Sunday, April 05, 2026

04/05 Links: A War of Psychological Attrition; Iran Has Miscalculated Disastrously; The North Korea Lesson for Iran; Why Islamists and progressives have so much in common

From Ian:

A War of Psychological Attrition
In physical terms, the damage Iran is inflicting on the Americans, the Gulf states or Israel is minimal.

By contrast, Iran is sustaining extremely heavy blows. Its economy was already shattered before the campaign began. Its military capabilities are being stripped away hour by hour.

That means the pace at which it is harming Israel and other countries in the region is negligible compared with what it had planned.

Unlike Iran, those countries are, by and large, continuing to function, while the disruption to daily life caused by missiles and drones remains relatively limited.

Iran is trying to create the impression that the cost of the war is unbearable.

But what is worse: gasoline at $4 a gallon, or Iran with an arsenal of intercontinental nuclear missiles?

What poses a greater threat to the world: a short-term recession, or a deranged regime operating an ocean of drones in the Strait of Hormuz, terrorist cells across the planet, and seeking to impose Shiite belief on humanity by force?

Iran knows the West's weak points, its short-sightedness, short patience, and short-time horizon.

In Tehran they know that in the West, people will talk about one American aircraft being shot down a thousand times more than they will about dozens of Iranian aircraft destroyed, hundreds of missiles intercepted and thousands of drones thwarted.

That is the asymmetric psychological war they are hoping to win.
Col. (ret.) Richard Kemp: Iran Has Miscalculated Disastrously
The ayatollahs never expected to find themselves in a sustained, direct, high-intensity war with the U.S. and Israel. Their thinking had been based on gaining ascendancy in the Middle East by proxy groups and ultimately by nuclear weapons.

The rulers of Iran spent billions of dollars building a series of terrorist networks that would do their dirty work for them. Yet Hizbullah, Hamas, and the Houthis have been very severely handled by Israel (and in the case of the Houthis, the U.S.) since Oct. 7, 2023, and their combined contribution to the defense of Iran over the last few weeks has consequently been strategically negligible.

In the minds of the ayatollahs, attacking their Arab neighbors would lead the Gulf states to pressure Trump to call off the war. It had the opposite effect. Behind the scenes, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have reportedly urged the president to keep attacking until the job is done. Iran's strategy has instead consolidated opposition to Tehran.

Another strategic miscalculation has been the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As a global economic attack, it reinforces the narrative that Iran is a worldwide threat. Both China and India have been significantly impacted, despite Tehran's selective permission for some ships and cargoes to pass through the strait.

Additionally, the regime is probably inflicting greater harm on its own economy. It depends on the strait for the import of food and other essentials, and for its own oil exports.
WSJ Editorial: The North Korea Lesson for Iran
President Trump decided to use military force to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon after diplomacy failed. This was a risky choice. But the U.S. experience with North Korea suggests the alternatives were even riskier. That history shows the limits of nuclear diplomacy with a determined foe, as well as what happens when the U.S. puts conflict-avoidance above all else.

During the Clinton Administration, North Korea denied International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors access to camouflaged nuclear sites and announced it would withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Clinton threatened sanctions. The U.S. military drew up plans for strikes on nuclear installations, and Defense Secretary Bill Perry presented a plan for a large military buildup in the region. Clinton deployed Patriot missile-defense systems to South Korea.

Former President Jimmy Carter informed the Clinton Administration that he intended to visit North Korea and try to defuse the situation. Clinton decided to let Carter proceed as a private citizen. Carter feared conflict above all and even opposed sanctions. He went beyond what he had been authorized by Clinton to discuss and announced a tentative agreement on CNN. The press and foreign-policy establishment hailed nuclear peace in our time.

Military options came off the table and Clinton embraced the deal, which became the 1994 Agreed Framework. For a time the deal seemed to work. Yet weaponization research continued on the sly. The regime's intent to build a bomb never changed. In 2002, North Korea reneged on the Agreed Framework and expelled inspectors. The George W. Bush Administration employed threats, sanctions and diplomacy but ultimately ruled out the use of force. In 2006, North Korea conducted its first nuclear test.

After that, U.S. military options became riskier. North Korea is now believed to possess 50 warheads, and it tests ICBMs that will one day be able to reach the continental U.S. The lesson is that U.S. presidents waited too long to stop North Korea. The risks of war were always said to be too high, it was never a good time, and there was always another diplomatic option to exhaust. North Korea is now a nuclear power.

Iran's radical regime will not have a nuclear program when the current Iran conflict ends. This has made the world a safer place.


Why Islamists and progressives have so much in common
Hamas’s founding covenant from 1988 makes this all too clear. Its Jew hate is not influenced by the Koran, but by the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a notorious anti-Semitic forgery originating from Tsarist Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. Among other things, Hamas argues that Jews ‘were behind the First World War, when they were able to destroy the Islamic Caliphate, making financial gains and controlling resources’.

