US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that a deal on the release of hostages held by Hamas remains possible, but there remain “very hard” issues to be resolved.

Posted on February 15, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JERUSALEM POST
Hamas rejects Israeli proposal to release 1,500 inmates for hostages
February 15, 2024

Hamas has rejected an Israeli offer to free all hostages taken into the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of 1,500 Palestinians from Israeli prisons, Saudi media outlet Al-Arabiya reported on Thursday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that a deal on the release of hostages held by Hamas remains possible, but there remain “very hard” issues to be resolved. Asked whether an agreement could be reached on a break in hostilities before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins on March 10, Blinken said an earlier response from Hamas on a potential deal had included some “clear non-starters” but offered the possibility of working toward an agreement. READ MORE

WASHINGTON TIMES Clifford May: Sinwar agoniste Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, mastermind behind the Oct. 7 invasion of Israel and the worst single-day slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, is believed to be lurking within the subterranean labyrinth that lies beneath Gaza. With funds provided by the “international donor community,” Hamas constructed more than 300 miles of tunnels – a network more extensive than the London Underground. We may assume that Mr. Sinwar is somewhere below the southern Gazan cities of Khan Yunis or Rafah, and that he is surrounded by hostages abducted from Israel and barely clinging to life.

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“The era of Jews being silent is over. If the UN wants to return to being a relevant body, its leaders must publicly disavow the anti-Semitic words of the “special envoy” – and fire her immediately”

Posted on February 15, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

TPS
UN Official Who Justified Oct. 7 Terror Attacks Banned From Entering Israel
Pesach Benson
February 12, 2024

Israeli authorities said on Monday that Francesca Albanese, a UN official with a history of comments justifying Arab terror, will be banned from entering Israel. Albanese is the UN’s “Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories,” whose mandate is to investigate solely “Israel’s violations.” She was seeking to visit the Palestinian Authority on behalf of the UN Human Rights Council. She sparked fresh criticism on Saturday when she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism, but in response to Israel’s oppression.” READ MORE

ISRAEL LAW CENTER They participated in the massacre, kidnapped civilians, and turned schools into military facilities. UNRWA is Hamas. The time has come to dismantle UNRWA. Funding for UNRWA will start again if we don’t do something. Join the lawsuit against the U.S. Government to permanently and fully STOP UNRWA funding. To join the claim, please leave your details in English here.

JPOST ‘Hamas is not a terrorist group,’ says UN Relief Chief Martin Griffiths Speaking of Hamas’s October 7 attack, Griffiths said he had “total understanding” of the “trauma” it had caused Israel but that Israel would need to build a relationship with its neighbors regardless.

JEWISH JOURNAL Why the UN Hates this Man For more than 20 years, as executive director of UN Watch, Hillel Neuer has been exposing the blatant discrimination against Israel at the United Nations and its subsidiary groups. They all wish he would go away.

Posted in Israel & Middle East, Jewish, Politics | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Ever since October 7, every Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jew knew an unprecedented demand for Haredi enlistment in the IDF would come on the day after the war. The “day after” is yet to come, but the demand is already being made – and in no uncertain terms.

Posted on February 15, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

YNET
The Haredi IDF draft requires compromise on all sides
David Hager
February 15, 2024

The day after the massacre, it was clear that the original proposed conscription law, which granted blanket exemption for Haredim from military service, had met its final demise with the slaughter of the Gaza envelope communities. “There is no need for new legislation,” wrote Roy Bergman just two days later. “We simply need to implement the existing law (i.e. universal conscription). The war proves that there’s no other way.” Today, it seems equally clear that alternative proposals to integrate Haredim through various national service opportunities will not pass the test of public scrutiny. “We absolutely have to enlist Haredim now,” tweeted Aviad Glickman, alongside hundreds of similar tweets on the subject. “Haredi individuals should enlist for three years. Including combat roles.” READ MORE

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The philosemitic new president of Argentina declared Hamas ‘21st-century Nazis,’ crying on a visit to a Gaza border kibbutz – and while praying at the Kotel

Posted on February 13, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JEWISH INSIDER
Israel’s leadership embraces Argentina’s Milei on tearful tour
Lahav Harkov
February 9, 2024

