Day 392 — Friday, November 1

Naim Qassem, chosen the week to replace Hassan Nasrallah at the helm of the jihadist terror organization Hezbollah, delivered his first speech as leader of the group on Wednesday evening, promising to “remain on the path of war” against Israel and threatening to the genocidal removal of the Israeli people from their country.

Qassem used his first address to honor both Nasrallah, who led the Iran-backed terrorists in Lebanon for decades, and Yahya Sinwar, the slain mass murderer who led Hamas this summer after former Hamas “political” leader Ismail Haniyeh died in an explosion in Tehran.

Qassem dismissed the reality that the current war between Israel and Hamas was triggered by the jihadist terrorists invading Israel and massacring 1,200 people, insisting that Israel’s existence was itself a provocation: “Have we forgotten 75 years of killing Palestinians, displacing them, seizing the land and sanctities, and committing massacres?”

He also insisted that Hezbollah was in fighting shape and prepared for a prolonged war against Israel despite its high-profile losses in the past four months, including both top leaders and a vast network of associated targeted in what was believed to be an Israeli attack weaponizing pagers, walkie-talkies, and other low-technology communications devices. Hezbollah also lost one of its main coordination centers to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrikes in Lebanon, where Hassan Nasrallah is believed to have met his demise.

The leadership council of Hezbollah announced this week that Qassem would take over as “secretary general” of the terrorist organization. He is a second choice to replace Nasrallah. Hezbollah initially announced Nasrallah’s cousin, Hashem Safieddine, as the leader’s replacement after he died in a September airstrike, but Safieddine, Israeli authorities confirmed weeks later, also died in an airstrike in early October. Qassem has been described as a founding member of Hezbollah but takes the job with less religious clout than the other two leaders, as he does not appear to claim to be a direct descendant of Muhammad.

In his remarks on Wednesday, Qassem insisted, “We will continue to implement the war plan laid out by Seyed Nasrallah, and we will remain on the path of war within established political directions.”

“You will surely be defeated because the land is ours, and our people are united around us. Leave our land to reduce your losses, or you will pay an unprecedented price,” Qassem said, addressing Israel and its ally, the United States.

The Hezbollah chief praised Nasrallah for his decades of terrorist activities and commanded his jihadis not to be discouraged by his death.

“They wanted our secretary general’s killing to defeat our spirit of resistance and shatter our will to fight. But his blood continues to boil in our veins and strengthens our determination,” he vowed. “We fight on our land and liberate our occupied territory; no one asks us for anything, nor does anyone impose anything upon us.”

Qassem described Israel’s counterterrorism operations, which have expanded into Lebanon after Hezbollah invaded northern Israel and displaced tens of thousands of people, as a “global war … American, European, and global in nature” seeking to eliminate “resistance,” by which he meant genocidal Islamist terror movements.

Multiple media outlets outside of Iranian and pro-Hezbollah propaganda focused in their reports on the speech on the fact that Qassem appeared to contemplate the potential of a ceasefire with Israel. Qassem mentioned it as a possibility only in the event that Israel concedes all of Hezbollah’s demands, which appear to include the elimination of the Israeli state.

“If the Israelis decide that they want to stop the aggression, we say we accept, but under the conditions that we see as appropriate and suitable,” Qassem said. “Get out of our land to reduce your losses. If you stay, you will pay more than you have ever paid in your life.”

“We will not beg for a ceasefire,” he added emphatically.

Despite Qassem’s bluster, Hezbollah has seen its terrorist capabilities significantly reduced in the past year. The fact that Qassem’s speech appears to have been pre-recorded and designed to make it impossible to identify his location indicates that Hezbollah leaders are taking Israel’s threats to eliminate him seriously, particularly given how much of its leadership structure Jerusalem has dismantled recently. The September detonations of hundreds of electronics – including pagers Hezbollah used to avoid wiretapping, walkie-talkies, mobile phones, laptops, and other devices – targeted high- and middle-ranking Hezbollah terrorists, as well as complicating the terrorists’ ability to remotely communicate.

Airstrikes targeting key Hezbollah assets reduced the terrorists’ rocket capacity to 20 percent of what it was before the war, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday.

“His tenure in this position may be the shortest in the history of this terrorist organization,” the Israeli government said in a statement this week following Qassem’s appointment, “if he follows in the footsteps of his predecessors Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine. There is no solution in Lebanon except to dismantle this organization as a military force.”

Breitbart

Day 391 — Thursday, October 31

Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel killed seven people in agricultural fields near Metula and Haifa Thursday, marking what appeared to be the deadliest day in months for civilians inside Israel.

“Hezbollah rockets killed 7 innocent civilians inside Israel today. We will not let Hezbollah’s deadly attacks go unanswered,” the IDF warned on X.

The deaths, which raised the number of civilians killed in the last year of cross-border attacks on northern Israel to 39, were likely to loom large in meetings between Israeli officials and US mediators hoping to end over a month of fighting, as the military continued to expand its strikes on Hezbollah sites deep inside Lebanon.

Authorities said five people working in an apple orchard near the border town of Metula were killed when a rocket fired from Lebanon struck them late Thursday morning.

Another person was seriously wounded in the attack.

The victims were all agricultural laborers who had been working in the orchard at the time of the strike. One was an Israeli citizen, while the others were foreign nationals.

The Israeli was named by Kibbutz Dafna as Omer Weinstein, a member of the community.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a short statement that two rockets had been fired from Lebanon at the Metula area, and said the details of the incident were being examined.

Hours later, two more people were killed while in an olive grove outside the Haifa suburb of Kiryat Ata as Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at the area, authorities said.

The two, described as a woman in her 60s and a man in his 30s, were killed by falling shrapnel, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service.

Hebrew media reports described the two as a mother and son who had been harvesting olives when the rocket hit. They were named in reports as Mina Hasson, 60, and Karmi Hasson, 21, from the Arab-majority city of Shfaram.

Rescuers found the pair in a field near Gilam junction, along with a man in his 70s, who was hospitalized with light injuries.

Buses and cars at the busy intersection were strafed by shrapnel, but no other major injuries were reported.

