Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Witkoff: Points of contention between Israel, Hamas ceasefire drop from four to one - Amichai Stein

 

by Amichai Stein

The main difficulty in the hostage deal talks in Qatar is the issue of maps, meaning the deployment of IDF troops during the ceasefire.

 

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff speaks during a dinner with US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Blue Room of the White House, July 7, 2025
US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff speaks during a dinner with US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Blue Room of the White House, July 7, 2025
(photo credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

 

The Trump administration's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Tuesday that the points of contention between Israel and Hamas to reach a deal have been reduced from four to one.

"I hope that by the end of the week, there will be a chance to reach an agreement," Witkoff said.

The main difficulty in the hostage deal talks in Qatar is the issue of maps, meaning the deployment of IDF troops during the ceasefire.

Israel is seeking a military presence along the Morag Corridor in the Gaza Strip as part of the ongoing talks.

Defense Minister Israel Katz discussed this in a briefing on Monday, but implied that this would not necessarily be a deal breaker.

 (Illustrative) US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff over a backdrop of Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. (credit:  REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool REFILE , ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)
(Illustrative) US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff over a backdrop of Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. (credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool REFILE , ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)
"Israel presented problematic maps. It’s not about 100 meters here or 100 meters there, but rather significant changes compared to the withdrawal to the March lines demanded by Hamas," a source from the mediating countries told The Jerusalem Post.

Netanyahu-Trump second meeting in two days

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet at 4:30 p.m. local time at the White House to discuss ongoing hostage deal talks, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed on Tuesday.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.

This is a developing report.


Amichai Stein

Source: https://www.jpost.com/international/article-860400

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US, Israel sign MOU on AI, energy cooperation during Netanyahu visit - Israel National News

 

by Israel National News

Under the agreement, signed at the Blair House, regional projects, including IMEC and the Abraham Accords, will be advanced, and a working group on cooperation regarding standards and optimal practices, as well as safe digital infrastructure for embedding AI in the energy economies.

 

Signing the MOU
Signing the MOU                                                                                Avi Ohayon (GPO)

The State of Israel and the US, today (Tuesday), signed an MOU on advancing cooperation in energy and artificial intelligence (AI).

The signing was held at Blair House, in Washington, with the participation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, together with the ambassadors of both countries - Mike Huckabee and Yechiel Leiter.

The agreement, which was formulated under the leadership of Energy Secretary Eli Cohen, is designed to advance cooperation in applying AI to strengthening the energy grids in Israel and the US, and to encourage research, innovation and the development of joint policies. Under the agreement, regional projects, including IMEC and the Abraham Accords, will be advanced, and a working group on cooperation regarding standards and optimal practices, as well as safe digital infrastructure for embedding AI in the energy economies.

The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure is a party to the agreement along with the Prime Minister's Office and the US Department of Energy, the US Department of the Interior and the White House National Energy Dominance Council.

Prime Minister Netanyahu stated: "Mr. Secretary, Mr. Secretary, ambassadors, the future belongs to those who innovate. America and Israel are the prime innovation nations on the planet. AI is the thrust of innovation now and will create unbelievable things in the future. It's both challenging, because there could be bad things in it, but there could be unimaginable good things. I think we can lead this. This day will be remembered. Not every signing ceremony is as significant as this. This is very significant."

"I want to thank you and President Trump for the incredible cooperation and friendship that has been unmatched and will yield great things for America and Israel. It will make both of us greater, again," Netanyahu said.

US Secretary of the Interior Burgum stated :"Before we begin, I do want to say about this historic agreement. There has been such incredible collaboration between the United States and Israel demonstrated over the last month. The planning, the execution, the world has never seen anything like it, truly eliminating one of the existential threats that was facing the entire world, not just Israel and the United States. So again, congratulations."

"This step takes us into the future around collaboration because we know that defense would not be working without AI, but all the incredible technological leadership, the great entrepreneurship, the incredible startup community that's strong and vibrant in Israel, all of this bodes well for the future. The first kind of agreement that Chris and I have signed with any country is this one and we think it's a great place to start."

US Secretary of Energy Wright stated: "Honored to partner with you and the tremendous people of Israel, as you say, innovators, technology innovators, cutting-edge business folks and strong, proud country, and been a great American ally for a long time and I think our partnership has never been tighter, never been stronger than it is today."


Israel National News

Source: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/411345

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The Suspicious Qatari Fly In The Mideast Peace Ointment - Susan Quinn

 

by Susan Quinn

Currently, President Trump seems to see Qatar as a peace partner in Gaza, but its record of funding terrorism suggests he’s dancing with the Devil.

 

“We are seriously tired.” This statement comes from a Gaza resident, but it could just as easily have been made by an Israeli. Much blood and treasure have been spent, ceasefires have been negotiated, some, but not all, hostages have been released (both living and dead), and Gaza has been flooded (as always) with aid. Once again, the prospect of a deal seems near. The question now is what type of deal will be reached? And perhaps the even more pressing question is, why is Qatar so prominently involved?

The Israelis require certain conditions: The release of all hostages, whether living or dead, and Hamas may not rule in Gaza. They will not compromise on either of these requirements. The first condition is conceivable, except that Hamas demands that Israel first end the war before it turns over the hostages. But the second requirement leads to complications that could have serious repercussions.

Donald Trump with Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Public domain.

President Trump has recommended that a consortium of Arab countries form to govern Gaza, one of which would be Hamas’s friend, Qatar:

If a consortium of Arab countries controls the Gaza Strip, one of those countries is bound to be Qatar. One of Qatar’s main reasons for existing is to make sure that radical Islamic organizations stay active and well-funded. It is hard to think of an Islamist terrorist group that has not been a large beneficiary of Qatar -- from ISIS, to al-Qaeda, to the Taliban, not to mention Hamas.

