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Friday, July 24, 2026

07/23 Links Pt1: Americans Keep Buying the Same Used Car from Iran; Trump: US-Saudi nuclear deal contingent on Abraham Accords acceptance

From Ian:

Due to blogger's wobbly, yesterday's (22nd) links are in the comments here.

Iran Must Never Have a Nuclear Weapon
For months, the Commander-in-Chief has repeated a clear endstate: Iran will never possess a nuclear weapon. That objective is the only outcome consistent with American security, Israeli survival, and the prevention of nuclear-armed theocratic blackmail of the global energy system.

Iran's nuclear program is not a technical problem that can be solved by bombing centrifuges or stockpiles. It is a political-military program driven by a regime whose founding ideology and operational doctrine treat the acquisition of nuclear weapons as a means to destroy Israel and, ultimately, confront the U.S. As long as that leadership remains, the program can be reconstituted.

The June 2025 U.S.-Israeli strikes and the far larger February 2026 campaign severely damaged Natanz, Fordow, and related sites. Yet, the regime's scientific cadre, its archival blueprints, and its procurement networks survived. With residual scientists, data, and institutional knowledge intact, Iran can drastically shrink the timeline to a nuclear weapon in the near future despite recent setbacks.

"Managing" or "monitoring" the regime over time is a strategic illusion. It places the burden of eternal vigilance on future administrations that may lack the will, the congressional majorities, or the public support to act when Iran next sprints for the bomb. We have already watched this movie with North Korea. The difference is that a nuclear North Korea can be contained; a nuclear Iran cannot.

The permanent elimination of the regime's nuclear weapons ambition is achievable only by removing the regime that harbors it. Unconditional surrender of the Axis powers in 1945 is the relevant historical precedent. Germany and Japan were not "managed." Their regimes were destroyed, their ideologies discredited, and their war-making capacity permanently dismantled.

Leaving the Iranian regime in power after we have already killed its Supreme Leader and degraded its military is not prudence; it is strategic incoherence. Continuing to pursue diplomatic settlements with a proven non-compliant actor simply defers the day of reckoning.
Americans Keep Buying the Same Used Car from Iran
In Washington, negotiations are viewed as a pathway to an agreement. In Tehran, negotiations are viewed as another means of waging conflict. For Americans, an agreement represents the finish line. For the Iranian regime, it is, at most, an interim waypoint. Americans seek a resolution; Iranians seek an advantage.

For more than four decades, every time the U.S. has sought progress, the same Iranian "hardliners" have suddenly emerged as obstacles that must be appeased. Another small concession. Another limited sanctions waiver. Another symbolic gesture. Only then, perhaps, can the talks continue. From the Iranian perspective, this is the negotiating strategy.

There is little sense of defeat in Tehran. The regime's internal narrative is one of resilience. From the regime's perspective, the mere fact that the world's leading superpower continues to seek its consent constitutes a psychological and strategic victory in its own right. The U.S. increasingly appears to be responding to a tempo set by Tehran. Instead of rewriting the rules of the game, it seeks to negotiate more favorable terms within the existing framework.

In nearly every negotiating cycle, Americans convince themselves that an agreement is just around the corner, while Iranian leaders conclude that a little more patience will improve their bargaining position even further. Perhaps the question in Washington should no longer be, "What new proposal should we put forward?" Instead, policymakers should ask, "Why do we continue to assume that the other side views negotiations as serving the same purpose that we do?"

An operational alternative does exist. The U.S. possesses ample military capabilities to place overwhelming pressure on the Iranian regime. Rather than pursuing a costly ground invasion, Washington could impose a sustained maritime blockade.

Such an approach, however, would require strategic patience, political endurance, and a willingness to absorb retaliatory costs - qualities that successive American administrations have lacked. Consequently, the U.S. will most likely pursue yet another negotiated agreement.
Netanyahu’s insistence offers a clear hint of what lies ahead
“Call us when you’re serious,” U.S. Secretary of State James Baker told the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir in the early 1990s.

Under the current Republican administration, with the current Likud prime minister, Washington is still answering the phone. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump are speaking, although no longer every day.

Something has been amiss in relations between the White House and the Prime Minister’s Office since the war with Iran became more complicated. The president’s inner circle is smaller and more closed than in previous administrations, and gaining access to it has become increasingly difficult. The Americans are making it clear to the Israelis that they are running the war and that everything is fine, thank you very much. But it is evident to everyone that Israel is moving into the back seat.

As a seasoned politician, Netanyahu presumably knows how to recognize deliberate distancing. One example came when Vice President JD Vance said, “Israel’s standing in America is not good, and I don’t think anyone can dispute that.” Last week, Vance had already made clear that he occupied the “sensible center,” between those who see Israel as a problem and those who see it as an asset. That is interesting, but the president’s silence is even more so.

And then there is Saudi Arabia. This week, Trump granted the kingdom the civilian nuclear program it had long sought, contrary to Israel’s position and without the broader package deal Israel had wanted. Former President Joe Biden held up a similar move in an effort to link that incentive to the Abraham Accords. His successor went ahead without tying the two together. Lindsey Graham must surely be turning in his grave.

