Sunday,
February 16, 2025

News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:

Hamas Delegation in Tehran Tells Ayatollah Khamenei: Our Victory Is a Joint Victory with the Islamic Republic
On Feb. 8, 2025, a delegation of Hamas officials met with Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran to discuss "the historic achievement made by the Palestinian people in...[Gaza] over 15 months of patience, steadfastness, perseverance, and resistance." Hamas political bureau member Khalil Al-Hayya told Khamenei: "This great victory is a joint victory between us and the Islamic Republic."  (MEMRI)

Senior UN Peacekeeper Injured in Attack on UNIFIL Convoy in Lebanon - Emily Atkinson
The outgoing deputy commander of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon was injured on Friday in a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport and one of its vehicles was set on fire. Protesters have been blocking the road to the airport following a decision by the Lebanese government to bar two Iranian planes from landing. (BBC News)
    See also Lebanon Denies Landing to Iranian Flight Carrying Terror Funds after IDF Warnings - Lior Ben Ari
IDF spokesman in Arabic Col. Avichay Adraee said Wednesday that Iran's Quds Force sought to transfer funds to Hizbullah via civilian flights in order to "carry out attacks against Israel." He warned that the IDF would prevent such transfers.
    Following the Israeli warning, Lebanon's Al-Jadeed news outlet reported that Lebanese authorities refused to accept an Iranian Mahan Air passenger plane scheduled to fly from Tehran to Beirut. On Thursday, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the diverted plane contained money destined for Hizbullah. (Ynet News)

U.S. Imposes Sanctions on ICC's Top Prosecutor - Jennifer Peltz
The U.S. sanctioned International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan on Thursday, following up on President Donald Trump's Feb. 6 order targeting the court over its investigations of Israel. He was barred from doing business with Americans and faced restrictions on entry to the U.S. The U.S. never has recognized the ICC's authority. Trump accused the court of "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel."  (AP)

Court Gives Gazans Right to Settle in UK - Charles Hymas
Palestinian migrants have been granted the right to live in the UK by an immigration judge after applying through a scheme meant for Ukrainian refugees. Lawyers for the Home Office warned that this could open the floodgates to "the admission of all those in conflict zones with family in the UK." The Home Office said that, despite the ruling, there was no resettlement scheme for people from Gaza and that it would contest similar claims in the future. (Telegraph-UK)
    See also The UK Shouldn't Take a Single Gazan Refugee - We've Got Quite Enough Hamas Supporters - Sam Ashworth-Hayes (Telegraph-UK)

News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:

Three Released Hostages Returned to Israel Looking Emaciated and Pale - Dr. Itay Gal
Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29; Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36; and Yair Horn, 46, were handed over by Hamas in Khan Yunis on Saturday after 498 days in captivity. They appeared thin and pale, but were able to stand and walk independently. (Jerusalem Post)
    See also Freed Hostages Reveal Details of Captivity - Mathilda Heller
The three hostages released on Saturday said that Hamas wrongly insisted that some of them were soldiers and used constant interrogation and torture to try to obtain intelligence from them. They were held in tunnels and hiding places which were full of lice, bedbugs, mold, and mildew. They also received almost no food and drank salt water which was not fit for drinking. Some were wounded and did not receive proper medical treatment. They may undergo surgery in the coming days. (Jerusalem Post)
    See also Israel Releases 369 Palestinian Security Prisoners (Jerusalem Post)

Parents of Released IDF Lookouts Talk about Their Daughters' Experiences - Lior Ohana
The parents of Karina Ariev, Liri Albag and Naama Levy recount what their daughters have said about Oct. 7 and their captivity. (Ynet News)
    See also Female Hostages Held in Gaza Were Starved, Beaten and Forced to Eat Donkey Food - Natalie Lisbona
Four of the five mothers of IDF border observers detail their daughters' incredible survival. (Daily Mail-UK)

Israel to Stay in Syrian Buffer Zone, Key Positions on Lebanese Border, with U.S. Support - Yonah Jeremy Bob
The U.S. will support Israel in maintaining for an extended period the buffer zone it created in Syria in December, the Jerusalem Post has learned. Israel also understands that President Trump would like to withdraw the remaining American forces in Syria.
    Sources also were adamant that the IDF will maintain a presence in five key defensive positions on the Israel-Lebanon border even after the Feb. 18 deadline for the military to withdraw from southern Lebanon. They said that both the Lebanese government and the U.S. have agreed to such an arrangement over Hizbullah's objections.
    Sources added that the military will initiate new attacks anytime Hizbullah fighters return to southern Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire. For example, IDF drones may detect Hizbullah fighters, dressed as civilians, opening up a hiding spot where weapons are concealed, and could then fire on them without setting foot in Lebanon. Based on reports that some Lebanese military officials are working with Hizbullah, the IDF will not solely rely on the Lebanese Army. (Jerusalem Post)

