Jake Wallis Simons: The West is losing its moral compass
Then there was October 7. If anything, the morality should have been even clearer, given that the jihadis of Hamas were of a piece with those who had attacked concert halls, Tube trains and cafés in Britain and across the West. Yet rather than seeing Israeli flags flying from every lamppost, we endured the disgraceful spectacle of people celebrating the pogrom in London less than 24 hours afterwards.Alan Dershowitz: Imminence Is No Longer the Criterion for Military Preventive Action
There followed a vicious propaganda campaign, driven by our enemies and embraced by international organisations and the media, which sexed up the war until it was inaccurately labelled a “genocide”. Millions of gullible people were swept up. Supporters of Israel – a democracy fighting for its life – became a dying breed. Once Trump entered the White House, however, there was little doubt which side he was on.
The moral certainty that deserted the president over Ukraine was suddenly there in spades. While European powers concluded it was best to reward Hamas by recognising a Palestinian state, Trump remained stalwart: jihadism was the enemy. Through the sheer force of his conviction, the hostages were freed and the war ended.
Which brings us to Iran. Although this is a regime that is believed to have butchered more than 30,000 people in two days, sows terror around the globe, lusts after nuclear weapons and is driven by apocalyptic theological fantasies, its fans have marched in our cities. Commentators, meanwhile, pay lip service to condemning Tehran while their true passions only gush forth when it comes to willing the downfall of Trump.
What is going on? Well, it’s all about the culture war. No crisis, it seems, is too grave to be bastardised by moral weaklings for petty politics. While Putin becomes some anti-woke folk hero, at the other end of the spectrum, the Ayatollah is given a glow-up as an icon of progressivism.
The problem is, one day we’ll need that ethical instinct we’re frittering away. Look to those with their lives on the line. Ask Ukrainians what they think of Israel. Ask Israelis what they think of Ukraine. Ask the Iranian people what they think of both countries, and ask them all what they think of the regime. Any questions?
Extremists have accused President Trump of "war crimes" for his attack on Iran. Trump reasonably and understandably believed Iran was close to developing a nuclear arsenal, which the mullahs might have deployed against Israel in the near term, and perhaps eventually against the U.S.IDF reservist killed, 9 wounded by Hezbollah IED in Southern Lebanon
Regardless of whether the potential timing of this threat fits the traditional definition of "imminent" - right on the verge of happening - it was real and would have been catastrophic if carried out. Accordingly, both the U.S. and Israel had the right - indeed, the obligation - to regard the threat that Iran would soon develop and deploy a nuclear arsenal as sufficiently dangerous to warrant preventive military action. Had either country waited until this nuclear threat was truly imminent, it might have been too late to stop it.
We can say this from experience. We waited too long with regard to North Korea, and that rogue nation managed to develop a nuclear arsenal under our noses. As a consequence, the Hermit Kingdom has been constantly threatening the world, and we can do nothing about it. Iran, the world's top state exporter of terrorism, would pose a far more serious near-term threat than North Korea.
Former Foreign Minister of Australia Gareth Evans wrote in a 2004 UN report that, "The classic non-threat imminent situation is early-stage acquisition of weapons of mass destruction by a state presumed to be hostile." Israel used such a justification to preemptively destroy both Iraq's and Syria's nuclear weapons programs before their threats became imminent.
An even stronger case can be made regarding Iran's nuclear arsenal program, since Iran has threatened to use it against Israel - which its leaders have called "a one-bomb state." Once Iran obtains a nuclear arsenal, it will already be too late for prevention or preemption.
Israel Defense Forces Sergeant First Class (res.) Lidor Porat, 31, from Ashdod, fell in Lebanon on Saturday, according to the Israeli military.
Nine other soldiers were wounded in the same incident, one severely, four moderately and four lightly, according to an IDF statement. The wounded were evacuated by helicopter and their families have been notified.
According to the IDF, a D-9 bulldozer operated by a force from the 769th Brigade in Southern Lebanon hit an IED planted by Hezbollah near Kfar Kila.
Kfar Kila was destroyed in the previous round of fighting against Hezbollah at the end of 2024. The army is investigating whether the explosive dated from that period or was recently placed there, Israel’s Channel 14 reported.
“My wife and I, together with all the citizens of Israel, share in the heavy grief and extend our deepest condolences to the family of Sgt. First Class (res.) Lidor Porat, of blessed memory, who fell in battle in Southern Lebanon,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.
“I wish a swift and full recovery to our soldiers who were wounded in the difficult incident. Together with his comrades, Lidor fought bravely to defend our communities and our citizens—and this is how we will continue to act,” he added.
The development follows the death on Friday of Warrant Officer (res.) Barak Kalfon, from Adi in northern Israel. Kalfon was an employee of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Married and the father of two, he would have turned 49 next month.
‘You are my family’: Ending a chapter, Central Park bench dedicated to Gaza hostages
Several hundred Jewish New Yorkers and allies gathered at Central Park on Sunday morning to dedicate a bench to the Israeli hostages taken captive by Gaza terrorists, in an emotional last event for a community that came together each week for the captives for more than two years.
“We always said we wanted one last time to gather, one last time when they’re all back, and now it’s finally here, so we wanted to mark this event together,” said Dana Cwaigrach, the New York director for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum US.
The American hostage advocates began gathering on Sundays in Central Park, on the Upper West Side, shortly after the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and onslaught. The effort to free the hostages served as common ground for nearly all of the New York City Jewish community, whose roughly 1 million members are often riven by political and religious divides.
The meetings often drew hostages’ family members and released captives for emotional meetings with the New Yorkers, and local officials came to express support. The Central Park rallies, as well as similar events in the city, sometimes drew thousands of participants.
A community coalesced around the gatherings, held in the snow during brutal winter cold and in the sweltering summer heat, with attendees getting to know one another over the months.
The last regular rally took place in February, after the last hostages’ bodies were released from Gaza.
Sunday’s meeting marked an emotional send-off for that community, with some attendees wiping away tears during speeches at the bench dedication.
“Happily, it ended, but sadly, it ended too, because we became like family. You were with us,” Maurice Shnaider, the uncle of slain hostage Shiri Bibas, told the crowd on Sunday.
“I lost five members of my family — sister, brother-in-law, niece, and two great-nephews,” Shnaider said. “You remember them. You know them. You don’t forget them. They didn’t go to heaven in vain.”
The bench dedicated to the hostages is in a small plaza on 106th St. and Central Park West, at an entrance to the park, beneath a stone cliff and stairs leading up to the park’s Great Hill. On Sunday, trees bloomed in white and pink over the bench in the drizzling spring rain.
I remember this at the time. Haunting and jarring. And so immensely grateful to @andersoncooper, for the basic humanity and compassion with which he approached this. https://t.co/74PS516Yup
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) April 20, 2026
Jonathan Sacerdoti: Why attacks on British synagogues no longer surprise me
Jewish Britons are increasingly sick of hearing from our politicians that there is ‘no place for anti-Semitism’ in our country, because the attacks carry on happening anyway. There clearly is a place in our society, or many places, for Jew-hatred to grow and thrive. And those places, both literal and ideological, are often under-policed, overlooked and skirted around for fear of seeming ‘racist’ or ‘intolerant’.Arson attempt hits London synagogue; Iran-linked group claims attack
Existing legal tools already allow for us to tackle some of the ideological breeding grounds for these bad and poisonous ideas, including the exclusion of foreign nationals who promote hatred or violence. But it seems they just aren’t used evenly or sensibly. Kanye West was rightly barred form entering the country after his numerous pro-Hitler anti-Semitic episodes, each one designed to appeal to a large audience. The Dutch political activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek was also recently barred from entry to the UK, less justifiably so. Yet many Islamic hate preachers still seem free to enter our country and preach the kind of material which encourages anti-Jewish, anti-women and anti-Western ideology, sometimes leading to real-world violence and terrorism.
