Sunday, August 16, 2026

08/16 Links: Why Is There No Palestinian State?; Antisemitism at London-based ‘Guardian’ is worse than you think; Israeli journalists attacked in N. Ireland while filming documentary on antisemitism

From Ian:

Why Is There No Palestinian State?
There has never been a Palestinian state in all of history. There was never an independent Palestinian Arab country with its own government, army, currency, or capital. The word "Palestine" does not appear in the Hebrew Bible, the Christian New Testament, or the Koran.

In the modern era, Palestinian Arab statehood was repeatedly put within reach and repeatedly rejected beginning in 1937. In 1947, the UN proposed dividing British Mandatory Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. The Jewish leadership said yes, and the Arab leadership said no. From 1948 to 1967, Jordan controlled Judea and Samaria, while Egypt controlled Gaza. Yet no Palestinian state was created during those years.

In 1993, Israel decided to test a different path. Israel recognized the PLO, withdrew from Palestinian population centers, and helped establish the Palestinian Authority, expecting negotiations to lead to a permanent settlement. In July 2000, at Camp David under U.S. President Bill Clinton's auspices, Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered Yasser Arafat far-reaching territorial concessions, including in Jerusalem. Arafat rejected the deal. What followed was the Second Intifada. Israeli buses, restaurants, and cafes were attacked by Palestinian terrorists.

In 2005, Israel withdrew its soldiers and uprooted every Jewish community from Gaza - in a test of what Israeli withdrawal could produce. Hamas seized control and turned Gaza into a terrorist fortress. Rockets were fired at Israeli towns. Terror tunnels were dug under the border. On Oct. 7, 2023, 18 years after Israel had left Gaza, it became the launching pad for the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

If Israel were really the main reason there is no Palestinian state, then the periods when Israel was absent should have produced one - from 1948 to 1967 in Judea and Samaria and Gaza, and in the years following Israel's 2005 withdrawal from Gaza. They did not. Territory surrendered by Israel was used to prepare and launch the Oct. 7 massacre.

A Palestinian state under present conditions would be a gamble with millions of Israeli lives. After Oct. 7, why should Israel be expected to ignore every lesson of the past and take the same risk again?
Peace Index: 24% of Israeli Jews Support the Two-State Solution
According to Tel Aviv University's Peace Index survey of Israeli public opinion conducted on July 26-30, 2026, only 12% of Jewish respondents believe that negotiations will lead to peace in the coming years.

24% of the Jewish public support the two-state solution, but only 13% believe it has a chance of being achieved in the foreseeable future.

66% of the Jewish public support the expansion of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria based on security needs, while 25% oppose this.
Adam Levick: Antisemitism at London-based ‘Guardian’ is worse than you think
“What struck me most,” wrote Andrew Fox, a British army veteran specializing in defense, the Middle East and disinformation, about presentations he has given to anti-Zionist audiences, is “not just the hostility” but “the epistemic closure.” These people, he explained, “operate within a sealed universe of alternative facts,” where they have “absorbed over two-and-a-half years of propaganda via social media, activist networks, campus politics and the Hamas narrative laundered through supposedly respectable institutions.”

One of the supposedly “respectable institutions” that has taken this pro-Hamas propaganda laundering to the most extreme level is The Guardian—an outlet, CAMERA has demonstrated, that has spread libel after libel about the Jewish state and, by extension, Jews qua Jews, thus contributing to the antisemitism epidemic in the United Kingdom.

For instance, the mainstream media outlet began promoting variations of genocide libel on Oct. 14, 2023, just one week after the worst antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust, and 12 days before the Israel Defense Forces entered Gaza. They would publish op-eds hurling this libel another 12 times over the next 11 days.

The outlet was also the most enthusiastic promoter of the now-debunked Gaza famine libel, going further than most outlets by charging that Israeli leaders were intentionally starving Palestinians, including children, as a weapon of war while characterizing Israelis as monstrous and lacking basic humanity.

Even more troubling is the fact that their coverage at times crossed the line to explicit antisemitism by drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis, defined as antisemitic by the most widely accepted antisemitism definition.

On Oct. 24, 2023, a little more than three weeks after the Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 251 others, the outlet published an op-ed by Swedish academic Raz Segal. It “contextualized” the Hamas-led terrorist attacks by citing “the historical context of Israeli settler colonialism since the 1948 Nakba” (what Palestinian Arabs call the “catastrophe” of the establishment of modern-day Israel) before suggesting that the views of Israeli leaders concerning Gaza are informed by Nazi logic.

On June 25, 2024, an op-ed in The Guardian by the New York City-based writer John Oakes actually likened the situation in Gaza to the Nazis’ starvation of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto. Meanwhile, on Aug. 13 that year, the outlet published a piece by Brown University professor Omer Bartov, who alleged that Israel’s descent into Nazi-like behavior arguably predates the Oct. 7 war and could be seen in the anti-terror policies of then Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin during the First Intifada.

On May 7, 2025, Guardian contributor Ahmed Moor published a piece likening the actions of Israeli leaders he libeled as ordering the starvation of Palestinian civilians to those of Rudolf Höss, the Nazi Kommandant who led the Auschwitz prison camp in Poland during World War II and oversaw the extermination of millions of Jews from 1940 to 1943. The story of Höss and his family was recently made into a 2023 film called “The Zone of Interest.”
Norwegian Center for Conflict Resolution engaged directly with Hamas, NGO Monitor claims
The Oslo-based Norwegian Center for Conflict Resolution (NOREF) engaged in direct, systematic coordination with high-ranking Hamas officials, according to internal Hamas documents recovered from Gaza, declassified by the IDF and translated by NGO Monitor.

