LIVE UPDATES — FROM Nov. 30th – Dec. 6th
Israel At War: Week Sixty-One Coverage
TRUSTED ANALYSIS
Day 427 — Friday, December 6
'Time To Stop Playing Into Anti-Israel Propaganda': Cotton Introduces Bill To Ban Federal Use Of The Term ‘West Bank’
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced legislation on Thursday that would ban the federal government from using the term “West Bank” and instead use Judea and Samaria, the terminology preferred by Israel.
Formally titled the “Retiring the Egregious Confusion Over the Genuine Name of Israel’s Zone of Influence by Necessitating Government-use of Judea and Samaria (RECOGNIZING Judea and Samaria) Act,” the bill would prohibit government funds from being used to describe “the land annexed by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War” as the “West Bank,” except in international treaties and agreements.
“The Jewish people’s legal and historic rights to Judea and Samaria goes back thousands of years,” Cotton said. “The U.S. should stop using the politically charged term West Bank to refer to the biblical heartland of Israel.”
In a social-media post, he added that using the term “West Bank” is “a slap in the face to historical truth.”
“It’s time to call this region by its rightful name and stop playing into anti-Israel propaganda,” he said.
The Kingdom of Jordan promulgated the term after the 1948 Israeli War of Independence to describe the territory it controlled west of the Jordan River. Since the Six-Day War in June 1967, when Israel captured those territories, it has governed them as Judea and Samaria, and annexed the former eastern Jerusalem into the unified Jerusalem District.
The use of “West Bank” as opposed to Judea and Samaria is often viewed as a proxy for Palestinian and Israeli territorial claims and has also become a partisan issue in the United States, with many Republicans favoring Judea and Samaria while many Democrats using the phrase “West Bank.”
David Friedman, who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel in the first Trump administration, welcomed Cotton’s legislation on Thursday.
“Thank you, Tom Cotton, for standing with Israel, recognizing its biblical heritage and supporting one Jewish state,” he wrote.
The co-sponsors of the House companion version of the bill also touted Cotton introducing it in the Senate.
“Words matter,” wrote Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.). “It’s not ‘the West Bank.’ It’s ‘Judea and Samaria.’”
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), who introduced the House version of the bill in February, said that it reaffirmed Israel’s “undeniable and indisputable historical and legal claim over Judea and Samaria.”
“This bill reaffirms Israel’s rightful claim to its territory,” she wrote. “I remain committed to defending the integrity of the Jewish state and fully supporting Israel’s sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.”
Day 427 — Friday, December 6
Melbourne Synagogue Arson: Pres. Herzog Calls World Leaders To 'Condemn Vile Act Of Terror'
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Friday morning responded to an arson attack on the Adass Israel in synagogue in Melbourne, Australia.
“I spoke this morning, with President of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Liebler, and expressed my deep sorrow and the support and solidarity of all the Israeli people for the Jewish community following the abhorrent antisemitic arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne,” Herzog said in a statement.
“I was moved to hear how the entire community is standing united and strong in the face of this terrible attack and the wave of antisemitism they are experiencing.”
He urged, “I call on leaders in Australia and around the world, to strongly condemn this vile act of terror and to combat the intolerable rise of anti-Jewish racism worldwide.”
Firefighters were summoned to the scene shortly after 4 a.m. Friday morning local time and found the Adass Israel synagogue completely engulfed in flames.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer with Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) Brayden Sinnamon told ABC Radio Melbourne, “FRV crews worked tirelessly to bring it under control and approximately 17 appliances and 60 firefighters were on scene.”
“Damage to the building is quite a lot, however crews worked amazingly to contain the fire so that no further damage was done to the extensions or other neighboring buildings,” Sinnamon added.
Two people were lightly injured in the blaze.
Police have said that the synagogue was significantly damaged and that a hate crime investigation has been opened.
Day 426 — Thursday, December 5
Six Israeli Hostages Found In August Were Executed By Hamas, Not Killed In Airstrike
The Israeli military on Wednesday revealed the results of a comprehensive probe into the deaths of six hostages whose bodies were recovered from the Gaza Strip in August.
The IDF told the hostages’ families that they were shot by Hamas terrorists fearing an impending IDF raid and not directly by Israeli bombardments, as the Hamas terrorist organization had claimed.
The bodies of Alex Dancyg (75), Yagev Buchshtab (35), Chaim Peri (79), Yoram Metzger (80), Nadav Popplewell (51), and Avraham Munder (78) were recovered by Israeli troops from a tunnel in Khan Younis in a night raid on Aug. 20.
Of the six hostages, only Munder had not yet been declared dead by the IDF at the time. Intelligence information led the military to declare Peri, Metzger, and Popplewell as deceased in June, while Dancyg and Buchshtab were confirmed dead by the IDF in late July.
The IDF was initially unable to determine the exact circumstances of their deaths.
On Wednesday, Army Radio reported that the investigation found that for the first months of the war, the hostages were held in a large tunnel dubbed “the kingdom” under Khan Younis, likely alongside other hostages and senior Hamas officials.
The IDF believes they were held there until the end of December or early January. During that time, military intelligence was aware of the presence of the hostages in the “kingdom” tunnel.
However, the six hostages were then transferred to a tunnel in the Hamad City neighborhood, some 4 km (2.5 miles) away, to stay clear of the IDF’s ground offensive into Khan Younis.
The army still doesn’t know whether the hostages were transferred there either above or below ground. At this point, the IDF had lost contact with them and didn’t know about their new location.
The second tunnel was not meant for a longer stay but was built as a transit tunnel, very narrow, and similar in size to the tunnel where six other hostages were murdered in the Tel Sultan neighborhood in Rafah.
