Pt1: Benjamin Netanyahu sits down with Sharri Markson; Do Not Be Fooled By Hamas's 'Positive Response'; The ICC Is a Danger to Americans

From Ian:

JPost Editorial: Israel needs an agenda for September's Palestine recognition, not a reaction
Israel must get its act together diplomatically, fast, and we should do so on two tracks at once.

First, we need an unapologetically assertive diplomatic campaign aimed at our closest allies. That means naming a senior special envoy with the full backing of the prime minister and war cabinet, empowered to engage Washington, Ottawa, London, Paris, Berlin, Canberra, and Wellington daily.

The mission: align expectations ahead of September, reduce surprises, and ensure that any recognition moves are tethered to concrete conditions Israel can live with, including firm commitments on demilitarization, security coordination, and education against incitement.

Second, we must finally table a credible “day after” blueprint that other capitals can support. The outlines are not a mystery: release of all hostages as a starting point for any sustained ceasefire; a restructured, reformed, and demilitarized Palestinian Authority that can govern Gaza and the West Bank with outside oversight – or an international body that would govern Gaza until local forces are able to.

In addition, a phased security regime in and around Gaza that guarantees Israel’s defense and prevents rearmament; a reconstruction fund locked behind strict monitoring and anti-corruption safeguards; and a political horizon that ties progress to performance. The point is not to promise the moon but to demonstrate that Israel has a sequence and a strategy.

Regional diplomacy is essential. Israel should work with Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia on a joint framework that couples hard security guarantees with practical steps for movement, trade, and governance. If Muslim partners sign onto a realistic plan, Western governments will find it easier to support Israel’s position, and recognition talk will be channeled into a path that strengthens moderation rather than rewarding violence.

None of this requires illusions about our enemies or denial about the trauma Israelis have endured since October 7. It does require clarity about the political marketplace we are operating in. The American public now tells pollsters that recognition should proceed.

September is around the corner. Israel should arrive with an agenda, not a reaction.
Khaled Abu Toameh: Do Not Be Fooled By Hamas's 'Positive Response'
The Iran-backed Palestinian terror group Hamas said earlier this week that it has delivered a "positive response" to mediators on the latest US proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal with Israel. The group's leaders, however, continue to talk about the need to continue the "armed struggle" against Israel.

"Hamas and the Palestinian resistance factions will not lay down their weapons. We will continue to exert pressure on the Zionist enemy through the armed struggle. We met with the Palestinian factions in Cairo and agreed to escalate the confrontation and the struggle..... Resistance is the only way to confront the enemy." — Mahmoud Mardawi, senior Hamas official, palininfo.com, August 15, 2025.

Mardawi does not live in the Gaza Strip. He and most of the Hamas leaders are based in Qatar and Turkey.

When [Hamas's] leaders say the "armed struggle" will continue, they are actually threatening to launch more attacks similar to the October 7 atrocities.

If Hamas is indeed ready to accept a ceasefire, the reason is not because it wants to stop the death and destruction in the Gaza Strip. Rather, Hamas wants to ensure that it will be able to continue ruling the Gaza Strip after the war.... so it can pursue its jihad (holy war) to murder Jews and destroy Israel. This has been Hamas's goal since its establishment more than three decades ago.

In the weeks before the October 7 attack, Hamas leaders went to great lengths to create the false impression that they were not interested in engaging in another war with Israel.

Hamas has not – and will never – give up its goal of eliminating Israel and replacing it with an Islamist state.

Even if a ceasefire deal is reached, the US and the rest of the international community must insist that Hamas be totally disarmed and removed from power. Hamas, unfortunately, really needs to be obliterated, and its leaders put on trial for committing war crimes against Israel and their own people.
Uri Kurlianchik: A Message From an Israeli to Ukraine
Usually I write about Middle Eastern affairs, but the events of last week inspired me to write a little piece for Ukraine.

