Wednesday, August 27, 2025

08/27 Links Pt2: ‘Gaza’ As An Ideology; Younes Ali Younes charged over Adass Israel Synagogue Arson; Israeli intelligence assisted Australian Security investigation into Iran

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: ‘Gaza’ As An Ideology
Forget being on the other side from this crew, politically. What is the effect on aspiring Democratic activists? If you are told to ban the Star of David from the Dyke March, you are made to understand that you will not be considered an ally of LGBT unless you first shed any sign of Jewishness.

If your climate-change priestess wears a keffiyeh and demands you menace a Jewish performer, then that’s what you’ll do. If your public-gardening co-op requires a pledge of anti-Zionism before you can water the flowers, well, can’t let the flowers die.

These are actual real-life cases, and as far as the Gaza ideologists are concerned, the sillier the better. The reason your astronomy TA at Columbia instructs you to think of Gaza when you gaze at the night stars is because you’re being trained to think of Gaza before you think.

So is everyone in the Democratic Party orbit really obsessed with Gaza? No. Whether that’s the good news or the bad news depends on the party’s commitment to asserting its own authority and keeping its own gates. If the progressive activist wing of the party succeeds in making “Gaza” a blood oath to get in the door, then it doesn’t matter if the individual members are passionate about it. They might be passionate about climate change or paid family leave, but if they can’t join those clubs without professing loyalty to Gaza, then Gaza becomes the most important issue by default.

This is also the reason behind one of the pro-Israel world’s great frustrations. Every few years, Hamas starts a new war. And each time, there is a whole new cast of useful idiots in the West that appear to have been born yesterday. Somehow, both traditional media and social media are filled with Hamas windup toys. I don’t mean the bots—I mean the people who might as well be bots. The talking points are the same; the mindless receptacles are different.

Where is this lemming farm? How is it that the enemies of the West always appear to be buying in bulk?

The answer has something to do with the DNC’s gatekeeping problem. Those who feel strongly about Gaza don’t want everyone else to care about Gaza nearly as much. They just want everyone to be required to say they care. They want pliancy, not passion. That’s how their numbers balloon. And it’s up to people like Ken Martin to stop the anti-Zionist inflation over which he is currently presiding.
The DNC Passed a Resolution Calling for ‘Unrestricted’ Aid to Gaza and a Two-State Solution. The Party’s Chairman Pulled It After Anti-Israel Dems Complained That It Didn’t Go Far Enough.
A Democratic National Committee meeting on Tuesday devolved into an anti-Israel slugfest, leading its chairman, Ken Martin, to pull a resolution many party members believed was not harsh enough on the Jewish state. Instead, Martin invited the anti-Israel members to join a committee to reevaluate the party’s position on Israel.

The Martin-backed resolution, which the DNC initially approved, called for "unrestricted" aid to Gaza and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, language that moderate Democrats have long used. An alternate resolution championed by the party’s anti-Israel wing went significantly further, calling for a full-scale arms embargo on Israel, the suspension of American military aid, and recognition of "Palestine as a country."

DNC members initially adopted the more moderate version in an uncounted voice vote, but Martin ultimately pulled both from consideration after the party’s anti-Israel members revolted. Semafor reporter Dave Weigel captured Martin during a private discussion "with the alternative Gaza resolution sponsors" before he canceled the vote.

"There’s a divide in our party on this issue," Politico quoted Martin as having said. "This is a moment that calls for shared dialogue, calls for shared advocacy."

After abandoning his own moderate proposal, Martin pledged to assemble a DNC committee "comprised of stakeholders on all sides of this" that will "continue to have the conversation, to work through this, and bring solutions back to our party."

The tumult during the meeting reflects the Democratic Party’s growing divide on Israel in the nearly two years since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attacks against the Jewish state. The terrorist organization's massacres ignited a flurry of violent protests, primarily involving the party’s progressive base. Anti-Israel Democrats formed an "uncommitted" delegation during the 2024 election, protesting the party’s convention over its failure to grant a speaking slot to a Georgia state representative with a history of pro-Hamas rhetoric.

Allison Minnerly, the 26-year-old DNC member who spearheaded the arms embargo resolution, told the Nation in an interview published Tuesday that her efforts represent the will of the Democratic Party.


JPost Editorial: Now Australia has ousted Iran's envoy - will the country actually tackle antisemitism?
Australia’s decision to act – to move beyond platitudes and actually expel Iran’s ambassador – sends a signal worth noting.

For months, Canberra’s relationship with Jerusalem has been rocky, particularly after it joined France, the UK, and Canada in announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state and, just days later, barred MK Simcha Rothman from entering the country. Just last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as a “weak leader” who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.

