Thursday, June 26, 2025

06/26 Links Pt2: The new populism of the Judeocidal left; The Colonization of the American Mind; Alice Wairimu-Nderitu and the high price of honesty; CODEPINK or CODERED?

From Ian:

Melanie Phillips: The new populism of the Judeocidal left
Now America is facing a similar nightmare in the shape of Zohran Mamdani, whose victory over former New York governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic Party primary this week puts him in pole position to become mayor of New York. This spells a potential catastrophe for the iconic citadel of American cultural and financial power, and a security disaster for the city’s Jewish community, the largest outside Israel.

Mamdani is an extreme leftist who four years ago tweeted: “Queer liberation means defund the police.” In his campaign, he ran on taxing the rich, government-run grocery stores, free bus travel and a freeze on rent. Such policies are unworkable but offer New Yorkers what many want to hear—a program of left-wing, anti-capitalist populism.

He also has a deep hatred of Israel. He supports a boycott of the Jewish state; he has refused to condemn the Hamas-led atrocities in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023; and he has sanitized the slogan “Globalize the intifada,” which is a call to murder Jews around the world.

As a result of all this, and his charismatic and telegenic personality, he’s become an overnight rock star.

The kind of people who drape themselves in the keffiyeh and mindlessly parrot Hamas propaganda about Israel’s supposed “genocide,” young, college-educated progressives and the vacuous narcissists who people the entertainment industry are going wild for him.

The support by such people for such a man is bizarre. Mamdani isn’t just a Muslim. He is a practicing member of the Islamic Shia Twelver sect, which holds that an apocalypse will bring down to earth the Shia messiah, the Twelfth Imam.

The most prominent member of this sect is Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei—the genocidal fanatic whose defining slogan is “Death to America!”

Given Mamdani’s affiliation to such an uncompromising jihadi sect, one does wonder about his pledge to create an “office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs” at City Hall.

Whatever the theological legerdemain behind such contradictions, Mamdani represents the alliance between reactionary Islamism and left-wing progressivism that we have seen on the streets of Western cities. This has produced the surreal spectacle of liberals marching alongside Islamists who, should circumstances be different, would remove these liberals’ progressive heads from their shoulders.

As with Britain’s Labour Party, Mamdani represents the deeply disturbing future of progressive politics in Britain and America—a movement that has Zionism, capitalism and the West in its sights under the banner of human rights, humanitarianism and anti-racism.

While its followers demonize and dehumanize the Jewish targets of extermination, they are, astoundingly, moralizing as conscience an agenda for exterminating the Jews.
The Colonization of the American Mind
A few days before Israel began Operation Rising Lion, Facebook blocked my account. I cannot thank Mark Zuckerberg enough for that mitzvah. Instead of having to watch neo-Hellenistic Jews do anything possible to hide their Judaism and vapid “Instaporners” do everything possible to steal the spotlight, I got to witness an endless array of Iranian dissidents thanking Israel on X.

They post Persian graffiti blessing Israel, the horrific history of the 46-year-old Islamic Republic, as well as what little protests they are able to engage in. And they remain as stunned as the rest of us at the protests both here and in Europe — in favor of the sociopathic, homophobic, misogynistic regime that is stifling not just their freedom but the lives of their families.

Qatar, China, Russia and Iran have been unquestionably successful at one thing: the colonization of the American mind. Through antisemitic professors, “ethnic studies,” infiltration of leftist media (Shalom, Washington Post), and an intense disinformation campaign on social media, leftists have been fed a steady stream of lies and propaganda to the point that the protesters are ardently embracing a regime that kills women for showing their hair in public, hangs gays and considers child rape sacred.

In 2018, Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff published “The Coddling of the American Mind.” They discussed how a culture of “safetyism” interferes with social, emotional and intellectual development. In retrospect, that seems to have been Stage I of what’s now called the red-green alliance.

Stage II is a complete colonization — OK, obliteration — of brain cells. Disinformation so steeped in anti-facts it makes the Soviets look like amateurs. All of which led to a cognitive dissonance so septic some protesters simultaneously hold up posters celebrating both gay pride and the mullahs who would hang them.

It also led to a mass conformity during precisely the period when most healthy teens and 20somethings rebel. There is only one word for this level of mass conformity: cult.

But for the moral inversion to be complete — for young women in the West to support the most evil patriarchy that has ever reigned — something else had to happen: a complete soullessness. Morality begins in our souls. If you choke off the soul — through a negation of spirituality, creativity, nature — you can easily be convinced to do anything and feel nothing. Thus, the increasing political violence here and in Europe.
The future of the Palestinian movement
The Palestinian movement is at a crossroads. Fatah and its foremost rival for power, Hamas, are both weakened, the former by internal divisions and unpopularity and the latter by the Israeli military. Palestinian politics are entering a transitional phase, and Palestinian political institutions are dead or decaying. The aftershocks will be felt in the Middle East and beyond.

Mahmoud Abbas turns 90 this year. Abbas is the president of the Palestinian Authority, the United States-backed entity that rules over the majority of Palestinians living in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria). The PA was birthed by the 1990s Oslo peace process, which created a lot of process but, in the end, very little peace. Indeed, as the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis has documented, terrorist attacks have increased in the post-Oslo period.

The PA was established in 1994 as a result of the Israel-Palestine Liberation Organization Declaration of Principles. In exchange for Western backing and support, the Authority, then headed by PLO head Yasser Arafat, promised to renounce terrorism and to resolve outstanding problems with Israel in bilateral negotiations. Palestinians got the opportunity to have limited self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza. But three-plus decades after its creation, the verdict is in: The PA is a failure.

The Authority never kept its promises to renounce terrorism and accept Israel. From its inception, the PA has paid tax-deductible salaries to those who murder and maim Jews, or people it believes are Jewish, such as Taylor Force, an American and U.S. Military Academy graduate who was killed in 2016 by a Palestinian terrorist. The PA’s media and educational arms praise terrorist attacks and celebrate murderers, even planting trees and bestowing awards in their honor.

Since the PA’s creation, Palestinian leaders have rejected numerous proposals for something that has never existed: a sovereign Palestinian Arab state. Arafat refused U.S. and Israeli proposals in 2000 at Camp David and in 2001 at Taba. In 2008, Abbas rejected an offer that would have given the Palestinians 93.7% of the West Bank, with Israeli territory to make up 5.8% and a corridor to Gaza for the other .5%. Abbas not only rejected the plan, but he also refused to make a counteroffer. Similarly, in 2014 and 2016, the Obama administration sought to present plans for restarting negotiations, with the 2008 offer as a starting point. Yet again, the PA refused to sit down and negotiate — a feat it would repeat when the first Trump administration sought to engage in talks.

