Friday, May 23, 2025

05/23 Links Pt2: Douglas Murray: Israel can’t afford to leave Hamas in Gaza; Has the Era of Extremism Ended in the Middle East? ;What Qatar wants, Qatar gets

From Ian:

Douglas Murray: Israel can’t afford to leave Hamas in Gaza
Despite mounting international pressure and war costs, Israel cannot afford to end it war “with Hamas in power in any form,” British public intellectual Douglas Murray told JNS last week.

A prominent author, associate editor of the British magazine The Spectator and regular contributor to The Times and The Daily Telegraph, Murray in an interview with JNS justified Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to keep fighting until Hamas’s dismantlement, and downplayed concerns that it would leave Israel isolated.

“Anything short of victory is defeat,” Murray told JNS at a conference organized by the European Jewish Association in Madrid on combating antisemitism.

Israel’s decision this month to intensify the fighting until Hamas is removed from power in Gaza has triggered a coordinated effort within the European Union and beyond to punish the Jewish state for what its critics call war crimes.

On Monday, the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Canada published a joint statement threatening “concrete actions in response” to the war. The European Commission on Tuesday decided to review its trade agreement with Israel, citing concerns of human rights abuses.

According to some reports, the war is also straining the U.S.-Israeli alliance, though officials from both countries have denied this. Pressure to end the war short of achieving its main goal is mounting, also internally in Israel. Yair Golan, the leader of the far-left The Democrats party, on Tuesday implied that Israel was insane, as “a sane country does not kill babies as a hobby.”

But “the reality is that Israel must see this war through. Anything less invites the next one,” Murray said in Madrid, where the director of the European Jewish Association, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, presented him with an award honoring his fact-finding missions in Israel and his support of the Jewish state.

Murray had covered the war in Ukraine intensively when, on Oct. 7, 2023, war broke out between Israel, Hamas and several other Iranian proxies. The British journalist subsequently spent weeks in Israel, where he documented atrocities committed by Hamas.

On April 10, Murray defended Israel on the podcast of Joe Rogan, where he challenged Rogan, the world’s most listened-to pundit, on perceived unfairness and laziness in discussing Israel’s war. That exchange had more than four million listeners.

Murray does not believe in continuing the war regardless of its cost, but rather that this cost is still manageable, despite attempts to raise it for Israel.

“Not at any cost,” Murray told JNS about the terms for continuing the war. As it appears now, the cost of not dismantling Hamas may end up exceeding that of terminating its reign, he argued. “Keeping Hamas means another war at some point. So anything short of victory is defeat—and we can’t afford a defeat. It’s unaffordable,” Murray said.
Israeli legal experts Shurat HaDin call for global reckoning in fight against Hamas
A pivotal panel during the Jerusalem Post’s 2025 Annual Conference, moderated by diplomatic correspondent Amichai Stein, convened three prominent figures on the legal frontlines of Israel’s ongoing struggle against terrorism and global prejudice: attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, MK Simcha Rothman, and Adv. Yael Yativ.

Darshan-Leitner, president of Shurat HaDin, emphasized the need to fight Hamas not only on the battlefield but also in the courtroom. “For Israel to win the war over Hamas and to bring back the hostages… we have to dismantle the terror organization by going after their financial infrastructure,” she said. “Follow the money, target the money, kill the money.”

Since October 7, Shurat HaDin has intensified legal campaigns against entities aiding terror, including the Palestinian Authority, Qatari charities, and cryptocurrency platforms. Darshan-Leitner vowed to hold international organizations accountable for betrayal and complicity. “We went after the Red Cross that abandoned the hostages… and after UNRWA, which helped Hamas by hiding launchers and missiles,” she stated. “They think they have immunity, but they do not.”

Rothman concentrated on Israel’s internal legal framework, advocating for a significant change in how the justice system handles terrorism. “We’re still prosecuting terrorists like we are on October 6,” he said.

The MK also highlighted a legal discrepancy in prosecuting incitement for genocide, noting that while it’s punishable by death under Israeli law, it is almost never enforced. “If the United States starts prosecuting incitement for genocide, Qatar-funded mosques five kilometers from here will have a lot to answer for,” he said.

Yativ shared the emotional survival story of a soldier treated at Assuta Ashdod Hospital. “We do not cry – we are resilient,” a soldier’s mother told her. The panelists conveyed a strong message: Israel’s legal and moral struggle goes well beyond the battlefield, requiring courage, innovation, and global accountability.”
Seth Frantzman: Has the Era of Extremism Ended in the Middle East?
Today these groups are weakened or close to collapse. For instance, the PKK has said it will dissolve itself, ending 40 years of fighting against Turkey. PKK-linked groups may not follow suit in Iran or Syria, but they will likely morph into something else. The Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria are linked to the PKK, but they have moved far from their roots and are now prepared to integrate with the new government in Damascus. The PKK’s decision could also end a simmering conflict in northern Iraq, where Turkey maintains bases to fight the PKK.

