Tag: israel

Inside Israel’s shadow campaign to win over American media

Back in March 2011, the Israeli consulate in New York City had a problem. A group of soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were coming to the U.S. on a PR trip, and Israeli officials needed help persuading influential media outlets to interview the delegation.

Luckily for the consulate, a new organization called Act For Israel, led by Israeli-American actor Noa Tishby, was prepared to swing into action. “[I]n mid March 2011, the New York Consulate requested our assistance,” Tishby’s organization wrote in a document revealed in a recent trove of leaked emails.

“Act For Israel quickly arranged seven interviews with the top ranks of U.S. blogs and radio shows,” the document explained, highlighting that their efforts helped promote “Israel’s narrative” in Red State, which it described as the “most read blog by US Senators and Congress representatives.”

The previously unreported campaign appears to have violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which mandates that American citizens and organizations publicly disclose any work that seeks to influence American politics on behalf of a foreign power. “That sounds like a slam-dunk case of activities that should have required FARA registration,” said Ben Freeman, a FARA expert at the Quincy Institute, which publishes RS.

The leak provides a rare window into how some pro-Israel activists have skirted rules aimed at providing transparency about foreign influence over American politics — a practice that has helped obscure the scale of Israeli propaganda efforts in the United States. In public, Act For Israel appeared to be no more than a group of pro-Israel Americans advocating for a stronger U.S.-Israel relationship. But the leaked emails and documents show that representatives of the organization sought to shape U.S. public opinion while boasting privately of their intimate collaboration with the Israeli government.

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Milei Launches ‘Isaac Accords’ To Expand Israeli Influence In Latin America

Argentinian President Javier Milei formally launched the Isaac Accords on Saturday, a new initiative aimed at strengthening political, economic, and cultural cooperation between Israel and Latin America.

Milei announced the initiative following a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who visited Buenos Aires on Saturday as part of a regional diplomatic tour. 

The Isaac Accords are being promoted in partnership with Washington and are modeled after the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco.

Milei said Argentina would serve as a “pioneer” alongside the US to promote the new framework to other Latin American countries, including Uruguay, Panama, and Costa Rica.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar praised Milei’s love of Judaism and Israel as “sincere, powerful, and moving.” Before the meeting began, Milei recited the “Shehecheyanu,” a traditional Jewish blessing, and placed a kippah on his head.

“When the president saw me place the kippah on my head to make the blessing, he immediately placed on his own head the kippah he keeps in his office,” Saar wrote. 

After his election, Milei “transformed Argentina from a critic of Israel to one of its staunchest supporters,” according to the Times of Israel,including announcing plans to move its embassy to occupied Jerusalem.

Though Milei was raised Catholic, he has stated he will convert to Judaism once he leaves office. Argentine officials said that possible joint projects with Israel in the fields of technology, security, and economic development are already under consideration. 

Argentina’s Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno is scheduled to travel to Israel in February for additional talks to advance the initiative.

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Ukrainian An-124 “Ruslan” Makes Secretive Landing in Israel, Fueling Speculation of Covert Military Support to Kyiv

In a development that has stirred intense speculation across defense circles, a Ukrainian An-124-100 “Ruslan” — one of the world’s largest and most capable cargo aircraft — made an unannounced landing at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on the evening of November 28, 2025. The aircraft, operated by Antonov Airlines, arrived quietly from the United Arab Emirates, loaded undisclosed cargo, and departed within a short window, leaving behind more questions than answers.

A Rare Appearance of Ukraine’s Heavy Transporter

The An-124 “Ruslan” is the pride of Ukraine’s aviation industry and a critical asset for the country since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion. After the destruction of parts of Antonov’s fleet at Hostomel Airport in 2022 — including the world-record An-225 “Mriya” — only 10–12 An-124s remain operational worldwide. Most Ukrainian flights now operate from safer hubs such as Leipzig, Germany and other European airports.

Its sudden appearance in Israel — especially without standard flight-tracking visibility — underscores the exceptional nature of this mission.

Unusual Cargo and Unusual Secrecy

Witnesses at Ben Gurion Airport reported trucks transporting large beige containers, similar in size to launch canisters used for Patriot PAC-2/GEM+ missiles or Israel’s Rafael SPYDER air-defense system. The cargo was loaded swiftly into the aircraft under heightened security.

