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Saturday, December 27, 2025

12/27 Links: Anti-Zionism is Anti-Jewish, Anti-West, Anti-America and Anti-Joy; Australian Jews no longer feel safe to live freely and openly; Italian police charge nine with funding Hamas; What does Israel stand to gain from recognizing Somaliland?

From Ian:

Anti-Zionism is Anti-Jewish, Anti-West, Anti-America and Anti-Joy
So far, we’ve been telling the world that antisemitism and antizionism are bad for the Jews and for Israel, but with Israel becoming a pariah state, much of the world has shrugged and said: who cares?

With our backs against the wall, we have no choice but to aim high. To win the long game, we must raise the stakes and start focusing on what is good and bad for the world. Antizionism may be a singular sin and a uniquely evil expression of Jew-hatred that targets Jews as Zionists, but it’s a lot worse than that.

It’s also anti-West, anti-America, anti-truth, anti-justice, anti-joy and anti-world. Antizionism, just like anti-Judaism and antisemitism, is a movement against the common good. It has become a hater’s paradise where all haters and liars are welcome. We must invest more resources in making that case.

If antizionism is bad for the world, the corollary, as I argued recently, is also true: Zionism is great for the world. As Joshua Hoffman writes on his Substack: “The West is losing something essential that Israelis do best. While many people in the West feel embarrassed by their own countries, Israelis carry deep-seated pride rooted in history, responsibility, and a clear-eyed understanding of reality.”

Just as antizionism is rooted in Jew-hatred, Zionism is rooted in Judaism. The two are inseparable. If there is joy in Judaism, there is joy in Zionism. If there is courage in Zionism, there is courage in Judaism. By keeping these two pillars of Jewish identity tightly bonded, we can craft a winning and unapologetic Jewish message for the next century: Zionism and Judaism are great for the world.

In short, to have any chance of combatting the global evil of antizionism, we must put our best two feet forward: Jewish and Zionist.

We owe it to those decimated Jewish souls I saw in “Nuremberg.”
Palestinians must renounce culture of deception for real peace with Israel
Yet here, too, the familiar pattern emerges. This is not ideological transformation but tactical adaptation. Not abandonment of doctrine, but message management.

The phased approach has not vanished; it has simply adopted a modern suit. As fears of sanctions grow and as renewed threats loom – including the possibility of a future US administration designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization – rhetoric softens and declarations become more measured.

This does not indicate a change in essence. Political Islam, across its various branches, operates in stages: first “da’wah” – social, educational, and religious influence through nonviolent means – and only later confrontation. Those who fail to recognize this risk mistaking conciliatory statements for ideological surrender.

Israeli experience teaches that actions, not words, must be examined. Arafat spoke of peace while preparing for war. Abbas speaks of civic integration, yet has not truly disavowed the ideological foundations from which he emerged.

Formal disengagement from a Shura body or institution does not erase ideology; it is a technical adjustment designed to reassure, obscure, and delay confrontation.

The problem is not only political but also cultural – a culture in which deception is not an exception but a tool. One message is crafted for Western audiences, another for internal consumption. Peace is treated not as an objective, but as an instrument.

The Oslo Accords taught Israel a painful lesson: peace is not secured through documents alone. It is measured through sincerity, education, and genuine shifts in worldview.

As long as the Palestinian political spectrum, in its various forms, remains committed to the phased doctrine, every conciliatory declaration must be approached with skepticism.
Italian police charge nine with funding Hamas
Seven people were arrested in Italy on suspicion of raising some $8 million for the Gaza-ruling terrorist group of Hamas, police said on Saturday.

International arrest warrants were issued in connection with the case for two additional individuals located outside the country, AFP reported.

Mohammad Hannoun, president of the Palestinian Association in Italy, was among those arrested, local media reported, according to AFP.

The nine suspects are charged with financing “associations based in Gaza, the Palestinian territories, or Israel, owned, controlled or linked to Hamas,” under the guise of “humanitarian purposes for the Palestinian people,” the report continued.

More than 71% of the $8 million was directed to financing Hamas or entities affiliated with the Islamist dictatorship, the Italian police was cited as saying.

Some of the money went to “family members implicated in terrorist attacks,” the statement further read.

Italy’s ruling party, Brothers of Italy, spearheaded by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said on X that the left should “humbly apologize” given the arrests.