There were rumors this week that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas might ultimately include a consortium of Arab countries taking charge of the Gaza Strip.

Unfortunately, hardly anything could be more dangerous than that for the stability of the region. A consortium of Arab countries governing the tiny strip of land next to Israel is, in fact, is a sure-fire recipe for a monstrous conflict just around the corner. This plan will make all the breathtaking achievements of US President Donald J. Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the great US Air Force and the Israel Defense Forces be for naught.

So why would Qatar even be considered as a likely member of the consortium? For one, the Qataris have invested billions into U.S. universities. They have also funded organizations that manipulate the student populations at these universities. That makes them popular in certain quarters, but they’ve also funded Hamas:

‘Since Hamas’s deadly attack on October 7, 2023, and throughout the war that broke out in its aftermath, the state of Qatar, its media, and institutions affiliated with it have consistently expressed unreserved support for Hamas and for terror and armed violence against Israel. This support finds expression on all levels, in statements by officials and religious clerics, in the media and in the education system. Despite its ostensible role as a mediator between Hamas and Israel, Qatar, which has for years sheltered Hamas leaders within its borders and funded this organization with billions of dollars, has taken a blatantly pro-Hamas and anti-Israel line. Qatari Shura Council member Essa Al-Nassr said that October 7 was the beginning of the end of the Zionist state, presenting this as a divine promise mentioned in the Quran. He added that there can be no peace with the Jews, because their faith condones ‘depletion, the violation of agreements and lies’ and they are ‘slayers of the prophets.’’

Qatar’s foreign ministry released a statement on October 7, 2023, holding ‘Israel alone responsible’ for Hamas’s massacres. The ministry ignored Hamas’s war crimes and accused Israel of violating international law.

Even Qatar’s Arab neighbors view Qatar as dangerous:

In 2017, [Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates] severed ties with Qatar and imposed a sea, land and air blockade on it. They accused Qatar of supporting various terrorist groups and extremist movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood, and demanded the closure of Al-Jazeera.

The surrounding Arab nations only stood down when Qatar committed to stop funding terrorist organizations:

On January 20, 2021, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced that it had agreed with Qatar to restore diplomatic relations after a severance of nearly three-and-a-half years. The reestablishing of ties came amid a flurry of regional diplomatic momentum welcoming Qatar back to the Arab fold.

The irony of this settlement is that Egypt, one of the countries in Trump’s recommendation for a consortium, could easily renew smuggling weapons and terrorists into Gaza. It is, after all, a profitable enterprise.

So, why does President Trump consider Qatar a wise choice for a new consortium, in spite of its questionable record? This White House fact sheet offers some insights:

  • Qatar has made significant investments in the United States across hotels and tourism, financial services, technology, healthcare, and energy, with plans to invest even more over the next five years. These investments strengthen the U.S. economy by supporting good-paying jobs for millions of American workers, expanding U.S. exports, and funding research and development.
  • Qatar has the third largest proven reserves of natural gas in the world, and has invested in American energy infrastructure, directly contributing to U.S. energy security and industrial resilience.
  • Starting in 2019, QatarEnergy initiated $18 billion in investments in the U.S. energy sector with ExxonMobil’s Golden Pass LNG Terminal ($10 billion) and Chevron Phillips Chemical’s Golden Triangle Polymers Plant ($8 billion), both located on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Apparently, Qatar, despite its suspicious relationship with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, is regarded as a viable partner for the consortium:

Qatar claims that the money it delivered to Hamas in the Gaza Strip over many years was humanitarian aid, and intended for the civilian population, but evidence suggests that much of the funding has directly benefited Hamas’s political and military structures, already on record as stealing aid.

[snip]

Between 2018 and 2023 alone, Qatar delivered funds, in cash, to Hamas in the Gaza Strip, amounting to $30 million each month. Didier Billion, deputy director of the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, said that Qatar’s financial support of $30 million per month is ‘proven and public.’

‘These payments are [purported] to pay civil servants in Gaza, and we know perfectly well that these are members of Hamas. Doha’s money is therefore the equivalent of direct support for this organisation which has held the Palestinian enclave with an iron fist for many years.’

Assuming that Qatar will be a reliable partner in the proposed consortium to govern Hamas is foolish at best, and destined for disaster at worst. Let’s hope that the dollar signs that Trump sees will not blind him to the political reality.

 

Susan Quinn

Source: https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/07/the_suspicious_qatari_fly_in_the_mideast_peace_ointment.html

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The Judge-Emperor: The Global Coup of the Courts - Drieu Godefridi

 

by Drieu Godefridi

From Israel to the United States, via Europe, the judicial coup d'état has become permanent. In the West, it is not the executive that threatens the separation of powers. It is faceless judges lacking democratic legitimacy who legislate on the pretext of judging.

 

  • In the West, it is not the executive that threatens the separation of powers. It is faceless judges lacking democratic legitimacy who legislate on the pretext of judging.... [T]his judicial imperialism... [has] become a judicial tyranny....

  • These innovations... have gradually established the Israeli Supreme Court as the ultimate arbiter of all questions, not only legal but also political. Any Israeli citizen -- and any NGO, even one funded from abroad -- has the right to ask the Supreme Court to overturn any democratic decision.... There is no decision of the Israeli government and parliament that cannot be overturned by unelected judges.

  • [Marine Le Pen and her supporters] argued, accurately, that the judges were essentially preventing the French people from voting for Le Pen.

  • There is effectively no longer a single "right-wing" measure that can be adopted in any field by Parliament or the government without being struck down by the Constitutional Council or the courts. When the left loses at the ballot box, it is certain to win in the courts. In France, the judge reigns and the people no longer seem to have sovereignty over anything.

