WATCH: American Airlines passenger confronts flight attendant over ‘hate pin’
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
American Airlines passenger confronts flight attendant over pro-Palestinian watermelon pin
WATCH: American Airlines Crew Member’s ‘Hate Pin’
Police Back Jewish Passenger
A Jewish passenger on an American Airlines flight to Miami confronted a flight attendant over a watermelon pin. A symbol for Palestine terrorism that is often compared to a swastika.
Read… pic.twitter.com/CBF3yUZWZv
— Shirion Collective (@ShirionOrg) January 7, 2025
A Jewish passenger boarding an American Airlines flight in Miami encountered an unexpected situation when he noticed one of the flight attendants wearing a watermelon pin, a symbol that has become widely recognized as representing pro-Palestinian solidarity. The passenger subsequently documented the incident and shared it on his Instagram account, providing a detailed account of what transpired.
“The flight attendants became visibly upset and informed me that my act of filming them constituted a legal violation. They prevented me from disembarking and insisted that I remove the video footage, which I refused to do,” according to Israel Hayom.
The situation was eventually resolved when law-enforcement officers arrived at the scene and directed the flight attendants to permit the passenger to leave the aircraft.
Unveiled Iranian woman removes cleric’s turban in viral airport confrontation
A brave woman at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport confronted a cleric harassing her for not wearing a hijab. In a bold act of defiance, she removed his turban and wore it like a scarf, turning oppression into resistance. pic.twitter.com/ZB8jbtR7CI
— Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) January 6, 2025
A video has gone viral on social media showing a woman without a mandatory headscarf confronting a cleric at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, removing his turban and placing it on her own head like a scarf during the altercation.
She then searches for her husband, calling his name and asking, “What did you do to my husband?”
The exact date and cause of the initial confrontation remain unclear.
A media outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mashregh News, reported that the incident was unrelated to hijab and claimed the woman had “psychological problems.”
Israeli commission warns of real risk of outbreak of war with Turkey
Nagel Committee of the Israeli Government:
“Israel should prepare for a direct conflict with Türkiye” pic.twitter.com/jeeNw9vUor
— Great Israel (@Israel4peaceful) January 6, 2025
Israel must prepare for a direct confrontation with Turkey, according to the Nagel Committee’s latest report on the defense budget and security strategy, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The committee, established by the government, warns that Turkey’s ambitions to restore its Ottoman-era influence could lead to heightened tensions with Israel, possibly escalating into conflict.
The report highlights the risk of Syrian factions aligning with Turkey, creating a new and potent threat to Israel’s security.
“The threat from Syria could evolve into something even more dangerous than the Iranian threat,” the report states, warning that Turkish-backed forces might act as proxies, fueling regional instability.
Report: Egyptian troop build-up in Sinai, in contravention of Begin-Sadat Peace Treaty, troubles Israel
BREAKING: Egypt violates the peace agreement by conducting military drills and building obstacles in central Sinai. Israeli security reports Egyptian forces are preparing logistics and barriers, potentially to block Israeli operations in a future conflict with Egypt. pic.twitter.com/N43IAKPmwy
— Eden Shaul (@Eden_Shaul02) January 5, 2025
Despite facing substantial economic hardships, Egypt is in the midst of significant military spending. The Israeli defense establishment has identified military activity in central Sinai, including logistical preparations and the construction of cement obstacles aimed at blocking Israeli armored vehicles, the Jewish Press reported.
Political officials in Jerusalem have voiced concern over Egypt’s unprecedented military buildup, including the construction of tunnels and bridges over the Suez Canal. These developments, they warn, could facilitate the rapid deployment of Egyptian forces into the Sinai Peninsula and potentially across the border with Israel.
Also, despite IDF reports to the contrary, Egypt maintains more than a dozen deep tunnels connecting Rafah in the Gaza Strip and points deep in the Sinai Peninsula – which have not yet been demolished. The above, and many other military boosts are in clear violation of the restrictions outlined in the Camp David Accords and the subject of heated debates between Israeli and Egyptian security officials.
