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Jewish Journal

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October 8, 2023

UPenn President Tells Legal Human Rights NGO University is Committed “to Speaking Out Against Antisemitism”

News, United States /

University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) President Elizabeth Magill told International Legal Forum CEO Arsen Ostrovsky on Friday that the university is committed to “speaking out against antisemitism in all forms.”

Ostrovsky had sent the university a letter in September arguing that because UPenn, a private institution, receives federal funds, hosting the Palestine Writes Literature Festival is “not only a gross affront to the Jewish students and community on campus, it would also run contrary to UPenn’s mission of inclusion, respect and diversity, and be in breach of your federal legal obligations under the Civil Rights Act.” Ostrovsky had written that the festival, which was held at the university from September 22-24, featured “speakers which have expressed highly inflammatory, racist and antisemitic views.” Susan Abulhawa, the executive director of the festival, has denied allegations that any of the festival’s speakers were antisemitic.

Magill wrote in an email to Ostrovsky, which was obtained by the Journal: “Please know that Penn is committed more than ever to being a community where the dignity and worth of Jewish people and those of all faiths and backgrounds thrive. It is critically important, at this moment especially, for Penn to reaffirm our commitment to speaking out against antisemitism in all forms.” Magill pointed Ostrovsky to a September 22 statement from the university “that provided an overview of our continued response as well as details on our ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism on Penn’s campus and beyond.” These efforts included the university working with Penn Hillel, reviewing their policies on external groups holding events on campus and “reviewing and building upon our existing training and education programs to ensure we are including antisemitism awareness as part of our equity and inclusion programs for faculty, students, and staff and, in conducting this education, referring to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.”

“These actions and commitments, in addition to others described in the September 22nd message, reflect our deeply held institutional values and align with the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism,” Magill told Ostrovsky.

Ostrovsky told the Journal, “The International Legal Forum is happy to see that, following our campaign and that of many in the Jewish community, the University of Pennsylvania has agreed to undertake a review of the events that led to the antisemitic ‘Palestine Writes’ hate festival on campus, and implement a number of steps in response, including adding antisemitism awareness training, reviewing the process by which external groups can reserve space and host events on campus, and importantly, will also refer to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism for guidance. Although it should never have come to this in the first instance, we hope that UPenn, and other universities, will learn from the mistakes that led to the holding of this event and listen to the concerns of the Jewish community, to ensure similar occurrences do not repeat. There can be zero tolerance for such hate and incitement against Jewish students.”

Abulhawa told The Philadelphia Inquirer on Tuesday that the university’s response to the event was due “to racist pressures because that’s the side of power and donor money” and that the university didn’t provide “a single moment or statement of care for Penn’s Palestinian students who have been marginalized and maligned and subjected to violent propaganda year after year, and now during the festival through direct and specific incitement against them.”

UPenn President Tells Legal Human Rights NGO University is Committed “to Speaking Out Against Antisemitism” Read More »

Hamas Says Iran Supported Surprise Attack Against Israel

News, Worldwide /

A spokesman for Hamas reportedly told the BBC that their surprise attack against Israel on Saturday received support from Iran.

In the BBC’s words, Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad told the outlet that the terror group “had direct backing for the attack from Iran.” The attack involved Hamas firing more than 3,000 rockets into Israel and armed terrorists infiltrating the country, going door-to-door and murdering and kidnapping Israelis in their communities and towns; more than 700 people were killed in the attack and more than 100 have been abducted.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday: “God willing, the cancer of the usurper Zionist regime will be eradicated at the hands of the Palestinian people and the Resistance forces throughout the region.” The post also featured a video that, according to The Wrap, shows “panicked young people who were at a music festival when they were attacked by Hamas.”

Khamenei’s post sparked questions as to why the post––and Khamenei himself––are allowed on X; the post currently has a disclaimer that the violated the platform’s rules but is being left up because X deemed it to be in “the public’s interest.”

Khamenei’s top military adviser Rahim Safavi called the Hamas surprise attack “commendable,” according to Politico. There is also video footage on social media of members of the Iranian parliament chanting “Death to Israel” and “Palestine is victorious, Israel will be destroyed.”

Iranian-American journalist Lisa Daftari argued in a post on X that a post from Khamanei just a few days earlier shows that the Hamas surprise attack was “planned & executed”; the Khamenei post from October 3 read: “The usurper regime is coming to an end. Today, the Palestinian youth and the anti-oppression, anti-occupation movement in Palestine is more energetic, more alive, and more prepared than even during the past 70 or 80 years. God willing, the movement will achieve its goals.”

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) wrote in a Saturday Flash Brief that “Iran has built a network of at least 19 armed groups on Israel’s borders, including in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria,” which includes Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah and Lebanon. Hamas receives $100 million a year from Iran, per FDD. The FDD report also noted that “Khamenei has hosted numerous meetings with Tehran’s proxy organizations and called for united action against Israel over the past month.” The FDD report argued that the Biden administration’s policies have emboldened Iran, noting that “the administration has weakened U.S. enforcement of oil sanctions against the Islamic Republic” and that over the summer, the administration has allowed $16 billion in sanctions relief to be transferred to Iran, including $6 billion frozen in South Korean banks in exchange for American hostages.

“While Biden administration officials claim the funds can be used only for humanitarian purposes, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said that Tehran will spend the money however it wants,” the FDD report stated. “Regardless, money is fungible, so the cash Iran receives frees up other budgetary resources to sponsor terrorism.”