This is already the second time that has happened. After all, lifting the sanctions on Syria also eliminated the possibility of securing a peace agreement with Israel. And all this is unfolding while the departure of Wing of Zion, Israel’s official aircraft for the prime minister and president, is delayed again and again.

The situation also has implications for the election.

I once heard a campaign strategist say that as far as Israelis are concerned, everything happening in the Middle East is foreign news until missiles begin landing here.
Mossad says it foiled Iranian plot to infiltrate Israel, attack senior officials
Working with foreign intelligence services, Israel foiled an Iranian plot to send operatives into Israel to harm senior Israeli officials, the Mossad intelligence agency said in a statement on Thursday.

The effort, led by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry, involved turning to criminal organizations, who would in turn recruit people inside Israel or who could enter Israel for gathering intelligence on a target, then carrying out an attack.

Two criminals living in Iran under the protection of the Intelligence Ministry — Baba Mahuzadeh Haji Jafan, also known as “Babak”; and Mehmet Nadim Ya’it, also known as “Nadim” — recruited Turut Ozkor, a criminal living in France who went by the nickname “Philip.”

The handlers of Babak and Nadim in the Iranian Intelligence Ministry are named by the Mossad as Asadollah Behzad Oskhari, Vahid Matzoumi, Mohammad-Hossein Zoghi and Hamid Qasemi.

Oskhari was killed in Israel’s 12-day bombing campaign against Iran in 2025 and was a key figure in plots to attack Jewish and Israeli targets worldwide, said the Mossad.

Philip was tasked with recruiting a cell of foreign nationals who would enter Israel, it added.

He traveled to Iran on several occasions to meet handlers and be paid, according to the statement.

Philip was expelled by France, while Babak and Nadim remain in Iran.

“Despite the attempt to avoid an Iranian fingerprint, the proxy method repeatedly demonstrates the carelessness of the operatives on the ground, leading to the exposure of their handlers in Iran,” said the Mossad.

The Mossad worked with Shin Bet and foreign intelligence agencies to uncover the network, the statement added.


Attacker shouting ‘allahu akbar’ stabs Jewish man with a screwdriver in NYC
An attacker stabbed a Jewish man while shouting “allahu akbar” in New York City on Thursday afternoon, the NYPD said, citing victim and witness statements.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said two victims were stabbed in separate attacks on the Upper West Side.

One of the victims was Jewish, and one was Asian, Tisch said.

Tisch identified the suspect as 51-year-old Raul Morales, who was taken into custody shortly after the incidents. She said the NYPD was evaluating whether the attack was a hate crime, adding that “mental health may have been a factor.”

New York Assemblymember Micah Lasher, a Jewish representative of the area, was at the scene and told The Times of Israel that one of the victims was wearing a kippah.

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin said the incident appeared to be antisemitic in nature.

“The fear in the Jewish community is real. Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood, regardless of their faith or identity,” Menin said in a statement.

The incident took place on Tisha B’av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, which is marked with prayer and fasting.
Must be price for Jewish blood, ‘mayhem going on,’ rabbi tells JNS after man wearing kippah stabbed in NYC by attacker who, witnesses say, yelled ‘Allahu akbar’
Nava Silton, youth director at the Jewish Center, was packing up and readying to leave the Modern Orthodox synagogue on the Upper West Side of Manhattan after running a program for the Jewish fast of Tisha B’Av on Thursday. She chatted with a friend, a 50-year-old man, who was leaving after praying the afternoon service of Mincha. Soon thereafter, she heard that someone had been stabbed outside the synagogue.

After running down the stairs and asking security what happened, she learned that it was the man with whom she had been talking and that he had just been taken to the hospital, Silton told JNS.

A man sitting on the stairs of a nearby church, who was eating his lunch, told her that he heard someone yell Allahu Akbar, and when he looked up, he saw someone stab someone else in the right side of the chest with a screwdriver.

“Then the guy had the gall to walk by him, sitting there on the steps, and say something like, ‘Someone should probably call 911. Someone on the street is hurt,’” Silton told JNS. “Like he was trying to pretend that someone else did it. Like he was trying not to look culpable.”

Silton told JNS that she visited her friend in the hospital. “I was a little shocked, because I thought that the attack was more superficial and not as deep,” she said.

The victim told Silton that after he was stabbed, he pulled the screwdriver out of his chest, fearing that he might fall on it and worsen his injury.

Jessica Tisch, commissioner of the New York City Police Department, stated that “this afternoon, two people were stabbed in separate attacks on the Upper West Side. Both victims, an Asian male and a Jewish male, were removed to Mount Sinai-St. Luke’s Hospital, and both are expected to survive.”

“The NYPD has arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales in connection with both assaults, and no other people are being sought,” she said. “Detectives are continuing to work the case and determine motive, but according to victim and witness statements, Morales yelled Allahu Akbar during both attacks. The NYPD is currently evaluating whether this is a potential hate crime.”

