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Saturday, July 05, 2025

07/05 Links: Inside the ugly relationship between Islamism and the Left; Man charged over arson attack on Melbourne synagogue; Hamas grenade attack on GHF aid workers

From Ian:

Inside the ugly relationship between Islamism and the Left
Fifty years ago, much of the far-Left was inspired by the Soviet Union’s Middle East propaganda, a pro-Islamist stance in response to US and European support for Israel. That influenced Left-wing groups in the UK – such as the Communist Party of Great Britain and the Revolutionary Communist Group – who identified Arabs as oppressed, while Israel, then as now, was seen as an illegitimate “white” state. But the far-Left remains a politically insignificant force on its own. Part of the motivation for an alliance with Islamism is to harness the power of others for their own ends – which, of course, works both ways.

This is neatly illustrated in a 1994 article by Chris Harman of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) for International Socialism, “The Prophet and the Proletariat”, which advocated for a pragmatic working relationship between Islamists and revolutionary socialists. Harman is open about the areas of opposition between the two groups – over the role of women, for example – but concludes: “On some issues we will find ourselves on the same side as the Islamists against imperialism and the state… It should be true in countries like France or Britain... Where the Islamists are in opposition, our rule should be, ‘with the Islamists sometimes, with the state never’.”

In Britain, where Islamism only speaks for a fraction of the country’s Muslims, the Labour party remained a natural home for many Muslim voters up to Tony Blair’s premiership. “To put it crudely, community leaders were able to ‘deliver’ votes for Labour from within those communities in certain areas such as Birmingham or Bradford,” says Timothy Peace, a senior lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Glasgow. “From the 1980s, Muslims themselves began to enter local councils, but the closeness with Labour continued up to the late 1990s.”

This began to break down thanks to the wars in Iraq (2003-2011) and Afghanistan (2001-2021). The establishment of the Stop The War Coalition (STWC) in 2001 was a milestone which provided Corbyn and other prominent Leftists with a forum to connect with groups such as the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB).

Last year, the then Communities Secretary, Michael Gove, alleged in Parliament that the MAB, together with Mend and Cage, which campaigns against counter-terror measures, “give rise to concern for their Islamist orientation and views”. All three groups rejected the label, with Mend’s chief executive Azhar Qayum saying his organisation was “not at all” extremist, Cage pledging to “explore all avenues, including legal” to challenge the “government’s deep dive into authoritarianism”, and the MAB accusing Gove of a “blatant effort to stifle dissenting voices”.

Britain’s action in Iraq and elsewhere gave overtly Islamist groups an opportunity to tap into the concept of the “Ummah” – the worldwide Islamic community. Shawcross’s review warned that key Islamist narratives included, “commanding that [their interpretation of] the Islamic faith is placed at the centre of an individual’s identity, and must govern all social and political decision-making”.

At the same time, a definition of Islamophobia proposed by some MPs and backed by bodies such as Mend and the MAB would prohibit anyone from “accusing Muslim citizens of being more loyal to the ‘Ummah’… than to the interests of their own nations”, raising concerns about potential limits on freedom of speech.

“The MAB were tied to political Islam and found inspiration from the Muslim Brotherhood, a powerful organisation in Arab countries,” says Peace. “The MAB were one of the key organisations in Stop the War, even though they were not very big at the time it began. The driving force were the Socialist Workers Party, and they managed to mobilise large numbers of Muslim protesters, and that overruled any ideological divisions between the two groups.”

The MAB has said it is “a British organisation operating entirely within the British Isles, with no presence elsewhere. It is not an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood nor a member”.
Britain’s new Islamo-Leftist alliance won’t last, but it might kill Labour first
In Muslim-majority democracies, the Left tends to be secular. The more religious parties, on top of being socially conservative, are the more prone to cut taxes and reduce regulations.

This should not surprise us, for Islam is the only great religion founded by a businessman – a businessman who used his last sermon to preach the sanctity of property. Jesus said some hard things about wealth, and it was not until the sixteenth century that Christians stopped holding up poverty as their ideal. But Islam never had any problem with the idea that money, honestly acquired and put to good use, was a blessing. The Prophet, after all, had established tax-free markets and rejected calls for prices to be regulated.

Across the Islamic wold, from Morocco to Malaysia, anti-Western feeling is stronger on the secular Left. But in Britain, Muslims were for a long time seen primarily, not as people who believed in the Oneness of God and the finality of the teachings of Mohammad, but as a non-white minority to be slotted into a victim role in an imagined hierarchy of oppression. That is why British Islamo-gauchism rests on anti-colonialism, and especially on the portrayal of Israel as the ultimate colonial oppressor.

George Galloway understood earlier than most how the balance was shifting. Having once won awards from Stonewall, he began to describe himself as “socially conservative”, made sceptical noises about the portrayal of gay relationships and came out against abortion and euthanasia, while at the same time growing a beard, boasting that he did not drink and littering his speech with Islamic expressions.

