Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

06/09 Links Pt2: Graham Platner Makes History As First Vanity Oysterman With Nazi Tattoo To Win US Senate Nomination; Rep. Ritchie Torres’ opponent duped by ‘Rabbi Linda of Gaza’

2026-06-10T01:33:15.233-04:00

From Ian:

UN Watch: Legal Analysis of the Pillay Commission’s June 2026 Report to the Human Rights Council

The Human Rights Council’s Pillay Commission on Israel, now headed by Srinivasan Muralidhar of India, just released a new report focusing on violations by “non-State actors,” specifically “settlers” and “Palestinian armed groups” in the West Bank and Gaza. Despite the Commission’s formal reconstitution following the resignation of Navi Pillay, Miloon Kothari, and Chris Sidoti—with Sidoti subsequently re-appointed and Florence Mumba joining the panel—its reporting continues to reflect a persistent bias against Israel.

In an apparent effort to project even-handedness, the report addresses violations by both Israeli and Palestinian non-State actors. Yet the distribution of attention tells a different story. More than half of the report focuses on Israeli violations against Palestinians, while only approximately 9% addresses Palestinian attacks against Israelis. Another 34% examines Hamas abuses against Palestinians in Gaza. Even in those latter sections, however, the Commission repeatedly contextualizes or shifts blame to Israel, attributing lawlessness, repression, and social collapse primarily to Israeli actions rather than Hamas governance, effectively minimizing Hamas’s responsibility for its own crimes. The report also applies markedly different accountability standards to Israel and Palestinian actors.

At the heart of the report is a false moral equivalence between Israeli civilians residing in the West Bank and jihadi terrorist organizations. According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, approximately 482,000 Israelis currently live in communities in Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank), home to areas of profound Jewish historical and religious significance, including the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem, and Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus. While the overwhelming majority are peaceful civilians, a small minority of Jewish extremists—estimated by Israeli defense officials at roughly 300 individuals, many of whom are not residents of the area—have repeatedly engaged in violence against Palestinians, including property damage, assaults, and, in some cases, killings.

The issue of extremist Israeli violence is real and should be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Israeli authorities themselves have acknowledged this as a serious problem and have taken actions to curb the phenomenon, ranging from issuing restraining orders to arrest and prosecution, as detailed in Section 3 below. Condemnation of such violence has come from the highest levels of government. As recently as May 21, 2024, Israeli President Isaac Herzog lambasted acts of violence by Jewish extremists, saying that they “defile and violate every basic moral, legal, and Jewish norm.” He noted that “There are elements on the fringes of our society that have normalized violence, and, sadly, some go even further — celebrating it and taking pride in it.”

However, the existence of a small number of violent Jewish extremists does not warrant the collective stigmatization of hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians. Using the term “settler violence” to characterize all Israeli residents of the West Bank through the actions of a small extremist minority is misleading and irresponsible and risks stigmatizing innocent civilians due to their status as “settlers.” The report then draws a false moral equivalence by placing them in the same analytical category as designated terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad—groups openly committed to Israel’s destruction and the murder of Jews. By the same logic, one could describe Hamas terrorism as “Gazan violence.” Such terminology would be widely rejected because it conflates the actions of violent actors with those of the broader population.

The report’s treatment of Israeli victims illustrates the consequences of this framing. In paragraph 68, the Commission notes that of 42 Israelis killed in terrorist attacks in the West Bank between 2023 and 2025, 36 were “settlers.” By contrast, when discussing Palestinian fatalities, the report does not distinguish between uninvolved civilians, members of armed groups, or Palestinians killed while carrying out terrorist attacks. Instead, it categorizes Palestinian victims only by sex and age. The Commission’s deliberate emphasis on the “settler” status of Israeli victims—while withholding comparable contextual information regarding Palestinian fatalities—creates the unmistakable impression that attacks against these Israelis are somehow more understandable or less morally troubling.

Seth Mandel: What the ‘Israel Day’ Parades Are Ultimately About

The anti-Semitic protesters at Toronto’s Walk with Israel, on the heels of the controversy around who did and didn’t attend the Israel Day parade in New York (Mayor Mamdani boycotted it, some hardline Israeli rightists joined), has reignited the debate over the existence of such events as the primary “Jewish” parade in the West.

Why, some wonder, does the big show of pride in Jewish life and culture have to be a specifically “Israel” event? Why don’t we instead have a Jewish parade?

The always-thoughtful Phoebe Maltz Bovy, the author and opinion editor at the Canadian Jewish News, gives a few of the answers. She points out, correctly, that those seeking the change aren’t interested in inclusivity but exclusivity. That is, they want to exclude all traces of Israel or they will not participate (and might protest the event itself). Bovy: “Anyone who was going to be mad at a gathering of Jews whose purpose was anything other than renouncing Israel is going to have that same sentiment.”

Bovy is entirely correct. And there are other reasons. For example, it is entirely rational for Jews to more readily celebrate the place they built than the places from which they were un-personed and expelled with the shirts on their backs.

But I want to mention one reason that usually goes unspoken and happens to be hugely important: A celebration of the Jewish state is a celebration of Jewish peoplehood.

There’s a reason “Am Yisrael chai” was a rallying cry for Jewish communities in peril well before 1948. The Jews are a people. As scholars like to point out, the Jews have survived for so long that their model of nationhood and religion feels like an anachronism to the modern world.

If you are Jewish, you are part of the Jewish nation. That can get confusing for people in the post-1948 world in which there is a Jewish nation-state. But in the century before that year, debates among major Zionist and non-Zionist thinkers took for granted that the Jews were a nation deserving of some measure of autonomy no matter where they were in the world. Jews were a “national minority” in the Russian Empire much as Ukrainians were, for example. Such particularism was not Moscow’s idea, it was a rebellion against the imperial regime.

No Place but Everywhere By Abe Greenwald

Via Commentary Newsletter, sign up here. I hate the “has no place” nonsense because it’s at once a lie, an irrelevancy, and a dodge. The lie is self-evident. While the speech police were busy monitoring the micro-aggressions of pronoun use, Jew-hatred established a very comfortable home here. It blares from megaphones, it’s advertised on banners and t-shirts, and it manifests in more and more violent attacks.

The line is irrelevant because hatred, or any emotion, isn’t the problem. Hatred is endemic to the species. As Solzhenitsyn said, “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.” I don’t care if people hate me. I’m not even sure I care that much if they hate me for being a Jew. In any event, they’re certainly allowed to. But I do care what they do about it. Which means the problem right now is the political organization of anti-Semitism and the actions of anti-Semites that infringe on the rights of Jews. These include the right to not be assaulted.

And the line is a dodge because even someone like Zohran Mamdani, who’s working to give anti-Semitism permanent New York City residency, can be congratulated for declaring that anti-Semitism has no home here and then go back to the business of Jew-baiting. With very few exceptions, America’s most prominent anti-Semites, on the left and right, are always at the ready to publicly denounce hatred in general and even anti-Semitism.

When I see or hear “Hatred has no place in ___,” I take it as a slap in the face, a blatant dismissal of Jewish experience. It is itself a kind of assault—on truth and accountability. Here’s what I’d like to hear an elected official say instead: Since October 7, Jew-hatred has been provided unprecedented political and academic camouflage in this country. It’s been downplayed and excused and allowed to occupy a place of dangerous prominence in the public square. Yes, sadly, hatred has been given a place here. This has inevitably led to unprecedented levels of violence against Jewish Americans. We must not ignore it or deny it. We must, instead, deprive anti-Semites of their recently furnished safe havens and push them back to the outermost edges of civic life.

The anti-Semites would just hate it.

The Scum Also Rises: Graham Platner Makes History As First Vanity Oysterman With Nazi Tattoo To Win US Senate Nomination

Graham Platner made history on Tuesday, becoming the first vanity oysterman and Nazi-tattooed Hotchkiss attendee to win a major party's nomination for U.S. Senate while facing credible allegations of domestic abuse. Barring another unforeseen setback or two, Platner will square off against longtime Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) in the general election.

Viewed as the prohibitive favorite since his chief rival, Gov. Janet Mills (D., Maine), suspended her campaign in April, Platner was on track to receive a majority of the Democratic primary vote. The Associated Press called the race for Platner with 8 percent of the vote reported.

Platner's victory is sure to embolden his supporters, who have come to revere him as the embodiment of working-class authenticity. The grandson of a world-renowned architect, Platner derives most of his income from a military disability pension, lives in a house his dad paid for, and runs an oyster farm—on an island owned by his rich friend—whose principle client is his mom's restaurant at an "old world luxury" hotel. He attended and was ultimately expelled from the Hotchkiss School, an elite preparatory academy whose distinguished alumni include Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart and Morgan Stanley cofounder Harold Stanley.

At the same time, Platner's recent underwhelming polling numbers will do little to assuage concerns about his viability in a matchup with Collins, a wily moderate Democrats have spent the last three decades trying to defeat.

"That is the part that people do not understand," said Genevieve McDonald, a former Platner aide who resigned in October amid reports on the candidate's since-deleted Reddit posts attacking rape victims. "We have a general election. That is a very different demographic."

Days before the primary election, McDonald wrote a Washington Post op-ed arguing that Platner "shouldn't be a U.S. senator," citing his numerous scandals and the likelihood that damaging revelations would continue to plague his candidacy. "I want better for my daughters, and for the people of Maine," she wrote. "The answer to a broken political culture is not to accept it."

'Bullshit Glory Story': Graham Platner Accused ‘Lone Survivor’ Author of ‘Lying’ and Promoting ‘War Porn’: Democrat Says Navy SEAL Used a Ghostwriter Who Made Things Up

Maine Democrat Graham Platner accused former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell of "lying" in his popular war memoir Lone Survivor about his combat experience in Afghanistan, in part by using a British ghostwriter who, Platner says, ripped off another SEAL's book to create a work of fiction. It's the latest example of the far-left Senate hopeful smearing his fellow combat veterans, and of his particular antipathy to Special Forces.

In a series of deleted Reddit posts in 2013, Platner accused Luttrell of promoting "war porn" in his 2007 book, which was made into a 2013 film starring Mark Wahlberg. Luttrell's memoir was his account of Luttrell on a mission to take out a Taliban militia leader. Luttrell's three SEAL comrades were killed during the mission, known as Operation Red Wings. Luttrell alone survived after being rescued by Pashtun villagers in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.

Platner, now running to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R.), asserted in his posts that Luttrell and his British coauthor, Patrick Robinson, stole material for the book from another Navy SEAL author.