“While the perpetrator has no known mental-health history with the NYPD, the initial investigation suggests that mental health may have been a factor,” she stated. “At this time there is no known link between Morales and either of the victims, nor between the victims and each other.”


Manchester police admit having prior access to synagogue attacker’s phone, which went unchecked for extremist content
Police had access to the phone of the British-Syrian national before he carried out a deadly ramming and stabbing attack on a Manchester synagogue last year. However, officers did not analyze the phone for radical content, which they later learned was on it.

The admission was made by Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson in an apology statement.

Jihad al-Shamie had been previously arrested for alleged rape, at which point his devices were seized by police. Shamie was out on bail in October 2025 when he rammed his car into the gates of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation as congregants gathered for Yom Kippur morning prayer services. He stabbed Melvin Cravitz, 66, to death after disembarking, then tried to storm the synagogue before police shot him dead. Adrian Daulby, 53, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest fired by a police officer responding to the situation.

“In conducting an internal review, it became apparent that GMP had seized Al-Shamie’s mobile devices, at the point of each arrest. The significance of the data contents of these devices was substantial in respect of evidencing an extremist mindset,” Watson says.

“I am disappointed at the prospect of adding to the distress of all of those affected by the terrible events last October. For this, I am deeply sorry,” he adds.
Jonathan Sacerdoti: Wes Streeting is clueless about Israel
As Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, in his first speech as head of the terrorist group’s political bureau, promised to ‘continue on the same path and footsteps as before, carrying the banner high, until it flies over Al-Aqsa (Jerusalem) and the lands of a free and proud Palestine,’ Britain’s new Defence Secretary was also making his own promises to diminish Israel.

Just two days into his new job, Wesley Streeting declared that he ‘fear[s] Israel has fallen short’ of British military standards in Gaza. It is an extraordinary claim from a man who has been in the job barely long enough to set up his computer login, but long enough to have attracted the criticism of former army chief Richard Dannatt, who said Streeting ‘knows pretty much the square root of nothing about defence’.

As Britain adjusts to its new Prime Minister and his new choice for Defence Secretary, Hamas is also under new leadership, with al-Hayya promising the terrorist group will ‘continue to act across all fronts for Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem.’ When it comes to their policy on Israel, Messers Streeting and Burnham seem determined to do the same, following on from Keir Starmer’s decision to ‘recognise’ a Palestinian state which has no defined borders, population or just about any other required feature of statehood. No matter: it is Israel which has ‘fallen short’ and must be punished. The invaders of October 7th shall reap the rewards of British recognition and a tsunami of British taxpayer money in aid.

Streeting had already decided Israel was guilty of war crimes when he texted his pal Peter Mandelson months ago. But what has he seen during his first two days at the Ministry of Defence that has enabled him to assess the conduct of one of the most complex urban wars in modern history? Which operational briefings, legal assessments or intelligence reports have led him to conclude that Israel has failed to meet British standards? What exactly confirmed to him that he was right to judge a state defending itself against both the gathered proxy forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its own formidable arsenal of ballistic missiles, and also a worldwide campaign of disinformation and condemnation?

Streeting acknowledges his own lack of military experience or knowledge – ‘that’s precisely why the Prime Minister hasn’t asked me to be chief of the defence staff’, he said on Wednesday. But there have been many who do have experience in the military who have been brave enough to speak out against the populist trend to trash Israel just as it is fighting its toughest war of survival.

General Sir John McColl, the former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe at Nato, said after visiting Israel that the IDF’s procedures under the law of armed conflict ‘are as strong as ours’. He said Israeli forces were doing ‘their absolute level best’ to minimise civilian casualties. He compared it to ‘dealing with Falluja in 2004 where British troops dealt with suicide bombers hiding behind civilian shields, booby traps everywhere, but the difference in Gaza is the extraordinary tunnel mechanism that they have there.’ It seems, then, that British military standards never had the same level of stress testing as the harsh reality in the Gaza strip has provided for the IDF.

Colonel Richard Kemp, who commanded British forces in Afghanistan, has called the war-crimes framing erroneous and has long argued that the IDF operates to an exceptionally high standard. General Martin Dempsey, the former Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Israel went to ‘extraordinary lengths’ to limit collateral damage and civilian casualties.

The High-Level Military Group, whose members included senior officers from Britain, Germany, America, Australia, Spain and France, concluded that Israel’s conduct met, and in some respects exceeded, the standards Western militaries set for themselves. John Spencer, a leading scholar of urban warfare, has described Israel’s civilian-harm mitigation measures as the ‘gold standard’.

Wes Streeting may disagree with all of them. But he should explain why. A serious accusation requires more than self-assured bluster.
Andrew Fox: I served in Afghanistan: Wes Streeting’s claim that the IDF fell short of British Army standards is slander
Two days into his role as Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting has grossly abused the gravitas of his position to slander the State of Israel and spread blood libels that led to the murder of Jews in the United Kingdom. Yesterday, without providing any evidence, he said that the IDF has “fallen short” of British soldiers’ standards.

