Tuesday, September 02, 2025

09/02 Links Pt1: There Never Will Be a Palestinian State. So What’s Next? Israel must not trade concrete gains for empty political promises; A charade in academic garb

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: Hamas: Not Like Us
Just prior to the holiday weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood with Sabine Taasa, whose son, Or, and husband, Gil, were murdered by Hamas on October 7. Two other sons were injured in the attacks. Taasa and Netanyahu were presenting footage from a security camera, which catches Gil’s death and the terrorists’ callous treatment of the boys, both of whom were injured.

The viewer sees Gil and his sons run into a shelter and a terrorist throw a grenade into the shelter after them. Gil appears to have shielded his sons from the explosion, which killed him immediately. We see Gil’s body in a corner of the video after the explosion, and then see the two boys run back to the house.

The video is just now being approved for wide release outside of Israel by Taasa as a reminder of why this war began and why it continues, as a steady stream of Hamas war porn seeks to paint the Jewish state as an evil, murderous force. But the video’s release also shows the built-in advantage that Hamas has. After all, the Taasa footage can only be shown because it is unrepresentative of the rest of the unreleased October 7 footage in that it isn’t shockingly gory.

Israel has provided to journalists and politicians and other officials who request it the most brutal footage from that day. But it has not been packaged into made-for-social-media clips of Hamas’s barbarity. The inhumanity of these scenes of Hamas’s actions, and the sheer volume of such videos—many of which Hamas took themselves—is nearly incomprehensible. And so the question has been raised from the beginning of the war: Why didn’t the Israeli government show all this footage, so that the world could understand the demonic forces guiding Hamas’s death cult?

There is no one single answer to this question. One popular suggestion is that the Israeli military, and in fact the Israeli public, would be unrestrainable if it saw the worst of Hamas’s crimes against Israeli civilians. Contrary to the parade of lies about Israel’s prosecution of this war, the IDF has shown superhuman restraint and patience. The military took its time, for example, evacuating a million Palestinians from Rafah before going in to clear it of Hamas fighters and smuggling tunnels. The nearly 1:1 casualty ratio of civilians to combatants is unheard-of in urban warfare. The numbers don’t lie (hard as Hamas might try to make them)—there has almost certainly never been stronger protection of noncombatants in a dense urban war theater like this.
Elliott Abrams: There Never Will Be a Palestinian State. So What’s Next?
I’ve heard that line repeated over the years by a few thoughtful and often weary Palestinians looking for a way forward that separates them from Israel, guarantees a great deal of self-rule and real autonomy, and brings their children a better life, yet prevents Palestinian radicals, extremists, and terrorists from turning their imaginary peaceful “Palestine” into a simulacrum of yesterday’s Gaza—before October 7—or today’s. They understand something elemental that the Macrons and Carneys and Starmers do not: the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the wide support for violence in Palestinian society will not be solved by the magical incantation of recognition, and will in fact be worsened by it.

Until Palestinian nationalism is not fundamentally about destroying Israel, and until options like an organic link to Jordan are examined, neither that internal crisis nor the violent confrontation between Israel and Palestinians will be resolved. Israelis will not, to say it again, commit suicide, and that means they will not empower those who would murder them and their children and would destroy their state. That is the fact that needs to be faced, and is daily evaded, by facile diplomats who claim to be protecting Palestinians and by self-satisfied politicians motivated by their own need for more votes.

A Palestinian state living in peace and security side by side with Israel is a mirage: despite all the claims that we are getting closer to it, it always recedes. Perhaps someday the Islamic Republic of Iran will fall, and a new government there will stop supporting every terrorist group that wishes to destroy Israel. Perhaps someday leaders of the major democracies will treat Israel with fairness and justice, and will demand and enforce fundamental changes in Palestinian society that root out the disastrous effects of a century of murderous anti-Semitism and efforts to destroy Israel. Perhaps Palestinians will someday find and support a national leader who, unlike Husseini or Arafat, truly wishes to build a decent society rather than attacking the one next door. But until such things happen, Palestinian statehood must remain an impossibility.

The most apt metaphor for Palestinian life today is the Gaza cityscape as it existed on October 6: behind and beneath the facades of homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques lay a vast network of terror tunnels and weapons storehouses. And underlying that physical network lay, and lies still, an intellectual and ideological network of beliefs—beliefs that lead to such widespread support for Hamas even today, and that lead the Palestinian Authority to name schools and plazas after the terrorist murderers of children, and to pay salaries and bounties to terrorists in Israel prisons.

Israel has done a great deal toward eliminating the physical infrastructure of terror, but there cannot be a Palestinian state unless and until the intellectual network that prizes “armed struggle” against the Jewish state above building a normal life for Palestinians ends as well. That is a task for Palestinians, not Israelis, and it is a task that Palestinians will not take up while international organizations and leaders of important nations assure them that statehood will come to them soon and without conditions.
Israel must not trade concrete gains for empty political promises
Under no circumstances should tangible achievements be traded for political ideas that may stir the imagination, but their chances of materializing are doubtful. Thus, one can welcome the Lebanese government's decision to task the Lebanese army with formulating a plan to disarm Hezbollah, but also assume – with a sober look – that the likelihood of this happening is slim.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem made clear that the weapons issue is a red line and that his organization will never agree to disarm, and therefore one should not be tempted by the "discourse of gestures" – it is not right to reduce IDF strikes in Lebanon or reduce the Israeli military presence in order to "give President Aoun a chance and encourage him in his policy."