On Feb. 14, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) bombed targets in Hamad City, very close to the location of the then-unknown tunnel. The military clarified that there was no suspicion that hostages were being held near the targets at the time of the IAF strikes.
According to the investigation, the airstrikes were not due to a lack of judgment or care, had received all the required approvals, and were carried out in accordance with established procedures and orders.
The military estimates that the terrorists executed the hostages immediately after the airstrike, probably fearing an imminent IDF raid. However, Israeli forces arrived in the tunnel only in August, when they discovered the victims’ bodies with gunshot wounds.
Next to them, the bodies of six Hamas terrorists were found. The IDF estimates that in the six months that passed between February and August, other Hamas terrorists entered the same tunnel, but did not move the bodies to another location, believing the IDF would not find the tunnel.
Day 426 — Thursday, December 5
Israeli Foreign Ministry Slams Amnesty Int'l: The Genocidal Massacre Was Carried Out By Hamas
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday morning responded to allegations by Amnesty International that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza.
“The deplorable and fanatical organization Amnesty International has once again produced a fabricated report that is entirely false and based on lies,” a Foreign Ministry statement read.
“The genocidal massacre on October 7, 2023, was carried out by the Hamas terrorist organization against Israeli citizens.”
Amnesty’s 300-page report highlights what it claims were “direct deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructures where there was no Hamas presence or any other military objectives,” the use of wide-radius explosives in densely populated areas, the blockade of humanitarian aid, and the displacement of 90% of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.
The London-based organization stated that its findings were supported by “dehumanizing and genocidal statements by Israeli government and military officials,” satellite images of destruction, field investigations, and firsthand accounts from Gaza.
In a statement quoted by the AFP, Amnesty’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard said, “There is absolutely no doubt that Israel has military objectives. But the existence of military objectives does not negate the possibility of a genocidal intent.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry further stressed: “Israeli citizens have been subjected to daily attacks from seven different fronts. Israel is defending itself against these attacks acting fully in accordance with international law.”
Day 425 — Wednesday, December 4
In Policy Shift, Australia Backs UN Call For Israeli Pullout Back To Pre-1967 Borders
Australia on Tuesday voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza, breaking with its position of opposing the measure for two decades.
In a resolution passed by a 157-8 vote, with the United States and Israel among those voting no, and seven abstentions, the Assembly expressed “unwavering support, in accordance with international law, for the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine.”
The Assembly said the two states should be “living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, based on the pre-1967 borders.”
It called for a high-level international meeting in New York in June 2025, to be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
The last time Australia voted for the resolution was in 2001.
“On our own, Australia has few ways to move the dial in the Middle East. Our only hope is working within the international community to push for an end to the cycle of violence and work toward a two-state solution,” the spokesperson said.
Australia’s Opposition Leader Peter Dutton slammed the government’s change in policy, charging that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had “sold out” the country’s Jewish community for progressive voters.
“The best we can do for peace in the Middle East is defeat Hamas and Hezbollah and make sure their proxy in Iran does not strike with nuclear weapons, or through the Houthis, or others they are funding because innocent women and children are losing their lives,” he told reporters in Sydney.
In May it voted for a resolution recognizing the Palestinians as qualified to become a full UN member and recommending that the UN Security Council consider the matter, while last month it backed a resolution recognizing “permanent sovereignty of the Palestinians” in the West Bank and Gaza.
Day 425 — Wednesday, December 4
Syria: Israeli Strike Kills Hezbollah Rep To Assad’s Army
An Israeli strike in Syria killed Salman Nemer Jamaa, Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s terrorist representative to the Syrian military, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a statement on Tuesday night.
“As part of his role, Jamaa was responsible for coordinating between Hezbollah operatives and the Syrian military, including supporting weapons smuggling from Syria to Hezbollah,” the IDF stated.
The senior terrorist stood in “close contact” with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, according to the Israeli military statement.
Syrian state media reported earlier on Tuesday that the IDF had carried out an airstrike against a vehicle on the road to Damascus International Airport. An Israeli official confirmed the Damascus strike to Kan News.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based organization associated with the Syrian opposition that maintains a network of sources in Syria, reported that an Israeli drone strike resulted in one death and one injury.
The Israeli Air Force on Saturday attacked terrorist infrastructure along the Syria-Lebanon border that according to Israel Hezbollah was “actively using” to smuggle arms.
“The strike was conducted after identifying the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah from Syria to Lebanon, even after the ceasefire agreement, constituting a threat to the State of Israel and a violation of the terms of the truce,” the Israel Defense Forces said.
Hours before the ceasefire went into effect, Israel for the first time carried out airstrikes targeting Lebanon’s three northern border crossings with Syria, according to Reuters, which cited Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh.
Syrian state media reported six killed and 12 wounded in the attacks, in addition to “significant material damage.”
The IDF confirmed on Nov. 27 that it had struck Hezbollah smuggling routes between Syria and Lebanon.
Day 424 — Tuesday, December 3
Trump Issues Stern Warning To Hamas: 'All Hell To Pay' If Hostages Not Released Before His Inauguration
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump warned on Monday that there will be “ALL HELL TO PAY” if the hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza are not released by the time he enters the Oval Office on Jan. 20.
Trump posted on Truth Social two days after Hamas released a propaganda video featuring U.S.-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander urging the president-elect to secure his release.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social social media platform.
“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity,” he stated.
“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!” he added.
Trump began issuing warnings to the Hamas terrorist organization in July, during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“I tell you this, we want our hostages back,” he said, “And they better be back before I assume office, or you will be paying a very big price.”
