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Monday, July 07, 2025

07/07 Links Pt2: World’s Jewish population still hasn’t recovered from the Holocaust; Why Australia's antisemitism problem can't be ignored any longer; 7/7 and the refusal to confront Islamist terror

From Ian:

World’s Jewish population still hasn’t recovered from the Holocaust, shocking analysis shows: ‘Reminder of how many people we lost’
The world’s Jewish population has yet to recover from the Holocaust that wiped out more than a third of its members, a stunning new analysis shows.

There were an estimated 16.6 million Jews alive in 1939 before the Holocaust killed more than 6 million of them.

The Jewish population did increase by 6.2%, going from 13.91 million to 14.8 million, between 2010 and 2020, figures show.

But globally, the overall non-Jewish population jumped 12.3%, from 7 billion to 7.87 billion, during that same time frame, the study said.

“During this time, the rest of the world’s population grew about twice as quickly,” Pew noted.

Jews account for a tiny 0.2% of the global population.

The study’s findings come at a vulnerable time for Jews, who are battling a rise in antisemitism triggered by the Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza.

“Have Jews made up for the loss of people killed in the Holocaust? The answer is no,” said Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University.

“It takes a long time to replace a third of the population. It still hasn’t happened. It’s a reminder of how many people we lost in the Holocaust,” he said.
EDI has a dark underbelly
A “diversity” expert promoting racism might sound paradoxical. But is it? In 2021, Google had to remove its diversity head over an old blogpost in which he reflected on the Jews and their “insatiable appetite for war and killing”. Now, we seem to have his British equivalent.

There are many things my childhood self never expected of modern life. That innocent young lad always knew that the flying cars and food machines of The Jetsons were probably a stretch, but even then he didn’t expect quite so much of his future day-to-day existence to instead revolve around removing neo-Nazi propaganda from his field of vision.

Regardless, this is now one of the many integral elements of the 2025 experience that we have normalised into the mundanity of our daily routine. As with charity chuggers, wasps and Hollyoaks, there is no way to actively proof oneself against bumping into examples of the most virulent kind of online antisemitism at the most inopportune moments, and for those of moral integrity there is little else to do but theatrically shoo it out of sight with a well-aimed swipe, like a cartoon washerwoman chasing away pigeons from her freshly-laundered bloomers.

Recently, my browser crash-landed into a particularly monstrous account — a real blizzard of anti-Jewish spite and approving reposts of antisemitic golden oldies. All the greatest hits were here — the “Jews did 9/11”, terrorist attacks are “Israeli false flags”, and a particularly pungent cut decrying Jewish “rat ideology.” The ambition of accounts like this one always remains consistent – pulling the present-day equivalents of Der Stürmer headlines off a set menu and lining them up like paper dollies, a curiously humdrum act of evil.

Unsurprisingly, this poisonous little piece of the internet was also doing backflips to celebrate the equally humdrum evil of Bob Vylan and the various incendiary performers at this year’s Glastonbury festival. Acres of opinion pieces have already been written about these recent developments, and how the BBC’s conciliatory statements for what they have attempted to undersell as sitcom-style mishaps don’t particularly square with the intentional, politically partisan editorial decisions they are supposed to have been addressing. The BBC’s apology insisted that Bob Vylan’s comments “have no place on our airwaves”, conveniently sidestepping the fact that they clearly do, otherwise nobody would have felt empowered to broadcast them.

It’s not for nothing that the rumour mill is currently predicting an imminent fall for Director General Tim Davie, given the Glastonbury farrago is but the latest in a very long line of recent BBC scandals. The bigger story here is just how many of these ideological pratfalls seem to involve antisemitism on the BBC itself, the overly long leash given to BBC staff accused of antisemitic conduct, or BBC News’s major impartiality breaches over the Gaza war coverage. It’s almost as if the BBC has a problem with … racism?
'Riverway to the Sea': British law firm representing Hamas rebrands, vows death to Zionism
A radical British law firm that previously represented Hamas has renamed itself Riverway to the Sea in honor of the notorious pro-Palestinian chant.

Riverway to the Sea – formerly Riverway Law – announced the move last week “in response to escalating repression and growing global momentum for justice in Palestine,” and, more specifically, the proscription of Palestine Action this week.

