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50 Supreme Court decisions that were based on justices’ interpretations and opinions, rather than the law
Look at Israel’s High Court of Justice rulings to understand “judicial reform”
By David Bedein
The time has come to explain “Israel judicial reform”.
Here are 50 Israel High Court of Justice decisions based on justices’ interpretations or opinions, rather than any law
Security and terror
The Supreme Court:
- Set severe limitations on targeted killing of terrorist leaders (2006)
- Prohibited use of a method saving lives of IDF soldiers known as the “neighbor rule” – i.e. when there is a strong possibility that an armed wanted terrorist lurks behind a door that must be opened, soldiers would have a Palestinian Arab stand in front of them and let the terrorist inside the room know about it so he would not shoot- (2005)
- Minimized permitted areas to be demolished in terrorist homes and delayed decisions for long periods, making them less effective –( 2016, 2018, 2020, 2020 etc).
- Heard suits brought by terrorists who are citizens of enemy states-(Dirani, 2011)
- Limited IDF activity while fighting was taking place and set guidelines for IDF officers – (Church of the Nativity 2002, Rafiah 2004}
- Cancelled the Interior Minister’s decision to void residence permits for Palestinian Parliament members who are Hamas delegates –(2017)
- Ordered granting National Insurance payments to terrorists whose citizenship was cancelled –(2022)
- Refused to allow Israel to keep bodies of killed terrorists as bargaining points for the return of IDF soldier’s bodies (2017 – rescinded 2019!)
- Struck down the law denying monthly child benefits for a terrorist who is a minor – (2021)
- Interfered in IDF security considerations for marking the location of the separation fence – (2004)
Immigration
The Supreme Court:
- Blocked the government policy for protecting elderly residents of south Tel Aviv terrorized by lawless illegal employment-seeking infiltrators from African countries who moved into the neighborhood en masse – by invalidating three different laws meant to prevent illegal infiltration-(2013 2014, 2015).
- Blocked the government plan for relocating infiltrators to another African country –(2017)
- Invalidated the “collateral law” meant to encourage infiltrators return to their native country – (2020)
- Invalidated the Interior minister’s decision to limit the number of non-Jewish Ukrainian refugees allowed into Israel –(2022)
- Determined the status of female infiltrators as refugees based on a hypothetical possibility that they might undergo circumcision in their country of birth – (2020)
- Eased the process for residency permits in Israel for Gazan Palestinian Arabs- (2017).
Zionism:
The Supreme Court:
- Interpreted the Nation State Law, the Basic Law defining Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish People, so that it cannot have any effect on national policy –(2021)
- Forced the Education Ministry to award the Israel Prize to a BDS supporter despite the ministry’s decision not to do so – (2022)
- Struck down the Interior Minister’s decision to prevent entry to Israel of a BDS activist –(2018)
- Struck down the Film Critics Council decision to forbid the screening of “Jenin Jenin” – a mendacious slanderous film that accused IDF soldiers of a massacre in Jenin, when the truth was that 11 IDF soldiers paid with their lives for the decision not to bomb the city (after warning its residents to leave), thus exposing them to snipers in house to house fighting.
- Struck down the Knesset Elections Committee decision to prohibit those who openly support terror from running for Knesset – (Zakhalka 2002, Yazbak 2020)
- Struck down the Defense Minister’s decision to forbid terrorist families from Judea and Samaria to attend a ceremony organized by the left for bereaved Jewish and Arab families whose sons were terrorists -(2018, 2023)
- Ordered signs in Arabic in areas without Arab residents –(2002)
- Struck down suits brought to the court against illegal building of mosques on the Temple Mount (Solomon’s Stables 2004, Mercy Gate, 2020)
- Struck down suits brought to request partial or full freedom of worship for Jews on the Temple Mount – (2006 2021)
- Nullified the effectiveness of the law against boycotts of firms/businesses by BDS organizations by adding that fines can only be applied if damage to the business can be proven – an almost impossible demand due to all the factors involved in business gains and losses –(2015)
Land and settlement
The Supreme Court:
- Cancelled the long-existing policy allowing the establishment of villages that accept only Jews –(Katsir vs. Kaen 2000)
- Struck down the “Regulating Law” intended to regulate the status of homes built in Judea and Samaria on land whose ownership was contested after the homes were built, by paying claimants for it. Jewish homes were destroyed even though there was no way Arabs could use the land they claimed title to as it was located in the middle of existing communities and it was to the claimant’s advantage to be paid for it- (Ofra 2014, Netiv Haavot 2016).
- Discriminated against Israelis in outposts by ordering them destroyed without proofs of Arab claimants’ ownership – (Amona 2006, 2016, Migron 2011).
- Expelled Jewish residents of Beit Ezra in Hevron against the wishes of the owners and the opinion of the Appeals Committee – (2012)
- Upheld the status of the illegal settlements of Negev Bedouin – (Adalah 1997, Abu Efash 2000, Abu Mis’ad 2006′ Adala 2016)
- Upheld the racist PA law against selling land to Jews in Judea and Samaria (punishable by death) – (2022)
The Economy
The Supreme Court:
- Blocked the government plan for solving the housing crisis
- Interfered in interpretations of contracts in contradicton to the wording of those contracts –(Apropim 1995)
- Interfered in the government’s plan for developing the offshore gas fields damaging Israel’s credibility in financial agreements. (2016)
Religion, state and family
The Supreme Court
- Forbade hospital administrators to keep chametz out of hospitals on Pesach – (2022, rescinded in 2023).
- Allowed and upheld opening businesses on Shabbat in Tel Aviv –(2017).
- Forced a husband divorcing an unfaithful wife to share property that was proved to be his alone with the unfaithful spouse –(2021).
- Forced changing the law so that same sex partners can arrange surrogate pregnancies in Israel –(2020)
- Encouraged fining Channel 20 (now Channel 14) for not featuring members of the Reform Movement (not officially recognized in Israel) in broadcasts – (2017).
- Accepted the suit to allow pornographic broadcasts – (2004).
- Prevented the haredi sector from having cultural events with separate seating for men and women although that is their halakhic position – (2019)
Political skewing
The Supreme Court:
- Struck down the Knesset’s Arutz Sheva Law that allowed the broadcasts of the only right wing radio station at the time –(2002).
- Interfered with MK Yuri Edelstein (Likud) serving as Knesset Speaker although this is against the Knesset’s bylaws –(2020).
Interim governments – inconsistency in rulings
The Supreme Court:
- Prevented the Internal Security Minister from evacuating the Orient House during an interim government –(1999)
- Struck down the suit against holding Taba negotiations during the period of a small interim government-(2001))
- Struck down the suits against concluding an agreement on maritime borders with Lebanon during an interim government – the agreements were not brought to the Knesset – (2022)
- Created a doctrine to allow striking down Basic Laws –
- Prevented a Jewish member of Knesset, Michael Ben-Ari from running for the Knesset while permitting the Balad Arab party to run in contradiction to the decision of the Israel Elections Committee –(2019)
- Backed the Supreme Court Chief Justice’s decision to boycott the national ceremony celebrating 50 years of settlement in Judea and Samaria – (2017)
The research for this list was done by Dr. Assaf Malach founding director of the Jewish Statesmanship Center in Jerusalem and served former director of the Committee for Citizenship Studies at the Israe Ministry of Education 1915-2022.
