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First it was the International Court of Justice. South Africa brought a charge of genocide against Israel to be heard and decided in that august forum. That case has been in abeyance since the initial hearing on preliminary issues held in January, 2024. Soon after we began hearing about the International Criminal Court – which has the jurisdiction to hold individuals to account for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. In May, ICC Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, K.C., appeared before a panel of ICC judges to ask that they issue arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and then Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, for having engaged in crimes against humanity by promoting conditions conducive to mass starvation - targeting the people living in the Gaza Strip. These alleged crimes were purported to have dated back to October 8, 2023, a day on which Hamas terrorists continued their mass slaughter of Israeli civilians in the southern part of the country where they had invaded. Israel was in the second day of an existential war. The suggestion that its leaders were plotting mass starvation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is beyond absurd. But apparently the ICC judges agreed with Mr. Khan and arrest warrants were issued on November 21. In this episode we speak with Israeli professor and international law expert, Yuval Shany. We get into all the issues and questions I expect many listeners have: Can the ICC do this? Why did it issue the warrants? And – what happens next? Within hours of the arrest warrants being issued there was a furious reaction from Israel as well as the United States – both on the part of President Biden and President-elect Trump. Whatever one’s criticism of Israel may be, this step by the ICC calls into question whether the institution is operating in the interest of the highest ideals of justice or at the behest of nefarious political interests. Professor Shany and I unpack it all.
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Professor Yuval Shany is the Hersch Lauterpacht Chair in International Law and former Dean of the Law Faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was a member of the UN Human Rights Committee from 2013 to 2020 (and served between 2018-2019 as Chair of the Committee). He currently teaches at the Center for Transnational Legal Studies at King’s College in London and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute and as an academic visitor in the Oxford Ethics in AI Institute.
Podcast Notes:
Link to NGO Monitor website, as mentioned in the closing remarks of the podcast.
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It’s wonderful to have my podcast pal, Ya’akov Katz, back from all his busy travels and work and speaking to us about one of the hot issues today: Lebanon. In this “lame duck” period, President Biden’s special envoy for all matters Lebanon and Israel, Amos Hochstein, has been working hard to close a ceasefire deal between Lebanon and Israel. But he’s closer than ever now, and that is likely due to the Trump Effect (which I have elevated to being a proper noun) and how he is regarded in the Middle East. Trump is highly respected—by the good guys and the bad guys. And in this region, that means he is feared. He does what he says he will do. And he has been unequivocal in his hardline position on Iran: sanctions, sanctions, and more sanctions. No more carrots. All sticks. And his appointees named to date reinforce that approach. President-elect Trump has even put Israeli PM Netanyahu on notice and said that he expects all the wars involving Israel to be finished by the time he takes office. And Bibi is not taking that warning lightly. Nor is Iran. Or Lebanon. Word has been swirling for two weeks now that a deal is imminent. But as always, the devil is in the details. Ya’akov and I get deep into Lebanon to understand how Israel can get out of there. We finish up with a brief discussion of Israel’s new Minister of Defense, Yisrael Katz and, as always, the desperate plight of the 101 hostages—eight Thai nationals and 93 Israelis (with many holding dual citizenships) still in Hamas captivity.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Gadi Taub is a prominent Israeli public intellectual; a true Renaissance man who has distinguished himself in recent years as one of the strongest voices in support of the leadership of PM Benjamin Netanyahu. He has moved, politically, over two decades, from the center/center-left to the hard right of the spectrum. Taub was also hawkish on the judicial reform program that led to so much civic turmoil in Israel in the year leading up to October 7, and remains so. And hardline on the recent firing of Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, that went down on American E-Day. In fact, Gadi Taub thinks that the firings of military and security officials should have been done long ago. Why? Because as a group they are subverting the will of the democratically elected prime minister and coalition government. Taub calls it as he sees it. It’s a lively discussion and definitely to be continued.
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Gadi Taub is a Senior Lecturer at the Federmann School of Public Policy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He holds a Ph.D. in American history from Rutgers University. His books include bestselling works of fiction and non-fiction the most recent of which is Global Elites and National Citizens in Israel, the US and the West (Bestseller, Hebrew). He hosts Israel's leading conservative Hebrew podcast Gatekeeper, as well as co-hosting (with Michael Doran) Tablet Magazine's Israel Update podcast. His column in Haaretz was canceled for his support of judicial reform. He now writes for Tablet and JNS.
