Edited by: TJVNews.com

In recent months, the longstanding relationship between President Joe Biden of the United States and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced its most severe test yet amidst escalating tensions over the Gaza war. As was reported by the Associated Press, the divergence in their views on the conflict and the pressures of their respective political landscapes are pushing the alliance to a tipping point.

Amidst the most recent Gaza crisis, the relationship appears increasingly strained. The White House’s decision to suspend a significant arms shipment, including 3,500 bombs to Israel, highlights a critical juncture. While White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby did not confirm if Netanyahu was directly informed of this decision during their recent communication, he emphasized that Biden has been “direct and forthright” about his concerns.

This decision comes against a backdrop of pro-Palestinian protests that have stirred significant factions within the Democratic Party, especially among the younger, more progressive members. These protests have not only influenced public sentiment but have also sparked discussions within Biden’s circle about the future of the Democratic Party’s stance on Israel.

Netanyahu’s response to the U.S. stance has been one of defiance. Brushing aside Biden’s cautions, he has emphasized Israel’s resolve to act independently if necessary. His statement, “If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone,” coupled with a fierce declaration of readiness to “fight with our fingernails,” calls attention to a deepening resolve against external pressures, highlighting a shift from reliance on diplomatic assurances to a rhetoric of self-reliance.

Historically, Biden has prided himself on his ability to manage international relations more with incentives than penalties. This approach, however, appears increasingly ineffective with Netanyahu. The friction has escalated over the past seven months, indicating that Biden’s diplomatic playbook may be outdated in the face of current challenges.

The president’s strategy has evolved in response to the shifting dynamics. His recent comments in a CNN interview reveal a firmer stance, threatening to suspend further military aid if Israeli forces proceed with operations in Rafah. This marks a significant shift from diplomacy to a more assertive pushback, reflecting Biden’s urgency to influence Israeli military strategy.

Despite this toughened stance, Biden’s aides stress that he is not willing to let the U.S.-Israel relationship fully deteriorate. The political necessity of maintaining this alliance is backed by a significant portion of the American populace that supports or even wishes to enhance U.S. backing of Israel.

Both leaders are also grappling with their domestic political challenges, which compound the international crisis. Netanyahu faces increasing scrutiny and pressure within his own government and from the Israeli public, pushing him to adopt a more hardline position. Conversely, Biden must navigate the complex landscape of U.S. politics where Palestinian voters, especially in Michigan have been critical of him for advocating for the $14 billion aid package to Israel.

The current situation between Biden and Netanyahu is a critical juncture in U.S.-Israel relations, shaped by a confluence of international conflict and political necessity. How these leaders navigate this crisis will not only affect their political legacies but also the future trajectory of Middle Eastern politics and the stability of global diplomatic relations. The unfolding events will require careful monitoring as each leader balances on a tightrope of domestic responsibilities and international exigencies.

Biden and Netanyahu are figures who have been central to their countries’ politics for decades, with a relationship that dates back to when Biden was a young senator and Netanyahu a senior official at Israel’s embassy in Washington. This long acquaintance has seen various tensions, notably during the Obama administration, when Biden as Vice President dealt with disagreements over Israeli settlement expansion. More recently, Netanyahu’s vehement opposition to Biden’s efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal—which had been a hallmark of Obama’s foreign policy and was abandoned by Donald Trump—added layers to their complex relationship.

In the aftermath of the horrific October 7 attack by Hamas, which resulted in the death of 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of around 250, public sentiment in Israel has dramatically shifted. Initially, Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas, responding with a stern military stance.

Netanyahu’s strategy appears to be influenced by the need to maintain the support of his coalition partners to avert potential political fallout, including the possibility of early elections. The AP reported that according to Anshel Pfeffer, a noted columnist and author of a Netanyahu biography, maintaining the illusion of ‘total victory’ over Hamas is crucial for Netanyahu to keep his political allies from turning against him and to prevent a further erosion of his public image.

Also speaking to the AP was Aviv Bushinsky, a former spokesman and chief of staff for Netanyahu, who suggested that despite the multifaceted pressures, Netanyahu remains focused on the broader goal of defeating Hamas, driven by concerns over the long-term security of Israel. This focus, however, must contend with the immediate humanitarian and political realities that a continued military offensive in Rafah might exacerbate.

Many have noticed a marked change in US-Israel relations that started with the Obama administration and took a hiatus during the Trump era. Others feel that Israel is being roundly demonized now as the beginnings of a potential socialist revolution have permeated a large sector of the Western world. As one observer put it, “The Jew (and that means Israel) is now the bogeyman of the world. He represents the “establishment” and he is pigeon holed as the “colonialist,” the “oppressor”, the “occupier”, and the “exploiter” of the masses. And let’s not forget that to the new alliance of the Marxists and the radical Islamists, their mantra continues to be that the Jews are in possession of all of the world’s wealth and that they have masterminded some kind of sinister cabal.”

On that note, it was recently revealed by Fox News television talk show host, Mark Levin, that the Biden administration has created their own enigmatic plot to oust Netanyahu from office in favor of a regime change that would place a far-left candidate in the prime minister’s seat. Recently, the White House summoned Netanyahu rival Benny Gantz to meet with them and now Gantz has called for new elections Israel in a few short months.

More to the point, Levin referenced an eye opening article written by renowned columnist Caroline Glick which offers concrete details about Biden’s nefarious plan to find a new leader for Israel and certainly one who is more amenable to marching lock step with the US political agenda in the Middle East which would, of course, feature an independent, sovereign Palestinian state, that would most likely be funded by Iran and operated by one of its terrorist proxies.

In an April 1st article that appeared on the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) web site titled: “The Biden administration’s war against the government of Israel,” Ms, Glick wrote that “Israel’s far left is reinstating the anti-government riots that occurred regularly through the first three-quarters of 2023.” She added that demonstrations are followed by riots in which a few dozen participate.

She added that, “riots feature bonfires along major traffic arteries, assaults on police and ultra-Orthodox Jews, threats to murder Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and storming police barricades protecting the premier’s home.”

Ms. Glick writes that there are a number of reasons that this is happening but unloads a bombshell that must be taken seriously. She said that, “perhaps the main one was revealed on March 17 by riot leader Ami Dror in a WhatsApp group chat with his colleagues. The communication, which Dror authenticated in an interview with Channel 14, was first reported on X by a poster who operates under the handle, Arbelu the Tuna Hunter.

In that communication, Dror told his colleagues that the White House was asking them to reinstate the riots.

Based on what he referred to as a conversation with his contacts in the White House, Dror set out in granular detail the White House’s four-part plan to overthrow the government. The components involved actions on the ground in Gaza; the use of the U.N. Security Council; extortion of government ministers; and mass protests.

Dror called his report: “An important update from the American administration.”

He explained that his update followed an earlier text he sent out on March 6 on the same topic. “The American plan, as I published it on March 6 remains unchanged. The day after my publication, the Biden administration announced the establishment of an American port [in Gaza] that will seize from Israel the ability to rule the Strip—the port will be used initially to provide food, but the central purpose of the port is to rebuild Gaza.”

The purpose of the U.S. campaign for humanitarian aid, he explained, was twofold: undermining the control of the Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza and blackmailing government ministers.

In his words, “Government ministers are receiving messages from ‘American friends’ that they will be accused of war crimes. Under our radar, the U.S. and the E.U. have framed the hunger in northern Gaza as a war crime. This is an excuse for seizing control over the territory from Israel (parachuting food continuously, including by the German military, and building a port), but the words “potential indictment” for all members of the government of destruction is the clincher. How does it work? There are many members of the government that don’t want to lose their physical or economic freedom. The immediate targets are [billionaire Economy Minister Nir] Barkat (by freezing assets and turning the millionaire into a wanted man) [and] the Haredi parties … they and their communities worldwide have many properties. … Ministers in the government will become potential fugitives if they don’t enable the formation of a government without Kahanists. … Don’t be surprised if [Shas party leader Aryeh] Deri and [Agudat Israel head Minister Yitzhak] Goldknopf bring down the government soon. The Hareidi draft is just an excuse—their Hareidi cronies in America don’t want to get in trouble with Uncle Sam.”

So it would appear that the Biden administration, in a desperate attempt to resolve the war in Gaza lest they risk losing the upcoming presidential election actually are executing a plan to remove Netanyahu from office. To many this was obvious when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took the Senate floor and did the bidding of the administration by calling for new elections in Israel while he delivered a scathing address critiquing his erstwhile “friend” Benjamin Netanyahu.

Edited by: Fern Sidman

The United Nations has recently made a significant adjustment to its previously published data regarding the number of women and children killed in Gaza, leading to serious questions about data accuracy and the processes used to verify such critical information, according to a report published on Saturday in The Jerusalem Post. This change in reported fatalities raises concerns about the reliability of the data provided by local sources and highlights the challenges in obtaining accurate casualty figures in conflict zones.

On May 6, the UN reported that 34,735 people had been killed in Gaza, including over 9,500 women and over 14,500 children. These figures were based on data collected from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health and the Government Media Office in Gaza, as well as Israeli authorities, as was reported by the JPost. Just two days later, on May 8, the numbers were revised. The updated data showed a total of 34,844 fatalities, but the number of women and children reported killed was significantly lower, with 4,959 women and 7,797 children listed.

The initial and revised figures were drawn from local administrative sources within Gaza and corroborative data from Israeli sources. The UN itself included a disclaimer below the data: “The UN has so far not been able to produce independent, comprehensive, and verified casualty figures,” as per the information provided in the JPost report.

The revised figures indicate that as of April 30, a total of 24,686 deaths had been identified. Among these, 10,006 were men, and 1,924 were elderly, the JPost report explained. The distribution of fatalities, according to the latest data, shows that men constituted 40% of the identified deaths, children 32%, and women 20%.

The integrity of casualty figures reported by Gazan authorities has been a subject of intense scrutiny and controversy, culminating in significant international criticism and accusations of data manipulation. The recent UN revision of the number of women and children killed in Gaza, which saw a dramatic halving of the previously reported figures, further fuels the ongoing debate about the accuracy of the data provided by Hamas officials at the Gaza Health Ministry.

For several months, prominent statisticians and policy analysts have questioned the casualty figures released by the Hamas operated health ministry in Gaza. Criticism peaked with the release of a report by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy in January, which pointed out major discrepancies in the fatality reports attributed to the Hamas authorities in Gaza, the JPost report pointed out. The institute’s analysis suggested that these discrepancies were likely due to deliberate manipulation of data.

Professor Abraham Wyner’s research that was published in Tablet Magazine further elucidates the statistical improbabilities found in the Hamas supplied data. The JPost reported that according to Wyner, the pattern of reported deaths was unnaturally consistent, showing a regular increase by approximately 270 plus or minus 15 percent. Wyner argued that such regularity is statistically impossible in the context of warfare, where the intensity and thus the fatalities should be highly irregular, as was indicated in the JPost report. His analysis implies that the figures might have been altered to present a misleading narrative or to serve specific political or humanitarian agendas.

Critics argue that the numbers reported by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry are inflated or misrepresented, suggesting a strategic motive to garner international sympathy and support by portraying the conflict as disproportionately affecting civilians. The assertion that the majority of the casualties are women and children conflicts with other reports that suggest a significant portion of the deaths may be combatants from Hamas, an organization known for its military engagements with Israel.

The challenge in verifying these figures is compounded by the restricted access to Gaza, making independent verification nearly impossible. However, some statistical analysis of the casualty reports released by the Gaza Health Ministry from October 26 to November 10, 2023, offers potential insights. By analyzing the daily casualty figures, including specific counts of women and children, researchers can employ forensic statistical methods to detect anomalies or patterns that might indicate manipulation or exaggeration of data.

It is crucial to consider that while the international community relies heavily on these figures to understand the scope of the tragedy, the inherent bias and potential manipulation of data by a party directly involved in the conflict must be critically evaluated. The implications of these casualty figures are profound, impacting humanitarian aid, international relations, and policy decisions. As such, the integrity of this data is not just a matter of academic interest but of international ethical concern, highlighting the need for continued scrutiny and the pursuit of independent verification wherever possible.

The potential manipulation of casualty data has profound implications. Accurate and reliable data are crucial for:

Humanitarian Response: Misrepresentation of death tolls can lead to misallocation of international aid and resources, potentially diverting assistance away from other urgent needs.

Political Repercussions: Inflated or manipulated casualty figures can influence international opinion and policy decisions, possibly leading to escalations in conflict or affecting peace negotiations.

Public Perception: Accuracy in reporting affects public perception both locally and internationally. Inaccurate reporting can fuel propaganda and mistrust among the international community.

Verifying casualty figures in a conflict zone is fraught with challenges. The primary issues include:

Access Restrictions: Often, conflict zones are inaccessible to international observers, making independent verification difficult.

Reliability of Sources: In many cases, the only available sources are local authorities or organizations with potential biases.

Technological and Methodological Limitations: In the chaos of conflict, collecting precise data is often not feasible. Methods used may lack the necessary sophistication to ensure accuracy.

In recent research published in Fathom Journal, a detailed analysis by Dr. Tom Simpson, Prof. Lewi Stone, and Prof. Gregory Rose scrutinizes the categorization of fatality data by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, according to a report that appeared on Monday on The Times of Israel web site.

Dr. Simpson, an economist with a background from the University of Western Australia, together with Prof. Stone, a biomathematician associated with Tel Aviv University and RMIT University, and Prof. Rose, an international law expert at the University of Wollongong, have brought their diverse expertise to bear on this issue. The TOI reported that their analysis focuses on the ministry’s division of casualty data into “identified” deaths, those confirmed in hospitals, and “unregistered” deaths, which are based on reports from what the ministry calls “reliable media sources.”

This differentiation is critical because it sheds light on the discrepancies in the reported data. The researchers point out that the proportion of women and children in the recorded deaths is vastly different between these two categories, the TOI report said. For instance, from October 7 to December 31, the Gaza Health Ministry reported 21,978 deaths, with 15,349 being hospital-registered and 6,629 unregistered. According to the ministry, 60% of the hospital-registered fatalities were women and children. To claim that 70% of all deaths were women and children, an improbable 92% of the unregistered deaths would need to be women and children—a statistic the researchers argue is “statistically absurd.”

This analysis raises substantial concerns about the reliability of the unregistered data and suggests potential inflation or misrepresentation of the figures reported through media sources. Indicated in the TOI report is that this issue is compounded by the lack of clarity from the ministry on how these categories were determined and what sources were deemed reliable.

Furthermore, as noted by David Adesnik from the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, the Gaza Health Ministry later adjusted its categorization to distinguish between cases with “complete data” and those with only “incomplete data,” affecting some 11,300 of the reported 33,000 fatalities at the time, according to the information provided in the TOI report.

In addition to the research published in the Fathom Journal, HonestReporting.com indicated that in his analysis for the Washington Institute, Gabriel Epstein observed an identical trend, with the number of total men killed in northern Gaza decreasing by 22 over five days in March 2024.

Epstein’s analysis points to a notable decrease in male casualties over a specific period in March 2024, which he correlates with a simultaneous increase in female casualties as noted by Wyner in October 2023. This pattern suggests potential manipulation of the data.

Wyner’s assertion that the statistical anomalies indicate a process “unconnected or loosely connected to reality” used in reporting these numbers highlights a critical issue. Such inconsistencies could indeed suggest that the figures are being manipulated. This manipulation could serve various purposes, including influencing public perception and international response.

The potential reasons behind the manipulation of these figures are complex. One plausible explanation is that male fighters, often away from civilian areas, might be underreported by Hamas. This underreporting could stem from several factors, including the strategic considerations of Hamas to not disclose actual militant casualties, possibly due to fears of retaliation or to maintain operational secrecy.

Furthermore, the manipulation of casualty figures could also be aimed at drawing international scrutiny towards Israel’s military actions, portraying them in a negative light to pressure Israel to reduce or cease its military operations. This strategy appears to be part of broader efforts by Hamas to sway public opinion and gain international sympathy by presenting an image of disproportionate aggression against Palestinians.

Israel is fighting for its survival against Islamic genocidal violence and a corrupt political class in Washington D.C.

By: Daniel Greenfield – FrontpageMag.com

Today, Israel marked its 76th Independence Day. Usually a day filled with parades and fireworks, the Israeli people will instead buckle down to the grim business of being at war.

Too much of the population is either deployed in the field or may soon be, displaced from their homes near the Gaza border or aware that at any moment rocket alerts could sound for incoming missiles from Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen or Iran.

This year, Yom HaZikaron, Memorial Day annually observed for the fallen, will overshadow Yom Ha’atzmaut or Independence Day.

Much like America’s Greatest Generation, the men and women who scrappily fought for Israel’s independence using crude weapons and WWII surplus gear are passing out of history.

Few now remember a time when Israel did not exist and some have come to take it for granted. While Israeli Air Force jets won’t be doing flyovers for the 76th, the leftist protesters, some backed by foreign interests, will still continue their rallies and riots that only serve to aid Hamas.

And yet Israel did declare a new kind of independence before its latest Yom Ha’atzmaut.

After nearly half a year of pressure campaigns to end the war, the Biden administration followed through by announcing an embargo on offensive weapons to Israel. It’s not the first time.

In 1947, the Truman administration had imposed an arms embargo on Israel. Truman, like the current Democrat in the White House, had played a familiar double game, offering diplomatic recognition to Israel and enthusiastic speeches to Jewish voters, even while privately promising Muslims the opposite and making sure that Israel would not have the weapons to defend itself.

When the Republican Party platform declared that it took “pride in the fact that the Republican Party was the first to call for the establishment of a free and independent Jewish Commonwealth” and condemned the “vacillation of the Democrat Administration”, Truman shot back angrily claiming that he supported the Democratic platform and its call for “the revision of the arms embargo to accord to the State of Israel the right of self-defense.” This was a lie.

Truman had supported the arms embargo from the beginning. Three months before the Democrat platform had been adopted, the administration had backed a UN resolution that included an arms embargo.

Truman was saying one thing and doing another. Like Biden, Truman had been following political considerations.

That was why diplomats had been warned to stay away from making any anti-Israel moves at the United Nations before Election Day.

Even under the arms embargo, Israel survived an invasion by five Muslim nations.

“You just don’t understand. Forty million Arabs are going to push four hundred thousand Jews into the sea. And that’s all there is to it,” Secretary of Defense James Forrestal had predicted.

Three generations later, Israel is still here.

Israel’s 76th Independence Day has come around again. Once again the Jewish State is fighting for its survival against Islamic genocidal violence and a corrupt political class in Washington D.C.

It’s relearning the old lesson that presidents say one thing for public consumption and do another. And that independence is not just aspirational, it’s a simple matter of survival.

Biden’s betrayal of Israel was inevitable. The blindness of Israeli leaders to that eventuality, their conviction that if they followed every single guideline from the White House, they would have the support they needed to finish off Hamas in Gaza was a delusional fantasy.

Israel’s best bet lay in quickly doing what it needed to do. Everything the Biden administration wanted only slowed down the war effort and doomed the very support that Israel had been counting on.

A day after delivering a speech at the Holocaust Museum about his support for Israel, Biden told CNN that the support was gone.

But Truman had pulled a similar trick with a rally at Madison Square Garden when he told New York’s Jewish voters that he was responsible for setting up Israel “as a free and independent political state” even while it was fighting for its survival.

The Truman administration continued backing worthless UN truces (the predecessors of today’s equally duplicitous ceasefires) which allowed the Islamic terrorists of the Muslim Brotherhood (the parent organization of Hamas) to continue attacking Jewish towns and massacring Jews.

While Truman was telling one thing to Jewish voters in New York City ahead of Election Day, Israel was evacuating children as part of ‘Operation Baby’ from front line communities under siege by terrorists during the latest ‘truce’. In Kibbutz Manara, the children had to be evacuated from the mountaintop in vegetable crates in a scene later recreated in the movie ‘Exodus’.

Manara had to be evacuated again after the Hamas attacks of Oct 7 and it’s estimated that half the homes in the community have been destroyed after Hezbollah Islamic terrorists have shot a rocket every day at the village. The people living there can’t go home. But unlike the Hamas supporters crying in Gaza, you won’t see their faces on the evening news.

After the 1948 election, not only weren’t there any arms sales, but the White House was upset that Israel had begun winning. The Egyptians had not only failed to push the Jews into the sea, but the Jews were now pushing them back into the Sinai.

A month after the election, in which 75% of Jews had voted for him, Truman demanded that Israel immediately withdraw or his administration would “re-examine” its mostly non-existent relations.

Truman, who would later claim credit for creating Israel, had done little more than provide de facto (not de jure) recognition to Israel, while still maintaining the arms embargo.

Truman’s move allowed Egypt to control Gaza and turn it over to the Muslim Brotherhood for regular terror raids on Israel. And that led directly to the rise of Hamas and the current war.

It’s also why Truman ought to get more credit for creating Hamas than for creating Israel.

Truman did not actually begin selling weapons to Israel until 1950, well after it had survived the war, and only in order to also be able to sell weapons to its Arab Muslim enemies as part of an agreement with the UK to “maintain a rough balance of power between Israel and the Arab states.“

American Jews have long lived with the comforting “Eddie Jacobson” myth that Truman had intervened on behalf of Israel because of a plea from his longtime friend and business partner.

The truth is that the Truman administration had opposed statehood, until Israel had gone ahead and declared it, had opposed any Israeli presence in Jerusalem, and blocked the pathway to victory, until Israel had gone ahead and won not because of Truman, but despite him.

Since then history has repeated itself again and again. And too many Israelis, who used to know better, bought into the silly myth that their country existed because Truman “liked” them.

Millions of Jews were murdered in Europe despite all the politicians who claimed to like them, but then did nothing for them. Hundreds of thousands of Jews in Israel held off armies and built a state, not because politicians liked them, but because they fought for their independence.

The Oslo Accords, made so that Israel would be liked, brought it to the brink of destruction. If Israel is going to undo that and the entire ‘palestinian’ colonial project, it has a limited time in which to act. Even after Oct 7, it was too consumed with being liked to do what had to be done.

Like America, Israel wants to be liked after Islamic terror attacks, when what it needs is to win.

On the 76th anniversary of its independence, Israel has once again been forced to declare its independence from a White House Democrat who publicly promised support while privately stabbing it in the back. Going into Rafah and finishing off Hamas will be a more meaningful celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut or Independence Day than any flag-waving parades.

Independence is not in the fireworks you shoot off, it’s in taking independent action.

Contrary to popular myth, foreign aid to Israel isn’t proof that Jerusalem controls D.C. but that D.C. controls Jerusalem. What’s often misleadingly described as aid isn’t a big check, it’s an entanglement with the U.S. defense industry that prevents Israel from fighting an extended war without permission.

Since the War of Independence and the 1956 Suez Canal War, the priority has been to make sure that Israel won’t be able to unilaterally pursue a military campaign. Once denied weapons, Israel has been given them in exchange for being put on a leash out of D.C.

Oct 7 has become the ultimate test of Israel’s independence. And this Memorial Day and Independence Day will determine whether a nation of nearly 10 million is truly free to do more than mourn its dead, but once again take independent action to protect its living future.

          (FrontPageMag.com)

Protesters government held an alternative, torch-extinguishing ceremony in Binyamina.

By: Batya Jerenberg–World Israel News

The official ceremony marking Israel’s 76th birthday was different than any previous Independence Day Monday night, being pre-taped and displayed to no live audience, with content that was more moving than celebratory.

As the transition from Israel’s Remembrance Day, twelve memorial torches were first shown being lit at twelve sites that Hamas terrorists overran on October 7 during their invasion in which they massacred 1,200 people and abducted 253 back to the Gaza Strip.

In his brief speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the 132 remaining captives, promising to bring them all home, even the dead.

Mentioning Israel’s “secret weapon” – its “spirit of the ages,” that allowed the Jewish nation to defeat its enemies in 1948 – he reiterated his vow to defeat Hamas and praised the IDF soldiers who “fell in heroic battles” in the ongoing war.

Instead of honoring individuals for their contributions to the Jewish state in various fields, 44 people lit six torches as representatives of groups that have led the way in defending the country over the last seven months.

There were beacons honoring the Security Services, Rescue Forces, Civilian Rescuers, Communities’ Emergency Response Teams, Israel (online) Advocates, and Air Defense.

A seventh beacon was reserved for Diaspora Jewry, who rushed to help their brethren in Israel as soon as the war began. While the leading Jewish organizations raised hundreds of millions of dollars, dozens of grassroots initiatives began to bring in tons of items that IDF soldiers needed because Israel had never called up over 300,000 reservists at the same time before.

The final beacon was that of hope. Iris Haim raised it together with three musicians and the oldest IDF reservist, Ezra Yachin, 95, a member of the Lechi underground who fought the British in pre-state Palestine and has gone around the country’s bases during the war to instill his still-indomitable spirit in the soldiers of today.

Haim’s son Yotam, kidnapped on October 7, managed to escape his Hamas captors in December along with two other Israelis but all three were accidentally killed by IDF troops who feared they were terrorists in disguise. Haim inspired the country with her immediate, public message of love and understanding for those soldiers, and her call for national harmony.

She raised the torch and said, “In honor of my Yotam, in honor of the nation’s spirit that will never be broken, the ability to believe and to see the good in Israeli society. In honor of unity.”

In contrast to the state ceremony, others who oppose the government and blame it instead of Hamas for the continued captivity of the hostages, carried out a torch-extinguishing ceremony in an amphitheater in Binyamina.

Members of some hostages’ and bereaved families, survivors of the Hamas slaughter, evacuees and others put out such beacons as the “Security Breach” torch, the “Beacon of the Desolation of the Surrounding Settlements,” and “Abandonment of the Kidnapped.”

Some of the others that were extinguished were called beacons of “Arrogance,” of “Loss of Personal Security for Women,” of “Neglecting Mental Health,” and “Abandonment of the Citizens to their Fate.”

There was also one for the “Displaced Persons,” 80,000 residents who were told to leave their homes both in the south and north to keep them safe from both the aerial threat from Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The speakers expressed their bitterness and pain over the horrific events of October 7 and harshly criticized the government’s conduct of the war and “abdication of responsibility” in not taking proper care of the needs of all those affected by it, whether directly or indirectly.

At the end, Iris Zangauker, the mother of 24-year-old hostage Matan from Kibbutz Nir Oz lit the Beacon of Hope.

While saying that “we have a nation but the country has been hijacked” and has “no leaders,” she stated that the people “who understand that what is most important is human life” will instead lead the way and not rest until all the hostages are returned.

“I light this beacon of mutual responsibility and hope for the rescue of the kidnapped [which] is the rescue of the country. Now!” she exclaimed.

Thousands watched the ceremony broadcast in HaBima Square in Tel Aviv, and after it ended they marched to the site where David Ben Gurion declared Israel’s independence, chanting, “It’s not independence without the hostages.”

          (WorldIsraelNews.com)

“These are difficult times, but we have to hold our heads up high,” says Ezequiel Pachter, who immigrated to Israel from Argentina in 2022 with the aim of joining the IDF.

By: Josh Hasten

On Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day), Israelis celebrate the bravery and heroism of those who fought in the 1948 War of Independence to ensure the survival of the fledgling Jewish state.

In the wake of Hamas’s brutal Oct. 7 invasion of southern Israel, the country now has many more heroes to celebrate. Included in that group are immigrant “lone soldiers” (soldiers without family in Israel) who were forced to fight for the country’s survival very nearly “fresh off the boat,” just as their predecessors did 76 years ago.

Some of these soldiers immigrated from countries including Argentina with the assistance of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ), an organization committed to helping Jews escape poverty and anti-Semitism and assist in their return to their biblical homeland.

Ezequiel Pachter, 22, immigrated from Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2022, and lives in Netanya. In Argentina, he was very active as a freestyle wrestler at the local Maccabi sports center and was also involved in serving as a security guard to protect the Jewish community.

He told JNS he decided to move to Israel “because I wanted something more important in my life,” namely to join the Israel Defense Forces. Upon arrival, Pachter enlisted and is now a commander in the IDF’s Search and Rescue unit. On Oct. 7, he was at home in Netanya when he got the call to head into battle against Hamas at the IDF’s Zikim base, just north of Gaza..

Pachter and his fellow soldiers succeeded in beating back the terrorists, but that “was the beginning of a very difficult and intense month of fighting,” in which he lost several friends.

“It’s tough to be a fighter, there’s a lot of responsibility but this is what I chose.” The key, he said, is “don’t think, just do,” as your training and experience take over. “The first time you stop to think, that’s when you can get hurt,” he said.

In about a month and a half, Patcher is set to become a commander leading a basic training course for new recruits. He said that his parents back in Argentina are very supportive and proud of him. His girlfriend, who is also a lone soldier from Argentina, has started her official immigration process.

Concerning the upcoming holiday, said Patcher, “These are difficult times, but we have to hold our heads up high. It will be challenging to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut this year, but we have to continue the fight and maintain our determination until there is peace.”

Uriel Ruetter, 25, immigrated as a lone soldier from Buenos Aires in 2022, settling in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak along the border with Gaza. Ruetter, who has a degree in international relations from Argentina, serves in the Paratroopers Brigade.

On Oct. 7, Reutter was on leave at a friend’s house in Tel Aviv when Hamas terrorists attacked his community. He got a message from his commander telling him to head to base and pick up his equipment, as his unit was being sent into Sderot to fight the terrorists that had infiltrated that town.

“We were in the last phases of training when the war started,” he told JNS. “But once we entered Sderot, we had to make the switch from trainees to fighters.”

Ruetter’s commander, Itay-Eliahu Marchiano, was the first of the unit to fall that day, during the first hours of fighting. “He was the one who pushed us, but when he fell, we were forced to make that push instead of him, and we had to gain strength from him,” he said.

After the battle for Sderot, Ruetter and his unit were sent to the area of Kibbutz Re’im, where they witnessed the carnage Hamas had left at the Nova Music Festival. He recalls being shocked by the destruction. His unit was then deployed to Gaza for more than 30 days to continue the fight against Hamas. Ruetter said his parents back in Argentina are worried about him but very proud.

He is scheduled to complete his army service, after which he plans to pursue a career in his chosen field.

Ruetter reflected on this week’s Yom Hashoah—Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day—saying, “Whether the Holocaust or Oct. 7, and witnessing what’s going on here in Israel, and the anti-Semitism all over the world, we must explore what can take away from it. We must push forward with strength and not weakness. That’s the only way.”

With regard to Independence Day, Ruetter said, “I feel I made the right decision to come to Israel. A few years ago, I had to explain and justify why I moved here. Now, people understand the dangers of living as a Jew abroad. [Since Oct. 7] I feel even more satisfied with my decision.”

Roman Karlin, 26, immigrated to Israel in 2019 from Rosario, also in Argentina. Karlin told JNS he was inspired to move to Israel after attending a year-long youth study program in Israel at the age of 18.

“I realized I wanted to live here and also to serve in the army. I felt I wanted to contribute to the country as much as I could, and that I wanted to give back some of what the country has given me,” he told JNS.

Upon arrival, he spent six months learning Hebrew in Jerusalem, before joining an elite Paratrooper Brigade unit in 2020 as a lone soldier.

He completed his army service at the end of 2022 but was called in for his first reserve duty stint just months later following the Oct. 7 massacre. Karlin spent 55 days in Gaza fighting against Hamas in Beit Hanoun, Jabalia and Gaza City, which he said was extremely difficult.

“It was hard, but I knew my mission was to protect Israel. I knew this was necessary to guarantee Israel’s security and to fight terror. That is why I made aliyah, to protect the place that I love,” he said, adding, “This is not a war we chose, but it is one we are forced to fight.”

In the midst of the war, on Dec. 9, while on leave, Roman decided to propose to his girlfriend Daniela, an immigrant from Bahía Blanca, Argentina. The couple has not set a date.

In January, Karlin was discharged from reserve duty (“for now,” he said), and returned to his job as a store manager in Tel Aviv.

Karlin feels Israel’s top priority must be to secure the release of the hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.

“The most important thing is to bring back the hostages ASAP. The Rafah operation will speed things up,” he said, referring to Gaza’s southernmost city, Hamas’s last stronghold in the Strip. “There is still work to do [fighting against terrorists] in the south of the country and in the north. But we must bring back the hostages. I’m always hoping for the best,” he said.

All three new immigrants expressed gratitude to the IFCJ for providing them with the support they needed from the minute they started the aliyah process, through arrival and integration into society and throughout their army service.

IFCJ President Yael Eckstein told JNS, “Throughout Israel’s modern history, our nation’s miraculous growth can be credited in large part to the successful ingathering of the Jewish people from all corners of the world, something the IFCJ is very proud and honored to be a part of.”

She added that “today, as our country faces one of its darkest and most challenging hours, the spirit of selfless love for Israel being put forth by these soldiers who are serving their new homeland, is something that is deeply inspiring and proves that whatever difficulties we face, the bond between our people and our land remains as strong as ever.”

(JNS.org)