A challenger party that aims to get into double figures will, I suspect, lean more to Galloway’s approach than Corbyn’s. Which makes me wonder how many revolutionary socialists will go along with it.

Let me suggest an early test. In Apsana Begum’s Poplar and Limehouse constituency, 39 per cent of residents identify as Muslim and 24 per cent as Christian. If she is the next Labour MP to defect, it will tell us much about the likely orientation of the new party.

The Red-Green coalition, which came together in the hideous mésalliance known as Stop the War, might hold for a bit longer. But, in time, omnicause Lefties will be squeezed out – though not, one assumes, thrown off buildings like their Iranian colleagues.

The face of Britain is changing, and our parties are changing with it. Some Corbynites may live long enough to wonder, whether, in getting rid of something they disliked, they ended up enabling something worse.
‘Exasperated’ minister asked BBC why nobody was fired for airing Gaza documentary
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said she asked the BBC why nobody has been fired for airing a Gaza documentary which featured the son of a Hamas official.

This comes ahead of a review looking into Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, which is reportedly set to be published next week.

The programme first aired in February until it was pulled by the broadcaster after it emerged that its 13-year old narrator is the son of a Hamas official.

The review is being led by Peter Johnston, the director of editorial complaints and reviews which is independent of BBC News and reports directly to the director-general.

It is expected to determine whether any editorial guidelines were broken, and whether any disciplinary action is needed.

The BBC will also undertake a full audit of expenditure on the programme.

Speaking to The Times, Ms Nandy described feeling “exasperated” as she called for an “adequate explanation from the BBC about what has happened”.

“I have not had that from the chair or director-general yet,” she said.

She added: “I have been very clear that people must be held accountable for the decisions that were taken. I have asked the question to the board (of the BBC). Why has nobody been fired?

“What I want is an explanation as to why not. If it is a sackable offence then obviously that should happen.

“But if the BBC, which is independent, considers that it is not, I think what all parliamentarians want to know is why.”
On Alan Rusbridger: champion of an ethical press
It is no surprise that advocates for either side in the Middle East conflict try to influence the media; what is offensive is the idea promoted by Byrne and Rusbridger that pro-Israel propaganda is exceptionally nasty, illegitimate and based on falsity. Rusbridger’s contention is that pro-Palestinian propaganda, backed by an Arabia with a population 45 times larger than Israel, and by a Muslim bloc 200 times larger, and by the massed ranks of the academic Humanities, and by the political Left, and much of the Church, is innocent, truthful and reliable, albeit pushed by a weaker agent that is somehow incapable of organising or projecting its voice, and which the mainstream media is predetermined to resist.

Rusbridger’s message about shady pro-Israeli influence grows directly out of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and Henry Ford’s The International Jew, and Nazi propaganda, and the conspiracy literature of David Duke and others. It is a horrific example of the Left’s alliance with what would once have been regarded as the Left’s polar opposite. It might be capable of being explained but it is not obvious how it can be challenged. As Rusbridger says of the media he represents, “narratives are constructed and take root. And when someone comes along with a counter-narrative they are ignored. It would be unkind to call it groupthink but there is, at the very least, a lack of balance.”

There is a postscript to all of this. Having looked at Alan Rusbridger’s unedifying contribution to Prospect in its issue of two weeks ago, I have now received the following teaser for his triumphs in this week’s issue:
“As … Alan Rusbridger and his co-host Lionel Barber discuss on today’s episode of Media Confidential, there clearly was a procedural mishap [over the BBC’s coverage of Glastonbury]. Why wasn’t someone ready to press the mute button? But as Alan writes in his latest column, the furore over the incident is something of a “dead cat”—a story intended to distract from thornier questions. Such questions include: why did the BBC drop a documentary on doctors in Gaza, which aired last night on Channel Four? And did Robbie Gibb, the staunchly pro-Israel former Tory spin doctor who sits on the BBC’s editorial committee, have any say in it? Is his position tenable?”

I find this terribly disappointing. For no obvious reason, except perhaps that we attended the same Oxbridge college at the same time, I had always given Rusbridger the benefit of the doubt. Admittedly, The Guardian has slid off the scale in terms of the divisiveness of its editorial and political agenda, but I had allowed myself to feel that this had happened under him rather than because of him. I wanted to think, also, that whether or not I agreed with Leftist journalism, it was respectably constructed, evidence-based and factual, even if it used the tools of journalism to come to different conclusions from me, just as opposing lawyers might use the same tools of the law.

A closer look at Rusbridger’s writings now shows me how wrong I have been. Many of the characteristics I had associated with the gutter journalism of the rightwing press are evidenced here as well: slurs, innuendo, inconsistency, irrelevancy, false logic, guilt by association, name dropping, appeals to authority, reliance on endorsements, absence of argumentation, lack of necessary data, the invitation to take unsafe assertions on trust, and much else. I had not previously assumed that Rusbridger’s writing was cheap or that it stooped in this way; now I know. And as the scales fall away from my eyes, what I conclude is that it deserves to be studied by every media department in the country, because it’s a reversal of all the taught clichés about what distinguishes the fine journalism of the Left from the bought journalism of the Right. Very sad.


