When the missiles began to rain down, a 22-year-old paramedic at kibbutz Be’eri chose to save others before herself.

By Forest Rain Marcia

Words are tools that describe and create reality. Powerful yet only representations, a reflection, not the experience itself. There is a gap between the two which usually goes unnoticed. But when the experience is profound the gap becomes sharp and painful. The words fall, broken and twisted into the chasm that they cannot bridge.   

What words could encompass the whirlwind of evil that swept through this little building, snatching lives away and laughing the whole time?

The dental clinic in Be’eri was designated as a gathering place in an emergency. It was not equipped for the disaster that hit the community on October 7^th. Who could imagine a full-scale invasion of monsters armed to the teeth and eager to rape and burn families alive?  

It was here that the Children of Light fought the Children of Darkness.

What words have enough truth in them, enough depth, to describe what happened in this little clinic? What words have enough light in them to describe Amit Man, beautiful and beloved, dedicated to life, choosing others above herself when the missiles began? She could have left the kibbutz. She could have stayed in the safe room. Instead, she took her paramedic’s bag and ran to the clinic. What words are enough to describe Dr. Daniel Levi, Amit, and a nurse battling for seven hours to treat the injured and save lives? What words are powerful enough to honor the two members of the kibbutz’s emergency response team who stood guard, fighting off the monsters so that the healers could treat the injured?  

Seven hours, an eternity in hell.

Throughout the battle Amit, just 22 years old, kept her composure and constantly updated the Magen David Adom (MDA) headquarters about the condition of the wounded, pleading for evacuation. When the medical supplies ran out, she caressed the heads of the injured, gave them water, and encouraged them. Two of the survivors recounted that the assistance she provided saved their lives.

Around 2:00 PM the brave men battling to protect the clinic ran out of ammunition.

Amit managed to send a message to her family: “I don’t think I will get out of here. Please stay strong if something happens to me.”

“They’re here.”

Three little words. So much, unspeakable horror.

 In her last call to her family Amit can be heard screaming “Shachar” the name of one of the men trying to protect her. Did she scream because she had already been shot in the leg or was it because she was watching his life run out of his body and she couldn’t help?

When Amit was found they saw she had been shot in the leg, managed to apply a tourniquet to herself, but was shot again and died.

There are no words profound enough to convey what it is like to stand in the place where evil swept through, snatching lives away and laughing.

The walls, riddled with bullet holes, are silent yet accusatory. Here the Children of Light shone in all their glory. Here their sacrifice, love, dedication, honor, and dignity were not enough to stop the evil, ravenous and hellbent on stamping out life. 

People whose loved ones were ripped from them here wrote on the walls, words doomed to fail in conveying the depths of their emotions.

The flatness of the words knocked the breath from my lungs. I saw words that attempted to infuse dignity and respect in a place where dignity was stolen. I saw words that attempted to express love and honor.  And then one little word jumped out at me: “Mom”.

Amit Man’s sister Haviva and mother wrote these words on the wall, in between the bullet holes:

In memory of Amit Man, our little sister,
the beloved of our hearts who was murdered while saving lives,
together with Dr. Daniel Levi,
Shachar Tzemach,
and Eitan Hadad.

We love you forever and ever.

Mom !
Haviva

As time passes and others forget, we are left to pick up the debris left by the storm.

October 7^th isn’t over.

About the writer:

Forest Rain is an American-born Israeli who lives in northern Israel. She’s a branding expert and storyteller. Her passion is giving voice to the stories of Israel illuminating its profound events, cherished values, and exemplary role models that transcend borders, casting Israel as an eternal wellspring of inspiration and strength for a global audience.

Forest Rain made Aliyah at the age of thirteen. After her IDF service, she co-developed and co-directed a project to aid victims of terrorism and war. These activities gave her extensive first-hand experience with the emotional and psychological processes of civilians, soldiers, and their families, wounded and/or bereaved and traumatized by terrorism and war (grief, guilt, PTSD, etc). Throughout the years, she has continued to voice the stories, pain, and strength of traumatized Israelis to motivate others to provide support and counter the hate that threatens Jews in Israel, around the world, and Western civilization itself through the understanding that what begins with the Jews never ends with Jews.

Inspiration from Zion: https://inspirationfromzion.com/

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).

I know evil exists; I’ve seen the evidence

By Rolene Marks

Warning: This article contains information that is not for sensitive readers

I have covered a lot during since 7 October. I have been down to the south, walked the killing fields of Kfar Aza, Nahal Oz, the Nova site and more. I have looked into the eyes of the families of hostages as they have pleaded for us to keep telling the stories of their loved ones to remind the world to fight for their release. I have interviewed lawyers and first responders who gathered the evidence to speak for our women and men who have been and continue to be sexually violated by Hamas. I have seen more footage and photography of the atrocities committed by Hamas than the human soul can bear – but this week I saw the evidence of another side of this evil.