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio Visits Israel - Liza Rozovsky
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel on Saturday night. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the trip will focus on securing the release of American and other hostages held by Hamas, advancing the second stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and countering the destabilizing activities of Iran and its proxies. Bruce said: "Partner nations need to step forward to provide a post-conflict reconstruction plan for Gaza. We are visiting countries whose regional leadership can bring together a broad coalition in support of this effort. It's time to think outside the box. The era of stale ideas is over....We need to ensure Israel's long-term security and bring an end to Hamas's reign of terror to prevent another October 7 from happening." (Ha'aretz)

Bomb Shipment Released by U.S. Government Arrives in Israel - Yoav Zitun
A shipment of 1,600 MK-84, 2,000-pound American bombs arrived in Israel, the Israel Defense Ministry announced Sunday. The bombs had been purchased in shekels and not with aid dollars.
    Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the shipment, "released by the Trump Administration, represents a significant asset for the Air Force and the IDF and serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between Israel and the United States." In addition, 132 D9 bulldozers purchased from Caterpillar, whose shipment had been frozen by the Biden Administration, are now on their way to Israel. (Ynet News)

Pakistani Sufi Leader in Historic Visit to Israel - Ohad Merlin
Pakistani Sufi leader Peer Syed Mudassir Nazar Shah, chairman of the global Sufi Council, visited Israel for the first time in January. His visit was arranged through the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA). According to Shah, Sufis constitute 75% of the population of Pakistan, the world's second-largest Muslim country. Despite their large numbers, they traditionally don't strive for political power nor propagate a global agenda but rather focus on their local communities and traditions. (Jerusalem Post)

Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:

Israel: Egypt Building Bases in Sinai for Offensive Operations - Jacob Magid
"Egypt is in very serious violation of our peace agreement in the Sinai. This is an issue that is going to come to the fore because it's not tolerable," Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told a Zoom briefing with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on Jan. 28. "We have bases being built that can only be used for offensive operations, for offensive weapons, that's a clear violation. For a long time, it's been shunted aside, and this continues. This is going to be an issue that we're going to put on the table very soon and very emphatically." Video footage from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in recent weeks shows a massive build-up of troops and tanks.
    Leiter also said, "We have to start talking about Qatar. The game that they're playing - buying everybody out and then buying quiet and buying toleration for their support of terror - is just not tenable. We have to call their bluff and say...'You're also supporting terror organizations.'...The first thing is to speak truth to their financial power....It was difficult [to criticize Qatar until now] because Qatar played a role in the release of the hostages....We had to - in very undiplomatic language - suck it up. Nevertheless, we're going to start talking about the truth behind the role Qatar and Turkey are playing."
    Leiter said Turkey has become "verbally belligerent" toward Israel and has allowed "Hamas leaders and other Muslim Brotherhood contingents to operate from Turkish territory." He also accused Ankara of funding organizations that have sought to exacerbate tensions on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. (Times of Israel)
    See also Video: Briefing with Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter (Conference of Presidents)

The Gaza Drama Is Putting Egypt's Peace with Israel under Strain - Dr. David Wurmser
Egypt's behavior in allowing its common border with Gaza to be used for the smuggling of weapons, money, and material to Hamas built the problem that exploded on Oct. 7. Hamas could arm only to the level that Egypt enabled it. Rather than help Israel fix the problem it enabled, Egypt manufactured tensions with Israel to divert attention from its own culpability.
    After Oct. 7, for Israel to allow Palestinian agency so close to its heart became too dangerous, a threat to Israel's existence. Resurrecting the status quo, even dressed in some modification, was no longer feasible. Egypt began to reinforce its border - not to stop smuggling, but to stop the potential outflow of Palestinians. Cairo recently began to deploy armor and troops nearby, in violation of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. The demilitarization of Sinai is the essence of the treaty.
    The Arab world's proclivity to export its problems outward for someone else to deal with rather than directly resolve or erase them consistently comes home to roost. So, the Palestinian/Gaza problem returns to haunt Egypt. Egypt's policy of appeasing the Palestinians under the assumption it is Israel's problem has finally come home for Egypt itself.
    The writer is a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington and at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs in Israel.  (The Editors)

