The "Middle East and Terrorism" Blog was created in order to supply information about the implication of Arab countries and Iran in terrorism all over the world. Most of the articles in the blog are the result of objective scientific research or articles written by senior journalists.
From the Ethics of the Fathers: "He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it."
Most respondents were in favor of temporary relocation, with some seeking permanent relocation and a small minority in favor of sending relatives abroad.
Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip. March 18, 2025. (photo credit: Ali Hassan/Flash90)
A majority of Gaza residents would leave if they had the opportunity, according to a Friday survey by Gallup International.
Conducted
from March 2-13, the poll found that 38% of respondents would opt for
temporary relocation, 14% would move permanently, and 4% would send
family members abroad.
The
survey, which included 532 participants from Gaza, also underscored the
ongoing deterioration in living conditions since the outbreak of war on
October 7, 2023. Most respondents described their current quality of life as either “very bad” or “fairly bad.”
Worsening conditions fuel desire to leave
The
data revealed that 37% of those surveyed are unable to return to their
homes, while 65% stated that their lives were better before the war.
Essential resources remain in short supply, with 75% reporting a lack of
electricity and fuel, 73% struggling with food shortages, 66% citing
inadequate housing, and more than 60% experiencing difficulties in
accessing healthcare and education.
Among
those looking to relocate, 30% expressed interest in Gulf Arab nations,
13% preferred Arab countries in Africa, and 6% were considering
non-Arab Muslim-majority states.
A bar chart showing the percentage of respondents who would prefer
temporary relocation, permanent relocation, or sending family members
abroad. (credit: Dall-E)
The most popular destinations included Egypt (12%), Qatar (10%), the United Arab Emirates
(10%), Kuwait (7%), and Turkey (6%). Western countries were also among
the choices, with Germany (13%), Canada (7%), and the United States (6%)
ranking as potential destinations.
A bar chart illustrating the most preferred countries for migration,
including Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Turkey, Germany, Canada, and
the US. (credit: Dall-E)
When asked about their
motivations for emigrating, 79% cited the desire to secure a better
future for their families, another 79% sought a safer living
environment, and 74% were in search of better employment prospects.
On
Friday, the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported
that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reportedly said his country
was ready to temporarily host half a million Gazans who would be
evacuated from the Gaza Strip. Egypt later denied the report.
In
early February, US President Donald Trump announced his Gaza relocation
plan, which proposed to relocate Gazans to neighboring Arab countries
such as Egypt and Jordan and for the United States to take over the Gaza
Strip.
In
early March, Egypt announced its $53 billion reconstruction plan for
Gaza. The proposal, adopted by the Arab summit, countered that of Trump
and rejected the proposal to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza
Strip.Further on Friday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF will
permanently seize parts of the Gaza Strip if Hamas doesn’t release the
hostages held in captivity.
“I have instructed the IDF to seize additional areas in Gaza,
evacuate the population, and expand security zones around Gaza to
protect Israeli communities and IDF soldiers,” Katz said. “The more
Hamas persists in its refusal to release the hostages, the more
territory it will lose, which will be annexed to Israel.”
He
concluded, “If the hostages are not released, Israel will continue to
take more and more territory in the Strip for permanent control.”
Israeli officials are holding discussions on whether to respond to the recent missiles launched from Yemen.
(Illustrative) An Israeli F-35 near the scene of the IAF strike on H Hodeidah, Yemen.(photo credit: FLASH90, VIA REUTERS)
The US has asked Israel not to strike Houthi targets in Yemen, a source told the Jerusalem Post.
"Leave it to us" was the US request.
Israeli
officials are holding discussions on whether to respond to the recent
missiles launched from Yemen, but the assumption is that, at this point,
Israel will accept the US request.
Two missiles were sent from Yemen
to Israel on Thursday, marking the first time in two months the Houthis
had targeted the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem areas. Both, however, were intercepted by Israel's air defense systems, and did not land in Israeli territory.
Earlier in the day, the US struck Houthi targets in Yemen's port city of Hodeidah.
Smoke rises from the site of Israeli air strikes at the port of
Hodeidah, in Hodeidah, Yemen July 21, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)
Sources
told Ynet that the US requested that Israel refrain from airstrikes
like those carried out in the past by the IAF on Houthi targets in
Yemen.
The
sources added that while the IAF strikes were carried out successfully
in the past, the US believes it has greater capacity to conduct
sustained attacks using aircraft stationed on its aircraft carriers.
An
official told Reuters that the air and naval strikes will last "days,
possible weeks" and are focusing on the Houthis’ radars, air defenses,
and missile and drone systems.
The US informed Israel in advance of the attacks on Yemen.
Earlier in the day, the US struck Houthi targets in Yemen's port city of Hodeidah.
Despite the US's actions, the Houthis said they will not "dial down" their action against Israeli shipping in the Red Sea in response to US military pressure or appeals from the group's allies such as Iran.
Jamal
Amer spoke to Reuters late on Monday after the US launched a wave of
strikes in areas of Yemen controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthis, who
said last week they were resuming attacks on Red Sea shipping to support
Palestinians in Gaza.
Two
senior Iranian officials told Reuters that Iran had delivered a verbal
message to the Houthi envoy in Tehran on Friday to cool tensions and
that Iran's foreign minister asked Oman, which has mediated with the
Houthis, to convey a similar message to the group when he visited Muscat
on Sunday. Both officials asked not to be named.
The IDF struck dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers and a command
center from which unidentified terrorists were operating in southern
Lebanon on Saturday morning.
The
strikes come in response to a rocket fire launched towards Metulla in
what the IDF called "a blatant violation of the understanding between
Israel and Lebanon, and a direct threat to the citizens of the State of
Israel," noting "The State of Lebanon bears responsibility for upholding
the agreement."
Earlier on Saturday, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Israel would respond to three rockets that were fired from Lebanon. "We
will not tolerate attacks on Galilee communities from Lebanon. Our
commitment to their security stands firm—that is exactly what will be,"
Katz said.
"Metulla and Beirut will be treated the same. The Lebanese government is fully responsible for any fire originating from its territory. I have instructed the IDF to respond accordingly."
Sirens were activated in Metulla in Israel's North as a result of the launches.
Hours
after the strikes, the IDF later said that "at this stage, it is not
possible to verify the identity of the organization that fired [the
rockets]," according to Ynet.
IDF soldiers operate in the northern Gaza Strip, March 20, 2025 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Lebanon warns of resuming war
Following
Katz's statements, IDF Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir held a
situational assessment. Afterward, the military noted that the IDF would
respond severely to the morning's attack and that the State of Lebanon
bears responsibility for upholding the agreement.
