Friday, March 27, 2026

03/26 Links Pt2: Melanie Phillips Issues WAKE UP Call To Jews In The West; Green Party Moves to Declare Jewish Self-Determination “Racist”; Tariq Ramadan sentenced to 18-year jail term for rape

From Ian:

Maureen Lipman: Does the world have any idea of how tired the people of Israel are?
As Blanche du Bois bravely states as she is dragged off to a mental home in the last scene of Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire: “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” The Jewish communities of the world are back on that same streetcar, reliant on the whims of tyrants and the gullibility of their moronic followers. The appalling ambulance arson attack is the result of genuinely sick minds.

David unearthed a 1994 copy of this very paper and honestly, save for the design differences, it could have been today’s edition.

A suicide car bomb had exploded during the Middle East Peace talks, killing eight people and injuring 50 civilians. Even before the bombing, a poll revealed that one-third of Israelis thought that the demands of peace could cause civil war. Thirty-two years of existential battles later, does the world have any idea of how tired the people of Israel are?

The BBC and reporters worldwide do not go into the shelters where children are trained to lie on the floor when the sirens go off. A dear friend told me that his grandchildren have needed to enter their safe room more than 200 times since the current battle began.

Neither do they report on the closure of schools. Most Israeli kids have missed some school every day since Covid. Are the media even aware of the fear of the elderly in Israel? “I am alone,” said one, “I spend the nights scared of the bombings. If anything happens to me will anyone notice?”

In the same 1994 edition, there is a review of a biography of Roald Dahl, citing him as a coming from the Goebbels school of propaganda. In an interview in the Independent, he said of the bombing of Beirut during the first invasion of Lebanon: “It was hushed up in the newspapers because they are primarily Jewish-owned.” This drivel coming from an avowed antisemite and blatant self-publicist, with unhampered access to the media. When the JC phoned him for a quote on his Independent diatribe, he said:

“I’m an old hand at dealing with you buggers. No comment.”

We had form Dahl and I. He once was so insulting to me, as in “You people…” on a chat show, that I was struck dumb. Years later in a Sydney hotel he was in the lift as I got in with my small children. I had always vowed that if I ever met him I would confront him. Except once again my courage failed and I think I mumbled, “Good morning.” I met his wife once on a cruise. She was a beautiful woman and a great actress. Dahl, in fairness, nursed her back to health after a severe stroke. Then he left her for a younger woman to live on higher moral ground.

Page seven of the newspaper is of particular interest with an NUS conference calling for measures to be brought in against militant Muslim students distributing leaflets calling for the death of Jews. Plus ça change… except the NUS may not be quite so philosemitic these days.
David Collier: Green Party Moves to Declare Jewish Self-Determination “Racist”
This weekend, at their spring conference, UK Green Party members are preparing to debate a motion titled simply: “Zionism is Racism.”

Motion A105 does not merely criticise Israeli government policy. It attempts to rewrite Jewish identity and Jewish history in order to deny the Jewish people the same right afforded to every other nation: the right to self determination. At the same time, it undermines the very anti-racist safeguards developed to protect Jewish communities in the Diaspora.

The incoherent, self-contradictory, and ahistorical mess that forms the text of this “anti-Zionist” motion is the resurrection of a discredited ideological campaign whose origins lie in Soviet propaganda – an effort designed to isolate and demonise the Jewish national movement.

Rather than become lost rebutting every distortion and fabrication line by line, it is more useful to focus on the core pillars upon which the motion rests. Examining them exposes the true nature of what the Green Party is proposing.

Denying the Jewish right to self-determination
The motion begins by redefining Zionism itself:
“Zionism is a political ideology which called for the creation… of an ethnonationalist Jewish State… to the exclusion and/or domination of the non-Jewish population.”

This is a false accusation, not a definition of Zionism. Zionism emerged as a national liberation movement of a stateless people. It was the conclusion reached after centuries of failed integration, persecution and expulsion. Israel is a nation built by refugees. Families of people who learned the hard way that their safety could never be entrusted to others. To label that project racist is as absurd as calling a refuge for abused women sexist. Both evolved as a means of protection, not domination.

Zionist is a Jewish label
Zionism is the national movement of the Jewish people, rooted in their history, their vulnerability, and their need for collective security.

One of the frequently repeated defences is to present Zionism as a political ideology, detached from Jewish identity.

Technically, there are non-Jews who identify as Zionists, and there are Jews who do not. But this framing conceals something important.

A non-Jewish person living safely in the West who declares themselves a Zionist is not personally exercising Jewish self-determination. They are expressing support for the right of Jews to exercise theirs.

There is a distinction, and it matters. A Londoner who supports Scottish nationalism is not considered a Scottish nationalist in any meaningful national sense. He remains a Londoner expressing an opinion about another people’s national aspirations.

Zionism is not about its supporters abroad. It is about the national existence of the people who live it, and the aspirations of others who want to join them.

When the Green Party declare Zionism to be racism, they are not condemning a theoretical idea held by distant sympathisers. They are condemning the national legitimacy of millions of Jews whose identity, security, and future are bound up in that state.
Tony Blair (paywalled): Why the West Fails to Stop Antisemitism


Andrew Pessin: By Simon Lucas, "The Curious Case of Philosophy's Disciplinary Failure in Addressing Gaza"
ICSA is very pleased to present this original piece of scholarship by Simon Lucas, examining how the discipline of philosophy seems not to have lived up to its own aspirations or even norms in its treatment of the Israel-Gaza war.
Abstract: This essay argues that contemporary moral philosophy has largely failed to provide rigorous, illuminating analysis of the Gaza war, instead producing simplified, ideologically driven condemnations of Israel. Despite a rich tradition of just war theory, many philosophers rely on selective evidence, flawed legal interpretations, stipulative reasoning, or emotionally charged narratives rather than disciplined argument. The essay contends that these patterns reflect pre-existing ideological frameworks, professional incentives, and social pressures that privilege moral signaling over inquiry. The result is a discourse shaped by a “moral supremacy of victimhood” framework, where conclusions precede analysis. He concludes that philosophy risks losing its intellectual authority unless it reasserts standards of clarity, rigor, and epistemic humility.