NOREF describes itself as an “independent foundation” that works to prevent, mitigate, and resolve international conflicts. It was, however, established on the initiative of the Norwegian government and remains primarily funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

According to NGO Monitor, the newly uncovered documents indicate that Hamas explicitly viewed NOREF as a strategic channel for influencing European Union policy and mitigating Hamas’ international isolation.

The evidence also reportedly shows that NOREF’s activities extended beyond occasional mediation and included at least one unpublicized joint project with EU-designated terrorist organizations.

Specifically, a July 2021 document details how Hamas explicitly sought to utilize NOREF’s access to Western political circles to manipulate European foreign policy.

Hamas officials met with NOREF staff in push to sway European position
The document said a meeting took place on May 15, 2021, between high-ranking Hamas officials – including Basem Naim (Head of Hamas’ Foreign Relations Office in Gaza) and Abdallah Walid (from the same office) – and a senior NOREF delegation consisting of Deputy Head Dr. Marte Heian-Engdal, Middle East Department Head Dr. Frida Nome, and Advisor Dr. Ziad Abu Mustafa.

The meeting’s stated agenda included “Mediating the relationship between Hamas and the European Union.”

During the meeting, Hamas detailed its strategy to capitalize on the “negative reality in the Palestinian territories to push toward changing the European position.”

The NOREF delegation allegedly solicited Hamas’ input on how to interface with European leaders to maximize benefit for Hamas, and asked, “What are the channels of communication that are currently working on dialogue between the movement [Hamas] and the European Union? How are we able to contribute to this dialogue without obstructing these efforts?”

A NOREF representative also praised Hamas’ cooperation on a joint initiative, stating, “We have the youth project, and we value your effort with us in facilitating some of the meetings and communications on this matter.”


Israeli journalists attacked in N. Ireland while filming documentary on European antisemitism
A crew from i24NEWS’ Hebrew channel was attacked over the weekend in Belfast, Northern Ireland, while filming for a documentary series on Europe’s rising antisemitism.

The incident happened while i24NEWS reporter Yonatan Raveh and cameraman Nadav Abbas were conducting street interviews near a well-known bar complex. Raveh told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that he believed the attacker, a man, had overheard them telling two Irish interviewees that they were from Israel.

“He came over to us and started asking questions. We put the camera on him, and then he gave us the middle finger and shouted: “f*** Israel.”

“We were not looking for any trouble; we were trying to be as peaceful as we can get, and we just walked away. But he started to follow us.”

The man attempted to grab Raveh and Abbas’ camera equipment, and made inappropriate gestures toward the camera. Raveh and Abbas called for police or security from any of the nearby establishments to intervene while the man followed them threateningly.

Raveh told the Post that bar security came over, saw what was happening, but “didn’t do anything.”

Beer mug thrown at i24NEWS cameraman
The man then threw a large glass beer mug at Abbas, hitting him in the head and cutting him. Security then intervened and put the journalists in the bar.

“They said they called the police, but we didn’t care. We saw that the man didn’t show up again, so we [left]; we didn’t want to wait for the police.”

As it was their last day in Northern Ireland, the crew decided to return to Israel so Abbas could receive medical treatment there instead.

While this was the first physical assault the crew suffered in Northern Ireland, Raveh told the Post that there were numerous verbal altercations, curses and slurs prior to that.

Reflecting on what he saw in the country, Raveh said there is a “big divide,” especially in Belfast, when it comes to views on Israel.

“In the specific case of Belfast, the city is kind of divided; it’s like two tribes inside the same city. The Irish Catholics were very anti-Israel, very pro-Palestinian, and the Protestants were pro-Israel.


Bronx man faces 14 charges, including assault and six hate crimes, for attack on congregant, guard at Central Synagogue Shabbat service
Officers arrested Larry Montes, 46, of the Bronx, on Friday night and charged him with 14 charges, including six hate crimes, after he allegedly hit a 63-year-old woman and spat upon and heat-butted a 65-year-old security guard at Central Synagogue in Manhattan on Friday night, the New York City Police Department told JNS.

The incident took place shortly after 6 p.m. during Shabbat services, and officers were told that the suspect “began acting irate and disrupted a service,” the NYPD said.

“As security was escorting the male out, he struck a 63-year-old female, causing a small laceration and pain to her lip and right forearm,” the department told JNS. “Additionally, the male spit on and head butted a 65-year-old security guard.”

The department’s hate crime task force is investigating the incident, and the man was charged with four counts of hate crime assault, two counts of assault, criminal mischief as a hate crime, criminal mischief, disrupting a religious service, criminal trespass as a hate crime, two counts of aggravated harassment and two counts of harassment, the NYPD told JNS.

Central Synagogue, a Reform congregation, stated that it was grateful to the many who “have reached out in support after the disturbing events during services.”

“Tonight at Shabbat services, a disturbed man stormed our bimah,” or dais, and “knocked over our Shabbat candles, screamed obscenities and assaulted a congregant,” the synagogue said. “In the face of this antisemitic hate, our security director heroically restrained and escorted the man out.”

The synagogue added that the cantor and musicians “did not let this stop the music.”

“Our rabbis reignited the candles, helped us breathe and found the words to respond to the moment in real time,” it said. “Our congregation refused to let hate extinguish our Shabbat light.”
New Jersey councilwoman to Zohran Mamdani: You are the mayor – act like it!
Dear Mayor Mamdani,
Local politics is complicated, believe me I know more than most.

