Monday, November 10, 2025

11/11 Links Pt1: Freed hostage Matan Zangauker recounts Hamas brutality; The victims of 7 October the world chose to ignore; 'Moral depravity': Norwegian PM slammed for attending anti-Israel Kristallnacht event

From Ian:

External panel appointed by IDF chief finds most of army’s Oct. 7 probes inadequate
Most of the Israel Defense Force’s top-tier investigations into its failures on and ahead of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror onslaught are inadequate, with some considered to be unacceptable, a panel of former senior military officers has determined.

Meanwhile, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Monday that while the military was fully responsible for the failures on October 7, to reach full conclusions, an “external” commission of inquiry must be established, something that the government has resisted forming for over two years. Zamir notably avoided calling for a state commission of inquiry, which the government opposes, despite surveys consistently showing an overwhelming majority of the public supports it.

Zamir also said that he would make “personal decisions” regarding senior officers based on the findings of the external panel of experts, including potential dismissal from the military.

The findings of the panel of experts were presented on Monday to the IDF’s top brass, a day after Defense Minister Israel Katz was also shown the conclusions. Reporters were also shown the findings on Monday.

The IDF’s October 7 investigations were led by former chief of staff Herzi Halevi. In one of his first decisions upon entering the role in March, Zamir appointed the external panel to further examine those probes.

The panel was tasked with evaluating the IDF’s top-level investigations, overseeing implementation of findings, and recommending repeat investigations or additions to probes if necessary.

Maj. Gen. (res.) Sami Turgeman, a former head of the Southern Command, headed the panel, which included ex-Navy chief Vice Adm. (res.) Eli Sharvit, ex-IAF chief Maj. Gen. (res.) Amikam Norkin, and other retired senior officers.

The IDF’s investigations at the General Staff level, the top command of the military, included four main subjects: the development of the IDF’s perception of Gaza over the past decade; the IDF’s intelligence assessments of Hamas from 2014 until the outbreak of the war; the intelligence and decision-making process on the eve of October 7; and the command and control and orders given during battles between October 7 and 10.

These probes were released for publication by the military in February. In addition, the IDF investigated 41 separate battles and major incidents that took place during the October 7 attack, most of which have since been released for publication.

In total, the panel reviewed 24 General Staff-level investigations, along with one tactical investigation — the attack on the Nova music festival, due to its massive scope and context for the top-tier probes.

Additionally, the team examined all of the investigations together “from a systemic and integrative perspective,” the military said, something that had not been done until now.
Knesset passes first reading of death penalty for terrorists bill
A bill to impose the death penalty on convicted terrorists, who committed murder, passed its first reading in the Knesset plenum on Monday night by a vote of 39 to 16. It must pass three readings to become law.

“A terrorist who is convicted of murder out of motives of racism” and “under circumstances, in which the act was carried out with the intention of harming the State of Israel,” per the bill, “shall be sentenced to death.”

Terrorists would face a mandatory death sentence with no room for judicial discretion under the proposed law.

Knesset member Limor Son Har-Melech, whose husband was killed in a terrorist attack in 2003 in which she was hurt seriously, proposed the bill.

“A dead terrorist won’t return to the cycle of bloodshed,” the Otzma Yehudit Party lawmaker said during the vote. “He will not return to terrorism, and he will certainly not be released in a deal.”

“In the Shalit deal, the terrorist who murdered my husband was released,” she added.

Har-Melech noted that a terrorist from the cell said in court that “the punishment you give me has no meaning. I know I’ll be released.”

“He was indeed released and was in the cell that murdered Malachi Rosenfeld,” she said, of the student killed in June 2015 when Hamas gunmen opened fire on his vehicle.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the bill.
Tenders for record number of West Bank settlement housing units published in 2025
The number of housing units in West Bank settlements for which tenders have been published this year has reached an all-time yearly high, with tenders for 5,667 units issued so far in 2025.

The previous record was set in 2018 when tenders were published for the construction of 3,808 housing units.

According to the Peace Now settlement watchdog, the planned housing units will accommodate approximately 25,000 residents once built.

Tenders are published for construction companies to bid on contracts for the construction of housing units and other projects in the West Bank after the planning and approval has been completed.

This means that barring some form of political intervention, the construction has already been approved and will go ahead once the tenders are awarded, which can typically take one to two years.

