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Wednesday, June 10, 2026

06/09 Links Pt2: Graham Platner Makes History As First Vanity Oysterman With Nazi Tattoo To Win US Senate Nomination; Rep. Ritchie Torres’ opponent duped by ‘Rabbi Linda of Gaza’

From Ian:

UN Watch: Legal Analysis of the Pillay Commission’s June 2026 Report to the Human Rights Council
The Human Rights Council’s Pillay Commission on Israel, now headed by Srinivasan Muralidhar of India, just released a new report focusing on violations by “non-State actors,” specifically “settlers” and “Palestinian armed groups” in the West Bank and Gaza. Despite the Commission’s formal reconstitution following the resignation of Navi Pillay, Miloon Kothari, and Chris Sidoti—with Sidoti subsequently re-appointed and Florence Mumba joining the panel—its reporting continues to reflect a persistent bias against Israel.

In an apparent effort to project even-handedness, the report addresses violations by both Israeli and Palestinian non-State actors. Yet the distribution of attention tells a different story. More than half of the report focuses on Israeli violations against Palestinians, while only approximately 9% addresses Palestinian attacks against Israelis. Another 34% examines Hamas abuses against Palestinians in Gaza. Even in those latter sections, however, the Commission repeatedly contextualizes or shifts blame to Israel, attributing lawlessness, repression, and social collapse primarily to Israeli actions rather than Hamas governance, effectively minimizing Hamas’s responsibility for its own crimes. The report also applies markedly different accountability standards to Israel and Palestinian actors.

At the heart of the report is a false moral equivalence between Israeli civilians residing in the West Bank and jihadi terrorist organizations. According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, approximately 482,000 Israelis currently live in communities in Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank), home to areas of profound Jewish historical and religious significance, including the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem, and Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus. While the overwhelming majority are peaceful civilians, a small minority of Jewish extremists—estimated by Israeli defense officials at roughly 300 individuals, many of whom are not residents of the area—have repeatedly engaged in violence against Palestinians, including property damage, assaults, and, in some cases, killings.

The issue of extremist Israeli violence is real and should be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Israeli authorities themselves have acknowledged this as a serious problem and have taken actions to curb the phenomenon, ranging from issuing restraining orders to arrest and prosecution, as detailed in Section 3 below. Condemnation of such violence has come from the highest levels of government. As recently as May 21, 2024, Israeli President Isaac Herzog lambasted acts of violence by Jewish extremists, saying that they “defile and violate every basic moral, legal, and Jewish norm.” He noted that “There are elements on the fringes of our society that have normalized violence, and, sadly, some go even further — celebrating it and taking pride in it.”

However, the existence of a small number of violent Jewish extremists does not warrant the collective stigmatization of hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians. Using the term “settler violence” to characterize all Israeli residents of the West Bank through the actions of a small extremist minority is misleading and irresponsible and risks stigmatizing innocent civilians due to their status as “settlers.” The report then draws a false moral equivalence by placing them in the same analytical category as designated terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad—groups openly committed to Israel’s destruction and the murder of Jews. By the same logic, one could describe Hamas terrorism as “Gazan violence.” Such terminology would be widely rejected because it conflates the actions of violent actors with those of the broader population.

The report’s treatment of Israeli victims illustrates the consequences of this framing. In paragraph 68, the Commission notes that of 42 Israelis killed in terrorist attacks in the West Bank between 2023 and 2025, 36 were “settlers.” By contrast, when discussing Palestinian fatalities, the report does not distinguish between uninvolved civilians, members of armed groups, or Palestinians killed while carrying out terrorist attacks. Instead, it categorizes Palestinian victims only by sex and age. The Commission’s deliberate emphasis on the “settler” status of Israeli victims—while withholding comparable contextual information regarding Palestinian fatalities—creates the unmistakable impression that attacks against these Israelis are somehow more understandable or less morally troubling.
Seth Mandel: What the ‘Israel Day’ Parades Are Ultimately About
The anti-Semitic protesters at Toronto’s Walk with Israel, on the heels of the controversy around who did and didn’t attend the Israel Day parade in New York (Mayor Mamdani boycotted it, some hardline Israeli rightists joined), has reignited the debate over the existence of such events as the primary “Jewish” parade in the West.

Why, some wonder, does the big show of pride in Jewish life and culture have to be a specifically “Israel” event? Why don’t we instead have a Jewish parade?