Lebanon's
Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, warned on Saturday of the potential
renewal of military operations in the south of the country.
"All
security and military measures must be taken to show that Lebanon
decides on matters of war and peace," Salam said in a statement after
Israel struck towns in southern Lebanon in response to a cross-border
rocket launch.
The
Lebanese Army updated that it had discovered the launchers used in the
attack and dismantled them. The army later told Al Jazeera, "There are
no clear signs of the entity responsible for launching the rockets," and
that they were investigating the origins of the strike.
على أثر إطلاق صواريخ من الأراضي اللبنانية نحو الأراضي الفلسطينية المحتلة، أجرى الجيش عمليات مسح وتفتيش وعثر بنتيجتها على ٣ منصات صواريخ بدائية الصنع في المنطقة الواقعة شمال نهر الليطاني بين بلدتَي كفرتبنيت وأرنون - النبطية، وعمل على تفكيكها. تستمر الوحدات العسكرية في اتخاذ… pic.twitter.com/iIfoZO9vRu
Lebanese media reported that two people were killed and eight were wounded in Touline.
Hezbollah-owned news outlet Al Manar reported that the IDF conducted airstrikes in Yahmar al-Shaqif, Arnoun, Kfar Tibnit, Markaba, Khiyam, and Houla.
The
outlet also claimed that the military fired on Houla, Markab, and Kfar
Kila with machine guns. Air raid sirens sounded at UNIFIL bases, and air
raid sirens sounded at United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon
(UNIFIL) bases in Deir Siryan and Adshit al-Qusayr.
Hezbollah
also did not take responsibility for the launches, with a source
telling Al Jazeera, "When we carry out an operation against the Israeli
occupation forces, we announce it officially."
"Hezbollah
denies any involvement in the rocket fire from southern Lebanon into
the occupied Palestinian territories, stressing that the Israeli enemy's
allegations are merely pretexts for its continued attacks on Lebanon,
which have not ceased since the ceasefire was announced. Hezbollah
reiterates its commitment to the ceasefire agreement and stands behind
the Lebanese state in addressing this dangerous Zionist escalation
against Lebanon," the terror group said.
UN
peacekeepers told Reuters that the escalation of the situation on the
border could have "serious consequences for the region."
"We
strongly urge all parties to avoid jeopardizing the progress made,
especially when civilian lives and the fragile stability observed in
recent months is at risk," the UNIFIL statement read.
The organization ended its statement by encouraging "both sides to uphold their commitments."
UNIFIL troops remain in position, the organization's statement read.
The IDF also added that there are no changes in the Home Front Command security guidelines.
On elections: one opponent of RCV said "It should be easy to vote and hard to cheat."
West Virginia and
Wyoming are the latest two states to ban ranked-choice voting (RCV),
bringing the total number of states prohibiting the election system to
13. The battle over whether to implement or ban RCV has been ongoing for
nearly a decade. However, more states have banned RCV or chosen not to
use it than have implemented it.
RCV is an election process whereby if no candidate receives
more than 50% of the vote, then a runoff system is triggered. When
voters cast their ballots, they rank each candidate in order of
first-to-last.
If no candidate reaches the 50% plus-one vote threshold,
then the candidate with the least amount of first-choice votes is
eliminated, then second-choice votes from those who voted for the
last-place finisher are reallocated among the remaining candidates and
tallied – in a process that continues until a candidate receives the
majority of the vote.
The pros and cons
RCV proponents argue that the system results in
representative outcomes and majority rule, incentivizes positive
campaigning, allows for more voter choice, and saves money when
replacing preliminaries or runoffs, according to pro-RCV organization FairVote.
At the same time, election integrity advocates have warned of the increased use of more dark money in RCV elections, and NAACP chapters
have raised issues about RCV potentially confusing voters. Alaska and
Maine are the only two states that use RCV in elections statewide, and
three counties and 46 cities use RCV, according to FairVote. Maine was the first state to implement RCV statewide in 2018.
The movement to ban RCV
began in Florida and Tennessee in 2022, followed by Idaho, Montana and
South Dakota in 2023, then Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and
Oklahoma last year.
Last year ballot measures to implement RCV were largely defeated. Washington, D.C., was the only jurisdiction that passed a ballot measure to implement RCV, after the city’s Democratic Party lost a lawsuit
to block the initiative from being placed on the ballot. Arizona,
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Oregon all rejected ballot measures
to enact the system in November.
The Cowboy State gets kudos
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) on Tuesday signed a bill into law banning RCV.
“Partisan and nonpartisan candidates who receive the
largest number of votes for each office to be filled at the general
election are elected,” the enacted bill reads. "Nothing
in this election code shall be deemed to authorize any election in
Wyoming to be conducted through ranked choice voting. Any existing or
future ordinance enacted or adopted by a county, municipality or any
other governmental entity that purports to authorize ranked choice
voting in violation of this subsection is void.”
Jason Snead, co-chairman of Stop RCV and executive director
of the Honest Elections Project, praised Wyoming for enacting the ban
on RCV. “It should be easy to vote and hard to cheat, but ranked-choice
voting makes it harder to vote and harder to trust the results,” Snead
said in a statement on Wednesday. “Voters can be thankful that state
officials like Secretary of State Chuck Gray in Wyoming are leading the
charge to stop RCV and protect ordinary, common-sense election
processes.”
"Wyoming is a state known for taking election integrity
seriously,” he added. "Banning ranked-choice voting and the private
election funding scheme known as ‘Zuck Bucks’ goes a long way in ensuring that Wyoming maintains its position as one of the best states in the country for honest elections.
"The Wyoming state legislature and Secretary Chuck Gray
have been instrumental in critical protections signed into law. Wyoming
has already earned the distinction of being the first state in 2025 to
stop foreign influence in state ballot measures. Banning ranked-choice
voting and ‘Zuck Bucks’ will further secure election integrity and
increase voter confidence in the electoral process in the state of
Wyoming."
RCV banned in West Virginia
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) also signed a bill
into law banning RCV on Tuesday. “No state, county, or local elections
office may use ranked choice voting or instant runoff voting to conduct
an election or nomination of any candidate in this state for any local
government, statewide, or federal elective office,” according to the enacted bill.
“Any existing or future ordinance enacted or adopted by a county, a
municipality, or any other local government entity which is in conflict
with this section is void.”