According to the IDF, Hezbollah fired some 25 rockets at the Haifa region and other parts of the north in the attack. “Some were shot down and some fell in the area,” the IDF said.

The death toll for a single day of cross-border fire was among the highest since Hezbollah began lobbing rockets and drones into northern Israel on October 8, 2023.

It appeared to mark the deadliest day for northern Israel since fighting intensified last month and since a July 27 Hezbollah rocket attack that killed 12 children at a park in the Druze town of Majdal Shams.

Times Of Israel

Day 391 — Thursday, October 31

A French court ruled on Wednesday that Israeli companies will be allowed to participate in the French Euronaval World Defence Exhibition, a major international naval defense exhibit. The ruling overturned a decision by the government of French President Emmanuel Macron, which banned Israeli defense companies from exhibiting at the event being held near Paris during the first week of November.

The Paris Commercial Court said the French government’s decision does not comply with the rules of the free market in the European Union and is contrary to the principles of equality and non-discrimination.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz welcomed the court’s decision, posting on 𝕏: “Congratulations to the Israeli petitioners in the French court on their significant victory against the unjust and undemocratic decision by the French government to prevent Israeli companies from participating in the @SalonEuronaval exhibition. This outcome, achieved in part through the legal and diplomatic efforts of the Foreign Ministry, is a critical win for justice and a clear message against attempts to weaken Israel in its fight against forces of evil.”

The petition to the court was filed by the Manufacturers Association of Israel, the Israel-France Chamber of Commerce and representatives of major Israeli defense firms that were slated to present at the expo.

Back in June, France denied 74 Israeli companies access to the world’s largest defense arms exhibit, Eurosatory 2024.

Dr. Ron Tomer, president of the Manufacturers Association, said: “No government or organizing body will stop us and to the extent that there are such attempts in the future, we will make it clear to everyone that MADE IN ISRAEL will continue to be proudly displayed at international exhibitions and conferences.”

Earlier this month, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called Macron’s decision a “disgrace to the French nation and the values of the free world.”

He wrote on 𝕏: “The decision to discriminate against Israeli defense industries in France a second time aids Israel’s enemies during war. This builds on the decision to place an arms embargo on the Jewish State. France has adopted, and is consistently implementing a hostile policy towards the Jewish people. We will continue defending our nation against enemies on 7 different fronts, and fighting for our future – with or without France.”

On Oct. 5, Macron called for an arms embargo on Israel and urged the pursuit of a political solution to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted Macron’s remarks as a “disgrace” in a video message to Western world leaders. 

“Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies?” Netanyahu asked. “Of course not. This axis of terror stands together.” 

On Tuesday, a report published on Ynet News highlighted further evidence of the French government’s bias against Israel, noting that more than 200 French companies showcased at the Euronaval tradeshow are known licensed suppliers for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval forces and the Iranian coast guard.

Notably, some of these French firms were conducting business with Iranian companies that are restricted under U.S. sanctions.

All Israel News

Day 391 — Thursday, October 31

Israel’s envoy to the United Nations on Tuesday hit back against criticism of Jerusalem’s outlawing of the scandal-plagued United Nations Relieve and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Speaking at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, Ambassador Danny Danon said, “In the last year, we have exposed UNRWA in Gaza as a terrorist front camouflaged as a humanitarian agency,” adding, “Its payroll resembles a most-wanted list, rather than an aid organization.”

The meeting was the Security Council’s quarterly open debate on the Israeli-Palestinian file, with some 50 countries participating.

Many took Israel to task for the Knesset’s passage on Monday of a pair of laws that effectively end UNRWA’s presence in Israel, and strip its employees of their diplomatic privileges.

UNRWA, the U.N.’s Palestinian-only aid and social services agency, has long been accused of ties to Gazan terror organizations. A number of UNRWA staff have been found to have participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas onslaught on Israel.

In recent weeks, UNRWA acknowledged that Fathi al-Sharif, the Hamas commander in Lebanon, killed in an Israeli airstrike, was a UNRWA school principal and chief of the UNRWA teachers’ union.

Mohammad Abu Itiwi, a UNRWA driver in Gaza and a Hamas commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last week in a U.N. vehicle, was shown to have led a slaughter of civilians on Oct. 7, 2023 at a bomb shelter in southern Israel. Despite this, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres still referred to Abu Itiwi as a “colleague” upon his death, a sentiment Danon denounced on Tuesday.

“Abu Itiwi led his men in murdering almost all of the young people hiding in the shelter and kidnapping the survivors,” Danon told the council. “A U.N. paycheck was waiting for him in his letter box when he went back to Gaza.”

Danon also chastised the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the U.N.’s peacekeeping mission along the Israeli-Lebanese border, for “neglecting its reporting obligations” for two decades, following the presentation of Israeli evidence, including that collected in the current conflict, of massive Hezbollah military presence within UNIFIL’s operating area.

JNS

Day 390 — Wednesday, October 30

The Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah announced on Wednesday that it had selected a new leader to succeed Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September.

The new leader, Naim Qassem, had served for decades as Nasrallah’s second in command. He has also served as a major spokesman for the group this year as Hezbollah’s conflict with Israel has grown more severe.

Nasrallah was killed on Sept. 27, and the man considered his most likely successor, Hashem Safieddine, was killed in another strike just weeks later.

Israel wasted no time in threatening Qassem and calling on him to cease hostilities in a statement.

“His tenure in this position may be the shortest in the history of this terrorist organization if he follows in the footsteps of his predecessors Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine,” the Israeli government’s Arabic account wrote on X.

“There is no solution in Lebanon except to dismantle this organization as a military force,” it added.

Fox News

Day 390 — Wednesday, October 30

A troubling wave of antisemitism has surfaced in France, where a Jewish resident is enduring persistent threats in a building already marked by tragedy. Nancy is facing relentless antisemitic harassment, including death threats and Nazi symbols, in the same building where 85-year-old Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll was murdered in 2018. Nancy has already filed multiple police reports.

