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."
Direct talks on Gaza’s future involving only Jared Kushner and Mohammed Dahlan have reportedly achieved a breakthrough, leaving Jerusalem to decide whether their initiative meets Israeli security requirements.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu meets with U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Board of
Peace member Jared Kushner at Blair House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 10,
2026. Credit: Avi Ohayon/GPO.
It would be welcome news if Hamas had truly agreed to
surrender its weapons as part of a proposed 20-point framework to end
the war. Above all, it would offer hope to the people of Gaza, who have
suffered under the terrorist group’s theocratic dictatorship.
According
to media reports, a new initiative helped secure a breakthrough in
negotiations between Hamas and the U.S.-backed Board of Peace over a
proposed postwar framework that includes Hamas’s disarmament.
But there are good reasons for skepticism.
Hamas’s
ideology makes genuine disarmament difficult to imagine. As the saying
goes, “They love death far more than we love life.”
There are also
practical reasons for caution. The reported direct negotiations involve
Jared Kushner and former Gaza security chief Mohammed Dahlan, who now
lives in exile in Abu Dhabi. Israel is not a direct participant, but it
would ultimately have to decide whether the proposed framework meets its
security requirements.
Nor is there much reason to place
confidence in a proposed international stabilization force. So far, only
a small Moroccan advance contingent has reportedly arrived, far short
of the 10,000 personnel expected from multiple countries by the end of
the year. Indonesia, which was expected to contribute 8,000 troops, has
reportedly slowed its participation as regional tensions remain high.
Israel has made clear that it will remain in Gaza until Hamas gives up its weapons. That is the essential condition.
Hamas
has lost the war. Its control has reportedly been reduced to roughly
one-quarter of the Gaza Strip. Iranian and Qatari funding has
diminished, and most of its senior leadership and many of the terrorists
responsible for the rapes, murders and other unspeakable atrocities
committed on Oct. 7, 2023, have been killed. The campaign against those
who remain is still ongoing.
Hamas may believe it can continue to
exert influence through the proposed technocratic Palestinian
administration that would govern Gaza after the war. Such a government,
however, would have little credibility unless it clearly rejects Hamas’s
ideology, condemns the atrocities of Oct. 7 and demonstrates genuine
independence from the terrorist organization.
Any so-called
technocratic Gaza government would have to demonstrate authentic
opposition to Hamas rather than serve as its civilian facade.
Hamas
may believe it can retain influence by controlling the proposed
technocratic Palestinian administration that would govern Gaza after the
war. It may also hope to preserve its military capabilities through the
extensive tunnel network that still exists beneath the Strip.
Israel,
however, has learned the lessons of Oct. 7. Kushner understands this as
well. Any agreement must be built on ironclad guarantees.
Israel
cannot withdraw from Gaza until the threat posed by Hamas has been
substantially eliminated. Even then, Gaza is likely to remain volatile
for years to come.
For that reason, Israel has not yet signaled
its acceptance of the reported framework. And if the timetable for
Hamas’s disarmament is stretched over months or even years, there is a
real danger that its weapons could instead be transferred to Judea and
Samaria, where they would fuel a new wave of terrorist violence.
Only complete and verifiable disarmament can ensure that the mistakes of Oct. 7 are never repeated.
Tehran says will attack “vital infrastructure of the Zionist regime and U.S. energy infrastructure” if the war restarts.
U.S. President Donald Trump in the
Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., July 24, 2026. Photo
by Eric Lee/Getty Images.
The United States will be hitting Iran “very hard” in the next
several weeks, President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday at the
Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, where he held a meeting
earlier with his Cabinet.
Asked about talks to end the conflict
with the Islamic Republic, the president said that Iranian negotiators
are making him “angry.”
“I’m losing faith in them because they do lie and do, they do misrepresent,” he said.
“As
an example, we’ll talk about nuclear, and we’ll be in there talking
about nuclear for seven hours, and I say ..., why do you need seven? You
can take 10 minutes. You have five minutes; you should solve it. And
they’ll go out and they’ll say, ‘We never discussed nuclear.’ And I say
‘Why, why do they say that?’ All they do is make me angry. You know,
they just make me angry,” Trump said.
Speaking about renewed
military operations, the president added, “You know, at some point
they’re [the Iranians] going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore.’”
.@POTUS on Iran: "They always want to talk but they break their word so often... We have great people talking... but, they'll make a deal—as an example, we'll talk about nuclear, and we'll be in there talking about nuclear for seven hours... and they'll go out, and they'll say,… pic.twitter.com/ITlbqBvXio
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 31, 2026
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, echoed Trump’s
sentiment later that day, saying that Tehran signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with the U.S. but then quickly “broke it, shot at
commercial ships, and killed American soldiers.
“President Trump
is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur.
Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what
President Trump deems, a meaningful way,” she added in a statement
released to wire services.
‘Israel is unaware of a decision to restart military operations’
Trump ordered fresh military attacks on Iran that could last several days, The Wall Street Journal cited U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, as saying on Friday.
The
American military and the Israel Defense Forces are planning to restart
joint attacks against Iran, targeting critical energy infrastructure
sites, possibly beginning this weekend, CBS News reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials.
However, the president has not made a final decision, the sources added.
“Israel
is unaware of a decision to restart full military operations, nor has
been requested of Israel to join any military actions against Iran,” the
report quoted an Israeli official as saying.
Meanwhile, U.S.
Central Command disclosed that as of July 31, it has redirected 30
commercial vessels, disabled two and boarded two during the current
enforcement phase of the blockade of Iranian ports, which resumed on
July 14.
Nearly 30 ships were permitted to pass through the blockade for humanitarian aid, CENTCOM added.
A U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter is prepared for flight aboard USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) as the warship supports the U.S. blockade against Iran while sailing in regional waters. As of July 31, CENTCOM has redirected 30 commercial vessels, disabled 2, and boarded 2 to… pic.twitter.com/4UklxP4IGM
Meanwhile, Ali Abdollahi,
head of Iran’s military central command, blamed the United States for
“escalating tensions” in the Middle East, threatening countries in the
region against cooperating with Washington lest they “will be engulfed
by the flames of war,” AFP reported.
