Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children documents new details about crimes of a sexual nature committed by terrorists against hostages”

ISRAEL HAYOM (by agreement with JNS)
New findings on Oct. 7 reveal sexual abuse of minors
Neta Bar
May 12, 2026

A new document published by CNN and compiled by the Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children reveals a long list of atrocities committed by the terrorist organization’s members, some of which had not previously been made public. The report presents the most comprehensive body of evidence to date of sexual and gender-based violence against women, men and children, which it describes as “systematic, widespread and an integral part” of the attack. The report includes firsthand testimonies from more than 10 survivors who suffered extreme sexual violence and sexual abuse during the massacre, their abduction or while being held captive in Gaza. Some of them, including former hostages Romi Gonen, Rom Braslavski, Arbel Yehud, Amit Soussana, Ilana Gritzewsky and others, have spoken publicly about the traumatic experiences they endured. READ MORE

COMMENTARY Seth Mandel: The Laughing Monsters Hamas’s crimes were disturbing not only because of the crimes themselves but because of the manner in which they were carried out. When their defenders in the West refuse to watch video evidence from October 7, they are doing so in part because while they may be able to handle the gruesome details, they cannot handle hearing and seeing the laughter of the murderers. The coddled “anti-colonialists” on university campuses have proved willing and able to defend any act, no matter how depraved, so long as it is for the cause. But even they cannot muster a defense of a rapist’s glee or a torturer’s joy.

MEDIA LINE ‘This Is the Modern Eichmann Trial’: Israeli Lawmakers Advance Special Trial Framework for October 7 Defendants Israeli lawmakers are advancing a bill to create a special judicial framework for prosecuting defendants accused of involvement in the October 7 massacre, arguing that Israel’s existing anti-terror laws were not designed for an attack of that scale, complexity, and historical weight. The proposal, drafted jointly by coalition and opposition lawmakers, would establish special procedures for trying participants in the October 7 attacks, including dedicated judicial panels, adapted evidentiary rules, accelerated proceedings, public documentation, expanded rights for victims and families, and possible death sentences for the most severe crimes.

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Jewish, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Friedman: “The Kristof column reflects a broader shift in modern journalism: a media culture that, in his view, has traded its credibility to become “a weapon in the fight for justice”

FREE PRESS
How ‘The New York Times’ Laundered a Conspiracy
Matti Friedman and Dan Senor
May 14, 2026

On Monday, The New York Times published an opinion column by Nicholas Kristof titled “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians.” In it, Kristof recounts allegations of sexual abuse against Palestinians committed by Israeli soldiers, prison guards, and interrogators. The column swiftly provoked a firestorm, as many of its claims were revealed to be misleading, unverified, or demonstrably false. (For more on this, read Eli Lake’s “Nick Kristof’s ‘Dog Torture’ Claim About Israel Doesn’t Pass Muster,” and Haviv Rettig Gur’s “The Paper Trail of Nicholas Kristof’s Smear.”) But how does a piece like this end up in The New York Times in the first place? That’s the question Free Press columnist Matti Friedman explores in a recent interview with Dan Senor on the Call Me Back podcast. READ MORE

AFTER OCT 7 Today’s Der Stürmer: The New York Times Runs the Hamas ‘Dog Rape’ Libel as Fact  The New York Times ran the Hamas-originated “dog rape” libel this morning, claiming Israeli soldiers trained dogs to rape Palestinian prisoners and quoting anonymous Palestinians who allege they were dog-rape victims. Insane, yes. But unsurprising, considering the complete institutional capture of the Times by the antizionist hate movement and their shared anti-Jewish ideology. Antizionist propaganda is now the beating heart of the Times’ newsroom and opinion section, both of which are effectively pro-Hamas. Nicholas Kristof’s column, “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians,” describes an unnamed man saying he was stripped naked, blindfolded, handcuffed, and penetrated by a dog whose handler encouraged it in Hebrew.

TIMES OF ISRAEL Prison Service: NYT article alleging widespread rape of Palestinian prisoners ‘entirely unfounded’ The Israel Prison Service firmly denies allegations in a New York Times article of “a pattern of widespread Israeli sexual violence” against Palestinian prisoners by soldiers, settlers, and prison guards. “The allegations raised are false and entirely unfounded,” the IPS tells The Times of Israel. 

