Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Friday, April 11, 2025

A "human rights" group that wants Jews to die (canine unit edition)

Here's the latest absurdity from the "human rights" community: Military dogs whose only purpose is to save lives are illegal when the lives saved are Jewish.

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor is one of the many NGOs that have been created purely to delegitimize Israel under the false pretense of human rights abuses.

Today, they released a report (Arabic only so far) saying that the Netherlands sends trained dogs to the IDF and this is a violation of humanitarian law, somehow:

Geneva - The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor holds the Dutch government directly legally responsible for complicity in the crimes committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly in the Gaza Strip, due to its continued direct and indirect support for the Israeli war machine.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said in a press release that the Netherlands continues to export military dogs to the Israeli occupation army and other Israeli security services, despite their use as a tool for systematic torture and intimidation of Palestinians, as part of the Israeli system based on imposing comprehensive domination over them, stripping them of their human dignity, and completely destroying their existence.

The IDF uses dogs for various purposes, none of which are torture and all of which save human lives:

Explosive Detection: Dogs are used to sniff out hidden explosives, such as improvised explosive devices, in urban and rural environments. Their acute sense of smell helps identify dangerous materials that could threaten soldiers or civilians.
Search and Rescue: They assist in locating survivors or remains in collapsed structures or disaster zones, leveraging their ability to navigate debris and detect human scent.
Attack and Neutralization: Some dogs are trained to engage threats directly, subduing suspects or protecting handlers in combat situations. They can operate in both open areas and confined spaces like tunnels.
Tracking and Pursuit: Dogs track individuals or groups, such as during manhunts or border security operations, following scent trails to locate targets.
Tunnel Operations: In regions like Gaza, dogs are trained for underground warfare, entering tunnels to detect traps, explosives, or hidden fighters, often equipped with cameras to provide real-time intelligence.

I cannot find any credible evidence that the dogs are used in torture, and it seems highly unlikely that Dutch or any other companies would train the dogs for such a purpose. The IDF Oketz unit that uses dogs has strict guidelines on how they are used and treated. Independent military experts have praised how well the IDF uses their canine units. There are scattered reports of Palestinians accusing the IDF of using the dogs aggressively, but the only cases that have any corroboration are those that the IDF itself investigated.

A 2014 incident where a soldier was disciplined itself proves how moral the IDF use of dogs is. During a confrontation in Beit Umar, a 16-year-old Palestinian, Hamza Abu Hashem, was attacked by an Oketz dog after throwing stones at soldiers. The IDF investigated and found the soldiers’ actions “professionally unacceptable” and “morally mistaken,” as the dog was unleashed against orders. The West Bank Division commander suspended K-9 operations temporarily, ordered retraining, and restricted dog use to brigade commander approval. Disciplinary actions were taken.

This was against a stone thrower, not an innocent boy. Yet the incident was considered so grave that the entire unit was suspended.

So the idea that dogs are used to wantonly attack Palestinians is utterly unfounded.

The canine units exist for one reason only: to save lives. And the "Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor" cannot stomach saving the lives of Jews.

(Note: the bullet list of how dogs are used and the summary of the 2014 case were generated by AI,)

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04/10 Links Pt2: Sharansky: Why Are Israelis So Happy?; Trump is helping terrorized Jewish students; Trump dedicates April 9 as ‘Education Day’ in honor of Chabad Rebbe

From Ian:

Natan Sharansky and Gil Troy: Why Are Israelis So Happy?

Despite constantly facing vicious enemies and enduring a year and a half of sustained fighting and funerals, Israel ranks in the top 10 countries with the highest levels of happiness, according to the 2025 World Happiness Report. In the final months of 2024, Israel witnessed a 10% increase in births. How come?

On April 12, 96% of Israeli Jews will participate in the oldest ongoing ritual in the Western world: the Passover Seder, celebrating the exodus from Egypt three millennia ago. Seders are often hours long, ritualized re-creations of the flight from Egypt, a reflection of how Jews live inside their history. Prayers, songs, food, and other rituals invite Jews to see themselves as having been personally redeemed.

Most optimists are mission-driven. Feeling a sense of belonging, they progress confidently toward worthy goals. As the best-selling British historian Paul Johnson observed, "No people has ever insisted more firmly than the Jews that history has a purpose and humanity a destiny." Cherishing family, community, country, and history shapes their faith in the future.

Israelis feel they are part of Israel's story and the Jewish story, that of a proud people trying to do better in the world while also bettering it. Israeli schools repeatedly assign students shorashim, "roots," projects. These family-tree explorations, even in high school, usually culminate in evenings celebrating parents' or grandparents' differing ethnic origins, cuisines, and Zionist journeys, propelling everyone forward together.

With so much to live for, Israelis know what they are willing to die for, too. On the eve of battle, many soldiers write goodbye letters to be read in case they die. Having buried more than 1,000 soldiers since Oct. 7, Israelis have cherished these messages by fallen soldiers affirming their motivation to fight and their willingness to sacrifice everything for this country that imbued them, as individuals, with a particular identity - past, present, and future. In the heartbreaking letters, the soldiers, including reservists, who volunteered for combat duty, affirm their mission to defend Israel and the world against Hamas, Hizbullah, and the terrorist scourge.

