Tuesday, April 01, 2025

04/01 Links Pt2: How U.S. Academics Became Apostles of Folktales and Superstition; Blind Spot - A documentary on campus antisemitism

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: How U.S. Academics Became Apostles of Folktales and Superstition
The contrast between protests in Gaza and protests ostensibly for Gaza is startling. In Gaza, Palestinians are out in the streets calling for freedom from Hamas rule despite the knowledge that they are risking their lives to do so. Indeed, just this weekend Hamas abducted a protester, tortured him to death, and left his body on his family’s doorstep as a grotesque warning to others. On U.S. campuses, meanwhile, protesters are out in the streets to oppose restrictions on their pro-Hamas demonstrations.

It’s all part of an overall trend in which Palestinians in the territories and “pro-Palestinian” activists in the West are moving in two different intellectual directions. Westerners are unambiguously moving backwards.

A book that should be required reading on the Arab-Israeli conflict at every American university is Self-Criticism After the Defeat, by Sadik al-Azm, a groundbreaking 1968 critique from within the Arab world. Azm, a Syrian intellectual, wrote this superb dissent from what he saw as Arab leaders’ denialism after the Six-Day War in 1967. The war, he felt, exposed how the rest of the world was leaving the Arab world behind, and Arab leaders responded by pretending the war was not a defeat but a mere setback in the inevitable triumph over the Zionist project.

The version of the book in circulation today includes a forward by the late Lebanese-American intellectual and academic Fouad Ajami and three response-essays by other Arab writers, including the foundational Palestinian novelist turned PFLP terror recruit Ghassan Kanafani. Ajami’s essay is on the stultifying atmosphere in Arab thought that was disrupted by Azm’s gust of fresh air.

Rereading Ajami today, however, from an American perspective is jarring: It sounds like he’s talking not about pan-Arab groupthink from the 1950s and 1960s but the elite U.S. university in 2025.

Part of the problem, Ajami writes, was that the echo chamber of the “Arab street” left the publics ill-prepared for Israel’s victory because they didn’t expect it or plan for it: “No one had told ordinary Arabs that Israel was there to stay, that she had won the struggle for statehood on her own, that the verdict of the 1948 war could not be reversed.”

Today’s college students and activists, the bright minds of the future, are that Arab street. Magical thinking, faith in their own cause, and self-righteousness have cloistered them, and instead of expanding their horizons their professors only locked them in further, sealing them off from reality. There is something almost anti-modern about it, as if they don’t have access to sources on the outside.
Seth Mandel: A Cautionary Tale for Defenders of Campus Hamasniks
Taal’s sympathies for Hamas aren’t in question. His response to the Oct. 7, 2023 massacres and sexual violence carried out by Hamas against innocent Israelis was to tweet “Glory to the resistance!” alongside a Palestinian flag. He also wrote “Today has shown us what is possible when you are organized.” The pogrom appears to have made him very happy.

Because Taal reveled in the attention from his Hamasnik activism, and because he had already proved himself a good candidate for deportation, there wasn’t much doubt he’d be held responsible for his actions by the Trump administration. And so his visa was revoked, again, finally.

This is where Taal’s behavior gets uniquely obnoxious. He sued the Trump administration to undo the anti-Semitism executive order and to stop his deportation. He did so after his visa was revoked. The judge in Taal’s initial hearing was perplexed. “Any future harm alleged in their affidavits appears to be speculative and even moot because of the revocation of Taal’s visa,” the judge said.

Contrary to some reporting, he was not punished for suing the Trump administration; he sued the Trump administration in a partially successful attempt to fool reporters and activists into misleading the public.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Taal announced yesterday that he was self-deporting.

Taal’s statement is self-pitying and remarkably dishonest, even for Taal. He lied about the entire affair and whined about having to listen “ad nauseum” to the safety concerns of “Zionist students.” He signed off with “long live the student intifada.”

There is no moral defense of Taal or his actions or what he was asking the courts to do. And those who instinctively jumped to his defense ought to engage in some self-reflection.
Melanie Phillips: How others view the once-"sceptr'd isle"
Israel’s national carrier El Al has produced a remarkable promotional video. The central conceit is two young Israeli men, Hanan and his friend, who are tourists in London. There are shots of a London taxi, a London bus and London landmarks. You can watch it here.

