Friday, January 02, 2026
The dark comedy of the Islamo-left alliance
Yet towards the end of 2025, in Britain at least, we have also seen signs that this political coupling might just be starting to come apart. That middle-class ‘progressives’ are slowly discovering they don’t have as much in common with the uber-reactionaries on their Islamic flank as they might have thought. That sharing a demented loathing of the world’s only Jewish State might not be enough to sustain a relationship between the choose-your-own-pronoun crew and ultra-conservative Muslim men.Iranians are rising up against their brutal Islamist rulers
The first signs of strain between Muslim sectarians and the woke left became apparent during Mothin Ali’s campaign to become a Green Party deputy leader. On 7 October, the day of Hamas’s massacre, he said Palestinians had the right to ‘fight back’. In 2024, he celebrated his election to Leeds City Council with shouts of ‘Allahu Akbar!’, declaring it ‘a win for the people of Gaza’. Ali is certainly keen on the Greens’ anti-Israel zealotry and general anti-Western misanthropy. Yet, as a committed Muslim, he is rather less keen on the Greens’ Pride-filled, trans-rights activism. And so during his deputy-leadership campaign back in August, he refused to sign ‘pledges’ on behalf of the Greens’ various LGBTQIA+ groups – much to those activists’ apparent shock and dismay.
But the tensions in the Green Party were nothing compared with those that have humiliated Your Party in recent weeks and months. Semi-launched last July, amid bickering and squabbling over precisely who Your Party belonged to, this Corbyn 2.0 vehicle was clearly designed to exploit the surge in Islamo-leftist sentiment. Fronted by Jeremy Corbyn himself, sometime ‘friend’ of Hamas and Hezbollah, and onetime Labour MP and permanent sixth-former Zarah Sultana, it also featured four independent, ‘pro-Gaza’ Muslim MPs: Shockat Adam, Adnan Hussain, Ayoub Khan and Iqbal Mohamed.
The ‘pro-Gaza’ Muslim men were certainly on board with Your Party’s anti-Israel zealotry. But it seems they were less keen on Your Party’s support for every hue of gender-identity politics. And so, following criticism from Your Party’s leftist fanboys, fangirls and fantheys, Hussain flounced off in mid-November, citing ‘veiled prejudice’ and ‘generalised accusations and offensive slurs’ towards Muslim men. He was quickly followed by Mohamed, who also complained about ‘false allegations and smears made against me’.
The cultural chasm between let-it-all-hang-out ‘progressivism’ and illiberal Islam was fully exposed at Your Party’s calamitous conference in late November. In between denunciations of Israel, a series of pasty-looking social inadequates stumbled up to the lectern to shout their pronouns and denounce the ‘transphobia’ of their ‘socially conservative’ (ie, Muslim) comrades. The absurdity of the Islamo-woke coupling has been laid bare. Activists who think bearded men can be women marching alongside bearded men who don’t want women to be seen in public. How was this ever going to last?
Another event in Tower Hamlets in late October captured the emerging conflict in starker terms still. The setting was, absurdly enough, a counter-protest against a UKIP march that had already been cancelled and moved elsewhere. It was here that leftist activists, marching under the banner of Stand Up to Racism, coalesced with hundreds of masked Muslim men chanting ‘Zionist scum, off our streets’. Phone footage captured a momentary exchange between one of the left-wing marchers and one of their supposed allies. ‘There’s no need for that’, the leftist activist says in relation to something or other, ‘We’re on the same side, bruv’. The masked Muslim man’s response is sharp: ‘No, we’re not.’
These are portentous words. Leftists might not realise it yet, but as that masked man said, they are really not on the same side as Islamists and Islamic activists on the vast majority of political issues. They have allowed their shared loathing of Israel, animus towards the West and turn against modernity to blind them to this most blatantly obvious of truths. The crumbling of this silly and sinister alliance cannot come soon enough.
It should be said that the Islamic Republic is not about to fall. But these protests show that it is in trouble. Many in Iran were already turning against their repressive Islamic state in the years before its shadow war with Israel broke out into the open in July last year. Since then, the Islamic Republic’s legitimacy has been further undermined. And what happens in Iran won’t stay there. It will have profound ramifications for a region shaped for years by the Islamic Republic’s regional power-plays.Jewish community files complaint over Catalonia map identifying Jewish, Israeli-linked businesses
All of which makes the relative lack of interest in the protests on the part Western liberal media and the broader ‘progressive’ class seem even more puzzling. Many news outlets have paid them a cursory notice, with BBC News finally publishing its first bit of coverage of the protests three days in – this despite the presence in the region of its much-vaunted channel, BBC Persian. Elsewhere, the NGO-ocracy, which likes to imagine itself a keen advocate of civil rights, appears to have little interest in Iranian security forces turning guns, tear gas and water cannons on their own people. Indeed, Amnesty International spent the past few days tweeting about fossil fuels, systemic racism and the rights of indigenous reindeer herders – not a mention of Iranians’ brave struggle for more freedom. Middle-class progressives, who have spent the past couple of years obsessing over Israel’s role in the Middle East, barely seem interested in Israel’s principal antagonist.