The always-thoughtful Phoebe Maltz Bovy, the author and opinion editor at the Canadian Jewish News, gives a few of the answers. She points out, correctly, that those seeking the change aren’t interested in inclusivity but exclusivity. That is, they want to exclude all traces of Israel or they will not participate (and might protest the event itself). Bovy: “Anyone who was going to be mad at a gathering of Jews whose purpose was anything other than renouncing Israel is going to have that same sentiment.”

Bovy is entirely correct. And there are other reasons. For example, it is entirely rational for Jews to more readily celebrate the place they built than the places from which they were un-personed and expelled with the shirts on their backs.

But I want to mention one reason that usually goes unspoken and happens to be hugely important: A celebration of the Jewish state is a celebration of Jewish peoplehood.

There’s a reason “Am Yisrael chai” was a rallying cry for Jewish communities in peril well before 1948. The Jews are a people. As scholars like to point out, the Jews have survived for so long that their model of nationhood and religion feels like an anachronism to the modern world.

If you are Jewish, you are part of the Jewish nation. That can get confusing for people in the post-1948 world in which there is a Jewish nation-state. But in the century before that year, debates among major Zionist and non-Zionist thinkers took for granted that the Jews were a nation deserving of some measure of autonomy no matter where they were in the world. Jews were a “national minority” in the Russian Empire much as Ukrainians were, for example. Such particularism was not Moscow’s idea, it was a rebellion against the imperial regime.
No Place but Everywhere By Abe Greenwald
Via Commentary Newsletter, sign up here. I hate the “has no place” nonsense because it’s at once a lie, an irrelevancy, and a dodge. The lie is self-evident. While the speech police were busy monitoring the micro-aggressions of pronoun use, Jew-hatred established a very comfortable home here. It blares from megaphones, it’s advertised on banners and t-shirts, and it manifests in more and more violent attacks.

The line is irrelevant because hatred, or any emotion, isn’t the problem. Hatred is endemic to the species. As Solzhenitsyn said, “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.” I don’t care if people hate me. I’m not even sure I care that much if they hate me for being a Jew. In any event, they’re certainly allowed to. But I do care what they do about it. Which means the problem right now is the political organization of anti-Semitism and the actions of anti-Semites that infringe on the rights of Jews. These include the right to not be assaulted.

And the line is a dodge because even someone like Zohran Mamdani, who’s working to give anti-Semitism permanent New York City residency, can be congratulated for declaring that anti-Semitism has no home here and then go back to the business of Jew-baiting. With very few exceptions, America’s most prominent anti-Semites, on the left and right, are always at the ready to publicly denounce hatred in general and even anti-Semitism.

When I see or hear “Hatred has no place in ___,” I take it as a slap in the face, a blatant dismissal of Jewish experience. It is itself a kind of assault—on truth and accountability. Here’s what I’d like to hear an elected official say instead: Since October 7, Jew-hatred has been provided unprecedented political and academic camouflage in this country. It’s been downplayed and excused and allowed to occupy a place of dangerous prominence in the public square. Yes, sadly, hatred has been given a place here. This has inevitably led to unprecedented levels of violence against Jewish Americans. We must not ignore it or deny it. We must, instead, deprive anti-Semites of their recently furnished safe havens and push them back to the outermost edges of civic life.

The anti-Semites would just hate it.


The Scum Also Rises: Graham Platner Makes History As First Vanity Oysterman With Nazi Tattoo To Win US Senate Nomination
Graham Platner made history on Tuesday, becoming the first vanity oysterman and Nazi-tattooed Hotchkiss attendee to win a major party's nomination for U.S. Senate while facing credible allegations of domestic abuse. Barring another unforeseen setback or two, Platner will square off against longtime Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) in the general election.

Viewed as the prohibitive favorite since his chief rival, Gov. Janet Mills (D., Maine), suspended her campaign in April, Platner was on track to receive a majority of the Democratic primary vote. The Associated Press called the race for Platner with 8 percent of the vote reported.

Platner's victory is sure to embolden his supporters, who have come to revere him as the embodiment of working-class authenticity. The grandson of a world-renowned architect, Platner derives most of his income from a military disability pension, lives in a house his dad paid for, and runs an oyster farm—on an island owned by his rich friend—whose principle client is his mom's restaurant at an "old world luxury" hotel. He attended and was ultimately expelled from the Hotchkiss School, an elite preparatory academy whose distinguished alumni include Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart and Morgan Stanley cofounder Harold Stanley.