‘They obtained the Balfour Declaration [and] formed the League of Nations through which they could rule the world. They were behind the Second World War, through which they made huge financial gains by trading in armaments, and paved the way for the establishment of their state. It was they who instigated the replacement of the League of Nations with the United Nations and the Security Council to enable them to rule the world through them. There is no war going on anywhere, without having their finger in it.’

Clearly, none of these events or institutions could have been described in the Koran or the Hadith. The ideas in the passage were adopted from the racial thinking embodied in modern European anti-Semitism.

The violent language of Hamas reflects the ascent of a particular strain of Islamism, namely jihad. The jihadis are those Islamists who are openly willing to engage in violence. These people can be distinguished from what are sometimes called institutional or ‘participationist Islamists’ – those who support the use of violence, but do not practise it themselves.

Islamists typically operate covertly, within front organisations, including student organisations and charities. They are hard to identify with certainty as they deliberately try to blend in with broader Muslim communities. Islamists typically see themselves as true Muslims and take a derisive view of any co-religionists who do not share their politics.

Given this, it is hardly a surprise that Islamism and progressivism have such an affinity for one another. They have an awful lot in common: an aversion to modernity, hostility to democracy, cynicism towards the nation state and intolerance towards alternative views. Despite differences on some questions – most notably in relation to gay rights – the overlap is considerable.

There is also a particular affinity between mainstream identity politics and Westernised Muslims. As French political scientist Olivier Roy has noted, many Muslims in the West do not identify with the nations in which they live. For some of them, Islam is not so much a religion but a form of identity, one that precludes any attachment to a secular country. Such individuals are often attracted to Islamist ideas and networks. In effect, they embody a particular variant of the anti-nationhood trend that dominates identity politics in the West.

The progressive indulgence of Islamism is not primarily driven by cowardice or a propensity for appeasement – although that is certainly a factor. Neither is it solely a case of, as the hackneyed phrase goes, ‘turkeys voting for Christmas’. It is because progressives and Islamists agree on so much that they march arm in arm together.

The fundamental problem is not only that an extreme strain of Islam is corrupting an otherwise healthy body politic in the West. It is also that Islamism and progressivism share so much in common. The modern Western left offers fertile ground for Islamism to flourish on.
My chat with Dennis Richardson was very relaxed. Suddenly, his laid-back tone vanished
Albanese originally appointed Richardson to conduct a standalone review into intelligence and policing agencies after the Bondi attack. He says he had no qualms when his probe was folded into the royal commission, but the merger ultimately became untenable. In fact, it was more of a takeover.

To those who say public confidence in the royal commission would have been better served by him staying put and keeping shtum, he declares he had no regrets. “I am perfectly relaxed about it. I wasn’t prepared to essentially work as I did 40 years ago. I reached a view that, rightly or wrongly, my voice was not going to carry much weight at all.” While he respects Bell, a former High Court judge, he says their different styles proved incompatible. And she, as the royal commissioner, was the boss.

Despite stepping down, he remains passionate about the need to tackle antisemitism. He fears, because of the small size of the Jewish community, which numbers about 110,000 people, most Australians don’t care enough about the problem. It is a national disgrace, he argues, that Jewish schools and childcare centres require armed guards, while those a block away do not.

“I’ve argued with highly intelligent, well-meaning people who’ve said to me that every Jewish Australian carries moral responsibility for Gaza, and they do not see that as being antisemitic. I’ve spoken to a lot of Australians who’ve said to me, ‘Oh yeah, there were 15 people killed at Bondi, but look at all the people who’ve been killed in Gaza.’ Sorry, what are you saying? Are you saying it’s legitimate to kill 15 innocent people because of Gaza or because they’re Jewish then that’s somehow understandable?”

Suddenly, the laid-back tone that has dominated our conversation vanishes. Frustration, even anger, fills his voice.

Despite his professional differences with Bell, he says she was “dead right” to make clear the royal commission will focus on antisemitism rather than try to examine other forms of prejudice in detail. “The people who want it to be very broad are people who want it to address everything and nothing, and they want to pretend that antisemitism is no different to being a bit anti-Catholic, a bit anti-Muslim, a bit anti-Hindu. Bullshit! It is something very different, and the small percentile of Jewish Australians feel that.”
Bondi Beach terror attack compensation payments short of ‘meaningful’, victims say
Victims of the Bondi Beach massacre have criticised compensation payments offered by the government, arguing they fall short of providing the support needed.

The NSW government offered compensation payments to victims of the December 14 attack which left 15 dead and dozens more injured.

So far, 743 of the estimated 1,000 people who attended the Chanukah by the Sea event have lodged claims.

The NSW Government’s Bondi Beach Victim Recovery Payment Scheme provides lump-sum amounts to victims, including $35,000 for those who suffered physical injuries and $75,000 for the families of those who were killed.

Jenny Roytur, the niece of Boris Tetleroyd, who was killed in the gunfire, argued that the $75,000 offered does not "reflect the reality" of families' losses.