  • The torrents of universal rules and requirements deriving from articles of the European Convention on Human Rights (e.g. privacy, dignity), and the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights are probably the worst modern example of tyrannical judicial imperialism. The anarchy of immigration in Europe is entirely of its making.

  • The US Supreme Court decided last week that the district court judges had jurisdiction over specific cases and plaintiffs in their districts -- not across the nation.

In the West, it is not the executive that threatens the separation of powers. It is faceless judges lacking democratic legitimacy who legislate on the pretext of judging. The torrents of universal rules and requirements deriving from articles of the European Convention on Human Rights (e.g. privacy, dignity), and the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (pictured) are probably the worst modern example of tyrannical judicial imperialism. (Photo by Frederick Florin/AFP via Getty Images)

"The judges of the nation are only the mouth that pronounces the words of the law, inanimate beings who can neither moderate its force nor its rigor."
Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws (1748), Book XI, Chapter VI

From Israel to the United States, via Europe, the judicial coup d'état has become permanent. In the West, it is not the executive that threatens the separation of powers. It is faceless judges lacking democratic legitimacy who legislate on the pretext of judging. Here are four salient examples of this judicial imperialism -- which have become a judicial tyranny -- and a proposed American solution.

Israel

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Israeli Supreme Court introduced three innovations that revolutionized Israel's legal and political landscape. First, it abolished the "standing" requirement, allowing anyone to challenge any government decision before the Supreme Court simply because they disagreed with it, even if they were not personally affected by it. This is unique in the Western world. Second, the Court removed the restriction on justiciability, placing all government and administrative actions (including foreign affairs, military actions and the budget) under its control — an extraordinary measure. Third, the Court took on the power to assess the "reasonableness" of government decisions, thus giving itself a political veto over the elected government's choices.

These innovations did not simply increase the power of Israel's Supreme Court into a "super-court." They have gradually established it as the ultimate arbiter of all questions, not only legal but also political. Any Israeli citizen -- and any NGO, even one funded from abroad -- has the right to ask the Supreme Court to overturn any democratic decision. The Supreme Court will grant this annulment if it deems the decision "unreasonable" or that the law is in conflict with a "Basic Law." There is no decision of the Israeli government and parliament that cannot be overturned by unelected judges.

France

Leading in all the presidential polls, Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally party, has been sentenced to a five-year ban from holding public office with provisional execution -- a rare occurrence -- for assigning assistants paid by the European Parliament to French national tasks. Le Pen and her supporters described the decision as political, and an attack on democracy. They argued, accurately, that the judges were essentially preventing the French people from voting for Le Pen. The accusation of "government by judges" was immediately relayed, and rightly so, by figures such as Éric Zemmour and Guillaume Bigot, who denounced a judiciary seeking to influence the political course by penalizing a major opposition figure.

In January 2017, when François Fillon, former Prime Minister and presidential candidate of the Republicans party, was the favorite in the polls, the weekly newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné revealed that his wife, Penelope Fillon, had benefited from fictitious employment as a parliamentary assistant between 1998 and 2013, as well as a literary adviser to the magazine Revue des Deux Mondes. It is estimated that she received more than €1 million without any proof of actual work done. The very next day, the National Financial Prosecutor's Office opened a preliminary investigation, followed by an indictment of François Fillon for "misappropriation of public funds", "complicity and concealment of misuse of corporate assets", and "failure to comply with reporting obligations". Do Fillon's practices seem abusive? They do. But they have been common practice for decades in France and elsewhere in Europe, and only Fillon has been judged while a candidate, then stigmatized and for years dragged through the mud.

In 2024, the Constitutional Council censured several provisions of the Immigration Act, adopted under political pressure to tighten the conditions for entry and residence in France. This censure provoked the anger of politicians, notably then Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin. He spoke of a "government of judges", criticizing the Constitutional Council's intervention, which was perceived as thwarting the will of Parliament and the government, in the name of general principles.

There is effectively no longer a single "right-wing" measure that can be adopted in any field by Parliament or the government without being struck down by the Constitutional Council or the courts. When the left loses at the ballot box, it is certain to win in the courts. In France, the judge reigns and the people no longer seem to have sovereignty over anything.

Europe

In Europe, the open-borders jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights obliges states to bring to Europe any illegal immigrant intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea, even ten meters from the African coast, whether a sovereign government wishes to welcome them or not.

Here are two recent examples of extreme judicial imperialism in the field of migration:

  • A Malian immigrant in France, claiming to be an unaccompanied minor (UAM), had his status as a minor challenged by the French authorities after a bone scan. He was placed in a detention center and threatened with deportation. The ECHR in 2024 ruled against France for violating Article 8 (right to privacy) of the European Convention on Human Rights, finding that the age assessment was not sufficiently rigorous and that the detention was disproportionate.
  • A Congolese immigrant in the United Kingdom, convicted of sexually assaulting his stepdaughter, challenged his expulsion by invoking his "right to family life." The UK immigration tribunal ruled that his expulsion would violate Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, holding that family ties took precedence over a criminal conviction.

The torrents of universal rules and requirements deriving from articles of the European Convention on Human Rights (e.g. privacy, dignity), and the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights are probably the worst modern example of tyrannical judicial imperialism. The anarchy of immigration in Europe is entirely of its making. Since the rulings of the imperial European Court of Human Rights are deemed to be the "official interpretation" of the text of the European Convention on Human Rights, they are imposed on all European states (except Russia, Belarus and Vatican City) as supreme law, which no parliamentary majority can overturn. So much for "democracy."

