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Sunday, February 22, 2026

02/22 Links: Trump's Board of Peace Must Deradicalize Gaza; Bondi hero: ‘I just ran to stop him killing innocent people’; Mike Huckabee handles Tucker Carlson’s ‘Gish Gallop’ with grace

From Ian:

Trump's Board of Peace Must Deradicalize Gaza
President Trump convened his Board of Peace on Thursday, announcing new commitments to fund Gaza's reconstruction and provide troops for a Gaza stabilization force. But so far, everyone's avoided an essential question: How will future generations of Palestinian children be raised and educated - and will they again be indoctrinated with radical hatred of Jews and Israel? If so, then the president's vision of Gaza as a "deradicalized, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors" will remain a pipe dream.

Many of the Hamas terrorists who stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, were raised on a steady diet of hatred. As children, they watched a Hamas-produced TV show hosted by a Mickey Mouse knockoff named Farfour, who preached jihad and urged the killing of Jews. Surrounded by smiling children, Farfour vowed to "liberate Jerusalem from the criminal Zionists," repeatedly exhorting: "Kill! Kill! Kill!" A talking bee named Nahoul ranted about "the filth of the criminal Jews." That reality helps explain why hundreds of Gaza civilians joined the rampage on Oct. 7, and many more celebrated in the streets.

The urgent question now is whether the machinery of radicalization that produced Hamas will finally be dismantled. If it is not, a return to war is inevitable. As long as Hamas remains embedded in Gaza's institutions, Palestinian children will continue to be indoctrinated to hate and kill Jews - in schools, on screens and at home. If Trump wants peace in Gaza to endure, he should establish a Deradicalization Commission through the Board of Peace, charged with dismantling the entire infrastructure of hate.
Pierre Rehov: Erdogan's Sunni Noose: Turkey's Bid to Encircle Israel
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched an ambitious diplomatic offensive aimed at unifying the Sunni world under Ankara's leadership. The objective is not merely reconciliation with former rivals. It is the construction of a Sunni diplomatic and strategic "wall," or "noose," around Israel, replacing the Iranian "Shi'ite crescent" with a new configuration of Sunni power.

The Turkish-Saudi reconciliation is particularly significant. Following years of tension after the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Ankara and Riyadh have now moved decisively toward strategic cooperation.

Turkish and Saudi officials increasingly frame Israel as a destabilizing actor in these theaters. The emerging partnership is not merely economic; it reflects coordinated positioning against perceived external threats, with Israel explicitly cited.

Turkey and Egypt have now signed a $350 million military framework agreement covering joint weapons production, intelligence sharing, and military exercises. Turkish air defense systems and munitions are slated for delivery, and bilateral trade is projected to reach $15 billion.

As the guardian of the Suez Canal and a dominant actor in North Africa, Egypt provides logistical leverage capable of influencing maritime routes critical to Israel's economy.

On February 9, 2026, the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates issued a joint communiqué condemning what they called "Israeli expansionist policies in occupied territories" and calling for Islamic unity.

Some analysts describe an emerging "Sunni axis," or noose, influenced by Muslim Brotherhood ideology; backed by Turkish military power, financed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and designed, by expanding into Gaza, to encircle and finish off Israel.

The UAE, under the impressive leadership of Sheikh Mohamed ben Zayed al Nahyan, pursues a technocratic, anti-political Islam agenda that diverges sharply from Erdogan's ideological sympathies.... Still, the coalition's ultimate aim, apart from the UAE, unmistakably seems to be "containing" Israel.

Recently, Saudi media have featured openly anti-Israel and antisemitic headlines not seen in years. The kingdom appears to be totally aligning itself with anti-Israel countries such as Qatar and Turkey, while "tensions with the UAE explode."

Egypt, Israel's chilly peace partner since 1979, has reportedly expanded military infrastructure in the Sinai Peninsula in ways that should, under the supposed peace treaty, raise serious questions.

Turkish and Egyptian intelligence services are reportedly coordinating efforts to counter rival influences and restrict Israel's strategic access.

Israeli analysts increasingly describe it as the replacement of Iran's Shiite axis with a Sunni bloc influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood.

The coalition presents itself as promoting regional peace. Yet "peace" may translate into the vaporization of Israel, especially should a future Israeli government prove more pliable.

Erdogan's participation in "stabilization" efforts would significantly expand Turkish influence within the emerging Sunni crescent. Ankara's well-documented support for Muslim Brotherhood networks — which are Hamas's patrons, ideologically and financially – should raise obvious concerns.

Netanyahu's insistence that Israel determine which international actors, if any, operate in Gaza, serves multiple strategic purposes. It prevents Turkish entrenchment in Gaza, maintains Israeli control over post-war arrangements, and signals to Washington that Israel views Turkish expansionism as a long-term threat transcending personal or political relationships.

Whatever the obstacles, Erdogan's direction seems clear: a militarily and economically anchored Sunni alignment to constrict Israel's strategic space.
Ruthie Blum: Mike Huckabee handles Tucker Carlson’s ‘Gish Gallop’ with grace
By anchoring the exchange in Islamist conduct, Huckabee stripped the argument to its essentials. For instance, asked by Carlson what it cost the United States to “move the fleet off Iran into the Persian Gulf,” the ambassador replied, “A lot less than it would to bury a lot of Americans if [the ayatollahs] ever got a long-range ballistic missile. A lot less.”

He also pointed out that if Carlson cares so much about America, he should be concerned that Iran’s proxies are already “deeply embedded” in the Western Hemisphere.