The large majority of tenders approved in 2025 were for construction in two West Bank settlement cities: Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, and Ariel in the northern West Bank. Construction equipment and caravan houses are seen at the new illegal outpost of Hamor near the West Bank settlement of Maale Levona on June 22, 2023, following a deadly terror attack at a nearby gas station two days before. (Courtesy)

In August, the highly controversial E1 project for Maale Adumim was finally approved in the planning process, and the same month tenders were published for the construction of some 3,400 units in the project which are slated to be built on land to the west of the West Bank city.

Tenders for another 730 housing units were announced, also in August, for a new neighborhood of Ariel.


Freed hostage Bar Kuperstein says he prayed to God regularly in Hamas captivity
Released Israeli hostage Bar Kuperstein says he managed to survive two years in a cramped Hamas tunnel in Gaza with no sunlight, little food and regular beatings by clinging to his belief that he was in God’s hands the entire time.

Kuperstein, 23, was released on October 13 along with the remaining 19 living hostages as part of the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that has largely halted two years of devastating war.

Kuperstein was a soldier on leave working as an usher at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, when rockets began raining down and Hamas terrorists came storming in from Gaza, killing 364 partygoers. A trained medic, he was dragged to Gaza as he was trying to rescue revelers, and images of him bound on a floor emerged on social media soon after his abduction.

In his first interview with international media, Kuperstein said that after the first few weeks, he was taken down to Hamas’s tunnels, where he was held with five more hostages confined to a space he said was no bigger than the size of a mattress.

“We were there for each other, we supported each other, as hard as it was and when we took the beatings. I remember, after they beat us, we just sat hugging each other, telling each other that we will not let them defeat us,” he said.

They all learned Arabic during captivity and the guards often tried to convert him to Islam, Kuperstein said, which he and his fellow captives resisted. Every Friday night, he said, they insisted on saying the traditional Shabbat blessings together.

One of the scariest days, Kuperstein said, was when a guard threatened to kill three of the hostages and ordered the captives to choose which ones would die, a threat he ultimately did not carry out.

“I just remember praying to God, begging him, saying ‘save me, I’m in your hands now,'” Kuperstein said. “It was a sentence I often said in captivity.”

He later learned that his mother, Julie, had said the same thing to one of the Hamas guards who had contacted her by telephone while her son was being held and threatened him.

“She told him, ‘My son is not in your hands, he is in the hands of God, and you are also in the hands of God,'” Kuperstein said, holding up a bracelet printed with what has since become a family slogan: “Always in the Hands of God.”
'I'm going to die here': Freed hostage Matan Zangauker recounts Hamas brutality in Gaza tunnels
Matan Zangauker, freed after 738 days in captivity, gave his first full account of abduction from Kibbutz Nir Oz, harsh conditions underground in Gaza, and a forced trek to Rafah, in an interview with N12 on Monday.

Zangauker, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was taken from his home on October 7, 2023, during the Hamas assault on southern Israel. Speaking publicly for the first time since his release, he described being seized by armed terrorists who stormed his home and pulled him from the kibbutz's safe room.

“I saw black. I was almost fainting,” he recalled, describing being beaten by crowds as he was dragged across the border into Gaza. Inside a tunnel, he said he saw the body of a dead Israeli soldier.

He was held underground for most of his captivity, moved between tunnels and safe houses, often denied food, and subjected to physical and psychological abuse. Guards treated him as if he were a soldier, he said, because of his age. “We were in a small cage, two mattresses. One tiny blanket,” he said.

At one point, Zangauker said he was forced to walk to Rafah, disguised among civilians. “We walked to Rafah on foot, accompanied by thousands of their residents,” he said. “IDF was nearby. It was next to a shoreline. We could hear the waves.” He recounted days spent in a mosque and later in a tent near the coast.

Zangauker said he was filmed repeatedly by Hamas for propaganda purposes. “For entire days,” he recalled. In one instance, he said he intervened to protect another hostage who was being beaten with a whip improvised from a refrigerator cable. “I had to step in. I took the blows instead.”