The reasons for the refusals are simple: No Palestinian leader has ever accepted Israel’s right to exist. Going back more than eight decades, all have, without exception, rejected offers for statehood if it meant living in peace next to a Jewish state. The PA’s maps depict all of Israel as “Palestine.” Even Arafat’s pretensions during Oslo were a lie.

The PLO never amended its charter calling for Israel’s destruction. And in a May 10, 1994, speech in South Africa and in another one on Aug. 21, 1995, at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Arafat compared his decision to participate in the Oslo process to deceptions that the Prophet Muhammad engaged in against rival tribes. Its purpose was for Arafat and the PLO — severely weakened by the fall of the Soviet Union, its chief sponsor — to rebuild, consolidate, and then resume working toward Israel’s destruction. As he stated in a 1996 speech in Stockholm: “We plan to eliminate the State of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state. We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion. … We Palestinians will take over everything, including all of Jerusalem.”

Importantly, the PA was not meant to give Palestinian Arabs a state, as then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin made clear. Rather, it was, to use a phrase popular at the time, a “chance for peace.” But more than three decades after the PA’s establishment, peace seems more distant than ever.


Interview: Alice Wairimu-Nderitu and the high price of honesty
On 15 October 2023, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, the United Nations’ Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, published a statement on the 7 October attacks the previous week, and what had happened since.

The statement was trenchant in its criticism of “multiple and coordinated attacks” from terrorist organisations within the Gaza Strip, calling them “unacceptable” and “inexcusable”, but also cited “the loss of civilian lives resulting from Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip”, calling “for all possible measures to protect those who are most vulnerable”. It mentioned the “unacceptable withholding of Israeli hostages by Hamas in the area” and called for their unconditional release, but it also highlighted, “the vulnerability of Palestinian and other civilians remaining in or fleeing their homes in light of ongoing and escalating risks of violence irreversibly affecting them.”

It was a measured statement, carefully considered and discussed between the Special Advisor and her staff before publication. It was also a statement which would upend her life, lead to extraordinary attacks on her both from outside the UN as well as from within the organisation itself. It would culminate in the UN declining to renew her position when her term ended in late 2024. But speaking to me six months later, she said, without hesitation, “I can tell you, if we went back to October 7, I would issue the exact same statement.”

The first indication of internal pressure within the UN came when one of Wairimu Nderitu’s staffers told her that a junior staffer had criticised her statement to other UN staff.

“I was taken aback…it was unheard of for a junior colleague to be criticising a statement in a staff meeting” she said.

But the individual, whom she was told was Palestinian and had been seconded to New York from the UN High Commission for Human Rights in Geneva, would then go further. He then wrote to her directly, copying in her fellow Under-Secretary Generals, questioning whether she had thought of the reputation of the UN when issuing the statement.

“This is somebody who was about like five or six times my junior. It was shocking”.

She discussed this with senior UN colleagues and made the point that she would not be able to do her work if each time she issued a statement, “on Sudan, Sri Lanka, or Colombia, for example”, she received internal protests from UN staffers. They took her point and told her they would take care of the issue. But she kept receiving messages from junior UN employees criticising her actions.

At the same time, media outlets – Wairimu-Nderitu specifically mentions Qatar’s Al Jazeera, Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya and Chinese State media – began to regularly use UN press conferences to directly target her. “They would ask a very specific question, and they would really draw it out. ‘Why isn’t she calling the situation in Gaza genocide?’”

It was repeatedly made clear to journalists by UN spokespeople that the official position of the UN, including that of its senior officials, was not to refer to a conflict as a genocide unless it had specifically been designated as such by an international court such as the ICJ. But the media publications in question refused to accept that answer.

“It kept going, on and on and on”, she said. “They built that pressure. They literally created the justification for ‘she must go’.”
Man indicted on 12 hate crime charges for attack on Boulder rally for Gaza hostages
A man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a group of people demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado, in support of Israeli hostages has been indicted by a US federal grand jury on 12 hate crime counts.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman was initially charged with only one hate crime count in federal court in the June 1 attack on demonstrators. The federal grand jury indictment, which was filed in court Tuesday, had been expected for weeks as a formality in advancing the felony criminal case toward trial. It is routine for prosecutors to add charges beyond the crimes alleged in an initial criminal complaint.

The indictment accuses Soliman of trying to kill eight people who were hurt by the Molotov cocktails and targeting them because of their perceived or actual national origin, which prosecutors say was their perceived or actual connection to and support for Israel. He was also indicted for another hate crime for trying to kill others at the event or nearby who were not injured.

Soliman was also charged with two counts of using a fire and explosive to commit a felony and one count of possessing an explosive device while committing a felony, which are also considered to be hate crimes.

Investigators say Soliman told them he had intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder’s Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but threw just two of his over two dozen Molotov cocktails while yelling “Free Palestine.” Soliman, who is also being prosecuted in state court for attempted murder and other charges, told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a “legal citizen.”
Mass. man shot at pro-Israel rally could have case dismissed if he follows these conditions
A Newton man who was shot and charged in connection with the shooting at a pro-Israel rally last year is required to follow the conditions of his probation for his case to be dismissed later this year, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan’s office said Thursday.

Caleb Gannon, 32, was placed on one-year pretrial probation with mandatory conditions. He was previously charged with one count of assault and battery in connection with the rally on Sept. 12, 2024, Ryan’s office said in the statement.

Gannon was hospitalized after he walked near Harvard and Washington streets during the rally and started shouting at demonstrators at 6:40 p.m., Ryan’s office previously said. He spoke with demonstrators before he ran across the street and tackled a man, Scott Hayes, 48, of Framingham.

An altercation followed before Hayes shot Gannon, Ryan’s office said previously. Hayes was arrested and later pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

If Gannon adheres to his conditions, his case will be dismissed in September, the statement read. He must complete an appropriate online course, which is mutually agreed upon, addressing civil discourse. Gannon must stay away from and have no contact (direct or indirect) with the victim, his family or their residence. Lastly, he must comply with mental health evaluation and treatment and/or continue with current mental health counseling.

If Gannon violates these conditions, his case will be scheduled for trial, Ryan’s office said.

On June 4, Hayes was also placed on one-year pretrial probation from the date of the incident, with mandatory conditions, Ryan’s statement on Thursday read. Hayes is not allowed in Newton during this period unless he has to attend medical appointments or for emergency medical treatment, to attend services in houses of worship or to drive through Newton to other destinations.

His conditions are:
Continued suspension of License to Carry during the pretrial probation period;
Must complete an appropriate online course, which is mutually agreed upon, addressing civil discourse;
Stay away from and have no contact (direct or indirect) with the victim, his family or their residence;
Seek and apply for employment, including completing at least three work searches each week.

