Tuesday, June 17, 2025

06/17 Links Pt2: Kasparov: Israel Won’t Fall for the Illusion of Stability; Leftists for the ayatollah?; Trump: Greatest Peacemaker of the Century

From Ian:

Garry Kasparov: Israel Won’t Fall for the Illusion of Stability
Pour one out for Ben Rhodes. In some ways, The World as It Is is a perfect title for the longtime Obama foreign policy adviser’s memoir, because the illusion of the status quo is all that Rhodes and his fellow travelers could ever stomach in geopolitics. But it was always just that: an illusion. Rhodes never really looked at the world as it is; he simply imagined a facade of post–Cold War stability. The historic Israeli military campaign against Iran that began last week represents another crack in that facade, joining the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea, and the Arab Spring.

After spending the past year and a half knocking out one Iranian proxy after another, Israel has dealt the Islamic Republic a heavy blow in recent days. Not just militarily, but politically too. Israeli forces killed a number of senior officials in Tehran, including the chief of staff of the military, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force, and a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. And that was just in the first few hours. I suspect that the occupational hazards associated with employment in the Iranian government will continue to grow with each passing day.

Now that the Islamic Republic is severely weakened, the alarmist foreign policy commentariat is apprising us of the unacceptable risks, raising their well-worn red flags. (Or should I say white flags?) “Escalation!” “Global war!” And the ultimate enemy of the status quo: “regime change!” In the shadow of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, I don’t doubt that Rhodes and some like him had good intentions, but we all know what the road to hell is paved with.

Under President Obama, American officials frequently stared down the nastiest offenders in the international rogues’ gallery and insisted that there was “no military solution.” “No military solution” might sound nice to enlightened ears. Unfortunately, it’s a meaningless slogan. Tellingly, Russian officials repeat it all the time too. The Russian ambassador to the UN used that Ben Rhodes-esque turn of phrase at the Security Council, declaring that “no military solution can be legitimate or viable” in Iran. But Russia does believe there are military solutions to its problems—ask any Ukrainian, Syrian, or Georgian. Yet too many in Washington remain determined to fight armed marauders with flowery words.

The initial takeaway from Rhodes on the well-earned battering that the Iranian regime has received was that “this war will above all harm innocent people for no good reason.”

In the shadow of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, I don’t doubt that Rhodes and some like him had good intentions, but we all know what the road to hell is paved with.

Notice the reliance on the future tense. Status-quo huggers hide behind fear of what might happen instead of confronting the brutal truth of what’s actually happened or is happening. Call it a preference for deadly reality over frightening uncertainty.
Andrew Fox: Israel’s bold, and dangerous, gamble
So what does ‘success’ look like for each side? For Israel, the best-case scenario in Iran is that a combination of internal unrest, elite fragmentation and sustained sabotage, along with airstrikes, either collapse the regime or force it to retreat from its nuclear programme. The second-best outcome would be a significant delay to Iran’s nuclear programme, perhaps buying a decade or more. The worst-case scenario is that Iran weathers the storm and sprints for a bomb.

For Iran, ‘success’ means surviving the onslaught while projecting strength, deterring future attacks through visible retaliation and perhaps leveraging the threat of nuclear capability to force concessions. If Tehran can maintain regional influence, continue enrichment and keep Israel guessing, it will consider that a strategic win. The Iranians may accept Trump’s offer of a deal to reconsider their nuclear ambitions, although this would represent a humbling strategic defeat.

There is a darker prospect, too: unending escalation. This cycle could spiral into a painful and damaging campaign of attrition for both sides. Should Iran refuse to compromise, firmly on the back foot and battered from the skies, it is conceivable that Israel will escalate. This could mean striking at the political leadership itself, and forcing the regime change Israel is currently only hinting at.

Which brings us to the crucial question: how does this de-escalate? At present, it does not. Neither side is incentivised to back down. Israel views a nuclear Iran as an existential threat; Iran perceives Israeli aggression as justification for doubling down. The lack of a credible mediator and the erosion of American deterrence highlight just how fragile the situation is.

One path to stability may lie in backchannel diplomacy, particularly if the US and Gulf states can persuade Iran to halt enrichment in exchange for an end to hostilities. However, Israel’s leadership seems to have little faith in diplomacy and no desire for a pause. They believe time is not on their side.

Israel’s absolute penetration of Iran’s security environment and its total air supremacy over its enemy’s capital city should be understood as both a message and a warning. It says: ‘We are inside your defences. We can strike you at will.’ It also reveals a strategic conundrum. Israel has embarked on a campaign that may be beyond its means to finish. Effective as these strikes are, they may not stop Iran’s nuclear drive and might even accelerate it.

What began with a covert drone strike has now turned into open conflict. Rockets are being fired at Israeli cities and airstrikes are lighting up the skies over Tehran. Israel is gambling on precision, pressure and psychological warfare to bring down a regime it hopes to bomb into submission. Iran is betting that it can absorb the blows, outlast its enemies and emerge nuclear-armed. Both sides are pushing the boundaries of strategy and restraint.

