Saturday, July 19, 2025

07/19 Links: Anti-Semitism: from Nazi Germany to Glastonbury; Court freezes Trump’s ICC sanctions; Display in Sweden equating Gazans to Jews in Shoah

From Ian:

Anti-Semitism: from Nazi Germany to Glastonbury
The moral of the story is clear. Cancel culture may start with single words, but then it spreads virally to literature, opinions, society in general and finally living targets. If tolerance cannot be maintained for opposing or simply inconvenient points of view, then reasoned debate and the life of the intellect become untenable. “Reason requires that a diverse range of ideas be expressed and debated openly, including ones that some people find unfamiliar or uncomfortable. To demonize a writer rather than address the writer’s arguments is a confession that one has no rational response to them.” This sentiment was from incisive minds of Steven Pinker and Rebecca Goldstein, who were protesting against the American Humanist Association’s cancellation of Richard Dawkins’ Humanist of the Year Award from 1996.

In the 1930s chess literature became an early weathervane, a speluncular canary in the mine, indicating the stirrings of the lethal intolerance to come —an intolerance which, from a frightening multiplicity of instances, we are now in grave peril of repeating. Black and White are not yet controversial terms in chess, but the direction of discourse on climate change, gender multiplicity, whose lives matter, museums, memorials, statues, universities and even the mentions of the “slave products” tea, cotton and sugar in the oeuvre of Jane Austen (a noted abolitionist who in fact raised the issue of slavery in her novel Mansfield Park) threaten to become ever more toxically authoritarian. Chess Grandmaster Jacques Mieses, the cancelled author of his own book, whose best game I also celebrate this week, would have doubtless recognised the warning signs.

In that game, Aron Nimzowitsch vs. Mieses from 1920, Nimzowitsch, the progenitor of hyper-sophisticated Hypermodernism, is blasted in brutally direct style by his refreshingly unsubtle opponent. In a second game, James Craddock vs. Mieses of 1939, Mieses carries off a homage to the Immortal Game, between Anderssen and Kieseritzky in 1851, with its double rook sacrifice to force checkmate.

I close with a heart rending letter the exiled Spielmann wrote to a supportive friend, while seeking refuge in Sweden. The friend reacted positively, but on his friend’s passing, Spielmann ran out of road.

“What’s sad is that I was not only expelled from Austria, my homeland, but also lost the opportunity to move freely. Almost all countries that have a chess life in them have closed their borders to emigrants and refugees. I can’t enter any of them now with my worthless Austrian passport.

“For six months now, I have been sharing suffering with people who have lost their home through no fault of their own and are wandering without receiving absolutely any financial assistance. The only thing that keeps me in this world is the hope that I will eventually find some kind of chess-related job. Would you be able to find something like this for me in Stockholm or somewhere else in Sweden? Not necessarily a permanent job. I could spend some time in Sweden to restore my spirit and my chess abilities and to gain strength for future activities. Perhaps later I will be able to emigrate to England or America. I beg you not to leave me in trouble. I will agree to any conditions, just to be busy with something. The main thing for me is to get out of Hell in the centre of Europe. Anti-Semitism is becoming increasingly noticeable in Prague, which deprives me of any means of livelihood. Our 30-year acquaintance gives me the opportunity to hope that I will get an answer from you, so that I can learn what fate awaits me…”

Spielmann did indeed manage to flee to Sweden with the help of his friend. He hoped to reach England or the USA and eked out money for the overseas passage, by playing exhibition matches, writing chess columns and an autobiography.

However, pro-Nazi members of the Swedish Chess Federation disliked Spielmann because he was Jewish. His longed for book, Memories of a Chess Master , was repeatedly delayed. Despairing of its publication, the impoverished Spielmann became withdrawn and depressed.

In August 1942, he locked himself in his Stockholm garret and did not emerge for a week. On August 20, neighbours summoned police to check on him. They entered and found Spielmann dead. The official cause of death was ischemic heart disease, but it is generally accepted that he had followed established chessboard practice in a hopeless position and resigned, by intentionally starving himself to death.

The Swedish epitaph on his tombstone reads: “Rastlösflykting, hårt slagen av ödet” (“A fugitive without rest, struck hard by fate”).
Gaza documentary producer celebrated Palestinian terrorists as ‘martyrs’
A producer of a controversial documentary on Gaza called a terrorist who shot dead seven Israeli civilians on Holocaust Memorial Day a “martyr”, The Telegraph can reveal.

The Channel 4 film Gaza: Doctors Under Attack was billed as a “forensic investigation” into claims the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) were deliberately targeting Palestinian medics in a systematic campaign to cripple Gaza’s hospitals.

But one of the two Gazan producers, Osama Al Ashi, had previously described Palestinian terrorists as “martyrs” and has been accused of posting “celebratory” footage of the Oct 7 2023 attacks on social media.

The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (Camera UK), a pro-Israel monitoring organisation, said it raised questions about the producer’s objectivity and the documentary’s impartiality.

A Camera UK spokesman told The Telegraph: “A producer who celebrates the deaths of Israeli civilians on what he sees as ‘the other side’, and who appears unable to distinguish them from legitimate military targets, cannot be considered an impartial observer.”

After being contacted by The Telegraph, Ashi deleted several social media posts in which he had described terrorists as “martyrs”.

The documentary, made by Basement Films, an independent production company, proved controversial even before it was broadcast.

