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In-Depth Issues:
Lebanon Is Not Serious about Disarming Hizbullah - Hussain Abdul-Hussain ( Asia Times-Hong Kong)
Lebanon is not serious about enforcing the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 mechanism agreement that it signed with Israel on Nov. 27 that ended 14 months of war.
Hizbullah has instructed caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to pretend that Lebanon has lived up to its part of the deal, and that it is now incumbent on Israel to stop its "violations" and accelerate its withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
What Mikati called violations were in fact Israel enforcing 1701 by striking Hizbullah's rearmament shipments, an arrangement that Lebanon had signed on to.
The deal stipulated that the Israeli military would control up to five miles of Lebanese territory as long as Hizbullah maintains its ability to reconstitute.
Israel promised to withdraw when the Lebanese Armed Forces has disarmed Hizbullah and neutralized its threat.
The writer is a research fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
Hizbullah May Be Preparing for Continued Military Action in South Lebanon under the Guise of "Popular Resistance" ( MEMRI)
On Dec. 26, 2024, Hizbullah supporters on social media circulated messages by two previously unknown groups calling themselves the "Youth of the Villages of the Strip Bordering Occupied Palestine" and the "Youth of Beirut's Southern Dahiyeh."
The groups announced their intention to wage armed resistance against the Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
It is possible that the groups are branches of Hizbullah that were created to continue militant activity in South Lebanon under the guise of "popular resistance."
The use of fictitious groups and the waging of military action disguised as "popular resistance by locals" are well-known tactics used by Hizbullah and by the Iran-backed resistance axis.
Over the recent years, Hizbullah operatives disguised as local residents have initiated several confrontations with UNIFIL forces.
Hamas Recruits Thousands of New Fighters in Gaza - Yoni Ben Menachem ( Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
Israeli security officials say Hamas has recruited 4,000 new fighters over the past month.
Currently, Hamas is estimated to have about 20,000 armed fighters in Gaza, along with 4,000 Islamic Jihad fighters.
Hamas's military recovery has allowed it to prolong the war and adopt tougher stances in hostage negotiations.
The funds for this recruitment are reportedly from the sale of humanitarian aid packages, which Hamas forcibly seizes and resells.
Israel Rejects Proposed UN Middle East Envoy - Itamar Eichner ( Ynet News)
Israel has rejected UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' proposed appointment of Finland's former foreign minister Pekka Haavisto as the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East, due to Haavisto's past criticism of Israeli policies, and has requested an alternative candidate.
Amnesty International Suspends Israel Branch for Rejecting Its Reports - Michael Starr ( Jerusalem Post)
The International Board of Amnesty International has suspended Amnesty International Israel's membership for two years in response to the Israeli branch's criticism of the international body's recent reports on Israel.
Board chair Tiumalu Lauvale Peter Fa'afiu said Monday, "We take this action in response to evidence of endemic anti-Palestinian racism within AI Israel...and hostility to Amnesty positions."
Amnesty Israel had publicized its differing opinions against the 2022 report "Israel's Apartheid Against Palestinians" and the 2023 report "Israel's Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza."
Fa'afiu said, "AI Israel has sought to publicly discredit Amnesty's human rights research and positions...threatening our credibility, integrity and operational coherence."
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Iran Pulls Most Forces from Syria, in Blow to Tehran's Regional Ambitions - Lara Seligman
Iranian forces have largely withdrawn from Syria following the Assad regime's December collapse, according to U.S., European and Arab officials. The Iranian withdrawal marks the demise of a yearslong effort in which Tehran used Syria as a hub in its broader regional strategy to wage proxy war against the U.S. and Israel.
Iranian-backed armed groups in Syria have launched attacks on U.S. forces and aided in attacks on Israel. As the Assad regime collapsed, thousands of Iran-backed militia fighters were still in the country, mainly in eastern Syria, with some based in Damascus. Members of Iran's Quds Force have now fled to Iran and the militia groups have disbanded, a senior U.S. official said. Hizbullah fighters in the west of the country fled to Lebanon.
(Wall Street Journal)
- UN Watchdog Group Urges Dismantling of UNRWA for "Enabling Crimes Against Humanity" - Carl Campanile
UNRWA, the UN relief agency that provides $1.5 billion a year to Palestinians, "is neither independent nor neutral" and should be disbanded for colluding with terrorists and "enabling crimes against humanity," UN Watch said in a new report.