A senior Iranian official told Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency
on Friday that Tehran has “a comprehensive response plan that includes
the vital infrastructure of the Zionist regime and U.S. energy
infrastructure in the region,” CBS News reported.
“We are fully prepared to carry it out,” the official added.
The U.S. military reportedly did not carry out attacks overnight Friday against Iran.
On Saturday morning, Kuwait’s military said that it had intercepted Iranian drone attacks.
Additionally,
a tanker was struck by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of Oman,
the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said on Saturday.
Damage was caused to the engine room, but no injuries to personnel were reported, UKMTO added.
The U.S. embassy
in Jerusalem advised U.S. citizens on Saturday to reconsider traveling
to the Middle East and those who are in the region to consider departing
in light of a potential “unforeseen escalation” with Iran and its
proxies.
“U.S. diplomatic facilities, including outside the Middle
East, have been targeted. Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target
other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the
United States and Americans throughout the world, including U.S.
businesses and other institutions,” the embassy wrote on its website.
A Hamas official said that no progress on laying down group’s weapons will take place before Israel ceases operations in Gaza and withdraws its forces.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers
remarks at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Mich., July 27,
2026. Credit: Daniel Torok/White House.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday commended the 15-point Roadmap for implementing his Comprehensive Peace Plan in Gaza made public the previous day by the Board of Peace, saying that nobody ever thought it possible to disarm Hamas.
“It’s
a great breakthrough ... That shows you how much success we’re having
with Iran, because if you go four month ago, five months ago, a deal
like that would’ve been impossible. So it’s a big step for the Middle
East and people are really impressed by it,” Trump told reporters at the
Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, where he held a meeting
with his Cabinet.
He added that “Israel is very happy” with the roadmap.
“Will
it go through its ups and downs? It’s a very complex situation over
there; the people are very complex and difficult. Many cases wonderful,
many cases not so wonderful,” Trump added.
.@POTUS: "It's a great breakthrough. Nobody's ever thought that would be possible, to disarm Hamas. That shows you how much success we're having with Iran because if you go 4 month ago, 5 months ago, a deal like that would've been impossible. It's a big step for the Middle East." pic.twitter.com/3MmWidnQ2z
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 31, 2026
The roadmap, reportedly accepted by Hamas, stipulates the full disarmament of Hamas, and barring it from governance in the Strip.
However,
while point No. 8 stipulates the decommission of heavy weaponry to an
interim technocratic Palestinian governing body, known as the National
Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), point No. 9 says that
“Personal weapons in Gaza shall be subject to the regulations of
relevant Palestinian laws,” which could allow Hamas operatives to carry
personal arms.
Meanwhile, the NCAG said on X that it “welcomes the
progress announced [on Thursday] regarding the roadmap, and the opening
of a path toward beginning its implementation.”
The NCAG
described the 15-point plan as a “milestone” for the Palestinians in
Gaza, affirming its “full readiness to assume its responsibilities” to
govern the Strip.
“The Committee’s mission is to serve our people
in the Gaza Strip through a Palestinian administration characterized by
efficiency, transparency, and accountability, guided by the principle of
one authority, one law, and one security apparatus,” the technocratic
body continued.
“Our goal is not limited to rebuilding what the
war has destroyed, but extends beyond that to contributing to building a
Gaza that is safe, stable, and prosperous, governed through legitimate
Palestinian institutions, grounded in the rule of law, in a way that
upholds the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and
statehood,” the NCAG added.
Statement by the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) welcomes the progress announced yesterday regarding the roadmap, and the opening of a path toward beginning its implementation.
This development…
— اللجنة الوطنية لإدارة غزة - NCAG (@NCAG) July 31, 2026
Hamas refuses to commit to disarmament
Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas official involved in the negotiations, told Reuters on Friday that his terrorist group agreed to the conditions of the roadmap, but refrained from pledging to lay down it weapons.
Hamad
said that Hamas would follow through with the steps of the plan only
after the Jewish state stops carrying out strikes across the Gaza Strip
and withdraws its forces to the border of Oct. 7, 2023.
The 15-point roadmap stipulates that no Gaza weapons would be handed over to Israel or other non-Palestinian parties.
Meanwhile,
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticized on Friday the
“draft agreement” published by the Board of Peace, saying it is “not
acceptable to Israel.”
He wrote on X in Hebrew language that in
the aftermath of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel’s south,
“a commitment to cease the eliminations of the terrorist organization’s
murderers is tantamount to consenting for Hamas to regroup toward the
next massacre.
“The targeted killings in Gaza must continue, encouraging emigration must happen, Israel must win,” he wrote.
The main reason that the prospect of Turkey obtaining F-35 fighter jets is so disturbing is that Turkey has revealed time and again its desire for Israel to be eliminated.
The main reason that the
prospect of Turkey obtaining F-35 fighter jets is so disturbing is that
Turkey has revealed time and again its desire for Israel to be
eliminated. In fact, now that Iran is on the ropes, Turkey has
positioned itself as the primary enemy of Israel. Erdogan is
trying to present himself as the leader of the Muslim world and the
natural Caliph of a coming Ottoman Empire, revived by him.
Trump seems drawn to strong, ruthless dictators – such as
Russia's Vladimir Putin and Communist Chinese President Xi Jinping, as
if acceptance by them assures him that he is as strong as they are.
Similarly, he also seems drawn to jihadist leaders of countries
such as Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Pakistan. They offer him
money, gifts and business deals, and no doubt tell him what he likes to
hear – but none of us would want to think that people are being friendly
because they want something from us.
Perhaps they genuinely do like Trump; he can be delightful. That
does not necessarily mean, however, that they plan to give up their
jihadist dreams of conquest and join the West, or that they entertain no
plans, when the opportunity soon presents itself, to try to overthrow
it.