Israeli security apparatus thwarts some 1,000 terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria, and Jerusalem in 2024
The Shin Bet publishes an annual report of its activity in the past year, during which the security agency says it foiled 1,040 major terror attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem, questioned over 650 suspects from the Gaza Strip, foiled 20 terror cells among Arab Israelis and 13… pic.twitter.com/GqlkEf4neJ
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 31, 2024
The Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet – recently released a report, which highlighted it has thwarted some 1,040 potentially significant terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria, and Jerusalem, in the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2024, according to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
Further, the number of completed terrorist attacks in 2024 fell 44 percent from 2023 – the year that witnessed the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history with the Hamas massacre of October 7. The report warns of the rising terrorism levels originating from Judea and Samaria since 2021 and details how 13 threats were so severe as to require airstrikes to dismantle them. The overall number of thwarted attacks during 2024 closely matched the 2023 overall number of 1,032 but marks a significant increase from 472 prevented attacks in 2022 and 351 in 2021.
Nearly all the planned attacks – more than 1,000 – utilized firearms and/ or explosive devices. Despite Israel’s efforts, 46 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed by terrorist attacks in 2024 and 337 were wounded.
Two IDF soldiers killed, 4 seriously wounded in northern Gaza battle
CLEARED FOR PUBLICATION
Two soldiers killed in Gaza were named as Cpt. Eitan Israel Shiknazi, 24, from Eli in Samaria; and Maj. Dvir Zion Revah, 28, from Jerusalem.This brings the IDF wartime toll to 827. ⇣ https://t.co/EoTIXSoi24
— Jewish News Syndicate (@JNS_org) January 7, 2025
Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed on Monday while battling Palestinian terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip, the military announced and reported in the Jewish News Syndicate.
One of the slain soldiers was named as Capt. Eitan Israel Shiknazi, 24, of the Nahal Brigade’s 932nd Battalion, from Eli in Samaria.
The name of the second slain soldier was released on Tuesday. He was named as Maj. Dvir Zion Revah, 28, from Jerusalem, a company commander in the 932nd Battalion of the Nahal Brigade.
The death toll among Israeli troops since the start of the Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 27, 2023, stands at 395, and at 827 on all fronts since the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023. Thousands more infantry soldiers have sustained life-altering wounds, including amputations and brain injuries requiring intensive occupational therapy.
Deal being proposed would leave most captives in Gaza, hostage families fear
The hostages’ families want a deal.
But they want a deal that will get EVERYONE out, living and dead.
They fear a partial deal would condemn their loved ones to rot in the Gaza terror dungeons.
All 100 hostages are humanitarian cases. pic.twitter.com/1c6AnpPPgt
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) January 6, 2025
A forum representing the vast majority of the remaining 100 hostages in Gaza called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to pursue a comprehensive deal which would see all of their loved ones released, blasting the framework Jerusalem is currently pursuing that would only free roughly one-third of the captives during a temporary ceasefire, according to the Times of Israel.
Earlier Monday, a Saudi news outlet published what it said were the names of the hostages on the list, which Netanyahu’s office subsequently maintained was just a recycled list from a previous round of negotiation. A senior Hamas official had told AFP on Sunday that Hamas needed a “week of calm” to locate all of the hostages and ascertain their condition.
Israel rejects Guterres’ nomination for incoming U.N. Middle East envoy
A great decision by Israel. @Haavisto should not be rewarded by his actions as former FM of Finland, as in that role he harassed his subs. He needs to retire and leave politics to people who are better connected with Israeli people. https://t.co/9qzT7sWMa8
— TCXP69 (@TCXP69) January 7, 2025
Tensions between Israel and the United Nations escalated after Jerusalem rejected U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ proposal to appoint Finland’s former foreign minister Pekka Haavisto as the U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East.
Israel dismissed Haavisto’s nomination and requested alternative candidates, a decision that now awaits Guterres’ next steps, including consultations with the Palestinians and the U.N. Security Council, Ynet reported.