The renewed threat comes after ongoing failed attempts by the Biden administration to secure a deal that would end the war in Gaza and free the 97 remaining hostages who were taken captive on Oct. 7, 2023, during the worst attack on the Jewish people in one day since the Holocaust.
After the Biden administration brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon last week, there have been renewed diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas before U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office.
However, the Biden administration stated that Hamas has yet to indicate a willingness to enter into any negotiations and seems unconcerned with their own lives or the lives of the hostages.
The families of the hostages met with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan last month, urging the Biden administration and Trump’s transition team to work together to secure a hostage deal before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025.
Trump’s warning follows the confirmation on Monday that U.S.-Israeli Omer Neutra, who was believed to be alive and held hostage in Gaza, had already been murdered during Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack.
The terror group continues to hold 97 of the 251 hostages taken captive on Oct. 7, with Israeli officials estimating that 33 of them have been killed.
Day 424 — Tuesday, December 3
IDF Launches Wave Of Strikes In Lebanon After Hezbollah Mortar Attack
The Israeli military launched a wave of airstrikes in Lebanon on Monday evening after Hezbollah launched two mortars at the Mount Dov area for the first time since the ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group took effect last week.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said fighter jets struck Hezbollah operatives and dozens of rocket launchers and facilities belonging to the terror group across Lebanon.
Hezbollah claimed earlier on Monday that it launched the mortars in response to Israel’s “repeated violations” of the ceasefire deal that took effect last week, and said that it should serve as an “initial warning” over IDF strikes on Lebanon during the truce and the “continued violation of Lebanese airspace by hostile Israeli aircraft.”
The incident — the first fire from Lebanon since the start of the truce — came after the US and France both reportedly warned that Israel was violating parts of the deal, a charge Israel has denied.
The IDF said that the projectiles landed in open areas and did not cause any injuries.
Senior Israeli officials were quick to condemn the Hezbollah attack, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing a firm response.
“Hezbollah’s firing at Mount Dov constitutes a serious violation of the ceasefire, and Israel will respond forcefully,” he said in a statement. “We are determined to continue to enforce the ceasefire, and to respond to any violation by Hezbollah — a minor one will be treated like a major one.”Defense Minister Israel Katz also warned of a “harsh response,” writing on X that Israel “promised to act against any violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah, and that is exactly what we will do.”
In addition to the Hezbollah operatives, rocket launchers, and facilities targeted by fighter jets, the IDF said it struck the launcher used to fire the two mortars at Mount Dov. The site was hit a short while after the attack, according to the army.
“Hezbollah’s launches tonight constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF said in a statement.
“The State of Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfill their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah’s hostile activity from within Lebanese territory. The State of Israel remains obligated to the fulfillment of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon,” the army added.
Day 423 — Monday, December 2
Jerusalem Monitoring Rebels’ Advance In Syria, Netanyahu Says
Jerusalem is constantly monitoring the situation in Syria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, after Sunni jihadist rebels over the weekend took control of Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city.
“We are determined to both protect the vital interests of the State of Israel and preserve the achievements of the war,” Netanyahu told Israel Defense Forces recruits at the Tel Hashomer induction center in Ramat Gan.
The premier scheduled a special discussion regarding the developments in Syria, set to take place on Sunday night. The meeting was to also focus on the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Jerusalem is treating the rebels’ and jihadists’ advances in Syria with caution, with intelligence warning that the developments could ultimately spell trouble for the Jewish state.
Intelligence chiefs cautioned that the possible collapse of the regime led by President Bashar Assad had the potential to create a situation of turmoil in which threats against Israel could develop.
Meanwhile, Syrian rebel fighter Suhail Mohammed Hamoud (“Abu TOW”)—a member of the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army—told Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster on Saturday that Jerusalem should “worry about Iran and Hezbollah. We’re taking care of them.” He added, “Brother, you should be afraid of Bashar al-Assad, Iran and Hezbollah” rather than the Sunni rebels.
Syrian opposition forces stormed the Iranian consulate in Aleppo as part of their advance into the city, Tehran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Saturday, after footage on social media showed fighters in the building.
The lightning offensive marked the first time that Aleppo fell from Damascus’s control since the start of the civil war in 2011.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed on Saturday that the rebels’ surprise offensive was part of “a plot by the Israeli regime and the U.S. to undermine regional security,” Iran’s IRNA broadcaster reported.
In a call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Araghchi urged “enhanced cooperation among Iran, Russia and regional countries, particularly Syria’s neighbors, to thwart this conspiracy,” the report continued.
Araghchi touched down in Damascus on Sunday in a show of support for the Assad regime, the Iran International opposition outlet reported.
Day 423 — Monday, December 2
Hostage Omer Maxim Neutra Announced Dead In Gaza Captivity
The IDF on Monday confirmed that Capt. Omer Neutra, 21, died on October 7, 2023, and his body was taken by Hamas back to the Gaza Strip.
New intelligence information that came to light allowed a special military commission of rabbis, scientists, and lawyers to finally confirm his death around 14 months later, despite long-standing suspicions that he was dead.
Neutra was a lone soldier from New York, serving as a tank platoon commander in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Brigade.
He was abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7 along with members of his tank crew, tank gunner Nimrod Cohen from Rehovot, who is currently detained in Gaza, tank loader Oz Daniel from Kfar Saba, and driver Shaked Dahan from Afula, who the IDF has confirmed as killed in Hamas captivity.
On Sunday, Neutra’s parents spoke with The Jerusalem Post with regard to the possibility of a hostage deal under a Trump candidacy.
“We’re just hoping that he uses his leverage. You know, each side has their own leverages,” Orna Neutra, Omer’s mother, said, adding, “We’re hoping that the combined effort will finally make something move.”
