Tuesday, June 24, 2025

06/24 Links Pt2: The Ayatollah’s Lifeline: Made in the West; Benny Morris; Israel & Iran; Sinwar’s March of Folly; Zohran Mamdani’s long war on Israel

From Ian:

Jeffrey Goldberg: Sinwar’s March of Folly
Sinwar’s misunderstanding of Israel was, if anything, deeper than Iran’s misunderstanding of Trump. Hamas and other Palestinian groups believe that Israelis see themselves as foreign implants, and therefore can easily be brought to defeat. Sinwar’s misplaced confidence in theories of settler colonialism and Jewish perfidy undermined his strategic effectiveness. Sinwar was so convinced of his beliefs that he even sponsored a conference in 2021 called “The Promise of the Hereafter—Post-Liberation Palestine,” in which specific plans were discussed for the building of Palestine on the ruins of Israel. “Educated Jews and experts in the areas of medicine, engineering, technology, and civilian and military industry should be retained in Palestine for some time and should not be allowed to leave and take with them the knowledge and experience that they acquired while living in our land and enjoying its bounty,” one presentation read.

The theme of this conference, which was held in Gaza, was an echo of a statement made by Hassan Nasrallah, then the leader of Hezbollah, who said in 2000, “This Israel, with its nuclear weapons and most advanced warplanes in the region, I swear by Allah, is actually weaker than a spider’s web … Israel may appear strong from the outside, but it’s easily destroyed and defeated.” Nasrallah was assassinated by Israel nine months ago.

I asked Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, in Jerusalem, to explain the root of this misapprehension. “The only way you can believe that Israel is Nasrallah’s spiderweb is if you believe that we don’t have substance here, that we’re not a rooted people,” he said. “The problem with Sinwar is that he believed his own propaganda. He believed that we ourselves believe that we don’t belong here. Our enemies in the Arab and Muslim worlds don’t understand that their perception of Israel and of Jews is based on a lie.”

If nothing else, the wars of the past 20 months have proved that Israel’s adversaries are not adept at analyzing political and social phenomena as they manifest in reality. Walter Russell Mead, the historian, once explained that a weakness of anti-Semites is that they have difficulty understanding the world as it actually works, and don’t comprehend cause and effect in either politics or economics. Sinwar, Nasrallah, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself saw Israel as they wished it was, not as it actually is. And in part because of this, they placed their movements in mortal danger.
Sharansky: ‘The Iranian regime was exposed before its people as a paper tiger’
For decades, former Israeli politician and Soviet refusenik Natan Sharansky has championed the cause of freedom from oppressive regimes. Dissidents across the world have found inspiration in his books and sought his advice and support.

Iranians seeking to topple the totalitarian mullahs’ regime are no different.

Soon after Israel began its strikes on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear, weapons production and military sites, Sharansky, who has been in contact with Iranian dissidents, expressed hope that the war would increase pressure on the regime from within Iran, leading to its downfall.

That hope has been reflected in statements by President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the operation, though after the interview, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he favors stability over regime change.

Sharansky spoke with Jewish Insider on Tuesday about the prospects of the Iranian people rising up against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, even after a shaky ceasefire had been declared between Israel and Iran.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Jewish Insider: What did this war between Israel and Iran mean for the possibility of regime change in Iran?

Natan Sharansky: It’s difficult to speak now, because we don’t know what kind of [ceasefire] agreement it is, whether it is the type with Hezbollah, the type that prevents Iran from rebuilding their ballistic missiles.

What is important is that the regime has been very weakened in the eyes of its own people.

A regime like Iran needs control not only over practical matters, it needs a way to keep its people under control, and the only control they had is through fear. The moment the level of fear goes down, or the empire looks weak, or some serious event causes people to doubt it, the regime can fall apart very quickly.

If some people cross the line of fear and go to the streets and resist, [the regime] can fall in a few days, as it did in Eastern Europe or in Tahrir Square in Egypt.

[On Monday], I thought we were very close. The fact that Israel was destroying the symbols of the regime, one after the other — the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] headquarters, the Interior Ministry that controlled people’s movement — meant the regime was being weakened in the eyes of its own people.
The Ayatollah’s Lifeline: Made in the West
The nuclear plants may have been damaged or destroyed, but the regime’s nuclear ambitions are very much alive. Now, with the ceasefire announced shortly after these strikes — initially denied by both sides but rapidly taking effect — the regime has been given a chance to regroup and come back stronger.

This ceasefire paves the way to lifting sanctions. Once sanctions are lifted, the regime will have the funds to rebuild everything: its nuclear program, its terror networks, its brutal internal repression. The world has once again handed the Ayatollahs exactly what they wanted, a lifeline. Trump announcing China can now buy oil again from Iran proves exactly that.

Reports say, The exiled crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, unfollowed Netanyahu and Trump on social media. If true, he for sure feels betrayed by this ceasefire that leaves the Ayatollah in power.

Even worse, they don’t need 100 nuclear weapons; they only need one. One bomb is enough to wipe Israel off the map. And they can get it from any rogue actor willing to sell. A wounded humiliated and weak tyrant is more dangerous than a happy one. The regime was clear they won’t stop. Some countries are willing to provide them the bomb. They are selling the ceasefire to their radical jihadi followers as a win against the “empire” and the “zionist entity.”

Why do we keep betraying millions of Iranians — risking their dreams of freedom — to save a regime that jails, tortures, and executes its own people?

Why do we force Israel to stop short of victory every time it defends itself against terror? Enough.