ISIS cells are still active in Syria and Iraq, but the group is much weaker than when it was claiming territory and committing atrocities in 2015-2017. One of the clearest examples of the withering of extremist groups, though, is illustrated by the transition of Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS). The group was linked to al Qaeda but moderated while in control of Idlib in northern Syria. On Dec. 8, 2024, when the Assad regime fell, HTS became the new de-facto rulers in Damascus. Its leader, al Sharaa, became the transitional president. Now it is trying both to govern and to step away from its past extremism. Trump’s decision to meet with Sharaa, and the European Union’s decision on May 20 to end sanctions on Syria, show outside players are embracing the new reformists in Damascus.

Not all the Islamist groups in the region who use terrorism as a policy tool have disappeared. The Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas shows how deadly extremists can still be. However, Hamas has been weakened by Israel’s 19-month war in Gaza. The group’s leadership has been decimated. It still has support from Iran and receives a welcome mat in Turkey and Qatar, but its aging leaders may not be able to inspire the next generation.

Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq are all part of the Iranian-backed nexus of armed groups in the region, and these groups are also changing. Hezbollah was badly beaten by Israel in 2024. The fall of the Assad regime swept aside Iranian-backed militias in Syria. The PMF continue to be powerful but face some attempts to rein in their power; they could ossify and become less relevant over time. The Houthis pose a threat and have shown they can confront Israel and the U.S. However, it is possible that the Houthis have also reached the peak of their power.

What does this mean for the Middle East? Extremist groups have hollowed out states and sowed chaos across the region. For instance, Iranian-backed groups weakened Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, all of which became semi-failed states. Hamas took over Gaza in a coup in 2007 and brought ruin to the area with a decade and a half of wars on Israel. ISIS committed genocide in Iraq. The PKK not only tried to ignite a war in Turkey in 2015, but its affiliates and cadres also created chaos in northern Iraq. In Syria and Iran, the role of groups linked to the PKK has been different, but overall the dissolution of the group will likely help bring peace to Kurdish regions in four countries.

For decades, images of terrorism came to define the way people from other parts of the world viewed the Middle East. Historic cities such as Baghdad and Damascus became more well known for war than arts and culture. Gaza, once an important stop on trade routes, has been a scene of unending war. Extremist groups fought ceaselessly to seize power, hollow out states, and use countries as bases to spread conflict. As these groups are weakened and the state system returns to the region, a new future may emerge. This new future is on display as Trump meets Sharaa, the PKK dissolves, and Iran sees its proxies cut off and isolated.


Clifford D May: What Qatar wants, Qatar gets
Lots of people have been duped by the Qataris. I was one of them.

For years, I watched as the Qataris spent billions of dollars in the Gaza Strip, a territory from which the Israelis had withdrawn in 2005 and which Hamas, a designated terrorist organization committed to the extermination of Israel, took over two years later.

However, I reasoned, surely the Qataris don’t want their expensive buildings ruined, and if their investments improve life for Gaza residents, couldn’t that diminish Hamas’ enthusiasm for jihad? Won’t the Qataris counsel Hamas not to start wars likely to end catastrophically for Gaza residents?

I was naive.

I suspect a similar naivety explains why President Biden officially designated Qatar as a Major Non-NATO Ally three years ago. What had the Qataris done to deserve that honor, trust and responsibility?

True, they had spent a lot of money on Al Udeid Air Base, which the U.S. military has used since late 2001. Last year, however, the Qataris forbade use of the facility for “attacks or wars against countries in the region or beyond.” This raises the question: Is the purpose of this base to project American power or to defend Qatar?

Hamas’ invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and its barbaric pogrom that followed presented Qataris with an opportunity to demonstrate that they deserved their Major Non-NATO Ally stripes.

Senior Hamas officials were living in the Qatari capital of Doha as guests of the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. He could have said to them: “Order the release of the American hostages immediately. In fact, tell your men in Gaza to release all the hostages, because abducting and torturing civilians is a serious war crime. You have one other option: It’s a short ride from the five-star hotel where you’ve been living to our very best prison.”

The emir did no such thing.

Why not? I think there’s a clue in the fact that after Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, was killed in a clash with Israeli soldiers in October, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the emir’s mother, posted on social media: “The name Yahya means the one who lives. … He will live on and [Israel] will be gone.”

Last week, President Trump was welcomed with great pomp and circumstance in three wealthy Arab Gulf states.

Saudi Arabia is effectively ruled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who aims to transform the kingdom into a great international center of commerce, culture and Islamic heritage.

The United Arab Emirates joined the Abraham Accords, which Mr. Trump forged during his first term. The UAE practices and promotes religious tolerance.

In 2017, the Saudis and the Emiratis, along with Bahrain and Egypt, severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar because they knew it was supporting terrorist and extremist groups, including Hamas, Tehran-backed militias and the Muslim Brotherhood, which the Saudis and the Emiratis have since banned. The Brotherhood is a transnational Islamist supremacist organization intent on establishing a global caliphate.

Four years later, relations were restored, but because of American pressure on the Saudis and the Emiratis, Qatari policies did not significantly change.

Qatar has only about 330,000 citizens, about the same population as Pittsburgh. The other 3 million residents are expatriates and workers from countries such as India, Bangladesh and the Philippines.

Those Qataris possess more than 12% of the world’s proven natural gas reserves.

For more than a quarter century, they have been using this extraordinary source of wealth to win friends and influence people.
Seth Mandel: How Textbooks and Children’s Shows in America Became Hamasified
At the time, it was still unthinkable that America would have this exact problem. Now it is undeniable that we do.

