Middle East and Terrorism: 2025-01-12

Saturday, January 18, 2025

It Wasn't a Deal – It Was a Crime - Alan M. Dershowitz

by Alan M. Dershowitz

Especially complicit, with blood on their hands, are supporters of Hamas on university campuses who chant for intifada and revolution. Also complicit are international organizations, such as the International Criminal Court, that treat Israel and Hamas as equals.

Translations of this item:

Spanish

The decision by the Israeli government to make significant concessions to the Hamas kidnappers should never be called a "deal." It was an extortion.... The kidnapping was a crime. And the extortionate demand was an additional crime.
When a terrorist group "negotiates" with a democracy, it always has the upper hand. The terrorists are not constrained by morality, law or truth. They can murder at will, rape at will, torture at will and threaten to do worse. The democracy, on the other hand, must comply with the rules of law and must listen to the pleas of the hostage families.
Especially complicit, with blood on their hands, are supporters of Hamas on university campuses who chant for intifada and revolution. Also complicit are international organizations, such as the International Criminal Court, that treat Israel and Hamas as equals.
[L]et us put the blame for ALL the deaths in Gaza where it belongs: on Hamas and the useful idiots and useless bigots who support murderous terrorists.

The decision by the Israeli government to make significant concessions to the Hamas kidnappers should never be called a "deal." It was an extortion. Would you call it a deal if somebody kidnapped your child and you "agreed" to pay ransom to get her back? Of course not. The kidnapping was a crime. And the extortionate demand was an additional crime.

So the proper description of what occurred is that Israel, pressured by the United States, capitulated to the unlawful and extortionate demands of Hamas as the only way of saving the lives of kidnapped babies, mothers and other innocent, mostly civilian, hostages.

This was not the result of a negotiation between equals. If an armed robber puts a gun to your head and says, "your money or your life," your decision to give him your money would not be described as a deal. Nor should the extorted arrangement agreed to by Israel be considered a deal. So let's stop using that term.

When a terrorist group "negotiates" with a democracy, it always has the upper hand. The terrorists are not constrained by morality, law or truth. They can murder at will, rape at will, torture at will and threaten to do worse. The democracy, on the other hand, must comply with the rules of law and must listen to the pleas of the hostage families. The result of this exertion was bad for Israel's security, but good for the hostages who remain alive and their families. The heart rules the brain, as it often does in moral democracies that value the immediate saving of the lives of known people over the future deaths of hypothetical people whose identities we do not know. This tradeoff is understandable as compassionate, even if not compelling as policy.

If every democratic nation adopted a policy of never negotiating with terrorists, it might discourage terrorism. But every nation submits to the demands of kidnappers and extortionists, so terrorism and hostage-taking have become a primary tactic of the worst people in the world. And the rest of us are complicit.

Especially complicit, with blood on their hands, are supporters of Hamas on university campuses who chant for intifada and revolution. Also complicit are international organizations, such as the International Criminal Court, that treat Israel and Hamas as equals. These supporters of terrorism encouraged Hamas to hold out for many months in the belief that their support would pressure Israel into making more concessions.

The students of terror – the university students who are encouraging Hamas into continuing their murderous ways – must be held accountable for their complicity in evil. Though they may have the same First Amendment rights as Jews do, they should be treated with the same contempt that Nazis, the KKK and racist supporters of violence are treated. The First Amendment does not give them the right to be hired by decent employers.

The First Amendment gives employers the power to refuse to associate with supporters of Nazism, Hamas terrorism or other evil groups. American law criminalizes giving material support to designated terrorist groups, which include Hamas and Hezbollah. Morality, as distinguished from law, should deem immoral providing any support -- material, political, economic or demonstrative – to any terrorist group such as Hamas. Yet both the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the Democrat Party urged people to listen to the messages of these protestors. They would never say that about demonstrators who favored lynching blacks or raping women. But Hamas does lynch Jews and rape Jewish women. There is no moral difference.

Let us welcome the news that perhaps 33 of the 98 hostages may be released, some of them alive, with the realization that what Hamas extorted from Israel in return for these releases may well endanger Israel's security in the future and cost still more innocent lives.

And let us put the blame for ALL the deaths in Gaza where it belongs: on Hamas and the useful idiots and useless bigots who support murderous terrorists.

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Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus at Harvard Law School, and the author most recently of War Against the Jews: How to End Hamas Barbarism, and Get Trump: The Threat to Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Our Constitutional Rule of Law. He is the Jack Roth Charitable Foundation Fellow at Gatestone Institute, and is also the host of "The Dershow" podcast.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21320/hamas-deal-crime

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The security consequences of the Gaza truce - Charles ByBelezer

by Charles ByBelezer

Many Palestinian detainees will resume terrorist attacks, former Israel Prison Service assistant commissioner says.

Hamas terrorists in Gaza City, March, 25, 2017. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90.

Israeli officials confirmed on Thursday night that a hostages-for-ceasefire agreement was reached with Hamas, hours after the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem said that the Palestinian terror group had reneged on parts of the deal announced the previous day in an effort to extort last-minute concessions.

With the gaps between the sides finally bridged, a total of 33 hostages, out of the 98 held by Hamas in Gaza, are set to be freed during the initial 42-day phase of the ceasefire.

Israel’s Health Ministry on Thursday released a comprehensive protocol for treating hostages based on lessons learned from the November 2023 ceasefire deal that saw more than 100 captives redeemed from Gaza.

The protocol includes detailed guidelines for medical examinations, mental health care, privacy protection and long-term support.

The hostages will be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists, many with blood on their hands, imprisoned in Israeli jails.

Ilan Borreda, former assistant commissioner of the Israel Prison Service, said in a press briefing on Thursday that the security services should assume that many Palestinian detainees will resume terrorist activity.

“Maybe not all of them will because some are old, but Israel should be prepared. If they are released to Judea and Samaria, they could continue to engage in terror, but it will be easier to catch them again there. If they are released to Gaza, Turkey, Qatar or Lebanon, it will be harder,” Borreda said.

Former Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre who was killed by IDF troops in Gaza last October, was one of 1,027 Palestinians released as part of the 2011 agreement to free captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Borreda explained that the Palestinian prisoners who were sentenced to life were convicted on at least one count of murder. “But it doesn’t mean that the others are less dangerous, because the younger ones were part of Hamas’s military division either in Judea and Samaria or in Gaza,” he said.

