Israeli cabinet backs Trump’s demand for Hamas to release all hostages by Saturday deadline - Greg Norman

 

by Greg Norman

Trump warns Palestinian terrorist group that ‘all hell is going to break out’ soon if they don’t release hostages

 

 

 

Israel’s security cabinet fully supports President Donald Trump’s demand that the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas release all of its hostages by noon on Saturday or that "all hell is going to break out," an Israeli official told Fox News. 

The declaration comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet Tuesday after Hamas announced it is delaying the next release of Israeli hostages. 

"The decision I passed in the Cabinet unanimously is this: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon – the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will resume intense combat until Hamas is decisively defeated," Netanyahu said in a statement following the meeting.

"In light of Hamas' announcement of its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, I instructed the IDF last night to amass forces inside and around the Gaza Strip. This operation is currently underway and will be completed as soon as possible," Netanyahu added.

TRUMP SAYS CEASEFIRE SHOULD BE CANCELED IF HOSTAGES AREN’T RELEASED BY SATURDAY 

Israeli captives, from left to the right, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi and Or Levy, who have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, are escorted by Hamas fighters on a stage before being handed over to the Red Cross in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025.  (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

"We also welcomed the President’s revolutionary vision for the future of Gaza," Netanyahu said.

Trump said Monday if Hamas does not return all hostages by noon on Saturday, he will call for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be canceled and "let all hell break out."  

"If all the Gaza hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire," Trump said in the Oval Office. "Let all hell break out; Israel can override it." 

Trump stressed that Hamas needs to release "all of them -- not in drips and drabs."  

"Saturday at 12pm and after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out," Trump said.   

Trump reiterated his demand on Tuesday and told reporters that he believes Hamas will listen to him.

ISRAEL SLAMS PALESTINIAN ‘DECEPTION SCHEME’ OVER CLAIM IT HALTED TERROR REWARDS PROGRAM 

Israeli soldiers gather by the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on Tuesday, Feb.11.  (AP/Ariel Schalit)

A Hamas spokesperson said Monday that the terrorist group will delay the next planned release of hostages in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement. 

"Over the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored the enemy's violations and failure to fulfill its obligations under the agreement; including the delay in allowing the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with direct shelling and gunfire in various areas across Gaza, and denying relief supplies of all kinds to enter as agreed, while the resistance has implemented all its obligations," Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, said.  

Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. 

Displaced Palestinians, carrying their belongings in vehicles, wait at a security checkpoint in the Netzarim corridor while traveling from central Gaza to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Feb. 11. (AP/Abdel Kareem Hana)

The sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire went into effect last month, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. The next exchange, scheduled for next Saturday, calls for three more Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. 

Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel, Brooke Singman, Danielle Wallace, Yonat Friling and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/israeli-cabinet-backs-trumps-demand-hamas-release-all-hostages-saturday-deadline

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'Qatar is Hamas, and Hamas is Qatar' - Khaled Abu Toameh

 

by Khaled Abu Toameh

The Trump administration needs to understand what Arabs have known for years: that Qatar's support for Hamas and other extremist Islamist groups is the main reason thousands of Israelis and Palestinians have died over the past few years.

 

• The Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas and other Palestinians on October 7, 2023 could have been released a long time ago had the Biden administration exerted pressure on Qatar to use its good relations with the Islamist group to force it to do so.

• All Qatar had to do was to summon the Hamas leaders in Doha and give them an ultimatum to release all the hostages immediately or face deportation from the Gulf state. It is hard to see how the Hamas leaders would have been able to say no to their major political and financial patrons and backers.... The Qataris were never under the slightest pressure.

• "For years, Qatar supported the Taliban, and last year [2021] it helped it in its coup against the democratically elected Afghan government, and 13 American service members were killed in the violence. Today, Qatar is doing everything it can to give the Taliban international legitimacy and aid." — Yigal Carmon, President and founder of the MEMRI, who served as counterterrorism advisor to two Israeli prime ministers, Haaretz, May 10, 2022.

• "Any Arab who hears American officials say that Qatar is America's ally would burst into laughter.... Ask Egypt, not just the rulers, but the people and journalists. Ask the Emirates, the government and people. Ask Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan. They all know that for decades Qatar has been promoting Islamist and terrorist organizations. There are lawsuits against Qatar in the U.S. and Europe in connection with its support for terrorism." — Yigal Carmon, MEMRI, November 1, 2023

• The Trump administration needs to understand what Arabs have known for years: that Qatar's support for Hamas and other extremist Islamist groups is the main reason thousands of Israelis and Palestinians have died over the past few years.

Qatar is Hamas's most important financial backer and foreign ally. Then Qatari ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani was the first state leader to visit the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in 2012. Qatar, in addition, has reportedly transferred $1.8 billion to Hamas over the past two decades. Pictured: Al-Thani holds hands with then Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh during his visit to the Islamic University in the Gaza Strip on October 23, 2012. (Photo by Wissam Nassar/AFP via Getty Images)

US President Donald Trump's recent statements regarding Qatar's role in reaching the Israel-Hamas ceasefire-hostage deal surprised many, especially those who are familiar with the Gulf state's longtime support for radical Islamist groups.

"Qatar is absolutely trying to help," Trump told reporters in Washington. "I know them well, and they're doing everything they can. Very tough situation, but they're absolutely trying to help."

Many other people also know Qatar very well. They know, for example, that Qatar is Hamas's most important financial backer and foreign ally. Then Qatari ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani was the first state leader to visit the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in 2012. Qatar, in addition, has reportedly transferred $1.8 billion to Hamas over the past two decades.

For many years, Qatar hosted several leaders of Hamas, including Khaled Mashaal and Ismail Haniyeh. They lived in hotels and villas in Doha and were treated as heads of state.

