Whatsup in Gaza? Check out this illuminating WhatsApp exchange below.

By Mark Reichenberg

[Many Israelis over the last two years, especially intensifying in recent months,  have been inundated with WhatsApp’s, emails and calls from friends, family and former colleagues abroad relaying that they are “horrified”, “disturbed”, “astonished” or “in disbelief” of what they are reading or seeing in their news regarding what Israel is doing in Gaza. It has become a daily ritual in the global media for Israelis  – who are defending themselves in an existential war against a terrorist enclave holding their hostages – to see themselves maligned and their soldiers portrayed as arch villains.
For this reason, Lay of the Land chose to publish a WhatsApp exchange between an Israeli and a Londoner that, when written, was unintended for publication, however it is being published to display a microcosm encapsulating a daily common experience.

David E. Kaplan  Editor, Lay of the land]

Living in Kfar Saba in central Israel, I received a message on WhatsApp today (21 August, 2025) from a friend and former colleague (ex-UK presently living in Belgium), that I had served with on a public company board, and we have subsequently remained in friendly contact. Ever since the outbreak of the war, he has demonstrated caring towards our family and son in the IDF reserves, showing great concern for not only us, but Israel as well, yet his message below says so much….

“Hi Mark
I hope you are all okay.
Enough is enough and I don’t understand why this war continues. Help me understand as I am losing sympathy. Why keep killing children.
Sorry for my rant but I just needed to say something and get a view from an Israel citizen.”

I could not be angry with him for the message, because it is this writer’s belief that an intelligent, moderate and demonstrably morally good man has been overwhelmed by the flood of social media, fake news, an antisemitic UN and Jew hating UN Secretary-General, along with morally bankrupt Western governments and leaders, especially of the despicable ilk of Starmer, Macron and Albanese – all of whom, like most the world, have or are succumbing to the Hamas propaganda machine – and God knows that Hamas is beating Israel hands down at that game.

So, instead of berating him, as he is a good man and I believe genuinely frustrated, and he has probably been bashed in his social circles for any kind of support he has shown for Israel, I chose to outline some facts for him, all publicly known worldwide, but glossed over and conveniently “forgotten” by all those mentioned above, and so I responded thus:

“Killing what children? Or are you also succumbing to the Hamas propaganda machine with the false images and facts.

You are right, enough is enough but let’s put it in perspective:

• Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023, brutally murdering and raping innocent civilians in their homes and beds.
• ⁠Hamas brutally murdered and beheaded babies in front of their parents at the same time.
• ⁠Hamas entered a music festival and mowed down young, unarmed Israelis who were attending the festival.
• ⁠Hamas filmed and live streamed their actions on Facebook and YouTube including the burning and murder of babies.
• ⁠Hamas took hundreds of innocent hostages into their tunnels, murdering and raping many of them.
• ⁠Hamas then launched thousands of rockets on Israel aimed at CIVILIAN areas and cities, not military bases.

Had this happened in any other country, the country that attacked would have been obliterated within 48 hours or less.

Now let’s look at some facts – well known and admitted by Hamas.

• Hamas use the civilians and children as human shields (war crime).
• ⁠Hamas fires rockets into civilian areas aimed at civilians (war crime).
• ⁠Hamas rapes, murders and starves the hostages (war crime).
• ⁠Hamas denied access to the hostages by the Red Cross (war crime).
• ⁠Hamas fires its rockets; stores its weapons and runs military bases from schools and hospitals (war crime).
• ⁠I could go on and on….

Israel before bombing, instituted and still institutes civilian warnings and the knock-knock system so that civilians can leave the areas. As has been seen in the press, Hamas does not let them leave and shoots their own civilians who try.

Now let’s look at humanitarian aid. Which country in the world allows humanitarian aid into the country that attacks it to feed the attackers and their population? There is NO starvation in Gaza, thousands of truckloads of food go into Gaza and are hijacked by Hamas. Yet images prevail in the press of full Gazan markets, overflowing with everything and fresh food beautifully presented. It has been proven time and time again that the images of starvation are false and from other countries in many cases.

The war could have ended on day 2, all that had to be done was that Hamas returned all the hostages, and it would have been done. Instead, they held them, murdered most INCLUDING STRANGLING AND MURDERING TWO BABIES THEY TOOK AS HOSTAGES IN FRONT OF THEIR MOTHER IN THEIR TUNNELS and on a hostage exchange barbarically substituted the mothers remains with some dead Palestinian woman’s remains.

And all this under full support of UNWRA and the United Nations who condemn Israel at every move and refuse to condemn Hamas.

The UN and most of Europe has devolved to 1939, praising the destruction of the Jewish people – and why? Because Israel is a successful nation (you can only be messaging now because of Israeli innovation). Because the Jews and Israel refuse to roll over and be slaughtered again like in the Holocaust?

And still Hamas refuses to hand over the hostages, because without holding the hostages they no longer have a reason to exist.

And don’t cry about “innocent Palestinians “. There is no such thing. They grow up being taught that to murder a Jew is a blessing; they support Hamas. If there were innocent Palestinians, they would have handed the hostages back or told the IDF where they were.

You sadly have fallen foul of the totally one-sided UN and EU.

If you want to educate yourself on this, and this not coming from an Israeli, I suggest you look up Douglas Murray on YouTube and start watching his speeches and interviews from October 7 onward. He is an Englishman in the UK in politics, not Jewish but extremely rational.

There are no children being murdered, get that propaganda out your head now.

I always was proud of how rational you are and how you look at the whole picture – I think you should do that now….”