In the taxi, the driver asks them “Where are you from?” The young men, startled, look at each other and hesitate. Hanan sings: “What do I answer him? I don’t know…” Then the other says, with a knowing smile, “Greece!”

Hanan (in real life Israeli singer, songwriter and composer Hanan Ben Ari) continues to sing: “How is it the same story every taxi ride…?”— in Japan they say they’re from France, in some unidentifiable Muslim country, from Italy, in India from Sweden — “…am yisroel chai (the people of Israel live) but meanwhile…” and as they walk in a London park he gesticulates to his friend to conceal his T-shirt, which sports a star of David and the Hebrew word for Israel, by zipping up his sweatshirt which displays the legend “I love London.”

As they walk, Hanan continues: “We blend in with the local culture; how am I a guest everywhere I go?” In Starbucks the barista calls out the name written on his coffee cup: “Yohan!” “Yohan?” inquires his friend. “Yes — adding an international twist” replies Hanan sardonically.

“With tricks we make it comfortable,” he sings as they join a crowd of English football fans watching a match on a big screen. His friend tells him sternly: “We are from Spain— you, keep silent!” But then everyone erupts over a goal and Hanan screams “Yaish!” (Yessss!!!) “What did I tell you?!!” scolds his friend in alarm. It’s a tense and threatening moment — but then a guy delightedly says in accented English: “Are you from Israel?” and on hearing the affirmative, shouts “Yalla balagan!” (“on with the chaos!”) as they cheer.

Then comes the bit that made me well up. The video cuts to the two of them embarking on an El Al plane to the accompaniment of an exuberant and heartfelt song: “Oh Lord, oh Lord, feeling at home like in Israel, here you finally can”, as they are greeted emotionally by the crew, and children run around in the plane receiving goodies from smiling flight attendants (ok, a bit of poetic licence here); and then Hanan takes off his woolly hat to reveal the kipah he has been concealing all the time he was in London as he continues: to sing: “Oh thank God, just being ourselves, without apologising — without apologising!” And he is asked sweetly to pipe down by a young woman with a baby — who addresses him for the first time by his real name.

How sad is this, as a promotional video by an airline company — an airline company!! — about the delights of London as a holiday destination? For it’s all too accurate and true. Such is the level of Israel-hatred and antisemitism that many British Jews do indeed avoid doing or saying anything that links them to Israel.

While most of the time there will be no nasty experiences — and for sure, there are many decent Brits who have no horrible feelings about Israel — too many Jews in Britain now feel the need to be always on their guard against unpleasantness, vitriol or worse. Because the abuse, intimidation and defamation occur regularly, as does the implicit and sometimes explicit expectation that as a Jew you must apologise for what you are and denounce Israel and your own people. It’s a process of venomous delegitimisation and dehumanisation based on lies, a potentially murderous process directed at the Jewish people alone, and it can and does happen across British society to ambush the unwary Jew.


Blind Spot - A documentary on campus antisemitism
The first film to document campus antisemitism both before and after October 7, Blind spot is a wake-up call turned rallying cry from students facing and fighting antisemitism on their campuses, in their own words. It tells the story from the perspectives of more than two dozen students at more than a dozen schools who’ve experienced and fought against this hatred.

JBS is proud to present the exclusive television premiere of Blind Spot.


JBS: A Special Look: Blind Spot documentary
Teisha Bader is joined by Leonard Gold, Executive Producer of Blind Spot, the only documentary examining campus antisemitism both before and after 10/7, featuring firsthand accounts from students, officials, and experts in a modern civil rights struggle that exposes the roots of rising hate and inspires action.


NYPost Editorial: Why these Ivies are the next targets in Trump’s fight against woke schools
The Trump administration’s drive to clean up woke elite universities continues, with Princeton and the big tuna, Harvard, both under the microscope.

Princeton reportedly faces a pause on some $210 million in federal funds as the Department of Education investigates it for allowing antisemitism to fester unchecked, concealed as pro-Palestinian protests.