It would be easy to put the scant attention given to the protests down to the distractions of the so-called holiday season. But that ignores a darker truth. The West’s ‘progressive’ classes struggle intellectually and ideologically with criticising the Islamic Republic of Iran. To support Iranians struggling against the regime’s harsh Islamic strictures, including mandatory hijab-wearing, sits uneasily alongside progressives’ support for Muslim identity politics, and a warped ‘anti-imperialism’ that more often sees Iran as the victim. And so they prefer to look away, and talk about something else, like reindeer herders.
This happened in 2022, when the ‘Women, life, freedom’ protests shook the Islamic Republic to its foundations and cost the lives of hundreds of protesters. In response, Western ‘progressives’ barely managed to murmur some vague words of support for those brave men and women before they got back to championing the hijab as a symbol of liberation and ‘calling out’ Islamophobia.
This time around, the world must not look away. As the Iranians struggle to free themselves from the deathly grip of Islamic theocracy, they deserve our enduring solidarity.
According to Enfoque Judío, repeated anti-Israel decisions by the government and the labeling of Israel as a “genocidal state” in the context of the Israel-Hamas War against the terrorist group have contributed to what the outlet described as the normalization and spread of antisemitism in Spain.
“Barcelonaz is not a harmless map: it is an instrument of stigmatization that contributes to this climate of hostility and, directly or indirectly, invites discrimination against Jews and Israeli citizens, the boycott of their businesses, and even violence. We already saw in Australia the process that led to the Sydney attack a few weeks ago,” a source involved in combating antisemitism told Enfoque Judío.
Enfoque Judío reported that Barcelona and Catalonia have, in recent years, become focal points of antisemitism described as being presented under the banner of “anti-Zionism,” including demonstrations, graffiti, boycott campaigns, and government and municipal decisions.
In its presentation, Barcelonaz describes itself as a “collective” project aimed at highlighting “the multiple branches of the Zionist economy in our city,” according to Enfoque Judío. The map includes sectors such as arms manufacturing, technology, tourism, energy, real estate, gastronomy, and education.
The project does not distinguish between Israeli companies, Jewish-owned local businesses, or multinational corporations operating in Israel, Enfoque Judío reported.
Listed entities include arms manufacturers such as Airbus, Indra, and Thales; technology companies including IBM and Microsoft; logistics firms such as Siemens and Volvo; energy companies, insurers, and 39 financial institutions ranging from Deutsche Bank to BBVA. The map also includes real estate and tourism businesses, kosher food establishments, and the Hatikva Jewish school in Barcelona.
According to Enfoque Judío, users are encouraged to expand the list, with selection criteria prioritizing sectors such as arms and cybersecurity, particularly where connections to Zionism are described as less “obvious.”
Members of the Spanish Jewish community have submitted complaints to GoGoCarto, comparing the initiative to historical practices that preceded the boycott of Jewish businesses, Kristallnacht, and the Holocaust, Enfoque Judío reported.
In a letter cited by Enfoque Judío, complainants requested the removal of the site, stating that the project “clearly has an antisemitic and discriminatory character, as it seeks to identify and stigmatize a population on the basis of its religious affiliation, real or supposed.”
The letter further argues that the initiative violates French laws on incitement to hatred and discrimination and calls on GoGoCarto to “adopt the necessary measures to bring this practice to an end,” citing Articles 225-1 and 24 of the July 29, 1881 law on freedom of the press, according to Enfoque Judío.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ban: West Midlands Police 'knew of antisemitism warning from Jewish groups'
West Midlands Police told a safety planning meeting that Jewish groups warned excluding Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from an Aston Villa match "could be perceived as antisemitic" - weeks before telling MPs the Jewish community backed the ban, according to documents obtained by Sky News.Starmer gave ‘absolute’ pledge to widen Hamas-linked sanctions, lawyers reveal
The revelation comes after the force had to apologise for misleading the Home Affairs Select Committee ahead of its leadership being recalled to be questioned again by MPs on Tuesday.
Emails and meetings related to the contentious ban decision were sent to Sky News by Birmingham City Council after a Freedom of Information request, containing redactions on security grounds.
But they include minutes of the council's Safety Advisory Group (SAG) on 16 October - the day the ban on Israeli fans was ratified over the danger posed by them.
There is a section on "community sentiment and impact" attributed to West Midlands Police, which had five representatives on the online Teams meeting. Police face fresh questions over Maccabi football fans ban
The minutes say: "Jewish community groups have expressed concern that banning away fans could be perceived as antisemitic, rather than a public safety decision.
"This perception could undermine trust and increase reputational risk for authorities and the club."
The minutes reveal concerns from the chair of the SAG, who has not been named, about the potential for "reputational damage" from the decision that was ultimately opposed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who raised the prospect of antisemitism.
There is no suggestion in the minutes that Jewish groups supported the ban, but Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara said that was the case when questioned by the Home Affairs Select Committee on 1 December.