As journalists, we are the recorders of history, the witnesses that often speak for those who cannot, the storytellers of events and the pursuers of truth. Since 7 October, it has been at times an excruciating job but one that is almost sacred. In the face of growing denial, we have a duty to remind the world of what happened that Black Sabbath.

I was invited with a very small group of journalists to view evidence that the IDF Intelligence had captured in Israel and Gaza at the Israel Intelligence Commemoration Centre (IICC) on 7 October and throughout Operation Iron Swords. It is a chilling testament to the depths of evil and the meticulous planning that resulted in the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and foreign nationals.  There is no end to the depths to the depravity they carried out – and what their intentions were.

The evidence includes examples from the arsenal of weapons used by Hamas terrorists such as Bangalore’s to breach fences and walls, RPG’s, AK-47’s bayonets, thermobaric bombs, grenades, IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices) and much more as well as headbands, identity documents, backpacks and personal effects belonging to various terror factions. Guides and manuals found on terrorists, included ISIS instructions on how to create toxic gas weapons. Two of the motorcycles that were among those used by the terrorists are also on display. Hamas breached Israel at 30 different points and entered in 150 pick-up trucks and 350 motorcycles. Their intention was to get as far as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Kidnapping kits taken from the backpacks of terrorists are testimony to how meticulously planned the invasion was. The plan was to kidnap as many civilians and take them to Gaza. The kidnapping kits include tourniquets, syringes and drugs to take hostages and Tasers. Hostages had more value alive than dead but we know now how many corpses were ‘kidnapped’ as well.

The most chilling part of the exhibition is the collection of documentation and the evidence of incitement. Operational orders found included the instructions:

“Know that this enemy of yours is an incurable disease, except for head decapitation and uprooting hearts and livers”

A translation document explains how to say Hebrew phrases such as “women here“, “children here“, “take off your pants” and “take off your clothes“.

Other documents include detailed layout of a training area, designed to look like a kibbutz and plans for where to kidnap civilians. A map of Kibbutz Be’eri with neighborhoods clearly marked was also found. The map was found on one of the Hamas terrorists and had been torn up as he tried to destroy it before it was discovered. The map shows the areas of entry into the kibbutz, after Hamas gathered intelligence from Gazan workers from the kibbutz who entered Israel with work permits. The area that was purposely targeted were the houses to the south side of the kibbutz where families with young children lived.

Evidence from Gaza including copies of “Mein Kampf” translated into Arabic and documents proving employment at UNRWA as well as photographs and identity documents of Ashraf Mahd el Madhoun, and Islamic Jihad operative, posing with his family. He was an employee of UNRWA.  Hamas would regularly have property ownership relationships with UNRWA and there is a collection of signed contracts as well as certificates of course completion.

We hear a lot about the incitement in the Palestinian Territories, but when you are confronted with the evidence of it, it is a punch to the solar plexus. One of the most popular books found in your average Gazan home, displaying the level of indoctrinated from the cradle to the grave is a book for children about killing Jews with their car. There are also books about the “history of the Jews” where the worst antisemitic tropes are presented as fact. There are numerous books of collections of religious decrees or Fatwas that share religious justification to commit the unspeakable atrocities that were committed on 7 October.

As journalists who have covered the atrocities and seen the footage, photos, and are familiar with the methods used by Hamas and other terror organizations, hearing medical and forensic explanations was as horrific as it was in the days and weeks that followed the invasion. I will spare you the details but I saw the evidence that feminist organisations, college students, social-justice “warriors” and so many deny. I saw the horror that Hamas carried out will glee and have sworn to commit again and again and again.

The IICC will open a permanent exhibition of the evidence on 7 October 2024. The exhibition will be open to the public. Speaking to “Major T” who guided us through the evidence, he told us, “People can see that 7 October was very well planned for many years,” he continues. “It is important for people to see what happened because there is so much denial,” he says.

Evil exists. I know, because I saw the evidence with my own eyes.

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).

The fire burning in Yemeni port is Israel’s message delivered loud and clear.

By Jonathan Feldstein

In the pre-dawn hours Friday, Israel time, central Tel Aviv was attacked by an explosive drone fired by the Houthis, an Iranian proxy terrorist group in Yemen. Due to what the IDF says was human error, the drone was identified but not shot down by air defenses, nor were air raid sirens activated. This is what you need to know.

THE DISTANCE

The drone has been identified as an Iranian-made Samad-3, modified to have an extended range as Tel Aviv is some 1800 kilometers, more than 1100 miles, from Yemen. It reportedly flew at a low altitude for several hours via the Red Sea and over Egyptian territory, before striking Israel from the west over the Mediterranean Sea.

THE VICTIMS

A 50-year-old man was found dead in his apartment, apparently killed by shrapnel. Several were injured.