West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner (R) on
Thursday commended the state legislature for passing the bill. "Ranked
choice voting is a complicated process that reduces confidence in
election outcomes," Warner said in a statement. “It can theoretically result in an initially third-or-fourth favorite candidate being elected.”
“Fair, accurate, and secure elections are the foundation of
our government. In West Virginia, the highest vote-getter is the
winner. That method is tried and true, easy to understand, uniform, and
transparent to the electorate,” he added.
“I am grateful to the Legislature for taking this simple
but important legislation seriously and getting it across the finish
line early in the session,” Warner said.
Snead also noted West Virginia’s track record of election
integrity. “West Virginians have grown accustomed to secure elections
with timely results,” Snead said Wednesday. “By outlawing ranked-choice
voting statewide, the legislature and governor have ensured that voters
will continue to get just that."
Trent England, co-chairman of Stop RCV and executive
director of Save Our States, elaborated on the drawbacks to RCV. “RCV is
a failed election reform,” England said in a statement on Wednesday.
“It hasn’t lived up to any of the claims made by FairVote
and other far-left groups that push it. Instead, it’s disenfranchised
elderly and minority voters, delayed results, and elected fringe
candidates. Thankfully, states are rushing to ban RCV.”
"For years, Florida has been trying to return federal funds to the federal government due to the ideological strings attached by the Biden Administration—but they couldn't even figure out how to accept it," he wrote on X.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he returned almost $900 million in
federal funding to the federal government on Friday after meeting with
Elon Musk, the head of the new Department of Government Efficiency.
"For
years, Florida has been trying to return federal funds to the federal
government due to the ideological strings attached by the Biden
Administration—but they couldn't even figure out how to accept it," he wrote on X.
"Today, I met with Elon Musk and the DOGE team, and we got this done
in the same day. Other states should follow Florida in supporting DOGE's
efforts!" he added.
Ned Ryun’s American Leviathan warns that the unelected Administrative State threatens America’s constitutional republic, urging populist unity to dismantle its power.
A project of American Majority and Iron Light, which was directed by Jason Rink and edited by Keith Wahrer,American Leviathan commences with Mr. Ryun
as our narrator, and we are subsequently led through the labyrinthine
Leviathan with the able assistance of both intellectual and political
defenders of our freedom, who describe the origins and aims of the
Administrative State (as well as its subgroup of intelligence and police
power-wielding entities known colloquially as the “Deep State.”)
These devotees of “first principles” and “permanent things” include
elected officials, such as U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Jim
Banks (R-Ind.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.); and U.S. Representative Chip
Roy (R-Tex.). Further, the documentary also interviews intellectual
luminaries from academia, MAGA-aligned “think tanks,” and practical
policy shops: Mark Corallo, Steve Cortes, Rachel Bovard, Wade Miller,
Mike Davis, Bradley Watson, Elle Prunell, and Jeff Clark.
The impetus for Mr. Ryun’s documentary is succinctly put by Mr.
Bradley Watson: “‘Our Democracy’ has become synonymous with an embrace
of the Administrative State. Anything the Administrative State is doing,
anything the Deep State is doing is identified by the left with ‘Our
Democracy.’ And, in fact, it is the enemy of our constitutional
republic.”
He is correct.
The American Revolution affirmed that our rights come from God, not
the government; that the citizenry is sovereign; and that government’s
legitimacy stems from the consent of the governed and ability to protect
our unalienable rights.
Consequently, Mr. Ryun’s documentary reveals the Administrative State
and its concomitant progressive authoritarianism constitute nothing
less than a deliberate, counter-revolutionary attempt to end our
constitutional republic by restoring the primacy and control of
government over the people, regardless of our consent. Bluntly, the only
difference is that instead of a named king asserting a divine right to
rule, we are to be lorded over by a faceless bureaucracy that is no less
arbitrary, capricious, and illegitimate than George III.
Some may doubt the danger to our
constitutional republic, often by being unable or unwilling to recognize
the seismic leftward tilt of the modern Democrat Party. But Mike Davis,
founder of the Article 3 Project, succinctly disabuses anyone of that
passe perception:
We are not dealing with our parents’ or
grandparents’ Democrat Party. These are not Liberals who love America,
and who just disagree with Conservatives on the best way to get there.
These are leftists. These are Marxists. They do not believe in free
speech. They believe in censorship. They do not believe in equality.
They believe in equity. They do not believe in due process and equal
protection under the law. They believe in a politicized and weaponized
justice system to go after their political enemies… We need to wake up
and understand we are dealing with Marxism. We are dealing with an evil
force that hates America, and they’re trying to do whatever they can to
destroy us from within.
That such an anti-American agenda is not likely to receive the
consent of the governed explains why the left supports infusing and
empowering the unelected, increasingly unaccountable Administrative
State (and the equally unelected and insulated federal judiciary) to
impose it. As Rachel Bovard, while noting its intrinsic elitism, baldly
states:
It [government] doesn’t serve the people anymore…
…I’m talking about concentrated
government power—the people who have the ability to control how you live
think a very certain way. And they think they know more than the people
who founded this country. They think they know more than the people who
make up this country. And they think their job is to impose their view
on the rest of us… They cloak it in a way that [dissent] is blasphemy,
and this is treason, and this is all the things that are not allowed in
America; and you should be jailed for disagreeing with us.
Interestingly, one may be tempted to think that opposition to the
Administrative State Leviathan comes solely from the right, notably
President Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement that is
determined to “drain the swamp.” Yet, as Steve Cortes perceptively
notes, this is not necessarily the case, as there also currently exists a
populist movement on the left:
Because [the Administrative State’s]
consolidation of power—it’s not just about political power, although
that’s crucial—the consolidation of power is also about the
consolidation of economic power and that’s why we see such massive
disparities. And here’s one of the few places where I’ll actually agree
with some of the folks on the populist left, some of the “Bernie Bros.”
Look, income inequality, wealth inequality is a problem in this country.
It absolutely is, and much of it is fueled by the Administrative State,
because what’s the easiest way, the best way, the quickest way to get
really successful in this country? It’s to be connected to the
Administrative State as a private actor—an ostensibly private sector
actor – actor—but one who is deeply embedded to the Administrative
State, [such as] power brokers, particularly ones in Washington, D.C.
Time will tell whether the populist left can set aside partisan cant
and hear the invitation offered by Mr. Cortes and other populists on the
right to help dismantle the federal Leviathan. It would behoove us all
if the Bernie Bros and others on the left would do so. As the
silver-haired sage Mark Corallo posited, the stakes for our
constitutional republic involve us all:
Americans have a decision to make: Are we
going to be serfs to a feudal Administrative State or are we going to
throw them off and be free born Americans again and recapture our
rights—our God-given rights—that are enshrined in our Constitution and
the Bill of Rights that our Founders understood was the absolute purpose
of government?