Our discussions continue, and he has certainly stated his support for the war to end and the view that Netanyahu must go, stating “All I would like to see is the war ended, no more war crimes” and continuing with “I want Hamas gone… I hope your family are safe as I am sure they have been called to arms and fight.”

We remain friends and will continue to talk and hopefully his view will once again affirm his obvious support of Israel.

About the writer:

Mark Reichenberg is a Chartered Accountant (South Africa) (CA. SA.) with over 30 years of international financial leadership, currently focused on taking Israeli and non-UK based companies to IPO and admission on the London Stock Exchange. Having managed multimillion-dollar listings, Mark established London AIM Advisory Services to guide Israeli companies through the full London IPO lifecycle — from investor introductions to funds raised and post-listing governance.
Mark is married with two adult children and lives in Kfar Saba, Israel.

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).

A way forward to releasing hostages and bringing peace to Gaza

By Peter Bailey

The hostage crisis that has bedevilled Israel for almost two years since the barbaric invasion of Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, has been leveraged by the Hamas leadership to its utmost advantage. Besides the carnage on the day, which included the murder of women and children, rape, disfiguration and the burning of  live victims, including children, Hamas dragged 251 men, women and children into captivity to be held as hostage.  224 living hostages were taken as well as the bodies of 27 victims who were killed by Hamas during the initial attack. The current impasse is totally unacceptable, with Hamas manipulating global public opinion against  Israel while the Jewish state battles the double challenge of trying to stem the tide of mass media hysteria and ensuring that a similar terror attack never happens again. 

Numerous attempts have been made to arrange for temporary cease fire arrangements, which have resulted in 205 hostages being released or rescued to date. The following information is on the Foreign Ministry’s Hostages and Missing Persons Report as at 22 June 2025. 

As of 22 June 2025, 50 hostages are still being held in captivity in Gaza. Of these, 49 were abducted on October 7 and one hostage (Hadar Goldin) has been held in Gaza since 2014.

To date, 205 people were rescued or released from Hamas captivity. 148 of the hostages returned alive and 57 deceased.

While these figures are cold statistics, they tell us that almost 82% of the hostages taken on 7 October 2023 have been either released or rescued. Tragically, Hamas and its fellow terrorist groups in Gaza are still holding 50 captives as hostages for ransom. The world has by and large remained silent about the hostages and their fate, even the International Red Cross,  which has a mandated responsibility to do its utmost to care for and arrange for the release of hostages has been silent, except for making regular demands to visit the terrorists captured in Gaza since the horrific attack on 7 October.  

Negotiations for the release of the hostages have largely been entrusted to Qatar and Egypt, with numerous intercessions by the United States. The choice of Qatar and Egypt as mediators is quite disconcerting, as both have a far closer relationship with Hamas than they have with Israel, and can under no circumstances be classified as impartial. Qatar is the owner and funder of the Al Jazeera news network, which can be considered as the public relations arm of the Gaza terrorist factions. Since 7 October 2023, Al Jazeera has published material, often unsubstantiated, that has had immense negative influence on global public opinion regarding Israel’s current war in Gaza. This could not be pursued without the approval of the government of Qatar. 

Egypt, in contrast to Qatar, is opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood, the spiritual mentors of Hamas and its terrorist fellow traveller, Palestinian Islamic Jihad. While ostensibly joining the Israeli blockade of Gaza, Egypt has regularly turned a blind eye to the passage of war materials and many other necessities required by Hamas to develop the labyrinth of tunnels that crisscross  Gaza from end to end. These are the very tunnels in which many of the hostages have been and are still being held captive, and from which Hamas terrorists stage surprise attacks on  Israeli Defense Force personnel. How the many white Toyota Hilux pickup trucks used on 7 October were imported into Gaza remains an open question.  

Qatar is a different kettle of fish altogether, being strongly influenced by the philosophy of the Muslim Brotherhood, making Qatar itself a follower of stringent Islamic fundamentalism. Qatar, a hereditary dictatorial monarchy, has regularly provided a safe haven for Muslim Brotherhood members who have fallen out with their host countries, which has historically resulted in tense and often fractured relationships with the other Sunni Muslim states in the Gulf region and beyond. Qatar’s penchant for providing a safe haven for Muslim Brotherhood adherents has resulted in the monarchy becoming home to the external leadership of Hamas. This has been the case since a personal request in 2011 by then US president Barack Obama for Qatar to provide an external office for the Hamas leadership. His rationale was that it would be easier to negotiate with the Hamas leaders in Qatar, a favoured US ally, than in its previous base in Iran, the primary sponsor of Hamas. Since that time, not only does Hamas have an office in Qatar, but its so-called political leadership, who are essentially terrorists in exile, have luxurious living quarters for themselves and their families in the capital city of Doha. 

The support provided by Qatar  to Hamas did not end with providing an external headquarters, but has included substantial financial handouts since the overthrow of the Palestinian Authority Government in Gaza by Hamas in 2007. Since then, it is reliably estimated that Qatar has transferred some $1.8 billion to Hamas, in addition to  regular monthly $30 million payments to the terrorists,  facilitated by the Israeli Government since 2018. Qatar has also been a generous sponsor of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another Gaza terrorist group who participated in the atrocities committed on 7 October 2023. The flow of money from Qatar was briefly interrupted during the 18-month period of the Bennet/Lapid governments, who refused to allow Israel to facilitate the payments. The Netanyahu government reinstated the monthly payment facility immediately after the current coalition came to power in December 2022. 