THE WEAPON

In order to reach Tel Aviv through this indirect route over Egypt, it is believed that the Houthis modified the Iranian-made Samad-3 drone, decreasing the size of the explosive from 18 kilos to 10 kilos, and adding extra fuel. As much as the Houthis are an Iranian backed proxy terrorist organization, their use of Iranian weapons and its implications are under close scrutiny by Israel, by the west, and by the Iranian regime. How Israel is able to detect and respond to such attacks is something that all learn from.

THE TARGET

The drone approached Israel from the west. Albeit flying low, it may have been meant to appear harmless, along the flight pattern of many approaching commercial aircraft. It struck central Tel Aviv near to where the US Embassy Branch Office is located, but it is unclear whether that was the target. The day before, the US reportedly destroyed other drones, however the IDF reported that these are separate incidents. The Houthis have declared that this is a “new phase” in their attacks against Israel.

WHO ARE THE HOUTHIS

The Iran-backed Houthis took over southern Yemen and its capital, Sanaa, from its Sunni government in 2014. They control large parts of the country and remain in conflict with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. Along with Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Iranian-backed terror groups, they are part of the “axis of resistance” against Israel. Since November 2023, they have fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel, and attacked ships along the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, and Red Sea, disrupting global shipping even through Egypt’s Suez Canal.

ISRAEL’S RESPONSE

Due to the attack, the Israeli cabinet ministers gathered in an emergency session on Saturday, Shabbat (the Sabbath). Typically, public business and government activities do not take place on the Sabbath, indicating that this was a seen as a serious military situation that required an immediate response, and that further Israeli restraint was not an option.

IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari noted this was a particularly complicated mission, using F-15’s, F-35’s, and other aircraft including refueling planes to carry out ten airstrikes against Houthi military targets around Yemen’s Hodeidah port, used to transport Iranian weapons.

Other than the immediacy of the response, Israel’s targeting of military facilities 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) away, is a signal to Iran. Tehran is also about 1800 kilometers from Israel. Some might consider this a test run for an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear and other military facilities.  In addition to the distance, Israel’s response indicated that it has significant intelligence capabilities, also a warning to Iran, Hezbollah and others.

After the Israeli response, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said:

 “The fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah, is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear. The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required.”

WHAT’S NEXT

Despite Israel’s attack, the IDF issued no new civilian security instructions indicating a higher state of alert. Prime Minister Netanyahu is still planning to embark on his trip to the United States to meet President Biden, and address a joint session of Congress.

After the attack near the US Embassy office, Netanyahu is expected to double down on highlighting the Islamic regime’s increasing efforts to destroy Israel, their terrorist tentacles throughout the Middle East, and apparently accelerating their nuclear weapons drive. Secretary of State Blinken said Iran could be just “one to two weeks away” from having enough nuclear material for a bomb.

Three months after Iran’s own unprecedented missile and drone attack, Netanyahu’s message is all the more relevant. Saturday night he said:

 “Anyone who wishes to see a stable and safe Middle East needs to stand against Iran’s axis of evil, and support Israel’s fight against Iran and its proxies – in Yemen, in Gaza, in Lebanon, everywhere.”

Israel informed the US and other regional governments in advance of its strike against the Houthi targets. While it does not seem that any immediate threats of escalation from the Houthis or others are on the horizon, there is the potential that the direct retaliation against the Houthis could trigger still further response from Yemen or other Iranian proxies, especially if Netanyahu is out of the country on an important visit to Washington.

ARAB ALLIES

In addition to notifying Washington in advance, there are indications that Arab countries were also informed. The Saudis, who are also in conflict with and have been attacked by the Houthis, could possibly have assisted by allowing the use of their airspace. While the Saudis and the Egyptians  – whose airspace was both breached – could not directly or indirectly to be seen supporting Israel’s attack, it is not unreasonable to speculate they at least they were silently celebrating.

CURRENT EVENTS OR PROPHESY?

“So said the Lord:

For three sins of Edom, yea for four, I will not return them: For pursuing their brother with a sword, and they destroyed their mercy and grasped forever their anger and kept their fury forever.  And I will send fire into Teman (Yemen), and it shall consume the palaces of Bozrah.”

(Amos 1:11-12)

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).

There could well be with Israel’s women hostages subject to rape and now passing the 9-month mark of captivity!

By Jonathan Feldstein

Sunday July 7 is not just another day. It is 275 days since the inhuman Hamas invasion and massacre in Israel, slaughtering 1200 and taking more than 250 hostages to Gaza. 120 are still in captivity in Gaza’s network of terror tunnels. Some may be held captive in the private homes of Hamas terrorist operatives, as were the four rescued in a bold IDF operation on June 8.

