Tuesday, July 02, 2024

07/02 Links Pt2: To an antisemite, nothing is more painful than the truth; Palestinianism and the Red-Green Alliance; The Hamas Links of CNN’s Gaza Freelancer

From Ian:

To an antisemite, nothing is more painful than the truth
By the time of my Bar Mitzva, I had known for years not to trust the mainstream media’s reporting on Israel and that when Israel was accused of a crime, the accusation was likely a lie.

In 2000, at the beginning of the Second Intifada, the New York Times published a photograph the Associated Press captioned as depicting an Israeli police officer standing over a beaten and bloodied Palestinian Arab. In reality, the photograph depicted Tuvia Grossman, a Jewish American citizen who had been beaten by a mob of Arabs and rescued by the police officer standing over him.

In 2002, at the height of the Second Intifada, British media such as the Guardian and the BBC published false reports of a massacre allegedly committed by IDF forces in Jenin. So-called human rights NGOs like Human Rights Watch enthusiastically echoed and spread these lies about a nonexistent massacre. In fact, 12 Israeli soldiers were killed in Jenin because the IAF did not bomb it before they entered the refugee camp.

These two incidents taught me as a child to have a very healthy skepticism for reports of Israeli wrongdoing, a skepticism that continued to be justified in my teenage years and into adulthood. That makes it all the more frustrating that there are so many who are incapable of seeing what is obvious to a small child, no matter how many times this skepticism is proven correct.

Hardly a day seems to go by in this war without some new lie about Israeli crimes. In October, it was claimed that Israel bombed the Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, killing 500 people. Nearly every detail about this incident was a lie designed to tarnish Israel’s reputation, and yet it was eaten up by a media that never learned or wanted to learn to treat anti-Israel accusations with the skepticism they deserve. It was quickly proven that Israel had not bombed the hospital, that the blast was caused by a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket that struck the parking lot, and that the death toll was a small fraction of what had been claimed.

You would think the media would have learned its lesson after the Baptist Hospital Libel, but some refuse to ever learn.

More lies were told about the IDF’s March operation at the al-Shifa Hospital, where it was claimed without evidence that soldiers raped Palestinian Arabs. This lie was designed to distract from the horrific sexual crimes committed against Jews on October 7 and against the hostages held in Gaza, and from the extraordinary IDF accomplishments at al-Shifa, where hundreds of terrorists were killed or arrested and not a single civilian was killed.

The most recent lie is the claim that Israel is training dogs to rape Palestinian Arabs. This follows a long line of claims of Israel using animals for various nefarious purposes, from using sharks to attack Egyptian divers, dolphins and birds as spies, and pigs to destroy crops, among others. Wikipedia, a site that has become more and more likely to publish antisemitic lies about Israel as if they are true as its recent decisions on who is considered a reliable source on Israel demonstrate, has an article dedicated to conspiracy theories involving Israel and animals.

It does not matter how outlandish or obviously false the accusations against Israel are. There will be always be those who are so blinded by hate that they want desperately for the accusations to be true. Briahna Joy Gray, for instance, who was fired from the Rising political talk show after she displayed her utter contempt for the sister of one of the Israeli hostages, attempted to spread the lie about the dogs by claiming it needed to be investigated - as if it had any credibility.
Kassy Akiva: The Dark Relationship Between U.S. Universities and An Anti-American School Controlled By Terrorists
Birzeit University, located just outside of Ramallah in the West Bank, is home to an overwhelmingly Hamas-affiliated student government that holds on-campus terrorist parades. It also has relationships with some of America’s most prestigious universities, despite the fact that its leadership and faculty openly harbor pro-terrorist and anti-American sentiments.

The chairwoman of Birzeit’s Board of Trustees denied Hamas’s brutality and rape on October 7, and the school’s official account called for “glory to the martyrs” days after the attack. Yet its relationships in the United States remain largely intact — it has active relationships with Harvard University, Rutgers University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and others across the country.

Harvard University is set to host a “Palestine Social Medicine Course” next month at Birzeit, where students will learn about “settler colonialism.” Rutgers University affirmed its relationship with Birzeit in May amid student encampment protests and William Paterson University entered into an agreement with the Hamas-run university in 2022 for exchange programs, sharing curricula and joint degree programs. Other schools, such as MIT, have recently co-hosted conferences, invited Birzeit professors for speaking events, or had student groups visit its campus.

Experts say the university has “gone off the deep-end” since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terrorist attack, with leadership openly defending the actions and broadcasting lies about the conflict.

Birzeit’s Terrorist-Sympathizing Leadership
Hanan Ashrawi, the chairwoman of Birzeit University’s Board of Trustees, has denied Hamas committed sexual assault on Israeli civilians during its October 7 massacre, endorsed the lynching of Israeli soldiers, and defended Hezbollah, according to CAMERA UK.

On October 11, Ashrawi wrote that Israel’s “spin machine” was “manufacturing horrific lies in an orchestrated smear campaign claiming rape, slaughtering babies, beheadings, burnings alive” and that the Western media “immediately swallowed & regurgitated such vile slander.” Ashrawi doubled down on sexual assault denial in March, calling a UN report finding grounds that Hamas committed sexual violence invalid because it included mostly interviews with Israelis.

Jonathan Schanzer, Senior Vice President for Research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said he is not surprised that Birzeit’s radical views are expressed at the highest levels.

“Ashrawi has had a forked tongue for decades,” Schanzer told the Daily Wire, pointing out that she was once part of the Oslo Accords. “While she was once seen as a woman of peace, that ship sailed a long time ago and she has since been a mouthpiece for radicalism for the better part of a decade.”
Israel Under Fire - Israel's Legal Rights regarding Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria
This report analyzes the legality of Jewish settlements in eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria from an international law perspective. Since the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel has extended its law, jurisdiction, and administration over eastern Jerusalem but not to Judea and Samaria.

The legality of Jewish settlements in these areas derives from the Jewish people's historical, indigenous, and legal rights to settle in those areas, validated in international documents. Denying Jews their right to live in the Old City of Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria means denying their ties to their biblical and historical homeland, precisely those ties that have been recognized in these documents.

The claim that the Palestinian Arabs are entitled to an independent state in all the territories, while Jewish settlement is forbidden, is unfounded in international law.

Following Israel's War of Independence in 1948, there was an exchange of approximately 600,000 people from each side. Whereas Israel absorbed the Jewish refugees, the Arab states, rather than absorbing the Arab refugees, invented a new "Palestinian people" that had never before ruled the land; there is no "Palestinian" language and no specific "Palestinian" culture or history.

The Oslo Agreements were drafted to enhance "a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace." Yet, since they came into effect, the Middle East has witnessed not peace but violence and terror. The establishment of the Palestinian Authority and the subsequent takeover of Gaza by Hamas, as well as the popular support Hamas enjoys in Judea and Samaria, should serve as a guide to the grave risks posed by such an Arab state, which may eventually lead to the destruction of the Jewish state.


IDF says drone strike targets Palestinian cell planting roadside bomb near Tulkarem
An Israeli drone strike was carried out against a cell of terror operatives in the West Bank’s Nur Shams camp a short while ago, the military says.

According to the IDF, the operatives were planting an explosive device when they were struck.

A military source says the IDF was tracking the cell, and ambushed them as the operatives began to plant a roadside bomb.

The location of the strike was about 100 meters from where an Israeli soldier was killed by a roadside bomb on Monday morning, according to the source.

Palestinian media also report the strike.

There is no immediate information on the number of casualties in the attack, but a report claims at least one person was killed and footage shared by Palestinian media shows at least one person being transported by ambulance as medics perform chest compressions.
Al-Shifa Hospital’s Terror Links Ignored as Its Director Released From Israeli Prison
Israeli media are up in arms about Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital director Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya being released from Israeli prison on Monday, fighting over whether or not it was the right thing to do, highlighting reactions from ministers, PM Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the Shin Bet (internal security service) and Israel Prison Service’s responses.

There wasn’t a question of why he was detained in the first place – it was clear to all that the IDF raided the hospital based on correct intelligence and the discovery that Hamas were operating inside and underneath Gaza’s largest hospital.

But when international media picked up on the story hours later, the focus shifted to the alleged torture prisoners claimed to have endured over the last several months while undergoing investigations in Israeli custody. In tandem, IDF proof that al-Shifa was a confirmed Hamas location was often ignored, creating the perception that the IDF raided a hospital and arrested doctors without cause.

While this CNN report starts with a heartwarming reunion of released detainees with their families in Gaza, reporter Nada Bashir quickly moves on to discuss the alleged torture they endured at the hands of Israeli security personnel and prison guards. Just before she brings in Abu Salmiya to the story, she questions the legitimacy of the detainees’ arrests: “Why they were detained in the first place, we may never know.”