Financial contributions to Hama appear to have stopped after 7 October 2023, but Qatar, as the host of the Hamas leadership, found itself ideally placed to become a leading mediator, as did Egypt,  in view of its shared border with Gaza. While most of the hostage negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt that have taken place have borne no fruit, there can be little doubt that neither are unbiased mediators. With the same old staggered and partial release deals for release of the hostages once again on the negotiating table, the time for a fresh approach to ending the hostage crisis  is long overdue. 

PATH TO PEACE

Affirming the close relationship as allies between the United States and Qatar, President Donald Trump expressed on 14 May 2023  that  Qatar “is a great friend of the United States.”  Furthermore, Trump appears to have a very close personal relationship with the rulers of Qatar, who gifted him a $400 million luxury aircraft. Despite vis-vis Israel, Qatar being projected as an enemy state there is much evidence to the contrary and even Prime Minister Netanyahu has expressed that Qatar “is a friend” of Israel. Optimizing on these relationships, is it not long overdue that Trump and Netanyahu exercise leverage on their much-vaunted friend Qatar by insisting that the leaders of Hamas be taken into protective custody to be held until all the hostages held in Gaza have been released? Qatar would prove its bona fides by obliging to this not unreasonable and potentially life-saving request. Furthermore, it is the kind of positive action that a responsible government would be expected to take in the interests of saving lives with the added bonus and of elevating its international standing by effectively contributing to resolving global challenges. While Qatar’s immense wealth has bought it multiple privileges and quality international events – notably the 2022 FIFA World Cup – ending the hostage crisis, would cement Qatar’s much desired position as a respected world leader.

The friendship that has developed between Trump, Netanyahu and Qatar should be exploited to the hilt. Used strategically it could herald Hamas being “persuaded” to relinquish its political ambitions in Gaza including total disarmament. This could lead to a welcome new deal for the beleaguered people of Gaza and allow for the enclave to be rebuilt as a haven of peace with a great potential for prosperity and prove a showpiece of the possibility of a semi-autonomous Palestinian state living side-by-side and in peace with Israel. 

However, to achieve this, Qatar has the key.

The question is:

Can it be persuaded to use it to unlock the path to freeing the hostages and the citizens of Gaza from the catastrophic clutches of Hamas?

*Feature picture:
A Key Player. Exceeding 7m in length and 3m in width, Qatar set in 2016 a World Record feat for the ‘Largest Key’, which was previously held by Cyprus.  With its strong relations with Hamas, the writer believes Qatar holds another more important key – the key to bringing an end to the war in Gaza.

About the writer:
The writer, Peter Bailey, a military history buff, was a Major in the South African Army Reserve before making aliyah in 2013.  He is the author of two books: Street Names in Israel; and Men of Valor: Israel’s Latter Day Heroes. 

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).

When media outlet Al-Jazeera operates as an asset of a belligerent party it steps onto the battlefield to fight not to report.

By Andrew Fox

The usual candidates are up in arms about the IDF killing Al Jazeera journalist, Anas Al-Sharif. These outraged commentators seem to have overlooked the substantial evidence that he was an active member of Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades, and therefore an entirely legitimate target (see the screenshots below). However, I would go further than that: I will now make the case that he was a legitimate target because he was an Al Jazeera journalist.

There is a dangerous myth in modern conflict: that “combatant” means a man with a rifle or a woman in a uniform. The misunderstanding is that unless you are pulling a trigger, you are somehow outside the fight. This is a comforting belief, especially for those who think war is neatly contained to trenches, tanks, and troops. However, in the 21st century, that is no longer true, and under the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), it has not been true for a long time.

“Participation in hostilities” is the legal point at which a civilian ceases to be protected from being targeted. This does not only refer to kinetic actions. It encompasses any act that is likely to negatively impact the military operations or capacity of a party to the conflict. During the WWII, this included railway switchmen guiding troop trains. In Afghanistan, it referred to unarmed insurgent spotters on hilltops radioing in troop movements.

Today, I contend that it also means information warriors.

Modern militaries no longer see information merely as a support tool. Instead, it is established as a joint force function, equal to manoeuvre, fires, and sustainment. NATO doctrine, US joint publications, and even Israel’s operational concepts treat the information environment as a domain where decisive effects can be attained.

In Gaza, the battle is not just fought in tunnels and streets. We are all too well aware that it is also fought in newsrooms, on satellite feeds, and across social media timelines. No single outlet has played a more pivotal role in shaping the global perception of the battlefield narrative than Al Jazeera.

Journalism is not a crime, even in war. Legitimate, good-faith journalists should never be military targets. However, the legal considerations shift if a media organisation, especially one funded by a party to the conflict, moves from just reporting to actively participating.

Al Jazeera is not a neutral observer. It is the flagship media arm of Qatar, a state that funds Hamas directly through hundreds of millions in cash infusions into Gaza. Qatar provides political sanctuary, hosting Hamas leadership openly in Doha, and runs strategic information campaigns amplifying Hamas narratives and suppressing their atrocities. This is not independent journalism. It is state-directed strategic communication, explicitly designed to influence the conduct of hostilities.

Oh boy, has it worked. Hamas’s dominance of the information battlespace has been on a par with any battlefield victory the IDF has won in Gaza. The role of Al Jazeera’s coverage has been decisive. They have had a critical role in bringing international pressure by saturating global audiences with emotive, selective imagery. This has mobilised street protests, driven foreign policy debates, and generated calls for ceasefires.