There was a revealing moment at a congressional hearing on anti-Semitism in elementary-school curricula about a year ago. Rep. Kevin Kiley, a Republican from California, asked Enikia Ford Morthel, the superintendent of the Berkeley Unified School District, about a Berkeley lesson that states: “for some Palestinians, ‘From the River to the Sea’ is a call for freedom and peace.”

Morthel defended the lesson, to which Kiley very reasonably responded: “You put this on a slide in the classroom and then students go around in the halls saying it. I don’t think there’s anything surprising about that.”

Quite so. Children in America are being taught to repeat genocidal slogans about Jews.

A couple of months ago, I wrote about another such moment—this one at a state hearing involving the infamous Massachusetts Teachers Association and various anti-Semitic lesson plans. One was a grade-school workbook for kids in kindergarten and first grade called Handala’s Return, which featured on its front page a map of Israel and Gaza and the West Bank all labeled “Palestine.” Israel did not exist in this lesson plan. Handala explains that “Zionists” took her family’s home by force and won’t let her back even though she has the key. The students are then asked to draw their own home and key, presumably to imagine their own sadness were the Jews to come and take their home away.

At the end of the workbook—again, designed for children about five or six years old—is a page titled “Help Handala Free Palestine.” The students are instructed to write on the page what they will do, specifically, to “raise funds for the children of Palestine” and what they will chant at a “Palestine protest.”

There have been endless examples, documented here and elsewhere, of anti-Semitism in American grade-school lesson plans, but I chose these two because they specifically shine a light on the fact that young children here are being drafted as child soldiers into “the Palestinian struggle.” They are not simply taught bad things about Jews; they are taught to act on them from a very young age.

Will American children get their own Farfour, too? Inevitably. America’s Farfour-ward slide is well under way.
Israel’s Dramatic Humanitarian Experiment in Gaza
A dramatic experiment is currently underway in southern Gaza, with Israel preparing a Hamas-free humanitarian zone that is set to house 120,000 Palestinian civilians. But will the IDF’s plan succeed? And what challenges could it face? I explored this in my Shabbat column for Yedioth Ahronoth, an extract of which is below.

Archaeologists excavating a thousand years from now south of the Morag Corridor will struggle to understand what occurred there in the early 21st century. They’ll find vast remnants of temporary structures built atop ruins of a Palestinian city, itself built over the remains of an Israeli settlement—all within a single generation.

The new humanitarian zone planned on the ruins of Morag represents the fulcrum on which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israel as a whole, aim to stabilize the region. Approximately 120,000 Gazans are expected to relocate there after undergoing security screenings and disarmament procedures. They will receive substantial humanitarian aid (“It could even be Ben & Jerry’s for all I care,” Netanyahu remarked during one meeting). If successful, this initiative will mark the first time in 18 years Gazans will experience life free from Hamas control.

In an optimistic scenario, hundreds of thousands of Gazans will flock to these safe zones to escape relentless nightly bombings and repeated displacement. Hamas would cease to exist south of Morag, followed by areas east of Khan Yunis and then south of Netzarim Corridor. Of the deck of Hamas’ “most wanted in Gaza” playing cards issued to Israeli soldiers at the operation’s outset, only two high-value targets remain: Abu Ubaida, the spokesman, and Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigade commander Azadin al-Haddad. All other figures are minor, and eventually, the resistance’s backbone will break.

In a less optimistic scenario, however, these humanitarian zones could be perceived internationally as modern ghettos. Security personnel from American private firms, possibly joined by Israeli soldiers, might face ongoing attacks and terror incidents. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans might choose to stay in the northern Gaza Strip, where humanitarian aid would continue flowing under the traditional, Hamas-influenced model due to global pressure and government decisions.

Netanyahu is urgently seeking a swift and decisive victory akin to Israel’s September 2024 campaign in Lebanon. Few now remember the drawn-out evacuation and turmoil that preceded the elimination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. A combination of effectively dismantling Hamas in extensive areas, substantial emigration from Gaza, and ideally, the release of many hostages due to military pressure, could profoundly reshape the region. Failure, delay, stagnation, or ongoing violence will likely deny Israel another opportunity.


British Airways suspends all Israel flights until August amid renewed security fears
British Airways has suspended all flights to Israel until at least the end of July, with no services available to book on its website until 1 August.

A spokesperson for the UK’s flag carrier confirmed the decision on Friday, citing “security concerns” amid ongoing regional instability. It follows a missile strike earlier this month by Iranian-backed Houthi forces, which reportedly hit the area around Ben Gurion Airport, injuring several people and prompting widespread travel disruption.

“We continually monitor operating conditions and have made the decision to suspend our flights to and from Tel Aviv, up to and including 31 July,” the airline said in a statement. “The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority. We’ve apologised to our customers for the inconvenience.”

The decision comes as Israel continues a renewed military operation in Gaza, launched after a March ceasefire collapsed. The ongoing conflict began following Hamas’s 7 October massacre, in which terrorists killed 1,200 people and abducted around 250 others into Gaza.