Like Gannon, Hayes’ case is dismissed in September if he follows these conditions. If not, his case will be scheduled for trial.


CODEPINK or CODERED? Beijing’s Influence in America's “Peace” Movement
The High Stakes of Foreign “Smokeless War”
The revelations about Code Pink, The People’s Forum, and Neville Singham’s network serve as a wake-up call. They reveal how vulnerable open societies are to covert influence from authoritarian adversaries. Through a combination of financial stealth, ideological appeal, and exploitation of legal gray areas, the CCP (via Singham and his associates) managed to insert itself into the heart of American activism – that sacred arena of democratic expression – and bend it toward its own ends.

Consider the implications: a protest in Washington, D.C., ostensibly about Palestinian rights, ends up echoing messaging favored by the Chinese Communist Party. An antiwar group that once championed human rights ends up whitewashing concentration camps in Xinjiang. A New York community space preaching socialism takes money originating in a one-party state. These are not hypotheticals but the reality unfolding right now. As one analyst observed, it’s as if Beijing found a way to deploy a “fifth column” within America’s own activist community, turning idealism and dissent – qualities vital to a healthy democracy – into weapons against that democracy.

All this is happening without many of the participants even realizing it. Most rank-and-file Code Pink members or pro-Palestine marchers have no idea who Neville Singham is, let alone that their banners and buses might be indirectly paid for by him. They march out of genuine conviction. The tragedy is that this genuine energy is being cynically harnessed to serve the interests of a foreign government that despises dissent (just ask a Chinese protester). It’s the ultimate information warfare jiu-jitsu: turn your enemy’s open society and freedoms into the very tools that advance your authoritarian agenda.

To be clear, highlighting this CCP influence is not meant to delegitimize all anti-war or pro-Palestinian sentiment – people can and do hold those views sincerely. But the integrity of these movements matters. Are they driven by authentic grassroots impulses, or astroturfed by unseen benefactors in service of an ulterior motive? The evidence mounting in the case of Code Pink and The People’s Forum leans disturbingly toward the latter. When foreign cash, hidden affiliations, and coordinated propaganda are in the mix, activists and supporters deserve full transparency so they can decide for themselves what causes to back.

There are signs of accountability on the horizon. Congressional scrutiny is tightening. Media investigations continue to shed light. Even the Department of Justice – prodded by lawmakers – may compel disclosures or take enforcement actions under FARA if it finds willful foreign agency. At minimum, public awareness is growing. The name Neville Roy Singham, once obscure, is now synonymous with CCP influence from Shanghai to San Francisco. Code Pink’s credibility has been severely undermined by these ties, and its leaders will likely face hard questions from their own progressive base about their pro-Beijing apologetics.

Ultimately, this saga is a cautionary tale. It urges vigilance from civil society: activists must scrutinize the origins of their funding and the influences on their messaging. If a cause is worth fighting for, it is worth keeping independent from authoritarian taint. The CCP’s “smokeless war” thrives on ignorance and complacency; it falters under sunlight and scrutiny. The story of Code Pink and The People’s Forum being entangled in red threads is a rare glimpse into how that smokeless war is waged on U.S. soil. It should stiffen our resolve to ensure that American movements – left, right, or center – remain answerable to the American people and their own conscience, not the diktats of a one-party state half a world away.

As Beijing’s ambitions mount on the world stage, there is little doubt it will continue seeking inroads into U.S. public opinion. But armed with knowledge of cases like this, citizens and leaders can better guard the ramparts. In the end, defending democracy requires not just opposing enemies abroad, but also unmasking and expelling the enemy within – even when it wears the friendly face of a peace activist.


Jonathan Tobin: Mamdani and AOC are the Democrats of the future
Democratic Party leaders like Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who pretends to be the shomer or “guardian” of Israel and the Jews but is more worried about running afoul of the radical left, have made it clear that they are not going to stand up against AOC and Mamdani. Though they don’t share their beliefs, officeholders in both major parties always follow the lead of the base.

That is a shocking and disappointing development for an American Jewish community that is already reeling from an enormous increase in antisemitism that has gone mainstream in legacy media, academia, the arts and popular culture. Some younger Jews, indoctrinated by the radical left throughout their years in school, have embraced people like Mamdani and tend to rationalize his anti-Zionistic and antisemitic rhetoric. That leaves most liberal Jews, who still make up a large majority of the community, without a political home.

This means the battle against antisemitism is now largely being waged by the political right and, in particular, by Trump, who is pro-Israel and waging a much-needed war on academic institutions that have normalized antisemitism and the war on the West.

Jews are not alone
That’s a difficult truth for liberal Jews who hate the president. But it is a reminder that most Americans, whether politically moderate or residents of deep red states like North Dakota, observe the mainstreaming of antisemitism in New York with horror, and oppose people like Mamdani and other radical Democrats. And the more that the Democratic base swings to the left, the more likely it is that their party is going to continue losing national elections.

The shift among Democrats is good news for the GOP but bad news for the Jewish community. It’s also bad for the country as a whole to have one of its two major parties fall into the hands of radicals. And it represents a sea change for Jews in New York, who are now realizing that they may be better off moving to a red state like Florida. As worrisome as this is, it is also a moment for Jews to realize that they are not alone. Hard as it may be to accept that they are now under siege in institutions and cities where they once felt most at home, most Americans outside the nation’s metropolis stand by them.
Obama OMB director says Democratic Party is ‘becoming increasingly antisemitic’
Former Obama administration OMB Director Peter Orszag, the CEO of Lazard, sounded an alarm Thursday morning over the leftward direction of the Democratic Party, especially when it comes to its handling of antisemitism.

He spoke out on CNBC after far-left state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor.

“I’m saddened to say the Democratic Party is becoming increasingly antisemitic and anti-capitalism… Turning away from your principles and towards antisemitism never works,” Orszag said on CNBC’s “Money Movers” this afternoon.

He went on: “The Democratic candidate for mayor has embraced the global intifada idea. The DCCC has distributed fundraising emails from a senior Democratic operative [James Carville] saying Jewish donors [are] only interested in tax cuts. The senior leadership in the party seems to have cognitive dissonance on Israel. It’s problematic.”

Orszag has been a major figure in the Democratic Party for years, most prominently serving in the Obama administration as director of the Office of Management and Budget.

As antisemitism increases, he said that he had expressed these concerns to Democratic leadership, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who has faced his own challenges navigating the ideologically divisive New ew York City mayoral race.
The Corbyn years shows what’s coming. New York’s Jews should take note
A representative of the far-left – a committed anti-Zionist – has defied pundits and pollsters alike by emerging victorious from a contest which could define the direction of his political party for years to come.

