Wednesday, March 26, 2025

03/26 Links Pt2: Pro-Palestine American Jews, you’ve been had; Columbia proves it was lying all along about fighting Jew-hate; Gal Gadot’s security enhanced amid death threats

From Ian:

Pro-Palestine American Jews, you’ve been had
Among those who forcibly occupied Trump Tower recently to protest the deportation of a violent antisemite, were members of the Jewish Voice for Peace, who, along with other far-left groups like IfNotNow, have been parading support for Hamas since its Oct. 7 attack. The scene was a chilling reminder of the giant rift splitting American Jewry.

On one side of this rift are American Jews of all denominations, including secular ones, who love Israel as our ancestral homeland and the United States as the greatest country on earth.

On the other side are Jews who have embraced the globalist concept of tikkun olam, “making the world a better place,” as the central or only tenet of their Judaism.

Over the decades, the tikkun olam Jews spoke out for those less fortunate. After all, American Jews have been at the forefront of fighting for labor, for women’s rights, for other minorities and civil rights, and, in the past, for other Jews.

But some of these Jews have warped the ideal of tikkun olam beyond all recognition. They see Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians as a Jewish sin. They believe that if Israel was a little bit nicer, a little more tolerant to the Palestinians and gave them just a little more land, then, one day, the jihadists would see how great the Jews and Israelis are and lay down their weapons. Palestinians would accept Western liberal values, and we would all live in a utopic one-state fantasyland without any borders.

These Jews continue to nurse this vision despite repeated Palestinian rejections of any kind of peace treaty. In 2005, the right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon even pulled every single Jew from Gaza. Instead of peace, the response has been rockets and rape.

They falsely claim that in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, that the Jewish state is committing a genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and starving the population. This, despite the fact that Israel has helped administer half-a-million polio vaccines to children in Gaza and Hamas members have been caught stealing the food deliveries.

To tikkun olam Jews, though, it’s all Israel’s fault. How could this be?
Daniel Greenfield: Visas for terrorists, no visas for Israelis
After the Trump administration moved to deport foreign campus terrorist supporters, including Momodou Taal, who had urged student protesters to take their cue from Hamas and tweeted “absolutely anyone the US calls an enemy is my friend”, there was outrage from the left.

The move to remove Taal, Mahmoud Khalil, a top activist in a Columbia University group that had celebrated the Oct. 7 attacks and called for the destruction of America, and Rasha Alawieh, a Lebanese Hezbollah supporter who attended its leader’s funeral, was condemned.

Democrats, the media and even some liberal Jewish groups claimed that the First Amendment rights of the terrorist supporters were being violated by “punishing them for their speech.” But a basic condition of visa travel and resident alien status is that the visitors in question may not commit crimes or advocate for illegal terrorist groups. And those defending the rights of foreign nationals to assault police officers were not all that long ago cheering visa bans for Israeli Jews.

When the Biden administration announced that it would be restricting Israeli Jews opposed to Hamas from coming to America, the move was met with cheers from leftists and the media.

In December 2023, then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced “visa restrictions” were being imposed on those he falsely described as “extremist settlers” who were “involved in undermining peace, security, or stability in the West Bank, including through committing acts of violence or taking other actions that unduly restrict civilians’ access to essential services.”

The Biden crackdown was not only extended to Israeli shepherds who were defending themselves against Islamic violence, but to non-violent protesters opposed to Blinken’s policies.

The unprecedented sanctions hit goat farms, a baker who had shot a terrorist while serving in the army in 2016, and an Israeli mother of eight who had worked with sexual assault survivors and was protesting the aid trucks that Biden was sending to Hamas that sustained the terror group.

“From the moment I founded Tzav 9, it was solely to bring our hostages home. We wanted to stop aid to Hamas and prevent harm to our soldiers. Our actions included all parts of the nation—hostage families, bereaved families, right-wing and left-wing alike—all participating in the most legitimate actions with zero violence. Now, we face sanctions, personally targeting me,” said Reut Ben Haim, who at the time had a six month old baby and a husband serving in Gaza.

The same people who claim they want to protect Taal and Khalil’s “freedom of speech” were enthusiastic about imposing sanctions that banned Reut from even having a bank account by falsely listing her as a “transnational criminal organization” for engaging in peaceful protests.

In sharp contrast to the Columbia U rioters and other pro-Hamas campus groups, Reut Ben Haim and Tzav 9 were not engaged in violence. And yet the media and leftist organizations, including the anti-Israel lobby J Street, hailed the crackdown on supporters of Israel. Shomrim: the Center for Media and Democracy, an extremist group funded as a nonprofit by leftists in this country, even spied on Reut to determine if she was still getting money despite the sanctions.

