Tuesday, December 17, 2024

12/17 Links Pt2: How Ireland Declared Diplomatic War on Israel; Tucker Carlson giving ‘leading platform’ to Jew-hatred; Al-Jazeera conference with Hamas leader canceled

From Ian:

Antisemitism is everywhere on this earth. Going to space gave me hope we might finally leave it behind
I am one of only a dozen or so Canadians who has been to space. In fact, fewer than 700 human beings have ever shared the experience.

On Nov. 22, with five other crew members, I rode Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.

About 30 minutes before launch, the capsule was sealed as the countdown was initiated . On top of a rocket 10-storeys high, I looked out the window at the west Texas desert. I was calm and unafraid. I thought back to my childhood dream of being an astronaut and to my family history — the remarkable confluence of events that brought me to this moment.

In the early 1900s, my grandparents escaped pogroms in Russia and Ukraine. My father-in-law is a Holocaust survivor. After the horrors they experienced, they came to Canada with nothing but the hopes and dreams for a better life.

I tensed a bit as the countdown reached its final seconds. After launch, G forces pressed against my body as the rocket soared straight up at speeds of more than 4,000 km/h. In less than three minutes it was dark and eerily quiet.

I floated from my seat and saw our planet and the narrow blue band of atmosphere that protects us against the infinite blackness beyond. Then I experienced a collision of emotions from joyful exuberance to despair. A few minutes later we were strapped back in and falling back to Earth.

Much of my life has been dedicated to fighting antisemitism. After Hamas’s barbaric attack on innocent Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023 and the manifestation of hatred toward Jews that followed, I saw this brief journey as an opportunity to inspire unity, resilience, and optimism.

My trip into space means more than fulfilling a childhood dream. It’s about carrying a powerful message to the world: the rise in antisemitism and hate has no place in our world. It must end now.

Antisemitism is the world’s oldest form of hatred. For centuries, Jewish people have been targeted, marginalized, and scapegoated, based on harmful myths and conspiracy theories.

Oct. 7 evoked memories of the darkest days in history and has exacerbated an already growing climate of hate. The spread of antisemitic hate on campuses, our streets, and online platforms has been terrifying.

We are witnessing the devastating consequences of unchecked antisemitism, which is regaining mainstream acceptance, as it did in the lead-up to the Second World War.

This fight against antisemitism is not just a Jewish issue. It is a matter that concerns all Canadians who value justice, equality and human dignity.
Israeli Soccer Fans Retain Legal Counsel After Facing Antisemitic Violent Attacks in Amsterdam
More than 47 fans of the Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv who were targeted during the antisemitic violence that took place in Amsterdam in November have obtained legal counsel from The Lawfare Project, the international Jewish civil rights organization announced last week.

The Lawfare Project, a US-based global network of legal professionals, has been retained to provide strategic legal counsel to victims of the premeditated and coordinated attack that took place on Nov. 7 after a soccer match in Amsterdam between Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Dutch soccer team Ajax.

The Lawfare Project’s representation “focuses on combating rising antisemitism and advocating publicly for justice on behalf of the victims,” the organization said in a press release. It has yet to file a lawsuit on behalf of the victims and is currently reviewing legal options after helping clients also secure local counsel in Amsterdam, the organization told The Algemeiner. Peter Plasman, a partner at the Amsterdam-based law firm Kötter L’Homme Plasman, will serve as co-counsel.

“Our 47 clients have called for the court to convict the suspects and ensure that they are held financially accountable for the harm they have caused,” said Plasman. “While there were discussions about postponing the trial, I firmly believe we must move forward now to send a strong message: justice must prevail, and society must not tolerate such hatred.”

“The brutal assault on Jewish individuals in Amsterdam last month is just the latest example of the alarming rise of antisemitism in Europe,” added Brooke Goldstein, founder and executive director of The Lawfare Project. “Since the horrific events of October 7, 2023, Jews worldwide have been increasingly targeted with violence, harassment, and discrimination. We are calling on governments across Europe to take immediate action to protect their Jewish communities and ensure that those responsible for these attacks are held accountable.”

After the Nov. 7 soccer match as part of the UEFA Europa League, anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian gangs violently attacked fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv on the streets of Amsterdam. Israeli soccer fans were chased by assailants carrying knives and sticks, run over by cars, physically assaulted, and some were forced by their attackers to say “Free Palestine.” Some Israelis barricaded themselves in buildings, shops, and other places in the city to avoid the attacks. A number of the victims were hospitalized.

Amsterdam’s mayor called the attackers “antisemitic hit-and-run squads” and said the assailants were going “Jew hunting.” Both former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and current Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon called the violence a “pogrom.”
Brussels venue de-platforms Al-Jazeera-funded conference over Hamas leader participation
A conference funded by Al Jazeera and led by Hamas officials in Europe was canceled by its Brussels host venue’s website following a recent US treasury designation.

The European Palestinian Council for Political Relations (EUPAC), a Belgium-registered lobbying organization, organized the event under the leadership of two Hamas officials in Europe, chairman Majed Al-Zeer and deputy chairman Mohammad Hannoun. The US Treasury only designated these officials this week as Hamas officials who raised millions of dollars for the terror group.

The conference was set to take place on Monday. As of Thursday, the invitation has been taken off the venue’s website, with a different event replacing it.

It was titled “The Genocidal War in Gaza One Year On: Humanitarian, Legal, and Political Implications in the European Context” and was supposed to feature members of the European Parliament, including Lynn Boylan from Ireland, Daniel Attard from Malta, and Vicent Marzà Ibáñez from Spain, with EUPAC chairman Majed Al-Zeer as a key speaker.

