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Tuesday, December 09, 2025

12/09 Links Pt1: Netanyahu: "We're Not Going to Create a State that Will Be Committed to Our Destruction"; Doha Puts the Horseshoe on Full Display; Ron DeSantis Designates CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

From Ian:

Netanyahu: "We're Not Going to Create a State that Will Be Committed to Our Destruction"
At a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "The purpose of a Palestinian state is to destroy the one and only Jewish state. They already had a state in Gaza, a defective state, and it was used to try to destroy the one and only Jewish state. We believe there's a path to advance a broader peace with the Arab states and a path also to establish a workable peace with our Palestinian neighbors. But we're not going to create a state that will be committed to our destruction at our doorstep."

"We are obviously going to take care of our security. The one thing that we will always insist upon is that the sovereign power of security from the Jordan River, which is right here, to the Mediterranean Sea, which is right there, will always be in Israel's hands. And that means that Israel will control its destiny, continue to protect its security."
Hamas not committed to peace plan or disarming, Israeli foreign minister says
Israel’s foreign minister warned that Hamas is not committed to the US-backed peace deal, which calls for the terror group to cede its weapons, warning that the Jewish state would enforce the condition no matter what.

Speaking with The Post on Monday, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar slammed Hamas’ latest insistence that it would neither give up its arms nor cede power to an international board unless its demands for Palestinian statehood were met.

“We will give a fair chance to see whether we can get Hamas to disarm and Gaza de-militarization in the context of the plan,” Sa’ar said about the ongoing negotiations. “If not, we will have to do it ourselves.”

Sa’ar’s statement echoes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly warned that war in Gaza could be reignited if Hamas fails to comply with the terms of the cease-fire deal.

Hamas’ leadership has recently claimed that it would give up power to Palestinian technocrats, as laid out in President Trump’s peace deal — but the terror group has fully rejected the formation of a Board of Peace set to rule Gaza in the interim.

“So I believe that if you read the statement that was given publicly this weekend, it doesn’t demonstrate that [you are] really committed to the peace plan and what it requires from them in the next stage,” Sa’ar explained.

The foreign minister also expressed distrust in Hamas’s willingness to cede power as it has effectively regained control of the 43% of the Gaza Strip not occupied by the Israeli military.
Seth Frantzman: Gaza ceasefire's Catch-22: Hamas delays disarmament as it calls for IDF withdrawal
Hamas is trying to slow-play the Gaza ceasefire deal so that it can eke out as much wiggle room as possible and remain in charge of the Gaza Strip. “We accept the deployment of UN forces as a separation force, tasked with monitoring the borders and ensuring compliance with the ceasefire in Gaza,” Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya said recently.

The goal of Hamas now is to perpetuate a Catch-22 in the Strip, whereby it says it will only disarm if the IDF withdraws, knowing full well that the IDF won’t withdraw until the terror group disarms. As such, Hamas creates a situation in which it always has an excuse to do nothing. It assumes time is on its side. Hamas knows that Israel doesn’t want to return to fighting.

There is one hostage that must be returned. There is no major pressure in Israel or any incentive to go back to war.

Hamas also knows that Israeli officials don’t want the Palestinian Authority to run Gaza. As such, Hamas knows that the power vacuum in the Strip will also lead to de facto Hamas control.

For almost two decades, Hamas has relied on the assumption that Israeli officials prefer to have Hamas in Gaza in place of the PA, in order to divide the Strip from the West Bank. It thus benefits from this situation. Disarmament is also an amorphous term. Hamas assumes it can quietly find a way out of this obligation.

What is the regional media saying? Arab News noted last week that “Hamas said Saturday it was ready to hand over its weapons in the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian authority governing the territory on the condition that the Israeli army’s occupation ends.”

As noted above, Hayya said, “Our weapons are linked to the existence of the occupation and the aggression… If the occupation ends, these weapons will be placed under the authority of the state.”

Hamas also said: “We accept the deployment of UN forces as a separation force, tasked with monitoring the borders and ensuring compliance with the ceasefire in Gaza.”


US official to ‘Post’: International Stabilization Force to be deployed at beginning of 2026
The International Stabilization Force (ISF) will be deployed in the Gaza Strip at the beginning of 2026, a US official told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday night.

The official noted that the ISF will initially include only personnel from one or two countries, with more countries potentially joining in the future.

