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In-Depth Issues:
Trump Eyes Rubio for Secretary of State, Waltz for National Security Adviser - Josh Dawsey ( Washington Post)
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of state and has asked Rep. Mike Waltz to be the White House national security adviser, people familiar with the matter said Monday.
See also below Commentary: Israel's Enemies Are Also Our Enemies - Sen. Marco Rubio ( National Review) and The Next Administration Should Reinstate Diplomatic and Economic Pressure to Constrain Iran's Support for Terror Proxies - Rep. Michael Waltz and Prof. Matthew Kroenig ( Economist-UK)
Israel Kills Hizbullah Operative behind Assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister - Lior Ben Ari ( Ynet News)
Salim Jamil Ayyash, convicted of leading the hit squad that planted a car bomb killing Lebanese prime minister Rafic Hariri in 2005 on orders from Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli strike in Syria on Saturday.
The U.S. had offered a reward of $10 million for information on his whereabouts.
Hizbullah Drone Hits Kindergarten near Haifa - Emanuel Fabian ( Times of Israel)
A Hizbullah drone struck the yard of a kindergarten in the Haifa suburb of Nesher on Tuesday. Damage was caused by the blast but there were no injuries.
Staff at the kindergarten, aware of drone alerts in the area, had led the children into the facility's reinforced shelter.
IDF Releases Videos Showing Hamas Torturing Palestinians in Gaza - Yoav Zitun ( Ynet News)
The IDF released on Sunday footage of Hamas operatives interrogating and torturing Palestinian detainees, taken by cameras inside a Hamas base in Jabalya and found on computers seized by Israel.
The footage depicts detainees in distressing conditions, including being chained to floors and ceilings.
See also below Observations: Gaza's Forgotten Palestinian Victims: Dissidents Tortured by Hamas - Editorial ( Wall Street Journal)
The IDF's Deception Strategy Against Hamas in Jabalya - Amir Bohbot ( Walla-Jerusalem Post)
Israeli intelligence reported that Hamas was maintaining 2,000 fighters in Jabalya, including a governing center controlling all of northern Gaza, who had surrounded themselves with civilians who served as human shields.
Using the element of surprise, IDF forces moved quickly to encircle Jabalya and cut it off from Gaza City.
Hamas operatives threatened Gazan civilians with violence and confiscated humanitarian aid to prevent anyone from leaving Jabalya. They also killed civilians to deter others from leaving.
As time passed, 55,000 civilians left Jabalya in several stages.
Since the recent fighting began, about 900 terrorists have been captured.
"Some of the terrorists raised their hands and surrendered, and some tried to pass through channels that the IDF created in the area to direct the population [to move south] while disguising themselves as innocent civilians," a military source said.
"Jabalya was built by Hamas as a center of gravity in northern Gaza, and everyone understood that the moment it falls, all northern Gaza would fall into IDF hands," said a senior officer in Southern Command.
U.S. Strikes Iranian-Linked Targets in Syria ( Reuters)
The U.S. military said Monday it had carried out strikes against nine targets associated with Iranian groups in Syria in response to several attacks on U.S. personnel in Syria.
Israeli Rescuers Are an Example for the West - Rebecca Sugar ( Wall Street Journal)
After Israeli soccer fans were beaten in the streets of Amsterdam, we should pay more attention to another image from Thursday's attack: that of two Israeli planes taking off from Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport to rescue the Jews whose safety couldn't be guaranteed in the Netherlands.
Jews have always been targeted, but 76 years ago, when the state of Israel was established, they stopped being defenseless.
Today, when they are in trouble, someone comes to their aid.
No longer history's reliably powerless punching bags, the Jewish people have liberated themselves from centuries of impotence.
Pro-Hamas Messages Intensify on College Campuses - Laura Meckler ( Washington Post)
While campuses are far calmer and quieter this fall, at some schools much of the protest language has grown darker, celebrating the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, echoing language used by Hamas and declaring, "Glory to the resistance!"
On Instagram, the Swarthmore College Students for Justice in Palestine chapter called Oct. 7 a "glorious day" and declared: "Happy October 7th everyone!"