In the Gulag, prisoners with robust identities, national and/or religious, were the strongest partners in the daily struggle against Soviet jailers. Those connected to communities awaiting them back home felt accountable and saw their actions as part of a historical chain. Group identity doesn't compromise our freedom; it enhances our journey, filling our free lives with the sounds of others, inspired by the ideas of our ancestors.

A healthy commitment to community, connectedness, and history anchors us. It motivates us to defend ourselves when necessary, while inspiring us always to build a better world. That's the essence of most Israelis' Zionism, which many just call patriotism. And that's the essence of the Passover Seder message, too.

Seth Mandel: The Jews of Hollywood Are Finding Their Voice

Hollywood has a consistent modern track record of ignoring Jewish concerns unless those concerns are expressed publicly and with some force.

To take one recent example: There was a notable lack of activist pins at last month’s Oscars despite the post-Oct. 7 trend of film and television stars wearing an intifada-inspired anti-Zionist pin at award ceremonies. Those same stars freed their lapels this time. The reason: Many of their Jewish colleagues and peers in Hollywood properly called them out.

The Brigade, a group of about 700 Hollywood creatives, wrote a scathing letter to Artists4Ceasefire, the organization that took as its emblem a bloody red hand signifying a moment during the Second Intifada when a Palestinian man murdered an Israeli Jew, defiled his body, and held up his bloody hands to a cheering crowd of pogromists.

“That pin is no symbol of peace,” the Brigade wrote. “It is the emblem of Jewish bloodshed.

“In 2000, Palestinian terrorists in Ramallah lynched two innocent Israelis, ripped them apart limb by limb, and held up their blood-soaked hands to a cheering mob. That infamous image is now your ‘ceasefire’ badge.

“And on the very day it was discovered that the Bibas babies—innocent Jewish children—were strangled to death by the terrorist’s bare hands, you asked Hollywood to wear it with pride.”

There was never any possible “peaceful” excuse for wearing the pin, nor could anyone claim ignorance. The red right hand is among the oldest symbols on earth, always used to symbolize bloody vengeance. The actors who wore the pin represent a morally bleak cross-section of humanity, and the fact that it took their Jewish peers’ public objection for them to stop parading around in an artistic rendering of Jewish blood further confirms the need for Jews to speak at full volume.

American Jews have to make some noise if they want to be heard. And as a bonus, they create great art when they do so.

Isabel Oakeshott: What my stupid accident in Tel Aviv reveals about truly world class healthcare

I had come to Israel to learn more about war, and how it might eventually end. The plan was to talk to the IDF, listen to intelligence sources and hear the latest from the defence industry. I was also due to visit Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology – a world class seat of learning and innovation. Linked to Albert Einstein, it has a central role in national life, training 80 per cent of Israeli engineers. From creating a microscopic Bible (the entire Old Testament on a chip the size of a grain of sand) to developing cancer cures and artificial meat, it is behind some of the most wondrous innovations on Earth.

Happily, I was still able to do all this, but the accident shifted my focus onto Israel’s widely admired healthcare system. The contrast with the NHS was too glaring to ignore.

Seemingly in no hurry (another novelty), my Polish surgeon talked of the benefits of dedicated emergency hospitals. (Our own acute facilities deal with both accidents and planned cases under one roof, a set-up that means backlogs in one area immediately affect the other.) Separate “hot” and “cold” sites might have saved much misery during the pandemic.

Based on mandatory health insurance with not-for-profit providers, Israel’s health system is means-tested but universal, ensuring even the poorest citizens are covered. By both efficiency and outcome, it ranks among the best in the world – as I can attest. By 10pm I was back in my hotel room, shocked, sore and feeling very stupid. I had been at the hospital for less than two hours. (In the UK, some 5,700 patients a day are forced to wait more than 12 hours to be seen at A&E).

The Sourasky uses all manner of time- and life-saving devices and AI wizardry to get patients through and out fast. For example, those who can are encouraged to speed up the initial admissions process by using simple self-service devices to provide their vital signs. Robots buzz around providing directions and other helpful information. In quiet moments, staff amuse themselves testing the AI: seeing if it understands slang (it does) and can tell the difference between male and female voices (it can).

Granted, Israel is a fraction of the size of the UK, with very different demographics. All the same, the NHS could learn lessons from this. So, of course, could I. A month after the debacle, my bruises have finally gone and I’m back on e-scooters. These days though, I’m considerably less cocky – and never wear hats that might fly off.

04/10 Links Pt1: Palestinian billionaire resigns from Harvard role after suit alleging he abetted Oct. 7; The insane campaign to decriminalise Hamas; Douglas Murray vs. Dave Smith

From Ian:

JCPA: Why Israel Should Embrace Its Role as a Regional Power

It is time to embrace a bold reality: Israel can, and should, begin to act not merely as a state defending its survival, but as a proactive regional power shaping the future of the Middle East. Israel's recent military performance has underscored its unmatched capabilities in the region. The decimation of Hizbullah's infrastructure, the crippling of Hamas's command structures in Gaza, and the calculated response to Iranian provocations, culminating in significant operational successes, all point to an overwhelming tactical edge.