The harassment has escalated in recent weeks, with perpetrators defacing the building’s common areas with swastikas and targeting Nancy’s personal space. Her door and mailbox have been vandalized with antisemitic death threats, some written in Arabic, while Nazi symbols and Stars of David have been scrawled across the corridor. French news channel BFM brought the case to public attention after visiting Nancy’s home and documenting the ongoing threats.

“The intimidation began with letters, then evolved to symbols appearing in the stairwell and elevator,” Nancy told BFM in a visibly distressed state. “About two weeks ago, threatening letters started arriving. I’ve already submitted six police reports and find myself at the police station every three days to follow up. My life has been completely disrupted. I can’t sleep, I feel lost, threatened, and anxious. I simply cannot comprehend how someone could target another human being this way.”

These incidents are unfolding at the same Avenue Philippe-Auguste address where Mireille Knoll, an elderly Holocaust survivor, met a tragic end. Knoll was tortured and killed by two assailants, Yacine Mihoub and Alex Krimbikos, who stabbed the 85-year-old woman before setting her apartment ablaze. The French judiciary officially classified her murder as an antisemitic hate crime.

Israel Hayom

Day 389 — Tuesday, October 29

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, on Monday called on the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Iran’s military and economic infrastructure and designate the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization.

Danon also warned Iran that any further aggression on its part will be met with swift action on the part of Israel.

Addressing Iran’s leaders, Danon stated, “Take this as a warning: Israel has shown restraint, but from here on you will only see strength. Any further aggression will be met with consequences that are swift and decisive.”

Turning to the members of the Security Council, the Israeli Ambassador added, “We call on you to act. Enough empty words. Enough statements of ‘concern’. The Iranian regime must face real consequences for its actions.”

“We demand immediate and crippling sanctions targeting Iran’s military and economic infrastructure. Designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as the terrorist organization it is, isolate Iran diplomatically, but most importantly: Take the necessary measures to prevent a lunatic regime from obtaining nuclear capabilities,” he added.

“Imagine who will sit here in a few years if, God forbid, they will have nuclear capabilities. The world cannot afford to ignore the threat Iran poses. It is no longer a matter of words. It is a matter of action,” stated Danon.

Arutz Sheva

Day 389 — Tuesday, October 29

In a historic move, the Knesset has voted to ban all activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Israeli territory.

The legislation, passed in its final reading on Monday, was spearheaded by MK Boaz Bismuth, who emphasized that “UNRWA is not a refugee aid agency; it is a Hamas aid agency.”

Bismuth cited the involvement of UNRWA employees in the October 7 attacks, referencing “chilling images” of Jonathan Smarno, who was held hostage by an individual identified as a “social worker” for the agency. This decisive action reflects Israel’s determination to sever ties with an organization accused of enabling terrorism, despite facing international pressure to reconsider the bill.

The law categorically states that UNRWA will no longer be allowed to represent, provide services, or conduct any activities, either directly or indirectly, on the sovereign territory of Israel.

i24 News

Day 388 — Monday, October 28

Numerous reports indicate the terrorist who carried out an attack in Israel on Sunday morning was shot and killed by bystanders.

Breitbart News reported that a truck driver rammed his vehicle into a crowd of people at a bus stop in central Israel early Sunday, killing one person and injuring at least 36 people, six of them seriously.

The Jewish News Syndicate noted that the attack occurred “near Glilot, north of Tel Aviv in central Israel.”

Following the attack, the driver climbed out of the truck “with a knife and was shot by armed bystanders.”

YNet identified the driver as Rammi Natur, “an Arab citizen of Qalansawe in central Israel.”

All Israeli News spoke to eyewitness Shuki Green, who said, “We got off the bus and we are a group of retirees from Mizrahi Bank. Some had already gotten off and some hadn’t. I was off. Then a truck came and drove between the fence and the bus. Luckily the bus prevented the truck a bit. There were screams and a cloud of dust. The truck driver had a knife in his hand and was trying to get out of a truck and was shot.”

Breitbart

Day 388 — Monday, October 28

The Israel Defense Forces blew up a 1.2 mile-long Hezbollah tunnel filled with weapons and supplies near the border, with the blast so powerful that it triggered earthquake alarms on Saturday.

The IDF said the tunnel was just one of several located in southern Lebanon that was being prepped for Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces to one day invade Israel in an attack similar to the Oct. 7 massacre.

Inside the tunnels, Israeli troops found AK-47 rifles, explosives, rocket launchers, sniper rifles and anti-tank guided missiles and launchers.

The soldiers also found a massive stash of food, including canned goods, chocolates and even pickled olives — with enough goodies to feed more than 100 fighters, the IDF said.

The base had working electricity and plumbing, along with several bedrooms and bathrooms for the terrorists.

Officials said they discovered the tunnel during a 48-hour operation in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces battled with Hezbollah fighters stationed near the tunnel system.

After killing off the terrorists – along with four other Hezbollah operatives at a nearby, smaller tunnel – the soldiers made their way inside the 1.2 mile-long underground base.

The tunnel was filled with Hezbollah’s booby traps and mines, with IDF troops successfully clearing them out so its forces could investigate.

The IDF then lined the tunnel system with about 400 tons of explosives and blew it up on Saturday, with the force so great that false-earthquake alarms were set off across northern Israel.

The massive seismic activity was detected across 284 communities in Israel and the West Bank, according to the Jerusalem Post.

New York Post

Day 387 — Sunday, October 27

The Israel Air Force struck a dozen targets in Iran that were used to produce solid fuel for long-range ballistic missiles as part of its retaliatory military action against the Islamic Republic, severely harming Tehran’s ability to replenish its inventory, it was reported on Saturday night.

The targets struck were sophisticated equipment that Iran could not produce on its own and had to be purchased from China, Walla reported. The targets were a critical component of Iran’s ballistic missile program, Walla cited three anonymous Israeli sources as saying.

Israeli sources also stated that four S-300 air defense batteries were attacked that were in strategic locations that protected nuclear and energy facilities in Tehran during the operation. A factory for the production of drones and a facility in the Parchin military complex were also attacked, the latter of which saw in the past research and development activities for nuclear weapons.