After the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, resulting in the murder of 1,200 Israelis, the wounding of thousands others and the kidnapping of more than 250, Qatar's foreign ministry released a statement holding "Israel alone responsible" for the massacre.

Qatar also uses its television empire, Al-Jazeera, to promote Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and other terror groups. For years, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood cleric who endorsed suicide bombings against Israelis, hosted a program on Al-Jazeera. After the October 7 massacre, the network broadcast Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif's call to arms. It also aired incendiary statements from Haniyeh and his deputy, Saleh al-Arouri. Haniyeh appeared on Al-Jazeera praising Hamas's "great triumph" and calling on "the sons of the entire nation, in their various locations, to join this battle in any way they can."

Al-Jazeera's support for Hamas not only prompted Israel to ban the network from operating in the country; even the Palestinian Authority (PA) also banned it from operating in the West Bank. The PA accused the network of broadcasting "inciteful content, spreading misinformation, and interfering in internal Palestinian affairs, which stirred division and instability." Last month, the PA detained two Al-Jazeera correspondents – Givara Budeiri and Mohammed al-Atrash, for allegedly violating the ban.

According to an investigative report by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI):

"Al-Jazeera's role in providing a platform for promoting extremist Islamist ideologies goes back decades. The case of promoting Al-Qaeda is of particular interest. Two months before 9/11, Al-Jazeera gave an Al-Qaeda spokesman, Suliman Abu Ghaith, free rein to speak uninterrupted for 10 minutes, and to call for 12,000 mujahideen [jihad warriors] to join Al-Qaeda.

"Al-Jazeera employed a correspondent, Tayseer Allouni, who was sentenced in Spain to seven years in prison for transferring funds to Al-Qaeda...

"As for ISIS, Al-Jazeera allowed a pledge of allegiance to its leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi live on air. In the middle of a TV debate on Al-Jazeera, an Islamic scholar pledged allegiance to the leader of ISIS....

"The Qatari-owned network also allowed terrorist Anis Al-Naqqash to call for terror attacks against American oil installations, also in a live broadcast."

Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has disclosed that intelligence information and numerous documents found in the Gaza Strip confirm the military affiliation of six Al-Jazeera journalists with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. They are: Anas Al-Sharif, Alaa Salama, Hossam Shabat, Ashraf Saraj, Ismail Abu Omar and Talal Aruki.

The Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas and other Palestinians on October 7, 2023 could have been released a long time ago had the Biden administration exerted pressure on Qatar to use its good relations with the Islamist group to force it to do so.

All Qatar had to do was to summon the Hamas leaders in Doha and give them an ultimatum to release all the hostages immediately or face deportation from the Gulf state. It is hard to see how the Hamas leaders would have been able to say no to their major political and financial patrons and backers.

There was a lot the Biden administration could have done to pressure Qatar. It could, for example, have threatened to withdraw US forces from Qatar's Al-Udeid Air Base. The presence of the U.S. Air Force Central Command headquarters there is vital for Qatar's national security and stability: it deters its enemies from attacking the Gulf state. American forces stationed at that base, in other words, preserve Qatar's regime.

The Biden administration could also have threatened to impose economic sanctions on Qatar, or designate it as a "state sponsored of terrorism" if it did not put pressure on Hamas to release the hostages.

The Biden administration, however, chose to ignore Qatar's role in supporting Islamist terrorism. The Qataris were never under the slightest pressure.

In 2017, a number of Arab states – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates – cut diplomatic relations with Qatar due to its support for the all the extremist Islamic terror organizations, including the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Although these countries later restored their ties with Qatar, the Gulf state and its Al-Jazeera television network continue to this day to support Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

"For years, Qatar supported the Taliban, and last year [2021] it helped it in its coup against the democratically elected Afghan government," notes Yigal Carmon, President and founder of MEMRI, who served as counterterrorism advisor to two Israeli prime ministers, "and 13 American service members were killed in the violence. Today, Qatar is doing everything it can to give the Taliban international legitimacy and aid."

"Any Arab who hears American officials say that Qatar is America's ally would burst into laughter," states Carmon.

"Ask Egypt, not just the rulers, but the people and journalists. Ask the Emirates, the government and people. Ask Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan. They all know that for decades Qatar has been promoting Islamist and terrorist organizations. There are lawsuits against Qatar in the U.S. and Europe in connection with its support for terrorism."

It is time for the new US administration to understand that Qatar is the problem, not the solution. That Qatar is permitted to serve as a mediator between Israel and Hamas is ridiculous since, in actuality, "Qatar is Hamas and Hamas is Qatar; Qatar Launched a War Against Israel By Means of Hamas; The Declaration of War Was Aired on Al-Jazeera TV."

The Trump administration needs to understand what Arabs have known for years: that Qatar's support for Hamas and other extremist Islamist groups is the main reason thousands of Israelis and Palestinians have died over the past few years.

It is time for the US administration to revise its policy towards Qatar and hold it accountable for backing Islamist murderers and rapists whose goal is to murder Jews and destroy Israel. Qatar's leaders might claim to condemn terrorism, but they fund terrorists. In their eyes, there is no difference between Israel and the US.

• Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
  

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

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21386/qatar-is-hamas

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Hamas threat of delayed hostage release must be met with strength, expert says - Peled Arbeli

 

by Peled Arbeli

“Israel must clarify that it hasn’t violated any terms of the agreement and use the deal mediators to pressure Hamas to return to the original agreements."

