10 February 2025 – Hostage testimonies. Warning: Distressing content. The Israel Brief.
11 February 2025 – “Return ALL the hostages – or else!”. Your top stories on The Israel Brief.
12 February 2025 – Return ALL the hostages by 12pm or ceasefire ends says PM. This and more on The Israel Brief.
13 February 2025 – Will hostages be released this weekend? This and more on The Israel Brief.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
You swore Never Again – but it is happening on your watch!
By Rolene Marks
Dear world leaders, “social justice” warriors, humanitarian organisations and non-governmental organisations, look at them. Say their names. Eli, Ohad and Or. Say their names. Look them in the eye and explain why you failed them.
Over the past weekend, three hostages who had been held in Hamas captivity for 491 days since 7 October were released. At the first site of the emaciated men, and after gasping in shock, my immediate thought that they looked like Holocaust survivors. I try stay away from Holocaust comparisons but this could not be avoided. The testimony that Or, Ohad and Eli have shared about the cruelty they suffered at the hands of Hamas is more than the soul can bear and like so many, I feel anger and sorrow.
At the end of January, world leaders gathered at the United Nations, Auschwitz or at respective memorials around the world, dressed suitably in funereal black with mournful expressions on their faces. Some even lit candles! It was a study in performative grief – but oh, the photo opportunities!!! The reality is that many world leaders have been silent or have done nothing as antisemitism spikes at astronomical levels and many Jews question if they still have a future in the countries they live in and contribute to. If you are Australian Prime Minister, Anthony “Tennis Albo” Albanese, you play tennis while a synagogue with worshippers inside burns – but make sure you get de rigueur photo op by visiting a Holocaust centre while your Israel-hating policies ignore the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Albanese sent his Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, to participate in the commemoration ceremony marking 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, despite a petition from the Jewish community asking for her not to be the representative on this most solemn day. Wong, who has taken a decidedly hostile posture towards Israel, insulted many in Israel and Australia when she refused to visit the decimated kibbutzim when she visited Israel shortly after 7 October.
If you are soon to be former Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, you make insipid statements while Montreal erupts with riots. Antisemitism has exploded across Canada as well, where synagogues have been attacked, Jewish schools have been shot at and Jews have been threatened, intimidated, had businesses vandalized and more. Trudeau was the only G7 leader not to visit Israel in the wake of the atrocities of 7 October. The message was received loud and clear by both the Jewish community – and the Pro-Hamas camp.
If you are British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, you pose for a picture with former hostage, Emily Damari’s mother – then betray all the families by voting for a sham UN resolution that does not link the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages to a ceasefire. Despite overwhelming evidence that proves UNRWA (United Nations Relief Works Agency) involvement in the 7 October atrocities – you shore them up with support by allocating even MORE money to their coffers. If these attitudes could be turned into a fragrance, it would be eau de hypocrisy!!
These same leaders have been the ones withholding licenses for weapons that Israel needs to defend itself from multiple genocidal terror organisations. While magnanimously bestowing upon us their sanction of our right to defend ourselves, they have lectured Israel about our response to Hamas and made humanitarian aid to Gazans their priority. They have said the bare minimum about the horrific condition of our hostages – or their testimonies.
All these great western bastions of human rights have fallen silent. They barely acknowledge the appalling treatment of our hostages – or ignore the horrific attacks on Jews in their respective countries.
On January 27, in front of the ghosts of Auschwitz, they solemnly swore NEVER AGAIN. They are failing to make good of that vow.
January 27th is International Holocaust Memorial Day, designated by the United Nations to remember and memorialize all those murdered in the Holocaust and in particular, six million Jews. While many others were murdered by the Nazis because they were LGBTQ, Roma or Sinti or political dissidents, Jews were specifically marked for extermination, without exception.
The Holocaust did not start with gas chambers. The Holocaust started with words – and the steady erosion of Jews from society, including from the arts, literature, sports and other professions. In 2024, there was a significant resurgence in this horrific trend following the atrocities of 7 October 2023.
International Holocaust Memorial Day should serve as a stark reminder to the world what happens when Jew hatred goes unchecked. It would appear not all world leader respects this. Michael Higgins, President of Ireland, who already has a record of appalling hostility to Israel, used the solemnity of a Holocaust memorial ceremony to castigate the State of Israel. Several members of the Jewish community stood up and turned their backs on him in silent protest. Security officials physically removed them, including a pregnant Israeli woman – a descendant from Holocaust survivors. The optics were appalling. If the representative of the highest office in the country abuses his platform, what message does this send to fellow citizens?
Contrast Higgins with King Charles who made history as the first British Monarch to visit Auschwitz and met with survivors and members of the Krakow Jewish community. The late Queen Elizabeth II visited the Nazi concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen where she paid a moving tribute to Anne Frank.
In the last nearly sixteen months, Jews in the literary world have been excluded from panels, put on lists to alert possible readers that the author may be “Zionist” and have been refused participation on panels. What is next? Burning books by Jewish writers?
“It was just the prelude… Where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people too.” Prophetic words, penned by German Jewish Writer Heinrich Heine in 1821. During the dark years of the Nazi regime between 1933-1945, Heine’s words became a devastating reality as the seminal works of some of the greatest Jewish writers were burned. We know what followed.
It is not just writers who are steadily being excluded. This has filtered into the world of sports, arts and culture, business, medicine and wherever there is a Jewish presence. The horrific sense of déjà vu that we are experiencing cannot be understated, except that it is 2025 and not 1933. It does feel like we have entered some kind of horrible time warp and are experiencing that which we vowed Never Again.
Antisemitism manifests itself in many evil ways. It manifests in every iteration from the exclusion and threats to Jews in society, to the brutal massacres and kidnapping of Israelis citizens – and the silence or inaction of those in power.
This brings me back to the scenes on Saturday. Hamas have never hidden their cruelty. On the contrary, they have happily boasted about it knowing that they have accurately judged the reaction of the world.
On January 27, world leaders stood for photo opportunities – a public display of performative grief. They said the “right” things about fighting antisemitism, remembrance and education. They said “Never Again” and they failed. Again.
