Sunday, August 31, 2025

08/31 Links: Trumping a ‘conjectural Palestinian state’ at the UNGA; 150 Media Outlets to Stage Anti-Israel Campaign Coordinated by NGOs; Zohran Mamdani’s mom was bankrolled by Qatar

From Ian:

Ruthie Blum: Trumping a ‘conjectural Palestinian state’ at the UNGA
Had Kamala Harris won the U.S. presidential election in November, the United States may have jumped on this bandwagon, as well. Though more symbolic than concrete, it’s significant in terms of how Israel and the P.A. continue to be perceived and treated.

By nixing the entry of the latter into America for the UNGA, President Donald Trump is conveying just as much of a powerful message to the gang of Western terrorism apologists who’d planned on hailing Abbas in the halls of the United Nations as to those denied the visas.

The State Department’s Office of the Spokesperson worded the warning, in part, as follows: “The Trump Administration has been clear: It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and P.A. accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace. Before [they] can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism—including the Oct. 7 massacre—and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by U.S. law and as promised by the PLO.”

In addition, the statement went on, “The P.A. must … end its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including appeals to the ICC [International Criminal Court] and ICJ [International Court of Justice], and efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state. Both steps materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks.” [Emphasis added.]

However, it concluded, signaling a way forward the likelihood of which is nil, “The United States remains open to re-engagement that is consistent with our laws, should the P.A./PLO meet their obligations and demonstrably take concrete steps to return to a constructive path of compromise and peaceful coexistence with the State of Israel.”

It remains to be seen whether some U.N. maneuver will override the administration’s decree. But the outcry it evoked in anti-Israel circles indicates how brilliant and crucial a move it was.
Trump mulls ‘GREAT’ plan to pay Palestinians to leave Gaza during post-war rebuild: report
The White House is reportedly considering a plan to pay Palestinians $5,000 to relocate for 10 years while the Gaza Strip is transformed into the “Riviera of the Middle East” envisioned by President Trump.

The Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation (GREAT) proposal would establish a trusteeship for control of the 25-mile-long strip of land that would be administered by the US for at least 10 years, while reconstruction – financed by billions of dollars in public and private-sector investments – takes place, according to the Washington Post.

Gaza’s entire 2 million population would need to be temporarily relocated for the project to take shape. The plan relies on “voluntary” departures from Gazans, either to another country or secured zones within the strip.

To encourage relocation, Palestinians opting to leave would receive $5,000 cash, four years of free rent elsewhere, and a year’s supply of food.

The trust would also offer digital tokens to Gazan land owners – good for a 1,800-square-foot apartment in one of six-to-eight new “AI-powered, smart cities” the trust plans to build from the ground up – in exchange for handing over their property rights.

The plan values each new apartment at $75,000, and the trust would save $23,000 for each departure from Gaza, compared with the cost of providing temporary shelter and “life support” services inside the enclave for those who refuse to leave, according to financial estimates included in the plan.

The first steps of reconstruction, as outlined in the document, would involve clearing mountains of debris, removing unexploded ordnance and rebuilding Gaza’s utilities and electrical grid.

Planners tout that 30% of land in Gaza is already “publicly” owned, and would immediately belong to the trust and serve as collateral for initial costs.

“Mega-projects,” including new highways, ports, airports, desalination plants and solar arrays would be funded by investors.

A new perimeter road around Gaza, dubbed “MBS Highway,” is touted in the prospectus, which suggests if the plan moves forward, the trust would seek substantial investments from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. There is no indication that Saudi Arabia would support such an effort.

Under the proposal, the center of the enclave would serve as Gaza’s residential area for returning residents – complete with new apartment buildings, business districts, schools and hospitals, mixed in with “green areas, including agricultural land, parks and golf courses.”
Hamas terrorist who held Emily Damari hostage said killed in IDF strike
Israel recently killed one of the Hamas terrorists who held British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari captive in Gaza, according to a Sunday report.

Channel 12 named the terrorist as Hazem Naim, but did not provide further details, including when the strike was carried out.

Damari said she shouted “screams of joy” when she heard the news.

“He was responsible for me and [fellow freed captive] Romi [Gonen] for around eight months,” Damari told the Channel 12 news network. “He was the commander of our captors, a very, very evil person.”

Thanking the IDF for its tireless efforts, Damari added: “People will never understand what that monster was to me and to Romi.” She noted that, at the same time, she was “scared to death” for her friends who are still held hostage, including twins Ziv and Gali Berman.

In July, the Israel Defense Forces announced that the previous month, it killed a different Hamas terrorist who held Damari in his home.

Nasr Ali Quneita, who was targeted in Gaza City on June 19, was said by the IDF to be a member of Hamas’s military intelligence unit in the Sheikh Radwan Battalion, known in the IDF as the al-Furqan Battalion, and that he invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, and held Damari hostage in his home at the start of the war.

At the time, Damari responded to her captor’s death, writing on social media: “This is what the face of evil looks like. A face I will never forget. I’m so glad he is no longer [in] our world.”