Riverway Law first attracted attention when it submitted an appeal to the UK Home Department’s State Secretary Yvette Cooper in April, asking for Hamas to be removed from the list of proscribed terror groups because it “poses no threat to the UK people.”

Its 106-page appeal was fronted by Hamas’s head of international relations, Mousa Abu Marzouk.

Alongside the new name, the firm announced it is undergoing a restructuring whereby it will become a fresh legal organization “committed to confronting Zionism through strategic litigation, legal education, and international coordination.”

“We have therefore taken the decision to close the practice in its current manifestation and will soon be reopening a new firm that will be better equipped to deal with the challenges of our times,” it said.

Aim of 'full liberation from Zionism for all people in Palestine'
Riverway to the Sea’s new website says its mission is to “challenge state practices that violate international human rights and humanitarian law, ultimately contributing to the liberation of Palestine and the emergence of a single, democratic Palestinian state of all its citizens in the ashes of the failed, fascist experiment currently known as ‘Israel.’”

This is with the aim of “full liberation from Zionism for all people in Palestine – from the river to the sea.”

“We are entering a new chapter where the law is not simply a profession but a tool of empowerment, resistance, and transformation. Riverway Law stands ready to meet this moment with clarity, courage, and unity,” said Fahad Ansari, the solicitor and director of the organization.

The organization’s other director, barrister Franck Magennis, has previously been criticized by Jewish groups for his statements about Israel and Jews. On October 7, he posted: “Victory to the intifada” on X/Twitter and changed his profile picture to Hamas terrorists breaking through the Gaza security fence.


JPost Editorial: Why Australia's antisemitism problem can't be ignored any longer
Friday’s attack came just months after another synagogue in Melbourne was set aflame, with no arrests made in that case. Since then, Australia has seen a Jewish childcare center set on fire; a trailer filled with explosives discovered alongside a list of Jewish targets; synagogues and Jewish schools defaced with antisemitic graffiti; Jewish businesses torched; and two nurses accused of threatening to kill Jewish patients.

The pattern is growing too obvious to ignore.

The prime minister and senior members of his left-wing government often say the right things. They issue statements, speak of unity, and affirm that antisemitism has no place in modern Australia. But if this is what “no place” looks like, then something is seriously amiss. Whatever policies are in place, whatever messages are being sent – they’re not working.

Words are important, but so is serious action
Words, as always, are important. But so is serious action.

Just last week, a federal court in Australia ruled that an Islamic preacher had violated the country’s racial vilification laws after widely circulating antisemitic, hate-filled sermons. The preacher and the organization responsible were ordered to remove the footage from social media. That ruling may have felt like a moral victory – a reminder that one can’t speak about Jews with complete impunity – but it’s not clear that merely ordering the removal of the offensive material will do much to stop the next preacher from peddling the same vile.

One of the more telling aspects of Friday’s rampage was the chanting of “Death, death to the IDF” – the same chant echoed by thousands at the Glastonbury music festival in the UK just a week earlier, led by the British rap duo Bob Vylan. What starts as a slogan on a stage morphs, far too easily, into a call to violence on the street. Words have power. They create atmospheres. They ignite fires.

Australia is now contending with those flames. The time for hand-wringing is long past. The Jewish community doesn’t need another empty reassurance that antisemitism “has no place.” It needs to see that message enforced – not just in press releases, but in penalties meted out to perpetrators of antisemitic acts, on campuses, in cultural spaces, and on the streets. Because when antisemitism is tolerated – or dressed up as political critique – it doesn’t stay in the abstract. It sets fires to synagogues. It vandalizes restaurants. And it kills.
Australia’s antisemitic arsonist and the choice the country faces
While this past weekend’s arsonist was Australian, he describes himself as “Iranian” on social media, carrying the ideological poison of a regime that has made hatred of Jews and Israel its defining characteristic. He represents the same antisemitic hate that characterizes the enemies of the Jewish people throughout history, from the Jew-haters of the Bible, to the Nazi Party in the 1930s to today’s hate-filled mullahs in Iran.

While these groups differ in historical context, they share a common antisemitic pathology. They are so consumed with destroying Jewish success that they neglect their own survival.

This week’s Torah portion, Balak, provides the timeless framework for understanding what happened in Melbourne. The Moabite King Balak, seeing the Israelites approaching his territory, hired the sorcerer Balaam to curse them. Commentaries have asked why the ancient monarch solicited a prophet to curse his enemy rather than bless and protect his own people. The answer is that he, like many others throughout history, was so blinded by hatred that he prioritized harming Jews over uplifting his own nation.