So where are they, as Jews are being targeted, erased from public spaces, beaten and harassed?
Where are their voices demanding the immediate release of the hostages or an end to the silence about the mass rape of victims on 7 October?
Where are they when our hostages, emaciated and terrified are released from captivity while others languish in the terror dungeons?
Antisemitism is not a Jewish issue – it is a societal problem. It is happening on their watch. We are terrified where this will end.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
It took more than three decades for any of the five Allied Anglo-Saxon democracies which fought against Nazi Germany in World War II (United States, Canada, Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand), and against all logic, admitted at least hundreds, if not thousands of Nazi criminals as immigrants, to take any legal measures against those persons who had lied to obtain entry. It was only in 1979, that the United States, which admitted the largest number of former Nazis, estimated at 10,000, established the “Office of Special Investigations” to exclusively prosecute former Nazi collaborators who lied on their immigration applications in order to obtain permission to enter the United States and subsequently become American citizens. Three additional countries – Canada in 1986, Australia in 1989, and Great Britain in 1991 – followed suit and passed laws enabling to pursue legal measures against former Nazi collaborators. The only country which refused to prosecute those who lied about their service with the Axis forces, was New Zealand.
Nazi Quarry to Chicago School. The book details how after being promoted to oversee 12 men at the Gross-Rosen facility, Kulle marched prisoners to a quarry (pictured) where the 12-hour shifts were so brutal few lived for more than a month.
This year, now that almost all of the perpetrators are no longer alive, and it appears that there will not be any more Nazi trials, historians, journalists and writers can summarize the results achieved by each of the countries which tried to take legal action against the Holocaust criminals who sought refuge in Anglo-Saxon democracies, and the same is true for Germany. So far, four excellent books have been published this year, about four different countries which summarize their efforts to bring Holocaust perpetrators to justice. Tobias Buck‘s The Final Verdict; The Holocaust on Trial in the 21st Century focuses on the belated trials in Germany, but also gives excellent insights to explain why West Germany made it so difficult to prosecute Nazi criminals, and why so many murderers were spared trials and punishment. Jon Silverman and Robert Sherwood‘s Safe Haven; The United Kingdom’s Investigation Into Nazi Collaborators and the Failure of Justice explains the failures of the British War Crimes Unit, which account for the paltry results achieved (only one perpetrator convicted and punished). Historian Jayne Persian‘s Fascists In Exile; Post-War Displaced Persons in Australia explains the reasons for the even worse results in Australia (no convictions).
In view of such dismal results all over the globe, Michael Soffer‘s Our Nazi; An American Suburb Encounter With Evil is a genuine breath of fresh air for several reasons. First of all, the major focus of the book is a case of a German Nazi who immigrated to the United States, which has the most successful record of all the Anglo-Saxon democracies who faced this problem. For the record: 109 Nazis who immigrated to the U.S. illegally have been punished either by denaturalization and/or deportation for immigration and naturalization violations.
The first book to lay bare the life of a Nazi camp guard who settled in a Chicago suburb and to explore how his community and others responded to discoveries of Nazis in their midst. “Our Nazi; An American Suburb’s Encounter With Evil,” The University of Chicago Press, 2024, 306 pages, $25.00
And what makes this book even more interesting is the particular problems which arose in the case of German Reinhold Kulle, who served as an S.S. guard in the notorious Gross-Rosen concentration camp, and whose diligence and dedication to his job posed some difficult dilemmas for his employers and his neighbors.
Behind the Smiling Façade. Nazi prison camp guard Reinhold Kulle who hid in plain sight in America for nearly three decades, is seen here in the Oak Park and River Forest High School’s 1966 yearbook.
Kulle was considered an outstanding school custodian, beloved and respected by the staff and students of Oak Park and River Forest High School. His work performance was uniquely appreciated, as was his personal conduct and exceptional relations with the students, many of whom found it difficult to believe that Kulle had been an S.S. guard in a Nazi concentration camp.
Hiding in Plain Sight. Reinold Kulle, during his time as a Nazi before he fled to the US and a quiet, Midwestern life. Kulle was one of around 10,000 Nazis who entered the US after the war and, like others, blended into his community, his neighbors oblivious to his past. Throughout World War II, Kulle had not only been a member of the Nazi’s Waffen-SS, but had worked at Gross-Rosen concentration camp where 40,000 Jews died.
To make the story more understandable, Soffer provides an excellent summary of the history of the Office of Special Investigations (OSI), its establishment, and the obstacles that they faced to pursue the cases in the United States. Of particular interest, are his descriptions of the OSI lawyers, such as Bruce Einhorn and Eli Rosenbaum, for whom the Kulle case was his first at OSI, and later for many years became its director.
School for Scandal. The school hired Kulle even though the marriage certificate it had on file for him had his SS rank, the concentration camp where he worked, and a Reichsadler eagle stamp. Top left: Kulle at his Brookfield home in 1983, at the time of his deportation hearing. (Photography: (Kulle) Chicago Tribune; (school) Pioneer Press)
He also described in great detail the local personalities on both sides of the debate about Kulle and how to decide his fate. What was of particular interest was the tireless efforts of some of the Jewish women residents of Oak Park, who never gave up despite the pressure they faced from their colleagues and neighbors. Leah Marcus, Rima LuninSchultz, and Rae Lynne Toporoff, helped make history and achieve justice, and deserve the mention that Michael Soffer gave them.
About the writer:
Dr. Efraim Zuroff is the former director of the Israel office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center dedicated to Holocaust research, the prosecution of Nazi war criminals, and confronting antisemitism. As the world’s last Nazi hunter, Dr. Zuroff co-created the project, “Operation Last Chance” that operated across 14 countries in Europe and South America, offering financial rewards for information which could facilitate the prosecution of Nazi Holocaust perpetrators. Dr. Zuroff is also the author of over five hundred scholarly articles, publications, and books about the Holocaust and related subjects.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Nowhere is the failure of the International Red Cross Red Cross more vivid than in its abandonment of the most vulnerable hostages – Shiri Bibas and her two red head kids!