We do know. These people were suspected of aiding and abetting Hamas terrorists and their activities in a civilian area – for instance, a hospital – and the IDF had every right to investigate. Did Bashir miss the memo? How could she not know?

Abu Salmiya is specifically responsible as the hospital’s director for allowing or turning a blind eye to Hamas operating inside and underneath the hospital, under his watch. Bashir chooses to brush over this minute detail, most likely to fit a narrative.

That’s obvious since during the entire report, she neglects to mention al-Shifa’s role in Israel’s war against Hamas, and instead presents a personal story of poor, beaten doctors who were detained for no reason by Israel.

The New York Times covered this similarly, claiming that Israel took Abu Salmiya into custody in November “as he took part in an effort to evacuate patients from the hospital, which at the time was under siege by the Israeli military.”

This is noteworthy since they conducted their own investigation into al-Shifa Hospital in February.

Indeed, Abu Salmiya was detained and investigated with cause, under suspicion of allowing Hamas to use the hospital as its headquarters. In December, he even had three hearings, according to the Jerusalem Post. What the Jerusalem Post report does say; however, is that “an indictment was never produced.”

The Guardian went so far as to say that the IDF “alleged” there was an “elaborate” Hamas command center and then completely understated IDF discoveries underneath al-Shifa, claiming that the IDF raided the hospital without supportive evidence of intelligence. This, in addition to highlighting the abuse of Abu Salmiya and other released prisoners allegedly experienced.

It’s also appalling that The Washington Post continues to attempt to dispel proof that Hamas was operating out of al-Shifa Hospital and to claim that any weapons found or video footage of hostages inside the hospital were merely circumstantial evidence.

HonestReporting debunked The Post’s investigation back in December.

Did the IDF raid al-Shifa and arrest the hospital director for no reason? Perhaps the better question here is: why would any respectable media outlet risk their credibility by choosing not to be transparent with their readers?


Palestinianism and the Red-Green Alliance
Global left radicals (the “Reds”) and Islamists (the “Greens”) may hold vastly different beliefs, but they exhibit similarities in their respective all-encompassing ideologies and ways of political and militant action.

Both feature uncompromising and enforced dogmas and both believe that their religious or political solutions will solve humanity’s historical ills.

The Red-Green Alliance’s common enemy is the West: socialists believe the West is exploitative, oppressive, inequitable, and hegemonic. Islamists believe the West corrupts traditional morals, is overly focused on materialism, and wishes to dominate them.

Aggressive practices of “revolution” and “resistance” are common to Left radicals and Islamists.

Both movements exploit the poor and marginalized of their societies to mobilize armed struggle.

Though ideologically fierce and focused, the societies born of socialist thought and Islamism are severely flawed. Their ideologies ultimately appeal to naïve followers in the West – “useful idiots” – who serve the corrupt Red-Green Alliance’s metaobjective of world domination.
Pro-Hamas Activists, Groups Turn Against Progressive Lawmakers, Allies as Anti-Israel Movement Shows Cracks
A slew of anti-Israel groups and activists have turned on left-wing Democratic lawmakers and allies, dismissing them as “enemies” and calling into question their support and loyalty to the Palestinian cause.

In recent weeks, anti-Zionist organizations and public figures have taken to social media to lash out at high-profile left-wing politicians and activists for criticizing their methods of opposing the Jewish state. Staunchly anti-Israel groups such as Within Our Lifetime (WOL) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) have expressed outright indignation at allied lawmakers and activists for suggesting their extreme, sometimes violent tactics are counterproductive and risk cannibalizing the movement against the Jewish state.

SJP, which promotes anti-Israel propaganda on college campuses, lambasted US Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) for criticizing a mob of pro-Hamas protesters who demonstrated outside an exhibition in New York City that commemorates the victims of the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel. The group asserted that any public disapproval of pro-Palestinian activists is tantamount to enabling “genocide” in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave ruled by the Hamas terrorist group.

“We are not loyal to our oppressors; elected officials who choose to enable genocide, endorse the architects of said genocide, or otherwise stand in the way of Palestinian liberation will face the political consequences of those choices,” SJP wrote.

“Figures like AOC and Jamaal Bowman have utility insofar as they leverage their positions within the belly of the beast to shield the masses and our righteous struggles for liberation, directly challenge white supremacist power structures, and stand firmly against Zionism and all manifestations of US imperialism,” SJP continued. “Without these tangible actions, we regard these elected officials as our enemies.”

Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman have been among the US Congress’s most vocal critics of Israel, falsely accusing the Jewish state of “genocide” and “white supremacy,” relentlessly castigating its American supporters, and claiming that the charge of antisemitism has been weaponized for political purposes.

However, their anti-Israel comments and policy proposals haven’t seemingly gone far enough for SJP, which has been behind many of the pro-Hamas demonstrations that devastated universities this past academic year.
The Los Angeles Synagogue Attack Wasn’t a Warning for Jews Alone
As with attacks on Jewish communities, these trends are even worse abroad; they are an unfortunate lagging indicator of where the United States is headed. In Europe, anti-Christian hate crimes, including arson and physical attacks on Christian communities, rose 44 percent in 2023. In Canada, inspired by a series of false news reports regarding the presence of “mass indigenous graves” on Canadian church properties, more than 100 arson or vandalism attacks took place.

The number of attacks targeting Christians is dwarfed by attacks on Jews in America, of course, but the point here is not to compare injuries, but to point out that both communities find themselves confronting the same or similar threats.

And, as with the attack on the Pico-Robertson Jewish community, there is an apparent resistance by some government authorities to provide protection, bring to justice perpetrators, or even admit the extent of the problem. Republican lawmakers lament the Department of Justice’s inaction in responding to attacks on Christian churches and other institutions; nonprofits are forced to sue the DOJ, alleging the department is hiding information about church attacks; and prosecutors have repeatedly sought lesser or no penalties for perpetrators targeting Christians. Meanwhile, the Justice Department authorizes domestic spying operations against American churchgoers for alleged extremism, and mainstream media outlets have taken to labeling basic tenets of the American Founding as “Christian Nationalism.”

If, as Greenfield and Greenberg warn, a cultural memory of being a vulnerable minority as well as decades of institutional effort are insufficient to mentally or physically harden the American Jewish community to resist such threats, how vulnerable are the American Christian communities that find themselves in the same boat? While Jewish communities clearly need to do more work to secure their communities amid growing challenges, American Christians can and should apply lessons from the Jewish community approach.

First and foremost, the task for American Christians begins by regarding themselves as real communities. This can happen geographically, as discussed by writers like Rod Dreher in The Benedict Option. But, primarily, a community identity is forged through the creation of institutions that can represent its common interests to civic and business leaders. No common interest is greater than security.

There are resources, in the public and private sectors, on creating “church security teams.” Some of these are of questionable value; others have been developed by genuine experts. But there is no Christian example of important efforts like the SCN, which helps coordinate security for the Jewish community by developing best practices, sharing threat information, and providing assistance in applying for grants to institutions with security concerns. Just as important is having a broader network of media, political, legal, and cultural support for the community, in case a church were to face a threatening situation similar to the assault on Congregation Adas Torah.

There is a common threat often uttered by Islamists in the Middle East, many of whom have been imported not only to the streets of Los Angeles but to your town as well: “First the Saturday people, than the Sunday people.” There is much the Sunday people could learn from their Jewish counterparts about protecting their communities, and now is the time to get serious about learning it.
Here’s a Partial List of Assaults on American Jews in June
Street protests targeting Jews and Jewish institutions, and institutions deemed supportive of Israel, escalated in June and were characterized by threats of violence and antisemitic rhetoric. Among the most notable incidents was a Los Angeles march by keffiyeh clad and masked protestors organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement and Code Pink, where Jews were physically assaulted outside of a synagogue.

The confrontations spilled over into the surrounding Jewish neighborhood, where a number of Jews were beaten and sprayed with mace. Reports indicate Los Angeles police, who had been warned about the event, were initially instructed to stand down and then protected protestors and prohibited Jews from entering the synagogue. Several injuries and one arrest were reported.

President Biden condemned the Los Angeles attack without naming the perpetrators as did Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and other local politicians including Governor Gavin Newsom, all within a 30-minute period. The protests were defended by anti-Israel activists and the ACLU (for the non-violent part) on the grounds that the real estate fair was “political activity.”

In another egregious example, protestors from Within Our Lifetime (WOL) in New York City besieged an exhibition about the Nova music festival massacre of October 7. Police rushed the waiting viewers into the exhibition space while protestors lit flares and shouted “long live intifada” and “Israel go to hell.”