"When that amount is divided across partners, children and dependants, it reduces a profound, lifelong loss into a figure that does not reflect reality," she told the Daily Telegraph.

"This was a terror act and a national tragedy; the response should match that.

"Families who lost loved ones are left to rebuild their lives without meaningful support, those who were injured face ongoing medical needs, loss of income, and permanent changes to their quality of life."

Another man who was shot during the attack told the paper more should be offered to those living with the mental scars from the day.

He appealed to the government to urgently allocate more money to the families who had lost loved ones, labelling it the least the government could do.

A NSW Government spokesperson said it had implemented "unprecedented recovery and support measures" for victims, their families, businesses, and the community.

"These range from financial support, mental health support, and ensuring that local organisations are resourced appropriately for long-term recovery," they added.

"The December 14 incident saw the worst terrorist attack in Australia’s history. The distressing scenes of that evening would leave a mark on anyone who was there or has been impacted by this horrific act of violence."

A grant of up to $25,000 was also available for small businesses directly impacted by the shooting.

To be eligible, victims are required to have made a police statement verifying they were present at the time of the shooting.

It marks the first time in Australia that victims of domestic terror attacks will be eligible to receive financial compensation.
Accused Bondi attack gunman denied order to suppress family members’ identities
A man accused of killing 15 people in a terror attack targeting a Hanukkah event at Australia’s Bondi Beach has lost a bid to have the identities of his family members suppressed.

Naveed Akram, 24, is accused of 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act over the attack in which dozens of people were injured at Sydney’s Archer Park in December.

His father, Sajid, 50, was shot dead by police at the scene.

Akram appeared via video link during a hearing at Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on Thursday, after applying for a non-publication order relating to the details of his immediate family members.

Local Court Judge Hugh Donnelly dismissed the application and an interim suppression order that had temporarily blocked the publication of the names and addresses of Akram’s mother, brother and sister, according to New South Wales (NSW) courts.

NSW Police allege Akram and his father carried out Australia’s worst mass shooting since 1996, targeting the Jewish festival of lights.

Among the victims was London-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, a father of five and assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi.

According to police, the father and son parked their vehicle near a footbridge overlooking Archer Park at Bondi at about 6.50pm on December 14.

It is alleged that a “tennis ball bomb” and three pipe bombs were thrown into the crowd before the pair opened fire.
Revealed: Shocking scale of anti-Semitism in Britain’s schools
Two six-year-old Jewish pupils were allegedly called “baby killers” for singing in Hebrew during a cultural day.

It is just one of a string of examples of anti-Semitism in Britain’s schools uncovered by The Telegraph.

The children were left in tears after they had been allegedly subjected to heckling and abuse at the Church of England state primary school.

The alleged incident was one of a growing number of cases of alleged anti-Semitic insults and bullying aimed at Jewish schoolchildren in the wake of the Oct 7 attacks on Israel in 2023.

A dossier of examples obtained by The Telegraph highlights the concern in the Jewish community about their children’s safety at non-Hebrew schools.

In some cases, fellow pupils appear to blame their classmates for Israel’s military offensive in Gaza following the Hamas attacks that killed 1,200 Jews.

Researchers have found that Jewish parents have also grown concerned about the peddling of anti-Semitic stereotypes in textbooks and lessons.

Some teachers have taken to wearing pro-Palestine badges in the classroom, creating what parents claim is a hostile atmosphere for pupils of Jewish heritage.

Reported cases include swastikas being carved into school toilets, graffiti saying “kill Jews” daubed near school premises and Jewish pupils claiming to have been subjected to racist and anti-Semitic abuse during a football match.
The Plan to Bring Down the Iranian Regime
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), led by Ahmad Vahidi, believes that despite the enormous damage, the regime can survive, that Trump will eventually lose patience, and that the Gulf states and Israel will not be able to sustain the economic paralysis for long. There is no legitimacy within the regime for negotiations.

The direction the U.S. appears to be taking in order to bring about Iran's collapse is an economic one. With Trump's latest 10-day ultimatum to Iran due to expire on Monday, escalating attacks are expected to target additional bridges and major railway lines, especially those leading to the capital, Tehran. The expanded target bank also includes various sectors of the oil industry, including petrochemical industries. The main reason is that these industries are controlled by the IRGC and serve as a primary source of income for it.

A diplomatic source explained, "The economic issue will begin to have an impact....Already today, most public-sector workers in Iran are not being paid, including large parts of the regular army. That is in contrast to the forces of the IRGC and its various affiliated mechanisms, where payments are continuing."

"Many factories have shut down or been taken out of operation, entire sectors of the economy have ceased to function, and that economic burden is having an impact. Even if the war ended now, the regime would not be able to begin reconstruction without a full lifting of sanctions." The next phase of the economic war could be a complete halt to Iran's oil exports, its oxygen pipeline.


Jonathan Sacerdoti: Inside the fearless rescue of the second US airman
From an operational perspective, the conclusion is clear: the United States recovered both crew members from deep inside hostile territory, in separate missions, without suffering casualties.

