|
In-Depth Issues:
Turkey Issues Genocide Arrest Warrant Against Netanyahu ( AFP)
Turkey announced Friday that it had issued arrest warrants for genocide against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other senior officials in his government over the war in Gaza. They include Israel's defense minister and the IDF chief of staff.
Hamas welcomed Turkey's announcement, calling it a "commendable measure."
Israel's former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman wrote on X that the arrest warrants "clearly explain why Turkey should not be present in Gaza - directly or indirectly."
Freed Hostage Says Captors Joyfully Tortured, Whipped Him Repeatedly - Darcie Grunblatt ( Jerusalem Post)
Recently freed hostage Rom Braslavski, who was held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza for 738 days, was so severely beaten by his captors that he begged them to let him starve to death instead, he told Israel's Channel 13 on Thursday.
He had been working as a security guard at the Nova music festival on Oct. 7.
"They tortured me for one reason: Because I am a Jew," he said.
Pro-Palestinian Mob in UK Plotted to Hunt Down Visiting Israeli Soccer Players - Jane Prinsley
( Jewish Chronicle-UK)
Anti-Israel activists plotted to hunt down players from Maccabi Tel Aviv's soccer team during their visit to Birmingham, leaked WhatsApp messages seen by the Jewish Chronicle reveal.
The Israeli side became the target of a coordinated plan involving hotel stakeouts and surveillance by protesters determined to track the team and have the match cancelled.
The game on Thursday went ahead without any Maccabi fans present in the stadium.
Chants of "death to the IDF" and "intifada revolution" were shouted by a crowd of Gaza protesters, while a smaller group of pro-Israel counter-protesters were confined to a caged basketball court by police.
In a leaked WhatsApp message, organizers of the Gaza protest outside the stadium planned a "search for Maccabi team" the day before the match. Activists intended to track down the players in Birmingham hotels and shared a link with the players' faces so they would be able to identify the Israeli side.
A message from the West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) said: "We need volunteers for Wednesday for MISSION CRITICAL search actions. We can still cancel this match if we obstruct team Maccabi from attending the match."
The messages appears to mirror similar attempts when the Israeli team played in Amsterdam in November 2024. Messages from anti-Israel activists shared at the time called for a "Jew hunt."
Israeli Survivors of Kristallnacht Mark 87th Anniversary of Nazi Riots amid Rising Antisemitism - Melanie Lidman ( AP)
Walter Bingham was 14 when Nazis plundered Jewish businesses and places of worship across Germany and Austria in what became known as Kristallnacht, or the "Night of Broken Glass," on Nov. 9, 1938.
Bingham is among the Holocaust survivors marking the 87th anniversary of Kristallnacht on Sunday, at a time when antisemitism is on the rise.
"We live in an era equivalent to 1938, where synagogues are burned, and people in the street are attacked," said Bingham, now 101.
During the Kristallnacht riots, the Nazis killed at least 91 people, vandalized 7,500 Jewish businesses, and set fire to more than 1,400 synagogues. Up to 30,000 Jewish men were arrested, many taken to concentration camps. Hundreds died years before official mass deportations began.
Bingham said he can remember every detail of the aftermath of the Kristallnacht attack. He was walking to school in Mannheim. When he got to the synagogue where his classes were held, it was a smoldering wreck. He watched as firefighters let the synagogue burn while dousing neighboring properties to ensure the fire didn't spread.
Months later he was put on a Kindertransport from Germany to England. Bingham's father died in the Warsaw Ghetto, and Bingham never saw his mother again.
Dutch Court Quashes Bid to Ban Arms to Israel over Gaza ( AFP)
A Dutch court Thursday threw out a case brought by pro-Palestinian activists seeking to force the Netherlands to halt trade and weapons exports to Israel over the war in Gaza.
The Appeals Court in The Hague dismissed all the grounds for appeal made by the 10 NGOs and ordered them to pay legal costs.
Israeli Tech Allows Police Forces to See through Walls - Esther Davis ( Jerusalem Post)
Two police special forces in the Asia-Pacific region have signed contracts with the Israeli company Camero-Tech for its advanced XAVER 400 imaging systems.
The XAVER 400 is a Sense Through The Wall (STTW) radar imaging system that helps tactical and rescue teams accurately understand situations before they enter them by revealing the number and location of people hidden from direct view behind walls and barriers.
The system can be used by police in anti-terror operations, building assaults, explosive breaching, kidnapping rescues, high-risk arrests, and anti-drug raids.