"Luttrell didn't write the damn book, it was ghost written by a limey, and is war porn at its worst," wrote Platner. He asserted that most of the scenes about Navy SEAL training "are taken almost verbatim" from another book by Dick Couch about the SEALs, and were therefore fictitious. In another thread, Platner agreed with a Reddit user who said the book and movie were "bastardized and plagiarized."

Platner suggested Luttrell and Robinson colluded with the Navy—and lied—in order to put a positive spin on Operation Red Wings.

"Terrible planning, improperly trained and equipped unit, and then a whole bunch of lying on the part of Luttrell and the Navy to turn a total failure into some bullshit glory story," wrote Platner.

House committee presses Southern Poverty Law Center on absence of Islamist, anti-Israel groups from Hate Map

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) criticized the Southern Poverty Law Center during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington on Tuesday for not listing Islamist or leftist anti-Israel groups on its website’s “Hate Map.”

“How many leftist anti-Jewish groups do you have listed on your website?” Roy asked Bryan Fair, the SPLC’s interim president and CEO. “Name them.”

Fair instead pointed to the SPLC’s 2025 Hate and Extremism Report, released on Tuesday, which “documents the success that the hard-right movement had throughout 2025 at rapidly establishing power across influential institutions, such as the federal government and the private tech sector,” according to the organization. The report identifies 1,263 active hate and anti-government groups nationwide.

According to the SPLC’s 2025 Hate Map, the center’s interactive map that tracks hate and anti-government groups, 16 groups are classified as antisemitic, including the Nation of Islam and the Goyim Defense League. The map also lists 54 neo-Nazi groups and 14 Ku Klux Klan chapters.

Roy noted that, aside from the Nation of Islam, led by Louis Farrakhan, the map does not identify any Islamist organizations. He also argued that anti-Israel activist groups are absent from the list.

“How many extremist Islamic groups do you have of the 1,500 or so organizations you have on your hate map?” Roy asked. “My office has been looking over it and can’t really find one.”

Fair responded that the SPLC does not “target any group because of its religion.”

“We target groups because they express statements and engage in activities that demean and vilify—" Fair said before Roy interrupted him.

Roy asked, “So you think there are a bunch of Islamic groups that are pro-LGBTQ? Is that the position of the SPLC?”

The SPLC currently lists 96 organizations as anti-LGBTQ groups, many of them Christian advocacy organizations.

Brigitte Gabrielle, founder and chairman of Act for America, stated that SPLC “smears Christians daily but shields radical Islam,” calling the group a “total joke.”

🚨 NOW: Rep. Brandon Gill just got the SPLC witness to DENOUNCE Maine Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner due to his Nazi tattoo

"The SPLC has referred to this same tattoo as racist."

WITNESS: I wouldn't want him in the Senate.

Time for Graham Platner to lose in a… pic.twitter.com/ppolX4vliW
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 9, 2026

Massie Elevates a Tragedy Foreign Networks Already Weaponized

There are tragedies that stay in public memory because the facts still demand mourning. And then there are tragedies that keep returning because someone has found a new use for them. The 1967 attack on the USS Liberty should belong firmly in the first category: real, devastating, and worthy of remembrance.

But what Rep. Thomas Massie brought to the House floor this week was not simple remembrance. It was the reactivation of a political narrative that has been circulating for years through anti-Israel propaganda channels, foreign influence campaigns, and antisemitic conspiracy ecosystems.

The intervention came after Massie’s primary defeat, which was fueled in part by considerable pro-Israel spending in favor of his challenger. A Jewish Onliner review found no evidence that Massie had raised the incident through legislation, resolutions, hearings, statements, or other official congressional action during his 13 years in office.

On the anniversary of the USS Liberty attack, Massie did not merely invoke the 34 Americans killed and more than 170 wounded when Israeli forces mistakenly struck the U.S. Navy ship during the Six-Day War. He used their deaths to advance allegations that the attack was “intentional murder,” a possible “false flag operation,” or an effort to keep the United States from seeing what Israel was doing that day.

That is not the conclusion reached by the official record.

What the Official Record Actually Says
The USS Liberty incident has been examined through a commonly cited set of 13 U.S. and Israeli inquiries, reviews, and reports, 10 American and three Israeli. While several criticized Israel’s conduct as reckless or grossly negligent, they did not substantiate the claim that Israel intentionally attacked a ship it knew was American.

A CIA intelligence memorandum published in the State Department’s FRUS collection said intercepted communications left “little doubt” that Israeli units failed to identify the Liberty as a U.S. ship before or during the attack.

Likewise, the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board chairman Clark Clifford found no evidence the attack was intentional. The underlying Clifford memorandum is deeply critical of Israeli conduct, calling the episode a “flagrant act of gross negligence” and describing the failures as “gross and inexcusable.” But it still concluded that the evidence did not show a premeditated attack by Israeli high command on a ship known to be American.

Massie called the attack “intentional murder” and floated a false-flag theory. But the official U.S. record doesn’t support that: the CIA, NSA, and Clark Clifford all found no evidence Israel knowingly attacked a ship it understood to be American. pic.twitter.com/OU1YGM0nSy
— Jewish Onliner (@JewishOnliner) June 9, 2026

James Li constantly lies. It's the oxygen that fuels his demoralization op.

Here's the rest of what USS Liberty Captain William McGonagle said, which Li intentionally cut off https://t.co/pFb7nQ7yGQ pic.twitter.com/pPKCDH9c8P
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) June 9, 2026

Among those happily willing to push this anti-Israel conspiracy are @RepThomasMassie, @RealCandaceO, @mtgreenee, and @susanabulhawa.

But here's the facts they'll never mention: pic.twitter.com/KkVqaWTlhl
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 9, 2026

There is no new evidence, yet the same conspiracy resurfaces like clockwork.

Israel's enemies see it as a useful weapon to demonize Israel, distort its motives, and drive a wedge between America and one of its strongest allies. pic.twitter.com/qEs3KzgGMn
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 9, 2026

Wow Haaretz said it, so it must be true

This claim that the Israeli pilots supposedly knew the USS Liberty was American came from the US ambassador in Beirut, who claimed there was a recording from that day.
But the problem is that this embassy was closed two days before the… https://t.co/FPx17WJuU1 pic.twitter.com/SkmqIR7uWh
— Adin - عدین - עדין (@AdinHaykin1) June 9, 2026

Rep. Ritchie Torres’ primary foe duped by fake orgy-touting ‘Chief Rabbi of Gaza’

The Dem rival to Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres was duped by the fake “Chief Rabbi of Gaza” — whose loopy faux X account once touted “a no holds barred orgy’’ for rabbis and Palestinian refugees.

The phony online account of “Rabbi Linda Goldstein” is infamous for its Israel-bashing — but its intent is actually pro-Israel, seeking to ensnare and expose clueless lefty progressives.

Michael Blake — who is challenging Torres in the Democratic primary for the city’s 15th House seat and has criticized the three-term incumbent as pro-Israel — was taken in by the ruse.

Blake said he “certainly would consider” going to Gaza when asked by “Rabbi Linda Goldstein” after he requested a campaign donation from her, according to a thread of the conversation obtained by The Post.

The “rabbi” said she would “lend my voice to defeat” Torres, who is “cloaked” with Jewish allies.

“I’m about to head to Gaza for two weeks to check on my congregation but please send me an email,” the fake rabbi wrote in a Nov. 9, 2025, note to Blake, a former state assemblyman.

Blake responded, “Powerful. And when not in Gaza, where’s home base?…We need you and your community to be safe. Thank you for leading, inspiring and protecting the people.”

He then asked the rabbi to contribute to his campaign and whether she had any friends in the district.

“Asking if you will please donate so we can keep building momentum,” the unsuspecting pol wrote. “I’d be incredibly grateful. Certainly welcome help with raising funds and support. pls.”

The fake rabbi asked, “Would you consider coming to Gaza?”

Blake responded, “Certainly would consider.”

In 2024, both progressive incumbent anti-Israel Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush were also duped by the same Rabbi Linda Goldstein parody account. Both lost their Democratic primaries.

Why are they harassing Bernie Sanders if he is the best thing that ever happened to them in the Senate and American politics?

It is called gray violence.

If you watched The Godfather you know what this is about.

The free Palestine movement for gray political violence let's… pic.twitter.com/NYPPTkNsNp
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) June 9, 2026

Congratulations to the propagandists! Terrorists, Mark Carney, media & co...

When the #1 word associated with Israel is "genocide" this is the result.

Unfavourable Views of Israel (18-34):

🇦🇺 Aus 87%
🇬🇧 UK 78%
🇨🇦 Canada 76%

A masterclass in successful mass radicalization. pic.twitter.com/DwM687b05j
— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) June 9, 2026

New Jersey Friday Sermon by Jawad Ahmed: FIFA World Cup Is a Great Dawah Opportunity; Many Americans Are Coming to Islam Following Mamdani’s Election – I Hope He Becomes President; America Isn’t a Christian Country, We Are Free to Spread the Message of Islam @FIFAcom… pic.twitter.com/HY3f9mwzfW
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) June 9, 2026

Today, women in Afghanistan are being shot in the streets simply for anting an education, wanting a job. Wanting to work and wanting to walk outside without a man's permission.

Taliban security forces killed one person and several wounded. Dozens arrested including women and… https://t.co/rijPlCXjyr pic.twitter.com/oy1ae9QcYn
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) June 9, 2026

Feminists Against Antisemitism: Fighting the Hate, with Melanie Phillips

Melanie Phillips equips women with practical tools to recognise, challenge and push back against antizionism and Jew hatred.

In this episode, we share a recording of our recent live interview with Melanie Phillips, journalist and author of Fighting the Hate: A Handbook for Jews Under Siege.

Drawing on decades of experience analysing media narratives, political extremism, misinformation and moral inversion, she shares practical strategies for responding in real-world situations at work, online and in social settings.

As she explains, many people advancing these antisemitic or antizionist ideas believe they are acting out of justice and anti-racism. Understanding that, without conceding ground, is key to responding effectively.

Watch or listen now for clear, practical guidance on challenging Jew hatred and the narratives that sustain them.