Damari was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023. She was abducted alongside Ziv Berman, her neighbor, who rushed over to her home to make sure she was safe. Invading terrorists shot Damari in her left hand, and another bullet was lodged in her right leg after fatally hitting her dog Choocha in the head.


150 Media Outlets to Stage Anti-Israel Campaign Coordinated by NGOs, Leaked Docs Show
A leaked strategic document has exposed a coordinated international media campaign designed to pressure news outlets into publishing synchronized anti-Israel content on September 1st, meant to inaccurately portray Israel as systematically targeting journalists in Gaza and barring press freedom.

The campaign, orchestrated by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and advocacy group Avaaz, involves approximately 150 media outlets across 50 countries in what organizers describe as a "world-first" coordinated newsroom action. According to the Hamas-tied Palestinian Information Center, outlets that signed on include: “Al Jazeera, The Independent, +972, Local Call, The Intercept, Mediapart, L’Humanité, Forbidden Stories, il Fatto Quotidiano, El País, RTVE, Daraj, Mada Masr, Le Desk, and L’Orient-Le Jour (Lebanon), along with numerous outlets across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.”

The leaked documents reveal what many argue represents the antithesis of independent journalism. Rather than organic editorial decisions, participating outlets are provided with pre-written scripts and messaging; standardized visual assets and templates; coordinated timing across global time zones; and unified hashtag campaigns.

The Campaign Strategy Revealed
According to the campaign document titled "Global Media Join Forces In a World-First for Press Freedom in Gaza," participating outlets are instructed to display unified messaging claiming: "At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed." The document provides detailed instructions for different media types:
Print publications: Front pages entirely or partially black with unified messaging
Online publications: Black banners with coordinated messaging linking to RSF press releases
Broadcasters: Scripted statements over black screens or with metronome sounds

The campaign includes materials translated into nine languages: English, Arabic, Hebrew, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese, indicating its global scope and ambition.

The Campaign’s False Premise
The campaign's central claim that "at least 210 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military" lacks crucial context that has emerged from military intelligence sources and independent investigations. Analysis of individual cases reveals numerous instances where individuals classified as "journalists" maintained dual roles as combatants or terror operatives.

For example, Al Jazeera reporter Anas al-Sharif, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month, was revealed by IDF intelligence to be a member of Hamas. Similarly, Abdullah Al-Jamal, a correspondent for the Palestine Chronicle, was likewise a Hamas terrorist who held three Israelis captive in his home following their abduction on October 7th.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal on August 21, James Kirchick explained that:
“Of the 192 putative journalists on the CPJ [Committee to Protect Journalists] list, 26 were employed by or freelanced for Al-Aqsa TV, which the committee generously describes as ‘Hamas-affiliated.’ Nineteen were employed by Al-Quds Al-Youm, which the State Department says is ‘run by Islamic Jihad,’ and seven worked for Palestine Today, which the CPJ itself calls ‘pro-Islamic Jihad.’ Six worked for Al Mayadeen or Al-Manar, the former affiliated with and the latter owned by Hezbollah, and another 23 worked for outlets connected to terrorist groups ranging from Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine to the Houthis. Not counting those the IDF has accused of being terrorists themselves—including Sharif—nearly half the people on the committee’s list worked for media owned by or affiliated with terrorist organizations.”


Keep the New York Times Out of Gaza
The New York Times editorial board just weighed in with a demand that Israel allow international media into Gaza.

Now, one might argue that Israel should let some of the press waltz into Gaza and galavant with the Hamas terrorists they seem to admire so much. But regardless of whether Israel decides to alter its policy, the New York Times should not be granted entry. Given the systematic, deliberate campaign the paper has waged since October 7th to harm Israel, its demands should be dismissed. It’s high time for the Times to face the consequences of its actions.

Anyways, let’s walk through just a few examples of the Times’ profound abdication of journalistic integrity, shall we?

The Starving Gaza Baby Hoax
In July 2025, the Times splashed across its front page a photo of an emaciated Gazan child—whose condition was caused not by wartime starvation, but by pre-existing cerebral palsy. The image was presented as proof of famine caused by Israel. The correction—such as it was—was buried days later, long after the damage was done. This was no isolated lapse. It was the latest expression of a decades-long pattern of skewed, selective, and at times outright false reporting about Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, at an August 10, 2025 press conference, highlighted three Gaza children whose cases he said were falsely portrayed abroad as victims of Israeli-imposed starvation: Osama al-Rakab, Abdul Qader al-Fayoumi, and Mohammad Zakaria Ayoub el-Mutawaq. (GPO screenshot) A Pattern of Negligent, Inaccurate Journalism

A 2024 peer-reviewed study by Eytan Gilboa and Lilac Sigan, published in Israel Affairs, examined the Times’s coverage of the Israel–Hamas war from October 7, 2023, to June 7, 2024. In that period, the paper admitted to 72 errors—48 of them about Israel. Not a single one was caught internally; all were flagged by outside critics. Corrections were late, vague, and often misleading.