Let the regime in Iran fall. Stop handing it lifelines. Stop romanticizing, they are a regime designed for tyranny. Stand with the people of Iran — not their jailers and oppressors.

And let Israel win. Stop interrupting wars halfway through and pretending that “both sides” just need to stop. One side seeks to live. The other seeks to destroy. The world is failing at the moral test.

The pattern is clear: when tyrants are vulnerable, the world protects them. When democracies defend themselves, they are told to stand down.

Let the regime in Iran fall.

Let Israel win its wars.

Stop saving tyrants.

Stand with the people.

The world must stop saving the Ayatollahs.

The nuclear plants may be gone — but Iran’s deadly ambition lives on.


Interview with Douglas Murray — UN Watch Gala 2025
Douglas Murray speaks about antisemitism, the cost of truth, anti-Israel bias at the UN, and his cause for hope for the future at the 2025 UN Watch Gala Dinner.




Julie Bindel: Stupid ignorant lefties who support Iran when it stones women for adultery are mad and immoral
LAST week, hard-left activists broke into an RAF base in Oxfordshire and caused millions of pounds worth of damage by spraying red paint into the engines of two military planes in protest at the UK’s support of Israel over the war in Gaza.

Palestine Action, the extremist group responsible — soon to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation — is supported by dozens of pro-Palestinian organisations.

Yesterday a protest in support of Palestine Action took place in central London.

Chants from organisations such as the Stop the War Coalition, Cage, and Muslim Engagement and Development called for destruction of Israel.

One supporter this weekend was seen making a Nazi salute during the demonstration, yet they clearly believe to be on the right side of history.

Its research director, Asim Qureshi, once described ISIS executioner Jihadi John as a “beautiful young man”.

Only hours after the horrendous Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, Stop the War held a protest outside London’s Israeli Embassy.

The campaign group, whose co-founder has expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah, is clearly not against war when the casualties are Israelis.

MEND is an extremist organisation that has expressed support for the killing of British and American soldiers in Iraq.
Israel’s enemies mount smear campaigns based on a smokescreen of lies
When pro-Hamas activists on the “selfie flotilla” to Gaza, aka the U.K.-flagged yacht Madleen, were detained by Israel earlier this month, the Israelis started showing the activists a horror documentary of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and kidnappings, but the activists refused to watch it. How telling that these activists, like so many “pro-Palestinian” militants, reject factual truth in favor of canned lies about Israel—falsehoods delivered robotically, with a near universal refusal to explain or debate them.

Thus, we never hear activist Greta Thunberg justify her rationale for falsely accusing Israel of “genocide.” We’re expected to believe her meme as she mindlessly repeats it.

Indeed, the case mounted by Israel’s enemies is generally a baseless smear campaign absent facts or a rational defense. The accusers rely on ugly pejoratives—genocide, apartheid, colonialism, starvation, ethnic cleansing.

Together, these slanders form a massive, continuous smokescreen, promulgated further by willing mainstream media. Thus, though all the aforementioned accusations are factually and demonstrably false, the defamations appear with alarming frequency in media coverage of Israel.

Yet, this campaign of big lies, hammered by militants and media alike, has proven to be highly effective, galvanizing people all over the world to cease support for Israel or outright rage against it.

The campaign to “free Palestine” is particularly popular with historically marginalized communities, such as the LGBTQ+ community. The fact that members of this community could face immediate death at the hands of Hamas if they entered Gaza is of little matter to “Queers for Palestine.”

In fact, the entire campaign to “free Palestine” from “evil Israel” is built on logical and factual contradictions.

Not only are bogus slanders against Israel repeated ad nauseam at rallies and in media coverage, but the offenses of Palestinian rulers are also ignored. We see no acknowledgement of daily Hamas war crimes or denial of Palestinians’ civil rights by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, as media and militants refuse to raise these issues.

Stunning examples of media complicity in this Israel defamation, as well as a short survey of anti-Israel falsehoods and omissions, lay bare the hypocrisy. Israel’s critics, who claim to value social justice under the banner of intersectionality, blatantly violate both watchwords.
Co-op urged to apologise after equating Israel with Russia
The Co-op has been urged to apologise after it announced it would stop selling products from Israel and equated the country with Russia.

The retailer said on Tuesday it would stop stocking Israeli goods as part of a wider push to “stop sourcing relationships with countries where there are internationally recognised community-wide human rights abuses and violations of international law”.

As well as boycotting Israeli produce, Co-op said it would also no longer stock products and ingredients from 16 other countries, including Russia, Iran and Syria.

Senior politicians and the Board of Deputies of British Jews called on the retailer to change its policy, which they said was unjustified and based on “questionable claims”.

Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said: “This is a totally unacceptable move from the Co-op. The supermarket chain should be focused on delivering goods for their customers, not playing student union politics with international affairs.

“They should apologise and immediately revoke this crass decision.”

The retailer said it has introduced the ban after coming under pressure from its members, with items such as carrots poised to be removed from shelves this month.

Debbie White, the Co-op chairman, said: “As a business, we have a long-standing legacy of doing the right thing, supporting Fairtrade and championing ethical sourcing and this policy is a natural progression of this.”

A spokesman for the Board of Deputies said it was “extremely disappointed” by the decision, which it said was “based on factually inaccurate and questionable claims – a matter we have raised with the organisation”.

They added: “An indiscriminate and unjustified boycott of Israeli goods will do nothing to advance peace in the Middle East.

