In its latest edition, ‘The Economist’ presented Islamism and the European far right as two symmetrical threats. They are not.

Posted on September 14, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

FREE PRESS
The Lie About Islam, Europe, and the Dangers We Face
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
September 15, 2026

…The Economist’s own reporters record that counter-extremism researchers estimate about one British Muslim in five to hold Islamist sympathies. As mentioned, British Muslims are 6.5 percent of the population of England and Wales. One in five of that share is approximately 1.3 percent of the general public, that is, some 775,000 people. The Economist editorial was titled “The Good News: Few Muslims Want to Subvert European Democracy.” I do not know what the word “few” means in the editorial vocabulary of this magazine, but it does not, in ordinary English, mean 775,000. If another poll commissioned by The Economist had found that 775,000 members of any other identifiable British community were committed to imposing a legal order incompatible with liberal democracy, that finding would not have been casually labeled “good news.” READ MORE

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The filmmakers mistook the IDF’s system for limiting civilian casualties for something far darker. They should have asked me; I helped build it.

Posted on September 14, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
What ‘Naza’ really means: The truth about collateral damage
Sarit Zehavi
September 17, 2026

The creators of the recent documentary, “NAZA,” about “Naza” (a Hebrew military acronym for Nezek Agavi – collateral damage) did not have to work too hard to discover the truth. They could have simply interviewed me. I would have stood in front of the camera, without hiding my identity, on the roof of my house nine kilometers (5.6 miles) from Lebanon, where we endured endless barrages of rockets, and explained the reality on the ground. A little less than 20 years ago, I was one of the founders of the unit within the IDF that deals with warning populations on the other side of enemy lines and preserving civilian lives. We built the processes that define how to issue evacuation warnings, and how to track evacuations. I was personally involved in formulating target approval processes and operational discussions. READ MORE

CAMERA Why did the crowd applaud ‘Naza” at the Venice Film Festival ? What exactly was the audience applauding when the screening of “Naza“ ended at the Venice Film Festival? What was it? The war? The addition of yet more false material intended to constrain Israel’s ability to defend itself? The sorry spectacle of two Jews debasing themselves as an offering to prejudice?…They were applauding out of fear. Fear of ostracism, of cancellation, of the social, artistic, and moral gulag…The crowd kept applauding because not to do so would have meant appearing to support the alleged genocide. What they truly feared, she argued, was social death, inevitably followed by professional death—one of the harshest punishments a modern Western society can impose on people who have committed no crime but crossed a social boundary.

JPOST Micha Danzig:c‘NAZA’ documentary can’t explain why a military bent on genocide would need AI Set the factual dispute aside and examine only the logic the film asks its audience to accept, because that logic collapses before any fact gets checked: If the goal was “genocide,” actual mass killing of a civilian population as such, why would anyone build an AI targeting system to do it? Genocide does not require precision. It requires the opposite. A military bent on erasing a population does not build software to identify individual operatives inside specific apartments. It carpet bombs the map, since dumb bombs kill more people faster and cheaper than any precision system devised.

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“It’s an hour of crisis,” Deborah Lipstadt, former U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, told JNS. “I think it’s a time when you have to try every avenue”

Posted on September 14, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
More than 5,000 leaders, public figures sign letter rejecting ‘genocide’ accusation against Israel
Jessica Russak-Hoffman and Izzy Salant
September 9, 2026

More than 5,000 leaders and public figures have signed an open letter rejecting the accusation that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, calling the charge a form of anti-Jewish scapegoating that is fueling antisemitism worldwide…The letter, released by the nonprofit Creative Community for Peace, says the genocide accusation “has become a dangerous vehicle for scapegoating Jews and fueling antisemitism around the world.” “We, the undersigned, are outraged and sickened by the latest blood libel to be inflicted on the Jewish people: the lie that Israel committed ‘genocide’ in Gaza. We reject this accusation with contempt,” the letter states. READ MORE

To read text of letter and full list of signatories.