The XAVER line is used across nearly 60 countries in defense, law enforcement, and search and rescue.
|
|
News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Iran Plotted Assassination of Israeli Ambassador to Mexico -
Jennifer Hansler
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force plotted to assassinate the Israeli ambassador to Mexico, Einat Kranz Neiger, a U.S. official said. Israel's Foreign Ministry issued a statement thanking Mexico "for thwarting a terrorist network directed by Iran that sought to attack Israel's ambassador in Mexico." (CNN)
See also Cell that Planned to Kill Israel's Ambassador to Mexico Operated from Iran's Embassy in Venezuela - Itamar Eichner (Ynet News)
- Hamas Weapons Cache Found in Austria
Austria's domestic intelligence service has uncovered a weapons cache in Vienna linked to the Palestinian militant group Hamas for use in "possible terrorist attacks in Europe," the government said Thursday. A British citizen "having close ties to the weapons cache" was arrested in London on Monday, the Interior Ministry said.
"Israeli or Jewish institutions in Europe were likely to be the targets of these attacks," it added. (AP-CNN)
- U.S. Steps Up Gaza Aid Role - Karen DeYoung
The U.S.-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) charged with implementing President Trump's Gaza peace plan is to become the overseer of humanitarian aid to the enclave, formerly the responsibility of the Israel Ministry of Defense's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). A COGAT statement said, "The Americans will be integrated into the formulation and implementation of coordination, supervision, and control mechanisms in the context of humanitarian aid, in full cooperation with the Israeli security services."
Israeli officials said that while "the Americans will take the lead in engaging with the international community on humanitarian matters...it should be emphasized that this does not constitute a transfer of authority or responsibility from COGAT to the Americans." There was "no change in policy" governing aid inspection or dual-use items, and aid entry "will be carried out solely by [Israeli-] approved international organizations."
The CMCC is headquartered in a three-story building in Kiryat Gat, 20 miles northeast of Gaza.
The Americans occupy one floor, with Israeli military, intelligence and civilian personnel on another. Representatives of dozens of partner nations (including France, Germany and Britain), nongovernmental organizations, international institutions and the private sector are on a separate floor. "The whole activity of the Americans operating in Gaza is something new," said Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, who served as director general of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs. (Washington Post)
- U.S. Targets Hizbullah Money Movers
The U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on three Hizbullah members involved in financial transactions for the group. The Treasury Department said the sanctions would make transactions with them subject to prosecution. The three were involved in transfers of tens of millions of dollars from Iran. (AFP)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- Israel Working to Obtain Understandings with U.S. for UN Resolution on Gaza - Nadav Eyal
Israel is working to obtain a side letter of understanding from President Trump's administration to accompany the UN Security Council resolution on the future of Gaza, which is expected to include the demilitarization of Gaza and the mandate for an international stabilization force to enter the territory.
A similar mechanism was used regarding the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, when an American side letter addressed Israel's freedom of action against Hizbullah threats.
(Ynet News)
- Lior Rudaeff, Who Died Protecting His Community, Returns Home - Leo Feierberg Better
The remains of Lior Rudaeff, 61, were returned to Israel on Friday night, the IDF announced on Saturday. A longtime resident of Nir Yitzhak, Rudaeff was a member of the kibbutz's response team who was killed on Oct. 7. He volunteered as a Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency medical technician and ambulance driver for 40 years. (Jerusalem Post)
- Israel Weighs Offensive in Lebanon to Curb Hizbullah Resurgence - Lilach Shoval
On Thursday the IDF ordered evacuations of parts of southern Lebanese towns in order to destroy weapons and materiel Hizbullah is attempting to stockpile, while trying to avoid harm to uninvolved civilians. IDF airstrikes targeted warehouses located in the heart of civilian areas. Israeli officials repeatedly stress that the principal lesson of Oct. 7 is to prevent terrorist organizations from rebuilding along Israel's borders.
While Hizbullah said it plans to respond to Israeli actions, a military source said a Hizbullah reaction would actually be beneficial to Israel because it would give Israel greater legitimacy to strike additional Hizbullah targets. (Israel Hayom)
- IDF Reveals Hamas Ties to Iran, UNRWA, Al Jazeera, Stolen Aid
The IDF published intelligence documents on Monday as evidence of Hamas's connection to Iran, to UNRWA, and Al Jazeera. Lists of UNRWA employees included teachers, principals, counselors, and medical staff who all had positions in Hamas's Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades.
One document listed 15 Al Jazeera journalists alongside their roles within the terror organizations. A 2023 document showed that Hamas established an "Al Jazeera Phone," a secure line that would allow it to communicate with the channel.
