The President's Daily Brief - December 12th, 2023: Hamas Atrocities Exposed, Putin Critic Vanishes, & South American Talks

Episode Date: December 12, 2023

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   A deep dive into the recent report by Israeli physicians documenting Hamas' sexual violence on October 7th, and the UN's lackluster response.   Just as Vladimir Putin announcement a fifth presidential term, we learn of the mysterious disappearance of his chief critic.   A focus on the upcoming meeting between Guyana and Venezuela's leaders, and the regional concerns over their ongoing territorial dispute.   In our 'Back of the Brief' segment, as one university president resigns following controversial testimony on Capitol Hill, the Harvard faculty show love for their own embattled leader.   Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.   Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. A group of physicians in Israel has issued the first comprehensive report, collecting evidence of sexual violence carried out by Hamas on October 7th. We'll look at some details from that report and the seeming indifference from the United Nations. Later in the program, not long after Vladivariq. Vladimir Putin announces he'll be seeking a fifth presidential term, his chief critic goes missing. I know, you're as surprised as I am.

And leaders of Guyana and Venezuela are set to meet this week as the region worries over their territorial dispute. And by dispute, I mean Nicholas Maduro's decision to claim two-thirds of Guyana in order to exploit their natural resources. So, not so much a dispute as a leftist dictator looking to seize territory from a neighbor. Finally, in today's back of the brief, one university president has stepped down after the insensitive and dismissive testimony about anti-Semitism on Capitol Hill. But faculty members at Harvard are rallying around their own beleaguered leader. Now, I'm not a Harvard-tenured professor, but I'm pretty confident that doubling down on anti-Semitism might not be the way to go here. But first up, the PDB spotlight.

Today, I wanted to hit on one of the most controversial topics that has arisen since the October 7th brutal Hamas attacks that kicked off this conflict. I'm talking about the evidence that Hamas engaged in widespread sexual violence against its victims, as well as the apparent indifference from human rights campaigners, that's the title they like to give themselves, and the United Nations. Physicians for Human Rights Israel has released a comprehensive report detailing allegations of sexual and gender-based violence committed by Hamas. Now, this report gathered through survivor testimonies, security and emergency personnel descriptions, and publicly available photographs in video paints a grim picture of the atrocities that were carried out.

It's probably worth mentioning that many of the photographs in video were taken by Hamas and Hamas supporters themselves. Now, before you dismiss this as mere Israeli propaganda, I should note that this group, physicians for human rights Israel, is advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, meaning they're not exactly a mouthpiece for the Israeli government. The accounts given in their report describe acts so awful and medieval

that I hesitate to even describe them in any great detail. But it is important that we look at what happened that day with clear eyes. Now, I'm not a big fan of trigger warnings, but some of what I'm going to talk about here is upsetting. So if you've got a weak stomach or there are children with you, you might want to bail out, at least temporarily. In the introduction to the report, the group states, quote, as time goes on, it is becoming more apparent that the violence perpetrated against women, men, and children also included widespread sexual and gender-based crimes. The details of these crimes are deeply unsettling, and that, frankly, is an understatement. It includes multiple accounts of gang rapes, allegedly committed by Hamas militants, not just against adults, but horrifically against children as well. Witnesses also described acts of

sexual mutilation, including the amputation of intimate body parts. In one particularly gruesome account from a music festival, witnesses reported a woman being repeatedly raped, tortured, and dismembered by Hamas fighters before ultimately shooting her. The report concludes that these incidents followed a repetitive pattern. It calls for a, quote, professional inquiry to determine if these acts were part of the overall attack orders and whether they were systematic and premeditated. So that leads us to an important question. Who exactly is supposed to carry out this professional inquiry to determine whether Hamas used sexual violence as a weapon of war? Presumably, that would fall to the United Nations. Now, the U.N. has shown little interest in doing this over the past two months. U.N. Secretary