People run for local office without knowing the job. Without ever stepping foot in a public meeting. Without knowing how to read an agenda packet, let alone how to make a motion. Most run without understanding that campaigning and governing are two entirely different things. It baffles me.

The first act of a mayor matters.

It tells everyone who you are going to be once the lawn signs come down. It tells your colleagues how you intend to lead and your constituents what matters to you. One oft he most powerful things I have ever watched a mayor do on day one was apologize.

Imagine that. The first act as mayor for Michael Pagan was to publicly acknowledge that a vote he had cast on a Planning Board appointment had hurt a colleague and the community he served. That is leadership.

Yours? You inherited a city in the middle of an antisemitism crisis you had already helped fuel. You also inherited the largest Jewish population outside Israel. That should have imposed a special seriousness on the way you approached this issue from your first hour in office. So your first act was to walk into City Hall and rip the protections in place for your Jewish constituents out from under their feet! You played politics with your constituents lives and safety by revoking the IHRA definition of antisemitism. You revoked mayor Eric Adams’s order directing the NYPD and Law Department to figure out how to better protect people going to pray.

Why?

Seriously.

Why?

Antisemitic protestors were already screaming “we are Hamas.”

Jews were already being harassed walking into shul, school, showing their Magen David or wearing a kippah.

Your predecessor looked at that and said “this is dangerous, we need to do more.”

No, Eric Adams did not eradicate antisemitism. Antisemitism surged after October 7 while he was mayor too, but he looked at what was happening and said this is dangerous, we need to do more, and he did! He understood his job and he protected his constituents, every one of them!

So let’s stop pretending the IHRA decision was some meaningless administrative cleanup. You knew exactly why it mattered.

Antisemites figured out a long time ago that they can say “Zionist” instead of “Jew” and suddenly everyone gets very confused about whether they are allowed to call it antisemitism. Your first act as mayor made that easier. Your first act as mayor gave progressive Nazis exactly what they wanted, permission to target Jews while escaping the one label society only knows how to condemn when the Nazi happens to be on the right. You told every Jew in New York and worldwide watching what was happening outside our shuls that your ideological purity mattered more than the warning signs sitting right in front of you and now look where we are!

I do not care what you intended when you signed your first executive orders. Intent is for campaign speeches.

Consequences are what you govern.

We’ve see what happens when people put ideological purity over safety of the people they serve, whether they voted for them or not. We have seen where that train ends, Mr. Mamdani!

We watched you defend “globalize the intifada.”

Do you understand what Jews hear when someone says “globalize the intifada”? We remember the intifada.
Ex-Mamdani staffer makes outrageous claim about hateful synagogue attack where lunatic yelled ‘f–k the Jews’
The head of a major lefty video agency who shot digital video ads for Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s successful campaign made an outrageous false claim about the unhinged attacker who terrorized Jewish New Yorkers during Shabbat services at a Manhattan synagogue, The Post has learned.

“Apparently this guy was an orthodox jew who was lashing out at jews. I wouldn’t call that an ‘antisemitic attack,'” Debbie Saslaw claimed on X, linking to a Post story on the arrest with a headline calling it an “antisemitic attack.”

As it turns out, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged the accused attacker, Larry Montes with two counts of assault as a hate crime, two counts of aggravated harassment and one count of criminal mischief as a hate crime for his Friday night rampage at the Central Synagogue on the Upper East Side.


The firm Saslaw co-founded, Melted Solids, prominently features its work for the Mamdani campaign.

The agency has also worked on the campaigns of Vermont Sen. and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, House Democratic nominees Brad Lander and Claire Valdez and former Congressman Jamaal Bowman, among others.

Saslaw, who was a “senior producer” for the campaign, said she is no longer associated with Mamdani or his campaign.

Montes, a Bronx resident, allegedly admitted to cops that his actions were religiously motivated, and called those worshiping inside the synagogue “swine” and “fake Jews,” Assistant District Attorney Ali Fazal said in court Saturday night.


Iran's Leverage over the Global Economy Weakens Every Day
At what point does the U.S. stop treating the Strait of Hormuz as a crisis to manage and start treating it as an opportunity to permanently redraw the global energy map? For weeks, Iran has benefited from a basic strategic assumption: The Strait of Hormuz is too important to the global economy for the U.S. and its partners to tolerate its prolonged disruption.

While the closure of Hormuz is painful, the question is whether that pain is more strategically endurable than the concessions Tehran hopes to extract in return for ending it. Iran's leverage over the global economy weakens every day it holds the Strait of Hormuz hostage as energy markets adapt.

For half a century, the structure of global energy markets has been moving gradually away from the concentration that defined the oil shocks of the 1970s. The U.S. shale revolution transformed the country from an increasingly import-dependent energy consumer into the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas. Brazil has emerged as a major offshore oil producer. Canadian oil output has expanded alongside new access to Pacific markets. Large offshore discoveries in Guyana have created an entirely new oil-producing state in less than a decade.

Chinese crude imports fell by 32% during the second quarter of this year from first-quarter levels. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are maximizing existing pipelines and accelerating new infrastructure that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. All of these measures are buffering the world from the worst economic effects of the crisis.