Great expectations, greater disillusionment
Moral philosophy has a long tradition of reflecting on armed conflict, drawing on centuries of religious, legal, and political thought. Contemporary just war theory continues to build on this heritage. Furthermore, philosophers working in different strands of the tradition have repeatedly entered public debate during wartime, offering assessments of various past conflicts. Given this rich intellectual background, one might expect moral philosophy to be especially well suited to illuminate contemporary conflicts such as the war in Gaza, clarifying difficult normative questions and bringing measured expertise to a public discourse that often oscillates between oversimplification and outrage.

All the more perplexing, then, is the tenor of many open letters and public commentaries issued by philosophers in response to the war. Rather than explaining the moral complexities at stake, these interventions appear to deliberately simplify them. Many have taken the form of sweeping condemnations of Israel while offering little by way of ethically informed proposals about what ought to be done beyond calls for peace and ceasefire. Such interventions may express moral urgency, but they rarely provide the kind of analysis one might expect from a field devoted precisely to careful normative reasoning. At times, the simplicity of these appeals borders on the formulaic and calls for “peace and ceasefire” read as curiously uninformative; rather like bioethicists intervening in public debates on abortion only to repeat slogans such as “life begins at conception.” Such statements may signal a moral stance, but they do little to illuminate the ethical questions at stake or to guide judgment in difficult circumstances.

Perhaps more surprising still is that contributions by moral philosophers directed at scholarly audiences frequently add little in the way of substantive argument either. A considerable number adopt a tone strikingly similar to that of the open letters without offering much philosophical originality. Even where arguments are developed in greater detail, they often converge on condemnations that remain largely indeterminate, forceful in their moral language, yet vague about what concrete judgments or courses of action would follow from them. With the considerable volume of writing produced over the past years, a revealing pattern begins to emerge. Much of the commentary consists of broad moral denunciations, with arguments typically falling into three categories: a kind of flawed legal positivism, stipulative reasoning in which the conclusions are already embedded in the premises and morally charged storytelling.

A look at the earlier work of many of the same authors is instructive as well. The frameworks within which the Gaza war is now interpreted were often established long before the present conflict, shaping both the narrative structure and the conclusions that follow from it. This helps explain the prevailing tone as well as the comparatively limited analytical depth that characterizes much of the literature. Much of the recent writing is more easily understood not as a response to the specific moral complexities of the current war, but as the continuation of an already familiar narrative in which Israel appears as the permanent aggressor and Palestinian violence as merely reactive. The phenomenon has several other sources, including pre-determined ideological boundaries, moral symbolism, professional incentives, and social pressures within academic communities. Within such an environment, philosophical analysis risks giving way to something closer to moral performance.
Jerusalem’s point man on antisemitism calls Spanish leader ‘an enemy of Western civilization’
Israel’s Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli on Tuesday called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez “an enemy of the State of Israel” and “of Western civilization.”

He made the remark during a press briefing held by the Europe Israel Press Association and American Middle East Press Association.

However, Chikli went on to state that “we believe in the people of Spain.” Better days are ahead for relations between the two countries, he said, noting good relations with Spain’s right-wing Vox Party and center-right People’s Party, which are growing in power. “We don’t think that the people in Spain are aligned with the radical agenda of Sánchez,” he added.

The Spanish premier has taken an increasingly strident anti-Israel line following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, while degrading the level of diplomatic relations between Madrid and Jerusalem and instituting an arms embargo.

Pushing back on challenges to the Israeli government’s friendly relations with political parties considered by some as far-right, such as Vox and Sweden Democrats, Chikli said, “We don’t have time to waste. We are working with leaders who can identify the threat and challenge the threat” of radical Islamism that has led to antisemitic terror attacks throughout Europe.

Noting Sweden Democrats chair Jimmie Åkesson participated in a two-day antisemitism conference in Jerusalem and spent extended time at Yad Vashem, accusations of Jew hatred directed toward him are “a joke,” said Chikli.

Sweden Democrats apologized last year for past Nazi links.

Chikli pointed to other right-wing leaders, such as National Rally President Jordan Bardella of France, who has led efforts to distance the party from the historic antisemitism associated with its recent past, as friends to Israel.

But, Chikli said, carte blanche is not given to all parties with an anti-Islam stance, noting Germany’s AfD hasn’t given “a clear message regarding Hamas. We didn’t hear a clear message regarding Iran. We didn’t see them adopting the IHRA definition” of antisemitism.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism has been adopted by multiple governments and organizations.

“It’s a very popular party. It’s a right wing party. But we don’t have real ties with the AfD,” said Chikli. “It’s not that if you are against radical Islam, it’s enough. Not at all.”
AMP, SJP, and the Dismissal That Made Terror Networks Untouchable
This case is not an isolated anomaly. In related litigation we see the same network and the same tactics emerging: judges and defense lawyers leveraging procedural maneuvers to subtly reshape what counts as material support. Many of the defendants and individuals named in these cases are linked through family, organizational, or professional networks.

Notably, Zarefah Baroud appears as a defendant in this case. Her father, editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle, appears as a defendant in Jan v. People Media Project (Palestine Chronicle), where the court tied a clearly defined statutory claim to unresolved frameworks under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), importing ambiguity where Congress had deliberately provided clarity. By blending legal doctrines, courts are eroding the meaning of a law that was intended to prevent support to designated terrorist organizations before waiting for an act of violence.

Taken together, these maneuvers clearly aim to rewrite statutory definitions, not through Congress, but through incremental judicial reinterpretation. Rulings in one case influence outcomes in others, effectively weakening the enforceability of U.S. anti-terrorism statutes and undermining Congress’s clear intent.

This is why congressional action is critical. Without clarifying that judges and defense attorneys cannot unilaterally rewrite statutory standards, the law as written becomes toothless. Plaintiffs are left unable to test well-supported allegations of networked terror-linked activity in court, allowing organizations with known ties to convicted entities to operate with near-total immunity. Congressional intervention is necessary to ensure that the ATA and ATS function as intended, preserving both the ability to hold networks accountable and the integrity of existing litigation.

Congress must:
1. Reaffirm the statutory standard clearly and explicitly
Reaffirm the pleading-stage standard: Plaintiffs should not need to prove direct operational linkage before discovery; plausibility is sufficient.
Define continuity as a valid basis for inference: Networks evolve and reorganize. Continuity in leadership, goals, and operations should justify inquiry.
Prevent judges from raising the bar beyond statutory language: Courts should not treat the international consequences of U.S.-based activity as a barrier to jurisdiction.
Reinforce aiding-and-abetting liability: Knowing support for a designated terrorist organization is sufficient, without requiring knowledge or participation of a specific attack.
Courts are not to import external doctrines that raise the threshold
Explicitly state that material support statutes are to be interpreted independently of frameworks like aiding-and-abetting liability under the ATS

2. Reinforce the preventative nature of the statute
Congress can clarify that the purpose of the law is to stop support before harm occurs, not after intent is fully proven. That distinction matters. Without it, courts can slowly shift the law into something reactive instead of preventative.