American hope

For 40 years, the United States has been similarly engaged in a process of judicial usurpation of democratic sovereignty. Not only has the Supreme Court validated extremist policies, particularly racist policies (affirmative action) -- recently disavowed by the Court -- but for years it has been federal district court judges who, via national injunctions, have been preventing the president and Congress from pursuing the policies for which they were elected. These injunctions were not issued because the policies violated the Constitution; rather, they reflected the judges' own political views and an effort to supersede America's "separation of powers" – the legislative, the executive and the judicial.

On June 27, 2025, however, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Trump v CASA, Inc. by a vote of 6 to 3, limiting the power of federal district courts to issue nationwide injunctions. From now on, these injunctions, which block nationwide federal executive policies, will apply only to specific plaintiffs, and not to the entire policy nationwide. More than 600 federal district court judges in the US had been blocking executive orders from the president. The US Supreme Court decided last week that the district court judges had jurisdiction over specific cases and plaintiffs in their districts -- not across the nation.

The Supreme Court decision aims to reduce judicial overreach and restore the balance of power between the executive and judicial branches. The majority, led by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, held that national injunctions exceeded the prerogatives of the courts. This ruling will make it easier to implement the policies for which Trump was elected, particularly on immigration.

Let us also not forget the costly two-year spectacle, before the 2016 presidential election, of the deliberate framing of then-presidential candidate Donald J. Trump, accusing him of colluding with Russia. Trump's accusers, it turned out, knew all along that their claims were false. Before the 2020 presidential election, 51 former intelligence officials deliberately lied in claiming that Hunter Biden's laptop was fraudulent, when they and the FBI knew it was real. That fraud may well have redirected that election.

The role of the judges is to enforce the law in the face of the disputes brought before them. Any attempt to legislate in place of democratic bodies is dictatorial, and a negation of national sovereignty, as well as the separation of powers.


Drieu Godefridi is a jurist (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain), philosopher (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain) and PhD in legal theory (Paris IV-Sorbonne). He is an entrepreneur, CEO of a European private education group and director of PAN Medias Group. He is the author of The Green Reich (2020).

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21730/judge-emperor-courts

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‘We must be their voice’: The campaign to expose Hamas sexual violence as weapon of war - comment - Greer Fay Cashman

 

by Greer Fay Cashman

The Dinah Project is committed to ensuring the world never forgets the heinous sexual violence and gender atrocities on October 7, 2023, and the ongoing hostage abuse of hostages.

 

Almost immediately following the inhuman attacks by Hamas on southern communities on October 7, 2023, it was known that the nightmarish atrocities perpetrated by Hamas included the worst kinds of sexual violence.

Relatives and friends of the victims were quick to relate what they saw and heard, photographs were published, and survivors – who later included released hostages – told their own painful stories.

Within a day of the horrific catastrophe, President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal were visiting injured survivors in hospitals, talking to witnesses and the families of people murdered or abducted.

Since then, hardly a day goes by in which Michal Herzog, on her own or together with her husband, fails to meet someone who was released, whose son or daughter was murdered or kidnapped, with children waiting for the return of their father, or anyone with a personal first-hand connection with the onslaught and its aftermath.

A criminal lawyer by profession, Michal Herzog, in November 2023, published an op-ed piece in Newsweek magazine in which she wrote, “The silence from international bodies over Hamas mass gang rapes is a betrayal of all women.”

 Michal Herzog speaks during a ceremony for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Rosh haShana (Jewish New Year) at the president's house with representatives of the diplomatic delegations to Israel in Jerusalem. September 20, 2022. (credit: Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)
Michal Herzog speaks during a ceremony for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Rosh haShana (Jewish New Year) at the president's house with representatives of the diplomatic delegations to Israel in Jerusalem. September 20, 2022. (credit: Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)
Since then, there have been a lot of positive developments, including a heart-breaking interview in The New York Times with released hostage Amit Soussana, the arrival in Israel of a United Nations fact-finding mission, documentary films and photo exhibitions featuring released hostages, large scale rallies in which released hostages spoke of their experiences, and relatives of hostages still captive in Gaza calling for the instant return of all hostages – living and dead. There have also been meetings with diplomats, heads of state, and more.

Establishment of the Dinah Project

BUT ONE of the most important developments was the establishment of the Dinah Project, inspired by the Biblical story of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, third of the biblical patriarchs, who was raped and kidnapped by Shechem, a Hivite prince. Dinah was eventually rescued by her brothers, but remained silent about her ordeal.

The Dinah Project is composed of legal and feminist experts who are determined that the world will never forget the heinous sexual violence and gender atrocities perpetrated on October 7, 2023, and the ongoing abuse of the hostages. They are dedicated to bringing justice to those victims and to all future victims of conflict-related sexual violence.

Breaking the silence was one of the major challenges confronting the Dinah board and its members, because women in Israel and in other areas of conflict are understandably reluctant to talk about what they were forced to endure.

The interview with Soussana caused an international sensation. Stories about sex always do, but this one at least persuaded other women to be more forthcoming about what had happened to them during the massacre, the frightening ride to Gaza, and the bestial behavior to which they had been subjected.

But their testimonies alone were insufficient from a legal standpoint. The raison d’etre behind the Dinah Project is a quest for justice. As yet, there are no proper legal tools to support such an ambition.

However, the founders and members of the project persevered. Corroboration by witnesses, first responders, healthcare workers, and others was essential for the preparation of a proper legal framework.

In the final analysis, there were literally thousands of pages of testimony, from which the most relevant material was culled to produce an illustrated 83-page pocket-sized book co-authored by Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari of Bar Ilan University,retired judge Nava Ben-Or and former chief military prosecutor Sharon Zagagi-Pinhas.

The book, titled A Quest for Justice, is written in the form of a report. The English translation was presented to Herzog on Tuesday.

Report carries a universal message

HERZOG EMPHASIZED that the report carries a universal message about the criminality of sex being used as a weapon in areas of conflict.

