AN EVERLASTING LIGHT - I

(A wonderful cross posting from Grandma's Army )

I am rewriting a blog I wrote a few years ago, which is still relevant:

Perhaps the most significant battle that the Jews fought, and won,  took place in the second century BCE.   Desiring to unify his kingdom through the medium of a common religion and culture Antiochus, the Greek ruler at that time, tried to root out the individualism of the Jews by desecrating their holy Temple and suppressing all the Jewish Laws.

Tomorrow we start the eight day Festival commemorating this particular victory - this year coinciding exactly with Christmas.

The story of Mattitiyahu Maccabee and his sons, who head the Revolt, is told in detail in the two books of the Maccabees.  A small, vastly outnumbered band of Jews waged battle against the mighty Greek armies, and drove them out of the land.

Even though Judaism would have disappeared if Antiochus had succeeded in his strategy,  Jewish sages chose to leave these books outside of the Bible. One of the reasons is perhaps because the most important Jewish value is “sanctification of life”, and in war people are killed - including our enemies.

Bob is a sculptor living in an agricultural community near the border 4 kms. from Gaza. His raw material is rockets and mortar shells fired into Israel by Palestinian militants from Gaza. His latest creation was a monumental Chanukah menorah. “The idea of turning rockets into religious symbols is turning the symbol of death and destruction into a symbol of light, and the Chanukah menorah is the symbol of light,” Bob said. Featured prominently in his workshop is the verse from Isaiah 2:4: “And they shall beat their swords into plowshares.”

                                                                                

Instead of glorifying the unprecedented military achievements of the Jewish fighters, our sages focused on the tiny detail of finding a small cruse of undefiled oil when the Maccabees recaptured the Temple. When they reclaimed the Holy Temple (on the day of the present Jewish month), they wished to rededicate the Temple by lighting the menorah (candelabrum) - only to discover that the Greeks had contaminated virtually all the oil.

Miraculously, the one-day supply of oil lasted eight days and nights. Hence, the name of the Festival “Chanukah” one of the meanings of which is “dedication”. To commemorate and publicize these miracles, the majority of Jews worldwide  light a Chanukah menorah on each of the eight nights of Chanukah.

The root of the Hebrew word “Chanukah” also contains another meaning, which is “education”.

In the first century BCE, on the last days of the Temple - which was at the time the centre of Jewish life - Rabbi Joshua ben Gamla established a network of state-funded schools, to include every child from the age of six. This was a unique innovation at the time when even most rulers didn’t know how to read. For the Jews, it meant that the Torah (Pentateuch) would not be forgotten and Judaism would become a civilization rooted, not in a physical building, but in texts and learning.

In Judaism, the real battle is never a military one but a cultural and spiritual one, whose heroes are not warriors but teachers. Their passion is for learning and a life of the mind. The Greeks - whose achievements in their time have perhaps never been surpassed - gradually declined, and their mighty Empire has disappeared.

To defend a country, you need armies. But, to defend a civilization you need education, educators and places of learning. Our duty, as parents, is to ensure that our future generations become literate in their heritage, and carry on the everlasting light which has kept Judaism alive.

How Hamas Manipulates the Media and Controls the Narrative About Its War With Israel

 (Full report from Honest Reporting can be read here )

Throughout the current Israel-Hamas war, Honest Reporting has exposed ties between employees of mainstream media organizations and the terrorist rulers of the Gaza Strip.

From freelancers who crossed into southern Israel with Hamas terrorists during the October 7 massacre to Palestinian journalists who were honored by Hamas for their collaborative work with the Hamas Government Media Office, there is strong evidence for Hamas’ control and manipulation of the narratives that emerge from the Gaza Strip and help shape the way that the conflict is reported on around the world.

However, it is not only local Gazan journalists whose work falls under the tyrannical thumb of Hamas. Hamas has also wielded its violent power to censor the reports of foreign journalists and ensure that only news sanctioned by the internationally recognized terror group sees the light of day.

Operation Protective Edge (2014). There is no better example of this suppression of press freedom than the media guidelines that were released by Hamas during Operation Protective Edge (July – August 2014).

According to an August 2014 report released by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Information Center, both the Hamas-run Ministry of Interior and the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Journalist Bloc released guidelines during the early days of the Operation on how social media users and traditional media personnel located in Gaza should report the conflict.

A key instruction by Hamas was to never publish information about or share photos of rockets, to not publicize the proximity of rocket launchers to densely populated civilian areas.

Other regulations that Hamas set out for social media users during Operation Protective Edge included the requirement to refer to all killed Gazans as “innocent,” to never share an up-close photograph of Hamas members, and all Hamas activity as being in response to Israeli actions.