Similarly, the government itself has done little to counter the regular expressions of hatred directed either towards Jews or even towards our traditional British way of life, whether they have been part of regular street protests, moments of violence and destruction aimed at buildings or objects, or deliberate acts of public worship and dominance. So-called ‘far right’ protestors have been pushed through the justice system swiftly and imprisoned in record time, but those who vandalised legal defence sector factories, struck the police physically, or preached hatred inside mosques as religious leaders have all somehow escaped the same heavy hand of justice. When violence stems from religious belief or dogma, it can’t simply be given a free pass.
We can hardly be surprised when some people feel emboldened enough to carry out violence towards synagogues or churches. Our national weakness gives them strength.
A synagogue in northwest London was targeted in an arson attack overnight Sunday, officials said, in the latest in a string of assaults in recent weeks that Britain’s chief rabbi called a “sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community.”
There was minor smoke damage to a room inside Kenton United Synagogue, the Community Security Trust (CST) said, after police and fire teams were called to the Jewish house of worship.
A pro-Iranian government Islamist group, which says it is also behind a spate of attacks across Europe on US, Israeli and Jewish targets, said on Sunday afternoon that it was responsible for the overnight attack.
UK counter-terrorism police, in the wake of the incident, said they were heading up investigations into the incidents.
“Last night yet another synagogue, this time in Kenton, was targeted in a cowardly arson attack,” Britain’s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said on X. “A sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum.”
“Thank God, no lives have been lost, but we cannot, and must not, wait for that to change before we understand just how dangerous this moment is for all of our society,” he said.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled by recent attempted antisemitic arson attacks.”
“This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain,” Starmer said, adding that “we are increasing visible policing and those responsible will be found and brought to justice. We will not rest in the pursuit of perpetrators.”
The newly founded Islamist group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI), or Movement of the Companions of the Right Hand of Islam, said in a statement published on Telegram on Sunday afternoon that it had targeted Kenton United Synagogue because it is “one of the centers of Zionist influence in the British capital.”
It is impossible not to look at what is happening with the wave of relentless firebombings and attacks on the Jewish community in the UK, and not compare it with Australia, and the situation that led to the horror in Bondi.
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) April 19, 2026
In Australia, the Jewish community pleaded time and… pic.twitter.com/X5X1eRlWbE
Met police considering if Iranian regime funding is behind terror attacks on UK Jews
The Metropolitan police is now openly considering whether the Iranian regime is paying people in the UK to carry out hate crimes against the Jewish community, with senior officers warning that “we will not rest until those responsible for these acts are held to full account.”
In a statement this afternoon outside Kenton United Synagogue, the latest Jewish site to be targeted in an attempted firebombing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said: “Counter Terrorism Policing are leading the investigations into all these incidents. The nature of the incidents has been similar – arson attacks targeting Israeli and Jewish linked premises in London.
“Most have been claimed online by the group Ashab al-Yamin (Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right).
“This same group has claimed several incidents over recent months at places of worship, business and financial institutions across Europe. These locations all appear to be linked to Jewish or Israeli interests.
“I want to be clear, irrespective of the motivation of this group, to those facilitating on their behalf and those committing the acts – we will not tolerate activity which seeks to intimidate or frighten our communities. You will not succeed in creating division and hate.”
An Iran-linked group called Ashab al-Yamin has claimed responsibility for a fire bomb attack on the Kenton United Synagogue in London. Counterterrorism police are investigating. pic.twitter.com/FDgde25WDC
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 19, 2026
Prime Minister should call this ‘an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate’
The Prime Minister should call this “an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate”, the president of the charity behind the latest London synagogue to be attacked has said.
Counter-terror police are leading probes into multiple arson and attempted arson attacks at Jewish sites in the capital’s north-west during the past month.
Officers on “deterrence and reassurance patrols” in the wake of the previous incidents spotted damage to a window of Kenton United Synagogue, Harrow, at around midnight on Sunday.
A “bottle with some sort of accelerant had been thrown through the window” and smoke was seen inside a room, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
Sir Keir Starmer said he is “appalled by recent attempted antisemitic arson attacks in North London.”
He added in his statement on X, formerly Twitter: “This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.”
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis called it “a cowardly arson attack” and warned “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum”.
Saul Taylor, president of the United Synagogue, said: “The Prime Minister should declare publicly what the Jewish community has known for some time: this is an epidemic of anti-Jewish hate”.
Meanwhile, the chief communications officer for the charity told the Press Association: “Whilst most British Jews don’t want to be thinking about ‘where else am I going to live if Britain is not safe?’, that is a conversation that is certainly now beginning to happen.”
You cannot reward Hamas terrorists with one hand, and then pretend to be horrified when British Jews are attacked on your streets.
— David Collier (@mishtal) April 19, 2026
Sit down and shut up.https://t.co/C3gpCvEegK
We are beyond angry this morning. Our community is being targeted, and the place where I was Bar Mitzvah’d and married is now behind a police cordon.
— Adam Cannon (@adam_cannon) April 19, 2026
By allowing "hate marches" to take over London week after week, you’ve let a fever of antisemitism fester. If you actually want to… https://t.co/azJUI2fbe8
Natasha Hausdorff discusses terror and ceasefire with Peter Cardwell on TalkTV.
Interview of Natasha Hausdorff, UKLFI Charitable Trust Legal Director, by Peter Cardwell on TalkTV on 17 April 2026, discussing the claimed attack on the Israeli Embassy in London and other recent terrorist attacks and threats in the UK, as well as the ceasefire between Israel and Hizbollah.
Jonathan Sacerdoti: Iran-Linked Group Claims String of Attacks on Jewish Sites in London
A shadowy Islamist group has claimed responsibility for a series of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites across London.
Recent incidents involving Jewish targets include an attempted firebombing at Kenton United Synagogue, attacks on synagogues in Finchley, and the burning of Hatzola ambulances used by a volunteer Jewish emergency service. The group has released videos after some incidents claiming involvement, but its structure, credibility, and direct responsibility remain unclear, with police and counterterrorism officers continuing to investigate.
The attacks form part of a broader and increasingly visible pattern, raising concern within the Jewish community and beyond. While officials repeat that there is no place for antisemitism in Britain, questions persist over the urgency and consistency of the response, particularly when compared with other cases where arrests have been made swiftly. Limited media coverage and a wider rise in attacks on religious sites across Europe have intensified fears that the scale of the threat is not being fully acknowledged.
We visited Finchley to document the aftermath of an arson attack on a synagogue.
— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) April 19, 2026
By the time we finished editing this footage, two more arson attacks had taken place: one at the former site of a Jewish charity and another at a synagogue in Kenton.
We are witnessing an… pic.twitter.com/DVjN68Nh5T
Aizenberg: Manufacturing Genocide in Gaza: The Case of Omer Bartov
Earlier Writings Tell a Different Story
Bartov’s current position is difficult to reconcile with his own earlier work. More than two decades ago, writing in The New Republic, Bartov recognized Hamas as the modern successor to the Nazis and their genocidal antisemitism. He described their ideology as rooted in conspiratorial antisemitic myths and eliminationist goals that echoed the language and intent of Nazi propaganda.
In that article, Bartov warned that movements like Hamas must be taken at their word. He criticized the tendency of observers to reinterpret or soften openly declared intentions, arguing that doing so leads to dangerous self-deception. As he put it: “If a self-proclaimed liberation organization calls for the extermination of the Jewish state, do not pretend that it is calling for anything else. The absence of clarity is the beginning of complicity.” The point was unambiguous: when actors articulate genocidal aims, those statements should be understood literally. The events of October 7 bore out that warning.
Bartov’s earlier work also grappled directly with the realities of defeating ideologically driven regimes. Writing in The Washington Post, he argued that Nazi Germany could not be defeated while leaving its underlying structure intact, because the regime had mobilized society so completely behind its objectives. As he wrote: “It was because Hitler’s soldiers fought to the bitter end that their country had to be destroyed. Only then could the reconstruction begin.” The destruction of Germany, in this account, was not evidence of genocide but a consequence of confronting a regime committed to total war.