“We focus on the prisoners sentenced to life because we see them as the highest prize [for Hamas],” he added.

According to the deal, Israeli forces are to gradually withdraw from strategic locations, including the Philadelphi Corridor along Gaza’s Egyptian border, while the Rafah Crossing to Sinai will be opened to allow a massive influx of goods into the Strip.

In July, during its operations in Rafah in southern Gaza, the IDF uncovered an extensive network of tunnels running under the border with Egypt, some which had three levels.

As a consequence, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz last month vowed that the IDF would maintain security in the area, speaking during a tour of the Philadelphi Corridor.

Hamas rearming

“This war reflects a terrible Israeli failure, and of course when the ceasefire begins, it will be easier for Hamas to retake some areas currently under the IDF[’s control],” Maj. Gen. (res.) Giora Eiland, a former head of the Israeli National Security Council, told JNS.

“Hamas has got all the necessary supplies from Israel, which enabled it to become richer by reselling humanitarian aid to the population at a profit, and rehired fighters to replace those killed,” he added.

While Eiland said Israel will not be able to entirely prevent Hamas from rearming, the degree to which that happens will depend primarily on three factors.

“The first revolves around whether the Egyptians will be more effective in their task to stop the flow of weapons that cross from the Sinai Peninsula into Gaza,” he explained. “I don’t think they will make a bigger effort unless the United States signals that the military assistance [sent to Cairo] will be at risk.”

Second, Eiland said, the incoming Trump administration must attempt to shut off the spigot of Qatari money to Hamas’s coffers.

Lastly, third party countries and organizations interested in participating in the reconstruction of Gaza have to commit to linking funding to the enclave’s demilitarization.

“These three matters are in the hands of America more than Israel’s,” said Eiland. “While Hamas committed to a ceasefire, it did not commit to disarm.”

Like World War II

Maj. Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan, former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff and Israeli lawmaker, told JNS that for Israel to win the war, it must eliminate Hamas in the same way that the Nazi regime was destroyed during World War II.

“For Hamas to win, it’s enough that they survive,” said Dayan, who described “survival” as the capacity for individual Palestinians to continue to engage in terrorism.

“Hamas can always continue and build the hopes to return to what it once was, and we have to prevent them from doing so,” he said.

To ensure this does not occur, Dayan stressed that Israel must achieve not only control over security in Gaza, but also over civilian aspects such as the delivery of water and electricity, and the entry into the enclave of critical resources such as fuel and medicine.

“We have to continue this war because we are not fighting against an entity trying to build Gaza. If that was Hamas’s goal, it would have turned Gaza into the Hong Kong or Singapore of the Middle East with the money invested over the last 10 years. But they’re terrorists, that’s not what they do,” added Dayan.

Like in Lebanon

Brig. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Nuriel, former head of the Counter-Terrorism bureau in the Prime Minister’s Office, told JNS that the IDF will have to closely monitor Hamas’s efforts to reestablish its infrastructure.

“To produce rockets, Hamas needs to perform experiments. We need to make sure not to let this happen, so they cannot start to build up their power again,” he said.

“I believe we will duplicate actions we are taking in Lebanon, where we see Hezbollah trying to recover during the ceasefire. We attack their convoys and weapons storage facilities. Whenever we see Hezbollah members trying to save some ammunition, we just blow it up,” continued Nuriel. “I believe that will be Israel’s policy and message to Hamas.”

As for resuming the war against Hamas after the agreement ends, Nuriel said that Israel could do so but it will largely depend on the United States.

“For instance, some progress between the Americans and the Saudis on normalization with Israel could lead us to take a less aggressive approach,” he said.

Dayan stressed that Israel will need to remain vigilant during the ceasefire, as Hamas may have some terrorist surprises in store.

“[Prime Minister David] Ben-Gurion said many years ago that there are some ideas that you have to kill, bury and make sure they’re not resurrected,” Dayan said.

“In the Middle East, [former PLO leader Yasser] Arafat killed the idea of two states for two peoples, Hamas buried it on Oct. 7, and we must make sure it doesn’t come alive again, ” Dayan continued. “If Hamas returns to power in Gaza, we will have to expect another massacre. And we cannot let that happen.”

Charles ByBelezer

Source: https://www.jns.org/the-security-consequences-of-the-gaza-truce/

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IDF withdrawal from Lebanon: Is it feasible by Jan. 26? - Yaakov Lappin

by Yaakov Lappin

With the deadline looming, concerns remain over the Lebanese Armed Forces’ readiness to enforce the ceasefire agreement and curb Hezbollah’s resurgence.

Israeli soldiers walks past weapons seized from Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon, displayed for the media at an IDF base in the Galilee on Dec, 23, 2024. Photo by Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Despite the 60-day test period for the northern ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, at the end of which, the Israeli military is supposed to withdraw from the Land of the Cedars, the Israel Defense Forces remains engaged in frequent operations targeting Hezbollah positions in Southern Lebanon.

For example, on Jan. 12, the IDF conducted what it described as “intelligence-based strikes on a number of Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon.”

The strikes were preceded by the presentation of intelligence to the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, the military said, consisting of representatives of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), the United States, France and the United Nations, which failed to address the threats posed by the targets.

The targets included “a rocket launcher site, a military site and routes along the Syria-Lebanon border used to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah,” the IDF said, while stressing its commitment to “remove any threat to the State of Israel” and preventing “any attempt by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to rebuild its forces in accordance with the ceasefire understandings.”

As such, concerns are growing about whether the Lebanese Armed Forces can fulfill its obligations to clamp down on illegal Hezbollah activity in Southern Lebanon under the ceasefire agreement.

Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, a senior research fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy, and former head of the Research and Assessment Division of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate, told JNS that the IDF is enforcing the ceasefire not only through its presence in the region but also via surveillance and targeted strikes beyond the immediate areas under its deployment.

“We see strikes in the last 24 hours in areas along the crossings between Syria and Lebanon. We saw strikes on various military targets that were not properly addressed by the Lebanese,” said Kuperwasser.

He added that while these operations aim to prevent Hezbollah from rearming in violation of the ceasefire, they also highlight a key difference from past engagements, which Israel did not actively enforce.