The most infamous case was the Al-Ahli Hospital explosion. On October 17, 2023, the Times led with: “Israeli airstrike killed 500 at a Gaza hospital, Palestinians say.” In one sentence were five major falsehoods: it wasn’t an Israeli airstrike but a misfired Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket; it hit a parking lot, not the hospital; the death toll was 50–100, not 500; the source was Hamas’s “Ministry of Health,” not some generic “Palestinians.” The headline helped ignite riots across the Middle East and torpedoed a Biden-brokered summit in Amman. Israel immediately released audio of PIJ operatives admitting responsibility. The Times buried Israel’s denial under the original headline and left it there for hours. When the “correction” finally came, it was a minor note about the parking lot damage—no mention of PIJ, Hamas, or the actual casualty count. Only after President Biden privately blasted the headline as “irresponsible” did the paper issue an editor’s note admitting it had “relied too heavily” on Hamas claims.

The New York Times changed the headline regarding the Al-Ahli Hospital Blast multiple times
The Gilboa–Sigan study documents that this wasn’t a one-time lapse. Throughout the war, the Times repeated Gaza Health Ministry casualty figures almost daily without noting the ministry is run by Hamas, without distinguishing combatants from civilians, and without acknowledging analyses that showed those figures were statistically impossible. Hamas itself later admitted that a third of its reported casualties were drawn from “media sources” or “unclear individuals.” The Times ignored that until the UN repeated it, and even then portrayed it as a mere change in sourcing. In 27 opinion pieces about Gaza casualties, the paper never once questioned Hamas’s numbers, according to Gilboa and Sigan’s study.
BBC’s Lyse Doucet: I have no hesitation taking the side of the innocent people in Gaza war
Lyse Doucet at the Quees Park Book Festival
The BBC’s chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet has admitted she has “no hesitation in taking the side of innocent people on both sides” covering the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

As she defended the BBC against accusations of bias, “from all sides” over its coverage of the conflict, the 66-year-old journalist cited the hostages held by Hamas, and the children of Gaza as being among the innocents caught up in a war sparked by the October 7th 2023 attacks.

“Everyone wants you to take a side, and it becomes a defining identity if you like,” Doucet said, of her many years covering conflicts across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and, more recently, from Ukraine.

“All sides accuse the BBC of taking sides, “she reflected.

“The BBC, the national broadcaster – you want them to be like you, to express what you think is right, or just.”

Recalling on the criticism of BBC reporting, which became intense during coverage of the civil war in Syria, in the same way it has with Gaza, Doucet stressed: “I have no hesitation in taking the side of the people.

“Whether one war after another, it’s the same. The children in Gaza, the hostages held by Hamas, the innocent people.

“There is nothing wrong with taking the side of innocent people.”

The BBC News and Radio 4 added: “And equally, there is nothing wrong with taking the side of the innocents on both sides – because I think that’s what all of us have to stand up for”.


Oh mama! Qatar bankrolled over a decade worth of films directed by Zohran Mamdani’s mom
Hamas-backing Qatar has bankrolled film and stage projects by socialist Zohran Mamdani’s Israel-bashing movie-director mom — and one of its royals is now pushing her son’s mayoral bid, The Post has found.

Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani, sister to the ruling emir, and the state-funded cultural institutions she controls, have supported Mira Nair and her creative projects since at least 2009, even extending a personal invitation to participate in the cultural program the country organized as part of the festivities around hosting the 2022 World Cup.

Since mid-June, Sheikha Al-Thani has taken to promoting Mamdani’s mayoral candidacy on social media, boosting news of favorable polling on Instagram and posting fire emojis under a TikTok video of him embracing Nair.

“They are buying somebody who is willing to be bought and at the time of their choosing they will ask for what they want,” warned Danielle Pletka, a foreign policy expert at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, of Nair’s Qatar ties. “They need a rainbow coalition of people who will support the ideology they promote: sometimes it will be Islamism, sometimes it will be antisemitism, sometimes it will be anti-Israel.”