The ISF “will not be deployed in areas controlled by Hamas in the Gaza Strip," the official added.

International Stabilization Force and Hamas disarmament
Ambassador Danny Danon insisted last month that the ISF must play an active role in disarming Hamas. However, Danon admitted at the time that it was "complicated" to envision when such a force would come into effect.

“What interests us now is seeing whether this force can stabilize the situation and strip Hamas of its weapons,” he explained. “That’s the immediate objective.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made similar comments last month, expressing uncertainty on when the ISF would launch its operations. He noted that many countries were reluctant to enter the Gaza Strip, despite vocalizing support for a ceasefire.

While the US official did not disclose the countries that will be involved in the ISF, the source's comments came after Turkish security sources told their country's media that they were ready and waiting to be deployed.

"We have no problem with the troops being sent to Gaza to join the ISF. The Americans also very much want us there, while Israel opposes it. The Americans are pressuring Israel to have Turkish troops [as part of the force]," sources were cited as saying.


Israel Outlines Conditions for PA Control of Gaza
As Arab and international pressure intensifies on Israel to allow the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza and advance toward a Palestinian state solution, Jerusalem has established a comprehensive list of conditions for PA reforms, including the elimination of refugee status for Palestinians living in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.

Arab and Western diplomatic sources indicate these conditions encompass shuttering all UN refugee agencies, chiefly UNRWA, while transferring complete responsibility for civilian needs to the PA. Israel further insists on transforming "refugee camps" into standard neighborhoods or towns. In Samaria, Israel has positioned the termination of UN refugee agency operations as a prerequisite for IDF withdrawal from the Jenin and Tulkarem camps, where forces have maintained a presence for months.

Israel's requirements include complete Hamas disarmament, comprehensive Israeli security authority with unrestricted military operations even in Palestinian Authority-controlled zones, total demilitarization of Palestinian territories excepting lightly-armed police forces, meaningful curriculum overhauls in Palestinian Authority educational institutions from kindergarten through university eliminating antisemitic and anti-Israel materials, population-wide de-radicalization initiatives, and genuine PA security operations against terror organizations. Israel views these as essential preconditions for accepting a process culminating in Palestinian statehood, as mandated by the Trump plan.
Seth Mandel: Doha Puts the Horseshoe on Full Display
Carlson is a good case study for another reason. He plays a game in which he’ll say something anti-Semitic and when he is criticized for his bigotry he will respond, in effect, You see? They tell you I’m evil but not that I’m wrong.

But Tucker is wrong. Carlson promoted his chummy Doha conversation with the Qatari prime minister on X with the following pinned post: “No American president has ever sided with an Arab state over Israel until Donald Trump forced Bibi to apologize to Qatar. A reaction from Qatar’s PM.”

Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman corrected Carlson on X, pointing out that a U.S. weapons embargo on Israel persisted from Israel’s founding through three U.S. presidents; that President Eisenhower sided with Egypt in 1956; that President Reagan sold AWACs (quite famously) to Saudi Arabia over Israel’s objections; President Obama made a habit of siding against Israel’s prime minister; among many, many, many other such cases.

As one recites the very long list, it immediately becomes clear that Carlson knowingly said something ludicrous just to get a rise out of people.

Given the fact of Carlson’s bad faith, were Friedman and others wrong to engage with Carlson’s post and correct the facts? Not at all, precisely because of what Clinton was talking about. When an anti-Israel cult leader like Tucker says something like that, you can expect to hear it repeated by a legion of followers and boosted by a legion of bots. It’s exactly the kind of insane declaration that pro-Hamas activists would yell at you or tweet at you in large numbers during the war, whether they’re on the woke right or at Columbia University. So no matter how bad Tucker’s faith, the assertion can’t go unanswered.

Perhaps most important, Ravi Agrawal’s magazine is as establishment as it gets, and in his remarks to Clinton, he defended mainstream media reporting on Gaza. Tucker could be sitting in Agrawal’s place and not much would have changed about the conversation. Doha is where the two ends of the horseshoe get too close to each other to tell them apart. Whether someone is evil is entirely subjective. But that Tucker Carlson and Ravi Agrawal are both wrong on the facts is the plain, objective truth. And the truth still matters.
Seth Frantzman: Doha Forum draws world leaders, but Gaza war puts negative spotlight on Qatar
In some circles, the appearance of Tucker Carlson and other critics of Israel in Doha made the forum appear Israel-focused. However, overall, the Doha Forum is not focused on Israel. It represents a much broader spectrum of global leadership, linking the Islamic and Arab worlds with the East and West.

