A New Middle East?
War Day 434
The Big Stories: Syria and Netanyahu’s Trial
War
Map Showing Israel Outlined in White, Dotted Line to Iran
Israel has responded to the rebel’s eleven-day lightening attack on Syria by bolstering Israeli defenses along the Israel/Syrian border. According to Ynetnews, in a historic move, which the IDF has labeled operation “Arrow of Bashan,” Israeli paratroopers crossed into the Mount Hermon DMZ separating Israel from Syria, seizing control of the Syrian side of Mount Hermon for the first time in over 50 years.
Air Force commando units captured the summit, which provides critical observation and fire control over the rest of the Hermon range, as part of a broader strategy to strengthen Israel’s hold in the region. Israeli engineering troops laid mines and other devices to prevent a surprise Oct 7th like rebel attack on Israel.
Israel allowed the media into the area. One brigade commander told Israel Radios Reshet Bed that he had a clear view of Damascus only 45 kilometers away from the mountaintop.
IDF Troops Enter Syrian Territory
Gen. Tamir Hyman, former head of Israel military intelligence, said that Israel didn’t want a repeat of what happened in Iraq in 2015 when military equipment wound up in the hands of Isis.
Hyman said that Iran has lost their influence in Syria, and pointed out that the Iranian proxy Syria, even with the Hezbollah terrorist group’s help, was not able to stop the rebels. Most of the Syrian soldiers, underfed and underpaid, simply shed their uniforms and faded into the surrounding neighborhoods as the rebels approached. The Hezbollah troops retreated back into Lebanon. But the bad news, Hyman said, was that Iran was “smart and determined."
Ohad Hemo, Arab affairs reporter for Channel 12TV, says that Iran and Russia are making efforts to return their positions of influence in Syria.
Following Israel’s move onto Mount Hermon, Egypt complained that Israel should not be in Syria and has demanded the withdrawal of the Israeli troops. Qatar, Iran and Turkey have also complained about the IDF presence.
However, according to Ynetnews, since 2016, Turkey has occupied parts of northern Syria and bombarded areas under the control of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which Ankara considers a terror group.
Israeli sources say that Israel will stay in the area as long as they think necessary. Defense Minister Israel Katz told reporters on Friday that Israel would remain on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon throughout the winter.
Syrian Rebel HTS Leader al-Golani
The rebels have reportedly seized up to 70% of Syria as well as the radio and television stations. The attack on Syria was well-planned and well-organized with thousand of Syrian rebels led by Abu Mohammed al-Golani 42, whose real name is Ahmad al-Sharaa. Al Golani runs the leading group of rebels, the Turkish financed Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS).
Reportedly, al-Golani was once an active member of the al Qaeda terrorist organization and the US put a $10 million bounty on his head. However, in an interview with CNN al-Golani said he is no longer associated with al Qaeda. And was now a moderate who would not try to impose Islamic law on the country.
President Bashir Assad also fled the country for Moscow where his family was already ensconced.
Syrian President Bashir Assad left) Iranian Ayatollah Kahamnei (right)
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Syrians Celebrate Assad’s Fall in Damascus
The fall of Syrian dictator Bashir Assad ends a 54-year reign of the Assad family and their Alewite muslim sect. Photos of rejoicing in the streets were broadcast across the nation. TV footage showed crowds pulling down Bashir Assad’s father Hafaz Assad’s statue. And even setting fire to Hafaz Assad’s tomb.
Interviewees told the cameras that Hafaz Assad was a butcher and a murderer. TV footage showed a torture chamber in the liberated prison where an inmate was placed on a steel table inside a chamber and the steel roof slowly lowered onto him as a form of torture.
According to Ynetnews, Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu has reached out to the Syrian government and expressed an interest in establishing ties with the new government. But also warned should they turn against Israel, Israel will respond.
According to the Israeli media, as part of the "air superiority" concept, 350 Air Force fighter jets attacked throughout Syria and destroyed hundreds of targets. The IDF and the defense establishment handled the lion's share and destroyed about 80% of Syria's strategic capabilities.
The operation took place after years of intelligence gathering by the security establishment, and in fact it was an event that had been planned for years.
Syrian army weapons destroyed by Israeli jet fighters
Also, according to Ynetnews, the Israeli Navy carried out a significant operation on Monday night, targeting and destroying much of the Syrian regime’s naval fleet.
Syrian Navy Vessels Destroyed
The IDF naval struck with anti-ship missiles at numerous Syrian vessels docked at the Al-Baida and Latakia naval bases, aiming to prevent these weapons from falling into the hands of hostile entities.
The IDF also reportedly destroyed a Syrian chemical weapons plant, Russian-supplied anti-aircraft missiles, Iranian supplied ballistic missiles, Syrian Russian-supplied jets and helicopters.
Mohamed al-Golani, leader of the Syrian Rebel group HTS, has appealed to international bodies to help secure other chemical weapons sites and keep them out of the hands of those with ill intentions.
According to Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser former chief of the research division in IDF Military Intelligence, the IDF destroyed many important weapons, advanced jets, helicopters, missiles and prevented the sale of weapons that could have been captured by the rebels and sold to other Islamist groups, as the rebels did in Libya.
Syrian Jet Fighters Destroyed in IDF Attack
Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei said in a speech that he was certain that both Israel and the US were behind the rebel attack on Syria.
Turkey’s President Erdogan
However, according to analysts, the invasion was actually backed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip..Erdogan who provided financial and military support to the leading rebel group HTS led by Mohamed al-Golani.
Also, Turkey has absorbed nearly four million refugees from the Syrian civil war and would like to see them taken off his hands, according to one analyst.