In another pro-Hamas and pro-Hezbollah protest, a two-mile long group organized by the People’s Forum, Palestinian Youth Movement, and the ANSWER Coalition encircled the White House. Protestors shouted “We don’t want no two states, we’re taking back 48” and “kill another Zionist now” while vandalizing local monuments with slogans including “Death to Amerikkka,” “Death to Israel,” “Death to Zionists,” and “Al-Qasam make us proud. Kill another soldier now.”

No arrests were made, and mainstream media reported only slogans such as “free Palestine.”
Americans Show Heightened Concern about Antisemitism
Nearly half (49%) of Americans surveyed in May rate antisemitism, or prejudice against Jewish people, as a "very serious" problem, sharply higher than the 9% when Gallup previously measured this in 2003.

81% now see antisemitism as either a very or somewhat serious problem, while the percentage of Americans saying antisemitism is "not much of a problem" has shrunk from 30% to 10%.

66% of Americans aged 65 and older and 55% of those aged 50 to 64 describe antisemitism as a very serious problem, compared with 36% of those younger than 50.

46% of Jewish Americans say they have experienced more poor treatment or harassment in the past year than in prior years.

60% of Jewish Americans say they have felt reluctant to share their religious affiliation with others because they feared being treated poorly or harassed.
Gallup: Gen Z believes antisemitism less of a problem in America
Only one in three Americans under the age of 35 believe that antisemitism is a “very serious problem” in the United States, a significantly lower figure than among the broader public, according to a Gallup poll.

Gallup polled a sample of 1,024 American adults from all U.S. states and Washington, D.C., between May 1-23. (The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, Gallup noted.)

Just under half of all respondents believed that Jew-hatred is a very serious problem, while 32% said it was “somewhat” of an issue. At the same time, 10% responded that prejudice against Jews was “not much” of a problem and 8% said they didn’t see the concern “at all.”

Though the share of Americans who regard the threats facing U.S. Jewry as “very serious” has grown by 40% since 2003, according to the survey, the data indicates that these concerns are primarily coming from those over the age of 35.

According to the poll, only 33% of respondents under 35 viewed prejudice against Jewish Americans as a very serious issue, compared to 46% in the 35-54 age group and 66% of those aged 55 and up.

At the same time, almost one in three Gen Z respondents stated that they saw antisemitism in the United States as “not much of a problem” (17%) or “not a problem at all” (15%)


Global influencers gather in New York City for Jew-hatred summit
More than 300 influencers worldwide traveled to New York City earlier this week to fight antisemitism in a first-of-its-kind event.

“You are now on the precipice to decide which direction we go in. You only have to pick up your device to change the course of history,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “This is your moment to use your platforms to change the course of what we’re experiencing across the globe. There’s no room for hate in our city or on our globe. We can turn this around.”

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), television personality Andy Cohen and others represented a diverse range of participants, including Holocaust and Nova festival massacre survivors, singers, storytellers and social-media standouts at the Voices for Truth: Influencers United Against Antisemitism summit.

A joint venture of the Combat Antisemitism Movement and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the summit comes amid a sharp rise in violent Jew-hatred since Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre and Israel’s military response, and concern that Israel is losing the global narrative battle.

“This is our chance to make a difference—to stand up for Jewish people and our values and the protection of minorities,” Sacha Roytman, CEO of CAM, told attendees. “To stand by is not an option anymore. Bring back activism and community leadership as a way of life.”

Andy Cohen, host and executive producer of “The Real Housewives” franchise and co-host of CNN’s annual New Year’s Eve event, addressed the audience at New York’s Glasshouse venue.

“Many of you have large social-media platforms, and that simply by representing Jewish culture with pride to your followers, you will have more of a far-reaching impact than you may even realize,” he said.

Many Jewish influencers have dealt with increasing levels of hate and lost business in the aftermath of Oct. 7 and their continued support of Jews and Israel. The summit included panel discussions and other platforms to chart a path forward.


Why I Left My Faculty Position at Rutgers
I knew things had gone badly awry at Rutgers University last year when a masked participant in an anti-Israel protest on campus proudly proclaimed, “Dying as a martyr, dying as a hero, is one of the greatest sacrifices you can do as a Palestinian and as a Muslim.” In other words, self-martyrdom through suicide attacks against Israelis was not only justified but praiseworthy.

The question is not whether the protester had the right to say these words, but what the response from the university administration should have been. Instead of silence and acquiescence, the administration should have adopted Associate Justice Louis D. Brandeis’ famous remedy for “falsehoods and fallacies” uttered under the protection of the First Amendment—namely, “more speech” to correct the falsehood, speech that advances the “processes of education.” If it had followed this principle, the Rutgers administration would have spoken out against the protester’s radical glorification of self-martyrdom through terrorism against Jews.

As universities nationwide continue to reel from anti-Israel protests and accusations of antisemitism on their campuses, I have left my position as a professor and administrator at Rutgers to join the leadership of Yeshiva University, an institution built on and guided by Jewish tradition. Some news outlets have sensationalized my move, claiming that I was driven out by antisemitism. This is untrue. I am not running away from antisemitism, but rather running to embrace the Jewish educational principles that Yeshiva University embodies. Perhaps ironically, those principles—most important, free inquiry and respect for diverse opinions within constructive bounds—are more closely aligned with the ideals of higher education espoused by the Founders of the United States than the ones currently exhibited by public universities like Rutgers.

Many of the Founders—George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush, and James Madison, among others—argued passionately for the establishment of a national university that would educate students to appreciate and act in accordance with their duty to the country and to one another. In a 1796 letter, Washington celebrated the role of education in “enlightening and giving just ways of thinking to our Citizens.” While he had previously wondered whether such an education could be provided by the “seminaries of learning already established” in the United States (of which Rutgers, then a religious institution called Queens College, was one), he soon became convinced that a national university without a religious affiliation would be better suited to the task: There, “the Youth ... from different parts of the United States would be assembled together, & would by degrees discover that there was not that cause for those jealousies & prejudices which one part of the union had imbibed against another part.”
Brendan O'Neill: The Green Party’s bigotry problem is far worse than Reform’s
This shocking double standard was summed up in the BBC’s Question Time special featuring Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay and Reform leader Farage. Fiona Bruce questioned Mr Ramsay about his candidates who seemed to say 7 October was an act of ‘resistance’, but it was delicate and didn’t last long. Farage, in contrast, was subjected to a show trial about three of Reform’s iffy candidates. It was relentless. The audience chipped in, too. I half expected to see rotten fruit fly by at one point. One was left with the impression that the BBC doesn’t take expressions of sympathy for Jew-killers as seriously as it does expressions of disdain for black and Asian people. If that isn’t the impression it intended to give, then it should clarify its position, urgently.

Here’s the really unsettling thing: where Reform has forced out the candidates who allegedly made racist comments, the Green leadership has stood by some of its candidates who seemed to make apologies for a pogrom. It still endorses ‘half a dozen’ candidates despite allegations that they ‘shared “anti-Semitic” slurs [and] conspiracy theories’, as The Times says. Apparently some of the candidates have walked back or deleted their post-pogrom comments. Others have received anti-Semitism education. Great! Problem solved. One leading Green suggests sections of the media are conflating ‘legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and anti-Semitism’. Perhaps they are. But describing the murder of Jewish civilians by known Jew-haters as ‘resistance’ is not ‘legitimate criticism of the Israeli government’, is it?

How do we explain this? This chasm-like divide between the media’s kid-glove treatment of the Greens and their haranguing of Reform? Is it because the media classes don’t take anti-Semitism as seriously as other forms of racism or because they’re hell-bent on thwarting Reform’s electoral prospects?

Sadly, I think it’s a bit of both. I think the influencer classes are so addled by identity politics, by the infantile idea that ‘whites’ are oppressors and ‘non-whites’ are oppressed, that they genuinely struggle to see Jews as victims, even when they clearly are. I also think these people’s hatred of populism still burns so brightly in the post-Brexit moment that they will throw anything at Reform in a bid to discourage the plebs from voting for it. That’s the irony of their ceaseless exposés of ‘Reform racism’ – they think they’re showing how morally upright they are, when really they’re making it clear to the world that racism only bothers them in certain circumstances, and populism bothers them always. What all this Reform-bashing really exposes is the identitarian disarray and anti-democratic angst of an elite that still distrusts us little people.