It was originally commissioned by the BBC, but the broadcaster decided it “risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC.”
UN says Israel has refused to renew visas for heads of at least 3 agencies in Gaza
Israel has refused to renew visas for the heads of at least three United Nations agencies in Gaza, which the UN humanitarian chief blames on their work trying to protect Palestinian civilians in the war-torn territory.

Visas for the local leaders of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA; the human rights agency OHCHR; and the agency supporting Palestinians in Gaza, UNRWA, have not been renewed in recent months, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed.

Tom Fletcher, UN head of humanitarian affairs, told the Security Council on Wednesday that the UN’s humanitarian mandate is not just to provide aid to civilians in need and report what its staff witnesses but to advocate for international humanitarian law.

“Each time we report on what we see, we face threats of further reduced access to the civilians we are trying to serve,” he said. “Nowhere today is the tension between our advocacy mandate and delivering aid greater than in Gaza.”

Fletcher alleged, “Visas are not renewed or reduced in duration by Israel, explicitly in response to our work on protection of civilians.”

Israel’s UN Mission said it is looking into the issue. Israel has been sharply critical of UNRWA, even before Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terror assault in southern Israel — accusing the agency of colluding with Hamas and teaching anti-Israel hatred, which UNRWA denies. A camp of tents housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)

Since then, the Israeli government has asserted that UNRWA is deeply infiltrated by Hamas. Some of the agency’s staffers participated in the October 7 attacks. Israel formally banned UNRWA from operating in its territory, and its commissioner general, Swiss-Italian humanitarian Philippe Lazzarini, has been barred from entering Gaza.

The UN identified the other two local leaders affected as Jonathan Whittall, a South African humanitarian expert for OCHA, and Ajith Sunghay, a British-educated international lawyer for OHCHR.


Israel accuses Hamas of foot-dragging, as sides await group’s reply to softened proposal
A senior Israeli official on Friday accused Hamas of “dragging its feet” in the ongoing hostage negotiations in Doha, as Jerusalem awaited the terror group’s response to a softened Israeli proposal for the IDF’s partial withdrawal from Gaza, which had mediators bullish about the chances for a deal.

“Israel is ready to see negotiations with Hamas through to the end, but the refusal and foot-dragging are raising doubts about Hamas’s seriousness,” an Israeli official told reporters during a phone briefing regarding the status of the negotiations.

Beyond Israel, Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators were also frustrated with Hamas for taking so long to respond to the updated maps that Israel submitted to mediators on Wednesday, an Arab diplomat and a second source involved in the mediation effort told The Times of Israel.

Egypt is fed up with Hamas and is threatening consequences against the terror group if it doesn’t accept the Israeli proposal so that the sides can move on to discuss remaining issues in the negotiations, the Arab diplomat said.

But after midnight Friday-Saturday, Hamas was still holding deliberations, leaving the mediators on hold.

Despite the frustration with Hamas, the source involved in the mediation effort said the outstanding issues are surmountable and that a deal is still possible within days, perhaps toward the end of next week.
US envoy demands ‘harsh consequences’ as he visits Christian town attacked by settlers
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the Christian Palestinian town of Taybeh in the West Bank on Saturday, which has been the scene of several attacks by settlers in recent weeks.

Taybeh residents and local church leaders said the town had experienced an upsurge in settler harassment recently. They pointed to an arson attack, which they said was committed by extremist settlers, next to the ruins of the Church of St. George in the town last week, as one of the most serious incidents so far.

On Monday, the most senior church leaders in the Holy Land toured the Palestinian town and alleged that Israeli authorities have facilitated the ongoing harassment.

“Desecrating a church, mosque or synagogue is a crime against humanity and God,” Huckabee wrote Saturday on X after touring Taybeh.

“I work for ALL American citizens who live in Israel-Jewish, Muslim or Christian. When they are terrorized or victims of crime I will demand those responsible be held accountable with real consequences,” he added.

In a separate statement issued by the State Department, Huckabee denounced the arson attack as “an act of terror” and demanded “harsh consequences” for the perpetrators.

He also appeared to take a shot at Israeli authorities over the lack of enforcement against settler violence.

“We will certainly insist that those who carry out acts of terror and violence in Taybeh – or anywhere – be found and be prosecuted. Not just reprimanded, that’s not enough,” Huckabee said. “People need to pay a price for doing something that destroys that which belongs, not just to other people, but that which belongs to God. That is a sacrilege. It’s against the Holy.”

Israeli officials have yet to condemn the attacks on Taybeh and have also been mum on last week’s killing of two Palestinians, including a US citizen allegedly beaten to death by settlers near the West Bank village of Sinjil.
Students at Netanyahu’s Pennsylvania high school want him ejected from the alumni hall of fame
More than 200 students at Cheltenham High School in suburban Philadelphia have petitioned for the school’s alumni hall of fame to eject Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who graduated from the school in 1967.

Officers of the school’s alumni association are meeting with school district officials on Friday to consider the petition, according to a report in The New York Times, which said the association’s secretary privately said the group was inclined “to keep Netanyahu up, but maybe with an update in his biography.” Netanyahu was added to the hall of fame in 1999, during his first stint as prime minister.

The petition, submitted last month by roughly 15% of students, cited Netanyahu’s criminal indictment and arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, the newspaper reported. Netanyahu denies the criminal charges against him, and Israel rejects the allegation that it has committed war crimes in Gaza, where it has been battling Hamas since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Netanyahu 'not a person to look up to,' students say
“When students see these alumni on the wall of fame as we walk past every day, we understand that these are people we should look up to, and we strive to be like them one day,” two of the students wrote when they submitted the petition last month, according to the NYT. They added, “As such, we feel it is not right for him to continue to be recognized in our school.”