Right now, neither side has the option to stop. Both are willing to find out what happens when they do not. Whatever happens next could shape the Middle East for decades.
Michael Oren: Trump: Greatest Peacemaker of the Century
For many years now, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, American diplomacy on Iran has focused on curbing its nuclear program. Successive presidents have pledged to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. But that approach, however admirable, did not seek to deny Iran the ability to make nuclear weapons nor did it address what was euphemistically called Iran’s “malign behavior.”

That behavior includes Iran’s status as the world’s foremost state sponsor of terror attacks that have claimed countless lives on multiple continents. The regime has murdered Iranian dissidents around the world and tried to assassinate senior American officials, among them President Trump. The Islamic Republic has supplied the missiles and drones used to kill thousands of Ukrainians and helped ignite the current disastrous Middle East war by backing Hamas and Hezbollah. The regime enabled Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to massacre a half million of his own countrymen and the Houthi terrorists in Yemen to block international shipping. Pro-Iranian militias launched dozens of attacks against US bases in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria killing and wounding American soldiers. And the Ayatollahs did all this while brutally oppressing their own people, women, LGBT+, and ethnic minorities especially. Malign behavior indeed.

By insisting that Iran not only limit its nuclear program but dismantle it, President Trump is the first world leader to ensure that the regime will neither have nuclear weapons now nor the means to produce them in the future. But once the Ayatollahs are defeated or overthrown, the president can achieve vastly more.

The president can end Iran’s support for global terror, its backing of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and its supply of the weapons that kill Ukrainians. The president can guarantee the sovereignty of Syria and Lebanon and the demilitarization of Yemen and Gaza. Through President Trump’s diplomacy, Iranians can once again enjoy freedom.

The fall of the Islamic Republic’s empire can give rise to peace between Israel and Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and possibly Iran itself. A ceasefire deal can be achieved in Gaza and all of the Israeli hostages released. The Middle East will be thoroughly and stunningly transformed. President Trump will be hailed as modern history’s greatest peacemaker.
David Harsanyi: Iran is nothing like the Iraq War
Iran, of course, has been an enemy of the U.S. for over four decades, regularly taking American citizens hostage, hatching assassination plots against U.S. leaders, undermining U.S. interests in the Middle East, and threatening Gulf allies and international shipping lanes. Iran is responsible for the death of over 600 American troops, or approximately 1 in every 6 combat fatalities in Iraq, maiming thousands of others. Imagine how fundamentalist Islamic leadership would conduct itself with nuclear warheads.

It is, in case anyone has forgotten, the longtime position of the U.S. that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons. This was, ostensibly at least, the purpose of former President Barack Obama’s deal with the mullahs. Remember that Ben Rhodes’s “echo chamber” narrative was conceived to gin up support for the failed Iran deal. Trump, who backed out of that disastrous agreement, has on multiple occasions not only unequivocally stated that Iran would be denied nuclear weapons, but that he would allow Israel to take out the program. “Hit the nuclear first and worry about the rest later” does not sound like the sentiments of a neoconservative nation builder but a pragmatic Western leader.

Though Israelis have likely funded and employed public relations efforts to boost the prospect of internal opposition groups, not one leader has ever expressed any interest in landing troops on Iranian soil for any occupation to make it happen. If Iranians want to depose the Khamenei regime, and they have shown repeatedly that they do, they will have to do the hard work themselves.

For Israel, the strategic goal is clear: degrade, hopefully destroy, Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear bomb. Israel is trying to win a war of survival, not remake the Middle East. Numerous outlets have reported that Israel has asked the U.S. to participate in strikes. This might be true, or it might be information warfare. Perhaps the story was planted to scare the Iranians into surrendering. Perhaps Israel could use help destroying the Fordow nuclear facility, buried deep under the mountainside. Doing so would be in our best interests as well.

As of this writing, however, there is no evidence that the U.S. has engaged in any combat missions. The Iranians, thus far, haven’t attacked any American bases in the region because the last thing they need is further pulling us into the conflict.

And it’s about time rogue terrorist regimes were terrified of the U.S. again.


Leftists for the ayatollah?
A new item has now been added to the left’s ‘omnicause’ – the list of views you have to hold to be a truly ‘progressive’ activist. Alongside trans rights and opposition to Israel, you are now expected to show support for the Iranian theocracy. Yes, those lovely, fuzzy mullahs who like to publicly execute homosexuals and spend an inordinate amount of time and energy oppressing women. It seems some on the left have now decided that those fellas are the good guys.

From the left’s perspective, it makes a warped kind of sense. The Israelis are the bad guys, in their view, and Iran is Israel’s enemy. Therefore, the Iranians must logically be the good guys. This thinking was demonstrated on Saturday, following Israel’s strikes on military targets in Iran. Pro-Iran chants and signs could be seen and heard on one of the ubiquitous pro-Palestine marches in London.

This is such a childish view of the world that it is difficult to fathom how grown adults can buy into it. The Iranian theocracy is one of the least liberal governments on Earth. It is a regime that imposes the death penalty hundreds of times a year – not just for homosexuality, but also for all manner of other things we wouldn’t even consider crimes in the West. It runs a ruthless authoritarian state that hammers away at any internal opposition in the most brutal ways imaginable.