Harvard has even bigger financial woes possibly in train, with the feds probing some $8.7 billion in grants and $255 million in contracts with the world’s richest university and premier destination for whiny rich kids, Jew-hating keffiyeh thugs and the rest of the ugly left-wing panoply.

These are some of the marquee moves in the Trump admin’s 60-school probe.

And they are beyond necessary.

Elite schools across America revealed a mile-wide exception for Jews in their purported defense of marginalized and minority groups during the Tentifada that sprang up in support of the monstrous butcheries of Oct. 7.

But the real problem is far deeper: The Ivies and other top schools abandoned their commitment to actually teaching kids anything long ago.

And the first Trump term, COVID and the 2020 Floyd riots only served to supercharge their transformation into simply indoctrination centers.
Jonathan Tobin: Can progressive-dominated institutions that enable antisemitism be saved?
Compromised institutions Anyone who thinks that Shipman will be any more interested in reforming Columbia, as opposed to enabling it not to change but without losing any federal money for doing so, is dreaming. As she made clear last year in a text message to university leaders that was obtained by the U.S. House of Representatives’ investigation of college antisemitism, she considers the probe of what happened on campuses to Jews to be “Capitol Hill nonsense.” The same report also revealed that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was giving Columbia the same advice.

It remains to be seen whether the university will get away with evading the Trump administration’s efforts to force it to change. But whether it goes through the motions of doing so or not, it will take a long and difficult struggle to alter the dynamic of that campus, and most others like it, when it comes to their embrace of leftist theories. How could it be otherwise when the existing administrators and faculty have all been busy spreading woke intolerance of classical liberal values and contempt for the canon of Western civilization that they should be imparting to subsequent generations?

The same applies to any hope that other societal institutions—most particularly, the media, which helps set the tone for the nation—will be transformed by efforts to topple the progressive stranglehold there.

Trump’s efforts may well be a historic turning point in this battle to save not just American education but the rest of society when it comes to corporations, the media and the arts. These sectors, including the federal government during the Biden administration, become bastions of woke beliefs that falsely claim that America is an irredeemably racist nation, and that Israel and the Jews are oppressors rather than targets of a genocidal war. Indeed, places like The New York Times, which many Jews still foolishly look to as an authoritative source of information, are not only hostile environments for Jews who are not in sync with the progressive mindset. Their business plan is predicated on appealing solely to the left-leaning, upscale, credentialed elites that comprise most of their readers, in addition to the base of a Democratic Party that has been similarly captured by the left. That is why veteran liberals and Free Press founder Bari Weiss were hounded out of their newsroom and sent either into retirement or off to work at alternative outlets.

Columbia and schools like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and many others are also so badly compromised by the progressives that it’s hard to imagine them truly changing.

Replacement rather than reform
Seen in that light, anyone who encourages young people to believe that they can thrive as committed Zionists and supporters of classical liberal beliefs at institutions that are now committed to the destruction of those values is doing them no favor.

What Trump is striving for is a necessary and long-needed program to stop the federal funding of institutions that are harming the country and working to topple the beliefs that are the foundation of both the West and the American republic. While it may be possible to reform some of them, the left is so entrenched at the most powerful of these entities, like Ivy League schools, as to render them impervious to such efforts.

That is why the primary focus of those who understand the grave nature of this threat to American society should be on replacing these powerful schools, not the vain hope of their reform. Doing so won’t be easy, but it is only by the creation of new institutions dedicated to Western values, like the University of Austin, or the way existing schools that were once lightly regarded might eventually replace the Ivies as the most desirable destination for students, can this struggle be won.

Just as the media has been altered by the creation of alternatives to mainstream liberal establishment outlets—whether it be cable-news channels like Fox News, Newsmax and others, or web news sources like The Free Press or JNS—so, too, must American higher education. It is time to stop worrying about saving institutions that are already lost and concentrate on building new and different ones where Western ideas will flourish and Jewish students are safe.
Alan Dershowitz: Does the US Government Have the Right to Condition Funding to Universities?
Many left-wing university faculty members... are making the absolutist claim that it is always a denial of academic freedom for governments to pressure universities with a cut-off of funding.