Day 423 — Monday, December 2
Analysis — War In Israel: A Battle Waged Between Those Who Value Life And Those That Worship Of Death
Just like the Israeli settlers of Gaza in 1946, the entire State of Israel is full of those who bought and restored barren land. The prophet Ezekiel wrote “They will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited’” (Ezekiel 36:35). Land was purchased and cultivated, swamps were drained, streams rerouted, and cities renewed. Life was brought back to this forgotten land.
I once stood with a group at a kibbutz in northern Israel on the border of Lebanon and Syria. Our guide showed us the boundaries of Israel, Syria, and Lebanon by pointing out the brown, arid landscape on the Lebanese and Syrian side and the green, lush vegetation on the Israeli side. Israelis call the line separating the two sides the “Green Line,” crafted in 1949 as a line of demarcation that briefly served as Israel’s de facto international border. While it earned its name for the green ink diplomats used to mark the map, it’s also appropriately named because it delineates where Israel’s green land begins. Although God “sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), His blessing on the land of Israel is apparent. The difference between Gaza and southern Israel appears eerily similar.
Israel desires to bring life back to the once-fertile land. Yet their neighbors seem to focus only on the Jewish people’s destruction.
The day after October 7, 2023, Ali Baraka, a senior Hamas official, said on national television, “The Israelis are known to love life. We, on the other hand, sacrifice ourselves. We consider our dead to be martyrs.” Hamas hoped it could use Israelis’ hope for peace and love for life against them. The hate Hamas cultivated inside of Gaza manifested on October 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 innocent Israelis and migrant workers from other countries. Why? Because it hates the Jewish people and believes the land they bought and cultivated for decades belongs to Palestinians. Stripping away deceptive media and emotion, we see Israel grow in love and Hamas in hate.
Day 422 — Sunday, December 1
'Cruel Psychological Warfare': Hamas Releases Footage of Israeli-American Hostage In Apparent Effort To Pressure A Ceasefire
A proof-of-life video that Hamas released of the American-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander, 20, whom the terror group is holding hostage in Gaza, is “cruel psychological warfare,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Saturday night.
Netanyahu told Alexander’s family on Saturday evening that “he feels the suffering that Edan and the hostages and their families are enduring,” and the prime minister “promised that Israel is determined to take every action to bring them back home, together with all of the hostages held by the enemy,” his office stated.
Sean Savett, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, stated that the video, which runs about three-and-a-half minutes, “is a cruel reminder of Hamas’s terror against citizens of multiple countries, including our own.”
“We have been in touch with Edan’s family. The war in Gaza would stop tomorrow and the suffering of Gazans would end immediately—and would have ended months ago—if Hamas agreed to release the hostages,“ Savett stated.
Mark Dubowitz, the CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote that Trump “has a chance to make history.“
“In his first term, he excelled at bringing hostages home. Acting now could save lives and begin his second term with a monumental achievement,“ Dubowitz stated. “This may be the final opportunity to free the hostages. Time is of the essence.”
Some publications posted the video, which appears to show Alexander in distress and asking both Netanyahu and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to negotiate for his release. It also seems to show him crying and saying that anti-government protesters should take to Israeli streets.
Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst at FDD, wrote that “Hamas released hostage footage of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander, where he asks Israelis to pressure the government to accept a ceasefire.”
“Hamas knows when to activate levers to pressure the Israeli government,“ Truzman wrote. “Now that there is some reported movement on ceasefire talks, Hamas propaganda has published this footage. Unfortunately, there will likely be more.”
Day 421 — Saturday, November 30
IDF Says Jets Hit Syrian Military Infrastructure Being Used By Hezbollah To Smuggle Arms
Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck Syrian military infrastructure near border crossings between Syria and Lebanon earlier today, which the IDF says were being “actively” used by Hezbollah to transfer weapons.
“This strike was carried out following the identification of the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah from Syria to Lebanon, even after the ceasefire agreement, and constitutes a threat to the State of Israel, in violation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement,” the military says in a statement.
The IDF accuses Hezbollah, with the support of the Syrian regime, of using civilian border crossings to bring weapons into Lebanon.
Israel has vowed to prevent all weapon transfers to Hezbollah amid the ceasefire.
“The IDF will continue to act to remove any threat to the State of Israel that violates the terms of the ceasefire agreement,” the military adds.
Day 421 — Saturday, November 30
Anti-Israel Protests Disrupt Black Friday Shopping; Biden Exits Store Clutching Anti-Israel Book
Even as anti-Israel protests disrupted Black Friday shopping — all over the United States and beyond — outgoing President Joe Biden was seen exiting a Nantucket bookstore with an anti-Israel volume clutched in his arms.
The protests were documented in several cities across the country — everywhere from Boston and New York City to Chicago and Seattle — where they blocked traffic on the streets and harassed shoppers in local malls.
“Bombs are dropping, why are you shopping?” protesters demanded as customers attempted to find their post-Thanksgiving deals in New York City’s Columbus Circle.
“Protesters blocked traffic for an hour on the Magnificent Mile on Black Friday to highlight the ongoing war in Gaza to holiday shoppers and to call for boycotts of major retailers that do business in Israel,” The Chicago Sun-Times reported.
“Protest at the Apple store in U Village, the store has now shut down on Black Friday and protestors say they’ve been trespassed and told if they don’t leave they will be arrested,” KOMO News reporter Lynnanne Nguyen reported.
Protesters also hit the streets in Santa Monica, California.
“Happening now: Pro-Hamas protesters led by USPCN are marching in the streets of Chicago to disturb Black Friday shopping screaming about boycotting Apple while using their iPhones… Can’t make this up folks!” Angela Van Der Pluym posted.