FREE PRESS The Case of Israel v. Kristof Is Dead on Arrival Netanyahu wants to punish ‘The New York Times’ for its claims about prison abuse, but the law effectively blocks any lawsuit he’d bring.

ARUTZ SHEVA Does the New York Times want to kill Jews? Do Nicholas Kristof and his employers at the New York Times want to see more attacks on Israeli civilians and on innocent Jews around the world? They sure act like that’s exactly what they want to see. Kristof committed a crime against journalism in his latest attack on Israel. Without bothering to verify a single source, he spread a blood libel that is guaranteed to be used to justify more attacks on Jews. 

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“China imports like 90 percent of Iran’s total oil exports, making it a true economic lifeline for Tehran – and giving it considerable leverage over the regime”

PRESENT DANGERS
Iran looms over the Trump-Xi summit
Ilan Berman
May 9, 2026

President Trump is headed to China this coming week for that long-awaited summit with Xi Jinping. The agenda is a packed one, because he and the Chinese president have a great deal of bilateral issues to talk about. Iran, though, is shaping up to be a significant subject as well, and it’s one that could influence all the others. Here’s what I mean. When the current conflict started back in late February, the White House was expecting it to be over by the time Trump made his way to Beijing. It was also pretty confident that the war would end in a way that gave the U.S. added leverage over the PRC. Things haven’t turned out quite so. More than two months on, the U.S. conflict with Iran is still simmering, despite the current ceasefire, and Washington is still trying to pressure Tehran into some sort of deal. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Democrat’s letter asks Rubio and administration to specify what Israel’s nuclear capacity is”

THE HILL
House Democrats urge Trump to address Israel’s nuclear program
Ryan Mancini
May 5, 2026

House Democrats on Monday urged the Trump administration to answer questions about Israel’s undeclared nuclear program. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and more than two dozen lawmakers signed a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio about “multiple nuclear-armed states… directly involved in or immediately adjacent to” the U.S.-Israeli conflict in Iran. Castro and other lawmakers said that Iranian missile attacks have targeted Israeli nuclear facilities in Dimona following the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28…The Democratic lawmakers warn that Congress “has a constitutional responsibility to be fully informed about the nuclear balance in the Middle East.” They called for the Trump administration to hold Israel to the same standard as other countries with nuclear weapons programs like the United Kingdom, France, Russia, India, Pakistan, China and North Korea. READ MORE

AFTER OCTOBER 7 Kevin Deutsch: Racist Campaign Ad for Congressman Uses Star of David as a Slur What Attack Ad Backing U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (KY-R) Reveals About Anti-Jewish Racism on the Woke Right. Antizionist hatemonger Massie has spent over a decade in Congress voting against Israel’s right to exist, against Iron Dome funding, and against resolutions condemning antisemitism. Now, a PAC supporting his reelection is running a racist anti-Jewish ad featuring a rainbow Star of David behind a Jewish donor’s face [Paul Singer], and spending heavily to get their bigoted message in front of Kentucky voters.

JNS All 27 Republican govs mark Jewish American Heritage Month, reaffirm support for Israel amid rising antisemitism “Since our nation’s founding 250 years ago, Jewish people have played an important role in America’s story,” the statement issued by the Republican Governors Association read. Republican governors across the United States issued a joint statement recognizing May as Jewish American Heritage Month, condemning antisemitism and expressing support for Israel and the Jewish community.

Posted in Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

“The US and Israel still hold the upper hand because the foundations of Iranian power have been systematically reduced in ways that will take years to rebuild, if they can be rebuilt at all”

URBAN WARFARE
Who has the upper hand in Iran?
John Spencer
May 10, 2026

One of the strangest habits in modern war analysis is how quickly survival gets confused with victory. Iran has not collapsed overnight. The regime still broadcasts threats, launches missiles and drones, and floods television and social media with declarations of imagined strength. From that surface-level reality, a growing chorus of commentators has rushed to claim that Iran has embarrassed the United States, exposed Israeli weakness, and seized control of escalation through its ability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz. Much of that analysis mistakes continued existence for strategic success and ignores nearly every measurable indicator of national power. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

“Israel, for its part, responds that the “withdraw first, disarm Hezbollah second” approach has been tried at least three times in the past quarter-century”

