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Erdogan Threatens Israel: ‘Like We Entered Karabakh and Libya – We Will Do the Same to Israel’

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Jerusalem and Ankara traded sharp barbs on Sunday, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeming to threaten military action against Israel on Sundays as tensions heated up between the Jewish state and the Iranian proxy group Hezbollah.

Israel in turn warned that his fate could become akin to that of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, who was executed by hanging.

“Erdogan is following in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein by threatening to attack Israel. He should remember what happened there and how it ended,’ Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, in which he linked a photograph of the two men.

He spoke up after Erdogan suggested that Turkey might enter Israel as it had done in the past in Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh, though he did not spell out what sort of intervention he was suggesting.

Erdogan, who has been a fierce critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas, started discussing that war during a speech praising his country’s defense industry. (Read more from “Erdogan Threatens Israel: ‘Like We Entered Karabakh and Libya – We Will Do the Same to Israel'” HERE)

IDF Releases Findings on Why Oct. 7 Mass Slaughter Wasn’t Stopped

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The Israel Defense Forces’ new report includes its findings from a military probe into some of the failings on Oct. 7, presenting them initially to residents of Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the worst-hit communities on that “Black Sabbath.”

The specially convened presentation took place at a Dead Sea hotel, where internally displaced refugees have been staying since their homes were largely destroyed by Hamas terrorists. While providing some answers, the probe left significant questions hanging, and the report neither assuaged some of the community’s pent-up fury amid its ongoing trauma, nor did it restore trust in the army. There are those who wonder aloud whether that sacred bond between the IDF – a largely conscript army – and the people, particularly those who felt bereft and abandoned on Oct. 7, will ever be fully repaired. It was more than just 1,200 people Hamas terrorists annihilated that day; they also damaged – perhaps irreparably – the “stickiness” that helps hold Israeli society together. . .

The investigators spent hundreds of hours sifting through residents’ WhatsApp messages, reviewing both Israeli and Hamas radio communications, checking surveillance footage and aerial reconnaissance, as well as interviewing survivors and those who fought in the battle to save the kibbutz and its residents. Supplemental intelligence was also gathered from interrogating captured Hamas terrorists.

However, several critical questions – and ones that may not get resolved without a full commission of inquiry – were left unanswered.

These include why military forces did not enter the kibbutz for several hours – despite the desperate pleas of those trapped behind its yellow sliding electric gate. This issue seemed to be partly explained by the fact that although defenders did arrive in numbers, nobody took overall command of the kibbutz’s defense. And certainly nobody decided to go in at once and attempt to take out the Hamas fighters. This was not expressly said, but the general chaos of hundreds of terrorists swarming around – with dead bodies liberally scattered across roads and fields – added to the confusion. More than 100 civilians and 31 security personnel were slain at the kibbutz, which had a pre-invasion population of about 1,000, while 30 other residents and two additional civilians were kidnapped to Gaza. Eleven of them remain in captivity. At one point, the attackers outnumbered the defenders by 340 to 26.

(Read more from “IDF Releases Findings on Why Oct. 7 Mass Slaughter Wasn’t Stopped” HERE)

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Israel’s Top Court Rules Ultra-Orthodox Jews Must Be Drafted Into Military, in Blow to Netanyahu

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Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the government to draft ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military, delivering a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that has the potential to unravel his ruling coalition.

The court also ordered the government to withdraw funding from any religious schools, or yeshivas, whose students do not comply with draft notices.

“The government wanted to distinguish at the level of law enforcement between individuals based on their group affiliation,” the court said in its ruling. “It was determined that by doing so, the government seriously harmed the rule of law and the principle according to which all individuals are equal before the law.”

Ultra-Orthodox (or Haredi) Jews have, for all intents and purposes, been exempt from national mandatory military service since Israel’s founding (Palestinian citizens of Israel are also exempt.) Ultra-Orthodox men spend much of their early lives out of the workforce, entirely devoted to religious study. They view yeshivas as fundamental to the preservation of Judaism, as important to Israel’s defense as the military.