Some on the left will claim that they aren’t sticking up for the regime – they are simply saying that Iran was attacked in an ‘unprovoked’ manner by Israel. But you have to either be ignorant of the facts or be taking the mickey to adopt this position. The Iranian theocracy has funded both Hamas and Hezbollah to a huge degree, providing them with intelligence along the way. Hamas was, of course, responsible for the pogrom on 7 October 2023, which started the Gaza war. And Hezbollah has been bombing northern Israel since 8 October. Both have also helped keep alive the myth that if the Palestinians just give it one more push then, from the river to the sea, the ‘Zionist entity’ will be no more. This has resulted in more Palestinian suffering than can be imagined.

That’s before we get into all the other terrible stuff the Iranian theocracy has got up to over the past few decades, including helping the Russians in their colonialist war against Ukraine. Iran should be seen as the bad guys from any even slightly liberal viewpoint.
Yisrel Meadad: In America, the Jew as ‘settler’
As my friend Eve Harow remarked: “Of course, he being Jewish is in no way a justification, but it is very much the reason he was targeted.”

Of one aspect of the coming revolutionary violence, we can be sure. In a 1972 article, criticizing the Soviet involvement in promoting Palestinian terror groups, specifically the massacre at Lod airport by the Japanese Red Army recruited by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Menachem Begin recalled a tsarist period saying, that “Jewish blood is the oil of the wheels of the revolution” (based on a November 1905 speech given by the Bundist leader Vladimir Medem in which he claimed saying, “Blood constitutes that lubricant without which the carriage of history does not move ahead” but that Ze’ev Jabotinsky had altered to “Jewish blood is the lubricant of the Russian revolution”). It is being resurrected right before our eyes.

The contemporary progressive revolutionary mantra is that Zionism is an enterprise of “settler-colonialism.” Moreover, Jews cannot be nationalists. Not only is the territory of Judea and Samaria “occupied” unlawfully, but all of Israel as well. A “settler” is illegal, even though Jews reside in their own historic homeland. In San Francisco, that paradigm isn’t enough. Jews have become seen as “settlers” in America. Therefore, they are “illegal.”

Diaspora Jewish leadership should know what the opprobrium “illegal” intends. They should know what is coming, for it has always come in a variety of guises. The very vocal pro-Israeli actor Michael Rapaport has been quoted as saying that “the cavalry ain’t coming.”

How will you adequately defend yourselves? You have been, once again, alerted. And you must answer that question.
Tikvah: Why America’s Radical Left Excuses Violence Against Jews | Jeffrey Herf
Historian Jeffrey Herf, professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, joins Jonathan Silver to discuss the wave of pro-Hamas violence that has followed October 7. He explores how the present moment marks a reemergence of 1960s radicalism, in which the proliferation of far-left ideas led to violence. The slogan “globalize the intifada,” heard across campuses for the past 20 months, has moved beyond rhetoric—from the recent shooting in Washington, D.C. to last weekend’s attack in Boulder, which left more than half a dozen people injured. Drawing on the work of Paul Berman, Herf warns that if history is any guide, violence against Jews is likely to escalate.

00:00 Introduction
03:21 The Meaning of October 7 in the West
09:17 Anti-Zionism, the Arab World, and Propaganda
12:40 “Globalize the Intifada” and the Turn to Violence
17:38 American Radicals Then and Now
22:24 Universities, Moral Inversion, and Complicity
36:30 The Boulder Attack and Domestic Terrorism
53:20 Strategy and Responsibility: The Jewish Approach




Soldier KIA in Gaza, bringing IDF wartime toll to 870
An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed in action in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, the military announced on Tuesday morning.

The soldier was identified as Staff Sgt. Naveh Leshem, 20, of the Golani Brigade’s 12th Battalion, from Nokdim.

On Monday, the IDF announced the death in Gaza of Capt. Tal Movshovitz, 28, a deputy company commander in the Golani Brigade’s 7086th Engineering Battalion, from Re’ut.

Two days earlier, Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Noam Shemesh, 21, of Jerusalem, was killed in combat in southern Gaza. Shemesh was a squad commander in the Shimshon Battalion 92 in the Kfir Brigade.

The death toll among Israeli troops since the start of the Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 27, 2023, stands at 427, and at 870 on all fronts since the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.


Australian Journalist Erin Molan Refuses to Flee Israel Amid Iran War, Will Stay to ‘Report the Truth From the Ground’
Australian broadcaster and journalist Erin Molan is in Israel during the country’s war against Iran and said she will remain in the Jewish state “to report the truth about what is happening here on the ground.”

“Let me make it very clear – despite media reports – I have not asked the Australian government – or ANYONE to on my behalf – to come to my rescue or evacuate me,” the former television presenter wrote in a social media post on Monday.

“There are a million other priorities for all involved in this conflict right now,” she added in part. “I desperately want to get home to my daughter – BUT – unlike so many people here — she is SAFE — many other children in Israel/Iran/Gaza are not. I am patiently waiting and thinking of all those who are in a far worse position than I am.”