3. Conduct oversight and create a record
Congress can hold hearings examining how courts are applying material support statutes, especially in cases where:
Discovery is restricted
Standards appear to shift
Or external doctrines are being introduced

This creates a record that can guide future legislation and judicial interpretation, including in this case.

Without clarification, the law will not be repealed, but it will cease to function as intended, allowing networked support for terrorism to escape judicial scrutiny.

This case is not about one nonprofit crossing a line, it is not even about the individual network. It is about whether plaintiffs are still allowed to test that question in court. If a complaint mapping a multi-entity network and alleging coordinated support is insufficient to reach discovery, the threshold has shifted, and that shift is unlikely to reverse itself. That is why this appeal matters. It will determine whether these questions can even be asked and whether Congress must act to ensure the statute works as written.
French court hands Islam scholar Tariq Ramadan 18-year jail term for rape
A court in Paris has sentenced prominent Islam scholar Tariq Ramadan to 18 years in jail for raping three women, two years after he was given a jail term for a separate rape offence in Switzerland.

The French rape case unfolded in 2017, when two of the three women came forward during the Me Too campaign against sexual abuse and harassment.

Ramadan, a 63-year-old former professor of Islamic studies at St Antony's College in Oxford, did not attend the trial in Paris, although he has always denied the charges.

His lawyers said he was being treated in the Swiss city of Geneva for multiple sclerosis and condemned the trial as a farce.

Judge Corinne Goetzmann told the court that a warrant had been issued for Ramadan's arrest, however Switzerland does not have an extradition treaty with its neighbour.

Ramadan is also facing a permanent ban from French territory.

The court ruled that the 18-year jail term was justified by the "extreme seriousness of the acts",

"Consenting to sex does not imply consenting to any sexual act whatsoever," the judge said.

Leaving court, one of the three women involved in the case, Henda Ayari, told reporters that the judges had believed her, and she spoke of "nine years of suffering and struggle" since she had first come forward to make a complaint.

In 2017 she told French TV that the scholar had "literally pounced on me like a wild animal" in a hotel room in 2012.

She told reporters on Wednesday that she had been thinking about all the other victims: "of the victims who had the courage to file a complaint like me, but also of those who could not summon up the strength, and those who had withdrawn their complaint because of threats and reprisals."

The second woman to come forward in France accused Ramadan of raping in her in a hotel in Lyon in 2009, whereas the Swiss case involved a woman who said he had raped her in a Geneva hotel in 2008.
Louis Theroux Interrogates Extremism in the ‘Manosphere’ — and Faces Questions About Antisemitism Himself
Throughout the documentary, the audience is exposed to the influencers’ repulsive and often contradictory views, from fat-shaming to “one-way monogamy,” but it’s not until the last act that their antisemitism, some of it directed at Theroux himself, is unveiled as a sort of grand finale (Theroux is not Jewish, although some of the influencers think he is). It’s a poignant climax to a documentary meant to warn viewers about the dangers these men and their broadcasts pose to society, especially vulnerable young boys who idolize them.

But given Theroux’s own conflation of the Jewish community and the Israeli government, it also brought to mind a line in the documentary when he says to HSTikkyTokky, in an effort to point out his hypocrisy: “Do you think there’s a contradiction there?”

This is what Theroux said on his own podcast, in response to Foster Robinson’s claims:
“I think I’d add to that, there’s an even more macro lens which you can put on it, which is that Jewish identity in the Jewish community as expressed in Israel has become almost like an acceptable quote-unquote way of understanding ethno-nationalism, so it’s like they’re prototyping an aggressive, militarised form of ethno-nationalism which is then rolled out, whether it’s by people like Viktor Orban or Trump in the U.S. It’s become a certain sense of post-holocaust Jewish exceptionalism[…]”

That’s a big statement. In fact, it’s one that sounds worryingly like a pseudo-intellectual version of what the manosphere influencers are saying. Toward the end of “Inside the Manosphere,” images and clips of antisemitic content flashes on screen while Theroux says in a voiceover: “It was a pattern across the world of influencers to push false narratives about a shadowy cabal who is plotting the social downfall of the West.” Now here was Theroux claiming that the Jewish community was the “prototype” for how governments in Hungary and the U.S. are contributing to their countries’ downfall.

When I read it back to Theroux and asked him what his thoughts were, he replied: “Yeah, I mean, all I’d say on that is that, really, it was an attempt — it was sort of drawing on what Netanyahu is doing? And, you know, I made a film called ‘The Settlers,’ and it was based on what I see as this creeping anti-democratic, ethno-nationalist ideology that I see in parts of the Israeli government. So that’s what that was reflecting on. And I feel as though maybe it’s been taken, umm — misunderstood a bit?”

When I pointed out that the statement didn’t mention either Netanyahu or the Israeli government — just “the Jewish community” — he replied: “I’d encourage you to look at it in context, because the conversation was very much in the context of Israeli ultra-nationalism.”

At this point I decided to channel Theroux himself and replied gently but firmly: “It wasn’t. That was in response to [Robinson Foster’s] comment about IDF training American police.”

Theroux doubled down. “I’m confident that my comments were very much in the context of the way in which [the] Israeli ultra-nationalist cabinet has been taken by far-right elements internationally to sort of – they’re sort of esteemed as a model for what they’d like to do in their countries. Does that make sense?”

The more I thought about it the more it didn’t make sense. I had the podcast transcript in front of me, which showed Theroux’s comments had been made in response to a debunked claim that Robinson Foster was tenuously linking to a global white supremacist plot. In fact, neither the words “Netanyahu” or “cabinet” appear in the episode at all, according to the transcript available on Apple Podcasts. “Government” appears twice, but only in relation to the Glastonbury gig, while the word “Jew” or “Jewish” appears 12 times.
Two men arrested over Golders Green arson attack released on bail, police say
Two men who were arrested in connection with the arson attack on Jewish community ambulances in Golders Green have been released on bail, police said.

The men – aged 47 and 45 and of British nationality – were detained on Wednesday on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.

They have been bailed until April while the investigation continues, the Metropolitan Police said.