Israel needs to maintain its hold on all five points in Lebanon where the IDF controls, not allow the reconstruction of Shiite villages that threaten our communities in the north, enforce decisively, and act firmly against any attempt to arm and strengthen. If and when Hezbollah is disarmed, then it will be possible to show openness to other ideas as well.

The same applies to Syria: we need to wake up from the dreams about hummus in Damascus. The refined jihadist ruler indeed spoke positively about the possibility of peace relations with Israel, and this should not be dismissed, but meanwhile, these are just words. The barbaric attacks by regime supporters against the Druze illustrated the complex internal challenges in this divided country. They reminded us and the rest of the world what the base of the new president looks like, who, next month, will stand on the UN General Assembly podium.

Even those who believe that Ahmed al-Sharaa has exhausted the jihad chapter in his life and seen the light on the path of statesmanship now understand what his power base looks like. It is hard to assume that the gang of jihadists surrounding him has abandoned the vision of establishing an extreme Sunni religious state in Greater Syria, and that it will allow action in complete opposition to this vision. Therefore, we must maintain our military presence on Mount Hermon's peak and in the buffer zone in Syria, forcefully prevent empowerment moves that will challenge the freedom of action of our forces, and assist the Druze.

And for those who claim that Israel's actions could undermine political opportunities: first, past experience teaches that the opposite is true – military moves may actually help clarify red lines, and, by themselves, serve as leverage for advancing political arrangements. Second, and more importantly, security without political arrangements is preferable to arrangements without security. These lessons must be remembered, especially ahead of a political month, full of initiatives and ideas.
Khaled Abu Toameh: Arabs Not Interested in Seeing Hamas Disarm
It was Qatar, in fact, during the entire Trump administration's supposed "mediation," that repeatedly instructed Hamas to keep attacking Israel and not to disarm.

Even after joining the Arab League's request for a ceasefire, Qatari government journalists are urging Hamas to kidnap more Israeli soldiers, to "[f]ight the Jews and kill them," and that "Jihad victory in Gaza will end Zionism." After the January 2025 ceasefire came into effect, Qatar's government media called the ceasefire a "crushing historic victory" for Hamas, a "significant defeat" for Israel, and like the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, "which the Prophet Muhammad signed with his enemies in the Quraysh tribe" for ten years, but "which he violated after approximately two years," and proceeded to conquer Mecca.

If 22 Arab and Muslim countries do not have the courage to speak out against Hamas, how can they be expected to play any role in ending the war in the Gaza Strip?

Qatar has so far failed to pressure the terror group [Hamas] to lay down its weapons and relinquish control over the Gaza Strip. Qatar's government journalists, as noted, are still actively encouraging Hamas to continue the war.

If the two countries [Egypt and Qatar] really wanted to pressure Hamas, they would at least threaten to deport the terror group's leaders and their families and seize their bank accounts. Not only has this not happened, but Hamas leaders continue to lead comfortable lives in Doha and are warmly received each time they fly to Egypt.

Hamas leaders simply feel no pressure whatsoever from the Arabs to end the war in the Gaza Strip. That is most likely why Hamas leaders are determined to fight to the last Palestinian. From their safe homes and offices in Qatar and Turkey, Hamas leaders continue to glorify the Palestinian "resistance" and threaten Israel with more terrorism.

The fastest way to end the war is by demanding -- with consequences for dawdling -- that the Arab countries, especially Egypt and Qatar, take a truly tough stance against Hamas. The Trump administration is probably the only party that can pressure Egypt and Qatar to force Hamas to release the hostages and lay down its weapons.


The Neighbor From Hell
How long will Iran take to find an alternative to the Axis? When Iran was bereft before, finding another way forward took 15 years. Maybe it will never recover, and the Axis will turn out to be Iran’s last good strategic idea. Maybe the next idea will be much better than the Axis—a nuclear weapon produced with unprecedented stealth, say, or something more clever than my own small mind can contemplate. Michael Doran, of the Hudson Institute, suggested that one possible fate was that of Castro’s Cuba: Iran would swap its first generation of charismatic leaders for a military junta. “By some lights, the reign of the mullahs ended a long time ago, and it’s already an IRGC regime,” he told me, referring to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The ideology of the regime is evolving from revolutionary Shiism to Persian nationalism, he said. But that shift would not mean that enmity with the United States and Israel would evaporate. A diminished Iran, sapped of its charisma, would continue seeking ways to harass Israel and the United States. This behavior is a singular and consistent feature of the Islamic Republic. Even when the regime has looked more amenable to peace with the U.S., through deals and compromise, it has labored mightily for the opposite.

