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Friday, December 22, 2023

12/22 Links Pt1: Israel Has Killed 8,000 Hamas Terrorists; First US hostage confirmed as murdered by Hamas; Hostages’ Family Sues Red Cross; Bocelli writes to freed hostage

From Ian:

Caroline Glick: Rising from the ruins of a generation of Israeli doctrine
It will take years to correct the damage the generals wrought by reducing the size of the IDF and inducing its total dependence on the United States.

‘The IDF is changing its view’
But this week, the Defense Ministry let it be known that it is moving to correct the situation. On Tuesday, Ynet reported that the Defense Ministry is initiating what it refers to as “Independence Project.”

According to the report, the Defense Ministry is launching a crash program with Israel’s military industries and major industrialists to make Israel independent in everything related to ordnance. In the initial phase, Israel will begin producing bombs for its aircraft. Jerusalem also intends to expand its production of tank and artillery shells, as well as assault rifles and bullets. Separately, there is increased discussion regarding the establishment of a missile force as an independent arm of the IDF. The force would reduce reliance on the air force and develop more versatile, more easily defended missile launch platforms and massively expand Israel’s missile and drone arsenals.

After meeting with Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Ron Tomer, the head of Israel’s Industrialists Union, told Ynet, “The war demonstrates our need for a powerful and advanced industrial base to ensure Israel’s national strength and independent capabilities. The IDF is changing its view of how it arms its forces, enlarging domestic production lines in order to be less dependent on ordnance from abroad. The ideal of a small high-tech military did not prove itself.”

Brick and others argue that had Hezbollah joined Hamas in invading and bombing Israel on Oct. 7, Israel may well have been destroyed that day. A combination of Hezbollah’s 10,000-man Radwan Brigades perched at the border and capable of invading the Galilee, and a barrage of up to 4,000 missiles with various payloads targeting Israel’s air bases, and other strategic sites and civilian population centers every day for weeks, would have caused irreparable damage equal in force to a nuclear bomb.

Iran’s decision not to involve Hezbollah on Oct. 7 has given Israel the opportunity to reorganize its forces and prepare for the multi-front war that awaits us. We don’t have a moment to lose.
West Point CTC: The Path to October 7: How Iran Built Up and Managed a Palestinian ‘Axis of Resistance’
Abstract: Since October 7, in the wake of the “al-Aqsa Flood” terrorist attacks by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and other Palestinian factions from across the ideological spectrum, Iran’s aid to and strategic management of these groups has taken on a new level of relevance. The methods Iran has used to cultivate and maintain influence and control over disparate Palestinian groups follows the same pragmatic carrot-and-stick formula it has used across the Middle East with other proxies, with incentives that include financial aid, weapons, and training. The use of sticks was particularly important in Tehran’s restoration of influence over Hamas and PIJ after the Syrian civil war drove a wedge between Palestinian groups and Iran. The withholding of funds and a divide-and-rule approach helped Tehran get these groups back in line. More generally, Iran has worked to create and leverage splinter groups, particularly from the Palestinian Authority’s dominant Fatah Movement, to grow its influence in Gaza and the West Bank. Tehran has also strived to build influence among leftist Palestinian groups to create a broad coalition of partners. And it uses umbrella groups and joint operations rooms to try to bolster the unity and coherence of its Palestinian network.

Iran allows for a level of autonomy among its proxies, but as this article has outlined, Tehran has moved to punish insufficiently obedient groups, allowing them to wither on the vine, or has engineered splinters to weaken them or pressure them into line.

Hamas’ takeover of Gaza served as the means for Iran to absorb splintered factions of Fatah into its orbit. Even if those factions could not be fully controlled, creating a reliance on Iran’s weapons, money, and other forms of political support facilitated their reformation into Iran’s umbrella. By cultivating ties with militant factions with differences with Abbas’ Fatah, Iran was able to recruit manpower to its “Axis of Resistance” and create a pressure point within Fatah. Furthermore, the continued presence of Fatah splinter fighters in Gaza has given Iran leverage to ensure the obedience of Hamas and PIJ. Small and less popular groups such as the PFLP, PFLP-GC, and DFLP were cultivated by Iran as part of a larger umbrella of Tehran-aligned groups, but likely simultaneously served other roles, including countering the Palestinian Authority and if necessary to put pressure on Hamas and PIJ.

