Tag Archives: October 7 massacre

When Someone Doesn’t Follow The Script

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One of the rules for trial lawyers is never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to. Generally, the left-wing media also follows that rule, but sometimes they get answers they are not prepared for.

On March 6th, Townhall reported on one example of a very quick ‘cut to commercial’:

Kian Tajbakhsh appeared on CNN last night to discuss the Iranian operation. It wasn’t confrontational like Scott Jennings, Kevin O’Leary, or Ben Ferguson; he simply presented facts. He should know, as a former political prisoner. We discussed how liberals are trying to frame Operation Epic Fury as a new endless war, but it’s not new: Iran has considered itself at war with the United States since the Iranian Revolution. Tajbakhsh was present when officials stated this—we’ve been at war with the Islamic Republic since 1979.

This is the quote that caused a very quick cut to commercial:

TAJBAKHSH: “What happened with President Obama, I’ll just say this very quickly.”

“And I was in the State Department in the 2000s when we implored the Bush administration not to restrict the engagement with Iran simply to the nuclear file.”

“What happened with president Obama is that, for better or worse — and I’m not going to litigate that here — he decided that given the four big problems that have always been on American objectives with Iran, that is enrichment, ballistic missiles, proxies and democracy inside Iran, that he would put all the last three aside and focus only on the nuclear deal.”

“Now, I’m not going to say that was good or bad. I don’t think it was a great idea, but what we have seen and this is also maybe controversial and I think a lot of my liberal friends are going to hate me for this…”

“Is that unfortunately you can draw a straight line from the 2015 nuclear deal to October 7th.”

“I think that what the Trump administration is—”

PHILLIP: “We…we…we do have to go to a break here.”

TAJBAKHSH: “Okay.”

Thank you, President Trump, for putting an end to a terrorist state that unfortunately had the money to export its terrorism.

Stopping The Funding Of Terrorism

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On Tuesday, The Jerusalem Post posted an article about the funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). There are some serious questions about the agency’s relationship to terrorists and terrorism.

The article reports:

European Parliament members from 16 of its 27 member states have called on the EU to cease funding UNRWA over its ties to terrorist groups and lack of commitment to peace.

The EU gives about €80 million-€90 million in funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East each year.

The MPs from Sweden, Germany, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Cyprus, Romania, Denmark, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Finland, and Portugal wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday, expressing their concerns about UNRWA.

Amid the somewhat rocky ceasefire and future of the Gaza Strip, the MPs said it was essential for support to be channeled through partners that share values of peace and reject “the forces of hate.”

UNRWA does not share those values and instead has “shown serious breaches of trust, including staff members connected to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” the MPs wrote.

The article concludes:

“According to the UN’s own investigation, nine UNRWA employees participated in Hamas’s attack on October 7,” he (Danish MP Henrik Dahl) wrote.

UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza were located on a Hamas base with server rooms and a 700-meter-long tunnel, and the terrorist organization used UNRWA schools and warehouses as hiding places for weapons and even Israeli hostages, Dahl said.

“After everything that has now come to light, no one can any longer claim that UNRWA is a ‘neutral humanitarian actor,’” he wrote.

UN Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer praised the coalition of EU lawmakers.

“Bravo to European lawmakers from 16 countries for calling on the EU to support peace and reject hate by ending funding for terror-infested UNRWA,” he said.

In an article posted at rightwinggranny in October 2024, I noted that the leader of the October 7, 2023 attack worked for UNRWA. I am not convinced that the United Nations is on the side of peace.

Just In Case You Were Feeling Safe…

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On October 17th, Red State reported that a Hamas suspect has been arrested in Louisiana.

The article quotes Fox News:

The FBI has arrested a suspect in Louisiana who allegedly participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

An affidavit accuses Mahmoud Amin Ya-qub Al-Muhtadi, a resident of Lafayette, Louisiana, violated federal law by providing, attempting to provide, or conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization through his alleged involvement in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. He is also accused of fraud and misuse of visa, permits and other documents.

Al-Muhtadi is expected to make an initial court appearance on Friday morning, according to The New York Times.

…”Al-Muhtadi is an operative for the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s (‘DLFP’) military wing, the National Resistance Brigades (‘NRB’, also known as the ‘Martyr Umar al-Qasim Forces’), a Gaza-based paramilitary group that participated in the Hamas-led terrorist attack against Israel on October 7, 2023,” the affidavit said. “Evidence shows that on the morning of October 7, 2023, Al-Muhtadi learned about the Hamas invasion, armed himself, gathered others, and crossed into Israel with the intention of assisting in Hamas’s terrorist attack.”

