LLX News

The fundamental differences in our identities are deeply embedded in cultural values, taught to children from generation to generation.

According to the mantras of peace activists, the way to end wars – and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular – is by recognizing that the people on the other side are “just like us.” Students in university peace studies programs are taught that conflicts end by bringing individuals from opposing sides together, to discover shared values and overcome stereotypes about “the other.” Based on this seemingly indisputable truth, millions of dollars are provided every year for women’s reconciliation dialogues, summer peace camps, and similar frameworks. 

The articles of faith are also passionately repeated by Western diplomats. Speaking to the Israeli public on Feb. 7, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that most people in Gaza “are just like our families … The overwhelming majority of the people in Gaza had nothing to do with Oct. 7. Their mothers and fathers want to earn a decent living, send their kids to school and have a normal life … We cannot, we must not lose sight of our common humanity.”

But is this belief reflected in reality? Is Palestinian society “just like” Israeli society, or is this a comforting but very dangerous illusion?

Large crowds in Gaza turned out to cheer the terrorists returning from their heinous spree of torture, murder, rape and kidnapping. 

He then noted the immense investment Hamas has made in constructing these tunnels, which he believes may have cost the organization up to a billion dollars over fifteen years.

By: Jerusalem Post Staff; jpost.com

Chair of urban warfare studies at West Point, John Spencer, published an in-depth analysis of Hamas’s unprecedented sub-terranean tunnel network, and the measures taken by the IDF to effectively neutralize it, based on his two visits to Israel, which he shared on X on Friday.

He started his analysis by noting that  the utilization of tunnels in warfare is not a novel concept, with historical examples dating back to biblical times and extending to modern conflicts such as the ongoing war in Ukraine.

However, he then highlighted the distinctive nature of the tunnels used by Hamas, saying its one of the two key pillars in Hamas’s strategy, along with time.

Before the outbreak of hostilities, the presence and extent of Hamas’s tunnel networks were believed to be well-documented, Spencer said.

cont’d…

https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-789820?utm_source=jpost.app.apple&utm_medium=share

The annual Israel Allies Foundation Chairman’s Conference will call to dismantle UNRWA.

By: Etgar Lefkovits – Israel Today; israeltoday.co.il

A group of more than 20 parliamentarians from around the world will gather in Jerusalem this weekend, in the largest political solidarity mission to Israel since the Oct. 7 massacre.

The Christian lawmakers will add their voices to calls to dismantle UNRWA over its ties to Hamas terrorism and speak out against Iran as the chief origin of regional terrorism, and are expected to voice opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state.

The three-day Israel Allies Foundation Chairman’s Conference, which will get underway Sunday, will include a visit to a hard-hit agricultural community near the Gaza Strip, a tour of the biblical heartland, a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and briefings with government ministers and the heads of the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus.

cont’d…

By: David R. Parsons, ICEJ Vice President & Senior Spokesman – Int’l Christian Embassy Jerusalem; icej.org

“You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; For the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” (Isaiah 62:4-5)

The news out of Israel these days is filled with negative stories about the IDF’s painful, protracted fight against Hamas in Gaza. There is overall progress being made, but most headlines tell of more dead Israeli soldiers, of hostages still suffering in dark tunnels, of rising dissent inside Israel, and of even greater threats looming on other fronts.

In such times of crisis, we long for any positive news about Israel. Well, even though this war with Hamas has triggered waves of antisemitism worldwide, it also is generating a surge of interest in Aliyah. Reports indicate that Jewish applications to immigrate to Israel have risen sharply in some countries, including by 500% in France.

It also was encouraging to see the swift return of tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad when war erupted last October. Inbound flights were packed as Israeli airlines added extra seats to fit everyone on board. Many returnees were IDF reservists, including some who had not been called up for duty but reported anyway.

cont’d…

Prominent antisemitism researcher Charles Asher Small tells JNS that a war is being waged against the Jewish state, not only physically but also intellectually and philosophically.

By: Amelie Botbol – Jerusalem News Syndicate; jns.org

According to Charles Asher Small, the demonization of the State of Israel is a dangerous form of Jew-hatred that affects Jews worldwide.

In a wide-ranging interview with JNS, Small, the founding executive director of the New York-based Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) and a former chairperson of the African National Congress solidarity committee, shared his thoughts on South Africa’s decision to bring Israel to the International Court of Justice on allegations of genocide. He also revealed his recent research findings exposing unregulated Qatari funding of Texas A&M University.

Interview transcript with Charles Asher Small follows:

https://www.jns.org/demonization-of-israel-is-an-international-catastrophe/

By: Brody Carter – CBN News; cbn.com

Experts warn a significant drop in support for Israel among young U.S. evangelicals marks a potential turning point in the longstanding relationship between these allied groups.  