The translation of this list was done by Rochel Sylvetsky who made aliya in 1971,and served as Chairperson of Emunah Israel
House Republicans are drawing a bright line on UN reform
Liberals don’t like spending cuts, and they especially love spending taxpayers’ money abroad. So when the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs released its funding bill for fiscal year 2024 last month, the responses were predictably hyperbolic.
“Extremely disturbing,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) declared that the bill “shortchanges foreign assistance, abdicates our country’s leadership on the global stage, hinders our ability to address the climate crisis, abandons global security, and harms women around the world.”
If implemented, Chairman Mario Diaz Balart’s (R-Fla.) bill would provide $52.5 billion for the State Department, U.S. foreign assistance programs, international organizations, and related programs. This is lower than the previous year, reflecting the need to get America’s fiscal house in order, but it is hardly an irresponsible cut. It is roughly comparable to spending levels from fiscal years 2015 and 2016, when the notorious isolationist Barack Obama was in the White House.
Liberals are, of course, disappointed in the level of funding. But the real source of their angst is that the bill reflects conservative policy.
One example is the bill’s prohibition on funding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. DeLauro deplores the ban as the insertion of “politics into our foreign policy.” Of course, the bill is merely a response to President Biden’s Executive Orders. So, who exactly inserted politics into foreign policy?
The bill also substantially cuts back on the huge spike in U.S. funding for international climate change initiatives such as the Green Climate Fund, which is heresy on the left. But, as noted by Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas), these programs have been “funneling millions to China,” even as its emissions are growing larger than those of the U.S. and all developed countries combined. Beijing refuses to take timely action to cut emissions, so why should taxpayers fund programs that reward its behavior?
Similarly, the left opposes the strong pro-life protections applied to U.S. foreign assistance in the bill, including terminating funding to the UN Population Fund, which conservatives like Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) assert supports abortion.
The United Nations receives the biggest haircut in this bill. U.S. contributions for UN peacekeeping were reduced to comply with a U.S. law which rightly sets a 25 percent cap on U.S. contributions. Contributions to international organizations are cut by 82 percent, and voluntary funding to international organizations is eliminated.
UN advocates were irate. “By removing funding for the UN, this bill would cause untold suffering, endanger allies, and create a leadership vacuum at the UN that China and Russia would be very happy to fill,” said Peter Yeo, President of the Better World Campaign.
This belated concern on the left about malign influence within the UN is welcome. But much like the Biden administration, they are confusing funding with influence. Naively, President Joe Biden re-engaged and provided funding with no strings attached, with the expectation that this would be rewarded with other countries’ support for U.S. policies. As the following examples demonstrate, it was not to be.
Take the UN Human Rights Council. Despite acknowledging its deep institutional problems with anti-Israel bias and lack of membership standards, the Biden administration reengaged with the Council without any conditions.
Similarly, the administration reversed the Trump administration decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and, again, renewed funding without seeking reforms or changes despite the WHO handling the COVID pandemic terribly, ostracizing Taiwan, and excusing Beijing’s opacity and lack of cooperation.
The Biden administration also ramped up funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) – a deeply flawed organization whose schools and teachers have been shown to espouse anti-Semitic views.
The Biden administration also recently announced that was seeking to rejoin the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) even though the Palestinians retain full membership in the organization absent a peace with Israel. As Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) stated when they were granted that status, “A UN body that acts so irresponsibly — a UN body that admits states that do not exist — renders itself unworthy of U.S. taxpayer dollars.”
Notice the pattern? Again and again, the Biden administration rewards broken organizations with U.S. taxpayer money without demanding that they improve or change.
The Biden administration fixates wrongly on having “a seat at the table” in international organizations, convinced that engagement is a good in itself. Unfortunately, the evidence shows that “being there” is not enough, and that unconditional reengagement and even funding do not create spontaneous support for American goals.
The Human Rights Council, for example, remains dominated by anti-democratic human rights abusers. Despite Biden’s reengagement, the U.S. was unable to convince a majority of the Council to support a debate about the UN report on China’s human rights crimes in Xinxiang. Nor was the U.S. able to affect the council’s anti-Israel bias, as recently exhibited by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel.
With U.S. reengagement, the World Health Organization member states recently voted to condemn Israel, oppose Taiwanese participation as an observer, and elect North Korea to its Executive Board. The WHO has never condemned China for its central role in the COVID pandemic.
Likewise, despite a Framework Agreement with UNRWA to strengthen “accountability, transparency, and consistency with UN principles, including neutrality,” antisemitism in UNRWA schools and textbooks and glorification of terrorism by UNRWA staff remains rampant.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration would reward UNESCO with over $600 million in arrears, which UNESCO will turn around and use with “helpful” input from Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, China, Russia and other members of the UNESCO Executive Board.
All of the above illustrate why the House bill has taken such a tough line on UN funding. If the Biden administration will not insist on reforms and changes to advance U.S. interests, then someone must. Frankly, if the Biden administration had given any indication at all that it was seeking to advance U.S. interests and reform of these organizations, perhaps the House would have would been more amenable to funding them.
In addition to providing a much-needed reality check, this spending bill is smart strategically. No one gets everything in a divided government. The House bill is not the final word, but it must be reconciled with the Senate bill. Some UN funding, such as the UN regular budget funding, will undoubtedly be increased. That is not necessarily a bad thing, so long as it supports U.S. interests.
But conservatives in the House are right need to stand firm and oppose blank checks. In the cases of such deeply flawed organizations as the UN Human Rights Council, UNESCO, UNRWA, and the WHO, funding must be linked to long-overdue reforms. Diaz-Balart clearly understands the need to stake out a strong position from which to start negotiations.
Foreign office refuses request for documents concerning UK aid to Palestinian Authority
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has refused to disclose and publish documents concerning how British aid to the Palestinian Authority is audited.
In a statement to the Israel campaign groups We Believe in Israel and B’nai B’rith UK, the foreign office said:” “The disclosure of information detailing the audit reports of the
Palestinian Recovery and Development Programme could potentially damage the bilateral relationship between the UK and Palestine.”
The two pro-Israel groups had asked for the documents under a joint freedom of information (FOI) request sent by We Believe in Israel and B’nai B’rith UK in May 2023.
This FOI request was motivated by a desire to establish whether or not British taxpayers are funding the notorious “Pay for Slay” scheme where the Palestinian Authority incentivises terrorism by disbursing salaries to convicted terrorists while they are in Israeli prisons, or their families in the event of their death.
Luke Akehurst, Director of We Believe in Israel, said: “Our FOI request was submitted in good faith as part of an attempt to ensure that British aid to the Palestinian Authority is not being used to support, facilitate, or incentivise terrorism, be that directly or indirectly.
“By initially failing to lawfully respond and now refusing to provide the disclosure, the FCDO raises questions about the integrity of its foreign aid distribution, especially to the Palestinian Authority.
“It is also highly likely that oversight mechanisms are lacking, and the FCDO are attempting to conceal serious due diligence failures.
“We have requested an internal review, and on exhausting internal appeals will re-refer the FCDO back to the ICO. We are determined to secure this disclosure, and will take all reasonable steps necessary to do so.”