Netanyahu lived in Cheltenham twice, from 1956 to 1958 when he was in elementary school, and from 1963 to 1967 when he was in high school, while his father taught at a local Jewish studies institute. At Cheltenham High, he participated in soccer, debate, and chess clubs and reportedly skipped his graduation ceremony to return to Israel to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces. He recently joked on Fox News with another graduate, the conservative pundit Mark Levin, about the alumni hall of fame, which does not include Levin. See mor
French court frees terrorist behind murder of Israeli, US diplomats
Israel, through its embassy in Paris, expressed its “regret” over the decision of a French appeals court on Thursday to release Lebanese terrorist Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, 74, who served 40 years of a life sentence for his role in the murder of Israeli and American diplomats in 1982.

Abdallah is a “terrorist responsible for the murders of the Israeli diplomat Yaacov Barsiman-Tov, killed in front of his wife and daughter, and the American diplomat Charles Ray. Such terrorists, enemies of the free world, should spend their lives in prison,” the embassy said.

The Paris Appeals Court agreed to release Abdallah on July 25, arguing that he posed “no serious risk in terms of committing new terrorism acts,” Reuters reported.

The decision upholds an earlier one from Nov. 15, 2024, by a French court, which ordered Abdallah to be released on Dec. 6 of last year. That ruling was suspended when the prosecution appealed, Le Monde reported.

The United States and France’s general prosecutor opposed Abdallah’s release. Although he had been eligible for parole since 1999, all his past applications had been turned down, except in 2013, when he was granted release if he left France. Then-Interior Minister Manuel Valls refused to enforce the order, and Abdallah remained behind bars, Le Monde reported.

Abdallah, former head of the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF), a Marxist-Leninist terrorist group, was detained in 1984 and convicted in 1987 for complicity in the murder of the aforementioned U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ray and Israeli diplomat Barsiman-Tov. Both men were 43.

On Jan. 18, 1982, Ray, serving as assistant army attaché in Paris, was gunned down by a lone terrorist as he was walking to his car, The New York Times reported at the time. Witnesses said a Middle Eastern-looking man approached Ray, pulled out a 7.65-mm pistol, and shot him in the forehead, according to the report.

“He was a distinguished Military Intelligence officer, a decorated Vietnam veteran, and serving his first assignment as a military attaché. He was married with two children. President Ronald Reagan promoted Ray to Colonel posthumously on 3 June 1982,” according to the Defense Intelligence Agency website.
IDF reservist recounts needing to flee Brazil during 'post-war trip' after 'war crime' allegations
Israeli IDF reservist soldier Yuval Vagdani was forced to flee Brazil earlier this year after an anti-Israel organization filed a complaint against him alleging "war crimes" committed in Gaza, prompting Brazilian police to seek his arrest and interrogation, Channel 12's Main Edition reported on Friday.

Vagdani, who survived the Nova music festival massacre on October 7 and later served for months as a reservist in Gaza, told N12 that he felt compelled to fight after the trauma of that day: "I went to fight, but I couldn't stay home - I just couldn't."

Traveling to Brazil as 'post-war trip'
At the beginning of 2024, Vagadni decided that he wanted to travel to Brazil for what he described as "a post-war trip." However, he soon found himself at the center of a legal drama thousands of miles away from home.

"I arrived at the hostel on a Saturday, after a week-long festival, and woke up to missed calls and a phone call from the Foreign Ministry," he recalled to N12. When he answered, a Mossad agent told him, "You must leave Brazil as soon as possible; legal proceedings are about to be opened against you."

Shortly afterward, Vagdani's brother called, again with a Mossad agent on the line, informing him that a pro-Palestinian organization was pursuing a legal case against him on behalf of a Gaza family.

According to the N12 report, the complaint originated from the Hind Rajab Foundation, an anti-Israel group based in Brussels known for targeting Israelis abroad.

Vagdani recounted that fake online profiles had collected information about him for over a year and a half before filing the complaint after learning he was in Brazil.

"They had already started publishing that I was trying to flee - those posts were in real-time," he said.

When Vagdani reached the airport, he was stopped at border control.

"The officer told me, 'You're not flying, you're coming with me now for questioning,'" he recalled.

He was interrogated about his military service and subjected to a thorough physical search. Ultimately, he managed to deceive local authorities by pretending not to understand English, leading to his release.
‘Israelis not welcome:’ Pro-Hamas movement poses a threat in Italy
As they continue to weather nearly 21 months of a multi-front regional war, Israelis have been reminded once again that some governments in the democratic world are far more reliable than others.

There are those, like Ireland and Spain, that have been truly awful: embracing the Hamas framework for understanding the conflict, trying to change the definition of “genocide” solely to convict Israel of this monstrous crime, and playing to the antisemitic sentiments that have surged among their respective populations.

And there are those, like Canada and Australia, that have been profoundly disappointing, seeking to embargo weapons supplies to Israel, and misrepresenting Israel’s war of survival against Iran and its proxies as a war of choice—again as antisemitism surges among their populations.

Then there are those, like France and the United Kingdom, that have been grimly predictable: vociferously condemning the Hamas pogrom in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and vociferously condemning Israel for trying to eliminate the conditions that enabled the massacre in the first place against a background of widespread, frequently violent Jew-hatred in the public square.

Finally, there are those like Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic and Italy, who have shown pretty much consistent support for Israel.