Holocaust historian Lucy Dawidowicz documented this same twisted logic in Nazi Germany. Even as the Third Reich was crumbling, Hitler chose to use precious railway resources to transport Jews to death camps rather than move soldiers to defend the Eastern Front. Similarly, the 1979 Iranian Revolution was a movement that promised progress but delivered regression, creating a regime that oppresses women and religious minorities, and opposes Israel at the cost of its own survival.

But Judaism represents the opposite revolution—a revolution of chesed, kindness, of repairing the world. We don’t seek to burn down doors; we seek to open them. We don’t curse our enemies; we pray for a world where all people can prosper and flourish.

This reveals a deeper truth: Antisemites don’t just hate Jews; they hate the morality and Divine connection that the Jewish people represent. They want to act with impunity without the burden of conscience, to destroy without the weight of ethical judgment.

According to Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, antisemitic activity in Australia has surged by more than 320% since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. From Sydney to Melbourne, from schools to restaurants, Australia’s Jews are under assault.

When someone sets fire to a synagogue, attacks Jews in the street or posts vile hatred on social media, they are not just attacking a person, building or community. They attack the very concept of moral responsibility—the idea that we are accountable to something higher than our basest impulses.

What the arsonists and terror sympathizers of the world don’t understand is that you cannot destroy hope with hatred. You cannot close the doors that exist within the human heart. Every Jewish child who walks through a synagogue’s doors to receive an education, every Jewish family that gathers for Shabbat dinner despite the threats, every Jewish doctor who saves lives regardless of their patients’ backgrounds—these are the doors that matter. These are the thresholds that no amount of hatred can destroy.

Australia, and the world at large, now faces a choice. It can allow the door-burners to triumph, permitting hatred to fester until it consumes the very values that make Australia a beacon of multicultural success. Or it can choose to be a nation of door-openers, standing with its Jewish community and all minorities against the forces of destruction.

The doors of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation will open again. And when they do, they will welcome all who seek peace, understanding and the chance to build, rather than destroy.


Victoria forms task force after Melbourne synagogue arson
The Australian state of Victoria is establishing an anti-hate task force following the latest antisemitic attack, which involved an arson attack on a synagogue on Friday night while worshippers were inside.

“Just as the fire came to the front door here of this synagogue, it was stopped. So too must we put a stop to antisemitism,” Victoria state Premier Jacinta Allan told reporters on Monday outside the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, where 20 people escaped unhurt from the arson.

“Not only does it have no place here in Melbourne and Victoria, it has no place anywhere,” she continued, according to Reuters.

Allan announced that the task force—including the premier, state police minister, Melbourne’s mayor and police officials—will convene for its inaugural meeting this week, with invitations extended to Jewish community leaders.

As part of broader security measures, the government is seeking expert input while preparing legislation aimed at prohibiting face coverings, the public display of extremist symbols and protest devices that hinder police removal efforts.

Counterterrorism detectives arrested a 34-year-old Sydney resident on Saturday night in connection with the attack during Shabbat prayers, charging him with multiple offenses, including criminal damage by fire.

In a separate incident on Friday, a group of 20 protesters stormed and trashed a popular Israeli restaurant, Miznon, on Hardware Street in Melbourne’s central business district.

Witnesses said the group was chanting “Death to the IDF” before arriving at the restaurant, and diners were fearful as the group threw food and chairs at windows and knocked over tables. Police arrested a 28-year-old man, later releasing him, and opened an investigation to identify the other offenders.


7/7 and the refusal to confront Islamist terror
We’ve been stuck in this loop for 20 years now. 7/7 wasn’t just one particularly lethal attack, it marked the blood-soaked arrival of Islamist terror to Britain. The beginning of our horrifying new normal in which jihadist killers periodically try to blow up or stab us and our fellow citizens; soon to be followed by Woolwich, Westminster Bridge, Manchester Arena, London Bridge I, London Bridge II, Reading, David Amess’s murder, Hartlepool.

And yet the rise of this murderous, apocalyptic Islamist cult – that worships death, that hates the West, that hates us – has left the opinion-forming set staring at their shoelaces, while they mumble something about the far right being just as pressing a problem.