In 1948, Israel was brutally invaded by five Arab armies who tried to undo the Jewish state just like the invading Russians tried to undo the Ukrainian state. Just like the Russians, the Arabs didn't just want to take away some of the young state's territory but denied its very right to exist. Just like the Russians, they pretended at first to support a side in a civil war before outright invading. Just like the Russians, they learned that what looked like a soft target turned out to be a hard nut to crack. You have fought like lions and surprised the world and can take great pride in that!

Israel beat back the enemy after losing more than 1% of its population in the fighting. Unlike Ukraine, Israel faced an arms embargo from major Western powers, including the U.S. and UK. Also unlike Ukraine, Israelis had nowhere to go. They were literally with their back to the sea, surrounded by enemy on all sides. Israelis didn't have the option of becoming refugees; they could only win or die.

The war was not a total victory.

Some regions were overrun by Arabs and the Jewish population was expelled or massacred. Not only Israel had no guarantees the end of the war will lead to peace but Israel knew for a fact the Arabs will continue attacking it. Even when they didn't invade, they still launched small-scale attacks and engaged in terrorism and sabotage.

Still, after almost 10 months of fighting and only 78% of the territory, Israel accepted a ceasefire with no security guarantees with people who promised to destroy it. The nascent Jewish state then spent the next two decades preparing for war as best it could. In 1967, Israel surprised its enemies, crushed their armies, and had the victory it couldn't have in 1948. This didn't lead to peace either but greatly improved Israel's positions and status in the world.

More importantly, Israel survived.


Sharri Markson: What Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu told me about Anthony Albanese in world exclusive interview
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed the Albanese Government for escalating diplomatic tensions, declaring it’s a result of the Australian Prime Minister’s failure to show leadership and conviction while Israel fights a war on behalf of Western Civilisation.

Watch the full interview on Sky News Australia, or on Skynews.com.au for Sky News Subscribers. Not a subscriber? Sign up here

In an exclusive interview, Mr Netanyahu also declared he is on “the verge of completing the war”, and vowed to continue a full takeover of Gaza, even if Hamas agreed to an eleventh hour ceasefire deal.

He also ramped up pressure on Albanese to do more to fight a “tsunami of antisemitism” which has flourished in Australia since October 7.

Speaking to me from his Prime Ministerial office in Jerusalem, he also revealed United States President Donald Trump viewed the decision by Australia, and other nations, to recognise a Palestinian state as ultimately “irrelevant”, and that Mr Trump fully supported his military objective to take control of Gaza City in order to eliminate the remaining Hamas terrorists.

GAZA TAKEOVER
As Mr Netanyahu sat down for his interview, Israeli soldiers were amassing to enter Gaza City.

There were reports that Hamas had, at the eleventh hour, indicated it was prepared to accept the same ceasefire proposal it had firmly rejected since May.

The Israeli Prime Minister said that even if Hamas agreed to the deal, he would still take over Gaza in order to eliminate the remaining terrorists and achieve security.

“We're gonna do that anyway. That there was never a question that we're not going to leave Hamas there. I think President Trump put it best, he says Hamas has to disappear from Gaza. It's like leaving the SS in Germany. You know, you clear out most of Germany, but you leave out Berlin with the SS and the Nazi core there,” Mr Netanyahu said.

“But I've said that this war could end today. It can end if Hamas lays down its arms and releases the remaining 50 hostages, at least 20 of which are alive, and that's our goal to get all the hostages out, to disarm Hamas, demilitarise Gaza, and give a different future for Gazans.”

Mr Netanyahu argued eliminating the final stronghold of Hamas was essential for lasting peace, both for Israelis and Palestinians.

And he signalled the war was close to being over.

He said, contrary to media reports, his goal was not to “occupy Gaza.”

“It's to free Gaza, free them from Hamas tyranny, free Israel and others from Hamas terrorism, give Gaza and Israel a different future, and I think we're close to doing it.

“It'll have to, of course, mean getting the last strongholds of Hamas, they shouldn't be there. Everybody understands that.”
EXCLUSIVE: Benjamin Netanyahu sits down with Sharri Markson in must-watch interview

"He's A War Time Leader" Benjamin Netanyahu Is Asked The Tough Questions By Konstantin Kisin
Mark Dolan is joined by Konstantin Kisin, co-host of the Triggernometry YouTube show and podcast, to discuss his amazing interview with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

Kisin explains how he and Francis Foster secured the interview with Netanyahu.