The Arabic independent online newspaper Elaph reported Israel targeted a secret ballistic missile factory in Iran, destroying a large number of heavy fuel mixers used to power Kheibar and Haj Qasem missiles – both of which were fired by Iran at Israel at the beginning of the month. The report also claimed that the S-300 air defense batteries that were attacked were Russian-made and destroyed radars that feed these systems and others in Syria and Iraq. 

The report said that the ballistic missile factory was completely destroyed. One source told Elaph that it was the “backbone of Iran’s missile industry” and that Israel had “put it out of service,” also reporting that each heavy fuel mixer destroyed was estimated to be at least two million dollars and about twenty mixers of this type were destroyed.

While Walla reported that production to restore such equipment would reportedly take at least one year, informed sources on the Iranian missile industry told Elaph that it would take at least two years to return the destroyed factory to service.

Overall, more than 100 Israeli aircraft participated in the attack on Iranian targets, stating that their mission was to hit the most advanced anti-aircraft systems of the Islamic Republic and develop air superiority there for any possible upcoming IAF operations – in such a way that Israeli fighter jets would be able to fly even at a relatively low altitude in the skies of Tehran itself in the future.

Estimates say it will still take many more days to assess the damage caused by the attacks.

Jerusalem Post

Day 386 — Saturday, October 26

Israel confirmed it had struck numerous military sites during its retaliatory strikes on Iran on Saturday in an operation later named “Days of Repentance.”

The attack was declared over by 5:45 a.m., just as the sun began rising over Tehran, according to public broadcaster KAN11.

The attack occurred in three major waves, US and Israeli officials said. The second and third waves targeted Iranian drone and missile production sites, hitting over 20 targets, according to Axios and the New York Times.

Iran told AFP that it had not received any reports of injuries from the strikes.

The IDF later announced early Saturday morning that it had completed its reactive operation against Iran.

The IDF said that the strikes were conducted in response to the continuous attacks on the State of Israel and its citizens.

The IDF confirmed the operation was over and that all mission goals had been achieved, with all planes returning safely home.

The IAF struck missile manufacturing sites that produced the missiles Iran fired at Israel over the last year.

Simultaneously, the IDF struck surface-to-air missile arrays intended to restrict Israel’s aerial freedom of operation in Iran. 

“The State of Israel reserves the right to defend its citizens if the Iranian regime continues attacks against the State of Israel and its civilians,” the IDF said.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was directing the attacks from a secure complex in IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, according to Israeli media. 

“The IDF is currently attacking precise targets in Iran,” IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement. “This is in response to persisting attacks by the Iranian regime on the State of Israel.

A second wave of airstrikes was reported following blasts heard in Shiraz later on early Saturday morning. 

“The IDF is completely prepared in attack and in defense. We are following the developments from Iran and its proxies in the region.”

No change in Home Front Command orders was announced. Israel’s Security Cabinet also convened in order to approve the strikes.

Over 100 planes were involved in the 2000 k.m. attack, including the cutting-edge F-35, according to Walla.

The United States was notified by Israel ahead of its strikes on targets in Iran but was not involved in the operation, a US official told Reuters.

Israel reportedly attacked the location of the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Iran.

“We’re targeting things that might have threatened us in the past or could do in the future,” NBC News quoted an Israeli official saying. The official further stated that Israel is not striking Iranian nuclear facilities or oil fields and is focusing on military targets.

There were reports of widespread internet outages across Iran as the attacks continued. 

Jerusalem Post

Day 386 — Saturday, October 26

Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and 27 other Republican senators introduced legislation on Tuesday that would cut off U.S. funding to the United Nations and its subsidiary agencies if they downgrade Israel’s status.

“Reports indicate that the Palestinian Authority will attempt to downgrade Israel’s status at the United Nations” following a U.N. General Assembly vote in May, the 28 senators wrote. That vote saw Palestinians gain new rights within their existing non-member “permanent observer” status, which is short of full U.N. membership.

“Any attempt to alter Israel’s status at the United Nations is clearly antisemitic,” Risch stated. “That said, if the U.N. member states allow the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to downgrade Israel’s status at the U.N., the U.S. must stop supporting the U.N. system, as it would clearly be beyond repair.”

Risch added that he is “disgusted that this outrageous idea has even been discussed and will do all we can to ensure any changes to Israel’s status will come with consequences.”

Titled the “Stand with Israel Act,” the bill would forbid the federal government from disbursing funds to “the United Nations or any of its funds, programs, specialized agencies or other related entities” if the global body “expels, downgrades or suspends membership, or otherwise restricts the participation of Israel.”

The United States is the largest contributor to the world body, giving it and its agencies $18 billion in 2022—about one-third of the total U.N. budget.

Those contributions are mandatory for members of the U.N. General Assembly under the global body’s “assessed contributions” system. Countries that fall into arrears on paying their contributions are stripped of their vote in the General Assembly.

Objections are longstanding in Washington to paying for the budget in Turtle Bay. 

In 1982, then-Secretary of State George Schultz threatened U.S. withdrawal from any U.N. body that did not seat Israel. The United States nearly lost its General Assembly vote in a budget dispute in 1999. Former president Donald Trump cut off funding to the U.N. Palestinian aid agency, UNRWA, in 2018 and negotiated a lower overall U.N. budget in 2017.

U.S. President Joe Biden restored funding to UNRWA before suspending it again in March after Israel accused employees of participating directly in the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Several of the senators co-sponsoring the Stand with Israel Act said Jew-hatred at the United Nations undermines the agency’s effectiveness.

“A move to downgrade Israel’s status at the United Nations would be a new low, even for an organization that is as rife with antisemites as the United Nations,” stated Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).

“Unfortunately, antisemitism has pervaded the United Nations for decades and discredits the U.N. mission,” stated Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). “It must end.”

Under existing U.S. law, Washington must cut off funding to the United Nations or any of its subsidiaries if the Palestinians are granted full membership outside of a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) introduced companion legislation to the Senate act in the House in August with bipartisan support.

