Sunday, March 03, 2024

03/03 Links: Where is the ‘humanitarian aid’ for the hostages?; BBC News – obsessive, biased- and unaccountable; Hamas refuses to list living hostages

From Ian:

Ruthie Blum: Where is the ‘humanitarian aid’ for the hostages?
Finally, Biden added, “We should be getting hundreds of trucks in, not just several. I won’t stand by. We won’t let up, and we’re gonna pull out every stop we can to get more assistance in.”

He failed to mention that nearly 15,000 aid trucks have entered Gaza since the start of the war. According to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), only 1.5% were refused entry, on the grounds that they contained forbidden “dual-use” items—those that could be employed for terrorist purposes.

Biden also forgot to point out that Hamas steals most of the goods that make their way into the Strip, hoarding some of the food for its terrorists while selling the rest to noncombatants at exorbitant prices. And it commandeers all the fuel to keep its tunnels operational.

This is in addition to the travesty of international agencies—chief among them UNRWA—being in complete cahoots with Hamas. Obviously, then, getting the supplies to the people for whom they are intended has been challenging, if not downright impossible.

Meanwhile, those of the 134 remaining hostages in Hamas captivity who are still alive have been receiving no assistance of any kind, not even from the International Red Cross. Some require medication for chronic conditions. Others aren’t being treated for serious wounds sustained during the Oct. 7 massacre. But all are subsisting on half a pita per day—malnourished to the point of starving.

The actual number of “innocent civilians” in Gaza is debatable, since even 10-year-olds there have been aiming RPGs at IDF soldiers. There is no question, however, that the hostages being held in physically and sexually abusive conditions in the dungeons of Gaza are guiltless victims of a genocidal onslaught.

Theirs is the plight that the world should be highlighting. Instead, the “humanitarians” are calling on Israel to cease its battle against Hamas.

Biden, Meloni and anyone else whose heart is bleeding over the crisis in Gaza ought to be reminded that this war would end instantly if Hamas were to surrender and free the hostages.

Since that’s not happening, Israel has no choice but to force the release of the hostages through increased military pressure, and ultimately to demolish Hamas. This is the sole acceptable scenario for anyone in his—or her—right mind.
David Collier: BBC News – obsessive, biased- and unaccountable
On Friday (1 March), BBC News published the latest findings from their ‘fact-checking’ flagship ‘BBC Verify’ – looking at the 100+ deaths that occurred during the chaos surrounding the aid convoy in Gaza.

BBC launched BBC Verify last year – a unit comprising of 60 journalists to help fact-check, verify video, and counter disinformation. Intended to be a gold standard in the age of fake news, BBC Verify has just ended up being another obsessive anti-Israel propaganda outfit.

While BBC Verify do not actually come to any conclusions over the aid convoy deaths, the piece is heavily slanted to blame the Israeli army for the deaths.

This latest ‘fact checking’ story rested heavily on one key eyewitness – a Palestinian journalist called Mahmoud Awadeyah. This is what he told the BBC:

This eyewitness account provides the backdrop for BBC Verify to imply that ‘Israel did it’. BBC News then rely on one other witness – the interim hospital manager at al-Awda hospital, to drive home the claim.

But there is a larger problem. BBC Verify don’t actually verify anything here. They just take these people at their word and publish these statements without question.

Anyone who follows my work knows that I always check Journalists where I can. Research has shown that 50% of the journos in Gaza appear to work directly for Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Who exactly is Mahmoud Awadeyah that the BBC relied on to create their BBC Verify headline?

The BBC’s source – Mahmoud (Al) Awadeyah
Mahmoud Al Awadeyah posted an account on his FB from the scene. He has an IG account as well and uses both Awadia and Al Awadia on his social media.

He works for Al Quds Today and the Tasnim News Agency. Tasnim is an Iranian news agency set up and controlled by the IRGC.
Gaza deal close to collapse: Hamas refuses to list living hostages
The negotiations for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal were near collapse, Israeli media reported on Sunday, after Hamas refused to provide information on the status of the remaining hostages in the Strip.

Representative from Hamas, Qatar, and the US have arrived in Cairo, Egypt, for a renewed round of hostage negotiations. The Israeli delegation is thus far absent, with a KAN News report quoting an official as saying that the delegation "will not leave until a response from Hamas is received."

The Hamas delegation is being led by the terror organization's deputy chief in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas official told Reuters. Al-Hayya was the Hamas official leading the Islamist group's delegation for the Cairo hostage negotiations in February. He has previously acknowledged that Hamas has military capabilities in Rafah.

As per Israeli reports, Qatar informed Israel that Hamas's response leaves little room for progress in talks.

Deal not close to being finalized
When asked if a deal was imminent, Reuters noted that a Palestinian official familiar with the ongoing talks said that one was not yet even close to being finalized.

An Israeli delegation was initially expected to arrive in Cairo to take part in the talks. However, according to KAN, Israel has since denied its participation, citing Hamas's refusal to provide information on the wellbeing of the hostages.

The Israeli response comes after a senior Hamas official told the London-based Qatari news outlet The New Arab that the terrorist group would not be releasing information on the wellbeing of any of the hostages until a ceasefire is enacted.


Caroline Glick: Democratic rhetoric takes a perilous turn for the Jews
The first reason is that Carville is trying to present the Democratic Party as the political home for an up-and-coming generation of Americans, which unlike all of its predecessors is not sympathetically inclined towards the Jewish state. The Harvard-Harris poll that showed that 82% of Americans support Israel also showed that 53% of Americans aged 18-25 support an unconditional ceasefire, which would leave Hamas intact and capable of rebuilding its terrorist ranks. Whereas 78% of Americans oppose permitting Hamas to remain in power in Gaza after the war, 43% of young Americans said that Hamas should be allowed to remain in power in Gaza after the war.

By placing the blame for Trump’s likely victory on Israel, Carville and others like him are working to secure and maintain the loyalty of the large anti-Israel demographic among young voters.

The second reason that Carville and other leading Democratic voices in politics, academia and the media are blaming Israel for what they fear will be a Trump victory in November is because they are setting up Israel—and more broadly—“the Jews” in the United States and worldwide—as the scapegoat. They don’t want to blame their party’s policies on the economy, the border, crime, energy, social issues or foreign policy for the anticipated loss. So instead, they are placing all the blame on Israel and its supporters (read: Jews). If it weren’t for them, Biden would be coasting to victory now.

The implication of this move is that the Democratic movers and shakers are grafting antisemitism onto the party’s DNA. In the 1920s, the Nazis blamed the Jews for Germany’s loss in World War I—and won a lot of support among Germans who didn’t want to look inward and blame themselves for their nation’s defeat. Likewise, Democratic strategists and opinion makers who are peddling this new antisemitic conspiracy theory view Israel bashing—and Jew-bashing more generally—as an effective means to avoid the need to reconsider their party’s deeply unpopular policies on everything from illegal immigration to transgenderism. They see antisemitism as a much easier tool for political mobilization and are adopting it.

