Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Islamic Jihad keeps releasing new "martyrs" who were not named in the Gaza Ministry of Health lists

2026-06-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

There are two ways to make it look like most of those killed in a war are civilians.

One is to say or imply that dead militants are civilian.

The other is not to count the dead militants.

Islamic Jihad has been steadily releasing lists of its "martyrs" over the past few months. Based on the sample I looked at, none of them were listed by the Ministry of Health.

Most of those listed are not grunts - they are commanders and platoon leaders. It would be reasonable to assume that they are releasing the leaders' names first, to mourn the major figures first.

The batch released on Saturday included 18 "group commanders."

On April 18, the batch included 18 "platoon commanders" and also several other major figures, like a sniper commander and a deputy commander for a battalion.

May 17 saw about 13 platoon commanders and commanders.

22 other commanders published on June 1.

Only on June 13 did I see a list of people who were not "commanders."

That's about 100 militants - and zero civilians. All from Islamic Jihad, not Hamas.

If the commanders were buried in tunnels, then it stands to reason that their groups were also killed.

The ratio of militants to civilians killed in Gaza keeps getting higher.

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06/20 Links: In two days of Hezbollah's 'ceasefire', five IDF soldiers killed, 13 injured; How to Understand the Memorandum of Undoing; Hamas terrorist doubling as Al Jazeera photojournalist killed in Gaza

2026-06-20T23:32:48.749-04:00

From Ian:

Ben-Dror Yemini: Trump has handed the keys to Iran, and Tehran is in control

There is logic to Iran’s moves. It wants to drive a wedge between the United States and Israel through its Hezbollah proxy. It is succeeding. And Israel faces a dilemma. An Israeli response to Hezbollah’s provocations is exactly what Iran wants. Failure to respond, on the other hand, could whet the appetite of Iran and Hezbollah.

In this situation, Israel needs a diplomatic arm to present Hezbollah’s repeated ceasefire violations. To exercise restraint, so it will be clear that this is a deliberate provocation. Only after it is clear who is violating the cease-fire, and only after the headlines stop saying “Israel bombs Lebanon” and instead say “Hezbollah violates ceasefire,” will Israel be able to respond. The problem is that Israel has no diplomatic arm. And the headlines about the bombings receive far greater prominence than Hezbollah’s violations.

Under the circumstances, the prime minister’s statement Saturday, that Israel is holding its fire, is the correct response. It is meant to put the ball back in Iran’s court. Not that this will cancel the surrender agreement. Far from it. Even the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and even the launch of ballistic missiles at Israel, will not move the United States.

Iran can torment it as much as it wants. Because the United States is deeply sunk in this agreement, and all the dubious explanations it has already offered for it amount to a total liquidation of assets. Oil prices, oh, the oil, Trump said. The global economy nearly entered a terrible crisis, he added. So now he is going to do something? It will not happen. “Even if I murder someone on Fifth Avenue,” Trump said in 2016, “they would still vote for me.” Now it is Iran. Even if it murders a few Americans, just because it feels like it, Trump will still bow his head and argue that it is Iran’s right.

We must hope the current crisis ends. But afterward, Israel must be pulled out of the terrible low point it has reached in the United States. Because without change, today’s problems will look like child’s play compared with tomorrow’s.

Lee Smith: Trump has fallen for the same false Iran promises as Obama

Opening door for Dems
It’s because of Donald Trump that Iran doesn’t have the bomb. Because of the president’s historic partnership with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Iranian regime has been battered. But that doesn’t mean Trump won the war. Not yet, anyway.

Historical trends suggest that a Democrat will succeed Trump, but losing to Iran would virtually ensure it.

Then, Obama’s party will help rebuild the Iranians’ nuclear program, and all of Trump’s efforts, and all the battles won and sacrifices made by American armed forces to stop Iran, will amount to nothing because he didn’t win. Losing wars comes with serious consequences.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth made clear at the outset of the war that the central goal of the US government was to end Iran’s ability to project power beyond its own borders. Vance said in his briefing Friday that the United States has done that by eliminating Iran’s air force and navy.

But the fact that US allies are still under fire during the war that Trump chose and the cease-fire he imposed means the administration has failed to meet the very first benchmark it set for victory.

Perhaps, then, embarrassment was the source of the president’s anger, for when after America’s regional partners retaliated against attacks by Iran and its proxies during the cease-fire, the president chastised his friends.

Polls show that Trump voters still support his war aims. The catch is that it seems he no longer does. He says it’s always been his preference to take Kharg Island by force, but he chose against it because he didn’t think the American people had the stomach for it. But it’s the job of a wartime leader to steel the public and prepare them in the event American lives are lost.

The joint US-Israel campaign destroyed physical things that can’t be easily replaced, like nuclear facilities. Entering negotiations with Iran to secure physical things that yet remain — the remainder of the regime’s nuclear facilities and its stockpiled enriched uranium — is an acknowledgment that you are, at least at present, not capable of or willing to destroy or seize them.

Lost leverage
Shifting from war to talks tilts the balance of power in the other direction, away from the United States, which at war made no concessions, and toward Iran, to which Trump must now make concessions to make a deal.

And the deal, as Vance laid it out in his press briefing, only means surrender. No verification regime can hold Iran to the commitments he says Iran is willing to make. What happens when the Iranians invariably fail to uphold their pledges and then turn away inspectors? They typically do. They’ve never allowed inspectors access to military sites believed to house important parts of the nuclear weapons program.

And Trump’s decision to forgo military operations to achieve his aims means there is no mechanism to enforce any of the already feeble provisions Vance is promoting.

If Trump has already put aside force because he reckoned the cost for winning his objective was too dear, what reason does Iran have to fear that he’d return to tactics he discredited by abandoning them for negotiations after he failed to secure his aims through war?

The Iranians have the upper hand, and not because of any preternatural ability to negotiate for which they’re often, wrongly, credited. The plain truth is that what won’t be won by force cannot be taken through negotiations.

If Trump doesn’t get Iran right, there will be no time left for absolution or apologies. If he loses this war, generations of Americans will pay the price for a defeat that the 47th president of the United States brought on himself.

And future historians of the period are unlikely to have any clearer understanding of why than we do now.

How to Understand the Memorandum of Undoing

It took less than four months for a war of absolute demands to collapse into an agreement of postponed decisions. During the conflict, President Trump declared that there would be “no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” and later warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” By June 17, the U.S. and Iran had signed an interim memorandum declaring an immediate and permanent end to military operations while opening a sixty-day window to negotiate a final agreement. The sixty-day limit governs the initial negotiation period, not the duration of the ceasefire.

The U.S. President signed it at Versailles, of all places, hosted by the French President he had mocked throughout the war, down to the jab that his wife “treats him extremely badly.” That Macron hosted him anyway tells you how eager Europe was to contain the conflict.

But nothing sat as strangely as the Vice President’s language. He wanted Iran to “behave like a normal country,” to rejoin the international community, to become, he hoped, “successful.” Touching language, if the same administration had not, weeks earlier, warned California law enforcement of unverified reporting that Iran had allegedly aspired to attack the state using drones, and if Iran had not, before the June 2025 U.S. strikes, messaged the President threatening “sleeper-cell terror inside the U.S.” if he attacked. Iran went, in the space of a season, from terror sponsor to fixer-upper.

Read against the administration’s own stated aims, the memorandum is a catalog of undoings. The MOU is, in the most literal sense, a Memorandum of Undoing: nearly everything the administration said the war was for. Every maximal promise the war made, the memorandum either narrowed, deferred, or abandoned, with the Vice President now granting that Iran, “like any state,” retains a right to self-defense and need not give up the missile capability the President had vowed to raze. A Memorandum of Undoing is, after all, the easiest kind of document to undo. And it came undone in pieces:

Five soldiers killed, 13 injured within two days, hours of Lebanon ceasefire announcement

Five IDF soldiers died, and 13 were injured in separate instances in southern Lebanon within two days of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire being announced, the IDF announced over the weekend.

The five soldiers were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon, the military announced on Saturday.

Four names have been released so far, including Lt.-Col. Dor Gedalia Ben-Simhon, 32, St.- Sgt. Yoav Klein, 21, and St.-Sgt. Liav Kababia, 20, of the 52nd Battalion, 401st Brigade, as well as Sgt. First Class Nir Ben-Ari, 21, from the Maglan Unit, Commando Brigade.

They were killed in combat during Hezbollah's overnight attacks on IDF positions in the buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

On Friday, a projectile struck a tank belonging to 52nd Battalion forces under the Givati Brigade, who were operating in the area of the village of Tebnit.

St.-Sgt. Klein, St.-Sgt. Kababia, and Lt.-Col. Dor Gedalia Ben-Simhon died in the incident, along with one other soldier, whose name has not yet been cleared for publication.

Hezbollah attacks on southern Israel kill one, injure 13
Later, Hezbollah attacked IDF positions in the Lebanon buffer zone overnight. Sgt. First Class Ben-Ari is believed to be the only soldier killed in the attacks, though 13 other soldiers were wounded.

In the overnight attacks, Hezbollah launched over 50 projectiles at soldiers in a "blatant ceasefire violation," the IDF said.

The military responded to the attacks with strikes on several Hezbollah terrorists and terror infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon, the military added, including rocket launch positions, weapons storage facilities, and command centers. Later on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz told the IDF to hold fire until further notice.

The military noted that it remains committed to the ceasefire, emphasizing that it will act to "remove any threat posed to the State of Israel and IDF soldiers."

We mourn the loss of two IDF soldiers who fell in combat in southern Lebanon:

🕯️Staff Sergeant Yoav Klein, 21, from Herzliya, a soldier in the 52nd Battalion, 401st Brigade

🕯️Sergeant First Class Nir Ben Ari, 21, from Kerem Maharal, a soldier in the Maglan Unit, Commando… pic.twitter.com/2mtXVys2yN
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 20, 2026

The name of the third IDF soldier who tragically fell in the Hezbollah attack on the commander's tank in southern Lebanon on the night between Thursday and Friday has been cleared for publication: Twenty-year-old Staff Sergeant Liav Kababia. Four soldiers were killed in the… pic.twitter.com/WsITKTX06j
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) June 20, 2026

Tehran says closing Strait of Hormuz again following Lebanon flare-up

The top command center of the Iran Armed Forces announced on Saturday it is again shutting maritime transit in the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of Israel’s actions in Lebanon, Reuters cited the Islamic Republic’s Mehr state news agency as reporting.

“It is hereby announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed to vessel traffic; It is noted that this first step is a response to the enemy’s breach of promise, and if the aggression continues, further steps will be planned and taken to force the enemy to comply with its obligations,” the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said in a recorded message, according to AFP.

The U.S. Central Command said on Saturday that commercial ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz increased throughout the day.

“Safe passage through the international waterway remained intact today as 55 merchant ships transited, moving large amounts of cargo and more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets,” it continued.