She reiterated her frequent call for the immediate release of the hostages, stating that the number of live hostages has continued to decrease.

Recalling her shock at the silence on the part of international women’s organizations in the early months after the massacre when there were photos and videos released by Hamas, or filmed by Israelis in real time, Herzog charged the organizations with being devoid of humanity.

In referencing the victims, Herzog said that she was sad over their fate. “We have to be the screaming voice for those who can no longer speak,” she said.

In acknowledging all those connected with the project, she said that it had been a very important mission. Discussing the challenges of putting the report together, its three co-authors said that it had been essential to be aware of people’s sensitivities and to walk a very fine line when asking questions.

Ilana Gritzewsky, who was kidnapped together with her boyfriend Matan Zangauker, who is still being held by Hamas, said that she feared for his safety. “I know what they’re doing to him, because they did it to me,” she said, as she described some of the sadistic measures that she had been subjected to by her captors.

Gritzewsky, who was released in November 2023, said that she was appreciative that the suffering of prisoners at the hands of Hamas was now more widely known. There was hardly a dry eye in the room when she finished speaking.

Herzog rose spontaneously and crossed the room to embrace her. Other women followed suit. 


Greer Fay Cashman

Source: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-860401

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Six African countries form pro-Israel parliamentary groups - Etgar Lefkowits

 

by Etgar Lefkowits

“These growing ties reflect our shared values of liberty, innovation and faith,” said Israel's deputy foreign minister.

 

A gathering of some 30 African parliamentarians met to affirm their support of Israel as part of a two-day inaugural Africa-Israel Parliamentary Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sept. 11, 2024. Credit: Africa-Israel Parliamentary Summit.
A gathering of some 30 African parliamentarians met to affirm their support of Israel as part of a two-day inaugural Africa-Israel Parliamentary Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sept. 11, 2024. Credit: Africa-Israel Parliamentary Summit.

 

Six African countries have established pro-Israel parliamentary groups, strengthening diplomatic, economic and faith-based ties with the Jewish state amid regional geopolitical realignments.

The move, which was announced on Monday, two weeks after the Israel-Iran war ended with a ceasefire, was the latest in a growing diplomatic tug-of-war between supporters and opponents of the Jewish state in Africa. While South Africa has emerged as one of the fiercest critics of Israel worldwide, other African countries have pushed back and are now further strengthening ties rooted in a mix of shared interests and faith.

“Israel sees Africa as a strategic and values-based partner, and we continue to deepen our cooperation through initiatives in agriculture, healthcare and employment,” Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, who has led the government’s outreach to Africa, told JNS in a statement welcoming the move. “These growing ties reflect our shared values of liberty, innovation and faith.”

The new Israel Allies Caucuses launched in Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Lesotho, Seychelles, Gabon and Guinea Conakry join a network of more than 60 such faith-based parliamentary groups in countries around the globe, more than one-third of which are now in Africa.

“The addition of both Ethiopia, where the African Union is headquartered and is seen as the gateway of African diplomacy, as well as several francophone countries offers both the political and diplomatic diversity that Africa represents,” said Bishop Dennis Nthumbi, Africa Director of the Washington, D.C.-based Israel Allies Foundation, which spearheads faith-based diplomacy and runs the global parliamentary network, encompassing more than 1,500 pro-Israel lawmakers. “The Trump administration has opened a window where Africa can express itself freely devoid of the fear and threats previously coming from Iran,” he added.

“The principles of justice, peace and mutual respect that underpin your mission resonate fully with my personal beliefs and political commitments,” said Guinean MP Dorcas Nema Dione, the new chair of Guinea Conakry Israel Allies Caucus, a country under military rule.

“I seek to deepen and broaden my nation’s relationship with Israel, the nation of God,” said Lesotho MP Rev. Paul Pusetso Masiu. “The ultimate intention is to establish much stronger binational relations between Lesotho and Israel, to the extent that Lesotho establishes an embassy in Jerusalem and Israel in Lesotho.”

600 million Christians and 54 UN votes

Israel’s deputy foreign minister, a former global leader in the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus who has made multiple visits across Africa over the last year and a half, has long emphasized the strategic value of religious diplomacy on the continent, where there are an estimated 600 million Christians and 54 United Nations votes.

Last year, Israel’s African allies thwarted an attempt by African countries, led by South Africa and Algeria, to strip Israel of its observer status at the 55-member African Union, a title held by other countries such as China, Greece, Kuwait, Mexico, “Palestine,” the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

Last fall, scores of African parliamentarians from 20 nations on the continent subsequently affirmed Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital and pledged to enhance diplomatic, economic and security cooperation with the Jewish state, in an inaugural Africa-Israel Parliamentary Summit in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

“The creation of these six new caucuses is more than a diplomatic milestone; it is a powerful affirmation of our shared biblical values and a forward-looking vision for partnership, prosperity and peace,” said Josh Reinstein, president of the Israel Allies Foundation. “This is faith-based diplomacy in action—uniting nations around common moral principles and a mutual commitment to stand with Israel.”


Etgar Lefkowits

Source: https://www.jns.org/six-african-countries-form-pro-israel-parliamentary-groups/

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AG Secretary Brooke Rollins issues clear declaration: 'No amnesty' - Ben Whedon

 

by Ben Whedon

The announcement follows passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, which expanded funding for ICE to hire as many as 10,000 new agents and to increase detention capacity.

 

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Tuesday issued an unambiguous statement affirming that the Trump administration would not pursue amnesty for illegal aliens and that it sought to achieve 100% American participation in the agricultural sector.

"There will be no amnesty, the mass deportations continue but in a strategic way, and we move the workforce towards automation and 100% American participation," she told reporters.

