Trump Says He and Saudi Crown Prince Have ‘Reached an Agreement’ for Country To Join Abraham Accords
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman have "reached an agreement" for Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, bringing the region’s central power broker closer to normalizing relations with Israel.Lee Smith: Farewell to the Abraham Accords
Tuesday marked the first time both leaders confirmed that Saudi Arabia seeks to join the Abraham Accords, which initially included Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. Kazakhstan became the latest Muslim-majority country to join the pact earlier this month.
"We want to be part of the Abraham Accords," bin Salman said during a joint press conference with Trump at the White House. "But we want to be sure we secure a clear path towards a two-state solution. We had a good discussion about moving forward."
"We want peace for Israelis," he added. "We want peace for Palestinians. We want peace for the region."
The Saudi crown prince’s statement came on the heels of his country’s decision to support the U.N. Security Council resolution endorsing Trump’s plan for post-war Gaza. It also follows Trump’s announcement that he plans to sell Saudi Arabia F-35 fighter jets, advanced planes the United States has only sold to Israel.
While the Israel Defense Forces opposed the Saudi F-35 deal, arguing it has the potential to erode the Jewish state’s air superiority in the region, Trump hinted that Israel will be happy with the eventual terms of the deal.
"Israel’s aware, and they’re going to be very happy," he told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump did not elaborate on the terms of the tentative deal, but it is expected to couple the F-35 sale with Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords, and may also involve a path toward a Palestinian state.
Even assuming the Saudis have the best of intentions—that is, they’re not simply using the White House to get a leg up on their Gulf rival—the problem is that the Palestinian file can’t be wrested from regional troublemakers since it was designed by bad actors to be used for bad purposes. The Saudis understand this in part: For instance, they don’t want Gazan refugees because the Palestinians have brought chaos and violence to every state they’ve inhabited (Jordan, Lebanon, and Kuwait, as well as Gaza and the West Bank), and a Palestinian presence in Saudi Arabia would therefore destabilize the kingdom and spell the end of the reform program of the 40-year-old crown prince. But Riyadh seems not to have gamed out other imminent risks.The "Beetlejuice" Peace
Let’s say, for instance, that the Israelis did accommodate Saudi Arabia’s demands, even though there’s no good practical reason for Netanyahu to pursue a normalization agreement with the Saudis; the prospects of him winning a Nobel Peace Prize are slim, whereas detonating his own domestic political coalition in the effort is a certainty. But suppose that, for sentimental reasons, Jerusalem wanted to pocket Riyadh’s promises to use its wealth and global influence to nurture a more moderate Islam and embrace the Jews as part of the Abrahamic covenant. Some Israelis might like the sound of that, however meaningless those pledges might be in reality. Still, those empty phrases would immediately supply the pretext for the next Qatari-Muslim Brotherhood information operation targeting the Saudi kingdom and the crown prince who, in Qatar’s telling, betrayed the Palestinians to the Zionists.
For Israel, a normalization deal with Saudi is worth little more than the paper it’s written on. For Saudi Arabia, especially if it gets Israel to agree to a two-state framework, a normalization agreement could cause large and unforeseeable dangers. The Palestinian file has proven itself to be a curse to those who wield it, like the Soviet Union, Nasser’s Egypt, the Assads’ Syria, and Saddam’s Iraq, all of which have faded from history even as the Islamic Republic of Iran now teeters on the abyss.
As for Trump, he’s already had his big Middle East victory—a win much more significant and durable than a normalization agreement. Not only did he, in partnership with Netanyahu, eliminate the Iranian threat, but also he revived the U.S.-led regional order that is crucial to American peace and prosperity. Israel is America’s regional enforcer, and a good destination for tech investors. The Saudis pump cheap oil to stabilize global energy markets, buy U.S. arms systems, and invest in U.S. industry. That’s a regional order that works well for everyone—starting with the United States. Now it’s time to get the Middle East and the black hole in the middle of it, the Palestinians, off the front page and turn to the bigger issue on which Trump’s historical legacy will rest: China.
Here’s the brutal truth everyone knows but pretends not to: Hamas will not disarm. The countries supposedly contributing to the ISF? They have no intention of disarming Hamas. That leaves one actor capable of removing Hamas—and the only actor who can bring about the “peace” everyone claims already exists: Israel.
You cannot have peace with Hamas in power. And removing Hamas will not be peaceful.
These are not opinions. They are facts. Mutually exclusive realities. No amount of wish-casting, press releases, or glossy declarations can change that.
A “peace plan” that leaves Hamas in charge is not a plan. A “peace agreement” that forces Israel to tolerate a genocidal militia on its border is not an agreement. It is political fantasy, being marketed as reality.
If the world wants peace, it must start with an adult premise: obstacles must be removed. The obstacle here is clear. The only one capable of removing it? The IDF. The only one willing to do so? Also the IDF.