CENTCOM further said that the Joint Maritime Information Center issued an advisory this week affirming safe passage for all vessels along a designated route that is free of arbitrary requirement claims or impediments.

The U.S. and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding on June 17 that stipulates, in the first clause, that the “the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon” must be ensured.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance spoke with Fox News overnight Friday, saying that the choke point has been opened, facilitating the transportation of 16 million barrels of oil per dy.

Asked if Iranian forces are redirecting vessels from the Strait of Hormuz, Vance said he is “skeptical” of such reports. The vice president noted that mines are still present in the 20-mile stretch of the choke point, and therefore it could be that forces of the Iran’s navy warned ships against crossing in these areas.

He continued that de-mining the strait could take up to 30 days, as stressed in the MoU.

“But no, we’re not seeing any evidence of the Iranians still closing the Strait of Hormuz. It is going to take some time to clear those mines though,” Vance said.

Audio reportedly recorded earlier today captures IRGC Naval forces warning commercial vessels that the Strait of Hormuz is closed. https://t.co/6HHjjTzMZJ pic.twitter.com/ueBpM5NZLF
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) June 20, 2026

There’s the ‘MOU’ and then there is the ‘THL’

The Hormuz Loop pic.twitter.com/hKXIv0bhhW
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 20, 2026

Leiter: Hezbollah fired over 170 projectiles at Israel, IDF soldiers in 24 hours

Hezbollah has launched a total of 147 rockets, 20 UAVs and nine anti-tank missiles at Israel and at soldiers deployed to the security zone in Southern Lebanon in the last 24 hours, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter revealed on Saturday.

Leiter listed 13 villages from which the Iranian-backed terrorist organization carried out its attacks. According to the diplomat, they are: Kfar Sir, Al-Zaharani, Khirbat a-Dwir, Tufakhta, Mazraat a-Daudia, Tul, Kharouf, Jouaiyya, Kfar Riman, Kfar Fila, Joubaa, Mazraat a-Kamata and Kharet a-Nabbaa.

“Hezbollah are terrorists. Hezbollah lies. Hezbollah is Iran’s long arm and they don’t want a cease fire,” Leiter said.

In an earlier tweet, the ambassador blamed Hezbollah for breaking the ceasefire.

“Terrorists lie. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. Hezbollah lies. Iran is using its proxy to extract concessions. That is the modus operandi of the murderous regime in Tehran. Don’t be fooled,” he said.

Israel has agreed to implement a ceasefire in Lebanon in the wake of the Memorandum of Understanding signed last week between the U.S. and Iran.

Discussions between the latter two parties were scheduled to take place in Switzerland on Friday, but were postponed after a deadly flare-up in Lebanon over the weekend.

The top command center of the Iran Armed Forces announced on Saturday that it is again shutting maritime transit in the Strait of Hormuz, citing hostilities in Lebanon as the driver of the measure, according to Reuters.

To be very clear: reality is very different from the rhetoric. The IDF takes extraordinary measures to mitigate civilian harm in Lebanon. In fact, as in Gaza, it employs more civilian harm mitigation measures than any military in past or current operations.

The IDF issues…
— John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) June 19, 2026

IDF troops corner 30 Hezbollah terrorists in Tebnit tunnel headquarters

The IDF cornered dozens of Hezbollah terrorists in a huge underground base in the village of Tebnit, Israeli media reported on Saturday.

According to N12, the network of tunnels is over a kilometer in total length, and IDF forces have engaged in combat both above and below ground.

Maariv reported that 30 Hezbollah terrorists were trapped inside, fighting back against the IDF using mortars and drones.

The IDF stated that the base was one of the most important Hezbollah headquarters in southern Lebanon, and that the operation in the area was intended to remove a long-term threat to northern Israeli communities.

US intelligence warns IDF operations threaten Iran MoU
US intelligence agencies have warned the White House that continued Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon may undermine the Trump administration’s recently signed Memorandum of Understanding with Iran, according to a report in The Washington Post on Friday.

The report was published shortly after it was announced that Israel and the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah had reached a ceasefire agreement.

IDF spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin clarified on Friday afternoon that the military will continue to remove immediate threats to Israel’s national security and respond to any Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire.

Ali al-Tahar Ridge, southern Lebanon

At least 30 Hezbollah terrorist holed up there. Completely surrounded by the IDF, if Israel accomplishes the destruction of this command center it would be a serious loss to Hezbollah.

IRGC will do anything to stop this.

Very important to… https://t.co/pfi9jMtxb7
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 20, 2026

Imagine how long it takes to carve a tunnel network like this into a mountain.

Don't be fooled - this is who Hezbollah is - terrorists occupying Lebanon at the behest of Iran in order to attack Israel. pic.twitter.com/FkufhgWNBl
— Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter (@yechielleiter) June 20, 2026

Hamas terrorist doubling as Al Jazeera photojournalist killed in Gaza

The IDF killed a Hamas terrorist who had been doubling as a photojournalist for Qatari state-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera, the military announced on Saturday.

The terrorist, Ahmed Samir Muhammad Washah, served as a sniper operative in Hamas' military wing, the IDF said.

He, along with two other Hamas terrorists, was killed in an Israeli strike in the center of the Gaza Strip.

"In recent months, he advanced sniper attack plans and additional terrorist activities against IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip," the military stated as reason for him being targeted.

Terrorist's brother also posed as Al Jazeera journalist
Washah's brother, the IDF stated, had also been a Hamas terrorist who had posed as an Al Jazeera journalist, and had been killed by Israeli forces in April. Muhammad Samir Muhammad Washah had worked in Hamas' rocket and weapons production headquarters.

When he was killed, the military said that Washah's brother was involved in the development of drones, rockets, and other weapons, and also played a role in transferring arms across Gaza throughout the war.

The statement added that Washah contributed to Hamas’s force build-up and was directly involved in planning attacks, posing what the military described as a “concrete threat” to troops.

🔴AL JAZEERA JOURNALIST EXPOSED: Ahmed Samir Muhammad Washah, who served as an Al Jazeera photojournalist, was simultaneously a Hamas sniper operative and eliminated in a precise strike in central Gaza.

In recent months, he advanced sniper attack plans and worked alongside his…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 20, 2026

His brother Mohamed Washah was a commander in the anti-tank unit, confirmed by numerous photos. 2/ pic.twitter.com/KiisZCqOTa
— Aizenberg (@Aizenberg55) June 20, 2026

Here is yet another post from Facebook page of a mosque in Bureij Gaza lauding Washah as a MUJAHID along with two other known Hamas operatives. Nothing about journalism. Not one word about his fake role as a "journalist." Full screenshot, no I did not use AI to make this. Cope. pic.twitter.com/gQVsJsjCI6
— Aizenberg (@Aizenberg55) June 21, 2026

Hamad Ismail Abu Rajal, 32, voluntarily left his wife & child on 10/7 to murder, kidnap & rape Israelis. Martyr notices often glorify such men with photos of their children. Fatherhood at home, genocidal indoctrination outside. Rajal was killed in an airstrike on June 5, 2025. pic.twitter.com/L1cFvQYmSs
— Aizenberg (@Aizenberg55) June 20, 2026

Here are some other posts lauding him as a hero and specifically "hero of the crossing" which refers to the 10/7 attack. Mo’men Hatem Al-Hour (Abu Khaled) (ID 424280899) was indeed killed that same day. 2/ https://t.co/Mlti3UAHLC pic.twitter.com/yss32GQDku
— Aizenberg (@Aizenberg55) June 20, 2026

Winston Marshall: “Is this the calm before a much bigger war” - Haviv Rettig Gur

In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with Israeli journalist and geopolitical analyst Haviv Rettig Gur for a deep dive into President Trump's Iran peace deal, the future of the Middle East, and whether the West has just missed its best chance to defeat the Iranian regime.

We examine the controversial agreement between the United States and Iran, the lifting of sanctions, the future of Iran’s nuclear programme, and what the deal means for Israel, Hezbollah, and the wider region. Haviv explains why many Israelis view the agreement with alarm, arguing that it risks strengthening Tehran while allowing its proxy network to rebuild.

We also discuss the Strait of Hormuz, American leverage, the legacy of Obama’s JCPOA, the role of the Gulf states, and whether the war against Iran’s “Ring of Fire” has ended in victory, stalemate, or strategic retreat. Finally, we explore the long-term future of the Iranian regime, the limits of diplomacy, and why Haviv believes this conflict is far from over...

Chapters
0:00 Introduction
2:55 Initial Reactions to the Deal
7:31 Financial Aspects of the Deal
11:23 Trust in the American Administration
25:28 The Role of Hezbollah and Lebanon
32:07 The Israeli Response to the Deal
52:45 The Long-Term Implications of the Deal
53:17 The Role of the Arab Gulf States
55:55 Final Thoughts

"The idea that somehow a terrorist group can dictate to a terrorist state what should go in a memorandum of understanding with the greatest superpower in the world, and a democracy — I think something is very wrong here." @RuthieBlum, @JNS_org

Guest host: @CaseyHarper33 pic.twitter.com/MRgMsrYWYG
— Family Research Council (@FRCdc) June 19, 2026

If your goal is to have a sustainable ceasefire and agreement, you would not accept linking the MOU to Lebanon. But it is if your goal is to get the US to force Israel to accept continued bombardment from Hezbollah.

Supporters of the MOU have a choice: either (1) they can agree… https://t.co/qZQZb4UsEU
— David Reaboi, Late Republic Nonsense (@davereaboi) June 20, 2026

Pro-Iran narratives target Azerbaijan’s Jewish war hero amid Israel-Baku disinformation row

Azerbaijani-language social media posts have circulated in recent weeks questioning the legacy of Albert Agarunov, a Jewish National Hero of Azerbaijan, as Iranian and pro-Iranian accounts renewed claims that Azerbaijan is being used for Israeli operations against Iran.

The posts used phrases such as “the Albert Agarunov lie has collapsed” and described his story as a “forgery.” Some appeared alongside hashtags and language associated with Iranian-supported subversive groups in Azerbaijan, which portray themselves as “opposition” to the country’s secular authorities. Their timing, wording and use of certain language mirror broader pro-Iranian narratives that have targeted Azerbaijan over its ties with Israel.

Some of the accounts present themselves as opposition voices, while using language associated with pro-Iranian and Resistance-linked networks. Their timing, wording and use of certain language mirror broader pro-Iranian narratives that have targeted Azerbaijan over its ties with Israel.

Agarunov, a Mountain Jew from Baku, volunteered during the First Karabakh War, served as a tank commander and was killed on May 8, 1992, during the battle for Shusha. He was later awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan and is buried in Baku’s Alley of Martyrs beneath the flags of Azerbaijan and Israel. A school has been named after him, and a monument was erected in one of Baku’s districts in his honor.