At the same time, Platner's recent underwhelming polling numbers will do little to assuage concerns about his viability in a matchup with Collins, a wily moderate Democrats have spent the last three decades trying to defeat.

"That is the part that people do not understand," said Genevieve McDonald, a former Platner aide who resigned in October amid reports on the candidate's since-deleted Reddit posts attacking rape victims. "We have a general election. That is a very different demographic."

Days before the primary election, McDonald wrote a Washington Post op-ed arguing that Platner "shouldn't be a U.S. senator," citing his numerous scandals and the likelihood that damaging revelations would continue to plague his candidacy. "I want better for my daughters, and for the people of Maine," she wrote. "The answer to a broken political culture is not to accept it."
'Bullshit Glory Story': Graham Platner Accused ‘Lone Survivor’ Author of ‘Lying’ and Promoting ‘War Porn’: Democrat Says Navy SEAL Used a Ghostwriter Who Made Things Up
Maine Democrat Graham Platner accused former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell of "lying" in his popular war memoir Lone Survivor about his combat experience in Afghanistan, in part by using a British ghostwriter who, Platner says, ripped off another SEAL's book to create a work of fiction. It's the latest example of the far-left Senate hopeful smearing his fellow combat veterans, and of his particular antipathy to Special Forces.

In a series of deleted Reddit posts in 2013, Platner accused Luttrell of promoting "war porn" in his 2007 book, which was made into a 2013 film starring Mark Wahlberg. Luttrell's memoir was his account of Luttrell on a mission to take out a Taliban militia leader. Luttrell's three SEAL comrades were killed during the mission, known as Operation Red Wings. Luttrell alone survived after being rescued by Pashtun villagers in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.

Platner, now running to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins (R.), asserted in his posts that Luttrell and his British coauthor, Patrick Robinson, stole material for the book from another Navy SEAL author.

"Luttrell didn't write the damn book, it was ghost written by a limey, and is war porn at its worst," wrote Platner. He asserted that most of the scenes about Navy SEAL training "are taken almost verbatim" from another book by Dick Couch about the SEALs, and were therefore fictitious. In another thread, Platner agreed with a Reddit user who said the book and movie were "bastardized and plagiarized."

Platner suggested Luttrell and Robinson colluded with the Navy—and lied—in order to put a positive spin on Operation Red Wings.

"Terrible planning, improperly trained and equipped unit, and then a whole bunch of lying on the part of Luttrell and the Navy to turn a total failure into some bullshit glory story," wrote Platner.
House committee presses Southern Poverty Law Center on absence of Islamist, anti-Israel groups from Hate Map
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) criticized the Southern Poverty Law Center during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington on Tuesday for not listing Islamist or leftist anti-Israel groups on its website’s “Hate Map.”

“How many leftist anti-Jewish groups do you have listed on your website?” Roy asked Bryan Fair, the SPLC’s interim president and CEO. “Name them.”

Fair instead pointed to the SPLC’s 2025 Hate and Extremism Report, released on Tuesday, which “documents the success that the hard-right movement had throughout 2025 at rapidly establishing power across influential institutions, such as the federal government and the private tech sector,” according to the organization. The report identifies 1,263 active hate and anti-government groups nationwide.

According to the SPLC’s 2025 Hate Map, the center’s interactive map that tracks hate and anti-government groups, 16 groups are classified as antisemitic, including the Nation of Islam and the Goyim Defense League. The map also lists 54 neo-Nazi groups and 14 Ku Klux Klan chapters.

Roy noted that, aside from the Nation of Islam, led by Louis Farrakhan, the map does not identify any Islamist organizations. He also argued that anti-Israel activist groups are absent from the list.

“How many extremist Islamic groups do you have of the 1,500 or so organizations you have on your hate map?” Roy asked. “My office has been looking over it and can’t really find one.”

Fair responded that the SPLC does not “target any group because of its religion.”

“We target groups because they express statements and engage in activities that demean and vilify—" Fair said before Roy interrupted him.

Roy asked, “So you think there are a bunch of Islamic groups that are pro-LGBTQ? Is that the position of the SPLC?”

The SPLC currently lists 96 organizations as anti-LGBTQ groups, many of them Christian advocacy organizations.