This pressure has materially constrained Israel’s freedom of manoeuvre, forcing the IDF to alter targeting timelines, suspend operations, and accept increased risk to its own troops. Therefore, by shaping global perception, Al Jazeera has increased the political cost of decisive action by the IDF, giving Hamas operational breathing space and prolonging the conflict. If that is not “direct participation in hostilities” under LOAC, then nothing is.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sets out three criteria for direct participation in hostilities:

Al Jazeera’s conduct fulfils all three criteria. The harm threshold is satisfied because their broadcasts have directly compromised IDF operations. A clear causal link exists between narrative shaping and operational constraints. This is well-documented and observable. Additionally, there is a belligerent nexus as their editorial stance explicitly aligns with Hamas’s strategic objectives and Qatar’s geopolitical interests.

Once those criteria are fulfilled, civilian protection is paused for as long as they participate. This is where the conversation becomes uncomfortable. We have been conditioned to see journalists as sacred non-combatants. Indeed, genuine independent journalism remains vital and protected, and there must be space for reporting mistakes, but this protection is not absolute. When a media outlet ceases to operate as an independent actor and instead functions as an operational asset of a belligerent party, it steps onto the battlefield, and on the battlefield, law and morality both demand that those who fight are treated as participants in the war.

Never mind that Al Jazeera’s journalists in Gaza double as active terror group members. Above and beyond that, I put it to you that the IDF is within its legal rights under LOAC to treat Al Jazeera’s Gaza-based personnel, facilities, and transmission infrastructure as legitimate military objectives. There is a further argument that Al Jazeera facilities worldwide have become actively involved in the conflict and, therefore, are legitimate military targets.

The conflict in Gaza is not just about bombs and bullets; it also involves hashtags, headlines, and live feeds. In that landscape, an enemy’s ability to wage war is not solely measured in rockets and rifles, but also in narrative dominance. Pretending otherwise does not make us more humane. It just leaves one side fighting with one arm tied behind its back.

The shocking global disinformation storm surrounding Gaza has been notable for its lack of accountability for major news outlets knowingly lying about the war and spreading falsehoods. If nothing else, establishing a clear threshold for crossing between journalist and targetable combatant might make these deceitful media organisations and reporters reconsider their journalistic standards.

About the writer:

A veteran of three grueling tours of Afghanistan, Major Andrew Fox holds a Batchelor’s degree in Law & Politics, a Master’s in Military History & War Studies, and is currently studying for a PhD in History.

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 world has swallowed Hamas’s expertly crafted propaganda.

By Rolene Marks

You should be horrified. I am. Horrified, enraged, and so very shattered. I hope you are too. I hope that this has shaken you wide-awake. The starved, emaciated images and footage of Israeli hostage Evyatar David, starved to his bones, held in a dark, airless tunnel, shirtless and wearing ragged cut off tracksuit pants digging his own grave is devastating. It is inhuman. For Jews who carry generational trauma, this took us back to our family members, the living dead in the death and concentration camps of Europe.

Blink and you will miss the beefy arm of a terrorist’s performative handing a can of lentils to him. The beefy, fat and well-fed arm of a Hamas terrorist.

Evyatar, described by those who know his as a gentle, kind soul who loves to play music, was stolen by Hamas from the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023.

Released hostage Tal Shoham, who was held together with hostages Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal before he was released in February, says he recognizes the tunnel. Speaking to Israel’s Channel 12, Shoham said:

“That is exactly the same tunnel where [released hostage] Omer [Wenkert], Evyatar, Guy and I were held”.

Reacting to the condition of Evyatar in the Hamas footage, Shohan continued:

 “I was shocked to the depth of my soul. He is broken mentally, emotionally. I can’t see any of the joy of life that he had managed to retain in his eyes now…. Really, a shell of the Evyatar I knew.”

Asked what the Hamas video does not show, Shoham says:

“behind the curtain they’ve put up, which is just one of the blankets we used, apparently Guy Gilboa-Dalal is standing or sitting because they don’t let them go to a different tunnel. And right behind the cameraman, there’s an iron door, and a well-lit room, with air conditioners and a group of terrorists who sit and sleep there. They have cable TV. They have plenty of food — food they have stolen from the humanitarian supplies that Israel sent in for a very long time. We could see that they were well fed, that they lacked for nothing. They also bragged about having stolen it, that they had months of supplies in that tunnel and all their tunnels.”

Rom Braslavski stayed behind at the Nova festival to try to help those injured. He was cruelly taken into captivity by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another genocidal terrorist group.

The footage of an emaciated Rom Braslavski crying broke me into a million pieces. It should break you too. He cannot stand anymore and is in terrible pain. There are 18 other hostages we believe to still be alive and every second counts. Medical experts believe they have lost roughly 50% of their body weight and that they could suffer multiple organ failure very soon.  Hamas and other terror groups still hold the remains of 30 others.

With very few exceptions like the NY Post, the vast majority of the media either buried the story of emaciated and tortured Evyatar and Rom amongst other stories – or just neglected to publish, preferring to push their accusations against Israel of genocide and mass starvation.

Hamas know they can show anything they want to – they have the measure of the delirious Jew hatred many in the west are indulging. Israel may be winning on the kinetic battlefield – but losing the propaganda war as many swallow the lies. It is a propaganda war and what is needed now is for the silent majority to speak up loud and clear – before it is too late.

The exploitation of Palestinian children should infuriate you. The media, keen to add fodder to its carefully crafted narrative dedicate to demonizing the Jewish state, have trotted out the photos of children with congenital diseases as proof of “mass starvation”. Nobody stopped to check the veracity – or apologise properly when it was eventually exposed. Did anyone honestly think that the terrorists who murdered, burnt families, raped and kidnapped would not use their own population as human shields or propaganda fodder? They said quite bluntly that they would! Again, and again. Many choose not to hear.