A turning point came when a tunnel commander recognized him and asked, “Are you Zangauker?” He told him, “Your mother is leading demonstrations; she’s turning the whole country upside down.” Zangauker said that seeing his mother, Einav’s, speeches on television gave him hope. “It made me very happy. It helped me,” he said. After that, guards became “more polite” and occasionally offered more food.
Horrifying! Released Hostage Breaks Silence on Hamas Tunnel Torture
The remains of IDF hero Hadar Goldin are finally returned after 11 years, but the nation's grief deepens as a newly released hostage reveals harrowing details of sexual abuse in Hamas captivity. Meanwhile, Hamas refuses to disarm, Hezbollah builds up in Lebanon, and Iran continues fueling terror proxies from Gaza to Yemen. Back in the West, the panel exposes the foreign funding behind New York's anti-Israel Mayor Mamdani and the complicit silence of institutions like the BBC. Also: a fiery Scumbag of the Week segment, pro-Hamas protests in UK football and a tribute to heroes like Ben Shapiro, Noga Erez and IDF veterans who refuse to stay silent.

CHAPTERS
00:00 - Hadar Goldin’s Body Returned After 11 Years
02:15 - Hostage Testimony Reveals Sexual Abuse in Hamas Tunnels
05:02 - Will There Be Another War in Gaza or Lebanon?
08:49 - Iran’s Role in Funding Global Terror Proxies
13:34 - Why Doesn’t Israel Ever Finish the Job?
18:10 - The Case for Regime Change in Iran
23:27 - Mayor Mamdani, Linda Sarsour, and Foreign Election Interference
29:05 - Scumbag of the Week: Paris Philharmonic Protesters
35:44 - BBC’s Gaza Disinformation and Internal Bias
41:22 - Hero of the Week: Ben Shapiro vs. the Woke Right


The victims of 7 October cry out for justice: we must ensure they receive it
As Robert Jackson, the chief US prosecutor, reminded the world at Nuremberg: “Civilisation cannot tolerate [these acts] being ignored, because it cannot survive their being repeated.”

The trials at Nuremberg and, later, the Eichmann trial in Jerusalem, stand as defining moments in modern legal and moral history. They weren’t just about punishment – they were about truth. About ensuring the world could not turn away from atrocities. These trials gave voice to victims and established a vital principle: that law must rise above vengeance, and that atrocities must not go unaddressed.

Today, we must ask: Does justice still matter? Many people ask me with disbelief: “Can justice actually occur? Is an armed response or military force not the only way to secure redress?”

Appallingly, as we marked 30 years since the Srebrenica genocide this summer, a former attorney from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) reflected that in the five decades between Nuremberg and Yugoslavia, there was little expectation for accountability. Since the ICTY, the expectation has shifted – there is now a demand for justice, and a commitment to securing it. Fact-finding missions collect and preserve evidence before courts exist. Legal teams begin long before tribunals are seated.

As an international criminal lawyer with over 20 years of experience litigating atrocities in Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Ukraine, Darfur, Ivory Coast and more – and as the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors – I say yes to the sceptics, unreservedly. Justice is not a luxury. It is what makes freedom durable. It is what separates civilisation from chaos. And it is the only path we have when faced with horror – be it in Ukraine, Syria, Israel or Gaza.

We are now witnessing a painful moment in our shared global history. The 7 October 2023 attacks by Hamas were not just acts of terror. They were systematic, sadistic atrocities carried out with clear intent: to destroy life and dignity. And yet, the attack continues. Hostage bodies still remain in Gaza. Their captivity is a choice – a continued, conscious crime that unfolds by the hour.

At the same time, Israeli society is being internally fractured; fighting to preserve Jewish values, to which the sanctity of life and human dignity are key; as the saying goes: “Where there are no Men, be a man, a mensch.”

As defenders of rule-based order, and as human beings, silence is not an option. A call for action is not enough. Action is the only acceptable response.

In the immediate aftermath of 7 October, I founded October 7: Justice Without Borders, a public interest, Israel-based, not-for-profit, pro bono law firm focused exclusively on victim and survivor justice and the accountability of perpetrators and accomplices. Action began within hours of the attack, responding to calls from survivors displaced and families of the missing – there were over 330,000 internally displaced and 3,000 missing as a direct result of the attack – with action being undertaken for the long road toward authoritative judicial recognition, reparations, and guarantees of non-repetition – in The Hague, Germany, France, Israel, the US, Geneva or elsewhere.
The victims of 7 October the world chose to ignore
They came to Israel to build a better life. To work, to study, to send money home, so their kids could go to school, so their families would not go hungry, so they could return with crucial knowledge and experience to improve the quality of life for their communities.