Commentators may disagree with Qatar’s policies, but there is no doubt that the Doha Forum remains an impressive gathering place for a wide range of voices.

Perhaps what is interesting is the fact that Israel is not involved in the forum. While some pro-Israel voices seek to isolate Qatar, the reality is that Doha remains a key player in the region and in many issues in the West.

“Israel and Qatar are locked in a race to win American hearts and minds,” a piece in Haaretz said after the event. The main change for Qatar in this respect is that it used to operate much more behind the scenes. These days, its role gets more attention.

This is probably not a welcome spotlight in Doha because, although it wants attention, it does not like negative attention; not all news is good news.

The question for Qatar after the Doha Forum is whether its hosting of so many dignitaries continues to pay off in terms of influence. For instance, will it achieve its goals in Gaza? A recent report at Axios indicated that officials from Israel and Qatar met at US-brokered talks in the US. The details are unclear, but it is clearly in the Trump administration’s interest that Doha and Jerusalem not always be at odds over Gaza.

When it comes to the Gulf, it’s worth recalling that nothing is ever exactly as it seems. Western media and commentators often take a more simplistic view of things than is necessary. This can be encapsulated in the reporting on Saudi Arabia, which was once positive and then became negative.

Did the kingdom really change that much, or did the reporting change? Qatar was similarly portrayed in a more positive light at one time, and perceptions have shifted slightly. It may shift back in the coming years.

The Doha Forum is one of many large gatherings in the Gulf that bring people from around the world to the region. It is a symbol of these times when the Gulf has become so interconnected and essential to the world order.
Qatar, Turkey Trying to Dissuade Hamas from Disarming
According to Israeli officials, Qatar and Turkey - nations that helped negotiate the recent hostage-release deal - are now working to extract Hamas from the requirement to disarm. They are offering alternatives: that Hamas gives up its weapons to the Palestinian Authority (PA) or the weapons are transferred to secure storage under oversight. Israel insists that Hamas must remain weapon-free.

According to Israeli officials, both countries are working to prevent a scenario in which Israel can declare a decisive victory over Hamas. Qatar and Turkey reportedly favor a two-year grace period during which Hamas could keep its weapons. The Israeli message is clear: if Hamas isn't disarmed promptly, Israel will act unilaterally to make it so.

Officials in Jerusalem believe the issue will be discussed at the upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and U.S. President Trump on Dec. 29. Israel is concerned that an international stabilization force (ISF) by itself cannot guarantee dismantling Hamas's military capabilities. The understanding in Jerusalem is that if Israel decides that jihadist groups must not be allowed near its borders - whether in Gaza or on the Golan Heights - the Americans are expected to respect that determination.

According to Israeli intelligence assessments, 75% of Gaza's residents no longer support Hamas; while 25% remain loyal. Officials believe that once conditions are right, these 75% may embrace an alternative.
UK to host landmark Israeli-Palestinian peace conference in March
The UK will host the inaugural meeting of the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace next March, in what UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has described as a “crucial step” towards bridging deep-seated divisions and advancing a viable two-state solution in the Middle East.

The announcement was made on Monday by Cooper, and also by Chancellor Rachel Reeves as she addressed the Labour Friends of Israel annual lunch.

They both underscored the significance of the upcoming conference at Lancaster House.

The event will bring together Palestinian and Israeli civil society organizations, aiming to foster dialogue, build common ground, and support peacebuilding efforts between the two peoples.

“This conference will be a crucial step in that journey, bringing together representatives of Palestinian and Israeli civil society to build common ground between their communities, challenge entrenched divisions, and work towards a future where both states can live side-by-side in peace and security,” Cooper stated.

She added that the UK is “well placed to host and facilitate these talks,” and emphasised the role of the new International Peace Fund in providing practical support to drive the initiative forward.

Reeves confirmed the event would go ahead at the historic venue, noting the importance of placing civil society groups “at the forefront of our efforts to advance long-term peace, and a two-state solution.”