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Today we take a deep dive into the Amsterdam Jew Hunt that went down last Thursday night and into the early morning hours of Friday. That it happened in Amsterdam should surprise no one. That there will almost certainly be copycat Jew hunts in Europe and elsewhere should also surprise no one. That young Muslim men and perhaps slightly older taxi drivers planned and coordinated this pogrom on various chat platforms should also not surprise anyone. Although it did seem to catch the Amsterdam police off guard—in spite of several advance warnings from Israeli securityservices. In this special podcast State of Tel Aviv speaks in depth with three very different people, each bringing profound insight and knowledge to this critical historical moment. Pieter Dorsman is a Dutch-Canadian businessman and blogger who has lived in Vancouver for decades now but grew up in the Netherlands. He happened to be visiting family near Rotterdam when this attack occurred. We start with him and then speak with David De Bruijn, Professor of Philosophy at Auburn University in Alabama. A native son of The Hague, De Bruijn pulls no punches when discussing the “polite” antisemitism among the more traditional Dutch—and the very explicit, vulgar form of Jew hatred that prevails among Muslims in the country, many of whom are second, third, or fourth generation. These violent antisemites are not “new immigrants” as much of the media has erroneously portrayed them. Lastly, we speak with Eitam Zach, a young Israeli man who has lived in the Netherlands for almost six years now and is very spooked by how life has changed since October 7. And by this latest madness. Throughout this podcast we get into European sport culture, how the Holocaust is ever-present in the minds of Dutch Jews, and how the restrained, “tolerant” Dutch people have managed and mismanaged the integration of so many Muslim immigrants over the decades. Amsterdam today. And tomorrow?
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Timestamps:
Intro: 00:00 to 13:21 Interview with Pieter Dorsman: 13:21 to 1:01:00 Interview with Prof. David De Bruijn: 1:01:00 to 1:37:00Interview with Eitam Zach: 1:37:00 to 1:55:32
Podcast Notes:
* Pieter Dorsman is a Vancouver-based venture capital advisor and investor. Prior to relocating to Vancouver, he held a number of senior positions in the project and corporate finance divisions of UBS in Hong Kong. Pieter started his career at Barclays Bank in London. Born and raised in the Netherlands, Pieter graduated from the Erasmus Universiteit. Pieter writes about international politics and markets on his Substack.
* In March, 2024, Pieter wrote about how pro-Hamas/Islamist culture was taking root in the Netherlands.
* Last January he published a piece with the prescient title: “Antisemitism, Football and History.”
* His most recent – “Amsterdam Cries” – is from Nov. 10.
X: @PieterDorsman
LinkedIn: pdorsman
Blog: pieterdorsman.substack.com
* Dr. David De Bruijn is a professor teaching philosophy at the University of Auburn, Alabama, in the United States of America. He tweets at @dmdebruijn.
De Bruijn’s article about the Amsterdam pogrom, published on Sunday, November 13, 2024 in The Free Press
X: @dmdebruijn
* Eitam Zach is a Tel Avivian living in Amsterdam. He has a BA in International Studies and an MSc in Political Communication. Passionate about people, politics, and whatever comes in between.
X: @eitamzach
Insta: @eitamzach
* An interview with a Dutch Palestinian community leader, Wathek Alsadeh and an Egyptian television station is published here, with English subtitles. In this interview, Mr. Alsadeh alleges that the Jew Hunt was orchestrated by the Mossad in order to generate sympathy for Israel among Europeans.
* Holocaust survivor gets Dutch train company to pay damages.
This article reports on the lawsuit brought by Ajax Amsterdam’s physiotherapist,. Salo Muller, against the Dutch rail company. Muller’s parents were transported to concentration camps during WWII by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen train company, which both charged Dutch Jews for the journey and got paid by the Nazis; Muller decided to take on the company and force it to pay compensation to family of the victims it sent to their deaths. The case setttled in 2018. Muller passed away in 2023.
* Just over a year ago I found myself writing a post reflecting on the explosion of antisemitic violence in the immediate aftermath of October 7. You can read it here.