The Italian government has denounced “for a long time” local associations with ties to terrorism, “but the left attacked us along with its media circus,” the party tweeted in Italian following the police’s statement.


Canada has a 'disturbing undercurrent of Jew hatred,' advocate Aviva Klompas says
After the October 7 attacks in Israel, Aviva Klompas noticed that rather than sympathy and support, what surfaced was a “disturbing undercurrent of Jew hatred that was apparently lying dormant in Canada.”

“The nature of what has exploded from under the surface is shocking, particularly for a country like Canada that prides itself on multiculturalism and the ability to live together,” said Klompas, a writer and the CEO and co-founder of Boundless, a think tank dedicated to educating groups about Israel and combatting antisemitism.

She also served as the director of speechwriting for Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City and as a senior policy adviser in the Ontario government, supporting efforts to resettle Syrian refugees in Canada.

Klompas grew up in Toronto. Since October 7, she said the synagogue she attended with her family and where she had her bat mitzvah has been vandalized on 10 different occasions.

“A message is being sent both to the perpetrators, that there’s no consequences, and to Jews, that they are under attack and that nobody’s showing up for them,” she said.

“If this was happening to any other minority group, we know it would be a national crisis. But because it’s Jews, it’s not. And so the question of every person of conscience, which I believe most Canadians are, is: Why isn’t anyone stopping it? Why isn’t anything being done?”

As the year comes to an end, Klompas is reflecting on the past 12 months and how to move forward amid growing antisemitism in the country.
Jeremy Leibler: Australian Jews no longer feel safe to live freely and openly
Criticism of Israel is legitimate. What spread was something else: a social license to treat Zionists and by extension most Australian Jews as morally untouchable.

Beneath the surface, we felt another shift: the weakening of the Australia–Israel relationship. When Australia distanced itself from that alignment, it shook the foundation on which our community had relied.

For two years, the psychological safety of Australian Jews — the post-Holocaust belief that distance protected us from the ancient forces of Jew hatred — eroded before our eyes. And then Bondi happened.

The terror attack at Bondi Beach, which claimed 15 lives, is a nightmare. But the fear running through our community today is not about that single act of violence. It is about the months and years that paved the way toward it: the warnings ignored, the rhetoric excused, the failure of leadership to act with clarity when the danger first emerged.

It is about watching the debate narrow to mechanics, including gun laws and policing, while refusing to name the worldview that targets Jews and sanctifies violence.

Mechanics matter. They are not sufficient And it is about the growing sense that the covenant Australia once held with its Jewish citizens has been deeply shaken.

For the first time, many Australian Jews are asking whether they can live as freely and openly as they once did.

Some are contemplating a move to Israel, not because it is safer in a physical sense, but because it is the one place where Jews expect the state to treat Jewish security as a first-order obligation.

That certainty is the essence of psychological safety, and it is what our community feels slipping away.

The Australian Government has announced steps to strengthen hate and incitement laws. These are welcome.

The international lesson is that leadership is not only what you say, it’s what you enforce.

When a state treats anti-Semitism as a civil rights and security problem, it uses every lever available: consequences for institutions that tolerate harassment, protection for vulnerable communities, and moral clarity from the top even when it costs politically.

But laws alone cannot repair the damage.

Psychological safety is built on something deeper: the confidence that the values anchoring a society — safety, freedom, dignity, equality — are upheld not only in legislation, but in culture and leadership.

This is as true in Australia as it is any Western democracy confronting the same ideological threats.

Jewish life in Australia will not return to the innocence it once had. But it can return to stability if the community can once again believe that the covenant of protection still holds, and that our leaders have both the capacity and the will to uphold it.

This moment is about far more than anti-Semitism. The treatment of Jews is rarely only about Jews. It is a stress test for whether liberal societies can defend minorities when it is unpopular.

Australia, like all free societies, must now decide whether it will defend those values with clarity and resolve, or allow the forces seeking to erode them to advance unchecked.
Antisemitism threatens the very fabric of a democratic, cohesive, fair go and safe Australia
On October 7 itself, while Israelis were still being tortured and raped and entire families burnt alive, Foreign Minister Penny Wong inexplicably called on Israel to show restraint.

Adding further insult, when she finally visited Israel in January 2024, she refused to visit massacre sites in Israel’s south. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has yet to visit Israel, making him one of the few democratic world leaders who has failed to show solidarity with a fellow democracy under attack – a troubling indication of the attitude of this Government towards Israel.