Today, Bartov portrays Hamas, which he once acknowledged as a genocidal movement committed to destroying Israel, as an adversary whose presence does not justify the destruction of its governing stronghold. This stands in contrast to his earlier view that Germany’s destruction was necessary to fully defeat the Nazis, who fought to the bitter end.
A Narrative Built on Distortion
The contradictions in Bartov’s arguments are not isolated errors. They reflect a broader effort to construct a narrative of genocide around the Gaza war regardless of the available evidence. Statements referring to Hamas are reinterpreted as threats against Palestinians. Warnings to evacuate combat zones are recast as evidence of extermination. The deliberate embedding of militants among civilians is treated by Bartov as irrelevant to civilian casualties, and historical comparisons are applied selectively.
The shift becomes especially clear when comparing Bartov’s current writing to his earlier work. Two decades ago, he warned about the dangers posed by ideologically driven movements such as Hamas and argued that societies committed to such projects sometimes had to be defeated and rebuilt. Today, he portrays Israel’s war against that same organization as a campaign of extermination.
What changed was not the underlying facts about Hamas or the nature of warfare against militant regimes. What changed was the framework through which the conflict is interpreted. The accusation of genocide has become a central pillar of the anti-Israel narrative, and sustaining it requires stretching legal definitions, distorting evidence, and disregarding historical comparisons that would undermine the claim. In that context, Bartov’s latest turn is not surprising. Having embraced that framework, his argument expands beyond the conduct of the war to the conclusion that Zionism itself is the problem, culminating in his latest call for the end of Israel as a Jewish state. The case of Omer Bartov shows how far some scholars are willing to go in that effort.
It’s not that @bartov_omer exposes himself here as an opportunistic liar and a hypocrite. It’s that @noam_dworman is the only person who pushes back against his wild unsubstantiated claims. Everyone else treats him with kid gloves because he affirms the prevailing narrative. https://t.co/NLbcMTWnu1
— Strxwmxn (@strxwmxn) April 18, 2026
Spanish Prime Minister calls for EU to break Association Agreement with Israel
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for the European Union to end its Association Agreement with Israel during a pre-campaign rally on Sunday.Chorus of anti-Israel voices gathers at Alex Soros summit in Spain
"We have nothing against the people of Israel; quite the contrary," Sánchez said, "But a government that violates international law and, therefore, the principles and values of the EU cannot be our partner."
"NO TO WAR," his post on X/Twitter about the event concluded.
Sánchez said that Spain would be formally requesting the termination of the Association Agreement during a meeting of the EU's 27 foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday.
Sa'ar strikes back against Spanish PM
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar responded to Sánchez on X/Twitter, calling the Spanish Prime Minister "hypocritical" for criticizing Israel while keeping a relationship with Turkey and Venezuela, which he called "totalitarian regimes that violate human rights."
He also commented on Spain having been thanked by Iran's regime and by terrorist organizations, and accused it of dedicating itself to spreading antisemitism.No aceptaremos una lectura hipocrita de alguien que tiene una relación con regímenes totalitarios que violan los derechos humanos como Turquía de Erdogan, Venezuela de Maduro. Un gobierno quien recibe agradecimientos del régimen brutal de Iran e organizaciones terroristas, y que… https://t.co/2S9yZah3hh pic.twitter.com/5xiwExDOA4
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) April 19, 2026
"We have nothing against the citizens of Spain," Sa'ar said. mimicking Sánchez's wording, "quite the contrary, but against the double standard of the government of Pedro Sánchez."
A range of Israel critics, from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) to Israeli lawmaker Ahmed Tibi, were among those gathered in Barcelona, Spain, over the weekend for the inaugural Global Progressive Summit, backed by left-wing philanthropist Alex Soros.
The conference brought together representatives from over 40 countries, offering, according to its website, “a necessary alternative to conservative and far-fight forces.” Among its goals, the site says, is “to make progressive solutions visible and credible, proving they are the key to humanity’s prosperity.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, an outspoken critic of Israel who called on Saturday to downgrade EU-Israel relations, hosted the two-day conference, whose American attendees also included Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, with Soros.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent video messages.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose government petitioned the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israeli leaders, Brazilian President Lula de Silva and U.K. Justice Secretary David Lammy were also in attendance.
Tibi is one of the Knesset’s veteran Arab lawmakers and a former advisor to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Other prominent attendees included former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh; Neera Tanden, CEO of the Center for American Progress; and Owen Jones, a writer and former advisor to former U.K. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was stripped of his leadership position and ultimately booted from the party over his antisemitic views.
Bringing some ideological diversity to the attendee lineup were Clinton, who has been broadly supportive of Israel in recent years; Tanden, a longtime Clinton confidante; and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, a supporter of Israel and chairman of the Albanian Socialist Party. (Clinton’s longtime aide Huma Abedin is married to Alex Soros.)
🚨 Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado just stepped out to a massive sea of THOUSANDS of roaring supporters in Madrid.
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) April 18, 2026
She is REFUSING to meet with Spain’s leftist clown PM Pedro Sánchez! pic.twitter.com/VO0qJHNkw1
Abdul El-Sayed says the Israeli government is as evil as Hamas
Far-left Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said in an interview with CNN that aired Sunday that he believes the Israeli government is just as evil as Hamas.
Responding to a question from CNN anchor Manu Raju on that issue, El-Sayed answered in the affirmative, adding, “Killing tens of thousands of people makes you pretty damn evil. It’s not, ‘How evil is this one versus that one?’ Hamas — evil. Israeli government — evil. We can say both,” he said.
He also said that he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal and responsible for a genocide.
El-Sayed also defended his decision to campaign with far-left streamer Hasan Piker, brushing off criticisms of Piker as “cancel culture.”
“My understanding of America is, it’s a place where we have freedom of speech. My understanding of America is, it’s a place where we’re willing to have conversations with folks with whom we disagree,” El-Sayed said. “I went on ‘Fox and Friends’ this morning. Is it un-American to go and speak on ‘Fox and Friends’? Or are we drawing certain kinds of lines? And it’s that penchant for cancel culture that I think people hate about Democrats.”
He said that Piker is “having a conversation with a number of folks who feel locked out.”
Graham Platner (backed by Senator Warren) reportedly has a Nazi SS tattoo on his chest.
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) April 19, 2026
He’s now running for U.S. Congress to represent Maine … and questions are swirling about this Nazi-style salute at his event.
Seems Senator Fetterman is spot on: the Democratic Party has… pic.twitter.com/xRzt21trWu
Israel's Critics Attempt to Sink U.S.-Israel Relations
Israel's critics in Congress are calling to "fundamentally reassess" the U.S.-Israel security relationship. However, the U.S.-Israel security relationship has evolved into a two-way strategic partnership, in which both sides contribute capabilities that the other lacks. In several critical areas, the U.S. is not the benefactor but the beneficiary.Trump to pursue Iran talks despite violations
In the recent conflict with Iran, American and Israeli forces operated as a combined system - sharing intelligence, coordinating targeting, and integrating air and missile defenses. Israeli-developed systems such as the Iron Dome, Arrow, and David's Sling missile systems functioned alongside U.S. platforms, intercepting missile barrages that would otherwise have overwhelmed defenses. This level of integration is the product of decades of cooperation - and of Israeli innovation that has quietly reshaped U.S. military capabilities and doctrines.
Israel developed the Trophy system, which detects and destroys anti-tank missiles before they reach armored vehicles. The U.S. Army now fields Trophy on its M1 Abrams tanks, marking the most significant change in tank survivability in decades. U.S. forces have also adopted versions of the Israeli Spike missile, enabling operator-guided precision strikes by attack helicopters or infantry at ranges of 25 km.