“The resistance is an inextricable part of the Islamic Republic’s identity,” Karim Sadjadpour, a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told me. Khamenei has made feints and tactical adjustments. But the attempt to lead a revolutionary international movement against the United States and Israel, Sadjadpour said, is nonnegotiable. “Death to America, death to Israel, and hijab,” he told me, seem to be points of stubborn insistence, not subject to reassessment.

In 2015, the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran established unprecedented access to its nuclear sites, and strict but temporary limits on enrichment. It did nothing, though, to dull Iran’s enthusiasm for attacking the United States and Israel. In anticipation of a deal, and during the years the deal was in effect, Iran accelerated its support for the Axis. It used extra resources and latitude to become more aggressive. It intensified its support for Assad (having already prolonged a civil war); it strengthened its ties to the Houthis; it gave money and rockets to Hezbollah; it reportedly plotted and carried out terrorist attacks overseas. After the United States exited the nuclear deal, Iran allegedly tried to kill former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, and the Iranian dissident Masih Alinejad.

Peace is not overrated. Many Iranians who hate their government nonetheless cheered the end of the war, and decried the senseless death of their countrymen at the hands of a faraway government whose concern for Iranian life was open to doubt. But not all peace is equal, and this strange, eventful history offers many reasons to suspect that the present peace with Iran will be a brief parenthesis in the long story of mutual enmity.

When Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini agreed to end the Iran-Iraq War, he likened the peace to drinking from a poisoned chalice. He did not—he could not—perform the elementary self-criticism that would have been involved in admitting that his decision to prolong the war and multiply its miseries was catastrophic. The peace at the end of the recent war with Israel is similarly marked by a lack of Iranian introspection or remorse.

Many Iranians wonder why their government spends so much money and effort on picking fights with Israel, the United States, and their allies, rather than on fixing its own corruption. I see no sign that the government itself wishes to reassess those priorities. Instead, it will do what it always does, which is look for bold new ways to pursue those priorities, with renewed vigor. The suffering of Iranians would be bad enough. But Iran’s determination to spread that suffering around to its friends and enemies alike makes it a uniquely awful neighbor, in peace as well as in war.
Robert Satloff: A charade in academic garb
Let’s be clear about the resolution characterizing Israeli behavior as constituting genocide – it reflects not one iota of original or independent research by a group that characterizes itself as a “global, interdisciplinary, non-partisan organization that seeks to further research and teaching about the nature, causes, and consequences of genocide, and advance policy studies on genocide prevention.” Its findings are totally and completely derivative of the work of others.

Those “others” include, for example, Francesca Albanese, the notorious “UN special rapporteur on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories” accused by the US government of “virulent anti-semitism and unrelenting anti-Israel bias.” Her work is first cited as proof of torture by the Israel Defense Forces and then as validation of the genocide accusation. And those “others” also include Navi Pillay, the disgraced former chair of the UN Human Rights Council whose Commission of Inquiry on Israel, on which IAGS based its accusation of Israel’s “sexual violence” toward Palestinians and who is cited by name on the charge of “ethnic cleansing,” was roundly rejected by the Biden administration for its extreme bias. Elsewhere, the IAGS resolution not only relied on multiple reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International – organizations that have long shown deep-seated animus toward Israel – but IAGS went one step further by inflating the accusations made in those reports. For example, the IAGS resolution accuses Israel of “deliberate” attacks on medical professionals, although the cited HRW report never actually made such a claim.

One doesn’t have to support either the Netanyahu government or the Trump administration to note that the IAGS resolution made things up out of thin air. For example, one of the resolution’s accusations is that Israel endorsed “the current US President’s plan to forcibly expel all Palestinians from the Gaza Strip,” linking to a BBC report that makes no mention of the forcible expulsion of Palestinians, a policy that Trump himself specifically renounced in March 2025.

My critique of the IAGS resolution should not be misread as endorsement of Israeli strategy and tactics in Gaza or indifference to the terrible human toll in this conflict. Neither characterizes my view of this hellish war. Rather, my outrage is directed at a scholarly organization that lent its reputation to an indictment of Israel that more closely resembled a lynching than a judicious academic inquiry.

Who wrote this outrageous, tendentious resolution?

Did the 86 percent of IAGS members who voted to endorse it actually read it?

Did any of those august scholars take the time to examine its underlying citations?

On closer inspection, that 86 percent number is itself a bit of a ruse. Evidently, only 28 percent of IAGS’ approximately 500 members participated in the vote on the resolution. This means that a resolution damning the Jewish state for “genocide” was approved with the support of only one-fifth – 20 percent — of the organization’s membership. How ironic – how shameful – given that the image that graces the homepage of the IAGS website is the one at the top of this article: the iconic Hall of Names in Israel’s Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority, more commonly known as Yad Vashem.
Proof That Academia Has Become A Loudspeaker For Islamists
The Inversion of Truth
If anything, it is Hamas that fits the textbook definition of genocide. Its charter explicitly calls for the annihilation of Jews. Its leaders, on video and in sermons, proclaim their goal: not peace, not coexistence, but the elimination of Israel and the Jews. October 7 was not a military campaign, it was an attempted pogrom.