British Airways is among a growing list of international airlines to halt or postpone services to Israel since hostilities escalated last year. Virgin Atlantic had initially planned to resume its Tel Aviv route this autumn but dropped the plan in April. Lufthansa, Air France, and EasyJet have all similarly suspended or delayed services.

However, Israel’s national carrier El Al, along with Israir and Wizz Air, continues to operate regular flights between Tel Aviv and the UK. US airline Delta also resumed operations earlier this month after a months-long suspension.


Guterres blames looting of Gazan aid on low supplies, though Hamas often steals aid
Former high-ranking U.N. officials have signed on to lead a new aid delivery mechanism to the Gaza Strip that aims to avoid Hamas looting. But António Guterres, the world body’s secretary-general, said again on Friday that the global body “will not take part in any scheme that fails to respect international law and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.”

Guterres told reporters that Gazans “are enduring what may be the cruelest phase of this cruel conflict,” as Israel implements a military campaign to centralize Gazan citizenry and to isolate and eliminate remaining Hamas terrorists.

“Today, 80% of Gaza has been either designated an Israeli-militarized zone or an area where people have been ordered to leave,” Guterres said. “In other words, four-fifths of the territory of Gaza is a no-go zone for the people of Gaza.”

On Sunday, Israel ended its 11-week blockade on aid delivery to pressure Hamas to release more hostages. Guterres criticized the Jewish state’s methods, even as U.N. agencies have struggled to deliver the limited amount of aid that entered the Strip this week.

“In recent days, almost 400 trucks were cleared for entry to Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing, but supplies from only 115 trucks have been able to be collected,” Guterres said.

The U.N. chief gave no indication of why the United Nations, which consistently saw massive backlogs of trucks waiting for delivery earlier in the war, hasn’t yet collected all of the deliveries this week.

Without safety and security mitigation measures in place for our convoys, and with a low supply of aid, “the risk of security incidents and looting remains high,” he said.

U.N. data shows that Palestinian terrorists looted hundreds of trucks during the war, when aid was flowing into the enclave regularly. The United Nations has declined to let Israel protect the routes and convoys.


Call me Back Podcast: Pressure mounts to end the War - with Nadav Eyal & Amit Segal
A lot has unfolded in the span of just a few days:
Iran’s Supreme Leader has publicly dismissed the potential for nuclear negotiations with the United States. This comes as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff has doubled down on the zero enrichment condition for any Iran nuclear deal — while the Trump administration appears to be quietly pressuring Israel on the path forward on Gaza, while not demanding that Israel actually end the war. Meanwhile, international pressure continues to build.The UK announced plans to pause trade talks and countries within the European Union are discussing scrapping a cooperation deal with Israel. Finally, Pope Leo XIV appealed for more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, calling the situation there “yet more worrying and saddening.”

Where does Israel go from here? How are these dynamics impacting domestic Israeli politics and the options for Israeli decision-makers.

With us today to discuss all of this are Nadav Eyal, senior analyst at Yedioth Achronot, and Amit Segal, senior political analyst at Channel 12.

00:00 Introduction
04:04 Netanyahu's Iran legacy
19:22 Hostage deal negotiations
23:39 Reversing the humanitarian aid decision
28:46 Current IDF operations
29:41 International pressure
35:26 Pressure within Israel
38:55 The next election in Israel
44:22 Ronen Bar Supreme Court ruling


travelingisrael.com: I will debunk ANY Pro-Palestinian video (starting with: the war didn’t start on October 7th)
Did the Israel-Gaza war start on October 7?
In this video, I begin a new series: debunking pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel propaganda—starting with the biggest lie of all.

We’ll go back to 1947, the UN Partition Plan, the Arab invasion of 1948, and the real story behind who started the war. We’ll talk about refugees, ethnic cleansing, and the Jewish communities erased from the Arab world.

If you’ve seen a video attacking Israel, drop the link in the comments.
Add a short description of what it claims—and like the ones you want me to respond to. Each week, I’ll pick the top ones and debunk them here.

Thanks for your support. Let’s fight lies with facts.




Lords slam MPs for ‘grotesque inaccuracy’ over Gaza baby death claim
Two members of the House of Lords have raised the alarm over what they describe as the “grotesque inaccuracy” of a widely repeated claim that 14,000 babies in Gaza could die from malnutrition within 48 hours.

The claim, initially made by a UN official and repeated this week by 13 Members of Parliament, has since been corrected by the UN, which clarified that the figure – based on a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Partnership – refers to cases of severe acute malnutrition over the next year, not deaths within two days.

Conservative peer Lord Polak and crossbencher Lord Walney both voiced concern in the Lords about the continued circulation of the claim.

The original comment, made by the UN’s humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, was widely reported in national media and cited in Parliament. The BBC has since issued a clarification, noting that Fletcher’s remark misrepresented the IPC report, which projects the number of children aged six months to five years at risk of “severe malnutrition” by March next year, rather than by the end of the week. The number is a projection and would not take into account any increase in the supply of aid between now and then. Israel has since resumed a flow of aid into Gaza.

Lord Polak said: “Truth matters” and “words have consequences.”