This brain rot goes right to the top. Over these past 20 years, Islamist terrorists have butchered 95 people in Britain. The racist right have managed three. Meanwhile, Prevent, our premier counter-extremism programme, routinely flags up more people for ‘extreme right-wing’ views than for Islamism. At last count, potential Islamic extremists made up just 11 per cent of referrals.

It’s almost darkly funny. Islamism has rained down terror on our streets for 20 years now and we’ve been indulging a moral panic about the return of the far right, which remains a pathetic and marginal force in British life. Even the brazenly Jew-hating, misogynistic and homophobic nature of Islamism has failed to wake the supposed progressives from their slumber. Apparently, it’s only fascism when white blokes in tracksuits do it.

All this deflection, and for what? Because confronting Islamism makes you feel uncomfortable? Because it might raise awkward questions about multiculturalism, and how it has helped to kindle a violent hatred of Britain among a small but menacing number of British Muslims? Because it might force you to reconsider whether uncontrolled migration is such a great thing, given we’re increasingly importing jihadists? Because you’re so afraid of being called ‘racist’ that you’d rather let the killing continue? What is it?

On this day of ‘commemoration’, all I see is contempt. Contempt for the public, who are expected to ignore the evidence of their own eyes. Contempt for British Muslims, who are treated as permanent victims, blasé about terrorism, who might become mortally offended if you try to engage them in rooting out the nihilistic killers in their midst. And contempt for the victims of 7/7, who lost their lives to an ideology that the great and good can’t even bring themselves to name.


Irish university manager allegedly assaults student over Israel flag
A senior faculty member at Ireland’s University of Limerick allegedly assaulted a student on Saturday who was holding an Israeli flag at a lecture off campus.

Ger Downes, whom the University of Limerick website identifies as its Postgraduate Research Development Manager, was filmed clutching the flag and then forcefully gripping the student, Jamie O’Mahony.

The incident took place at The Gaff events venue during a lecture by Ilan Pappé, an anti-Israel historian.

Israel’s Cabinet minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, called for the university to address the incident.

“It’s not every day that you see how antisemitism turns even a ‘respected professor’ into a violent thug who loses self-control at the sight of a proudly brandished Star of David,” Chikli told JNS. “I’d like to hope that this institution, which platformed one of the world’s greatest antisemites, would at least draw a red line when it comes to violence by faculty,” he added.

Footage O’Mahony shared with JNS showed him calmly posing a question during the Q&A part of the Pappé lecture. O’Mahony noted that Israel is the only country in the Middle East where critics like Pappé are allowed freedom of expression, and that Pappé was a member of Israel’s far-left Hadash Party. He asserted that Pappé “hates Israel also because it’s a capitalist success story.”

The audience began booing, and when O’Mahony started unfolding an Israeli flag, Downes seized him. O’Mahony and two friends, who had attended the event to defend Israel and document the gathering, were ejected from the venue.

Irish Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder said the incident underscored how discourse around Israel is increasingly “marked by aggression and attempts to silence dissent” in Ireland to the point that some believe they’re “above the law,” leading to “intimidation and violence, even in broad daylight, in an academic lecture hall,” he told JNS.

O’Mahony gave a statement to police about the incident but declined to press criminal charges against Downes, saying “ultimately no one was physically hurt” in the scuffle.

“Of course, I expected to be unpopular, but I didn’t expect them to get physical so quickly,” said O’Mahony, who was born and grew up in Limerick but studies at Dublin City University. He set up that university’s chapter of the Students Supporting Israel international network (SSI).


No, supporting Mamdani isn’t the Jewish thing to do
There is something rather grotesque in watching a group of New York City rabbis twist and contort the oldest imperatives of Judaism for their own political vanity in their support for Zohran Mamdani. These rabbis, who mistake politics for principle, claim to be upholding Judaism’s lengthy legacy of justice in their embrace of a politician who has spent a rather brief but highly visible career demonising the Jewish state and cosying up to those who repeatedly spout antisemitism.

The rabbis behind this endorsement – Rabbi Andy Kahn, Rabbi Abby Stein, Rabbi Barat Ellman, Rabbi Ellen Lippmann, Rabbi Nancy H. Wiener, Rachel Goldenberg and Rabbi Miriam Grossman – frame their backing of Mamdani and ‘mensch co-endorser Brad Lander’ by invoking the tropes of garment workers, civil rights activism and the like, as if this lineage automatically validates their politics. Invoking history, though, is vastly different to learning from it.

