Iran-backed terror groups have launched 19,000 rockets at Israel over the last eight months. Hezbollah has launched thousands of rockets directly into homes and communities in Israel's north, setting it ablaze and displacing over 70,000 people. Ridiculously referred to as 'tit-for-tat" by the NYT. Recall that Israel withdrew from Lebanon after attacks by Hezbollah more than 20 yrs ago and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was supposed to help maintain peace and security at the border. During the 8 months of these increasing attacks from Lebanon into Israel, UNIFIL "peacekeepers" have been on the seen.
June 11-13 was the Jewish festival of Shavuoth, which celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Did the difficulty of celebrating it in wartime get any mention? This week we returned to see numerous articles about the difficulties of celebrating Eid and headlines about hunger in Gaza. Nothing about how children are celebrating in West Bank. This report was released June 4th: Expert Panel Rejects Claims of Famine in Northern Gaza - have you seen any coverage?
On June 8, four Israelis: Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), Shlomi Ziv (40), were rescued from an apartment complex in the United Nations run-Nuseirat "refugee" camp in central Gaza. The camp is right next to the Izz ad Deen al-Qassam Mosque, named for a Syrian terrorist who hunted the British and Jews in Palestine in the 1920s and 1930s. Three of the rescued hostages were being held in the house of Al Jazeera and Palestinian Chronicle "journalist" Abdallah Aljamal and his physician father. Many media outlets tainted the operation's morality by emphasizing the unverifiable Palestinian death toll figures touted by Hamas and whitewashed the terrorists’ use of civilians as human shields. They Criticized the Entebbe Rescue, Too - (Los Angeles Jewish Journal) Note: Ada Sagi, 75,, who was rescued in November, explained she was also held in "civilian homes" and a hospital; she describes how Hamas paid Gaza University students 70 shekels (~15 USD) per day to guard her and other hostages. She was held in different “civilian” houses in Khan Younis before being taken to Nasser Hospital with other hostages. almost a dozen hostages confirm they were held at Nasser Hospital. But the press continues to regularly cite hospital officials who were clearly complicit in such activities despite them clearly lying about it.
On June 3, we learned of the deaths of 4 hostages: Chaim Peri, 79, Amiram Cooper, 84, Yoram Metzger, 80, and Nadav Popplewell, 51, who were held captive together in Khan Younis and were likely killed together in Khan Yunis several months ago by Hamas terrorists. A propaganda video released by terrorists weeks ago showed Nadav Popplewell had been abused. https://x.com/AdamAlbilya/status/1797676908735566168
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CHINA
INDIA
India Is Providing Military Assistance to Israel (Ynet News)
IRAN
About 40 House members signed a bipartisan letter calling on the Biden administration to implement new sanctions on Iranian petroleum and to fully implement the SHIP Act and the Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act. This as Washington Post reports, Iran is significantly expanding its nuclear enrichment capabilities.
ISRAEL
Just a reminder, Israel is not a colonial state. If anything, it’s the reverseIsrael's Response to UN Report on War Crimes in GazaLEBANON
Hezbollah threatens Cyprus and Israelhttps://www.cnn.com/2024/06/18/middleeast/hezbollah-drone-video-israel-haifa-intl-latam/index.html and https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/head-lebanons-hezbollah-threatens-israel-cyprus-televised-address-2024-06-19/ and https://gem.godaddy.com/p/0bcbd91
Lebanon is the host of the highest per capita population of refugees in the world https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-syria-idlib-refugees-returns-smuggling-migration-4a7f0bc8bb1e3c39f8e7e92589b5733cLebanese Journalist: Shiites of South Lebanon Will Welcome Israeli Forces that Rid Them of Hizbullah (MEMRI-TV)PALESTINIANS/GAZA/PA
Just a reminder, there is no genocide in Gaza. https://x.com/SpencerGuard/status/1785153068964692424 see also Genocide and Hamas Go Hand in Hand https://www.ajc.org/news/genocide-and-hamas-go-hand-in-hand
How Israel Renewed Gaza's Water Supply amid War (Times of Israel)Last week, Hamas' leader Yahya Sinwar was quoted admitting that civilian bloodshed is a "necessary sacrifice" that benefits the terror group more than a ceasefire or a deal to free the hostages.PA repays US generosity with hatred, says port for humanitarian aid is “plot to expel Gazans” https://palwatch.org/page/35143PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Movement has been promoting a video showing a boy from the Gaza Strip demonstrating the way children in Gaza are brainwashed. https://palwatch.org/page/35163QATAR
Hamas political leaders are planning to leave Qatar and move to Iraq where the Islamic Republic of Iran promised to guarantee their safety.