This back-and-forth was among many fronts in the rhetorical battlefield of Carlson’s crazed conspiracy-theory arena, however. It might even have been the sanest section of the Q&A.

The looniest was his casting of aspersions on the authenticity of Netanyahu’s Jewish roots, since the prime minister’s family hails from Eastern Europe, and his sneering suggestion that Israelis might need DNA tests to prove their biblical connection to the land.

Other jibes were just as jaw-dropping, beginning with his impugning of a brief meeting Huckabee had with Jonathan Pollard after the death of the latter’s wife; declaring that Jeffrey Epstein was known to be connected with the Mossad (adding a lie about Israeli President Isaac Herzog having been a guest on the pedophile’s island—for which he later apologized but may still be sued); citing fabricated statistics about Israel’s persecution of Christians; and besmirching Israel Defense Forces behavior in Gaza. Oh, and insisting that Israel provide free abortions courtesy of U.S. aid.

It’s no wonder, then, that Carlson, who’s built a following among Israel-bashing antisemites, remains a groyper favorite.

It has to be said, though, that Huckabee knew what he was in for with Carlson. The pair had been sparring publicly on social media, which led to Huckabee’s challenging his former Fox News colleague to “come talk to me, instead of about me.”

Because of Huckabee’s naturally cheerful demeanor and impeccable manners, the interview concluded on a cordial note, with his extending an invitation to Carlson to return to Israel and attend his church. It was a magnanimous gesture, to be sure.

But the rest of us would prefer that Tucker Carlson never darken our doorstep—or VIP lounge—again.


Bondi hero: ‘I just ran to stop him killing innocent people’
The Muslim shopkeeper who wrestled a gun from a terrorist during the Bondi Beach massacre has said he acted out of “humanity” and a refusal to listen to the screams of children as they fled for their lives.

Ahmed al Ahmed, 44, was walking along the parade at Bondi on December 14 looking for a coffee when he heard “children screaming, women and old men crying” from a Chanukah celebration on the green adjoining the beach. Within moments, he found himself running towards the gunfire in what became Australia’s worst modern terrorist attack.

Video footage showed Ahmed, in a white T-shirt and jeans, sprinting from behind a parked car and jumping on the back of one of the gunmen as he reloaded. He wrestled the weapon from him in seconds.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Ahmed said he did not pause to weigh the danger. “I just ran to stop him killing innocent people,” he said. “I just couldn’t believe this was happening, I was in shock.”

He added: “It came from my heart as a human being to give my blood to save innocent people. I didn’t know who these terrorists were, I just stood up as a man full of love for everyone.”

Ahmed, a Syrian born businessman who moved to Australia in 2006 and became a citizen in 2020, was later shot five times by a second gunman positioned above the pavilion. Fifteen people were killed and more than 40 injured in the attack.
Bondi victim Rabbi Eli Schlanger warned Albanese government not to 'betray' Jewish community with Palestine recognition in newly uncovered letter
Three months before he was killed at Bondi, Rabbi Eli Schlanger wrote to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urging him to reverse his recognition of a Palestinian state and accusing him of betraying the Jewish community.

The rabbi is one of five people, directly impacted by the terror attack, who had been sounding the alarm on the Albanese government’s inaction on antisemitism, a new Sky News documentary, Bondi: A Timeline of Terror, has uncovered.

Mother-of-two, Sammy Kogan, whose eight-year-old son was hiding directly under the shooters on the bridge throughout the massacre, had also written to Mr Albanese, a year before the atrocity, on December 9th 2024, imploring him to act.

“I’d actually sent him a message a year ago and I begged with him,” she says in the documentary.

“I said: 'We’re so scared. Whatever’s happening in the Middle East is one thing, but what’s happening here is affecting our lives and we’re scared for our own children'.”

A year later, her words would turn out to be scarily prophetic.

Sammy’s husband, Ranald, and eight-year-old son were walking across the bridge to leave the festival when the shooters arrived.

Her husband noticed a huge shotgun leaning against the bridge, grabbed his son and ran down the stairs of the bridge.

They sheltered on the side as the first gunshot rang out.

“We hit the ground when we heard the first shot, and then it was just nonstop after that, just shot after shot. My son, he was just shaking uncontrollably and I was whispering in his ear: 'You're so brave, you're so brave. It's going to be finished soon. It's going to be over',” he said.

Ranald then ran with his son under the bridge where they stayed until the shooting was over.

Sammy recalls how her son was still shaking for an hour after he got home from Bondi.

“On the night that it happened, I sent (Albanese) another message. I said to him: 'My son was there and we feel like you failed us'.”

Sky News’ documentary, Bondi: A Timeline of Terror, delves into the warnings many at the Bondi Channukah festival had been giving on antisemitism and hostility toward Israel - warnings that were ignored prior to the day terror came to Bondi.
‘Everyone understands the pain’: Ex-hostages, Bondi Jews gather in NYC’s Times Square
Former Hamas hostage Segev Kalfon saw the terrorist group parade other captives in front of crowds in Gaza before releasing the Israelis last year.

Kalfon, who kept his faith in Gaza’s tunnels, vowed that if Hamas granted him a moment on stage, he would take the opportunity to say Judaism’s central prayer, the Shema.

“I was dreaming of saying Shema Yisrael, on the stage, to the world,” Kalfon told The Times of Israel on Saturday.

By the time Kalfon was released in October, after more than two years in captivity, Hamas no longer held the handover ceremonies, so Kalfon sought another stage to assert his faith — at Times Square, in New York City.