JNS

Day 392 — Friday, November 1

Naim Qassem, chosen the week to replace Hassan Nasrallah at the helm of the jihadist terror organization Hezbollah, delivered his first speech as leader of the group on Wednesday evening, promising to “remain on the path of war” against Israel and threatening to the genocidal removal of the Israeli people from their country.

Qassem used his first address to honor both Nasrallah, who led the Iran-backed terrorists in Lebanon for decades, and Yahya Sinwar, the slain mass murderer who led Hamas this summer after former Hamas “political” leader Ismail Haniyeh died in an explosion in Tehran.

Qassem dismissed the reality that the current war between Israel and Hamas was triggered by the jihadist terrorists invading Israel and massacring 1,200 people, insisting that Israel’s existence was itself a provocation: “Have we forgotten 75 years of killing Palestinians, displacing them, seizing the land and sanctities, and committing massacres?”

He also insisted that Hezbollah was in fighting shape and prepared for a prolonged war against Israel despite its high-profile losses in the past four months, including both top leaders and a vast network of associated targeted in what was believed to be an Israeli attack weaponizing pagers, walkie-talkies, and other low-technology communications devices. Hezbollah also lost one of its main coordination centers to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrikes in Lebanon, where Hassan Nasrallah is believed to have met his demise.

The leadership council of Hezbollah announced this week that Qassem would take over as “secretary general” of the terrorist organization. He is a second choice to replace Nasrallah. Hezbollah initially announced Nasrallah’s cousin, Hashem Safieddine, as the leader’s replacement after he died in a September airstrike, but Safieddine, Israeli authorities confirmed weeks later, also died in an airstrike in early October. Qassem has been described as a founding member of Hezbollah but takes the job with less religious clout than the other two leaders, as he does not appear to claim to be a direct descendant of Muhammad.

In his remarks on Wednesday, Qassem insisted, “We will continue to implement the war plan laid out by Seyed Nasrallah, and we will remain on the path of war within established political directions.”

“You will surely be defeated because the land is ours, and our people are united around us. Leave our land to reduce your losses, or you will pay an unprecedented price,” Qassem said, addressing Israel and its ally, the United States.

The Hezbollah chief praised Nasrallah for his decades of terrorist activities and commanded his jihadis not to be discouraged by his death.

“They wanted our secretary general’s killing to defeat our spirit of resistance and shatter our will to fight. But his blood continues to boil in our veins and strengthens our determination,” he vowed. “We fight on our land and liberate our occupied territory; no one asks us for anything, nor does anyone impose anything upon us.”

Qassem described Israel’s counterterrorism operations, which have expanded into Lebanon after Hezbollah invaded northern Israel and displaced tens of thousands of people, as a “global war … American, European, and global in nature” seeking to eliminate “resistance,” by which he meant genocidal Islamist terror movements.

Multiple media outlets outside of Iranian and pro-Hezbollah propaganda focused in their reports on the speech on the fact that Qassem appeared to contemplate the potential of a ceasefire with Israel. Qassem mentioned it as a possibility only in the event that Israel concedes all of Hezbollah’s demands, which appear to include the elimination of the Israeli state.

“If the Israelis decide that they want to stop the aggression, we say we accept, but under the conditions that we see as appropriate and suitable,” Qassem said. “Get out of our land to reduce your losses. If you stay, you will pay more than you have ever paid in your life.”

“We will not beg for a ceasefire,” he added emphatically.

Despite Qassem’s bluster, Hezbollah has seen its terrorist capabilities significantly reduced in the past year. The fact that Qassem’s speech appears to have been pre-recorded and designed to make it impossible to identify his location indicates that Hezbollah leaders are taking Israel’s threats to eliminate him seriously, particularly given how much of its leadership structure Jerusalem has dismantled recently. The September detonations of hundreds of electronics – including pagers Hezbollah used to avoid wiretapping, walkie-talkies, mobile phones, laptops, and other devices – targeted high- and middle-ranking Hezbollah terrorists, as well as complicating the terrorists’ ability to remotely communicate.

Airstrikes targeting key Hezbollah assets reduced the terrorists’ rocket capacity to 20 percent of what it was before the war, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday.

“His tenure in this position may be the shortest in the history of this terrorist organization,” the Israeli government said in a statement this week following Qassem’s appointment, “if he follows in the footsteps of his predecessors Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine. There is no solution in Lebanon except to dismantle this organization as a military force.”

Breitbart

Day 391 — Thursday, October 31

Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel killed seven people in agricultural fields near Metula and Haifa Thursday, marking what appeared to be the deadliest day in months for civilians inside Israel.

“Hezbollah rockets killed 7 innocent civilians inside Israel today. We will not let Hezbollah’s deadly attacks go unanswered,” the IDF warned on X.

The deaths, which raised the number of civilians killed in the last year of cross-border attacks on northern Israel to 39, were likely to loom large in meetings between Israeli officials and US mediators hoping to end over a month of fighting, as the military continued to expand its strikes on Hezbollah sites deep inside Lebanon.

Authorities said five people working in an apple orchard near the border town of Metula were killed when a rocket fired from Lebanon struck them late Thursday morning.

Another person was seriously wounded in the attack.

The victims were all agricultural laborers who had been working in the orchard at the time of the strike. One was an Israeli citizen, while the others were foreign nationals.

The Israeli was named by Kibbutz Dafna as Omer Weinstein, a member of the community.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a short statement that two rockets had been fired from Lebanon at the Metula area, and said the details of the incident were being examined.

Hours later, two more people were killed while in an olive grove outside the Haifa suburb of Kiryat Ata as Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at the area, authorities said.

The two, described as a woman in her 60s and a man in his 30s, were killed by falling shrapnel, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service.

Hebrew media reports described the two as a mother and son who had been harvesting olives when the rocket hit. They were named in reports as Mina Hasson, 60, and Karmi Hasson, 21, from the Arab-majority city of Shfaram.

Rescuers found the pair in a field near Gilam junction, along with a man in his 70s, who was hospitalized with light injuries.

Buses and cars at the busy intersection were strafed by shrapnel, but no other major injuries were reported.