Erdogan also wants to drive the Kurdish rebels (Syrian Democratic Forces) out of the Turkish border in northern Syria. As of now the Kurds have been supported by the US and have acted as a barrier between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran.
According Ynetnews’ veteran Arab affairs correspondent Ehud Yaari, the Kurds in Syria are in Erdogan's sights. The important autonomous region is in danger
According to Yaari, the militias established by the Turks in northwestern Syria have massively attacked the Kurdish forces in the country Yaari says that the elimination of the Kurdish autonomous region will break the line of defense, which blocked Iran's land corridors Yaari thought Israel has an important interest in the story, it must harness the Americans and through them Erdogan to preserve Kurdish rule
Yaari also said that US troops are stationed in the Kurdish region but so far the US has not done anything to stop Erdogan’s forces.
However, he wrote, if Erdogan is allowed to eliminate the Kurdish government in eastern Syria, which he sees as a terrorist entity, a large vacuum will be created into which both ISIS fighters and the Shiite militias in Iraq could be sucked.
He added, Israel has a great interest in preserving the Kurdish region in eastern Syria, as do the Americans and the Jordanians, so in addition to all the other things Israel is doing in Syria, a great effort must be devoted to this matter.
Pundits wonder how the rebel take-over of Syria will play out. Some point out that Turkey has been a keen adversary to Iran in the fight for influence in the Middle East. Turkey’s leader Erdogan is reportedly striving for the rise of a new Ottoman Empire that will control the Middle East. Much as Iran has aspired to reestablish a Persian empire.
According to analysts, Iran and Syria both relied on Russia for military support. This alliance met with Russian president Vladimir Putin’s ambition for a new Russian Empire, not a new Soviet Union, that would encompass countries from Ukraine to the Mediterranean.
On Thursday, Russia announced they will move their ships from the naval base in Syria. Russia has long been invested in Syria, building a multi-billion dollar base for Russian submarines. Russia is bogged down in the war with Ukraine that has been the focus of their military energies.
Talia Lankri ,head of the Home Front Division in the National Security Council, told Channel 12TV that Russia has begun to withdraw from Syria.
Observers say that both Russia and Iran seem to have been thwarted in their ambitions to control the Middle East. They say that Russia’s huge investment in Syria is now essentially worthless. The arms. ammunition and anti-aircraft batters supplied to Syria have all disappeared, mainly through Israel’s destruction of Syria’s military stockpiles and bases.
Iran, observers say, has lost its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon, and has now seen the closure of the weapons supply highway from Iran to Lebanon through Syria. Reportedly, Iran is now worried that rebels could turn their attention to Iran and just as easily attack Iranian leaders and seize Tehran.
Also, Israel’s neighbor Jordan has similar fears, worried that the rebels will strike the kingdom and seize control.
However, Channel 12TVs Amir Bar Shalom said that Iran had chosen Syria as an ally. But has not given up on making contact with Syrian rebels and renewing ties. Bar Shalom said that an Iranian agent was caught at the Syrian border with $300 million in cash. He said that Israel is waiting to see what the rebels intentions really are.
Benny Serati, an INSS (Institute for National Security Studies) researcher on Iran said in the short term Iran was damaged because of their ties to Syria, but in the long term, he thought Iran would find rebels to talk to and make a new deal. Meanwhile Iran will continue to pour money into Syria until they find a way back in.
The ostensible leader of the rebels, al-Golani, has said that he wants a smooth transition. He has allowed the interim Prime Minister, Muhammad al-Bashir, appointed in January 2024 to run the Syrian Salvation Government, to stay and oversee the transitional government.
Bashir was appointed after a meeting between al Golani (Ahmad al-Sharaa) and other rebel leaders. Notably, according to analysts, Al Golani has not purged the Assad loyalties in the Bath party from the government.
A move, analysts say, was a serious mistake made in Iraq. Those ousted from the Iraqi government drifted into Islamic fundamentalist camps that became groups like ISIS.
Some analysts say that al-Golani is positioning himself to ultimately become prime minister. A member of the Syrian Shura Council explained to the Syrian opposition paper Enab Baladi the process through which the PM is elected. The council was composed of 77 members who were drawn from "all segments of Syrian society (residents of the north, displaced people, unions, tribes, activists, and media professionals)," according to the member.
More than ten council members must nominate a candidate, and if there is more than one candidate, they must win the confidence of two-thirds of the council, after which they have 30 days to form a government approved by the council.
The only requirements for nomination and ministerial position were being Syrian, married to a Syrian, not holding any other nationality, and having to have a “revolutionary character” with a revolutionary history before January 1, 2015. They must also possess at least a university degree and live within the Syrian territories.
Shalom Bar Hanan, a former Shin Bet official speaking on Channel 12TV, said that there are many factions among the rebels.Some may be open to discussions with Israel, but many others come from Islamic fundamentalist backgrounds and are still talking about taking over Jerusalem. He thought that it more than likely that Mohamad al-Golani was only talking about moderation to quell any suspicions while planning and then carrying out his own Islamists agenda.
According to the Times of Israel, Gen. (ret.) Giora Eiland said that many factors are involved and it is hard to know what will be in the future.“I think there’s a chance of another alternative. What both the Suni and Shiite populations want is freedom from 54-years of Assad rule.
“The New ruler may be al-Golani, who is a former Islamists. Maybe he’s changed his view therefore there may be a chance for Israel.
“Sinwar thought he could change the Middle East. But that didn’t happen. Oct 8th (when the IDF attacked Lebanon) changed the Middle East. Hezbollah was the big loser. They can’t get support from Iran through Syria anymore.