Brigitte Gabrielle, founder and chairman of Act for America, stated that SPLC “smears Christians daily but shields radical Islam,” calling the group a “total joke.”


Massie Elevates a Tragedy Foreign Networks Already Weaponized
There are tragedies that stay in public memory because the facts still demand mourning. And then there are tragedies that keep returning because someone has found a new use for them. The 1967 attack on the USS Liberty should belong firmly in the first category: real, devastating, and worthy of remembrance.

But what Rep. Thomas Massie brought to the House floor this week was not simple remembrance. It was the reactivation of a political narrative that has been circulating for years through anti-Israel propaganda channels, foreign influence campaigns, and antisemitic conspiracy ecosystems.

The intervention came after Massie’s primary defeat, which was fueled in part by considerable pro-Israel spending in favor of his challenger. A Jewish Onliner review found no evidence that Massie had raised the incident through legislation, resolutions, hearings, statements, or other official congressional action during his 13 years in office.

On the anniversary of the USS Liberty attack, Massie did not merely invoke the 34 Americans killed and more than 170 wounded when Israeli forces mistakenly struck the U.S. Navy ship during the Six-Day War. He used their deaths to advance allegations that the attack was “intentional murder,” a possible “false flag operation,” or an effort to keep the United States from seeing what Israel was doing that day.

That is not the conclusion reached by the official record.

What the Official Record Actually Says
The USS Liberty incident has been examined through a commonly cited set of 13 U.S. and Israeli inquiries, reviews, and reports, 10 American and three Israeli. While several criticized Israel’s conduct as reckless or grossly negligent, they did not substantiate the claim that Israel intentionally attacked a ship it knew was American.

A CIA intelligence memorandum published in the State Department’s FRUS collection said intercepted communications left “little doubt” that Israeli units failed to identify the Liberty as a U.S. ship before or during the attack.

Likewise, the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board chairman Clark Clifford found no evidence the attack was intentional. The underlying Clifford memorandum is deeply critical of Israeli conduct, calling the episode a “flagrant act of gross negligence” and describing the failures as “gross and inexcusable.” But it still concluded that the evidence did not show a premeditated attack by Israeli high command on a ship known to be American.


Rep. Ritchie Torres’ primary foe duped by fake orgy-touting ‘Chief Rabbi of Gaza’
The Dem rival to Bronx Rep. Ritchie Torres was duped by the fake “Chief Rabbi of Gaza” — whose loopy faux X account once touted “a no holds barred orgy’’ for rabbis and Palestinian refugees.

The phony online account of “Rabbi Linda Goldstein” is infamous for its Israel-bashing — but its intent is actually pro-Israel, seeking to ensnare and expose clueless lefty progressives.

Michael Blake — who is challenging Torres in the Democratic primary for the city’s 15th House seat and has criticized the three-term incumbent as pro-Israel — was taken in by the ruse.

Blake said he “certainly would consider” going to Gaza when asked by “Rabbi Linda Goldstein” after he requested a campaign donation from her, according to a thread of the conversation obtained by The Post.

The “rabbi” said she would “lend my voice to defeat” Torres, who is “cloaked” with Jewish allies.

“I’m about to head to Gaza for two weeks to check on my congregation but please send me an email,” the fake rabbi wrote in a Nov. 9, 2025, note to Blake, a former state assemblyman.

Blake responded, “Powerful. And when not in Gaza, where’s home base?…We need you and your community to be safe. Thank you for leading, inspiring and protecting the people.”

He then asked the rabbi to contribute to his campaign and whether she had any friends in the district.

“Asking if you will please donate so we can keep building momentum,” the unsuspecting pol wrote. “I’d be incredibly grateful. Certainly welcome help with raising funds and support. pls.”

The fake rabbi asked, “Would you consider coming to Gaza?”

Blake responded, “Certainly would consider.”

In 2024, both progressive incumbent anti-Israel Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush were also duped by the same Rabbi Linda Goldstein parody account. Both lost their Democratic primaries.


Feminists Against Antisemitism: Fighting the Hate, with Melanie Phillips
Melanie Phillips equips women with practical tools to recognise, challenge and push back against antizionism and Jew hatred.

In this episode, we share a recording of our recent live interview with Melanie Phillips, journalist and author of Fighting the Hate: A Handbook for Jews Under Siege.

Drawing on decades of experience analysing media narratives, political extremism, misinformation and moral inversion, she shares practical strategies for responding in real-world situations at work, online and in social settings.