Shownotes
[00:00] How to respond to arguments
You are not trying to win debates. You are trying to challenge certainty and shift the conversation.
[00:01] Antisemitism after October 7
A surge in antisemitism across workplaces, communities and public life.
[00:02] Silence and self-censorship
Speaking up about antisemitism or antizionism often leads to social and professional consequences.
[00:06] Why this matters now
This is about responding to antisemitism, antizionism, misinformation and distorted narratives.
[00:11] When to engage and when not to
You need to judge the situation, prioritise safety and choose your battles.
[00:15] Practical ways to push back
Preparing simple lines and questions to challenge misinformation and anti-Jewish racism in the moment.
[00:19] Guilt by association
How people are labelled, excluded and shut down for who they know or what they question.
[00:28] The “Israel is colonialist” claim
How to challenge one of the core antizionist narratives without getting dragged into a long debate.
[00:37] Keep your responses simple
You do not need long explanations. A clear, unexpected point can disrupt the narrative.
[00:57] What antizionism is doing
How antizionism functions as a form of discrimination and overlaps with antisemitism.
[01:13] Conflict in relationships
How to handle disagreements with friends, family and political groups without losing yourself.
[01:27] Why there is still hope
More people are recognising misinformation and pushing back, even if they are not always visible.

An absolute masterclass. 💥

Piers Morgan tried to trap Kemi Badenoch on Israel, but she brilliantly destroyed his logic using straight facts:

How she won the argument:

Alliances > Feelings: Piers hyper-focused on specific politicians. Kemi shut it down with real geopolitics:… pic.twitter.com/U5clY0gPrd
— Osher Feldman (@OsherFeldman) June 8, 2026

Peter Beinart, who apologized publicly for speaking in Tel Aviv and doesn't think the Jews should have a state, is lecturing Sam Harris about self-righteous certainty.

The irony: Beinart does in that piece exactly what Sam says they always do. He ignores the great big thing. https://t.co/kQ7YLvTQtG
— Haviv Rettig Gur (@havivrettiggur) June 9, 2026

Jewish statehood is just the issue, because many, maybe even most, Arabs don’t want to allow Jews have anything in their ancestral land. This was expressed already decades ago by FM Bevin in his speech to Parliament in Feb 1947.
Arab colonialism is the root of the conflict. https://t.co/WhiK5AGgLE
— (((JyrkiWahlstedt))) (@jyrkiw) June 9, 2026

Ireland to move Israel match out of Dublin as boycott row intensifies

The Republic of Ireland’s home UEFA Nations League fixture with Israel is likely to be moved to a neutral venue.

The match, scheduled for 4 October, will switch from Aviva Stadium to a neutral ground – pending UEFA approval – with a venue in Hungary considered a likely alternative.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) board of directors met last week to discuss the matches, with particular focus on the game at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on 4 October. A second meeting was held on Monday, where a decision was reached.

The FAI will now ask UEFA to approve such a move.

The FAI said that it was “the responsibility of the Board of the FAI to protect the future interests of football in Ireland” and that any decision around the game is “solely a matter for the association”.

Government leaders, meanwhile, were due to meet this evening to discuss their stance on the games ahead of two Dáil motions this week.

Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats are using their Dáil time to call on the Coalition to boycott and not support the fixtures, and both parties confirmed their intentions to press ahead with their respective motions despite the latest developments.

pic.twitter.com/i0UmX0qmhF
— Alex Hearn (@hearnimator) June 9, 2026

Former Comment Editor for the Guardian, Corbynista, and Goldsmiths Prof, natch... https://t.co/QrmF7S7YIo pic.twitter.com/j1jIdw0Cae
— Adam Ma'anit (@adammaanit) June 9, 2026

Actors and musicians urge judge to drop ‘terror link’ in Palestine Action case

Actors including Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes, and Zawe Ashton have signed a letter urging a senior judge not to sentence Palestine Action activists as “terrorists” over a raid on an Israeli defence firm.

Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, and Fatema Rajwani are facing lengthy jail terms on Friday after they caused an estimated £1 million in damage to the Elbit Systems factory in Bristol in the early hours of August 6 2024.

All four defendants were in an old prison van which smashed through the entry gates, before taking sledgehammers and crowbars to the company’s equipment and property.

On Friday, Mr Justice Johnson is set to pass sentence on the activists at Woolwich Crown Court, and he will consider whether the crime had a “terrorist connection” that should lead to tougher jail terms.

In a letter published on Tuesday, a collection of actors, directors, activists, writers, comedians, artists and academics have urged the judge to reject the idea that the Elbit raid was related to terrorism.

Signatories include Harry Potter stars Paapa Essiedu, Zoe Wanamaker, and Miriam Margolyes, actors Zawe Ashton, Maxine Peake, Steve Coogan, Tobias Menzies, and Bella Ramsey, TV presenter Nadia Sawalha, singers Charlotte Church, Kate Nash, and Shirley Manson, comedians Ardal O’Hanlon and Alexei Sayle, directors Yorgos Lanthimos, Ken Loach, and Terry Gilliam, and best-selling author Sally Rooney.

Activist Greta Thunberg has also added her name to the list of more than 90 supporters to the message.

The letter urges the judge to “drop the use of the ‘terrorism connection’”, suggesting if he refuses when passing sentence it “would gravely undermine the right to protest and the impartiality of the judicial system itself”.

They added: “We demand that you reconsider before it is too late.”

Commenting on the letter, Ms Rooney suggested including the terror link as part of the sentencing would be seen as an “obvious effort to undermine solidarity with Palestine, but what it really undermines is UK law.”

STEVE COOGAN MIRIAM MARGOYLES CHARLOTTE CHURCH AND OTHER LEFTY LUVVIES PLEAD FOR PALESTINE ACTION ACTIVISTS NOT TO BE TREATED AS TERRORISTS AFTER SLEDGEHAMMER ATTACK LEFT FEMALE OFFICER WITH BROKEN SPINE

Four Palestine Action members Charlotte Head Samuel Corner Leona Kamio… pic.twitter.com/6LUT3UK4Vd
— Grifty (@TheGriftReport) June 9, 2026

Do Misan Harriman, Nadia Sawalha, John McDonnell and many others think this is a respectable co-signatory. https://t.co/SZto8K8dCw
— Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) June 9, 2026

Here he calls the equipment these pro-Pal criminals smashed up “weapons of a Holocaust”. Co-opting the actual genocide of Jews as an accusation against the only Jewish State is grossly antisemitic. He should be sacked. @gmcuk pic.twitter.com/71roBR3DqB
— Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) June 9, 2026

The government made a big show of banning several foreign speakers from the recent "Unite the Kingdom" march. So, what about a man sanctioned by the US for serving Hamas? "Come on in!" Of course the Green Party is keen to meet him. https://t.co/LjABIzn19g
— habibi (@habibi_uk) June 9, 2026

Alice Chapman from the Flotilla was also in Parliament yesterday telling MPs how evil Israel is. She’s the one who was doing circus tricks on the ‘prison ship’. What a ridiculous farce. pic.twitter.com/dk7CV3p3bD
— Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) June 9, 2026

It’s really worrisome to me that these people had access to Parliament. How did they get past security? https://t.co/PlNuKsWo50
— Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) June 9, 2026

A long first tweet is a well-shaped piece of Palestinian propaganda.

10 performative Flotillettes, “unlawfully kidnapped” for 3 weeks.

Israel gets a mention, as that’s where they’re being held right?

No, they’re held in Libya, by Libya.

This first tweet doesn’t mention Libya. https://t.co/0L1MtoYOFU
— Joo (@JoosyJew) June 9, 2026

German-Lebanese Global Sumud flotilla participant Nesrin Zeaiter, who previously attracted attention for making fictitious claims that she was bitten by dogs and stabbed while in Israeli custody, uploaded a video to Instagram showing her harassing random Israelis in a Düsseldorf… pic.twitter.com/kZnvY4eXki
— GnasherJew®גנאשר (@GnasherJew) June 9, 2026

A perfect illustration of ‘Israel Derangement Syndrome’ removing all critical thinking.

This is a completely made-up story from the imagination of some freakish, Israel-obsessed, clickbait grifter on X.

Martina Navratilova just retweeted it anyway. That’s what Martina does. pic.twitter.com/rbGnfJFehg
— Joo (@JoosyJew) June 9, 2026

Fun facts (sadly not so fun in reality):

1. The video shows a woman who carried PKK (the Kurdistan Workers Party) flag in a rally - PKK is proscribed as a terrorist organization and is banned in Germany, so people are arrested for waving their flags in Germany
2. She didn’t say… https://t.co/t1vF7OW0Gb pic.twitter.com/saZrg1zj94
— Michael Elgort (@just_whatever) June 10, 2026

Israeli real estate event due in London strongly denies sale of West Bank land

The organisers of an Israeli real estate event due to take place in London have strongly denied claims that it will feature land for sale in the West Bank, describing the allegations as “ridiculous” and “motivated by anti-Israeli and terrorist supporters”.

In the House of Commons, the Foreign Secretary, who had announced new sanctions on entities related to West Bank settler violence, faced specific calls to ban the ‘Great Israeli Real Estate Event’, due to take place in London this weekend,

Callum Miller, the Liberal Democrats’ defence spokesman, called for the Government to ban the Great Israeli Real Estate Event coming to London on Sunday.

Mr Miller said: “Properties in illegal settlements in Gush Etzion are being marketed alongside properties in Israeli cities – this is Palestinian land being advertised, bartered and sold on the streets of our capital.

“So, will the Government intervene to ban the event, unless assurances can be made that no properties in illegal settlements will be advertised?”

Debbie Abrahams, Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, also said the sale of Palestinian land at the event would be “flouting international law” in London.

Referencing those businesses operating from London, she added: “We will pursue any issue that we can around anything that might be a breach of the law, or might be issues that we can raise.”

In response, Yvette Cooper said the government would “warn any businesses against associating themselves with potential breaches of international law and with becoming involved in a process that is undermining peace and security in the region.”

This would probably have slightly more moral credibility if the MPs in question (and the government) transparently didn't care at all about any other occupied land sales. https://t.co/MUVqCmkMF3 pic.twitter.com/CxfvgQFvIQ
— Daniel Sugarman (@Daniel_Sugarman) June 9, 2026

If the Foreign secretary could take a look at Whitehall right now she'll see an angry mob screaming

"Smash the Zionist settler state"
"Zionism no more"
"resistance is glorious"
"long live the resistance"
"UK Govt what do you say? How much did the Zionists pay?" https://t.co/FrJfbFHrQn pic.twitter.com/f12bZHIbCD
— The Electronic Uprising (@uprising_1) June 9, 2026

Listen to the mob scream "Iran you make us proud" "long live the resistance! From Gaza to Beirut all our martyrs we salute"

The Iranian flag flies high in Whitehall. pic.twitter.com/cVAmVjpK1B
— The Electronic Uprising (@uprising_1) June 9, 2026

Gotta love being gaslit by non-Iranian IRGC simps 🥰 pic.twitter.com/bS3aOohrp6
— Ali Beikzadeh |𒋻𒁇𒐕𓄂𓆃 (@aligreenandwild) June 7, 2026

Chickens for KFC 🫣🤔🐔 pic.twitter.com/1HyxA7cQWc
— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) June 8, 2026

The director of the La Scala theatre in Paris, Frédéric Biessy, has apologized for making a long-winded speech about Netanyahu and Gaza at an event attended by high school students, saying, "Political remarks have no place in front of first-year classes and I regret having made… pic.twitter.com/pbzefVyh5j
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) June 9, 2026

Hi @DesignMuseum
Just wondered if you knew that your Curator and "Cultural Producer" is a raging antisemite?

