Sunday, February 15, 2026

02/15 Links: Human rights activists and organizations legitimize antisemitism; Bondi Beach terrorist, charged with 15 counts of murder; India agrees arms deals with Israel worth $8.6b

From Ian:

Jason D. Greenblatt (Arab News-Saudi Arabia): Negotiation, Trump Style
No one knows what is in President Donald Trump's head, and that is by design. Revealing his strategy would forfeit leverage, eliminate surprise, and weaken negotiations before they even begin. Strategic ambiguity is not confusion. It is strength.

Many predicted he would strike Iran quickly. I did not. Weeks ago, I wrote that he would first test whether diplomacy could work - real diplomacy, aimed at real results. Not another paper promise that looks good in headlines and collapses in practice. The last deal [in 2015] merely kicked the nuclear threat down the road and gave the Iranian regime space to cheat.

Trump wants an agreement that eliminates the nuclear threat - one that is verifiable, enforceable and immediate. One that addresses Iran's growing missile capabilities and regional aggression. Trump understands that the first victims of the Iranian regime are the Iranian people themselves. They live under crushing sanctions imposed because of their leaders' warmongering, repression and extremism. They suffer for ambitions they did not choose. At the same time, the threat to Israel and to America's Arab allies remains real and, if left unchecked, will only grow far more dangerous.

Trump seeks peace and prosperity. That is what drives him. He is, at heart, a dealmaker. Leaders across the region share a clear-eyed understanding of Iran's threat. Trump has rebuilt American strength and is unafraid to use it. He negotiates from power, not apology. Over 23 years, I watched him close deals so-called experts dismissed as fantasy. He does not accept conventional limits.

No one should fault him for exhausting every peaceful option before choosing the hard path. Trying to prevent war does not make him weak or naive or indecisive. It means he is doing his job. If there is a responsible way to avoid war, a president must pursue it. That does not mean Trump is being played. He recognizes deception. He senses bad faith. If negotiations become a charade, he will know. Quickly.

If he ultimately concludes that force is necessary - or that supporting Israel in war is unavoidable - he will do so knowing he explored every alternative.
Bernard-Henri Levy (WSJ)Is Help Still on the Way for Iranian Protesters?
Should there even be a deal with Iran? Is it reasonable to "deal" with men who killed 30,000 of their own compatriots in two days and who threaten, should demonstrations resume, to kill tens of thousands more?

Can one settle for sanctions, pressure, and concessions wrung out and immediately circumvented, when one knows that Russia has long since found ways to flood Tehran and its proxies with the resources they need to continue their enterprise of destruction?

Is any compromise possible with fanatics who proclaim that they prefer the apocalypse to defeat?

I hope the American administration understands this. I hope it has grasped that the era of containment is over, that deterrence doesn't work against a state that has made internal terror, regional destabilization, and the end of the world both a mode of governance and a program.

The time for regime change has come.
Ben-Dror Yemini: Human rights activists and organizations legitimize antisemitism
It is curious to speak at an Al Jazeera conference—the flagship channel of Qatar—about “we, who do not control large amounts of financial capital.” Who exactly is “we”? According to one investigation after another, most recently by the Free Press, Qatar has invested “nearly $100 billion to buy influence in Congress, colleges, research institutes and corporations.” The channel itself is funded almost entirely by Qatar, with an annual budget of about $1 billion. But in Albanese’s formulation, this becomes “we, who do not control large amounts of financial capital.” And no, this is not satire.

Last Thursday, Caroline Yadan, a member of France’s right-wing National Assembly party, submitted a parliamentary question to Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot regarding the continuation of Albanese’s tenure in her senior UN post. Barrot responded immediately, announcing that, at the opening of the next session of the Human Rights Council on February 23, France intends to present a demand for the dismissal of the racist who rose to that senior position. Additional European countries have announced they are joining the request.

Yadan was met with a wave of responses, including from the French newspaper Le Monde, with the peculiar claim that this is not what Albanese said and that it was not a racist statement. Amnesty International issued a statement asserting that “European states must retract their outrageous attacks against Albanese.”

One does not need a comprehension test to understand what Albanese said. She published the full text herself. She did not speak about any other country. Only about Israel. Moreover, the phrase “a common enemy of humanity” is well known from the antisemitic lexicon. Once it was said about Jews. Now it is said about the Jewish state.

Yadan responded with a long list of Albanese’s racist statements, before and after October 7. She previously published an anti-Israel cartoon depicting spider webs spread across the world with banknotes and gold coins, spoke about the “Jewish lobby,” justified the October 7 massacre, cast doubt on allegations of rape by Hamas terrorists and much, much more. UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer has published extensive investigations into Albanese’s conduct, including activities funded by Hamas supporters.

