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Rick Richman, Author of AND NONE SHALL MAKE THEM AFRAID and RACING AGAINST HISTORY Writer for COMMENTARY and MOSAIC; Editor, Jewish Current Issues

[Andrew Fox @Mr_Andrew_Fox]

The genocide case against Israel is collapsing under the weight of evidence its loudest advocates ignored. From famine claims built on untested assumptions to casualty narratives now contradicted by the data, the story sold to the world is coming apart. My latest article examines the wreckage, and the consequences of a blood libel that helped unleash a new wave of antisemitic hatred.

https://t.co/8cSlT6UHob

[Israel Foreign Ministry @IsraelMFA]

250 years of freedom. 250 years of leadership. 250 years of inspiring the world. 🇺🇸
Happy Independence Day from your friends in Israel. 🇮🇱🇺🇸

[jpundit @jpundit]

The most knowledgeable analysis so far, by @AmitSegal

[Amit Segal @AmitSegal]

The official terms of the U.S. Memorandum of Understanding are out—and it’s worse than anticipated. The official signing ceremony isn’t until Friday, but the agreement was already signed digitally last night during a dinner at the Palace of Versailles. Anyone familiar with the palace’s history knows this makes the MOU the second great surrender signed at Versailles. Except this time, the U.S. is the one capitulating.

Find out whyit’s worse than we thought, also the Israeli public sours on Trump, and more.

All in today’s edition of It’s Noon in Israel

https://t.co/kI80RGwFBi

[jpundit @jpundit]

@MosheWahab5744 @yairlapid 0

[jpundit @jpundit]

Worth reading in it's entirety.

[Dr. Brian L. Cox @BrianCox_RLTW]

I am not a Jew. But as a professor of international law & retired military lawyer who studies how distorted legal rhetoric is used to justify hate & violence directed against Jews, you are 💯 mistaken to believe your safety "as Jewish New Yorkers" is "inextricably intertwined with Palestinians."

I am not progressive, either. But based on your comments in this clip & my background with the study mentioned above, I do have a few tips you should consider exploring if you are genuinely concerned with your safety as a Jewish New Yorker.

Spoiler alert: these tips have absolutely nothing to do with Palestinians - at least, not directly.

1. Stop blaming @Israel for what you refer to as "the utter destruction of Gaza."

First of all, #Gaza isn't "utterly destroyed" to begin with. There are absolutely areas that are currently uninhabitable due to the conflict. But it's not all of Gaza. This perception has been carefully curated by influencers showing isolated clips of select destroyed areas while giving the false impression that this visualization represents the entire Strip.

It doesn't. If you think otherwise, do yourself a favor & find/follow accounts like @GAZAWOOD1 that present clips of videos that are posted from people living inside Gaza right now.

If you believe Gaza is utterly destroyed, educate yourself. You are being played, and only you can stop it.

Second, learn at least something about international law. Like this.

You criticize your opponent @RepDanGoldman for supporting "unconditional aid to Israel" (Ilana Glazer's words) "even despite Israel's utter destruction of Gaza" (your words).

Here, you are actually supporting strategic objectives of literal terrorists whose only goal is the utter destruction of Israel. #Hamas committed the atrocities of 10/7 to provoke a large-scale armed conflict in order to derail normalization between 🇮🇱 & select Arab countries.

Their best shot at getting away with it was for sympathetic partisans throughout the West - such as yourself & Ilana Glazer - to convince Israel's traditional closest partners & allies to restrict military aid & pressure Israel into implementing a ceasefire as early as possible. Doing so would ensure Hamas could survive to continue in a governance role in Gaza after the conflict.

And the way to convince Iran's useful idiots, such as yourself, to pressure Western governments to restrict military aid is to manipulate the language of international law to make it seem that these countries are failing to comply with their own legal obligations or even "complicit" in systemic "war crimes" by failing to condition or restrict aid.

It's a hoax, and it always has been. Determining whether a war crime has been committed requires evidence of the knowledge & intent of personnel responsible for each attack at the time. If you don't believe me, study this highlighted excerpt of the Rome Statute (pic 1).