Their argument boils down to the idea that since Jews have historically stood for righteousness and fairness, then supporting Mamdani is a natural extension of that tradition.

The issue is that Zohran Mamdani has repeatedly aligned himself with pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel ‘activists’ whose actions and words often go beyond whatever shred of ‘activism’ they are able to dig up to hide the majority of their antisemitic fear-mongering. Mamdani has consistently refused to clearly disavow the phrase ‘globalise the intifada,’ choosing instead to brush it aside with academic detachment as if it were a mere case of misunderstood semantics.


When Silence Hurts
There is a hyper-focus in many classrooms on the Israeli Palestinian conflict, often at the expense of neutrality and academic integrity. Jewish families are not asking for propaganda in the other direction—they are simply asking for neutrality, balance, and a willingness from educators and officials to acknowledge and correct antisemitism when it surfaces.

It is especially disheartening for families who believed that in a conservative, pro-Israel state like Texas—and in a community like Plano—they would be safe from such bias. But geography has not shielded them. One Jewish family recently pulled their child from the district altogether. Others are openly considering leaving Plano—or even the country—for places where they feel their children won’t be targeted or isolated for their identity.

Why is it so difficult for school leadership to say, “This is wrong, and it will be addressed”? Why are elected officials, who are often quick to speak out on other forms of hate, silent when it comes to antisemitism in their own backyards? Why have only a handful of local, state and federal officials responded?

The time for vague promises and polite avoidance is over. Plano’s Jewish community is not asking for special treatment—they are demanding equal protection, respect, and a classroom environment where their children can learn without fear or shame.

If Texas prides itself on being a place where values matter, then those values must include standing up for Jewish students—not only with words, but with meaningful action.
'Quite Shocking to Us': Local Parents Fighting 'Cesspool' of Anti-Semitism in Philly Schools Say Josh Shapiro's Office Stopped Meeting With Them
Philadelphia’s public school system has become an "absolute cesspool" of anti-Semitism and anti-American hatred, according to local parents, who say Gov. Josh Shapiro (D.) has "completely ignored" their pleas for help.

Since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, Philadelphia school officials have publicly defended terrorism, called for the release of convicted cop killers, claimed Israel is an "apartheid theocracy," and denounced the United States as a "criminal Amerikan empire." The Philadelphia school district settled a federal discrimination case with the Department of Education last year after students allegedly taunted their Jewish classmates with Nazi salutes, swastika graffiti on doors, and threats to "kill the Jews."

Frustrated parents told the Washington Free Beacon that they have tried to raise these issues with the governor but that his staff has done nothing in response and eventually stopped taking meetings with them.

One mother of two Philadelphia public school students told the Free Beacon that she and other concerned parents met with Shapiro staffers several times during 2023 and 2024, including with Carrie Rowe, the current head of Pennsylvania’s Department of Education.

"We have met with people in his office, seven or eight of them on a few occasions, and nothing has happened," the mother said. "[The governor’s office] heard firsthand the horrors that are going on, and what we've been dealing with, and nothing has happened to address or fix it."

Another mother of two students in the school system said Shapiro’s office stopped taking meetings with the parents last fall—after problems in the schools became "much more intense."

"Let's just be very clear, [Shapiro’s staffers] have done nothing," she said. "They continue to not respond to our requests. It's quite shocking to us. We’ve asked them to look into teachers who seem to be promoting violence, promoting self-immolation. We’ve asked them to look at the curriculum. They haven’t done it."

A Shapiro spokesman denied that the governor has neglected parental concerns, and said he took action to address it even though it is a "local issue" pertaining to city officials and the school district.
Barnard College Settles Lawsuit With Jewish Students Who Alleged ‘Egregious Civil Rights Violations’
Barnard College, Columbia University’s sister school, settled a lawsuit Monday with a group of Jewish students who accused the school of "egregious civil rights violations," agreeing to implement several measures to address anti-Semitism on its campus.

Dozens of Jewish students filed the suit against both Barnard and Columbia in June 2024, arguing that the schools "practice a double standard by which Jewish students are deemed unworthy of the protections afforded to non-Jewish students." While the suit against Columbia is ongoing, Barnard committed to several remedial actions to resolve its side of the complaint. It agreed, for example, to hire a Title VI coordinator who will review and respond to allegations involving discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.