“Hezbollah will pay the biggest price for the fall of Assad. And what will Iran do? That’s a good question. If they make the last step to get to a nuclear weapon I think the US and Israel will strike Iran.
“And may cause the fall of their own (the Iranian) government.
So, they have to be careful.”
Eiland said, “I don’t think this is the time for Israel to attack Iran.
I understand that if Iran hits Israel in retaliation (for Israel’s bombing of Iran in late October), that Iran could suffer. The destruction of their power grid, and the fall of their government.
According to the Reuters, the risk of Iranian nuclear proliferation is a serious threat in coming months and Britain and France are working out strategies to prepare for such an event, the head of France's foreign intelligence service said on Friday.
"Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the threats, if not to say the most critical threat, in the coming months - the possible atomic proliferation in Iran," Nicolas Lerner, who heads the DGSE, said at the British embassy in Paris alongside his British counterpart Richard Moore.
However, reports in the Israeli media on Thursday indicated that Israel is considering a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities now that they have open skies from Tel Aviv all the way to Tehran.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that ahead of his January 20 inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump is evaluating the possibility of preemptive strikes on Iran to stop their growing nuclear program.
According to the Jerusalem Post, quoting the WSJ, the report outlines the evaluation of potential attacks on nuclear sites, indicating that members of Trump's transition team are exploring this option.
The Jerusalem Post reported that two sources familiar with the matter told the WSJ that Trump told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he was concerned about Iran possibly going nuclear during his term and signaled that his team was examining military action that could prevent that.
But the WSJ also reported that Trump would like to avoid another war in the Middle East breaking out. And thought if the White House ordered US forces to attack Iran’s nuclear sites directly, this could put the US at risk of a formal escalation.
Pundits view this US assessment as the reason Trump would like to see Israel strike Iran and thus keep the US out of the fray.
Small Stockpile of Captured Addictive Captagon Pills Awaiting Shipment
Also, according to press reports.,a major source of Syrian income may be stopped by the rebel takeover of Syria. Unless that source is seized by the rebels. The big earner is the export of Captagon, an illegal addictive amphetamine. Reportedly. Syria had become a narco-state earning between $4 billion to $35 billion a year in sale of the drug.
According to COAR (Center for Operational Analysis and Research), the Assad regime relied on a sophisticated network of allies for the production and distribution of Captagon.
This included key military and security units, such as the elite Fourth Armored Division of the Syrian army, commanded by Bashar al-Assad’s brother Maher, Air Force Intelligence, and the Republican Guard. The network also involved local militias, including the National Defense Forces, the Baath Brigades, and Saraya al-Areen, a Latakia-based militia, as well as foreign armed groups of various affiliations, such as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah.
An investigation by Der Spiegel of a confiscated shipment of 14 tons of Captagon at the Italian port of Salerno in July 2020 revealed that the drugs in the shipment had been manufactured by Samer Kamal al-Assad, a wealthy Syrian businessman and the president’s paternal cousin.
Syrian Manufactured Captagon Pills
Samer, who manages a variety of corporate entities, operates one of several Captagon factories situated in Al-Basa, south of Latakia. The investigation further disclosed that the shipment was initially sent from the Latakia port, which was under the control of President Basher Assad’s brother Maher al-Assad, who reportedly oversaw much of the production and distribution of Captagon through the Fourth Armored Division.
The extent and depth of this network were evident after the United States and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Syrian individuals involved in the Captagon trade in March 2023, including the freezing of their assets and travel bans.
Assad and his associates were heavily reliant on the revenues from Captagon trafficking to sustain the loyalty of military units and militias, that was a key factor in the regime’s survival.
Analysts ask now if the rebels will take over this lucrative drug trade, or shut it down?
And Channel 12TV pointed out how unfair the international opinion of Israel can be compared to how they viewed Syria. The televised report showed that the UN has passed 10x more resolutions against Israel than they did against Syria, a country that used chemical weapons against their own citizens, tortured and killed political prisoners.
North
Lebanese Army Enters War Zone
Four Israeli soldiers were killed in south Lebanon on Monday when explosives were detonated in a tunnel they were searching. Three other soldiers were killed in Gaza on the same day.
The ceasefire in Lebanon is reportedly holding, even though sirens sounded briefly in the north as drones passed over Israeli towns without inflicting any damage.
According to Hezbollah’s Lebanese newspaper al-Manara, the Lebanese army has begun moving engineering troops into south Lebanon to dismantle mines and other explosives left over from the war. UNIFIL, (United Nations International Forces In Lebanon) has also begun returning to the area.
But, Israeli residents of the north have still not returned in large numbers. Many are still reticent to subject themselves to possible missile barrages should the cease-fire not hold.
About 70% off the homes in the Galilee city of Kyriat Shmona have been hit, according to Channel 13TV. One woman, packing up her bags in a Tiberias hotel told the camera, “We were 14 months in the hotel in Tiberas. And if the shooting starts we’ll be right back.”
Gaza
IDF Soldier In Gaza
Israeli troops are still fighting in Gaza. Three IDF soldiers were killed last week when an APC (armored personnel carrier) was hit by a Hamas rocket. So far Israel has lost 372 soldiers in Gaza. Overall, Israel has lost 807 security personnel in both Gaza and southern Lebanon since Oct 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, Israel has allowed hundreds of aid trucks into Gaza but Hamas forces and criminal families continue to hi-jack the trucks and steal the goods.
On Wednesday Dec 11, Hamas managed to fire four missiles into the Gaza envelope. Two were shot down by Israeli defenses and two fell in open fields. The IDF reacted by destroying a building where the rockets were fired.