In response to the Hamas attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to “cripple [Hamas] mercilessly and avenge this black day they have brought upon Israel and its citizens,” per The Times of Israel. “What happened today has never before seen in Israel, and I will make sure it does not happen again,” Netanyahu said in a televised address to the nation on Saturday. Israel has claimed to have killed more than 400 Palestinian terrorists since the attack.

UPDATE 1: The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Hamas and Hezbollah leaders have claimed that Iran had been working with Hamas since August on the surprise attack against Israel and that Iran approved the attack in a meeting in Beirut on October 2. The Wall Street Journal report also states that a European official who works as an adviser to the Syrian government made the same claims. However, U.S. officials said they could not confirm the claims regarding Iran’s involvement.

UPDATE 2: A Hamas official has since told NBC News that they kept Iran in the dark on the terror invasion until after the attack began. Iran has denied being involved in the attack, per The Times of Israel.

Hamas Says Iran Supported Surprise Attack Against Israel Read More »

World Leaders Respond to October 7th Terrorist Attacks in Israel

News, Worldwide /

All listed statements are sourced via official X (formerly known as Twitter) accounts from Presidents, Prime Ministers or Ministries of Foreign Affairs on October 7, 2023.  When an English-language statement was unavailable, X’s Google Translate feature was used.

United States: President Joe Biden

This morning, I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu about the horrific and ongoing attacks in Israel.  The United States unequivocally condemns this appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, and I made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the Government and people of Israel. Terrorism is never justified. Israel has a right to defend itself and its people. The United States warns against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation.  My Administration’s support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering.

Jill and I are keeping in our prayers all of the families who have been hurt by this violence. We are heartbroken by the lives that have been tragically cut short and hope for a swift recovery for all those who have been wounded.

My team and I are tracking this situation closely, and I will remain in close touch with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Canada strongly condemns the current terrorist attacks against Israel. These acts of violence are completely unacceptable. We stand with Israel and fully support its right to defend itself. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this. Civilian life must be protected.

Mexico: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The @SRE_mx condemns the attacks suffered by the people of Israel with the regrettable loss of human lives. Mexico sends its condolences to the families of the victims. In the same way, it calls for an end to this inappropriate violence, in order to avoid an escalation that causes greater damage and suffering to the civilian population. Mexico considers it essential to resume the process of direct and good faith negotiations between both parties, leading to a fair, full and definitive peace agreement. The above, within the framework of the two-state solution, recognizing the right of Israel and Palestine to coexist in peace, within mutually agreed upon and internationally recognized secure borders, in accordance with the resolutions adopted by the United Nations.

Panama: President Laurentino Cortizo

Panama firmly condemns the recent attacks against the people of Israel. We deeply regret the victims and injuries, and we reject all forms of violence. We express our solidarity with the Isrselí people in these difficult times.

Jamaica: Prime Minister Andrew Holness

(1/3) The Government of Jamaica condemns in strongest terms the attack by the Hamas group on Israel, resulting in the deaths, injury and abduction of Israeli civilians. We convey our sympathies to the Government and people of Israel and to the families of all those affected.

(2/3) Jamaica firmly believes that the use of violence and terror has no place in international relations and should never be used against innocent civilians.

(3/3) We call for a cessation of hostilities, a return to peace within internationally agreed guidelines and the pursuit of diplomatic solutions.

Argentina: President Alberto Fernández

I express my strong condemnation and repudiation of the brutal terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas from the Gaza Strip against the State of Israel. May the people of Israel receive all the solidarity of this president and the Argentine people. Once again, we ratify Argentina’s commitment to peace and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. I have arranged for the immediate sending of humanitarian aid to Israel to accompany them in this difficult time.

Brazil: President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

I was shocked by the terrorist attacks carried out today against civilians in Israel, which caused numerous victims. In expressing my condolences to the families of the victims, I reaffirm my rejection of terrorism in any of its forms. Brazil will spare no efforts to prevent the escalation of the conflict, including when exercising the Presidency of the UN Security Council. I call on the international community to work to immediately resume negotiations that lead to a solution to the conflict that guarantees the existence of an economically viable Palestinian State, coexisting peacefully with Israel within safe borders for both sides.

Uruguay: President Luis Lacalle Pou

“Our solidarity with Israel. We strongly condemn the attack by Hamas and call for an immediate end to violence against the Israeli people. Once again we condemn terrorist actions wherever they are carried out.”

Chile: Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren

“We follow with great concern the terrorist attack against Israel and we stand in solidarity with the victims and their families. We condemn the use of violence and demand its immediate cessation. We remain committed to the peace process between Israel and Palestine. The use of force against civilians is never acceptable in armed conflicts, even in the exercise of legitimate defense. We call on all parties involved in acts of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories to respect that basic principle. That goes for Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the State of Israel and any other actor intervening in the conflict.”

Venezuela: Minister of Foreign Affairs Yván Gil Pinto

“Venezuela expresses its deep concern about the evolution of recent events in the Gaza Strip, while considering that the escalation is the result of the inability of the Palestinian people to find a space in multilateral international legality to assert their rights. historical rights.”

Colombia: President Gustavo Petro

Terrorism is killing innocent children, whether in Colombia or Palestine. The world has asked for it and so has my government. I ask Israel and Palestine to come to a table to negotiate peace and allow the existence of two states and two free and sovereign nations; Israel and Palestine

France: President Emmauel Macron

I strongly condemn the current terrorist attacks against Israel. I express my full solidarity with the victims, their families and loved ones. I have spoken to President Herzog and Prime Minister Netanyahu. I condemn the attacks carried out from Gaza on Israel, its soldiers and its people. France stands in solidarity with Israel and the Israelis, committed to their security and their right to defend themselves.

