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Tuesday, October 20, 2026

10/19 Links Pt2: American Intellectual Antisemitism; Sally Rooney is a posturing ingrate; Radical anti-Israel leftist a suspect in car ramming attack on Australian MP; Palestine poppy creator is NHS doctor who branded Israel ‘a cancer’

From Ian:

Shai Davidai: American Intellectual Antisemitism
At its core, American Intellectual Antisemitism recasts Jews as the embodiment of privilege, oppression, and global power. According to this ideology, Jews are White oppressors, settler-colonialists, and European capitalistic imperialists who wield disproportionate influence over foreign governments, financial systems, and global media in order to ethnically cleanse Palestine and establish a Jewish supremacist ethnostate through dispossession, apartheid, and genocide. Hiding behind a polished veneer of academic jargon and intellectual sophistication, American Intellectual Antisemitism portrays the Jewish people not merely as participants in historical events but as the embodiment of evil, responsible for all that’s wrong in the Middle East and far beyond it. By recasting rape as “resistance” and murder as the means for “liberation,” it creates a moral framework through which even the most horrific violence becomes justifiable. Within this framework, no atrocity against Jews, not even the kidnapping and killing of nine-month-old Kfir Bibas, is too horrific to rationalize.

Taken to its ideological conclusion, American Intellectual Antisemitism casts Israel — “the Jew among the nations” — as inherently evil and its very existence as inherently unjust. Insisting that justice can come only through the eradication of the world’s only Jewish state, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, it holds that anyone who supports Jewish self-determination, Jew or non-Jew alike, must be opposed. Put into practice, this ideology sanctions the targeting of Jews and their allies as an act of moral virtue.

Of course, criticizing Israel’s past and current governments, policies, or conduct is not inherently antisemitic. Yet, by crossing the boundary between criticism of Israel’s actions and opposition to its very existence, this seemingly new form of Jew-hatred reproduces deep antisemitic patterns that are anything but new. Satisfying what Natan Sharansky famously called the “Three Ds” of antisemitism, American Intellectual Antisemitism does all three: it demonizes Jews and Israel, delegitimizes Jewish self-determination, and imposes double standards it demands of no other people or nation. Though its language may be new, the underlying Jew-hatred is ancient. Academia did not invent Jew-hatred. It just gave it a PhD.

Naming the ideology, however, was only the beginning. To understand how American Intellectual Antisemitism had taken hold of so many unsuspecting minds, I needed to trace not only its origins, but its transmission. I needed to uncover where these ideas were developed, who gave them legitimacy, how they traveled beyond campus, and which financial pipelines sustained their spread. I needed to expose not only what people had come to believe, but who had taught them to believe it and how obscure academic ideas had entered mainstream American life. Once I understood what I was seeing, I needed to make sure others could see it too.

That investigation became my book, American Intellectual Antisemitism: The Anti-Jewish Movement Tearing Through Our Universities. Tracing the rise of this radical and hateful ideology within American higher education, the book exposes the ideas, institutions, and individual – from Edward Said, Joseph Massad, and Rashid Khalidi to Nerdeen Kiswani, Judith Butler, Katherine Franke, and, of course, Mahmoud and Zohran Mamdani - that helped recast Jews from a persecuted minority into privileged oppressor. In doing so, I traced the pathways through which American Intellectual Antisemitism escaped academia and entered the media, K-12 education, professional organizations, cultural institutions, and politics. Following its journey from the seminar room to the protest encampment, from academic journals to social media, and from elite universities into institutions that shape how millions of Americans understand the world, I draw on my own transformation from a popular professor at Columbia Business School to one of the country’s most outspoken Jewish and Israeli advocates, enduring relentless defamation and death threats along the way, to reveal just how deeply American Intellectual Antisemitism has become entrenched within our academic system. Above all, the book tells the story of how antisemitism, long before it reached the streets, captured the syllabus.

Writing this book helped me understand how we got here, but it also forced me to consider whether things could have turned out differently. I often think back to my conversation with Mr. Rosberg and wonder what might have been. What might have happened had he taken me and the warning I was trying to deliver more seriously? What might have happened had he not dismissed me as a nuisance and an alarmist, but instead recognized that I was raising a critical alarm? What might Columbia have become had its leaders chosen moral clarity, accountability, and a constructive path forward rather than cowardice, appeasement, and indifference?

We cannot undo what has already been done, but we can still decide what happens next. The need for a better path forward is no less urgent today than it was on that bright November afternoon in Riverside Park. If anything, it is greater. We must be willing to name the hateful ideology of American Intellectual Antisemitism even when it disguises itself in the language of social justice, hold people accountable when they turn that ideology into intimidation and disruption, and offer something better in its place — democracy, pluralism, coexistence, intellectual humility, and universal human dignity. You don’t defeat destructive ideologies merely by exposing the damage they cause. You defeat them by helping people understand what is happening, refusing to accept it as normal, and standing up against it.

That is ultimately why I wrote American Intellectual Antisemitism. Not merely to explain what happened, but to prevent it from happening again. Jews and non-Jews alike must recognize the ideological hatred that has taken root within some of our most elite institutions, understand where it came from and how it spreads, and resist it before it takes root elsewhere.

I walked into Riverside Park that November afternoon believing Columbia could still climb out of the moral pit into which it had dug itself. Nearly three years later, I still believe that it can and that other ideologically captured institutions can as well. American Intellectual Antisemitism is a powerful and menacing ideology, but it is not undefeatable. No ideology is. By choosing moral clarity over confusion, accountability over appeasement, and hope over hatred, we can turn what threatens to become a historical turning point into a historical footnote.

I wrote this book because, once I saw what was happening, I could no longer remain silent. Now that you see it too, will you?
Lionel Shriver: Sally Rooney is a posturing ingrate
Amnesty International indignation to the contrary, this is not a free-speech issue. Rooney may still shout her devotion to Palestinians from the rooftops. Should the author truly wish to fund their cause, legal outfits rowdily clamouring for “free Palestine!” are multitudinous: Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Medical Aid for Palestinians, Oxfam… But, no. Rooney has to plump for Palestine Action, because that will stir a kerfuffle.

This isn’t Rooney’s first gesture of impotent activism. She flaunted her refusal to sell Hebrew translation rights to her third novel, her Israeli publisher being politically impure. She helped spearhead a 2024 authors’ boycott of book festivals funded by Baillie Gifford, supposedly involved in fossil fuels and Israeli defence shares. Yet according to the investment management firm, only 2 per cent of its investments involved oil and gas, and claims of the company’s investment in the Israeli military were “offensively misleading”.

Did this showy, clubby boycott decrease the sale of oil and gas by a single litre or cubic metre? No. Did it deprive Israel of a single bullet? No. But it did convince Baillie Gifford that the fastidious literary set was more trouble than it was worth, leaving Edinburgh, Hay, Cheltenham and six other festivals with funding black holes. While most festivals have recovered, the boycott merely imperilled opportunities for fellow authors to promote their work.

The same Zero Benefit to the Real World model applies to Rooney’s PA spectacle. Will her novels’ withdrawal from British bookshops improve the lot of Palestinians a jot? This grandstanding appears to have nothing to do with Palestinians and everything to do with moral vanity. The gambit is attention-seeking self-aggrandisement. (It’s working. I’m bolstering Rooney’s rep right now.) Real virtue entails action with some small chance of helping the people on whose behalf it was ostensibly taken.