The regulations and their enforcement by Hamas were so severe that even the Foreign Press Association in Israel was forced to release a statement on August 11, 2014, condemning the “blatant, incessant, forceful and unorthodox methods employed by the Hamas authorities and their representatives against visiting international journalists in Gaza over the past month.”

When some foreign journalists in Gaza did acknowledge the close proximity of rocket launchers to civilian areas. In some cases, these journalists only publicized their experience once they had left the Gaza Strip (and were outside Hamas’ realm) while others were forced to leave the Strip soon after issuing their reports.

In January 2024, the Hamas Media Office published a booklet entitled “Our Narrative…Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.” This document, which sought to justify and contextualize the terror group’s October 7 attack against southern Israel, was released in both Arabic and English. The publication of a Hamas document in both languages was unusual and shows how the group is intent on not only influencing Arab public opinion but also the opinion of those residing in the West.

“Our Narrative” is a masterpiece of propaganda and misinformation, replete with claims such as:

• Hamas was only attacking military sites and never attacks civilians;
• Many of the victims were killed by Israel and not Hamas;
• This “battle” started 105 years ago, and Hamas was backed into a corner and forced to attack Israel.

Both Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Voice of America (VOA) fell for Hamas’ propaganda machine and publicized the terror group’s baseless claims, giving it legitimacy.

In retrospect, however, given the prevalence of sources branding Hamas as a “national liberation” group, battling “colonialism,” it’s clear that the Hamas narrative has found a receptive audience in too many places. The Hamas document even called for an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation, preempting the arrest warrants issued against Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Through Hamas’ issuance of constricting media guidelines in 2014 and 2022, its use of violence against opposition journalists, the recently unearthed evidence of collaboration by certain Palestinian freelancers with the terror group, and its propaganda campaigns focused on influencing mainstream media outlets, it is clear that any news emerging from Gaza must be treated with a critical eye and not taken at face value.

 

Outrage at Syria's Assad Human Rights Abuses Far Too Late

 (Middle East Forum )The liberation of Syria’s notorious Sednaya jail close to Damascus a week ago has resulted in a wave of belated outrage in much western media toward the former dictator and his methods. For Syria watchers, there is something rather surreal about this late discovery of the methods of Assad’s regime.

Some of the precise numbers remain disputed. There is, as yet, no independent verification of the statement by Mouaz Mustafa, head of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, that the mass grave at al-Qutayfah contains the remains of at least 100,000 people. The task of piecing together the precise dimensions of the Assad regime’s crimes against the Syrian people, and crucially the names and whereabouts of the victims, is only now beginning. And yet, the fact that this regime was a monstrous one, engaged in the mass slaughter of Syrian civilians, was known to both policymakers and publics in the West.

The task of piecing together the precise dimensions of the Assad regime’s crimes against the Syrian people, and crucially the names and whereabouts of the victims, is only now beginning.

The facts were in plain sight. A huge body of research and eyewitness testimony has long been available. But there was no widespread public revulsion against Assad in the West. The dictator was not a welcome guest in western capitals at the time of his toppling, but from 2020 until his fall there was little public concern about his rule over Syria. BBC journalist John Simpson said that Assad was ‘weak, rather than wicked’. The widespread criticism of Simpson may best be attributed to a sort of collective amnesia.

 

Israel Keeps Facilitating Aid into Gaza

  An inside look into the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom Crossing

with COL Abdullah, a commander at @cogatonline.

IDF hits Houthi targets in Yemen after missile fired at central Israel

(Dec. 18, 2024 /from JNS Report)

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched over 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel in support of Hamas since the Gaza-based terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in the northwestern Negev. The vast majority were intercepted outside of Israeli territory by Israel or the U.S.

The Israeli Air Force acted and struck Houthi targets in Yemen overnight Wednesday, after intercepting a missile over central Israel fired by the Iranian-backed terror group.

An elementary school in the Ramat Efal neighborhood of Ramat Gan, just east of Tel Aviv, suffered severe damage when shrapnel hit it following the interception. According to the city’s mayor, the impact caused a partial collapse of the school’s central building, prompting the cancellation of classes for the day. No injuries were reported.

According to the IDF, the IAF strikes were carried out in two waves by 14 fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes.

The jets were already en route to Yemen when the Houthis launched the ballistic missile at around 2:35 a.m. The first wave of strikes occurred at 3:15 a.m., targeting the Ras Isa oil terminal on the Red Sea as well as the Hodeidah and Salif ports. Eight tugboats, used for guiding ships into the ports, were also destroyed.

