1) At Commentary Magazine, Seth Mandel reports on ‘How Amnesty International Became Its Own Repressive Regime’.
“In early December, Amnesty International produced a report accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The report was an unmitigated disaster for Amnesty: It was leaked because employees were embarrassed by its lack of scholarship. The report admitted that Amnesty was changing the definition of genocide in order to apply it to Israel, and Amnesty’s Israel branch—the organization’s researchers on the ground—publicly disputed its conclusions and revealed that they had not even been consulted on the report that was all about Israel.
Amnesty International has responded by suspending Amnesty Israel.”
2) MEMRI’s Steven Stalinsky looks at how ‘The PFLP Gets a Hollywood Makeover’.
“The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was one of several Palestinian terrorist organizations that took part in the Hamas-led October 7 attack. It posted real-time videos of its members participating in, celebrating, and taking credit for the attack, on social media as it happened. In a recent interview, a top PFLP media official acknowledged: “The PFLP was one of the factions that participated in the 7 October operation and is still performing well in the battle. It remains present on the battlefield…””
3) At the Alma Center, Boaz Shapira documents ‘The Quds Force and Hezbollah Involvement Alongside the Houthis in Yemen’.
“It should be noted that while the Quds Force is primarily responsible for the Iranian operations in Yemen, Iran has consistently relied on Hezbollah personnel over the years. Hezbollah operatives were sent to Yemen and worked alongside Quds Force personnel in all the previously mentioned areas. Over the past decade, reports have emerged indicating that cooperation between the Houthis and Hezbollah began as early as 2005 and has developed mainly after 2011. This cooperation included the operation of training camps by Hezbollah in Yemen, mutual delegation visits, and even Hezbollah personnel fighting alongside the Houthis against Saudi Arabia.”
4) The ITIC provides a profile of Syria’s new leader Ahmad al-Sharaa.
“In ITIC assessment, the ambivalence in al-Sharaa’s positions and the changes in his conduct over the years were intended to ensure the survival of his organization but also indicated his ideological flexibility and political pragmatism. He is likely to continue presenting himself as a pragmatic figure to secure popular and international support for his emerging rule. However, it remains to be seen whether the ideological positions he developed as a Salafi-jihadi leader will be manifested in his role as the political leader of Syria, including his previously expressed aspiration to lead jihad to “liberate al-Aqsa.””
5) UN Watch has published a new report on UNRWA’s links to terrorist organisations.
“This report reveals how UNRWA, despite its claims to be a humanitarian agency, has forged an unholy alliance with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist organizations. This secret relationship allows the terrorist organizations to significantly influence the policies and practices of a UN agency with 30,000 employees, and a $1.5 billion annual budget that is funded primarily by Western states.
The report shows how UNRWA’s international officials, and its senior local managers, routinely meet with terrorist groups in Lebanon and Gaza, mutually praise each other for “cooperation,” and describe each other as “partners.””
