Monday, July 28, 2025

07/28 Links Pt2: Civilisation fails the test, again; The battle of misinformation; Former Hostage joins Israeli team for final stage of Tour de France

From Ian:

Melanie Phillips: Civilisation fails the test, again
The echoes of October 7 were unmistakeable and horrifying. For several days last week, the Druze of Suweida in southern Syria were subjected to a barbaric onslaught by government troops controlled by the new Syrian president, Abu Mohammed al Jolani, as well as attacks by Bedouins and other jihadists. An estimated 1,000 Druze as well as Christians were slaughtered. Men were beheaded, women raped, children shot in front of their parents. An elderly Druze man was burned alive in his wheelchair.

From all those who over the past 21 months have posed as driven by conscience to support the “oppressed” Arabs of Gaza, there was now only silence. There was no condemnation from the likes of Amnesty or – until several days after the massacres – Human Rights Watch that constantly flay Israel over fabricated crimes against humanity. There was muted protest from church bodies, even though a Christian pastor and his entire family of 20 were slaughtered.

Instead, there was outrage over the accidental damage done by the IDF to a Catholic church in Gaza, when shrapnel from a strike on a nearby terrorist target hit part of the church and tragically killed three people.

The new Pope shamefully misrepresented this as an “attack by the Israeli army on the Catholic Parish of the Holy Family in Gaza City, which as you know killed three Christians and gravely wounded others”. Yet on the deliberate slaughter of his Syrian co-religionists he is, so far, silent.

On the BBC and other media the Syrian atrocities were barely reported, with the attacks falsely characterised as “sectarian” battles between Bedouin and Druze. Israel, the only country to come to the defence of the Druze by attacking Syrian military targets, was portrayed as bombing them for no particular reason other than yet more Israeli aggression. The Syrian pogrom wasn’t allowed to interrupt the steady stream of anti-Israel libels about aid supplies to Gaza.

Almost every day, Hamas has claimed Israel is deliberately killing Gazans queuing for food. It is, in fact, mainly Hamas that’s been killing hundreds of them to prevent them from receiving the aid that threatens to bring about the terrorist group’s final defeat.
Natasha Hausdorff: The battle of misinformation
For all of Israel's remarkable and inspiring victories across the seven kinetic fronts of this war against the forces of evil, Iran and its proxies have been gaining significant ground on the eighth front, in the realm of international media and diplomacy. It is a front Israel cannot afford to lose. The battle of misinformation and the propaganda campaigns of terrorist organizations has an undeniable effect on Israel's ability to defend itself. Pressure from international players for Israel to cease its self-defence has increased as a result of false accusations of "genocide" or "disproportionate force", and Hamas has been emboldened at the negotiation table, rejecting US-brokered hostage release deals. Every aspect of the ongoing war has been impacted by the increasingly dangerous and damaging anti-Israel rhetoric of supposed allies in the West, predicated upon falsehoods.

For too long, there has been an inclination to give credence to lies, treating them as valid talking points that require a response, as though false narratives and the truth are of equal value. This attitude and approach are having a dire impact on the public's understanding of the facts and the law.

Two messages need to be advanced with urgency in the international community. The first: "You have been lied to". Whether it is the revival of ancient blood libels with the false claim that Israel targets civilians, or the photos of very sick children falsely presented as victims of starvation, the public and the politicians around the world need to understand they have been taken for a ride. The second: "you're next". Lest those in the US, UK, or Europe think that this propaganda war is just about Israel, they should understand that this propaganda campaign of manipulation will have a dire impact on their ability, not just Israel's, to defend themselves against terror in the future.

Israel has set records and unprecedentedly high standards in the protection of civilians in armed conflict, facilitation of aid, and the painstakingly precise focus on terrorist targets. Military experts confirm this; all Israelis should know this. It is time the rest of the world appreciated it too.
The Palestinian national project is the REAL genocidal campaign...
International Enablers, The Global Multiplier
This campaign would not have reached its current potency without international complicity. The Soviet Union’s cultivation of the PLO gave the movement its narrative tools. The United Nations, through resolutions like the infamous “Zionism is racism” (3379, 1975) and UNRWA’s perpetuation of refugee status, institutionalized the political and demographic mechanisms of the campaign.

State sponsors like Iran, Qatar, and Turkey furnish the funds, weapons, and diplomatic cover to sustain Hamas and PIJ. Tehran supplies rockets and training through the IRGC and Quds Force. Qatar hosts Hamas leaders in Doha, funnels hundreds of millions into Gaza, and amplifies their messaging through Al Jazeera. Turkey grants Hamas operatives safe haven and even citizenship, legitimizing their agenda as “resistance.”

