Monday, February 23, 2026

From Ian:

Jonathan Sacerdoti: What’s wrong with Zionism, Hugh Laurie?
If Zionism is defined minimally as support for the existence of Israel as a Jewish state, then opposition to Zionism entails opposition to that principle. Israel is home to roughly eight million Jewish citizens. To advocate dismantling the state as a Jewish polity is to propose a fundamental restructuring of sovereignty in a region where minority protection has always ended badly for us Jews.

Judea Pearl, the Israeli-American computer scientist and philosopher and father of the murdered journalist Daniel Pearl, has argued that one should ‘shock the anti-Zionist out of his pompous self-righteousness’. He is right.

His challenge is uncomfortable. If anti-Zionism involves dissolving Jewish self-determination in the only state where it currently exists, what becomes of its population? Are they to entrust their security to political arrangements that have yet to demonstrate durability? Are they to accept permanent exposure as the price of ideological consistency?

Those who identify as anti-Zionist often insist that their position targets a political ideology rather than a people. They frame it as opposition to nationalism, or to specific Israeli policies. Criticism of a government is ordinary political speech. Advocacy for the eradication of a state’s defining national character carries different consequences.

Laurie has not articulated a doctrine. He mourned a colleague and resisted being labelled. Others supplied the ideological frame around his words. But he took the bait and seemed at least to imply his rejection of Zionism by pointedly responding to critics that he had never said he supports it.

When celebrities feel compelled to signal distance from Zionism, even defensively, clarity becomes essential. If the objection concerns government policy, say so. If it concerns the legitimacy of Jewish nationhood in Israel, confront the implications directly and own the full genocidal implications of your beliefs.

Dana Eden’s tragic death remains under investigation. The argument that followed reveals how quickly grief is conscripted into ideological struggle. A tribute became a test of political identity. Before adopting or repudiating a word as freighted as Zionism, one ought to ask what world that choice implies. And whether one is prepared to defend it.
Report: Inside Hamas's Sophisticated Media Empire Waging Psychological Warfare
A recent report by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), based on Hamas documents seized by the IDF in Gaza, argues that Hamas maintains centralized managerial, financial, and strategic control over a broad media ecosystem, including outlets presented publicly as “independent.”

The report, published on February 22, 2026, draws from documents captured during military operations in Gaza and provides an unprecedented window into how the Palestinian terrorist organization coordinates its information warfare against Israel and the broader international community.

The Hybrid Media Model
At the heart of Hamas’s strategy lies what Israeli analysts term a “hybrid” media ecosystem—a deliberately constructed system designed to create the appearance of press diversity while maintaining absolute editorial control. According to the report, Hamas operates both official outlets like the Al-Resala media institution, the Al-Aqsa television network, and the Palestine newspaper, alongside news agencies Shehab and SAFA that publicly present themselves as independent journalistic organizations.

“This hybrid media system is not accidental,” the report states. “It is designed to allow Hamas to appear to advocate for media pluralism, while in fact it fully controls the media discourse.” This arrangement also provides the organization with diplomatic and operational flexibility, including the ability to circumvent sanctions and deny association with extreme content by attributing it to “independent” outlets.

The information department, led by Ali Al-Amoudi, maintains oversight of the entire ecosystem through regular inspections and coordination meetings designed to ensure all media activity aligns with Hamas’s broader strategic messaging and tactical objectives.

"The new acting head of Hamas’ political bureau in Gaza."
*released as part of the Gilad Shalit "prisoner deal" in 2011 - was among those very close to Sinwar during their imprisonment and after their release, accompanying him frequently to meetings and events. v The report adds that unofficial reports in late 2025 claimed al-Amoudi was appointed acting head of Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza and was being discussed as a potential successor to Yahya Sinwar.

It traces his proximity to Sinwar back to their time in Israeli prison: al-Amoudi was arrested in 2004, released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit exchange, and, according to the report, developed a close relationship with Sinwar while incarcerated. The report says al-Amoudi later served as Sinwar’s office manager during Sinwar’s first term leading Hamas’s political bureau in Gaza (2017–2021).
CAIR-Ohio Director Invokes Blood Libel at Ohio Senate Antisemitism Hearing
Khalid Turaani, Executive Director of the Ohio branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), appeared before the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee on February 18, 2026 to testify against Senate Bill 87, which would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism into Ohio state law.

During his testimony, Turaani alleged that Israel operates the world's largest human skin bank and that the skin is harvested from the bodies of dead Palestinians. CAIR’s lobbying arm, CAIR Action, and a coalition of other anti-Israel Ohio-based organizations also testified in opposition to SB 87 at the same hearing.

A Modern Blood Libel Before a State Legislature
The Anti-Defamation League has explicitly catalogued claims of this type — that Israel systematically harvests body parts from Palestinians — as a modern iteration of the medieval blood libel: the centuries-old antisemitic conspiracy theory alleging that Jews murder non-Jews to harvest their bodily matter. The ADL notes that in the current Israeli-Palestinian context, organs and tissue are substituted for blood, and that in some cases activists have gone further, alleging Israel deliberately kills Palestinians in order to harvest their remains. The ADL has found no credible evidentiary basis for these claims.

The specific “skin bank” framing Turaani deployed before Ohio state senators has circulated in anti-Israel activist circles since at least late 2023, traceable to social media accounts and pro-Palestinian advocacy networks. The ADL has directly addressed these claims, finding that they lack documented factual support and function as vehicles for antisemitic conspiracy narratives rather than substantiated reporting.

The context in which Turaani made this claim adds a significant dimension. SB 87, which he was testifying to defeat, would codify the IHRA definition of antisemitism into Ohio law. The IHRA definition, which has been used by the U.S. State Department and endorsed by over 40 countries, explicitly lists as an illustrative example of antisemitism: “Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g., claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterize Israel or Israelis.”