There have already been attempts to remove Albanese. Nevertheless, in April 2025, her mandate was extended by three years. The New York Times printed a sympathetic profile of her. And the world’s largest human rights organization, Human Rights Watch, condemned the United States for imposing sanctions on her.

The tragedy is that racism reigns not only in the automatic majority of dark regimes within UN bodies. It is a cancer spreading through a camp that imagines itself enlightened. And the gap between human rights and human rights organizations and activists has never been greater.


How ‘Zionist’ became a safe word for hate
Zionism, properly understood, is not complicated. It is the belief that the Jewish people have the right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. In practical terms, it is the idea that Israel should exist as a Jewish state. In Australia, Zionism has long been openly supported by mainstream leaders from across the political spectrum as a legitimate expression of Jewish self-determination.

Zionism does not dictate borders. It does not prescribe military policy. It does not require allegiance to any government, leader or political party. It does not exclude any race or religion from Israeli citizenship. It does not preclude criticism of Israel and nor does it demand support for all actions taken by the Israeli state. Expansionism is not intrinsic to it, and nor does it require opposition to a two-state solution. To be clear, criticism of Israel that is similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.

Insults and arson: How one man’s chants could define free speech

Like any national movement, Zionism contains a wide spectrum of political views. Many Zionists oppose Israel’s current government. Many Israelis have protested against it for years. Some of the fiercest critics of Israeli policy are Israeli citizens, who nonetheless consider themselves proudly Zionist.

This clarity matters because once a word’s meaning is hijacked, it becomes available for misuse – or abuse.

In recent years, “Zionist” has increasingly been deployed as an insult. The term Zionist is no longer used to identify an idea, but it is spat to assign blame. “Zionists” are held responsible for a wide range of evils, often without definition or limitation. In many instances, “Zionist” is used synonymously with “Jew”, while maintaining just enough ambiguity to deny that Jews are being targeted at all. So why does this substitution occur?

Because openly targeting Jews is no longer socially acceptable. “Zionist” becomes the workaround – broad enough to encompass most Jews, yet elastic enough to provide moral cover. It allows hostility to be expressed while preserving plausible deniability.

We are repeatedly told that hostility toward “Zionists” is merely political critique. But if that were true, the criticism would be of policy. Instead, “Zionists” are accused of supremacy, immorality, or inherent evil. That is not political criticism. It is collective character assassination.

This matters because Zionism is not an abstract ideology for most Jews. It is bound up with history, vulnerability and survival. For many Jews – including those deeply critical of Israel – Zionism represents the belief that Jews should not again be stateless, dependent on the goodwill of others for protection. To insist that “anti-Zionism has nothing to do with Jews” while knowing that the overwhelming majority of Jews identify in some way with Zionism is disingenuous.

At best, it ignores how the word is actually used. At worst, the ambiguity is used intentionally as cover. This is why the definitional battle matters. Hijacking the meaning of Zionism allows hatred to masquerade as politics. The federal royal commission into antisemitism must grapple with these subtleties if it is to understand Jew hatred in Australia.

Existing legal frameworks are poorly equipped to deal with language that is technically deniable yet socially corrosive. They miss the cumulative effect of rhetoric that repeatedly singles out a group under a different name.

If the commission is to be meaningful, it must confront this linguistic sleight of hand directly. It must be willing to ask whether “Zionist” has become a socially acceptable stand-in for “Jew” – a way to legitimise hostility while denying responsibility for its impact. Because when words are repurposed to disguise prejudice, history suggests the damage rarely stops with words.
They Believe Israel Can Be Destroyed
Watching the demonstrations in Australia — and the persistence of calls not merely to criticize Israel but to dismantle it — alongside the clear deterioration of Israel’s global standing, leads to a practical conclusion: Israel needs a strategic plan to confront delegitimization worldwide.

Militarily, Israel cannot be erased. The IDF has demonstrated overwhelming regional superiority since the war begun. While Israel must ensure that catastrophic failures like October 7 never recur, military strength alone is insufficient. A state cannot secure its future by force alone.

Anti-Israel sentiment across parts of the West — including among segments of younger Americans — is no longer marginal. The Israeli government should already have allocated substantial resources and convened serious strategic deliberations on this front. As far as I know, no serious, structured process has begun — unsurprisingly, I should add.