So go ahead: say “peace” three times into a mirror. Wave your glossy resolutions. Print your headlines. Hope really hard. But unlike Beetlejuice, peace will not appear until reality does—and reality does not negotiate with Hamas.
Until that truth is faced, talk of “agreements,” “plans,” or “historic deals” is just theater. An expensive and dangerously misleading theater.
'The ISF is not a UN force, it is a US initiative to disarm Hamas,' Danon to 'Post' after UNSC vote
Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon stressed that Israel views the International Stabilization Force not as a UN force and not as a shift in Israel’s security doctrine but as an opportunity to advance the long-term objective of demilitarizing Gaza and dismantling Hamas’s military capacity.Israel must stop its own extremists to preserve the moral high ground
Danon spoke to The Jerusalem Post just hours after Monday evening’s UN Security Council meeting, where the US-led resolution to deploy the ISF to Gaza was approved, with 13 votes in favor and abstentions from China and Russia.
“About a month ago, we all welcomed the ceasefire agreement that enabled the release of the hostages,” Danon said.
He commented that the language in the resolution was the same as in Trump’s Gaza deal and that there were no surprises.
“Look at the wording; everything comes directly from the ceasefire agreement,” Danon noted. “The Americans stayed disciplined. Some countries tried to insert problematic elements, but that didn’t happen.”
Israel’s immediate priorities, he stressed, have remained unchanged, namely the “return of all the bodies of the hostages, demilitarization of Hamas, and removing weapons from the [Gaza] Strip.”
It is important to be clear: more than 99 per cent of Israeli residents of the West Bank are law-abiding citizens, families who work hard, raise children, serve in the IDF, and contribute meaningfully to Israeli society. They are being harmed twice – first by the violence itself, which undermines their legitimacy and threatens their security, and second by the government’s failure to enforce the law, which allows a tiny fringe to define their public image.'Bring rioters to justice': Netanyahu condemns West Bank riots, vows action against extremists
And this is where the strategic damage becomes severe. There is no diplomat who can explain away this wave of extremist Jewish violence. There is no talking point that can neutralise the images of masked Israelis burning Palestinian olive groves or vandalising farms, nor any Hasbara campaign that can reconcile the contradiction between Israel’s claims to legal and moral superiority and the impunity on the ground.
The solution is simple. The police, the Shin Bet, and the IDF must arrest, prosecute, and jail those responsible. Anything less erodes Israel’s moral foundation and weakens its strategic position.
Why? Because the moral high ground has long been one of Israel’s most vital assets in an era of diplomatic and legal warfare. It is how Israel confronts accusations of genocide in Gaza, responds to claims of starvation, and explains the difference between a democratic state and the terrorists it fights. Israel values life and operates under the rule of law. Israel holds itself to a higher standard than its enemies.
But when extremist Jews rampage unrestrained through Palestinian towns, Israel hands its critics a weapon stronger than any propaganda campaign Hamas could ever manufacture. It undermines our claims to the land. It weakens the moral and strategic case for the settlements. It erodes the argument that Israelis and Palestinians can eventually live in peace. And it makes a mockery of every official statement declaring that Israel is different from its neighbours.
This is why Israeli politicians need to understand that cracking down on these extremist youth is not “giving in to the left” or “helping the Palestinians”. It is patriotic and Zionist. And above all, it is smart policy.
Enforcement will not produce peace, but it will demonstrate that Israel still believes in the rule of law and refuses to be hijacked by a violent fringe. If Israel wants to preserve its moral high ground, not only can it not be be silent – it also needs to act. Now.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the West Bank riots by Jewish extremists against Palestinians on Monday, noting that those who had rioted should be punished according to the law.Hadar Goldin's brother: Gaza war cannot end if hostages not returned to Israel
"I call on law enforcement authorities to bring rioters to justice," he stated.
"I view with great seriousness the violent riots and the attempt to take the law into their own hands by a handful of extremists who do not represent the residents in Judea and Samaria," Netanyahu stated. "I call on law enforcement authorities to bring the rioters to justice."
The prime minister added, "I intend to deal with this personally and convene the relevant ministers as soon as possible to provide a response to this serious phenomenon. I am strengthening the IDF and the security forces, who will continue to act with determination and without fear in order to maintain order."
Netanyahu's comments came alongside several top officials from his government condemning the riots, like Defense Minister Israel Katz, who made comments on these events for the first time after months of Jewish extremist violence.
Another government official who condemned the West Bank riots was Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who said that "the Jewish rioters in Judea and Samaria harm the State of Israel, disgrace Judaism, and cause damage to the settlement project. They are not us. They are not the State of Israel."
