Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Ted Cruz is trying to rid the Republican Party of antisemitism

2026-07-13T08:00:19.383-04:00

In December 1991, William F. Buckley Jr. devoted nearly 40,000 words of National Review to a single question: was Pat Buchanan an antisemite? Buckley reviewed Buchanan's Gulf War commentary, his "amen corner" description of Congress and Israel, and a set of statements that tracked classic tropes about Jewish influence and dual loyalty. His conclusion: "I find it impossible to defend Pat Buchanan against the charge that what he did and said during the period under examination amounted to anti-Semitism." Buckley did not find that disqualifying: the National Review endorsed Buchanan in the 1992 New Hampshire primary a few weeks after the piece ran. Buckley had ruled the language out of bounds. He had not ruled out the man. Yet his essay reverberated in the conservative movement for years.

Ted Cruz wants to do something perhaps even more dramatic. Speaking at a March 2026 antisemitism symposium hosted by the Republican Jewish Coalition and National Review, Cruz called for conservatives to purge antisemitic figures from the movement "just as" Buckley did sixty years earlier, then turned to Tucker Carlson: "I believe Tucker Carlson is the single most dangerous demagogue in this country." He has described antisemitism as "the gateway drug to anticapitalism and anti-Americanism," and backs The Front Line, a 501(c)(4) built to make it disqualifying in Republican primaries, mapping races and running messaging campaigns against candidates who traffic in it.

Buckley published a finding, in his own magazine, that cost him a working relationship with a writer who had called National Review his "spiritual guide." Cruz and The Front Line are trying to go further - to make antisemitism disqualifying for any Republican lawmaker.

Both men treat antisemitism as diagnostic rather than incidental. A movement does not produce Jew-hatred as a random defect. It produces it when something upstream has already gone wrong, and the antisemitism is the symptom that surfaces first because it is the easiest one to spot. Buckley traced Buchanan's rhetoric to a paleoconservative strain trading the movement's postwar commitments, anti-totalitarianism, ordered liberty, alliance with the traditional partners of the West, for an isolationism that found Jews a convenient explanation for America's foreign entanglements. Cruz is diagnosing the same disease in his own generation's terms. He is not primarily worried about the students cheering anti-Israel lines at Turning Point USA events. He is worried about the isolationist "America First" reflex behind the cheering, one that treats Israel, capitalism, and the postwar order as three names for the same betrayal. The antisemitism is the test result. The disease is the abandonment of the commitments that used to define conservatism.

Both men are also paying, or paid, a real cost for saying so in public. Buckley's essay widened a rupture with the paleocon wing that never closed, even after the National Review endorsement tried to paper over it; critics on both sides accused him of either damning an ally or failing to finish the job. Cruz, weighing a 2028 run, is picking a fight with a commentator who reaches a bigger youth audience than he does. At the same March symposium, Republican Jewish Coalition chairman Norm Coleman told the room the party is winning the fight against right-wing antisemitism. Cruz, on the same stage, said flatly that he wasn't sure that was accurate. This is principle over optics and standards over the illusion of unity.

While occasionally the Left makes a show of being strongly against antisemitism, they invariably come up against the anti-Zionists in their camp who hide their antisemitism behind politics, and they are unwilling to take a stand against the "anti-Israel" dog whistles. So Chuck Schumer may have made a speech about antisemitism on the Left in 2023, and Keir Starmer may have purged blatant antisemites from the Labour party, but the source of the rot is still there. Antisemitism on the left travels increasingly under cover of anti-Zionism, and a movement that treats demonization of the Jewish state as presumptively legitimate cannot succeed in drawing a line that doesn't really exist.

What Buckley and Cruz share is a working premise: when you tolerate the antisemite because he brings votes, ratings, or energy, the toleration licenses everything that follows from it, the isolationism, the conspiracism, the substitution of resentment for argument. Confronting it costs real support and buys nothing in return except the claim that the movement's stated principles are still operative. Buckley made that trade in 1991; Cruz is invoking Buckley's example to justify finishing the job. It is an uphill battle and perhaps a quixotic one. But there may be a way to succeed, and it is not to separate Israel from the antisemitism discussion but to center it.

That is an essay for another time.

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07/12 Links: Lindsey Graham, a stalwart supporter of Israel in the Senate, dies at 71; Sinwar predicted Israel might respond with nuclear strike; The PA's War Against Jewish History

2026-07-13T00:54:26.972-04:00

From Ian:

In memo before October 7, Sinwar predicted Israel might respond with nuclear strike

Yahya Sinwar, the late Hamas leader who masterminded the terror group’s October 7, 2023, massacre, assessed ahead of the onslaught that Israel might respond with a nuclear strike on the Gaza Strip, but chose to carry out the invasion anyway, according to a newly revealed document written in the terror chief’s own hand.

The memo, written in August 2022, was obtained by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, and excerpts from it were published by Channel 12 on Sunday. A similar document was revealed last fall, though several details were not present in previous reporting.

According to Channel 12, Sinwar laid out specific operational plans, including numbers of fighters to be deployed to particular junctions, envisioning 25 simultaneous breaches of the Israel-Gaza border fence, to take control of 25 different junctions. He envisioned “well-trained squads” carrying out each of these infiltrations, with each squad numbering 100 fighters.

Sinwar also planned for a further 2,210 fighters to attack 221 small communities in the south, and a further 1,600 for eight larger ones. He wrote that 1,200 fighters would be deployed to attack Israeli cities, and 2,000 to attack army bases. The total fighting force he imagined would have numbered some 10,000 terrorists, none of whom would have been privy to the entire scope of the plan.

The figures are significantly higher than the number of Palestinians who actually invaded from Gaza on October 7, which the Israel Defense Forces estimates at around 5,600, of whom about 3,500 were Hamas fighters, along with some 580 fighters from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, and about 1,400 other Gazans.

“The goal is to expel the settlers with their vehicles,” the terror chief wrote in the memo, referring to the residents of Israel’s south. He wrote that “priority” should be given to children and women, while ordering that “the men aged 17-50 are to be taken hostage” and that “all phones must be taken, along with any additional documents they are carrying on their person.”

