Tuesday, May 13, 2025

05/13 Links Pt2: Erin Molan vs. the world: From Australian news anchor to pro-Israel firebrand; Trump Cuts an Extra $450 Mil from Harvard

From Ian:

‘Moral obligation’ to defend Israel after Oct. 7, righteous gentiles in media say
Guy Benson, Christine Rosen and Christopher Rufo told JNS what it’s been like to defend Jews on the air and shared advice for the Jewish state.

Christine Rosen, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, found out about the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attacks from the “very active” text chain of contributors to Commentary magazine, where she is a columnist and cohost of the daily podcast.

“I hate to say that I wasn’t that surprised about the antisemitism. I wasn’t, because I’ve spent enough time on college campuses over the last 10 to 15 years,” Rosen told JNS. “What did truly shock me was the cowardice of some of our elected leaders and cultural figures, and people who should absolutely have immediately responded in no uncertain terms in a strong moral voice, standing with Israel, standing with the Jewish people and denouncing this terrorism.”

Rosen continues to turn over the “puzzle” in her head of how it became tolerable for people to express things that they ought to be ashamed to think, let alone vocalize.

“It’s now openly endorsed by extremely powerful cultural and political leadership,” including the so-called “Squad” of progressive, anti-Israel members of the U.S. House of Representatives, whose young enthusiasts on social media have no grasp of Middle East history or anti-Israel and antisemitic terrorism, Rosen told JNS.

“That is where I probably shouldn’t have been surprised that there were so many political figures not willing to stand up,” she said. “That was an early marker of where the younger, more progressive wing of the Democratic Party has been headed for years.”

The “righteous among the nations,” according to Yad Vashem, are “non-Jews who took great risks to save Jews during the Holocaust” at “a time when hostility and indifference prevailed.” Rosen, who was raised a fundamentalist Christian, and other “righteous gentiles” in media with whom JNS spoke, didn’t hide Jews in their attics or, like Lafayette, arm themselves and fight in a foreign army for justice.

But Rosen, Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow and director of the initiative on critical race theory at the Manhattan Institute, and the conservative talk-show host Guy Benson told JNS about the slings and arrows they take on social media, and on other platforms, for defending the Jewish state and being outspoken about Jew-hatred. (The latter two have some 1.7 million followers combined across social media.)

“It’s been so encouraging to see non-Jews step in, and defend Israel and the Jewish people,” Karol Markowicz, a New York Post and Fox News columnist, podcaster and author who is Jewish, told JNS.

“It has cost them a lot. They take abuse for us and rarely get praise or an award,” Markowicz said. “Their bravery has made the silence of some Jews even more obvious and embarrassing.”
Erin Molan vs. the world: From Australian news anchor to pro-Israel firebrand
A few hours after touching down in Tel Aviv, Erin Molan stood at the edge of the Mediterranean, scanning the sky. A Houthi missile had recently landed nearby, bringing most air traffic to a standstill.

“I was looking outside at where it had landed and thinking about the absence of any condemnation for the injured innocent civilians or potential fatalities that could have occurred,” she said. “Every second, every day, I’m reminded of how hypocritical the rest of the world is.”

On her third visit to Israel in the past year, Molan was a guest of right-wing organization Nikraim LaDegel (Called to the Flag) at whose “Salute to Israel’s Independence Day” event she spoke on May 5. She also attended the Atlas Awards held by the Ayn Rand Center to receive an award for Moral Courage in recognition of her support for Israel and her commitment to truth in journalism.

Her schedule was short — just two nights in Tel Aviv — but densely packed with meetings, speeches, and encounters with families whose lives had been upended by war.

She recalled meeting a father whose child is still held hostage in Gaza, and a woman whose son was mistakenly shot by an IDF soldier.

“She held no anger,” Molan said. “That kind of forgiveness, that kind of resilience, stays with you.”

The Australian broadcaster, best known until recently for her sharp commentary on sports and politics, has spent the past seven months as one of the world’s most public pro-Israel advocates, highlighting the plight of the hostages and defending Israel’s war in Gaza.


Anne Herzberg: Anti-Israel campaigners are using lawfare to target arm sales
Since the October 7 Hamas attacks, Israel has faced the most complex war in its history. Alongside military aggression from Iran and its proxy armies of Hezbollah and the Houthis, Israel is being targeted by a vicious global information onslaught – on an unprecedented scale – aiming to hamper Israel’s effort to defend itself and cripple the country both militarily and economically.