Israel reportedly opposes Haavisto’s candidacy due to his close ties with Guterres, his advocacy for a two-state solution, and past criticism of Israeli policies. Officials fear his appointment could exacerbate existing tensions – which are deep and include the banning of UNRWA from operating on sovereign Israeli soil – between Israel and the U.N.
Egypt’s Sisi places no trust in al-Sharaa’s new Syrian government
Egypt unconvinced and has no trust in new Syrian regimehttps://t.co/sZaQq76r6Q
— Ynetnews (@ynetnews) January 6, 2025
A select group of the heads of Egypt’s security services, intelligence, police and airport security has been convening daily in the intelligence headquarters in Cairo, to observe events in Syria and for good reason. Egypt is among the few Arab nations that have not dispatched representatives to meet with the new Damascus regime, and only sent one plane carrying aid, thus far.
The Egyptians supported the deposed Syrian leader Bashar Assad, not out of approval of his murderous regime but because it was chosen through elections.
Only when the rebel forces neared the gates of Damascus and Assad fled, did the tune in Cairo change somewhat and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi declared that the new rulers would be judged by their actions.
Cairo feared an outbreak of mass riots, despite a ban on demonstrations on university campuses, factories and city streets. There is no shortage of reasons for protests, including widespread unemployment and poverty while palaces were built for el Sisi in Cairo and El Alamein, west of Alexandria and defense spending even has Israel worried.
Yale students would rather divest from Israel than Russia, Iran, and China
BREAKING: A new survey found that Yale University students support divesting from Israel over Russia, Iran, and China.
Yale has become such a cesspool for extremism that they would rather boycott the only democracy in the Middle East over Iran, which stones women. pic.twitter.com/vJedehp5KM
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) January 6, 2025
Yale University students support divesting from Israel over the oppressive and authoritarian regimes of Russia, Iran, and China, according to a survey the Ivy League school’s Buckley Institute.
The largest share of students (36%) opposed divestment from any nation, the survey, conducted during the fall semester, found. But among those who favored divestment, Israel – a parliamentary democracy and America’s greatest Middle Eastern ally – topped the list with 31 percent support, surpassing Russia (27%), Iran (20%), and China (12%), reported the Washington Free Beacon.
That finding falls in line with recent sentiment at Yale. Students overwhelmingly passed a referendum last month calling on the university to divest from weapons manufacturers arming Israel. More than three-quarters of the 3,000 voting undergraduates favored divestment, while nearly 80 percent said Yale should invest in “Palestinian scholars and students.”
U.S. eases Syria aid restrictions
US allows transactions with governing institutions in Syria despite sanctions https://t.co/DUTxLrt8B4
— Mutlu Civiroglu (@mutludc) January 7, 2025
U.S. officials on Monday loosened sanctions on Syria, easing the flow of aid into the war-torn country, but Washington is expected to maintain a terrorism designation on the group which makes up the new government.
The move reflects Western unease over Hayat Tahir al-Sham, which spurred the offensive that unseated dictator Bashar al-Assad. The group has professed support for pluralism, democracy, and minority rights, but its background as an offshoot of al-Qaida has stirred concerns.
Recent developments have done little to allay those fears: The ruling authorities have appointed foreign Islamist fighters to senior military positions, activists have accused officials of imposing a religiously conservative curriculum in schools, and diplomats have counseled Syria’s new rulers to be gracious to the country’s ex-leaders as fighters launched an offensive on a former Assad stronghold.
Houthi leader warns Israelis who ‘want to sleep comfortably’ to leave the country
This is the area covered by the alert due to the missile launch a few moments ago. The Houthi leader said that they are intent on ruining the sleep of millions of Israelis. He also said we here in Israel are terrified. WE ARE NOT! pic.twitter.com/p8jynLgBTI
— Marc Zell (@GOPIsrael) January 3, 2025
A senior leader of the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group in Yemen has warned Israelis they should flee to Cyprus or “return to their original country” if they want to sleep comfortably at night, the Algemeiner reported.