Hamas and their stenographers (of which the press play a major part) have seduced the masses by using pejoratives and sexy soundbites like accusing Israel of genocide and mass starvation and just about any other evil they can drum up. Sadly, it is working.

The accusations of genocide are particularly preposterous. Not only has it been routinely debunked by the failure of the media and the masses to ask the little questions allows a lie to fester. Let us look at one example – the IDF inoculated well over 500, 000 children against polio in September 2024. Never before in a “genocide” has a population’s children been inoculated to guard against polio, or humanitarian aid facilitated by land, sea and air. Are these the actions of people accused of genocide? Yes, Gaza looks disastrous – but to understand what is happening above ground, you have to understand what has been happening below ground.

The media’s failure to investigate and just take the word of a terror organization verbatim, a terror organisation whose foundational charter extols the extermination of the Jewish state and people, over a democratic ALLIED state is unconscionable.

Hamas are the masters of propaganda. One only had to look at the hostage release scenes, which were a veritable theatre of the grotesque to understand exactly who Israel is dealing with – but most, failed to take the lessons on board.

The accusation of mass starvation persists, despite the images of “starving children” having been debunked. The media purposefully ignore the successful efforts of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to feed hungry civilians. The UN and various aid organisations failures to collect and distribute aid after it has entered and cleared the crossings is not just ignored, it is blamed on Israel.  I visited the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing a few days ago at the collection point. I saw mountains of aid left standing in the sun. Some of the boxes were open and we could see flour, cooking oil, baby food, hygiene products for children, women’s hygiene products, toiletries, tomato sauce, canned tuna, sugar, sacks of potatoes and onions and so much more. Boxes were labeled “UNICEF”, “UN” and “World Food Programme” amongst the many. Trucks stood idle with the drivers waiting for the instructions from the UN to load up and go towards civilian sites. It was infuriating and frustrating to see so much waste.

I also witnessed the western media propaganda-swallowing machine in action with my own eyes. I watched as two ABC Australian reporters who had walked the same aid wasteland as I did, do their piece on camera. Puffed up with a full load of self-righteous indignation, the Middle East correspondent said with a completely straight face “this is the face that Israel wants you to see in their argument about how they are prosecuting humanitarian aid.” Sorry, what? You saw what we all saw and now you are spinning it in order to pander to your narrative that casts Israel as the evil pariah in all of this?

It is pointless calling people antisemitic – they are immune to it and quite proud of it. This is something much more nefarious that there is not even a definition for it yet. This obsession with demonizing Israel, this inability to see reason or logic – or even evidence. Seduction by propaganda is easy to implement when the culprit, in this case Hamas, understands the latent hatred that lies in many, dying to be let loose under the guise of self-righteous indignation.

It is an imperative to fight back – no matter how outnumbered we think we are. Every single one of us has a responsibility we need to take on.

 Every single one of us has a moral obligation and responsibility to speak for our hostages. The living and the dead without exception. Every single one of us MUST FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE AVALANCHE OF LIES AND PROPAGANDA. Lives depend on it. Literally.

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).

Why reward a terrorist leadership holding Israeli hostages  rotting on the verge of death?

By Jonathan Feldstein

French President Emanuel Macron must be feeling particularly good seeing nations of the world following one of his country’s most honored traditions:

SURRENDER

Macron announced that he intended to recognize “Palestine” at the U.N. General Assembly next month. Immediately following Macron were British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Several other countries have indicated their inclination to do so as well.

The Macron, Starmer, and Carney ideological surrender is akin to recognizing Nazi controlled Vichy France. Mon Dieu! It not only does not bring peace any closer but, it hardens the position of the terrorists and emboldens and rewards their aggression.  That has been clear as Hamas has continued to entrench its intransigence any time serious talks of a cease fire and hostage release get close.

MIXED MESSAGING

There is something else critical to “recognize” in the announcement of the intent to recognize Palestine. Among other things, Starmer made clear threats to Israel  that he would follow through to recognize Palestine if Israel:

 “…takes substantial steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire, and commit to a long-term sustainable peace, renewing the prospect of a two-state solution.”

Then there is Starmer’s message to Hamas that remains “unchanged and equivocal” in that Hamas “must immediately release all of the hostages, sign up to a cease fire, disarm, and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza.”

While the British PM’s threats to Israel are crystal clear, his “messages” to Hamas – while not vague – are meaningless.  Hamas will not run to London, the U.N., or anywhere else to lay down their arms, nor will it ever release the hostages without maximum pressure. Does Starmer’s conditional recognition of “Palestine” also require Hamas to disarm and release the hostages?  Do they need to post on their social media “In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful we will not play a part of the government of Gaza?”

British-Israeli former hostage Emily Damari, who was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, and released after 471 days in captivity Gaza, used her own social media to condemn Starmer’s announcement:

 “I am deeply saddened by Prime Minister Starmer’s decision to recognize Palestinian statehood. This move does not advance peace — it risks rewarding terror. It sends a dangerous message: that violence earns legitimacy.”

In another post, Damari wrote:

“Prime Minister Starmer is not standing on the right side of history. Had he been in power during World War II, would he have advocated recognition for Nazi control of occupied countries like Holland, France or Poland? This is not diplomacy — it is a moral failure. Shame on you, Prime Minister!!!!!!!”

In announcing his country’s intent to recognize “Palestine”, Canadian Prime Minister Carney also made this conditional.  He said it is:

“…predicated on the Palestinian Authority commitment to much needed reform including… to hold elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.”

He added that:

 “Hamas must immediately release all hostages taken in their terrorist attack of October 7…. must disarm… and play no role in the future governance of Palestine.”