Israel's defense and combat against Hizbullah and Hamas tunnels are studied today in American military academies. The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli defense industries have led the world in the deployment of loitering munitions. Israel's experience in dense urban environments has produced new breaching tactics, the integration of small UAVs at the squad level, and rapid fielding of IED jammers.
Critics who call for scaling back the relationship ignore what the U.S. receives in return: access to combat-proven solutions to emerging threats. Israel encounters challenges - mass rocket fire, dense urban combat, short-range missile threats - well before they become central concerns for U.S. planners. The U.S., in turn, can scale those solutions and integrate them. Reducing its relationship with Israel means the U.S. weakens a partnership that enhances its own military effectiveness.
U.S. negotiators will be going to talk with Iran despite the IRGC Navy’s hostile acts that violated the ceasefire, President Donald Trump said on Sunday. He threatened to target civilian infrastructure if talks fail.Trump says talks to take place Tuesday, as Iran says it has ‘no plans’ to attend
“I hope they take it,” Trump wrote on Sunday on TruthSocial, referencing the U.S. offer for a deal, which he said was “very fair and reasonable.” If the Iranian regime does not take the deal, “the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” the president wrote.
He added, “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END!”
Iran’s government said on Saturday that it had reimposed “strict control” over the Strait of Hormuz as gunboats of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired on three commercial vessels, according to maritime security reports. This ended a brief period of calm in the maritime route following the declaration on April 8 of a two-weak ceasefire in the hostilities between Iran and the governments of the U.S. and Israel.
Traffic through the strait, a bottleneck along a major shipping route, is a key element of the ceasefire and any future deal.
“Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz—A Total Violation of our Ceasefire Agreement! Many of them were aimed at a French Ship, and a Freighter from the United Kingdom. That wasn’t nice, was it?” Trump wrote in the beginning of his post. The U.S. would negotiate with Iran despite this, he indicated.
Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities, all while repeatedly threatening over the years to annihilate Israel.Deciding What to Do about Iran's Nuclear Program
Contrary to Trump’s claim, Iranian state media reported on Sunday night that Tehran was not planning to take part in new talks.
“There are currently no plans to participate in the next round of Iran-US talks,” state broadcaster IRIB said, citing Iranian sources.
Earlier on Sunday, Iranian news outlet IRNA had pointed to Washington’s “maximalism and unreasonable and unrealistic demands, frequent changes of positions, constant contradictions, and the continuation of the so-called naval blockade,” adding that “in these circumstances, there is no clear prospect of fruitful negotiations.”
The Fars and Tasnim news agencies, quoting anonymous sources, said Tehran has yet to decide whether it will participate and that “the overall atmosphere cannot be assessed as very positive,” with Fars citing one source as saying the lifting of a US blockade on Iranian ports is a precondition for talks. The blockade was imposed in response to Tehran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Deciding what to do - if anything - about Iran's nuclear program is the mother of all terrible jobs. Do nothing, and Iran will obtain apocalyptic weaponry. On Quds Day in 2017, the regime installed a digital clock in Tehran's Palestine Square that began counting down the number of days until "the annihilation of Israel." The countdown's conclusion was timed to coincide with the 25-year expiration date of Obama's nuclear deal, at which point the Islamic Republic would be free to finish what Hitler started.Is a Nuclear Deal Necessary for a Victory in Iran?
No people on earth would sit patiently awaiting the moment when genocidal fascists decide to erase them from the map. The Jews, in particular, are in no mood to be passive after what happened the last time somebody tried this kind of thing.
The U.S. could have decided to stick with the nuclear deal, buy time, and hope that the Iranian regime imploded or was overthrown. But the ayatollahs are nothing like reformist Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev in the waning days of the Cold War. They negotiate in bad faith and use the money from sanctions relief to unleash a vast swath of murder, arson, and mayhem even without nuclear weapons.
So Donald Trump opted for a limited air war, hoping to get the best possible result for the lowest possible cost. He went to war together with the Israelis, and with much quieter support from America's Arab allies in the Persian Gulf, who had been menaced and attacked by Iran for decades. We can hardly blame them for finally hitting back at a regime weakened by the destruction of its allies in Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon.
A stock-market chart from the start of this year is pretty dramatic. A sharp crevice comes a month into the Iran war, but it's only been up since then, and now the market is higher than when the war started. The market can only discount information it has, but it clearly has discounted the claim that Iran achieved victory by tying up the Strait of Hormuz.Iranian president reaffirms nuclear rights
Let's admit that Mr. Trump's latest way of testing the patience of global oil consumers is so far going swimmingly. The U.S. is implicitly pointing a gun at ships of any country that enter and exit the ports of Iran, or that pay Iran a toll for passage through the strait no matter which country's ports they visited. The hope was that ships wouldn't test the U.S. Navy, and they haven't. An Iran that can't get its oil out will soon exhaust its domestic storage capacity, risking permanent damage (for technical reasons) to its wells by shutting them in.
Mr. Trump also wants a nuclear deal, even if it's far from clear that one would be necessary or useful rather than merely face-saving, given the destruction already done to Iran's nuclear sites and the ability of the U.S. and Israel at any time to return for more. The way to deal with proliferators, it should be understood by now, is not to bargain.
Iran's Hormuz vulnerability now has been exposed. Its oil can't exit. Its imports can't enter, including the millions of tons of construction supplies it will need to rebuild its battered infrastructure. Iran will also need financing, yet its wealthy neighbors are more interested in "Iran-proofing" their own economies - see Saudi Arabia's $250 billion rail-and-pipeline project to bypass the Persian Gulf.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed his country’s nuclear rights on Sunday, saying U.S. President Donald Trump has no justification to deprive the Islamic Republic of that capacity, Reuters reported, citing the Iranian Student News Agency.
“Trump says Iran cannot make use of its nuclear rights but doesn’t say for what crime. Who is he to deprive a nation of its rights?” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying.
The remarks come amid disagreements over several issues in ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran, as a fragile 14-day ceasefire is set to expire later this week.
US says it seized Iranian ship that tried to break blockade; Tehran vows to retaliate
The United States announced on Sunday that it had taken custody of an Iranian cargo ship that attempted to pass a blockade Washington has been maintaining around Iranian ports.U.S. Forces Disable Vessel Attempting to Enter Iranian Port, Violate Blockade
In response, Iran accused the US of breaking the ceasefire in the US-Israeli war, and vowed to retaliate.
The incident cast further doubt over the future of the truce, which is due to expire on Wednesday. Also on Sunday, Iran said it had “no plans” to attend negotiations in Pakistan aimed at ending the war, while Trump threatened to “knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran.”
The US has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has lifted and then reimposed its own blockade on marine traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. US demands for freedom of movement in the strait, and Iran’s continued obstruction of it, are at the center of negotiations between the countries.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social site that the US had seized an Iranian vessel that tried to run the US blockade.
U.S. forces operating in the Arabian Sea enforced naval blockade measures against an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, April 19. Guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) intercepted M/V Touska as it transited the north Arabian Sea at 17 knots enroute to Bandar Abbas, Iran. American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade.
After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room. Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room. U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody. American forces acted in a deliberate, professional, and proportional manner to ensure compliance. Since the blockade’s commencement, U.S. forces have directed 25 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port.
Want to publish your own Article?
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 19, 2026
2/5 Iran's main vulnerability is even more basic: gasoline.
— Miad Maleki (@miadmaleki) April 19, 2026
Saudi Arabia exports refined products. Kuwait's Al Zour refinery exports 615,000 bpd surplus. UAE's Ruwais is one of the largest refineries on earth. Their problem under blockade is commercial, stranded export revenue.…
Iranian woman arrested at Los Angeles airport for allegedly trafficking weapons for Islamic Republic
Federal agents arrested Shamim Mafi for allegedly trafficking weapons for the Iranian regime at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night, the U.S. Justice Department said.What Israel Must Demand for Security in a Lebanon Ceasefire
Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, stated that Mafi, 44, of Woodland Hills, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, is an Iranian national who became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in 2016.