The main reason that the prospect of Turkey obtaining F-35
fighter jets is so disturbing is that Turkey has revealed time and again
its desire for Israel to be eliminated. In fact, now that Iran is on
the ropes, Turkey has positioned itself as the primary enemy of
Israel. Erdogan is trying to present himself as the leader of the
Muslim world and the natural Caliph of a coming Ottoman Empire, revived
by him. Pictured: A Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet performs aerial
maneuvers during an airshow over the Turkish-occupied northern part of
Cyprus' capital Nicosia, on November 15, 2021. (Photo by Birol Bebek/AFP
via Getty Images)
Much has been written about the dangerous anti-Israel animosity
spewing from Turkey's autocratic prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
and his circle of ministers (see here, here and here).
On July 3, immediately prior to the important NATO summit in Ankara,
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made Turkey's view even more
apparent when he said
that Israel is a "burden that humanity can no longer bear". In
Hitleresque fashion, he clearly implied that Israel and its population
should no longer exist -- meaning eliminated.
In this mode, Turkey's Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi said he hopes to become governor of Jerusalem. Do you hear Israeli ministers talk about becoming governor of Istanbul?
Israel immediately condemned such revealing threats. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called
them "horrific language from history's worst eliminationist regimes"
and noted that such "sickening words are textbook incitement to
genocide."
Turkey's genocidal attempts to eradicate Armenians (1915-1917) and Pontic Greeks (1914-1923) are a matter of recorded history, despite vehement, disingenuous denials. Turkey also has a long history of persecuting Jews and other minorities, harkening back to Ottoman times.
Israel's great prime minister of years gone by, Menachem Begin, when still leader of the opposition, explained in 1963 the seriousness of such dangerous threats:
"If the enemy of the Jews says that he has in his heart,
in his blood, the desire to destroy them — do not belittle, do not mock,
do not doubt, but take his desire seriously, treat his words with all
the seriousness inherent in them."
Upon hearing the possibility that US President Donald Trump might
restore Turkey to the F-35 program — enabling it to obtain the world's
finest stealth fighter-jets — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his justified concern:
"Turkey is a big country, but it is ruled by a man who
openly calls for Israel's destruction... it occupies half of Cyprus, a
NATO member state, threatens Greece, also a NATO member state, and
speaks openly about conquering Jerusalem."
"Erdoğan said U.S. President Donald Trump had made a
'promise' to sell F-35 fighter jets to his country as the two leaders
met on Tuesday [July 7] ahead of the two-day NATO summit in Ankara."
The same day, Trump told the media that he would be lifting the
sanctions against Turkey's defense industry that were imposed in 2020,
due to Erdogan's purchase, from his ally Russian President Vladimir Putin, of the S-400 air defense system -- against President Trump's advice not to do so. Erdogan's words were as follows:
"I believe that President Trump has made a promise on
this separately... we do hope that the promise that we have previously
received is going to be productively tested towards the future.
President Trump has always been a man of his word, and hopefully with
respect to the F-35."
Trump added that the US-Turkey relationship was "better, probably,
than it's ever been," and highlighted his personal relationship with
Erdogan: "You never know why a relationship is special... it's a
chemistry that works between us." In Trump's view, Erdogan can
apparently do nothing wrong.
Trump previously had commended Erdogan as a "respected man and respected leader," and on another occasion said,
"He is a very good friend of mine, and we have worked together very
well. I love him. He is a great leader and a very strong person."
Powerful words indeed – but perturbing.
It appears that Erdogan has become Trump's new best friend. While
Netanyahu previously held that position, Trump and Vice President J.D.
Vance have strongly, and quite unjustly, recently criticized the Israeli
prime minister. Trump actually stated that Netanyahu will "do whatever I want him to do." In a call between the two in June, Trump told Netanyahu:
"You're f**king crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't
for me. I'm saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates
Israel because of this."
To add insult to injury, Vance said
last month to Netanyahu, who has served over 18 years as prime
minister, "You can't just kill your way out of solving every single
national security problem that you have." He also said,
"If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be
attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire
world."
With such nonsense, Vance exposed his skewed understanding of Middle
Eastern geopolitical events, mindsets, and relationships. In actuality,
Israel is the only true friend that the US has in the region – the rest
being mere transactional allies of convenience.
The main reason that the prospect of Turkey obtaining F-35 fighter
jets is so disturbing is that Turkey has revealed time and again its
desire for Israel to be eliminated. In fact, now that Iran is on the
ropes, Turkey has positioned itself as the primary enemy of Israel. Erdogan is trying to present himself as the leader of the Muslim world and the natural Caliph of a coming Ottoman Empire, revived by him.
Given the vehement hostility emanating from Turkey's leaders towards
Jews and their state, and that Turkey is the best-armed Muslim military
in the Middle East, the possession of F-35 stealth fighter jets would
decidedly pose an additional existential threat to Israel that it hardly
needs.
While Israel is currently the strongest military power in the region,
its edge in hardware is predominantly founded on a superior air force,
whose central jet fighter is the F-35 – the world's most advanced attack
aircraft. Should Turkey also acquire these fighters from the US, even
without the "upgrade," Israel will be at a disadvantage.
The US government had previously blocked the sale of F-35s to Turkey,
based on the Turkish purchase from Russia of its S-400 surface-to-air
missile system. Erdogan claims as a defense that Turkey's S-400 has not
been activated. So in that case, everything must be fine! Thankfully,
the US is still insisting that so long as Turkey is in possession of the
S-400, it may not re-enter the F-35 program. Erdogan seems to be
counting on eventually being able to have both.
The S-400 anti-aircraft missile defense systems would help protect
Turkish forces from Israel's air superiority. With Turkey having much
larger ground forces than Israel, the prognosis of Israel overcoming an
invasion or attack by a future Turkey using F-35s would be deeply
alarming. Israel, however, is probably the sole nuclear power in the
region, but would doubtless never want to reach for such a weapon.
In the interim, both Trump and Vance play their negotiating games
with Iran, endeavoring to conclude an elusive ceasefire agreement with
an intransigent, deceptive and wily hardcore Islamist regime – an avowed
enemy – that will not honor any agreement it signs anyway. Among Shia
Muslims, advancing dissimulation (taqiyya) is accepted Islamic doctrine to advance the greater cause of Islam.
Trump seems drawn to strong, ruthless dictators – such as Russia's
Vladimir Putin and Communist Chinese President Xi Jinping, as if
acceptance by them assures him that he is as strong as they are.