Turaani’s testimony did not remain confined to the hearing room. Ramy Abdu, the founder and chairman of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (EuroMed), amplified the clip on X, stating: “Israel is skinning dead bodies of Palestinians.”

Abdu’s promotion of the claim is notable given EuroMed’s documented record and his own background. Abdu, along with EuroMed’s former chairman Dr. Mazen Kahel, were both named in a 2013 list released by the Israeli government identifying Hamas operatives and affiliated institutions in Europe. The watchdog group HonestReporting has described EuroMed as a “Hamas front org.”

EuroMed’s track record of unverified atrocity claims extends well beyond the Turaani clip. The organization has previously accused the Israeli army of organ theft from Palestinians and of “systematically” using police dogs to “brutally attack, rape Palestinian civilians” — claims that HonestReporting has characterized as part of a pattern of fake news, conspiracy theories, and blood libels the group has championed since the October 7, 2023 attacks.


Australia begins inquiry into antisemitism following Bondi attacks, spike in antisemitic incidents
Australia will on Tuesday begin a government-backed inquiry into antisemitism, after the Bondi Beach terror attack last year killed 15 people.

The December mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney's famed Bondi Beach shocked Australia, a country with strict gun laws, and fueled calls for tougher controls and stronger action against antisemitism.

Police allege the father and son gunmen were inspired by the Islamic State.

The Royal Commission, the most powerful type of government inquiry in Australia, which can compel people to give evidence, will be led by retired judge Virginia Bell.

It will consider the events of the shooting as well as antisemitism and social cohesion in Australia, and is expected to report its findings by December this year.

Bell is expected to make a short opening statement at a court in Sydney later on Tuesday, explaining how she will approach the inquiry's terms of reference.

There will not be any testimony heard or evidence given.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had initially resisted calls to set up a Royal Commission, saying the process would take years, which attracted criticism from Jewish groups and victims' families.

“A Royal Commission is not the beginning or the end of what Australia must do to eradicate antisemitism, protect ourselves from terrorism, or strengthen our social cohesion,” said the prime minister back in January when announcing the commission.
'Bondi: A Timeline of Terror' airs Tuesday at 7:30 PM
Sky News host Sharri Markson shares a sneak peek into her new documentary “Bondi: A Timeline of Terror,” airing Tuesday at 7:30 PM.

“One thing that emerged in many of the interviews I did is the sense that this was not a surprise,” Ms Markson said.

“And that some of those impacted by Bondi had actually been fighting against hatred against the Jewish community over the past two years.

​“It's incredibly powerful, it's very moving, and I highly recommend you watch it.”




Australian teen assaulted in suspected antisemitic attack
Victorian police are investigating a suspected antisemitic assault on an 18-year-old man who was allegedly punched in the face at a Scouts camp while wearing a yarmulke and carrying an Israeli flag, Australia’s 9News reported on Monday.

Police said Joshua Levy was first verbally abused by an unknown man while walking at Lardner Park in West Gippsland about 2 p.m. on Saturday, then later assaulted by the same person in a crowd of about 300 people at around 9 p.m. Levy suffered bruising around his nose and swelling to his cheek and reported the incident to police the following day with his father, 9News said.

Levy told the national news service on the Nine Network in Australia that he initially thought the tap on his shoulder was from a friend before he “instantly felt hazy” after being struck three times. “Hurting people based on their opinions is not OK,” he said. Police said they believe the assault was a targeted attack and warned that antisemitic, racist or hate-based behavior “will not be tolerated.”

The Anti-Defamation Commission said in a statement the teen was “visibly Jewish” when attacked and warned that such incidents reflect a worsening climate for Jewish Australians. Commission chair Dvir Abramovich said the assault could have resulted in serious injury and urged police to pursue the case with the full weight of the law.

No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing, according to Victoria Police. Authorities appealed for anyone with information or footage to contact Crime Stoppers.

The incident comes as tensions remain high in the country in the wake of December’s antisemitic terrorist shooting at Bondi Beach that killed 15 people and wounded dozens more. It also comes shortly after a diplomatic visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog brought waves of anti-Israel protests to major cities.
Jewish Teenager Punched For Wearing Israeli Flag At Scouts Camp In Victoria | 10 News
A Melbourne teenager says he was punched in the face three times for wearing an Israeli flag while at Scouts Camp in regional Victoria. Police are investigating the antisemitic attack on Joshua Levy, who says he's willing to speak with the young person who targeted him.


Australia Islamic school investigated after director shares Hamas video with prayer for victory
One of Australia’s largest Islamic schools is being investigated after its director, Faraz Nomani, posted a video of armed Hamas terrorists overlaid with an Arabic prayer for victory.

On Monday, Sky News reported that Nomani, a prominent pro-Palestine activist with links to the Islamist fundamentalist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, had resigned from the board of Sydney’s Malek Fahd Islamic School after the outlet uncovered the disturbing video.

The New South Wales (NSW) Education Standards Authority initiated an investigation, and there have been calls for Federal Minister for Education Jason Clare to step in, given that the school is predominantly funded by the federal government.

The prayer in the video asks Allah to give victory to the fighters, “make them catch the neck of their enemies... make their shots hit the targets...” and considers those who died as “martyrs.”

Nomani shared the video of Hamas on his public Instagram account on February 15, with the caption “Ameen. Ameen. Ameen.”

Nomani was previously linked with Hizb ut-Tahrir
Sky News also raised the fact that Nomani has previously been linked with Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, having spoken at the group’s events a decade ago.

After Sky News sent questions to the school about the Hamas video and Nomani’s past associations with Hizb ut-Tahrir, crisis communications specialist Peter Wilkinson said: “The director has resigned.”

A spokesperson for the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) told Sky News that it will assess the information provided and “pursue all available lines of inquiry.”

“NESA takes such reported misconduct very seriously and will investigate these matters thoroughly to ensure students and other staff are not at risk,” the spokesperson stated.


How anti-Israel Democrats are radicalizing the party
Throughout history, political movements and societies that appease antisemitism eventually decay.