Agarunov is remembered not only for his battlefield role, but also as a Jewish Azerbaijani figure whose identity has remained part of his public commemoration in Azerbaijan. The recent posts about him were noted by Azerbaijani commentators and Jewish-Azerbaijani community sources as part of a broader attempt to discredit his image.

The posts also drew pushback from ordinary Azerbaijani users, many of whom continued to describe Agarunov as a national hero. Israel has long been viewed in Baku as an important defense partner, particularly during and after the Karabakh wars.

The online activity followed a CNN report on June 5, which cited anonymous sources familiar with the matter claiming that IDF commandos, intelligence personnel and Mossad operatives had operated from locations in southern Azerbaijan during the Iran war. The report said the Israeli presence was linked to intelligence gathering, drone activity and possible rescue operations near Iran’s northern border.

Azerbaijan denied the report. Officials in Baku said the claims were baseless and that Azerbaijan does not allow its territory to be used for military operations, intelligence activity or hostile actions against a third state.

lran to lash prominent female singer for performing online without hijab

An Iranian court sentenced a prominent singer named Parastoo Ahmadi and a group of seven fellow artists to 74 lashes each after they livestreamed a performance on YouTube, according to her videographer and local media.

The concert featured Ahmadi singing powerful, mournful songs to an empty audience, on a dimly-lit stage adorned solely with a large Persian carpet in the grounds of a traditional caravanserai complex.

Ahmadi was backed by a pianist, drummer, guitarist and bassist.

All the musicians wore black, with Ahmadi dressed in a long, strappy gown and wearing deep red lipstick, in a country where women are banned from singing in public.

They are also required to dress modestly and wear the headscarf.

Ahmadi livestreamed the concert on her own channel in December 2024, where it has been viewed three million times. It has also been viewed many thousands of times more on other channels.

“Two years banned from artistic activities, banned from leaving the country, and 74 lashes for all of us,” wrote videographer Tahmineh Monzavi in a post on Instagram on Thursday.

Ahmadi, Monzavi, the musicians and others involved in the production were first taken into custody in December 2024, days after the concert took place.

Local media had at the time said they were released on bail, while the judiciary’s Mizan Online news website said a case was filed for performing “music without observing legal and religious standards.”

Mizan and other official websites have not confirmed the latest sentencing, but Iran’s reformist Emtedad news platform also reported on the story on Thursday. Women share a moment as they look at a smartphone at the main gate of the Tehran University as a banner shows portraits of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, and the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Ahmadi and other participants “were sentenced to 74 lashes, a two-year ban on leaving the country, and a two-year ban on artistic activity,” according to a post on Emtedad’s Telegram.

“This verdict was issued by the Qom Provincial Criminal Court… The charge against them is hurting public decency by producing and publishing vulgar and immoral content on the internet.”

A court in Qom has sentenced singer Parastoo Ahmadi and eight musicians and production team members involved in the online "Caravanserai Concert" to 74 lashes each, a two-year travel ban and a two-year ban on artistic activity.

The court cited Ahmadi's performance without hijab,… pic.twitter.com/jLDHKcVAQv
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) June 19, 2026

France arrests 20 after banning rally against political executions in Iran

French police arrested around 20 people in Paris on Saturday as demonstrators gathered for a protest against repression and executions in Iran, defying an official ban.

Several buses arrived at Place Vauban in central Paris despite police having banned the rally over what they said was concerns about potential clashes “in the current particularly tense national and international context.”

Hundreds of protesters gathered at the location, an AFP correspondent saw.

Police issued orders for the crowd to disperse and a score of people were arrested, a police source told AFP.

“They arrested about 20 people for no reason,” Afchine Alavi, a member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told AFP.

“On the protesters’ side, there is no violence. Police dispersed many people and are preventing others from joining,” Alavi added.

The NCRI is the political arm of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI, also known by its Persian acronym MEK), which is designated a terrorist group by Iran.

The group has organized numerous protests in Paris without incident, including in recent months during nationwide anti-government demonstrations in Iran and the US-Israeli conflict with the Islamic Republic.

Some protesters carried signs reading “Neither shah nor mullahs.”

Alavi said police used pepper spray and that several protesters were injured.

Organizers filed an emergency motion to overturn the ban but a Paris court upheld it on Saturday morning.

The ban was ordered Thursday evening hours after a call between France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi, during which they discussed the latest developments to end the Iran war.

Why is @gershonbaskin retweeting attacks on his own government by the Iranian regime that has financed, trained, and directed terrorist and genocidal attacks against his own people?

The dude is not a serious arbiter for peace. pic.twitter.com/Fz8ShChEfr
— 𝔼𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕠𝕥 𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕟 (@ElliotMalin) June 20, 2026

RT loves how much Vance hates Israel. They have been tweeting about it nonstop while also amplifying Trita Parsi (regime lobbyist No. 1) for pointing it out. They all work hand in hand to make America woke-right and anti-Israel. https://t.co/nBEKbpU7hj pic.twitter.com/AOcj6k413A
— diana bloom (@diana_bloom_) June 20, 2026

This article invents Iran’s “victory” while reframing the real events.
The regime’s massacre of Iranian civilians, the nuclear threat, and the broader context are pushed to the margins.
The lead frames the US and Israel as aggressors, and Iran as merely retaliating.#WikiWashing pic.twitter.com/jHaaeR9Nrg
— WikiBias (@WikiBias) June 19, 2026

Danon demands UN official quit over Israel blacklist

A verbal confrontation erupted at the United Nations on Friday when Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon called on a senior U.N. official to resign over what he described as a politically motivated campaign against Israel.

The clash occurred during the United Nations’ flagship event marking the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Danon sharply criticized Pramila Patten, the U.N. secretary-general’s special representative on sexual violence in conflict, over Israel’s inclusion by U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres last month on a U.N. blacklist of parties suspected of conflict-related sexual violence, alongside terrorist organizations.

“Israel has been placed on a blacklist alongside Hamas, ISIS and Boko Haram,” Danon said. “This is a moral disgrace that will be remembered as one of the darkest stains on António Guterres’s legacy.”

Tensions escalated when Vanessa Frazier, the U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict, interrupted Danon’s remarks. Frazier is responsible for the annual report that included Israel on a U.N. blacklist related to children and armed conflict.

The interruption triggered a brief but vocal exchange. Danon accused Patten of lending credibility to allegations against Israel without independently reviewing the evidence or ensuring that Israel had been given a fair opportunity to respond.

“If verifying the facts is not Ms. Patten’s responsibility, then what exactly is her responsibility?” he asked.

Addressing Patten directly, Danon said, “You knew Israel had cooperated. You knew you had not reviewed the evidence yourself. Yet you chose to stand behind this falsehood. You should have said no. You should have resigned. You tried to stain Israel’s name. But the stain is not on Israel. The stain is on you.”

According to a video of the exchange posted by Danon on X, Frazier objected to what she called “personal attacks” and defended her findings, saying they were based on verified evidence.

Danon responded forcefully, accusing U.N. officials of bias against Israel.

“You caved to the secretary-general’s obsession with targeting Israel,” he said.

At one point, after another interruption, Danon declared, “We are a member state, and you work for the U.N., and you will be quiet now!

UN official @_VanessaFrazier replies to Ambassador @dannydanon and continues to forget that she is just a UN official and should learn her place.

Vanessa, first: Having three Hamas members repeat the same lie is not "verification." Pramila Patten herself acknowledged her job was… https://t.co/8SOcYE4Usp pic.twitter.com/IWwW0uvBau
— Leslie Kajomovitz (@kikas6652) June 20, 2026

Disgusting behavior by senior UN official @_VanessaFrazier interrupting a member state after she had her opportunity to give her remarks. The fact that @UN officials would allow this shows how far the institution has fallen. There should be a reprimand and statement by… https://t.co/qnJkRwyVPr
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) June 20, 2026

Here is the tweet they just deleted after I explained why it’s manifestly false.@_VanessaFrazier, why did you retweet this statement which falsely justified your illegal actions?

Do you understand that you are only a UN official now, and no longer the UN Ambassador of Malta? pic.twitter.com/4jGAKnskSR
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) June 20, 2026

Vanessa, I wasn't sure who was correct here, you or Danon, but with this tweet, you've amply proved what a hate-filled bullshit artist you are. pic.twitter.com/no4rl2SkOE
— GuyInSF (@GuyInSF2) June 20, 2026

Swastikas, hate speech reportedly printed in NYC UN-affiliated middle school yearbook

Swastikas and homophobic comments were reportedly printed in an eighth-grade yearbook of the United Nations International School in New York, a UN-affiliated institution that teaches the children of diplomats.

The school canceled the eighth grade’s end-of-year party over the incident and has launched an internal investigation, the Ynet news site reported Thursday, citing Israeli and Jewish parents of students at the school, where a swastika was also found etched in a boys’ locker room earlier this year.

UNIS, where annual tuition costs run up to about $50,000, is also facing a lawsuit from earlier this year by a Jewish veteran French teacher who claims the institution has ignored repeated complaints about antisemitic and anti-Israel abuse from both students and staff.

The Ynet report did not include pictures or quotes from the yearbook, but UNIS spokesperson Lupe Todd-Medina confirmed to the news site that school yearbooks had contained “hateful language.”

“We are shocked by the hateful language found in the junior school yearbooks and unequivocally condemn identity-based harm,” the spokesperson said. “Upon learning of the incident, school leadership immediately confiscated the remaining yearbooks and launched a comprehensive investigation.”

Israeli diplomats whose children attend UNIS slammed the school’s response for speaking broadly about “identity-based harm” without explicitly calling out antisemitism, Ynet reported.

“Nothing surprises us anymore,” Ynet quoted an Israeli parent as saying. “It feels implausible to present every incident like this as an isolated case and not a deep-seated problem.”

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon brought up the Ynet report at the General Assembly on Thursday, when the UN marked the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.

Israel: Palestinians only group whose refugee numbers keep growing

The Israeli Foreign Ministry marked World Refugee Day on Saturday by criticizing the U.N. Relief and Works Agency over its discriminatory treatment of Palestinian refugees since its establishment in 1949.

“Refugee agencies are supposed to reduce the number of refugees,” the ministry tweeted, adding that as for UNRWA, it ensures that the number of Palestinian refugees only rises.

As a result of Israel’s defense of itself during its reestablishment, roughly 700,000 Arabs in Britain’s Palestine Mandate were displaced. A large portion of them heeded to calls to leave from the invading Arab armies, promising that they could return home after the nascent Jewish state was destroyed.

Unlike other United Nations refugee agencies, UNRWA automatically grants refugee status to all descendants of Palestinian refugees, and does not actively search for resettlement solutions.

As a result, today more than 5.9 million Palestinians are registered with UNRWA as refugees.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry in a separate tweet highlighted a contrary policy, the Jewish state’s absorption of millions of Jewish refugees and immigrants in its founding years.