When Trump eliminated those sanctions on taking office, the media, including Politico, NBC News, Reuters and AP, falsely accused Trump of causing violence by dropping sanctions on goat farms and a housewife with a baby.

Because it was never about free speech. It was about supporting terrorism.
NGO Monitor reveals US dollars flow to terror-associated organizations
A groundbreaking investigation by NGO Monitor has uncovered that organizations with documented ties to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine are actively raising funds from within the United States, utilizing digital funding platforms and support from far-left organizations.

These entities access American donor money through tax-exempt nonprofits, managed funds, and established financial services. Some organizations employ American companies to process their donations. The NGO Monitor research examined five private foundations, a foundation serving as a conduit for third-party donations, and an online payment service – all functioning as funding sources for organizations maintaining verified connections with terrorist groups.

The "Middle East Peace Foundation" (with 2023 revenues of $1.5 billion) provided funds in 2025 to "Al-Haq," "Al-Haq Europe," "Al-Mezan," "Defense for Children International - Palestine," and "The Palestinian Center for Human Rights." This foundation also transfers money to organizations involved in antisemitic campaigns, including those that orchestrated campus protests – Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, and Palestine Legal.

While specific allocation amounts weren't detailed for each organization, available tax documents from the "Middle East Peace Foundation" show it granted $10,000 to Al-Mezan and $58,000 to Al-Haq in 2023. Concurrently, the foundation funds organizations engaged in antisemitic campaigns across the US.

Al-Mezan, a Gaza-based organization leading legal actions at The Hague, has members with connections to the Popular Front terrorist organization, according to the research. In 2017, Al-Mezan director Issam Younis appeared at a conference alongside Hamas terrorist leader Yahya Sinwar. This "Palestinian internal reconciliation" conference included other terrorist organization leaders from Gaza, such as Khaled al-Batsh from Islamic Jihad and Kayed al-Ghoul from the Popular Front. The connections extend further – one Al-Mezan board member who served for a decade until at least February 2025 is Nafez al-Madhoun, former CEO of Hamas' legislative council. He simultaneously held both positions between 2015 and 2022.

"Al-Haq" is officially designated as a terrorist organization in Israel due to its Popular Front connections. "Al-Haq Europe" was recently established to manage European fundraising and activities. Both organizations operate within the BDS campaign framework. Israel's Ministry of Defense has defined "Al-Haq" as a terrorist organization operating on behalf of the Popular Front. Three years prior, credit card platforms terminated donation channels for the organization. Shawan Jabarin, Al-Haq's CEO, was identified by Israel's Supreme Court as a senior Popular Front member involved in terrorist activities.

"The Palestinian Center for Human Rights," a Gaza-based entity, maintains various connections to the Popular Front, as does "Defense for Children International – Palestine" (DCI-P). DCI-P is officially designated as a terrorist entity in Israel due to Popular Front connections and is among the leaders promoting blood libels about deliberate killing of children. Popular Front terrorists participated alongside Hamas in the October 7 massacre, during which dozens of children were murdered.


Ruthie Blum: Terrorist talking points and the Israeli protest movement
There’s nothing new about the terrorist ghouls in Gaza plagiarizing the Israeli protest movement’s mantras. Slogans from the “Kaplan crowd” are the source of hostage-video scripts, practically verbatim.

That this doesn’t put a dent in the messages conveyed at anti-government demonstrations—a biggie being the threat posed to the country by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—is not only shameful. It’s counter-productive where securing the freedom of the captives is concerned.

As recently released hostage Omer Shem Tov recounted on Tuesday to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, “The times we were shown television in captivity, [our captors pointed to] the division among the [Israeli] people. … They speak about how Israel will be destroyed from within, and that’s what gives them strength.”

By now it’s widely acknowledged that though the Oct. 7 massacre had been planned well in advance, Hamas took advantage of the apparent “civil war” in Israel—over the government’s intention to reform the judicial system—to strike when it did. Terrorists who participated in the atrocities said as much to their Israeli interrogators.

Not that this awareness has caused the protest movement to lower the temperature. On the contrary, it has expanded the focus of its hysteria and operations.

It’s even gone so far as to shift attention from the plight of the hostages to Netanyahu’s firing of Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) director Ronen Bar and moves to oust Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. The sole reason that both are being hailed, rather than disgraced, is that each has been openly at odds with Netanyahu.