Through forensic and other evidence, Israel has declared that a few dozen of the 120 hostages are already dead. The actual number of hostages still alive is unknown because Hamas has never even presented a list of those who it holds in captivity, from one year old Kfir Bibas to hostages in their 70s and 80s. Not all of the 120 hostages are Israeli, or Jewish, including Bedouin Israeli Arabs, and citizens of many other countries.

With an all-out assault on Hamas, targeting the terrorists and their leaders, their military infrastructure, weapons, and weapons manufacturing abilities, along with the imperative to locate and rescue all the remaining hostages, many of whom are dead already, how is it possible that there might be more hostages?

The answer is because July 7 is also nine months since the 250 people were kidnapped.

Among the 120 hostages still in captivity, 12 are women. How many are alive is unknown, as it is unknown how many may in the last trimester of a pregnancy as a result of rape by their terrorist captors.

During the assault and massacre on October 7, numerous cases of rape, gang rape, and sexual mutilation took place and have been abundantly documented, many in sickening detail that underscores the deliberate and demonic attack. The confession of father and son terrorists to gang raping the same woman before the father killed her is just one of the disgusting displays of this.

Hamas Rapists. Hamas terrorists, father Radi (right) and son Abdallah (left), admit during the investigation raping before murdering women on Oct. 7. The father described how he raped a crying woman at gunpoint, and the son described how his father murdered the woman “after we finished raping her.” The father admitted to raping multiple women. (Photo: Shin Bet)

In addition to many of the 1200 people massacred on October 7 raped and sexually mutilated, some murdered while they were rape. There has also been wide testimony and documentation of the sexual assault of some of the women hostages. Among the videos released that were filmed and documented by the terrorists themselves, there are incidents of terrorists commenting, “Here are the girls who can get pregnant.”

Despite the evidence that has been documented ad nauseum, literally, there are many who deny these truths, resting on the purported Islamic principle that raping women is not allowed. It seems that terrorist sympathizers are prepared to deny the truth in defense of the terrorists, rather than admitting that what the terrorists did is not only inhuman but against Islam.

Among the most recent and public of these is notorious former Pink Floyd bassist, the unrepentant and delusional antisemite, Roger Waters. Far from being intelligent or an expert on anything other than Jew-hatred, Waters simply denies that such atrocities took place, lying that there is no evidence.

While rape and sexual violence is not new and often used in war and genocide, Hamas has followed the lead of its Islamic ideological twin, ISIS, whose misogynist ideology actually allows publishing rules for raping women. This has led many October 7 deniers to defend Islam in general, and Hamas’ atrocities in specific, saying that rapes could not happen and did not happen because it is against Islam. This is nothing more than a theological shell game.

A recent Jerusalem Post article discusses the medical, ethical, and psychological consequences of hostages raped by the terrorists highlighting in chilling detail, ISIS’s permissive “rape laws”. These Islamic rape laws prohibit the rape of pregnant women, noting the ISIS Islamic imperative to prevent women captives who have “legitimately” been turned into sex slaves from becoming pregnant. One contradiction to impregnating female captives, per the inhuman Islamic ideology of ISIS and its ideological twin, Hamas, is that impregnating a woman “essentially converts her and her children to Islam, and she should be grateful for this throughout her life.”

More than a theory from which the likes of Roger Waters and other October 7 deniers can claim no evidence, there are official ISIS leaflets which overtly state that an Islamic fighter (terrorist) can rape a woman he enslaves almost under any condition, even if she is a child, but must ensure she is not pregnant. This explains some of the testimonies of Israeli hostages who have been released or rescued, with former hostages noting their terrorist captors’ interest in their menstrual cycles. According to the JPost article, some survivors reported received birth control pills or morning-after pills while in captivity.

How many of the hostages are alive is unknown, as is how many of those are women. Based on the testimonies of women who have been released or rescued, sexual assault in captivity is not a possibility but a reality.

Now, nine months later, the question is how many of these women are days or hours away from giving birth to babies conceived in captivity by their demonic captors? How many may have given birth early because of the subhuman conditions, lack of pre-natal care, and basic nutrition that they have been subjected to?

Are there new hostages who have been born already, or to be born, in Gazan captivity?  Will their Islamic captors take away living babies to raise them as Moslems and/or deny that any babies were ever born to the hostages? Will Hamas realize that the birth of babies to women who have been in captivity will not play well in the media and, if discovered, will be bad PR for the Iranian backed Islamic “resistance?”

Will we ever know for sure how many of the women were raped and impregnated by the terrorists? Will Hamas make them, and their babies disappear? Will they have any hesitation to murder, dismember, or even incinerate the human evidence, or witnesses to the pregnant women and newborn babies to cover up their crimes that they gleefully filmed and published nine months ago? It is too sick a reality to imagine, much less conversations be had. Please join the Genesis 123 Foundation by signing the petition to compel world bodies to pressure Hamas to release ALL the hostages today.

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).