“Evidence shows that Al-Muhtadi’s phone utilized a cell tower located near Kibbutz Kfar Aza in Israel, the location of a horrifying massacre by Hamas and its supporters,” the affidavit continued. “Evidence further shows that Al-Muhtadi provided false information in his U.S. Visa application relating to his involvement with a paramilitary organization, connection to Hamas, participation in a terrorist attack, and military training.”

“As a result of that false application, Al-Muhtadi was able to obtain permission to travel to the United States and obtain Legal Permanent Resident status. Al-Muhtadi is currently residing and working in Lafeyette (sic), Louisiana,” it added.

The article at Red State concludes:

It’s not yet clear if he will be charged here in the United States or if he will be sent to Israel, to let their justice system deal with him, but given the recent peace deal, part of which agreement was a prisoner exchange, it’s not at all clear what his fate would be in Israel. 

This prompts some troubling questions: What was Al-Muhtadi intending to do here, in the United States? How many of his ideological brethren are already here? Where are they? What are they doing? What are they planning? It’s not clear when Al-Muhtadi entered the United States, other than it was after October 7th, 2023. Was he allowed in during the Biden administration’s non-enforcement of immigration laws? 

If we assume (and I think we can) that there are more like Al-Muhtadi already here, can we expect them to eventually try to replicate October 7th here?

Hamas may have been given some breathing space in Gaza. But we haven’t heard the last from them. Not by a long shot.

Guard your six.

Learning The Lessons Of History?

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October 7, 2023, was the announcement to the world that the “two-state solution” would not work. Some of the world chose not to hear that announcement. In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza. They let Gaza elect its own leadership and govern itself. Before October 7, 2023, Gaza was essentially a Palestinian state. Jews were not allowed to buy or own property there. A resident of Gaza who sold property to a Jew would be killed. Gaza was at first governed by the Palestinian Authority and later Hamas was elected. Hamas ended elections. Just for the record, the rocket attacks on Israel began under the Palestinian authority and continued under Hamas. Children in Gaza were trained and encouraged to be martyrs from a young age.

This is a picture of a Palestinian kindergarten class:

Tunnels storing weapons and providing escape routes for terrorists were hidden under children’s bedrooms in Gaza. Hospitals were used as military headquarters with tunnel complexes underneath. Families were paid support by the government of Gaza if a family member killed Jews and was imprisoned or killed. Gaza was not a Palestinian territory–it was a terrorist enclave.

September 11, 2001, was the announcement to the world that Islam, as defined in the Qur’an, is NOT a religion of peace. Again, some of the world chose not to hear that message. The September 11th message has become clearer as European countries who allowed massive immigration from Muslim countries are realizing that some cultural divides cannot be bridged. In Western culture, it is not acceptable to sexually harass a women because she is not wearing a hijab or a burka. It is not acceptable to rape a woman because she is out alone. Some of the countries that have allowed massive amounts of Muslim immigrants into their countries are now offering to pay those immigrants to leave.

All civilizations are not equal. All civilizations do not provide adequate protection for women and children. I learned this years ago in talking to a Muslim man in Massachusetts. He explained to me that his loyalty was not to America and if he were called to fight against America for the cause of Allah, he would do that. He also explained how proud he would be if his children became martyrs for Allah. He is living in America as an American citizen.

Again, all civilizations are not equal.

Coming Very Late To The Party

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As the pressure mounts on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza, the countries who are supporting the idea of a Palestinian State seem to be overlooking one thing–the activities of the people of Gaza on October 7, 2023.

On August 14th, The Jewish News Syndicate reported:

With the second anniversary of the Hamas-led massacre of Oct. 7 looming, António Guterres, U.N. secretary-general, listed the terror organization for the first time in the annual “Report of the Secretary-General on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence,” which also put Israel and Russia “on notice.”

“Hamas was listed on the basis of information verified by the United Nations in 2024, indicating reasonable grounds to believe that some hostages taken to Gaza were subjected to different forms of sexual violence during their time in captivity,” the United Nations stated, “and clear and convincing information that sexual violence also occurred during the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, in at least six locations.”

Though the U.N. release states there is “reasonable” evidence of such violence against captives and “clear and convincing” evidence of such violence on Oct. 7, Guterres’s report states the reverse.

In the documentary film “Screams Before Silence,” the sexual violence of October 7th is reported. The evidence is shown. The testimonies are given. There is no reason for the United Nations to wait almost two years before condemning the behavior.

Where is the United Nations’ cry for the release of the hostages held by Hamas that are still alive?