As she explains, many people advancing these antisemitic or antizionist ideas believe they are acting out of justice and anti-racism. Understanding that, without conceding ground, is key to responding effectively.

Watch or listen now for clear, practical guidance on challenging Jew hatred and the narratives that sustain them.

Shownotes
[00:00] How to respond to arguments
You are not trying to win debates. You are trying to challenge certainty and shift the conversation.
[00:01] Antisemitism after October 7
A surge in antisemitism across workplaces, communities and public life.
[00:02] Silence and self-censorship
Speaking up about antisemitism or antizionism often leads to social and professional consequences.
[00:06] Why this matters now
This is about responding to antisemitism, antizionism, misinformation and distorted narratives.
[00:11] When to engage and when not to
You need to judge the situation, prioritise safety and choose your battles.
[00:15] Practical ways to push back
Preparing simple lines and questions to challenge misinformation and anti-Jewish racism in the moment.
[00:19] Guilt by association
How people are labelled, excluded and shut down for who they know or what they question.
[00:28] The “Israel is colonialist” claim
How to challenge one of the core antizionist narratives without getting dragged into a long debate.
[00:37] Keep your responses simple
You do not need long explanations. A clear, unexpected point can disrupt the narrative.
[00:57] What antizionism is doing
How antizionism functions as a form of discrimination and overlaps with antisemitism.
[01:13] Conflict in relationships
How to handle disagreements with friends, family and political groups without losing yourself.
[01:27] Why there is still hope
More people are recognising misinformation and pushing back, even if they are not always visible.




Ireland to move Israel match out of Dublin as boycott row intensifies
The Republic of Ireland’s home UEFA Nations League fixture with Israel is likely to be moved to a neutral venue.

The match, scheduled for 4 October, will switch from Aviva Stadium to a neutral ground – pending UEFA approval – with a venue in Hungary considered a likely alternative.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) board of directors met last week to discuss the matches, with particular focus on the game at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on 4 October. A second meeting was held on Monday, where a decision was reached.

The FAI will now ask UEFA to approve such a move.

The FAI said that it was “the responsibility of the Board of the FAI to protect the future interests of football in Ireland” and that any decision around the game is “solely a matter for the association”.

Government leaders, meanwhile, were due to meet this evening to discuss their stance on the games ahead of two Dáil motions this week.

Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats are using their Dáil time to call on the Coalition to boycott and not support the fixtures, and both parties confirmed their intentions to press ahead with their respective motions despite the latest developments.


Actors and musicians urge judge to drop ‘terror link’ in Palestine Action case
Actors including Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes, and Zawe Ashton have signed a letter urging a senior judge not to sentence Palestine Action activists as “terrorists” over a raid on an Israeli defence firm.

Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio, and Fatema Rajwani are facing lengthy jail terms on Friday after they caused an estimated £1 million in damage to the Elbit Systems factory in Bristol in the early hours of August 6 2024.

All four defendants were in an old prison van which smashed through the entry gates, before taking sledgehammers and crowbars to the company’s equipment and property.

On Friday, Mr Justice Johnson is set to pass sentence on the activists at Woolwich Crown Court, and he will consider whether the crime had a “terrorist connection” that should lead to tougher jail terms.

In a letter published on Tuesday, a collection of actors, directors, activists, writers, comedians, artists and academics have urged the judge to reject the idea that the Elbit raid was related to terrorism.

Signatories include Harry Potter stars Paapa Essiedu, Zoe Wanamaker, and Miriam Margolyes, actors Zawe Ashton, Maxine Peake, Steve Coogan, Tobias Menzies, and Bella Ramsey, TV presenter Nadia Sawalha, singers Charlotte Church, Kate Nash, and Shirley Manson, comedians Ardal O’Hanlon and Alexei Sayle, directors Yorgos Lanthimos, Ken Loach, and Terry Gilliam, and best-selling author Sally Rooney.

Activist Greta Thunberg has also added her name to the list of more than 90 supporters to the message.

The letter urges the judge to “drop the use of the ‘terrorism connection’”, suggesting if he refuses when passing sentence it “would gravely undermine the right to protest and the impartiality of the judicial system itself”.

They added: “We demand that you reconsider before it is too late.”

Commenting on the letter, Ms Rooney suggested including the terror link as part of the sentencing would be seen as an “obvious effort to undermine solidarity with Palestine, but what it really undermines is UK law.”