Western media and NGOs, often unwittingly, launder Palestinian propaganda into global discourse. Casualty figures supplied by Hamas-controlled agencies, despite their manipulation, are treated as gospel. Staged or recycled images, “Pallywood,” circulate widely, shaping public opinion of Israel as a reckless aggressor and Palestinians as helpless victims. Reports by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, echoing Soviet-era framing, label Israel an “apartheid state” while downplaying or ignoring the explicitly genocidal doctrines of Hamas and PIJ.

None of these actors may be pulling a trigger, but each plays a role in sustaining a campaign that, by intent and by act, seeks the destruction, in whole or in part, of the Jewish people as a sovereign nation. Under the Genocide Convention, facilitation and incitement are themselves prosecutable when tied to such a campaign.

Why Naming It Matters
Labeling the Palestinian national project as a genocidal campaign is not rhetorical escalation. It is clarity. So long as this movement is treated as a legitimate expression of self-determination, international institutions, state sponsors, and NGOs will continue to subsidize and shield it, mistaking a campaign of elimination for a quest for freedom. Recognition has concrete implications. Governments and courts must classify Hamas, PIJ, and affiliated entities not just as terrorists, but as genocidal organizations under international law. State sponsors like Iran, Qatar, and Turkey must face sanctions and prosecutions for aiding and abetting genocide. UNRWA must be reformed or dismantled, ending its role as a demographic weapon.

Most importantly, the world must affirm the Jewish people’s indigeneity and sovereignty in their ancestral homeland, not as a concession to Israel, but as a safeguard against the very outcome international law was designed to prevent. The destruction of a people’s existence as a nation.

The Palestinian national project, as it exists today, was not built to create a state. It was built to destroy one. And unless the world confronts that fact, it risks enabling the very crime it swore, after the Holocaust, would never again be allowed to happen.


EU proposes cutting Israeli access to research funds over Gaza humanitarian crisis
The European Union’s executive body on Monday recommended curbing Israeli access to its flagship Horizon research funding program, after calls from EU countries to increase pressure on Israel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Multiple EU countries said last week that Israel was not living up to its commitments under an agreement with the European Union on increasing aid supplies to Gaza and asked the Commission to put concrete options on the table.

The proposal to partially suspend Israel’s participation in the Horizon Europe program needs approval from a qualified majority of EU countries to take effect – at least 15 of the EU’s 27 members, representing at least 65 percent of its population.

The European Commission said in a statement that the proposal comes as a reaction to a review of Israel’s compliance with the human rights clause of an agreement governing its relations with the EU.

The bloc’s diplomatic service said in June that there were indications that Israel had breached its obligations under the terms of the pact.

“While Israel has announced a daily humanitarian pause in Gaza fighting and has met some of its commitments under the common understanding on humanitarian aid and access, the situation remains severe,” the Commission said on Monday. “The proposed suspension is a targeted and reversible action.”

Brussels said the proposal would impact Israel’s participation in the bloc’s European Innovation Council Accelerator, thus halting access to funding for Israeli start-ups involved in fields that include drone technology, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

Last year, Israel was in the top three countries for the number of companies vying for funding, along with Germany and France.


‘No one messes with OUR Jews’, the venue told me – then cancelled our shows
On 14th July 2025, Jewish News published an opinion piece I’d written about Jewish performers experiences at the Edinburgh Fringe. I shared how the venue I’d been performing in for the past few years had been incredibly supportive, describing how “I’ve also received kindness and care from peers, venue staff, and the festival team I perform with, the PBH Free Fringe.” It had lovely feedback online and then came out in the print version at the end of the week. I picked up my hard copy when I bought my chopped liver (with a second copy for the archives – aka my mum) and rushed home to cook for Shabbat, casually leaving the paper on the table.

As I skimmed my chicken soup, my phone rang. It was the CEO of the Free Fringe, informing me that our longstanding venue had ejected my show, Ultimate Jewish Mother, as well as my comedy partner Philip Simon’s show Jew-O-Rama, that he created 9 years ago with fellow comedian Aaron Levene. This came as the most enormous shock, that the venue that we both loved, that had been our safe and happy space, that had in fact told me last year that “We’ll look after you, no one messes with OUR Jews”, had decided that having two Jewish shows in their venue was no longer acceptable to them. I looked over at my copy of Jewish News and imagined all of you, the readers, thinking of the venue in the most positive light, while my head was spinning and heart breaking. I can only liken it to telling your mates how fantastic your new partner is, only to find a voicemail dumping you straight afterwards.