It doesn't take a lot of imagination to hypothesize the following variation on the current situation: it's the 1950s and 1960s in the Deep South; a formerly segregated university is allowing masked KKK racists to harass Black students, blocking some from attending classes; buildings are occupied by Klansmen demanding a return to segregation; the university is doing nothing to protect the Black students, citing academic freedom and freedom of speech.

None of these purported factual distinctions justifies the allegedly principled opposition to the Trump administration's employment of pressure to stop anti-Jewish discrimination at Columbia from those who would praise the employment of similar pressure to prevent discrimination against Blacks, gays or other groups favored by intersectionality. It is double standard bigotry against Jews, plain and simple.

The pressure on Columbia may produce positive results — if it keeps its promises — including more academic freedom and free speech for students who were victimized by Columbia's inaction until it was pressured to act by the threat of defunding. That would be a good thing, just as federal pressure on some southern universities that reduced discrimination against Blacks in the 1950s and 1960s was a good thing.
Trump Administration Reviewing $9 Billion in Harvard Funding over Antisemitism
The Trump administration is investigating billions of dollars in federal grants and contracts to Harvard University, notifying the school in a letter on Monday that it has failed to address antisemitism on campus.

According to a source familiar with the review, President Donald Trump’s antisemitism task force is investigating $255.6 million in contracts and $8.7 billion in multiyear grant commitments between the government and Harvard.

A source familiar with the review said the investigation is being launched over concerns about Harvard failing to abide by its civil rights law responsibilities. The source warned that, should Harvard not address the concerns from the task force about antisemitism and take steps this week, it could begin to lose funding.

The news comes as the Trump administration is in negotiations with Columbia University over $400 million in federal funding. The administration initially froze funding to the school before offering preconditions to win the money back. Columbia interim president Katrina Armstrong resigned Friday, days after she appeared to privately contradict her public commitments to the administration to combat antisemitism.

“Harvard has served as a symbol of the American dream for generations—the pinnacle aspiration for students all over the world to work hard and earn admission to the storied institution,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Harvard’s failure to protect students on campus from antisemitic discrimination—all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry—has put its reputation in serious jeopardy. Harvard can right these wrongs and restore itself to a campus dedicated to academic excellence and truth-seeking, where all students feel safe on its campus.”

The government’s review will impact Harvard’s various affiliates, which include various research institutions, the source said. Harvard was one of 60 schools that the Department of Education sent letters to in early March warning of potential enforcement actions over alleged failures to protect Jewish students on campus.


Trump admin reportedly pauses $210m in funding for Princeton amid Jew-hatred probe
The Trump administration is pausing $210 million in federal funding to Princeton University pending an investigation into Jew-hatred on the Ivy League campus, The Daily Caller reported on Monday.

A Trump administration official told the outlet that the private New Jersey university has “perpetuated racist and antisemitic policies.” (JNS sought comment from the U.S. Department of Education.)

Christopher Eisgruber, the Princeton president, wrote to the university community on Tuesday that the school “received notifications from government agencies, including the Department of Energy, NASA and the Defense Department, suspending several dozen Princeton research grants.”

“The full rationale for this action is not yet clear, but I want to be clear about the principles that will guide our response,” he wrote, per a copy of the letter that Princeton shared with JNS. “Princeton University will comply with the law. We are committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating antisemitism.”

“Princeton will also vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this university,” Eisgruber added in the letter.

The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act almost a year ago after a complaint by Campus Reform editor-in-chief Zachary Marschall alleged that the school has failed to counter Jew-hatred.

Marschall’s complaint cited numerous incidents on campus, including an Oct. 25, 2023, protest, during which students reportedly chanted “intifada” and “brick by brick, wall by wall, apartheid has got to fall.”