Meanwhile, Israel’s ratio of civilian to combatant deaths, even in the fog of urban warfare, remains historically low compared to every modern conflict. Military experts like Major John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) who Chairs the Urban Warfare Department at West Point, have confirmed this. No genocide in history has been marked by population growth, yet Gaza’s population has only increased since 1967 - even during most of this current conflict and the only reason for the decline in the rate of growth the last half a year is due to migration of Gazans outside of the Strip. The provable facts contradict the slander.

The Real Purpose of This Resolution
Why now? Because Israel is poised to strike Hamas’s last stronghold. Because pressure is mounting on the terror group. And because its allies in Western academia want to distract the world, to delegitimize Israel before it finishes the job.

This resolution is not scholarship. It is a shield for jihadists. It is the weaponization of academia to launder terror propaganda under the guise of humanitarian concern. And it is a betrayal of the very convention these scholars claim to uphold.

History will not look kindly on academics who abandon truth for ideology. By branding Israel a genocidal state while ignoring Hamas’s explicit genocidal campaign, the IAGS has revealed itself: not guardians of memory, but agents of disinformation.
‘Embarrassing Absence of Professionalism’: Genocide Scholar Lambasts Damning Report on Israel
A member of the International Association for Genocide Scholars said that the organization pushed through a resolution accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza in what she calls an “embarrassing absence of professionalism.”

Sara Brown, Ph.D. in comparative genocide studies and member of the association for more than 10 years, lashed out at the group for its resolution, calling it “incorrect in its assessment of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.”

“It includes many unsubstantiated claims, is poorly cited (using deeply biased, questionable sources), and perpetuates an intentionally distorted analysis of the Israel Hamas War,” she added.

Ms. Brown said that only 129 out of some 500 association members voted on the resolution, and that the process was a “disaster from start to finish. Those of us against the resolution tried to submit our concerns for discussion but were blocked by the leadership.”

Times of Israel disclosed that internal emails showed how the group’s leadership promised to hold a town hall discussion “as with previous resolutions,” only to backtrack a few days later and cancel the discussion.

The leaders also refused to allow dissenting opinions to be published and wouldn’t disclose who drafted the resolution.

The resolution lists a number of arguments for why it concludes that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide in Article II of the UN Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948), such as the killing of children in Gaza, inflammatory statements by Israeli ministers, and Israel’s forcible displacement of more than two million Palestinians in Gaza.

Ms. Brown criticized the resolution for recognizing Amnesty International’s report on Gaza, which she said reinterpreted the definition of genocide to fit Israel’s conduct.

The resolution also recognizes a report on Gaza by the UN’s special investigator for the Palestinians, Francesca Albanese.


Gaza City operation entering ‘decisive stage,’ Netanyahu tells IDF troops
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed IDF reservists and conscripts on Tuesday amid a massive mobilization as the military prepares to conquer one of the last Hamas strongholds of Gaza City, calling it a “decisive stage” in the nearly two-year-long war.

“I stand by you, and express my deep appreciation for you, IDF soldiers and reserve soldiers, and your families,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. “I know that you have paid a heavy price—at work, with studies and at home.”

He reminded the troops why the war is being fought, calling it a “stubborn and just war without peer.”

“We do not forget for a moment what they did to us on Oct. 7, the beheadings, the women who were raped, the babies who were burned and the hostages who were taken into the tunnels in Gaza. We are working to bring them all back,” the premier stated.

“We are acting to defeat Hamas,” Netanyahu added, “but together we have, so far, done wonders in breaking the Iranian axis, both in Gaza and with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and with the Assad regime that collapsed, and with Iran itself that threatened us with existential threats, which we removed together, and now we are facing the Houthis.”

“But what began in Gaza, must end in Gaza,” he stated.

“Dear IDF soldiers, conscripts and reservists, throughout the war, we have made very tough decisions, which nobody believed that we were really capable of implementing. But we implemented them because you gave us and me the power to advance the State of Israel toward a sweeping victory,” Netanyahu said.

“Now we are facing the decisive stage. I believe in you. I rely on you, and the entire people of Israel embraces you. With God’s help, together we will win,” he concluded.


IDF Chief Vows 'Decisive Victory' as Tens of Thousands of Reservists Mobilized for Gaza City Offensive
IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told reservists on Tuesday that the military would not stop its campaign in Gaza until Hamas is "defeated," remarks that came as the IDF called up tens of thousands of troops ahead of a planned ground push into Gaza City.

"We are going to increase and enhance the strikes of our operation, and that is why we called you," Zamir said during a visit to the Nachshonim base in central Israel, where members of the 11th Brigade reported for duty. "The IDF does not offer anything less than decisive victory. We will not stop the war until we defeat this enemy."

The mobilization, described as the largest since the weeks after Hamas's Oct. 7 massacre, is expected to bring some 60,000 reservists into service in phases. Around 40,000 to 50,000 were ordered to report on Tuesday.