“Hamas canceled the stage and the shows, so right now, I’m saying Shema Yisarel to all of the world,” he said.

Kalfon led thousands of Jews in the prayer on Saturday night, alongside the former hostages Ilana Gritzewsky and Matan Zangauker, during a series of events for teenagers sponsored by the Chabad Hasidic movement.

The events, called the CTeen International Shabbaton, brought together more than 4,500 youths from around 60 countries. Chabad’s home base is in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Truth about first Bondi terror attack victim revealed in new Sky News documentary
The first person to come face-to-face with the Bondi shooters as they started their massacre has been revealed, describing how he was shot in the hip after the gunmen emerged from their car.

Hero couple Boris and Sofia Gurman were widely believed to be the first victims of the terror attack. The couple noticed an Islamic State flag draped over a parked car on the evening of December 14 and struggled with gunman Sajid Akram as he got out of the vehicle near the now infamous footbridge.

But someone else was shot in the first moments of the shooting, a new documentary about the attack presented by Sky News host and journalist Sharri Markson reveals.

The young man, who unlike those the Akrams were allegedly targeting is not Jewish, was making his way home from work when he became caught up in the attack.

Ed Bickerstaff, 20, had just finished a bartending shift at Bondi Pavilion when he came face-to-face with the gunmen before the shooting began.

“I walked past the bus stop on the pavement on Campbell Pde and I see the car parked there,” Mr Bickerstaff told Markson.

“I’m walking, but I’m looking at them, a bit confused. I remember one of them definitely walks in front of me and across me, one of them’s holding this big gun to the sky on the side.

“I’m looking at him, and then I hear a set of gunshots.

“And that moment I just sprinted down the pavement just trying to get as far away as possible. I hear the next set of shots, and that’s when I feel something in my hip ... I’d been shot. And then I ducked behind a car for cover.”


How International Humanitarian Law Is Being Manipulated
International humanitarian law exists precisely because combatants often exploit civilians to shield themselves from retaliation. The prohibition against human shields is not decorative language. It is a recognition of an ugly truth: that some belligerents deliberately transform civilian proximity into a defensive weapon.

Hamas has refined this practice into an art form. Its tunnels run beneath apartment buildings. Its command structures burrow beneath hospitals. Its weapons caches hide among homes, schools, and mosques. This is not accidental. It is doctrine.

Genocide is not defined by the presence of civilian deaths. It is defined by intent - the demonstrable, deliberate intent to destroy a people as such. This standard exists for a reason. Without it, the term collapses into meaninglessness. Israel possesses the capability to annihilate Gaza's population. Yet Gaza's population continues to exist. Its growth over decades is documented. Its survival, even amid war, is evident. The accusation of genocide therefore rests not upon demonstrable extermination, but upon speculative interpretation.

Democracies with functioning courts, investigative journalism, and internal dissent are subjected to relentless scrutiny. Meanwhile, regimes that operate beyond the reach of accountability are condemned in principle but pursued with noticeably less fervor. The more transparent a state is, the more vulnerable it becomes to legal and moral prosecution. The more opaque and tyrannical a regime, the less susceptible it is to sustained outrage.

There is, in certain quarters, an unmistakable appetite for Israeli culpability - a readiness, even an eagerness, to interpret every military action through the lens of criminality. Israel, as a democratic state engaged in asymmetrical warfare, presents the perfect object upon which to project outrage. Terrorist organizations offer no such opportunities. They do not submit themselves to inquiry. They simply kill. It is therefore easier, and safer, to prosecute Israel in the court of public opinion than to confront those who oppose it.

International humanitarian law is being manipulated - it is being transformed from a universal standard into a selective weapon.


Stuttgart under fire for hosting a who's who of German anti-Israel activists
Antisemitism is running amok in the Stuttgart, Germany—the headquarters of the giant auto company Mercedes—where the city government is slated in March to finance an alleged antisemitic event featuring a who’s who of German anti-Israel activists, according to critics of the Stuttgart’s Mayor Frank Nopper.

The anti-Israel symposium is funded by the Cultural Office of the City of Stuttgart, Department of Literature and Philosophy, according to the German online outlet Ruhrbarone, which first broke the story on Tuesday.

Stuttgart, the capital city of the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, has been embroiled in multiple antisemitism and pro-Hamas scandals, including indifference to “No-Go-Zones” in Stuttgart for German Jews in order to allow pro-Hamas marches, according to a January 2025 i24NEWS report.

Writing for the Ruhrbarone, the German Journalist Stefan Laurin said ”Emily Dische-Becker, one of the initiators of the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, will be present, as she was in Zurich. One of the main aims of the declaration is to exonerate the BDS campaign, whose goal is the destruction of Israel through economic and cultural boycotts, from the accusation of antisemitism.”

Ruhbarone said the Stuttgart event (“On the critique of freedom and its repression in liberal democracies”) is a kind of Act 2 of an anti-Israel event held in December in Zurich, Switzerland with many of the same activists, who will attend the Stuttgart symposium.

The Swiss daily NZZ wrote about the Zurich event “From the participants' point of view, Germany, with its special responsibility towards Israel, has maneuvered itself into a position that can no longer be justified today.”

The zealous pro-BDS activist Hanno Hauenstein is listed as a symposium participant. According to February 15 article on the Vienna-based mena-watch think tank website by German journalist Stefan Frank, “The BDS activist Hanno Hauenstein spread a rumor with a false report that quickly became widespread” that the German supermarket chain “Rewe has removed Israeli wines from its product range.”