By ejecting Tehran’s envoy, however, Albanese’s government is trying to demonstrate that it has done neither. It recognized that antisemitism in Australia today is not only homegrown but also imported and that confronting it requires concrete steps, not just sympathetic words.

This lesson should not be lost on other governments. What happened in Melbourne and Sydney is not unique to Australia. Iran has a long history of using Jewish targets abroad as pressure points against Israel. If its reach has extended to Australia, it has undoubtedly extended elsewhere as well.

Australia acted only after its synagogues and restaurants were attacked. Others should not wait before asking whether Tehran’s hand is also at work on their own streets. Iran’s malign influence is global; Australia just provided more proof of that.
Iran’s Sydney-Melbourne axis: How the IRGC turned Australian streets into its terror laboratory
Australia’s announcement to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization follows the same designation by Canada on June 19, 2024, but highlights American policy failure. The Trump administration restored a “maximum pressure” campaign through February 2025 sanctions and conducted military strikes on June 21, 2025, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. Yet it maintains only partial designations of IRGC subsidiaries, creating legal gaps that Iran exploits. Full designation under Executive Order 13224 would trigger comprehensive asset freezes; criminalize material support under 18 U.S.C. § 2339B; and enable civil suits by victims under the terrorism exception to sovereign immunity.

Critics argue designation closes diplomatic channels needed for nuclear negotiations. This fundamentally misreads Iranian strategy. Tehran compartmentalizes nuclear diplomacy from terror operations, using the former to shield the latter. Canada’s IRGC designation didn’t prevent continued P5+1 engagement through Swiss intermediaries. The choice isn’t between diplomacy and security, but between accepting normalized terror operations and imposing real costs.

Washington must lead a coordinated Western response. The U.S. Treasury Department should direct a comprehensive IRGC designation by Dec. 31, synchronized with the United Kingdom, European Union and the remaining Five Eyes partners to prevent asset flight. The FBI should establish a joint task force with ASIO, MI5, CSIS and NZSIS specifically targeting Unit 840 operations, sharing real-time intelligence on recruitment, financing and operational planning.

Congress should mandate disclosure of all Iranian institutional partnerships and funding above $10,000 at universities receiving federal funds, closing the academic infiltration pathway. OFAC must map and freeze the estimated $2.3 billion in IRGC-linked assets transiting Western financial systems annually, using Australia’s AUSTRAC identification of 47 suspicious exchange networks as the starting template.

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program requires immediate expansion from $274.5 million to $1 billion annually, with streamlined applications for Jewish institutions. Every synagogue, Jewish school and community center needs professional security assessments and hardening before Iran activates cells in Chicago, Los Angeles or Miami.

The Sydney kosher butcher shop and Melbourne synagogue weren’t endpoints but test runs. Iran is calibrating Western tolerance for violence against Jews, calculating how many attacks fall below the threshold triggering military response. Australia’s diplomatic expulsions are necessary but insufficient.

Without comprehensive economic warfare against IRGC assets and networks, Iran will read Western response as an acceptable cost of business. The question isn’t whether Tehran will strike American Jewish communities but when—and whether security forces will be ready when Mohsen Rabbani’s successors complete their reconnaissance phase in American cities.
Alleged arsonist Younes Ali Younes named over Adass Israel fire
A man police allege carried out the firebombing of a synagogue has been named in court, less than 24 hours after ASIO revealed the attack was directed by Iran.

Younes Ali Younes, 20, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning from custody six days after he was charged with offences including arson by the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team.

Wearing a green jacket, the bearded man beamed into the courtroom from custody and showed little reaction during the brief hearing.

Mr Ali Younes, of Meadow Heights, is the second man charged over the fire. Giovanni Laulu, 21, was arrested in late July.

Neither man has been required to enter pleas.

Police allege the two men and a third individual broke into the Adass Israel synagogue on December 6 last year, and set fire to the building alight about 4.10am.

CCTV released by police in May captured the trio smash their way into the Ripponlea building before carrying several red jerry cans inside.

One individual could be seen filming the incident on a smartphone.

The early-morning fire tore through the synagogue, causing extensive damage to the $20m building and destroying sacred texts.

Several worshippers were inside the building at the time.

Police say the trio arrived at the building in a blue VW Golf, which is alleged to have been used as a “communal crime car” and linked to unrelated offending.

On Tuesday, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess joined Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the prime minister’s courtyard to reveal the spy agency had intelligence linking Iran to the fire.

Mr Burgess said the Adass Israel synagogue attack and Sydney’s Lewis’ Continental Kitchen fire in October last year were ordered by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The director-general said there was a “layer cake of cut outs”, or intermediaries, used by the IRGC to orchestrate the arson through the “criminal world”.