Within the Jewish community, there is trepidation. Victory in the forthcoming election could leave this candidate in a position to exercise significant control over aspects of their daily lives – and he stands against something they consider central to their identity. These fears are not uniformly shared – anti-Zionist Jews are thrilled – but a significant percentage are deeply concerned.

As you’ve probably figured out by now, I could be writing about either of two events. This week, Zohran Mamdani managed a significant political upset by winning the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City. But a decade ago, Jeremy Corbyn won the Labour party leadership election in the UK.

The cases, while similar, are not identical; different countries, different political positions and different – though kindred – political parties. Then there are the two people themselves – Mamdani, at 33, is exactly half the age Corbyn was when he became Labour leader. Mamdani is a brilliant public speaker and a natural media performer; Corbyn is the opposite. Corbyn always appears fundamentally uncomfortable when speaking to those who do not agree with him; Mamdani, by contrast, seems to have an ability to connect with almost any audience – even a hostile one.

But for the purposes of the Jewish community, the similarities hold. An anti-Zionist with a history of deeply troublesome public statements has won an important internal party contest. They have done so despite the publicly aired concerns of many Jews. If they win a forthcoming election, they will have a great deal of influence over aspects of day-to-day life.
‘Will New York cope?’: Zohran Mamdani labelled ‘sub-AOC’ for radical socialist values
Author Douglas Murray slams “fringe figure” NYC Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani for winning the Democrat primary vote for having a “horrible track record”.

“This is somebody who has repeatedly shown himself to be a sort of sub-AOC style radical leftist, he has a terrible track record, in fact, he doesn’t have much of a track record in performing anything,” Mr Murray told Sky News host Rita Panahi.

“New Yorkers are understandably getting worried … it’s a question, can New York really cope a term under such a radical figure, or will New York just stop being New York effectively?”


Ben Shapiro: Could NYC’s Radical Far-Left Shift Spread Nationwide?
Ben Shapiro breaks down how New York City's far-left turn, driven by Zohran Mamdani and backed by AOC, reveals the Democratic Party’s descent into radicalism and what it could mean for America’s future.




Zohran Mamdani is a ‘legitimate crazy person’ running to become New York mayor
Filmmaker Ami Horowitz says NYC Democrat mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to “globalise the intifada”.

Mr Horowitz told Sky News host Rita Panahi that Zohran Mamdani has openly called for the “genocide of Israel”.

“This guy is a legitimate crazy person, and now New York is poised to elect him the mayor of the city.”




Col. Richard Kemp: Feeding Gaza Means Facing Reality
Last week I crossed into Gaza with a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) security convoy. What I saw at the GHF distribution base was both distressing and uplifting. Tens of thousands of people desperate for food pouring into the place, wide-eyed at the piles of aid boxes. But now actually getting their hands on the flour, sugar, cooking oil and other commodities they need to survive.

Several of them told me that, until GHF began working a month ago, they’d received hardly any free aid at all for a very long time. Now they can get it and are movingly grateful, with several telling me: “I love America”.

Many also said “kill Hamas”, which was met with cheers from those nearby, because they all know it is Hamas that has brought the death and destruction all around them, and on top of that have been depriving them of food.

Inside Gaza, Hamas controls everything. There is no neutrality here, as much as those who defend the status quo want to believe it. There is barely any aid getting to civilians—and certainly not at scale. UN convoys haven’t reached their destinations in days. They’re looted before they ever make it across–if they can even find drivers willing to brave the journey.

Criminal gangs, armed terrorists, and desperate civilians are all converging on unsecured aid convoys—and people are being killed in the chaos. Shootouts are erupting during looting attempts, with civilians caught in the crossfire. But you wouldn’t know it from the official casualty reports, which are filtered through a Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health that routinely downplays these incidents and obscures the true picture on the ground.

Traditional humanitarian actors have grown comfortable with this setup. They’ve told themselves that preserving their idea of neutrality means they must preserve access to aid.

GHF isn’t a perfect solution, nor have they pretended to be. It is, however, a real solution that is built for the world as it is, not the one we may wish existed.

Secure delivery? That’s not a radical idea. The UN and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) use private security or police escorts routinely in high-risk environments. I myself have been involved in this in the past.
State Dept announces $30m in funding for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
The U.S. State Department will provide $30 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and is calling on other countries to support the private endeavor, an alternative to the United Nations that facilitates entry and delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza and aims to avoid Hamas looters.

“We call on other countries to also support the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its critical work,” Tommy Pigott, the department’s deputy spokesman, told reporters on Thursday.

The foundation’s “track record of distributing over 46 million meals to date, all while preventing Hamas looting, is absolutely incredible and should be commended and supported,” Pigott said.

“This commitment reflects a simple truth: Americans deeply care about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and want to see real action—starting with getting food to those who need it most without interference by Hamas and other militants,” stated John Acree, the foundation’s interim executive director.

“Now is the time for unity and collaboration,” Acree said. “We look forward to other aid and humanitarian organizations joining us so we can feed even more Gazans, together.” Most Popular

The foundation, which includes American management, contractors and private security forces, has said that it has delivered 46 million meals since its launch. Its operations have also been marred by violence, including shootings near its delivery sites.
Reports murky on alleged aid freeze to northern Gaza
Images circulated on Thursday of masked men on aid trucks in the northern Gaza Strip, who clan leaders said were protecting aid, rather than Hamas stealing it from civilians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a joint statement with Defense Minister Israel Katz, said late on Wednesday that he had ordered the military to present a plan within two days to prevent Hamas from taking control of aid.

They cited new unspecified information indicating that Hamas was seizing aid intended for civilians in northern Gaza. A video circulating on Wednesday showed dozens of masked men, some armed with rifles but most carrying sticks, riding on aid trucks.

The reports are murky, as the focal point is the northern part of the enclave, and is the issue on which there are unclear statements. The IDF has been operating in the area, and issued evacuation orders for some parts of it a few days ago.

Two officials told Reuters that Israel has stopped aid from entering northern Gaza but is still allowing it to enter from the south. Government spokesperson David Mencer told reporters that aid was continuing to enter from the south but did not specify whether any supplies were entering in the north.


Andrew Klavan: The Case For Nationalism In a Global World | Yoram Hazony
Yoram Hazony, author of "The Virtue of Nationalism," joins me for a poignant discussion about the importance of cultivating a nationalist ethos in a global world, as well as sheds some light on America's role in assisting Israel.


travelingisrael.com: The Guardian Tried to Silence Me for Defending Israel — I'm Not Backing Down
The Guardian tried to silence my voice — because I dared to criticize their narrative about Israel.