The force said searches had been carried out at addresses in the Kilburn and Kings Cross areas of London, where the men had been arrested.

Further searches have also taken place at two other addresses in north-west London, the Met added.

Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, which is leading the investigation, said: “Although the two men have been released from police custody, there are strict bail conditions in place while we continue to investigate their suspected involvement in this incident.

“I can reassure the public that we will be closely monitoring these while we carry out further inquiries.

“We continue to work to try and identify all of those involved in this appalling attack and the investigation team is working around the clock to do this.

“I’d like to thank the public and particularly the local Jewish community in the area for their continued support and reiterate our appeal to anyone who might have information that could assist with the investigation to get in touch with us.”
Met Police officer ‘involved in altercation’ with Al Jazeera journalists
An off-duty Metropolitan Police officer has been referred to the Department of Professional Standards for his apparent involvement in an altercation between Golders Green residents and Al Jazeera journalists reporting on an arson attack.

Local residents in the London suburb, which has a large Jewish population, were filmed surrounding reporters from the Qatar-based media company on Monday, with one man telling them that “no-one needs Al Jazeera here”.

Reporters from the Press Association heard the group shout at the journalists to “go home” before calling them “terrorist sympathisers” and accusing them of “terrorist propaganda”.

The altercation occurred near a cordon on Highfield Road after news of an arson attack on four ambulances belonging to the Jewish Community Ambulance service Hatzola broke on Monday.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that an off-duty police officer was among the residents involved in the dispute.

In a statement, the force said: “We are aware that an off duty serving Met officer was involved in the altercation.

“The matter has been referred to the Department of Professional Standards for assessment.”

There was a large police and media presence near the cordon on Monday.

Reporters from PA estimated there were approximately 50 people surrounding the Al Jazeera journalists during the altercation.

Footage shared online shows one resident tell a journalist “no-one needs Al Jazeera here”.


Liberal Democrats suspend Mayor of Bath, pledge ‘solidarity with Jewish community’
The Mayor of Bath who shared, then deleted a social media post calling the burning of four Hatzola ambulances an “Israeli false flag operation” has been suspended by his party.

Liberal Democrat councillor Dr Bharat Pankhania, who is also a senior clinical lecturer at University of Exeter Medical School, had reposted content which said: “People are now asking why do the Jewish community have their own private ambulances in the UK?” as well as another post claiming the attack was an example of insurance fraud.

The vehicles in Golders Green were firebombed in the early hours of Monday 23 March. Two men – aged 47 and 45 and of British nationality, were arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and later released on police bail.

In a statement to Jewish News, a Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: “Dr. Pankhania has been suspended from the Liberal Democrat group while the party looks into this. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community following the appalling arson attack earlier this week.”

Dr Bharat Pankhania apologised “unreservedly” for sharing the social media post, claiming he had “been made aware that I have reposted or replied to some posts which have never aligned to my values and beliefs, and which are abhorrent. I am incredibly apologetic that I have not lived up to the standards I set myself. I have of course deleted them.”

Calling for immediate action, Toby Davis, honorary vice chair of Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel told Jewish News: “This is a clear example of antisemitism masking itself as anti-Zionism. For a senior councillor to describe a disgusting antisemitic attack as an ‘Israel false flag operation’ is not only deeply offensive, it is the promotion of a dangerous conspiracy theory.


U.N. Set to Appoint Terror Sympathizer as “Human Rights Expert”
In a rare break from its own vetting process, the U.N. Human Rights Council is set to bypass its top-ranked candidate to appoint a Palestinian academic who has defended Hamas, justified “resistance” violence, and blamed the West—not terrorists—for the October 7 bloodshed.

On March 31st, at the end of the 61st Session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, the 47-member world body is set to appoint Zeina Jallad as the next Special Rapporteur on “the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures” — an Orwellian position initiated by Iran and Cuba — that is dedicated to condemning Western sanctions against oppressive regimes.

According to her application form, Jallad heads the Palestine Land Studies Center at the American University of Beirut, and has a long history of anti-Israel activism. She defended Hamas after the October 7th massacre.

Although the 5-nation vetting committee had recommended another name as its top choice, in a rare move, the Indonesian President of the Human Rights Council, Amb. Sidharto Suryodipuro, instead went to the second-ranked candidate, and proposed Jallad for the position. To justify his decision, the council president cited her “practice-grounded perspective… as well as her pledge to approach the role with independence, transparency and a commitment to listen.”

Historically, the President’s list of proposed appointees is almost always approved by a consensus of the 47-nation council. Nonetheless, member states do have the ability to raise objections and force a vote on Jallad’s appointment.

Zeina Jallad in Her Own Words
• In March 2025, Jallad defended Hamas: “Hamas is a political party. Hamas and its Charter recognized Israel… They won the elections in 2007, so they were the elected government. What did the world do? The Americans decided to sanction the Palestinian government. The Europeans decided to boycott Hamas. The entire world bashed Hamas. And then Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza. So before talking about October 7th, let’s talk about October 6th.”
• In a May 2024 article about Jordanians supporting Hamas through chants that “They said Hamas were terrorists. All of Jordan is Hamas!”, Jallad said that the chants were about the “resistance movement.” She added, “if you’re under occupation, fighting is resistance.”
• In November 2025, Jallad wrote in reference to Palestinians that “resisting oppression must be recognized not as a crime, but as a fundamental legal right and moral imperative.”
• In April 2025, Jallad stated that “suspending Israel’s involvement in international organizations should be viewed as a means to uphold justice.“
• In March 2025, Jallad stated that “The creation of Israel was the product of the wrongdoings of the West.“ She then added that “Israel is not faced with any existential threat.“
• In 2023, Jallad criticized Israel’s purported “settler-colonial approach to state-building” and accused the Jewish state of being “a proto-apartheid regime.”


Melanie Phillips Issues WAKE UP Call To Jews In The West
Jews around the world are reeling from the unprecedented surge of antisemitism that followed the Hamas-led Palestinian Arab attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. They may feel helpless when confronted by the way the Jew-haters have mainstreamed tropes of antisemitism in order to demonize Israel and its supporters. But, says JNS editor-in-chief, the answer to this problem is not to give up. Jews don’t merely need to wake up and fight back but to do so effectively and win.

He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by JNS columnist Melanie Phillips, who has written a handbook for doing just that, titled, Fighting the Hate: A Handbook for Jews Under Siege.