He criticised several MPs for having “repeated the lie” and urged them to “put that record straight.” He then named those who had shared the claim: Joe Powell; Adnan Hussain; Debbie Abrahams; Ben Lake; Olivia Blake; Tahir Ali; Vikki Slade; Danny Chambers; Imran Hussain; Monica Harding; Carla Denyer; Yasmin Qureshi; and Josh Fenton-Glynn.

Lord Polak also referred to the murder of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, a young couple who were about to be engaged and worked for the Israeli embassy in Washington. They were shot dead by a man who shouted “Free Palestine”.


Mamdani declines to support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state
Zohran Mamdani, a leading Democratic candidate in New York City’s June mayoral primary, declined to say whether he believes Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, when pressed to confirm his view during a town hall on Thursday night hosted by the UJA-Federation of New York in Manhattan.

“I believe Israel has a right to exist and it has a right to exist also with equal rights for all,” Mamdani said in his carefully worded response to a question posed by Jewish Insider’s editor-in-chief, Josh Kraushaar, who co-moderated the event.

Despite some initial resistance to addressing such questions earlier in his campaign, Mamdani, a state assemblyman in Queens and a fierce critic of Israel, has in recent weeks acknowledged Israel has a right to exist. But his remarks on the matter have never recognized a Jewish state, an ambiguity he was forced to confront explicitly at the forum — where he notably avoided providing a direct answer to the question.

Many Jewish community members have expressed concerns about Mamdani, who is currently polling in second behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and his outspoken opposition to Israel, including support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign targeting the Jewish state.

While some critics have dismissed BDS as antisemitic, he defended the movement as an effective tool to push Israel into “compliance with international law” that he has accused the country of violating before and after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks.

Mamdani, who has frequently alleged that Israel is committing genocide amid its ongoing war in Gaza — an argument he did not raise on Thursday night — also defended his decision last month to join the show of an antisemitic influencer, Hasan Piker, who has fueled controversy for justifying Hamas’ attacks, even as he has forcefully denied some of the group’s atrocities.

Asked if he regretted his appearance on the show in light of the shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington on Wednesday, which he denounced at the beginning of his remarks, Mamdani refused to criticize Piker’s past comments, insisting his own “words speak for themselves.”
Police crash Kneecap’s surprise gig after rapper is charged with terror offence over ‘Hezbollah flag’
Police turned up at Kneecap’s surprise gig in central London less than 24 hours after rapper Liam O’Hanna was charged with a terror offence.

At least three officers were seen walking into the 100 Club on Oxford Street where the trio are performing tonight in response to the charge, which they branded as ‘political policing’ and a ‘carnival of distraction’.

The Metropolitan Police said: ‘A policing plan is in place around tonight’s event to ensure it passes off safely.

‘This is primarily in terms of managing visitors to the venue for what we understand is a spontaneous and sold-out event.

‘There have been no issues or arrests.’

A short queue formed outside the venue before the doors opened after the band said on X that the event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list.

O’Hanna who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, arrived in a silver Mercedes to a cheering crowd of fans after being charged over the alleged display of a flag in support of Hezbollah.

The incident is alleged to have happened during a concert at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town in November last year.

Police said O’Hanna displayed it ‘in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation.’


Police Ordered ‘Not To Enforce D.C. Law Against Anti-Israel Protesters,’ Rabbi Alleges
Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld—whom pro-Hamas activists assaulted last year—wrote to the Department of Justice to note D.C.'s permissive attitude toward anti-Semitic harassment and violence in light of Wednesday's terror attack

A rabbi whom pro-Hamas activists assaulted last year urged the Department of Justice on Thursday to investigate Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), alleging that officers have been ordered "not to enforce D.C. law against anti-Israel protesters."

Anti-Israel activists assaulted Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld—leader of Washington’s Yeshivas Elimelech Jewish studies center—while he prayed outside the Israeli embassy. The protesters, who had demonstrated near the embassy since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, attempted to disrupt Herzfeld’s prayer by blasting sirens in his ear, ultimately damaging his hearing.

Herzfeld approached the MPD officers after the assault, asking why they did not intervene. The officers "told Rabbi Herzfeld that they had been instructed not to enforce the noise ordinances against Palestinian protesters who protested outside the Israel Embassy," his letter to the Justice Department reads.

"Rabbi Herzfeld believes that the MPD has either been given such instructions or has itself instructed certain officers not to enforce D.C. law against anti-Israel protestors," he wrote through his legal representative, Rothwell Figg, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. "Rabbi Herzfeld has a specific basis to believe that for more than a year, MPD officers have been under instruction to avoid enforcing certain D.C. laws against anti-Israel protesters in the District."

Federal authorities, the rabbi said, must now seek to determine whether the MPD and D.C. government have shirked their legal responsibilities and fostered an environment that enables violent attacks on Jews and Israelis. He asked the Justice Department to gather "all electronic communications" from the MPD to determine if it issued "instructions to avoid enforcing D.C. law against anti-Israel protestors."

Herzfeld noted in his letter that the anti-Israel agitators were permitted for months to gather "directly in front of the Embassy and thereby threaten and intimidate visitors."