United Kingdom: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

I am shocked by this morning’s attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli citizens. Israel has an absolute right to defend itself. We’re in contact with Israeli authorities, and British nationals in Israel should follow travel advice. As the barbarity of today’s atrocities becomes clearer, we stand unequivocally with Israel. This attack by Hamas is cowardly and depraved. We have expressed our full solidarity to @netanyahu and will work with international partners in the next 24 hours to co-ordinate support.

Germany: Federal Chancellor Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz

In solidarity with #Israel.

Russia: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova: 

Russia is gravely concerned over a sharp escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.  We call on the Palestinian & Israeli sides to implement an immediate ceasefire, & begin, a negotiation process.

Hungary: President Katalin Novák

“I strongly condemn the attacks against #Israel that claim human lives. #Hungary affirms its unwavering support for Israel. My thoughts and prayers with @Isaac_Herzog and the Jewish people in these difficult times.”

Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Horrible news from Israel. My condolences go out to everyone who lost relatives or close ones in the terrorist attack. We have faith that order will be restored and terrorists will be defeated.

Terror should have no place in the world, because it is always a crime, not just against a specific country or this terror’s victims, but against humanity in general and our entire world.

Anyone who resorts to terror commits a crime against the world. Whoever finances terror is committing a crime against the world. The world must stand united and in solidarity so that terror does not attempt to break or subjugate life anywhere and at any moment.

Israel’s right to self-defense is unquestionable.

All details surrounding this terrorist assault must be revealed so that the world knows and holds accountable everyone who supported and helped carry out the attack.

All Ukrainian citizens who remain in the risk zone must carefully obey all orders issued by local security services and remain vigilant. Please be cautious. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our embassy in Israel are ready to assist in any situation.

To support Ukrainians in Israel, we established an operational headquarters. If you require assistance, please contact any of our diplomatic or consular offices in any convenient and accessible manner.

Every life is valuable! We condemn all forms of terrorism.

Today, the entire world saw horrifying videos from Israel. Terrorists humiliate women and men, detain even the elderly, and show no mercy.

Ukraine, Part 2:

In the face of such a terrorist strike, everyone who values life must stand in solidarity.

We in Ukraine have a special feeling about what has happened. Thousands of rockets in the Israeli sky… People killed just on the streets… Civilian cars shot through… Detainees being humiliated…

Our position is crystal clear: anyone who causes terror and death anywhere on the planet must be held accountable.

Today’s terrorist attack on Israel was well-planned, and the entire world knows which sponsors of terrorism could have endorsed and enabled its organization.

Israel has the full right to defend itself against terror. As any other state. And it’s critical that the whole world responds to terror in a unified and principled manner.

Netherlands: Prime Minister Mark Rutte

Just spoke with Prime Minister @netanyahu about the unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel. I told him that the Netherlands unequivocally condemns this terrorist violence and fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself.

Belgium: Prime Minister Alexander De Croo

We stand with Israel in these dark hours. The terror attacks that strike your cities can only be condemned in the strongest terms. Our thoughts are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones. We call for restraint and an immediate end to this violence.

Italy: Palazzo Chigi – Official Residence of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

This evening the facade of Palazzo Chigi is lit up with the Israeli flag as a sign of solidarity for the attack

Switzerland: President Alain Berset

Switzerland condemns the rocket strikes and attacks from #Gaza against #Israel. We call for an immediate end to the violence and respect for the protection of civilians. I express my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.

Sweden: Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson

The Swedish government condemns in the strongest possible terms the attacks on Israel by terrorist group Hamas. Deplore loss of life and stand by Israel’s right to defend itself. Regional escalation must be avoided.

Turkey: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

We are deeply concerned about the violence and tension in Israel and Palestine today (October 7).

We attach great importance to the restoration of tranquility in the region as soon as possible, and we strongly condemn the loss of civilian lives. We emphasize that acts of violence and related escalations will not benefit anyone, and we call on the parties to act with restraint and avoid impulsive steps.

As Turkey, we are always ready to contribute as much as we can to ensure that these developments can be taken under control before they escalate further and spread to a wider area. In this regard, we continue our intensive contacts with relevant parties.

These sad developments once again show the importance of the two-state solution vision. We invite the parties to give up the use of force and work for a permanent solution in line with this vision, without further delay.

Spain: President Pedro Sánchez

We follow with dismay the terrorist attack against Israel and we stand in solidarity with the victims and their families. We strongly condemn terrorism and demand the immediate cessation of indiscriminate violence against the civilian population. Spain maintains its commitment to regional stability.

Austria: President Alexander Van der Bellen

I am horrified to hear the news today about the brutal attack on Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip. A large part of Israel is now being attacked by Hamas with thousands of rockets. The shelling kills, destroys and forces the population to enter the shelters. In the south of the country, civilians are murdered, taken hostage, kidnapped, the bodies of the fallen soldiers and soldiers are exhumed and videos of these crimes are triumphantly distributed on social networks. The situation resembles pogrom conditions. I condemn this scenario in the strongest possible terms! Nothing justifies these actions. My condolences go out to all the peace-loving people on both sides of the border who live under threat, who lost loved ones or were injured. I hope all hostilities will stop soon. This decades-old conflict can only be resolved at the negotiating table.

(President ​​Alexander Van der Bellen posted in Hebrew)

Romania: President Klaus Iohannis

Romania strongly condemns this morning’s rocket attacks against Israel. We stand in full solidarity with Israel in these terrible moments. Our thoughts are with the families of victims and with those who are under fire.