Israeli real estate event due in London strongly denies sale of West Bank land
The organisers of an Israeli real estate event due to take place in London have strongly denied claims that it will feature land for sale in the West Bank, describing the allegations as “ridiculous” and “motivated by anti-Israeli and terrorist supporters”.

In the House of Commons, the Foreign Secretary, who had announced new sanctions on entities related to West Bank settler violence, faced specific calls to ban the ‘Great Israeli Real Estate Event’, due to take place in London this weekend,

Callum Miller, the Liberal Democrats’ defence spokesman, called for the Government to ban the Great Israeli Real Estate Event coming to London on Sunday.

Mr Miller said: “Properties in illegal settlements in Gush Etzion are being marketed alongside properties in Israeli cities – this is Palestinian land being advertised, bartered and sold on the streets of our capital.

“So, will the Government intervene to ban the event, unless assurances can be made that no properties in illegal settlements will be advertised?”

Debbie Abrahams, Labour MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, also said the sale of Palestinian land at the event would be “flouting international law” in London.

Referencing those businesses operating from London, she added: “We will pursue any issue that we can around anything that might be a breach of the law, or might be issues that we can raise.”

In response, Yvette Cooper said the government would “warn any businesses against associating themselves with potential breaches of international law and with becoming involved in a process that is undermining peace and security in the region.”


Press Council adjudication
Conclusion
The Council recognises that cartoons are expressions of opinion that often use exaggeration and absurdity to make a point on serious issues. For this reason, the Council has given significant latitude to cartoons when considering whether a publication has taken reasonable steps to avoid substantial offence, distress, or prejudice. However, that latitude is not unlimited, particularly where a cartoon can reinforce racial, ethnic or religious stereotypes.

The Council acknowledges the publications’ comments that the cartoon’s intention was to comment on the politicisation of the calls for a Royal Commission. The Council also acknowledges the publications’ comments that there was no intention to cause offence or prejudice. The Council notes that the intention of the cartoon or the message it is attempting to convey may be interpreted in different ways. In this context, the Council notes the depiction of political figures carrying the purported grassroots movement above their heads, while Netanyahu, who is both Jewish and the Israeli Prime Minister, stands apart, beating the drum to which the political figures march. The Council considers this imagery encodes the antisemitic trope that Jewish people secretly control or manipulate global events, governments, financial systems, or the media. The Council considers this imagery was likely to cause or contribute to substantial offence, distress and prejudice particularly to those who are Jewish.

While the Council recognises the public interest in commenting on the political motivation of some calling for the Royal Commission into the terrorist attack, the Council does not consider it was sufficient to justify the substantial offence, distress or prejudice caused or contributed to, in depicting those calling for a Royal Commission as being manipulated by the Israeli Prime Minister. Accordingly, the Council concludes that the publications failed to take reasonable steps to avoid causing or contributing materially to substantial offence, distress or prejudice in breach of General Principle 6.

The Council welcomes the publications’ published apologies and their stated intention to meet with Jewish community leaders.

The Council notes that, apart from finding that the publications failed to take reasonable steps to comply with its Standards of Practice, this matter underscores the importance for all publications of ensuring their editorial processes are sufficiently robust to minimise the unintended risk of causing offence, distress or prejudice. The Council also notes that, in the context of heightened community sensitivities concerning antisemitism and social cohesion, the adequacy of editorial processes should be assessed by reference to the sensitivity of the subject matter and the potential impact on affected communities.


Lawfare Project urges US to revoke visa of World Cup journalist over alleged support for Hamas, Hezbollah
The Lawfare Project has asked the U.S. State Department to revoke the visa of a British sports journalist covering the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, alleging that he has repeatedly expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah.

In a referral sent on Monday to the State Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at the Lawfare Project, urged authorities to revoke any visa held by Ibrahim Khadra, a London-based journalist with beIN Sports, and initiate removal proceedings.

Filitti told JNS that Khadra called the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, “far more exciting than football” and “described the murder of Jews as heroic operations.” The referral alleges that Khadra has maintained a yearslong pattern of social media posts glorifying Hamas and Hezbollah.

In a separate letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Filitti wrote that Khadra had a “sustained, multi-year record of public statements glorifying the terrorist activities of Hamas and Hezbollah.”