Yes, neither 🇮🇱 nor 🇺🇸 have ratified this multilateral treaty. But the main war crimes provisions in Article 8, as well as the mental element/mistake of fact provisions of Articles 30 & 32, are consistent with our military doctrine. And guess what evidence you need, pursuant to this doctrinal source, to determine a war crime has been committed.

That's right! If a war crime involves "intentionally directing an attack against" civilian persons or property, and "intent" means "awareness that a circumstance exists," and the "circumstance" is the civilian (not taking direct part in hostilities) character of the person/object attacked, then we require evidence demonstrating personnel responsible for each attack were aware of the civilian character of the target at the time & they attacked it anyway.

Any guesses what you can't determine just from looking at "utter destruction" in a battlespace? Right again! Knowledge & intent of personnel responsible for each attack at the time that led to that utter destruction.

Maybe - just maybe - a transnational terrorist organization committed one of the most horrific atrocities in living memory then deliberately hid & fought among its own civilian population in the ensuing large-scale armed conflict it decided to provoke. And maybe they hid IEDs in every structure they could so that @IDF troops clearing the area successfully capturing it would still continue to perish. And maybe that is cumulatively the reason for the "utter destruction of Gaza."

News flash: that is exactly the cause of most of the destruction in Gaza. And because that's the case, there is no obligation to condition military aid to Israel. No clear risk of systemic war crimes being committed with arms supplied to Israel (🇺🇸 hasn't ratified the Arms Trade Treaty, but we have a similar process for determining whether to provide military aid nonetheless) means no requirement to condition aid.

The reason the language of international law is routinely distorted in this manner, btw, is to convert a policy argument into what appears to be a legal one. A "should" to a "must."

But if you believe 🇺🇸 is failing to abide by its international law obligations by providing military aid to 🇮🇱, once again you are being played. Stop.

2. Stop perpetuating the "genocide" blood libel.

As you criticize Dan Goldman for supporting "unconditional aid to Israel," along with the "utter destruction" nonsense you also say he does so, "Even despite Israel's utter destruction of Gaza, which I consider a genocide" (emphasis added).

There are a lot of people nowadays who believe Israel is responsible for genocide in Gaza. But all of you who do simply demonstrate you don't understand what "genocide" actually is.

See, if we start with the doctrinal definition from the Genocide Convention, we see that this crime of crimes is committed by engaging in enumerated acts (not pictured) "with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such" (pic 2, especially red highlight).

Guess what doesn't qualify as a "national, ethnical, racial, or religious group". Right! Terrorist groups like Hamas.

And take a wild guess which group IDF ops in Gaza intend to destroy. If you said "Palestinians," you are, once again, just another of Iran's useful idiots. If you said "Hamas," give yourself a pat on the back.

The stated intent, from the very beginning of Swords of Iron all the way until today, has been to: 1) eliminate the enduring security threat posed by Hamas; and 2) repatriate all hostages. If you're not sure about that, I invite you to review these excerpts from public remarks provided by @IsraeliPM @netanyahu in October 2023 (pic 3) & October 2025 (pic 4). Slightly different wording, same intent.

Yes, I've heard the argument too many times to count now that most major "human rights" orgs & a number of "genocide scholars" & a UN commission of inquiry & even a handful of countries have all determined Israel is responsible for genocide. But they ALL use the same flawed methodology, and so their conclusions are also irreparably flawed.

That is, they ALL begin with a few specimens of political rhetoric from various Israeli officials, most of which are misrepresented or taken out of context to begin with, to establish the requisite "intent." Then they take an equally selective collection of "evidence" - much of which is from untrustworthy or unreliable sources anyway - to establish the enumerated acts to go along with the purportedly genocidal intent.

It is, once again, a hoax. Not a single one starts with the actual stated intent (eg pics 3 & 4 attached here) then takes a balanced, unbiased approach to assessing whether actions actually observed in the battlespace are consistent with the intent to destroy Hamas or, instead, to destroy Palestinians in whole or in part as such.

If you do that - if you understand the correct methodology & you apply it rigorously - there is only one conclusion: Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza, nor has it ever.

It doesn't matter what "you consider" it. You are being played, because you are ignorant. Stop, by educating yourself.