Protesters also swarmed Boston’s Copley Mall.
The protests also stretched outside the United States, reaching Montreal, Canada, and even London.
Meanwhile, a vacationing President Biden was seen leaving Nantucket Bookworks clutching a copy of “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017.”
The book’s author, Columbia University professor emeritus Rashid Khalidi, responded to the news by telling The New York Post, “I do not speak to the Post (or the Times for that matter), so this is not for publication, but my reaction is that this is 4 years too late.”
As The Post noted, the outlet “did not offer or agree to any terms conditioning that response as off the record or on background.”
Khalidi’s book posits that “the modern history of Palestine can best be understood in these terms: as a colonial war waged against the indigenous population, by a variety of parties, to force them to relinquish their homeland to another people against their will.”
Khalidi himself has also lashed out at President-elect Donald Trump, claiming that during his first term in the White House, he was effectively an Israeli “mouthpiece.”
Day 427 — Friday, December 6
'Time To Stop Playing Into Anti-Israel Propaganda': Cotton Introduces Bill To Ban Federal Use Of The Term ‘West Bank’
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced legislation on Thursday that would ban the federal government from using the term “West Bank” and instead use Judea and Samaria, the terminology preferred by Israel.
Formally titled the “Retiring the Egregious Confusion Over the Genuine Name of Israel’s Zone of Influence by Necessitating Government-use of Judea and Samaria (RECOGNIZING Judea and Samaria) Act,” the bill would prohibit government funds from being used to describe “the land annexed by Israel from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War” as the “West Bank,” except in international treaties and agreements.
“The Jewish people’s legal and historic rights to Judea and Samaria goes back thousands of years,” Cotton said. “The U.S. should stop using the politically charged term West Bank to refer to the biblical heartland of Israel.”
In a social-media post, he added that using the term “West Bank” is “a slap in the face to historical truth.”
“It’s time to call this region by its rightful name and stop playing into anti-Israel propaganda,” he said.
The Kingdom of Jordan promulgated the term after the 1948 Israeli War of Independence to describe the territory it controlled west of the Jordan River. Since the Six-Day War in June 1967, when Israel captured those territories, it has governed them as Judea and Samaria, and annexed the former eastern Jerusalem into the unified Jerusalem District.
The use of “West Bank” as opposed to Judea and Samaria is often viewed as a proxy for Palestinian and Israeli territorial claims and has also become a partisan issue in the United States, with many Republicans favoring Judea and Samaria while many Democrats using the phrase “West Bank.”
David Friedman, who served as U.S. ambassador to Israel in the first Trump administration, welcomed Cotton’s legislation on Thursday.
“Thank you, Tom Cotton, for standing with Israel, recognizing its biblical heritage and supporting one Jewish state,” he wrote.
The co-sponsors of the House companion version of the bill also touted Cotton introducing it in the Senate.
“Words matter,” wrote Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.). “It’s not ‘the West Bank.’ It’s ‘Judea and Samaria.’”
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), who introduced the House version of the bill in February, said that it reaffirmed Israel’s “undeniable and indisputable historical and legal claim over Judea and Samaria.”
“This bill reaffirms Israel’s rightful claim to its territory,” she wrote. “I remain committed to defending the integrity of the Jewish state and fully supporting Israel’s sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.”
Day 427 — Friday, December 6
Melbourne Synagogue Arson: Pres. Herzog Calls World Leaders To 'Condemn Vile Act Of Terror'
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Friday morning responded to an arson attack on the Adass Israel in synagogue in Melbourne, Australia.
“I spoke this morning, with President of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Liebler, and expressed my deep sorrow and the support and solidarity of all the Israeli people for the Jewish community following the abhorrent antisemitic arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne,” Herzog said in a statement.
“I was moved to hear how the entire community is standing united and strong in the face of this terrible attack and the wave of antisemitism they are experiencing.”
He urged, “I call on leaders in Australia and around the world, to strongly condemn this vile act of terror and to combat the intolerable rise of anti-Jewish racism worldwide.”
Firefighters were summoned to the scene shortly after 4 a.m. Friday morning local time and found the Adass Israel synagogue completely engulfed in flames.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer with Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) Brayden Sinnamon told ABC Radio Melbourne, “FRV crews worked tirelessly to bring it under control and approximately 17 appliances and 60 firefighters were on scene.”
“Damage to the building is quite a lot, however crews worked amazingly to contain the fire so that no further damage was done to the extensions or other neighboring buildings,” Sinnamon added.
Two people were lightly injured in the blaze.
Police have said that the synagogue was significantly damaged and that a hate crime investigation has been opened.
Day 426 — Thursday, December 5
Six Israeli Hostages Found In August Were Executed By Hamas, Not Killed In Airstrike
The Israeli military on Wednesday revealed the results of a comprehensive probe into the deaths of six hostages whose bodies were recovered from the Gaza Strip in August.
The IDF told the hostages’ families that they were shot by Hamas terrorists fearing an impending IDF raid and not directly by Israeli bombardments, as the Hamas terrorist organization had claimed.
The bodies of Alex Dancyg (75), Yagev Buchshtab (35), Chaim Peri (79), Yoram Metzger (80), Nadav Popplewell (51), and Avraham Munder (78) were recovered by Israeli troops from a tunnel in Khan Younis in a night raid on Aug. 20.
Of the six hostages, only Munder had not yet been declared dead by the IDF at the time. Intelligence information led the military to declare Peri, Metzger, and Popplewell as deceased in June, while Dancyg and Buchshtab were confirmed dead by the IDF in late July.
The IDF was initially unable to determine the exact circumstances of their deaths.