It’s not every day that I read headlines at home in Israel and think of classic American folk-rock songs. In fact, it has never happened before. Until recently.

By Jonathan Feldstein

As I was reading a particularly gruesome news item related to the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and savage massacre of 1200 people, and kidnapping of more than 250 others (of whom 120 remain in captivity), the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young (CSNY) song, “Teach Your Children” came to mind. The song reached number 16 in 1970. As much as I never connected an American folk-rock song with headlines in Israel, I probably never thought about the song’s lyrics either. It’s a song about passing on values from one generation to the next, emphasizing the importance of teaching children well, to help them grow into their best selves, to create a better future individually, as a legacy from one generation to the next.

“Teach your Children” echoed as I read the text of an article, “IDF airs interrogation clips of terrorist father and son confessing to rape on Oct. 7.”

Among the thousands of Palestinian Arab terrorists who committed inhuman acts, slaughtering, maiming, torturing, raping and sexually mutilating thousands of Israelis, Ahmad Radi did anything but teach his child well. Breaching Israel’s border in an orgy of hate and destruction, he shamelessly brought his son Abdallah to participate in the murderous rampage. While more than 1000 Hamas terrorists were killed in Israel on and in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 massacres, the father and son were captured.  In separate interrogations, Ahmad and Abdallah confessed to murder and rape. In fact, they raped the same woman before (father) Ahmad executed her.

If Ahmad only had an ear for classic folk rock and not jihadi hate, he maybe would have set a positive example, rather than transmitting to Abdalah the evil genocidal hatred he embodies, and has clearly imbued in his son.

CSNY sang, “You, …Must have a code that you can live by…Teach your children well…And feed them on your dreams.” Clearly Ahmad, thousands of terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre, and the tens of thousands of Hamas leaders and their brigades, along with hundreds of thousands who support and enable them, have chosen their “code” to live by. Rather than feeding them on the dreams of building and doing something positive, their vision and goals are exclusively to destroy Israel, to slaughter Jews.

The lyrics continue, “The one they pick’s the one you’ll know by.” Basically, CSNY are saying that a father’s legacy lives on through his children. Unfortunately, generations of Palestinian Arabs have transmitted a legacy of geocidal hate, fueled by extremist Islam founded in the Moslem Brotherhood of which Hamas is an ideological child, and funded and supported by the Islamic republic regime in Iran.

Sadly, for most Gazans, this Father’s Day will be marked by living in accordance with an immoral code which they celebrate, and worship, even according to their own internal polls. They surely do not represent the song’s message that the past is the past, and it’s time to move forward.  They raise their children from as young as 3-4 to worship jihad, and practice genocidal antisemitism. The inhuman acts of killing and maiming others supplants any aspiration to build a future for themselves, or to pass on good values.

This makes the rhetorical and often hollow question/accusation to Israel about having a plan for the day after to be more than ridiculous because the hatred and evil are so deeply entrenched.

By comparison, in traditional Judaism, a father’s responsibility is to teach their child a profession, and how to swim – things to enable them to live well, make a living, and protect themselves. Not to kill others.

CSNY’s chorus implores parents to move beyond the struggles of the previous generation (the father’s hell that did slowly go by), and the importance of nurturing children’s dreams so they can live fulfilling lives.

The second verse addresses the children, and challenges them to be empathetic towards their elders, recognizing that they may have lived through tough times. It also tells young people to use their energy and idealism to change the world for the better, before it’s too late. Sometimes, that means pivoting away from a parent’s past, and inability to move beyond that. It means that parents have a responsibility to imbue their children with good values, but also that children have the responsibility to choose the correct path, regardless of what they inherit from their parents.

“Teach Your Children” is a call to action for passing on life lessons, compassion, and hope to future generations. It’s an important Father’s Day anthem. Hamas and their ideological siblings from Hezbollah, the Houthis, westerners hijacking private campuses and public spaces, and the ayatollahs of Iran, do the opposite. They offer no hope for the future, only hate that also dooms them. This Father’s Day, it’s important to reflect on our personal values as parents, rejecting the evil of extremist genocidal Islam, and making sure that we impart that to the next generation, loud and clear.

This horrific story of the father and son, Ahmed and Abdullah, reminds me of another less hopeful classic American folk-rock song, Harry Chapin’s 1974 hit, “Cats in the Cradle.” After a life of neglecting his son by having “lots to do,” the father realizes his neglect has come back to him, singing woefully, “My boy is just like me.”

 

This is the model by which Hamas and the Islamic terrorists live. It’s up to them, the fathers and mothers, to teach their children well, to have an active presence, to show them right from wrong, and to correct them when they go astray. It’s never a father’s role to teach a child to massacre, rape, sexually mutilate and murder, not for any reason.

Rather than worshiping an evil ideology and a god who they say celebrates that, maybe they would do better with a little 1960s classic folk-rock to change their future.