Molan was scheduled to fly home to Australia on Friday but has been stranded in Israel since all airspace was closed following the start of Israel’s attack on nuclear and military targets in Iran, which started overnight on Friday. Since then, she has been reporting live from Israel about the war against Iran, sharing commentary on social media as well as videos of destruction in Israel caused by Iranian missiles launched at the Jewish state in retaliation for Israel’s airstrikes. During her extended stay in Israel, she has also interviewed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Israel’s President Isaac Herzog.
War Zone LIVE: “GO TO HELL” Erin Molan Interviews Israel's President Herzog at missile impact site
Join Australian journalist Erin Molan for an EXCLUSIVE and gripping interview with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, conducted LIVE at the site of a devastating Iranian missile attack in Israel. Amid the chaos of Operation Rising Lion and escalating tensions, Erin delivers raw, on-the-ground insights as sirens blare and missiles strike Tel Aviv. President Herzog shares his powerful perspective on Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Israel’s response, and the fight for global security.


‘Shame on You!’: Jenna Ortega Receives Backlash for Ignoring Israeli Suffering in Message About Iran, Gaza Wars
American actress Jenna Ortega is being criticized for not acknowledging Israelis in a statement she shared on Saturday about the ongoing wars in the Middle East and how they are impacting civilians in Iran and the Gaza Strip.

The “Wednesday” star, 22, said in an Instagram Story that the world is “crying” because of immigration raids in Los Angeles, the Israel-Hamas war, and the Israel-Iran war that started earlier on Friday morning. “Innocent civilians in Iran are caught in the middle of warfare. Palestinian cries are still being buried in every day [sic] media. My thoughts are heavy, my heart follows,” she wrote.

Ortega then urged her followers to “never stop paying attention” as “human freedoms spanning across seas are being violated with such violence.” She told the 37.2 million people who follow her on Instagram: “Listen to one another & love, but be angry too. Educate yourself as best you can. To say this doesn’t concern you, or that it isn’t your problem, is a privilege under abuse.” The Story was later saved to Ortega’s Instagram highlights.

Ortega’s post came a day after Israel launched airstrikes against Iran, targeting nuclear sites and military infrastructure in the Islamic Republic, and amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Ortega’s “Scream” co-star Melissa Barrera was dropped from an upcoming film in the franchise because of her anti-Israel social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war.

Ortega’s comments on Saturday garnered criticism from Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), a nonprofit, pro-Israel organization comprised of prominent members of the entertainment industry who aim to combat antisemitism. CCFP shamed Ortega for ignoring the suffering Israeli civilians are facing while Israel is engaged in two wars in the region.

“If you truly care about innocent lives, all lives, then don’t erase Israeli civilians,” said CCFP. “You wrote about being heartbroken over civilians in Iran and Palestinians being buried by the media. But where is your heartbreak for the Israeli families being slaughtered by Iran’s missiles and terror proxies? Where is your voice for the Jewish children who are forced to sleep in bomb shelters? For the Israeli families torn apart? For Jewish lives murdered simply for existing?”


travelingisrael.com: Putin: The War in Ukraine Will Decide the Fate of Russia – and the Palestinians
Putin: The War in Ukraine Will Decide the Fate of Russia – and the Palestinians
Vladimir Putin said the war in Ukraine will decide the fate of Russia, the world—and the Palestinian people.
At first glance, Ukraine and Gaza seem like unrelated conflicts. But they’re part of the same global struggle between Western values and those trying to destroy them. This video explores the deep connection between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Iran’s war on Israel, and why Putin sees them as one fight.
What does it mean for the future of democracy, identity, and global order? Watch to find out.




Far-Left ‘Squad’ Democrats Sign on to Thomas Massie Bill to Prevent U.S. Forces from Engaging with Iran
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has introduced bipartisan legislation aiming to rein in President Donald Trump’s power when it comes to the American position on the Israel-Iran war.

“This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution,” Massie posted on X. “I’m introducing a bipartisan War Powers Resolution tomorrow to prohibit our involvement. I invite all members of Congress to cosponsor this resolution.”

While he remains the sole Republican backing such a legislative effort, several top Democrats from the far-left of the Democratic Party, including “Squad” members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), have indicated they are signing on to the Massie proposal.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) replied directly: “Signing on.”

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) added, “I look forward to supporting this War Powers Resolution. The American people aren’t falling for it again. We were lied to about ‘weapons of mass destruction’ in Iraq that killed millions and forever changed lives. It’s unconstitutional for Trump to go to war without a vote in Congress.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) stated, “I support this resolution because the American people do not want another war.”

Others like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), a frequent critic of war efforts, has also signaled he will support the effort.

“No war in Iran,” Khanna posted. “It’s time for every member to go on record. Are you with the neocons who led us into Iraq or do you stand with the American people? I am proud to co-lead this bipartisan War Powers Resolution with Rep. Massie. It is privileged and must receive a vote.”

On the Senate side, progressive senators like Tim Kaine and Bernie Sanders have signaled support for such a measure.