On its Telegram channel, Columbia University Apartheid Divest has praised and posted quotes and photos from Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas and mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks who was killed by Israeli forces.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- U.S.: Hamas Is Blocking a Ceasefire and Hostage Deal in Gaza - Margaret Brennan
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told "Face the Nation" on Sunday:
"In Gaza, it really, today, is not Israel that is standing in the way of a ceasefire and hostage deal. It is Hamas....Whatever Hamas is saying publicly, what they are communicating to the mediators is 'no, we will not do a cease fire and hostage deal at this time.' So what we need to do is get the rest of the world to continue to increase pressure on Hamas to come to the table, to do a deal in Gaza." (CBS News)
- Gaza's Top Islamic Scholar Issues Fatwa Criticizing Oct. 7 Attack - Rushdi Abualouf
Prof. Dr. Salman al-Dayah, former dean of the Faculty of Sharia and Law at the Hamas-affiliated Islamic University of Gaza, has issued a fatwa condemning Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the devastating war.
Dayah's fatwa criticizes Hamas for "violating Islamic principles governing jihad. If the pillars, causes, or conditions of jihad are not met, it must be avoided in order to avoid destroying people's lives. This is something that is easy to guess for our country's politicians, so the attack must have been avoided."
He argues that the significant civilian casualties in Gaza, together with the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure that have followed the Oct. 7 attack, means that it was in direct contradiction to the teachings of Islam. Hamas, he says, failed in its obligations of "keeping fighters away from the homes of defenseless civilians...and saving enough supplies for them."
Dayah points to Quranic verses that set strict conditions for the conduct of jihad, including the necessity of avoiding actions that provoke an excessive and disproportionate response by an opponent. He also stresses that Muslim leaders are obligated to ensure the safety and well-being of non-combatants, including by providing food, medicine, and refuge to those not involved in the fighting. "Human life is more precious to God than Mecca," he states.
(BBC News)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- IDF Kills Palestinian Islamic Jihad Operations Head in Gaza - Emanuel Fabian
Muhammad Abu Sakhil, operations chief of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, was killed in an airstrike Saturday on a command room embedded within a former school in northern Gaza. He was involved in coordinating terrorist operations with Hamas.
(Times of Israel)
- Two IDF Soldiers Wounded in Car-Ramming
Two IDF soldiers were wounded on Monday in al-Khader in the West Bank in a ramming attack by two Palestinians. The attackers were apprehended.
(Jerusalem Post)
- Negotiations Underway to End the Fighting in Lebanon - Itamar Eichner
Efforts to reach an agreement to end the fighting in Lebanon continue through the mediation of U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein. Sources report that the emerging agreement would require Hizbullah to withdraw north of the Litani River. For the first 60 days, the IDF will remain in the initial line of Lebanese villages to allow the Lebanese army to dismantle Hizbullah's infrastructure in the buffer area between the border and the Litani. After this period, the IDF would pull back to the border. Israel insists on preserving military freedom to respond to any violations of the agreement.
Israeli sources emphasize the importance of sealing off weapon smuggling channels, saying, "If we don't, Hizbullah will rearm, and our efforts would be wasted." (Ynet News)
See also Israeli Officials Concerned Hizbullah Won't Cooperate on Emerging Lebanon Deal - Jonathan Lis
Israel is seeking to secure a northern border ceasefire agreement that will enable
the return of northern residents to their homes. Sources indicate that both the Iranian axis and Hizbullah are ready to "cut their losses" and stop the ongoing damage they have suffered in recent months. However, it remains to be seen whether Hizbullah's leadership will explicitly or tacitly accept an arrangement that gives Israel freedom to strike Hizbullah targets if it attempts to reestablish itself near the Israeli border.
Hizbullah is gradually rebuilding its capabilities and returning to operational readiness, with its leadership believing they've weathered the worst. Meanwhile, Israel has welcomed the Biden administration's acceptance of many Israeli demands regarding strikes on terrorist targets within Lebanon after a ceasefire takes effect. (Ha'aretz)
- Israel's Security Cabinet Approves Steps to Boost Humanitarian Aid to Gaza - Jacob Magid
Ahead of a Wednesday deadline set by the U.S., Israel's security cabinet has approved a series of steps aimed at boosting the humanitarian situation in Gaza, an Israeli official said Monday. The measures approved on Sunday included an increase in the amount of aid entering Gaza, and an expansion of the Muwasi humanitarian zone.
An Israeli official said Monday that Israel had met most of the U.S. demands. Israel had added entrances into Gaza, increased security for aid vehicles, and managed joint task forces with the international community to improve the humanitarian situation.
