In the Middle East, Arabs talk openly about Israel as Europe shuns it

 For full article see https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/bk2jdi4zzg

Opinion: In Europe, mentioning October 7 can bring accusations of genocide complicity, but across the Middle East people scarred by Assad, Hezbollah and Iran speak about Israel openly, sometimes with envy, as a country that rose from ruin and is here to stay

Francesca Borri|12.08.25 

t“In 1948, my uncles stayed in Haifa, and today my cousins are doctors and engineers,” a Palestinian I met in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus told me, during a story I prepared for a mainstream Israeli newspaper.

“In the end, those who found themselves in Israel succeeded more than those who found themselves among the Arabs.” Yarmouk was once the capital of the Palestinian diaspora. It no longer exists. Assad bombed everything.

The Middle East is confusing right now. In Jenin, an activist who used to travel to Ramallah to buy wine to drink in secret with friends told me, “Everything here is stuck in place, culturally and socially. If it weren’t for the occupation, we would all want to live in Tel Aviv.” In Baghdad, a musician said, “After the Holocaust, the Jews started again from zero. Look at Israel now. For a moment, don’t look at the occupation. Look at the economy, the technology. Here, by contrast, there is only what was built hundreds of years ago. There is only what we inherited. We only destroyed.”

In Beirut, the barista at my favorite cafe is an admirer of Netanyahu. “I don’t relate to the occupation. Netanyahu is a decision maker. He has a strategy I don’t agree with, but he goes straight ahead. And here? Here there isn’t even a government. Here we don’t even know who decides.”

In Europe, if you so much as mention the October 7 massacre, they accuse you of complicity in genocide. In bookstores, you can find everything; everyone has written a book about Gaza, but you can’t find Eli Sharabi’s book “Kidnapped.” You try to understand Israel, and they tell you there’s nothing to understand, that everyone is a murderer. In the Middle East, it is the opposite. People speak openly about Israel, a country like any other country, one that exists and will continue to exist, that will face criticism but will not be erased.

Maybe that is not so strange. On October 7, no one answered Hamas’ call. No one joined the war, not even Hezbollah, not even Iran. For all Arabs, what was clear to Syrians long ago was suddenly clear again: they are pawns. For Assad, for the Gadhafis, for the Saddams, opposition to Israel was mostly rhetorical, an excuse to impose permanent emergency rule, justify general collapse and cling to power.

Now there is a new Middle East. You can choose to fear it and bomb it, or be brave and talk to it. Assad left Syrians in absolute poverty. But one day we hope to walk in Damascus the way we walk in Paris, London or Venice, and we will find the antiques shop beside the Umayyad Mosque, where all of Syria is still whole. It is packed with carpets, textiles, ceramics and silver. The owner knows the history of every object and every corner of Damascus. Listening to him over a cup of tea is like stepping into “One Thousand and One Nights.” His name is Salim Hamdani. He is Jewish.

The Gaza Roadmap: A Diplomatic Fantasy That Keeps Hamas in Power

 Full report at https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22543/gaza-roadmap-diplomatic-fantasy 