The sudden explosion of sympathy for Bar would be comical if it weren’t so tragic. After all, he was the figure most responsible for failing to interpret and prevent Hamas’s movements in the hours leading up to the invasion. He didn’t even wake up Netanyahu or then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to inform them that something major was afoot.
Berlinale-winning documentary about hostage family gets global sales deal
“Holding Liat,” an award-winning documentary about an Israeli-American family struggling for the release of their loved ones from Hamas captivity after October 7, was acquired by MetFilm Sales for worldwide sales.

The film, which won the best documentary feature award at the Berlinale film festival, shows the first months after teacher Liat Beinin Atzili and her husband, artist and mechanic Aviv Atzili, were taken hostage in the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz, part of the wider Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault on southern Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

The film now qualifies for consideration at the 2026 Oscars for Best Documentary Feature following its win in Berlin.

Much of the film focuses on Beinin Atzili’s older parents, American-born couple Yehuda and Chaya Beinin, who have lived in Israel since the early 1970s. They worked with Liat’s siblings and three children in the struggle to get their daughter and son-in-law released.

The film shows the complex sides of the struggle as Yehuda Beinin, a longtime peace activist, visits the US as part of a delegation of American-Israeli families of hostages.

As a committed liberal who is opposed to the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yehuda doesn’t want to be aligned with certain aspects of Israel, while his grandchildren are less concerned about the politics of it all and are focused primarily on their parents’ release. Members of the Beinin-Atzilis featured in ‘Holding Liat,’ the documentary about a family in the October 7, 2023 aftermath that won Best Documentary Feature at the Berlinale in March 2025 (Courtesy)

Other members of the family are featured in the film, including Yehuda’s brother, who lives in Portland, Oregon, and Liat’s sister, Tal, each offering their own opinions within the anguished situation of a hostage family.

Liat Beinin Atzili was released from captivity in November 2023, during the initial pause in fighting, when 105 Israeli hostages were freed. Her husband, Aviv Atzili, was discovered to have been killed on October 7. His body is still held hostage in Gaza.

The filmmakers and producers, brothers Brandon and Lance Kramer, are distant relatives of the Beinin family, who had visited them during their previous trips to Israel.

“We had a unique access point to create a historical record of this moment through the frame of one family,” said Kramer in a Variety interview. “Where the story led us was a profound place we never could have imagined from the onset.”

“Holding Liat” is a Protozoa and Meridian Hill Pictures production directed by Brandon Kramer and produced by Lance Kramer, Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel, Yoni Brook, and Justin A. Gonçalves.
Herzog meets released hostage Omer Shem Tov, calls for return of ‘all our sons and
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal Herzog, welcomed former Hamas hostage Omer Shem Tov and his mother Shelly to the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on Monday.

Shem Tov was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists at the Nova festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and spent 505 days in captivity before being released on Feb. 22 as part of the truce with the terror group.

“We’re so happy to see Omer back,” said Herzog. “About a month ago, he returned back home, after going through hell in Gaza. What he says and what he describes about the torment and the enormous pain, the agony and torture—this is something that every human being should listen to,” he added.

“The lesson is clear: we want all our sons and daughters back, immediately, until the last one,” said Herzog.

During the meeting, Shem Tov urged the president to “bring everyone home as soon as possible,” adding, “They are going through hell.”

Shelly, his mother, expressed the pain of all families whose loved ones remain missing, saying, “No mother—anywhere in the world—should feel as we felt. We have to bring them back home, and say no to terror.”

Michal Herzog said following the meeting that, “As an Israeli society, we will not be whole again and we won’t be able to start our rehabilitation as a society until we have them all back, those alive and those dead as well, because we need certainty for the families.”

President Herzog concluded by calling on the international community to make it clear that hostage-taking and the inhumane treatment of captives “is totally unacceptable by any norms of humanity.”
Don’t look to Chuck Schumer for lessons on fighting hate
Because American politics has long ago slid into the realm of the delightfully absurd, let us play a fun little game. Suppose you were the leader of the Democratic Party, a distinction you flaunted every time a microphone was anywhere in your general vicinity. Suppose you were the most senior Jewish politician in American history, a meaningless honorific you yourself had carefully cultivated for more than a decade. And suppose you had just published a book about antisemitism, despite having a slim record when it comes to leveraging your storied seniority and fighting for the welfare of real, live Jews. How would you promote your book?

It hardly takes a seasoned Beltway insider to answer this question. You go out there, hold as many events as your schedule permits, and pray to HaShem that some misguided gaggle of kaffiyeh-clad Hamas enthusiasts picket your reading.

Should that happen, you stand as tall as your arthritic knees would allow, and, like a geriatric Samson, declare that you’re not afraid of the Philistines and their jeers and that such virulent public displays of hate are precisely why you wrote a book titled Antisemitism in America and gave it the non-too-ambiguous subtitle A Warning. All that is easy, simple, and patently obvious. So, obviously, Charles Ellis Schumer did exactly the opposite.