 

A Hamas banner is seen mocking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 'total victory' catchphrase, in Gaza, February 8, 2025

(photo credit: ABED RAHIM KHATIB/FLASH90)

“Hamas is playing for time – and the hostages are their main survival card. Israel must respond decisively. Otherwise, we’ll find ourselves facing endless demands,” Yossi Amrosi, a former senior Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) official, lecturer on current affairs, and author, warned in an interview with Maariv on Tuesday.

Hamas claimed on Monday that Israel failed to meet several agreed-upon terms, including the number of aid trucks and fuel entering Gaza. However, Amrosi dismissed these as false claims.

“Even the mediators themselves testify that Israel met all the established conditions – including the careful release of Palestinian terrorists and even the evacuation of the Netzarim corridor, which was one of the IDF’s greatest military achievements in the war.”

Why did Hamas issue an ultimatum now?

Beyond the exchange of accusations, a crucial question emerges: why did Hamas choose this moment for such an ultimatum, and what strategic considerations lie behind it?

Amrosi outlined several possible motivations, the foremost being Hamas’s growing confidence following recent developments. The organization’s strengthened position stems from various achievements on the ground.

Ohad Ben Ami, a hostage held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, is released by Hamas terrorists as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, February 8, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)

“Hamas sees itself as having achieved significant gains – Israel evacuated the Netzarim corridor, thousands of aid trucks are entering Gaza, the Rafah crossing has reopened, and there’s also Iranian backing, which intensified after Hamas leaders’ meetings in Tehran,” Amrosi noted.

Response to Trump’s plan?

The move may also serve as a response to former US president Donald Trump’s plan for the US to take over the Gaza Strip.

“Until now, Hamas has barely responded to the Palestinian relocation plan presented in the US, but they might now see an opportunity to declare: ‘We’re here, and we’re not going anywhere,’” Amrosi said.

Furthermore, Hamas is likely considering Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s perceived reluctance to advance to the next phase of the war.

“Hamas understands well the political pressure within Israel and the coalition’s opposition to continuing the war. It estimates Netanyahu won’t proceed to the next phase, so it’s trying to pressure him publicly through the families and the Israeli public,” he said.

The strategy also reflects Hamas’s tactical need for time to rebuild and strengthen.

“Hamas has a clear interest in extending negotiations as much as possible. For them, time is their most precious resource – and they use every minute to rehabilitate infrastructure, rebuild their forces, gather weapons, and prepare for the next round of fighting,” Amrosi said.

Israel's options

Amrosi identified two main options for Israel. The first would be yielding to Hamas’s demands, which he warned would set a dangerous precedent.

“The first option is to say, ‘Sorry, Hamas, you’re right,’ and fulfill their demands to advance the deal. This would be a strategic disaster that would lead to more ultimatums in the future.”

The second option involves maintaining a firm stance while applying counterpressure.

“Israel must clarify that it hasn’t violated any terms of the agreement and activate mediators – especially the US – to pressure Hamas to return to the original agreements. If this doesn’t work, it should present its own ultimatum: if the deal isn’t realized, fighting will resume with greater intensity.”

Breaking the pattern

In his concluding remarks, Amrosi emphasized that “Israel has enough tools to apply pressure – and it must use them. Hamas sees the hostages as their most important strategic weapon, and if we don’t make clear there’s a price for this, we’ll find ourselves facing endless delays. Hamas is counting on public pressure in Israel to overcome the government. The question is whether Israel will manage to break this pattern or continue to be dragged along by it."

Peled Arbeli

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-841593

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Hamas proves with Shlomo Mantzur murder that the spirit of the Farhud is truly alive - comment - Alex Winston

 

by Alex Winston

Scheduled to be released during the first stage of the hostage deal between Hamas and Israel, it emerged on Tuesday that Shlomo Mantzur was killed on October 7.

 

Memorial for Shlomo Mantzur who was kidnapped into Gaza on October 7 from Kibbutz Kissufim, October 7, 2024.

(photo credit: Friends of Kissufim)

In a tragic twist of history, 86-year-old Shlomo Mantzur, who once escaped the horrors of antisemitic violence in Iraq, died while in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip after being abducted from his home in Kibbutz Kissufim during the October 7 attack.

Surviving the Farhud pogrom in Baghdad in 1941, Mantzur sought refuge in Israel. Aged 15, his family recalled how he lived in a hut before moving to Kissufim. Mantzur was among the founders of Kibbutz Kissufim, where he worked in the kibbutz chicken coop and eyewear factory. He was known as a dedicated worker and as a hobby, he learned carpentry and jewelry making.

The Farhud refers to a brutal pogrom against the Jewish community in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 1–2, 1941. Following the collapse of a pro-Nazi government, and amid a power vacuum, mobs attacked Jewish residents, resulting in the deaths of approximately 180 Jews and injuries to about 1,000 others. The rioters also looted numerous Jewish homes and businesses. The Farhud marked a significant turning point for Iraqi Jews many of whom had roots dating back over a thousand years in the city, shattering their sense of security and leading to increased emigration in the subsequent years, particularly after Israel’s creation.

Mantzur was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in front of his own wife, and driven to Gaza in his own car. Scheduled to be released during the first stage of the hostage deal between Hamas and Israel, it emerged on Tuesday that he was killed on October 7.

Shlomo Mantzur (credit: BRINGTHEMHOMENOW)

Mantzur was an example of the pioneering spirit that led Israel’s development through its early years, contributing to the nation's growth and embodying the spirit of those who believed in a safe haven for Jews. Yet, decades later, the very sanctuary he trusted failed to protect him from the same hatred he once fled.

The state's duty to safeguard its citizens, especially those who have already endured profound trauma, rings hollow in the wake of this tragedy. The breach of security on October 7 allowed terrorists to infiltrate communities, leading to the abduction and murder of innocent civilians like Mantzur.