Maybe Rooney will still scrounge a few quid from her paltry savings to toss a proscribed organisation. But does Palestine Action have any effect on the Middle East? The outfit comprises a small, self-righteous group of halfwits in a small island nation itself with no influence on Israeli policy. During a violent 2024 assault on Elbit Systems, the group did over £1m in criminal damage and fractured a police officer’s spine with a sledgehammer.

I challenge you to construct a cause-and-effect narrative that demonstrates how these childish, spiteful ructions in faraway Britain have improved conditions in Gaza by a smidgeon.

Given the woman’s very occupation relies on creativity, Rooney’s pet cause is disappointingly trite, especially for an Irish national. This year, I appeared in two festivals in Ireland, where support for Palestinians, with zilch to do with the Republic, has grown crazed, irrational, manic – even hysterical. Palestinian flags on every lamppost. The signing queue for Avi Shlaim’s Genocide in Gaza out the door and round the corner.

Yet this Irish advocacy is perfectly pointless, reminiscent of the mass trooping about for Black Lives Matter in 2020, when European protests hadn’t the weensiest effect on policing in Minneapolis. This variety of Left-wing activism isn’t driven by a desire to affect the outside world positively. It aspires to a cosy self-regard and parades trendy political credentials. It’s all about me, me, me.
In a London synagogue, a Jewish David stands up to the Green Party’s Goliath
MEANWHILE, THE UK’s “little” David, Highgate Synagogue, steps forward.

The Greens’ Goliath, who passed the Zionism equals racism motion, sent a letter via Councillor Mark Blake, leader of Haringey Green Council, to the rabbi and chairpersons of the synagogue in his area.

He was trying to reassure them about the implications of the party’s disgraceful stance on Zionism and what it means for the local Jewish community. Everything was going to be fine.

This is the usual response of a coward. Having inflicted the blow, the antisemite then goes back to hide behind the parapet with false assurances. This is what Blake did.

Highgate responded with both barrels: “We reject your assurances. You make us unsafe.”

“You may see no connection between the ceaseless vilification of Israel, the blood libels that you and your party regularly trot out, and the hostility to Jews in this country, but we do.”

“We take it from tone and content (of your letter) that you are deeply embarrassed with the decision taken by your party to not only brand Zionism as racism but to call for the eradication by any means necessary, including violence, of the only Jewish state, the only practicing democracy in the Middle East and home to half of the world’s Jewish population…”

“This (motion) has been publicly celebrated by the Haringey branch of the Greens party, aligning itself with Hamas, a genocidal, homophobic, misogynistic, and Islamist terrorist organization.

“This synagogue has had close relatives who were victims of October 7. And let there be no doubt the love of Zion is integral. The threat of the Greens is an ignorant and one-sided view, and we expect you to resign from it.”

The wagons are circled, the war continues.

There is no room for weaseling around, and Highgate Synagogue has sent a message – not just to our enemies who come in many guises, but also to the leaders of the community too often showing themselves inexplicably obsequious. Polite overtures often fall on deaf ears.

During the High Holy Days, government officials were given jars of honey to wish them a sweet new year. Their response was the imposition of sanctions and the desire to disestablish the state of Israel.

Our nation produces brave Davids, not timid Sauls.

As Elie Wiesel said in his oft-repeated guidance: “Stand up, do not stay quiet. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”


Gaza teacher says she was threatened for refusing to teach kids to hate Jews: ‘We will cut your tongue’
A Palestinian teacher in Gaza says a higher-up threatened to cut out her tongue when she challenged coworkers teaching students to hate Jews and embrace violence — and is now warning the poisonous lessons could lead to another Oct. 7.

The veteran UNRWA educator told The Post in an exclusive interview that an administrator at her school confronted her with scissors days after she got into a heated argument with another teacher over what she described as the indoctrination of young girls.

“[The school official] told me, ‘We’ll make you wish for death, and if you don’t stop arguing, we will cut your tongue,’ ” she recalled through a translator.

The 40-year-old geography teacher, who has spent 15 years working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said the incident underscored the dangers of challenging extremist rhetoric in Gaza’s classrooms — a problem she believes has only intensified since the war with Israel.

“Today [the danger is] more intense than ever because the children are actually suffering” from Israeli attacks, she said.

The confrontation occurred at a UNRWA school in Gaza City that has since closed amid the war and been converted into a shelter for displaced Palestinians. The teacher said the threats left her afraid to speak out, particularly because she feared retaliation against her family.

But she has now decided to come forward given because she realized Gaza’s education system is cultivating a new generation of extremists.

“As a teacher, it’s my duty to convey an accurate picture and call upon the world to save our children from these ideas,” she said.

“My most important message is that we need to care about who is teaching our kids.”

The teacher, whose name The Post is withholding for her safety, said she initially sought employment with UNRWA because she believed a school operated under the auspices of the United Nations would offer children protection from Hamas’s culture of violence.
Thread Reader: According to the Palestinian Authority's official school textbooks for grades 6 through 9

Syria’s post-Assad curriculum Islamizes content and glorifies jihad, study finds
Syria’s post-Assad educational curriculum heavily features Islamic content that glorifies jihad and martyrdom, according to a new study released on Monday.

The findings, which come nearly two years after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, raise serious concerns about Syria’s direction under its current leader, who founded Syria’s Al Qaeda affiliate but has since moved to ally himself with the United States and other Western governments.

The report by the London-based watchdog IMPACT-se finds that the new Syrian curriculum replaces a pan-Arab nationalist narrative with an Islamist worldview which glorifies jihad and martyrdom.

Jews are repeatedly portrayed through antisemitic stereotypes of betrayal, hostility and dishonesty, while Syrian Jewish history is absent, according to the study, which took in 130 Syrian textbooks used for grades 1-12. Israel’s right to exist and Jewish national identity are rejected, with Palestinian violence justified or glorified as resistance and martyrdom.

A Grade 8 Arabic language textbook cited in the study includes a text which states “The heroes asked Allah for martyrdom... They gave their souls, watered its soil with pure blood.” Meanwhile, a Grade 4 Islamic Education textbook includes a lesson which teaches that “The believer draws closer to God Almighty through righteous deeds, foremost among them jihad and resistance.”

Syrian schoolbooks honor controversial historic figures, such as Izz ad-din al-Qasam, the namesake of Hamas’s military wing, and Dalal al-Mughrabi, infamous for perpetrating a 1978 massacre in Israel, which killed 38 civilians, including 13 children. A Grade 5 Arabic language textbook includes a poem which portrays al-Mughrabi as a symbol of exemplary heroism.

Moreover, the curriculum also omits scientific theories such as evolution and excludes minorities such as Kurds, Turkmen and Druze. Textbooks also diminish the role of women and depict them in stricter Islamic dress.


Helen Haines alleged attacker identified as social media posts emerge
The man who allegedly attacked independent MP Helen Haines has been identified as 43-year-old man Brendan Nugent, News24.com.au can confirm as his shock political history is revealed.

Mr Nugent allegedly struck Ms Haines with a white Toyota LandCruiser while she was retrieving items from her car, outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria.

No motive has yet been established, and it's understood the man was under the influence at the time of the attack.

Victoria Police has not yet confirmed the identity.

A social media account identified as belonging to the man showed a LandCruiser, with matching number plates to the vehicle allegedly used in the attack.

In one post, he responded to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s statement on Israel, saying: “Couple of US lap dogs.”

“Maybe if you had warned Israel about its attacks, the world wouldn’t be where it is right now”

“Like all their other 'rules', they are applied selectively, especially when it comes to Israel,” he wrote in another post.

“Would be fascinating to see Israel strike a NATO country as a 'defence' measure, and Tรผrkiye would be the only one ever considered.

