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Man admits altering Disney World menus, including Jew-hate content

by admin January 14, 2025

written by admin

The former employee had been fired by Disney for misconduct months before he hacked into the menu-creation software.

(JNS)

Michael Scheuer, a former menu production manager at Walt Disney World, has admitted to altering menus at the park to promote antisemitism and deceive guests with food allergies

Scheuer pleaded guilty to hacking and one count of aggravated identity theft in a plea agreement filed Jan. 10 in Florida federal court. Federal authorities charged the defendant in October with causing the transmission of a program, information, code or command to a protected computer and intentionally causing damage.

The defendant had been fired by Disney for misconduct months earlier, according to the criminal complaint.

Scheuer, who hacked into the company’s menu-creation software, added images including a swastika, changed allergen information to falsely show items were safe for people with allergies and changed the regions of wines to places where mass shootings occurred, according to the plea agreement.

He also altered some menus that included a QR code for a digital version of the menu to send guests to a website promoting the boycott of Israel. While manufacturers printed some menus with falsified QR codes, the change was caught before they were distributed.

Court documents stated that by the end of his hacking campaign, Scheuer had impacted “nearly every menu in the system.”

Scheuer’s attorney told CNBC that his client “has mental health issues that were exacerbated when Disney fired him upon his return from paternity leave.”

Scheuer faces a minimum two-year sentence and a maximum of 10 years.

Image: Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Fla., on March 20, 2017. Credit: stinne24/Pixabay via Wikimedia Commons.

January 14, 2025 0 comments

Community JTVC Breaking News

Settler leaders to attend Trump’s inauguration

by admin January 13, 2025

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The group will attend as official guests at the inauguration ceremony and spearhead various side events in Washington.

Ariel Kahana

(Israel Hayom via JNS)

An official Yesha Council delegation has been invited to participate in U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next Monday in Washington. The delegation comprises Yesha Council chairman and Benjamin Regional Council Head Israel Ganz, Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan, Oranit Council Head Or Piron-Zomer and Yesha Council CEO Omer Rahamim.

The group will attend the inauguration as official guests, and will spearhead various side events in Washington before and after the main event. Their agenda includes meetings with incoming administration officials and leaders from both Jewish and evangelical communities.

According to Yesha Council sources, the delegation plans to focus on relationship building rather than presenting specific demands or proposals.

“Our objective is to strengthen existing connections and forge new ones. Washington’s attention is elsewhere at present. Trump is focused on Greenland sovereignty matters, not Israel’s concerns in Judea and Samaria. Timing is crucial. We must proceed strategically and appropriately,” a council official explained.

The Yesha Council and other regional authorities in Judea and Samaria have devoted considerable resources to cultivating relationships with Republican Party leadership in recent years. These efforts have yielded notable results, including many senior party members’ current opposition to the concept of a Palestinian state. Moreover, official terminology has shifted from “West Bank” to “Judea and Samaria.” These changes stem from years of persistent engagement between Ganz and Dagan and senior Trump party officials, including organized tours of the Benjamin and Samaria regions. A similar delegation attended Trump’s 2017 inauguration.

In a statement to Israel Hayom, Ganz said, “We represent Judea and Samaria residents in standing with our allies and President-elect Trump at this historic moment. The administration’s invitation reflects our shared biblical values with the United States. We face a common moral challenge against global threats, with Judea and Samaria settlements serving as the frontline defense for Israel, America and the free world. We envision achieving transformative progress that will ensure global stability for generations, and we support Trump’s leadership in this endeavor. Our ongoing dialogue with senior administration officials continues to advance these goals.”

Samaria Regional Council Head Yossi Dagan said, “Our delegation brings the blessing of the communities in Judea and Samaria to the new administration. Years of relationship-building with our newly elected American friends have created this pivotal opportunity for Israel, particularly its government, to achieve significant advances in strengthening our presence in the Land of Israel. Our unified approach underscores the importance of maintaining strong ties with the incoming American administration and bolstering support for the communities in Judea and Samaria, both internationally and among U.S. Jewish communities.”

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

Image: Binyamin Regional Council and Yesha Council head Israel Ganz at Shiloh, Nov. 3, 2024. Photo by Josh Hasten.

January 13, 2025 0 comments

JTVC Breaking News Terrorism

Gaza captives’ families hope change of the guard in DC will help

by admin January 13, 2025

written by admin

Some will attend Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington next week.