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) released a statement Monday announcing his own War Powers Resolution aimed at preventing unauthorized military action against Iran.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also introduced the “No War Against Iran Act,” backed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Chris Van Hollen, Ed Markey, Tammy Baldwin, and Tina Smith.


Zohran Mamdani says ‘globalize the intifada’ is expression of Palestinian rights
Zohran Mamdani, a leading candidate in next Tuesday’s New York City mayoral primary, refused to condemn calls to “globalize the intifada” during a new podcast interview with The Bulwark released on Tuesday, arguing the phrase is an expression of Palestinian rights.

In an exchange about antisemitic rhetoric on the left, Mamdani was asked by podcast host Tim Miller to share his thoughts on the phrase, which has been invoked at anti-Israel demonstrations and criticized as an anti-Jewish call to violence.

“To me, ultimately, what I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights,” said Mamdani, a far-left assemblyman from Queens who has long been an outspoken critic of Israel. “And I think what’s difficult also is that the very word has been used by the Holocaust Museum when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic, because it’s a word that means struggle,” he said, apparently referring to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.

He added that, “as a Muslim man who grew up post-9/11, I’m all too familiar in the way in which Arabic words can be twisted, can be distorted, can be used to justify any kind of meaning.”

“I think that’s where it leaves me with a sense that what we need to do is focus on keeping Jewish New Yorkers safe,” Mamdani continued, after noting that antisemitism is a “real issue” he plans to address if elected mayor. “The question of the permissibility of language is something that I haven’t ventured into.”


'Iran make us proud, burn Tel Aviv to the ground': Mass pro-Iran rally takes over NY's Times Square
“Iran, Iran makes us proud! Burn Tel Aviv to the ground!” shouted pro-Islamic Republic protesters in New York’s Times Square.

The “Solidarity with Iran” rally was organized by the socialist, pro-Palestinian Bronx Anti-War coalition, which called for people to come out in “full force to support the brave Iranian and Palestinian people fighting for all free people worldwide.”

“Iran is defending itself against terrorist aggression from the US and Zionist regimes,” the group said.

According to videos and statements from the rally, protesters chanted, “US drones in the sky, Iran’s missiles will reply!” and “Courts and talks won’t set us free, resistance brings victory!” as well as calling for Tel Aviv to be burned to the ground.

Many posters and flags were also held up, including Iranian regime flags, posters saying “a genocidal apartheid state has no right to exist,” and pictures of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, and Qasem Soleimani.


Our Report Shows How Support for Palestinian Terrorism Has Spread on College Campuses
On June 14, National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) posted the following on Instagram:
National SJP condemns the Zionist, US-backed attacks on Iran. The Zionist entity has been attempting to ignite a regional war since the day the genocide began […]. Israel’s actions are those of a colonial project that knows its time has come to a close—the world wants Israel to be dismantled, and for Palestine to be free.

This is not fringe rhetoric. NSJP is one of the most prominent anti-Israel student organizations in the United States, and groups like it — some with documented links to extremist and even terrorist organizations — are not just influencing but organizing a growing share of anti-Israel activism on US campuses. As our recent research shows, these networks are coordinated, ideological, and increasingly radical.

In our Anti-Israel Campus Groups: Online Networks and Narratives report, my research team and I analyzed 76,000 Instagram posts, reviewed nearly 10,000 antisemitic incidents, and mapped more than 1,000 anti-Israel campus groups.

What we found was sobering: pro-Hamas and pro-Iranian rhetoric has become normalized in some campus protest spaces. These are not simply students speaking out against a government — they’re echoing propaganda from internationally recognized terrorist organizations.

How did we get here? How did so many students adopt such extreme views so quickly? The answer lies partly in social media — and partly in the silence of campus leadership.

Back in early 2024 — months before campus encampments against Israel dominated national headlines — students in my Social Media & Hate Research Lab flagged several troubling posts from pro-Palestinian student groups. These weren’t calls for peace or for a two-state solution. They were open endorsements of Hamas, a group responsible for mass murder, rape, and kidnapping.

I was skeptical at first. I had spoken with some of these activists a few weeks and months earlier; they seemed reasonable — even critical of Hamas in private. But the posts were public and unambiguous: “Glory to Hamas.” “Hamas is morally superior to Israel.”
‘Concerned’ about West Virginia University probe of Jewish student, free speech org says
The free speech organization Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression sent a letter to West Virginia University demanding that the public school in Morgantown end a no-contact order that it had placed on a Jewish student, who was distributing a pro-Israel book on campus.

Jessie Appleby, counsel for FIRE’s campus advocacy program, wrote to E. Gordon Gee, the West Virginia president and former Ohio State University leader, that the nonprofit is “concerned” that the school launched an investigation against Eliyahu Itkowitz in January based on complaints from a dining hall employee, identified in the letter as Hannah Harper.

Harper reported Itkowitz for giving her a copy of Alan Dershowitz’s book The Ten Big Anti-Israel Lies the prior month. The West Virginia employee saw the book, which Itkowitz handed out broadly on campus, as “anti-Muslim.”

