Tuesday,
August 19, 2025

News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:

Trump Says Israeli Hostages Will Only Return Once Hamas Is Destroyed - Danielle Wallace
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday: "We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!...The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be....Play to win, or don't play at all!" (Fox News)

Israeli Knesset Member Barred from Entering Australia - Maani Truu
Israeli Knesset member Simcha Rothman's visa to Australia was cancelled on Monday just prior to his scheduled visit. Rothman was originally scheduled to appear at "many Australian synagogues, schools and other Jewish organizations," according to the Australian Jewish Association. The group said it would now hold "one large communal event" where he would speak via video call. "The show will go on."
    The group's chief executive, Robert Gregory, said the purpose of Rothman's visit was to "show solidarity with Australia's Jewish community," which was facing a "wave of antisemitism." He was to meet with victims of antisemitism and visit Jewish institutions that have been targeted. "The visit was not in any way connected to current events in the Middle East," he said. "This is a viciously antisemitic move from a government that is obsessed with targeting the Jewish community and Israel."
    The letter revoking Rothman's visa said he had the potential to use the events he would be participating in to "promote his controversial views and ideologies, which may lead to fostering division in the community.... His presence in Australia would or might be a risk to the good order of the Australian community or a segment of the Australian community, namely the Islamic population."
    During an interview with the ABC, Rothman said he was blocked from entering Australia only because he said: "Hamas is bad and Israel is good."  (ABC News-Australia)
    See also Israel Retaliates Against Australia for Banning Knesset Member
Australia decided on Monday to deny entry into the country to MK Simcha Rothman, chair of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee. Rothman was to go on a planned solidarity tour in support of the Australian Jewish community amid the rise in antisemitic attacks there. Australia had previously denied a visa to former Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked in November.
    In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced on Monday his decision to revoke the residence permits of Australia's representatives to the Palestinian Authority. Sa'ar also instructed Israel's embassy in Canberra to carefully review any official Australian visa requests for entry into Israel.
    "At a time when antisemitism is spreading in Australia, including acts of violence against Jews and Jewish institutions, the Australian government chooses to fuel it instead with false accusations, claiming that visits by Israeli figures would disrupt public order and harm Australia's Muslim population," Sa'ar stated.
    Former Israeli minister of defense and deputy prime minister Benny Gantz said, "Australia's decision to bar him [Rothman] from entry is not only deeply misguided, but blatantly hypocritical. If only Australia fought the ravaging antisemitism targeting its Jewish communities with the same fervor it banned representatives from the one & only democracy in the Middle East."  (Jerusalem Post)

Hizbullah May Turn Guns on the Lebanese Government - Samer Al-Atrush
Hizbullah has defied calls to disarm by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. In a televised speech, Hizbullah chief Naim Qassem said: "The government has taken a very dangerous decision...it is carrying out U.S. and Israeli orders to end the resistance, even if that leads to civil war. We will fight a battle...to confront this American-Israeli project no matter the cost."
    Hizbullah may have been defeated by Israel, but it remains powerful enough to intimidate the Lebanese government. However, with much of its leadership killed by Israel, and the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December cutting supply lines, its image as the crown jewel of Iran's "axis of resistance" has largely collapsed. (The Times-UK)
    See also Iran Backs Hizbullah's Refusal to Disarm - Col. (ret.) Dr. Jacques Neriah
On Aug. 10, Ali Akbar Velayati, senior adviser to Ayatollah Khamenei, declared that Iran was "definitely opposed" to Hizbullah's disarmament, describing the Lebanese government's decision as a "dream that will not come true." Lebanon is now caught in an arm-wrestling match between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. is conditioning the provision of economic aid to Lebanon on Hizbullah's disarmament. (Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)

BBC Admits Gazan Woman Who "Starved to Death" Had Cancer - Amy Gibbons
The BBC has admitted that a Gazan woman it claimed had died of malnutrition was being treated for cancer. Following criticism, the BBC issued a statement saying: "We were not initially aware that Marah Abu Zuhri was being treated for leukemia."
    Sir Michael Ellis, a former attorney general, said the BBC's "persistent bias against Israel is dangerous, both to the cause of peace in the Middle East and more immediately to the Jewish community in the UK, which has seen unprecedented spikes in antisemitism thanks in part to shocking misinformation like this."
    Lord Austin, the Government's trade envoy to Israel, said: "Time and again the BBC is being caught out peddling misinformation and unfounded anti-Israel rhetoric." (Telegraph-UK)