Mr Burgess said ASIO was still investigating possible Iranian involvement in “a number of other attacks” but stressed no embassy staff were involved.
Iran-directed criminals twice targeted wrong venue before torching kosher Australian deli
After Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday that Iran was found to be behind a pair of antisemitic arson attacks in 2024, court documents published in a report Wednesday showed how one of those attacks was bungled by local criminals and a gangster styling himself as “James Bond.”

Australia’s national security service said it identified Iranian government involvement in firebombing attacks on the kosher Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Bondi, next to Sydney, in October and the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne in December.

It is likely the Iranian regime was also involved in additional attacks, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation said.

In response to the revelations that Iran was behind the attacks, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country was expelling Tehran’s ambassador, calling the Iranian actions “dangerous acts of aggression” designed to undermine his country’s social cohesion.

Albanese announced that Canberra had also pulled its diplomats from the Islamic Republic and will list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror organization. It marks the first time Australia has expelled an ambassador since World War II.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the Bondi attack was preceded by two failed attempts on the wrong venue. The alleged mastermind, Nomads bikie chapter president Sayed Moosawi, directed the operation using the messaging app Signal using the alias “James Bond.” Moosawi migrated to Australia as a refugee in 2005 and has a long record of violent crime, the report said.

He allegedly said he was paid $12,000 to arrange a fire in Bondi, in an operation believed to have originated in Iran, according to the report.

According to Morning Herald, Moosawi allegedly recruited Wayne Ogden and Juon Amuoi to torch a target in September 2024, but the pair fled after being spotted near the Curly Lewis Brewery, a beachfront bar with no Jewish connections.

Moosawi was furious, allegedly telling Ogden in an expletive-filled message that a “f—ing 16 years kid could of got it done.”

Weeks later, two other men, Guy Finnegan and Craig Bantoft, were recruited to attack Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, reportedly offering them $4,000. However, they mistakenly returned to the same brewery on October 17 and set a small fire that was quickly doused by sprinklers.

Furious at the repeated bungles, Moosawi allegedly berated his crew over Signal: “Use [sic] f—ed the whole thing … It’s not even 2% burned f— me dead.”
Sources reveal Israeli intelligence assisted ASIO investigation into Iran in major tip-off
A tip-off from Israeli intelligence assisted ASIO during its investigation unravelling the Iran terror attacks, Sky News can reveal.

Confidential sources have confirmed that Israel provided ASIO with a tip off, or lead, in relation to one of the firebombings that was orchestrated by Iran.

The vast majority of the extensive leg-work, including unravelling complex interactions of people involved in the chain and their use of encrypted messages, was done by ASIO investigators.

ASIO reached the conclusion that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp was involved independently of Israel.

While there is a major diplomatic rift between the Albanese and Netanyahu governments - at an intelligence sharing level, the relationship is still extremely strong.

This is not the first time Israel has helped Australia investigate and even thwart terror attacks.

Israel alerted ASIO that there was a plot to blow up an Etihad Airways flight leaving Sydney in 2017.

Now Sky News has confirmed that Israel also provided some assistance to ASIO with its investigations into two terror attacks by Iran on Australia.

ASIO Director General Mike Burgess said the organisation was still investigating other antisemitic incidents to ascertain Iranian involvement.

But he stressed that not all the antisemitic incidents in Australia were linked to Iran.
Israeli intelligence assisted ASIO in determining Iran was behind antisemitic attacks
Sky News host Sharri Markson reveals that Israeli intelligence agencies provided ASIO with a “tip-off” linking Iran to one of the antisemitic attacks in Australia.

“I can exclusively reveal that Israeli intelligence agencies assisted ASIO in its investigation into Iran's terror attacks on Australia,” Ms Markson said.

“Confidential sources have told me that Israel provided ASIO with a tip-off, or lead, in relation to one of the firebombings.

“While there’s a major diplomatic rift between the Albanese government and the Netanyahu government, at an intelligence sharing level, the relationship is still extremely strong.”


‘Verified lead’: How Israel provided ASIO intelligence on Iran
Sky News host Sharri Markson discusses how Israel helped ASIO with the probe into Iran’s involvement in antisemitic attacks in Australia.

Israel's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sharren Haskel joined Ms Markson to go over the strong security ties between Israel and Australia.

Ms Haskel emphasised mutual goals of stability between the two countries despite political challenges.


Israel and Australia are ‘on the same side’ against Iran
Former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy says Australia and Israel are “on the same side” against Iran’s attacks.

Mr Levy told Sky News host Sharri Markson that Iran is the common “enemy” of Israel and Australia.

“These attacks were not just attacks against Australian Jews; they were attacks against Australia.”


Labor slammed over ‘weakness’ against standing up to Iran
Sky News host Chris Kenny hits out against the Albanese Labor government’s “weakness” in standing up to Iran.