by Khaled Abu Toameh  •  May 26, 2026 

• Hamas remains armed, organized, and committed to its declared goal of destroying Israel through jihad (holy war). Yet instead of confronting this reality, international diplomats continue to indulge in dangerous fantasies about negotiating Hamas out of existence.
• [Nickolay] Mladenov [former United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process] added that the biggest obstacle to full implementation of the ceasefire remains "Hamas's refusal to accept a verified decommissioning, relinquishing coercive control, and permit a genuine civilian transition in Gaza."
• That Mladenov is appealing to the UN Security Council to pressure Hamas reveals the core flaw of the entire approach: the "Board of Peace" and its international sponsors continue to view Hamas as a rational political actor rather than what it actually is: a jihadist terror group.
• Mladenov's roadmap repeatedly speaks about "reciprocity," "verification," "implementation mechanisms," and "phased decommissioning."
• Hamas's charter states that "Israel will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it," and mandates jihad as a religious and individual duty for all Muslims to "liberate Palestine."
• Hamas [in the "roadmap"] is even being allowed to remain armed and influential during the early stages of the transition process....
• This is unacceptable and contradicts the very spirit of the UN Security Council Resolution 2803, on which the roadmap claims to be based. The resolution authorizes a temporary International Stabilization Force and requires the complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, including the full disarmament of Hamas and the destruction of all its military infrastructure.
• The message being sent to Hamas is unambiguous: continue holding your weapons, continue ruling the Gaza Strip through intimidation and terror, and the international community will keep negotiating with you.
• The latest roadmap explicitly states that the proposal "does not call for immediate surrender or unilateral disarmament." Instead, it outlines a "phased, Palestinian-led internationally verified process."
• Hamas... has already made clear that it rejects the proposal altogether.
• Hamas is again telling the world openly that it has no intention of disarming. It wants to remain in power so it can continue pursuing, with the help of the Iranian regime, its jihad against Israel.
• While diplomats hold meetings in Cairo, New York, Doha, and Ankara, Hamas uses time to entrench itself, rearm, regroup, recruit, and tighten its control over the Gaza Strip's population.
• Despite recognizing this reality, the proposed solution is still more diplomacy, more negotiations, and more phased implementation mechanisms.
• The new roadmap offers no serious answers because it is based on the false premise that Hamas will agree to disarm and give up power through negotiations and diplomacy.
• The hard truth is that Hamas will not voluntarily disarm. It will not transform itself into a peaceful political movement. It will not abandon its jihadist ideology because of UN resolutions or international conferences.
• When the Mladenov roadmap inevitably collapses under Hamas's rejectionism, the world may finally be forced to admit what should have been obvious long ago: Negotiations do not defeat Islamist terrorist groups. As with Afghanistan and Iran, deciding not to defeat them only re-empowers them.

Israel unmasks IRGC Unit 4000 global terror network

 Full article at https://tinyurl.com/yhtzmurv

Joint intelligence operation reveals IRGC network. The Mossad, IDF, and Shin Bet jointly announced the exposure of IRGC’s Unit 4000, which they say was tasked with assassinating senior Israeli officials and striking strategic infrastructure worldwide. The revelation followed months of intelligence work and arrests in Azerbaijan, where operatives allegedly acted under direct Iranian orders. The network’s discovery is linked to the broader US-Israeli campaign against Iran launched on February 28. 

Foiled plots in Azerbaijan highlight strategic stakes Azerbaijan’s state security service reported thwarting attacks on the Israeli embassy in Baku, a synagogue, Jewish community leaders, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which supplies a third of Israel’s oil imports. Arrested cell members were reportedly in possession of explosive drones and fragmentation charges, and had conducted surveillance of targets.

Key IRGC operatives killed in Operation Roaring Lion

Rahman Moqadam, head of Unit 4000, and his superior Majid Khademi were among several senior IRGC figures killed in Israeli strikes. Moqadam allegedly oversaw recruitment, training, and intelligence gathering on Israeli, Western, and maritime targets.

Potential long-term geopolitical consequences

The dismantling of Unit 4000 could temporarily weaken Iran’s overseas strike capabilities, but may also escalate covert hostilities between Tehran and its adversaries. One scenario sees strengthened regional security cooperation, especially between Israel, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, to protect shared infrastructure.

Jewish Pride

Cross posted from Gloria Ariels blog "Grandma's Army https://agariel33.blogspot.com/2026/05/jewish-pride.html

The late Prime Minister Menachem Begin famously said: "I am not a Jew with trembling knees. I am a proud Jew with 3,700 years of civilized history. Nobody came to our aid when we were dying in the gas chambers and ovens. Nobody came to our aid when we were striving to create our country. We paid for it. We fought for it. We will stand by our principles. We will defend them. And, when necessary, we will die for them again, with or without your aid".

For decades, we have confronted the scourge of Islamic fundamentalism. We have outlived expulsions, progroms, massacres, and even the Holocaust. Our history may be tragic, but we have reason to be optimistic. We are living in times in which we need to be reminded of how much strength the Jewish people have: Our survival as a people, the gathering in of exiles and the rebuilding of a Jewish state.  