News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:

IDF Offensive in Gaza City Expected in Coming Days - Amir Bohbot
The IDF will not wait weeks to begin a new operation to conquer Gaza City to destroy Hamas's core terror infrastructure. In the coming days, ground forces, accompanied by the air force, will begin moving toward new areas where the IDF has not yet operated to increase pressure on Hamas. (Jerusalem Post)
    See also Israeli Tanks Enter Gaza City Outskirts - Yoav Zitun
Israeli tanks advanced on Monday into the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, the city's largest neighborhood, amid heavy airstrikes, following similar operations in the Zeitoun district last week. (Ynet News)

Mass Exodus from Gaza City as Fears of Israeli Ground Offensive Mount - Einav Halabi
Thousands of residents have begun leaving Gaza City in recent days, fearing an Israeli ground offensive after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to seize the city with full support from U.S. President Trump. A senior Israeli security official said preparations are underway for a humanitarian plan including food, water, medical care, and essential services for potential evacuees.
    "People have learned from past experience," Palestinian economist Mohammed Abu Jayab told Reuters. "They'd rather move early than wait to be surprised."  (Ynet News)

New Hamas Conditions Effectively Derail Ceasefire Negotiations - Danny Zaken
Despite reports suggesting a shift in Hamas's stance during Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Cairo, Hamas has set numerous preconditions. "Hamas took one step forward and three steps back," an American diplomatic source stated.
    According to American and Arab sources, while expressing a long-term willingness to discuss surrendering its "heavy" weapons, Hamas conditioned this on the establishment of a Palestinian state that would receive the arms and the integration of Hamas into its security forces.
    Further Hamas demands included international guarantees that Israel would not resume fighting and a complete Israeli withdrawal as a prerequisite for releasing all hostages. (Israel Hayom)

Percentage of Women Serving in IDF Combat Roles on the Rise - Amir Buhbot
Over 5,000 female IDF soldiers were sent into combat in the past year in the Artillery Corps, mixed battalions, and air defense. (Jerusalem Post)

Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:

All or Nothing: Why Israel Should Avoid Phased Hostage Deals - Editorial
Israel's stance in negotiations with Hamas that any deal must include the release of all the hostages at once is right strategically, politically, and morally. Up until now, the formula has been phased deals. A few hostages here, a few there, in exchange for temporary truces, prisoner releases, or humanitarian concessions. Each deal left dozens still trapped in Gaza. Each deal left Hamas with more bargaining chips to play and kept Israeli society hostage to Hamas's cynical manipulations.
    That model must end and shift to an "all or none" approach. Partial deals have only prolonged the nightmare. Every time Israel agreed to a phased release, Hamas pocketed the gains and came back for more. This piecemeal process served Hamas's interests perfectly: keep the world watching, keep the terrorist organization calling the shots. Demanding all the hostages at once denies Hamas that advantage. (Jerusalem Post)

Gaza "Starvation" Claims Serve Hamas, Not Civilians - Maj. Avi Tal
A coordinated effort has emerged across Palestinian, Arab and international media seeking to pressure Israel diplomatically by distorting the genuine hardship faced by the Palestinian population of Gaza. Yet the difficulties in Gaza stem largely from failures on the part of Hamas and international aid organizations in the distribution of food and aid supplies.
    The primary goal of this campaign is to establish the narrative that Israel is deliberately starving civilians. It absolves Hamas of responsibility for civilian suffering while shifting blame entirely to Israel. It diverts attention from Hamas's role in blocking hostage negotiations and maintaining the conflict. It also creates cover for Hamas to rebuild its capabilities under the cover of humanitarian aid and lulls in the fighting.
    At the same time, Hamas is genuinely starving the Israeli hostages as it broadcast to the world in its video of a skeletal Evyatar David being forced to dig his own grave.
    The narrative of civilian suffering has taken hold regardless of reality on the ground, demonstrating how effective messaging can override factual reporting. Western governments' immediate acceptance of the starvation allegations, without apparent verification, suggests a concerning susceptibility to information warfare.
    The starvation narrative may resonate powerfully in Western capitals, but its primary beneficiary is Hamas, which must bear the blame for the suffering of Gaza's civilian population.
    The writer, a researcher at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, served with the IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories as an adviser on Arab affairs.  (Washington Times)