Two days ago, I uploaded a video responding to The Guardian’s documentary on the Green Line. They didn’t like it — and filed a copyright claim to take it down.

Let me be clear: I respect copyright law. But using it to silence political criticism is censorship — not protection of creativity.

So I’m fighting back.

This re-upload replaces their footage with voiceovers. Same points. Same message. No backing down.

At the heart of this is something bigger:
Why is Israel succeeding while so many of its neighbors aren’t? I believe the answer lies in freedom — freedom of thought, speech, and the right to challenge power without fear.

But if platforms like The Guardian get to decide who’s allowed to speak, that freedom is in danger.




Glasgow Labour councillors fail to block Palestine Action motion
On Monday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to designate the group as a terrorist organisation, with a draft proscription order set to be laid in Parliament next week. It came after Palestine Action claimed responsibility for breaking into RAF Brize Norton last week, where they sprayed red paint into the engines of two military planes.

The decision to proscribe the activist group has been widely condemned, with former first minister Humza Yousaf saying the Labour Government had "lost its conscience", while Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said the move was "deeply authoritarian".

The SNP also opposed the decision, telling The National that it is "absolutely vital that legitimate expressions of support for Palestine and the Palestinian people are not criminalised".

And on Thursday, councillors at Glasgow City Council voted on an emergency motion condemning the Labour Government's decision.


IN THE GUARDIAN, SALLY ROONEY DEFENDS VIOLENT EXTREMIST GROUP
To us, Rooney’s approach is hypocritical, but makes sense within her political worldview.

In 1932, German jurist Carl Schmitt, who would later join the Nazi Party, famously argued that politics is ultimately about existential conflict: deciding whom you are willing to defend, and whom you are willing to oppose, even violently. His theory of the friend/enemy distinction defines the “friend” as those who share a political community’s values, and the “enemy” as any existential threat to that community. For Rooney, it seems that anyone aligned with the anti-Israel cause is a ‘friend’, whose actions can always be justified or shrugged off, no matter how horrific.

By contrast, the UK, Israel, and those affiliated with them are cast as the “enemy,” and thus legitimate targets of hostility, whether they be Israeli civilians or security workers on minimum wage.

It is also worth noting that Rooney is Irish and reportedly lives in Ireland, where there are no such plans to ban Palestine Action. Therefore the vague implication that she risks arrest from “the government” for backing PA is false. The UK government isn’t “her government” unless she decides to hop on a flight here.

Rooney is entitled to express her opinions—but perhaps she should keep them where they belong: in fiction.


Why is Glastonbury giving a stage to cheerleaders of Jew killers?
Let’s pretend a right-leaning skinhead band had been booked. Yes, they’d flirted with controversy in the past, but nothing definitive. Then, just weeks before Glastonbury, one of their members is caught on stage putting on a Klan hood, thrown to him by a member of the audience, shouting “Up the KKK!” Maybe they post a photo of themselves reading Mein Kampf. The police investigate, Crown Prosecution Service brings charges, thousands of far-right fans chant their support outside court.

Would that band still be on the bill? Would thousands of festival-goers simply shrug it off?

Of course not, because the Glastonbury crowd, rightly, would never tolerate the celebration of white supremacist violence. But when the violence is antisemitic, when the murderers are anti-Israel, the rules change. Suddenly, it’s edgy, it’s rebellious, it’s political commentary. Not hate speech, but “resistance.”

This isn’t about cancelling artists for political views. This is about recognising that glorifying terrorist groups, especially ones that target Jews, isn’t edgy or provocative, it’s hateful and by giving Kneecap a platform, Glastonbury isn’t just tolerating that hatred, it is legitimising it.

This weekend, thousands will cheer this group & the organisers will say they stand against discrimination. Who exactly do they think that promise applies to? Certainly not Jews! And don’t worry, if you happen to miss Kneecap’s performance in person, then unlike in the good old 1930s when you had to rely on your mates to tell you all about the comradely Jew-hate at the local Mosley rally, this time you can just catch it on iPlayer. Because of course the BBC will be broadcasting it.

We’re done hiding in the face of hate, apologising for existing, we won’t stand quietly by while those who glorify terrorists are given a stage & a spotlight. Not now, not ever.
BBC may not broadcast Kneecap Glastonbury set
The BBC coverage of anti-Israel band Kneecap’s set at Glastonbury appears to be in doubt after a public “backlash” when one of the group’s members was charged with a terror offence.

The festival, which kicked off yesterday, has declined to drop the performance despite public pressure (including from the prime minister) after footage emerged allegedly showing Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known by his stage name Mo Chara, draped in a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last year.

However, it seems that the BBC may not broadcast Kneecap’s appearance, with the band not listed on TV schedules at the time of its slot on Saturday afternoon.

The BBC Two coverage on that day is not set to begin until 5pm, with Kneecap booked for the hour beforehand.


The hatred from woke activists backing Iran is as vile as their stupidity
It’s quite some distance from Brighton train station to Tehran, but perhaps not far enough. On Monday one extremist, who had attended the protest at the Sussex terminus to support the Iranian regime and Palestine Action, said the war in Gaza was the “third holocaust” and that all Zionists “should f---ing die”. She was too idiotic to recognise the hypocrisy.

As in Tehran, where there is a clock that counts down to the destruction of Israel, Brighton’s protesters were not making a clear distinction between those who believe in the state of Israel and those who don’t. If you’re casually throwing around the word ‘holocaust’, you’re calling for the death of all Jews, not just Zionists. These various ignoramuses were so high on their supply of righteousness they were actually parading posters of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The hashtag groupies of #IstandwithIran are flailing moral vacuums. Did they stand with Iran in 2009 when the Green Movement, sometimes known as the Persian Spring (in which a mass protest movement sprang up), declared the presidential election fraudulent? Executions had increased three-fold under former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. These human rights violations mostly involved juvenile offenders and gay people.

Did they stand with Iran during the 2019 fuel protests? Where were they in 2022 when a new protest movement took to the streets called Woman, Life, Freedom, after a young woman called Mahsa Amini was beaten to death by the morality police for the crime of showing her hair? Many brave young men and women have been murdered since then because the Iranian regime is a heartless theocracy.

Those in the Iranian diaspora, brilliant, educated, sophisticated people, will tell you what this regime is like.

Still, ignorance is clearly bliss, which is why we get the likes of the ludicrous India Willoughby announcing on X: “I could live in Iran. Better trans rights than the UK and US. We do nearly all of the bad things they do. Israel is currently wiping out a whole people – aided and abetted by Labour, who are shamefully trying to cover their arse. War crime. I don’t feel safe with Netanyahu or Trump having nuclear weapons. I don’t believe anything that Israel, US or UK say. Why should I? Because I’m English and should trust the BBC?”.