The Democrat, who is, for the time being, still the Senate minority leader, announced last week that he was suspending all promotional events for his book, citing “security concerns”.

In case you’re confused by such complex verbiage, here’s a simplified version of the account: a Jewish Senator who wrote a book to inspire Jews to be more brave while facing antisemitism in America just cancelled his book tour because he’s very afraid of antisemitism in America.

That, at least, would’ve been a comical but somewhat touching turn of events. We all want our lawmakers to be Churchillian, yet most of us empathise when fear, loathing, and other human frailties keep them from making the most inspired and inspiring decisions.

But Schumer being Schumer, the real reason behind his cancelling his own book tour is even sillier. As numerous news accounts have since made clear, it wasn’t the antisemites Chuck Schumer feared would storm his readings, but his fellow Democrats.
Wikipedia Editors Blacklist Heritage Foundation Following Report of Plan to Unmask Antisemitic Editors
Wikipedia editors decided to blacklist The Heritage Foundation’s website after a report came out that the conservative think tank is working on a plan to unmask various editors that the think tank believes are promulgating antisemitic content on Wikipedia.

The Forward reported in January that it had obtained documents purportedly outlining Heritage’s plan to “identify and target” the editors, which included the use of “facial recognition software and a database of hacked usernames and passwords in order to identify contributors to the online encyclopedia… The Heritage Foundation sent the pitch deck outlining the Wikipedia initiative to Jewish foundations and other prospective supporters of Project Esther, its roadmap for fighting antisemitism and anti-Zionism. ” A spokesperson for Heritage told The Forward that they couldn’t comment on the matter. Mike Howell, executive director of the think tank’s investigative arm, was in The New Yorker on March 4 that Heritage’s “investigation” of Wikipedia will be provided to “the appropriate policymakers to help inform a strategic response.”

In response to The Forward article, Wikipedia editors launched a discussion known as Request for Comment (RfC) on Jan. 8 how editors should treat the think tank’s reliability going forward. In RfCs, editors put in their “!votes” explaining their stated position on the best way to handle an issue in regards to site policy; a closer (an uninvolved Wikipedian in good standing) is often needed to render a verdict on the discussion based on the numbers and strength of the arguments presented. In this RfC, the closer, administrator “Dr vulpes,” concluded on Feb. 8 that there was consensus in favor of blacklisting the think tank; one editor explained to me that this means any links to Heritage’s website on Wikipedia will “be automatically flagged by an edit filter that will treat it like spam” and thus will be blocked from site the altogether.

“Although blacklisting is more often used to deal with spam or disruptive links it was noted that there is a possible risk to editors and the community by allowing such links to stay on the site,” Dr vulpes wrote. “As reported such links could be used to track users and editors which raised the option of blacklisting the Heritage Foundation. Several participants argued that blacklisting is the only sure way to block the direct use of heritage.org links in citations, which would prevent anyone from inadvertently clicking them. Many editors pointed out that blacklisting is not just a reliability decision but a security measure that is similar in nature to blacklisting malicious domains that track or harm our users.”
‘Ashamed’ Amsterdam alumni to return diplomas after school cuts ties with Hebrew U
More than 50 alumni of the University of Amsterdam will return their diplomas on Friday to protest their alma mater’s decision to unilaterally cut ties with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The board of the school, which goes by the acronym UvA, decided last week to put an end to the school’s student exchange program with Hebrew University because of what it calls “concerns about academic freedom” and the risk that academic cooperation could benefit the Israel Defense Forces.

But critics, including a growing number of Dutch politicians, accuse the university of bowing to the demands of violent anti-Zionist activists who occupied two of its campuses in the Dutch capital in May. Vandalism and violent clashes between police and masked rioters caused more than 4 million euros ($4.3 million) in damage.

At the time, UvA rector Peter-Paul Verbeek was heavily criticized for negotiating with masked protestors and not dismissing their demands to cut all ties with Israeli universities. Instead, the school agreed to set up a committee to examine its ties with outside schools.

The university said this month it had decided to accept the commission’s recommendations to end its cooperation with Hebrew University, as well as some Hungarian institutions. At the same time, it announced it would continue collaborating with the Chinese Scholarship Council, despite concerns of PhD students being forced to share information with Beijing or pledge allegiance to the Chinese government.

Detractors characterized the decision as a double standard toward the Jewish state. In a statement announcing the protest, the 50 alumni expressed “shame” over the school’s behavior.
Education Department opens second investigation into Yale antisemitism
On March 19, the Department of Education opened a new investigation into antisemitism at Yale, stemming from a discrimination complaint filed a year ago in April 2024 by the Brandeis Center and the Anti-Defamation League.