“The blame for these … overseas terrorist acts conducted on our soil,” Mr Kenny said.

“What has unfolded in Australia takes us directly to the weakness we have seen by the prime minister and the Albanese Labor government when it comes to standing up to Iran and against antisemitism.”




Revealed: UK lawyer representing Hamas wore green bandana and chanted ‘with blood, with guns’ at 2006 rally
A British lawyer representing Hamas in its bid to be de-proscribed in the UK previously wore a green bandana and chanted about “blood” and “guns” at an anti-Israel rally.

Recently resurfaced footage shows Fahad Ansari, director of “Riverway to the Sea Law” – formerly “Riverway Law” – at the 2006 protest sporting the headgear while surrounded by Hezbollah supporters.

The then 24-year-old Ansari can be seen chanting: “With blood, with guns, we free Lebanon.”

Ansari is one of three UK lawyers currently acting for Hamas. In a 106-page application to the Home Office, signed by Hamas’s foreign relations chief Mousa Abu Marzouk, the lawyers argued the terror group did not pose a threat to Britons and should be allowed to operate in the UK on free speech grounds.

After the Home Office rejected the bid, Ansari posted on X that Hamas would appeal the “perverse” decision.

The bandanna sported by Ansari at the rally bears a striking resemblance to those now worn by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

It featured the same white-on-green colour scheme and included the same Arabic phrase used on flags and sashes paraded by the terror group, which translates as: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” The message in and of itself is uncontroversial, being one of the five pillars of Islam –the shahada – and a basic tenet of the religion.

Hezbollah flags were visible throughout the 7,000-strong demonstration, with protesters around Ansari shouting “we are all Hezbollah” and carrying placards stating the same.

Some protesters stomped on an image of then US President George Bush while chanting “Allah Akbar", and carried signs likening Israel to Nazi Germany. One poster featured swastikas next to a crossed-out Magen David.
Minnesota shooter wrote of killing ‘filthy Zionist Jews,’ ‘free Palestine’
Robin Westman, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot after killing two children at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minn., wrote of murdering “filthy Zionist Jews,” that “six million wasn’t enough” and “free Palestine,” the New York Post reported on Wednesday.

The Post said that it translated writings in the Cyrillic alphabet by the shooter, 32, who was transgender. “If I will carry out a racially motivated attack, it would be most likely against filthy Zionist jews,” the shooter reportedly wrote in a journal that the paper said was “full of antisemitic slurs.”

Westman also wrote of assassinating U.S. President Donald Trump, the Post reported. Minneapolis police stated that of 17 people injured, 14 are children. Two are in critical condition, police said.

Police said that the shooting took place “during a morning mass service to mark the beginning of the school year.”

The Anti-Defamation League stated that its preliminary research “confirmed that writings on the guns used by the shooter” in the attack “include antisemitic and anti-Israel references.”

Those included “praise for mass killers across the ideological spectrum, including white supremacist, anti-Muslim and anti-government extremists” and “other school shooters,” the ADL said.

“I am heartbroken to learn of the horrific mass shooting, a Minnesota Catholic school that has left two children dead and 17 others injured,” stated Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Intelligence and Law Enforcement.

“This is not normal or inevitable,” added Magaziner, who is Jewish. “We have the power and the responsibility to prevent horrific acts of violence like this from happening. We must put an end to gun violence.”


UKLFI: British Wheelchair Basketball warned offensive actions in breach of multiple codes of practice
The British Paralympic Wheelchair Basketball team has been accused of breaching the game’s sporting code of conduct when players turned their backs as the Israeli national anthem was played. The incident occurred on 16 August 2025, prior to an international fixture in Cologne, Germany.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has written to Justine Baines, CEO of British Wheelchair Basketball, to raise “serious concerns”, regarding breaches of the association’s Code of Conduct and Diversity and Inclusion Plan.

The letter explained that the requirement to respect team-mates, the other team, the officials and the coaches was disregarded.

The letter also pointed out that the sporting organisation’s obligation not to engage in behaviour that constitutes any form of abuse or harassment was ignored. The British team’s behaviour could cause offence, humiliation and distress to both opposing athletes and their supporters.

The duty to be “a good sport, applaud all good performance, whether by your team or by the opponent” was breached. The conduct displayed was antithetical to sportsmanship and undermines the integrity of international competition.

The behaviour of the British team “clearly sends the message that Jewish players are not welcome in British Wheelchair Basketball,” the letter concluded.
Anti-Israel protesters block Israeli cycling team in major Vuelta a España race
Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters attempted to block riders from the Israel-Premier Tech team at the fifth stage of the Vuelta a España on Wednesday, forcing them to slow down in a race determined by differences of seconds.

A number of people with banners and Palestinian flags tried to disrupt the Israeli team, owned by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, at the start of the fifth stage time-trial in Figueras, Catalonia.

