Arab Israel conflict
May 22, 2026 — Scott Johnson
I wrote about Douglas Murray’s appearance at the Temple of Aaron earlier this week in “From Saint Paul to San Diego.” This year’s annual temple fundraiser honored retiring executive director Ken Agranoff after 39 years of service to the congregation. Ken interviewed Murray on the raised temple pulpit for about an hour, when Murray exited stage left. At the outset of his remarks Murray refers to two of the speakers
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February 9, 2026 — Scott Johnson
Michael Herr titled one chapter of Dispatches, his Vietnam memoir, “Illumination rounds.” It’s a powerful book and a memorable chapter, separately available from the publisher. The title of that chapter serves as a useful metaphor. My flight home from DC having achieved liftoff, I would like to borrow Herr’s metaphor to fire off these illumination rounds on Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. Round one: How many journalists, politicians, and
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January 23, 2026 — Scott Johnson
In It’s Noon In Israel newsletter this morning, Amit Segal reports the story below. I’m taking the liberty of quoting it for readers who may find it of interest. I can’t find it on his site. Readers can subscribe to the newsletter at the link. Segal writes: * * * * * New details emerge around the recovery of Oron Shaul’s body in January 2025. This operation is more spy
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December 30, 2025 — Scott Johnson
At her Blacklisted site, Eve Barlow has posted a subtitled video of the full interview with released Israeli hostage Romi Gonen here. The interview appeared on Israel’s Channel 12. I posted a clip from the interview last week along with an excerpt from this Times of Israel story on what Gonen had to say. With the full interview now out, Barlow brings her brand of righteous fury to Romi’s story.
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December 26, 2025 — Scott Johnson
Yesterday Israel’s Channel 12 public affairs program Uvda brodacast Romi Gonen’s first major interview following her release from Hamas captivity in Gaza in January. Sitting cross-legged without costume or script or gimmickry, Gonen stares directly across at her interviewer and fights through her darkest memories to tell us that she was raped by her captors in Gaza. From as early as the fourth day of her captivity, Gonen was assaulted.
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November 18, 2025 — John Hinderaker
If Donald Trump were still a Democrat, this would be hailed in the press as another in a series of foreign policy triumphs, and would guarantee him a Nobel Prize: In Major Breakthrough, U.N. Security Council Adopts U.S. Peace Plan for Gaza. The United Nations Security Council on Monday approved President Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, a breakthrough that provides a legal U.N. mandate for the administration’s vision of how
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October 13, 2025 — John Hinderaker
After his triumphant visit to Israel, President Trump continued on to Egypt, where representatives of the U.S., Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed a joint statement on the future of the Middle East. President Trump had a 20-point peace plan that included the end of Hamas influence in Gaza, but this agreement was a different document that did not set out the Trump plan. This is what it says, per the
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October 9, 2025 — John Hinderaker
Roger Simon has a Substack piece on the cease fire announcement in Gaza, to which he has added this sobering update: This is a time when I don’t particularly like being prescient. Just a few days ago, I posted “Gaza–Genuine Peace or a Hudna?” A hudna, for those who missed it, is a tactical pause to allow Islamic forces to regroup. Minutes ago, the following was posted by Amir Tsarfati
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October 7, 2025 — John Hinderaker
Today is the second anniversary of Gaza’s sneak attack on Israeli civilians, one of the most horrific massacres in modern world history. Around the globe, anti-Semites gathered to celebrate the great victory for Islam that the October 7 massacre represents. What follows is a very partial list. In England: More than a dozen protests will be held at British universities to mark the October 7 anniversary. They include events to
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September 29, 2025 — John Hinderaker
Today President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a joint press conference in which they announced a plan–Trump’s “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict”–that, according to the President, would not only end the war in Gaza: I’m not just talking about Gaza. Gaza is one thing, but we’re talking about much beyond Gaza. The whole deal, everything getting solved. It’s called peace in the Middle East. Trump
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September 23, 2025 — John Hinderaker
Violent riots have broken out across Italy, and a “general strike” supported by some labor unions has inhibited transportation. The rioters are showing support for Hamas and for anti-Semitic terrorism. This video is from the train station in Milan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwB7X1_l-UE I hope as many as possible of these criminals will be incarcerated and, where possible, deported. What are they protesting against? Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of my favorite politicians,
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September 3, 2025 — John Hinderaker
President Trump is demanding that Gaza release all Israeli hostages: In response, Hamas said that it would release hostages in return for a release of Arab criminals by Israel, and withdrawal of Israel from Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu dismissed that response as “more spin by Hamas, containing nothing new.” There are reports that the final battle may be at hand. I hope so. In my opinion, Israel has erred from
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September 1, 2025 — John Hinderaker
This is consistent with what I have taken to be President Trump’s position, but I am not sure I have seen it officially reported before: Benjamin Netanyahu said Donald Trump urged him to reject a partial ceasefire deal with Hamas and continue the war in Gaza with “full force.” Israel’s prime minister refused to hold a vote on the proposed truce during a heated security cabinet meeting late on Sunday,
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July 3, 2025 — John Hinderaker
The Democratic Party has now become overwhelmingly anti-Israel. The numbers are astonishing: “What are we talking about here? All right, who do Democrats sympathize more with: Israelis or Palestinians? In 2017, the Democratic Party was a pro-Israeli party,” [CNN’s chief data analyst Harry] Enten explained. “Look at this. They sympathized with the Israelis by 13 points—more with the Israelis than the Palestinians. But look at this sea change. Now, Democrats
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May 9, 2025 — Scott Johnson
Earlier this week the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary was awarded to “Palestinian poet”/Hamas apologist Mosab Abu Toha for his work in the New Yorker—”deep reporting with the intimacy of memoir,” as the Pulitzer board put it—depicting the evils of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. David Harsanyi steps back to observe that the prizes have become a sad joke.About the award to Mosab Abu Toha, Harsanyi writes: “It is unsurprising,
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February 25, 2025 — John Hinderaker
The same Harvard/Harris poll that I wrote about here also asked respondents their views about events in the Middle East. From the Harvard/Harris press release: Support for Israel over Hamas in the conflict remains high, with 77% of voters supporting Israel. I should hope so! But 23% of respondents say they support Hamas: That 23% must be, what? College students on “elite” campuses? There aren’t enough of them. Liberals under
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February 16, 2025 — Scott Johnson
The normalization of the genocidal mania of Hamas and other such groups in pockets of the United States has become apparent in the wake of the 10/7 massacres. CAMERA’s David Litman brought one striking case to light in the NR online story “Georgetown’s daughter of Hamas.” Unfortunately, it is behind NR’s online paywall. The Daily Mail picked it up in Rachel Bowman’s accessible story “Georgetown University graduate student revealed as
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