As the Israeli offensive continues in Gaza, it is possible some armed Palestinian groups may be forced to shift their center of gravity to Lebanon. This would expose them to even deeper Iranian influence. On December 4, 2023, Hamas’ Lebanon section released a statement calling for the creation and recruitment for the Vanguards of the al-Aqsa Flood (Taliy’ah Tufan al-Aqsa), a group focused on “resisting [Israeli] occupation.”217 Given any armed activities by Hamas in Lebanon would have to be coordinated with Lebanese Hezbollah, these activities would also be subject to a degree of control by the Iranian decision makers that exert influence over Hezbollah. As previously seen with the PFLP, DFLP, and PFLP-GC, groups dependent on using Lebanon or Syria as staging areas have only become more beholden to their masters in Damascus or Tehran.

Even if Hamas and PIJ are militarily defeated in Gaza in the months ahead, Iran would still have many options to work with in both Gaza and the West Bank. As Eurasia Group’s Ian Bremmer stated in an October 31 piece, “The war is radicalizing far more Palestinians than Hamas propaganda ever could.”218 Iran will likely attempt to rebuild its network in Gaza from newly radicalized Palestinians, including among leftist actors, Islamists, and smaller factions they can more strongly control.

In this scenario, it should be expected that Iran will also continue to splinter off groups from Fatah/the Palestinian Authority. On November 5, a mysterious group claiming to represent members within the Palestinian Authority-affiliated security services emerged. Called the Sons of Abu Jandal, the group demanded that Mahmoud Abbas and the PA security forces engage in violence against Israel or revolt against Abbas.219 While no link to Iran has yet been established and the group has since gone quiet, it is these types of splinters that have been exploited by Tehran in the past.

In the months ahead, it is likely that Iran will continue to use the carrots (e.g., funding) and sticks (e.g., fostering splinter groups) in order to maintain and deepen control over its Palestinian “Axis of Resistance.” As Israel’s military campaign in Gaza puts these groups under increasing pressure, Iran’s leverage will only grow. Given Iran has aimed to provide support to a wide range of new and well-established groups, particularly those with more violent dispositions, the radicalizing effect of the war on Palestinians provides fertile terrain for Tehran.
Douglas Murray: Hamas terror tunnels were built with your money
Of course, billions of dollars have been given to them since that time. From a bewildering array of countries. All of whom seem to have thought that they were somehow helping the Palestinians in Gaza. Well, we weren’t.

All of this money was used by Hamas leaders to buy themselves luxury condos in Qatar and other foreign climes. Inside Gaza, almost none of this money went to help Palestinians in Gaza. Rather Hamas used the funds they didn’t pilfer to build this underground terror network which comes out in hospitals, mosques, and other places that the international community regards as sacred, but which Hamas does not.

And why do I say “we”? Because American taxpayers are among the people who were fooled into sending money to these terrorists.

Since 2007, the US has sent over $400 million in taxpayers’ money to Gaza. That is all after the coup where Hamas seized power. These are the official figures released by USAID (United States Agency for International Development. USAID also says that it has paid more than $500 million between 2021 and the end of this year.

That money may also have gone to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. And I can tell you from traveling there many times that I know where our taxpayer dollars went too. They went to the equally corrupt officials of Fatah who built themselves mansions that would cause envy to many homeowners in the Hamptons.

And even that isn’t the end of it. Because the US is also foolish enough to continue to fund the UN agency UNRWA. This is one of the most corrupt entities even at the UN. Which is saying something. And in 2021 alone the US was UNRWA’s largest single donor, shoveling an astonishing $338 million.

Other countries have also been taken for mugs.

The EU is spending more than $100 million in Gaza this year. But even the EU countries don’t give as much money to UNRWA as America does. The US is far and away the biggest donor. The next biggest is Germany with a mere $176 million going annually to the organization. In total, US agencies have funneled billions of dollars to Gaza in recent years. And all of this money has gone not to improving the lives of Palestinians, but to building palaces for Hamas and tunnels for their weaponry and terrorists.

Hamas officials have even said that they regard the tunnels as being for their terrorists. The rest of the world is meant to look after the actual civilians themselves.

I beg to differ. And I also beg American officials to wise up. Our taxpayer dollars have gone to a terrorist group every year since 2007. And now we know what we have got for it. An attack on our allies in Israel.