Every barrel produced somewhere else, every pipeline constructed around Hormuz, every strategic stockpile expanded, and every unit of oil demand displaced represents a small reduction in Tehran's future coercive power. That is why the Trump administration does not need to rush to make concessions in negotiations with Tehran.
UKLFI: Natasha Hausdorff returns to discuss the Rule of Law, the ICC, and Blood Libels with David Harris
Natasha Hausdorff, British barrister and international law specialist, joins David Harris once again, by popular demand. She serves as legal director of the UKLFI Charitable Trust, formed by UK Lawyers for Israel, and has also founded Center for International Rule of Law (CIROL). In this interview she describes threats to western liberal values, failures of the International Criminal Court, false allegations of starvation in Gaza, and the situation in the UK.


Mecca pact unites Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan - but what does it mean?
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed in the holy city by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, marks one of the most significant strategic developments in the Islamic world in decades.

The agreement brings together a Sunni bloc stretching from Anatolia through the Arabian Peninsula to South Asia, uniting three countries with a combined population of approximately 380 million people (320 million Sunnis).

At its core, the pact treats an armed attack on any one member as an attack on all three. It also deepens military cooperation, intelligence sharing, defense industry collaboration, and strategic coordination.

The three governments describe the agreement as defensive, aimed at no specific country and intended to complement rather than replace existing alliances. In effect, it builds on the Saudi-Pakistan Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement signed in 2025.

Sunni Islam unites the three countries, although their political and religious traditions differ considerably. Saudi Arabia, as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, derives much of its legitimacy from being the birthplace of Islam and of the first Rashidun Caliphate.

Turkey was home to the Ottoman Caliphate, the last universally recognized Sunni caliphate before its abolition in 1924. Pakistan, lacking comparable religious symbolism, has long aspired to a leadership role within the Islamic world through its military strength and nuclear capability.

Beneath this apparent unity lie profound differences. For decades, Ankara and Riyadh competed for influence across the Sunni world. Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), rooted in Turkey’s Islamist political tradition, has frequently been associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is viewed with deep suspicion by the Saudi monarchy.

Pakistan’s longstanding military partnership with Saudi Arabia has been underpinned by Saudi financial support and extensive military cooperation, including the deployment of Pakistani officers and troops to the kingdom and the training of its forces.


Kushner meets Hamas chief in Egypt in push for Gaza disarmament; IDF continues strikes
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and top aide Jared Kushner met with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in the Egyptian coastal city of El-Alamein on Sunday, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel, even as Israel kept up strikes targeting terror groups in the Strip.

At the talks, Hamas said it would only begin disarming, as required by the US-backed Board of Peace’s Gaza plan, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly commits to adhering to the terms of the plan, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel. Hamas said later that it had asked the Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to accept the plan.

Kushner was joined in the talks by Board of Peace senior envoys Nickolay Mladenov and Tony Blair, as well as top diplomats from Mideast mediating countries Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.

Sunday’s meeting was Kushner’s first with Hayya and other Hamas officials since October 2025, when he sat down with them for the first time to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Israel.

Trump officials have defended the engagement with the US-designated terror group as necessary for advancing Washington’s Gaza peace plan, while critics have argued that such meetings legitimize Hamas.

Kushner used the meeting to lean on Hamas to begin implementing the Board of Peace’s disarmament plan that the terror group agreed to on July 30, the Arab diplomat from one of the mediating countries said.

Hayya told Kushner that Hamas remains committed to the disarmament plan, but will only implement it if Israel upholds its end of the bargain, noting Netanyahu’s public rejection of the proposal, the Arab diplomat said.

Kushner sought to assure Hayya that the US-controlled Board of Peace would lean on Israel to halt strikes in Gaza and gradually withdraw from the Strip once Hamas begins handing over its weapons, the diplomat added.

Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will conduct no withdrawals until Hamas has been completely disarmed, though a Board of Peace source has told The Times of Israel that the premier privately has shown more flexibility.

While Board of Peace officials had touted an initial halt on Israeli strikes in Gaza, which followed Hamas’s acceptance of the disarmament plan, IDF killings in the Strip have picked up again over the past week.

Kushner, during the Sunday meeting, pressed Hamas to cease shows of force throughout the Strip, which have included the deployment of armed and uniformed Hamas members on the streets of Gaza, the Arab diplomat said.

He also urged the Hamas delegation led by Hayya to allow for a smooth handover of governing authority in the Strip to the new Palestinian technocratic government overseen by the Board of Peace, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), the diplomat said.


Iran may use radioactive ‘dirty bomb’ against Israel if regime survival in doubt, warn Tehran sources
Iranian officials may consider the use of a radioactive “dirty bomb” against Israel if they believe the survival of the Islamic Republic is in question, according to a source close to the regime.

It comes as Tehran’s rhetoric escalates after the appointment of new military and security leaders.

Senior officials are warning they will carry out operations on “enemy soil” and “far from our territory” in an apparent threat to choose targets across the globe.

The marked rise in aggressive propaganda comes amid profound uncertainty over who is exercising ultimate authority in Tehran, after the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and many other political and military figures.

Tehran University professor Hamzeh Safavi is the son of Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military adviser to the late Supreme Leader.

While he does not have official status in the Islamic Republic, the son is seen as a reliable source of the position of the regime.

Alluding to the possibility of Iran using radioactive material in a “dirty bomb”, he raised the question of whether its holdings of enriched uranium were necessarily limited to its declared stockpile.

He said: “Who can guarantee that the Islamic Republic has only this amount of enriched uranium?
“Iran is a vast country, and the global market for unaccounted-for uranium is also substantial, with no real accounting for it.”

