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In-Depth Issues:
87 Percent of Palestinians Deny Hamas Atrocities of Oct. 7, despite Videos ( Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research)
A poll conducted in the West Bank and Gaza on May 1-4, 2025, found that 87% of Palestinians believe Hamas did not commit the atrocities depicted in videos taken on Oct. 7, 2023.
50% say Hamas's decision to launch the Oct. 7 attack was correct (37% in Gaza, 59% in West Bank).
43% of the public expect Hamas to win the war, compared to 50% in Sept. 2024 and 67% last June. Only 23% of Gazans expect Hamas to win, compared to 28% in Sept. and 48% in June. In the West Bank, 56% expect Hamas to win, compared to 65% in Sept. and 79% in June.
When the war ends, 42% say Hamas will regain control in Gaza, including only 28% of Gazans and 51% in the West Bank. In June, 37% of Gazans said Hamas will control Gaza.
48% of Gazans, compared to only 14% in the West Bank, say they support the demonstrations in Gaza demanding that Hamas abandon control.
85% in the West Bank and 64% in Gaza oppose the disarmament of Hamas in Gaza.
43% of Gazans say they are willing to emigrate after the end of the war.
57% of Palestinians oppose the concept of a two-state solution.
41% support an armed struggle against Israel, including 48% in the West Bank and 31% in Gaza, down from 56% in June 2024.
Israel Believes Trump Lacks Senate Support for Saudi Nuclear Deal without Israeli Involvement - Shirit Avitan Cohen ( Israel Hayom)
An Israeli official told Israel Hayom that President Trump "won't be able to get approval to push forward a civilian nuclear program for Saudi Arabia without the Israeli component. He doesn't have a Senate majority for any agreement that doesn't include Israel or that moves forward without its consent."
He confirmed that the Americans had made inquiries with Israel regarding its position, and chose to advance the initiative after determining that Israel could not meet Saudi demands regarding the Palestinians.
The U.S. Constitution requires treaties to be approved by a two-thirds majority - 67 senators.
Israel's Eurovision Entry Survived the Oct. 7 Attack - Ruth Eglash ( AFP)
Yuval Raphael, 24, shows little sign that just a year and a half ago she was hiding beneath dead bodies, pretending to be dead herself, as Hamas gunmen attacked a music festival near Gaza, killing hundreds.
Now she will represent Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest on May 13 in Basel, Switzerland.
When Hamas attacked, Raphael took cover in a roadside shelter for eight hours, watching as Hamas gunmen killed the young people around her. She hid under the bodies, covering her face with the hair of a young woman killed next to her.
Former Justice Minister: Ireland Is Most Anti-Israel Country in Europe - Lorin Bell-Cross ( Jewish Chronicle-UK)
Former Irish Justice Minister Alan Shatter, 74, who is Jewish and also served as the country's defense minister, said in an interview that Ireland has seen an explosion in antisemitism after Oct. 7 and is the most anti-Israel country in Europe.
He criticized the adoption of "the Hamas narrative" by sections of Irish society.
"The mainstream press primarily adopts the Hamas narratives; any explanation of events that come from the Israeli side is treated as dishonest or treated with cynicism."
"The main portrayal of the conflict in Ireland is that an 'event' occurred on Oct. 7...and some journalists regard what happened on Oct. 7 as an atrocity, but 'perhaps understandable,' and then the perception is that since Oct. 7 Israel has simply been exacting revenge by arbitrarily bombing and murdering Palestinians."
"There's no reportage or appreciation in Ireland of the reality that Hamas is still intent on destroying Israel, that it wants to resume its total rule of Gaza."
He said there has been an embrace of Islamist talking points which has led to people "proudly marching in Dublin with Hamas and Hizbullah and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine flags, all chanting 'from the river to the sea' and calling for global Intifada."
"We have a real problem in this country. I think Ireland is not merely the most anti-Israel country in the European Union, or possibly in Europe."