At 4:30 a.m., the second wave targeted the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, hitting two power stations, the Haziz and D’Habban, according to reports in Yemen.

Houthi-affiliated media reported casualties.

“Over the past year, the Houthi terrorist regime has been operating with the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias, in order to attack the State of Israel and Israeli civilians,” the IDF stated following the strikes.

“The conducted strikes degrade the Houthi terrorist regime, preventing it from exploiting the targets for military and terrorist purposes, including the smuggling of Iranian weapons to the region,” the statement continued. “The IDF is determined to continue operating against all threats posed to the citizens of the State of Israel, wherever necessary.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Houthi leaders after the overnight operation that “the long arm of Israel will reach you. Whoever raises a hand [against us] will have it severed. Whoever harms [us], will be harmed many times over.”

A Must Watch from the German Bundestag

 

This is a 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 and a 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚. 

“First the synagogues will burn and then the churches. They are burning already” 

“First the Kippah wearers will be beaten, then anyone who will not submit” 

An incredible speech by Beatrix Storch - member of the German Bundestag. from a few weeks ago now

International Court of Justice

 From Yoseph Haddad - The Hague Tribunal ran enough false campaigns and possesses enough distorted interests to issue arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister and Minister of Defense.

On the other hand, years of testimony about the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Assad regime and all the other evidence that’s come to light the past two weeks in Syria were apparently not enough for them to issue an arrest warrant for Assad.

If you look up the word "hypocrisy" in the dictionary, you‘ll find a large picture of the Hague Tribunal!

Wealth Galore but the General Population in Poverty

 (Thanks to Jeanine Hirshhorn)

Former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad may have lost his despot gig, but he has a very lavish "government pension" from years of treating the Syrian national treasury as his personal bank account.  That's why there is so much turmoil, factions fighting one another for control, not only in this region but all over Africa and Asia.  For a chance at the ultimate jackpot, the national treasury lavishly stuffed with foreign aid cash from international donors - in Syria's case, Russia and Iran, or oil and drug wealth. 

Ismail Haniyeh, former head thug of Hamas, was reported to have a net worth of $4 billion, the product of years of embezzling and extorting all that foreign aid from gullible international donors such as the US and the EU.  As well as  the 20% tax Hamas charged on all items entering through tunnels from Egypt to the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh's eldest son was arrested by Egyptian authorities at the Rafiah Border Crossing with several million dollars, which he intended to take into Gaza.  Yahye Sinwar, who replaced Haniiyeh as Hamas head thug, acquired his reported billion dollar wealth in a similar manner. While the rest of Gazans live on UN/UNRWA and NGO handouts.

Abu Mazen of the PA, King Abdullah of Jordan, the head thugs of Hezbullah in Lebanon, Sisi in Egypt all live lavish lifestyles thanks to their autocratic rule giving them sole access to the state treasury and donor billions. King Abdullah receives a yearly US aid stipend of $1.45 BILLION. While 25% of Jordanians live below the poverty line.  Whelp, his Majesty does need the money to keep his 7 palaces in tip-top condition, his wife Queen Rania in designer gear and to pay top dollar to keep his small army of Beduin fighters on side so that he doesn't end up like al-Assad. 

And Syria?  Different day, same despot.  The current winner in the power/control/wealth stakes will receive representatives of those countries looking to keep him on side, while he loots Syria's national treasury for what he can take.  Democracy? Freedom?  Unknown concepts used by despots to open international donor wallets a bit wider.   

Hezbullah continued firing missiles and mortars into northern Israel for 9 days after the "ceasefire" went into effect. Their bombardment of Israel's northern civilian population finally stopped 6 days ago.  But with no clear government directives/policies, Israel's displaced population are in no rush to return to what's left their homes in the north.  

IDF heroes continue to fall in Gaza, in Lebanon and the West Bank fighting to protect Am Yisrael in this 75th year of its War of Liberation. 

And 100 hostages are still scattered around Gaza (and beyond?), captives of various terror thugs using human lives as bargaining tools.  

When will the world start to recognise the emperor has no clothes?

 

The Next Domino to Fall?

(With thanks to Ben Herskowitz)

 

Israel is communicating with rebels

From  World Israel News

An Israeli source says Israel is carrying out indirect talks with Syrian rebels, Israel National News reported.

The source said communication is occurring through the Druze community in Israel and Syria, the Kurdish population, intelligence organizations, and US officials.

“There is someone to speak to on the other side, and messages were passed,” the source said, indicating Israel will continue operations to eliminate weapons held by the Assad regime.

The source says the United States fully approves Israel’s indirect communication with Syrian rebels.