These included Holocaust survivors, Jews expelled from Arab countries, Ethiopian Jews and Soviet Jews.

“They were not kept as refugees: They became citizens. They became Israelis,” the ministry stressed.

Today is World Refugee Day.

A day to remember that refugee agencies are supposed to reduce the number of refugees.

Unless you're @UNRWA.

Then somehow the number only goes up. pic.twitter.com/zVyykl8iEE
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 20, 2026

Relentless, relentless lying from these anti-Israel activists. Two and a half years of people making shit up. https://t.co/9gWS1iRhw7 pic.twitter.com/sK3SO7jUrb
— Andrew Fox (@Mr_Andrew_Fox) June 20, 2026

Jonathan SacerdotiWe found the limit of free speech at the Oxford Union

Laurence and I had prepared a brown paper envelope on which he had written the letters C.H. for Charlie Hebdo. At the start of his speech, he held it up, warning the audience that it contained a caricature he wished to show them, later on. Most didn’t react at first, but some minutes later, when he reached for the envelope a second time, the opposition bench jumped like a group of dozing cats who had heard a sudden noise.

“My wife asked me not to show this for fear of repercussions for my family,” he said. “But I told her that if I did not, I would have submitted to Islam.”

The opposition speakers and their guests squirmed in discomfort, terrified at the very suggestion a drawing of Mohamed might soon be unveiled – and not just any drawing, that drawing.

Entirely as predicted, the mask slipped. Arwa, who had been enjoying her 15 minutes of fame as the self-proclaimed final protector of free speech in the UK, jumped to her feet with an interjection that seemed intended to prevent her own death for facilitating such blasphemy.

Had she not demonstrated enough commitment to freedom of speech, as a Muslim woman, she begged, by inviting him to speak in the first place? Must the cartoon be unleashed?

But before Laurence could even answer, Sir Jacob – who would later claim Britain’s Western, Christian foundations were sufficient to defend us from the horrors of Islamic violence – jumped to his feet. Maybe there was an obscure rule in the Union’s constitution which prohibited the use of props, he clutched, but the straw was not there.

A young man in the third row announced that no such prohibition had been applied to remove PLO flags in previous debates, so clearly the cartoon should be allowed. Touché.

Suddenly Rees-Mogg, Alrayes, the two converts, and even the three Muslim heavies they’d brought with them to attempt an intimidating entourage, all looked distinctly freaked out. It seems we had found the limit of free speech they had all denied existed. That limit was Islam, and if they let this pass, maybe it would come for them too. The author, Jonathan Sacerdoti, at the Oxford Union during Wednesday’s debate

Exercising the full dramatic abilities only a professional actor cancelled by the woke mob could, as Laurence slowly unwound the string which fastened the old-fashioned brown paper envelope, time stood still. The audience gasped, and let out a nervous laugh, as he slid out its scurrilous contents.

A caricature of Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Relief. A pardon from the otherwise inevitable death sentence. Because in this country, you can mercilessly mock an antiquated former MP and knight of the realm with no fear for your bodily safety or life. Actually, it’s almost compulsory to mock the Mogg. But don’t you dare touch Mo.

As we had intended, the moment perfectly revealed the palpable fear of Islam held even by its staunchest defenders in that room, and by everybody else, too. Check mate.

My Oxford Union speech: why the West should be suspicious of Islam
https://t.co/rCjZLXc9Ke
— Jonathan Sacerdoti (@jonsac) June 20, 2026

Oxford Union had a debate that Israel never wanted peace. Predictably the motion passed. Antizionist Ilan Pappe said the pro-Israel side should never have been allowed to debate. That’s what they want. To reshape history and silence anyone who might challenge them. pic.twitter.com/QlLzEMQcIq
— Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) June 20, 2026

Winston Marshall: The Islam Debate Britain Can No Longer Avoid

In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with writer, commentator, and former Muslim Ridvan Aydemir, better known as The Apostate Prophet, for a conversation on Islam, immigration, demographics, free speech, and the future of Britain.

Aydemir argues that many Western leaders have failed to understand the ideological challenge posed by political Islam and warns that mass migration, demographic change, and cultural fragmentation are transforming Europe in ways few politicians are willing to discuss openly. Drawing on his experience growing up in a devout Muslim household before converting to Christianity, he explains why he believes Islamism remains one of the most significant challenges facing the West today.

We discuss anti-Semitism, Sharia law, integration, grooming gangs, deportations, free speech, and the rise of what some have called "Islamic populism." We also explore the history of Islam, the life of Muhammad, the relationship between Christianity and Islam, and why Aydemir believes many Western assumptions about tolerance, multiculturalism, and liberal democracy are increasingly being tested.

Finally, we examine whether Britain can reverse its current trajectory, what a successful integration model would look like, and why Aydemir believes Christianity remains essential to preserving Western civilisation.

Chapters
00:00 The Shocking Survey On British Muslims
03:22 Do These Polling Numbers Surprise Ex-Muslims?
08:40 Islam, Christianity & Religious Tolerance
15:28 Demographics, Integration & The Future Of Britain
17:42 Why Some Muslim Communities Integrate Better Than Others
20:32 Qatar, Saudi Arabia & Exporting Islamism
27:28 Immigration, Deportations & Western Identity
34:47 Free Speech, Blasphemy & Islamic Influence
39:50 Growing Up Muslim In Europe
43:03 Islam, Anti-Semitism & The Jewish Question
45:42 Muhammad, History & The Origins Of Islam
56:27 Why Muhammad Turned Against The Jews
58:22 Is Britain Heading Towards Balkanisation?
1:02:00 The Islamic View Of Jesus & The Gospel

Van Hollen says he’s considering presidential bid, wants Israel to be 2028 litmus test

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), a leading critic of Israel in the Senate, publicly confirmed for the first time this week, after visits to key primary states, that he is considering a 2028 presidential bid — and argued that criticism of Israel should be a key litmus test for the emerging field.

Van Hollen has become an increasingly outspoken and virulent voice against Israel in the Senate and taken trips to states that will play a pivotal role in the 2028 presidential primary, fueling speculation that he is scoping out a presidential run.

“I went to New Hampshire because I was invited, but I would say kind of kicking the tires a little bit,” Van Hollen said on the “On NOTUS” podcast this week.

Asked whether he thinks any Democratic presidential candidate will be viable without criticizing Israel and supporting conditioning aid to the Jewish state, Van Hollen responded, “I think a Democratic presidential candidate should believe in the United States’ foreign policy based on advancing our values and our interests. And if you want to advance our values, you cannot apply one set of standards just to our adversaries and another to our friends and be taken seriously in the world about it.”

“I think any credible Democratic presidential candidate has to be willing to hold the government of Israel accountable when it’s violating human rights and violating international law and violating US interests because the Israeli-Palestinian issue, conflict goes to the heart of so much of the instability that we’ve encountered and paid for in the United States over decades,” Van Hollen continued.

Mamdani’s House candidates attack Israel in closing arguments

The battle for three Democratic congressional primaries in New York City has been defined by a conflict more than 5,000 miles away, with candidates spending the final days before Tuesday’s primary echoing the fiercely anti-Israel rhetoric that helped elevate Mayor Zohran Mamdani to power.

All three of the mayor’s favored contenders for the House — former City Comptroller Brad Lander, Assemblymember Claire Valdez and doctoral student Darializa Avila Chevalier — underscored their criticism of Israel and its U.S. supporters as early voting began in the contested districts.

Avila Chevalier took time in a televised debate on Tuesday to accuse the country of “apartheid” while seeming to compare the actions of Jewish settlers in the West Bank and the IDF in the Gaza Strip to gentrification in the district where she hopes to unseat Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) and other majority-minority areas.

“I saw so many connections between what was happening to Palestinians there in Palestine and what was happening to so many communities across the U.S., particularly Black and Latino communities, who have been priced out and pushed out of our homes,” said Avila Chevalier, who — like most candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America — draws her strongest support from predominantly white and highly educated residents of the district.

“When we talk about displacement in the West Bank and Gaza, it is a very similar, visually similar situation, where people who have been in a place for generations, are being displaced because of corporate interests, because of folks who are coming in, claiming the land over, and buying it up and kicking the people who live there out.”

Avila Chevalier, who has come under fire for attending an anti-Israel demonstration one day after the Oct. 7 attacks, added during the debate that the “very institutions” involved in both the Holy Land and urban America are the same.

Jon Ossoff has received over $700K in campaign contributions from the SPLC.

He even made a video thanking them on their 50th anniversary.

Now, he's silent on their federal indictment for faking the 'hate crimes' they were supposed to be fighting. pic.twitter.com/cfgCVKz548
— Mike Collins War Room (@TeamOverhaulGA) June 19, 2026

Tucker Carlson continues to suggest that al-Qaeda was not responsible for 9/11 and that it was actually Israel.

He then adds that the Israelis are such “inhumane savages” who do not consider non-Israeli life “fully human.” pic.twitter.com/33megreYbL
— Justin (@JustinUSA) June 20, 2026

He’s so close pic.twitter.com/RDY3lvLJ4A
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) June 20, 2026

I've never seen anything like the speed with which people go from "oopsie did my toe just accidentally touch some antisemitism" to frothing Protocols of Zion sh*t. It's insane. https://t.co/I379slKFQc
— Magdi Jacobs (@magi_jay) June 19, 2026

"We will raise our voice for Gaza. Allahu Akbar!"

Emboldened Green deputy co-leader Mothin Ali reminding Britain today of the threat that he and his ideology pose at the International “Anti-War” Conference in London. Chants lapped up by the sheep in the crowd. Disgusting. pic.twitter.com/ZwSHyDMLGI
— Subversive Force (@SubversiveForce) June 20, 2026

Incredible!
As well as going on about the fake Gaza genocide, Diane Abbott today described the Ukraine–Russia war as “the NATO campaign against Russia”.

Watch to the end. pic.twitter.com/uXtMgUr8D3
— Subversive Force (@SubversiveForce) June 20, 2026

So on the nose it hurts @andrewdoyle_com pic.twitter.com/kz65KRQrWL
— Nicole Lampert (@nicolelampert) June 20, 2026

I love their ability to turn any topic into being about Jews.

"It's Independence Day for America? Well, they certainly aren't independent from the JEWS!" pic.twitter.com/qIhEecK0lg
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) June 20, 2026

Inside the minds of extremists: Counterterror experts warn antisemitism driving wave of radicalism

In 2025, deaths from terrorist attacks fell by 28%, and the number of global incidents declined by 22%, according to the 13th edition of the Global Terrorism Index.

At first glance, the data suggest an overall easing of the threat. Yet the picture is more uneven: terrorist attacks increased in Western countries over the past year, accounting for seven of the 19 states where conditions deteriorated.

