ISRAEL (IINO)
SCREAMS BEFORE SILENCE Full Video [57:00] A documentary film on the sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7th, Screams Before Silence is a documentary film led by American businesswoman Sheryl Sandberg, that explores the sexual violence by Hamas during the Hamas-led attack on Israel, on 7 October 2023, including events at the massacre at the Nova Festival and abductions to the Gaza Strip.
Disillusionment Among Israeli Jews and Arabs Grows After 15 Months of War
January 12, 2024 JBN – After 15 months of war in Gaza, disillusionment is uniting Israel’s Arab and Jewish citizens.
According to a new survey released by Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), confidence in the government remains low at 25% among Jewish respondents and 9% among Arabs. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal approval ratings showed a similar pattern, with 33% support among Jewish Israelis and 8% among Arab citizens.
Both sects showed mixed optimism about the war’s objectives. While 51% of Jewish respondents believed the war in Gaza could be won fully or to a large degree, 38% predicted few or no objectives would be met. Arab respondents were more skeptical, with only 22% expecting significant achievements for Israel and 52% anticipating few or no successes.
Meanwhile, 64% of Jewish Israelis now oppose the creation of a Palestinian state “under any condition.” Among the Arab-Israeli population, 59% opposed a Palestinian state, while 12% supported it, with 29% uncertain. It marks a significant change from historical trends. Between 2006 and 2019, support among Jewish Israelis for a conditional Palestinian state dropped from 71% to 55%, and by 2022 had fallen to 50%.
A third of Jewish respondents also support Israeli annexation of Gaza, with more than half of those (52%) favoring the reestablishment of settlements. Just over half (51%) preferred transferring control to either a moderate Palestinian party or an international entity, while 10% were undecided. Among Arab respondents, only 8% supported annexation, with 54% favoring regional or Palestinian control, and 38% uncertain.
On the northern front, Jewish Israelis were divided over the recent ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. While 50% supported the ceasefire compared to 27% opposing it, 48.5% believe the terms won’t necessarily allow evacuees to return.
Legal protection for IDF soldiers abroad is essential Nitsana Darshan-Leitner
The hostile groups tracking IDF soldiers aren’t really interested in war crimes. For them, mere detention or arrest is already a victory. But we at Shurat HaDin aren’t resting on our laurels.
January 6, 2025 Israel Hayom – The attempt in Brazil to arrest a discharged IDF soldier who fought in Gaza joins a series of concerning incidents where relatively junior IDF soldiers face the threat of lawfare against Israel. While in the past, the threat of arrest was limited and directed at senior officials, it has now expanded to target rank-and-file soldiers. This is certainly worrying news, but through a few simple steps, personal risks can be avoided in most cases. And don’t worry – we won’t remain on the defensive; we will definitely go on the offensive.
First, let’s put things in order. Some countries allow criminal investigations against foreign citizens within their borders on suspicions of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in other countries. This is called “universal jurisdiction.” The risk increases in certain countries where ordinary citizens can initiate criminal investigations in ways that state authorities don’t fully or partially control. This was the case in Britain, for example, in the attempted arrest of Maj. Gen. (ret.) Doron Almog in 2005, about two years after his retirement from the IDF, due to an investigation initiated by citizens.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague is now joining this “celebration,” having opened an investigation and issued arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. While the court focuses only on senior officials, this doesn’t mean a soldier won’t be required to testify before the court in one of the approximately 120 member countries, perhaps to establish charges against senior officials through their testimony.
The heart of the risk lies in social media: soldiers upload documentation of themselves and their comrades during combat. It’s right to review accounts before traveling abroad and delete such past posts, but this doesn’t solve the problem: hostile groups tracking IDF soldiers collect this information, and removing it from the internet won’t eliminate information already collected.
It’s important to understand that these groups aren’t really interested in war crimes. They pursue IDF soldiers as such. They don’t care if there’s operational justification for the uploaded documentation. For them, even if it doesn’t mature into an indictment, the mere detention or arrest is already a victory because it sends a problematic message to every Israeli enlisting in IDF combat roles.
Besides defense, there’s also offense. We at Shurat HaDin aren’t resting on our laurels. Thus, after Spanish authorities sought to investigate Israeli officers, we recruited families of victims killed in Kosovo by NATO bombings, of which Spain is a member, to file a complaint in Spain against officials. Lo and behold, the courts found a way to close the investigations against us, and the law in Spain was subsequently changed.
Meanwhile, awareness and taking steps to prevent unnecessary complications in advance are important. Israeli authorities must, of course, provide our warriors with complete and proper defensive coverage. We, for our part, will continue to stand alongside IDF soldiers.
Report: Israel To Release Over 3,000 Terrorists, Including 48 Released In Shalit Deal
January 12, 2025 Yeshiva World News – As negotiations for a hostage deal continue, details are emerging regarding the number of terrorists to be released as part of the agreement.
Qadura Fares, the head of the commission for Palestinian prisoner affairs, told Palestinian media on Sunday that he’s preparing to release over 3,000 terrorists.
Fares claims that in the first phase of the deal, 25 Israeli hostages held in Gaza will be released in exchange for the release of 1,200 terrorists from Israeli jails. The released terrorists will include 48 terrorists previously released during the Shalit deal in 2011 who were re-arrested after returning to terror activities; 200 terrorists serving life sentences; and all female and minor terrorists.
It should be noted that slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 massacre, was released in the Shalit deal.
Fares added that about another 1,800 terrorists will be released in exchange for the rest of the hostages, including IDF soldiers. Hamas is demanding a “higher price” for abducted IDF soldiers.
Fares also noted that the terrorists who will be released, apart from those sentenced to life imprisonment, will return to their homes in Yehudah and Shomron, Israel, or Gaza. The others will likely be deported to Qatar, Egypt, or Turkey.
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