Monday, August 19, 2024

08/19 Links Pt2: John Fetterman Has No Regrets; Harris’s new Jewish ‘useful idiot’; Elite Jewish HS graduates shun Columbia; Casting Out Australia’s Jews

From Ian:

Eli Lake: ‘Uncommitted’ Democrats Want to End Support for Israel. How Far Can They Push at This Week’s DNC?
The Uncommitteds on the inside of the convention are distinct from the radicals who intend to crash it. Some of the groups planning street theater and protests have pledged to make the convention “great like ’68,” a reference to the historical DNC that led to televised riots and clashes between police and demonstrators in Chicago that year. By contrast, the Uncommitteds have sought policy concessions from the Democrats, such as prime time speaking slots and anti-Israel language in the party’s platform. That said, both the outsiders and insiders are pressing for the same goal: ending American support for the world’s only Jewish state.

The Uncommitted Movement was first founded in February as “Listen to Michigan”—named after the state with the largest Arab American population in the country. Layla Elabed, the sister of Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, is campaign manager for the national movement.

Though Biden won more than 618,000 votes in the Michigan primary on February 27 and earned 115 pledged delegates, just over 100,000 people voted “uncommitted”—enough to deny him two delegates at the DNC.

That got the attention of the White House.

In the run-up to the Michigan primary, Biden sent a delegation of senior officials to Dearborn to listen to complaints from local leaders over his policy on the Gaza war. Soon after, Biden’s rhetorical tone on the conflict shifted. He began to criticize Israeli air strikes as “over the top,” and announced sanctions against a handful of Israeli settlers on the West Bank.

Elabed (Tlaib’s sister) took notice of that move. “Despite the naysayers in the establishment,” she said on March 3, “the Biden administration is moving because of the pressure from uncommitted Democrats.”

After the Michigan primaries, Elabed and Abbas Alawieh, a former chief of staff for Democratic Rep. Cori Bush, created a super PAC called Listen to Us (now called the Uncommitted Movement) to challenge Biden in other states. According to OpenSecrets, the organization spent ​​$375,925 against Biden this year during the primaries. The campaign failed to make a dent in Biden’s primary campaign.

But now that Harris is running for the presidency, the movement is pushing her to pledge fealty to their cause. Earlier this month, before a rally in Detroit, she and her running mate, Tim Walz, had met with leaders of the Uncommitted Movement. At that meeting, they discussed a possible arms embargo on Israel, and the vice president’s national security adviser, Philip Gordon, posted on X that she opposes it. But Harris herself made no commitments. And that’s the point.
John Fetterman Has No Regrets
John Fetterman is skipping this week’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and, to hear it from him, it has nothing—literally nothing—to do with him scotch-taping photos of the Israeli hostages to his Senate office walls. Or attacking fellow Democrats Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar for falsely blaming a hospital bombing in Gaza on Israel. (“It’s truly disturbing that Members of Congress rushed to blame Israel for the hospital tragedy in Gaza. Who would take the word of a group that just massacred innocent Israeli civilians over our key ally?”) Or comparing the pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia to a neo-Nazi rally (“Add some tiki torches and it’s Charlottesville for these Jewish students,” he tweeted).

Nor is it about “Fetterman Alumni for Peace”—a group of former Fetterman campaign staffers—publicly scolding their old boss: “It is not too late to change your stance and stand on the righteous side of history.”

“I’ve got three young kids, and they’re out of school,” the Pennsylvania senator said of his absence this week in Chicago, waving off the suggestion that he might not be welcome there. “That’s four days I can spend with my children.”

The choice to skip the convention “was made well before that debate,” Fetterman told me in a one-hour conversation via Zoom—the senator at home, in the not quite one-square-mile, ex–steel town of Braddock, twenty minutes outside Pittsburgh; me in Los Angeles. He was referring to the June 27 Joe Biden–Donald Trump showdown that led the president to step aside and Vice President Kamala Harris to snag the Democratic nomination.

There is perhaps no one in the party right now more unlike John Fetterman than Kamala Harris. He lives in a town that has lost 90 percent of its residents; she owns a house in super-rich Brentwood, on L.A.’s west side. He is permanently clad in hoodies and shorts; she prefers double-stranded pearls and pants suits. He seems fueled by an earnest, almost reckless righteousness; it’s unclear what she believes in.

On October 7, 2023, the day Hamas attacked Israel and murdered 1,200 civilians, Harris tweeted at 11:33 a.m.: “Doug’s and my prayers are with the victims of the heinous terrorist attacks in Israel. @POTUS and my support for Israel’s security is unwavering”—a mostly unobjectionable statement designed to offend approximately no one.

An hour earlier, Fetterman tweeted, “I forcefully condemn these cowardly, horrifying, unprovoked attacks on Israel by Hamas. Attacking innocent civilians is particularly despicable and reflects the craven behavior of this terrorist group. I unequivocally stand with the people of Israel now, and always.”

I asked Fetterman, who is not Jewish, whether he ever feels lonely in his own party. “Well, I mean, it’s, it’s”—uneasy laughter—“I keep saying, just like the convention, it’s not about me.”
Fetterman spokeswoman tells reporter she doesn’t agree with her boss on Israel, Gaza
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) harbors views on Israel that are so unusual in his own party that “there are even people on his current staff who think he is wrong,” Peter Savodnik wrote in The Free Press on Sunday.

After Savodnik concluded his interview with the pro-Israel senator, Carrie Adams, Fetterman’s communications director, called him to say, “‘I don’t agree with him’ about Israel and Gaza,” Savodnik wrote.

Adams added, “I have a sense that his international views are a lot less nuanced than my generation, because when he was growing up, it was might makes right, and for my generation and younger who, of course, are the ones protesting this, they have a much more nuanced view of the region,” per the Free Press.

“I’ve been a reporter since the summer of 1998, when I covered Bill Clinton’s trip to Martha’s Vineyard for the Vineyard Gazette,” Savodnik wrote. “This was the first time I’d ever encountered anyone—on Capitol Hill or anywhere else, on the record, off the record, on background, whatever—criticizing ‘the principal.'”

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), who is also one of the Jewish state’s staunchest supporters in Congress, wrote that “if I had a staffer who publicly challenged my position on an issue like Israel, that staffer would be fired in a heartbeat.”

“In every congressional office, there is only one name on the door—only one principal voted into office by the people,” Torres wrote. “If you cannot get with program, then you should no longer be part of the program.”


JPost Editorial: Eyes of the Jewish world on Harris and Walz as DNC unfolds
Today (Monday), the Democratic National Convention (DNC) begins in Chicago, marking a critical juncture for the Democratic Party and its candidates, Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. As the party rallies behind its newly minted ticket, much attention will be paid not just to the usual campaign rhetoric but also to how the candidates will address the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. This is a moment of truth for Harris and Walz: They must demonstrate to supporters and skeptics alike that their commitment to Israel’s security is unshakable and that they will do everything in their power to end the war without compromising Israel’s interests.

For Israelis and Jews, the stakes at this convention could not be higher. Outside the convention hall, the streets of Chicago are expected to be flooded with pro-Palestinian protesters, many of whom will be calling for an end to US support for Israel and demanding that the Biden-Harris administration take a more critical stance toward the Jewish state. These protests, planned by a coalition of some 200 social justice organizations, are a reminder of the growing divide within the Democratic Party over its approach to Israel.

At the convention, pro-Israel voices will also make their presence felt, albeit more restrained. The Israeli American Council (IAC) will mount a “Hostage Square” installation, a poignant reminder of the Israeli and American citizens still held captive by Hamas.

Yet the most significant developments will occur on the convention floor, where Harris, Walz, and other prominent Democratic figures will speak. Jewish Americans – indeed, all supporters of Israel – will be listening closely. Will Harris and Walz rise to the occasion, or will they allow the party to drift further toward the influence of figures like Bernie Sanders, who has been vocally critical of Israel’s actions?

For Harris, who has often positioned herself as a bridge between different factions of the Democratic Party, this is an opportunity to show that she is not merely a placeholder candidate who inherited the mantle from Joe Biden. She must demonstrate that she understands the unique challenges facing Israel and is willing to stand up for the Jewish state, even when it is politically difficult to do so.

Biden, throughout his presidency, has been a steadfast supporter of Israel. Despite significant pressure from within his party to take a harder line against Israel, he has consistently emphasized the importance of Israel’s security and its right to defend itself against terrorism. Harris and Walz should look to Biden as a model for navigating this complex issue with principle and conviction.

The last thing Israel needs is a return to the strained relationship it experienced with the US during the Obama years, when disagreements over settlements and the Iran nuclear deal created significant tension. Nor does Israel benefit from the kind of rhetoric espoused by Sanders, who has called for conditioning US aid to Israel on its treatment of Palestinians. Such approaches only serve to encourage Israel’s enemies and weaken the strategic partnership that has long been a cornerstone of US foreign policy in the Middle East.
An open letter to Kamala Harris and Tim Walz
Dear Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz,
As the Democratic National Convention gets underway in Chicago, I am writing to urge each of you – and the convention as a whole – to proudly continue to state your strong pro-Israel position, including highlighting the plight of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas terrorists and demanding that they be released immediately.

There are 115 hostages still held in Gaza. No one knows how many are alive or dead. Most are injured, malnourished, and suffering from severe weight loss and psychological trauma. Twenty-three-year-old Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, for example, had most of his left arm blown off by a Hamas grenade thrown into a bomb shelter where he was hiding on October 7. Many others were severely wounded as they were abducted to tunnels where they continue to languish without medical care under the watchful eye of cruel guards. Fourteen of the hostages are women, suffering unimaginable abuse by their captors as documented in an eloquent op-ed by Michal Herzog, wife of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

While appropriately acknowledging and working to address the pain on both sides of this conflict, you should unequivocally demand that all Israeli hostages be immediately and unconditionally released to their families who have been living this nightmare for 318 horrible days and counting. This would be a core element in any ceasefire deal that includes an end to the needless and heart-breaking suffering of the Palestinian people.