Israelis are already alarmed by the open hostility they’re facing from the Biden administration. And they are willing to risk an open breach with the administration to ensure victory in the war. A Direct Polls survey from Feb. 13 showed that Israelis favor Netanyahu over his top two rivals, Minister Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid, 47%-34% and 49%-28%, respectively. Netanyahu’s support owes largely to his willingness to stand up to ever increasing pressure from the Biden administration to end the ground operation in Gaza without victory.

Responding rationally to the administration’s hostility and to the groundswell of antisemitism rolling through key institutions in the United States, Israel is moving quickly to limit, with the goal of ending, its dependence on U.S. arms supplies. The government has budgeted billions of shekels for Israel’s military industries, and it is anticipated that within two years, Israel will have the domestic industrial capacity to wage war without U.S. resupply of ammunition.

In recent years, the main victim of the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns against Israel has been Diaspora Jews, not Israel. It is they who face harassment and ostracism on their campuses and workplaces. Israel, a sovereign state, has managed to weather the storm with minimal losses.

Likewise, the main victim of the campaign being waged by the likes of Carville to blame Biden’s likely electoral defeat on Israel will be the American Jewish community. If this campaign succeeds, and the unhinged notion that Israel is the cause of Biden’s political woes becomes accepted wisdom, the consequences for American Jews will be devastating. If antisemitism is grafted onto the DNA of the party most American Jews call home, the consequences will be disastrous. The community will find itself politically, professionally and socially isolated and vulnerable in ways that are almost unimaginable, but will become all too real if what is now taking form is not stopped in its tracks before it is too late.
Israel's war has polarized the world, and has exposed right from wrong
Governing from fear
But there is something worse happening than just a disagreement about facts and the proper course of action. There are those who recognize what’s transpired and know what needs to be done but are still paralyzed by fear.

The UK Parliament has ceased to function as a government of the people. Cowering to the pressure of Islamist extremist mobs, the MPs are no longer voting for what they know to be right and for what is in the best interest of their constituents. They are making their decisions solely based on fear. Death threats and acts of terror carried out by these extremists are now the norm and don’t seem to be diminishing.

Critics might say, “How can you blame the members of Parliament?” But this is a long fall from Churchill’s pronouncement: “We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end [...] We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be.” Any leaders who consider their personal safety before doing what is right have abdicated their role of leadership. Great Britain must actually defend its island from the infiltration of radical Islam, just as Israel is doing.

This global polarization will not stop in Europe. Radical Islam wants the world. Just as we believe that it wants to kill all the Jews, it should be believed when it says it desires world conquest. Its goals are not to bring peace and equality to the masses. The jihadists only seek subjugation and death. The Jewish people are not the cause of this behavior. We are just the first target.

There has been an uplifting news story in the past few weeks. A study found that Israelis’ belief in God has increased significantly since October 7. This may seem trivial in light of all that’s been discussed, but it’s not. In fact, belief in God is the antidote to all of these challenges.

This is not to say that God cures all woes with no human participation. We must defend ourselves and our way of life. But a recognition of the Almighty focuses our attention on what is important, both in regard to our values and our call to action. We must know there is a greater power and a greater purpose to all we do, or our actions will simply devolve into nothing more than self-interest.
Israeli gov’t spokesman reveals if a Gaza cease-fire is on the horizon
Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy joins ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to discuss the latest news emerging from the Israel-Hamas war following Gaza’s proposal for a cease-fire and hostage release deal.




IDF completes clearance op in southern Gaza City neighborhood
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday night announced it completed a two-week-long clearance operation in the southern Gaza City district of Zeitoun, killing more than 100 terrorist operatives and destroying infrastructure used by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

IDF ground troops first entered Zeitoun, once considered a major Hamas stronghold, in mid-November. On Nov. 20, the IDF announced that of 188th Brigade soldiers took control of key structures belonging to the terror group’s Zeitoun Battalion.

However, earlier this month, four Gaza City residents told the Associated Press that Hamas is attempting to reestablish its governing capabilities in areas of the Gaza Strip from which Israeli forces have withdrawn, deploying police officers and paying partial salaries to civil servants.

As Israel prepares to carry out a pilot program that will see community leaders replace Hamas in governing Zeitoun, the IDF launched a large-scale clearance operation in the district on Feb. 19.

According to the army, “soldiers eliminated over 100 terrorists and located and destroyed over 35 terrorist infrastructure belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, including weapons storage and manufacturing facilities.”

Troops also unearthed tunnel infrastructures, rocket launching sites with “hundreds of launchers,” and a site belonging to the leader of Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade, Izz ad-Din Haddad, the IDF announced.


LA Times Refuses To Substantiate, Retract Toxic Charge that IDF Snipers Targeted Kids
There is no doubt that Israeli snipers are active in Gaza, firing on Hamas members who murdered Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 or who pose a threat to Israeli soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip. About that there is no dispute.

But The Times is either unwilling or unable to point to any credible source for Dr. Galaria’s egregious charge that Israeli snipers fired on multiple small children, ages five to eight, who posed no threat. The fact that Dr. Galaria and unnamed others said they saw children brought to the hospital with gunshot wounds to the head does not prove that Israeli snipers fired on the children. The doctors do not claim to have seen the shooting incident take place or Israeli snipers firing on children.

In addition, Dr. Galaria has not cited any forensic evidence indicating that Israeli snipers are responsible for these reported killings. Since when does the mere presence of a body without any forensic evidence indicate the identity of the shooter?

Moreover, there are multiple accounts of Hamas fighters shooting Gaza civilians. Given that The Los Angeles Times cannot cite any credible witnesses of the actual shootings of the children or provide any evidence indicating Israeli responsibility for the purported killings, the media watchdog organization reiterates its request for a clarification indicating that The Times was not able to independently verify Dr. Galaria’s claim.


Majority killed by stampede in Gaza aid convoy catastrophe, IDF probe finds
The IDF confirmed on Sunday morning that it had completed its review and found that no drone strike had occurred during an incident last week where Palestinians were trampled to death while attempting to charge an aid convoy.

“The IDF has concluded an initial review of the unfortunate incident where Gazan civilians were trampled to death and injured as they charged to the aid convoy. Our initial review has confirmed that no strike was carried out by the IDF towards the aid convoy,” the IDF published in a statement.

IDF Spokesperson Rear-Adm. Daniel Hagari gave a press briefing in which he confirmed that Israel had been involved in the facilitation of the aid convoy in northern Gaza on Thursday.

The operation, aimed at ensuring that Palestinians received access to humanitarian aid, was on the fourth night of operation when the trampling incident occurred.

“We want humanitarian aid to reach Gazan civilians in need,” Hagari asserted. “Our war is not against the people of Gaza. Our war is against Hamas… It is Hamas that has caused immense suffering to civilians on both sides of the border.”

