Middle East and Terrorism: 2024

Monday, December 23, 2024

Demographics Don’t Lie: The Decline of the Christian Population in PA- and Hamas-Controlled Areas - Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch, Tirza Shorr

by Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch, Tirza Shorr

In Bethlehem, Christians frequently face violence and intimidation, and are left defenseless. A member of the Protestant clergy explained: “Christians feel unprotected due to the failure of the PA police to intervene on their behalf in confrontations with Muslims.”

Demographics Don’t Lie: The Decline of the Christian Population in PA- and Hamas-Controlled Areas

A Greek Orthodox priest, held hostage by Palestinians who took refuge in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, is holding a sign saying “PLEASE HELP,” April 2002. (Government Press Office)

Institute for Contemporary Affairs

Founded jointly with the Wechsler Family Foundation

Vol. 24, No. 25

The Christian population living under Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas rule has steeply declined. In 1922, Christians constituted 11% of the population of geographical Palestine. In 1946, they constituted 8%, reflecting the greater relative growth of Jews and Muslims due to immigration.
In 1967, Christians in Judea and Samaria were 6% of the population. In 1997 they constituted 1.5% of the total Palestinian population, in 2007 – 1.2%, and in 2017 – 1%.
In Bethlehem, Christians frequently face violence and intimidation, and are left defenseless. A member of the Protestant clergy explained: “Christians feel unprotected due to the failure of the PA police to intervene on their behalf in confrontations with Muslims.”
In 1950, Bethlehem and the surrounding villages were 86% Christian. By 2017, Bethlehem’s Christian population had dwindled to 10%. The mass exodus of the Christians risks undermining the survival of Christianity in its birthplace.
Palestinian Christians report systematic employment discrimination, forcing many to leave their communities to seek opportunities elsewhere.
A 2022 study indicated a strong desire among Gaza’s Christian population to emigrate, twice as strong as that of Muslims. This explains how the Christian population of Gaza dwindled from 5,000 people before Hamas took control to just 1,000 in October 2023.

The Christian population living under Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas rule has steeply declined. With the end of the Ottoman era in Palestine and the beginning of the British Mandate in 1922, Christians constituted 11% of the population of geographical Palestine, numbering 70,429 people. In 1946, as the British Mandate was about to end, the headcount had increased to 145,063 people, but they constituted only 8% of the population, reflecting the greater relative growth, due to immigration, of Jews and Muslims.¹

In 1949, the number of Christians living in Judea and Samaria, then under Jordanian rule, who renamed the area “the West Bank,” stood at 51,053. That number declined to 45,855, according to a Jordanian population census conducted in 1961. When Israel took control of Judea and Samaria in 1967, the Christian population had further declined, numbering 42,719 people, accounting for 6% of the population.

The PA’s first population census in 1997 recorded 40,055 Palestinian Christians, constituting 1.5% of the total Palestinian population. The second PA census in 2007 indicated a slight increase in the size of the Christian population, which numbered 42,565, but their percentage in the general population had declined to only 1.2%. In the third PA census conducted in 2017, the number of Christians had grown to 46,850, yet they accounted for only 1% of the population.²

The case of Bethlehem vividly illustrates Christian demographic erasure. In 1950, Bethlehem and the surrounding villages were 86% Christian.³ According to the Christian Information Center, in 1994, when the PA took control of Bethlehem, it was the most populous Christian town in the Holy Land.⁴ Since then, Bethlehem’s Christian population has dwindled to approximately 10% (according to the last census in 2017).⁵ Christian families are leaving Bethlehem due to systemic socio-economic hardships and instability, discrimination, and harassment (including of clergy) by Muslim Palestinians and the Islam-dominated Palestinian Authority. The mass exodus of the Christians risks undermining the survival of Christianity in its birthplace. ⁶

Anti-Christian Violence, the Failure of the Palestinian Security Forces and the Justice System

In Bethlehem, Christians frequently face violence and intimidation. Muslim clans use force to resolve disputes, leaving Christian families defenseless.⁷ In 2022, a Muslim man was accused of harassing young Christian women at the Forefathers Orthodox Church in Beit Sahour near Bethlehem. Soon after, the church was attacked by a mob of Palestinian men who hurled rocks at the building while congregants cowered inside, with several injured in the attack.⁸ In April 2022 Palestinian evangelical pastor Johnny Shahwan was arrested by the PA on charges of “promoting normalization” with Israel. PA security forces did nothing to counter this. In October 2022 an unidentified gunman shot at the Christian-owned Bethlehem Hotel after a video on social media associated the hotel with a display that included cardboard cutouts of a Star of David and a Menorah. No arrests were made in connection with the shooting.⁹

Added to this is the institutional persecution committed by PA police against Christians. As one member of the Protestant clergy under the PA explained: “Christians feel unprotected due to the failure of the PA police to intervene on their behalf in confrontations with Muslims.”¹⁰ When subjected to harassment and worse by Muslim extremists, Palestinian Christians usually opt not to report incidents to the PA police. According to Shafik, a Protestant clergyman, many are too scared to discuss their accounts, feeling it is dangerous since it may provoke further persecution, regarding the PA police as hostile. Sana Razi Nashash from Beit Jala recalls being harassed by a man in the street. The next day, on her way to file a complaint with the police, she saw the perpetrator wearing a PA police uniform. Needless to say, she did not bother filing the complaint.¹¹