“Unlike the reality under U.N. [Security Council] Resolution 1701 before the [Swords of Iron/Northern Arrows] war, when we refrained from striking Lebanon, now we strike if the Lebanese Army fails to fulfill its obligations. We will report violations to the monitoring committee, and if they act, excellent. If they do not act, we will act ourselves.

“Can this be done 100%? No, because some of these villagers are Hezbollah operatives, and they live in these villages,” he said. “But it must be insured that there is no Hezbollah presence—in the form of armed Hezbollah operatives—in these places.”

Kuperwasser expressed doubts about the LAF’s ability to deliver on its responsibilities, particularly under its new leadership.

“The hope is that the Lebanese Army, especially now that there is a new president and a new government in Lebanon, will fulfill its duties. But we have not yet seen a sufficiently effective deployment of the Lebanese Army,” he said.

He added that while Israel intends to fulfill its side of the signed agreement and withdraw, delays in the IDF withdrawal could nevertheless occur if the LAF is not prepared to take full control. “If the reality proves that they are not ready, it may be necessary to postpone the implementation [of the withdrawal],” Kuperwasser said.

“Israel signed an agreement. It agreed to the understandings, and intends to implement them. If the other side cannot fulfill its part of the agreement, we need to either reopen it, extend the timeline, or find other ways to address the issue,” Kuperwasser said.

Airstrikes not enough

Dr. Yossi Mansharof, an expert on Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Shi’ite militias at the Misgav Institute, argued that the IDF faces a “problematic situation” in which it is enforcing the ceasefire while the LAF fails to take meaningful action.

The IDF, he said, is essentially enforcing the ceasefire without the monitoring mechanism fulfilling its mission or enforcing the ceasefire itself.

“The Lebanese Army is not addressing the information transferred by the IDF regarding Hezbollah’s presence south of the Litani River. The Americans are determined to continue with this outline, and therefore, it seems that the best Israel can do is reconsider whether it can withdraw from areas it took from Hezbollah, which should be a significant bargaining chip in applying the ceasefire agreement.”

Mansharof noted that airstrikes alone cannot provide a long-term solution, adding, “As proven in the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, airstrikes are of limited effectiveness. As long as the Lebanese Army is not fulfilling the role assigned to it by all sides in the ceasefire, the IDF should delay its withdrawal and demand that the Lebanese government acts in line with the agreed ceasefire mechanism.”

The situation is further complicated by international pressure, according to Mansharof.

“Israel is expected to face international, and particularly American, pressure,” he cautioned, referring to a statement made by U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein during a recent visit to Beirut, in which he reiterated Washington’s commitment to ensuring the IDF’s full withdrawal by Jan. 26.

However, Mansharof argued that the LAF, under the leadership of newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, is ill-prepared to meet the demands of the ceasefire.

“It seems that the Lebanese Army is unable to transition from a period in which it cooperated, in various ways, under Aoun’s command, with Hezbollah, to a situation in which it acts directly against Hezbollah,” Mansharof warned.

He expressed similar concerns regarding the Shi’ite population in Southern Lebanon, which has historically cooperated with Hezbollah.

“It is clear that this raises a lot of concern among the residents of the [Israeli] border communities,” Mansharof said, adding that Hezbollah operatives have used civilian homes to store weapons and ammunition.

Yaakov Lappin is an Israel-based military affairs correspondent and analyst. He is the in-house analyst at the Miryam Institute; a research associate at the Alma Research and Education Center; and a research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University. He is a frequent guest commentator on international television news networks, including Sky News and i24 News. Lappin is the author of Virtual Caliphate: Exposing the Islamist State on the Internet. Follow him at: www.patreon.com/yaakovlappin.

Source: https://www.jns.org/idf-withdrawal-from-lebanon-is-it-feasible-by-jan-26/

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Trump’s first day executive orders expected to touch a wide range of subjects - Ben Whedon

by Ben Whedon

Trump promised to begin mass deportations on day one, but some sources have suggested the deportation numbers will be low at first and gradually build while the administration gets its apparatus in place.

President-elect Donald Trump is set to formally take office on Monday after which he is expected to sign an exploding ball of executive orders that will set the tone for his administration on key issues, namely border security and energy.

On the campaign, Trump facetiously quipped that he would not act as a dictator or impose authoritarian rule “except for day one.” "We're closing the border and we're drilling, drilling, drilling. Other than that I'm not gonna be a dictator," he told an amused Sean Hannity during a town hall event last year.

Since then, reports have emerged that Trump could sign as many as 100 executive orders on his first day in office. Trump himself made a litany of “day one” promises while on the campaign trail that included moves on nearly every key issue.

Such promises included the convening of a task force to plan America’s 250th birthday, the start of mass deportations, the imposition of tariffs on Mexico, an end to birthright citizenship, the termination of migrant flights, deregulations, orders permitting the expansion of energy production, restrictions on DEI and other programs, and the rooting out of career bureaucrats who work against his agenda.

Immigration and border security

During a recent meeting with Republican senators, Trump adviser Stephen Miller highlighted planned actions on immigration to begin early in the administration as part of what the Associated Press called “executive punch unseen in modern times.”

Among the most highly-anticipated order will be the return of the “Remain-in-Mexico” policy requiring that would-be asylees stay outside the U.S. ahead of their court dates. Others are likely to address the completion of the southern border wall, Trump’s signature campaign promise from 2016, while others are expected to target groups of illegal aliens that recently entered the United States and those who have already been approved for deportation.

Some of the immigration orders may stall, however, with the Senate evidently hesitant to speedily confirm some of his key nominees for posts relevant to those policies. Still, some of his border actions will need only the weight of the president’s signature.

One of his key immigration promises was to implement an executive order directing federal agents to interpret the law in a way that would not grant the children of illegal immigrants American citizenship. Trump made that promise in May of 2023, at which time it generated considerable legal speculation about the likely challenges to such a dramatic reinterpretation of the law.

Trump promised to begin mass deportations on day one, but some sources have suggested the deportation numbers will be low at first and gradually build while the administration gets its apparatus in place.

“You’re not going to see historic numbers in month one. You start to see a steady increase, and then it’ll keep building and building,” one source familiar with the administration’s plans told Politico.

Energy and the environment

Independent of immigration, Trump reportedly plans to target energy production, in part by rolling back Biden-era executive orders and environmental regulations. Specifically, Trump has taken aim at the Biden administration’s natural gas export restrictions and electric vehicle mandates, vowing to end them on day one and to expand fracking in Pennsylvania.