For those who have made their decision to seize freedom and save the republic, I urge you to visit Mr. Ryun’s website, AmericanLeviathan.com; and consider becoming active in his grassroots organization, American Majority.
And, of course, if you have a friend who is in desperate need of sixty
minutes of mental emancipation from the Operation Mockingbird media and
the cultural detritus of post-modernist, left-wing culture, by any and
all means urge them to watch this documentary.
The life you save may be that of our constitutional republic.
***
An American Greatness contributor, the Hon.
Thaddeus G. McCotter (M.C., Ret.) served Michigan’s 11th Congressional
District from 2003-2012. He served as Chair of the Republican House
Policy Committee; and as a member of the Financial Services, Joint
Economic, Budget, Small Business, and International Relations
Committees. Not a lobbyist, he is also a contributor to Chronicles;
a frequent public speaker and moderator for public policy seminars; and
a co-host of “John Batchelor: Eye on the World” on CBS radio, among
sundry media appearances.
The FCC has joined the fight in cracking down on the CCP's operations inside the United States with a new investigation into Chinese telecoms. Chairman Carr calls the investigation "sweeping."
The Federal
Communications Commission has announced a new investigation into the
activities of blacklisted Chinese telecommunication companies, with the
FCC concerned that the banned CCP-linked groups might still be operating
secretly inside the country.
The FCC said
Friday that it had launched “a sweeping investigation into the ongoing
U.S. operations of CCP-aligned businesses” which have been found to
“pose unacceptable risks to America’s national security.”
Brendan Carr, the chairman of the FCC, said in a Friday interview with Just the News
that “over the years we have taken lots of actions against entities
beholden to the CCP” and that the companies under investigation have all
been deemed national security threats and have had their FCC licenses
revoked. But Carr said that “some or all of these entities have
nevertheless continued doing business in this country” despite losing
their FCC authorizations.
The FCC chairman dubbed this “the unregulated end-run” and
said that “this has long been a vision of mine — that we need to end the
unregulated end-run” by Chinese telecom companies in the United States,
saying Chinese companies may still be operating in a secret or
unregulated way. Carr said that “if anyone is evading our rules we will
obviously take enforcement action” and that if there is a “loophole”
then the FCC will seek to close it.
The FCC previously placed all of these Chinese telecoms on its “Covered List”
— which is for “communications equipment and services that are deemed
to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United
States or the security and safety of United States persons.”
The new FCC investigation targets nine CCP-linked telecom
firms, including Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, China Mobile, China Unicom and
China Telecom.
The FCC’s new Council on National Security
will lead the investigation, will look into the “ongoing U.S.
businesses” of the Chinese telecoms, and will “move quickly to close any
loopholes that have permitted untrustworthy, foreign adversary
state-backed actors to skirt our rules.” The mission of the new council,
announced last week, includes "ensuring the U.S. wins the strategic
competition with China over critical technologies."
A national security issue
The FCC said Friday that despite the equipment and services from
these Chinese companies being banned, “some or all of those entities may
still be operating in the U.S.” The FCC said it sent letters to the
Chinese companies and at least one subpoena to one of the Chinese
telecoms as well, saying that the FCC “is now gathering responsive
information and will determine any actions that may be necessary to
further safeguard America’s networks and promote our national security.”
Carr said in a press release
Friday that “the FCC has taken concrete actions to address the threats
posed by Huawei, ZTE, China Telecom, and many other entities that pose
an unacceptable risk to America’s national security, including by doing
Communist China’s bidding” but that “we are not going to just look the
other way” if those companies are still operating in the U.S.
surreptitiously.
The other Chinese companies targeted by the FCC inquiry are Hytera Communications, Dahua Technology and Pacifica Networks.
Carr also told Just the News he was interested in
seeing what data center efforts the Chinese telecoms might be
undertaking in the United States. Loudon County, in Northern Virginia
outside of the nation’s capital, has been dubbed “Data Center Alley” because it is “the world’s largest concentration of data centers.”
Huawei and the other Chinese telecoms have all denied that they pose national security threats, but the FCC has repeatedlyinsisted
that they do pose such a risk. The Chinese telecoms have fought in U.S.
federal courts to have the designations removed, but federal courtshaverepeatedlyupheld the FCC’s authority to blacklist the Chinese companies.
Cyberattacks
The FBI warned
in October about the “unauthorized access to commercial
telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s
Republic of China.” The massive cyber espionage effort by Chinese
intelligence-linked hackers — dubbed “Salt Typhoon” — reportedly gained access to a massive amount of data.
The FCC announced in December that it was “taking decisive steps to address vulnerabilities in U.S. telecommunications networks following the Salt Typhoon cyberattack.”
The FCC during the first Trump administration launched an initial crackdown on Chinese telecoms, including the risk posed by Huawei. The Chinese company has lost legal battles
attempting to fight against its limitations in the U.S. That crackdown
was based in part on U.S. intelligence agencies and federal law
enforcement's collective belief that Huawei and other Chinese companies
are working hand-in-hand with the ruling Chinese Communist Party,
potentially giving China’s surveillance state access to hardware and
networks around the world.
The Republican-led Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a report
in 2020 warning that at that point the federal government had “provided
little-to-no oversight of Chinese state-owned telecommunications
carriers operating in the United States for nearly twenty years” and how
China is targeting U.S. communications the same way it has targeted
education, research, and personal data.”
During the Biden administration in 2021, Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer and daughter of its founder, walked free
in Canada and quickly returned to China after the Biden DOJ agreed to
enter into a deferred prosecution agreement with her and acquiesced to
ending the U.S.’s extradition request to Canada, where she was being
held on U.S. charges of bank fraud and wire fraud related to helping
Huawei dodge sanctions in Iran. The Biden White House denied any link
between dropping the charges against the Huawei executive and China’s
simultaneous agreement to free two Canadians — Michael Spavor and
Michael Kovrig — from Chinese imprisonment.
The FCC chairman announced in January that he was “ending the FCC’s promotion of DEI”
and said he would “focus the agency’s work on competently carrying out
the Commission’s statutory mission, as defined by Congress, without
promoting invidious forms of discrimination.” The next month he
announced he was launching an investigation into their own DEI policies.
Carr also successfully pushed CBS to hand over its unedited transcript of the raw version of its October 2024 interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris.