There are internal strategic challenges for Israel — conscription, education, labor participation, racism — that Israelis themselves see as existential. But in the realm of foreign policy and national security, the central danger is not only Iran. It is the spread of an idea: that Israel’s very existence is illegitimate. That idea has moved from radical fringes toward parts of the mainstream. Fighting it demands strategy, planning, and resources.

To treat this as a hasbara problem is both shallow and dangrous. Public relations assumes the policy is great and only the messaging needs improvement. History suggests otherwise. The early Zionist movement understood that survival required compromise and constant change of policies and positions. The maximalist claim to Eretz Israel, including Transjordan, was largely set aside in the 1920s to secure political viability. Pragmatism, including attentiveness to global opinion, were central to Zionism’s success.

The images from Australia underscore the the fierce urgency of now, to quote Martin Luther King Jr., a steadfast supporter of Israel. The primary responsibility to address this challenge rests with Israel itself.
Australia ‘descended into a farce’ as thousands protest Isaac Herzog
Sky News host Danica De Giorgio says Australia has “descended into a farce” over Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit.

“Protesters attacked police, angry about the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzgog,” Ms De Giorgio said.

“In Melbourne … death to Herzog was graffitied at the University of Melbourne.”




Bondi Beach terrorist, charged with 15 counts of murder, faces court for first time
Accused Bondi Beach killer Naveed Akram appeared in court via video link for the first time today, national broadcaster ABC reports.

Akram and his father, Sajid, are accused of carrying out a deadly terror attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in December in the nation’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades.

Akram has been charged with terrorism and 15 counts of murder. Sajid was shot and killed by police during the massacre.


Remarks by PM Netanyahu at the conference of presidents of major American Jewish organizations
Remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.


Israel must deepen alliances past the Jewish world, embrace faith-based allies
Many people around the world are loudly protesting against Zionism, but many more admire Israel, are intrigued by our story, and appreciate the nation we are building in our ancestral homeland. Now is certainly not the time to turn inward in fear, but to reach outward to our non-Jewish friends and neighbors. Zionism finally has the opportunity to do what it was always meant to achieve: to become a universal movement.

This vision of Universal Zionism was implicit from the very beginning. Theodor Herzl, focused as he was on the urgent task of building Political Zionism, nevertheless understood that the ultimate goal of Zionism was bigger than just a state for Jews.

In his introduction to The Jewish State, Herzl described how, “The world will be freed by our liberty, enriched by our wealth, magnified by our greatness. And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind.”

In his novel Altneuland (The Old New Land), Herzl made it even more explicit: “Once I have witnessed the redemption of the Jews, my people, I wish also to assist in the redemption of the Africans.” Israel’s recent recognition of Somaliland is a very contemporary example of Herzl’s vision playing out in front of our eyes.

Universal Zionism is our new and exciting chapter that builds on everything Political Zionism has achieved while going a step further. It recognizes that Israel’s story isn’t just about one small nation’s survival: It’s about the hope for all of humanity. When the dust settles, many of those who have turned against us will recognize that Israel has been at the forefront in the epic battle of good over evil, and their antagonism will transform into admiration. “In place of your being forsaken and hated, I will make you an everlasting pride, the joy of every generation” (Isaiah 60:15).

The State of Israel has come through this war as a military, economic, and diplomatic regional superpower, while our barbaric and backwards enemies have been miraculously defeated. We must recognize these incredible achievements and appreciate them in their unprecedented historical context.

For two thousand years, we were powerless and for a century we fought just to survive. Now, for the first time, we have the strength to realize our purpose. Through shared sacrifice and a renewed calling, it is our moment to fulfill the ancient covenant that the Torah urges: to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

With the return of Ran Gvili and all of our brothers and sisters, the Jewish people are at a critical crossroads and have a vital choice to make. We can lick our wounds and nurse our grievances against a world that disappointed us. Or we can recognize this as the moment to forge new relationships with those who share our values and turn the page toward a new and inspiring era of Universal Zionism.


India agrees arms deals with Israel worth $8.6b - report
The deals include SPICE 1000 precision guidance bombs, Rampage air-to-surface missiles, Air Lora air-launched ballistic missiles, and the Ice Breaker missile system, “Forbes India” reports.

Israel has agreed arms deals with India worth $8.6 billion in 2026, "Forbes India" reports, making Israel India’s biggest weapons supplier after France.

India has been Israel's biggest defense customer for years, with 34% of total sales between 2020 and 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Figures from the Ministry of Defense International Defense Cooperation Directorate (SIBAT) show that total arms sales by Israel to India during this period amounted to about $20.5 billion. But now it seems that Israeli arms sales to India are only increasing.