3. Stop blaming "Trump and Netanyahu for setting the Middle East on fire."

Do you know who actually set the Middle East on Fire? Terrorists like Nasrallah, Deif, Sinwar, and the Ayatollah Khamenei, along with the militaries & proxies armed groups they led. And they did so on 10/7, once again, simply to derail normalization.

In doing so, these literal terrorists demonstrated that the status quo of appeasement & diplomacy in pursuit of peace in the Middle East & a two-state solution was no longer tenable. Tbh that approach wasn't tenable for quite a while - but 10/7 proved that to be the case.

And now Trump & Netanyahu are the two world leaders with both the intestinal fortitude & the resources to establish a new status quo. That's what Swords of Iron & Rising Lion & Midnight Hammer & Roaring Lion & Epic Fury have been all about - achieving a new status quo after the aforementioned literal terrorists actually (literally) set the Middle East on fire.

The only way to successfully achieve a new, acceptable status quo is through force of arms - not arms embargoes. If you believe otherwise, you are being played. Stop it. Open your eyes & educate yourself.

Okay, those are three suggestions for specific actions you can take to help improve your safety as New York Jews. The same goes for Jews really throughout the West.

Because here's the thing. Your safety as Jews in the West has absolutely nothing to do with Palestinians. It has everything to do with countering the false narratives - primarily involving misrepresentations of international law - that are being used to justify hate & attacks against Jews.

It doesn't matter how much you try distance yourself from Israel, or zionism, or Bibi, or Trump. That won't stop some crazed lunatic from pulling a gun on you or siccing his dog on you or driving his car into your synagogue or throwing bricks at your head or any other number of seemingly random & horrific attacks against Jews we've seen escalate in the West since 10/7.

G-d forbid any of these or other acts of violence ever happens to you or someone you love. But if it does, recent experience suggests the perpetrator - and his supporters afterward - will accuse you of supporting genocide & war crimes just for being Jewish.

Because Jews are being regarded as proxies for Israel, and Israel is being regarded as a proxy for zionism, and Hamas doctrine justifies the "struggle" against the "Zionist entity" known as the State of Israel.

I've heard the term "self-hating Jew" be directed toward folks like yourself. Oftentimes you're referred to by the term "As-a-Jew." @GadSaad would probably diagnose you with suicidal empathy.

Regardless of whether any of those descriptions apply, as someone who specializes in international law I can definitively affirm you are both ignorant & naive.

If you're concerned about your safety as a Jew, stop perpetuating the lies & distortions that are - unfortunately - putting you most at risk. Stop blaming Israel & @AIPAC & conservatives like Netanyahu & Trump for ... well, everything in the Middle East & at home in New York.

Learn how to push back, with precision, against the false narratives that are being used to justify hate & violence directed against the Jewish population. This is the most effective direction you can take if you are genuinely concerned about your safety as a Jew.

[jpundit @jpundit]

@DavidSuissaJJ @ElliotKaufman6 @WSJopinion Brilliant interview on both sides.

[Alana Newhouse @alananewhouse]

Israel’s Independence Day, explained.

[Mark Dubowitz @mdubowitz]

Superb essay by @Doranimated https://t.co/2YB4PS3TTh

[jpundit @jpundit]

Antisemitism Has a Big Future https://t.co/IO7DtlSKkJ
A very deep analysis by Hussein Aboubakr Mansour. Essential reading.

[John Ondrasik @johnondrasik]

This man deserves a statue. @Dodgers

[jpundit @jpundit]

WSJ Letter Re the 2015 Iran Deal:
https://t.co/smVpeWXkKr

[jpundit @jpundit]

@DavidSuissaJJ @EinatWilf "Trust in miracles, but don't depend on them."

[jpundit @jpundit]

WSJ Letter Re the 2015 Iran Deal:
https://t.co/smVpeWXkKr

[Iran International English @IranIntl_En]

"When I've been a big critic of all of the protecting of countries, because I know that we'll protect them, and if ever needed, if we ever needed help, they won't be there for us," Trump said.

[Wall Street Journal Opinion @WSJopinion]

Ben Sasse wants the nation to reflect on the things that he’s asked his own son to understand: “self-restraint and self-discipline and self-control.” That’s a father’s bequest to his son, and a public servant’s to his country, writes @tunkuv
https://t.co/WQTTjzhC9w

[David Suissa @DavidSuissaJJ]

We can't depend on Jew-haters to unify us. It's one thing to share common enemies; it's quite another to share an extraordinary story. https://t.co/0F98m9haLb

[jpundit @jpundit]

Every day miracles.