Amelie Botbol

(JNS)

The families of U.S.-Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza will be attending the inauguration of Donald Trump as America’s 47th president on Jan. 20.

“The invitation came from the president’s team,” Ruby Chen, the father of American-Israeli IDF Sgt. Itay Chen, whose body is being held by the terrorists in Gaza, told JNS on Sunday.

“They invited us as opposed to us asking to come, and I hope that the president’s speech will address the hostage issue and the seven U.S. citizens held in Gaza, and that it will be a failure if all U.S. hostages are not released,” he added.

President-elect Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Saturday afternoon, in what was described as a “surprise visit” to discuss multilateral hostage negotiations after Witkoff attended talks in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

Chen said that he has been in contact with all elected officials who will be dealing with the hostage crisis in the incoming administration. He met with U.S. National Security Advisor-designate Mike Waltz, had a phone call with Witkoff and has been in contact with special presidential envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler. Chen even traveled to Doha to meet Qatari and U.S. negotiators.

“We are at the closest to get to a deal but it requires leadership from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do what is needed to close a deal for all of the hostages,” he continued.

“It was very difficult to see the list of 34 hostages, [living and dead, whom Hamas claimed it is ready to trade for a ceasefire and terrorists held in Israeli prisons]. Does it mean that the others are less important and that we can let them disappear. My expectation is that a deal will be signed with everyone on the bus,” Chen said.

Mossad Director David Barnea, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director Ronen Bar and Israel Defense Forces representative Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon embarked on their first joint trip to Qatar since August on Saturday evening, for discussions on finalizing a hostage agreement.

Netanyahu has provided Barnea, Alon and Bar with comprehensive operational parameters for securing an agreement.

In Doha, representing their respective agencies, they are to address all resolution components, including IDF ceasefire deployments, terrorist prisoner releases and humanitarian considerations. To streamline decision-making, the team has authorization to make on-site decisions while maintaining constant communication with Netanyahu’s Jerusalem team.

Witkoff plans to accompany the Israeli delegation to Doha for final negotiations alongside current White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk. The upcoming Qatar discussions will focus on the first-phase release of 33 humanitarian-criteria hostages, with second-phase negotiations beginning three weeks later to address the release of remaining Hamas-held hostages.

While Israel maintains its position on war-related matters, Monday’s agenda includes discussing prisoner releases demanded by Hamas, possible senior prisoner exile arrangements, IDF positions in the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors on the Sinai border and south of Gaza City, respectively, Gaza population movements and the timing and numbers for hostage-prisoner exchanges.

“In all of President Trump’s major statements about the hostage crisis after the election, including one about six weeks ago when he said there would be hell to pay if the hostages weren’t freed by inauguration day, the main intent was for Hamas, but those statements include other parties to the negotiations as well, meaning Qatar, Egypt and Israel,” Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of Israeli-American hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, told JNS on Sunday.

Jonathan will also be attending the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20.

“Trump’s expectations from my conversations with people serving him also include Israel and that it too will do what it must to end the hostage crisis,” he said.

While Dekel-Chen said he has had informal conversations with members of the incoming administration that are relevant to the hostage crisis, he hopes to meet with them in person in a formal setting during inauguration week or the following week.

Images: Families of American hostages who have been held in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, August 2024. Credit: Courtesy of Ruby Chen.

January 13, 2025 0 comments

JTVC Breaking News Terrorism

IDF targets Hezbollah terrorists as Lebanese army deploys

by admin January 12, 2025

written by admin

Hochstein reportedly assured Beirut that Israeli forces will fully withdraw by Jan. 26.

JNS Staff

(JNS)

Israeli Air Force craft on Saturday targeted terrorists exiting a “military” building in Southern Lebanon that belonged to Hezbollah, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.

After their detection, the IAF acted to “remove the threat,” the statement continued.

“The IDF continues to be committed to the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon, is deployed in the Southern Lebanon region and will act to remove any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens,” the military added.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Armed Forces said in a statement on X that its troops were completing their deployment in eight towns near the Israeli border, as well as in the coastal area between Naqoura and Tyre, ahead of the projected withdrawal of the IDF by the end of the month.

The Lebanese Armed Forces said it was cooperating with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the five-member committee supervising the truce in implementing the deployment.

The LAF called on civilians not to approach the area as it was conducting engineering work to remove unexploded ordnance and to clear rubble off the roads.