Netanyahu, described as tense and focused on winning the war against Hamas in Palestine, acknowledged Israel's PR struggles. He criticized Western leaders for not defending their values and emphasized Hamas's use of civilians as human shields




Britain, France lead 21 countries in joint condemnation of new settlement project
Britain and France were among 21 countries to sign a joint statement Thursday calling Israel’s approval of a major settlement project in the West Bank “unacceptable and a violation of international law.”

Israel approved the plans for the roughly 12-square-kilometer (five-square-mile) parcel of land known as E1 just east of Jerusalem on Wednesday.

“We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms,” said the statement of foreign ministers, whose signatories also included Australia, Canada and Italy.

Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden also signed the statement, as did the European Commission’s foreign affairs chief.

The statement noted that Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the plan “will make a two-state solution impossible by dividing any Palestinian state and restricting Palestinian access to Jerusalem.”

“This brings no benefits to the Israeli people,” the foreign ministers said.

“Instead, it risks undermining security and fuels further violence and instability, taking us further away from peace.

“The government of Israel still has an opportunity to stop the E1 plan going any further. We encourage them to urgently retract this plan,” they added.
UK summons Israeli ambassador over West Bank settlement plan
The UK’s Foreign Office has summoned Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely over her government’s approval of a major settlement in Palestine’s West Bank.

The move follows Israel’s decision to go ahead with the E1 settlement east of Jerusalem, which would effectively cut the West Bank in two.

In a joint statement on Thursday, foreign ministers from the UK, EU and 20 other countries called on Tel Aviv to reverse the decision, saying it would bring “no benefits to the Israeli people” and “risks undermining security and fuels further violence and instability”.

They added: “The Government of Israel still has an opportunity to stop the E1 plan going any further. We encourage them to urgently retract this plan.”

The E1 settlement has been under consideration by Israel for at least two decades, but has previously been prevented by pressure from the US.

Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who has been sanctioned by the UK, said the decision “buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognise and no-one to recognise”.
State Dept press officer fired over Israeli-Palestinian policy clash
The U.S. State Department has fired its top press officer for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, Shahed Ghoreishi, following disputes over language and terminology to be disseminated to the public, according to the Washington Post.

Internal disputes had reportedly arisen over several issues, including whether the State Department should express condolences for journalists killed in Gaza, and whether to publicly stand against forced displacement of Gazans.

Ghoreishi and two officials told the Associated Press that a response to an AP inquiry regarding a media report that Israel and South Sudan were in discussions about the potential relocations of Gazans to South Sudan sparked one incident.

Ghoreishi, keeping in line with broad sentiments expressed by U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, reportedly crafted a draft response that the United States does not support forced relocation of Gazans.

Indeed, Dorothy Shea, interim U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said as recently as July 23 that “the United States does not support the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.”

The U.S. embassy in Jerusalem reportedly rejected Ghoreishi’s usage of the line, creating a conversation in Washington on the policy. The line was eventually cut from the response.

Trump, along with Steve Witkoff, his special envoy for peace missions, and other administration officials, have called for or suggested voluntary relocation of Gazans in order to remove them from the hazards of an active war zone, and to allow for the necessary long-term reconstruction of the Strip following the war.

A second Associated Press inquiry reportedly led to a separate dispute, following a statement by the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem marking House Speaker Mike Johnson’s visit this month to Judea and Samaria.

The dispute was reportedly between Ghoreishi and David Milstein, spokesperson and senior advisor to Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and involved the use of “Judea and Samaria” as opposed to “West Bank” in the statement.

While official U.S. government documents describe the area as the West Bank, Israel utilizes the term Judea and Samaria, as does Huckabee.
WSJ Editorial: The ICC Is a Danger to Americans
While U.S. sanctions on four more International Criminal Court officials, announced Wednesday, will be viewed as a defense of Israel, this is a matter of American self-defense.