Similarly, he also seems drawn to jihadist leaders of countries such
as Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Pakistan. They offer him
money, gifts and business deals, and no doubt tell him what he likes to
hear – but none of us would want to think that people are being friendly
because they want something from us.
Perhaps they genuinely do like Trump; he can be delightful. That does
not necessarily mean, however, that they plan to give up their jihadist
dreams of conquest and join the West, or that they entertain no plans,
when the opportunity soon presents itself, to try to overthrow it.
Nils A. Haug is an Attorney, author and columnist. He
is member of the International Bar Association, the National Association
of Scholars, the Academy of Philosophy and Letters. Among degrees in
Law, Philosophy, and English Literature, Dr. Haug holds a M.A.in Jewish
Studies (cum laude) and Ph.D. in Apologetical Theology. He is author of
'Politics, Law, and Disorder in the Garden of Eden – the Quest for
Identity'; and 'Enemies of the Innocent – Life, Truth, and Meaning in a
Dark Age.' His work has been published by First Things Journal, The
American Mind, Quadrant, Minding the Campus, Gatestone Institute,
National Association of Scholars, Jewish Journal,James Wilson Institute
(Anchoring Truths), Jewish News Syndicate, Tribune Juive,Document
Danmark, Zwiedzaj Polske,Schlaglicht Israel, The Australian Jurist,and
others.
The only countries taking meaningful action, or even expressing disapproval of this regime and its atrocities, are the United States and Israel. The United Nations and the European Union, which endlessly lecture the world about human rights and vilify Israel for defending not only itself but them, have offered effectively no objections.
The regime is murdering its
youth, including two young men who were only offering help to fleeing
protesters. At least 26 people linked to those protests have been hanged
after trials marked by torture and forced confessions, while dozens
more – in a terror state determined to instill fear – remain at urgent
risk.
The only countries taking meaningful action, or even expressing
disapproval of this regime and its atrocities, are the United States and
Israel. The United Nations and the European Union, which endlessly
lecture the world about human rights and vilify Israel for defending not
only itself but them, have offered effectively no objections.
The "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign has spread to nearly 60
prisons across Iran, marking over 130 consecutive weeks of protest. The
prisoners know the risks of protesting — further isolation, denial of
medical care, or accelerated hangings — nonetheless they refuse to stay
silent.
Contrast this to the swift, fierce international outcry whenever
Israel defends itself and Western civilization against barbarities. You
will find an unfailing avalanche of pompous statements, condemnations
and resolutions. When Iran executes protesters in public squares,
tortures prisoners, and arms Russia's war machine, the response consists
of muted expressions of "grave concern." The UN issues calls for
moratoriums, which Iran, of course, ignores.
Iranian embassies and consulates remain open across Europe;
European diplomats continue operating in Tehran. Diplomatic relations
proceed as if the regime were a normal partner rather than an outsized
human rights abuser and massive state sponsor of terrorism.
Concrete action requires, first, expelling all Iranian diplomats
and closing down all Iranian embassies and consulates in Europe. These
facilities, which simply function as operational bases for the IRGC and
intelligence networks, must be shut down.
Second, European countries should simultaneously close their own
embassies in Iran and impose a complete halt to trade with Iran. A
civilized country does not do business with a tyranny that publicly
hangs protesters, runs show trials, and tortures prisoners.
Third, provide full support — particularly military and economic
where needed — to the United States and Israel in confronting Iran's
regime. This is not merely a regional dispute; Iran is dedicated to
bringing down democracy, freedom, and international peace. Iran's regime
exports nothing but a theocratic dictatorship, terror and death.
The regime is murdering its youth, including two young men
who were only offering help to fleeing protesters. At least 26 people
linked to those protests have been hanged after trials marked by torture
and forced confessions, while dozens more – in a terror state
determined to instill fear – remain at urgent risk. Pictured: A public
execution Mashhad, Iran on December 12, 2022. (Photo by Mizan News/AFP
via Getty Images)
The number of executions in Iran has surged
dramatically in 2026, accompanied by widespread human rights
violations: torture, sham trials, and the systematic repression of
dissent.
Iranian authorities have carried out hundreds of executions so far, and it is only August. There were more than 100 in June, with the total climbing past 420 by late July, according to Iran Human Rights and other monitors. Recently a gallows
was erected in Isfahan's public square. Many of these executions appear
to be politically motivated, targeting participants in the January 2026
protests that challenged the regime.
The regime is murdering its youth, including two young men who were only offering help to fleeing protesters. At least 26 people linked to those protests have been hanged
after trials marked by torture and forced confessions, while dozens
more – in a terror state determined to instill fear – remain at urgent
risk.
The only countries taking meaningful action, or even expressing
disapproval of this regime and its atrocities, are the United States and
Israel. The United Nations and the European Union, which endlessly
lecture the world about human rights and vilify Israel for defending not
only itself but them, have offered effectively no objections.
Their inaction, of course, assures Iran's regime that mass killings
of its own people and support for global terrorism carry no real cost.
On July 28, authorities publicly hanged Amir Hossein Safari and Abolfazl Sepahi in Esfahan's Alikhani Square. Amnesty International described
the proceedings as grossly unfair, with allegations of torture and no
proper access to defense. Two others from the same case had already been
executed on July 19. In one of the first significant public displays of defiance in months, crowds gathered near the site and chanted "shameless" and "without honor" before security forces forcibly dispersed them.
Inside Iranian prisons, courageous resistance continues. At Ghezel
Hesar, Iran's largest prison, roughly 1,500 death-row inmates have been
on hunger strike for weeks against the rising executions. Some, holding placards reading "No to Executions," have sewn their lips shut.
The "No to Execution Tuesdays"
campaign has spread to nearly 60 prisons across Iran, marking over 130
consecutive weeks of protest. The prisoners know the risks of protesting
— further isolation, denial of medical care, or accelerated hangings —
nonetheless they refuse to stay silent.