There has been no official cancellation of the conference, and it remains unclear if it will still take place at the venue or at a different location. The Al-Jazeera-Hamas connection

The Al Jazeera-Hamas connection Al Jazeera funded the conference, intended to host a designated Hamas official. Hamas, which was designated a terrorist organization by the EU, Canada, the US, and many other nations, defines itself as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political and social movement founded nearly a century ago in Egypt. It seeks to establish an Islamic state with Sharia as its law. Other tributaries of the Muslim Brotherhood include Al-Qaeda and ISIS, both of which are part of the Salafi Jihadist stream of the movement.

Qatar, which owns the Al Jazeera network, is known as one of the major patrons of the Muslim Brotherhood and has promoted its branches across the globe with funding and moral support. In Israel, local courts have recently argued that Hamas views Al Jazeera as its propaganda and intelligence arm. On many occasions, the Qatari-owned channel published exclusive footage and first-hand statements and information originating from Hamas and its military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades.

The recent US designation, which was published on the one-year commemoration of the October 7 massacre, stressed that other parties are prohibited from providing funds, goods, or services for the benefit of the newly recognized Hamas officials, warning of “secondary sanctions” to those who engage in “certain transactions.” It is unclear whether Al Jazeera would also be subject to those sanctions in the case of funding this event.

Activists, politicians encourage cancellation Belgian MP Michael Freilich encouraged the Press Club to cancel the conference. He said, “I urge the Press Club to adhere to the US designation and cancel the event. However, regardless of the outcome, nothing would absolve Belgium of its responsibility.


How Ireland Declared Diplomatic War on Israel
Israel decided on Sunday to close its embassy in Dublin, reflecting the growing resentment and genuine confusion felt by many in Jerusalem about what they see as Ireland's unfairly pro-Palestinian position since October 7.

Ireland's approach to international law was the straw that broke the camel's back for Israel. Ireland, alongside that other titan of human rights and international law, South Africa, announced they would petition the International Court of Justice to "broaden" the terms of genocide so that it can be more easily applied to Israel's military actions in Gaza.

Ireland's deputy prime minister and foreign minister Micheal Martin argues that the ICJ's definition of genocide isn't as evolved as the Irish one. But does he really expect the world to accept the dismally fuzzy logic which proclaims any conflict with civilian casualties is a genocide? Or perhaps is it only a genocide when Jews are involved in the fighting? After all, Ireland has been silent about any apparent "genocide" in Syria, Sudan, Yemen and elsewhere where the actual mass slaughter of civilians has been taking place.

Then there is the added insult that by expanding the meaning of genocide, you're ultimately minimizing the gravity of the Holocaust, which is where the word "genocide" was born.

The Irish government decided to finally drop any pretense of neutrality and effectively declared diplomatic war with Israel. There has been a hostility to Israel that is genuinely unprecedented in Irish political life. During last month's pre-election leader's debate, all ten party leaders agreed with each other on the need to boycott Israel.

Soon we will be diplomatically separated from a country which should be our strongest ally in the region. Moreover, we need Israeli chip technology more than Israel needs Irish butter. The Irish government is playing a jaw-droppingly bad long-term game.


NYC comedy club cancels show after anti-Israel backlash over event meant to heal division in wake of Oct. 7 terror attacks
A New York comedy show on Monday aimed at bringing together communities from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — which has wreaked havoc on American university campuses in particular over the past 14 months — was canceled amid anti-Israel backlash from comedians and activists.

The event, dubbed “Debate, Don’t Hate,” at Stand Up NY in Manhattan was designed to use the power of comedy to foster an open dialogue about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip — but organizers were forced to cancel the show after pro-Palestinian comedians withdrew from the roster.

“Thanks for reaching out, but I cannot share the stage with zionazzzis while my people and Arabs in the region are being decimated and genocided so Israelis can have beach houses in more land that’s not theirs,” Palestinian comedian Eman El-Husseini wrote to the organizers, using an apparent portmanteau for “Zionists” and “nazis.”

The New York comedy show aimed at bringing together communities from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was canceled amid anti-Israel backlash from comedians and activists. Stand Up NY/ “Thanks tho! Free Palestine!” El-Husseini added.

At least 21 other comedians were asked to step up and fill the vacancies from the pro-Palestinian side, but refused to do so.

Libyan comedian Mohanad Elshieky in a post to Instagram also criticized the initiative, claiming the now-canceled show was a “little debate about why m*rdering children is wrong.”

“You can’t deny geno*ide and then come here and pretend to be the side interests [sic] in dialogue and be surprised when people refuse the invitation,” he said.

Activists also lashed out at the organizers, claiming that they were trying to “both-sides” genocide.

“Some comedy club in NYC is apparently putting on a ‘both sides’ night about Israel’s annihilation of Gaza … inviting me to help ‘build a more inclusive community,’ and like, sir,” Helen Rosner, a food correspondent for The New Yorker and pro-Palestinian activist, posted to Bluesky last week.

Organizer Robin Lemberg told The Post the intention was “not to debate genocide,” but to have humor illuminate opposing US views of the conflict.

“Humor is one of the most powerful tools we have to lower defenses and foster connection,” Lemberg said. “It disarms anger and fear, opening the door to conversations that would otherwise feel impossible.”

”The facts are that antisemitism is growing exponentially — not to diminish the rise of Islamophobia, as well — and that concerns me personally and feels awful for all of us,” she added.

Comedian Elon Gold, whose performances have been featured in Netflix specials and popular shows like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” told The Post that canceling the show created a missed opportunity to move past the anti-Semitic dialogue toward a path of understanding.