The race is one of cycling’s three major Grand Tours, along with the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.

The Israel-Premier Tech team was also targeted during the Tour de France.

On a video circulating on social media, three people can be seen holding a banner with the inscription “Neutrality is complicity. Boycott Israel” in Catalan, flanked by Palestinian flags, before being removed by race officials.

Although riders were forced to slow down, no accidents were reported. The team had been assigned police protection prior to the race, according to the Hebrew outlet Ynet.

In a statement, the team said it respected the right to peaceful protest but said the disruption endangered its riders. A statement from Adams, reported by Ynet, called the action an act of “terror.”

“Israel-Premier Tech respects everyone’s right to freedom of speech, which includes the right to protest peacefully, but we absolutely condemn the dangerous acts of the protesters on stage 5 of the Vuelta a España, which not only compromised the safety of our riders, race personnel, but the protesters themselves,” the team said in its statement. “The team continues to work with race organizers and relevant authorities to ensure our safety at the Vuelta a España and all races, and ensure any protests do not impact our safety, nor our right to race.”


Protesters unfurl ‘Stop Genocide’ banner at start of Venice Film Festival
Protesters outside the Venice Film Festival’s main building on Wednesday held banners reading “Free Palestine” and “Stop the Genocide,” hours before stars were to walk its red carpet.

Around 20 people from a regional left-wing Italian political collective held up the hand-drawn banner and Palestinian flags ahead of the opening ceremony later Wednesday.

“We need to use the attention here during the film festival to shift the focus onto Palestine,” Giulia Cacopardo, 28, from the North-East Social Centres, told AFP.

“We hope that other people are going to join us to stop the genocide now,” she said, employing a characterization strongly rejected by Jerusalem of Israel’s campaign against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip. Israel says it doesn’t targets civilians, and fights in accordance with international law.

The Wednesday protest was a prelude to a much larger demonstration planned at the weekend in Venice by hundreds of local groups, with many Italian film insiders also pushing for the festival to take a stronger stance on the war, which began when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

Israel has firmly denied the allegation of genocide in its war against Hamas, which was launched in response to the terror group’s massacre, saying its offensive is aimed at destroying Hamas, toppling its Gaza regime and freeing the hostages.


ZOA files complaint to Massachusetts AG, alleging teachers’ union hostile to Jews
The Zionist Organization of America filed a complaint against the Massachusetts Teachers Association, alleging that the union has fostered a hostile and discriminatory environment against its Jewish members since Oct. 7.

The 26-page complaint, obtained by JNS, was filed with Andrea Joy Campbell, the attorney general of Massachusetts, on Aug. 13. It alleges that the union’s actions violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and state law.

Campbell’s office confirmed to JNS that it has received the complaint. JNS sought comment from the union.

The complaint states that various Jewish teachers have resigned from the 117,000-member union “because they could no longer tolerate being associated with an organization that is directing and fueling such hostility toward them.”

“It was shocking to us to see this incessant focus by the MTA on attacking and demonizing Israel and even Jews after the Hamas massacre,” Susan Tuchman, director of the ZOA’s Center for Law and Justice, told JNS.

She said the union has been doing this through resolutions, webinars and curriculum resources.


Pulitzer Winner Who Disparaged Israeli Hostages Slams Fellow Journalists as Award Ceremony Nears
It has been several months since the Pulitzer committee announced that journalism’s highest honor would go to a Palestinian author who justified Hamas’ abduction of Israelis — and he is now set to receive the prize this October.

Ahead of the prestigious ceremony, we examined Mosab Abu Toha’s recent media activity and found disturbing truths that further taint his win.

The Gaza-born poet never apologized for his comments, manipulated words, and even used profanity to attack fellow journalists whose coverage did not complement his twisted ethics.

Abu Toha, who won the award for five essays published in the New Yorker about the ongoing war in Gaza, specifically disparaged female Israeli hostages, questioned their hostage status, and implicitly justified their abduction.

When HonestReporting exposed him after his win last May, his prize was not revoked, and he proudly went on a narcissistic media blitz where softball questions from timid interviewers allowed him to manipulate language — the very tool a Pulitzer winner should respect most of all.

On MSNBC, for example, he attacked the only journalist out of three who dared challenge him for his comments against Israeli hostages. In a masterful display of gaslighting, which also used victimization as manipulation, Abu Toha did not answer her questions but wondered how she could ask him “about language” when his family in Gaza was suffering:

But Abu Toha’s criticism of fellow journalists has worsened since then. Feeling entitled, he has used profanity to slander and attack journalists and news outlets that did not align with his anti-Israeli views.

