‘Disturbing pattern of intimidation’: Amnesty International pans Hamas crackdown on protesters in Gaza


Amnesty International issues a scathing condemnation of Hamas amid the terror group’s crackdown on protesters demonstrating against its rule in the Gaza Strip.

The rights group says that over the past two months, it interviewed 12 people — 10 men and two women — who organized or took part in protests against Hamas and were interrogated, threatened, or beaten by the terror group’s security forces as a result.

The interviews revealed a “disturbing pattern of threats, intimidation and harassment, including interrogations and beatings by Hamas-run security forces against individuals exercising their right to peaceful protest” even amid Israel’s ongoing war, Amnesty says.

One of the protesters, a resident of northern Gaza’s Beit Lahia who lost multiple family members in an Israeli strike, tells Amnesty that after he took part in a protest in April, he was dragged to a makeshift detention center and beaten by armed men in civilian clothes.

“They accused me of being a traitor — a collaborator with the Mossad,” he tells Amnesty. “I told them we took to the streets because we wanted to live, we wanted to eat and drink.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveb...s-hamas-crackdown-on-protesters-in-gaza/

Outrage over French report on Muslim Brotherhood: 'New low in Islamophobia'
France is sounding the alarm about the extreme influence of the radical Muslim Brotherhood in education, associations and on social media. This is stated in a confidential government report, which is also causing a stir internationally.

Bob van Huët 24-05-25, 11:01 Last update: 24-05-25, 12:07
The report was discussed Wednesday at a meeting of France’s Defense and National Security Council at the Élysée Palace. The venue underscores the gravity of the situation: Typically, the council discusses geopolitical crises or military threats there — not domestic religious networks.

The authors, a former ambassador and a prefect, describe how the Muslim Brotherhood is gradually gaining influence through schools, universities, sports clubs and social media. The organization, which has existed for almost a century, aims to establish an Islamic empire and caliphate based on Sharia, Islamic law.

The report says the Muslim Brotherhood is less active in the Middle East and Africa today, but is growing in Turkey, the United States and Europe, thanks in part to funding from Qatar and Kuwait.

Four hundred Muslim brothers
The authors stress that it is not their intention to stigmatize Islam in general, but that it is dangerous to deny or minimize the role of extremist networks. In France, four hundred Muslim Brotherhoods are currently said to spread the ideology through some two hundred institutions affiliated with the organization.

Their networks are active in several European countries, with Belgium being mentioned as a crossroads. The influence of the brotherhood is also growing in Germany, Austria and Eastern Europe.

Criticisms and warnings
However, criticism is being voiced. Corinne Torrekens, a political scientist at the ULB university in Brussels, warns in the Flemish newspaper De Standaard against a simplistic reading, in which every Islamic organisation is suspect in advance, even when they are openly loyal to democratic values.

The timing of the publication is politically charged in France at least. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau — newly elected party leader of the conservative Les Républicains — wants to emphasize his hard line against Islamism.

President Macron has also requested additional proposals for a next Defense Council in June. Possible measures are already under discussion, such as the proposal by former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal (Renaissance) to ban girls under 15 from wearing a headscarf in public spaces.

The reactions are not long in coming. The French Muslim Federation speaks of 'dangerous generalizations' of how millions of conservative Muslims think and how a handful of extremists experience the faith.

Concerns about Islamophobia
Several organizations and public figures are concerned about the rise of Islamophobia in France. For example, commemorations were recently held in many places for Aboubakar Cissé, a young man who was killed on April 25 in a mosque in the Gard region.

The perpetrator, Olivier H., a French citizen of Bosnian origin, stabbed Cissé dozens of times. He filmed the violence with his mobile phone and shouted anti-Islamic slogans. The brutal attack caused great indignation within the French Muslim community.

'New low in Islamophobia'
Moderate politicians fear that the report will not help to narrow the gap with French Muslims. Left-wing politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon speaks on X of 'a new low in Islamophobia', while Jordan Bardella (Rassemblement National, the party of the radical right Marine Le Pen) calls for a total ban on the Muslim Brotherhood.