Barnard also agreed to follow guidance from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to "consider" the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, though it won’t formally adopt it. That definition states that "denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor," is a form of anti-Semitism.

Barnard president Laura Ann Rosenbury said the "settlement reflects our ongoing commitment to maintaining a campus that is safe, welcoming, and inclusive for all members of our community."

"Antisemitism, discrimination, and harassment in any form are antithetical to the values Barnard College champions," she said in a statement. "These new measures, including enhanced training and a dedicated Title VI coordinator, build on Barnard’s existing policies and make our standards and expectations for treating one another, both on and off campus, crystal clear."

The settlement aligns with similar moves universities have taken in recent months to resolve legal complaints surrounding anti-Semitism. Harvard University, for example, agreed to adopt the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism and non-discrimination protections for "Zionists" as part of a January settlement.

While Barnard and Columbia are separate institutions, the two schools are deeply intertwined. Students can cross-register for courses, join each other’s student clubs, and access each other’s campuses.

That integration also means anti-Semitic incidents at one school could affect Jewish students at the other. In the aftermath of Oct. 7, Jewish students at Columbia and Barnard have endured repeated harassment and discrimination and have had their classes regularly disrupted by anti-Semitic rallies, according to the lawsuit.


Israel bars Neturei Karta’s US spokesman from entry
Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel on Monday permanently banned Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss, the U.S. spokesperson for the extreme anti-Zionist Neturei Karta movement, from entering the Jewish state.

Arbel’s announcement came hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he held a meeting with the Haredi rabbi on the sidelines of the BRICS group summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“I will not allow anyone who acts against the State of Israel and identifies with its enemies to enter,” said Arbel, of the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party.

Announcing the meeting with Weiss on his Telegram channel, Araghchi noted that the rabbi during his stay in Brazil also visited the embassy of the Islamic Republic, where he “signed the memorial book for the martyrs of the Zionist regime’s brutal invasion of our country.”

Israel last month fought a 12-day war against Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Twenty-eight people were killed in Iranian missile barrages targeting Israeli population centers during the war.

Neturei Karta is a fringe ultra-Orthodox Jewish organization that opposes Zionism and believes a Jewish state should not be established before the arrival of the Messiah.

Headquartered in Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox Mea She’arim neighborhood, the global movement has repeatedly caused controversy for its alignment with radical anti-Israel and antisemitic groups and regimes.


US revokes terror label for Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which toppled Assad
The United States on Monday announced that it was revoking its “foreign terrorist organization” designation of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group once linked to Al-Qaeda that took control of Syria in December 2024.

“In consultation with the attorney general and the secretary of the treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (and other aliases) as a foreign terrorist organization,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a memo, with the move to formally take effect on Tuesday.

An armed coalition led by HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa overthrew then-Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December, ending half a century of brutal rule by the latter’s family.

The former Islamist guerrilla fighter’s rule as interim president has been cautiously welcomed in Washington, Europe, and elsewhere.

While historic foe Israel initially viewed Sharaa with suspicion, it later expressed interest in striking normalization agreements with Syria and neighboring Lebanon. It has insisted that the strategic Golan Heights — which Israel captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed — would remain part of Israel under any peace accord.

US President Donald Trump last week formally dismantled US sanctions against Syria, saying he hoped to reintegrate the war-battered country into the global economy.
Seth Frantzman: 'The tide may finally be turning': Hezbollah under pressure as US envoy arrives
US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack is in Lebanon for significant discussions. This is an important opportunity for Lebanon to turn its back on years of conflict and become a successful country again. To do that, it needs to collect arms from groups like Hezbollah.

“A US envoy met Lebanese officials in Beirut on Monday to discuss a proposed plan to disarm Hezbollah, hours after Israel launched new air strikes and a cross-border ground assault,” Reuters reported.

Hezbollah may be willing to reduce its arsenal, Reuters said, though the US and others would prefer to see Hezbollah fully disarmed.

“Lebanon formed a committee to draft a response. Hezbollah was expected to provide its own feedback to its ally, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, to incorporate into a counter-proposal being prepared in time for Barrack’s Monday visit,” Reuters noted.