It remained a constant, unfair vocal critic of Israel during its war with Hamas. Its damaging recognition of a Palestinian state, even while Hamas remains in charge, did nothing to achieve peace and only further emboldened Hamas, which praised the decision and remains committed to its one state solution – a Palestinian state instead of Israel!

In the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attacks, Federal and State governments failed to act against the open and brazen displays of hatred, igniting a powder keg still burning today. The recommendations of the PM’s own Antisemitism Envoy spent five months basically gathering dust.

Now, in Bondi’s aftermath, PM Albanese is responding, but the proposed further laws on gun control, visa restrictions and hate speech, while welcome, distract from the real issues of tackling antisemitism and Islamist extremism. Moreover, it was never just about laws, but rather the will to implement them. Hate laws already exist, and visas could always have been revoked or withheld, as demonstrated by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke denying visas to prominent Israelis.

A way forward has been provided by NSW Premier Chris Minns. His measures include gun law reforms and banning displays of hateful symbols, but he has also outlawed the violent incitement chant of “Globalise the Intifada”and allowed police to ban protests up to three months after terror attacks. Such protests have clearly been a hotbed of violent incitement. He has also announced a Royal Commission, a body which the Federal Government should also establish.

After October 7, the genie of antisemitism erupted in Australia. Reversing that trend will require this Government to demonstrate a new found strong and determined resolve, prepared to genuinely confront Jew-hatred wherever it appears, without excuses or equivocation.

The Prime Minister’s most recent condemnation of the evil of antisemitism and formal invitation to Israel’s President Herzog to visit are certainly steps in the right direction. This hopefully reflects a growing awareness that Australian Jews can no longer continue to live with the consequences of a hatred that has inexorably grown and which also threatens the very fabric of a democratic, cohesive, fair go and safe Australia.
Antisemitic incidents in Australia rose by 600% in days following Bondi Beach massacre
Antisemitic incidents in Australia rose by 600% after the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre in Sydney, Israel's Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry found in data published on Thursday.

According to the data, in the two days following the mass shooting, there was a sharp spike in expressions of hatred against Jews, alongside physical and verbal violence in public.

Before the terror attack, there were approximately 3,000 posts containing mentions of antisemitism published per day in Australia. However, on the day of the attack, this rose to 17,100, representing an increase of 420%, peaking the following day with over 21,500 posts, illustrating an increase of 600%.

Even after social platform moderating procedures removed some of the posts, the amount of hostile antisemitic discourse remained five times higher than the routine average seen before the massacre.

Data was collected using a continuous monitoring system that identified terms clearly associated with antisemitic rhetoric, including slurs such as "Jewboy" and Holocaust denial terms, while filtering out neutral mentions.

The Diaspora Affairs Ministry emphasized that the wave of online hatred did not remain confined to the digital sphere, but rather, was accompanied by verbal attacks in person against Jewish students, and damage to property, which created a sense of threat within the local community.

Against the backdrop of these findings, the ministry announced that it is working in cooperation with Australia's Jewish community and other Israeli government ministries to issue alerts and provide support to educational and community institutions.
Jewish security group warned of violent antisemitism during Hanukkah event weeks before Bondi terror attack
A leaked document has revealed a Jewish security organisation warned of a heightened risk of violent antisemitism during Chanukah by the Sea, just weeks before the Bondi attack.

The confidential document produced by the Community Security Group NSW (CSG NSW), seen by the ABC, raised the alarm about the threat of Islamic extremism and Jihadist-inspired lone-actor attacks.

NSW Police would not confirm or deny receiving the document, citing the ongoing critical incident investigation, criminal investigation and upcoming inquest.

CSG NSW told police the Chanukah by the Sea event at Bondi Beach on December 14 carried a high risk, according to two sources with knowledge of security arrangements and unauthorised to speak publicly.

Police declined to answer whether the force was informed of CSG NSW's assessment of the event's risk, saying it was imperative any comment did not prejudice court proceedings.

There are varying reports on how many police officers were at the scene when father-son gunmen Naveed and Sajid Akram opened fire on festival-goers killing 15 innocent people, but Premier Chris Minns told The Australian newspaper that at least three officers were at the park.

Risk of 'lone actor attacks' highlighted
The document dated November 26, entitled Jewish Festival Calendar Notification, stated that the risk of violent extremism was elevated due to the expected visibility of Jews in public and the prominence of the festival.