The Channel 12 report emphasized Sinwar’s awareness of the likely costs of the attack, noting that he did not profess certainty that Iran, which backs Hamas, or the Islamic Republic’s other regional proxies such as Hezbollah, would join in the onslaught, as the terror group is widely believed to have hoped they would.

Moreover, the terror chief estimated that Israel would “not hesitate to use all means and weapons at its disposal” in response to the mass murder, adding: “They may even use an atomic bomb, no less.”

“But first, it will be surprised by the attack and enter into chaos,” he wrote, describing the assault as “a campaign of life or death,” and calling for “a popular operation of returning to the villages and recapturing them symbolically.”

WSJ: Aspiring to Regional Domination, Iran Is Ready to Escalate over Hormuz

For the Iranian regime, keeping a chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz has turned out to be more important than the tens of billions of dollars in sanctions relief from the Trump administration. Iranian officials believe the country has finally emerged as a regional hegemon and is seeking to cement its new status by securing permanent arrangements to control the vital waterway - and dominating the Persian Gulf economies along with it.

"This is the only way: recognize the new Iranian order in the Strait of Hormuz," warned Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament's national security commission. "The Strait of Hormuz will only open with 'Iranian arrangements,' not American threats," added the parliament's speaker and the lead negotiator with the U.S., Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

This attitude heralds a rocky future, with continuing uncertainty for global energy markets and a Damoclean Sword of renewed strikes hanging over the Gulf monarchies. "The Islamic Republic will become even more of a gangster regime. Its takeaway from the war is that concessions are won through coercion - by attacking its neighbors, threatening the Strait of Hormuz, and driving up the price of oil," said Karim Sadjadpour, Iran expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The Iranian regime views the oil-rich Gulf monarchies as belonging to its own natural sphere of influence - a sphere denied to it by America ever since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Tehran's drive to institutionalize Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz reflects its ambition to establish a new Pax Iranica in the Middle East.

Iran's perception of itself as a new regional hegemon is delusional given how much its military has been degraded, how much its network of proxy forces in the Middle East has been weakened, and how much its economy has been suffocated in recent months, said Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi geopolitical analyst. "All it has left is bullying, piracy, noise and the ability to act as a spoiler. These are not the qualities of a hegemon, but of a thug."

For now, the Iranians have limited themselves to largely ineffective attacks on American military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

"Fundamentally, the Iranians don't believe that Trump wants to go back to war, so they are going to just push and push. They are really thinking that he is not going to wallop them at all," said Marc Polymeropoulos, a former senior CIA official.

Masih Alinejad: The Iran the Funeral Cameras Don't Show

In the months since supreme leader Ali Khamenei's death, I have received hundreds of messages from friends and contacts inside Iran.

They are messages of disbelief, relief and, when people feel safe enough, joy. But they are still afraid. They are always afraid.

The carefully choreographed seas of mourners at the funeral are an illusion. I know from experience how they are assembled through force.

The total expense of the week-long funeral - including security deployments of roughly 150,000 police, temporary infrastructure, transportation, accommodation for thousands of out-of-town participants, free 24-hour metro and bus services, catering, and a week of public holidays - could approach $800 million.

Why does the system that denounced extravagance pour hundreds of millions into a funeral?

For a supreme leader who was considered a titan of a global movement, the absence of every major world leader is an embarrassment.

This was not mourning. This was a regime staging a display of strength for an audience that is no longer watching.

Many of those attending the funeral genuinely want revenge. During the funeral, crowds of mourners hung an effigy of President Donald Trump. From the funeral stage, regime loyalists repeatedly vowed revenge.

Placards carried by mourners displayed prominent Americans, with red crosshairs or target marks over their foreheads. The captions read, "Sooner or later, your heads will roll."

When the Islamic Republic threatens to kill you, believe them. As a former journalist in Iran, I was forced into exile for criticizing the regime, only for Iranian intelligence operatives to plot my assassination in New York - a plan foiled by the FBI at the last minute.

But before that, the regime threatened me publicly with posters, cartoons, and effigies. For the Islamic Republic, propaganda is the prelude to action.

This is Iran's reality: a population who have learned to perform grief when required, and who express their true feelings only in whispers, anonymously, or not at all.

I have been the keeper of those messages for years. They fill my phone. They fill my social media. They are the Iran the funeral cameras do not show.

Israelis want peace with more Arab neighbors but not a two-state solution to Gaza: poll

Israelis want to give peace a chance — with more of their Arab neighbors.

A majority of voters in the Jewish state overwhelmingly support making diplomatic deals with nations such as Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia — although they do not agree to a two-state solution, a k a a Palestinian state next to Israel, nor any country but Israel governing Gaza, a new survey reveals.

The poll, conducted by the Council for a Secure America, shows that 81% of Israelis already support the Abraham Accords — diplomatic agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

That’s a record high in CSA polling. Only 5% of respondents were opposed, and the rest had no opinion.

About 78% of Israelis also support a future diplomatic agreement with Saudi Arabia, while 72% back a friendly deal with Lebanon and 64% support one with Syria, the survey shows.

Seventy-one percent of Israelis believe Saudi-Israel relations would help their economy.

But the Israelis’ relations with their Palestinian neighbors remain fraught.

Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel is seared in their memory, and consequently, a 41% plurality believes Israel should govern the Hamas-led Gaza strip, while only 25% prefer an international coalition that includes Arab countries.

Among younger Israelis ages 44 and under, an even higher number — or 54% of respondents — want Israel to control Gaza compared to just 15% for an international coalition. The 54% figure is nearly double the number of older Israelis who support sole Israeli governance of the strip.

Nearly two-thirds, or 63%, of Israeli voters also oppose a two-state solution, while 22% support it. Those figures remain essentially unchanged across CSA’s two years of tracking.

Opposition to a two-state solution is strongest among younger Israelis: 66% of voters under 44 oppose it, with only 17 percent in support.

Most Israelis meanwhile blame Iran for the strife and violence against Israel in the region.