“Let’s be clear. I started handing out Alan Dershowitz’s book after passing repeated anti-Israel demonstrations by the Muslim Students Association on my way to class,” Itkowitz told JNS.

“They had every right to protest, and so do I,” the Jewish student said. “But instead of protecting open dialogue, WVU’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities responded to me with constant investigation and intimidation.”

What used to be diversity, equity and inclusion “is now being weaponized to silence students who speak uncomfortable truths,” Itkowitz told JNS. “That’s why so many Jewish students, and decent people who know right from wrong, stay silent.”

“But we can’t stay silent,” he added. “We have to speak up and call out these systems that claim to protect students while punishing those who dare to dissent.”
Jewish West Virginia Student Targeted by Dining Hall Employee Over Pro-Israel Views
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) on Monday implored West Virginia University (WVU) to lift a no-contact order imposed on a Jewish pro-Israel student following a bizarre series of events in which he was reported for promoting pro-Israel speech on campus, The Algemeiner has learned.

According to a letter sent by the nonprofit organization, WVU freshmen Eliyahu Itkowitz was distributing copies of attorney Alan Dershowitz’s book The Ten Big Anti-Israel Lies: And How to Refute Them With Truth during the final weeks of fall semester when he was approached by dining hall employee Hannah Harper — who, as uncovered by an Algemeiner investigation, is a white female who recently converted to Islam. Itkowitz offered Harper a copy of the book. She accepted it.

However, Harper, who had been made aware of Itkowitz’s Jewish identity and support for Zionism through her dealings with the campus’ Muslim Students Association (MSA), apparently had ulterior motives for accepting the book. Following the interaction, she delivered the copy of Dershowitz’s book to the university’s Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DDEI) and with it a complaint alleging that the student had handed her an “anti-Muslim book” as a discriminatory act. Itkowitz has denied that he meant Harper any harm.

Harper continued her pursuit of Itkowitz weeks later in the main dining hall after he had returned to school for spring term. Having caught sight of him, she falsely told her manager, Brad Dobson, that the student had been banned from eating there due to the complaint she had filed. The unsuspecting manager accosted the student and demanded that he take lunch somewhere else. Itkowitz refused, choosing instead to record the incident with this smartphone while Harper escalated the situation by calling the police.

“The university launched an investigation, despite the fact that even if all of her allegations against Eli were true, and there is evidence to suggest that they aren’t, all of the described actions constitute protected speech under the First Amendment,” Jessie Appleby, FIRE program counsel for campus advocacy, told The Algemeiner on Monday during an interview. She added that school officials ultimately determined that Harper’s allegations did not merit punishing Itkowitz. However, they did so after an invasive investigation and handing down a no-contact directive, which carries inculpatory implications, ordering Itkowitz to avoid all contact with Harper
Florida Should Investigate Ties with Dutch Universities Because They Violate the State’s Anti-BDS Law
Florida’s anti-BDS laws explicitly prohibit public institutions from partnering with entities involved in discriminatory boycotts of Israel.

Yet Florida’s universities currently maintain academic relationships with Dutch universities that appear to have withheld critical information from their American counterparts. Recently, multiple Dutch institutions — including Erasmus University Rotterdam, Radboud University Nijmegen, Tilburg University, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, Maastricht University and Delft University of Technology — have limited, suspended, or terminated their academic ties with Israeli institutions such as Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, and the University of Haifa, citing indirect or alleged associations with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and human right violations.

Notably, none of these decisions were based on concrete evidence linking Israeli universities directly to human rights violations. The mere suggestion of association with the IDF was deemed sufficient to justify academic boycotts. At Wageningen University, almost 400 lecturers even publicly refused to supervise exchange students from the Hebrew University– an explicit act of discrimination directly violating Florida’s anti-BDS framework. None of these lecturers faced sanctions.

Meanwhile, Maastricht University actively maintains collaboration with Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), directly overseen by Iran’s government, which calls for the destruction of Israel and the United States. It is widely known that Iranian universities systematically suppress student dissent through surveillance, intimidation, suspension, and expulsion — often facilitated by Iran’s brutal Basij militia. Yet Maastricht University remains silent about Iranian abuses while swiftly freezing ties with Israeli institutions using criteria never applied to their Iranian partners.

Moreover, Maastricht University activists from Free Palestine Maastricht (FPM) — affiliated with the Iranian-linked extremist group Samidoun — publicly spread grotesque blood libels, accusing Hebrew University of organ theft from Palestinians. Rather than condemning this vile antisemitism, Maastricht’s administration appeased these activists, granting formal meetings and swiftly freezing partnerships with Israeli universities following aggressive demonstrations in May 2024. Yet, Free Palestine Maastricht has an office within the building of Maastricht University.

During my tenure as chair of Maastricht University’s University Council, the Iranian community on campus, Iranian students and faculty, approached me desperately, asking the Board of Governors and University Council to issue a formal statement expressing solidarity with their families in Iran — mothers and sisters protesting under the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement following the death of Mahsa Amini. (Mahsa Amini died in September 2022 after being detained by Iran’s notorious “morality police.”) I was told this request was refused.