One sanctioned judge, Canada's Kimberly Prost, authorized an ICC investigation into the U.S. war in Afghanistan - even though the U.S. isn't an ICC member state and the court has no jurisdiction.

In May 2024 the ICC threatened Members of Congress who push back on the court's lawlessness. Their crime? Obstruction of justice under the court's founding Rome Statute, which the U.S. has wisely never ratified.

Long considered a failure, the ICC is now a danger.


Anti-Israel Outburst From Husband of Sanctioned UN Palestinian Rights Envoy Fuels Calls for Dismissal From World Bank
Sanctioned U.N. Palestinian rights envoy Francesca Albanese appeared flustered late last month when an audience member at one of her public events stood to accuse Israel of "genocide" and the Italian government of "washing its hands of this genocide."

But it wasn’t the content of this outburst that seemingly surprised Albanese, who is already sanctioned by the Trump administration for using her position as U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories to engage in "virulent antisemitism and support for terrorism." Rather, it was the speaker’s identity: Massimiliano Cali, a senior World Bank Group (WBG) economist and Albanese's husband.

New video from a late July forum at the Italian Parliament shows Cali accusing the country’s political leaders of "explicitly supporting" Israel’s supposed "genocide" against the Palestinians. The footage—obtained by the UN Watch advocacy group and shared with the Washington Free Beacon—has also fueled calls for the WBG to fire Cali over repeated anti-Semitic outbursts spanning more than a decade.

"Italians despise genocide and do not want to participate in this genocide," Cali said at the event. "How is it that there is a complete lack of political action? How come politics decided and continues to decide every day not only to wash its hands of this genocide, but, as we’ve heard, to support it explicitly?"

UN Watch flagged this footage for the WBG in a Wednesday letter that describes Cali’s numerous anti-Israel social media posts as "gross and systematic violations of basic neutrality obligations." The watchdog group petitioned the WBG earlier this month to fire Cali, renewing its demand this week over the new footage and Cali’s social media activity dating back a decade.

In past social media posts UN Watch provided to the WBG, Cali compared Gazans to Jews during the Holocaust and labeled Israel a "settler-colonial, apartheid project."

Cali deleted at least six posts in recent weeks after UN Watch first raised the issue with the WBG. But more than 70 "one-sided political posts pertaining to Israel" still remain available on Cali’s social media as of Aug. 13, according to the watchdog group.

One post, which was on Cali’s Facebook page for 10 years until being deleted last week, described Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "mass murderer" who should be charged at the International Criminal Court.

"This is not a matter of isolated past misconduct," Hillel Neuer, UN Watch’s executive director, wrote in the letter to WBG president Ajay Banga. "Mr. Cali did not speak as a private citizen in a neutral setting, but in the Italian Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies, at a partisan conference, while his wife—a highly controversial U.N. figure who was recently sanctioned by the United States for antisemitism and economic warfare—was at the center of the proceedings."


Erin Molan DESTROYS UN’s Francesca Albanese— ‘A New Low.. Even For HER'!

John Spencer: What to Expect in the 2025 Battle of Gaza City
Another critical element of the Gaza City battle will be the fate of the remaining hostages. During the initial phase of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, IDF units uncovered the bodies of hostages killed in captivity and extracted valuable intelligence from captured Hamas fighters. Similar outcomes may occur if the army pushes into Gaza City, which is believed to contain some of the last sites where hostages could be held underground. Commanders likely expect Hamas to attempt to move or conceal captives in the vast tunnel system or inside fortified civilian structures, both to shield its fighters and to retain bargaining leverage.

The advance into Gaza City may therefore bring both grim recoveries of bodies and breakthroughs in intelligence. Interrogations of prisoners, the seizure of documents and electronic devices, and the exploitation of tunnel networks could yield new information on where remaining hostages are hidden. For Israel, these possibilities are a central part of the operation’s justification, tied both to the defeat of Hamas and to the release of all hostages.