About 3,000 km. from mainland Europe, 10,000 km. from the United States, and 13,000 km. from Australia, a single attack on Israel sent shock waves of radicalization that have reverberated far beyond the region. October 7, 2023, marked a turning point in global security.

The European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2024 notes that Hamas’s attack, in which more than 1,200 people were killed, has contributed to a renewed surge in global terrorism and helped accelerate patterns of fundamentalism.

In 2023 alone, there were 120 terrorist incidents across seven EU member states, including 98 completed attacks, nine failed attempts, and 13 foiled plots.

Former counterterrorism operative explains what draws youth to extremism
Mubin Shaikh, a former undercover counterterrorism operative for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service who later worked with US security services to counter the threat of ISIS, told The Jerusalem Post that he has observed a growing number of referrals to the organization Parents for Peace, where he now works as an exit peer specialist.

Shaikh explained that Hamas’s October 7 attacks and the ensuing war have drawn more young people into a complex conflict environment without the information, cognitive maturity, or analytical tools needed to understand it fully.

“What we’re finding in Parents for Peace is that antisemitism becomes like the connective tissue between all different extremist groups – Islamist, Marxist, etc. The hatred of Jews is a common denominator among them,” he explained.

Though not discounting the effect the Internet and media can have, Shaikh said young people were becoming drawn to extremist groups, as they could offer something they lacked, whether it be respect from peers, friends, validation, and, in many cases, support from an older male role model.

“At high schools, or schools in general, it’s peer groupings that are going to really get people mobilized. It’s one thing to have an idea about [a social issue]; it’s another thing to actually mobilize physically, get out there, participate in events, in protests, and get more extreme to [the point of committing] crimes,” he commented.

Jewish LGBTQ group reaches deal to march in Rome Pride after float banned over Gaza

Jewish LGBTQ group Keshet Italia, whose float was barred from Saturday’s Rome Pride parade over the war in Gaza, announced Friday that it reached an agreement with organizers to participate “with its own delegation and symbols,” and to join the coordinating committee for next year’s march.

“We consider this agreement a victory for Pride and for the values it represents,” said Keshet, Italy’s only Jewish LGBTQ group, in an Italian-language press release.

The group thanked Rome Mayor Robert Gualtieri for his help in mediating the agreement, and the Rome Pride coordinating committee for its “willingness to engage in dialogue.”

Keshet was not expected to contribute to the more than 30 floats in Saturday’s parade, but would instead “march on foot in a special section we’re organizing with other groups to ensure everyone’s safety,” Rome Pride spokesman Mario Colamarino told Italian news agency ANSA.

Keshet spokespeople who announced the agreement at a meeting in Rome also stressed the group would march under special protection, ANSA said. The group and other Jewish participants in Italian Pride events have previously reported coming under verbal and physical assault.

The “well-attended” Friday meeting drew politicians and activists who supported a missive signed this week by 2,000 cultural figures urging Gualtieri to ensure Keshet Italia’s participation in Rome Pride, the group said.

Organizers of the parade said last month that they had barred Keshet Italia from operating a float over the Jewish group’s failure to “distance itself” from the “ongoing genocide in Gaza.”

Groups that want to be formally recognized in the parade with a float must sign onto Rome Pride’s political platform, which includes a condemnation of the “genocide in Gaza” — a charge Israel vigorously rejects.

Ofcom urged to act after terrorist on TV show calls suicide bombing ‘God’s destiny’

Ofcom has been urged to take action against a television channel on which a convicted terrorist said a suicide bombing which killed civilians was “God’s destiny”.

Al-Hiwar TV has also given a platform to a guest who claimed Israel was to blame for the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green earlier this year.

The channel broadcasts on YouTube and holds a licence with Ofcom, which claims it is unable to restrict Al-Hiwar output under current rules.

Jewish leaders and politicians have urged any “loophole” to be closed so the regulator has the powers to act.

Al-Hiwar TV has 6.4 million followers on Facebook and 1.9 million subscribers on YouTube.

In a broadcast on March 30, the station’s co-founder and chairman Azzam Tamimi spoke to Othman Bilal, who was convicted in Israel as a terrorist for his part in suicide bombings in 1995.

In one segment Bilal describes those involved as “martyrs”, including Labib Azem, who was responsible for the deaths of six civilians.

Bilal also talked about “God’s destiny” enabling his part in the atrocity carried out by suicide bomber Sufyan Jabarin, in which she killed five civilians on a bus in the Ramat Eshkol area of east Jerusalem.

Recalling how he had been arrested but still succeed in helping the attack, Bilal said: “During the crucial hours, it seems it was God's destiny, praise Him. He willed that we went off the monitoring radar during that period, and we succeeded then in delivering explosives ready to be detonated.”

He added: “The operation succeeded while we were in detention.”

In another discussion broadcast on April 6, Bilal and Tamimi discussed the massacre of 1,200 men, women and children carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

Bilal said: “A guy came in and told me there was a war. I tuned in and there was a huge barrage. He told me: ‘The Jihad fighters are in Sderot.’”

Mr Tamimi responded: “Like a fantasy.”

The text accompanying the interview on YouTube refers to the attacks as the “blessed Al-Aqsa Flood”.

Bilal and Mr Tamimi described the Oct 7 terrorists as individuals who “struggle for the sake of freedom”.

The day after the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green in April, guests on the Arab-language channel claimed that Israel was to blame for the attack.

One argued that the incident was not antisemitic but an act of opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza and that the Jewish state bore “the lion’s share” of responsibility for what happened.

A guest told the channel: “This is not antisemitism but rather an expression of his [the attacker’s] rejection of the Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people.”

Entebbe raid’s unsung hero gets limelight in new documentary 50 years later

If you ask people who the hero of the Entebbe Raid of 1976 was, Israeli commando Yoni Netanyahu or Air France Pilot Michel Bacos will likely be mentioned. Very few, if any, would name passenger Michel Cojot, even though without him, the IDF special forces operation that saved 103 hostages would probably never have succeeded.

A new documentary by Boaz Dvir celebrates this unsung hero. “To Kill A Nazi” premieres in Los Angeles on June 22 and will have other screenings in Croatia and online this summer. The film is narrated by award-winning Jewish actor Jason Alexander.

“I was nine years old and growing up in Israel when Entebbe happened. I was riveted and followed developments minute by minute. Air France captain Michel Bacos became a big hero for me. Here was this non-Jewish French guy who was given the chance to leave but chose to stay with his Israeli and Jewish passengers,” filmmaker and journalism professor Dvir said.

“Fast forward years later, and I decided to make a short documentary on him… and I was shocked to discover that although there was a hero named Michel among the hostages, it was not Michel Bacos! It was Michel Cojot,” he said.

On June 27, 1976, French business consultant Cojot and his 12-year-old son, Olivier, were passengers aboard Air France flight 139 from Tel Aviv to Paris. The plane made an unscheduled stop in Athens to pick up more passengers. Just after takeoff, the plane was hijacked by four terrorists: two Palestinians from the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine – External Operations, and two West Germans from the Revolutionary Cells. The plane was diverted to Benghazi, Libya, for refueling, and then on to Entebbe, Uganda, where it was welcomed by dictatorial president Idi Amin. Amin lent troops to assist the hijackers, mainly in guarding the abandoned airport terminal where the 250 passengers and 12 crew members were being held hostage.

The hijackers demanded a ransom of $5 million, as well as the release of 53 Palestinian and pro-Palestinian terrorists, 40 of whom were prisoners in Israel. They said that if these demands were not met, they would begin killing hostages on July 1. On June 29, the hijackers separated the Israelis, including those with dual citizenship, and some non-Israeli Jews from the rest of the hostages.

On June 30, they released 47 hostages from the non-Israeli group — mainly the elderly and sick, and mothers with children. Cojot’s son, Olivier, was among them. When Israel signaled on July 1 that it was open to negotiations, the hijackers extended the deadline to July 4 and released 100 more non-Israelis and non-Jews.

Throughout, Cojot stepped up as a leader. He translated when Idi Amin came regularly to address the hostages. He negotiated with the hijackers to improve conditions for all the hostages and aligned himself with the Israeli group. Although not a military man or a spy by training, he slyly gleaned information from the hijackers and made notes on the building’s layout, the tarmac, and the surrounding area, as well as on the fighting capabilities of the hijackers and Ugandan soldiers. He took the brave step of having Olivier smuggle the material out in his jeans cuff, but the boy, excited to be home, forgot about passing it to the authorities and let his mother put the pants in the wash.

Cojot was released on July 1, and the Mossad immediately contacted him upon his arrival in Paris. The detailed information he provided made Operation Thunderbolt (the raid’s official military title) possible.

“No one in the Israeli political or military leadership would have denied this — including [then-]prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and [then-]defense minister Shimon Peres,” Dvir said.

Born Lajos Lenovitz in Hungary, Louis Lenart immigrated to the United States at age ten, facing antisemitic violence in his Pennsylvania coal-mining town. By seventeen, he had enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and become a fighter pilot - an extraordinary achievement when flight… pic.twitter.com/O0NCwb10uJ
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) June 19, 2026

Buy EoZ's books on Amazon!

Reclaiming the Covenant on America's 250th (May 2026)

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

06/19 Links Pt2: Mamdani calls AIPAC ‘monsters’; The Guardian’s ‘Nazification’ of Jews; Sally Rooney blames Israel and US for rise of fascism in Europe

2026-06-20T01:24:17.416-04:00

From Ian:

The Guardian’s ‘Nazification’ of Jews

It ran under the headline: “From Goop to ‘Gwynocide’: why is Gwyneth Paltrow starring in a luxury Israeli real estate ad?” Beneath it appeared the following summary: “Paltrow went viral this week for her commercial for 51 Park – a building just miles from where Palestinians are being killed and displaced.”

Mahdawi's accusation of Paltrow's putative complicity in a (non-existent) genocide is based entirely on the fact that the commercial is for a building located "just miles" from where Palestinians are being killed:

“While the situation in the West Bank is terrible, it’s even worse in Gaza – which is only 50 or so miles away from the luxury pilates room at 51 Park,” she writes.

So, the logic would suggest, not only are all Israelis, even those living within pre-67 boundaries, guilty or complicit in genocide, but diaspora Jews – and, presumably, non-Jews – who visit, invest, or in any way associate with the state, within any borders, are genocidaire-adjacent.

Then, the Guardian columnist places an even large target on Israelis and Jews by evoking the Nazi analogy:

"Newborn babies are being gnawed on by rats in filthy camps in Gaza, while Paltrow shows off the wine rooms of a luxury tower development down the road,” Mahdawi writes. “It is some real The Zone of Interest stuff.”

The Zone of Interest is a film focusing on the life of German Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig, who lived with their children in a home in the "Zone of Interest" next to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

So, for at least the fifth time since October 7, 2023, Guardian editors have promoted one of the most morally grotesque and cruel forms of antisemitism – the attempted “Nazification” of Jews.