Down and out in Paris and London
If Israel represents the greatest achievement of the Jewish people in at least 100 years, small wonder that it has become the main target of today’s reconstituted antisemites. And if one thing has been clear since the atrocities by Hamas on Oct. 7, it’s that Israel’s existence is not something that Jews—with the exception of that small minority of anti-Zionists who do the bidding of the antisemites and who echo their ignorance and bigotry—are willing to compromise on. What’s changed is that it is increasingly difficult for Jews to remain in the countries where they live and express their Zionist sympathies at the same time. We are being attacked because of these sympathies on social media, at demonstrations and increasingly in the streets by people with no moral compass, who regard our children as legitimate targets. Hence, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that while the 2020s may not be the 1930s, they certainly feel like the 1930s.

And so the age-old question returns: Should Jews, especially those in Europe, where they confront the pincer movement of burgeoning Muslim populations and a resurgent far-left in thrall to the Palestinian cause, stay where they are, or should they up sticks and move to Israel? Should we be thinking, given the surge in antisemitism of the past few months, of giving up on America as well? I used to have a clear view of all this. Aliyah is the noblest of Zionist goals and should be encouraged, but I always resisted the notion that every Jew should live in Israel—firstly, because a strong Israel needs vocal, confident Diaspora communities that can advocate for it in the corridors of power; and secondly, because moving to Israel should ideally be a positive act motivated by love, not a negative act propelled by fear.

My view these days isn’t as clear as it was. I still believe that a strong Israel needs a strong Diaspora, and I think it’s far too early to give up on the United States—a country where Jews have flourished as they never did elsewhere in the Diaspora. Yet the situation in Europe increasingly reminds me of the observation of the Russian Zionist Leo Pinsker in “Autoemancipation,” a doom-laden essay he wrote in 1882, during another dark period of Jewish history: “We should not persuade ourselves that humanity and enlightenment will ever be radical remedies for the malady of our people.” The antisemitism we are dealing with now presents itself as “enlightened,” based on boundless sympathy for an Arab nation allegedly dispossessed by Jewish colonists. When our children are victimized by it, this antisemitism ceases to be a merely intellectual challenge, and becomes a matter of life and death. As Jews and as human beings, we are obliged to choose life—which, in the final analysis, when nuance disappears and terror stalks us, means Israel.
Anti-Semitism and the French Elections
As a nonreligious person of Jewish origin, I had never imagined such a return of anti-Semitism in France, whether on the left or the right. It seemed to me that the memory of the Holocaust had immunized public opinion. I was mistaken, having forgotten that two generations had passed, and that the Holocaust was effectively ancient history. Its memory no longer serves as a vaccine against conspiracy theories, now ardently trafficked on social media.

One factor in anti-Semitism’s return are the strange arguments made in the opinion pages of the French press, which try to make a distinction between good and bad anti-Semitism. The bad kind is supposed to be that of the Right, the traditional brand of anti-Semitism, overtly racist. The good kind is supposed to be that of the Left, which demands that Jews become more integrated into the French national community and show less sympathy toward Israel. The only persons not consulted in these controversies are the 500,000 French Jews who feel both French and Jewish—and first of all French, especially because, like the majority of French citizens, they are secular. While they support Israel—not as the Jewish state but as a democracy—they also favor the creation of a Palestinian state. But who listens to Jews concerning the Jewish question?

This eternal Jewish question, while marginal to the larger preoccupations of the French, may play a role in the final result on July 7. Various polls show that many French voters, Jews and non-Jews, will not vote for the anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist candidates of the extreme Left. Some prominent Jewish public intellectuals have declared that in a contest between a non-anti-Semitic far-right candidate and a leftist anti-Zionist challenger, they will cast their vote for the far-right candidate in spite of the National Rally’s dark past. The extreme Left is thus playing with fire in search of votes among the French of Arab-Muslim origin, but this effort will probably end any hope the broader Left has of regaining power. Le Pen has done a much better job of clearing out the old racist and anti-Semitic dross in her party. She will benefit from this clean-up and from her support of Israel, in which the great majority of the French join her. She may not be sincere, but in politics what you say is what you are.

I would have preferred never to have written this column. I thought that being a Jew in France was no longer noteworthy, and that the question of anti-Semitism was no longer relevant. This was my illusion.
Security guard attacked outside Jewish school in French city of Nice
A security guard for a French Jewish school was attacked after intervening when a group had insulted children leaving the institution, Nice mayor Christian Estrosi said on Monday.

Estrosie denounced the incident, and said that authorities were seeking the perpetrators of the alleged assault.
Presbyterian Church rejects Christian Zionism, divests from Israel Bonds
The Presbyterian Church (USA) voted on Monday at its biennial meeting, which is ongoing in Salt Lake City, Utah, to divest from financial bonds in Israel and to denounce Christian Zionism, Religion News Service reported.

The denomination, which had 8,704 churches and 1.14 million members as of May 2023, voted to “reject Christian Zionism in all its forms” and to issue a report about the “dangers of Christian Zionism” and how “mainline Christians and those of other faiths are complicit, though unaware of connections with Christian Zionism.”

“Presbyterian Church (USA) has long singled out Israel for animus, fixation, double standards and demonization. Now PCUSA has voted to divest from Israel bonds and to slam ‘Christian Zionism,'” B’nai B’rith International stated.

“The denomination tragically fails to speak for all its members, for fairness and for truth,” B’nai B’rith added.

A previous version of the resolution referred not to the “dangers” of Christian Zionism but to “heretical views of Christian Zionism.” A prior version of the resolution also referred to the 10 Commandments as “a core requirement of Judaism,” although the new version scrubbed that reference.
PFLP terrorist handbook to be taught at Brooklyn community center
A Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) book will be taught at a Brooklyn community center on Friday, according to the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network Telegram channel.

Samidoun will host a series of group study events on the PFLP document "Strategy for the Liberation of Palestine."

The document outlines the organization, philosophies, and strategies of the PFLP, and describes its war objective as being "to destroy the state of Israel as a military, political, and economic establishment."

'Armed struggle is the only way'
PFLP insists in the book that its aims cannot be achieved "except through armed struggle and a protracted popular liberation war."

The event will be held at the Mayday Space community center in Bushwick.

Samidoun is listed by Israel as a subsidiary of the PFLP. The PFLP is designated by the US State Department as a foreign terrorist organization.
New Jersey school districts face Title VI investigations
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced investigations for potential violations of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act against two school districts in New Jersey for allegedly failing to respond adequately to accusations of bigotry.

The districts were named on Tuesday as Lenape Regional High School District of Shamong, N.J., and Medford Township School District in Medford, N.J.

The OCR usually does not name the incidents that resulted in its investigations into claims of discrimination based on shared ancestry. JNS contacted both school districts and requested copies of the letters sent by the OCR but did not receive responses at press time.

Medford Township School District includes five elementary schools, one school for sixth grade, and one for seventh and eighth grades. In the 2020-21 school year, the district served 2,690 students.

Lenape Regional High School District administers four high schools—Lenape, Shawnee, Cherokee and Seneca—for the eight municipalities of Evesham; Medford; Mount Laurel; Shamong; Southampton; Tabernacle and Woodland townships; and the borough of Medford Lakes. As of September 2022, the district served 6,552 students.
‘Amazing what $$$$ can do’: New Text Messages Show Columbia Deans Sneering at ‘Privilege’ of Jewish Students
The deans at the center of the Columbia University texting scandal scoffed that Jewish students concerned about the eruption of anti-Semitism on campus are "coming from a place of privilege" and suggested those students have more institutional support than their peers because of their supposed wealth, according to new messages reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.

The messages, obtained by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and released on Tuesday, show that three of the deans—Susan Chang-Kim, Matthew Patashnick, and Cristen Kromm—engaged in a more extensive pattern of disparagement than has been previously reported and shed new light on how Columbia officials reacted in real-time to a panel on anti-Semitism held during the university’s alumni weekend.

"I’m going to throw up," Chang-Kim, Columbia’s vice dean and chief administrative officer, wrote to her colleagues roughly an hour into the panel. The text's timing aligns with remarks from an audience member and daughter of a Holocaust survivor, Orly Mishan, who described how her own daughter, a Columbia sophomore, "was hiding in plain sight" on campus after the Oct. 7 attacks.

"Amazing what $$$$ can do," replied Kromm, the dean of undergraduate student life.

The new messages suggest that the administrators, who were placed on leave pending a university investigation after a Free Beacon report revealed snippets of their text exchanges, see concerns about anti-Semitism as manifestations of entitlement.

"They will have their own dorm soon," Patashnick, the associate dean for student and family support, said of Jewish students, after the head of Columbia Hillel, Brian Cohen, said that many Jews felt more comfortable spending time at the Kraft Center he runs than in their own dormitories following the Oct. 7 attacks.

