Friday, August 09, 2024

08/09 Links Pt2: David Mamet: Jews for Kamala are living in denial; The Hippocratic Oath-Breakers; The Truth About the Red Cows In Israel

From Ian:

David Mamet: Jews for Kamala are living in denial
Today, the Democrats have become the party of antisemitism. Obama and Biden’s policies have given money and arms to Iran, and withheld congressionally mandated military aid to Israel — and yet Jews vote Democratic. Charles Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, is a Jew, representing a significantly Jewish constituency. He pointedly insulted Prime Minister Netanyahu, on his visit to Congress, refusing to shake his hand. For whom was Schumer performing his discourtesy? Who does he think he is, and what does he think might defend him, and his constituents, should the Caliphate come knocking?

Kamala Harris, as Vice President, is President of the US Senate. It was both her responsibility and her honour to preside over the Joint Session of Congress convened to hear Netanyahu. Instead, she chose to attend a reunion of her college sorority. Can one imagine a more appallingly calculated slight? Her absence announced that, under her administration, the United States will abandon Israel. And yet American Jews will support her.

I believe that a Jew who votes for the Democrats is a damned fool. I know that no one ever acts for any reason other than “it seemed like a good idea at the time”. What is the idea good enough to induce Jews to side with antisemites? It may be called liberalism, but it contains the unavowed fear of demonisation. The good news is that the Jew need not worry, as he has already been demonised.

As Rebecca West writes in her masterpiece, Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: “There are better things in life than fighting, but they are better only if their doers could have fought had they chosen.”
Seth Mandel: The Hippocratic Oath-Breakers
Of all the fields that have fallen victim to politicization, the damage will be felt most acutely in medicine and public health. That’s where the stakes are highest, especially in the education and training of the world’s future doctors and researchers. The latest trashing of medical norms and ethics comes in service of—what else?—rank Jew-hatred. Expect to see this more and more, since faddish left-wing politics increasingly govern global professional networks, and the litmus test of all litmus tests for that ideological cohort is anti-Zionism.

Hence, on Wednesday the Israeli branch of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) sent an email notifying interested parties of “IFMSA’s decision to suspend the Israeli medical students’ organization” for two years. IFMSA, launched in 1951, is a massive cooperative body of the world’s medical students. More than 100 countries participate in its conferences and student-exchange programs.

“This suspension can only be revoked by a two-thirds majority, which is unlikely to occur in the foreseeable future,” notes the letter. “Despite our submission of letters from officials at the [World Health Organization], the IFMSA chose to ignore them and proceeded with the suspension without any proof of rule violations or a formal investigation. This decision directly contravenes the IFMSA’s constitution and bylaws, which were specifically suspended to facilitate our suspension.”

According to the email, a contingent of senior pro-Hamas members got particularly aggressive on Zoom calls and other shared spaces, and when the Israelis and some of their European counterparts called for an investigation, the Israelis were suspended. The Israeli association’s president, Miri Shvimmer, told Ynet that the vote was rushed through without proper advance notice. Prompted by the Palestinian observer group, Brazil’s association made the move, according to Shvimmer.

The suspension was made, according to the report, over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and the country’s supposed “lack of morals and humanitarian values.”

Which is to say, the supposedly apolitical organization has now embraced politics at its most consequential. The suspension is an explicit national-origin discrimination, and IFMSA accepted the renunciation of its raison d’etre without blinking.

The Israelis are challenging the decision, of course. Israel Medical Association chairman Professor Zion Hagay made the obvious point in a letter to IFMSA president Evangelia Roubou: “The Israeli delegation is responsible for government actions just as the Palestinian delegation is responsible for Hamas terrorism.”
A New Approach to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Israel Victory: How Zionists Win Acceptance and Palestinians Get Liberated by Daniel Pipes

In his recent book Israel Victory: How Zionists Win Acceptance and Palestinians Get Liberated, Daniel Pipes makes the case that the strategies pursued by both the Jewish state and Western countries to solve the Israel-Palestinian conflict will never succeed, and argues for a very different approach. Michael Mandelbaum writes in his review:

The people of Gaza have not—unlike the Israelis Hamas attacked on October 7—been targeted for massacre. Gazans have, however, lost their homes on a large scale. Hamas’s tactics have obliged the IDF to damage or destroy an appreciable proportion of the buildings in Gaza. That may diminish the commitment to rejectionism there.

In the West Bank, [Pipes] recommends that the fall of the Palestinian Authority be followed by “tough Israeli rule . . . along the lines of what exists in Egypt and Jordan,” which should be accompanied by a concerted, protracted campaign to change Palestinian attitudes toward Israel. This exercise in what was once called “winning the hearts and minds” of the target population forms the second component of the author’s formula for Israeli victory.

The prospects for the Pipes strategy’s success are uncertain. What is certain however—and what emerges from Israel Victory with a clarity that is either bracing or dismaying, depending on one’s point of view—is that the other, prevailing ways of ending the Israel-Palestinian conflict have failed.


Trump Warns Harris Would Be ‘Very Bad to the Jewish People’ as President, Says He Opposes Israel Arms Embargo
Former President Donald Trump questioned Vice President Kamala Harris’s support for Israel and the Jewish community during a press conference on Thursday, arguing he would be the better choice for Jewish voters in this year’s US presidential election.

While fielding questions from reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump commented on recent reports that Harris would be “open to” considering an arms embargo on Israel if she is elected president in November. Aides to Harris have said that the Democratic presidential nominee did not agree to discuss imposing an arms embargo during an exchange with anti-Israel activists this week but would engage with members of the Muslim and Palestinian community on the Israel-Hamas war.

Regardless of the conversation, Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, stated that he would oppose withholding arms from Israel and attacked Harris for her positions on issues of concern to Jewish voters.

“Look, she’s been very, very bad to Israel and very bad to Jewish people,” Trump said. “And I say it, if anybody I know is Jewish, and they would vote for Kamala over me, they should have their head examined. If you think about it, I gave them Golan Heights. I gave them the capital of Israel — Jerusalem. I even built the embassy.”

During his single term in office, Trump recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic region on Israel’s northern border previously controlled by Syria. He also moved the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, recognizing the city as the Jewish state’s capital.

Trump added during the press conference that Iran, the arch enemy of Israel, “cannot have a nuclear weapon.” He touted his decision to withdraw the US from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which placed temporary restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting economic sanctions.

Trump argued that under his administration, “Iran was broke,” weakening the Islamist regime’s ability to fund terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah throughout the Middle East.
The Democratic Party's mixed messages to Jews
The Democratic Party sent Jews and pro-Israel supporters mixed messages on Tuesday.

Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris sent the first message – a negative one – when she tapped Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.

Not because she selected Walz, a working-class Democrat with a solid pro-Israel record who, as a congressman, voted consistently with Israel, and who, as governor, has taken a pro-Israel stance, including ordering flags flown at half-mast after the October 7 massacre.

Rather, it is why Harris selected him over another candidate, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a committed Jew and strong defender of Israel, that is problematic.

In late July, after US President Joe Biden bowed out of the race, Harris became the candidate, and the vice presidential sweepstakes began. CNN’s political correspondent John King matter-of-factly said that Shapiro could be a liability because of his faith.

A snub of Shapiro
The risks, however, were not necessarily because Shapiro was Jewish – the radical progressives would not have protested had anti-Israel Sen. Bernie Sanders, also a Jew, been selected instead. Rather, they were because Shapiro was Jewish and unapologetically pro-Israel – a combination that will not fly with certain progressive elements inside the party, and certainly not with many Arab Americans whose votes Harris is courting.