At their convention last month, Republicans said they stood firmly with Israel and featured prominent party officials reiterating their unwavering support for the Jewish state as well as college students recounting their fears about campus antisemitism. The Republicans claim that their party is good for the Jews and is the only party that is pro-Israel, citing as examples former president Donald Trump’s actions, including moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing permanent Israeli control of the Golan Heights, and brokering the Abraham Accords.

The Democrats should not cede the pro-Israel vote to Trump/Vance and should use the convention to remind audiences that their party has been steadfast in its support of Israel; to talk about President Joe Biden being the first sitting US president to travel to Israel during wartime and about the Biden/Harris administration’s unprecedented $14 billion financial/military aid package to Israel this year; about how the current administration ensured that the US military backed Israel when it was attacked by 300 Iranian missiles last April; and about this month’s deployment of submarines and aircraft carriers to help Israel defend against expected Iranian retaliation for the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Prominent Democrats who will have the world’s attention over the next four days need to unequivocally speak out in support of the right of the Jewish state to defend itself, not only from Hamas, but also from Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other anti-Israel terrorist groups, most of which are sponsored by Iran.
Where are Senate Democrats on antisemitism?
Nearly 10 months after Hamas’ terror attack on Israel and amid a surging wave of antisemitism in the United States, the Senate left Washington for its August recess without having held any hearings on antisemitism in the U.S. or passing or considering major antisemitism bills.

The Senate’s post-Oct. 7 record on antisemitism stands in contrast with the House, which passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act and has launched investigations of antisemitism across a series of committees and subcommittees, with a focus on campus antisemitism — though some Democrats criticize the House’s efforts as ineffectual and politically motivated.

The Senate has yet to take action on either of the two major antisemitism bills on its docket, the Antisemitism Awareness Act and the Countering Antisemitism Act, including committee-level markups. Senate leadership has faced accusations that it’s dragging its feet as well as calls to move forward more forcefully.

The Senate did pass by unanimous consent a reauthorization of the Never Again Education Act, which supports Holocaust education programming through the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and has passed multiple nonbinding resolutions on antisemitism.

“We’re trying to work through to get a pathway to getting it passed the Senate,” Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), the lead Senate sponsor of the Antisemitism Awareness Act, told Jewish Insider before the Senate recess. “There’s obviously great consensus around both versions of the bill — my version with Sen. [Tim] Scott and the House-passed version.”

“Our leadership is trying to figure out a way to get it done,” Casey continued. “You know how the Senate is: we have limited time to get a whole series of high-priority items considered and this is one of them.”

Both the Antisemitism Awareness Act and key portions of the Countering Antisemitism Act have been introduced as amendments to be potentially attached to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which is likely to move forward this fall, but there’s no guarantee they’ll receive consideration.
Democratic National Convention to Host Panel on ‘Palestinian Human Rights’
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) on Monday will host a panel on “Palestinian human rights,” the latest indication of the growing influence of progressive activists on the Democratic Party’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The convention in Chicago this week to nominate the Democrats’ presidential and vice-presidential nominees for the 2024 US election will feature a panel discussion on Arab and Palestinian issues organized by members of the “Uncommitted National Movement” — an initiative which encouraged voters to withhold support from US President Joe Biden in protest of his support of Israel’s war against the Palestinian terror group Hamas in Gaza.

Monday will mark the first time that the anti-Israel movement will be given such a platform at the DNC. The panel will take place six miles from the main convention action, at a satellite location.

“This week, 30 Uncommitted delegates will be engaging with Democratic leaders inside the DNC, asking them to unite the party, win a ceasefire, and save Palestinian lives by no longer arming Israel. Democratic leaders need to know the delegates represent a grassroots movement,” the Uncommitted movement said on X/Twitter.

“We thank the DNC for recognizing this pivotal issue and remain dedicated to pushing [US Vice-President Kamala] Harris to stop providing weapons for Israel’s assault on Gaza,” the organization added.

Uncommitted leaders will attempt to push Harris, the Democratic nominee, to endorse a US arms embargo on Israel along with a permanent ceasefire between the Jewish state and Hamas. The organization argues that its demands will help end a so-called “genocide” in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

Top Democrats have spent recent weeks engaging in meetings with leaders of the Uncommitted movement, hoping to mollify angry Arab Americans, a voting bloc which could prove critical in key swing states such as Michigan.

Harris recently held a meeting with Uncommitted leaders ahead of a campaign rally in Michigan. The New York Times reported that Harris indicated she would be “open to” arranging a meeting with pro-Palestinian activists to discuss an arms embargo on Israel. The Harris campaign later denied such reports, insisting that the nominee “does not support an arms embargo on Israel” and “will always ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups.”


Harris’s new Jewish ‘useful idiot’
As Israel faces an existential war, the 2024 U.S. presidential election is shaping up to be the most important the Jewish people and the State of Israel have ever seen.

With the stakes as high as they can be, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has chosen Israeli-born Ilan Goldenberg as her Jewish outreach director. Goldenberg who joined the Biden Administration in 2021 will serve as “the campaign’s main liaison with Jewish community leaders and stakeholders and advise the campaign on issues related to the U.S.-Israel relationship, the war in Gaza and the broader Middle East.”

Goldenberg supports a return to Israel’s pre-1967 borders, dividing Jerusalem; a freeze on settlements; and “ending the practice of shielding Israel from international consequences.” He opposed American recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. These radical viewpoints suggest that a Harris administration will be hostile to the Jewish state and American Jews who support Israel.

In 2017, Goldenberg criticized the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. He supports reopening the PLO mission in D.C., which was closed because the PA supports illegitimate anti-Israel actions at the International Criminal Court.

Furthermore, Goldenberg supported Obama’s abstention on the anti-Israel Security Council Resolution 2334, as well as Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech at the end of the Obama Administration, in which Kerry said: “Israel can either be Jewish or democratic—it cannot be both—and it won’t ever really be at peace” so long as settlement construction continues.


DMFI distributing booklet touting Harris’ Israel record at Dem convention
As Democrats gather in Chicago this week to make the case for Kamala Harris, activists on the sidelines will also be trying to make the case for various issues and causes to each other. The pro-Israel advocacy group Democratic Majority for Israel plans to take their cause to delegates the old-fashioned way: with printed booklets handed out on the ground.

DMFI, whose goal is to elect pro-Israel Democrats, drafted a 15-page booklet titled “Kamala Harris’ Twenty-year Record of Pro-Israel Statements and Actions.” The group will be handing it out to attendees at a Wednesday luncheon and distributing it to other politicos and activists.

The pro-Israel group’s involvement underscores how significant the issue of Israel and the war in Gaza have become within the Democratic Party, even if party leaders aren’t making it a major focus in speeches on the convention stage. The booklet is being targeted to the pro-Israel Democrats, centrists and moderate Republicans who have questioned Harris’ pro-Israel bona fides.

“There’s a lot of disinformation and lies from Republicans about Kamala Harris’ record on Israel and combating antisemitism,” DMFI chief communications officer Rachel Rosen told Jewish Insider. “We want to set the record straight and we hope this book will be used as a reference to do so.” The Republican Jewish Coalition is making the case that Democrats will not loudly voice support for Israel at the convention, and its leadership issued a cheeky challenge to Democrats: It will plant 1,800 trees in Israel anytime a speaker at the main stage praises Israel.

The DMFI booklet is mostly dense reference material, a ready-made rebuttal to claims that Harris is not pro-Israel (or, as some advocates argue, not sufficiently pro-Israel). Its contents date back to 2004, when Harris traveled to Israel for the first time as San Francisco district attorney. It chronicles her meetings with Israeli leaders since becoming vice president, as well as each statement she has made or vote she has cast related to Israel and the Middle East while in the Senate, on matters including Iran, the Abraham Accords and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Leader of radical group that amplified pro-Hamas essay made multiple visits to Biden-Harris White House
The head of a prominent "social justice" group that published an essay calling for "decriminalizing Hamas," along with defunding the police and eliminating immigration agencies, visited the White House multiple times earlier this year.

Joyce Ajlouny, listed as the general secretary of American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), is shown on official logs visiting the White House twice in March 2024 for a total of three meetings with members of the Biden administration.

Ajlouny and a delegation of religious leaders "met with Biden administration staff from the National Security Council, the Domestic Policy Council, and the Office of Public Engagement to demand an end to the genocide in Gaza," according to a statement issued by Ajlouny at the time in a press release.

"I joined with people representing many different churches and denominations to call for an immediate and permanent cease-fire and full access for humanitarian aid," she continued. "The Biden Administration has the power to make this happen."

AFSC has pushed a variety of far-left causes, including a September 2019 essay written by author Jonathan Kuttab, a "Palestinian human rights lawyer," titled, "Decriminalizing Hamas."

Kuttab called "to end the demonization of Hamas, bring it into the political process and begin the long road to peace and freedom," the Washington Free Beacon reported this past week.

AFSC, a self-described "Quaker org" based in Philadelphia, has been a fierce critic of Israel, blaming it as the "root cause" of the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel last October.


Anti-Israel delegates plan to disrupt DNC and call for arms embargo on Israel
Dozens of Muslim delegates and their allies, angry at US support for Israel’s offensive against the Hamas terror group in Gaza, are seeking changes in the Democratic platform and plan to press for an arms embargo this week, putting the party on guard for disruptions to high-profile speeches at its national convention in Chicago.

Calling itself “Delegates Against Genocide,” the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel group says it will exercise its freedom of speech rights during main events at the four-day Democratic National Convention convening on Monday to formally nominate US Vice President Kamala Harris for president in the November 5 election against Republican former president Donald Trump.