Zamir, who was joined at the base by 99th Division commander Brig. Gen. Yoav Brunner, said the IDF is entering areas it has "never entered before." He emphasized that Hamas leadership would find no safe haven.

"Wherever we locate them, whether they are senior or junior figures—we strike them all, all the time," he said.
Col. John Spencer: Israel’s Plan For Gaza is UNLIKE ANYTHING Seen Before
Colonel John Spencer is adamant that Israel’s victories over the past two years are unprecedented and that they are far from finished.

Israel innovation envoy Fleur Hassan-Nahoum sits down with Colonel John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point and one of the world’s leading experts on urban warfare. As media pundits, academics and critics question Israel’s Gaza strategy, Colonel Spencer brings the hard truths: Israel is winning and doing so at historic speed, despite facing military, political and psychological obstacles unlike any other democracy in modern warfare.

Drawing on extensive field research, firsthand interviews with Israeli leadership and experience embedded with the IDF, Spencer methodically debunks the anti-factual narrative that Israel’s goals are unrealistic or unattainable. Together with Hassan-Nahoum, they confront the double standards applied to Israel, the global disinformation war and the painful dilemmas around hostage negotiations.

Also covered:
-Why the “containment strategy” failed before and would fail again
-The growing radicalization inside Gaza and its impact on civilian evacuations
-Psychological warfare and the Hamas hostage strategy
-The transformation of the Middle East post-October 7
-Hopeful signs: Israel’s rising strength, tech dominance, and shifting regional alliances

With clarity, depth and moral conviction, Colonel Spencer lays out why victory matters not only for Israel’s security, but for the global fight against jihadist terror and ideological extremism.

Chapters
00:00 The Impact of Abu Ubaidah's Elimination
07:11 The Role of Education in Gaza's Future
12:34 The UN's Influence on Palestinian Education
16:31 Shifts in American Policy Towards Palestine
22:42 The Propaganda War and Media Manipulation
29:09 The Scumbags of the Week: Extremists from the Middle East
31:30 The West's Identity Crisis and Values
34:20 Erdogan's Political Maneuvering and Its Implications
39:25 Hollywood's Role in Propagating False Narratives
43:32 Balancing Western Ideals with Middle Eastern Realities
46:41 Heroes of the Week: Acknowledging Positive Voices
52:08 The Consequences of Ignoring Extremism
57:41 Closing Thoughts and Future Perspectives


IDF confirms killing Hamas operative who previously held hostages in Gaza City area
The IDF and Shin Bet say in a joint statement that they eliminated senior Hamas operative Hazem Awni Naeem in the Gaza City area last week.

According to the military, Naeem had held Israeli hostages Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Naama Levy in captivity prior to their release as part of a ceasefire deal.

The IDF says Naeem also served in multiple roles within Hamas’s Gaza City brigade, most recently as a senior figure in the brigade’s military intelligence, being described as a close associate of its commander, Izz al-Din Haddad.


Seth Frantzman: Hamas invested heavily in propaganda - will the death of Abu Obeida be a game changer?
Hamas knows it can survive in Gaza with fewer gunmen, hiding in the background. However, it needs propaganda to continue the war, as it puts pressure on Israel abroad.

Hamas produces videos in the field. It has access to multimedia and has sought to operationalize people who work with various media outlets. This means co-opting some local journalists or using them.

Kadosh noted that Hamas films in the field and moves these videos back to a “war room.” This means that, even if the men in the field are killed, the propaganda survives.

The IDF has attacked these operatives’ “war rooms” many times during the war, but Hamas moves them from place to place – to schools and hospitals – and “all that’s needed is basically a laptop with Internet communication,” Kadosh wrote.

Hundreds of Hamas members sit in these war rooms, ready to push out the propaganda. Obeida was personally involved in this, Kadosh said. “No military move by Hamas in recent years – in Operation Protective Edge (2014), in the Great March of Return demonstrations at the Gaza fence (2018-2019), in Guardian of the Walls (2021), and of course on October 7, 2023 – would have been carried out without being accompanied by a standard combat procedure and approval of propaganda plans by Abu Obeida.”

This has created an asymmetry within the asymmetry of this war. Not only is Israel fighting Hamas members who wear civilian clothes, but it also has to fight the propaganda army. This kind of war within a war has long been a feature of modern conflicts. However, Hamas has invested in this even more than others, such as the Soviets, the Viet Cong, or other groups.

According to the Kadosh report, Obeida had been focused on preventing Israel’s operations in Gaza City.

“He dealt with the question of how to block the IDF tanks and APCs [armored personnel carriers] using consciousness and influence moves that would affect the Israeli government and cabinet. He planned to do this through psychological terror moves that would make use of the hostages.”