"Hostile actors have historically targeted Jewish and Israeli interests in retaliation for developments in the ongoing Middle East conflict and to intimidate local entities perceived as affiliated with Israel."
Anthony Albanese's Christmas Day interview suddenly gets tense after radio host grills PM over resurfaced clip of him at pro-Palestine protest
Anthony Albanese's Christmas Day chat with a radio host took a dramatic turn after the Prime Minister was questioned over footage of him at a pro-Palestine rally.

Broadcasting live from the Uniting Church in Ashfield, Sydney's inner west, Albanese began by praising volunteers, calling them 'the spirit of Australia' for their work providing lunch and festive cheer to those in need.

'It's uplifting to be here in my local electorate,' he said.

'Here you have volunteers providing Christmas lunch and cheer… acts of kindness, generosity and compassion, and that's what Australia is about.'

But the conversation quickly became tense when host Susie Elelman challenged Albanese over counterterrorism in the wake of the Bondi Beach massacre.

'Why weren't [Tactical Assault Group East] deployed at Bondi to support our understaffed and under-resourced police last Saturday week?' she asked.

'I am not about to get into second-guessing our security forces… They work very closely with New South Wales Police to do their best, and it is important that there not be a politicisation of that,' Albanese responded.

Elelman pressed again, questioning whether Australia should follow France by deploying soldiers to major landmarks during events like New Year's Eve.


'Desperately sorry': Penny Wong issues apology to Australian Jewish community after Bondi massacre
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has apologised to Australia's Jewish community in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack.

The Foreign Affairs Minister said she was "desperately sorry" following the massacre, which saw 15 innocent people gunned down at a Hanukkah celebration on December 14.

Senator Wong previously came under fire from Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, who claimed she had "not shed a single tear" or attended any funerals of the victims.

Ms Ley also lashed Ms Wong's inability to commit to a Commonwealth Royal Commission and decried her absence from Bondi in the week following the attack.

The Foreign Minister admitted "more could have been done" to combat antisemitism and condemned the slogans "From the River to the Sea” and “Globalise the Intifada”.

"I understand people’s grief, pain, and anger," Ms Wong told The Advertiser.

“I think none of us are anything other than filled with grief about what has happened, the worst terrorist attack in Australian history. ISIS ideology on Australian soil, which has caused the murder of 15 Australians and injured many more.

“I think that’s where we all are. People have different views about government policy, but I think we are all united, and we must all be united, against hatred.”

Ms Wong said she would visit Bondi "when appropriate" and wants to "respect the grief" of the Bondi victim's families.

"Sorrow isn’t political. Sorrow is felt when we go to our places of worship, when we light a candle for those lost and for those grieving, when we hold our children close," she said.

"These are moments where I think all of us have grieved."

Calls for a federal Royal Commission into the Bondi shooting have grown following other suspected antisemitic incidents in the past days, including the firebombing of a car bearing a “Happy Chanukah” sign on Christmas Day in Melbourne.

Senior Coalition representatives have been vocal in their desire for a federal Royal Commission to be enacted as soon as possible.


Controversial Islamic preacher Wissam Haddad with links to alleged Bondi shooter holds gun licence
A controversial Islamic preacher who was sued over anti-Semitic comments and is linked to one of the alleged Bondi shooters holds a current gun licence.

Wissam Haddad is a Jihadi preacher who delivers lectures at Sydney’s Al Madina Dawah Centre, which has been forced to close due to unauthorised operations.

Now, 7NEWS can reveal Haddad holds a current firearms licence in New South Wales.

Haddad has been linked historically to 24-year-old Naveed Akram who was one of the alleged gunmen, alongside his father Sajid, at the December 14 Bondi shooting — links which he denies.

In the wake of the attack, it was revealed Akram had been allegedly looked at by domestic spy agency ASIO in 2019.

This was over suspected links to Islamic extremists in Sydney and to the Al Madina Dawah Centre where Akram was reportedly a worshipper.

Haddad has previously been sued in the Federal Court over comments made in November 2023 after Hamas, designated by Australia as a terrorist group, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

In the sermons, Haddad variously referred to Jewish people as “vile”, “treacherous”, “murderous” and “mischievous”.

The lawsuit was brought by Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Peter Wertheim and deputy president Robert Goot, who claimed the lectures were offensive and could incite violence towards Jewish people.

