Israelis may have been the target of the Oct. 7 massacre, but it has set off a chain of events that continue to spread worldwide with no hope of ending until the hostages in Gaza return home.

Over the past week, while most of you have been focused on the results of the presidential election, Israelis have been focused on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s mismanagement of the war and the side effects of his failure to focus on freeing the hostages. Despite all of the IDF’s successes on the battlefield in Gaza and Lebanon - we are no closer to bringing home the 101 hostages than we were last week and the same can be said about the return of the evacuees from northern Israel. Antisemitism driven by the “Free Palestine” movement continues to grow more violent and reminiscent of the right wing antisemitism that swept Europe in the 1930s.

This week we've decided to focus on two developing spy scandals in Israel. While we don't yet know whether they would make for good spy novels or comedy routines - they are both real and serious. The first one, which began appearing in the Israeli news a few weeks ago, concerns Israelis that Iran succeeded in getting to betray Israel in return for money. So far, none of the spies uncovered were high level or well connected, but there are signs of a massive effort by Iran to entice Israelis - often using fake profiles in social media or criminal contacts.  

Over the past week Bibi and Biden appear to have joined forces against Israel’s opposition parties, each for their own reasons. While Biden may not like Bibi, and Bibi may be rooting for Trump - this week’s events have shown that politics can indeed create strange bedfellows. In this issue, we will look at the three most important issues facing Israel this week and explain how U.S. President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister have found themselves working hand-in-hand against the Israel’s opposition parties in order to advance the political interests of the Biden-Harris administration on one hand and of Bibi and his extremist coalition on the other.

“Kul kalb biji yomo” in Arabic means every dog shall have its day; in other words, every bad person shall get their punishment eventually (sorry dogs for dragging you into this…).

And that’s exactly what happened to Yahya Sinwar, the chief architect of the October 7 massacre and the country's most wanted man. Sinwar disappeared at the start of the war triggered by the unprecedented Hamas attacks, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

And now, he’s finally dead, killed in the ruins of the houses above the tunnels he used to hold the hostages and to plan his attack on Israel. Sinwar was killed in a chance encounter with Israeli troops operating in south Gaza’s Rafah on Wednesday.

In today’s issue, we will focus on the aftermath of Sinwar’s death, and what it means for the hostages and the future of the war.

This week we focus on two issues, yesterday’s drone attack that killed 4 and wounded 67 young Israelis and the level of fake news in mainstream media throughout the west on both the right and the left. We lead with the drone attack because as of noon here in Israel (3 AM EST) there are still no reports in the mainstream U.S. media. There are however headlines about the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system, which looks like they were were written by the Biden Administration’s press secretary and printed as-is.

This leads to our second focus (Look to the Right, Look to the Left -Fake News on Parade) - the indoctrination that has replaced investigative journalism in the mainstream media in the U.S. and Europe. This may or may not be true of most domestic political issues - we don’t really know - but it is true when it comes to reporting on the Middle East, especially when it comes to coverage of Israel and the Palestinians, and anti-Zionism as a politically-correct façade for pure antisemitism.

We will then touch on hostages because we fear that the hostages are being put on the back burner. Whether this is intentional or not doesn’t really matter - time is running out for 101 hostages and their families. This is not only true for Israelis, but Americans as well - because some of those hostages are United States citizens left to rot as the world marches on.

The biggest news over the past week has been about the war in Lebanon and how Israel should or will respond to the missile attack from Iran. If this were any other week, we would probably focus on the media bias and misinformation over these two issues. But we’ve decided instead to give you a taste of the issues that are bubbling under the surface and that does not even receive biased coverage outside of Israel. These are not the “top headlines” in Israel this week, but they have been coming up off-and-on over the past year and Israelis all feel them constantly.

Giving credit to Bibi is not easy, but he finally did make a good decision. This doesn’t make up for making Oct. 7 possible or mismanagement of the war in Gaza, but he was Prime Minister on Friday and it was his call to approve the bombing of Hassan Nasrallah’s bomb shelter. So he deserves credit. He also deserves credit for the last minute ruse that allowed Nasrallah and many of his top people to feel safe just a few more hours until the bombs dropped.

So before you to read this newsletter, open a bottle of Champagne or whatever else helps you celebrate and enjoy the moment before we delve into the wrong reasons and their potential costs down the road. And maybe, just maybe… his moment of glory might guide him to make a few more good decisions (but most likely he will once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory).

In this issue we  focus on how the Israeli perspective differs from what you are seeing in the mainstream media. We will also update you regarding the parallel universe known as Israeli politics. Finally, we will try and remind you about the hostages and ask that you do all you can to keep talking about them.  