The Title VI Shared Ancestry complaint alleges that two named undergraduates — Sahar Tartak ’26 and Netanel Crispe ’25 — and four anonymous students faced anti-Jewish discrimination across eight separate instances.

Deena Margolies, a Brandeis Center attorney who filed the complaint, said that she and her colleagues pursued it after they decided Yale has allowed a “hostile environment” for Jewish students under the Title VI definition of harassment.

“Sometimes we have found that Jewish students are excluded from joining clubs, or they’re told they’re not wanted, or they’re told, We won’t take Zionists, which is often a code word for Jew,” she said. “And we found that a lot of these kinds of incidents were happening at Yale.”

The eight instances the complaint includes range from administrators allegedly applying University policies unevenly to the students receiving threatening messages on social media.

For example, both students said that they received harassment on social media after they were barred from attending a “Gaza under siege” event. The students claimed they were excluded because of their Jewish identities, while Yale released a statement asserting that some students had been barred because of pre-registration and space constraints.

The complaint states that Jewish students “including Ms. Tartak, Mr. Crispe, and others” avoided Sterling Memorial Library and the Law School Library during finals season because of “study-in” protests staged there. It also mentions an instance where protesters dropped fake one-hundred-dollar bills with bloodstain images onto students eating lunch.

Before the Department opened this investigation, it was already examining Yale under the Biden administration, following a Dec. 5, 2023 complaint filed by the Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies, or DFI. That complaint focused on the “Gaza under siege” event, which was also detailed in the new complaint.

The original DFI complaint is the reason Yale was included on a list of 60 universities that received a letter from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, or OCR, warning of “potential enforcement actions” if the schools did not do more to combat antisemitism on campus.


NYPost Editorial: Columbia proves it was lying all along about fighting Jew-hate
Columbia University is lying big-time, and lying clumsily at that.

The school’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, privately told faculty that Columbia has not, in fact, banned masks — even after it promised the White House (to prevent more nixed federal funding beyond the $400 million already stopped) that it would ban them.

Yet Armstrong turned around Tuesday to insist Columbia’s promises to ban masks and make other changes are “real.”

“Any suggestion that these measures are illusory,” she huffed, “is unequivocally false.”

Gee, they look pretty “illusory” so far: Dozens of masked protesters freely flooded the campus Monday; on Tuesday, students wore keffiyehs and masks to class, thumbing their (covered-up) noses at efforts to fight antisemitism.

(Yep: By wearing masks, they unmasked Armstrong’s lies.)

Armstrong’s trying to have it both ways on multiple issues: Talking to the faculty, she downplayed the school’s other promises to Team Trump.

Notably, Columbia told the White House it will name a senior vice provost to oversee its radical Middle East studies department to “ensure the educational offerings are comprehensive and balanced.”

Yet she and her minions then reassured faculty the move won’t impact how the department operates, the Wall Street Journal reported — which means it won’t address the department’s infamous anti-Israel slant.

Do they think it’s that easy to pull the wool over Team Trump’s eyes?


‘Concerning conduct’ from anti-Israel Columbia student Yunseo Chung, Homeland Security says
Naomi Reice Buchwald, a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, issued a temporary restraining order on Tuesday blocking the Trump administration from detaining Yunseo Chung, a junior at Columbia University and anti-Israel activist, who faces deportation.

A women’s studies major who emigrated to the United States with her family from South Korea as a child, Chung was arrested at an anti-Israel protest at Barnard College’s library on March 5.

A senior spokesperson at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security told JNS that Chung engaged in “concerning conduct” at the time of her arrest.

“She is being sought for removal proceedings under the immigration laws,” the spokesperson said. “Chung will have an opportunity to present her case before an immigration judge.”

Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will “investigate individuals engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization,” the spokesperson told JNS. “Based on investigative findings, the Department of State may make a determination which may result in visa revocation or other action impacting the immigration status of an alien in the United States.”

Dozens of anti-Israel protesters took over the library building in March to protest disciplinary measures the school took against anti-Israel student activists on campus. Protesters handed out pamphlets from Hamas, praising the “Al-Aqsa flood,” the Oct. 7. 2023 terror attack on Southern Israel.
‘Common sense’ arrest of pro-Hamas protester Rumeysa Ozturk, says Homeland
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested the Turkish national Rumeysa Ozturk, a doctoral student at Tufts University in the Boston area, for supporting Hamas, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Ozturk was “granted the privilege to be in this country on a visa,” a senior spokesperson at the department told JNS. “A visa is a privilege not a right.”