Defense Minister Israel Katz has encouraged the IDF to capture more areas in the buffer zone close to Syria’s border with Israel.

According to TPS, Israeli security officials are recruiting prominent Israeli Druze leaders to assist in fostering connections with Syrian Druze communities.

On Sunday, Maj.-Gen. Shlomi Bender, head of the Israeli army’s Intelligence Directorate, met with Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, according to Lt.-Col. Avichay Adraee, spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces in Arabic.

“The head of the Intelligence Directorate and His Eminence Sheikh Tarif discussed recent developments in Syria and their impact on the Druze community,” Adraee tweeted.

The initiative follows instructions from Defense Minister Israel Katz, who directed the IDF on Sunday to establish contact with the Syrian Druze and other local communities.

There are an estimated 700,000 to 800,000 Druze in Syria, primarily in the southwestern regions near Israel and Jordan. They make up about four percent of Syria’s population.

Israel’s Druze community, numbering around 152,000, traces its ancestry to Jethro, the Biblical figure and father-in-law of Moses.

Israeli Druze hold prominent positions in both public and military life, and the deep bond between Jewish and Druze soldiers is often referred to as the “covenant of blood.”

During Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, the Druze living in the Galilee and Mount Carmel regions chose to align with the Jewish community. They decided to integrate into Israeli society and have since established themselves across all sectors of public life.

Food for Thought

 

(With thanks to Steven Shamrak)

Not long ago, members of the UN General Assembly, 157 of them, voted again for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict. The international anti-Semites are ‘uncomfortable’ with the existence of the Jewish state, and are determine to create another Islamic terrorist state on the Jewish land. 

- Occupation of the independent state of Tibet by China is long forgotten. 

- The question of independence of Kashmir does not exist anymore. 

- Nobody cares about the self-determination of Kurdish people, up to 45 million of them world-wide. 

The members of the 'Ugly Nazi' are only preoccupied with the independence of the fake people of the never existing country or kingdom on the Jewish land. There are 57 Muslim countries, including 22 Arab states. They could welcome and provide a secure prosperous future for their ‘Palestinian brothers and sisters’. Why don't they?

Syria in Crisis - Who is Who

 

Qatar Throws Out Its Garbage

(With thanks to Ben Herskowitz)

 

Europe Is Turning Into One Big No-Go Zone

Giulio Meotti November 22, 2024

Eight years ago Donald Trump scandalized the right-thinking people by stating that “no-go zones” were being created in Europe. No-go zones? It must have been another fake by Trump, it was said.

David Ignatius in the New York Times had used the expression, explaining that some areas of Paris had become “no-go zones at night”. Then Michael Nazir-Ali, bishop of Rochester, spoke of no-go zones in England.

Since then, it has become an open secret, and while even Angela Merkel has admitted the existence of these areas in Europe, the former French socialist president François Hollande said: “How can we avoid secession? Because that is what is happening: secession”.

Now, just over a week after the incredible events in Amsterdam (40 no-go areas have been mapped out in the Netherlands), Barbara Slowik, the head of the Berlin police, admits: “There are neighborhoods where the majority of the population is of Arab origin who also have sympathies for terrorist groups.” Slowik advised Jews and homosexuals to be careful in “certain areas” of the German capital in an interview with the Berliner Zeitung newspaper “There is open anti-Semitism against people of Jewish faith and origin”.

If I were the police chief of Berlin, I would have resigned a moment after admitting that the state had lost control of its territory. The Welt went to one of these neighborhoods of Berlin to get reactions on Slowik: “The population calls for the caliphate.” The incredible admission by Berlin’s police chief is just one piece of the puzzle. In Bonn, Potsdam, Bochum and elsewhere, Jews are hiding.

And London has also become a “no-go zone for Jews,” the government’s anti-extremism tsar, Robin Simcox, has just denounced. And it’s not just a problem for Jews and gays.

Berlin’s Greens want “women-only” train carriages. The request was made by Berlin Green Party MP Antje Kapek, who said that “terrible attacks on women” occur “even when there are large crowds.”

Even neighborhoods in Duisburg are “no-go zones,” according to a report leaked to the weekly Der Spiegel. The report speaks of “44 no-go zones” and warns that the government is losing control of entire neighborhoods and warns that the police “will no longer be able to guarantee public order in the long term.” Duisburg, which has a population of 500,000, is estimated to be home to 60,000 mostly Turkish Muslims, making it one of the most Islamized cities in Germany (Muslims have outnumbered Christians in Duisburg schools).

Police union chairman Rainer Wendt told Spiegel: “In the north of Duisburg, there are neighborhoods where colleagues can barely stop a car, they will be surrounded by 40 or 50 men.”