According to the IDF, Hezbollah fired some 25 rockets at the Haifa region and other parts of the north in the attack. “Some were shot down and some fell in the area,” the IDF said.

The death toll for a single day of cross-border fire was among the highest since Hezbollah began lobbing rockets and drones into northern Israel on October 8, 2023.

It appeared to mark the deadliest day for northern Israel since fighting intensified last month and since a July 27 Hezbollah rocket attack that killed 12 children at a park in the Druze town of Majdal Shams.

Times Of Israel

Day 391 — Thursday, October 31

A French court ruled on Wednesday that Israeli companies will be allowed to participate in the French Euronaval World Defence Exhibition, a major international naval defense exhibit. The ruling overturned a decision by the government of French President Emmanuel Macron, which banned Israeli defense companies from exhibiting at the event being held near Paris during the first week of November.

The Paris Commercial Court said the French government’s decision does not comply with the rules of the free market in the European Union and is contrary to the principles of equality and non-discrimination.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz welcomed the court’s decision, posting on 𝕏: “Congratulations to the Israeli petitioners in the French court on their significant victory against the unjust and undemocratic decision by the French government to prevent Israeli companies from participating in the @SalonEuronaval exhibition. This outcome, achieved in part through the legal and diplomatic efforts of the Foreign Ministry, is a critical win for justice and a clear message against attempts to weaken Israel in its fight against forces of evil.”

The petition to the court was filed by the Manufacturers Association of Israel, the Israel-France Chamber of Commerce and representatives of major Israeli defense firms that were slated to present at the expo.

Back in June, France denied 74 Israeli companies access to the world’s largest defense arms exhibit, Eurosatory 2024.

Dr. Ron Tomer, president of the Manufacturers Association, said: “No government or organizing body will stop us and to the extent that there are such attempts in the future, we will make it clear to everyone that MADE IN ISRAEL will continue to be proudly displayed at international exhibitions and conferences.”

Earlier this month, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called Macron’s decision a “disgrace to the French nation and the values of the free world.”

He wrote on 𝕏: “The decision to discriminate against Israeli defense industries in France a second time aids Israel’s enemies during war. This builds on the decision to place an arms embargo on the Jewish State. France has adopted, and is consistently implementing a hostile policy towards the Jewish people. We will continue defending our nation against enemies on 7 different fronts, and fighting for our future – with or without France.”

On Oct. 5, Macron called for an arms embargo on Israel and urged the pursuit of a political solution to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted Macron’s remarks as a “disgrace” in a video message to Western world leaders. 

“Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies?” Netanyahu asked. “Of course not. This axis of terror stands together.” 

On Tuesday, a report published on Ynet News highlighted further evidence of the French government’s bias against Israel, noting that more than 200 French companies showcased at the Euronaval tradeshow are known licensed suppliers for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval forces and the Iranian coast guard.

Notably, some of these French firms were conducting business with Iranian companies that are restricted under U.S. sanctions.

All Israel News

Day 391 — Thursday, October 31

Israel’s envoy to the United Nations on Tuesday hit back against criticism of Jerusalem’s outlawing of the scandal-plagued United Nations Relieve and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Speaking at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council, Ambassador Danny Danon said, “In the last year, we have exposed UNRWA in Gaza as a terrorist front camouflaged as a humanitarian agency,” adding, “Its payroll resembles a most-wanted list, rather than an aid organization.”

The meeting was the Security Council’s quarterly open debate on the Israeli-Palestinian file, with some 50 countries participating.

Many took Israel to task for the Knesset’s passage on Monday of a pair of laws that effectively end UNRWA’s presence in Israel, and strip its employees of their diplomatic privileges.

UNRWA, the U.N.’s Palestinian-only aid and social services agency, has long been accused of ties to Gazan terror organizations. A number of UNRWA staff have been found to have participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas onslaught on Israel.

In recent weeks, UNRWA acknowledged that Fathi al-Sharif, the Hamas commander in Lebanon, killed in an Israeli airstrike, was a UNRWA school principal and chief of the UNRWA teachers’ union.

Mohammad Abu Itiwi, a UNRWA driver in Gaza and a Hamas commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last week in a U.N. vehicle, was shown to have led a slaughter of civilians on Oct. 7, 2023 at a bomb shelter in southern Israel. Despite this, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres still referred to Abu Itiwi as a “colleague” upon his death, a sentiment Danon denounced on Tuesday.

“Abu Itiwi led his men in murdering almost all of the young people hiding in the shelter and kidnapping the survivors,” Danon told the council. “A U.N. paycheck was waiting for him in his letter box when he went back to Gaza.”

Danon also chastised the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the U.N.’s peacekeeping mission along the Israeli-Lebanese border, for “neglecting its reporting obligations” for two decades, following the presentation of Israeli evidence, including that collected in the current conflict, of massive Hezbollah military presence within UNIFIL’s operating area.

JNS

Day 390 — Wednesday, October 30

The Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah announced on Wednesday that it had selected a new leader to succeed Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September.

The new leader, Naim Qassem, had served for decades as Nasrallah’s second in command. He has also served as a major spokesman for the group this year as Hezbollah’s conflict with Israel has grown more severe.

Nasrallah was killed on Sept. 27, and the man considered his most likely successor, Hashem Safieddine, was killed in another strike just weeks later.

Israel wasted no time in threatening Qassem and calling on him to cease hostilities in a statement.

“His tenure in this position may be the shortest in the history of this terrorist organization if he follows in the footsteps of his predecessors Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine,” the Israeli government’s Arabic account wrote on X.

“There is no solution in Lebanon except to dismantle this organization as a military force,” it added.

Fox News

Day 390 — Wednesday, October 30

A troubling wave of antisemitism has surfaced in France, where a Jewish resident is enduring persistent threats in a building already marked by tragedy. Nancy is facing relentless antisemitic harassment, including death threats and Nazi symbols, in the same building where 85-year-old Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll was murdered in 2018. Nancy has already filed multiple police reports.