“We strongly urge the Co-op to reconsider this course of action, which risks harming community cohesion and unsettling Jewish shoppers and staff at an already difficult time. We are also concerned that kosher food may become a target for protesters.”
PragerU: Is Israel a Liability? | 5-Minute Videos | PragerU
A growing chorus of voices—from the American left and right—now calls Israel “a liability.” They say it's time to walk away. Are they right? Or is Israel an indispensable ally? Michael Doran, Director of the Middle East Center at the Hudson Institute, confronts this controversy.


GHF tells UN: ‘Silence is abandonment’ after staff killed, presses for direct food deliveries
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has urged the United Nations to “publicly condemn the targeting of humanitarian workers in Gaza” and to partner with the group on a new system for getting food “straight to Palestinian families,” according to a letter delivered to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday.

“The time has come to confront, without euphemism or delay, the structural failure of aid delivery in Gaza,” Rev. Johnnie Moore, GHF’s executive chairman, wrote in the two-page letter, seen by The Jerusalem Post. “Silence in the face of such violence is not impartiality or neutrality. It is abandonment.”

GHF, an Israeli- and US-backed NGO that began operating in May, says it has distributed nearly 40 million meals through “Secure Distribution Sites” that bypass Gaza’s traditional relief network. Moore argues that reliance on “existing infrastructure” has enabled “mass diversion, looting and the manipulation of humanitarian flows by bad actors,” a thinly veiled reference to Hamas.

The letter demands that the UN condemn attacks on aid workers and the obstruction of relief, “by Hamas and other armed factions," as well as engage ‘immediately and directly’ with GHF to scale up deliveries, not through intermediaries, but through a model that has already proven its capacity.


Winston Marshall: Historian Reveals Why Peace Has Been Impossible: Israel & Iran w/ Dr Benny Morris
Renowned Israeli historian Benny Morris joins The Winston Marshall Show for a piercing and provocative conversation on the origins of the historic conflict between Israel and Iran — and why the West still doesn’t understand it.

Morris dismantles the popular narrative that Zionism was a colonial project, explaining how Jewish statehood was born out of historical necessity, persecution, and repeated rejection by Arab leaders. He charts the trajectory from 1948 to October 7th, tracing a consistent refusal to accept Israel’s existence.

They explore the role of religion in the conflict, the enduring power of jihadist ideology, and the failure of peace processes built on Western illusions.

All this — Middle East myths, Hamas, U.S. naivety, and why history keeps repeating itself in the Holy Land…

Chapters
0:00 Introduction
2:05 Iranian Regime's Messianic Outlook and Historical Context
10:33 Islamic Conquests and Jewish Communities
15:59 Shia Islam and Relationship with Jews
20:05 Iranian Revolution and Relations with Israel
30:08 Development of Iranian Proxies
39:14 JCPOA Deal and Its Implications
50:57 Trump's Withdrawal from the JCPOA
55:26 Impact of the 2023 Conflict on Iranian Proxies
1:13:26 Future of Hamas and Palestinian Resistance
1:24:00 Netanyahu's Image and Israel's Conflict with Iran
1:26:33 The Hostage Situation and Hamas' Ideology
1:29:31 Hamas' Demands and Netanyahu's Response
1:30:56 Hezbollah's Weakened Position and Israeli Operations
1:33:30 Potential Outcomes of the War with Iran
1:36:20 Regime Change and Future Relations with the Islamic World


Winston Marshall: How The West Enabled The Iran Axis to Grow Unchecked w/ Ambassador Michael Oren
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren joins The Winston Marshall Show for a sweeping conversation on Iran-Israel war — and why the West keeps failing to see the bigger picture.

Oren warns that the missile attacks from Iran are just the surface of a much deeper, ideological war—one in which Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and others act as Tehran’s proxies in a global jihadist strategy. He explains why the West misreads the region, mistaking economic grievances for religious zeal, and how this blindness has led to years of appeasement and strategic failure.

Oren discusses historic missteps, the illusion of moderation, and the rising threat of a direct Iran–Israel confrontation that could drag the world into war.

All this—Iran’s global network, the myth of proportionality, jihadist ideology, and the price of Western naivety…

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
07:32 The Obama Administration's Approach to Iran
20:06 The Trump Administration's Perspective
25:00 The Biden Administration's Approach and the JCPOA's Violations
34:47 The Military Capabilities and Strategy of Operation Lion's Roar
45:28 The Potential for Regime Change in Iran
57:43 The Role of the U.S. and International Support
1:00:10 The Impact of British and Canadian Actions on Israel
1:04:03 The Historical and Geopolitical Context of the Conflict


‘No harm no foul’: Greens Party blasted for supporting Iran’s nuclear weapons
The Daily Telegraph’s Tim Blair discusses the hypocrisy of the Greens Party supporting nuclear programs for Iran but not nuclear energy for Australians.

“These are people who were screaming … about the terrible dangers of incredibly safe nuclear energy,” Mr Blair told Sky News host Chris Kenny.

“But then, when Iran gets onto a bit of uranium enriching … they’re like wow, let them be, no harm, no foul.

“This is the shifting sands on which our friends of the left make their base.”


StandWithUs: Emergency Briefing with Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan Conricus, Dr. Qanta Ahmed
WAR WITH IRAN: Join StandWithUs TV for an Emergency Briefing from Israel featuring an in-depth update from Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan Conricus and analysis from journalist, physician and activist, Dr. Qanta Ahmed, in conversation with Michael Dickson, Executive Director of StandWithUs Israel.


Look, Ma! No Nukes! 💥 Now What......?
The Israeli War to dismantle Iran's nuclear infrastructure has been hard and fast. There was a lot of speculation about whether Trump would step in and finish the job. He did. At least the United States stepped in. But is the job finished?