Prisoners of war carry political weight, strategic leverage and long-term consequences. Here, despite time, proximity, and a large-scale search effort, Iran did not secure that outcome. The balance of the war, therefore, remains unchanged. The United States and Israel continue to hold a substantial advantage, both in the economic impact of their strikes and in the overall exchange of damage versus benefit. The tempo of operations, the number of sorties, and the cumulative pressure applied all continue to favour them. The loss of one or several aircraft does not shift that equation.

There is also a cost on the Iranian side that is harder to ignore. The mobilisation of civilians, encouraged by financial incentives and directed by rumour, brought large numbers of people into a live combat environment. Many were killed or injured as US strikes hit those moving towards the target area. That outcome was a direct consequence of how the search was conducted. Once again, the Islamic Republic regime displayed its disregard for the lives of its own civilians, preferring to sacrifice them for its own survival. It has never been shy of killing its own for the sake of the regime’s survival or even just some marginal strategic advantage.

The rescue itself was complex, and it was executed effectively. But its significance is not just in what was achieved. It is in what was not.
Kassy Akiva: ‘WE GOT HIM’: Inside One Of The Most Complex Missions In U.S. Special Ops History
For nearly 48 hours, an American colonel evaded capture by scaling a tall ridge and hiding inside a mountain crevice, as Iranian forces — who were promised a reported bounty — worked to close in on his position.

While much about the rescue effort for the downed U.S. weapons systems officer (WSO) remains unknown, newly confirmed details from President Trump and unnamed U.S. military officials are beginning to shed light on the daring mission that quickly became the Pentagon’s top priority.

After their F-15E fighter jet was struck in southwest Iran, both the pilot and the WSO ejected. The pilot was found and rescued in “broad daylight” after U.S. forces operated over Iran for seven hours, President Donald Trump revealed in a statement Sunday morning.

The rescue of the WSO, on the other hand, proved to be more challenging.

Described as a “highly respected Colonel,” the WSO, who was “seriously wounded,” was rescued “deep inside the mountains of Iran,” while Iranian forces were looking for him “in big numbers” and “getting close,” according to Trump.

After hitting the ground, the colonel relied on his Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training to avoid capture. The WSO, who was equipped with a beacon — a device that sends encrypted distress signals via satellite to rescue forces — was being monitored by the president, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and other officials during the rescue operation, Trump said. The president added that he directed “dozens of aircraft” to retrieve him.

The WSO climbed roughly 7,000 feet into mountainous terrain to conceal himself, as hundreds of special operations forces from various branches, along with dozens of warplanes and helicopters — and support from cyber, space, and intelligence assets — were mobilized to rescue him, according to The New York Times.

Israeli officials shared intelligence with the United States to aid the search-and-rescue effort, while the Israeli military paused air strikes in the area, according to Fox News. Meanwhile, the CIA launched a “deception campaign” inside Iran, spreading false information that the colonel had already been rescued — confusing Iranian forces as the operation unfolded, the outlet reported.

According to The New York Times, Iranian convoys attempting to reach the area were struck to keep them away from the extraction zone, and a senior military official described the mission as one of the most challenging and complex in U.S. special operations history. MQ-9 Reaper drones were used to create a lethal perimeter to protect the crew member from Iranians who got within three kilometers of the WSO, reported Air & Space Forces Magazine.


IDF intelligence, strikes helped US rescue downed pilot, sources told the 'Post'
New details have emerged regarding the unprecedented level of cooperation between the IDF and the United States military during a high-stakes rescue operation to retrieve American pilots after their F-15 crashed in Iranian territory last Friday.

The 48-hour mission, which a senior US official described as “the boldest and most courageous rescue operation in history,” relied also on Israeli intelligence and tactical support to ensure the pilots were extracted before they could be captured by Iranian forces.

According to sources who spoke with The Jerusalem Post, the IDF, acting in cooperation with US forces, launched a series of strikes against Iranian targets. These strikes were strategically designed to act as a diversion, drawing Iranian security forces away from the crash site and toward other areas.

In addition to the diversionary tactics, the IDF targeted specific Iranian assets with the intent to sabotage and disrupt Tehran’s race toward the pilots, blinding the Iranian military partially to the pilots’ location while the extraction team moved in.

Israeli and US officials told the Post that Israeli intelligence was also a component of the mission’s success.

“It was a US rescue mission; they did what many feared might not happen. Israel did what it could and what it was asked to do by the US military in order to help and save lives,” said an Israeli official.

The level of coordination reached the highest echelons of both militaries. Throughout the tense 48-hour window, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and US Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper remained in direct contact.


Cappy Army: Special Forces Wild Rescue Mission Deep in Iran
A U.S. F-15 is shot down deep inside Iran, triggering one of the most intense combat search and rescue missions in modern history. Hundreds of commandos, CIA operatives, and special aircraft race against Iranian forces to recover two downed airmen. We break down the tactics, the risks, and how the U.S. temporarily carved out air superiority inside hostile territory, while Iran adapts and the air war enters a far more dangerous phase.