While still just an FCC commissioner, he criticized
then-House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) in 2020
for having engaged in the “secret and partisan” act of collecting and
publishing private phone call records during the Ukraine-related
impeachment investigation into Trump during his first term.
Carr: "Drop the hammer on this hammer and sickle operation"
The House and Senate passed, and then-President Biden
signed, legislation last year which would require Chinese-owned TikTok
either to entirely shed its Chinese ownership or cease operating in the
United States. Trump has delayed enforcement of the law as he engages in negotiations with TikTok and with prospective buyers.
Carr told Just the News on Friday that “we’re not
involved here at the FCC” with the ongoing negotiations about TikTok,
but that “I’m confident that the administration is going to land that in
a good spot” which protects U.S. national security.
Carr praised
the 2024 bipartisan legislation that took aim at TikTok’s links to the
CCP, saying, “I want to applaud the strong, bipartisan leadership that
Members of Congress have shown in advancing this bill, which would
definitively resolve the serious national security threats TikTok poses
by banning the app or requiring that it genuinely sever ties to the
CCP.” The then-commissioner said in the past that “it is time to drop the hammer on this hammer and sickle operation.”
"If the hostages are not released, Israel will continue to take more and more territory in the Strip for permanent control," he concluded.
An illustrative image of Defense Minister Israel Katz. (photo credit: Khalil Kahlout/Flash90/Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The IDF will permanently seize parts of the Gaza Strip if Hamas doesn’t release the hostages held in captivity, Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a substantial yet vague escalatory threat on Friday.
“I have instructed the IDF to seize additional areas in Gaza,
evacuate the population, and expand security zones around Gaza to
protect Israeli communities and IDF soldiers. The more Hamas persists in
its refusal to release the hostages, the more territory it will lose,
which will be annexed to Israel,” Katz said.
“If
the hostages are not released, Israel will continue to take more and
more territory in the Strip for permanent control,” he concluded.
If
played out to their maximal conclusion, Katz's threats could be a
game-changer shaking the region with Israel permanently occupying
portions of Gaza, something it had insisted it was not interested in up
until this point in the war.
IDF soldiers operate in the northern Gaza Strip, March 20, 2025 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
However, Katz's declarations were vague.
He
did not specify which portions of Gaza would be annexed, how long Hamas
had until such decisions would be made, if there were scenarios where
small annexations could be reversed once hostages would be returned, or
whether Israel had support for such a move from the Trump administration
or other world powers.
In
turn, when questioned for more specifics about these issues by the
Jerusalem Post, uncharacteristically his office did not respond.
Moreover,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not make any similar statement,
which one might have expected for such a major policy reversal.
Alternatively,
the entire mover was being used merely for psychological warfare
against Hamas or as later justification for Israel to permanently occupy
the small 700-1,100 meter security perimeter zone around Gaza which it
has held onto even during the recent ceasefire.
Katz approves further Gaza military operations
On
Thursday, Katz approved the continuation of military operations in
Gaza. He highlighted the importance of continuing the military pressure
on Gaza until the hostages are released.
The IDF announced on Thursday evening that it had four separate forces operating simultaneously in each of Gaza’s main regions.
The
first ground invasion move came on Wednesday when tanks and infantry
entered central Gaza at the Netzarim Corridor, cutting off northern and
southern Gaza from each other.
The department spokeswoman also outlined the administration’s strategy on Syria in response to a JNS question.
Tammy Bruce, the U.S. State Department spokeswoman,
holds a daily press briefing on March 6, 2025. Credit: Freddie
Everett/U.S. State Department.
Talk of annexing Gaza is “a distraction”
and the emphasis of the moment ought to be on Hamas’s use of human
shields and the “general chaos that that causes,” the U.S. State
Department said on Friday.
Tammy Bruce, the Foggy Bottom spokeswoman,
was pressed several times on talk of annexation, after Israel Katz, the
Israeli defense minister, said on Friday that he instructed the Israel
Defense Forces to “seize additional territories” and to expand the
security zone around the Israel-Gaza border “through permanent Israeli
control of the territory” if Hamas keeps refusing to release the
hostages whom it holds in Gaza.
Bruce issued a lengthy response to a
question during the department’s Friday press briefing and asked a
reporter to hold on, as she explained the State Department’s thinking on
what ought to be the current emphasis.
“For those of you who care about these
issues, it is a distraction to move past the nature of what’s going on
now, via—with one cause, which is Hamas’s attitude and actions and while
you then—we have to deal with what is continuing and not happening,
because of their choices,” she said.
“We are continuing to try to stop that. So
it’s interesting that we can continue to keep—sir, just a minute—keep
in our minds the nature of what’s in front of us, which is still to stop
the wholesale slaughter of people, the use of other individuals as
human shields, that the general chaos that that causes, and the fact
that there are ways to stop it,” Bruce said.
“And that’s what we’re working on now. But
others perhaps—they want us to always talk about something else to get
people distracted about that thing, so you stop looking at what is—the
thing that we need to deal with immediately,” Bruce added. “I look to
the Trump administration and to Secretary Rubio as examples of keeping
their eyes on the prize and working methodically in this moment to get
us to where we need to go.”
Bruce added that diplomatic conversations
on the reimplementation of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire are taking place.
“We’re still working to implement ceasefires and dealing with issues and
questions regarding what can happen on the ground when there’s still
hostilities and still conflict,” she said.
The State Department spokeswoman detailed,
for the first time, the Trump administration’s posture toward Syria in
response to a question from JNS.
The administration is “monitoring the
Syrian internal authorities and actions in general, across a number of
issues, as we determine and think about the future U.S. policy for
Syria,” she told JNS.
Many countries have embraced new Syrian
leadership or approached with cautious optimism, while Israel has
insisted the interim government, led by those with a jihadi past,
represents a direct threat to the Jewish state.
“We also continue to call for an
inclusive, civilian-led government that can ensure national institutions
are effective, responsive and representative,” Bruce said. “Local
ownership and broad societal support is necessary for stability in Syria
and the region, as recent deadly violence on the coast demonstrated,
long term stability and prosperity for the people of Syria requires a
government that protects all Syrians equally.”
Bruce indicated there are no immediate plans to unwind many long-standing sanctions on Syria, particularly on investment.
Following the expulsion of South Africa’s
ambassador to the United States over criticism of U.S. President Donald
Trump and racism in U.S. society, the South African presidency is
reportedly pressuring the Johannesburg City Council not to move forward
with remaining the street upon which the U.S. consulate resides in honor
of Palestinian terrorist Leila Khaled.