Want to save money? Here’s one way how.
Herzog: Three times more aid could be entering Gaza if not for UN’s ‘utter failure’
President Isaac Herzog averred Thursday that the United Nations has been failing to keep up with the amount of aid Israel is inspecting, and that the world body is to blame for the little amount of aid entering the Strip even after Israel has opened up its Kerem Shalom crossing to ease the bottleneck.

“Unfortunately, due to the utter failure of the UN in its work with other partners in the region, they have been unable to bring in more than 125 trucks [of aid] a day,” Herzog said in a meeting with visiting French Senate President Gérard Larcher.

“Today it is possible to provide three times the amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza if the UN — instead of complaining all day — would do its job,” Herzog said.

Israel has said that it has been inspecting hundreds of trucks per day at its Kerem Shalom and Nitzana Crossings and that many of the trucks subsequently remain outside Gaza. The UN and Egypt have argued that Israel’s military campaign has made it too dangerous to regularly deliver aid inside and through Gaza.


Benjamin Netanyahu to 'Post': Setting the record straight
On October 7, Israel was brutally attacked by Hamas terrorists. They murdered over 1,200 people, wounded hundreds, and kidnapped over 200 hostages. In the most lethal attack on Jews since the Holocaust, they raped and decapitated women, killed children in front of their parents, burned babies and mutilated bodies.

After the attack, Hamas officials vowed that they would repeat this savagery “again and again and again.” In the face of such an attack and such a threat, eliminating Hamas is a necessary and proportionate response.

Israel responded to the October 7 atrocities by waging a just war of self-defense.

We set clear goals: Destroy Hamas, release our hostages, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel. We are committed to continuing the war until these goals are achieved. Once Hamas is destroyed, Gaza will have to be demilitarized and deradicalized. Those are the pillars for future peace.

Israel is pursuing its military goals in full compliance with international law.

Hamas has been doing upmost to put Palestinian civilians in harm's way
Israel has been targeting Hamas terrorists, not Palestinian civilians. While we have been doing our utmost to keep Palestinian civilians out of harm’s way, Hamas has been doing its utmost to keep them in harm’s way. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) issued warnings to Palestinian civilians, asking them to evacuate intended combat zones and establish humanitarian corridors for their safe passage; Hamas, on the other hand, has been trying to prevent Palestinian civilians from leaving at gunpoint. We enable food, water, and medicine to enter Gaza for the civilian population; Hamas often diverts and steals these supplies for its use.

Israel did not start this war, but Israel will win it. The sooner we do so the better for Israelis, Palestinians, and for anyone seeking a peaceful Middle East.
Seth Mandel: Who Will Govern the Palestinians?
In a way, this was convenient for Abbas: Another intifada probably would’ve seen him swept out in the tide. At least his dramatically exaggerated reputation as a peace-seeker gave him an excuse to pretend he was being principled.

But Abbas ran out the clock on his own people. A combination of ineptitude, greed, paranoia, and the inability to contain his own boiling Jew-hatred made him as intransigent as Arafat but as formidable as the nickname that so infuriated him: “featherless chicken.”

So with Gazans on the verge of getting a new government, Sinijlawi wants one, too. He does not see an acceptable solution in which Abbas retains power, even in a caretaker role. If he won’t peacefully transfer power to a coalition of those waiting in the wings, Sinijlawi says, the West should bring the hard stuff: empower a post-Hamas governing structure in Gaza after the war and then recognize it as the legitimate Palestinian government.

That is not something the West is going to do. But Sinijlawi’s desire for a tangible, generational change in PA leadership is more than reasonable. In the case of both Hamas and the PA, the West is getting a clear message from Palestinians themselves. Anything less than the complete defeat of Hamas will be a victory for the Arafat/intifada strain of Palestinian opinion from which Western credibility will never fully recover. And handing governance to an unreformed PA will be, as Sinijlawi makes clear, a betrayal of the Palestinians themselves.

Satisfying these demands will be a tall order. But it’ll be far more painful for everyone if the West fumbles the post-Hamas handoff.
UN Security Council acts to boost aid to Gaza after US abstains
The United Nations Security Council on Friday approved a toned-down bid to boost humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and called for urgent steps "to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities" after a week of vote delays and intense negotiations to avoid a veto by the United States.

Amid global outrage over a rising Gaza death toll in 11 weeks of war between Israel and Hamas and a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, the US abstained to allow the 15-member council to adopt a resolution drafted by the United Arab Emirates.