The natural gas export ban was part of the Biden administration’s climate change initiatives and was ostensibly temporary, though it faced legal challenges and the Department of Justice in December asked the courts to halt proceedings, given the incoming Trump administration was likely to end the ban anyway.

The electric vehicle mandate, meanwhile, was a regular fixture of Trump’s campaign, especially amid United Auto Workers’ lengthy strike. Trump made the argument that the Green New Deal and the Biden administration’s effort to transfer auto-manufacturing to electric vehicles would bankrupt the industry and result in additional offshoring of their jobs.

“I will cancel her insane electric vehicle mandate. It'll be ended on day one,” he promised.

Jan. 6 pardons?

In December, Trump promised to pardon Jan. 6 participants on his first day, saying they were "living in Hell" as the Justice Department pursued charges over their involvement in the incident. More than 1,500 people have faced charges related to Jan. 6 but the scope of Trump's planned pardons remains unclear, especially whether they will include those convicted of violent offenses.

The rest of the day

Trump’s actual day one schedule was changed last minute due to inclement weather, with the Inauguration itself being moved inside the Capitol Rotunda, a move not seen since President Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985.

After the swearing-in ceremony, Trump plans to travel to the Capital One arena, which will be open for the crowd to watch the ceremony on a large screen. After that appearance, he is expected to make his way to the White House to begin signing his many planned executive orders.

Ben Whedon

Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/monthe-day-one-dictatorship-trumps-expected-executive-orders

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Crisis between Israel, US? Trump warns against collapse of Lebanon ceasefire - exclusive - Amichai Stein

by Amichai Stein

Sources close to US President-elect Donald Trump have reportedly conveyed a stern warning to Israeli officials.

IDF troops operating in the Litani River area in Lebanon for first time in over two decades

(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Senior Israeli officials have indicated their intention to remain in southern Lebanon beyond the 60-day ceasefire, due to the slow deployment of the Lebanese army, raising concerns in Washington, The Jerusalem Post learned on Thursday.

Sources close to US President-elect Donald Trump have reportedly conveyed a warning to Israeli officials: “We don’t want the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon to collapse.”

The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which began on November 27, is scheduled to last 60 days. In this time, the Lebanese Armed Forces is expected to deploy in southern Lebanon and dismantle Hezbollah’s weapons storage facilities.

However, Israeli officials have accused the Lebanese military of failing to fulfill its mission, with claims emerging that some Lebanese personnel are allegedly tipping off Hezbollah militants ahead of planned searches.

In recent days, Hezbollah has declared that it will act if Israeli forces remain in southern Lebanon past the agreed-upon 60-day period, prompting concerns among Trump’s team that any Israeli extension could reignite hostilities.

Slow deployment

The Post has learned that Israeli officials have attempted to make US counterparts understand that the deployment by the Lebanese Army has been slow and insufficient, leaving Hezbollah’s presence largely intact. This, the officials argue, necessitates Israel’s continued presence in the area.

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump makes remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, last week. He will work to form a broader international coalition to pressure Iran, the writer predicts. (credit: CARLOS BARRIA / REUTERS)

For Israel, maintaining US involvement in the monitoring mechanism – comprising Israel, Lebanon, France, and Hezbollah – is a priority. Israeli officials have stressed that American leadership is crucial to ensuring the mechanism’s effectiveness, particularly in pressuring the Lebanese Army to act decisively against Hezbollah.

Coordination with the US, Israeli officials emphasized, is essential to prevent the Americans from withdrawing from their oversight role in Lebanon.

Amichai Stein

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-837901

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Fatah vows to continue terror and be “the flame of the armed struggle” - Nan Jacques Zilberdik

by Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Fatah Shabiba Student Movement: "May Allah make the new year good for Palestine; may He strengthen the Jihad fighters in it, grant victory to the Palestinians, give glory, victory, and strength to those carrying out Ribat (i.e., religious conflict over land claimed to be Islamic), and sow fear in the hearts of their enemies"

As Hamas continues to gain popularity thanks to its successful implementation of terror, which will likely lead to the release of many imprisoned terrorists, Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah is reminding everyone that it has always been the leader of Palestinian terror. The party's social media content leaves no doubt regarding its goal for 2025—to continue that terror against Israel. Fatah has posted images of masked terrorists posing with assault rifles, a picture of arch-terrorist Abu Jihad—who orchestrated the murder of at least 125 people, and Arafat—who conducted the Palestinian Authority's 5-year terror campaign, together with logos and text praising "the armed struggle."

Text on the image above: "Fatah, which bore the rifle and defended the Palestinian decision, was and still is the loyal guardian of the national project."
[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page,
Dec. 29, 2024]

The image above posted by Fatah shows former PLO and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat on the right walking with terrorist Khalil Al-Wazir "Abu Jihad."

Posted text: "The story of a people and the struggle of a homeland
#The_60^th_anniversary_of_the_Launch_of_the_Palestinian_revolution
Fatah is not just a political movement, but rather the story of a people the struggle of a homeland
On the 60^th anniversary of its Intilaqa (i.e., the anniversary of "the Launch" of Fatah, counted from its first terror attack against Israel), the hope and the promise are renewed."
[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page,
Dec. 29, 2024]

Fatah's image above shows an old Fatah logo featuring a masked man, an assault rifle, and a Palestinian flag.

Text on logo: "Fatah is the eternal revolution and Al-Asifa (i.e., Fatah military unit) is the flame of the armed struggle
1965-2025
Fatah will continue to be the eternal revolution"
Posted text: "Fatah will continue to be the eternal revolution
The 60^th anniversary of Fatah's Intilaqa (i.e., the anniversary of "the Launch" of Fatah, counted from its first terror attack against Israel)"
[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, Dec. 30, 2024]

This goal is not just espoused by the old men of Fatah who have experienced 60 years of "the armed struggle." The young Palestinian generation is just as determined in its vow to fight Israel. Fatah's Shabiba Student Movement and Student Union Council at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie call for holy war, "jihad," asking Allah to "strengthen the Jihad fighters" and "grant victory to the Palestinians," while "sow[ing] fear in the hearts of their enemies":