Iran hits Israeli industrial zone for third time, strikes critical energy infrastructure across Gulf
Amid the attacks, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Iran will “pay painful prices” and its national infrastructure will “collapse” if it continues to fire missiles at Israel.

“As we have stated: As long as missile fire toward Israeli civilians continues, Iran will pay painful prices that will erode and collapse its national infrastructure,” he said, following an assessment with military officials.

Katz also referred to the Israeli strike a day earlier on petrochemical facilities in southern Iran, saying that “the petrochemical industry has generated approximately $18 billion over the past two years for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps terror organization, and directly serves Iran’s missile production industry.”

As US-Israeli attacks have hit targets that are key to the Islamic Republic’s economy, the Iranian regime has repeatedly threatened and attacked civilian infrastructure in Gulf countries.

Iran fired missiles and launched drones at civilian infrastructure facilities across the Gulf on Sunday, causing significant damage at several sites.

Authorities in Abu Dhabi said on Sunday they battled fires at a petrochemical plant in Ruwais Industrial City on the UAE’s northwest coast “caused by falling debris following successful interceptions by air defense systems.”

“Operations at the facility have been immediately suspended while damage is assessed. No injuries have been reported,” the Gulf emirate’s media office said, after the United Arab Emirates’ defense ministry earlier said it was responding to missile and drone attacks.

Bahrain’s state energy company said an Iranian drone attack sparked a fire at a storage tank that was later extinguished.

“Bapco Energies confirms an incident occurred at one of its storage facilities earlier today, resulting in a tank fire, as a result of a hostile Iranian drone attack,” the company said, without specifying the location of the blaze.

“The fire has been fully extinguished, and the situation is under control. Damages are currently being assessed and evaluated. No injuries have been reported,” it added.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s electricity and water ministry said two power and water desalination plants were damaged by a drone attack from Iran, causing “significant material damage and the shutdown of two electricity generating units.”


Israeli Health Ministry: 6,833 treated since start of ‘Roaring Lion’
Israel’s Health Ministry said on Sunday that 6,833 people have been evacuated to hospitals since the start of “Operation Roaring Lion” on Feb. 28.

Of these, 138 remain hospitalized, including two in critical condition, 14 in serious condition, 26 in satisfactory condition, 93 in good condition, two suffering from anxiety and one under medical evaluation, according to the ministry.

During the past 24 hours, hospitals received 108 new patients—two in satisfactory condition, 105 in good condition and one suffering from anxiety, according to the statement.

The Health Ministry urged the public to seek treatment for non-emergencies through the health funds’ urgent care centers to reduce pressure on hospital emergency rooms. It also reminded citizens that resilience centers and emotional support hotlines are operating nationwide.

The civilian death toll in Israel since the start of the war stood at 19 as of April 3, according to the Alma Research and Education Center.
Haifa fire chief says search ongoing for 4 feared buried until rubble in ‘most severe scene’ in city amid war
The commander of Haifa’s Fire and Rescue services station says that his personnel are cooperating with other forces to reach four people feared trapped under the rubble of a residential building struck by an Iranian ballistic missile in Haifa, as the search continues into the night.

Station commander Kobi Mizrahi says the fire service was working with police, the IDF Home Front Command, and the Magen David Adom ambulance service to reach the four people, who have not yet made contact with rescue forces.

“From the standpoint of this war, this is the most severe scene in our district until now, including the scope of the destruction, the complexity, and the casualties, of course, the Kobi Mizrahi says in a statement.


Call me Back Podcast: Countdown to Trump’s 48-Hour Ultimatum — with Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal
Will Trump’s ultimatum trigger a decisive strike on Iran—or force a last-minute deal?

As the clock ticks toward a U.S. deadline, Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Amit Segal to break down what comes next: a widening war, a strategic endgame, or something in between. They unpack competing military options, the role of Iran’s energy sector, the risks of escalation across the region, and whether regime change is a realistic outcome—or a dangerous illusion.

In this episode:
02:45 - Trump’s Ultimatum: What It Actually Means
05:45 - Extend, Escalate, or Strike: The U.S. Decision Tree
06:42 - Targeting Iran’s Energy Sector: Pressure vs. Shock
11:03 - Ground Forces on the Table? Risks and Realities
17:00 - No Deal, No Deterrence: Can This War End Cleanly?
18:00 - Iran’s Leverage: Hormuz and Regional Retaliation
21:30 - Endgames: Regime Change, Containment, or Endless Conflict
29:33 - Hezbollah, Lebanon, and the Second Front




British TV show linked to ‘Iran spy hub’ could face legal action
The Home Office is threatening legal action against a British-based TV show backed by a television network with links to Iran.

Chris Williamson, the co-presenter of Palestine Declassified, said the studio behind his programme had received a letter from the Government signalling potential legal action under the National Security Act.