His language is troubling on many levels, but the premise is absurd. What if, in his Never-Never Land of diplomacy, the Palestinian Authority did hold elections, and what if a rebranded Hamas were to win?  What if the PLO were to win, and then be summarily ousted in a coup in 2027 with Hamas in control of “Palestine”?  Would “Palestine” be required to meet Carney’s standards or risk Canada withdrawing its recognition?

If any of these leaders were really sincere about recognizing “Palestine”, they would just do so and not need to announce their intentions to do so, or with all these unachievable conditions.

If I were a Palestinian Arab believing in the right to live in an independent “State of Palestine”, I would take offence to the provisional nature of recognizing what I would believe as the occupation of my country. Those who advocate the purported right of Palestinian Arabs to have an independent state should be up in arms (pun intended) that their “rights” are conditional.

What is interesting in the context of this war against Hamas now entering its 22nd month since the October 7, 2023 massacre, is the broad consensus across the Israeli political spectrum, against the Macron, Starmer, Carney bulldozing for Palestinian statehood amidst the unresolved hostages crisis. While there may be differences on the conduct of the war and priorities or imperative to get the remaining 50 hostages released, there is uniformity in their condemnation of this intended move.

Multiple voices throughout Israel, not just the government and not just on the right, have voiced their outrage, even harsh denunciation of such a declaration at this point in time.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum is not an echo chamber for the Israeli government, and has largely been more critical of the government and its policies related to the hostages. But on this, there is widespread agreement. “Recognition of a Palestinian state while Hamas holds 50 hostages isn’t just a step away from peace, it is a blatant violation of international law and a dangerous moral and political violation that bestows legitimacy to horrifying war crimes.”

“The international community — if it wants peace — must join the efforts of the US and demand, before all else, the release of the hostages and then the end of the fighting.” The Forum represents most of the hostages’ families, and advocates a deal with Hamas to return all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war and the release of Palestinian Arab terrorists.

“Abducting men, women, children and babies, and holding them in tunnels against their will, amid starvation and physical and mental abuse, cannot — must not — be the grounds for establishing a state,” they added.

“The recognition of a Palestinian state before the return of the hostages will forever be remembered as a shameful, antisemitic step that renders terror acceptable as a legitimate means of achieving political goals.”

Unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state, enables terrorism and deprives Israel of leverage amid efforts to secure the hostages’ release. It also goes against the terms of the Oslo Accords to which France, the UK, and Canada all subscribed, requiring actual negotiations and not unilateral actions by all parties. These and other countries recognition of “Palestine” will not only not bring peace closer; it will harden the position of the terrorists and prolong the war.

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).

The new world order that threatens Western culture and civilization.

By Neville Berman

In 1982, in response to attacks by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) from Lebanon, Israel launched a military campaign against the PLO in Lebanon. Within days Yasser Arafat, the head of the PLO, announced that Israel had killed 20,000 people in Lebanon.  Newspapers throughout the world led with the headline ” Israel kills 20,000 in Lebanon.” The world was outraged. A few days later, a reporter from an international news agency arrived in Lebanon and asked to be taken to see the bodies or graves of the 20,000 people who had been killed. He discovered less than 300 people were actually killed. Not a single newspaper published an apology on their front page. The few apologies that were published were buried deep inside the publication. Fake news was seen to be very profitable. What everyone remembers is that Israel killed 20,000 people in Lebanon. I mention this as the phenomenon of reporting without any verification of the accuracy of the report has become widespread.

Every reporter in Gaza understands that he needs to report what Hamas wants him to report. Reports published by a reporter that are not approved by Hamas, are usually the last report of that reporter from Gaza. The fear of losing access to breaking news that millions of people want to see and read about in Gaza, results in zero verification of facts before publication. An excellent example was the report by the Gaza Health Ministry in October 2023, that Israel had bombed a hospital in Gaza and had killed 500 civilians. Every newspaper and TV channel in the world immediately headlined the report. No one thought of checking if the story was factual. What actually happened was that a rocket fired from Gaza at Israel, misfired and landed in the Al Ahli parking lot of the hospital and killed less than 50 people. Israel did not fire the rocket, the hospital was not bombed, and 500 people were not killed. The story that was carried by every news agency was completely false.  

Hamas has tried every conceivable way to convince the world that they are victims and need to be supported. They first maintained that Israel had placed a blockade on Gaza. This must have been the worst blockade in human history. The southern border of Gaza is with Egypt. Thousands of tons of concrete used for building hundreds of kilometers of tunnels, and thousands of missiles that were fired at Israel, all came directly from Egypt into Gaza. In addition, Israel supplied food, water, electricity and fuel to Gaza. Hundreds of people from Gaza came to work daily in Israel. Obviously, there was no blockade.  

They then claimed that Israel was an apartheid state. Every citizen in Israel over the age of 18 has the right to vote regardless of sex, race or religious beliefs. Arab citizens are elected into the Israeli parliament known as the Knesset. Arab citizens use the same hospitals, the same maternity wards, the same beaches, attend the same universities, and have senior positions within the bureaucracy of Israel. Clearly, Israel is not an apartheid state.

They then claimed that Israel was a colonial state. The truth is that Jews have lived in the Middle East for over 3,000 years and Israel is the ancestral home of the Jewish people. The First and Second Jewish Temples were built in Jerusalem. To claim that Jews are colonialists is a total fabrication. 

They then claimed that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians. The Palestinian population in Israel has grown annually for decades. If Israel was committing genocide, then the Palestinian population would be decreasing and not increasing. It does not take a genius to understand that Israel is not committing genocide.     