According to the Beirut-based, Hezbollah-affiliated Al Akhbar newspaper, U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein has assured Lebanese officials that Israel will fully withdraw its forces from Southern Lebanon as outlined in the 60-day ceasefire agreement that took effect on Nov. 27.

Hochstein met with senior Lebanese officials this past week, among them former army chief Joseph Aoun, whom parliament on Thursday elected president of the country.

According to the report, the U.S. envoy obtained a detailed schedule from Israel with regard to its exit from Lebanon, citing Jan. 26 as the deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw.

Hochstein reportedly asked Beirut to strengthen its army units and raise its level of preparedness, in order to guarantee that the weapons and ammunition belonging to Hezbollah south of the Litani River will be handed over to the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Lebanese army officials told the American diplomat that an agreement with Hezbollah was struck and that the LAF will soon announce the removal of all private weapons and all “militant” groups in Southern Lebanon that are not officially under the Lebanese government’s orders.

Image: Smoke rises from a village in Southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, Dec. 5, 2024. Photo by David Cohen/Flash90.

January 12, 2025 0 comments

Community JTVC Breaking News

Biden calls Lebanon’s new president, Joseph Aoun, ‘right leader for this time’

by admin January 10, 2025

written by admin

Aoun “will provide critical leadership as Lebanon and Israel” end hostilities between the Jewish state and Hezbollah, Biden said.

(JNS)

President Joe Biden congratulated Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun, after an overwhelming majority of the country’s parliament voted to elect him as president.

“President Aoun has my confidence,” Biden said on Thursday. “I believe strongly he is the right leader for this time.”

Noting that Aoun’s election “comes just six weeks after the United States secured an end to the hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel,” Biden said the new head of state “will provide critical leadership as Lebanon and Israel fully implement that cessation of hostilities and as hundreds of thousands of people return to their homes and Lebanon recovers and rebuilds.”

The Lebanese people, he continued, have suffered for more than two years from a devastating war and continuing financial crisis, as well as the absence of national leadership.

“Through their elected parliamentarians, the people of Lebanon have exercised their democratic right to choose their own future,” Biden said. “They have chosen a path aligned with peace, security, sovereignty, and reconstruction in partnership with the international community. And the United States will support them as they walk that path.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also congratulated Aoun and expressed his hope “that this choice will contribute towards stability, a better future for Lebanon and its people and to good neighborly relations.”

Image: Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces Joseph Aoun at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Arlington, Va., on June 26, 2018. Credit: Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery via Wikimedia Commons.

January 10, 2025 0 comments

JTVC Breaking News Terrorism

18,000 terrorist attacks in Israel in 2024

by admin January 10, 2025

written by admin

Israeli civilians were attacked on seven fronts last year—Iran, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Yemen and from within Israeli territory.

(JNS)

Terrorists attacked the Jewish state no fewer than 18,000 times in 2024, killing 134 innocent people and wounding another 1,277, according to data the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office released on Thursday.

Israeli civilians were attacked from seven fronts—Iran, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Yemen and from within Israeli territory—18,365 times last year, revealed the report, which combined data from all security agencies and the country’s emergency response groups.

Some 16,400 rockets and missiles were fired into Israel, of which approximately 15,400 were launched by Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon and 700 from the Gaza Strip. October saw the most launches, with more than 6,900 attacks reported.

At the same time, terrorists sent at least 399 drones toward Israeli territory, the vast majority of which came from Lebanon.

Seventy-one people, including 14 children, were murdered in aerial assaults, and 892 more people sustained wounds. In addition, the rocket, missile and drone attacks sparked more than 600 wildfires, burning 92,417 acres managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and more than 42,749 acres of grazing land.

An additional 1,900 terrorist incidents were reported in 2024, including stone-throwing, Molotov cocktails, car rammings, shootings, stabbings and bombings. November was the quietest month, with 109 terrorist incidents reported, while July saw the most violence in Israel—37 people were murdered and another 394 were wounded that month.

The most common type of terrorist attack recorded in 2024 was stone-throwing, with 1,248 incidents reported, followed by “throwing objects, arson and tire burning” (162), attacks with Molotov cocktails (14), shootings (132) and the use of explosive devices (89).

According to the annual report published by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) on Dec. 31, Jerusalem thwarted more than 1,000 significant terrorist attacks in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem in 2024.

Most of the attacks involved firearms (689) and explosive devices (326), with others being stabbings, rammings, bombings and abductions.