The announcement fulfills a pledge made by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who last year expressed his support for the International Peace Fund.
Rachel Reeves: I’m an unapologetic Zionist
Rachel Reeves has given an impassioned defence of Zionism, insisting that “the belief that there is something inherently wrong about the right of the Jewish people to self-determination” must be “wholeheartedly” rejected.

Delivering a speech at Labour Friends of Israel (LFI)’s annual lunch today, the Chancellor also noted that the first anti-Israel protests to take place in the wake of the Hamas-led October 7 atrocities were organised while Israel was “still under attack”.

Reeves was the keynote speaker at the event, which was attended by more than 400 political figures, including cabinet ministers David Lammy, Steve Reed and Peter Kyle, MPs, peers and Jewish communal representatives.

She told those gathered: “We must reject wholeheartedly, the belief that there is something inherently wrong about the right of the Jewish people to self-determination and the doing so is a precondition to driving antisemitism off our streets, out of our schools and away from our campuses”.

Reeves, who was the first Labour chancellor to address the annual LFI event since Gordon Brown in 2007, also attacked the anti-Israel protests that took place in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s assault on Israel on October 7 2023.

While “we all respect the right to protest”, she said, “let's also be clear, that the first anti-Israel protests occurred while Israel was still under attack, that the words, actions and behaviour of some of those who have protested against Israel over the past two or so years have strayed into and even been driven by hate and prejudice and by antisemitism”.

Reeves, a longstanding LFI supporter, who left her position as a vice-chair of the organisation due to her appointment as Chancellor, denounced the slew of anti-Israel incidents in Britain in the wake of October 7, and the subsequent war in Gaza, that has created a hostile environment for British Jews.

Reeling off a list of examples, she said: “Ripping down pictures of children abducted by Hamas; chanting ‘death to the IDF’ and ‘globalise the intifada’; equating the actions of Israel with those who murdered six million Jews; propagating dark conspiracies about the supposed power of the ‘Zionist lobby’; stirring the pot of community tensions to prevent Israeli football fans travelling to our second biggest city; demanding that Jewish musicians, mediums and artists engage in some kind of performative denunciation of Israel before they are even allowed to perform”

“Does anyone seriously think that these are not antisemitic acts?”

She added: “Antisemitism is a crime. Gaslighting Jews simply compounds that crime.”
Seth Frantzman: New border clashes expose Israel’s confused Syria policy as region heats up
Many of these villages also benefited from limited Israeli aid between 2015 and 2018. Some even got medical treatment in Israel. As such, there was a warmth toward the Jewish state in these villages when the Assad regime fell. Most of these people continued to have a “wait and see” attitude regarding Israel for months.

However, it appears that the civilians are growing frustrated. The clashes in Beit Jinn and now Khan Arnabah illustrate a trend.

Israel’s operations in Syrian villages are being met with more anger by locals. Jerusalem has demanded that southern Syria be demilitarized. This means that those areas are a power vacuum of low-level chaos, which can lead to threats.

However, the policy in Israel is to prefer low-level chaos, similar to the preference for this in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank. The alternative would be to have the Syrian government return and control its areas of the border. The people would welcome this. It is clear that people in Daraa and Quneitra want to have freedom, and their hope is linked to the new government.

In Busra al-Sham, Daraa province, which is near the Jordanian border and an hour’s drive from the Golan, there were huge celebrations on December 7 for the anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime.

There is also pressure from the Trump administration for Israel to conduct dialogue with Syria and not escalate tensions.

US President Donald Trump may raise this in subsequent meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio may also raise this. Overall, the US wants Syria to succeed. Clashes with Israel don’t lead to success and will likely lead to diminishing returns for the Jewish state and harm the interests of Damascus and Jerusalem.

Israel is sensitive to stories in regional media about Israel and Syria talks. For instance, the Prime Minister’s Office put out a statement today about a report in the Saudi media that said Netanyahu refused to sign a security agreement with Damascus. “Absolute fake news. There were contacts and meetings organized by the US, but no agreements and understandings with Syria were ever reached.”

Israel has made it clear that it has demands of Syria. The demilitarization demand was addressed by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the recent Doha Forum. He said it would be dangerous for Syria. Israel wants a large swath of Syria demilitarized between Damascus and the border. Prior to the fall of the regime, this area was used by pro-Iranian militias to threaten Israel. A new power vacuum could lead to further threats.