Tzur Goldin’s 11-year fight to bring his twin brother, Hadar, home from Hamas captivity ended just over a week ago, yet the 34-year-old lawyer, now studying at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that the war in Gaza must not end if any hostages remain.UKLFI: MUST ISRAEL COOPERATE WITH UNRWA? with Hillel Neuer
“We see those three [remaining] hostages, and we’re very worried that my brother’s case will be repeated,” said Goldin, referring to Israelis Dror Or and Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak.
“There was an agreement signed where all hostages were to be brought back,” he said, adding that Hamas was in violation of that agreement by not returning everyone.
Goldin said he believes that the terror group does not have a problem finding the hostages, only a problem of “motivation.”
“They can be brought home in a matter of days,” Goldin stated. “They [Hamas] are holding them as bargaining chips, although the deal has been signed and they have all their prisoners… this cannot be overlooked.”
This is a recording of a UKLFI Charitable Trust webinar, "Must Israel cooperate with UNRWA?" with Dr Hillel Neuer and Natasha Hausdorff that took place on Monday 17 November 2025.
On 29 October 2024 Israel’s parliament (the Knesset) passed legislation by overwhelming bi-partisan majorities prohibiting any contact between Israeli State Authorities and UNRWA as well as any activity of UNRWA on Israeli territory. More recently, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has said that UNRWA “became a subsidiary of Hamas” and is not going to play any role in humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip. This follows numerous reports over the years by the NGO, UNWatch, containing evidence of extensive infiltration of UNRWA by Hamas obtained from open sources. However, on 22 October 2025 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) provided a non-binding advisory opinion to the UN General Assembly which concluded that Israel must cooperate with UNRWA and other UN agencies.
In this webinar Dr Hiller Neuer, Executive Director of UNWatch, and Natasha Hausdorff, Legal Director of UKLFI Charitable Trust, discuss how the ICJ reached its conclusion and the implications for Israel, Gaza, UNRWA and International Law itself.
US envoy Witkoff to meet with Hamas leadership tomorrow
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff will meet with Hamas leadership in Istanbul on Wednesday, Saudi channel A-Sharq reported, citing a Hamas official.Hamas risks losing Gaza reconstruction by rejecting disarmament, WSJ warns
Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya is expected to attend the meeting.
The Hamas official told A-Sharq that the terror group would be listening to the US administration's plans to implement Donald Trump's Gaza deal.
Hamas reportedly intends to present its own ideas on a "practical implementation" of the deal. Talking points include the reconstruction of the Strip, a full IDF withdrawal, and the creation of a new political force in Gaza, A-Sharq reported.
The New York Times reported on Saturday that Witkoff was planning to meet with al-Hayya, showing that the Trump administration was open to keeping a direct line of communication open with the Palestinian terror group.
Hamas’s refusal to disarm would leave the group in continuing breach of the new Gaza framework and could block reconstruction and other benefits promised under US President Donald Trump’s plan, The Wall Street Journal warned on Tuesday.Hamas rejects disarmament clause in Gaza ceasefire plan, claims it was not part of original talks
In an editorial on the UN Security Council’s endorsement of Trump’s 20-point proposal, the paper said that by rejecting clauses on disarmament, Hamas is effectively holding up Gaza’s recovery.
According to the editorial, if the second phase of Trump’s strategy fails to deliver real change on the ground because Hamas refuses to honor its commitments, the administration will need the “bravery” to walk away from the arrangement rather than repeat past peace processes that continued despite systematic violations.
The Wall Street Journal argued that the success of the Gaza plan now hinges on whether Hamas is willing to accept demilitarization as a precondition for reconstruction and political gains. WSJ's editorial board wrote that the resolution “embraces” Trump’s demand that Hamas disarm and that Gaza be demilitarized, describing the vote as a rare case in which the UN has not tried to dilute or rewrite US conditions.
The text supports a buffer zone under Israeli control and links reconstruction in Gaza to verifiable progress on security, including the removal of Hamas’s military capabilities.
According to the exposition, Washington succeeded in resisting attempts to add language that would pressure Israel into rapid territorial concessions or tie the plan’s implementation to rigid timelines. It praised US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz for what it called muscular diplomacy that preserved the core of the original 20 points announced by Trump last month.
Hamas rejected the clause in US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan regarding its disarmament, claiming that it was not part of the original negotiations, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera Mubasher reported on Monday.How Trump can leverage the Saudi crown prince’s visit to help secure Gaza’s future
"No clause regarding the disarmament of the resistance was on the table in the Sharm El-Sheikh negotiations," Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told the Qatari outlet. "It is unacceptable that we be imposed with the equation of either we are killed or we surrender."
Hamdan further claimed that Hamas had contacted members of the United Nations Security Council to discuss its "observations on the American draft resolution."