The reasons they cited have already been covered in this publication but were centred around the bar staff feeling unsafe knowing that, as British Jewish performers in 2025, we attracted a bit of extra security. What a bizarre take – instead of assuming that any additional eye from the police or a helpline number for CST made their whole venue safer, despite reassurance that there was no expected issue and these were both deterrents and precautionary, they decided it made them feel more at risk. And it’s particularly surprising coming from an alcohol-serving music venue that gets very rowdy on occasion and has its own big, burly bouncers. They claimed that last year there was an increase in threatening graffiti on the toilet doors, forcing to re-paint them every three days. This was a bit of a head-scratcher as, being two Jews in our (I’m going to say late 40s, why not?) we were regular visitors to the facilities. We didn’t see evidence of this – there were no threats towards us or the venue on the doors, and no constant smell or sight of paint. And even if that was the case, there are only a handful of cubicles, so it was hardly the Forth Bridge. They also claimed that one of the shows had held a vigil for a fallen IDF soldier, but retracted this when challenged – I assume because it’s quite hard to prove something that simply didn’t happen.
SECOND Fringe venue drops Jewish comedian – with ‘Palestine’ given as excuse
A Jewish comedian has been dropped by a second Edinburgh Fringe venue which claimed it was due to his views on Israel – despite him having “never expressed support for anything other than freeing the hostages and finding a way for peace.”

Philip Simon, whose long-running Jew-O-Rama showcase was cancelled by Edinburgh’s Whistle Binkies venue ten days ago, informed social media followers that his solo show, Shall I Compere Thee in a Funny Way? had been dropped by the city’s Banshee Labyrinth venue.

Simon said: “The reason I was given is that my ‘views concerning the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine…are in significant conflict with our venue’s stance against the current Israeli government’s policy and actions.’ Anyone who knows me will know I have never expressed support for anything other than freeing the hostages and finding a way for peace. It is sad to think that these views could conflict with anyone who wants to see a lasting peace in Gaza and Israel.

“As a Jewish person living in Britain it is possible, and increasingly common, to have a love for Israel without supporting the actions of the government.”

Simon and his comedy partner Rachel Creeger were informed on 18 July that Whistle Binkies, where they have been performing since 2018, had withdrawn their bookings for the Fringe. Writing for Jewish News today, Creeger described how this venue – which last year had told them that ‘no-one messes with OUR Jews’ – had abruptly dropped them, not even directly, but by informing the Fringe, which passed the message on to them.

Simon said that he was “still processing the concept that in 2025 I can be cancelled just for being Jewish.

“In the meantime I will still be at the Fringe for my one remaining children’s show and continue to investigate possible alternative venues for both of my cancelled shows.”


What was James O’Brien thinking?
LBC’s broadcasting of this lie comes at a time of rising anti-Semitism. This week, a group of Jewish-Israeli girls were abused and accused of ‘killing babies’ at a kosher café in central London. A few days earlier in Dublin, a Jewish man was assaulted on a bus and told he was ‘genocidal’. In the US, in the past few months alone, an Israeli couple was fatally shot in Washington and Jews were set on fire in Colorado, a Holocaust survivor among them. An 82-year-old woman has since died from her injuries. People feel they’ve been given permission to hate and attack Jews, while thinking they’re the good guys for doing so. Same as it ever was.

O’Brien has since attempted an apology. On Wednesday, he said, ‘As with all the texts and messages that I read out on the programme I did so in good faith’. ‘I regret taking those unsubstantiated claims at face value’, he added.

‘Unsubstantiated claim’ is one way to put it. Racist lie, however, would be more accurate. A racist lie that made its way unchallenged through his producers, through him, and even through the social-media team, who were clearly impressed enough by the listener’s insights to tweet a clip of the segment.

At this point, I should probably point out that there isn’t even such a thing as a ‘Shabbat school’. And that the falsehoods broadcast by LBC are in fact the very opposite of Jewish law, where the sanctity of all life is held as paramount, where saving a life supersedes nearly all religious obligations. That what our children are actually taught is the Jewish holidays and traditions, and love and respect for all, and to make the world a better place for everyone. But hey, what do I know, what with my training at rabbinical school, a wife who used to teach at our synagogue, and our five kids attending Jewish schools.