The Post found extensive ties between the Queens assemblyman’s mom and the Qatari elite, including:
In 2009 her film ‘Amelia’ opened the first-ever Doha Tribeca Film Festival in the Gulf regime’s capital.
From 2010 until 2014, the Doha Film Institute — founded by Sheikha Al-Thani — underwrote a “bootcamp” to train Qatari students in screenwriting and filmmaking at Nair’s Maisha Film Labs in East Africa and in Doha, according to both organizations’ websites.
The Doha Film Institute also paid the entire $15 million budget of Nair’s 2012 film “The Reluctant Fundamentalist,” one of the first movies it produced. The flick, which had previously struggled to obtain financing, tells the story of a Pakistani immigrant who suffers mistreatment at the hands of U.S. authorities after 9/11, and opened the Doha Tribeca Film Festival that year.
Nair’s film “Nafas,” about historic Qatari pearl divers, was the first movie commissioned by the Qatar National Museum, which Sheikha Al-Thani chairs. It premiered at the museum’s 2019 opening, which Nair attended, and remains one of its flagship exhibits. Its budget has not been made public.
A company Nair set up in her native India did $102,000 in business in 2022 and 2023 with event management firm Agence Publics Qatar, which shares its chairman with the Qatar Engineering & Construction Co., a major player in Qatar’s piggy-bank oil and gas industry, according to LinkedIn and publicly-listed import records collected by private supply chain-monitoring firms.
The country’s most high-profile support for the auteur came in 2022, when state-owned Qatar Airways and Qatar Creates — another of the sheikha’s pet projects boosting the country as a cultural destination — produced an extravagant Nair-directed stage adaptation of her Golden Globe-nominated film “Monsoon Wedding” as part of the World Cup festivities.
Seth Frantzman: Israel's airstrike on Houthi leadership, and what it means for Yemen's future
WHILE WE think of Yemen as a center of Iranian influence today, there was a time when al-Qaeda had a foothold there. It bombed the USS Cole in 2000 and was also home to the extremist American-Yemeni al-Qaeda figure Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a US drone strike in 2011.

When Yemen became divided between the Houthis and the official government, it also suffered other divisions. The UAE, for instance, has backed the Southern Transitional Council in Aden.

In essence, Yemen’s current divisions have aspects of the divisions that existed from the 1960s to 1990s, meaning that the Houthis control parts of what were once North Yemen, and the government controls part of what was once South Yemen.

Yemen’s new prime minister, Braik, in office since May, had clashed with Alimi, chairman of the PLC, over his powers after Alimi refused former prime minister Mubarak’s request to dismiss 12 of the government’s ministers, six government sources told Reuters.

Mubarak was appointed premier in February 2024 after serving as foreign minister. He came to prominence in 2015 when he was kidnapped by Houthi militiamen while serving as Yemen’s presidential chief of staff during the Houthis’ conflict with then-president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Mubarak had also sought to suspend the budgets of various ministries, such as the Defense Ministry, claiming there was corruption.

“There are promising signs of a shift in the balance of power in the country’s long-running conflict, [Alimi said in April], citing growing unity among anti-Houthi factions,” Asharq al-Awsat reported. At the time, the US was bombing Yemen, a decision the Trump administration made in March. US airstrikes would soon stop, however, taking the wind from Alimi’s sails.

Alimi had said he foresaw a broad national alignment in Yemen that would be ready to battle the Houthis.

“He said the emerging consensus among Yemen’s diverse political and military components to confront a common enemy was a key development on the ground,” Asharq al-Awsat reported.

“Al-Alimi met late Tuesday with the head of the Consultation and Reconciliation Commission, his deputies, and senior figures from political parties and factions represented in the body, as efforts to unify anti-Houthi forces continue,” the report said. “The meeting came amid ongoing US airstrikes targeting Houthi positions across several provinces, including the capital Sanaa, as well as Saada, Hajjah, and Hodeidah.”

Yemen had become a tool of Iran, Alimi told German media outlets. In 2024, the US Council on Foreign Relations said a truce in Yemen had been “breached by the Houthis more than once. They carried out a number of attacks on various places... under the control of the legitimate government, among which are the oil facilities, which cost the Yemeni people 70% of their basic resources.”

“Nevertheless, our efforts continued,” he said. “We have responded to all the initiatives related to the establishment of peace and stability in Yemen.”

The Houthis had tried to drag Yemen into the conflict with Israel, Alimi said. It was important to dry up funding for the Houthis, he told the UN General Assembly last year.


Yemen’s Houthi rebels raid UN premises, detain at least 11 staff, envoy says
The United Nations said Yemen’s Houthis detained at least 11 workers on Sunday in raids on UN premises, which came after rebel authorities had made numerous arrests following Israel’s killing of their prime minister.

There has been no comment from Houthi authorities on the reported raids, but the Iran-backed group has previously arrested international aid workers.

The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said in a statement: “I strongly condemn the new wave of arbitrary detentions of UN personnel today in Sanaa and Hodeida… as well as the forced entry into UN premises and seizure of UN property.”

He said that “at least 11 UN personnel were detained” and demanded that they be “immediately and unconditionally” released.

The Houthis were already detaining 23 UN personnel, some since 2021 and 2023, he added. In January, the Houthi rebels detained eight UN workers.

The Houthis claimed arrests made in June 2024 included “an American-Israeli spy network” operating under the cover of humanitarian organizations — allegations emphatically rejected by the UN.


IDF Adjusts Its Methods to Dismantle Hamas Stronghold
For the past three weeks, an IDF brigade combat team has been operating in Zeitoun on the outskirts of Gaza City. This is the seventh time Israeli forces have attacked the neighborhood since Oct. 7. Officers in the combat team assured the Times of Israel on Thursday that this time, the result would be different since they are fighting in a new manner.