Beneath Beaufort’s strategic bulwark, a Hezbollah lair built to attack Israel is unearthed

With cool air rushing over the sweeping view from atop Beaufort Castle at dawn, it is easy to forget that just a few months ago, Hezbollah operatives launched hundreds of attacks at Israeli troops and northern Israel from this strategic escarpment.

In late May, Israel recaptured the historic Beaufort Castle and the surrounding ridge, 26 years after withdrawing from the site, as it pushed deeper into Lebanon during the fighting against Hezbollah.

Speaking to reporters during an organized media tour of the area last week, the commander of the 36th Division, Brig. Gen. Yiftah Norkin, said the capture of the Beaufort Ridge was “critical to the defense of the Galilee Panhandle, Metula, and the surrounding communities.”

Sitting atop a steep bluff some 680 meters (2,230 feet) above sea level, the site, known in Lebanon as Qalaat al-Shakif, commands sweeping views of the Galilee Panhandle in northern Israel, as well as the Nabatieh area in southern Lebanon, making it a strategically valuable position.

Home to a medieval fortress and castle that today lies mostly in ruins, Beaufort also holds symbolic importance as an emblem of Israel’s past military entanglements in Lebanon, particularly the 18-year occupation that ended in 2000.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, operations in the Beaufort Castle area are focused on capturing and demolishing major Hezbollah underground sites, as well as preventing the terror group from carrying out rocket attacks on Israel from the area.

Hezbollah launched over 400 rockets from the Beaufort Ridge toward northern Israel during the current round of fighting, mainly at the border community of Metula, the military says.

The fighting began in early March, when the Lebanese terror group began firing missiles and drones at Israel in support of its patron, Iran.

It also dispatched first-person view drones and fired anti-tank missiles at troops operating in southern Lebanon from the area.

About a kilometer (0.6 miles) south of the Crusader-built fortress, beneath the ridge, the military uncovered several major Hezbollah tunnels, which it said were constructed with direct Iranian assistance.

During Tuesday’s tour, reporters were taken into one of the tunnels, which stretches 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) from the cliff face into the mountain.

“The tunnels were intended for two purposes: first, to fire directly toward Israel. The moment you exit the tunnel, you can see Metula right in front of you,” said an officer in the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit.

“And its second purpose is to defend against an IDF ground maneuver to the Beaufort Ridge, in which, as you can see, we defeated them (Hezbollah),” he said.

A visit to Beaufort, and what's beneath the ridge... pic.twitter.com/wKWM2TIOJP
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 12, 2026

Inside the weapon-filled tunnels beneath a Lebanon castle which was long a Hezbollah stronghold and used to launch deadly strikes and drones

The recently departed guests living within the ruins of Beaufort Castle enjoyed separate living quarters, a fully stocked kitchen, modern showers and even a private medical clinic.

Hopping on personal mopeds, they could ride through an impressive underway highway out onto the ridgeline for unrivalled views of southern Lebanon.

From here they could take in breathtaking lush green hills, picturesque postcard ancient villages – and peer over the border into Israel.

But this is not a sought-after destination holiday rental. I am standing in what was, until only a few weeks ago, a Hezbollah stronghold.

From here, terrorists would launch drones and strikes on the Jewish State, terrorising those who lived in towns such as Metula before a fierce firefight saw Israel drive them from their base.

The vast tunnel network along the ridge took 15 years to build, stretches to over a kilometre, and has multiple tributary shafts.

Carpets line the living quarters where there are well-stocked fridges, full cooking equipment, working showers and a treatment room with coolboxes for medicines.

Inside, soldiers showed reporters a terrifying stockpile of deadly weaponry, including feared anti-personnel mines that leave victims 'identifiable by dental records only'.

There were detonators, anti-aircraft machine guns, long range anti-tank missiles that can reach into Israel, short-range missiles, machine gun rounds and rifles.

Israel also claims they discovered a 'rare helicopter mine' that detects where aircraft are flying low and explode, bringing them to the ground.

Lindsey Graham, a stalwart supporter of Israel in the Senate, dies at 71

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who represented South Carolina in the Senate for more than two decades and was a stalwart supporter of Israel during his time in office, died on Saturday, his office announced. He was 71.

Graham, who served in the House of Representatives for more than a decade before being elected to the Senate in 2002, had recently returned from Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Prior to Ukraine, he had been part of a bipartisan U.S. delegation in Ankara, Turkey, for the NATO summit.

NBC News reported that emergency personnel had responded on Saturday evening to a call regarding a cardiac arrest at Graham’s home on Capitol Hill.

A longtime advocate for Israel, Graham traveled to the country in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, making at least 10 trips to the region since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war. He last traveled to Israel days before the outbreak of the Iran war in February 2026, during which he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Graham was openly critical of Iran and skeptical of Western engagement with the Islamic Republic. He was a vocal opponent of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and favored military engagement to address the threats posed by the Islamic Republic. He defended the Trump administration’s recent negotiations with Tehran, but said in June that he thought those talks were “going to fail.”

The South Carolina Republican had been up for reelection in November after easily clearing the GOP field in the state’s primary last month. Graham’s death is expected to trigger a special primary in the state to determine who will replace him on the ballot.

The Republican lawmaker was swiftly eulogized by top Israeli political figures.

JPost Editorial: Senator Lindsey Graham leaves a lasting legacy of true US-Israel friendship

The death of Senator Lindsey Graham this weekend has deprived Israel of one of its most reliable and forthright allies in Washington.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Graham understood that “the security of Israel and America are inseparable,” adding: “Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend.”

President Isaac Herzog described the South Carolinian Republican as “a beacon of moral clarity and a true leader of the US-Israel partnership,” recalling how he stood beside Israelis during their most difficult moments.

There was more to these tributes than simply the death of a senior statesman. Graham’s friendship with Israel spanned decades and multiple administrations. It was expressed through legislation, military assistance, repeated visits, and a willingness to defend the Jewish state even when doing so became politically uncomfortable.

The archives of The Jerusalem Post offer a record of that public continuity.

Graham rejects the notion Israel can return to pre-'67 lines
During a visit to Israel with a congressional delegation in 2011, Graham rejected the notion that Israel could safely return to the pre-1967 lines. “From my point of view, I can never imagine an agreement that goes back to the ’67 boundaries because, in my view, those boundaries are indefensible,” he told the Post.