Palestine Declassified is a weekly programme on Press TV that discusses “the worldwide struggle to liberate Palestine”.

Last month, The Telegraph reported on accusations that Press TV, the English-language channel of Iran’s state broadcaster which has a studio in London, was being used by the Iranian regime as a front to recruit agents.

Earlier this week, Mr Williamson claimed that the studio had received “an unsigned and highly unusual letter from the Home Office because of supposed foreign influence”.

“I’ve been presenting a weekly programme alongside David Miller for the last four years,” he wrote on X, “but the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is now trying to shut us down.”

Mr Williamson accused the Government of “state intimidation”, insisting that the show had no relationship to Press TV or Iran as it was “independently produced”.

This is despite Palestine Declassified’s telecasts being marked with a Press TV watermark. Its shows are also available on the official Press TV website.

Press TV has been sanctioned by the EU, Australia, Canada and the US, all of which cited that Press TV had broadcast the forced confessions of detainees, including journalists and activists.

Press TV had its Ofcom licence revoked in 2012 and has been banned from YouTube. But it continues to stream its content across other social media sites.


travelingisrael.com: ISRAEL: The ultimate END. (A million people watched this lie about Israel)
A new video with over a million views claims Israel is an immoral, European colonial project heading toward its end... So I went through every argument, one by one. Watch me respond to Richard Sanders of Double Down News with the facts they forgot to include.




Ro Khanna says he’ll reject Iron Dome funding, joining AOC
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) said Wednesday he would reject further funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, echoing a position taken this week by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), under pressure from some members of the Democratic Socialists of America.

“The Iron Dom[e] is important & saves lives. Israel should be able to buy it on their own with a $45 defense billion budget,” Khanna said, closely following the stance taken by Ocasio-Cortez.

“Israel is a first world country, and it can pay for the defensive systems it needs. We should not be subsidizing them, especially given their egregious violations of human rights law. Even Netanyahu has recognized the inevitability of Israel moving away from US aid.”

Both Khanna and Ocasio-Cortez are positioning themselves to run for higher office, and their pivots indicate how left-wing members are racing to adopt maximalist anti-Israel positions, as even some rank-and-file Democrats are taking a chillier view towards the Jewish state.
Analilia Mejia on defensive over Israel record in NJ-11 debate with Republican Joe Hathaway
Joe Hathaway, the Republican nominee in the special election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, repeatedly accused Democratic nominee Analilia Mejia, a progressive organizer, of espousing antisemitism and taking stances that would make the district’s sizable Jewish community unsafe, during their sole debate earlier this week.

Hathaway, in his opening statement, said that Mejia would “demonize thousands of members of our Jewish community.” The Randolph, N.J. city councilman has leaned into outreach to Jewish voters during the campaign.

Mejia, who won the special election primary in part because of significant United Democracy Project spending against the frontrunner, former Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), is favored to win in a district that backed Kamala Harris by eight points.

Though she had described the war in Gaza as a genocide less than a month after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, Mejia stopped short of using that word during the debate. Instead, she said that “many individuals are feeling conflicted about what we are seeing in Gaza,” while accusing Israel and its prime minister of having committed war crimes.

“I believe that criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu and his administration is not anti-Israel any more than criticism of Donald Trump is anti-American,” Mejia said. “Neither man deserves a blank check or a blind eye.”

Hathaway responded by highlighting past instances in which Mejia has accused Israel of genocide, in spite of her dodge on the issue during the debate, and said that her positions are “radically out of touch with a district that has a thriving Jewish community that is made less safe, more dangerous by this extreme rhetoric. It has to stop.”

He accused Mejia of blaming Israel for the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks — something she denied. On Oct. 10, 2023, Mejia said that “Every fiber of my being is horrified beyond words at what is furthering in Gaza. Yet again we see how oppression & dehumanization leads to despair & unthinkable destruction,” without making direct mention of Hamas’ attack.

He also highlighted that she said during a primary candidate forum that she felt “incredible discomfort” with the idea of Israel being a Jewish state.


Seven arrested over alleged Palestine Action support at RAF base protest
Seven people have been arrested on suspicion of supporting banned group Palestine Action at an RAF base in Suffolk during peace protests against the Iran war.

The five men and two women were arrested at a peace encampment outside the main gate of Lakenheath airbase on Sunday morning, police said.

The protest follows reports from some media outlets that a US fighter jet shot down in Iran on Friday had taken off from the Lakenheath base.

In a statement, Lakenheath Alliance For Peace said the arrests were made after retired colonel Chris Romberg made a speech to protesters.

Suffolk Police said: “Police have arrested seven people, five men and two women, in Lakenheath on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation.

“They have been taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre for questioning.

“Suffolk Police has a duty to enforce the law without fear or favour and as it currently stands, not as it might be in the future.

“As such, where offences are believed to have occurred appropriate action will be taken.”

The High Court ruled the proscription of Palestine Action was unlawful in February, but also granted the Home Office leave to appeal against the decision, leaving the proscription in place pending the outcome of the appeal.