This campaign, accompanying the military attacks on Israel, involves hostile states like Qatar, Turkey, and South Africa; UN agencies; and many NGOs that claim the mantle of human rights. And next week, the UK will be the site of a significant battle in this political war for Israel’s survival.

Beginning tomorrow, the UK High Court will hear a lawsuit filed against the British government by Palestinian NGO Al Haq – which happens to be designated by Israel as a PFLP-affiliated organisation – with the assistance of a UK and Ireland-based NGO known as the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN).

Unsatisfied with the UK’s government’s policy of denying only some arms export licenses to Israel, they are seeking to block an exemption that allows American F-35 components to be shipped from the UK. Oxfam, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch are backing Al Haq as interveners in the case.

The F-35 fighter jet, an essential part of Israel’s air defences (think of the missile barrages from Iran and the Houthis) has been a frequent target of NGO activists hoping to circumvent foreign policy decisions of governments. Such efforts have also taken place in the US, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Australia.

The F-35 is likewise important to the UK defence and economy. As the main partner with the US, more than 500 UK businesses involving thousands of jobs are linked to the F-35 program. The F-35 is also a critical weapon for the UK, NATO, and other allied countries and is vital in building a defensive shield against Russian, Iranian, and Chinese aggression. A ruling in favour of the NGOs would cause severe damage to the British economy and national security interests. In pursuit of their narrow political agenda targeting Israel, these NGOs have clearly failed to take into account the broader implications of their advocacy.

Over the past 18 months, the arms embargo battlefield has been international. There is legal warfare being waged at UN bodies like the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where multiple cases against Israel are ongoing. South Africa, aided again by Al Haq and other PFLP-linked NGOs, is pressing for an order for a ceasefire on Israel. Nicaragua is also exploiting the ICJ, accusing Germany of “genocide” for supplying miliary aid to Israel, and Norway is spearheading advisory proceedings seeking to block any attempt by Israel (even non-military) to root out Hamas infiltration of Gaza’s humanitarian aid apparatus.
British sanctions against Israel would be self-harming and morally wrong
When, on October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists crossed the border to slaughter 1,200 Israelis and take 250 hostages, the worst loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust should have been an occasion for worldwide sympathy and support.

Instead, in a sickening moral inversion, Israel has been the target for the worst victim blaming imaginable. Marches in London by supporters of Palestine began before Israel had so much as struck a blow in return. One Labour backbencher, Andy McDonald, accuses Israel of “war crimes, apartheid and even genocide”.

But in truth it is Hamas who have committed countless crimes and stand in the way of peace. Their cowardly gunmen cynically hide among the civilian population in school and hospitals, and have siphoned off billions from international humanitarian aid to build a rabbit warren of tunnels beneath Gaza.

Behind Hamas stands Iran, also the puppeteer pulling the strings of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. The arrests last week over an alleged terror plot on British soil remind us that Tehran is a direct threat to the UK too.

Israel is the world’s only Jewish state, the Middle East’s only true democracy and one of our closest allies. We share values and interests and economic benefits. We share enemies too, who would only rejoice if we put that relationship at risk.
Harvard’s Academic Programs Serve as Platforms for Anti-Israel Advocacy, Report Finds
Harvard University’s collaboration with politicized human rights NGOs has undermined academic neutrality and contributed to antisemitism, according to an investigation by NGO Monitor.

In the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre and Israel’s military response, NGO Monitor launched a research project focused on Harvard’s ties to advocacy NGOs. The resulting report, published in May 2025, details how key centers within the university—the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights, the Harvard Law School’s Human Rights Program and International Human Rights Clinic, and the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights Policy—consistently align with and promote NGOs that systematically demonize Israel, often using unverified and ideologically driven sources.

NGO Activism Disguised as Academic Research
The report directly challenges the portrayal of NGOs such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, B’Tselem, BADIL, and Al-Haq as credible sources of human rights analysis. These organizations are not independent fact-finders. Instead, they selectively compile accusations against Israel, often repeating unverified testimonies, while ignoring context, such as Hamas terrorism or the targeting of civilians.

Al-Haq and Addameer, both prominently cited and featured by Harvard-affiliated speakers and events, are explicitly designated by Israel as part of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) network, which has itself been designated as a terror group by the U.S. and E.U. Al-Shabaka, which includes several Harvard-affiliated fellows, promotes open calls for dismantling the State of Israel and justifies violence as resistance.