Describing the incident as “unfortunate,” he reiterated that no strike was carried out on the aid convoy and that the majority of Palestinian casualties had been trampled to death by the stampede.


Spaghetti and Skittles: What is in the American aid boxes airdropped into Gaza?
The United States military carried out its first airdrop of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip on Saturday.

Palestinians were quick to search for the boxes upon their landing inside the Strip, showcasing its contents in videos shared with the world on social media. Spaghetti, sauce and skittles: US sends ready-to-eat meals to Gaza

In one video doing the rounds on X, a Gazan "unboxed" one of the aid boxes airdropped, finding skittles and combat rations, also known as MREs (Meal, Ready to Eat), among other sweets and valuables.

The rations given to the Gazans included chili with beans, chicken noodles, and spaghetti with beef and salt.

Included with the ready-to-eat meals were tabasco sauce, apple sauce, salt, and sugar - as well a pack of Skittles and ingredients to make a hot beverage, intended for dessert.

"Cool…cool…Gazans are doing good reviews for the MREs dropped by the US," commented one person who shared the video. "F***** MREs no less."

More than 38,000 meals on 66 pallets were airdropped over southwestern Gaza and the town of Mawasi. The White House has said the airdrops will be a sustained effort and that Israel was supportive of the operation.


Phyllis Chesler: A feminist open letter justifies Hamas rape
The letter casts a wide net. It accuses the “Israeli government,” not individual feminists like myself or Sheryl Sandberg, of using the “accusations of sexual assault as a tool of war—and as an (often lethal) weapon of racism and colonialism.” It appears that the undeniable and irrefutable proof of Hamas’s mass rape does not exist.

As for “racism and colonialism,” the 1,200 Israelis (not “zionists”) and others who Hamas tortured and murdered, and the over 200 Israeli (not “zionist”) and other civilians taken hostage were Druze, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, secular, atheists and leftists. Their nationalities, ethnicities and—if we must—skin colors ranged from black to brown to olive to yellow to white. The IDF is comprised of Israelis of all colors. Many of them or their ancestors were forced to flee North Africa, central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Muslim Middle East.

In other words, it is only Hamas that seeks to commit racially motivated genocide.

The signatories to this open letter refer to themselves as “feminists” who oppose rape. They also accuse Israel of conducting a “campaign to discredit feminists—especially feminists of color.” This accusation is quite simply insane.

The signatories also call for a “permanent ceasefire in Gaza; the release of hostages”—there is no mention of who is holding them—and the simultaneous release of “political prisoners”—that is, terrorists with blood on their hands—and “the termination of U.S. military aid to Israel and an end to Israeli apartheid.” The takeaway is clear: Rescue Hamas, rescue terrorists, slaughter Israel. There is nothing else.

This is not a feminist letter. It is trite, infuriating and mendacious. It is a standard Marxist-Leninist statement. It is not the work of feminists with track records as serious theorists, activists, researchers or clinicians in the area of sexual violence; nor of legal experts in the use of rape as a weapon of war. The majority of signatories are fairly unknown. Perhaps I alone am not familiar with their work. Happily, not all of them are Jews.

In the end, the letter is nothing but a series of blood libels. I was saddened when I read the names of the “famous” signatories. They are the usual suspects, many of whom I know: Angela Y. Davis, Blanche Wiesen Cook, Charlotte Bunch, Joan Nestle, Lila Abu-Lughod, Lisa Duggan, Margaret Randall, Rosalind Petchesky, Sarah Schulman, Zillah Eisenstein and a host of Jewish Voice for Peace members.

May God open their Marxist eyes in our lifetimes.
19,000 Israeli kids physically or mentally injured since Oct. 7
During the Hamas-led rampage across the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, terrorists murdered 38 children and kidnapped 42 others under the age of 18 to Gaza. Three of the murdered children were under the age of 3 and four were between the ages of 3 and 6. Two of the hostages are still in Gaza—Kfir Bibas, 9 months old at the time of his kidnapping, and his older brother Ariel, 4 years old, who were kidnapped along with their parents from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Fifteen of the kidnapped children, including those released and the Bibas brothers, have parents still held hostage in Gaza.

In addition, 116 children were left orphaned after the massacre of some 1,200 people, including 20 kids losing both parents and 96 losing one parent.

Nearly 50,000 children of school age as of December 2023 lived in areas that the government forcefully evacuated after Oct. 7, of whom 17,725 were children of preschool age (up to 6 years old). That is in addition to the many families who voluntarily relocated away from the northern and southern border areas.

As of December, there were 8,000 children who had not been integrated into the education system, and if a military campaign is launched to remove Hezbollah from Southern Lebanon, many more will be evacuated.

There is a shortage of about a thousand educational psychologists and also a shortage of educational counselors, according to the report.


Israel to change Eurovision song's name, lyrics amid political pressure
Israel has agreed to change the lyrics of the country's 2024 Eurovision song, "October Rain," KAN announced Sunday morning, following the song contest's refusal to allow the song to be used in the competition.

This change to the song will allow Israel to participate in Eurovision, despite KAN's prior refusal to change the lyrics.

"The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation [KAN] has been working in recent weeks to take the necessary steps that will allow Israel to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest this year," KAN wrote in a statement.

How did Israel's president help push KAN to change the Eurovision song lyrics?
The Israeli broadcaster further commented on the previous statements made by President Isaac Herzog.

"Despite the disagreement with the position of European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which sought to disqualify the songs submitted by Israel on the grounds that they were political, KAN adopted the advice of President Isaac Herzog, who proposed to make the necessary changes to allow Israel to be represented on the Eurovision stage."

They further said, "The president stressed that precisely at this time, when our enemies seek to boycott the State of Israel from every platform, Israel must raise its voice with pride and with its head held high, and to wave its flag at every international forum - especially this year."

They continued, "KAN approached the creators of the two songs, 'October Rain' [which was chosen to represent Israel at Eurovision] and 'Dance Forever' [which was the runner up], and asked them to adapt the lyrics while preserving artistic freedom. KAN will then look at the new lyrics and choose which song to be sent to the EBU, so that it will approve Israel's participation."


ILTV’s Viewpoint: Lital Shemesh
Emily Schrader sits down with the journalist and Lital Shemesh to discuss the Israel-Gaza war and the cowardice of the West in confronting Islamist terror. We discuss on ILTV’s Viewpoint, bringing the most important voices from the war directly to you.




Joe Biden handing Hamas a ‘reward’ with push to end war
Former British Commander Richard Kemp says US President Joe Biden wants the war in the Middle East to end now before Israel has achieved its objectives.

President Biden has pushed for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, hoping to secure it by the end of the weekend.

“He wants to end the war, and he wants to hand a reward to Hamas and to their supporters,” Mr Kemp told Sky News Australia.

“His priority here seems to me to be not to allow his ally to secure victory over a ruthless, genocidal, terrorist mob.

“He wants to have a foreign policy victory himself in advance of the elections in November.”