Palestinian factions released a statement on Tuesday afternoon also condemning the vote, viewing the move as a “tool of guardianship and an international partnership in the genocide of [the Palestinian] people.”
US Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz responded to Hamas's rejection of the disarmament clause, calling its refusal of the peace deal "proof that it is a good plan."
This week’s visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington comes at a pivotal moment for the Gaza cease-fire. Nearly every actor in the region is exhausted, distrustful, and bracing for instability. The cease-fire exists on paper, but the political, economic, humanitarian, and security scaffolding required to sustain it does not. That vacuum is becoming increasingly dangerous. Without a coherent stabilisation structure, the current mess of competing plans, fragmented chains of authority, and ad hoc security arrangements will harden into the kind of dysfunction that has historically made Gaza ungovernable.Seth Frantzman: The Real Story Behind Trump’s F-35 Offer to Saudi Arabia
Gaza and the wider region cannot afford another cycle of collapse. Right now, US President Donald Trump has an opportunity to prevent such a collapse. To do so, he will need to help guarantee international financial assistance for Gaza, which will allow vital humanitarian and preparatory activities to continue in the Strip. He will also need to help consolidate civilian and military operations in Gaza before Hamas has any more time to reassert its power in the vacuum.
If used well, this week’s discussions in Washington can give the cease-fire a realistic chance of holding and shape the framework for Gaza’s postwar transition. Trump and the crown prince should start by announcing a Gaza stabilisation fund, which would send an immediate signal that the cease-fire is tied to real resources and political ownership. Such an announcement, especially if backed by the United Arab Emirates, would reinforce humanitarian operations, support the cease-fire, and strengthen political confidence among Israelis and Palestinians alike.
Saudi funding would go a long way toward helping build out Trump’s peace plan, though without a clear path to a two-state solution, Riyadh will be limited in its engagement. With Saudi and Emirati funding in place, the United States could then push ahead alongside both countries in creating a more cohesive plan for implementation.
On Monday, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to establish a Trump-led “Board of Peace” and an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza, but the resolution risks becoming another hollow diplomatic instrument unless the operational aspects are clarified. I am told that several US entities are advancing plans in parallel, including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s team, State Department bureaus, the US embassy in Jerusalem, and US Central Command teams working through the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Centre in southern Israel. No unified plan has been approved. In situations like this, there is typically supposed to be a political lead and a military lead, but neither has been formally named. Disputes over responsibilities, sequencing, and authority have led to decision paralysis. Melanie Robbins. Photo: Realign for Palestine
It is essential for the ISF to have a single, empowered command structure. Humanitarian corridors, policing, border security, disarmament benchmarks, and reconstruction logistics cannot be coordinated through multiple chains of command. There is broad recognition from those I’ve spoken to in the field and in Washington that only a senior commander with regional experience can create the required coherence for the military track. Four-star General Erik Kurilla, who recently retired after heading US Central Command, is well placed for this role. He is trusted by Israel, respected in Gulf capitals, and already engaged in the coordination mechanisms tied to Gaza. If Trump were to designate Kurilla the lead commander, it would ensure that the State Department and the Department of Defence operate under a single mandate, that contractors inside Gaza respond to a unified chain of command, and that the civilian lead’s office remains connected to field operations rather than running parallel planning efforts.
This lack of clarity also affects international planning. Multiple reconstruction plans are circulating simultaneously, including the Palestinian Authority’s newly released 173-page proposal and ideas coming from Arab capitals. None provides an integrated humanitarian–security–governance architecture that can operate immediately. Gaza needs functioning essential services, basic civil order, and medical stabilisation. Water distribution, sanitation, waste removal, emergency response capacities, and primary healthcare are equally vital for public confidence and the survival of the cease-fire.
While F-35s may be in the spotlight in some reports, the media in Riyadh takes a different view of the Crown Prince’s visit. Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg, the GCC Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Negotiation, wrote in Arab News about how Saudi Arabia played a key role in arranging a May 2025 meeting between Trump and Syria’s new President, Ahmed al-Shara’a. Shara’a was recently at the White House, which shows how Riyadh’s gamble has paid off.Ryan McBeth: Why Iran Should Be Terrified of a Saudi F-35 Fleet
“On trade, more work needs to be done. Last year, the two-way trade in goods was about $26 billion, which is quite low considering the potential of the two countries and about a quarter of Saudi-China trade,” Aluwaisheg wrote at Arab News. Faisal Abbas, the Editor-in-Chief of Arab News, wrote that “the US needs a partner that commands respect in the region. Saudi Arabia fits that role. Whether it is lifting sanctions or brokering peace, American policymakers know that Riyadh’s guarantees carry weight. The emergence of a new Syria—after decades of turmoil—is testament to that influence.”
This sentiment is why the F-35 deal is more about a larger constellation of ties. Energy, trade, commercial aircraft deals, air defenses, technology, and also potential Saudi-Israel ties are all issues up for discussion.
