After uproar, Schumer clarifies: Israel has the right to choose its own leaders

Senate Majority Leader seeks to clarify remarks against the Israeli government which caused a firestorm: The US cannot dictate the outcome of an election.

By: Elad Benari – Israel National News; israelnationalnews.com

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Thursday sought to clarify his remarks against the Israeli government which caused a firestorm.

“The US cannot dictate the outcome of an election. That is for the Israeli public to decide,” he wrote in a post on social media.

“As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders. But the important thing is that Israelis are given a choice. There needs to be a fresh debate about the future,” he added.

Earlier, Schumer gave a speech in which he called for new elections to be held in Israel, saying that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “has lost his way.” He further called the Prime Minister an “obstacle to peace.”

“The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel,” he said. “The Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past.”

The Likud Party strongly condemned Schumer’s speech, saying, “Israel is not a banana republic but an independent and proud democracy that elected Prime Minister Netanyahu. Prime Minister Netanyahu leads a determined policy that is supported by a huge majority of the people.”

cont’d…

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/386773

[A “Very Senior”] Israeli Official: Biden Seeking to Oust Netanyahu

“We expect our friends to act to overthrow the terror regime of Hamas and not the elected government in Israel,” said the official.

By: Israel Today Staff; israeltoday.co.il

A “very senior” Israeli official on Tuesday slammed a US intelligence report that claimed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “may be in jeopardy,” amid ongoing criticism by the Biden administration over Jerusalem’s prosecution of the war against Hamas.

“Those who elect the prime minister of Israel are the citizens of Israel and no one else,” according to a statement issued to the media on behalf of the official.

“Israel is not a protectorate of the US but rather an independent and democratic country whose citizens are the ones who elect the government. We expect our friends to act to overthrow the terror regime of Hamas and not the elected government in Israel,” added the official.

The statement followed Monday’s publication of the “2024 Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community,” which outlined Washington’s expectation that large demonstrations will force Netanyahu’s resignation and bring about the replacement of his right-wing government with a “more moderate” coalition.

cont’d…

https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/israeli-official-biden-seeking-to-oust-netanyahu/?mc_cid=377bbeb8cd&mc_eid=90fbf7be68

If Israel Loses, God Loses

Defeat must not be an option, because it could mean the end of the State of Israel. And what would that say about God?

By: Aviel Schneider – Israel Today; israeltoday.co.il

No other nation represents and defends God’s existence and glory like the chosen people in the Holy Land. So I say: Israel and God need each other. Israel is an instrument of God on this earth because Israel’s existence in the Promised Land confirms God’s existence. Defeating Israel, in the minds of our enemies, also means defeating the God of Israel. Therefore, if Israel loses this war, God loses with it. Of course, such a statement makes no sense to people who have nothing to do with God, faith and the Bible. Many of you might also disagree with me – and that’s okay.

Which god is greater?

With every dead Israeli, the Palestinian terrorists shouted “Allah hu Akhbar.” Most videos from the October 7 massacres are accompanied by the constant war cry of “Allah is greatest.” Over the last four months, I have seen endless clips taken by Hamas terrorists with their GoPro cameras. Their God, their Allah is greater than the God of Israel, they think, and that is why Muslims loudly proclaim “Allah hu Akhbar” at the sight of every Jewish corpse.

Isn’t that a victory cry? Isn’t this a call to war against the God of Israel? It was not the image of God that was taken away from us in these four months, but the image of being Israel (the people of Israel) that was torn away from us. We are no longer the same people. We are no longer the same Israelis. The national ethos that has defined us in our eyes is dissolving. Everything we imagined went up in flames before our eyes. Terms such as “superpower,” “security,” “deterrence strategy” or “invincible”–terms that we rested on–have disappeared. And these are not just my private feelings, but a summary of the emotional situation around me.

cont’d…

https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/if-israel-loses-god-loses/?mc_cid=113d864168&mc_eid=90fbf7be68

Israel Destroying Hamas Amid International Fury and Skepticism

“We are witnessing a massive ramp-up in Hamas disinformation in its 11th hour, directly wired into its supporters in the United States.”

By: Israel Kasnett – Israel Today; israeltoday.co.il

US President Joe Biden reaffirmed his commitment to bring Israeli hostages home in his State of the Union address Thursday, spending 90 seconds supporting Israel and blaming Hamas for the atrocities it committed on Oct. 7 as well as for the war that followed.

“Israel has a right to go after Hamas,” Biden said.

But he devoted a significant part of the Middle East section of the speech to the Palestinians.

He spent double the time, approximately 180 seconds, focusing on Palestinians “under bombardment” or experiencing “displacement,” and the need for a two-state solution.

He glaringly failed to mention the hundreds of thousands of Israelis under bombardment and the tens of thousands who have been displaced as a result of ongoing Hamas and Hezbollah attacks.

Biden also announced that the US military would establish a “temporary pier” off the coast of Gaza to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid.

“The White House is truly flailing,” said Richard Goldberg, senior adviser at the Washington, DC-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

“We can’t secure our own border, but we can build a port in Gaza. Our military can’t be used to actually defend the United States, restore deterrence against our enemies, enforce sanctions, or rescue American hostages—but it can be put to work building a port in Gaza,” he continued.

cont’d…

https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/israel-destroying-hamas-amid-international-fury-and-skepticism/

UN Finally Admits Hamas Committed Sexual Crimes Against Israeli Women

Hashem will call every creature to account for everything unknown, be it good or bad. The sum of the matter, when all is said and done: Revere Hashem and observe His commandments! For this applies to all mankind. (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

Israel 365 News; israel365news.com

here is “clear and convincing” evidence that terrorists committed sexual violence, including rape, against hostages in Gaza, and there are “reasonable grounds” to conclude that terrorists raped and gang raped Israeli women in multiple locations on Oct. 7, according to a United Nations report released on Monday.

“With respect to hostages, the mission team found clear and convincing information that some have been subjected to various forms of conflict-related sexual violence including rape and sexualized torture and sexualized cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment,” according to the report, “and it also has reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing.”

“At the Nova music festival and its surroundings, there are reasonable grounds to believe that multiple incidents of sexual violence took place with victims being subjected to rape and/or gang rape, and then killed or killed while being raped,” the report stated. It added that there are also “reasonable grounds” to think that sexual violence, including rape, occurred on Road 232, on which people fled from the festival, and at Kibbutz Re’im, where they sought shelter.

“Reasonable grounds to believe” is the “primary standard of proof” used in the report, it stated. It added that “clear and convincing” refers to “evidence rises above ‘reasonable grounds to believe’ yet falls below ‘beyond a reasonable doubt.’” Nowhere in the report does it state that any of the detailed violence is true “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

cont’d…

https://israel365news.com/387320/un-report-convincing-proof-of-sexual-crimes-against-hostages-proof-reasonable-of-oct-7-rapes/

No, Most People in Gaza Are Not “Just Like Us”

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. 

Palestinians in the West Bank celebrate after terrorists attack on October 7. (Screenshot from YouTube/Inquirer.net)

Taking a Look Underground: West Point Expert Reframes Hamas Tunnel Issue

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

Christian Lawmakers Head to Israel in Biggest Mission Since War

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…

The Israel Allies Foundation policy conference in Prague, June 2023. Photo: Courtesy

A Land Not Forsaken

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…

AM YISRAEL CHAI

Demonization of Israel is an ‘International Catastrophe’

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/