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Rubio said concerns about visitors from Iran ahead of international sporting events were not focused on athletes.

“The problem with Iran would not be their athletes,” he said. “What they can’t bring is a bunch of IRGC terrorists into our country and pretend that they’re journalists and athletic trainers.”

Filitti accused Khadra of using his media credentials to promote and glorify terrorist organizations.


Hamas members executed and maimed dozens of Palestinians in Gaza, UN report says
Hamas terrorists and police units in Gaza beat, maimed and publicly executed dozens of Palestinians during its war with Israel in acts amounting to war crimes, according to a United Nations report released Tuesday.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ report documented hundreds of cases of extrajudicial punishment in the war-ravaged territory, which it said were often publicized during and afterward to instill fear in the populace.

“These cases involved executions, kneecapping, bone-breaking with metal pipes or cement bricks and beatings and were framed by the perpetrators as punishments for alleged collaboration with Israel, looting humanitarian aid, theft, drug-related offenses or affiliations with internal rivals,” it said.

The commission found that Hamas-affiliated operatives and police forces were involved in nearly one-fourth of the 249 documented cases — including 108 deaths — from August 2024 to January 2026. The commission specifically investigated cases involving Hamas-affiliated forces but also counted ones attributed to other armed groups.

Representatives for Hamas did not respond to questions about the report’s allegations.

Hamas has run Gaza for nearly two decades since seizing control of the territory from the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority. Since an October ceasefire halted more than two years of full-scale war with Israel, Hamas has steadily reconsolidated its control over the areas of Gaza that it still governs. Footage released by COGAT, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, on June 8, 2025, shows an alleged Hamas execution of a Palestinian in Gaza City. (COGAT).

According to Tuesday’s report, rather than being imposed through courts or judges, the punishments were carried out by Hamas’s military wing and police units.

Srinivasan Muralidhar, the UN commission’s chair, said the abuses documented in Gaza were occurring in an “environment engineered by Israel,” where “Hamas-affiliated forces have exploited the vacuum created by relentless Israeli attacks and widespread destruction.
Swiss teen to go on trial over brutal stabbing of Orthodox man
A teenager is due to go on trial in Switzerland over an antisemitic knife attack on a 50-year-old Orthodox man which left him with life threatening injuries.

The stabbing in Zurich on March 2, 2024 sent shockwaves across the country and prompted national security director Mario Fehr to call for the suspect to be deported.

The trial will be heard on July 1 at Dielsdorf District Court and is expected to last one day with the verdict scheduled for July 7.

Because the accused was 15 at the time of the attack, the hearing will held behind closed doors.

He is a Swiss national with Tunisian roots who was reported to have been radicalised via the internet, resulting in him pledging allegiance to Isis.

As well as charges relating to the street attack in Zurich he faces a number of other attempted murder charges relating to an allegation he tried to break into a synagogue to kill more Jewish people before attacking the 50-year-old.

Further charges also include supporting a criminal organisation and incitement to spread discrimination and hatred.

In the wake of the stabbing, the Swiss Organisation Of Jewish Communities raised concerns about the rise in antisemitic attacks in Switzerland in the wake of October 7.

The group said: "Physical attacks on Jewish people in Switzerland are very rare. The Jewish community has been spared from such life-threatening attacks for the past two decades.

"However, there has been a significant increase in such physical attacks since 7 October."
Spain reports 86% rise in antisemitic hate crimes
Spain’s Interior Ministry last week released a report according to which there was an 86% increase in antisemitic hate crimes in 2025 over 2024, amid an increase in attacks on Muslims and other minorities, as well.

The ministry’s “Report on the Evolution of Hate Crimes and Incidents 2025,” counted 69 hate crimes against Jews last year, compared to 37 and 23 in 2024 and 2023, respectively. The report counted 35 attacks on Muslims in 2025 compared to 15 in 2024.

The El Pais daily quoted Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, a politician for the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, as stating, “This is institutionalized xenophobia, protected and promoted by public officials. Last year, the excuse was the immigration of minors. This year, it has been the naturalization.”

The data in the ministry’s report, which relies strictly on police records, are significantly lower than those published by the Observatorio de Antisemitismo en España, a watchdog on antisemitism established by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain (FCJE).

The Observatorio has not released its 2025 report yet, but a Tel Aviv University report from April said it had documented 207 cases. The 2024 and 2023 Observatorio tallies were 60 and 34, respectively.