Where the F-35 is symbolic is in what it means for the region, Israel, and the US.
According to a Lockheed Martin fact sheet published in September, there are 20 program participants in the F-35 program. These include the US, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark, and Norway.
In addition, the plane has been sold via foreign military sales to Israel, Japan, South Korea, Belgium, Finland, Singapore, Switzerland, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Greece, and Romania. If F-35s are sold to Saudi Arabia, it would be the second Middle East country using them after Israel. But this will take time. Greece was the 19th country to join the program and signed a deal in 2024. It is expected to take delivery of the first planes in 2028. This timeline suggests that a Saudi deal would likely take many years to see the aircraft flying in the Kingdom.
Are F-35s to Saudi Arabia a warning shot at Iran? Yeah… probably.
Right after Israel used their F-35s to humiliate Iran’s air-defense network, the U.S. is suddenly considering selling up to 48 F-35s to Saudi Arabia. That timing isn’t subtle. This isn’t about “regional balance” or “stability.” This is a strategic flex aimed directly at Tehran.
In this video, I break down why the F-35 sale matters, why Iran is having a very bad week, and how the Middle East might be shifting into a new kind of security architecture — one where U.S. partners, not the U.S. itself, carry the deterrence load.
We’ll talk about:
How Israel’s June 2025 strike exposed Iran’s air-defense vulnerabilities
Why Saudi Arabia watched that raid and said, “Yeah, we want some of that”
How F-35s on two sides of Iran changes the regional map
Why the U.S. might be quietly building a Middle East version of NATO
And why this arms sale is a message without firing a shot
If Iran thought dealing with Israel was tough… imagine adding a Saudi F-35 fleet into the equation.
EU probes claims Palestinian Authority bypassing own ban on Martyrs Fund
The Palestinian Authority officially announced the end of its Martyrs’ Fund in February this year. According to information obtained by Euronews, the mechanism Israel slams as “pay for slay” might still be operating through bypass channels. Brussels insists the EU funds are not involved.Europol ‘in contact’ with anti-Israel lawfare outfit HRF
In February, the Palestinian Authority announced the end of the programme to provide payments to families of Palestinians killed or imprisoned by Israel.
Known as the Martyrs’ Fund it guaranteed the Palestinians who are imprisoned by Israel – including those convicted for involvement in terror attacks — monthly “salaries” on a sliding scale depending on sentence length, with an additional stipend for their families, and grants available for things such as health insurance and education.
The programme had been criticised by the US, the EU and Israel as a mechanism “rewarding attacks” against Israel, which universally panned it as “pay for slay”.
Brussels is now requesting clarity from the Palestinian Authority over whether the programme which was said to be terminated is still operational.
Following years of criticism, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ revoked the old system in early 2025 as a token of goodwill towards the Trump administration and publicly reiterated that it was no longer in place in his remarks to the UN General Assembly in September.
However, Israel claims that the system is still working – and moreover, that it might involve EU funds in payments through “bypass channels”.
The European Commission told Euronews it “profoundly regrets” that payments have been made through the Martyrs’ Fund regardless of its closure.
“We understand that a recent payment has been made to the families of prisoners, based on a previous scheme. We profoundly regret this decision, as this seems to go against prior announcements," the EU executive said in a statement on Tuesday.
"We have asked for clarifications on the issue from the Palestinian Authority,” the statement added.
According to information obtained by Euronews, Israel’s delegation is in Brussels these days to present its evidence that the old “pay for slay” programme is still allegedly in effect and may involve money the 27-member bloc donated for other purposes.
In its comments to Euronews, the Commission denied that EU funds were involved in the recent payments.
The European Union’s law enforcement agency said it has been “in contact” with the anti-Israel lawfare outfit Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), the NGO Monitor watchdog group revealed on Monday.Texas Gov Greg Abbott Designates CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations
Europol used the term “stakeholder” to describe HRF, which is headed by a man who claims to have fought for Hezbollah in Lebanon, and which has lodged disputed war crimes charges against Israelis abroad.
The Europol statement came in reply to an NGO Monitor query sent to the agency last week regarding an HRF member’s comment last month that “recently… we have begun working closely with Europol to assist with war crimes investigations across the European Union.”
NGO Monitor President Gerald Steinberg warned that Europol’s contact with HRF erodes the agency’s status.
“Any reliance by Europol on accusations made by a terror-linked NGO propaganda front undermines Europol’s credibility in terms of law enforcement,” Steinberg told JNS. ”Imagine police intelligence officers cooperating with Mafia godfathers to coordinate strategy on organized crime.”