The announcement comes amid reports that she and members of the agricultural industry had been lobbying the administration to either pass an amnesty for illegal farm workers or to pause mass deportations and raids on farms.

The Trump administration previously issued a pause of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids at farms and hotels following pressure from both industries, though he quickly reversed course.

The announcement follows passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, which expanded funding for ICE to hire as many as 10,000 new agents and to increase detention capacity. 


Ben Whedon

Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/ag-secretary-brooke-rollins-issues-clear-declaration-no-amnesty

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Is Musk’s new party nothing more than a spoiler? That may be what he wants - Steven Richards

 

by Steven Richards

Wallace, Perot, Nader, Stein, now Musk? The mogul has floated securing just enough seats in Congress to make his America Party voting block indispensable as a spoiler for the purpose of forcing platform concessions.

 

American history shows that Elon Musk’s new third party is not likely to be viable on its own, but may garner enough support to pose a threat to both Republicans and Democrats by swinging local elections or forcing the major parties to compromise with his platform. 

Billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk’s once close relationship with President Donald Trump soured shortly after the mogul left his special role advising the White House. However, his sharp criticism of the president’s signature legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, captured the public's attention. Moreover, his expression of frustration over Congress’s failure to meaningfully cut spending pushed Musk to add yet another mold-breaking endeavor to his resumé: starting a third party. 

“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” Musk posted to X on Saturday. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.” 

Not viable as a winner, but a significant factor in who wins

Third parties in the American electoral system are rarely viable in securing the White House, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t wield outsized influence and pose a big threat to either of the major parties that dominate politics today. 

In fact, Musk’s own statements suggest he’s aiming to create a spoiler party to exert pressure on both Republicans and Democrats in Congress in order to achieve his agenda—which centers on ending the spending spree that grips Washington. If the party were to secure enough seats to exercise a de facto veto on the passage of legislation, it would make his America Party’s support indispensable. 

Musk’s project may find fertile ground among voters. The most recent 2024 polling indicates that a majority of voters, 58%, support having a third major party in the United States, according to Gallup. Though this is a small decline from previous measurements, a third-party option garners support from a majority of independents and Democrats. Political independents overwhelmingly agree with the idea with 69% support.

A recent Quantus Insights poll delivered a shock result, indicating that 40% of Americans would support a political party launched by Elon Musk—with 14% being “very likely” and 26% “somewhat likely.” Most of that interest came from young men and Republicans, the polling firm said

But, even with a fraction of that support, Musk’s new political party could upset the political apple cart. 

The historical record of third-parties in presidential politics

Just in the last 60 years, there have been several distinct examples of third parties wielding an outsized influence on American politics, ranging from a segregationist's 1968 bid to lock both parties out of an Electoral College victory to spoiler parties that may have cost Democrat Hillary Clinton and others a seat behind the Resolute Desk

Hillary Clinton’s former campaign staff and allies widely blamed Green Party candidate Jill Stein for siphoning valuable votes in key battleground states in the 2016 campaign against Donald Trump. In fact, Stein’s vote share exceeded President Trump’s margin of victory in three states that were key to the Clinton campaign’s loss: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. With these states under her belt, Clinton would have won the Electoral College, and thus, the presidency. 

Historically, other third party candidates have had even larger electoral impacts than Stein. Perhaps the most famous example in recent memory is independent Ross Perot’s campaign for the White House in 1992, which frustrated then-President George H.W. Bush’s reelection. 

Perot ran as an independent candidate for president on an anti-establishment, pro-balanced budget, and anti-free trade platform. He later formed the Reform Party, but never received the same levels of support as during his first attempt. 

A proto-populist, and in many ways a precursor to the Trump-era MAGA politics of today, Perot’s message garnered significant support in 1992. While Perot’s support in the race was most likely not the primary factor in Bush’s loss to Democratic governor of Arkansas Bill Clinton, the business executive's campaign forced the incumbent Bush to defend his record on two fronts and remade American political coalitions with his rhetoric and working-class appeal. 

The data show Perot’s entry into the race slowly eroded Bush’s early lead in the polls. After the businessman dropped out of the race in July 1992, then-Governor Clinton surged in the polls to a 22-point lead over Bush. When Perot reentered the race in October, Clinton’s lead had already been cemented, and garnered 43%, securing him the White House. 

Despite getting 18.9% of the popular vote, Perot did not secure any Electoral College votes. That record belongs to the American Independent Party, founded by infamous segregationist George Wallace in 1968 after losing the Democratic primary to Lyndon B. Johnson four years earlier. 

But unlike Perot, Wallace’s goal was never to win the presidency outright, but to secure enough electoral votes on the margins in the 1968 race between Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey to become a kingmaker in Congress—forcing either would-be president to compromise with his platform in order to take office. 

In fact, Wallace nearly succeeded at his goal. His campaign carried five southern states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, and came close in North Carolina and Tennessee. However, the candidate fell short of the number of electoral votes required to deny Nixon an outright win. Wallace won 46 electoral votes, but failed to prevent Richard Nixon from winning a majority in the Electoral College. Nixon secured 301 electoral votes (more than enough for a majority), while Humphrey received 191.

More than a mere spoiler: a platform influencer

Musk seems to recognize the power a third party holds to operate on the margins. So far, the business mogul has not even suggested his new party would make a bid for the White House, but enumerated a few goals reminiscent of Wallace’s desire to gum up the works and force a major party to compromise with his platform. 

“One way to execute on this,” that is, disrupting the two party system, “would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,” Musk posted to X on Independence Day. “Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people,” he continued.

In light of the struggles both House and Senate Republican leadership had in trying to corral their respective conferences to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and the slim margins in those chambers, Musk thinks that a handful of America Party representatives could serve as a de facto veto on either party’s agendas, thereby requiring them to offer favorable concessions in order to pass legislation. 