The Campus Reform editor wrote in the complaint that “the violent words of these protesters completely disregard the atrocities Hamas has already committed and promises to commit in the future against the people of Israel, including raping, murdering and kidnapping civilians.”
In First Message as Columbia President, Claire Shipman Pledges To 'Build On' Plan 'To Move Our Community Forward'
In her first public message as Columbia University's acting president, Claire Shipman offered a vague promise to "build on" the "plan outlined to move our community forward" amid the Ivy League school's ongoing battle with the Trump administration.

Shipman, a former ABC and CNN journalist, assumed her position on Friday after Katrina Armstrong stepped down as interim president. Shipman said Monday that she plans to "continue to build on the significant progress we've made, and the plan outlined to move our community forward." She did not provide additional details about what that plan entails. Asked if the line referenced the series of reforms Armstrong announced earlier this month to jump-start negotiations with Trump officials to restore more than $430 million in lost federal grant money, a Columbia spokeswoman responded "yes."

Shipman's pledge also provided little clarity on how she intends to navigate Columbia's mounting challenges—or how she'll handle the predicament her predecessor left her surrounding the reforms. A day after announcing the measures, Armstrong held a private Zoom call with approximately 75 faculty members and downplayed or denied that change was underway. After her comments were reported, she said they lacked "full context" and committed "to seeing these changes implemented."

Armstrong left her post days later. She was the second president to step down since August 2024, when Minouche Shafik resigned amid criticism of her handling of anti-Semitic protests that gripped the campus in the wake of Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack.

Shipman in her Monday message thanked Armstrong for "heroic efforts over the past seven months."

"Ornamental language can't disguise the fact that this is a precarious moment for Columbia University," Shipman wrote. "In serving our community and navigating what's to come, I pledge to be as transparent as possible, and to work as hard as I can to do right by a place that is so critical to all of us, and to the world."


Cornell Protest Leader Who Lauded 'Armed Resistance in Palestine' Self-Deports, Drops Lawsuit Against Trump
A Cornell University graduate student who had his visa revoked after pledging his allegiance to the "armed resistance in Palestine" has self-deported after a federal court twice rejected his request for a protection order.

Momodou Taal, a Gambian and British dual national, announced Tuesday night that he "took the decision to leave the United States, free and with my head held high." His statement came hours after he dropped his lawsuit against the Trump administration, in which he claimed that the president’s executive order calling for the deportation of foreign Hamasniks had a "chilling" effect on his freedom of speech and had "deprived" other students of their right to hear his "ideas and suggestions."

Taal’s announcement is the latest legal blow for critics of Trump’s visa revocation policies and comes after a federal judge rejected Taal’s two requests to stop the government from deporting him.

Taal, a leader in Cornell’s pro-Hamas demonstrations who was barred from the campus before his self-deportation, has repeatedly advocated for the destruction of the United States and for terrorism against Israel.

In his Monday statement, however, he framed his actions as peaceful protests meant to "speak out against genocide" and claimed the Trump administration revoked his visa in retaliation after he filed his lawsuit. The Trump administration revoked Taal’s visa on March 14, the day before Taal filed the lawsuit.

"Trump did not want me to have my day in court and sent ICE agents to my home and revoked my visa," said Taal. "It is surreal that we live in a world where you get into trouble for saying killing babies is wrong." He ended the statement, "Long live the student intifada!"

He also complained that society was too concerned with the "safety of Zionist students," who he accused of "collaborat[ing] with law enforcement to target students of color."

"For months on end, we’ve had to listen to—ad nauseam—concerns regarding the safety of Zionist students, when they are the same students who dox, monitor and collaborate with law enforcement to target students of color."

Taal’s self-deportation announcement came hours after the U.S. government submitted a court filing defending its decision to revoke his visa. And while critics of Trump’s deportation order have said it infringes on free speech rights, the administration said it based its decision on Taal’s conduct at Cornell, where the graduate student was suspended multiple times and banned from campus for disorderly conduct.

In the Monday court filing, the Trump administration quoted from an agreement that Taal signed with Cornell in January, in which he admitted to violating the student code of conduct by engaging in "disorderly conduct," "[u]nreasonably loud or belligerent behavior," and by "disrupt[ing] University [a]ctivities" by "[s]ubstantially obstructing the lawful use of ... University premises" or by "making unauthorized entry upon or use of a University property or facility or by unlawfully remaining."