“Although probably out of bounds, even for the Zionist project.”


Palestine poppy creator is NHS doctor who branded Israel ‘a cancer’
The designer of a controversial “Palestine poppy” is a British-Pakistani NHS doctor who suggested Israel was a cancer, The Telegraph can reveal.

Abdul Qader Ismail, 41, of Birmingham, is an NHS trainee paediatrician who has worked at various West Midlands hospitals, according to his research profile.

Mr Ismail sells the Palestinian flag-coloured enamel pin, shaped like a red poppy, for £1.78 on eBay, with profits donated to charities working to “end the occupation” of the Palestinian territories.

Last month, in a social media post that has now been deleted, Mr Ismail shared an illustration that appeared to suggest Israelis were a disease.

The image shows a doctor looking under a microscope, with diseased cells overlaid with the Israeli flag. The caption read: “This is the worst cancer I have ever seen”.

Associating Israel – and therefore its majority Jewish population – with disease is an “age-old anti-Semitic trope” going as far back as the Black Death, according to the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA).

A CAA spokesman said: “This is sickening, and even more so coming from a doctor charged with delivering equal treatment to all.

“We will be reporting him, as we have done with so many other medics whose obsessive hatred for the Jewish state has brought their profession into disrepute.”

Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, told The Telegraph: “The NHS should sack him immediately. We cannot have views like this working in our health service.” ‘Armed resistance’

In a YouTube video, which has now been deleted, Mr Ismail also appeared to defend Hamas’s Oct 7 attack as “armed resistance” that was legal under international law.

Speaking at his mosque, Mr Ismail condemned the attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis, but said it was “inevitable” Palestinians would rise against their oppressor.

He said they had “tried peaceful protest but it has only resulted in more humiliation and death”, adding: “It is inevitable they [Palestinians] will resort to armed resistance and this is legal under international law.

“This will nearly always end up causing the death of civilians. And while this is always a tragedy, it is grotesque to blame the victim of the oppression. The oppressor has created the horrific situation in which armed resistance has led to the death of innocents.”

Hundreds of Israelis killed by Hamas gunmen on Oct 7 were young festival-goers at Nova, an electronic music event in southern Israel.
Revealed: the ‘Palestine poppy’ creator who justified stoning
The creator of the ‘Palestine poppy’ is an Oxford-educated paediatrician who has written books for Muslim teenagers justifying stoning and warning that homosexuality is ‘a test from Allah’. Abdul Qader Ismail was accused of trying to ‘hijack’ Remembrance Day after he began selling an enamel pin shaped like a poppy in the colours of the Palestinian flag for £1.78 on eBay. The pin is listed as ‘not for profit’ with money being donated to Gaza charities. The Spectator can now reveal that Ismail is an active member of Greens for Palestine and co-sponsored the group’s ‘Zionism is Racism’ policy. He is also the author of a book series titled An Introduction to Challenging Topics for Muslim Teens.

A chapter in the first book, marked for readers aged 13 to 15 and older, discusses religious punishments including stoning, whipping, crucifixion and amputation. Ismail describes them as deterrents and writes that, if applied, they may be a blessing because a person pays for their sins in this life and avoids punishment in the afterlife.

He writes: ‘In the Shariah there are some very severe punishments, but they are for crimes that would harm the wider community if they were allowed to spread. However, Allah’s mercy is such that these punishments are meant to serve as a deterrent, a reminder of Allah’s intense displeasure, and any excuse is found to not apply them. Even when they are put into practice it is still a blessing from Allah, since it will mean we pay for our sins in this life and avoid punishment in the hereafter.’

The chapter also recounts a religious account of a man who confessed to fornication and was stoned to death. He had begged Allah for punishment in order to be ‘purified’ and as such was now enjoying the afterlife by ‘swimming in the rivers of paradise’.

The book clarifies that punishments under Sharia can be imposed only by a judiciary, and that Muslims living under another legal system should obey that country’s laws.

In the second edition, Ismail describes same-sex attraction as a ‘test from Allah’ and says homosexual relationships are wrong. He writes: ‘Even if we have homosexual feelings, we would not be able to act upon them without displeasing Allah… Having homosexual feelings is not a sin, and if we pray to Allah to help us and we do not act upon our feelings, Allah will be pleased with us.’

On transgender children, the book says that those who feel they should be the opposite gender should pray for help and stop themselves from acting on those feelings, adding that doing so would please Allah. The passage is notable given the Green party’s vehement opposition to the Supreme Court ruling that sex is determined by biology.

A separate chapter on female genital mutilation, marked for readers aged 15 to 17 and older, describes one traditional Islamic religious position as allowing, and even recommending, female circumcision. It discusses procedures such as reducing or removing the clitoral hood and reducing the inner labia, and describes arguments for having them performed by a trained surgeon using sterile equipment. Ismail writes: ‘The traditional Islamic position is that female circumcision is allowed, and even desirable. This is based on several Hadith.’ He also outlines that some scholars believe FGM is unacceptable.


Ask Haviv Anything: 155: American and Israeli Jews don’t understand each other, with Ed Rettig
American and Israeli Jews make up nearly 90% of world Jewry, yet when they talk to each other, they more often than not talk past each other. Like ships passing in the night. To unpack why, Haviv is joined by his father, Rabbi Dr. Ed Rettig. Born in the US, Ed moved to Israel at 18, fought on the front lines of the Yom Kippur War just months later, and went on to become a Jerusalem police prosecutor, a rabbi, and a sociologist of the Jewish people.

Together, they break down the six hidden fault lines dividing the world’s two great Jewish civilizations: how radical American Protestantism turned American Judaism into a "religion of choice" while Israel remained a Middle Eastern "religion of fate"; why secular Judaism thrives in Israel but struggles to survive two generations in America; why "separation of church and state" and "separation of religion and state" mean opposite things; how each community understands and wields power after October 7; and how the centrality of sacrifice shapes the way they see the world.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and guest background
00:30 The life and experiences of Rabbi Ed Redig
01:23 Main question: Why are American and Israeli Jews so different?
02:18 Max Steinberg's story and significance
03:14 The importance of sacrifice in Jewish life
04:09 American Jewry's organizational strength and challenges
07:19 Historical roots of American and Israeli Jewish differences
08:49 The influence of Protestantism on American religious identity
12:34 The shift from religious authority to individual autonomy
21:20 Differences in religious legitimacy and community authority
24:19 Jewish identity as a matter of choice versus fate
28:51 The role of sacrifice and memorial practices
55:59 The impact of these differences on Jewish civilization
57:47 The future of Jewish identity and dialogue




Call me Back Podcast: Three Election Scenarios Nobody Is Talking About - with Gil Hoffman
The conventional wisdom is that the outcome comes down to two possibilities: Benjamin Netanyahu stays in power, or Gadi Eisenkot replaces him. But what if neither scenario happens?

On this episode of Call Me Back, Dan Senor speaks with political analyst Gil Hoffman about three under-the-radar scenarios that could reshape Israel’s next government.

In this episode:
Could Eisenkot form a government without winning 61 seats?
What role could President Isaac Herzog play in shaping the next government?
Would a new and/or renewed war change the calculus for Netanyahu?
What kind of a unity government might we see?
Could Avigdor Lieberman somehow become prime minister?




Larry David kvetches about Democratic Socialists of America, takes aim at their antisemitism
Larry David, the famously cranky creator of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, has just penned a “modest proposal” skewering the hypocrisy and antisemitism of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in the online publication Air Mail.