Brigade commander Col. S. said a central element of the operation is the slow dismantling of neighborhoods in which Hamas operated. "The focus on the tunnels underground, and on the booby-trapped buildings above ground, allows us to guarantee that at the end of the mission, it will be very hard for the enemy to return to this territory. We can't guarantee 100% that the enemy who fled won't return to a certain piece of territory, but without its combat infrastructure, we will be able to destroy them during their attempts to return."

Israeli officers said they were certain the tactic is legal and effective. Lt.-Col. G. stressed, "Hamas decided to take all the homes in Gaza and turn them into terror infrastructure. There is no house where we didn't find an explosive, Nukhba uniforms, weapons, RPGs. There isn't a house. The moment it decided to operate in that way, we had no choice but to destroy the infrastructure above ground in almost every place."

"In every place in Zeitoun, Hamas prepared for defense and attacks against our forces. It decided to turn everything into a military array. So we are destroying everything we need to in order to destroy Hamas....The next terrorists that arrive won't have anywhere to come back to. They'll come back to open ground, from which they can't threaten our forces."

Officers insisted that they are doing everything they can to get civilians away from the fighting. "There are preliminary activities that we do in order to evacuate the population to interior areas so they won't be on the battlefield," said Cpt. L. "We are unequivocally operating in a way that is moral, ethical and appropriate." IDF forces designate areas as "green" or "red" based on the presence of civilians. In red areas, rules of engagement are highly restricted.


Censored Tweet:
The IDF's Arabic spokesperson's message following the elimination of Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida



See No Evil, Broadcast No Evil
The more recent example involves Australia’s national broadcaster, the ABC. It is no secret that tensions between Jerusalem and Canberra have become increasingly tense since October 7. Few can forget Foreign Minister Wong’s refusal to visit the decimated communities affected by the massacre, or the public trading of criticisms between government representatives of both countries in the wake of Australia’s stated intention to recognize a Palestinian state at next month’s UNGA.

Three weeks ago, I was part of a small press contingent taken into the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing to document the thousands of pallets of humanitarian aid that the UN and various aid agencies have been very slow to collect, while routinely accusing Israel of initiating a policy of mass starvation. Aid trucks with their drivers inside waiting for the green light from the UN idled nearby, and a UN vehicle was stationed in the vicinity.

My report:


Journalists were given free rein to walk around and document what they were seeing. While we were under the watchful eye of the IDF, there to protect us and answer any questions we may have had, none of the soldiers inhibited us in any way or told us that we HAD to share any specific information. What we witnessed spoke for itself. It spoke to everyone, it seemed, except for the two correspondents from ABC.

Standing amongst the towers of aid marked UN, UNICEF, and World Food Programme, with a solemn face the ABC journalist said, “This is the face that Israel wants you to see how it is prosecuting the delivery of humanitarian aid.” The reporter continued with his scathing report, trying to cast doubt on Israel’s claims.

Several takes were needed to make it sufficiently withering in its delivery.

The insinuation was that it was an orchestrated attempt by Israel to brush off accusations of deliberate starvation. Those of us who witnessed it were astounded. We could not believe what we were seeing. Had they not seen exactly what we had? Mountains of food, hygiene kits, baby food, and so much more rotting in the blazing heat, waiting for collection by the very entities accusing Israel of starvation? It was no coincidence that once safely deposited back inside Israel, the two beat a rather hasty retreat.

These two incidents demonstrate the alarming trend in agenda-based reporting. We must hold our media accountable, with the expectation that they share facts and not editorial or personal agendas. Misrepresentation of facts and deliberate misinformation are creating a terrifying global climate of antisemitism and misguided foreign policy decisions. We cannot dismiss this trend – our safety is a stake. We need to hold our media accountable. As media consumers, we are not powerless; we have agency and need to demand better from our press. Lives depend on it – both Israelis and Palestinians.


Ask Haviv Anything: Episode 39: Fear and loathing in the diaspora, live in Oslo with Bjørn Gabrielsen.
During an August speaking tour in Norway, Haviv was interviewed at an event hosted by the remarkable Jewish organization Kos & Kaos - The Nordic Jewish Network. It's a unique group founded in 2016 that brings together Jewish voices and friends and allies of the Jewish community across Scandinavia for dialogue, cultural events and critical conversations.

Norwegian writer and journalist Bjørn Gabrielsen interviewed Haviv in front of a packed house in Oslo on August 21 about the war in Gaza, the condition of diaspora Jews in the wake of October 7, the state of modern journalism, how the Middle East is seen in the West, and more.




Greta Thunberg heads back to Gaza with new flotilla
Greta Thunberg and hundreds of other anti-Israel activists were expected to depart from Spain and other countries on Sunday in what Reuters described as the largest Gaza flotilla to date, in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of the Strip.

It is the second protest flotilla for the Swedish climate activist, who has pivoted to anti-Israel extremism since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. She will be joined by far-left Portuguese parliamentarian Mariana Mortágua and activists from 44 countries, who are departing from Barcelona, Sicily, Greece and Tunisia.