Israel sends team to Qatar for hostage talks, but says Hamas’ demands ‘unacceptable’
An Israeli negotiating team will head to Qatar on Sunday for indirect talks with the Hamas terror group on a hostage release and ceasefire deal, the Prime Minister’s Office said late Saturday.

However, the Prime Minister’s Office cautioned in a statement that Hamas had suggested several amendments to the proposal, which Israel found to be unacceptable.

The confirmation that Israel would dispatch a team to Qatar came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to depart for Washington on Sunday to meet with US President Donald Trump where, among other items, they are expected to discuss Gaza and the ongoing negotiations.

Hamas on Friday gave a “positive” response to a US- and Israel-backed framework, which would see about half of the living hostages and about half of the dead hostages held by terror groups in Gaza returned to Israel over 60 days, in five separate releases.

According to a source involved in the mediation efforts, Hamas proposed three amendments to the proposed framework.

The source said that Hamas wants the agreement to say that talks on a permanent ceasefire will continue until an agreement is reached; that aid will fully resume through mechanisms backed by the United Nations and other international aid organizations; and that the IDF withdraw to positions it maintained before the collapse of the previous ceasefire in March.

The PMO, in response, said that the proposed changes were delivered last night, and “are not acceptable to Israel,” but that a delegation would nevertheless head to Doha on Sunday.

It did not specify which of the changes were deemed unacceptable.


Syria says willing to return to 1974 border deal with Israel
Syria’s new governing authority on Friday claimed a willingness to work with the United States to reimplement the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, which created a U.N.-monitored buffer zone separating the two countries.

After a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani expressed Damascus’s “aspiration to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.”

Rubio released a statement saying the two men discussed “matters of shared concern, including countering terrorism, Iran, Israel-Syria relations and destroying any remnants of the Assad regime’s chemical weapons program.”

Thomas J. Barrack Jr., U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, told The New York Times on Thursday that Israel and Syria were engaged in “meaningful” talks to restore calm to their shared border area.

However, Barrack cautioned that this could take time because new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Shara, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani—a former Al-Qaeda terrorist—could face resistance at home.

“He cannot be seen by his own people as being forced or coerced into the Abraham Accords,” said Barrack, referring to the agreements that normalized Israel’s relations with four Arab countries: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

“So, he has to work slowly,” Barrack said of al-Sharaa.
How Spain’s PM became Israel’s most hostile adversary in Europe
Spain’s Foreign Ministry summoned the chargé d’affaires of Israel’s embassy in Madrid for a formal reprimand over the weekend after the embassy criticized Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for once again describing Israel as a “genocidal state.”

This latest diplomatic spat is part of an unprecedented anti-Israel campaign Sánchez has spearheaded in recent months.

In May, he was an honored guest at the Arab League summit in Baghdad, where he joined the chorus of condemnation against Israel. In April, he canceled Israeli arms deals worth hundreds of millions of euros, called for Israel to be disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest and led a failed effort to suspend Israel’s trade agreements with the European Union.

These moves came under pressure from far-left parties Sumar and Podemos, whose continued support is essential to Sánchez’s minority government and who have conditioned that support on escalating hostility toward Israel.

At a NATO summit, Spain was the only country to refuse to comply with the alliance’s new budgetary demands, again due to pressure from left-wing factions. U.S. President Donald Trump warned that “Spain will pay double” and threatened sanctions.

The Catalonian boycott
In late May, Barcelona’s city council voted to sever ties with Israel. Just days earlier, the city’s main university cut ties as well, sending an official email to 30,000 students declaring Israel guilty of genocide.

For the city’s Jewish residents, the hostile climate comes as no surprise. “We see posters all over the city saying ‘Zionists not welcome here,'” said Flor Silverman, 23, deputy chair of the Jewish Student Union of Spain.

“One student had to transfer universities because he was openly a Zionist Jew and received threats. People here don’t wear Stars of David or kippot in the streets. Our events require major security, which often leads to cancellations due to logistical and financial burdens,” said Silverman.

She noted that the lack of historical awareness exacerbates the situation. “Spain wasn’t involved in the Holocaust, so there’s little awareness of what antisemitism can lead to. And the Inquisition happened long ago. Many people here are kind and friendly, but they’re used to hating Israel.”

She described the fear within the community. “Last year we held an October 7 memorial in Barcelona,” she recalled, referring to the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. “I asked several students to share their experiences with antisemitism. None agreed to have their faces shown in the media; they didn’t want people to know they were Jewish,” she added.

“We know of a professor at a Madrid university who has a flag in his office resembling the Israeli flag, but with a swastika instead of a Star of David. Jews my age are asking serious questions about our future here.”