Antisemitism corrodes moral judgment, distorts truth, and undermines the very democratic values its enablers claim to champion.

Societies that normalize hatred of Jews never stop there. They fail because they abandon clarity for ideology and principle for power.

Today, the Democratic Party risks following this same pattern.

The party of Roosevelt faces a consequential choice that will shape its moral credibility and political future.

The question is simple: Will Democrats confront antisemitism and anti-Zionist extremism within their ranks, or continue to excuse, elevate, and normalize it?

Will Democrats choose the path of ethical emptiness leading to political irrelevance?

The path that treats Israel as uniquely evil, indulges obsessive anti-Zionists, and punishes leaders who refuse to comply?

In 2024, Kamala Harris’ decision to elevate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro exemplified that leadership failure.

Shapiro is among the most popular Democratic governors in the country. He is a pragmatic executive with broad appeal and proven ability to win as a Democrat in a swing state.

According to his recent book, when Harris’ team vetted him as a potential running mate, he refused to yield to their demands that he retract his condemnations of Hamas-supporting protesters following the Oct. 7 massacre.
Prominent Jewish Democratic donor laments ‘Jew hate’ in party
A prominent Jewish Chicago-area Democratic donor and philanthropist lamented rising anti-Israel sentiment and antisemitism after a progressive Illinois congressional candidate issued a public statement saying he would reject the donor’s contribution to his campaign due to his ties to AIPAC.

Union organizer Anthony Driver Jr. is running in Illinois’s 7th Congressional District, on a platform critical of Israel and in opposition to AIPAC. He said in a statement that he would return a contribution by Michael Sacks, a local Jewish, pro-Israel philanthropist and Democratic donor who had been a prominent supporter of former President Barack Obama and close ally to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

“Michael Sacks has supported community violence intervention work in Chicago for years. I served nearly four years as President of the Chicago Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, helping advance real public safety reform,” Driver said. “The first time I heard about any link between Michael Sacks and AIPAC was on the debate stage. As I said on that same stage, I will return the contribution.”

Sacks, in response, pointed to public anti-Israel and antisemitic currents as pushing Driver, who has been endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, to take such a position.

“It is truly sad there is so much anti-Israel sentiment and outright Jew hate that Anthony found himself in this position,” Sacks said in a statement to the Chicago Tribune. “I can only hope that the electorate rejects hate in all forms.”

Sacks said he asked Driver to contribute the donations to a community violence prevention group of his choosing, calling Driver a “pragmatic [progressive]” and praising his work on violence reduction.

On the campaign trail, Driver has railed against AIPAC and spending by its super PAC, supporting one of his rivals, Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin. Conyears-Ervin faced attacks by several of her opponents about her support from AIPAC’s super PAC during a candidate forum last week.

Driver also states on his campaign website that he supports efforts to restrict offensive weapons transfers to Israel, including the Block the Bombs Act, and the recognition of Palestinian right of return.
Tucker Carlson’s Huckabee Interview: Confidence Without Comprehension
Theology as Geopolitical Caricature
Carlson invoked God’s promise to Abraham – “from the river of Egypt (Nile) to the Euphrates” – and suggested that this covenant implies contemporary Israeli expansionism across sovereign Middle Eastern states.

This is a categorical error.

The Abrahamic covenant is a theological concept, not a modern policy platform. No Israeli government has articulated a program to annex the Middle East based on Genesis.

By collapsing ancient scripture into a present-day territorial blueprint, Carlson substituted provocation for analysis.

Huckabee attempted to correct the framing.

Carlson appeared uninterested.

Ancestry as Legitimacy Test
In one of the interview’s most jarring moments, Carlson questioned Netanyahu’s right to live in Israel on the basis of ancestry.

“Netanyahu’s family is from Poland,” Carlson said. “There’s no evidence his ancestors ever lived here. On what basis does he have a right to be here?”

Huckabee responded bluntly: “I’m totally unable to process what you’re saying.”

The exchange spoke for itself.

Framed as a critique of one politician, the logic extended further – implying that Jewish belonging in Israel requires genealogical proof acceptable to Carlson.

It was delivered not tentatively, but with certainty.

Loyalty to His Masters?
And then there was the subject of Qatar.

Carlson appeared surprised when Huckabee noted that Christians in Qatar are overwhelmingly migrant workers confined to a restricted church compound, with no Christian citizens and limited public expression of faith.

By contrast, Israel has approximately 184,000 Christian citizens, hundreds of churches, open Easter processions, and church bells ringing weekly.

Carlson initially leaned on a cursory reading of Wikipedia before conceding he did not know the details.

For someone positioning himself as a defender of Christianity in the Middle East, all while seemingly receiving funding from the Qatari state, the disconnect was difficult to ignore. Conspiracy, Recycled

Carlson floated additional insinuations and conspiracy, including the absurd claim that the United States went to war in Iraq after September 11 because of Israel.

This trope, that Jewish or Israeli influence dragged America into war, has circulated for decades across ideological extremes.

Reducing complex American strategic decisions, Congressional votes, and post-9/11 security policy to “Israel made us do it” is not serious analysis. Yet here it was, presented as such by a former Fox News host watched by millions.

What the Media Missed
By the end of nearly three hours, a pattern had emerged.

Carlson repeatedly blurred theology into policy, questioned Jewish historical continuity, recycled war-blame insinuations, dismissed counter-evidence, and spoke authoritatively on subjects he appeared not to have mastered.

And he did so with confidence.

That is what much of the media missed.

The story was not Huckabee’s answer to a distorted biblical question.

It was watching a prominent commentator unravel under the weight of his own thinly sourced claims.

Criticism of Israeli policy is legitimate. Debate over strategy is healthy.

But when interrogation gives way to insinuation, and skepticism morphs into selective credulity, the result is not fearless journalism.

It is confidence without comprehension.