There was no official announcement, no commercial flight plan, and minimal digital traces — highly unusual for a civilian transport operation. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft flew toward Tbilisi, Georgia, before continuing back to the Persian Gulf region, taking a route that appeared deliberately indirect and partially hidden from common flight-tracking websites.

Such patterns are often associated with military or highly sensitive logistical operations.

Strengthening Israel–Ukraine Defense Links

If the aircraft indeed carried air-defense components or interceptors, it would mark another discreet step in Israel’s gradually expanding support for Ukraine. While Israel has avoided publicly supplying offensive weapons to Kyiv, it has reportedly facilitated transfers of defensive systems — especially as Ukrainian cities continue to face waves of Russian missile and drone attacks.

The timing is notable: Ukraine has recently expanded deployment of Patriot systems, and Kyiv has hinted at receiving additional Western-supplied interceptors through third-party channels.

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Netanyahu asks Israeli president for pardon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted a formal pardon request to President Isaac Herzog, the presidential office has announced. The PM has been plagued by corruption allegations since the mid-2010s, yet consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Herzog’s office on Sunday said it had received a letter from Netanyahu and a massive 111-page document from his lawyer Amit Hadad. The presidency said it was aware “that this is an extraordinary request” that potentially carries “significant implications.” 

“Granting this request will allow the prime minister to devote all of his time, abilities, and energy to advancing Israel in these critical times and to dealing with the challenges and opportunities that lie before it,” Hadad argued in the request.  

Granting the prime minister a pardon would supposedly “help mend rifts between different sectors of the public,” as well as contribute to “strengthening the country’s national resilience,” Netanyahu’s lawyer suggested.  

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Israeli troops caught on camera executing unarmed Palestinians in West Bank’s Jenin

Video footage from 27 November showed Israeli troops executing two unarmed Palestinian resistance fighters in the occupied West Bank, where Tel Aviv has recently escalated raids and attacks as part of a new operation against resistance factions in the territory. 

The two men who were executed were killed as they were surrendering themselves to the Israeli army in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday, the footage showed. In the video, the two lift up their shirts and hold their hands up to show they are unarmed.

An Israeli soldier is seen kicking one of the Palestinians in the footage. Both are then lined up and shot dead at the entrance of the storage facility, where they were initially surrounded by the Israeli army. 

After the execution, an army bulldozer is seen demolishing the facility over their bodies. 

The two were members of the Jenin Brigade of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement’s Quds Brigades. They were killed as they surrendered following a clash with Israeli troops.

They have been identified as 37-year-old commander Yusuf Ali Asasa and 26-year-old fighter Al-Muntasir Billah Mahmoud Abdullah. 

The Quds Brigades released a statement mourning the resistance members, “who ascended to the highest ranks after a journey filled with jihad and resistance, following a field execution carried out by the Nazi enemy army … after their ammunition ran out during an armed clash with enemy forces that besieged them.”

The Israeli army admitted in its own statement that the two men were shot during a joint operation by the military and border police around Jenin city. 

It added that the shooting “is under review by the commanders on the ground and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies.”

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has been pushing the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, defended the execution, saying that “terrorists must die.”

“We must put an end to investigations targeting our soldiers who open fire on terrorists,” the minister added. 

Israeli Army Radio reported that three soldiers from the undercover ‘Mista’arvim’ unit are being investigated.

“The extrajudicial killing of two unarmed Palestinians in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, who posed no threat, constitutes another link in the chain of extrajudicial killings targeting Palestinians throughout occupied Palestinian territory. This is a grave violation of international humanitarian law … amounting to war crimes that warrant international criminal prosecution,” said Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. 

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A Single Warehouse in Jersey City Moved Over A Thousand Tons of Military Cargo to Israel Every Week

A single warehouse in Jersey City, New Jersey, packaged and transported over a thousand tons of military equipment to Israel every week in the first eight months of 2025, according to a report jointly released today by the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and Progressive International (PI). A network of businesses based in New Jersey uses the privately owned warehouse to inspect, organize, and move military equipment, including Merkava tank parts, F-16 parts, ammunition, military gear, and armored and unarmored vehicles. The equipment is then packaged and delivered to nearby airports and sea ports and sent to Israel, researchers revealed.