Most Israelis believe ultra-Orthodox men should serve in the military, according to recent polls, but Haredi parties have been staunchly opposed to efforts to rescind the draft exemption. Netanyahu’s fragile government coalition relies on two Haredi parties – United Torah Judaism and Shas – to govern. He has for weeks been trying to advance legislation through Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, that would enshrine in law a draft exemption for Haredi men. (Read more from “Israel’s Top Court Rules Ultra-Orthodox Jews Must Be Drafted Into Military, in Blow to Netanyahu” HERE)

Gaza War Ignites a Civil War Within the LGBT Community

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Pride month is almost over, but it seemed like barely anything happened. There were parades, but it wasn’t as ‘in your face’ as in other years. Maybe it’s because different things are going on, maybe it’s because it’s an election year, or perhaps it’s because the war in Gaza has fractured the LGBT community in ways that are baffling.

I will never step in to stop liberals from cannibalizing each other, and this is no exception. It’s a bit entertaining: some are openly pro-Hamas, while others rightfully point out how nonsensical that position is in this situation. The New York Times wrote about this civil war within the gay community and how it’s set Fire Island ablaze (via NYT):

The dispute on Fire Island, just off Long Island, was just one expression of the tensions over the Gaza war that have wracked American public life. But within New York’s L.G.B.T.Q. community, whose members hail from every ethnic and social background and tend to be highly attuned to issues of social justice, the war has touched off some especially raw conflicts.

[…]

The fight over how the community should respond to the war in Gaza has played out in fiery online comments and false accusations of pro-Hamas activity. On Fire Island, the flag conflict has pitted Mr. Torres and local homeowners, including Mr. Lucas, against the very activists honored at the park. Elsewhere in New York, similar, if lower profile, disputes have shaken gay bars, L.G.B.T.Q. fund-raising dinners and Pride festivities.

“I think queer people are mostly on one side of the debate,” said Afeef Nessouli, a journalist and activist who has been highlighting the stories of L.G.B.T.Q. people in Gaza on his popular social media channels since the war began. “It feels like queer people are coming out for Palestine in a really large way.”

Indeed, members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community overwhelmingly self-identify as politically liberal or moderate, according to polls. A majority of Democrats have disapproved of Israel’s actions since at least last November, one month after the war began, according to Gallup surveys.

[…]

…supporters of Israel, including some vocal L.G.B.T.Q. people, often argue that the community should support the country because, while it lags behind Western countries on some gay rights issues, it is more tolerant than other places in the Middle East.

In Gaza, like in many places in the Arab world, homosexuality remains taboo and gay life happens largely behind closed doors. Government persecution is not uncommon, and in one high-profile case Hamas killed a prominent commander after accusing him of embezzlement and homosexuality.

(Read more from “Gaza War Ignites a Civil War Within the LGBT Community” HERE)

Jerry Seinfeld’s Brutal Comeback as Anti-Israel Hecklers Crash Another Show on Tour From Hell (VIDEO)

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Jerry Seinfeld has brutally shut down yet another group of anti-Israel hecklers at his Melbourne show, the latest in a series of disruptions during the legendary American comedian’s Australian tour.

Seinfeld was performing in front of thousands of fans at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night when, towards the end of his set, a group of anti-Israel protesters began chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

The 70-year-old — who is widely considered one of the best stand-up comedians of all time — immediately mocked the group for having paid to attend his show.

“I think you need to go back and tell whoever is running your organization, ‘We just gave more money to a Jew,’” he said as the crowd erupted with laughter.

“That cannot be a good plan for you. You gotta come up with a better plan.” (Read more from “Jerry Seinfeld’s Brutal Comeback as Anti-Israel Hecklers Crash Another Show on Tour From Hell” HERE)

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‘Changes Our Entire Understanding’: Researchers Discover Oldest Known Deep-Sea Cargo Ship

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The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) tweeted Thursday that a company found a cargo ship dating back 3,300 years deep at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.

The ship still contained “hundreds of intact jars,” the IAA said in Hebrew, while sharing a photo of two of the preserved jars.

The IAA said that the discovery overturned the belief that Late Bronze Age seafarers could not navigate their ship without sight of the shore, The Times of Israel reported.

“Only two other shipwrecks with cargo are known from the Late Bronze Age in the Mediterranean Sea … both found off the Turkish coast. Yet both of those shipwrecks were found relatively close to shore,” Jacob Sharvit, head of IAA, said, the outlet reported. . .