While leading an anti-Israel campus demonstration last year, meanwhile, Taal called on his fellow student protesters to take their "cue from the armed resistance in Palestine."

"We are in solidarity with the armed resistance in Palestine from the river to the sea," he said.


BBC rejects complaint about Bowen’s misrepresentation of ICJ ruling
CAMERA UK submitted a complaint to the BBC concerning that item, noting the many previous corrections it had made concerning inaccurate presentation of that ICJ ruling and the fact that the BBC had previously corrected a similar claim by Bowen in a written report.

On December 15th 2024 we were told that it would take more time to address our complaint. On January 5th 2025, we were informed that the BBC had run out of time.

On March 26th we received an email from BBC Complaints which includes the following:
“Thanks for contacting us about the edition of Today, broadcast on 5th December. We would like to start by apologising for our delayed response.

We have discussed your concerns with the senior editorial team at the programme. We would like to explain that Jeremy Bowen was not claiming that the ICJ had ruled there was “plausible evidence” of genocide in Gaza, but was making the point that the process, in terms of the case brought by South Africa, which Israel has denied, is still ongoing.

Jeremy is, of course, aware of the confusion that followed the publication of the ICJ’s interim judgement in January, stating that “In the Court’s view, the facts and circumstances… are sufficient to conclude that at least some of the rights claimed by South Africa and for which it is seeking protection are plausible.” Jeremy is also well aware of the later clarification from the then President of the ICJ, Joan Donoghue, that Palestinians had “plausible rights to protection from genocide”.

We hope the above clarifies what was said on the programme. And once again, sorry for our delay in responding.”

As we see, it took BBC Complaints no less than 109 days to come up with that pitiful spin on its international editor’s clear promotion of a politically motivated narrative concerning ‘genocide’.


MEMRI: Qatari Journalists And Figures Close To Qatar Lionize Hamas Founder Sheikh Ahmad Yassin: He Blazed The Path Of Jihad; The Processions Of Martyrs Will Not Stop Until Palestine Is Liberated
Ahead of the 21st anniversary of the death of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, who was eliminated by Israel on March 22, 2004, Qatari journalists and figures close to Qatar published articles and social media posts that glorified Yassin and the legacy of jihad he bequeathed to the following generations. Jaber Al-Harmi, for example, editor of the Qatari daily Al-Sharq, shared a recording of Yassin speaking in praise of jihad and resistance, and commented: "Rest and be pleased, [Sheikh Yassin, for] what you planted has borne fruit, and your children and grandchildren are continuing on [your] path."[1]

Dr. Muhammad Al-Saghir, a member of the Qatar-backed International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), wrote on X: "Twenty-one years have passed since the death of the sheikh of the martyrs, Ahmad Yassin, the ambitious man who revived the nation's spirit of jihad and motivated the [Hamas] resistance movement from his wheelchair until he was granted martyrdom while on his way to worship [Allah at the mosque]…"[2]

A recent article in the Qatari daily Al-Sharq declared that Yassin's memory lives on among the Palestinian people, that the path of jihad, which he blazed and embarked upon, is still alive in Gaza, and that "the procession of the martyrs will not stop until Palestine and Jerusalem are liberated." The article also presented well-known statements by Yassin expressing hatred for the Jews and praise of jihad and martyrdom for the sake of liberating all of Palestine from the river to the sea. Another article in Al-Sharq, published several months ago, lauded Yassin for inculcating the culture of jihad among the Palestinians, as well as the concept of martyrdom, on which this culture is based.

Below are excerpts from these two articles in the Qatari daily Al-Sharq:
Qatari Journalist: Yassin Continues To Inspire Jihad In Palestine And "Will Remain A Star In The Firmament Of Our Jihad"

Al-Sharq columnist Ibrahim Abd Al-Razzaq Aal Ibrahim, known for supporting jihad against Israel and Jews,[3] wrote that Yassin "will remain a star in the firmament of our jihad," and that he lives on among the Palestinian people, whose "processions of martyrs" will continue until Palestine and Jerusalem are liberated. The columnist also presented well-known statements made by Yassin about Hamas, about jihad for the sake of Palestine, and about the Jews.