The report added that Hamas is seeking to replace its chief propagandist. He had deputies. “As far as is known, he didn’t have a dominant deputy under him who is the natural replacement.” However, Hamas will try to put on a brave face and assert that it lost many commanders in the past and has replaced them.
1,000 Operatives, Stage-Managed Hostage Appearances, and Personal Involvement in Battle Plans: Inside Slain Hamas Spokesman Abu Obeida's Propaganda Network
Abu Obeida, who spent nearly 20 years as the spokesman for Hamas's military wing before Israel eliminated him on Sunday, oversaw a propaganda network of more than 1,000 operatives who work directly with the terror group's military units across Gaza to control messaging and orchestrate psychological warfare, according to a Tuesday report.

The operatives act as "operational documenters" within Hamas's military units, using GoPros and camera kits to capture and then distort battleground footage, Army Radio correspondent Doron Kadosh reported, according to a translation by Google Translate. Each military unit hosts a "propaganda department" that edits field footage into videos as operatives monitor Israeli media to tailor Hamas's messaging.

Abu Obeida personally stage-managed hostages on "what they would say and how they would be filmed" in videos, Kadosh reported. The propaganda chief attended "the hostage release ceremonies in the latest release deal," where he "briefed the hostages before they went on stage—what to say and what to do," according to the report.

He was also involved in Hamas's battle plans, scheming to use global "awareness and influence" to dissuade Israel from launching an offensive to take control of Gaza City. "He planned to do this through psychological terror tactics that would make use of the hostages," Kadosh went on.

Israel on Friday launched what it called the "initial stages" of the long-planned offensive on Gaza City, aiming to dismantle Hamas's last stronghold, bring home all remaining hostages, and disarm Hamas.

Abu Obeida never publicly showed his face and often appeared masked in a red-checkered kaffiyeh. After Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, he threatened to execute civilian hostages and broadcast the killings in response to Israeli retaliatory strikes. In 2021, he claimed that the decision to bomb Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities is "easier for us than drinking water."


'Remnants of Houthi leadership' are fleeing Sanaa, abandoning residents, Katz says
Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday said that "the remnants of Houthi leadership" are fleeing Sanaa in Yemen.

"Like all the leaders of radical Islamist terror, they look after themselves and abandon residents," the defense minister stated.

Katz added that this was how Hamas leaders behaved in Gaza and "in the luxury hotels of Qatar," and "this is how the Houthis act in Yemen."

"We knew how to hunt them down this time, and we will know how to do so in the future as well.” Houthi leaders flee Sanaa

Earlier on Tuesday, Saudi-owned, London-based outlet Asharq al-Awsat reported that several senior Houthi leaders have fled Sanaa towards fortified hideouts in Saada, Amran, and other areas under Houthi control.

High-ranking Houthi officials, including Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the group's ruling council; Abdul Karim al-Houthi, the terror group's interior minister; Abu Ali al-Hakim, the newly appointed head of Houthi intelligence; and Ahmed Hamed, another member of the ruling council, have disappeared from Sanaa in recent days, sources confirmed to Asharq al-Awsat.

Buses were seen transporting the families of group leaders towards Amran and Saada, sources told Asharq, saying that the terror group is aware that its leaders are direct targets for Israeli airstrikes.


Call me Back Podcast: Where are the Jewish People Headed? - with Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal
On Thursday, Ark Media Contributor Nadav Eyal published an op-ed on Ynet titled “An Existential Crossroads: between exile and state,” in which he argued that both Diaspora Jews and Jews in Israel are at a crossroads.

On today’s episode, we discuss Nadav’s provocative piece with Nadav himself and Ark Media’s other contributor, Amit Segal, who, as usual, comes at the issues from a different perspective.


Gazan Islamists Have Officially Entered Europe, What Will Happen Next Is UNAVOIDABLE!
One of my heroes, Joseph Cohen, joins me to celebrate coming home to the Holy Land with his family ("Aliyah")


Ami’s House: Ritchie Torres vs Adam Friedland: Who Really Got Exposed Here?
In this emergency episode of Ami’s House, we break down the viral clip of Congressman Richie Torres on The Adam Friedland Show. Was Torres unfairly painted as cold and unfeeling, or was Adam manipulating the moment? We explore how comedy, editing, and dishonest framing may have shaped the reaction to this spectacle— and what it reveals about Jewish life in America today.

This conversation is about more than a viral clip — it’s about how diaspora Jews are being forced to respond in a culture increasingly hostile to Israel and Jewish identity.

If you care about right-wing media, the Israel–Gaza war, antisemitism in America, and the role of Jewish pride vs. Jewish shame, this discussion will keep you thinking from start to finish.

00:00–03:47 Who's Adam Friedland?
03:48 — 05:19 The viral clip
05:20–07:20 Gut reactions + Was Adam Friedland trolling??
08:38 - 10:49 Grading Ritchie Torres' performance
10:50 - 19:55 Reactions to Adam Friedland
19:56 –22:11 Does Friedland REALLY not get it?
22:12- 21:26 Our REAL problem with Left/Anti-Israel attitude
28:25 - 29:55 Why didn't Torres SHRED Adam Friedland here?
29:56– 32:14 What does this say about the Dems + Mamdani?
32:14–35:32 Groupthink
36:46–38:32 Final take: who really came out looking bad?