They had names that most would struggle to pronounce correctly. They came from places most Western activists would only ever have visited on their gap year. Thailand, Nepal, Tanzania, The Philippines, Sri Lanka, Cambodia.

They picked fruit and vegetables. They cared for and nursed the infirm and the elderly. They studied and gained valuable experience in agriculture.

These foreign, wholly innocent and unconnected victims, totally debunk any notion of “resistance.” These were not the acts of “freedom fighters”. Just indiscriminate, sadistic torture, mutilation and mass murder of everyone and anyone they could find. From the outset, that was their sole intent.

On 7 October, 2023, Hamas slaughtered them with the same medieval brutality, perpetrated on the Israelis. The world should know their stories and their names.


Bill to make ‘Al Jazeera Law’ permanent passes first Knesst reading
Likud MK Ariel Kallner’s proposal to turn the so-called Al Jazeera Law — which permits the closure of foreign media outlets in Israel under certain conditions — into permanent legislation passed its first reading in the Knesset on Monday, with 50 lawmakers voting in favor and 41 against.

If approved, the government’s temporary authority to shut down foreign media during emergencies would become permanent, allowing it to exercise this power at any time, regardless of the security situation.

Additionally, Kallner’s bill proposes several amendments to the existing legislation, including removing the current requirement for a court to review or approve the communications minister’s decision to shut down a foreign media outlet — eliminating judicial oversight.

It would also significantly broaden the communication minister’s authority, allowing the cabinet member to direct internet platforms and content distributors to block or remove specific materials in Israel and to direct the defense minister to take technical measures — such as disrupting satellite signals — to prevent the reception of broadcasts considered harmful to national security.

The temporary measure now in effect was passed in April 2024 and provided the prime minister and communications minister with the authority to order the closure of foreign networks operating in Israel and to confiscate their equipment if they have grounds to believe they are “doing real harm to state security” during a state of national emergency.


Abbas fires his finance minister over illicit payments to Palestinian prisoners — sources
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas ousted his finance minister on Monday for allowing payments to Palestinian security prisoners through an old mechanism that awarded them based on the length of their sentence, a Palestinian official and a second source familiar with the matter revealed to The Times of Israel.

Abbas’s office announced earlier Monday that PA Planning and International Cooperation Minister Estephan Salameh had replaced Omar Bitar as finance minister through the PA’s official Wafa news outlet, but did not provide a reason for the cabinet shuffle.

The two sources told The Times of Israel that Bitar’s dismissal followed an internal investigation revealing that he had authorized payments to some Palestinian security prisoners outside the new system that the PA established earlier this year, which conditioned those welfare stipends strictly on financial need, rather than on the length of one’s sentence.

The reform had long been demanded by the US, Israel, and many of the PA’s Arab and European backers, with some accusing Ramallah of incentivizing attacks on Israelis and dubbing the old policy “pay-to-slay.”

Abbas signed a decree in February scrapping the old system and publicly reiterated that it was no longer in place in remarks to the UN General Assembly in September.

While the vast majority of payments under the old system had indeed ceased, as the new system came into place, a small portion of prisoner families managed to receive recent stipends through the old payment mechanism, including inmates who were incarcerated after the reform was announced, the two sources told The Times of Israel.

The development highlighted the pressure that Ramallah is facing from families of prisoners who are fuming over the slashing of payments they had been receiving for years.


'Moral depravity': Norwegian PM slammed for attending anti-Israel Kristallnacht event
“The Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas [Gahr] Store, is setting new records of moral depravity, anti-Israel hostility, and antisemitism,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in response to the Norwegian leader’s attendance at an anti-Zionist, Kristallnacht event.

Store chose to attend the event run by the Anti-Racism Centre, a nonprofit organization that has accused Israel of genocide. It is one in a group of several organizations that receive state funding to combat antisemitism.

However, members of the Jewish community have previously told The Jerusalem Post that the center actually fuels antisemitism. Its Kristallnacht event heavily featured anti-Israel discourse and anti-Zionist rhetoric. It was also co-organized by the Palestine Committee of Norway and the local branch of Jewish Voices for Peace.