A series of polls show support for Israel among American evangelicals under 30, fell more than 35% in just three years. There’s added concern that negative messages across social media regarding the war in Gaza could lead to a greater drop. 

Dr. Kirill Bumin, associate dean of Metropolitan College helped compile the three-year study. 

“The reason why I think younger evangelicals might remain very skeptical, and not particularly supportive of Israel is because they’re being bombarded with, I don’t want to say anti-Israel messages, but not particularly favorable messages toward Israel, at the time when they’re forming their foreign policy beliefs,” said Bumin. 

Three surveys led by Bumin and Dr. Motti Inbari at UNC-Pembroke from 2018 to 2021, indicate this change came during a pivotal turn in Israel-Palestine relations. 

“And what we found in that survey, was that attitudes became more negative towards Israel,” Bumin said. 

cont’d…

https://www2.cbn.com/news/us/support-israel-drops-future-jewish-state-depends-next-generation-us-evangelicals

Dor Shachar grew up in Gaza, suffered a horrific childhood, and had personal experiences in a Palestinian jail before moving to Israel and converting to Judaism. He sits with PragerU CEO Marissa Streit to share his powerful testimony, which gives just a glimpse into the reality of what life is like for people in Gaza.

Continue to video:

https://www.israel365news.com/video/arab-palestinian-warns-the-world-about-hamas/?vgo_ee=JhIeus5jHd0N4h1LyL/5PFU8963sUlUdpFupJMXj6UbJ:v0KxSI2fs4pzq4o7twUyj49jPFyXHZ/A

By: Israel Today Staff; israeltoday.co.il

Yitzhak Goldknopf instructed the Israel Lands Authority “to immediately end all agreements” with the “nefarious” organization over its ties to Hamas.

Israeli Housing and Construction Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf has instructed the Israel Land Authority (ILA) to immediately cancel all lease agreements with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and evict it from its main headquarters in eastern Jerusalem.

UNRWA “acted in the service of Hamas and even took part in the brutal massacre on Oct. 7, and mounting evidence shows that the organization has been supporting, assisting and educating [Palestinians] to harm Israel,” Goldknopf wrote in a letter made public on Monday night.

The minister instructed ILA head Yanki Quint “to immediately end all agreements of the Israel Land Authority with the nefarious UNRWA organization and remove them from the territories leased to them and from all the territories that the organization uses in the State of Israel.”

UNRWA maintains extensive facilities in Jerusalem, including a large compound on Shlomo Zalman Shragai Street in Maalot Dafna and structures in the capital’s northeastern Kafr Aqab neighborhood.

cont’d…

By: Jonathan S. Tobin – Jewish News Syndicate; jns.org

Just like the international aid that built their tunnels, funds for Gaza civilians promoted by celebrities like Doug Emhoff’s daughter are helping terrorists.

The images from the war Hamas launched against Israel on Oct. 7 have tugged at the heartstrings of Americans. By that, I don’t refer to the charred ruins of Israeli communities in southern Israel that were devastated by the Hamas pogroms. Nor do I refer to the horrifying evidence of that terrorist rampage of murder, rape, torture and kidnapping that is too graphic for most people to bear. As far as the international media is concerned, those victims were quickly forgotten almost as soon as the murder spree happened and then erased from the collective memories of the West. The pictures and videos of the Palestinians of Gaza, however, who have suffered as a result of the war started by the organization that most of them supported have been a staple of the corporate media’s coverage.

The suffering of the people of Gaza is real. Regardless of Hamas’s popularity or the widespread support of its people and other Palestinians for its genocidal goals, the destruction of the Strip and deaths of many of its civilians (even if the claims of the Hamas health ministry that are frequently cited by the mainstream press are completely unreliable) is a tragedy, as well as a completely avoidable situation. The ceasefire that Hamas apologists, their fellow travelers and other useful idiots are calling for existed on Oct. 6 and need never have been broken. And it wouldn’t have been had the Islamist group not decided that carrying out the largest mass slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust—and creating the circumstances under which their own people would be exposed to the hazards of war as Hamas’s human shields—was in their interest.

cont’d…

https://www.jns.org/gullible-americans-are-funding-hamas-not-starving-children/

A class action lawsuit against the DNA-testing company claims it didn’t notify customers that their personal information had made it onto the dark web.

Jewish News Syndicate; jns.org

For five months last year, hackers penetrated the security of the DNA-sequencing company 23andMe, resulting in customer data appearing for sale in “curated” lists that focused on Chinese customers and Ashkenazi Jews.

A new class action suit filed in San Francisco on Jan. 26 seeks to hold 23andMe responsible for not protecting users’ private information and not notifying them of the breach. The company apparently didn’t learn about the crime until a hacker posted on Reddit revealing some of the stolen information.

cont’d…

https://www.jns.org/23andme-data-breach-targeted-jews/