I wonder what sort of Cultural events she produces which exclude Jews.

What are you doing about this? pic.twitter.com/kFFiAa0b7J
— Lord Steven Phillips ✡️ (@steveeypips) June 9, 2026

Press Council adjudication

Conclusion
The Council recognises that cartoons are expressions of opinion that often use exaggeration and absurdity to make a point on serious issues. For this reason, the Council has given significant latitude to cartoons when considering whether a publication has taken reasonable steps to avoid substantial offence, distress, or prejudice. However, that latitude is not unlimited, particularly where a cartoon can reinforce racial, ethnic or religious stereotypes.

The Council acknowledges the publications’ comments that the cartoon’s intention was to comment on the politicisation of the calls for a Royal Commission. The Council also acknowledges the publications’ comments that there was no intention to cause offence or prejudice. The Council notes that the intention of the cartoon or the message it is attempting to convey may be interpreted in different ways. In this context, the Council notes the depiction of political figures carrying the purported grassroots movement above their heads, while Netanyahu, who is both Jewish and the Israeli Prime Minister, stands apart, beating the drum to which the political figures march. The Council considers this imagery encodes the antisemitic trope that Jewish people secretly control or manipulate global events, governments, financial systems, or the media. The Council considers this imagery was likely to cause or contribute to substantial offence, distress and prejudice particularly to those who are Jewish.

While the Council recognises the public interest in commenting on the political motivation of some calling for the Royal Commission into the terrorist attack, the Council does not consider it was sufficient to justify the substantial offence, distress or prejudice caused or contributed to, in depicting those calling for a Royal Commission as being manipulated by the Israeli Prime Minister. Accordingly, the Council concludes that the publications failed to take reasonable steps to avoid causing or contributing materially to substantial offence, distress or prejudice in breach of General Principle 6.

The Council welcomes the publications’ published apologies and their stated intention to meet with Jewish community leaders.

The Council notes that, apart from finding that the publications failed to take reasonable steps to comply with its Standards of Practice, this matter underscores the importance for all publications of ensuring their editorial processes are sufficiently robust to minimise the unintended risk of causing offence, distress or prejudice. The Council also notes that, in the context of heightened community sensitivities concerning antisemitism and social cohesion, the adequacy of editorial processes should be assessed by reference to the sensitivity of the subject matter and the potential impact on affected communities.

Former Australian Labor insider and digital publisher Andrew Landeryou observed:

24 days after the worst terrorist incident on Australian soil where a Jewish community religious celebration for children was targeted, leaving 15 dead, 40 wounded, a community existentially… pic.twitter.com/AN7uZ8lsse
— Geoffrey Gold (@DrGeoffreyGold) June 10, 2026

Lawfare Project urges US to revoke visa of World Cup journalist over alleged support for Hamas, Hezbollah

The Lawfare Project has asked the U.S. State Department to revoke the visa of a British sports journalist covering the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, alleging that he has repeatedly expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah.

In a referral sent on Monday to the State Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at the Lawfare Project, urged authorities to revoke any visa held by Ibrahim Khadra, a London-based journalist with beIN Sports, and initiate removal proceedings.

Filitti told JNS that Khadra called the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, “far more exciting than football” and “described the murder of Jews as heroic operations.” The referral alleges that Khadra has maintained a yearslong pattern of social media posts glorifying Hamas and Hezbollah.

In a separate letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Filitti wrote that Khadra had a “sustained, multi-year record of public statements glorifying the terrorist activities of Hamas and Hezbollah.”

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Rubio said concerns about visitors from Iran ahead of international sporting events were not focused on athletes.

“The problem with Iran would not be their athletes,” he said. “What they can’t bring is a bunch of IRGC terrorists into our country and pretend that they’re journalists and athletic trainers.”

Filitti accused Khadra of using his media credentials to promote and glorify terrorist organizations.

The frame you see here is the moment Avital Aladjem, a Kibbutz Holit resident, who was taken captive after militants broke into her house and shot the neighbor she was hiding with (Dr. Haim Katzman), was released at the fence of Gaza with the 2 sons of Adi Vital Kaploun.

Just… pic.twitter.com/u3AdUqkjNZ
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) June 8, 2026

"So said the Lord: Have you murdered and also inherited?!" (Kings I, 21)

I have seen many strange things on Wikipedia since October 7th but nothing quite like this picture of Jewish children kidnapped to Gaza after Palestinians murdered their mother and Hamas are the… pic.twitter.com/5iWXuJhAMq
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) June 8, 2026

Hamas members executed and maimed dozens of Palestinians in Gaza, UN report says

Hamas terrorists and police units in Gaza beat, maimed and publicly executed dozens of Palestinians during its war with Israel in acts amounting to war crimes, according to a United Nations report released Tuesday.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ report documented hundreds of cases of extrajudicial punishment in the war-ravaged territory, which it said were often publicized during and afterward to instill fear in the populace.

“These cases involved executions, kneecapping, bone-breaking with metal pipes or cement bricks and beatings and were framed by the perpetrators as punishments for alleged collaboration with Israel, looting humanitarian aid, theft, drug-related offenses or affiliations with internal rivals,” it said.

The commission found that Hamas-affiliated operatives and police forces were involved in nearly one-fourth of the 249 documented cases — including 108 deaths — from August 2024 to January 2026. The commission specifically investigated cases involving Hamas-affiliated forces but also counted ones attributed to other armed groups.

Representatives for Hamas did not respond to questions about the report’s allegations.

Hamas has run Gaza for nearly two decades since seizing control of the territory from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. Since an October ceasefire halted more than two years of full-scale war with Israel, Hamas has steadily reconsolidated its control over the areas of Gaza that it still governs. Footage released by COGAT, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, on June 8, 2025, shows an alleged Hamas execution of a Palestinian in Gaza City. (COGAT).

According to Tuesday’s report, rather than being imposed through courts or judges, the punishments were carried out by Hamas’s military wing and police units.

Srinivasan Muralidhar, the UN commission’s chair, said the abuses documented in Gaza were occurring in an “environment engineered by Israel,” where “Hamas-affiliated forces have exploited the vacuum created by relentless Israeli attacks and widespread destruction.

Swiss teen to go on trial over brutal stabbing of Orthodox man

A teenager is due to go on trial in Switzerland over an antisemitic knife attack on a 50-year-old Orthodox man which left him with life threatening injuries.

The stabbing in Zurich on March 2, 2024 sent shockwaves across the country and prompted national security director Mario Fehr to call for the suspect to be deported.

The trial will be heard on July 1 at Dielsdorf District Court and is expected to last one day with the verdict scheduled for July 7.

Because the accused was 15 at the time of the attack, the hearing will held behind closed doors.

He is a Swiss national with Tunisian roots who was reported to have been radicalised via the internet, resulting in him pledging allegiance to Isis.

As well as charges relating to the street attack in Zurich he faces a number of other attempted murder charges relating to an allegation he tried to break into a synagogue to kill more Jewish people before attacking the 50-year-old.

Further charges also include supporting a criminal organisation and incitement to spread discrimination and hatred.

In the wake of the stabbing, the Swiss Organisation Of Jewish Communities raised concerns about the rise in antisemitic attacks in Switzerland in the wake of October 7.

The group said: "Physical attacks on Jewish people in Switzerland are very rare. The Jewish community has been spared from such life-threatening attacks for the past two decades.

"However, there has been a significant increase in such physical attacks since 7 October."

Spain reports 86% rise in antisemitic hate crimes

Spain’s Interior Ministry last week released a report according to which there was an 86% increase in antisemitic hate crimes in 2025 over 2024, amid an increase in attacks on Muslims and other minorities, as well.

The ministry’s “Report on the Evolution of Hate Crimes and Incidents 2025,” counted 69 hate crimes against Jews last year, compared to 37 and 23 in 2024 and 2023, respectively. The report counted 35 attacks on Muslims in 2025 compared to 15 in 2024.

The El Pais daily quoted Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, a politician for the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, as stating, “This is institutionalized xenophobia, protected and promoted by public officials. Last year, the excuse was the immigration of minors. This year, it has been the naturalization.”

The data in the ministry’s report, which relies strictly on police records, are significantly lower than those published by the Observatorio de Antisemitismo en España, a watchdog on antisemitism established by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE).

The Observatorio has not released its 2025 report yet, but a Tel Aviv University report from April said it had documented 207 cases. The 2024 and 2023 Observatorio tallies were 60 and 34, respectively.

The Observatorio reports include testimonies and cases documented independently, in keeping with the practices of counterparts worldwide, including the Community Security Trust (CST) in the United Kingdom and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the United States.

According to the ministry’s methodology, antisemitic incidents accounted for 7% of 934 cases classified as “xenophobic” in 2025. Spain’s estimated 40,000 Jews constitute about 0.1% of the country’s population.

Pittsburgh area man sentenced to 2.5 years for threatening to kill Jewish official

Edward Arthur Owens Jr., 30, of Elizabeth, Pa., in the Pittsburgh area, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three subsequent years of supervised release for threatening a public official and lying to government agents, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.

Owens, who pleaded guilty in January to threatening the unnamed Jewish official, had faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

He used a social media app to tell the official that he should “go back to Israel or better yet, exterminate yourself and save us the trouble,” he admitted.

The message also said that “we will not stop until your kind is nonexistent” and used the phrase “109 countries.” The Justice Department said the latter was used by antisemites to claim that Jews have been expelled from 109 countries and to call for their continued expulsion.

The judge said before sentencing that the Owens “created real fear and trepidation” and “caused the victim to have to change their way of living.”

Connecticut man arrested for allegedly yelling slurs at visibly identified Jews, slapping kippah off man’s head

Community members helped the New Haven Police Department identify Paul Smith, 36, of East Haven, Conn., who was arrested and accused of shouting antisemitic slurs at three visibly Jewish people and of slapping a kippah off a victim’s head.