US not acting against Hamas-linked charities flagged by Israel
The United States is refusing to act against many nonprofit organizations that Israel has linked to the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza.

Citing Western officials, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that the Biden administration and other allied governments are seeking credible evidence of terror connections to certain charities before issuing sanctions amid a surge in contributions to the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack on Israel of Oct. 7.

The apparent disagreement over which nonprofits are legitimate and which are terrorism financiers and the lack of action from Washington comes more than four months after a multinational task force on the matter was set up in the wake of the Hamas massacre in southern Israel. The task force on terrorism finance includes the U.S., Israel and more than a dozen allies.

Sanctions have been applied to “Hamas financiers, currency exchanges and corporate networks, as well as offering multimillion-dollar bounties for information on financial facilitators.” However, many charities flagged by Israel as terror front groups are not being punished by the U.S. government.

These charities, including many in the U.S. and Europe, have directed tens of millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip since the war began.

While the U.S. has acted against several organizations, a senior American official said that in a lot of cases, “allies have been asking for credible evidence for a long time, but are still waiting.”

U.S. officials said they are cautious about playing into Hamas propaganda by potentially targeting legitimate humanitarian organizations.

“When we have credible evidence of sham charities that terrorists are using to raise or move funds, we will not hesitate to designate them,” the senior official told the Journal.

Examples of groups the U.S. has yet to act against include Michigan-based LaunchGood and Islamic Relief Worldwide.
8,000 plaintiffs file lawsuit in District of Columbia demanding permanent defunding of UNRWA
More than 8,000 plaintiffs, including 1,500 dual American-Israeli citizens and 6,500 Israelis, have filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia demanding permanent defunding of the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Robert J. Tolchin in Brooklyn and Nitsana Darshan-Leitner in Tel Aviv.

“UNRWA is a disaster for both Israel and the Palestinians. In fact, the Palestinians deserve a lot better than UNRWA. They deserve an organization that will not designate them as refugees indefinitely,” Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, founder of Shurat HaDin—Israel Law Center, an Israeli-based civil rights organization that has represented hundreds of terror victims in many lawsuits, told JNS.

“If UNRWA keeps teaching Palestinians that one day they will return to their homes in Tel Aviv, Acre and Haifa, and continue feeding the illusion of the right of return, Palestinians will never have a chance at a better life,” she added.

The U.S. is a major funder of UNRWA. In 2023 alone, U.S. support for UNRWA reached a record high of $422 million. Deprived of it, UNRWA could collapse which is the goal of the lawsuit, especially in light of UNRWA’s terror involvement.

“Twelve UNRWA workers were directly involved in Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200. They murdered Israelis. One was even filmed abducting the remains of Ayelet Samerano’s son, Jonathan,” Darshan-Leitner said.

“The IDF found rocket launchers, missiles and tunnels inside and underneath UNRWA’s facilities. They found Hamas’s servers inside UNRWA’s headquarters. This is evidence of the pivotal role that UNRWA plays in Hamas’s operations,” she added.
Christian lawmakers at Israel’s ‘Ground Zero’ call to dismantle UNRWA
A group of 20 parliamentarians from around the world on Sunday visited an Israeli agricultural community on the border with Gaza hard hit in the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre and called on their governments to defund and dismantle the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees because of its ties to Palestinian terrorism.

The unequivocal declaration by the lawmakers from 19 countries comes on the weekend after the E.U. announced it will pay UNRWA €50 million ($54 million) despite heightened international concerns over the terror-tainted U.N. agency.

A bombshell Israeli intelligence report, shared with the U.S. administration, showed that dozens of UNRWA employees actively participated in the Hamas onslaught, while 10% of the agency’s 13,000 employees in Gaza are Hamas members. The revelations prompted nearly 20 countries, led by the U.S. and Germany, UNRWA’s biggest donors, to suspend contributions to the agency totaling $438 million, or more than half of this year’s expected funding.

While American funding to UNRWA is being stopped for good in the wake of congressional legislation, the decision by the E.U. to resume funding was made after the agency agreed to allow E.U.-appointed experts to audit the way it screens staff to identify extremists.

Scenes of Oct. 7 carnage
Walking through the “Ground Zero” of the Hamas massacre on the grounds of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where the neat rows of burned-out and blackened homes still illustrate the slaughter that took place here nearly five months ago, the delegation of lawmakers signed a declaration that read: “No more funds for terror: Defund and dismantle UNRWA.”

“The declaration by members of parliament from around the world to stop funding UNRWA that was made in Kfar Aza is a moral statement that countries need to take responsibility for where their funding is going,” MK Sharren Haskel, one of the heads of the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus who led the tour, told JNS.

“More than anything else it is a sign that they are not turning a blind eye anymore and that there is zero tolerance to funding terror,” she said.
Teals sign letter ‘urging’ for funding to go ‘back to UNRWA’
Sky News host Rowan Dean says the teals have signed a letter urging for funding to “go back to UNRWA”.

UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, which provides aid and protection for Palestinians.

Australia has temporarily paused its funding to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees while investigation is underway into accusations several employees took part in Hamas’ October 7 attacks.

“They pretend not to be a political party, as I’ve said before, yet they have all signed … this thing urging funding to go back to UNRWA,” Mr Dean said.

“Why on earth would the teals be pushing to have UNRWA being refunded by the Australian taxpayer is utterly beyond me.”




Daniel Greenfield: Oxfam Hates Israel More Than It Wants to Help Gaza Arabs
A very basic question is what drives the Western support for Hamas? Is it a concern for Arab Muslims in Gaza or hatred for Jews, Israel, and America? If it’s the former, then why wasn’t there the same level of concern for other conflicts in the region?

Rarely has an organization answered that question as effectively as Oxfam.

In response to an announcement of humanitarian supply aidrops by the Biden administration, it issued a statement declaring that, “Oxfam does not support US airdrops to Gaza, which would mostly serve to relieve the guilty consciences of senior US officials whose policies are contributing to the ongoing atrocities and risk of famine in Gaza.”

Oxfam claimed that the idea would “be deeply degrading to Palestinians” and that, “instead of indiscriminate airdrops in Gaza, the US should cut the flow of weapons to Israel that are used in indiscriminate attacks.”

There are plenty of good reasons to oppose airdrops, not the least of which is that they’re likely to fall into the hands of Hamas or that Hamas will use them to stage violent incidents, like the one recently involving Israel, to validate its claim to controlling the aid, but Oxfam’s argument is that airdrops of aid are a bad idea because they will undermine anti-Israel efforts.

It’s a stunning unintentional admission that has led to a backlash on social media.