The Jewish Community of Oslo, Det Mosaiske Trossamfunn (DMT), has boycotted the Anti-Racism Centre’s Kristallnacht event for the past three years, organizing its own event instead. Store, who was encouraged by Norway’s Jewish community not to attend, went ahead with his plans anyway.

Store 'sends dangerous message that memory of Holocaust victims can be used for political gain' “Store chose to participate in a ceremony that turned a horrific episode of the murder and persecution of Jews – the anniversary of Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass) – into a weapon against the Jewish state, Israelis, and Jews,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said.

“This is an affront to the memory of the Holocaust’s victims – especially to the more than 750 Norwegian Jews who were deported and murdered by the Nazis and their local collaborators,” it continued.

“By rejecting the requests of Norway’s Jewish community and joining the event, the prime minister is sending a dangerous message that even the memory of Holocaust victims can be used for political gain, betraying his government’s pledge to fight Holocaust distortion.”

Yad Vashem’s chair, Dani Dayan, said, “I cannot recall a European leader engaging in Holocaust denigration as the Norwegian Prime Minister Store did this afternoon. He misused the anniversary of the November Pogrom (Kristallnacht) to partner with those who seek to leave the Jewish people stateless and defenseless again.”


Doctor, 2 Others Arrested In Gujarat For Planning Ricin Terror Attack
The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad has busted a suspected terror syndicate by arresting a 'doctor' with a Chinese MBBS degree, who was allegedly preparing highly-lethal chemical poison, 'Ricin', and whose handler is associated with the Islamic State Khorasan Province, and two others.

One of the accused, Dr Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed, and two other arrested accused, identified as Azad Suleman Sheikh and Mohammad Suhail Mohammad Saleem, had conducted a recce of several sensitive locations in Lucknow, Delhi, and Ahmedabad, a senior ATS officer said on Sunday.

"Dr Ahmed Mohiyuddin Saiyed is highly educated and radicalised, and had planned to collect funds and recruit persons as part of a conspiracy to carry out major terrorist activities", Gujarat ATS DIG Sunil Joshi told reporters.

The accused men have also disclosed that their handler sends the arms consignment via a drone across the Pakistan border, he said.

Acting on a tip-off, an ATS team arrested Dr Saiyed, originally from Hyderabad, near Adalaj in Gandhinagar on November 7 with two Glock pistols, a Beretta pistol, 30 live cartridges and four litres of castor oil, Joshi told reporters.

Saiyed, who earned his MBBS degree in China, has been preparing a highly lethal poison named 'Ricin' to execute a major terrorist attack. He had already begun the necessary research, procured the equipment and raw materials, and initiated the initial chemical processing, Joshi said.

Ricin is a chemical poison and can be made from the waste material left over from processing castor beans.


Israeli officers neutralize terrorist who shot at police in Judea
A terrorist shot at Israeli police detectives from the Hebron Police Station, near the community of Beit Hagai in Judea, on Monday after the officers stopped a suspicious car.

After the vehicle stopped, the terrorist emerged and began firing. Officers returned fire and neutralized the shooter without casualties to the Israeli officers, Israel Police stated.

“The officers’ decisive engagement and rapid reaction led to the immediate neutralization of the threat and prevented harm to both security personnel and civilians,” stated Moshe Pinchi, Judea and Samaria district commander.

Pinchi reportedly conducted an assessment at the site with Judea Regional Command, Israel Defense Forces commanders and security forces.

Israel Police said that it will continue to thwart terror attacks and protect the public.
Netanyahu, Kushner discuss Gaza plan amid standoff over trapped Hamas terrorists
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with top White House adviser Jared Kushner at the premier’s office on Monday morning as Washington and Jerusalem continue to coordinate the ceasefire in Gaza and efforts to bring back the remaining slain hostages held by Hamas.

An Israeli government spokesperson said that Netanyahu and Kushner discussed disarming Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza, and ensuring Hamas does not have a future role in Gaza — all central components of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Aryeh Lightstone, a senior adviser to US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, also participated in the Jerusalem meeting with Kushner, which took place ahead of an expected visit by Witkoff to Israel as part of continued efforts to advance Trump’s plan.

The meeting of senior Israeli and US figures came as talks are ongoing between the Trump administration and Israel over how to deal with the 100 to 200 Hamas terrorists who are currently holed up in tunnels in IDF-controlled territory beneath the city of Rafah.