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean of the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, told i24NEWS that he sees an anti-Isarel international campaign unfolding to gut the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and replace it with a feeble definition—the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism.

The Stuttgart event symposium “mimics or follows the same sort of event in Switzerland. It is beginning to appear that there is a renewed effort to attack IHRA, not on its merits. This is the third effort to attack the growing worldwide acceptance of IHRA. This is not part of an academic discussion about which one is better in the pursuit of peace. There are those opposed to IHRA and they are not ready to say, we lost. “
Merz's CDU party unanimously adopts motion to end UNRWA funding, create rules for payments to PA
During the 38th federal party congress in Stuttgart yesterday, Friedrich Merz’s CDU, Germany’s largest party, unanimously approved a motion calling for stricter criteria for aid payments to Palestinians and an end to German and European subsidies to UNRWA.

Motion M06 was brought by the CDU district association Brussels-Belgium.

It was titled: “Future Funding to the Palestinian Authority Only Upon Fulfillment of Conditions – Palestinian Refugee Assistance in the Future Through UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) Instead of UNRWA.”

The first part of the motion states that future payments to the Palestinian Authority shall only be made if the conditions set by the EU and Germany are actually fulfilled.

The condition is that a post-war Palestine must implement democratic, rule-of-law-based, and peaceful structures that reject violence as a political means and enable peaceful coexistence with Israel.

Until proof of compliance with these conditions is provided, the motion says all payments intended for the Palestinian Authority shall be frozen. If, after payments are resumed, the PA violates the terms again, the payments shall once more be automatically frozen.
Ask Haviv Anything: Episode 92: Why does Israel hate UNRWA?
Welcome to our new short-form episodes interspersed with the regular interviews that dive into an often-asked question about Israel, Jews and the Middle East.

Our current question: Why does Israel hate UNRWA?

Chapters
00:00 Understanding Israel's Stance on UNRWA
09:06 The Deeper Issues with UNRWA
15:55 The Fundamental Problem with UNRWA's Existence




US avoids condemning settler killing of Palestinian-American in armed West Bank attack
US President Donald Trump’s administration said Saturday that it was “aware of” the settler killing of a Palestinian-American in the West Bank a few days earlier, but avoided condemning the attack.

Asked for comment on the Wednesday killing of 19-year-old Nasrallah Abu Siam in an armed settler attack on the central West Bank Palestinian village of Mukhmas, a US State Department spokesperson asserted the administration “has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans.”

”We are aware of the death of an American citizen in the West Bank,” the spokesperson continued. “We are closely monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide consular assistance.”

“Out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones during this difficult time, we have no further comment at this time,” the statement added.

The Trump administration has largely avoided commenting on settler violence in the West Bank. The rare exceptions have come in incidents involving US citizens, though that did not appear to be the case this time.


Jonathan Sacerdoti: The public no longer trusts the establishment — Julia Hartley Brewer on immigration, Israel, Starmer
Julia Hartley-Brewer is one of the most outspoken voices in British broadcasting. In this conversation she defends Israel with unapologetic force, describing her recent visit as life changing and arguing that after October 7 the country acted with remarkable restraint under existential threat. She says Britain and America would have responded far more ruthlessly.

But this discussion goes far beyond Israel.

She explains why she would now have voted for Donald Trump, why she believes lockdown was a historic political and moral failure, and why trust in government, science and the BBC has been permanently damaged. She argues that Britain has talked itself into cultural self-doubt, tolerated intolerance in the name of liberalism, and failed to defend its own borders or values.

From mass immigration and deportations, to media bias over Gaza and Iran, to the psychological impact of Covid on a generation of children, this is a conversation about strength, sovereignty, and whether Britain still has the will to govern itself.

👁‍🗨 Watch if you want to understand why she believes Britain is drifting, institutions are failing, and political courage is in short supply.

💬 We Discuss:
🇮🇱 Why she says Israel showed extraordinary restraint after October 7 and has been misrepresented in Western media
🇺🇸 How Donald Trump's strength is essential to deterrence
📺 BBC amplification of Hamas narratives and hesitation over Iran protests
🧠 Why lockdown policies shattered public trust and damaged children, families and the economy
🛂 Why illegal immigration requires mass deportations and a hard reset on border control
🇬🇧 Why she believes British liberal culture is superior in its freedoms and should be defended without apology
🗣️ The danger of suppressing dissent while tolerating extremist rhetoric on Britain’s streets
📱 How social media broke the information monopoly of legacy broadcasters
⚖️ Whether Britain needs a leader willing to make deeply unpopular but necessary decisions


UKLFI: Daniel Berke discusses the High Court decision to cancel the proscription of Palestine Action
The High Court has ruled that the Home Secretary’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act was unlawful, finding that it was made in breach of the Home Secretary's policy and that the order was a disproportionate interference with freedom of expression and assembly. The Government has announced its intention to appeal, and in the meantime the organisation remains proscribed, creating uncertainty for supporters and for those already facing charges.

In this interview, UKLFI Director Daniel Berke explains the legal background to proscription, what the court did and did not decide, what happens next in the appeal process, and what the ruling could mean for protest groups and the use of criminal law.

This discussion focuses on the legal framework, the court’s reasoning, and the practical implications for policing, prosecutions and protest rights in the UK.