In a refusal notice, the FCDO wrote: “The disclosure of information detailing the audit reports of the
Palestinian Recovery and Development Programme could potentially damage the bilateral
relationship between the UK and Palestine.
“This would reduce the UK government’s ability to protect and promote UK interests through its relations with Palestine, which would not be in the public interest.”
It was also suggested that the presence of third party personal data prevented publication, despite how easily such content could be redacted.
The two groups said this decision contradicts precedents set by the ICO when, in 2019, they ordered the now defunct Department for International Development (DFID) to release similar documents requested by UK Lawyers for Israel.
Media Romanticize Teenage Terrorists and Their Dreams of ‘Martyrdom’
Militants stand during the funeral of two Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen who were killed in an Israeli raid, in Jenin refugee camp, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank May 10, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta
Spraying bullets at a group of Jewish worshipers, planning a pipe bomb attack in Tel Aviv, and kidnapping a gravely-injured Druze teenager are apparently just some of the activities The Times of London’s diplomatic correspondent Catherine Philp considers to be part of “Palestinian resistance to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.”
We must assume that Philp believes attacking unarmed civilians is a legitimate act of so-called “resistance,” or she would not have used the word seven times in only 15 paragraphs to describe the undertakings of the Jenin Battalion and Lions’ Den terrorist groups, which are behind scores of deadly attacks.
In the piece, “I was ready to die, says Palestinian fighter hit by drone strike,” Philp strikes a creepily sympathetic tone as she introduces readers to the “new generation in the Palestinian armed resistance,” including teenage “fighter” Harbosh, whose face, Philp observes, is “pockmarked by acne” as he is interviewed from his hospital bed recalling “how close he came to martyrdom” during the IDF’s recent counter-terrorism raid in Jenin.
While giving a brief history of the Jenin Battalion, Philp describes this “militant coalition that has sprung up and thrived in the squalid surroundings of the Jenin camp where this week Israel began its largest military operation in the West Bank in two decades.”
She goes on to claim the group consists “overwhelmingly” of members between 16 and 22, all of whom have a “burning sense of grievance,” having “grown up in an era when prospects for peace were in effect dead, in a moribund economy with few jobs, their only heroes martyrs whose images blanket the camp’s alleys.”
Aside from the obvious problem of Philp’s framing of Jenin terrorists as disenchanted youngsters with little choice in life other than to pick up an M16 rifle and start shooting, the presentation of the Jenin Battalion as a sort of grass-roots youth movement is simply bizarre.
After all, the terrorist group is well-funded by Iran (which Philp acknowledges) and comprises operatives from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (which Philp ignores).
Indeed, the whole piece is replete with language that serves to glorify and justify Palestinian terrorism, from Philp’s quoting the uncle of one Jenin Battalion member who gushes that the new “generation is more dangerous than the previous one,” to her subtly romanticizing the “daring [Gilboa] jailbreak.”
The piece, unfortunately, appears to be part of a trend in which media outlets publish strange terrorism puff pieces following the Jenin raid.
For example, The Economist recently promised to take its readers “inside the Lions’ Den,” which it described as the “West Bank’s Gen Z fighters.”
War in the UNRWA refugee camp of Jenin
- Shortly before 2 a.m. on July 5, 2023, the Israeli security force operation in Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp ended; it had lasted for 48 hours. It was broadest Israeli security force activity in the Jenin area since 2002[1] and led to the destruction of about one thousand IEDs, the exposure and destruction of dozens of sites for the manufacture of weapons, underground shafts, and command and operation rooms. In addition, hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of shekels used to fund terrorist activities were seized. An IDF fighter was killed as the forces left the area.
- The ministry of health in Ramallah reported 12 Palestinians had been killed and 140 wounded, 30 of them critically.
- Three “revenge attacks” were carried out during the activity: a combined vehicular ramming and stabbing in Tel Aviv, a stabbing in Bnei Brak and a shooting at the settlement of Avnei Hefetz (southeast of Tulkarm). Five rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at the Israeli communities near the border as the activity wound down. In response to the rocket attack, Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked two Hamas terrorist targets in Gaza.
- Local residents were elated when the Israeli security forces left the Jenin region and despite the destruction, went out into the streets to celebrate their “victory.” Palestinian sources, mainly in Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which tried to create a victory narrative, claimed the operation was a Palestinian achievement and victory over Israel because it reaffirmed the unity of the [terrorist] organizations and had sent that message to Israel. In the meantime, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its security services were severely criticized for not having helped the residents of Jenin, anger expressed on the ground in the attack on the building of the Jenin district governor and the forcible removal of senior Fatah and PA figures from the funerals held for Palestinians who had been killed.
Israel Security Force House and Garden
IDF activity in Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp
- Shortly before 2 a.m. on July 5, 2023, the last of the Israeli security forces left the area of Jenin and the Jenin refugee camp, ending Operation House and Garden. The activity began on July 3, 2023, and lasted 48 hours. An IDF fighter was killed as the forces left; the circumstances of his death are under investigation (IDF spokesman, December 5, 2023).
Palestinian picture of the IDF forces as they leave Jenin
(Twitter account of photojournalist Hassan Aslih, July 4, 2023).
- The IDF spokesman reported that the main objectives of the activity were to end the status of the Jenin refugee camp as a refuge and safe harbor for terrorists and destroy the terrorist infrastructure, including its laboratories for the manufacture of weapons, the IEDs planted under the refugee camp roads[2] and the camp’s network of cameras, which helped the terrorist operatives control events. Approximately one thousand IEDs were found and destroyed, dozens of sites for the manufacture of weapons were exposed and destroyed, along with underground shafts (two of which were located in the Ansar Mosque in the Jenin refugee camp), 14 safe houses used by Palestinians wanted for terrorist activities and a number of operations rooms. In addition, thousands of dollars’ worth of terrorism-funding shekels were confiscated (IDF spokesman’s Twitter account, July 5, 2023).
Right: A shaft were IEDs were stored (IDF spokesman’s Twitter account, July 4, 2023).
Left: A pit in the floor of a mosque where explosives and weapons were found (IDF spokesman’s Twitter account, July 3, 2023).
Right: Money for financing terrorism. Left: Boxes of ammunition
(IDF spokesman’s Twitter account, July 4, 2023).
IEDs waiting to be detonated to attack Israeli security forces in the Jenin refugee camp
(IDF spokesman’s Twitter account, July 4, 2023).
- During the operation 300 Palestinians suspected of terrorist activities were detained, 30 of them wanted by the Israeli security forces. Twelve Palestinians were killed, most of them terrorist operatives (see the Appendix). The IDF spokesman reported that many Palestinians were wounded because the terrorists hid within the civilian population, using civilians as human shields (IDF spokesman, July 5, 2023). The Palestinian media reported that thousands of local residents left the Jenin refugee camp.
Palestinian fatalities
- The ministry of health in Ramallah reported 12 Palestinians killed and 140 wounded, three of them critically (Wafa, July 4, 2023). An examination of the names of the fatalities indicated that at least ten of them were terrorist operatives, most of them young. Four of them were PIJ operatives, two were from al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (AAMB), two from Fatah and one from Hamas. The organizational affiliation of the remaining two is unknown, but one of them wrote on his Facebook page that he wanted to become a shaheed.