And it was watched by nearly two million viewers in under 24 hours.
Indigenous Embassy Jerusalem: Dr Michael Wechsler Debunks Khazar Theory
The Khazar theory is currently being propagated by Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson and others. Dr Michael G Wechsler is a linguist, historian and Bible scholar. He filmed this rebuttal of the Khazar theory in Jerusalem's Old City.

To summarize:
Some Palestinian writers argue that most Ashkenazi Jews are not originally from ancient Israel but are descended from the Khazars, a Turkic (Central Asian) people who supposedly converted to Judaism about 1,000 years ago. They use this claim to argue that Jewish ties to the Land of Israel are not genuine.

Dr Michael Wechsler argues that this theory has been widely rejected by historians, archaeologists, linguists, and geneticists.




Five people in France indicted for funding Hamas under guise of humanitarian aid
Five people in France have been indicted for transferring funds to Hamas under the cover of providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

PNAT (the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office) confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Monday that five individuals were brought before the court on February 20 and formally charged with financing Hamas under the guise of humanitarian work.

PNAT confirmed that the investigation into the two associations, Humani’Terre and Comité de Bienfaisance et de soutien de la Palestine (which later became Soutien Humani’Terre), began on November 3, 2023. They were suspected of financing a terrorist enterprise, criminal terrorist conspiracy, and organized money laundering in connection with a terrorist enterprise.

The investigations were assigned to the anti-terrorism section of the criminal brigade of the Paris police prefecture, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), and the Central Office for Combating Major Financial Crime (OCRGDF).

While Soutien Humani’Terre and Humani’Terre purported to support Palestinian populations living in refugee camps in the West Bank, Lebanon, and Gaza, members of their executive boards were suspected of channeling funds to Hamas.
After JNS query, scholarly journal probing if article by Hamas health official violated policies
The peer-reviewed journal PLoS One, published by the San Francisco-based Public Library of Science, said following a JNS report that it is investigating how it published an article by a Hamas official.

“PLOS upholds the highest international standards for research integrity and publication ethics, and follows up on all concerns raised about our publications in accordance with COPE guidance and PLOS policies,” Beth Baker, senior media relations manager at the Public Library of Science, told JNS on Monday.

“Following this query, we will investigate if any breach of our editorial policies has occurred, and if so, will take action accordingly,” Baker told JNS.

The journal recently ran an article about “rebuilding Gaza’s health system,” which Youssef Abu al-Rish, deputy health minister in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, penned with colleagues from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom and University Hospital of North Norway in Tromso.

Al-Rish is designated the 10 of spades in the set of playing cards of Hamas officials.

Dr. Yael Halaas, president and founder of the American Jewish Medical Association, previously told JNS that “this is yet another example of biased articles weaving in slanted political propaganda that have been published in ‘scholarly’ scientific journals.”

“We have seen a disturbing pattern in peer-reviewed academic journals: material that is not grounded in rigorous science, that lacks any balanced or critical perspective and that undermines the integrity of the scholarly process,” she previously told JNS. “What is presented as ‘peer reviewed’ too often reflects ideological bias rather than credible scientific inquiry.”
California civil-rights body lists progressive group as sole statewide Jew-hatred resource
The California Civil Rights Department’s statewide hate hotline directs callers seeking Jewish resources to a progressive advocacy group that opposes codifying the widely used International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism and has accused Israel of deliberately starving Palestinians, drawing criticism from several Jewish organizations.

State officials list only Bend the Arc: Jewish Action as a statewide Jewish resource on the “CA vs. Hate Resource Line and Network.” By contrast, the American Jewish Committee appears only in regional listings, despite operating across California, according to the group.

“It would seem to be logical to have other organizations that also cover the entire span of the state to be listed there, so Californians know who to turn to regardless of where they live,” Teresa Drenick, deputy director of the AJC’s Northern California region, told JNS.

Hotline users are first directed to regional branches of the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Federation and American Jewish Committee covering Central and Northern California, Orange County, Sacramento, Santa Barbara and Southern California. In total, the state lists 14 Jewish resources, including Bend the Arc, along with one Hindu, five Muslim and two Sikh organizations. (JNS sought comment from the California Civil Rights Department.)

Drenick told JNS that the AJC’s San Francisco office serves Northern California up to the Oregon border, while its Los Angeles and San Diego offices cover the rest of the state.

Because the AJC is not labeled as a statewide resource, the list could mislead users into thinking the organization does not serve their area, she said. Drenick declined to comment on Bend the Arc.

“It would behoove the ‘Cal v. hate’ website to be more specific that there are agencies that cover the entirety of the state,” she told JNS.

Jonathan Schulman, executive director of the Jewish Majority, which trains Jewish leaders and conducts research, told JNS that designation matters.

“Statewide resources should reflect organizations that broadly represent the Jewish community and use widely accepted tools for identifying and combating surging antisemitism, rather than relying on a single advocacy group outside the mainstream consensus,” he said.
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival to review processes after controversy over anti-Israel juror
With a message of “We are sorry,” the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival announced on Feb. 22 that it would review its organizational processes after a backlash over inclusion of a student in its judges panel who has posted virulently anti-Israel content online.

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The controversy erupted on Feb. 20 when the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta announced that it had pulled its funding and support from the festival because the festival retained a student juror “who has publicly shared antisemitic and anti-Israel content” that he created.

The 26th annual festival opened on Feb. 18 and runs through March 3 in theaters, then streams from March 6 to 15. The festival, which along with similar festivals in Miami and San Francisco claims the title of world’s largest Jewish film festival, includes 49 features, 16 short films, three world premieres and 20 countries represented.

The Consulate did not name the juror, who is one of three judging the Human Rights category. In addition to the social media posts, the Consulate said there is “substantial evidence of this person’s participation in at least one anti-Israel university encampment in Atlanta, putting Jewish students at risk and promoting dangerous misinformation about the war in Gaza started by Hamas on October 7, 2023.”