What I heard next chilled me: some Tehran-aligned staff within Maastricht’s academic community argued that any such declaration would be perceived as insulting the Iranian regime and, by extension, Islam itself — even if no such intent existed.
‘Terrible’: University student leaders ‘dismissive’ of antisemitism
NSW Liberal MP Chris Rath says so many student leaders at universities across Australia are “dismissive” of antisemitism on campus.

A Sydney University academic has been stood down and referred to police after tweeting Zionists should be “executed”.

Mr Rath told Sky News senior reporter Caroline Marcus that it is a “terrible” situation for Jewish students experiencing antisemitism on campuses.




Palestinian Authority TV: Israel Is Fighting in Iran to ‘Distract Attention’ from ‘Crimes’ in Gaza
The first reactions on official PA TV to Israel’s launch of its pre-emptive strike against Iran’s nuclear program is to present it as a cover for Israel to continue its “slaughter” in the Gaza Strip unnoticed.

Official PA TV broadcast an interview with a commentator from Jordan who stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched the operation against Iran to “distract attention from the crimes he is committing in the Gaza Strip”:
Commentator Fawzi Samhouri from Amman, Jordan: “[Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu] — in addition to how he wants to destroy ‘the Iranian nuclear facilities’ — wants to distract attention from the crimes he is committing in the Gaza Strip and also in the West Bank [i.e., Israel’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 war on Israel], and his systematic escalation through supporting the settlers’ militias.”

[Official PA TV News, June 14, 2025]

Official PA TV News also complained that Gaza “disappeared from the media scene” because of the war on Iran:
PA TV newsreader: “In the middle of the escalation taking place between Israel and Iran the voice of the Gaza Strip — the victim being slaughtered by the multi-faceted and multi-dimensional Israeli war machine — has disappeared from the media scene. While the current escalation in the region is capturing the main headlines, the occupation [i.e., Israeli] government is continuing its war of aggression on the Gaza Strip that is torn to pieces.”

[Official PA TV News, June 14, 2025]


'Every Jew, Israeli is banned': Turkish-German tailor shop under fire for Facebook post
The tailoring shop Yörük I in Kleinmachnow, operated by father-son duo Osman and Mehmet Uyar, became the center of controversy after a post declaring a ban on Jewish and Israeli customers was shared on their social media.

The contentious post read: "From today on, no Jew is allowed into my business because we want peace, not war, so every Jew or Israeli is banned from my shop." The message quickly circulated, leading to public condemnation and a police investigation.

Brandenburg police's state protection department is now investigating the incident. The police stated that the post was deleted shortly after it was published, Bild reported.

Brandenburg Antisemitism Commissioner Andreas Büttner took to social media platform X to address the situation. Büttner shared the post and wrote: "Yesterday ,this message went viral." He later stated, "He called me afterwards to inform me that his account had been hacked and he has 60% Jewish customers in Kleinmachnow and Calau.....hmmmm," expressing skepticism about the explanation provided by the shop owner.

Tailor says Facebook page was hacked
In response to the allegations, the operator of the tailoring business, Mehmet, insisted he had nothing to do with the post. "No, no, they haven't. Someone hacked my page. I tried to delete it everywhere, I noticed it too late," he said, according to Die Zeit.

However, conflicting statements emerged from his father, Osman. The owner of the tailoring shop denied having published the post himself but suggested his son was responsible. "My son wrote that. I called him immediately after the police were there; I only found out about it today," he said, according to Bild.

Both father and son emphasized their commitment to serving all customers regardless of background, German media reported.

Furthermore, images surfaced on social media showing Mehmet posing with the Wolf's Salute, the symbol of the Turkish right-wing extremist group Grey Wolves.
Threatening, antisemitic letter found inside Highland Park mailbox draws huge hazmat response
A threatening letter with antisemitic comments found inside a mailbox in suburban Highland Park drew a large police and hazmat team presence Sunday night, with the FBI and State Terrorism and Intelligence Center still working to investigate what Mayor Nancy Rotering called an "antisemitic crime."

"An act of antisemitism reported in our community tonight has shaken many of us, and understandably so," Rotering said in a press release late Sunday night. "It is a reminder that even in a place like Highland Park—where we strive to lead with compassion and inclusion—hate can still find its way to our doorstep."

About 8:30 p.m. police in Highland Park responded to a home in the 900 block of Marion Avenue, in the Braeside neighborhood of the northern suburb after residents reported receiving a threatening, antisemitic letter in their mailbox.

Police, along with the FBI, officials from Illinois' Terrorism and Intelligence Center, and a hazmat team responded to the scene as part of the investigation, officials said. Photos and video from outside the home Sunday night showed families standing outside as multiple fire and police officials surrounded the area.

A preliminary investigation revealed the letter was sent through the United States Postal Service. After hazmat testing, the letter was deemed nontoxic by the Hazardous Material Team, police said.