By Jonathan Feldstein
Three more Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for 491 days were released last week. The three men returned home emaciated, gaunt, and with signs of suffering from severe malnourishment including complex cardiac issues and infections. Seeing them paraded by Hamas in a dehumanizing public spectacle before thousands of armed terrorists and jeering “innocent civilians”, it was impossible to avoid the analogy with the Holocaust survivors of 80 years ago. In addition to deliberate starvation, there are multiple reports of the hostages’ physical and psychological torture, and sexual abuse. The massacre on October 7, 2023, that is correctly noted as the largest slaughter of Jews on any one day since the Holocaust, has now seen men and women returning, surviving unspeakable horrors, and looking the same as the victims from 1945.
Choreographing Chaos. With animated crowds descending to watch the spectacle of the handover of hostages in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip on Jan. 30, 2025, Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists orchestrate an elaborate ‘victory’ visual ceremony as the Red Cross representatives (seen center) wait for the handover.(AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Waiting in the wings as a spectator, the International Red Cross (ICRC) has justifiably faced widespread Israeli criticism and public ridicule. For nearly 500 days, the ICRC has stood idly by and were complicit, inter alia, in the following:
– never once visiting or checking on the status of any one of the 251 hostages kidnapped 16 months earlier on October 7, 2023
– failed to deliver medical supplies to any hostages
– never pursued to find out the condition of the hostages to advise their worried families
– insensitively advised family members of hostages that they should show concern for the Gazans
– enabled and participated in Hamas’ war crimes and crimes against humanity
One could be forgiven for thinking that the ICRC was contending to win “Best Supporting Actor in a Real-Life Horror Movie”.
The Roundup. Reminiscent of the Holocaust when Jews were rounded up for deportation, the anguish of a mother clutching her two boys as she is brutally dragged off to Gaza.
Nowhere are the Red Cross’ failures and abandonment of the hostages more vivid than regarding the most vulnerable among them including dozens of women and children, and even elderly Holocaust survivors. Nowhere among the most vulnerable is this more evident than the Bibas family whose father, Yarden, was released a week ago after an unbearable 16 months of captivity. Remaining in cruel captivity are Yarden’s wife, Shiri, and their two beautiful red-headed sons, Ariel (4) and Kfir who were aged 4 and 9 months respectively at the time of their capture and have not been heard from since. The terrorists not only kidnapped the entire Bibas family, but made sure to film the terror in Shiri’s eyes, and Ariel screaming in fear, from multiple angles. Surely, the Red Cross would and should have advocated for the release of the Bibas family long ago, and insisted on visiting the little boys to check on their wellbeing. They have done nothing. Simply, the Red Cross abandoned the red heads.
Moment of Horror. (above) Shiri, and their two beautiful red-headed sons, Ariel and Kfir being dragged off into captivity in Gaza. Below: (l-r) Kfir and Ariel before their abduction by Hamas.
“Come now, Jonathan. Surely you must be exaggerating,” you might think. No, the facts are incontrovertible. In fact, it gets worse. Just look at the spectacle to which the Red Cross has become party.Upon the release of the hostages, Red Cross representatives have willingly participated in a grotesque public signing of a Hamas ‘certificate of release’. Did nobody in the Red Cross, anywhere in the world, say:
“No, we will not participate in your continued dehumanization of the hostages.”
In every case of the hostages being released, how is it that the Red Cross has allowed armed Hamas terrorists to surround and climb on top of the vehicles carrying the hostages to freedom, threatening and tormenting their victims even once they are out of Hamas clutches?
Why does the Red Cross transport the hostages in vehicles with clear glass windows, a vile invasion of privacy of people who have endured so much suffering, and providing no security for the released hostages from the bloodthirsty mobs for whom one extra, “Allah Akbar” could trigger a deadly lynch.
Essentially, the Red Cross has been party to 251 war crimes, from day one, every day. In the first 50 days alone, that’s 12,500 war crimes. For the remaining 76 hostages, that’s nearly 38,000 cumulative days of war crimes to which the Red Cross has been complicit and has done nothing.
As Rolene Marks, an international journalist and media specialist noted:
“The Red Cross is complicit in crimes against humanity, including starvation and torture of hostages. They have failed their mandate, not provided medicine, not demanded welfare checks, or done anything to rase awareness of or advocate for the hostages. They failed the Jewish people during the Holocaust and have failed the Jewish people today.”
Indeed, comparisons to the Holocaust are not just because of the visual signs of starvation of the survivors. Hiding behind a mask of “neutrality” the Red Cross continues to carry the shame of its complacency with the Nazi’s murder of six million Jews. During the Holocaust, as it maintained a relationship with the Third Reich, the ICRC failed to denounce Nazi atrocities, and even provided an immoral cover up for them.
Before and After. After 491 days in cruel captivity, Ohad Ben Ami, Or Levy and Eli Sharabi appear below malnourished and skeletal before being handed over to the Red Cross representatives on October 7, 2023.
Throughout Nazi Europe, the ICRC only visited a few concentration camps under heavily controlled conditions. The most infamous visit occurred in June 1944 at Theresienstadt, staged by the Nazis to deceive the international community. As a result, the Red Cross issued a misleadingly and deceitful positive report that contributed to inaction, and the slaughter of millions more.
By 1942, detailed reports about the mass extermination of Jews had reached the ICRC. A key moment came in 1944 when two Slovak Jewish escapees from Auschwitz, Rudolf Vrba and Alfred Wetzler, provided a comprehensive report on the camps function as a death factory. Despite this evidence, the ICRC largely remained silent.
After the war, the ICRC was primarily focused on helping prisoners of war, but not Jews and other Holocaust victims who were classified as civilians, claiming they were outside its mandate. Only in 1995, ICRC President, Cornelio Sommaruga issued an apology, admitting the organization’s moral failure in not speaking out more forcefully.
Based on its notorious WWII record and its abysmal failure today vis-à-vis its inaction regarding the hostages in Gaza, it seems the ICRC never truly learned from its mistakes, whether due to a lack of caring or more likely – a deep seeded bias against Jewish victims.
‘Never Again’ to ‘Once Again’. Jews at the hands of the Nazis (above) and 80 years later, at the hands of Palestinians in Gaza.