Aid Influx Transforms Gaza Markets - Amichai Stein
Israeli security officials say a massive influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza in recent weeks has flooded the Strip with flour, rice, sugar, and other staples. A kilogram of flour, which cost NIS 80-100 three weeks ago, now costs NIS 18. A kilogram of sugar, which cost NIS 300, now costs NIS 50. A kilogram of pasta dropped from NIS 100 to NIS 10. A kilogram of rice, which was NIS 120, now sells for NIS 30. (Jerusalem Post)

Strategies Iranians Use to Trick Westerners into Accepting What They Want - Dr. Harold Rhode
The threat posed by the Iranian regime is far from over. Iranian leaders have mastered the art of patience, procrastination, and opportunism - waiting for the right moment to strike. Although weakened, the regime is not mortally wounded. As long as it remains in power, the West, Israel, and moderate Arab allies remain in danger.
    For Westerners, negotiations are about compromise and achieving win-win outcomes. For Iranians, negotiations occur only after one side has already won. The winner dictates the terms; the loser must submit. In Iranian political culture, compromise is humiliation - a fate worse than death.
    Iranians interpret the 12-day war with Israel and the U.S. as a victory, since their opponents lacked the resolve or ability to destroy the regime. Iranians treat signed agreements as temporary tools, not binding commitments. They may sign documents "to accommodate" others but rarely intend to honor them. Agreements are stepping-stones toward ultimate victory. Iranian leaders fear only strength and the credible willingness to use it.
    While Israel and the U.S. performed impressively during the 12-day war, Iran bides its time, expecting the West to lose interest and retreat. What sounds unimaginable to us is entirely plausible to them.
    The writer, a fellow of the Jerusalem Center, served as an adviser on the Islamic world for the U.S. Department of Defense for 28 years. (Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)

Iran Arrests Tens of Thousands in Brutal Crackdown - Samer Al-Atrush
Iran has arrested tens of thousands of people after the regime ordered security forces to hunt down spies who helped Israel kill the country's top military leaders. An appeal to Iranians to turn over "suspicious" people to the police led to thousands of arrests, state media reported.
    The crackdown has particularly targeted ethnic and religious minorities. Iran has expelled thousands of Afghans, and those arrested have included journalists and human rights advocates. (The Times-UK)

Time to Shut Down the Failed UN Lebanon Mission - Eugene Kontorovich
On Aug. 31, the UN Security Council is scheduled to vote on whether to renew the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). UNIFIL was given the task of disarming Hizbullah and instead enabled the Shiite militia. It didn't keep the peace in 2006, when Hizbullah started a war, or in October 2023 when Hizbullah joined in Hamas's attack on Israel.
    Hizbullah operatives captured by Israel testified that the group paid UNIFIL personnel to exploit their outposts and security cameras near the border. Hizbullah tunnel shafts were built within 100 yards of UNIFIL watchtowers, and rocket firing positions put next to UNIFIL bases. The U.S. pays 27% of UNIFIL's budget, around $150 million a year.
    Some argue that the Lebanese army isn't ready to take over for UNIFIL. But UNIFIL doesn't keep the peace, so there's nothing to get ready for. The UN peacekeeping mission in the Golan Heights likewise makes no sense, given the changing geopolitics in the area.
    The writer, a professor at George Mason University School of Law, is a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation. (Wall Street Journal)

Open Letter to French Ambassador to Israel - Amb. Freddy Eytan
I am still surprised why the AFP and the French-language media present you as the French ambassador to Tel Aviv, even though every Israeli child knows perfectly well that this city is not the capital of the Jewish state. As a Francophile Israeli, I admit that I do not understand France's double-dealing policy toward the State of Israel.
    I often wonder with sadness why this capital of the Enlightenment does not realize that Israel's fight against barbarism and Islamist terrorism is identical to the universal values of the secular French Republic and the Free World.
    For the past two decades, France has turned a deaf ear to all Israeli claims about the real intentions of Hamas, whose goal remains the destruction of the only Jewish state on the planet. It's revolting that we had to wait until the massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, for President Macron to finally understand Hamas's real intentions.
    Regarding the Palestinian Authority, we suggest reading Mahmoud Abbas's belligerent speeches in Arabic. One might wonder what Abbas has done with all the billions of euros he has received from the international community, including those received from France. We also recommend listening to the speeches of Hamas leaders, who do not recognize the very existence of the State of Israel.
    At the same time, we must continue the dialogue with the Muslim world and bring together moderates and all people of goodwill within the framework of the Abraham Accords, to fight extremists and fanatics together, and to remove all those who sow hatred and terror.
    The writer, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, is a former Foreign Ministry senior adviser who was Israel's first ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.  (Israel Hayom)