He wrote: "On Monday, March 22, 2004, [Ahmad Yassin] kept a cherished appointment, namely his martyrdom for the sake of Allah, which he always hoped Allah would grant him. On that unforgettable day, the istishhad [martyrdom for the sake of Islam] of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the sheikh of the jihad fighters, was a great boon [from Allah], for he was on his way back after holding the dawn prayer in a mosque in glorious Gaza. The anniversary of his istishhad comes while Ahmad Yassin, the sheikh of the jihad fighters, the crippled sheikh, is still present [in spirit] in every arena of Palestine, of the Islamic nation, and of mankind…

"Yes, this martyr roused [an entire] nation from his wheelchair and managed the strongest jihad movement in modern history, and he continues to breathe life into the Palestinian jihad movement on its land. The anniversary of the death of Yassin, founder of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas, is actually the anniversary of the death of every martyr who died on Palestinian soil. The processions of martyrs on Palestinian soil continue forward without interruption, with acts of bravery and sacrifice generation after generation. [This will continue] until Palestine and Jerusalem are liberated from the perverted and usurping Zionists, [which will happen] soon, with Allah's help. The following are statements made by the sheikh of the jihad fighters, Ahmad Yassin…:


MEMRI: Senior Hamas Official Urges Attacks On U.S., Israeli Interests Worldwide To Thwart Trump's Relocation Plan For Gazans: 'Spare No IED, Bullet, Knife, Or Stone'
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

On March 30, 2025, the Palestinian Quds News Network published an X post citing a statement from senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri calling for attacks on Israeli and American interests in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's plan of "voluntary relocation" for Gazans.[1]

According to the post, Abu Zuhri claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent statements about Israel's intent to implement Trump's plan reveal an "American-Zionist scheme linked to the displacement project." During a government meeting that morning, Netanyahu declared that Israel would "enable the implementation of Trump's plan."[2]

Abu Zuhri asserted: "In the face of this diabolical plan, which combines massacres and starvation, everyone who can bear arms anywhere in the world must act. Do not spare an IED, a bullet, a knife, or a stone. Let everyone break their silence. We are all sinners if the interests of America and the Zionist occupation remain safe in light of the slaughter and starvation of Gaza."

On March 18, the Palestine Scholars Association (PSA), which is led by members of Hamas, urged Muslims to carry out "jihad operations" against Israeli and American interests around the world.[3] On the same day, Hamas called to besiege Israeli and U.S. embassies worldwide.[4]


Seth Frantzman: Iraq and Syrian leaders discuss future cooperation
In wake of the end of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the leaders of Iraq and Syria held an important phone call. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa spoke on the phone on April 1.

This comes as both countries are at a crossroads. Syria is trying to unify itself after years of civil war. Both countries face threats from ISIS and host US forces. In addition, the Kurdish region of both countries is very important.

Sudani’s office said that he “congratulated the Syrian people on the formation of their new government and reiterated Iraq’s commitment to respecting Syria’s political choices.” Shafaq News in Iraq noted that the Iraqi prime minister also “stressed the importance of an inclusive political process that ensures representation of all national components in Syrian society, ‘for a secure and stable future for Syria and the region as a whole.’”

The Iraqi leader also condemned Israel’s attacks on Syria. Israel has carried out airstrikes over the last months there, claiming to target threats that might emerge. Baghdad and Damascus do not recognize Israel.

Iraq has many Iranian-backed militias that have targeted the Jewish state over the last year using drones. Baghdad says it is looking forward to “stronger economic collaboration, citing shared interests and opportunities for deeper ties between Iraq and Syria,” Shafaq noted.

The discussion comes amid some controversies in Iraq. The Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) of Iran-backed militias continue to pose a challenge there. Although these armed groups are officially part of the paramilitary forces of Iraq, they also carry out many operations independently. Recent discussion has focused on reining them in, or even extending their mandate with a new law.