In addition to justified widespread criticism of the ICRC, it has become subject of widespread ridicule. The best of these was a recent parody comparing the Red Cross to a rideshare app.
Today, Yarden Bibas faces the grim reality that his wife and sons may have been murdered. Of course, we don’t know because Hamas has never been forced to provide a list of the hostages and their status, and the Red Cross abandoned its responsibility to ensure that at least this would happen.
Hillel Fuld, a global speaker, tech columnist, and startup marketing advisor commented:
“The Red Cross has stayed loyal to its historic moral bankruptcy. It should come as a surprise to no one that they completely failed to do their job as it pertains to the hostages. Somehow anyone with a moral compass hopes deep down that this time would be different, but it never is. Maybe Trump will do something about it like he’s done to so many deeply immoral organizations worldwide.”
Savage Spectacle. All attired for a ceremonial farce, Red Cross members look on at Hamas terrorists parading hostages in Gaza, February 8, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Hatem Khaled)
Fuld’s brother, Ari, was stabbed to death in a 2018 terror attack, by a terrorist who was recently released in a hostage exchange.
With growing signs that the remaining live hostages are in a desperately dire physical and mental condition or could at any moment – at a whim – be executed by Hamas, one would expect that the Red Cross should be advocating for their welfare and demanding answers.
No, that is not the case.
Instead, far more important that their ‘costumes’ are pressed, waiting for the next hostage release spectacle so they can pose for pictures alongside the masked and armed Hamas terrorists.
Rather than insisting on the unconditional release of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir, the Red Cross are serving as props to the Hamas real life horror movie.
Some in Israel have called upon the ICRC not only to be held accountable and castigated for their careless, inept collaboration with Hamas, but to be defunded and shut down. This should expand to other national Red Cross societies, including the American Red Cross, which by their own inaction and lack of bold steps on their own, are also complacent in allowing the parent organization not to fulfill its own mandate.
Due to ICRC and other international inaction, the Genesis 123Foundation has launched a global petition to pressure Hamas to release all the remaining hostages unconditionally.
About the writer:
Jonathan Feldstein - President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Jornal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.
*Feature picture: A crowd surrounds Red Cross cars as they arrive at the site for the handover of Thai and Israeli hostages in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday Jan. 30, 2025.(AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi).
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond.
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Israelis watching fellow citizens being released by Hamas – SAT STUNNED! When Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami appeared on February 8, 2025 after 491 days in cruel captivity, few could escape a substituted mental image of a stepping out not from the clutches of Palestinians but the clutches of German Nazis. Israelis fear for the welfare of the remaining hostages.
Top row (l-r): Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami before being abducted. Bottom row: Their unrecognizable appearances at Hamas’s staged release ceremony in central Gaza February 8, 2025. (Eyad Baba / AFP; courtesy)
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Spiderlike, South Africa weaves alliances with rogue states and terror sponsors – where will it lead? ByRolene Marks
Menacing Machinations. Engaging in a web of alliances with rogue states and sponsors of terror to pursue its malicious assault against the Jewish State, South Africa may find itself an ensnared prey of its own making.
No lamentation for UN organ that has indoctrinated generations of Palestinians into a conflict-driven mindset rather than preparing them for peace and prosperity. ByJonathan Feldstein
UN’dermining Solutions. Initially set up to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian Arab refugees, UNRWA’s unique mandate and political entanglements have made it an obstacle to peace rather than a genuine seeker of a solution.
Hypocrisy and selective morality characterise South Africa’s foreign policy By Allan Wolman
Fraudulent Focus. An obsessive focus on falsely accusing the Jewish state of “genocide”, South Africa ignores documented crimes against humanity by its “all-round strategic cooperative partner” – China. Seen here are persecuted Uyghurs who only feel safe to protest when they have left China.
Perspectives and insights of Israel’s current war with Gaza from writers in the Arab media
Lousy Leadership. Recognising the failure of Hamas to bring any significant benefits to the Palestinian people by initiating the war on Israel on October 7, 2023, Arab writers explore alternate modalities and question Hamas’s future role as a viable and responsible governing body for Palestinians.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Perspectives and insights from writers in the Arab media
Recognising the failure of Hamas to bring any significant benefits to the Palestinian people by initiating the war on Israel on October 7, 2023, Arab writers explore alternate modalities and question Hamas’s future role as a viable and responsible governing body for Palestinians. The views expressed in these articles are those of the writers and not of Lay of the Land which assumes no responsibility for the content. David E. Kaplan Editor of Lay of the Land
(Article translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)
BEHIND HAMAS’S CLAIMS OF VICTORY “True victors liberate, reclaim refugees, and win battles, not lose them” By Aws Abo Ata
Al-Arab, London, January 31
In the second round of prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas, Hamas orchestrated a media spectacle to project the notion that it remains undefeated following the recent conflict. For much of the world’s populace, particularly the Arab community, displaying dignity, pride, courage, and resilience in the face of profound pain and loss is crucial.
However, this media display, insinuating that Hamas retains its strength and popularity by showcasing its mechanisms, its distributed members, and the congregation of supporters in the aftermath of the Israeli operations in Gaza, muddies the waters of progress.
With Hamas positioned prominently in governance, the process of reconstruction is hindered or potentially stalled, providing a rationale that aligns with the Israeli Right’s narrative, sustaining conflict, and deterring investors from considering involvement in rebuilding efforts.
Militarily, Mousa Abu Marzook, a leading Hamas figure, remarked candidly in an Al-Arabiya interview that “what transpired was not a war between two parties and two military forces, but rather an extermination campaign.” This raises an enduring question: how can one claim victory amidst annihilation? The scope of the devastation is national, not confined to villages like Deir Yassin, Kafr Qasim, or Tantura, where the number of fatalities was in the dozens, not the tens of thousands as witnessed in Gaza. Did past massacres result in victory? Consider that.
Meanwhile, criticisms persist against Palestinian leadership concerning the Oslo Accords. Yet, the Gaza agreement is even less substantive than Oslo, which encompassed the full homeland, liberating significant prisoners and lands, enabling the return of over half a million refugees, all accomplished without bloodshed. True victors liberate, reclaim refugees, and win battles, not lose them, as exemplified by the subsequent reoccupation of Gaza despite its complete liberation.