Given a choice between helping Gazan Muslims or hating Israel… Oxfam picks the latter.
NGO Monitor: Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) and Expanding US Lawfare
Despite its name, “Democracy for the Arab World Now” (DAWN), a US-based political NGO, is a primary leader of lawfare (legal warfare) campaigns based on demonizing propaganda targeting Israel. Under its Israel-Palestine program, launched in January 2022, DAWN has consistently exploited legal frameworks in seeking the issuance of arrest warrants against Israelis by lobbying the International Criminal Court (ICC), the United States government, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

In the aftermath of the barbaric Hamas massacre of October 7, in contrast to seeking justice for the Israeli and other victims of the atrocities, DAWN has amplified its harassment of Israeli officials and promoted vicious anti-Israel propaganda in the effort to harm Israel’s ability to defend its citizens.

As detailed below, a number of DAWN officials, including board members, have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and have voiced support for the Hamas terrorist group. According to the NGO,“Many of DAWN’s donors remain anonymous”; however, NGO Monitor was able to identify the sources for approximately 44% of DAWN’s 2022 income, including from Open Society Foundations, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Arca Foundation.

ICC
In October 9, 2023, two days after the brutal Hamas attack, DAWN issued a press statement calling on the ICC prosecutor to “Issue a public statement reminding all parties to the conflict that his investigation of international crimes in the OPT is ongoing, and will include all crimes currently taking place” as well as to “Immediately dispatch an investigation team to Gaza.” On October 15, DAWN sent a public letter to the ICC Prosecutor noting that “the ICC has jurisdiction to prosecute not only nationals who are party to the conflict in Gaza, but government officials who are aiding and abetting the commission of crimes by providing weapons and other materials used in the commision of crimes,” and calling for the Prosecutor to “Provide information about the work your office is currently undertaking to investigate and document crimes taking place in Gaza and Israel since October 7, 2023.”

In December 2023, DAWN submitted a list of 40 senior Israeli commanders to the ICC prosecutor, demanding an investigation for “planning, ordering, and executing Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment, wanton destruction, and mass killing of civilians in Gaza.” As part of its campaign, DAWN posted “‘Prime Suspect’ cards” with the name, rank, photo, and alleged role of each individual Israeli. There is no indication that DAWN submitted any Palestinian names to the ICC.


JCCV suspends relations with Muslim counterpart
The Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) has announced that it has suspended relations with the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV), as a result of malicious public statements made by the ICV President Adel Salman and Vice President Mohamed Mohideen.

Salman had said in an ABC Radio interview last week that the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October were “legitimate acts of resistance”. Mohideen had posted numerous statements that many, especially in the Jewish community, found inappropriate for a Commissioner of the Victorian Multicultural Commission. Critics claimed that VMC Commissioners should be working towards social cohesion rather than fostering division.

The Government’s traditional annual Iftar Dinner was cancelled last week, due to an ICV and National Imam’s Council boycott of the event. The ICV also called for their community members to attend the pro-Palestine rally held in Caulfield after the Burgertory arson attack. Despite statements from Victoria Police and subsequently being proven to not having anything to do with the Jewish community, the ICV bought into the lies blaming the Jewish community for the attack. The ICV leadership has not apologised.


Banning Gaza protests could lead to terror attacks, says ex police chief
Suppressing pro-Palestinian protests will increase the risk of a terrorist attack in Britain, a former police chief has warned.

Neil Basu, the former head of the UK’s counterterrorism policing network, said preventing people from legitimately voicing their opposition to government policy over the Israel-Gaza conflict would “fuel more extremism” and drive those on the fringes to look “somewhere else”.

Basu said: “The whole point of a protest is to influence public policy. The whole point of terrorism is ‘I can’t influence you in any other way, so I’m going to use violence’. Protesters in London call on Rishi Sunak to change his stance on Gaza

“If we choose to suppress protest, you are fuelling more extremism — I have no doubt about that. Protest is a way of venting … as long as it’s not criminal, we’ve got to allow it in a liberal democracy.”

Basu’s comments come as Rishi Sunak claimed that protests have “descended into intimidation, threats and planned acts of violence”.

In a speech outside Downing Street on Friday evening, the prime minister said: “On too many occasions recently, our streets have been hijacked by small groups who are hostile to our values and have no respect for our democratic traditions.”

Sunak’s speech followed demands by James Cleverly, the home secretary, earlier in the week for Palestinian supporters to stop their regular marches because they have “made their point” and are putting a huge strain on crime-fighting resources.

Scotland Yard revealed this weekend that the cost of policing protests and vigils in London since the October 7 atrocity by Hamas has soared from £19 million in December to more than £32 million.


CAIR Angry That Girl Scouts Prohibited Missouri Troop From Fundraising For ‘Gaza Children’ In Violation of Rules
The Girl Scouts of America is the latest group to be infiltrated and attacked by anti-Israel / pro-Hamas sentiment and demands.

A troop in Missouri was fund-raising supposedly for the children of Gaza under the auspices of the Girl Scouts of America, a clear violation of Girl Scout rules, so the local GSA chapter sent a warning to stop or face legal action. So far, so good.

The troop’s leader, Nawal Abuhamdeh, disbanded the Girl Scout troop rather than stop raising money for Gaza. Also fine.

The national GSA issued a weak as water statement trying to smooth things over, so of course, the pro-Hamas crowd smelled blood in the water and pounced.

Nothing is ever enough for the radical left. Give them the whiff of an apology, and they will lay out a list of demands. This is why you never apologize.


Chaos in Times Square after GRENADE is found in back of Uber: Tensions flare as crowds of anti-Israel protestors block traffic and stop NYPD bomb squad reaching explosive
Times Square is evacuated after a grenade was found in the back of Uber as anti-Israel protestors make their way through New York City preventing NYPD from reaching the device.

The explosive device was located in the backseat of the vehicle in Midtown Manhattan on Saturday.

An Uber driver turned to look in the backseat after dropping a passenger off on 42nd Street and 7th Avenue in Times Square and saw the explosive device.

The driver notified the police just after 4 pm and NYPD deployed the Emergency Services Unit and the Bomb Squad to the scene.

Anti-Israel protestors were marching through the streets and blocking traffic at the time of the emergency.

The protestors made it difficult for emergency services to navigate their way through the crowds.

Eventually, cops were able to establish a security perimeter around the Nissan Altima that contained the grenade.

They closed off pedestrian and vehicle traffic on 42nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

The grenade was believed to be inert, according to a police source.

Thousands of anti-Israel protestors had been making their way up Sixth Avenue on Saturday to speak out amidst the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.


Pro-Hamas protesters shut down Trudeau-Meloni gala, target synagogue
The loud protesters who chanted “there is only one solution, intifada revolution” — and even attempted to injure a federal cabinet minister — at Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) Saturday night must feel like they’re in charge.

Just like that, there would be no gala dinner for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, inside the art gallery. Outside, cabinet minister Ahmed Hussen, who represents a Toronto riding, had something thrown at him twice by Pro-Hamas protesters as he unsuccessfully attempted to enter.

“Due to security concerns, the event was cancelled,” the Prime Minister’s Office told CBC News.

Video from journalist Andrea Houston shows the first projectile nearly hit the minister on the head. This was an all out assault and an attempt to hurt the minister.