Two-tier policing row over Palestine protester dressed as Holocaust victim
Scotland Yard has been accused of “two-tier” justice after police ignored a pro-Palestinian protester dressed as a Holocaust concentration camp inmate.

Jewish leaders and MPs criticised the “religiously-aggravated” outfit worn by Maria Gallastegui, in which she replaced the star worn by inmates with an Islamic symbol.

They complained that police failed to challenge a protest “clearly designed to cause distress”, but warned men “waving Israeli flags” at a Palestine Action march that they could be guilty of breaching the peace.

Ms Gallastegui, 66, a full-time protester who gave up her job as a coach driver nearly 20 years ago for a life of activism, joined a protest against plans to ban Palestine Action after its activists attacked RAF aircraft with paint.

Critics contrasted her treatment with that of Hamit Coskun, who was prosecuted and fined for a religiously aggravated public order offence after he set fire to a Koran outside the Turkish consulate in London.

Free speech advocates argue that offensive behaviour should not be criminalised, regardless of whether it is committed by protesters against Islam, such as Mr Coskun, or against Israel.

Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: “We appear to have a two-tier blasphemy law in this country, which protects Islam from offensive references but not others.”

Alex Hearn, of Labour Against Anti-Semitism, said: “Dressing as a concentration camp inmate, with the yellow patch replaced by an Islamic symbol, has caused many people upset.

“This religiously-aggravated performance appropriated and distorted the Holocaust and was clearly designed to cause distress. It’s shocking that while police act swiftly on less obvious public offencesthis blatant display went unchallenged at the heart of our democracy.”


Ireland becomes first European country to introduce ban on trade, imports from Israeli settlements
Ireland has become the first country in Europe to introduce legislation to ban trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris announced on Wednesday, following the publication of his new bill.

The General Scheme of the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill has already been approved by the Government, but will now pass on to the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny.

According to the statement, the Irish government's commitment to the prohibition on imports from Israeli settlements came after the International Court of Justice delivered its Advisory Opinion on July 19, 2024.

As soon as the scheme is implemented, any imports will become an offence under the Customs Act 2015, and customs will be able to search, seize, and confiscate the goods. Harris added that the scheme intended to use the Israeli settlement postal code system currently employed by the EU in order to differentiate Israeli goods from settlement goods.

“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern," Harris said. "I have made it consistently clear that this Government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution."

“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-State solution. This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.

Harris added that he is yet to see an "adequate response at EU level" regarding imports from settlements following the ICJ's 2024 Advisory Opinion.


UKLFI: Private Harley Street clinic beset by Palestine Badges
The President of HCA Healthcare UK will remind all senior executives to ensure that their dress code policy is applied in all of their sites, following an incident at the Harley Street Clinic, when multiple staff members were wearing large Palestine Flag badges.

This follows UKLFI informing HCA about a disturbing incident when a Jewish patient was distressed to see that two of the three receptionists, as well as other staff members were wearing large Palestine Flag badges. The badges demonstrated the staff members’ support for Palestine, and conversely, their opposition to Israel.

The visitor to the Devonshire Diagnostic Centre at The Harley Street Clinic who reported these badges to UKLFI commented: “It is an utterly inappropriate use of a healthcare setting to push a specific and highly divisive political agenda. It creates an environment in which it did not feel safe to be overtly Jewish, let alone associated with Israel in any way.”

UKLFI wrote to HCA about this incident, pointing out how distressed the visitor was. HCA was likely to be breaching Section 29 (3) of the Equality Act 2010 by creating a hostile and intimidating atmosphere in the hospital for Jewish and Israeli patients, and therefore harassing them.

John Reay, President and Chief Executive Officer of HCA told UKLFI: “I will remind all of our senior executives to ensure that our dress code policy is applied in all of our sites.”

UKLFI had previously reported a similar incident at HCA Harborne Hospital, Birmingham, in February 2025. At the time the President had blamed the fact that the Harborne Hospital was a new site, and the staff had not been properly trained. He said “We have reviewed our induction procedures. This is where I think the management team at a relatively new unit failed to place enough emphasis on the policy. We have ensured that the policy will be presented in a clear manner that cannot be misunderstood going forward.”
University hit with sanctions warning after Iranian state media attended event on campus
A Sydney university has been warned about a possible breach of Australian sanctions on Iran over a controversial event held on campus earlier this year.

The Australian Sanctions Office investigated the event held at Western Sydney University as a possible breach of sanctions placed on PressTV, an English-language state media outlet run out of Iran.

In February, the Benevolent Iranian Women's Association held an International Women's Day event at the university's South Parramatta campus, aimed at "addressing misconceptions" about the status of women in Iran.

It was attended by independent senator Fatima Payman, who gave an interview to PressTV which was subsequently edited and published on the organisation's social media channels.

Senator Payman later apologised for her comments that suggested Iran was an "incredible place" for women.

The comments were condemned by Australian-based advocates for women in Iran and prompted questions about why PressTV was seemingly operating freely in Australia.

Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a political scientist who spent two years detained in Iran, said PressTV's coverage of the event put "the integrity of the entire sanctions regime into question".

PressTV has been a sanctioned entity in Australia for nearly two years, which essentially prohibits financial dealings with the state broadcaster.

It was sanctioned over its broadcast of forced confessions, the announcement of which was timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary of Iran's morality police detaining 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who would eventually die in custody.


Dozens of pro-Indy accounts go dark after Israeli strikes
Iran’s strategy is asymmetric. Lacking the economic leverage or conventional military reach of its Western adversaries, it has turned to covert online influence as a low-cost, high-impact tool for shaping perceptions and political fault lines abroad. Within this broader playbook, the UK has long been a target. Tehran sees Britain as a historic antagonist associated with colonial exploitation and perceived meddling in Middle Eastern affairs. Weakening the UK’s internal cohesion fits into Iran’s strategic objectives, and Scottish independence provides a compelling wedge issue.

In the lead-up to the 2014 independence referendum, IRIB created Facebook pages like “The Scotsman Cartoon” that published caricatures and memes portraying then-Prime Minister David Cameron as the face of English authoritarianism. These pages mimicked legitimate Scottish media outlets to gain traction. The reach was limited, and the campaign was not sustained beyond early 2014, but it laid the groundwork for future, more sophisticated efforts.