- A mass funeral was held, also attended by armed operatives. The cortège began at the Abu Sina government hospital in Jenin, and according to reports, senior Fatah and PA figures including Fatah deputy chairman Mahmoud al-‘Aloul, and Azzam al-Hindi, a member of the PLO’s Executive Committee and Fatah’s Central Committee, were forcibly removed from the funeral procession by mourners to protest the fact that the PA security services did nothing to support local residents, did not stand with them during the operation and did nothing to counter the Israeli security forces (Shehab, July 5, 2023; Shehab Twitter account, July 5, 2023).
- The removal of the senior figures from the funeral procession was preceded by clashes on the night of July 4, 2023 between Jenin refugee camp terrorist operatives and PA security services’ operatives, who spent the days of the activity inside the Muqata’a headquarters in Jenin. The operatives went to the headquarters and threw rocks and IEDs at the building. PA security services armored vehicles dispersed the operatives and shot teargas canisters at them (Shehab, July 5, 2023).
The mass funeral (Right: Jmedia terrorist, July 5, 2023. Left: Shehab, July 5, 2023).
Reactions on the ground in Jenin
- During the operation three terrorist “revenge attacks” were carried out: a stabbing in Bnei Brak, a combined stabbing-vehicular ramming in Tel Aviv and shooting at the settlement of Avnei Hefetz near Tulkarm. Approximately one hour before the Israeli security forces left Jenin, five rockets were fired at Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip.
- Stabbing-vehicular ramming attack in Tel Aviv: On the afternoon of July 4, 2023, a Palestinian drove against traffic in Tel Aviv and mounted the sidewalk near a bus station where several people were waiting and rammed into them. He exited the vehicle armed with a knife and started stabbing people. He was shot and killed by an armed civilian at the site. He wounded nine people, three of them critically. According to reports, he worked in Israel illegally and used his employer’s vehicle for the attack (Israeli media, July 4, 2023).
- The terrorist was Abd al-Wahhab Issa Hussein Khalayleh, 20, from the village of Samu’, south of Hebron. Hamas published a notice claiming him as one of its operatives, stating the attack was a “legitimate case of self-defense [sic] in view of the Zionist slaughter in Jenin and the crimes of expulsion, killing and destruction carried out by the occupation forces” (Hamas website, July 4, 2023). A network calling itself the Samu’ Battalion, which claimed it did not belong to any Palestinian organization, stated Khalayleh was one of its operatives (Samu’ Battalion Telegram channel, July 4, 2023). His mother was interviewed and said her son did not belong to any organization, including Hamas (@AhmadHudaib13 terrorist, July 4, 2023).
Right: The scene of the terrorist attack in Tel Aviv (al-Fajr TV website, July 4, 2023).
Left: Abd al-Wahhab Khalayleh (Imad al-Aqili’s Facebook page, July 4, 2023.)
- Stabbing attack in Bnei Brak: On the evening of July 3, 2023, a Palestinian teenager armed with a knife went to the Kiryat Herzog neighborhood of Bnei Brak. He approached a young Israel and stabbed and wounded him. The Israeli fought him off and was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. The stabber was a 14 year-old from Jenin (Israeli media, July 3, 2023).
- Shots fired at the settlement of Avnei Hefetz: On the morning of July 3, 2023, shots were fired at Avnei Hefetz, southeast of Tulkarm. No casualties were reported; a bullet hole was found in the wall of one of the buildings. IDF forces initiated a search to locate the shooter (IDF spokesman’s Twitter account, July 3, 2023).
- Rockets fired from the Gaza Strip: Before dawn on July 5, 2023, about an hour after the Israeli security forces left Jenin, five rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at the Israeli communities near the border and were intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system. No casualties were reported. Debris from a rocket hit a home in Sderot. In response to the rocket fire Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked an underground facility for the manufacture of weapons belonging to Hamas’ chemical department and a facility for manufacturing raw materials for rockets (IDF spokesman’s Twitter account and the Israeli media, July 5, 2023). According to the Palestinian media, a Hamas post in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, was attacked (Twitter account of photojournalist Hassan Aslih, July 4, 2023).
Israeli Air Force attacks in the Gaza Strip (Wafa, July 5, 2023).
Reactions after the activity ended
- The exit of the IDF forces, which began on the evening of July 4, 2023, was documented by the Palestinian media outlets. Once the activity ended, despite extensive destruction, refugee camp refugees went out into the streets to celebrate (Ma’an, July 4 and 5, 2023). On the morning of July 5, 2023, after the “victory” celebrations, the Palestinian media began focusing on the damage and destruction, and pictures and videos were published showing residents visiting the ruins of their houses (Wafa and Ma’an, July 5, 2023). The Jenin municipality sent teams to remove the rubble and open roads which had been blocked during the activity (Ma’an, July 5, 2023).
Residents of the Jenin refugee camp celebrate the exit of the IDF forces
(“Palestine” Post Twitter account, July 5, 2023).
Pictures of the destruction in the Jenin refugee camp
(Right: Awda TV Facebook page, July 5, 2023. Left: Wafa Facebook page, July 5, 2023).
Bulldozers clear the rubble (Wafa, July 5, 2023).
- Various Palestinian sources referred to the activity as an “achievement and victory” over Israel and “the victory of the resistance in Jenin.” Hamas and the PIJ claimed it reaffirmed the unity of the [Palestinian terrorist] organizations, their ability to coordinate and the “unity of the arenas:”
- Hamas claimed the Palestinians were united and adhered to the option of “resistance” and confrontation with the “fascist Zionist occupation.” The announcement stressed the unity of the fighters from all the “forces and organizations” against Israel and the increase in the coordination on the ground. Moreover, according to Hamas, the “resistance” would continue defending the Palestinians, their lands and holy places, and Jerusalem would continue as the first address for “resistance” activity, because for the sake of Jerusalem they were willing to sacrifice what was most important to them (Hamas website, July 5, 2023).
- Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, stressed the “failure” of Israel, which had retreated “defeated with its head lowered” after the operatives of the various “resistance” wings had worked together and all options to support Jenin had been on the table. He added that the “heroic action” in Tel Aviv and the events in Judea and Samaria showed the Palestinians supported Jenin in its heroic battle, and the “resistance” was clearly the address and strategic choice of the Palestinians [in their “struggle”] to respond to aggression and expel the “occupation” from Palestinian lands. According to Haniyeh, through the negotiators, they had sent Israel the message that all the fronts were monitoring the events and Israel had to stop its aggression immediately. He claimed that despite the killed and wounded, they had taught Israel a lesson and caused it heavy losses, and the coming days would reveal the strength of the blow dealt to Israel by the “resistance,” which would force it to consider its steps carefully before it acted against the Palestinians again (Hamas website, July 5, 2023).
- The Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military-terrorist wing, congratulated the residents of the Jenin refugee camp, the fighters of the various organization and battalions, on their “victory.” They claimed the coming days would prove the Israeli leadership had miscalculated. Jenin and the other cities in Judea and Samaria would become sites that would anger Israel, and the “death ambushes” in Jenin and the activity in Tel Aviv had proved it. Accounts had not yet been settled, claimed the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, and the Palestinians would make Israel regret its actions (Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades website, July 4, 2023).