Hamas is now claiming that Israel is causing starvation in Gaza. The truth is that hundreds of trucks of humanitarian aid sent to Gaza are stolen at gunpoint by Hamas. The aim of Hamas, not Israel, is to starve the children of Gaza in order to get the world to accuse Israel of starvation. To prove that starvation is taking place, pictures of malnourished and emaciated children in Gaza are distributed by reporters from Gaza and published worldwide. The New York Times, like most newspapers, recently featured a large picture of a starving child on its front page. The United Nations immediately reported that it was outraged at the monstrous starvation that Israel was causing in Gaza. The condemnations of Israel became a torrent of threats even by friends of Israel. A few days later The New York Times issued an apology. The medical records of the child had been found and proved that the child was suffering from a debilitating genetic problem from birth, and that his malnourished appearance had nothing to do with lack of food.  A check of the original picture shows both the mother and the brother of the starving child looking completely healthy. False news has become an industry that is spreading hatred around the world.

There is no doubt that news stating or implying that Israel is committing crimes against humanity and genocide is what the majority of the 2.4 billion Christians and 2 billion Muslims want to read about, hear about on social media, and see on their TV screens. It is a 24 /7 onslaught against Israel perpetrated by the vast majority of the news media of the world. It is a hate campaign based on 2,000 years of Christian blood libels against Jews, and an Islamist view of Muslim domination of the world. Whether the news is true or false is of absolutely no concern. Israel is guilty, no matter what Israel does.

European appeasement is back in vogue. Appeasement has proven to be a disaster in the past and it is worthwhile to carefully contemplate its implications for the future. Let’s look at what Khaled Mashal, one of the leaders of Hamas stated:

 “The (Palestinian) state will come about from resistance not negotiation. Liberation first, then statehood. Palestine is ours from the river to the sea and from the south to the north. There will be no concessions on any inch of land. We will never recognize the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation, and therefore there is no legitimacy for Israel. We will free Jerusalem inch by inch, stone by stone, Israel has no right to be in Jerusalem. ”

I suggest that the European leaders who are now calling for the recognition of a Palestinian State, carefully read the above statement and reconsider what they are contemplating. The genocidal policies that both Hamas and the PLO openly call for in their respective Charters is available for anyone to read in English. All you need to do is google Hamas Charter or PLO Charter to read exactly what the Palestinians want. They are not interested in a two-state solution at all. What they want is one Palestinian State from the river to the sea in place of Israel. That is why they have rejected every offer of a Palestinian State living side by side with Israel. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al -Husseini stated that even if Israel is the size of a postage stamp, the Arabs will reject it. Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, has stated that not a single Jew will be allowed to live in the State of Palestine. You cannot appease this kind of thinking. It is a fool’s errand.

Supporting a Palestinian State will inevitably have unintended consequences.  Voting in order to appease the growing Muslim population in the West, could end up being a one-way street leading to the obituary of Western culture and civilization in the very countries that are now announcing their support of a Palestinian State.

One should be very careful what you wish for.

About the writer:

Accountant Neville Berman had an illustrious sporting career in South Africa, being twice awarded the South African State Presidents Award for Sport and was a three times winner of the South African Maccabi Sportsman of the Year Award.  In 1978 he immigrated to the USA  to coach the United States men’s field hockey team, whereafter, in 1981 he immigrated to Israel where he practiced as an accountant and then for 20 years was the Admin Manager at the American International School in Even Yehuda, Israel.  He is married with two children and one granddaughter.

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).

Why are Palestinians being reoffered what they have time and again rejected?

By Peter Bailey

The leading question in answer to the European intent to recognise a mythical State of Palestine is the location of the undeclared borders of a Palestinian State, and who gets to define those borders.

The idiom “be careful what you wish for” is an earnest warning to consider the law of unintended consequences, before making impulsive utterances that could have results totally opposite to the desired outcome. 

French President Macron and many of his European partners assert that they  will recognize the State of Palestine in September. Such recognition could well fall victim to the aforesaid law of unintended consequences. The whimsical recognition of a state without defined borders by the Europeans, offers far less than the recognition and borders offered by Israeli prime ministers Ehud Barak in 2000, and Ehud Olmert in 2008, both of  which were spurned by the Palestinian leadership. 

Our friends in Europe should not forget that Fatah, with Yasser Arafat as one of its founders, was established in 1957, 10 years before Israel captured the West Bank during the Six Day War of 1967. The PLO, currently in control of the Palestinian Authority, and the potential rulers of an independent State of Palestine, was founded by the same Arafat in 1964, also before the Six Day War. Both Fatah and the PLO were not interested in a Palestinian state in the West Bank, but in the destruction of the State of Israel. While Hamas was established much later, in 1987, one of its objectives was the dismantling of the State of Israel,  and replacing it with an Islamic Brotherhood state ruled by Sharia Law. Nothing to do with the West Bank or Gaza, which are merely stepping stones in its quest for the end of the Jewish homeland, Israel, the realisation of the  Zionist dream.

Between 11 and 25 July 2000,   Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak met with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and U.S. President Bill Clinton at Camp David, in an effort to end the ongoing Israel-Palestine dispute. While reports differ as to the precise final offer on the table, there can be no doubt that this was a serious and significant offer of peace by an Israeli Prime Minister and for the establishment of an independent Palestinian State within a very large part of the West Bank. Barak recalls that Arafat never negotiated, but continually said “NO” to every offer or concession. Barak and Arafat met again in December 2000 and January 2001, in  a last-ditch attempt at peace  again chaired by President Bill Clinton. This was  shortly before Israel’s election on 6 February 2021, with Barak dependent on a peace agreement to have any chance of re-election. 