“Antisemitism in Spain is deeply rooted, especially in academia and on the political left,” explained Ángel Mas, president of ACOM, a global organization that combats antisemitism.
Horror Friday night for Jewish community
In a horror Friday night for Melbourne’s Jewish community, the East Melbourne Synagogue was hit by an arson attack and an Israeli restaurant stormed by pro-Palestine protesters.

Police say a man entered the grounds of the Synagogue at about 8pm and poured flammable liquid over the front door before setting it alight then fleeing on foot. There were about 20 people, including children, having a Shabbat dinner inside the shule at the time.

“Everyone inside self-evacuated through the rear of the building and there have been no reports of injuries,” Victoria Police said in a statement.

“Firefighters attended and extinguished the fire which was contained to the front entrance.

“Police are still working to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the fire including the motivation behind the incident. An arson chemist will be attending the scene and police are currently canvassing for CCTV footage.”

Less than 2km from the synagogue, in a separate incident, a group of about 20 anti-Israel activists targeted Miznon restaurant in Hardware Lane reportedly chanting “death to the IDF”.

Activists said they targeted the restaurant, owned by Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani, because his business partner, entrepreneur Shahar Segal, advocates on behalf of the controversial US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid group.

Victoria Police said a 28-year-old had been arrested at the restaurant for “hindering police”.

Jewish community leaders have vowed defiance in the wake of the attack.

It is the tenth firebombing targeting Australian Jewish community facilities in the past 12 months, according to Executive Council of Australian Jewry President Daniel Aghion.

Jewish Community Council of Victoria CEO Naomi Levine said the attack was designed to intimidate, but had failed.

“We are not afraid. We’re showing courage and we’re proud of who we are as Australian Jews,” Levine said after attending a packed synagogue service this morning.

“I think he [the atacker] was trying to scare us. He was trying to tell us that we’re not welcome here in Australia, but we know, as Jewish Australians who are born here, who have grown up here, and who are raising our families, that we are welcome.”
Man charged over arson attack on Melbourne synagogue
A man has been charged after a Melbourne synagogue was set alight with more than a dozen people inside.

The 34-year-old man entered the grounds of the synagogue on Albert Street at 8pm on Friday, police said.

He then allegedly poured flammable liquid on the front door of the religious building and set it alight before fleeing.

There were 20 people, including children, taking part in Shabbat, however everyone was able to evacuate safely.

Fire crews were able to extinguish the blaze, which was contained to the front entrance.

A 34-year-old man from Toongabbie, NSW, was arrested in the Melbourne CBD about 8.15pm yesterday.

He has been charged with reckless conduct endangering life and serious injury, criminal damage by fire, and possession of a controlled weapon.

He will appear before the Bail and Remand Court today.

Detectives will continue to probe the intent and ideology of the man charged to determine if the incident was an act of terrorism.
Man charged over firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue | 9 News Australia



Fresh wave of antisemitic attacks creates ‘simmering rage’ in Jewish community
Executive Council of Australian Jewry Co-CEO Alex Ryvchin says there’s a “simmering rage” in the Jewish community after recent antisemitic attacks in Melbourne.

“It’s an atrocity, it’s a horrific thing to have members of the Jewish community in their place of worship … and to have someone try to burn the place down,” Mr Ryvchin told Sky News Australia.

“It makes me furious, and there’s a simmering rage in the Jewish community at the moment.”




Antisemitism hits the streets of Melbourne and Sydney... yet again.



FDD: Two Americans Injured by Direct Hamas Attack at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Aid Site
GHF Distribution Site Attacked: Two American aid workers were injured on July 5 when Hamas terrorists threw grenades packed with ball bearings at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution site near the southern Gazan city of Khan Yunis. The GHF posted a picture of fragments from one of the explosive devices, stating that the two assailants had targeted the “highly decorated American veterans” then run into a crowd of civilians following the attack. The IDF, responsible for providing security outside the aid sites, facilitated the safe evacuation of the two injured Americans who were reportedly in stable condition.

GHF Bypasses Hamas to Deliver Aid: Despite being lambasted by multiple NGOs and charities, the GHF continues to deliver meals directly to Gazan civilians from what it calls Safe Distribution Sites in Gaza, stating on July 4 that it had distributed 60 million meals since the beginning of its operations in the Palestinian enclave. Previously, Hamas and armed gangs have looted free humanitarian aid to sell at a profit. “We have a job to do. It’s very simple, to provide free food every day to the people of Gaza,” said GHF head Johnnie Moore. “Attempts to disrupt this life-saving work will only deepen the crisis,” he added.