The UK government has committed to deepening and widening sanctions not only against Hamas but against individuals and organisations connected to it, lawyers representing British-linked hostage families revealed at Limmud.MP calls on Home Secretary to bar Muslim preacher who justified October 7 from UK speaking tour
Giving an update on their work in 2025, Adam Wagner KC and Adam Rose said Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave what they described as a “very absolute commitment” to expand the UK’s sanctions regime – a pledge they said has since been reconfirmed by Middle East minister Hamish Falconer.
The disclosure goes beyond earlier public statements from ministers, with the lawyers telling Limmud audience that the commitment includes targeting those “around Hamas and organisations like Hamas”, not only the terror group itself.
Wagner said officials are now examining gaps in the sanctions framework, including whether it should be lawful for people in the UK to give money to groups that are sanctioned in other countries but not formally sanctioned in Britain.
The lawyers, who since October 2023 have represented families of 10 hostages who are British or closely connected to the UK, spoke about several of the cases that have shaped their advocacy. These include Emily Damari, who was released in January 2025 after being shot and seriously injured during her abduction, and Eli Sharabi, who was freed in February after nearly 500 days in captivity and later learned that his wife and two daughters had been murdered on 7 October.
A prominent MP has called on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to stop a Muslim preacher with a history of social media posts which appear to defend Hamas coming to the UK for a speaking tour.AJC applauds protections for Jewish students in California public schools
Dr Shadee Elmasry, an Islamic scholar from New Jersey, is set to arrive on Sunday for three days of talks in Birmingham, Bolton and Ilford, organised by a Muslim charity, the Global Relief Trust (GRT).
However, Elmasry has a history of controversial social media posts regarding the Gaza War, including apparently justifying the October 7 attacks.
A day after the massacre, he tweeted: “They are all in this (fake or real) state of shock that the people of Gaza finally punched back (after 50 years). In contrast, the very same people would celebrate a similar kind of attack from Ukraine against Putin.”
On another occasion, he wrote: "If we're going to educate people about Hamas, you must also talk about the source of all this bloodshed: the Hagana and Irgun [early Zionist parliamentary organisations]. History didn't begin on October 7."
And, in a third post, he wrote of Hamas violence in Israel: "It's conceivable and maybe even expected that a legitimate resistant [sic.] movement will make condemnable mistakes or go to excesses every once in a while.
"That doesn't take anything away from the morality of their resistance.”
Following the announcement of Elmasry’s tour, Nick Timothy, Conservative MP for Suffolk and former Downing Street chief of staff, has taken to X to call on the home secretary to act and not allow the preacher entry into the UK.
The American Jewish Committee welcomed a federal court ruling on California’s newly enacted law protecting public school students from bias and discrimination in the classroom. It took effect on Jan. 1.BBC apologises to 7 October survivors after Jeremy Bowen reported from family’s destroyed home without consent
U.S. District Court Judge Noel Wise denied a legal challenge seeking to block Assembly Bill 715, ruling that the state has the authority to regulate instruction in public schools. “As public school education belongs to the government, the government may regulate [teachers’] speech to accord with the government’s educational goals,” Wise wrote.
The decision upheld AB 715 as constitutional, rejecting claims that it violates teachers’ free speech rights. The law bars educators from injecting personal beliefs or bias into instruction and strengthens protections for all students, including Jewish students, against discriminatory curricula and teaching practices.
“Judge Wise’s ruling affirms that constitutional law aligns with common sense,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutsch, adding that public schools should be “welcoming to all, including Jews, and must not be used as platforms for teachers to express individual political views.”
“Bias and discrimination that can lead to outright antisemitism has no place in California,” added Deutsch.
AB 715 was passed unanimously by the California Legislature in Sept. 2025 and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 7, 2025.
It “works in tandem with Senate Bill 48 to establish a new office of Civil Rights within the California Department of Education,” as per the AJC statement, noting that “this office will include an Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator alongside coordinators addressing other types of discrimination.”
The BBC has apologised and compensated an Israeli family who survived the 7 October attack after a film crew entered their destroyed home without consent.
Days after the attack, a BBC crew led by senior correspondent Jeremy Bowen, arrived in Netiv HaAsara, a small village on the Gaza border where 17 residents were murdered. During the visit, the crew entered the home of the Horenstein family without their knowledge and filmed inside the property, including personal photographs of their children – at a time when many of the family’s friends and relatives still did not know whether they had survived.
“Not only did terrorists break into our home and try to murder us, but then the BBC crew entered again, this time with a camera as a weapon, without permission or consent,” Tzeela Horenstein told Jewish News. “It was another intrusion into our lives. We felt that everything that was still under our control had been taken from us.”
Horenstein described the horrors of the attack in detail. “On the morning of 7 October at 6:29, Hamas terrorists infiltrated Netiv HaAsara. After murdering our neighbours, they came for us. My husband, Simon, was outside the house at the time. A grenade was thrown at him, but he managed to escape and reach the shelter.
“For hours, the terrorists tried to capture us. We were physically struggling over the door handle while our two young children were hiding under the bed. They eventually attached an explosive device to the door and detonated it. The door twisted and jammed. That is what saved us.
“Our house became a battleground. The terrorists entered and exited it repeatedly and exchanged fire with the village’s emergency squad from inside. We survived only by making immediate decisions under extreme pressure. The house was destroyed and declared uninhabitable. We have no home. Only the shelter remained standing.”