The ship was discovered as a result of natural gas company Energean’s standard survey of the Eastern Mediterranean floor in Israeli waters, the outlet reported. The survey discovered what appeared to be large piles of jars littering the seabed and led to the company alerting IAA about their finds, The Times of Israel reported. (Read more from “‘Changes Our Entire Understanding’: Researchers Discover Oldest Known Deep-Sea Cargo Ship” HERE)

Pro-Hamas Supporters Seize Building With Cal State University President Inside

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Pro-Hamas supporters still aren’t quitting their advocacy for terrorists, nor are they ceasing their tactic of staging January 6-like events and seizing buildings on college campuses. The ‘Storm the Bastille’ protocol was adopted after activists saw that nothing serious happened to the hooligans who stormed and seized a building at Columbia University. These students held the custodial staff hostage. At California State University’s Los Angeles campus, these terrorist supporters stormed a building with the university president inside. Signs of vandalism and destruction are apparent (via LA Times):

Scores of protesters occupied and vandalized a Cal State Los Angeles student services building while administrators were inside for hours before leaving Thursday morning, officials said.

The student services building was deemed a crime scene by authorities and multiple windows were defaced with messages in red paint.

Tables, hard-shelled umbrellas and rope still blocked the entrances and exits — though university officials said the building was now vacant.

(Read more from “Pro-Hamas Supporters Seize Building With Cal State University President Inside” HERE)

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This Reporter Had the Perfect Response to the Leftist Lunacy Over Israel’s Hostage Raid

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All that can be said about his clip is well done. Sky News Australia’s James Macpherson is a gem for standing up to the lunacy that’s pervaded his industry and academia when it comes to Israel. In eight minutes, his commentary shreds the leftist lunacy over Israel’s justified war in Gaza against Hamas. Last weekend, four Israeli hostages were rescued. Some 100-200 Palestinians were reportedly killed in the raid, which sparked outrage from the antisemitic and anti-Israel clowns who think genocide is being committed in the region.

Civilians were detaining these hostages in apartments in densely populated areas. Hamas terrorists fired rocket-propelled grenades and other ordinances to fend off IDF forces. What’s puzzling Macpherson is why are so many people angrier at Israel for rescuing its hostages than the Hamas thugs who took them over 246 days ago. He also gave some helpful tips, albeit tongue-in-cheek, like if you don’t want to die or have your apartment blown up, maybe don’t keep hostages there.

Second, is anyone curious as to why Hamas was firing grenade launchers into densely packed areas where people would get killed? Is it because they never cared about the civilian population, which explains why bomb shelters for civilians were never built in case the IDF launched an offensive operation in the region, operations that IDF forces provide forewarning? With these operations, no warnings were given for one simple reason: it would have led to the deaths of the hostages.

The Left is mourning the deaths of terrorists, and, as Macpherson noted, it’s ridiculous. He spoke at length about the tweet posted by Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, which is so dense, so detached from reality, and offensively anti-Israel that it only warrants how Macpherson responded to it: “Honestly, some things are so stupid, you’d have to be a UN official to say them.” (Read more from “This Reporter Had the Perfect Response to the Leftist Lunacy Over Israel’s Hostage Raid” HERE)

Netanyahu: U.S. Portrayal of Israeli Proposal to Hamas ‘Not Accurate’

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U.S. President Joe Biden’s portrayal of Israel’s proposal to Hamas was inaccurate, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday.

“I am not willing to stop the war. I will not describe the details of the deal, but what the president of the United States described is not accurate,” Netanyahu said during a closed-door session, the Kan News public broadcaster reported.

“We can stop the fighting for 42 days in order to return hostages, but we will not give up on total victory,” he was said to have told lawmakers.

The premier also said that Biden omitted “other details” during his Friday address on the ongoing talks with the Hamas terrorist group.

“The Iranians and all of our enemies are looking at us and want to see us surrender. Don’t pay attention to the publications—there is a lot of fake news doing the rounds,” Netanyahu added. (Read more from “Netanyahu: U.S. Portrayal of Israeli Proposal to Hamas ‘Not Accurate'” HERE)

Anti-Israel Protesters Block LGBTQ Pride Parade

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A cadre of anti-Israel protesters blocked an LGBTQ pride parade on the streets of Philadelphia on Sunday, halting the procession.

The protesters were heard chanting a variety of anti-Israel slogans that have been said at protests around the country. They could be heard shouting, “Palestine will live forever! From the sea to the river!” and “No pride in genocide.” Video captured the moment:

According to the New York Post, the blockade happened “at the intersection of 11th Street and Locust Street after the Philly Pride March and Festival kicked off around 10:30 a.m. at Washington Square and headed to the city’s Gayborhood section.” (Read more from “Anti-Israel Protesters Block LGBTQ Pride Parade” HERE)

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