The message sent with the snub of Shapiro – the target of an ugly campaign to get him off the ticket – is that if you are a Jewish and an unabashed supporter of Israel, you have no place on the party’s national ticket.
Tim Walz repeatedly hosted Muslim cleric who celebrated Oct. 7 and shared pro-Hitler website link
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, on at least five occasions as governor of Minnesota, hosted a Muslim cleric who celebrated Hamas‘s Oct. 7 attack last year on Israel and promoted a film popular among Neo-Nazis that glorifies Adolf Hitler, the Washington Examiner found.

The imam, Asad Zaman of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, joined other Muslim leaders in May 2023 for a meeting about mosque security with Walz’s gubernatorial office in Minnesota. Zaman also spoke at a May 2020 event to call for peaceful protests with the governor during the riots in Minnesota sparked after George Floyd’s death. In April 2019, the cleric delivered an invocation before Walz’s state address — just months after Zaman called for an end to a government shutdown at a press conference with Walz in January 2019.

Zaman, moreover, attended a May 2019 event that Walz hosted for Ramadan, social media posts show.

Walz’s ties to Zaman could serve as problematic baggage for the Minnesota governor as he campaigns with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee. News of the ties also comes after a Washington Free Beacon report this week found Walz spoke at a 2019 event with an antisemitic scholar who has defended terrorism against Israel.

Zaman, who is from Bangladesh, said on Oct. 7 of last year that he “stands in solidarity with Palestinians against Israeli attacks.” That day, which saw 1,200 Israelis murdered by Hamas terrorists, he also shared an image of a Palestinian flag on Facebook in response to a post by Yusuf Abdi Abdulle, director of the Islamic Association of North America, declaring that “Palestine has the right to defend itself.” The Biden-Harris administration, Abdulle wrote in the post, was “on the wrong side of history” in “supporting the extremist Zionist regime and its illegal settlements.”

Zaman, meanwhile, has used his Facebook page over the years to share official Hamas press releases, blog posts on antisemitic websites slamming Jews, and, in one 2015 instance, a link to a piece on a website for a pro-Hitler film called The Greatest Story Never Told. The propaganda movie was released in 2013 and is a favorite among antisemites and QAnon conspiracy influencers, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

“Imam Zaman has a troubling history of playing into classic anti-Jewish themes and justifying violence against Israel,” an Anti-Defamation League spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.

“He also has justified violence against Israel, including from terror groups,” the ADL spokesperson said. “Given his hurtful remarks post-Oct. 7, and absent any recognition of the pain he has caused the Jewish community, we urge all public officials and leaders to avoid meeting with him in the future. Those who have met with Imam Zaman should clarify that they don’t agree with his toxic views about Jews and the Jewish state.”

On Oct. 8 of last year, in response to Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) condemning the Oct. 7 attack, Zaman asked the congresswoman if she would be willing to “reaffirm the right of Palestinians to defend themselves.” The Muslim American Society of Minnesota said in a statement on Oct. 7 that it “reaffirms its unwavering support for the Palestinian people in their struggle against the Israeli occupation.”


NIAC celebrates Tim Walz as Harris’ vice-presidential pick
The National Iranian American Council, a U.S.-based Iranian-American advocacy group that advocates for diplomacy with the Iranian regime and is critical of the Biden administration’s approach to Israel and the Middle East, offered strong praise for Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice-presidential nominee.

Critics and Iranian dissidents accuse NIAC of being tied to the Iranian regime and describe it as a de-facto lobbying group for the regime, particularly opposing sanctions on Iran.

“While some potential nominees for Vice President took strident positions against protests against the Gaza war, including urging crackdowns on student protests, Walz appears to have adopted a moderate position urging that protesters be listened to,” NIAC said in a lengthy statement on Walz, praising his approach to the Uncommitted campaign.

The Harris campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Within the past few weeks, NIAC has called on the U.S. to further pressure Israel “to force a cease-fire deal” in response to Hezbollah’s attack killing a dozen children in Israel, condemned the killings of top terrorist leaders, praised Iran for “calculated steps to avoid falling into the trap of regional war” and downplayed links between Iran and its proxy groups’ repeated and ongoing attacks on Israel.

The statement on Walz also praised him for “opposing the Trump administration’s Muslim ban and decision to abandon the Iran nuclear deal,” saying they showed his “common sense approach.”

NIAC lauded Walz for signing letters during the second half of the Obama administration endorsing diplomacy with Iran and the 2015 nuclear deal, highlighting past comments praising the deal and pushing back on its critics.

The statement praised Harris’ views on the nuclear deal and Muslim ban, adding that she “has spoken with more empathy about the plight of Palestinians but has not meaningfully broken with the Biden administration’s approach.”
Daniel Greenfield: Kamala’s Counsel Defended Hamas Supporters Harassing Jewish Students
After 9/11, Nasrina Bargzie, an Afghan Muslim immigrant, was interviewed by law enforcement over troubling comments on the War on Terror reported by her friends.

Today she’s the Deputy Counsel to Vice President Kamala Harris.

After coming to America from a wealthy family in Kandahar, later a stronghold of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, Nasrina Bargzie was raised in Concord, CA, one of the state’s hubs for Afghan migrants, and quickly got involved in anti-American and pro-terrorist activism.

In 2001, while attending college, she was interrogated by the FBI about comments she had made to her friends. It’s unknown what she said, but it was enough to scare her friends, in one of the most liberal parts of the country, to apparently report her to law enforcement.

Next year, she wrongly received a law school scholarship intended for women who had suffered persecution under the Taliban even though she had left long before they came to power.

“I would like to do something that would affect Afghanistan,” Nasrina told a local paper.

Berkeley Law School was a hub of anti-American and anti-Israel activities and by the time she graduated, Nasrina was prepared to embark on her career of attacking both countries.

She became a legal fellow at the ACLU and joined its lawfare machine to dismantle our national security defenses against Islamic terrorism. In 2008, she posted about “wearing orange”at the Today Show in solidarity with the Al Qaeda, Taliban and other terrorists being held at Gitmo.

Nasrina also complained that “murder charges” had yet to be filed against the heroic Marines who bravely fought for their lives against terrorists in the streets of Haditha during the Iraq War.

In 2011 she joined the Asian Law Caucus and went to war against Jewish students facing antisemitic harassment. In 2010, Jessica Felber, a Jewish student, had been assaulted by a leader of the Students for Justice in Palestine campus hate group, and filed suit against UC Berkeley for tolerating an atmosphere of hate by activists linked to terrorist organizations. .

Nasrina Bargzie accused Jewish students and organizations of “organized legal bullying” for suing universities. She ridiculed the idea that calling for the destruction of Israel was “threatening” and co-signed a petition claiming that the lawsuit by Jewish students was “threatening” the speech of Berkeley Students for Justice in Palestine and the Berkeley Muslim Students Association.

Jewish students, she argued, were the “aggressors” and rejected the idea that there was anything “anti-semitic” about the campus hate groups and their ties to Islamic terrorism.
Pushing Back Against Kamala-Mania w/Daniel Greenfield | Think Twice
Virtually everyone these days seems to believe that we are currently living through "unprecedented" times.

However, in his latest book, "Domestic Enemies," Israeli-born journalist Daniel Greenfield contends that the United States has already experienced much of the imbalance and unrest we are witnessing today.