It was a gross scene unbecoming Canada and Toronto.

Toronto Police have not made any arrests so far. But there needs to be some consequences.

It’s all caught on video, and police have shown they do review those and lay charges later. Targeting anybody, let alone a cabinet minister, can’t be glossed over. It’s unacceptable. Police should consider laying charges on whoever organizes or pays these protesters, as well.


PETER HITCHENS: Call something a ‘phobia’ and you stifle all debate... that’s why the Left loves it
Why can you have a phobia about some things, but not about others? Why is ‘Islamophobia’ a word and an idea, in constant use, while ‘Christianophobia’ is not? For there are plenty of people these days who regard the Christian religion with bitter, hostile scorn, and its position in our society is more and more diminished every day, often thanks to official actions by Parliament and the courts.

Why is there ‘homophobia’ but not ‘heterophobia’? The old belief in heterosexual marriage and parenthood is increasingly dismissed as an outdated and quite possibly oppressive arrangement. Its former privileges have been systematically stripped from it.

I have heard those who still follow this unfashionable way of life rudely dismissed as ‘breeders’. But no tribunal will award you compensation for that sort of discrimination. Sneering at the old, as if age were an obvious failing, is daily more popular. Yet there’s no ‘Senophobia’.

Some years ago, I felt that the term ‘anti-Semitism’ was not doing its job. Many people who don’t like Jews (and there are quite a few) refuse to think of themselves as anti-Semites. They associate the word with Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, or Oswald Mosley and his British Union of Fascists. They do not think they are like that.

So I tried to introduce the word ‘Judophobia’ into the language, so as to give Jew-hatred the same pariah status as all the others. It never caught on, even though it’s probably a more truthful description of this strange mania than the other ways in which ‘phobia’ is used. I’m not even going to try with ‘marriage phobia’ or ‘family phobia’ or ‘Britophobia’, even though bigoted opinions exist which deserve these names.

Some Latin or Greek experts might also come up with a fancy medical-sounding word for the contempt which our elite classes feel for women who stay at home to rear their own children.

The truth is that the invention of all these ‘phobias’ is a brilliant piece of political trickery. It works because it is so hard to fight.
Why does the Left consider it Islamophobic to want to expel the cancer of extremism from Britain? asks former Immigration Minister ROBERT JENRICK
It’s clear that the Prevent programme isn’t working as it should and requires reform. Islamists make up 75 per cent of the security services’ caseload, but a culture of political correctness has meant roughly a quarter of referrals are for those espousing Islamist views.

Our intelligence services are stretched and so rightly apply a high threshold before engaging. That means plenty of less dangerous – but still hateful – extremists don’t qualify. Our police are meanwhile forced to focus on the extremists displaying an active threat, leaving keyboard warriors and other hate preachers under less scrutiny. But given the current climate is a petri dish for radicalisation, we need forensic scrutiny on both.

We must immediately end the two-tiered policing that has consistently let extremists off the hook. Appeasement has only emboldened them. I’ve seen stronger enforcement against football fans than extremists valorising terrorism and calling for ‘Jihad’ in London. Would the police have intervened to prevent ‘from the river to the sea’ being emblazoned on the Palace of Westminster if it was a racist far-right slogan? I strongly suspect so.

This goes to the heart of our democracy – currently the rule of law is being violated because a cohort of extremists are perceived to be above it.

It is a damning indictment of the failures of multiculturalism that many espousing profoundly hostile and illiberal views are British citizens. This is the consequence of people living parallel lives in segregated neighbourhoods, rarely mixing with people from different communities.

But for those here on temporary visas spewing hateful, anti-British views should have them revoked.

These people have abused the privilege of a visa and have no place here. As Immigration Minister I led this work, revoking visas of vile anti-Semites and Hamas supporters. But since I left, the Home Office haven’t been able to confirm that a single additional visa has been revoked on these grounds. We need to significantly expand the revocations unit within the Home Office and robustly defend our liberal values.

But stronger law enforcement alone will not solve this problem. To forge a more cohesive and united society we must end the disastrous experiment with mass migration. That task is virtually impossible when more than a million people arrive in the country every year.

Before I resigned as Immigration Minister I fought to secure the biggest ever reductions to legal migration. They need to be implemented immediately and followed up with significant further interventions. The age of careless and naive mass immigration to the UK must be consigned to the history books.

Delaying this necessary action only allows the cancer of Islamist extremism to grow. We urgently need laser-focus on delivering the cure.


Now judge who failed to lock up three pro-Palestine protesters sporting 'Hamas paragliders' pictures on their jackets is accused of violating code of conduct in a separate case
A judge accused of being too lenient against three women who were not jailed after being found guilty of sporting pictures of Hamas paragliders on their jackets has now been accused of violating judicial rules in a separate case.

Judge Tanweer Ikram found the three women, all in their mid-twenties, guilty at Westminster Magistrates Court of inviting support for a proscribed organisation, a charge that can carry up to 14 years behind bars, but did not impose a jail term or community order, saying their lesson had been 'well-learned'.

Ikram has now been accused of violating the judiciary's code of conduct by talking about jailing a police officer.

The deputy senior judge told students during a presentation last year that he had 'horrified' the police by jailing an officer who had sent out racist WhatsApp messages, the Telegraph reported.

But the Court and Tribunals Judiciary code of conduct bars judges from talking about 'cases they or colleagues hear', and they are told not to 'comment on matters of controversy.'


Young Jews must be hardened against the torment they face in university
Our kids should be reassured that protesters can scream “free Palestine” and “from the river to the sea” into the faces of Jews until they are blue in their own faces. It is purely performative. Their hysteria has no power to abrogate San Remo or the non-rebuttable mandate created at that conference. Hopefully this knowledge can help them to ignore the antisemitic heat and take comfort from the statutory light.

Offering external empowerment is the Lawfare Project, which provides pro bono legal services to protect the civil and human rights of the Jewish people worldwide. The Lawfare Project, founded and directed by human rights lawyer Brooke Goldstein, lets Jewish students know, “We have your back in a material way.”

The Lawfare Project recently partnered with the law firm Diamond and Diamond to file a $77-million class-action suit against McMaster University and the McMaster Students Union. A Jan. 3 statement of claim alleges that, “McMaster University has become, for over a decade, home to systemic discrimination, harassment, hatred, antisemitism, violent discourse and actual or threatened physical harm amongst the student body.” The plaintiffs are all currently enrolled students and those who graduated within the last two years.

Also in partnership with the Lawfare Project, Diamond and Diamond are awaiting certification on the same grounds for lawsuits against six other prominent universities (plus many of their student unions) — Queen’s, York, Concordia, Toronto Metropolitan (formerly Ryerson) and the University of British Columbia. Diamonds’ managing partner, Sandra Zisckind, told CTV News, “You can disagree with Israel, you can say there needs to be a ceasefire … but you cannot say we need to kill the Jews.”