In this live conversation, military expert Andrew Fox and A Paratrooper And A Yogi Walk Into A Bar... cohost, Shana Meyerson, dissect the escalation and eventual descalation of the war to save the world from a nuclear armed Iran. Will the Ayatollah Khamenei survive the war? Or is regime change on the horizon?

Andrew Fox is a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. He served for 16 years in the British Army, leaving the Parachute Regiment with the rank of Major. He completed 3 tours in Afghanistan including one attached to US Army Special Forces, as well as further tours of Bosnia, Northern Ireland and the Middle East. He was a senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, teaching in the War Studies and Behavioural Science departments. In the last year he has visited Gaza twice as well as Hezbollah tunnels in Lebanon. Andrew is a regular Middle East commentator on GB News, TalkTV and LBC radio, and has been published in The Spectator, The Sun, The Daily Telegraph, New York Post and The Tablet, amongst others.


WATCH: Anti-Semitic Acts of Terror Are a 'Direct Result' of US Support to Israel, Mahmoud Khalil Says
In his first broadcast interview since his release from detention, Mahmoud Khalil blamed the United States’ "unconditional support" of Israel for the recent string of anti-Semitic attacks.

"What is happening is a direct result of the U.S. unconditional [sic] support to Israel. People want to be heard. And unfortunately, they are [resorting] to violence to do that," Khalil told ABC News anchor Linsey Davis on Monday. Khalil initially condemned violence, but immediately pivoted and excused it.

Davis asked Khalil if he agreed that "it is never okay to use violence to express yourself." He said "definitely," but added that anti-Semitic attacks are "desperate attempts to be heard."

"There is no place for any form of racism, including anti-blackness, anti-Semitism in the Palestine movement," Khalil said.

Anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. have risen exponentially since Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault, including a recent string of high-profile terror attacks motivated by the pro-Palestinian movement. In the past month, a shooter killed two Israeli embassy employees, and a firebomber injured 15 peaceful Israeli hostage supporters. In April, an arsonist set Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro’s residence ablaze

Khalil himself was a leader in anti-Semitic protests at Columbia University, serving as a negotiator during spring 2024 encampments. Video footage placed him at an illegal protest at Barnard College—during which agitators disseminated Hamas propaganda—just days before his March arrest.


Seth Mandel: New York City and the Jews
Polls suggest the race is a near-tossup between former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and socialist Zohran Mamdani. I wrote about Mamdani in May, noting that his anti-Zionism is his most defined characteristic. He surrounds himself with violence-promoting extremists and has worked a defense of Hezbollah into his campaign spiel (for certain audiences, at least). He is catastrophic, policy-wise, even without the vicious obsession with Israel and Jews, as committed snake-oil socialists often are. But throw in his defense of such phrases as “globalize the intifada” and you’ve got yourself an ostentatious foe of Jewish Americans’ safety and security.

But I want to go back to a word I chose with care: obsession. Mamdani has spent his entire adult life thinking about and organizing against the Jewish state. He has no organic reason for this besides hate. Everything, to Mamdani, comes down to the Jewish state. And what a Mamdani victory would do is mainstream and legitimize the idea that New Yorkers should always be thinking and talking about the evils of the Jewish state and what they can do and say to make 90 percent of Jews uncomfortable in public spaces.

It is this that represents such a danger to Jewish New Yorkers’ way of life: the obsession, the complete collapse of compartmentalization, the normalization of the idea that when you see a yarmulke you shouldn’t think “I should help this gentleman order off the kosher menu” but rather “is this guy a Zionist? He sure looks like a Zionist.”


Israel’s ‘killing of civilians,’ is ‘cruel, limitless, criminal’ Mamdani tells Colbert
Anti-Israel New York City representative Zohran Mamdani, who is running for mayor in the Democratic primary today, said on Monday evening on Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” that Israel is guilty of killing civilians indiscriminately in Gaza.

The comedian asked Mamdani how he would protect Jewish New Yorkers amid “a crisis of antisemitism.” The representative said he plans to increase funding for anti-hate crime programming by 800%.

“I know there are many New Yorkers with whom I have a disagreement about the Israeli government’s policies, and also there are many who understand that it is a disagreement still rooted in shared humanity,” Mamdani said.

“The conclusions I’ve come to, they are the conclusions of Israeli historians like Amos Goldberg. They are echoing the words of an Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, who said just recently, ‘What we are doing in Gaza is a war of devastation,’” Mamdani said.

“It is cruel, it is indiscriminate, it is limitless, it is criminal killing of civilians,” he said. “These are the conclusions I’ve come to.”
Jewish New Yorkers furious over bizarre pro-Mamdani texts evoking Oct. 7 attacks: ‘Disgusted’
Jewish New Yorkers were “stunned” and “disgusted” in the run-up to Tuesday’s mayoral primary by bizarre pro-Zohran Mamdani text messages claiming to come from a friend of a slain Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack victim.

The shady sender told a registered Democratic voter — who shared the texts with The Post — that they were an Orthodox Jew supporting Mamdani, a vocal critic of Israel and its war in Gaza.

“I want to go a bit off script for a second because I’m Jewish, wear a kippah every day, and I support Zohran,” the text said.

“My friend Idan was murdered on October 7 at the Re’im music festival. The war is personal to me, as it is to many in our community. Idan believed in peace, just like Zohran does,” the June 12 message continued, invoking the memory of a murdered Israeli.

“He believed everyone should have access to affordable housing, good-paying jobs, and a life free of discrimination, just like Zohran,” it said.