Christian Palestinians also face significant bias when seeking justice in local courts. Discrimination within the legal system leaves them vulnerable to exploitation, perpetuating their marginalization. Christians encounter obstacles in accessing justice for crimes committed against them, leading to a culture of impunity. This lack of legal recourse discourages reporting of abuses and perpetuates victimization.¹² Christian women are especially vulnerable to legal discrimination.¹³

Religious Coercion: Freedom of Worship Stifled under Palestinian Rule

Besides the physical property desecration of Christian religious sites in the Palestinian territories including incidents of graffiti and arson attacks,¹⁴ Christians in Gaza and the West Bank also frequently face personal harassment for practicing their religion. Muslim extremists often disrupt Christian religious celebrations, public festivities face threats, and participants fear for their safety. Christmas trees are often burnt by Islamists, as was the case, in the village of Zababdeh in 2015.¹⁵

Reports of church desecration and restrictions on worship services also paint a bleak picture.¹⁶ In 2019, vandals broke into a Maronite church in Bethlehem, desecrated it, and stole valuable equipment, with similar incidents at other churches, including an Anglican church in Aboud. These events often go unreported in the Palestinian media, since the PA pressures Christians not to publicize them.¹⁷

Personal religious freedom is also curtailed. Converts from Islam to Christianity in the West Bank face threats and extreme pressure to give up their new faith. In Gaza, their situation under Hamas rule is so dangerous, that they practice their Christian faith in utmost secrecy,¹⁸ with some Christian men growing beards to blend into the general Muslim population.¹⁹

On the flip side, Palestinian Christians have reported being forcibly converted to Islam and abducted, raising serious concerns about religious freedom violations. In 2012, the Orthodox Christian Church in Gaza claimed that armed Islamists kidnapped five Christian Palestinians to compel their conversion to Islam. In 2016, Bishop Alexios of Gaza “confirmed that the Christians who converted to Islam did so under threats, coercion, compulsion, and force.” His church submitted a formal petition to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to investigate matters, which received no response.²⁰

Though, unlike the zealously religious Hamas, the Fatah-dominated PA presents itself as a secular, nondenominational entity, its pervasive mistreatment of Christians proves that bias against religious minorities is an ingrained cultural phenomenon. While Islamic tradition sees Christians and Jews as the “People of the Book,” they still retain only second-class status as “protected” dhimmi, an inferior status for not having accepted Islam. The dhimmi “protection pact” suspends the Muslim conqueror’s initial right to kill or enslave Jews and Christians in exchange for tribute – the jizya tax. Anecdotes of tolerance aside, dhimmi communities and individuals have been made to live in a state of perpetual, intentional humiliation by Islamic precepts, to emphasize their inferiority. The British consul in Jerusalem wrote that in Jerusalem until 1839, Christians were pushed into the gutter by any Muslim, who would swear, “turn to my left, thou dog.” They were forbidden to ride on a mount in town or to wear bright clothes.²¹

Today, Muslim Sharia Law Rules

One hundred sixty years later, under the PA, these attitudes persist. A PA Information Ministry statement in 1997 stated: “The Palestinian people are also governed by Sharia law….According to Sharia Law…any Muslim who [converts] or declares becoming an unbeliever is committing a major sin punishable by capital punishment…the [Palestinian Authority] cannot take a different position on this matter.”²² In attempting to assuage Christians, the statement goes on to say that capital punishment for conversion “has never happened, nor is it likely to happen” in the Palestinian territories, but that “norms and tradition will take care of such situations should they occur.” This legal framework regarding apostasy remains unchanged.²³ The PA has arrested converts to Christianity in the northern West Bank, Nablus, and Ramallah.²⁴

Gender-Specific Crimes and Coercion Against Christian Women

The PA’s ineffectiveness or unwillingness to address the abuse of Christian women has led to a significant increase in pervasive sexual harassment and rape.²⁵ Inaz Jiries Hanna Muslah, a 23-year-old Palestinian Christian teacher at the Joy School in Beit Sahour, stated in a rare 2002 interview in Beit Jallah that public harassment of Christian girls began when the PA came to power “after 1993. Before, [there were] no things like this.” Originally, “we could go to everyplace we wanted; we could walk in the streets,” but now, “I don’t walk alone on the street because of this bad thing, so I prefer to walk with my brother, my mother, my father.”²⁶

In Gaza, Christian women were reportedly abducted or pressured into converting to Islam and marrying Muslim men.²⁷ Many cases go unreported due to fear of retaliation and lack of legal recourse.²⁸

Modern-Day “Dhimmitude”: Anti-Christian Discrimination in Employment, Business, Housing and Property Rights, and the Justice System