"Unfortunately, the hostility to Israel has resulted in narratives being used on a regular basis that replicate the narratives in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. The only difference is the word Israel is substituted for Jew, or the word Zionist is substituted for Jew."
"The main narrative, essentially, is that the only reason the conflict continues is it's Israel's fault."
Shatter noted that Ireland re-opened its embassy in Iran in October 2024. "At no stage have they ever criticized Iran for its endemic - at government level - antisemitic pronouncements and its commitment to Israel's destruction" as well as funding for terrorist groups Hamas, Hizbullah and the Houthis.
Israel's Sa'ar-6 Corvettes - the Backbone of Its Surface Fleet - Brandon J. Weichert ( National Interest)
Israel's four German-built Sa'ar-6-class corvettes are now the backbone of its surface fleet.
Their hull and superstructures incorporate stealth technology to reduce radar and infrared signatures, making them harder to detect.
The Sa'ar-6 corvettes are among the most heavily armed vessels in the world, equipped with Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles and a naval variant of the Iron Dome to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells.
The corvettes are fitted with Gabriel V precision anti-ship missiles with a reported range of 248 miles.
A 76mm Super Rapid gun provides high-rate fire against air and surface targets, with a range of up to 25 miles.
Two Rafael Typhoon remote weapon stations armed with 30mm cannons offer close-in protection against small boats.
The Sa'ar-6 has two 324mm torpedo launchers providing anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
A hangar and flight deck accommodate medium-class helicopters.
The Sa'ar-6 was built to defend Israel's maritime gas fields, which supply over 60% of Israel's electricity and support exports to Jordan and Egypt.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- U.S. Ambassador Says Gaza Aid Plan Is Trump's Initiative - Karen DeYoung
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Friday that a new proposal to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza is an "initiative" by President Trump. The plan would see food distributed to Gazans at Israeli-designated humanitarian zones.
"The Israelis are going to be involved in providing necessary military security because it is a war zone, but they will not be involved in the distribution of the food," Huckabee said. "The Israelis are supportive. Any allegation that the Israelis don't care about humanitarian aid is absolutely false. They also care very much that Hamas doesn't steal that aid. But that is a view that is shared by the president and by all of us in the United States."
Meanwhile, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has proposed that Hamas begin to release up to 24 hostages still thought to be alive in exchange for a 50-day ceasefire, a proposal that was rejected by Hamas. Huckabee said implementation of the aid plan does not depend on a ceasefire.
(Washington Post)
- Trump Had "Private Meeting" with Netanyahu Adviser on Thursday - Barak Ravid
President Trump met Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Thursday and discussed the nuclear talks with Iran and the war in Gaza. A fourth round of nuclear talks between the U.S and Iran will be held on Sunday in Muscat, and President Trump will begin a visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE starting on Monday.
(Axios)
- Lebanon Purges Hizbullah Staff from Beirut Airport to Crack Down on Smuggling - Omar Abdel-Baqui
Lebanon's only commercial airport sits in an area of southern Beirut largely controlled by Hizbullah, which has for years used it as a smuggling channel. Now the country's new government, with U.S. support, is trying to take it back. Dozens of airport staffers suspected of being affiliated with Hizbullah have been removed, according to senior Lebanese security officials.
Smugglers have been arrested and existing laws are now being enforced, Lebanon's new prime minister Nawaf Salam said. Flights from Iran have been suspended since February. The overhaul is part of a broader effort to limit Hizbullah's influence and revenue flows. Lebanese security recently foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 50 pounds of gold to Hizbullah through the airport. (Wall Street Journal)
See also The Lebanese Government's Strategy to Contain Hizbullah - Michael Young (The National-UAE)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- IDF, Mossad Recover Body of Israeli Soldier from First Lebanon War in 1982
The IDF and Mossad recovered the body of missing IDF soldier Sgt.-Maj. Tzvi Feldman in Syria, after 43 years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. The IDF said the body had been recovered during a complex and secret operation deep in Syria, using precise intelligence information.