A wake-up call: Time to bring home the hostages

The pain of Mantzur’s family and community is immeasurable. Kibbutz Kissufim mourns the loss of a man they described as the "beating heart" of their community. Their grief is compounded by the knowledge that his death could have been prevented.

This tragedy must once again serve as a wake-up call on the pressing need to get the hostages out imminently. No more talks, no more waiting, no more games. As once again, Hamas continues to play the game of psychological terror with families of hostages - two families have recently received the first signs of life from relatives in Gaza - they must be made to pay for their tortuous crimes.

The state of Israel owes it to its citizens - many of whom fled antismitism across the world to live in the Jewish land - to ensure their safety and uphold the promise of a secure homeland. Shlomo Mantzur’s death is a reminder of all that Jews have been through. And all that we are still going through.

Alex Winston

Source: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-841622

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Rubio: Hamas is ‘pure evil’ and must be ‘eradicated’ - Joshua Marks

 

by Joshua Marks

"If they don’t like Donald Trump’s plan, then it’s time for these countries in the region to step forward and offer their solution," said the U.S. secretary of state.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio shakes hands with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during a photo opportunity ahead of a meeting in the U.S. State Department Building on Feb. 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday described Hamas as an “evil” and “monstrous” organization that must be wiped out.

During an interview on conservative talk radio channel SiriusXM Patriot, the top American diplomat condemned the terrorist group for its treatment of hostages.

“This is an evil organization. Hamas is evil. It’s pure evil. These are monsters. These are savages. That’s a group that needs to be eradicated,” he said.

He warned that its continued dominance in Gaza would prevent regional stability in the Middle East.

As @SecRubio prepares to travel to the Middle East, he spoke with @SiriusXMPatriot to discuss the region: “If there’s a chance to create conditions for peace, that’s certainly something we’re going to do our best to try to foster.” pic.twitter.com/6h49OR9Ekj

— Department of State (@StateDept) February 11, 2025

Rubio argued that the biggest challenge to a two-state solution is governance, and that peace is impossible if Gaza is controlled by terrorist groups committed to Israel’s destruction. He questioned why any nation would accept a neighboring state ruled by terrorists.

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He also pointed out the extensive war damage in Gaza, including unexploded munitions, and highlighted that while U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed solutions, other regional leaders have yet to take meaningful action.

“And right now, the only one who’s stood up and said I’m willing to help do it is Donald Trump. All these other leaders, they’re going to have to step up,” he said. “If they’ve got a better idea, then now is the time.  Now is the time for the other governments and other powers in the region, some of these very rich countries, to basically say, okay, we’ll do it.  We’re going to pay for this; we’re going to step forward; we’re going to be the ones that take charge,” he added.

“None of them is offering to do it.  And I think that you can’t go around claiming that you’re a fighter for, an advocate for the Palestinian people, but you’re not willing to do anything to help rebuild Gaza,” he continued. “They’ll all tell you what they’re not for. But we’re still waiting for more countries to step forward and say here’s what we’re willing to do. And right now, they’ve not been willing to do anything … or at least anything concrete.”

Trump’s Gaza plan, he said, is a “challenge” to these leaders.

“It’s outside the box, but that’s what he always is,” said Rubio. “I mean, he’s going to state the obvious. It’s the one thing about Donald Trump—he doesn’t hide behind silly, traditional lies and things of that nature. He’s going to put out blunt truth. And the blunt truth is that the Middle East has, for too long, been a region of places all of whom love to talk but don’t want to do. So, it’s time: If they don’t like Donald Trump’s plan, then it’s time for these countries in the region to step forward and offer their solution,” he concluded.

During a visit to Washington on Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told Rubio that Arab states reject Trump’s Gaza plan, which includes resettling Gazans while the coastal enclave is rebuilt and deradicalized.

FM Badr Abdelatty met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio today in Washington D.C. They discussed strengthening Egypt-US strategic partnership, advancing regional stability & addressed key regional challenges. A continued commitment to advance mutual cooperation. @SecRubio pic.twitter.com/X4jS5KHRIt

— Egypt MFA Spokesperson (@MfaEgypt) February 10, 2025

According to Reuters, Abdelatty emphasized the need for Gaza to be reconstructed while ensuring Palestinians remain there.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement following the meeting stating that Cairo “adheres to the right of the Palestinian people to return to their homeland, to self-determination, and to establish an independent state.”

According to the readout of the meeting provided by State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce, Rubio “thanked the Foreign Minister for Egypt’s mediation efforts in securing the release of hostages, for sustaining humanitarian assistance deliveries throughout Gaza, and accepting medical evacuations.”

In my meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty today, we discussed the latest on Gaza, Syria, and Sudan. The United States appreciates Egypt's role as a mediator in Gaza, and continued U.S.-Egypt cooperation will be crucial to promoting peace, security, and stability in…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) February 11, 2025

The statement went on to say that, “The secretary reiterated the importance of close cooperation to advance post-conflict planning for the governance and security of Gaza and stressed Hamas can never govern Gaza or threaten Israel again.”

Abdelatty also met with U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to discuss regional stability.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-Egypt-Qatar-brokered Israel-Hamas ceasefire showed signs of strain, as Hamas announced the delay of the next scheduled hostage release “until further notice”, citing alleged Israeli violations.

In response, Trump vowed on Monday that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas did not release the remaining hostages by noon on Saturday.

The president also indicated on Monday that he might withhold aid from Egypt and Jordan if they refuse to accept Palestinian refugees from Gaza.

In January, the president called on Arab nations, specifically Egypt and Jordan, to take in more Palestinians to “clean out” the Gaza Strip. King Abdullah II of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi have repeatedly rejected that plan.