Jordan likely doesn’t want a power vacuum. Israel says it wants to back the Druze in Sweida, and a demilitarized zone in Quneitra and Daraa near the border would enable the IDF to easily reach them. This leaves many questions about the future.

Tuesday’s clashes once again illustrate how Israel’s policy lacks clarity. The more the IDF ends up chafing against civilians, the more likely it is that clashes will break out, unless some kind of entity can assist in deconflicting.
Inside Gaza's terror tunnels: NATALIE LISBONA enters Hamas labyrinth and witnesses unbearable hell Israeli hostages were subjected to during two years of rape, torture and execution
Crawling on all fours into the tunnel’s entrance, I hesitate for a minute before I shuffle deeper into the darkness that leads to one of Hamas's largest underground networks.

If you’re afraid of confined spaces, this is the point of no return.

After a few metres I can stand again - one of the rare moments I’m grateful to be just 5ft 4in. Anyone taller would be forced to stoop. But even my head still bangs into the ceiling with a loud thud.

After years of hearing and seeing so much about these tunnels, I am finally inside one of the most harrowing places on earth. The conditions are brutal.

I cannot stretch out my arms. I can barely see a few centimetres ahead. Without my torch, I would walk face-first into the walls.

The air is thin and stifling; within minutes my chest tightens, heat overwhelms me, and my voice catches as I try to record a video.

Even though I know the terrorists are no longer here, my instincts tell me to turn around and get out.

It is unimaginable that many of the 254 hostages were held in tunnels like this in total darkness, some for nearly two years.

Hamas ate in front of them after stealing aid meant for civilians; they deprived captives of food, water and sanitation.

Some were kept in cages. Some were sexually assaulted in cramped chambers just like these. The bodies of those who were murdered in such tunnels were found with curved spines after being unable to stand upright for over a year.
The Sun: Inside $1bn Hamas terror lair spanning 450 miles revealed for first time
The Sun investigates the subterranean hell under Gaza where Hamas held hostages for more than two years.

The tunnel we explored is one of the most “significant and complex routes” found so far by the IDF and was home to senior Hamas commanders including Mohammed Sinwar, brother of October 7 mastermind Yahya, who took over leadership of the group when his elder brother was killed.

It stretches an incredible six miles underground at a depth of 80ft and has 80 separate living quarters with bathrooms including showers and toilets, steel blast doors and a trolley system running on narrow rail tracks to distribute supplies.

It is one of 1,300 tunnels that cover the entire Strip which Hamas spent decades and an estimated $1bn building to allow the undetected movement of terrorists and arms.


Scouring massive labyrinth under Rafah, IDF just missed finding Hadar Goldin’s body
With limited intelligence information, the soldiers tasked with scanning Hamas’s “most complex” tunnel network in the Gaza Strip for the remains of Lt. Hadar Goldin, who was killed and abducted by the terror group in 2014, knew that the task was near impossible.

The body of the late Givati Brigade team commander was almost literally under the noses of the Israel Defense Forces. Ultimately, though, Goldin’s remains were retrieved from deep within the tunnel system spanning across Rafah’s Shaboura and Yabna neighborhoods by Hamas members operating with the military’s permission after a ceasefire between Israel and the terror group came into effect.

Commanders involved in the search, who revealed details of the mission for the first time this week, compared the approximately 18-month operation to looking for a needle in a haystack.

The underground labyrinth where his body was held ran over seven kilometers (4.3 miles) long and extended some 25 meters (82 feet) deep, and the hunt took place while fighting was ongoing above and below ground.

The body was later revealed to have been well hidden in a physically difficult-to-reach part of the tunnel, which officers said was the main reason the military failed to locate it. In hindsight, troops had been relatively close to the body during their scans of the tunnel.

The efforts to locate Goldin’s body began with the military’s offensive in Rafah in May 2024, according to military officials.


Spanish Jews decry Basque Region’s prize for anti-Israel UN envoy
Leaders of Spanish and French Jews protested a decision by the government of Spain’s Basque Region to award a prize named for a French Jewish human rights and Zionist activist René Cassin to U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese.

The Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain (FCJE) and the CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish communities issued a joint statement Monday against the Dec. 1 decision to honor Albanese with the award bearing the name of Cassin, the author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1968.

The Basque decision is “a distortion of Cassin’s legacy and a serious misunderstanding of human rights values,” FCJE and CRIF said.