I served in the British Army for 16 years. Permit me the indulgence of two tragic war stories. On my first tour of Afghanistan, we launched a combined-arms, battlegroup-sized assault into the Helmand River valley, known as the Witch’s Hat. The advance was slowed by Taliban fire from a compound. The company commander called for an air strike. A 500 lb bomb was dropped, the compound was destroyed, and the advance continued. We later learned that the compound had also housed a family of six, including three children. All six were killed. It was a legal strike, but the story drives home the horrors of war.

On a later tour, our company was patrolling when we found a suspected improvised explosive device. We secured the location and called for an Ammunition Technical Officer to defuse the device. It took about four hours for the ATO to arrive and begin the task. At some point, the ATO stepped outside the safe lane we had marked. The device was triggered. The blast killed one soldier and wounded two others. This is the horror of fighting in a mined landscape.

Helmand was a landscape of desert, poppy fields, canals, mud compounds and dusty tracks. It was a dispersed, largely rural battlespace, punctuated by clusters of compounds that sometimes had to be cleared.

Gaza presented a far denser and more complex environment. The IDF had to fight house by house through a defensive system running through walls, floors and deep underground while protecting Israeli civilians from rocket fire. Hamas had spent years turning the ground beneath Gaza into a subterranean fortress, linking fighting positions, command posts and weapons stores. Shafts opened inside homes and civilian buildings. More than 250 hostages were taken into Gaza, many of them into that network, forcing Israeli troops to advance while searching for captives whom Hamas could move or kill at any moment.

We faced nothing comparable in Afghanistan. We did not contend with hundreds of miles of tunnels woven through the battlefield, clear apartment blocks while fighters emerged behind us from concealed shafts, or search for civilians held beneath the ground we were attacking. We fought a counterinsurgency against an enemy with limited heavy weapons and engineering capacity. The IDF was fighting a full-scale urban war against an organisation that had spent years fortifying the terrain above and below ground.

The density of explosives changes everything. Estimates given to me by IDF engineers ran into the tens of thousands, with an upper figure of about 100,000 improvised explosive devices. Spread evenly across Gaza, that is roughly one device for every half a football pitch. In built-up areas, the concentration was greater. Tunnel mouths, stairwells, doors and whole buildings could be rigged. The deliberate pace we enjoyed around one suspected device in Helmand was often unavailable to Israeli troops under fire. If they had stopped to defuse every device, they would never have made it past the Gaza border.

This also explains much of the physical destruction. In the areas I examined, a large proportion of damage resulted from ground clearance: explosive breaching, controlled demolition, armoured bulldozers, and the detonation of booby traps. Buildings were opened to create protected routes, brought down because they concealed tunnels, or destroyed after explosives rendered them unsafe. A photograph of rubble cannot tell you whether an aircraft struck the building, engineers demolished it, or Hamas explosives destroyed it during clearance. It cannot establish whether the action was lawful either.


The Firms Driving Israel's Defense-Tech Transformation
Dun & Bradstreet's Duns 100 index has published Israel's first comprehensive ranking of defense-industry companies, mapping 60 firms across the country's expanding defense-tech ecosystem.

The rankings span six categories: defense integrators, defense manufacturing, unmanned and autonomous systems, homeland security, intelligence and cyber, and tactical and ground equipment.

In June, Israel's Defense Ministry announced that defense exports for 2025 totaled $19.2 billion - a record broken for the fifth consecutive year and a surge of nearly 30% compared to 2024.

The director-general of the Defense Ministry, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amir Baram, said at the time, "The sharp surge in defense exports reflects the quality of Israel's defense industry, global demand, the IDF's operational successes, and our unique ecosystem."
Greece to buy $3 billion ‘Achilles Shield’ missile defense system from Israel
Greece has approved the purchase of a multi-layer air defense system from Israel, several types of drones and Embraer’s C-390 military transport aircraft, the Greek defense minister said on Thursday.

Greece is spending $3.1 billion on the system, and Reuters said its cost could be up to $4 billion.

The country’s security council, KYSEA, gave its initial approval earlier this year and approved the procurement contracts on Thursday, Nikos Dendias told journalists.

Greece wants to build a multi-layer anti-ballistic, anti-aircraft and anti-drone system, called “Achilles Shield,” with Israeli radars and missiles from the state-run Rafael and IAI defense companies forming the core of the system.

“It will be ready and fully operational within 35 months, starting from today,” said Dendias, adding that companies in Greece will produce at least 25 percent of the system.

Multiple other countries, including the United States and Ukraine, have expressed a desire to emulate Israel’s missile defense systems, including Iron Dome, following their frequent use in the country’s multifront war.