Poland: President Andrzej Duda

I’m shocked by today’s brutal attacks on Israel by Hamas. Rockets attacks and detention of civilians as hostages arouse our deepest opposition. Poland strongly condemns all acts of violence. I would like to express my deepest sympathy and condolences to all those affected by the attacks. I’ve had a phone call with President @Isaac_Herzogto whom I conveyed our solidarity with Israel. I condemned Hamas’ attack, especially the acts of violence against civilians. I assured of the Polish support for the actions aimed at restoring security. Israel has a right to protect the life of its citizens.

Ireland: Minister of Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin

Speaking to the media earlier I strongly condemned the attacks by Hamas on Israel. I’m very concerned now about civilians both in Israel and in Gaza and it’s very important that every effort is made to de-escalate the violence and protect lives of innocent civilians. 

India: President Narendra Modi

Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour.

Japan: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

  1. Japan strongly condemns the launch of a number of rockets as well as infiltration into the Israeli territories from the Gaza Strip by Hamas and other Palestinian militants on October 7 local time.
  2. Japan offers its condolences to the bereaved families and expresses its heartfelt sympathies to the injured.
  3. Japan urges all the parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint in order to avoid further damage and casualties.

Singapore: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Singapore strongly condemns the rocket and terror attacks from Gaza on Israel, which have resulted in deaths and injuries of many innocent civilians. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims. We call for an immediate end to the violence and urge all sides to do their utmost to protect the safety and security of civilians.

Pakistan: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar

Heartbroken by the escalating violence in the Middle East, which underscores the urgent need to address the Palestine Question. We urge restraint and protection of civilians. Enduring peace in the Middle East lies in a two state solution with a viable, contiguous, sovereign State of Palestine, founded on pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds Al-Sharif at its heart. #MiddleEastPeace

South Africa: Department of International Relations & Cooperation

“South Africa expresses its grave concern over the recent devastating escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The new conflagration has arisen from the continued illegal occupation of Palestine land, continued settlement expansion, desecration of the Al Aqsa Mosque and Christian holy sites, and ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people. The region is in desperate need of a credible peace process that delivers on the calls of a plethora of previous UN resolutions for a two-state solution and a just and comprehensive peace between Israel and Palestine…”

Morocco: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates

The Kingdom of Morocco expresses its deep concern at the deterioration of the situation and the outbreak of military action in the Gaza Strip, and condemns attacks against civilians wherever they may be.

The Kingdom, which has repeatedly warned of the repercussions of the political deadlock on peace in the region, and of the risks of aggravated tensions resulting from it […]

[…] calls for an immediate halt to all acts of violence and a return to calm, while avoiding all forms of escalation that could undermine the chances of peace in the region.

The Kingdom of Morocco, whose Sovereign, HM King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, chairs the Al Quds Committee, stresses that dialogue and negotiations remain the only way to achieve a comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian question […]

[…] based on the resolutions of international legality and the two-state principle, as agreed internationally.

Egypt: Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt

Shoukry discusses with the US Secretary of State ways to contain the current crisis between the Palestinians and Israelis and stop the escalation… Shoukry stresses that a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue is the only solution to stop the vicious cycle of violence.

Egypt Part 2:

Egyptian/Saudi and Egyptian/Jordanian consultations to intensify efforts to contain the escalation in the Gaza Strip… Shukri stresses in his communications the necessity of uniting international and regional efforts, and unifying the messages of the international community to demand an end to the violence and the opportunity for calm between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Kenya: Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs

It is with grave concern and profound dismay that Kenya’s @ForeignOfficeKE condemns, in the strongest terms possible, the unprovoked attack by Hamas militants on the people of Israel early today.

Saudi Arabia: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is closely following the developments of the unprecedented situation between a number of Palestinian factions and the Israeli occupation forces, which has resulted in a high level of violence on several fronts there.

Bahrain: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Kingdom of Bahrain is closely following the developments taking place between Palestinian groups and Israeli forces, leading to an increase in violence and armed attacks that claimed the lives of a number of people and injured others. It stresses the need for de-escalation among all parties to preserve the lives of people.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that the continuation of violence will impede the efforts aiming at achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, calling upon the international community to take its role in ending the armed conflict and protecting civilians in line with the international humanitarian law, in addition to supporting the peace process and establishing the Palestinian state according to the two-state solution and other international legitimacy resolutions.

United Arab Emirates: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The United Arab Emirates has expressed great concern regarding the escalation of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, and stressed the importance of halting escalation and preserving the lives of civilians. The UAE has expressed its sincere condolences to all the victims of the recent crisis.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) stressed that the UAE has called for exercising the utmost restraint and an immediate ceasefire in order to avoid serious repercussions.

The Ministry expressed that the UAE, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, urges the international community to immediately reactivate the international Quartet to revive the path process of Arab-Israeli peace, and increase all efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace, and prevent the region from experiencing further violence, tension, and instability.

Australia: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Australia stands with our friend Israel in this time. We condemn the indiscriminate and abhorrent attacks by Hamas on Israel, its cities and civilians. We recognise Israel’s right to defend itself.

New Zealand: Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta

Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply concerned at the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Gaza. We call for the immediate cessation of violence. The protection of all civilians, and upholding of international humanitarian law is essential.

New Zealand Part 2:

New Zealand utterly condemns the terrorist attacks led by Hamas on Israel, and continues to urge restraint from all parties in the region in order to prevent the further loss of civilian lives.

World Leaders Respond to October 7th Terrorist Attacks in Israel Read More »

Barbarians Through the Gate

Commentary, Opinion /

Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, and ever since then, has never known a moment’s peace. The Gazans could have turned their seaside strip into an Arab Singapore. Instead, they opted for a resurrected Philistine, a blood-soaked enclave governed by corrupt savages that has no national purpose other than to launch attacks against Israel.