Safavi went on to say: “If things descend into dirty tactics, officials of the Islamic Republic have countermeasures in place so that, if the Islamic Republic is not to survive, Israel will not survive either.

“There are all kinds of dirty bombs that do not require the sophisticated technology of a nuclear bomb and can produce the same result.”

While his comments do not establish that Iran possesses a dirty bomb or has made an operational decision to construct or use one, discussion of such a possibility by the son of a senior figure will add to concern that the regime is becoming more extreme.

Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a senior adviser to the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said in a television appearance that the terror militia had been instructed to develop the ability to conduct operations far beyond Iran’s borders.

“We must be able to extend our operations onto enemy soil, into enemy territories, and carry out operations far from our own territory,” Naqdi said.

“At present, the IRGC has been tasked with developing this capability so that it can carry out such operations when the appropriate time comes.”


Iranian army chief places $30,000 bounty on killed, captured US soldiers
A $30,000 reward for captured or killed United States service members has been announced by Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief Amir Hatami, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) revealed in a Sunday post on X/Twitter.

The reward will reportedly be granted to any Iranian soldier from "the Iranian people."

"Given the large volume of requests to participate in the financial jihad, a plan was prepared according to which, for every person who kills or captures and hands over an American aggressor force, the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, with the support of the loved ones participating in the financial jihad and under its own guarantee, will receive a gift equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion Tomans. Zealous Iranian women who succeed in this action will also receive double the reward," Hatami stated.

"The weapon of any person who succeeds in killing an American aggressor will be purchased at double the price and will receive a new weapon. The individual's weapon will also be kept in a planned museum," he added.

"The Americans made many claims about their military power, and through this, they had received a lot of ransoms and money, but the war with Iran broke that hegemony. America no longer has the authority it once had, and the sign of this is the movement of countries towards other paths to generate security for themselves," Hatami said.

"The claims of the Zionist regime and the expression of its dreams are also, of course, effective in this direction because countries realized that they must think about their own security and cannot trust America," he added.


How IDF Tanks Slipped Past Hizbullah to Take Beaufort Fortress
Brig.-Gen. Yiftach Norkin led the capture of Beaufort fortress in May 2026.

First, IDF forces began shaping the battlefield, clearing terrorists from the dense vegetation along the Litani River, especially on its southern bank.

"For two weeks we worked to open an entirely new route through Wadi al-Man," Norkin said.

"Hizbullah did not believe the IDF could get through the vegetation at that point, so they were not properly prepared."

"For a week we broke through a hidden route. We crossed tank after tank, D9 after D9, without a road and without them seeing us. By morning, the tanks were on the Litani."

It took another week to sweep the Litani area and clear it of terrorists.


Israel Strengthens Coastal Defenses
Following the Oct. 7 massacre, Israel's Navy has been rebuilding its coastal defense system into a multi-layered "Iron Wall" against divers, underwater craft, fast boats, drones, and seemingly innocent fishing vessels.

To prevent future amphibious, subnautical, or drone-based infiltrations into Israeli territory, the Navy has deployed upgraded fast patrol boats, integrated drone surveillance and joint intelligence, and mandated a strict zero-tolerance engagement policy.

The threat of a sea-based raid - alongside the use of drones, motorized paragliders, and submersibles - remains a constant danger.

On Oct. 7, Hamas's Nukhba naval forces launched seven boats toward Israel. Navy sailors managed to strike five boats and eliminate 20 terrorists, but two boats reached the shore carrying 18 heavily armed Nukhba fighters.

In cooperation with ground forces, the Navy established multi-layered defensive rings across sea, air, and land to back each other up and ensure continuous surveillance and interception capabilities.

As part of the upgraded defenses, forces are positioned to act as a clear, aggressive buffer against sudden threats.


UNRWA alleges Israeli takeover of agency buildings in East Jerusalem
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees claims that Israel is taking over buildings that belong to the agency in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Municipality denied the allegation.

According to an UNRWA statement, shared by its West Bank director Roland Friedrich on X on Thursday, “Personnel associated with the Jerusalem Municipality have in recent days entered UNRWA facilities without authorization, including the school compound, health center, and community services office.”

The Jerusalem Municipality told The Times of Israel that “these are not UNRWA properties, but privately owned properties for which the municipality has signed a usage agreement.”

“According to the owners of these properties, UNRWA itself unlawfully took control of them and did not pay [rent] during this period. The municipality intends to open educational institutions at the site for the benefit of residents of the surrounding neighborhoods,” the municipality said.

UNRWA charged in its statement that the premises were forcibly entered by breaking locks, and that contractors working on behalf of the municipality had begun carrying out work at the sites. The agency asserted that the moves violate international law protecting UNRWA property.

In late 2024, Israel passed legislation banning UNRWA from operating in Israeli territory, including East Jerusalem, alleging that the UN agency was riddled with Hamas terrorists and fomenting anti-Israel sentiment in its schools.

Following the legislation, Israel shut down UNRWA schools in the Shuafat refugee camp and other parts of East Jerusalem, leaving several hundred students without educational institutions.

Israel has repeatedly alleged and shown evidence that employees of the UN agency were actively involved in terror groups in the Gaza Strip, and some participated in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion and slaughter.


Randy Fine’s primary opponent pushes openly antisemitic, pro-Hitler messaging
Rep. Randy Fine’s (R-FL) primary opponent, influencer Dan Bilzerian, is pushing blatantly antisemitic and pro-Adolf Hitler messaging in the closing days of Florida’s primary season.