Furthermore, political analysts highlight clauses in the Gaza agreement facilitating the departure of 1,500 wounded individuals with families, implying the withdrawal of Qassam militants from Gaza.
Gaza Today. Is this Hamas’s “political horizon” for its people? (Photo: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images)
Hamas inherently understands that its governance in Gaza is untenable and lacking international support, evidenced by the Rafah crossing’s management, free of Hamas control, compounded by humanitarian fallout from the Oct. 7 conflict and geopolitical tensions resulting from US President Donald Trump’s proposals to relocate Gazans to Egypt and Jordan – a stance met with staunch Egyptian-Jordanian rejection, straining relations with the US.
The Arab region is unwilling to sustain Hamas’s rule in Gaza due to ramifications on both Palestine and its neighbors’ regional security.
Hamas’s claimed victory extends beyond rhetoric, seeking to fortify itself and evade future national accountability for crises it has precipitated for its people and allies, such as with Qatar, which visibly distanced itself, as shown in the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister’s statements during a Paris interview with Israeli media.
Similarly, Syria, recently recovering from turmoil, has not engaged with Hamas representatives; the Syrian administration insists Palestinian relations be conducted through their embassy in Damascus, excluding faction representatives like Hamas.
Meanwhile, Iran, an ally, is preoccupied with internal losses, focused on instigating unrest in Syria while safeguarding its regime and nuclear ambitions amidst a historic period of instability.
Hamas, with limited allied nations and militias for support, faces vulnerability without them, contrasting [with] the Palestine Liberation Organization, which boasts legitimacy from extensive global diplomatic networks, independent of any singular axis or ideology. Unlike Hamas, the PLO’s credibility endures despite geopolitical shifts, illustrated by the endurance of its representation following the Soviet Union’s collapse and Saddam Hussein’s downfall – highlighting a profound paradox.
– Aws Abo Ata
IS THERE ANOTHER WAY WITH ISRAEL? By Hazem Saghieh
Asharq Al-Awsat, London, January 29
One might argue that one of the unforeseen benefits of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation was that it threw into question the notion of relying solely on force to resolve the conflict. Neither the numerous wars nor the various forms of resistance have effectively achieved their goals. It is now more crucial than ever to voice certain truths, even if they may seem harsh, accusatory, or unsettling to those accustomed to familiar narratives and sentiments.
The immense Palestinian suffering must not continue unchecked, nor should the hardships of the Lebanese and other populations be burdened by the exploitation of their cause. The situation under Trump’s leadership has only worsened, increasing the likelihood of disasters, displacement, and even acts of genocide.
We must acknowledge that bridging the gaps that disadvantage us – Israel’s international relationships with influential world powers, its technical advancements, nuclear capabilities, and its political and social structure, which can navigate internal contradictions even amidst war – will be impossible, both in the near and distant future. Furthermore, our societies have no desire for conflicts whose primary function has diverged from serving Palestinian interests.
Gaza at a Crossroad. A metaphor of the situation, internally displaced Palestinians crossing an intersection among the rubble of destroyed buildings. (Photo: Haitham Imad/EPA)
Take Syria, for example, a nation once championing warfare and rhetorical grandstanding, now distancing itself as both people and government from such ideologies. This is not to suggest that Israel poses no problem – certainly not. But it does imply the need for alternative strategies to address the issue that do not resort to violence or endanger peace.
History offers insights into major conflicts, providing potential pathways to exit the war mindset and perhaps even influence Israel toward moderation, rekindling the diminished moderate forces weakened by the pervasive culture of violence and militarization. This approach could reinvigorate the possibility of a two-state solution, a prospect that once rallied over two-thirds of Israeli society during the Oslo Accords.
France and Germany’s historical trajectory offers a pertinent illustration. They faced each other in wars, including the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 – where Germany’s victory led to the humiliation of France and the inception of German unity – and during World War I, which saw Germany’s defeat and the articulation of the Versailles Treaty’s severe terms, cited as a factor in the rise of Nazism.
Yet, after World War II, despite the shame of occupation, France and Europe, under leaders like François Mitterrand, embraced German unification within a European framework, laying the foundations for the Maastricht Treaty and the introduction of the euro.
Similarly, the chronicles of conflict between Japan and Korea, with the former’s occupation of the latter from 1910 to 1945, saw unimaginable atrocities. Despite longstanding grievances, it took only 20 years post-occupation for relations to normalize, although challenges remain, particularly over reparations. Nevertheless, trade and partnerships in the economic, military, and security sectors endure.
Returning to What? Palestinians returning to Jabaliya refugee camp and the Beit Lahia areas in the northern Gaza Strip should be asking “Is there another way?” not only geographically but politically. (Photo: Anadolu/Getty Images)
The Anglo-Irish discord, dating back to the mid-17th century with Cromwell’s Protestant conquest and subsequent settlements, eventually transitioned from a violent independence war (1919–1921) to the 1998 Northern Ireland settlement that balanced power to appease both Catholics and Protestants, maintaining their respective affiliations.
India’s partition from Pakistan in 1947 led to catastrophic civil strife, displacing millions and claiming countless lives. The subsequent Indo-Pakistani wars highlight ongoing disputes, most prominently over Kashmir. Yet, diplomatic dialogues and trade interactions persist, emphasizing attempts at conciliation.
The Arab-Israeli conflicts are neither unique nor the most egregious examples of war. Perhaps the solution lies in emulating European strategies akin to Mitterrand’s vision, where the European Union served to contain and mitigate perceived threats from future German aggression.
– Hazem Saghieh
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Hypocrisy and selective morality characterise South Africa’s foreign policy
By Allan Wolman
Politicsweb is a subscriber-supported online publication publishing news, commentary, analysis and key documentation related to the politics of South Africa. It is pretty widely read for its political and current event opinions submitted by contributors. It is also proving a malicious platform for attacking Israel!