FXB Center
The FXB Center for Health & Human Rights hosted a program with Birzeit University in Ramallah, whose student council is dominated by Hamas affiliates and which praised the October 7 attacks. The “Palestine Social Medicine Course,” part of that partnership, was described as focusing on settler colonialism and structural violence, not medicine or empirical public health. It was suspended in March 2025 after public pressure and internal review.

Visiting fellows at FXB include Yara M. Asi, formerly of Amnesty International and the Arab Center Washington DC, and Rania Muhareb, formerly of Al-Haq. Asi has published material accusing Israel of “structural racism,” and Muhareb shared an article on October 8 2023, that labeled the Oct 7 massacre as “Gaza’s breakout.”

Director Mary Bassett has personally advanced claims of Israeli genocide and indiscriminate bombing in Gaza without any independent or peer-reviewed evidence. Her public statements omit any mention of Hamas terrorism, hostages, or Israeli casualties, according to NGO Monitor’s report.
British tourist expelled for BDS ties, anti-IDF posts
A British tourist was deported from Israel this week after she entered a closed military zone in Judea, refused to identify herself to Israeli forces and was found to be affiliated with a group promoting boycotts of the Jewish state.

According to an Israel Police statement on Tuesday, the 35-year-old woman was detained the previous day during a joint operation by Hebron police and Israeli soldiers after she entered a restricted area in the southern Hebron Hills. She reportedly disrupted public order, refused to present identification and threatened the local security coordinator who responded to the incident.

Police said the woman was arrested, questioned at the Hebron police station and later transferred to the Judea and Samaria District’s Central Unit for further interrogation. During the investigation, authorities discovered that she had published inflammatory posts online targeting Israeli police and Israeli soldiers, and was affiliated with an organization advocating for the boycott of Israel.

As a result, the Population and Immigration Authority decided to deport her. She remains in custody until her removal from the country is completed.
Judge orders American Muslims for Palestine to disclose financial documents
A Richmond, Va., judge has issued a new court order ruling that a pro-Palestinian advocacy group with alleged ties to Hamas must finally turn over closely guarded financial documents sought in an ongoing investigation brought by Virginia’s attorney general.

The decision, issued on Friday, is a major blow for American Muslims for Palestine, a Virginia-based nonprofit group that has drawn a growing number of legal challenges in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks and Israel’s ensuing war in Gaza.

Jason Miyares, the Republican attorney general of Virginia probing AMP’s fundraising operations over alleged links to terror groups, had filed a petition in January to enforce a previous order compelling the organization to produce sensitive records that could shed light on its widely scrutinized but closely held donor network.

His office noted at the time that AMP had “refused to comply” with a court-approved civil investigative demand for documents the group long shielded from public view.

The judge’s decision on Friday upheld the court order issued last summer, rejecting AMP’s request to set the petition aside as it seeks an appeal of the July ruling.

The group is now required to comply with the demand for records, notwithstanding its pending appeal before the court, the new ruling states. “To rule otherwise would render the statute practically inoperable and gut the attorney general’s authority to engage in pre-enforcement civil investigations and promote the public interest,” Judge Devika E. Davis of the Richmond Circuit Court explained in the decision.

More broadly, the new ruling indicates that AMP has now exhausted all of the available legal delay tactics it has used to resist the attorney general’s efforts to procure documents as part of a winding investigation launched weeks after the Oct. 7 attacks.

“My office has a legal obligation to ensure that charitable organizations operating in Virginia are following the law,” Miyares said in a statement to Jewish Insider on Monday. “I will continue to enforce state law without exception or delay to protect Virginians.”
ADL calls on Google shareholders to vote down human rights proposal ‘whose goal is to delegitimize Israel’
Jewish rights groups urged shareholders at Google’s parent company Alphabet to reject a proposal that would require the company to investigate whether its cloud-computing services — specifically those used in Israel’s Project Nimbus — contribute to human rights abuses in conflict zones.

The proposal, which will be voted on at Alphabet’s annual shareholder meeting on June 6, takes aim at the company’s technology contracts with the Israeli government, including services used by both civilian agencies and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

“Proposal 9 offers the pretense of concern for human rights when in fact it is a thinly disguised ploy to weaken Israel’s national security — and to undermine its right to defend itself — by pressuring Alphabet to withhold vital technology that supports the country’s self-defense capabilities,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League.

“We believe this proposal is closely aligned with the objectives of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, whose goal is to delegitimize the State of Israel.”