Iran, long the most aggressive challenger for regional dominance, has found its proxies weakened, its economy strangled, and its influence diminishing amid internal unrest and international scrutiny. The fall of the Assad regime in Syria further dismantles Tehran's axis of influence.

Yet one existential threat remains unaddressed: Iran's nuclear program. Israel must lead a coalition - diplomatic or military - to either dismantle Iran's nuclear capability by agreement, by force, or both.

For Israel to lead regionally, strategic normalization with moderate Sunni states is essential. The Abraham Accords were just the beginning. Deepening relationships with nations like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Morocco, and even re-engaging Jordan and Egypt with renewed respect and incentives is vital.

Seth Mandel: Treat Syria’s Chemical Weapons Like the USSR’s Nukes

The Times notes that the number of such sites has been “a mystery” since Hayat Tahrir al-Sham led a rebel coalition that chased Bashar al-Assad out of Syria last year. In truth, it is still a mystery, but the OPCW’s number is certainly possible, and it is always better to err on the side of caution in such situations.

Meanwhile, the echoes of 1991 get louder. “Experts are cautiously optimistic about the government’s sincerity,” reports the Times. “The current government allowed a team from the watchdog to enter the country this year to begin work documenting the sites, according to people with knowledge of the trip.”

Yet the current chaos in Syria makes any such optimism foolish. As Cheney said back in 1991, even if the government was sincere in its efforts and quite competent in carrying out the weapons purge, a threat would almost certainly remain. Plus, the new Syrian government doesn’t quite have full control over all its territory—and there isn’t time to wait for it to consolidate its control.

Another parallel to 1991 is the fact that these loose chemical weapons are relics of a failing empire. Iran had stretched its influence all the way to the Mediterranean, and Assad was a satrap of Tehran. Israel’s military gains against two of Iran’s proxies—Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon—combined with Assad’s overthrow caused the Iranian wave to recede for the time being.

The new Syrian government would like U.S. sanctions on it lifted, and it would also like Israel to give up its extended buffer zone sooner than later. None of that should be considered until there is a plan in place, preferably with U.S. and European involvement, to clean up every one of those chemical weapons sites.

Palestinian-American billionaire resigns from Harvard role after suit alleging he abetted Oct. 7

A Palestinian-American billionaire has resigned from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Dean’s Council after families of Oct. 7 victims filed a lawsuit against him, alleging that he had aided and abetted Hamas, the New York Post reported on Thursday.

Harvard confirmed to the Post that Masri resigned from the council, which according to the school’s website provides “financial support and practical advice” to “advance positive change at the local, state, national and international levels so people can live in societies that are more safe, free, just and sustainably prosperous.”

“The lawsuit raises serious allegations that should be vetted and addressed through the legal process,” a spokesperson for the school said.

More than 200 American family members of Oct. 7 victims filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday, alleging that Masri and his companies knowingly worked with Hamas in developing business properties in Gaza that concealed and provided electricity to the terror group’s elaborate, militarized tunnel network.

The plaintiffs include Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, whose son Moshe was killed in action in the Gaza Strip in November 2023, and the family of Omer Neutra, who died in Gaza on the day of the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, after being taken hostage by Hamas, which continues to hold his body.

Masri was also reportedly a close advisor to Adam Boehler, a Trump administration special envoy who conducted unprecedented direct negotiations with Hamas in March, and provided Boehler with private jet travel to Qatar for the talks, per Israeli media reports.

The office of the Palestinian-American business mogul denied the allegations against him and his companies in a statement to JNS on Monday and said that he would seek their dismissal in court.

“Neither he nor those entities have ever engaged in unlawful activity or provided support for violence and militancy,” Masri’s office stated.

Palestinians See Tel Aviv Real Estate Prices, Drop 'Right Of Return' Demand (PreOccupied Territory)

Our weekly column from the humor site PreOccupied Territory.

Check out their Facebook and Substack pages.

Ramallah, April 10 - A central sticking point of the Arab-Israeli conflict may well disappear, observers say, because one side had realized the insurmountable financial hurdle its fulfillment would present: property values in Israel's commercial and financial capital have reached such heights that any aspiration of "reclaiming" it for the descendants of 1948 Arab refugees will prove beyond the means of even the wealthiest ones.

Reviews of Tel Aviv real estate prices have sent Palestinians reeling, witnesses report, as the data hit them with the sobering realization that they will never, even in another four generations, be able to afford to live there.

"The Right of Return is the Holy of Holies," declared Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. "It's just that... well, it seems impractical, given the information now available to us. Tel Aviv is the most desirable land to seize from the Zionist usurper, of course. What we must also take into account, however, is the day after that seizure, what that means for a sustainable way to live..."

"What I'm saying is, never mind about that Right of Return," he continued. "Let's talk about our other demands."