"Comes from such a place of privilege," Chang-Kim wrote two minutes later. "Trying to be open minded to understand but the doors are closing."

The deans also ridiculed Cohen’s efforts to provide support services, including psychological counseling, to Jewish and Israeli students following Oct. 7, implying that they were receiving special treatment denied to other groups.

"Not all heroes wear capes," Patashnick texted sarcastically. "If only every identity community had these resources and support," Kromm replied.
StandWithUs objects to agreement made with protesters at Northwestern
A leading pro-Israel campus group sent correspondence to the trustees of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., urging the cancellation of what it calls an unlawful agreement administrators made with anti-Israel demonstrators.

StandWithUS dispatched a legal letter on Monday written by the Kasowitz Law Firm to the school’s leaders, laying out reasons why the agreement capitulating to tent encampment protesters’ demands, dated April 29, breached the law.

Some of the points named include the wrongful offering of disciplinary amnesty to the activists; inaction to protect Jewish students who violated Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act; and failing to follow university policies by making a financial agreement without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

StandWithUs calls for the rescinding of the agreement and the removal of the leadership who allowed it.

“Northwestern has surrendered to agitators’ unlawful conduct and outrageous demands in a move that threatens to set a national precedent for university leadership enabling and supporting in the complete breakdown of civility, policies and the law,” said StandWithUS CEO Roz Rothstein.

She said that “at a time when Jewish and Israeli students across the country are under unprecedented attack, Northwestern’s leadership shouldn’t engage in patchwork unlawful actions but instead strive to be a part of the solution.”
Meet the Rich Kids, Professors, and Activists Arrested at Columbia in April
Eloise Maybank is accustomed to luxury. A London native, Maybank attended high school at a private French academy in London, the renowned Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle de Londres, and then at Milton Academy, an elite Massachusetts boarding school where tuition runs $76,000 a year. Then she enrolled at Columbia.

Maybank was among approximately 100 people arrested at Columbia University in late April for storming and occupying a campus building. Of those arrested, 45 were charged with third-degree criminal trespassing, public records show. At a hearing last month, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office dismissed cases against 31 of those people. Prosecutors told the 14 others that charges against them would be dropped if they avoided arrest for the next six months, but the defendants rejected that offer and will return to court in late July.

A Washington Free Beacon review of those charged shows they included several Columbia University, Barnard College, and New York University students and recent graduates, a City University of New York professor, and a wealthy outside activist also facing charges for setting an Israel supporter’s flag aflame during the April protest.

Maybank is not the only student arrested in April who comes from wealth and privilege.

Also arrested were Julia Jackson, an alumna of New York University and New Hampshire’s Phillips Exeter Academy—tuition $70,000 a year—as well as Barnard College graduate Madelyn McGuigan, the daughter of finance executive Chris McGuigan, the owner of a picturesque home valued at $2.2 million in the beachside town of Rumson, New Jersey, the Free Beacon found. Both McGuigan and Jackson will return to court in late July after rejecting the deal offered by prosecutors.

Then there is Columbia graduate student and self-described "medievalist" Grant Miner, the son of veteran California lobbyist and former Arnold Schwarzenegger aide Paul Miner, the owner of a $1.8 million Sacramento home, real estate records show. In October, just two days after Hamas's terror attack on the Jewish state, Grant Miner was photographed at a New York City rally holding a sign that read, "Resistance against occupation is a human right."


CNN Freelancer in Gaza Worked for Hamas, Snapped Selfie With Leader, Report Shows
A CNN freelancer based in the Gaza Strip once "served in a Hamas-run body" and snapped a selfie with one of the Iran-backed terror group’s top leaders, according to a new investigation by a watchdog group.

Abdel Qader Sabbah, a freelance journalist used by CNN and the Associated Press, "photographed himself with a senior Hamas leader, served in a Hamas-run body to which he also provided work, praised terrorists, and shared anti-Israeli propaganda online," according to an investigation published Tuesday by Honest Reporting, a media watchdog group.

Since Hamas launched its Oct. 7 war on Israel, "CNN has given a prominent platform to news reports by Sabbah," according to the report. "The exposure of his links to the terror group casts a long shadow over the network’s vetting procedures and journalistic standards."

CNN and other Western media outlets like the Washington Post have come under intense criticism in recent months for what critics describe as their slanted war coverage, which often paints Israel as an aggressor and claims the Jewish state is intentionally killing Palestinian civilians. An AP photographer accused of working with Hamas was presented with a journalism award in April, sparking outrage. In the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, which is closed off for most journalists, those reporting the news often have a rosy relationship with the terror group and, in some cases, have worked closely with it.

Sabbah, on his Facebook page, posts information "showing he had connections to Hamas figures and institutions run by the terror group," according to Honest Reporting.

In one 2018 posting, for instance, the freelancer "posted a selfie taken with none other than senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar, who had called for world domination with ‘no Zionists.’"

"This morning, with commander Abu Khaled Al-Zahar, literature teacher…" reads an Arabic language caption posted alongside the picture.

Sabbah also posted a picture of himself in a uniform affiliated with the Palestinian Authority’s "General Training Directorate," a government agency that is "de facto run by Hamas" in the Gaza Strip, according to the report.
Honest Reporting: EXPOSED: The Hamas Links of CNN’s Gaza Freelancer
Did CNN bother checking Sabbah’s background before hiring him? Sadly, there are only two bad answers to this question:
- Yes, which means the network knowingly uses biased reporters.
- No, which means the network hasn’t done its due diligence.

What the network did bother doing was highlighting Sabbah’s agenda-driven work, which included faulty reports on the non-existent Gaza “famine” or on the death toll of Gazan journalists, without mentioning that some were affiliated with Hamas and other proscribed terror organizations

The same questions apply to AP, which according to its database used Sabbah’s photos from Gaza in October-November 2023. These included destroyed buildings and wounded Palestinians in a hospital. It’s unclear whether Sabbah still works for the agency.

What’s clear is that someone like Abdel Qader Sabbah cannot be considered an objective journalist. His posts expose him as a Hamas mouthpiece, at best, or a serviceman affiliated with a proscribed terror group, at worst.

A respectable news outlet should not trust his reports, let alone pay him for them.


‘New York Times’ has ‘unconscious’ bias toward Jewish community, says UJA-Federation of NY
On June 25, The New York Times published a story titled “Bowman falls in House primary, overtaken by flood of pro-Israel money.” The following day, it changed the headline to “Bowman falls to Latimer in a loss for progressive Democrats.”

The paper’s “unconscious bias towards the Jewish community continues to manifest itself in new and harmful ways,” Eric Goldstein, CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York, wrote last week.

Goldstein called the original headline about Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) “staggering” and said that it “placed blame for Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s primary defeat at the feet of Jews.”

“It is true that pro-Israel groups contributed significant financial resources to the race, which is not surprising given Mr. Bowman’s extremist positions and past statements about Israel, including that reports of Hamas’s sexual assaults against women on Oct. 7 were Israeli ‘propaganda,’” Goldstein wrote. “But there is no excuse for a prominent headline stating Mr. Bowman was ‘Overtaken by flood of pro-Israel money.’”

“Implying that Jewish and pro-Israel donors unfairly tipped the scales has serious consequences. Not only does it feed a dreadful antisemitic stereotype, it does a disservice to voters in the 16th Congressional District who made their voices heard, loud and clear,” he added. “Equally troubling was the Times’s recent A1 profile of pro-Israel advocate Miriam Adelson, which played upon those same stereotypes.”
Wikipedia’s Serious Problem: Bias Against Israel
The report that Wikipedia’s volunteer editors are labeling the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as an unreliable source of information on certain topics — including antisemitism related to Israel and Zionism — is a much more serious problem than an attack on a particular institution. Instead, it speaks to how much the bias against Israel and the indifference to antisemitism has spread to other organizations and informational platforms in this country.

There are those in the Jewish community who go so far as to claim that any criticism of Israel is really a cover for antisemitism. This is absurd. Israel is a country like any other, and its policies are subject to criticism, and even condemnation, as we see taking place within the country itself. Serious people, including those at ADL, reject outright the idea that Israel is beyond criticism, and that when criticism of Israel appears, it is a manifestation of antisemitism.

On the other hand, equally absurd — but much more dangerous because it is accepted in certain mainstream institutions — is the notion that any form of criticism of Israel can never be classified as antisemitism. This is a dangerous and misinformed idea, which underlies the spread of hate that we have witnessed since October 7. The most extreme manifestation of this was the rationalization or outright denial of the barbaric Hamas massacre of October 7. This attack — the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust — was supposedly framed in terms of legitimate resistance to Israeli policies. In other words, nothing Israel could do to defend itself is defensible.