As I said, Jews are tired.
Antisemitic, blood libel drawings exhibited at Royal Academy have not been removed, claims UKFLI
The Royal Academy (RA) has ignored requests to remove two ‘antisemitic’ drawings from its Summer Exhibition, UK Lawyers for Israel (UKFLI) reported.

The two artworks in question were created by Michael Sandle and depict the supposed mass murder of Gazan children. Notably, Sandle exhibited an artwork on the same theme in the Summer Exhibition 2024 and received criticism at the time.

The first of the two 2025 pieces is called Terrorist versus smiling mass murderer of innocents, depicts two figures – a Hamas terrorist and an IDF soldier – standing in front of a pile of rubble. The IDF soldier is smiling and covering his ears with his hands, while the terrorist’s face is covered, and he is turned away from the scene.

The second artwork is called Apropos terror – a pilot doesn’t hear the screams of the women and children he is massacring with impunity. It is identical in many ways to the other, featuring the same two figures in the same clothing, although the background is a semi-collapsed building.

This time, the soldier is not smiling. However, like the first one, he has his hands covering his ears, which the artist has depicted as a way of symbolizing the IDF’s choice to turn away from Gazans suffering. UKFLI’s Caroline Turner wrote to RA interim secretary and chief executive, Natasha Mitchell, calling for them to be removed, and to executive Simon Wallis, explaining that the two drawings are antisemitic and present a blood libel.

“The titles of both these drawings imply that Israel is purposely slaughtering women and children on a mass scale. This is far from the truth, since the Israeli army does all it can to avoid harming women and children while targeting

“Accusing Jews of killing babies/children is an old-fashioned blood libel. Sandle should be aware that Israel aims to kill terrorists, not innocent children and others.” The images “apply double standards by requiring of Israel a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation,” which can be antisemitic according to example 8 of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, the organization added.
WSJ’s Hezbollah Coverage Led by Reporter Who Praises Terrorist Group’s Leaders and Fumes Against ‘The Israeli Enemy’
A freelance reporter who plays a leading role in the Wall Street Journal's coverage of Hezbollah has repeatedly praised the terrorist group while condemning "the Israeli enemy," a Washington Free Beacon analysis has found.

Adam Chamseddine, a Beirut-based reporter, has written or contributed to more than three dozen reports as a freelance contributor for the Journal since last year, including providing coverage of the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Chamseddine was also the lead reporter for a story on Israel’s use of pagers to assassinate Hezbollah commanders. And he was one of the reporters for a Journal story last week that Iran is rearming its "militia allies," like Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis.

While writing for the Journal, Chamseddine, a former reporter for the pro-Hezbollah newspaper As-Safir, has expressed stark anti-Israel views while hailing groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.

He has referred to "the Israeli enemy" in multiple social media posts, according to English translations of his missives, written in Arabic. After Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Chamseddine asserted that "female journalists are dismembered by direct Israeli targeting" and criticized what he said was "Israeli criminality" in response to the Hamas attack, while making no similar condemnation of the terrorist group. He touted an interview "for those who want to understand the Hamas movement" with Tarek Hamoud, the head of the Palestinian Return Centre, which has reportedly been linked to Hamas.

Chamseddine’s anti-Israel views could raise questions about his work for the Journal. The paper, owned by conservative billionaire Rupert Murdoch, has faced scrutiny over the anti-Israel sympathies of other reporters covering the region.

Abeer Ayyoub, a Gaza-based freelancer for the Journal, lamented the "Jewish mafia" on social media and posted Hamas propaganda videos after Oct. 7, the Free Beacon reported. The watchdog group HonestReporting, which uncovered Ayyoub’s posts, has criticized the Journal’s coverage of Israel and noted that the paper uses the term "militant group" to refer to Hezbollah, downplaying its terrorist activities.

Chamseddine, whose reports refer to Hezbollah as a "Lebanese militant group," has offered sympathies to the terrorist group’s leaders. In July 2019, he commemorated the anniversary of the death of Hezbollah commander Khaled Bazzi, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike after he orchestrated the kidnapping of two IDF soldiers on Israeli soil. Chamseddine expressed "greetings" to Bazzi on the "anniversary of his martyrdom," adding: "May God be pleased with you as much as your eyes blink."
US Taxpayers fund ‘therapy’ that treats Jewish identity as mental illness
A disturbing investigation has found that Jewish doctors and patients are being harshly discriminated against while American taxpayers are funding a controversial therapeutic framework that treats Jewish identity as a psychological disorder

Kenneth L. Marcus, founder of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, argues that antisemitism has become “mainstream” within mental health institutions.