On Tuesday, Trump will host Abdullah at the White House.

Joshua Marks

Source: https://www.jns.org/rubio-hamas-is-pure-evil-and-must-be-eradicated/

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MAGANOMICS: Fusion Energy Needs to be President Trump's 21st Century Manhattan Project - Lawrence Kadish

 

by Lawrence Kadish

This is a technology race that the United States cannot afford to lose. For America First, no one can head such a crucial project better than Trump.

 

We know China is investing enormous sums into fusion energy research that seeks to create a sustained reaction that would be channeled to create unlimited electricity. America must create technology that is far superior to China's tokamak fusion reactors. Pictured: China's HL-2M nuclear fusion device, at a research laboratory in Chengdu, on December 4, 2020. (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

America's next great economic revolution -- to be spearheaded by President Donald J. Trump -- is currently being studied by the preeminent polling firm, John McLaughlin Associates.

A poll will investigate America's next great economic and technological frontier: clean, limitless, inexpensive energy through nuclear fusion by a made in America nuclear reactor superior to China's tokamak.

This new 21^st Century Manhattan Project would entail a trailblazing, all-out effort to compete against Communist China, already investing billions into this field.

Just as President Franklin D. Roosevelt headed the original Manhattan Project, when America raced to develop a nuclear weapon before scientists in Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan could unlock its enormous deadly power and use it against the Allies in World War II, Trump could usher in a new Clean Controlled Fusion Energy Revolution.

In that era, Roosevelt recognized the existential threat and directed all necessary resources to win that fateful race. Today, we know China is investing enormous sums into fusion energy research that seeks to create a sustained reaction that would be channeled to create unlimited electricity. America must create technology that is far superior to China's tokamak fusion reactors.

We know Trump is rightfully cautious about restarting nuclear power plants because he has cautioned if something goes wrong, the legacy of contamination from plants using nuclear fission will be felt for generations, as we have seen from Chernobyl. That is why nuclear fusion is the pathway to America's future. If, for any reason, there is a technical problem, the systems merely shut down.

The Manhattan Project of World War II demonstrated what our nation is capable of achieving when a president directs America's talent, resources and unrelenting focus on a matter of national survival. Few appreciate this better than Trump. We are now at that juncture in history. Fusion energy needs to be Trump's 21^st Century Manhattan Project.

This is a technology race that the United States cannot afford to lose. For America First, no one can head such a crucial project better than Trump.

Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21385/maganomics-fusion-energy

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‘Hell’ to break out if Hamas fails to release all hostages on Feb. 15, warns Trump - Jonathan D. Salant

 

by Jonathan D. Salant

The U.S. president stated a deadline of noon; otherwise, he says, “it’s going to be a different ball game.”

 

Israelis rally in Tel Aviv for the release of the remaining 76 hostages being held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, Feb. 8, 2025. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

U.S. President Donald Trump vowed on Monday that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas did not release the remaining hostages by Saturday.

“As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12 o’clock—I think it’s an appropriate time—I would say, cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out,” Trump told to reporters at the White House as he was signing a new round of executive orders, according to pool reports.

“I’d say they ought to be returned by 12 o’clock on Saturday,” the president said. “And if they’re not returned—all of them, not in drips and drabs, not two and one and three and four and two–by Saturday at 12 o’clock. And after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out.”

After that time, Trump said, “it’s going to be a different ball game.”

Asked what “all hell will break out” means, Trump responded: “You’ll find out, and they’ll find out, too. Hamas will find out what I mean.”

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Ultimately, however, he said the decision belongs to Israel: “We want them all back. I’m speaking for myself. Israel can override it.”

Trump’s comments came after Hamas said it would delay the release of hostages scheduled for Saturday “until further notice” due to alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement with Israel.

The terror group accused Israel of shelling Gaza and not allowing sufficient supplies to enter the Hamas-run enclave. In response, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Hamas’s refusal to release the hostages would be an “outright violation of the ceasefire and that the country’s military should be prepared for the highest level of alert.”

Israel estimates that Hamas still is holding 76 hostages, including 73 abducted during the terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Jonathan D. Salant

Source: https://www.jns.org/hell-to-break-out-if-hamas-fails-to-release-all-hostages-on-feb-15-warns-trump/

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The Grown Ups are Back: On Gender, Trump Replaces Confusion and Chaos with Clarity and Common Sense - Teresa R. Manning

 

by Teresa R. Manning

With this administration, the grown ups are back: Trump is replacing confusion and chaos with clarity and common sense—not just for women’s sports but also for America.

 

Last week, the Trump Administration continued its campaign for common sense: On February 5, the President signed the executive order (“EO”) Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports, restoring sanity to athletics not just in college and high school but also at the Olympics. As they say, Go Big or Go Home. It could be Trump’s motto.

The EO pulls no punches. After noting how men in women’s sports is unfair, incoherent, and destructive—depriving women of meaningful competition and also of privacy—it explicitly states: “It shall … be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports … as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.”

It points out that Title IX, the Congressional ban on sex discrimination in federally funded education, guarantees equal athletic opportunity. Schools violate Title IX when they allow men who pretend to be women to join female teams.

The EO then directs the Education Secretary and the Attorney General to “take all appropriate action … to affirmatively protect all-female athletic opportunities,” as well as single-sex locker rooms, and to prioritize enforcement against schools and athletic associations that hesitate to comply.

The Order also notes that some athletic organizations and governing bodies are neutral on this topic, or they allow men on women’s teams when men reduce their testosterone levels or sincerely believe they are in the wrong body.