- Ziyad al-Nakhalah, PIJ secretary general, said the Palestinians had chalked up a great victory thanks to the Jenin Battalion leadership and its brave fighters, it had defeated [Israel’s] aggression in Jenin. The Palestinians had proved, by virtue of their unity and cohesion, that they could defeat Israel in every confrontation and battle, from “the Sword of Jerusalem” [Operation Guardian of the Walls] to “the Unity of the Arenas” [Operation Breaking Dawn], “the Free Men’s Revenge” [Operation Shield and Arrow] to “the Great Power of Jenin” [the most recent operation in Jenin]. He called for national unity to reinforce the Jenin refugee camp to keep it a center for revolutionary inspiration, jihad and “resistance” [terrorism] (PIJ website, July 5, 2023).
- Muhammad al-Hindi, deputy PIJ secretary general, tweeted that if such were the results of an operation for which Israel “had been making preparations for a year,” then it was to be congratulated on its achievement, deterrence and delusions. He added that Jenin was in good shape, the “resistance” was in good shape, the Jerusalem Brigades were in good shape and morale could not be higher (Shehab, July 5, 2023).
- Abu Hamza, spokesman for the Jerusalem Brigades, the PIJ’s military-terrorist wing, said in a speech that Israel had been deterred in every sense of the word, which explained its claims about its great imaginary achievements. He said Israel had already been deterred when the battle stated and had been deterred during the fighting. He said he saluted the Palestinians in all the arenas, especially in Jenin. He thanked all the organizations and the “resistance axis” headed by Iran, claiming the “resistance” fighters had not been alone, but behind them in several arenas, in “Palestine” and beyond, were loyal fighters whose fingers were on the trigger, and who were prepared to meet and fight the enemy, and if not in this particular battle, then in the future (Jerusalem Brigades website, July 5, 2023).
- Fatah’s media information and cultural commission said in a statement that the battle waged by the Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp was a qualitative change in the “struggle” against Israel and a “historic message” written by the Palestinians with sacrifice, firm stance and integrated forces. According to the statement, the Palestinians had dispelled the Israeli government’s claims which tried to market its aggression as a military victory, and had defeated Israel’s “barbaric aggression” despite the destructive force Israel used. The commission said it saluted the Fatah fighters and operatives who had bravely defended the Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp with their blood brothers from the other organizations and forces. The commission also saluted the medical teams, media correspondents and operatives of the Palestinian security services, who did not hesitate to fulfill their duty to strengthen the Palestinians’ firm stance (Telegram channel of Awda TV of Fatah’s media information and cultural commission, July 5, 2023).
- Khaled Jumaa, culture editor for the PA’s Wafa News Agency, published a column entitled “When willpower overcomes the machine of destruction.” Israel, he wrote, always forgets that the issue of “resistance” to the occupation is unrelated to the possession of weapons, or connected to the ability to manufacture IEDs or rockets. Israel always thinks that a “brutal invasion” of places like Jenin, the Gaza Strip or Nablus and getting rid of a group of “resistance fighters” is enough to write finis. However, they will not overcome Palestinian will power for the simple reason that the struggle is not between a war machine and a person or a group of people, but between ideologies. The Jenin refugee camp is not the issue, erasing it will not solve the matter the way Israel would like, because the idea is alive in the hearts [of the Palestinians] and is passed down from one generation to the next, not because it is what the Palestinians teach their children [sic], but because what Israel does keeps the problem alive (Wafa, July 5, 2023).
Palestinians cartoons of the “victory” Right: Jenin (al-Quds al-Arabi, July 4, 2023).
Left: The entrance to the Jenin refugee camp (Muhammad Sabaaneh’s Facebook page, July 4, 2023).
Appendix
Palestinian fatalities
- The ministry of health in Ramallah reported 12 Palestinians had been killed and 140 wounded, 30 of them critically (Wafa, July 4, 2023). An analysis of the names of the fatalities indicated that ten were terrorist organization operatives, five in their early 20’s, seven of them teenagers. Among them were four terrorists from the PIJ, three from the AAMB, two from Fatah and one from Hamas. Another belonged to both Fatah and the PIJ. Regarding two others, no organizational affiliation was noted, although according to the Facebook page of one, he wanted to become a shaheed.
- The Palestinian fatalities, the circumstances of their deaths and their organization affiliations were the following:
- Samih Firas Abu al-Wafa: 20 years old, killed when a house was attacked in the Jenin refugee campaign (Wafa, July 3, 2023; Fatah’s media information and cultural commission Facebook page, July 3, 2023). He was an AAMB operative. Fatah reported he was one of its operatives the son of Firas Abu al-Wafa, Fatah spokesman in Jenin (Telegram channel of Awda TV, Fatah’s media information and cultural commission, July 3, 2023).
Samih Firas Abu al-Wafa (Right: Awda, the Telegram channel of Fatah’s media information and cultural commission, July 3, 2023). Left: Samih Firas Abu al-Wafa’s Facebook page, June 6, 2023).
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- Aws Hani Hanoun: 19 years old. The PIJ in Judea and Samaria reported he was one of its operatives (PIJ website, July 3, 2023).
Aws Hani Hanoun (Paldf Twitter account, July 3, 2023).
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- Husam Muhammad Abu Deibeh: 18 years old. Fatah reported he was one of its operatives (Telegram channel of Awda TV, Fatah’s media information and cultural commission, July 3, 2023). The PIJ in Judea and Samaria also reported he was one of its operatives (PIJ website, July 3, 2023). According to reports he worked in the government hospital in Jenin (Yazan Yasin’s Facebook page, July 3, 2023).
Husam Muhammad Abu Deibeh (Right: Twitter account of journalist Firas Taneineh, July 3, 2023). Left: At work in the hospital in Jenin (Yazan Yasin’s Facebook page, July 3, 2023).
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- Nur al-Din Husam Marshoud: 16 years old. The PIJ in Judea and Samaria also reported he was one of its operatives (PIJ website, July 3, 2023).
Nur al-Din Husam Marshoud (Ali Muhammad Zurayiq’s Facebook page, July 3, 2023).
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- Muhammad Muhannad Shami (or al-Shami) Turkman: 23 years old. Killed in an attack in the Jenin refugee camp; his uncle Muhammad Shami al-Shami was wounded in the same attack (Ibrahim Shami’s Facebook page, July 3, 2023). The AAMB in reported he was one of its operatives (AAMB Panthers’ Telegram channel, July 3, 2023). His current and old Facebook page profile pictures show his connection to the AAMB (Muhammad Shami’s Facebook page, June 8, 2016). Nephew of Usama Sabah, a Jerusalem Brigades operative killed in a clash with IDF forces in the village of Burqin on September 26, 2021 (@jalestinian2 Twitter account, July 3, 2023).
Right: Muhammad Muhannad Shami Turkman (Musa Turkman’s Facebook page, July 3, 2023).
Left: Muhammad Muhannad al-Shami Turkman with his cousin, Muhammad Shami al-Shami (Ibrahim Shami’s Facebook page, July 3, 2023).
Muhammad Shami Turkman’s current and old profile pictures show his ties to the AAMB (Right: Muhammad Shami Turkman’s Facebook page, June 8, 2016. Left: Muhammad Shami Turkman’s Facebook page, October 3, 2015).