Hundreds of thousands of Arabs fled British Mandate Palestine in late 1947 and early 1948 as Jews and Arabs fought for control of population centers and farmland. Governments of the surrounding Arab countries urged their brethren to move out of the way to enable a swift Arab victory over the poorly-equipped, outnumbered, besieged Jews of the territory, after which the Arab residents could loot their fill, and many complied. Several cases of Jewish fighters chasing out Arabs occurred in strategic areas where those villages controlled access to Jewish communities, but the vast majority of the 1947-48 Arab refugees never saw a Jewish fighter. Israel declared statehood in May 1948 and mounted a successful war of survival, holding on to significant territorial gains and preventing the Arab refugees from returning.

The international community has kept those refugees and their descendants in perpetuity in a state of stateless limbo, unlike all other refugee populations that are resettled in new countries within years of displacement - thus nurturing the hope of reversing the shameful defeat in 1948 at the hands of the lowly Jews. The promise of that return has long sat at the very core of Palestinian demands for any final-status agreement with Israel.

But one gander at real estate prices in Tel Aviv put the kibosh on that.

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More on Hamas blocking aid into Gaza

Hamas media is filled with articles about how desperate Gazans are for food, how that are forced to eat expired food.

Yet as I reported yesterday, Hamas is urging NGOs not to accept a food distribution system that Israel is proposing.

The COGAT X account gives a few, but not many details about the plan - and it shows the reason Hamas is so against it:

There are many international organizations and UN agencies operating in the Gaza Strip.

To assure organizations' operations stay neutral and impartial, it is essential to implement a structured monitoring and aid entry mechanism to prevent Hamas from seizing humanitarian supplies. The mechanism is designed to support aid organizations, enhance oversight and accountability, and ensure that assistance reaches the civilian population in need, rather than being diverted and stolen by Hamas.

In accordance, COGAT held meetings this week with UN agencies and international organizations operating in Gaza.

During the meetings, the mechanism was introduced, as well as the difference from the current method, along with the adoption of aid entry mechanisms and oversight. The exploitation of aid by Hamas was also discussed.

No wonder Hamas wants agencies to reject it - because it would lose its gravy train.

And isn't it interesting that COGAT shows the meetings but the media isn't reporting on this at all?

Even more interesting is that Israel has to pixelate the photos of the NGO members participating in a meeting to facilitate aid into Gaza? What are they afraid if?

Obviously, Hamas.

(h/t Irene)

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Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said "a foolish consistency [is] the hobgoblin of little minds."

Is it?

Judaism takes a very different view. It demands consistency—not for its own sake, but because consistency is the foundation of integrity. The Talmud has lots of opinions and lots of arguments - each of them is respected. But it spends what appears to be an inordinate amount of time to ensure that a sage's opinion, and even the implications of that opinion, are consistent with the implications of his other opinions in wildly different contexts. A rabbi who rules one way in one context and the opposite in another, without reconciling the contradiction, loses credibility. The system allows for disagreement, even celebrates it, but only when it's intellectually and morally coherent.

Consistency, in this view, isn't rigidity. It's respect—for truth, for others, and for oneself.

In today’s world, much of political discourse is framed around Left and Right, liberal and conservative. Things are so polarized that positions that were once associated with one side can become anathema, and the other side that used to oppose that opinion now embraces it.

Are those categories truly opposites—or just competing instincts?

When you strip away the noise, here are the fundamental positions of each side:

Liberalism, in its pure form, it prioritizes individual freedom, progress, and equality. It believes human beings flourish when liberated from oppressive structures.
Conservatism values stability, tradition, and moral restraint. It sees inherited wisdom as a safeguard against chaos and hubris.

These aren't inherently opposed. In fact, Jewish thought reflects both instincts. The Torah emphasizes ideas like the obligation to give charity, welcoming the stranger, helping orphans and widows, that align with liberal ideals. At the same time, its respect for tradition, hierarchy, and moral order reflects conservative ones.

It’s not the values that are the problem - it’s the partisanship that makes people betray them.

And the reason for that is that there is an unspoken, real consistency among the Left and the Right, between Republicans and Democrats alike.

The principles don't matter. Power does.

The pursuit of political power has become the overriding goal—often at the expense of the very principles each side claims to hold dear. Liberals who once championed free speech now tolerate censorship in the name of "safety." Conservatives who once decried moral relativism now excuse the personal failings and immorality of their political heroes. Budget hawks forget about deficits once their party is in power. Anti-war activists go silent when their side controls the drones.

These are not mere hypocrisies. They point to a deeper truth: power has become the supreme value. And that, more than anything, explains the wild inconsistencies of modern politics. Today's partisanship ensures that most people don't speak out against these inconsistencies on their own side.

Judaism, by contrast, is highly suspicious of power. It does not glorify power—it limits it.

The Torah permits kingship reluctantly, and only under strict conditions. A king must not amass wealth, horses, or wives, and must carry a Torah scroll to remind him that he, too, is bound by the law.