The Trump team won’t accept this. The Order states that such policies “are unfair to female athletes and do not protect female safety.” To counter them, the EO directs the President’s Assistant for Domestic Policy to convene these organizations with female athletes “to educate [the organizations with] stories of women and girls who have been harmed by male participation in women’s sports.” State Attorneys General must also join to devise best practices to protect women.

Last, the Order directs the Secretary of State and the American representative to the United Nations to rescind support in international athletics where the sports category allows or “is based on identity and not sex.” It directs the Homeland Security Secretary to issue guidance with the State Department to block entry into the U.S. of men intending to participate in women’s sports, stating that these departments “shall issue guidance to prevent such entry [into the U.S.] to the extent permitted by law …”

Comprehensive!

As newsworthy as this Order is, it’s actually a total no-brainer. Polls say that Americans overwhelmingly oppose men in women’s sports—“nearly 80%” of the public by last count—but even that figure probably understates it. That the gender movement got this far only proves it has money to promote and impose its pathology, not that it has popular support.

The February 5th Order also references EO 14168, Trump’s more fundamental statement on gender politics, signed on January 20, Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government. It’s more fundamental because it addresses the basic divide between ideology and reality. Indeed, it begins, “[I]deologues … deny the biological reality of sex.”

It then spells out the harm of promoting delusion, especially when done by governments, noting that both the credibility and legitimacy of government depend on its connection to reality and truth. It states: “Basing federal policy on truth is critical to scientific inquiry, public safety, morale, and trust in government itself.”

It should be obvious that when a government openly lies, it is in the process of destroying itself. But these are confusing times—by design, of course—so reminders help. The quotes attributed to Alexander Solzhenitsyn about the collapsing Soviet regime say it best: We know they lie. They know we know they lie. We know they know we know they lie. And still, they lie. The Soviet Union was gone shortly thereafter, of course. Once people see through deceit, deceit loses all its power. And so it goes also with governments.

Solzhenitsyn also exhorted: Live not by lies. And the Trump team really gets that. EO 14168 actually discusses the importance of language, stating plainly that it will protect rights “by using clear and accurate language …” clarifying, again plainly, that “sex is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of “gender identity.” Accordingly, the federal government will now use the word “sex” for male and female, not “gender,” in its official documents, including identification forms such as passports and visas.

But the directive is even broader: Agencies must now remove any content “that promotes or otherwise inculcates gender ideology.” That could be interpreted as an almost completely discontinued use of the word “gender.” Let’s hope so. Good riddance!

Today, the word “gender” seems to be everywhere. It wasn’t always like that. Not long ago, “gender” was heard almost exclusively in grammar lessons, including pronoun-antecedent agreement, and also for foreign languages since their nouns often have genders. For example, “fork” in French is feminine (la fourchette), while “knife” is masculine (le couteau). Nouns in German can also be neutral such as the word “child” which is das kind.

When officials replaced the word “sex” with “gender” on government forms, they were intending to signal that “male” or “female” are also man-made, the way grammar rules are. In this way, they set the stage for the larger “gender identity” movement, which is really a war on reality, though it’s marketed as a war on man-made power structures or “social constructs.” This obsession with power by the political left, including the gender movement with its manipulation of language, is distorted and destructive. Any doubt about that is resolved when one sees how the movement has metastasized to the point of falsely claiming that mutilating an individual’s genitals can change his or her sex. It can’t.

Even on this aspect, Trump is doing what can be done: EO 14168 not only bans federal funds for these “transition” procedures (on inmates, subject to the Bureau of Prisons, for example) but also points out the movement’s internal inconsistencies: It insists one’s sex is fluid—“an ever-shifting concept of self-assessed gender identity”—but at the same time insists that one must have access to clinical and chemical castrations because someone was born in the “wrong sexed body.” (Maybe the body will be correct next year?)

In sum, with this administration, the grown ups are back: Trump is replacing confusion and chaos with clarity and common sense—not just for women’s sports but also for America.

***

Teresa R. Manning is Policy Director at the National Association of Scholars, President of the Virginia Association of Scholars, and a former law professor at Virginia’s Scalia Law School, George Mason University. She authored the 2020 Report, Dear Colleague: The Weaponization of Title IX.

Source: https://amgreatness.com/2025/02/11/the-grown-ups-are-back-on-gender-trump-replaces-confusion-and-chaos-with-clarity-and-common-sense/

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Former USAID official warns of corruption in agency, says Democrats benefited - Natalia Mittelstadt

 

by Natalia Mittelstadt

The Trump administration identified programs ranging from contraceptives for Afghanistan to LGBTQ diversity programs for European countries as clear evidence that foreign aid needed to be paused and reevaluated.

 

A former executive inside the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) warns of corruption in the agency that is currently being reviewed and purged by the Trump administration, alleging that among politicians, it is mostly Democrats who benefited from its funding.

Mark Moyar, former director of the Office of Civilian-Military Cooperation at USAID in the first Trump administration, explains the corruption he saw within the agency and the lack of transparency, as he looks forward to its reduction. He also claims that Democrats have benefited more from the agency’s funding than Republicans, based on his own personal experience.

During the first few weeks of the second Trump administration, a main priority has been to purge USAID. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been designated as the acting director of USAID, and the Trump administration is trying to reduce the agency by thousands of employees.

The Trump administration identified USAID programs ranging from contraceptives for Afghanistan to LGBT diversity programs for European countries as clear evidence that foreign aid needed to be paused and reevaluated, a task that fell to the State Department. 

The development agency for years funneled money to several nonprofit groups that also received substantial backing from components of George Soros’ empire. Some previously came under scrutiny during the Obama administration for “democracy promotion” and judicial reform efforts in European countries that critics claimed promoted leftist politics.

On Monday, the General Services Administration confirmed that USAID had been stripped of the lease for its headquarters building in Washington, D.C.