Anwar Karim, a senior at Morehouse College, was announced as one of the judges in the Human Rights category on Feb. 9. Raised in northern Virginia, he is majoring in cinema, television and emerging media studies, and is part of the third class of Spike Lee Fellows at the Gersh Agency. He is also acting president of the Morehouse Muslim Student Association.

Consul General Eitan Weiss said when they saw the festival program, they were surprised to see Karim sporting a green keffiyeh. They did some research and found his “problematic past,” and informed the festival leadership team, saying “we cannot give legitimacy and credibility to this individual.” Having him judge the human rights category in a Jewish film festival, “that’s a disgrace,” Weiss said.

The Consulate gave the festival time to address the issue. In a statement on Feb. 20, the festival said after they were made aware of “certain publicly available social media activity,” they reviewed it “to ensure our approach remained consistent with our mission and the expectations of jury service.” After the review, “we concluded that the student could participate appropriately within the structure of our deliberations.”
UKLFI: SoundCloud Removes Account Linked to US designated PCPA Following UKLFI Complaint
SoundCloud has removed an account linked to the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) after being notified that the organisation had been designated by United States authorities.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) wrote to SoundCloud’s compliance department highlighting that PCPA had been designated by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) a month earlier, on 21 January 2026, and yet the PCPA podcasts were still available.

The US announcement stated that the PCPA was being designated “for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Hamas.”

The US announcement also explained that the PCPA is “a main organizer of recent flotillas that sought to break Israel’s security cordon around Gaza. The PCPA is also clandestinely acting on behalf of Hamas. As a front organization for Hamas, it operates in accordance with Hamas directives and was established and managed by operatives from Hamas’s Bureau of International Relations, which at the time was led by Mussa Abu Marzouq.”

PCPA hosted podcasts on the Soundcloud platform under the name “PalesAbroad”

Although SoundCloud has its headquarters in Berlin, Germany, it maintains offices in the United States, including in New York and Los Angeles, and is therefore subject to US sanctions regulations.

UKLFI warned that service providers could face exposure to sanctions if they provide services to designated or blocked persons under OFAC rules. Following the complaint, the PCPA podcast account is no longer accessible on SoundCloud.

A spokesperson for UKLFI commented: “Online platforms cannot turn a blind eye to sanctions designations. Once an organisation has been formally designated by the US authorities for acting on behalf of Hamas, service providers with a US presence have clear legal obligations. We welcome SoundCloud’s swift action in removing this account and expect all digital platforms to ensure they are not providing services to entities linked designated accounts.”

The PCPA made a statement on their website (which has now been taken down), but which was reported in Middle East Eye as follows:

“The Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) has expressed “profound dismay” and “unequivocal rejection” of a decision by the US Department of the Treasury to sanction it over alleged Hamas ties.


Media Fall Silent on Palestinian Draft Constitution
Instead of any mention of the Jewish state, the constitution makes several references to the “occupation.” What is unclear from this constitution is whether the “occupation” refers to the territories that Israel gained control over in 1967 or the entire State of Israel.

This ambiguity is further heightened by the fact that there is no mention of the location of the State of Palestine’s borders. These omissions seem to be keeping the door open for a Palestinian state that ultimately covers the entire region, from the river to the sea. As noted by pro-Israel blogger Elder of Ziyon, this absence of Israel or any defined borders is a step away from a draft constitution that was composed in 2003, which referred to the borders that existed on the eve of the 1967 Six-Day War.

To add to the uncertainty is the continued reference to the Palestinian “right of return.” Is the constitution referring to the return of descendants of displaced Palestinians to the State of Israel or to the future Palestinian state? If the former, this draft constitution is setting itself up for failure, knowing that no Israeli government would ever approve its own national suicide by allowing millions of Palestinians to take up residence within its borders.

Aside from zero mention of Israel, there is also zero mention of Jews or Judaism (the most you can find in this constitution is vague mention of “monotheistic religions” and “heavenly religions”).

Lest you think that there’s no mention of any other religion in the constitution, Article 3 refers to Palestine “protecting its Islamic and Christian sanctities,” and Article 4 makes clear that “Christianity has its status in Palestine, and its followers’ rights are respected.”

There is no regard given to Jewish holy sites that would fall under the purview of a Palestinian state, and it is very clear from this document that the future State of Palestine would not allow any Jewish presence.

As noted by Seth Mandel in Commentary Magazine,
The original Hamas charter, it’s worth noting, was straightforward in its “struggle against the Jews.” The Palestinian Authority’s own proposed constitution doesn’t mention Jews at all. This is the problem when dealing with each of the Palestinian national movement’s leaders in its century-old existence: Jews are either excluded entirely or they are mentioned only as the object of a genocidal raison d’etre. To these Palestinian nationalists, Jews either don’t exist or else they must be made to not exist.

One of the most troubling aspects of the draft constitution is its seeming entrenchment of “pay-for-slay,” the PA’s policy of subsidizing the families of Palestinian terrorists killed by Israeli security forces or terrorists serving sentences in Israeli prisons. In effect, “pay-for-slay” is a financial incentive to commit terrorism.

Despite Palestinian claims that it has done away with this incentive program, Article 44 of this draft constitution reads,
The law organizes the provision of comprehensive care for the families of martyrs, the wounded, and prisoners, and those released, in preservation of their national dignity and their humanitarian and living needs.

In effect, this article is entrenching “pay-for-slay” as a constitutional right, just couched in fancy legal terminology.

This draft constitution also libelously claims that there is ongoing genocide in Gaza and the West Bank and puts forward a constitutional duty to pursue perpetrators of this “genocide” for all time (since it further states that there is no statute of limitations).

As noted by Elder of Ziyon, this not only seems to preclude any negotiations with Israel (what happened to that much-valued “two-state solution”?) but also seems to place any Israeli in danger of being arrested if they ever want to travel in this Palestinian state to visit a Jewish religious site or continue to Jordan. As most Israeli Jews serve in the IDF, this would leave them open to being arrested and imprisoned by Palestinian authorities on trumped-up charges. As a member of the International Criminal Court since 2015, this new State of Palestine could even extend its hunt for Israeli soldiers to the international arena, creating dangers for ex-IDF members overseas.