So what can conservatives learn and apply to the coming elections? In this episode of "Think Twice," Greenfield and JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin touch on some important lessons that cannot be ignored if one wishes to stem the tide of regressive leftism.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro - Daniel Greenfield
4:30 Kamala rejects Shapiro
8:30 Jewish voters
14:15 Legacy media campaigns for Kamala
19:00 The next 90 days
24:00 U.S. policy in Israel 2025
31:00 A second Trump term
33:30 Book: Domestic Enemies
35:30 Aaron Burr’s legacy
40:30 Andrew Jackson & Trump populism
42:30 Presenting an alternative to the Left




Inside the last-minute ad campaigns against Virginia Jewish Democrats
Post-primary campaign finance filings are providing new insights into the funders behind late-stage ad campaigns against two prominent Jewish Democratic candidates who ran, and ultimately lost, in the Democratic primary in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.

State Del. Dan Helmer and former state House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn expressed strong support for Israel in their campaigns and faced backlash from some on the far left. Helmer came in second, falling four points short of state Sen. Suhas Subramanyam. Filler-Corn finished in fourth place.

In the final days of the campaign, Helmer was accused of groping a woman at a 2018 Democratic event, a claim that he denied and said was being spread by individuals supporting his opponents. The claims were boosted by a super PAC, which spent around $14,000, largely on text messaging outreach.

The primary supporter of the anti-Helmer PAC, Virginians Against Sexual Assault, was Avram Fechter, the former chairman of the Loudoun County Democrats, who contributed a total of $10,000.

Fechter insisted to Jewish Insider that the only motivation behind the PAC was that Helmer was “credibly accused of having sexually assaulted a Loudoun County Democratic committee member, and we didn’t want to see us nominate someone in that position.” Fechter said he and other Loudon Democratic leaders were told about the allegation at the time the incident happened.

Anyone suggesting that the PAC was motivated by Israel issues “is just deflecting from the core facts of this case,” Fechter asserted. “It had nothing to do with Israel.”

When Filler-Corn announced her candidacy for the same seat last year in an interview with JI weeks after the Oct. 7 attacks, touting her support for Israel and Jewish faith, Fechter criticized “the timing and nature of Filler-Corn’s announcement,” accusing her of “seeking to leverage the horrible events of the past two weeks for her personal political gain.”

“It is wrong to use the ongoing suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians as justification for a premature primary campaign announcement,” Fechter said at the time, while arguing that the “vast majority” of Democrats in the district support Israel.


Largest private British pension fund dumps Israeli assets after pressure from members - report
The Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) sold nearly £80 million of Israeli assets after increasing pressure from its members, according to a Financial Times report on Thursday.

The USS is the largest private pension fund in the UK, worth around £80 billion, and has more than 500,000 members.

The FT reported that USS has sold off assets, including government debt and currency, since March, but had been winding down investments for at least six months.

The report said that sustained pressure from USS members had contributed to the move, with many of the members being concerned over the war in Gaza.

Most USS members are higher education sector workers at prominent universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.

Increased risk in Middle East assets
The USS said in its most recent report that it had reduced its investments in the Middle East "in response to the financial risks that became apparent."

The University and College Union (UCU) raised concerns with USS over its investments in Israel, in particularly in companies on the UN watchlist of those in breach of international law.

The UCU applauded the move to drop the investments, saying, "We welcome what they have done by disposing of Israeli government bonds and currency, but we want them to go further and divest the companies that are supporting the Israeli government in its conflict in Gaza."

The USS is only the latest in a series of European pension funds to pull out of Israel, with Norway's KLP and Denmark's Pension Denmark withdrawing their investments.

The FT also reported that pressure is being placed on the UK's public pension funds to pull their investments due to the conflict.
Corbyn in talks with independent MPs to form new group
Former Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn is in talks with four newly-elected independent MPs to form a new group – which would equal Reform and outnumber the Greens in their Parliamentary presence.

Shockat Adam, MP for Leicester South, told the BBC the group was “looking at options that would give us more access to the levers of power". This comes just after Adam told PoliticsHome that “all options were open” when it came to a formal grouping.

Last month, six independent MPs were elected to Parliament – more than ever in modern history. Five of the new independents campaigned on a pro-Palestine platform – Shockat Adam, who unseated Jonathan Ashworth in a shock result for the former Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain, Iqbal Mohamed, and the former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn.

A sixth independent MP, Alex Easton, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in the Northern Ireland Assembly, is not involved in the group discussions, according to the BBC.

If the pro-Palestine independents were to come together in a formal group, they would likely have more opportunities to take part in debates and committees, which are often organised according to party size. By hosting joint fundraisers and events, the independents would also be able to secure more funding.

Corbyn did not confirm to the BBC if he would be joining a formal group. “I was elected by my constituents to speak out against the genocide in Gaza, against child poverty and against the demonisation of migrants and refugees,” he said. "I am proud to work alongside my fellow independent colleagues to make sure our constituents’ voices are heard”.

The five MPs have already collaborated on issues relating to the war in Gaza, as well as domestic issues. The loose coalition tabled a series of amendments to the Kings Speech, and collectively reached out to the seven Labour MPs who were suspended from the party for six months after voting in favour of an amendment to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
Israelis attacked, car torch after accidentally entering West Bank outpost
Israeli travelers whose car accidentally entered an illegal West Bank outpost were attacked and their car set on fire, police say.

The incident occurred at Givat Ronen, a small hilltop outpost in the northern West Bank near the village of Burin, an area that has seen repeated clashes between extremist settlers and Palestinians. Israelis are suspected of carrying out the attack.

According to Hebrew media reports, the car was carrying two women and two children from an Arab family. Two of the passengers were injured on their heads and hands by stones thrown at them, the Ynet news site reports, before they managed to make it Israeli troops for saefty.

“Two of the travelers in the car were injured and Israeli troops gave them first aid at the scene and they were later taken to a hospital for treatment,” police say in a statement.

Police say they have opened an investigation and take the matter extremely seriously.


The Professor, His Nemesis, and a Scandal at Oberlin
After he left the United Nations in 1989, Mahallati found America to be an unsuspecting place. The glamour of his diplomatic career followed him everywhere he went, but somehow the ignominy of the government he had served did not. For ordinary Iranians who have suffered under the rule of their regime, their nationality is a liability wherever they go. But for a high-ranking official of that regime like Mahallati, it was an asset. The notion that he had been a spokesman for a regime accused of gross violations of human rights and acts of terrorism did not seem to concern the people he met.

Mahallati was not compelled to denounce or renounce the regime, nor was he expected to explain his association with it. If anything, he was an object of fascination, even to seasoned journalists, who penned wide-eyed profiles instead of taking him to task. This credulity allowed him to dream up a new persona for himself as a “scholar,” and the shapeshifting would have been seamless were it not for his poor record of publications. But here, too, he found a shortcut. He joined ILEX, the imprint of a Boston-based Middle East scholar named Olga Davidson, where he published several articles about peace, friendship, and poetry, reinventing himself as a Muslim Mahatma Gandhi with a dash of Rumi. Those self-published articles were later submitted to the Oberlin tenure committee to supplement the paucity of peer-reviewed papers he had published.

After a disastrous stint as a graduate student at Columbia University led to his dismissal in 1998 (more about which in a moment), Mahallati embarked upon a career as a consultant at several non-governmental organisations. One of these was Search for Common Ground, which is dedicated to peace-building around the world. Following the al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001, Search for Common Ground chiefly focused on the Middle East—especially Iran, where it hoped to avert a new war with initiatives that brought Iranians and Americans together. In 2002, the organisation invited several American university presidents to travel to Iran to help lower tensions through the pursuit of track II diplomacy.

One of the invitees was Nancy Dye, the beloved president of Oberlin at the time, who would be posthumously described as a “caring and engaged citizen of the world” by her successor. A career historian greatly respected for her scholarship in the field of feminism and labour in America, Dye was keenly aware of her lack of expertise on Iran and admitted to friends that she was “woefully unequipped” to make the decision to go. She was also apprehensive about “the bona fides and agenda” of Search for Common Ground. Some of the Oberlin board members had raised concerns about Dye’s security and the political fallout from the trip, especially since the organisation’s founder was a former state-department officer with US government ties.