Palestinian Christians report systematic employment discrimination, forcing many to leave their communities to seek opportunities elsewhere. Studies show Christians in the West Bank feel excluded from leadership positions, weakening their social influence.²⁹ A 2022 study indicated a strong desire among Gaza’s Christian population to emigrate, twice as strong as that of Muslims. This explains how the Christian population of Gaza dwindled from 5,000 people before Hamas took control to just 1,000 in October 2023. They cited economic and social issues, corruption, security concerns, and religious persecution since Hamas took control in 2007. Reports document violence and discrimination against Christians in Gaza, leading to a significant decline in population.³⁰

Palestinian Christians have also encountered significant obstacles in housing and property rights, both purchasing and selling land. Even internationally recognized holy sites in the West Bank are threatened, vandalized, and desecrated by the PA without consequence.³¹

This has been a long-standing practice, with Fatah and Arafat’s intelligence network intimidating and maltreating the Christian population in Bethlehem with extortion, and confiscation of land and property. They “left them to the mercy of street gangs and other criminal activity, with no protection.”³² The PA’s judicial system also does not ensure equal protection to Christian landowners. In Bethlehem, a Muslim family from Hebron took possession of the Christian Comtsieh family’s land and built a business center atop it without permission. While the Comtsieh family initially won in court, the judge reversed his judgment with no due course.³³ In January 2022, a large group of masked men carrying sticks and iron bars attacked Christian brothers Daoud and Daher Nassar on their farm near Bethlehem. The Palestinian courts have worked to confiscate the family farm in their possession since Ottoman times.³⁴

Christian businesses are systematically boycotted and extorted, marginalizing Christian families and pushing them toward financial ruin, with many leaving for survival.³⁵

Cultural Erasure through Education and Social Ostracization

PA school curricula often omit or distort Christian history in the Holy Land. This fosters ignorance and prejudice against the Christian minority among Muslim students.³⁶ The only alternative for Arab-Christian parents is to enroll their children in expensive private Christian schools.³⁷ William Murray, Chairman of the Religious Freedom Coalition, said, “I have talked to Christian families about what is taught in the schools. From what they say, there is indeed a ‘culture of death’ that includes glorification of suicide bombers and training to kill Jews and Americans.” The popularity of Hamas and Islamic Jihad strengthens this culture.³⁸

As early as 2000, in a Friday sermon broadcast live on PA TV from a Gaza mosque, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya declared: “Allah the Almighty has called upon us not to ally with the Jews or the Christians, not to like them, not to become their partners, not to support them, and not to sign agreements with them.”³⁹ This type of institutionalized social ostracization and harassment against Christians by segments of the Muslim majority creates a hostile environment, compelling many to leave.⁴⁰

Christians Are Treated as Political Pawns

Palestinian Christian leaders are often pressured to adopt anti-Israel rhetoric to fit the broader political narrative, deflecting attention from their own discrimination. They have also encouraged Western Christians to abandon post-Holocaust theology and adopt a supersessionist (replacement theology) view that blames Jews and Israel.⁴¹ Palestinian Christians are pressured to blame Israel for their plight, while Muslim leaders deny their role in persecution.

International Ignorance Enables Oppression

The international community often disregards the plight of the Palestinian Christian community.⁴² While minor clashes with some Israeli Jewish extremists are reported in hyper-focus in the media, the PA represses the reporting of grave incidents of Christian systemic oppression, the stories never seeing the light of day. Often, Christian individuals are afraid to report hate incidents in the PA for fear of being arrested or worse. This creates a skewed picture, one eagerly adopted by Western governments and media outlets.⁴³ The survival of Christianity in its birthplace depends on awareness and action. Silence emboldens perpetrators and leaves victims without international support. Highlighting these injustices is essential to breaking the cycle of abuse.

* * *

Notes

*The authors thank JCFA intern Daniel Persky for his research assistance with this piece.

Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch, Tirza Shorr

Source: https://jcpa.org/article/demographics-dont-lie-the-christian-population-in-pa-and-hamas-controlled-areas-is-declining/

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Thank You, Israel, for Saving the World, Defending Freedom and Reshaping the Middle East - Majid Rafizadeh

by Majid Rafizadeh

With a vision of ultimately fostering peace, harmony, security and prosperity throughout the region, as in the Abraham Accords, Israel expanded its military operations beyond Hamas... reshaping the Middle East into a region free of the grip of terror... Make Persia Great Again!

When it comes to national security, appeasement is not an option. Bribing aggressors only finances their militaries for attacks on the West in the future. Israel's approach to combating terrorism has always been characterized by thoroughness and determination -- for which is usually put through the tortures of hell by the very countries it is working to save.
With a vision of ultimately fostering peace, harmony, security and prosperity throughout the region, as in the Abraham Accords, Israel expanded its military operations beyond Hamas... reshaping the Middle East into a region free of the grip of terror... Make Persia Great Again!
So long as Iran's regime remains in power, brutalizing its people and making plans for global expansion, there can be no chance for peace in the region.
Removing the regime... would bring lasting security and prosperity to the Middle East and beyond.... One could then set about subduing Turkey and its terrorist proxies in Syria.