"We understand that reports such as this are deeply disturbing, frightening, and offensive," Highland Park police said in a statement. "The City unequivocally condemns antisemitism and all acts of hate, standing in solidarity with our Jewish community. Antisemitic and hate-motivated acts have no place in our community or anywhere."
Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro Claims He Is a ‘Real Jew,’ Unlike Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu
Socialist dictator of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being “the Hitler of the 21st Century” in response to Israel’s airstrikes on Friday against Iran, a key ally of his authoritarian regime.

Maduro levied a barrage of accusations against Netanyahu and Israel’s “Nazi-Zionism” on Saturday night during his participation in a workshop of his regime’s “Seven Transformations” governance program, the latest iteration of the Maduro regime’s 2025-2031 socialist plans for Venezuela. According to Maduro, Netanyahu is allegedly carrying out a West-backed plan in the Middle East comparable to the actions carried out in the past by Adolf Hitler across Europe.

“For those who like to talk about religions, this is not a religious conflict. The conflict that has existed since the founding of the State of Israel is a geopolitical conflict,” Maduro claimed — disregarding the decades of openly antisemitic bigotry out of Tehran — “because that State was created to conquer the entire Middle East and Central Asia, and to take away their wealth and colonize those peoples.”

“It is the Zionist project, which they say goes from the Jordan River to the Euphrates and beyond. Europe did to Hitler what the West is doing to Netanyahu,” he continued. “From Venezuela we say it and nobody is going to prevent our voice from sounding here and there, and the peoples of the world to wake up in a conscience.”

The Venezuelan dictator also questioned the legitimacy of Netanyahu’s Jewish heritage and claimed that, unlike the Israeli prime minister, whom he described as originating from a “hodgepodge who comes from Poland,” Jewish blood runs through his veins.

“I am a Christian, but Jewish blood runs through my veins, Sephardic blood, from the authentic Jews of the twelve tribes, those of Moses. Those Jews of the twelve tribes, who are not the ones in charge today in the State of Israel, those who govern today under Netanyahu, are not authentic Jews. He is a hodgepodge who comes from Poland,” Maduro said.
I’ve been called a ‘Zionist baby killer’ for wearing hostage pin, reveals Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs has revealed that he has been called a “Zionist baby killer” and “Zionazi” simply for wearing a yellow ribbon pin, the symbol of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Isaacs, who is Jewish, explained that he feels a personal responsibility to advocate for those still in captivity after his meetings with their families, but admitted he understands why many other stars have chosen not to do so publicly.

Speaking to New York Magazine at his London home, he said: “I always wear it if I’m on a red carpet and a press line.

"I wear the hostage pin because there are innocent people who were taken from their homes. Most of them are peace activists who lived in border communities where they were ferrying sick kids to hospitals and working with people from Gaza constantly.

"There are Holocaust survivors, there are children who were taken, there are people being starved and tortured and raped who have no access to the Red Cross.

"People are rightfully talking and thinking about all the civilians that are in danger everywhere else. But those people in tunnels, it’s now 600 days they’ve been there, they’ve been forgotten entirely.”

The White Lotus star recalled that, after he wore the pin once, a hostage’s family got in touch to thank him, adding: “I now am aware that they are watching me and that it matters to them. If my son or sister or daughter or father was being kept in a tunnel somewhere and weighed 25 kilos now, or may have been strangled or shot, and it felt important to me that some actors somewhere wore the yellow hostage pin, then who am I to not wear it?”

But, asked why more major names had not followed suit, he admitted he could sympathise with the decision to keep their advocacy out of the public eye.

"Just for wearing it, I’ve been called a Zionist baby killer, a Zionazi,” he explained, adding: “Even a yellow hostage pin for innocents is deemed political, which it isn’t.”


Hapoel fans model new uniforms, with Hersh logo, in bomb shelters
The Hapoel Jerusalem soccer club unveiled its new away soccer uniforms with a photo shoot taken in a public bomb shelter.

Owners of the fan-owned club are spending much of their time of late in shelters, given the daily missile attacks from Iran, noted the soccer club’s CEO Uri Sheradsky.

On Tuesday, the soccer club posted photos of the new uniform on social media:

“Hi Hapoel, we wanted to show you the away kit for the upcoming season, and this was the only place that made sense. So from the shelter — we’re sending a signal of a bit of normalcy. Take care of yourselves until we meet again.”

The uniforms include a 100th anniversary badge based on an image of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, the dedicated fan who was taken hostage and murdered in Hamas captivity in Gaza in late August.

The models are fans of the Jerusalem soccer club.

The soccer club, which is operated by a non-profit organization entirely owned by its fans, the club’s trustees, announced in May that it is marking the 100th year of its establishment with a new logo featuring a likeness of Goldberg-Polin.

Goldberg-Polin was a devoted fan of the team through his teenage years, and the image is based on a well-known photo of him brandishing the flag of the Hapoel sports association, whose name means “the worker” in Hebrew.

When Goldberg-Polin was taken captive on October 7, 2023, members of the fan brigade were part of the intensive struggle to get him released, flying the Hapoel flags at rallies and protests, creating giant banners of his visage in the red -and-black Hapoel colors to hold at games and events.




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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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