Asked by JNS whether the State Department
inserted itself in the controversy, Bruce declined to comment and
referred reporters to South African national and local authorities.
These radical Islamic organizations share the same main goal: a global Islamic Caliphate. If this Islamic takeover succeeds in Bangladesh, the country will become another Islamic terror state — like Afghanistan under the Taliban and Syria under its new terrorist leader, Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa.
"Politics steadily
worsens in Bangladesh. The economy is in free fall, law and order is in a
cul-de-sac. The rule of law is under organised assault, with detained
politicians, cultural activists and journalists unable to come by bail
in court.... Bangladesh's crisis is existential. All the values
instrumental to its emergence 50-plus years ago are systematically
being jettisoned by a regime that lacks constitutional legitimacy." —
Syed Badrul Ahsan, veteran Bangladeshi journalist and commentator,
December 6, 2024.
Some of the major groups, which were previously banned but, under
Bangladesh's new leadership of Muhammad Yunus, now encouraged, include:
Hizb ut-Tahrir, Tawhidi Janata, Hefazat-e-Islam, Jamaat-e-Islami, and
the Ansarullah Bangla Team.
Since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster in August 2024, the
government under Yunus has freed convicted Islamic terrorists,
downplayed mass violence against minorities (mainly Hindus), and let
jihadist mobs take over the streets.
More than 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh were reported for 2024 alone.
These radical Islamic organizations share the same main goal: a
global Islamic Caliphate. If this Islamic takeover succeeds in
Bangladesh, the country will become another Islamic terror state — like
Afghanistan under the Taliban and Syria under its new terrorist leader,
Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa.
On March 7, thousands of members of Bangladesh's banned
Islamist militant group, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, defying police barricades,
marched through the streets of Dhaka to demand that the country's
secular democracy be replaced by an Islamic caliphate. The mob at the
march turned violent — complete with stone-throwers who clashed with
police. Pictured: Hizb ut-Tahrir members at the "March For Khilafah" in
Dhaka, on March 7, 2025.(Photo by Munir Uz Zaman/AFP via Getty Images)
On March 7, thousands of members of Bangladesh's banned Islamist militant group, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, defying police barricades, marched
through the streets of Dhaka to demand that the country's secular
democracy be replaced by an Islamic caliphate. Demonstrators chanting
"Khilafat, Khilafat" - a direct call for Islamic rule -- gathered for
the "March for Khilafat" procession outside the Baitul Mukarram Mosque
after Friday prayers. The mob at the march turned violent — complete
with stone-throwers who clashed with police. The police, in turn, fired back with tear gas and stun grenades.
Hizb ut-Tahrir, which has been banned in Bangladesh since 2009 for
posing a threat to national security, organized this rally in defiance
of a government ban on public gatherings.
Notes veteran Bangladeshi journalist and commentator Syed Badrul Ahsan:
"Politics steadily worsens in Bangladesh. The
economy is in free fall, law and order is in a cul-de-sac. The rule of
law is under organised assault, with detained politicians, cultural
activists and journalists unable to come by bail in court....
The [Muhammad] Yunus regime, which has no constitutional basis, has
nevertheless embarked on what it touts as a reform agenda.....
Yunus' interim government has demonstrated, unabashedly, its intent to erase Bangladesh's history.
The refrain of the August 5 change, for those who hold power at
present, continues to be one of a student-led revolution. It was
anything but. Muhammad Yunus, on a visit to the US in September,
publicly made it known in the presence of his friend Bill Clinton that
the agitation against the Sheikh Hasina government had been
meticulously planned.
Bangladesh's crisis is existential. All the values instrumental to
its emergence 50-plus years ago are systematically being jettisoned by a
regime that lacks constitutional legitimacy.
And there is another reality that cannot be ignored. In terms of the
constitution, Sheikh Hasina remains prime minister. When the military
had her leave the country in August, she was not given the opportunity
to meet the president and submit her resignation. Her followers have
thus continued to refer to her as the legitimate leader."
Some of the major groups, which were previously banned but, under
Bangladesh's new leadership of Muhammad Yunus, now encouraged, include:
Hizb ut-Tahrir, Tawhidi Janata, Hefazat-e-Islam, Jamaat-e-Islami, and
the Ansarullah Bangla Team.
"Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Islamist movement
seeking to unite Muslims under one Islamic caliphate. Hizb ut-Tahrir
members have been linked to violent acts in multiple countries. The
group itself has been banned in at least 13 countries, including many
Muslim-majority countries.
"Founded by Palestinian Taqiuddin al-Nabhani al-Filastyni in 1953, HT
considers itself a non-violent political party. HT states that its goal
is to peacefully convert Muslim nations to Islamist political systems.
HT praises the concept of jihad but insists that it does not use
'material power to defend itself or as a weapon....' The group publicly
disavows efforts to achieve its goals of a caliphate through violent
means.
"However, individuals affiliated with the group have been linked to
violent acts in multiple countries. Some have been involved in coup
attempts in the Middle East, the murder of a pro-secularist blogger in
Bangladesh, and spreading anti-Western and Muslim-separatist propaganda
in the West. HT maintains that its members are political dissidents."
Hizb ut-Tahrir chapters operate in more than 40 countries, and,
despite being banned in Bangladesh, are continuing to grow and mobilize
elsewhere.
Since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled
Bangladesh after anti-government protests August 5, 2024, radical
Islamist groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir have been operating freely in the
country under the government of Bangladesh's new "Chief Adviser,"
Muhammad Yunus.
Hizb ut-Tahrir is joined by other Islamic factions under the
protection of Yunus's interim government. One of them, Tawhidi Janata,
is also unleashing terror across Bangladesh.
On January 28, Tawhidi Janata laid siege to the Tilakpur High School. The extremists, made up of madrassa students, vandalized the school to protest a friendly football match between two women's teams. The match had been scheduled
to take place on January 29, 2025. Prior to carrying out the attack,
Tawhidi Janata followers gathered outside the Tilakpur railway station
and delivered incendiary speeches.
Yunus's regime has also released Islamist hardliners and convicted terrorists from prison. On August 31, 2024, Yunus released
from prison, and met in person, Mamunul Haque, the leader of
Hefazat-e-Islam, another group that aims to establish an Islamic sharia
state in Bangladesh.
During the rule of Sheikh Hasina, Haque had already been arrested under various allegations, including instigating violence.