When it comes to national security, appeasement is not an option. Bribing aggressors only finances their militaries for attacks on the West in the future. Israel's approach to combating terrorism has always been characterized by thoroughness and determination -- for which is usually put through the tortures of hell by the very countries it is working to save. Pictured: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Force Amir Ali Hajizadeh look on as a *Jihad* missile is displayed at a parade in Tehran on September 21, 2024. (Photo by Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

After Hamas carried out its horrific October 7, 2023 massacre by invading Israel, murdering hundreds of people and kidnapping individuals from various countries, Israel reached a breaking point. This act of terrorism ignited a wave of decisive actions across the Middle East that catalyzed remarkable developments, aimed at countering and eliminating terror networks.

For decades, the region has been plagued by violence and instability, but Israel's response marked a significant turning point, showcasing its resolve to confront terrorism head-on and help usher in a new era of security.

Israel has consistently demonstrated its commitment to thorough and resolute action. When it comes to national security, appeasement is not an option. Bribing aggressors only finances their militaries for attacks on the West in the future. Israel's approach to combating terrorism has always been characterized by thoroughness and determination -- for which is usually put through the tortures of hell by the very countries it is working to save.

Refusing to leave any task incomplete, Israel, in its counteroffensive against Hamas, targeted and significantly diminished the terrorist group's military capabilities and crippled its ability to function effectively. The Iranian regime, a staunch supporter of Hamas, reacted by activating other proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, to attack Israel. In an unprecedented move, Iran also launched ballistic missiles from Iranian soil into Israel, thereby escalating the conflict.

Iran's regime, however, underestimated Israel's resilience. As a Persian proverb says, "Iran was playing with the lion's tail." The consequences were severe.

Israel's broader objective appears to be not merely to respond to isolated acts of terrorism, but to dismantle the infrastructure of terror in the region. With a vision of ultimately fostering peace, harmony, security and prosperity throughout the region, as in the Abraham Accords, Israel expanded its military operations beyond Hamas. It launched targeted strikes against Hezbollah, significantly weakening its military capabilities, and extended its efforts to Syria, striking Iranian military bases and weapons-supply chains. These decisive actions underscored Israel's commitment to reshaping the Middle East into a region free of the grip of terror.

One of the most extraordinary developments spurred by Israel's actions was the unexpected collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. Within a week of launching an offensive last month, armed rebel groups achieved what for decades had seemed impossible: the conquest of key cities and the end of Assad's reign. This monumental shift not only dealt a devastating blow to Iran's regional ambitions but also signaled the possibility of a brighter future for the region.

The ramifications for Iran were profound. Losing Syria, one of its closest allies, severely weakened the regime's ability to project power and support its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In just over a year, Israel has succeeded in reducing Iran's regional influence, effectively dismantling or weakening the pillars of its strategy—the Syrian regime, Hezbollah, and Hamas. This achievement is unparalleled. It disrupted decades of Iran's poisonous dominance in the region. Thanks to Israel's strategic and calculated actions, Iran's regime, which had survived Western sanctions and interventions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, now faces unprecedented challenges to its survival, which cannot come to an end soon enough.

Israel's efforts to eradicate terrorism and destabilize its sources have largely been accomplished without substantial assistance from Western democracies. It is now time for the West to step up and support Israel and most of the Iranian people in addressing the root of the problem: the Iranian regime. This final step requires decisive action to dismantle Iran's nuclear program and empower the Iranian people to achieve freedom. Make Persia Great Again!

So long as Iran's regime remains in power, brutalizing its people and making plans for global expansion, there can be no chance for peace in the region. Removing the regime, often described as the "mother of all terrorism" and the godfather of terrorist groups, would bring lasting security and prosperity to the Middle East and beyond. With the regime's collapse, its proxies would be starved of funding and weaponry, paving the way for a more peaceful Middle East. One could then set about subduing Turkey and its terrorist proxies in Syria.

Israel's contributions to global peace and the fight against terrorism are unparalleled. This small nation has accomplished what many larger powers have failed to do: confronting evil, dismantling terror networks, and advocating for freedom and security. The world owes Israel an unpayable debt of gratitude for its unwavering courage and commitment to these ideals.

It is time for Western nations to align with Israel, offer their full support, and take the necessary steps to ensure a safer, more secure future for all. Bravo, Israel! Thank you for your remarkable efforts in making the world a safer, freer, better place.

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Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a scholar, strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated analyst, political scientist, and board member of Harvard International Review. He has authored several books on the US Foreign Policy and Islam. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21234/israel-saving-the-world-defending-freedom

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Inside Mossad’s decade-long deception: The pager mission that crippled Hezbollah - Erez Linn

by Erez Linn

"They'll have to keep on trying to guess what the next thing is," an agent told the CBS flagship program "60 Minutes."

A man holds an Icom walkie talkie device after he removed the battery during the funeral of persons killed when hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon the previous day, in Beirut's southern suburbs on Sept. 18, 2024. Photo by Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images.

In an extraordinary “60 Minutes” broadcast on Sunday, former Mossad agents pulled back the curtain on one of Israel’s most sophisticated covert operations, targeting Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization.