This issue deals with the sad truth of what is happening in Israel and how the media bias against Israel only makes things worse for all of us, Israelis and non-Israelis alike. This issue is divided into two sections:

* The main section focuses on what is happening inside Israel - spoiler alert - it is sad and alarming

* The second section focuses on media bias against Israel and its impact on antisemitism in the U.S. and worldwide

In this edition we how the current reality for Israelis and Jews worldwide lies far enough outside the realm of probability that it resembles episodes of the 1959 TV series, The Twilight Zone.

• Episode 337 describes many of the events of the past few days that just don't seem real - but are.

• Episode 338 describes the events of today up until the sending of this edition.

• Episode 339 is a preview of what to look for tomorrow.

This edition accuses both the Netanyahu-Ben Gvir-Smotrich administration in Israel and the Biden-Harris administration in the United States of failure to do enough to free both Israelis and Americans kidnapped by Hamas. In the upcoming presidential election, Kamala Harris needs to prove that she cares more about American citizens held hostage than about world opinion about Israel and the Palestinians. This is not a call to vote for Trump - far from it. But it is a call to force the candidates to show which of them is less dangerous.

This edition focuses on whether Sunday's preemptive airstrike was designed to prevent the outbreak of full-scare war with Hezbollah and Lebanon, or an expensive publicity stunt. We also delve into the following issues:

• whether Kamala Harris will prevent of facilitate the spread of antisemitism in the United States (spoiler - we are not sure but have suggestions about what to watch for)

• the relationship between Netanyahu and hostage families (spoiler - it is not a pretty picture)

• how the current political leadership is undermining Israeli solidarity

This edition focuses on the basics of why you read this newsletter and one single Call to Action.

• Pointing out the misconceptions that many of you have (or had) regarding Israel that are grounded in media bias and the politically correct view that Israel is all about the Palestinians and support for Israel = support for Bibi.

• Update on what is happening - or not happening - to bring the hostages home.

• Putting the dramatic rise in antisemitism into historical perspective so that we do not return to the 1930s and early 1940s.

In this edition, we're focused on the plight of the hostages - just how much time do they have left- and the obstacles placed by Netanyahu and his government in reaching a ceasefire and deal to release them. We've also addressed some of the latest antisemitism in the world, and try to understand why the world press continues to be so bad at its job when it comes to reporting on Israel.

In this edition we mark the sad birthday of 5-year-old Ariel Bibas, the little redhead being held by Hamas with his baby brother and parents. We also want you to know about the courageous stand taken by Ayelet Samerano against the UNWRA secretary-general in Lausanne.

Read about how long can a hostage survive in captivity, about Turkey in NATO, the threats to Israel from Iran and Hezbollah and what the IDF says might happen.

In this edition, read about how Israelis perceive Netanyahu’s decision to leave for Washington when he is needed at home to complete a deal that might bring many of the hostages home alive. We also cover many of the issues of the past few days and announce that we will move to a weekly format.

In this edition:

• If they were your daughters, would you forget them?: Read about Human Rights Watch Report on October 7 Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes by Hamas-led Groups, and signs of life from some of the hostages

• Netanyahu heads to Washington; hopes to save his coalition and political career: Read how Israelis wonder if the visit will thwart any possibility of a deal being signed to release the 120 hostages held by Hamas.

• They turned into monsters: Read an open letter by Nobel Prize winner Herta Muller

In this edition:

• In the shadow of Trump: Everything that we write about here today is overshadowed by the attempted assassination of former President Trump. But did you know that there are already antisemitic theories and calls for violence? Sheesh.

• Hostages: What will happen now to the hostages with the attack on Mohammed Deif in Gaza? Will Hamas stop negotiating? Will Bibi harden his stance on the hostage deal?

• Israeli Politics: Israeli chief of staff describes the war and future strategy; outgoing police chief criticizes Ben Gvir and Netanyahu's coalition for politicizing law enforcement; and much more.

In this edition:

• Up Shit Creek Without a Leader: Read how the leadership crisis in Israel is preventing Israel from turning success on the ground into a way to end the existential threat it faces, and how the United States appears headed for its own leadership crisis.

• Hostages: Read about the Four-Day March from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in Support of the Hostage Deal and efforts within the coalition to undermine the deal.

• Rabbis Against IDF Conscription: The Inevitable Mandatory Service: Read about one of the most divisive issues that that Israeli leader have avoided with dealing with for over 75 years - but now has become too urgent to ignore.

• Netanyahu's Coalition: A Week of Unprecedented Threats: Barbara Sher goes into detail about the many political threats that Bibi is dealing with instead of the threats to national security and the effort to bring the hostages home.