According to Phillips, many Jews have responded to the post-Oct. 7 tsunami of hate with shock and confusion. She says that Jews have an absolute duty to stand up against lies, against injustice, and to tell the truth. “It seemed to me that there was much that could be done if people had the right ideas about how best to go about this, " said Phillips. “And I thought, and I still think, that the organized Jewish world in the diaspora didn't really have a strategy.”

Instead of playing defense, Phillips believes the Jewish world has to get off the back foot onto the front foot and go on the offensive. Yet too many are ignorant about the conflict with the Palestinians and the way leftist ideologues are spreading Hamas propaganda.

Part of the problem is what she calls, “liberals with moral vertigo.” Phillips says some Jews were so stunned on October 7th by the people that they had thought were being oppressed by the Israelis, but had turned into barbaric, psychopathic, slaughterers for which there was absolutely no reasonable excuse and they can't process it. Yet she believes that the pro-Israel and sane Jewish community can make some headway with them. But, she says, the first thing is you have to park your anger and reach out to those who used to rationalize Palestinian behavior and try to reach them with the truth and the facts.


Israel is a Regional Power: What Comes After the Iran War? | Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel
The Middle East is being redrawn in real time. The question now is not whether Israel has power, but what it will do with it.

In this episode of EylON the Record, Eylon Levy speaks with Sharren Haskel, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister, about how October 7 and the war that followed transformed Israel from a country under siege into a state projecting force across the region. They discuss how Israel has emerged as a new regional power, why much of the West still struggles to understand the threat from Iran, and what a stronger Israel means for the future of the Middle East, the democratic world, and the fight against Islamist extremism.

In this episode, we discuss:
Why mass Muslim immigration from antisemitic countries is dictating European foreign policy
How Israel and the United States are doing the world’s “dirty work” by confronting the Iranian regime
Why Western leaders keep trying to freeze conflicts instead of solving them
How the fall of Iran’s regional axis could reshape Israel’s ties with Arab states

00:00 – Intro: Israel, War & Western Naivety
02:09 – Meet Sharren Haskel + Life During War
05:00 – Weak Western Leadership & Europe’s Internal Pressures
09:29 – Israel’s Real Advantage: People & National Identity
15:00 – Europe’s Military Decline & Strategic Weakness
17:35 – Israel as a Rising World Power
19:36 – The New Middle East: Competing Power Blocs
24:38 – Gulf States, Iran & Regional Turning Point
26:21 – What Happens After the War?
27:25 – Could the Iranian Regime Collapse?
28:37 – Netanyahu, October 7 & Strategic Shift
40:00 – The West’s Broken Approach & Hypocrisy
48:35 – Why Peace Efforts Failed & What Comes Next
55:58 – Sirens Interrupt + Outro


Call me Back Podcast: The WHY of this year's Passover - with Rachel Goldberg-Polin
What does freedom mean when pain is still present?

As Passover approaches, Dan Senor speaks with Rachel Goldberg-Polin about how this year’s Seder lands differently. In a moment shaped by war, loss, and uneasy relief, they explore how the rituals of Passover hold both joy and sorrow—and why that tension is the point.

From the Exodus story to the symbols on the Seder table, Rachel reflects on memory, meaning, gratitude, and the challenge of holding both relief and restraint. Less about retelling the past, this conversation asks what it means to be free right now.

In this episode:
02:24 – Why This Passover Feels Different
08:09 – Setting the Table: From Slavery to Nationhood
12:54 – What Actually Happens at the Seder
16:15 – The Power of Questions (and Why Answers Matter Less)
27:39 – Bitterness, Memory, and Eating Our Pain
37:06 – Relief vs. Glee: A Moral Distinction
39:06 – Dayenu and the Discipline of Gratitude


The Brink: “You Can’t Even Debate This” UK’s Islamism Problem, with former ambassador to Saudi Sir John Jenkins
In this episode of The Brink, Andrew and Jake are joined by former British diplomat and intelligence expert John Jenkins for a deep dive into the influence of Islamism, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the growing challenges facing Britain and the West.

The conversation begins with the controversy surrounding public religious displays in Britain, and whether questions around cultural dominance and the use of public space can still be debated openly. Jenkins argues that these are legitimate issues, but increasingly difficult to discuss without accusations shutting down the conversation.

Drawing on his 2015 government review, he explains how Islamism differs from Islam, and why movements like the Muslim Brotherhood present a long-term ideological challenge to Western liberal democracies. The discussion explores how these ideas operate not just politically, but through social networks, charities, universities, and community structures.

The episode also examines the concept of “creeping influence” within public life, from changing social norms to the role of identity and integration in Britain. Jenkins stresses that the problem is not simple or singular, but part of a broader ideological ecosystem that interacts with wider cultural and economic factors.

Turning to foreign policy, the conversation shifts to Iran, with Jenkins arguing that Western governments have consistently misunderstood the nature of the regime. He critiques decades of policy shaped by wishful thinking, warning that Iran operates as a revolutionary state with global ambitions and deep links to militant networks.

Finally, the discussion focuses on what Britain should do next. Jenkins outlines a clear approach: restore open debate, follow the money behind extremist networks, rebuild institutional expertise, and confront subversive activity before it escalates into violence.

A wide-ranging and provocative conversation about ideology, security, and the future of the West.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:26 Is Public Religious Display a Political Signal?
05:21 Why Islamism Challenges Western Liberal Democracy
07:48 Islam as Religion vs Islamism as Political System
08:59 Can Islam Be Compatible With Western Democracy?
12:01 Islamism as a Totalising Ideology
14:41 The Muslim Brotherhood’s Long-Term Strategy
17:33 Why Debate on Islamism Is Being Shut Down
18:50 Social Media, Intimidation and Closed Debate
19:34 Universities, DEI and Ideological Monoculture
21:33 The Muslim Brotherhood as a Global Network
24:20 Follow the Money: Financing Islamist Movements
27:52 Integration, Identity and Segregation in Britain
30:17 Economic Growth vs Cultural Fragmentation
31:04 Mosques, Preaching and Inflammatory Rhetoric
33:03 The Rise of a Global Muslim Identity
34:40 Iran Strategy: Where the West Got It Wrong
36:45 The Nuclear Deal, Wishful Thinking and Reality
40:41 Foreign Office Failures and Loss of Expertise
42:29 Is Iran a Revolutionary State and Active Threat?