"Hefazat-e-Islam, the largest Islamic organisation in Bangladesh was founded
in 2010 in Chittagong by Shah Ahmad Shafi to protect Islam against
purported anti-Islamic laws and end secularism. It soon became the
centre of religious politics and radicalisation in Bangladesh. It is
reportedly financed by doctrinaire Islamists in Saudi Arabia. The 2009
Women Development Policy draft, which suggested granting women equal
inheritance rights, served as the impetus for the group's formation
which consists of Sunni zealots and their large network of madrasa
supporters. The leaders of Hefazat-e-Islam have actively called for
political and legal reforms despite the organization not being a
political party. It demanded a revolution and the establishment of an
Islamic state governed by Sharia Law in Bangladesh, openly opposing the
country's secular legal system.
"Hefazat-e-Islam laid siege in Dhaka and proposed
a 13-point plan in 2013, which included capital punishment for comments
against Allah, Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, gender segregation, the
release of Islamic scholars who were imprisoned and compulsory Islamic
education from primary to higher secondary levels, among others. The
government was compelled to surrender because of the group's immense
popularity."
The group is currently operating in Bangladesh even more freely under
Yunus's rule. Muhyiddin Rabbani, Hefazat-e-Islam's vice president in
Bangladesh, argued
that the country should adopt Islamic law as opposed to its current
secular legal and constitutional structure. Rabbani made it explicit
that his group intended to create an Islamic state in Bangladesh.
Rabbani clarified that under Islamic rule, there would be no place for music or art in the country:
"If Islamic law is implemented, everyone will have rights
in the form of justice. We shall base our decisions about music on what
is permissible in Islam. We don't like art or music. We will oppose it.
I'll strongly speak against it."
Yunus's government also lifted the ban
on Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party. It had
participated in Pakistan's genocide against Hindus and Bengalis in 1971
and is responsible for many of the countless acts of violence against Bangladesh's religious minorities.
The previous government under Hasina in August 2024 briefly banned
Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Chhatra Shibir, under the
Anti-Terrorism Act. Jamaat-e-Islami was previously barred from
participating in 2013 national elections, based on the claim that the
group's constitution violated Bangladesh's constitution by opposing
secularism.
Jamaat-e-Islami was founded in 1941 in British-ruled India by Sayyid
Abul A'la Maududi, a figure associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. The
organization's ideology promotes Islamic conquest, aiming to bring the
world under Islamic rule. In Pakistan, it remains a major political
force with connections
to various militant groups around the world, such as Hamas, Palestinian
Islamic Jihad, as well as the global Muslim Brotherhood movement.
Yunus's government also freed
Jashimuddin Rahmani, chief of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an
al-Qaeda-affiliated terror outfit. Rahmani, imprisoned for murdering
blogger Rajib Haider, was released on parole. ABT has been trying, with
the help of sleeper cells, to establish a jihadist network in
Bangladesh.
ABT, banned in Bangladesh in 2015 by the Hasina government, later
rebranded itself as Ansar al-Islam, and that was banned in 2017. India Todayreported
that the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba had partnered with the ABT to
carry out terrorist attacks in India's northeastern states.
Since Hasina's ouster in August 2024, the government under Yunus has
freed convicted Islamic terrorists, downplayed mass violence against
minorities (mainly Hindus), and let jihadist mobs take over the streets.
More than 2,200 cases of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh were reported for 2024 alone.
These radical Islamic organizations share the same main goal: a
global Islamic Caliphate. If this Islamic takeover succeeds in
Bangladesh, the country will become another Islamic terror state — like
Afghanistan under the Taliban and Syria under its new terrorist leader,
Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa.
Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
Although many Palestinians continue to support Hamas and the "resistance" against Israel, a growing number are speaking out against the terror group.
Hamas leaders have also repeatedly made it clear that their terror group has no intention of laying down its weapons.
Hamas leaders -- based in luxury hotels and villas in Qatar,
Lebanon and Egypt -- appear in no rush to end the war. Many of them had
fled the Gaza Strip together with their families during the past few
years in search of a better life in Arab and Islamic countries. From
their safe homes and offices, the Hamas leaders continue to issue fiery
statements about their group's refusal to make concessions to end the
conflict.
"They are not the ones searching for food in the rubble. They are
not the ones watching their children die. They sit in safety while
others pay the price.... the suffering of Gaza has never been their
concern, only their weapon." — Hamza Howidy, Palestinian human rights
and peace activist, X, March 18, 2025.
"Enough martyrs and death. Damn those who voted for you [in the
2006 Palestinian parliamentary election]." — Ranem El Ali, Palestinian
journalist and author, X, March 18, 2025.
If the Palestinians living there want to end the war, they must
revolt against Hamas and provide Israel with information about the
whereabouts of the hostages. Sadly, most Palestinians seem unwilling to
do so, either out of fear of Hamas or because they simply identify with
the terror group and its goal of destroying Israel.
If the Palestinians living in Gaza want to end the war, they
must revolt against Hamas and provide Israel with information about the
whereabouts of the hostages. Sadly, most Palestinians seem unwilling to
do so, either out of fear of Hamas or because they simply identify with
the terror group and its goal of destroying Israel. Pictured: Hamas and
Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists share a moment of friendship
before a crowd of supporters in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on
November 28, 2023. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
Palestinians are again paying a heavy price as a result of Hamas's
refusal to release the remaining 59 Israeli hostages (almost half of
whom are believed to be dead) held in the Gaza Strip since October 7,
2023. On that day, thousands of Hamas terrorists and ordinary
Palestinians invaded Israel, murdering 1,200 Israelis and wounding
thousands others. Another 251 Israelis – alive and dead – were kidnapped
to the Gaza Strip.
Since then, Hamas could have avoided much of the death and
destruction it brought on the Palestinians by simply releasing all the
hostages, laying down its weapons and relinquishing control of the Gaza
Strip.
Hamas, however, chose to drag the two million Palestinians of the
Gaza Strip into a war that has claimed the lives of thousands and
destroyed large parts of the coastal strip.
The US-brokered ceasefire-hostage deal, announced in January,
provided Hamas with an opportunity to release all the hostages and end
the war with Israel. Instead, Hamas chose to humiliate the hostages (and
all Israelis) by publicly parading them while handing them over to
representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
During the disturbing displays, masked gunmen in military uniform
from Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups reappeared on the
streets for the first time since the beginning of the war. During the
war, some of the terrorists, pretending to be innocent civilians, got
rid of their military uniforms and hid their weapons, and many found
shelter among displaced families in humanitarian zones throughout the
Gaza Strip. Others spent most of the time hiding in tunnels, where many
of the Israeli hostages were (and still are) held.