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).

What has triggered global outrage at Israel’s response to 7 October?

By Rolene Marks

I call this war the “great illuminator”. Since the atrocities of the Hamas attack of 7 October, so much of what had been bubbling under the surface has now come out into the light. Many of us have lost lifelong friends who showed their lack of concern or blamed Israel, the antisemitism that many of us warned for years was fostering a climate of hate, has now been exposed to the world. The United Nations and their relevant “human rights” agencies like UNICEF and the UN Human Rights Council have demonstrated their lack or moral clarity. Do not get me started on the Red Cross and organisations that purport to support women and children.

No sooner had the horrific events happen, which the world watched on 7 October because gleeful Hamas broadcast it for all to see, the denials of the atrocities but also the celebrations began. Israel had not yet responded. So deep is the level of hatred for Jews and the Jewish state that the strange phenomenon of schizophrenic response is immediate. I have a theory why many denied the events that they just celebrated and watched like terror-porn quaffing lunatics. If they admit that they support those that carry out mass rape, burning of families alive, wholesale slaughter and torture and kidnapping, then they too, can be considered a monster. There are those who without apology and compunction, are happy to admit they support it because they see these monstrous actions as “resistance” or “justified”. These people walk amongst us.

There is the absolute outrage at Israel’s response. “The civilian casualties” they cry – while ignoring the empirical proof from many sources that proves that this is a war not only prosecuted with as much precision as possible, but the data gathering on casualty numbers has been proven to not make sense. The source of information to media is Hamas and even UNOCHA halved the numbers of women and children killed. The media earnestly gobbles up Hamas casualty figures while ignoring the glaring facts – and numerous military experts who say that at a veritable 1-1 civilian to combatant ratio, this is the war with the lowest casualty rate in the history of warfare.

So what is the real issue?

I believe it is the audacity of Israel daring to defend itself. Israel has a right to self-defence – in fact an OBLIGATION under international law to defend our citizens.

Over 80 years ago, the world closed its gates to the Jews fleeing the genocide in Europe. Today, most of the world breaks its moral compass by giving a tailwind to the terrorists and their various agents that are attempting to stop our inalienable right to defend ourselves. It is our audacity of self-defence that has the world up in arms – and not the atrocities that started this war we did not want.

Many of us are watching events on campuses and in cities around the world in utter disbelief as many young people or “Gen Z”, fed on a steady diet of anti-West propaganda denounce the countries they were born in and shill for Hamas, Hezbollah and other terror organisations. I feel like we are living in a parallel universe when young people take to Tik-Tok, (where I believe brain cells go to die) to extol the virtues of Osama Bin-Laden. I wish I was joking but I am not. You can almost see the Ayatollah Al Khamenei himself taking a break from calling for the annihilation of the Jewish State on X to rub his hands in glee at how well the minions have drunk the Kool-Aid. Gen Z’ers would rather “glamp” on a nearby campus, masked up and demanding humanitarian aid than defend their countries if needed.

A YouGov survey in the showed:

The US did not fare differently. A Pew survey demonstrated:

I watched the exceptional veterans at the 80th D Day Anniversary commemorations earlier this month.  The greatest generation. I marveled at the veterans, the eldest at 107, medals polished, with their dignified comportment. We owe them the gratitude of our freedom and democracy.

I am not shocked at the poll results in the United Kingdom and USA. Many (not all!) Gen Z’ers or the Tik-Tok generation have steadily been radicalized in their schools, universities and through social media. We are watching it in real time. They are taught to feel shame about their countries history and see everything through the prism of colonization, critical race theory and oppressor vs oppressed.

Israeli’s do not fit into any particular box of definitions and this confuses the paradigm. Israelis, no matter their age or background, religious or secular, left or right leaning, are patriotic. We are proud of our flag, we are proud to serve and we are proud of our national identity and history. This is an inconvenient truth for many of our detractors. 

When I watched the D-Day commemorations, I wondered who could be remotely comparable to the brave men who stormed the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1994, some of whom would liberate the death and concentration camps where our families and ancestors were murdered and imprisoned.

This generation of Israelis are worthy. They are the reservists who did not wait to be called up by the IDF to defend Israel in the wake of the Hamas attack who rushed to their bases or caught planes from the four corners of the world to fight. The fight with honour and with pride. While many of their compatriots around the world are looking for the nearest “safe space” on campus – they are busy fighting a brutal enemy that threatens our western values and liberties.

They are the exceptional courage of the survivors of the horrors and the former hostages who at great pain to their physical and mental health continue to share about their experience and advocate for the 120 hostages that remain in captivity.