Press TV, Iran’s English-language propaganda outlet, openly framed Scotland’s desire for independence as an anti-imperialist struggle. Stories suggested that London was militarising Scottish territory to suppress secessionist sentiment. These narratives circulated in Iranian state media but saw limited impact in Scotland itself. Nonetheless, they demonstrated a clear thematic template: Scotland as oppressed, Westminster as colonial overlord, and independence as liberation.

Between 2022 and 2024, Iranian-linked online activity escalated significantly through a network of fake X accounts that promoted Scottish independence. Researchers at Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub identified more than 80 accounts posing as socially conscious British users. Many carried biographies such as “Ex NHS Nurse. Hopeful for a better future with a lot less inequality,” designed to appear credible to domestic audiences.

The Clemson team concluded that these accounts were likely operated by or on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Their objective appeared to be the amplification of domestic political tensions in the UK, particularly around constitutional issues. Since late 2021, the network produced around 250,000 tweets. These messages were not spam. They were designed to blend into genuine political discourse and engage real users.

The content mixed pro-independence rhetoric with populist criticism of the UK government, anti-monarchy sentiment, and solidarity with progressive causes. One tweet, which was viewed over a million times, stated, “the people robbing this country travel by private jet not by dinghy.” Another drew attention to Prince George receiving flying lessons at age 11, contrasting it with worsening poverty across the UK.

The volume of output was striking. According to Clemson’s analysis, the network was responsible for at least 4 percent of all Scottish independence-related discussion on X in early 2024. That was roughly four times more than the official SNP account over the same period. The researchers concluded that the network had become one of the most active sources of Scottish independence messaging on the platform, not out of genuine political alignment, but in pursuit of destabilisation.
The “Both-Sidism” of Trey Yingst’s Fox News Coverage
Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst claims to be a journalist who reports fairly and accurately. But amidst the fog of war, Yingst’s desire to be “fair” to all sides over the last 21 months has, instead, allowed his bias to seep through.

Yingst often does a professional job and gets it right. In an interview with Vanity Fair in October 2023, he even explains how he prides himself on patience over “being first,” as well as the understanding that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has lots of nuance and there is a deep responsibility to get the story right.

But a scroll down his X (formerly Twitter) feed exposes him not sticking to his own words — all the way back to 2023 and perhaps beyond. And, of course, his appalling report in real time of an Iranian missile strike last week may have made for compelling TV, but it showed blatant disregard for Israelis’ safety. The IDF issued a warning not to reveal locations of hits, and he chose one of the most sensitive ones to expose.

He may have gotten the footage he needed for a powerful field report, but it came at the expense of his reputation. Yingst may now be regretting that, as the hit, which may be considered “journalism gold,” can no longer be found on his constantly updated, media-filled X feed, and efforts to obscure exact locations when needed have since been honored.

Even so, there are indications of some troubling views and allegiances behind the scenes.

We can gloss over his contacts in Gaza, which include senior officials of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Not only does he make this publicly known, but it’s common practice for journalists to maintain connections with some very questionable characters.

His time at News2Share earlier in his career highlights questionable ties to Hamas-linked Palestinian Ain Media, as well as terrorists who were exposed to be posing as journalists. Though more recently, his tweets and the apparent blocking of pro-Israel accounts are raising eyebrows.
BBC NEWS YET AGAIN UNCRITICALLY PROMOTES UNAUTHENTICATED UN CLAIMS
Just a month ago we saw how the BBC is perfectly happy to take any and every unverified claim – no matter how bizarre – made by someone with ‘UN’ in their job title and give it uncritical worldwide amplification.

Not content with spreading Tom Fletcher’s ’14,000 babies will die in 48 hours’ claim and after weeks of BBC promotion of the UN’s narrative concerning the GHF aid distribution centres, we now see the corporation blindly promoting misinformation from a UN employee who has misled BBC audiences in the past, without any effort made to authenticate his allegations or to provide audiences with factual information.

When is the BBC going to get over its chronic UN-nourished conformation bias?


IDF fires at terrorists amid Jewish-Arab clashes in Samaria
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday night that it returned fire at Palestinian gunmen during a confrontation between Israeli Jews and Arabs in the eastern Samaria village of al-Mughayyir.

According to an English-language statement from the IDF, “dozens” of Israeli civilians entered the village earlier Wednesday, allegedly setting fire to property and throwing stones at Palestinians who confronted them.

After forces were deployed to al-Mughayyir in an attempt to break up the clashes, they came under gunfire and were pelted with rocks, the IDF said, adding that troops returned fire and “hits were identified.”

“Five Israeli suspects were arrested and transferred to the Israel Police for further processing,” the military noted.

The Palestinian Authority’s official Wafa news agency claimed that three “unarmed Palestinian civilians” were killed by “armed settler militias” during the confrontation, though it did not identify the gunmen by name.

Elisha Yered, a Samaria-based Jewish activist, identified one of the slain gunmen as Lutfi Sabri, who had reportedly served prison time for security offenses. He added that the bodies of the three were paraded through the town amid chants of “With blood and fire, we will redeem you, martyr.”
FDD: Hamas Arrow Unit Operatives Take Refuge in Gaza Hospital Amid Furious Gun Battle With Palestinian Opponents
Latest Developments
Palestinians Besiege Hamas’s Arrow Unit at Hospital: Several Gaza-based social media accounts have reported on a gun battle at a hospital in southern Gaza between Hamas and armed men belonging to the Khan Younis-based Palestinian Barbakh family. According to a report on the “Palestine Eagle” channel on Telegram, a member of the family was shot dead by members of Hamas’s Arrow Unit, which is responsible for crushing Palestinians opposed to the terror group’s rule, who then fled into the city’s Nasser Hospital. Images of heavy fires and vandalism inside the hospital complex were posted at the height of the battle, while gunfire can be heard in videos.

Hamas Turns Hospitals Into Terror Strongholds: Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023, the IDF has discovered Hamas infrastructure, weapons storage, command-and-control centers, and headquarters near or underneath hospitals in Gaza, all of which endanger civilians and medical professionals. “Hospitals are Hamas’ favorite and central sites in the Gaza Strip to use for terrorist activities,” the IDF reported. Despite harsh international criticism, the IDF has killed a significant number of high-ranking Hamas terrorists in and around hospitals during its war in Gaza, including Mohammed Sinwar — Hamas’s top leader in Gaza and brother of former chief Yahya Sinwar — who was eliminated while hiding in an underground tunnel beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis. Other Hamas officials killed while shielding themselves at hospitals in the past few months include Ismail Barhoum and Hassan Abdel Fattah Mohammed Aslih, both killed at Nasser Hospital on separate dates.