Image: Security personnel at the scene of a drone attack in Tel Aviv, July 19, 2024. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

January 10, 2025 0 comments

JTVC Breaking News Terrorism

Gaza terrorists likely have ‘a few hundred’ rockets left

by admin January 9, 2025

written by admin

While Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have permanently lost most of their arsenals and production facilities, the threat of sporadic rocket fire is likely to remain for some time, expert tells JNS.

Yaakov Lappin

(JNS)

On Jan. 6, terrorists in northern Gaza fired three rockets toward Sderot, Ibim and Nir Am, one of which was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, with the other two causing damage but no injuries. The attack came after days of sirens in southern Israel, only some of which were false alarms.

These incidents underline the vastly reduced yet persistent threat posed by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), whose rocket arsenals and operational capabilities have been significantly degraded since the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023.

At the start of the war, Hamas and PIJ reportedly held 15,000 rockets and a five-brigade, division-strong invasion force capable of seizing Israeli territory and committing massacres. Today, their remnants consist of scattered guerrilla cells with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and explosives—as well as a handful of projectiles. Israeli assessments suggest that these groups collectively have no more than dozens of rockets left, perhaps as many as 100.

However, professor Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies and the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist Strategy in Jerusalem, believes it may be more than a handful.

“I think it’s more than dozens. I think we’re talking about a few hundred rockets. We have to remember that Hamas prepared in advance for launching very large barrages at Israel, and hence, many rockets were prepared ahead of time,” including in underground locations and in orchards, he told JNS.

Michael described the recent launches as the Gaza terrorist groups’ final performance, arguing that in the war’s aftermath they will not regain the ability to flood Israeli skies with rockets, retaining only the ability to sporadically launch a projectile.

Currently, the vast majority of the Hamas and PIJ arsenal has been destroyed, said Michael. He noted also that some of its precious few remaining rockets are being launched as IDF forces close in on them.

While Hamas retains small arms, TNT, and, potentially, the capacity for extremely restricted rocket production, “Compared to what they had in October, and even after Oct. 7, we’re talking about completely minimal capabilities,” he said.

IDF operations in northern Gaza since the ground operation there began on Oct. 27 have focused on clearing key areas such as Beit Hanoun and Jabalia of remaining Hamas elements. On Jan. 5, Israel’s Army Radio reported that rockets fired at the Erez Crossing had originated in Beit Hanoun, where the IDF’s Nahal Brigade had been operating.

A joint statement by the IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) on Jan. 5 detailed recent strikes on over 100 Hamas targets, resulting in the elimination of dozens of operatives and the destruction of rocket launch sites. These types of operations, combined with precision strikes and intelligence efforts, have diminished Hamas’s ability to operate freely in the northern Gaza Strip.

While the IDF has made substantial progress in northern Gaza, new challenges are emerging in Gaza City, south of that area, Michael said. “They will try to regroup and rebuild capabilities in areas where we are less present, and we must be vigilant,” he told JNS.

The IDF’s responses would include continuous intelligence monitoring and targeted operations, he added.

Despite their diminished arsenals, sporadic rocket fire continues, and remains a threat that must be taken seriously, he told JNS. “Even a single rocket that is not intercepted can cause damage and casualties, as we saw in Sderot,” he said.

“We need to be prepared for occasional rocket fire even after the war concludes,” he cautioned. He emphasized that intelligence and operational freedom would allow Israel to maintain pressure and respond swiftly to any renewed threats.

During a Jan. 2 call organized by the Washington D.C-based Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amikam Norkin, former commander of the Israeli Air Force, emphasized the ongoing need for military operations in Gaza, stating, “The IDF will be launching military operations against terrorists in Gaza every few weeks.”

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, former national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated on the same call, “I think that we succeeded in neutralizing Hamas as a military terrorist organization, but still Hamas is strong inside Gaza.” Amidror suggested that neutralizing Hamas entirely would take at least a year of sustained efforts, including targeting its leadership and infrastructure.

Amidror also raised the issue of governance post-conflict, asserting, “When it will not be relevant inside Gaza, we can call a third party to come into Gaza and take control of the civilian side. Until then, no one [externally] will be ready to take responsibility.”

On Jan. 4, IDF engineering units uncovered and destroyed a Hamas tunnel in central Gaza containing manufacturing facilities for munitions and explosives. The operation underscored ongoing efforts to dismantle the group’s remaining rocket production infrastructure.

Image: Smoke trails are seen after rocket fire from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, on Sept. 26, 2024. Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90.