Hamas has reportedly softened their hard-line position requiring all of Israel’s military to withdraw from Gaza before Hamas would agree to a cease-fire. According to reports, Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader killed by Israel, was adamant that no cease-fire would ever be agreed to with Israel nor any hostages released.
Sinwar had planned on a general uprising in the Middle East that would follow the Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023 when 1400 Israelis were massacred and 252 taken hostage. The new leadership, analysts say, is willing to reach some agreement with Israel.
Sinwar’s dream of a general Arab uprising never happened. While Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy in Lebanon, did begin an intense and constant bombardment of northern Israel, where over 60,000 residents left their homes for shelter in the center of the country, the West Bank never erupted into a new uprising, nor did other Arab states join in the fighting. Rather, Sinwar and his leadership were destroyed, as was the Hezbollah leadership in Lebanon. Most importantly, the Hamas reign of terror has been nearly shut down.
Experts say that the fact of Hezbollah’s defeat by Israel and now that fall of Syria, is influencing Hamas’ reassessment of their position.
According to the Times of Israel, Hamas has agreed that the Palestinian Authority can help government Gaza once the fighting has ended. The PA lost the last election in Gaza in 2006 to Hamas, and then Hamas proceeded to violently drive the PA out of Gaza in 2007. Because, Hamas claimed, that “… the Bush administration tried to foment an anti-Hamas putsch in the territory.”
According to a 2023 article about the Gaza elections in the Washington Post, “…in 2006, the Palestinian political entity operating in the West Bank and Gaza staged elections. Little did observers know that it would be the last vote allowed by the Palestinian Authority, led then, as it is now, by President Mahmoud Abbas.
“The vote took place in the aftermath of a turbulent series of events: the fiery years of the second intifada, the death of longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and the 2005 Israeli withdrawal of troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip.
“…The election yielded shock victory for Hamas, which won the most seats with some 44 percent of the vote.…In the wake of Oct. 7, even fewer governments will treat Hamas as a normal political operator.”
According to the Washington Post, “…in no single district in Gaza did Hamas win a majority of votes. At present, children make up roughly half of Gaza’s population, meaning only a fraction of the territory’s current population ever cast a ballot for Hamas.”
According to Gen (ret.) Giora Eiland, “Hamas is militarily weak but are still in control politically and economically of Gaza…. They steal and sell the aid for money.”
According to EIland, “There is no reason for Israel to continue the war in Gaza. No military reason. Only a political reason. All the military goals have been achieved. Without Qatari money or other monies Hamas can’t survive.”
Also, according to the Jerusalem Post, 62 workers from the Gaza branch of World Central Kitchen, an international organization that provides free meals to endangered people, have been fired for “security reasons.” This after Israel claimed these WCK workers had “affiliations and direct connections” with terrorist groups. An Israeli security official told Reuters a WCK employee, Ahed Azmi Qdeih, took part in the attack on the Israeli settlements on Oct 7,2023.
West Bank
Terrorist Attack Kills 12-Year-Old Boy
On Thursday evening an Israeli bus was attacked by gunfire while leaving the West Bank ultra-orthodox religious town of Beitar Ilit. 12-year-old Yeshoshua Aharon Tuvia Simcha was hit and died later in the hospital. Two other passengers were also wounded. The bus was hit with 23 bullets.
The IDF started a manhunt for the shooter, surrounding the nearby Arab city of Bethlehem. After several hours the shooter, Ezz Aldin Malluh, from Bayt Awa near Hebron, surrendered himself to the IDF.
Also, Hebrew-language media reported Wednesday that three Israelis who visited the Prophet Joseph’s Tomb in the Palestinian city of Nablus without coordination with the military were lightly injured when gunmen opened fire at their vehicle,. The three fled and received medical treatment at a Jerusalem hospital, reports said.
And last Friday, Dec 6th, another Israeli bus was shot at and the bus driver, Hassan Alaskan severely injured and Israeli civilian was seriously injured. The shooting took place on Friday Dec 6th near the Gitai Avisar junction close to the West Bank city of Ariel. 9 people were wounded.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, claimed responsibility for the shooting, naming the gunman as Samir Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, 46, from the village of Einabus near Nablus. Hussein was a member of the Brigades, Hamas said. Israel continues military actions in the west bank aimed at curtailing terrorist activity. Last week near Jenin Israel attacked terrorists who were affiliated with Hamas.
According to Ynetnews, the IDF actions in the West Bank have strengthen the Palestinian Authority. The PA launched an operation against PIJ (Palestinian Islamic Jihad) terrorists in the Jenin refugee camp on Monday. This was reportedly the first time the PA had entered that camp in years.
The raid in Jenin reportedly came after frequent clashes between the PIJ and the PA, some which were quite embarrassing for the Palestinian Authority.
Of late, the PA was supplied with sniper rifles, tactical helmets, and armored vehicles. All were approved by Israel. According to pundits a strong PA police force could change the West Bank security picture.
Meanwhile, the IDF arrested 10 wanted terrorists in a number of West Bank locations. Also, the terrorist who committed a car ramming attack on Saturday near Hebron was arrested in the Arab town of Durah
And, the PA has appointed a successor to 89-year-old Abu Mazan. According to the Jerusalem-based JCFA (the Jerusalem Center of Security and Foreign Affairs )
PA Presidential Successor Rawhi Fattouh
“The decision of 89-year-old Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to issue a ‘constitutional declaration’ appointing Rawhi Fattouh, the Chairman of the Palestinian National Council (PNC), to “temporarily serve as PA President pending the holding of presidential elections,” signifies, in essence, the final nail in the coffin of the Palestinian Authority.