Still, this is not the same IDF that fought in northern Gaza in late 2023 or Rafah in 2024. The military has adapted in real time, learning lessons in combined-arms maneuver, coordination, urban clearing operations, and civilian harm mitigation. It will enter Gaza City with more experience, better integration of technology, and hardened formations. Yet the battle will still bring massive destruction. Close combat, house-to-house fighting, Hamas booby-trapped buildings, airstrikes, and artillery will scar the urban landscape.

Just as fierce will be the information war. Hamas and its allies are expected to flood global media with inflated or falsified casualty figures, accusations of indiscriminate Israeli conduct, and images stripped of battlefield context. At the same time, Hamas will continue to use civilians as shields, threatening residents who try to evacuate and in many cases physically preventing their movement, even firing on them to keep them in place. Israel, in turn, will emphasize that Hamas bears responsibility for most civilian deaths by embedding fighters and weapons inside neighborhoods, hospitals, and schools. The contest for legitimacy will unfold alongside the physical battle.

There will also be surprises. The IDF’s tactics in Gaza City are unlikely to mirror those used in previous phases of the war. Military leaders have deliberately emphasized deception, unpredictability, and new operational methods designed to catch Hamas off balance. Observers, like Hamas itself, will not know what to expect until the operation is underway.

For now, the timetable is compressed. Prime Minister Netanyahu has ordered the IDF to shorten its plans to seize Hamas’s last bastions and bring the war closer to an end. Tens of thousands of reservists, many of whom have already served for months at great personal sacrifice, are being called back to arms. Their deployment underscores both the scale of the coming fight and the national determination to see the war through.

Still, the ultimate decision rests on political developments. If Hamas agrees to only a temporary ceasefire, Israel may yet pause the assault to bring some hostages home. But if Hamas refuses to surrender its weapons and relinquish control, the IDF will eventually move into Gaza City. When that happens, the world will witness the largest and most difficult urban battle of the war, a fight that could determine both Hamas’s fate and the future of Gaza.


Netanyahu says he approved IDF's plans for Gaza City takeover, re-starting hostage talks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he has approved the IDF’s takeover plans for Gaza City, restarting hostage negotiations, and ending the war on Israel’s terms.

“We are at a decisive stage,” he said while visiting the Gaza Division. “I arrived today at the Gaza Division to approve the plans presented by the IDF to me and the defense minister for the takeover of Gaza City and the defeat of Hamas.”

Netanyahu said he had directed “the immediate initiation of negotiations” for the release of all the hostages and ending the war in Gaza on Israel’s terms. At this time, no Israeli delegation will leave for Doha or Qatar, he added.Netanyahu said he greatly appreciated the mobilization of reservists and regular forces.

“These two objectives – defeating Hamas and securing the release of all our hostages – go hand in hand,” he said.Netanyahu was impressed with the plans presented to him at the Gaza Division, a political source told The Jerusalem Post.

“The plans are solid,” the source said.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and senior defense officials on Thursday presented plans for the capture of Gaza City to Defense Minister Israel Katz and Netanyahu. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also took part in the discussion.


Arab-Israeli citizen returns to Israel after year-long imprisonment in Lebanese jail
An Israeli citizen who had been imprisoned in Lebanon for about a year returned to Israel on Thursday afternoon, the Prime Minister’s Office said on behalf of the Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing, Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch.

Saleh Abu-Hussein was transferred at the Rosh Hanikra crossing from the Lebanese authorities to Hirsch after negotiations in recent months with the assistance of the Red Cross.

Following initial questioning and a preliminary medical examination, the IDF took Abu-Hussein for comprehensive tests at a hospital, after which he will meet his family. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation by security forces.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Abu-Hussein’s return and thanked Hirsch and all those involved in his release.

He had been imprisoned since July of last year.

Saleh had been imprisoned since July of last year
The released captive was imprisoned in Lebanon in July 2024, according to KAN, which also reported that no one was released in exchange for him.


IDF kills Hezbollah Radwan terrorist in Southern Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday killed a terrorist from Hezbollah’s elite Radwan commando force who operated in the Deir Seryan area in southeastern Lebanon, the military said.