The proposal calls on Alphabet to commission an independent third-party report assessing whether its products and services are being used to cause or contribute to human rights harms in “conflict-affected and high-risk areas” (CAHRA).

It specifically highlights the company’s involvement in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion joint cloud project with Amazon that has drawn criticism from anti-Israel activists and protest groups.

Alphabet’s board of directors has joined the ADL in recommending that shareholders vote against the measure, according to the proxy statement released by the company ahead of the meeting.
Canadians Overwhelmingly Defeat "Vote Palestine" Candidates at the Ballot Box
A new initiative by anti-Israel activists called Vote Palestine supported candidates for Parliament during the 2025 federal election.

Their website lists 362 candidates who signed the platform, including 216 NDP candidates, 116 from the Green Party, 28 from the Liberal Party, and 2 from the Bloc Quebecois.

Of the 216 NDP signatories, 210 lost their bid for election. A number of vocally anti-Israel, high-profile NDP MPs lost their seats.

Of the 116 Green Party signatories, just one won her seat. Overall, only 25 won, while 337 lost.

These results show that despite the loud antics of anti-Israel activists over the last 18 months, these efforts have remained marginal.
Trump Administration To Cut Additional $450 Million in Grants to Harvard, Citing Free Beacon Reports
The Trump administration will strip Harvard University of an additional $450 million in federal grants as it ramps up pressure on the Ivy League school over anti-Semitic campus protests, citing two recent Washington Free Beacon reports, one on racial discrimination at the Harvard Law Review and the other on a fellowship that the law review awarded to a student accused of accosting an Israeli classmate.

"Harvard University has repeatedly failed to confront the pervasive race discrimination and anti-Semitic harassment plaguing its campus," the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism wrote in a statement, noting that "Jewish students were subjected to pervasive insults, physical assault, and intimidation, with no meaningful response from Harvard's leadership."

"As a result, eight federal agencies across the government are announcing the termination of approximately $450 million in grants to Harvard, which is in addition to the $2.2 billion that was terminated last week," the statement reads.

The Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard in April after the university snubbed White House demands to take stronger action against campus anti-Semitism. President Donald Trump has also proposed revoking Harvard's tax-exempt status if the Ivy League school "keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting 'Sickness.'"

The Justice Department's anti-Semitism task force highlighted two Free Beacon reports that revealed a pattern of what the department called "endemic race discrimination" at the Harvard Law Review.


Pulitzer Prize Board, The New Yorker, Ignore Criticism Against Winner Who Excused Hamas’ Abductions
Did the editor of The New Yorker really believe that Hamas terrorists just happened to stumble upon an open border fence on October 7 and go on to slaughter 1,200 people? Did he not hear of their detailed battle plan, titled “Jericho Wall?”

Hamas did not “accidentally” end up murdering Israeli civilians — they were always the target.

Anyone who buys into the Hamas propaganda that October 7 was aimed solely at military targets on that dark day should not be a credible journalist, let alone a Pulitzer Prize Board member.

In another example, Remnick interviewed Abu Toha about the al-Ahli hospital blast at the beginning of the war. Abu Toha lies through his teeth, echoing Hamas propaganda that Israel had killed 500 people in the hospital.

Instead of correcting the article and cutting ties with Abu Toha after it’s been clarified beyond doubt that an Islamic Jihad rocket hit the hospital’s parking lot, Reminck lets Abu Toha shill for terrorists on the pages of The New Yorker:
When I asked Mosab what he thought of the denials, he answered, “No one believes them.” He criticized as “unfair” President Biden’s statement suggesting that Israel wasn’t responsible, and added, “Well, what if it were?”

So, with the Pulitzer Board silent, and its senior member Remnick allowing Abu Toha to spread blood libels against Israel, it’s clear why none of them reacted to the painful call of a former Hamas hostage who was publicly attacked by the “journalist” they chose to award.

If they think they can separate the work from the person, they are wrong. Would Hamas terrorists exclusively documenting the atrocities be eligible for a Pulitzer Prize?

How incredibly sad that people who act as professional and ethical models that one can look up to are no longer the gold standard for such awards.

But the Pulitzer Prize Board and The New Yorker either agree with Abu Toha’s abhorrent views or are too ashamed to admit their utter moral and professional bankruptcy.
Murder glorified, racism unchecked — BBC failing to moderate its Arabic social media
BBC Arabic is failing to moderate hateful comments on its social media channels which include glorification of Hamas terrorist violence and death, according to new research.

