Sinwar, Hamas journalists, Druze life on the Lebanon border, and more

Some of my work from the last month

It’s been five months since my last post. Things in Israel have been very intense in many respects, keeping journalists very busy. One of the things I appreciate about working at Jewish Insider is that I am able to mostly write features that allow me to take the time to dig deep, rather than just chasing each day’s news. And there is so much to chase lately.

Here are some stories from the past month that are not the same news you can read anywhere. I think you’ll find interesting:

‘No one appealed against Oct. 7 mastermind Sinwar’s 2011 prison release’

One of the things I love about reporting is when I go in expecting to write one story — in this case, about antisemitism on social media — and I find an entirely different one.

Emi Palmor was the head of the Israeli Justice Ministry’s Pardons Department for the five years in which Gilad Schalit was held captive in Gaza, and knew Hamas Gaza leader and Oct. 7 attack mastermind Yahya Sinwar’s file very well.

Read what she had to say here.

A Druse flag in Hurfeish, with Mount Adar in the background

Druze Israelis remain on Lebanon border: ‘We’ll die defending our land if we have to’

My colleague Ruth Eglash and I spent a day in the Druze town of Hurfeish, right on the Lebanon border, to hear about why their community decided not to evacuate when the Jewish towns all around them left. We met some very interesting people who told us about their experiences during this war. Read more here.

One-third of journalists killed in Gaza were affiliated with terrorist groups

The U.S. head of Reporters Without Borders acknowledged that the NGO applied different standards for Gazan and Israeli journalists killed during the war. Read more

Dark money group backing anti-Israel campus activity faces scrutiny for its practices

Tides’ entities – the foundation, as well as the Tides Network, Tides Center, Tides Inc. and Tides Advocacy – have a combined budget of almost $1 billion to support progressive causes. In many respects, they operate as a dark money group, allowing other organizations to hide sources of funding and expenditures. Read more

Penina Ben Yosef knitting a hat for a soldier while evacuated from her home near the Gaza border. (Credit: Courtesy)

An Israeli survivor of the Holocaust and Oct. 7 says after the recent atrocities, we ‘held our heads high’

I had the privilege of speaking with Penina Ben Yosef about her experiences surviving the Holocaust, helping found Kfar Maimon near the Gaza border, and living through the Oct. 7 attack. Read the article about her life, which I wrote for Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoa).

Israel, Ukraine fighting against the same ‘axis of evil,’ ambassador says

Ukraine took notice when Israel, the U.S., U.K., France and Jordan acted together to thwart Iran’s missile and drone attack — and was jealous of Israel, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk said. Read more about why he sees Jerusalem and Kyiv as being on the same side of one fight.