All Middle East Peace Needs Is for Others in the Region to Stop Trying to Obliterate Israel - Danny Cohen
The secret to Middle East peace is deceptively simple. It always has been. Middle East peace is possible if the people of the region accept Israel's right to exist and stop trying to kill Jews. This has been true since 1948 when the State of Israel was established.
    Hamas has brought a new savagery to the futile and self-destructive drive to destroy Israel rather than live constructively alongside it. They have, in part, succeeded. Anti-Zionism and antisemitism have been re-ignited around the world.
    I say to all those seeking to destroy Israel, put down your weapons and take the Israeli hand of peace. It has been waiting since 1948.
    The writer was the director of BBC Television (2013-15). (Telegraph-UK)

How Trump Could End Decades of Palestinian Refugeehood - Israel Harel
The idea of transferring the population of Gaza to Egypt and Jordan is futile. Jordan is incapable of taking these people in; Egypt, which is very much capable of doing so, does not want to. What may happen is that owing to the dictates of the U.S. president, the Palestinians and Arab countries will be forced to come to their senses and begin thinking rationally about ending the state of chronic misery they have all chosen.
    One of the first steps in the process begins with the Arab states that have Palestinian refugee camps, such as Syria and Lebanon, by granting citizenship to their residents, encouraging them to leave the camps, and giving them full equal rights. These measures will not be taken willingly, since resolving the refugee issue is liable to be the beginning of the end of the idea of cleansing the Middle East of the presence of an infidel state. (Ha'aretz)

Western Countries Have Funded Palestinian Hostility toward Israel for Decades - Ben-Dror Yemini
Before we criticize Trump's Gaza Plan, we must also condemn Western countries which, for decades, have financed the Palestinian terrorists' ideology. They have funded the Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA and supported Palestinian NGOs that promote the destruction of Israel through the "right of return." For decades, the Western approach toward the Palestinians has been one of dangerous appeasement that only fuels radicalization and obstinacy.
    The Palestinians have rejected every proposal unless it calls for the elimination of Israel - that is, the "right of return." The two-state solution is irrelevant as long as it is clear, with high probability, that any Palestinian state will become an Iranian outpost or a Qatari branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Change is possible; it has already occurred in parts of the Arab world such as the UAE, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia.
    There is a direct correlation between changes in textbooks in some Arab countries and an increased willingness to reconcile with Israel. Not a single dollar should go to the Palestinian Authority as long as hate is being taught. Not a single dollar to NGOs that support BDS. Anyone who wants peace must begin by fostering an atmosphere of reconciliation. (Ynet News)

Observations:

The 1986 foundational Statutes of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) proclaim that it is "a worldwide humanitarian movement, whose mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found, to protect life and health and ensure respect for the human being, in particular in times of armed conflict."

For an organization whose sole purpose and mission is to help victims of wars and human rights violations, it is patently obvious that the ICRC has totally failed in its mission, as reflected in its mishandling of Israel's hostage crisis.

The ICRC failed in its most basic responsibilities to the more than 250 kidnap victims from some 20 nations taken hostage as part of Hamas's egregious invasion, mass murder, and rape. Moral and legal responsibility lies chiefly with the Swiss government under whose auspices the ICRC functions, together with the state's parties to the Geneva Conventions who finance its very existence and are in the position to monitor, direct, and influence the ICRC's functioning.

Why have they not impressed upon those elements influencing Hamas - chiefly Qatar, Egypt, the UN, and other Arab elements - that Israeli victims of terror and kidnapping are entitled to humane treatment?

How is it conceivable that the Swiss government and the ICRC have sat idly for more than 16 months while being openly manipulated and abused by the Hamas terror organization? Rather, they have passively accepted Hamas's refusal to allow the transfer of medications, and medical and humanitarian visits, to the sick and wounded and all illegally-held hostages.

Moreover, it challenges all semblance of logic and moral clarity that the ICRC can countenance images of armed, masked terrorists standing on ICRC vehicles displaying the Red Cross emblem and flag while such vehicles transport tortured, suffering, and ill Israeli hostages - and its representatives participating in "release ceremonies" with terrorist leaders.

The writer, Director of the Institute for Diplomatic Affairs at the Jerusalem Center, served as Legal Adviser and Deputy Director-General of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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