In the last four months, the CAMERA Arabic watchdog organisation has found multiple examples where the publicly funded BBC Arabic language channel has taken no action to remove highly concerning comments on stories relating to Israel. These include Hamas hostage releases, a terrorist attack in Haifa, Kibbutz Nir Oz reconstruction after the 7 October massacre and recent wildfires around Jerusalem.

Responses to a BBC video on the reconstruction of Kibbutz Nir Oz posted on BBC Arabic’s Instagram page, which contained footage of more than 300 terrorists storming the area on 7 October, included “300 resistance heroes it’s their homeland” and “Wait a while, all of Palestine will be hell and grave for you”, along with the red triangle which is associated with Hamas marking its targets. Another stated “Raise children in a land that is not yours? Raise your children in a stolen land? U deserve what happened to you and more.”

After a terror attack in Haifa, in which an Israeli Druze man attacked people with a knife, killing one and injuring four, responses to the BBC Arabic Facebook post on the story included “Praise be to Allah”, “A hero of the Druze”, and, in reference to Israelis, “May God increase their sorrows”. Responses on Facebook to a story published by BBC Arabic about a terror attack in Haifa. The terrorist killed one person and injured four before being shot by the police.

A video of one of the Hamas hostage releases published by BBC Arabic on Instagram saw responses such as “Victory from God. Congratulations, heroes, and mercy and forgiveness to our heroic martyrs”, and “I swear to God, the feeling of pride and victory despite the sacrifices and destruction”, again accompanied by the Hamas red triangle.

Alongside multiple responses celebrating the wildfires in Israel and calling on God to “increase their sorrow”, there were examples of direct incitement. One post, addressed to “our people in the [West] bank, Jerusalem and inside” said “This is your day, the fires are widespread, the entity is confused, head to the trenches near the settlements, set the parks and vehicles on fire, they are now in their worst state, frightened…seize this opportunity.” Another read “… burn them and make them wish for death.”


The Ideological Infrastructure of the Palestinian Public Is Perpetual Struggle
Hamas is a symptom of a deeper and broader problem in Gaza: the psychological and ideological infrastructure of the Palestinian public is one of perpetual struggle aimed at the destruction of the State of Israel.

It is reasonable to assume that even if an alternative governing authority is established in Gaza after Hamas's total defeat, these underlying currents will persist, and it will only be a matter of time before a new threat to Israel emerges from the Strip.

Therefore, the central requirement for achieving the war's goal - that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel in the long-term - is the establishment of complete security control over Gaza through a physical presence on the ground.

However, to secure sustained calm over the long term, from a strategic viewpoint, Israel will need either an effective and swift de-radicalization program (which has slim chances of success) or to implement Trump's vision: the voluntary emigration of Gaza's population.


Attacks on Syrian Druze by Islamist Gunmen Is Pushing Some to Consider Israeli Protection
Clashes with pro-government fighters have killed dozens of Druze in Syria's Sweida province over the past few weeks, provoking such fear that some Druze say they are now looking for help from Israel. Recently, Israel has cast itself as the protector of Syria's Druze, opening the border for the first time in decades for religious pilgrimages, publicizing a plan to grant permits to them to work temporarily in northern Israel, and touting an Israeli "security umbrella" for them.

One of the country's most influential sheikhs, Hikmat al-Hijiri, told the Washington Post that Israel was "not the enemy." "In Syria, we should only care about the Syrian cause," he said, a reference to the previous regime's insistence that it was a champion of Palestinian rights and thus opposed to Israel. In Harran, local Druze fighter Rabiya Murshed, 30, said Israel was helping the Druze "for their own benefit. But to be honest, we don't mind their help against this government. We have no other choice. Those people want to eliminate us by force."

The latest bloodshed was sparked by an audio recording purporting - erroneously - to reveal a leading Druze cleric insulting the prophet Muhammad. Sunni Muslim militants initially attacked two areas of the capital with large Druze populations before advancing on Sweida. Misleading social media posts exaggerating the size of the death toll fueled panic in the wider Druze community.

Syrian government officials and Druze leaders have negotiated an agreement that leaves much of Sweida province's security in the hands of Druze militiamen. On Wednesday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said that Syria and Israel were engaged in indirect talks to prevent the situation from getting "out of control."
Syrian group’s Capitol Hill conference abruptly canceled amid anti-Israel, Assad regime concerns
A Syrian diaspora conference in a meeting room in a House office building was abruptly canceled on Monday after a lawmaker raised concerns about the group and its leadership, sources familiar with the situation told Jewish Insider.