On Wednesday night, the IDF said that it struck Hezbollah weapons depots, a rocket launcher and other terrorist infrastructure in Southern Lebanon.

The terrorists’ actions and the presence of such assets in the country’s south constitute “a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF stated.

Earlier on Wednesday, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon troops uncovered a 164-foot Hezbollah tunnel near Al Qusayr, along with unexploded ordnance. The matter was turned over to the Lebanese Armed Forces, according to UNIFIL.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has formally informed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Israel seeks the immediate termination of UNIFIL’s mandate.

In a recent letter, Sa’ar said that UNIFIL has failed in its core mission, pointing to Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s continued terrorist buildup since the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

Last Friday, the IDF attacked Hezbollah targets above and below ground in the Beaufort Ridge area of Southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh district.

Two days earlier, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said that there had been a “profound shift” in Israel’s national security concept in the aftermath of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

During a tour of Southern Lebanon, where the IDF has maintained a limited deployment since a ceasefire agreement in November 2024 ended a year of fighting, Zamir said that Israel’s policy was “no longer containment and waiting, but the use of force in pursuit of contact.”


Gerald Steinberg: Protecting NGO aid from terror hijacking
In recent weeks, Israel has faced an organized campaign of condemnation over revisions to the humanitarian visa and NGO registration process that had not been changed since 1967. Amnesty International branded the rules “arbitrary.”

Over 100 NGOs accused Israel of “weaponizing aid.” The UN and other alliances warned of restrictions aimed at silencing criticism. Palestinian NGO networks even called the measures a “political tool.” EU foreign ministers echoed all of these one-sided attacks.

The script is familiar: international outrage, Israel cast as villain, and the NGO “halo effect” that prevents serious oversight. However, this is a smokescreen for the core question: What must be done to ensure that aid reaches civilians instead of being hijacked by terrorists?

Since Hamas’s barbaric October 7 massacre, Israel has been fighting an existential war. Hamas’s goal is not compromise but Israel’s annihilation. In this context, the distribution of aid in Gaza is not a secondary issue – it is a matter of fundamental security.

How can aid reach civilians?
The record is clear. Aid has long been diverted to Hamas. UNRWA warehouses have doubled as weapons depots. Internationally supplied materials sent through NGOs have been stolen to build terror tunnels and thousands of rockets – every one a war crime. Food and fuel meant for civilians have been seized by terrorists.

If Israel failed to vet humanitarian access, that would be the worst kind of negligence. Any responsible government confronting a heinous terror army embedded within the civilian population must balance urgent humanitarian needs with the imperative to block supplies from fueling mass murder, sexual violence, torture, and hostage-taking.

Instead of reckoning with this reality, the NGO aid industry and its allies have defaulted to self-interested outrage. They describe Israel’s decision to update an outdated visa regime as sinister, as if the only objective is to block aid and silence legitimate criticism.

But what measures have they taken to ensure accountability? Where is the introspection about their own failures that allowed Hamas to siphon off resources? The truth: there is no reckoning. Rather than working to stop diversion, these groups launched yet another propaganda campaign demonizing Israel.

This reflects a long-standing pattern. Many international NGOs in Gaza and the West Bank emphasize political advocacy over relief. Their branding highlights images of children and food; their neglect tells a different story.

Some of the world’s most “respected” aid organizations – Amnesty International, Oxfam, World Vision, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) – have partnered with or defended groups linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a designated terror organization.

World Vision’s Gaza manager was convicted of diverting tens of millions of dollars in aid to Hamas. The publicly available evidence (analyzed by NGO Monitor) exposed how vulnerable aid pipelines are.


Call me Back Podcast: DEAL or WAR - with Col. (Ret.) Miri Eisin
On Sunday, Hamas announced that it agreed to a hostage-ceasefire proposal, which Israel officials are now reviewing. This comes after Sunday’s massive protests against the government’s plans to expand the war and conquer Gaza City. In preparation for the Gaza City operation, the IDF has called up another 60,000 reservists.