Activists disrupt London reading of play on LGBTQ+ Palestinians
A London theatre event featuring a play about LGBTQ+ Palestinians seeking refuge in Israel was disrupted by activists during a post-show discussion, prompting some audience members to leave early.

The rehearsed reading of Sharif, written by Israeli journalist and playwright Tomer Aldubi, took place on Tuesday evening at King’s Head Theatre, following an earlier performance at JW3.

The production explores the experiences of LGBTQ+ Palestinians who flee to Israel to escape persecution, drawing on real-life testimonies and years of research.

But what had been intended as a facilitated Q&A with the creative team became increasingly hostile, according to an attendee who spoke to Jewish News.

The attendee said the evening “started out as a civilised, convivial event” before a number of individuals appeared to take over the discussion.

“I was sitting next to one of them, and I could see he hadn’t come to experience the play,” they said. “His hand shot up the minute the Q&A began, and he read out a pre-written statement attacking Tomer and the state of Israel.”

They added that others joined in, turning the discussion into “an outpouring of hateful rhetoric”.

“What was meant to be an informed discussion degenerated into a vile onslaught of loathing and hatred towards Israel,” the attendee said.


NPR didn’t quote a single member of Michigan synagogue after attack — but interviewed terrorist’s pals in Lebanon
NPR didn’t manage to quote a single member of the Michigan synagogue that was attacked last month by a crazed Hezbollah-supporting terrorist last month — but did manage to track down his pals 6,000 miles away in Lebanon, a new report reveals.

Now even NPR’s public editor is criticizing the lefty broadcaster for the stunning oversight.

Instead of focusing on the victims in the heinous attack, a March 14 “All Things Considered” segment sent an NPR reporter to the Lebanon hometown of Ayman Ghazali, 41, who just days earlier had rammed his truck into a Jewish preschool at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township.

The FBI later confirmed Ghazali — who killed himself after engaging in a firefight with a security guard — was inspired by the Iran-backed terrorist group.

NPR headlined its article “In a small Lebanese town, grief and fear follow the Michigan synagogue attack,” resulting in listeners quickly calling out the publicly funded outlet for attempting to paint the terrorist and his family in a sympathetic light.

One listener, Batya Ungar-Sargon, wrote sarcastically in a Substack post about the coverage that “NPR found the real victim of an attack on 140 Jewish American babies — and it’s the Hezbollah-infested town in Lebanon that raised a family of terrorists.”

Israel Defense Forces revealed after the attack that Ghazali’s brother was a Hezbollah commander.

Another audience member, Richard Wilkins, took NPR to task for its one-sided coverage that downplayed the brothers’ known association with the terror group.

“NPR’s reaction? Sympathized understanding for the subsequent ‘grief and fear’ in his former hometown. Concealment of then public knowledge that those two brothers were Hezbollah terrorists, in a town full of Hezbollah sympathizers,” he wrote NPR’s public editor Kelly McBride.

McBride began her response defending NPR’s reasoning for its reporting 6,000 miles away in Lebanon.

“The journalistic purpose of the story was to explore the connection between the terror attack on the Michigan synagogue and the family that was killed on the other side of the world,” she wrote.

“Simply documenting that relationship and humanizing the family does not imply that Ghazali’s attempt to kill more than a hundred children was justified.”

However, she admitted that the network fell short in telling the full story.


Keir Starmer condemns ‘deeply concerning’ Kanye West festival headline plans
Sir Keir Starmer has criticised a music festival for allowing racist rapper Kanye West to headline, after the American’s Nazi messaging.

The Prime Minister said it was “deeply concerning” that the musician, also known as Ye, has been booked to headline Wireless Festival at Finsbury Park, north London.

The rapper has drawn widespread criticism in recent years after he began voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler, and has made a series of antisemitic remarks.

Last year, he released a song called Heil Hitler, a few months after advertising a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website.

As first reported by The Sun on Sunday, Sir Keir said: “It is deeply concerning that Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism.

“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe and secure.”
Pepsi and Diageo withdraw sponsorship of Wireless festival after Kanye West invite
Pepsi, the lead sponsor of London’s Wireless festival, and Diageo, owner of Johnnie Walker and Captain Morgan, have both announced they have withdrawn sponsorship of the event, after widespread backlash to the festival announcing that Kanye West would be headlining three nights this coming summer.

A Pepsi spokesperson told multiple media outlets, including Jewish News, this morning that “Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival.”

The announcement follows an intervention by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who told the Sun on Sunday that “it is deeply concerning that Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism.

“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe and secure.”

West, 48, has had two major and extended episodes in which he has described himself as a Nazi and publicly disparaged Jewish people. During the first, in 2022, he talked about going “Deathcon 3 [sic] on Jewish people”, claimed that he was being targeted by “the Jewish media” said “I am a Nazi”, and “there’s a a lot of things I love about Hitler”. He was ultimately dropped by sports giant Adidas, with whom he had previously enjoyed a successful and highly lucrative partnership, via the “Yeezy” trainer line.