Yet as Italy demonstrates, just because the central government supports Israel, it doesn’t mean that local governments or the population more generally will follow suit.

Earlier this month, posters appeared across locations in Milan bearing the words—in garbled English that would be comical were it not for their meaning—“Israeli Not Welcome.” One Jewish resident told The Times of Israel, “They say ‘Israeli,’ but they mean Jews and everyone who does not dissociate themselves from what happens in Gaza.”


Court freezes Trump’s ICC sanctions
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Feb. 6 executive order imposing sanctions on some who work for the International Criminal Court was blocked in a preliminary injunction issued by a federal judge on Friday.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen branded the order unconstitutional, infringing the First Amendment on the issue of free speech. “The executive order appears to restrict substantially more speech than necessary to further that end,” Torrensen was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“The executive order broadly prohibits any speech-based services that benefit the prosecutor, regardless of whether those beneficial services relate to an ICC investigation of the United States, Israel or another U.S. ally,” she said.

Trump’s order authorized broad economic and travel sanctions on individuals investigating U.S. citizens or U.S. allies, such as Israel, on behalf of the court in The Hague.

The federal court issued the preliminary injunction after concluding that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their First Amendment violations claims.

The case has been brought before the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine in April by two rights groups, the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Maine, on behalf of Matthew Smith and Akila Radhakrishnan, according to the ACLU.


Israel to Increase Defense Budget by $12.5 Billion Amid Multifront War
Latest Developments
Defense Budget Increase: Israel will increase its defense spending by $12.5 billion, according to an announcement from the country’s ministries of finance and defense. The supplement was agreed upon following Israel’s 12-day air campaign against Iran in June, as well as its ongoing campaigns in Gaza and the West Bank. In a joint statement, the two ministries said that the budget allocation will allow Israel to “advance urgent and essential procurement deals critical to national security.”

Costs of War: As part of the agreement between the two ministries, Israel will purchase more Arrow interceptors from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which were heavily relied upon to counter the approximately 500 Iranian ballistic missiles launched toward Israel in June. Amir Baram, the director general of the Defense Ministry, stated, “Accelerating the production rate of the Arrow and other critical systems is a central component of the ministry’s strategy to expand production capabilities and improve operational readiness for the continuation of the war and future campaigns.” Israel’s total military spending increased by about $47 billion in 2024, an increase of 65 percent from 2023.

Preparing for All Contingencies: Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the increased defense budget would allow Israel to prepare for future conflicts on multiple fronts. Israel’s “enemies are openly declaring their intent to destroy us … For this we require complete military, technological and operational superiority,” he stated. Along with its deal with IAI, the Ministry of Defense also signed a deal worth $20 million with Israel Weapons Industries (IWI) to produce advanced machine guns for IDF ground troops.

FDD Expert Response
“The underlying thinking is quite clear: Many of Israel’s enemies have been damaged significantly, but they will recover and continue to be a threat. To maintain its strategic edge, Israel must continue to innovate and prepare for both foreseeable and unforeseeable security challenges. Achieving this will require substantial financial investment to ensure the Jewish state is equipped to counter evolving and emerging threats effectively.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“By significantly increasing its military budget, Israel is demonstrating how a democracy can facilitate significant defense spending while maintaining a healthy economy. As the Axis of Aggressors — China, Russia, and Iran — continue to sow chaos, it is critical that our Western allies focus on increasing defense spending as Israel has done in order to face the threats of our time.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network
IDF kills Hezbollah Radwan Force terrorist in Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday killed a member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force who had been involved in efforts to reestablish terrorist infrastructure in the area of Khiam in southeastern Lebanon’s Nabatieh Governorate, the military said.

The IDF said that the terrorist’s activities constituted “a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” referring to the ceasefire agreement signed in November.

The Radwan Force is the Hezbollah unit tasked with infiltrating Israel, seizing areas along the northern border and abducting hostages as part of the terrorist group’s “Conquer the Galilee” plan.

“The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat posed to the State of Israel,” the military said.

On Thursday, the IDF killed two Hezbollah terrorists in separate strikes across Southern Lebanon, Hassan Ahmad Sabra—a Radwan Force commander—near Nabatieh, and a second operative who was rebuilding infrastructure in the Naqoura area.

On Tuesday morning, the Israeli Air Force carried out a broad wave of strikes targeting the Radwan Force in eastern Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley.

The targeted camps were “used by the Hezbollah terror group to train and prepare operatives for attacks against IDF forces and the State of Israel,” the military said, adding, “As part of this training, the terrorists conduct shooting drills and exercises with various types of weapons.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strikes sent “a clear message to the Hezbollah terror group, which is plotting to rebuild its capabilities to raid Israel through the Radwan Force—and also to the Lebanese government, which is responsible for upholding the agreement.

“Every terrorist will be targeted, and every threat to the residents of the State of Israel will be thwarted,” he continued. “We will respond with maximum force to any attempt at rebuilding [Hezbollah].”


Palestinians say at least 26 killed near Gaza aid sites; IDF says troops fired warning shots
At least 26 people were killed and more than 100 injured in shooting incidents near two Gaza aid sites early Saturday, Palestinian officials said, accusing the Israeli military of opening fire on people trying to secure food. The IDF said that troops had fired warning shots and that it was investigating reports of casualties.

The Hamas-run civil defense agency said 26 people were killed. The Associated Press, quoting witnesses and hospital officials, put the death toll at at least 32. Neither toll could immediately be verified.