She is charged with “brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan,” Essayli stated. “If convicted, she faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.”
Mafi is expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon, he said.
Against the backdrop of ceasefire negotiations in Lebanon, the IDF set three conditions for an agreement:Northern Israelis rally in Jerusalem against ceasefire
| The creation of a buffer zone in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, free of Hizbullah presence and infrastructure; the preservation of full military freedom of action to remove threats, including north of the Litani; and the launch of a long-term process to disarm the organization under a U.S.-supervised mechanism.
The IDF must remain inside the territory and must preserve freedom of action against Hizbullah's military buildup, including strikes in Beirut. The threats have not disappeared and will not disappear.
The goal is to continue acting so that, like in a relay race, each shift hands off a better reality to the next. That is the definition of victory.
The mayor of Kiryat Shmona, Israel’s northernmost city and a frequent target for Hezbollah missile and rocket attacks, protested with dozens of other residents on Sunday outside the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem against the ceasefire with the terrorist group.
Mayor Avichai Stern made the trip to the capital following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement on Thursday that Israel would cease hostilities with the Iranian proxy amid attempts by U.S. President Donald Trump to reach a ceasefire agreement with Tehran.
The municipality arranged 10 buses to bring residents to the protest in Jerusalem. Schools did not open on Sunday, and most other municipal services were unavailable as part of a partial strike.
Netanyahu had said that the fighting against Hezbollah would continue regardless of the talks between Iran and the U.S., which launched on Feb. 28 a joint military operation with Israel against Iran. Netanyahu, on March 29, said in a filmed statement that in the north, his government is “determined to fundamentally change the situation.”
In a statement, the mayor’s office called the ceasefire a “false quiet” that would fail to deliver fundamental change.
“For over two years, our children have suffered from instability, evacuation, and prolonged stay in shelters, without any security solution on the horizon. The agreement that is taking shape, under American leadership and Iranian initiative, serves as a political achievement for the Lebanese government ahead of the elections this May. We are not anyone’s pawns,” the statement also said.
⭕️ REVEALED: The Forward Defense Line and the area in which IDF soldiers are operating, following the ceasefire agreement.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 19, 2026
5 divisions are operating simultaneously south of the Forward Defense Line in southern Lebanon in order to dismantle Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites… pic.twitter.com/eibA2pgDHe
Hezzbollah tunnels are on a different level than Hamas. Drilled directly into solid rock. The difficulty, resources, skills to do it. https://t.co/HsQ8jSbOWA
— John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) April 19, 2026
IDF says photo of soldier destroying Jesus statue in Lebanon is genuine, vows action
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the authenticity of a photo showing a soldier in southern Lebanon smashing a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer, and said it would take action against those involved.
The statement, issued shortly after midnight on Sunday-Monday, came after the photo circulated online. After the photo spread on social media, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani posted on X that the military would investigate.
Following an initial review of the photo, the military said that “it was determined that the photograph depicts an IDF soldier operating in southern Lebanon.”
“The IDF views the incident with great severity and emphasizes that the soldier’s conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops,” the military said.
The picture was taken in the Christian village of Debel in southern Lebanon. The IDF had operated against Hezbollah in the area surrounding the community.
The incident is being investigated by the Northern Command and is being handled “through the chain of command,” the IDF said in its statement, adding that “appropriate measures will be taken against those involved in accordance with the findings.”
The Northern Command will also assist the Christian community in restoring the statue to its place, the military added.
Following the completion of an initial examination regarding a photograph published earlier today of an IDF soldier harming a Christian symbol, it was determined that the photograph depicts an IDF soldier operating in southern Lebanon.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 19, 2026
The IDF views the incident with great… https://t.co/U6P3x8KWBb
When an IDF soldier is credibly accused of doing something wrong, the IDF:
— Yehuda Teitelbaum (@chalavyishmael) April 19, 2026
A) Starts an immediate investigation
B) Takes responsibility if it's in fact their fault
C) Changes policy so it can't happen again
D) Metes out the proper punishment
That's what democracy looks like. https://t.co/AsL4mIdF1b
Besides the heavy personnel losses Hezbollah has suffered in the conflict with Israel, the Amal Movement is also burying its dead fighters. This mass funeral was in Haret Saida, southern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/UtChpsstPK
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) April 20, 2026
A sample of the Hezbollah obituary notices I have come across. These notices were recently published online. pic.twitter.com/6lpkqW4iRm
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) April 19, 2026
The IDF seized a video in Lebanon showing Hezbollah grooming Shia youth for "martyrdom", ISIS-style propaganda, Shia edition. This is what Iran is funding. These are children being prepared to die.pic.twitter.com/GH9deBRfGp
— Alex Gandler (@AlexGandler) April 19, 2026
⭕️ IDF INTELLIGENCE CONFIRMS: Hezbollah fired toward UNIFIL forces during the ceasefire, killing and injuring personnel
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 19, 2026
A Hezbollah terrorist cell opened fire toward UNIFIL forces while they attempted to clear unexploded ordnance in the Al-Ghandouriyah area in southern Lebanon.… https://t.co/vgFGlzHdzP
Tony would struggle with this crossword. #DefundTheUN https://t.co/UeuLJ6gA0Q pic.twitter.com/pos7JuNWbM
— Joo (@JoosyJew) April 19, 2026
HEZBOLLAH did it. Condemn them. pic.twitter.com/vC4yiktpNJ
— Karen Ievers (@karenievers) April 18, 2026
Eliot Cohen: 3 Things the Consensus Gets Wrong About the Iran War
Separating Politics from Reality. Is the war going better than we realize?
Eliot A. Cohen is a contributing writer at The Atlantic. He is a professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins University, the author of the forthcoming book The Strategist: How to Think About War and Politics, and a co-host of the Shield of the Republic podcast.
UKLFI: Natasha Hausdorff on the status of journalists in armed conflicts
In this interview, Natasha Hausdorff, UK Lawyers for Israel Charitable Trust Legal Director, discusses how international law applies to journalists in conflict zones and the challenges of reporting on armed conflicts involving Israel.
The conversation examines the distinction between civilians and combatants for the purposes of the law of armed conflict and the circumstances in which a person is to be regarded as a combatant and so a potentially legitimate target. It also explores how media reporting can differ from the facts, and the importance of verification and impartiality in conflict coverage.
The interview further looks at broader claims about alleged violations of international law, and the legal status of UN resolutions and international court opinions.
This interview is presented for educational purposes as part of UKLFI Charitable Trust’s work advancing legal education in policy relating to Israel and to antisemitism.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:57 What qualifies someone for protection from being targeted?
03:12 How could a 'journalists' lose such protection?
06:21 Reporting vs later evidence: why accuracy and impartiality matter
09:59 Media claims and misuse of international law
12:40 Whether UN resolutions and International Court opinions are binding
Victor Davis Hanson: Iran in Shambles, Rubio Targets Regime Families, and the Return of the Impeachment Hoax
CNN and former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes are of the opinion that President Donald Trump, who has chosen the sword over the pen, will get a far worse deal out of the mullahs in Iran than his predecessor, Barack Obama.
What did Iran get out of its deal with Obama, you might ask?
For 10 years, Iran was sanctions-free, making $500 million a day in petrochemical sales. Thanks to figures like Ben Rhodes, it was like a “bonanza for the Houthis, Hamas, the people in Syria and Iraq that are their proxies, and, of course, Hezbollah,” argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”
What did Iran get out of Trump in his first term?
Crippling sanctions and a dead Revolutionary Guard leader.
What did Iran get out of Trump in his second term?
A dead ayatollah, decimated offensive capabilities, and a half-destroyed government begging America to come to the negotiating table.