They are the exceptional forces that rescued four of our hostages over the past weekend. In a mission that was rehearsed for weeks, with complexities that changed second by second, in a manner where daring and bravery ranks up there with the Entebbe mission. Instead of applauding Israel’s daring and bravery – the global media and many others, gobbled up the Hamas propaganda and castigated Israel for “massacring hundreds of Palestinians”. While Palestinian civilians, caught in the crossfire were killed, the number is yet to be confirmed. Can someone place the world back on its axis? Israel lost one of our finest warriors in the mission – Chief Inspector from the YAMAM, Arnon Zamora, of blessed memory. A lion of Judah.  Like Yoni Netanyahu before him, Arnon will go down in the annals of Jewish history as one of the true kings of the battlefield. The rescue mission was named “Operation Arnon” in his honour.

Israel’s audacity to defend ourselves irks the world – and it is a loud reminder that we are the vanguard in the clash of civilizations and if they do not wake up, they are next. The future, like all the other issues mentioned in the beginning has been illuminated. Perhaps that is why the safest reaction is to criticize?

The lions of Judah neither slumber nor sleep, and the Jewish state, the embodiment of our ancient covenant, will do everything we can to survive. We will continue to fight.  Long may we be audacious.

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).

Through selective reporting, maliciously misframing events and deviously giving disproportionate attention to select viewpoints, the media impacts public understanding and opinion.

By Allan Wolman

Media manipulation is not just a tool for attracting audiences; it is also frequently employed to promote specific editorial agendas and propagate particular viewpoints. This manipulation can be seen in the way some news outlets, like Al Jazeera, are perceived to politicize their content, often aligning with one side of a conflict or issue rather than maintaining impartiality.

For instance, Al Jazeera has been accused of bias in its coverage of Middle Eastern politics. This partisanship can shape public opinion and influence political discourse, both regionally and globally. By highlighting particular narratives, omitting counterarguments, or emphasizing certain events over others, media outlets can steer the public’s perception to align with their own ideological leanings or those of their stakeholders.

Such practices are not unique to Al Jazeera; many media organizations around the world have been accused of similar biases. Whether through selective reporting, framing stories in a particular light, or giving disproportionate attention to certain viewpoints, media manipulation can significantly affect public understanding and opinions. This underscores the importance of critical media consumption and the need for audiences to seek diverse sources of information to gain a more balanced perspective on global events.

The subtle use of language in media plays a crucial role in shaping public perception while maintaining an appearance of objectivity. This technique involves carefully selecting words and phrases that carry implicit connotations, which can influence how the audience interprets the information.

The choice between terms like “freedom fighters” and “terrorists” to describe a group involved in conflict can dramatically alter the audience’s perception of that group. Such linguistic choices are strategic, designed to project a particular meaning without overtly revealing the media outlet’s bias.

In the immediate aftermath of the dramatic rescue of four Israeli hostages from captivity in Gaza, Sky, CNN, together with other networks referred to the ‘release’ of the hostages. This subtle play on language misrepresents the situation. The hostages were not released from captivity but were ‘rescued’ in a daring and meticulously planned operation by the IDF.

During a bizarre interview between BBC news anchor, Helena Humphrey and former IDF spokesman, Jonathan Conricus, Humphrey (with her mind fixated on Hamas’s claim that civilians were killed during the rescue raid that freed the hostages), astoundingly asked:

“Would there have been a warning to those civilians for them to get out on time?”

In framing this question, Humphrey deliberately ignored that the hostages were imprisoned within civilian homes.

The implication here is that the BBC expects – or even demands – that Israeli security forces should inform the enemy in advance of an imminent rescue operation, which would inevitably compromise the mission and potentially endanger the lives of the hostages!

Not only language, but numbers play crucial roles in media manipulation. The United Nations, which is openly critical and hostile towards Israel, recently revised its previous estimates based on information from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

Recent data published by the UN indicates a significant revision in the estimated number of women and children killed during the conflict in Gaza. In reports released on May 6 and 8, the UN seemingly halved its previous estimates. According to Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the revised reports show a decrease of almost 47% in the total number of women and children killed during the war. Additionally, the data now indicates that men aged 19-59 made up 40% of the fatalities, contradicting previous claims that 70% were women and children. Notably, there is no mention of Hamas fighters included in the casualties, and important to note that child soldiers are not only found in West Africa; they are found in other conflict zones, including Gaza. 

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy released a report in January highlighting major discrepancies in the fatality reports, suggesting potential manipulation. This raises important questions about the reliability of information coming from conflict zones and the methods used to gather and report such data. Despite UN and other reliable sources, the mainstream media continue to quote casualty figures provided by the Hamas Health Authority – a highly questionable information source that they well know but nevertheless quote, deliberately spreading lies to discredit Israel, an age-old practice of antisemitism.

The rapid release of casualty numbers by Hamas authorities, raises questions about their accuracy and reliability. Shortly after the hostage rescue, CNN reported that at least 236 people had been killed and more than 400 injured, “according to hospital officials in Gaza.” The Associated Press published that 210 Palestinians, including children, were killed, “according to a Gaza health official.” It is puzzling how these numbers were gathered within mere hours and how distinctions between men, women, and children were reported with such precision!