Wendt, president of Europe’s largest police union, also said: “We are facing a challenge that is unprecedented in post-war history.” The risk of collapse is “very real,” Wendt warned, and the police are losing control of the situation. “Radical Islamists are questioning the power on our streets. If no action is taken, Sharia law will prevail instead of the constitution. It is time to return to the fundamental values of our societies. Otherwise, the country will collapse and the law of the strongest will prevail.”

We have seen mass sexual assaults on New Year’s Eve and the mayor of Cologne, Henriette Reker, advise women to “keep foreigners at arm’s length.” Perhaps Jews and homosexuals should also keep them at arm’s length?

But it is not just about Germany. There is an infinite multitude of small and large enclaves, true parallel states, that threaten both the stability and the integrity of Europe.

The Migration Research Institute in Budapest, linked to the prestigious Matthias Corvinus College, estimates 900 uncontrolled areas throughout Europe.

What are they like? In these territories, the police, social workers and ambulances do not enter or must be protected. The high birth rates guarantee longevity and expansion. They are places where a woman can be openly harassed during the day. These areas constitute threats to security through crime, riots and terrorism. But the triad is not a matter of debate. In the end, Sharia law is de facto respected by the inhabitants, not de iure: over time, butchers are only halal, mixed hairdressers disappear, and women are pressured to conform to Islamic law. It goes without saying that Jews must not be seen.

With the numbers of Islamic immigration, positive law in Europe is powerless over social and cultural norms.

“There are 60 ‘risk areas’ in Sweden,” Swedish journalist Paulina Neuding writes in the Spectator. “Sweden’s immigrant integration policy has failed, leading to parallel societies and gang violence,” left-wing Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson had already said. And again: “Society is simply too weak to break the segregation and reject parallel societies.”

Violence against health workers in many areas of Sweden is so endemic that they want to set up a “protection system” in no-go zones with large populations of migrants hostile to the authorities. Postal services have also stopped sending workers to areas of Stockholm with a high number of immigrants because it is too dangerous. Firefighters were forced to abandon efforts to put out a blaze in a burning building after locals attacked them.

The DGSI, the French directorate general of internal counterintelligence, has mapped 150 districts “in possession” of the Islamists. Districts, neighborhoods, enclaves now in the hands of fundamentalists and who shape them according to their ideology of submission. According to the former number two of the French DGSE, Alain Chouet, who published the book “Sept pas vers l’enfer”, “these districts are in 859 cities and 4 million people live there, or 6 percent of the total population of France”.

To carry out arrests in the lost territories of Marseille, the police dress up as Muslims. Like in Fauda, the Netflix series on Israeli anti-terrorism.

The French newspaper Le Parisien revealed that the “no-go zones” are now located in the heart of the capital. Like the Chapelle-Pajol neighborhood, in the eastern part of Paris.

When there were violent uprisings in the banlieues two summers ago, “Nicolas,” a member of the “Bac de nuit” (criminal police) sent to Nanterre, confessed: “We no longer have the impression of being in France. We were quickly overwhelmed; the firefighters were attacked every time we moved”.

The Europe of open borders has ended up with no-go zones.

The problem is that European governments, and this is what Barbara Slowik’s shocking admission tells us, seem to have concluded that it is too late to prevent an Islamized Europe and that all that can be done is to cushion its effects, at least in the immediate future, and hope that the destruction is limited to a few areas, hopefully not theirs. (Remember what Winston Churchill said about appeasers and crocodiles.)

We are turning into a gigantic no-go zone where the clash of civilizations is taking place.

 

Immigrants needed in Germany – but not welcomed

Okaz, Saudi Arabia, Rami Al-Khalifa Al-Ali  - August 14

Germany stands as the economic powerhouse of Europe, but this industrial might comes with a significant requirement: a robust workforce. The German government estimates there are currently over half a million vacancies across various sectors, especially in trades such as craftsmanship, mechanics, and construction work. To fortify its economy, Germany needs more than 400,000 new immigrants annually. Projections paint a daunting picture: By 2035, around seven million workers are expected to exit the labor market. Hence, the government must ramp up efforts to attract large numbers of immigrants. 

In recent months, legislative changes to immigration laws and streamlined paths to German citizenship have been introduced, serving as potential incentives for new arrivals. Nevertheless, the global competition for skilled immigrants is fierce, with nations like the US, Canada, and other European countries also vying for talent that fits their labor market demands. The alarm over an immigration crisis is often a media construct rather than an economic reality. Take the UK, for instance. While it has seen around 100,000 illegal immigrants, the British government has simultaneously sanctioned the entry of over 800,000 legal immigrants to meet labor market needs. 