One of the major players in the United Nations is the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. This is a group of 57 nations (48 are Muslim-majority countries) that is a very powerful voting bloc in the United Nations. Because of this voting bloc, no action will ever be taken against a Muslim country that violates human rights. This voting bloc is also working to have the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights include an end to free speech and a penalty for blasphemy. Under Sharia Law, blasphemy has a very loose definition that can be applied to anyone making an unfavorable observation about Islam.

Any country supporting the formation of a Palestinian State is asking for the formation of a terrorist state funded by nations that are supposedly against terrorism.

 

Aiding Terrorists

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On Wednesday, The New York Post posted an article about a film that was removed from the Toronto Film Festival.

The article reports:

A new documentary about the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas has been booted from the Toronto International Film Festival — because organizers insist the filmmakers need the rights from the terrorist group to use their horrific footage of the massacre.

The festival claims the movie, called “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” did not meet certain requirements to screen at the prestigious September event, widely attended by Hollywood stars and bigwigs, including not securing so-called “legal clearance” to use Hamas’ livestreamed video of the rape, murder and kidnapping of Jews.

The stunned filmmakers, including Canadian director Barry Avrich, slammed the decision, telling Deadline that TIFF has “defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film.”

Avrich declined to comment further.

“The Road Between Us” tells the story of retired Israel Defense Forces General Noam Tibon, who set out to save his family and others during Hamas’ deadly attack, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

It includes widely seen videos taken by the terrorists of their murders of Israelis at the Nova music festival and in nearby communities.

While TIFF alleges they required permission from Hamas to use the footage, the documentary’s line producer, Talia Harris Ram, told the Times of Israel that their rationale was ridiculous.

The article includes pictures from the October 7th terrorist attack. Showing this film would remind people why Israel is attacking Gaza. Israel is trying to rescue any remaining hostages and also trying to insure that an October 7th attack never occurs again. As long as Hamas is allowed to exist in an area next to Israel, there will be a risk of another October 7th attack. The Hamas members who attacked Israel were the same people Israel routinely allowed into Israel on work permits because they could not find work in Gaza. When Israel left Gaza in 2005, Gaza quickly became a terrorist state. They dismantled the greenhouses that had provided income and jobs for the people of Gaza and used the water pipes to make rockets. What happened in Gaza after 2005 made it clear that a Palestinian state would have as its purpose the destruction of Israel. That is still part of the Hamas Charter.

Refusing to show a film that documents the truth is supporting a false narrative.

Let’s Add Some Truth To The Propaganda

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Greta Thunberg was headed to Gaza on a boat to protest the ‘Israeli occupation and genocide.’ Gaza is not a safe place to be right now, so Israel intercepted her boat and ruined her potential selfies. However, this will be an educational opportunity for Greta. It may not make a difference, but at least now she will have no excuse for her support of Hamas.

On June 9th, The Jerusalem Post reported:

Shayetet 13, the IDF’s elite navy seals unit, intercepted the Gaza Freedom Flotilla early on Monday morning at around 3 a.m., detaining the 12 activists aboard after they ignored repeated warnings to turn back from trying to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s position, since Hamas carried out a coup against the Palestinian Authority and took over Gaza in 2007, has been that a naval blockade of Gaza is legal since Hamas is a terror group in a state of war with Israel.

Jerusalem also argues that it is necessary to block Iran from smuggling in high-quality missiles, such as those the Yemeni Houthis and other Iranian proxies possess.

…The activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, French-Palestinian European Parliament Member Rima Hassan, and Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham, were trying to raise awareness of their opposition to Israel’s invasion of Gaza, its blocking of certain international groups from directly distributing food aid in Gaza, and the naval blockade in general.

The article notes:

At press time, multiple home countries of the activists were demanding consular access to their citizens while in Israeli custody.

Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered that the activists first view footage from Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel.

I have seen some of that footage. It is horrific. How anyone can support an organization that celebrates that sort of brutality is beyond my comprehension. I hope seeing the footage will wake some of the Hamas supporters up.

UPDATE: It has been reported that when the people on the boat were shown the footage of October 7th, they refused to watch it. So much for the pursuit of truth.

Oddly Enough, War Is Supposed To Have Rules

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According to Britannica:

The development of the Geneva Conventions was closely associated with the Red Cross, whose founder, Henri Dunant, initiated international negotiations that produced the Convention for the Amelioration of the Wounded in Time of War in 1864.