The group, the Alawites Association of the United States, which presents itself as a representative of the Alawite religious minority group whose members have been targeted by forces aligned with the new Syrian government, hosted the event in coordination with other Syrian-American organizations. The event initially began as planned on Monday.

A member of Congress reserved the room on the group’s behalf, but that member withdrew their sponsorship on Monday after the event had begun, a source said. Per House policy, the group would have been required to leave the room once it lost that sponsorship.

The Alawites Association denied that the event had been canceled and told JI in a message that the conference had adjourned as planned to hold meetings with members of Congress. The group said that additional sessions were scheduled for Tuesday morning, but those events took place off of Capitol Hill.

In the days before the conference, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) wrote to the chair and ranking member of the Committee on House Administration urging them to intervene to cancel the event.

Wilson argued in his letter that the leadership of the Alawites Association was “seeking to exploit” the situation of religious minorities in Syria and would ultimately undermine efforts to address it.
UNIFIL has found 225 Hezbollah weapons caches since ceasefire
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported on Monday the discovery of more than 225 hidden weapons stockpiles in Southern Lebanon since the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on Nov. 27, 2024.

According to a UNIFIL statement, the coordinates of the arms caches have been relayed to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) for appropriate action. The finds raise fresh concerns about Hezbollah’s ongoing military entrenchment in Southern Lebanon, in violation of the ceasefire terms.

UNIFIL’s expanded mandate, authorized under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 following the 2006 Lebanon War, tasks the force with assisting the Lebanese government in extending its authority across the south. This includes ensuring that the area between the Litani River and the Israeli border remains free of unauthorized weapons and armed groups.

The peacekeeping mission continues to facilitate coordination between the Israel Defense Forces and the Lebanese military, while monitoring compliance with the ceasefire agreement. UNIFIL also supports the deployment and operations of the Lebanese military in Southern Lebanon.

Despite international efforts to stabilize the area, tensions along the Israel-Lebanon frontier remain high. Observers warn that repeated violations and insufficient enforcement of Resolution 1701 threaten to undermine regional stability.


If Iran Won't Accept Trump's Deal, It's Time for Plan B
President Trump says he will accept nothing less than "total dismantlement" of Iran's nuclear program. Fortunately, we have an example of what that looks like. In 2003, Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi invited outside officials to come in and dismantle his nuclear, chemical weapons and ballistic missile programs.

The Libyan nuclear program - including its uranium hexafluoride, centrifuges and designs to build bombs - was crated up and loaded onto U.S. military aircraft, which flew to a secure storage facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Libya's enriched uranium was also removed, its chemical munitions destroyed and its ballistic missiles dismantled. Trump understands that anything short of this in Iran would be unacceptable.

The Israel Defense Forces has severely damaged Iran's air defenses and ballistic missile capabilities. Iran is currently strategically naked - unable to effectively defend itself against a U.S. or Israeli military strike, or respond decisively either directly or by proxy.

This means Trump now has a window of opportunity to end the Iranian nuclear program - one the U.S. has never had before - and that window will eventually close. Iran should be given a simple choice: Allow us to eliminate your nuclear program peacefully or watch it destroyed by military force.
GOP Senators Demand 'Full Dismantlement and Destruction of Iran's Nuclear Program' as Trump Admin Negotiates With Tehran
Amid murky nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, a group of Republican senators has drawn a line in the sand on enrichment.

Sens. Katie Britt (R., Ala.), Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), and Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) last week introduced a resolution demanding the "complete dismantlement and destruction of Iran’s nuclear program" in any agreement struck between Washington and Tehran—a condition President Donald Trump may not attach to a new deal.

The resolution holds that any pact between the two countries must mandate that Iran "forgo domestic uranium enrichment, the reprocessing of spent fuel, and the development or possession of any enrichment or reprocessing infrastructure or capacity."

Despite the clear language from Republican senators, the executive branch has sent mixed messages on whether it will allow Iran to continue enriching uranium as part of a revamped nuclear deal—perhaps the most contentious aspect of any agreement.

President Trump indicated last week that he has not yet decided if Iran will be granted the right to do so, and Vice President J.D. Vance said Tehran "can have civil nuclear power," which he and the administration "don’t mind."

As the White House determines whether to allow Iran to continue enriching uranium, a recent agreement between Iran and Russia has the potential to complicate things.

Russian president Vladimir Putin agreed to extend a line of credit to Tehran, begin building a new nuclear facility in the country, and expand ongoing work at the Bushehr plant.