00:00 Iran Deal Debate
18:11 Rubio Extraditions and Fraud
31:29 Poseidon and Greek Gods
46:02 Gabbard Referrals And Trump Impeachment
01:02:04 Putin Pressure And US Politics Wrap
In sum:
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) April 19, 2026
1. 🇩🇪🇬🇧🇫🇷🇳🇱🇪🇸🇳🇴🇦🇹🇫🇮🇨🇭🇦🇺🇨🇦 nominated the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a consensus decision endorsing Asia's list, to a committee that will soon discuss women's rights and terrorism prevention.
2. They failed to take the floor & object as the US did, and as EU did in 2022. https://t.co/3VZEr3CY4x
3/ The record shows that the European Union, the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and other Western states have in the past taken the floor to disassociate themselves from consensus decisions to elect or nominate brutal and repressive regimes to UN committees.
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) April 19, 2026
(See videos and links…
Remember a few weeks ago when he also claimed US troops had been ambushed in Iran scouting landing locations.
— AG (@AGHamilton29) April 19, 2026
These aren’t mistakes or different opinions. It’s daily intentional disinformation being promoted at a large scale.
Why would you trust anyone feeding you this… pic.twitter.com/cB0GbJQVsr
From the nonchalant way that @NPR is reporting on "why these grandmothers support Hezbollah," you'd think that they were cheering on a local sports team and not an internationally-recognized terror group. pic.twitter.com/oHQCXRfr60
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) April 19, 2026
The Free Press: Elise Stefanik on the ‘Rotten’ Ivy League, Mayor Mamdani, and Why She’s Leaving Congress
Two years ago, in the wake of burgeoning antisemitism after Hamas’s October 7 attacks, Elise Stefanik sat across from the presidents of Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Pennsylvania and asked them a simple question: Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your university’s code of conduct? Their non-answers—“it depends on the context”—shocked the country. A billion people watched the clip in a week. For me, and for students who had actually attended these schools and saw the way rising antisemitism on campus had been ignored, their responses weren’t surprising at all.
Since then, President Donald Trump has made university accountability central to his term—the federal government has withheld hundreds of millions in funding from those institutions that have not complied. University presidents have resigned. Columbia University reached a $221 million settlement with the Trump administration. The Department of Justice filed lawsuits. Alumni closed their wallets. And yet, much of the “moral rot” remains.
Stefanik, who is stepping down from Congress after this term and has a new book out about far-left indoctrination on A-list campuses, Poisoned Ivies: The Inside Account of the Academic and Moral Rot at America’s Elite Universities, sat down with me to talk about all of it: what the hearings actually fixed, what they didn’t, and why she believes these institutions had their chance to reform themselves and blew it. We also talked about why she dropped out of the New York governor’s race—despite leading in the polls—and what that says about the state of the Republican Party in New York.
Stefanik has been a harsh critic of New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, calling him a “socialist” and “jihadist.” I asked her what she thinks about his first 100 days as mayor, including the fake museum his team created that showcased his Taco Bell leftovers. I also asked her what she thinks about the strange spectacle of Trump hosting Mamdani in the Oval Office and calling him “a rational person”—which Stefanik insists is not an alliance. We talked about why support for Israel is fracturing on both the left and the right, whether voices like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens represent a real ideological shift in the Republican Party or an overstated fringe, and why Vice President J.D. Vance hasn’t condemned them.
And we talked about what comes next—for higher education, for the Republican Party, and for Stefanik herself, who insists she’s not done fighting even after she leaves the Hill.
Erin Molan: ONE Woman. ONE Question. The Moment Elise Stefanik Changed History.
Congresswoman Elise Stefanik sits down with Erin Molan in a powerful, wide-ranging interview that goes far beyond the headlines.
From the now-infamous congressional hearing that shocked the world, to the deeper story behind her new book Poisoned Ivies, Stefanik breaks down what she believes is happening inside America’s top universities — and why it matters for the future of the country.
They also dive into President Donald Trump, media bias, foreign influence on U.S. institutions, and the question everyone is asking… what’s next for her?
👉 This is the conversation you won’t hear anywhere else.
⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 – The Moment That Shocked The World
03:00 – Inside Poisoned Ivies & Campus Crisis
06:00 – Foreign Influence & Who’s Behind It
09:00 – Trump, Media & The Bigger Fight
13:30 – Would She Ever Run For President?
Report: senior organizer on Greta Thunberg Gaza flotilla accused of sexual misconduct
A pro-Palestinian flotilla that set sail from Barcelona this week bound for Gaza has been hit by internal controversy, including allegations of sexual misconduct against a senior organizer, according to a report by the New York Post.
The report, citing claims circulating among activist groups, said a member of the flotilla’s steering committee was accused of engaging in sexual relationships with multiple volunteers during a previous voyage. The allegations were made by a Palestinian advocacy group on social media and have not been independently verified.
Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, who has taken part in multiple flotilla missions and is involved in organizing the current convoy, was identified in some of the claims. Avila denied the accusations, telling the New York Post they were “not true” and describing them as part of a smear campaign. He said an internal ethics review found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Organizers of the flotilla said an investigation into the allegations did not find grounds for further action, citing a lack of formal complaints or supporting evidence. The group added that it has established an ethics committee to review such issues.
The latest flotilla, involving dozens of vessels and hundreds of activists, departed Barcelona earlier this month in what organizers describe as a humanitarian mission aimed at challenging restrictions on Gaza and delivering aid. Previous flotilla attempts have been intercepted by the Israeli navy, with participants detained and later deported.
The controversy has drawn criticism from some observers and activists, who questioned the conduct and priorities of organizers amid the ongoing war. Critics cited reports of internal disputes and what they described as a lack of focus on the stated humanitarian goals.
Remember the Palestine Chronicle, the 501(c)(3) out of Washington State whose correspondent held three Israeli hostages captive while writing for the outlet?
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) April 19, 2026
In December 2025, it quietly changed its official description from a Washington State 501(c)(3) to an "EU-based… pic.twitter.com/LCJ5GFFhb7
https://t.co/8Iu2aL2dvy https://t.co/1XmEjcnThX
— Angela Van Der Pluym (@anjewla90) April 19, 2026
Tucker Carlson contradicting himself on Israel for 2 minutes.pic.twitter.com/Xex4treb9I
— Nathan Livingstone (MilkBarTV) (@TheMilkBarTV) April 19, 2026
Meet @DanielLMcAdams. He is the cohost with @RonPaul of The Ron Paul Liberty Report. He is also the Executive Director of @RonPaulInstitut, and has been Ron Paul’s foreign policy advisor for years.
— John William Sherrod (@jwsherrod) April 19, 2026
He is not antiwar as you can see here. He wants to see Israel “ended.” He has… pic.twitter.com/fIuH44ut03
In Dec 2023, this mess of a person was given an ‘Honorary Doctorate’ by @UniofNewcastle “in the fight for racial justice”
— Joo (@JoosyJew) April 19, 2026
Now she’s investigated by @metpoliceuk for allegations of inciting racial hatred.@UniofNewcastle @RussellGroup - You look ridiculous. https://t.co/kDBVHr8Ho7 pic.twitter.com/i1U66fJ0NY
Sounds like Miller is threatening Jewish communities across the world, including the UK?@metpoliceuk pic.twitter.com/CXV0dToY97
— JewishWomenCount (@jwomencount2) April 19, 2026
Why would Miller want a list of hotels? Which friend is he asking for?@ASPolice pic.twitter.com/Vi8rIwk5Bk
— JewishWomenCount (@jwomencount2) April 19, 2026
Brit tourists who screamed vile abuse at Israelis in Vietnam seen in new videos 'chasing around' visibly Jewish holidaymakers
A pair of British tourists who drew outrage by filming themselves abusing Israelis in a restaurant have emerged in two fresh videos where they continue to hound Jewish holidaymakers.
The duo, reportedly a mother and daughter, were widely criticised this week after a video of them labelling a pair of Israelis 'murderers', 'savages', 'monsters' and 'rats' went viral.