”The whole point of comedy, besides the laughing part, is the unifying and the sharing of the human experience,” he said. “And if comedians on both sides of this can’t get their literal act together, I’m concerned for the rest of humanity.”

Historian Noam Weissman, host of the “Unpacking Israeli History” podcast, warned that the backlash demonstrates the Israeli-Palestinian “divisions that may become impossible to bridge.”

“Shutting down dialogue, refusing to engage in open conversation and rejecting to willingness to listen and learn from one another are not just obstacles — they are the forces that will erode the very foundation of our society,” Weissman said.


Tucker Carlson Hosts Another Anti-Israel Guest, Soros-Backed Jeffrey Sachs
Tucker Carlson published his third interview this year on X with a strident anti-Israel guest — this time the left-wing economist Jeffrey Sachs, who described the fall of the Assad regime in Syria as a plot by Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.

Sachs claimed that the unexpected events of the past few weeks in Syria were the outcome of a 30-year plan by Netanyahu, whom he said was determined to destroy any government that favored the creation of a Palestinian state.

Sachs described the Assad regime as a “normal, functioning country” by the time the Arab Spring took place in 2011, ignoring the fact that Syria was already a totalitarian dictatorship that had murdered tens of thousands of its own civilians. And he blamed the Israeli prime minister for creating Hamas and Hezbollah, two distinct Islamic terror groups that had both existed for many years by the time Netanyahu first took office for three years in 1996.

In an echo of antisemitic conspiracy theories of Jewish or “Zionist” control of American politics, Sachs made the claim that “Israel has driven so many American wars,” describing even the Obama administration as controlled by Israel.

Throughout, Carlson nodded in agreement, never challenging Sachs’s extraordinary assertions or asking that he provide evidence to back up his claims, many of which are flatly contradicted by common sense and available facts.


Tucker Carlson giving ‘leading platform’ to Jew-hatred, Chikli says
Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, formerly of Fox News, provides the “leading platform” for Jew-hatred, according to Amichai Chikli, the Israeli diaspora affairs minister.

“Congratulations to Tucker Carlson for becoming the leading platform for fringe Holocaust deniers, conspiracy theorists and blood libel enthusiasts who oppose the State of Israel,” Chikli wrote on Tuesday.

Carlson, with whom Fox News “agreed to part ways” on April 24, 2023, hosts an eponymous show on social media, where he has 15 million followers.

Chikli’s criticism came shortly after Carlson ran a two-hour interview with Jeffrey Sachs, an economist at Columbia University and director of its Earth Institute’s Center for Sustainable Development.

Sachs accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of creating Hamas and Hezbollah to expand the Jewish state’s borders and achieve “greater Israel.”

“We gave over Middle East foreign policy to Israel a long time ago, not to U.S. interests but to Israel’s interests, that is the Israel lobby,” Sachs said. (Elon Musk told his more than 207.5 million followers that it was a “very interesting interview.”)

“They should call this the horseshoe episode,” wrote David May, the research manager and a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “The conspiracy theories of the nationalist right meet the conspiracy theories of the socialist left for a party—a national socialist party.”


'Vicious & Unhinged': Inside the Oxford Union Debate on Israel & Gaza | The Quad
British journalist Jonathan Sacerdoti joins "The Quad" to talk about the aggression and vitriol he experienced at the Nov. 28 Oxford Union debate on whether or not Israel is an apartheid state.

Sacerdoti discusses with "The Quad" hosts Fleur Hassan-Nahoum and Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll what this says about academia and the state of public discourse regarding the Jewish state.

They moreover discuss recent events in Syria and if the world is waking up to the fact that Israel is not the bad actor in the region.


Prejudice in the Academy: An analysis of the parliamentary inquiry into antisemitism at Australian Universities
What can be done to prevent the institutional entrenchment of an Antisemitic movement within Australian academia?

It is evident from the parliamentary inquiry that a significant minority of Australian academics hold anti-Zionist fundamentalist views. That is, they share the views of the global BDS movement that all Israeli Jews are evil oppressors. Consequently, they favour the elimination of the Jewish State of Israel and its replacement by an exclusivist Arab state of Greater Palestine in which Jews would be allowed to remain at best as a tolerated religious minority with no national or cultural rights.

A smaller sub-section of zealots within this cohort appear to be overt bigots who frame all Australian Jews who support Israel as a political enemy that should be excluded from public discourse (Winter 2024). In short, their political anti-Zionism and traditional racist Antisemitism closely converge via their demand that Jews be denied equal rights of citizenship. This group are dedicated to propagating hate speech within their existing teaching and research activities, and so indoctrinating undergraduate and postgraduate student cohorts in order to create an inter-generational Antisemitic movement.

They demand that the voices of perpetrators rather than victims of Antisemitism be privileged, and aggressively reject any attempts by universities and other institutions such as government to limit their freedom to promote hate speech. In other words, they defend (to paraphrase a former Australian Liberal-National Coalition government Attorney General George Brandis) their ‘right to be bigots’ (cited in Chan 2014). A good example of such behaviour is the recent group letter signed by over 120 University of Melbourne staff defending the Antisemitic mob that invaded Professor Prawer’s office (see details above), and insisting that such racist ‘protest actions’ be protected as ‘legitimate student activism’ (University of Melbourne Staff 2024).