At the same time European Union High Representative, Josep Borrell described the hostage operation carried out by Israeli security forces on Saturday morning (8 June) as “appalling”. Borrell referred to the operation as “another massacre of civilians,” noting that the EU “condemns this in the strongest terms.” This rapid condemnation and the reported casualty figures must surely raise questions.

SUSPECT SOURSES

Reports from Israel reflect a vastly different casualty count from the rescue operation. This discrepancy exposes the dubious nature of the sources of information presented by different parties involved – a reflection of political agendas, prejudice and naked bias.

So, will the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrel consider the credibility, context, and potential biases of the reports coming from Hamas authorities given previous discrepancies highlighted by the recent UN report?

Given the Spaniard’s transparent bias against Israel and the Jewish people – remember his diabolical accusation that Israel “uses hunger as a weapon of war” – don’t hold your breath.

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).

With Israel’s northern settlements reduced to “ghost towns”, how long before daily skirmishes with Hezbollah escalate into a fully-fledged war?

By Rolene Marks

There is hardly a day that goes by without the ubiquitous beeping of incoming rockets or Unmanned Arial Vehicles (UAV) in Israel’s north. Israel’s northern border is under immense threat from Iranian sponsored proxy Hezbollah. While the world focuses attention on Israel’s military operations in Gaza following the atrocities committed by Hamas on 7 October, the north is heating up. Hezbollah started firing anti-tank missiles and rockets on Israeli homesteads and positions in the north on 8 October.

Israel has long anticipated that should war break out on one front, it will inevitably break out on others as well. Israel is not only fighting Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in the north but is also dealing with increased tension in the West Bank, opportunistic Iranian attacks and the transfer of weapons from Syria, the Houthi threat in the Red Sea and rebels in Iraq firing projectiles at the Jewish state.

Hezbollah poses a significantly greater threat than Hamas. The Iranian proxy has unequivocally violated UN Resolution 1701, which clearly calls for Hezbollah to remain north of the Litani River. United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) recently had their mandate extended – and yet have done nothing to rein in Hezbollah aggression.

Hezbollah is Hamas on steroids. Hezbollah’s equivalent of Hamas’s Nukba fighters known as the Radwan forces, are a lot more sophisticated and better trained and Hezbollah’s arsenal of rockets is estimated in excess of 160 000. These rockets, which are significantly more sophisticated than those fired by Hamas, have the entire state of Israel covered. It is a terrifying thought.

As the IDF evacuated southern communities in preparation for the military operation into Gaza, so northern communities evacuated as well. Towns and kibbutzim on the border are ghost towns and the impact of this on farms and the regional economy has been massive. Images coming in from Kiryat Shmoneh and Katzrin show massive destruction to property and the northern skyline is bright red and orange from fires. Civilians and soldiers killed from rockets and anti-Tank missiles – are facts the global community and media are silent about.

Lebanese residents in the south of the country have also been evacuated – and there an estimated 91,000 have fled their homes.

Hezbollah have fired thousands of rockets at Israeli positions, causing a massive amount of damage to hundreds of buildings and homes. They have caused widespread destruction on a wine farm and to chicken coops and set of massive fires across thousands of dunams of land.  Hezbollah have also fired towards IDF military positions, and Ziv Medical Center in the northern Galilee city of Safed, sustained a direct hit.

To date there have been no condemnations from the international community – but diplomatic efforts are underway to try prevent a widespread war from breaking out. Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant has repeatedly warned Hezbollah not to test the Jewish state:

 “The noses of our fighter jets are pointed north”.

Hezbollah is recognized as a terror organization by several countries and has been described as a “state within a state” having representation in the Lebanese government.

Najib Mikati, Prime Minister of the interim government in Lebanon, said the Lebanese government would continue working for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the return the south Lebanese residents to their towns. He added that he was certain the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip would include the countries of the region and they would have “long-term stability and peace.”

Hezbollah is a proxy of Iran and are unlikely to take directive from the interim government. In response to escalating attacks on Israeli sovereign territory, Israel is striking Hezbollah targets, some as far into Lebanese territory as Baalbek, 265 km from the border.

Despite rumoured cautions from Iran for Hezbollah not to enter into a full-scale war with Israel, there is growing concern that Israel will inevitably have to enter the south of Lebanon in order to push Hezbollah north of the Litani River in compliance with UN Resolution 1701. Israel wants quiet on its northern border and for residents to return to their homes. I am sure that Lebanese civilians want the same for their residents of the south. Let us hope Hezbollah want that as well but emboldened by Hamas invasion of Israel on 7 October and their sworn solidarity with their ideological brothers, it seems less likely by the day.

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).