This draft constitution also grants legitimacy to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the “sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in all their places of residence” until the right of return and other “inalienable rights” are realized.

As Israel would never agree to the “right of return,” this constitution appears to leave the PLO in charge in perpetuity. Not only does it leave the PLO in charge, but it can also be argued that Article 154 (which addresses the state’s security forces) makes Hamas and Islamic Jihad illegal militias but legitimizes PLO terror factions such as Fatah’s terrorist branch al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) activities in this new state.

As Elder of Ziyon notes, several of the rights laid out in this draft constitution (pay-for-slay, the pursuit of drivers of “genocide,” and the right of return) are unamendable, meaning that no future Palestinian government or court can ever alter these most controversial parts of the constitution. In effect, this constitution is not opening the door to a two-state solution but rather closing off any future negotiations between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine.

After repeatedly insisting that the Israeli government was the party responsible for the lack of a two-state solution, maybe this is why the media has failed to adequately cover this new Palestinian draft constitution. They’ve put all their analytical eggs in one basket and that basket has just proven to be unreliable and faulty. How embarrassing…
The Guardian Amplifies CPJ’s Unverified Allegations About Israeli Prisons
The article presents the statements from the journalists as though Israeli prison guards and the IDF systematically carry out prison abuse; however, there is no such policy, and Israel has repeatedly made it clear that it adheres to international law.

By contrast, accounts from former detainees have described internal abuse within Palestinian factions themselves. Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas leader Sheikh Hassan Yousef, has spoken extensively about violence carried out amongst Palestinians in prisons, underscoring the complexity of the issue that The Guardian’s reporting fails to acknowledge.

While the report pushes the allegation that Israeli dogs have been trained to attack Palestinian prisoners, let’s not forget that it has not been long since incendiary and wholly unsubstantiated charges were being spread that IDF dogs were sexually assaulting prisoners. If Palestinians, backed up by some media, were prepared to make such outrageously ridiculous and demonstrably unsupported claims, it’s clear why the CPJ’s latest allegations should be treated with some serious skepticism.

Especially because The Guardian, in repeating that a member of the Freedom Flotilla was reportedly raped in custody, fails to acknowledge that previous allegations of abuse made by flotilla participants were later shown to be unfounded and were instead lies designed to attack Israel.

None of this is to say that individual incidents of unacceptable behavior on the part of Israeli security forces couldn’t possibly happen. But that’s what they are — exceptions to the rule and certainly not part of any official Israeli policy. And when abuses do come to light, they are dealt with by the appropriate authorities, including the police.

Conversely, The Guardian has seldom reported on the stories of abuse and sexual assault experienced by Israeli hostages while being held captive in Gaza. This is despite the abundance of evidence and testimonies from those who have come forward in the past several months. The disparity in scrutiny and amplification is difficult to ignore.

In amplifying explosive allegations without rigorous verification, stripping away any context of security concerns, and selectively applying scrutiny, The Guardian amplifies a story from a problematic source that never should have made the headlines. The reliance on unproven accusations that lend themselves to viral outrage takes precedence over the facts, ultimately eroding the very journalistic integrity The Guardian purports to uphold.


Israel condemns ‘hateful and racist’ Greens
Israel has condemned the Green Party as “hateful and racist” ahead of its vote on making it party policy to support Palestinian “resistance”.

Members of Zack Polanski’s party will decide next month whether to back a motion that also claims Zionism should be treated as a form of racism.

Lubna Speitan, a British-Palestinian artist who is proposing the changes, has previously claimed the Palestinian territories have a right to defend themselves by “whatever means necessary”.

There is an uneasy ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after a two-year conflict that started when Hamas terrorists killed about 1,200 people in Israel on Oct 7, 2023.

The Green motion states its support for “the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination, including the right of the Palestinian people to resistance and liberation from Israeli occupation, domination and subjugation”. The dossier goes on to claim “that the struggle to achieve that liberation by all available means under international law is legitimate”.

It then calls for “the release of all Palestinian prisoners of conscience” and to remove Palestine Action from the list of proscribed terror organisations.

Sharren Haskel, the deputy Israeli foreign minister, condemned the “horrific” document and said Britons must reject the Greens as “a racist and hateful political party”.

“This Green Party motion is one of the most hateful and racist documents I’ve ever read. It calls for the destruction of Israel and seeks to justify terrorism against Israel,” Ms Haskel told the Daily Mail.

“Its intent is to justify the destruction of the Jewish homeland and deny the right of Jews to a national home. The double standards are extraordinary as they demand a national home for Palestinians but not Jews.

“I completely condemn this horrific document and hope the people of the UK see the Greens for what they are – a racist and hateful political party.”
MP condemns Greens for platforming group ‘disciplined for anti-Jewish hatred’
An MP has condemned senior figures in the Green Party for giving a platform to an organisation “disciplined for anti-Jewish hatred” during the ongoing by-election campaign in Gorton and Denton.

Joani Reid, chair of the all-party parliamentary group against antisemitism, made the allegation after referencing repeated engagement by Zack Polanski’s party with the 5Pillars network—including an interview the Islamist outlet conducted with Green candidate Hannah Spencer.

Addressing the Commons, the Scottish Labour MP said: “During the ongoing by-election campaign in Gorton and Denton, senior Green Party figures engaged with 5Pillars—an outlet that has previously been disciplined for anti-Jewish hatred and is well known for amplifying extremist voices. Those in public office have a duty to act responsibly, and there are serious questions about judgment here.”

She added that “parties seeking office should not legitimise platforms linked to hatred,” and called on the government to outline further steps to combat extremism, antisemitism, and other forms of hate.

Responding for the government, Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh said: “We are continuously assessing trends in antisemitism, working with the police, the Jewish community, and our antisemitism working group. What is absolutely clear is that antisemitic incidents are on the rise.


Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque: Israel’s Efforts to Maintain Peace and Security
Ramadan began this past week, and Israel’s policy, as it is every year, is to ensure the maximum amount of safety for all Muslim worshipers, enabling thousands to make their way to Al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers. The time of joy and celebration requires careful planning by the Israeli security establishment to ensure that the month-long celebration remains peaceful.

Heightened security measures are not without reason. Ramadan has in the past seen a rise in violence on the Temple Mount and in Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Palestinian rioters, many of whom carried Hamas flags, have thrown rocks, firecrackers, and other projectiles at Israeli security forces and towards the Western Wall, resulting in riot control measures by Israeli security. These rioters have attempted to disrupt the peaceful prayer services that the vast majority of Muslim worshipers seek to attend.

Even with the knowledge of violent riots in years past, each year, the media feigns surprise when Israel takes security measures to ensure the safety of the thousands who make their way to the Temple Mount during the holy month. It is not an act of discrimination, but rather the opposite, as Israel seeks to uphold the religious freedom of every person of every faith living in Israel.

On the first Friday of Ramadan this year, 80,000 Muslim worshipers prayed at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Only seeking to portray Israel as an entity that strips away religious freedom from minorities, much of the Western media did not report on this successful day of peaceful prayer.

The Guardian, however, took it an extra step further, falsifying a story on how “Al-Aqsa is a detonator,” referring to Israel’s alleged destruction of the status quo of the Temple Mount. By framing Israel as seeking to eliminate Muslim prayer rights and endanger the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the outlet substitutes alarmist rhetoric for the observable reality of thousands of Muslims praying without incident.

The Guardian’s intention to warp the reality of the Temple Mount begins with the complete disregard that it is not only a holy site for Muslims, but also the holiest site for the Jewish people. It is the site where both the First and Second Temples once stood and, to this day, is a place of extreme significance to the Jewish people.


Paris kosher restaurant sprayed with acid for third time, plates and cutlery rendered unusable
A kosher restaurant in central Paris was sprayed with acid on Thursday night, the Paris public prosecutor’s office told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

Early Friday morning, restaurant employees at Kokoriko discovered that acid had been sprayed overnight on the tables, walls, and floor. The crockery, cutlery, and glasses were rendered unusable, and white dust could be found on the tables from where the acid corroded the surfaces. The employees immediately called the Paris Fire Brigade.

The brigade’s nuclear, radiological, biological, and chemical unit was deployed, and technicians from the Central Laboratory of the Police Prefecture analyzed the liquid.

The prosecutor’s office told the Post that it has opened an investigation into damage to another person’s property caused by a means dangerous to people, committed on grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion (an offense punishable by up to 15 years’ imprisonment and a €150,000 fine).

Restaurant formerly targeted by acid attacks
The investigation has been assigned to the police station of the 17th arrondissement.

The restaurant has already been targeted by acid attacks on its facade on two previous occasions. The most recent was on October 9, 2025; however, the investigation was closed due to failure to identify the perpetrators.

The restaurant will remain closed until it is cleaned by a company specializing in cleaning corrosive products. Kororiko did not respond to the Post’s request for comment.


Starmers take children to Poland for emotional search into Jewish family roots
Sir Keir Starmer has travelled with his wife, Victoria, and their two children to Poland to find the house where her grandparents once lived before fleeing to England prior to the First World War, as antisemitism surged.

Jewish News understands the Prime Minister was determined to travel with his children to the small village just outside Warsaw to help them fully appreciate the roots of their mother’s Jewish heritage.

None of Lady Victoria’s extended family who remained in Poland survived the Nazis, making the visit particularly poignant and emotional.

Her Jewish father, Bernard, was born here in 1929 after his family had escaped Poland.

At a recent event at Downing Street with the Holocaust Educational Trust, Victoria became visibly moved as she recalled a visit to Auschwitz, where she viewed archival footage of life in Poland before Adolf Hitler’s rise to power.

The Starmers are believed to have made the trip last weekend, as the Prime Minister took a long weekend break with his closest family.

Although not Jewish himself, the PM has fully supported his wife’s efforts to ensure their two children, aged 18 and 16, maintain a strong connection to their Jewish heritage.

Lady Starmer is a member of the Liberal Synagogue in St John’s Wood.
Jabotinsky letter revealing plea for funds to save European Jews heads to auction
A letter signed by Revisionist Zionism founder Ze’ev Jabotinsky as he raced to fund a mass evacuation of European Jews in the shadow of the coming Holocaust will be auctioned online on Thursday, American auction house Nate D. Sanders announced on Monday.

The Yiddish-German letter — penned just weeks before Nazi Germany annexed Austria — was intended to address funding for Jabotinsky’s evacuation plan for Jews before Nazi occupation, militia operations, and diplomatic campaigns.

At the time the letter was written in early 1938, Jabotinsky was advocating for a plan to resettle 1.5 million European Jews illegally in the British Mandate for Palestine over the course of a decade. This plan was fiercely rejected by Jewish and other Zionist groups for fear that it would exacerbate antisemitism in European countries, already reeling from the rise of Nazism.

Simultaneously, Jabotinsky was working to fund his Irgun paramilitary organization’s escalating activities, which he directed from his base in London, as British authorities had barred him from returning to Palestine.

The letter shows Jabotinsky urging the acting director of his movement’s finance department to establish a mandatory taxation system for all national offices, warning that the organization’s “success or failure” depended on it.

He wrote that any office that doesn’t participate in the “voluntary self-taxation” should be excluded from the movement and be “without leadership.”

Jabotinsky also references the World Conference of the New Zionist Organization, which had broken from the World Zionist Organization in 1935, in Prague. The World Conference convened from January 31 to February 7, 1938, during which Jabotinsky’s evacuation plan was formally adopted, although it would never come to pass.