The Global Sumud (“steadfastness” in Arabic) Flotilla is described by the Barcelona Radical Book Fair, which is broadcasting the departure live, as “history’s largest international civil humanitarian movement to break the siege on Gaza, open a maritime humanitarian corridor and denounce the genocide against the Palestinians.”

A restricted meeting is scheduled for Sunday at the official residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the operational strategy that Jerusalem will deploy against the more than 200 people participating in the flotilla, Israel Hayom reported. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and security personnel will participate.

According to the news outlet, Ben-Gvir will propose to Netanyahu tougher measures as part of a deterrent strategy to prevent future flotillas. This strategy was reportedly formulated at a preparatory meeting hosted by the minister on Aug. 28 with top police and Prison Service personnel.

The strategy includes “detaining the activists in terrorist-level conditions at Ktzi’ot and Damon (for females) facilities—lacking television or radio, without superior-quality meals, and involving prolonged custody rather than merely overnight.”

The report continues: “The foundation for custody in these conditions, it was stated during the meeting, is their arrival to violate a restricted military area, plus creating documentation on each individual using photographs with terrorists and links to terror groups.”

In addition, as part of the plan, Israel will seize the vessels and turn them into police assets to establish a maritime force for police operations, which a judicial assessment has already shown would allow seizure of these types of boats.

Israel Hayom cited sources close to Ben-Gvir as saying that the “gentle” handling of previous protest flotillas failed to deter activists from trying again. The sources added that if the strategy is approved, “following several weeks at Ktzi’ot and Damon, they’ll be sorry about the time they arrived here. We must eliminate their appetite for another attempt.”


Wave of Pro-Palestinian, Pro-Hamas Protests Planned
This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly as the final protest is set for Oct. 7.

The Coalition for a Safer Web (CSW) has identified a wave of pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protests being coordinated through both open and encrypted social media platforms, with events planned in major U.S. cities in the coming weeks.

According to CSW, several of the groups behind the protests also organized antisemitic encampments and demonstrations on college campuses and in U.S. cities after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel. Among them, the Democratic Socialists of America, the China-backed Party for Socialism and Liberation, The People’s Forum, and Within Our Lifetime, which has been linked to violent protests in New York.

The protests are being timed around major events, including the Jewish High Holidays in September, the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and at Israeli diplomatic outposts across the country.

“Authorities and the American Jewish community should take careful notice that despite a crackdown on campus-based demonstrations, pro-Gaza and pro-Hamas groups are planning protests designed to coincide with religious holidays, the UN General Assembly, and the reopening of universities,” said Ambassador Marc Ginsberg, CSW president. “Several of these groups have incited violence against Jewish communities and targeted Israeli diplomatic facilities in the past.”

CSW said it will continue to track the groups’ activities and provide updates to law enforcement and Jewish community leaders.


WSJ Editorial: The UN's Days in Lebanon Are Numbered
The UN peacekeepers in Lebanon keep no peace. The program failed but never died. After the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah, it stood by as Hizbullah turned southern Lebanon into an armed camp again. The Trump Administration has agreed with France on a resolution that gives the peacekeepers 16 months to conclude their operations.

The peacekeepers have been Hizbullah's human shields. They failed so abysmally to keep armed terrorists out of southern Lebanon that the Israel Defense Forces had to do the job for them last year, after 11 months of Hizbullah rocket fire. When the IDF finally advanced, UNIFIL refused to move and then blamed Israel for endangering peacekeepers by rooting out Hizbullah.

Israel found UNIFIL's area of responsibility teeming with weapons and Hamas-style tunnels. Hizbullah had dug them under UNIFIL's nose - in one case 110 yards from its outpost. In a viral Lebanese video from June, a plainclothes Hizbullah militant slaps a UNIFIL soldier, who then backs off - a nice metaphor.
Seth Frantzman: Lebanon's new leaders believe they can salvage the state from Hezbollah
Pro-Iranian voices are closely watching the moves of Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who has said, “What the government is doing is to consolidate the concept of a strong and just state and serve the interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese.”

Tehran has sought to hollow out and weaken Lebanon over the last decades, using Hezbollah as a proxy within the country. Any attempt by the government to create a stronger state, such as by collecting the weapons of all the militias in the nation, will challenge Iran’s regional agenda and weaken Hezbollah. Hezbollah: Weaker today than it has been in decades? There is a belief today that Hezbollah is weaker than it has been in decades, which presents an opportunity for those like Salam and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to alter the country’s trajectory.

Salam made his latest comments during a meeting with the country’s grand mufti. “Rebuilding the state must remain a hallmark of the difficult and delicate phase Lebanon is going through,” Salam said, “no matter how intense the storms and how many obstacles grow.”

The Lebanese leader stressed that “we will continue our efforts to achieve the required reform and extend the state’s authority over all its territories using its own resources to advance the state and its institutions. Despite the difficulties and challenges, our most powerful weapon will remain national unity, will, determination, and optimism to reach safe shores for our homeland, which has been wounded by the ongoing Israeli aggression.”