Prior to heading to Lebanon, Barrack posted an article by Edward Gabriel, the former US ambassador to Morocco and currently president of the American Task Force on Lebanon NGO, titled “Lebanon’s Opportunity – or Missed Opportunity?”


Croatian right-wing singer joins hundreds of thousands of fans in pro-Nazi salute
The Croatian singer Marko Perkovic, who is known for his far-right sympathies, led nearly half a million concertgoers in a pro-Nazi salute in Zagreb on Saturday night.

During the concert — billed as the largest in Croatia’s history — Perkovic played one of his most popular songs which begins with the pro-Nazi “For the homeland — Ready!” salute.

The salute is a remnant of the Ustaše regime, the Nazi puppet government formally known as the Independent State of Croatia. The brutal regime housed dozens of concentration camps during World War II and was responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews and Roma, as well as Croatians who opposed its rule.

In recent decades, Croatian nationalists have adopted the symbols of the Ustaše regime to promote their vision of Croatian ethnic identity. The symbols have become increasingly mainstream despite efforts by Croatian Jews to press for increased penalties for such displays.

In what some in Croatia interpreted as a lack of concern about promoting Ustaše sympathizers, Croatia’s prime minister, Andrej Plenković, attended Thompson’s rehearsal with his family.

While making the Ustaše salute is a misdemeanor in Croatia, courts have ruled that Perkovic — who performs under the name Thompson — can use it as part of his act. Perkovic has said both the song and the salute channel sentiments about the ethnic war against Serbia in the 1990s, after Croatia declared its independence from the former Yugoslavia.


Tel Aviv ranked 8th most expensive place to buy home in report on world’s key cities
Tel Aviv was ranked the world’s eighth most expensive city to buy residential real estate in an annual report on the cost of living in 69 of the world’s most important cities.

The average home in the Israeli metropolis costs $18,469 per square meter, according to Deutsche Bank’s Mapping the World’s Prices report released late last month, which determines the ranking based on the average cost of a home in a city’s center.

Hong Kong took the top spot with homes costing $25,946 per square meter. Israel was ranked behind New York ($18,532), London ($20,953), Geneva ($21,491), Seoul ($22,875), Singapore ($22,955), and Zurich ($23,938).

Israel’s high ranking was due to it “being the capital of a small, but densely populated, country with strict zoning rules and more recently, a booming tech sector.” The capital of Israel is Jerusalem, but many countries and foreign organizations do not recognize it as such due to the dispute with Palestinians over the status of the city.

Successive Israeli governments have for years promised to lower ever-climbing housing prices nationwide. The sky-high costs have put home ownership out of the reach of many Israelis, weakening the middle class.

The Deutsche Bank report noted that prices have jumped 110 percent since 2012, when the average cost was $8,795 per square meter.
Taiwan donates to new medical center in Samaria’s Binyamin
Taiwan’s representative in Israel on Sunday visited the Binyamin regional Council in Samaria, where her government is making a significant donation to the “Nanasi” Medical Center.

Abby Ya-Ping Lee visited the site where advanced work is underway on the new hospital and laid a cornerstone for one of the center’s units. It marks the first time a foreign nation has made a financial contribution geared towards the development of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

“Medical cooperation has been one of the central areas of collaboration between Taiwan and Israel in recent decades,” said Lee. “We are pleased to expand this cooperation to the regional level, through initial work with a regional council to save lives and to ensure the right to health regardless of ethnicity, age, or gender. Taiwan and Israel are neighbors in values and partners in challenging times.”

The medical center in Sha’ar Binyamin will serve as a state-of-the-art facility offering emergency care, advanced imaging, dialysis and a wide range of medical services. Phase 1, now fully funded, is set to open within two years. Future phases will expand to include comprehensive services such as CT and MRI imaging, a women’s health center, pulmonology, gastroenterology and more.

The Taiwanese representative was joined by Israeli lawmaker Ohad Tal of the Religious Zionism Party and met with Israel Ganz, Binyamin Regional Council Governor and chairman of the Yesha Council.

The visit was arranged by Tal, who recently led a delegation of Knesset members to Taiwan to promote cooperation between the two peoples.

“Especially in days when there are renewed attempts to sell us illusions of surrender in the spirit of Oslo and plans for a Palestinian state, we continue to connect our friends around the world to Judea and Samaria,” said Tal on Sunday.