Ironically, unemployment persists in certain segments because the typical Western citizen aspires to office jobs that align with their education and training. Beyond the sought-after roles of doctors, engineers, accountants, and programmers, there is an equally critical need for workers in construction, retail, and truck driving – jobs that demand physical effort and are often less appealing to native citizens. 

The crux of the issue transcends the attraction of highly educated professionals. It is about the pressing need for manual laborers willing to accept lower wages for physically demanding work. This dynamic is unlikely to change as competition for these workers is set to intensify, especially with China’s growing demand for labor. China faces its own demographic challenges, borne out of the now-abandoned one-child policy. The nation is grappling with a rapidly aging population, projected to have 24% of its citizens over the age of 65 by 2035. This demographic shift will place immense strain on China’s social and healthcare systems and result in a worker shortage, with the labor force expected to shrink by 0.5% annually until 2030, accelerating to 0.9% annually until 2050. 

Compounding this complex scenario is the rise of xenophobia and racism, which has bolstered far-right movements across multiple countries. The recent developments in Britain epitomize this contradiction; hostility towards immigrants stems less from economic concerns and more from issues of identity, globalization, political opportunism, and lingering racist sentiments from both distant and recent history. We are likely to see more of these phenomena in the near future, despite their incongruity with social and economic realities. Over short periods, political exploitation can overshadow societal and economic movements, creating a landscape fraught with contradiction and tension.

Has Israel a Gun Pointed at its Head?

 (Dr Aaron Lerner - columnist)

There's a bullet in the chamber of the gun pressed up against our temple.

And we are fully aware that once a United Nations Security Council Resolution invoking Chapter VII of the UN Charter a "bullet" is fired, a Russian veto would prevent President Trump from readily undoing the damage.

 Yes, Obama's "parting gift" to the Jewish State was a UNSC Resolution that didn't invoke Chapter VII. But times have changed.

So, for all the anger and frustration that the prime minister yielded to the blackmailer's bullet, one can understand why Mr. Netanyahu accepted this ridiculous deal that, if implemented, will ultimately result in Hezbollah, under the (at best) blind eyes of UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army, completely rebuilding and restocking their forward positions for a massive ground invasion.

The challenge Prime Minister Netanyahu faces is to prepare a "package" for President Trump - a viable, robust resolution of the situation in the north that Trump can embrace and adopt as his alternative to the sham deal imposed by the Biden administration.

Such a package would include intuitive features like a deep "no man's land" north of the Lebanese border. To be clear: this won't be a simple task.

Yes, we have many allies in Mr. Trump's team, but all kinds of international players will reach out to President Trump with exciting, ostensibly "groundbreaking" deals.

 Our package must be capable of being implemented in days rather than weeks or months.   And with no cost to America.

Of course, this is something to be shared only with Mr. Trump on January 20th.

We should already be working feverishly, in coordination with our American allies, so the program can be locked in with President-elect Trump in the days to come.

Educating with antisemitism

 The process of educating Gazan children from day 1 must be changed if Israel is to avoid returning to October 7^th.  Literature from the Hamas education system was found during the IDF actions in Gaza. Among the items discovered were approximately 1,500 antisemitic books, indicating a systematic process of instilling hatred and promoting terrorism against Israel from the first day of education in the Hamas system.  

Items included children's books teaching how to murder Jews by running them over or stabbing them, a book by senior Hamas official Mahmoud al-Zahar titled The End of the Jews, and other literature that places all responsibility for wars in the Middle East on Israel, advocating for the murder of all Jews. 

Additionally, booklet about senior terrorists were found, as well as special documentation from Hamas summer camps funded by foreign donations and photos of babies on home sofas alongside shrapnel grenades and mortar shells.

Ceasefire in Lebanon?

According to many sources, following US representative Hochstein’s visit to Israel last week and to Beirut, a ceasefire deal is “close” with Lebanon.

A leader of the Shi’ite movement Amal, Berri has served as an interlocutor for talks between the U.S. and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization.

Following the visit, Hezbollah secretary-general Naim Qassem said that Hezbollah had reviewed the proposed ceasefire, issued its response to Hochstein, and that the matter was now up to Israel.

Hochstein reportedly pressed top Israeli officials over the weekend, warning them that this marks the administration’s final attempt to broker a ceasefire, and that a rejection by Jerusalem would end efforts by the Biden White House to bring the two sides to a deal.

Netanyahu has reportedly agreed in principle to the ceasefire deal, and is now mulling how to present the decision to the Israeli public.