"UNRWA's senior management not only employs individuals tied to Hamas terrorism but also allows terrorist groups like Hamas to influence and obstruct critical agency decisions and policies. UNRWA's failure to maintain neutrality, combined with its susceptibility to influence from terrorist groups, undermines its credibility as a humanitarian agency and perpetuates conflict in the region. It is time for donors to reconsider their support, dismantle the Agency, and seek alternative frameworks to provide effective aid to Palestinians in need."
"UNRWA is no longer a humanitarian agency - it has become a full-fledged partner to terrorist organizations like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch. It "actively collaborates with those who glorify violence and seek the destruction of Israel....The U.S. and Western nations funding UNRWA need to wake up. Your money is being used to employ terrorists, indoctrinate children, and build the infrastructure of hatred and violence." (New York Post)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- Three Israelis Murdered in Palestinian Shooting Attack - Elisha Ben Kimon
Three Israelis were killed and 11 others injured in a Palestinian attack Monday morning near the village of Al-Funduq, close to the Israeli community of Kedumim in Samaria. The attackers opened fire on passing vehicles and buses before fleeing in a car toward Nablus. (Ynet News)
See also The Victims of the West Bank Terror Attack - Elisha Ben Kimon
The victims of Monday's terror attack near Kedumim were Rachel Cohen, 73, Aliza Reiss, 69, and police officer Master Sgt. Elad Yaakov Winkelstein, 36. Cohen was a retired school counselor and Reiss worked as a school counselor. Winkelstein's son, who was in the car with him during the attack, witnessed his father fire at the assailants before being fatally shot.
Security officials said initial investigations indicate the attack was carried out by a three-member squad, two of whom are known to Israeli forces.
(Ynet News)
- Israel Says Hizbullah Not Meeting Ceasefire Terms - Emanuel Fabian
Israel will be "forced to act" if Hizbullah does not pull back from southern Lebanon as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Sunday. "Israel is interested in the implementation of the agreement in Lebanon and will continue to enforce it fully and without compromise to ensure the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes," Katz said.
"The first condition for the implementation of the agreement is the complete withdrawal of the Hizbullah terror organization beyond the Litani River, the dismantling of all weapons, and the [removal] of the terror infrastructure in the area by the Lebanese army, something that hasn't happened yet. If this condition is not met, there will be no agreement, and Israel will be forced to act independently." (Times of Israel)
- Israel to Produce Heavy Bombs, Reducing Dependence on U.S. - Emanuel Fabian
Israel's Defense Ministry has signed two major deals with Elbit Systems to supply the military with thousands of heavy bombs and establish a new plant to manufacture raw materials. The ministry says the agreements are "crucial for enhancing the IDF's operational endurance and force build-up capabilities." (Times of Israel)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
Israeli Security
- Islamist Terror in Herzliya - Freddy Eytan
Before dawn on Dec. 27, the residents of Herzliya were running to shelters, suddenly awakened by warnings of a new ballistic missile launch from Yemen. Islamist terrorism is at our doorstep. Later that morning, Ludmilla Lipovsky, 83, a Holocaust survivor from Europe, was brutally murdered by a Palestinian from Tulkarem, here in Herzliya, in the center of the country.
We are living a war of attrition. Despite the truce in Lebanon, tensions are still high and Iran is trying to rearm Hizbullah. In Syria, the new government is not reassuring. In Gaza, Hamas is still capable of launching missiles. The Houthis, 2,000 km. from our borders, are relentlessly continuing to fire ballistic missiles.
The writer, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, is a former Foreign Ministry senior adviser who was Israel's first ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. (Israel Hayom)
U.S.-Israel Relations
- Netanyahu's Gift to Joe Biden -
William McGurn
The greatest gift from Benjamin Netanyahu to Joe Biden was making the American president's Middle East legacy seem much better than it is. And he did it by ignoring Biden's advice.
It started with Netanyahu's sending ground forces into Gaza to defeat Hamas, which carried out the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.
Later he sent the Israel Defense Forces into Rafah, on the border with Egypt - the key to Hamas's weapons supply. He then pivoted to Hizbullah in Lebanon, which had started shooting at Israel on Oct. 8. Along the way Israel killed terrorist leaders in Tehran, Damascus and Beirut. Most recently, Israel has been fighting the Houthis, another Iranian proxy that operates from Yemen and has also been battling the U.S. Navy. Biden opposed almost all these actions.