On Tuesday, the Hostage and Missing Families Forum announced they are postponing another big protest originally scheduled for next Sunday in order not to disrupt the ongoing negotiations.

On today's episode, we are joined by Miri Eisin to discuss Israel’s strategic position as it weighs whether to go for a deal or continue the war. Miri is a retired Col. in the IDF, who spent her career focused on military intelligence, and who served alongside current IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. She currently serves as a fellow at Reichmann University’s International Institute for Counter-terrorism and is the Chair of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel.


Australia’s Democracy on Trial: Is Australia Sliding Away from Free Speech? (MK Simcha Rothman)
Australia bans Israeli lawmakers, igniting a global free speech controversy. In this episode of “Basic Law,” host Aylana Meisel, Executive Director at the Israel Law and Liberty Forum, sits down with two special guests: Robert Gregory, head of the Australian Jewish Association, and Simcha Rothman, Member of Knesset, to unpack Australia’s shocking visa bans against mainstream Israeli political figures.

For decades, Australia was considered one of the West’s strongest liberal democracies. Yet today, it is making headlines for denying entry to Israelis with right-wing political views, including former Minister Ayelet Shaked, tech advisor and influencer Hillel Fuld, and now MK Simcha Rothman. The move comes amid rising antisemitism in Australia, firebombed synagogues, violent protests and the government’s push to sanction Israeli leaders like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich while preparing to recognize a Palestinian state.

This episode explores the deeper implications:
What does Australia’s ban really say about free speech, Zionism and Western values?
How are these decisions tied to Australia’s foreign policy and its push for a two-state solution?
Why does the government apply hate speech laws selectively, targeting Jewish and Israeli voices while allowing radical Islamist and far-left figures to speak freely?
What does this mean for the future of Israel-Australia relations and for Jewish communities facing growing hostility?

With firsthand insights from MK Simcha Rothman and analysis from Robert Gregory, this conversation exposes the contradictions at the heart of Australia’s policy and the dangerous precedent it sets for democracies worldwide.


Andrew Bolt on how the ‘alliance of tyrannies’ has now been checked
Sky News host Andrew Bolt says the "alliance of tyrannies” – Russia, China, North Korea and Iran – has for now been checked.

Israel’s Defence Force has begun the first steps of its invasion of Gaza City, with troops already reaching the city’s outskirts.

“In Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is running out of rope, I think Donald Trump is finally seeing through him and could at last drop an anvil on Putin quite soon,” Mr Bolt said.

“That’s after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine turned into a catastrophe – more than a million Russian soldiers killed or injured.”


‘Shameful moral fail’: Albanese’s recognition of Palestine is ‘rewarding terrorists’
Shadow defence minister Angus Taylor says the Albanese government’s decision to recognise Palestine is a “shameful moral fail” that “rewards terrorists”.

“What we have seen from Australia, from the government … is a shameful moral fail on the premature recognition of Palestine,” Mr Taylor told Sky News host Sharri Markson.

“This was the wrong decision; it’s rewarding terrorists.”




Member of Irish rap band Kneecap appears at UK court on terrorism related charge
Protestors gathered outside court to support a member of Irish rap group Kneecap on Wednesday at a London court as he sought to throw out a terrorism charge for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who was initially charged under the Anglicised name Liam O'Hanna and whose stage name is Mo Chara, is alleged to have waved the yellow flag of Hezbollah during a Kneecap gig in London on November 21, 2024.




Tucker Carlson is once again spreading lies about Israel via his guests
Israel transformed Jerusalem from a divided city where religious freedom was severely restricted to one where Christians, Muslims, and Jews can all access their holy sites in peace.

Yes, observant Jews do pray daily for the eventual rebuilding of the Temple. This has been part of our liturgy for two millennia, even before Islam was a religion. But in Jewish tradition, this rebuilding is associated with the Messianic era, a time of universal peace, and it will be done peacefully, and God will figure out how to do that.

Both Judaism and Christianity believe that the Messianic era will be one of peace, where nations will beat their swords into plowshares. No responsible Jewish leader advocates for violent means to achieve this aspiration. The suggestion that Israel would "blow up" Islamic holy sites is not just factually wrong; it's a malicious distortion of Jewish theology and Israeli policy.

