Genocide for Dummies: Debunking the Lie of the Century
Genocide, the gravest crime in the legal canon, should not collapse into a synonym for “I find war abhorrent.”
Capturing the MidEast in short soundbites: poignant reflections by people who understand the complexities of the Middle East. My philosophy is: "less is more." You won't agree with everything that's here, but I'm confident you will find it interesting! Excepting the titles, my own comments are minimal. Instead I rely on news sources to string together what I hope is an interesting, politically challenging, non-partisan, non-ideological narrative.
Genocide for Dummies: Debunking the Lie of the Century
Genocide, the gravest crime in the legal canon, should not collapse into a synonym for “I find war abhorrent.”
🗺️ For the first time ever, explore the underground war Hamas is waging beneath Gaza.
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) April 24, 2025
We've mapped Hamas’ tunnel network—buried under homes, hospitals, & schools. Built with open-source data, it’s the only resource of its kind.
Explore the map here: https://t.co/wYMZloV7fh pic.twitter.com/rCf0fr7EMS
The pieces are falling into place. Trump and Netanyahu are in alignment.
Iran is bracing for impact, and the final signs suggest this is not posturing—it’s happening. Soon.
The visit of CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla to Israel today was unscheduled. It came as Netanyahu, Trump, and Pentagon officials have been holding high-level talks, fulling aligning the detailed strategy for the next major steps.
Iran has taken the message seriously, publicly announcing it expects Israeli strikes and raising its alert level to their highest.
Israel accelerated the return of hostage bodies and finalized prisoner releases. These were not last-minute concessions but calculated moves to clear the decks before the storm.
The delay in the Netanyahu show trial after a classified briefing by the top security officials was highly unusual.
The countdown has begun. The only remaining questions now:
How massive with the strike(s) be? How successful with they be?
Israel appears to be tying up loose ends. Iran is bracing for impact. The signs are everywhere. If you’re paying attention, you can feel it in the air.
[Virtual Jerusalem]
"Iran does not possess the capability to deploy ground forces against Israel, given the vast geographical distance. Moreover, Iran's air capabilities are limited. Iran had counted on its network of proxies to provide a protective umbrella against Western strikes. However, this strategy lies in tatters: Hamas is reeling, Hizbullah is on the back foot, and the various militias in Iraq and Yemen are little more than an irritant for Israel. Thus, Iran finds itself unexpectedly exposed."
- Ariel Kahana
Source: Israel HaYom
Because details matter, this fair and intelligent podcast considers the question of what Kamala Harris’ MidEast policy might be and tries to parse out just how close to The Squad her positions might be:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tikvah-podcast/id921756215
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| Note that this pro-Hamasnik, cannot even spell Palestine |
Quote of the month: "[T]he first antisemitic mass movement in American history has arisen. There have been antisemitic movements in America before. But never have they been this large, politically influential, violent and explicitly opposed to the fundamental principles of their own society."
The State of World Jewry
Jerry Seinfeld was heckled on his way out of this lecture at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan. Bari Weiss delivered this stunning speech laying out the threats and opportunities for the world’s besieged Jews. Though this is not a “soundbite,” it’s totally worth your time.
PA to Give Hamas Terrorists' Families $3 Million - Itamar Marcus
The Palestinian Authority will pay at least 11,100,000 shekels ($2,789,430) this month to the families of the 1,500 dead Hamas terrorists who invaded Israel as a reward for participating in the Oct. 7 murders and atrocities against Israeli civilians.
In addition, the 50 captured Hamas terrorist murderers will receive monthly salaries in prison.
(Palestinian Media Watch)
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The white-stoned mosque, church and synagogue anchoring the Abrahamic Family House, a monumental interfaith compound that was unveiled last week in the United Arab Emirates, will serve as a busy forum for promoting religious cooperation in the Middle East, its founders said.
The individual structures that make up the new complex, which was designed by the acclaimed Ghanian-British architect, Sir David Adjaye, are linked by a central exhibition space, public garden and conference center that will open to visitors on March 1. The project was inaugurated last Thursday in a twilight ceremony in the capital city of Abu Dhabi led by members of the UAE’s royal court and leaders of the three faiths.
[The Circuit]
To Win, Israel Must Govern the Temple Mount
The Palestinians are convinced that the Temple Mount is as important to us as it is to them, and meanwhile we continue to fight about it amongst ourselves.
We do not understand the enormous damage caused by this debate, nor the central importance of going up to the Mount in order to strengthen our national identity and our connection to the Land of Israel and Jerusalem. Until we do, we will not have achieved victory in our War of Independence, which is unfortunately not yet over.
We must stop fighting religiously and politically over the Temple Mount. The halachic prohibition on going up to the site must take into consideration its national importance beyond its religious importance.
Our enemies must know that the Mount is important to us. The whole world must know that it is important to us—to all of us. Right and left, ultra-Orthodox, religious, traditional and secular. It should be as important to us as the Western Wall and Masada.
After visiting the Temple Mount and seeing how vast it is, it is clear that there is no problem of space. It is mostly empty and unused. There should no logistical problem with allowing worship for Jews and others on the Temple Mount, without disturbing Muslims and without harming their status and their holy places.
[W]e have yet to properly assert our sovereignty on Zion itself, the symbolic center of Zionism. This means that our full independence has yet to be won…
Until we have reversed this, we will not have fully won our War of Independence.
[Jewish News Syndicate]
Iran's Hard-Liners Are Starting to Crack - Reuel Marc Gerecht & Ray Takeyh
This time is different. The Iranian people have been protesting in the streets for more than a month. Now even Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's allies are distancing themselves from the government, putting unprecedented stress on the regime. For four decades, regime loyalists have united in times of crisis. It's telling that today many influential conservatives display little compunction about criticizing Mr. Khamenei and his henchmen.
The security services have been hesitant to use lethal force. That conservatives are now critiquing Mr. Khamenei shows that the regime is losing its core strength. They seem to realize that Tehran can't kill its way to success. These men either don't have the stomach to murder thousands of women, or they believe - rightly - that doing so would only lead to mass confrontation with hundreds of thousands of angry men.
The demonstrators aren't interested in compromise. Conservatives now face a choice between joining the protest or being left behind. The Islamic Republic's rulers, like the shahs before them, know that their regime ultimately rests on the awe of unchallengeable power. That neither teenage girls throughout Iran nor foundational figures of the theocracy see this majesty any longer suggests that Mr. Khamenei's time is running out.
Mr. Gerecht, a former Iranian-targets officer in the CIA, is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Mr. Takeyh is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
(Wall Street Journal)
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