Salam is currently facing a complex series of challenges. He and Aoun came to power with the promise of reforming Lebanon and restoring state control over all parts of the country. This came after Israel defeated Hezbollah last October and the terror group agreed to a ceasefire the following month.

This paved the way for the fall of the Assad regime in December. Hezbollah has now been relatively quiet in Lebanon, waiting to see what happens. It is closely following the new government’s promises to disarm various groups, including Hezbollah. In order to build capacity and legitimacy for disarming the terrorist group, the government has already begun to disarm Palestinian groups in a dozen of the country’s refugee camps. This has so far proceeded well in Tyre and is now occurring in Beirut.

Hezbollah has warned that any attempt to take its arms could lead to clashes and civil conflict. Salam stressed that “the Council of Ministers will spare no effort to preserve every centimeter of the homeland.”
Disarming Hizbullah: Much Talk, Little Action
Lebanese President Gen. Joseph Aoun says in closed-door meetings that he has no intention whatsoever of sending his military to clash with Hizbullah. He insists that implementing the Lebanese government's agreement to disarm Hizbullah must be preceded by dialogue and solid understandings. The government now has conveyed to the U.S. that collection of arms cannot be completed by the end of the year, as initially promised.

At the same time, Sheikh Hasan Nasrallah's pale successor, Naim Qassem, vows to refuse handing over Hizbullah's still impressive arsenal, repeatedly threatening to fight the Lebanese army and warning of civil war. President Aoun knows perfectly well that the military chief of staff who replaced him in March, Gen. Rodolphe Haykal, was Hizbullah's preferred candidate.

On Aug. 9, when a Lebanese army unit arrived at a Hizbullah bunker in south Lebanon, searching for rockets, Hizbullah operatives detonated a remotely-controlled bomb, killing six U.S.-trained Lebanese demolition experts and wounding others.

Israel should not agree to any gesture or concession, as long as the promises of disarmament are not translated into significant actions. Hizbullah has been terribly weakened and has lost nearly all of its local allies as a result of launching a war against Israel. But it insists on retaining all of its remaining military capabilities.
Lebanese army disarms six Palestinian camps, Hamas and Islamic Jihad not included
The Lebanese army has completed the disarmament of six Palestinian camps in Lebanon, according to reports at Arab News network in Saudi Arabia.

The Lebanese government is seeking to disarm all armed groups in the country and has begun with the Palestinians after a deal with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. If this disarmament goes well, it may pave the way for disarming Hezbollah. It could also be a model for disarming Hamas.

The handover has happened in phases, with the army first seeking out the weapons in the camps near Tyre in southern Lebanon, and then proceeding to Beirut.

According to the report, the Lebanese army received “a batch of light and medium weapons, B7 rockets, and medium-range surface-to-surface missiles from the camps of Tyre.”

The camps include Rashidieh, Burj el-Shamali, and Al-Bass, which are all near the southern city.

In addition, the army was able to disarm the Shatila camp and Mar Elias camp in Beirut, as well as the Burj Al-Barajneh camp in Beirut’s southern suburb.

“The Lebanese army on Friday received a new batch of heavy weapons from Palestinian Liberation Organization factions in refugee camps in Lebanon,” the report said.

“While Lebanese army vehicles did not enter the Burj Al-Barajneh camp, the handover took place in the courtyard where the first batch was delivered last week,” the report said. This handover was among the first, and then the army received the weapons from three camps near Tyre, and afterward returned to receive weapons from the Beirut camps.


Holocaust memorial in Lyon defaced with ‘Free Gaza’
A Holocaust memorial in Lyon, France, was defaced with the words “Free Gaza,” local officials confirmed to AFP on Saturday.

The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France, which includes Lyon, in a statement “strongly” condemned the vandalism, while expressing its “full support to the Jewish community” in the city.

“Nothing justifies this shameful act targeting this place of remembrance, inaugurated earlier this year,” added the region’s prefect, which is the French state’s top representative in the area.

The memorial was inaugurated in January to mark 80 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp. In a picture shared with AFP, “Free Gaza” appeared to have been scratched into the marble of the memorial plaque with a sharp object.

Jean-Olivier Viout, president of the association which created the memorial, has filed a police complaint, according to the city hall.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said France “must wake up” in the wake of the incident, the latest in a series targeting the country’s Jewish community.

Sa’ar in his statement noted a recent diplomatic incident in which U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner was reprimanded by Paris for meddling in “internal affairs” after expressing concern over the rise.

Last year saw the most antisemitic physical assaults in France in more than a decade, with 106 reports documented by the SPCJ (Service de protection de la communauté juive).

Most antisemitic incidents in France are perpetrated by Muslims or people from Muslim-majority countries or backgrounds, according to the BNVCA (Bureau national de vigilance contre l’antisémitisme).


Man arrested for brandishing knife at Jews near Paris
A man in his 40s intimidated passersby with a knife on Friday near a synagogue in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a heavily Jewish and affluent suburb of Paris.

Prosecutors told AFP that the man threatened at least four people wearing kippahs near the synagogue and an adjacent Jewish school just before Shabbat began. They are looking into the motives and investigating the possibility that the man targeted Jews in an antisemitic incident, the report said.