The organization interviewed dozens of Jewish therapists and doctors and found 75% of Jewish medical professionals now report workplace discrimination.

In on disturbing case, a Washington DC therapist refused to see a Jewish patient who had recently moved from Israel.

In another, a psychologist was doxxed and harassed online for being a “Jewish Zionist” while a major mental health organization denied a Jewish affinity group, calling members “privileged white supremacists.”

Other troubling cases have emerged across medical institutions. An emergency room doctor removed Jews from a physician’s Facebook group.

A professor at University of California, San Francisco Hospital tweeted that the university should investigate whether a new “Israeli” medical student had committed genocide before enrollment.

A Villanova University counseling director taught students that Zionism constitutes a mental illness of the frontal lobe alongside fascism and “genocidal tendencies.”

That last example points to a broader concern about a new therapeutic approach called “Decolonizing Therapy.”

Founded by Dr. Jennifer Mullen, the framework aims to address what she calls “separation from land, ancestry, community, and innate joy” by challenging the psychological impacts of colonialism and systemic oppression.

In practice, Decolonizing Therapy promotes antisemitic narratives that stigmatize Jewish patients and providers, according to Marcus.

The approach identifies Zionism as a root cause of mental illness, despite Zionism’s absence from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

For many Jewish Americans, Zionism represents a core belief that Jews have a right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland.


Australia tells universities they will face cuts if they fail to tackle antisemitism
The Australian government is threatening to cut funding from universities that fail to deal with Jew-hate.

The move follows a report by Australia's special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal, who said anti-Jewish racism had become “ingrained and normalised” within higher education.

Segal has recommended that universities produce annual reports on their efforts to deal with the problem.

Segal said: “The plan is not about special treatment for one community; it is about restoring equal treatment. It’s about ensuring that every Australian, regardless of their background or belief, can live, work, learn and prosper in this country.”

Anti-Israel protests at universities in the country have dwindled after restrictions were tightened and some protesters were threatened with being expelled.

This comes after a series of violent antisemitic attacks including a Melbourne synagogue that was set on fire with 20 people inside earlier in the month.

The plans have been welcomed by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry who said the report’s release “could not be more timely given the recent appalling events in Melbourne”.

Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy said the group would “consider" the recommendations of the report.

He said: “Academic freedom and freedom of expression are core to the university mission, but they must be exercised with responsibility and never as a cover for hate or harassment."


Pro-Gaza MP’s supporters accused of intimidation campaign
Supporters of a pro-Gaza independent MP are terrorising people in a West Yorkshire town, the local Tory leader has claimed.

Qadeer Ghafoor, the chairman of the Dewsbury Tories in West Yorkshire, has claimed that he and his family have been personally threatened after falling out with some of the supporters over a business dispute.

After reporting the claims to police, Mr Ghafoor, 34, was advised by officers to move out of his home for a night and install a panic alarm so he could call for immediate help if he was attacked.

Other colleagues and associates have also reported their cars being torched, receiving death threats or suffering arson attacks on their property.

The violence follows a general election campaign last year in which Heather Iqbal, the losing Labour candidate, complained of “intimidation, abuse and harassment” in the run-up to polling day on July 4.

Ms Iqbal said supporters of Iqbal Mohamed, the successful independent candidate, chased her down the street and shouted that she was a “child murderer” and a “genocide agent”, while a loudspeaker van blared out the message that Labour was a Zionist party. Those who have expressed support for the MP online include a member of an organised crime group.

She said Muslim Labour members in Dewsbury were under huge pressure to quit the party because of its stance on Gaza, with their children bullied at school for having a parent in Labour.

The incidents provide a worrying insight into a brand of sectarian politics apparently on the rise in parts of the UK in the wake of Hamas’s Oct 7 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

It comes after four independent pro-Gaza MPs were elected to the House of Commons for the first time in 2024, many of them in seats once regarded as safely Labour. At the time, their victories fuelled fears that divisive faith-based politics were coming to the UK.
Revealed: radical Islamic cleric who sells ‘libido-boosting’ pills to run combat camp in the Peak District
An Islamic cleric who has openly supported Hezbollah members is to lead a summer camp in the Peak District this week that combines religious ideology with physical combat training, the JC can reveal.

Sayed Hussein Makke, a London-born Shia preacher and influencer, has mourned members of the Lebanese terror group – including his friend, a British national who died fighting for Hezbollah – and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Makke has also glorified martyrdom and promoted Hezbollah’s ideology to his 114,000 followers on social media.