“Glorifying and supporting terrorists who kill Americans is grounds for visa issuance to be terminated,” the spokesperson added. “This is common sense security.”

Ozturk’s arrest comes as the Trump administration seeks to detain and deport those on student visas partaking in “antisemitic, anti-American activity,” as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order to combat antisemitism.

Ozturk, who is Muslim, was arrested on Tuesday outside her apartment in Somerville, Mass., en route to break the Ramadan fast with her friends, according to a statement from her lawyer, the Associated Press reported.

“We are unaware of her whereabouts and have not been able to contact her,” the attorney stated. “No charges have been filed against Rumeysa to date that we are aware of.”

A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ordered that Ozturk remain in the state without advance written notice from the government to the court. Someone with Ozturk’s name, who was born in Turkey, is in custody at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, La., per the ICE website.

Video circulating on social media appeared to show multiple plainclothes officers, some with badges displayed, arresting a woman in a white coat and pinkish head covering. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, posted a screenshot of the video.


BBC’s Bowen: Israel bans journalists from Gaza ‘because there’s stuff they don’t want us to see’
BBC international editor Jeremy Bowen has claimed Israel has refused to allow foreign journalists into Gaza to report on the war against Hamas “because there’s stuff there they don’t want us to see.”

Following the October 7 Hamas terror atrocity in Israel, only a limited number of international media crews have been granted access to the Gaza strip by the Israeli military, under predetermined conditions and control.

Palestinian journalists based in Gaza, often proved to have made pro-Hamas comments have instead been relied upon to report on the ongoing war.

Speaking after accepting a special fellowship award at the Society of Editors conference in London on Tuesday, Bowen suggested Palestinian journalists were doing “fantastic work”, but called for Israel to grant access to the Strip for international media.

“Why don’t they let us in?” he asked.

“Because there’s stuff there they don’t want us to see. Beginning after those Hamas attacks on 7 October, they took us into the border communities.

“I was in Kfar Aza when there was still fighting going on inside it. They had only just started taking out the bodies of the dead Israelis. Why did they let us in there? Because they wanted us to see it.”

“Why don’t they let us in to Gaza? Because they don’t want us to see it. I think it’s really as simple as that. Israel took a bit of flak for that to start with, but none now, certainly not with [President] Trump. So I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

Israel’s Supreme court rejected an appeal requesting foreign media access into Gaza in January.
ABC News Quietly Removes All Four Reporter Bylines From Piece That Referred to Israel's 'Occupation Forces'
ABC News has quietly removed the bylines of four reporters from a controversial piece that initially contained a false report accusing Israel of dropping menacing leaflets throughout Gaza and used a phrase popularized by Hamas, "occupation forces," to describe Israel's military. The Disney-owned network has not commented on the piece, which has gone through four byline changes, a correction, and the unacknowledged removal of the "occupation forces" epithet since it was published a week ago.

The original piece, published last Wednesday, listed two authors, Tom Soufi Burridge and David Brennan, and referenced "Israel's renewed campaign of strikes against Hamas." Hours later, ABC updated the piece to include information on Israel's resumption of ground operations in Gaza and added two more authors, Jordana Miller and Nadine El-Bawab. By early Thursday morning, it swapped in a fresh lede to reference the "occupation forces" and the leaflets, which it said included messages to Gazan civilians like, "You are left alone to face your inevitable fate" and "the world map will not change if all the people of Gaza vanish."


Gaza to Indonesia: 100 workers in Israeli pilot program
For the first time, approximately 100 Palestinians from Gaza will travel to Indonesia for employment in the construction sector as part of a voluntary migration pilot program, Hebrew media reported on Wednesday.

The initiative is overseen by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), led by Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, according to Channel 12 News. If successful, responsibility for the program will shift to Israel’s Migration Directorate, established by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

The goal of the pilot is to demonstrate the feasibility of voluntary migration and encourage thousands of Gazans to take up construction jobs in Indonesia, according to the report. While international law permits those who leave Gaza for work to return, the broader objective is to facilitate long-term migration, contingent upon Indonesia’s cooperation.

The program follows discussions with the Indonesian government, despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties between Israel and Indonesia. Establishing a communication channel between the two nations was necessary to implement the initiative. If the pilot proves effective, the Migration Directorate will take the lead in future efforts to relocate Gazans abroad and secure employment opportunities for them.


US rabbi to join Claridge’s protest over Qatari links to Hamas
A protest is set to take place this Sunday outside Claridge’s Hotel in London over its Qatari ownership and the country’s reported financial links to Hamas.