The deals worth $8.6 billion include, according to "Forbes India" SPICE 1000 precision guidance bombs manufactured by Rafael, Rampage air-to-surface missiles, Air Lora air-launched ballistic missiles, and the Ice Breaker missile system.

SPICE is a family of precise and autonomous air-to-ground weapon systems, with a range of up to 100 kilometers, consisting of three types of bombs of different weights. SPICE 1000 weighs approximately 500 kilograms, and the entire system has been awarded the Israel Defense Prize. The uniqueness of the SPICE family is its ability to navigate and home in on the target autonomously, independently of GPS, using an electro-optical homing head that incorporates an innovative mathematical algorithm, which compares the target image to what it sees in real time - and thus achieves extremely high hit accuracy of less than three meters.

Rampage air-to-surface missiles, manufactured by Elbit Systems, has a range of about 250 kilometers, and are deployed by the Indian Air Force on Sukhoi 30 and MiG 29 aircraft. Rampage is very accurate, with a range between 150 and 250 kilometers, to protect Indian fighter jets from Pakistani defense systems made in China.


Democrats' Munich meltdown exposes left's intellectual void
When I was growing up in the 1980s, there was a galaxy of left-wing, even socialist, intellectual stars such as Noam Chomsky, Michel Foucault and Gore Vidal whose works were like an inkwell that politicians and commentators could draw from. Judging from the Munich Security Conference this weekend, that inkwell has run dry.

Take this gem of a comment on global order from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, queen of the democratic socialists: "What we are seeking is a return to a rules-based order that eliminates the hypocrisies around when too often in the West we look the other way for inconvenient populations, to act out these paradoxes."

Allow me to translate this into English: "The West is bad and mistreats the marginalized rest of the world."

The use of 25-cent words and highfalutin sentence structure cannot hide the banality of what AOC is saying. Not even the assuring allure of assonance would help, given the asinine simplicity of her word salad.

Not to be outdone, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, after apologizing for being less well-versed in foreign policy than AOC, offered this take on the war in Ukraine: "Ukraine’s independence, keeping their land mass, I mean, um, the support of all the allies, I think is the goal, from my vantage point."

There is just nothing here but empty words that paint a picture of the facile progressive worldview, completely divorced, not only from reality on the ground, but from any sound intellectual framework whatsoever.

The American right has a core of intellectuals, from Christopher Rufo to Victor Davis Hanson to Mark Dubowitz and on and on, who can be referred to or drawn on in policy debates both foreign and domestic.

In fact, about a decade ago we had the Intellectual Dark Web phenomenon with figures like Jordan Peterson and Bari Weiss, who are broadly seen, if not as conservative, as right-leaning. Who are their counterparts on the far left?
Starmer accused of failing to stop Palestinians handing salaries to terrorists
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of failing to stop Palestinian officials from handing salaries to terrorists.

Last year, the Prime Minister told leaders in the occupied territories that they had to stop paying the families of terrorists before Britain could open full diplomatic relations.

He issued the demands to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which controls parts of the West Bank, amid a backlash against his decision to recognise Palestine as a state.

Mahmoud Abbas, the PA president, previously said that the long-standing policy of granting stipends to the relatives of terrorists killed during violence towards Israelis, or those subsequently imprisoned, had been terminated.

But such “pay to slay” cash bonuses to terrorists and their families continue to be made under a different guise, a new report has found.

The report, which has been sent to Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, and Hamish Falconer, a Middle East minister, alleges that payments to the terrorists continue and are now being disguised as civil service salaries for “fictitious” jobs or as pensions.

David Taylor, a Labour MP, said he was “deeply upset” by the claims in the report.

“‘Pay to slay’ is completely unacceptable, and the UK Government must now push for clarity from the Palestinian Authority, including hard evidence that this practice has ended,” he added.

“There is no country in the world that should have convicted militants, assassins, and terrorists in fake ‘civil service jobs’ on full government salaries.

“Funding sent as aid should be used to help those who really need it, not to fund more killing. I urge the Government to scrutinise their relationship with the Palestinian Authority in the hope that we can bring long-lasting peace to the region.”
British Museum removes ‘Palestine’ from ancient Middle East displays
The British Museum has removed the word Palestine from displays about the ancient Middle East following complaints.

Maps and information boards about ancient Egypt and the seafaring Phoenicians labelled the eastern coast of the Mediterranean as Palestine, and some peoples were described as being “of Palestinian descent”.

However, the museum received complaints that it was using the term “retroactively” to describe regions and civilisations that had existed before it was coined.

