Guy Samuel, at The Blogs

Guy Samuel

Clear analysis of Israel's politics, security and history

Feb 9, 2026, 1:31 PM

Nakba: A Catastrophic End to a ‘Judenrein’ Dream

Haj Amin al-Husseini meeting Adolf Hitler in Berlin, 1941. Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1987-004-09A (via Wikimedia Commons)

In Arabic, Nakba simply means catastrophe. The term entered political usage after the 1948 war to describe the shock and trauma of its outcome. At the time, it referred to the catastrophic failure of a war launched to eliminate...

Jan 15, 2026, 11:21 PM

Iran and the Myth of Diplomatic Restraint

Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran (photo: Khamenei.ir / CC BY 4.0)

On the final day of the 12-day war, after Iran had broken the ceasefire, Israel prepared a follow-up strike against Iran that would have been its most extensive operation. According to media reports and security sources, the planned operation...

Jan 7, 2026, 2:56 PM

Settler Violence: Perception vs Reality

Evyatar oupost, Judea and Samaria. (Photo: Shai Kandlar, Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0)

Over the past year, debates between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists have become increasingly common across social media, podcasts, and YouTube. When arguments about Hamas violence or Palestinian terror gain momentum, the conversation is often deflected to a single accusation:...

Dec 31, 2025, 2:39 PM

The “Netanyahu Funded Hamas” Claim

Protesters criticizing the transfer of Qatari funds to Gaza. Photo: Bar / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In recent years, a single accusation has been deliberately and consistently deployed as a political weapon by opposition figures and their supporters, and increasingly echoed abroad: “Netanyahu funded Hamas.” It has been repeated methodically in commentary, protests, and social...

Dec 24, 2025, 9:23 PM

Sparta: The Rise of Israel’s Arms Industry

Israel’s Arrow 3 missile defence system, designed to intercept long-range and ballistic missile threats outside the atmosphere.

Photo: Israeli Air Force / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech responding to growing claims that Israel was becoming economically and diplomatically isolated. His reference to Sparta, a small state forced to stand on its own, was widely interpreted as...

Dec 17, 2025, 10:52 AM

Gaza: The Forgotten Jewish History

Gaza during the Ottoman period. Photograph by Francis Frith (c. 1857) Public domain.

Since Oct 7th, Gaza has become one of the most discussed places on Earth. Most observers view Gaza as inherently and unquestionably Palestinian, and any Jewish claim or sentiment toward it is dismissed as extremism, expansionism, or part of...

Dec 10, 2025, 11:21 AM

The Netanyahu Trials – A Case Study in Lawfare

Benjamin Netanyahu in court with his lawyer, Amit Hadad

For years, many Israelis and commentators abroad spoke about Netanyahu as if his guilt was already established, and the trials were expected to simply ratify what his opponents had long claimed. In this atmosphere, the democratic principle of ‘innocent...

Dec 7, 2025, 5:10 AM

Sde Teiman: What the Evidence Actually Shows

On August 6th 2024, Channel 12 aired leaked CCTV footage from Sde Teiman - a temporary IDF detention facility where Nukhba terrorists were held, including many involved in the atrocities of October 7th. In the broadcast, commentator Guy Peleg...

About Me

Guy Samuel is an Oleh from the UK who writes about Israeli politics, national security and contemporary history. With a deep personal interest in current affairs and a focus on clear, evidence-based analysis, he aims to bring clarity to complex events by exploring perspectives that are often overlooked.