(Jerusalem Post)
- Israel Thwarts Palestinian Authority's Planned Camp for Displaced Residents in Samaria - Hanan Greenwood
Israel has blocked a Palestinian Authority plan to establish a new camp in Samaria to house those displaced from northern West Bank refugee camps. Initial earthwork had already begun at the site.
Israeli security officials were concerned that it would evolve into a massive terrorist center and concentrate all terrorist forces from northern Samaria into a single compound dangerously close to central Israel, creating the very danger that security forces have been working to prevent for many months.
The IDF has been conducting an operation for the past four months aimed at eliminating massive terror cells that had established themselves in the Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur al-Shams camps.
Due to the intensive military activity, residents who lived in these areas have relocated throughout the West Bank.
In recent days, the IDF has demolished 100 buildings in the Nur al-Shams and Tulkarem camps to create transportation routes that will allow security forces to reach any location quickly and effectively. Creating new transportation corridors in these small and densely populated camps transforms them from fortified complexes into relatively accessible neighborhoods. For many years, Palestinian Authority security forces have feared to enter these camps. (Israel Hayom)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
The Gaza War
- The Gaza War Is a Test Case for the West - Gadi Taub
The war in Gaza has come to play a major role in the global war of ideas. Its outcome will have significance for the future of liberal democracy everywhere because the war is a test case for one of the most crucial questions of our time: Can the West regain enough self-confidence to defend its own values?
With the dispossession of Native Americans now relegated to the past, slavery extinct in the West, and European rule gone from the Far and Middle East, only Zionism is left to embody Western sins. Israel is viewed as a rearguard of Western colonialism and 19th century nationalism, the last vestige of retrograde Western ideologies. Demanding its destruction is therefore both a badge of morality and a ritual of atonement.
Zionism serves as a voodoo doll: By stabbing it, one demonstrates that he has transcended Western sins. Yet, far from being a relic of the bad old colonial past, Israel is a trailblazer, pointing the way to a safer future. It is the front line of Western civilization in its war against barbarism. It is the vanguard now rushing to defend civilization's boundaries where they were violently breached.
Progressive moral relativism first asserts the equality of all cultures, then lets anti-Western values into its midst through the gateway of boundless tolerance. Finally, it inverts morality by leveraging Western guilt in order to forbid any criticism of racist, misogynist, anti-gay, antisemitic and anti-Western ideologies - so long as these come from groups designated as victims of the West. It is also what led the International Court of Justice in The Hague to argue that Israel, not Hamas, should be tried for genocide.
It fell to Israel not only to fight the barbarians for its own survival, but also to wake the West up and exhort it to return to itself. We Israelis are not the unpleasant remnant of your guilty past. We are the key to your future survival. We need to win on the battlefield despite efforts to stop us because it is
essential to demonstrate that democracies can defend themselves. Israel must now prove that the West can be diverted from the path of cultural suicide. We are now the West's boots on the ground.
(JNS)
Hizbullah
- IDF Continues to Erode Hizbullah's Capabilities - Lt.-Col. (ret.) Orna Mizrahi
Hizbullah's military capabilities have been significantly degraded. According to IDF data, more than 70% of its firepower has been neutralized, along with a similar proportion of its infrastructure across Lebanon. This includes 80% of the weapons of its Radwan Force and much of its tunnel network in southern Lebanon. About 4,500 military operatives have been killed - including 1/3 from the Radwan Force - and another 9,000 wounded, together accounting for nearly half of Hizbullah's regular military force.
In addition, Hizbullah has also suffered damage to its financial system, including the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association branches, making it difficult to support the recovery of the Shiite population and maintain their support. However, its military and civilian operatives rank in the tens of thousands, and it continues to enjoy support from the majority of Lebanon's Shiite population.
Hizbullah faces near-daily Israeli military activity following the ceasefire declared on Nov. 27, 2024, stemming from the freedom of action granted to Israel under the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, as well as a side letter from the United States. These provisions allow Israel to respond to violations not addressed by the Lebanese army and to immediate threats posed by Hizbullah. As a result, the IDF is severely disrupting Hizbullah's efforts to maintain its presence in southern Lebanon and is steadily eroding its remaining capabilities.