Victims said that the alleged attacker smelled of alcohol and that he approached the three Jews on Crown Street on June 2 and yelled, “get out of my city,” “baby killers” and “go back where you belong.” He is also said to have asked if they liked “genocide.”

The police department told JNS that Smith allegedly tried to “shove a fourth person, who was trying to intervene, threw a rolled-up newspaper at them, then pointed at the yarmulke one of the victims was wearing and slapped it off his head, causing it to fall on the ground.”

Officers viewed video footage to confirm the accounts of the victims. They charged Smith on Monday with intimidation due to bias in the second degree and disorderly conduct.

Teen charged with assisting an offender after alleged arson on Golders Green ambulances

A fifth person has been charged after an alleged arson attack that damaged four Jewish community ambulances.

Subhan Ahmed, 18, from Walthamstow, east London, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 16 accused of assisting an offender.

Four ambulances belonging to Jewish charity Hatzola were damaged in an alleged arson attack in the early hours of March 23 in Golders Green, north London.

It is alleged that three people set fire to the fully stocked vehicles, while a fourth waited in a blue Toyota Avensis.

The resulting blaze caused gas canisters inside the ambulances to explode, resulting in around £1 million of damage. Nearby flats and a synagogue were also damaged by the fire.

Travelodge rejects suggestion ‘Free Palestine’ message appeared on all hotel TVs

Travelodge has rejected claims that a “Free Palestine” message reported by Orthodox Jewish guests appeared more widely across one of its London hotels.

The hotel chain said checks carried out at Travelodge Manor House in Finsbury Park found the message had appeared only on a single television.

The clarification comes nearly a week after Travelodge launched an investigation into an incident reported by Jewish guests staying at the hotel.

A spokesperson told Jewish News: “We have checked every TV in every room in the Manor House hotel and can confirm that this message was displayed on only one TV, in this specific guest’s room. Any suggestion to the contrary is factually incorrect.”

Travelodge said its investigation remains ongoing and that it has no further update beyond previous statements.

The company has not disclosed how the message appeared on the television screen and has not announced any findings from its almost week-long inquiry.

Palestinian ambassador visits Neo Nazi in Siargao Island Philippines @germanyinphl pic.twitter.com/8nA664qwg9
— Tal Oran (@travelingclatt) June 9, 2026

🇮🇱 Medical breakthrough in Israel:

An 8-month-old baby became the first person in the world to receive an experimental gene therapy delivered directly into the brain to treat a devastating genetic disorder.

The pioneering treatment, carried out at Clalit-Schneider Children's… pic.twitter.com/AhbKM4jCfn
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) June 9, 2026

Amar'e's answer demonstrates that he does actually read those books. He's exactly right. You don't "read" the Jewish bookshelf. You sit with it, study it, test your abilities against it across the years. It's a mental landscape you can live a life in, immense and intimate at the… https://t.co/gnmHjukYZt
— Haviv Rettig Gur (@havivrettiggur) June 10, 2026

Gwyneth Paltrow fronts advertising campaign for luxury Israeli development

Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been announced as the face of a new advertising campaign for a luxury residential development in Herzliya.

The campaign promotes 51 PARK, a project being developed by Israeli real estate group Aviv Melisron, and was created by Israeli creative agency Why Worry.

Announcing the campaign on LinkedIn, Why Worry founder and chief executive Gabi Attal said Paltrow would lead the advertising drive for the development’s two 51-storey residential towers overlooking the sea and public park.

Attal wrote: “To bring this architectural masterpiece to the Israeli audience, we needed a figure who effortlessly embodies international elegance, a premium lifestyle, and uncompromising quality. Enter Academy Award, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner Gwyneth Paltrow.”

The campaign was filmed in New York and will be used to market the Herzliya development in Israel.

Putting your name anywhere near Israel is supposed to be a career risk now. That is the entire goal of the pressure, to make basic association feel radioactive.@gwynethpaltrow understood the room and signed on anyway, for something as plain as an apartment complex in Herzliya.… pic.twitter.com/Bg2CSEzrmK
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) June 9, 2026

Buy EoZ's books on Amazon!

Reclaiming the Covenant on America's 250th (May 2026)

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

06/09 Links Pt1: US strikes Iran after Trump vows retaliation for downing of US helicopter; Bombing Iran is the perfect way to celebrate Pride; NJ man charged with planning ISIS attack on synagogue

2026-06-10T01:07:28.838-04:00

From Ian:

Ben-Dror Yemini: In a War Against Ideology, Calculations of Military Balance Become Less Relevant

Israel faces a special kind of enemy - an ideology built on destruction and victimhood. When Hizbullah fired its first rockets in the current round on March 2, against the will of most Lebanese, it knew that whatever damage it caused Israel, the damage to Lebanon itself would be 100 times greater. Because of Hizbullah, most villages in southern Lebanon are destroyed and close to a million people have been displaced.

Iran and Hizbullah are one entity with one ideology. In a war against an ideology, calculations about the balance of power become less relevant. Iran's ideology of destruction extends as far as its reach allows. With the power it still has left, Tehran is managing to damage the global economy by closing the Strait of Hormuz. Despite the ceasefire, last week it seriously damaged Kuwait's airport and a nuclear power plant in the UAE.

Iran feels it is on top. Public pressure is lining up in full force alongside Hamas, Hizbullah and Iran. Had World War II been fought the way wars against jihad, Iran and terrorism are fought today, the Allies would have been accused of war crimes and the Nazis would be ruling the world.

Iran and its proxies must be defeated. Israel's war is just. But it is a difficult war. It is not over. Not even close. More is coming. But giving up is not an option. This is a Sisyphean war. Hizbullah can and must be isolated through a diplomatic chokehold, together with Lebanon's leadership and the Lebanese people, who are ready for a peace agreement.

Dennis Ross: The War in Iran May Yet Lead, in Time, to Genuine Change

In the short term, Iran has proven surprisingly deft at using its leverage. But over the long haul, the internal incoherence and deep-rooted failures of the Islamic Republic may yet lead to historic changes for the better in Tehran.

Iran has two powerful levers it did not think to apply before this conflict: disrupting transit through the Strait of Hormuz and attacking its Gulf Arab neighbors' oil facilities. But Iran has also suffered profound losses to its military capabilities and defense industrial base, not to mention to an economy that is near collapse. Much will depend on how much of an economic lifeline Trump provides to Iran. A smart deal would limit sanctions relief as much as possible. Relief would only buy the regime time.

The regime's endemic corruption and massive mismanagement will be compounded by its new leadership's attempts to rebuild its military and defense industrial base. That will require huge resources, which won't be reconcilable with the needs of the civilian economy, the current crisis of mass unemployment, and the regime's chronic inability to deliver water, electricity, and a currency that has any value.

Israel Seeks a Decisive Resolution but Iran Still Remains a Threat

Although Iran has been significantly weakened, it still retains substantial levers of power. Jerusalem Center analysts assess that, despite the recent escalation, the current situation does not necessarily signal the start of a large-scale war.

Dr. Jacques Neriah believes both sides are engaged in a relatively limited round of fighting. He cautions that Iran continues to operate, the Houthis have resumed attacks on Israel, and Hizbullah retains significant military capabilities.

Ella Rosenberg notes that while Iran's overall economy has suffered greatly, the Revolutionary Guards have not only preserved their power but, in some areas, even strengthened it. They continue to benefit from diverse revenue streams, including oil sales, financial networks, and illicit activities.

Yoni Ben Menachem said that the prolonged absence of the Houthis from the fighting was due to an Iranian decision to preserve them for the right moment. The Houthis can disrupt the critical shipping route through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at any time.

Oded Ailam sees the current moment as a rare opportunity to weaken Hizbullah's grip on Lebanon and empower local actors seeking to reduce Tehran's influence.

Jonathan Sacerdoti: Bombing Iran is the perfect way to celebrate Pride

It is estimated that 4,000-6,000 executions have been carried out for homosexual acts since the 1979 Revolution, but exact numbers are hard to verify due to lack of official transparency. Charges are also often bundled with “corruption on earth” (ifsad fil-ard), rape, or political offenses.

There is widespread discrimination, harassment by morality police, family “honour” killings, and prison rape and abuse of gay detainees. Gay people have no legal protections. Pro-gay activism is suppressed, and open expression risks arrest.

Somewhat peculiarly, Iran stands out in the Muslim world for permitting and even partially subsidising so-called sex reassignment surgery, following a fatwa by Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1980s. It has one of the highest numbers of such surgeries globally, because the regime views ‘gender dysphoria’ as a medical issue solvable by surgery. Many gay and lesbian individuals face pressure from families, clerics, or authorities to undergo surgery as a cure, to avoid homosexuality charges, effectively forcing them to undergo sterilisation and genital mutilation. ‘Trans’ people still face discrimination and violence.

Rape and sexual violence have been systematically employed as tools of torture, humiliation, and political control in Iran’s prisons, particularly in notorious facilities such as Evin and Kahrizak. Human rights organisations have documented numerous credible testimonies from survivours detailing gang rapes of both male and female detainees by IRGC, Basij, and intelligence agents, often involving multiple perpetrators, batons, or other objects to inflict maximum pain and trauma. These abuses surged during crackdowns like the 2009 Green Movement protests and the 2022-2023 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising, where prisoners were subjected to sexual assault to extract confessions, break spirits, or punish perceived opposition.

Male victims frequently endure anal rape framed as domination rather than homosexuality under the regime’s Sharia-based logic, while female prisoners face vaginal and anal violations, sometimes justified through twisted religious pretexts.

Despite consistent international reporting and survivor accounts, Iranian authorities usually deny or dismiss these practices, with near-total impunity for perpetrators, underscoring the regime’s use of sexual terror as an instrument of authoritarian governance.

So while the Tel Aviv pride parade hasn’t yet been officially cancelled, I for one can see no better replacement for the traditional drug-fuelled display of sexual vulgarity than the continued thrashing of the horrific Iranian regime. I’m not sure the Gays for Palestine or Zack Polanski’s Islamist-aligned go-go dancers will agree, but this seems a far more meaningful way to stand up for non-heteronormative rights.

Billions in aid handed to terrorists and criminals

Terrorists, hostile states and gangsters have been given more than £28bn of taxpayers’ money, including through aid payments, according to a secret government report.

The Telegraph can reveal details of a dossier showing that billions of pounds went to organised crime, with millions going to Russia and Islamic State.

It demonstrates that foreign aid and Covid relief loans were appropriated on a vast scale by Britain’s enemies, with the money beyond reach and those who took it unpunished.

More than £28bn ended up in the hands of those wishing to harm Britain between 2015 and 2021, according to the report, which was commissioned and produced by the Cabinet Office but was buried during the previous government.