On Wednesday, Army Radio reported that the investigation found that for the first months of the war, the hostages were held in a large tunnel dubbed “the kingdom” under Khan Younis, likely alongside other hostages and senior Hamas officials.
The IDF believes they were held there until the end of December or early January. During that time, military intelligence was aware of the presence of the hostages in the “kingdom” tunnel.
However, the six hostages were then transferred to a tunnel in the Hamad City neighborhood, some 4 km (2.5 miles) away, to stay clear of the IDF’s ground offensive into Khan Younis.
The army still doesn’t know whether the hostages were transferred there either above or below ground. At this point, the IDF had lost contact with them and didn’t know about their new location.
The second tunnel was not meant for a longer stay but was built as a transit tunnel, very narrow, and similar in size to the tunnel where six other hostages were murdered in the Tel Sultan neighborhood in Rafah.
On Feb. 14, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) bombed targets in Hamad City, very close to the location of the then-unknown tunnel. The military clarified that there was no suspicion that hostages were being held near the targets at the time of the IAF strikes.
According to the investigation, the airstrikes were not due to a lack of judgment or care, had received all the required approvals, and were carried out in accordance with established procedures and orders.
The military estimates that the terrorists executed the hostages immediately after the airstrike, probably fearing an imminent IDF raid. However, Israeli forces arrived in the tunnel only in August, when they discovered the victims’ bodies with gunshot wounds.
Next to them, the bodies of six Hamas terrorists were found. The IDF estimates that in the six months that passed between February and August, other Hamas terrorists entered the same tunnel, but did not move the bodies to another location, believing the IDF would not find the tunnel.
Day 426 — Thursday, December 5
Israeli Foreign Ministry Slams Amnesty Int'l: The Genocidal Massacre Was Carried Out By Hamas
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday morning responded to allegations by Amnesty International that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza.
“The deplorable and fanatical organization Amnesty International has once again produced a fabricated report that is entirely false and based on lies,” a Foreign Ministry statement read.
“The genocidal massacre on October 7, 2023, was carried out by the Hamas terrorist organization against Israeli citizens.”
Amnesty’s 300-page report highlights what it claims were “direct deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructures where there was no Hamas presence or any other military objectives,” the use of wide-radius explosives in densely populated areas, the blockade of humanitarian aid, and the displacement of 90% of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.
The London-based organization stated that its findings were supported by “dehumanizing and genocidal statements by Israeli government and military officials,” satellite images of destruction, field investigations, and firsthand accounts from Gaza.
In a statement quoted by the AFP, Amnesty’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard said, “There is absolutely no doubt that Israel has military objectives. But the existence of military objectives does not negate the possibility of a genocidal intent.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry further stressed: “Israeli citizens have been subjected to daily attacks from seven different fronts. Israel is defending itself against these attacks acting fully in accordance with international law.”
Day 425 — Wednesday, December 4
In Policy Shift, Australia Backs UN Call For Israeli Pullout Back To Pre-1967 Borders
Australia on Tuesday voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza, breaking with its position of opposing the measure for two decades.
In a resolution passed by a 157-8 vote, with the United States and Israel among those voting no, and seven abstentions, the Assembly expressed “unwavering support, in accordance with international law, for the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine.”
The Assembly said the two states should be “living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, based on the pre-1967 borders.”
It called for a high-level international meeting in New York in June 2025, to be co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
The last time Australia voted for the resolution was in 2001.
“On our own, Australia has few ways to move the dial in the Middle East. Our only hope is working within the international community to push for an end to the cycle of violence and work toward a two-state solution,” the spokesperson said.
Australia’s Opposition Leader Peter Dutton slammed the government’s change in policy, charging that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had “sold out” the country’s Jewish community for progressive voters.
“The best we can do for peace in the Middle East is defeat Hamas and Hezbollah and make sure their proxy in Iran does not strike with nuclear weapons, or through the Houthis, or others they are funding because innocent women and children are losing their lives,” he told reporters in Sydney.
In May it voted for a resolution recognizing the Palestinians as qualified to become a full UN member and recommending that the UN Security Council consider the matter, while last month it backed a resolution recognizing “permanent sovereignty of the Palestinians” in the West Bank and Gaza.
Day 425 — Wednesday, December 4
Syria: Israeli Strike Kills Hezbollah Rep To Assad’s Army
An Israeli strike in Syria killed Salman Nemer Jamaa, Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s terrorist representative to the Syrian military, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a statement on Tuesday night.
“As part of his role, Jamaa was responsible for coordinating between Hezbollah operatives and the Syrian military, including supporting weapons smuggling from Syria to Hezbollah,” the IDF stated.
The senior terrorist stood in “close contact” with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, according to the Israeli military statement.
Syrian state media reported earlier on Tuesday that the IDF had carried out an airstrike against a vehicle on the road to Damascus International Airport. An Israeli official confirmed the Damascus strike to Kan News.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based organization associated with the Syrian opposition that maintains a network of sources in Syria, reported that an Israeli drone strike resulted in one death and one injury.
The Israeli Air Force on Saturday attacked terrorist infrastructure along the Syria-Lebanon border that according to Israel Hezbollah was “actively using” to smuggle arms.
“The strike was conducted after identifying the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah from Syria to Lebanon, even after the ceasefire agreement, constituting a threat to the State of Israel and a violation of the terms of the truce,” the Israel Defense Forces said.
Hours before the ceasefire went into effect, Israel for the first time carried out airstrikes targeting Lebanon’s three northern border crossings with Syria, according to Reuters, which cited Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamieh.
Syrian state media reported six killed and 12 wounded in the attacks, in addition to “significant material damage.”
The IDF confirmed on Nov. 27 that it had struck Hezbollah smuggling routes between Syria and Lebanon.