Curators conceded that the word was not “meaningful” as a historical geographic term, a decision that comes amid ongoing debate about ancestral claims to land in the region.

Some Egypt displays have now been changed to remove references to Palestine, and there are plans to ensure that the term does not appear anachronistically in other information panels.

The changes have been made following audience research, and after concerns were raised by UK Lawyers for Israel, a voluntary association of lawyers.
U.S.-Sanctioned Francesca Albanese to Speak at University of Southern Maine Conference
On February 28, 2026, the University of Southern Maine’s Department of Criminology and Sociology, in coordination with the Maine Coalition for Palestine and Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights, will host an all-day conference titled “The Consequence of Palestine” at Hannaford Hall in the Abromson Community Education Center.

The publicly funded institution will feature UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese appearing virtually, who has recently stirred controversy for calling Israel humanity's "common enemy" at the 17th Al Jazeera Forum also attended by Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.

Albanese Declares Israel as a “Common Enemy”
Albanese delivered controversial remarks at the 17th Al Jazeera Forum in Doha from February 7-9, 2026. Speaking at the Qatar-based forum—which also featured Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi—Albanese stated: “We who do not control large amounts of financial capital, algorithms, and weapons – we now see that we as humanity have a common enemy,” in reference to Israel.

The remarks prompted immediate criticism from multiple governments and organizations. European nations including France, Germany, and Czechia, formally called for her removal from her UN position, with the Combat Antisemitism Movement demanding her dismissal. Albanese’s office later contested the characterization, claiming her statement was misquoted or taken out of context, though full video of her remarks remained subject to interpretive dispute.

Albanese has been included on the U.S. Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals list, alongside ICC staff members. The designation subjects her to asset freezes and prohibits U.S. citizens and entities from conducting transactions with her.

Listed Speaker’s Ties to U.S.-Sanctioned Al-Haq
Fateh Azzam, listed as a speaker representing the Maine Coalition for Palestine, previously directed al-Haq from 1987 to 1995, according to his professional profile. On October 2021, Israel’s Ministry of Defense designated al-Haq as a “terror organization” for operating on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The U.S. government escalated its enforcement on September 4, 2025, when the State Department designated al-Haq, along with Al Mezan Center for Human Rights and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, as entities engaged in efforts to investigate and prosecute Israeli nationals at the International Criminal Court without Israeli consent.


Benjamin Weinthal: Israel’s ‘war between the wars’ with Hamas continues, despite cease-fire
Although the US-brokered cease-fire between Israel Defense Forces and Hamas has been in place since October, Israeli forces claim there are violations “every day.”

“We see them test our troops. We see them carrying out attacks every week… [Hamas] injured and killed soldiers since the ceasefire began,” IDF Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told The Post at a military outpost in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday.

With the sounds of sporadic gunfire and an IDF drilling machine burrowing into a newly discovered Hamas terror tunnel just across from a military outpost, a second IDF spokesperson said: “There has been shooting here in the last two weeks.”

Despite the celebratory mood after Trump announced his 20-point peace plan, Israel has returned to the area to ensure it is kept secure and terms of the ceasefire are being abided by. The president is set to visit the area on Feb. 19.

The IDF is set implement operations in the Gaza Strip, including in the city of Deir al-Balah, if Hamas refuses to disarm, The Times of Israel reported Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will decide if he will issue the greenlight for military incursions into areas beyond the established yellow line that separates IDF-controlled territory in Gaza, estimated to be 53%, from the enclave area, which is still under Hamas control.

The second core part of Trump’s cease-fire involves the dismantlement of Hamas’ military and weapons arsenal.


IDF strike targets Islamic Jihad operatives in Lebanon; 4 reported killed
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday evening said that it carried out an airstrike targeting members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group in eastern Lebanon, close to the Syrian border.

Lebanon’s state-run media reported that the strike targeting a car in the town of Majdal Anjar killed four people.

An Israeli drone “targeted a car on the Lebanese-Syrian border,” the National News Agency said, adding that “four bodies” were inside the vehicle.

Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed the toll in a statement.

Majdal Anjar is located in Lebanon’s eastern Beqaa Valley, on a road leading from Damascus to Beirut — some 40 kilometers (nearly 25 miles) north of Israel’s border.

No further details on the strike were immediately provided by the IDF.

While Israeli strikes in Lebanon regularly seek to hit Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure, attacks on the allied Gaza Strip-based Islamic Jihad are rarer.
12 said killed in IDF Gaza strikes, including senior Islamic Jihad commander
The Israel Defense Forces launched a wave of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip overnight and on Sunday morning, saying it targeted terror operatives in response to a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire a night prior.