Beyond its domestic brutality, Iran's regime is still actively
fueling wars abroad. It supplies Russia with drones, missiles, and
related technology to use against Ukraine. Iran has long provided Shahed
drones and ballistic missiles to inflict crushing destruction on
Ukrainian cities and civilians. This is the same Iranian regime that the
EU and UN treat with diplomatic obsequiousness.
Contrast this to the swift, fierce international outcry whenever
Israel defends itself and Western civilization against barbarities. You
will find an unfailing avalanche of pompous statements, condemnations
and resolutions. When Iran executes protesters in public squares,
tortures prisoners, and arms Russia's war machine, the response consists
of muted expressions of "grave concern." The UN issues calls for
moratoriums, which Iran, of course, ignores.
In 2025, EU-Iran goods trade totaled
approximately €3.7 billion, with EU exports around €3 billion and
imports €750 million. Germany led with over €1.1 billion in bilateral
trade, followed by Italy and the Netherlands. Even as Iran has supported
aggression against Ukraine, mass-murdered protesters in January and
then accelerated executions, robust trade with the EU persisted.
Iranian embassies and consulates remain open across Europe; European
diplomats continue operating in Tehran. Diplomatic relations proceed as
if the regime were a normal partner rather than an outsized human rights
abuser and massive state sponsor of terrorism.
Iran, as European leaders well knows, has a documented
history of terror attacks and assassination plots in Europe. These
terrorist acts target dissidents, journalists, Jewish communities, as
well as senior officials. Plots involving diplomats and proxies have been foiled, such as the 2018 plot to bomb the Free Iran rally, organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, near Paris. The gathering drew
tens of thousands of people, including high-profile attendees such as
former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former US House Speaker Newt
Gingrich, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and countless
European parliamentarians and officials.
An Iranian diplomat, Assadollah Assadi, was later convicted in Belgium of masterminding the plot. He had smuggled explosives into Europe and handed them to operatives to detonate in the crowd. The plot was thwarted
thanks to intelligence cooperation, including from Israel's Mossad, but
it revealed once again how Iran uses its diplomatic presence for
terrorism. Iranian embassies have long served as platforms to enable
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and intelligence
services.
The United States and Israel have confronted Iran's nuclear
ambitions, regional aggression, and support for terror groups. The EU
has largely stood aside. This will be remembered as one of the EU's most
shameful periods from among shameful periods that have become too
numerous to count. Institutions that once could claim the moral high
ground on human rights have refused to act against a regime that
executes, tortures, and destabilizes the West. Appeasement, as they well
know from the 1930s, only emboldens aggressors.
Concrete action requires, first, expelling all Iranian diplomats and
closing down all Iranian embassies and consulates in Europe. These
facilities, which simply function as operational bases for the IRGC and
intelligence networks, must be shut down.
Second, European countries should simultaneously close their own
embassies in Iran and impose a complete halt to trade with Iran. A
civilized country does not do business with a tyranny that publicly
hangs protesters, runs show trials, and tortures prisoners.
Third, provide full support — particularly military and economic
where needed — to the United States and Israel in confronting Iran's
regime. This is not merely a regional dispute; Iran is dedicated to
bringing down democracy, freedom, and international peace. Iran's regime
exports nothing but a theocratic dictatorship, terror and death.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a political scientist, Harvard-educated analyst, and board member of Harvard International Review. He has authored several books on the US foreign policy. He can be reached at dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu
Fauci was attempting to protect the myth behind the leftist narrative of “trust the science.”
It seems like a lifetime ago, and in many ways it was. Now called to
testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs, former National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci’s craven charade of
invoking his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent lest he incriminate
himself—even after he had been preemptively pardoned by President Biden—the
baleful memories of the COVID-19 pandemic flooded back: the insanity,
misery, hubris, and hypocrisy of the “trust the science” mob; and the
crushing of dissenting voices and the canceling of the unvaccinated by
the lockdown Left.
I vividly recollected my disgust when the “medical community’s
experts” told us it was acceptable, if not imperative, in the midst of a
readily communicable and lethal pandemic to pause the lockdowns and go
protest against systemic racism, which, while an abstraction—indeed, a
political talking point that doesn’t exist anywhere but the febrile mind
of the woke—was supposedly more dangerous than COVID-19.
Equally contemptible were the Orwellian calumnies that only
“conspiracy theorists” or racists thought the virus originated during a
gain-of-function experiment that leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China.
Worse, those who further asserted this gain-of-function research had
been funded with laundered federal money to illicitly outsource it to
communist China, where there are far more lax standards for such
labs—and, ergo, increasing the likelihood of the leak theory.
The lockdowns’ dictates caused the deaths of the most vulnerable
among us, such as senior citizens, while their relatives were barred
from seeing them in their final moments—and from helping facilitate
their well-being—all the while eroding Americans’ liberty and
livelihoods. (See here, here, here, and here.)
Yet, can pandemic policymakers
masquerading as saviors save themselves? Once an unmasked America
realizes the COVID-19 pandemic ran its course largely regardless of the
steps the pandemic policymakers prescribed; and, far more devastating,
was actually exacerbated by their unconscionable decisions, such as New
York and Michigan’s nursing home policies and the multi-state lockdowns
with their ensuing depression and social costs, there is a chance
something else might survive the pandemic—liberty.
All that is required is for some critical
thinking by the citizenry; and a recognition that the pandemic
policymakers are forcing you to cover your face so they can cover their
ass.
Yes, as the remarks of Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rick Scott
(R-Fla.) attested, the litany of the pandemic’s sins is long but bears
repeating so it is ever remembered and, in doing so, helps prevent them
from ever happening again. This explains the public policy interest
behind the hearing.
Yet, it also reveals the motive behind Fauci’s testimony. And, prior to taking the Fifth, he did make an opening statement that risibly portrayed himself as the victim:
Given Senator Paul’s obvious obsession
with calling for my prosecution, his repeated slanderous comments about
me, and recently his publicly releasing my unredacted personal diary
aimed at embarrassing and intimidating me, the only conclusion I can
reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this Committee is
to get me to say something that could vindicate his repeated public
pledges that I end up, in his words, ‘behind bars.’