Horenstein said the family eventually escaped by crawling out through a window and running barefoot to their car, which was itself hit by gunfire. For days afterward, they wandered across the country, unable to function.
“I discovered the BBC report by chance,” she said. “We were already heartbroken, and this was yet another intrusion into our lives. Even in times of war there are limits, and when a media outlet crosses them, it must be held responsible.”
The Guardian is peddling conspiracy theories for Iran and in support of an antisemite at the same time.
— Marc Goldberg (@MarcGoldberg111) January 1, 2026
If this is what the British left is now it's not surprising voters don't want any part of it! pic.twitter.com/hxBKLuIhu9
PA condemns ‘Judaization project’ after Israel takes over planning for Tomb of the Patriarchs
After the Hebron municipality repeatedly refused requests to construct a canopy above the Jewish prayer area at the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the Civil Administration on Wednesday confirmed it would assume planning authority and install a roof over the courtyard.
The administration said the decision was taken from the municipality due to Hebron’s “ongoing refusal” to approve the project, while stressing that the existing status quo at the Tomb of the Patriarchs would remain unchanged and that prayer arrangements would not be affected.
In July, when the government transferred partial authority over the site to the Kiryat Arba–Hebron Religious Council, the administration stated that “all population groups who pray at the site” would benefit from the planned canopy.
The Muslim prayer area has been roofed since the Crusader period, when the site functioned as a church, while the Jewish prayer area remains exposed to the elements.
The Hebron municipality petitioned the High Court of Justice last week against Israel’s plans to transfer the planning authority and Israel has been ordered to respond by January 7. A hearing is also expected to be held next week.
Eyal Gelman, head of the Israeli Hebron City Council, said in July that after planning the roof since 2007, a structure was finally installed last year but was swiftly removed following pressure from the Waqf, prompting a renewed legal battle over the covering.
The Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry condemned the move as part of broader “Judaization projects,” arguing that the decision circumvented existing legal frameworks.
Until now, the courtyard has been managed by the Waqf, an Islamic charitable trust. The cave, believed in Abrahamic theology to be the burial site of Adam and Eve; Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebecca; and Jacob and Leah, is also home to the Al-Ibrahimi Mosque, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. The Palestinian Authority considers the move to construct the roof a violation of the 1997 Hebron Accords, which stipulate that Israel must obtain a permit from Hebron’s municipal authorities before undertaking such construction.
The PA’s foreign ministry claimed that such a “unilateral seizure of authorities from the Palestinian municipality and the Islamic Waqf clearly demonstrate that the objective of these measures is neither organization nor development. Rather, it is the imposition of control, the entrenchment of occupation over the Ibrahimi Mosque, and the forced alteration of the existing historical and legal status quo.”
Hamas is again using Gaza hospitals as bases, including for torture and interrogation of Palestinians they view as a threat.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) January 2, 2026
This cannot happen without cooperation from those who run the hospitals. The same people media outlets consistent cite despite them obviously… https://t.co/viVi6VR8Bi
Jenin Restaurant, Nuseirat, 📍GAZA, 1.1.2026 (yesterday).
— GAZAWOOD - the PALLYWOOD saga (@GAZAWOOD1) January 2, 2026
Not exactly what the news narrative suggests. pic.twitter.com/ve2VMeu2at
Highlights of the grand reopening of Bee Hub & Café in Gaza City, following renovations, on 31 Dec '25.
— Imshin (@imshin) January 2, 2026
Timestamp: 15 hours ago#TheGazaYouDontSee
Link in 1st comment https://t.co/gePp4wjqAq pic.twitter.com/Nt1VgPwEEU
Here's a shorter version of ushering in 2026 at the new Angus For Meat in Gaza City, just the countdown and Christmas song 🔊, but less footage of the fancy cars...😜#TheGazaYouDontSee https://t.co/PRZeQlyNlJ pic.twitter.com/XlZ2Vno5zX
— Imshin (@imshin) January 2, 2026
There is no snow in Gaza—not now, and not for the past 76 years. https://t.co/5syt3jVzXT pic.twitter.com/lD1vRP0CAh
— GAZAWOOD - the PALLYWOOD saga (@GAZAWOOD1) January 2, 2026
David Wurmser: Update on Iran
First of all, there are credible reports that several cities — or at least core structures such as Basiji/IRGC bases and government buildings — have been taken over by the revolt. It started with the fall of an IRGc installation in Fasa, but there appear to be credible videos of government buildings and security installations burning in numerous cities geographically well-dispersed across Iran.
Second, the revolt continues to both expand to more town and cities, and it is getting bigger in each city. At this point, between 50-65 cities appear to experience major unrest.
Protesters clearly have overrun police, security forces, and taken their weapons. Several police stations and arsenals have also been overrun in several places with their weapons falling to the protestors.
The slogan most chanted is “Javid Shah,” or “long live the Shah,” referring to Shah Reza Pahlavi II, as well as a marked amount of positive slogans and references to Israel or Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. There seems to be a broad view they will save the nation.