A toxic anti-Israel advocacy organization and media platform called the Media Revue Network (MRN), closely aligned to BDS, receives a disproportionate amount of coverage on Politicsweb. Hardly a week goes by that virulently anti-Israel articles by Iqbal Jassat of the MRN do not appear in Polticsweb, naturally for the sole purpose of demonising Israel. While I’ve submitted numerous over the years pieces relating to Israel without ever being published, Politicsweb has no problem publishing articles by the anti-Jewish MRN, whose organization’s website states amongst its services:
– To monitor, analyse and evaluate the double standards in the mass media
– To express alternate perspectives and policy positions on local and international issues
Their website, makes mention of Kashmir, Myanmar (Rohingyas) and of course the Middle East but strangely little mention of the desperate plight of millions of the Uyghur Muslims living in Southern Xinjiang under the most repressive and religious persecution witnessed in modern times.
Praising Hamas. Iqbal Jassat, who defines Israel as an “apartheid settler colonial entity,” writes in the South Africa’s Media Review Network, of which he is an Executive Member” that “Pro-Apartheid Israel lobbies ranging from the SA Zionist Federation to the SA Jewish Board, have hysterically been profiling Hamas as a “terror” group. A tactic doomed to fail.”
The Muslim Uyghur population in China has faced severe and systemic persecution, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Reports from human rights organizations and international observers highlight the existence of mass detention camps, often referred to as “re-education camps,” where Uyghurs are allegedly subjected to indoctrination, forced renunciation of their Islamic faith, psychological and physical abuse, and worse.
In addition, the Chinese government has implemented policies aimed at erasing Uyghur culture and identity, which include:
– demolition of mosques and Islamic cultural sites
– bans on traditional religious practices
– restrictions on the use of the Uyghur language
Human rights lawyer and former UN employee turned whistle-blower, Emma Reilly, exposed the UN’s troubling practice of providing China with the names of Uyghur dissidents and human rights activists. Reilly reported these serious concerns to (South African) Navi Pillay, the then United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who to her shame, failed to act on the complaints or investigate the potentially harmful practice. By ignoring these warnings, Pillay not only allowed the practice to continue but also contributed to the UN initiated witch hunt against Reilly. The UN has, not for the first time, undermined its credibility, revealing an unwillingness to challenge the obvious, and glaringly exposes its double standards and ‘moral authority’.
South Africa takes the ‘Low Road’. Focusing mostly on falsely accusing Israel of “genocide”, South Africa ignores actual crimes against humanity by its “all-round strategic cooperative partner” , China. Seen here are Uyghurs who only feel safe to protest when they have left China. (Photo: Mark Kerrison/Alamy Live News)
South Africa, which proudly boasts a foreign policy rooted in its post-apartheid identity of human rights, social justice, and multiculturalism, reveals a glaring hypocrisy in its selective approach to global injustices. While the ANC government vocally champions taking Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), it remains shamefully silent on China’s brutal genocide against the Uyghurs. This double standard is a stark betrayal of the principles South Africa claims to uphold, while choosing non-interference over condemning genocide and systemic oppression of China’s Muslim peoples. Such silence exposes South Africa’s foreign policy as more about political convenience and contrivance than genuine commitment to global justice and human rights.
SOUNDS OF SILENCE
In her former ministerial position as South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, publicly addressed numerous human rights issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (against Israel) and the Russia-Ukraine war (supportive of Russia). Yet, her conspicuous silence on the Uyghur crisis mirrors South Africa’s reluctance to confront China’s abuses, aligning instead with its non-interference policy. This selective activism underscores the ANC’s misguided world view.
Equally reprehensible is the absence of condemnation from voices like Iqbal Jassat and the MRN, whose mission is explicitly:
“…to monitor, analyse, and evaluate double standards”.
Their silence in the face of China’s well-documented atrocities against Uyghurs is deafening and indefensible. But this organization’s world view is firmly in sync with the ANC government as it ignores the atrocities against the Uyghurs of Xinjiang.
The Chinese government is persecuting Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, China, on the basis of their religion and ethnicity. Between one and three million Uyghurs—of a population of 12 million—are currently in some form of detention, and those who are not still face rapidly tightening control restricting their ability to express their identity.
If they can’t blame Jews, why blame!
This behaviour begs the question:
Is it truly about Palestine and the Palestinian people? Both the ANC government and the MRN have glaringly turned a blind eye to:
– the plight of the Uyghurs
– the relentless and systematic oppression of Afghan women condemning half of Afghanistan’s population to lives of extreme deprivation, humiliation, and cruelty and
– the unspeakable horrors recently exposed under Bashar al-Assad’s brutal reign in Syria.
This is selective morality by South Africa. Is it any wonder that the new US administration has seen right through South Africa’s pretence as some ‘moral authority’, its political shenanigans and hypocrisy, and is taking a stand with President Trump – only weeks in office – announcing that it will cut all funding to South Africa while it launches an investigation into the country’s policies, describing it as “massive human rights violations.”
For South Africa that maliciously maligned the Jewish state of false charges of genocide, the chickens are coming home to roost.
About the writer:
Allan Wolman in 1967 joined 1200 young South Africans to volunteer to work on agricultural settlements in Israel during the Six Day War. After spending a year in Israel, he returned to South Africa where he met and married Jocelyn Lipschitz and would run one of the oldest travel agencies in Johannesburg – Rosebank Travel. He would also literally ‘run’ three times in the “Comrades”, one of the most grueling marathons in the world as well as participate in the “Argus” (Cape Town’s famed international annual cycling race) an impressive eight times. Allan and Jocelyn immigrated to Israel in 2019.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Spiderlike, South Africa weaves alliances with rogue states and terror sponsors – where will it lead?
By Rolene Marks
There is something quite fascinating about spider webs. The intricate way that all the strands weave together and at the centre lurks a patient spider, luring its prey in before devouring it.
Watching South Africa’s machinations against Israel since 7 October, employing aggressive lawfare tactics against the Jewish state, one cannot help thinking about the tangled web of alliances the southern African country has built with rogue states and terror sponsors. The question that we should be asking is, does this campaign end with Israel – or is there a bigger strategy in place?