Remember the plane that landed in Dagestan (having arrived from Israel) and was met on the tarmac by local Muslim fanatics? They searched every crevice of the aircraft and inside the airport terminal. They were hunting Jews. That was several weeks after October 7, 2023.
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At 8pm on Wednesday night in Israel, PM Netanyahu stunned the country by announcing the immediate firing of Yoav Gallant, the Minister of Defense who has steered Israel through a very difficult period, which is far from resolved. That Bibi and Gallant shared a mutual loathing was no secret. What was surprising was that Netanyahu did this now, in the. midst of a protracted period of conflict as Israel awaits another attack from Iran. This country is stretched to its limits. And we now are dealing with another layer of intense uncertainty. Ya’akov Katz and I discuss the ins, outs and whys. And why now? (I open this podcast with a greeting of “good morning”… reflecting my hopeless optimism to get this out just a little earlier than ended up happening. Next time… I’ll keep it simple. “Good day.” And on that note, I do hope you have a good one.)Follow us @stateofTLV on “X”.
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Podcast Notes:
Statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening (Tuesday, 5 November 2024) [translated from Hebrew]
“As the Prime Minister of Israel, my chief obligation is to preserve the security of Israel and to achieve our total victory.
In the midst of war, more than ever, complete trust is required between the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister.
Unfortunately, even though such trust was present during the first months of the military campaign, and we had a very productive cooperation, during the past several months this trust between myself and the Defense Minister has begun to crack.
Defense Minister Gallant and I had substantial disagreements on the management of the military campaign, disagreements which were accompanied by public statements and actions that contravened the decisions of the Government and the Security Cabinet.
I have made multiple attempts to resolve these disagreements, but they became increasingly wider. They were also brought to the knowledge of the public in an inappropriate manner, and what is even worse, they have reached the knowledge of the enemy; our enemies have taken great delight in these disagreements and have derived much benefit from them.
Different opinions in open debates, as anyone who knows me can attest to, are my way of holding discussions and consultations, and making decisions. Everyone knows that. However, the increasingly wide crisis of confidence between myself and the Defense Minister had become public knowledge, and that crisis is hindering the continued proper administration of the military campaign.
I am not the only one with this opinion; in both the Government and the Security Cabinet, the majority of the members of which, virtually all members, share the feeling that this state of affairs cannot continue.
In view of the above, I have decided today to remove the Defense Minister from his post. In his stead, I have decided to appoint Minister Israel Katz to this position. Israel Katz has proven his abilities and has made a contribution to national security as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, Minister of Intelligence for five years, and equally important, as a long-standing member of the State Security Cabinet.
Israel Katz brings to the table an impressive combination of rich experience and executive capabilities. He is known as a man of action who combines responsibility with reserved decisiveness, all important qualities for driving a military campaign.
Also, I have spoken today with Minister Gideon Saar and proposed that he join the coalition along with his faction and serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs. As a member of the Government and Security Cabinet for many years, Gideon Sa'ar will bring to the table much experience and consideration in the areas of policy and security, and will be a significant addition to our leadership team.
Different opinions in open debates, as anyone who knows me can attest to, are my way of holding discussions and consultations, and making decisions. Everyone knows that. However, the increasingly wide crisis of confidence between myself and the Defense Minister had become public knowledge, and that crisis is hindering the continued proper administration of the military campaign.
I am not the only one with this opinion; in both the Government and the Security Cabinet, the majority of the members of which, virtually all members, share the feeling that this state of affairs cannot continue.
In view of the above, I have decided today to remove the Defense Minister from his post. In his stead, I have decided to appoint Minister Israel Katz to this position. Israel Katz has proven his abilities and has made a contribution to national security as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, Minister of Intelligence for five years, and equally important, as a long-standing member of the State Security Cabinet.
Israel Katz brings to the table an impressive combination of rich experience and executive capabilities. He is known as a man of action who combines responsibility with reserved decisiveness, all important qualities for driving a military campaign.
Also, I have spoken today with Minister Gideon Saar and proposed that he join the coalition along with his faction and serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs. As a member of the Government and Security Cabinet for many years, Gideon Sa'ar will bring to the table much experience and consideration in the areas of policy and security, and will be a significant addition to our leadership team.