While the ceasefire deal has yet to be finalized and some key sticking points remain, it would reportedly include three major provisions, and would be implemented in three stages.

According to reports last week, under the American proposal:-

a) Hezbollah would be required to withdraw its forces away from the Israeli border and north of the Litani River, with the terrorist group also obligated to disarm, in keeping with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.

b)  a U.S.-led committee would be tasked with ensuring compliance with the ceasefire.

c)  Israel would retain the right to respond militarily in Lebanon to violations of the ceasefire, but only after the committee exhausts other avenues for restoring the peace.

Clause (c) is the real problem for Israel since every monitoring group established to keep the peace has failed in its mission whether it was the border with Egypt, Syria or Lebanon. In the current wording, Israel’s actions would be severely limited in the case of violations as a ”committee” has to evaluate other avenues before giving the green light for Israeli action.

In the first stage of the deal, a ceasefire would be imposed during which Hezbollah would withdraw from the southern bank of the Litani River.

Afterwards, Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanese territory.

In the third and final stage, Israel and Lebanon would enter into talks regarding contested border areas.

Gazan Aid Stolen by Hamas and Crime Gangs

 Conditions in Gaza have drastically changed since the war began. The blockade and tightly regulated aid have led to the resurgence of the smuggling industry. Tobacco products, now more expensive than ever and in greater demand, have become a critical commodity. 

Control over these goods has given immense power to those handling them, allowing them to operate largely without interference from IDF in designated closed areas, according to the Washington Post.

The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Gaza described cigarette smuggling as a "real cancer."

 Georgios Petropoulos, head of the Gaza sub-office of the UN Co-ordinator for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated, “Recently, we’ve found cigarettes hidden inside cans and other food products. This suggests the smuggling process starts during packaging, likely in Egypt.”

UN reports from the end of the week revealed that aid trucks entering Gaza are frequently looted upon crossing the Kerem Shalom border from Israel. Of the 109 trucks that passed through in the last few days, 98 were hijacked. Drivers were forcibly removed, detained for hours, and in some cases severely beaten. Gangs of masked gunmen reportedly fired on the convoys and used grenades during these attacks.

According to reports, these gangs are not affiliated with Hamas but are instead local smuggling groups that have grown significantly since the war began. Their rise is attributed to the collapse of Hamas’ civilian infrastructure, including its policing mechanisms.

 UN data cited by The Washington Post indicates that armed gangs operate with impunity and some reports allege that these groups have established "control headquarters" in zones cleared of civilians and declared closed military areas by the IDF.

 The stealing of humanitarian aid has become widespread in Gaza. These gangs, often linked to local crime families, are stealing not just food but other essential goods arriving through Israeli crossings. Gaza residents stress that these armed looters are unaffiliated with Hamas. Historically, these crime families were targets of Hamas police and intelligence efforts.

 An anonymous Israeli official told The Washington Post that Israel is aware that “some looters have ties to Hamas, and some do not.”

Female IDF trailblazers mark historic achievements in defense

 For full article go to  https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-830063

On a chilly morning earlier this week, a team of female IDF soldiers gathered their gear and prepared to embark on a mission into southern Lebanon. Among them was Cpl. Tehila, 21, who adjusted her pack—laden with equipment that weighed nearly half her body weight—and exchanged determined glances with her comrades. For the first time in Israel’s history, women combat soldiers were about to cross the border into enemy territory. Their task was as monumental as it was dangerous: to gather intelligence, pinpoint Hezbollah positions, and direct fire to protect Israel’s northern communities.

Such scenes are becoming more common in the IDF, where women are not just breaking barriers but leading in roles traditionally dominated by men. Israel’s military has consistently demonstrated its commitment to equality, offering women meaningful opportunities to serve and contribute, even in combat positions. In a region dominated by radical ideologies that suppress women’s rights, the IDF’s pioneering approach sets it apart—not just from its neighbors but from many Western democracies.

This week, two groundbreaking events underscored the IDF’s leadership in empowering women. The first was the announcement of Israel’s first religious women-only combat unit, to be deployed within the Combat Intelligence Corps. As reported by The Jerusalem Post, this initiative addresses the surge of religious women eager to serve in the IDF, including 350 who joined combat roles in the aftermath of October 7.

We are witnessing a rise in the number of religious women eager to join in defending Israel in this existential war. For 18-year-old recruit Rina Mays from Ramat Beit Shemesh, this opportunity represents both a personal and collective mission: “I’ve always dreamed of contributing to my country in a meaningful way... this unit felt like the right path for me.”