This week, he suggested on social media platform X that the world’s two leading news agencies — Reuters and AP — are complicit in Israel’s war crimes:


Congress opens investigation into Wikipedia over foreign efforts to ‘manipulate’ information
Congressional committees headed by Reps. James Comer (R-KY) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) are demanding information from the Wikimedia Foundation about the efforts of “foreign operations and individuals at academic institutions subsidized by U.S. taxpayer dollars” to “manipulate” information on Wikipedia and shape American public opinion, according to a letter obtained exclusively by the Washington Examiner.

Comer and Mace charge that there have been “systematic” operations undertaken to “advance antisemitic and anti-Israel information in Wikipedia articles,” as well as a coordinated effort on the part of a “hostile nation-state actor” to flood Wikipedia with pro-Russian and anti-Western messaging through Wikipedia edits. The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, led by Comer and Mace, respectively, are requesting the Wikimedia Foundation provide them with internal records so they can investigate the extent to which such campaigns have been successful.

To support their claims, Comer and Mace cite two studies.

The first, conducted by the Anti-Defamation League, identified a group of 30 editors who appeared to act in a coordinated fashion to edit pages related to Israel and the Palestinian state to amplify criticism about the former while downplaying negative information about the latter. According to the ADL, these editors communicated with each other extensively, made multiple edits on the same pages within short time periods, harassed dissenting editors, and voted in conjunction with one another to delete information critical of Palestinians while keeping negative information related to Israelis.

The second study mentioned in Comer and Mace’s letter was conducted by the Atlantic Council and found that an operation linked to the Kremlin, dubbed the Pravda Network, has been working to place pro-Russian narratives in Wikipedia articles as a means to influence the outputs of popular large language models such as ChatGPT. The Atlantic Council’s investigation uncovered that 1,672 Wikipedia pages across 44 different languages cited fake news aggregation websites linked to the Russian government.


Turkey rejects Netanyahu’s recognition of Armenian genocide as politically motivated
Turkey on Wednesday rejected remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he recognized the genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks in the early 20th century.

“Netanyahu’s remarks concerning the events of 1915 are an attempt to exploit past tragedies for political motives,” Ankara’s foreign ministry wrote in a Turkish-language statement, saying, “We condemn and reject this statement, which is incompatible with historical and legal facts.”

On Tuesday, Netanyahu was asked by Patrick Bet-David on his podcast why Israel doesn’t recognize the Armenian genocide.

Netanyahu first said, incorrectly, “I think we have. I think the Knesset passed a resolution to that effect.”

No such legislation has been passed into law. A 2018 bill that would have done so was withdrawn due to lack of support from a previous government led by Netanyahu.

Bet-David then said, “I don’t know if it’s come from you, though. I don’t know if it’s come from the prime minister of Israel,” leading Netanyahu to respond, “I just did. Here you go.”

Israel has previously refrained from recognizing the genocide over fears it could harm its relationship with Turkey — the successor state to the Ottoman Empire — which hotly denies any such genocide occurred.


We are moving swiftly toward new sanctions on Iran, European officials tell 'Post'
The United Kingdom, France, and Germany are expected to initiate a process on Thursday to reinstate UN sanctions against Iran through the so-called "snapback mechanism," European officials told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

Once announced, a 30-day period will go into effect during which the mechanism can be halted. If it is not stopped, all sanctions imposed on Iran in 2015 will be reinstated.

European nations are demanding that Iran resume negotiations for a new nuclear agreement and grant access to all nuclear sites, including uranium stockpiles damaged during the war with Israel.

Deputy foreign ministers from Germany, France, and the UK met with Iran's deputy foreign minister on Tuesday.

The meeting yielded no significant progress, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Iran's Foreign Ministry stated after the meeting: "Iran remains committed to diplomacy and a mutually beneficial diplomatic solution. It is high time for the E3 and the UN Security Council to make the right choice and give diplomacy time and space."

According to a source familiar with the matter, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and the UK, along with the EU's Foreign Affairs Chief, Kaja Kallas, held discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
UN Nuclear Watchdog Chief Gets Round-the-Clock Security in Response to 'Specific Iranian Threat': Report
The head of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, has been under round-the-clock protection for weeks in Vienna after Austrian security services received intelligence of a "specific Iranian threat," according to a Tuesday report.

Grossi, who has led the Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog since 2019, has been guarded by Austria's elite Cobra counterterrorism unit since late June after intelligence pointed to an Iran-linked threat against him, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Austria deploys its Cobra force to "counter the gravest threats, such as terror plots and to secure top-ranking individuals, including the Austrian chancellor," according to the Journal.

The news comes as Iranian officials have already publicly threatened the IAEA chief over his reports on the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities, the Journal reported. Ali Larijani, a top aide to Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, warned that "when the war ends, we are going to deal with Grossi." Other senior Iranian officials have demanded Grossi’s removal from IAEA and threatened to put him on trial.