Yet, the man who, in 2020, never met a camera or microphone he didn’t
like, did not publicly defend himself against such “slanderous
comments.” No, from there on it was a case of, “Under the advice of my
attorneys, I will invoke my right under the 5th Amendment of the
Constitution to refrain from answering your questions.” And his silence
spoke volumes not merely about himself but of the entire premise of the
progressive project, one holding that rule by the Administrative State’s
“experts” is better than that of self-governing sovereign citizens.
For if the “experts” like Fauci outsourced gain-of-function
experiments to communist China and caused a pandemic, then directed the
cover-up by improvising public health measures—often creating them out
of whole cloth; locking down the populace; and deliberately dividing
citizens into warring camps, all in an effort to escape
accountability—well then, who in their right mind would ever blindly
“trust the science,” let alone the Administrative State?
Thus, by remaining stonily silent, Fauci was attempting to protect
the myth behind the leftist narrative of “trust the science,” a
foundational lie of their movement. Should the one-time, almost
universally media-adored doctor whom half the country unreservedly
trusted prove to be a fraud and, possibly, a criminal and negligent mass
murderer, the whole leftist siren song to turn self-governing sovereign
citizens into a bunch of hapless, couch-bound neurotics dependent upon
the secular high priests of therapy and science implodes from its own
egomaniacal, authoritarian conceits.
And not soon enough.
Photo: Former NIH Director Anthony Fauci
Testifies Senate Committee On Homeland Affairs
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 29: Former NIH Director Anthony Fauci testifies
before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
hearing on July 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. Fauci was expected to be
questioned about his diary entries during his handling of the Covid-19
pandemic. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Thaddeus G. McCotter is an American Greatness contributor. The Hon. Thaddeus G. McCotter
(M.C., Ret.) represented Michigan’s 11th Congressional district from
2003 to 2012 and served as Chair of the Republican House Policy
Committee. Not a lobbyist, he is a frequent public speaker and moderator
for public policy seminars, and a Monday co-host of the "John Batchelor Show" among sundry media appearances.
FISA Section 702, which lawmakers must reauthorize by March 2027, allows federal intelligence agencies to conduct warrantless electronic surveillance on foreign nationals of suspicion, whether they are abroad or traveling in the U.S.
(The Center Square) -
As Congress plans to reauthorize a
major government surveillance authority, privacy advocates say that
failing to enact reforms would allow the federal government to spy on
Americans at an unprecedented scale with artificial intelligence.
FISA Section 702, which lawmakers must reauthorize by March 2027,
allows federal intelligence agencies to conduct warrantless electronic
surveillance on foreign nationals of suspicion, whether they are abroad
or traveling in the U.S.
But the electronic data of ordinary American citizens – including
emails, text messages, and phone calls – are routinely swept up as well.
Intelligence agencies can store that data for up to five years, while
agents will routinely search through that data without obtaining a
warrant.
With the rapid advancement of AI technology, however, Americans’
privacy is even more vulnerable than when Section 702 was enacted in
2008. Federal agents can simply feed the data into an AI model and
effectively create dossiers on innocent U.S. citizens.
“The concern is that artificial intelligence AI could be used in
these databases to effectively target and collect information in ways
that we hadn't seen before,” Don Bell, policy counsel at The
Constitution Project at the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), told
The Center Square.
“What we're seeing now is a truly unprecedented merger of increasing
technological capabilities and a federal government that is willing to
use these tools to target not just individuals but broad sections of
American society.”
Though the U.S. Intelligence Community and the Department of Justice
have previously claimed they aren’t using AI in FISA databases, they
have failed to answer lawmakers’ requests for proof.
FISA Section 702 currently has no prohibition on the federal
government effectively outsourcing its surveillance to private companies
via the “data broker loophole.”
“Data brokers collect performance management information, and they
basically package that up and sell thousands of data points that they
claim to have on people. And the federal government, rather than getting
a warrant for a lot of that information, just circumvents the
constitution by buying it from these massive data sets,” Bell said.
“But you would need a lot of money and people and time to sort
through that and build the profiles necessary for effective
surveillance. But with artificial intelligence, that makes it more
efficient, cheaper and more doable.”
Bell, along with a number of organizations, proved just how doable
the process is. With a basic AI model that they built in two weeks and a
couple of data broker subscriptions, they were able to create highly
detailed profiles of ordinary citizens in seconds.
“So it looks basically like typing into a search engine bar, ‘find X
person at Planned Parenthood’ — but it could have been X person at a gun
range, pick your place — and within seconds, this AI agent was able to
pull all kinds of information on this individual,” Bell said.
“Not just their name and date of birth, but where they lived, where
they worked, who their children were, financial information, things that
obviously could kill constitutionally protected speech and really
create a dossier on someone,” he continued.
“They were also able to basically draw a circle around the Planned
Parenthood clinic — but again, it could be anyplace — and they were able
to create a map showing all of the people in the community who were
traveling to this place, how long they were there, all of that
information.”
The issue, Bell said, is obvious: AI’s ability to collect, organize,
and streamline information almost immediately and at such a monumental
scale could permanently kill privacy rights if Congress fails to
intervene.
“If the government is purchasing our data and our location data and
they can use artificial intelligence to create these kinds of profiles,
then there is no privacy,” Bell said. “They can reach into our lives in
the most invasive way possible, and they can do it at scale. Entire
communities can be surveilled, entire groups of people.”
In short, Congress has failed to keep up with changes in technology
that are imposing new threats to privacy rights, Bell argued, enabling a
“dangerously escalating pattern of surveillance.”
“That's why it's so important for Congress to take a stand now to
close the data loophole, and also really think about how the changes in
surveillance technology really are an existential threat to the
Constitution and our privacy,” Bell said.
So far, Congress is still locked in a debate over whether to reform
FISA at all. Nearly all Democrats and 19 Republicans in the U.S. House tanked a clean extension of Section 702, over many privacy concerns.
The program can operate without Congressional authorization until
March 2027. That’s because FISA Court approves year-long certifications
for Section 702, which remain in effect even if the underlying authority
has expired.