Australia-Israel rift splits Jewish community
Australia saw a fourfold increase in documented antisemitic incidents in 2024—the steepest rise among English-speaking countries with available data—according to the “J7 Annual Report on Antisemitism 2025,” published in May.

While the United States reported the highest number of incidents in absolute terms—9,354 in 2024, up from 8,873 the previous year—Australia registered the most dramatic relative increase, with reported antisemitic incidents rising from 495 to 2,062.

The spike in antisemitism was both quantitative and marked by an escalation in severity: Incidents included the arson of a Melbourne synagogue in December, vandalism and attacks on Jewish homes, and the March discovery of a van packed with explosives and a list of Jewish targets in a Sydney suburb.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) had determined that Iran was responsible for two arson attacks: one at the Adas Israel synagogue in Melbourne on Dec. 6, 2024, and another on a kosher restaurant, Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, in Sydney on Oct. 20, 2024, Albanese said last week.

But Iranian involvement explains only some of the incidents, said Gregory, who has received several death threats targeted at him specifically since Oct. 7, 2023.

“The mood for the average Australian is also turning against the Jewish community,” he said, noting mass protests, sometimes featuring antisemitic hate speech, outside the Sydney Opera House and beyond. He noted the video of two nurses who were recorded saying in a video chat with an Israeli that they would like to kill Israeli patients or let them die.

The nurses have been fired and are standing trial for incitement, but their sentiment is shared by many others across Australian society, Gregory said.

The spread of antisemitic hatred has been sudden and particularly jarring in Australia, Gregory added, explaining it had been widely seen as a safe haven that was unaffected by the rise of so-called New Antisemitism—hatred of Jews under the mantle of antipathy toward Israel—that has spread through much of Europe.

“It’s been a complete turnaround. Jews have been in Australia for a very long time, and there was never a serious issue of antisemitism. Everything changed on Oct. 7,” 2023, said Gregory.
“Politicians Are TERRIFIED” Erin Molan WARNS Something BIG Is Brewing In Australia!
Host Emily Schrader is joined by Erin Molan, one of Australia’s most outspoken journalists and media personalities, for a look at the Islamic Republic’s reach into Australia and the West’s moral collapse. Together, they unpack breaking news: the Australian government’s historic decision to expel Iranian diplomats, shut down the Islamic Republic’s embassy and officially designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, the first such move by Australia since World War II.

Emily and Erin also explore the rising tide of antisemitism in Australia, which includes Iranian-backed firebomb attacks on Jewish institutions, pro-Hamas marches filled with ISIS and Ayatollah flags and the Australian government’s disturbing plans to recognize a Palestinian state. Molan calls out the moral failure of Australia’s leadership, describing it as a betrayal not only of Jews but of all Australians who value democracy and decency.

The episode then shifts focus to Yale University, where an upcoming course on U.S.–Iran relations features Islamic regime apologists and former Iranian officials as guest lecturers. Emily questions how a Western institution could give a platform to figures tied to torture, executions and human rights abuses and warns of the dangerous normalization of terror.

Don’t miss this eye-opening episode, where Emily Schrader and Erin Molan cut through the noise to expose the real threat from Tehran and the silence that enables it.


Israel is on receiving end of ‘vicious propaganda campaign’
Former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy says Israel is on the receiving end of a “vicious propaganda campaign”.

US President Donald Trump has called on Israel and Hamas to end the war.

Mr Trump said Israel is not winning the ‘world of public relations’.


St Vincent’s shame
These words are being said in public by a man with huge moral authority as a senior surgeon at a highly respected hospital. In doing so he is without any apparent knowledge or information to justify his words, directly contradicting the advice of ASIO and the Australian government on who was responsible for the appalling attacks, and instead, in words that meet the widely accepted definition of antisemitism, spreading a dangerous anti-Israel trope.

How on earth could any Jewish Australian wish to go under the knife in an institute where such blatant conspiracy theory peddling exists? How can any right-minded donor – especially from the eastern suburbs – ever again wish to donate a brass razoo to a hospital that tolerates such quackery? Every doctor, especially senior surgeons and specialists, have a special place in our national discourse, and their words are treated with authority and respect.

Unless the doctor either immediately issues a broad and heartfelt apology – which shouldn’t be too hard for a cardiologist – or is immediately suspended from St Vincent’s all Australians should feel rightly appalled and revolted by this news.


‘Self-obsessed, moronic Israel hater’: Dark underside of Greta's Gaza mission exposed
Sky News host Sharri Markson slams Greta Thunberg and her fellow activists sailing to Gaza by labelling them a “group of self-obsessed, moronic and racist Israel haters”.

“The entire Freedom Flotilla mission is fraudulent; this isn’t about human rights, in truth, they're driven by an irrational hatred for Israel,” Ms Markson said.

“They glorify terrorism as martyrdom, they praise terror leaders as iconic revolutionary figures, and they extol a murderous movement as resistance.