He also sought to reassure Israelis that support for their country remained deeply embedded in Congress. “The purpose of this trip is to try and reinforce, from my point of view, the unwavering support that the State of Israel has in Congress,” Graham said. “Quite frankly, Congress has Israel’s back.”

That would come to define much of Graham’s career. Graham himself was prepared to criticize Israeli policy, yet his starting point never changed: Israel was a democratic ally whose security was both morally important and strategically vital to the United States.

His support also translated into practical action. In 2009, Graham joined Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer to promote legislation intended to strengthen American opposition to commercial boycotts of Israel.

Graham was similarly unequivocal about the danger posed by Iran’s nuclear program. During another visit to Jerusalem with senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman in 2010, he supported maintaining military action as an option, should diplomacy and economic pressure fail.

Israel is safer because of Lindsey Graham

Despite the visible tensions between the Obama administration and the Netanyahu government, Sen. Graham made it unmistakably clear that he and many of his colleagues in Congress stood shoulder to shoulder with Israel. They understood that Iran and their terror proxies threatening the "Little Satan" would not stop there. Iran’s ambitions ultimately targeted the "Great Satan" as well.

Standing beside the prime minister, Graham pledged, "We will be following your counsel and advice" on Iran. There was no daylight between them.

That meeting was just one of many we had over the years. While Sen. Graham's public advocacy for Israel is well documented, his quiet diplomacy was, in many ways, even more consequential. Much of his most important work happened far from television cameras and press conferences. Through tireless conversations, persistent lobbying, and unwavering efforts to strengthen Israel's security, his commitment was perhaps best reflected in his oft-repeated conviction: "If America pulls the plug on Israel, God will pull the plug on us."

While many in the pro-Israel camp will rightly remember his leadership on foreign policy and national security, Senator Graham was equally resolute in confronting antisemitism. He stood apart for his uncompromising opposition to such hatred in all its forms and never hesitated to call it out, regardless of where it came from, even within his own party.

He was not a man easily swayed, nor one who abandoned his friends when circumstances became difficult. His convictions on foreign policy were deeply rooted, and his commitment to Israel was unwavering. Israel was unquestionably safer knowing it had a champion like Lindsey Graham in the United States Senate.

His words still resonate today: "I am with you in every way... I will be with Israel until our dying day. They're the best ally we could hope for."

The truth is that Sen. Lindsey Graham was one of the best allies Israel could have hoped for.

Israel is safer because of his steadfast friendship, his moral clarity, and his willingness to stand firm when it mattered most. His passing leaves an enormous void, not only for Israel, but for all who believe that peace is best secured through strength.

Lindsey Graham, 71, remembered for ‘deep personal connection’ to Israel, Jews

The exchange between Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Elena Kagan, during her confirmation hearing for the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29, 2010 is one of the most lighthearted Jewish references in such a venue.

“As we move forward and deal with law of war issues. Christmas Day bomber. Where are you at on Christmas Day?” Graham asked.

“Sen. Graham, that is an undecided legal issue. I suppose, I should ask exactly what you mean by that. I’m assuming that the question you mean is whether a person, who is apprehended in the Untied States—” “No,” Graham cut in. “I just asked where you were at on Christmas.”

Kagan laughed. “You know,” she said. “Like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.”

“Great answer. Great answer,” Graham said. “That’s great. That’s what Chanukah and Christmas is all about.”

Graham, 71, whose office said at about 2 a.m. on Sunday that he had died after a “brief and sudden illness,” is being remembered as one of the closest friends of Jews and of Israel, as well as a great supporter of his South Carolina constituents.

On Sunday evening, Graham’s office stated that the senator died from aortic dissection, or a tear in the inner artery to the heart, due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or hardened arteries leading to the heart, according to the District of Columbia medical examiner’s preliminary findings.

“The death certificate will be pending until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized and at that point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death,” the medical examiner said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said that he was “one of the greatest people and senators I have ever known,” who “was always working, and was a true American patriot.”

Paragon of a bygone era? With death of Lindsey Graham, Israel loses a stalwart ally

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina who was one of Israel’s staunchest supporters in Congress, has died at 71.

Graham was a paragon of an era when support for Israel and for robust US intervention overseas were emblems of bipartisanship and engineered one of the last displays of bipartisan solidarity with Israel.

In the days after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, he cobbled together a joint Republican-Democratic trip to Israel and said it typified how Americans viewed and supported the country.

“Ten percent of the United States Senate is in Israel,” Graham said at a Tel Aviv press conference on October 22, 2023. “Ten percent of the United States Senate is in Israel because we care. Five Republicans and five Democrats. If I had a bigger plane, we probably would have brought the entire Senate.”

Three years later, no one could convene such a show of solidarity, and Graham’s death means the Senate and Republican Party have lost one of its most durable pro-Israel voices at a time when anti-Israel sentiment is on the rise in both places.

In his more than three decades in Congress, first in the House and then in the Senate since 2003, Graham aggressively backed US aid to Israel, advanced a hawkish line on Iran and met repeatedly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in both Israel and the United States. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosts visiting US Senator Lindsey Graham in Jerusalem, February 16, 2026. (Maayan Toaf/GPO)

Graham’s most recent visit to Israel was in February, ahead of the US-Israel war on Iran, which he later took credit for urging. “They’ll tell me things our own government won’t tell me,” he said of Israeli officials at the time.

Iranian media celebrated his death, which came a week after pro-regime Iranians held up placards with a target superimposed on a portrait of Graham at the funeral for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was slain in the initial joint US-Israel attacks.

Graham aimed to reach Israel-Saudi normalization before end of year as prize for Iran war - report

Late US senator Lindsey Graham was pushing to get an Israel-Saudi normalization deal done by November, before the next US Congress is sworn in, Axios reported on Sunday, citing conversations held with Graham over the last couple of weeks.