Witkoff said last week that Washington was leaning on Israel to grant safe passage to the terrorists in exchange for the operatives giving up their weapons.

In response to a question about external pressure on Israel to allow the terrorists safe passage, the Israeli government spokesperson said Monday that they could not provide any updates on the matter, before adding that decisions on Israel’s policies in Gaza are being made “in full collaboration with President Trump and his team.”


IDF kills three Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon as tensions mount
The Israel Defense Forces killed Hezbollah terrorist Samir Ali Faqih in the Srifa area of Southern Lebanon’s Tyre District on Monday, the military said.

He was involved in smuggling weapons for the Iran-backed group across various areas of the country.

On Sunday, the IDF killed two Hezbollah terrorists in the Houmin al-Fawqa and al-Sawana areas in Southern Lebanon, the army added.

The Israeli military has eliminated 15 terrorists in the Land of the Cedars since Nov. 1.

Also on Monday, the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes in Lebanon against sites belonging to the Shi’ite organization

Led by the IDF’s Northern Command, and based on intelligence from the Military Intelligence Directorate, the Air Force targeted terrorist infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley and in Southern Lebanon, the IDF Spokesperson’ Unit said in a statement.

In Southern Lebanon, the IDF struck a site from which rockets were launched, and in which Hezbollah terrorist activities were identified in recent months, the army said.


Sir Niall Ferguson: “We’ve Torn Up the Foundations of Our Civilisation”
In this episode of The Brink, we sit down with historian and writer Niall Ferguson for a sweeping conversation on the West’s cultural and moral decline, from the rise of radical progressivism and Islamist ideology to the erosion of faith, patriotism, and social cohesion.

Ferguson traces how Western elites, having abandoned Christianity and traditional values, opened the door to new forms of ideological extremism, from woke identity politics to anti-Israel movements shaped by Cultural Marxism. He explores the strange alliance between the radical Left and Islamists, the collapse of the political centre, and why both religion and national pride have become taboo.

The discussion moves from the classroom to the battlefield, examining the crisis of Europe’s defences, the threat of a post-NATO world, and Ferguson’s own conversion to Christianity as a moral and cultural necessity for the survival of the West.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
04:59 Centrist Fundamentalism and Radical Ideologies
09:29 Radical Left and Islamist Alliance
20:24 Intersectionality and Anti-Israel Protests
36:10 Far Right and Nationalist Chauvinism
44:30 Challenges of Countering Radical Ideologies


Coleman Hughes: Victor Davis Hanson on Tucker, Trump, and the Fracturing Right
Something strange is happening on the American right. In just a few years, a movement that once claimed to champion Western civilization began to entertain arguments that Winston Churchill was the real villain of World War II, that Hitler didn’t intend the Holocaust, and that Stalin wasn’t so bad after all.

These ideas aren’t staying on the fringes. They’re being promoted on the most-watched conservative shows in the country. Tucker Carlson has given airtime to revisionists like Darryl Cooper. An audience that once idolized Churchill and Ronald Reagan now cheers on people like Nick Fuentes, who has praised both Hitler and Stalin.

To understand how we got here, I spoke with Victor Davis Hanson—a classicist, historian, and farmer, and one of the right’s most intellectually consistent voices. We discuss Tucker’s evolution, the allure of conspiracy, the double standard of “lawfare” against and by Trump, and how social media has turned contrarianism into a business model.

This episode asks hard questions about the future of conservatism: What happens when skepticism curdles into nihilism? Or when opposition to the left becomes sympathy for its historic enemies? And can serious thinkers still guide a movement increasingly hooked on provocation rather than principle?

00:00:00 — Intro
00:01:16- Ad
00:01:47 — Victor’s path: farm kid to classicist
00:09:07 — How farming shaped his politics
00:12:59 — WWII revisionism: claims vs. facts
00:25:33 — Tucker Carlson: what changed & why it matters
00:41:05 — Why Victor backed Trump; breaking with the GOP establishment
00:44:05 — “Lawfare”: the cases, the asymmetry, the documents
01:03:41 — Can American politics return to normal?
01:10:51 — Closing & where to find Victor


‘Behavioural intent is very clear’: Fears rise over Hizb Ut-Tahrir conference
Former Australian Federal Police detecting superintendent David Craig analyses the threat of Hizb Ut-Tahrir to Australia and the wider world.




