U.N. official deflects blood libel, implies most Israelis are pro-genocide

JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief

U.N.’s Albanese deflects blood libel, implies most Israelis are pro-genocide

So, now the UN Special Rapporteur for Hamas, Francesca Albanese is accusing Israel of ‘genocide’.

Does anyone still take this rabid Jew-hater seriously? She has sough to justify the Oct 7 massacre, distorted the Holocaust & repeatedly engages in antisemitic tropes. Just vile! pic.twitter.com/l2oGbxuVIU

— Arsen Ostrovsky ️ (@Ostrov_A) March 26, 2024

The U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian Territories recently set a commenter on an X post of hers straight, when the individual claimed “Jews are capable of eating human flesh.” She stated not all Jews should be blamed for Israel’s actions, and said “Many, including Holocaust survivors, continue to rise against Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians.”

However, given her recent record, Albanese also couldn’t help but subsequently accuse Israel of genocide with regard to its Gaza war, reported the Jerusalem Post.

Responding to an article in the far-left-wing Haaretz newspaper, in which an IDF reservist alleged his commanding officer deliberately broke the bones in a 4-year-old Palestinians boy’s arms and legs with his bare hands, Albanese wrote “not only the Israeli army is ROTTEN to the core, but so are all governments that allow these sickening crimes to be normalized.”

“No matter how few they are, we must not invisibilise the Israelis who stand against Occupation, Apartheid, Genocide,” Albanese wrote. “May more of them join the anti-Apartheid struggle. Not living a lie and not being racist will be liberating.”

U.S. provides Israel with $22 billion in military aid since Oct. 7

Report: US sends $22B in military aid to Israel since Oct. 7https://t.co/CKcJBX1Vdq
(Photo: Defense Ministry) pic.twitter.com/yTGuN9kyUh

— Israel Hayom English (@IsraelHayomEng) January 1, 2025

The United States has provided Israel with military aid totaling approximately $22 billion since Oct. 7, 2023, which the IDF has used for its operations in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria during the war, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), and reported on Ynet.

According to the institute’s data, between 2019 and 2023, the U.S. supplied about 69% of Israel’s weapons, a figure that rose to 78% in the subsequent period. By December 2023, the U.S. had transferred more than 10,000 tons of weapons worth $2.4 billion to Israel, and this number jumped to 50,000 tons by August 2024, carried by hundreds of aircraft and ships.

The U.S. has provided Israel with a variety of advanced military equipment, including missiles for the Iron Dome system, precision-guided bombs, CH-53 heavy transport helicopters, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, 155mm artillery shells, bunker-penetrating bombs, and armored vehicles.

Trump again warns Hamas: ‘Return the hostages, or else’

President-elect Trump warns Hamas: “They better let the hostages come back home soon” pic.twitter.com/pKVz3jRWmw

— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) January 1, 2025

President-elect Donald Trump, who will become America’s 47th president in fewer than three weeks, reiterated his warning to any Gazan Palestinian holding hostages to repatriate them before he takes office on Jan. 20.

Asked a question about the captives at a gala event at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump replied tersely, “We’ll see what happens. A href=https://www.jns.org/they-better-let-the-hostages-go-soon-trump-warns/>They better let the hostages come back soon,” reported the Jewish News Syndicate.

Trump’s warning came as there seems to be an impasse regarding the number of hostages Hamas is prepared to release. In a ghoulish development, it wants to include the return of the dead as part of the deal, a demand to which Israel has refused to acquiesce.

Floridian charged with planning armed assault on local AIPAC office

Update: the man has been identified as Forrest Kendall Pemberton of Alachua, FL.

He was arrested with an AR15 rifle, a Luger pistol & ammunition and told authorities he visited AIPAC to “scout” the location to come back later, armed.

He also stated he chose AIPAC because of… https://t.co/8m74WtUT4M pic.twitter.com/PMgGCtUotp

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) January 1, 2025

The U.S. Justice Department charged a Gainesville, Florida, man with a count of stalking Monday for allegedly planning to attack an AIPAC office in Florida, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.

Family members told the FBI that Forrest Kendall Pemberton, who went missing from his Gainesville, Florida, home apparently with multiple firearms, appeared to have left a note stating that he would “close the loop,” “stoke the flames” and say “goodbye” to his relatives, per an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint.

On Dec. 25, law enforcement arrested Pemberton after observing him get into a rideshare vehicle “with an apparent soft rifle case,” per the affidavit. He gave the law enforcement officials three guns – an AR-15 rifle, a Luger pistol and a Galil rifle – and ammunition for the latter two, the affidavit added. (The third weapon is Israeli-made.)

Hamas fires rockets at Israel on New Year’s Eve for second straight year

New year, new me? Not according to Hamas.

Hamas continues to threaten our civilians and just fired 2 rockets, triggering sirens in southern Israel.

We will continue operating to bring our 100 remaining hostages home and dismantle Hamas. pic.twitter.com/Msvv8IC1My

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 31, 2024

For the second New Year’s Eve in a row, Hamas disturbed whatever seasonal reverie was taking place by firing rockets at Israel.

The terrorist rulers of Gaza took responsibility for the rockets, according to the Times of Israel, although this year’s two projectiles were significantly smaller in both scale and scope than last year’s barrage. Fears the Houthis would similarly use the occasion to fire a missile proved unfounded. The IDF reported the Iron Dome missile defense system destroyed one of the rockets, while the other was tracked as it fell in open ground.

Bars and pubs were packed, but at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, activists for the 100 hostages Hamas is still holding in Gaza lit a Hanukkah-themed candle display using the new year to call once again for a ceasefire and hostage deal.