The two incidents occurred near food-distribution hubs operated by the Israel-and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Agency spokesman Mahmud Basal, who Israel has accused of being a Hamas operative, told AFP that 22 people were killed near a site southwest of Khan Yunis and four near another center northwest of Rafah, blaming “Israeli gunfire” for both.

The Israel Defense Forces said it was aware of reports of casualties after troops fired warning shots and that overnight, Palestinians had approached Israeli forces in the Rafah area, “in a way that threatened the forces.”

“Troops operated to prevent the suspects from approaching them, called for them to distance themselves, and after they did not comply, the troops fired warning shots,” the IDF said. Smoke and fire rise to the sky following an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

According to the army, the incident took place a kilometer away from the closest aid site and during the night, when it was not open for Palestinians to collect aid packages.

The IDF said the incident is under further review.

Later Saturday, the military announced that two reserve combat engineers were seriously wounded by a roadside bomb in the southern Gaza Strip earlier in the day.


Israeli forces nab 70 Palestinian terror suspects in Judea and Samaria
Israeli forces detained 70 Palestinian suspects during counter-terrorism operations across Judea and Samaria over the past week, the IDF said on Friday.

Troops also seized large sums of terrorism-linked funds and dozens of weapons, including explosive devices, M16 rifles and improvised “Carlo” submachine guns.

On Thursday, three terrorists were arrested in Qabatiya, near Jenin in northern Samara, while planning an attack on IDF troops. During the operation, soldiers discovered improvised explosive devices intended for use against them.

In a separate raid, Israeli soldiers uncovered and dismantled an explosives production lab in Al-Ram, near northern Jerusalem. Forces also operated in Hebron in Judea, apprehending five wanted suspects and confiscating hundreds of thousands of shekels earmarked for terrorism, along with a cache of weapons.

Two-thirds of Israelis (66%) fear the possibility of another Oct. 7-style massacre, this time originating from Judea and Samaria, according to a survey published this week by the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA). Among Jewish respondents, 77% expressed concern, compared to 22% of Arab Israelis.

According to the JCFA, 64% of Israelis oppose the creation of a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 lines. Just 8% support statehood without conditions, while 17% would back it if Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state and agree to demilitarization.

Among Jewish respondents, opposition is higher—77% overall, and 88% among right-wing voters.
Seth Frantzman: After multiple rounds of renewed fighting, will the Syria truce finally last?
On Friday, US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack announced that a truce had been agreed to in Syria after five days of clashes in which Israel had intervened and bombed Damascus.

The clashes were between Bedouin tribesmen and Druze, and the Syrian government had tried to intervene to prevent them, but Israel had demanded that the government leave the area, accusing it of having been involved in oppressing the Druze.

Barrack said he was grateful to Jordan for playing a leadership role in the region to help support the ceasefire. “We are making positive steps to support a unified, stable Syria at peace with its neighbors, including our Jordanian allies.”

Of interest was Barrack’s social media post on Friday in which he said that Israel’s prime minister and the president of Syria had agreed to the truce. In essence, the Syrian conflict, which was made up of internal clashes, now appears to have been outsourced to Israel, with Jordanian and Turkish involvement.

Ankara and Amman are very critical of Israel’s bombing of Syria, and they argue that Israel is destabilizing it. In their view, Israel is demanding that southern Syria be demilitarized, which has helped lead to a power vacuum. Into the vacuum, armed groups have emerged that are fighting each other; Israel’s bombing has only made this more chaotic.

The US administration has not critiqued Israel openly. However, Al-Monitor quoted a senior Trump administration official as telling Israel, “You can’t embark on a new war every few days."
Israel preparing to send medical gear to Sweida as clashes persist despite ceasefire
Israel is preparing to send medical equipment and medicine to a hospital in the Druze-majority city of Sweida, in southern Syria, after days of violence left an estimated 900 people dead and the medical facility badly damaged, the Health Ministry announced on Saturday.

The announcement came even as fighting persisted across the Sweida province, despite the latest attempts from Syria’s Islamist-led government to restore order following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention.

Deadly violence has plagued Sweida province since last Sunday, with more than 900 people reported dead, as Druze fighters clashed with Sunni Bedouin tribes, who were later joined by government forces.

Reports emerged from Sweida of regime forces killing women and boys, looting homes, and shaving Druze clerics’ mustaches. Videos also showed Druze fighters beating captured government forces and posing by their bodies.

Israel launched dozens of airstrikes on convoys of government fighters and struck the Syrian defense ministry headquarters in central Damascus, saying it was acting in support of the Druze, who form a substantial community in Israel and are seen as a loyal minority, often serving in the Israeli military.

In the latest show of support for Syria’s Druze, the Health Ministry said on Saturday evening that Israel’s security forces would deliver medical equipment and medicine to a hospital in Sweida once it has received authorization to do so from all relevant authorities.

“Our brotherhood with the Druze community is well known, but beyond that, we are committed to a ‘covenant of life.’ We cannot stand idly by when members of the community—inside or outside Israel—are in danger,” Health Minister Uriel Buso said. Tribal and Bedouin fighters cross Walga town as they mobilize amid clashes near the predominantly Druze city of Sweida in southern Syria on July 19, 2025 (Abdulaziz KETAZ / AFP)

“This initiative reflects the values that guide Israel’s healthcare system and our longstanding alliance with the Druze community,” said Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman Tov. “Providing medical assistance to the injured is a moral obligation.”