David’s piece, titled “The View from Here,” was published over the weekend and featured the subhead, “A comedian’s modest proposals for the Democratic Socialists of America.” He opens the piece by saying that he recently attended a DSA meeting and joined the group.

The DSA counts New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani among its members, and Mamdani has endorsed DSA candidates for public office, including Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is running for US Congress as a Democrat.

The DSA promoted and urged its members to attend the notorious rally in Times Square in New York City on October 8, 2023, that celebrated the Hamas massacre the previous day. Multiple DSA chapters condoned and gave explanations for the massacre.

Since then, they have doubled down on accusing Israel of genocide and apartheid.

Tackling this issue head-on, David writes, “The DSA has great respect for religious traditions. Because of our burgeoning Muslim population, we want to take all measures to give these people a strong sense of belonging in America.

“Along those lines, we’ll require that all Caucasian women wear a hijab on weekends in solidarity with their Muslim sisters. In addition, Jews will no longer be allowed to refer to themselves as ‘the Chosen People.’ Henceforth, their new nickname will be ‘the Bagel People.’”

His proposal continues: “We strongly believe in a two-state solution. To this end, we propose that Palestinians should be given all the land currently occupied by Israel and that Israel should be given Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific, where the weather is beautiful, and grapefruits are aplenty. We think the Bagel People will be very happy there.”

Larry David mocks DSA with outlandish proposals on housing, pets, reparations
David includes his trademark irreverent shtick in the proposal, ribbing the group by suggesting that all homeowners be forced to leave their doors open and host any and all strangers; that people be granted bereavement leave when their pets die and maternity and paternity leave when they adopt pets; and that as a form of reparations for slavery, whites be enslaved to Black families for a year.

Towards the end, he writes, “We Democratic Socialists love to laugh … but not at the expense of others. The last thing we want is for any person to be offended by a joke that targets them or someone they know. No one should ever have their feelings hurt.

“Consequently, any comedian who is responsible for causing emotional discomfort in any way will be sent to a facility where they will be re-programmed and hopefully emerge with a greater awareness of the sensitivities of their fellow citizens.

“If, however, the re-programming is unsuccessful, the repeat offender will be sent to Pitcairn Island to live with the Bagel People.”


Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil asks US Supreme Court to hear case seeking to avoid re-arrest
Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil on Monday asked the US Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that opened the door for President Donald Trump's administration to re-arrest and deport the Palestinian activist.

Khalil's lawyers asked the justices to take up his case after the Philadelphia-based 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that federal immigration law barred a lower-court judge from ordering his release from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

Khalil was among the most prominent foreign students to be arrested last year as the ​Trump administration pursued a campaign to detain and deport noncitizens who ⁠engaged in pro-Palestinian activism on college campuses.

His lawyers say the Supreme Court should make clear that immigration law does not prevent noncitizens from pursuing cases arguing they have been detained to punish them for speech that is protected by the US Constitution's First Amendment.

"If the Trump administration can punish someone for their pro-Palestine speech, this or any future administration can punish anyone for any speech," Khalil told reporters on Monday.

Khalil faces possible re-arrest and deportation pending Supreme Court ruling
If the 3rd Circuit's decision is allowed to stand, Khalil faces the prospect of arrest and deportation, after the Board of Immigration Appeals in April rejected his challenge to an immigration judge's order that he be removed to Algeria or Syria.

A lower court order barring him from being re-detained remains in place for now until the Supreme Court rules. A separate appeal of the immigration judge's order remains pending.
Hasan Piker event in Minnesota with Ilhan Omar faces growing backlash
A planned event in Minneapolis featuring antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and far-left state Sen. Omar Fateh, set to take place days before the midterm election, is facing growing backlash inside the state.

Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) condemned the planned event on Saturday and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the Democratic candidate for governor, also criticized Piker in a statement on Sunday.

On Monday, Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s Jewish Caucus and the local Jewish Community Relations Council condemned the event, planned for Oct. 26, and urged Minnesota Democrats to reject it in statements to Jewish Insider. The regional branch of the Anti-Defamation League also criticized Piker.

The DFL Jewish Caucus urged Minnesotans to unite against the event, emphasizing the way that the state had turned out against Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the state, which resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens.

“[Piker’s] record speaks for itself. He has built an empire on contempt for this country, for anyone who disagrees with him, and for the basic decency that binds a community together,” the caucus said in a statement. “Hasan Piker is not progressive. He is not brave. He is a hate profiteer, selling the very thing Minnesotans rejected just months ago.”

The group said that DFL members cannot welcome hate “under a different banner” and that it is not “acceptable because it claims to be on our side.”

“Our values mean nothing if we only apply them to our opponents. We are grateful for Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Angie Craig for having the courage to say so,” the caucus continued. “That is why we now call on every DFLer to reject Hasan Piker, plainly and publicly, and to refuse him the stage he seeks. Our victories have never depended on hate. We should be ashamed to court it.”

“Hasan Piker and his brand of hate have no place in the DFL, and no place in Minnesota,” the caucus added.

Just last week, the Jewish caucus had defended Omar after a federal raid of her home.
SCOOP: CAIR leader, Washington state House candidate told public school to reinstate talk by antisemitic streamer
Imraan Siddiqi, Washington state executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and a Democratic candidate for the state House, praised antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker and demanded that the University of Washington reinstate Piker’s canceled lecture in an Aug. 13 letter that JNS obtained via a public records request.

Siddiqi criticized Robert Jones, president of the public university in Seattle, for appearing on a panel earlier this year, referring to a town hall in March about Jew-hatred at Seattle’s Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath, an Orthodox synagogue.

“It cannot be that the university finds space to platform and engage with voices who demean Muslims and pro-Palestinian speech, while abruptly canceling a Muslim community-supported speaker, whose central offense is criticizing a foreign government’s conduct in an ongoing war,” Siddiqi wrote.

In the letter, addressed to Jones and shared with the university’s board of regents, the Democratic candidate sought to reverse the university’s Aug. 7 cancellation of Piker’s lecture, which was scheduled for January 2027.

He praised Piker as “an unapologetic and consistent voice condemning Israel’s war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza” and accused the university of “capitulating to political pressure.”

“CAIR-WA respectfully requests that the University of Washington reverse the cancellation and reschedule Mr. Piker’s lecture as part of the 2026-27 speaker series,” he wrote.

CAIR was among the groups to blame Israel for being attacked on Oct. 7, and the Biden administration removed it from an advisory role on the national strategy on fighting Jew-hatred, after initially listing the group on the whole-of-government strategy.


Anti-Israel Taishya Adams may be elected for Boulder mayor
Voters in this Rocky Mountain foothills college town could soon elect a mayor who won’t affirm that Israel should exist, just a year and a half after an antisemitic terror attack struck the city’s historic downtown.

Protests against Israel’s operations in Gaza cropped up in Boulder in the months following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. Such rallies not only became a fixture on street corners, but they also seeped into the chambers of City Council – transforming public comment periods about local issues into heated clashes about a conflict 7,000 miles away. At the center of these clashes was often Taishya Adams, a council member who had primarily run on climate resilience and affordability issues during her 2023 campaign.

But the Israel-Palestinian conflict hit much closer to home after a June 2025 firebombing on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall. The attack killed one person and injured a dozen others who were participating in a Boulder Run for Their Lives walk, aimed at drawing attention to the Israeli hostages who were still being held by Hamas in Gaza at that time. The day after the attack, Adams was the sole council member who refused to sign a collective statement condemning it.