According to the CBS News report, the intelligence agency spent a decade infiltrating Hezbollah’s supply chain with weaponized communication devices that ultimately helped turn the tide of war in Lebanon. In a devastating moment for the organization’s leadership, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was reportedly forced to witness the deaths of his own security detail inside his bunker as their compromised communication devices detonated.

Speaking through masks and using pseudonyms, two retired senior agents described to CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl how they transformed walkie-talkies and pagers into precision weapons.

“A walkie-talkie was a weapon just like a bullet or a missile or a mortar,” explained the agent identified as Michael, describing the operation’s first phase. When Stahl pressed for details about the device’s construction, Michael revealed that “inside the battery, there is an explosive device,” which was “made in Israel” at a Mossad facility.

Lebanese Hezbollah members carry the coffin of their comrade Hussein Amhaz during his funeral in Baalbek, in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley, on Sept. 19, 2024. Hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded across Lebanon in unprecedented attacks that spanned two days, killing 32 people and wounding more than 3,000 others. Photo by AFP via Getty Images.

The ingenuity of the operation lay not just in the technical execution but in the elaborate deception campaign that accompanied it. Through a network of shell companies and fake business entities, Mossad managed to sell more than 16,000 explosive-laden devices to Hezbollah over several years, “60 Minutes” reported.

By 2022, emboldened by the success of the walkie-talkie operation, Mossad expanded its strategy to include pagers. However, the transition wasn’t smooth. “I remember the day that I came to our director, put it on the table. And he was furious,” recalled the second agent, identified as Gabriel. “He was telling us, ‘There is no chance that anyone will buy such a big device. It’s not comfortable in their pocket. It’s heavy.'”

Despite initial skepticism, Gabriel spent two weeks convincing Mossad leadership that the pager’s apparent drawbacks could be turned into selling points. The agency launched a sophisticated marketing campaign, creating fake YouTube advertisements that promoted the devices as premium products.

“We make advertising movies and brochures, and we put it on internet. And it became the best product in the pager area in the world,” Gabriel told Stahl. The marketing was so effective that Mossad had to field purchase requests from legitimate customers, which they deflected by quoting exorbitant prices.

The operation’s success hinged on maintaining an impenetrable facade of legitimacy. Mossad established a partnership with Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese pager manufacturer, through front companies. “When they are buying from us, they have zero clue that they are buying from the Mossad,” Gabriel explained. “We make like ‘Truman Show,’ everything is controlled by us behind the scenes. In their experience, everything is normal. Everything was 100% kosher, including businessmen, marketing, engineers, showroom, everything.”

NEW TAIPEI CITY, TAIWAN – SEPTEMBER 18: A person tries to exit the office of Gold Apollo on September 18, 2024 in New Taipei City, Taiwan. Pager bombings across the Middle East have sparked new widespread worries about spiralling violence in the region, with Hezbollah pinning the blame on Israel. Reports in American media said that the pagers had been tampered with after they were ordered by Hezbollah from the Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo, a maker of pagers and other similar equipment. (Photo by Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)

The technical sophistication of the operation extended to the devices’ design. Each pager underwent extensive testing to ensure precise effects. “We test everything, triple, double, multiple times in order to make sure there is minimum damage,” said Gabriel. The agency even conducted research on average response times to pager alerts—approximately seven seconds—and engineered specific ringtones to maximize user engagement.

When Stahl inquired about the detonation mechanism, Gabriel revealed that users received messages claiming to contain encrypted information that required pressing two buttons to access. However, as Gabriel explained, “It’s the same effect. It’s gonna explode anyway.” The final detonation signals were triggered from Israel.

On Sept. 17, at precisely 3:30 p.m., thousands of pagers began beeping across Lebanon. The following day, the decade-old walkie-talkies were activated, some detonating at funerals for victims of the pager attacks. The precision of the devices was evident in videos reviewed by “60 Minutes,” showing explosions that wounded pager carriers while leaving nearby individuals unharmed.

“A day after the pagers exploded, people were afraid to turn on the air conditioners in Lebanon because they were afraid that they would explode,” Michael told Stahl, describing the psychological impact of the operation. “So there was real fear.”

A Lebanese soldier gestures at the scene of a reported pager device explosion in Saida in southern Lebanon on Sept. 18, 2024. A second wave of device explosions killed three people in Hezbollah strongholds of Lebanon on Sept. 18, raising fears of an all-out war between Israel and the Iran-backed militants. Photo by Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images.

The aftermath of the attacks demonstrated their strategic effectiveness. According to Gabriel, the operation wasn’t primarily about inflicting casualties. “If he’s just dead, so he’s dead,” he explained. “But if he [is] wounded, you have to take him to the hospital, take care of him. You need to invest money and effort. And those people without hands and eyes are living proof, walking in Lebanon, of ‘don’t mess with us.'”