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:38 - What is proscription under the Terrorism Act?
02:09 - How Palestine Action was proscribed
03:59 - JTAC explained & Palestine Action demos
05:42 - Court challenge & current proscription status
07:06 - Palestine Action structure & tactics
10:50 - What the Government may argue on appeal
12:32 - Court critical of Palestine Action
16:17 - Home Secretary role
19:26 - Criminality vs. terrorism
20:11 - Grounds of appeal
21:37 - Future implications




Tucker’s Psyop to Shakedown Ambassador Huckabee?
As in every psyop, there are primary targets and secondary objectives. Tucker Carlson’s interview with Ambassador Mike Huckabee appears to be no different. After the stream, a single line, literally one second taken from a five minute discussion on Israel’s borders within a two hour interview about “what Christian Zionism is,” sparked a media and geopolitical storm. That isolated moment is now treated as the centerpiece of the conversation, “Ambassador Huckabee believes Israel should take the ENTIRE Middle East,” despite representing only a literal second of the exchange, when discussing the Book of Genesis from the Bible.

Before the interview, Tucker had his usual introduction. But, within the first minute, Tucker framed the Ambassador as someone claiming to “represent Christians in the Middle East” as the reason he flew to Israel to interview him. That framing appeared deliberate and was a lie. Ambassador Huckabee challenged Tucker to an interview, after Tucker started attacking the Ambassador personally. The invitation started over X, when the Ambassador posted:
“Hey @TuckerCarlson instead of talking ABOUT me, why don’t you come talk TO me? You seem to be generating a lot of heat about the Middle East. Why be afraid of the light?”

Tucker appears to have distorted that invitation and planted the suggestion that Huckabee’s loyalty was theological. Implying the Ambassador was unfit to serve “because of his theology,” setting the tone before the conversation even began.

But even beyond that theological insinuation, Tucker appears to prime his audience with a different narrative, one designed to cast himself as the victim of institutional hostility and of dual loyalties by Ambassador Huckabee.

He opened by recounting the backstory of how he was supposedly mistreated at Ben Gurion Airport, describing how him and his team were “detained” at the VIP terminal, confronted by what he called “thuggish security guards,” and ultimately why he was forced to fly private at great cost, something he insisted he never does. Spoiler alert, he flies private ALL THE TIME.

He blamed the US Embassy in Jerusalem for failing to provide “basic services.”

But what were those “basic services”?

According to his own account, he wanted US sponsored private security while simultaneously refusing to accept local Israeli police protection that was offered to him. In other words, he rejected host nation security, which was already a courtesy extended due to his public profile, yet portrayed the embassy as negligent for not providing a fully customized American funded security detail.

He also suggested that the embassy deliberately put him in danger by not transmitting his private jet’s tail number to the IDF, and referring him to local police, instead of providing American funded security, implying malice from both Israel and the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

At every turn, the insinuation was clear. The US Embassy in Jerusalem might be polite, but it was not serving Americans. It was incompetent at best, or indifferent at worst.

That framing matters. Because once the audience accepts the premise that the embassy is failing Americans, the next step is obvious. Question the man leading it.

In this psyop, the Ambassador appears to have been the primary target. Everything else served that attack.
Saudi Arabia leads regional push against Huckabee based on partial remarks
Saudi Arabia led a group of Arab and Muslim states and multinational organizations in condemning U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, claiming that he approved of Israeli expansion throughout much of the Middle East, based on partial and misconstrued remarks from his interview with Tucker Carlson released on Saturday.

Among those who signed onto the condemnation were Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian Authority, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League and Gulf Cooperation Council.

They “express[ed] their strong condemnation and profound concern regarding the statements made by the United States Ambassador to Israel, in which he indicated that it would be acceptable for Israel to exercise control over territories belonging to Arab states, including the occupied West Bank.”

The statement also says that Huckabee’s remarks “directly contradict the vision put forward by U.S. President Donald J. Trump and the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict … grounded in promoting tolerance and peaceful coexistence.”

Huckabee, however, repeatedly denied in the interview with Carlson that he was advocating Israeli expansion across the region, as Tucker repeatedly asked him about it and accused him of it.
Tucker Carlson retracts accusation Herzog visited Epstein’s ‘pedo-island’
U.S. pundit Tucker Carlson in an online video post on Sunday retreated from his claim that Israeli President Isaac Herzog had visited the private island of the American financier and convicted child molester Jeffrey Epstein.

Carlson had made the accusation during a highly publicized interview with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, which aired on Feb. 20.

“The current president of Israel, whom I know you know, apparently was at ‘pedo island,’” Carlson told Huckabee. “Still-living, high-level Israeli officials are directly implicated in Epstein’s life, if not his crimes, so I think you’d be following this.”

Huckabee said he was unaware of any connection between Herzog and Epstein. Carlson pressed Huckabee about the alleged connection and criticized him for not taking more of an interest.

Carlson retreated from his claims after receiving a letter from the Israeli president’s office, denying not only that Herzog had ever been to the infamous island, but that he had any dealings with Epstein at all.

“Rarely do you get a denial this unequivocal, so for that reason we are taking it seriously. There’s nothing worse than impuging the reputation of an innocent man. And so I just want to say clearly I’m sorry to imply that I knew something I didn’t know,” Carlson said in a video posted to X.

Carlson uploaded an edited version of the video with the Herzog segment deleted.

Huckabee tweeted: “Tucker caught in an outrageous libel & outright lie against Israeli President @Isaac_Herzog & so he edited his show (something he promised me he WOULDN’T do).”