The groups cited Albanese’s history of making both antisemitic statements and denying antisemitism as a factor in Israel-hatred. In February 2024, she wrote on X to French President Emmanuel Macron that the victims of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacres in Israel were “not killed because of their Jewishness, but as a reaction to Israel’s oppression.”

In 2014, she stated: “America and Europe, one of them subjugated by the Jewish lobby, and the other by the sense of guilt about the Holocaust.” Albanese has since said that she regrets this remark.

The Basque Region’s government said in a statement that Albanese is “guided by the principles of legality, justice and human dignity, and she has contributed to making visible the situation of people affected by occupation and conflict, as well as to promoting accountability and the effective respect of universal rights.”

She is to receive the award at a ceremony in Bilbao on Wednesday.

Animosity to Israel is prevalent in Spain, whose government accused Israel of perpetrating a “genocide” in Gaza, along with the government of fellow E.U. member state Ireland. Basque separatists have a long history of opposing Israel’s existence and even collaborating with Arab terrorists.


Israeli Cyber Chief: Iran Has Attacked Every Citizen in Israel Multiple Times
Iran used cyber weapons to try to attack every citizen in Israel multiple times during the 12-day June war, Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) chief Yossi Karadi said.

There were 1,200 social engineering hacking operations, each targeting thousands of Israelis.

During the June war, Tehran hacked into parking and other road cameras to "track the movements of Israeli VIPs, with the aim of building operations to target and harm them."

When Iran struck the Weizmann Institute with a ballistic missile, it had taken control of a street camera watching the building just before the missile struck.


Hamas hid tons of baby formula to damage Israel with starvation claims, Palestinian activist says
Hamas hid tons of baby formula and nutritional shakes meant for kids inside a warehouse to allow Gazans to starve and further its claims of widespread famine to undermine Israel, a US-based Palestinian activist claimed.

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, an anti-Hamas activist, accused the terror group of hoarding food meant for infants and young children to purposefully increase starvation in Gaza and damage the public perception of Israel.

Footage shared by Alkhatib on social media shows the inside of the alleged Gaza warehouse with hundreds of packages of baby formula and nutritional shakes.

“During the worst of the days of the hunger crisis in Gaza in the past six months, Hamas deliberately hid literal tons of infant formula and nutritional shakes for children by storing them in clandestine warehouses belonging to the Gaza Ministry of Health,” Alkhatib wrote on X.

“The goal, as I said then, was to worsen the hunger crisis and initiate a disaster as part of the terror group’s famine narrative in a desperate effort to stop Israel’s onslaught against Gaza and force the return of the UN’s aid distribution mechanism, and away from the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF),” he added.


IDF finds rockets, bombs in Samaria tied to roadside attacks
A counter-terrorism operation in the Samaria city of Tulkarem led Israel Defense Forces soldiers to weapons, including rockets and explosives, linked to multiple roadside bombings, the military said on Tuesday.

The IDF, guided by Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) intelligence, on Nov. 17 launched a counter-terror operation in the western Samaria city following an investigation and arrests tied to three bombings targeting IDF vehicles in recent months, according to the IDF.

In one of those attacks, on a military SUV, the former commander of the Menashe Regional Brigade was injured, the statement noted.

During the Tulkarem raids, Israeli forces found three rockets “at various stages of preparation,” several explosive devices and materials for producing bombs, the IDF said. One of the projectiles contained a warhead and explosive material, the army added.

The discovery of the weapons cache a stone’s throw from Israel’s densely-populated central region indicates “the severity of the threat in the area and the repeated attempts to advance terror attacks against IDF soldiers and additional targets, as well as the necessity for proactive and extensive operations in the area,” the statement warned.


The ONLY Way to Defeat Hamas: Lessons From the Front Lines With French Writer Bernard-Henri Lévy
Jonah Platt sits down with world-renowned philosopher, author, and war correspondent Bernard-Henri Lévy (known as BHL) for an insightful conversation about the meaning of Jewish solidarity after October 7th and the collapse of moral reasoning in the West. Drawing on five decades spent on the frontlines of conflicts from Bosnia to Bangladesh, Lévy reflects on the role of the witness, the fragility of democracy, and the shattering implications of October 7th.