What effective action can be taken to protect Jewish Australians from hate speech at universities? Anti-racist education and training (Muralidharan 2024: 21) can definitely play a role in educating students and academics about the long history of Antisemitism across varied religions, cultures and political regimes including, for example, the Nazi Holocaust, Stalin’s war against Soviet Bloc Jews from 1948-53, and the mass ethnic cleansing of more than 800,000 Jews from the Arab and North African countries in the decade or so after Israel’s creation (Mendes 2024); the persistence of Antisemitic tropes claiming Jews control politics, the media, finance and world events; the traumatic impact of Antisemitic hatred on Jewish students and academics; and the differences between legitimate criticism of Israeli government actions and the essentialising of all Israeli and other pro-Israel Jews as an evil collective (The Senate 2024: 52-53).

But scholarly evidence alone is unlikely to persuade the bigoted perpetrators discussed above to cease their hate speech. The challenge facing the forthcoming second parliamentary inquiry into Antisemitism is to ascertain whether governments and/or universities need to place specific institutional limits on academic freedom in order to prevent the unfettered promotion of the oldest form of hatred. The recently announced class action racial vilification suit against alleged perpetrators at the University of Sydney (Yim 2024) suggests an alternate legal approach that may prove more effective in preventing entrenched racial discrimination in universities.
SJP Leader Caught With ‘Death To Jews’ Signs And Hamas Flags Pushed School To Condemn Israel
A George Mason student found in possession of weapons, “Death to Jews” signs, and terrorist flags previously urged the university to condemn Israel for waging “genocide” in Gaza, previously unreleased footage obtained by The Daily Wire shows.

Jena Chanaa, a graduate student who led George Mason’s now-suspended Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at the school last year, slammed the school for its “neutrality” at an April Board of Visitors meeting.

“Our students are facing great losses every single day, forced to live through this nightmare and forced to live with the knowledge that their own university is not doing anything to position themselves against the genocide that is actively causing this tragedy,” Chanaa said, in reference to the war in Gaza.

She went on to demand that the school endorse a ceasefire and acknowledge the “genocide.”

“As someone who has personally been involved in this campus-wide movement, it has been extremely disappointing to see the university position itself on the side of neutrality,” Chanaa said. “I implore you to place George Mason on the correct side of history. Do your part to support all students and community members affected by this genocide and call for a ceasefire now.”

Jena and her sister Noor Chanaa — who is the current co-leader of the SJP chapter — are suspected of being part of a group that defaced George Mason’s student center in August, the Washington Free Beacon reported.


Jewish Civil Rights Group Seeks to Overturn Dismissal of MIT Antisemitism Lawsuit
The StandWithUs Center for Legal Justice (SCLJ) has filed an appeal to overturn the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of responding to an explosion of antisemitic harassment and intimidation on campus with “deliberate indifference” to the welfare of Jewish students.

“MIT failed its Jewish and Israeli students and violated the law repeatedly,” SCLJ said in court documents, shared with The Algemeiner, filed with the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. “Properly considered, these allegations demonstrate MIT deliberately dragged its feet for months, only ever acting when the pressure and potential embarrassment due to its inaction boiled over, and even then, took only minimal action that fell far short of its legal obligations. These allegations also describe MIT’s selective enforcement of its rules to the detriment of its Jewish students.”

In August, US District Court Judge Richard Gaylore Stearns — who was appointed to the bench in 1993 by former US President Bill Clinton (D) and served as a political operative for and special assistant to Israel critic and former Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern — tossed the suit in a ruling which accused the Jewish plaintiffs of expecting MIT officials to be “clairvoyant” in anticipating a surge of antisemitism on campus following Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel last year.

Stearns also rejected SCLJ’s argument that pro-Hamas demonstrators at MIT intentionally violated the civil rights of Jewish students by, as is alleged, calling for a genocide of Jews in Israel and perpetrating numerous other acts of harassment and intimidation.

“Plaintiffs frame MIT’s response to the conflict largely as one of inaction. But the facts alleged tell a different story,” Stearns wrote in his decision. “Far from sitting on its hands, MIT took steps to contain the escalating on-campus protests that, in some instances, posed a genuine threat to the welfare of Jewish and Israeli students, who were at times personally victimized by the hostile demonstrators. MIT began by suspending student protesters from non-academic activities, permitting them only to attend academic classes, while suspending one of the most undisciplined of the pro-Palestine student groups.”
Columbia professor resigns after university allows anti-Israel academic to continue teaching course on Zionism
A Columbia University adjunct professor announced his resignation on Monday, citing the university’s decision to allow a longtime professor who described the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel as “astounding,” “awesome” and “incredible” to continue teaching a course on Zionism.

In his resignation letter, Lawrence “Muzzy” Rosenblatt, an adjunct professor of international and public affairs, wrote that having Joseph Massad, a professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual history, teach a course on Zionism was “akin to having a White nationalist teach about the US Civil Rights movement and the struggle for Black equality.”

“Columbia has lost not only its moral compass, but its intellectual one,” Rosenblatt wrote.

As antisemitism roiled Columbia’s campus over the past 14 months, including the burning of Israeli flags and physical assaults of Jewish students, Rosenblatt said that he felt it was important to stay to teach. “I believe the Institution was not aligned with the hateful and destructive values of some who teach and study here, and that by staying I would not be ceding the Academy to those who spew evil, but instead be a model for thoughtful, responsible and professional learning,” he wrote.

But that changed with the continuation of Massad’s class in light of his comments about Oct. 7, according to Rosenblatt.

Massad is scheduled to teach the undergraduate course “History of the Jewish Enlightenment in 19th century Europe and the development of Zionism,” as he has done every spring since 2016. The class typically fills up, drawing between 30-60 students each semester. The class is limited to 60 students and is not a required course, but rather one of three courses Columbia students can elect to take next semester on the subject of Zionism and the history of Israel, two of which are offered through Columbia’s Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies.