At least 12 people were killed in the strikes, Hamas authorities said, with media reports saying that the dead included a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander.

The IDF, in a statement, said it had targeted terror operatives in northern Gaza, Gaza City, and Khan Younis, after five Palestinian gunmen emerged from a tunnel and approached troops on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line on Saturday night.

The targeted terror operatives “had recently been working to restore the capabilities of the terror organizations in the Strip and were advancing terror attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel,” the military said.

Among those killed in the strikes was a Hamas terrorist — named as Ahmad Bayouk — who infiltrated the Re’im military base during the October 7, 2023, onslaught, according to the IDF.

“The IDF views any violation of the ceasefire agreement with utmost severity and will continue to operate against any attempt by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip to carry out attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel,” the military added.


IDF strikes October 7 terrorist in Gaza Strip
The IDF killed terrorist Ahmad Bayouk, who filmed himself infiltrating Re'im base as part of the October 7 massacre, during a series of military actions in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the military confirmed.

Israeli forces attacked terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip, as well as Gaza City in the central region and Khan Yunis in the south.

This flurry of activity is a response to ceasefire violations on Saturday in which several armed Gazans emerged from the rubble of a building about two kilometers east of the Yellow Line, the IDF noted.

The armed group, spotted near an IDF post in Beit Hanun, appeared to have entered the territory in the eastern section of the Gaza Strip via subterranean tunnels, the IDF stated.

The IDF also announced on Sunday that they killed Azem Abu Huli, head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Nukhba Array in the central region, during last week's operations in the strip.

The IDF also struck Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in the Majdal Anjar area in central Lebanon - an area which borders neighboring Syria.


Indonesia says 8,000 troops ready to deploy to Gaza by June as Trump touts progress
Indonesia’s military said on Sunday that up to 8,000 troops are expected to be ready by the end of June for a potential deployment in a humanitarian and peace mission to Gaza, as US President Donald Trump said countries had committed “thousands of personnel” to a postwar force for the Strip.

Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza envisions an International Stabilization Force overseeing the territory’s security as the Israel Defense Forces gradually withdraws. But Trump has struggled to get countries to commit soldiers to the mission, amid uncertainty over whether Hamas will agree to disarm and conflict will again escalate in the territory.

On Sunday, however, he broadcast optimism over the force coming together. The Board of Peace, chaired by Trump and meant to oversee postwar Gaza, will hold its first meeting on Thursday in Washington, DC.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that over $5 billion in pledges toward the reconstruction of Gaza will be announced at Thursday’s Washington summit.

The Times of Israel first revealed the planned donations last week, with two Arab diplomats saying that the US was aiming to announce donations from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait at around $1.25 billion each. The New York Times reported that the US is also planning on making a similar donation.


JPost Editorial: Israel's female soldiers sacrifice for our country, we must not let them be harassed
Police officers rescued two female IDF soldiers on Sunday in Bnei Brak after a mob surrounded them when they came to carry out a welfare visit as part of their service, a police statement said. Officers protected the soldiers as rioters confronted a police car and hurled objects at it. Authorities reported 23 arrests.

Footage from the scene spread quickly, as did condemnation by politicians. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident serious and unacceptable while stressing that it came from an extremist minority that does not represent the broader ultra-Orthodox public.

Shas leader Aryeh Deri and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) leader Yitzhak Goldknopf also issued condemnations, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir described harm to soldiers by Israeli civilians as crossing a red line.

Israel cannot accept harassment of soldiers by a mob as just another ugly clip on a feed. Soldiers in uniform are not props for internal political posturing; they are public servants and they serve those who agree with them, the people who vote against them, and those who resent the system they represent.

Assault on female soldiers part of a wider narrative
The incident is part of a wider Israeli narrative that has unfolded since October 7, 2023, about the expanding role, responsibility, and burden shouldered by women in uniform, and the price they pay in doing so.

For over two years now, this newspaper has shown women fighting, commanding, rescuing, gathering intelligence, and holding the line under pressure. Caracal Battalion commander Lt.-Col. Or Ben-Yehuda has described female fighters engaging terrorists on October 7 and staying in the fight under extreme conditions.

Women have also been sent into arenas that were once discussed theoretically, then argued about, then postponed. The Post has reported on a co-ed battalion whose female troops went into Gaza, a first for the unit.


Ask Haviv Anything: Episode 90: Is it "fascist" to believe a state can belong to a specific people?