Biblical Israel once needed Samson and King David to smite the antecedents of Hamas. Today, Israel is a thriving modern nation, an industrial wonder, a military marvel, and a moral ideal. Gaza, it seems, hasn’t made many strides these past 2,200 years.

Indeed, the Gazans are demonstrably incapable of statehood. And short on humanity, too. They elected Hamas, after all. In casting their ballots, they knew what they were getting into. Four wars against Israel’s far more lethal firepower—all initiated by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Ceaseless skirmishes. Thousands of their own dead.

The murderous events of this past weekend surely now constitutes the fifth military conflict. If Israel does what it must, and what no other nation would hesitate in doing, perhaps this war will be the last.

After all, Israel, for its entire history, has had very few reprieves from Islamist madness. The rest of the world has come to know the implacable death wish that is the Taliban, al-Qaeda, ISIS, Houthis, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas—which includes beheadings, stoning, and dismemberments, all medieval practices that mainstream media ignores, treating the Muslim Brotherhood like a college fraternity.

Israel tried removing itself from the Gazans. What they received in return were tens of thousands of misfired rockets, most which landed harmlessly in the orchards of southern Israel or intercepted by Iron Dome.

By necessity, Israel’s military, along with its Egyptian counterparts to Gaza’s south, erected a security fence, and imposed air and sea blockades to halt the flow of materials used to make rockets and terror tunnels.

Whatever feelings of invincibility Israel once had with war victories and border protections has now been shattered. For the first time, the fence was breached. Thousands of rockets, with greater payload, were fired at the same time, overwhelming Iron Dome. Hamas got better; Israel’s vaunted security apparatus slipped.

The conclusion of the Days of Awe resulted in shock and awe. Nothing like this has ever occurred in the 75 years of Israel’s existence. Comparisons are being made with 9/11. They are inapt, although it bears remembering that in the immediate aftermath of the Twin Towers collapsing, CNN captured Palestinians throwing candy in celebration. Very soon thereafter, that film was embargoed and never shown again.

One can’t overstate the doomsday scenario of a few days ago. Palestinians invaded Israeli border towns, wilding throughout the landscape, shooting down fleeing civilians who had attended a dance festival. Women and children were murdered in their homes; the women violated and mutilated, their bodies stripped naked, later to be dragged along the streets of Gaza as terrorists returned to showcase the trophies of their rampage.

At last count, 600 hundred Israelis were murdered with 1,600 severely wounded. Scores of hostages have been taken and stored away inside the tunnels of Gaza—IDF soldiers and civilians, some of whom, reportedly, are children.

It finally happened. The barbarians crashed through the gate. Hamas’ charter never hid its true intentions: murder Jews. Statehood was an American and European delusion. If Hamas was in Cleveland, the Jews of Shaker Heights would have long been dead.

As a result of this epic killing spree, the “Occupation” paradigm, always a false description of historical events, has been inverted: Gaza, for a short time, now occupied Israel.

It proves that Iron Dome is defenseless against inhuman foes. There is no fail-safe for savages on the ground.

Israel is at war, again. But what will this one look like? Statements from the Biden administration, and other countries, expressed solidarity with Israel, condemning Hamas, and reaffirming Israel’s right to defend itself. But in the past, such moral and logical imperatives of national defense came with conditions.

Israel can defend itself, of course, but it can’t kill any Arabs—and surely no women and children, even if terrorists are hiding among the civilian population, using their homes as command centers, and warehousing their weapons. This is the moral dilemma of asymmetrical warfare. The Revolutionary War was fought on battlefields at a distance from Colonial farmers. George Washington wasn’t holed up in a South Carolina barn, with a child on his lap.

The IDF can warn Gazans through leaflets, roof-knocks and cell phone messages of an impending airstrike, but they won’t leave. They see themselves as an auxiliary army, preemptive casualties of a Holy War, and foolproof propaganda.

They know the West is squeamish about blood. And, they fundamentally misunderstand the martyrdom of Muslims. The West bizarrely believes that the people in Brentwood and Brooklyn have the same values as those in Gaza and Ramallah. Israel is forced to fight adversaries who have little affinity for their own lives—even the lives of their own children. Where else on the planet are human shields a parental duty?

Hamas knows that the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, and the BBC are willing accomplices in a strategic public relations gambit. Dead children with weeping mothers make for a compelling newsfeed. Note, however, that video images of terrorists dragging dead and mutilated Jewish bodies through the streets of Gaza are being blurred out by these very same media outlets.

When Jews kill Arabs, even in national defense, it’s a war crime that must be exposed to the world; when Arabs kill Jews, the footage is unfit for human eyes. But what is to be done when a sworn enemy is guided by an endgame that celebrates death? All that’s left is moral anguish and an impossible task.

During the Obama administration, especially during the 2014 Israel-Gaza campaign, the president recognized that Hamas was the aggressor, but he was adamant that Israel must show “restraint.” Was the same duty imposed on America after 9/11?

After each of the wars that Israel was forced to wage against Hamas, the disproportionate body count between Jews and Arabs became an international incident. The United Nations established commissions to investigate, followed by General Assembly condemnations. Even Senator Bernie Sanders judged Israel harshly, while grossly misstating the facts.

Get ready for the Squad to propose a congressional resolution condemning Israel and calling for an immediate ceasefire. We are already hearing the word from progressives, “de-escalate.”

Get ready for the Squad to propose a congressional resolution condemning Israel and calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Everyone has an opinion on what Israel may not do in response to Islamic terror. Asking what they can and should do results in an immediate change in subject. Even Amos Oz, celebrated Israeli novelist and founder of Peace Now, surprised a German TV crew when he pointed out the impossible moral quandary Israel faces. An Israeli peacemaker knows that such monstrous adversaries must be killed.