One day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack, Massad wrote, “Perhaps the major achievement of the resistance in the temporary takeover of these settler-colonies is the death blow to any confidence that Israeli colonists had in their military and its ability to protect them.”

He went on: “The sight of the Palestinian resistance fighters storming Israeli checkpoints separating Gaza from Israel was astounding, not only to the Israelis but especially to the Palestinian and Arab peoples who came out across the region to march in support of the Palestinians in their battle against their cruel colonizers,” Massad wrote of the Oct. 7 massacre. “No less awesome were the scenes witnessed by millions of jubilant Arabs who spent the day watching the news, of Palestinian fighters from Gaza breaking through Israel’s prison fence or gliding over it by air.”

He went on to say that Oct. 7 has “both shaken Israeli society and struck Palestinians and Arabs as incredible.”


NYPD arrest suspect in assault on Columbia Jewish student
A man was arrested and charged on Monday for allegedly punching a Jewish Columbia University student during an anti-Israel protest last week, according to the New York Police Department.

Manhattan resident Tarek Bazrouk, 20, was arrested by the NYPD and charged with robbery in the third-degree, and robbery in the third-degree hate crime.

At last Monday's protest against Barnard College by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a 22-year-old male victim reportedly entered into a verbal dispute with the suspect.

The NYPD said that the suspect made antisemitic remarks and then grabbed the victim's Israeli flag. When the victim attempted to retrieve the flag, the suspect punched him in the face and then fled the scene.

The crime is being investigated by the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force, and the educational institution said there was no indication the suspect was affiliated with the university.

Columbia University’s Office of Public Affairs said last Tuesday that there was no indication that the suspect was affiliated with the university.


UPenn ‘lost its way’ in response to campus antisemitism, Governor Shapiro says
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on Monday that some universities were “willing to forgo” their responsibilities to protect Jewish students on campus, singling out the University of Pennsylvania for having “lost its way” and “working to get back” to a better place.

Shapiro, a Democrat, made the comments in conversation with American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch at an event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the organization’s Philadelphia-South Jersey chapter. The governor’s comments came in response to a question from Deutch about how colleges and universities had responded to the surge of campus antisemitism since Oct. 7.

“Universities have a moral and a legal responsibility to the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to this country to keep all students safe on campus,” Shapiro said. “For some universities, I think they were willing to forgo that responsibility, or it got a little bit out of balance. Some universities were willing to accept a little bit of hate over here, but no hate over here, and that’s not OK.”

“While I realize there’s a lot of gray area when it comes to figuring out exactly where that line is, I do think it’s important everybody adhere to those basic principles,” Shapiro added. “And there are many colleges and universities here in Pennsylvania that are … I think, candidly, Penn lost its way. They are working to get back. There’s some important work there happening under their interim president. I think they are moving in the right direction there, and many other universities are as well.”

The Democratic governor noted “that a lot of what we’re seeing on campus really didn’t have a lot to do with the students, but had a whole lot to do with some faculty. And I think it was important that university leaders are holding faculty accountable as well, so that they are teaching actual facts and that they are not encouraging students to break the rules, and that we have order and discipline on campus.”

Shapiro told the crowd at the Bellevue Hotel that there is “no nuance” when it comes to antisemitism, but acknowledged that there is “a far more gray area” regarding criticism of Israel or the U.S.’ Middle East policy.

“It is important that we have two separate conversations: one about antisemitism and the other about Israel,” the Pennsylvania governor said. “Antisemitism, hatred, bigotry in all forms, it is not okay, and everyone in a position of public trust, everyone has a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity, to speak out against it. It doesn’t matter who is sharing those sentiments, if they’re members of your own party, if they’re people you otherwise might agree with on some other issue, we have a responsibility to speak out against it.”

“When it comes to the issue of Israel, foreign policy and Middle East policy, that’s a far more gray area,” he added. “I think it is important to continue to speak out in support of Israel. And I think it is also acceptable if one wants to respectfully criticize a policy coming from the Israeli government. There is a difference there.”


John McDonnell’s defence of Palestine Action branded an ‘utter disgrace’
John McDonnell appeared to speak in support of the actions of hardcore anti-Israel group Palestine Action during a Westminster debate.

Speaking in favour of a petition calling for an arms embargo on Israel, the veteran left-winger accused the government of using counter-terrorism powers on supporters of the group, who he claimed were mostly “innocent” of the offences they were charged with.

Palestine Activists have repeatedly targeted premises used by Elbit Systems UK in this country claiming the company direct supplies the Israeli arms, attacking police with a sledgehammer on at least one occasion.

Last month, in another actions they targeted the offices of pro-Israel organisations in Hampstead, north London, smashing windows and leaving Free Palestine graffiti on walls.

But in a more violent action in August by the group a police officer was taken to hospital after being hit with a sledgehammer while responding to reports of criminal damage.

One senior Labour figure told Jewish News McDonnell’s comments about Palestine Action were an “utter disgrace” and the “latest ugly chapter of a chequered political career.”

Speaking during a Westminster Hall debate, McDonnell, shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn, said he was being “careful about not mentioning any names” as some cases were subjudice, but added:” Palestine Action took direct action to close down an arms factory that was supplying goods and materials for the F-35 and the drones.

“Those people were arrested under counter-terrorism powers and detained. They are young people, a lot of them young women—some of them just starting out at university.

“They exercised their influence and power because we failed to exercise ours. Some have been in court; when they are in front of a jury, they usually win the case.

“A number of them are now on remand and will have been in prison since last March until next November, when their trial is listed.”