The Palestinian Authority's Human "Slaughterhouse" - Khaled Abu Toameh
The Western countries that recently pledged to recognize a Palestinian state have said their decision is "predicated" on commitments from the Palestinian Authority (PA) to undergo critical governance reforms. However, none of these countries has demanded that the PA halt its human rights violations against its own people.
    Ending financial and administrative corruption is pointless as long as the PA continues to crack down on its political rivals and impose severe restrictions on freedom of speech. These countries, obsessed with Israel, turn a blind eye to Palestinians' complaints against the PA.
    According to the Arab Organization for Human Rights in Britain, the PA's torture of its own people includes beatings with cables, pulling out nails, suspension from the ceiling, flogging, kicking, electric shocks, sexual harassment and the threat of rape.
    Yet it is hard to remember the last time a respected newspaper or media outlet in the West reported about human rights violations committed by the PA against its citizens. The failure of the international community even to notice such violations allows the PA to continue its crackdown on public freedoms and political activists.
    The PA's notorious Jericho Prison, dubbed "The Slaughterhouse," is known as a center for extreme abuse. Last week, the Palestinian Committee of Detainees' Families said that "the continued policy of political detention and torture constitutes a crime and a flagrant violation of Palestinian law and international human rights conventions."
    In June, Palestinian human rights groups reported that Ahmed al-Safouri, a Palestinian from the West Bank's Jenin refugee camp, died as a result of "horrific torture" in a PA detention center. According to the groups, the death of al-Safouri "was not an isolated incident, but rather represents a stark illustration of the suffering of hundreds of political detainees [in PA prisons] who are subjected to grave violations during their arrest and interrogation."
    The writer, a veteran Israeli journalist, is a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.  (Gatestone Institute)

Observations:

Dear Madam Prime Minister, you have declared recently that your Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, is "a problem"; that the current Israeli government is acting against the interests of Israel; and that you intend to push for sanctions against Israel.

Imagine the reverse situation. Imagine if Netanyahu had declared that Denmark would be better off without you; that your government is acting against the interests of Denmark; and that it was time, let's say, for Denmark to grant full independence to Greenland. The Danes would rightly be offended by such chutzpah.

It is for Israeli citizens and not for you to decide what are the interests of Israel. This is what elections are for. And in the previous elections, Israeli voters gave a majority to the ruling coalition. I personally did not vote for that coalition. But today, I fully support Netanyahu's commitment to victory. If he had given in to pressures, Iran's nuclear program would be intact, Sinwar and Nasrallah would still be alive, and Assad would still be president of Syria.

The problem is not Netanyahu. The problem is the jihadist coalition led by Iran that for years had planned a coordinated attack against Israel with the declared purpose of destroying it. And, thankfully, Israel has mostly dismantled that coalition.

Israel is half the size of Denmark. It was the one attacked on Oct. 7, 2023, and it is defending itself in accordance with international humanitarian law by allowing civilians to evacuate combat zones and by providing them with humanitarian aid. And Israel is fighting an enemy that is also your enemy: the same jihadists that have made hundreds of victims in Europe in the past two decades. Israel is not only fighting for itself but also for the Free World.

Why do you think we are still fighting? Because we enjoy it? No. Trust me, our reserve soldiers, our sons, would rather be pursuing their studies, running their businesses, and taking care of their families than blowing up tunnels in Gaza. But we still have 50 hostages there and Hamas has not been defeated yet.

Hamas would more likely capitulate if it were pressured by foreign powers. But why should Hamas release our hostages and lay down its arms when it sees that governments like yours only put pressure on Israel?

The writer, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, lectures in international relations at Tel Aviv University.

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