Models of the ancient Temple, like the one shown in the interview, exist for educational purposes, to help people understand the historical and religious significance of the site. They represent historical memory and future hope, not current building plans.

The reckless promotion of such falsehoods has real-world consequences. Similar allegations about Jewish designs on the Temple Mount have incited violence, even very recently. When media figures amplify these dangerous claims, they become complicit in the potential bloodshed that may follow.

Tucker Carlson cannot hide behind the excuse that he merely asks questions while others provide inflammatory answers. By creating a platform for antisemitism, by framing questions to elicit maximally provocative responses, and by failing to challenge obvious falsehoods, he bears responsibility for the hatred he helps propagate.

Israel's record speaks for itself. When Israel had the opportunity to destroy the Dome of the Rock in 1967, Israel chose preservation instead. Israel could have banned Muslim worship; instead, it chose to protect it.

Even when faced with terror attacks launched from the Temple Mount itself, Israel's response has been measured, with a focus on security rather than retaliation.

Those genuinely interested in understanding this complex and sensitive issue should look to Israel's actions over the past decades rather than inflammatory speculation from those with no authority to speak on Jewish or Israeli intentions.

The truth requires no exaggeration or fabrication; it simply demands to be told. I hereby invite you all to visit the AISH headquarters in Jerusalem’s Old City and see the realities on the ground for yourselves.


Podcaster Theo Von Invokes Claims That Netanyahu Is ‘Like the New Hitler’
Comedian and podcaster Theo Von invoked claims that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is like the "new Hitler," echoing statements from Turkish president and Hamas supporter Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Nicaragua's socialist dictator, Daniel Ortega.

"I think that I don't like this stuff with Gaza and the Middle East. I don't understand why we give so much money to Israel. Like, you know, every—a lot of the big countries are against them right now, that think Netanyahu is like the new Hitler or that Netanyahu is the worst. So I don't understand that relationship," Von said Wednesday on his podcast, This Past Weekend.

It is unclear exactly which "big countries" Von was referring to, but the leaders of both Turkey and Nicaragua have criticized Israel over its war in Gaza, comparing its prime minister to former German führer Adolf Hitler. Erdoğan, the Turkish authoritarian, has repeatedly gone on anti-Semitic rants, including in 2021 when he declared Israelis are "murderers" who "kill children" and are "sucking their blood." He compared Netanyahu to Hitler during September's U.N. General Assembly. Nicaraguan co-presidents, Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo, broke relations with Israel over its war in Gaza in October, citing its "fascist and genocidal" government.

"The Israeli government is headed by a prime minister who is the son of the devil. Why? Because he is pursuing a policy of terror and he is Hitler," Ortega said in October.

Von’s podcast consistently sits at the top of the comedy charts, ranking number three and four on Spotify and Apple, respectively, as of Thursday morning.


Story Bridge pro-Palestine protest halted by judge
A judge has ordered that a pro-Palestine march that would have seen an estimated 7,000 people marching over Brisbane’s Story Bridge shall not go ahead.

The protest would have been part of nationwide action against the war in Gaza, with protestors calling for Australia to divest and break off diplomatic ties with Israel and to stop selling arms to the Israeli Defence Force.

Queensland Police said that the move to march over the Brisbane landmark would have been unsafe, and took the matter to court seeking to halt the move under the Peaceful Assembly Act.

Queensland's Chief Magistrate Janelle Brassington said in a ruling on Thursday that she believed the protest would be a “real and significant risk to safety, because of the very features of the site chosen.”

Acting Assistant Commissioner for Brisbane region Rhys Wildman said outside court that police remain supportive of peaceful protest.

"We are supportive of lawful, peaceful protest that is centred around safety," he said.

He added that Queensland Police, like their counterparts in New South Wales felt before the Harbour Bride protest, had not been given enough time to plan for a protest over the Story Bridge.

His concern was the possibility of a blockage of emergency services and the congestion chaos it would cause.




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Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



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