The Showdown between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank
It now seems that part of Hamas’s original plan for October 7 was, alongside the attacks from Gaza, to foment chaos and terrorism on the West Bank, where the organization maintains a network of cells and affiliated organizations. Hamas’s plans have thus far been foiled by a systematic campaign in Judea and Samaria waged by the IDF. But something significant has happened in the past few days: the Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas sent his own forces into the Jenin refugee camp to reassert control, leading to gunfights with rival groups. Benny Avni explains:

The so-called “camp” is in fact a sizable Jenin neighborhood where Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have united under the name Jenin Brigades to fight Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Joining them are al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which is affiliated with Mr. Abbas’s own Fatah party.

Beyond the halls of the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority all but disappeared since its Hamas rival launched a region-wide war on October 7, 2003. The three-day battle of Jenin could change all that. It widened Monday as protesters across the West Bank marched against the Palestinian Authority.

Ramallah’s sudden anti-terror push—after years in which it has declined to confront the northern West Bank militias—coincides with intensified talks to end the Gaza war and release 100 hostages there. If successful, it could bolster the Palestinian Authority’s claim for a leading role in post-war Gaza. . . . Losing to the terrorists, [however], could further erode Ramallah’s standing in the West Bank and Gaza. It could also put the nail in the coffin on worldwide hopes for a future Palestinian state living in peace with its neighbors.


UN monitor says reviving Iran deal now irrelevant, since Tehran on cusp of nuke
The UN’s top atomic regulator said this week that there was little point in trying to revive the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, with Iran already practically a nuclear threshold state.

The comments by International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi in Italy on Monday underlined growing frustration by the UN monitor toward Iran, which has blown past stockpile limits set by the landmark pact and spurned inspections since Washington abandoned the deal in 2018.

Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran was only permitted to enrich uranium to 3.68 percent purity, a level consistent with civilian uses of nuclear technology that Iran claims are its only pursuit, capping its stockpile at 300 kilograms.

But according to an IAEA report handed to member states and leaked to the press earlier this month, Iran has begun dramatically expanding its production of uranium enriched to near-weapons grade levels, collecting enough material for several bombs already.

“The philosophy of the original accord with Iran can be used, but that agreement is no longer useful,” Grossi told Italian news agency ANSA on the sidelines of a meeting at the foreign ministry in Rome.

He added that Iran had “developed much stronger capabilities” regarding various aspects of its nuclear program.

“It has uranium at 60% — 90% is military grade — and is thus practically at the same level as nuclear-armed states,” Grossi said.

Sealed in 2015 following years of tightrope negotiations between Iran and the US, UK, Germany, France, China and Russia, the JCPOA was hailed by its boosters as a watershed opportunity to curb Iran’s rogue nuclear activities, with world powers agreeing to lift sanctions that had crippled the Islamic Republic’s economy.

According to the IAEA at the time, before the accord, Iran had amassed just over 200 kilograms of uranium enriched to 20% purity, and around 10,000 kilograms of low-enriched uranium at levels of 5% purity or lower.

Under the deal, Iran was forced to reduce its stockpile by some 98%, and shut down over half of its centrifuges, according to officials.

But the accord was pilloried by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who alleged that Tehran had hoodwinked the world and was continuing to covertly pursue a nuclear weapon to be used against Israel.
Jerusalem man accused of spying for Iran, planning terror attack
An Israeli resident of Jerusalem was arrested for carrying out missions on behalf of Iran and planning a terror attack, the Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police said Tuesday, the latest in a series of plots involving citizens allegedly recruited by Iran that security agencies say have been foiled in recent months.

The suspect, Erdler Israel Amoyal, 23, was detained in November over suspicions he was “committing security offenses related to contact with intelligence officials of the Iranian regime and carrying out security missions in Israel under their direction, for financial gain,” according to the Shin Bet.

The announcement came a little over a week after police said a man in the north of the country was arrested on suspicion of carrying out acts of vandalism on behalf of Iran.

The latest investigation found that since October, Amoyal was in contact with Iranian intelligence elements via social media. The Shin Bet said he was first in contact with a profile using the handle “Arianna,” who later transferred him to “John,” who became his handler.

According to the investigation, Amoyal was aware that John was an Iranian operative, but he still agreed to carry out surveillance and other missions, including photographing various addresses and spraying graffiti.

The Shin Bet said Amoyal took photos of a paper with the words “Making Peace” in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, graffitied the word “Sinwar” in Tel Aviv, and took photos of several houses and streets in Netanya and Jerusalem.

Amoyal purchased a GoPro camera to film his actions, and sent footage to his handler John, the agency said. He also edited a video of a car burning, the Shin Bet said, although it was unclear if he carried out the act.

In addition, Amoyal allegedly searched social media to purchase a firearm and silencer, along with materials to manufacture a bomb. The Shin Bet said he watched instructional videos on how to build an explosive device, in order to carry out a terror attack in Israel.
v Antisemitism Awareness Act not expected in stopgap government funding bill
The Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA) is not expected to be included in the stopgap funding bill that Congress must pass by the end of the week to avert a government shutdown, two sources familiar with the situation told Jewish Insider.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) had seen the funding legislation as a fallback option to pass the AAA after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) rejected his request to put it in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, insisting on a standalone vote in the Senate.

Though the spending has not yet been fully finalized or released, that avenue is now likely closed, sources said. The chances that the bill will pass through the Senate in the current Congress now appear slim.

The development would be a major setback for Schumer, who had pledged to Jewish leaders and others that he’d take action on the legislation before the end of the year, while rejecting entreaties to bring the legislation to a standalone floor vote. Jewish leaders’ frustration with the Senate majority leader has been building for months.