The extent of the revolt is stretching the security forces very, very thin. So far, neither Baluchistan nor Kurdish areas have revolted massively, but one must remember, they were the focus of the Mahsa Amini ( Women, Life, Feedom revolt) revolt only three years ago and are seething. It would seem quite possible that the next two or three days will see them erupt, especially Sanandaj in the Kurdish areas and Zahedan and Chabahar in the Baluch areas. Indeed, in the last hour, the first reports are appearing of mass demonstrations in Zahedan. And when they populations in those town do rise, it will be very hard for the regime to hold onto those and other major cities there. They will be stretched very very thin. Moreover, these are areas where a significant armed resistance is likely to emerge early, given recent signs that armed militias have turned in recent months there.
The regime is likely bringing its mercenaries. Some Iranians have been caught be the rioters. But the use of mercenaries is both compromised and fraught with danger for the regime. Hizballah is still devastated and, if reports coming from Israel are true, may be attacked in the next days by Israel. So, planes from Russia perhaps carrying other mercenaries are arriving. But Russia hasn’t a great stable of surplus fighting men, Chechen or otherwise, right now.
The use of foreign mercenaries can also unleash the regular army against the regime. The army is hesitant to intervene beaten Iranians, as it posits itself as the protector of the nation. But if the regime slaughters too many people, and especially us a foreign force is used to do so, the army will see itself as the shield of the people against these mercenaries, and would tip the scale for them to intervene against the regime. So far, individual soldiers may have defected, but not whole units. Given the use of live fire and the first reports of mercenaries, that may change soon.
The brave Iranians on the streets protesting against their despotic and oppressive government are a beacon of hope for us all.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) January 2, 2026
The Iranian regime denies its own people basic liberties while exporting terrorism and instability beyond its borders, threatening the UK and our…
Trump vows US action if Iranian regime cracks down on protests
The United States will intervene if Iran violently suppresses anti-government demonstrations, President Donald Trump warned on Friday.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that if “Iran shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters,” Washington will “come to their rescue,” adding that the U.S. is “locked and loaded and ready to go.”
Demonstrations over Iran’s plunging currency and soaring inflation, the largest in three years, have widened nationwide and turned deadly as security forces clash with protesters.
Senior Iranian officials are warning of a fierce response if Washington follows through on Trump’s threat to intervene should Tehran use lethal force against demonstrators.
Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wrote on X that “every hand of intervention that approaches Iranian security under any pretext will be cut off with a regrettable response before it arrives.”
Another top Khamenei aide, Ali Larijani, said on X that “Trump must realize that U.S. intervention in this internal matter will lead to destabilizing the entire region and destroying American interests,” adding that “the American people must know that Trump is the one who started this adventure, and they should pay attention to the safety of their soldiers.”
In Israel, opposition lawmaker Avigdor Liberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu Party, signaled support for U.S. action, writing on X that if Washington moves from threats to concrete steps over any killing of peaceful demonstrators in Iran, “Israel would also join the move.”
Israel’s Persian X account posted in Farsi in support of the protests, writing, “The rise of the lion-men and lion-women of Iran for the battle against darkness. Light is victorious over darkness.”
What a chasm between the leader of the free world @realDonaldTrump and Barack Hussein Obama - the man who empowered the ayatollahs and helped usher the Muslim Brotherhood into power. The contrast could not be starker. pic.twitter.com/dOpfi6KdEW
— עמיחי שיקלי - Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) January 2, 2026
Bro has to VPN out of his own country to get propaganda out. https://t.co/LFY3CG1ghQ pic.twitter.com/QxisKDAIo7
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) January 2, 2026
Speaker of Iran’s Parliament Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said that “all American centers and forces across the entire region would be legitimate targets” in response to any potential U.S. “adventurism.” pic.twitter.com/pCge9I70C5
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 2, 2026
Stephan Pollard: The BBC’s silence on Iran’s protests is a scandal
Not that the BBC is alone in this. Rather, it typifies a mindset which has long regarded Iranian protestors and dissidents as somehow uncouth and unworthy of serious analysis. This mindset prides itself on being cosmopolitan and global in its outlook but views Johnny Foreigner with disdain. Whichever version of Johnny Foreigner happens to be in charge in a given country is the one we have to deal with, but really they are all so very uncivilised – especially those who protest on the streets. How very undignified.
The Guardian has long been the house journal of this attitude to foreigners. As a left newspaper, it presents itself as the very model of progressivism and equality, but as a left newspaper in reality its outlook is driven by what George W Bush described in a very different context as the soft bigotry of low expectations. Democracy, liberty and prosperity are far too sophisticated for the likes of brown-skinned Arabs in this worldview (don’t expect the Guardianistas to grasp the concept of Persians and Arabs not being the same). Similarly, we should expect no more of Palestinians than rape and murder as their version of politics, just as we sneer at Iranians who want to free themselves from Islamic tyranny.
That’s why it was entirely on brand for the Guardian’s coverage of Iran in recent days to be focused on an article it published by the regime’s foreign minister on how “Israel’s recklessness is a threat to all”. Because – of course – the Jews are the worst of the lot. For the Guardian, there is no foreigner more uncouth, grasping and horribly untrustworthy than the Israeli – common ground with the Iranian foreign minister, who at least has the sophistication to grasp that.