Bilzerian has made no secret of the openly antisemitic tenor of his campaign, having said from the outset that he is challenging Fine because he is Jewish and pushing antisemitic conspiracy theories about Fine, the Jewish community and Israel.

But messaging and advertising from Bilzerian’s campaign has gained increased attention in the final days of the race, after Bilzerian posted a shocking video that leans into a series of blatant antisemitic tropes and overtones.

The two-and-a-half minute AI-generated video repeatedly calls Fine a “fat Jew” and accuses him of serving Israel over the United States. It describes Fine a “Jewish [supremacist]” and “Satan’s creepy little [minion]” over imagery of Fine hugging a bag of money.

It also calls Fine a “satanic whore,” over footage of horns growing out of his forehead, and refers to him as “Shylock.”

Over footage of Hitler, the video asks, “Should we revisit that Austrian painter’s opinions?”

It also suggests that Fine rapes children and calls for him to be tarred, feathered and imprisoned.

“Celebrating Hitler. Having horns grow out of the heads of Jews. Showing me violently assaulted,” Fine said in response to the video. “If this appeals to you, I don’t want your vote. We have a choice on Tuesday, to embrace the kind of Nazism that led to the Holocaust or to repudiate this filth and reaffirm American values and character. Let’s send a resounding message on Tuesday.”


Likud election billboard puts Mamdani alongside Erdogan, Khamenei, and Qassem as Israel's enemies
Likud launched a billboard ahead of election season featuring New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani alongside Iran's Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, writing that the four "want Netanyahu to lose" the October election.

The billboard further calls to "not let them win."

Netanyahu also reposted a picture of the billboard and captioned the post: “Don’t let them win.”

The billboard, which social media posts claim stands in Jerusalem, features superimposed images of the four men with the caption: “They want Netanyahu to lose, don’t let them win.”

However, the Likud billboard stands in Tel Aviv overlooking the Ayalon Highway.


CAIR-endorsed Dem, who told JNS it’s not ‘fair’ as non-member to call Hamas a terror org, seems poised to advance in state House primary in Washington
With four days left until results are sealed in the Washington state primaries, Luc Jasmin III, a Democrat, and Natalie Poulson, a Republican, remain in the top-two slots and appear likely to move forward to the general election in November in third legislative district in the state House.

Jasmin was in third place after the first ballot drop but soon moved into the second spot—trailing Poulson by 211 votes. He thanked voters and his opponents earlier this week and said that he had enough ballots to “confirm we are advancing to the general election.”

The Democrat, who is eastern Washington outreach representative to Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, who endorsed him, told JNS that he didn’t think that it was “fair” to label Hamas a terror group, because he’s not a member. Poulson, the Republican, called that statement “discrediting.”

Jasmin also responded to a JNS query to his father, who resigned from the Washington State Human Rights Commission in July after the state panel posted video footage of a prior meeting, which included antisemitic remarks that he made.

As of Friday evening, Poulson had 13,775 votes (32.9%), with Jasmin close behind with 13,564 (32.4%). Another Democrat, Pam Kohlmeier, trailed in third with 12,647 (30.2%).

As the only Republican in the race, Poulson, who is endorsed by Washingtonians for a Brighter Future, a pro-Jewish PAC, will have an uphill battle, as Jasmin works to consolidate Democratic voters in the district.


Jewish org., security expert, slam Canberra's gun buyback as 'deflection' after Bondi Beach attack
However, the announcement has drawn sharp pushback from voices in the Jewish community who argue the policy misses the mark. In a statement to The Jerusalem Post, Australian Jewish Association (AJA) President Robert Gregory critiqued the policy as a “deflection” from the real issue, pointing out that “Australia already has some of the strictest firearms laws in the world.”

Gregory argued that “using the Bondi terrorist attack to justify further restrictions on law-abiding firearms owners” avoids addressing the perpetrators and the “hateful ideology that motivated them,” stressing that “this was an antisemitic Islamist terrorist attack, not an attack caused by ordinary Australians who lawfully own firearms.” 'Antisemitism, radical Islamist extremism conversations cannot be replaced with politically convenient gun debates,' AJA president says

Instead of pursuing new gun restrictions, Gregory suggested that Australia should examine whether existing laws “make it too difficult for appropriately trained and licensed security personnel to provide armed protection at vulnerable Jewish events,” concluding that “we cannot allow difficult conversations about antisemitism and radical Islamist extremism to be replaced with politically convenient debates about guns.”

Expanding on these security concerns, Jewish Australian security and anti-terrorism expert Daniel Lewkovitz told the Post that the government’s approach amounts to officials “trying to disarm Australians who have never broken the law” while framing it as a measure to prevent terrorism.

Lewkovitz argued that “banning guns won’t stop them ramming vehicles through a crowd” or “stop them stabbing people,” noting that the security guards present at Bondi were unarmed: “It was firearms legislation that stopped any of the first responders at the scene being able to neutralize that terror threat.”

Pointing to international comparisons, Lewkovitz contrasted the situation in Bondi with countries such as Israel or the United States, or even Sydney 15 years ago, where armed personnel or citizens would have ended the attackers’ lives in 30 seconds. In Bondi, the community was left as “sitting ducks while they waited for a police response that was many, many minutes away.”

Lewkovitz noted that the officer who eventually stopped the shooter only succeeded because he happened to be a sporting shooter who practiced frequently in his spare time, yet the government’s response is to “punish target shooters.”


