B.M.

@academic_la Shaiel, do you actually target children as well?? That's insane x.com/i/status/20526…

Thank you to everyone who called today to lift me up. You know who you are. You help me believe in myself. One of you said God picks the most imperfect vessels, that will stay with me. You are good people. I will find my way to make a difference.

@academic_la Shaiel, why do you talk this way to genocide victims? x.com/i/status/20526…

There have been meaningful naval clashes in the Straits of Hormuz in the last two days. While ostensibly a tactical engagement, its occurrence during high-stakes peace talks is a shift from a war of attrition to a war of leverage: 1) Overnight on May 7, the U.S. Navy intercepted a coordinated attack by Iranian drones, missiles, and small boats targeting three destroyers—the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason—as they transited the strait. On May 8, U.S. forces fired on and disabled two Iranian oil tankers attempting to breach the American naval blockade. Simultaneously, Iranian state media reported the seizure of a U.S.-sanctioned tanker, the Ocean Koi. 2) By targeting three U.S. destroyers (USS Truxtun, Rafael Peralta, and Mason), Iran is testing the U.S. "dome" of air and sea defense. Although no U.S. ships were damaged, the intensity of the fire signals that Iran is willing to risk total war to maintain its "chokehold" on the waterway. 3) The clash was triggered by the U.S. enforcement of a naval blockade on Iranian ports. This "blockading the blockaders" strategy has stranded over 70 tankers and roughly $13 billion in Iranian oil. 4) Iranian leadership is now moving to permanently change the legal status of the waterway, attempting to replace transit passage with a system of vetting and mandatory tolls. 5) The clash instantly rattled markets, with predictions that U.S. gas prices could hit $5 a gallon if the Strait remains impassable. This economic pressure is the primary lever Iran is using to force U.S. concessions in the Islamabad negotiations. This is intended as posturing for negotiations. But there is a risk of it spiraling out of control, driven by a dangerous disconnect between the diplomatic signals coming from the political leadership and the aggressive reality on the water.

@settzra @CathyYoung63 @afalkhatib Hey, do you happen to have a screenshot of this tweet? Shaiel likes to delete.

@CathyYoung63 @afalkhatib Yes

Though I really didn’t want to spend any time on this, I need to make one thing clear, which is that the loathsome Shaiel Ben Ephraim, pro-Israel commentator turned pro-Palestine activist, has recently crossed two lines from which there is really no coming back. Number one is that he doxxed my entire family and posted their information, including the names of babies and children as young as three and four years old, and those in Gaza who are still in Hamas territory, and shared this information with a network of Gazans that includes people in Hamas’s orbit. This is abhorrent behavior that is also worsened by his attempt to get Gazans to send harassing messages to my colleagues where I work – he was writing posts for Gazans and having them share the text as if it were their own when it was clearly him writing these tweets and, in some cases, using fake accounts to post. Worse, he had a terrible habit of posting insults, ad hominem attacks, and profanity for a few minutes, hoping I would see them, then deleting the comments, not to mention the late-night messages of rage and fury he would send. I tolerated the disturbing past of Shaiel and the problematic behavior that includes the exploitation of Gazans to make him look like a benevolent savior. What I will never tolerate from him or anyone else, is that no matter how much you despise me, you can come after me all you want, and that’s fair – but going after my family, including children and my sisters and placing their lives at risk in a war zone is a new low that speaks volume to how dangerous, problematic, and troublesome this individual is. I caution all who believe that he is truly “pro-Palestine” from further engaging with him. As I said, you can dislike me all you want and come after me, but there are red lines even amongst political and ideological opponents.

In case my main goes down.

I am working on a long-term solution and hope to find one soon, but I have just over a month before I burn through my last savings, so I have to ask for your support. I'm not looking for charity. I believe the work I do - uncovering the darkest corners of Israel and Zionism, whether they are hidden in plain sight (only in Hebrew) or buried inside the lengthy Talmud lesson of an influential rabbi - is essential. I do it because no-one else is doing it - literally no-one - and I feel an obligation to continue doing this work as long as I possibly can. The materials I expose make global headlines and are frequently used by researchers, journalists, and human rights organizations. So, if you find value in the work I do, please consider supporting me, so I can continue. You can subscribe to my Twitter account for just $5, or make a donation on BuyMeACoffe or Patreon (links in the following tweets). In the photo: documenting the abandoned school in the Palestinian village of Al-Birwa in the Galilee, destroyed and uprooted in 1948. December 2024.