The demonstration, organised by the Iron Initiative, will take place at 12pm on Brook Street in Mayfair. It aims to raise awareness about Qatar’s alleged role in financing terrorism and to pressure Western institutions to cut ties with entities linked to Hamas.

Claridge’s is owned by the Maybourne Hotel Group, which is co-owned by former Qatari emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his cousin, ex-prime minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani. Campaigners cite reports that Qatar has funnelled over £1.4 billion to Hamas, fuelling violence and spreading extremist propaganda.

Among those attending is Rabbi Pini Dunner, senior rabbi of Beverly Hills Synagogue in Los Angeles, who will be travelling to the UK to take part. He has been a prominent voice in the US since the 7 October Hamas attacks in Israel, highlighting Qatar’s connections to Hamas and its role in spreading antisemitism and anti-Israel propaganda.

The protest is part of a wider campaign to raise public awareness of Qatar’s financial and political ties to Hamas and to question the presence of Qatari-owned luxury assets in the UK.
Norway’s Jews hide their identity to receive medical care
A deeply concerning trend has emerged in Norway, where Jewish community members fear seeking medical care due to growing anti-Israel sentiment among healthcare workers. In an unprecedented letter to health authorities, Jewish leaders warn that community members are hiding their identities in medical settings—a situation not experienced “since World War II.”

The letter, signed by Marius Gaarder, chairman of the Jewish community in Oslo, and John Arne Moen from the Jewish community in Trondheim, raises alarming concerns.

“Shortly after October 7, 2023, alongside growing anti-Israel mobilization among segments of healthcare workers, health institutions, and medical experts, several members of the Jewish community expressed concern that they would feel uncomfortable seeking medical treatment and fear they wouldn’t receive optimal care if they revealed they were Jewish,” the letter states. “This is a situation we haven’t experienced since World War II,” it adds.

Dr. Rolf Kirschner, a Jewish physician with 45 years of experience in Norway’s public health system and a member of the Norwegian Medical Association, described it as an unprecedented phenomenon. “People don’t dare wear Jewish symbols like the Star of David when going for examinations, and Jewish patients fear having their names called aloud in waiting rooms out of concern that caregivers or others will discover they are Jewish,” he explained.

The situation has worsened as patients encounter politically charged environments. “Some Jewish patients were alarmed when they encountered healthcare professionals displaying overtly political posters and pamphlets expressing support for Palestinians, and they’re afraid to complain about this for fear of negative reactions from medical staff on whom their health depends,” Kirschner added.
Oklahoma Senate passes legislation combating Jew-hatred in public schools
The Oklahoma state Senate recently approved two pieces of legislation aimed at protecting Jewish students and combating campus antisemitism, Republican state senator Kristen Thompson announced on Tuesday.

“Antisemitism has no place in our state,” said Thompson, who authored both bills. “These bills make it clear that Oklahoma stands with our Jewish communities and will not tolerate hatred disguised as political discourse. We are drawing a firm line and giving our schools the tools to take meaningful action.”

She added that the legislation, which passed with bipartisan support, is a “direct response to rising concerns among Jewish students, faculty, and families in Oklahoma.”

SB 991 adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism into state law and was passed by a 27-15 vote, according to the Combat Antisemitism Movement. This builds on a January 2022 executive order issued by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt endorsing the definition.

SB 942 encourages Oklahoma schools and universities to use the IHRA definition to determine antisemitic discrimination in Title VI cases and requires State Regents for Higher Education to “develop and enforce policies that prevent antisemitic discrimination at public colleges and universities.”

“This is about safety, accountability, and making sure every student can learn in an environment free from hate,” Thompson said.

The two bills now head to the Oklahoma House of Representatives for further consideration.
Waisuddin Akbari Convicted For Extremist Threats Against Toronto Synagogues
In a case that has shocked communities and reinforced the resolve to confront hate, Waisuddin Akbari has been convicted for making extremist threats against Toronto’s Jewish institutions. According to court records and media reports, Akbari was found guilty of issuing a series of violent and hateful statements, including a declaration that he would bomb “every” Toronto synagogue and kill as many Jews as possible.

Prosecutors presented damning evidence during the trial, including digital communications and social media posts where Akbari explicitly threatened violence against Jewish institutions and individuals. His statements, which have been widely circulated online, not only called for the destruction of synagogues but also evoked historical imagery reminiscent of past atrocities. The court found that his actions constituted hate speech, incitement to violence, and terrorism-related offenses. The conviction marks a critical victory in holding those who spread hate accountable under Canadian law.

Jewish leaders and community organizations in Toronto have hailed the verdict as a significant step in the fight against antisemitism. “This conviction sends a clear message: hate and violence will not be tolerated in our city,” said a spokesperson for a local Jewish advocacy group. Community members stressed that while the sentence is a deterrent to others, it also highlights the ongoing challenge of combating extremist ideologies that seek to delegitimize the Jewish community.