Group organizers declined to give details, but said they were encouraging supporters to wear Palestinian keffiyehs, or scarves, and to carry Palestinian flags, and would seek changes in the party platform while urging delegates to speak on the convention floor.

On Sunday night, a crowd of roughly 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched through downtown Chicago, chanting “Shut down the DNC.”

US President Joe Biden is due to speak on Monday and Harris on Thursday.

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel delegates say they deserve a bigger role in the writing of the party platform.

The group wants to include language backing the enforcement of laws that ban giving military aid to individuals or security forces that commit gross violations of human rights.

“We’re going to make our voices heard,” said Liano Sharon, a Jewish business consultant and delegate who signed an alternative platform along with 34 other delegates. “Freedom of expression necessarily includes the right to stand up and be heard even when the authority in the room says to shut up.”

“They want the convention to go smoothly. They don’t want to have any kind of disruption or any kind of statement or anything like that,” he told Reuters at an event hosted by Chicago’s large Palestinian population. “I’m sorry. A convention is a political engagement vehicle, okay? And if we’re not using it for that, then it’s just a beauty pageant.”

The Harris campaign declined to comment.


Stephen Pollard: Simon Sebag-Montefiore taking apart William Dalrymple was a rewarding spectacle
That’s just one of the astounding number of basic errors in his post. We can pick apart many more – except we don’t have to, because Dalrymple’s buffoonery (I’m being kind) aroused the ire of that magisterial historian, author of the definitive history of Jerusalem, Simon Sebag-Montefiore. Dalrymple’s post, he responded, was “a mélange of facts and unfacts, hyperbole, inaccuracy and ahistorical musing. There is much to criticise in this Israeli government (as I do daily) and some of it we agree on; there is much Gazan suffering to mourn and the tragic loss of life of ordinary Gazans is, we agree, unbearable. We long for the war to end, to protect Gazans and return hostages. But exaggerations, untruths and lack of context are neither necessary nor helpful: they just stir more hatred and place a real peace of Israel and Palestine further away.

“Serfdom? The whole point of serfdom is to tie peasants to the land; we can all agree that messianic Jewish settlers want to drive Palestinians off the land. So serfdom is the one thing it isn’t.

“And on facts? ’40,000 civilians killed’ but not a single Hamas soldier? How does pretending Hamas doesn’t exist or fight help Palestinians? Ministry of Truth would be proud.”

It was like watching a panther dismember a goat. Dalrymple carried on with futile attempts to rebut Sebag-Montefiore’s calm elaboration of facts and evidence – and each time the latter came back with devastating clarity: “You call the tragic Gaza War ‘unprecedented’, yet I question that: 500,000 killed by Assad Syria, 40,000 civilians by Assad in Hama in 2 weeks 1982, let alone Iraq, Sudan and Congo.

“To accept Hamas’s figures but never Israeli figures equals bias. You and I aren’t qualified to guess extra-mortality figures. Hamas say 40,000 killed. Israel say 17,000 Hamas soldiers killed. You state Israel ‘killed 40,000 civilians’. A clear error you should correct to avoid a job offer from Min of Truth? If I’m allowed one last point, dear William, on arming Israel: it is a Western ally under attack from Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran backed by Russia - all of them enemies of all we stand for.”

Knowledge is advanced through claim, refutation, counter-claim and rebuttal – which is on perfect display here, with Sebag-Montefiore taking Dalrymple’s monstrous assertions apart. More, please.
Neil Oliver interviews conspiracy theorist who claimed ‘Jewish mob’ run the world
Introducing Webb, Oliver said: "Whitney has been methodically, forensically piecing together the ways politics and economics and organised crime came together in a hellish menage-a-trois that helps explain the mess we're in."

The story she tells, he said, is “more fascinating than any Hollywood thriller you can name”.

Oliver later asks Webb if there was “a particular moment when our governments and establishments became crime syndicates”.

She replies: “It goes back to the 1920s and 1930s … when a mix of crime syndicates came together. Then during World War Two they formed an alliance with US intelligence…

"After the war that alliance deepened with the CIA. That crime syndicate was essentially a meeting of the Italian mafia and the Jewish mob.”

Webb later adds: "They can implant things in our devices that's incriminating even if it's not ours and accuse us of things...

"There's been efforts to blackmail us for a long time. And one faction of that is an outgrowth of the Jewish mob but it's much broader than that.

"Again, I would encourage people to look at this union of organised crime and intelligence and realise that that's essentially what's running the world.”

Cultural historian Matthew Sweet, who is a regular GB News critic, said on X: “This video violated YouTube community guidelines. It claims a global oligarchy descended from the ‘Jewish mob’ rules the world using false charges of antisemitism to protect it from criticism.

“So yes, if you want antisemitic videos from Oliver you will have to go to Rumble.”

Oliver, the former president of the National Trust for Scotland, rose to prominence as the host of the BBC documentary series Coast.
A Letter to my Anti-Zionist Friends
In keeping with the modern custom recognized as an essential act of justice by all right-thinking people, I’d like to start this piece by acknowledging that this and every discussion of Zionism or anti-Zionism has at its heart the unceded ancestral lands of the indigenous Yehudim, who were forced from their homes in Yehuda and Shomron by acts that we now understand as the crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing and cultural erasure. Despite this, the Jewish people have maintained their unbroken connection to the land for millennia and have never surrendered their claim to it.

Dear friends,
I call you “friends” as I know that you bear me no personal animosity as a Jew, but are driven solely by motives of justice and peace just as Jews are, when we agree with you. I know this because of your insistence that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism. Not that it isn’t necessarily or isn’t always antisemitism, but that it isn’t, full stop. Knowing this, I am reassured that I am talking to what feels like the only community on Earth that is completely untouched by Jew-hate. What a relief that is.

Because you are not antisemites it follows, as surely as justice follows suicide bomb, that you believe genuinely and sincerely the accusations of genocide, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, collective punishment, baby-killing, colonialism, neocolonialism and settler-colonialism that you have been making. (If I’ve forgotten anything, please do let me know.) Also, that you believe just as genuinely that Hamas did not commit murder and other atrocities on October 7th despite the purported videos they are alleged to have made, for which there’s no evidence apart from what’s all over the internet. I accept your sincerity, but I am puzzled by a few questions that I wish you would help me with.

There are, first of all, a couple of aspects of Zionist genocide I don’t understand. I’m having trouble thinking of any other case in which the perpetrators said “Give us back our captives & lay down your arms, and we’ll stop” and the victims replied “No thanks, you go ahead.” Perhaps you will say that the Palestinians daren’t agree because then the Zionists will commit even more and worse genocide. I have thought about that but, beside the fact that even now the martyrs of the resistance don’t seem to be slowing the Zionists down—quite the opposite in fact—it brings us to the next oddity.
Inside the Campaign to Blacklist ‘Zionist’ Therapists
In March of this year, a therapist on a professional listserv in Chicago passed on a request by a potential patient seeking a therapist who was “a Zionist,” because the patient was dealing with feelings about the “current geopolitical climate.” Many mental health practitioners rely on such online groups to make and accept referrals for patients. It’s common for the request to indicate a preference for a therapist of a particular ethnicity, gender, religion, or age range.

But what happened after this request was made on the Facebook group Chicago Anti-Racist Therapists was not at all common. When therapists responded by putting their names forward on the listserv, one member took action. She announced to the group: “I’ve put together a list of therapists/practices with Zionist affiliations that we should avoid referring clients to.” The listmaker, Heba Ibrahim-Joudeh, added: “Please feel free to contribute additional names as I’m certain there are more out there.”

Contribute to this blacklist they did. The group administrator of Chicago Anti-Racist Therapists chimed in: “This list was made to be transparent about clinicians who promote and facilitate White supremacy via Zionism.” Enthusiasm was high. “Wow, this list grew very fast! Thank you for taking the lead on this,” one user said. Another noted, “I had planned on doing this soon on Excel! Thank you for getting it started.”

Some Jewish therapists, who had not even responded to the call for a Zionist therapist, found themselves on the blacklist anyway. Beth Rom-Rymer, who is running for president of the American Psychological Association, thinks these additional therapists were added simply because the listmakers thought they might be Jews. “It is abhorrent to know that certain of my colleagues have sought to ‘dox’ or ‘blacklist’ others because these colleagues have Jewish-sounding names,” she told me.

At the Chicago Area Mental Health Therapists Facebook group, a member celebrated the existence of the list, writing that Zionist clinicians “openly support and defend genocide as racism. . . we should never, ever refer to people who are unable to manage bias [or] understand privilege.”
When It Rains It Pours: DC City Council Member Who Said Jews Control the Weather Arrested by FBI
Trayon White, the liberal Washington, D.C., council member who said Jews manipulate the weather in a scheme to "own" American cities, was arrested by the FBI on Sunday for taking part in a $156,000 bribery scheme.

White, who appeared poised to secure a third term on the council this November prior to the arrest, was detained by federal authorities at his "luxury high-rise apartment building" in D.C.'s Navy Yard neighborhood, according to the Washington Post. White allegedly took "thousands of dollars in cash" and other gifts in exchange for ensuring city contracts went to a local businessman, according to CNN, which said the Democrat "agreed to take $156,000 in cash for his work—or 3 percent of the contracts’ value."

White was reportedly caught asking for cash on in taped conversations with the unnamed businessman who was acting as an informant after pleading guilty to separate federal bribery charges.

White's attorney, who also represented famous D.C. "Crack Mayor" Marion Berry, said he is "trying to get in contact" with White "and decide how we are going to proceed." White was fined $40,000 earlier this year by the city’s campaign finance office after audits revealed discrepancies with his financial records. Around $59,000 in campaign funds were reportedly unaccounted for.

White is best known for claiming Jewish bankers control the weather, a scheme he said they deploy to decimate American cities through natural disasters, thus making those cities easier to "own."