THIS IS BEIRUT
Lebanon and Israel Agree on Peace, Disagree on Sequence
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
May 11, 2026

The Lebanese and Israeli governments are fully aligned on the goal of their diplomatic talks. When all is said and done, Hezbollah will be fully disarmed, Israel will have ended its security actions in Lebanon and fully withdrawn, and the border will be demarcated. The two countries will then have reached a bilateral peace agreement. The challenge is how Lebanon and Israel get there, and in what order. Lebanon wants Israel to first completely stop its military campaign against Hezbollah, fully withdraw from Lebanese territory, and engage in border demarcation. Once these steps are concluded, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam will be ready to travel to the White House to sign a bilateral peace treaty with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Salam has explained how he interprets peace with Israel. For him, it would be a treaty without people-to-people normalization, a “cold peace” modeled on Egypt and Jordan’s peace treaties with Israel. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Max Long: “I was attacked for who I am, for being Jewish and Israeli and not being afraid to say that”

ABC NEWS
2nd man charged with attacking 2 Jewish students at DePaul campus in 2024
Mark Rivera and Barb Markoff, Christine Tressel and Tom Jones
May 7, 2026

A second man has been charged in a violent attack on two Jewish students at DePaul University in November 2024. The ABC7 I-Team has been following their story from the very beginning. The I-Team learned Kasem Noubani now faces battery and hate crime charges. He appeared in court Thursday. ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. A pair of masked men attacked Max Long, a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces, and his friend, Michael Kaminsky. Long was concussed and Kaminsky needed surgery after the attack…The other man charged, Adam Erkan, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor battery charges last year…Erkan worked with authorities to identify Kasem Noubani as the second attacker, according to court documents. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Jewish, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The base in Iraq allowed Israel to get closer to the battlefield. Israel’s air force carried out thousands of strikes against targets in Iran during the five-week campaign”

WALL STREET JOURNAL
Israel Built and Defended a Secret Iran War
Base in Iraq

Anat Peled and Jared Malsin
May 9, 2026

Israel set up a clandestine military outpost in the Iraqi desert to support its air campaign against Iran and launched airstrikes against Iraqi troops who almost discovered it early in the war, people familiar with the matter including U.S. officials said. Israel built the installation, which housed special forces and served as a logistical hub for the Israeli air force, just before the war started with the knowledge of the U.S., the people said. Search-and-rescue teams were positioned there in case Israeli pilots were downed. None have been. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Bay Area judge who had spoken out about antisemitism is removed from case involving anti-Israel protesters

TIMES OF ISRAEL
Judge bars Jewish DA from trying Stanford anti-Israel protesters, alleging conflict
Niva Ashkenazi
May 12, 2026

Jewish groups in the Bay Area of California are protesting a judge’s removal of a local Jewish district attorney from a case involving pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters accused of vandalizing the office of Stanford University’s president. The district attorney, Jeff Rosen, was disqualified from retrying a felony case against five protesters after the judge ruled that Rosen had crossed a legal line when suggesting in a campaign message that the protest was antisemitic…“This decision uniquely targets minority prosecutors, suggesting they are incapable of pursuing justice in cases perceived to be impacting their own communities,” the statement says, adding that it “risks reinforcing longstanding antisemitic prejudices and invites future defendants to weaponize a prosecutor’s identity against them.” READ MORE

Posted in Israel & Middle East, Jewish, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“The book doesn’t teach us how to grieve. It’s not about any one of our griefs. It teaches us what walking looks like when walking is the only thing left. Rachel parcelled out what she could not carry alone, and asked us to help”

FUTURE OF JEWISH
The Most Tragically Beautiful Book I’ve Ever Read
Adam Hummel
May 9, 2026

I stayed up late one night this week reading the book, “When We See You Again,” published last month and written by Rachel Goldberg-Polin — the mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7th. It is the most tragically beautiful book I’ve ever read. Somewhere in the middle of the book, Rachel writes that she wants to parcel out the pain — to shove some of it under the bed in a pile. She describes how, when she went to summer camp as a child, her mom and family members used to write her so many letters that she started to give them out to other kids who had less, so that they also had something to read from home. She talked about parceling out her pain the same way she distributed her her mother’s letters at camp, for others to help her carry. READ MORE

Posted in Israel & Middle East, Jewish, Politics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment