Israel has experienced an extraordinary few months. Since Iran green-lit the gruesome Hamas massacre in the fall of 2023, the Jewish State has fought back hard and effectively. Hamas' rank-and-file membership has been decimated. Its leadership has been decapitated, with one top leader getting taken out in an exquisitely-planned operation in the heart of Tehran, which required serious intelligence penetration. The mastermind of October 7th was shot and killed while slinking around, trying to elude discovery, in the city of Rafah -- where the Biden administration had foolishly warned the Israelis not to operate. Hamas is now reportedly open to major concessions in service of a possible ceasefire agreement, after President-elect Trump threatened 'hell to pay' if the hostages aren't released by the time he assumes office next month. (Relatedly, an unabashedly pro-Israel American administration on its way into power is another reason Israel feels the wind at its back these days).
On the northern front, Israel has crushed the leadership of Iran-backed Hezbollah, using precision strikes -- also pointing to profound intelligence penetration -- to liquidate every major terror chief in the network. They also pulled off one of the most impressive espionage coups of all time, using a long-term deep cover operation to sell Hezbollah boobytrapped pagers and radio. They exploded these devices in successive attacks, maiming or killing legions of terrorists with the push of a button. Extraordinary. And now, in light of consecutive failed direct attack attempts against Israel (to which Israel responded with restraint, but while sending a very clear and ominous message), Iran's regime is reeling. Adding to their spiral and increasing isolation and impotence is the collapse of their satellite regime in Damascus within the last week or so. It has been a disastrous year-plus for the regime in Tehran. Israel was caught napping on October 7, but they've been 'kicking ass and taking names,' as the phrase goes, ever since. And with the Trump administration on the precipice of taking over, there are renewed hopes for expansions of the historic Israeli-Arab peace accords on the horizon.
In other words, far from being alone and on the back foot, Israel is operating from a position of strength, which may be part of the reason why they feel embolden to make this sad but justifiable move:
🚨BREAKING🚨Israel Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, the closing of the Israeli Embassy in Ireland. The decision was made "in light of the extreme anti-Israeli policy of the Irish government."
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) December 15, 2024
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announces he will be closing Israel’s embassy in Ireland, citing the “extreme anti-Israel policy of the Irish government.” Israel recalled its ambassador in May after Ireland became one of three EU countries that said they would unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. Ireland has not recalled its envoy to Israel. Last week, Ireland’s cabinet voted to join South Africa’s case accusing Israel of “genocide” at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. “The antisemitic actions and rhetoric that Ireland is taking against Israel are based on delegitimization and demonization of the Jewish state and on double standards,” says Sa’ar in a statement. “Ireland has crossed all red lines in its relationship with Israel. Israel will invest its resources in promoting bilateral relations with the countries of the world according to priorities that are also derived from the attitude of the various countries towards it.” At the same time, Sa’ar announces that Israel will open an embassy in Moldova, which already has an embassy in Israel. The opening is expected to occur in the next year, and Israel is beginning the process of finding a site and appointing an ambassador.
Ireland has been an appalling hotbed of anti-Semitism for many years, and their government's fanatical Israel hatred is some of the most virulent in the world. Perhaps this shouldn't be surprising given Ireland's stance in World War II, which is part and parcel of their churlish and childish reflexive loathing of all things British. The Irish have behaved disgracefully, and Israel is basically cutting them loose, at least for now. An Irish official is playing dumb in this statement of feigned regret:
Simon Harris, the Taoiseach (Irish head of government) responds:
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) December 15, 2024
“This is a deeply regrettable decision from the Netanyahu government. I utterly reject the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel. Ireland is pro-peace, pro-human rights and pro-International law.
Ireland wants a… https://t.co/TdL3BADfKs
But we all understand what's actually going on here. Ireland didn't just reward Hamas by unilaterally recognizing a non-existent "Palestinian state" earlier this year, they've pushed even further, seeking to redefine 'genocide' in order to try to punish Israel for defending itself against the terrorists Ireland's government effectively supports:
Both Ireland and Amnesty International have admitted in the past week that Israel's actions do NOT constitute "genocide" by any conventional legal standard, so they're trying to create a new, bogus definition of "genocide" in order to find Israel guilty of it.
— Avi Mayer אבי מאיר (@AviMayer) December 11, 2024
Truly disgusting. https://t.co/jcTXuMrTVP
Ireland has sided with Hamas. You don’t get to falsely accuse us of the worst crime imaginable, lobby for a UN agency whose staff slaughtered Israelis on 10/7, order Israel at the UN to abandon the hostages and expect us to take it sitting down. Now go and repent. https://t.co/GZETEPoYob
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) December 15, 2024
Israel does not need Ireland, and they're right to send this message. I'll leave you with a separate European Union nation moving in the opposite direction, as well as some propaganda that backfires on Hamas as soon as an ounce of critical thought is applied to it:
BREAKING: For the first time ever, an EU member state has voted to begun phasing out funding for UNRWA. The motion passed today by a huge majority of the Dutch Parliament—citing UNRWA's complicity with terrorism—now sets an important precedent for other countries to follow. https://t.co/JXbTtmVYch
— UN Watch (@UNWatch) December 13, 2024
So, not an ‘open air prison’ before Hamas well and truly ruined it with their unprovoked war targeting civilians. Take it up with what’s left of them. https://t.co/bwjK3czxlp
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) December 14, 2024
And while totally unsurprising, the information confirmed in this report is still important to keep pointing out, over and over. Israel's enemies lie constantly:
The new report showing that the death toll out of Gaza is a lie also functions as an indictment of mainstream media.
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) December 15, 2024
Only 5% of the surveyed media organizations cited numbers released by Israel, while 98% cited fatality figures provided by the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.… pic.twitter.com/XREKrHU1zl
An independent study confirms what we have long known: that the Gaza Health Ministry of Hamas inflates the civilian death toll in order to demonize Israel. Yet the media repeats the disinformation as though it were fact.
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) December 15, 2024
Validating the public health arm of Hamas is like… pic.twitter.com/hsKGSVWX2w
How might these revelations intersect with Ireland's shifting definition of "genocide," reworked to indict Israel and aid terrorists? Will we get a statement of apology or clarification from the government in Dublin? Don't hold your breath.
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