Fighting persisted across the Sweida province on Saturday, and a war monitor reported toward night that Druze fighters had successfully pushed out rival armed factions and regained control over their city.


Israeli Hostages Taken By Hamas Terrorists Speak Out | Peter Cardwell Watch Peter Cardwell's interview with Aviva Siegel, held hostage by Hamas for 51 days, and her husband Keith, held for 484 days.

"Went without food for extended periods, water was scarce."

"I witnessed violence and physical abuse... I experienced sexual abuse."

They urged the Israeli government and global leaders to act swiftly, highlighting the ongoing psychological war and the brutal treatment of hostages by Hamas.

CBS’s Inocencio to Fmr. Hamas Hostage: Is Israel Committing Genocide?
On Friday, CBS News Foreign Correspondent Ramy Inocencio asked former Hamas hostage Aviva Siegel if she thinks Israel is perpetrating a genocide in Gaza after he cited numbers from Hamas on casualties in Gaza.

Inocencio said, “[W]ith a number of confirmed dead now surpassing 58,000, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, accusations of genocide at the hands of Israel are rising.”

Inocencio then played a video where he asked Siegel, “Is the application of that word, genocide, is it okay?”

Siegel responded, “Hamas is responsible [for] all what’s happening in Gaza, too. They need to release the hostages and let their people [be] free.”




Ms Rachel joins forces with Palestinian journalist ‘genocide survivor’
“Ms. Rachel,” one of America’s leading children’s stars who was previously dubbed the “Beyoncé of toddlers,” continues to shake up the internet, this time following a video she published with a Palestinian journalist who supports terrorism.

This week, Rachel Anne Accurso, known to her approximately 16 million YouTube followers as “Ms. Rachel,” published a video on social media with her “friend,” photojournalist Motaz Azaiza.

Azaiza, considered one of the voices most identifiable with Hamas in the digital arena, defines himself as a “genocide survivor.” After the Oct. 7, 2023, massacres, he called to support Palestinian “resistance” and praised then-Hamas “military” wing leader Yahya Sinwar. In another instance, he refused to condemn the massacres.

The responses were quick to come. “Elmo’s account was hacked (referring to antisemitic posts distributed on the hacked X account of the “Sesame Street” character). What’s Ms. Rachel’s excuse?” wondered Hen Mazzig, one of the prominent pro-Israel advocacy activists in the U.S.

The current affair joins a series of controversies surrounding Ms. Rachel’s activities since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. This spring, Accurso published content that presented Israel as the aggressor, relying on data from Hamas’s health ministry that does not distinguish between civilians and Hamas terrorists.

She shared photos of injured or hungry children without noting that, in some cases, these were children suffering from complex genetic diseases.

‘Evil propaganda against Israel’
Following her previous statements, the StopAntisemitism organization appealed to the U.S. Justice Department in April, demanding it open an investigation into whether Accurso effectively serves as a paid propaganda agent. The NGO declared that Accurso “spreads evil propaganda against the State of Israel to more than 20 million followers through multiple accounts, more than the entire population of Jews and Israelis in the world.”


Four Anti-Israel Activists Face 2027 Trial Over UK Military Base Break-In
Four pro–Palestinian activists will stand trial in 2027 charged with breaking into a British military air base and damaging two planes in protest against Britain’s support for Israel.

The four are accused of breaking into a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire in central England on June 20 and spraying red paint over two Voyager aircraft used for refueling and transport. Campaign group Palestine Action said it was behind the incident.

Lewie Chiaramello, 22, Jony Cink, 24, Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, and Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 36, appeared for a hearing at London’s Old Bailey court on Friday ahead of a trial due to start in January 2027.

They are charged with conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the interests or safety of the UK and conspiracy to commit criminal damage. None of the defendants were asked to enter a plea at Friday’s brief hearing.

Police previously said the action had caused 7 million pounds ($9.4 million) worth of damage to two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton.

British lawmakers voted to proscribe Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation earlier this month. The group has condemned the decision as “authoritarian” and a challenge to the ban will be heard at London’s High Court on Monday.
More than 100 arrests as pro-Palestinian protesters chant ‘f--- your Jewish state’
More than 100 protesters were arrested across the UK on Saturday as some pro-Palestinian activists chanted “f--- your Jewish state”.

Protesters gathered across the country to call for the ban on Palestine Action to be reversed, amid police warnings that those showing support for the proscribed group faced arrest.

Demonstrations were held in Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Truro and London as part of a campaign coordinated by the campaign group Defend Our Juries, which has already seen dozens arrested.

Greater Manchester Police said it had arrested 16 people on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation, adding that they remained in custody for questioning. Avon and Somerset Police said 17 people were arrested in Bristol.

Eight people holding signs saying “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action” were arrested on the steps of Truro Cathedral, in Cornwall. Defend Our Juries said one of those arrested was Deborah Hinton, an 81-year-old former magistrate.

In the capital, the Metropolitan Police said 55 people had been arrested in Parliament Square for displaying placards in support of Palestine Action. The force said they were arrested under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

It later added that by 4pm a further 10 people had been arrested within the main Palestine Coalition march, bringing the total to 65 in London. Eight of the 10 were for seemingly supporting Palestine Action, while one was for a racially aggravated public order offence and one for breaching Public Order Act conditions.


UK council twins with Gaza town in solidarity with Palestinians
A council has become the first in Britain to twin with a town in Gaza in solidarity with Palestinians.

Hastings borough council, controlled by the Green Party, voted to twin with Al-Mawasi, near Rafah, after what was described as a “horrifically anti-Semitic” meeting.