The remaining council members voted for the resolution except for Russia which also abstained.

Following high-level negotiations to win over Washington, the resolution no longer dilutes Israel's control over all aid deliveries to 2.3 million people in Gaza. Israel monitors the limited aid deliveries to Gaza via the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing.

But a weakening of language on a cessation of hostilities frustrated several council members - including veto power Russia - and Arab and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation states, some of which, diplomats said, view it as approval for Israel to further act against Hamas for a deadly Oct. 7 attack.

The adopted resolution "calls for urgent steps to immediately allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access and to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities." The initial draft had called for "an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities" to allow aid access.

Earlier this month the 193-member UN General Assembly demanded a humanitarian ceasefire, with 153 states voting in favor of the move that had been vetoed by the United States in the Security Council days earlier.
Israel accuses UN-OHCHR of blood libel over war crimes claims
Israel responded on Thursday to claims by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that IDF troops committed war crimes in the Al Remal neighborhood of Gaza City.

In a press release on Wednesday, the UN-OHCHR published a report that accused IDF troops of perpetrating a massacre of unarmed civilians in Gaza City.

The report says that the OHCHR received reports that the IDF summarily killed at least 11 unarmed Palestinian men in front of their family members in the Al Remal neighborhood of Gaza City.

"On 19 December 2023, between 2000 and 2300 hours, IDF reportedly surrounded and raided Al Awda building, also known as the “Annan building”, in Al Remal neighborhood, Gaza City, where three related families were sheltering in addition to Annan family," reads the report.

"According to witness accounts circulated by media sources and EuroMed Human Rights Monitor, while in control of the building and the civilians sheltering there, the IDF allegedly separated the men from the women and children, and then shot and killed at least 11 of the men, mostly aged in their late 20’s and early 30’s, in front of their family members. The IDF then allegedly ordered the women and children into a room, and either shot at them or threw a grenade into the room, reportedly seriously injuring some of them, including an infant and a child. OHCHR has confirmed the killings at the Al Awda building, although the details and circumstances of the killings are still under verification. IDF has not released any information on the incident."

The OHCHR called on Israel to investigate the incident and if the allegations are found to be true, to bring those responsible to justice and implement measures to prevent it from happening again.

Israel responds
Israel responded to the allegations on X (formerly Twitter) calling them "unfounded and devoid of truth." Israel says that the IDF has already carried out an investigation based on the publically available information and found "no record of any operation, nor incident, in the Al Remal neighborhood in Gaza City that would support any of the allegations put forward by OHCHR."


EU adopts 118 million euros aid plan for Palestinian Authority

Daniel Greenfield: Will UN Condemn Israel for Blowing Up ‘Hitler 2’?

Not an international crime to kill soldiers, UN’s Francesca Albanese says of Oct. 7

‘Standard delusional inversion,’ experts say of responses from UN’s Francesca Albanese to JNS

October 7: How Hamas gathered intel on IDF bases, Gaza border towns

IDF: Israel Has Killed 8,000 Hamas Terrorists Since Start of War

IDF troops engage in fierce Gaza battles, seize weapons

How IDF Soldiers Eliminate Hamas Lookouts
Hamas uses drones to gather intelligence and expose locations of IDF forces in Gaza.

They are supplemented by additional surveillance operatives strategically dispersed in key areas.

In response, the Nahal Brigade's specialized reconnaissance unit conducts extensive stakeouts deep within enemy territory to mark Hamas' lookout positions. Other forces then eliminate these threats.

The forces strategically position themselves in advance, discreetly blending into the terrain for extended covert operations.

They often engage in prolonged stakeouts, sometimes spanning 80 hours.

Over 70 terrorists were identified and neutralized through precision fire after these reconnaissance efforts.

In the northern sector of Gaza, the unit successfully identified and eliminated hundreds of surveillance cameras belonging to Hamas.

These devices were concealed within heating ducts on rooftops and even among laundered clothes.
CHILD SHIELDS Moment Hamas commander admits terrorists use their own kids to handle EXPLOSIVES…& shrugs when asked ‘what if they die?