While the distortion embodied in these justifications for the murder of 1,200 Israelis, the rape of scores of women, the taking of more than 200 hostages is so obvious, it wasn’t the most perilous form. Even a person with hostile views toward the Jewish State could see through the immorality of justifying one of the worst acts of terrorism since 9/11.

Far more dangerous, because of its respectability, is the concept that no criticism of Israel can ever be antisemitism. This is often expressed with phrases like, “we don’t hate Jews, we hate Zionism.” And those sources — such as the ADL — which identify areas where hostility toward Israel can be a form of antisemitism and a generator of antisemitic incidents, are treated as biased and unreliable by Wikipedia and other groups and publications.

In fact, the manifestations of anti-Israel activity and the explosion of anti-Jewish behavior in a multitude of areas of society cannot be separated from classical antisemitism.


Suspension of Fatima Payman caused ‘anger’ in Muslim community
The Australian’s NSW Political Reporter Alexi Demetriadi says there is “anger” in the Muslim community about the suspension of Fatima Payman from the Labor Party.

A campaign is underway by the Islamic community called ‘The Muslim Vote’, which hopes to target many Labor seats.

Mr Demetriadi told Sky News host Peta Credlin that the “main platform" it will run on is pro-Palestine.




‘Innocent’ Senator Payman now part of a ‘dangerous shift’ in Australian politics
Sky News host Andrew Bolt says Senator Fatima Payman looks “innocent” and yet she is now part of a “dangerous” shift in Australian politics.

“Labor Senator Fatima Payman, she is now part of a very dangerous shift in our politics, it is this new tribalism that is going to set Australians against each other like never before,” Mr Bolt said.

“In fact, it moves to create a new Muslim political party, you just think how that would tear us apart.”




Mosque apologises to Rabbi Tory general election candidate over 'anti-Semitic' comments
A mosque says it has apologised to a Tory general election candidate 'for how he was treated' after video footage emerged of a man shouting at him outside.

Jewish leaders have condemned what they called 'unquestionably anti-Semitic' comments directed in the clip at Rabbi Arnold Saunders, the Conservative Party candidate for Bury South who was invited to the Masjid Bilal Islamic Centre in Prestwich by mosque elders to speak to its members. The footage shows Rabbi Saunders, who uses a walking aid, being harangued and called a 'snake'.

The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region (JRCGM) issued a statement saying it 'expects action to be taken'. The Board of Deputies of British Jews, meanwhile, said it was 'disgusted' by what it called his 'abusive treatment'. The footage, they added, 'clearly shows' that he 'was being targeted in this fashion due to his religion'.

The mosque said in a statement today that Rabbi Saunders, a councillor in Salford, was a guest at a meet-and-greet event, but admitted he 'was treated inappropriately and disrespectfully'.

"The event was well received and the Rabbi was welcomed, and most people present engaged positively with the Rabbi," said the mosque.

"Unfortunately one or two individuals questioned the Rabbi in a hostile manner and this clip has been widely circulated. This clip was recorded by one of the individuals himself. A screen shot of the clip (Image: UGC)

"The Rabbi was a guest of the mosque, and he was treated inappropriately and disrespectfully. Any genuine political questions should have been raised respectfully. We regret what has happened, we have already apologised to the Rabbi for how he was treated and wish to extend our apologies to others who have seen the clip and are upset by it."

The mosque said the incident was 'not reflective of the congregation of the mosque or the Muslim community in Bury'.


NYTs: Palestinian Fighters in West Bank Seek to Emulate Hamas in Gaza
Green Hamas flags and banners commemorating "martyrs" hang from the buildings in the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank, where Palestinian fighters are displaying a growing militancy, fueled by the war in Gaza. I recently met with a local commander, Muhammad Jaber, 25, who says he and other fighters have switched allegiances from Fatah to more radical groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

More weapons and explosives are being manufactured in the West Bank, according to both the fighters themselves and Israeli military officials. They say the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, which runs parts of the West Bank, is losing ground to the more radical Palestinian factions, which are gaining more support from Iran in the form of cash and weapons smuggled into the territory. The PA and police no longer control these refugee camps, where the militants threaten to shoot officers if they try to enter.
WSJ: Wartime Breakdown in Public Order Sets Off Crime Wave in Gaza
When thieves in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza stole the battery out of Muhammed Abu Karsh's car in March, he chased them down a dark road and was shot dead in the head. The police who inspected the crime scene "said they don't have a prison anymore and that if they find the perpetrator, his family might attack them as well," said his cousin, Mahmoud Fuaad. "We see fights between families on a daily basis. People know that they won't be punished for anything they do."

Nearly nine months into the war between Israel and Hamas, crime and violence among Gazans is on the rise, from robbery and killings to smuggling and protection rackets. On June 25, the children of two families sheltering in tents near the beach in Deir al-Balah began squabbling over who would be first to fetch water from a communal faucet. The dispute escalated and the children's parents exchanged gunfire for about 10 minutes, witnesses said. Suhail Badwan, a father in his 40s, was caught in the crossfire and died.


Seth Frantzman: Iran uses proxy militias in Iraq to pressure the US
Iran's true intentions
Iran is prodding militias to increase threats to the US in Iraq in order to see if the US will pressure Israel not to strike harder at Hezbollah. Iran is pleased with its current game plan in the region, creating a long slow war of attrition for Israel in Gaza and in Israel’s North where Hezbollah is waging a war inside Israel’s border. Iran has basically done to Israel what Israel tried to do in Syria with the “campaign between the wars” against Iranian entrenchment over the last decade.

If things persist like this, Iran will be able to claim it achieved a major victory.

IRNA media in Iran said that: “The Aqaba-Basra oil pipeline, which has cost Iraq a lot and has no economic benefit, may be the starting point for bringing Iraq into the evil plan that provides the ground for the normalization of relations with the Zionist regime.” This is an interesting and specific reference. In addition, Iraqi militia leader Qais Khazali has also made threats against the US. The Iraqi militias also claimed they carried out a drone attack against Israel this week.

According to IRNA, citing Al-Mayadeen, the umbrella group of Iraqi resistance factions announced in the early hours of Monday that it launched a drone attack on an Israeli target in the occupied port city of Umm al-Rashrash, also known as Eilat in response to the Zionist regime's crimes against the people of Gaza,” the report said.
Seth Frantzman: Iran’s FM warns Israel in talks with Turkey’s FM
In a development that illustrates how Iran and Turkey coordinate policy against Israel, Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani spoke with his counterpart, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan and warned Israel against escalation with Hezbollah. The Iranian claimed that Israel would face “detrimental consequences” if it attacks Lebanon.

The details of the conversation were reported in Iranian state media Press TV and al-Mayadeen, which is pro-Iranian. The reports indicate this is an important development. Iran is speaking with Turkey about “the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah,” which the Iranians claim “is fully prepared to fight off Israel.” Why is Iran having this conversation with Turkey? Clearly the goal is to bring Ankara in on the side of Hezbollah. Turkey’s government is one of the most anti-Israel in the region and openly backs Hamas. On June 30 Ankara refused to enable an Israeli flight that diverted to Turkey due to a medical emergency, to refuel.

According to Press TV in Iran “Bagheri Kani issued the warning in a phone conversation with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan on Monday amid Israel’s threats to launch attacks on the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah.” The report says Bagheri Kani said “they (the Israeli regime) should know that any new mistake they make in Lebanon will create new conditions at the regional level to the detriment of the Zionists, who will not be able to make up for their strategic defeat by [committing] murder and crime.” Isolating Israel in the region

The Iranian hinted at Hezbollah possessing new capabilities. The report speaks of the “unique power of the Lebanese resistance which is fully prepared to deal with the Israeli regime’s threats.” Iran not only backs Hezbollah but also equips it with precision guided munitions and other weapons. The Iranian top diplomat also “noted that the Israeli regime is not able to restore the situation that existed before it launched the war in the Gaza Strip on October 7.”

This is Iran’s goal, it wants to isolate Israel in the region and it sees October 7 as a gamechanger. It wants Turkey to work with Iran to back Hezbollah.
Internal Boycott of Iranian Elections Shows a Regime That Doesn’t Serve Its People
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, a landscape once rich with cultural and political heritage now suffers under the yoke of an authoritarian regime that has hijacked the once-sacred act of voting.

The disenfranchised Iranian populace finds itself ensnared in a system where elections serve as nothing more than a spectacle of faux democracy, orchestrated to sustain the illusion of legitimacy for a government that has systematically eroded civil liberties and human rights.