The case of Waisuddin Akbari is a stark reminder of the rising tide of hate crimes in Canada. Authorities have noted that incidents of hate-fueled rhetoric and violence are on the rise, prompting calls for more stringent measures and increased vigilance. Experts warn that the spread of such extremist content online not only endangers communities but also undermines the social fabric of a pluralistic society.

Judges in the case emphasized that the free expression of opinions must never be used as a shield for inciting violence and terror. The verdict stands as a testament to the power of the legal system in curbing hate speech and protecting vulnerable communities from those who would seek to harm them.


Man convicted of threatening to bomb Toronto synagogues denies "accusations"



2,200-year-old pyramid uncovered in Israeli desert dig
Archaeologists have discovered a 2,200-year-old pyramid-shaped Judean Desert structure alongside a trove of rare Hellenistic-era artefacts.

Led by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and the Heritage Ministry, the excavation is taking place north of Nahal Zohar near the Dead Sea. The pyramid, built from enormous hand-carved stones, was found above what appears to be an ancient roadside station.

Coins bearing the face of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Greek papyri, wooden tools, weapons and textiles have already been uncovered, with much of it remarkably preserved by the dry desert climate.

“This structure we discovered is massive, with hand-carved stones, each weighing hundreds of kilograms,” said IAA directors Matan Toledano, Dr Eitan Klein and Amir Ganor. “Already in the first excavation week, the volunteers found written historical documents, exceptional bronze vessels, and remains of ancient furniture.”

Previously believed to date to the First Temple period, the site is now understood to have been built centuries later, during the Hellenistic rule of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid empires.

Its true purpose remains unclear. “Was it a military outpost guarding a major trade route… or did this massive structure atop the mountain serve as a tomb marker or an ancient monument?” the directors said.

The dig is part of a wider eight-year effort to protect the desert’s archaeological sites from looting and natural erosion. So far, the project has mapped around 900 caves across 180 kilometres of desert cliffs.

IAA director Eli Eskozido described the project as one of the most significant in Israel’s archaeological history. “With Passover approaching… a few days of exploration and discovery in the Judean Desert can be a unifying and uplifting experience for everyone,” he said.
Gal Gadot’s security enhanced amid death threats
Israeli actress Gal Gadot has been given extra security because of her outspoken support for Israel, according to a new report Tuesday.

The 39-year-old actress, who served in the Israel Defense Forces before her Hollywood career, received a “spike” of death threats after her “Snow White” co-star Rachel Zegler, 23, shared a pro-Palestinian message on social media, according to Variety.

Disney was forced to heighten security for the Wonder Woman star after Zegler stunned her boses by posting “and always remember, free palestine” in a thread on X about the $270 million remake of the 1937 animated classic.

Zegler had previously turned heads by a contentious political post in the wake of Donald’s Trump’s election victory last November.

“F—k Donald Trump,” Zegler wrote on Instagram, adding, “May Trump supporters…never know peace.”

Gadot has been one of the strongest supporters of Israel in Hollywood in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacre.


Eisenhower’s great-grandson to join Holocaust march in Poland
The great grandson of American general Dwight D. Eisenhower will join scores of aging Holocaust survivors and the presidents of Israel and Poland on the March of the Living in Poland next month to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, organizers announced on Tuesday.

The annual march from Auschwitz to Birkenau will take place on April 24, marking 80 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camps and the end of World War II.

Merrill Eisenhower will join Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Polish President Andrzej Duda alongside 80 Holocaust survivors ranging in age from 80 to 97. Some of the survivors were freed by U.S. and Allied troops led by his great grandfather, such as former Israeli Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, a child survivor of Buchenwald who personally met General Eisenhower upon the camp’s liberation.

Half of the survivors attending the event live in Israel, and the other half are from various countries around the world.

“Marching in the March of the Living is a way to close the circle and fulfill the testament of my comrades…to tell their story of their heroism,” said Aliza Vitis-Shomron, one of the last surviving fighters of the Jewish Combat Organization in the Warsaw Ghetto, who will be attending the event. “We have proven to the world, and to the Germans, that we survived the inferno, the valley of death, and that we built families who will march with us in the March of the Living, bringing pride to the State of Israel.”

More than 300,000 participants—including world leaders, educators, Holocaust survivors and both Jewish and non Jewish students from dozens of countries around the world—have taken part in the annual 2-mile walk along the railway tracks from Auschwitz to Birkenau since the New York-based educational program was founded nearly four decades ago.




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