Gideon Saar's addition and the addition of his faction will increase the stability of the coalition and the government, important factors at any time, and especially important in time of war. I am convinced that these steps will reinforce the Government and the Security Cabinet, transforming them into bodies that work cooperatively and harmoniously for the security of the State of Israel, for the citizens of Israel, and for our victory".
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We were lucky to catch Lt. Col. (Res.) Jonathan Conricus in the same time zone and standing still. Today he is an A-list speaker and commentator on the security situation in Israel and the middle east - as well as senior fellow with the FDD - Conricus pulled no punches when speaking with State of Tel Aviv. We discuss Iran’s threats to hit Israel and hard – possibly in the next two days. The likelihood – as we discuss – is that there will be a coordinated attack on multiple fronts by Iran and its proxies in the axis of terror it controls: Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Hamas in the Gaza Strip – to the degree they are still able to do much militarily. As this war grinds on, and on, Conricus expresses quite intense anger at the ultra-orthodox population and the “shameful” political maneuvering that has been the priority among our government leaders. As the death and injury tolls climb, the haredi exemption from military service is quickly becoming a major flashpoint. And the only solution, he says, is to uphold Israeli law and draft these tens of thousands of haredi men who refuse to serve. There is no way to sugar coat this. Israelis must find a way to work together. The threat environment is too intense, unrelenting, and existential. Conricus is on fire today.
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We were so fortunate to speak with former MK and UNRWA expert, Einat Wilf, who has been calling out the farce of UNRWA being financed and treated by the world as a humanitarian organization for decades. UNRWA promotes a narrative and policy advocating the destruction of Israel and glorifying terrorism. The mask came off irreversibly on October 7, 2023. New legislation passed overwhelmingly in the Knesset yesterday. And there is no one better to explain what happened and why, than Einat Wilf. This pod is short, sharp and shines light where it needs to be shone. On UNRWA corruption and global apathy regarding the same.
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Podcast Notes:
1. Einat Wilf
Dr. Einat Wilf is the co-author with Adi Schwartz of “The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Obstructed the Path to Peace” and a former Member of the Israeli Knesset on behalf of the Labor Party.
2. Recent podcast with UN Watch Director, Hillel Neuer, for more background:
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We woke up in Israel on Saturday morning to the long awaited news of an IDF retaliation against Iran for sending 150+ ballistic missiles our way on October 1. The attack, as we know, was a success. Targets hit. Multiple waves of air attacks. And all pilots and planes returned safely. Extraordinary mission. But the real test is whether it will suffice to deter Iran from responding to Israel’s response. Because the next wave will be much more aggressive. We move onto the fierce fighting in the north and the heavy toll it is taking on Israeli reservists, many of them in their 40s and 50s. Ya’akov gets fiery on this issue... being that we are in the midst of Knesset drama, which has the ultra-orthodox parties demanding that legislation enshrining exemption of haredi men from service be passed imminently. It seems especially ill-timed in light of the very dire shortage of IDF troops. The northern front shows no signs of easing up, and Haifa and northern towns and cities are being pounded every day by hundreds of rockets. And as always, we end with the hostages. And try to find a reason to hope.
This episode was recorded earlier today, and I mention a terror truck ramming which injured many civilians just north of Tel Aviv this morning. Initially, it was treated as a terror attack, but authorities are now saying that it may have resulted from the driver having suffered a heart attack.
I haven’t had time to check the news now for a few hours. So. Who knows what has transpired since. Thanks for listening.
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Nadav Eyal is one of Israel’s top political analysts and journalists and we are delighted to have him join the State of Tel Aviv for today’s deep dive into the life and death of Yahya Sinwar. We focus on the impact that his death may have on the possibility of an agreement being negotiated for the release of the 101 hostages still being held by Hamas, many of whom we know are dead. The rescue of the hostages is of critical importance to Israel for so many reasons, among them that “to leave no one behind” is central to the ethos and cohesion of the state. Should this fundamental value not be seen to be honored by Israeli citizens, the impact would be extreme. Nadav expertly peels the layers of this complex situation that touches on Israeli domestic politics, regional geopolitics and, of course, the western alliance and America. I was keen to speak with Nadav after reading his column in the Israeli newspaper, Yediot Achronot (largest circulation print newspaper in Israel), on the weekend, in which he touched on many of the issues we discuss here. Have a listen.