The security cabinet denied a U.S. request for Israel to allow the Red Cross to visit Palestinian security prisoners until Hamas allows the Red Cross to visit Israeli hostages held in Gaza. (Times of Israel)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
U.S.-Israel Relations
Sen. Marco Rubio has been selected as the next U.S. Secretary of State.
- Israel's Enemies Are Also Our Enemies - Sen. Marco Rubio
Israel has been a steadfast U.S. ally, a wellspring of technological innovation, and a force for good in the world. Israel's enemies are also our enemies. The Iranian regime and its proxies - Hamas in Gaza, Hizbullah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and a multitude of groups in Syria and Iraq - seek Israel's destruction as part of a multi-stage plan to dominate the Middle East and destabilize the West. The Jewish state is on the front lines of this conflict, fighting with many shared American-Israeli lives.
This makes it outrageous that international institutions are targeting Israel. The International Criminal Court is currently mulling arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials over supposed "war crimes." The court isn't going after Assad in Syria, who gassed his own people. It isn't going after Xi Jinping in China, who is conducting real-time genocide against the Uyghurs. Instead, it's attacking a country whose military has gone to great lengths to protect civilian lives. The hypocrisy is astounding.
In the end, no matter what the international community says, Israel has a right to defend itself, and the United States must support its effort to destroy Hamas as a terrorist threat. We also must support Israel against Iran-backed Hizbullah to Israel's north. (National Review-May 6, 2024)
Rep. Michael Waltz has been selected as the next White House National Security Adviser
- The Next Administration Should Reinstate Diplomatic and Economic Pressure to Constrain Iran's Support for Terror Proxies - Rep. Michael Waltz and Prof. Matthew Kroenig
Naive attempts to engage Iran and prematurely ease sanctions provided Iran with resources to bankroll terror throughout the region and reduced the chance of a nuclear deal. Instead of renewing economic pressure and fully backing Israel's military response to Iran and its terror proxies after the Oct. 7 attacks, the White House restrained Israel and the Pentagon due to overwrought fears of "escalation." Undue passivity only invited more aggression.
In the Middle East, calling for a ceasefire would, in effect, leave Hamas terrorists in power in Gaza. The next administration should, as Mr. Trump argued, "let Israel finish the job" and "get it over with fast" against Hamas.
They should put a credible military option on the table to make clear to the Iranians that America would stop them building nuclear weapons, and reinstate a diplomatic and economic pressure campaign to stop them and to constrain their support for terror proxies. Washington should maintain a military presence in the region.
Rep. Michael Waltz is a Green Beret veteran of the war in Afghanistan and a former White House counterterrorism-policy adviser.
Matthew Kroenig is Vice President of the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, a professor at Georgetown University and a former Pentagon strategist. (Economist-UK-Nov. 2, 2024)
Israeli Security
- Israel's Strategic Alternatives after a Year of War - Prof. Azar Gat
After the attacks by Hamas and Hizbullah, Israel faced an existential challenge and had to take all necessary measures to reverse the situation. There was no way to eliminate Hamas's massive deployment - deeply entrenched in the urban landscape from which thousands of missiles were fired at the civilian population in Israel - without causing enormous destruction.
Anyone who claims that such destruction is unacceptable should provide other practical and convincing methods that would break Hamas's power in Gaza. Otherwise, they are effectively arguing that Hamas should have immunity from attack. Some people in the West seem to be effectively in favor of granting Hamas such immunity.
The path to a ceasefire in the north that keeps Hizbullah away from the border and allows the evacuated Israelis to return home is far from clear. It is difficult to envision Hizbullah willingly accepting the humiliation of conceding to Israel's terms after suffering substantial losses. It is very doubtful that the diplomatic efforts now taking place to strengthen the Lebanese army and UNIFIL, and harden the stipulations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, will bear significant results.
While the war is not over, the dreams of Israel's destruction, through the coordinated popular mobilization efforts of all the fanatical elements of the Iranian-sponsored "ring of fire," have largely been buried under the ruins of Gaza and Lebanon. The moderate Arab regimes are pleased with the downfall of Hizbullah and Iran's difficulties. Having regained its image of superior military capability, Israel is once again becoming a critical ally of the moderate Arab regimes against the Iranian threat.
The writer holds the Chair of National Security at Tel Aviv University, and serves as an academic advisor to INSS. (Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University)
Hizbullah
- Hizbullah Must Face Reality - Anthony Samrani
In Lebanon, dozens of villages have been wiped off the map. All predominantly Shiite areas associated with Hizbullah have been emptied of their populations and partially destroyed. Hizbullah has lost its secretary-general, its entire top military command and much of its arsenal. Israel can continue the war for months. We do not have that luxury.