Dye considered all this. In the end, she decided that the trip was an opportunity for Oberlin to become an academic flagship for peace and reconciliation with Iran. And so she went along. The trip was meant to be a first step towards creating an academic exchange program between the Oberlin conservatory and Iranian student musicians, intended to win the hearts and minds of all involved. In the photograph on her visa application to Iran, Dye is pictured smiling from beneath a scarf tied awkwardly around her head. In the blank space below the words “accompanying family members,” she printed “GRIFFITH R. DYE” in block capitals. In the box marked “Purpose of Visit to I.R. of Iran,” she wrote “Educational Cooperation,” though in the end, at sea in Iran’s complex political environment, Dye lost sight of that purpose.

The trip finally took place in 2004 and purportedly made Dye the first American college or university president to visit Iran in more than 25 years. She was received so warmly that she decided to return for a second visit in 2006. It was during those two trips that she met Mahallati, who was then working as a consultant for Search for Common Ground. His call to dialogue and friendship among all peoples and civilisations impressed her greatly and she decided to bring him to Oberlin, so that Americans could also be exposed to his message.

Like so many Western visitors to Iran in those years, Dye believed that there was no need for any American intervention in Iran because the country was on the cusp of a great change on its own. In the interviews she gave upon her return to the US, she spoke of how ordinary Iranians openly criticised their government. She concluded that the forces of evil—the hardliners—were at war with the forces of good—the reformists. All America needed to do was tip the balance of power towards moderation by supporting the reformists. She did not wonder if this tension was perhaps a charade, a political game of good-cop-bad-cop that the regime allowed to go on. Nor did she know enough about Iran’s power hierarchy to see that no meaningful change could come to Iran under its current supreme leader.

Her enthusiasm got the better of her. Forgetting her early apprehensions about her lack of expertise, Dye began befriending “reformists,” including Javad Zarif, who was then Iran’s UN ambassador, hoping to do her part to aid the forces of “good.” On her first trip, she had gone to pursue her own agenda of creating an academic exchange program. But on her second, she was a guest of the Organisation of Culture and Islamic Relations at a conference on “conflict prevention.” Mahallati was one of the key organisers of this government-sponsored event.

And so it was that, however unknowingly, Dye became a tool in the hands of the organisers and forsook her academic commitment to neutrality. That is why, at the conclusion of her two trips, and despite the grand ambitions she had once espoused, Oberlin never sent any students to Iran and Iran never sent any students to Oberlin. For all the effort and resources she spent on the cause of peace and reconciliation, the only tangible outcome for Oberlin was the addition of a new professor to the college’s roster of instructors—Mohammad Jafar Mahallati.
Three Columbia deans who ‘touched on ancient antisemitic tropes’ resign
Three deans at Columbia University, who the university’s president said exchanged messages that “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes,” have resigned, The New York Times reported on Aug. 8, adding that a fourth, who participated “to a lesser extent,” remains in his job.

“About time. Actions have consequences, and Columbia should have fired all four of these deans months ago,” stated Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

“Instead, the university continues to send mixed signals, letting Columbia College dean Josef Sorett, the highest-ranking administrator involved, slide under the radar with no real consequences,” Foxx stated. “These administrators had a responsibility to ensure Jewish students are able to thrive safely on Columbia’s campus, and they failed miserably, showing contempt for the Jewish community and engaging in antisemitic tropes.”

“I hope that Columbia continues to sever ties with anyone who has been complicit in the antisemitism that’s overrun the campus since Oct. 7,” she added.

The three who resigned, who had been on indefinite leave at the school, are Susan Chang-Kim, vice dean and chief administrative officer of Columbia College; Cristen Kromm, dean of undergraduate student life; and Matthew Patashnick, associate dean for student and family support. Their text messages, exchanged during an event about Jew-hatred, were first reported by The Washington Free Beacon.
Stop the campus descent into hate
Unfortunately, it seems our top universities are leading the way, inspiring and allowing hate to grow, often under the guise of “free speech.” Of course, all speech is not free, and there are limits to free expression in every public environment. Schools must ensure that one person’s right to free speech does not shut down a Jewish student’s right to safety and security.

If they don’t already have one, universities must create a mechanism for students who have witnessed or encountered antisemitism or verbal threats against Jews or Israel to submit a complaint and then they must provide the resources necessary to follow up on those complaints. They must work with university police and local law enforcement to take swift and decisive action against all verbal threats. The word must get out: You cannot make threats against Jews and Israel, and get away with it.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., teaches that the Holocaust was preventable. Verbal threats are actually warning signs. By taking immediate action, universities still have the opportunity to lead the way, slow down the hate train, and ultimately, even save Jewish lives. Left unchecked, history has taught us that verbal threats can become actionable and then it is too late.

Remarkably, my great-grandmother managed to complete her master’s degree in pedagogy in Poland in the 1930s. This was in spite of the many odds stacked against her, which included those university-sanctioned “Jew-free Tuesdays.” Not long after that, most of her family was deported and murdered at Auschwitz, while she escaped and survived by hiding in the Ural Mountains.

As a teenager who has always invited friends over for Shabbat dinners, traveled to Israel and worn my Star of David necklace daily and proudly, this story can’t help but feel like a scary fairy tale from long ago. Yet when I think about going to college next year and hear the threats against Jews and Israel that have spread throughout campuses, this unbelievable history sadly becomes a little closer and more real to me.

Times are definitely scary for Jewish students on campus. Universities must do what they failed to do for Jewish students in the past and act now to deter and shut down verbal threats before the hate becomes more institutionalized, and it is too late.
Confront campus hate through unity
Recently, I came into contact with students carrying pro-Palestinian posters condemning the Jewish population. Questioning their presence, I discovered that “peaceful” protests had been accepted partly due to the DEI movement on college campuses emphasizing freedom of speech. During group-organized events rallying against Israel in broad daylight, handmade posters that had devastating phrases, such as “from the river to the sea,” were plastered in highlighted letters. The protestors were asked if they knew what that saying meant and the response was “no.” Once the meaning had been explained, the audience became startled yet eager to gain additional information.

Mesmerized by these eye-opening experiences, I continue to behold an appreciation for the guidance of light, truth and the courage necessary to move forward with conviction. I learned that when faced with bigotry, immediately confronting the problem has proven enlightening. Whether prejudice refers to sexism, inequality, discrimination or a religious/racial divide, the college’s role is to be instrumental in diminishing hatred. The support of universities providing an educational platform, rather than a green light to movements spewing hatred without evaluating its ramifications or consequences, would serve as a means to encourage emotional and intellectual growth in these hungry minds.

Hatred lingering from generation to generation continues to fuel violent acts. The way to address and confront verbal threats against Israel and Jews on college campuses is through uniting people from all backgrounds and cultures. Instead of remaining mute and saddened, university support for providing a forum for open discussion would open naive eyes to the truth. I ask: “Is this not the purpose of an education?”
Boston women’s college responds to article noting housing for Muslim, but not Jewish students
One of the nation’s higher-ranked universities offers a variety of themed dormitories for multiple minority groups though nothing specific for its Jewish students, per Campus Reforms.

Simmons University, a women’s college half a mile away from Fenway Park in Boston, describes its new “Beit Community” as offering “any resident the opportunity to live in a uniquely Muslim environment.” It was first requested by students at the beginning of the last academic year in September 2023, according to Laura Wareck, spokesperson for Simmons University.