Meanwhile, French experts are questioning the assessment of the danger. They say the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood is exaggerated, while the real ideological dissemination nowadays takes place mainly through online preachers and social media, outside the direct reach of formal organizations.

From: The Times of Israel May 26, 2025
Trump’s huge Saudi arms deal may be limited by US pledge to preserve Israel’s military edge: QME

As Riyadh eyes advanced weaponry, Washington’s commitment to Israel’s defense supremacy means coveted F-35 fighter jets likely won’t be part of $142 billion in potential sales.

A landmark $142 billion arms deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia has the potential to reshape the way the Middle East looks from a defense perspective, significantly boosting Riyadh’s military might.

But despite its high profile and even higher price tag, the arrangement will likely be limited by a longstanding US defense doctrine safeguarding Israel’s regional defense superiority, experts say.

While details about the deal remain scant, speculation surrounding what it may include has been colored by Saudi Arabian requests to purchase state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets. But any such sale, analysts point out, would run afoul of a US commitment to Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge, or QME, which has long curtailed the transfer of certain advanced weaponry to the region.

The White House unveiled the deal, described as “the largest defense sales agreement in history,” on May 13. According to a White House fact sheet, the US will supply Saudi Arabia with “state-of-the-art war-fighting equipment and services” from more than a dozen American defense contractors.

The Trump administration has not detailed what the agreement entails, beyond sketching out five key areas it says the deal covers:
1. advancing air force and space capabilities;
2. strengthening air and missile defense systems;
3. bolstering maritime and coastal security;
4. modernizing border protection and ground forces;
5. and upgrading information and communications technology.

F-35 fighter jets:
Two anonymous sources briefed on the matter told Reuters earlier this month that the US and Saudi Arabia have discussed Riyadh’s potential purchase of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth fighter. But it’s unclear how serious any discussions are or if they are progressing to more advanced stages.

The Saudis have long had their eye on the F-35 hoping to become the second country in the Middle East, after Israel, to acquire the world’s most advanced aircraft.

In 2017 Saudi Arabia signaled interest in purchasing the F-35 fighter jet following what was described as a $110 billion arms agreement with the US earlier that same year.

That arms agreement took the form of commitments rather than actual defense deals, and it’s unclear if the Saudis purchased more than a fraction of that promised $110 billion.

What is clear is that while Riyadh got its hands on plenty of munitions, it was ultimately unable to purchase any F-35 fighter jets.

Jet-setters:
Despite repeated interest from regional powers, the US has consistently blocked the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries in order to preserve Israel’s QME.

“The US is committed to Israel’s QME and has taken this into account in its arms sales to the region,” Zain Hussain, a researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s arms transfers program, told The Times of Israel. “Exporting F-35s to other states in the region would present a significant shift in that policy.” Also erode Israel's superiority.

Israel today is the only country in the Middle East with F-35 fighter jets in its arsenal, currently operating 45 of the advanced aircraft with additional units on order.

“The export of the F-35 to another state in the region would potentially mean that: state acquiring stealth, data fusion, and deep-strike capabilities widely considered superior to other aircraft currently operated in the region,” Hussain said.

At the same time, he emphasized that Israel still holds a significant operational advantage:
“Israel remains the most experienced operator of the F-35 in the region and has been allowed to modify the aircraft to meet its specific needs.”

Indeed, Israel has uniquely customized its fleet of F-35s, rebranding the stealth fighter jet as the “Adir,” Hebrew for “mighty.”

Through close cooperation with Lockheed Martin, Israeli defense firms have integrated proprietary technologies into the aircraft — including advanced electronic warfare systems, enhanced command and control capabilities and locally developed weapons systems.

Washington’s commitment to ensuring Israel maintains a qualitative edge in military capability dates back to Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency.
In 2008 it was formally codified into a law requiring that Jerusalem’s position be considered before any weapons sales to the region.