“The tremendous military successes we have witnessed and Israel’s new strategic posture in the Middle East must be translated into victory and decisive achievements in our nearby arenas, to strengthen our hold and sovereignty across all areas of our homeland,” he added.
Muslim religious leaders from Europe pay rare visit to Israel
A group of Muslim religious and community leaders from Europe began a week-long visit to Israel on Monday with a meeting in Jerusalem with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

The extraordinary delegation of 15 Muslim imams from several European countries comes amid growing antisemitism across the globe in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel and amid the ongoing war sparked by the massacre.

“The war that broke out after Oct. 7 is not a war between Israel and Hamas or Israel and Hezbollah but a war between two worlds,” Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, chairman of the Conference of Imams of France, told the Israeli president in Arabic. “You represent the world of humanity and democracy.”

“We are all the sons of Abraham,” said Herzog. “I believe that the historic progress in our region is the result of dialogue—between Muslims and Jews and between Jews and Muslims. Against the extremist forces trying to stop this progress of living together, there are other forces that are growing stronger every day, advancing this vision.”

The unusual mix of Muslim leaders said that they carried with them a message of love for the Jewish people, and voiced the hope that the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza would be brought home.

“We want to see all the hostages home, and also to stop the suffering of the residents of Gaza and live a good life together,” Herzog responded, praising them for their “courageous” visit and voicing the hope that regional peace would soon be in the offing.


Ask Haviv Anything: Episode 27: Music amidst trauma - a conversation on life in a war with Aya Korem and Adam Ben Amitai
There are many ways to process and manage painful and difficult times. After the massacre of October 7 and the multi-front war that ensued, many Israelis turned to music, and often to the powerful ballads and melodies of singer-songwriter duo (and married couple) Aya Korem and Adam Ben Amitai.

Aya and Adam join us in a special song-laden episode to take a look back at 21 months of pain, resilience, solidarity and, in the end, also hope.

This episode was sponsored by Bennett and Robin Greenspan of Houston, Texas, who believe in Israel's centrality and importance for the Jewish world.

They chose to dedicate this episode to ⁠Edut710en.org⁠, a grassroots, volunteer-driven initiative established in the wake of October 7 to listen to, document, preserve, share and amplify the voices of survivors, first responders, and entire communities who experienced Hamas’s brutal attack firsthand. Over 1,600 testimonies have already been recorded to this date—many of them accessible at ⁠www.edut710.org⁠.




Fallen Entebbe raid commander Yoni Netanyahu honoured
Yonathan Netanyahu was honoured by The International Human Rights Observatory and B’nai B’rith Portugal at a ceremony on Monday in Porto.

The oldest son of historian Benzion Netanyahu and brother of Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoni was the legendary commander of Israel’s elite Sayeret Matkal unit.

He was killed whilst leading the daring rescue at Entebbe Airport in Uganda at the beginning of July 1976, after more than 100 hostages were taken to the country by Palestinian terrorists.

Operation Thunderbolt, also known as Operation Yonatan, is now widely hailed as one of the most astonishing military operations in history.

A-police-officer-clears-the-way-for-rescued-Air-France-hostages-returning-from-Entebbe-Airport.

Monday’s ceremony was attended by community leaders, diplomats and guests from Israel, the US, Belgium, Spain and Portugal, including Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman and founder of the European Jewish Association, which represents communities from Portugal to Ukraine.

He said: “Yoni Netanyahu was a symbol and an example of a leader who sacrificed himself for the sake of the people of Israel. The decision to honour his memory expresses the ideal that is required today from every Jew in Europe: to be courageous and willing to make all necessary sacrifices and efforts in order to ensure the continued existence and prosperity of the Jewish community in Europe.”

Israel’s ambassador to Portugal, Oren Rozenblat, said: “Operation Thunderbolt was not just a military operation. It was a message to Jews everywhere, and to the world. The Jewish people are not alone. The State of Israel will always be there to protect Jews, in Jerusalem, in Tel Aviv, or 4,000 kilometers away in Entebbe. It was a message of defiance against terror, of strength rooted in moral obligation, and of Jewish resilience.”

Luís Andrade, the president of the International Human Rights Observatory added: “Today we recognise Yonathan Netanyahu not only as a military hero, but as a moral landmark in the struggle for a more just and equitable world. For the first time in two thousand years, terrorists who sought to exploit and terrorise Jewish families learned that such crimes would not go unpunished.”




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