The combined attacks resulted in approximately 30 fatalities, including two children, and wounded around 3,000 people. In the aftermath, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered what former agents described as an uncharacteristically subdued speech, before being killed in an Israeli airstrike on his bunker on Sept. 27. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect at the end of November.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

Erez Linn

Source: https://www.jns.org/inside-mossads-decade-long-deception-the-pager-mission-that-crippled-hezbollah/

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How the International Community Can Best Help the Palestinians - Khaled Abu Toameh

by Khaled Abu Toameh

The best way to undermine Hamas and help the Palestinians is by offering the people a better alternative to the Islamist movement. The current Palestinian Authority leadership is just not seen by many Palestinians as a better alternative to Hamas. That is because the United States, European Union and other donors are not banging on the table and demanding an end to the PA's authoritarian and corrupt conduct.

Had the international community held the Palestinian Authority (PA) accountable for financial and administrative corruption after the signing of the Oslo Accords 30 years ago, the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group would not have gained popularity among Palestinians.
Although many Palestinians support Hamas's policy of rejecting Israel's right to exist, the Islamist group's victory greatly reflected the desire of the Palestinian public to end corruption in the PA government and institutions.
The most common forms of corruption seem to be the offenses of favoritism, nepotism, embezzlement of public funds, breach of trust, abuse of power, bribery and money laundering.
The best way to undermine Hamas and help the Palestinians is by offering the people a better alternative to the Islamist movement. The current Palestinian Authority leadership is just not seen by many Palestinians as a better alternative to Hamas. That is because the United States, European Union and other donors are not banging on the table and demanding an end to the PA's authoritarian and corrupt conduct.

Had the international community held the Palestinian Authority (PA) accountable for financial and administrative corruption after the signing of the Oslo Accords 30 years ago, the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group would not have gained popularity among Palestinians. Hamas became so popular that its representatives won the last elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), in 2006. The Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform list received 44.45% of the vote and won 74 of the 132 seats in the PLC.

Although many Palestinians support Hamas's policy of rejecting Israel's right to exist, the Islamist group's victory greatly reflected the desire of the Palestinian public to end corruption in the PA government and institutions.

Justin Curtis wrote in Harvard University's Exposé Magazine in 2016:

"On the campaign trail, Hamas effectively framed the election as a choice between itself and a corrupt, inefficient, and outdated regime [headed by Yasser Arafat]. The Islamist group made a concerted effort to come across as a progressive alternative to Fatah [the ruling faction headed by Arafat], even changing its name to the 'Change and Reform' party in advance of the election. Although Hamas's electoral platform referenced Islamic dogma, the party downplayed its more extremist, Islamist rhetoric. A significant portion of Hamas's 2006 platform was spent discussing 'public freedoms' and common-sense 'administrative reform,' hardly the talk of revolutionary radicals. Pledging a variety of anti-corruption initiatives, Hamas subtly rebuked Fatah's double-dealing and profiteering. In a similar vein, Hamas promised to 'stress transparency and accountability in dealing with public funds,' emphasizing that taxpayer money would go to economic development projects, not to fraudulent bureaucrats. Moreover, Hamas denounced the excessive authority of the federal government, advocating for 'political pluralism and the rotation of power.' Outlining reforms to the judiciary and legislative branches, Hamas sounded less like a terrorist cabal and more like reform-minded technocrats.....

"Exasperated by Fatah's corruption, Palestinians welcomed Hamas's clarion calls for accountability and good governance."

Hamas's rising popularity and its subsequent victory in the parliamentary elections did not surprise many Palestinians. Public opinion polls conducted before the elections showed that 87% of Palestinians believed that corruption exists in PA institutions. The polls, in addition, showed that a majority of Palestinians believed that Hamas was more able to fight corruption (46% for Hamas vs. 37% for Fatah).

The international community chose to turn a blind eye to the corruption of the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of Arafat. Many Western journalists covering Palestinian affairs also failed to report on the runaway corruption in PA institutions. Had the journalists reported on the issue, it is possible that taxpayers in the donor countries would have put pressure on their governments to hold the PA leadership accountable for depriving their people of the international aid. It would have been a move that might well have prevented Hamas from rising to power.

According to British-Palestinian journalist Diana Alghoul:

"The Oslo Accords meant Arafat sat on $4 billion in donations from the US, the European Union and Japan, as well as Israeli sales tax that was passed onto the Palestinian leader.

"While there are estimates that Arafat was worth an average of $3 billion, the real figure of his overall worth remains disputed. Following revelations surrounding the PA's largest corruption scandal, an internal PA audit showed a quarter of the governing's body for 1997 was 'lost' as a result of corruption and mismanagement.

"The bureaucratic nature of the PA meant that little oversight gave way for sharks to ultimately steal from Palestinian public money. After the 1997 audit was released, Arafat had demanded all future PA audits to be kept secret."

Arafat did not want the world to know about the corruption and mismanagement in PA institutions. Yet, it is hard to believe that the Western donors were not aware of the situation.

Some of the donor countries later woke up and realized they had made a mistake by failing to demand an end to corruption in the Palestinian Authority's institutions -- but it was too late. Hamas had already won the parliamentary election. A year later, in 2007, Hamas staged a violent and bloody coup in the Gaza Strip, toppling and expelling the PA, by then headed by Arafat's successor, Mahmoud Abbas. Many Palestinians did not shed a tear over the removal of Abbas's regime from Gaza: they were frustrated with the ongoing corruption of the PA leadership and institutions.