Text on image: "May Allah make the new year good for Palestine; may He strengthen the Jihad fighters in it, grant victory to the Palestinians, give glory, victory, and strength to those carrying out Ribat (i.e., religious conflict over land claimed to be Islamic), and sow fear in the hearts of their enemies."
Posted text: "Happy New Year, and may Allah bring us and you victory and liberation in it.
Your brothers in the [Fatah] Shabiba Student Movement and the Student Union [at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie]."
[The Fatah Shabiba Student Movement and Student Union Council at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie, Facebook page, Jan. 1, 2025]

Another clear sign of the PA and Fatah's violent aspirations for 2025 is this photo of Ramallah and El-Bireh District Governor Laila Ghannam with her hands on the shoulders of a girl wearing a yellow headband of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades—Fatah's military wing responsible for numerous terror attacks. The PA governor's endorsement of the Brigades and their terror is clear:

[PA Ramallah and El-Bireh Governorate, Facebook page, Dec. 31, 2024]

The following is additional information relating to the items cited above:

Posted text with photo of Ramallah Governor: "Despite the harsh weather conditions, thousands of our people poured into Al-Manara Square in the heart of the Ramallah and El-Bireh district to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the launch of the Palestinian revolution, ‘the Intilaqa of the Fatah Movement' (i.e., the anniversary of "the Launch" of Fatah, counted from its first terror attack against Israel)"

[PA Ramallah and El-Bireh Governorate, Facebook page, Dec. 31, 2024]

Yasser Arafat was the founder of Fatah and former chairman of the PLO and PA. During the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, Arafat perpetrated numerous terror attacks against Israelis. Although he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 together with then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and then Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres “for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East" after signing the Oslo Accords peace agreement, Arafat launched a 5-year terror campaign - the second Intifada (2000-2005) – in which more than 1,000 Israelis were murdered. Arafat died of an illness in 2004.

Abu Jihad (Khalil Al-Wazir) was a founder of Fatah and deputy to Yasser Arafat. He headed the PLO terror organization's military wing and also planned many deadly Fatah terror attacks in the 1960s - 1980s. These attacks, in which a total of 125 Israelis were murdered, included the Coastal Road attack that (until Oct. 7, 2023) was the most lethal in Israeli history - the hijacking of a bus and murder of 37 civilians, 12 of them children.

Nan Jacques Zilberdik

Source: https://palwatch.org/page/36813

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24 in favor, 8 opposed: Israeli government approves ceasefire deal - Israel National News

by Israel National News

After over seven hours of discussions, Israeli government approves deal to release around 2,000 terrorists, over 100 of whom are serving life sentences for mass murders; 33 living or dead hostages to be released in first stage of deal.

The Cabinet meeting Kobi Gideon/GPO

After over seven hours of discussions, the Israeli government on Friday night approved a ceasefire-prisoner swap deal between Israel and the Hamas terror group.

Twenty-four ministers voted in favor of the deal, and eight opposed. The deal will take effect on Sunday.

In the first stage of the deal, 33 living or dead "humanitarian" hostages are expected to be released. Some of them - the civilian women and the two Bibas children - were slated to be released in the November 2023 prisoner swap deal. However, Hamas refused to release them, and Israel resumed fighting.

On Sunday, Hamas is expected to release three female hostages, in exchange for whom Israel will release 95 convicted terrorists.

The ministers who opposed the deal were Bezalel Smotrich, Orit Strock, and Ofir Sofer of the Religious Zionist party; Itamar Ben Gvir, Amichai Eliyahu, and Itshak Waserlauf of Otzma Yehudit and Amichai Chikli and David Amsalem from the Likud. Shlomo Karhi, also of the Likud, did not vote.

Attending the government meeting were all of the relevant parties: Mossad chief David Barnea, ISA chief Ronen Bar, Major General (res.) Nitzan Alon, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, and Coordinator for the Hostages and Missing Gal Hirsch.

The first stage of the deal will last 42 days, and will see the release of nearly 2,000 terrorists, including those serving multiple life sentences for some of the deadliest terror attacks in Israel's history.

Israel National News

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/2025-01-13/live-updates-837303

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Iran's Mullahs: Will the EU Ever Wake Up? - Majid Rafizadeh

by Majid Rafizadeh

Europe is bankrolling Iran to devour it.

Even though Iran keeps increasing its military support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- posing a significant threat to the European Union, the EU policy of appeasing the mullahs persists.
"These drones [in Russia] aren't just a threat to Ukraine — they're a threat to every NATO country bordering Russia." — Henrik F. Rasmussen, executive director of the Institute for Science and International Security, politico.eu, November 13, 2023.
"The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was responsible for at least 11 attempted attacks in Europe between June 2018 and June 2024, making it clear Tehran sees Europe as one of the battlefields in its conflict with Israel and the West, going so far as to partner with organized crime to achieve its ends." — Oliver Rolofs, Strategic security and communication expert and the director of the Austrian Institute for Strategic Studies and International Cooperation, politico.eu, October 9, 2024.
Europe is bankrolling Iran to devour it.

Even though Iran keeps increasing its military support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- posing a significant threat to the European Union, the EU policy of appeasing the mullahs persists.

The EU blithely continues to trade with Iran, the top state sponsor of terrorism. The Tehran Times bragged in a recent report that the country's exports to the EU have increased by 28% in just 9 months:

"The Eurostat's data show that Iran exported commodities worth €799 million to the union in the nine-month period of this year, while the figure was €623 million in the same time span of the previous year, IRNA reported.

"The EU's export to Iran has also risen 31 percent to €3.148 billion from €2.402 billion.

"According to the Eurostat, the total value of trade between Iran and the European Union reached €3.947 billion in January-September 2022, while the figure was €3.025 billion in the same period of 2021.

"Iran exported €72 million worth of goods to the EU in September, while importing €472 million from the mentioned union. The value of the Islamic Republic's exports to the EU stood at €68 million last September, and the imports from the union were reported to be €308."

Iran's growing exports to the EU are also increasing the regime's revenues, thereby assisting it in supplying more weapons to Russia.

Does the EU not know that the Russian President Vladimir Putin received huge support for his invasion of Ukraine from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? Iran has been supplying kamikaze drones to Russia. This is evidently why, according to the Ukrainian foreign ministry's press service, Ukraine stripped Iran's ambassador in Kyiv of his accreditation and reduced the embassy's diplomatic staff.

The EU's appeasement of the ruling mullahs has continued even as the EU itself acknowledged that Iran was indeed "provid[ing] military support for Russia's unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine" via the "development and delivery of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Russia."