Podcast Notes
Nadav Eyal is among Israel’s top journalists and is a past recipient of the Sokolov Prize, the equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize for journalists in Israel. He is the author of several books as well.
This year, he is living in New York City with his family and has been appointed Senior Research Scholar in the Faculty of International and Public Affairs; Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia School of International and Public Affairs.
Further detail about Nadav Eyal may be found here.
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We depart from our usual Sunday review with Ya’akov Katz and bring you this short and intense immersion in the weekly rallies in support of hostages and their families. These events take place all over Israel every Saturday night. I used to attend them in Tel Aviv. But I have relocated to a kibbutz in the south and instead went to the local gathering. It is worlds away from Tel Aviv. The rally takes place at a key intersection in southern Israel, which was swarmed by Hamas locusts, buzzing around on their motorcycles and in pickup trucks. They slaughtered babies, children, the elderly, families. They dragged terrified people from their beds. They stalked those who attended the Nova Music Festival. Route 232 – which winds its way through the area of Israel closest to the Gaza border – was lined with burned cars and bodies. The weekly rallies occur at the intersection of Routes 232 and 34. Many of those attending these rallies are locals who lived through the carnage, lost loved ones, await the release of family and friends still being held hostage.
We have also posted, below, some photographs from the rally.
Tomorrow – we drop a bonus podcast with Israeli journalist and scholar, Nadav Eyal, doing the usual focus on what’s going on in the bigger picture – although we focus heavily on the hostages. This is widely perceived to be a moment of opportunity to re-align power in the middle east. And that must include the hostages.
Thanks for being here.
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Lt Col Jonathan Conricus and I dig into the overwhelmingness of life in Israel these days. We're both pretty seasoned and hardened, but things here just seem to continue to ramp up, not down. As Conricus says in our discussion, he emerged from 25 days of no news or connection to the outside world following his observance of Yom Kippur and was amazed by the enormity and pace of activity. There is a lot going on. We spend the first bit of the podcast today discussing the sharp rise in domestic terror attacks by Israeli Arabs, something that tends not to receive much attention internationally. This disturbing trend is also complemented by terrorism within Israel committed by residents of the West Bank who enter Israel illegally. And then there's the regular stuff. We discuss Iran in detail. As we wait for the Israeli retaliation. Conricus has done significant work analyzing potential targets in Iran, political considerations, and more. See the link in the podcast notes below for the work he has done on identifying potential targets in Iran. This work is done in his capacity as a senior fellow at FDD, a Washington-based think tank. We are now hunkering down for yet another holiday on the Jewish calendar—this is a very busy time of year. Let's hope it's peaceful.
Podcast Notes:
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As 9.5-million Israelis wait… and wait… the assumption is that Israeli and American government and military officials are working ‘round the clock to assess and decide which targets to hit. In the Islamic Republic of Iran. In retaliation for the launching of close to 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1. When will Israel strike? How hard? Each …
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Editor’s Fix: In the podcast I refer to 97 hostages. Some media refer to 97. That number includes those captured on October 7. When 101 is used… it includes four hostages held by Hamas since 2014.
It is significant that the one year mark of what was perhaps modern Israel’s darkest day falls between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. This ten-day period, known as the Days of Awe, is a time when Jewish people are meant to reflect on the past year. To take stock of their inner life, unsparingly. And if they have wronged someone they are expected to seek forgiveness, but only if they do so with humility. Unreservedly.
Whether one “believes” or not, this coincidental timing is profound.
On Monday, October 7, I woke up very early. at 6:30 am, just one minute later than the beginning of the horrific attack of that Black Sabbath, one year ago. We had dreaded this day for so long. And here it was. I set out in late morning for the site of the Nova Music Festival. To get there I drive along Road 232, which was an alley of death one year ago. At the site, I spoke with bereaved family members, among them Shlomo and Rita Krief. They lost their 17-year-old son, Shahaf, at nearby Zikim Beach, one year ago. As often happens in Israel, so many strangers came together to comfort Shlomo and Rita, who were inconsolable.It was a spontaneous gathering and I learned so much and felt so deeply. This vignette is a sampling of how immeasurably October 7 impacted this country and, I expect, will remain with us for decades. Perhaps centuries.