Trump made the comments in response to GOP holdouts on the Blanche nomination, which are currently Cornyn and Tillis
President Trump said on Saturday that he’s willing to keep Todd
Blanche as acting attorney general and push for an "anti-weaponization
bill" instead of the $1.8 billion fund that he was pursuing before.
"If Senators Cornyn and Tillis, both upset because I wouldn’t Endorse
them (they lost, and quit, respectively!), aren’t going to approve Todd
Blanche, one of the most respected professionals, according to
everybody, in the Country, to be the United States Attorney General,
then I will keep Todd as Acting A.G., and push hard to get the
Anti-Weaponization Bill, which takes care of those who have been so
badly treated by the Crooked Joe Biden (and Obuma!) Administration (I
get nothing, although I was treated horribly!), PASSED," he wrote on
Truth Social.
"Todd Blanche was a voice of reason! It will immediately be back on
the table, and I will get it done. Thank you for your attention to this
matter!" he added.
The Trump administration launched the school choice p in 2025 through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This created a federal income tax credit of up to $1,700 annually for individuals who donate to certified Scholarship Granting Organizations.
(The Center Square) -
Thirty-one states have opted in to
the federal Education Freedom Scholarship Program, while 19 states and
Washington, D.C. have not done so, ahead of the January 2027 deadline.
The Trump administration launched the school choice p in 2025 through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
This created a federal income tax credit of up to $1,700 annually for
individuals who donate to certified Scholarship Granting Organizations.
SGOs would then distribute funds to families for education expenses,
including tuition, tutoring, curriculum and instructional materials.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and other supporters of
school choice have said these programs place parents back in the
driver's seat of their child’s education, providing more flexibility and
options for the family.
While school choice has drawn bipartisan support in some areas,
several Democratic-led states, including Pennsylvania and Illinois, have
not joined the program.
Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois have
raised concerns about state oversight, accountability and the degree of
control states would retain under the federal initiative.
Jorge Elorza, president and CEO of Democrats for Education Reform,
said states that decline to opt in risk losing significant financial
benefits.
“Pledging to put more money into more of the same and expecting the
general public and parents just to trust that this time, it's going to
be different. How long do we expect families to believe that?” Elorza
told The Center Square.
Though the initiative originated from President Donald Trump’s One
Big Beautiful Bill, Elorza said it should be evaluated on its merits.
In Colorado,
The Center Square reported that the tax credit program could generate
between $164 million and $493 million annually, create thousands of jobs
and expand access to schools of choice for tens of thousands of
students.
States that have opted into the federal Education Freedom Scholarship
Program are Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia,
Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina,
North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee,
Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Students living in states that do not opt into the program are not
eligible to receive scholarships funded through the federal initiative.
Yet taxpayers in those states may still claim the federal tax credit by
donating to SGOs operating in participating states.
Four states have announced they will not participate in the federal
Education Freedom Scholarship Program: Hawaii, Minnesota, New Mexico and
Oregon.
Arizona and Wisconsin have not opted into the program either. Govs. Katie Hobbs of Arizona and Tony Evers of Wisconsin have vetoed legislation that would have required the state to participate, stating that it diverts funds from public education.
The Second Intifada massacre, like the slaughter on Oct. 7, stands as a grim reminder of the folly and hubris of the makers of peace plans and deals with terrorists.
The aftermath of the Sbarro pizzaria
bombing at the corner of King George Street and Jaffa Road in Jerusalem,
Aug. 9, 2001. Credit: Avi Ohayon/GPO.
For the rest of the world, including most Jews, Aug. 9 is just
another day on the calendar. It doesn’t have the resonance of 9/11 or
Oct. 7. Unlike those dates that remain inextricably linked to horrifying
terrorist attacks, what happened on Aug. 9, 2001 has faded into memory
for most Jews.
Some remember the Palestinian Arab suicide bombing
at the Sbarro pizzeria at the corner of King George Street and the Jaffa
Road in Jerusalem, which took the lives of 16 people, including eight
children and a pregnant woman, and wounded another 130 persons. It was
one among many such atrocities committed by the Palestinians during the
terrorist war of attrition waged by the Palestinians from 2001 to 2005,
known as the Second Intifada. And even that terrible struggle, which
took the lives of more than 1,000 Israelis and many more Palestinians,
has been overshadowed by the unspeakable crimes committed on Oct. 7,
2023, and the ordeal of the war against Iran and its terrorist proxies
ever since.
Other than the families of the murdered and injured, that day isn’t likely circled on many calendars.
A date to remember
So, perhaps it’s understandable that it might fade from our consciousness.
Indeed,
many such dates fade from the collective memory of nations because of
the passage of time. Dec. 7 was once a turning point in the lives of
Americans, who could tell you where they were and what they were doing
when they heard the news that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor,
dragging the United States into the Second World War. But those who have
such memories of the events of 85 years ago are now few and far
between.
Increasingly, the same is true for Nov. 22, which was
once indelibly linked to the trauma of the assassination of President
John F. Kennedy, but which now has little resonance for any but the
conspiracy-theory buffs among the overwhelming majority of Americans who
were not alive then.
Malki Roth with her disabled sister, Haya, in 1996. Credit: Courtesy.
But we should remember Aug. 9—and not just because this
year is the 25th anniversary of that horrible incident. It stands as a
reminder of the folly and hubris of those who dabble in the Middle East
peace process. That is something that President Donald Trump ought to
keep in mind when he issues bold statements about peace in the Mideast.
Trump’s
Board of Peace, which is responsible for the rebuilding of the Gaza
Strip in the aftermath of the post-Oct. 7 war, has announced a new plan
for implementing the disarmament of Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli
forces from the region. Israel’s moves would be contingent on the
terrorists laying down their weapons and the president’s threats to
Hamas if they don’t comply sound tough. But Trump’s breezy optimism
about Hamas surrendering its armaments seems reminiscent of such
predictions about the end of Palestinian terrorism the world has heard
many times in the past, not least in the years before Aug. 9, 2001.
The Sbarro bombing was a shocking indicator of the barbarism of Israel’s erstwhile peace partners.