Responding to the JC’s enquiry about his friendship with members of Hezbollah, Makke called for the “capturing” of “Jewish extremists” who have served in the Israel Defence Force.

Earlier this year, Makke's visa to visit Australia was revoked after Sky News reported that he had hailed slain Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as one of the world’s “greatest freedom fighters” and celebrated the size of the crowd at his funeral – which the cleric also attended – as evidence that the “resistance” was “alive and well”.


Israel deports five activists from Gaza protest vessel, NGO says
At least five pro-Palestinian activists who tried to breach the Gaza blockade amid the Handala vessel were deported from Israel on Monday, according to Adalah—The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.

The five were Jacob Berger (United States), Mohamed El Bakkali (Morocco), Gabriel Cathala (France), Antonio Mazzeo (Italy) and Waad Al Musa (United States-Iraq).

A TikTok video of a person apparently celebrating Iran’s firing of ballistic missiles at Israel last month was attributed on social media to Berger.

Hearings were scheduled to take place at the Detention Review Tribunal in Ramla, southeast of Tel Aviv, later on Monday regarding the continued detention of at least 12 activists who were arrested on board the ship by the Israeli Navy on Saturday night, Adalah said on its website.

It was unclear at press time whether Dr. Frank Romano (United States–France) and Ange Sahuquet (France) would be deported immediately or appear before the tribunal. Adalah’s lawyers were scheduled to meet with them shortly.


UN hiring new employee for ‘Jerusalem, Palestine’
The United Nations posted a job opening on July 23 for an executive assistant in the U.N. Resident Coordinator Office, based in what the global body describes as “Jerusalem, Palestine.”

The listing, which expires on Aug. 6, states that the employee “ensures effective and efficient functioning of the RC front office, overall management of the RC’s schedule and logistical requirements, maintenance of protocol procedures, management of information flow and follow-up on deadlines and commitments made.”

It reports to Ramiz Alakbarov, of Azerbaijan, who was named resident coordinator on June 13. Alakbarov’s office is located at the U.N. compound in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood of Jerusalem, which was developed in 1973 on land liberated from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War. (JNS sought comment from the United Nations.)

The United Nations refers to the office as part of the “United Nations in Palestine,” and labels the formerly Jordanian-occupied territory in eastern Jerusalem as “occupied Palestinian territory,” but the global body has not been known to dub the entire city of Jerusalem as “Palestine” in public communications.

Hillel Fuld, a technology adviser and energetic supporter of Israel on social media, stated that the U.N. reference was “a surprise to absolutely nobody.”

“The morally bankrupt United Nations is hiring an executive assistant in ‘Jerusalem, Palestine,’” he wrote. “And I am hiring a unicorn in Narnia.”


Trump Says US Will Obliterate Iran's Nuclear Facilities Again If Tehran Tries Restarting Program
President Donald Trump warned Monday that the United States would destroy Iran's uranium enrichment sites again if Tehran tries to restart its nuclear program.

"We wiped out [Iran's] nuclear possibilities," Trump told reporters during a meeting with U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer in Scotland. "They can start again. If they do, we'll wipe it out faster than you can wave your finger at it."

"For a country that just got wiped out, they've been sending very bad signals, very nasty signals," Trump added.



The United States last month destroyed Iran's underground nuclear facilities using heavy-duty "bunker-buster" bombs, according to reports. Israel's Atomic Energy Commission assessed Iran's Fordow nuclear site as "inoperable" and said the U.S. strike "set back Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years." A CIA report supported that view, with Director John Ratcliffe saying Iran's nuclear program is "severely damaged."

Iran, which denies seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, has insisted it will not give up uranium enrichment, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said in a recent Fox News interview. Araghchi also downplayed Iranian chants of "Death to America" and denied any government-linked plots to assassinate Trump.
2 US citizens among Jewish community members arrested in Iran – reports
Two US-Iranian citizens are among the members of the Jewish community arrested in Iran amid a sweeping government crackdown that began last month as fighting ended with Israel, according to Hebrew media reports.

The two men, who both live in the US, were in Iran to visit family when the 12-day war started with Israeli strikes on Iran.

“They were in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said a source familiar with efforts for their release, cited by both the Kan public broadcaster and the Ynet news outlet on Sunday.

Some 35 members of the Jewish community were reportedly arrested at the end of the war on suspicion of having contacts with Israel. All but five have since been released, according to reports.

One of the dual US-Iranian citizens lives in Los Angeles. He was released on bail a few days ago.

The other, who is still being held, has lived in New York for at least 30 years, reports said.