In the Europol reply, a spokesperson wrote to NGO Monitor: “While Europol has also been in contact with the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), the Agency takes necessary due diligence steps when engaging with such stakeholders.” Interpol, she added, “is maintaining and exploring cooperation with a number of stakeholders, including civil society organisations that collect and document alleged war crimes around the world.”
When soldiers leave Israel, HRF targets them for prosecution for “war crimes” in their destination countries. It has filed complaints in Ecuador, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Argentina, Sri Lanka, France, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Thailand and the United Kingdom. It has not secured an indictment, but several probes were launched against Israelis, sometimes requiring the investigated Israelis to leave the country where the probe was launched.
Texas governor Greg Abbott (R.) on Tuesday designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations, barring the groups from owning land and permitting the state attorney general to shut them down.CAIR package Muslim group cutting $1,000 checks for anti-Israel agitators who spread chaos at colleges
"The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam's 'mastership of the world,'" Abbott said in a press release. "This designation authorizes heightened enforcement against both organizations and their affiliates and prohibits them from purchasing or acquiring land in Texas."
Abbott's proclamation describes the Muslim Brotherhood as a "transnational Islamist organization" that "provides support to localized branches in countries and territories throughout the world, including groups that conduct terrorism internationally." It also cites the FBI in accusing CAIR of being a "'front group' for 'Hamas and its support network' in the United States."
The designation comes amid increasing calls from lawmakers and activists to investigate CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood for their ties to terrorism. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) last month urged the Trump administration to investigate CAIR's "pattern of historic ties" to Hamas, arguing that pattern may constitute "material support for terrorism," the Washington Free Beacon reported.
The Islamic activist group recently made the news following Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. CAIR executive director Nihad Awad said he was "happy to see" the massacre, in which Hamas murdered more than 1,200 civilians and took hundreds hostage.
Anti-Israel agitators who spread disruption at US colleges and were punished by authorities were awarded checks for $1,000 by a Muslim nonprofit, The Post has learned.Palestinian terrorists kill one, wound three in ramming, stabbing attack at Gush Etzion junction
The money was given to students who faced penalties for leading pro-Palestinian protests before and after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 2023, according to a bombshell report by the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) and the Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN).
The cash was awarded from a “Champions of Justice Fund,” set up by the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) as “institutional endorsement,” the report claims.
In California, the largest arm of the CAIR web of nonprofits, affiliates in San Francisco and Los Angeles raised more than $100,000 in donations for campus radicals, while the main group solicited $64,000 in donations, records show.
The money was then offered as interest free loans in grants of $1,000 to students who lost “scholarships, housing or other support because of their advocacy,” according to CAIR’s website.
In October 2024, CAIR-CA awarded $20,000 in loans and scholarships to 20 student protestors from the “Champions of Justice Fund.”
The identities of the student recipients have never been revealed, but the institutions they attend were in CAIR’s literature, and included Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania and Harvard.
Kiryat Arba resident Aharon Cohen, 70, was killed, and three others were wounded in a ramming and stabbing attack at the Gush Etzion junction on Tuesday.Israel Advocacy Movement: I Just Witnessed A Palestinian Attack
One woman in her 40s was severely wounded, and two others, a 30-year-old and a 15-year-old, were moderately wounded in the attack.
Cohen, a widower, leaves behind six children and many grandchildren.
Two terrorists arrived in a vehicle at the junction, drove into the civilians standing nearby, then exited the vehicle and attempted to stab them.
They were killed by reservists who happened to be in the area. The terrorists were identified as Ibrahim Imran al-Atrash, 18, from Hebron, and Walid Muhammad Khalil Sabarneh, 18, from Beit Umar, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad took credit for the attack and congratulated the terrorists in a social media post. They also called on Palestinians to escalate their attacks against Israelis.
The three terror victims were evacuated by medical personnel to Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem for treatment.
Israeli security forces respond after a ramming and stabbing terror attack in the Gush Etzion Junction area of the West Bank. November 18, 2025. (Credit: Assaf Passy)
The military cordoned off Palestinian towns in the area of the attack and set up roadblocks.
Video:
Watch: The father of the Palestinian terrorist from today’s deadly attack in Gush Etzion says the thing he most looked forward to in life was to be the father of a martyr.
IDF thwarts 130 UAV smuggling attempts from Egypt in a month
Soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces’ 80th Division thwarted 130 drone-assisted smuggling attempts along the border with Egypt last month, the military announced on Monday.IDF strikes Hamas facility near Lebanon’s Sidon; local officials say 13 killed
“Attempts to smuggle weapons, drugs, and various criminal items into Israeli territory have increased significantly in recent months,” according to the IDF.
About 85 weapons were confiscated, including two machine guns, 16 long-barreled weapons and 66 pistols, the statement continued.
The success was credited to “extensive preparations, intelligence-gathering efforts, and the use of advanced electronic warfare systems to disrupt, block, and detect the UAVs,” the statement added.