Amid the USAID overhaul, Moyar, a USAID whistleblower, told the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show on Friday about the various issues with transparency and accountability the agency has had.

“So in the first Trump administration, when I served, we had great difficulty getting information. We've seen in the news, Congress can't get information from them. The bureaucrat is very good at hiding things, so it’s not until this really drastic effort to shut things down that we have access,” Moyar said.

“And so I think we're going to see, in the weeks ahead, we're going to find out about a lot of corruption we didn't even know about – a lot of waste, fraud and abuse. And we've seen these few small programs, but there's going to be a lot more. So I think it's probably too early to know, but clearly a lot of things will go entirely and other things need to get pared down because we're spending too much money on them.”

Moyar, who is the William P. Harris Chair in Military History at Hillsdale College, later explained part of the reason why Trump’s first term saw limited reduction in waste, fraud and abuse.

“In the first Trump administration, they tried to do this, but I would say with very limited success, partly because you actually had problems with the Trump appointees,” he said. “We had a very senior Trump appointee who was married to the top lobbyist for the aid industry, which was a big problem. So this time around, we don't have that, and we are taking a much more concerted approach.

“Last time, it was kind of like, ‘we'll peek in and we'll see if we find a few things that we don't like and get rid of them,’ whereas this time it's, ‘we're going to take everything out, and we have to have evidence that this is actually helping us.’ And so I think you'll see a much bigger chunk of what aid is doing, scrutinized and removed.”

Moyar also discussed his personal experience calling out corruption in USAID when he worked there. “I dealt with the Office of Security, which is in charge of this vetting,” Moyar said, referring to vetting where USAID payments are sent. “They also deal with security clearances. After I reported some people for corruption, one of the things that happened is one of those corrupt people actually went to work in the Office of Security to escape from me because he was in my office."

“And then they didn't actually take away the clearances of any of these corrupt people, but they came after my security clearance,” he explained. “And this office can operate with a lot of impunity, and they do so, so it becomes a weaponized tool. There's all sorts of corruption that never leads to problems with the clearance, but they came after me, the one person who was trying to to fight the corruption. But they're supposed to be doing the vetting.

“And then the Office of Inspector General is also supposed to be keeping an eye on this, and they've been doing a terrible job as well, and I've dealt with them a lot. Now, they've recently changed leaders – we'll see how that goes, but they've been a huge part of the problem.”

The change in the Office of Inspector General comes as President Donald Trump removed nearly 20 inspectors general within federal agencies during his first week in office.

Moyar mentioned that the funding of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the United Nations, and contractors through USAID are receiving public backlash, and that among the politicians, it is Democrats who mostly benefit from the funds.

“Well, there certainly is a lot of money going through that ends up in the hands of NGOs and the UN and contractors, and I think that is part of the outcry. I will say, the large majority of that I think does go to Democrats, because they tend to be much more influential," Moyar said.

“There are a small number of Republicans, but I can tell you, after the first Trump administration, those of us who worked in the administration were shut out of these NGOs and contractors, you know; whereas, in 2017, or if you look what's happening right now, they love all the former Obama and Biden people. So it is, for the most part, really, the Democrats who are enriching themselves from the $42 billion budget of USAID.”

Moyar also noted the left-wing ideology that USAID had, based on what the agency spent its funding on. “When you've got just millions and millions of dollars on these DEI consultants, which I think most people would question whether there's any value – in fact, probably it's causing more harm than good because of the divisive ideology,” Moyar said.

“But then they also, under Samantha Power, who led this agency under Biden, they tried to infuse DEI feminist lenses, transgenders into all sorts of programs. So even things you would think would not be involved – like healthcare, for example, economic growth – those ideologies have infiltrated into just about everything the agency does.”

 
Natalia Mittelstadt

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/former-usaid-director-warns-corruption-agency-says-democrats-benefited

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Trump nominees, COVID dissenters launch science journal to restore 'open scientific discourse' - Greg Piper

 

by Greg Piper

Journal of the Academy of Public Health, whose founders include NIH and FDA nominees, goes against the grain with paid peer review, transparency, absence of gatekeeping. Critics call it a "grift," hypocritical.

 

Before President Trump nominated them to lead the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration, Jay Bhattacharya and Marty Makary, respectively, laid the groundwork for an academic journal on public health that would stand athwart the squelching of scientific dissent and narrative policing endemic to academic publishing around COVID-19.

Now awaiting confirmation, the Stanford and Johns Hopkins medical school professors are handing the reins of the Journal of the Academy of Public Health to their collaborators, including founding editor-in-chief and epidemiologist Martin Kulldorff, who endured social media censorship for his COVID views and firing from Harvard Med for his medical choices.

The house organ of the newly formed Academy of Public Health, JAPH stands apart from similar journals not only in its enthusiasm to challenge COVID-19 dogmas and bite the federal hand that feeds researchers, as evident in its first crop of articles Jan. 30, but in its business model, peer-review process and transparency practices.

APH is an international nonprofit organized under the RealClearFoundation, a sibling to RealClearPolitics and itself a donor-financed 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which announced the journal Wednesday and called Bhattacharya and Kulldorff its cofounders.

While at least one author must be an APH member, received papers are published immediately and reviewers are each paid a $500 honorarium and publicly credited, and reviews are published alongside the papers – unusual practices in academic publishing. 

JAPH will even publish "external article reviews" of influential papers published in journals without the "same philosophy of open peer-review and scientific discourse" – an unsolicited, public layer of peer review – and invite the authors to respond.

More common: Its open-access model makes JAPH free to read, while authors pay $2,000 to publish research, "literature syntheses" and history articles and $500 for unreviewed "perspectives," though the honorarium for reviewers may be applied to their own publications.