The recent boycotts of Iranian presidential elections is not merely a passive act of defiance, but a pronounced indictment of a regime that has failed its people spectacularly. This boycott transcends mere political disillusionment; it is a profound statement against the regime’s propaganda machine that paints participation as a civic duty, while in truth, it is a coerced endorsement of a predetermined outcome.

Within this context, the roles of presidential candidates become clear. Figures such as candidates Jalili and Pezeshkian, perceived by the public not as pioneers of change but as stalwarts of the status quo, are emblematic of a broader political malaise. They are seen not as legitimate contenders for leadership, but as cogs in a machine engineered by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. His regime, epitomized by a relentless grip on power, manipulates every facet of governance — from the judiciary to the military — to ensure that no true opposition can emerge.

Khamenei himself stands as a paragon of dictatorial excess, embodying the antithesis of the democratic values he purports to uphold. His plans to establish a dynastic succession through his son, Mojtaba, reveal a blatant disregard for democratic processes and a preference for monarchical rule disguised as religious governance. This maneuver is not just a perpetuation of personal power; it is an affront to the collective will of the Iranian people, signaling that even the semblance of choice is a privilege granted by the ruling elite, not a fundamental right.
Yad Vashem holds first major post-Oct. 7 Holocaust education summit
Some 150 educators from about 40 countries across the globe are participating in Yad Vashem’s International Educational Conference. The four-day event, titled, “Holocaust Education in a Global Context,” is taking place on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem from July 1-4.

This conference, the first of its kind in Israel since Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, aims to highlight the importance of Holocaust education in preparation for a future without survivors

“Holocaust education faces unprecedented challenges in our modern world,” said Gilad Olstein, director of Yad Vashem’s International Institute for Holocaust Education and head of the International Conference. “This gathering of over 150 educators is not only a testament to the global dedication to Holocaust education, but also an opportunity to discuss these challenges and best equip these educators with the latest tools, methodologies and resources to effectively teach the Holocaust.”

Through a series of in-depth workshops, lectures and discussions, participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas, share best practices and collaborate on strategies to combat antisemitism, Holocaust distortion and historical inaccuracies.

The conference is divided into four parts—The Kehila: The Jewish Community in a World Crisis; Holocaust in a Global Context; Holocaust Education and New Media; and When Antisemitism Challenges Holocaust Education.

Released hostage Liat Atzili, a Yad Vashem guide and Holocaust educator whose husband was murdered by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, will address the conference participants in a special session on Tuesday.
Holocaust museums condemn vandalism on center after police say it wasn’t a hate crime
A week after Seattle police determined that pro-Palestinian graffiti at a local Holocaust museum didn’t qualify as a hate crime, the center and six of its counterparts across the United States issued a joint statement denouncing the vandalism as a “straightforwardly antisemitic” act.

“The senseless scapegoating of Jews did not begin or end with the Holocaust. It’s been happening for thousands of years, and while the pretext may change, the antisemitic motivation is the same,” the seven centers said in a joint statement Monday.

The vandalism involved the phrase “Genocide in Gaza” being written over a photograph of a child Holocaust survivor. The vandalism occurred on June 18, according to the Seattle Police Department, which told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that it was classifying the incident as “a non-criminal bias incident motivated by political ideology.”

Police deny antisemitism, downplay incident
Police said the message “was written in pen and was wiped off a front window without causing damage or expense.”

The department added, “No explicit threat was made. The motivation for the graffiti was anger over the policy and practice of the Israeli government.” The department declined to elaborate on whether it considered the targeting of Jewish buildings over anger at the Israeli government to be antisemitic.

The incident came as pro-Palestinian activists protesting the Israel-Hamas war are increasingly targeting, and blaming Israel’s actions on, Jewish institutions. An increasing number of synagogues and Jewish centers have been subject to protests and seen outbreaks of violence — including brawls breaking out at dueling protests in front of a Los Angeles synagogue last week and rocks being thrown through the windows of two Toronto-area synagogues over the weekend. Congregations in Seattle have also been targeted with anti-Israel graffiti both before and after Oct. 7.

But activists have rarely targeted Holocaust museums, even as pro-Palestinian groups have sought to draw comparisons between Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip and the Nazis’ genocide of the Jewish people.

The museum leaders did not address the Seattle Police Department’s determination directly, but added in their statement that they “strongly condemn this crime – and we also recognize it as an opportunity to educate. Holding Jews – much less a Holocaust museum – responsible for the wartime actions of a foreign government is unacceptable and straightforwardly antisemitic.”
South Dakota, North Carolina implement bills defining antisemitism
Measures utilizing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism to guide government workers in assessing Jew-hate have become law in North Carolina and South Dakota.

“I am very proud of this historic legislation that will keep our Jewish people secure,” South Dakota’s Gov. Kristi Noem said on Monday when HB 1076 went into effect. The bill mandates the use of the IHRA definition when the state government investigates potential acts of discrimination.

“Since I signed this bill, antisemitic hatred has only grown worse across the United States, but not in South Dakota. I hope states across the country will follow South Dakota’s leadership and take steps to combat this hatred,” Noem said.

She had signed the bill in a signing ceremony in March.

In North Carolina on Monday, Gov. Roy Cooper signed the Shalom Act, which also adopts the IHRA definition.

“Defining antisemitism is important to stopping it, and this new law helps do that as antisemitic incidents are on the rise,” North Carolina’s Gov. Roy Cooper said. “While we protect the right to free speech, this legislation helps to make our state a more welcoming, inclusive and safe place for everyone.” South Dakota IHRA
176 gravestones vandalized in 2 Jewish cemeteries in Ohio
Vandals in the US state of Cincinnati damaged or knocked over 176 gravestones at two historic Jewish cemeteries over the course of the past week.

A joint statement from the local Jewish federation, Jewish Community Relations Council, and Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati called it an “act of antisemitic vandalism.” Most of the graves were pushed facedown, which Jewish groups said made it difficult to identify and notify the families, as local law enforcement has advised them to leave the scene untouched while they investigate.

“We are deeply saddened and outraged to report that 176 gravestones were vandalized at the Tifereth Israel Cemetery and the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Cemetery,” the groups said in their joint statement Monday. Both cemeteries are part of a larger complex on Cincinnati’s historic west side.

The incident was the latest in a long line of antisemitic acts targeting Jewish cemeteries.

Some of the targeted gravestones dated back to the 1800s and many were cracked by the vandalism. Local and federal law enforcement are involved in the investigation.
‘Absolutely abhorrent’ vandalism of Montreal cemetery with swastikas
The photo that Jeremy Levi, the mayor of Hampstead (Québec), shared on social media shows a Jewish tombstone of a Cohen, with an illustration of two hands configured in the priestly blessing. “Forever in our hearts” is inscribed on the tombstone, upon which someone formed a swastika out of small rocks—presumably left, according to Jewish custom, by those who visited the cemetery.

“It is absolutely abhorrent and revolting to defile the dead with swastikas. This desecration at the Kehal Israel cemetery in Montreal is beyond contempt,” Levi wrote. “Justin Trudeau, step aside and get out of the way so we can reclaim our country. May this cohen’s neshama have an aliyah on high.” (The two Hebrew words refer to “soul” and “ascent.”)

“We cannot close our eyes to the disgusting acts of antisemitism that are happening in our country every day,” wrote Pierre Poilievre, a Canadian parliamentarian who is running against Trudeau for prime minister.

“The prime minister must finally act to stop these displays of antisemitism,” Poilievre wrote. “If he won’t a common sense Conservative government will.”
Los Angeles: Perp Shot After Attacking Frum Kosher Bakery Owner in North Hollywood
A violent criminal was killed after attacking the frum owner inside a Kosher bakery in the Kehillah in North Hollywood on Sunday afternoon.

According to Los Angeles Police Department investigators, the shooting happened at around 12:50 p.m. on Burbank Boulevard near Whitsett Ave.

The incident escalated when a 52-year-old homeless man violently attacked the Kosher bakery owner and his son, eventually leading to the Frum owner of the bakery, who is a licensed gun owner, shooting the perpetrator in self-defense.

LAPD Officers on the scene described the shooting as self–defense.

The perpetrator was pronounced dead on the scene.

The store owner, who is a licensed gun holder, is fully cooperating with the investigators.
Watchdog Group Calls on Talent Agency to Drop Former ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star for Promoting Antisemitic Blood Libels
The watchdog group StopAntisemitism is calling on a global talent agency to drop actor and former “Grey’s Anatomy” star Jesse Williams as its client for sharing antisemitic content, including blood libels and anti-Israel conspiracy theories, on social media.