“The Israel genocide has been one of the defining moments of my tenure,” Adams, who is now running for mayor, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Asked whether she believes the state of Israel should exist, she said, “I know that people want to hear this easy yes/no, but I don’t believe that creating false binaries is going to lead to our collective liberation.”

Adams, who joined the council just two months after the Oct. 7 attacks, added that it doesn’t matter whether she believes Israel should exist.

“Any state that exists has the responsibility to administer equal rights, whether that’s Israel or the United States or any state,” she said.

Although she shares similar positions on issues such as climate change and affordable housing with many of her fellow council members, Adams has split from her colleagues – including her top opponent, incumbent Mayor Aaron Brockett – on Israel.

When asked by JTA if he believes Israel should exist, Brockett replied, “I do,” noting that this is his personal belief and not relevant to his role as a city councilor.

Adams earned the endorsement of Boulder County Democratic Socialists of America soon after announcing her candidacy for mayor this summer. But another powerful local faction, Boulder Progressives, chose to back Brockett, listing Adams as a second option in the city’s ranked-choice voting system.

While internal city council divisions on Israel-Gaza were apparent from the get-go, tensions escalated following the Pearl Street Mall attack.

The day after the attack, city council members formally denounced it as an “act of violence and terror.” Their statement, issued with the mayor and city manager, recognized “in the strongest possible terms that this was a targeted, antisemitic attack.” The authors stressed that such “dread and insecurity, backed by a history of persecution, are all too familiar” to Jewish residents.

“We cannot – and will not – allow antisemitism to become normalized here,” their statement added, stressing a need to “refrain from any commentary or speculation about the suspect.”

Rather than sign the statement, Adams issued her own the next day, explaining that her decision “did not reflect any lack of empathy or support for Jewish community members – or an attempt to somehow justify the horrific act committed by this individual.”


500 Conservative councillors call on Green counterparts to disavow ‘Zionism is Racism’ motion
More than 500 Conservative councillors have signed an open letter urging their Green counterparts to stand up for British Jewish residents following the Green party’s adoption of a “Zionism is Racism” motion at their party conference earlier this month.

The letter, organised by the Conservative Councillor’s Association, calls on Green councillors to “publicly disavow their party’s motion, challenge antisemitism wherever it occurs, and reassure Jewish residents that they will be represented and protected without prejudice.”

At its conference in Brighton, Green party members also explicitly voted against a motion which would have protected Jewish party members who attended Synagogues deemed to be “Zionist”. In an interview on Sunday, Green Party leader Zack Polanski confirmed that he would not seek to overturn the motion. Polanski, who is Jewish, skipped the vote at his party’s own conference, opting to campaign in London ahead of the Holborn & St Pancras Parliamentary by-election, which he subsequently lost. However, the Green party offered remote voting options for members signing up to conference – something which Polanski did not avail himself of.

The letter, written by Councillor John Cope, chairman of the Conservative Councillor’s Association, called on Green councillors “to stand up for British Jewish residents following the Green Party’s decision to declare ‘Zionism to be racist’ at its conference on 4 October 2026, three days before the third anniversary of the worst slaughter of Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

The letter went on to state that “for many British Jews, Zionism is bound up with their identity and the belief that, after two thousand years of expulsion and persecution, the Jewish people have the right to a homeland where they can live in safety. Legitimate criticism of any government, including Israel’s, is part of a free society, but it must never become a reason to stigmatise the Jewish residents we all represent.
Councillor sparks anti-Semitism row by wearing Palestine football shirt in front of two Jewish colleagues at official meeting
A councillor has sparked an anti-Semitism row by wearing a Palestine football shirt at a town hall meeting in full view of his two Jewish colleagues.

One said he felt so uncomfortable during proceedings that he left the chamber early.

Mark Howell, who sits as an independent for Poole Town, wore the black, green and red shirt with the flag of Palestine to an official Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council meeting on September 30.

The commercial lawyer sat immediately in front of two Jewish councillors as they debated lease agreements.

Conservative councillor Lawrence Williams labelled Mr Howell's action as 'insulting'.

He said: 'He knew exactly what he was doing. It was absolutely shocking and I'm astounded that anybody could be so nasty.

'I'm a longstanding member of the Jewish community, but we were in a BCP meeting, not in the Middle East.

'I didn't want to carry on with him behind me so I left early. I was quite shaken up.'

Fellow Jewish councillor Anne Filer, who also sat directly behind Mr Howell, said the shirt made her feel 'very uncomfortable' – but added that wearing any football shirt at a council meeting was 'entirely inappropriate'.

She said: 'It is completely disrespectful to residents and he should know better.

'I don't expect people to turn up in dinner jackets or even suits, but at least dress neutrally, appropriately and sensitively.

'He is entitled to his opinion on Palestine, but we were there to discuss council finances and other local issues.

'This really needs to be taken up by the chairman of the council.'

A formal complaint of anti-Semitism against Mr Howell has reportedly been made since the meeting.

Bournemouth's Jewish community, which numbers around 1,600, has suffered several anti-Semitic incidents in recent years.


Revealed: Jonathan Powell’s wife has defended Hamas
Sarah Helm, the wife of Britain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, took flak last week after appearing to support Palestine Action, the banned terror group, on Twitter. The police looked, but took no further action.

The Spectator can reveal that there is vastly more material, far more controversial than this, in Helm’s tweets. Helm has defended Hamas, questioned reports of mass rape by the terror group, blamed the 7 October attacks on the creation of Israel in 1948, compared Israel to the Nazis, and appeared to praise Syria’s then dictator Bashar al-Assad for remarks in which he had called the Jewish state an ‘outlaw colonial entity’ populated by ‘herds of settlers that are closer to barbarism than to humanity.’

She has also called for western military intervention against Israel and attacked her husband’s own government for its ‘complicity’ and ‘appeasement’ towards Tel Aviv. Here are some of the highlights. All of these posts are still up at the time of writing and several were made while Powell was serving as national security adviser. What on earth must the pillow-talk in the Powell-Helm household be like?

Questioning Hamas rape attacks
On 5 December 2023, just under two months after the Hamas attacks on Israel, Helm quote-posted a claim that the rape allegations made against the terror group were ‘atrocity propaganda’ which used the hashtag ‘DontBelieveIsrael’. She added herself: ‘It is certainly puzzling that not a single Israeli rape victim has given their own testimony on this.’

In March 2024, after the UN found ‘clear and convincing information’ of rape and sexualised torture against hostages held by Hamas, Helm attacked the findings as ‘utterly meaningless’, the UN’s work as ‘botched’ and said it ‘should never have been published’.

Comparing Israel to the Nazis
On 10 April 2024, Helm posted, above another post about an apparent Israeli attack on a family home: ‘Himmler 1943 “We came to the question: How is it with the women and children? I decided to find a clear solution here as well. I did not consider myself justified to exterminate the men .. and allow the avengers of our sons and grandsons in the form of their children to grow up”.’

Helm also reposted a claim attributed to the Suez crisis-era Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, that Israel was ‘as Nazi as Germany’.

Apparent praise of Assad for attacking Israel
On 13 November 2024, Helm quote-posted remarks by the then Syrian dictator, herself commenting above them: ‘This is important. Assad is stepping up to the plate.’

Speaking of Israel, Assad had said: ‘We are not dealing with a state in the legal sense, but rather with an outlaw colonial entity. We are not dealing with people in the civilised sense, but rather with herds of settlers that are closer to barbarism than to humanity.’

Helm later claimed – responding to someone who asked if she knew Assad had besieged, bombed, starved, tortured and killed Palestinians at the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria – that yes, she was ‘trying (failing clearly) to point out the grotesqueness of it’.