With strong economic and diplomatic ties, Greece and Israel operate an air training center on Greek territory, hold joint military annual drills and cooperate on anti-drone systems and cybersecurity. Last year, Athens bought 36 Israeli-made rocket artillery systems for about $739 million.
Jonathan Sacerdoti: How Britain and Europe rely on Israeli defence tech, whatever their leaders say — Yuval Steinitz
Israel has become one of the most formidable developers of advanced defence systems in the world, despite its tiny size and population. Now, as calls to boycott its arms industry grow louder across Europe, Yuval Steinitz — Chairman of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and former Israeli Minister of Finance, Energy and Intelligence, as well as an early chartered member of Peace Now in th 1980s — tells Jonathan Sacerdoti how Iron Dome, David's Sling and the revolutionary Iron Beam laser have defended the country against more than 40,000 missiles and rockets in three years, and why he believes those pushing to disarm Israel are handing its enemies exactly what they want.

As Britain reluctantly accepts its new Prime Minister, Steinitz responds to Andy Burnham's proposed arms restrictions on Israel, argues that singling out the Jewish state for boycott while ignoring China, Russia or Saudi Arabia is indefensible, and points out that British fighter jets and air defense systems already depend on Israeli technology developed by Rafael.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Jonathan Sacerdoti speaks with Yuval Steinitz about the hypocrisy behind BDS, the $2 laser rewriting the rules of warfare, Israel's rise past Britain, France and Germany in GDP per capita, the legacy of David Ben-Gurion, and what a defenceless Israel would mean for 8 million Jews.

🎯 We Discuss:
πŸš€ How Israel intercepted over 40,000 missiles and rockets in three years
πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ Why Britain's new Prime Minister made Israel his first target
⚖️ The hypocrisy Steinitz sees in boycotting Israel but not China, Russia or Saudi Arabia
πŸ’‘ The $2 laser beam that could end the era of missile warfare
πŸ‡«πŸ‡· How France's arms embargo backfired and forced Israel to build its own defence industry
πŸ“ˆ How Israel's GDP per capita overtook Britain, France and Germany
🏭 The secret history of Ben-Gurion founding Rafael in 1948
πŸ›°️ Why Britain's own fighter jets already rely on Israeli-developed technology
πŸ’€ Steinitz's warning: what a defenceless Israel would mean for 8 million Jews
πŸ•Š️ Why he still believes peace with the Palestinians remains possible


Burnham government set to announce West Bank settlement trade ban ‘within weeks’ of parliament sitting again
Andy Burnham’s government is preparing to introduce measures banning imports of goods from Israeli settlements in the West Bank in the first weeks after parliament reconvenes in September, Jewish News has learned.

The move, expected to be announced during a narrow parliamentary window, comes amid heightened international focus on settlement policies and regional tensions.

Officials in the Department for Business and Trade and the Foreign Office, who have been working on the sanctions, are acutely aware that there is only a “small window of opportunity” to announce the controversial move.

Israeli elections are set for October, and the parliamentary calendar means MPs return on September 1, break again on September 17, and reconvene on October 12—a tight schedule for such a significant policy shift.

Sources told Jewish News there is recognition that some leading communal organisations in the UK are prepared to oppose the ban strongly.

At the same time, officials note there is significant opposition among many UK Jews to settlement policy and to the escalation of violence.

Burnham has also been briefed on the timing of the Jewish High Holy Days—including Rosh Hashanah, which begins on the evening of September 11—and the importance of avoiding contentious announcements regarding Israel during these significant dates.

Burnham has made no secret of his desire for his government to adopt a tougher stance towards Israel’s government than was seen under Keir Starmer’s leadership.

He laid the groundwork for the settlement import ban in an interview with the Guardian earlier this month.


New House bill would bar United States from donating to UNRWA
The United States would be banned from making donations to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency under legislation that Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) introduced on Thursday.

“For more than 23 years, I have been sounding the alarm on UNRWA and its longstanding record of antisemitism and Jew-hatred,” stated Smith, co-chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism.

“UNRWA is one of the chief drivers of conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, and the United States government should play no part in supporting or financing this hate-filled organization’s operations,” he stated.

Smith, who introduced similar legislation in the last Congress, said that UNRWA has a long history of using antisemitic rhetoric and distributing antisemitic materials.

“UNRWA is antisemitic from top to bottom,” he stated. “Through its textbooks and materials praising terrorist groups and condemning the Jewish people, this organization teaches Palestinian children to hate Jews, essentially functioning as a child soldier factory.”

Agencies and people that receive humanitarian assistance from UNRWA through other agencies would not be cut off from U.S. funds as long as “the secretary of state certifies to Congress that such agencies or entities do not promote, espouse or affiliate with entities or individuals that promote violence, terrorism or antisemitism, or employ individuals who do the same,” the bill states.


125 countries to vote Friday on permanent removal of ICC chief accused of sexual misconduct
Diplomats from around the world are gathering at United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday to decide whether to permanently remove the embattled chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

British barrister Karim Khan has been accused of sexual misconduct with a female aide, as outlined by The Associated Press in a series of stories, allegations which he has steadfastly denied.

The saga has dragged on for more than two years and has had profound implications for the global tribunal, which is already under enormous pressure. Earlier this month, the United States, which has long criticized the court, announced a campaign aimed at dismantling the 24-year-old institution.