Iranian oil minister Mohsen Paknejad, discussing the deal on April 25, said that "Tehran and Moscow are seeking to accelerate the implementation and finalization of cooperation memorandums with Russia’s Gazprom," a state-controlled entity.

Russia’s central role in expanding the Iranian nuclear landscape appears certain to cast a shadow over the administration's diplomatic engagements. Putin’s government and the country’s state-run energy firms stand to gain billions from this nuclear work, revenue important to Moscow as it pours cash into its military campaign against Ukraine.


Trump Admin Targets Iranian Nuclear Scientists in New Round of Sanctions
The Trump administration sanctioned three leading Iranian scientists on Monday for their work advancing the Islamic Republic’s atomic weapons program, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

All three Iranians hold high-level positions in Tehran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, or SPND, the regime’s key nuclear weaponization agency. Their work consisted of critical research into "nuclear explosive devices" and advanced "missiles capable of delivering such weapons," the State Department said.

The three individuals—Mohammed Reza Mehdipur, Sayyed Mohammad Reza Seddighi Saber, and Ahmad Haghighat Taleb—perform work related to the "proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."

Mehdipur, a veteran SPND official who conducts "explosion and shock research," leads a division that engages in "nuclear and explosives research and development efforts, including those with potential military applications." Seddighi, who "works on explosives-related projects," is involved in "the development of nuclear explosive devices." Taleb, who has played a role in Tehran’s nuclear program since before its existence came to light, uses "his scientific expertise to advance Iran’s nuclear-related research and development efforts that have potential military applications," according to information the State Department provided to the Free Beacon.

The Trump administration also introduced sanctions on Iran’s Fuya Pars Prospective Technologists, an "SPND-affiliated company that has attempted to procure from foreign suppliers, as well as indigenously fabricate, equipment that could be applicable in nuclear weapons research and development."

Monday’s designations are the latest in a bevy of sanctions against Iran but the first from the Trump administration to target the scientists behind Iran’s march toward a nuclear bomb.

While the measures helped push the Islamic Republic to the negotiating table, they have also created friction amid ongoing talks. Tehran has insisted that the United States lift all sanctions as a precondition for a nuclear deal, with Iranian officials confirming that their desire for sanctions relief is the primary topic of discussion with the United States.

"The removal of sanctions is one of the bases for the talks, and it is something that both parties agree on," Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said, adding that the regime believes maintaining its ability to enrich uranium is key to any potential deal.

The Trump administration, however, maintains that fresh sanctions are necessary to prevent Iran from completing its nuclear project.


New York City mayor opens new task force aimed at combating antisemitism
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced a new office aimed at combating antisemitism, amid a sustained surge in anti-Jewish hate crimes following the October 2023 invasion of Israel.

The Office to Combat Antisemitism, a citywide bureau under the mayor’s purview, is the first of its kind in a major US city.

The office will establish an inter-agency task force for fighting antisemitism, the mayor’s office told The Times of Israel. Its activities will include monitoring court cases related to anti-Jewish crimes, giving advice on executive orders and legislation, and liaising with the New York City Law Department, the department that handles most of the city’s legal affairs.

The antisemitism bureau will also have the authority to enforce a ban on antisemitism at city-funded agencies. Recent incidents at city agencies include a New York City Department of Education office sending out a toolkit with antisemitic language, and a city parks office booking Kehlani, an anti-Israel singer who has called for an intifada and the destruction of Israel. Kehlani’s Central Park concert was canceled amid pressure from the mayor’s office.

Adams appointed Moshe Davis, his Jewish liaison since 2022, to head the new office. Davis will start by forming a commission of New York City Jewish leaders to advise the new bureau. Davis will report to Randy Mastro, the city’s first deputy mayor.

“This office will be a sledgehammer: deliberate, coordinated and unapologetic,” Davis said at a Tuesday press briefing. “We’re all in the same boat. This isn’t a Jewish issue, this is a New York issue.”
Brandeis Center to file lawsuit against Microsoft for Jewish discrimination
A legal watchdog group sent a warning letter to Microsoft on Monday alleging that it is violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by refusing to recognize a Jewish Employee Resource Group, Jewish Insider has learned.

The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law said its next step will be to file a federal lawsuit alleging violation of Title VII — which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin — within two weeks if the tech giant continues to deny Jewish employees the ability to establish an ERG.