McMorrow slams El-Sayed for campaigning with Hasan Piker, compares Piker to Nick Fuentes
Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who is running in a tight three-way Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, slammed one of her opponents, Abdul El-Sayed, for his decision to campaign with the far-left political streamer Hasan Piker.

Piker, who has a history of antisemitic and pro-Hamas remarks, is slated to appear at two campaign rallies with El-Sayed and Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) in April.

“It is somebody who says extremely offensive things in order to generate clicks and views and followers, which is not entirely different from somebody like Nick Fuentes,” McMorrow told Jewish Insider in an interview Thursday, referring to the neo-Nazi podcaster. “[Piker] is a provocateur, to put it lightly, who says things that are misogynistic and antisemitic, and said that the United States deserved 9/11.”

McMorrow’s comments come as El-Sayed has doubled down on his decision to campaign with Piker. The third major candidate in the Democratic primary, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), said on Wednesday that Piker is “the exact opposite of someone I’d be campaigning with,” a sentiment McMorrow echoed.

“That is not somebody that you should be campaigning with at a moment when there is clearly a lot of pain and trauma across our state,” said McMorrow. “How do you bring everybody together, especially when there are difficult conversations, where there aren’t easy answers? You don’t fan the flames and stoke division just to get attention.”


Tlaib backs CAIR leader in Washington state house race
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), a member of the progressive “Squad,” has endorsed Imraan Siddiqi, a Washington state Democrat challenging an incumbent in a 2026 state house race.

Siddiqi, executive director of the Washington chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, is running for the state House in the 32nd legislative district.

He previously ran for Congress in Washington’s 8th District in 2024, losing in the Democratic primary to Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), who is Jewish. Siddiqi accused Schrier of “failed moral leadership” after she voted to censure Tlaib over what she said were antisemitic remarks.

Siddiqi is seeking to unseat state House member Lauren Davis, a Democrat, who has held the seat since 2019.

“Proud to have the endorsement of my sister Rashida Tlaib, one of the true, uncompromising champions of our time,” Siddiqi wrote.

His endorsers include state representatives Shaun Scott, who is affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, Cindy Ryu, a longtime incumbent Democrat in the 32nd District, and Julia Reed, a Democrat and newer member of the legislature.

In his capacity at CAIR, Siddiqi has called for tech companies to divest from “activities supporting the ongoing genocide of Palestinians.” He has also described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “unequivocally a war criminal” and characterized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as a “genocide.”


NYC Council approves buffer zones around houses of worships, schools
The New York City Council passed legislation on Thursday that creates protective perimeters around houses of worship and schools during protests, part of a package designed to combat Jew-hatred and hate crimes across New York City following an uptick of antisemitism and a series of demonstrations outside Jewish institutions.

“I am immensely proud of the legislative package the council passed today to combat hate, including my legislation to help protect safe access to houses of worship,” stated Julie Menin, the first Jewish speaker of the New York City Council. “This is an urgently needed and carefully crafted bill that will ensure transparency, accountability and community engagement in NYPD plans to respond to protests—three pillars to protecting both public safety and free speech rights alike.”

Measures 1-B and 175-B, which Menin advanced, empower the New York City Police Department to set limits on how close demonstrators can gather near entrances to synagogues, religious schools and similar institutions to ensure unobstructed and safe access.

1-B passed with a veto-proof majority of 44 out of 51 members, but 175-B, which addresses educational institutions, passed with 30 to 19, making it subject to a veto by the mayor. Members who voted in favor of the package of bills but voted no on 175-B expressed concerns over legal issues and how it would affect student protests on campuses. Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor who has been a harsh critic of Israel and who has said, via a spokeswoman, that synagogues violated international law when they host pro-Israel events, has suggested he could be reluctant to sign the bill.

Before the vote, Menin said that there was a 182% increase in antisemitic incidents in the city in January, and that churches had been vandalized and that there was a 69% increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2024. “The increase in hateful acts across the city is absolutely abhorrent and we have to do something about it,” she said in a press conference.

Left-wing groups, including the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, opposed the measure, encouraging their members to contact city council representatives to “hold the line against this crackdown on our right to protest.” During the vote, the New York Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of anti-Israel advocacy groups protested outside City Hall.
Birmingham activist caught on camera warning voters of ‘Zionist control’ while campaigning
A Birmingham-based political activist behind the city’s ‘independent alliance’ has been filmed repeating claims that “Zionists control everything” while campaigning ahead of local elections.

Akhmed Yakoob, a lawyer who previously stood as a parliamentary candidate against Shabana Mahmood in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency, is playing a leading role in organising a slate of independent candidates seeking to unseat Labour in Birmingham City Council elections.

In footage reported by Sky News, Yakoob is heard telling voters: “The thing is, the Zionists control everything.”

When approached by journalists after the remarks were recorded, he said he stood by the comments and did not believe they were antisemitic, adding that it was something he said regularly.

Yakoob has repeatedly drawn criticism over statements referencing a so-called “Zionist lobby” and claims about “Zionist” influence, language widely condemned by Jewish groups as echoing antisemitic tropes.

He has consistently rejected those accusations, maintaining that his views are anti-Zionist rather than antisemitic, and has used social media to insist he opposes hatred towards Jewish people.

The comments come as Birmingham prepares for closely watched local elections, with frustration over issues including bin strikes, council finances and cost-of-living pressures creating an opening for insurgent campaigns.


‘Jewish supremacy’ doctor to appear in court charged with support for Hamas
A British Palestinian doctor has been charged with multiple counts of supporting a proscribed terror organisation and will appear in court on Friday after being arrested for breaching bail conditions following previous arrests.

Dr Rahmeh Aladwan, from Pilning, South Gloucestershire, has been charged with numerous offences, as detailed by a Met police statement.

The offences span a six-month period from July to December 2025, and include multiple charges of inviting support for a terrorist organisation – Hamas, as well as having “used words that were threatening, abusive or insulting intending thereby to stir up racial hatred or having regard to all the circumstances was reckless as to whether racial hatred would be stirred up (Section 18 Public Order Act 1986).” She was also charged with having “published or distributed written material that was threatening, abusive or insulting intending thereby to stir up racial hatred or having regard to all the circumstances was reckless as to whether racial hatred would be stirred up (Section 19 Public Order Act 1986).”

Aladwan, 31, is also currently being investigated by the GMC (General Medical Council) over a series of posts and comments made across various social media platforms, as detailed by Jewish News last year.