US must reclaim its institutions and universities in face of Qatari financial influence
Following the October 7 attacks, Qatar has faced heightened scrutiny for sustaining Hamas, which invaded Israel and massacred 1,200 people in 2023. Despite demands from some US officials, Doha refuses to expel Hamas officials, who have enjoyed safe haven in the West Asian country since 2012.

Between 2017 and 2021, four Arab countries (the “Quartet”) blockaded Qatar due to its support of and billions of dollars in contributions to the Muslim Brotherhood, which the US Treasury has partially designated as a terrorist group.

As Qatar cultivates terrorism, it pumps billions of dollars into efforts to convince the West that it is a dependable business partner, cultural patron, and friend. These include efforts to sponsor sports, Western universities, media initiatives, tourism campaigns, airplane and weapon acquisitions, lobbying, and America’s Al Udeid base. In reality, such generosity is motivated by Doha’s greater desire for influence and political survival in a region hostile to its leadership (see Operation Abu Ali, for example).

Qatar’s impact on the West has been effective. Recently, it became a non-NATO major ally of the US, which helped Doha overcome the Quartet-led boycott. The country largely escaped accountability post-October 7 for its role in sponsoring Hamas. Many Americans forget that Qatar, in the 1990s, hosted Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, who later masterminded the 9/11 attacks. During the Wars on Terrorism, Qatar’s Al Jazeera Network hailed attacks on US troops as “paradise operations” while also manning booby traps where US soldiers were ambushed.

Pro-Palestinian students take part in a protest in support of the Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, at Columbia University in New York City, U.S., October 12, 2023.
Despite Qatar’s moderate image, its textbooks are filled with antisemitism, study finds
School textbooks in Qatar teach antisemitic content, portray Christians and other non-Muslims as infidels and idolators, and legitimize the call for violent jihad, according to a report released last week by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se).

The study, part of IMPACT-se’s research program, examined primary and secondary school textbooks across multiple subjects, measuring them against UNESCO-based standards for peace and tolerance in education.

Despite Qatar’s efforts to present itself as a modern state working for peace in the Middle East, problematic content remained unchanged for the fourth straight year, showing that reforms have effectively “plateaued,” IMPACT-se said. This is despite public condemnation of the curriculum by the US State Department in 2024, it added.

Researchers examined 52 textbooks across subjects including Islamic education, social studies, history, and Arabic literature, and found that they continue to reproduce narratives that contradict Qatar’s international image as a moderate diplomatic hub.

Textbooks portray Jews as “materialistic, arrogant, deceitful, and hostile to Islam.” Jews are associated with traits such as lying, scheming, and breaching agreements.

In history education, the portrayal of the 20th century remains highly problematic. A 12th grade history textbook covering World War II fails to mention the Holocaust, Nazi policies against Jews in Germany and elsewhere, or the antisemitic components of Hitler’s ideology. Instead, the text vaguely alludes to Hitler’s “racist ideas” without identifying the victims of his policies.

The curriculum also often denies Jewish historical ties to the region. The 1917 Balfour Declaration is presented not as a recognition of Jewish national claims, but as a cynical British move to curry favor with “Jewish influence” in the United States and Russia.

Violent interpretations of jihad and the glorification of martyrdom are “prominent features” of the curriculum. Islamic education lessons praise the upbringing of children “to love jihad” and teach that God rewards those who die fighting for Islam with entry into paradise.


U.S. Military Preparing for Weeks-Long Iran Operations
The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two U.S. officials told Reuters.

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will hold negotiations with Iran on Tuesday in Geneva.

U.S. officials said on Friday the Pentagon was sending an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East, adding thousands more troops along with fighter aircraft, guided-missile destroyers and other firepower capable of waging attacks and defending against them.

In a sustained campaign, the U.S. military could hit Iranian state and security facilities, not just nuclear infrastructure, one of the officials said.

He added that the U.S. fully expected Iran to retaliate, leading to back-and-forth strikes and reprisals over time.

The U.S. maintains bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Turkey.
Hugh Hewitt: Has POTUS made Iran a “Godfather” offer? Eli and Hugh discuss



Iran accused of targeting Christians in brutal protest crackdown - as worshippers plead with Donald Trump to intervene
Iran has been accused of targeting Christians in its violent protest crackdown - with worshippers pleading with Donald Trump to intervene.

Security forces reportedly killed at least 19 Iranian Christians as unrest spread across the Islamic Republic earlier this year, according to Article 18, an organisation promoting religious freedom in Iran.