HOLLYWOOD IN TOTO Bill Maher to Macklemore ‘You Don’t Know S***’…And he used the moment to scold “prominent” Democrats for siding with terrorists. Tough love? To do so, he drew a direct line from the 9/11 savagery to the modern Israel/Palestinian conflict. He threw facts and figures at his audience, repeatedly mocking young Americans for getting their “wisdom” from TikTok. And he skewered a pop star in the news for attacking Israel’s so-called “genocide” against Palestinians. “[The 9/11 terrorists] weren’t cowards. But I’ll tell you who is. Democratic party politicians, and I’ll tell you why. Because nowhere has this moral confusion become more obvious than in a place called Gaza, a little strip of land that was not part of the original Israel but which they won in a war launched against them, but then gave back as a peace gesture,” Maher said. “Did they tell you that part on TikTok, kids?”

X Watch Bill Maher’s brilliant tirade

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NYC mayor continued to de-escalate his rhetoric a week before Netanyahu is set to arrive

Posted on September 12, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

JEWISH INSIDER
Mamdani says he won’t protest Netanyahu — and doesn’t urge New Yorkers to, either
Will Bredderman
September 16, 2026

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters on Wednesday that he does not intend to participate in any demonstrations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appearance at the U.N. General Assembly next week — and maintained he did not endorse public agitation against the Jewish state’s premier, an apparent ratcheting-down of his remarks from earlier this summer. Following an unrelated press conference, Mamdani confirmed information leaked to Politico that he would not take part in anticipated protests against Netanyahu’s scheduled arrival in New York on Sept. 23 or speech at the international summit the next day. He also stressed that he did not call for his anti-Israel allies on the left to take to the streets either. READ MORE

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“Prosecutors allege principal targets included Israeli diplomats, Jewish community centers and pro-Israel demonstration”

Posted on September 12, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

POLITICO
Hamas planned Berlin-Vienna attacks for Oct. 7 anniversary, indictment shows
Per Hinrichs
September 11, 2026

Hamas planned coordinated terrorist attacks in Berlin and Vienna to mark the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, according to a 214-page indictment filed by Germany’s federal prosecutor. The attacks were to take place simultaneously or in close succession around Oct. 7, 2025, targeting Israeli and Jewish interests in the two European capitals, according to the indictment, obtained by WELT, which — like POLITICO — is part of the Axel Springer Global Network. The plot was supported by an international weapons-procurement network that moved pistols, an automatic rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition through Denmark, Germany and Austria…Seven men have been charged in connection with the plot and remain in pretrial detention, according to the indictment. READ MORE

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Afridi spent three years working as chief of staff for PowerSwitch Action, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “forging multiracial feminist democracy” and “grounded in breaking the interlocking chains of oppression”

Posted on September 11, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

FREE BEACON
Mamdani Taps ‘Gay Communist’ for Senior Government Role: New Adviser Called for ‘Abolition of Police’ and ‘Undoing Capitalism,’ Condemned Gandhi as ‘Anti-Black Misogynist’
Jon Levine
September 16, 2026

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani named a self-proclaimed “gay communist” who has called for abolishing the police and “undoing capitalism” to a top post in his administration, the Washington Free Beacon can reveal. Lena Afridi—who uses “they/them pronouns”—deleted much of her social media history shortly before arriving at City Hall, but the Free Beacon recovered her postings. She was quietly named to a senior adviser position in the mayor’s office in April 2026, drawing a hefty salary of $185,000 a year, records show. “I’ll be working on responses to federal intervention in the Office of the First Deputy Mayor,” Afridi added in a LinkedIn post announcing the move…In addition to her government and advocacy work, Afridi is currently listed as an editor at Pinko, a magazine which describes itself as “a collective for thinking gay communism.” On the masthead, she went by “L. Israh Afridi.” Israh is an Arabic word for “night journey” that is sacred in Islam. READ MORE

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“No matter how much he sugarcoats his words with assurances of affection for Israel and reminders of his Jewish identity, Ed Miliband’s message to Jerusalem is an unremittingly hostile one”

Posted on September 11, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
Amid rising Jew-hatred, Britain turns its sights upon Israel
September 11, 2026
Ben Cohen

“I don’t go to synagogue.” So said the British Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, during an interview with the BBC the day after he announced a package of sanctions and other punitive measures against Israel, sending relations between London and Jerusalem into a nosedive. Miliband, who is Jewish, made this admission when the BBC presenter Justin Webb asked him whether he would be attending synagogue over Rosh Hashanah, “as many British Jews will be, many of whom will feel less safe. … What do you say to them, to individuals. Are you going?” When Miliband responded that he wasn’t, Webb countered: “Isn’t that then the point? That actually for a lot of British Jews, they really feel this; they have to have security duties at synagogues. They know that there have been violent attacks, and that is why when [UK Chief Rabbi] Ephraim Mirvis uses those words they mean an awful lot to them and perhaps, frankly, less to you.” READ MORE

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One of the lessons of 9/11: “America is in a constant state of war with our enemies. They will never cease their hostilities against the US, until we kill them.”