According to Axios, Graham thought Israel-Saudi normalization could be the "big prize" product of the war with Iran, with the crisis at the Strait of Hormuz pushing Arab countries towards a new round of diplomatic arrangements with Israel, similar to the Abraham Accords.

The report mentioned that Graham thought an agreement would be possible if it happened between October, when elections are scheduled in Israel, and November.

Additionally, Graham believed that an agreement would only be possible if the war in Iran was "brought under control," and he urged, on several occasions, an "overwhelming" military operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if diplomacy failed.

Finally, the deal would require two key factors: securing enough Democratic votes to reach two-thirds of the US Congress supporting the bill, and the next Israeli government being willing to accept Saudi Arabia's normalization demands.

Israel’s leaders mourn passing of Lindsey Graham, ‘one of its greatest friends’

Trump has warmed up to him considerably and Graham has used the relationship to aggressively lobby in favor of US military action in Iran.

Graham traveled to Israel regularly to meet with top Israeli officials. He also visited Saudi Arabia often, and pushed for normalization between the US allies.

The Iran hawk was initially highly critical of the emerging Iran deal this year and said in May that putting Iran in a strong position in the region would lead to a “nightmare for Israel.”

“If a deal is struck to end the Iranian conflict because it is believed that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be protected from Iranian terrorism and Iran still possesses the capability to destroy major Gulf oil infrastructure, then Iran will be perceived as being a dominate [sic] force requiring a diplomatic solution,” he posted on X.

Once it was signed, he was more open to giving Trump a chance to test whether diplomacy could curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

At the same time, Graham expressed his doubts that Trump’s peace plan for Gaza would succeed with a key target of getting Hamas to disarm voluntarily.

“My advice to the President [Trump] is until Hamas is dealt out of the game militarily and politically, the chance of success is pretty remote,” he told The Times of Israel in late 2025.

“These people are religious zealots,” he said. “They’re religious Nazis. I have no confidence, short of their demise, that they’re ever going to do anything other than what they promised to do. Did they stop wanting to destroy Israel? Did they change their stated goals? No.”

I am shocked and heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing of the great American patriot, a great friend of Israel, and my dear friend U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham.

Senator Graham was a beacon of moral clarity and a true leader of the U.S.-Israel partnership. We will never… pic.twitter.com/tNuV93LXKS
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) July 12, 2026

I was devastated to learn of the passing of the great American patriot, a true friend of Israel, and a dear personal friend, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham.

May his memory be a blessing. pic.twitter.com/ExSKvaqIdV
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) July 12, 2026

‘Israel has lost one of its greatest friends': Netanyahu mourns Lindsey Graham

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he and his wife Sara Netanyahu “grieve with the American people over the loss of our dear friend, Senator Lindsey Graham.”

“In our recent meeting, I said, ‘Lindsey is a great friend of Israel and a cherished friend of mine. We have no better friend than Lindsey.’ Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable. He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world,” continued the statement.

“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend,” said the premier.

“Our hearts are with Lindsey’s family and with the American people at this difficult time. May his values and initiatives continue to guide us toward victory and peace, and may his memory forever be a blessing,” the statement concluded.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
Sara and I grieve with the American people over the loss of our dear friend, Senator Lindsey Graham.

In our recent meeting, I said, "Lindsey is a great friend of Israel and a cherished friend of mine. We have no better friend than Lindsey."… pic.twitter.com/OSToT8FCYm
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 12, 2026

🚨WATCH: PM Netanyahu on Fox News on the late Sen. Lindsey Graham “personified traditional American values" and was an "American patriot He was unabashedly for America, and he was unabashedly against the enemies of America, and he spoke what he thought.” pic.twitter.com/j0SURlSBvj
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) July 12, 2026

"If you told me 80 years after the end of WWII, there would be a power on the planet...that openly avows the destruction of the Jewish people, that the world would wonder what to do. The answer is simple. Stop them. Stop them now!"

- Lindsey Grahampic.twitter.com/pTWKmOe5R6
— Yehuda Teitelbaum (@chalavyishmael) July 12, 2026

Lindsay Graham was an absolutely brilliant, dedicated and patriotic public servant. His positive impact spanned the entire globe. The world has lost a hero and, personally, I will miss him terribly. pic.twitter.com/mGvuW0sal3
— David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) July 12, 2026

The Islamic regime supporters are already trying to take credit pic.twitter.com/5cPDqrEyua
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 12, 2026

#WATCH: The IRGC’s propaganda TV channel claimed that Senator Lindsey Graham, whom it described as an “anti-Iranian senator,” has “gone to hell.”

The anchor said: “This news is so good that I want to read it to you once more. Lindsey Graham, the anti-Iranian senator, has gone to… pic.twitter.com/JzYZFXjROR
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) July 12, 2026

Iranian TV on Lindsey Graham:

I congratulate the Iranian people on the death U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who has been sent to hell. pic.twitter.com/7o0sEH5jeI
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 12, 2026

Iranian State TV Host Amir-Hossein Tahmasebi to President Trump: You Should Live in Fear; We Will Hunt You Down; I Personally Will Assassinate You If I Have the Opportunity pic.twitter.com/oAuP6ulVK4
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) July 12, 2026

Khanna alleges IDF failed to protect US delegation

There are significant discrepancies between Khanna's narrative and the IDF's
According to Israeli officials, the incident itself constitutes a grave failure on the Israeli side, both for failing to prevent the harassment and, as of press time, for failing to detain the settlers involved (though officials do bring statistics that Palestinian terror is far worse).

However, moving on to the narrative surrounding the IDF’s conduct during the event, there are significant discrepancies.

The IDF said that its forces dispersed the settlers who were unlawfully detaining and harassing Khanna and his group.

According to military sources who spoke to The Jerusalem Post, the IDF did not detain Khanna in any way, and the US congressman did not communicate with the military before or after his visit.

This was partly how he was able to be accosted, given that he had no escort, and clearly did not want one.

In addition, the IDF and the Israel Police said that no official complaint has been filed that would be a basis for them to seek to arrest those involved.

Rep. Khanna responded to an inquiry from the Post about the incident, saying, “The Israeli government is lying to cover up for four IDF soldiers who aided violent settlers brandishing M4 guns and threatening American lives. I am calling for their arrest and prosecution.”