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- Ahmed Muhammad Amer (or al-Amer): 21 years old, represented as an AAMB operative (AAMB Panthers’ Telegram channel, July 3, 2023). He apparently belonged to the Jenin Battalion. Pictures on his Facebook page show him armed; in some he wears an AAMB headband. In others there are captions indicating he belonged to the Jerusalem Brigades’ Jenin Battalion. He also published a picture of himself with Yusuf Shreem, a Hamas Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades operative killed in Jenin on March 16, 2023.
Ahmed al-Amer wearing an AAMB headband (Ahmed al-Amer’s Facebook page, February 24, 2023).
Left: Ahmed al-Amer, with a Jerusalem Brigades –Jenin Battalion badge on the strap of one of his rifles (Ahmed al-Amer’s Facebook page, April 1, 2023).
Ahmed al-Amer with AAMB and Jenin Battalion armbands
Right: Ahmed al-Amer and Yusuf Shreem (Ahmed al-Amer’s Facebook page, March 16, 2023). Ahmed al-Amer’s most recent profile picture (Ahmed al-Amer’s Facebook page, June 6, 2023).
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- Majdi Yunes Ararawi: 17 years old. The PIJ in Judea and Samaria reported him as one of its operatives (PIJ website, July 3, 2023).
Majdi Yunes Ararawi wearing a Jenin Battalion headband
(@jeniincamp Telegram channel, July 3, 2023).
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- Ali Hani al-Ghoul: 17 years old. Hamas’ Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades in Judea and Samaria issued a mourning notice for him reporting him as one of its operatives, claiming he was killed while lying in ambush for the Israeli security forces who tried to enter the Jenin refugee camp (“West Bank Lion’s” Telegram channel, July 3, 2023). His body was wrapped for burial in a Hamas flag (“Palestine” Post Twitter account, July 5, 2023).
Ali Hani al-Ghoul (Right: Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades website, July 3, 2023. Left: Ahmed al-Ghoul’s Facebook page, July 3, 2023).
Ali Hani al-Ghoul’s body removed from the Abu Sina Hospital in Jenin, wrapped for burial in a Hamas flag (“Palestine” Post Twitter account, July 5, 2023).
- Mustafa Imad Qassem: 16 years old. No known organizational affiliation, but his Facebook page subject picture is the shahada with the caption, “We will live and die by [the shahada]” (Mustafa Qassem’s Facebook page, November 25, 2022). The inscription at the top of his Facebook page reads, “Allah is our goal, the Prophet [Muhammad] is our role model, and the Qur’an is our constitution; Jenin [refugee] camp; Amjad al-Fayid (Pharoah).[3]
Mustafa Qassem’s Facebook page
-
- Uday Ibrahim Khamayseh: 22 years old from the village of Yamoun. A funeral was held for him in Yamoun (SND website, July 4, 2023). His body was wrapped for burial in a Fatah flag with an M-16 placed on top.
The funeral held for Uday Khamayseh in Yamoun (@elthwrah Twitter account, July 4, 2023).
- Abd al-Rahman Hassan Hardan Sa’abneh: 22 years old (according to Wafa), 17 years old according to other sources (Palestinian TV Facebook page, July 4, 2023). He was from the village of Fahma, southwest of Jenin (Wafa, July 4, 2023). The ministry of education in Ramallah issued a mourning notice stating he was an 11th grade student at in the boys’ high school in Fahma (ministry of education in Ramallah Facebook page, July 4, 2023). The PIJ reported he was one of its operatives (PIJ Telegram channel, July 5, 2023).
Abd al-Rahman Sa’abneh (Abd al-Rahman Sa’abneh’s Facebook page, May 31, 2023).
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- Jawed Mujahed Neirat: 22 years old from the village of Meithaloun, south of Jenin (Wafa, July 4, 2023). No known organizational affiliation. His body was wrapped for burial in a Palestinian flag.
Right: Jawed Mujahed Neirat (Jawed Mujahed Neirat’s Facebook page, March 7, 2023).
Left: The funeral held for Jawed Mujahed Neirat in Meithaloun. His body is wrapped for burial in a Palestinian flag (Meithaloun24 Group Facebook page, July 5, 2023).
[1] Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, during the second intifada. ↑
[2] Such as the IEDs detonated in the attack on IDF armored vehicles on June 19, 2023. ↑
[3] Amjad al-Fayid, whose nickname was “guardian of the Jenin refugee camp,” was a 17 year-old PIJ operative killed on May 21, 2023, in a clash with Israeli security forces. ↑
Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah calls for ‘armed intifada’ with attacks on Tel Aviv
The military wing of the Palestinian Authority’s ruling Fatah party is preparing for an “armed intifada” against Israel, with indiscriminate attacks on Israeli targets, the group announced.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, the armed branch of the Fatah movement, said that it has placed “all of our fighters in the West Bank” on “general alert” status, in preparation for a large-scale conflict with the Jewish state.
In a recently published announcement, the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades told members that the organization has received orders to escalate tensions with Israel, and to prepare for “open warfare.”
“We have received the instructions. We hereby declare the escalation of the general alert situation of all our fighters to the highest level, which is that of open warfare,” the group wrote on Telegram.
“We call on all of our fighters and military cells, in every place in the West Bank, to attack the Zionist enemy and all of its components, including within the fragile heart of the entity, Tel Aviv.
“This is a revolution and an armed intifada which will be ongoing until victory. Mercy to our heroic martyrs, recovery to our heroic injured, and freedom to our heroic prisoners.”
The announcement comes days after the IDF carried out the two-day Operation Home and Garden, the largest counter-terror raid in Samaria since the Second Intifada two decades ago.
Following the launch of the operation, the Palestinian Authority halted security coordination with Israel, and accused the IDF of perpetrating a “massacre” in Jenin.
The operation was launched amid a significant uptick in terrorist activity in Samaria, with a large number of attacks emanating from the Palestinian Authority-administered city of Jenin.
Uncle Sham
As 4 July is celebrated by Americans at home and around the world it is a good time to reflect on whether the “goldene medina” is still the Promised Land for Jews.
At the same time it is timely to take a long hard look at how Washington views the real Promised Land these days.
There is no denying that for the oppressed and targeted Jews of the Russian Tsarist Empire the prospect of escaping pogroms and settling in a country where the streets were allegedly paved with gold was an irresistible attraction. Moreover, the perceived absence of discriminatory laws and the freedom to practice religion made the USA a potential veritable heaven on earth.
Up until 1920, over two and half million Jewish refugees found their way to the shores of America. Fleeing the lethal and pernicious hate sanctioned by the Tsarist regime and the Russian Orthodox Church entire families undertook the often perilous and uncertain journey to an unknown land on the other side of the globe. Some stopped on the way and made their home in seemingly more hospitable western European countries. This of course turned out eventually to be a case of leaping from the frying pan into the fire.
Others embarked on ships whose captain promised them safe passage to America only to eventually dump them in England or Scotland. Not knowing any English they believed that they had arrived in the new world only to eventually discover that instead they had been landed in Liverpool, London or Glasgow. They soon discovered that they had fled Russian hate only to now be confronted with British class discrimination but at least they were free to live as Jews.
Ironically some were subsequently deported to the Australian penal colony as part of the British ethnic cleansing of the lower classes. Others headed to settle New Zealand where the prospect of free passage, free land and no discrimination beckoned.