The doctrine is rooted in Israel’s position as a democratic ally surrounded by often-hostile neighbors.
Given its geographic and demographic disadvantages Israel cannot rely on quantity in warfare and instead depends on technological and tactical superiority.

Over the decades, US arms sales to Arab states have repeatedly put Israel’s QME to the test.
At times, they have only gone through thanks to US assurances or complementary arms sales to Israel.

In 1981 Jerusalem strongly objected to Washington’s decision to sell AWACS surveillance planes and advanced F-15 enhancement packages to Saudi Arabia, fearing it would erode Israel’s technological superiority.

Despite fierce opposition, Congress narrowly approved the deal, with then-president Ronald Reagan offering Israel a set of reassurances, including an additional $600 million in military aid and 15 new F-15s.

More recently, the Trump administration in 2020 agreed to sell 50 F-35s to the UAE following Abu Dhabi’s agreement to normalize relations with Israel, though officials denied any linkage between the two.

The potential F-35 sales raised red flags in Israel, but Jerusalem eventually said it would not oppose the deal, after the US agreed to sign a formal agreement reaffirming Washington’s legally enshrined commitment to maintaining Israel’s regional military advantage.

In the end, the sale was torpedoed by the UAE rather than the QME. In 2021 the Emirates suspended talks with the Biden administration on buying the planes due to various disagreements over the sale, including their price tag, and in 2024 officials in Abu Dhabi said they did not plan to revive the deal.

Trump and the Saudis:
Ahead of Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, some believed that arms sales would similarly be used as part of a package that would see Riyadh normalize relations with Israel, which would have likely played a role in overcoming any QME-related hurdles.

Instead, Israel — unnecessary snub — was left off to the side as Trump and the Saudis heaped lavish indulgences and effusive praise on each other.

During his visit, Trump addressed the Saudi-US Investment Forum, hailing the “close partnership” between Washington and Riyadh and praising Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the kingdom’s sweeping transformation since Trump’s last visit as president.

Exactly eight years ago this month I stood in this very room and looked forward to a future in which the nations of this region would drive [out] the forces of terrorism and extremism… and take your place among the proudest, most prosperous, most successful nations anywhere in the world as leaders of a modern and rising Middle East,” Trump said.

“Critics doubted that it was possible,” he added, “but over the past eight years, Saudi Arabia has proved the critics totally wrong,” citing the kingdom’s emergence as a global business leader.

In tandem with its ambitions to become a business hub, Saudi Arabia has dramatically ramped up its military spending, signaling its intent to play a more assertive role on the regional and global stage.

According to a February statement by Ahmad Al-Ohali, governor of the Saudi General Authority for Military Industries, the kingdom increased its defense budget from $75.8 billion in 2024 to $78 billion in 2025.

Al-Ohali also noted a consistent 4.5 percent annual growth in defense spending since 1960 placing Saudi Arabia as the fifth-largest military spender in the world, and the largest in the Arab world.

No fairy godmother:
After his stop in Riyadh, Trump continued to Qatar and the UAE, notably skipping over Israel — a move that raised concern in Jerusalem over potential shifts in regional priorities and the optics of Israel being sidelined during a major US diplomatic tour.

This week there was a party in the Middle East — a grand ball full of colorful costumes, money and gold changing hands — and we found ourselves playing the role of Cinderella before the transformation,” columnist Sima Kadmon wrote in Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

“The fairy godmother we thought we had, flew off to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.”

The Trump administration has made several moves lately that have left some wondering whether Washington is still committed to taking Israel’s position into account in cases where it is not required by law.

These include nuclear talks with Iran, a ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthi rebels that allows them to continue firing ballistic missiles at the Jewish state and a deal with Hamas to free Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander that bypassed Jerusalem.

The agreement to arm the Saudis at record numbers comes amid growing frustration from Trump over Israel’s prolonged war in Gaza — a conflict he reportedly sees as complicating his efforts to broker a landmark regional deal.

Trump has made no secret of his ambition to secure Saudi-Israeli normalization as a cornerstone achievement of his second term.
But Riyadh has made it clear that any such agreement is contingent on a ceasefire in Gaza and tangible progress toward Palestinian statehood.

