RSS
The World’s ‘Triple Standard’ Against Israel Endangers Global Security
The personal belongings of festival-goers are seen at the site of an attack on the Nova Festival by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Oct. 12, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
It is a sad and sobering reality that in Israel’s war against Hamas, the Jewish State is being subjected not just to a double standard, but a triple standard.
During this war, it has become increasingly obvious that the Arab countries that profess to care about Palestinian lives, aren’t doing much to help the situation. Despite Egypt having an actual physical border with Gaza, and despite Jordan’s population being something in the realm of 70% Palestinian, according to some statistics, both countries have barely made an effort to address the humanitarian issue.
Egypt, in response to the humanitarian suffering in Gaza, is building a large concrete wall along the Gaza border to prevent Palestinians from leaving. Qatar, meanwhile, continues to host the “brave” leaders of Hamas in luxury hotels, while Gaza’s civilians suffer.
Yet, the world doesn’t criticize or demand anything from these countries, even though America gives billions of dollars to Jordan and Egypt each year.
Then there is the West, which values freedom, democracy, human rights, LGBTQI rights, and so forth. After the October 7 terrorist invasion by Hamas, many countries correctly stood by Israel — a fellow democracy that embraces the same values they do. France even suggested the world should build a coalition, similar to what it did to defeat ISIS.
But six months later, there is no sign of any such coalition, and France has lost its courage and joined calls for an immediate ceasefire that would leave Hamas in power.
Focusing entirely on the plight of Gazan civilians suffering under a war their leaders started — France along with many Western countries, including Australia — is actively trying to prevent Israel from defeating Hamas. Letting Hamas retain power would invite future October 7 assaults (something Hamas leaders have promised to carry out), and make it harder to secure the release of the Israeli hostages still being held at gunpoint in Gaza.
So, the question needs to be asked, what would these countries do if they were attacked by dozens of brutal death squads, encompassing thousands of terrorists, who inflicted mass murder, torture, and rape on 22 civilian towns?
The answer is clear. When America was attacked on 9/11, the world understood that basic international freedom, security, and prosperity were at stake. The UN Security Council even passed resolution 1368 the very next day, unanimously condemning the “horrifying terrorist attacks.”
America, NATO, and the free world soon launched a war on terrorism. America’s number one priority was to get the terrorists, and no one questioned its right or purpose. And they certainly didn’t demand a ceasefire before the threat to American civilians was removed.
The same thing happened in the war against ISIS, which caused massive destruction and loss to civilian life. Again, it was understood that this was an unavoidable part of the tragedy of war.
There were no demands to negotiate with ISIS, the Taliban, or Al Qaeda, because of the universal understanding that you cannot negotiate with terrorist groups or terrorist regimes.
Israel is fighting a similar evil — not one located thousands of kilometers away, but an evil just hundreds of meters away, which has sworn to repeat the October 7 attacks again and again and again.
This time, however, the world is not standing by Israel, but instead criticizing its every action, despite its unprecedented efforts in trying to protect the civilians that Hamas uses as human shields. The world is holding Israel to a standard that no Western country would be held to.
The death of any innocent person in a conflict, be it in Gaza or Afghanistan, is indeed a tragedy, but it is a terrible consequence of war, the responsibility for which lies solely with the aggressors who initiated it, not those who are defending themselves.
Instead of applying an impossible standard to Israel, the world needs realism and courage. While the suffering and destruction in Gaza is hard to watch, if the world does not support Israel in winning this war now, it will inevitably lead to further wars later on, and suffering that will only be repeated and intensified.
If these “triple-standards” continue to be applied against Israel, then a terrorist army, using human shields, would have gotten away with mass murder. How can any freedom-loving democracy tolerate that outcome?
Justin Amler is a Policy Analyst at the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC).
The post The World’s ‘Triple Standard’ Against Israel Endangers Global Security first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Germany’s Halt to Arms Exports to Israel Is Response to Gaza Expansion Plans, Chancellor Says
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attends a cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Aug. 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen
Germany’s decision to curb arms exports to Israel comes in response to Israel’s plan to expand its operations in the Gaza Strip, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday in an interview with public broadcaster ARD.
