Xenophon Costeas - Ξενοφών Κωστέας

There was an attack today carried out by radical Palestinians against an Israeli military checkpoint near Hebron in the southern West Bank, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding three others. 1. The attack killed Yonatan Roytman, 23, of Ashkelon, and Yuval Svilem, 20, of Hod Hasharon. The assailants, Mohammed Jaaba and Firas Jaaba, both 27 and from the same family in Hebron, are suspected of being Hamas sympathizers. It remains unclear whether they acted independently or under Hamas direction. Israeli military assessments suggest they intended to carry out a larger attack against Israelis near Route 35 but targeted the checkpoint after failing to reach the highway. 2. Following the attack, the Israeli military launched operations in the area of Hebron from which the assailants originated, demolishing their family homes and preparing broader destruction of structures and residential areas, similar to operations previously conducted in Jenin, Tulkarem, Tobas, and other parts of the northern West Bank. The Israeli response is expected to displace large numbers of Palestinians unconnected to the attack, prompting accusations of collective punishment. Hebron, however, has long been a center of Hamas support in the West Bank despite the relative absence of attacks on Israeli targets in recent years. 3. Palestinian social media reaction has been overwhelmingly critical, with many arguing that the attack strengthens Netanyahu politically right before consequential Israeli elections while inviting severe collective consequences for communities across the Hebron governorate. This criticism extends even to people who generally view attacks on military targets as legitimate forms of “resistance.” Hamas’s praise for the attack has been met with ridicule, with many Palestinians accusing the group of once again helping bring devastation to the West Bank, as it did in Gaza. 4. Among Gazans, the dominant reaction has been, “we warned you.” Many point to longstanding West Bank support for Hamas, October 7, and armed “resistance,” arguing that those now fearing a Gaza-style campaign ignored similar warnings from Gazans. Hebron, in particular, has long been considered a Hamas stronghold. Gazans who opposed Hamas or criticized the prolongation of the war were often branded traitors or collaborators by West Bank supporters of the terror group. Many of those same voices are now fearful that the Israeli military will bring to Hebron the kind of devastation seen in Gaza and southern Lebanon. Today's attack was not an act of resistance. It was a reckless and self-destructive action carried out by individuals who expected to be celebrated as heroes within a hopeless political and social culture that too often rewards futile violence and collective self-harm. That culture must change.

Islamist terrorists carried out a horrific massacre against Jordan’s Christian community today in Karak, south of Amman. The three attackers opened fire during a funeral at St. George Orthodox Church, killing seven people and wounding dozens in an atrocity that sent shockwaves through Christian communities across the Middle East. King Abdullah II vowed to confront those seeking to destabilize Jordan and threaten its centuries-old Christian presence. Jordanians from across the political spectrum have rallied behind his commitment to combating ISIS-inspired Islamist terrorism. Public outrage intensified after CCTV footage of the attack circulated online, revealing the cold-blooded targeting of defenseless civilians gathered to mourn a loved one. What is particularly revealing is that some of the same people condemning today’s massacre of Jordanian Christians celebrated or excused Hamas’s equally brutal murder of Israeli civilians on October 7. It is remarkable how readily some affirm the sanctity of innocent civilian life in one context and correctly denounce its killing as terrorism, yet deny that same humanity in another and rebrand the murder of civilians as “resistance.”