Nearly
eight years earlier, most Israelis and the Jewish world had rejoiced in
the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords on the White House Lawn by
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat under the confident patronage of President Bill Clinton. Only a
year before the bombing, Israel’s then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak had
journeyed to Camp David, where he and Clinton had followed up on Oslo by
offering Arafat an independent state in Gaza, a share of Jerusalem, and
almost all of Judea and Samaria. Arafat rejected the offer. By way of
further response, he launched the wave of terror attacks that literally
and figuratively blew up the peace process. Instead of trading land for
peace, it exchanged land for terror.
Blowing up Oslo
The
events of Aug. 9 were just one of many such terror attacks that were
the fruits of Oslo. The ability of Hamas, which was responsible for the
attack on the Sbarro restaurant, to wage a campaign of terrorism on this
scale was only due to the terms of the peace accords, which granted the
Palestinians full autonomy. Its accomplices were Palestinian Islamic
Jihad and Arafat’s Fatah Party (with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade its
terrorist arm), which ran the Palestinian Authority.
During an
interview during his last visit to the United States before his tragic
assassination, Rabin told me he believed that Arafat would fight the
terrorists with the sort of effectiveness and brutality that Israel
couldn’t match because of its Supreme Court and rule of law.
But
Arafat had no interest in fighting terrorism. He was, in fact,
fomenting, planning and paying for it. And rather than take “yes” for an
answer when Clinton and Barak offered him a state, he gave a green
light to the malign activities of Hamas and created a Fatah outfit to
compete with it in shedding Jewish blood.
Ahlam Tamimi. Photo by Flash90.
There were many other terrible terrorist incidents during
the Second Intifada, among them the bombing of the Dolphinarium
Discotheque two months before Sbarro, which took the lives of 21
Israelis, mostly teenagers. There was also the bombing of the Moment
Cafe in Jerusalem in March 2002 that killed 11 people; the Park Hotel
Passover massacre in Netanya that resulted in the murder of 30 people,
as well as many bus and other bombings.
Each was a tragedy. But
what makes Sbarro stand out is the calculated brutality of targeting a
restaurant at lunchtime on a Friday afternoon, at a time when families
were out near a busy shopping district before the start of the Sabbath.
The goal was not just to slaughter and maim, but to deliberately target
women and children.
Unrepentant murderer
What also
makes it stick is the utter lack of remorse of one of the key players in
this crime. Ahlam Tamimi, a 20-year-old university student and
Hamas-affiliated terrorist, scouted the location for the planners and
then guided the suicide bomber, Izz al-Din Shuheil al-Masri, to the
site, where he exploded bombs containing explosives, nails, nuts and
bolts.
When later told by a journalist that she had helped murder
eight children rather than only three, as she had initially believed,
she expressed happiness and even smiled.
Tamimi
was convicted on 16 counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison,
though she remained confident that she would eventually be freed. Sadly,
she was correct.
She was one of more than 1,000 terrorists
exchanged in 2011 for the freedom of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad
Shalit, who had been taken along the Gaza border in 2011, in a deal
approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Today,
despite being on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted List” (three Americans were
among those murdered in the bombing), she lives in freedom in Jordan,
where she hosts a talk show on a Hamas-affiliated channel. Amman has
refused U.S. demands for extradition. In 2021, Interpol dropped its
arrest warrant for Tamimi.
The family of one of the slain victims,
15-year-old Malki Roth, created the Keren Malki foundation to aid
families with children who have disabilities. But her father, Arnold Roth,
has also continued the fight for justice in the case. He continues to
advocate for Washington to pressure Jordan, a recipient of American aid
to the tune of $1.45 billion a year, to give her up to stand trial in
the United States. But since both America and Israel (whose leader freed
her, after all) view maintaining King Abdullah in office and protecting
him against Islamist domestic critics as a higher priority than putting
Tamimi back in jail, that quest may never succeed.
Arnold
Roth and his wife, Frimet, hold a picture of their murdered daughter,
Malki, then just a teenager, on July 15, 2025. Photo by Noam Sharon.
A rebuke to peace processors
That is deeply
unjust. But this 25th anniversary of the Sbarro bombing should be more
than just a date where we remember the victims and the horror of Aug. 9,
2001. It should be a standing rebuke to all who would trust and empower
Islamists like those of Hamas, its members like Tamimi, and its
funders, including the governments of Iran and Qatar.
The
administrations of the United States and Israel must never forget that
attempts to buy off or appease a group and a people whose goal is, in
addition to a war on all of the West, the destruction of Israel and the
genocide of its people, are always bound to fail. That was true during
the Oslo era of the ’90s; the 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip; and
the subsequent efforts by the Bush, Obama, Biden and even the Trump
administration to craft deals with the Palestinians. For too long,
feckless foreign-policy “experts” preached that there was no alternative
to such folly.
Some Americans and Israelis
persist in pushing for such insane plans. Any such effort, no matter
how well-intentioned (as all of them were), is bound to fail until a sea
change occurs in the political culture of the Palestinians to will
treat people like Tamimi and other terrorists as shameful villains,
rather than as heroes and martyrs to be admired and emulated.
That
is something that doesn’t seem possible in the foreseeable future, as
testified by the popularity of the Oct. 7 atrocities among Palestinians,
and the enduring fame of Tamimi and other Second Intifada criminals.
Until it does, optimistic statements like those of Trump—and even less
savvy peace processors—will inevitably lead to more sorrow and
bloodshed.
Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem News Syndicate, a senior contributor for The Federalist, a columnist for Newsweek
and a contributor to many other publications. He covers the American
political scene, foreign policy, the U.S.-Israel relationship, Middle
East diplomacy, the Jewish world and the arts. He hosts the JNS “Think Twice”
podcast, both the weekly video program and the “Jonathan Tobin Daily”
program, which are available on all major audio platforms and YouTube.
Previously, he was executive editor, then senior online editor and chief
political blogger, for Commentary magazine. Before that, he was editor-in-chief of The Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia and editor of the Connecticut Jewish Ledger.
He has won more than 60 awards for commentary, art criticism and other
writing. He appears regularly on television, commenting on politics and
foreign policy. Born in New York City, he studied history at Columbia
University.