Grossi, who "had the backing of the first Trump administration" to take the IAEA job, has focused his efforts on persuading "Iran to limit its violations of the 2015 nuclear deal and has faced what IAEA officials call Iranian stonewalling of a six-year probe into undeclared nuclear material found in Iran," the Journal noted. He recently told Fox News in an interview that U.S. and Israeli strikes earlier this year set back Iran's nuclear program "significantly," describing the differences as "night and day."


Brothers arrested for felling tree at Paris memorial to murdered French Jewish man
French authorities have arrested twin brothers over the cutting down of an olive tree planted in memory of Ilan Halimi, a young French Jewish man tortured to death in 2006, prosecutors said Wednesday.

An olive tree, planted in 2011 in Halimi’s memory, was felled earlier this month in the northern Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine, in an act that stirred outrage in the country.

The suspects are to be tried immediately in a fast-track process for the racially or religiously aggravated desecration of a monument, the public prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Bobigny said, confirming a report in French magazine Paris Match.

It was not immediately clear when they had been arrested or precisely when the trial would take place. Their identities were also not made public.

Paris Match reported that both men were of Tunisian nationality and did not have a permanent address. It said they had been identified through DNA.

Politicians across the political spectrum condemned the act as an attack against the memory of Halimi, who was kidnapped by a gang of around 20 youths in January 2006 and tortured in a low-income housing estate in the Paris suburb of Bagneux. Found three weeks later, the 23-year-old died on the way to the hospital.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the felling of the tree, vowing punishment for what he called an act of antisemitic “hatred.”


Germany buys $451m of defense tech from Israel’s Rafael, despite Gaza tensions
Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems on Tuesday announced a €358 million ($415 million) deal with the German Air Force for advanced targeting technology for fighter aircraft.

“The German parliament has authorized the procurement of 90 Litening 5 targeting pods for its Eurofighter Typhoon fleet,” the defense electronics company said in its announcement.

It noted that the Litening 5 fifth-generation targeting system is “already operational with 28 air forces worldwide.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced earlier this month that Berlin — Israel’s second largest arms supplier — had suspended sales of arms to Israel that could be used in the war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

Merz announced the German arms embargo amid broad European condemnation of the Israeli security cabinet’s recent approval of a plan to seize Gaza City in October.

According to Globes, the German Air Force is “conducting extensive cooperation with the Israeli defense sector,” including major deals with Israel Aerospace Industries and Israel’s Defense Ministry, “as well as the rapid deployment of the Arrow 3 system.”

The Israeli outlet, citing German reports, said Berlin was attracted to the Rafael system’s capabilities, which include locking onto moving targets despite rapid altitude changes, thermal sensors for poor visibility conditions, and attacks on targets more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the aircraft.

By contrast, it was reported Wednesday Israeli defense companies were barred from participating in the Netherlands’ largest military exhibition; the decision came despite the Netherlands, according to Globes, still supplying Jerusalem indirectly with F-35 fighter jet parts via third countries.


Israeli health-care’s largest-ever donation to build ‘Tower of Hope’
Prominent philanthropists Anat and Dr. Shmuel Harlap have pledged $180 million to Rabin Medical Center–Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tivkah, marking the largest single donation ever made to Israel’s public health-care system, the facility announced on Wednesday.

The contribution will fund the construction of a state-of-the-art Heart and Brain Center, to be called the “Tower of Hope” (Migdal HaTikvah).

Scheduled to open in early 2027, the 15‑floor, 70,000‑square‑meter facility will add 300 beds and eight specialized departments, effectively doubling the current capacity of the hospital’s existing inpatient tower. It will integrate advanced cardiology and neurology care, including national transplant units, cutting-edge surgical suites and AI-assisted diagnostic systems.

At the signing ceremony, the Israeli couple said the tower’s name symbolized unity in a divided society:

“A public hospital best represents the healing of divisions in Israeli society. The Tower of Hope will serve every community—secular, religious, Muslim, Christian, Druze and Circassian—standing as a beacon of healing for all.”


Majdal Shams children honoured in football match with Israeli legends
The 12 Druze children and young adults murdered last July when a Hezbollah missile hit a football field in Majdal Shams were honoured on Wednesday in an emotional exhibition match.

Majdal Shams is one of four towns in the Golan Heights and home to around 25,000 Druze.

The event at the Israel National Team training grounds in Shefayim near Herzliya brought together the families of the victims and the injured, alongside legendary players from Israel’s national team – including Amir Shelah, Omri Afek and Pini Balili, and members of the Artists’ Team, such as Ben Ben Baruch, Yoseph Haddad and Amiram Tovim.