Prophets do not flatter kings; they confront them. Nathan rebukes David. Elijah challenges Ahab.

The story of Korach is perhaps the best example of the Torah denigrating politicians who want power above all. Korach pretends to be a populist, he pretends to be righteous, he attracts followers in his challenge to Moses' authority. But it is clear that all he wants is political power and he is using the pretext of principles to reach his goal, His ending shows how Judaism feels about using political deception to obtain power.

Power is tolerated, not celebrated. Authority is legitimate only when restrained by law, tradition, and ethical accountability.

Judaism offers more than an ethical code—it offers a different framework for thinking about public life. It doesn’t ask whether an idea is liberal or conservative. It asks whether it is moral, just, consistent, and rooted in truth. As in the Talmud, where debate is sacred but inconsistency is disqualifying, this framework holds ideas - and people - to a higher standard.

Jewish ethics does not try to convert you. It doesn't demand that everyone agree. But it does demand that people apply the same standards to themselves as they do to their opponents.

This is why partisan politics are so corrosive: they encourage people to abandon principle for the sake of the team. But Jewish moral reasoning encourages something more difficult—and more enduring: consistency, integrity, and the humility to admit when your side is wrong.

In a world where so many are loyal to Left or Right, Judaism remains loyal to something deeper.

And that is where its enduring power lies - not in domination, but in moral clarity.

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PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

For over 20 years, this blog has been an important place to go to learn the truth about Israel and the Arab world, to dismantle the lies and to promote the truth.

When I was organizing my first book, Protocols, I realized that the underlying blog theme was exposing and fighting antisemitism, and my posts about Israel haters and hypocrites were really a subset of that theme.

Lately, I embarked on what I believe is the first methodical analysis of antisemitism as a whole, by examining all the major, disparate streams of Jew-hatred and finding the commonalities between them. Once the common threads were identified within philosophies from the Right to the Left and in between, I realized that fighting antisemitism requires an entirely different mindset, one that is more expansive than the point solutions we normally see like more education, more interfaith meetings, more security.

This explains my blog's focus lately on Jewish ethics, to provide the world with an alternative to corrosive modern ideologies and a way to show the problems with those ideologies at their sources.

It is becoming an incredibly ambitious project, and one I cannot do on my own. But I think I am building a framework where the ideas can spread and take hold.

And what can be more important work than saving the Western world?

You can support me in this critical work. I'm spending many hours (and dollars) on this project, while I continue to tweet, post original analysis and media criticism, make cartoons and memes and everything else you have come to expect. Plus I published a second book of my best cartoons.

I also have a number of columnists and guest posters, like PreOccupied Territory, Varda Meyers Epstein, Forest Rain, Daled Amos, who all bring their own unique perspectives to the site. Not to mention Ian whose twice-daily linkdumps are a Herculean task.

So help me fight antisemitism and do a real tikkun olam.

You can help with donations through PayPal:

One time donation:

You can become a paid subscriber to my new Substack page.

You can buy me an iced tea.

If you prefer, you can become a patron with Patreon here.

You can buy my books.

You can also send me an Amazon gift card to my email elder@elderofziyon.com .

If you want to make a large donation but wish it to be tax-deductible, there are a couple of ways to do that. Contact me and we can see what can be done.

Thank you as always, and have a wonderful Passover!

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Nicolas Kristof writes in the New York Times:

In the face of this American Christian enthusiasm for crushing Palestinians while saying it is God’s will, I wondered what Palestinian Christians thought. So I visited Bethlehem and asked them.

I didn't quote the beginning of the article where he sarcastically attacks American Christians who support Israel as hypocrites. Let's focus on the main part of his article.

First of all, every single person Kristof spoke to is an anti-Israel activist. He did not speak to random Christians but professional haters. (And I mean "professional" literally. Every one of them makes money from their anti-Israel positions.)

“Do we feel betrayed?” mused Mitri Raheb, a Lutheran Palestinian pastor who is president of Dar Al-Kalima University and, like many Palestinian Christians, against annexation. “Yes, to some extent. Unfortunately, this is not new for us.”

Raheb wrote a book based on the lie that Israel is guilty of "settler colonialism." He does not accept that Jews have any historical, legal or moral rights in their ancient homeland.

He loves to promote the propaganda lie that Jesus was a "Palestinian" and not a Jew from Judea.

Moreover, Raheb is a leader behind the Palestinian Kairos document which uses supersessionist language, the antisemitic idea that the Christian church has replaced Jews as the Chosen People. (Even though most Lutheran churches have rejected Martin Luther's explicit antisemitism, the Palestinian churches do not seem to have done so in practice.) And he embraces the antisemitic Khazar theory, denying Jews are really Jews.

Fewer than 2 percent of West Bank Palestinians today are Christian, but they are an influential minority who endure the same land grabs and hardships as the majority Muslim population.

Funny how Kristof ignores the reason why there are so few Palestinian Christians left compared to 1948. As with the rest of the Middle East, it was Muslim hate for them that forced them out. Seems like a relevant point.

Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian Christian writer and the author of the new book “State of Palestine NOW,” says that far-right American Christians have embarrassed the Christians who actually live in the holy land.

“When the Bible is used to justify land theft and war crimes against civilians, it puts the faithful in an awkward position,” he said.

Kuttab himself justifies terrorism against Israeli Jews, even in Tel Aviv. In 2016, after a shooting attack at a cafe that killed four people, he claimed that the attack was a natural reaction to Israel rejecting some forgotten French peace plan: "overdone live @cnn coverage of Tel aviv attack but not a single word on the CONTEXT of the situation, the israeli rejection of french plan?" And he followed up with another post that evoked "context" saying that the attack was Israel's fault.

So this Christian quoted as a moral authority by Kristof justifies war crimes against Jewish civilians. Awkward!

One group in the West Bank where biblical themes of love and justice do prevail is Tent of Nations, a Christian community that promotes nonviolence and declares, “We refuse to be enemies.” It operates on the farm of an old Palestinian Christian family, the Nassars, who have used their property to hold youth camps and advocate peace toward all.

That attitude has not been reciprocated.

Tent of Nations and Daoud Nassar are not exactly supportive of the themes of "love and justice" when it comes to Israeli Jews. Nassar, also a Lutheran, does not reach out to Israeli Jews; he doesn't condemn Hamas attacks like October 7 as far as I can find. His idea of "peace" is a Palestinian state that only has Jews living in fear like most Christians do under Muslim rule.

I am not trying to justify any crimes that may or may not have been done by Jewish settlers against these people. I trust the Israeli judicial system to determine who owns specific lands based on evidence and law, not emotion. But this op-ed goes out of its way to canonize these Palestinian Christians and their antisemitism while attacking American Christians who have shed theirs.

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04/09 Links Pt2: Lawsuit From Oct. 7 Victims, Could Cripple Al Jazeera; Israel blocked Labour MPs legally, No 10 admits; AMIA prosecutor requests arrest warrant for Khamenei

From Ian:

How a Lawsuit From Oct. 7 Victims, Including Bibas Family Uncle, Could Cripple Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera has long courted controversy for platforming terrorists across the Middle East, where it is banned from operating in Israel and some Arab countries for promoting extremist ideologies. But the Qatar-funded network's support for Hamas terrorists isn't just confined to the region, according to a new lawsuit from October 7 victims, which alleges for the first time that Al Jazeera's American arm directly supports the terror group's operations.

American victims of Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, terror spree sued Al Jazeera and its American affiliate—Al Jazeera International, a limited liability company registered in Delaware—in February. Among the plaintiffs is Maurice Shnaider, whose niece, Shiri Bibas, was kidnapped and killed along with her two small children, Ariel and Kfir.

The victims are petitioning the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to hold Al Jazeera's American enterprise liable for "providing substantial assistance" to Hamas and its militant ally, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), both of which are U.S.-designated terror outfits. The suit identifies at least a half-dozen Al Jazeera employees who double as Hamas and PIJ operatives and accuses the outlet of conspiring with these terror groups from the lead-up to October 7 until now.

While Al Jazeera is headquartered in Doha, Qatar, where senior Hamas members lived in luxury, it operates 70 bureaus worldwide, including one in Washington, D.C. Its hub in the nation's capital hosts more than 100 staffers, many of whom are credentialed to cover Congress. The outlet's presence on Capitol Hill has long driven concerns among GOP lawmakers, who have unsuccessfully tried for years to revoke its privileged status and force it to register as a foreign agent.

Since Hamas is not designated as a terrorist organization in Qatar, the October 7 victims are turning to the American court system, where they can seek financial penalties against Al Jazeera under the Anti-Terrorism Act. By naming Al Jazeera International as a defendant in the case, they are hoping to prove that the network's Washington, D.C., branch knowingly provided material support to Hamas and PIJ.

"There are far too many coincidences and connections between the Hamas terrorists who attacked innocent Israelis and the reporters from Al Jazeera who mysteriously were amongst the first to breach into the Jewish State from Gaza and accompany the murderers as they killed, maimed and raped innocent Jews," Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the lawyer handling the case, told the Washington Free Beacon. "We intend to prove that Al Jazeera is the communication arm of the Gaza terror groups."

If successful, Darshan-Leitner said, the suit "will financially devastate Al Jazeera and shut down its operations in the United States and beyond."

The suit points to evidence that the Al Jazeera channels accessible within D.C. promote terrorism. The network's UpFront program, for instance, has repeatedly aired "terrorist-related content" via Al Jazeera English and other channels owned by the company, most of which are accessible within the district, according to the lawsuit. In other cases, Al Jazeera "featured interviews with individuals affiliated with terrorist organizations and showcased Al Jazeera employees who are Hamas operatives," the lawsuit alleges.

AMIA prosecutor requests international arrest warrant for Khamenei

Sebastián Basso, the lead prosecutor in the AMIA bombing case, has requested a national and international arrest warrant against Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei due to his direct involvement in the bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994, according to Argentinian daily Clarín on Wednesday.