The 56-year-old Khan was formally removed from his duties at the ICC in June after the executive committee of the court’s oversight body found he had committed “serious breach of duty and serious misconduct” by engaging in a “sexual relationship… [that] escalated over time” and tried to prevent the woman from pursuing her allegations, according to documents seen by The Associated Press. Khan disputes those findings.


US congressman files complaint against Sydney law professor for calling for Donald Trump’s arrest
An Australian law professor associated with the United Nations Human Rights Council has been referred to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for calling for the arrest of US President Donald Trump and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and attacking Israel while accepting $200,000 in funding from the Chinese government.

Ben Saul, who holds the Challis Chair of International Law at Sydney University, has “repeatedly used his mandate” as the UN special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism “to undermine US counterterrorism policy”, Republican Congressman Joe Wilson wrote to Mr Rubio on Tuesday.

“I write to urge the Administration to take action regarding additional United Nations Special Rapporteurs by conducting a review to examine whether any should be sanctioned for abusing their UN mandates to advance campaigns that target the United States and its allies,” the letter from the long-time the South Carolina congressman representative said.

Sydney University, which was criticised last week in the anti-Semitism royal commission over an anti-Israel encampment during the Israel-Hamas war, offered fulsome support for its academic, who is not paid for the UN role.

“Professor Saul is an exceptional scholar and a world-leading expert on international law including international humanitarian and human rights law, and we fully support his right to provide expert commentary in his area of expertise,” Law School head Fleur Johns said.

Taking Netanyahu to the ICC
The complaint, which covers four other part-time UN officials, highlights anger within the Republican Party over resistance to US foreign policy in the New York-based international organisation, especially by Francesca Albanese, the Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories and a trenchant opponent of Israel.

The Trump Administration has declared Ms Albanese a “specially designated national” and forbade American citizens and companies from working with her.

In his letter, Mr Wilson said Prof. Saul and the other UN officials had engaged in similar conduct as Ms Albanese “including active cooperation” with a campaign to prosecute Israeli officials such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the International Criminal Court over the war.

“Those who exploit the authority of a UN mandate to advance politically motivated campaigns against the United States and its allies should not enjoy immunity from scrutiny or consequences,” Mr Wilson said.


Israel, Russia oppose electing UN human rights chief Volker Turk to a new term
United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Turk, an outspoken critic of Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s conduct in Gaza, faces opposition from both countries to a second four-year term ahead of a potentially contentious vote on Friday, diplomats tell Reuters.

Turk, a lawyer who has worked for the United Nations for decades in major offices such as Geneva and field locations including Kosovo, ends his first four-year term in October.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has worked closely with Turk in the past and who steps down in December, has proposed another term for the Austrian until 2030.

However, Russia has submitted a counter-proposal to extend his term by just over two months, until the end of 2026, according to a copy seen by Reuters. Three diplomats said Israel also opposed a four-year extension and that Washington had raised doubts, turning what had been expected to be a consensus-backed reappointment into a contentious vote.

Others have also privately questioned another full term, saying the matter should instead be determined by Guterres’s successor. Guterres’s term ends at the end of 2026, and the selection process for the next UN secretary general kicks off next week.


Iran said to reject US ceasefire proposal passed along by Iraqi prime minister
Iran has reportedly rejected a ceasefire deal passed along from the United States by Iraqi mediators.

According to The New York Times, citing Iranian and Iraqi officials, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi traveled to Iran today with a proposal formulated not long after he met with US President Donald Trump in the White House earlier this month.

Iranian officials tell the newspaper, however, that they are not interested in a “temporary deal” that does not address the final status of the Strait of Hormuz, a key sticking point in negotiations.

Al-Zaidi’s office says he visited Tehran today to call for peace and dialogue, and promised not to allow Iraqi territory to be used for attacks on Iran.
Trump: US-Saudi nuclear deal contingent on Abraham Accords acceptance
Donald Trump has stated that a proposed nuclear deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia will only go ahead if the latter joins “the very respected and successful Abraham Accords”.

The planned deal – announced on Wednesday by US energy secretary Chris Wright, would see American companies building civilian nuclear plants, with the oil-rich country seeking to diversify its energy output. Wright described the deal as having been made to “advance U.S. and regional security by upholding high standards of nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation.”

Israeli politicians had expressed significant reservations about such a deal, raising the possibility of a nuclear arms race in the region. There was particular unease about the US granting Saudi Arabia such access to nuclear capabilities without the recognition of Israel, which was a condition believed to have been key in similar negotiations which took place during the Biden presidency.

However, in a comment on his Truth Social network, President Trump said that “The Civil Nuclear Deal (There will be no enrichment of material!) being made between the United States Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia, which pertains only to non-military use such as the ones that Iran and UAE (and others) already have, will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords. The United States is not opposed to Civil (Non-Enriched) Nuclear Facilities.”

The Abraham Accords, signed by the United Emirates and Bahrain in 2020, normalised relations between the two Arab countries and Israel. Sudan, Morocco and Kazakhstan subsequently also signed up to the Accords, which have been widely seen as the key diplomatic achievement of Donald Trump’s first term as President.