"There is a sadistic triumphalism in charging Jews with genocide", wrote Howard Jacobson, "as though those making it feel they have their man at last". The sadism, he added, "resides, specifically, in attacking Jews where their memories of pain are keenest...by making them now the torturer and not the tortured, their assailants wrest their anguish from them, not only stealing their past but trampling on it."

Of course, the only party in the war that is guilty of genocide is Hamas, whose desire to rid the world of the Jewish state is codified in its founding charter, and who live-streamed to the world on October 7 what barbarism inspired by Nazi-like hatred of Jews looks like.

Turning again to Jacobson, who wrote that "morality changed on 7 October. Black became white, evil good, ugliness, beauty, the victim the culprit" and that "it was Hamas’s genius to have seen something to its advantage in the declining status of the Jews in the conscience of the west.” It realised, he added, "how the drip, drip, drip of unremitting revilement in the western media and on western campuses had worn away their humanity".

It is undoubtedly true that, both before and after October 7, no mainstream British outlet has done more to inspire the "revilement" of Jews than the Guardian.

The useful idiocy of Zack Polanski

To push back, he’s doubled and tripled down on his AsAJew status. He can barely utter a sentence without spitting out ‘the genocide’. He has constantly demanded that the UK should end arms sales to Israel and investigate the country for war crimes. He has backed sporting and cultural boycotts of Israeli football teams and supported the monitoring of UK-Israeli dual nationals who served in the IDF, saying they could be responsible for war crimes.

He didn’t even speak out against the Green party’s ‘Zionism is racism’ motion, even though it would mean labelling his own family – most of whom are Zionists and a few of whom made Aliyah – racists.

But still it isn’t enough for those who are really in control. Et tu, Mothin Ali? Because, yes, it is Zack’s trusty deputy who is on manoeuvres. Who could have guessed?

According to an article in the Spectator, Mothin is backing a new, powerful Greens affiliate called the Global Majority Greens (GMG), which has accused Polanski and other senior Greens in a new report of creating a “hierarchy of racism” with allegations of antisemitism taken more seriously than other complaints.

The report, which will be presented at the Green Party AGM later this month, accuses Zack of only “performing anti-racism” and condemns a “serious governance problem inseparable from institutional racism”. The problem is that too many Muslim members have been suspended for antisemitism. Apparently, that is racist because it “demonises migrants and Muslims”.

And even though Zack has really done everything he possibly could to disassociate himself from his own previous Zionism, it is not enough. It never would be. Because Zionism isn’t the problem.

It was inevitable that the Red/Green/Islamist alliance that now makes up the Greens would eventually break up. Their agendas are too separate, even if they can agree on hating Israel and the need for revolution. This glue won’t hold forever, as Jeremy Corbyn’s Your Party found when the far left fell out with conservative Islamists on the issue of trans rights.

Perhaps the Greens lasted just a little bit longer because they are an older, more established party; but the cracks are emerging.

So the battle for the Greens is on. Now we will see whether the party’s newfound popularity is genuinely the Zack effect (and I don’t doubt that some of it is) and how much it is sheer entryism from the hard left and Islamists.

I imagine that Zack will fight this, but he is already bloodied by the growing body of scandals surrounding him. How much longer can he last?

You do have to wonder how he really thought that a Jewish man with a history of Zionism could survive as leader of a party obsessed with Israel. Idiot.

Silenced no more: The Israeli women who documented Hamas's October 7 sexual crimes

When the privately funded Civil Commission on the Oct. 7 crimes against women, men, and children released its landmark report on May 12, Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy felt something she had not experienced in a very long time: a deep sense of relief.

The report – Silenced No More: Sexual terror unveiled: the untold atrocities of October 7 and against hostages in captivity – was finally out, and Elkayam-Levy noted that it has received fair and accurate coverage in hundreds of news outlets, including the BBC, the UK’s Daily Mail, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Fox News, CNN, and The New York Times.

Elkayam-Levy, the commission’s principal author, accepted responsibility for work so heartbreaking and disturbing – documenting crimes of extraordinary cruelty – that many on her team simply could not continue. For two and a half years, she sat with the evidence as well as with survivors, and reviewed testimony about the sexual crimes committed by Hamas-led terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, and thereafter.

“One of the most important takeaways is the before-and-after reality of the report,” noted Danae Marx-Callaf, director of international communications and one of the four co-founders of the Civil Commission. “Our report shifts the conversation from ‘whether it happened’ to ‘what are the consequences.’

“Another important thing is recognition of the victims. The report will go around the world to different policy makers and not remain just the knowledge of a few in the world,” Marx-Callaf added.

The comprehensive 298-page document details the sexual terror committed on and after Oct. 7, which the Civil Commission concluded was central to Hamas’s war strategy.

An expert in international law, human rights, and feminist legal theory, Elkayam-Levy serves as a Sophie Davis Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and was a 2024 Israel Prize laureate for her tireless work on the report. For years, she taught and wrote about war crimes, gender-based violence, and the responsibility of legal systems to protect the vulnerable and pursue justice.

But she never imagined that other highly committed women’s advocates from other nations – the same people with whom she spent a career teaching and working – would abandon her after Oct. 7.

In the days following the massacre, while Israel was still counting its dead, and families were searching for missing loved ones, Elkayam-Levy traveled to New York to address the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. There, she reported on the sexual atrocities that were being retrieved from both Hamas’s and the victims’ phones, from survivors’ testimonies, and the accounts of those charged with the holy task of identifying the mangled corpses.

'I have a mission': Guy Gilboa-Dalal recounts sexual violence he experienced in Hamas captivity

Former Gaza hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal shared his experiences of sexual abuse during his time in Hamas captivity with First Lady Michal Herzog in a candid interview on Thursday.

The interview was held a day before the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Herzog mentioned her outrage over Israel being included in the UN’s blacklist of countries and organizations that use sexual violence in conflict.

UN fails to verify allegations
“What really outraged me,” she said, “was that the description of the situation in Israel began by noting that the Israeli hostages who returned from captivity in Gaza made allegations of sexual abuse they had experienced, and that the UN could not verify those allegations.”

“This is why we’re here,” she told Gilboa-Dalal. “So that you can say what you went through.”

Gilboa-Dalal recounted a moment in which one of his captors covered his eyes and told him to take his clothes off.

“He started touching my entire body. I froze. I couldn't do anything. He held a knife to my throat and said, 'Don't tell anyone about this," Gilboa-Dalal said.

The former hostage also spoke of a similar but separate incident.

“The second time he came into our room,” he recalled. “He told me to turn toward the wall. He covered my eyes and said, 'Now stay like this, don't move.'”

He said that the Hamas terrorists threw him and fellow hostage Omer Wenkert and started beating, punching, and kicking them.

“We were crying and begging him to stop,” he said.

"After he finished, he took me to the shower. He grabbed me by the hand, threw me onto the couch, stood behind me, and began rubbing his genitalia against me. In moments like that, my mind simply disconnected. Every second felt like a lifetime. I didn't know what to do. I just wanted it to be over. I couldn't do anything, even if I wanted to. I was so weak."

Gilboa-Dalal is one of the few male hostages to recount instances of sexual assault during captivity. Among others with similar experiences are released hostages Rom Braslavski and Keith Siegel.

Siegel and his wife Aviva testified before the UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) in Geneva in late 2025. Siegel, at the time, had urged the committee to listen to the facts presented by the Israeli delegation and remain free from political bias.

When asked what prompted him to speak openly and reveal the severe abuse he endured, Gilboa-Dalal replied that he feels that he has a mission to use his voice to strengthen and empower survivors of sexual assault.

Today, on the @UN International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, we amplify the voices of hostage survivors.

Their testimonies bear witness to the sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 and during captivity.

Listen to them. Believe them. Never… pic.twitter.com/ViXJU1pVNV
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 19, 2026

Today, on the @UN International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, we remember the victims and survivors of the horrific sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 and in its aftermath.

We stand with those who endured these crimes and with those who…
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 19, 2026

Sally Rooney blames Israel and US for rise of fascism in Europe

Irish author Sally Rooney has been challenged by Ireland’s Jewish representative body after claiming that Israel and the United States are contributing to the rise of fascism and authoritarianism across Europe.

Speaking at a public event in Dublin on Tuesday, the Normal People author argued that European governments were learning from the US and Israel, helping to drive the growth of far-right movements on the continent.

Rooney said: “Israeli settler colonialist techniques have been inherited and refined from the practices of British and European imperialism, so the political classes in Europe today are cooperating with and learning from the US and Israeli regimes.

“Not only are far-right fascist movements rising to power as a result, but mainstream political parties are increasingly adopting authoritarian and fascist techniques to suppress protest and protect colonial interests.”

She also told the audience that “the liberation of Palestine really does represent the liberation of the world” and described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “the darkest (moment) that we have witnessed in our lifetimes”.

Responding to Rooney’s remarks, Maurice Cohen, chairperson of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland (JRCI), said he was concerned by “the growing tendency in public discourse to attribute a wide range of global problems, from the rise of the European far right to the erosion of international norms, primarily to Israel.

“Such arguments risk reducing complex political, economic and social phenomena to a single cause.”

He added: “The rise of far-right extremist movements in Europe has deep roots that long predate the current conflict in Gaza. It is driven by factors including economic insecurity, migration pressures, social fragmentation, online radicalisation and declining trust in democratic institutions. Suggesting that Israel is responsible for these developments requires far stronger evidence than has been presented.”

The place Israel occupies in these people's imagination is ridiculous. Israel as the linchpin of colonialism, capitalism, white supremacy, ecological devastation - whatever bugs you most, Israel does it worst. Get rid of Israel, save the entire world.

It is much bigger than… https://t.co/1qU8lWQKp6
— Tomer Persico (@TomerPersico) June 18, 2026

Perfectly articulated by Tomer and I couldn’t agree more

His post reminded me of this famous video by Professor @YKleinHalevi on the same matter https://t.co/jZIZ5bc6e6 pic.twitter.com/T0PBrUDzXI
— Michael Elgort (@just_whatever) June 19, 2026

People often ask why I bother pushing back against the anti-Israel propaganda...

I have no ties to Israel in any way. I don't even think I know any Jewish people outside of the online platforms I am active on. I would like to visit some day because of the historical…
— Green Beret Nap Time (@GBNT1952) June 19, 2026

Full speech: https://t.co/gxUTwsp2nR
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) June 19, 2026

The responses from prominent voices in the antizionist hate movement to my piece in the Atlantic have been very interesting. And by very interesting I mean a complete lack of substance: not a single engagement with any of the essay's claims, only personal attacks and an…
— Adam Louis-Klein (@adam_louis52328) June 19, 2026

I engaged with people in the comments, and it seems like American anti-Zionists fall into three camps. The most numerous are people who think anti-Zionism just means "I disagree with Netanyahu." The second most numerous seem unaware the Hamas charter says only Arabs can live on… https://t.co/IJvmPjVgd3
— Eric Nelson (@literaryeric) June 19, 2026

Former antisemitic activist Lucas Gage explains to Jewish podcast why he left the movement

In July 2024, X suspended antisemitic influencer Lucas Gage for six months for making “repeated and clear calls for violence.”