"Man, it just started snowing out of nowhere this morning, man. Y'all better pay attention to this climate control, man, this climate manipulation," White said in a 2018 video post on his Facebook page. "And D.C. keep talking about, 'We a resilient city,' and that's a model based off the Rothschilds controlling the climate to create natural disasters they can pay for to own the cities, man. Be careful."

In separate remarks around the same time, White said Jewish bankers "control the World Bank, as we all know, infusing dollars into major cities."

"They really pretty much control the federal government, and now they have this concept called resilient cities in which they are using their money and influence into local cities," he said.


Pittsburgh group backs off bid to put Israel divestment on November ballot
The Pittsburgh group behind a ballot referendum that would compel the US city to boycott Israel has said it won’t defend the measure against multiple legal challenges, ending its longshot bid to make November’s ballot.

The Democratic Socialists of America chapter announced it would not defend the effort on Sunday night, the evening before a scheduled court date for multiple challenges to the referendum. The local Jewish federation, several rabbis and the city controller all challenged the referendum in court, while both of Pennsylvania’s US senators condemned it and a staffer in the mayor’s office resigned after revealing she had signed it.

“We have made the difficult but strategic decision to withdraw our petitions so that we can come back stronger, more experienced and fully ready to continue fighting for a free Palestine with all avenues available to us,” the Pittsburgh DSA chapter tweeted.

Claiming that “politicians and interest groups” are “afraid of this referendum because they know if it goes to a vote, it wins,” the group added, “Unfortunately, today their efforts to push us off November’s ballot succeeded.”

Jewish groups celebrated the move as a victory.

“The DSA’s proposed referendum initiative posed a grave threat to the core values and financial viability of the Jewish community, as well as to the entire city of Pittsburgh’s ability to provide vital city services in a lawful manner,” the federation said in a press release. The Pittsburgh Pride Parade 2024 makes it way across the Andy Warhol Bridge in downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday, June 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

It added, “In the end, it was their antisemitic and anti-Israel agenda that led to the referendum initiative’s defeat.”

The referendum would have added a clause to the city charter “prohibiting investment or allocation of public funds, including tax exemptions, to entities that conduct business operations with or in the state of Israel unless and until Israel ends its military action in Gaza, fully allows humanitarian assistance to reach the people of Gaza, and grants equal rights to every person living in the territories under Israeli control.”
‘Destroy the Zionist Jews:’ NY mosque condemns pro-Hamas imam
After a speech and prayers by a guest imam calling for God to destroy Zionist Jews and for victory for Hamas, and outrage from the Rockland Jewish community, the New York mosque at which the services occurred on Sunday condemned the sermon.

During an August 9 sermon at the Islamic Center of Rockland County, a guest imam said that Hamas and Gaza were facing the combined armies of Israel and several Western nations and were winning, the Middle East Media Research Institute reported the same day.

“It’s been 11 months nonstop, and they still can’t defeat them, because they have in their hearts that faith, the one we don’t have ourselves,” the imam said in the sermon, which was live streamed on Youtube. “Oh Allah, grant victory to our brothers in Gaza and in Palestine,” he said.

The religious leader prayed that God should “guide their shooting” and “destroy the Zionist Jews, Oh Allah, seize them with a crushing grip.”

MEMRI said that the imam continued to call on God to “liberate al-Aqsa Mosque from the plundering Jews.”

The Jewish Federation and Foundation of Rockland County, Rockland Board of Rabbis, and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned the “inflammatory” and “threatening” sermon and called on the Islamic Center to repudiate the incitement in a Saturday joint statement.

“It is especially painful to hear such words from a mosque that has often been a partner to local synagogues,” said Rockland Jewish Federation CEO Ari Rosenblum. “The last 10 months have carried the weight of tragedy for all. There is room for critical and constructive conversations between the Jewish and Muslim communities. But there is no room for hateful, violent speech like this. It is more than alarming, it is threatening to the overwhelming majority of our community who identify with the self-determination of the Jewish people in our ancestral homeland.”
Anti-Israel New York City councilwoman Shahana Hanif facing primary threat
A far-left New York City councilwoman who has faced backlash over her refusal to publicly condemn Hamas and her handling of antisemitism is now poised to face off against a progressive challenger who is already gearing up for a heated primary in next year’s election.

Shahana Hanif, who represents Park Slope and other neighborhoods in central Brooklyn, is expected to soon draw her first primary rival of the upcoming election cycle, Maya Kornberg, a Jewish Democrat who has filed to run in the deep-blue council district.

Kornberg, who leads research on elections and government at the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan think tank affiliated with New York University’s School of Law, is actively fundraising for the challenge and plans to launch her campaign next month, according to two people familiar with her preparations.

In an email to Jewish Insider last week, Kornberg said she is “exploring a possible City Council run at this time,” but declined to elaborate on her plans.

The looming matchup portends what would likely be a bitter race in a district home to a sizable and diverse population of Jewish voters, many of whom have increasingly registered dissatisfaction with Hanif’s views on Israel and alleged insensitivity to reports of rising antisemitic activity in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.

In a statement to JI on Tuesday, Hanif said that she was “not yet familiar with” Kornberg’s “track record in our neighborhoods,” adding that she is “proud of” her “extensive work in delivering for” the district.

“I have helped lead the fight against Eric Adams’ disastrous mayoralty as co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. I have passed transformative legislation that has strengthened abortion rights, environmental justice and the labor movement. I have been a consistent champion for our schools, parks and streets,” Hanif said. “I have my constituents’ backs and look forward to making my case on the campaign trail.”

Hanif, a first-generation Bangladeshi American who in 2021 made history as the first Muslim woman elected to serve in the City Council, ran unopposed in last summer’s primary, but still faced attacks from a well-funded super PAC called SAFE NYC, which launched an ad campaign criticizing, among other things, her vote to oppose a resolution establishing an annual “End Jew Hatred Day” in New York.

A political consultant familiar with the ad campaign confirmed to JI that “groups aligned” with the super PAC will “definitely” engage in Hanif’s primary next year, but clarified that plans are still materializing at this early stage.
Green Party candidate Jill Stein announces Butch Ware as running mate
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein announced Butch Ware as her 2024 vice presidential running mate.

“I’m honored and thrilled to welcome Butch Ware as my running mate and the Vice President we need at this moment in history,” Stein said in a Friday press release. "His personal experience overcoming systemic injustice, his deep knowledge of history and people’s movements, and his commitment to building a sustainable, just, peaceful world make Butch the ideal candidate."

Ware is a history professor at the University of California Santa Barbara and has said that Zionism is a "white supremacist" movement.

Stein is expected to become the Green Party's official presidential nominee again in 2024 during a virtual meeting of the party this weekend.

She was the Green Party's nominee for president in 2012 and 2016.

Stein has been very outspoken about the Israel-Hamas war and was even arrested for protesting against Israel at Washington University in St. Louis.

"This is truly a historic ticket bringing together a Jewish woman and Black Muslim man against genocide, endless war, climate collapse, and rampant injustice, and for an economy that works for working people, a livable future for our children, and an America and a world that works for all of us," Stein wrote in her press release.
A Meeting with an Israeli Diplomat Sparks Outrage in Scotland
Earlier this month, Angus Robertson, a Scottish parliamentarian who serves as cabinet secretary for external affairs, met with Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK—generating outrage, especially in the ranks of his own Scottish National Party. Stephen Daisley comments on this “uncontrollable loathing” for the Jewish state:

Where progressives once used Israel to live out their own political fantasies, with the socialist kibbutzniks cast in the role of romantic revolutionaries, the Jewish state now fulfils the role of universal malefactor, an evildoer of near-demonic depravity with whose wickedness the enlightened can contrast their own virtue. Israel is the Emmanuel Goldstein of international affairs and the hate has been going on for a lot longer than two minutes.

Pretending that the Scottish government is a global player and Scotland an emerging independent state lies at the heart of their strategy. They’re doing what in Israel is known as hai b’seret: living in a movie. The fantasy of international relevance is too appealing to give up. Which means they will have to accept that every contact with the Jewish state will send their unhinged and unpleasant rank-and-file into paroxysms of indignation.

None of this matters a jot to Israel. They can look after themselves and there are any number of countries keen to buy their life-saving medicines and cutting-edge technology. But it creates the impression that Scotland’s political elite are spiteful, closed-minded, irrational, and easily led, a miserable assemblage of provincial, low-information haters. We wouldn’t want anyone getting that idea.
Scottish government says it won’t meet Israeli officials
The Scottish government will not hold any further meetings with Israeli officials, according to an official statement.

Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture said that, “Going forward, it is clear that, having now spoken direct to the Israeli Government and making them aware of our position on an immediate ceasefire, it would not be appropriate to accept any invitation for a further meeting.

“This will remain our position until such time as real progress has been made towards peace, unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance is provided and Israel cooperates fully with its international obligations on the investigation of genocide and war crimes."

He went on,“The Scottish government does not support any normalisation of its relations with the Israeli government during this period.

“The Scottish government will never hold back in expressing support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages, an end to UK arms being sent to Israel, and the recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state within a two-state solution.”

Last week, Robertson came under criticism for meeting Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK.
Union’s alleged vile picket threat
Federal Labor MP Josh Burns has lashed the CFMEU’s threats to picket the Hakoah White City site with ostensibly pro-Palestinian activists as “an appalling antisemitic way of targeting a Jewish organisation”.

The controversial union has made the threats in connection to a dispute between Hakoah Club and its former builder, Parkview constructions, whose contact was terminated in May.

Hakoah president Steven Lowy said in an email to club members on Monday, “The CFMEU has recently been involved in support of Parkview, despite Hakoah’s genuine attempts to resolve this matter on numerous occasions.

“Whilst we continue to try to work through this matter, we are currently engaged in a thorough tender process to identify and appoint a new builder who will complete the project with dedication to cost, quality and timelines.”