Justice Angus Stewart found the sermons contained “perverse generalisations” against Jewish people and included racist, anti-Semitic tropes.

Haddad was ordered not to repeat the harmful racial stereotypes, remove the three sermons from online, and to “pin” or “feature” corrective notices describing the court’s findings to the Al Madina Dawah Centre’s website and social media pages.


The Red Sea strategy: What does Israel stand to gain from recognizing Somaliland?
Many commentators see Israel’s move as strategic. It ostensibly puts Israel and the UAE on one side, sharing interests in this region. Meanwhile, states such as Turkey are situated on the other side.

However, nothing is that simplistic. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have agreed on Yemen. Egypt is unlikely to favor changes in the Horn of Africa and already has deep concerns about the Rapid Support Forces’ increased presence in Sudan and about a new dam in Egypt. Qatar and many countries oppose Israel’s move.

There's a good reason the Horn of Africa is weak
The issues in the Horn of Africa appear to revolve mostly around strategic questions. While it is true that having naval forces in this area or military assets seems important, the Houthis’ attacks on ships have shown that with relatively simple and cheap drones and missiles, shipping can be terrorized.

Somali pirates used to hijack boats by overwhelming them with mere skiffs and AK-47 automatic rifles.

The Horn of Africa is resource-poor, and there is a good reason many of its countries are weak states. As such, from a grand-strategic perspective, Israeli recognition may be less than the sum of its parts in this region.

It is true that many countries have interests in this area, including France and the US, Turkey and Iran, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia. However, these interests have so far translated into only limited engagement. There are bigger fish to fry, as most countries already know.
UN Security Council to hold emergency session on Israel's recognition of Somaliland
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will convene in New York for an emergency session on Monday afternoon following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland.

The session will be held at the request of Somalia.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Jerusalem officially recognized Somaliland on Friday, making Israel the first UN member state to recognize the nation as an independent and sovereign state.

Netanyahu said the declaration was made "in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, and signed at the initiative of US President Donald Trump."

Despite Netanyahu's declaration, Trump said in an interview with the New York Post on Saturday that the United States will not immediately follow Israel's decision to recognize the nation on the Horn of Africa. “Does anyone know what Somaliland is, really?” Trump was quoted as saying.

Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud decried the recognition as an act of "illegal aggression" that went "against international law" in a statement released on X/Twitter on Saturday.

"Meddling with Somalia’s internal affairs is contrary to established legal & diplomatic rules," Mohamud asserted, adding "Somalia & its people are one: inseparable by division from afar."


21 mostly Muslim countries sign statement condemning Israel’s recognition of Somaliland; Abraham Accords nations abstain
pt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran, as well as the Palestinian Authority – come together to reject in a joint statement Israel’s recognition of Somaliland on Friday.

Notably, the three countries that normalized ties with Israel in 2020 — the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco — do not sign the statement, and neither do Lebanon and Syria.

The 21 countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation warn about “the serious repercussions of such unprecedented measure[s] on peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and its serious effects on international peace and security as a whole, which also reflects Israel’s full and blatant disregard for international law.”

The statement also contends that “the recognition of parts of states constitutes a serious precedent and threatens international peace and security, and violates the cardinal principles of international law and the United Nations Charter.”

The countries also reject any attempts to expel Palestinians from Gaza.

Somaliland has been floated as a potential home for Gazans who emigrate from the war-torn Strip.


Israeli Air Force unveils new rapid-response unit to stop October 7-style ground invasions
The Israel Air Force (IAF) on Thursday unveiled its relatively new unit for preventing October 7-style ground invasions of Israel, following the country’s complete unpreparedness for that role in 2023.

Conceptually, the idea is that helicopters should be deployable, some within several minutes and some within an hour, to mow down and bomb invaders, such that the ground border defenses are not left alone.

The new unit is part of a larger transformation led by Brig. Gen. Gilad Bar Tal, shifting significant aspects of the IAF’s helicopter units from other tasks to border defense.

This shift also involves increasing the volume of helicopters, drones, and fighter jets, which are constantly ready for border defense and are more broadly assigned to border defense efforts.

In addition, the number of air force platforms that can act within several minutes, and the volume of bombs that the IAF can drop within an hour, is much higher than before.

Air Force helicopter pilots given more discretion to open fire Moreover, the rules of engagement for helicopters now give much more discretion to open fire based on each individual pilot’s assessment of the threat on the ground than was the case prior to October 7.