General Antonio Gutierrez took seven weeks before calling for an investigation into these crimes, seven weeks, and notably did not mention Hamas by name in his statement. Apparently, that would be a bridge too far. Furthermore, it was only recently, two months after the attacks, that UN human rights chief Volker Turk called for a UN probe into the sexual violence. Again, the question begs to be asked, why would any reasonable, objective person believe that the UN is capable of carrying out such an investigation of the Iran-sponsored Hamas brutality, considering that Iran is currently chairing a UN human rights forum. Now, the rape, torture, and abuse of Israeli women, it wasn't just one incident. It was a consistent theme of the brutal 7 October attacks. And we have visual

evidence provided by Hamas fighters themselves. Now, UN authorities, well, they've been reluctant and still are reluctant to denounce Hamas and acknowledge that they use sexual violence as a weapon of war. And that goes for human rights campaigners, international women's groups, and all the self-righteous progressive young women and men waving Palestinian flags on college campuses. But these same people, while they were quick to denounce photos of captured Hamas fighters, stripped of their underwear as dehumanizing and inhumane. Here's my pro tip of the day, that if, you capture a terrorist on the battlefield, make sure they're not wearing explosives, hence the

fighters being stripped. The point being, if you find it difficult to denounce Hamas for using sexual violence against women and children, but don't call yourself a human rights campaigner, a feminist, a progressive, or a social justice warrior. When we come back, a growing mystery in Moscow, as Vladimir Putin's chief critic, Alexei Navalny, goes missing. And leaders of Guyana and Venezuela are set to meet this week in hopes of staving off conflict over their rising border dispute. I'll be right back. Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying.

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Welcome back. The leading opposition leader to Russian President Vlad, Vlad, Vladimir Putin has seemingly gone missing within Russia's prison system, and we just can't find them anywhere. Lawyers for Alexi Navalny sounded the alarm after he failed to make an appearance in court via a video link on Monday. While prison authorities have blamed the missing appearance on a power failure at their facility, Navalny's representatives are increasingly worried that the jailed opposition leader's life is at risk. Navalny, who was already serving an 11-5-year prison sentence was sentenced to an additional 19 years in prison in August for allegedly financing extremist activities and creating an extremist community. Internationally, these charges are widely seen

as punishment by Moscow for his criticism of the Putin regime and as a way to stifle any future political threats to Putin's leadership. Russian authorities were believed to be holding Naval at either the IK6 or IK7 Russian penal colony. However, his lawyers were informed on Monday that he was not at either location. His representatives have been waiting word on Navalny's expected transfer to a, quote, special regime colony, now would be considered the most brutal grade in Russia's prison system. Allies of Navalny's are particularly concerned about the state of his health. Last week, he reportedly got ill in his cell, passed out, and had to be hooked up to an IV.

They say he was being deprived of food and kept in an isolated cell without proper ventilation. Now, Navalny's disappearance also coincides, coincidentally, with Putin's recent announcement that he will be seeking re-election in Russia's elections this March. Allies of Navalny's have been gearing up for an anti-P Putin campaign. Leonid Volkov and Aid Navalny said Monday that his disappearance and Putin's announcement were, quote, zero percent coincidence and a 100 percent direct manual political control from the Kremlin. Volkov added that it's no secret to Putin who his main opponent is in these elections, and he wants to make sure that Navalny's voice is not heard, end quote.

Now, Navalny has long had a target on his back for his dissent against the Putin regime. In August of 2020, he nearly died after ingesting a Novichok and nerve agent slipped into a cup of before a flight in Siberia. An investigation by CNN and the group Bellingat pinned the poisoning on the Russian security service or FSB. The investigation found an FSB toxins team had followed Navalny on and off during his travels for more than three years.

A spokesman for the White House said they were deeply concerned by reports of Navalny's disappearance and that they would work through the U.S. embassy in Moscow to gain insight into his whereabouts. Okay, shifting our focus to South America. The leaders of Guyana and Venezuela are scheduled to meet on Thursday on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent to discuss the intensifying dispute over the Eskibo region of Guyana. As a reminder, on December 3rd, Venezuela passed a referendum to annex a large portion of neighboring

Guyana. Just take it away. Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro immediately escalated the situation on December 5th, when he ordered the country's state-owned companies to start exploring and exploiting Guiana's rich deposits of oil and minerals in the region of Esquibo. Guiana President Yerfan Ali said on Monday that he will attend the meeting with, quote, goodwill, but does not intend to engage in a negotiation, stating that the world is behind us. Ali has asked the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands to adjudicate the dispute. He said, quote, we're very confident that good sense will.