Israeli injured in car-ramming attack

Jordan intercepts armed drone fired at Israel by Iran-backed Iraqi militia

Israeli doctors: Many of 30 released female hostages were assaulted in Gaza

Hostages’ Family Sues Red Cross Over Ignoring Medical Needs of Captives

Red Cross taps controversial former UNRWA commissioner as its new director-general

Gadi Haggai, 73, is first US citizen confirmed killed by Hamas as a hostage

‘Thanks to you, I’ll sing with new enthusiasm’: Bocelli writes to freed hostage who used his music to endure captivity

Douglas Murray clashes with Cenk Uygur over Israel-Hamas war
Author Douglas Murray has clashed with The Young Turks founder and host Cenk Uygur over the proportionality of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claimed at least 20,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip since Israel launched its offensive, which was in response to the Hamas attack which killed about 1,200 Israelis.

Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan acted as the mediator as the two guests put forward both their arguments.

Mr Murray accused Mr Uygur of “smearing” the Jewish state with claims Israel is committing genocide.

“None of the stats support that ridiculous claim, it's such a weird smear and a libel of Israel,” Mr Murray said.

Mr Uygur, meanwhile, called for “peace and security” for both Israel and Palestine as he accused the IDF of “indiscriminately” killing Gazans.




Nikki Haley to 'Post': UN antisemitism led to October 7 massacre

The Commentary Magazine Podcast: Revisionist Journalism
Hosted by Abe Greenwald, Christine Rosen, John Podhoretz & Matthew Continetti

Today we discuss how the Washington Post, New York Times, and other outlets are revising their coverage of established facts from the war in Gaza to be even more credulous toward Hamas than they’ve already been.


'We publish it to make people aware': Media Research Institution bridges Middle East language gap
MEMRI President and Co-Founder Yigal Carmon says the goal of his organisation is to “bridge the language gap” between the Arab and Muslim world and the West.

MEMRI stands for Middle East Media Research Institute and was founded in 1997.

“We monitor Arab media and the Muslim media and Arabic and Farsi and Turkish and Urdu and the schoolbooks which are most important,” he said.

“We publish it to make people aware of what they don’t know because it is in other languages.

“Ten years ago, we began also publishing and monitoring the Russian media and five years ago, the Chinese media.”


Ben Shapiro: Hamas Is THANKING Canada!?
A spokesperson for Hamas issued a video thanking the Canadian government for calling for a ceasefire. If Hamas is thanking you for something, you're doing something wrong.




The Israel Guys: How the Palestinian Authority TRICKED the World | EPISODE #5
With the Hamas massacre of October 7, and Israel’s subsequent ground operation to rid Gaza of the brutal terror group, the question arises, who is fit to govern Gaza when the dust settles?

A bit of background: Hamas was elected to power in the Gaza Strip in 2006, overturning 40 years of rival-faction Fatah dominance. After the 2007 Battle of Gaza, Hamas took complete control of the Gaza strip, while the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority maintained their hold on the West Bank.

Many now naturally consider the Palestinian Authority to be the best choice to take over governance of Gaza. Hamas would be gone from power, the PA would move in, Israel wouldn’t have to worry about terrorism, and innocent civilians in Gaza would have a government that truly cares about them, right?

Unfortunately, this is the furthest thing from the truth. Not only does the Palestinian Authority not care for their own people, they are also thoroughly corrupt and just as anti-Israel as Hamas.

Let me be clear, the Palestinian Authority is not the peaceful alternative to Hamas.

All this and more on Episode #5 of Confronting Radicals (Hamas)!




Gen Z’s views on Israel and Jews are a disturbing betrayal of their own values

‘What is this personal bereavement?’ Sky News host questions Usman Khawaja’s claims
Sky News host Caleb Bond has slammed Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja for wearing a black armband with a reason of “personal bereavement”.

The International Cricket Council has now charged Khawaja for wearing the black armband, but the cricketer is challenging the ICC for the right to show support for Palestine.

“He did it directly after he was told he couldn’t wear these shoes that had written on it, in the colours of the Palestinian flag, ‘all lives are equal’,” Mr Bond said.

“I mean, what is this personal bereavement?

“Does he seriously believe that the ICC and everyone else didn’t think it was a statement of Palestine?”




Pro-Palestinian protesters shout 'Long live Hamas' at Jewish couple during dueling protests in NYC

Jewish tourists attacked and accused of ‘killing babies’ in Spain

Woman putting up hostage posters in London kicked as attacker shouts ‘are you a Zionist?’

Bay Bridge Anti-Israel Protesters’ Supporters Demonstrate Against San Francisco DA’s Decision to Charge Them



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