Children and families who travelled especially from the Golan Heights enjoyed an inflatable play area, took photos with the footballers and joined them on the pitch for a game before receiving medals and certificates.

The event was organised by the Israel Football Association and Shurat HaDin, the Israeli law centre dedicated to fighting terrorism and protecting Jewish communities.

IFA chairman Shino Zuaretz said: “This is a deeply moving event that symbolises unity and hope for the future, even as we carry the pain and memory of the tragedy that took the lives of the beloved children of Majdal Shams. Football is not just a game – it is a tool that helps heal and connect people. We will continue to initiate joint activities with the Druze community in Israel, out of deep appreciation and genuine partnership.”

President of Shurat HaDin, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said: “We sought to bring a measure of hope to families who lost what was most dear to them. The most powerful response to terrorism is our very existence here, together. These precious children, who simply wanted to play football in their free time, suddenly found themselves under a murderous attack. My colleagues and I will continue to fight for them in every way possible, to bring justice to the victims of terror.”


Two years on, thousands expected at 7 October memorial
Organisers of a vigil marking two years since the Hamas attacks on Israel are hoping to attract thousands of community members and allies.

On Sunday 5 October, representatives from nearly 30 Jewish communal organisations, including the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council, will stand together in solidarity, to honour the lives lost and affected, and to call for the release of the 50 hostages still held in captivity.

Organisations at the memorial, media partnered with Jewish News, include UJIA, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum UK, JW3, UJS, Magen David Adom UK, World Jewish Relief, the United Synagogue and Progressive movements.

Chair of the event Henry Grunwald, a founder of the JLC and a former president of the Board of Deputies, said: “It is shocking to believe that, two years on, Hamas would still be holding 50 hostages, perhaps 20 still alive.

“We remain united in our determination to remember the victims of 7/10 and the need for the return of all the hostages. That will be our focus on 5 October.”
California school district passes resolution to designate Oct 7 as day of remembrance
The Board of Education of the Beverly Hills Unified School District approved on Tuesday a resolution to combat antisemitism in the California district’s public schools through “education, awareness, remembrance and support.”

The resolution recognizes May as Jewish American Heritage Month and requires each school to display the Israeli flag throughout the month. It also establishes Oct. 7 as a day of remembrance and commits to educating “students and staff of the factual events that have occurred on Oct. 7, 2023.”

It will also commemorate the annually recognized Holocaust Remembrance Day and International Holocaust Remembrance Day through age-appropriate instruction and reflection at all schools in the district.

Through the resolution, the district also commits to providing professional development for staff and education opportunities for students to not only learn Jewish history, but be equipped to prevent and respond to antisemitism and hate-based behavior through the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism.
The Rubin Report: Ex- Hostage’s Chilling Details of Captivity, Rare Tour of Holy Sites & the Future of Israel
Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks to former hostage, Moran Stella Yanai about her harrowing experience as a hostage of Hamas; discusses his experiences and observations on his visit to Israel; the conflict with Iran and the potential for peace in the Middle East; the reality of daily life in Israel during a period of war; the country's vibrant culture and the determination of its people to live fully despite the challenges they face; and the historical and cultural significance of the Holy Land. Dave also gets a special tour of some of the holiest sites in Jerusalem, like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the tomb of Jesus.


Ex-hostage tells UN Security Council of sexual assault, starvation in struck Gaza hospital
Former hostage Ilana Gritzewsky testified on Wednesday before the UN Security Council, where she described being held for a time at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, and also recounted begging her captors not to rape her, as well as experiencing starvation, beatings, and other horrifying conditions during her 55 days in captivity.

“On the way to Gaza, when they started to touch me and sexually abuse me, I passed out physically and mentally. I couldn’t handle it anymore,” she said in testimony to the world body, according to a transcript published by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

“I had to beg not to be raped, telling them I was on my period,” Gritzewsky continued. “I didn’t know exactly what had been done to my body in those lost minutes when I wasn’t conscious. But my soul already knew: nothing would ever be the same. I was suffering from a fractured jaw, a broken pelvis, ear damage from the explosions, and a burned leg.”

She also spoke about being held along with other hostages in Nasser hospital. An Israeli strike on the hospital on Monday, which reportedly killed 20 people, including five journalists, elicited widespread anger worldwide. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attack a “tragic mishap. ” The IDF said the strike targeted a Hamas surveillance camera, but stressed that it regrets the harm caused to uninvolved civilians.

“They took us through the back entrance and walked us past all the civilians. In the hospital, there was an area that was closed off and used only by Hamas, with an armed guard. They locked us in a room, where we met a third hostage,” Gritzewsky recounted.

On the same day as her testimony, all Security Council members except the United States decried a “manmade crisis” of famine in Gaza, and warned that the use of starvation as a weapon of war is banned under international humanitarian law.




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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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