As for the BBC: according to John Simpson, its world affairs editor, his employer has failed to cover the protests in Iran because it’s “Very difficult for news organisations to get correspondents in. The BBC is banned, and so are most others. It's a bit like Gaza.” Yes, that’s really what he wrote. The same BBC which despite not having correspondents in Gaza – the reason Simpson says it can’t cover Iran - has had a Gaza story as its headline almost every day for over two years, every one of which has portrayed Israel as engaged in some sort of blood-lust, and which has regurgitated Hamas’s lies as fact without a note of questioning.
This is the same John Simpson who posted last August that he was “deeply shocked by Israel’s deliberate killing of the Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif…” without making any mention of al-Sharif’s Hamas activities. And it’s the same John Simpson who posted this on his social media feed: “According to the Watson School of International and Public Affairs in Rhode Island, more journalists have been killed in Gaza than in both world wars, the Vietnam war, the wars in Yugoslavia and the war in Afghanistan combined” – a claim so obviously nonsense that a moment’s thought would expose it. Yad Vashem’s website, for example, shows that more than 1,400 Jewish journalists were murdered by the Nazis. So even the number of solely Jewish journalists killed then is more than five times the entire number of reporters supposedly killed in Gaza.
There has been some anger on social media about the silence of NGOs, most obviously Amnesty International. But Amnesty long ago stopped being an organisation focused on freedom and liberty and became instead one of the world’s most lavishly funded hard left campaigning groups. There are few clearer examples of the red-green alliance between the left and Islamists than Amnesty. The global left abandoned Iranians decades ago because challenging the regime meant challenging the alliance. Amnesty would no more stand with the Iranian protestors than it would stand with the victims of the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023.
What we are witnessing in Iran – if, that is, we are looking somewhere other than the BBC – has the potential to change the world, as well as to free Iranians and allow them and their wonderful country to return to civilisation. But for the BBC and a core element of the British establishment, there is no need for us to give a damn.
So if correspondents are banned then journalists can’t tell the story… ‘like Gaza’…which famously the BBC didn’t cover at all. No.
— Nicole Lampert (@nicolelampert) January 2, 2026
That’s the same BBC which has a whole unit of 60 people called BBC Verify which is there to check social media videos…the Iran story has been… https://t.co/17mzszXMvz
Since the start of the anti-regime uprising in Iran, the Islamic regime’s security forces have murdered at least 8 protesters:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 2, 2026
•Mostafa, 15
•Amirhossein Khodayari, 22
•Khodadad Shirvani, 37
•Sajjad Valamanesh, 28
•Vahab Ghaedi
•Shayan Asadollahi, 28
•Ahmad Jalil, 21… pic.twitter.com/eNotNvcAYK
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 1, 2026
Belarusian Il-76 cargo planes keep landing in Tehran, bringing in Russian and Chinese weapons and equipment for the Islamic regime’s pressured security forces.
pic.twitter.com/5E9CDuX27x
According to @TousiTVOfficial, Arab proxies have arrived in Iran to help the Mullahs regime with suppressing the protests of the Iranian people
— Nervana Mahmoud (@Nervana_1) January 2, 2026
I can confirm that all the men in the video below are speaking Arabic pic.twitter.com/axbuYQFZGC
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 2, 2026
Despite Trump’s warnings, the regime’s security forces are still shooting at the Iranian anti-regime protesters.
This time, they are shooting from rooftops in the city of Marvdasht.
Via @RADOCLUB pic.twitter.com/JdEtIda3PY
Footage of IRGC/Basij opening fire on protesters
— Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) January 2, 2026
President Trump take action! pic.twitter.com/VBNvKdqAPE
Tabriz: Iranian protesters attempting to take over the police station despite massive presence of regime forces. pic.twitter.com/Wl2eqWVM60
— Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) January 2, 2026
Now: Protests continuing Tehranpars and numerous other locations pic.twitter.com/wSeBjKZCW0
— Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) January 2, 2026
Happy anniversary! https://t.co/k4oV0dn9By pic.twitter.com/sXpiYet3BD
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) January 2, 2026
The commentary by the New York Times’ Farnaz Fasshihi was so positive on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard commander that the Islamic Republic's state propaganda repeatedly cited her writings as global recognition of Qassem Soleimani’s alleged popularity: https://t.co/bVfaQMConl
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) January 2, 2026
Reza Pahlavi, the rightful heir to Iran’s throne, receives a thunderous welcome in Egypt as he awaits the opportunity to return home as monarch.pic.twitter.com/IuBSwkuImM
— Awesome Jew (@Awesome_Jew_) January 2, 2026
Natalie is a Persian Jew and Nova survivor.
— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) January 2, 2026
Her dad is Iranian and mum Israeli. She perfectly sums up the relationship between Israelis and Iranians in 3 minutes.
"Not only are we not enemies. But we also have the same enemy: the Islamic Regime of Iran."
🎥TT nataliesanadaji pic.twitter.com/gz1J39Fax2
BBC’s The Repair Shop leaves out any mention of Jews from story on the Kindertransport
BBC One’s The Repair Shop entirely failed to include any mention of Jews in an extensive story on the Kindertransport in its Christmas special.