The ceasefire-hostage deal collapsed on March 18 because Hamas is
evidently not prepared to release all the hostages, disarm and cede
control of the Gaza Strip. Hamas considers the hostages an asset and
"insurance policy" for holding onto power.
Hamas says that it wants a commitment from Israel that it will end
the war while allowing the terror group to remain in control of the
Gaza Strip. Hamas also said it wants guarantees from international
parties, including the US, that Israel would abide by such a commitment.
Hamas, in other words, is saying that it wants to retain control of the
Gaza Strip so that it can use the territory to launch more terrorist
attacks against Israel in the future. Its leaders have already
threatened to carry out more massacres against Israelis.
"Ghazi Hamad of the Hamas political bureau said in an
October 24, 2023 show on LBC TV (Lebanon) that Hamas is prepared to
repeat the October 7 'Al-Aqsa Flood' Operation [October 7 attack,] time
and again until Israel is annihilated."
Hamad stated:
"Israel is a country that has no place on our land. We
must remove that country... The Al-Aqsa Flood is just the first time,
and there will be a second, a third, a fourth... "
Hamas leaders have also repeatedly made it clear that their terror group has no intention of laying down its weapons.
On March 9, 2025, at a Hamas event in Egypt honoring Palestinian
prisoners released by Israel as part of Phase 1 of the Israel-Hamas
ceasefire, senior Hamas official Khaled Mashaal said
that the Palestinians would never disarm and warned of a large "plot"
threatening the "future of the Gaza Strip, its administration, regime,
and weapons, and the resistance in it." He added:
"The path of jihad and resistance is the way to regain
the homeland, honor, and freedom, and to free the prisoners [from
Israeli jail]. The world respects only the strong."
Also in March, another senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri,
stressed that his group was absolutely opposed to relinquishing its
weapons and the "armed struggle" against Israel. "The weapons of the
resistance are a red line," Abu Zuhri cautioned.
He added that any discussion of disarming Hamas is "nonsense" and that
the issue is "not up for bargaining, discussion, or negotiation."
Some Hamas leaders have indicated their readiness to accept a
"technocratic" government in the Gaza Strip. For them, however, this
does not mean that Hamas would end its rule over the Gaza Strip. Hamas
spokesperson Abdul Latif al-Qanoua said that his group must approve the government's members and its mandate. He clarified that the notion of Hamas completely withdrawing from governance is "inaccurate."
Hamas is seeking to emulate the Lebanon model, where the Hezbollah
terrorist group, also backed by Iran, has been operating as a
state-within-a-state for the past few decades.
Hamas leaders -- based in luxury hotels and villas in Qatar, Lebanon
and Egypt -- appear in no rush to end the war. Many of them had fled the
Gaza Strip together with their families during the past few years in
search of a better life in Arab and Islamic countries. From their safe
homes and offices, the Hamas leaders continue to issue fiery statements
about their group's refusal to make concessions to end the conflict.
"[Israel] is deluding itself if it thinks it could pressure us by
escalating its military operations," said senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan in response to the collapse of the ceasefire-hostage deal.
Meanwhile, the only ones who are feeling the heat are the
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. During the past few days, many Gazans
took to social media to lash out at Hamas for refusing to release all
the hostages and end the war. Such voices rarely find their way to
Western media outlets. Although many Palestinians continue to support
Hamas and the "resistance" against Israel, a growing number are speaking
out against the terror group.
Mohammed Diab, a resident of the Gaza Strip, wrote:
"I appeal to Hamas to hand over the hostages and step
down from any role in governing Gaza. Saving our blood is more important
than your future."
"Anyone who has even a grain of faith, conscience,
patriotism, or morality, anyone who has even a grain of love for the
people of Gaza, must raise their voice now and demand—immediately and
without delay—that Hamas free Gaza for the sake of God by handing over
the hostages and lifting its hand from Gaza. We are dying because of
Hamas."
Palestinian human rights and peace activist Hamza Howidy wrote:
"What does it take to surrender? The human souls? We lost enough. The city [Gaza]? Totally destroyed...
"Yet Hamas refuses [to surrender]. Not out of strength, not out of
strategy, but because surrender means facing their own failure. It means
admitting that all of this—the loss, the destruction, the unimaginable
suffering—was for nothing. And that is something they cannot bear.
"So they hold on [to power]. Not for the people, not for Gaza, but
for themselves. Because to surrender would be to let go of the power
they've built, the control they've maintained, and the narrative they've
spun for decades. They are not the ones searching for food in the
rubble. They are not the ones watching their children die. They sit in
safety while others pay the price.
"How much more is there to lose before they decide it's enough? Or is
the truth that they never will—because the suffering of Gaza has never
been their concern, only their weapon."
Ahmad, a social media user from the Gaza Strip, scoffed at Hamas terrorists for going into hiding after the collapse of the ceasefire-hostage agreement:
"Come on, heroes of the parades on the rubble of houses,
come on, sons of [Hamas's armed wing Izz a-Din] Al-Qassam. They all take
off their military uniforms and wear civilian clothes and slippers and
hide among the displaced people and the tents."
"I declare my disbelief in this resistance, and I disavow
Hamas and its ideology. Hand over the prisoners, you 'victorious'
beasts. Enough martyrs and death. Damn those who voted for you [in the
2006 Palestinian parliamentary election]."
"Who entrusted these mentally ill people (Hamas) with the lives of the people of Gaza?," asked a social media account called "From the Heart of the Gaza Strip."
"Who gave them the right to decide the fate of two
million people? Hamas would rather uproot lives than disarm, would
rather cause destruction than retreat, would rather hand over the Gaza
Strip to the monster of darkness than give its people a glimmer of
hope!"
Commenting on the increasing criticism of Hamas, Egyptian political analyst Khaled Hassan said:
"I've never seen that many Gazans angry at Hamas.
"For the first time in my life, the overwhelming majority of Gazans are treating them with the contempt they deserve.
"I can confidently say that the majority of Gazans I saw commenting
online said they want the hostages released in exchange for a return to
the ceasefire.
"In my view, this is big.
"The military pressure is working."
While such voices emanating from the Gaza Strip are positive and
encouraging, they are not enough to remove Hamas from power. If the
Palestinians living there want to end the war, they must revolt against
Hamas and provide Israel with information about the whereabouts of the
hostages. Sadly, most Palestinians seem unwilling to do so, either out
of fear of Hamas or because they simply identify with the terror group
and its goal of destroying Israel.