This month, Gage was in Lakewood, New Jersey, explaining to two Jewish interviewers why he no longer considers himself an antisemite.

“It’s like a disease. I’m serious. It was like this compulsion and look, it comes from a justified place in some, but then it’s like what have I become honestly and it’s like I was sick of myself,” Gage told Yaakov Langer and Jake Turx on the podcast “Inspiration for the Nation.” “Looking back at the videos that got me knocked off of Twitter … I was out of my mind.”

Gage, a longtime white nationalist activist from New Jersey formerly known as Angelo John Gage, spent more than a decade promoting conspiracy theories and hate towards Jews online before publicly renouncing antisemitism earlier this year.

He told Langer and Turx that a pivotal moment for him was seeing antisemitic theories proliferate about the September murder of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk. From there, his conversations changed.

“The more I sit down and talk to Jewish people, the more I realize how maligned they are,” Gage wrote in a post on X announcing the interview. “The lies the JQ crowd now tell about me are similar to those they tell about Jews. I was part of that crowd, but now I’m glad to say I’m no longer an antisemite.”

Gage announced in a March post on Substack that he was “abandoning” antisemitism, explaining that while his declaration was “not an apology,” his “focus on Jewish supremacy alone has become a self-destructive and futile endeavor, which does not even solve the problem.”

“The problem, however, is that I got sucked into the mob — the very mob I identified as ‘my people,’ who are just as problematic as the Jewish mob,” Gage wrote. “With that being said, I do not denounce my beliefs about Jewish supremacy and criminality in certain areas of society nor Jewish overrepresentation, which are all well substantiated.”

When asked by Langer, the founder of Living Lchaim and host of the podcast, why he had the “strength” to publicly renounce antisemitism and meet with Jews, Gage said he felt an obligation to engage with the Jewish community after spending years attacking it online.

Gage told the Jewish hosts that he thought it would be wrong for him “to walk away and not speak to a community I’ve been at war with for 14 years, and to see why I was at war with you guys in the first place.”

Jewish people keep on texting me:
“Do you think he’s sincere?”

Yes. I really believe @LucasGageX has turned to a new chapter in his life.

He didn’t have to come to Lakewood.

He never needed to be vocal about this.

He authentically is looking to do the right thing.

You can… pic.twitter.com/MdA9fFOi2S
— Yaakov Langer (@jacklanger) June 16, 2026

Lucas Gage and I were both deployed to Iraq as Marines.

He talked about how his trauma and anger over what he experienced there led him to look for who to blame for the whole thing. That in turn led him into antisemitic conspiracy theories.

I understand where he's coming from.… pic.twitter.com/OLOK6lKkUM
— Joel Berry (@JoelWBerry) June 19, 2026

“Those of us who knew him best and called him a friend.”

I spoke to Charlie less than 24 hours before his death. He invited me and a few others to help brief him for his campus tour on the issues of … Israel and antisemitism.

Tucker is full of shit. He is evil incarnate. https://t.co/MSnv67DgXI
— Josh Hammer (@josh_hammer) June 19, 2026

Tucker Carlson now calling Israel not only equal to but WORSE than the Nazis.

Also Tucker: "But I'm not attacking Israel."

Will there ever be a time where Tucker will drop the cowardice, actually say and stand by what he believes? https://t.co/9J6GvYgg9I pic.twitter.com/Jdluy4LqSW
— Nathan Livingstone (MilkBarTV) (@TheMilkBarTV) June 19, 2026

Mamdani calls AIPAC ‘monsters’ in rally ahead of NY primaries

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday night accused the American Israel Public Affairs Committee of being “monsters” for spending “millions in dark money” to ensure pro-Israel candidates win seats in the November midterms.

Mamdani made his remarks at a rally headlined by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at Kings Theater in Brooklyn ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic primaries for progressive congressional candidates. He called on the crowd to help elect Jewish former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, State Assembly member Claire Valdez and former Columbia encampment organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier.

In a fiery 30-minute speech, Mamdani took aim not just at AIPAC but also Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his handling of the war in Gaza. He claimed that “The monsters that we are up against, they take many different forms,” and then singled out AIPAC.

He described the major pro-Israel lobby as an organization “for whom the only thing more frightening than democracy being allowed to run its course is an end to genocide and Netanyahu’s wars.”

Mamdani continued by alleging that AIPAC moves “millions in dark money to accomplish a single goal, to preserve their power so that they can turn us against one another instead of our leaders turning towards the moral change we all know to be necessary.”

AIPAC did not respond to a request for comment about Mamdani’s remarks.

👀 Nothing to see here, folks, just New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani casually quoting Gramsci.

“The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters.”

And who are the monsters?

Apparently anyone standing between Mamdani’s DSA slate and power. pic.twitter.com/fydMybu7Pc
— Stu Smith (@thestustustudio) June 19, 2026

A candidacy based on the most important topic facing Brooklyn voters: stopping Jewish non profit organizations from operating in NY.

Others talk about housing, healthcare, education and the economy, but the real pressing issue in Park Slope & Williamsburg is Palestinian rights. https://t.co/glXrIvqDRf
— Joel M. Petlin (@Joelmpetlin) June 19, 2026

I engaged with people in the comments, and it seems like American anti-Zionists fall into three camps. The most numerous are people who think anti-Zionism just means "I disagree with Netanyahu." The second most numerous seem unaware the Hamas charter says only Arabs can live on… https://t.co/IJvmPjVgd3
— Eric Nelson (@literaryeric) June 19, 2026

I just found more video of the October 8 celebration led by Mamdani-endorsed congressional candidate @DarializaforNY.

Speaker after speaker hailed Hamas for the killing, kidnapping, and rape of civilians in Israel.

This was NOT A PROTEST. This was an all-out celebration. pic.twitter.com/z9SRjvus0p
— Benny Polatseck (@BPolatseck) June 18, 2026

It's always an honor to get to target the Jews with the greatest mayor NYC has ever seen. You can pre order "Mam Kampf" at https://t.co/FPeBWdf9j5 pic.twitter.com/QR8yFQ6rED
— Lyle Culpepper (@ShutupLyle) June 19, 2026

Ana Kasparian really looked at a photo of a ball the size of a bottle cap and thought "yep, that's definitely an Israeli bomb right there"

these cattle are barely even conscious.
they have zero interior life. it's all just reflexes to stimuli, imitating personhood pic.twitter.com/nCXtfGy2rN
— King Crocoduck (@crocoduck_king) June 19, 2026

Jury takes just 28 minutes to unanimously clear ‘Khaybar Khaybar Ya Yahood’ chanters

Jewish groups have expressed dismay after two women filmed chanting a notorious slogan seen as referring to the 7th century killing of Jews by Muslims were unanimously cleared by a jury this week of threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour intending to stir up racial hatred.

Fatiah Boumazouna, 55, and Hadjer Boumazouna, 28, were arrested the day after the demo near Trafalgar Square on 28 October 2023 – three weeks after Hamas attacked Israel.

As reported by CourtNewsUK, footage played in court showed Fatiha chanting “Khaybar Khaybar Ya Yahud Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud”. The chant, which translates to “Khaybar Khaybar, oh Jews, the armies of Mohammed are coming”, is a reference to the 7th century battle of Khaybar, when Jewish tribes in Arabia were slaughtered by forces under Mohammed, the founder of Islam.

CST, the main organisation protecting the UK’s Jewish community, has previously described the Khaybar chant as “effectively a call for Jews to be killed”. As described by the ADL, America’s most prominent organisation combating antisemitism, the Khaybar chant “has been heard at numerous anti-Israel demonstrations around the world…Invoking this slogan today at such a demonstration problematically shifts the complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict into a religious battle between Islam and Judaism. Moreover, in celebrating a past military defeat of Jews, this chant can be perceived as a threat of armed violence or forcible expulsion against Jews today.”

Brett Weaver, prosecuting, said the footage showed “these two defendants together in amongst protestors at the demonstration.

“Fatiha can be seen holding a megaphone and engaged in chanting, with her daughter behind her joining in.”

Weaver described the chant as being “in effect a threat that Muslims will again kill Jewish people in the present day or in the new future.”

However, the jury, at Southwark Crown Court, reportedly took just 28 minutes before reaching their decision to acquit the two accused.

A spokesperson for CST said: “It is very disappointing that this case did not result in a conviction, but we hope this outcome will not dissuade the CPS from continuing to prosecute cases of people allegedly inciting antisemitic hatred wherever possible.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “This is the second time that a prosecution by the CPS of people who allegedly chanted ‘Khaybar Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa yahud’, has failed. The chant is unmistakably threatening to Jewish people. But a jury apparently somehow disagreed. Nothing, it seems, can possibly be construed as being threatening to Jewish people if it means someone might be held to account. Another miscarriage of justice that will do nothing to reassure British Jews that the system is up to the job of protecting them and deterring haters.”

A JLC spokesperson said: “Chants of “Khaybar, Khaybar, ya yahud” are among the clearest examples of incitement against Jewish people heard at regular anti-Israel demonstrations. This slogan cannot credibly be misconstrued as a legitimate political slogan against the State of Israel. Rather, it is a direct expression of racial and religious hatred towards Jews.

Some of the loudest voices against Israel are Jews.

A study of one of them: Catherine Bock, a Jewish Voice for Peace member, I recently met while reporting in Vermont.

She told me her parents were Holocaust survivors—then said that they were both Christian. The Nazis had… pic.twitter.com/pVQqVJfUG5
— Olivia Reingold (@Olivia_Reingold) June 19, 2026

🤯 INSANITY !

A woman named Maria Christina Olivieri, according to her social media, who regularly brings her children to Montreal4Palestine protests, has now filmed herself at a Jewish cemetery chanting an anti-Israel Arabic song.

Using a Jewish cemetery as a stage for… pic.twitter.com/95DqM9OErr
— Alexandra Lavoie (@ThevoiceAlexa) June 19, 2026

Bamba Bandwagon distributes thousands of Israeli snacks, anti-BDS fliers in NYC area

When Daniel Rosen first thought of doing a large-scale distribution of the Israeli snack foods Bamba and Bissli in New York City, he thought it might involve 10 small groups of people going out on behalf of Impact, a grassroots activation group that responds to antisemitic incidents.

He scheduled the campaign, called IMPACT Snack Crew, to last four days—from June 10 to June 14. One of the first distribution sites was outside the Park Slope Food Coop in Brooklyn, N.Y., which recently adopted a boycott of Israeli products, and which sparked initially sparked this idea.