A spokeswoman for Khanna then referred the Post to Nadav Weiman, who helped run Khanna’s tour of the area.

Weiman is the executive director of Breaking the Silence, a group that say it aims “to expose the public to the daily reality of the occupation and Israeli military rule over the Palestinian civilian population in the territories.”

The groups also say, “we all agree that the occupation cannot be a solution and must be ended, as military rule over a civilian population can never be moral or humane.”

According to Weiman’s account of the incident, there were two primary offenders among the settlers, one man who held an M4 with a silencer and one who had a handgun.

Weiman passed the name of the man holding the handgun to the Post, which then asked the police and the IDF whether they had identified the individual, were pursuing him, and sought to contact him for a response.

During the period of time that two vehicles of settlers were blocking Khanna’s group from leaving the area, about 20 minutes passed, according to Weiman.

Weiman called the Israeli Police while Khanna's team called the US embassy for assistance
Simultaneously, Weiman and some of the other travelers called the Israel Police for assistance, while Khanna or members of his staff called the US Embassy for assistance.

Interestingly, Weiman said that it was the settlers who called the IDF officials who ended up arriving at the scene after 20 minutes.

Next, he said that the IDF soldiers present, including a contingent of relatively right-wing sounding female soldiers, blocked Khanna from leaving the area for another 40 minutes.

Further, Weiman said that none of the soldiers approached Khanna to discuss the situation or clarify who he was.

Here’s the bottom line on @RoKhanna . He visited Israel for the sole purpose of self-victimization, seeking a confrontation with people whom he had been vilifying for months.

Now, to achieve that with minimal self-risk, he had a far-left guide take him to a relatively low-risk…
— David M Friedman (@DavidM_Friedman) July 12, 2026

Tayseer Abu Sneineh was convicted as one of four terrorists in the May 2, 1980 Hebron attack. They ambushed yeshiva students with gunfire and grenades, killing 6 civilians: US citizens Tzvi Glatt and Eli HaZe'ev, Canadian Shmuel Mermelstein, and Israelis Hanan Krauthammer,…
— Grok (@grok) July 12, 2026

Interesting that this happened on Wednesday and the first we’re hearing about it is on Saturday, released in sync with a NYT article. https://t.co/pXWVRsMGvR
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) July 11, 2026

Rep. Ro Khanna was blocked on a road near Khirbet Zanuta on Wednesday. That happened, a NYT photographer saw it, and if the armed men who did it broke the law, prosecute them. Now the rest of the story.

The IDF says its troops and police dispersed the civilians and let his… https://t.co/zBk0DnJdzb
— Zvika Klein צביקה קליין (@ZvikaKlein) July 11, 2026

For anyone who knows the area. Ro Khanna claims are laughable. https://t.co/6tGfkrdPaD pic.twitter.com/DQbPrBdx2Z
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) July 12, 2026

Why did Ro Khanna do that publicity stunt?

Because he wants you to forget he was one of the top promoters of a Nazi candidate in Maine…

And how he was one of the top promoters of a guy credibly accused of sexual assault…

And didn’t drop the endorsement until the polls showed… https://t.co/ZQLv3kmQ0A pic.twitter.com/LYThczDPWo
— Jake Donnelly (@RedWhiteBlueJew) July 12, 2026

It appears that this happened on Wednesday and you waited to release this information on Saturday, the Jewish sabbath, likely knowing the response would be limited because of that.

Their allegation is you impermissibly entered a closed area. They also gave a “final warning” to… https://t.co/iSnbDUwLmn
— 𝔼𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕠𝕥 𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕟 (@ElliotMalin) July 12, 2026

He was in such grave danger of imprisonment that he's now doing face time tiktoks now. https://t.co/0VIKzhHyMJ
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 12, 2026

Tucker Carlson, who was caught embellishing his claims of being detained in Israel, is accepting Ro Khanna's claims of being detained in Israel at face value. https://t.co/lsMSucLTdi
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) July 11, 2026

Read the full essay here: https://t.co/eDPpcIYtAU
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) July 12, 2026

Today, ADL ran an ad in the Maine Sunday Telegram (@PressHerald) calling on Democratic and Republican party leaders to reject antisemitism.

It's easy to call out hatred on the other side. What takes real courage is demanding your own party condemn this behavior, even when it's… pic.twitter.com/YmLtGdQF3D
— ADL (@ADL) July 12, 2026

US CENTCOM announces renewed wave of strikes against Iran

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that American forces have completed a wave of strikes against Iran in the early morning hours of Monday.

In a statement on X/Twitter, CENTCOM stated that the strikes were intended to degrade Iran’s “ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”

CENTCOM also stated that they had hit dozens of targets across multiple cities, including Iranian military air defense systems, radar sites, small boats, and missile and drone capabilities.

US one-way sea attack drones were used for the first time in the strikes, CENTCOM added, saying that precise munitions, fighter aircraft, aerial drones, and naval vessels were all utilized in the operation.

CENTCOM asserted that US forces are postured and prepared to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open for commercial shipping, “despite Iran’s continued unwarranted aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations.”

Smoke rises at an unknown location following what US Central Command says is a new wave of strikes against Iran on Tuesday after three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, in this still image taken from video released July 7, 2026.

Earlier on Monday, a CENTCOM spokesperson told CNN that US aircraft had successfully shot down an Iranian cruise missile and a one-way attack drone. The spokesperson added that within that hour, Iran had fired at a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian state media reported that several explosions were heard in Iranian cities, including Sirik and Bandar Abbas, shortly after midnight on Monday.

Iranian state media also reported that one person was killed and four were injured during the strikes.

CENTCOM hit 140 Iranian targets during Sunday strikes
The US carried out similar strikes on Iran in the early morning hours on Sunday, hitting approximately 140 Iranian military targets, according to a CENTCOM statement.

Sunday’s strikes targeted Iranian missile and drone sites, ammunition storage facilities, communications, and coastal surveillance locations using precise munitions.