The gobsmacking messages came after the Jewish voter responded to an initial text tagged with “Zohran for NYC” by arguing that Mamdani wouldn’t receive any votes from Jewish New Yorkers like them.

The voter said they were “stunned” and “disgusted” by the texts seemingly trying to exploit the memory of murdered Jewish people to drum up votes for Mamdani — who appeared to be running neck-and-neck with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the heated Democratic primary.

“It’s trying to normalize that other Jews are voting for him, that he’s for the Jewish people – even though everything he says is the opposite of that,” said the voter, an Upper East Side Democrat who backed Cuomo and Whitney Tilson in the ranked-choice contest.
Zohran Mamdani’s long war on Israel
His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a professor of anthropology at Columbia University who specializes in the study of “colonialism, anti-colonialism and decolonization.” During a 2014 speech, the elder Mamdani said, “Jews can have a homeland in historic Palestine, but not a state.” This language may be par for the course at Columbia, a once-respected Ivy League university now known for pro-Hamas encampments, but it meets the working definition of antisemitism as outlined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which includes “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination.”

Mamdani’s mother, Mira Nair, a respected Bollywood film director, is not much different. This year, Canary Mission reported that Nair “was one of 100 ‘film workers’ who signed an open letter calling on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to forbid Israeli actress Gal Gadot from attending the Oscars.” As far back as 2013, Nair was part of a cultural boycott against Israel and refused to travel to the country after being invited to headline a film festival in Haifa.

The big apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

As a student at Bowdoin College in the early 2010s, Mandami co-founded the college’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. Mamdani also wrote a column in the student newspaper urging Bowdoin to shun Israeli academics in solidarity with the BDS campaign.

He had a short stint as a rapper under the name Mr. Cardamom, but his career went in a different direction as he became a housing counselor and an active member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). DSA blamed Israel for the Oct. 7 massacre without mentioning Hamas in its statement.

Thus far, the throughline in Mamdani’s career and activism is hating Israel.

As Black Lives Matter protests engulfed the country in flames and violence in 2020, Mamdani ran as a DSA candidate for the New York State Assembly for the 36th District and won, beating a Democratic incumbent in the primary.

The media alike couldn’t resist the feel-good story of the scrappy immigrant Mamdani, son of an Ivy League professor and famous film director, bootstrapping his way from Bowdoin College to the state assembly. Jacobin magazine, named after the violent insurrectionists behind France’s Reign of Terror, mentioned him in a story about “socialist insurgents” taking over New York. The New York Times quoted his tweet, “Socialism won,” about left-wing victories in the legislature.

In the current legislative session, Mamdani sponsored New York’s “Not on our dime!” bill, which aims to dissolve state-registered charities that fundraise in support of Israel’s military. The bill is in committee with no vote scheduled.

At a recent UJA-Federation of New York forum, Mamdani said, “My support for BDS is consistent with the core of my politics, which is nonviolence, and I think that it is a legitimate movement when you are seeking to find compliance with international law.” He may say the core of his politics is nonviolence, yet he supports organizations that condone Palestinian terrorism and condemn Israel.

Mamdani’s story is, indeed, unique. But amid his experiences, one theme is consistent: his anti-Israel sentiment. New Yorkers ought to question the motives of a candidate whose animating mission is to delegitimize the world’s only Jewish state.


Mamdani backer who works for NYC Campaign Finance Board is a longtime socialist operative with links to terror groups
A hardcore Democratic Socialists of America operative whose partner is a member of a designated terrorist organization is a New York City employee — and his Campaign Finance Board position gives him access to sensitive information about anyone running for office and the ability to selectively enforce or influence compliance.

Most New Yorkers don’t give the city’s Campaign Finance Board much thought. Perhaps they should.

DSA member Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old assemblyman, surged ahead of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a stunning Emerson College poll released Monday, a day before the Democratic primary — after the board denied the erstwhile frontrunner $1.3 million in matching funds.

Mamdani has received millions in matching funds from the board, more than any other candidate.

The city Campaign Finance Board was created as a neutral watchdog ensuring candidates follow rules, disclose donors and qualify fairly for public matching funds.

Yet David Duhalde, senior candidate services liaison for the board, is a lead DSA member going all in on electing Mamdani, as his social media show.


Chicago Tribune Editorial: Want to know how a socialist mayor would govern New York City? Ask Chicago
A major city. A heated mayoral election. A familiar dilemma: a moderate, business-friendly Democrat versus a democratic socialist. New Yorkers, take it from Chicago — we’ve seen this movie before, and the ending isn’t pretty.

New Yorkers will cast their ballots Tuesday in New York’s mayoral primary, where 11 candidates are vying to win the Democratic primary in America’s largest city. Frontrunner and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is in a tight race against New York state assembly member Zohran Mamdani.

Mamdani wants to freeze rents, open city-owned grocery stores, provide bus service for “free,” tax corporations and the 1%, and increase the minimum wage to $30, among other left-wing positions that differ greatly from Cuomo. Most of Mamdani’s ideas are shared (at least in principle) by Mayor Brandon Johnson, and many of them are popular in blue cities. But experience has taught us here that far-left candidates do not make for effective or popular municipal executives in today’s stressful economy.

Johnson tried to float a $300 million tax hike — and failed. He tried to pass a “mansion tax” that would’ve hiked the real estate transfer tax — and failed. He’s built too few affordable housing units for too much money. He’s isolated himself from many of the state and federal officials he hopes will come to his financial rescue, and he’s done egregious special favors for the people who got him elected — namely, pushing an incredibly costly new contract with the Chicago Teachers Union. He forced out a highly competent schools chief who wouldn’t cow to his desire to borrow recklessly. His city is broke, but he wants to spend more. The list goes on.