“Those who want to sleep should go to sleep in Cyprus or return to their original country,” Hazam al-Assad, a member of the Houthis’ political bureau, posted on X/Twitter on Sunday in a Hebrew-language message directed at Israelis.
The post came one day after al-Assad vowed that the Houthis will continue to attack Israel in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.
Canadian physicians implore Red Cross to not make same mistake with hostages it made during Holocaust
The @ICRC has a duty to protect hostages in Hamas captivity! In an open letter, Canadian physicians implore the international humanitarian organization not to repeat the same mistakes it made during the Holocaust.https://t.co/71jcfMq9jp
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) January 6, 2025
A group of Canadian physicians wrote an open letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross to express their concern about the treatment of dozens of Israeli and other nationality hostages still held in Hamas captivity after more than 450 days in Gaza.
“We, as Canadian physicians devoted to the well-being and humanitarian treatment of all individuals, regardless of nationality or faith, are compelled to address a matter of profound urgency,” the missive began. “With great concern, we write to express our distress over the apparent abandonment of hostages currently held in Gaza, a humanitarian crisis that has weighed heavily on our hearts and minds since Oct. 7, 2023.”
“Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War expressly prohibits the taking of hostages “at any time and in any place whatsoever.” However, in this case, the ICRC has failed to conduct the necessary visits to assess these hostages’ welfare, a deeply troubling neglect of duty.”
The ICRC has a history that weighs heavily in this moment. During the Holocaust, the ICRC did not adequately intervene to protect millions of Jews from persecution. It has acknowledged that its failure to act in the face of overwhelming evidence about the horrors of Nazi extermination camps, including Auschwitz, represents one of the darkest chapters in its history. On April 29, 1942, an internal communication from the German branch of the Red Cross to the ICRC declared that no information would be shared about “non-Aryan” detainees. This decision – and the silence that followed – stands as a stark reminder that inaction results in complicity.
U.S. forces kill top al-Shabaab terrorist in Africa
UPDATE: On Dec. 24, in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted a precision airstrike approximately 10km southwest of Quyno Barrow that resulted in the death of senior al-Shabaab leader, Mohamed Mire and another al-Shabaab militant.
— U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) (@USAfricaCommand) January 6, 2025
The Daily Wire reported on the U.S. military’s confirmation it had eliminated a senior member of the al-Shabaab terrorist group in Africa late last year.
U.S. Africa Command said the strike happened on Dec. 24 in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia approximately 10km southwest of Quyno Barrow.
“The strike killed senior al-Shabaab leader, Mohamed Mire and another al-Shabaab [terrorist],” the statement said. “Mire, also known as Abu Abdirahman, was responsible for al-Shabaab’s regional governance in Somalia for the last 15 years.”
AFRICOM said that Mire played a key role in the terrorist group’s strategic decision-making.
Israel’s Defense Ministry signs multi-billion dollar deal for local production of heavy bombs, aiming to reduce dependence on U.S.
Israel’s Defense Ministry signed two NIS 1 billion ($275 million) deals with Elbit Systems to supply the military with heavy bombs and build a plant for producing raw materials. The deals aim to boost the IDF’s operational capabilities and reduce reliance on imports, especially… pic.twitter.com/jEGvBL5RGW
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 7, 2025
Elbit Systems has signed a deal worth approximately 1 billion shekels (approximately $275 million) with the Israel’s Ministry of Defense to produce thousands of heavy air-to-ground bombs for the Israel Defense Forces and establish a new national factory for raw materials, according to Israeli business outlet CTech.
The new raw materials factory, to be built in southern Israel, will feature production lines for energetic materials required by all defense industries in the country. According to the ministry, this facility is expected to reduce Israel’s reliance on imported raw materials –a critical vulnerability highlighted during the Gaza war that began 15 months ago. During this conflict, some countries –including the United States – restricted the export of weapons and key production components, underscoring the need for greater domestic production capabilities.