While Aladwan was initially let off by a Medical Practitioner Tribunal Service panel which declined to suspend her while the GMC continued its investigation into her conduct, after the first in what has become a series of arrests relating to her conduct, a different MPTS panel finally did suspend her for 15 months while the GMC inspection is underway.

Aladwan’s social media account is littered with daily references to the “Israel lobby”, “Jewish supremacy”, the “British Zionist Jewish lobby” and statements including: “I named Jewish supremacy. I opposed genocide. Now they’re changing the law to strike me off the medical register. This is what happens when the health secretary is controlled by the Zionist Jewish lobby. Britain is an occupied state.”

Following the antisemitic arson attack at Hatzola North West in Golders Green on Monday 23 March and the government provision of replacement vehicles to support the volunteer led Jewish charity that offers life-saving treatment for patients across all faiths, Aladwan posted on Twitter: “Here we are loaning NHS ambulances for a private service. This is not generosity, this is supremacy.”

She also reposted content suggesting the arson was a deliberate attempt to claim insurance money.


DJ at centre of Sydney antisemitism row set to perform in UK next month
An American DJ under police investigation in Australia over alleged antisemitic rhetoric is set to perform in the UK next month, with appearances planned in London and Birmingham.

Zubeyda Muzeyyen, who performs as DJ Haram, is due to play at Phonox in London and The Crossing in Birmingham, following controversy surrounding a speech delivered at the opening of the Sydney Biennale on 13 March.

Before her set at White Bay Power Station, Muzeyyen addressed the crowd with a monologue expressing solidarity with countries including Iran, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. She criticised civilian deaths in conflicts involving Gaza and Lebanon and dedicated her performance to several pro-Palestinian activists.

During the speech, she said she refused to “comply with artwashing the genocide” and described it as a “duty” to oppose what she called a “Zio-Australian… empire”. The address concluded with chants of “long live the resistance”, and she also referenced “martyrs” in her remarks.

The comments prompted a complaint from the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD), which argued that such language can echo narratives linked to proscribed terrorist organisations and risk fuelling hostility towards Jewish people.

New South Wales Police have confirmed they are investigating whether the remarks breach racial hatred laws or meet the threshold for offences relating to advocating terrorism, noting that the legal bar for such cases is high.

The speech has also drawn criticism from political figures in Australia. New South Wales premier Chris Minns described the remarks as “horrid rhetoric”, though he did not support calls to withdraw public funding from the Biennale.

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, criticised both the performance and its platform, saying the music itself had been overshadowed by political messaging.

“What is surprising is that the Biennale is happy to platform such lame antics,” he said. “It is no wonder donors, patrons and sponsors are deserting cultural institutions and the arts is now desperately underfunded.”
Court drops charges against Nazi-saluting woman
The woman who waved the Nazi salute while shouting “The final solution is coming your way!” at Israel supporters in 2024 is free to go.

So ruled Quebec Court Judge Nathalie Fafard on Wednesday during a hearing in which the woman’s defense lawyer testified that she has “completed a program.” After hearing the testimony of her defense lawyer, the prosecution withdrew the charges.

During a pro-Palestine demonstration outside Concordia University in November 2024, the keffiyeh-wrapped Mai Abdulhadi was caught on video raising the Nazi salute to counter-protesters while shouting “The final solution is coming your way! The final solution! Do you know what the final solution is?”

She was subsequently identified as a franchisee owner-operator of the Second Cup location at the Jewish General Hospital. The company revoked her franchisee agreement and released a statement saying it has “zero tolerance for hate speech.”

The company writes that Abdulhadi actions “are not only a breach of our franchise agreement, but they also violate the values of inclusion and community we stand for at Second Cup.”

She was arrested the following month, and later charged with uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. The criminal charges were filed against Abdulhadi last year.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said in a statement that “the withdrawal of charges against Mai Abdulhadi for her hateful and shameful acts of intimidation and antisemitism are unacceptable, outrageous, and yet another indication that the most perverse and blatant acts of antisemitism can occur in Montréal and go without consequences that reflect the severity of the act. It is an indictment on the criminal justice system in Quebec when acts motivated by hate are not recognized and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

That this “can happen in a diverse city like Montreal without significant consequences,” the statement added, “is deeply shocking and an affront to the shared common values of our city.”


McGill adviser quits over 'escalating pattern of hostility' toward Jews
The chair of McGill Law School’s Faculty Advisory Board resigned on Sunday in a public letter, faulting university leaders for turning a blind eye to antisemitism on campus.

“Over the past two and a half years, I have observed an escalating pattern of hostility toward Jewish students, faculty, and alumni met with persistent inaction,” Jonathan Amiel wrote in a letter addressed to McGill Law School dean Tina Piper.

“An institution once defined by intellectual rigour and principled debate has, in too many instances, become an environment where being Jewish, identifying as a Zionist, or maintaining any association with the State of Israel carries professional and personal risk,” he continued.

Amiel’s decision was triggered by a recent referendum by the Law Students’ Association (LSA) that supported amending the group’s constitution to boycott Israeli academic bodies.

The vote, which ended on March 21, was backed by roughly 57 per cent of McGill law students who cast a ballot and opposed by 43 per cent. It is unclear what the next steps are for the student association, given its bylaws state constitutional amendments must be passed by a two-thirds supermajority.

The LSA did not respond to National Post’s request for comment.

Amiel said the “outcome makes clear that this is no longer a student body I can support, either financially or through the considerable time and effort I have invested in their academic and professional development.”

McGill has become a focal point of anti-Israel activism since October 7. Activists have screamed at Jewish students to “Go back to Poland” and chanted “Viva, via, intifada” on the Montreal-based campus. Student groups have celebrated the October 7 atrocities perpetrated by Hamas, calling them acts of “liberation” and have shared posters promoting a “revolutionary youth summer program” featuring keffiyeh-clad militants holding machine guns. In early March, antisemitic graffiti in bathroom stalls at the university’s faculty of medicine featured messages like “Jews out of McGill Med” and “Kill all Jews.”


New report highlights fake AI rabbis spreading antisemitism on Instagram
An AI-generated Instagram account portraying an Orthodox-looking rabbi is pushing antisemitic conspiracy theories to its more than 1.4 million followers, and it’s not the only one, a study published this week about antisemitic content on the social media platform has found.

An account called “Rabbi Goldman” “uses fake, AI-created authority figures to spread hate” in “a troubling and growing tactic,” according to the report, published on Wednesday by the Combat Antisemitism Movement.