It’s time for Israel to plug its ears and do what must finally be done. And pampered, clueless American Jews and their feckless leaders must stop lecturing Israelis who send their children to serve in the IDF how to defend their nation.

In the 2014 War, President Obama pleaded with Prime Minister Netanyahu for a temporary ceasefire. Hours later a terrorist emerged from a tunnel and killed an Israeli soldier. Life is cheap in the Middle East; words and promises are even cheaper. Lip service is an invitation to a bloody lip.

Israelis used to say that they won’t allow the Arabs to “out-crazy us.” A few days ago, Hamas did just that.

In response, President Biden warned other nations who are hostile to Israel, “The world is watching.” When it comes to the killing of Jews, Mr. President, the world has always been watching. That’s precisely the problem.

Thane Rosenbaum is a novelist, essayist, law professor and Distinguished University Professor at Touro University, where he directs the Forum on Life, Culture & Society. He is the legal analyst for CBS News Radio. His most recent book is titled “Saving Free Speech … From Itself.” 

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Punishing Hamas by Crushing Its Soul

Editor's Note, Featured /

There’s something surreal and nearly biblical about the terrorist invasion of Israel on the Shabbat of Simchat Torah on October 7, a date that will live in Jewish infamy.

We’ve seen sights of devastation in Israel before, but this is different. This wasn’t an attack; it was a gang rape. Hundreds of rampaging Hamas terrorists managed to infiltrate Israel’s vaunted border defense. They marched through Israeli towns and massacred civilians and mutilated bodies. They took hostages. Israeli families screamed for help. For a few interminable hours, the invincible Israeli army became invisible. Shockingly, they were caught off guard.

For a nation that prides itself on putting security first, second and third, October 7 will go down as a stunning humiliation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the man in charge, is trying to look tough by saying all the right things. But as someone who’s always billed himself as Mr. Security, he knows he’s ultimately responsible for an epic security breakdown that will bring its own reckoning. With more than 800 Israelis murdered and over 2500 wounded and 130 held hostage in Gaza, when Netanyahu declares, “We will win,” he must know how empty that sounds. A terrorist group has shown it can terrorize Israel not just with long-range rockets but with short-range savagery right on Israeli streets and in Israeli homes. What is there to win?

If turning Gaza into rubble turns a Saudi deal into rubble, that is not a victory for Israel. It’s a victory for Hamas and Iran.

Netanyahu’s dramatic declaration that “We are at war” feels similarly empty. With so many Israeli hostages in the hands of the enemy, presumably scattered in multiple locations, what kind of war can Israel fight? Yes, Israel can bomb Hamas back to the stone age and end all aid to Gaza and punish Hamas with unprecedented force.

But smashing Hamas won’t be enough. Israel has already lost too much. The only way to regain the initiative is to crush Hamas’s soul.

How do you crush the soul of a bloodthirsty enemy? You ram down his throat what he hates the most, what he absolutely can’t stomach. What Hamas can’t stomach, above all, is a world that admires Israel. In the cesspool of its terror doctrine, the Jewish state is an evil that is meant to be destroyed, not admired.

That’s why Jew-hating entities like Hamas and its terror sponsor Iran despise the Abraham Accords– they transform Israel from a demon into an angel, from evil Zionists into useful allies, from oppressors into partners. In recent months, talks were heating up to add Saudi Arabia, home of Islam’s holiest sites, to the Abraham alliance. That is so monumental it would make Israel’s transformation from demon to useful partner irreversible. For Jew haters everywhere, that is a nightmare indeed.

No wonder Iran and Hamas had to act. With a deal with Saudi Arabia brewing, what better way to sabotage peace with Israel than to start a war with Israel?

In the throes of understandable rage, Israel must now be cold-blooded and strategic. It’s tempting to want to turn Gaza into rubble to satisfy a hunger for revenge. I share that sentiment. But that would be playing checkers, not chess. If turning Gaza into rubble turns a Saudi deal into rubble, that is not a victory for Israel. It’s a victory for Hamas and Iran.

It’s true that Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations have made the obligatory statements in favor of Palestinians. But interests are interests. Let’s not forget that the Saudis have an enormous interest in a partnership with Israel and the United States as a bulwark against its number one foe, Iran. It has woken up to the multiple benefits of having Israel as an ally. President Joe Biden also has a significant interest in a deal with the Saudis, both to counteract China and as a feather in his cap in an election year. And Netanyahu? With his legacy in shambles, he’s probably the most motivated of the three partners.

The point is, the Abraham Accords are about building a future; Iran and Hamas are about destroying it. We shouldn’t let the destroyers win.

My revulsion at what happened on October 7 knows no bounds. I hope and pray that Israel finds a way to liberate the hostages and eradicate the evil leadership that drives Hamas. But war or no war, Gaza is a hornet’s nest, a magnet for disasters. Its future will remain uncertain for a long time.

An Abraham Accords that includes Saudi Arabia and the U.S. is a bona fide game changer for Israel and the region. As Israel gives Hamas the punishment it deserves, it should keep that long game in mind: Ultimately, the deepest way to punish Hamas and crush the soul of Jew haters is to elevate the status of the Jewish state throughout the Arab world.

None of this mitigates the nightmare of October 7. This will be a day that will leave an indelible mark in collective Jewish memory. On a day when we were supposed to dance and rejoice, our enemies reminded us that no matter how good things get, Jews can never feel totally safe. It’s a lesson we keep learning over and over again, whether on Yom Kippur or Simchat Torah.