More than 10 days later, it was still going strong.

American distributor Osem USA has donated pallets of the savory treats. Bamba comes in classic peanut butter- and also strawberry-flavored corn puffs. Bissli, made of wheat, come in flavors like BBQ, pizza, onion and falafel.

So far, about 100 groups of people have participated in the Bamba-Bissli brigade.

With each bag of snacks, volunteers distribute a one-page flier about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement in an effort to educate New Yorkers about what such boycotts represent and try to accomplish.

“BDS is bigotry,” Rosen, chairman and a co-founder of IMPACT, told JNS. “You tried to hurt Israel, and our response is to help Israel.”

The Bamba-Bisli brigade has so far distributed some 6,000 bags of the snacks at sites of major New York City foot traffic in all five boroughs, as well as on Long Island and in Westchester.

Crews have brought the snacks to Times Square and Grand Central Station, as well as Cunningham Park in Queens on the evening of a free concert by the New York Philharmonic. They are sharing the snacks at shopping centers and at a commuter train station in White Plains. When that volunteer crew ran out of snack bags, the local kosher grocery store Seasons gave them cases more.

Norway readies bill to ban all trade with Israeli settlements

The Norwegian government said on Friday it planned to ban all trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank as well as Jewish neighborhoods in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem.

“Norwegian people and Norwegian companies should not contribute to sustaining illegal settlements. The policy of colonization undermines the possibility of achieving a two-state solution,” the foreign ministry in Oslo said in a statement.

Specifically, the government said it wants to ban trade in goods produced in Israeli settlements in Gaza — none of which currently exist — and the West Bank as well as areas of Jerusalem that most in the international community consider to be occupied.

Israel has controlled the West Bank since capturing the territory from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War, a conflict that also saw Israel take the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. Israel annexed East Jerusalem — a move not recognized by most of the international community — while the West Bank has remained under varying forms of Israeli military and civil control ever since.

There have not been any Jewish settlements inside Gaza since the 2005 Disengagement. While some far-right elements of the government have called for such settlements to be reestablished in the Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly reassured allies that Israel would not do so.

Oslo also plans to outlaw “the purchase of property in the settlements, the provision of services relating to the construction, renovation, purchase or sale of property in these areas, and the acquisition of commercial enterprises whose head office and production facilities are located in the settlements,” the ministry said.

Somerville voters backed Israel boycott. Jewish groups say it is illegal

They can’t say they weren’t warned.

Jewish groups are giving a heads-up to Somerville officials that they will certainly be sued if the city’s proposed “Israel boycott” law passes.

The Anti-Defamation League and Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law on Thursday urged city officials to reject the controversial ordinance.

The groups, writing on behalf of Somerville Jewish residents, argue that the law is unconstitutional and would expose the city to significant legal and financial risks. “The Ordinance is flagrantly unconstitutional and would adversely affect many companies that supply products to Somerville,” lawyers for the Jewish groups wrote to Somerville officials. “Moreover, the Ordinance is an invitation to costly and unnecessary litigation that will distract City leadership from the important local responsibilities they were elected to address.

'Reject this ordinance!'
“We urge the Council and City to reject the Ordinance,” the attorneys added. “Should the Ordinance be enacted in its current form, our clients are prepared to pursue all available legal remedies to prevent its enforcement.”

The proposed “Ethical Procurement Ordinance” was before the Somerville City Council last week and was referred to the Legislative Matters Committee for a recommendation.

Last year, 55% of voters in the Somerville municipal election voted “yes” to instruct the city to “end all current city business and prohibit future city investments and contracts with companies as long as such companies engage in business that sustains Israel’s apartheid, genocide, and illegal occupation of Palestine.”

The City Council then passed a resolution to follow through on that vote, leading to this proposed ordinance.

Auto union votes to divest from Israel at annual convention

Delegates at the United Auto Workers convention in Detroit voted on Thursday to divest from Israel Bonds, citing the war in Gaza.

One of the largest unions in the country, the UAW previously held an estimated $400,000 to $700,000 in Israel Bonds and securities, according to the Detroit Free Press. It has not been disclosed how much money the divestment will affect or how many members voted to pass the resolution.

The annual convention also featured a speech from Abdul El-Sayed, a far-left, UAW-endorsed Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan who told Jewish supporters last month that he “often struggle[s]” to answer whether he believes Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state. He said in an interview with CNN in April that he believes the Israeli government is just as evil as Hamas.

While UAW historically evokes imagery of assembly lines, picket lines and blue-collar solidarity, the union has increasingly drifted away from its core mission of representing autoworkers, largely driven by individuals pushing extreme political agendas that leave critics questioning their relevance to workplace issues.

This is because graduate students took over a working class union to prioritize performative anti colonialism over fighting for better conditions for auto workers. https://t.co/i7FFQh5igF
— Eli Lake (@EliLake) June 19, 2026

It's a sweet day in Gaza today.

The chocolate fountains are flowing, the nutela crates are coming in, the pistachios and Dubai chocolates are all over, and they are probably laughing at anyone who ever believed there was a famine or starvation in Gaza.

Also, something very… pic.twitter.com/nrlzVTjbR4
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) June 19, 2026

Energy Department formalizes Eastern Mediterranean alliance with Israel, Cyprus and Greece at Houston hub

The Department of Energy is leaning on Israel’s offshore gas resources and cybersecurity prowess to help an emerging Eastern Mediterranean energy alliance, with officials telling Jewish Insider that Israeli participation uniquely “strengthens” the newly formed coalition.

Earlier this month, the U.S., Cyprus, Greece and Israel formalized the partnership, announcing the establishment of the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center (EMEC) on the campus of Rice University in Houston. Energy Secretary Chris Wright signed a declaration of intent alongside Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, Cypriot Energy Minister Michael Damianos and Greek Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou.

The center will serve as a permanent hub for research, policy dialogue, technical cooperation, and public‑private partnerships focused on infrastructure, investment, emerging technologies, and regional connectivity, according to the department.

A spokesperson for the Department of Energy told JI that the agreement was part of a “longstanding effort to deepen cooperation” and that Israel’s involvement in the newly established EMEC partnership is vital to the coalition’s geopolitical objectives.

“Israel brings strategic geography, significant offshore gas resources, strong innovation and cybersecurity capabilities, and a dynamic technology ecosystem,” the spokesperson said. “Israel is also a key U.S. ally and a central partner in the broader Eastern Mediterranean’s energy and security architecture. Israel’s inclusion strengthens EMEC as a platform for cooperation on energy security and related regional priorities.”

The spokesperson added that the participation of Leiter “reflected Israel’s importance to the success of this initiative and underscored the strength of the 3+1 partnership,” which entails periodic meetings between the alliance’s energy ministers to coordinate regional security. The group last met in Athens in November 2025.

Netanyahu inaugurates neighborhood in Gush Etzion, names Route 60 ‘The Biblical Highway’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday inaugurated a new neighborhood in Kibbutz Migdal Oz and announced that Route 60, the historic north-south highway running through Judea and Samaria, will officially be known as the “The Biblical Highway,” linking the moves to Israel’s historic connection to the land and its ongoing security challenges.

Speaking in Gush Etzion alongside his wife, Sara, Netanyahu said the expansion of the kibbutz and the development of communities throughout the region reflected “the power of life and the spirit of vitality” of the Jewish people.

“This is a manifestation of our spirit of vitality and of our sacred mission: to take root in our homeland despite our enemies, despite all the pressures,” Netanyahu said at the unveiling of the Promenade neighborhood in Migdal Oz. “We are not merely treading over the past of the nation of Israel, but securing its future.”

The neighborhood is part of an expansion project expected to double the size of the community within a year.

During the ceremony, the prime minister and his wife planted a tree together with Noam Leiter, son of Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter and a resident of Gevaot in Gush Etzion, and Ofri Nir, daughter of Sgt. Maj. (res.) Yuval Nir, who was killed in the War of Redemption, the ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The prime minister compared the growth of the neighborhood to trees he had planted during previous visits around the country.

“This tree, its treetops will grasp the sky,” he said. “You are guarding the past and securing the future. The two are intertwined, because we have no future without our past.”

Years after a boycott fight, Ben & Jerry’s Israel debuts a flavor celebrating Israeli resilience

Ben & Jerry’s Israel operation has come up with a flavor that leaves little to interpretation. Called “Milk and Honey,” a nod to the biblical description of the Land of Israel, it uses ingredients sourced from Israeli cows and bees, and its chocolate fudge pieces are shaped like Stars of David.

The company, which split from its American counterpart after a contentious 2021 boycott fight, is billing the new pint as its “most Israeli flavor ever” and, on its website, as a “symbol of hope, rehabilitation, and positive action” after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack.

Its ingredients and production come from southern Israeli communities, most affected by the massacre and the war that followed. The company, based in the southern city of Kiryat Malachi, said it “felt a responsibility to take an active part in the region’s recovery process.”

The milk and cream come from the dairy in Kibbutz Alumim, one of the Gaza-border communities infiltrated by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. The honey comes from the beehives of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai. The chocolate Stars of David are made by hand at the Korint factory in Beersheba, part of the Shkulo Tov social enterprise, which helps integrate people with disabilities into the workforce.

Even the wrapper is local: the pint is adorned with “Fields of Light,” a painting by Rivi Doron-Gerloy, a southern Israeli artist who was killed in a Miami car accident last year.

Proceeds from sales will support efforts to revitalize Israel's periphery
The flavor was developed in partnership with the Ayalim Association, a nonprofit that works to strengthen Israel’s periphery. The company said royalties from sales of the new flavor will go to Ayalim’s rehabilitation and educational initiatives in the south.

The Israeli and American Ben & Jerry’s operations are now completely separate, a split that followed one of the more improbable diplomatic dramas ever to involve ice cream. In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s said it would stop selling in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying sales there were “inconsistent” with its values.

The move set off an uproar in Israel. President Isaac Herzog called the boycott a “new kind of terrorism,” while Benjamin Netanyahu, then opposition leader, retweeted the company’s announcement that it would stop selling in the “Occupied Palestinian Territories,” writing, “Now we Israelis know which ice cream NOT to buy,” alongside Israeli flag and flexed-bicep emojis.

The original founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, who no longer control the company but remain its best-known faces, also came under fire after the decision. In an interview, they were asked why the boycott logic did not extend to places such as Georgia and Texas, despite their opposition to those states’ voting rights and abortion laws.

78 years since the rebirth of an ancient nation. Not a new country, a return. 3,000 years of connection to this land. Before GTA 6, there's the story of a people reclaiming their home. Am Yisrael Chai. 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/pA0370ElqV
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) June 19, 2026

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Reclaiming the Covenant on America's 250th (May 2026)

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PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)