The way in which families have been treated by the current government has stoked anger and bitterness, regrettably. In so saying I am acting as the conduit for the bereaved. It is something that I heard and was repeated all over Israel last Monday. This is not an issue of partisan politics. Not right or left. This is about abandonment. Not fulfilling one's duty. That is how so many feel today.
And that was very evident in the backstory - which we tell - and the main event commemorating October 7. The Bereaved Families Memorial Ceremony. It was held on Monday night at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv. Survivors, bereaved, artists, singers. Two thousand people convened for this ceremony that was organized by the brother of a hostage who had been killed in error by the IDF. It was an extraordinary event, televised live in Israel. Not a single government representative or official was included or invited. We tell you why.
In this podcast, I take you on the journey I went on last Monday. It has overpowered me all week. And it is so appropriate to share on this day, just before Kol Nidre, Erev Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement. You will hear direct, raw testimony. Mournful but hopeful song. Real. Raw. In the moment.
If you want to understand the mood in Israel today, I urge you to watch the ceremony in full. Or dip into the clips we have provided, below.
Podcast Notes:
* Bereaved Families Memorial Ceremony at Hayarkon Park, Tel Aviv, Monday, October 7, 2024:
* Clip from full ceremony of an interview with Yuval Tabelsi giving testimony about her experience at the Nova Festival one year earlier and how she is coping with the loss of her husband. As there are no English subtitles I have provided a quick translation, following:
The clip opens with Yuval at the dumpsite near the Nova Festival where all the incinerated cars have been taken. She says it is her first time there and she is looking for their car. She very much wants to find the car - something that was theirs at their last moments together. She speaks about how well-suited and happy they were together and moves into a recounting of their final moments. They were trapped at an intersection. He told her to fold in on herself and hide as much as possible. He shouted “Shema Yisrael,” and said he hoped they come through this. She says she believes that Mor understood he would die there. She heard only gunshots, saw her husband dead. And she and her friends smeared Mor’s blood on themselves so that if the terrorists come by the car they will think that they are dead. They heard horrible sounds; including a woman being raped. In her life, she says, she has never heard such screams for help. She said - “Mor - I don’t know where you are now. But if I am going to die - at least not like this.” Every time she visits Mor’s grave, she says……she sings to him Ivri Lider’s song, “I Had a Chance to Love.” :
* Clip of Israeli music legend, Ivri Lider, singing "I Had a Chance to Love", inspired by Yuval's love story, so tragically cut short. Ivri is joined on stage towards the end of the performance by Yuval. The Hebrew lyrics are subtitled in English; and
* Clip of remarks at the October 7 ceremony of Rafi Ben Chitrit, father of a fallen soldier. Remarks are subtitled in English.
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Exactly one year ago, journalist Amir Tibon waited in his safe room with his wife and two young daughters. For help. For the army. Someone. Hamas terrorists rampaged through his kibbutz, yelling “Allahu Akhbar” ceaselessly. They fired their machine guns constantly. They burned homes and threw grenades into rooms where they knew civilians took shelter. They murdered wantonly. And they took hostages. They tried, several times, to shoot open the door to the Tibon house. For some reason they were unable to open it. Amir and I discuss that black sabbath, his family’s life today, returning to live on the kibbutz and the continued captivity of his neighbor and friend, Tzachi Idan.
We then speak with Adam Ma’anit and Heidi Bachram, a couple living in Brighton, U.K. They are both prominent activists for the hostages and combatting antisemitism. Adam is also Tzachi Idan’s cousin. They share with State of Tel Aviv their battle to bring Tzachi home and the indescribable Jew hatred that they have encountered, unabated, in the U.K. and online. You can hear the anguish in Adam’s voice, as he speaks of his cousin, who watched his eldest daughter murdered before his eyes, helpless to do anything to save her. Tzachi was then force marched, barefoot, covered in his firstborn’s blood, to the Hell of Hamas tunnels.