Qais Khazali, leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, gave a speech on March 31 in which he discussed the role of the militias. He has said that there is a “project” to divide Syria and that it is implemented by “Arab” hands to serve Israel. Khazali has demanded that Iraq do more for his militia and other members of the PMU. He has previously traveled to Lebanon to threaten Israel and is sanctioned by the US Treasury Department.

The comments by the Iraqi leader amid the phone call with the Syrian leader come after Syria sent its foreign minister to Iraq last month. This comes as Iran seeks to shore up its support for countries in the region amid US threats. Tehran has threatened that it would retaliate against American military bases in the region, a warning to Gulf countries not to participate in any US strikes.


Israeli toddler finds 3,800-year-old amulet on family trip
In early March, during a family trip to Tel Azekah near Beit Shemesh, three-and-a-half-year-old Ziv Nitzan from Moshav Ramot Meir stumbled upon an extraordinary piece of history—an ancient scarab amulet dating back approximately 3,800 years.

The young girl’s discovery was purely accidental, according to her sister, Omer Nitzan. “We were walking along the path when Ziv bent down and picked up a particular stone,” she said, according to a press release published by the Israel Antiquities Authority. “After rubbing off the sand, we saw something was different about it. We quickly called our parents and realized we had found an archaeological artifact. We immediately reported it” to the IAA, she continued.

Judah Region District Archaeologist Semyon Gendler commended the family for their prompt reporting and awarded Ziv a certificate of appreciation for her good citizenship. The amulet will now be displayed in a special Passover exhibition at the Jay and Jeanie Schottenstein National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel, alongside other rare artifacts from the periods of Egypt and Canaan, many of which are being displayed publicly for the first time.

Daphna Ben-Tor, an expert in ancient amulets and seals, identified the object as a Canaanite scarab from the Middle Bronze Age. “Scarabs were used during this period as seals and amulets, often found in graves, public buildings, and homes,” she said, according to the release. “Many feature symbols and messages reflecting religious beliefs or social status,” she explained.

Scarabs are artifacts originating in ancient Egypt, shaped like a dung beetle. The beetle held religious significance in ancient Egypt as a symbol of creation and renewal, believed to represent the incarnation of the Creator God.

This scarab was discovered at the foot of Tel Azekah, an important archaeological site with evidence of multiple cultural shifts throughout history, according to the IAA. Tel Aviv University-led excavations there have uncovered remnants from the Judahite Kingdom, including city walls and agricultural installations. Tel Azekah is also most famously linked to the biblical battle between David and Goliath, as described in the Book of Samuel.
Journalism and Judaism: Kassy Akiva Speaks with The Commentator
Growing up in Chicopee, Mass., a struggling former mill town, Kassy Akiva (formerly Dillon) never gave much thought to Judaism — let alone imagined she would one day become an Orthodox Jew herself.

“We celebrated Christmas and Easter, but only as a cultural thing — like any typical American family,” Akiva, a reporter and video journalist for The Daily Wire, said in a conversation with The Commentator in early March. “There were maybe one or two Jewish people at my school, but nobody knew they were Jewish.”

Akiva, who converted to Judaism in April 2023, was previously a reporter for Fox News Digital and an editor at Jewish News Syndicate before joining Ben Shapiro’s conservative media company. Few would guess that she was raised by a single mother in a small Massachusetts town where approximately 15.2% of residents live below the poverty line.

“It was a rough place,” Akiva said of Chicopee. “A lot of people I was really good friends with in high school are now addicted to drugs or had very young teen pregnancies. When I was in school, one of my classmates got shot at a party and died.”

By the age of 16, her mother’s struggles with mental health and addiction forced Akiva to grow up quickly. She moved in with her older sister, balancing high school with a nearly full-time job working 25 to 30 hours a week at a daycare. “I was paying rent, buying my own food and had a car,” Akiva recalled. “I was pretty much an adult already — but I didn’t know anything else. It was just normal.”

Akiva soon became the first in her family to attend college directly after high school, enrolling at Mount Holyoke College in 2014 to study history and politics. As one of the lone conservative students on campus, Akiva quickly realized her politics set her apart from the rest of the predominantly left-leaning student body — a realization that would eventually drive her to enter journalism.




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