The remaining three Jews held were detained because they posted to social media against the regime, or liked such posts by others, Ynet reported.


Leading German antisemite who moved from left-wing terrorism to neo-Nazism dies at 89
One of Germany’s most notorious postwar antisemitic agitators has died at 89.

Horst Mahler, who founded the German left-wing terrorist group Red Army Faction in 1970 and later championed neo-Nazis, died in a Berlin hospital on Sunday, according to his attorney, Jan Dollwetzel. Dollwetzel confirmed a statement from the far-right party Die Heimat, or The Homeland, which was formerly the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party of Germany.

Mahler spent much of his adult life in and out of jail. Initially, it was his left-wing extremism that landed him behind bars. But he made a dramatic about-face in the 1990s and remained a committed right-wing extremist to the end.

Mahler was born in 1936 in what is now Poland. The family moved to Berlin after World War II. His father, a dentist, committed suicide in 1949, reportedly suffering from depression. Mahler studied law and became active in the 1960s West German student movement, representing left-wing activists. Among his clients was Beate Klarsfeld, the famed Nazi hunter, who faced charges stemming from her aggressive activism against German officials with a Nazi past.

He co-founded the Red Army Faction in 1970 with the now-infamous Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and Ulrike Meinhof, helping them organize bank robberies and terrorist training, and helping plan Baader’s escape from jail. Mahler was arrested that same year and served 10 years in prison, during which time he distanced himself from the left-extremist scene. He was able to reestablish his credentials as a lawyer with help from Gerhard Schröder, who later became the German chancellor.

His period of respectability did not last long. In the 1990s Mahler turned toward the radical right, later joining the NPD, and represented them against legal challenges by the German federal government.

In 2004 he himself was tried for incitement after telling journalists that hatred of Jews was “completely normal” and a “sign of mental health.”


Fresh and Fit podcast repeatedly platformed antisemitism long before Holocaust clip
A podcast with more than 1.5 million subscribers has repeatedly aired extreme racist content, with host Myron Gaines denying the Holocaust and praising Hitler in multiple clips that have resurfaced.

The Fresh and Fit podcast, which first came under fire last week after panellists claimed “Jews deserved” the Holocaust and called for their murder while Gaines laughed along, has now been linked to additional footage showing the host himself spreading conspiracy theories and glorifying the Nazi regime.

In the new clips, reviewed by Jewish News, Gaines declares: “The Holocaust is the base – if we debunk that, the whole f***ing house of cards crashes down,” and claims, “Hitler was widely misrepresented” and “not as evil” as history suggests.

He continues: “The gas chambers – questionable. The cremations – nearly impossible. The witnesses – not really credible. They never found any real documentation saying, ‘We need to kill the Jews’.”

In another segment, Gaines, a former federal agent turned online influencer, states: “We are occupied and controlled by the Jews… World Jewry and the power and influence of Zionist Jews all across the world have been a thing for a while. We need to take our country back from these Jewish supremacists.”

He also asserts that Germany was “better off with Hitler in charge” and reads from Mein Kampf, saying: “I’m a free thinker. I don’t believe a lot of the history of World War II.” Guests on the Fresh and Fit podcast during the now-removed episode in which panellists justified the Holocaust and made violent antisemitic remarks (Image: Screenshot/X)

The podcast, co-hosted by Walter Weekes and streamed on Rumble after being demonetised by YouTube, has long been accused of promoting misogyny and hate. But the resurfaced material suggests a consistent platforming of antisemitic ideology, not just a one-off outburst by guests.
“Take the Jews Down”: Why Pro-Hitler Fresh&Fit Podcast With Millions of Views Can’t Be Ignored
Platforms Are Still Enabling It
Fresh & Fit may be grotesque, but it has reach. With 1.57 million YouTube subscribers and thousands of videos racking up hundreds of millions of views in total, Gaines and Weekes are highly visible, profitable, and troublingly influential.

While YouTube demonetized the show for “repeated violations,” the channel remains active and continues to grow its audience. It links to merchandise stores, outside subscription services, and unmoderated clips that circulate widely on TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Despite the demonetization, YouTube continues to benefit. These videos drive traffic, keep users engaged, and feed the recommendation algorithm – all of which serve YouTube’s financial interests.

On Rumble, the numbers are even more concerning. Fresh & Fit has over 370,000 subscribers, and because of Rumble’s ad-revenue model, episodes that receive hundreds of thousands of views can generate tens of thousands of dollars in income. That revenue includes content featuring open antisemitic hate.