While intentionally worded misleadingly, the so-called “constitutional declaration” is the latest in a series of decisions made by Abbas over the last six years all intended to replace the PA bodies with those of the Palestine Liberation Organization, over which Abbas and his Fatah party have complete dominance.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
Also, according to Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at Tel Aviv University’s INSS (Institute for National Security Studies)’ “The Palestinian Authority (PA) submitted an official request to Israel on Sunday to allow PA President Mahmoud Abbas to visit the Gaza Strip.
Abbas has previously signaled intentions to have the PA govern Gaza post-conflict. However, this prospect has been met with skepticism.
“This is pathetic,”said Kobi Michael “Not only Israel but also the Palestinian people do not trust Abbas to rule Gaza since Al Fatah is not even capable of taking care of the West Bank right now.”
Also, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotritch and National Police Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have called for resettlement of the Gaza strip abandoned in 2005.
Ben Gvir has also said he hopes that when President elect Trump takes office he will approve of Ben Gvir’s plan to relocate Gaza residents out of Gaza.
Both Smotritch and Ben Gvir are also hoping for Trump’s agreement to Israel’s annexation of the West Bank.
And, according to Ynet news, Israeli settlers have set fire to Palestinian property in the West Bank in the town of Beit Furik. And set three cars ablaze in the town of Huwara. This after the demolition of an illegally built settler home near Nablus put up on Palestinian land. Security forces reportedly fought with the settlers during the demolition. No injuries were reported in the settler attack on the Arab villages but the damage was extensive.
Recently, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz canceled ‘administrative detention’ for settlers arrested for committing such acts.
Hostages
Tel Aviv Protest To Free Hostages
100 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
Qatar, who had stepped away from involvement in negotiations, has stepped back in as a moderator in the talks between Hamas and Israel.
Following the events in Syria, an Israeli delegation went to Cairo this week to discuss security concerns with Egypt. However, the delegation, Chief of Staff Herzi HaLevi and Mossad Head Danny Barnea, reportedly also discussed the hostage situation.
The Egyptian press reported that at the meeting Israel was given a list of hostages who would be released in the first stage of a potential agreement.
Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet reported that while the Hamas leadership living outside of Gaza were against the agreement the Hamas leadership in Gaza was in favor.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Hamas has agreed to IDF troops temporarily staying in Gaza as hostages are released.The WSJ reported that the sides are considering a 60-day ceasefire with the release of 30 hostages in the first stage, including US citizens.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Hamas has agreed to yield to two Israeli demands: the IDF remaining at the Philadelphi route and the Rafiah crossing into Egypt. The Palestinian terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad will also attend the ongoing negotiations in Doha.
Amichai Stern reporting on Channel 11 Kan said that Israelis who participated in the meetings in Cairo on Monday expressed optimism but said no lists had been passed on. Stern said that there is still a way to go before a final solution is reached.
Others put their hope on US President-Elect Donald Trump who, after he takes office in 40 days, will put pressure on Qatar and Hamas to release the hostages.
One rumor says that Trump has received a list of hostages to be released. Trump is to take office in 40 days, and some see him as a major influencer in the process.
Appearing on Channel 12TV, Ramos Aloni, whose two children were freed from Gaza in an early exchange, said his son-in-law was still a hostage. “I don’t want to hear about a partial agreement after a year and a month. The agreement must be all of them. Those left behind. It is their death sentence.”
Red Sea
Houthi Drone From Yemen
Sirens blared throughout most of Israel on Thursday as three drones sent from Yemen appeared in the sky. One was shot down, one landed in an open area, a third was never found and thought to have been a false alarm.
Meanwhile, parents rushed to kindergartens that did not have proper bomb shelters and hustled their children to nearby protected rooms and steel-reinforced concrete caravans.
Earlier in the week another drone sent from Yemen was also shot down. And one landed on the rooftop of a penthouse building in the town of Yavne. No one was injured.
Observers say that Yemen is just about the only Iranian proxy still standing that has the ability to hit Israel.
Antisemitism
University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker’s Car Vandalized
At the University of Michigan, the car of a Jewish university regent Jordan Acker was vandalized Monday Dec 9th with pro-Palestinian graffiti. Objects were also thrown early Monday morning at Acker’s home, where he lived with his wife and young daughters,.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Acker wrote on Instagram ““This is the third time that I – and now my family – have been the target of these Ku Kux Klan like tactics…We all need to call out this cowardly act attacking my family and my home for what it truly is: terrorism. And like we always do in this great nation when we’re confronted by terrorism I will not let fear win.”
In the small town of Jackson, Michigan, Jewish residents said they were concerned about antisemitism. Two members of the synagogue, both who had spent years in Israel, now went to the bi-monthly services for the fifty-odd congregants while carrying a side-arm. Recently, some Muslims have moved into the city of 30,000, apparently employed by a local factory.
Jackson is only about 70 miles from Dearborn, Michigan, a city that has a large Muslim population. The US census found the city 54 percent Arab-American, most of whom are vocal about their animosity towards Israel.
Car Burned and Graffiti Scrawled on Jewish Home in Sydney
In Sydney, Australia, a Jewish home and car were defaced. This after a Melbourne synagogue was set on fire in what has been described as a terror attack. Two people were hospitalized in that fire for smoke inhalation and the synagogue building was badly damaged.
Boxing Champion Floyd Mayweather
In London, former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather was attacked by a crowd for his pro-Israel views while shopping in a London jewelry store. When set upon by a pro-Palestinian crowd he was asked why he supported Israel and he answered because he was “proud to support the Jews.”. Then the melee began and Mayweather was hustled away by his security personnel. No one was injured. Mayweather never threw a punch.