Angelo Roefaro, a spokesperson for Schumer, said, “We are trying all must pass legislation. The only way left to pass this is through the CR. If Johnson says yes, we can get it done.”

One source said Schumer had feared exposing Democratic divisions on the bill with a public vote, which could have split the Democratic caucus and exacerbated post-Oct. 7 divisions over Israel and antisemitism policy.
Will Pittsburgh synagogue shooter be spared the death penalty?
A campaign by members of Congress and advocacy groups to commute the sentences of 40 prisoners facing the death penalty could spare the man convicted of killing 11 worshippers in a Squirrel Hill synagogue, the worst antisemitic attack in American history.

Death penalty opponents have rallied at the US Capitol and used calls, letters, and postcards to push President Joe Biden to use his clemency power before he leaves office next month. Biden this month pardoned his son and dozens of others, and granted clemency to another 1,400 people.

"Mr. President, you and you alone have the power to save lives and you must use it," US Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said last week outside the Capitol, surrounded by 30 representatives of anti-death penalty groups.

But the prospect of sparing Robert Bowers' life drew strong objections from those who lost family members, friends and neighbors in the October 27, 2018, shooting at the building housing three congregations — Dor Hadash, New Life, and Tree of Life.

He was convicted in June 2023 of 63 federal charges and a jury sentenced him to death. Families of the victims say that should be the final verdict.

"The jury was selected to make that decision," said Diane Rosenthal of Chicago, who lost two brothers in the massacre. "For a president to come in and grant clemency, to change that sentence of a murderer who on top of it showed no more remorse ... I feel there is no regard for due process of justice."

The calls for clemency for those on death row gained new currency following the reelection of Donald Trump as president. In the last year of Trump's first term, 13 federal prisoners were executed — more than in the previous eight decades combined, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Slotkin meets with theater company whose ‘Anne Frank’ performance became neo-Nazi target
In mid-November, a dozen or so masked individuals waved Nazi flags and shouted vulgar insults outside a veterans’ production of “The Diary of Anne Frank” at American Legion Devereaux Post 141 in the Detroit metropolitan area, presented by the Fowlerville Community Theater.

They spent about 30 minutes chanting outside the theater, shouting things such as “Anne Frank was a whore.” Local officers asked the group to leave, prompting the belligerent group to move across the street.

It left a rather sour note in the community—one that Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) tried to help salve on Dec. 13, when she met with members of the theater company, American Legion staff, business leaders, elected officials, law enforcement and community members in her last roundtable in her current political position.

Slotkin beat Republican challenger Mike Rogers, a former GOP House member representing Michigan, in a tight race in November to become the state’s senator-elect.

Slotkin, who is Jewish and a longtime supporter of Israel, posted on X that the protesters were a “small group of mostly outsiders,” hatefully denigrating “one of the most celebrated stories from the Holocaust.”

She wrote, “While that act of hate was shocking and unacceptable, the response from this community was swift. The counter-demonstration and the collective stand against such behavior made it clear: Hate has no home here.”

She added that those fighting such intolerance refuse to let those who berate their efforts define the situation. To that end, they discussed plans on how to counter such incidents in the future.
'Jews are going to die': Kippah knocked off head of 11-year-old son of Jewish activist
The son of Jewish activist and fitness trainer Shai Albrecht was the victim an antisemitic incident in Maryland on Sunday, she told The Jerusalem Post, following a post made to her Instagram.

Albrecht had taken her children to Urban Air adventure park when a boy made a comment about her 11-year-old son, Ayreh's, kippah, calling it "a funny little hat."

Aryeh replied that the hat was a kippah, and symbolized that he is Jewish. The other boy, who was around 9, reportedly responded, "Well, all Jews are dead or going to die."

After Aryeh told the boy that his comment was racist, the boy said he would "knock that hat off your head" before doing so.

Albrecht wrote that her son picked up his kippah and walked away.

Albrecht told the Jerusalem Post that she was "shocked": "We never imagined it would happen here [in the US]."

"I was livid to hear what the boy said because I understood that the boy would have heard this sick thought from the people around him, which was so scary for me."

"Knowing someone will look at [her son] and judge him because he is wearing a kippah is a horrible feeling for a mother. I want to protect him, but I know I can’t. It’s what nightmares are made of."

Aryeh felt "shocked and like a small person in a big world," she told The Post.
London venue cancels performance by Chasidic singer over ‘security concerns’
A highly anticipated upcoming concert in London featuring a Chasidic performer was abruptly cancelled less than a day after tickets went on sale with the host venue citing “security concerns”.

Benny Friedman, an American singer, was scheduled to perform twice in the UK, on January 6 in London and January 7 in Manchester as part of his global “Am Yisrael Chai” Tour, but now his team are scrambling to find a replacement venue in London after The Clapham Grand suddenly withdrew.

The concert was announced on Sunday evening, and organisers estimate that hundreds of tickets had already been sold by the time The Clapham Grand suddenly informed them of the change of heart on Monday morning.

ECM Events, who are partnering with Friedman’s team to organise the event, said The Clapham Grand was worried they did not have the necessary security to confront any protests that take place against the show due to its pro-Israel nature.

ECM Events said: “The Clapham Grand expressed willingness to host the event but explained that, due to the high profile of Benny Friedman and potential security risks such as protests, their security team was unable to approve it.”

ECM Events added that their team is “particularly frustrated” at the timing of the cancellation, especially since tickets “were already on sale and fans had begun making plans to attend. We understand the disappointment this news may bring to our supporters and are working tirelessly to find an even larger venue to ensure the concert goes ahead as planned.”