There is no doubt that the mass influx of Jews to the USA benefited not only that country but also laid the foundation for the future development of the community.
In the early 1920’s however it all came to a grinding stop as laws limiting immigration, especially by Jewish “aliens” were enacted and admission to the “land of the free” became selective and discriminatory. By the 1930’s the gates were firmly shut as Jews desperate to escape Europe found that the USA did not want them. In addition, exclusion from certain clubs, quotas for universities and rising hate from the Klu Klux Klan and the Nazi Bund organizations were unwelcome reminders that Judeophobia lurked.
Jewish leadership by that time had already adapted itself to normal Diaspora mode and therefore instead of vigorous protests against discriminatory policies, keeping quiet and venerating “saintly” FDR was the establishment’s default alternative.
The other trend which manifested itself at that time and gathered steam as the years progressed was the assimilation of increasing numbers who strived to be accepted as Americans. This meant ditching traditional Jewish observance and either adopting an Episcopalian version of Judaism or severing religious connections altogether.
Today we can see the results all too clearly.
Rampant assimilation among all but the Orthodox affiliated has resulted in not only a tenuous connection to organized Jewish life but also as collateral damage a definite drift away from identification with Israel as the real Promised Land.
As the Democratic Party morphs slowly but surely into an anti Israel mode the majority of Jews continue to vote for them regardless of what woke progressive nonsense they might sponsor. The old time Jewish Democrats who proudly identified as supporters of the Zionist dream are retiring or leaving the scene and are increasingly being replaced by those whose connections to anything Jewish is tenuous at best.
Unlike Australia where two Governors General have been Jewish or New Zealand where two Jewish Prime Ministers were voted into office there is no chance that a Jew will ever be elected as President. Demographics and political realities make that clear.
As American Jews join in the hoopla for 4 July it is sobering to reflect for a moment on exactly how the relationship between Uncle Sam and Israel has developed since 1948.
Much is made of the fact that five minutes after David Ben Gurion declared Israel’s independence in 1948, President Harry Truman recognized the newly recreated Jewish State. We know that despite pressure from the State Department not to extend recognition Truman acted to do so because of two factors. One was representations made by his former Jewish business partner and the other was the realization that as part of the Cold War the Soviet Union and its satellites were miraculously poised to do the same. Truman was no born again Zionist and in fact his Administration imposed an arms embargo which could have proved fatal especially as the perfidious British were eagerly supplying weapons and military advisers to the Hashemite Jordanians. Fortuitously, Communist Czechoslovakia came to the rescue with surplus arms and planes.
It is important to remember these usually covered up facts because this pattern of duplicitous dealings has been repeated over the years right up until the present time.
At first Israel had to rely on France for procuring urgently needed weapons but that came to a grinding halt when De Gaulle abruptly stopped deliveries. The US eventually replaced the French but this was not always guaranteed. From time to time deliveries were halted when the Administration decided that it didn’t like a particular Israeli response to terror. In 1967 the US broke its promise to guarantee unrestricted passage for Eilat bound vessels and despite the clear intentions of Egypt, Syria and Jordan to attack and wipe out Israel, the US refused to do anything more meaningful than relying on the UN. This meaningless organization had already withdrawn its pathetic peace keeping force and essentially given Nasser the green light.
If this sounds like the current scenarios you would be correct in assuming that nothing has changed.
Much is made of the fact that America has contributed billions to Israel over the years and that it has its back at the UN.
Overlooked is the fact that it is not all a one way street. Israel has provided the US with innovative technological expertise in the defence field and unrivalled intelligence in the fight against international terror. Membership of the UN is a dubious advantage these days as it has been subverted by non democratic regimes.
Decisions by the US to rejoin UNESCO and the UN Human Rights Council are perfect examples of the latest weak kneed responses to the gang bashing of Israel in international forums. The former does not recognize the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount, the Kotel and half of Jerusalem while the latter ignores blatant human rights abusers, obsessing instead on the Jewish State.
The problem is that increasingly the White House and State Dept believe that they are entitled to interfere in our internal affairs.
The latest example is boycotting Ariel University’s research and development because it is situated in an area deemed illegal yet, in fact, is perfectly legal according to the internationally approved San Remo Agreement.
In another case of boycotting, the US Embassy in Israel refused to invite the Minister of Finance and Public Security Minister to their 4 July party. Two Ministers democratically elected to the Knesset are shunned because the US Administration does not like their political views. What a shameful way to behave to a supposedly close friend.
As a result of the changes now taking place in the Democratic Party and the weakening attachment of an increasing number of detached Jews, the once solid support is inexorably slipping away. Add in the post Zionist groups and self loathers and you have every reason to wonder whether this 4 July marks an acceleration of the slippery slide for American Jews.
Once upon a time America was indeed a safe haven for Jews escaping violence and wanting to practice their faith freely and in security.
What will it take and how long will it be before the realization sinks in that the future for Jews looks increasingly doubtful?
Likewise Israel needs to prepare for the day when it can no longer automatically rely on Uncle Sam.
Malevolent reporting on Israel in Jenin
Among the media’s customary Israel-bashers, reporting on Israel’s military operation this week against terrorist enclaves in the city of Jenin was predictably atrocious.
Jenin had become a hub of deadly terrorism, responsible for the murder of 31 Israelis in 2022 and 24 so far this year.
Almost half the inhabitants of Jenin belong to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). In 2023, more than 50 shooting attacks emanated from Jenin. Recently, two rockets were launched from there towards Israel.
During the two-day operation, the IDF uncovered bomb-making laboratories, a homemade rocket launcher, explosives, weapons and military gear.
Yet The New York Times saluted Palestinian terrorism as “an ethos of defiance” and described Jenin admiringly as having “a long legacy as a bastion of armed struggle”.
Other media outlets misrepresented Israel’s response to murderous terrorism as wanton aggression. They did so through systematic decontextualisation, having largely ignored the growing toll of Israeli terrorist victims and the attacks that Israeli security forces thwart almost daily.
The day after the launch of the IDF operation, a car-ramming and stabbing attack took place in Tel Aviv in which at least nine people were injured and a pregnant woman lost her baby.
The usual suspects in the media instantly misrepresented this as an all-too predictable “revenge” attack in a dismal cycle of violence. But there is no “cycle of violence”. There are unending attempts to murder Israelis and there is the Israeli attempt to deter further attacks.
Moreover, there is a fundamental difference between the Palestinians’ deliberate attempts to murder Israeli civilians and the enormous care the IDF takes to avoid civilian deaths.
The IDF reported that all 12 of the Palestinians killed in the Jenin operation were combatants. In such a densely populated area, where terrorist caches and operation rooms are deliberately situated next to schools and hospitals, causing no civilian deaths in such an intense raid was an extraordinary achievement.
Not only was this given no credit by the media, but the entire event was framed in the most distorted and malevolent way. The leading offender in this — and the most important on account of its unique global reach and reputation for trustworthiness —was the BBC.
In an interview with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, BBC anchor Anjana Gadgil said: “The Israeli military are calling this a ‘military operation,’ but we now know that young people are being killed, four of them under 18. Is that really what the military set out to do?”
Bennett replied robustly that all the Palestinians killed were terrorists. To which Gadgil said: “Terrorists, but children. The Israeli forces are happy to kill children.”