In the wake of the 7 October atrocities, the South African government made it evident whose side they were taking. Failing to condemn Hamas for the wholesale slaughter, mass rape, torture and mutilation of over 1200 and the kidnapping of over 250, there was the inference that Israel had brought it on themselves and solidarity expressed for the Palestinians.
Shortly after that, then Minister of International Relations, Naledi Pandor, departed for meetings in Tehran and spoke to then Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh on the phone. No readout of the conversation was forthcoming. In December of 2023, South Africa filed their case at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide.
Questions arose about who was funding this. Likely candidates seemed to be Iran and Qatar. The two countries are believed to have funded the ANC in return for the case being funded by South African taxpayers from the coffers of the Ministry of Justice and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
In November, President Trump won a second term. The newly formed Trump administration has made their America first, pro-Israel stance firmly clear and if the President’s first term is any indication, Trump will not tolerate assaults on the USA – or its allies, however they manifest.
South Africa’s bizarre choice of Ebrahim Rasool as ambassador to the USA may speak of a disturbing new strategy. To disrupt from within. Rasool, who has served previously in this role, should be a cause of major concern for the Trump administration. Rasool has publicly aligned himself with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, both designated as terrorist organisations by many Western nations. He is also an enthusiastic proponent of taking Israel to both the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Criminal Court (ICC).
South Africa’s Hamas-simping ANC created controversy last year when they proposed to rename an iconic Johannesburg road, Sandton Drive, after Palestinian terrorist, Leila Khaled. The US consulate is situated on this landmark road. Leila Khaled gained notoriety for the 1969 hijacking of TWA flight 840 and the 1970 attempt to hijack El Al flight 219. She was arrested but later released during a hostage exchange. In 2019, Rasool spoke at a fundraising dinner also attended by senior Hamas official Basem Naim and in 2024, Rasool met with Ibrahim El-Zayat, a figure associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, and facilitated meetings for him with business leaders and politicians to seek funding for the “Palestinian cause.”
It is not just in South Africa where the strange bedfellows of anti-Western dissent gather.
In sunny California, playground of the rich and woke, Thandile Sunduza serves as the South African Consul to California as well as Vice-President of the Los Angeles Consular Corps, the second largest consular corps in the world, thus an internationally prominent and politicized platform. The ambitious Thandile was recently photographed with members of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). It is reasonable to assume that JVP is neither Jewish – or a voice for peace! JVP is a shill for the destruction of the Jewish state.
Thandile Sunduza (right) and Estee Chandler from Los Angeles, a key JVP activist and organizer.
In a recent report on JVP published by NGO, Stand With Us, it was found that JVP:
* Partners with Samidoun, an organization sanctioned by the U.S. and Canada for funding terrorism. JVP has also campaigned in support of PFLP terrorists, hosted PFLP members at events, and partnered with groups that openly support PFLP and other terrorist organizations.
* Promotes antisemitic rhetoric and campaigns, including conspiracy theories like “Deadly Exchange”, which falsely blames Israel and Jewish groups for police brutality in the U.S.
* Supports extremism, amplifying voices and organizations that incite violence and reject Israel’s right to exist.
* Has questionable funding sources and foreign connections with Lebanon and Iran, meriting further investigation.
* Weaponizes Jewish identity, attempting to shield extremists from criticism for hateful rhetoric and actions. Too often, this prevents the vast majority of the Jewish community from being taken seriously when speaking out about antisemitism.
JVP recently honoured Sunduza for South Africa’s legal campaign against Israel at the ICJ.
Sunduza has invited known terrorism supporters into her Consulate, allying herself, and effectively endorsing some of the most antisemitic voices in USA. Is the South African Consulate in Los Angeles a de-facto agency for Hamas? Should the US State Department allow Sunduza and Rasool to remain on US territory?
At the end of January, South Africa ramped up its lawfare against Israel, joining The Hague Group.
Thandile Sunduza invites a Pro-Palestinian contingent to her consular.
The Hague Group, comprised of nine countries alleging the Jewish state is illegally occupying Palestinian territory, committing war crimes in Gaza and not abiding by the rulings made by the international courts.
While keeping its plans vague, the collective promised to take “measures to end Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine and remove obstacles to the realisation of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine.”
The group is formed of representatives from a laundry list of failed states that includes South Africa, Belize, Cuba, Namibia, Bolivia, Honduras, Senegal, Colombia and Malaysia.
On 2 February, President Trump announced that he would cut off all future funding for South Africa until it investigated how “certain classes of people” were being treated “very badly.” “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, without providing any evidence. “The United States won’t stand for it, we will act. Also, I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” The President also alluded to human rights violations committed in South Africa, a country accusing the US of “aiding and abetting Israeli genocide against the Palestinians.”
Looking from the outside, many may think the spider is setting the web to devour Israel but that is just the start. Is the spider using its proxies in the form of non-state actors and its allies to trap the bigger prey?
Countries like Iran, Russia and China seek to establish an alternative world order that disrupts from within. South Africa considers itself the moral conscience of the world for its role in taking Israel to the ICJ and has previously warned this endeavor will not stop with the Jewish state but will include Israel’s allies as well. South Africa is seeking to form a new anti-West world order. The question is:
Will the US and other countries recognize that the spider has begun to weave its web in their territories?
Spiders are patient but they are also fallible. It is time to dismantle the webs.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
No lamentation for UN organ that has indoctrinated generations of Palestinians into a conflict-driven mindset rather than preparing them for peace and prosperity.
By Jonathan Feldstein
UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees is set to go out of business this week, in Israel at least, none too soon.
May it RIP!
From its inception in 1949, UNRWA has been a controversial organization, criticized for policies and actions that have harmed both Israel and Palestinian Arabs. In the wake of Israel’s war of Independence, UNRWA was ostensibly set up to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian Arab refugees. Yet its unique and disturbing mandate and political entanglements have made it an obstacle to peace rather than a solution. Instead of facilitating the integration of Palestinians in the countries in which they had resettled, UNRWA has been manipulative in perpetuating refugee status making Palestinians the only ethnic group in the world to whom refugee status is inherited and passed from generation to generation. This predictably fostered and emboldened radicalization for future generations. UNRWA stands responsible for maintaining an unsustainable status quo, dangerously detrimental to both Palestinians and Israelis.