From the moment he descended from a chartered El Al plane in Israel, wearing a “Bring Them Home Now” dog tag to advocate for hostages held by Hamas, Argentinian President Javier Milei was embraced by Israelis. The South American country’s new leader has made an international name for himself with his colorful style, libertarian policies and slogan “¡Viva la libertad, carajo!” – “Long live liberty, damn it!” – with which Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz greeted him on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport. But it’s not his eccentric style or economic policy that endeared him to Israelis – his great enthusiasm for Judaism makes him unique on the world stage, and his government has been called one of the most pro-Israel in Argentina’s history. READ MORE

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When the IDF began incursions into Gaza City, Sinwar and his comrades fled from the subterranean Hamas command centers of northern Gaza to the compounds in Khan Younis where they likely remain with the hostages

Posted on February 13, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

YNET
Deep underground: A look at the IDF’s campaign inside Hamas tunnels
Ron Ben-Yishai
February 7, 2024

Until the seizure of materials in Hamas facilities in Gaza City, we were unaware of the true extent, structure, and purpose of the underground systems that the organization had dug throughout the Gaza Strip. The Intelligence Corps also did not recognize their vast scope and sophisticated structure, primarily in Khan Younis. It was only when intelligence personnel began extracting information from seized documents in Gaza that it became clear that Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and other leaders of Hamas had prepared for the possibility of an Israeli ground incursion into the Strip following the attack into Israeli territory…Now, IDF special forces are pursuing the group in the labyrinth of branching tunnels while the Hamas leadership flees and remains in constant motion with their human shields. READ MORE

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Moody’s becomes first major rating agency to downgrade Israel’s creditworthiness, citing prolonged war with Hamas and the toll it’s taking on country’s finances

Posted on February 13, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

REUTERS
Moody’s downgrades Israel’s credit rating on war risks; outlook negative
Pushkala Aripaka
February 10, 2024

Moody’s downgraded Israel’s credit rating on Friday, citing material political and fiscal risks for the country from its war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The impact of the conflict raises political risk and weakens Israel’s executive and legislative institutions, and its fiscal strength for the foreseeable future, said Moody’s, which had begun the review for a downgrade on Oct. 19. The country’s rating was cut to “A2,” which is five notches above investment grade, while its credit outlook was kept at negative by Moody’s, meaning a further downgrade is possible. READ MORE

Posted in Israel & Middle East | Tagged | 1 Comment

“The sensational 1 to 50, or near enough, kill ratio achieved by the IDF in fighting Hamas in Gaza is all the more exceptional for reasons that neither official Americans nor official Israelis care to mention”

Posted on February 11, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

TABLET MAG
Why Israel Is Winning in Gaza
Edward Luttwak
February 9, 2024

… the IDF did not fall into the illusion that normal infantry soldiers, howsoever well-trained, could venture into invariably booby-trapped and deviously interlinked Hamas tunnels and fight successfully. More than 25 years ago, the IDF established its Yahalom (an acronym that means “diamond” in Hebrew) combat engineer unit that specializes in tunnel warfare to learn all its many tricks and perils, so that when a new tunnel entrance is discovered in Gaza by advancing troops there is no rushing in Israeli-style, until Yahalom soldiers arrive to lead the way, very carefully. By substituting low-frequency sensors, heavy earth-moving equipment, minidrones, and bullets for jet fighters, heavy artillery, and smart bombs, Israel has effected massive cost savings while reducing its reliance on U.S. resupply—and taking the steam out of propaganda claims about bombing and artillery massacres. READ MORE

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As Netanyahu’s political rivals were busy protesting against him, Israel’s enemies were making preparations to invade Israel.