Hamas Preparing Attacks on Humanitarian Contractors: Hamas is preparing to attack American contractors working for the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which distributes humanitarian aid in Gaza. The State Department confirmed that the United States approved funding of $30 million to GHF. The GHF has distributed more than 46 million meals to Gazans out of three distribution sites since the start of its operations on May 26.


Woman indicted for antisemitic hate crime on NYC subway
Woki Massaquoi, 35, was indicted on Thursday for allegedly attacking a 38-year-old woman on a subway while making antisemitic remarks in April 2025, Alvin Bragg, Manhattan district attorney, said on Thursday.

The defendant is charged with two counts of hate-crime assault in the third degree and a count of second-degree aggravated harassment.

Massaquoi is accused of directing a slur at the victim and calling her a “white Jew” while slapping a coffee cup from her hand and assaulting her aboard a train in Midtown Manhattan on April 29.

The defendant is accused of punching the victim on the left side of her face and pinning her to the floor of the train, per Bragg’s office.

“As alleged, Woki Massaquoi unleashed hate-driven violence on a woman in an unprovoked attack in our transit system,” Bragg stated. “This harmful conduct is unacceptable, and no one should be targeted because of their religion.”


Argentina to try ex-Iran officials in absentia for deadly 1994 Jewish center bombing
An Argentine judge on Thursday ordered that the 10 people accused of the deadliest bombing in the country's history face a trial in absentia, three decades after the attack on a Jewish community center that killed 85 people and wounded more than 150.

Argentine authorities have charged 10 people as perpetrators of the 1994 attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) in Buenos Aires - including former Iranian government officials and others whom it says are members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

Those accused include Iran's former intelligence minister Ali Fallahian, former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaee, former ambassador to Argentina Hadi Soleimanpour and other embassy staff.

Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tehran has previously denied involvement and refused to turn over suspects.

People of Lebanese and Colombian nationality accused of being tied to Hezbollah are also among those accused.

The country's judiciary considers all defendants to be fugitives from the law, many since 2003. It argues the attack was carried out by Hezbollah with the backing of the Iranian government. Judge Daniel Rafecas ordered the measure on the basis of a law that was passed in February this year that allows long-term fugitives to face trial in absentia.
Natasha Hausdorff at the Toronto Nova Exhibit
Natasha Hausdorff, UKLFI Charitable Trust Legal Director, in conversation with StandWithUs Canada's Jesse Primerano at the Nova Exhibit in Toronto on 11 June 2025


Global Unity in Times of War | UPLIFT ISRAEL # 3
Amid ongoing pain and uncertainty, thousands gathered from around the world for 18 minutes of soulful connection - featuring music, reflection, and prayer from leading voices.

Presenters:
Ishai Ribo
Rabbi Moshe Weinberger
Natasha Hausdorff
Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein
President Issac Herzog

Hosted by Rabbi Dr. Benji Levy
We are grateful to all our speakers for sharing their personal thoughts and messages


1,900-year-old ‘lion discs’ highlight pagan burial culture in Holy Land

Four rare, 1,900-year-old rare bronze discs decorated with lion heads that were uncovered in central Israel in the last decade offer evidence of Roman-period burial culture and belief in the afterlife, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Thursday.

The ornate discs, which were found in a grave during a 2018 excavation at Khirbat Ibreika in the Sharon region, were probably intended to be used to help carry a coffin, the state-run archaeological body said.

“Tracing the lion as a symbol in the ancient world reveals that in many cultures, it represented strength, protection and nobility,” stated excavation directors Elie Haddad and Elisheva Zwiebel.

The archaeologists added that while they don’t have enough evidence to associate the lions with a particular religion, the reasonable assumption is that the finds were from a pagan burial, with the fancy, elaborate discs clearly reflecting the individual’s high status.

Similar discs have been discovered in several other places in Israel, such as in Netanya and Tel Dor, mostly in a burial context.

“For thousands of years, lions have symbolized bravery and courage,” said IAA director Eli Escusido, noting that “it is not by chance” that Israel had named its operation against Iran, launched on June 13, “Operation Rising Lion.” The Hebrew version, “A nation will arise like a lion” is taken from the Bible (Numbers 23:24).

The results of the find have now been published in the IAA’s archaeological journal.
Catholic school wins BBC Gardeners’ World gold for Auschwitz memorial garden
A Catholic secondary school has won a top award at BBC Gardeners’ World Live for a Holocaust memorial garden inspired by the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation.

Trinity Catholic School in Leamington Spa received a Gold award and the People’s Choice Award for Best Beautiful Border for its “Bud and Blossom Reflection Garden” – a compact show garden designed by students in the school’s History Research Group.

The project was developed in connection with the Holocaust: Their Family, Me and Us education initiative, inspired by Robert Rinder’s BBC documentary. Pupils who helped design the garden have previously met Rinder and ’45 Aid Society chair Angela Cohen.

Robert Rinder MBE said: “Trinity completely understood what the landscape, nature, flowers and trees meant to my grandfather and ‘the Boys’… It’s more than a garden – it’s a space for reflection, remembrance, and renewal… Their learning has inspired such a special, special place.”

Symbolism runs throughout the design: triangular planting beds represent both the Holy Trinity and unity, while a silver birch memorial tree invites visitors to hang the names of loved ones lost in the Second World War. Visitors were also offered seed packets to take home as a gesture of remembrance and renewal.
Saraf, Wolf make NBA history as Brooklyn Nets draft Israeli duo
In a landmark moment for Israeli sports, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected back-to-back by the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft, making history as the first two Israeli players ever to join the same NBA team.

Saraf, a 19-year-old, 6 ft. 6 in. point and shooting guard who is still playing for German club Ratiopharm Ulm, was picked 26th overall by new head coach Jordi Fernandez’s rebuilding squad.

Immediately thereafter, with the 27th pick, Brooklyn selected American-Israeli Wolf, a 21-year-old, 7 ft. power forward/center. Both players signed four-year contracts, with the first two years guaranteed.

The Nets, poised for a fresh start, are going all-in on a youthful rebuild. Alongside Saraf and Wolf, the franchise drafted three additional players in the first round: Russian small forward/point guard Egor Demin (eighth), French point guard Nolan Traoré (19th) and American shooting guard/small forward Drake Powell (22nd). Veteran contributors D’Angelo Russell and Cam Thomas are expected to become free agents, accelerating the team’s transition.

Saraf and Wolf now join Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (drafted by the Washington Wizards in 2020) as active Israelis in the NBA. This is the first time three Israeli players will compete simultaneously in the league.

Brooklyn, home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the US, is likely to provide the two newcomers with a sense of belonging. A future home game between Sharaf and Wolf and Avdija at the Barclays Center could attract large crowds of Israelis and American Jews eager to witness this piece of sports history.




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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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