Hamas Threatens GHF, Gazans Seeking Aid: The GHF said that it “has repeatedly warned of credible threats from Hamas, including explicit plans to target American personnel, Palestinian aid workers, and the civilians who rely on [GHF’s] sites for food.” On June 28, the GHF stated that Hamas had placed bounties on the heads of both Palestinians and Americans working for the organization, and that the terrorist organization had pre-positioned “armed operatives” near aid sites. In early June, Hamas murdered 12 Palestinian GHF aid workers, and continues to warn Gazan civilians against interacting with the organization or receiving aid from the sites.

FDD Expert Response
“Hamas perceives aid distribution efforts conducted independently of its control as a direct challenge to its authority and lucrative embezzlement schemes. Today’s deliberate attack on American aid workers at a GHF distribution site represents a grave escalation and must be widely condemned by the international community. Hamas blended into the crowd, exploiting the presence of civilians, mirroring tactics refined by terrorist groups during the March of Return riots along the Gaza border between 2018 and 2023.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Today’s direct attack on American GHF workers marks another example of Hamas’s violent efforts to reassert control over the distribution of aid in Gaza for its own benefit. The violence against GHF aid workers should be condemned across the international community, which should rally behind the organization’s successful aid delivery efforts and support the group’s efforts to expand aid operations in Gaza.” — Aaron Goren, Research Analyst and Editor
Terror attack on Gaza aid site wounds two US workers
Two American aid workers were injured on Saturday in a terrorist attack during food distribution efforts at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) site in Khan Yunis, the organization said.

According to preliminary information, two assailants threw grenades at the aid workers as food distribution concluded. Thousands of Gazans had safely received food before the attack. No local aid workers or civilians were harmed. The injured Americans are receiving medical treatment and are in stable condition.

The IDF said that on Saturday morning, it received an update from the GHF stating that terrorists had thrown two grenades into an aid distribution site in Rafah at the end of the aid distribution, while civilians were still present at the site.

As a result of the explosion of one of the grenades, two American site personnel were injured, it said, noting that IDF troops had facilitated the safe evacuation of the injured for further medical treatment.

“The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip continue efforts to sabotage the distribution of humanitarian aid at the designated aid sites intended for the civilian population. In doing so, they are cynically and deliberately harming civilians in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said.

GHF said in a statement, “We are grateful their injuries are not life-threatening and ask the public to keep them and their families in their thoughts and prayers.

“GHF has repeatedly warned of credible threats from Hamas, including explicit plans to target American personnel, Palestinian aid workers and the civilians who rely on our sites for food. Today’s attack tragically affirms those warnings,” the statement continued.

The foundation emphasized its continued commitment to delivering humanitarian aid. “Attempts to disrupt this life-saving work will only deepen the crisis,” the organization said. “We will continue to stand with the people of Gaza and do everything in our power to deliver the aid they so urgently need.”
Seth Frantzman: Why attack on Gaza aid workers is a turning point for humanitarian relief
This is meaningful for the organization to stay the course. This comes amid talk of a ceasefire and a push by the Trump administration to end the 636 days of fighting in Gaza.

It is unclear how the assailants got into the area with grenades. However, it seems impossible to search all the people who rush toward the sites to get aid.

It would seem that the only way to secure the area is to have security personnel or the IDF positioned far enough away from the delivery area that they can be out of harm's way in case of an incident, while still maintaining control of the overall area. Clearly, this presents a challenge, and terrorists will likely seek to exploit it.

GHF noted that in the incident on July 5, “no local aid workers or civilians were harmed.” Locals are involved in distributing the aid.

John Acree, interim Executive Director of GHF said: “this morning we faced a stark reminder of the risks involved with delivering meals in a warzone: two American aid workers were wounded in a targeted terrorist attack: assailants threw grenades at Americans working at our distribution site in Khan Yunis, injuring them as the day’s distribution concluded.”

GHF says it has warned this could happen. They want the international community to condemn this incident. Hamas has threatened GHF and its workers and would like to derail this aid mechanism. “At what point is allowing Hamas to terrorize aid workers and run a propaganda campaign through Western media no longer acceptable,” GHF said in a statement posted on X.

The July 5 attack is not the first of its kind. Back on June 11, there was also an attack. At the time, it was reported that five people were killed in a Hamas attack on a GHF bus transporting GHF team members.

The victims were local Palestinians. It is clear that there are threats, and this is not an easy problem to solve. The IDF put out a statement about the attack on the GHF but didn’t seem to indicate if the suspects had been found. “on Saturday morning, an update was received from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) stating that terrorists had thrown two grenades into an aid distribution site in Rafah at the end of the aid distribution, while civilians were still present at the site.” The lack of more information is concerning.

As aid continues to get to Gaza, preventing Hamas attacks is key. The organization is not defeated yet, despite 636 days of war. Hamas and other terrorist elements show they are not defeated through their actions. Hamas continues to control around 30-40 percent of Gaza, including the central camps, Gaza City, and other areas near Khan Yunis and Mawasi. It is from these areas that people access the GHF distribution sites.