Independent RFK, Jr. joins Trump to the distress of Democrats

In fact, just last year, another high-profile third-party candidate succeeded in exacting policy concessions from the leading candidate due to the threat of soaking up vital electoral support, possibly presaging Musk’s ambitions. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was on track to secure a small fraction of the popular vote and potentially tilt vital battleground states, complicating the calculus for both major parties. Recognizing that threat, then-candidate Trump approached Kennedy to work out a deal, securing the independent’s support and adopting his concerns about healthy eating and a corrupt medical establishment into one of the defining pillars of his second administration, now branded the Make America Healthy Again movement. 

The Kennedy family, long considered America's closest thing to royalty, along with its devotees, pilloried RFK, Jr. for collaborating with Trump, saying "Our brother Bobby's decision to endorse Trump today is a betrayal of the values that our father and our family hold most dear." For his part, Kennedy retorted that the Democratic Party was "no longer champions of the constitution" and had departed "dramatically" from the "core values" he grew up with.

It will take more than money

Without a doubt, Musk, the world’s richest man and largest single donor during the 2024 campaign season, has the financial resources to fund challenges in competitive races across the country in the hopes of securing seats. 

But, before that effort begins, Musk will have to secure ballot access and overcome legal hurdles. Here, RFK’s campaign also provides a blueprint, if not a warning. Kennedy faced several stiff legal challenges from Democrats in the lead-up to the election. The party, which he left in order to run as an independent, sought to remove him from the ballot in key states for various technicalities, including address issues and petition signatures.

After his conciliation with Trump, election officials in deep blue Wisconsin and Michigan denied Kennedy's request to withdraw. They cited state laws that prevented candidates who had filed nomination papers and qualified for the ballot from declining the nomination. This led to litigation in both states, ending up with a Supreme Court decision declining to force Kennedy's removal from ballots in Wisconsin and Michigan.

 

Steven Richards

Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/musks-new-party-nothing-more-spoiler-may-be-what-he-wants

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Candace Owens: Iranian Asset? - Joseph D'Hippolito

 

by Joseph D'Hippolito

The time has come to consider whether Candace Owens’ criticisms of Middle East policy constitute treason.


The time has come to consider whether Candace Owens’ criticisms of Middle East policy constitute treason.

During her interview with Piers Morgan on June 24, Owens encouraged American soldiers to seek dishonorable discharges to avoid fighting a possible war against Iran. The rest of her anti-Israeli rants reinforced Iranian propaganda and mimicked Press TV, Iran's government-owned news agency for Western audiences.

Given that Iran has viewed itself at war with the United States since the 1979 revolution, Owens gives aid and comfort to a regime that views itself as this nation’s existential enemy.

Owens' remarks about Israeli and domestic Jewish influence in American politics match those made by two of Press TV’s British hosts: Chris Williamson, a former Labour MP, and David Miller, a former professor at the University of Bristol. On Morgan’s program, Owens blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear research and enrichment sites on June 22.

"The reason that America wants a regime change in Iran is because Bibi Netanyahu is demanding it... We're very aware that Israel is dictating our foreign policy, and we would now like that to stop.

"This was not Trump's decision; it was Bibi Netanyahu's decision. He's also doing it because Miriam Adelson demands it."

Miriam Adelson is the widow of billionaire Sheldon Adelson, a Jewish-American businessman who donated millions of dollars to political candidates, especially Trump.

"He took $100 million from Miriam Adelson," Owens said. "It was very clear what she wanted. She wanted to annex the West Bank. So there was an imperialist plan that was put into place. Unfortunately, when you do a deal with the devil, you're going to have to eventually deliver the pound of flesh."

Williamson made similar accusations in 2019 when he blamed Israeli and domestic Jewish influences for the failure of Labour's Jeremy Corbyn to defeat the Conservatives' Boris Johnson in the race for prime minister.

“A hostile foreign government has mobilized its assets in the UK—which Israeli diplomats call their ‘power multiplier’—in an attempt to prevent a Corbyn-led Labour government” from winning, said Williamson, who left Labour because he believed the party became "too apologetic" about accusations of anti-Semitism.

In 2021, Miller claimed that Jewish students there were "directed by the State of Israel...Israel’s assets in the UK have been emboldened by the university collaborating with them to shut down teaching about Islamophobia. The University of Bristol is no longer safe for Muslim, Arab or Palestinian students."

Miller, who regularly made anti-Jewish remarks as a professor, revealed his own sympathies in February by attending the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezb’allah’s founder.

Owens and Miller share another opinion, one Owens expressed when Morgan called Iran the main sponsor of Middle Eastern terrorism through Hezb’allah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

 

"No," she replied. "Israel has been a terrorist state. Israel right now is imparting a genocide and a holocaust on the Gazan people. I'm really over this idea that, somehow, Israel has the moral high ground and we have to get behind that."

Miller made the same point in 2021 when he accused Jewish university students of "being used as political pawns by a violent, racist, foreign regime engaged in ethnic cleansing.” 

Press TV routinely runs stories that portray Israeli soldiers as no better than the Nazi SS. Owens herself has the audacity to equate Netanyahu with Adolf Hitler.

But if Israel is genocidal, why did the Israeli armed forces warn civilians in both Gaza and Lebanon to evacuate areas targeted for attack? If Israel is genocidal, why did it relinquish Gaza in 2005 and the Sinai Peninsula in 1982 for the sake of peace?

Of course, such inconvenient facts hold no interest for propagandists. Nor do the cries of "Death to Israel! Death to America!" from the Iranian regime's sycophants for nearly five decades.

In 2023, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the phrase “is not just a slogan; it is a policy.”

Yet Owens not only dismissed such rhetoric when Morgan confronted her with it but also blamed the United States for it.