In her 2007 book, “Jews and Power,” Ruth Wisse urged young Jews to stop judging Judaism by how well it adheres to progressive values, and start judging progressivism by how well it adheres to Judaism’s ideals and precepts. She concludes: “We (Jews) must stop thinking of ourselves as defendants.… In any fair court, either of law or opinion, which we have yet to see where Jewish interests are concerned, Israel would be recognized as the plaintiff.” Just so.

If these lawsuits against the universities succeed, and there is reason to hope they will, we will see a radical diminution of antisemitic activity on Canadian campuses. Diminution of activity is of course only half a loaf, since the hatred itself will remain. But half a loaf has been our portion many times before, and we are still here. And furthermore, we have learned that not only is it better than no loaf at all, even half a loaf pairs nicely with a full glass of wine, when raised in a hearty L’chaim!


Jewish teachers suing NYC school that won't discipline antisemitic teens terrorizing them on daily basis_ 'I live in fear'
The kids are all reich.

A Brooklyn high school has become a haven for Hitler-loving hooligans who terrorize Jewish teachers and classmates, The Post has learned.

On Oct. 26, just three weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of 1,200 Israelis, 40 to 50 teens marched through Origins HS in Sheepshead Bay waving a Palestinian flag and chanting “Death to Israel!” and “Kill the Jews!” staffers said.

Students ripped down the Israel flag from Danielle Kaminsky’s international display, missing above, and told her it was burned. The hateful procession was shocking even for Origins, a school rife with bias and bullying, insiders told The Post.

“I live in fear of going to work every day,” said global history teacher Danielle Kaminsky.

According to interviews with multiple staffers, and a Jewish student’s safety transfer request, recent hate incidents include:

A student painted a mustache on his face to look like Hitler, and banged on classroom doors. When someone opened, he clicked his heels and raised his arm in the Nazi gesture, security footage shows.
Three swastikas in one week were drawn on teachers’ walls and other objects, a manager found.
A 10th-grader told Kaminsky, 33, who is Jewish, “I wish you were killed.”
Another student called her “a dirty Jew” and said he wished Hitler could have “hit more Jews,” including her.
Students pasted drawings of the Palestinian flag and notes saying “Free Palestine” on Kaminsky’s classroom door. One scribbled note that said simply, “Die.”
The teen tormentors have so far faced no serious discipline under interim acting principal Dara Kammerman, who has done little beyond contacting parents in an effort to practice “restorative justice,” staffers said.

“She is perpetuating an antisemitic environment and a school of hate,” said Michael Beaudry, campus manager of the Sheepshead Bay building that houses Origins and three other schools. “The students continue these behaviors because they know there won’t be any consequences.”

In response, the city Department of Education said it will launch a probe: “There is currently no evidence that these claims are true, but we are investigating the claims.”


Dossier reveals hate-filled rants by preachers in Britain’s mosques
The Charity Commission is examining a fresh series of concerns about “utterly repugnant” sermons in British mosques, The Telegraph has learned.

The sermons were given in the weeks and months following Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

It comes after the Prime Minister warned about a “shocking increase” in extremism as he urged the public to “face down the extremists who would tear us apart”.

In one instance at Tawhid Mosque in Leyton, east London, Sheikh Suhaib Hasan appeared to claim that the victims of the massacre at the Supernova desert rave in Israel were “killed by their own people”.

Elsewhere in his sermon, he seems to acknowledge that Hamas – whom he refers to as the ‘believers’ – carried out the killing spree but suggests that the ravers deserved to be murdered.

He describes how people at the festival were “enjoying music and dancing” and goes on to say: “So after that revelation, no one could blame the believers that they have started it”.

He goes on to declare that “victory is promised to the believers” and calls Israel the “forces of evil”. The sermon was delivered in late November but is still available to watch online.

The complaint to the Charity Commission was based on information contained in a dossier, which has been circulating among the counter-extremism community in recent weeks. The report lists some 21 examples of hate preachers at mosques around the country.
George Galloway's deputy under investigation for saying Israel 'has forfeited any right to exist' following MP's controversial win in Rochdale by-election
George Galloway's deputy is under police investigation for saying Israel 'has forfeited any right to exist'.

Former Labour MP Chris Williamson made the comment on social media on October 17, ten days after Hamas terrorists slaughtered 1,200 Israelis.

He told his 149,000 followers on X: 'The people of the world now know that Israel has forfeited the right to exist and that resistance to the genocidal Zionist entity is the only option.

Yet our political leaders still collaborate with this vile regime. So make them pay at the ballot box.'

The Jeremy Corbyn ally sparked further fury after refusing to condemn the attacks when he appeared on Radio 4's Today programme on Friday after The Workers Party of Britain, of which he is deputy leader, won the Rochdale by-election.

Galloway's victory there has sparked fears of increased anti-Semitism across the country.

Williamson, 67, a former Labour MP for Derby North, was Shadow Local Government Minister from 2010 to 2013.

He was suspended from Labour in 2019 after he claimed the party had been 'too apologetic' in response to allegations of anti-Semitism.

Derbyshire Police confirmed the force had received 'multiple' complaints about the tweet, adding: 'The investigation is still ongoing'.


In Italy, libelous anti-Israel slogan is gaining traction
Following the October 7th massacre, there was growing solidarity with Israel among Italians.

On October 10th, ordinary Italian citizens and politicians from across the spectrum stood side by side in support of Israelis and the Italian-Jewish community.

Today, however, over four months since the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, the sentiment is not the same. Public opinion has reversed its course.

Over the last two weeks, the slogan “Stop the Genocide” has been widely used both in social communications and in demonstrations that have proliferated in support of Palestine. Even when South Africa brought the charge of genocide to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, this phenomenon did not occur.
Palestinian leader Abbas to visit Turkey’s Erdogan for talks on Gaza war

The truth about the Houthis
The Houthis, meanwhile, were emboldened. After a succession of victories in the early 2010s, they moved on and took the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Incredibly, they did so with the backing of Saleh, who continued to try to play a role in Yemen’s politics. The Houthis eventually executed him for treason in 2017.

Since 2015, Saudi Arabia, with the support of the US and the UK, has been engaged in a calamitous war against the Houthi regime. Hundreds of thousands have died. This conflict was only brought to an uneasy close last year after all sides committed to a ceasefire.

The Houthis today are the dominant force in a territory riven by factionalism. They control the populous north, while the south and east of Yemen are now governed by rival, nationalist forces. The Houthis have little to offer, let alone unify, Yemenis apart from a strategic alliance with Iran and a loathing of America and Israel. In the areas it controls, the Houthi regime is proving itself profoundly illiberal – it has suspended elections, and tortured and executed dissenters, homosexuals and anyone else who crosses it.

What few of the movement’s Western apologists understand is that the Houthis are simply filling a vacuum left by the collapse of the nationalist alternative. Insofar as the Houthis represent a challenge to the West, it is a reactionary one. It is only taking Yemen backwards. The Houthis’ rise is a blow to Yemenis, democracy and the wider Middle East.