The Observatorio reports include testimonies and cases documented independently, in keeping with the practices of counterparts worldwide, including the Community Security Trust (CST) in the United Kingdom and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the United States.

According to the ministry’s methodology, antisemitic incidents accounted for 7% of 934 cases classified as “xenophobic” in 2025. Spain’s estimated 40,000 Jews constitute about 0.1% of the country’s population.
Pittsburgh area man sentenced to 2.5 years for threatening to kill Jewish official
Edward Arthur Owens Jr., 30, of Elizabeth, Pa., in the Pittsburgh area, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three subsequent years of supervised release for threatening a public official and lying to government agents, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday.

Owens, who pleaded guilty in January to threatening the unnamed Jewish official, had faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

He used a social media app to tell the official that he should “go back to Israel or better yet, exterminate yourself and save us the trouble,” he admitted.

The message also said that “we will not stop until your kind is nonexistent” and used the phrase “109 countries.” The Justice Department said the latter was used by antisemites to claim that Jews have been expelled from 109 countries and to call for their continued expulsion.

The judge said before sentencing that the Owens “created real fear and trepidation” and “caused the victim to have to change their way of living.”
Connecticut man arrested for allegedly yelling slurs at visibly identified Jews, slapping kippah off man’s head
Community members helped the New Haven Police Department identify Paul Smith, 36, of East Haven, Conn., who was arrested and accused of shouting antisemitic slurs at three visibly Jewish people and of slapping a kippah off a victim’s head.

Victims said that the alleged attacker smelled of alcohol and that he approached the three Jews on Crown Street on June 2 and yelled, “get out of my city,” “baby killers” and “go back where you belong.” He is also said to have asked if they liked “genocide.”

The police department told JNS that Smith allegedly tried to “shove a fourth person, who was trying to intervene, threw a rolled-up newspaper at them, then pointed at the yarmulke one of the victims was wearing and slapped it off his head, causing it to fall on the ground.”

Officers viewed video footage to confirm the accounts of the victims. They charged Smith on Monday with intimidation due to bias in the second degree and disorderly conduct.
Teen charged with assisting an offender after alleged arson on Golders Green ambulances
A fifth person has been charged after an alleged arson attack that damaged four Jewish community ambulances.

Subhan Ahmed, 18, from Walthamstow, east London, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 16 accused of assisting an offender.

Four ambulances belonging to Jewish charity Hatzola were damaged in an alleged arson attack in the early hours of March 23 in Golders Green, north London.

It is alleged that three people set fire to the fully stocked vehicles, while a fourth waited in a blue Toyota Avensis.

The resulting blaze caused gas canisters inside the ambulances to explode, resulting in around £1 million of damage. Nearby flats and a synagogue were also damaged by the fire.
Travelodge rejects suggestion ‘Free Palestine’ message appeared on all hotel TVs
Travelodge has rejected claims that a “Free Palestine” message reported by Orthodox Jewish guests appeared more widely across one of its London hotels.

The hotel chain said checks carried out at Travelodge Manor House in Finsbury Park found the message had appeared only on a single television.

The clarification comes nearly a week after Travelodge launched an investigation into an incident reported by Jewish guests staying at the hotel.

A spokesperson told Jewish News: “We have checked every TV in every room in the Manor House hotel and can confirm that this message was displayed on only one TV, in this specific guest’s room. Any suggestion to the contrary is factually incorrect.”

Travelodge said its investigation remains ongoing and that it has no further update beyond previous statements.

The company has not disclosed how the message appeared on the television screen and has not announced any findings from its almost week-long inquiry.


Gwyneth Paltrow fronts advertising campaign for luxury Israeli development
Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been announced as the face of a new advertising campaign for a luxury residential development in Herzliya.

The campaign promotes 51 PARK, a project being developed by Israeli real estate group Aviv Melisron, and was created by Israeli creative agency Why Worry.

Announcing the campaign on LinkedIn, Why Worry founder and chief executive Gabi Attal said Paltrow would lead the advertising drive for the development’s two 51-storey residential towers overlooking the sea and public park.

Attal wrote: “To bring this architectural masterpiece to the Israeli audience, we needed a figure who effortlessly embodies international elegance, a premium lifestyle, and uncompromising quality. Enter Academy Award, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner Gwyneth Paltrow.”

The campaign was filmed in New York and will be used to market the Herzliya development in Israel.





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