Megyn Kelly Whitewashes Tucker Carlson’s Embrace of Antisemitic Figures
This convergence reflects the horseshoe theory, the idea that the far left and far right, although appearing on opposite ends of the political spectrum, often meet and converge in their embrace of similar extremist narratives. In this case, figures like Mamdani on the left and Carlson and Fuentes on the right both perpetuate antisemitic tropes under different guises. Mamdani’s track record has enabled antisemitism from the far left. By endorsing this behavior, Carlson lends legitimacy to a shared language of hatred.

Bringing on Nick Fuentes to Carlson’s podcast should have been enough to signal the worrying trend of normalizing extreme antisemitic thought in American society. Shapiro called Fuentes for what he is: a vile antisemite. This was enough for Kelly to push back, saying that using the antisemitism label is not helpful. But when antisemitism goes unchecked and not called out, it creates the perfect breeding ground for extremist ideas to infiltrate mainstream discourse, making once-unthinkable beliefs seem acceptable and slowly eroding society’s moral boundaries, no matter where they seem to lie on the political spectrum.

Kelly, again in defense of Carlson, argued that because Fuentes is a “podcaster civilian,” rather than a politician, he shouldn’t be expected to be cross-examined aggressively. She later suggested Carlson’s defensiveness stems from years of being repeatedly accused of antisemitism, describing him as “in a defensive place right now.”

Shapiro’s warning highlights a deeper danger. When such extremist ideas seep into everyday language and are dismissed, they become normalized. What was once considered extreme or disqualifying discourse gradually becomes mainstream, pushing society toward a more permissive environment for hate. This is especially true in the podcast sphere, where nearly half of the U.S. population over 12 years old is listening to at least one podcast a month.

There is a moral responsibility to challenge hate, regardless of political affiliations. Continuously allowing extremist rhetoric to go unchallenged blurs the lines between disagreement with such ideas and moral compromise. The consequences extend beyond the political field, creating a society where listening to podcasts can normalize or indoctrinate hate.


'It's every day now': Dave Portnoy says antisemitism growing, becoming ubiquitous
The prevalence of antisemitism is becoming far more ubiquitous, Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy said in an interview with "CBS Sunday Morning" on Sunday.

“I've seen in my own experience, just being [the head] Barstool, the difference between how much hate I get,” Portnoy said. “Occasionally, you get a ‘k*ke’ or ‘Jew’ or whatever. It's every day now.”

Portnoy continued, saying that he saw a “definitive shift” in antisemitism and that he, being a prominent member of the Jewish community, felt the need to “step up.”

“This is not a normal ‘haha’ with the guys,” he added. “People are coming in with real hate.”

Portnoy began forcefully speaking up about antisemitism in May of this year after Temple University student Mo Khan sparked outrage when he brought a “F*** the Jews” sign to a Philadelphia bar owned by the Barstool president.

Khan was subsequently suspended and fired from his job. Two waitresses who held the sign were also fired.

Mo Khan continues to purvey antisemitism
Khan later appeared on a podcast with antisemitic influencer Stew Peters. He continued to put out antisemitic material on his social media.

Earlier this month, Khan pretended to be Jewish in a recorded Omegle conversation with Israeli girls. In the video, Khan claimed, “We own all the banks,” and said, “All the goy are so dumb.”

He also asserted that the Jews control the government and cast doubt on the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust.


British comedian John Cleese cancels Israel shows: 'Surrendered to BDS threats'
British actor and comedian John Cleese has canceled his visit to Israel. Cleese was scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, but production officials announced the shows will not take place as planned. "We deeply regret that John Cleese surrendered to threats from BDS organizations," they stated. According to the ticket sales website, as of this evening, tickets were still available for purchase for the various performances.
Nonprofit Tied to Anti-Semitic Mamdani Ally Linda Sarsour Received Millions in Public Funds From New York City and State, Records Show
A nonprofit group linked to anti-Semitic activist Linda Sarsour, an ally of New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D.), received $4.1 million in city and state funds over a period of seven years, public records show.