There is one GHF site in the Netzarim corridor and two others in southern Gaza. The fourth site is also in Tel Al-Sultan in southern Gaza. On June 30, the IDF said it had relocated this site to a nearby location and set up new signs for the civilians.

At the time on June 30, the IDF said that “as part of the framework for distributing food and humanitarian aid in Gaza, carried out by the GHF in coordination with international aid organizations, the IDF is conducting ongoing assessments to improve operational response, minimize friction with the population, and ensure aid reaches its intended recipients and not Hamas.”

What comes next after the July 5 incident is important in showing that GHF will stay the course. It will also be necessary to learn lessons from the incident.
Netanyahu, US blame Hamas for grenade attack on Gaza Humanitarian Foundation workers
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas on Saturday for a grenade attack that injured two American aid workers employed by the Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and condemned the incident as a “terror attack.”

The US also blamed Hamas for the attack, saying it “lays bare the depravity” of the terror organization.

Early Saturday, GHF reported that two American aid workers were wounded when assailants threw two hand grenades at a distribution site in southern Gaza, blaming the attack on “hostile action by Hamas.” The organization said the explosive devices had been packed with ball bearings.

The IDF later confirmed that terror operatives threw grenades at a distribution center in Rafah, accusing “terror groups in Gaza” of continuing to sabotage humanitarian efforts, though without naming Hamas directly.

Civilians were still present in the area at the time of the attack, the Israeli military said, condemning the attack.

Netanyahu said later Saturday, in a statement from his office, that he wished to extend “a speedy recovery to the staff of the American aid foundation who were injured today in the terror attack carried out by Hamas terrorists.”

Netanyahu praised the GHF staff, saying they were “doing important work, and I thank them and [US] President [Donald] Trump for their support.”

He added: “The entire world must stand up and condemn this grave incident, which once again exposes the brutality of Hamas. The United Nations must stop opposing the foundation’s operations and instead work in partnership to ensure it can continue its mission safely for the benefit of Gaza’s residents.”

The GHF said in a statement that “the attack – which preliminary information indicates was carried out by two assailants who threw two grenades at the Americans – occurred at the conclusion of an otherwise successful distribution in which thousands of Gazans safely received food.”

The foundation has previously accused Hamas of killing at least eight of the agency’s Palestinian staffers.


NYPost Editorial: Lefty groups are actually blaming Israel and Gazan aid heroes for Hamas’ evil
Hamas is murdering aid workers distributing food in Gaza, so naturally most of the media swallow the terrorists’ propaganda and blame Israel.

And of course the left-leaning aid-industrial complex chimes in.

Per a report from the Israeli-American-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, Hamas has placed bounties on the heads of GHF security workers — including Americans — and has slain at least 12 of the group’s staff.

It’s also killing and kidnapping Palestinians working with the aid organization.

Yet the lefty Israeli paper Haaretz accused Israeli commanders of ordering IDF soldiers to “deliberately” shoot “unarmed Gazans waiting for humanitarian aid.”

That claim seems preposterous on its face, since this aid effort clearly serves Israel’s goals by ensuring that civilians in Gaza get fed without Hamas benefiting.

Israelis are risking their lives and devoting precious military resources to protect Gazans and help get them food.

Yet anti-Israel media throughout the world, as well as the United Nations and assorted charities, keep leveling similar charges.

The US-based Intercept, for one, says the Israeli military has killed “410 people trying to get food at Israeli-run aid sites in Gaza in the past month.”

No: The ones shooting at these civilians are Hamas and its allies — who may take Israeli fire when soldiers intervene to protect the innocent.

Hamas and its sympathizers simply claim — often via the Gazan Health Ministry, which Hamas controls and has been pitching lies all war long — that it’s all Israelis shooting civilians.

The terrorists want GHF shut down so they can regain their monopoly over aid distribution: Back when the United Nations controlled it, Hamas simply stole the food and used it as a lever to control Gaza — handing it out only to supporters or selling it to raise funds.

Meanwhile, the American and Israeli-backed organization has delivered 52 million meals in just five weeks, and it’s the only group not to have its food looted.


NYPost Editorial: Zohran Mamdani is a lightweight whose ideas are fluff
For all his radicalism, Zohran Mamdani’s program is often as vaporous as steam wafting from a Midtown manhole.

It’s a lot more about vibes than about delivering real change.

His city-owned grocery store scheme, for starters, is almost entirely symbolic — not any real answer to the price-gouging he and his fans pretends is common at privately owned markets.

The initial plan is only for one city store in each borough: That literally can’t make any difference for most New Yorkers.

And those five stores can’t even be a meaningful test because it’d be a disaster for the new mayor if any of the stores failed.

Tellingly, Mamdani brags that Chicago has already done a “feasibility study” for city-owned groceries.

Problem is, no one can read the Chicago analysis, because city leaders shelved it — almost certainly because they discovered that municipal-owned supermarkets have no chance of success.

