The Honest Report

The facts are as undeniable as they are unreported by the news media: that Israel has done more to protect civilians in war, particularly in an urban warfare setting, than any other military in the history of warfare.

Despite a widespread and well-funded disinformation campaign, from actors ranging from South Africa to the Islamic Republic of Iran to professional protesters, Israel is not only definitively not guilty of the crimes it is accused of, but it has taken extraordinary steps to protect civilians in Gaza, going far beyond what is required by international law.

Israel has paid for this care dearly, losing more than 270 soldiers fighting Hamas terrorists in close combat, rather than - doing as virtually any other country would do - minimizing risk to soldiers and simply using overwhelming aerial firepower.

To help us understand Israel's extensive protections of civilians in Gaza, we are joined by John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, and one of the world's top experts in urban warfare.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

This much is clear: in far too many corners of the news media, attention spans are short.

The moral clarity that existed in the immediate aftermath of Hamas' October 7 massacres have dissipated in many places, replaced by a desire to draw a moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas.

But the October 7 terrorist attacks aren't just a singular event; they make clear Hamas' motivations, tactics, inhumanity, and perhaps above all: the fruitlessness of negotiating with a group that will commit such acts.

In this week's podcast, we speak with Warren Kinsella, a lawyer, political strategist, and columnist at the Toronto Sun, who was recently in Israel with a group of journalists, as well as HonestReporting Canada's assistant director, Robert Walker, to get a first-hand look at Israel, and to understand what the news media should be reporting, but often isn't.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

Israeli society has often been called one big family, where in times of crisis, all segments of society come together to pull for the common good.

Since Hamas' massacres of October 7 and the subsequent months, that common mission has been on full display, despite Israeli disagreements over politics, religion and more.

As the war began seven months ago, launched by Hamas on a Jewish holiday, Israel was in turmoil. Shock and anger soon gave way to a realization that the country was unprepared to take care of its front-line defenders, those soldiers fighting Hamas.

One organization was soon born, Soldiers Save Lives, which worked to help equip those on the front lines, even when seemingly other safety nets failed. In this episode of The Honest Report podcast, we sit down with Ike Bodner, the organization's COO.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

Anti-Israel and antisemitic hate mongers have rarely sought to hide their true feelings, a reality that has been readily apparent for the last 6.5 months around the world.

But the response to it by Jewish and pro-Israel organizations have left much to be desired; beyond social media condemnations, little more has been done.

Fortunately, there are many options available.

Howard Levitt is a senior partner at Levitt Sheikh LLP, and a prominent media commentator on issues of combating antisemitism and anti-Israel hate using legal means, and he joins us on this week's podcast to discuss his template for creating a muscular, assertive and successful campaign, and why it's long overdue to be implemented.

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It's a claim that is taken almost as an unassailable truth by a huge number of news media outlets around the world: that some 33,000 people died in Gaza, and that two-thirds of them are women and children.

While the source of that claim is Hamas, and its "Gaza Ministry of Health," which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants, or those killed by Israel or by errant Palestinian rockets, there is an even more fundamental way to recognize the data is unreliable: by statistics.

Abraham Wyner, a professor of Statistics and Data Science at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, recently penned a report where he pointed out that Hamas' casualty numbers don't add up, just from a statistical perspective, rendering them extraordinarily unlikely to be true.

Professor Wyner joins us as a guest to walk us through his research showing how statistics have shown Hamas' claims to be propaganda.

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For years, Israel has accused UNRWA, the disgraced United Nations agency, of ties to Palestinian terrorism and incitement and glorification of violence.

But only after the massacres of October 7 did the UN agency, officially tasked with providing aid to Palestinians, get into the larger spotlight.

Israel has accused - and provided evidence for - UNRWA staff of participating in Hamas' massacre, and has pointed to a huge Hamas data centre built directly underneath the agency's Gaza City headquarters, as well as satellite photos of schools built on top of Hamas bunkers, and much more.

Every year, UNRWA receives funding from international donors, including Canada, meaning Ottawa effectively is funding Hamas terrorism.

As a result, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) recently announced it was taking legal action against the Trudeau government, saying funding UNRWA contravenes Canadian anti-terrorism legislation.

Richard Marceau, CIJA's VP and General Counsel, joins us as a guest.

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Ian Ward is a Councillor in Colwood, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, a suburb of Victoria, population just under 20,000 people.

He has also become a leading voice of moral clarity, advocating for both Israel and the Jewish People, even though as an elected official in a municipality with a relatively small Jewish community, there is little electoral benefit in doing so.

Ian joins us as a guest on this week's podcast to discuss what prompted him to become so vocal, the feedback he has been getting from constituents, and why he thinks more municipal politicians need to stand up and make their voices heard.

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In the immediate aftermath of Hamas' invasion of southern Israel on October 7, it became evident that Israel lacked the ability to scale up its procurement of military and civilian gear, both for the IDF in its operations, and for Israeli civilians forced from their homes and displaced refugees in their own country.

In the face of fast-changing events, one Israeli man, Michael Freedman, saw an opportunity to help.

The Israel-based businessman quickly launched what became known as Project Shushan, a complex effort to deliver much-needed gear to Israel, working faster than official channels could provide. Michael joins us as our guest this week.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

It's a fact largely ignored by anti-Israel activists: that 20 percent of Israel's population are Arabs, largely Muslim. They enjoy the same democratic rights as Israeli Jews, can vote and stand for election, and hold citizenship as Israelis.

The Bedouin of Israel's south are part of this population, and they are unique in their own right, distinct from the Bedouin in Israel's north, the Druze community in Israel, and the Jewish majority.

In this week's podcast, we are joined by Ariel Viesel, the CO-CEO of Desert Stars, an Israeli organization that works to provide educational, vocational and other opportunities to members of Israel's Bedouin population in the country's south, and in so doing, help further integrate them into Israeli society, benefiting them, and Israel at large.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.

It is very easy to consume news in a bubble. Human nature is to read, listen and watch information that fits our preconceived ideologies and ideas.

Breaking out of that bubble is easier said than done, and when it comes to the hundreds of millions of Arabic-speakers around the world, getting accurate information about Israel can be next to impossible.

Rawan Osman is looking to change that. Following October 7, the Syrian-born, Lebanese-raised commentator, now based in Germany, became an outspoken advocate for Israel and the Jewish people.

Through her active social media presence, including her accounts, Arabs Ask, Osman has used her native Arabic language to share the truth about Israel to audiences who rarely had the opportunity to get that perspective.

Osman joins us as our guest this week.

Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.