Failed fundraiser, crash into German pier: 'Handala II' won't make it to Gaza
More than a year after the ship "Handala" was stopped on its way to the Gaza coast, another vessel named after it ran into trouble, crashing into a wall at a pier in the northern German port of Kiel. The Danish news site Kieler Nachrichten reported that members of the flotilla had also struggled to raise all the money needed to operate the voyage.

The Danish vessel "Fru Sand," carrying pro-Palestinian activists, departed from Marstal, Denmark, under its new name, "Handala II." According to the activists, the goal is to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, similar to the stated aim of previous flotillas, which carried no aid on board.

The activists' vessels last week
But even before leaving Europe, members of the flotilla realized they would not be able to reach Gaza. According to the report, the fundraising campaign they were relying on raised only about 10% of its target before donations dried up.

That was not their only setback. After reaching Germany, the activists crashed into the pier, causing significant damage to the ship's engine estimated at at least 30,000 euros.

Local emergency services in Germany placed a barrier around the vessel and said it would not be removed "until the damage has been settled" and the problems repaired. Kiel port manager Milnehardt told the Danish outlet that "the ship is not suitable for remaining in the port. It needs to leave as soon as possible."

He said the vessel in its current condition poses a danger to the port and to other ships in the event of strong winds. German police have also opened an investigation into the crew on suspicion of damaging port infrastructure.


New Initiative Fights Boycott of Israeli Academics
UCLA Professor Judea Pearl has joined forces with David Harel, President of Israel's Academy of Science, and Moshe Vardi, Professor of Computer Science at Rice University, to fight the boycott of Israeli academics.

They have already recruited 65 members of three National Academies, among them 10 Nobel Laureates, to issue a statement that essentially says, "If your institution boycotts our colleagues in Israel, count us out, we will decline any invitation to speak on your campus."

"Academic boycotts, in all their manifestations, [are] fundamentally antithetical to the essence of scientific exploration, carrying harmful consequences to the global scientific community, to the junior scholars whose careers are derailed, to the boycotting institutions themselves, and to society at large."

"In solidarity with our Israeli peers, we declare our unwavering professional and academic alignment with Israel's scientific community, and state our wish to be treated in the exact same manner as all our colleagues residing in Israel - subject to the very same restrictions, institutional barriers, and consequences that such discriminatory practices entail."

Never mind the stupidity of boycotting a country that is at the forefront of scientific innovation and excellence, the singling out of Israel for special punishment was always inherently discriminatory and unjust.

Now, prominent academics who believe in justice are giving the boycotters a taste of their own medicine.
Toronto Metropolitan University creates ‘campus expression, antisemitism, community safety’ task force after receiving external report it commissioned
Toronto Metropolitan University, a public school, said that it is creating a President’s Implementation Task Force on Campus Expression, Antisemitism and Community Safety after receiving the final report, which it commissioned, from retired Ontario justice Mary Lou Benotto.

The school said that Bob Rae, a former Canadian politician and diplomat, will led the task force that will “carefully consider and respond to every recommendation in Justice Benotto’s report and provide an implementation blueprint to the university by March 2027.”

“I accepted the role of chair for this implementation task force, because issues like improving campus life, earning student trust and freedom of expression are important to address at Canadian post-secondary institutions,” stated Rae, who has Jewish ancestry. “These institutions depend on our collective ability to listen to different perspectives and translate meaningful conversations into action, and in a larger sense, how to work and live together as Canadians despite our differences is important to all of us.”

The 190-page review, parts of which are redacted, states that it was commissioned in response to two 2025 incidents, which involved arrests of students at the university affiliated with Students for Justice in Palestine, but “quickly revealed a broader institutional issue: a deeply polarized campus environment shaped by the aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023, and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

“The review concludes that the two incidents under review were symptoms of a deteriorating campus climate that, absent decisive institutional action, are likely to recur,” it states.

“Jewish students, faculty and staff described hostility toward Jewish identity and Zionism that crossed into intimidation, dehumanization and antisemitism,” the review states. “Pro-Palestinian community members described grief and trauma and expressed concern that advocacy relating to Gaza and Palestinian rights was increasingly viewed through a security and disciplinary lens.”

It recommends that the university revise its free speech statement to “expressly prohibit intimidation, harassment, discrimination and conduct that interferes with the expressive rights of others.”
Muslim Association of Canada apologizes for 'Jew free' appearing in word cloud during youth convent
The Muslim Association of Canada has apologized for the phrase “Jew free” appearing during an interactive word-cloud exercise at its recent convention.

During the three-day conference in May 2026, MAC carried out “a public, anonymous audience-participation exercise” that produced a word-cloud image, built on responses to the question of what kind of community the participants wanted. Among the 50 entries that appeared in the cloud was the phrase “Jew free.”

This was widely shared, with groups such as HonestReporting condemning it as an act of “normalized Jew hate.”

In a recent statement, MAC announced it has completed an internal investigation into the incident.

It acknowledged that the phrase was “offensive and hurtful to Jewish Canadians” as well as “Muslim Canadians and to anyone committed to a pluralistic society.”

MAC rejects antisemitic word cloud entry, says submitter could not be traced
It added, “Offensive and discriminatory statements of any kind have no place in the Muslim community, and MAC unequivocally states that the submission of this word was unacceptable and does not represent its values.”

MAC said the phrase was submitted to the word cloud by an “anonymous, bad-faith” actor. However, despite the internal inquiry, MAC said it was unable to identify the person behind the “antisemitic” phrase as all submissions were anonymous.