Netanyahu's strategy of destroying the Iranian proxies making war on Israel has gone a long way toward defanging Iran. After Iran launched missiles at Israel, Israel's retaliation left Iran's air defenses in tatters. All this happened because Netanyahu was willing to act in defiance of the received wisdom of the diplomatic community and most of the recommendations from the Biden White House. (Wall Street Journal)
Palestinian Arabs
- Congratulations, Mr. Dictator: Mahmoud Abbas Starts His 21st Year - Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch
On Jan. 9, 2025, Mahmoud Abbas will start the 21st year of his four-year term as leader of the Palestinian Authority. According to PA law, the leader of the PA is elected for a four-year term, which can be extended, subject to re-election, for one additional four-year term.
Since the PA was established more than 30 years ago, the U.S. and the EU have donated billions of dollars to build a functioning democratic society. The donations have kept flowing.
While the reality of his dictatorship is clear, Abbas continues to enjoy international recognition.
The writer, former director of the Military Prosecution in Judea and Samaria, is director of the Palestinian Authority Accountability Initiative at the Jerusalem Center. (Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
Israel and the West
- Media Mainstreams a Blood Libel about Israeli "Apathy" - Jonathan S. Tobin
For 15 months, Israelis and Jews around the world have watched in horror as much of the international media flipped the narrative of the terrorist invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Even before the Israel Defense Forces launched its counterattack into Gaza to eradicate the forces that had brazenly assaulted the one Jewish state on the planet, much of the press coverage was portraying the side that started a war with barbaric atrocities as the real victims while Israelis were depicted as the aggressors.
In recent weeks, articles in the New York Times and elsewhere accuse the Israeli people as a whole of acquiescence to the supposedly horrible things being done in their name in Gaza. Israelis are portrayed as having failed the test of morality set for them by the supposedly more enlightened West.
Israelis are expected to give a pass to the Palestinians for the genocidal ideology that drove them to murder, torture, rape and kidnap Jews as part of their desire to end Israel's existence.
The charge of "deadly apathy" is a new form of an age-old blood libel in which the Jews are singled out for opprobrium for sentiments that would be universal in any country put in a similar situation.
The overwhelming majority of Israelis have come to the rational conclusion that any sane people would embrace - that Hamas must not merely be defeated but prevented from ever having the opportunity to repeat their crimes, as they have promised they will if given the chance.
Hamas could have ended this war at any point by releasing the hostages and accepting Israeli offers in which the terrorists would be allowed safe passage out of Gaza. They hold on because they believe their propaganda will convince the West to turn on Israel and someday hand it to them on a silver platter. Those who participate in pro-Hamas demonstrations are helping to prolong the war. (JNS)
Observations:
- As chants of "globalize the intifada" reverberate through the streets of Western cities, a Saudi-born psychiatrist ploughed his car through a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, claiming five lives, and an American-born ISIS terrorist charged a pickup truck through a crowd in New Orleans, killing 15. The intifada - a word tied to Palestinian uprisings against Israel - was never merely a localized rebellion. It was a blueprint for ideological Islamic warfare.
- Christmas markets, public celebrations, bars, churches, Jewish centers, and music venues have become the favored stages for terror. They are the inheritance of a playbook honed during Israel's first and second intifadas, with public bombings, shootings, and stabbings. The West finds itself living a delayed echo of Israel's reality.
- Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas and a chief architect of the intifadas, was explicit about their purpose. They were not simply protests against Israeli policies but a totalizing religious war against those deemed infidels. Yet Yassin's unambiguous message was never fully grasped by a Western audience. The result is a profound failure to understand the forces at work to destroy our way of life.
- Western societies search the attacker's life for clues - a bad childhood, economic hardship - as though terror were the inevitable by-product of social failure rather than a weapon of ideology. This approach obscures the reality that these attacks are part of a larger ideological conflict, one that views the very existence of Western society - its freedoms, its values - as an affront to the Muslim Ummah, to be answered with violence.
- If Europe hopes to withstand this ongoing wave of terror, it must learn from Israel's experience. How many more lives must be lost for us to stop responding as though each attack were the first? When will we finally acknowledge the war we are already in, and start to fight back?
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