[Hillel Fuld @HilzFuld]

It is 8:45 pm in Israel.

In the last 30 minutes, you want to take a guess how many rockets and missiles were fired at Israel by the IRGC in Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon?

Go ahead, take a guess.

And then after you take that guess, guess how many Israelis were killed or even injured.

I’ll save you the worry and the suspense. Zero Israelis were harmed.

Now you ready to hear how many they fired at Israel in the last 30 minutes?

Did you guess?

What’d you guess? 5? 10? 15?

Have a number?

Over 150! You read that right. That’s not an extra zero.

150 rockets and ballistic missiles were fired into Israeli cities in the last 30 minutes alone.

I’ll remind you, Israel, the entire Israel is the size of New Jersey.

Imagine 150 deadly rockets and missiles, each with the potential to kill tens or even hundreds, were fired into New Jersey. Now imagine those 150 rockets and missiles resulting in ZERO deaths or injuries.

I think we’d all agree that such a scenario is impossible and if it happens, it is an open miracle.

Here’s the thing though. These past 30 minutes? They’re not that unique. This has been going on for months and years.

Need I remind you what happens when ONE of these projectiles has a direct hit? We saw the result in Beit Shemesh last week.

That was an absolutely horrendous scene.

9 dead and many many injured.

Each and every one of these flying bombs could kill tens of Israelis.

And yet, while every single death is an entire world and a catastrophic tragedy, we have to step back and realize that we are witnessing miracles of biblical proportions.

Every single time they fire ONE rocket or missile and it’s intercepted, detonated, or simply misses its target, each and every one of us should stop whatever it is we’re doing, look up to the heavens, and scream at the top of our lungs, “Thank you Hashem!”

They fall in empty spaces! Empty spaces? In israel? Have you seen how tiny this country is? Where are these empty spaces??

Every single time Israel takes out a terrorist, whether it’s a big leader of the IRGC, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, or Hamas, or a no name terrorist, we should all stop and think what went into that operation.

We should think about every soldier who took part in that operation. We should think about all the moving parts and how if only one of them would have gone wrong, what could have happened.

How on earth did we manage to take out Sinwar? Do you know how top secret his location was? Haniyeh? On Iranian soil? Nasrallah? Do you know how much security he had? Do you understand how much intel was needed?!

Khamanei?! Are you kidding me?!! How????

Yes, we’ve experienced tragedy. We’ve experienced loss and devastation. Nothing I can or will say will change or sugarcoat that.

And at the same time, we are literally witnessing the splitting of the sea every single day, every hour, every minute and it’s happening right before our eyes.

I don’t know about you but I refuse to take any of this for granted.

God, with the help of the IDF and the Israeli Air Force, is performing historic and biblical miracles for us every day.

Please don’t ignore the miracles. Please acknowledge them. Please thank Hashem. Please ask Him to continue protecting us. Please ask Him to help destroy our enemies once and for all.

I’m sure we are going to experience more difficult moments. They sure are trying.

Many of the Jews in Egypt failed to see the miracles and decided to not leave when God told them to.

Many of the Jews in the desert failed to see the miracles, even when God split the sea, many said it was just the wind.

The war of independence? Six day war? Yom Kippur war?

Now we look back and realize how miraculous our victories were. Do you think Israelis recognized that as they were happening?

We have a tendency not to see the miracles unfolding right before our eyes.

Watya say we don’t repeat that mistake and we open our eyes to the incredible things happening all around us?

Miraculous times. Biblical times. Messianic times.

Let’s just pray the miracles continue. Amen.

🙏💪🇮🇱❤️🔥💥

[jpundit @jpundit]

@SethAMandel @RabbiWolpe Two Jews, one brilliant opinion. Historic.

[David Wolpe @RabbiWolpe]

After the Gov said Israel has the right to exist, I explain why I believe the same is true of California- and its Governor. https://t.co/HbJFvv7341

[jpundit @jpundit]

@nicholastomaino @henryolsenEPPC Best wishes to you. They will be fortunate to have you.