In Rome, Pope Francis inaugurated the Nativity Scene in the Vatican that showed a baby Jesus lying on a keffiyeh, a Palestinian black and white checked shawl. Reportedly, the keffiyeh was later removed from the nativity scene.
In Canada, Montreal’s Jewish community says they fear that antisemitism is the new normal. However, David D, a former resident of Montreal, says that antisemitism is nothing new in Montreal.
Also, according to the Globe and Mail, Canadian authorities have reportedly foiled an Iranian attempt to assassinate renowned Jewish jurist Irwin Cotler, a former Canadian justice minister and attorney general.
In California, Glen Litton, 56, attacked a kindergarten affiliated with the Seventh-Day Adventist Church near Oroville, California, about 55 miles (89km) from Sacramento. Litton stated he did it to “avenge genocide in Palestine.”
Litton has been diagnosed as mentally ill and reportedly has a lengthy criminal record. He attacked the kindergarten in a remote town and then killed himself with a shotgun.
In England, according to the Jewish Chronicle, Dr. Rana Baker a professor at Kings College London, has urged students to view Hamas as a “liberation movement.” Dr. Baker compared Zionists to Nazis and the “deployment of the Holocaust as a justification to build an exclusive Jewish state.”
And. according to the Jerusalem Post, Columbia University’s SJS (Students for Justice in Palestine) has printed its first newspaper called “Columbia Intifada.” The paper has headlines like “Palestinian Prisoners,” “The Myth of the Two-State Solution,” and “Zionist Peace Means Palestinian Blood.”
Meanwhile, Ynetnews asks, how can one explain the phenomenon of Jews opposing the legitimacy of Israel? Prof. Maoz Azaryahu of the University of Haifa, head of the Herzl Institute for the Study of Zionism, explains: "What we’re seeing now, after the October 7 attack, is the same narrative dominating the global radical left for years – anti-Zionism on steroids. It aligns perfectly with old Catholic ideology, which is why it resonates strongly in countries like Spain and Ireland.
“Today, anti-Zionism is a socially acceptable stance among educated circles and global academia. From their perspective, Zionism is a moral injustice that should be eradicated.”
Politics
Sketch of Netanyahu during his court appearance
Benjamin Netanyahu made history on Dec 10,2024 when he became the first Prime Minister in Israel’s history to testify in court, after having been indicted on corruption charges.
Observers say that after five years of dodging his court appearance Netanyahu finally went to Tel Aviv to a special secure court two floors underground.
Prior to the appearance his attorneys and members of his government had pleaded with the court to excuse Netanyahu from testifying since he was too busy running the country in a time of war. However, the court said that enough delays had already been granted. It was time for him to appear.
However, the judges did grant him special conditions. He only had to appear three days a week and then only for six hours a day.
And, should any matters of state need his attention, he could receive notes with the information and ask the court for a break while he left for an adjacent room to deal with the matter.
Critics say that Netanyahu and his attorney, on his first day of testimony, stage managed the situation to make it seem as if Netanyahu was riding two horses, running the country while appearing in court.
Moshe Lidor, formerly of the state prosecutor’s office, said on Channel 12TV that Netanyahu has gotten favors for the last five years from the courts and the notes are just another favor. They can be used to break a prosecutor’s rhythm, Lidor pointed out.
Attorney, Shay Gaz told the Channel 12TV panel that the notes could be used to interrupt the prosecution when they began their cross-examination of Netanyahu. And allow him a break should his attorneys see he is under stress or that he may say the wrong thing and pass him a note to get him out of the room.
At one point on the first day of his testimony, Netanyahu received a note and left the room only to be filmed signing a thick stack of documents.
Coincidently, this note came at the point in his testimony when he said he frequently signed documents put before him without reading them, trusting that his staff had vetted the issue.
One of those documents he signed without reading was, he claimed, granted permission to the media mogul Shaul Alovitch allowing him to purchase the Walla news site and the lucrative Bezeq telecommunications company for nearly $2 billion.
The quid-pro-quo, the state charges, was that Alovitch would make certain that the Netanyahu family received favorable press.
The testimony of Netanyahu has captured the attention of Israel’s media. Although Dr. Yoav Handel of the Revion HaRevie (Fourth Quarter) political action group, told a Channel 12TV panel that according to a survey his group ran most Israelis were not interested in the trial.
Still, the news channels ran non-stop panel discussions of the trial, that was closed to cameras. Sketch artists provided some pictures of Netanyahu in the defendants position, the first day standing during his testimony, the second day sitting in the defendants chair. Chat boxes ran along a side of the screen as reporters inside the court sent messages back to the studio.
Netanyahu has denied any guilt in any of the three cases for which he was indicted. Case 1000, opened in December 2016, involves valuable gifts and presents that Netanyahu and his wife received from two wealthy businessmen over the years.
In Case 2000, recorded conversations between Netanyahu and Arnon Mozes, the chairman and editor of Yedioth Ahronoth, one of the largest newspapers in Israel, were discussed. They talked about the possibility of legislation that could harm Israel HaYom, Yedioth's major competitor.
Case 4000 relates to the relationship between telecommunications company Bezeq and its regulator, the communication ministry, which was headed by Netanyahu at the time.
On November 21, 2019, Netanyahu was officially charged with fraud and breach of trust in Cases 1000 and 2000, and with fraud, breach of trust, and receiving bribes in Case 4000.
The trial has been going on for five years and hundreds of witnesses have testified. More than a few giving damning testimony against Netanyahu.