Despite these proactive changes, the air force is still not returning to anywhere near the approximately 100 helicopters it had before the 2013-2014 era, when it shut down its Cobra helicopter units.

According to the IDF, before the October 7 invasion, the IAF helicopter unit was due to be reduced to around 20.

Because of October 7 and the new approach, that helicopters are critical to future border defense, the helicopter units will remain around 50, meaning double what they would have been, but still half of what they were a decade ago.
IDF sets ‘complete siege’ on city of Palestinian terrorist: Katz
Israeli security forces have imposed a “complete siege and cordon” on the Palestinian city of Qabatiya in northern Samaria, from where a terrorist set out on his killing spree in northern Israel the previous day, Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on Saturday evening.

The Israel Defense Forces are “operating with full force against the terror hotspots in the village of Qabatiya from which the terrorist murder set forth,” he tweeted.

“We will continue to lead an uncompromising offensive policy against Palestinian terrorism in the terror camps in northern Samaria and throughout Judea and Samaria. Whoever provides backing and shelter to terrorism will pay the full price,” Katz added.

Two people were killed and two wounded in an attack that lasted 50 minutes in the Beit She’an Valley before the terrorist was shot and detained in the entrance to the city of Afula, according to Hebrew-language outlet Ynet.

The sole assailant, identified as Ahmad Abu al-Rub, a 34-year-old Palestinian man from Qabatiya, near Jenin, had been working illegally in Israel, the Kan public broadcaster reported.

He was subsequently hospitalized in moderate condition. On Saturday, he was released from the hospital and transferred to a security facility for questioning by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

On Saturday, the Israel Border Police’s Yamam National Counter-Terrorism Unit and the Shin Bet arrested two brothers of Abu al-Rub, the police said in a statement. They were transferred for questioning by the Northern Police District’s Central Unit together with the Shin Bet.

“Following yesterday’s deadly attack in the city of Beit She’an, on Route 71, and in Afula, rapid investigative actions raised the suspicion that the terrorist had been inside the territory of the State of Israel together with his two brothers, aged 30 and 33, who had been staying in the Galilee area in recent days,” the statement read.

“Overnight, after indications emerged regarding the whereabouts of the two brothers—who had been acting to conceal their location—Yamam fighters, together with Shin Bet forces, and with the assistance of numerous forces from the Northern District, Border Police fighters and National Guard Border Police units, raided an agricultural structure near the town of Arraba and carried out their arrest,” the statement continued.
Brothers of terrorist who killed 2 in ramming attacks found illegally inside Israel
Israeli security forces continued a large-scale counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya on Saturday, a day after a deadly ramming-stabbing attack in northern Israel that killed two Israelis.

A full curfew remained in effect in the town, the IDF said, with movement heavily restricted.

In the attack, Ahmed al-Rub, a Palestinian from Qabatiya, murdered 68-year-old Mordechai Shimshon and 19-year-old Aviv Maor during a minutes-long terror rampage on a highway near Beit She’an.

A 16-year-old who was wounded in the attack remained hospitalized on Saturday, according to media reports.

Two of the terrorists’ brothers were arrested overnight inside Israel, in a joint operation between the Yamam counterterror police force and the Shin Bet, police said. The pair were located in an agricultural building in Arraba, a Galilee town where they and their brother had worked illegally.

Rub himself was released from the hospital on Saturday after being treated for his wounds at HaEmek Medical Center in Afula, and was transferred to Shin Bet custody for interrogation.


‘Serious questions to answer’: PM condemned for celebrating arrival of activist who once urged killing of Zionists
Senior government ministers including the prime minister have provoked fury by welcoming the arrival to the UK of an activist who had previously called for “all Zionists” to be killed.

Dual British-Egyptian national Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a democracy activist in Egypt, had been sentenced to five years in prison for spreading false news. He received a presidential pardon earlier this autumn and was allowed to travel to the UK following lobbying by ministers, who expressed their delight he had been reunited with his family yesterday.

While both the home and justice secretaries enthusiastically welcomed his arrival, Sir Keir Starmer took to Twitter to write: “I’m delighted that Alaa Abd El-Fattah is back in the UK and has been reunited with his loved ones, who must be feeling profound relief…Alaa’a case has been a top priority for my Government since we came to office. I’m grateful to President Sisi for his decision to grant the pardon.”