"For years, it has always been the policy that protestors in front of the embassy be required at a much greater distance so as not to harass visitors." That is no longer the case, Herzfeld’s attorneys state.
Microsoft fires staffer who protested AI tech sold to IDF
Tech giant Microsoft dismissed an employee for heckling CEO Satya Nadella on Monday during the company’s annual Build developer conference in Seattle, in protest of AI services being used by the Israel Defense Forces for the war against Hamas in Gaza.

In the wake of his firing, software engineer Joe Lopez sent a mass email to the company’s employees disputing Microsoft’s claims about how its Azure cloud computing platform was being used by the Israeli military, AP reported.

Microsoft confirmed on May 15 in a blog post that it sold advanced AI and cloud computing services to the IDF to help the military rescue the hostages that were kidnapped from Israel’s “Gaza Envelope” communities during the Hamas-led terrorist invasion on Oct. 7, 2023.

The tech giant further stated that following an extensive review of the matter, “we have found no evidence to date that Microsoft’s Azure and AI technologies have been used to target or harm people in the conflict in Gaza.”

At the annual conference, Lopez was heard shouting in the opening minutes during a speech by Nadella, for which the employee was escorted out of the room.

Disruptions over the Gaza conflict continued to disrupt the conference at the Seattle Convention Center, as anti-Israel protesters shouted outside the venue.

In one incident, Microsoft was compelled to briefly cut the audio of one livestreamed event, AP reported.

This was not the first time an anti-Israel Microsoft employee was fired over interruptions. Two employees were dismissed in April for disrupting the company’s 50th anniversary celebration held that month.
Microsoft bars employees from using words ‘Palestine,’ ‘Gaza’ and ‘genocide’ in internal emails: report
Microsoft has barred its employees from using the words “Palestine,” “Gaza” or “genocide” in its internal email system as the tech giant looks to crack down on unrest within its ranks following protests of the company’s ties to Israel.

The company has quietly implemented a filter on its internal Exchange email system that blocks messages containing the politically charged words without notifying the sender or recipient, according to a report by Dropsite News.

“Sending unsolicited email to large numbers of employees at work is not appropriate,” a Microsoft spokesperson told The Post.

“We have an established forum for employees who have opted into a variety of issues for this reason.”

The spokesperson said that “over the past couple of days, a number of emails have been sent to tens of thousands of employees across the company and we have taken measures to try and reduce those emails to those that have not opted in.”

Microsoft has been roiled in recent months by demonstrations staged by a group of employees sympathetic to the Palestinians.

The activist group known as “No Azure for Apartheid” has been demanding that management sever ties with the Israeli government and military.

Microsoft Azure is Microsoft’s cloud computing platform and infrastructure, offering a wide range of services including computing power, storage, databases, networking, artificial intelligence, and analytics.

An investigation by several news outlets revealed that Azure platform was utilized by various branches of the Israeli military — not only for administrative purposes but also for combat and intelligence activities.


HHS concludes Columbia violated civil-rights law, will refer case to Justice if school doesn’t comply
Columbia University violated Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act over the course of 19 months with “deliberate indifference” to students harassing Jewish peers after Oct. 7 and by failing “continually” to protect Jewish students,the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stated on Thursday.

Anthony Archeval, acting director of the agency’s civil rights office, told JNS that “all students deserve safety—in class, on campus and at graduation.”

“Columbia University cannot continue to act with deliberate indifference to the hostile environment created by its own students and faculty,” Archeval told JNS.

He added that the department will keep pushing for “meaningful and enforceable commitments” under Title VI “to root out all discrimination, including antisemitism and other forms of racially motivated harassment.”

Archeval stated in a release that the department’s findings “carefully document the hostile environment Jewish students at Columbia University have had to endure for over 19 months, disrupting their education, safety and well-being.”

“We encourage Columbia University to work with us to come to an agreement that reflects meaningful changes that will truly protect Jewish students,” Archeval stated.

The regulations of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services require its civil rights office to seek voluntary compliance from other institutions under Title VI, the department told JNS.

When investigations suggest that there has been noncompliance, as with Columbia, the U.S. agency’s regulations require it to resolve the matter in an informal way whenever it can, per the department.
George Washington University Slapped With Lawsuit Alleging 'Pervasive and Severe Antisemitic Harassment' on Campus
George Washington University (GW) was sued in federal court by Jewish students on Thursday, alleging it allowed "pervasive and severe antisemitic harassment" on campus for years without any action from the school’s leaders.

Students Sabrina Soffer, Ari Shapiro, and a group of anonymous plaintiffs accused GW of failing to address a surge in hostility towards Jewish students, particularly following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, claims the university violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by allowing a "hostile educational environment" to flourish unchecked.

The 176-page complaint details a litany of incidents that paint GW as a campus where Jewish students face relentless intimidation. According to the filing, anti-Semitic acts include physical assaults, vandalism, and verbal harassment, with university administrators allegedly turning a blind eye. The lawsuit cites specific examples, such as anti-Israel protests that escalated into violence and Jewish students’ property being defaced with anti-Semitic slurs.

The lawsuit comes at a precarious time for elite universities as the Trump administration takes action against schools that fail to rein in campus anti-Semitism. The same day the complaint was filed, the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard University’s ability to accept international students, though a judge paused that order on Friday.