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly noted in a statement:

"These cowardly drone strikes are an act of desperation. By enabling these strikes, these individuals and a manufacturer have caused the people of Ukraine untold suffering."

The EU has been allowing Iran to act with impunity -- most likely the reason it began sending troops to Crimea to assist Russian forces in Ukraine and sharpen the deadliness of their suicide drones.

"These drones," notes Henrik F. Rasmussen, executive director of the Institute for Science and International Security, "aren't just a threat to Ukraine — they're a threat to every NATO country bordering Russia."

Oliver Rolofs, Strategic security and communication expert and the director of the Austrian Institute for Strategic Studies and International Cooperation, warns:

"The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was responsible for at least 11 attempted attacks in Europe between June 2018 and June 2024, making it clear Tehran sees Europe as one of the battlefields in its conflict with Israel and the West, going so far as to partner with organized crime to achieve its ends."

The Biden administration similarly never imposed any pressure on the EU to stop its business dealings with Iran, even though the Biden administration acknowledged that it had evidence that Iranian troops were "directly engaged on the ground" in Crimea to increase the efficacy of Russia's drone attacks. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said:

"The systems themselves were suffering failures and not performing to the standards that apparently the customers expected. So the Iranians decided to move in some trainers and some technical support to help the Russians use them with better lethality."

Iran also recently agreed to send ballistic missiles and additional drones to Russia. Iran appears to have had the largest and most diverse ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remarked:

"In eight months of full-scale war, Russia has used almost 4,500 missiles against us. And their stock of missiles is dwindling. Therefore, Russia went looking for affordable weapons in other countries to continue its terror. It found them in Iran. I have a question for you – how does Russia pay Iran for this, in your opinion? Is Iran just interested in money? Probably not money at all, but Russian assistance to the Iranian nuclear program."

The European Union would be well-advised to keep in mind Winston Churchill's famous warning:

"Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last. All of them hope that the storm will pass before their turn comes to be devoured."

Europe is bankrolling Iran to devour it.

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

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21321/iran-eu

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Who is Zakaria Zubeidi, the Fatah terrorist to be released in the ceasefire deal? - explainer - Jerusalem Post Staff

by Jerusalem Post Staff

Zubeidi was born in 1976 to a family of nine in Jenin, a Palestinian city in the West Bank.

Zakaria Zubeidi. Jenin, December 30, 2004.

(photo credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD)

One of those set to be released in the hostage and ceasefire deal set to begin Sunday morning is arch-terrorist Zakaria Zubeidi, a former commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in Jenin, a Fatah-aligned armed group.

Zubeidi was born in 1976 to a family of nine in Jenin, a Palestinian city in the West Bank. When he was young, he was shot by Israeli forces after throwing stones at a civilian vehicle. He has claimed the wound has caused him to have a lasting limp.

Terror from a young age

Additionally, at age 14, he was arrested and imprisoned for half a year for throwing a Molotov cocktail. He was subsequently sentenced to four and a half years.

During his first sentence, Zubeidi joined Fatah.

After he was released, he joined the Palestinian police, worked at a builder in Tel Aviv, and a truck driver in Jenin.

Fatah's ZAKARIA ZUBEIDI 370 (credit: Reuters)

Later, during an IDF raid in Jenin, his mother was shot and killed by an Israeli sniper. His brother was later killed duing Operation Defensive Shield, which was triggered by a slew of Palestinian terror attacks in March 2002.

Zubeidi later joined the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades where he organized a number of terror attacks, including a suicide bombing at a Likud branch in Beit She’an where six people were killed.

In 2021, Zubeidi was one of the terrorists who escaped Gilboa Prison for a period of time before being caught in a massive manhunt.

He is currently serving time in prison for a slew of offenses including murder, attempted murder, planting of an explosive device, membership in a terror organization, discharging a firearm at people, contact with a hostile organization, offenses against (or failure to comply with) current sentencing, weapons offenses, conspiracy to commit a crime, conspiracy to murder, service to an illegal organization, and failure to pay fines.

Zubeidi's son, Mohammad, was killed in September during targeted Israeli air force strikes in the Jenin area.

On Saturday, the Justice Ministry released a list of 735 terrorists to be released as part of the hostage deal.

Other names include Ahmed Barghouti, a close aide to Marwan Barghouti, who is serving 13 life sentences. Arrested alongside Marwan Barghouti in Ramallah in 2002, Ahmed was responsible for supplying weapons to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the military wing of Fatah, where he served as their operational commander.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-838085

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U.S. government blocks Marine’s custody of adopted girl saved from Afghanistan battlefield - Natalia Mittelstadt

by Natalia Mittelstadt

The U.S. State Department has continually pushed for a girl to be given to an Afghan couple with alleged terrorist ties and taken away from an adoptive US serviceman.

The U.S. government has repeatedly interfered with a Marine’s fight to maintain custody of his adopted five-year-old daughter, who was saved by Army Rangers from an Afghan battlefield in 2019.

Marine Corps Major Joshua Mast and his wife Stephanie are embroiled in both federal and state lawsuits over their adopted daughter, five-year-old “Baby L.,” as she has been called in court filings.

An Afghan Pashtun couple claiming to be related to Baby L. are suing the Masts for custody of the child in state court and filed another lawsuit in federal court over tortious interference with parental rights, fraud, common law conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment. The Afghan couple are referred to as “John Doe” and “Jane Doe” in the federal lawsuit.

The U.S. government has been involved in the federal court case, after the Department of State transferred Baby L. over to the Does while they were in Afghanistan, before they evacuated to the U.S. amid the 2021 withdrawal.

The secretaries of state and defense were initially named nominal defendants in the federal lawsuit. They were both dismissed as nominal defendants in August 2023. However, the U.S. has continued to participate in the case, as the U.S. Department of Justice has filed motions to quash subpoenas and seal a document on behalf of both the DOS and DOD.

Baby L. is saved in Battle

Baby L. was saved after a U.S. Special Forces operation was conducted in Afghanistan on Sept. 5-6, 2019, against Al Qaeda foreign fighters, according to an unclassified military report. She was less than two months old when Army Rangers found her by her mother, who was one of the Al Qaeda foreign fighters and died from her wounds after setting off a suicide vest she was wearing.