The 12-page report, titled “Engineered Exposure: How Antisemitic Content Is Pushed and Amplified to Millions Across Instagram,” documents 100 posts that researchers described as antisemitic, pushed directly to Instagram accounts over a 96-hour period from March 19-22.

These posts, actively suggested by the platform’s recommendation systems, generated more than 5.3 million likes and 3.8 million shares, with an estimated reach of 150 to 280 million users, according to the report.

CAM defined antisemitic posts as ones that invoke conspiracy theories — such as Jews controlling the media or manipulating global conflicts — and posts that claim Jews, often referred to as “Zionists,” are linked to demonic forces or satanic imagery, all of which have been used to justify antisemitic violence.

The report raises particular concern around the creation of “closed content environments,” in which users are repeatedly fed similar antisemitic themes, with little or no countervailing content.

“This type of algorithmic clustering reaffirms dangerous beliefs, contributing to a process of radicalization that can have lethal real-world consequences,” the report states. Researchers identified 12 AI-generated “rabbis” with a combined following of 2.1 million Instagram users, all of which promote classic antisemitic stereotypes.
Holocaust Learning UK says post-7 October antisemitism caused school engagement drop
Holocaust Learning UK has revealed that rising antisemitism and Holocaust distortion following Hamas’ 7 October attacks led to an initial sharp fall in student engagement with its educational films, before a significant recovery this academic year.

Speaking at the charity’s annual event at JW3 in north London, chair Sue Krasner said viewings dropped by around 20 percent in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.

“Like many in this sector, we struggled in the atmosphere of Holocaust denial, distortion, and antisemitism that prevailed after 7 October,” she said.

She told the audience that numbers have since rebounded strongly.

“This academic year to date, well over 50,000 students have viewed our films, bringing our overall total to close on 300,000 students.”

The evening, themed “Keeping Holocaust Education Alive”, included a screening of the organisation’s 15-minute assembly film, designed for schools where it may be the only Holocaust education pupils receive.

Introducing the film, Krasner said it was created to deliver “the essential facts of the Holocaust in a testimony-based, accurate, memorable, and meaningful way”. Sue Krasner addresses the Holocaust Learning UK annual event at JW3 in north London

The film draws on testimony from survivors, including Steven Frank, Susan Pollack, Manfred Goldberg, Hannah Lewis, Mala Tribich and Peter Lantos, tracing the escalation of Nazi persecution through personal stories of ghettoisation, deportation and survival.
Aussie bakery owner reveals her heartbreak after brand new bagel shop is vandalised with hateful anti-Jewish graffiti before it even opened its doors
A newly built bagel shop in Sydney's trendy Paddington has been vandalised with anti-Jewish graffiti just days out from its grand opening.

Candy Berger, CEO of Lox In A Box, revealed on Thursday night that the small bagel chain's new location had been graffitied with a Nazi swastika.

The store is set to open on April 9 and will join the business's other location at Bondi, Coogee and Marrickville.

In a social media post on Thursday, Ms Berger said she visited the Paddington store on the previous day after the building fit-out had just been completed.

'We were so excited to finally share our Paddo space with you,' Ms Berger, who is of Jewish heritage, wrote.

'We were going to take you on a tour, we wanted to show you the hand-painted windows, the space, and all the details. It's something we've been working so hard towards for weeks.

'A build that's held so much of us. Our literal blood, sweat and heart. And now tears.

'Yesterday, we proudly took the paper down. And today, we wanted to cover it all up again. This morning, we arrived to find a swastika etched into the glass.'
Puka Nacua facing fresh legal concern after woman accused NFL star of biting and shouting 'f*** all the Jews'
The woman who accused Puka Nacua of biting and using an anti-Semitic slur is now reportedly suing the NFL star for gender violence, assault and battery, and negligence.

Prosecutors confirmed on Wednesday that they are looking into the allegations, telling The California Post that the case 'is under review.'

On Tuesday night, it emerged that a woman had filed for a temporary restraining order against the Los Angeles Rams receiver. He denies any wrongdoing and the TRO was denied pending a hearing.

According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Nacua is accused of saying 'f*** all the Jews' during dinner on a group outing on New Year's Eve in Los Angeles.

The woman called this phrase the 'first act in what became an escalating course of rude or vulgar, threatening, violent, and harassing conduct' by the Rams star, who is also accused of biting and being 'touchy-feely.'

Nacua denies the allegations 'in the strongest possible terms' and has vowed to file a defamation lawsuit against his accuser whom, his lawyers claim, he had never seen or met prior to the allegations - and has not seen since.


Iron from a 2,600-year-old shipwreck off Israeli coast may rewrite the history of war
Some 2,600 years ago, much like today, the Middle East was in turmoil.

At the time, the region featured several superpowers — the Assyrians in decline, the Babylonians on the rise, and the ever-influential Egyptians — fighting over land and hegemony in the Southern Levant.

Between the end of the 7th century and the beginning of the 6th century BCE, control over the northern part of the land of Israel — where the Assyrians had destroyed the kingdom of Israel a century earlier — switched hands from the Assyrians, to the Egyptians and then the Babylonians (who in 586 would also conquer and destroy the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem).

It was against the backdrop of this upheaval that a ship sank just meters from the ancient harbor of Dor, on the Carmel Coast in northern Israel (also known as Tantura Lagoon). Over two and a half millennia later, as maritime archaeologists retrieved some of its cargo, they made an unprecedented discovery, which changes the understanding of ancient metal production, trade routes, and possibly war supplies in the Iron Age (1200-586 BCE), a crucial time in the region’s history when most of the biblical narratives took place.

As revealed in a paper published earlier this month in Heritage Science, a journal of the prestigious Nature group, the goods carried by the ship – nothing of which survived other than a wood and lead anchor – included several chunks of iron in their raw state after the smelting process in a furnace.

Known as “iron blooms,” the artifacts offer, for the first time, evidence that iron was traded in this semifinished form, with very significant implications, Tzilla Eshel of the University of Haifa, one of the authors of the paper, told The Times of Israel.

According to Eshel, the dating of the iron shipment is no coincidence.

“This was a tense period of constant conquering of the Southern Levant, and iron was a very important resource,” she said. “If you produce blooms, that means someone is waiting for them on the other side, and has the technology and the ability to make them into something that is worthwhile the effort — first and foremost, weapons.”

At the time, iron was used to make arrowheads, daggers, swords and more, she explained.




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