The harassment has escalated in recent weeks, with perpetrators defacing the building’s common areas with swastikas and targeting Nancy’s personal space. Her door and mailbox have been vandalized with antisemitic death threats, some written in Arabic, while Nazi symbols and Stars of David have been scrawled across the corridor. French news channel BFM brought the case to public attention after visiting Nancy’s home and documenting the ongoing threats.

“The intimidation began with letters, then evolved to symbols appearing in the stairwell and elevator,” Nancy told BFM in a visibly distressed state. “About two weeks ago, threatening letters started arriving. I’ve already submitted six police reports and find myself at the police station every three days to follow up. My life has been completely disrupted. I can’t sleep, I feel lost, threatened, and anxious. I simply cannot comprehend how someone could target another human being this way.”

These incidents are unfolding at the same Avenue Philippe-Auguste address where Mireille Knoll, an elderly Holocaust survivor, met a tragic end. Knoll was tortured and killed by two assailants, Yacine Mihoub and Alex Krimbikos, who stabbed the 85-year-old woman before setting her apartment ablaze. The French judiciary officially classified her murder as an antisemitic hate crime.

Israel Hayom

Day 389 — Tuesday, October 29

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, on Monday called on the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Iran’s military and economic infrastructure and designate the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization.

Danon also warned Iran that any further aggression on its part will be met with swift action on the part of Israel.

Addressing Iran’s leaders, Danon stated, “Take this as a warning: Israel has shown restraint, but from here on you will only see strength. Any further aggression will be met with consequences that are swift and decisive.”

Turning to the members of the Security Council, the Israeli Ambassador added, “We call on you to act. Enough empty words. Enough statements of ‘concern’. The Iranian regime must face real consequences for its actions.”

“We demand immediate and crippling sanctions targeting Iran’s military and economic infrastructure. Designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as the terrorist organization it is, isolate Iran diplomatically, but most importantly: Take the necessary measures to prevent a lunatic regime from obtaining nuclear capabilities,” he added.

“Imagine who will sit here in a few years if, God forbid, they will have nuclear capabilities. The world cannot afford to ignore the threat Iran poses. It is no longer a matter of words. It is a matter of action,” stated Danon.

Arutz Sheva

Day 389 — Tuesday, October 29

In a historic move, the Knesset has voted to ban all activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Israeli territory.

The legislation, passed in its final reading on Monday, was spearheaded by MK Boaz Bismuth, who emphasized that “UNRWA is not a refugee aid agency; it is a Hamas aid agency.”

Bismuth cited the involvement of UNRWA employees in the October 7 attacks, referencing “chilling images” of Jonathan Smarno, who was held hostage by an individual identified as a “social worker” for the agency. This decisive action reflects Israel’s determination to sever ties with an organization accused of enabling terrorism, despite facing international pressure to reconsider the bill.

The law categorically states that UNRWA will no longer be allowed to represent, provide services, or conduct any activities, either directly or indirectly, on the sovereign territory of Israel.

i24 News

Day 388 — Monday, October 28

Numerous reports indicate the terrorist who carried out an attack in Israel on Sunday morning was shot and killed by bystanders.

Breitbart News reported that a truck driver rammed his vehicle into a crowd of people at a bus stop in central Israel early Sunday, killing one person and injuring at least 36 people, six of them seriously.

The Jewish News Syndicate noted that the attack occurred “near Glilot, north of Tel Aviv in central Israel.”

Following the attack, the driver climbed out of the truck “with a knife and was shot by armed bystanders.”

YNet identified the driver as Rammi Natur, “an Arab citizen of Qalansawe in central Israel.”

All Israeli News spoke to eyewitness Shuki Green, who said, “We got off the bus and we are a group of retirees from Mizrahi Bank. Some had already gotten off and some hadn’t. I was off. Then a truck came and drove between the fence and the bus. Luckily the bus prevented the truck a bit. There were screams and a cloud of dust. The truck driver had a knife in his hand and was trying to get out of a truck and was shot.”

Breitbart

Day 388 — Monday, October 28

The Israel Defense Forces blew up a 1.2 mile-long Hezbollah tunnel filled with weapons and supplies near the border, with the blast so powerful that it triggered earthquake alarms on Saturday.

The IDF said the tunnel was just one of several located in southern Lebanon that was being prepped for Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces to one day invade Israel in an attack similar to the Oct. 7 massacre.

Inside the tunnels, Israeli troops found AK-47 rifles, explosives, rocket launchers, sniper rifles and anti-tank guided missiles and launchers.

The soldiers also found a massive stash of food, including canned goods, chocolates and even pickled olives — with enough goodies to feed more than 100 fighters, the IDF said.

The base had working electricity and plumbing, along with several bedrooms and bathrooms for the terrorists.

Officials said they discovered the tunnel during a 48-hour operation in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces battled with Hezbollah fighters stationed near the tunnel system.

After killing off the terrorists – along with four other Hezbollah operatives at a nearby, smaller tunnel – the soldiers made their way inside the 1.2 mile-long underground base.

The tunnel was filled with Hezbollah’s booby traps and mines, with IDF troops successfully clearing them out so its forces could investigate.

The IDF then lined the tunnel system with about 400 tons of explosives and blew it up on Saturday, with the force so great that false-earthquake alarms were set off across northern Israel.

The massive seismic activity was detected across 284 communities in Israel and the West Bank, according to the Jerusalem Post.

New York Post

Day 387 — Sunday, October 27

The Israel Air Force struck a dozen targets in Iran that were used to produce solid fuel for long-range ballistic missiles as part of its retaliatory military action against the Islamic Republic, severely harming Tehran’s ability to replenish its inventory, it was reported on Saturday night.

The targets struck were sophisticated equipment that Iran could not produce on its own and had to be purchased from China, Walla reported. The targets were a critical component of Iran’s ballistic missile program, Walla cited three anonymous Israeli sources as saying.

Israeli sources also stated that four S-300 air defense batteries were attacked that were in strategic locations that protected nuclear and energy facilities in Tehran during the operation. A factory for the production of drones and a facility in the Parchin military complex were also attacked, the latter of which saw in the past research and development activities for nuclear weapons.