The suspect pursued one of his victims into a perfume and makeup shop, where police arrested him without a struggle, AFP reported.

Mayor Jean-Christophe Fromantin said in a statement: “We must remain alert and mobilize against the rise of antisemitism.”

In recent years, Neuilly-sur-Seine has seen the arrival of many Jewish families from other parts of the Paris region, who moved there for the relative security and the local Jewish schools as well as the non-Jewish ones, where antisemitic bullying is rare.

The number of antisemitic physical assaults recorded in France last year was the highest in more than a decade, with 106 reported cases documented by the SPCJ (Service de protection de la communauté juive).
Anti-immigration rallies held across Australia as clashes break out in Adelaide and Melbourne
Scuffles have broken out at anti-immigration rallies held across the country, including in Melbourne, where police have used pepper spray on some of those involved.

Police also had to intervene after a clash at the Adelaide event.

The marches — which were mostly peaceful — have been held across the nation's capital cities and in some regional centres, with counter-demonstrations also organised in several locations.

While some attendees said the "March for Australia" events had nothing to do with race and were aimed at slowing down migration, regardless of where it was coming from, a sign reading "white unity at every opportunity" was visible at the Sydney rally.

In Melbourne, anti-immigration protesters and attendees of a pro-Palestine rally clashed in the CBD.

Hundreds of police blocked the groups from meeting on Swanston Street near Flinders Street Station, but members from both groups marched down other streets away from the blockade.

Several police horses and dozens of police officers swarmed to Bourke Street to separate the protesters.

A glass bottle was thrown, which shattered near the pro-Palestine group as the two sides continued to face off.


Israeli surfer Anat Lelior takes gold on world championship tour
The Pantin Pro, a prestigious stop on the World Surfing Championship Tour, was held Saturday in Galicia, Spain, drawing top surfers from across Europe and Israel.

Israel sent its strongest delegation yet, with four surfers — Anat Lelior, Ido Hajaj, Itay Bochan and Uri Uziel — advancing through multiple rounds in rough conditions that included strong winds, rain and waves reaching up to three meters.

All four reached the quarterfinals, but only Lelior and Hajaj advanced to the semifinals and then the finals — marking the first time an Israeli man and woman have reached the finals of the same event in their respective categories. The results set new milestones: Hajaj achieved the highest finish ever for an Israeli male surfer, while Lelior claimed her second career win on the European Tour, both a personal record and a national achievement.

In the men’s final, Hajaj opened strong with a score of 6.77 and later added a 6.17 to take the lead. In the final moments, Portuguese surfer Vasco Ribeiro was awarded a high-scoring wave that moved him into first place. Hajaj then caught one last wave, attempting a maximum-risk maneuver. Judges deliberated for more than five minutes before awarding him a 5.2 — just short of the 5.43 needed to win. The call, broadcast live, sparked controversy and is expected to remain a topic of debate.

Despite the narrow loss, Hajaj’s runner-up finish is a historic result for Israeli men’s surfing.

In the women’s final, Lelior left no doubt. Within the first five minutes she posted two high scores and maintained her lead, then sealed victory with a 7.5 at the 15-minute mark, leaving her rivals to battle only for second place.

Carried from the water on the shoulders of her Israeli teammates, Lelior was taken straight to the podium without touching the sand — a traditional ritual for winners in professional surfing.


Israel stuns France in 'sweet revenge' win amid ban on hostage flags
In one word: extraordinary. Israel recorded one of its greatest EuroBasket victories on Sunday, defeating France 82-69. The French team, Olympic silver medalists and one of the tournament favorites, suffered its first loss of the championship.

Though it was only the third game of the group stage, the win sent a clear message from coach Ariel Beit-Halachmi’s squad. Israel improved to a 1-2 record and snapped a five-game losing streak against France. The victory also brings the Blue and Whites closer to the EuroBasket round of 16 for the first time since 2015.

Despite missing key players like Victor Wembanyama and Evan Fournier—who retired from international play—France still fielded one of the tournament’s deepest and most talented rosters, with all 12 players active in the NBA or EuroLeague, including the top two picks from last year’s NBA draft, Zachary Rizoshe and Alex Sar.

That didn’t stop Israel’s stars, led by NBA player Deni Avdija (23 points), Yam Madar (17 points), and Tomer Ginat, from showcasing aggressive defense and relentless effort. Israel overcame a double-digit deficit in the first quarter and dominated the fourth quarter 27-13, delivering a performance that will be remembered as one of the country’s greatest basketball achievements.

Before the game, tensions flared off the court as Israeli fans arriving at Katowice’s Spodek Arena were barred from bringing in a flag featuring the emblem of hostages held in Gaza.

Security told fans they had to either deposit the flag or discard it to enter. The decision followed a similar incident on the tournament’s opening day, when fans were prohibited from raising a flag in memory of Shaked Habani, killed in the October 7 Nova Music Festival terror attack




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