January 9, 2025 0 comments

Community JTVC Breaking News

Macron: Iran’s nuclear program leading world on ‘path of no return’

by admin January 8, 2025

written by admin

Iran announced the deployment of new air defense systems to protect nuclear sites.

(JNS)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday issued a stark warning about Iran’s nuclear program, stating that it is rapidly approaching the “point of no return.”

Macron made his comments at the annual conference of French ambassadors which took place in Paris.

The French president described Iran as “the main strategic and security challenge” for the European Union.

“The acceleration of Iran’s nuclear program is leading us down a path of no return,” Macron declared, emphasizing the shrinking window for Western nations to act. He called for the swift implementation of broad sanctions against Tehran.

On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot urged his fellow citizens to avoid traveling to Iran, citing fear of arbitrary arrests. Barrot expressed concern over the detention of French citizens in the Islamic Republic, stating that some are enduring conditions that could be described as “torture.”

Meanwhile, Iran announced on Tuesday the deployment of new air defense systems focused on protecting the Natanz nuclear site in the central province of Isfahan.

The deployment coincides with claims that Israel had destroyed much of Iran’s air defense network during strikes on Apr. 19 and Oct. 26 of last year, which were in retaliation for Tehran’s large-scale missile barrages on the Jewish state.

Image: Courtesy JNS Article

January 8, 2025 0 comments

JTVC Breaking News Terrorism

‘Hostages have to get out now’—Trump ups ante on Hamas

by admin January 7, 2025

written by admin

President-elect vows “hell to pay” if terrorists don’t free American captives.

Erez Linn

(Israel Hayom via JNS)

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump again issued a stern warning regarding American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, saying in a recent podcast that there will be “hell to pay” if they are not released by the time he returns to office in two weeks.

When pressed by American political commentator Hugh Hewitt on the specific meaning behind his warning, Trump elaborated with characteristic intensity: “If those hostages aren’t released by the time I get into office, there will be hell to pay.

“I don’t think I have to go into it. … But it won’t be the word ‘don’t,’ you know. I heard the word ‘don’t,’ you can add that into it, but that would just be a small part of it. … Those hostages have to get out. They have to get out now.”

In a wide-ranging interview with Hewitt, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to Israel while emphasizing his record of achievements in the Middle East, including the Abraham Accords between Israel and four Arab states and the relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

“I’m the best friend that Israel ever had,” Trump said during the conversation. He highlighted his administration’s accomplishments, including the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the construction of the U.S. embassy there. “I not only said we’re going to, you know we got it built to have a beautiful embassy,” he said.

The president-elect emphasized his role in establishing the Abraham Accords, describing them as one of several “major events” during his presidency that benefited Israel. “Every single thing, every major event that’s happened to Israel over the last fairly short period of time has been given through me,” Trump said.

Addressing current tensions in the region, Trump expressed his desire for peace while acknowledging the long-standing nature of the conflict.

The interview touched on several aspects of Middle East policy, with Trump repeatedly emphasizing his strong support for Israel and his commitment to achieving peace in the region, noting that the conflict has persisted “longer than people would understand.

“I have to add, I am also for peace, it’s time, this fight has been going on for too long,” he said, noting that he was going to try to end the war between Hamas and Israel that began on Oct. 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists massacred some 1,200 Israeli residents and took more than 250 captive.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

Image: Then-President Donald Trump delivers the commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., May 17, 2017. Credit: Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Kelley/Coast Guard photo.

January 7, 2025 0 comments

Community JTVC Breaking News

Plot against the IDF: How one group targets Israelis abroad

by admin January 7, 2025

written by admin

The Hind Rajab Foundation has filed lawsuits against at least 28 IDF soldiers in eight different countries during “Operation Iron Swords.”

Shirit Avitan Cohen

(Israel Hayom via JNS)

An investigation by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs reveals the inner workings of the campaign targeting Israeli soldiers in both hostile and non-hostile countries, orchestrated by the Hind Rajab Foundation.

The foundation was established in September in Brussels as a nonprofit organization named after a Palestinian child allegedly killed by the IDF during “Operation Iron Swords.” The foundation is a branch of the March 30 Movement, which has been active for more than three decades in legal warfare against IDF soldiers, headed by two Lebanese-born activists: Dyab Abou Jahjah and Karim Hassoun.

The foundation collects publicly available information online about IDF soldiers, including details about military operations they participated in, aiming to prosecute them in foreign countries.