RUSSIA
Russian rights commissioner calls for swift release of Russians held by Hamas
Whilst in the UK
On same day Imperial College was announced to be the best college in the UK, we were on campus and saw a small "Free Palestine" encampment. The setup with tents was exactly the same as we've seen across the US, though it was small and easy to avoid. An organization called Fossil Free Books, which is against Fossil fuels and Israel, managed to scare off authors from participating in book festivals and Baillie Gifford being forced from sponsoring festivals. https://www.thebookseller.com/news/stratford-also-loses-baillie-gifford-funding-as-group-mulls-pulling-out5 Security Staff at Heathrow were removed. The people responsible for making sure terrorists don’t blow up the airport were wearing badges that identify with terrorists and harassing passengers departing for Israel.UK pop star working with Dudu Tassa hits back against cultural boycott (Point of No Return)Catching the BBC Pushing Fake News (David Collier) see also https://camera-uk.org/2024/06/19/bbc-news-continues-to-promote-a-narrative-on-famine-in-gaza/UN/UNRWA
“I was held hostage by an UNRWA teacher” Over 100 Victims of Hamas’ October 7th Massacre File Major Lawsuit Against UNRWA Hillel Neuer Addresses the Dutch Parliament on UNRWA https://unwatch.org/hillel-neuer-addresses-the-dutch-parliament-on-unrwa/The UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) issued an appalling report that baselessly asserts Israel’s defensive military campaign in Gaza against Hamas violates international law, and turns a blind eye to the terror group’s continued flouting of that law and disregard for civilian livesAustralia, Canada, Sweden, Germany, Japan and others have resumed funding UNRWAIsrael, Jews and Peace in Schoolbooks and Teachers' Guides Used in UNRWA Schools in Judea, Samaria, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip - Here is what is in all Palestinian school books. https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/app/uploads/2024/05/E_114_24.pdf and Israel, Jews and Peace in Schoolbooks Used in UNRWA Schools The UN figures not only inconsistently record humanitarian trucks from the private sector and other NGO trucks, but is also missing data on UN aid entering Gaza. These gaps have become extreme in April and May 2024 - underreporting of over 8,000 trucks since Oct. 7, 2023, with 4,880 "missing" trucks in May 2024 alone.U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres took to social media today to issue "profound concerns about escalation between Israel and Hezbollah along the Blue Line." There was no condemnation of the Iran-backed terror army for starting a war against Israel on October 8. No call for the terrorists to stop launching rockets, missiles, and drones indiscriminately at Israeli towns. No demand that Israel's 70,000 residents be allowed to return home, or No insistence that U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 -- which called for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon -- be enforced.UNITED STATES
Bill Maher Calls Out Campus Protesters for Ignoring the Oppression of Women in Muslim CountriesBiden's "Peace Now" Plan (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)The ongoing U.S. policy of slow-walking munitions deliveries to Israel isn’t about Rafah https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/biden-italian-strike-israel-arms-shipments
Vancouver Comics Festival Bans Jewish Artist over Past IDF Service
In Los Angeles, this week: 
Day 239 Hostages Update: IDF insists there are hostages still in Rafah. Latest: Hamas releases hostage video with voice of 
Taliban appear set to take part in UN-organized Doha meeting