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Hamas Demands Total Prisoner Release, Leaving Israel in a Catch-22

Israel, News /

Tomer Shpirer was riding his bicycle along Israel’s border with Gaza on a quiet Saturday morning. His mother, at home in a nearby kibbutz, called him urging him to come home as she realized something was going on. Rockets from Gaza were being fired.

“He answered the phone; he said he would come home immediately,” said his uncle, Simon Cifuentes. “And then the phone must have dropped and his mom heard curses and Arabic; it sounded like he was trying to run away.”

No one has spoken to us, we are helpless, we know nothing. Since yesterday we haven’t slept, we are like zombies.

Tomer’s whereabouts are unknown. His relatives have given DNA samples as they race between hospitals hoping he may be among the injured.

“No one has spoken to us, we are helpless, we know nothing. Since yesterday we haven’t slept, we are like zombies,” Cifuentes told The Media Line.

The Shpirer family is not alone.

Dozens of Israelis are believed to be being held captive by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip as part of a surprise offensive the organization launched on Israel over the weekend.

“There is still not a full understanding of the situation; we don’t know who has been kidnapped and who is dead, or missing,” said Dr. Eyal Pinko, from Bar-Ilan University’s Political Studies Department and an expert on military strategy and intelligence. “This is very natural in such a chaotic situation.”

Under a massive barrage of hundreds of rockets on early Saturday, Hamas fighters infiltrated communities adjacent to the Gaza border, taking advantage of the surprise to rampage through those Israeli communities.

Hauling captives back into the coastal enclave, including women, children, and elderly people proved that Hamas had success in capturing many hostages. This makes the current conflict between Israel and Hamas unlike any other previous confrontation.

Footage on social media showed Israeli civilians and soldiers, blindfolded, some partially clothed, being paraded through the streets of Gaza. Video of an elderly woman in a wheelchair with a terrorist standing next to her, symbolizing victory with his upraised hand, stunned Israelis.

Israel now faces a major dilemma. Israeli officials have not released the number of people abducted, but it is clear the number is unprecedented and such a scenario was never taken into consideration by the defense echelon.

Hamas is demanding the release of all Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a demand that is not new but now poses a major predicament for the current Israeli leadership, which is facing mounting public pressure to bring its citizens home.

“Israel has no choice but to release all the prisoners,” Pinko told The Media Line. “This is a strategic problem of a totally different magnitude and publicly there is no other alternative the government has, not even a partial prisoner swap which would see only civilians released.”

According to B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights watchdog, there are almost 4,500 Palestinian prisoners currently being held in Israeli jails. Throughout its history, Israel has carried out many prisoner swaps at high prices.

For the Palestinians, the release of prisoners is one of the highest goals of their ongoing struggle against Israel. For Israel, the release of captives is a sensitive subject.

Speaking hours after the violence began, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas of dire consequences.

“I say to Hamas: You are responsible for their well-being. Israel will settle accounts with anyone who harms even a single hair on their heads.”

But Netanyahu’s threats may be empty ones. His government now has to decide whether to strike at Hamas, with the risk of it executing all the hostages in response, or negotiate with the terrorist organization in an attempt to release those hostages.

“There will be no negotiations any time soon,” said Gershon Baskin, who operated a secret and direct negotiating channel with Hamas for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. “The hostages are probably already at unknown locations underground, being divided up. Hamas’ opening demand of releasing all the prisoners is not in any way an opening point for negotiations and Israel has no interest in giving Hamas any concessions at this point in time.”

“The best scenario is that Hamas is gracious enough, which they are not known to be, to release women children and elderly voluntarily,” Baskin told The Media Line. His assumption is that international pressure on Hamas is now heavy to make such a move—but with Hamas highly unlikely to cave.

On Sunday, several angry relatives gathered in front of the military headquarters in Tel Aviv demanding action and seeking information of their loved ones. Many relatives gave interviews on various news outlets, begging for military action to bring back the captured citizens. Testimonies of relatives who have seen several of their relatives on social media being held by Hamas keep emerging as the hours go by.

“How come they [the government] aren’t turning the world upside down to bring back our people?” one relative screamed on television, as he scoured a local hospital, in the hopes his niece was not taken captive in Gaza.

“Israel is in a horrible Catch-22,” said Ronni Shaked, coordinator of the Middle East Unit at the Harry S. Truman Research Institute at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. “The government needs to decide whether to launch a massive retaliatory operation against Hamas, not taking into consideration the hostages, or not launch a large operation in order to secure a prisoner deal.”

“The only viable solution right now is an Israeli military operation aimed at releasing the hostages using a fine-tooth comb, probably ending up with a significant number of hostages being killed,” said Baskin.

For years since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel has struggled with its deterrence when facing the terrorist entity. Officially, it does not have any contact with the organization that denies Israel’s right to existence, but, in backchannels, Israel and Hamas coexist, often through Egyptian mediation. Israel has allowed for significant funding to enter the Gaza Strip, many of it used to strengthen Hamas military capabilities that have then turned against the Jewish state.

Often criticized for his policy which allowed an emboldened Hamas, Netanyahu is now forced to balance between rehabilitating Israel’s deterrence and withstanding public pressure to bring its citizens home.

“This is a lose-lose situation, an impossible equation,” said Pinko.

The current crisis comes over a decade after a major prisoner swap in 2011, in which Israel released over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for one captive Israeli soldier; the debate surrounding that deal still has Israelis divided on whether the price paid for the release of Gilad Schalit was too high.

Hamas has been jubilant as it has realized the extent of its success.

“Hamas will not be willing to compromise,” Shaked told The Media Line. “Therefore, Israel now has to see the results of the military operation against Hamas and that will determine its position on any possible negotiation.”