The Arabic independent online newspaper Elaph reported Israel targeted a secret ballistic missile factory in Iran, destroying a large number of heavy fuel mixers used to power Kheibar and Haj Qasem missiles – both of which were fired by Iran at Israel at the beginning of the month. The report also claimed that the S-300 air defense batteries that were attacked were Russian-made and destroyed radars that feed these systems and others in Syria and Iraq. 

The report said that the ballistic missile factory was completely destroyed. One source told Elaph that it was the “backbone of Iran’s missile industry” and that Israel had “put it out of service,” also reporting that each heavy fuel mixer destroyed was estimated to be at least two million dollars and about twenty mixers of this type were destroyed.

While Walla reported that production to restore such equipment would reportedly take at least one year, informed sources on the Iranian missile industry told Elaph that it would take at least two years to return the destroyed factory to service.

Overall, more than 100 Israeli aircraft participated in the attack on Iranian targets, stating that their mission was to hit the most advanced anti-aircraft systems of the Islamic Republic and develop air superiority there for any possible upcoming IAF operations – in such a way that Israeli fighter jets would be able to fly even at a relatively low altitude in the skies of Tehran itself in the future.

Estimates say it will still take many more days to assess the damage caused by the attacks.

Jerusalem Post

Day 386 — Saturday, October 26

Israel confirmed it had struck numerous military sites during its retaliatory strikes on Iran on Saturday in an operation later named “Days of Repentance.”

The attack was declared over by 5:45 a.m., just as the sun began rising over Tehran, according to public broadcaster KAN11.

The attack occurred in three major waves, US and Israeli officials said. The second and third waves targeted Iranian drone and missile production sites, hitting over 20 targets, according to Axios and the New York Times.

Iran told AFP that it had not received any reports of injuries from the strikes.

The IDF later announced early Saturday morning that it had completed its reactive operation against Iran.

The IDF said that the strikes were conducted in response to the continuous attacks on the State of Israel and its citizens.

The IDF confirmed the operation was over and that all mission goals had been achieved, with all planes returning safely home.

The IAF struck missile manufacturing sites that produced the missiles Iran fired at Israel over the last year.

Simultaneously, the IDF struck surface-to-air missile arrays intended to restrict Israel’s aerial freedom of operation in Iran. 

“The State of Israel reserves the right to defend its citizens if the Iranian regime continues attacks against the State of Israel and its civilians,” the IDF said.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was directing the attacks from a secure complex in IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, according to Israeli media. 

“The IDF is currently attacking precise targets in Iran,” IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement. “This is in response to persisting attacks by the Iranian regime on the State of Israel.

A second wave of airstrikes was reported following blasts heard in Shiraz later on early Saturday morning. 

“The IDF is completely prepared in attack and in defense. We are following the developments from Iran and its proxies in the region.”

No change in Home Front Command orders was announced. Israel’s Security Cabinet also convened in order to approve the strikes.

Over 100 planes were involved in the 2000 k.m. attack, including the cutting-edge F-35, according to Walla.

The United States was notified by Israel ahead of its strikes on targets in Iran but was not involved in the operation, a US official told Reuters.

Israel reportedly attacked the location of the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in Iran.

“We’re targeting things that might have threatened us in the past or could do in the future,” NBC News quoted an Israeli official saying. The official further stated that Israel is not striking Iranian nuclear facilities or oil fields and is focusing on military targets.

There were reports of widespread internet outages across Iran as the attacks continued. 

Jerusalem Post

Day 386 — Saturday, October 26

Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and 27 other Republican senators introduced legislation on Tuesday that would cut off U.S. funding to the United Nations and its subsidiary agencies if they downgrade Israel’s status.

“Reports indicate that the Palestinian Authority will attempt to downgrade Israel’s status at the United Nations” following a U.N. General Assembly vote in May, the 28 senators wrote. That vote saw Palestinians gain new rights within their existing non-member “permanent observer” status, which is short of full U.N. membership.

“Any attempt to alter Israel’s status at the United Nations is clearly antisemitic,” Risch stated. “That said, if the U.N. member states allow the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to downgrade Israel’s status at the U.N., the U.S. must stop supporting the U.N. system, as it would clearly be beyond repair.”

Risch added that he is “disgusted that this outrageous idea has even been discussed and will do all we can to ensure any changes to Israel’s status will come with consequences.”

Titled the “Stand with Israel Act,” the bill would forbid the federal government from disbursing funds to “the United Nations or any of its funds, programs, specialized agencies or other related entities” if the global body “expels, downgrades or suspends membership, or otherwise restricts the participation of Israel.”

The United States is the largest contributor to the world body, giving it and its agencies $18 billion in 2022—about one-third of the total U.N. budget.

Those contributions are mandatory for members of the U.N. General Assembly under the global body’s “assessed contributions” system. Countries that fall into arrears on paying their contributions are stripped of their vote in the General Assembly.

Objections are longstanding in Washington to paying for the budget in Turtle Bay. 

In 1982, then-Secretary of State George Schultz threatened U.S. withdrawal from any U.N. body that did not seat Israel. The United States nearly lost its General Assembly vote in a budget dispute in 1999. Former president Donald Trump cut off funding to the U.N. Palestinian aid agency, UNRWA, in 2018 and negotiated a lower overall U.N. budget in 2017.

U.S. President Joe Biden restored funding to UNRWA before suspending it again in March after Israel accused employees of participating directly in the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Several of the senators co-sponsoring the Stand with Israel Act said Jew-hatred at the United Nations undermines the agency’s effectiveness.

“A move to downgrade Israel’s status at the United Nations would be a new low, even for an organization that is as rife with antisemites as the United Nations,” stated Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).

“Unfortunately, antisemitism has pervaded the United Nations for decades and discredits the U.N. mission,” stated Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). “It must end.”

Under existing U.S. law, Washington must cut off funding to the United Nations or any of its subsidiaries if the Palestinians are granted full membership outside of a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) introduced companion legislation to the Senate act in the House in August with bipartisan support.

JNS