The transfer of military gear to Israel is spearheaded by three overlapping Jersey-based companies—Interglobal Forwarding Services (IFS), G&B Packing Company, and G&G Services—which are all seemingly owned and operated by the same people. IFS and G&B serve as contractors with the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD), which works closely with U.S. weapons manufacturers to purchase weapons. IFS primarily handles administrative matters; G&B Packing Company handles, packages, and loads the equipment onto trucks; and G&G Services makes shipments to local ports with its own fleet of trucks.

The PYM and PI’s report documented that 91% of all Israel-bound sea exports of military gear that did not go through a U.S. military base passed through the IFS and the G&B warehouse.

Until now, little has been known about the Jersey-based companies that operate the warehouse and their role transferring U.S. weapons to Israel. The revelation of the warehouse, which serves as a significant pit-stop in the military equipment supply-chain, comes as Israel continues its assault on Gaza, despite a U.S.-brokered “ceasefire.”

Between January and late August 2025, the month when the PYM and PI report was compiled, an average of 878 tons of sea cargo and between 263-525 tons of air cargo passed through the Jersey warehouse weekly, according to the bills of lading tabulated by the researchers. The equipment often travels “from the IFS warehouse to Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal, where they are loaded onto a Maersk vessel on the MECL line, dropped off in Tangier, Morocco, and picked up by another Maersk vessel on the Med Loop C to be taken to Haifa,” researchers found.

The majority of the shipments are for tank and armored vehicles. In addition to shipments to the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD), IFS handles packages for private Israeli military companies, including Rafael Advanced Systems and the Israeli Military Industries (IMI). One 2025 shipment to IMI contained “340 tons of rifle ammunition,” researchers calculated. The warehouse is “the default location for any export of military goods to Israel,” researchers claim. In one Israeli government document, the IMOD requires companies to label cargo with G&B Packing’s address.

As recently as November 6, G&B Packing was listed as a point of contact for shipments to the IMOD in a U.S. government contract bid that is open for moving “unclassified spare parts in support of C-130, T-6, F-15, and F-16 aircraft” until February 2026, according to federal contracting data reviewed by Drop Site.

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Disregarding Ceasefire, Israel Hits Beirut

The Israeli military struck Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, Sunday for the first time since June, killing a Hezbollah leader. The attack killed at least five people and injured 28 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Israeli strikes in Lebanon have continued despite a ceasefire struck last year.

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike targeted and killed Hezbollah’s chief of staff, Haytham Tabtabai. Hezbollah confirmed the official’s death.

Netanyahu described Tabtabai as a “mass murderer” and said he was responsible for the deaths of Israelis and Americans.

“The policy I am leading is absolutely clear: Under my leadership, the State of Israel will not allow Hezbollah to rebuild its power, and we will not allow it to pose a threat to Israel again,” he said. “I expect the Government of Lebanon to fulfill its commitment to disarm Hezbollah.”

The U.S. designated Tabatabai as a terrorist in 2016 and offered up to $5 million for information about the military leader.

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Israel Receives 1,000th Aircraft Carrying US Military Supplies Since October 7, 2023

The Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) announced on Wednesday that it has received the 1,000th aircraft as part of an airlift operation delivering US military equipment to Israel that began following the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel and the start of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.

“To date, over 120,000 tons of military equipment, munitions, weapons systems, and protective gear have been transferred to Israel via 1,000 aircraft and approximately 150 maritime vessels,” the IMOD said in a press release. The ministry said it and the IDF have been “conducting a cross-continental logistics airlift operation on a scale unprecedented since the establishment of the state.”

The IDOF said that its missions in the US and Berlin have been involved in the operation, suggesting the flights could include German-supplied military equipment. Germany is the second-largest arms supplier to Israel after the US, and recently announced it was lifting a partial suspension of arms exports to Israel.

Through the airlift operation, Israel has received “advanced munitions, weapons, armored vehicles, medical equipment, communications systems, and personal protective equipment.” The equipment has not only supported Israel’s destruction of Gaza but also its war in Lebanon, its invasion of southwestern Syria, its war with Iran, airstrikes on Yemen, and military operations in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

On Thursday, the IDOF announced that it signed a “multi-billion dollar” contract with the Israeli firm Rafael to procure more Iron Dome defense systems in a deal funded by US military aid. “The $8.7 billion US aid package, approved by Congress in April 2024, includes a dedicated $5.2 billion allocation to enhance Israel’s air defense systems, including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and the high-powered Laser Defense System, which is currently in its final phase of development,” the IMOD said.