The Jewish Virtual Library presents a long article on the December 2000/January 2001 meeting, featuring a portion of President Bill Clinton’s autobiography, “My Life”, published in 2005. In the excerpt from Clinton’s book that follows, he is scathing of Arafat’s refusal to accept a peace deal saying  “Arafat’s rejection of my proposal after Barak accepted it was an error of historic proportions. However, many Palestinians and Israelis are still committed to peace. Someday peace will come, and when it does, the final agreement will look a lot like the proposals that came out of Camp David and the six long months that followed.”

The full article can be viewed at:

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/president-clinton-reflects-on-2000-camp-david-summit

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud   Abbas in Jerusalem in September 2008 to discuss peace and the establishment of a Palestinian State. Olmert recalls that he presented a plan which included  withdrawal from almost 95% of the West Bank, while Israel would retain 6.3% of the territory in order to keep control of major Jewish settlement blocs. He further offered to exchange about 5.8% of Israeli land in return for the settlement blocs. The offer also included a land bridge connecting the West Bank with Gaza. During a 2015 interview on Israel TV Channel 10, Abbas is reported to have said of his reaction to Olmert’s offer “I did not agree, I rejected it out of hand.”

The European leaders who seem obsessed with a State of Palestine within undefined borders, but presumably within the area Jordan named as the West Bank after Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, seem unfazed by the Palestinian rejection of all and any offers for a State of Palestine within the West Bank and Gaza. The rejection of the principle  of ‘Two States’ as a solution to the problem was made obvious 78 years ago, when the League of Arab States, speaking on behalf of the Palestinian Arabs, refused to accept the  1947 United Nations partition Vote, which the Jewish authorities  did accept, albeit with great reluctance. The Arab League chose instead to wage war on the nascent State of Israel immediately after its Declaration of Independence on 14 May 1948. It should be clearly understood that the war was for control of the area now popularly defined by pro-Palestinian activists as the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean coast. There can be no doubt that Israel ended up with far more territory after the 1948 war than it would have had, were the Arabs to have accepted the partition plan.    

 Following the 1948 war with the nascent State of Israel, Jordan illegally occupied, and then on 24 April 1950, illegally annexed the territory, naming it the West Bank (of  Jordan), to distinguish it from rump Jordan, east of the Jordan River. The illegal annexation by Jordan was  only ever recognised by Great Britain and Pakistan, and ended with Israel occupying the entire West Bank during the 1967 Six Day War. Between 1918 and 1948, the sovereign power had been Great Britain in terms of its Mandate over Palestine. Britain’s relinquishment of its Mandate in 1948, left no sovereign power in control of the region, hence Jordan’s vain and illegal attempt at annexation. Then, with Jordan’s King Hussein on 31 July 1988 renouncing all claims to control of the West Bank, it effectively ended Jordan’s illegal occupation of the territory since the Armistice Agreement signed  with Israel on 23 March 1949. This effectively reversed Jordanian occupation, bringing the entire former Mandate of Palestine territory west of the Jordan River under Israeli control. This would have been the de jure situation after Britain’s withdrawal  from Palestine, followed by Israel’s Declaration of Independence on 14 May 1948, had the Arabs not attacked Israel. 

Then, as has happened so often with Israel’s wars since 1948, the Western European nations, the Soviet Union and the United States brought intense pressure to bear on Israel  for a cease fire and an end to the war. Prime Minister Ben Gurion steadfastly refused to recognise the Jordanian occupation or annexation of the West Bank. Israel has never referred to the Armistice Line with Jordan – dubbed the Green Line – as an actual border. This approach remains an unchanging  factor of Israeli policy with regard to the West Bank, which Israel regards as Judea and Samaria, including the Jordan Valley.  Notwithstanding this, numerous offers with differing minutiae have been made for the establishment of a Palestinian State, all of which have been spurned by the Palestinian leadership.

The calls for the recognition of a State of Palestine in the wake of the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, is incomprehensible, as it will  result in all of Israel being subject to threat by a Hamas type insurgency sometime in the future. There can be little doubt that the calls for the recognition of a Palestinian State within the non-existent pre-1967 so called borders, is a response to the global mass hysteria calling for “Palestine to be free, from the river to the sea”, effectively negating the existence of the State of Israel. European recognition of the State of Palestine  is thus nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction to populist calls for an end to the State of Israel, in the vain belief that this will satisfy the pro-Hamas constituency in their own countries. European leaders need to internalise that Arafat in 2000, and Abbas in 2008, refused very generous offers to accept a Palestinian State in the West Bank, simply because they wanted all of Israel, not just the West Bank, and that remains the case today.

The migration of Muslim Arabs to Europe has changed the population demographics and created political realities far removed from traditional European politics. The modern-day anti-Israel fanatics across the world,  who have been activated by Hamas, the PLO, Iran, Qatar and others, to call for a State of  Palestine between  the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea will not be satisfied with a State of Palestine in the West Bank. They want it all with no Israel. European leaders beware; the route you are choosing is littered with obstacles and pitfalls beyond your worst nightmares. European meddling  in the borders of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Israel over the last 100 years, have brought bedlam, mayhem and war to the region. Ignoring the lessons of history, the current crop of European leaders are rushing in where angels fear to tread. They must face one reality, the Palestinian leaders do not want a state within the West Bank, they’ve said so often enough, so start believing them. 

About the writer:

The writer, Peter Bailey, a military history buff, was a Major in the South African Army Reserve before making aliyah in 2013.  He is the author of two books: Street Names in Israel; and Men of Valor: Israel’s Latter Day Heroes. 

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).