The complaint alleges that Lance Lokas, president of GW’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter, spat on an unnamed Jewish student involved in the lawsuit "while raising money with other members of GW for Israel"—an incident the university didn’t investigate, according to the suit. Prior to the Oct. 7 attack, Lokas gave a speech at a rally in D.C. that called for violent "resistance" against Israelis and glorified Palestinian terrorist "martyrs" for making "the ultimate sacrifice," the Free Beacon reported.

During last spring’s anti-Israel encampment that lasted nearly three weeks, the complaint alleged SJP’s "marshals" "intimidat[ed] Jewish and Israeli students … forcing them to leave." One marshal who followed a Jewish student and her friends as they tried to walk away loudly called out, "Imagine being a Zionist, they’re so ugly, fat, and stupid," according to the suit. Other protesters shouted slogans like "Fuck you, Zionist, go die," "Globalize the Intifada," "Hamas are freedom fighters," and "Zionists, go to hell."
Flyer urging teachers to divest pension funds from Israel is illegally distributed in NYC schools
A controversial antisemitic flyer urging teachers voting in union elections to back a campaign to divest pension funds from Israel was improperly distributed in some New York City public schools, The Post has learned.

The incendiary petition circulated as two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed by a suspected terrorist in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night.

“This UFT election season, vote for candidates who divest our pension from genocide,” the flyer said.

The Post has learned that an antisemitic flyer urging teachers voting in union elections to divest pension funds from Israel was distributed across New York City public schools.

“Sign the petition to show UFT candidates that you will be voting with divestment in mind during the election.”

Jewish civil rights groups such as the Anti-Defamation League said the economic boycott, divestment and sanctions movement is antisemitic because it seeks to undermine and destroy the world’s only Jewish state.
Harvard wins restraining order against Trump admin over student visas
A federal judge granted Harvard University a temporary restraining order on Friday, preventing the Trump administration from revoking the school’s student visas.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem wrote to Harvard on Thursday, saying that “effective immediately,” its student visas would be withdrawn because the university had created an “unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies and employs racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ policies.”

The letter noted that Harvard’s current international students would have to enroll at other schools to retain their legal status, but that the administration would reverse the revocation if Harvard complied with its demands for information about foreign students within 72 hours.

Harvard sued the administration on Friday morning, arguing that the cancellation of Harvard’s visa privileges was unlawful.

“This revocation is a blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause and the Administrative Procedure Act,” Harvard wrote in its complaint. “It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students.”

Harvard has more than 7,000 student visa holders, who make up more than a quarter of the student body, according to the complaint.


Family of slain policeman sues Palestinian Authority for $15.5m
The family of First Sgt. Amir Khoury, a police officer who died in a terrorist attack in Bnei Brak, northeast of Tel Aviv, in 2022, filed a lawsuit against the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday, demanding approximately 56 million shekels (~$15.5 million) in damages.

The lawsuit was filed with the Jerusalem District Court by Khoury’s parents, Jiris and Samia, his widow, Shani Yashar, and his colleague Staff Sgt. Amos Bashiri, who was wounded in the incident, Ynet reported.

“Unfortunately, nothing has changed. The Palestinian Authority has not only continued to support and encourage terrorism, but it also still pays monthly salaries to terrorist murderers and their families, as anchored in Palestinian legislation,” lawyer Anat Ginzburg, who represents the plaintiffs, was quoted as saying.

According to the suit, the terrorist, Diaa Hamarsheh, shot at Khoury and Bashiri as they rode on their motorcycle. The bike “veered off course” and the two fell off, it continued.

“Amos, who had his weapon drawn, engaged the terrorist and neutralized him by firing his personal weapon. Amos received the highest decoration awarded by the Israel Police in recognition of his actions carried out with self-sacrifice, bravery and courage to save human lives,” the suit reads, Ynet reported.

Then-Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev handed a certificate of merit to both police officers in the wake of the terrorist attack in 2022.


Following shooting, Gottheimer urges New Jersey governor candidates to support IHRA bill
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), a candidate for governor of New Jersey, challenged his fellow candidates to pledge to sign bipartisan state legislation to codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism in response to the murder of two Israeli Embassy officials outside the Jewish museum in Washington.

That legislation has become a major dividing line in the gubernatorial race — Gottheimer and Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) support it, while Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop opposes it, but said recently he would not veto it. Other candidates did not respond to requests for comment on the issue earlier this year. Critics of the legislation say that the IHRA definition — which identifies some criticism of Israel as antisemitic — violates free speech protections.

“I’m heartbroken by the tragic act of violence that took the lives of two young Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, D.C. Wednesday night … While the investigation continues, one thing is undeniable: antisemitism is fueling violence in this country, and it’s getting worse,” Gottheimer said in a statement shared with Jewish Insider. “Here in Jersey, we feel the effects of hate firsthand in our communities and synagogues. New Jersey had the third highest amount of antisemitic incidents last year, according to the ADL.”

“No one should have to live in fear simply for being Jewish. We must call out antisemitism wherever it appears and hold those responsible for spreading hate and violence accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” he continued. “As Governor, I’ll immediately sign New Jersey’s IHRA bill into law, and I’ll push to dismantle antisemitism and hate in any form whenever it rears its ugly head.”
Antics or antisemitism? Pro wrestler Sami Zayn has Israeli WWE fans feeling betrayed
In 2023 at a viewing party for “WrestleMania,” the world’s flagship pro wrestling event, Oren Treitman and his fellow Israeli fans cheered for Sami Zayn.