Johnson’s approval rating cratered in his second year — a reflection of how quickly progressive promises collapsed under the weight of governance and Chicago’s financial reality. What sounded good in theory has translated into dysfunction, driven by fiscal missteps and political inexperience.

Johnson is one of the most progressive mayors in the U.S., but Mamdani, inarguably, is yet more radical.


Top Aide to NYC Mayoral Candidate Mamdani Lauded UnitedHealthcare Killer: 'Looking Forward To Driving Down Mangione Avenue'
The campaign political director for socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (D.) expressed admiration for accused murderer Luigi Mangione in recently unearthed Facebook posts, writing in one that he looks forward to driving down a street renamed in Mangione's honor.

Mangione "is adored not only because he dared to target a leader of one of the most vile, self-enriching industries darkening our society today, but because he dared to defy the stasis of nihilistic rejection," Julian Gerson, who has worked for Mamdani's campaign since March, wrote last December in social media posts reported by the Daily Mail.

"The question is not whether he was right or wrong," Gerson went on. "It's how many others he has shaken loose."

In another post, Gerson suggested that a street should be renamed in honor of Mangione, writing he was "looking forward to driving down Mangione Avenue a few decades from now," the Daily Mail reported.

Mangione, 26, is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4, 2024. Attorney General Pam Bondi in April directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Mangione.

Gerson in the social media posts also described Mangione as "one of the few entities not rejected online" and said that "while his remarkable good looks hardly hurt, anyone who thinks his acclaim is rooted primarily in aesthetics (looking at you, Vanessa Friedman) is missing the point, probably on purpose," according to quotes screenshotted by John Podhoretz.

Gerson appears to have taken down his Facebook page following the Daily Mail's report.


Palestine Action ‘non-violent’? Don’t make us laugh
On Friday morning, Palestine Action published video footage of some of their activists infiltrating RAF Brize Norton, the UK’s largest air force base. The group claimed their activists had caused damage to two military planes and had managed to escape undetected.

By the end of the day, the Government had announced that it would be proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. Cue the inevitable uproar from the far-left.

Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds North-West, described Palestine Action as following “a long tradition in our country of people using non-violent direct action to oppose war – like the women at the Greenham Common base. But even those opposed to such tactics should see that proscribing Palestine Action – treating them as terrorists – is a dangerous step.”

Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, told her social media followers that “We should all be concerned about plans to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group. Targeting non-violent protesters in this way is a misuse of terrorism-related powers. It sets a dangerous precedent, which governments in future could further use against their critics.”

There is an exquisite irony in elements of the far-left vocally condemning what they clearly see as the redefining of the definition of “terrorism” to include Palestine Action, given that they simultaneously appear to have trouble grasping the meaning of “non-violent”.

Last August, members of Palestine Action used a van to ram through the gates of an Israeli defence firm in Filton, near Bristol. According to a statement subsequently released by the Avon and Somerset constabulary, police and company employees responding to the break-in were assaulted. This included two police officers who were attacked with a sledgehammer, one of whom was taken to hospital due to her injuries. Clearly in the spirit of Gandhi, I’m sure you’ll agree.

In March of this year, another site targeted by Palestine Action saw multiple members of the group arrested, including three charged with “assault by beating”.

But don’t just take my word for it. The Palestine Action website is still online at this point, as it likely will be until proscription takes effect. Absolutely nowhere does it describe itself as a “non-violent” organisation – because it isn’t. It repeatedly calls itself a “direct action” outfit.

In what is described as its “underground manual” it gives advice on how to “create a cell”, “pick a target” and “prepare for action”, as well as a great deal of advice on how to avoid law enforcement consequences, before, during and after an “action”.


Full list of the 11 MPs defending Palestine Action despite 'terror' ban - 'shame!'
Sitting MPs are provoking fury after coming out in support of radical group Palestine Action, despite their pending terror group status. The radical group, which has been operating since 2020, broke into RAF Brize Norton last weekend and caused millions of pounds of damage to two RAF planes.

Following the shocking attack, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she would be adding the group to the official list of banned terrorist organisations. The move could leave supporters and organisers of the extremist group facing up to 14 years in jail, and put them on a par with Hamas, al-Qaeda and ISIS. However despite the widespread condemnation and decision by the Home Secretary, the Express has counted 11 sitting MPs who are still voicing support for the group’s actions.

They include former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, radical lefty Zarah Sultana, two Green Party MPs and the Westminster leader of Plaid Cymru.

Just today, expelled Labour MP Zarah Sultana said: “We are all Palestine Action”, a statement which if posted after their official designation as a terror group would be a criminal offence.

Mr Corbyn has said that the “draconian” proscribing Palestine Action as a terrorist group “is an outrageous and authoritarian crackdown on the right to oppose genocide”.


The disturbing social media posts of leading Palestine Action activist: Campaigner poses with GUN and shows off 'terrorist-linked' tattoos amid claims Iran is funding group's activities
A prominent Palestine Action activist has posed with a handgun and showed off a tattoo adopted by terrorist organisations in a series of disturbing social media posts, it has been revealed.

Paul Shortt, 52, is one of the group's leading protesters who was convicted of breaking into an international defence technology firm which it claims supplies weapons to the Israeli military.

Shortt, from Dumfries, Scotland, and six others used sledgehammers to break into Elbit Systems UK in Bristol on May 15 2022 and caused thousands of pounds of damage to equipment while also spray-painting 'Free Palestine' across the building.