Saudi Arabia has previously stated that it would not sign the Accords until after the establishment of a Palestinian state. However, the country was understood to be on the verge of doing so prior to the 7 October attacks by Hamas and Israel’s response. It is believed that one of the reasons for the Hamas attack was an effort to derail this process.


Trump says he is close to launching 'massive attack' on Iran, 'bigger than ever before'
US President Donald Trump is close to making a decision on whether to launch a new major combat operation against Iran, he told Axios on Thursday.

"I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it," he said.

Trump added that Israel "would join in two minutes if I ask them to," but that there would be "consequences" to it joining the strikes, and that the United States didn't need any assistance.

His relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said, was very good. "Relations with Bibi are very good. I would meet with him if he is here," he stated.

During the interview with Axios, Trump also said that Iran wants to negotiate, but that they "haven't received enough pain yet."

Two regional sources corroborated that the Iranian leadership was "not being helpful" in negotiations, and had not accepted the latest proposal.


CENTCOM: Despite IRGC threats, Strait of Hormuz is ‘open for transit’
Despite claims by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the contrary, the Islamic Republic does not control the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said on Wednesday.

“The international waterway remains open for transit regardless of IRGC threats and attacks,” CENTCOM wrote on X.

“Commercial vessels continue to use the strait with U.S. military support. Since early May, American forces have helped more than 900 ships transit the strait,” it added.

On Thursday morning, the IRGC said it had prevented three oil tankers from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that the choke point is under its control, AFP reported.

The Iranian force—designated by the U.S. and a slew of other countries as a terrorist organization—said via Iranian state media that ships may pass through the waterway only in routes authorized by Tehran.
The Threat to Israel from Palestinian Authority Security Forces
The roots of the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) are deeply embedded in terrorism. It trains and prepares its officers to occupy communities while glorifying messages of "return" to Haifa, Be'er Sheva, and Jaffa. Foundational events such as the Western Wall Tunnel riots in 1996 and the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000 revealed that the weapons given to the PASF for policing purposes quickly became tools of organized murder, directed and supported by the highest levels of the Palestinian Authority leadership.

In complete contradiction to the limitations stipulated in the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority has established a semi-regular army numbering tens of thousands of armed personnel, including elite offensive units equipped with heavy military weaponry.

The events of Oct. 7 were the result of a long-standing conceptual paradigm that assumed quiet would be met with quiet. We convinced ourselves that the other side sought normalization and co-existence. Oct. 7 taught us to take a sober, broad, and serious look at the security reality around us. In Judea and Samaria we are ignoring the largest terrorist force in the area.

Even if we rely on the most conservative estimates regarding the PASF's active force size, the violation of international law is significant, with weapons and ammunition far exceeding agreed-upon limits. We may find ourselves facing even more murderous incursions into Israeli cities and communities, close-range combat, massacres and atrocities in the heart of Israel. The security of the State of Israel must rest on its own sovereignty and strength, not on terrorist forces dedicated to the establishment of another Islamist state and the inevitable destruction of the State of Israel.
Israeli civilian, IDF soldier wounded in two Palestinian stabbing attacks in Samaria
Two separate Palestinian stabbing attacks in Samaria on Thursday left an Israeli civilian seriously wounded and an IDF soldier lightly injured, while the attackers were killed by an armed civilian and Israeli troops, authorities said.

Two Palestinians stabbed a 51-year-old Israeli man on Thursday while he and other Israelis attempted to extinguish a fire near Derech Avraham Farm, southeast of Nablus in Samaria, the Israel Defense Forces said. An Israeli civilian at the scene witnessed the terrorist attack and killed the two terrorists, the military said.

In a separate terrorist attack on Thursday afternoon, a Palestinian stabbed a Paratroopers Brigade soldier in the leg at a recently established IDF post near Ganim in northern Samaria. The soldier sustained light wounds, and fellow troops at the scene shot and killed the attacker.

The victim of the first attack was evacuated by helicopter by the Israeli Air Force’s Unit 669 combat search-and-rescue unit for further treatment at a hospital. He sustained serious wounds, the Magen David Adom national emergency service said.

IDF soldiers launched searches in the Beit Furik area and imposed a temporary cordon, the army added.

Defense Minister Israel Katz identified the victim as Itamar Cohen.

“I wish a speedy recovery to Itamar Cohen, one of the founders of the agricultural farms in Judea and Samaria, who was wounded in a terrorist attack near Alon Moreh. I strengthen him and his family members and pray for his complete healing,” Katz wrote on X.

He added that Palestinian terrorism has declined by more than 80% due to the government’s “aggressive policy,” but cautioned that “we must not be mistaken—the Palestinian terrorism still exists, and we continue to act against it at all times and in all places.”

Katz said that just as Israeli security forces dismantled terrorist infrastructure in Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams, they would not hesitate to do the same in additional villages and camps.

“Terrorism will not deter us or achieve its goal. On the contrary—just as we established 104 new communities and legalized 160 farms—we will continue to strengthen the settlements … as part of the State of Israel’s security strategy, and to continue developing Judea and Samaria while maintaining uncompromising security for its residents and for the security of all Israeli citizens,” he said.