Starmer could have prevented ban on Israeli football fans
Sir Keir Starmer and Shabana Mahmood were too slow to intervene in the row over Maccabi Tel Aviv fans being banned from Birmingham, a review has found.

Downing Street “inflamed tensions” between communities by publicly challenging the decision to ban Israelis only after it had been announced, rather than engaging with officials behind closed doors, the Commons home affairs committee report says.

The failure of the Government to recognise the “significance” of the supporter ban in advance and their subsequent inability to reverse the decision despite risky public intervention “reflects unfavourably” on the Home Office, it adds.

The comments are among several findings from a select committee report into the decision by West Midlands Police to ban away fans from attending a Uefa Europa League football match at Villa Park on Nov 6 last year.

The paper – which was written by a cross-section of 11 MPs – also found that “political pressure” may have influenced the police’s “exceptional decision” to ban Israelis from the match.

Birmingham councillors had a “disproportionate opportunity to exert influence”, undermining trust that decision-making was based on evidence and safety.

Among the most damaging conclusions was allegations that the Government “failed to take effective action” when they were first privately told a ban was probable on Oct 8.

Instead, they waited eight days until after the public announcement on Oct 16 to raise the issue.
Damning MPs’ report concludes ‘political pressure’ may have influenced decision to ban Maccabi fans
Local political pressure may have played a part in the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from attending a match against Aston Villa, a committee of MPs has concluded.

Birmingham councillors had a “disproportionate opportunity to exert influence”, undermining trust that decision-making was based on evidence and safety, the Home Affairs Committee said.

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were barred from travelling to the game against Aston Villa at Villa Park on November 6 by the local safety advisory group (SAG), which cited safety concerns based on advice from West Midlands Police (WMP).

A review into the decision found an “AI hallucination” produced by Microsoft Copilot had helped police justify the move.

The error meant a non-existent game between Tel Aviv and West Ham had been referenced.

Chief Constable Craig Guildford stepped down from the top role following mounting pressure for him to quit over the controversy.

Publishing a report on the row, the Home Affairs Committee said it could not rule out that political pressure had played a part in the decision.

The report said WMP’s concerns about disorder “combined with local political pressure and community tensions related to the international situation” led to the move.

The report continued: “While we cannot conclude that the Safety Advisory Group’s decision was made because of political pressure, on the basis of the evidence we have seen we also cannot conclude with any confidence that the decision was not politically influenced.

“It is clear that on this occasion councillors, with a stated political aim, had a disproportionate opportunity to influence Safety Advisory Group decision-making on a deeply divisive political issue.

“While the presence of elected politicians on Safety Advisory Groups has potential benefits in terms of local representation, it also risks decision making becoming politically motivated, undermining trust in the process.”


How the door-to-door pro-Palestinian zealots striking fear into Jewish households reacted when we knocked on THEIR door
Brighton is often called ‘London-by-sea’ but it is also an officially designated ‘City of Sanctuary’. The title, recognising the resort’s commitment to those fleeing ‘persecution and discrimination,’ has meant, at least in recent years, extending the hand of friendship to refugees from all over the world.

But the culture of hospitality and welcome can be traced back, it is widely acknowledged, to the arrival of Jews escaping Hitler’s Europe.

Today, Brighton and Hove – which became a unitary authority in 1997 and a city in 2001 – has one of the major Jewish communities outside London. There is even a Jew Street, its name recalling the resort’s first synagogue on the site.

So, in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre, when more than 1,200 Israelis were killed and over 240 kidnapped by Hamas assassins, a motion was put before Brighton Council to reaffirm the resort’s status as a ‘City of Sanctuary’ and ‘our position that hate will not be tolerated’.

More than two years on and Jews with stab vests are standing guard outside Jewish places of worship.

Mezuzahs (the prayer scrolls attached to the doors of Jewish homes) are being removed and teams of pro-Palestinian activists, it has emerged, many sporting the emblematic black-and-white Palestinian headdress known as the keffiyeh, are going door-to-door asking households to boycott Israeli goods, leaving Jews feeling fearful and intimidated.

Leaflets with a picture of a watermelon (in the red, green and black colours of the Palestinian flag) urge residents to join the campaign to create an Apartheid Free Zone in the city. It refers to the group’s insistence that Israel is a ‘racist and genocidal state’ similar to South Africa in the pre-Nelson Mandela era.


Gaza ‘genocide’ comment at Berlinale prompts walkout by German minister
A Palestinian-Syrian film director accused Germany of being “partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel” at the Berlin Film Festival, prompting a German minister to walk out of the awards ceremony.

The remarks by Abdallah Al-Khatib, whose “Chronicles from the Siege” won the Berlinale’s Perspectives section for emerging filmmakers, capped a politically charged festival, with organizers facing criticism from actors and directors for not taking a stance on the war in Gaza.

Discussions about Israeli actions are particularly sensitive in Germany, which has become one of Israel’s staunchest supporters, principally because of historical guilt for the Nazi Holocaust — a policy known as the “Staatsraison.” The German government has said Israel has a right to self-defense after the October 7, 2023, invasion and massacres led by Hamas that triggered a war in the Gaza Strip.

“Some people told me, maybe you have to be careful before you say what I want to say now, because you are a refugee in Germany, and there are so many red lines. But I don’t care. I care about my people, about Palestine,” said Al-Khatib, standing on stage with a keffiyeh scarf draped on his shoulder and raising a Palestinian flag at the end of his speech late on Saturday.

“So I will say my final word to the German government. You are partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel. I believe you are intelligent enough to recognize this truth, but you choose to not care.”