Although Saudi Arabia was not among the original signatories of the 2020 Abraham Accords, it has cautiously endorsed the initiative from the sidelines.

Still, the kingdom has repeatedly stressed that its participation depends on movement toward a two-state solution — a goal that now appears increasingly remote amid the ongoing war.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reaffirmed that Trump “wants to see this conflict in the region end,” but the administration has firmly denied reports that it is threatening to “abandon” Israel over its Gaza campaign.

Dr. H. A. Hellyer, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London, told The Times of Israel that:
1. Trump’s visit “was primarily about the [Gulf Cooperation Council], not about the appalling situation in Gaza,
2. and applying ‘America First’ transactionalism to foreign policy in [the Middle East and North Africa] more generally.”

He added that while “there is frustration in Washington D.C. with Tel Aviv’s conduct in Gaza… D.C. is still very much supportive of Tel Aviv.”

From: Arutz Sheva Israel National News May 28, 2025
Trump confidante: 'Trump knows a safe Israel also means a safe America

GOP National Spokesperson Elizabeth Pipko, who is considered one of the people closest to US President Donald Trump, tells i24NEWS Trump is just as supportive of Israel as ever.

From: Arutz Sheva Israel National News May 28, 2025
Israeli Consul General: 'Leaders who talk about Palestinian state forgot October 7'

Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis calls on Qatar to stop its "double game" in conversation with Arutz Sheva, warns of Qatari brainwashing of students such as the D.C. shooter.

Akunis told the consuls general that he feels that the world has forgotten the October 7 massacre.
He declared: We must reflect the truth to the leaders, especially in Europe, but not only in Europe, and say to them that it will be a huge prize to terror if they will support the idea of the establishment of a Palestinian State, not in Gaza, and not in Judea and Samaria,"

Akunis has delivered numerous warnings to American media about the threat posed by the billions Qatar spends on anti-Israel and anti-Western propaganda.
"I think this is the main problem. The Qataris support with a lot of money all the mobs in the United States in the campuses, in the universities.

These days, you cannot do anything without money, and the money is from Qatar.
So I am calling from here, from Jerusalem, to Qatar to stop their double game."

"The double game is: Now they are hosting the negotiations to release the hostages from the tunnels that they built. They paid all the money.

So they are hypocrites and we can't stand it. I am saying it time after time after time in the American media and to congressmen and senators,"
"You saw the influence" on the Washington D.C. shooter, Akunis stated. "This is a brainwash and it must be stopped," he concluded.

From: Haaretz May 28, 2025
Smotrich: 'I will not let a partial cease-fire be signed with Hamas; we must tighten the noose around its neck'

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday that he will not allow a partial cease-fire with Hamas to be signed.

Smotrich wrote on X referring to the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's limited allocation of aid, which began on Tuesday:
1. "Hamas is under pressure and in a great crisis these last few days as a result of the reform in the aid distribution,"
2. "We must tighten the noose around its neck and force it to sign a deal of total surrender, returning all of the hostages at once.

True It would be utterly foolish to release all the pressure now and sign a partial deal that will give it breathing room and an opportunity to recuperate.
I will not let that happen. Period."

Tamer Qarmout: "Hamas is under “huge pressure” with Palestinians suffering terribly with the aid blockade and relentless attacks"However to ease things now... Rewarding terrorism and Back to square one — Bigger, more lethal Hamas

Don't know... Russia's demands were made conditional even before prospective talks if any, including:
1. no NATO membership
2. all the captured territories including Crimea stay with Russia

Trump kept praising Putin and berating Zelenskyy, ganging up on him at that fiery White House meeting including that he was the obstacle to peace.