prevail. We want peace, but we must be respected. Venezuelan foreign minister Ivan Gill tried to frame the planned meeting as a victory for Maduro, saying the leader has long sought a direct dialogue with Guiana regarding the Eskibo territory. Gil said that while any decision on the territory must be mutual, he rejected any intervention by the International Court of Justice. Venezuela's claim, as we've mentioned before, over the Eskibo region, is rooted in a territorial dispute that goes all the way back to Spanish colonial times. The region, which is roughly, generally, the size of Greece, constitutes two-thirds of Guyana's landmass and represents roughly a sixth of its population. Now, Exxon discovered massive deposits of oil in the region in 2015,

which propelled Guyana's economy into one of the fastest growing in the world, and, of course, renewed Venezuela's interest in claiming the territory. As we discussed last week on the PDB, questions remain regarding support within Venezuela for Maduro's aggressive land grab or effort to seize control of the territory. The Associated Press previously reported that the referendum drew shockingly low voter turnout, despite claims by the Maduro regime that some 10.5 million people voted on the measure. Now, Venezuela's top prosecutor has since let a crackdown on opposition leaders in the country, leveling charges of conspiracy and treason against a dozen officials who Madero's regime accused of trying to sabotage the referendum. All right. Coming up in the back of the brief, University of Pennsylvania President Liz McGill has resigned in the wake of disastrous testimony on Capitol Hill.

But will her counterparts at Harvard and MIT be following our. her example. Well, maybe not. I'll be right back. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new elixir collection, featuring three perfume intense scents, inspired by a unique orchid accord, paired with vanilla, each with its own distinct attitude, each with its own universe, bold elixir, sensual, woody, addictive, magnetic elixir, sweet and romantic like a lingering touch, solar elixir, a radiant expression of joy, Ultra-concentrated for amplified impact and lasting power. Find your euphoria.

Discover the euphoria elixir collection by Calvin Klein. Yesterday, we reported the resignation of former University of Pennsylvania President Liz McGill, following intense scrutiny at a congressional hearing. McGill was criticized for her inability to confirm that calls for the genocide of Jews on campus would violate the school's conduct policy. In contrast, McGill's counterpart at Harvard, President Claudine Gay, well, she doesn't seem ready to follow McGill out the door. And now, despite growing donor pressure for her removal, she's receiving substantial backing. Approximately 700 Harvard faculty members, including prominent black professors, have rallied in her defense through open letters.

One such letter denounces the attacks on gay as, quote, specious and politically motivated. end quote, advocating for her to continue her tenure, and quote, demonstrate her vision for Harvard. Well, I mean, at least she had a chance to outline her anti-Semitic vision for Harvard during her congressional testimony. Also, it would be entertaining to hear from the backers who believe the attacks on gay are specious. And that, of course, is your word of the day, specious. It means having a false look or genuineness. So the Harvard president is asked if calling for the genesis, of Jews would violate the school's code of conduct on bullying or harassment, and she's unable to

say yes, because in her mind, well, it would depend on context. Now, people then attack her for her position in apparent lack of moral clarity. What part of that attack would be specious? If anything, Gay offered up a specious response in an attempt to placate the anti-Semitic mob protesting on her campus. Furthermore, the Harvard Alumni Association, has expressed its unwavering support for President Gay, stating that she has their, quote, unanimous and unequivocal backing. Now, not for nothing, but anytime a board or an association is compelled to announce that someone has their unanimous backing, it typically means there's trouble brewing for that individual. So despite this support, some influential alumni and donors

persist in their campaign to oust President Gay. Among them is billionaire investor in Harvard alum Bill Ackman. Acman has been vocal about the financial impact of Gay's comments, claiming they have led to a loss of over a billion dollars in donations for the university. In a stark letter to Harvard's governing board, Ackman writes, quote, in her short tenure as president, Claudine Gay has done more damage to the reputation of Harvard University than any individual in our nearly 500-year history. He adds, President Gay's failures have led to billions of dollars have canceled, paused, and with drawn donations to the university, end quote. Now, here's what Harvard and MIT's presidents are counting on, the short attention span of the media and people in general. While McGill got caught

in the initial outrage blast, Gay and Kremlin may likely know that outrage burns fast and hot. Despite having been in the exact same camp as McGill during the testimony, their comments were remarkably similar, there's every chance that if they can just hold on long enough, the media will lose interest and folks will turn their attention elsewhere. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Tuesday, 12 December. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe.

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