Contrary to what the hipster socialists imagine, groceries’ profit margins are not rich but as thin as deli-sliced ham: Keeping the store going requires obsessive management — not the casual oversight that’s given the world the phrase “good enough for government work.”


Exposed: The Muslim matchmaking site advertising virgin brides
A Muslim matchmaking site for men to find virgin brides and take multiple wives is operating in Britain, The Telegraph can disclose.

NikkahGram, a UK-registered company, describes itself as an Islamic solution for men seeking “a shy, untouched spouse” or wishing to take a second, third or fourth wife.

Virgin women under 35 are promoted as ideal first wives. Those older or with sexual histories are likened to “low quality products”, with their only hope being to share a husband.

The organisation’s social media page features a video on when to beat your wife, as well as claims that sex with non-virgins can cause cancer and that women are intellectually defective.

NikkahGram lists Asif Munaf, a former NHS medic suspended for anti-Semitism, among its staff. Until contacted by The Telegraph, the site described him as their “associate qualified doctor”.

Mr Munaf, an entrepreneur who has appeared on Dragon’s Den and The Apprentice, is now listed as the “associate coach”. The link to book a £99 “mental wealth coaching call” in which he offered his “medical expertise” no longer works.

Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: “This vile site promotes domestic abuse. It shouldn’t exist. The fact it does shows yet again how our immigration and integration policies have failed.

“Mr Munaf’s views are abhorrent and should have no place in public life.”

Baroness Gohir, the chief executive of the Muslim Women’s Network UK, described the revelations as “deeply troubling” and said the site promotes an extreme ideology that does not reflect British Muslim communities.

She added: “What they present as ‘family values’ is thinly veiled misogyny, targeting vulnerable women – especially new converts, those with limited religious knowledge, and insecure young Muslim men struggling with identity.”


Trump Says Iran Has Not Agreed to Inspections, Give Up Enrichment
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium.

He told reporters aboard Air Force One that he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently although Iran could restart it at a different location.

Trump said he would discuss Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits the White House on Monday.

“I would say it’s set back permanently,” Trump said as he traveled to New Jersey after an Independence Day celebration at the White House. “I would think they’d have to start at a different location. And if they did start, it would be a problem.”

Trump said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff deepens over their return to the country’s nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel.

The U.S. and Israel say Iran was enriching uranium to build nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran’s facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority.

Iran’s parliament has passed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency’s inspectors will be able to return to Iran.
If we don’t stop Iran’s uranium pipeline now, the next bomb is only a trigger away
After airstrikes disabled Iran’s Isfahan, Fordow, and Natanz sites, Tehran announced a new underground enrichment facility – already stocked with foreign-sourced uranium and shielded from IAEA scrutiny. While Western leaders still fixate on centrifuge counts and breakout timelines, Iran has spent months quietly building a uranium procurement pipeline destined for weaponization. Iran doesn’t need to sprint toward a bomb – it’s quietly building the track.

Iran claims to be building eight civilian reactors – yet it lacks the uranium to fuel even one. The numbers don’t lie.

The narrative does. As noted by assessments from the Institute for Science and International Security and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran’s Saghand and Gachin mines are grossly underpowered for any civilian energy goal.

Instead, Iran has pivoted: opening small-scale extraction sites at Narigan and Jang-e Sar, enriching depleted uranium, and mining ore from phosphate imports – all steps thinly veiled as peaceful but tailored for weapons-grade stockpiling.

Beyond its borders, Tehran recently secured 300 tons of yellowcake from Niger, reportedly traded for Iranian-made air defense systems and drones. As covered by Africa Intelligence and corroborated by open-source tracking, Iran is now seeking direct access to Niger’s uranium mines – deposits large enough to fuel multiple bombs annually. This deal slipped past IAEA notice – a blatant breach of reporting obligations that threatens the integrity of the safeguards regime.

BEHIND THESE procurement efforts is a single entity coordinating logistics, transport, and concealment: the IRGC.
Iran’s supreme leader makes first public appearance since start of war with Israel
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday made his first public appearance since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran began last month, attending a mourning ceremony on the eve of Ashoura.

Khamenei’s absence during the war suggested that there was heavy security for the Iranian leader, who has the final say on all state matters.

State TV in Iran showed the 86-year-old leader waving and nodding to the chanting crowd, which rose to its feet as he entered and sat at a mosque next to his office and residence in the capital, Tehran.

There was no immediate report on any public statement made. Iranian officials such as the Parliament speaker were present. Such events are always held under heavy security.

Khamenei had reportedly sheltered in a bunker for the duration of the war, and after, for fear of being assassinated. He had instead issued pre-taped messages, and state television had aired his pre-recorded remarks.

His last public appearance before the outbreak of war on June 13 was two days before that, when he met with members of parliament.

After the US directly inserted itself into the war by bombing three key nuclear sites on June 22, US President Donald Trump sent warnings via social media to Khamenei that Washington knew where he was but had no plans to kill him, “at least for now.”

On June 26, shortly after a ceasefire began, Khamenei made his first public statement in days, saying in a pre-recorded statement that Tehran had delivered a “slap to America’s face” by striking a US air base in Qatar, and warning against further attacks by the US or Israel on Iran.

Trump replied, in remarks to reporters and on social media: “Look, you’re a man of great faith. A man who’s highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell.”


From Bethlehem to Hebron: My journey through truth that defies apartheid accusation - opinion
The real apartheid
I dislike throwing around the word “apartheid,” but what I saw in Israel that perhaps most closely resembles apartheid is not the result of Jews controlling Arabs. It emanates from the Jordanian Waqf – the authority that controls the Islamic buildings on Temple Mount – and is applied to Jews, particularly those who are religious. Mount Moriah, the holiest site in Judaism, where the First and Second Temples stood, remains in a fragile status quo meant to keep peace, and Jews are barely tolerated there today. Forbidden to pray, they are seen as threats on their own sacred ground.

On a recent visit to the mount with a Jewish group, Israeli police monitored us closely, rushing us through to avoid “provoking” Muslims. Meanwhile, Palestinian families picnicked and children played football on the very grounds we consider holy. We were treated like intruders.

Home to matriarchs and patriarchs
Hebron is home to the “Cave of the Patriarchs” and matriarchs. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah are all buried there. But Jews largely cannot visit the tombs of Isaac and Rebecca because those sites lie in a Muslim-designated area closed to Jews except on a few special days each year. Jews are allowed to live in and visit only three percent of Hebron; the other 97% is off-limits.

And yet the world accuses Israel of apartheid?
When people chant “Apartheid Israel,” I know it to be nonsense and lies. The world ignores when Jews are excluded, discriminated against, and denied freedom of worship on their own ancestral land.This isn’t about politics; it’s about religious rights, historical truth, and basic human decency.

Coexistence, not caricature
I’ve spent time in Jewish communities where “settlers” live. Not “violent extremists,” as the media claims, but warm, faith-filled families longing for peace. Many want to build bridges with Arab neighbors. But peace requires trust. If you reach out and get knifed in return, is it racist to take measures that protect your children?

In Hebron, I’ve seen Arab and Jewish children play within sight of each other. I’ve greeted Arab neighbors and been greeted back. This is the reality – not the demonized caricature in global headlines.

Yes, discrimination exists in Israel, as in any country with diverse populations. But apartheid? No.In Israel, Israeli Arabs serve in Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the military, while the call to Islamic prayer echoes across Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem.

What you won’t find in Israel is racial segregation enshrined in law. Instead, you’ll see a people who, even while facing existential threats and doing all they can to survive, offer dignity, coexistence, and opportunity to those who don’t seek their destruction.

Israel is not an apartheid state. It’s a miracle of survival, coexistence, and moral struggle in a region too often consumed by hatred.

The open discrimination I’ve witnessed in the Holy Land is the one the world refuses to acknowledge. It denies Jews access to their holiest places and demonizes the one Jewish state for defending itself.

The rest? Just unicorns in the sky.


Friends of ‘abandoned’ ex-hostage Ofer Calderon raise NIS 3 million in a day to help him rebuild life
A crowdfunding campaign launched on Friday for former hostage Ofer Calderon raised over NIS 3 million (approximately $900,00) in just one day – more than double its initial goal of NIS 1.5 million ($450,000).

As of Saturday evening, over 13,800 people had contributed to the campaign, entitled “Ofer just wants to return to life,” organized by Calderon’s friends and cycling group, ‘The Smurfs,’ in cooperation with the nonprofit Lehoshit Yad.

Calderon, a father of four, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, when Hamas terrorists stormed his home and kidnapped him along with his 16-year-old daughter Sahar and 12-year-old son Erez.

He fled with his children through the window of their safe room and hid in the bushes for hours before being discovered, beaten, and separated from his children as they were dragged into Gaza.

“The morning of October 7 is the moment my life shattered. Before my eyes, while I was wounded and bleeding, Hamas terrorists kidnapped my children,” Calderon wrote in an Instagram post on Friday. “The moment they were ripped from me is a nightmare that returns every night and never leaves.”

He was held captive for 484 days, a period he described as one of “hunger, humiliation, violence, and above all, terrible uncertainty that I might never get to tell my children how much I love them and how sorry I am that I wasn’t there for them.”

Since returning to Israel following his release in February, Calderon has been living in Kiryat Gat, where displaced residents of Nir Oz — the hardest-hit community on October 7 — have been temporarily relocated.

He has been left without a functioning home or any means of earning a living. His carpentry shop, which he built with his own hands, was destroyed, and the psychological trauma of his captivity has left him unable to return to Nir Oz or to work.

“I have no way to support my family. Every night the anxieties return, and I’m just waiting for the light to come so I can start fighting again,” he wrote.




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