They have now reappeared in another video, filmed in Vietnam, as the previous clip was, where they taunt and aggressively approach a group of visibly Jewish travellers.
Passing the group of four at a mountainside temple, they call out: 'Baby killers. You're murderers.'
One of the Israeli women responds simply by making a love-heart symbol with her hands.
They try to walk away, but one of the British women pursues them down the hill, demanding, 'Are you proud of yourself for murdering children?'
The woman, with dyed red hair and a striped shirt, then jeers: 'You're not so tough without your guns and bombs. Why are you running away?'
More Israelis were harassed in Vietnam. A pro-Pal asks where they’re from and when they politely tell her she spits “free Palestine”. The restaurant is full of Israelis and she shouts “you do not belong in Vietnam”. I can’t tell if it’s the same one as before. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/XoZWMYTbts
— Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) April 19, 2026
Sad to have missed this peaceful, dignified counter demonstration due to being out of the country, but I am so immensely proud of the Irish Jewish community for standing up against the antisemitic bullies who are continuing to descend onto Herzog Park in ongoing attempts to erase… https://t.co/hIu5tdPiKK pic.twitter.com/e6GNuJJeZ2
— Rachel Moiselle (@RachelMoiselle) April 19, 2026
Over a 100 participated in todays protest at Herzog Park against the Irish Sport for Palestine takeover & demand it be denamed. Thank you to all who gave their time for all the support. . pic.twitter.com/YiNAmsLQn4
— Alan Shatter (@Alan__Shatter) April 19, 2026
The Irish media are major drivers of antisemitism in this country. This was a peaceful, dignified protest by the Irish Jewish community against the renaming of Herzog Park.. and this is the headline the Irish Times goes with; https://t.co/7JG4OlGPZV
— ZZ Flop ✡️🇮🇪 (@ZzVvbbbbn) April 19, 2026
The CPS has just been ordered to pay CAA’s legal costs after falsely prosecuting Mark Birbeck for “assaulting emergency workers” when he held a sign saying “Hamas is Terrorist”.
— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) April 15, 2026
In September 2024, Mark, who is the founder of @OurFightUk, was accused of assaulting two emergency… pic.twitter.com/NJDLT37o9c
Imagine going to the ER and being subjected to someone protesting and screaming “Free Palestine” over and over.
— Angela Van Der Pluym (@anjewla90) April 19, 2026
That’s what this couple had to do. Security did nothing about it.
You’re already stressed out enough as it is, you’re in the emergency room for a reason you… pic.twitter.com/RLAwClnYnP
In this video from the streets of Stockholm, “the Jew” is portrayed wearing a visible kippah and blood-soaked clothes while murdering a child by cutting its throat.
— Daniel Schatz (@drdanielschatz) April 19, 2026
It directly invokes the medieval blood libel—the antisemitic myth that Jews murder children for ritual… pic.twitter.com/E6ibWflpUq
Shots fired: Ayatollah Karen Strikes
— Kofy Time (@kofy_time) April 19, 2026
Islamic Republic of Sydney 19 April 2026 pic.twitter.com/UoRMnfhGRz
You never guess what flag is at the center of chaos in Queens New York?
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) April 19, 2026
The same flag raised for chaos in every other place in the world. pic.twitter.com/xnFhXPIlOV
NYU Event to Feature Former Columbia Professor Who Praised Hamas and Called for “Jihad"
A ‘Death to the Akademy’ tour stop featuring Mohamed Abdou is being advertised for April 21 at NYU as being ‘graciously hosted by student & community organizers,’ nearly two years after his disputed departure from Columbia University amid controversy over public statements in support of U.S.-designated terror groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
During an April 17, 2024 congressional hearing, Columbia President Minouche Shafik said Abdou had been ‘terminated’ and would ‘never work at Columbia again,’ though Abdou later disputed that characterization and said his contract was simply ending. The announcement comes weeks after video clips from a March 2026 event circulated online showing Abdou saying, ‘Let us engage in jihad,’ and praising Elias Rodriguez, who is charged in the May 21, 2025 fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington.
Student organizers promoting the NYU gathering have incorporated imagery and messaging associated with designated terror organizations. The promotional materials feature photographs of armed individuals wearing headbands similar to those worn by Hamas operatives, the PFLP, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, paired with text stating “together we will win.” The promotion also displays the inverted red triangle symbol used by Hamas in propaganda materials to mark target locations.
The event description indicates the gathering will examine developments in campus activism following October 7, and discuss strategies for how “student and community organizers” can advance efforts to “topple Euro-Amerikan empire where they are.”
On April 21st, NYU will host Mohamed Abdou, who wrote after Oct. 7: “Yes, I’m with Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad,” later said “Let us engage in jihad,” and praised the man charged with murdering Israeli embassy staff.
— Yehuda Teitelbaum (@chalavyishmael) April 19, 2026
Don't wory though, masks will be provided. pic.twitter.com/XMoYoXgzky
Here’s the original caption from @GettyImages.
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) April 19, 2026
So why did @guardian feel the need to rewrite it?
What should have remained about Holocaust remembrance was turned into commentary on Israel.
The Guardian's Israel obsession knows no bounds.
2/2 pic.twitter.com/DM27DG7pZj
Here's a list of outlets that chose not to cover Hamas gang-raping displaced Gazan women:
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) April 19, 2026
1. New York Times
2. WSJ
3. CNN
4. Reuters
5. PBS
6. NBC News
7. NPR
8. Al Jazeera
9. Zeteo
10. Drop Site News
Yet they'll relentlessly cover the Sde Teiman rape hoax for two full years https://t.co/ATPpf7hr5x
That’s AI and you know it, but you never put such label on your posts@nikitabier - this one is a clear propaganda account who constantly posts AI slopes and fakes and presents them as genuine https://t.co/t22c7ojabe pic.twitter.com/a97TD2odjI
— Michael Elgort (@just_whatever) April 19, 2026
🇱🇧 Beirut
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) April 19, 2026
🇮🇷 Tehran
🇮🇱 Tel Aviv
🇺🇸 Washington
Four cities @guardian refers to as capitals.
But only three actually are.
When will The Guardian stop violating its own style guide? pic.twitter.com/rPYhtSc54l
Israel marks 83 years since Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Israel on Sunday marked the 83rd anniversary of the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, when a small group of men and women, armed with meager weapons, rebelled against the German occupiers for almost a month, from April 19 to May 16, 1943.
“Facing certain death, Jews chose to fight—not for victory, but for dignity, identity, and the right to resist,” according to a tweet on Israel’s official X account.
“Their message endures: freedom isn’t granted—it’s defended. Even against impossible odds. We remember them not only for how they died, but for how they chose to live and to fight,” it added.
Today marks 83 years since the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) April 19, 2026
Facing certain death, Jews chose to fight - not for victory, but for dignity, identity, and the right to resist.
Their message endures: freedom isn’t granted - it’s defended. Even against impossible odds.
We remember them not… pic.twitter.com/x10XGcZT34
April 19, 1943, marked the outbreak of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising - the first urban uprising in German-occupied Europe and the largest armed mobilization of the Jewish community during World War II.
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇵🇱 (@PolandMFA) April 19, 2026
Each year, the Daffodil symbolizes our remembrance of the resilience, heroism,… pic.twitter.com/Mkp5nldeCn
Michael Smuss was the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising's last survivor.
— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) April 19, 2026
"I'm 99 years old, I speak 5 languages, and Almighty G-d gave me that I remember everything which is terrible."
Today is the 83rd anniversary of that heroic uprising.
May Michael's memory forever be a blessing.🕯️ pic.twitter.com/sAc89gJOtY
Ella Blumenthal survived the Holocaust and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) April 19, 2026
Today is the 83rd anniversary of that heroic uprising.
Ella's now 104 years old.
Listen to the wisdom she shares with you. She knows what it means to never give up. No matter what.