The website describes the facility as “a holistic experience” embracing “the richness of Islamic culture and values.” It adds that the housing unit offers “a vibrant and inclusive community that fosters an environment where individuals can thrive academically, spiritually and socially.”

Some 39% of those enrolled at the “only women’s-centered institution in the city of Boston” are students of color, per the site. About 10% of students are Jewish, according to Hillel International.

“Themed housing at Simmons is a way for students of various identities and interests to engage in learning through shared experiences and opportunities for discovery and reflection,” Wareck explains. “As stated on our website, themed housing communities are facilitated by students or faculty and are reviewed following the completion of a brief proposal form.”


An open call to murder Jews in a Belgian magazine
A little less than a year after Nazi Germany invaded Belgium in May 1940, the Jews in the city of Antwerp—where slightly more than 50% of the country’s Jews lived at that time—were subjected to a pogrom. The violence on April 10, 1941, was carried out by supporters of a Flemish Nazi organization under the approving eyes of German officers. “They attacked two synagogues and a rabbi’s home,” according to an account published by Yad Vashem, Israel’s national memorial to the Holocaust, “and were not restrained by the fire department or police.”

Paul-Henri Rips, who was 11 years old when he witnessed the pogrom, recalled that the synagogue his father had helped to found was set alight by the mob. “Now, as I stood on the corner, all I saw was a heap of prayer books, Torah scrolls and ark curtains burning on the sidewalk, flames leaping high from the building itself as it burned,” he wrote in a subsequent memoir. “Although the fire brigade was present, members of the Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond (VNV, the Flemish National Union) and German officers standing nearby prevented them from extinguishing the fire.”

The mob in Antwerp had been fired up by a screening of the vicious Nazi Party propaganda film “Der ewige Jude” (“The Eternal Jew”). Shot in the ghettos of Lodz and Warsaw in Poland, the film—directed by the Nazi cineaste Fritz Hippler—depicted Jews as physically grotesque and morally depraved, rats in human form bent on world domination. One year later, the deportation of Jews in Belgium to Auschwitz and other concentration camps began in earnest.

The stench of that noxious, pogrom-stoking atmosphere pervades the latest edition of Humo, a Flemish-language weekly that purports to be a satirical magazine. One of its regular contributors, 66-year-old Herman Brusselmans, published a column that is a strong candidate for the most dangerously antisemitic article to appear online and in print in the 10 months since the Hamas pogrom in southern Israel unleashed a new wave of global Jew-hatred. Because, for all of the horrific content we’ve been exposed to during this period, explicit calls for violence outside of social-media posts have been rare. Not so with Brusselmans, who wrote candidly in a publication that enjoys a healthy circulation in Belgium that the actions of the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza made him “so angry that I want to ram a knife through the throat of every Jew I meet.” That must have been how the Flemish Nazis felt in April 1941, as they left the cinema hunting for Jews and brimming with the hatred imparted by Hippler’s film.
BBC News airbrushes new Hamas leader's CV
Abualouf and Bennett however fail to inform readers of this report that the “other things” on the agenda of the Hamas internal security unit are finding and punishing “those suspected of violating Islamic morality laws”, including “homosexuality, marital infidelity, and the possession of pornography”.

Neither are BBC audiences told that Sinwar’s four life sentences were – as the BBC knows – the result of his having been found guilty of murdering Palestinians as well as Israelis and no mention is made of his role in the 2016 execution of a Hamas commander.

While Abualouf and Bennett describe Sinwar as being “viewed as one of Hamas’s most extreme figures” and promote the opinion that he is “much more inflexible and much more difficult to negotiate with”, they completely fail to clarify that Hamas has in fact made the decision to be led by a convicted murderer of Palestinians.

Apparently the BBC is not of the opinion that BBC audiences around the world – including those in the West cheering on Hamas at street protests – need to know that part of the story.
Al Jazeera Reports Fake Poll Claiming Half of Israelis Support Sexual Assault of Palestinian Prisoners
The Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera reported a fake poll on Thursday claiming nearly half of Israelis support sexually assaulting Palestinian prisoners who are in Israeli jails.

The news outlet posted the fake poll on its Arabic language X/Twitter account with a custom graphic and a caption reading, “47% of Israelis support sexual assaults on Palestinian prisoners, according to a poll by Israel’s Channel 12.”

It has since deleted the tweet.

The specific origin of the fake poll is unknown, but an image of it has made its way around anti-Israel social media circles within the past week.

Many users pointed out that it should have been obvious the poll was a fake because the question was clearly pasted in later and was not a part of the original image.

Nevertheless, it was posted by professors at American universities and even a member of the US Congress.

Rutgers University professor Noura Erakat posted the fake graphic with the caption, “When you tell a society it has a right to commit genocide, surely they believe they have the right to rape.”

US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) retweeted Erakat’s post.


New Revelation: Reuters Journalist Shared Terrorist Propaganda on Oct. 7, Spread Antisemitic Content Online
A Reuters video journalist in the West Bank shared terrorist propaganda on October 7 and spread antisemitic content referring to “the ZioNazi Israeli occupation,” a survey of his X (formerly Twitter) account revealed.

Hamuda Hassan also shared pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli posts about “genocide” in Gaza and “the injustice in Palestine.”

The reposts by Hassan, who has been working for Reuters for over three decades, raise serious questions regarding his journalistic objectivity and Reuters’ standards, considering many of his colleagues in the major wire service are listed as followers of his account on the social media platform.

On October 7, during the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel, Hassan reposted a picture showing an Islamic Jihad terrorist posing with an elderly Israeli woman who shows the victory sign while holding an AK-47. The post caption refers to her as a prisoner of war (POW), not a hostage:

Sharing such an evil piece of propaganda, clearly aimed at humiliating a helpless civilian, cannot be justified by journalistic principles. Rather than posting a breaking news update, Hassan chose to repost content that glorified the terrorists’ “victory” and legitimized hostage-taking.

A month later, Hassan reposted content referring to “the ZioNazi Israeli occupation”:

According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis is antisemitic.

Spreading such poisonous terminology is as dangerous as penning it.

But Hassan seems to have no qualms about using his account as a political platform.

Last February, in an apparent reference to the war in Gaza, he reposted a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli graphic whose caption read in English: “We’re not supposed to be okay when we’re watching live a genocide on our phones 24/7”:

As a journalist, Hassan should have known better. A month earlier, the International Court of Justice did *not* decide that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza could plausibly be considered genocide. But presumably, such an accusation makes sense to someone who sees Israel as equivalent to the Nazi regime.

Other reposts by Hassan expose his pro-Palestinian activist agenda. In July 2023, he reposted an image of a fist bearing the colors of the Palestinian flag emerging from the slogan “Free Palastine [sic].” The post caption read: “Who is with me?”


Guardian whitewashes Hamas affiliation of slain Palestinian
Moreover, viewers aren’t told that Taha was a child soldier, a terrorist affiliated with Hamas, the group which announced his death and acknowledged it took place ‘during confrontations’ with the IDF.

McKernan says is that his family denied that he was involved in politics or fighting, after his death, before adding that ‘local factions’ adopted him as a “martyr”, what she describes as a “common practice in Palestine”. But, her dismissal of ‘claims’ Taha was affiliated with a terror group is inconsistent with the text of a Hamas commemoration of him:

Here’s the full translation, via our colleagues at CAMERA Arabic:


“[The top is a Quranic verse about martyrs]

To the masses of our mighty Palestinian people and the free persons of our Islamic and Arab nation, the Islamic resistance movement Hamas mourns its martyred hero Tah Mahameed who ascended on Thursday, 19/10/2023 at dawn by the fire of the occupation in the Nur Shams refugee camp east of Tulkarm during the confrontations of the al-Aqsa Flood campaign.”