Defending Hamas
Last October, Helm posted that ‘after the 2014 war it was HAMAS that crushed emerging Isis/Salafi groups before they took root… People inside Gaza today say they fear the Arab gangs – Israeli collaborators often – far more than Hamas trying to crush them.’

Reaction to 7/10
On the day of the Hamas attacks in 2023, Helm quote-posted another user’s celebratory picture of a Hamas bulldozer breaking through the Erez checkpoint into Israel (or ‘the main gate into Israel’s Gaza prison’, as Helm put it.)

The next day, Helm posted that ‘1948 [the creation of Israel] is the root cause’. Given the timing of the post it appears Helm was referring to the root cause of the attacks.


New York City bank targeted with anti-Israel graffiti, windows smashed
A Capital One bank location on the Upper East Side of Manhattan was vandalized with anti-Israel graffiti on Monday.

Images of the vandalism showed that the windows of the bank were smashed and red graffiti on the doors said, “Drop Elbit” and “Pal Action.”

Elbit is an Israeli defense firm, and Pal Action, or Palestine Action, is a British activist group whose members violently raided an Elbit facility in the UK in 2024.

The US Treasury Department and the UK have designated the UK-based group as a terrorist organization.

Palestine Action US, the group’s US offshoot, rebranded as Unity of Fields in 2024. It was not clear who vandalized the bank, and the nature of the relationship between Unity of Fields and Palestine Action in the UK is murky.

Palestine Action’s social media and Telegram accounts have been suspended in the US and there did not appear to be an immediate claim of responsibility.

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who represents the Upper East Side, said the incident was “deeply disturbing” and that she had urged the police to investigate whether the incident was an antisemitic hate crime.

The NYPD told the Times of Israel that, at 7:40 a.m., an “unidentified individual threw a brick into the window” of the bank, and that the police were investigating the incident as a “possible bias criminal mischief” offense.

Antisemitic crimes in the city are common, according to NYPD data, but the politically motivated, anti-Israel vandalizing of an institution like a bank is relatively rare.


Calgary Opera replaces singer who unfurled Palestinian flag on stage
Calgary Opera has removed singer Gabriel Sanchez-Ortega from the remaining performances of Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca” after he unfurled a large Palestinian flag during the curtain call of the production’s Oct. 16 opening night.

The company apologized for the unauthorized display, stating that “individual political protest contravenes not only company policy but also our responsibility to create a more connected, caring and civil society through artistic experiences.”

“The role of Angelotti will be performed by another artist for the remaining performances,” it stated.

Video footage of the incident appears to show Sanchez-Ortega unfurling the flag as the audience applauds.

Sanchez-Ortega, a bass singer who portrayed Cesare Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner, has said he has no regrets about the gesture, according to media reports.

HonestReporting Canada commended the opera company for its “swift action.”

“Audiences paid to enjoy an opera. Not to have the performance hijacked by someone pushing his own anti-Israel agenda,” it stated. “Organizations pathetically trying to defend this stunt by falsely accusing Israel of genocide are offering an excuse, not a justification.”

“Actions have consequences,” HonestReporting stated. “Case Closed.”


JK Rowling’s agent fights back against ‘silent boycott’ of Jewish writers
A British literary agent has established a publishing outfit to help Jewish authors who he says have been subjected to a “silent boycott” by mainstream U.K. publishers following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Neil Blair established High Line Publishing Studio to help Jewish and Israeli literary figures who are being “shunned.” Blair represents such leading literary lights as JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series.

Blair, who is Jewish, said he was “flabbergasted” when he learned that former Hamas abductee Eli Sharabi, an Oct. 7 attack survivor who spent 491 days in captivity in Gaza, had trouble finding a U.K. publisher for his memoir “Hostage.”

“I’m assuming none of [the publishers] even bothered to read the proposal, as it’s one of the most remarkable books. I think it’s akin to some of the great standout books from the Holocaust, in terms of lessons on how to live one’s life in the face of adversity,” Blair told The Sunday Times.

A small independent publisher eventually picked up Sharabi’s book. Blair said it would have reached more British readers if a bigger one had backed it.

Blair said that the problem originates not with executives, but with junior employees. “Maybe one or two publishers might have some individual prejudice but, generally speaking, the issue is the young employees who could really pass as activists,” he said.

“They think it’s right to demand the company doesn’t publish things they don’t agree with, and they threaten to go on strike or pile on on social media. Perhaps understandably, a lot of editors and publishers go for a quiet life.”

Josh Breslaw, a musician with the band Oi Va Voi, launched a label, Parallel Skies, together with his bandmates after they lost a gig at a Bristol venue. The venue bowed to pressure from activist groups and afterward admitted it made a mistake, saying the group was likely only targeted “because they are a Jewish band performing with an Israeli singer.”

Breslaw told the Times: “I don’t believe most of the music industry ideologically has a position against Jews or a position on the Middle East. I think most of them are, frankly, just intimidated by online hate mobs.

“Part of the problem with the kind of silent boycott we see is that you can’t ever quite put your finger on it. People who ordinarily you would have worked with before, or you might think would be interested, say, ‘No, I’ve got a full schedule at the moment’ or ‘my venue’s too busy,’” he said.
California bakery owners blame backlash over pro-Palestine stance for closure after 50-year run
The owners of a shuttered California bakery are blaming political backlash for their 50-year-old institution’s closure, calming their bold political statements — including criticism of ICE and staunch support of Palestine, saw them booted off Instagram and contributed to the eatery’s demise.

Nabloom Bakery & Pizzerra in Berkeley closed for good on Sunday after a half-century in business. The Bay Area fixture, known for its fruit Danish pastries and sourdough pizzas, initially cited rising ingredient and utility costs as the reason behind their closure.

Now, owners Julia Elliott and Sabra Stepak are going further, saying controversy over their political beliefs hurt the business.

“We’ve always been upfront about our political views. It has now threatened our livelihood,” Elliott and Stepak wrote in a Facebook post.

The owners said they received backlash for a “Defund the Police” mural and a “Teach Palestine” poster they put up outside their business several years ago.

“We were also kicked off instagram for reposting an image of a BART car tagged with ‘F–k Ice’ in our story,” they wrote.

Sales for the business dropped 20% once they were “kicked off” Instagram, the owners claim.

“Then, our anti-up-zoning position brought word of a boycott on list-serves/reddit/WhatsApp,” they continued.
University of Pittsburgh Visiting Prof. Called for Israel’s “Dismantling”, Founded Qutb-Influenced Journal
A visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh has publicly defended Hamas rocket attacks against Israel, challenged the characterization of Hamas fighters as terrorists, and argued that lasting peace cannot be achieved until the “full dismantling of Israel.” He also founded an Islamic political publication that draws intellectual inspiration from Sayyid Qutb, a leading Muslim Brotherhood ideologue whose writings influenced al-Qaeda and other jihadist movements. Courses he has taught at the university include Anthropology of Islam and Anthropology of the Middle East.

Dr. Tanzeen Rashed Doha, a visiting assistant professor in Pittsburgh’s Department of Anthropology, founded and serves as general editor of Milestones: Commentary on the Islamic World, an independent journal established by 2017. His writings discuss Hamas, the Taliban, Islamic militancy, and the relationship between Islamist movements and secular political systems.

