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

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“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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If Israel can’t stop weapons from infiltrating Gaza now, what does the situation look like when it is dealing with an “independent” state?

Posted on February 8, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

BREITBART
Blinken Tried to Meet Privately with Israeli Military Chief; Netanyahu Nixed
Joel Pollak
February 7, 2024

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to meet privately with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi on Wednesday, without Israel’s elected leaders present, before the meeting was blocked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Blinken is currently on a visit to Israel to discuss hostage negotiations and the Biden administration’s goal of a Palestinian state. The Times of Israel reported: A previously scheduled one-on-one meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi will not take place, amid reports that the Prime Minister’s Office opposed a meeting between a foreign diplomat and the military without the presence of elected leaders. READ MORE

FEDERALIST Joe Biden Keeps Rewarding The Terrorists  What does it look like when Iran becomes a nuclear power? What does it look like when the Islamic Jihad — or whatever group pops up to take its place — begins lobbing rockets at civilians? Israel will be compelled to act. Next time, it would be invading a territory recognized as a sovereign state by the U.S. To allay these fears, the State Department promises it will only move forward “with real security guarantees for Israel.” We are in no position to offer security assurances to Israel. What is the U.S. going to do if there’s another Oct. 7? Are we going to send in troops and build a democracy in Ramallah? We can’t even close our own borders. The Biden administration, in fact, already opposes the creation of a security buffer zone within Gaza to prevent more attacks.

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U.S. officials using pro-Palestinian NGO sources to back controversial effort aimed at sidelining Jewish state

Posted on February 8, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

TABLET MAG
The Fraudulent Case Against ‘Violent Settlers’
Liel Leibovitz
February 5, 2024

…According to sources in and out of the U.S. government familiar with Fenzel’s reports and advocacy, nearly every claim presented by the USSC as fact seems to have been lifted directly, sometimes verbatim, from the websites of highly partisan pro-Palestinian organizations, including the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OCHA) and the far-left Israeli NGO B’Tselem, which accuses Israel of apartheid and receives vast support from European governments and from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.  In the past 12 months, 13 Israelis were murdered by Palestinians in Jerusalem and 17 in the West Bank—not counting those slaughtered on Oct. 7, 2023—while doing nothing more provocative than driving home or stopping for gas. The number of Palestinian civilians who have been killed by Israelis under such conditions over the same time period is zero. READ MORE

TIMES OF ISRAEL With unprecedented executive order, US sanctions settlers behind ‘intolerable’ violence First series of financial penalties, travel ban slapped on 4 violent Israeli extremists; move creates tool that could be used to cut off entire settler movement from US financing

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The reason UNRWA is so sacred: “Keeping themselves as perpetual refugees, rejecting any form of permanent personal settlement that would allow Israel to exist, became one of the main weapons in this total Arab war against the Jewish state”

Posted on February 5, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

NATIONAL POST
Without UNRWA there would be no Hamas — it must be dismantled
Einat Wilf
February 1, 2024

Canada’s temporary suspension of its financing of UNRWA over charges that some of UNRWA’s members participated in the Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel should be made permanent. That UNRWA has created the ideal conditions for murderous terrorist groups to emerge, from Black September, which carried out the gruesome slaughter of Israeli Athletes in the 1972 Munich Olympics, to Hamas, is not a bug in the operating system, but a feature. Anyone who truly cares about charting a path to true peace in the Middle East should have every interest in ensuring UNRWA is dismantled..The Arab refugees and the Arab countries fought against UNRWA resettlement. The agency therefore failed to settle even one Arab refugee..READ MORE

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