As our CAMERA Arabic colleague explained previously, while terror organisations do tend to mourn all Palestinians killed by Israeli fire, their Arabic public announcements differ between “the martyred hero” when the deceased was not a member, and “its” martyred hero” when he was, e.g. Hamas here (not members) vs here and here (members).

The fact that Hamas’s announcement claims him as their martyr undermines the Guardian’s attempt to whitewash his terror affiliation.
PBS Relocates Holon Stabbing Attack Into West Bank
In her Aug. 4 PBS Weekend News broadcast, Laura Barrón-López misidentified Holon, the site in central Israel of a deadly stabbing attack yesterday, as located within the West Bank. At the very beginning of the show, she erred about the Aug. 4 fatal stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Holon:
Israel’s security minister is urging people in the country to carry weapons to defend themselves following a stabbing attack in the West Bank. Police say a Palestinian militant stabbed four people in a suburb of Tel Aviv, killing an elderly man and woman.

Holon is not located in the West Bank. The city is within internationally recognized Israeli territory, clearly on the Israeli side of the so-called Green Line, the armistice line which divides between Israel and the West Bank. Close to Tel Aviv, Holon is at least a couple of dozen kilometers away from the West Bank.

CAMERA has contacted PBS to request a correction, on the air and online. Stay tuned for any updates.
Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinians Loathed the Corrupt Club of Hamas Leaders in Qatar
Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, the capital of Haniyeh’s Iranian patrons, who staged a massive funeral for the Hamas leader. There is no love for Iran among many Palestinians.

The Palestinian Authority issued warnings to Palestinians in some areas not to fly Hamas flags or use their time of grief to express support for the terror group. It’s true that the Palestinian Authority publicly condemned Haniyeh’s assassination and observed a day of mourning, but those actions were merely lip service meant for internal consumption.

Since October 7, the West Bank has experienced extremely dire economic and security conditions, primarily as a result of Israeli authorities forbidding or restricting Palestinian laborers from entering Israel. This is in addition to a massive and unprecedented Israeli security crackdown on armed groups, particularly in the northern West Bank.

According to Palestinian sources, more than 500 Palestinians, mostly gunmen, have been killed by Israeli security forces in the West Bank since October 7. Many Palestinians are, therefore, less inclined to engage in any activity that can worsen the situation.

There is growing recognition that Hamas has forced the Palestinians in Gaza to endure another “nakba” (catastrophe) as a result of its October 7 attack on Israel. For some Palestinians, Haniyeh and the Qatar-based Hamas leaders lived affluent lifestyles abroad while their people in the Gaza Strip were suffering. Others are incensed with the Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip, including Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif, for wreaking havoc on their people. For these Palestinians, Haniyeh, Khaled Mashaal, and other Hamas leaders living in Qatar have already joined the corrupt club of affluent and self-serving officials that, until a few years ago, was reserved for the leadership of the Palestinian Authority.
MEMRI: Qatari Journalists Celebrate Yahya Sinwar's Appointment As Hamas' New Political Bureau Chairman, Calling Him 'The Hero Of October 7,' 'The Saladin Of Our Century' And 'Israel's Nightmare'
The appointment of Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, as the new chairman of the movement's political bureau was received with joy by journalists in Qatar, who celebrated this decision in on their X accounts and described it a surprising and devastating "blow" to Israel. Congratulating Sinwar on his appointment, they praised Hamas for this "correct" decision and called Sinwar "the hero of October 7," "the Saladin of our century," "a leader in the spirit of the Prophet's companions," and an "honorable model" of leadership that the Islamic nation sorely needs.

Some journalists and Al-Jazeera hosts also mocked Israel, writing that it killed the milder and more accommodating Haniya, and instead got the hardliner Sinwar, who represents the more militant camp in Hamas and is "Israel's worst nightmare."

The following is a sampling of these responses.

Al-Jazeera Host: The Hero Of October 7 has Become The New Leader Of The Palestinian People
In a post on his X account, Jamal Rayyan, a senior host on Qatar's Al-Jazeera network, shared an image of Yahya Sinwar drawing a gun, and wrote: "Hamas has selected the hero of October 7, Yahya Sinwar, as chairman [of its political bureau]. Eliminating Hamas and Sinwar was, and still is, one of [Israel's] the three goals in this war, which Netanyahu has failed to achieve for ten months. Sinwar, who defeated Israel and amazed the world, has become the new leader of the Palestinian people."[1]

Qatari Journalist: Sinwar Is The Saladin Of Our Century, The Honorable Model Of Leadership Our Nation Needs; We Are Proud Of Him
Qatari journalist Jassem Ibrahim Fakhro, a columnist for the daily Al-Sharq who was a candidate in the 2022 parliamentary elections, wrote a post celebrating Sinwar's appointment and wishing him success: "Rejoice! Saladin has returned to us. May Allah protect and exalt him… Oh Allah, give him success and bless everything he does."[2]

In another post, Fakhro shared excerpts from speeches by Sinwar in which he threatened Israel, and commented: "This is a peerless field commander and a veteran politician, the Saladin of our century: Yahya Sinwar, the new chairman of Hamas' political bureau. He is a singular paragon of faith, strength and courage [who emerged] from the womb of the Palestinian Gaza that is prepared for war. He was raised on jihad, the Quran and faith in Allah and in His promise, and he is a graduate of the school that produces [real] men. He is firm with the enemy and compassionate with the Muslims. His words are like bullets that hit their mark, and the message they convey sparks terror in the heart [of the enemy]… How proud we are of this man, this loyal and courageous leader, and how our nation needed this honorable model [of leadership]… He is a leader in the spirit of the [Prophet's] companions and he shares their determination. May Allah protect him. Allah is the greatest. I can hear the Al-Aqsa Flood gaining strength and roaring louder!"[3]

In yet another post, Fakhro shared a picture of Sinwar with the text: "Long live Yahya Ibrahim Hassan Sinwar, Israel's nightmare."[4]
World leaders greet terror-supporting Palestinian Authority figure at Olympics
The 2024 Paris Olympics has served as a warm environment for terror-supporting Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub to cozy up to world leaders. Rajoub has openly called Jews “criminals,” “terrorists,” and “worse than the Nazis.” He has described Hamas’ massacre of Israelis on October 7 as “epic” and consisting of “acts of heroism,” and he has also threatened another, “more violent explosion.”

Nonetheless, this did not prevent the International Olympic Committee, or other world leaders, such as French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, from greeting Rajoub and posing with him for pictures. Just before the opening ceremonies, Rajoub posted pictures on Facebook of himself being welcomed by these and other dignitaries.

Posted text: “During the reception held by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Mrs. Brigitte Macron for [Fatah Central Committee Secretary] Jibril Rajoub at the French presidential palace (Élysée Palace) [parentheses in source] shortly before the launch of the Olympic Games in Paris, the capital of France.

Some of Rajoub’s meetings with a number of heads of state and senior international statesmen. #Jibril_Rajoub”


[Fatah Central Committee Secretary Jibril Rajoub, Facebook page, July 28, 2024]

These greetings and meetings come as no surprise considering that in December 2023, the International Olympic Committee already sent a message of support to Rajoub, who serves as Palestine Olympic Committee chairman.

Likewise, it is not surprising that European leaders maintain warm relations with Palestinian terror supporter Rajoub, considering that through their financial contributions to the PA, the EU countries knowingly serve as accessories to PA terror funding. Furthermore, it is not surprising that the UN secretary-general greets Rajoub, as UNRWA employees have been found to be Hamas operatives.