Doha also participated in an August 2024 colloquium organized by the Ummatics Institute, a research organization advocating greater political unity across the Muslim world. Its leadership includes a former Hizb ut-Tahrir spokesman, while its broader directory includes individuals with reported or alleged ties to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Defending Hamas Rocket Attacks and Calling for Israel’s Dismantling

In a June 2021 essay titled The Rockets that Explode History, Doha defended Hamas rocket attacks against Israel, describing the response from Gaza as “principled resistance.” He wrote that the May 2021 ceasefire was regarded as a relative victory for Hamas across much of the Islamic world, particularly in Gaza, and argued that no lasting peace could be achieved until the “full dismantling of Israel.”

Doha also challenged the condemnation of Hamas militants as terrorists for attacking Israelis with bombs and rockets. He portrayed criticism of rocket attacks from Gaza as a reversal of responsibility for the violence, accusing Israel of being the original aggressor.

“What if the rockets from Gaza were a consequence of a well thought-out, strategically principled and tactically sound political-military analysis?” he asked.

Discussing the permissible use of militant tactics within Islamic ethical and legal traditions, Doha cited Islamic scholars who had justified “martyrdom operations,” a term commonly used to describe suicide bombings, in the context of the conflict with Israel.

Elsewhere in the essay, Doha described Hamas’s military wing as leading the fighting and wrote that the rockets from Gaza had opened a religious framework of jihad around which different factions united. He also praised Islamists for playing what he described as the most advanced role in challenging Western dominance and emphasized their willingness to embrace martyrdom.

At the beginning of the essay, Doha also included a quotation attributed to Sayyid Qutb about words acquiring power through the deaths of those who proclaim them.


CAM weekly antisemitism report – Anti-Israel social media’s followers inauthentic
The latest Global Antisemitism Report highlights 231 new incidents of antisemitism monitored worldwide by the Antisemitism Research Center (ARC) by CAM during the past week.

Broken down by ideological categories, 65.8% of the incidents were Far-Left (152), 14.3% Islamist-Inspired (33 incidents), and 2.2% Far-Right (5), with 17.7% Unaffiliated/Other (41).

Around two in five accounts engaging with the most widely shared posts by prominent X news aggregator Mario Nawfal are inauthentic, according to a new ARC study.

Over a 45-day tracking period from Aug. 29-Oct. 12, the ARC analyzed 10,015 unique X accounts that amplified 230 of Nawfal's posts. After auditing, the ARC's detection model identified 4,054 of these accounts (40.5%) as likely bots or fake profiles.

The findings further highlighted the growing weaponization of coordinated networks of inauthentic accounts to spread conspiracy theories, incite hate, and sow social discord, often driven by hostile anti-Western regimes, including the governments of Russia and Qatar.
CNN Is Caught Quietly Deleting Sycophantic Language About Hamas-Loving Qatar Ahead of Network’s For-Profit ‘Global Forum’ With Wolf Blitzer, Christiane Amanpour
CNN was embarrassingly caught this weekend quietly altering the agenda for its upcoming Global Perspectives forum in Doha, revising sycophantic language that portrayed Qatar—a country notorious for buying influence and consorting with terrorist groups—in an overwhelmingly glowing light.

Deleted text from CNN's website posted on social media shows how CNN removed language proclaiming that "Qatar has built something rare" and that it is a "State of Influence" located "at the center of global affairs" with "achievements in diplomacy, energy, culture and sport," and replaced it with more neutral phrases referring to the broader Middle East.

"Global Perspectives in Doha"—featuring CNN stars Wolf Blitzer and Christiane Amanpour and set to begin on October 29—is billed by CNN as a "new live event series, bringing the network's renowned journalism and expert analysis to the stage." Amanpour, who once claimed that Israeli hostages held by Hamas were "probably being treated better than the average Gazan," announced Monday that she will be leaving CNN in June.

The event is a commercial, for-profit event, though CNN is opaque about how it makes money. The conference aims to gather Western business leaders—who may or may not be receiving compensation or luxury travel to attend—and profit from sponsorships, promotions, and perhaps by providing the Qataris with access to conference attendees.

But even though it's a corporate event, CNN is dressing it up as a journalistic forum, bringing two of its biggest stars—Blitzer and Amanpour—as well as CNN's chief executive and editor in chief, Mark Thompson (described as Sir Mark Thompson on marketing materials), and other personalities such as Richard Quest.

As it gears up for the event, held at the luxury Rosewood Doha, CNN has "quietly revised" the agenda of the Global Perspectives forum, "removing some rather sycophantic descriptions of Qatar," Eitan Fischberger, an open-source intelligence investigator and writer, posted Saturday on X, along with screenshots showing the since-deleted descriptions. One session, "The Gulf: What Comes Next," originally proclaimed that "Qatar has built something rare — a small country with an outsized role in how the world works." It previously praised "Qatar's achievements in diplomacy, energy, culture, and sport, describing the country as having consistently punched above its weight." Another session, "State of Influence," hyped "Qatar's expanding diplomatic role, asking how the country could position itself at the center of global affairs," Fischberger reported.

These descriptions, he noted, "have since disappeared from the live agenda, but traces remain in Bing's search index." There are also signs on CNN's promotional website that recent changes were made. The panel discussing the Gulf's future was renamed "Power in the Middle," signaling that an editor failed to fully revise the title to include the word "east." The session makes no explicit mention of Qatar, but states: "The global order is no longer shaped by superpowers alone."

CNN's stealth alterations suggest the network is aware of the sensitivity of using its brand to market the state of Qatar, which is the summit's primary financial backer. The event is also expected to be a money maker for CNN, which held a Monday press conference in Doha to promote the joint endeavor. CNN did not respond to a Washington Free Beacon request for comment on the agenda, the alterations flagged by Fischberger, and questions about how much control Qatar is exerting over the forum.


Iranian-linked operative accused of directing UK antisemitic attacks from jail
The Iranian operative accused of masterminding a wave of antisemitic attacks in Britain has reportedly continued to plot a terrorism campaign from behind bars, according to warnings from US authorities.

Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi is suspected of operating Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (Hayi), which is described as a front for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and believed to be behind nearly 20 attacks across Europe in less than three months.

Hayi has been linked to half a dozen arson attacks on Jewish ambulances and synagogues in London during March and April this year, as well as a drone attack on the Israeli embassy and the Golders Green stabbings, all in April.

According to The Times, US authorities allege that Saadi, 32, is using “coded language” in telephone calls from prison to instruct others to carry out “work” and has directed money transfers worth more than $1 million.

The newspaper also obtained documents showing the FBI accuses Saadi of overseeing the release of propaganda videos to inspire others to his “violent ideology and psychological warfare.”

Saadi, who had a close relationship with senior Iranian officials, was arrested in Turkey in May and extradited to the United States, where he faces eight charges of terrorism.

.Saadi, who is expected to face trial next summer, has challenged the special administrative measures he is subject to in detention, including near-solitary confinement and restricted contact with family.
Since Oct. 7, Jews have been targets of nearly three-quarters of all religion-based hate crimes in Portland, Oregon
Jewish residents of Portland, Ore., have been the targets of 34 of 48 religion-based hate crimes in the city, or 71%, since the fourth quarter of 2023, during which the Oct. 7 attacks occurred, according to Portland Police Bureau data.

Oregon’s Jewish population is estimated to be about 1.7% of the state. Portland is the state’s largest city. According to a 2023 study conducted by Brandeis University and sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, there are around 56,600 Jews in the Greater Portland area, 2.3% of the area’s population.

Jews were the targets of 8.9% of all hate crimes in the city since the last quarter of 2023, according to the police data.

The police department also included data on hate incidents, which aren’t crimes. Of 103 religion-based hate crimes and incidents in the city since the last quarter of 2023, 73 targeted Jews, or 71%.