Australia-Israel — Sanctions
The Guardian by Josh Butler and Andrew Messenger 28 May 2025

Extracts:

• Australia Sanctions the final trigger! that would break! Israel's back

Australian Labor prime minister Anthony Albanese has appeared to downplay the prospect of Australia imposing sanctions on Israel over its actions in blockading aid into Gaza, saying his government would “follow our own path” despite allies like the United Kingdom threatening further actions against Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration

Albanese shrugged off calls by a pro-Palestine group within Labor for targeted sanctions on Israel, saying he was focusing on “peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians” rather than “soundbites”

But the Labor Member of Parliament and former cabinet minister Ed Husic again said his government should consider sanctions against those directing operations against Gaza while the former Labor foreign ministers Gareth Evans and Bob Carr also endorsed sanctions

“If we do have our friends move, we should be ready to work with them” Husic told Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC TV on Wednesday

The UK, France and Canada threatened to step up “concrete actions” against Israel in a joint statement last Monday — including “targeted sanctions” — after the country’s military intensified military strikes on besieged Gaza despite aid agencies warning the Palestinian population is being plunged further into malnutrition and closer to famine

For nearly three months, Israel has blocked food, fuel, medicine and all other supplies from entering Gaza, worsening a humanitarian crisis for 2.3 million Palestinians

Israeli troops on Tuesday opened fire near thousands of hungry Palestinians as a logistics group chosen by Israel to ship food into Gaza lost control of its distribution centre

Australia-Israel — Sanctions
The Guardian by Josh Butler and Andrew Messenger 28 May 2025

Extracts:

• Australia-Israel — Sanctions options "Soundbites" "Symbolic"

Albanese on Monday levelled his strongest criticism yet at Israel over its actions in Gaza, branding the weeks-long blockade “an outrage” and Israel’s explanations “untenable”

But when asked on Wednesday whether Australia would join the joint position moving toward sanctions as called for by the Labor Friends of Palestine group, Albanese questioned what that would mean
What people don’t say when they put forward ideas like this, is what that means” Albanese told a press conference in Brisbane
“Unlike some of those countries, Australia doesn’t provide military assets to Israel or to that region So we are in different circumstances

But we make it clear as we have consistently:
1. we want to see a ceasefire
2. we want to see hostages released
3. we say Hamas has no role in the future
4. we want to see humanitarian aid delivered to people in Gaza

Asked whether Israel would agree to those actions without facing sanctions, Albanese responded:
“Soundbites can make a difference What really makes a difference though … What we are interested in is substance”
1. “What we want is peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians
2. We have made it clear that we support a two-state solution”

Australia-Israel — Sanctions
The Guardian by Josh Butler and Andrew Messenger 28 May 2025

Extracts:

• Australian Labor Friends of Palestine 'Enemies' of Israel

Labor Friends of Palestine told The Guardian Australia there was a “surge in anger and frustration among Labor members” that the government hadn’t done more

Peter Moss, a member of the group, said Labor branches and conferences nationwide had passed many motions since 7 October 2023 calling for sanctions and other actions against Israel and called on Albanese to heed the wishes of party members

“It is disappointing for thousands of Labor members to see those views, expressed through the party’s democratic structures, dismissed by the Prime Minister as ‘soundbites’” Moss said

“We are calling on the government to impose targeted sanctions on those Israeli individuals and entities who have planned, promoted and continue to commit grave breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza

That again.... Day 601 No mention of among others:
1. Hamas' terror
2. Israeli hostages still held captive including dead bodies in underground tunnels
3. international law obligations not apply to terrorists

Australia will attend a United Nations conference in mid-June on the recognition of Palestinian statehood

Australia last week joined 22 other nations in condemning Israel over its decision to allow only limited aid into Gaza, adding voice to a joint statement also signed by the UK, Canada and New Zealand

Australia-Israel — Sanctions
The Guardian by Josh Butler and Andrew Messenger 28 May 2025

Extracts:

• Australia-Israel — Sanctions Experts!

Donald Rothwell, a professor of international law at the Australian National University, said in general Australia had capacity to level “a range” of sanctions, either autonomously or in concert with other nations But he added that a consideration of any measures was whether they would be meaningful

Rothwell added,
Rothwell suggested that, in general terms, targeted sanctions could include placing restrictions on military-to-military cooperation or relationships
Rothwell added,any form of sanctions would likely be more effective in conjunction with allies “There’s increasing evidence there’s a movement toward that”

Australia-Israel — Sanctions
The Guardian by Josh Butler and Andrew Messenger 28 May 2025

Extracts:

• former ministers — Experts!