Following the introduction, I speak with Amir Tibon and at approximately 23:00 the interview with Adam and Heidi begins.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Podcast Note
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After almost two months in Canada and the U.S. it’s great to be back in Israel. I awoke Sunday morning to news of a new operation in the Gaza Strip and hoped that it meant we were rescuing hostages. Alas, it’s more about preventing Hamas fighters from regrouping. More like whack-a-mole. You battle in one area, move onto the next, and they return to the …
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Everything in Israel seems like a Hollywood action movie that never ends. It has been a wild two weeks. Exploding pagers. Walkie talkies. Daily assassinations of high level Hezballah commanders and leaders. And it all culminated in the assassination of Hezballah leader, Hassan Nasrallah on September 27. Israel continues with targeted operations in Beirut and south Lebanon. Iranian Supreme leader Khamenei fulminates. On “X”, anyways. Seems that’s all he’s been doing, posting rants and threats about the Zionist menace. Vows of revenge. The Houthis are popping off missiles at Israel. And the world waits. Will Iran attack? Will Israel attack Iran directly? Where is western leadership? We get into those questions and more. And we even muse about a curious tweet by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law….that lays out a thoughtful analysis of the situation…..albeit heavy on the political spin. And Kushner is not known for sharing his geopolitical thoughts publicly. And post editing, just read of a strike on a villa near Damascus that may have killed Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s brother, who was meeting with senior IRGC officials. This is unconfirmed by an authoritative source. But the X account that posted their information is reliable. Just another Sunday with Viv and Ya’akov.
See links for additional information on the podcast, below.
Podcast Notes
See links below the photograph of Prime Minister Netanyahu delivering his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, September 27 to the transcript of his remarks as well as the video of his speech.
Below is the full text of a post made on "X" on Saturday, September 29.
Jared Kushner / @jaredkushner
September 27th is the most important day in the Middle East since the Abraham Accords breakthrough. I have spent countless hours studying Hezbollah and there is not an expert on earth who thought that what Israel has done to decapitate and degrade them was possible. This is significant because Iran is now fully exposed. The reason why their nuclear facilities have not been destroyed, despite weak air defense systems, is because Hezbollah has been a loaded gun pointed at Israel. Iran spent the last forty years building this capability as its deterrent. President Trump would often say, “Iran has never won a war but never lost a negotiation.” The Islamic Republic’s regime is much tougher when risking Hamas, Hezbollah, Syrian and Houthi lives than when risking their own. Their foolish efforts to assassinate President Trump and hack his campaign reek of desperation and are hardening a large coalition against them. Iranian leadership is stuck in the old Middle East, while their neighbors in the GCC are sprinting toward the future by investing in their populations and infrastructure. They are becoming dynamic magnets for talent and investment while Iran falls further behind. As the Iranian proxies and threats dissipate, regional security and prosperity will rise for Christians, Muslims and Jews alike. Israel now finds itself with the threat from Gaza mostly neutralized and the opportunity to neutralize Hezbollah in the north. It’s unfortunate how we got here but maybe there can be a silver lining in the end. Anyone who has been calling for a ceasefire in the North is wrong. There is no going back for Israel. They cannot afford now to not finish the job and completely dismantle the arsenal that has been aimed at them. They will never get another chance. After the brilliant, rapid-fire tactical successes of the pagers, radios, and targeting of leadership, Hezbollah’s massive weapon cache is unguarded and unmanned. Most of Hezbollah fighters are hiding in their tunnels. Anyone still around was not important enough to carry a pager or be invited to a leadership meeting. Iran is reeling, as well, insecure and unsure how deeply its own intelligence has been penetrated. Failing to take full advantage of this opportunity to neutralize the threat is irresponsible. I have been hearing some amazing stories about how Israel has been collecting intelligence over the past 10 months with some brilliant technology and crowdsourcing initiatives. But today, with the confirmed killing of Nasrallah and at least 16 top commanders eliminated in just nine days, was the first day I started thinking about a Middle East without Iran’s fully loaded arsenal aimed at Israel. So many more positive outcomes are possible. This is a moment to stand behind the peace-seeking nation of Israel and the large portion of the Lebanese who have been plagued by Hezbollah and who want to return to the times when their country was thriving, and Beirut a cosmopolitan city. The main issue between Lebanon and Israel is Iran; otherwise there is a lot of benefit for the people of both countries from working together. The right move now for America would be to tell Israel to finish the job. It’s long overdue. And it’s not only Israel’s fight. More than 40 years ago, Hezbollah killed 241 US military personnel, including 220 Marines. That remains the single deadliest day for the U.S. Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima. Later that same day, Hezbollah killed 58 French paratroopers. And now, over the past six weeks or so, Israel has eliminated as many terrorists on the US list of wanted terrorists as the US has done in the last 20 years. Including Ibrahim Aqil, the leader of Hezbollah’s Islamic Jihad Organization who masterminded the 1983 killing of those Marines
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In the podcast introduction, I mistakenly refer to Mr. Neuer’s testimony before a Congressional Committee as having taken place on January 24, 2024. The correct date is January 30, 2024
Hillel Neuer may well be a familiar name to State of Tel Aviv listeners. As Executive Director of UN Watch for twenty plus years, Neuer has been an unwavering force holding the United Nations human rights organizations accountable. Accountable for their constant haranguing of Israel – which the UN holds to a different and impossible standard – and the pandering of UN bodies to countries and terror organizations which egregiously violate human rights. I had an in depth conversation with Hillel earlier this summer about how UN Watch exposed the head of the UNRWA teacher’s union for openly supporting Hamas. And how the head of UNRWA – Philippe Lazzarini – just bowed to the will and ways of these bad actors. It is a fascinating look into the important work undertaken by Neuer which, for the most part, is a lot of old school research, slogging and thinking. A masterful – and theatrical orator – Neuer is at his best when lashing UNRWA and others before various officials around the world. We start off today’s podcast with some of the comments he made today to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, before looking back at some of his extraordinary accomplishments since October 7. And he is just revving up.