Ella defeated Hitler. pic.twitter.com/bg92mNOFl4
WATCH: On this day in 1943, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began, a lasting symbol of Jewish courage and resistance. pic.twitter.com/MtxaUqGClI
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) April 19, 2026
Israel appoints first-ever ambassador to Somaliland
Israel appointed Michael Lotem, a senior diplomat, as its first-ever ambassador to the Republic of Somaliland on April 15.
Lotem finished a three-year tour as Israel’s ambassador to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi and the Seychelles in August 2025, and has since served as a non-resident economic ambassador to Africa. He had previously served as ambassador to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
“The posting will initially be non-resident. Lotem will be based in Jerusalem rather than in Somaliland, managing the bilateral relationship through visits and direct engagement,” the Somaliland Chronicle reported on April 18.
Somalia, which doesn’t recognize Somaliland’s 1991 declaration of independence, reacted angrily, saying it “categorically rejects” any attempt to grant diplomatic or political recognition on any part of what it still considers its territory, the Somali Guardian reported on April 15.
“Such actions risk destabilizing regional progress and emboldening divisive narratives,” said Somalia’s Foreign Ministry.
In a joint statement on April 18, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Bangladesh, Algeria, Palestine, Turkey and Indonesia also condemned Israel’s announcement, calling it a “flagrant violation” of Somalia’s sovereignty.
Israel became the first country to recognize the self-declared nation of Somaliland on Dec. 26, 2025.
“The State of Israel plans to immediately expand its relations with the Republic of Somaliland through extensive cooperation in the fields of agriculture, health, technology and economy,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
You’re clearly against freedom.
— REPUBLIC OF SOMALILAND (@RepOfSomaliland) April 19, 2026
Wanting to keep us at the bottom of the barrel so you can manipulate and control us like you do in failed Somalia, under your so-called “Muslim brotherhood” tentacles.
The Republic of Somaliland and Israel are ranked first in the Freedom House… https://t.co/3lePSV2yfz pic.twitter.com/jxQDMpZvdZ
Four day pride festival to be held at Dead Sea, largest in history of Middle East
Israel is set to host the Middle East’s largest ever LGBT festival at the Dead Sea in June 2026.
The new festival, Pride Land, intends to transform the middle of the Judean Desert into a colorful pride city from June 1 to June 4.
The event intends to create an experience broader than parties or performances, instead aiming for a space that is alive 24 hours a day, with 15 hotels, beach complexes, parties, and a central performance arena all operating around the clock.
Alongside the nightlife, Pride Land will have cultural and art complexes, relaxation and scenic areas, and family-friendly areas with children's activities, family-friendly workshops, and customized events.
The organizers hope to create a multigenerational “Pride City,” not just a party celebrating pride. “This is not just another festival, it's the biggest thing we've done here,” explained Aaron Cohen, main producer and initiator of the festival.
“We chose to grow," Cohen added. "To take an investment of millions, purchase entire hotels for 4 days, and build a city from scratch in the middle of the desert. It's an experience that lives 24/7, from quiet visits to nights of pride, with a living envelope of music and people.”
This is not just a pride event; it also aims to highlight the Dead Sea region as a permanent destination for LGBT tourists, emphasizing that Pride in Israel extends beyond the key hub of Tel Aviv.
Of course anti-semites in the comments are losing their minds over a proud Jewish woman being celebrated and accomplished.
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) April 19, 2026
May God bless @GalGadot. https://t.co/yG02rOuOKU
Milei arrives in Israel amid war with Iran
Argentine President Javier Milei arrived in Israel on Sunday for his third visit in as many years, as bilateral ties between the two countries are at historic highs.
Milei, who will become the first foreign leader to light a torch at Israel’s official Independence Day event in Jerusalem this week, has repeatedly pledged to relocate his embassy to Jerusalem, and could make the move during his visit.
A Catholic who studied the Bible with a rabbi whom he appointed his ambassador, Milei has broken with decades of foreign policy by positioning himself with the United States and Israel, emerging as one of the most vocal supporters of the Jewish state around the globe.
His first official stop upon arrival will be the Western Wall in Jerusalem, followed by an evening meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he has formed a close alliance.
The two leaders will announce the inauguration of direct flights between Tel Aviv and Buenos Aires on Israel’s flag carrier El Al starting this fall, as first reported by JNS.
During his visit, Milei will also meet with his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, who will award him the Presidential Medal of Honor, and receive an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University. He is also scheduled to visit both the Hebron Yeshiva and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and sign an agreement between UTN Argentina and the Technion.
Since taking office two and a half years ago, Milei has designated Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as terrorist groups and called out Tehran’s terrorism, vowing to try in absentia Iranian suspects in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires.
Earlier this month, Argentina, which has strongly supported the US and Israeli war on Iran, expelled the Islamic Republic’s envoy from Buenos Aires.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now meeting at his office in Jerusalem with the President of Argentina Javier Milei @JMilei.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) April 19, 2026
🇮🇱🤝🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/rJyHmJ0WQl
LIVE: Prime Minister Netanyahu and President of Argentina Javier at the event for signing of accords. The Two leaders will announce the opening of a direct flight route between the two countries, and will sign agreements on aviation, security and AI. https://t.co/mdLTffNyuo
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) April 19, 2026
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) April 19, 2026
"This is the third visit of my friend, my chaver, Javier @JMilei, in Jerusalem. But he's not merely a personal friend and someone who I deeply admire as a great leader, a great economic leader and a great world leader.https://t.co/LfMM9r8YFi pic.twitter.com/twu3m0ZyaC
A special privilege to rep @POTUS while @IsraeliPM and @JMilei sign Isaac Accords in Jerusalem. pic.twitter.com/U9E6iRcboA
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@USAmbIsrael) April 19, 2026
Argentine President Javier Milei prayed at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, accompanied by Ambassador Axel Wahnish. pic.twitter.com/o9Mc97HBKg
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 19, 2026
Javier Milei is having a great time at the general rehearsal for Israel’s national Independence Day ceremony 🇮🇱🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/hUQn65npGa
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) April 19, 2026
THANK YOU JERUSALEM…!!! Eternal friendship between Argentina and Israel. pic.twitter.com/W5rcbbZ7vu
— Milei in English - Official Account (@jmilei_english) April 19, 2026
As Israel approaches 78th Independence Day, its population stands at 10.244 million
As it approaches its 78th Independence Day, Israel’s total population stands at 10.244 million people, according to figures released Sunday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
The number was some 146,000 higher than last year, representing an increase of 1.4 percent. This includes 110,00 more Israelis and 36,000 foreigners, according to the data.
Of the total population, 7.790 million, or 76% of the population, are Jews and “others” — meaning non-Jewish, non-Arab citizens — while 2.157 million (21.1%) are Arabs, and the remaining 296,000 (2.9%) are foreigners.
Independence Day begins on Tuesday evening with the conclusion of Memorial Day, and celebrations continue through Wednesday evening.
Over the past year, about 177,000 newborn Israelis drew their first breath, while at the other end of their lives, 48,000 drew their last. A further 21,000 people immigrated from abroad.
According to the CBS, the population of Israel is more than 12 and a half times the population at the time of the state’s establishment in 1948, when it was just 806,000.
Since then, 3.5 million people have immigrated to the country, though currently four out of five people in the population are Israeli-born (“sabras”).
Ahead of our 78th independence day, our population has reached 10.2 million 🇮🇱
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) April 19, 2026
Welcoming in the young generation, built on a civilization thousands of years old, and still moving forward with purpose.
With our dynamic society shaped by diversity and resilience, we're excited… pic.twitter.com/U2wK1gPuKp
Stop saying Israel was promised to us 3000 years ago.
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) April 19, 2026
This is the Kurkh Monolith.
It was discovered in Kurdistan in 1861 by British archaeologist John George Taylor and stands today in the British Museum in London 🇬🇧
It is 2900 years old and has Assyrian king Shalmaneser III… pic.twitter.com/uYsSEVFkdb
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"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024) PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022) |
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