Man charged in Saskatoon shul vandalism
A 31-year-old Dundurn, Saskatchewan, man was charged after eggs were thrown at Agudas Israel Synagogue and vehicles associated with the Conservative shul in Saskatoon, police said.

The suspect turned himself in on Aug. 13 and was charged with three counts of mischief under $5,000 before being released on conditions, according to the Saskatoon Police Service.

“As a police service, we recognize the significance of incidents that target faith-based communities and the impact on their sense of safety and belonging. Upon receiving the police report, the Community Engagement Division and the SPS Hate Crimes Unit were engaged, and with assistance from the community, the suspect was identified, arrested, and charged with Mischief,” said Saskatoon police Supt. James Oliver.

“In Canada, ‘hate crime’ is generally used as an umbrella term, not a specific charge under the Criminal Code,” Oliver said. “Any evidence that an offense was motivated by bias, prejudice, or hate is considered by the court as an aggravating factor during sentencing.”

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said the incident occurred while congregants were praying inside the synagogue and called for the suspect to be held accountable.
France probes cafe owner who said ‘too many Jews’
French police officers have launched a criminal investigation into the actions of a cafeteria owner who was filmed telling a Jewish person near Lyon at her establishment that there were “too many Jews” and that this “upsets people,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Saturday.

Separately, two French Cabinet ministers condemned the actions of another man, an Irish citizen, who was filmed telling a Jewish couple from Australia at a supermarket that he’d “put a bullet” in them after they confronted him, allegedly for having said that “Hitler should have finished the job.”

The cafeteria film, which emerged Friday, shows a middle-aged blonde woman speaking with a man while leaning on the counter of a cash register and rolling a cigarette. She told him: “There are too many of you.” He asked who she meant, to which she replied: “The Jewish community,” adding that this “upsets people.” The man appears to say the woman denied him service, telling another woman: “There are laws, madame, to say we won’t be admitted because we’re Jewish....” According to Nuñez, the incident happened in Les Deux Alpes, near Isère and Lyon.

The video went viral on social media, promoting the police investigation.

Aurore Bergé, the French Cabinet minister responsible for Gender Equality and Combating Discrimination, said in a statement on Saturday that the video was of “tourists who were denied access to a refreshment stand at a resort in Isère.” She added: “Such antisemitic conduct and remarks cannot be tolerated.”

The woman who made the remarks is the owner of the refreshment stand, Bergé added. “She has been summoned and will be questioned by the National Gendarmerie this afternoon,” wrote Bergé.


Israeli marathon team wins gold at European Championships
Israeli marathoners took the men’s team gold at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England, on Sunday, beating out second-place Germany by 34 seconds in the men’s race.

Gashau Ayale led the pack for the Israeli runners, winning an individual bronze with a time of 2:09:21, just 10 seconds off the course record set by winner Amanal Petros of Germany.

Ayale’s teammate Tadesse Getahon crossed the finish line 10 seconds behind him, good enough for fifth, and Haimro Alame snagged eighth place. The rest of the team finished 12th, 22nd and 35th, with a combined time of 6:28:37.

Germany’s team nabbed the silver with 6:29:03, and France took home the bronze with 6:32:12.

The medals marked Israel’s first at the weeklong games, which end Sunday.

The Israel team has won the men’s marathon twice before at the European championships, in 2022 and in 2025. Ayale was on the team all three times.

Ayale told the Ynet news site that on the final stretch, “I told the [other runners] that the war was between us and the Germans. There were three Israelis in the group, and I told them that this was the time to give it everything we had in our legs, and we achieved our goal.”

He added that he wanted to dedicate the medal to the people of Israel.

“It is a great honor for us,” he said. “I love you all very much, and I’ll see you next year.”


What Australian trauma doctors found when they came to Israel
A group of Australian trauma physicians was in Israel earlier this month for a special medical mission focused on ongoing learning and training, with the goal of improving trauma care in both countries.

The mission, organized by AUSiMED and the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce, was headlined by Dr. Nir Samuel, head of the Pediatric Trauma Service and an emergency medicine specialist at Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel; Prof. Mark Fitzgerald, director of trauma services at The Alfred Hospital in Australia and director of the country's National Trauma Research Institute; and Dr. Dany Ben-Eli, a trauma consultant and emergency physician at The Alfred.

The delegation, which arrived on August 1, visited a strong representation of Israel's leading hospitals and medical institutions, from Hadassah Ein Kerem and the Institute for Research in Military Medicine at Hebrew University to Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Rambam Health Care Campus and Sheba Medical Center. Along the way, the Australian physicians learned from their Israeli counterparts while sharing their own knowledge and experience, according to Samuel.

“We built a program with ongoing mutual learning and training,” Samuel told The Jerusalem Post, highlighting not only what took place on the ground but also the dialogue that unfolded in departments such as Sheba's MSR, where discussions focused on full-scale simulations. One possibility discussed was bringing a large team from Australia to Israel to share its expertise while gaining skills that could help advance medical simulation in Australia.

MSR-Azrieli, the Israel Center for Medical Simulation at Sheba, is a global leader in simulation-based medical education.

“It was very strong professionally, but on a personal level, as an Israeli physician, it was really heartwarming,” Samuel added. “To have one of the leading [trauma] teams in the world come to Israel and support us at a time like this, that's far from the norm.”

Israel and Australia have long maintained close ties. Yet since October 7, 2023, headlines have often focused on rising antisemitism in Australia and disagreements between Australian and Israeli leaders, including the countries' prime ministers. Missions like this one highlight another side of the relationship, built around professional cooperation and person-to-person connections.





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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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