Podcast notes:
* Transcript of written remarks delivered by UN Watch Executive Director, Hillel Neuer, before the UN Human Rights Council’s 57th session on September 26, 2024 may be read here.
* Video of Hillel Neuer addressing the United States Congress House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Joint Hearing of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability and the Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations, January 30, 2024. The video can be viewed here. In the accompanying transcript of Mr. Neuer’s remarks there are multiple hyperlinks to the detailed material UN Watch has gathered to support these claims of URWA collusion with Hamas on October 7, before and since.
* News clip from ILTV reporting on the “kidnap” of the body of Yonatan Samerano by UNRWA workers and throwing his body onto an UNRWA truck on October 7, 2023. ILTV news story is from February 22, 2024 and can be viewed here.
* The link to the UN Watch website can be accessed here. We encourage you to peruse the site, which is a trove of information regarding all manner of human rights issues.
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What else? The pager caper. We talked walkie talkies. And what it all means in the longer run. Is it a serious blow to Hezballah or a warning shot? In the meantime, in spite of massive Israeli air force attacks on rocket and missile launch sites in Lebanon, Hezballah is managing to shoot off hundreds of rockets. They are pounding northern Israel, particularly in the area between Haifa and Nazareth, hoping to hit a large air force base in the vicinity. Instead, they have had numerous direct hits on civilian homes and other buildings. As does everyone, we wonder if there is a strategic plan for war on the northern front, which is not yet apparent. We marvel at the brass-knuckled maneuverings of PM Netanyahu – keeping his political “colleagues” and foes on guard. And, as always, we close with the hostages, who are coming up to a year in captivity. One year.
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Kidnapped brutally from her parent’s home on Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 39-year-old Carmel Gat survived 11 months in a Hamas tunnel dungeon. Starving. Filthy. Abused. Humiliated. Living in barbaric conditions. Somehow, she survived, along with five other young Israeli hostages. They were murdered at the end of August with a bullet to the back of the head. Just like that.
Carmel’s cousins, Shay and Gil Dickmann, have advocated ceaselessly for the negotiation of a deal for the release of all hostages. This family has been devastated. Carmel’s mother, Kinneret, was murdered on that dark day. Her sister-in-law, Yarden, was kidnapped. She was released in November, when Carmel was on the list to walk to freedom. But Hamas reneged and the deal collapsed.
Many in the west are critical of people like Shay and Gil Dickmann for “strengthening the enemy” and “playing into the hands of Hamas.” By protesting, goes the argument, they weaken the state of Israel and make us all more vulnerable. Clearly, they see things differently. And I thought it would be very helpful for their voices and passion and compelling logic to be heard by as many as possible.
Ask yourself as you listen to them… what you would do in their situation.
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As always it has been a crazy week in Israel. As we approach the one year mark since the October 7 attack the country remains numb. But the fury with the Netanyahu government continues to build. No one accepts his explanations for why we have not brought home the surviving hostages. One year on. And his attempts to explain and justify this national disg…
- Visa fler