Day 424 — Tuesday, December 3
Trump Issues Stern Warning To Hamas: 'All Hell To Pay' If Hostages Not Released Before His Inauguration
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump warned on Monday that there will be “ALL HELL TO PAY” if the hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza are not released by the time he enters the Oval Office on Jan. 20.
Trump posted on Truth Social two days after Hamas released a propaganda video featuring U.S.-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander urging the president-elect to secure his release.
“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World, in the Middle East – But it’s all talk, and no action!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social social media platform.
“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity,” he stated.
“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!” he added.
Trump began issuing warnings to the Hamas terrorist organization in July, during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“I tell you this, we want our hostages back,” he said, “And they better be back before I assume office, or you will be paying a very big price.”
The renewed threat comes after ongoing failed attempts by the Biden administration to secure a deal that would end the war in Gaza and free the 97 remaining hostages who were taken captive on Oct. 7, 2023, during the worst attack on the Jewish people in one day since the Holocaust.
After the Biden administration brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon last week, there have been renewed diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas before U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office.
However, the Biden administration stated that Hamas has yet to indicate a willingness to enter into any negotiations and seems unconcerned with their own lives or the lives of the hostages.
The families of the hostages met with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan last month, urging the Biden administration and Trump’s transition team to work together to secure a hostage deal before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025.
Trump’s warning follows the confirmation on Monday that U.S.-Israeli Omer Neutra, who was believed to be alive and held hostage in Gaza, had already been murdered during Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack.
The terror group continues to hold 97 of the 251 hostages taken captive on Oct. 7, with Israeli officials estimating that 33 of them have been killed.
Day 424 — Tuesday, December 3
IDF Launches Wave Of Strikes In Lebanon After Hezbollah Mortar Attack
The Israeli military launched a wave of airstrikes in Lebanon on Monday evening after Hezbollah launched two mortars at the Mount Dov area for the first time since the ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group took effect last week.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said fighter jets struck Hezbollah operatives and dozens of rocket launchers and facilities belonging to the terror group across Lebanon.
Hezbollah claimed earlier on Monday that it launched the mortars in response to Israel’s “repeated violations” of the ceasefire deal that took effect last week, and said that it should serve as an “initial warning” over IDF strikes on Lebanon during the truce and the “continued violation of Lebanese airspace by hostile Israeli aircraft.”
The incident — the first fire from Lebanon since the start of the truce — came after the US and France both reportedly warned that Israel was violating parts of the deal, a charge Israel has denied.
The IDF said that the projectiles landed in open areas and did not cause any injuries.
Senior Israeli officials were quick to condemn the Hezbollah attack, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing a firm response.
“Hezbollah’s firing at Mount Dov constitutes a serious violation of the ceasefire, and Israel will respond forcefully,” he said in a statement. “We are determined to continue to enforce the ceasefire, and to respond to any violation by Hezbollah — a minor one will be treated like a major one.”Defense Minister Israel Katz also warned of a “harsh response,” writing on X that Israel “promised to act against any violation of the ceasefire by Hezbollah, and that is exactly what we will do.”
In addition to the Hezbollah operatives, rocket launchers, and facilities targeted by fighter jets, the IDF said it struck the launcher used to fire the two mortars at Mount Dov. The site was hit a short while after the attack, according to the army.
“Hezbollah’s launches tonight constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon,” the IDF said in a statement.
“The State of Israel demands that the relevant parties in Lebanon fulfill their responsibilities and prevent Hezbollah’s hostile activity from within Lebanese territory. The State of Israel remains obligated to the fulfillment of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon,” the army added.
Day 423 — Monday, December 2
Hostage Omer Maxim Neutra Announced Dead In Gaza Captivity
The IDF on Monday confirmed that Capt. Omer Neutra, 21, died on October 7, 2023, and his body was taken by Hamas back to the Gaza Strip.
New intelligence information that came to light allowed a special military commission of rabbis, scientists, and lawyers to finally confirm his death around 14 months later, despite long-standing suspicions that he was dead.
Neutra was a lone soldier from New York, serving as a tank platoon commander in the 77th Battalion of the 7th Brigade.
He was abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7 along with members of his tank crew, tank gunner Nimrod Cohen from Rehovot, who is currently detained in Gaza, tank loader Oz Daniel from Kfar Saba, and driver Shaked Dahan from Afula, who the IDF has confirmed as killed in Hamas captivity.
On Sunday, Neutra’s parents spoke with The Jerusalem Post with regard to the possibility of a hostage deal under a Trump candidacy.
“We’re just hoping that he uses his leverage. You know, each side has their own leverages,” Orna Neutra, Omer’s mother, said, adding, “We’re hoping that the combined effort will finally make something move.”
Day 423 — Monday, December 2
Analysis — War In Israel: A Battle Waged Between Those Who Value Life And Those That Worship Of Death
Just like the Israeli settlers of Gaza in 1946, the entire State of Israel is full of those who bought and restored barren land. The prophet Ezekiel wrote “They will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited’” (Ezekiel 36:35). Land was purchased and cultivated, swamps were drained, streams rerouted, and cities renewed. Life was brought back to this forgotten land.
I once stood with a group at a kibbutz in northern Israel on the border of Lebanon and Syria. Our guide showed us the boundaries of Israel, Syria, and Lebanon by pointing out the brown, arid landscape on the Lebanese and Syrian side and the green, lush vegetation on the Israeli side. Israelis call the line separating the two sides the “Green Line,” crafted in 1949 as a line of demarcation that briefly served as Israel’s de facto international border. While it earned its name for the green ink diplomats used to mark the map, it’s also appropriately named because it delineates where Israel’s green land begins. Although God “sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), His blessing on the land of Israel is apparent. The difference between Gaza and southern Israel appears eerily similar.