Sources said it was never made public to save the government from the political embarrassment of revealing the huge scale of misdirected funds.

The Telegraph can reveal the existence of the document, believed to be the first assessment of how much taxpayer money has gone on to fund national security threats. It includes:
Grants given to companies linked to the Russian state
Covid loans sent to Islamic State terrorists
Investment in research for companies linked to the Chinese military

Rebecca Harding, of the Centre for Economic Security, said the dossier should be a wake-up call that “economic warfare and economic security are more important than ever before – there have been threats from adversaries, state actors and non-state actors that go through the business system”.

She added: “One of the problems is we have assumed that everybody wants the same thing as us. What we haven’t realised is, when it comes to other countries... [some] want to project their economic power in a way that undermines our economic power.

“It is economic warfare, and we have been naive about all of this.”

New Jersey man charged with planning ISIS attack on synagogue

Mohamed Sagha, 22, of Passaic County, N.J., was charged with aiding a foreign terror group for allegedly planning to carry out an ISIS attack on a synagogue, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Monday.

He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Sagha, who lives in Wayne, discussed “potential attacks on targets within the United States, including places of worship” with an undercover source, whom he believed to be part of the terror group, in online chats from December 2025 until June 2026, the department alleged. It said that he also shared photos and videos of the alleged target sites.

The New Jersey man allegedly told the source that “he was contemplating carrying out an attack of his own, possible on a National Guard location or on a Jewish place of worship” near his home, and in March 2026, he tried to travel to ISIS territory in Syria to support the terror organization, according to court filings.

“Those who seek to advance the objectives of foreign terrorist organizations should expect a swift and coordinated response from federal law enforcement,” stated Robert Frazer, U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey.

The Justice Department alleges that Sagha purchased a virtual private network, a communications encryption tool, for the source, whom he believed to be part of ISIS.

Rubio's backing helped Israel secure Trump's green light to strike Iran

Israel and the U.S. are fully coordinated, both on the strikes in Hizbullah's Dahiyeh stronghold in Beirut and on the Israeli response to the missile fire from Iran. President Trump was persuaded that Iran must not be allowed to achieve gains as a result of its attack on Israel.

Iran decided to respond to the strike in Dahiyeh and try its luck at driving a wedge between Jerusalem and Washington by firing missiles at Israel. After Trump made public statements that he would ask Prime Minister Netanyahu not to respond, the two leaders held a fairly lengthy conversation, followed by a security and diplomatic consultation in which Secretary of State Rubio played a significant role.

Sources told Israel Hayom that Israel launched its strike on Iran after coordination and American consent. The lines were drawn for a powerful strike, but one limited to several hours. The targets were also agreed upon. Netanyahu convinced Trump that failing to launch an attack would give Iran an advantage and might even harden its positions in the negotiations with the U.S.

US strikes Iran after Trump vows retaliation for downing of US helicopter over Hormuz

The US military early Wednesday carried out strikes in Iran following the downing of a US Apache helicopter, which President Donald Trump accused Iran of shooting down and vowed retaliation, casting doubt on his previous claims that Washington and Tehran were on the verge of reaching an agreement to permanently end the fighting.

US Central Command described the “self-defense strikes against Iran” as “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression. CENTCOM later announced it had completed the strikes, saying they hit Iranian air defense, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.

“US forces remain vigilant and postured to defend against unjustified Iranian aggression,” said a CENTCOM statement.

In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it attacked the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain with drones, warning of “a more severe response” if what it describes as US “aggression” continues. It later announced additional attacks on US bases in Kuwait and Jordan, with the latter targeting F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control center. Jordanian armed forces said they intercepted and shot down five missiles, while Kuwait said its air defenses were engaging “hostile aerial targets.”

“The warmongering US regime attacked several points in Jask, Sirik and Qeshm early this morning under false pretexts, damaging a telecommunications mast in Sirik and destroying two water tanks in the city,” the IRGC said in a statement quoted by Iranian media.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also threatened the US: “Our powerful armed forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered.”

“Leave our region if you want to be safe,” he wrote on X. “History of the Persian Gulf has many chapters on dire fates of intruding outsiders.” US President Donald Trump gestures as he steps off Air Force One, June 9, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

Trump initially downplayed the incident during a phone interview with Wall Street Journal, saying the downing of the helicopter “wasn’t a big deal” and that “the pilot is fine.” The newspaper said Trump was later convinced by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine to retaliate.

“I have just been informed by our great military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured.

“Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” he continued, without elaborating on what the response could look like.

The development came just a day after the US restored a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, although both countries hinted on Tuesday at the possibility of further military action down the road, if deemed necessary.

.@WhiteHouse “The mission is a proportional response”? https://t.co/b4sYRovZzi pic.twitter.com/8mh7BaL2iQ
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) June 9, 2026

🚨JUST IN: Trump in a dramatic post: “I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz. There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured.… pic.twitter.com/OczdtT3onR
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) June 9, 2026

Turns out that when the United States gets attacked by Iran, “the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”

Exactly right!

That’s how EVERY country should respond when attacked by a terrorist entity or regime.

So why must Israel show restraint when attacked? https://t.co/k3KQZAswLJ pic.twitter.com/p4eWbOaZe1
— Jake Donnelly (@RedWhiteBlueJew) June 9, 2026

NEW: Here's a look at the massive U.S. military presence now spread across the Middle East.

According to U.S. Navy officials, nearly 20,000 American sailors and Marines are currently at sea aboard two aircraft carriers — USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush — along with… pic.twitter.com/et59Lq8i2v
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 9, 2026

Guterres, how do you write an entire statement about “escalation” and fail to mention the one country that was under missile attack from the Iranian terror regime and its proxies - the Houthis and Hezbollah - whose declared goal is the annihilation of a UN member-state?

Israelis… https://t.co/nKjO85Dul9
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2026

💥 Reports indicate U.S. strikes targeted key locations around the Strait of Hormuz, including Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, and Sirik Port—the same region where the American Apache helicopter was shot down.

Also, CENTCOM posted:
“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began… https://t.co/jXYH32htjs pic.twitter.com/T00brVamEs
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) June 9, 2026

🎥 WATCH:
Footage from the third round of strikes against Iran for its punishment. https://t.co/EXIsm4czG8 pic.twitter.com/IVkukBJDAm
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) June 10, 2026

NYT: Iran will dilute rather than hand over uranium stockpile as part of deal with US

The United States and Iran have honed in on four key points of negotiation during talks to permanently end the fighting that began with a joint US-Israeli offensive back in February, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

While various key issues being discussed by the US and Iran during the Pakistan-mediated talks have already been well documented, the report, citing US officials and diplomats familiar with the matter, suggested that the sides are much closer to clinching a deal than previously suggested.

According to the newspaper, the deal will include agreements on an extended suspension of uranium enrichment by Iran; the dilution of Tehran’s existing stockpile of enriched uranium; the dismantling of Iranian nuclear sites; and the right for international nuclear watchdogs to conduct snap inspections in the Islamic Republic.

Regarding the matter of suspending uranium enrichment, US officials were quoted saying that Washington wants Iran to halt its enrichment activities for 20 years. In return, they said Iran offered to stop enrichment for 10 years. The US officials said they expect the sides to ultimately reach a compromise of 15 years, though the report noted it was unclear if President Donald Trump would be okay with that after recently saying “it’s gotta be a real 20 years.”

As for Iran’s existing enriched uranium stockpiles, the issue appeared to hit a bump last month, when Iran’s supreme leader issued a directive that the near-weapons-grade uranium should not be sent abroad.

Israeli officials told Reuters at the time that Trump had assured Israel that any peace deal would stipulate that the highly enriched uranium must be sent out of Iran.

Iran’s Quds Force commander warns US, Israel that terror proxies ‘will grab you by the throat’

The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force on Monday threatened renewed attacks by Iran and its terrorist proxies against Israeli and U.S. targets across the region.

Esmail Ghaani, in a statement, praised the Iranian-backed Houthi terror group for its “timely and powerful” missile attacks against Israel earlier in the day.

He said the strikes showed the “intelligence of the resistance front” and warned that, “if necessary, others will also come,” according to Iran’s official IRNA outlet.

“From the Strait of Hormuz to Bab al-Mandab, and from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, a new security belt of the resistance will be formed,” stated Ghaani, whose elite paramilitary branch is tasked with conducting covert operations outside the borders of the Islamic Republic.

“Borderless fighters are overlooking your passage chokepoints,” he warned Jerusalem and Washington. “Continue the aggression and they will grab you by the throat.”

Iran’s military warned earlier on Monday that it would carry out “far more severe and crushing” missile attacks against Israel if the Jewish state continued military operations against Hezbollah.

“The cessation of armed forces operations is hereby announced,” stated the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s highest operational military command, according to a translation by Tehran’s Press TV outlet. The announcement came after U.S. President Donald Trump said that Israel and Iran must “immediately stop shooting.”

The regime threatened to resume attacks “if aggression and hostile acts continue, including in Southern Lebanon.”

Iranian MP Abolfazl Zohrevand: Azerbaijan Better Not Cross Us, Baku Could Be Wiped Off the Map in Three or Four Hours; Iran, Russia, and China Need to Form a Joint Command pic.twitter.com/f9ZNkthZ21
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) June 9, 2026

Senior Hizbullah Official Mahmoud Qomati: Who Told Trump that Hizbullah or Iran’s Supreme Leader Are Willing to Speak with Him? He’s Imagining Things; He Pretends to Be on Top Even When He’s Defeated pic.twitter.com/osnjFtsK4c
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) June 9, 2026

Also, they put AI generated picture of Ben Gvir next to Rob Demer 😂😂😂
— Michael Elgort (@just_whatever) June 9, 2026

UK, Australia, Canada, France, Norway sanction ‘extremist settlers’ in Judea and Samaria

The foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France, Norway and the United Kingdom said on Tuesday that they were taking “coordinated action” to sanction “extremist settlers” for what they said were “horrific levels of settler violence against Palestinian civilians.”

“Extremist violent settlers, with the backing of their supporters, continue to attack Palestinians and abuse their human rights,” the countries said. “They use violence to displace Palestinians, destroy property and perpetuate the illegal settlement enterprise, undermining the viability of the state of Palestine and the prospects for peaceful coexistence.”

The five recognize a Palestinian state. Israel and the United States do not.

Yvette Cooper, the U.K. foreign secretary, said that the group is imposing sanctions on one person and six entities “involved in financing, enabling and carrying out settler violence in the occupied West Bank.” (Some refer to Judea and Samaria as the “West Bank.”)