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Trump Stands by Huckabee After Unannounced Pollard Meeting

n 1987, Jonathan Pollard was sentenced to life in prison for selling national secrets to Israel. Last July, nearly a decade after his parole, the disgraced former Naval intelligence analyst met with U.S. Ambassador to Mike Huckabee at the United States Embassy in Jerusalem.

The meeting was his first with U.S. officials since his release and immigration to Israel. A break with precedent, the move by Huckabee, even all these years after the crime, still alarmed intelligence officials.

The Trump administration was left in the dark. “The White House was not aware of that meeting,” Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told RealClearPolitics. It was reportedly left off the public schedule of the ambassador. And yet, the administration still condoned the actions of the U.S. envoy to Israel.  

“The president stands by our ambassador, Mike Huckabee,” Leavitt added, “and all that he’s doing for the United States and Israel.”

The case sent shockwaves through both Washington and Tel Aviv at the time of the conviction. The rare spy who offered his services to an ally, Pollard pled guilty, confessing to selling thousands of pages of secret documents to the Israelis for cash, vacations to Europe, and promised future payments to be wired to a Swiss bank account. A federal judge dismissed pleas for mercy even after Pollard’s cooperation led to the indictment of an Israeli air force officer.

The episode came at the height of the Cold War when the CIA was on the lookout for Soviet, not Israeli, spies. The press had dubbed 1985 the “Year of the Spy” as President Ronald Reagan vowed to combat espionage wherever it might fester. “We’ve added resources, people, and top-level attention to this task,” Reagan said during a November radio address that year. “We will not hesitate to root out and prosecute the spies of any nation.”

The FBI nabbed Pollard two years later outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., during a failed attempt to gain asylum.

Pollard was released from prison in 2015 during the Obama administration. After his parole restrictions expired in December of 2020, at the tail end of the first Trump administration, the former spy emigrated to Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted him on the tarmac, telling Pollard “You’re home.”

The private jet that flew him there was reportedly owned by the late casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a Republican megadonor who was a benefactor of both Netanyahu and Trump.

Pollard has no regrets for his actions. He told the New York Times, who first broke the news of his meeting with Huckabee, that it was necessary because the U.S. had cut Israel out of intelligence sharing. During that interview, the former spy, who was granted Israeli citizenship while incarcerated, reportedly called Trump a “madman who has literally sold us down the drain for Saudi gold.”

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Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza drained NATO’s TNT reserves: Report

Polish MP Maciej Konieczny told parliament on 21 November that Europe cannot secure enough TNT for its own defense or for Ukraine because Nitro-Chem, Poland’s sole producer and the continent’s only large TNT supplier, is bound by contracts sending much of its output to the US, where the explosive is used to manufacture the MK-84 and BLU-109 bombs supplied to Israel for its Gaza assault. 

He said this diversion has left Poland with barely a month’s worth of TNT for wartime needs and has pushed European militaries into a severe shortage, while raising questions over whether Israel’s bombardment is being prioritized over Europe’s security requirements.

The Telegraph also recently cited a consortium of international rights groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement, saying Israel’s widescale bombardment of Gaza has relied heavily on TNT supplied through Poland’s state-owned Nitro-Chem plant, a dependence it links to the explosive shortage now facing NATO.

The factory provides 90 percent of the TNT imported by the US for munitions such as the MK-84 and BLU-109 “bunker buster” bombs.

Those weapons have been delivered to Israel in large quantities and linked to high-casualty strikes on densely populated areas. Nitro-Chem has also supplied TNT and RDX to Israel directly.

The report notes that Washington continued dispatching heavy bombs to Israel even as global supplies tightened, including recent shipments that preceded the company’s $310-million agreement with the US military to deliver TNT between 2027 and 2029. 

It warns that western dependence on a single Polish facility has left the rest of Europe exposed to a shortage of explosives, a gap intensified by the scale of Israeli demand.

According to the findings, from October 2023 to July 2024, the US transferred at least 14,000 MK-84 bombs and 8,700 MK-82 bombs to Israel while drawing on Nitro-Chem’s output for resupply. 

The report argues that “without Polish-made TNT, the unprecedented scale and intensity of aerial bombardment that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed the conditions of life in Gaza … would not be possible.”

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