Currently, Microsoft sponsors nine ERGs, which distribute professional benefits to employees based on a particular identifying characteristic, such as ethnicity, race, age or sexual orientation. The programs, which fall under the company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion department, are designed to give extra opportunities for professional development, career advancement and the ability to collectively advocate against discrimination in the workplace. Microsoft’s ERGs provide benefits including financial support to engage in mentoring, professional development and advancement and access to senior executives for networking.

Microsoft, like most companies, does not recognize religion as a category of identity permitted to establish an ERG.

Refusal to recognize Jewish ERGs is “rooted in a form of antisemitism,” according to Rory Lancman, director of corporate initiatives and senior counsel at the Brandeis Center, who sent the letter to Microsoft.

“The mistake that most companies make is that they pigeonhole Jewish identity as being purely religious and therefore denies their Jewish employees the opportunity to form an ERG based on their Jewish identity,” Lancman told JI. “A Jewish identity is not confined to shared religious beliefs but is in fact an ethnicity.”

“The failure of companies to recognize Jewish identity for what it is and how their Jewish employees are explaining their identity creates a system where Jewish employees are left out of this very valuable resource,” Lancman said.


Argentina uncovers Nazi propaganda cache in court basement
Argentine Supreme Court officials have uncovered a trove of Nazi propaganda and documents long forgotten in the basement of the court’s historic building—material originally confiscated more than 80 years ago during World War II, the court announced on Sunday.

The cache of 83 wooden boxes, filled with postcards, photographs, Nazi propaganda and thousands of notebooks, was found by chance as court staff prepared archival materials for a planned museum. The rediscovery has raised new questions about Argentina’s wartime neutrality and its postwar role as a haven for fleeing Nazi officials, reported the Buenos Aires Herald.

According to a statement from the court, the boxes were shipped from the German embassy in Tokyo to Buenos Aires aboard the Japanese steamship Nan-a-Maru on June 20, 1941. German diplomats had claimed the contents were personal effects and requested an exemption from inspection. However, concerns about Argentina’s neutrality prompted officials to investigate.

When Argentine customs, foreign ministry officials and anti-subversion investigators opened five boxes at random, they discovered materials designed to promote Nazi ideology abroad. Among the contents were items from the Nazi Party’s foreign organization and the German Trade Union Confederation, including notebooks branded with swastikas and data cards bearing Argentine addresses.

Fearing the propaganda’s potential impact, Argentine authorities seized the shipment. In September 1941, a federal judge ordered the materials confiscated and transferred the case to the Supreme Court. There, it appears the boxes were shelved and forgotten—until now.

“This material was intended to consolidate and spread Adolf Hitler’s ideology in Argentina during the war,” the court said in its release. The rediscovery has prompted a new preservation effort led by the court in partnership with the Buenos Aires Holocaust Museum and Jewish community leaders, including representatives from the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA).

The boxes have been moved to a secure location within the court for inventory and analysis. Experts hope the collection may reveal further details about Nazi activities in Argentina, including international financial networks used by the regime.

Justice Horacio Rosatti, who oversaw the transfer, emphasized the importance of determining whether the documents could fill remaining gaps in Holocaust research. “The goal is to carry out a detailed analysis to determine if the material contains crucial information about the Holocaust,” the court said.


The War to Erase Jewish Jerusalem: The Facts They Don’t Want You to Know | True East
Is Israel’s fight for survival not just on the battlefield, but beneath the ground? IDF Spokesperson (Res.) Doron Spielman exposes how the war with Iran, Hamas and the Palestinian leadership extends into archaeology, history and truth itself.

This special edition of “True East” coincides with the launch of Doron Spielman’s new book, "When the Stones Speak," available now on Amazon. Doron, who served on the frontlines of the Oct. 7 war and spent over two decades as Vice President of the City of David excavations, dives deep into what he calls the "eighth front" of the war on Israel: the battle to erase Jewish history from Jerusalem and rewrite global narratives.

In this episode, Spielman reveals:
How Palestinian leadership and Arab regimes attempt to sever Jews from their ancestral homeland
The archaeological discoveries that prove 3,000 years of Jewish presence in Jerusalem
How Western universities have become the new staging ground of historical revisionism
Why Iran’s nuclear threat and Hezbollah’s terror connect directly to this war on truth
The role of Hamas indoctrination and media lies in shaping global hostility toward Israel

Whether you’re a soldier, student or passionate supporter of Israel, this episode arms you with facts and clarity. Watch now and learn why the fight for Jerusalem is a fight for the West itself.






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PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



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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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