The evening before the trial began Netanyahu appeared on TV in the first press conference he has given in seven months. The press conference was ostensibly called to deal with a number of important issues: the death of seven IDF soldiers who had been killed the previous day; the rebel invasion of Syria that resulted in President Assad fleeing Syria for political asylum in Russia; and the 100 hostages and the negotiations to free them from captivity in Gaza.
However, Netanyahu soon launched into a long speech about his trial. First how he’d waited eight years to clear his name because eight years ago the police first began to investigate him. Five years ago the courts issued their indictments.
Netanyahu claims he is the victim of a left-wing witch-hunt aimed at unseating a right-wing government. Claims, observers say, similar to those made by now US President-elect Trump.
One his first day in court, Netanyahu repeated his previous night’s speech giving his background, his army service in the elite Sayeret HaMatkal commando unit, his work schedule of seventeen to eighteen-hour days, and that he frequently took his meals at his desk.
Netanyahu claimed he was so busy he never had the chance to finish a cigar, often lighting and relighting between endless meetings. He is accused of receiving gifts of expensive Cuban cigars. And he also said he doesn’t drink champagne since he doesn’t like it. He is also accused of receiving cases of expensive champagne. And his wife receiving gifts of diamonds.
Experts say that Netanyahu’s testimony may take 60 hours. And that the trial itself, with the prosecution making their case, could last well into 2027.
Netanyahu’s claims that he has been waiting eight years to testify and clear his name was met with scorn by observers who say that he has done his very best to avoid appearing in court.
Experts say that one of the reasons for the Judicial Reforms, that weakened Israel to the extent that Hamas’ Sinwar thought Israel vulnerable enough to attack, was to get judges on the bench who would dismiss the charges against him.
Justice Minister Yariv Levine, a Netanyahu appointee, has continued pushing the Judicial Reforms.
According to the Times of Israel, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog decries the Likud led coalitions divisive judicial agenda and warns that it is harming democracy.
Judicial Overhaul Protest Leader Eyal Naveh
Meanwhile, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz, recently appointed to the post by Netanyahu, replacing Yoav Gallant, said Sunday that he was suspending the army reserve service of Eyal Naveh, a former member of the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit.
Naveh is a leader of a prominent protest group who had called for reservists not to show up for their military duty in 2023 as the government advanced its controversial judicial overhaul.
In a statement Katz said: “Anyone who calls for mass absences and refusal to serve is not suitable to train the next generation of IDF fighters.”
“The same law must be applied to all,” he added in an apparent reference to the pausing of reserve duty last month of another Brother in Arms leader, Ron Sharaf, who also served in Sayeret Matkal.
Criticism has been leveled against Katz for setting the precedent of denying soldiers the ability to fight in the war because of their political beliefs.
This, according to critics, while Israel is suffering a lack of manpower in the IDF and while political considerations are allowing the draft-age and eligible ultra-Orthodox youth exemption from army service.
According to Ynetnews, Gen (res.) Yair Golan, head of the opposition Democrats political party, slammed Katz’s move, also referring to legislation in the works to preserve the exemptions Haredi men receive from military service.
“Anyone who was appointed to be defense minister to pass the ‘evasion law’ should not preach to those who really serve, and to those who saved the country when the failed government wasn’t functioning,” he said, referring to the action taken by Brothers in Arms on October 7 to save people in the south, and the massive civil society operation it built in the following months.
MK Gilad Kariv, also of the Democrats party, accused Katz of “grossly interfering” in military matters that are not his responsibility.
“This is a dangerous campaign to cleanse and politicize the army,” Kariv said.
However, Katz’s decision was lauded by MK Almog Cohen of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party who claimed that Naveh “traded in the safety of our children.” Cohen said that Eyal Naveh and his views “seriously harmed the cohesion and security of the country, and were a catalyst for the events of October 7,” when the Palestinian terror group Hamas led a devastating cross-border attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin
Also, Israel’s High Court chief has stopped another move to advance Judicial Reforms by its champion Justice Minister Levine. The High Court has taken exception to the fact that Levin has refused to meet for six months over judicial appointments.
On Thursday, Dec 12th, according to Ynetnews, in an unprecedented move: Israel’s High Court justices abandoned the hearing of the Knesset Judicial Committee to select judges when they heard that the Justice Minister was going to bring in his own hand-picked experts as advisors on the selection of judges.
Judges Yitzhak Amit, Noam Solberg and Dafna Barak-Erez protested Minister Levin's decision to bring in the experts, including MK Simcha Rotman, one of the other champions of Judicial Reforms, to the hearing to express their opinions on the seniority principle - and also on the introduction of cameras into the meeting.
The High Court judges were also outraged by the six month delay in the hearings. The High Court judges claim that they cannot be in the discussion on seniority due to a conflict of interest, since one of them may be selected as head of the High Court.
The experts proposed by Justice Minister Levine are Prof. Talia Einhorn, Knesset Constitution Committee Chair Simcha Rothman, Dr. Shuki Segev, and Prof. Gidi Sapir - all close to right-wing circles.
It is estimated that the experts will express an opinion supporting Minister Levin's initiative to abolish the seniority system and to introduce cameras into the committee's deliberations on the Supreme Court.
According to the Supreme Court justices, this is an unacceptable step. The judges are expected to return to the discussion on the introduction of cameras into the committee.
On Thursday, the High Court gave Justice Minister Levine until Jan 16th to comply with previous rulings to convene the committee to appoint the Chief Justice of the High Court. Levine responded by calling the High Court ‘Dictators.’ Pundits say that Levine is committed to pushing forward the judicial overhaul. Some critics say he is obsessed with the idea.
Thursday evening on the Channel 12TV show Uvda (facts) a report stated that Netanyahu was informed of the possibility of an invasion from Gaza on July 23,2023 while he was recuperating from a procedure to install a pacemaker at Sheba hospital after several cardiac incidents..