A designated operations center will open in the coming weeks to improve and coordinate the flow of information between intelligence units and troops in the field, according to the military.
“The 80th Division continues to operate at all times to prevent hostile acts of sabotage, with the goal of safeguarding the security of Israeli civilians and maintaining stability in the arena and along the border,” the statement concluded.
The Israel Defense Forces carried out an airstrike Tuesday in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the Lebanese coastal city of Sidon. The strike killed 13 people, according to Lebanese authorities.Gaza water provider suspends services after Hamas detains staff member
The IDF confirmed the strike, saying it targeted terror operatives at a Hamas training facility.
Contrary to some preliminary Lebanese reports, the Israeli strike targeted a building some 60 meters from the Khalid bin al-Walid mosque, and not the mosque itself.
According to the IDF, the “military compound” was used by Hamas operatives for training “in order to plan and carry out terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel.”
The military said it took steps to mitigate harm to civilians in the strike, including by using “a precision munition, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence.”
“The IDF is operating against Hamas’s entrenchment in Lebanon, and will continue to operate against Hamas terrorists wherever they operate,” the military added.
Hamas operatives in the area prevented journalists from reaching the scene, as ambulances rushed to evacuate the wounded and the dead.
A Gaza company that operates water desalination plants serving nearly half of the enclave's population has stopped operations to protest at the detention by Hamas of one of its staff.
Youssef Yassin, a board member of the Abdul Salam Yassin Company, said the move would affect more than 1 million people who normally receive water from the company.
Over 70 trucks that carry water containers across the enclave have also stopped operations, he added, risking further supply disruption after the pipeline network was badly damaged during the war.
"I know it is catastrophic but protecting our employees is a sacred issue," Yassin told Reuters.
Yassin said Hamas had given no reason for the arrest late on Monday. Hamas had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters on Tuesday.
Hamas has been gradually reasserting control in areas of Gaza that Israel has withdrawn from as post-war talks over its future grind on. Foreign powers demand the group disarm and leave government but have yet to agree who will replace them.
Israel continues to control around half the Gaza Strip.
The move is a rare show of dissent against Hamas, which has run the Palestinian enclave since 2007. Demonstrations briefly erupted in March and April, demanding an end to the war and that Hamas give up power, but fizzled out after a warning that public disorder would not be tolerated.
If the protest by the company persists, it could exacerbate the chronic water crisis in the enclave, which was worsened further by two years of war.
"Have you ever seen our anti-Hamas protests in Gaza reported by the BBC or others? Of course not. Any journalist working with these networks must cooperate with Hamas or be beaten or killed."
— Center for Peace Communications (@PeaceComCenter) November 18, 2025
A Gazan activist blames foreign media for parroting Hamas's narrative.
WATCH: pic.twitter.com/vBVOVDxY7n
MirYam Institute Podcast: In Gaza, Think Kosovo, Not Lebanon
In this episode of the show, I sit down with John Spencer. We’re proud to have brought John aboard as The MirYam Institute Senior Analyst On Urban & Asymmetrical Warfare.UKLFI: Natasha Hausdorff on UN Security Council Resolution 2803 endorsing Trump's Gaza plan
A globally renowned expert, John delves into his recent position paper regarding the U.S. proposed International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, the outline for which is currently moving through the United Nations (link to position paper below).
He and I discuss where he sees reason for optimism and for caution.
On 17 November 2025 the UN Security Council adopted its Resolution 2803 endorsing the Trump plan for Gaza by 13 vote to nil, with 2 abstentions. In this interview by Talk TV's Julia Hartley-Brewer, UKLFI Charitable Trust's Legal Director, Natasha Hausdorff, discusses what the Resolution says and doesn't say, its rejection by Hamas, and the future prospects.
Victor Davis Hanson: The ‘Alt-Alt-Right’s’ Numerous Misconceptions About Israel
Nick Fuentes, and his ‘alt alt right’ followers have been perpetuating misinformed and ahistorical ideas to an already frustrated Gen Z audience. These include, among many things, allegations that the state of Israel, most namely the Jewish people, is responsible for dragging American into forever wars in the Middle East, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”
Socialists Unite: Mamdani Throws Support Behind Behind State Assembly Candidate Who Blamed 9/11 on America
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D.) is backing a far-left candidate for New York State Assembly who said 9/11 was a manifestation of America's "system of capitalism," "racism," "white supremacy," and "Islamophobia."
Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, endorsed Palestinian activist Aber Kawas at a DSA meeting on Wednesday, the New York Daily News reported. The endorsement, the mayor-elect's first foray into local politics since his election win, is already garnering pushback because Mamdani did not support Kawas's primary opponent, a Spanish speaker with close ties to the Queens district, which is predominantly Hispanic.