Nazi Germany annexed Austria mere weeks after the conference closed, bringing 190,000 Jews under Nazi rule.


Israeli Muay Thai fighter Ahavat Hashem Gordon defeats Turkish rival
Israeli Muay Thai fighter Ahavat Hashem Gordon delivered a dominant performance on Saturday night, forcing Turkish opponent Ali Koyuncu to retire after just two rounds in a 63.5 kg. (≈ 140 lb.) bout charged with political tension.

From the opening bell at the Žalgirio Arena in Kaunas, Lithuania, Gordon showed clear superiority in two particularly aggressive rounds, as emotions between the fighters spilled into the ring. After sustaining heavy punishment, Koyuncu withdrew, claiming he could no longer step on his foot.

The Ultimate Thai Martial Arts (a European Muay Thai promotion) bout had been preceded by weeks of hostility. Koyuncu openly displayed animosity toward his Israeli rival, raising his middle finger at Gordon. The situation grew serious enough that the Israeli embassy in Lithuania requested reinforced security around Gordon ahead of the fight.

In videos shared to his personal accounts, Koyuncu appeared alongside a countdown clock to the fight, speaking of the “bloodshed” he expected his Israeli opponent to suffer. In one post, he wrote that on Feb. 21 he would face an Israeli fighter and called on the entire Turkish nation to support him.

Tensions were also evident during the pre-fight face-off event, when Koyuncu attempted to choke and kick Gordon. The Israeli fighter stood his ground, proudly draped in an Israeli flag.


Mike Johnson to host brother of Capital Jewish Museum shooting victim at State of the Union
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will bring Hanan Lischinsky, the brother of an Israeli Embassy staffer shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., last May, as his guest to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening.

Lischinsky is the brother of Yaron Lischinsky, who was killed alongside Sarah Milgrim, his girlfriend and a fellow embassy staffer, while exiting a museum event for young diplomats and Jewish professionals hosted by the American Jewish Committee; the two were gunned down by a suspect seen on video shouting “free Palestine” and “I did it for Gaza” after the attack.

Lischinsky and Milgrim met while working at the embassy. Lischinsky’s family said he had planned to propose to Milgrim on an upcoming trip to Jerusalem, which was scheduled for the month after their murders.

“On May 21, 2025, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were murdered on the streets of Washington, D.C. These two young diplomats of the Israeli Embassy, devoted to the cause of peace and to one another, had their futures stolen in a violent act of antisemitism,” Johnson said in a statement.

“Yaron’s brother, Hanan Lischinsky, has shown remarkable courage in shedding light on the extremism that took his brother’s life,” the statement continued. “I am honored to invite him as my guest for President Trump’s State of the Union address.”

Lischinsky and Milgrim’s murders were met with widespread calls from pro-Israel voices in the U.S. for critics of Israel to call out and condemn antisemitism within the anti-Israel movement. A coalition of 42 Jewish organizations described the murders in a statement at the time as “the direct consequence of rising antisemitic incitement in places such as college campuses, city council meetings, and social media that has normalized hate and emboldened those who wish to do harm.”


At Berlinale, former hostages view film about their captivity rewritten after release
They stood outside Berlin’s Babylon theater, bundled against the cold, laughing and dragging on cigarettes: the Cunio twins David and Eitan, and their younger brother Ariel.

David and Ariel were among the last Israeli hostages released in October from Hamas captivity, after 738 days. Their presence in Berlin — for a screening of a film about them, now recut with a redemptive ending — felt almost like an apparition. On the other side of two heavy glass doors were hundreds of theatergoers, people who had long waited for this moment.

The brothers and their extended family were in Berlin for a second premiere of Tom Shoval’s film “Letter to David.” The original film, shown in 2025 at the Berlin International Film Festival, or Berlinale, dove deep into the struggles of a family whose members had been abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. By then, six kidnapped members of the family, including three children, had been freed. But David and Ariel remained in captivity.

“Last year, I was standing before the screening with a poster of David and Ariel. I was determined, every time I showed the film, to say that it’s an unfinished film,” Shoval told the sold-out audience at the theater in former East Berlin.

“And now I’m standing here. I have David in the audience, and I have Ariel in the audience,” he continued. “This is a precious, precious moment.”

The film “is a testament to love, hope and all the people who did not give up during the two years I was in captivity,” David Cunio said in Hebrew, standing on the stage with his extended family. “You gave me a voice when I could not be present. You were there for me.” Filmmaker Tom Shoval, left with ‘A Letter to David’ producers Alona Refua and Roy Bareket, of Green Productions at the February 16, 2025 screening of the film about hostage David Cunio (Courtesy)

The film’s second showing came as tensions over the war in Gaza and Germany’s support for Israel roiled the Berlinale. After the jury’s president, director Wim Wenders, brushed off a journalist’s exhortation for the festival to take a stand against Israel, the Indian author Arundhati Roy announced she would not attend, and some 80 filmmakers and stars signed an open letter of protest.

Festival director Tricia Tuttle issued a statement saying that “artists should not be expected to comment on all broader debates about a festival’s previous or current practices over which they have no control. Nor should they be expected to speak on every political issue raised to them unless they want to.”
Former Hamas hostage turns ordeal into music
Former Hamas hostage Daniella Gilboa, a surveillance soldier from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, has released her debut single, “Where Everything Ends,” about a year after returning from captivity in Gaza.

Gilboa, who was abducted on Oct. 7, 2023 along with fellow soldiers and held for 477 days, said the song reflects her journey from “the darkest place” to hope and homecoming as she rebuilds her life and pursues a music career.

She was 19 when she was kidnapped, one of seven female troops abducted during the Hamas-led attack on the northwestern Negev.

Gilboa was forced to record a video faking her death in captivity. She told Israel’s Channel 13 that in addition to learning to recite “Shalom Aleichem” in Arabic, it was extremely important to her and the other hostages to make the traditional Shabbat evening blessing over wine, even over water.

Listen to her debut single:






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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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