Posted on February 11, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

GATESTONE
Judicial Reform Controversy Emboldened Israel’s Enemies
by Khaled Abu Toameh
February 14, 2024

The controversy over the judicial reform proposed by the government of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year was what likely encouraged Iran’s terror proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis to attack Israel. The mullahs in Tehran and the three Iran-backed Palestinian, Lebanese and Yemeni terror groups viewed the dispute over the reform as proof of Israel’s perceived weakness, disunity and a sign of its imminent demise. Israel’s enemies have always shown great interest in political, security, economic and social events in Israel. They closely follow these events and devote huge efforts to analyzing them as part of the “know thy enemy” doctrine…The Iranian regime had closely monitored the dispute. For the regime’s media, the scenes of Israelis clashing with the police after blocking highways and the entrance to Ben Gurion Airport for months on end were an indication that the Jews in Israel were headed toward civil war. READ MORE

GATESTONE The Red Cross Still Hates the Jews So far, the ICRC has done absolutely nothing to “protect’ the lives of the hostages in Gaza, has not “assisted ” them, or done anything to “prevent” the ongoing physical and psychological abuse of the hostages, including rape and torture. The ICRC has done nothing, even if such attempts at prevention had meant only the most basic task of obtaining access to the hostages and ensuring that any signs of abuse would be made public for the world to react to, or even just making public statements directed at Hamas to the effect that they must not harm the hostages. The ICRC has uttered no such thing.

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Glick: The United States is intent on reaching a ceasefire because the Biden administration remains committed to its strategic objective of appeasing Iran at Israel’s expense

Posted on February 11, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
Biden’s and Blinken’s words do real harm
Jonathan S.Tobin
February 9, 2024

Words matter. That’s the thing to remember about the libelous descriptions of Israel’s efforts to eradicate Hamas terrorists that came forth from both U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in recent days. The administration is paying a political price for standing with the Jewish state after the Oct. 7 pogroms that constituted the largest mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust. The left-wing intersectional base of the Democratic Party, including officeholders and the president’s re-election campaign staff, is in open revolt against Biden over his refusal to date to cut off the resupply of arms for the Israel Defense Forces or to go along with U.N. Security Council resolutions to impose a ceasefire that would allow Hamas to survive the war and emerge as its victor. READ MORE

JNS Caroline Glick: 360 degrees of hostility: The Biden administration and Israel The rising expressions of rage at the Biden administration from ordinary citizens are a testament to the shock and anger Israelis feel at what they perceive as a betrayal of Israel’s most basic interests by Biden and his top advisers. Three and a half months ago, when Biden came to Israel, most Israelis couldn’t imagine his warm embrace would transform into a torrent of hostile actions. At the height of Biden’s emotional visit, he gave a speech to the people of Israel: “I come to Israel with a single message. You are not alone. You are not alone. As long as the United States stands—and we will stand forever—we will not let you ever be alone.” For the overwhelming majority of Israelis, Biden’s declaration sounded like a bankable guarantee. 

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Netanyahu is under competing pressure from far-right members of his coalition government, who say they will quit rather than endorse any deal that fails to eradicate Hamas, and from families of hostages who demand a deal to bring them home.

Posted on February 8, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

ISRAEL HAYOM (by agreement with JNS)
Netanyahu rejects Hamas truce plan after meeting with Blinken
Associated Press and Staff
February 7, 2024

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected a proposal for a Gaza war truce by Hamas, saying victory was within reach and only total defeat of the movement that rules the blockaded strip would ensure Israel’s security.”We are on the path to total victory. Victory is within reach,” he said at a televised press briefing, adding that triumph was months away. “Only total victory will allow us to restore security in Israel, both in the north and in the south.” The Israeli premier was speaking a day after Hamas said it had delivered its response to a proposed ceasefire deal for Gaza drawn up by US and Israeli spy chiefs and delivered to Hamas last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. READ MORE

JERUSALEM POST Nearly quarter of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza dead, IDF believe At least 32 hostages held in Gaza, nearly a quarter of the estimated 136 hostages held captive in the Hamas-run enclave, are dead, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing the IDF. The families of the 32 deceased individuals whose deaths have been confirmed have been informed. Hamas has yet to confirm or reject the IDF report. Further, the Islamist terror organization has a history of reporting hostages killed in captivity as having been hit by Israeli airstrikes.

TIMES OF ISRAEL Released hostages tell PM: Only saving remaining captives will be ‘absolute victory’ Five women released from captivity in Gaza during a weeklong truce in late November made an emotional plea Wednesday, calling on the government to do everything necessary to secure the release of the remaining 136 hostages, saying only that would represent an “absolute victory” for Israel. Their remarks stood in sharp contrast to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who moments before in a separate press conference had promised the nation that Israel was closing in on the “absolute victory” of eradicating Hamas from the Gaza Strip

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