The group, dubbed the 'Bristol 7' by Palestine Action, were convicted of burglary and criminal damage last year but received suspended 23-month jail sentences.

Shortt, who was ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work for the attack, was pictured launching a fire extinguisher through one of Elbit's windows and being hauled away in handcuffs wearing a 'Free Palestine' all-red outfit.

He said after his conviction: 'I'm Scottish, I know about colonialism, I know about land grabs, about ethnic cleansing. We used to do supposedly 'democratic' protests, it just didn't work. Direct action was the only way.'

He is one of the prominent members of Palestine Action who the Government is moving to proscribe as a terror group after a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage' culminated in its 'disgraceful attack' at RAF Brize Norton on Friday.

Shortt has shared photos online wearing a Palestine football shirt, posing with what appeared to be a handgun and showing off his anti-Israel tattoos.


NGO Monitor: The Ongoing NGO Campaign to Undermine the EU-Israel Association Agreement
On June 23, 2025, the foreign ministers of EU member states are scheduled to consider the status of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, the central framework for trade and political cooperation between the European Union and Israel since 2000. The timing is notable, as Israel is in the midst of a historic war against nuclear Iran, is under continuous ballistic missile barrages, and Europe’s role in this part of the wider regional conflict is unclear.

As with many other anti-Israeli initiatives inspired by NGO manipulation, this review, which would potentially cost both Europe and Israel billions in cooperation and academic partnerships, is presented under the human rights façade. It follows a review of Article 2 of the agreement, which conditions the partnership on respect for human rights and democratic principles, by High Representative/Vice-President of the Commission Kaja Kallas. An 8 page “report” put together by the EU’s External Action Service is framed by EU officials as a response to what they describe as a “breach of its [Israel’s] human rights obligations under Article 2.” The text repeats the litany of biased and distorted accusations against Israel, citing UN agencies and ICJ provisional rulings which, in turn, are largely based on the EU’s network of pro-Palestinian advocacy NGOs.

The current NGO campaign seeking to damage the EU-Israel Association Agreement is neither new nor solely a reaction to the October 7th conflict. Rather, it reflects a longstanding, politically motivated effort by these NGOs to instrumentalize EU policy as a tool to isolate Israel. As detailed below, since 2004, these anti-Israel NGOs claiming to promote human rights have pressed for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement as a prime goal of their BDS strategies. For pro-BDS NGOs, the attempt to isolate Israel is central, regardless of the severe economic, technological, and security damage to Europe.
UKLFI: Chickens Come Home to Roost at King’s College Cambridge
The College has stated that by the end of this year, its “financial investments will exclude companies that… Are involved in activities generally recognised as illegal or contravening global norms, such as occupation”

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has pointed out to the Provost of the College that many major companies have operated in illegally occupied territories, such as Northern Cyprus and Western Sahara. According to reports by the Kohelet Policy Forum,[1] these companies include Orange, Credit Agricole, Santander, Siemens, Veolia, Eurochem, BNP Paribas, AXA, Renault, Vodafone, Allianz, Adidas and Coca Cola.

UKLFI has asked the College to clarify whether it intends to divest by the end of this year from all companies supporting and sustaining illegal occupations of Northern Cyprus, Western Sahara and other illegally occupied territories; and if not, why not?

UKLFI also pointed out that the characterisation of Israel’s presence in East Jerusalem and the West Bank as “illegal” is disputed. The majority Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of 19 July 2024 is not binding and there were strong dissents on this point by four of the Court’s judges. The majority Opinion was premised on false information and several of the judges should have recused themselves because of their apparent bias.[2]

UKLFI asked whether the College has made or intends to make any independent assessment of the factual and legal issues regarding this matter.

In addition, UKLFI drew the College’s attention to extensive research over many years at US universities which found that BDS activity against Israel is closely connected with the targeting of Jewish students and staff for harm. For example, it was found that

“The best statistical predictor of anti-Jewish hostility, as measured by actions that directly target Jewish students for harm, is the amount of BDS activity”.




Is CNN Sharing Iranian Propaganda Instead of Proper Journalism?
Has CNN been keeping its audience properly informed? Over the past week, the network has published at least two video pieces focusing on the sentiments of regular Iranian civilians over the Israeli and American attacks on the Islamic regime’s nuclear, military, and political installations.

However, under scrutiny, both pieces appear to parrot narratives put out by the regime’s officials rather than properly represent the nuanced views of those Iranians on the ground. Fred Pleitgen Interviews Iranians on the Streets of Tehran

On June 22, the day after the U.S. bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities, CNN journalist Fred Pleitgen (who claims to be the first Western journalist to enter Iran since the conflict started) took to the streets of Tehran to find out what Iranian civilians were feeling in the wake of the American attack.

What followed was a litany of pro-regime vitriol, with bystanders calling for a “strong response” to the American strikes, claiming that President Trump had no basis to attack Iran, and that Iran had done nothing wrong.

One interviewee even sounded like an official regime mouthpiece, stating that “I support the Supreme Leader with my life. I approve of him, really, because he’s moving forward for the sake of our land.”

There is no doubt that many Iranians are angry at the U.S. for its attack on the nuclear facilities. However, there is also no doubt that Pleitgen chose to only present one public sentiment to his audience and create the false impression that it is the sentiment shared by a cross-section of Iranians.

A Western journalist would need the official permission of the authorities to report from Iran. Was Pleitgen given free rein to interview anyone on the street, or was he directed by officials to only interview those who tow the regime’s line?