The IDF found a collection of photos of "Hamas exploiting stolen Humanitarian Aid in tunnels," where individuals are shown next to sacks of stolen humanitarian aid. Fresh fruit and vegetables, canned goods, flour, and meat were all on display in the photographs of the tunnels. (Jerusalem Post)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
The Gaza War
- Why Would Hamas Disarm? - Akram Attaallah
After the ceasefire in Gaza and exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, the next phase of President Trump's peace initiative centers on the requirement for Hamas to surrender its weapons. Hamas is unlikely to fully relinquish its arms, according to people who have studied the group and understand its psychology.
For a movement that built its legitimacy around what it called resistance, giving up its weapons is not just a tactical concession; it is an existential unraveling. If Hamas lays down its arms, what can it tell its supporters? That decades of sacrifice have ended in surrender?
Some analysts propose making a distinction between offensive and defensive weapons in negotiations, allowing Hamas to keep the latter. But Israel is unlikely to accept such nuance, and now there is little that would force it to do so. Disarmament could open the door to reconstruction, or it could give other groups and families the opportunity for revenge.
The writer is a columnist for Al-Ayyam, based in Ramallah. (New York Times)
U.S.-Israel Relations
- Behind Mamdani's Revolutionary "Red-Green" Victory
over New York City - Dr. Dan Diker
Zohran Mamdani's election as New York City's mayor holds far-reaching implications for the U.S., Israel, and Western democracies. Mamdani represents a hybrid "Red-Green" political alignment, integrating revolutionary Marxist ideology with Islamist terminology and anti-Zionist positions.
Mamdani has promoted the elimination of the Jewish state and founded his college's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. Mamdani has documented connections to individuals associated with Samidoun, designated by the U.S. government as a front organization for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).
New York City now serves as a case study testing whether Red-Green ideological frameworks can transform American urban governance.
The writer is President of the Jerusalem Center.
(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
- Video: Zohran Mamdani Does Not Believe in Coexistence - Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch
I met Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani after the primaries. Several prominent and liberal New York City rabbis spent an hour with him. We entered with open hearts and open minds. We were interested in taking the measure of the man.
Zohran Mamdani is an ideologically committed, dogmatic opponent of the Zionist idea. He is not simply a critic of Israel. He does not believe in coexistence. He does not believe in two states for two peoples. His opposition to Israel is existential. He believes that Israel has no right to exist at all as a Jewish state in any territory.
This is the position of Israel's most implacable foes. It is the ideology of Hamas, Hizbullah, Iran, and their supporters in the West. He doesn't hide it, he's proud of it. "The struggle for the Palestinian liberation was at the core of my politics and continues to be," he proclaimed in a 2023 speech to the Democratic Socialists of America.
None of this is about coexistence. Anti-Zionism is an illiberal philosophy at its very core and it offends me both as a liberal and as a Jew.
The writer, senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City, served as executive director of the Association of Reform Zionists of America.
(X)
- Evangelical Support for Israel Is Rooted in a Belief that Freedom and Faith Are Inseparable. - Ralph Reed
Evangelical Christians for decades have been the most pro-Israel constituency in America. The Pew Research Center reported in 2022 that 70% of white evangelical Protestants believe God gave Israel to the Jewish people and 86% have a favorable view of Israelis.
After World War II with the horrifying revelations of the Holocaust, the creation of a Jewish state out of the former British mandate became a humanitarian imperative, and when the U.S. became one of the first nations to recognize the modern state of Israel in 1948, Christians broadly supported it.
Evangelicals view Israel through the prism of a celebrated tradition of Christians who opposed the Nazis and rescued Jews from Hitler. Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, murdered by the SS, is lionized in American churches, and his letters from prison became standard reading in Bible studies. Corrie ten Boom, who survived the camps after her family hid Jews in her native Holland, became a featured speaker at Billy Graham's crusades. Being a good Christian meant defending Jews.
Christian empathy for the Jewish people is leavened with a clear-eyed assessment of U.S. security interests. During the Cold War, as Nasser's Egypt and other Arab nations allied themselves with the Soviet Union, Israel emerged as a vital strategic partner to America and its most reliable ally in the region. During the war on terror, Israel's radical Islamic foes became America's enemies, and its struggle the West's struggle.
Christians also cherish Israel as the cradle of their faith. It is the land where Jesus was born. Since gaining control of eastern Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has provided greater access to the holy sites of all faiths.
Evangelicals support Israel because they love God, cherish their country, and believe faith and freedom are inseparable. Israel, like the U.S., is a beacon for those timeless, eternal values.