One of the most significant problems with UNRWA is its unique definition of “refugee” which differs from that used by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the global agency responsible for refugee issues. Unlike UNHCR, which works to resettle and integrate refugees, UNRWA is responsible for expanding and increasing the number of “refugees” indefinitely by granting refugee status to the descendants of the original 1948-49 refugees. As a result, the number of Palestinian Arab refugees has grown from approximately 700,000 in 1948 to over 5.9 million today, even though the vast majority of those who were actual refugees 77 years ago have died, and those classified as Palestinian Arab “refugees” today have never been displaced themselves. Parenthetically, this alone undermines the libel that Israel has committed genocide.
“I’m inside, I’m inside with the Jews,” “We have female hostages, I captured one“. These are quotes from recordings of UNRWA teachers that took part in the October 7 Massacre. In this video, captured on a security camera on October 7, two Hamas terrorists are seen loading the corpse of an Israeli civilian they shot onto a truck. These Hamas terrorists were employees of UNRWA.
UNRWA’s policy has a devastating effect on both Israel and Palestinian Arabs. For Israel, it creates an unsustainable demand for what Palestinian Arabs insist is the “right of return” which, if implemented, would result in the demographic destruction of the Jewish state. For Palestinian Arabs, it traps them in a cycle of dependency, discouraging integration into their host countries, or mandating these countries do so, or to pursue viable alternatives to the fantasy of “return” to and destroying Israel. Unlike other refugees worldwide, Palestinian Arab “refugees” are discouraged from resettling and building new lives, and rather are kept in a permanent state of limbo. They are facilitated in this process. The Palestinians are the only ethnic group defined as “refugees”, who are recognized in the UN as a “sovereign state”, albeit with observer status, but nevertheless enjoy the status that allows it to participate in all of the Organization’s proceedings, except for voting on draft resolutions and decisions in its main organs and bodies. This carefully calibrated façade is sustained with no goal of resolving the problem but in fact perpetuating it.
By keeping millions of Palestinian Arabs dependent on foreign aid, UNRWA prevents economic development and self-reliance. The agency operates in the “West Bank,” Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, providing services such as healthcare, education, and welfare. However, instead of preparing Palestinian Arabs for personal independence, self-sufficiency, and economic sustainability, UNRWA reinforces a culture of victimhood and entitlement. As ‘victims’, UNRWA schools teach Palestinian Arabs that Israel is to blame for their situation being the source of all their problems thus contributing to their intransigence and radicalization.
Call Between UNRWA Teacher And Colleague About Kidnapping Israeli Women
UNRWA is at the center of repeated accusations of collaborating with terrorist organizations, particularly Hamas in Gaza. Investigations have revealed that UNRWA facilities, including schools and hospitals, have been used to store weapons and launch rocket attacks against Israel. In multiple cases, Israel has discovered Hamas tunnels running underneath and connected to UNRWA buildings, showing clear collaboration.
UNRWA employees have also been caught directly participating in terrorism. In 2023 and 2024 alone, multiple reports surfaced that scores of UNRWA staff members were involved in the October 7 massacre in Israel, where Hamas terrorists killed over 1,200 people and kidnapped 251. These revelations led countries like the United States, the UK, Canada, and Germany to suspend their funding to UNRWA. With the release and rescue of more than 100 hostages, there have further been multiple reports of UNRWA facilities and employees involved in the hostage taking and their captivity.
In 2024, UNRWA’s budget was a whopping $1.2 billion. Multiple accusations of corruption and financial mismanagement have also harmed the agency and its tainted reputation even further. In 2019, its commissioner-general, Pierre Krähenbühl, resigned after a scandal involving misuse of funds and unethical behavior. Despite receiving billions in international aid, UNRWA continues to function inefficiently, with much of the money failing to reach those in need, or ‘finding its way’ to terrorists directly.
FUELING FAILURE
By reinforcing the demand for an unrealistic “right of return” for millions of Palestinian Arabs, UNRWA has earned itself the title of being a true obstacle to peace. By maintaining this illusion, UNRWA prevents Palestinian Arab leaders from making – or average Palestinian Arabs from embracing – practical compromises resulting in endless “armed struggle.”
For generations, UNRWA has fueled the false hope that one day, Israel will be replaced. This prevents peaceful coexistence, much less the development of realistic expectations and solutions that could lead to a negotiated settlement.
In 2024, Israel passed a law banning UNRWA from Israeli territory, and prohibiting Israeli officials from working with the corruption-plagued UN agency. That law is set to go into effect this week.
UN’savory. UNRWA members accused of participating in the October 7 massacres in southern Israel (Credit: IDF Spokesperson)
What effectively needs to be done to break the cycle of UNRWA’s failed monopoly and irresponsible business plan and vision? First, UNRWA should be completely dismantled. Any actual humanitarian roles it has served must be reenvisioned and undertaken by others to find permanent solutions that do not spawn generations of jihadi “refugees”. Its educational programs need to be revised to eliminate hate speech, incitement, and anti-Israel propaganda. This alone will take a generation or more to see any effect. Reinforcing the need to radically change how things are done, seeking out-of-the-box solutions for true peace, and plans like the Solution for Peace in Gaza need to be embraced and achieved.
A far-improved model with full transparency and accountability needs to be instituted to monitor how international funds are used, preventing corruption and ties to, and support of, terrorist groups.
IDF Statement on UNRWA Workers Involved in the Oct. 7 Massacre.
In response to President Trump’s recent call for Egypt and Jordan to resettle Gazans, Arab states should embrace this idea and proceed to integrate Palestinian Arab “refugees” instead of keeping them in perpetual stateless limbo for generations.
If there is ever going to be true peace and prosperity for Israel and Palestinian Arabs, the later must break free from the culture of radicalism, blaming and seeking to destroy Israel, and international dependency, and to do so, it must be without UNRWA.
Israel’s new legislation banning UNWRA over links with terror groups is a good start.
About the writer:
Jonathan Feldstein - President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Jornal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