Article 18 said Iran's "brutal response to last month’s mass demonstrations" resulted in the deaths of Christian Nader Mohammadi, 35, and Zahra Arjomandi, 51, both shot dead on January 8 in separate protests.

Mr Mohammadi died in Babol in the country's far north, while Mrs Arjomandi died on the Persian Gulf island of Qeshm in the far south, 1,000 miles apart.

Mr Mohammadi left behind three young children aged five and under, while Mrs Arjomandi, a mother-of-two, died in her son's arms.

Iranian Christian news website Mohabat News reported that Mrs Arjomandi's body was held by security forces for six days before being released for burial under strict security measures.

This included a ban on memorial services or spreading information about her death.

Mr Mohammadi's family searched detention centres and morgues for three days before finally identifying him on January 11 with injuries reportedly so severe that he could only be recognised by known marks on his body.

Iranian Christians have now asked Donald Trump to intervene to stop the Ayatollah's regime as it cracks down on protests.

And the President may heed their request.
‘Death to Khamenei’ chants ring out across Iran, diaspora as unrest continues to grow
Chants of anti-government slogans were reported across several Iranian cities on Saturday night, after exiled crown prince and Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi called for a “Global Day of Action” to support what he has dubbed Iran’s “Lion-and-Sun Revolution.”

Videos and eyewitness accounts shared by Iran International described chants from rooftops and windows in Tehran and other major cities, hours after large rallies by Iranians abroad voiced support for protesters inside the country.

Residents across Iran were heard chanting slogans including “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei,” Iran International reported, alongside monarchist chants.

The reports came as the Islamic Republic faces renewed scrutiny over its security response to unrest and restrictions on information flows.

Detentions, hospitals, and pressure on medical staff
The head of Iran’s Medical Council, Mohammad Raiszadeh, said 33 medical workers had been detained during the protests and that 11 had been released so far, according to Iran International.

He described detention of medical staff for performing professional duties as a “red line,” amid separate allegations of security pressure on health workers and violence against protesters in hospitals.

Iran International also quoted President Masoud Pezeshkian as describing the ongoing protests as “unimaginable,” urging authorities to “treat this disease” rather than “erase the issue.”


Basketballer Deni Avdija makes history as first Israeli to play as NBA All-Star
Deni Avdija made history as the first Israeli basketballer to play in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, although his team did not progress to the championship game.

Avdija’s Team World lost both matches in the round-robin event, leaving the USA Stars to beat USA Stripes 47-21 in the final of the 75th NBA All-Star Game tournament held at Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers.

In the 15 minutes he had on the court, the Israeli basketballer scored five points and made a total of four assists throughout the two matches.

Following the tournament, the Portland Trailblazers forward thanked his Israeli fans who stayed up overnight to watch him play.

“I feel like when I come to play, I come with the entire nation, and it’s fun to show that it’s possible, even for a small country like us,” he told Channel 12 news at a post-game press conference.

In the round-robin opener, Avdija, who played as a starter, scored twice — a three-pointer within three minutes of the start of the game and another two points with a transitional dunk.


Former hostage attends Holocaust commemoration led by Nazi descendant
An Israeli who was held captive by Hamas for four months in Gaza spoke of his ordeal at a Holocaust event in Germany this weekend organized by an evangelical organization led by a descendant of Nazis.

“For me this is part of the cure, which does me well,” Argentinian-born Luis Har, 72, told JNS from Germany. “Both the Holocaust and what we went through have elements in common.”

Har was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, and was held in Gaza for 129 days before being rescued with another hostage, Fernando Marman, in a daring IDF mission on Feb. 12, 2024. The Israeli military on Friday released previously unseen bodycam footage from the raid, marking two years since their rescue.

The grandfather of 10 said that speaking out in the world about what happened on Oct. 7 is his “personal mission” that he has taken upon himself after the Israeli soldiers risked their lives to save him.

“There is a lot of ignorance; but people who hear my story firsthand tell me that it changes their viewpoint,” he said.

The annual March of Life conference, which is held in Tübingen, Germany, brought together Christian leaders, government officials, Holocaust survivors and supporters of Israel from around the world in a united stand against antisemitism and in solidarity with the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

“The words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent’, are a call to action for us,” said Jobst Bittner, founder and president of the March of Life. “We stand side by side with Jewish communities and Israel, actively breaking the silence on antisemitism and hatred of Jews—loudly, audibly and visibly.”

Bittner’s father was an officer in the Wehrmacht’s Afrika Corps during the Second World War, and has been honored by Israel for his staunch support for the Jewish state and his personal life mission to confront the legacy of the Holocaust.




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

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