Posted on September 10, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

TABLET MAG
What Mohamed Atta Was Trying to Tell Us
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
September 8, 2026

…As a result, for a quarter-century, America and the West have chosen to enmesh themselves with dysfunctional Muslim societies, with the goal of rectifying “what went wrong.” Simultaneously, they opened their doors to mass Muslim migration, taking in millions of refugees from war-torn societies that had notably failed to be transformed by the influx of American money, democracy experts, and boots on the ground. The failure of the Western secular faith in material reality to transform these shattered societies was dismissed as an accident, or as a consequence of how broken and needy these societies actually were. Surely the faith would prove its worth once the refugees arrived in America. As it turned out, the prediction that a large-scale encounter between the populations of the Western nations and Muslim lands might bring about a meaningful social transformation was correct. What Western optimists failed to imagine was that their own societies would be reshaped in the image of the newcomers they sought to evangelize. By 2026, NYC had become a parade ground for Islamic terror groups, run by a foreign-born Muslim mayor who supported “globalizing the intifada” and whose wife celebrated Hamas’ massacre of Israelis. READ MORE

SAVE THE WEST Ken Abramowitz: We remember 9/11, but ignore the lessons Why was the US caught off guard by al-Qaeda’s attack on the homeland? Where were the CIA and all the other intelligence agencies? Where was the FBI? Where was our military? Where were our politicians? The simple answer is that our security agencies were not properly monitoring the Muslim Brotherhood and their proxies, which had declared war on America and all Christians, Jews, and Hindus and all other “infidels”. In fact, our security agencies neglected to monitor the Jihadist war against Western Civilization (democracy), although it began 1,400 years ago. US security agencies failed to monitor the growth of mosques and Muslim schools, which have proliferated throughout the U.S., and continue teaching adult followers and their children contempt for America and individual freedoms. Americans seem not to understand that they have been in a state of war for a very long time.

ITS NOON IN ISRAEL Amit Segal: 25 Years Since 9/11: An Israeli Perspective From the moment the plane struck the first tower, Israel was ready and willing to assist in Bush’s war on terror. Within weeks, delegations from every security agency of every allied country began to land at Ben Gurion before being ushered to Shin Bet headquarters. Sharon ordered them to “show them everything.” With more than 40 years of experience fighting terrorism, Israel was more than an ally; it was the indispensable arsenal of democracy. While Sharon had discouraged the invasion of Iraq, U.S. forces entered the country with Israeli training. The war inaugurated a new era of military cooperation. February’s Operation Epic Fury was the climax of the joint-war against terror that began in 2001.

FRONT PAGE MAG Daniel Greenfield: For 9/11, Trump Should Make It Clear, Islam Is Not a ‘Religion of Peace’ Dear President Trump, For the commemoration of the 25 years since the atrocity 0f 9/11, could you please undo some of the damage that Bush caused with his big lie of ‘Islam is peace’? I’m not asking for much, just a simple acknowledgment that Islam does not mean peace. That islam means submission. Submission to a malevolent god who exhorts Muslims to murder non-Muslims. Or simply say that ‘Islam does not mean peace’. It would make a difference, as the truth always makes a difference when a president speaks it…

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IDF says it used 1,100 tons of explosives to raze 2kms of tunnels under hill in southern Lebanon, following reported Iranian warnings; blast triggers 4.1-magnitude tremor

Posted on September 9, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
IDF blows up Hezbollah’s ‘strategic’ complex beneath south Lebanon’s Ali Taher Ridge
Emanueal Fabian and Jacob Magid
September 11, 2026