At the meeting, several councillors drew comparisons between the Israeli attacks on Gaza and the Holocaust.

The official International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism says “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of anti-Semitism.

Hastings council, which covers an area with high deprivation, adopted the definition in 2020, despite opposition from some Labour councillors.

The resolution by the council means it will enter a partnership including fundraising, political support and raising awareness of issues in Al-Mawasi. The move comes despite councillors raising concerns over whether Hamas has control of the area.

The Hastings motion, proposed by Cllr Yunis Smith of the Greens, passed with 14 votes in favour, three against, and 11 abstentions, the majority of which were Labour councillors.

In his speech to the council, Cllr Smith, a Muslim convert, said: “We all remember the haunting images from the Holocaust, the rise and fall of the Nazi regime, and we ask how the world stood by. I say to you now, don’t look away. Don’t let history repeat itself on our watch. Let never again mean never again.”

Cllr Mike Turner, an independent, explicitly referred to the Holocaust, saying: “This is a very similar situation. It’s the same old story. Powerful people make decisions and little kids die.”

Cllr John Rankin, a fellow independent, compared the situation in Gaza to the Blitz, urging councillors to “remember what it’s like when children live in fear”.

Cllr John Cannan, also an independent, defended the activities of Palestine Action – recently proscribed as a terrorist group and known for targeting Jewish-owned and Israel-linked businesses.

Independent Cllr Simon Willis, whose family fled Nazi persecution, also made reference to the Holocaust and told the chamber: “This is what genocide looks like.” Gaza

Some at the meeting warned that the debate risked inflaming community tensions. Cllr Helen Kay said the motion “goes way beyond the remit of local councillors to serve our residents in such areas as improving housing, bin collections [and] fly-tipping”.

Dany Louise, a member of Hastings’ Jewish community, said: “The meeting was horrifically anti-Semitic and is deeply concerning for Hastings’ Jewish community.

“The area is one of the most deprived in the country, and we ought to be focusing on our local community, not wading into divisive political issues.”

Alex Hearn, of Labour Against Anti-Semitism, said: “Instead of addressing the urgent problems facing constituents, the council chose to obsess about a conflict thousands of miles away.

“Their inflammatory rhetoric was irresponsible and not only fails the very small Jewish community but further isolates and alienates them. Hastings council needs to do better for all its citizens.”


Liberman warns Iran is ‘obsessed’ with revenge, calls for Israel to strike first
Former defense minister Avigdor Liberman said Saturday that Iran is “obsessed” with seeking revenge against Israel following the 12-day war between the two enemy nations, warning that Jerusalem will have to strike again at some point.

Liberman, who heads the opposition Yisrael Beytenu party, told the Channel 12 news program “Meet the Press” that revenge is “all the Iranian leadership thinks about.”

“I could tell you the same thing that the intelligence assessments and officials say” about Iran’s nuclear capabilities in the wake of the Israeli and US strikes, he added, saying “they all speak of around one to two years” for Iran to reconstitute its nuclear program.

While Tehran’s nuclear ambitions will remain a problem, Liberman said, “what is more worrying is that all Iran is currently obsessed with is waging a war of revenge” against Israel.

“That’s the only thing that interests them right now. A war of revenge, that’s it,” he stated.

When asked if he thinks that means Israel should attack Iran again, Liberman answered that “it would be worthwhile for us to strike first again.”

“This time, Iran wants to deliver the first blow,” he said.


Display in Sweden equating Gazans to Jews in Shoah stirs storm
A Holocaust-themed exhibit in the city of Umeå in northern Sweden featuring mannequins in concentration camp uniforms hanging from gallows was put up by an anti-Israel group named Umea for Palestina on Friday.

The supposed message is that Palestinians in Gaza are undergoing the same atrocities that Jews suffered under the Third Reich—although some have interpreted it as a call to hang Jews.

The mannequins are dressed in long gray and white stripes, displaying a yellow star next to a series of numbers, reminiscent of the uniforms Jews were forced to wear in concentration camps during the Holocaust.

A banner reading, “Genocide is genocide is genocide” towers above, with two PLO flags hoisted besides the gallows. In the front, what looks like a real person wearing a keffiyeh hiding his or her face, sits down with a baby doll in both hands.

The display stirred a storm in Swedish social media, after which the original posts on Facebook and Instagram were removed, according to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan News.

Israeli Ambassador to Sweden Ziv Nevo Kulman dubbed the exhibit a “grotesque exploitation of the Holocaust and a chilling act of antisemitism.

“When pro-Palestinian demonstrators hijack the memory of the Shoah to vilify Jews today, they cross every moral line. We must never allow the Holocaust to be weaponized against Jews ever again,” he said.

The diplomat added, “We welcome the Swedish police’s investigation into this despicable act of incitement.”


Russian courts sentence 135 people linked to 2023 antisemitic airport riot
Russian courts sentenced 135 people to lengthy prison sentences in connection with a mass antisemitic riot in October 2023 at an airport in the predominantly Muslim Dagestan region, the country’s Investigative Committee said on Friday.

Hundreds of rioters stormed an airport in the city of Makhachkala, where a plane from Tel Aviv had just arrived, amid unrest in the North Caucasus over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which had begun a few weeks earlier when the terror group launched the October 7 massacre.

Investigators said they completed probes into the participation of 139 in the events.

Three additional people, whom they say had organized the riots via posts on a Telegram channel, were put on Russia’s wanted list.