When Shalit was returned to Israel, some 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were set free, amid sharp criticism in Israel and a turn in public opinion that had previously pushed for the deal. Among the freed prisoners were killers sentenced to life in prison and masterminds of attacks against Israelis. Yahya Sinwar, the current leader of Hamas in Gaza, was one of the prisoners released in the exchange, after his four life sentences were cut short by the deal. Family members of terror victims were highly critical of the deal but their attempts to stop it by petitioning the Supreme Court failed.

As much as Israelis were excited to see Shalit back home, Netanyahu, who was also at the helm then, took the heat for an agreement many deemed unfair and dangerous.

Hamas is also believed to be holding the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed in a military operation in 2014. In addition, two civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, are believed to be held in the Gaza Strip after straying there. Both Mengistu and al-Sayed suffer mental health conditions and are not involved in the current hostilities between Israel and Hamas. Indirect negotiations have reportedly been going on for years through Egyptian mediation. There have been reports that a deal was close to being sealed, perhaps because Netanyahu was not willing to pay the high price Hamas demanded for two bodies and two civilians.

As of this weekend, this price has skyrocketed, putting Israel in an unprecedented conundrum that will not be easily solved in the immediate future.

To read more articles from The Media Line, click here.

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Fifteen Hours in Tel Aviv

Columnists /

Morning

My roommate and I are watching our friend’s dog, Finn. He often barks when construction, stereos and police sirens intrude from the outside, but in the young/gay/working class/refugee Tel Aviv neighborhood of Florentin, we’re used to noise. I didn’t pay much attention when he warned us in our sleep this morning, as there has yet to be a dull moment in the Jewish state’s bohemian borough anyway.

And then something exploded—seemingly directly over our apartment, quite literally shaking the walls, and my roommate ran into my room to tell me we were under attack. And then reality simply changed. We spent the first hours of Simchas Torah crouched on the stairs of our apartment building with neighbors in their pajamas, smoking cigarettes with shaking hands, calling their panicked mothers.

Photos and videos of mangled corpses piled on the sidewalk, countrymen bound and gagged, screaming children, confused elderly, and open barbed wire, flood our phones. Save those called to reserve duty, ripped from their quiet and brought in charter buses to the gates of hell, none of us would look up for the rest of the day.

Afternoon

Quiet. I’m packed into the living room with five close friends. The magnitude of what has happened draws our American families and friends from their sleep into immediate worry. The death toll climbs, we break into tears often, we wait for our government to say something, anything, of value, to no avail. It seems their lack of competency extends to both war and peace time.

The themes of Guy Nattiv’s latest project—“Golda” with Helen Mirren—make themselves evident repeatedly as news continues to break. The symbolism, the Shakespearean dramatism, is too obvious to ignore.

We receive word that one convenience shop on a corner is still open. We race to hoard pita and bottles of water (and a few of wine.) There is immense despair. You can feel it at the checkout aisle.

Evening

The religious awake form their ritual day of rest and begin contributing to the chorus of shock. Comparisons to 9/11 begin, along with characterizations that this is Israel’s “darkest day”—which, for the Jewish state, is saying quite a lot.

After a period of relative ease, the sirens start again. Instead of the staircase, this time we and the residents of our building huddle into the mamad—or bomb shelter. Neighbors hold their whimpering dogs around the neck as the explosions rattle every structure and every person in it to their core. There are two English-speaking tourists sitting in the corner. They look relieved to have found where they are supposed to go, but incredulous that it all happened to them. There is a strange sense of community in the bomb shelter; a friend I’m sitting next to aptly calls it “trauma bonding.” And then we get the news.  A rocket has hit Florentin, straight into another friend’s home.

My oasis. My “East Village of Tel Aviv.” The hipster coffee shops and rainbow flags outside bookshops that I have called my home for the last year have been desecrated. A world that I can only describe as full of life has been taunted with the threat of death. I realize instinctively that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who has been a rare voice of reason among the irresponsible radicals who comprise the current coalition in parliament, did say one undeniable truism in his address to the nation: “What was is not what will be.” The question now is whether what was will be forgotten.

“My home, and my only safe place in this terrifying world, gone within the blink of an eye” writes my friend on social media, under a video of rubble, ash, and smoke pooling from his Tel Aviv apartment complex.

It is here when Jewish history makes itself known. A few short weeks ago was my “Aliyah anniversary,” marking one year since I moved across the world from what proved to be my undeniably secure New York dwelling to the Middle East. I had written online to mark the occasion that “Jewish history isn’t only something you can study; it is happening now, all around you, in you, and the people you meet. We are not separated from our grandparents’ stories, we are merely the next chapter.”

“We are not separated from our grandparents’ stories, we are merely the next chapter.”

I don’t think I understood the weight of those words when I wrote them. The Jewish people are defined not only by their triumph but also by their tragedy, and when tragedy does hit, it knocks the wind out of you. It leaves you immobile on a sofa, refreshing and refreshing, calling and texting, unsure of what the next minute let alone hour will bring. The year 1940, the paranoia of my grandparents, feels like a blip ago. The Nazis that I had grown up so intrinsically fearing had burst forth from my nightmares, and they were only a short drive away with traffic.

And because I already mentioned Shakespeare, I’ll add a quote from the bard that has been running through my head from the second the first image of a woman’s lifeless body on the back of a truck flickered across my phone’s screen:

“Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?”

May the soldiers defending our homeland now be blessed with courage and strength. May we see peace and prosperity in our time. And may those responsible pay an immeasurable price.

Blake Flayton is the New Media Director and Columnist for the Jewish Journal.

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