Former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans, speaking to the Nine newspapers, said Australia should immediately recognise Palestinian statehood and said enacting sanctions on Israel would “send a powerful message”

Another former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr urged the government to put more pressure on Israel, including by recognising Palestine
In an interview on the ABC on Wednesday afternoon, Carr also backed sanctions against Netanyahu and other Israeli ministers

Labor Member of Parliament and former minister Ed Husic said there would be options for Australia to join the governments of the UK, France and Canada in any future sanctions regime

Husic told the ABC
"That is one option that able to put pressure on the Israeli government, working in concert with other countries, to free up humanitarian aid and particularly target assistance medical supplies in particular to help especially infants and children”

I also saw an Associated Press 'photo' of a woman and a boy [presumably her son] "looking for food in a pile of rubbish"
If there is no / severe shortage of food who would throw food out?

New Palestinian militia clearly turns against Hamas: 'At least 100 fighters mobilized'
A growing group of Palestinians in Gaza are speaking out against Hamas rule. It began with rare, small-scale protests against the terror group in northern Gaza. A new "anti-Hamas" militia is reportedly operating in the south. Are Palestinians standing up to Hamas?

Protesters threatened
Anti-Hamas protests in Gaza grow: 'People are desperate'
By Chris Koenis ·22 hours ago· Amended: 22 hours ago

More and more Palestinians in Gaza dare to demonstrate publicly against Hamas. They want an end to the war, hunger and the expulsion of masses. Hamas responds by abusing and threatening demonstrators, witnesses tell Amnesty.

It is a striking and slowly growing movement that began two months ago in Beit Lahia, a city in the northern Gaza Strip, shortly after Israel unilaterally ended the ceasefire with Hamas.

Since then, there have been modest demonstrations in other places, such as Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and Khan Younis. However, the largest demonstrations are still in Beit Lahia, which attracted several thousand Palestinians late last month. Children held up banners with messages such as "we want to live" and "stop the war," and demonstrators chanted, among other things, "down with Hamas."

Remarkable protest against Hamas in Gaza: 'They are dead tired after months of war violence'
Northern Gaza is the worst affected by forced population displacements and the continued destruction of homes, buildings and infrastructure by the Israeli army.

'Enough of the misery'
"The demonstrations show that a lot of people in the Gaza Strip are completely desperate and exhausted," says Middle East correspondent Pepijn Nagtzaam. "They are completely fed up with the miserable situation they have been in for so long. There is no food, no medical care and there are constant bombardments. They have simply had enough."

From: AIJAC May 29, 2025
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese urged to visit Israel instead of ‘throwing mud’ over Gaza war: AIJAC's Joel Burnie on Sky News

Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council’s Joel Burnie discusses the continued “one-sided criticism” from the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about Israel’s war against Hamas.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has told media in Jerusalem that he wants Anthony Albanese to visit Israel to engage with the problems of the region in person.

Mr Burnie said: “Essentially, what the president is saying, that if you are so concerned about what is going on here, how about you come here and you visit,”
1. “Instead of throwing mud or criticising through words,
2. how about you come here with your actions,
3. see how things are going,
4. see what’s happening on the ground here
5. and come up with practical solutions”.

Frankly... Ridiculous — Enough is Enough!

From: Reuters May 29, 2025
Israel accepted an American proposal for a Gaza cease-fire deal, the White House said. Hamas has yet to issue a response.

Hamas official says Israeli response to Witkoff cease-fire proposal fails to meet group's demands

the group's senior official Basim Naim told Reuters on Thursday: The Israeli response to the Gaza cease-fire offer presented by US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff has failed to meet Hamas' demands. He added: "The Witkoff proposal was still under discussion,"

Trump reportedly set to announce Israel-Hamas cease-fire in coming hours.
Israeli and Palestinian sources on Thursday denied reports that Hamas and Israel agreed on an American cease-fire proposal for Gaza.