To quote Mark Twain: "Properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of.  He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine and abstruse learning are also very out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers.  He has made a marvelous fight in this world in all ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him."

There is no moral ground in calling for the annihilation of a nation. Israel must respond, not just with military strength but with narrative strength. The story of Israel is powerful – one of trauma, triumph, rebirth, and hope. The world needs to hear it from Israelis themselves, not distorted through foreign correspondents or activist NGOs with political agendas. Rather than disproving accusations point by point, Israel must face anti-Israel propaganda by telling the truth about Israel as it is – flawed, complex, democratic, diverse, authentic, and deeply human.

Israel must stop letting its enemies define the terms of the debate. Occupation"? It is the same land offered to the "Palestinians" in countless peace deals, all of which  they rejected – not because of borders – but because of Israel's existence. "Genocide"? The IDF is the only army in history which warns civilians before striking terror targets embedded in homes, hospitals, etc. "Colonization"? There has never been a Palestinian state to colonize. Jews are not foreigners in Jerusalem, Hebron, or Tiberias. They are natives returning home. Israel's greatest revenge against its enemies is to keep flourishing.

From October 7th, Israel stands as an example of how a nation confronts a real existential threat, demonstrates immense inner strength, and succeeds in repelling the danger that threatens its existence. We are proud to belong to a nation whose people are ready to fight, to sacrifice their sons and daughters, to stand firm in the longest war in Israel's history. Israel cannot expend its energy on appeasement and begging the world to understand. It must stop apologizing for its existence.

Israel doesn't have to be liked, or even to care. The Jewish people, whether in the Diaspora or in Israel must not be silenced by their opponents.  Zionism was founded by the new and courageous Jew. The Jews of today cannot betray that courage. They must walk with heads held high, strong, and proud.

The Jewish people have outlasted every enemy, defied every expectation, and proved over and over again that hatred is not stronger than history.  Israel does not need to win hearts to be victorious. It only needs to stand tall, clear and unafraid.

CNN again assist the Palestinian Narrative

 CNN's global headlines are carefully staged to shape

perception and what really happened behind the scenes

in the southern Hebron Hills. This video arms you

with a critical skill: how to question what you see and

to dig for truth beneath the surface. If you want to understand

how media narratives are built, and how to spot the cracks,

this is a video you must watch.

A Message NOT to be Ignored

 

The Cyber Mirage: How Israel Successfully Deflected Iran’s Massive Wave of Digital Strikes

Eliana Fleming APR 20, 2026

A recent study published by the firm ClearSky has revealed that the Iranian regime’s cyber capabilities have suffered a major strategic defeat. Despite a significant 15 fold increase in activity from groups such as Handala, the research concludes that the vast majority of these operations resulted in nothing more than reused propaganda. While the regime and its proxy groups have flooded the internet with grand declarations about the collapse of Israeli critical infrastructure, the actual impact on the ground has been negligible.

The investigation indicates that the Iranian cyber strategy has prioritized psychological war over tangible technical results. By claiming responsibility for events that never occurred or inflating minor technical glitches into strategic breakthroughs. Many of the purported data breaches, which Handala touted as massive thefts of sensitive information, were exposed as recycled data from years past or entirely fabricated claims. This approach has allowed the regime to maintain a facade of operational potency while lacking the actual capacity to disable the Israeli economy or degrade civilian life.

Tehran has increasingly utilized its cyber arm as a supplementary tool to generate a digital image of victory whenever the war results in military losses. However, the study identifies three critical factors behind this ongoing failure: the robust defensive posture of Israel’s security establishment, the lack of genuine technological innovation among Iranian hackers, and the persistence of outdated attack methods. Despite having ample time to modernize, Iranian operators continue to rely on basic techniques such as phishing and the utilization of known vulnerabilities.

The Israeli defensive teams and large scale organizations have successfully blocked thousands of daily penetration attempts, proving that the regime’s digital bark remains far worse than its bite.