IDF reservists urged not to post on social media after troops doxxed

Editorial | Israelis must exercise caution. Reservists and active-duty soldiers should think before they post.https://t.co/FsOXiPFPHl

— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) January 1, 2025

We live in an age of social media where people record the events of their life in minute detail. However, a pro-Palestinian online group calling itself “Israel Genocide Tracker” is publishing troops’ personal information on the internet.

Recent photos of soldiers lighting Hanukkah menorahs in Gaza mean that this issue has re-emerged.Soldiers have previously been warned about not sharing real-time photographs of operations, but this latest issue seems to include any image of an individual in an army uniform, even if it was posted by a family member.

And according to a Jerusalem Post op-ed, there are also legal ramifications. The Hind Rajab Foundation recently called for the arrest of three Nahal Brigade soldiers after they entered the Netherlands.

They were accused of war crimes based on allegations, many of which lacked specificity but were supported by photos and videos shared on social media

Other incidents include an Israeli reservist officer who had to flee Cyprus in November after videos he posted led to calls for his arrest. “They should be encouraged not to post because of the danger it poses,” Moodrick-Even Khen said.

Israel warns Houthis they’ll face same fate as Hamas, Hezbollah/b>

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, issues a final warning to the Houthis after their continued missile attacks against Israel. #OAN #Breaking #Latest #MiddleEast #HappeningNow pic.twitter.com/m6h6ge3axy

— One America News (@OANN) December 31, 2024

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon addressed that body’s security council and warned the Houthis to cease their ballistic missile attacks on Israel … or suffer the consequences.

Danon stated that the Houthis risk the same “miserable fate” as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syrian President Bashar Assad if they continue their actions, according to the Media Line.

Danon’s warning came hours before Israel’s military announced it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, an attack that triggered air raid sirens across the country. Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, a senior Houthi leader, declared the group’s intention to persist with its assaults, describing the missile strikes as acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

“The pounding of the entity [Israel] continues, and the support to Gaza continues,” al-Houthi said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) following the interception.

Israel’s population breaks 10 million barrier, more Israelis leaving country

By 2025, Israel’s population exceeded 10 million people

Of these 76.9% Jews, 21% Arabs and 2.1% other nationalities. pic.twitter.com/HAA6YCagJ1

— RealPalestina(א”י) (@LollllllaJR) December 31, 2024

Israel’s population broke the 10 million people barrier as the country entered the new year. The total count was 10.027 million, which includes 7.7 million people who are registered as “Jewish” or “Other,” which includes non-Arab Christians. The number of Arab Israelis is 2.1 million, according to the Times of Israel. Foreign nationals on extended stays were also included in the total, a category which has not previously been included.

The news of the population growth was tempered, however, by data which showed some 82,000 Israelis moved away from the Jewish state – also known as “yerida” in Hebrew – which literally means to go down. In 2023, the number of Israelis moving out of the country was 55,000, which was itself a significant increase from the decade previously when some 35,000 people per year on average moved away.

Population growth declined to 1.1% from 1.6 percent in 2023, largely due to the increased numbers of Israelis who left, the Central Bureau of Statistics says. According to the bureau, 23,800 Israelis returned home in 2024, and 32,800 new immigrants arrived, down some 15,000 from a year earlier.

Syria appoints first female Central Bank president/b>

#Syria named its first ever female Central Bank president today — Maysa Sabrine.

Sabrine is a long-time economist, having held multiple senior roles in the bank until now. pic.twitter.com/tCueLifnM0

— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) December 30, 2024

Syria’s interim government appointed longtime central bank official Maysaa Sabrine to lead the institution making her the first woman to do so in the bank’s more than seven decade-history, reported Senator.

The former rebel militants now running the country have said they want to shift Syria to a free-market economy, but their goals will be near-impossible without the West removing sanctions, a Syrian economist told the New York Times.

At a time when every decision is being closely watched at home and abroad, Sabrine’s appointment could bode well as a sign of inclusive governance, although there are many who do not believe de facto Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa’s about-face.

French jets bomb ISIS fighters, positions in Syria

The French Armed Forces press service reports that last night, Dassault Rafale aircraft of the French Air Force carried out strikes on ISIS militant targets in central Syria. pic.twitter.com/XRXcLM6fBA

— Dana Levi דנה (@Danale) December 31, 2024

French warplanes carried out airstrikes against both Islamic State fighters and positions in Syria on Sunday, said the French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu, and reported on Reuters.

“On Sunday, French air forces carried out targeted strikes against Islamic State sites based on Syrian territory,”Lecornu wrote on social media platform X.

The French airstrike followed a similar military strike by the United States in Syria, which the U.S. said had killed two Islamic State operatives.

The French strikes were the first against Syria since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad in early December.

‘Activists’ set fire to Israeli flag outside basketball arena ahead of game with Israeli team

Disgusting.

Less than two months after mobs attacked Israeli soccer fans in an antisemitic pogrom in Amsterdam, extremists burned an Israeli flag at Gran Canaria Arena in the Canary Islands.

Hapoel Tel Aviv’s basketball team plays there tomorrow.

The hate keeps spreading. pic.twitter.com/VU3tSWUBzw

— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) January 1, 2025

Activists set fire to an Israeli flag outside the stadium where the Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball team is set to play Dreamland Gran Canaria tomorrow night, reported the Times of Israel.

According to the local Canarias Ahora site, the “Canarias Insumisa collective” says the flag was burned outside the venue in Las Palmas in Spain’s Canary Islands to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza amid the war sparked by the Hamas terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attack.

The Spanish group also asks local fans not to attend the game, and claims the Israeli supporters may try to provoke them. This seems a clear reference to the events in Amsterdam in November when Muslim immigrants to the Netherlands – mostly from North Africa and the Middle East – carried out a modern-day pogrom on Israeli fans who had come to watch their team participate in a soccer match.