This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
JERUSALEM – Middle East/Israel Morning Brief
New York Times refuses to publish American Quaker ad accusing Israel of genocide
The American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker group that has regularly advocated against the Jewish state, has condemned the New York Times for declining to publish its ad alleging genocide in Gaza.
"The refusal of the New York Times to run paid digital ads that call for an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza is an outrageous attempt to sidestep the truth," AFSC General Secretary Joyce Ajlouny said on Monday, according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
According to the AFSC, the text of its ad read, "Tell Congress to stop arming Israel's genocide in Gaza now! As a Quaker organization, we work for peace. Join us. Tell the President and Congress to stop the killing and starvation in Gaza."
AFSC said that a member of the newspaper's advertising team requested the group use "war" instead of "genocide."
After rejecting this change, AFSC said it received an email stating that "various international bodies, human rights organizations, and governments have differing views on the situation. In line with our commitment to factual accuracy and adherence to legal standards, we must ensure that all advertising content complies with these widely applied definitions."
Iran drills on shielding nuclear facilities from potential Israeli attack
Iran is preparing for the strong possibility that Israel – with or without the United States – will attack its nuclear development plants sometime this year, reported the Jewish Press.
The Iranian Army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aerial defense forces have been conducting a joint war game since January 7 – but on Sunday morning, the drill was shifted to Iran's northern and western sectors.
The air defense units drilled on a plan to protect the Fordow nuclear site in Qom province, and the Arak nuclear facility in Khondab, part of Markazi province, according to the IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency.
Last week, the IRGC Aerospace Force employed point-defense tactics to protect a nuclear site in Natanz against aerial threats and possible electronic warfare, the news outlet reported.
Israel's late October attack on Iran is thought to have largely put out of use a secret nuclear facility as well as knocking out most – if not all – of the Russian-supplied S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missile defense systems.
Trump to press Netanyahu for concessions on Saudi peace
"President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will inevitably lead to significant shifts in U.S. policy, both internationally and regionally, due to his contrasting worldview and leadership style compared to Biden," according to U.S. policy expert and senior researcher at the Institute for Policy and Strategy at Reichman University, Dr. Shay Har-Zvi.
Har-Zvi outlined three main objectives for Trump: ending the war in Gaza and ensuring the return of hostages, brokering a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