In 1994, the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina Jewish community center was bombed, killing 85 and wounding 300. Hezbollah is believed to be behind the attack, with Iranian backing and support.

According to Basso, Khamenei “led the decision to carry out a bomb attack in Buenos Aires in July 1994 and issued executive order (fatwa) 39 to carry it out.”

Basso requested of Argentinian Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas that Khamenei “be called to give a statement in relation to his involvement in the attack on the AMIA headquarters on July 18, 1994, along with the other Iranian suspects mentioned in this report.”

Khamenei “sponsored an armed organization that operates clandestinely outside of Lebanese territory and is linked to the Hezbollah movement, which for decades has carried out numerous attacks on the lives and property of people that must be clarified as terrorist acts, including the AMIA attack,” Basso stated.

Basso requested that Interpol be notified “for the purpose of executing the arrest.” He also ordered Argentina’s federal security forces to arrest Khamenei if he steps on Argentinian soil.

Clarín noted that this represents a shift from the position of previous prosecutors and intelligence agents, who saw Khamenei as having immunity due to his official role.

Western myths about Palestinians vs. what they say and do

Well-meaning liberal Americans sympathize with the Arab-Palestinian cause because of the group’s determined, decades-long struggle against Israel’s superior military might. Recently, that favoritism among Democrats for the first time shifted to a majority who support the Palestinians over Israel.

But if supporters of the Palestinians knew the whole truth, as the Palestinians tell it, they might reverse their sympathies. Indeed, when we listen to what the Palestinians say, and what they do, their underdog image is betrayed by belligerent goals, cruel methods and values anathema to Western civilization.

Understandably, liberals sympathize with the Palestinians out of “humanitarian” instincts. To them, the Palestinians are an oppressed group fighting bravely for their freedom. These defenders see Israel, the Palestinians’ foe, as having, for 78 years, tried to deny innocent people self-determination and their rightful share of a Middle East homeland.

But this sympathetic portrait of Arab-Palestinians is purely the product of Western projection—an imagined assignment to the Palestinians of motives, goals and values characteristic of a Western mindset. Western liberals are often shocked when they’re exposed to the portrait Palestinians paint of themselves—as Arabs and as Muslims—which embodies characteristics in direct contradiction to peace-loving Western values and aspirations.

Perhaps the most significant reason the Palestinians are still fighting is that Israel and its Western allies continue to offer what we think the Palestinians want—or should want—rather than what they actually do want. Westerners have steadfastly believed that Palestinians want a state and to live in peace with Israel, and that Israel is preventing the Palestinians from achieving this goal.

The problem turns out to be ours. Palestinians tell us what they want and pursue what they want, but we ignore their message. We prefer our enlightened translation. To gain insight into this contradiction, it helps to highlight exactly what the Palestinians tell us—and what they tell themselves—about their goals and values.

To get a handle on this disconnect, let’s compare Westerners’ two greatest myths about Palestinian goals and values with what Palestinians say and do regarding the major issues affecting peace in the Middle East.

04/09 Links Pt1: Israel’s second war of independence; Israel's High Court Shattered the False Gaza Narrative by the International Courts; Israeli Air Force jet crashes in Lebanon due to technical malfunction

From Ian:

Clifford May: Israel’s second war of independence

These developments are encouraging but, as Israelis are now more acutely aware than ever, there can be no higher priority than preventing the regime in Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“If Tehran gets a nuke,” one senior military officer told me, “all our other military achievements will be for nothing.”

Last year, Iran’s rulers attacked Israel directly on two occasions. In April, they launched more than 300 drones and missiles. Most were intercepted with minimal damage thanks to Israeli, U.S., and other defenses.

In October, they fired more than 200 missiles at Israeli targets. Again, combined air defense systems proved astonishingly effective.

Israel retaliated with a series of airstrikes that destroyed Iranian missile production facilities and air defense systems (many of the latter made in Russia).

That has left Tehran weaker than it’s been for decades. But because Moscow and Beijing, too, are believed to be helping the regime build back better, its window of vulnerability is likely to remain open for only about six months.

President Trump has now deployed at least six B-2 stealth bombers to Diego Garcia, an air base in the Indian Ocean. He is reminding Iran’s rulers—who continue to threaten to assassinate him—that he has the means to swiftly and effectively demolish their nuclear weapons facilities, including even those buried under mountains.

As a result, Iran’s rulers now say they’re ready for “indirect high-level talks.”

You can be sure they plan either to either drag out the palaver while making nuclear warheads that fit on intercontinental ballistic missiles, or fool Trump into accepting a deal as fatally flawed as was President Obama’s 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (which was neither comprehensive nor a plan of action).

The only acceptable deal would require that Iran’s nuclear weapons infrastructure be completely and verifiably dismantled. “They can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said on Monday. “That’s all there is.”

If that result cannot be achieved diplomatically (and quickly), Trump should fulfill his promise to take military action to ensure that Iran’s Islamists do not become the fourth nuclear-armed member of an aggressive, ambitious and anti-American axis that also includes Chinese Communists, Russian neo-imperialists and the dynastic dictator in North Korea.