The Shiite axis has been significantly weakened and is showing signs of disintegration, primarily due to the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria and the efforts of the new leadership in Damascus to expel both Iran and Hizbullah from the country.
While Hizbullah's ideology and hostility toward Israel remain unchanged, its weakened state - and its desire to avoid renewed conflict in order to focus on recovery - presents Israel with a strategic opportunity to reshape the security environment along its northern border. However, Lebanon's limitations in addressing Hizbullah must be acknowledged. A clear gap exists between the ambitious demands of the U.S. and Israel, and what Lebanon's leadership can realistically deliver.
The writer, a senior researcher at INSS, served for 26 years in the IDF and 12 years at the National Security Council in the Prime Minister's Office. (Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University)
Israel-UK Relations
- Hearing in Britain's House of Commons Turned into Trial Against Israel - Melanie Phillips
A recent hearing of the Commons foreign affairs committee demonstrated that Israel's defenders and its critics appear to inhabit entirely different planets. The committee's chair, Labour MP Emily Thornberry, asked, "What's the optimistic future for a Palestinian mother in Gaza, what's the best thing that could happen?" In any moral universe, the best thing that could happen would be for the mother to stop telling her children that their duty was to murder Jews and martyr themselves in the process, as so many Palestinian Arab women boast of doing.
For some committee members, there were simply no facts that could dent their certainty that Israel was behaving like a rogue state. When lawyer Natasha Hausdorff, legal director of UK Lawyers for Israel, stated that the IDF observed higher standards of humanitarian law than any other army in the world - a view backed by numerous international military experts - Labour MP Alex Ballinger dismissed this as "outrageous" and "a staggering claim."
There's now an unchallengeable idea among the educated classes that trans-national legal bodies and laws stand for truth and conscience. But that's not how it works at all. Trans-national bodies - such as the UN or International Criminal Court - represent a world dominated by tyrannies and dictatorships, many of which want democratic Israel destroyed.
That's why the UN, particularly UNRWA (its agency for Palestinian refugees), seems to have been infiltrated by Hamas, appoints human rights abusers to its Human Rights Council, and employs people with a record of antisemitic statements, such as the rapporteur on the "Occupied Palestinian Territories," Francesca Albanese.
At a deeper level, the notion that developed after the Holocaust that international laws and institutions would deliver justice was fundamentally flawed. Law derives its authority from being passed by parliaments representing the will of the people. International laws and tribunals, which have no such inherent jurisdiction, lack that legitimacy and therefore inescapably become instruments of politics rather than law. (Jewish Chronicle-UK)
Israel Independence Day
- The People of Israel Rise Each Morning with Resolve to Defend Their Communities - William Daroff
After a year of profound heartbreak, Israel Independence Day (Yom Ha'atzmaut) arrives as a testament to the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people. Even amid pain, we celebrate the miracle of Israel's rebirth - the
fulfillment of a 2,000-year-old dream - a miracle shaped through sacrifice, courage and unyielding hope.
In the aftermath of the horrific Oct. 7 attacks, when more than 1,200 Israelis were brutally murdered and hundreds were taken hostage by the Hamas terror army, Independence Day is not only a celebration of sovereignty; it is a declaration of resilience and a commitment to renewal. The State of Israel exists to safeguard the Jewish people. Its survival is not guaranteed by history; it is sustained by vigilance, unity and the steadfast support of allies.
At a time when antisemitism is surging, Israel stands as a powerful reminder of Jewish dignity and perseverance. The people of Israel rise each morning with resolve - to defend their communities, to mourn their losses and to rebuild with hope. Across the Jewish world, Israel continues to inspire and anchor Jewish life. Supporting Israel is not about partisan politics. It is about memory, security and destiny. We do not walk away from family.
Let us raise our voices proudly against antisemitism and anti-Zionism. Let us stand with Israel as it strives for security and peace.