The edition broadcast on December 26 featured a broken cello presented by actress Dame Helen Mirren that once belonged to Martin Landau, a child refugee who grew up to become a noted theatrical impresario.
During more than 16 minutes of the hour-long programme devoted to the segment, Landau’s Jewish identity as being the reason he was forced to flee Nazi Europe is never mentioned, nor were the words “Jewish” or “Jews” used at any point.
At one moment just after 18 minutes into the show, it appears what may have been the word “Jewish” was cut from the beginning of a sentence spoken by Mirren, which aired as: “…children were put on the Kindertransport”.
Asked about the omission, the independent company which made the programme for the BBC, Ricochet, told the JC they thought Landau’s Jewish identity was “implicit”.
The makers said they will now alter the programme on BBC iPlayer to state explicitly that Landau and the Kindertransport refugees were forced to escape Europe because they were Jewish.
The cello had been donated by Landau to Denville Hall, a retirement home for professionals from the theatrical world.
Born in Berlin in 1924, Landau arrived in the UK in March 1939 aged 14 on the Kindertransport fleeing Nazi Europe.
Thirty-one members of his family, including his parents, perished in Bergen-Belsen, Dachau and Auschwitz. He arrived alone in London holding the pieces of his cello, which had been smashed en route by the Gestapo.
In the UK, Landau became a prolific theatre impresario, bringing to life novels on the West End stage and whose collaborations included the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, and Margaret Thatcher’s playwright and speechwriter, Sir Ronald Millar. He died on February 16, 2011, aged 86.
A spokesperson for Richochet, producers of The Repair Shop, said: “We were honoured to share the history of Martin Landau’s cello and play a small part in telling an important and emotive story with contemporary resonance.
“We felt that Martin’s story was told clearly and succinctly, and we believed the fact that he was Jewish was implicit in the story.
“To avoid any doubt in future viewings there will be a clarification on BBC iPlayer.”
Contemporary antisemitism expert Alex Hearn said that it was “strange that the Jewish identity of those who made up the kindertransport was not acknowledged when a quarter of the programme was about it”.
He added: “This sadly seems to be consistent with a pattern of Jews no longer named as the primary victims of the Holocaust. Their explanation that the Jewish identity was ‘implicit’ is inadequate. However, it is encouraging that they say they’ll be clarifying this on iPlayer.”
December 13 1946, one year after the Holocaust
— Alex Hearn (@hearnimator) January 2, 2026
The far-right attack a synagogue in retaliation for “Palestine” pic.twitter.com/wBGPbtK7BW
Irish road daubed with antisemitic graffiti for NINTH time
Irish police have launched a hate crime investigation after roads in County Louth were daubed with antisemitic messages, including swastikas and the Star of David alongside the words “Jew” and “rat”.
The graffiti was daubed on the R165 and L1260 roads, near the town of Ardee. The local council committed to removing the offensive hate speech as quickly as possible, describing the acts as “unacceptable”, and saying that they stood “against our core values of equality and inclusiveness, and our commitment to fostering a respectful and welcoming community for all throughout County Louth.”
The graffiti, which was understood to have appeared last week, just prior to Christmas, was condemned by local councillor Paddy Meade, who confirmed that this was the ninth such example to have been painted on local roads in recent years.
In a Facebook post, Councillor Meade said: “Do we care that Jews are being compared to rats and Nazi symbols are painted on our county roads — for the 9TH TIME? Or is this just something we shrug off now?
“Should we even bother investigating it — even though CCTV was supplied to Gardaí before? Should we stop pulling council staff off real work to clean it up — again — for the ninth time? Because this is how hate spreads. Not with cheers — but with silence.
Link to an article on the antisemitic graffiti in this area in 2019. https://t.co/DXmoKKIQmJ
— Rachel Moiselle (@RachelMoiselle) December 30, 2025
Just so people understand what I have been subjected to for my Sunday Independent piece: they are threatening to create a petition about me and to call my dad and his partner at their business.
— Rachel Moiselle (@RachelMoiselle) January 1, 2026
For the record, my dad knows exactly what I do and I sent him my article to read… https://t.co/WNlDuobHfw pic.twitter.com/9P71WMZ1s9
North Carolina man arrested for alleged ISIS-inspired terror attack planned for New Year’s Eve
Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill, N.C., was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization after allegedly planning a terrorist attack in support of ISIS on New Year’s Eve, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Jan. 2.
According to the department, Sturdivant allegedly began communicating online with a covert law enforcement officer on Dec. 12, believing he was speaking to a member of ISIS. During those exchanges, Sturdivant told the individual that “I will do jihad soon” and sent a voice recording pledging support to ISIS.
Sturdivant also allegedly told the covert agent that he planned to attack a grocery store and a fast food restaurant in North Carolina using knives and hammers.
On Dec. 29, law enforcement officers searched Sturdivant’s residence and found handwritten notes titled “New Year’s Attack 2026.” The documents stated that he wanted to stab as many people as possible and included a “martyrdom op” section in which he wrote that he planned to attack police when they arrived at the scene so he could die as a “martyr.”