Baby L. “suffered a fragmentation wound to the lower extremity which had fractured her hip, and she sustained a fractured skull and 2nd degree burns,” the report added.

Unlike Afghan Pashtuns, Baby L. “is most likely ethnically Turkmen or a Uighur from Turkmenistan,” according to the report.

Army Rangers took Baby L. to Craig Joint Theatre Hospital at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan to receive medical care.

Mast, who was in Afghanistan at the time and learned about Baby L.’s situation, “fought for the child’s rights to safety, medical treatment, and to not be turned over by the US to non-relatives in an objectively dangerous manner,” according to a court filing.

He and the DOD “demanded at a minimum a DNA test for any claimants and vetting for terrorist ties. The DoD was well aware [of] the risk that unrelated Taliban proxies would step forth as ‘uncles’ to try to claim the child.” At least six Afghans claimed to be family members of Baby L., but DNA tests proved otherwise.

“In Afghanistan and certainly among the Taliban, a baby girl is worth money – to sell off for child marriage – and more so for an unrelated baby girl,” according to the American Freedom Law Center (AFLC), which is representing Joshua Mast’s brother and lawyer in the state case, Richard Mast.

Over the course of late 2019 and early 2020, and with his command’s knowledge, Mast worked with a Virginia court, the Virginia Department of Health, and the Virginia attorney general’s office to obtain a birth certificate for Baby L. and an Interlocutory Order of Adoption so she could be brought to the U.S., per the court filing.

“At the time, the State Department was desperately trying to negotiate a withdrawal agreement unilaterally with the Taliban,” according to AFLC. “The Taliban claimed there were no Al Qaeda present in Afghanistan at that time,” the law center added, which was a condition of the peace deal.

As the State Department became involved in the situation, Baby L. was transferred from DOD custody to John Doe’s father in February 2020. The Masts continued with the adoption process of Baby L.

“Evidence was presented that in spite of the many false claimants, U.S. Embassy Kabul dropped the DNA test requirement and caused the Masts’ daughter to be turned over to a non-relative, third-party Taliban proxy (who handed her off to ‘John Doe’), after two Afghan government agencies had recommended the little girl be sent to the U.S. to her U.S. guardian,” per AFLC.

“This was driven by the State Department’s desire to cut a deal with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. troops and to get rid of the ‘problem’ of this baby girl interfering with the State Department’s negotiations.”

"Responsible to the Taliban"

Later, in July 2021, the Taliban would not give permission for Baby L. to go to the U.S., after a request from the father of John Doe, who has claimed to be Baby L.'s uncle.

“John Doe admitted that his father was responsible to the Taliban for the child, and that the Taliban had denied permission for the child to go to America prior to the start of the historical evacuation,” according to the filing. “In addition, it is appalling that U.S. Embassy Kabul would fail to keep a U.S. Forces, Afghanistan (USFOR-A) commitment to DNA test any claimant when the former Afghan government expressly requested it.”

The Does disobeyed the Taliban, leading Mast to help evacuate them along with Baby L. from Afghanistan to Germany on the way to the U.S. Baby L. remained with the Does as they traveled to the U.S., where they arrived at Dulles International Airport on August 29, 2021. “John Doe was identified on the unclassified Biometrically Enabled [Terror] Watchlist (BEWL) upon his entry to the United States for a 2014 arms/explosives use,” according to the filing.

John Doe had repeatedly represented that "his father was responsible to the Taliban for the child," and stated "that he had many Taliban fighters in his phone when he brought the child to U.S. forces to be evacuated in 2021," per Richard Mast's court document.

As a result, the Masts, who have four sons, were given custody of Baby L. on Sept. 3, 2021. The Does now live in Texas.

“The US government has scrubbed John Doe’s BEWL entry, as it has scrubbed the terrorism records of multiple ‘refugees,’” according to a court filing from last August by Richard Mast. “John Doe’s BEWL screenshot cannot be released at this time, because of the federal protective order, but counsel for John Doe sent it to the US government (Richmond FBI Field Office) and still have copies of it, as revealed in federal discovery.”

This issue with BEWL is not limited to John Doe.

In August 2022, Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., sent a letter to the DOD acting inspector general, writing that a whistleblower alleged that “324 individuals evacuated from Afghanistan were allowed to enter the United States, despite appearing on the DoD’s Biometrically Enabled Watchlist (BEWL).

“The BEWL—commonly known as ‘the watch list’—identifies individuals whose biometrics have been collected and determined by analysts to be threats or potential threats to national security, including known suspected terrorists (KST). This is in addition to the reportedly 65 individuals who are known to have entered the country without adequate vetting.”

"Never authorized"

Additionally, “it is alleged that personnel at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) who work on vetting Afghan evacuees have been authorized to delete old biometric data, whenever they personally believed that such information is out of date,” according to the letter.

In the federal lawsuit against the Masts, the DOJ argued in January 2023 that “Federal Defendants admit … that Baby Doe is a citizen of Afghanistan with biological family in Afghanistan,” and that the “United States never authorized the Masts to initiate legal proceedings to gain custody of Baby Doe or adopt her, nor did the United States consent to these actions.”

However, as shown in court documents, then-Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Derek J. Maurer signed a memo detailing that he was aware Mast obtained “sole legal custody” of Baby L. and a birth certificate for her, making her a DOD dependent who could receive military healthcare.

The DOS told CBS News in January 2023 that "reuniting the child with the family members in Afghanistan was the right thing to do," and the DOJ claimed that the Masts’ adoption of Baby L. violates Virginia law and conflicts with U.S. foreign policy interests.

The Departments of Justice and State didn’t provide comment by publishing time and the Department of Defense declined to comment.

Natalia Mittelstadt

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/us-govt-interferes-marines-custody-adopted-girl-saved-afghanistan-amid

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Thursday, January 16, 2025

Mixed responses from American Jewish groups to hostage deal - Izzy Salant

by Izzy Salant

“This isn’t ‘peace through strength,’” Mort Klein, of ZOA, told JNS. “It is heartbreaking and infuriating and frightening that Israel’s government is agreeing to this deal.”

U.S. President Joe Biden, joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, delivers remarks on the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Jan. 15, 2025. Credit: Oliver Contreras/White House.

American Jewish organizations largely lauded the ceasefire and hostage-release deal, which U.S. and Israeli officials announced on Wednesday, though noted that it was insufficient.