Having apologised to the Jewish community in 2023, in 2025 West publicly revoked that apology, saying, “I’m never apologising for my Jewish comments. I can say whatever the f— I wanna say forever”. He went on to describe himself as “a Nazi” again and in May 2025 released a song called “Heil Hitler”. He purchased a Superbowl ad which directed people to buy merchandise from his website, including clothes featuring a black swastika. As a result, West was dropped by his talent agency and banned from entering Australia.

All major UK Jewish communal organisations had condemned Wireless festival’s announcement. A CST spokesperson described it as “completely unacceptable”, adding that “while he has since apologised, this does not erase the impact of his words or actions and there is little confidence that he will not repeat his appalling views in future.”
Court orders Nazi-looted Modigliani painting be returned to Jewish art dealer’s estate
The New York Supreme Court ordered Friday that a 1918 Modigliani painting looted by the Nazis in France be returned to the estate of the Jewish art dealer who owned it, The New York Times reported, after an 11-year legal battle.

“Seated Man With a Cane,” which shows a mustachioed figure in a suit and hat with a cane, is worth an estimated $25 million.

Judge Joel M. Cohen found that the oil painting was the same piece that was confiscated during the German occupation of France from the Paris art shop of Oscar Stettiner, a British national who died in France in 1948.

In his ruling, Cohen rejected arguments to the contrary by Lebanese-born Jewish art dealer David Nahmad and his International Art Center holding company, which purchased the painting at auction in 1996.

“Oscar Stettiner owned or at a minimum had a superior right of possession of the painting prior to its unlawful seizure,” and “he never voluntarily relinquished it,” the judge wrote, according to the Times.

The defendants “failed to raise any material issues of fact, and offer no evidence that identifies anyone other than Mr. Stettiner as the owner of the painting or that he voluntarily relinquished it,” he added.
Archaeologists find 2,100-year-old bullet in Israel with ‘sarcastic’ message to enemies
Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,100-year-old sling bullet in Israel inscribed with a pointed message aimed at enemy forces.

The scientists found the bullet in a necropolis area along an ancient road at Hippos, once a prominent bishop’s seat during the Byzantine era. The city was known as Susita during the Hellenistic period, which lasted from 323 B.C. to about 31 B.C.

The projectile, which officials date to the second century B.C., was carved with the Greek word “Learn,” according to a press release obtained by Fox News Digital.

A picture of the ancient, oval-shaped lead sling bullet shows faint traces of the Greek script.

Michael Eisenberg, a University of Haifa archaeologist who recently published his findings in the journal PEQ along with colleague Arleta Kowalewska, believes the phrase was a “sarcastic” taunt, he said.

“At Hippos alone, 69 such projectiles have been identified so far, but this is the first in the world to bear the inscription ‘Learn,'” Eisenberg said, per the March release.

“This represents local sarcastic humor on the part of the city’s defenders, who wished to teach their enemies a lesson with a wink: ‘Learn your lesson!’”

The artifact is roughly 3.2 centimeters long and 1.95 centimeters wide, weighing 38 grams.

Excavators observed signs of impact damage on the projectile and believe it once weighed 45 grams.

The projectile was likely “fired by the city’s defenders from the city walls toward the enemy advancing to besiege the city,” officials said.
Ex-hostages host radio shows on songs of strength in captivity
Many former hostages who spent weeks, months, and years in Gaza captivity have spoken of songs that gave them strength during their torment and pulled them through dark moments.

Pianist Alon Ohel often tapped or hummed melodies, including Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and Yehudit Ravitz’s “Song Without a Name,” both of which gained new meaning in the dark tunnels.

Sagui Dekel-Chen has said he would play love songs in his head, including “Keren Shemesh” (Sunbeam), one of his young daughters’ favorite tunes.

Now, radio station Kan 88 is hosting a special Passover series called “Free Choice,” curated and hosted by former hostages Guy Gilboa-Dalal, Amit Soussana and Yarden Bibas.

The ex-captives will each oversee and host three one-hour-long evening programs on the station featuring the songs that were most meaningful to them before and during captivity.

Former captive Bibas has spoken about the role of music in his life with his wife, Shiri Bibas, before the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack that tore apart his family. Bibas was abducted separately from his wife, Shiri, and their young sons, Ariel and Kfir. His wife and boys were murdered in captivity. Ex-hostage Yarden Bibas (left) meets with lead singer of Disturbed, David Draiman, on his visit to Israel in July 2025. (Courtesy David Draiman)

Bibas buried his family in February 2025 at the Kibbutz Nir Oz cemetery, to a soundtrack of heavy-metal ballads from their life together.

“Music has always accompanied me; it was a refuge and comfort for me, and a way to express myself and my emotions when I couldn’t find the words,” Bibas said in a statement shared by Kan 88.

Bibas will appear on Kan 88 on April 6 at 9 p.m.




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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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