And how would Iranian interviewees react? Given the regime’s efforts to crack down on any dissent, often using brutal measures, would any ordinary Iranian even dare to publicly state any criticism of the Islamic Republic?

Incredibly unlikely. But CNN won’t be transparent about the conditions that Pleitgen is working under, as well as the inability of critical voices to make themselves freely heard.


Arizona ed official denounces governor’s veto of antisemitism bill
Tom Horne, Arizona state superintendent of public instruction, criticized Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs’ June 10 veto of legislation that would have allowed public school students and their families to sue teachers over antisemitic content in the classroom.

“This is a terrible error in judgment on the part of the governor,” Horne stated. “This bipartisan legislation was vital for ensuring that public schools cannot infect students with antisemitic propaganda, and her veto is a slap at the Jewish community and those who fight every day against racism.”

The legislation, HB 2867, sponsored by state representative Michael Way, passed through the state legislature with support from both parties, Horne noted.

“This bill should have been signed into law,” he stated.

A spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Education told JNS that Horne made the statement the day after Hobbs vetoed the bill, but it wasn’t posted on the website until Monday due to a “technical issue.”

Horne highlighted an antisemitic incident at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., in which “the sponsor of UNICEF and the sponsor of Amnesty International, both teachers, brought to the school a totally one-sided, pro-Hamas, anti-Israel presentation that caused some impressionable students to develop antisemitic feelings, which made Jewish students uncomfortable.”
Fighting the Good Fight: Kassy Akiva
Kassy Akiva has been fighting antisemitism for years. Ironically, for the vast majority of that time, she wasn’t even Jewish.

Currently an investigative reporter for The Daily Wire, Akiva is smart, articulate and not easily intimidated. Her resume is long and impressive—especially for someone who has yet to hit thirty years old—and includes stints at Fox News, Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), and former Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley’s Stand for America political action committee. Starting from her college days, Akiva espoused political views that made her a magnet for antisemites who threatened and harassed her, thinking she was Jewish even though she wasn’t. But instead of backing down, Akiva couldn’t help but wonder what drove people to have so much hatred for Jews and Israel, her quest for the truth laying the groundwork for major life changes that were yet to unfold.

Journey to Judaism
Born Kassy Dillon, Akiva grew up in a single-parent household devoid of both religion and stability in Chicopee, Massachusetts, a city located roughly ninety miles southwest of Boston. As a young girl, Akiva had her political views shaped by her conservative-leaning grandfather, setting the stage for an eventful university experience as she found herself as one of only two Republican students at Mount Holyoke College. The fact that she was clearly in the minority mattered not at all to Akiva, whose professors made clear their hatred for both Republicans and Israel. The shared ideologies between those two entities had Akiva growing interested in learning more about the Jewish State, and she jumped at the opportunity to take part in a 2016 trip to Israel for politically inclined non-Jewish college students. Little did she know that that trip, her first time ever outside the United States, would also be the first step in her journey to Judaism.

“I had never even met an Orthodox Jew until that trip, but I fell in love with Israel,” recalled Akiva. “I came back a year later and studied at the University of Haifa. I was already learning Arabic and I started learning Hebrew as well.”

Akiva continued returning to Israel whenever possible, exploring both Christianity and Judaism as she contemplated the possibility of introducing religion into her life. It didn’t take long for Judaism to ring true for Akiva, and after spending a considerable amount of time studying on her own, she began the long conversion process with the Boston Beit Din. One of the first questions she faced from Rabbi Joseph Polak, a Holocaust survivor who heads the Boston Beit Din, was whether she was prepared to face antisemitism. Saying that she had already been dealing with that reality for years, Akiva told Rabbi Polak about an emailed death threat she had received.


‘A true superman’: Slain hostage Yonatan Samerano laid to rest
Slain hostage Yonatan Samerano, whose body was recovered from the Gaza Strip earlier this week, was laid to rest in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

“All this time I stood firm in the belief that you were alive,” said his mother, Ayelet, in her eulogy. “I was right — you are alive. They returned your body but your soul isn’t here. It is, and always will be, with me forever.”

The bodies of Samerano, 22, and two other slain hostages, Ofra Keidar, and Staff Sgt. Shay Levinson, were recovered in a joint military and Shin Bet operation from the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

Hundreds gathered to bid farewell to Samerano, a DJ, as well as several singers who performed in his honor, including Hanan Ben Ari.

Described by his family as “a magical child, beloved and surrounded by friends,” Samerano was at the Nova music festival when the Hamas onslaught began. He fled to Kibbutz Be’eri with two friends, where they were murdered, and his body was abducted.

Security cameras on the kibbutz captured footage of the terrorists, including an employee of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, loading him into a UNRWA jeep.

About two months later, the army informed the Samerano family that he had been killed, but they continued to hold out hope that he was alive.

During the funeral, Samerano’s father, Kobi, began to eulogize his son but became too emotional to continue and asked a rabbi to read the eulogy on his behalf.

“We were blessed to have you for 21 years and four months. Being by your side was a blessing. For more than a year and a half, we fought to get you back,” he said.

“To our new family,” he continued, “the families of the hostages — a family we didn’t choose — but our terrible shared fate has united us forever. I am with you until the last hostage is home.”

President Isaac Herzog also eulogized Samerano, and offered an apology to both him and his family.

“On behalf of the State of Israel, I ask for forgiveness,” he said. “Forgiveness that the State of Israel did not protect you; forgiveness that we failed to save you from the murderers; forgiveness that it took so long to bring you back from these monsters.”

“At this turbulent and historic moment, I remind us all: There is no true and total victory until the last of our hostages returns,” he said.




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Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



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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