Bob Horenstein, chief community relations and public affairs officer for the Portland Jewish Federation, told JNS that data on both hate crimes and incidents shows that “we’re still seeing a lot of antisemitic incidents in our area,” including in K-12 schools, college campuses and the healthcare sector.

“I’ve been doing this for a long, long time, and my role has changed in the sense that now, I probably spend three-quarters of my time addressing antisemitism,” he said. “We, the Federation, spent over $1.5 million last year for security for our community institutions.”

In 2025, Jews were the targets of 14 of 18, or 78%, of religion-based hate crimes in the city. Muslims, by comparison, were victims of three, or about 16.7%. Eight of the anti-Jewish hate crimes that year were vandalism and one was an assault.

In 2024, 13 of 16 religion-based hate crimes targeted Jews, or about 81%. None targeted Muslims that year. The anti-Jewish hate crimes in the city in 2024 included five instances of vandalism, one instance of disorderly conduct and one instance of intimidation, per the data.
NYC man charged in fatal hit-and-run in Jewish nabe hit with hate crimes for trashing bagel shop
A Queens man charged with mowing down a 71-year-old woman in a Jewish neighborhood has now been hit with hate crime charges for allegedly trashing a local kosher bagel shop twice just days earlier, prosecutors said Monday.

Dawood Faisal, 22, who was already behind bars on manslaughter charges in the May 25 death of Cara Trager on Union Parkway, was indicted on separate raps for allegedly vandalizing Bagels & Co., a Jewish-owned shop that displayed Israeli flags and banners, the Queens District Attorney’s Office said.

According to prosecutors, Dawood, of Fresh Meadows, first vandalized the bagel shop shortly after 6:15 p.m. on May 15, knocking over nine metal plant stands outside, then picking up the dirt and hurling it at the building.

He allegedly returned on May 23 and pushed over and kicked 11 of the plant stands and threw dirt outside the shop, then uprooted greenery from a large clay pot and tossed it, the DA said.

Two days later, he allegedly sped through the neighborhood in his 2013 Toyota Prius doing 75 mph in the 35 mph zone, running a red light on Francis Lewis Boulevard and striking Trager and her husband, Michael — who miraculously survived.

Faisal fled the scene but he crashed the car and bystanders held him until cops arrived.

In June, he was indicted on manslaughter and assault charges, while Michael Trager launched a campaign to have the fatal hit-and-run designated a hate crime given the vandalism incidents.

“What I am alleging was that he was in a Jewish area, a very heavy Jewish area,” Trager said.
Turkish-Israeli woman mobbed by protesters, called a ‘terrorist,’ at Istanbul mall
A Turkish-born Israeli woman was accosted by anti-Israel activists at a shopping mall in Istanbul on Sunday, after her location was shared on social media. Protesters called her a “terrorist” and “child killer” and demanded that she leave the country, according to video of the incident.

“Everyone, look here, there is a terrorist in Istanbul right now,” one of the activists shouted at the woman, identified as Claudia Medina Halfon.

Another person shouted: “We don’t want Zionists in our country.”

Videos circulating on social media showed a large group of people approaching Halfon, many with their mobile phones raised to document the confrontation. Others appeared to try and block her path through the mall.

Security guards intervened and escorted her from the premises, while other personnel prevented protestors from following her down an escalator and attempted to defuse the situation.

The Israel Foreign Ministry condemned the incident on Monday, calling it “disgraceful and unacceptable.”

“Turkey rolls out the red carpet for Hamas terrorists. Now an Israeli-Turkish citizen is harassed and screamed at in an Istanbul mall,” the ministry wrote on X, sharing a video of the confrontation from a Turkish account.

“When a government gives terrorists a safe haven, it should come as no surprise when their hatred is echoed on its streets,” it added.


Elbit secures $235 million contract for PULS launcher
Elbit Systems has secured a $235 million government‑to‑government deal to supply EXTRA‑MR (Medium Range) rockets and PULS (Precise & Universal Launching System) launchers to an undisclosed European country, the company said Monday, marking another significant expansion of Israeli rocket‑artillery systems across Europe.

The three‑year contract, signed between Israel’s Defense Ministry and that of the unnamed country, covers delivery of the medium‑range variant of Elbit’s EXTRA supersonic rocket, along with PULS launchers, related platforms, and integrated logistics support.

Elbit Systems’ PULS provides a comprehensive and cost-effective solution capable of launching unguided rockets, precision-guided munitions, and missiles with various ranges. The PULS launcher is fully adaptable to existing wheeled and tracked platforms, enabling significant reductions in maintenance and training costs.

The EXTRA‑MR is a precision‑guided rocket with an 80‑km. range, designed for mid‑range strike missions against high‑value targets. It is fully compatible with the PULS launcher and existing C4I networks, positioning it as a flexible, lower‑cost option for armies seeking rapid‑response firepower without committing to full ballistic‑missile inventories.
Huckabee highlights Jewish connection to the land during Susya visit
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited Israel’s ancient Susya archeological site on Sunday in what local leaders described as a historic occasion, saying it marked the first time a sitting U.S. ambassador had visited the location.

Huckabee was in Susya to deliver the keynote address at the inaugural Judea Conference, hosted by the Hebron Hills Regional Council and its head, Eliram Azulay. The event drew government ministers, Knesset members and several hundred Israeli activists.

During his remarks the ambassador described his participation as “a great, great privilege.”

Huckabee emphasized the region’s central place in biblical history, calling Judea and Samaria “the heartland of Israel.”

“Eighty percent of the Bible took place” in Judea and Samaria, he said, adding that “it is impossible to even connect to the Scripture without connecting to Judea and Samaria.”

Huckabee added that he was particularly moved by Susya’s archaeological discoveries and biblical heritage, pointing to the ancient synagogue and a new visitor center expected to welcome thousands of guests from around the world. The site, he said, demonstrates that the region’s history stretches back some 1,500 years, with archaeological discoveries continually validating its biblical heritage.

“I love the history of it, but I love the fact that it is connected to the Bible, because I believe the Bible is the book that gives us our bearings. It points us true north,” Huckabee said, adding that the site gives Israelis reason to be grateful for their connection to the land.
New season of Netflix’s ‘The Diplomat’ offers hidden tribute to Hersh Goldberg-Polin
The fourth season of Netflix series “The Diplomat,” which premiered last week, paid a tribute to the late Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and killed in captivity.

In the sixth episode, Frances Munning, the housekeeper at the US ambassador’s residence in London, tells Stuart Heyford, the ambassador’s right-hand man, about her affinity for Americans because of an American soldier named Hershel Polin.

Polin, says Munning, played by Penny Downie, battled next to her father as part of a joint British-American unit in the Allied advance through Belgium during World War II.

Polin, an American soldier, saved her father’s life by picking up and tossing a live grenade that had landed at her father’s feet, throwing it aside and losing his own limb in the process.

“He smashed it up and tossed it away, inches from his hand,” says Munning in her conversation with Heyford, played by Ato Essandoh.

Munning tells Heyford that Polin was from Richmond, Virginia.

The anecdote retold in the show takes place during World War II, but it’s an unmistakable tribute to Goldberg-Polin, who lived in Richmond, Virginia as a young child with his family.

The story is also a salute to Goldberg-Polin’s friend, the late Aner Shapira.

Goldberg-Polin and Shapira were at the Nova music festival on October 7 and hid with others in a roadside shelter during the Hamas attack.

As terrorists began throwing grenades at the partygoers crowded into the shelter, Shapira caught and threw back seven grenades before the eighth killed him.





 


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