“Those designated will face asset freezes and, where appropriate, travel bans and director disqualifications,” Cooper told Parliament. “These sanctions will disrupt the flows of finance that have allowed extremist settler groups to act with impunity in the West Bank and demonstrate the U.K.’s commitment to a two-state solution.”

Itamar Yehuda Levi and his company Eyal Hari Yehuda were sanctioned, as were the Farms Association, Ahavat Gilad, Ari Yshag, Artzenu and Shivat Zion Lerigvey Admata.

The Biden administration also sanctioned Eyal Hari Yehuda in late 2024. It previously sanctioned the wrong person, which it called a “data error.” On his first day in office, U.S. President Donald Trump revoked the prior administration’s sanctions on Judea and Samaria.

Israel said on Tuesday that it “firmly rejects” the new sanctions and a visa ban that France announced against Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli finance minister, and “four leaders of settler organizations and 21 violent settlers.”

Gideon Sa’ar, the Israeli foreign minister, called the decision “disgraceful.”

“The real essence of these steps is the attempt to impose a political stance regarding the right of Jews to settle in the Land of Israel and concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—camouflaged as measures against violence,” he stated.

Gaza talks hosted by Egypt stall as Hamas disarmament ‘remains only point of contention’

Discussions between Palestinian factions and mediators in Cairo aimed at reaching a permanent end to the war in Gaza have stalled over the pivotal question of disarming the territory and Hamas, Palestinian sources told AFP on Tuesday.

“Talks are continuing… in a context of clearly differing visions… with the issue of weapons remaining the only point of contention,” a Palestinian source familiar with the talks told AFP on condition of anonymity as he was not supposed to speak publicly about the discussions.

A second Palestinian official spoke of “progress” in the talks but added that “the weapons question was one of the most contentious issues being discussed.”

The ball was “now in Israel and mediators’ court,” he said, referring to Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.

Palestinian factions insist on the principle that any disarmament must be linked to a “complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,” he said.

That prospect remains distant.

The peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump, which has received UN endorsement, envisages a full withdrawal of Israeli troops, who currently control roughly 60 percent of the territory, only in the long term.

Israeli strikes have continued at a near-daily pace despite the ceasefire announced in October 2025 after two years of war sparked by the Hamas terror group’s October 2023 invasion of Israel, under the framework presented by Trump.

We are afraid you got it all wrong, UNRWA faced unprecedented attacks? Its employees took part in the worst attack against Jews since the Holocaust.

This is UNRWA:

UNRWA school principals, teachers, security personnel,
attendants, psychosocial counselors, and medical… https://t.co/mPYattECqZ pic.twitter.com/qFW6qByF1C
— Israel in the EU (@IsraelinEU) June 9, 2026

Dear Foreign Minister Wadephul,

I am writing on behalf of United Nations Watch to express grave concern over the decision by ZDF and ARTE not to broadcast the documentary Unraveling UNRWA, and to urge your government to encourage a full public explanation of the considerations…
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) June 9, 2026

101 UNRWA Members actively took part in October 7th?

Are you surprised? Because you shouldn’t be.

When you literally teach terrorism—which is what United States taxpayer money funds through the UNRWA—why wouldn’t you actively participate in it as well?

Of course, 101 UNRWA… https://t.co/xhvX5aV8dU pic.twitter.com/5BFvVVz3z7
— Jake Donnelly (@RedWhiteBlueJew) June 9, 2026

UNRWA USA is promoting Pride Month for “all Palestinian refugees - including LGBTQ+” on Facebook.

Interesting that @UNRWA hasn’t dared promote this message on their X feed.

No rainbow flags in Ramallah, Rafah or Rmaych pushing this call for inclusivity and tolerance? How come? pic.twitter.com/TcrCw2kHXc
— Joo (@JoosyJew) June 9, 2026

Israel arrests Haifa man over Iran spy links

Israel Police said on Tuesday they arrested a Haifa resident suspected of carrying out security-related tasks on behalf of Iranian intelligence agents.

The suspect, identified as Ra’anan Ohana, 44, was detained in May in a joint operation by the police’s Menashe central unit and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), according to a police statement.

Investigators allege Ohana was in contact with operatives posing as business contacts and, between January and March 2026—including during “Operation Roaring Lion”—carried out assignments in exchange for cryptocurrency payments. The tasks reportedly included photographing sensitive sites, despite his alleged awareness that he was dealing with a foreign agent.

Police said an indictment is expected to be filed in the coming days.

IDF kills armed terrorist in northern border shootout

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday eliminated a terrorist who opened fire at soldiers operating in the Ramim Ridge area of the Upper Galilee, the military said.

“The soldiers returned fire and eliminated a terrorist in the area. No IDF injuries were reported,” the statement said.

The Ramim Ridge is a mountainous area in Israel’s Upper Galilee region, running parallel to the Lebanese border, with some sections lying directly adjacent to the frontier and overlooking Lebanon.

According to the Hebrew-language Channel 12 News outlet, the Lebanese terrorist opened fire after managing to approach the border fence near the Israeli community of Moshav Margaliot.

Security sources told the broadcaster the terrorist is believed to have entered the area in disguise with the goal of infiltrating Israeli territory. A knife and a rifle were reportedly found on his body.

Following the incident, residents of Margaliot, Kibbutz Misgav Am and Kibbutz Manara were told to remain indoors and avoid movement within the communities. Highway 886, which runs along the Ramim Ridge between Yiftach and Manara, was also closed to traffic.

The IDF said the incident was ongoing, with soldiers conducting searches and Israeli Air Force aircraft operating in the area.

Oh my, the fellow who was shot while trying to infiltrate Israel today had a golden AK. Does this mean he was a boss fight? pic.twitter.com/8HJ5ctEfEM
— Uri Kurlianchik (@VerminusM) June 9, 2026

‼️EXPOSED: Hezbollah weapons storage facility found alongside a baby crib in southern Lebanon.

IDF troops located several Hezbollah weapons storage facilities inside civilian structures in the areas of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah and Zawtar al-Sharqiyah.

The weapons located included:… pic.twitter.com/Uv9hLIA65k
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 9, 2026

🔴ELIMINATED: 2 terrorists from the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization who were planning to carry out imminent terror attacks against IDF troops.

Among those eliminated:
- Iyad Muhammad Abd al-Aziz Nofal - a Nukhba commander in the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
- Ahmad…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 9, 2026

IDF hits Hamas naval police HQ in southern Gaza

Israeli forces struck a Hamas naval police headquarters in southern Gaza on Sunday, killing several terrorists and targeting what the military said was a site used to plan attacks against Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces said the strike took place in the Khan Younis area, and identified one of the slain terrorists as Ismail al-Lahham, a cell commander in Hamas’s military wing.

“The Hamas Naval Police in the Gaza Strip operates alongside and under the authority of the terrorist organization’s military wing. It is involved in planning, directing, and executing terrorist activities against IDF troops and the State of Israel,” the IDF said. “The headquarters that was targeted was being used for Hamas’ efforts to rebuild and reconstitute its capabilities, in violation of the ceasefire agreement, including the restoration of the terrorist organization’s military infrastructure while exploiting facilities presented as civilian in nature.”

The IDF also said it had struck and dismantled three weapons storage facilities in southern Gaza over the past week that were intended for use against Israeli troops operating in the area.

Before those strikes, the military said it issued advance warnings to civilians and later identified Hamas terrorists attempting to remove weapons from the sites using vehicles. Israeli forces then targeted both the terrorists and the weapons, with secondary explosions observed, indicating the presence of munitions, according to the IDF.

The military said it took steps to reduce civilian harm, including issuing warnings, using precision-guided munitions and conducting aerial surveillance.

🎯STRUCK: The main headquarters of Hamas’ Naval Police in the Khan Yunis area.

Several terrorists operating from the site were eliminated, including Ismail al-Lahham, a cell commander in Hamas’ military wing.

The headquarters was used to advance and execute attacks against IDF…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 9, 2026

Israel: harnesses technology to identify and refine potential targets with unheard-of precision.

Idiots: “Slaughter and genocide!” https://t.co/mXaQsBDonF
— Andrew Fox (@Mr_Andrew_Fox) June 9, 2026

https://t.co/KrSvDoZan9
— Gabriel Epstein (@GabrielEpsteinX) June 8, 2026

Links:
6/6 obituary list (individual posters follow after each announcement): https://t.co/AQdTJ2z9Tf or https://t.co/3Rm4FiESrv

Previous analyses of PIJ obituary releases:https://t.co/7ONb38Cga4 (6/1, 22 commanders)https://t.co/bpSE0ficBI (5/24-25, 31 commanders)…
— Gabriel Epstein (@GabrielEpsteinX) June 8, 2026

Ahmed Al-Ata could have devoted his life to football and his family. Instead, he participated in indiscriminate rocket fire at Israeli cities intending to kill as many Israelis as possible. He was killed in an IDF strike on June 21, 2024 on his home alongside his wife and child. pic.twitter.com/Gh3GIQ0BVn
— Aizenberg (@Aizenberg55) June 9, 2026

Mohammed's cousin Moataz Mazen Mustafa Aslan (ID#: 804539039, age 30), was a PIJ deputy platoon commander and employee of the al-Bureij municipality:https://t.co/5KtB2xQ5qg
— Gabriel Epstein (@GabrielEpsteinX) June 8, 2026

Adham Mansour Saada obtained his Master's degree in Community Mental Health in Gaza in 2020. So he became a company commander for an internationally recognized terrorist group to help murder, rape & kidnap Jews. He was killed by the IDF in Nov 2023 and recently lauded by Hamas. pic.twitter.com/bRjVJJF6Vf
— Aizenberg (@Aizenberg55) June 9, 2026

Commentary Podcast: Multipolar Disorder

FDD's Jonathan Schanzer is back to discuss yesterday's chain of events involving Hezbollah, Israel, and Iran, and the stream of contradictory media reports and remarks from admin officials. Plus, more on the miscalculations in conducting the war and what the endgame might look like, and a check in on Graham Platner.

Any deal that leaves the Iranian regime with nuclear weapons is a bad deal - for the U.S., for Israel and for the whole world.

Watch my full interview with @EVargasTV on @NewsNation 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/e0wgs3MnF6
— Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter (@yechielleiter) June 9, 2026

The Free Press: Has the U.S. Lost the Iran War? | Niall Ferguson

On Sunday, the war with Iran reignited—yet again. Iran fired a ballistic missile barrage at Israel, a move that followed Israel’s targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

President Trump urged Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to strike back. But Netanyahu did anyway—prompting observers everywhere to ask: Did Bibi just defy the president? Did the two reach some other agreement behind closed doors? What does any of it tell us about the state of the U.S.-Israel relationship? And is this war winding down, or are we on the path to a protracted conflict? On Tuesday, Trump vowed to retaliate against Iran after an Apache helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz—demonstrating once again the precarious nature of the conflict.