The Arab American Association of New York (AAANY), which Sarsour led from 2005 to 2017, received more than $3.3 million from New York City and $854,000 from New York state between Sarsour's last year atop the organization and 2024. The state-level funding came primarily from the New York State Department of State, with $20,000 disbursed from the Office of Children and Family Services. Its city-level funding is much murkier: One $60,000 payment came from the Department of Small Business Services, but the rest of the funding was not attributed to any particular agency, watchdog group OpenTheBooks found.

The revelations of the AAANY's public funding come after a week in which Sarsour made news for her comments about Mamdani's campaign, raising questions about whether the mayor-elect will offer Sarsour's former organization more municipal funds. Mamdani did not respond to a Washington Free Beacon inquiry about whether he will do so as mayor, and New York governor Kathy Hochul (D.) did not answer a request for comment on whether she will continue to grant state money to AAANY going forward.

Anti-Semitism watchdog group Canary Mission released a video showing Sarsour bragging at a September Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) conference that a CAIR-backed PAC was Mamdani's largest financial backer, news the Free Beacon reported in June. CAIR's executive director, Nihad Awad, gained attention in late 2023 after saying he was "happy to see" Hamas's Oct. 7 attack against Israel.

Capitalizing on Mamdani's mayoral victory, Sarsour said on Thursday she will fight to remove pro-Israel Democrats from power.

"You do the right thing, you keep your job," she said at a conference in Puerto Rico. "You don't do the right thing, you don't keep your job. There are some people that will do the right thing for the wrong reasons, but we don't care why you do the right thing as long as you do the right thing. If you do it because you think you're getting primaried, that's okay with us. People are saying 'free Palestine' because now they're getting primaried. Free Palestine."


An NGO terror front led to the “no Jews allowed” football farce
The decision by police in the British region of West Midlands to ban Israeli fans from the Nov. 6 Aston Villa soccer match with Maccabi Tel Aviv triggered widespread condemnation from a refreshingly broad political spectrum. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it “the wrong decision,” while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch lambasted it as a “national disgrace.” In the days that followed, government officials and members of civil society demanded answers.

The absurd policy, amounting to a de facto ban on Jews from a Western sporting event, was neither independent nor a fluke. Per a Daily Mail report, it was orchestrated by the Hind Rajab Foundation, a highly opaque NGO chaired by a self-described member of the “Hezbollah resistance” against Israel, who is “proud” of his military training with the proscribed terrorist group. The Hind Rajab Foundation, launched in September 2024, is the project of Dyab Abou Jahjah, who is based in Belgium and banned from entering the United Kingdom. He is infamous for praising Al-Qaeda’s Sept. 11 attacks as “sweet revenge,” has a history of homophobic vitriol and a refrain of Holocaust denial for which he was censured by Belgian authorities.

The sources of the necessarily significant funding consumed by Jahjah’s numerous worldwide projects are carefully hidden. Moreover, according to a February report in The Jerusalem Post, Jahjah is linked by family and business ties to several actors designated as part of Hezbollah’s vast terror funding network. He is also allegedly included in the U.S. government’s “No Fly” list due to terror ties.

Jahjah’s apparent influence with an institution like the West Midlands police raises specific questions about the contrast between its internal processes and external pronouncements. Publicly, the department cited “security concerns” in their banning of the Israeli supporters. But the Hind Rajab Foundation’s accusations, which reportedly “laid the groundwork” for the police verdict, had little to do with security. Instead, they consisted of a political word salad waxing about the “systematic instrumentalization of football culture in genocide,” and the apparently obvious threat of Jewish-Israelis setting foot in “a diverse and predominantly Muslim community.”

NGO Monitor, the research institute where we work, has documented a number of examples in which U.K. officials cooperated with terror-affiliated, anti-Western or violently antisemitic actors in making decisions and crafting policy. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many of these choices have appeared since the Hamas atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023, and promote demonizing propaganda against Israel.

In another example, days after the Hamas attacks, Palestinian NGO Al-Haq, sanctioned by Israel as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror organization and by the United States for anti-Israel lawfare at the International Criminal Court, launched a campaign demanding that the United Kingdom suspend weapons export licenses to Israel, especially F-35 fighter jet components. For two years, the group pursued this attack in British courts. In accusing Israel of genocide, the NGO argued that it is wrong and illegal for the United Kingdom to be party to Israel’s operations against Hamas in Gaza by providing military hardware.




Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



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Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



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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