In addition to the notes, authorities also seized hammers and knives from under Sturdivant’s bed.
Russ Ferguson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, said during a Friday press conference that, based on the seized notes, Sturdivant “was targeting Jews, Christians and LGBTQ individuals.”
James C. Barnacle Jr., the special agent in charge of the FBI Charlotte field office, said at the press conference that Sturdivant was initially on the FBI’s radar in January 2022, when he was in contact with an unidentified member of ISIS overseas via social media.
Barnacle said Sturdivant had received instructions to “dress in all black, knock on people’s doors and attack them with a hammer.” Although Sturdivant did dress in black and leave his home with a hammer, his family intervened, and he subsequently underwent psychological care.
Christian Sturdivant, 18 of North Carolina, has been arrested after he was busted by authorities for wanting to carry out a New Year’s Eve ISIS-inspired attack targeting Jews and Christians.
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) January 2, 2026
Sturdivant first attempted a terror attack at age 14 and was barred from being online,… pic.twitter.com/TZ6zkuLHdj
Hungary is the only EU country to ban the Hezbollah & Hamas-supporting Irish rap group Kneecap.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) January 2, 2026
Hungary’s Minister for EU Affairs & Envoy for Combating Antisemitism @JanosBoka_HU will speak at The 2nd International Conference on Combating Antisemitism organized by @AmichaiChikli pic.twitter.com/pPPvD2nNB0
First Israeli vertiport slated for Tel Aviv, opening path to aerial taxis
Israel’s first vertiport for aerial taxis will be built at Atidim Park, a major business and high-tech complex in northern Tel Aviv, project planners announced on Jan. 1.Israeli charity brings life-saving heart care to children from Somaliland
The facility, to be known as the ATIDIM Vertiport, is designed to support electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs), which are widely seen as a key component of future urban transportation.
In its initial phase, the vertiport will operate as a dedicated center for medical aerial deliveries, enabling faster transport of critical medical equipment and supplies across the metropolitan area. Passenger air-taxi services are expected to follow once regulatory and operational frameworks are in place.
A preliminary demonstration of the project was held at the park this week, featuring a flight from a temporary landing pad to another pad located at Medica Rafeal Hospital, which is also situated in the complex.
The initiative reflects a growing global trend, as cities worldwide prepare infrastructure for electric air taxis as part of future smart transportation networks. “If successful, this project could establish Tel Aviv as a pioneer in urban air mobility, setting a benchmark for other cities in Israel and internationally,” the project planners said.
Officials said the project aims to reduce traffic congestion, promote sustainable transportation and position Tel Aviv as a leader in emerging air-mobility technologies.
Save a Child’s Heart is the only organization in Israel providing life-saving cardiac treatment at scale to children from Somaliland, having treated 19 patients in 2025 and 20 in 2024, according to a press release it issued on Wednesday.Stand-up comedian Liz Glazer: ‘Israel is the reason I exist’
Since 2004, the Israeli humanitarian medical nonprofit has treated 49 children from Somaliland at the Sylvan Adams Children’s Hospital at Wolfson Medical Center. Each child arrives in Israel with one accompanying family member, typically a mother or older sibling.
The collaboration began in 2004, when a Somaliland diplomat based in Ethiopia sought urgent heart surgery for his child through the Israeli embassy. Although the child’s life was saved, the diplomat later lost his position for traveling to Israel, according to the organization.
“This was the first time I had heard of Somaliland,” said Simon Fisher, recalling his meeting with the diplomat two decades ago. “Now, years later, we see how medicine can open doors and save lives beyond politics.”
Save a Child’s Heart works in partnership with the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital, founded by Edna Adan Ismail. Israeli physicians regularly treat children from Somaliland with complex congenital heart defects, often performing surgeries unavailable in the region.
Following Israel’s Dec. 27 recognition of Somaliland, Israeli officials said cooperation would expand in areas including health care, agriculture and technology. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would pursue immediate collaboration with the Somaliland government.
Founded in 1995, Save a Child’s Heart has provided free cardiac care to more than 8,000 children from 75 countries worldwide, training medical teams across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with stand-up comedian Liz Glazer, who is coming soon to Israel as part of the annual Comedy for Koby tour.
On stage and off, the former law prof — a graduate of New York’s stalwart Modern Orthodox Ramaz high school — is loudly and proudly out about her life as the spouse of a female rabbi. Perhaps more unusually, since the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught on Israel, she’s also made no secret of her support for the Jewish state
In our conversation, we hear which of Glazer’s identities — lesbian or Jew — is trickier for her to navigate on stage. We learn how being the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors has shaped her personality — and career choice.
And finally, we hear how becoming a mother two years ago has shifted Glazer’s comedic sensibilities.
Comedy for Koby is a fundraiser for the Koby Mandell Foundation, which was founded by Seth and Sherri Mandell, whose son Koby and his friend Yosef Ishran were murdered in a terrorist attack in 2001.
Amazing pic.twitter.com/FW3I9QhQ7j
— Hamas Atrocities (@HamasAtrocities) January 2, 2026
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"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024) PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022) |
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