Despite there being “overwhelming” demand in London for a visit from Friedman, with the city more than any other in the world reportedly requesting his presence, organisers encountered great difficulty in securing any venue at all.


Jewish museum in San Francisco closes its doors indefinitely
The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco will shut its doors for at least one year due to a slow recovery from the COVID pandemic and ensuing economic struggles in the city’s downtown area.

“The work that we’re doing now by taking a temporary closure and putting together the team to re-envision the Contemporary Jewish Museum will enable us to have a long-term future,” said Kerry King, the museum’s executive director.

“We’ve had a framework of what’s happened to downtown San Francisco and the recovery economic framework, and we’ve had the politics of today,” she added.

The museum closed to the public on Dec. 15.

“It is far better for us to take necessary steps towards restructuring now rather than waiting until we no longer have options,” King said.

The museum also announced that it will be cutting staff in the next couple of months but will continue to rent the space for events.

“This decision does not come without significant pain because it will affect our team of extraordinary and deeply dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to fulfill the museum’s mission,” King said.

Tom Kasten, chair of the museum’s board of trustees, said that he is confident that “in years to come, this will be seen as a pivotal chapter in the museum’s journey.”

“The museum’s mandate is as vital now as ever, and our current goal is to design a sustainable model that not only preserves but amplifies its impact,” he added.


‘I’m a Survivor’: Montana Tucker video a cry for help for 100 Israeli hostages
American singer, actress and social media influencer Montana Tucker on Monday released a video dedicated to the 100 Israeli hostages who remain in Hamas captivity in Gaza more than 14 months after the terror group’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

In the video, initiated and produced by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), Tucker and 35 members of the Sol Dance Academy appear as hostages in a tunnel.

Featured in the video are three released hostages—Moran Stella Yanai, Raz Ben Ami and Hila Rotem Shoshani—and family members of Ohad Ben Ami, Shlomo Manzur and Yossi and Eli Sharabi, all still being held in Gaza.



“It is simply unfathomable to me that more than 400 days after October 7, 100 Israeli men, women and children who were taken that day are still not home,” said Tucker. “We cannot let the world forget them and their suffering, and this is why I’m dedicated to using my influence to tell their stories and make sure their freedom remains an international priority.”
‘Fauda’ Star, Singer Idan Amedi Releases First New Song, ‘Superman,’ Since Gaza Injury
Singer-songwriter Idan Amedi, who is also a cast member on the hit Israeli television series “Fauda,” released a new song on Monday, almost exactly one year after being injured while fighting as a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

The Hebrew language song “Superman” is from his new album, which will be released in January. On the track, Amedi sings about his life starting from his childhood in Jerusalem, his mandatory service in the IDF as a teen, his musical career, and even recovering from the injury he sustained in Gaza during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

“After I was injured, I had nights when I roared from my chest,” Amedi sings. “I began to settle accounts with God: If you give me like this, I will give this to you. But in the secret of my completely broken heart, I had no doubts — I’m not afraid to die anymore. It’s scarier not to live.”

“After the darkness that I went through, a thousand abysses, I am not afraid to die anymore,” he sings in the chorus. “For anyone who suspects me of changing, that I received my light from the wilderness, or that angels came down, bowed and said, ‘this is not a regular person, he is a superman.'”

After Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists orchestrated the Oct. 7 deadly massacre in southern Israel last year, Amedi served as a reservist in the IDF’s combat engineering unit. He was severely wounded in an explosion in Gaza in January and was evacuated to Sheba Medical Center, where he was sedated and intubated after suffering shrapnel injuries on his body. Six soldiers were killed in the explosion. Amedi was treated in the hospital’s trauma unit and has since been discharged. He shared a video showing his rehabilitation in July.

On Monday, Amedi shared a message on his official website thanking everyone who was involved in creating “Superman” and helping with his rehabilitation.


Times Square Billboard Displays Images From Oct. 7 Hamas Terrorist Attack in Israel
A digital billboard displayed in New York City’s Times Square on Sunday featured images of the destruction and devastation that took place on Oct. 7 of last year during the Hamas-led Palestinian terrorist attack in Israel.

The billboard, located above the Pele Soccer store in the heart of Manhattan, ran throughout the day and showed pictures from the Oct. 7 massacre along with the cover of the book Testimonies Without Boundaries: Israel: October 7th 2023. The book is an uncensored, unfiltered, and verified collection of first-hand testimonies from survivors of the attack, as well as volunteers of the Israeli emergency response organization ZAKA, the head of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, and others with firsthand knowledge of what happened that day.

Testimonies Without Boundaries was written by Alon Penzel, who also funded the digital billboard that was featured in Times Square on Sunday. A journalist and former Israeli government spokesperson, Penzel told The Algemeiner that Sunday’s billboard highlighting the Oct. 7 atrocities will be displayed again after Christmas. He explained that he organized the billboard in an effort to fight back against whose who want to stifle and ignore discussions about the terrorist attack that took place in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“Testimonies Without Boundaries was initially blacklisted by Amazon, which later reversed its decision and approved the book,” he told The Algemeiner. “Throughout time, there have been many attempts to not only silence my voice, but also the victims’ voices from the book — silence the atrocities that took place, deny Oct. 7 ever happened, calling us ‘liars’ [and] blaming Israel for the massacre. But while they are trying to silence me, I will speak up even louder.”

“I decided to place the book, with all its uncensored atrocities, as well as images from the massacre in the world’s most famous square — in the face of anyone who might be trying to deny Oct. 7 – so they and everyone else would see exactly what happened,” he added. “We have the duty to commemorate Oct. 7, as well as bringing 100 hostages back to their homes. I made sure everyone in New York understands just that.”




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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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