Each APH member gets one free research, synthesis and history article, and an annual free perspective, while authors without research grants or institutional funds can also apply for waived publication fees on a case-by-case basis.

Kulldorff elaborated on the problems in science journals, which in "some ways" are now "hampering rather than enhancing open scientific discourse," and called JAPH a "proof of concept" for proposed solutions in his opening perspective Jan. 30.

Beneficiaries of the new model include funding agencies, which are "not allowed to see the reviews they paid for" but "will get an external evaluation of the research they fund" through JAPH's model, he said.

Other first-issue articles include a study that found no "significant" differences in COVID case rates or "incidence rate ratios" between neighboring K-12 school districts when one had a mask mandate or when neither had one, and Kulldorff and Bhattacharya's analysis of the "fundamental design flaws in the Covid vaccine trials" contrasted with polio vaccine trials.

Another spotlights the feds' disinterest in enforcing clinical trial reporting requirements despite 2017 regulations adding penalties for noncompliance, with three-quarters of "post-mandate trials not reporting within 12 months and 50.8% not reporting within 36 months." 

Failure to enforce appears to be responsible for Moderna hiding a child's death in its COVID booster trial.

The editorial board is a who's who of scientists who have challenged the COVID magisterium, including Oxford epidemiologist Sunetra Gupta, co-author of the anti-lockdown Great Barrington Declaration with Kulldorff and Bhattacharya, and Stanford meta-research pioneer John Ioannidis, one of the first to question the data behind early COVID interventions.

Also serving: Stanford's Scott Atlas, the odd man out among President Trump's first-term coronavirus task force; University of Southern Denmark global health professor Christine Stabell Benn, whose research found Pfizer and Moderna vaccines didn't reduce all-cause mortality; and Oxford's Tom Jefferson and Carl Heneghan, whose systematic review of mask research survived an attempted purge by a New York Times columnist.

A dozen involved scientists are in the top 1% of their fields by citations, according to the journal.

COVID catechists are eager to paint the journal as a "grift" and its leaders as bad scientists and hypocrites, with anti-herd immunity author and New York University neurologist Jonathan Howard flooding X on Friday with attacks on scientists associated or aligned with the journal.

He made multiple critical posts on Stabell Benn as well as Bhattacharya and Makary, who are on leave from the editorial board, for alleged complicity in early Trump administration moves Howard dislikes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by virtue of accepting nominations.

Bhattacharya was a target soon after his nomination, building on predecessor Dr. Francis Collins' dismissal of the Great Barrington Declaration coauthors as "fringe epidemiologists" whose growing influence in 2020 – including endorsement by Nobel Prize winner Michael Leavitt – merited a "quick and devastating published take down" from the feds.

Former Senate Finance Committee investigator and science journalist Paul Thacker elaborated on the importance of paying peer reviewers in an essay concurrent with RealClearFoundation's announcement, calling the $500 honorarium higher than "any other similar journal."

"Scientists now grumble that peer review is 'free work' they provide to journals, which then charge them high fees when it comes time for them to publish their own studies in that same journal," wrote Thacker, a late participant in the Twitter Files reporting collaboration.

"We feel this will incentivize good and prompt reviews," editor-in-chief Andrew Noymer, University of California Irvine influenza pandemic researcher and member of the World Health Organization Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 mortality estimation, told Thacker.

The current system of peer review "meaningfully" improves about a third of papers, leaves most "largely untouched" and "can be biased, slow, and driven by non-scientific priorities at times," Ioannidis told Thacker.

Greg Piper

Source: https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/trump-nominees-covid-dissenters-launch-science-journal-restore-open

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Israeli Cabinet set to discuss second phase of Gaza truce - JNS Staff

 

by JNS Staff

Israel is reportedly seeking to prolong the first stage of the ceasefire, based on estimates that Hamas will reject its demands for the second phase.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Security Cabinet following the missile attack by Iran on Oct. 1, 2024. Photo by Avi Ohayon/GPO.

The Israeli delegation currently in Doha, Qatar is focused only on the continued implementation of the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, with Israel’s Cabinet set to deliberate on Tuesday regarding Israel’s position regarding phase-two talks, according to Hebrew media reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu coordinated Israel’s position on the second phase with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to Ynet. Jerusalem will demand the expulsion of Hamas’s leadership from Gaza, the dismantling of its terrorist army and the release of all the remaining hostages, according to the report. Officials in Jerusalem estimate that Hamas is likely to reject these demands.

Three more male hostages are expected to be released by the terrorist group on Feb. 15 as part of the ceasefire’s first phase.

On Saturday, Or Levy, 34, Eli Sharabi, 52, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56, were freed after 491 days in captivity following their abduction during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Trump on Sunday expressed his shock at their condition, comparing them to Holocaust survivors.

Hamas’s list of demands for the second phase are a total end to hostilities, a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the beginning of the rehabilitation of the enclave.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionism Party stated on Sunday that anyone agreeing to Hamas’s terms “does not deserve to be a leader.”

His party has threatened to exit the coalition if the war against Hamas is not resumed after the conclusion of the first phase of the ceasefire, which could potentially bring down the government.

Israel’s working-level team in Doha includes Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch and officials from the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), Mossad and Israel Defense Forces. They were authorized to travel to the Qatari capital for technical discussions following the Gaza-based terrorist group’s release of three hostages and Israel’s release of 183 Palestinian terrorists on Saturday.

According to Israeli estimates, there are 76 hostages still in Hamas captivity in Gaza, including 73 abducted during the Oct. 7 attacks.

JNS Staff

Source: https://www.jns.org/israeli-cabinet-set-to-discuss-second-phase-of-gaza-truce/

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