German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, who was in the audience, walked out following the remarks. “The federal minister considers these statements unacceptable and therefore left the event during the speech,” a spokesperson said on Sunday.


U.S. Readies Extended Campaign to Weaken Iran's Regime
U.S. military planners are now preparing for a broad, sustained campaign across Iranian territory. The emerging concept, according to security assessments in Washington and Jerusalem, envisions a weeks-long "attrition campaign."

Until recently, Pentagon planning reportedly focused on a powerful but time-limited operation that might have inflicted heavy damage on nuclear facilities and missile infrastructure but would likely have left the regime's core power structures intact. U.S. defense officials, alongside senior Israeli security figures, argued that a brief operation would not achieve strategic goals.

The new concept is therefore broader. It is about sustained military pressure across multiple domains. The objectives of the revised American approach include degrading the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij militia, the backbone of internal repression; further damaging uranium enrichment infrastructure and nuclear weaponization-related facilities; and crippling ballistic missile capabilities.

U.S. and Israeli intelligence assets are collecting high-resolution targeting data. Satellite reconnaissance, signals intelligence, naval surveillance and airborne platforms are feeding data into strike planning systems.
Solution to Iran crisis is regime change, ousting Khamenei, Saudi royal family source says
The solution for Iran is no longer a limited military move, but a large, fundamental change, including the ousting of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a Saudi royal family source told N12 News on Sunday.

Khamenei and the regime "must be eliminated one by one," and "the only solution is to change the regime in Iran in one way or another," the source said.

"If the regime in Iran is overthrown, a strong government must rise that knows how to concentrate power in a strong and secure way, and not repeat the model of a weak technocratic government such as exists in Iraq," the source added.

"After the [anti-regime Iranian] protesters lost faith in [US President Donald] Trump, the solution is to eliminate the top leadership one by one, starting with Khamenei, so that there will be no leaders left, and then hold elections," they continued.

Crown Prince Reza "Pahlavi is apparently not acceptable to the majority of the public inside Iran," the source said.

There is a feeling of missed opportunity on the streets of Iran, which has stemmed from not only the intense repression by the Islamic Regime, but also the lack of external support, according to the source.

"Trump missed the opportunity to eliminate the heads of the regime's security apparatus who suppressed the past protests, and by doing so, he lost the trust of the protesters," the source said.
Explainer: US military buildup and scenarios for war with Iran
The Middle East has shifted toward the precipice of conflict, as evidenced by a historic U.S. military mobilization. This buildup comes as diplomatic efforts in Geneva disappointed U.S. policymakers, with Vice President JD Vance saying that the Iranians were “unwilling to acknowledge” President Donald Trump’s “red lines.”

On Thursday, Trump issued an ultimatum for a “meaningful” nuclear agreement. “I would think that would be enough time, 10, 15 days, pretty much maximum,” he said. Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, he warned that if a deal is not reached, “bad things happen.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later emphasized that while “diplomacy was always the president’s first option,” the administration remains prepared to act if negotiations fail to produce a verifiable halt to enrichment.

IDF Maj. (res.) Alexander Grinberg, an expert on Iran at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told JNS, “The chances for a deal are very low. It is clear from the recent behavior that the Iranians are again trying to stretch out the negotiations and get more time.

“This time, no one believes the Iranians, and I think it’s very likely that we’re heading toward a military conflict,” he added.

The US buildup
Unlike the limited scope of the U.S.’s “Operation Midnight Hammer” in June 2025, current contingency planning is configured for a sustained campaign, with two American officials confirming to Reuters that the Pentagon is preparing for “sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran” if so ordered by Trump. To support this, the United States has assembled its largest concentration of air and naval strike power in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion.

The foundation of this buildup is two aircraft carrier strike groups, both of which Trump ordered to the region in recent weeks.

The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) arrived in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 26, leading a strike group that includes the guided-missile destroyers USS Frank E. Petersen Jr., USS Michael Murphy and USS Spruance.

This world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), which redeployed from the Caribbean with its own complement of four destroyers equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles and advanced air defense systems, entered the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar on Friday and is headed eastward.

Maritime security is further bolstered by a surface patrol in the Strait of Hormuz, including the destroyers USS McFaul and USS Mitscher and the littoral combat ships USS Canberra, USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara, which are specifically suited for the minesweeping operations necessary to keep the waterway open in case of a sudden mining operation by the Iranians.
Iranians prefer 'precise' Israeli strike over US attack as protests resume at universities
Iranians, while "waiting every minute and second" for a US strike against the Islamic Regime, would prefer an Israeli strike due to the precise nature of the Air Force's strikes in June, while there is a perception that US strikes would "bring terrible destruction, like in Iraq and Afghanistan," a local, identified as Ali told KAN Reshet Bet on Sunday.

Ali added that the Israeli strikes in June focused on targeted hits against "the mercenaries of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps" and the Iranian regime's leadership, and did not cause harm to "ordinary citizens" or any economic infrastructure.

Additionally, he told KAN that the regime has "brutally murdered and dismembered" over 40,000 people, and injured hundreds of thousands more during the anti-regime protests over the past two months.

Ali, discussing the resumed university student protests, said that the regime has used brutal and savage force, murdering and kidnapping students to "choke the protests in their infancy."

Israel's public broadcaster also asked Ali if he was afraid to be interviewed by Israeli radio. In response, he quoted a Persian proverb, including that if the regime kidnaps and kills him, then "at least I will rest, at least I won't feel hungry."