In the larger WWE storyline, Zayn had taken on the persona of a conspiracy theorist, filming a documentary to prove the promotion was deliberately repressing him. But the grizzly, redheaded Syrian-Canadian Muslim suffered a double humiliation that year, losing a marquee matchup to rival Kevin Owens while also being betrayed by YouTuber Logan Paul, an ostensible ally of Zayn’s. Paul, in turn, was knocked down in the ring by Owens, who was upset over his treatment of Zayn.

Backstage, Zayn acted out the part of his conspiracy-addled character.

“None of this feels real to me right now,” he told a WWE announcer, about an apparent rival standing up for him in the ring. “None of this feels like it’s really happening.”

It was a typically over-the-top storyline from the wildly popular WWE, which specializes in these kinds of betrayals and larger-than-life personas. And the Israeli fans, like millions of others around the world, ate it up.

“As a wrestler, we think he’s one of the best,” Treitman, who hosts a Hebrew-language wrestling podcast, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency about Zayn. “He’s charismatic, he’s very lovable. As a professional, he’s probably one of the best wrestlers on the planet.”

The appearance, and many others like it, was fuel to Zayn’s growing popularity. He’s won four Intercontinental Championships with the WWE, along with a host of other prizes. Soon he would drop the conspiracist gimmick and segue from a “Heel,” a villain, to a “Face,” a heroic character — like fellow WWE alums-turned-superstars John Cena and The Rock.

But four years later, Zayn has become a heel once more, to the Israeli viewers who once admired him. His post-October 7, 2023, social media output, which threads pro-Palestinian messaging both implicit and explicit for his 1.3 million followers, has become all but impossible for them to ignore.


Senate unanimously approves resolution commemorating Jewish Heritage Month
Still mourning the loss of two Israeli embassy employees, whom a gunman killed the night before outside a Jewish museum less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol, the Senate unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday designating May as Jewish American Heritage Month.

The action came as the resolution’s sponsors, Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.), marked the deaths of Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, who were killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum as they left an American Jewish Committee event on May 21.

“As we continue to see a disturbing rise in antisemitism following Hamas terrorists’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, and in the wake of the tragic killing of two staff members from the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night, this resolution reaffirms America’s strong and united commitment to stand with Jewish Americans and against hatred in all forms,” Scott stated.

The Senate took up the resolution shortly before beginning its Memorial Day recess. The House had approved a similar resolution earlier in the month, recognizing the contributions of Jewish Americans and calling out Jew-hatred. U.S. President Donald Trump followed with a proclamation of his own.

In a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday, Rosen called the shootings “another unspeakable act of antisemitic violence” and said that it was “vital that we all stand up together and send a clear and forceful message” that “we will not be afraid.”

“We are not just celebrating the numerous accomplishments and contributions that Jews have made to our country, we are sending the message back, a message that Jewish people have a place in America, that this is our home as well,” Rosen said. “That our lives—well, that they have value and they have meaning, just like anyone else, and that our country stands with it.”
Tikvah PodCast: Yossi Melman on Israel’s Most Famous Spy: What we learn from the Eli Cohen files
In 2019, Netflix released a six-episode miniseries starring the English comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen played an Israeli spy, Eli Cohen. The latter Cohen was a Jewish immigrant from Egypt who, once in Israel, was recruited and trained by the Mossad. He then assumed the identity of Kamel Amin Thaabet, a wealthy Arab businessman who, having eventually moved to Damascus, became a backer and confidant of key officials in the Baath party. From his home in Syria, Cohen as Thaabet dispatched vast quantities of military and political intelligence to the Israelis throughout the early 1960s. Viewers of the Netflix show, The Spy, see all of this dramatized, as they also see Cohen’s eventual capture, torture, and hanging. The Netflix series, and the story it brings to a new generation of viewers, is true.

Eli Cohen is celebrated as one of Israel’s great intelligence agents, one of its great mistaravim, or those who assume the identity of Arabs to carry out their missions. There are streets and institutions and many children and even, in the Golan, a town in Israel named after Eli Cohen. For 60 years the Israeli government has tried to persuade, bribe, cajole, and if necessary steal the Syrian government’s Eli Cohen file. During the rule of Hafez and Bashar al-Assad, they could not get them. With the fall of the Assad regime, and with a new regime in Damascus looking to curry favor with the United States and the West, earlier this week the Syrians handed over some 2,500 documents from Syria’s Eli Cohen file.

This week, Yossi Melman—a Haaretz reporter, journalist, and author of some eight English-language books on Israeli intelligence—joins Mosaic’s editor Jonathan Silver to talk about Eli Cohen, what Israel has reclaimed, and why this story remains so important some six decades on.
Gabe Groisman: The Bruce Pearl Effect: SEC Domination, Faith, and The American Dream
Coach Bruce Pearl, one of the most well-known and transformative figures in basketball, joined Standpoint for a wide-ranging conversation from all things basketball and the NCAA transfer portal to his Jewish faith and the increasing role of political activism in sports.






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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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