Kawas, who holds a master's degree in "Islamic Liberation Theology" from a South African university and who moved to the district last year, told a panel in 2017 that "the system of capitalism and racism, and white supremacy, et cetera, have all, and Islamophobia, have all been used, you know, to colonize lands, right, to take resources from other people, and so this is, like, a long trajectory. And we're just seeing the manifestations of that continuation, right, with 9/11."
"Historically, right, you know, a lot of us come from lands that were colonized, lands where wars are being waged, right, and a lot of times because of U.S. policy or the policies in Europe," Kawas said in an attempt to criticize people who are "asking us to respond about, you know, an attack."
"The idea that we have to apologize for, like, a terror attack that, like, a couple people did, and then there is no apologies or reparations for genocides and for slavery, um, et cetera, is something that I kind of find, like, reprehensible," Kawas went on.
Kawas also had a Tumblr account in which she defended attempted terrorist Ahmed Ferhani, who in 2011 was sentenced to 10 years for plotting to blow up a Manhattan synagogue, Drew Pavlou first reported on X.
She "felt the deepst [sic] low" when she heard that Ferfani had attempted to commit suicide while behind bars, describing him as her "brother" whose family she knew.
WATCH:
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) November 18, 2025
NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has endorsed Palestinian activist Aber Kawas for a Queens Assembly seat.
Kawas once suggested 9/11 occurred because of America’s "system of capitalism, racism, white supremacy and Islamophobia."
According to the New York Daily News,… pic.twitter.com/j02xV7lCwi
Piers Morgan’s show is now the #1 platform for Jew-baiting conspiracy theories. Not Candace Owens (who is a treasured regular guest). Not Nick Fuentes. Venal Piers Morgan. It’s a phenomenally lucrative business model and it has mainstreamed lunacy for a whole generation. https://t.co/pMUvDxnNKU
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) November 18, 2025
Police officer ‘fractured vertebrae’ in sledgehammer attack by alleged Palestine Action member
A female police officer struck by an assailant wielding a sledgehammer during an alleged Palestine Action break in last year “screamed in pain” and suffered a fractured back as a result of the attack, a court has heard as part of a trial into the conduct of six alleged members of the group, which has since been proscribed as a terrorist organisation.CPS drops charges against activists accused of disrupting Gal Gadot London shoot
In August 2024, an organised attempt was made to illegally force entry into a factory near Bristol owned by Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence firm. Six individuals: Charlotte Head, 29, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, Fatema Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, are jointly accused of aggravated burglary, criminal damage and violent disorder, with Corner additionally accused of causing grievous bodily harm. The accused deny all the charges.
The prosecutor, Deanna Heer KC, told the jury that the group was armed with sledgehammers, whips and fireworks, as reported by the BBC. Ms Heer said that the sledgehammers were intended to cause damage, but that the members of the “team”, dressed in red, were also prepared to use them as weapons.
A security guard, Angelo Volante, was threatened with a sledgehammer, and described how he had been whipped by another of the six accused, and threatened with a saw by a third. He retreated, subsequently returning accompanied by police officers.
Video footage of the incident is believed to show Corner striking Sgt Evans in the back, before hitting her a second time. Heer told the jury that “Fortunately, Sgt Evans was wearing a stab vest which may have absorbed the force of the impacts. Nevertheless she screamed in pain as she felt the force of the blows.
“She was immediately terrified that her spine had been damaged and when she tried, she was unable to get up.”
Sgt Evans suffered a fractured vertebrae and was unable to work for three months. Due to the ongoing impact of the injury, she has been confined to restricted duties.
All criminal charges have been dropped against eight pro-Palestinian activists accused of disrupting the London film set of Israeli actress Gal Gadot.
The group – dubbed online as the “GG8” – had been due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court this week, charged under the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992 for allegedly trying to block access to the set of Gadot’s movie The Runner.
The Crown Prosecution Service has now confirmed the case has been discontinued. No further action will be taken.
One of those arrested, Pedro Baptista, posted on social media: “Our case has been dropped, and Gal Gadot’s case has been dropped. We never did anything wrong – they were scared of embarrassing themselves in court. Free Palestine. F*** Gal Gadot.”
Another defendant, Anika Zahir, wrote: ‘Good news – the case against myself and seven other activists has been dropped. The police pushed this to repress our right to protest. They failed.”
The protesters had been accused of using sirens, banging metal pans and chanting near filming locations in Westminster and Camden earlier this year, with footage showing Palestinian flags and banners reading “Trash Gadot not welcome in London”.
All eight had been bailed on condition they stayed 200 metres away from filming sites.
The Metropolitan Police previously said it acted after repeated disruption and insisted it “will not tolerate unlawful interference with legitimate professional work in London”.
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"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024) PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022) |
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