Palestinian Media Watch has informed International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach of Rajoub’s hate speech and terror support in the past. PMW has also submitted official complaints to the committee. As we have demanded previously, the IOC should be ashamed of itself and should cut off all ties with the Palestine Olympic Committee until terror-supporting Rajoub is replaced.


Iran's invading radicalism has spread to the West, East and is now going global
The US will have to demonstrate its firm stand on Israel’s side in the upcoming military campaign, as a long list of countries are watching it with a very, very critical eye.

The sense of betrayal and disappointment associated with the United States amidst its allies, following its hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan (completed in September 2021) is still freshly imprinted in the minds of some of the region’s main role players, who had already begun to flirt with competing powers for alternative economic and security backing.

The manner in which the United States will demonstrate its strength vis-à-vis Iran, the Houthis in Yemen, the Shi’ite militias in Iraq, Hamas, and Hezbollah – and of course Russia and China who are actively maneuvering behind the scenes – will be a watershed moment in terms of determining its positioning and status in the existing world order.

It may sound dramatic, but following October 7, it seems that the dam of radicalism had been broken – the same radical campaign that had been meticulously planned since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Already then, 45 years ago, the Mullah regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran began to plan the public relations campaign that we are witnessing today around the world – a campaign that is not, as we tend to think, against the State of Israel and/or the Jews, but against the West and its values ​​and in favor of the establishment of an extreme worldwide Islamic caliphate.

This campaign comprises small, slow and systematic steps, in the shape of infiltrating all systems in the West, including professional syndicates, student bodies, think tanks, neighborhood councils, LGBT circles, Green Peace circles, and more.

Within this large, macro framework, the events of October 7 were a very marginal part of the bigger picture, which as previously mentioned is the establishment of a large-scale radical Islamic Caliphate, while weakening the current superpower in the international arena, the USA, and simultaneously eliminating the influence of regional powers, such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, India, and more.

Iran is doing all this while temporarily cooperating with any potential partner who serves its goal – at least for the time being – including Russia, China, and North Korea, as well as large parts of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and more. Recently, it appears that in light of its poor economic condition, Egypt has also been caught in Iran’s dangerous spider web.
Microsoft reports Iranian hackers aiming to sway 2024 election
Iranian operatives have intensified their efforts to influence and monitor the 2024 US presidential election, according to research published by Microsoft on Thursday. The campaign includes creating fake news outlets targeting both liberal and conservative voters, as well as attempting to hack an unnamed presidential campaign.

Microsoft researchers uncovered phony news sites allegedly created by Iranian operatives, one of which referred to former President Donald Trump as an "opioid-pilled elephant in the MAGA china shop" and a "raving mad litigiosaur." Another fake Iran-backed outlet, posing as a "trusted source for conservative news" in Savannah, Georgia, focuses on LGBTQ issues and gender reassignment.

While these sites have not gained significant traction on social media, Microsoft warns that their influence could grow as the election approaches. The report, compiled from open-source materials and Microsoft's internal data, provides clear examples of what US intelligence officials described last month as an ongoing covert social media campaign by Iran to undermine Trump's candidacy and increase social discord in the US.

Clint Watts, general manager of the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, stated in a blog post, "The Iranians have laid the groundwork for influence campaigns on trending election-related topics and begun to activate these campaigns in an apparent effort to stir up controversy or sway voters – especially in swing states."

The report also revealed that a hacking group linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attempted to breach the email account of a high-ranking official on a US presidential campaign in June. Microsoft said it notified the campaign of the hacking attempt but declined to specify which campaign was targeted.
US to lift ban on offensive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, sources say
The Biden administration has decided to lift a ban on US sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday, reversing a three-year-old policy to pressure the kingdom to wind down the Yemen war.

The administration briefed Congress this week on its decision to lift the ban, a congressional aide said. One source said sales could resume as early as next week. The US government was moving ahead on Friday afternoon with notifications about a sale, a person briefed on the matter said.

"The Saudis have met their end of the deal, and we are prepared to meet ours, returning these cases regular order through appropriate congressional notification and consultation," a senior Biden administration official said.

Saudi-Houthi war
Since March 2022 - when the Saudis and Houthis entered into a UN-led truce - there have not been any Saudi airstrikes in Yemen, and cross-border fire from Yemen into the Kingdom has largely stopped, the administration official said.

Biden had adopted the tougher stance on weapons sales to Saudi Arabia in 2021, citing the kingdom's campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, which has inflicted heavy civilian casualties.

Yemen's war is seen as one of several proxy battles between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis ousted a Saudi-backed government from Sanaa in late 2014 and have been at war against a Saudi-led military alliance since 2015, a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and left 80% of Yemen's population dependent on humanitarian aid.
Pakistan denies the 'Post's' report that it will provide ballistic missiles to Iran
Pakistan's foreign ministry denied reports by the Post that Pakistan was planning to provide Shaheen-III medium-range ballistic missiles to Iran, Reuters reported on Friday.

The spokesperson for the ministry, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, referenced the Post's article earlier this week, which was based on a Maariv report.

Maariv, an Israeli publication and member of the Jerusalem Post Group, cited Arab sources in its report that Pakistan planned to supply Iran with the missiles should war break out with Israel. This was reportedly discussed during an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), requested by Iran and Pakistan, in Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan does not have diplomatic ties with Israel. Iran and Pakistan have previously experienced a tense relationship, but there has reportedly been an improvement since Iran's president visited Pakistan in April, Reuters reported. The nations have since said they are boosting trade ties and regional cooperation.

Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar had spoken by phone with Iran's foreign minister in recent days, Baloch said and had attended an emergency meeting convened by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Saudi Arabia this week where he condemned Israel's actions in the Gaza strip and called for a ceasefire and better access for humanitarian aid.

"He also called for preventing further escalation of violence and tensions," she added.
Ohio man charged with hate crime in attack outside DC synagogue
Brent Wood, 35, of Toledo, Ohio, was charged with a hate crime for allegedly attacking Jews outside the Orthodox synagogue Kesher Israel in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

A federal grand jury indicted Wood on three counts “of obstructing by force or threat of force a person’s enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs, while using a dangerous weapon,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Wood is accused of yelling “Gas the Jews” at congregants outside the synagogue on Dec. 17 and “spraying a noxious aerosol,” according to the U.S. Justice Department.

He faces up to 60 years in jail for the three counts. He is currently a fugitive in a case of simple assault before D.C. Superior Court, according to the department.

“As antisemitism continues to rise nationwide, this indictment sends a clear message that attempts to intimidate and threaten the local Jewish community will not be tolerated,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington stated.
Officials Investigate Suspected Arson Outside Jewish Museum of Maryland and Baltimore Synagogue
US federal and Baltimore City officials have teamed up to investigate a suspected arson attack that took place on Sunday night outside the Jewish Museum of Maryland and its neighbor, the B’nai Israel Synagogue, which, according to its website, is the only remaining active synagogue in the East Baltimore/downtown area.

“We are in the very early stages of the investigation,” Baltimore Police Department spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge told Baltimore’s FOX45 News on Wednesday. “Through the course of the investigation, officers will be able to determine if the incident will be investigated as a hate crime.”

The Maryland Republican Jewish Council said that on Monday, a worker from the construction crew renovating the Jewish Museum of Maryland discovered scorch marks on the ground outside the museum. Surveillance camera footage showed that on Sunday night, a person pulled up to the museum in a vehicle, put something on the ground outside the museum’s gate, set the item on fire, and then left in the vehicle.