The American actor recently uploaded a series of posts on his Instagram Stories that additionally support antisemitic tropes of Jewish power and misinformation about Israel’s military actions during its ongoing war against Hamas terrorists controlling the Gaza Strip. One post featured a world map that pinpointed Israel and claimed that “your freedom of speech is being controlled” by the Jewish state.

In another post on his Instagram Story, Williams falsely alleged that in Gaza, Israel “forced a Palestinian captive to have sex with a dog, is siccing attack dogs on elderly woman,” and shot a six-year-old child “355 times.”

One of his accusations appeared to stem from the Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera reporting on footage of what it claimed was an Israeli military dog mauling an elderly Palestinian woman in her home in the northern Gaza city of Jabaliya. However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed that the dog was actually abducted by the terrorist group Hamas, which used the canine to film an “attack” as anti-Israel propaganda before killing the animal and booby-trapping its body with explosives in the event that Israeli soldiers tried to retrieve their canine comrade.

Williams also reposted a message that falsely claimed Zionists “consider Palestinian deaths a good thing, creating favorable demographic shifts in the direction of a Jewish minority in Palestine.” The post further claimed that “mass Palestinian death is a major Zionist ‘war aim.'”
Far-off: French RN candidate to withdraw after Nazi photo surfaces
In a shocking turn of events, Ludivine Daoudi, a candidate for France's far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party, is set to withdraw from the second round of parliamentary elections following the emergence of a controversial photograph. The image, which circulated on social media, shows Daoudi wearing a Nazi-era Luftwaffe cap adorned with a swastika.

Philippe Chapron, head of the local RN branch, confirmed the decision in an interview with France Bleu Normandie on Tuesday. "The candidacy will be withdrawn as of today," Chapron stated, indicating that the decision came directly from RN headquarters.

Daoudi had initially secured her place in the runoff after garnering 19.95% of the vote on Sunday, June 30, in Normandy's 1st constituency of Calvados. However, the emergence of the controversial photograph abruptly halted her campaign.

According to Chapron, Daoudi doesn't deny the authenticity of the image. He explained, "She took the photo several years ago at an arms market" in Normandy. The revelation has sparked widespread condemnation and raised questions about the vetting process for political candidates.

The photograph was first shared by Emma Fourreau, a candidate for the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance, who finished second in the constituency with 34.82% of the votes. Fourreau posted the image on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), along with a pointed message: "Ludivine Daoudi, the RN candidate for the 1st constituency of Calvados, has been missing since the start of the campaign. When you look at her social media, it's easy to understand why."
Meet the London plumber who will not unblock your toilet if you are a Zionist
A Jewish woman in London was left “shocked and upset” when a plumber rejected her request for a repair because she did not support the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

AWG Plumbing and Heating, which is based in Mayfair, claims online that every member of the company undergoes “rigorous training to ensure they meet the highest standards in gas and plumbing services”.

But when the woman contacted the firm, a staff member who gave his name as Adam replied by text: “I won’t be able to provide you any services as we’re trying to VET all of our customers in the present climate and it appears that you opposed the BDS movement and give cover to the state of Israel as you a part [sic] of the law makers in this country.

"So for this reason, we can no longer offer our services and would therefore no longer like to be contacted."

The BDS campaign, which is modelled after the movement against South African apartheid, was launched in 2005 to end Israel’s occupation of the Palestinians.

It calls for individuals and businesses to cut ties with the Jewish state and divest from its economy.

After she was denied service because she did not support the campaign, the Jewish customer said: “I was extremely shocked and upset. I couldn’t believe it had happened to me in this country.”

When contacted by the JC, Adam said AWG does not refuse to serve people because they support Israel, but do if they support Zionism or genocide.

While he would not investigate the views of “Joe Bloggs,” he claimed, he does research customers with a public profile to examine their position on Israel.
Chikli applauds Germany's bold move to combat antisemitism with citizenship exam reforms
Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli in a Friday letter thanked German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser for changes in the country's citizenship exam to counter antisemitism.

Chikli said that he appreciated the requirements "for naturalization to affirm Israel’s right to exist and Jewish life in Germany" in order to "to exclude antisemitic individuals from obtaining German citizenship."

The citizenship test consists of thirty-three questions that include subjects such as German history, civics, and democracy. Seventeen questions must be answered correctly to pass. Putting IHRA terms into practice

Chikli said that the changes validated the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working definition of antisemitism, and was needed as antisemitic incidents rose in Germany since the October 7 Massacre.

"I commend the German government’s zero-tolerance policy towards antisemitism. This proactive stance not only sends a clear message against antisemitism, but also strengthens the effort to safeguard Jewish communities from hate and hostility," said Chikli.

Chikli proposed to meet with Faeser to discuss how they could work to discuss combatting antisemitism and to explore the enforcement mechanisms for compliance with the counter-antisemitic citizenship process.
Bob Marley’s grandson satisfies his soul at his bar mitzvah
Last week, it was time for Abraham Marley, the grandson of reggae icon Bob Marley, to “get up, stand up” – the title of one of his granddad’s biggest hit songs – for his bar mitzvah.

Ziggy Marley, Abraham’s proud father, posted a photo of himself and the bar mitzvah boy on his Instagram account, writing, “I share this photo of Abraham and I from his celebration of becoming a man according to the ancient tradition he has reached that age of responsibility and change. JAH.”

Although at this time of the year, the Torah portion Abraham read would not have been from Exodus, the title of another one of his grandfather’s most famous songs, judging from serious looks on the handsome father and son, dressed in beautiful blue suits, it was still an occasion that satisfied their souls.

Ziggy was raised in the Rastafarian faith of his father, and Rastafarianism is considered to be an Abrahamic religion, basing its belief system on the Torah. Abraham’s mother, Orly Agai Marley, is Israeli, of Iranian Jewish descent.

Support for Israel
Following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, Ziggy signed a letter supporting Israel released by the Creative Community for Peace, and on October 20, posted, “Free Gaza from Hamas.”

It's likely that if Bob, who died in 1981 from cancer at the age of 36, were alive today, he would have been proud to see his grandson taking his place as a member of the tribe. It was Bob who wrote, in “Redemption Song”: “How long shall they kill our prophets/While we stand aside and look? Ooh!/Some say it's just a part of it:/We've got to fulfill de book.”
Jewish Federations help bring 3,170 Ethiopian Jews to new home in Israel
The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) announced on Tuesday that it had enabled a total of 3,170 Ethiopians to make aliyah—comprising 1,535 men, 1,635 women and 754 families—as part of a two-year, $9 million campaign that has officially concluded.

Many immigrants trended young, with 35% aged 18 to 35 and 39% under the age of 18.

“Through this campaign, Jewish Federations were honored to join hands with thousands of our Ethiopian brothers and sisters as they realized their dream of making aliyah,” said David Heller, JFNA’s national campaign chair.

He called the organization “inspired” following the “courageous journey” of these new immigrants, or olim in Hebrew. And he vowed that JFNA “will continue to work with our partner the Jewish Agency for Israel to support their absorption into Israeli society.”

JFNA has worked to enable more than 100,000 Ethiopians to move to Israel.

This recent campaign was launched following Israel’s announcement of “Operation Tzur Israel” (“Rock of Israel”), which aimed to bring more than 3,000 Ethiopians to Israel in cooperation with the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Israeli Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and other related organizations.
Galilee tree-planting honors fallen troops from Druze community
The spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community says he is touched by a KKL-JNF Jewish National Fund tree-planting ceremony in northern Israel in memory of Druze IDF soldiers who were killed during the ongoing war in Gaza.

During the ceremony, bereaved Druze families plant olive trees at the Ahihud Forest in the Galilee, “where the roots of the Druze community have been planted for nearly 1,000 years,” says Sheikh Muafak Tarif.

Those present included Imad Habaka, father of the late Lt. Col. Salman Habaka, 33, commander of the 188th Armored Brigade’s 53rd Battalion, from the Druze village of Yanuh-Jat in the western Galilee, who was killed battling Hamas in Gaza in early November. Habaka was one of the first IDF soldiers to enter Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, the site of countless Hamas atrocities.

“Our sons sacrificed themselves for the security of the state,” says Imad Habaka. “For us Druze, this is our country too, and it is our duty to protect and defend it.”

He adds that through the planting, “everyone has a place to honor our sons.”

KKL-JNF has established several projects with the Druze over the years, including a Path of Sons, a 250-kilometer (155-mile) route that connects Druze villages in the Galilee and on Mount Carmel, south of Haifa.

Around 150,000 Druze live in Israel, according to Central Bureau of Statistics figures for 2022.

Theirs is a close-knit community, which frowns on intermarriage and practices a secretive religion that is closed to non-Druze.




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