The writer is founder and chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
(Wall Street Journal)
- "America First" and Israel - Cynical Publius
"Are you America First or Israel First?" is a false dilemma. It is precisely because I am "America First" that I wholly support current U.S. policies regarding Israel. Support for Israel is solidly in America's best interests.
I lived for extended periods in the Middle East and in other Islamic nations both in military and civilian capacities and I know the ideas and policies that define the region. The entire history of Islam, literally since its inception, is a history of conquering other lands to force their inhabitants to become Muslims.
In Muslim Arab countries, it is possible to become friends with highly educated, highly rational people who are some of the smartest humans you will ever meet. Yet, sadly, when the subject of Israel and/or Judaism comes up, they suddenly lapse into astonishingly irrational beings, asserting wildly antisemitic tropes straight out of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
Islamic nations have views on personal liberty that are completely and utterly opposed to Western civilization. Every nation but one in the Middle East offers only totalitarian, tyrannical governance. Israel is the only nation in the region that shares Western values of democracy, self-governance, the rule of law, and guaranteed personal liberties.
Israel is a tremendous military ally to the U.S., sharing military intelligence and technology.
The only intelligence service that rivals the CIA and the UK's MI6 is Mossad, and the intelligence we share with each other is greatly beneficial to both nations.
Since its inception in its modern form, Israel has been surrounded by Muslim states with a singular purpose of destroying Israel and all of its Jewish inhabitants. Yet the citizens of Israel made the desert bloom and built an economic and military powerhouse out of nothing. We Americans who understand our own pioneering history can see the similarity to our own nation and cannot help but admire it.
Israel has a technology industry that is second only to Silicon Valley, and when it comes to cybersecurity, arguably better. The U.S. and world economies depend greatly on the innovation and products of the Israeli people. Right now, if you are reading this, the only reason you can do so safely without divulging your bank account and other deeply personal information is thanks to Israel.
"Gaza genocide" is a nonsense myth. Israel had for decades offered peace and compromises, and Hamas and Gaza's citizens rejected all of that in favor of death and destruction. Israel's response in Gaza was EXACTLY what the U.S. would have done when faced with a similar situation. To a certain extent, Israel has fought jihad so you and I do not have to. Israel's continued existence benefits America in every way imaginable.
So please don't pretend that support for Israel is anti-American.
The writer is a retired U.S. Army colonel and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who is a practicing corporate law attorney. (American Greatness)
Observations:
- The Trump Plan outlines a path for far-reaching change in Gaza, which is to become a de-radicalized, terror-free zone that does not pose a threat to its neighbors. For this vision to have any chance of success, the Palestinian narrative must change from one that denies the Jewish people's right to a state in the Land of Israel and glorifies the struggle to destroy it, to one prepared to build peaceful relations with the Jewish state.
- That change must begin with an internal reckoning - an acknowledgment that the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack was a grievous mistake, and that Israel cannot be defeated, certainly not by force. So far, Hamas remains defiant, reflecting not only a refusal to surrender power but also an awareness that disarmament would symbolize an admission of error and guilt.
- During the events marking the attack's second anniversary, Arab media criticism did not challenge the "heroism" of Hamas's attackers or the supposed legitimacy of using violence to drive Israel out. Rather, it focused on Hamas's failure to anticipate Israel's response - that exacted a devastating price in lives and property. Even media close to Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood expressed criticism, noting the heavy price the Iranian axis had paid for Hamas's short-sightedness.
- What forced Hamas to yield on the hostages? Israel's determination to press ahead on the capture of Gaza City - despite intense international pressure, the wave of Western recognition of a Palestinian state, and the potential costs, together with the massive destruction inflicted on Gaza's infrastructure that included collapsing high-rise buildings - created severe distress within Hamas's ranks.
- Although Hamas's propaganda campaigns about "starvation" and "genocide" were highly effective, they failed to stop Israel's offensive. Now the U.S. and Israel must assess whether additional measures can shape how Oct. 7 is ultimately remembered in the Palestinian national consciousness.
- Israel and the U.S. must reiterate a credible military threat: if Hamas refuses to disarm, Israel - with full American backing - will resume combat and finish the job. President Trump continues to signal this. Washington and Jerusalem should condition the next stages of the plan - opening the Rafah crossing, expanding humanitarian aid, and launching reconstruction - on Hamas's disarmament.
- The mediators must be pressed to use their leverage. They should be made to understand that failure to achieve Hamas's disarmament will not only lead to its forcible removal but will also affect their own relations with the U.S.
The writer, former head of the research division of IDF Military Intelligence, leads the Jerusalem Institute.
|