“There is much work to be done and significant uncertainty ahead, but we are hopeful that the first phase of this agreement will pave the way for the remaining hostages to be reunited with their family, for hostilities to end, and for an era of security and rebuilding for both Israel and her neighbors,” the Jewish Federations of North America stated.

The Federation thanked U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump “for their unprecedented coordination to bring both sides together to get a deal done.”

Harriet Schleifer and William Daroff, chair and CEO, respectively, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, stated that the umbrella group receives news of the deal “with a mix of relief, heartache and continued outrage.”

“Relief because now 33 men and women will be returned to their families. Relief because at last those who have died while in the dungeons of the Hamas terrorists will at least be afforded a decent and respectful burial,” the duo stated. “We know the announcement today of a deal is just the beginning of a process that will hopefully bring home all of the hostages.”

The group also expressed “heartbreak” for the hostages who were killed in captivity and on Oct. 7, 2023, and “outrage that the plight of our kidnapped friends, family, and community members has too often been minimized and even dismissed,” the two leaders said.

The American Jewish Committee stated that it “is grateful to the Biden administration, the incoming Trump administration and other global partners for working together to secure the first stage of the agreement,” stated Ted Deutch, the group’s CEO. “We cannot wait to see the first hostages come home to their families, but the critical work to free every hostage—regardless of age, gender or nationality—must continue.”

“The international community must persist in its efforts to ensure that every hostage is reunited with their loved ones,” he added.

“The return of all of the hostages—kidnapped by Hamas and held in horrific conditions for 466 days and counting—and the reunification with their families is the top priority. We will not rest until all hostages are home,” stated B’nai B’rith International. “Hundreds of Palestinian criminals will be released from Israeli jails in exchange for the hostages.”

“We remain concerned that under the current terms, Hamas—with the assistance of its patron Iran—may be able to reorganize, regenerate and sow unrest in Israel and across the region,” B’nai B’rith added.

Morton Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America, told JNS that his group “strongly opposes” the hostage deal, “even though we are thrilled that a few live Jews are being released.”

“This deal is a terrible case of appeasement, and appeasement always fails,” he continued. “This isn’t ‘peace through strength,’ as envoy Steve Witkoff claims. It is heartbreaking and infuriating and frightening that Israel’s government is agreeing to this deal, and that the United States pressured them to do so.”

History suggests that many of the hundreds of prisoners that Israel will release as part of the deal “will return to killing Jews and will cause more future Jewish deaths than the number we’re saving now,” he added.

“What happened to President-elect Trump’s insistence that ‘there will be hell to pay’ if all the hostages are not back before Jan. 20? What happened to Netanyahu’s promise of ‘total victory’ and Hamas’s destruction?” posed Klein. “Is this what almost 1,000 young Jewish soldiers died for and lost limbs for in Gaza—as one soldier said to me in pain, ‘Is this why I lost both my legs?’”

“Didn’t Israel learn from having released 1,000 terrorists for Gilad Shalit and seeing dozens going back to terrorism and joining Hamas,” Klein told JNS. “This deal is a major appeasement mistake. Winston Churchill would not have approved.”

‘Relinquish its tyrannical rule of Gaza’

The Israeli-American Council thanked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Trump and the leaders’ teams.

“Hamas is a ruthless terrorist organization bent on genocide against the Jewish people. Its acts of barbarous savagery on Oct. 7, 2023, are crimes against humanity of the most shocking sort, and each of the 467 days since, during which Hamas has held—and continues to hold—innocent people hostage, is a war crime,” the IAC stated. “Hamas must release all remaining captives at once and relinquish its tyrannical rule of Gaza.”

“Israel retains the inalienable right to eliminate the genocidal threats facing the Jewish people, most urgently from the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen,” it added.

The Anti-Defamation League stated that it is “deeply appreciative to all those involved in helping this agreement come to fruition, including President Biden and President-elect Trump, who have long committed to ensure the release of the hostages.”

“We call on the incoming Trump administration, and relevant global and regional actors, to make certain that Hamas upholds its commitments and releases all hostages,” it said.

Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO StandWithUs, said that “this is a moment we’ve all been praying and working for. This is a time that could ease the pain of suffering inflicted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and that has continued for more than a year and a half. However, given Hamas’s history of violating agreements and undermining past ceasefires, we remain vigilant in following the developments and hopeful that Hamas will adhere to the agreement.”

The Rabbinical Assembly thanked Netanyahu, Biden and his diplomatic team, as well as Trump and his staff, “for bringing these negotiations to fruition in recent days and for their recognition of the moral imperative to save lives and redeem hostages.”

It said: “May we soon experience these comforting words from Jeremiah: ‘And there is hope for your future—declares God: Your children shall return to their country.’” (Jeremiah 31:17)

“Be not dismayed O’ Israel, I will deliver you from far away, your folk from the land of captivity, and Jacob again shall have calm and quiet, with no one to trouble them.’” (Jeremiah 46:27)

‘Fully disarmed and dismantled’

Both the Republican Jewish Coalition and Democratic Majority for Israel praised the deal, with the Republican group praising Trump and the Democratic one lauding Biden.

“The excruciatingly difficult calculations for Israel around getting the hostages back, releasing terrorist prisoners and other potential details of a ceasefire agreement are matters best left to the Israeli government,” the RJC stated. “We trust that the government of Israel has done everything possible to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish state and its people, in keeping with its values.”

“President Trump’s pronouncement that there would be ‘hell to pay’ if a deal was not reached for a release of the hostages before he took office on Jan. 20 clearly had a significant impact on closing the gaps to reach this deal,” the RJC said.

Mark Mellman, president and CEO of Democratic Majority for Israel, called the deal a “breakthrough agreement.”

“This breakthrough agreement achieved through negotiations between Israel and Hamas and brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, marks an essential step toward alleviating the immense suffering of those taken captive 15 months ago, their families and the civilians caught in this tragic conflict,” Mellman said.

“While we are relieved and comforted by the plan to release hostages and end hostilities, our work is not finished. Hamas must release any remaining captives, it must be fully disarmed and dismantled and its tyrannical rule over Gaza must end,” he added. “In this moment of cautious optimism, we are reminded of the power of determined, principled leadership and remaining united with our democratic allies.”

Izzy Salant

Source: https://www.jns.org/mixed-responses-from-american-jewish-groups-to-hostage-deal/

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