Saudi Arabia's Al Arabiya said earlier that US President Donald Trump would announce that a cease-fire agreement had been reached between Israel and Hamas.

Hamas denied there had been an agreement on its Al-Aqsa TV channel.
Earlier Thursday, Hamas officials said they were still discussing the proposal.

A foreign source with details of the talks told Haaretz that the two parties are "not even close to reaching an understanding, as of now."
An Israeli official said they did not know whether Hamas had agreed to the plan.

From: The Guardian May 29, 2025
Hamas demands changes to Witkoff's new Gaza ceasefire proposal
A source close to Hamas said that group claimed the new proposal is more biased in favor of Israel than previous proposals.

Hamas says Israel-backed US plan 'does not meet our people's demands' but is still studying it.
A Hamas official said the group is studying the latest Israeli-backed US proposal for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.

Bassem Naim, a Hamas political bureau member, told multiple outlets on Thursday:
1. Israel’s response “in essence means the continuation of killing and famine,”
2. The proposal “does not meet any of our people’s demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine,” he said, adding:

Nonetheless, the movement’s leadership is studying the response to the proposal with full national responsibility.

From: The Jerusalem Post May 29, 2025
US firmly rejects France's attempt to recognize Palestinian state at United Nations Security Council UNSC

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot delivered a speech reiterating the country's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, urging "the implementation of a two-state solution."

The United States manifested its support to Israel at the UNSC against France by "firmly rejecting any attempt to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state" on Thursday. Barrot also announced that France will co-host, alongside Saudi Arabia, a United Nations conference in June regarding this topic.

The American embassy argued in response that the implementation of a two-state solution would constitute a "reward for Hamas' shocking attack on Israel,"

Also in reference to the May 21st Washington shooting attack at the Jewish Museum in which Elias Rodriguez killed two Israeli embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.

"The United States will do its part to help forge this new reality alongside Israel and our Arab partners.

But at the same time — the United States stands with Israel in unequivocally rejecting any effort to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state or impose conditions on Israel," the embassy stated.

In response to the French ministry, Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said that:

From: The Jerusalem Post May 29, 2025
Macron’s crusade against the Jewish state continues,' MFA responds to France sanctions threat
Instead of "applying pressure on the jihadist terrorists, Macron wants to reward them with a Palestinian state,"

Macron says France could recognize Palestinian state in June.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in April that France could recognize a Palestinian state in June, adding that, in turn, some countries in the Middle East could recognize the state of Israel. — Macron's "Abraham Accords"

He said during an interview on France 5 television:
"We need to move towards recognition (of a Palestinian state)." Where is this state? — "And so over the next few months, we will." Rewarding terrorism
"I'm not doing it to please anyone. I'll do it because at some point it will be right," — Maybe so... but now is not the time

the French president declared:
"And because I also want to take part in a collective dynamic that should also enable those who defend Palestine, to recognize Israel in their turn, something that many of them are not doing,"

From: France 24 News May 26, 2025
A video through the open plane door, appears to show France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron pushing her husband in the face as the couple landed in Vietnam this weekend. Push? Shove? or Slap? both hands — Immature, unprofessional behavior at official engagements However should have done it harder and...

As they were disembarking, at the top of the stairs, things turn icy again. He offers his arm; she ignores it, choosing to cling to the railing instead. As she passes, according to a lip reader, she appears to mutter, ‘Dégage, espèce de loser,’ translated in English, ‘Stay away, you loser.’” — She said it!

Many on the (far) right here say the only Palestinian state should be in Jordan and what do you with East-Jerusalem a holy place for Muslims?

Australia / Israel and Jewish Affairs Council May 30, 2025
The hypocrisy of international outrage

Once again, the global stage is ablaze with condemnation — not of Hamas, the terror group responsible for the October 7 massacre, but of Israel, a democratic nation fighting to protect its citizens and rescue its kidnapped countrymen and women.