The revelation that Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and military chief Herzi Halevi both relayed warnings to Netanyahu while he was hospitalized that July on the eve of the final Knesset vote,on the first piece of coalition legislation to curb the judiciary’s independence, was among several dramatic new details that Channel 12’s “Uvda” program reported.
The TV program also cited transcripts of Netanyahu’s initial conversations with his then-military secretary minutes after Hamas launched its invasion of southern Israel on the morning of October 7, 2023, as they sought to understand the scope of the attack that would result in the worst massacre of Jews in a day since the Holocaust.
According to the Times of Israel, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told fellow cabinet ministers during a meeting later that day that the public would be justified in demanding their resignations, the TV show revealed, and it further reported on the alleged doctoring of the transcripts by a top aide to Netanyahu.
The Prime Minister’s Office lashed out at “Uvda” and its anchor Ilana Dayan over the program, denouncing it as “slander and lies against Prime Minister Netanyahu aimed at harming the right-wing government.”
Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara has called for a state inquiry into the events leading up to and including the Oct 7th invasion by Hamas. This call has been met with derision by Prime Minister Netanyahu and his supporters.
The Attorney General has said that a state panel would be the most appropriate legal tool to investigate the massacre and park.”
Several Likud MKs filed a bill to enable a police probe into the Attorney General amid growing right-wing campaign to oust her.
National Police Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has called on the Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara to be fired. Others have said she’s a danger to Israel.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Wednesday that what he sees resembles the incitement against the late Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin who was assassinated by right-wing activist Yigal Amir. He thought the Attorney General’s life may be in danger.
Also, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud led coalition has submitted bills to curtail the freedom of the press. One bill calls for the dissolution of the Kan Broadcaster, a public broadcaster funded by the state, that has been critical of Netanyahu. The other calls for cancellation of any ads or other paid notices to the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper, also critical of Netanyahu. This would cause Haaretz an economic hardship. Lastly, a list of journalists suspected of being anti-Netanyahu is being circulated.
Another uproar took place in the media when Israeli media revealed the fact that one of Netanyahu’s staff, Eli Feldstein, and two others, had stolen top secret documents from the Prime Minister’s office and leaked them to the press. This in order to influence hostage negotiations at a critical moment.
Feldstein is accused of stealing secret IDF documents and leaking them to the German ‘Bild” newspaper.
The article in ‘Bild’ influenced public opinion and according to observers torpedoed progress in the hostage negotiations. Observers assume that Feldstein acted on Netanyahu’s orders. Feldstein later stated that he assumed Netanyahu knew exactly what he was doing.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari made serious problems for himself when he said during one of his televised press briefings that he thought that the case of Eli Feldstein, a member of Netanyahu’s staff, should be prosecuted to the end.
In a poll aired on Channel 12TV on Thursday, should elections be held today Netanyahu’s Likud party would gain three seats from the last poll and have 25 seats out of the 120 in Israel’s Knesset. Still Netanyahu’s Likud coalition would not gain enough seats to form a government. Rather, the opposition’s coalition, led by former Prime Minister Neftali Bennett, would garner 67 seats versus the Likud coalition’s 48 seats. This result would mean Netanyahu would be out of office. However, no new elections are scheduled until 2026.
Editorial
Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed on Monday that he was responsible for the downfall of the Syrian regime because he’d defeated the Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon and destroyed Hamas’ military in Gaza, setting the stage for the rebel invasion of Syria.
One pundit quipped, “He’d take credit for the creation of the universe if he could get away with it.”
Others speculated that perhaps Netanyahu had been part of an elaborate plan that included the invasion of Gaza in order to restructure the Middle East. Although most see this conspiracy theory as a hallucination of “Bibists” created by the aura around Netanyahu
Meanwhile, talk of a new Middle East may be premature. One pundit said that Syrian rebel leader al-Golani has said he is now a moderate. The pundit brought up the example of Ayatollah Musavi Khomeini, who led the Islamic revolt in Iran.
Ayatollah Khomeini
While in exile in France, Khomeini sent out taped speeches that were smuggled into Iran by supporters. In his speeches he assured the population that he was a moderate and would respect all the various religions and political perspectives.
According to the British Guardian newspaper, after the Shah of Iran left Tehran in 1979, Khomeini had secret correspondence with then US President Jimmy Carter. “In a first-person message, Khomeini told the White House not to panic at the prospect of losing a strategic ally of 37 years and assured them that he, too, would be a friend.
"You will see we are not in any particular animosity with the Americans," said Khomeini, pledging his Islamic Republic will be "a humanitarian one, which will benefit the cause of peace and tranquillity for all mankind".
Khomeini’s statement proved to be ingenuous, masking his real intent of establishing a hard-line Islamic state with the intention of foisting radical Islam on the world wherever and whenever possible. A philosophy followed to this day in Iran.
Al-Golani may be doing the same thing. He has allowed the former government workers to stay in their jobs. Has not desecrated the presidential palace nor allowed any looting. Has not destroyed or imprisoned any of the opposition.
Khomeini preached moderation until he landed back in Iran. Then his spokesman, a moderate, and a physician, was killed. Opposition leaders rounded ups and hung. Shayara (Islamic law) instituted. His pose as a moderate was only to gain access to power.
Perhaps al-Golani is trying the same tactic. Perhaps not.
But, as long as some of the Syrian rebels still talk about taking Jerusalem and freeing the Palestinians it is unclear how new the Middle East really is.
But, if the US or Israel decide that the time is ripe for a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, that the possibility of a new Middle East increases exponentially.