The museum is located between two historic synagogues on Baltimore’s Lloyd Street: the B’nai Israel Congregation and the Lloyd Street Synagogue. The latter opened in 1845, making it the oldest synagogue in Maryland and the third oldest standing synagogue in the US. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The fire was set outside of the Jewish Museum of Maryland but also right next to the B’nai Israel Synagogue, which reportedly shares a security gate to the south of the museum.

David Folderauer, the director of security for the Baltimore Jewish Council, told FOX45 News the fire caused “minor damage” that “should not impact the renovations” at the museum, which has been closed for the past year. Folderauer added that while the motive for the suspected arson attack remains unclear, “this can only be viewed as antisemitism.”

The Maryland Republican Jewish Council released a statement on Wednesday condemning the arson attack. The council’s treasurer, Andrew Koch, has been a member of B’nai Israel Congregation for over 10 years.

“I’m very disturbed and outraged that someone deliberately set something on fire outside my religious home and the Jewish Museum of Maryland, which highlights the rich Jewish history of downtown and East Baltimore,” said Koch, who is also the treasurer on B’nai Israel’s Board of Trustees. “It’s blatant that this was an attempt to intimidate the small Jewish community of downtown Baltimore.”
‘Free Palestine’ scratched on Holocaust memorial sculpture at Nottinghamshire park
A Holocaust memorial sculpture at a park in Nottingham was vandalised with ‘Free Palestine’ scratched over the surface.

The message was etched on the central sculpture at the memorial garden in Gedling Country Park, and Gedling Borough Council was made aware of the vandalism on Tuesday morning.

The Parks team responded quickly, removing the markings from the memorial shortly afterwards on the same day.

Council leader John Clarke said he was “deeply disappointed and saddened” by the defacement, adding: “This park holds a special place in my heart and hearts of our community. The damage not only undermines the hard work and dedication of those who maintain the park, but it also affects the enjoyment of our residents.

“We have taken necessary measures to restore and protect the Holocaust memorial to ensure it remains a valuable and important part of the park,” Clarke said.

Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said of the vandalism: “This is a memorial to the Holocaust and not an accessory for anyone’s activism. Defacing this with 'Free Palestine' does not help your cause, it is antisemitism pure and simple.”
Antisemitism and protests in the United States trigger PTSD in Holocaust survivors
After surviving the Nazis in her childhood, Goldie Jacoby has sought strategies to manage post-traumatic stress disorder, such as studying psychology and speaking about her experiences.

When Hamas attacked Israel 10 months ago, she broke down.

“When October 7 happened, it got me totally in shock. I sat down and I didn’t want to get up,” Jacoby, now 87, told the New York Jewish Week. “I was all by myself and I was crying nonstop. It brought me right back to where I was at that age and the fear.”

Her PTSD has long been tied to stimuli including small spaces, like doctor’s offices, that remind her of the barn stall in Poland where she and her family hid for three years. Another trigger is the green uniforms of highway patrol officers, which remind her of the Nazis. Now, another trigger has emerged: the surge in antisemitism in the United States since October 7.

“Every time that I put on the TV and I see the fights, fist fights, I feel like, ‘What can I do? How can I stop this?’” she said.

“I’m afraid this is happening all over. I cannot believe that the whole world participates in Jew-hatred,” she said. “I cry a lot at night because it really affects me badly.”

The violence of the October 7 attack triggered some survivors around the world, and in the 10 months since, antisemitism in the United States has reminded survivors of childhood persecution, causing symptoms of PTSD including fear, social isolation and nightmares, said Masha Pearl, the executive director of the Blue Card, a New York City-based nonprofit that supports survivors, including Jacoby.

“As much as time has gone by, and decades have gone by, a lot of these fears were still there under the surface, and now they’re coming back up,” Pearl said.
Emhoff condemns ‘ferocious surge of antisemitism’ at memorial for 1982 Paris attack
Leading an official presidential delegation to the Olympic Games may be the most fun job in politics right now — and that’s what brings Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff to Paris this week.

While in the French capital, Emhoff also devoted time to meeting with international leaders about the global surge in antisemitism. The visit comes just weeks after his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, became the likely Democratic nominee for president, bringing a greater spotlight to Emhoff and the work he has done combating antisemitism for the past two years.

At a Thursday event hosted by the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO, Emhoff announced a contribution of $2.2 million from the U.S. to UNESCO for its antisemitism-related work. On Friday morning, before a visit to the Athletes’ Village and then an evening as a spectator on the sidelines of Olympic events, Emhoff spoke at a memorial ceremony for victims of a 1982 attack at a kosher restaurant.

“On Aug. 9, 1982, six innocent people, including two Americans, were murdered at the Chez Jo Goldenberg restaurant. Twenty-two others were injured,” Emhoff said, speaking on the 42nd anniversary of the attack, one of the deadliest for French Jews since the Holocaust. “They were murdered by terrorists who hated them simply because of their connection to the Jewish community.” Emhoff and U.S. Ambassador to France Denise Campbell Bauer lit a candle in honor of the victims of the attack.

The assailants were believed to be members of the Fatah-Revolutionary Council, a Palestinian group based in Iraq. Only one person has been arrested — but not yet convicted — for the attack, while other suspects remain at large.

Emhoff decried the “ferocious surge of antisemitism occurring around the world, including here in France,” calling it a “crisis.”

“We are seeing it on our streets, our college campuses, in our places of worship, and online,” Emhoff continued. “And since the heinous terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 — and the ensuing Israel-Hamas war — we are witnessing the worst wave of Jew-hatred the globe has experienced since World War II.”

In his remarks, Emhoff praised U.S. efforts to work with European partners to fight antisemitism and “stop malign actors who seek to widen societal divisions and undermine democratic institutions across the globe.” He praised the recently announced Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism, a document spearheaded by U.S. antisemitism envoy Deborah Lipstadt and endorsed by 39 countries and international organizations.
Manga author's solidarity with Israel, hostages shines
Makoto Tanaka, a Manga artist from Japan, receives honor in Israel after showing solidarity – even writing a Manga story about rescued hostage Noa Argamani

'We must never forget that there are still other hostages there in Gaza'


Kassy Akiva: The Truth About the Red Cows In Israel
Twenty miles north of Jerusalem, five Texas Red Angus cows chew on grass, oblivious to the fact that their mere presence in Israel was cited by Hamas as a reason for its massacre of Israeli civilians on October 7. The terror organization’s spokesperson says the cows were a justification for the attack, stating that bringing them to Israel was “an aggression” based on a “detestable religious myth.”

In Ancient Shiloh, located in Samaria, also referred to as the West Bank, Moriyah Shapira proudly showcases the red heifers, which were brought to Israel after a long, tedious search. The animals comply with a very specific set of characteristics outlined in verses in the Book of Numbers in the Old Testament.

The Hebrew Bible states that red heifers are necessary for a purification ceremony to enter the Temple or its portable predecessor, the Tabernacle. Moses performed a ceremony with red heifer ashes that were used for the Tabernacle in the Sinai before the Jews entered Israel after his death.

Hamas has called the importation of the red cows an act of “aggression” because it falsely believes that the presence of the cows may ignite the rebuilding of the Temple, which the group thinks would end Arab control of the Temple Mount, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is located.

But rabbis say the return of the red cows does not mean the Temple will be rebuilt anytime soon. Shapira says bringing the cows to Israel, and specifically to Shiloh, is an “amazing thing” because it’s the last place the Tabernacle stood before King Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, according to the Bible.

“We’re here where the Tabernacle stood for the first time — for 369 years in the first capital city of Israel,” said Shapira, who is the Chief Content Officer of Ancient Shiloh. “We brought here the five red heifers from Texas. It’s an amazing thing and people are coming from all over to see them.”




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