But it has now been revealed that Abd El-Fattah – whose case has also previously been backed by successive Tory premiers when in Government – sent a string of since deleted antisemitic messages on social media more than 15 years ago. He had written he considered it “heroic” to kill “any colonialists and specially zionists”.

In another message on X that surfaced from 2010, he wrote: “Dear Zionists, please don’t ever talk to me. I’m a violent person who advocated the killing of all Zionists including civilians, so f*** off.” In the same year he denied the Holocaust by the Nazis.

While historic posts also emerged saying he hated white people and for the murder of police, it’s understood Downing Street was unaware of his historic social media activity when Starmer’s effusive post went live.

CST’s head of policy Dave Rich said: “I ‘ve spent all evening reading what appear to be numerous antisemitic, hateful social media posts of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, and then reading the joyful government statements about him coming here, and frankly WTAF is going on. Serious questions to answer.”

The scandal erupted just 10 days after the PM reiterated his pledge to do “everything in his power” to crackdown on rising antisemitism.


Purchases of iPhone 17 Pro soar across Gaza amid 'limited' humanitarian aid
Rising purchases of Apple's new iPhone 17s by Palestinians are being reported within the Gaza Strip, with many of the buyers still displaced and jobless, according to an NBC News report published on Friday.

The new iPhones have been selling in the Strip for a few months, with a report by the UAE-based newspaper The National, published at the beginning of the month, claiming that some Palestinians were left suspicious and were quoted as asking: "Why phones, and not food?"

Friday's NBC report said that, due to the compactness of the phones, they can be imported into the Strip more efficiently than construction materials or formula, which the report described as "bulky."

The recent report also cited Gazans saying that budget phones in the Strip are being sold for up to NIS 5,000.

Accusations that Israel using imported phones for intelligence gathering
The National report cited claims made by journalist Hamza Al Shobaki, who said that “Israel has a long history of using phones and communication systems for surveillance and intelligence gathering. To allow entry of devices that weren’t permitted even before the war, this raises questions.”

It has also been two years since phones were allowed to be imported into the Strip through official channels, the NBC report cited Tania Hary, executive director of the Israeli human rights group Gisha, as saying, who noted that "there is greater demand for phones and also accessories."

The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) reportedly told NBC that it was "fully committed to its obligation to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid trucks in accordance with the agreement,” but did not comment on the phones being sold in the Strip.

This comes after COGAT, a week earlier, criticized a UN report on Gaza that said famine had been averted but conditions “remained critical,” calling the assessment “a distorted and baseless picture of reality.”

"Contrary to the claims in the report, between 600-800 aid trucks enter the Gaza Strip every day, approximately 70 percent of which carry food," COGAT's director, Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, said.

COGAT added that "The remainder carries medical equipment, shelter supplies, tents, clothing, and other essential humanitarian assistance."


Lox & Loaded: Jewish gun club grows in popularity amid wave of antisemitism across US
A Jewish American firearms club, founded in the wake of the October 7 massacre and the rise in antisemitism, is growing in popularity, with over 30 chapters across the United States. It’s poised to go international.

Created in Cleveland, Ohio, the Lox & Loaded gun club has more than 1,000 members and aspires to establish a chapter in every US state. A spokesperson said that the objective was reasonable, given the immense interest in the organization.

The name of the club is a Jewish play on the term “locked and loaded,” in which a firearm is loaded with ammunition and prepared for firing. In popular culture and everyday language, it means being fully prepared for a situation or an event.

The purpose of the Lox & Loaded club is to provide a safe environment for members of the Jewish community to familiarize themselves with firearm ownership and potential self-defense. Many of the new members have never held a firearm and have even spent their lives opposing firearm ownership.

The spokesperson said that the group’s membership encompasses all sides of gun debates and issues, but all the members agree that they feel compelled to learn how to defend themselves from rising antisemitism.

New members often related that they couldn’t believe they were finding themselves at a shooting range, but after initial sessions the prevailing sentiment was that the experience wasn’t as bad as they thought, and in some cases was even enjoyable.

“The most common thing I hear when they leave meetings is gratitude. I hear a lot of people saying that this was necessary,” the spokesperson said.

Nobody wants to be in a situation in which they have to use a firearm, said the spokesperson, and the mission of the gun club is solely defensive. The club doesn’t advocate for carrying a weapon but is there to facilitate the education of those who want to learn how to use a gun safely.




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