After receiving several complaints, the BBC apologised, saying: “The language used in this line of questioning was not phrased well and was inappropriate.”
While any BBC apology is rare, this was wholly inadequate for such a malicious incident. The BBC’s reporting on Israel and the Palestinians is not only consistently distorted but actively promotes hatred of Israel and the Jews who support it.
The BBC’s general reporting on the Jenin operation parroted the outlet’s standard narrative of oppressed and deprived Palestinians fighting hopelessly against Israel in an endless cycle of attack and retaliation.
It failed to mention the century-old Arab war of extermination against Israel, in which the Palestinians have refused repeated offers of a state of their own and instead redoubled their murderous attacks.
It failed to mention the daily Palestinian Authority propaganda onslaught that demonises the entire Jewish people and instructs Palestinian children that their highest calling should be to murder Jews and steal Israeli land.
More astonishing still, the BBC totally omitted the reason for the terrorist upsurge in Jenin and the disputed territories: that Iran is running the terrorist gangs there to further its aim of wiping Israel off the map.
In 2021, a US State Department report estimated that Tehran provides up to $100 million annually in combined support to Hamas and PIJ.
A senior PIJ delegation, headed by its secretary-general, Ziyad al-Nakhaleh, recently visited Tehran where they discussed with Iranian leaders how to escalate the fight against Israel.
Three months ago, Nakhaleh said: “The weapons that the Palestinians use for fighting come from Iran — the Iranians either pay for these weapons or provide them.” With Iran’s assistance, he said, the PIJ had formed “combat battalions in all Palestinian cities in the West Bank”.
Israel is now encircled by Iran. An estimated 180,000 Hezbollah rockets are pointed at Israel from Lebanon. Iran is backing missile and other terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas and PIJ in Gaza.
Now it has set up a similar terrorist infrastructure in the disputed territories, with Ben Gurion airport and central Israel potentially within missile range.
It is simply staggering that the BBC and the rest of the liberal media have made no mention of this key development. The reason is that it doesn’t fit their narrative of Israeli oppression and Palestinian “resistance”.
That’s why the demonisation of the Jewish people pumped out by the PA is resolutely ignored. That’s why the Palestinian aim to destroy Israel is denied. As the anchor of a BBC TV politics show said to me when I appeared on it this week, such things were just “propaganda” of the kind pumped out by “both sides”.
This skewing of the entire narrative is more momentous than most people realise.
The word “Nazi” has become so badly misused to demonise any opponent of the left that it’s been robbed of much of its actual meaning. But in the case of the Middle East, it’s not a vacuous insult. It’s no exaggeration to view the Arab and Muslim war against Israel as a posthumous Nazi front.
In recent years, a group of scholars has been steadily uncovering the depth of the alliance between the Arabs of Mandatory Palestine and the Nazi leadership.
The German political scientist Matthias Kuentzel has argued that the Nazi party intended to turn Muslims against Jews and Zionism.
Now Kuentzel writes in the journal Fathom that his new book, Nazism, Islamic Antisemitism and the Middle East, sets out what’s known about the pamphlet Islam and Judaism, which was first published in 1937 by the director of the Palestinian-Arab Bureau of Information in Cairo. The author is believed to have had many contacts with Nazi agents. During the Second World War, his pamphlet was printed and distributed in large numbers by German forces.
Kuentzel describes it as a shocking text that uses religion to incite Jew-hatred. He writes: “It contradicts the widespread assumption that Islamic antisemitism developed as a response to alleged Israeli misdeeds. It was not the behaviour of the Zionists that prompted the publication of this hostile text, but rather the very first attempt to implement a two-state solution for Palestine. This fact suggests that Jew-hatred was a cause, not a consequence of the crises in the Middle East conflict.”
Anyone looking at today’s Palestinian propaganda can identify its Nazi heritage of images and tropes. That’s because the Palestinian cause is a latter-day version of the Nazi onslaught against the Jews.
In the west, this does more than merely conflict with the narrative about the Middle East promoted by the BBC, The New York Times and the liberal intelligentsia. The west doesn’t want to hear about the Holocaust. It doesn’t want to hear about antisemitism. It tells itself the Jews exaggerate them for their own ends.
This is why the truth about the Palestinian war of extermination is never acknowledged. This is why the Iranian pincer movement against Israel is never reported.
It’s because much of the west believes what antisemites have always told themselves: that the Jews are responsible for their own destruction. That terrible thinking is what we’ve heard amplified once again in this week’s reporting of the events in Jenin.
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The hijack of language
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Israel must act
Israel faces multiple crises that require immediate action.
The first challenge is a well-planned rebellion now underway, orchestrated by the Fatah, also known as the PLO- the Palestine Liberation Organization.
This generation of Fatah has learned to manipulate public opinion through carefully coordinated violent actions and logistical support.
Their campaign promotes the right of return to Arab villages that existed before 1948, even though this has no basis in reality.
This generation of Fatah has learned to manipulate public opinion through coordinated violent actions and logistical support.
Their campaign promotes the right of seven million Arabs who dwell as refugees in perpetuity in 59 “temporary” refugee camps to return to Arab villages that existed before 1948, UNRWA, in charge of thes refugee camps, has created a school system centered around the right of return, evident in school books, songs, plays, and youth clubs.
The UNRWA schools reflect the fact that the PLO never ratified the ”declaration of principles” of the 1993 OSLO Accords, which require it to denounce terrorism and recognize of Israel
Yet there is a widely accepted notion that the PLO, operating under the guise of the PA, has abandoned the path to terror .
Indeed, the Israeli High Court of Justice under the leadership of Chief Justice Aharon Barak recognized the PLO as a legitimate entity, based on the recognition of the Palestinian Arab national aspirations in the 1979 Camp David Accords, written in part by then Israel- State Attorney Aharon Barak, the same jurist who became the Israel Chief Justice.
Now is the time to challenge PLO legitimacy under Israel and international law, because the PLO acts as an entity of terror- not as a partner for peace
A case in point: the unprecedented PA law that came into effect in 2015, when the PA established a fund to provide a salary for life for anyone who murders a Jew with a salary for life, or a salary for life for the family of the killer, if the killer dies in the act of murdering a Jew.
Shockingly, no government, including Israel, has demanded the repeal of this law.
My question to the spokespeople of both the US and Israel about whether either government would demand that the PA repeal this incentive to murder elicited an identical response from both governments- condemning “pay for slay”, not calling for its repeal.
A campaign must now be launched to demand the repeal of this “pay for slay” legislation, along with the prosecution of anyone who facilitates payments for murder, including any banks that process what amounts to be a reward for murder.
Israel must declare zero tolerance for any nation, or entity that does not demand the repeal of this unprecedented law.
To give a human face to this law, international zoom discussions with families can ensue, with those who have lost loved ones to these incentivized murders.
Only by seeing the human face can the depth of this crime be fully understood.
A practical suggestion :
Hold vigils at the Jerusalem Capital Studios, 206 Jaffa road, Jerusalem,where media can be can be direct; approached directly.
Such vigils should also involve those who suffer the pain of losing loved ones to murder, only to witness how their killers are rewarded with a fee for life.
By engaging public opinion, , it will become possible to challenge the blind acceptance of such a law, in order to facilitate a change in policy.