The writer is CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. (JNS)
- Israel Still Shines as the Most Resilient Place on Earth - Avi Benlolo
Israel's story didn't begin in 1948. Its true birth stretches back more than 3,500 years, rooted deeply in a land where the Jewish people first built their Temple in Jerusalem around the year 957 BCE. From the Western Wall, the only remaining vestige of that holy sanctuary, to the fortress of Masada, and the ruins of King David's palace, Israel is the very soil of Jewish history and civilization.
In Canada or much of Europe today, mobs chant in the streets not for peace, but for the erasure of Israel. It's been a devastating 18 months. Hamas, Hizbullah, the Houthis, and their puppet master Iran launched a war not of Israel's choosing. It was barbarism against civilization. Yet Israel has fought back, not just with might, but with a heart of courage. This is a war for survival, and it is one Israel will finish on its own terms.
There are 57 Muslim-majority countries across the globe, representing 24% of the world's population and covering 25 million square km. of territory. In contrast, there is only one Jewish country - Israel - encompassing just 21,937 square km., a fraction of the world's map and population.
Since its founding in 1948, Israel has lost over 25,000 soldiers in defense of its people - brave men and women who stood between their homes and annihilation. Despite this, Israel's population has reached more than 10 million - a teardrop in a world of 8.2 billion but a great achievement for a people who have had to rebuild after the murder of the six million in the Holocaust.
But Israel is not just surviving - it is thriving. It is the beating heart of hope. Despite war and trauma, Israelis were recently ranked the 8th happiest people on earth. Why? Because Israelis live with purpose. Out of 196 countries, Israel now ranks 28th in global GDP, a mere six places behind Canada. The atrocities of Oct. 7 have only solidified Israel's national spirit. Israel is still the most magical place on earth.
The writer is founder and CEO of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative, a Canadian think-tank. (National Post-Canada)
Observations:
- President Trump's recent statement that the U.S. will accept nothing less than "total dismantlement" of Iran's nuclear program is a welcome signal that the U.S. will reverse the mistakes of the Iran negotiations of 2015. That's particularly important because Iran today is much more dangerous than it was in 2015, when I was a member of the Israeli delegation that discussed with President Obama's team what demands to make in its talks with Tehran.
- Iran has used the intervening years to significantly advance its military nuclear program.
It has accumulated enough highly enriched uranium to produce fissile material for about 10 nuclear bombs within a short time. It possesses missiles that can carry a nuclear warhead and reach any target in the Middle East.
- Ten years ago, the U.S. delegation expressed appreciation for our ideas on how to keep Iran in check, but it largely did not enact them and ended up acceding to Iran's demands. The Americans expected that the regime would abandon its malign ambitions and become a contributing member of the family of nations. They failed to grasp that the Iranian regime is on a mission to spread its fundamentalist version of Shiite Islam all over the world.
- Ten years on, we have hard-won evidence that dealmaking has failed to constrain the Islamic republic.
The deal gave Iran ample resources to arm itself and its terrorist proxies, leading to the 2019 attack on the world's largest oil facility, in Saudi Arabia, and eventually to Hamas's barbaric attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The U.S. must revisit the core assumptions underlying its previous negotiations with Iran.
- The Iranians are demanding the right to enrich uranium. Conceding this would allow Iran to haggle over quantities. That's a fundamental mistake because it gives Iran cover to develop centrifuges for enrichment, amass enriched uranium, and ultimately shorten its path to weapons-grade fissile material.
- Another Iranian demand to which Washington too readily capitulated in 2015 was that time limits be placed on the nuclear program restrictions. This means that even if Iran adheres to every word of the deal, it will still be able to develop nuclear capabilities. All it needs to do is wait.
- Centrifuges are only one part of the nuclear development process. Facilities involved in any part of the process must all be dismantled or at least subject to restrictions, and Iran must not be allowed to develop or stockpile missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
The writer, former head of the research division of IDF military intelligence, leads the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.
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