The foundation’s achievements during “Operation Iron Swords” are impressive. So far, it has filed lawsuits against at least 28 soldiers in eight different countries. But that’s not all—the organization has submitted information to the International Criminal Court about alleged war crimes supposedly committed by more than a thousand soldiers and officers during operations in Gaza and Lebanon.

Beyond gathering information, researchers at the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs say the organization publishes information about IDF soldiers staying abroad, to compromise their safety. The foundation also filed a complaint against Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans who were attacked antisemitically in the Netherlands on Nov. 5, claiming they “attacked pro-Palestinians and were documented making calls inciting violence against Palestinians and Arabs.”

The foundation is seeking to hire a law firm in Thailand specializing in laws of war and international humanitarian law to handle cases involving IDF soldiers in the country. In early January, they filed a motion against an IDF soldier staying in Thailand for alleged war crimes. This is in addition to law firms working with the foundation worldwide. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs believes the foundation will increase its activities in the coming period through partnerships with local law firms globally.

Abou Jahjah, who was born in Southern Lebanon and acquired Belgian citizenship through marriage, is a former recognized Hezbollah activist who was charged by Belgian police in 2002 for involvement in violence.

Hassoun has served since 2005 as chairman of the Arab European League, which is dedicated to “helping Muslim integration in Europe,” and previously published a cartoon suggesting Jews fabricated the Holocaust. He holds Belgian citizenship as well.

Hassoun was involved in 2002 in a lawsuit filed against then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a Belgian court for allegedly committing war crimes due to the Sabra and Shatila massacres in Lebanon, when Christians slaughtered Palestinians.

During “Operation Iron Swords,” Abou Jahjah worked to sue Yonatan Ben Hamo, an IDF soldier with Dutch citizenship, and other soldiers in a Dutch court for “involvement in war crimes and violating Dutch law through attacks on civilians in Gaza.”

Abou Jahjah declared in an interview (Dec. 27, 2023) with Belgium’s La Libre newspaper that he would also work to sue Israeli soldiers with Belgian citizenship in local courts. Additionally, he has asked his social media followers to hunt down IDF soldiers of Dutch or other European origin to pursue legal proceedings against them.

Due to Hassoun’s support for terrorism and antisemitism, Belgian politicians have called to exclude him from the ruling coalition. In an article cited by the politicians, Hassoun appears wearing a Hezbollah hat, and evidence was presented showing he expressed support for the Lebanese terrorist organization and praised Samir Kuntar, the murderer of the Haran family in Nahariya in 1979.

In 2009, Hassoun signed a petition calling on European Parliament candidates to remove Hamas and other “Palestinian liberation organizations” from the terrorism list and recognize Hamas as a legitimate voice of Palestinian liberation aspirations.

The Israeli government minister Amichai Chikli openly threatened me. This is a blatant act of terrorism and incitement. I will be filing a lawsuit against him.
What a hallucinating sense of impunity. pic.twitter.com/zd1TwKoHHm

— Dyab Abou Jahjah (@Aboujahjah) January 6, 2025

Hassoun has frequently praised acts of terrorism on social media and wrote just last month, “I condemn Hamas for taking only 100 hostages instead of 500 or 1000.”

In another post (Sept. 15, 2023), he condemned a publication by the Islamic Fatwa Council against Hamas human rights violations, writing, “The Fatwa Council serves Zionist, American and Western interests, they are a bunch of Islamic regime cheerleaders, it doesn’t matter if Hamas is considered Muslim or not as long as it opposes occupation [i.e. Israel] we stand by it and pray for it.”

An Israeli tourist fled Brazil recently after a federal court authorized a criminal investigation into his actions as a soldier in the Gaza Strip, after a complaint was filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation.

Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said in a statement: “The findings from our ministry’s research expose the true face of the ‘human rights’ organization Hind Rajab Foundation, led by clear Hezbollah activists who support terror. It’s sad but not surprising that Lula’s [President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s] hostile government in Brazil adopted the unfortunate conclusions of this dubious organization whose face was exposed today, but Lula doesn’t represent the spirit of the Brazilian people, who mostly love Israel and despise terror organizations. I thank my friend, [Brazilian] House Representative Eduardo Bolsonaro, who joined the fight against terror supporters.”

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

Image: Israeli soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip, Jan. 28, 2024. Credit: IDF.

January 7, 2025 0 comments