Israel desires to bring life back to the once-fertile land. Yet their neighbors seem to focus only on the Jewish people’s destruction.
The day after October 7, 2023, Ali Baraka, a senior Hamas official, said on national television, “The Israelis are known to love life. We, on the other hand, sacrifice ourselves. We consider our dead to be martyrs.” Hamas hoped it could use Israelis’ hope for peace and love for life against them. The hate Hamas cultivated inside of Gaza manifested on October 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 innocent Israelis and migrant workers from other countries. Why? Because it hates the Jewish people and believes the land they bought and cultivated for decades belongs to Palestinians. Stripping away deceptive media and emotion, we see Israel grow in love and Hamas in hate.
Day 422 — Sunday, December 1
'Cruel Psychological Warfare': Hamas Releases Footage of Israeli-American Hostage In Apparent Effort To Pressure A Ceasefire
A proof-of-life video that Hamas released of the American-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander, 20, whom the terror group is holding hostage in Gaza, is “cruel psychological warfare,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Saturday night.
Netanyahu told Alexander’s family on Saturday evening that “he feels the suffering that Edan and the hostages and their families are enduring,” and the prime minister “promised that Israel is determined to take every action to bring them back home, together with all of the hostages held by the enemy,” his office stated.
Sean Savett, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, stated that the video, which runs about three-and-a-half minutes, “is a cruel reminder of Hamas’s terror against citizens of multiple countries, including our own.”
“We have been in touch with Edan’s family. The war in Gaza would stop tomorrow and the suffering of Gazans would end immediately—and would have ended months ago—if Hamas agreed to release the hostages,“ Savett stated.
Mark Dubowitz, the CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote that Trump “has a chance to make history.“
“In his first term, he excelled at bringing hostages home. Acting now could save lives and begin his second term with a monumental achievement,“ Dubowitz stated. “This may be the final opportunity to free the hostages. Time is of the essence.”
Some publications posted the video, which appears to show Alexander in distress and asking both Netanyahu and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to negotiate for his release. It also seems to show him crying and saying that anti-government protesters should take to Israeli streets.
Joe Truzman, a senior research analyst at FDD, wrote that “Hamas released hostage footage of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander, where he asks Israelis to pressure the government to accept a ceasefire.”
“Hamas knows when to activate levers to pressure the Israeli government,“ Truzman wrote. “Now that there is some reported movement on ceasefire talks, Hamas propaganda has published this footage. Unfortunately, there will likely be more.”
Day 421 — Saturday, November 30
IDF Says Jets Hit Syrian Military Infrastructure Being Used By Hezbollah To Smuggle Arms
Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck Syrian military infrastructure near border crossings between Syria and Lebanon earlier today, which the IDF says were being “actively” used by Hezbollah to transfer weapons.
“This strike was carried out following the identification of the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah from Syria to Lebanon, even after the ceasefire agreement, and constitutes a threat to the State of Israel, in violation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement,” the military says in a statement.
The IDF accuses Hezbollah, with the support of the Syrian regime, of using civilian border crossings to bring weapons into Lebanon.
Israel has vowed to prevent all weapon transfers to Hezbollah amid the ceasefire.
“The IDF will continue to act to remove any threat to the State of Israel that violates the terms of the ceasefire agreement,” the military adds.
Day 421 — Saturday, November 30
Anti-Israel Protests Disrupt Black Friday Shopping; Biden Exits Store Clutching Anti-Israel Book
Even as anti-Israel protests disrupted Black Friday shopping — all over the United States and beyond — outgoing President Joe Biden was seen exiting a Nantucket bookstore with an anti-Israel volume clutched in his arms.
The protests were documented in several cities across the country — everywhere from Boston and New York City to Chicago and Seattle — where they blocked traffic on the streets and harassed shoppers in local malls.
“Bombs are dropping, why are you shopping?” protesters demanded as customers attempted to find their post-Thanksgiving deals in New York City’s Columbus Circle.
“Protesters blocked traffic for an hour on the Magnificent Mile on Black Friday to highlight the ongoing war in Gaza to holiday shoppers and to call for boycotts of major retailers that do business in Israel,” The Chicago Sun-Times reported.
“Protest at the Apple store in U Village, the store has now shut down on Black Friday and protestors say they’ve been trespassed and told if they don’t leave they will be arrested,” KOMO News reporter Lynnanne Nguyen reported.
Protesters also hit the streets in Santa Monica, California.
“Happening now: Pro-Hamas protesters led by USPCN are marching in the streets of Chicago to disturb Black Friday shopping screaming about boycotting Apple while using their iPhones… Can’t make this up folks!” Angela Van Der Pluym posted.
Protesters also swarmed Boston’s Copley Mall.
The protests also stretched outside the United States, reaching Montreal, Canada, and even London.
Meanwhile, a vacationing President Biden was seen leaving Nantucket Bookworks clutching a copy of “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonial Conquest and Resistance, 1917-2017.”
The book’s author, Columbia University professor emeritus Rashid Khalidi, responded to the news by telling The New York Post, “I do not speak to the Post (or the Times for that matter), so this is not for publication, but my reaction is that this is 4 years too late.”
As The Post noted, the outlet “did not offer or agree to any terms conditioning that response as off the record or on background.”
Khalidi’s book posits that “the modern history of Palestine can best be understood in these terms: as a colonial war waged against the indigenous population, by a variety of parties, to force them to relinquish their homeland to another people against their will.”
Khalidi himself has also lashed out at President-elect Donald Trump, claiming that during his first term in the White House, he was effectively an Israeli “mouthpiece.”