"That's a chant," she said. "Why are they chanting, 'Death to America'? Could it be because of our actions in the Middle East? Iran's regime is not negatively impacting America on a day-to-day basis."

Perhaps Owens should understand how the Nazis' anti-Jewish rhetoric led to the "final solution" more than two decades after their party was founded.

Perhaps Owens should understand the potential threat of domestic terrorism from sleeper cells loyal to Iran.

But the most damning evidence of Owens' treason comes through a clip Morgan played from one of her podcasts:

"I do believe that if war with Iran is on the agenda, and that appears so, get dishonorably discharged... Who cares? Why should you go and die in a foreign land?

"Think about those men and women who died. They were pitched that they were serving their country because there were weapons of mass destruction. because of the Taliban, because of whatever. These people gave up their lives. Ask yourselves, 'For what?' The answer to that question is, 'For the elites.' They're like toy soldiers."

Offenses leading to a dishonorable discharge under the Uniform Code of Military Justice include desertion, fraud, espionage, sexual assault, and murder. Anyone dishonorably discharged loses the right to own a firearm, forfeits veterans' benefits, and risks being rejected for employment.

When Morgan pressed her, Owens not only had no regrets about her advice. She accused Morgan of overemphasizing her comments and showed no regard for military personnel who might take her advice.

"I would imagine that the people in the military who were going to listen to my podcast and were going to dishonorably discharge would know the consequences," Owens said dismissively.

But earlier in the interview, Owens said she would support American military action to force regime change in Israel.

Who's playing with toy soldiers now, Candace?

Owens thus places herself on the level of such "influencers" as Tokyo Rose, Axis Sally, Lord Haw Haw, and American poet Ezra Pound during World War II. All served the Axis powers as propagandists to destroy military and civilian morale.

Compare Owens' rhetoric with Pound’s:

"You let in the Jew and the Jew rotted your Empire, and you yourselves are (doomed) by the Jew." (March 15, 1942)

“You are in black darkness and confusion. You have been hugger-mugged and carom-shotted into a war, and you know NOTHING about it.” (July 13, 1942)

“Just which of you is free from Jewish influence? Just which political-business groups are free from Jew influence, from Jew control?” (March 19, 1943)

“What are you doing in the war at all? …Every day of war is a dead day as well as a death day. More death, more future servitude, less and less of American liberty of any variety.” (May 4, 1943)

Pound was arraigned for treason in 1945, but psychological problems prevented him from standing trial. If Pound was so charged, perhaps Owens should be, as well.

Image: AT via Magic Studio

 

Joseph D'Hippolito is a free-lance writer whose works on politics and religion have been published in such outlets as Wall Street Journal, The Federalist, the Jerusalem Post, FrontPage Magazine, American Spectator, and Human Events, among others. 

Source: https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2025/07/candace_owens_iranian_asset.html

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Anti-Israel graffiti sprayed on MIT building, targets professor - Aaron Bandler

 

by Aaron Bandler

This “serves as yet another example of how hostile campuses have become for Jewish faculty and students,” Samantha Joseph, of the ADL, told JNS.

 

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. Credit: d97jro/Pixabay.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. Credit: d97jro/Pixabay.

 

An anti-Israel group vandalized a building at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., on Sunday, the Anti-Defamation League announced.

According to the ADL, the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation claimed responsibility for graffitiing the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory building with “DAMPL” and “Death to the IOF,” the latter being a potential acronym for “Israeli Occupation Forces,” a term used to delegitimize the Israel Defense Forces.

DAMPL is a “relatively new extreme anti-Zionist group,” according to the ADL. “Up until now, they have maintained a mostly online presence promoting extremism, but recently, they claimed responsibility for in-person vandalism activities in Massachusetts.”

Talia Khan, a graduate student at MIT and president of the university’s Israel Alliance chapter, posted screenshots to social media showing that DAMPL was targeting the office entrance of Daniela Rus, director of CSAIL.

According to the message shared by Khan, the anti-Israel group said Rus was working on a project funded by the Israeli Ministry of Defense to develop artificial intelligence for “surveillance systems technology used to stalk, lock on and eliminate Palestinian life with precision.”

The group warned Rus to “end your work with the Israeli war machine, or know that your name will be etched into the history of this massacre as one of its engineers,” per Khan’s screenshots.

“This violent threat was enabled by MIT’s support of terrorist-sympathizing rhetoric,” Khan wrote. “Now, researchers fear being murdered if they go into work to do science.”

She called for MIT president Sally Kornbluth and Mark Gorenberg, the university’s corporation chair, to be brought “before Congress. They’ve failed to protect us.”

Samantha Joseph, ADL New England Regional director, told JNS: “We are alarmed by the activity of this extremist group, which has taken their online rhetoric and claims to have now escalated it into offline vandalism and threats, including against the targeted professor.”

“This is absolutely unacceptable and serves as yet another example of how hostile campuses have become for Jewish faculty and students,” she said.

Joseph is calling on the university to investigate the matter and hold everyone involved accountable.

“Incidents on New England college campuses nearly doubled last year,” Joseph said, noting that there were 151 incidents reported in 2024, up from 81 in 2023 and 15 in 2022. “Whether it’s harassment, assault, or vandalism, this type of hate has no place in our institutions of learning.”

Kimberly Allen, executive director of media relations at MIT, told JNS that campus police are “working with local and federal officials to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the graffiti on campus this weekend so that they can be held accountable for these outrageous acts of vandalism, targeting and threats of violence.”

“While we do not publicly discuss the specifics of internal safety plans, I can confirm we are taking steps beyond the investigation to further increase security on campus,” Allen said.


Aaron Bandler

Source: https://www.jns.org/anti-israel-graffiti-sprayed-on-mit-building-targets-professor/

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