“We cannot deliver weapons into a conflict that is now being pursued exclusively by military means,” Merz said. “We want to help diplomatically, and we are doing so.”
The worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel’s plans to expand military control over the enclave have pushed Germany to take this historically fraught step.
The chancellor said in the interview that the expansion of Israel’s operations in Gaza could claim hundreds of thousands of civilian lives and would require the evacuation of the entire city of Gaza.
“Where are these people supposed to go?” Merz said. “We can’t do that, we won’t do that, and I will not do that.”
Nevertheless, the principles of Germany’s Israel policy remain unchanged, the chancellor said.
“Germany has stood firmly by Israel’s side for 80 years. That will not change,” Merz said.
Germany is Israel’s second-biggest weapons supplier after the US and has long been one of its staunchest supporters, principally because of its historical guilt for the Nazi Holocaust – a policy known as the “Staatsraison.”
RSS
Newsom Calls Trump’s $1 Billion UCLA Settlement Offer Extortion, Says California Won’t Bow
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at a press conference, accompanied by members of the Texas Democratic legislators, at the governor’s mansion in Sacramento, California, U.S., August 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Saturday that a $1 billion settlement offer by President Donald Trump’s administration for UCLA amounted to political extortion to which the state will not bow.
The University of California says it is reviewing a $1 billion settlement offer by the Trump administration for UCLA after the government froze hundreds of millions of dollars in funding over pro-Palestinian protests.
UCLA, which is part of the University of California system, said this week the government froze $584 million in funding. Trump has threatened to cut federal funds for universities over anti-Israel student protests.
“Donald Trump has weaponized the DOJ (Department of Justice) to kneecap America’s #1 public university system — freezing medical & science funding until @UCLA pays his $1 billion ransom,” the office of Newsom, a Democrat, said in a post.
“California won’t bow to Trump’s disgusting political extortion,” it added.
“This isn’t about protecting Jewish students – it’s a billion-dollar political shakedown from the pay-to-play president.”
The government alleges universities, including UCLA, allowed antisemitism during the protests and in doing so violated Jewish and Israeli students’ civil rights. The White House had no immediate comment beyond the offer.
Experts have raised free speech and academic freedom concerns over the Republican president’s threats. The University of California says paying such a large settlement would “completely devastate” the institution.
Large demonstrations took place at UCLA last year. Last week, UCLA agreed to pay over $6 million to settle a lawsuit by some students and a professor who alleged antisemitism. It was also sued this year over a 2024 violent mob attack on pro-Palestinian protesters.
RSS
Trump Nominates State Dept Spokeswoman Bruce as US Deputy Representative to UN
FILE PHOTO: U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce speaks during her first press briefing at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was nominating State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce as the next US deputy representative to the United Nations.
Bruce has been the State Department spokesperson since Trump took office in January.
In a post on social media in which Trump announced her nomination, the president said she did a “fantastic job” as State Department spokesperson. Bruce will need to be confirmed for the role by the US Senate, where Trump’s Republican Party holds a majority.
During press briefings, she has defended the Trump administration’s foreign policy decisions ranging from an immigration crackdown and visa revocations to US responses to Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza, including a widely condemned armed private aid operation in the Palestinian territory.
Bruce was previously a political contributor and commentator on Fox News for over 20 years.
She has also authored books like “Fear Itself: Exposing the Left’s Mind-Killing Agenda” that criticized liberals and left-leaning viewpoints.
In a post after Trump’s announcement, Bruce thanked him and suggested that the role was a “few weeks” away. Neither Trump nor Bruce mentioned an exact timeline in their online posts.
“Now I’m blessed that in the next few weeks my commitment to advancing America First leadership and values continues on the global stage in this new post,” Bruce wrote on X.
Trump has picked former White House national security adviser Mike Waltz to be his U.N. envoy. Waltz’s Senate confirmation for that role, wherein he will be Bruce’s boss, is still due.
Waltz was Trump’s national security adviser until he was ousted on May 1 after he was caught up in a March scandal involving a Signal chat among top Trump national security aides on military strikes in Yemen. Trump then nominated Waltz as his U.N. ambassador.