In a leaked email earlier this month, CFMEU NSW secretary Darren Goodfield told Sydney Grammar Edgecliff Preparatory School, which adjoins White City, that action was planned but it would not disrupt the school. The AJN understands that an unknown source divulged that the union has threatened to invite the pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

“Trying to use the Middle East conflict to intimidate a Jewish organisation and threatening them with pro-Palestine protesters is not only very divisive and dangerous, but it’s also an appalling antisemitic way of targeting a Jewish organisation,” Burns told The Australian Financial Review on Monday.

“The CFMEU should not be, in any circumstances, threatening Jewish organisations with intimidation, or seeking to use a Jewish community centre in Australia as some sort of legitimate target for Middle East politics.

“The Hakoah Club is literally about celebrating Jewish life in Sydney and Australia, it’s not an outpost of the Israeli government.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns said, “This alleged attempt to inflame racial differences in our community to benefit in a contractual disagreement is completely outrageous.”
Colombia ministry ends sale of coal to Israel
Colombia, Israel's largest provider of coal, is officially ceasing its sales of coal to Israel, Israel Hayom reported.

On Sunday, Colombia's Industry and Commerce Ministry published an order to end the sales to the Jewish state.

Last year, Israel purchased $450 million worth of coal from Colombia.

Earlier this year, Colombian President Gustavo Petro promised to suspend his country's coal exports to Israel so long as the war against the Hamas terror group is ongoing.

Israel Hayom noted that Colombia's cessation of coal sales does not threaten Israel's energy security, since Israel has other sources of coal imports, and the Israel Electric Corporation will easily be able to find alternative sources of coal.

In addition, Israel plans to cease coal-based production by 2026, though most electricity today is still produced using coal.


The Accountability-Free University
Do Columbia University administrators actually want a governable university where students can learn free of disruption and harassment from their own classmates?

Former university president Minouche Shafik threw in the towel last week rather than return to campus. She presided over a period last spring in which Columbia became ground zero for student radicals. Shafik coddled them for weeks, beseeching them to get off her lawn, please, if it wouldn't inconvenience them too much, until they stormed a university building.

On Monday, we learned how the university has dealt with the criminals in its midst. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce released information obtained from Columbia indicating how the university has meted out discipline in an array of cases. They range from protesters who participated in the unlawful encampment to those who broke into Hamilton Hall to students who disrupted the school's alumni weekend in late May, plastering cardboard rockets with the photographs of Columbia trustees and other university leaders.

Twenty-two students occupied Hamilton Hall in April. Eighteen of them remain in good standing with the university and will return to campus in a few weeks—this after a spokesman for the university said in April that they would face expulsion. Thirty-one of 35 students who participated in the unlawful encampment last spring remain in good standing. So does every student who disrupted the school's alumni weekend.

What about the most famous Columbia University malefactor, Khymani James, who told administrators that "Zionists don't deserve to live"? Columbia won't say, but all signs suggest he'll be back this fall. Three anti-Semitic deans may have resigned, but their boss, Columbia College dean Josef Sorett, remains.
Elite Jewish high school graduates shun Columbia
For the first time in over two decades, no graduates from Ramaz, an elite Jewish high school on New York's Upper East Side, will be attending Columbia College this fall, The New York Post reported Sunday. The school cited rising antisemitism on campus as a contributing factor to this unprecedented shift.

According to a statement provided to The New York Post by Ramaz, "For the first time in over 20 years, we will not have a Ramaz graduate enrolling in Columbia College." The school noted that while one student enrolled in Columbia's School of General Studies and three in the Columbia-affiliated Barnard College, none chose to attend Columbia College itself.

Ramaz indicated that anti-Israel protests and hostility toward Jewish students at Columbia during the previous semester played a role in its graduates' decisions. "Ramaz provides as much information as possible about the situation at various colleges of interest, and we have given priority to issues surrounding the horrific rise in antisemitic instances at some schools, so that our students and their families are able to make informed decisions about which colleges are right for them," a school representative told The New York Post.

Rory Lancman, a prominent Jewish civil rights activist and Columbia Law School graduate, expressed his concerns about the current climate at Columbia. "Jewish families are voting with their feet and choosing colleges and universities that take antisemitism seriously," said Lancman, who serves as the director of corporate initiatives and senior counsel at the Louis Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law. He added, "I would not recommend my daughters to apply to Columbia or other colleges that aren't committed to protect them as Jews."

The Ivy League institution has been grappling with significant turmoil in recent months. Columbia President Minouche Shafik recently resigned after leading the university for just one year, a period marked by constant and sometimes destructive anti-Israel protests. Her resignation followed closely on the heels of three university deans stepping down after the exposure of a "very troubling" text chain that disparaged Israeli and Jewish students' concerns about rising antisemitism on campus.
Yeshiva University Enrollment Rises Amid Ongoing War in Gaza
Yeshiva University is welcoming more undergraduates to campus this fall than it has in the past 15 years, university officials say.

The number of transfer students to the modern Orthodox Jewish institution in New York City increased by a whopping 75 percent last spring semester, according to campus officials. The university also received the highest number of undergraduate applications in its history in the last academic year, and the wait list is twice as long this year as last. University data shows 2,185 full-time undergraduates attended last spring, compared to 2,033 in spring 2023.

Yeshiva leaders say the most recent growth is at least partially related to the pro-Palestinian protests that have roiled campuses across the country amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. According to media reports, some Jewish students who might otherwise have considered a secular college—or who attended one last year—now perceive those campuses as hostile environments, where they’re bound to encounter antisemitism.

Rabbi Ari Berman, Yeshiva’s president, said students aren’t concerned about encountering those challenges on his campus, which has helped to set the university apart.

“They want to be in a university that nourishes their identity, that is value-based [and] that offers academic excellence, where they don’t need to be worried about what’s happening in the campus climate, and they actually felt they could focus on their studies and their growth,” said Berman. He emphasized that the university’s enrollment started increasing before the war; notably, the graduate student population has doubled over the last six years, from roughly 2,000 to 4,000 students, which Berman attributes in part to the introduction of new master’s programs, including in artificial intelligence. But he believes recent tensions on other campuses have “accentuated our distinction and accelerated our growth.”

Berman said some transfer students come from Ivy League and other highly selective institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania, Barnard College and Columbia University.

One recent transfer is Ethan Oliner, who previously attended Cornell University. He told ABC7 that he transferred to Yeshiva in the spring because he no longer felt at ease on Cornell’s campus in upstate New York. Last October, staff from Cornell’s Hillel, a Jewish support organization, temporarily urged Jewish students to avoid its kosher dining hall because of violent online threats to the building and Jews on campus.

“After Oct. 7, every time I walked into class, it felt like someone was giving you a dirty look,” said Oliner, who was a member of the executive board of Cornellians for Israel and the head of Kedma, a student group that runs Orthodox prayer services.
Foxx: Columbia provided criminal protesters a ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’
Columbia University in New York City continues to come in for criticism on charges that it has failed to adequately address an increasingly hostile environment for Jewish and pro-Israel students on campus.

The House’s Education and the Workforce Committee presented information on Monday acquired from the school, documenting disciplinary decisions by the administration regarding students who broke into and occupied Hamilton Hall on April 30.

“The failure of Columbia’s invertebrate administration to hold accountable students who violate university rules and break the law is disgraceful and unacceptable,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), the committee chairperson, in a statement. “More than three months after the criminal takeover of Hamilton Hall, the vast majority of the student perpetrators remain in good standing.”

Information the committee released showed that of the 22 students arrested, 18 remained in good standing, three received interim suspensions, and one earned probation. According to the committee, other anti-Israel protests on April 18, April 29 and May 1 resulted in similar degrees of punishment for their participants.

This failure of the school to apply its own policy amounted to what Foxx called waving a “white flag in surrender while offering up a get-out-of-jail-free card to those who participated in these unlawful actions.”

She said “breaking into campus buildings or creating antisemitic hostile environments like the encampment should never be given a single degree of latitude—the university’s willingness to do just that is reprehensible.”

The Coalition for Jewish Values also censured Columbia following the recent resignation of its president, Minouch Shafik, noting that one of four administrators remained in his job after participating in a text-message exchange during an antisemitism panel that mocked Jewish students and their experiences.


Leeds University abandoned me when my wife was getting rape threats says Jewish chaplain
The Jewish chaplain at Leeds University who was forced into hiding after receiving death threats has revealed that he felt abandoned by Leeds University in his hour of need.

Rabbi Zecharia Deutsch, his wife, Nava, and their two children fled Leeds on police advice following death threats over his role as a reservist in the Israel Defense Force. The family have since left the country.

Speaking for the first time since the story erupted, Zecharia and Nava said they felt deserted by the university.

As chaplains, Zecharia and Nava were treated as honorary staff members at Leeds. They had a university email address and library, internet and printer access. When Zecharia came home from Israel, he told the Times that those privileges were gone.

“I lost access to my university email account. I wasn’t able to print any more. I didn’t have internet access at the university. They said the reason for this change was due to security concerns that didn’t enable them to give us what we needed. We think they could have done more to work around that,” said Zecharia.

“We raised these issues countless times,” he added. “In truth we never got a real answer. It definitely made it harder for us to do our job.”

When the couple sought to be involved in a Jewish campus event after Zecharia’s return from reservist duty, the university suggested the couple should not attend the event.

While there was some contact from the university in discussions about the couple's safety, they told the Times that no one from the university had been in touch to express any personal concern.

“We are surprised that on a personal note they didn’t reach out to us. Absolutely nothing. These are people we worked with for three years. These people are leaders, but this whole time, no one took responsibility,” said Nava.

“I feel like people in authority are scared and intimidated. I would expect them to have more backbone,” she added.


Judge defends the Constitution in UCLA ‘Jew Exclusion’ suit
“Unimaginable” and “abhorrent.”