IDF Engineers Recount Dramatic Litani River Crossing in Lebanon
Huge rocks, sharp boulders, and dense green vegetation cover the mountain slopes and riverbanks of the Litani River in southern Lebanon. Crossing the Litani was one of the most complex and dangerous operations of the recent campaign against Hizbullah.

Several months before the IDF ultimately crossed, troops attempted to pass through the area but were hit by a deadly ambush. Two months later, troops came with the lessons of that failed attempt and a carefully developed tactical plan.

"The entire area was fully controlled from the hills above, with observation posts, explosives, drones and high-trajectory fire. Going in there was a classic ambush," said Lt.-Col. R., 37, commander of the 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion.

R. rejected the notion that the troops were defenseless against Hizbullah's explosive drones.

"The explosive-drone threat is challenging and problematic...but we are absolutely not sitting ducks. We develop solutions. We are not the hunted. We are the ones hunting Hizbullah and its infrastructure without stopping."
IDF slays Hamas terrorist who invaded Israel on Oct. 7
The Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) killed a Hamas terrorist this week who had infiltrated Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, along with two other Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, the two security arms said in a joint statement.

Abdallah Jahja, a terrorist in the Naval Force of Hamas’s “military” wing, invaded Israel during the Oct. 7 massacre in the northwestern Negev, and continued to advanced terrorist attacks in the maritime domain targeting IDF troops and Israeli civilians throughout the war and in recent days, the statement read.

Alongside Jahja, Mohammed al-Hawari, a cell commander in Hamas’s Zeitoun Battalion, and Sabhi Saqallah, an observation operative in the same battalion, were killed on Tuesday, the army and Shin Bet added.

Hamas’s soccer players
On Wednesday, the IDF identified 12 Palestinian soccer players, coaches and a FIFA referee who it said served in the “military” wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, explaining why it eliminated them and rejecting a false campaign accusing Israel of deliberately targeting athletes during the war in Gaza.

The military said that the men were targeted because of their involvement in terrorist activity, not because of their roles in soccer. According to the IDF, after they were killed, many were portrayed internationally as innocent players, coaches or referees, while their affiliations with terrorist organizations were ignored.

“These claims are proven to be false,” the IDF said, adding that the allegations mirror other campaigns portraying Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives as journalists, humanitarian aid workers and members of other protected professions.


Israel Advocacy Movement: I Debunked The Biggest Lie Told About Israel Last Year
Instead of a rigorous investigation, B'Tselem produced shallow propaganda that blurs the line between combatants and innocent civilians caught in conflict.




Commentary Podcast: Dire Straits
Today we are joined by WSJ's Matt Continetti and FDD's Jonathan Schanzer to speculate on Trump's new strategy in Iran after the resumption of strikes last week and Iran and the Houthis teaming up to choke the straits of Hormuz and Bab Al-Mandab, as well as the emerging Saudi nuclear deal. Plus, Vance support slips in favor of Marco Rubio, a check in on the polls in the leadup to the midterm, and Matt recommends The Burroughs.
US House passes defense bill including $750 million for security ties with Israel
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday narrowly passed its version of a massive defense policy bill, despite Democrats’ concerns about its huge price tag, the Iran war, and a provision that would boost Pentagon ties to Israel.

The fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which authorizes an unprecedented $1.15 trillion in spending for the military, passed the House 216 to 212.

The vote was largely along party lines, with all but seven Republicans voting in favor of the measure and all but six Democrats voting against.

The NDAA includes several provisions that allocate $750 million to US-Israel joint military projects.

The funds include “$500 million for missile defense, $100 million for counter‑unmanned systems, $100 million for subterranean operations, and $50 million for emerging technologies. The bill also extends the War Reserves Stockpile Authority–Israel,” AIPAC said in a statement.

“We applaud the inclusion of a new provision that will help keep America safe and bolster our strategic capabilities — the United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative. This authorizes the Pentagon to work even closer together with Israel in the strategic arenas that will define 21st‑century warfare, ensuring American troops have a greater edge over our adversaries,” it added.

Progressive Democrats sought to rally against the provision that boosted Israeli-US security cooperation, falsely claiming that it would integrate the countries’ intelligence services. However, the effort ultimately failed.

Last week, nearly half of House Democrats voted for a measure to cut off all military aid to Israel, reflecting the growing rupture between the party and Israel. Democrats on the party’s left flank have been strongly pushing to end US military aid to Israel entirely amid the midterm election primary campaigns, while its establishment wing wants to limit the assistance to solely defensive weaponry.
Ben Shapiro: You're Being Lied to About Israel and the US Military
The alliance of the Left w. the Horseshoe Right is manifesting in an absolutely idiotic propaganda campaign against the passage of a routine defense bill in Congress. The National Defense Authorization Act, or the NDAA, actually lowers costs for American taxpayers, explicitly asserts American sovereignty over all decision making, and protects America’s secrets. To help demystify things for you, we are going to look at the actual text of the bill.







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