Hizbullah's new secretary-general Naim Qassem genuinely seems to believe that Hizbullah is winning, that Israel is on the verge of collapse, and that time is on his side. Hizbullah consistently overestimates its strength relative to its adversary and remains stuck in the mindset of 2006. This approach has led to the disaster we are all experiencing, especially the party's popular base, even more so than the rest of the Lebanese population.
Hizbullah must accept its defeat. It must withdraw from south of the Litani River, begin a process of disarmament, distance itself from Iran, and reconsider its relationship with Lebanon and the Lebanese people. Accepting this reality is essential if we are ever to escape this grim escalation, which leads only to suffering for both those who endure it and those who support it. (L'Orient Today-Lebanon)
Antisemitism
- Jerusalem Center Seeks International Antisemitism Convention - Amb. Alan Baker
Former Israeli Ambassador Alan Baker, an international law expert at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs (JCFA), discussed his latest efforts to advance an international convention addressing antisemitism as a criminal act, in the wake of recent antisemitic incidents including the attack in Amsterdam. The proposed convention seeks to criminalize acts of antisemitism and incitement that lead to violence.
Baker stated, "While piracy, war crimes, and crimes against humanity have been universally criminalized, antisemitic acts inciting violence have not. This draft convention would close that gap, categorizing antisemitic violence as an international crime and mandating extradition and prosecution of perpetrators." (i24News)
See also Draft International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Antisemitism - Amb. Alan Baker (Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs)
- Antisemitism Seeks to Destroy Western Civilization and Culture - Dr. Fiamma Nirenstein interviewed by Mathilda Heller
Israel is the one actively fighting a "system of hate which wishes to destroy civilization and culture," Dr. Fiamma Nirenstein, the Israel Foreign Ministry's special advisor on combating antisemitism, told the Jerusalem Post. Jews and Israel "are the only ones with the right to say 'never again,' and mean it." "We saw the aggression of young Muslims in Amsterdam [against Israelis], and the next day, blond youths wearing keffiyehs were the ones protesting."
Nirenstein spoke of the perniciousness of the denial of Jewish indigeneity. She noted the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, in which the ancient cities of Jericho, Hebron and Bethlehem are all listed under "State of Palestine."
"Whether it is Hizbullah shooting hundreds of rockets into Israel daily, the attack on Jews in Amsterdam, the war on Ukraine, it's all the Axis of Evil waking up and trying to put the last bomb in the building that is democratic society." (Jerusalem Post)
Palestinian Arabs
- Deradicalizing Palestinian Society - Gianluca Pacchiani
During a recent visit to Ramallah, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel confronted UN officials over the glorification of terrorism contained in school curricula.
In a video, Bettel is seen holding a textbook and challenging an official: "UNRWA is not neutral on education if they teach this. It's in the book."
The Palestinian education system has been criticized for years for promoting indoctrination, antisemitism, and violence. But despite condemnations by the European Parliament every year for the past five years, the PA has resisted amending its textbooks to address these issues.
Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, argues that genuine change will require a more comprehensive societal shift than just revising textbooks. "In order to promote dramatic change...you need that the other side, the Palestinians, will also have the basic desire to change things. I don't see any of that....In Gaza at the moment...society will reject any attempt at deradicalization. Bringing new teachers and changing the textbooks is very important, but it's not enough." (Times of Israel)
Observations:
- You won't see any protests over it. Video evidence of the torture of Palestinians in Gaza elicits little reaction because the torture was carried out by Hamas. No one gets worked up when Israel can't be blamed.
- On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces released a 47-minute montage of Hamas interrogations from CCTV footage that its troops discovered in Gaza. It shows
"Hamas's brutal methods for interrogating civilians, violating human rights and systematically oppressing residents suspected of opposing the organization's rule."
- Prisoners are seen in the video with sacks over their heads, chained to floors and ceilings in unnatural positions while they are beaten with canes on the soles of their feet. They writhe in agony.
- This is how Hamas acts in peacetime against its own people. Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of Hamas's Oct. 7 massacre, got his nickname as "butcher of Khan Yunis" for killing Palestinians accused of collaboration. When Hamas took over Gaza in 2007, it threw rivals off roofs.
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