In another momentous achievement  female combat soldiers from the Ayit Battalion carried out an operational mission in southern Lebanon, marking the first time women had participated in such an endeavor. Their work involved intelligence gathering, pinpointing anti-tank missile sites, and guiding fire against Hezbollah positions, showcasing their operational effectiveness in high-stakes scenarios.

Dismantling sexist notions

Cpl. Shani, 20, described the mission’s challenges: “We walked about 1.5 kilometers into Lebanon, established a position in the field, maintained camouflage, and began intelligence collection. Operationally, we entered areas untouched by Israeli forces since the Second Lebanon War.” These missions not only reaffirm the IDF’s trust in its female soldiers but also dismantle outdated notions about women’s roles in the military.

While many Western nations celebrate symbolic strides in gender equality, Israel delivers measurable results. Female soldiers are actively shaping Israel’s defense strategies, often in some of the most dangerous arenas.

This commitment is particularly striking in a region where many societies deny women basic rights, let alone the opportunity to serve in their country’s defense. Israel’s example highlights the values it shares with other Western democracies: equality, freedom, and opportunity. Yet, these achievements are often overlooked or misunderstood by the international community.

The world should recognize Israel’s unique position as a Western democracy in a challenging region and celebrate the extraordinary contributions of its female soldiers. By empowering women in its military, Israel continues to lead the way in demonstrating that equality and strength go hand in hand. 

Ceasefire with Lebanon?

 The emerging ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah terrorist organization includes the following principles, the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom has learned:

Hezbollah will withdraw its forces north of the Litani River and will not renew its military presence in the area between the Litani and the Israel-Lebanon border.

 The Israel Defense Forces will pull back from Hezbollah’s current first line of positions in Lebanon, returning to the international border. The Lebanese army will dismantle Hezbollah’s remaining infrastructure in the area between the border and the Litani within 60 days of signing the agreement.

 The agreement will include international guarantees from the United States and Russia to prevent Hezbollah from rearming. As part of this framework, Syria will be responsible for stopping any weapons transfers from its territory to Lebanon, in contrast to the situation that prevailed in the years before the war.

In any instance of a violation of the agreement—whether by Hezbollah’s rearming or military actions against Israel or Israelis—the IDF will have the right to act in response, with international backing.

Israel Hayom has also learned that Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will depart for Russia, as previously reported by Army Radio, and then to the United States to finalize the remaining details of the agreement. Among other meetings, he is expected to meet with President-elect Donald Trump.

Last night, a senior government official confirmed to Israel Hayom that substantial progress had been made in diplomatic negotiations on the northern front.

Noa Tishby - Progrom in Amsterdam

 

Arab-Israeli soccer fan spoke Arabic to violent mob, saved Jewish fans

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A Druze Israeli said he spoke Arabic to Muslim attackers and warned Jewish Israelis during a violent anti-Israel riot that broke out after a soccer game in Amsterdam on Thursday.

Melhem Asad, from Kisra-Sumei, a Druze town in Israel, described how Dutch security guarded Israelis on their way to the Ajax-Maccabi game in Amsterdam. Still, the security situation fell apart at the conclusion of the game.

Asad told Channel 12, “We felt very safe, but at the end of the game the situation changed completely.”

“The fans were simply abandoned, we all got on the trains and headed for the hotels, and the local police just messed up, big time. They didn’t secure us, they didn’t watch over us, we felt very exposed,” he said.

Asad heard a group of people speaking in Arabic about their plans to attack Israelis, and that is when he realized he could use the fact that he spoke Arabic to confuse their plans.

He said, “I heard people from across the street talking in Arabic and planning on how and where to attack the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. I took advantage of the fact that I spoke Arabic and shouted at them. They thought I was one of them.

Asad continued, “I told them that the Jews were no longer here, that they had fled. I did everything to confuse them; I knew exactly where our fans were, and it worked. I convinced them to go in the other direction.”

After Asad had confused some of the mob’s plans, he ran to warn the Israelis. He recounts, “I ran towards groups of Israelis and warned them that people were trying to harm us.”

Asad told them to take them off their Maccabi shirts after he heard members of the mob saying they would attack anyone wearing a Maccabi shirt. He ran into bars and restaurants to warn Israelis.

“My goal was to save everyone possible; I saw the amount of hatred and the number of people. I started running between bars, restaurants, alleys, wherever I knew the fans were passing on the way back from the game,” Asad said.

He said that the incident in Amsterdam made him think of October 7th and the hatred of Hamas terrorists who attacked Israelis.

“My heart burned at that moment. Unfortunately, I could not save everyone, but I tried to warn as many Israelis as possible. I feel that God sent me at the right moment and in the right place to save those who can.”