Jewish man stabbed in Zurich in suspected antisemitic attack
An Orthodox Jewish man was stabbed in a suspected antisemitic hate crime in the Selnau area of Zurich, Switzerland, shortly after Shabbat ended on Saturday evening, according to the Zurich canton police.

A 15-year-old Swiss assailant stabbed a 50-year-old Orthodox Jew, critically wounding him. City Councilor Jehuda Spielman, who knows the victim, told The Jerusalem Post that bystanders rushed in to restrain the attacker, and that “without a doubt, they saved his life.”

“We were really lucky that people fought back,” said Spielman, who said that he doubted the victim would have survived from the multiple stab wounds. He praised the citizens of Zurich who intervened.

Spielman said that the attacker was shouting antisemitic slogans while he was stabbing and as he was pinned down. In addition to acting cavalier about the incident, Spielman said the assailant had alluded to jihadist concepts, such as acting on behalf of “Al-Aqsa.”
Paris assailant calls man in kippah 'dirty Jew,' attacks him as he leaves synagogue - report
A man wearing a kippah was attacked on Friday night as he left a synagogue in Paris, according to French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.

"According to initial information, a new anti-Semitic attack took place in Paris yesterday evening," Darmanin said on Saturday evening.

The assailant shouted "dirty Jew" during the attack, said French Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Minister Aurore Berge, who pledged to protect all French people in the face of antisemitism.

French outlet BFM TV reported that during the 20th arrondissement incident, the victim was punched and kicked to the ground, after which the assailant fled on foot. The victim was reportedly taken to a hospital.

Darmanin assured that everything was being done to find the perpetrator.

"On my instructions, since yesterday, the prefects have reinforced surveillance of places frequented by our Jewish compatriots who must not be victims of the tragedies taking place in the Middle East," said Darmanin.


Jewish father-of-three who was told by Tube passenger 'your religion is killing Muslims' says he feels unable to walk through central London wearing his skullcap amid 'hate marches' - and hits out at 'TikTok-educated idiots'
A Jewish father-of-three who was told by a tube passenger 'your religion is killing Muslims' has said he feels unable to walk through central London wearing his skullcap due to the 'hate marches'.

The father, who wants to remain anonymous for his family's safety, has spoken about his fears of rising anti-Semitism after he was allegedly abused by a vape-puffing passenger on the London Underground on Thursday.

The shocking incident was captured on video and involved a man who said he was a Muslim pointing at the Jewish man's skullcap and saying his religion kills Muslims.

British Transport Police have confirmed they are investigating.

Speaking to MailOnline, he said the alleged abuse was an example of how things have 'absolutely got worse' since the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7.

'I call them hate marches, weekly hate marches on streets of London which are not being policed effectively' he said.

'You embolden the extremists who believe they can act with impunity and do what they want in the streets of London. And that's why we're seeing a proliferation of the situation we're seeing with the rise in anti-Semitism.'

The Jewish father has worn a skullcap or Kippah at all times as part of his faith for decades but said he now sometimes worries about the attention it can draw.

He said he hopes his 12-year-old son, who goes to a Jewish school, would feel safe wearing it in London but said that is 'unfortunately becoming less and less the case'.


House bill calls for US to refer officially to ‘Judea, Samaria,’ not ‘West Bank’
A new bill in Congress aims to stress the holiness and ancient Jewish history of the Holy Land.

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.). introduced the “Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act” on Feb. 29. The legislation would require all official U.S. documents and materials to reference “Judea and Samaria” rather than the “West Bank.”

“The Israeli people have an undeniable and indisputable historical and legal claim over Judea and Samaria, and at this critical moment in history, the United States must reaffirm this,” Tenney stated.

The congresswoman, whose bill is cosponsored by Reps. Randy Weber (R-Texas) and Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.), said that the Biden administration was “misguided” to “revoke the Pompeo Doctrine,” a decision which “undermines our greatest ally in the Middle East.”

“This bill reaffirms Israel’s rightful claim to its territory. I remain committed to defending the integrity of the Jewish state and fully supporting Israel’s sovereignty over Judea and Samaria,” Tenney stated.

The N.Y. Republican noted that the term “Judea and Samaria” dates to ancient times, to the kingdoms of Judah and Samaria.

“In 1967, after Israel’s Arab neighbors launched the Six-Day War, Israel reclaimed Judea and Samaria from Jordan. The term ‘West Bank’ is used to delegitimize Israel’s historical claim to this land,” she stated.

In November 2019, then secretary of state Mike Pompeo said that Washington formally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and Judea and Samaria.


The world cannot afford to forget Elie Wiesel
I never met Elie Wiesel. I only have read two books that he wrote. He honored me by inscribing his novel The Oath and congratulating me on my bar mitzvah in 1977. My mother Devorah worked for the office staff for the Jewish Studies Department at City College in New York. Wiesel, a man of great intellect, empathy, and vision was a Distinguished Professor in the department overseen by Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg. Greenberg and Wiesel were teachers in an impressive faculty for whom my mother worked at the time of my rite of passage.

Wiesel could not make my bar mitzvah but he sent me his book as a gift. I still have not read it, more than four decades after I received it. But I have read his 1972 study of hassidic masters and their stories – Souls on Fire – many times. In my 26 years of lecturing to adults, I have quoted often from this book, one of my favorites in my well-stocked library of Jewish books.

His Sages and Dreamers: Biblical, Talmudic and Hasidic Portraits and Legends (1991) is also a wonderful study, based on his 25 years of popular and spellbinding lectures at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan. This Shabbat I will read his groundbreaking The Jews of Silence, a work that inspired Rabbi Jonathan Porath, later an American oleh (immigrant) to Jerusalem, to become a key player in the movement to liberate Soviet Jewry from Communist dictatorship in the mid-1960s. Rabbi Porath – I discussed in these pages his recent memoir Here We Are All Jews: 175 Russian-Jewish Journeys – urged me to write this essay.

Wiesel's incomparable impact
Elie Wiesel: Holocaust survivor, scholar, author, teacher, and Nobel Peace Prize winner. He was a fighter for human rights throughout the world. He warned against indifference to human suffering. Wiesel was a man and Jew of great vision, clarity, and conscience. He represented Jews, as a witness, who survived the Shoah. Wiesel awoke the world to the plight of Soviet Jewry in The Jews of Silence (1966), just as Jonathan Porath started his journeys to the Soviet Union to connect with identifying Jews there.

Porath’s 2022 memoir describes the collaboration between the rabbi and the visionary. “Reb Eliezer” was Rabbi Porath’s mentor and friend. Since Wiesel’s death at age 87 in 2016, Porath has been concerned that his legacy is fading and there has not been a man of vision in the Jewish community and the world to take his place. Without a moral compass and a voice of conscience, this violent world is in trouble.




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