A recent joint statement from the U.K., France, and Canada, along with a similar one by 24 countries including Australia, criticising Israel’s military operations and humanitarian efforts, is just the latest example of manufactured indignation.

If these nations truly want this war to end, the conditions have been clear since October 8, 2023:
1. Hamas must release all the hostages — both the living and the dead.
2. Hamas must lay down its arms and give up power over Gaza

That’s it. If those two things happen, the war ends.

Yet in the flurry of statements aimed at Israel, the hostages are barely mentioned.

And when they are, it’s often as a brief afterthought. There’s no urgency, no outrage, and no real pressure applied to the group holding innocent people in cages, subjecting them to psychological torment and physical torture.

As for Hamas, these statements don’t demand anything of substance.

Instead, they merely “call on Hamas” or “reiterate our message” that hostages should be released — while remaining silent on the demand for Hamas to disarm, even though almost all Western governments have previously agreed this must be the war’s outcome.

Do they really think a not-so-strongly worded statement urging a course of action on terrorists who burn families alive, rape women and massacre children will change their hearts and end this war?

Australia / Israel and Jewish Affairs Council May 30, 2025
Freed hostage Agam Berger, held by Hamas for 473 days, made this clear to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot during a meeting in Paris.
Diplomatic solutions, she said, won’t work because “it’s us or them.”

No one in Israel — not its citizens, not its soldiers and despite conspiratorial claims to the contrary, not the Government — wants this war to continue.

Day 602 War is hell. It costs lives, shatters families, and permanently scars nations.
Yet it is notable that no viable alternative has ever been proposed that would bring home the hostages and end Hamas’ violent rule.

That’s because Hamas continues to reject every deal that does not leave it in control of Gaza, ready to prepare the next October 7 a reality that the international community ignores.

It’s easy for leaders in distant capitals to sit comfortably and pass moral judgment when it’s not their children being held in tunnels or their civilians racing to bomb shelters. And let’s not pretend any of these countries would show more restraint if terror on the scale of the October 7 attacks came to their doorsteps.

Still, their obsession with a two-state solution in the short term persists, as outlined in their statement.

They talk as if it’s a magic elixir that will solve all the region’s problems.
But statehood has been offered to the Palestinians numerous times, and turned down.

And Hamas actually ruled the closest thing to a Palestinian state that has ever existed for more than 16 years and used it to prepare October 7.
Israel let them — asleep at the wheel

Australia / Israel and Jewish Affairs Council May 30, 2025
Yes, conditions in Gaza are dire. But Hamas has been clear that allowing civilians to suffer in order to win international sympathy is part of its plan.

The United Nations, instead of confronting this reality, only fuels it with its complicity.

It recently rejected a joint U.S.–Israel initiative to deliver humanitarian aid directly to civilians, claiming it “contravenes humanitarian principles”, although this aid is already being delivered!

Yet its old, preferred methods have only led to
1. Hamas stealing aid for its fighters on a massive scale
2. and selling it at extortionate prices to pay for its military needs.

Meanwhile, U.N. officials make outlandish, unverified claims — like the assertion that 14,000 babies would die within 48 hours if aid wasn’t delivered — a baseless and inflammatory fabrication.

The West has lost its moral compass. October 7 — the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust — has already faded from international memory.
The world’s attention has shifted from the atrocity that sparked this war to the discomfort of having to watch Israel fight it.

But Israel doesn’t have the luxury of forgetting
1. Not when its citizens are still in captivity.
2. Not when rockets and missiles still fall.
3. Not when every Israeli family, and Jews around the world, feels the impact of this war personally.

Instead of one-sidedly chastising Israel, the world should be asking:
How and Why does Hamas still have money for weapons but not for food? Missiles but not medicine?

Once again, the world has shown its inability — or unwillingness — to recognise evil. And instead of pressuring the perpetrators it targets the one democracy with no choice but to confront it head-on. Because if Hamas remains in power, the next war is not just possible, it’s inevitable.