Fresh campus protests in Iran continue for second day with shows of defiance
New anti-government protests continued for a second day in Iran, witnesses said Sunday, as university students in Tehran and another city demonstrated around memorials for thousands of people killed in a crackdown on previous nationwide demonstrations about six weeks ago.

Iran’s state news agency said students protested at five universities in the capital, Tehran, and one in the city of Mashhad on Sunday. The scattered protests erupted Saturday at universities following 40-day memorials for people killed in January during anti-government rallies.

Iran’s government has not commented on the latest protests. However, Iranian media sought to highlight pro-regime demonstrations.

Following campus rallies commemorating the protest dead on Saturday, the Fars news agency on Sunday published videos of fresh crowds of dozens of people waving Iranian flags and carrying memorial photographs at universities in the capital, Tehran.

One showed a rowdy gathering at Sharif University of Technology shouting, “Death to the shah” — a reference to the monarchy ousted by the 1979 Islamic Revolution — as they faced off with another group, with men in uniforms between them.

Fars said there had been “tensions” at a minimum of three universities in Tehran, where some students chanted “anti-establishment” slogans.

Iran International, a media outlet based outside the country and branded a “terrorist” organization by Tehran, shared a video on social media of students holding up the pre-revolution flag at Sharif University, as well as videos of rallies at other institutions of higher learning.


Netanyahu: Visit by Indian PM part of vision to build alliances against Shi’ite, Sunni ‘radical axes’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that a planned visit by his Indian counterpart this week was part of a broader vision to build alliances to counter both Shi’ite and Sunni Muslim radicalism.

Speaking at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, the premier said Israel would seek to deepen economic, diplomatic and security cooperation with New Delhi, while expanding partnerships with Mediterranean, African, Asian and moderate Arab countries.

Netanyahu hinted at new Asian partner nations “that I won’t detail at the moment,” saying he would present them “in an organized manner.”

According to the long-time Jewish leader, “The intention is to create an axis of nations that see eye-to-eye regarding the reality, challenges and goals against the radical axes—both the radical Shi’ite axis, which we have struck very hard, as well as the emerging radical Sunni axis.

“All of these nations share a different perception, and our cooperation can yield great results and, of course, ensure our resilience and our future,” the prime minister added.

Netanyahu noted that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be visiting Jerusalem on Wednesday, where he is scheduled to address Knesset lawmakers, hold an innovation event and visit Israel’s Yad Vashem national Holocaust memorial alongside the premier.

Netanyahu noted he was “personal friends” with his Indian counterpart, explaining: “We speak frequently on the phone and visit one another. I have visited India, and Modi has visited here.”

“The fabric of this relationship has grown tighter,” Netanyahu said. “He is coming here so we can tighten it further through a series of decisions related to strengthening the cooperation between our governments and countries, including economic, diplomatic and security cooperation.”


Uganda to erect statue of Yoni Netanyahu at Entebbe Airport
The head of Uganda’s military said on Thursday that his country is set to unveil a statue of IDF Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, the older brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was killed in action in Uganda during a counter-terrorism operation that rescued more than 100 hostages almost 50 years ago.

“In order to strengthen our close blood relations with Israel, we shall soon unveil a statue to Yoni Netanyahu at the exact spot he was killed at Entebbe Airport,” tweeted Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) and the son of the country’s President Yoweri Museveni.

“Yoni was the big brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Godbless Uganda and Israel,” he added.

Yonatan Netanyahu died while commanding soldiers in a raid to free 102 hostages at Entebbe airport in Uganda on July 4, 1976.

On June 27, 1976, Palestinian and German terrorists hijacked an Air France plane en route from Israel to Paris with 248 passengers onboard and forced it to fly to Uganda’s main airport in Entebbe. Uganda’s government provided cover for the hijackers, who were welcomed personally by dictator Idi Amin.

The terrorists separated the Israelis and Jews from the larger group of hostages and forced them into another room. On the first day, 47 non-Israeli hostages were released. The next day, 101 more non-Israeli hostages were allowed to leave.

More than 100 Israeli and Jewish passengers remained as the hijackers threatened to kill them if their demands were not met.

Israel’s response was “Operation Thunderbolt,” led by Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu. His 29-man General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal) was given the primary task of attacking the airport terminal and rescuing the hostages.
Jewish brothers propel US hockey team to gold medal in 2-1 win over Canada
Jack Hughes, of the New Jersey Devils, scored the game-winning overtime goal on Sunday to clinch the gold medal for the United States over Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina—the first time Team USA has won gold since the “miracle on ice” in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The win came on the 46th anniversary of that “miracle,” in which the underdog American team beat the Soviet powerhouse to advance to the gold medal game.

The Jewish Orlando, Fla., native was proud to deliver the moment for his home country on Sunday.

“This is all about our country right now. I love the USA. I love my teammates. It’s unbelievable,” Hughes told NBC. “The USA Hockey brotherhood. It’s so strong. We had so much support from ex-players, and I’m so proud to be American today.”

Another brotherhood was on display in the game.

The game winner’s older brother Quinn Hughes, of the Minnesota Wild, scored the game-winner in the quarter finals to defeat Sweden. On Sunday, Quinn Hughes had an assist in the first period on fellow Wild teammate Matt Boldy’s goal to make it 1-0 in favor of the Americans. Canadian defenseman Cale Makar, of the Colorado Avalanche, tied the game in the second period.

Although both teams had many chances, neither could break the tie by the end of the third period. Less than two minutes into overtime, Jack Hughes scored, and the Americans won 2-1.




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