CENTCOM: Strait of Hormuz open despite ‘arbitrary’ Iranian declarations

United States Central Command on Sunday reiterated that Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz, saying the strategic shipping lane remained open “to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit.”

“U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations,” CENTCOM wrote on X.

“Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing,” according to the post.

On Saturday, the Iranian regime had declared the Strait of Hormuz to be closed amid ongoing U.S. airstrikes targeting the regime.

“The Strait of Hormuz is closed until further notice and until the end of America’s interventions in the region, and no vessel will be permitted to pass through,” said the IRGC.

The IRGC warned that any “new act of aggression” against Iran would be met with a “severe response” and that additional “enemy bases” in the region would be targeted.

Iran claims strikes on US bases in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Jordan

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday it had launched attacks on American military assets in Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Jordan.

According to the IRGC-affiliated Fars News Agency, the missile and drone attacks targeted military facilities in Qatar; a Patriot air-defense system, an ammunition depot and a radar site in Kuwait, refueling platforms used by aircraft carriers at the Port of Duqm in Oman, a military communications facility and a radar site in Bahrain, and a command center and MQ-9 drone hangars at Jordan’s Prince Hassan Air Base.

Qatar’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses had intercepted “a number of ballistic missile attacks” targeting the country.

Kuwait’s Armed Forces also said their air defense systems had engaged “hostile aerial targets” that entered the country’s airspace.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry on Sunday issued several emergency warnings, urging citizens and residents to “remain calm, head to the nearest safe location and follow updates through official channels.”

Authorities in Oman and Jordan did not immediately confirm Iran’s claim that it had launched attacks on targets inside their territories.

On Saturday, Iran had declared the Strait of Hormuz to be closed amid ongoing U.S. airstrikes targeting the regime.

“The Strait of Hormuz is closed until further notice and until the end of America’s interventions in the region, and no vessel will be permitted to pass through,” said the IRGC.

The IRGC warned that any “new act of aggression” against Iran would be met with a “severe response” and that additional “enemy bases” in the region would be targeted.

🚨 BREAKING: Iran just committed yet ANOTHER war crime & #IRGC leverage to close Strait of Hormuz "until further notice" is premised on the threat of committing MORE war crimes.

Media is doing the public a MAJOR disservice by not reporting on these actual war crimes.

To be… https://t.co/BmA4jkuZiL pic.twitter.com/TimsIxFmNm
— Dr. Brian L. Cox (@BrianCox_RLTW) July 12, 2026

Channel 12 Israel: In recent days, reports said Israel warned the Americans of Iran’s intent to assassinate Trump.

We can now report that Western foreign intelligence detected Iranian preparations for an assassination on Turkish soil. This prompted the switch of the presidential…
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 12, 2026

Israel had a problem, and Germany had a solution. Israel needs more manufacturing capacity for Iron Dome components. Volkswagen, having failed to establish itself as a leader in electric vehicles and bleeding market share to Chinese imports, has capacity to spare. So the two… pic.twitter.com/pJEvqYm0Th
— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) July 12, 2026

The IDF says it bombed a Hamas weapons manufacturing site in Gaza City earlier today, while members of the terror group were operating there.

Recently, Hamas operatives worked the site to "manufacture weapon components in an attempt to restore the organization's capabilities,"… pic.twitter.com/hIIzN4Noxf
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) July 12, 2026

The Gazans were able to film the strike on the weapons production site after receiving a warning before the attack. pic.twitter.com/Q6FeD4WuaN
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 12, 2026

2/
And let's not forget that @pressfreedom hasn't yet removed Mahmoud Issa Abu Shirby from its list following his Islamic Jihad death notice published on July 9.

So, @BBCNews, not only are you citing a discredited organization, but the number of dead journalists you quote is… pic.twitter.com/yBJgS5ZXbq
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) July 12, 2026

EXPOSED: Four Gaza employees of the Turkish “aid” group IHH were also Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives, according to newly published PIJ notices and open-source records.
Their roles reportedly included commander, squad leader and battalion fighter. pic.twitter.com/3ayYjWpryR
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) July 13, 2026

These releases (naming 18 militants on 7/4, 22 on 7/5, 20 on 7/6, 16 on 7/7, and 17 on 7/8) consist almost entirely of squad-level leaders, over 200 which have been claimed by PIJ in recent weeks. Another list released on July 9 will be analyzed separately. pic.twitter.com/Gj865q3y9F
— Gabriel Epstein (@GabrielEpsteinX) July 12, 2026

Salman Awad Abd al-Bureim (ID#: 405231903, age 24), a sniper unit squad leader in PIJ's Khan Younis Brigade, lists his occupation as medical secretary on social media. I was unable to find more on where he worked. al-Bureim was killed in June 2024. pic.twitter.com/AJis3WNZho
— Gabriel Epstein (@GabrielEpsteinX) July 12, 2026

Basel Mohammed Abdullah al-Shaer (ID#: 802146100, age 36), a worker for the UK-based NGO Ataya Association for the Relief of the Poor in Gaza, was a squad leader in PIJ's Yabna Battalion in the Rafah Brigade. al-Shaer, who Ataya memorialized on social media after his death, was… pic.twitter.com/EyIG7jSV1W
— Gabriel Epstein (@GabrielEpsteinX) July 12, 2026

Remember when the IDF surrounded Al-Shifa hospital. Surprise surprise, Hamas was using it as shelter, with weapons. Straight from the horses mouth. 11 high ranking terrorists even made it out. pic.twitter.com/tT8S5DJI4d
— Dan 🇮🇪 ✡️ (@danielthemate) July 12, 2026

Here he describes how people who didn't allow Hamas to use them as human shields are destined for hell and G-ds wrath.

I'm only on page 75 so far. I'm sure there's a lot more in here. pic.twitter.com/2hZ8Aam5iN
— Dan 🇮🇪 ✡️ (@danielthemate) July 12, 2026

People may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm 107 pages in, and this Hamas member has not mentioned ‘Palestine’ once, but has mentioned Allah destroying the infidels. pic.twitter.com/QijPc8rkoH
— Dan 🇮🇪 ✡️ (@danielthemate) July 12, 2026

Page 113, still no "Palestine" and also no mention of genocide, ethnic cleansing etc.