…Because some belligerents in World War II had abused the principles contained in earlier conventions, an International Red Cross conference in Stockholm in 1948 extended and codified the existing provisions. The conference developed four conventions, which were approved in Geneva on August 12, 1949: (1) the Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field, (2) the Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded, Sick, and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea, (3) the Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War, and (4) the Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

These are supposed to be “the rules of war.” Hamas does not follow them, and humanitarian groups choose to overlook that fact.

On Friday, The Washington Free Beacon posted an article about an investigation, conducted by the Henry Jackson Society’s Centre for the New Middle East.

The article reports:

The United Nations and its network of international NGOs have systematically whitewashed Hamas’s reliance on human shields in Gaza, sweeping aside mountains of evidence revealing how the terror group intentionally places civilians in harm’s way to maximize bloodshed, a new report finds.

The first-of-its-kind investigation, conducted by the Henry Jackson Society’s Centre for the New Middle East, presents “the ‘missing chapter’ in all the U.N. and NGO reports” issued since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Its authors reveal in detail how the terror group transformed civilian residences and infrastructure into military outposts, all while evading international scrutiny.

The article cites incidents such as placing mines among children’s toys and storing rockets in a child’s bed. Hamas has also reportedly hidden entrances to their tunnels in children’s bedrooms. The terrorist group has long been known to use civilians as shields. That is what makes it so difficult for Israel to fight Hamas without killing civilians.

The article notes:

Hamas members have admitted the terror group’s attitude toward civilian casualties in Gaza. The day after Oct. 7, for instance, Hamas official Ali Baraka told Russia Today TV that “the Israelis are known to love life. We, on the other hand, sacrifice ourselves. We consider our dead to be martyrs.”

Terrorists’ admissions of their own tactics have not prompted the U.N. to acknowledge them. In one notable display noted in the Henry Jackson Society compilation, a U.N. official said “word count” prevented the international body from noting Hamas’s reliance on human shields in a June 2024 report on “Children and Armed Conflict.”

…High-profile human rights organizations that work alongside the U.N. have also downplayed—or outright ignored—Hamas’s intentional endangerment of civilians.

One such group, Amnesty International—known for its hostility to Israel—released a December 2024 report accusing the Jewish state of perpetrating a genocide in Gaza. The 296-page report, You Feel Like You Are Subhuman: Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza, barely mentions Hamas’s battlefield tactics, the Henry Jackson Society’s analysis shows.

Much like the ICJ’s filing, Amnesty International “deliberately omits any discussion of Hamas’s extensive tunnel network,” mentioning them only in the context of Israeli military operations.

A 2024 report from Human Rights Watch contained similar accusations of genocide without any discussion of Hamas’s tactics.

There are a lot of causes for the irrational anti-Semitism that is rampant around the world right now. A media that fails to report the truth is one of them.

Why The Palestinians Cannot Have Their Own State

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On Thursday, Legal Insurrection posted an article about a recent poll taken in the “West Bank.” The poll is disturbing to say the least.

The article reports:

Most Palestinians in West Bank support mass-murder, rape and kidnapping of innocent Israelis by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023, a latest poll shows.

“59% of Palestinians polled in the “West Bank” still think that Hamas’ made the “correct decision” to torture, rape, burn alive, murder, and kidnap hundreds of hostages—even including children,” the media watchdog Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) observed, citing the poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research.

Having learned nothing from the October 7 massacre and its aftermath, nearly 80 percent of all Palestinians were opposed to the dismantling of Hamas as a terrorist fighting force, poll numbers show. “77% of Palestinians overall (and 85% of Palestinians in the PA-controlled “West Bank”!) “oppose the disarmament of Hamas in the Gaza Strip in order to stop the war on Gaza,” the media watchdog added.

…The poll results should not come as a surprise if one recalls how thousands of Palestinians flocked to greet Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 as they rode back on their pick-up trucks after massacring and raping Israeli men, women and children —  brandishing their weapons and parading their captives.

The macabre display was not limited to Hamas-ruled Gaza; the Palestinian Authority-run West Bank witnessed hideous celebrations on the streets and in schools over the mass-murder of around 1,200 Israelis.

The article concludes:

The poll also showed that nearly half of Gaza’s residents would prefer to leave the Hamas-infested enclave. The mainstream media was outraged when President Donald Trump in February suggested relocating large number of Gazans to neighboring Arab states for the post-war reconsecration of the enclave to take place.

“Almost half of Gazans may be willing to apply to Israel to help them leave to other countries, according to a survey released Tuesday,” The Times of Israel reported. “The poll (…) showed that for the first time since the Gaza war was sparked by the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, more Gazans thought Israel rather than Hamas would emerge victorious, though a plurality thought the war would end in a stalemate.”

Why would you form a nation of people who have so little regard for human life and the rules of civilization?