Those are the words used by federal District Court Judge Mark Scarsi Wednesday to denounce the University of California at Los Angeles for permitting a “Jew Exclusion Zone” to operate on its campus this spring.

UCLA let pro-Hamas protesters set up and enforce that zone on its property — and according to Scarsi, the same horrific behavior will happen again unless the court steps in.

Three Jewish UCLA students sued the college, claiming their right to exercise their religion — a core right guaranteed by the First Amendment — was violated in April and May.

That’s when UCLA allowed pro-Palestinian agitators to take over a portion of the campus, erecting barricades and encampments.

The three students claim they couldn’t cross major parts of the campus, or even enter the library, unless they disavowed allegiance to Israel to agitators at encampment checkpoints, something their faith would not allow them to do.

The barricades allegedly operated for a week before UCLA officials called for campus police and outside law enforcement to remove them on May 2. Later that month, the pro-Palestinian protesters returned with more barricades.

Shame on UCLA for tolerating a Jewish exclusion zone for even an hour.

The lawsuit will last months, and in the meantime, Scarsi took the unusual step of imposing a preliminary injunction against the university.

An ultimatum, in fact: Any part of the campus that is shut down for Jewish students must be shut down for everyone.

UCLA announced it will appeal, claiming the judge’s order will “hamstring our ability to handle events on the ground.”

Ridiculous. UCLA remains free to determine how it will protect full access for Jewish students.

If its administrators can’t figure it out, they don’t deserve their six- and seven-figure salaries.

Scarsi’s order will reverberate across the nation.


Concordia University’s Department Of Communication Studies Embraces BDS Movement & Accuses Israel of Genocide: Will Taxpayers Remain Silent?
When a university department claims to be committed to the precept of fighting “anti-racism,” and then willingly embraces open and unapologetic discrimination against a marginalized group, it sounds like the butt of a joke, but it’s the reality at Concordia University.

For more than 20 years, Montreal’s Concordia University has had a sordid reputation as one of the epicentres of hateful anti-Israel propaganda, and now, a group of faculty members at the university appear dead set on continuing that trend.

BDS Is Antisemitic To Its Core
A July 8 statement from the Department of Communication Studies at the school, “BDS motion,” acknowledged that the department was committing “institutional level to signing on to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) guidelines which outline the specific ways to boycott complicit Israeli academic and cultural institutions.”

The BDS (boycott divestment sanctions) movement, which has been roundly condemned by the federal government and multiple provincial governments, is an explicitly discriminatory and antisemitic campaign aimed at targeting Israeli institutions for condemnation and boycott, regardless of their perspectives on Israeli government policy.

By publicly declaring its allegiance to such a hateful effort, the Department of Communication Studies at Concordia University is effectively announcing that it is entirely unconcerned with issues of discrimination, and in fact, is enthusiastically embracing it, despite their comical claim to being committed to “anti-racism.”

The statement also made the extremely misleading claim that the “International Court of Justice… is pursuing the claim that Israel’s recent actions in Gaza plausibly constitute genocide according to the provisions of the Genocide Convention.”

ICJ Never Claimed Israel Committing “Plausible Genocide”
Nowhere has the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ever claimed that Israel’s counter-terrorism efforts against Hamas “plausibly constitute genocide,” despite the lies peddled by anti-Israel activists to that effect. Such claims have been made only by disseminators of propaganda, not the court.

In fact, the anti-Israel disinformation in this respect has spread so widely that it had to be addressed by Joan Donoghue, the now-retired judge of the ICJ, who served in January when the world court issued a provisional ruling on the war (where, notably, it refused to call for Israel to stop fighting).

In an April interview with BBC, Donoghue said that: “the court did not decide, and this something where I’m correcting what’s often said by the media, that the claim of genocide was plausible,” and as a legal analysis pointed out: “nothing in the ICJ’s decision concludes — or even implies — that Israel has violated its obligations under the Genocide Convention.”


Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Announces Policy Review After Criticized for Canceling Concert of Anti-Israel Pianist
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) said on Friday that its board will conduct an “independent external review into our policies, procedures, and processes” in light of its decision this week to cancel a performance by Australian-British pianist Jayson Gillham after he made ardently anti-Israel comments about the ongoing war in Gaza.

MSO said the review will also “canvass the events” leading up to its decision to call off Gillham’s concert that was scheduled for this Thursday. More information about the review will be revealed when details are finalized.

“The board determined a formal review would provide transparency and certainty for our people — including our musicians, management, and employees — and our broader community of audience members, supporters, and other stakeholders,” the MSO said. “The review will help ensure our policies and processes reflect best practice in the contemporary environment.”

The MSO added that it is “determined to ensure we have the protocols in place that are fit for purpose for our organization and the role we play within the community.”

The formal review was announced after musicians of the MSO passed on Thursday night a vote of no confidence in Managing Director Sophie Galaise and Chief Operating Officer Guy Ross because of how they handled the situation with Gillham.

“We no longer have faith in the abilities of our senior management to make decisions that are in the best interests of the company at large,” the orchestra’s musicians said in a letter to the board. “We believe it is the duty of senior management to lead and manage in accordance with the MSO’s values and behaviors; however, it has become apparent that these values no longer appear to be aligned with those of the orchestra and staff.”


For the third time since Oct. 7, the Guardian peddles antisemitic libel
For the third time since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, the Guardian has published an op-ed evoking the antisemitic comparison of Israel to Nazi Germany.

The first piece employing the comparison was written by Swedish Jewish academic Raz Segal, appeared in the Guardian only two weeks after the barbaric attack by the bloodthirsty pogromists, and was titled “Israel must stop weaponising the Holocaust” (see our post here), while the second such comparison, written by US writer John Oakes, was published last month (see our post here).

The latest such antisemitic libel approved by Guardian editors was written by an Israeli-born Jewish professor at Brown University named Omer Bartov (“As a former IDF soldier and historian of genocide, I was deeply disturbed by my recent visit to Israel”, Aug. 13).

Though editors no doubt thought they were checkmating the Jewish community by publishing two pieces by Jews hurling the Nazi analogy, the cynical exploitation of such “Jews Against Themselves” by non-Jews trying to popularise anti-Jewish lies dates at least as far back as medieval Europe.

While, during that time period, such Jewish defamers were often converts who Christianity, those who renounced their faith and became “Jewish informers”, today they are more likely to be activists and academics who, rather than denouncing their identity, actually fancy themselves better Jews. Whereas, in the 13th Century, such Jews were likely motivated by the desire to escape persecution, today’s variant are often merely trying to ensure social and professional acceptance within their coveted political or intellectual circles.

To get a sense of the flimsiness of the case Bartov makes in the Guardian, he cites, as his first ‘example’ of Israel’s putatively genocidal Nazi tendencies, the anti-terror policies of then Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin during the First Intifada. It was under Rabin’s leadership, he opines, that the IDF began “heading down a…slippery path” akin to “the indoctrination of the armed forces of Nazi Germany”. Tellingly, he sees no evidence of racist indoctrination of Palestinians in, for instance, the five year campaign of violence largely targeting civilians in the early 2000s known as the 2nd Intifada – a traumatic period in the country’s history that he omits entirely from his nearly 7,500 word piece.

Bartov also cites grossly misleading quotes by Israeli leaders to allege genocidal intentions.
Seth Mandel: Casting Out Australia’s Jews
In February, Australia descended into a kind of Jew-baiting chaos that seemed completely uncharacteristic of a country known for its relaxed vibes. At the center of that storm was a mass doxxing of Jews: The contents of a WhatsApp group for Jewish creatives was leaked, and anti-Semites used the personal information of members of that group to track them down and harass and threaten them.

A feminist writer had admitted to releasing info from the group, but it remained a mystery how she had gotten her hands on it. Now that mystery has been solved by the Wall Street Journal. The personal information of the now-targeted Jews was leaked by a New York Times reporter who was part of the group. She appears to have shared it with the subject of her own story, a vicious anti-Zionist who had been criticized by members of the WhatsApp group.

There are several levels, then, of unethical behavior here. Most of the commentary has focused, understandably, on the journalistic malpractice at play. The Times even admitted publicly that the reporter, Natasha Frost, had “inappropriately shared information with the subject of a story to assist the individual in a private matter, a clear violation of our ethics.”

Others have focused on the fact that Frost had touched off a massive wave of anti-Semitic harassment that has yet to taper off. Some people went into hiding. Others had to move. One family received a picture of their five-year-old daughter with a note that said “We know where you live.” Jewish actors were kicked out of their troupe; Jewish musicians were fired; Jewish storefronts were vandalized. In total, the personal information of about 600 Jews was released into this atmosphere.

But there’s more to contemplate here. The story Frost ultimately wrote painted the group of Jews as a racialist pressure gang whose objections succeeded because the group’s target was radio host Antoinette Lattouf, a Lebanese Jew-baiter. The broadcaster who’d hired the Lattouf ended up cutting her temporary gig by a couple days after Lattouf ignored directives to avoid Jew-baiting on social media. So the targets of anti-Semitism were presented as racists for objecting to the anti-Semitism that actual racists were subjecting them to.
NYT reporter responsible for doxxing of 600 Australian Jews
A New York Times reporter based in Melbourne was responsible for the leak of personal information of over 600 Australian Jewish members of a WhatsApp Group earlier in 2024, according to a New York Times statement and Wall Street Journal investigation. The New York Times has announced that it will be taking disciplinary action against the reporter, Natasha Frost, after she acknowledged the data breach.

The data was subsequently disseminated online, leading to mass doxxing, threats and harassment against the members of the group by pro-Palestine activists.

Frost, downloaded and shared 900 pages of content from the private WhatsApp group launched by multiple Australian Jews in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre and which become a "lifeline" to its members, according to New York Post and WSJ reports.

The incident, which happened in February, resulted in list called “Zio600," which was used to threaten the people in the WhatsApp group, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency at the time.