Today I’m joined by Free Press columnist and historian Niall Ferguson to make sense of this moment.

We dig into the multiple rounds of negotiations aimed at ending the war, all of which have failed; the question of who holds the upper hand—Iran or the U.S.; whether the war was worth it; and if we are now in a more dangerous position than before it started.

JNS: Iran's Plan Against America Is So Much Deeper Than Most People Realize...

Why do groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and the IRGC keep claiming victory even when they've suffered devastating losses? In this episode, you'll learn how Islamist groups, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and their supporters interpret political divisions, public disagreements,and policy hesitation in Washington and the West. Veteran Middle East analysts Dan Diker and Khaled Abu Toameh explore why perception matters as much as military strength and why many in the region believe patience, not firepower, is often the deciding factor in victory. Whether you agree with their conclusions or not, this conversation offers a fascinating look into how the Middle East sees the West, and why understanding that perspective may be critical to understanding the conflicts shaping our world today.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Why America's Enemies Think They're Winning
02:15 The Political Signals Jihadists Are Watching
05:20 New York's Israel Parade Controversy Explained
08:45 Why Boycotts Backfire in the Middle East
11:50 Trump, Iran, and the Perception of Weakness
15:10 The Dangerous Cost of Mixed Messages
18:35 Why Survival Equals Victory for Iran, Hamas & Hezbollah
22:40 The Patience Strategy the West Doesn't Understand
27:05 Sunni and Shia: What Really Unites America's Adversaries
30:45 The Ideological Goal Behind Global Jihad
34:15 What Real Victory Looks Like in the Middle East
35:57 Abraham Accords, Coexistence & Hope for a New Middle East

We appreciate the concern of the distinguished governments about the humanitarian access in Gaza, despite the fact that the concerns and claims in the statement are completely unfounded and detached from reality.

There are immense amounts of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza… https://t.co/jGaoBUlPKF
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2026

Hezbollah killed a UNIFIL soldier last week. https://t.co/VmaGLiBMv4
— ZZ Flop ✡️🇮🇪 (@ZzVvbbbbn) June 9, 2026

You condemned Israel for using "chemical weapons" in Gaza and Lebanon even though you were talking about white phosphorus?

Do you understand how stupid this makes you sound? 👇 https://t.co/5ycjQqhK72 pic.twitter.com/eJ7U3p47QW
— Dr. Brian L. Cox (@BrianCox_RLTW) June 9, 2026

EVERYTHING you (actually) need to know about the use of white phosphorus pursuant to the law of armed conflict.

Spoiler alert: This claim by @MarioNawfal here that "international law bans this near civilians" is ... false.

Willy Pete is trending yet again because @Israel stands… https://t.co/sGrFMossiF pic.twitter.com/u3qRRt5YFp
— Dr. Brian L. Cox (@BrianCox_RLTW) June 9, 2026

It's funny that Tucker Carlson and his fellow antisemites propagate the lie that the White House is controlled by Netanyahu while Israeli SNL @Eretz_Nehederet and many Israelis keep joking about Netanyahu being controlled by Trump.

Antisemites are never great with being… pic.twitter.com/IhPRxrZLz6
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) June 8, 2026

Reminder: All three Gaza hostage/ceasefire deals were secured under fire.

After 33 hostages were released in January/February 2025, Hamas tried to drag out the ceasefire without releasing any more hostages. The terror group rejected proposal after proposal, hoping that as long… https://t.co/kC8deXvPrH pic.twitter.com/MTihdtzHB9
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) June 10, 2026

The "key moment in the recent violence," @guardian?

Really?

Why did Israel strike Beirut?

H-E-Z-B-O-L-L-A-H.

Say it.

The Iranian-backed terror group that violated the ceasefire, fired rockets at northern Israel, and triggered the Israeli response.

Yet somehow, in The… pic.twitter.com/Pc1RRZ9eWz
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 9, 2026

A Beirut suburb where Hezbollah has "offices."

Hey, @NPR, do your offices also include rocket launchers, weapons caches, command centers, intelligence operatives, and armed terrorists?

Because that's actually military infrastructure.

No wonder your audience struggles to… pic.twitter.com/H6LhrO30g6
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 9, 2026

Buy EoZ's books on Amazon!

Reclaiming the Covenant on America's 250th (May 2026)

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

Sam Harris asked a question. Peter Beinart spent 3,000 words to avoid answering it.

2026-06-09T08:27:38.777-04:00

Recently, Sam Harris wrote an essay, "Why I won't Debate Critics of Israel," which has been widely cited and quoted. It boils down to one question: What would each side do if it had the power to do whatever it wanted? If Hamas had that power, it would carry out a genuine genocide, a project it has announced repeatedly and acted on when it could. If Israel had it, the war would already be over. Harris said the histories are irreconcilable and that no amount of relitigating 1948 will change what the two populations want and are willing to die for today, so the only honest test is the one applied to the present.

Peter Beinart's reply runs almost three thousand words and never answers the main question. That omission is the whole story.

Beinart is a careful writer who knows exactly what Harris asked, and he declines to engage it because the answer cuts against him: Palestinians want the Jewish state destroyed, full stop. This applies to Muslims and Christians, religious and secular. Every poll shows that Palestinians overwhelmingly support specific terror attacks against Jews. Beinart cannot answer Harris' question because he knows Harris is right.

Instead, Beinart reopens every historical and legal sub-debate Harris specifically set aside, then frames Harris's refusal to be dragged backward as intellectual cowardice. Harris declined to argue the past because the present is dispositive. Beinart spends three thousand words proving him right by refusing to discuss the present at all.

Harris points at a question reality can answer and lets the answer stand. Beinart does what he has always done, the skill I have documented at length: he sets the frame so the other side's facts cannot be admitted, smuggling the accusation in as a shared premise rather than stating it as a claim the reader might examine. Beinart is very good at this sleight of hand. Here is what is behind the curtain in this case.

Harris called Israel a free society, and Beinart answers by describing a Palestinian living under military administration in the West Bank — no vote, military courts, permits to travel, Military Order 101 restricting political assembly. The claim was about Israel, the society that runs competitive elections, seats Arabs in the Knesset and on the Supreme Court, and lets a free press savage the prime minister daily. Beinart pretends to rebut it by describing the governance of a territory whose final status Oslo left to negotiation where Arafat chose an intifada instead of a state. Moreover, most Palestinians live under PA laws, not Israeli laws, and that is an unfree society - and would remain so under any Palestinian state. Hell, Gaza was practically independent, living completely under Palestinian/Hamas rule, imports through Israel were at an all time high, and that didn't stop October 7. The collapsing of "a Palestinian in Area A or Gaza lives in Israel" is the same move he has run for years, the one that treats a population with its own flag, courts, passports, and UN membership as residents of a state denying them the vote; by that logic Canadians live in the United States because the US dominates Canada economically, and the US isn't a free society because Puerto Ricans cannot vote for President. The subject changed between the claim and the rebuttal, and Beinart is counting on you not to notice.

Beinart offers George Habash, the Greek Orthodox choirboy who founded the PFLP, as proof that Palestinian nationalism cannot be reduced to jihadism, alongside Said, Ashrawi, and Bishara. Harris named the entire Middle East and a specific roster of Islamist groups as the fundamental regional problem, so Christian Palestinians never touched his thesis. But even if we accept Beinart's argument, Habash pioneered international airplane hijacking and ran a Marxist-Leninist program for the elimination of Jewish sovereignty by force. A secular Marxist and an Islamist arriving at the identical destination is not evidence that the nationalism is moderate; it is evidence that the eliminationist aim is the constant and the theology is interchangeable costume. Beinart reached for a counterexample and produced Harris's deeper point — the rejection of Jewish political existence predates Hamas, predates 1948, and survives every change of ideological dress.

Beinart says the Palestinian Authority laid down its arms for twenty years, coordinated security with the IDF, got nothing, and watched Fayyad resign in defeat. Harris's hypothetical asked for two things: laying down arms and abandoning the culture that valorizes killing Jews. The Palestinian Authority did the first and rewarded the second the entire time, paying graduated salaries to imprisoned and deceased terrorists and naming schools and squares after them across the very years Beinart is citing as proof of renunciation. You cannot offer Fayyad as evidence that nonviolence failed while the institution he served was cutting checks to murderers by the severity of the murder. Moreover, Fatah, the party that runs the PA and is headed by PA president Mahmoud Abbas, built into its platform during those very years that terrorism is legitimate and legal, just not tactically wise at this moment in time. Beinart's own framing finishes the demolition: he notes that Hamas "gains recognition and is strengthened" as Fayyad's moderation looks like failure, which concedes that the population rewarded the violent faction — the exact thing Harris's question was designed to surface.

Harris charged that Hamas built hundreds of miles of tunnels and excluded its own civilians from them. Beinart answers that insurgents everywhere fight from within populations, that the Viet Cong dug tunnels too, and that the Kirya sits in downtown Tel Aviv. The Viet Cong tunnels sheltered fighters and villagers alike, which is the opposite of the accusation; the charge was not "Hamas fights in a city" but "Hamas kept its people above ground as cover." Locating a headquarters in a city and forbidding civilians to flee a combat zone are different acts, and the entire moral and legal weight of "human shield" rides on the difference. Beinart elides presence into shielding and moves on before you can object.

There are a number of other specific points where Beinart uses the same rhetorical devices - false framing, changing the subject, trying to change the playing field because he knows he cannot beat Harris' arguments. The pattern repeats: Harris makes a claim about the present, and Beinart answers a different claim about the past, the law, or some other country, performing the substitution at the seam and calling the result humility. The giveaway is not any single error. It is that the question Harris actually posed sits untouched on the page for three thousand words, because the man replying knows what reality would say if he let it answer.

Beinart closes by inviting Harris into a respectful public conversation, the implication being that confidence this firm must be fear of being tested. Harris already named the test. Beinart spent his entire reply avoiding it. This shows that Beinart is the one who is afraid of conversation, not Harris. And it proves Harris' point: debating Beinart is a waste of time because he will keep on reframing the past and assume the audience misses his slippery methods instead of discussing the present reality.

Buy EoZ's books on Amazon!

Reclaiming the Covenant on America's 250th (May 2026)

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)