Alternatively, Trump could assist an Israeli effort to cripple Tehran’s nuclear weapons program. “Without proxies and nukes,” a senior Israeli official told the FDD group, “the Islamic Republic is an eighth-rate power.”

Should that transpire, Israel will have won its second war of independence. Extreme vigilance will be required to prevent a third.

Richard Kemp: The Israel-Hamas war grinds on. It’s time to try something different

Many countries have tried deradicalisation initiatives, with varying degrees of effectiveness, including the UK, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Algeria and Egypt. Singapore seems to have had the greatest success in their endeavours to rehabilitate Jemaah Islamyia terrorists.

Specially tailored programmes around the Muslim world, perhaps based on Singapore’s, would be the destination for thousands of Palestinian prisoners. Joined by their families, they could subsequently be released and resettled on satisfactory completion of the programme.

Yes, there would be outrage from human rights groups and practitioners of legal warfare against Israel. Many of the prisoners are likely to resist, as would Palestinian leaders whose priority is to perpetuate the conflict rather than secure a better life for the communities they have kept under their ruinous heel for so long.

It would also be a quandary for Western political leaders who have allowed themselves to be convinced over many years that the problem is Israel and not the radical Islamists who seek its destruction. Accepting the reality would be a bitter pill for these individuals to swallow. By falsely blaming Israel for this conflict and making zero demands on the actual aggressors, they have encouraged the Palestinians to keep up a fight they should not be fighting. Continuation of the present misguided approach will not only cause further bloodshed but also condemn the Palestinians to a never-ending existence of unresolvable limbo, poverty and deprivation.

There is only one viable way to break this malignant cycle and that is the reform of the Palestinian population, primarily by moderate clerics and younger, forward-looking leaders if such can be found. To show them that their vicious war against Israel can never be won while holding out the prospect that they can live prosperously, side by side with their Jewish neighbours if they can bring themselves to accept Israel’s existence. In other words, the opposite of the thinking of generations of peace processors whose untenable schemes have been constantly exploited by hard-line Palestinian leaders. The Abraham Accords sowed the seeds here, demonstrating to the Palestinians that their Arab brothers could live in harmony while dealing and trading with Israel. The extension of that initiative to Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries will give greater strength to this cause but it will not be enough on its own.

In addition, the malignant and all-pervasive anti-Israel education, propaganda and preaching, often subsidised by the West, has to be ended. Counter-intuitively perhaps, deradicalisation of Palestinian prisoners, who are among the most radicalised, could serve as the model for wider reform. They are literally a captive audience, and they have the most to gain by accepting reality and an understanding that their future can be brighter if they are willing to move away from hatred and violence.

With international support and cooperation from the Islamic world, such a project could become a reality rather than a utopian dream. Despite the predictable objections, giving deradicalisation a chance has to be better than just repeating what has been done before and hoping for different results.

John Spencer: Israel's High Court Just Shattered the False Gaza Narrative by the International Courts in The Hague

On March 27, 2025, Israel’s High Court of Justice, led by Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit,delivered a measured, fact-driven, and deeply legal judgment , reaffirming that Israel’s decision to halt aid to Gaza, following Hamas’s rejection of the U.S. proposal to continue the hostage-ceasefire negotiations, was fully compliant with international law.The ruling should send a powerful signal to international bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), which have rushed to indict and accuse with politically charged narratives untethered from operational facts and legal substance.

The High Court found that Israel is not in violation of international humanitarian law in itsdecision to halt the facilitation of aid to Gaza and—critically—not an occupying power in the Strip. This rebuke, coming from Israel’s own top court—widely regarded as one of the most independent in the world—matters immensely. It is everything the ICC and ICJ have failed to be: rooted in evidence, guided by law, and aware of the real-world consequences of war against terrorist enemies who embed themselves within civilian populations.

This was no rubber stamp. Israel’s Supreme Court has a longstanding history of challenging its own government, particularly on national security policy. The idea that this court would serve as a political puppet is laughable to anyone familiar with Israel’s democratic and judicial culture.

What the High Court did was what international tribunals have refused to do: look at the facts. After reviewing extensive classified materials, multiple hearings, and actual data—not rhetoric—the Court ruled that Israel has met and continues to meet its obligations under both international and domestic law. It confirmed that Israel facilitates humanitarian aid to civilians, with no quantitative restrictions, and has taken extensive steps to coordinate with international aid groups—even amid a complex war against a terrorist army that systematically steals that same aid.

The Court also addressed allegations that Israel was using starvation as a method of warfare. Citing the entry of 25,000 aid trucks carrying over 57,000 tons of food since January 19—during the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire agreement—it found no violation of the prohibitions on starvation or collective punishment “not even remotely.” The Court emphasized that international law only obliges a state to facilitate the passage of humanitarian supplies when there is no reason to believe they are being diverted for hostile use. Given overwhelming evidence that Hamas has been systematically stealing aid and repurposing it for military operations, including hostage captivity, the Court concluded that Israel acted within the bounds of international law when it halted certain aid flows.