The 135 convicted people were given prison terms ranging from six and a half to 15 years for participating in mass riots and other crimes. Investigators did not name the people or say how they pleaded.

In January, four members of the mob were sentenced to a decade in a penal colony. In August, five rioters were sentenced to jail terms ranging from six to nine years.
Three decades on, Argentina mourns AMIA building bombing
Argentina on Friday commemorated the 31st anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in the country’s history, a car bombing that targeted the seven-story Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) community center in Buenos Aires.

The attack on July 18, 1994, left 85 people dead and more than 300 wounded.

Events marking the attack were held across the country, with an official commemoration held in Congress for the first time.

In Buenos Aires, hundreds gathered in a ceremony held outside the rebuilt AMIA building, demanding justice for the crime. Attendees could be seen holding photographs of the victims.

President Javier Milei attended the event, held under the slogan “Impunity persists, terrorism too,” according to AFP. The staunch Israel supporter did not deliver a speech, but told reporters that “we won’t stop until justice is done.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar marked the date on X, saying that “we remember with sorrow the 85 victims.”

He thanked Milei and his government “for their unwavering commitment to justice and firm stance against the terrorism that Iran continues to promote.” Sa’ar further remarked that the two allies were “united in the fight for liberty and against terror.”

In April 2024, an Argentine court found Iran and Hezbollah were responsible for what it called a crime against humanity for the attack on the Jewish community center.

Last month, a judge authorized a trial in absentia of 10 Iranian and Lebanese defendants, consisting of former ministers and diplomats, AFP reported.
Chilean mayor defies most anti-Israel South American nation to visit
In December 2024, an evangelical organization erected a tall metal Chanukah menorah near the waterfront in Puerto Montt, southern Chile, to commemorate the holiday. In Chile’s anti-Israel post-Oct. 7, 2023, atmosphere, the gesture sparked immediate backlash.

Social media in the city of 250,000 residents, which houses a small Jewish community and serves as a popular destination for Israeli backpackers, erupted with furious posts.

“Remove this symbol of death from here,” Sen. Ivan Moreira Barros, who represents the Los Lagos scenic lakes region where Puerto Montt serves as capital, declared on X. He addressed Chilean President Gabriel Boric directly, stating, “You support Palestinian rights in the face of genocide, so make sure this happens.”

Following the digital campaign came physical action. Unidentified vandals sprayed the menorah with red paint, scrawled “Murderers” across it in bold letters and damaged its foundation.

Only a handful confronted this vandalism and blatant antisemitism. The nation’s Jewish community filed protests while Israeli Ambassador to Chile Gil Artzyeli condemned Moreira Barros and other politicians participating in the incitement.

Among Chilean politicians, virtually only Rodrigo Wainraihgt, Puerto Montt’s mayor, who assumed office on Dec. 6, openly opposed these manifestations of hatred and bigotry. Puerto Montt Mayor Rodrigo Wainraihgt during his visit to Israel’s Gaza area communities, July 2025. Credit: Courtesy.

“I clearly supported Jews’ right to celebrate Chanukah peacefully and quietly, which is why I sharply criticized this act and those responsible for it,” Wainraihgt told Israel Hayom during his visit to Israel as part of a Latin American mayors’ delegation that attended the Muniexpo 2025 local government conference at Expo Tel Aviv on July 15-17.

Following the menorah vandalism, leftist forces in his city and nation have branded Wainraihgt an “Israel supporter,” labeling him “pro-Zionist,” “genocide supporter,” “friend of the Jews” and worse.

“I’m neither pro-Israeli nor pro-Palestinian,” he said. “I consider myself neutral. Unlike others, I listen to both sides before forming opinions about a country I don’t truly know and a problem where I lack expertise. This is precisely why I wanted to come here and witness reality firsthand.”


‘Ace of aces’: Giora Even Epstein, Israel’s most decorated fighter pilot, dies aged 87
Brig. Gen. (res.) Giora Even Epstein, the Israeli Air Force’s most decorated fighter pilot and the world’s top supersonic jet ace, died Saturday at age 87.

Nicknamed “Hawkeye,” Even Epstein was credited with 17 aerial shoot downs —- 16 Egyptian fighter jets and one Egyptian helicopter -— making him a global aviation legend.

With an unmatched combat record, he served in the Israeli Air Force from 1961 until 1997 and later flew for El Al.

Even Epstein was born in 1938 in Kibbutz Negba in British Mandatory Palestine and developed a love for aviation from a young age as he watched Air Force planes fly above the southern community.

When he was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in 1956, he was initially rejected from the Air Force’s flight school for medical reasons and enlisted as a paratrooper.

After his mandatory service, he reapplied for flight school and was accepted, graduating with honors in 1963.

Four years later, when Israel and its neighbors fought in the Six-Day War, Even Epstein scored his first kill while flying a French-made Dassault Mirage III, shooting down an Egyptian Sukhoi-7 fighter jet over the Sinai.

During the subsequent “War of Attrition” between Israel and Egypt, Even Epstein shot down another four Egyptian jets, earning him the honor of “flying ace,” a title given to pilots who have five or more confirmed aerial kills.

When Israel’s neighbors attacked again in 1973, beginning the Yom Kippur War, Even Epstein downed another 12 Egyptian aircraft — one helicopter and 11 fighter jets — making him the “ace of aces,” the most successful fighter pilot of the supersonic jet era.

For his role in Israel’s victory, he was given the Medal of Distinguished Service, one of the country’s highest military honors.




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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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