And it doesn’t stop there. Gaines has begun appearing in more mainstream arenas, including shows like Piers Morgan Uncensored. After one such appearance, where Gaines debated Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, reaction videos appeared with titles such as “PIERS MORGAN & MYRON GAINES OWN RABBI SHMULEY!” and “Myron Gaines DESTROYS Rabbi Shmuley in FREE SPEECH Debate?” Morgan’s original video has over 1.2 million views on YouTube.

This is no longer a fringe internet phenomenon. It is the slow and steady mainstreaming of literal Nazi ideas, disguised as free speech, self-improvement, or men’s empowerment.

HonestReporting has flagged this danger before, including spotlighting the pervasive antisemitism on shows like The Joe Rogan Experience, one of the world’s most popular podcasts. And we’ve seen results. After consistent pressure, Meta removed anti-Israel influencer Jackson Hinkle from its platforms for spreading antisemitic and pro-terror propaganda.

YouTube, Rumble, and the Price of Silence
It’s not just that Fresh & Fit exists. It’s that platforms host, amplify, and profit from it, even after repeated violations.

We don’t need vague outrage. We need direct action.

Here’s what you can do:

Email Rumble and YouTube today. Ask why they continue to host and promote a podcast where Hitler is praised and Jews are openly dehumanized, in clear violation of their own hate speech policies.

This isn’t just “content.” It’s antisemitic propaganda. And it’s reaching millions.

Let’s make sure those enabling it are held accountable.


Jewish father and young son attacked near Milan by mob chanting ‘Free Palestine’
A Jewish father and his six-year-old son were targeted by a mob yesterday chanting “Free Palestine” and “Murderers” at a cafe in a rest area next to Milan. According to reports in Italian media, several people joined in the chants and the father was pushed to the floor and repeatedly kicked.

The two were both wearing a kippa and entered the cafe to use the restroom.

The incident began as one cashier yelled “Free Palestine” as the father and son were about to enter the restrooms, and other joined in the chants.

“I wasn’t afraid and responded,” the father said, according to La Repubblica daily. “I was angry. I’m not rude or violent, but when you must defend yourself, you must do it.”

At that point, the man started to film what was happening, and then accompanied his son to use the restroom.


Historic Golda Meir letter on Munich Olympics massacre to be auctioned
A letter signed by Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir after the darkest chapter in Olympic history is being auctioned.

The correspondence was written just one month after the Munich massacre that claimed the lives of 11 Israeli Olympic team members.

On September 5, 1972, the world watched in horror as eight Palestinian terrorists from the group Black September stormed the Israeli quarters at the Munich Olympic Village.

Armed with assault rifles and grenades, they killed two team members immediately and took nine others hostage, demanding the release of 234 Palestinian prisoners.

The Games, which had been suspended during the crisis, controversially resumed just 34 hours later after a memorial service.

Meir writes from Jerusalem to former U.S. Senator George Murphy: “Thank you very much for your letter of 22 September…I know how strongly you feel about this vicious act. It seems that only a strong realisation on the part of the world of the dangers inherent in terrorist activities and their absolute condemnation can help check these acts. The stand taken by people like yourself is indeed a source of encouragement to us…[signed] Golda Meir”.
Former Hamas captive joins Israeli team for final stage of Tour de France
Freed Hamas captive Ofer Kalderon joined the final stage of the 2025 Tour de France in Paris on Sunday as the special guest of the Israeli cycling team, Israel-Premier Tech (IPT).

Kalderon, 54, a dual Israeli-French citizen, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, along with his son Erez, 12, and daughter, Sahar, 16. The children were among the 105 captives freed in November 2023 as part of a ceasefire agreement.

Kalderon was freed on Feb. 1 alongside former captives Yarden Bibas and Keith Siegel after 484 days in Hamas captivity, as part of a ceasefire agreement that saw the release of 25 living Israelis and the bodies of eight hostages.

“I’m still in shock that I’m here on a bike at the Tour de France. I’ve never been to Paris, certainly not on a bicycle. Everything looks so big to me… so wide… so many people… everything is a lot. I’m so emotional to be here with the team,” said Kalderon.

“But I’m also torn: this joy can’t be complete because, alongside all these emotions, it’s very hard to deal with what’s happening to me and to all the people of Israel—that we still have hostages in Gaza, our soldiers are there, and some are being killed. So nothing will be complete until they’re all back home. It’s time to end this story and bring everyone back,” he added.

On the same day, French police were seen tearing down a banner reading “Free the Hostages” at the Tour.




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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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