Using 1,100 tons of explosives, the Israeli military said on Thursday that it had demolished a “strategic” underground facility belonging to the Hezbollah terror group beneath a mountainous ridge in southern Lebanon. The Ali Taher Ridge is located within Israel’s southern Lebanon buffer zone, near Nabatieh. According to the Israel Defense Forces, the tunnel systems under Ali Taher served as the “nerve center” of the terror group’s Badr regional division — a unit tasked with the area of southern Lebanon that is north of the Litani River. Last week, the military said it had completed capturing and clearing out the tunnel system of Hezbollah operatives, killing some of them while others fled. Iran ostensibly warned the US that it would respond to any Israeli offensive against the Hezbollah facility beneath the hill, according to a report by Reuters last week, although that came after the IDF had already captured and cleared the site. READ MORE

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“Burnham initially considered a much broader set of sanctions, but Washington forced him to change course: The measures were diluted, and he let Miliband become the face of the announcement. American officials explicitly warned the UK against overplaying its hand”

Posted on September 9, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

ISRAEL HAYOM (by agreement with JNS)
How an American warning stopped Britain from dropping the hammer on Israel
Danny Zaken
September 9, 2026

Despite the profound anger in Israel over Britain’s recently announced sanctions, mounting evidence suggests that London is actively working to de-escalate the diplomatic crisis. Israel Hayom has learned that a significantly broader and harsher package of sanctions was initially on the table. However, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham faced intense domestic criticism and stark warnings that severe measures could jeopardize the unique security relationship with Israel. Critics also cautioned that such a move could inadvertently boost Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the right-wing bloc in the upcoming elections, while potentially triggering a fierce American backlash. A senior diplomatic official revealed that American officials worked behind the scenes during the bilateral talks, explicitly warning the British government against overplaying its hand. READ MORE

MEDIA LINE Israel Closes British Consulate, Imposes Countermeasures Over UK Sanctions Israel announced Tuesday that it will close the British Consulate in Jerusalem, remove British representatives from a Gaza support center, and bar 12 British elected officials and nationals from entering the country in response to new UK sanctions against Israel. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced the measures with the agreement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Britain’s Labour government imposed new sanctions targeting communities in Judea and Samaria and announced additional measures concerning arms.

TIMES OF ISRAEL Denouncing ‘ethnic cleansing’ in West Bank, UK announces ban on all dealings with settlements British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband on Tuesday announced a ban on all dealings with West Bank settlements, as well as sweeping sanctions and a range of other punitive measures, during a speech in the House of Commons featuring Britain’s strongest-ever criticism of the settlement enterprise and Israel’s “unlawful occupation.” The “British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank – perpetrated by settler terrorists,” he told parliament, charging that “the Israeli government has turned a blind eye to this and, worse, members of it have made statements and taken actions to support the forced displacement of Palestinians.”

JNS Jonathan Tobin: Britain’s attempt to isolate Israel illustrates its irrelevance It’s true that the statement was coordinated with the governments of France and Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, which made similar announcements. And there is no denying that this effort to isolate the Jewish state in this manner can damage the Jewish nation financially and worsen its growing diplomatic isolation. Europe remains Israel’s largest trading partner, and anything that limits its ability to conduct international commerce is harmful. Still, the panic in some quarters about this development is overstated. The truth is that the United Kingdom is a third-rate power that is a shadow of its former self in terms of economic and military power.

ALGEMEINER What if the Palestinians Don’t Want Two States, Mr. Miliband? Britain’s Foreign Secretary Edward Miliband told the House of Commons on Tuesday that securing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “in its fullest form” is “the North Star of this government’s policy.” He then announced the means: an import ban on Israeli settlement goods, sanctions on anyone who finances or builds them, a ban on advertising them, a formal British declaration that the “occupation” itself is unlawful, an arms embargo that lasts as long as that so-called occupation does, and a coalition of European states lining up alongside him. Every one of those measures is aimed at one party [Israel]. Not a single one is aimed at the other. 

ARUTZ SHEVA Trump says he will speak with Israel and allies over Judea and Samaria sanctions US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he plans to speak with Israel, Britain, France and Canada to better understand their decision to impose sanctions targeting Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Asked by a reporter whether Washington opposes the sanctions, Trump stopped short of giving a direct answer. “I’ll be speaking to Israel, I’ll be speaking to them, and I’ll find out what’s their thinking. I understand exactly what’s going on but I want to find out why, all of a sudden, has that happened.”

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