Instead of learning from their past mistakes, the donor countries continued to support the Palestinian Authority under Abbas, despite its failure to comply with demands for major political and economic reforms. True, there is not quite as much corruption in the PA today, but as far as many Palestinians are concerned, the measures Abbas's governments have taken are insufficient. Meanwhile, Hamas leaders have also shown that they are no less corrupt than Abbas and other PA officials. Many Hamas leaders moved to Qatar, where they have lived comfortable lives and reportedly became millionaires and billionaires.

A poll published in 2022 found that a majority of Palestinians believe that the sectors most susceptible to corruption are the Palestinian Authority government institutions, especially the executive and public sector institutions (ministries, security services, local authorities). The most common forms of corruption seem to be the offenses of favoritism, nepotism, embezzlement of public funds, breach of trust, abuse of power, bribery and money laundering. Twenty four percent of Palestinians considered favoritism and nepotism as the most common offense, followed by embezzlement of public funds (23%), breach of trust (13%), abuse of power (12%), bribery for delivering a public service (10%) and money laundering (8%).

The destruction of Hamas's military capabilities by Israel should be viewed as a positive development, but it is unlikely to decrease Hamas's popularity among the Palestinians.

The best way to undermine Hamas and help the Palestinians is by offering the people a better alternative to the Islamist movement. The current Palestinian Authority leadership is just not seen by many Palestinians as a better alternative to Hamas. That is because the United States, European Union and other donors are not banging on the table and demanding an end to the PA's authoritarian and corrupt conduct.

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Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21233/help-the-palestinians

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Trump will have ‘almost zero time’ to prevent nuclear Iran - Yaakov Lappin

by Yaakov Lappin

The president-elect will need to give Tehran an ultimatum right after taking office, according to a report by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, accompanied by his choice for secretary of commerce, Cantor Fitzgerald chairman and CEO Howard Lutnick, speaks at a news conference at the Mar-a-Lago resort on Dec. 16, 2024 in Palm Beach, Fla. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images.

Once he takes office on Jan. 20, President-elect Donald Trump will have very little time to stop Iran’s march to nuclear weapons and no margin for error, according to a report by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America.

The report, released on Dec. 19, calls on the incoming U.S. administration to join Israel in giving Iran “an ultimatum at the outset of the presidency: agree fully and immediately to verifiably dismantle its nuclear weapons program, or invite its imminent and utter destruction.”

The plan also calls for a blend of massive economic and diplomatic pressure, backed by a credible military posture. This would include the implementation of sanctions on Chinese banks and other companies conducting trade with Iran.

The report argues that U.S. support for a potential Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear program is the best way to “build leverage and halt Tehran’s nuclear clock,” and calls for Trump to publicly state that such a strike “is consistent with longstanding U.S. prevention policy.

Other suggested steps include expediting delivery of U.S.-made KC-46A aerial refueling tankers purchased by Israel in 2021, and “ensuring America’s prepositioned weapons stockpile in Israel is properly updated with precision guided munitions (PGM), including potentially bunker busters and air-to-air missiles, to fulfill the depot’s official purpose of supporting Israel in an emergency such as wartime.”

On the diplomatic front, Washington must outmaneuver Iran’s attempt to split “the United States from its allies” by forging and maintaining a “wide-ranging coalition of Israeli, Arab, and European partners that will be vital for deterring and denying further Iranian nuclear advances, and, if necessary, compelling Tehran to negotiate urgently and earnestly,” the report states.

The Trump administration must signal a credible military threat from day one, the report argues.

Last week, the JINSA plan was presented by members of the organization’s Iran Policy Project, including co-chairs Ambassador Eric Edelman and U.S. Air Force General (ret.) Charles Wald.

Edelman stated during a webinar that following the collapse of the Assad regime, which will make it almost impossible for Iran to resupply its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, a unique moment has arrived.

“Iran is both progressing towards nuclear weapons and … the debate in Iran internally has begun to be one about those who would like to accelerate the program and rely on nuclear deterrence in order to create a shield, behind which Iran can rebuild its whole network of malign activities, and those who are talking about negotiation,” he said.

“We understand President Trump has a predisposition to want to do deals, and he might understandably want to avoid beginning his presidency with the risk of moving into a military operation,” said Edelman, adding, “It could lead to war.”

However, “We think it’s very important that if he does decide to opt to go down the negotiations route that he put very strict parameters on it and not allow the Iranians to do what they’ve done in the past, which is to use negotiations as dilatory tactics while they build up their own nuclear program and run out the clock,” he said.

Ambassador Elliott Abrams, a member of the task force and former U.S. special representative for Iran, added, quoting former U.S. statesman George Shultz, “The hard reality is that diplomacy not backed by military force is ineffectual.”