“This is a dangerous, disingenuous, misguided mission masquerading as a humanitarian operation, when in fact, it excuses violence in the name of destroying Israel and Zionists.”




Left-Wing Group Featured on Zohran Mamdani's Campaign Site Releases 'WANTED' Posters Targeting NYC Business Leaders, Many of Them Jewish
A left-wing activist group with extensive ties to Zohran Mamdani is behind a series of "WANTED" posters targeting New York City business leaders, many of whom are Jewish or supporters of Israel.

New York Communities for Change (NYCC) launched an initiative last week called the Department of Class Solidarity, billed as a "war room of the working class." The group's website includes links to a database of "nearly 1,000 billionaires in our United States" meant to "arm the working class with the knowledge we need to defeat them." The website also features detailed dossiers on billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

Mamdani lists NYCC on the endorsements page on his campaign website and attended the group's annual fundraising gala on April 24, where tickets sold for upwards of $50,000. Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, appeared with the group at an event last month with other "day one" supporters of his campaign.

Perhaps the most jarring aspect of the NYCC initiative is a series of posters featuring mugshot-style photos of Mamdani critics like New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, hedge fund executive Bill Ackman, and cosmetics tycoon William Lauder. The posters say the targets are "Wanted for Anti-Zohran Electioneering" and cite their donations to a super PAC supporting Mamdani challenger Andrew Cuomo.

It is unclear if Mamdani condones the posters or other rhetoric from the NYCC initiative. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

The inflammatory rhetoric could raise new questions for Mamdani, who has faced criticism over his refusal to condemn calls for violence. Mamdani has defended the anti-Semitic slogan "Globalize the intifada," widely considered a call to commit violence against Jews, as "a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights."

In June, Mamdani led a crowd in a chant of "Free Palestine," the same slogan allegedly shouted by Elias Rodriguez, the left-wing activist who murdered two Israeli diplomats outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., in May. Egyptian national Mohamed Soliman, who injured 12 members of a pro-Israel group in a firebombing in Boulder, Colo., in June, also shouted "Free Palestine" during the attack.


travelingisrael.com: The Islamization of America. Taking America Down
Radical chants of “Death to America” and calls for jihad are no longer limited to the Middle East — they’re happening inside the U.S. From Quds Day rallies in New York City to speeches inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood, this video exposes the ideology, the documents, and the strategy behind the Islamization of America.


Democratic Socialists of America, 'Energized' by Mamdani's Primary Win, Won't Rule Out Challenging Dem Incumbents: Report
The Democratic Socialists of America will not rule out a primary challenge against House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.)—or any other Democratic incumbent representing a New York City district in which socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani did well—as members are "energized" by Mamdani's Democratic primary victory, according to a report.

"We're basically looking at districts where Zohran did well in the primary, and that's quite a lot of New York, so we haven't narrowed it down too much," the co-chair of the DSA's New York City chapter, Gustavo Gordillo, told Politico on Monday. The publication reported that Gordillo "didn't rule out backing a challenge to Jeffries—in fact, he didn't rule out anything."

DSA members are feeling "energized and optimistic" following Mamdani's primary win this summer, according to Gordillo. The NYC chapter has also seen a surge of interest from potential candidates seeking its endorsement for 2026.

This is not the first time Mamdani's allies have floated primary challenges to incumbent Democrats. "Key leaders of the Democratic Socialists of America" first floated the idea of "running primary challengers against Jeffries and several other incumbents, including Reps. Ritchie Torres, Jerry Nadler, Dan Goldman and Yvette Clarke," in July, CNN reported at the time. Since then, Nadler has announced his retirement. Gordillo's Monday remarks suggest that the DSA expanded its map of potential challenges.

While the DSA celebrates Mamdani's rise, moderate Democrats are warning that the candidate's far-left politics could hurt the party in upcoming elections, according to the Politico report.

"Mamdani is the greatest threat to Democrats probably since Ronald Reagan because he's everything Democrats have been accused of being and in fact is—to the extreme," longtime Democratic operative Hank Sheinkopf told Politico.


Israel advances in EuroBasket 2025 with win over Belgium
Two days after a stunning defeat of France, Israel punched its ticket to the knockout stage of EuroBasket 2025 on Tuesday in the Polish city of Katowice, beating Belgium 92-89 behind another strong performance by Deni Avdija.

The NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers forward posted 22 points, four assists and three rebounds for the Blue and White, becoming the first Israeli player to score 20 or more points in more than three games in a single EuroBasket tournament since Oded Kattash in 1997.

The Israelis advance to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2015. They join Poland as the only two teams from Group D to secure qualification for the knockout stage in Riga, Latvia. The team will conclude the Group D phase with a game against Slovenia on Thursday, heading into the final match with a 3-1 record in the group for 7 points to lead the standings.

Israel defeated France 82-69 on Sunday night, in a historic win for the blue-and-white team. It was Israel’s first win over France since 1997.

The quadrennial international men’s championship, which is organized by FIBA Europe and runs from Aug. 27-Sept. 14, is being co-hosted by Cyprus, Finland, Latvia and Poland




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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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