The renowned French philosopher explains why Israel remains alone, how to defeat jihadist movements, and why anti-Zionism is the new face of antisemitism. BHL shares firsthand accounts from war zones, including Sudan, Gaza, and his experiences documenting conflicts worldwide. In this powerful conversation, Bernard-Henri Lévy breaks down:

Bernard-Henri Lévy is one of the world's foremost philosophers, war correspondents, and public intellectuals. Author of 48 books, including "Israel Alone," BHL has documented conflicts from Bosnia to Bangladesh, Afghanistan to Mosul, bearing witness to humanity's darkest moments while championing liberal democracy and Jewish identity.

00:00 - Opening & Introduction to BHL
01:49 - Israel Alone: Still Relevant After Two Years
05:48 - Defeating Hamas: Lessons From ISIS and Al-Qaeda
10:02 - Why Humanity Fails to Learn From History
13:35 - Radical Evil: October 7th Beyond Explanation
17:42 - Israel's Democratic Resilience During 76 Years of War
25:00 - Antisemitism vs Racism: Hating Jews for Being Same
30:04 - Anti-Zionism: The Modern Face of Antisemitism
36:07 - Hope Through Abraham Accords and Peace
40:22 - Fighting Antisemitism: Never Let It Pass


‘Difficult time’ for Israel-Hamas peace plan as one deceased hostage yet to be returned
ILTV News Executive Editor Maayan Hoffman discusses the ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as the second phase of the plan is expected to begin soon.

“You’re actually going to be looking at a very difficult time to be able to get to the second phase,” Ms Hoffman told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power.

“One of the main reasons is that the core of that second phase is the international security force.

“There is one deceased hostage still left to come back … Hamas are just holding on for dear life.

“When that hostage is returned, and we are prepared to move to stage two, the question is who will serve on this international security force?”


The Guardian’s Hit Job on Ritchie Torres Reveals a Deeper Problem
While much attention is focused on the missteps of The New York Times and the BBC, the real yeoman’s work of advancing the anti-Zionist narrative is being done elsewhere: quietly, steadily, and with devastating effectiveness by The Guardian.

Its recent hit piece on Congressman Ritchie Torres exemplifies this approach.

What masquerades as political reporting is, in reality, narrative engineering – aesthetic journalism that substitutes analysis for framing and fact for insinuation. The unsettling part is how persuasive it feels to readers unfamiliar with the mechanics of media manipulation.

Let’s examine how it works.

The article’s headline performs a classic sleight of hand. It suggests Torres “came under fire for his support of Israel,” yet reframes the controversy as a debate over affordability – subtly implying that Jewish safety concerns (and those who prioritize them) are somehow incompatible with caring about the American working class.

In effect, the framing poses a false choice:
Care about Jews, or care about people.

This is provocation masquerading as reporting.

The truth—that Torres is facing backlash from an ideologically driven anti-Zionist movement—isn’t stated plainly because it would expose the narrative. Instead, the article recasts a targeted political campaign as an organic populist awakening.


Ron DeSantis Designates CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations: 'Irreconcilable With Foundational American Principles'
Florida governor Ron DeSantis (R.) on Monday designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist organizations in his state, following Texas's lead.

DeSantis's executive order says the Muslim Brotherhood's "Islamist ideology" is "irreconcilable with foundational American principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution."

The order alleges that the Muslim Brotherhood created Hamas, explicitly intending to destroy Israel, and uses a network of organizations and chapters to support terrorism. And it says a brotherhood-affiliated organization formed CAIR as "'an official U.S. cover representing the Islamic community' to conceal ties to Islamic extremist groups."

DeSantis's move allows law enforcement to investigate both organizations' activities in the state and "undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities in Florida by the terrorist organizations." Texas governor Greg Abbott (R.) made a similar designation last month, saying that the "Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia Law and establish Islam's 'mastership of the world.'" It is unclear if DeSantis's designation bans the Islamic groups from owning land in Florida, as Abbott's does in Texas.

CAIR and its Florida chapter vowed to pursue legal action against the state, arguing that DeSantis's order is "defamatory and unconstitutional."

The order came on the same day as the Washington Free Beacon reported that an investigation determined CAIR's political advocacy arm to have operated without the proper licenses and legal authority required in 22 states. That lack of legal authority means it could be guilty of "wire fraud," "deceptive solicitation," and "false statements to the IRS," according to the report.