Yaakov Lappin

Source: https://www.jns.org/trump-will-have-almost-zero-time-to-prevent-nuclear-iran/

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'Non-Detained' Illegal Migrants have a convicted homicide rate 13 times higher than U.S.: Report - Just the News Staff

by Just the News Staff

Of the 662,566 illegal migrants, a total of 435,719 on the docket – more than 65 percent – are documented to have criminal convictions in their home countries while another 226,847 have pending criminal charges.

A new report based on data from the U.S. Department of Justice suggests that crimes committed by illegal migrants cost U.S. taxpayers at least $166.5 billion, and the severity of those crimes greatly exceeds that of typical American norms.

The report was written by Dr. John R. Lott of the Crime Prevention Research Center and is based on data from the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), according to The Tennessee Star.

In September, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revealed in a letter to U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, that as of July 21, 2024, there are 662,566 illegal migrants with criminal histories on the Non-Detained Docket (NDD), which means they are living freely in this country.

Of the 662,566 illegal migrants, a total of 435,719 on the docket – more than 65 percent – are documented to have criminal convictions in their home countries while another 226,847 have pending criminal charges, according to the outlet.

FBI crime statistics show that in 2023 the rate of convicted killers in the NDD alone is more than 13 times that of the rate of reported homicides when compared to American crimes.

Out of the total crimes committed by the migrants on the docket, 14,944 – or 2.25 percent – are homicides; 20,061 are sexual assaults, 105,146 are assaults, 126,343 are traffic offenses, and 60,268 are burglaries, larcenies, or robberies, according to Dr. Lott’s research.

The financial cost of crimes committed by the illegal aliens on the NDD is estimated at $166.5 billion, with the largest share of $153.8 billion coming from murder, according to Lott’s report.

“The estimate of over $160 billion in costs from criminal illegal aliens is very likely an underestimate of the true costs. It assumes the average criminal coming into the country commits only one offense similar to what he committed in his home country. We are also not counting the costs of half of criminal illegal aliens,” Lott wrote.

Just the News Staff

Source: https://justthenews.com/nation/crime/non-detained-illegal-migrants-have-convicted-homicide-rate-13-times-higher-us-report

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Israel warns rebel leader it won’t accept jihadist groups in southern Syria - JNS

by JNS

In its message to HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, Israel reportedly stressed that it is prepared to keep troops in the Golan Heights buffer zone as long as is necessary, but would consider transferring control to a stable and accountable Syrian government.

Israeli soldiers operating on the Syrian side of the border fence, Dec. 15, 2024. Photo by Jamal Awad/Flash90.

Jerusalem has warned Syria’s de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa that it will not tolerate jihadist groups establishing a foothold in southern Syria, Hebrew media reported overnight Sunday.

In the message, Israel stressed that it is prepared to keep troops positioned in the demilitarized Golan Heights buffer zone as long as is necessary to maintain border security, according to Ynet.

However, Jerusalem indicated that it might consider transferring control of the buffer zone to a stable and accountable Syrian government should such an authority emerge.

The leader of Syria’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the toppling of the Assad regime on Dec. 8, said on Dec. 16 that the rebel alliance in Damascus would continue to uphold the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement that ended the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

According to The New York Times account of an interview given in Arabic to a group of journalists, al-Sharaa also called on the international community to ensure that Jerusalem follows the agreement, criticizing the Israel Defense Forces’ deployment to the buffer zone and other areas of Syrian territory.

He said it was no longer necessary for Israeli forces to be in the Syrian Golan Heights to protect the border zone, because the collapse of the Assad regime had removed the threat from Hezbollah and other Iranian terror proxies.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israeli troops have taken up positions inside and beyond the buffer zone, including the strategic Syrian side of Mount Hermon. The Israeli Air Force has also conducted hundreds of strikes on Assad military assets.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and other senior security officials reviewed Israeli troop deployments on the Syrian border on Dec. 17.

During the visit to Mount Hermon, Netanyahu “reviewed the IDF deployment in the area and set guidelines for the future,” according to the PMO statement.

“We are holding this assessment in order to decide on the deployment of the IDF in this important place until another arrangement is found that ensures Israel’s security,” the prime minister stated.

“This is nostalgic for me. I was here 53 years ago with my soldiers in the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit [Sayeret Matkal]. The place has not changed,” the Israeli prime minister added. “It is the same place, but its importance for Israel’s security has only been underscored in recent years; especially in recent weeks with the dramatic events that took place below us in Syria.”

“We will determine the best arrangement that will ensure our security,” the premier concluded.

“The peak of Mt. Hermon serves the eyes of the State of Israel to detect near and far threats,” said Katz according to a Defense Ministry readout.

“The IDF is here to protect the communities of the Golan Heights and the citizens of the State of Israel from any threat, from the most important place to do so,” continued the defense minister.

“Our presence here at the peak of the Hermon strengthens security and adds a dimension of both observation and deterrence to Hezbollah’s strongholds in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon and deterrence against the rebels in Damascus, who pretend to present a moderate image but belong to the most extreme Islamist sects,” he concluded.

JNS

Source: https://www.jns.org/israel-warns-rebel-leader-it-wont-accept-jihadist-groups-in-southern-syria/

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