The pro-Palestinian activists posted names, photos, and social media pages of many of the 600 members of the group, resulting in online and in-person harassment, threats, and vandalism, the WSJ said.

The Jewish Independent reported that one Jewish family in Melbourne had to close their shop and go into hiding after receiving a message with a photograph of their child saying, “I know where you live." Their shop was vandalized.

One woman, a high-school teacher at a Jewish school in Melbourne, had people call her school to accuse her of being "complicit in genocide" and threaten her, the WSJ reported. The woman installed security cameras into her home as a result of the threats.

Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australia Jewry, said in a statement at the time that the list called to mind those created by the Nazis as they sought to murder the Jews of Europe.
Unmasked: The Pro-Hamas ‘Sources’ Used by International Media
The Associated Press was recently exposed over its long-running usage of the unreliable eyewitness accounts of the director of Gaza’s Al-Ahli Hospital, who was unmasked as an associate of recently-eliminated Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh.

Dr. Fadel Naim, whose Facebook page is awash with violent and antisemitic rhetoric, was also revealed as a source of information about the conflict that was later found to be false.

The issue of untrustworthy sources extends beyond the Associated Press and its reliance on Naim. We can now reveal that numerous other leading news organizations have also published information from questionable sources in Gaza. These individuals, often cloaked in professional titles that lend them a veneer of credibility, have been found, like Naim, to support violent terror activities.

The ‘Journalist’ Documenting Gaza
In addition to the Gaza freelance journalists who HonestReporting revealed had invaded Israel on October 7 and were paid by news outlets for the documentation of their crimes, other self-described journalists in Gaza have played a key role in providing eyewitness accounts to high-profile news outlets.

One such figure is Plestia Alaqad, an “aspiring journalist” who has been featured in various media outlets, including the Washington Post and recent opinion editorials in The Guardian. Despite her portrayal as a credible source, Alaqad and others like her have been found to disseminate misleading information that aligns with Hamas propaganda.

In one recent Guardian piece, Alaqad repeated the false claim that a Lancet “study” stated that up to 186,000 people could be dead in Gaza, a figure that actually came from a letter to the journal and was discredited.

Alaqad has also been known to spread Hamas propaganda and anti-Israel libels, including claims of genocide and the false assertion that went unchallenged during a BBC interview that Israel killed 1,000 Palestinians in a “massacre” at the Al-Ahli Hospital—an explosion that was later determined to have been caused by an errant Islamic Jihad rocket.

Yet, this is the individual that reputable media outlets, including the Washington Post, Guardian and BBC, turn to for “expert” testimony. They present her as a journalist, lending her a veneer of respectability, while ignoring the fact that she consistently promotes narratives that are not just misleading but dangerous.
Forbes’ Al Aqsa Libel_ Ben-Gvir, 100s of Jewish Israelis ‘Enter’ Mosque
Forbes Blocks Viewers' Access to Video

Following publication of this post and communication with Forbes' leadership today, editors have made the YouTube video private, meaning that only the account administrator can view it. It is no longer available to viewers. CAMERA commends Forbes for essentially removing the video.


Channeling the Qatari-run Al Jazeera and the government-controlled Turkish Anadolu Agency, Forbes falsely reported last week that Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, along with hundreds of others, entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The fallacious chyron appearing at the bottom of the screen for the entire duration of Forbes' Aug. 13 video is identical to the clip's headline, which is: "Israeli security minister Ben-Gvir, Hundreds of Israelis Enter Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque to Pray."

While Muslim Israelis may have entered Al Aqsa Mosque to pray that day, Ben-Gvir and the hundreds of Israeli Jews who accompanied him did not enter the mosque. Any Muslim Israeli who may have entered the Mosque to pray were not part of the group of hundreds of Israeli Jews who accompanied Ben-Gvir.

The mosque, Islam's third holiest site, is located on the vast Temple Mount plaza, also referred to as the Noble Sanctuary (Haram al-Sharif in Arabic; Har Habayit in Hebrew), Judaism's holiest site. Ben-Gvir and Jewish visitors remained outdoors only on the Temple Mount plaza, and did not step foot inside the Al Aqsa mosque. The accompanying video shows Ben-Gvir and the Jewish visitors outdoors on the plaza. Tellingly, there is not a single frame of them inside the mosque because they never stepped foot inside.

Indeed, Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Ben-Gvir's visit to "visit to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount," and notably not to the Al Aqsa Mosque because the Israeli visitor and the hundreds who joined him did not visit the mosque.

CAMERA informed Forbes of the error last week. The media outlet, which promises the "highest standards for quality and trustworthy journalism," has yet to correct.
BBC praises Imam who supported Hamas attack on Israel
A controversial Muslim imam, praised by the BBC as a “highly respected,” religious leader, has sparked outrage for supporting the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel while also making inflammatory statements in a recent interview.

In the interview on BBC Radio London during the weekend, Imam Haitham al-Haddad – a British Muslim television presenter and Islamic scholar of Palestinian origin – was introduced as a “highly respected” figure. However, al-Haddad’s track record of extreme and controversial statements, particularly regarding Israel and Jews, has raised significant concerns within the Israeli community and beyond.

Al-Haddad’s appearance on BBC was initially published by The Telegraph.

Al-Haddad, who holds a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and serves on the boards of several Islamic organizations in the UK, including the Islamic Sharia Council, has a history of making inflammatory remarks. Notably, on October 7, 2023, when 1,200 Israelis were brutally murdered and hundreds were kidnapped, al-Haddad published a post on Facebook supporting the Palestinian cause. “O Allah, support the people of truth in Gaza, Al-Qudus, and Palestine – they have managed to cause confusion to the enemy’s calculations with a new tactic. Grant them victory and aid them against their oppressors in their struggle for Justice and Truth.”

He added, “The occupation has proven to be weaker than a spider’s web.”

He concluded, praying for victory and essentially the loss of Israel: “Allah will grant victory to those who grant Him victory.”


Terrorists throw rocks, wound Israeli bus driver near Jerusalem
An Israeli bus driver sustained light wounds on Monday night when suspected Palestinian terrorists threw rocks at cars traveling on a main highway in Judea and Samaria near Jerusalem, rescue forces said.

“During the last hour, stones were thrown at a bus south of Givat Asaf. There is damage, and light wounds were caused by shrapnel,” Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria) stated.

The town of Givat Asaf is located in the Binyamin region of Samaria, some nine miles or a 15-minute drive on the Route 60 throughway from Jerusalem’s northernmost entrance.

A man in his 30s was reportedly wounded to his face and limbs due to the shattering windshield. He is said to have received treatment from a United Hatzalah paramedic.
Ramat Gan man accused of working for Iranian agent, hanging posters encouraging military coup
Prosecutors indict a Ramat Gan resident for carrying out orders from an Iranian agent, including hanging posters encouraging a military coup, and promoting a Telegram group called The People’s Army to recruit other Israelis to join the efforts.

Eden Dabas, 30, is being charged with contacting a foreign agent, as well as possession of various illegal substances for personal use, including MDMA and cocaine.

According to prosecutors, the accused was in contact with the agent over the Telegram messaging app and was paid $12,000 in cryptocurrency to carry out the tasks, between June and August this year.

Dabas sent videos as proof he carried out the activities in order to receive the payments, prosecutors say.

Additionally, the Iranian agent ordered the accused to buy a separate phone and SIM card and eventually asked him to delete correspondence between them.

The accused was also asked to purchase a wig, gloves, and a hat, likely to be used as a disguise for activities, prosecutors state.


The U.S. Must Rethink Its Approach to Iran
Yesterday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to continue efforts to secure a hostage-for-ceasefire deal, which were renewed in Qatar on Thursday. The U.S. hopes that securing an agreement can prevent Iran from following through with its threatened retaliatory attacks, and thus prevent a larger, region-wide war. But even if this is correct in the short run, a different American course of action will be necessary. Thus argues Dana Stroul, herself a former Biden administration official:

U.S. and Israeli officials may still believe that neither Iran nor Hizballah seeks full-scale war. Yet both are wrestling with global humiliation in the aftermath of Israel’s strikes; there is a serious risk that their revenge instinct outweighs their pragmatism. If Iran once again ignores international pressure to hold back, it is likely to design a larger response than it carried out on April 13, which could include multiple direct attacks against Israel or coordinated attacks with its proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria. There’s also a risk that Iran directs Hizballah to strike first in an attempt to drain Israel’s air defenses before launching a direct attack of its own.

Tehran is most likely to stand down if its leaders perceive the regime’s own security is at risk. President Biden should consider signaling that he is ready to shift the use of American military force from targeting Iran’s proxies to targeting inside Iran, such as weapons storage or production facilities. The additional forces and capabilities he has sent to the region could be used not only to defend Israel after an Iranian attack but also to punish Iran directly.


Majority of antisemitic incidents committed by leftists, not Islamists or neo-Nazis, research find
With antisemitism rising across the globe, from assaults to graffiti, a new analysis finds the political motivation of perpetrators skews decisively to the left, with extreme progressives far more likely to commit such attacks as compared to Islamists or far-right activists like neo-Nazis.

The new findings come as the Democratic National Committee braces for potential unrest from anti-Israel protesters at its nominating convention next week in Chicago just days after presumptive nominee Kamala Harris was confronted at a New York fundraiser by a protest that required some arrests.

The weekly Global Antisemitism Report published by the Combat Antisemitism Movement analyzed 113 incidents that targeted Jewish victims worldwide and found that 57.5% of the perpetrators were identified as far leftists, 22.1% of them were Islamists, 11.5% were unknown and 8.9% were done by far-right extremists.
Diaspora Ministry unveils system for monitoring antisemitic discourse online
The Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry unveiled an observation system on Sunday that aims to monitor antisemitic dialogue online.