Investigation: Head of CAIR Action Also Sits on California District School Board
An investigation by Jewish Onliner has found that Basim Elkarra, who serves as Executive Director of CAIR Action—the 501(c)(4) political lobbying arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations—simultaneously holds a seat on the Twin Rivers Unified School District Board of Trustees in Sacramento County, California. The discovery comes amid mounting scrutiny of CAIR Action’s operations and its alleged connections to foreign influence networks.

Elkarra, who represents Area 5 of the Twin Rivers district overseeing approximately 25,000 students across 49 schools, served as board president during the 2024-2025 school year. His current term extends through June 2028. The dual role raises significant concerns, as Elkarra holds responsibility for the educational welfare of thousands of vulnerable children, while simultaneously directing a national political lobbying organization facing serious legal and regulatory scrutiny.

The findings take on added significance in light of recent revelations about CAIR Action’s operations. In November 2025, X implemented its user location feature, revealing that CAIR Action’s account was connected to the platform through the Turkish App Store. The information went viral after being shared by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Elkarra’s personal X account, created in February 2009, was also connected through the Turkish App Store. Following the rollout of the X user location function and subsequent findings about CAIR Action and Elkarra, CAIR Action quickly reconnected to X through the web, while Elkarra’s account now says it is connected via the, “West Asia App Store.”


Nick Fuentes may be racist, but relies on Nigeria and India to fuel his ‘popularity’ online
White supremacist Nick Fuentes doesn’t seem to mind benefiting from bot farms in Pakistan, India and Nigeria promoting his content, The Post has learned.

A new analysis of the Holocaust-denying firebrand’s tweets shows they are boosted online by an army of foreign bots, mostly originating in countries that want to destabilize the US, according to an investigation.

Fuentes’ sudden apparent surge in popularity over the last year is faked based on “algorithmic amplification” powered by bot farms, according to Network Contagion Research Institute, a nonprofit that studies extremism on the internet.

They point to how Fuentes appears to outperform X owner Elon Musk, even though he has a fraction of Musk’s 239 million followers, with just 1.1 million.

“It is not organic. It is coordinated amplification and it is how a fringe figure gains the appearance of national relevance,” a senior NCRI researcher told The Post.

The exposure of this was made possible by X’s new location tool, which shows where every active account is based: It reveals that most of Fuentes’ following is in Africa and Asia, despite his commentary centering around the US.

NCRI says that Fuentes himself is involved in the coordination of the bots. “His manipulated reach is not accidental,” the report says. “Transcripts reveal hundreds of real-time commands to ‘retweet this’ and ‘retweet me,’ establishing raid-style amplification as a core operating method.”


Flotilla activists refuse Dutch repatriation bill, say they shouldn’t have to pay amid Gaza ‘genocide’
Dutch activists detained by Israel this fall while attempting to breach the Gaza maritime blockade are refusing to pay the bill for their flight home, saying they should not be charged after “risking their lives” on the trip.

“A genocide is taking place,” a spokeswoman told the Netherlands’ RTL News website, adding: “People are risking their lives to go there. They ended up in jail, and then the Dutch government sends them a bill.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague told the news outlet that its embassy in Tel Aviv booked return flights for the Dutch nationals “as a rare exception.” According to a spokesperson, it was made clear to the activists that these costs must be reimbursed, “because the ministry does not provide financial assistance as part of consular support.”

Activist Roos Ykema told the local NOS public broadcaster that she was billed 526 euro ($610) for a flight via Madrid, but said she would not be paying the cost of the plane ticket as she was “kidnapped” and “forcibly deported” from Israel. “I’m not going to contribute to that,” she added.

In invoices seen by NOS, the Foreign Ministry states that the activists received consular assistance during their detention in Israel and that they told embassy staff they wanted to go home “as soon as possible.”

“The ministry informed your family members/friends that these costs must be reimbursed, since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not provide financial assistance as part of consular support,” it adds.

Israeli naval forces intercepted 41 vessels on Oct. 1 and nine more the next week, detaining activists and seizing boats that combined carried less than five tons of humanitarian supplies—an amount authorities said underscored the flotilla’s real aim: generating global headlines.

The “Global Sumud Flotilla,” which was intercepted by Israel in early October, represented an unprecedented operational challenge to the navy, with many boats owned or financed by the Hamas terror group.




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