The system is set to utilize various sources and classify antisemitic discourse worldwide, including that appearing on social media platforms such as X, formerly Twitter, Telegram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

The ministry noted that the monitoring will be achieved in English, French, Arabic, and Hebrew in the first stage.

The system is set to serve as a source of information for various Israeli governmental factors, National Institutions, and civilian organizations that operate against antisemitism online.

Reporting on antisemitic events
The ministry also said that the system aims to create a real-time image of the scope of antisemitism and will disseminate reports regarding chief instigators and areas in which antisemitism occurs.

An operation room will manage ongoing events that will be subsequently dealt with by relevant ministries.

Civilians and organizations across the world will be able to report antisemitic events to the system, reinforcing the link with the diaspora.

Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli said of the program, "Since the beginning of Operation Iron Swords, we have witnessed a sharp increase in the scope of antisemitic discourse on social media. This morning, after months of hard work, we launched the National Command Center for the fight against antisemitism, which will help unify the efforts of all the bodies operating in this arena, a step that constitutes a significant milestone in the State of Israel's fight against antisemitism."
Antisemitic New Jersey arsonist sentenced to 7 years for destroying home
An antisemitic New Jersey arsonist was sentenced to a seven-year prison sentence on Friday for a crime spree targeting Jewish residents in which he burned down a Manchester home, damaged three, and vandalized 14 others, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Manchester Police.

Manchester resident Ron Carr, 35, pleaded guilty on June 20 to arson, bias intimidation, and criminal mischief, and on Friday received concurrent sentences of seven years, five years, and 18 months, respectively.

According to WKXW-FM radio, Carr believed that he was “saving the neighborhood” from an “infestation” of Jewish residents. His series of attacks began when he vandalized 14 homes around midnight on June 6, 2023. Manchester Police said that Carr had spray painted the houses with Nazi symbolism.

A few hours later, Carr used accelerants to set fire to the home of a Hispanic-background family, believing that the house was owned by Jews, according to a rebuilding fundraising project and the Manchester Police. The house was also spray-painted in the earlier acts of vandalism. WKXW-FM radio said that Carr believed that the house would be converted into a Jewish school.

The Rivas family home was razed to the ground, three other homes suffered heat damage and flames spread to the woods behind the house. Enlrage image

“I am thankful no one was injured in these senseless acts of bigotry and hate,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said in a statement last year.

Carr was arrested on June 9, 2023, according to the police.

“This crime spree and the antisemitism that it expressed caused pain, destruction, shock, and fear among the residents of Manchester Township,” said NJ Attorney General Matthew Platkin. “No community in the State of New Jersey should feel vulnerable or anxious in the face of acts of intolerance. No resident should feel their personal safety or their home is threatened by bigotry, persecution, and violence.”
Saudi Arabian man admits stealing school bus in N.J., driving it to Pennsylvania
A Saudi Arabia national has admitted in court that he stole a school bus in New Jersey and drove it across state lines.

Bader Alzahrani, 24, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to the federal charge of interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release. He was indicted by a grand jury last summer.

Authorities say he swiped the bus in Livingston and drove it to Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

Federal authorities say police responded to a break-in at an unoccupied house on Hillside Avenue in Livingston on Jan. 15. While searching the home, officers found a backpack containing a Saudi Arabian passport belonging to Alzahrani, as well as journals with entries that made jihad threats and derogatory remarks about Jewish people and police officers.

Among the phrases in the journals were: “Why didn’t you slaughter the police officer who threw the Quran?,” “Blood, blood, destruction, destruction. Allah,” and “Destruction of the new world and the earth will be destroyed from all sides,” according to court papers.

Two days later, the Livingston Board of Education reported that a school bus had been stolen from a parking lot across the street from the house, officials said.


Israel’s arms industry profits soar as wars fuel billion-dollar contracts
It appears that both Elbit and IAI are still poised for further growth, and later this month, Rafael will also release its second-quarter results. Rafael’s first-quarter sales grew by 31% to nearly NIS 4 billion compared to the same quarter last year, with an 83% increase in net profit to NIS 232 million.

Depending on the outcome of negotiations between Israel and Hamas, and whether the war in Gaza and on the northern border escalates into a full-scale regional conflict, the defense companies’ production lines will likely remain in high gear for the foreseeable future. Weapons not immediately deployed to active fronts will be stored in IDF emergency reserves, while surplus production will be directed to other countries in need of armaments. This includes air defense missiles from IAI and Rafael, pilot helmets produced by Elbit, and armored vehicles by Plasan from Kibbutz Sasa, which is operating around the clock despite Hezbollah's recent release of footage showing anti-tank missiles hitting a factory on the northern border.

Based on the special $14 billion aid package from Biden, Rafael will accelerate the production rates of the David’s Sling and Iron Dome air defense systems, as well as the development of the “Iron Beam” laser defense system, which is expected to become operational within a year. IAI will increase production rates of the Arrow and Barak missiles, and government-owned Tomer has already expanded its infrastructure with a significant investment to boost the production of engines for these missiles.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved an arms deal worth more than $20 billion, under which Israel will be able to purchase 50 state-of-the-art F-15 AI aircraft over the coming years. Meanwhile, a covert race is underway among major defense industries to develop better responses to UAVs, given the challenges facing air defense systems in countering them. According to IAI’s Boaz Levy, the company is soon to present a unique development to the Ministry of Defense, involving all of its divisions. "We know how to produce systems that can intercept missiles in space, so we are confident in our ability to address the UAV threat effectively."
‘A Light to the Nations’: Italian Newspaper Editorial Sings Israel’s Praises
Il Foglio, an Italian newspaper, published an editorial praising Israel despite international criticism.

Journalist Giulio Meotti wrote, “Why is Israel the best nation in the world despite all the accusations that have been hurled against it?”

He added, “It is helpful to know and appreciate the unity of Israelis and their desire to be part of the family of nations.”

Meotti then listed the many challenges faced by the Jewish State.

“I don’t know of any other nation on earth that, since its founding 75 years ago, had to sacrifice 25,000 soldiers to ensure its existence.

I know of no other nation on earth without recognized borders.

I don’t know of another nation on earth whose population has lived under constant emotional stress since its founding.

I don’t know of another nation on earth that is constantly in danger of being wiped off the map.

I don’t know of any other nation on earth that is threatened with boycotts from the north to the south.

I know of no other nation on earth that has won all the wars forced upon it, without obtaining an armistice that is convenient for it.

I know of no other nation on earth that provides its enemy with water, electricity, food and medical care.

I don’t know of another nation on earth where disrespectful and offensive words are spoken during official visits.

But I also don’t know of any other nation on earth that has recorded so many miracles in such a short time.”
South Florida mayor, city council pass resolution supporting Israeli defense
Christi Fraga, the mayor of Doral, Fla., in Miami-Dade County, and the Doral City Council unanimously approved Resolution 24-5675, which advocates for Israel’s right to defend itself and urges for further U.S. military support.

The measure also condemns Hamas and vows to protect the city’s residents from hate crimes.

The resolution follows a city council meeting this past May that featured pro-Hamas advocates who denied the atrocities of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in southern Israel and claimed that a Zionist conspiracy secretly controlled the federal government.

Fraga had initially put forward the measure before coming to understand that some of her constituents regarded it as biased against Israel, resulting in an apology.

“The process I followed and final wording of the resolution, which was unanimously adopted by my colleagues on the City Council, was naive of me, fundamentally flawed, and has resulted in unintended consequences and a misunderstanding of my true stance on this international and local issue,” she stated in May.

An effort ensued to remove and replace the measure, which succeeded. But opposition that followed caused the vote to be postponed until last Wednesday, resulting in its successful passage.
Israel’s record Olympics: How systematic planning made seven medals normal
The Paris Olympic Games concluded with a record achievement for the Israeli delegation, bringing home seven medals. For several weeks, each report of another victory had filled Israelis with a sense of collective pride. Judoka Raz Hershko’s impressive ippon over her Turkish opponent in just 10 seconds felt like a fitting Zionist response to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. For a moment, it felt like just another normal country uniting behind its incredible athletes.

Israel’s amazing achievement was, however, not exceptional at all, even though it certainly felt that way. It was a normal achievement by all standards, and that’s what’s truly amazing.

In 1992, judo champion Yael Arad brought home the first-ever medal after a 40-year wait since Israel’s Olympic debut at the Helsinki Games of 1952. Twelve years ago, she joined the Olympic Committee of Israel, becoming part of the process of bringing Israel to the international level of Olympic sport. Arad brought her insights from the business world and helped implement effective metrics and financial planning. Israel understood that to improve its Olympic achievements it needed to consider its size and relative strength. To that end, five sports were chosen to receive excess funding: athletics, gymnastics, swimming, sailing, and, of course, judo.

The Olympic Committee of Israel understood that the state budget alone couldn’t provide for the professional development needed to compete with leading teams, so partnerships were developed with 11 businesses, including Bank Hapoalim, Arkia, and Shufersal.

A scientific-medical support system – employing 110 people – was developed to provide athletes full support in nutrition, medicine, therapy, and data analysis. It was also decided to offer significant financial rewards to winning athletes: NIS500,000 for a bronze medal, NIS750,000 for a silver, and NIS 1 million for a gold – all tax-free. This has positioned Israel as a world leader in rewarding its athletes.


From Eurovision to boot camp: Eden Golan prepares for IDF
Eden Golan, who represented Israel at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, is set to trade her stage attire for military fatigues.

The young singer, who achieved a commendable fifth place in the international competition, has received her first military summons.

Despite facing adversity directed at both Israel and herself during Eurovision, the young artist delivered a stellar performance with the hit "Hurricane."

On Sept. 19, Golan will take her first steps toward military service by reporting for her initial summons. Her unique talents are expected to be utilized within the IDF, where she is likely to serve as a performer, showcasing her musical abilities for fellow soldiers as part of the military's cadre of exceptional artists.




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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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