Here he says any rational person knows israel was established for security and prosperity. Notice no mention of colonising, apartheid etc.

He then proclaims there will be no homeland for the… pic.twitter.com/qBqRmbe5Mh
— Dan 🇮🇪 ✡️ (@danielthemate) July 12, 2026

Iranian Analyst Saeid Shaverdi: I Wish Iran Could Target Europe Like It Targets Arab Countries in the Region; We May Soon Unveil Missiles Capable of Striking European Countries; We Can Target Their Oil Tankers and Trade; Some in Iran Believe the Middle East’s Entire Oil and Gas… pic.twitter.com/Te8EpooWxZ
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) July 12, 2026

At Dearborn Heights Mosque, Shiite Scholar Ahmed Qazwini Praises Khamenei as a Martyr Who Sacrificed His Life for His Beliefs: "Away with Humiliation!" pic.twitter.com/Muq1304c3P
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) July 12, 2026

Mehdi is referring here to Minister Katz talking about south Lebanon saying Israel implemented there what it did in Rafah, namely dismantling Hamas terror infrastructure.
Now of course that’s a stupid thing to say by Katz, but Mehdi knows that there wasn’t any Genocide in Rafah… pic.twitter.com/4P9G9XHnKj
— Nadav Pollak (@NadavPollak) July 12, 2026

David Collier: Abandoned: Christians Killed Without a Word of Protest

The Antisemitic Motion at The Synod
The General Synod is the Church of England’s national governing body. It is the closest thing the Church has to a parliament. And it is currently gathering for five days of debate and decision-making.

The agenda of the meeting is made public and there is only one current international issue being discussed – “Kairos Palestine.” The motion is even listed first on the Church of England website.

The motion is not simply about supporting Palestinian Christians. It explicitly asks Synod to engage with *Kairos Palestine II*, a document that accuses Israel of genocide, apartheid, colonialism, ethnic cleansing, Jewish supremacy and racism. Kairos II portrays Jewish self-determination as a corrupt and oppressive ideology. It calls on churches to isolate Israel through boycotts and sanctions and urges them to distance themselves from “Zionist” voices. The Diocese of Carlisle sponsored the motion.

Describing the very existence of Israel as a racist endeavour and denying the Jewish people the right to self-determination are clear breaches of the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Yet *Kairos Palestine II* does not merely stray into this territory, it anticipates the objection. The document dismisses concerns about antisemitism as a “misuse” of the term designed to protect “Zionist interests”.

This creates an extraordinary moral loophole. Israel can be accused of virtually every evil imaginable, Zionism can be condemned as a racist moral corruption, and any suggestion that such rhetoric may be antisemitic is ruled out in advance. The accusation is made untouchable because the defence itself is declared illegitimate. In effect, the document grants itself permission to make the most outrageous allegations possible while pre-emptively discrediting anyone who questions them.

Remarkably, this motion comes from a Church that formally adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism “without qualification or exemption“, yet is now inviting Synod to engage with a document that falls squarely into territory that IHRA was designed to identify and challenge.

Sir Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi, stated that the document “harms peace”, is “full of falsehoods” and risks “undermining decades of careful relationship-building.” I would argue he is being generous and reserved in his criticisms.

The Synod Betrayal
This is not simply another attack on Israel. It is an immoral attack on the legitimacy of Jewish self-determination, wrapped in the language of Christian witness and social justice.

Just last week, the Methodist Conference in Telford voted to engage with the antisemitic libels contained in Kairos Palestine II. The Church of England is now being asked to follow the same path.

The direction of travel could hardly be clearer – and there is every reason for both urgency and anger.

During the weeks I spent researching this article, more Christian victims of persecution were added to the list, many of them murdered by Islamist extremists.

Their names will never be known in Britain. Their stories will never be told.

The same Islamist ideology that drives much of the persecution of Christians from Nigeria to Pakistan is also at the heart of the war against Israel. Yet it is Israel, rather than that ideology, that has become the focus of church activism.

Worse still, British Christians are being denied the truth about the persecution of their fellow believers while being encouraged to campaign against Israel, leaving British Jews more vulnerable than they have been for generations, while hundreds of millions of persecuted Christians are abandoned to suffer in silence.

It is difficult to imagine a more cowardly betrayal than this.

Former Archbishop warns Church of England against document accusing Israel of ‘genocide’

A former Archbishop of Canterbury has warned the Church of England against a Palestinian-Christian group’s document which accuses Israel of “genocide”.

The rare intervention by Lord Carey comes ahead of a motion this afternoon by the Church’s ruling the body the Synod encouraging engagement with the text published by Kairos Palestine.

Last week, Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis spoke of his concern that the document may be harmful to the cause of peace.

Now Carey has echoed the Chief Rabbi’s warning and also raised the possibility of King Charles being embroiled in a damaging political controversy.

The document, entitled A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide and also known as Kairos II declares: “The genocidal war on Gaza is the continuation of the Zionist project to seize all of Palestine, emptied of its Palestinian people.”

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis warned that the content of the document “is deeply concerning”.

He said: “While it is important to recognise the suffering of Palestinian Christians, this document does so in a way which can only harm the cause of peace.”

He added: “It presents a one-sided account of a complex conflict, downplays the historical experiences and legitimate concerns of Jewish people, and offers little more than political activism dressed up as theology.”

The Chief Rabbi’s statement came after the Methodist Church formally accepted the Kairos document last month.

Now Lord Carey, who was Archbishop from 1991 to 2002, has echoed the Chief Rabbi’s warning.

Carey said: “As Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and Patron of the Council of Christians and Jews, the King could, through no fault of his own, find that the Church he represents is now committed to promoting a document that ‘risks undermining decades of careful relationship-building’ in the words of Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.”

So the @churchofengland Synod has failed to decide whether or not to pass an antisemitic motion: they ran out of time tonight and they will have to decide whether to debate it again at their next synod.
Some good debate, many church figures recognising the motion as it stands is… pic.twitter.com/LK4lGjPqzL
— Nicole Lampert (@nicolelampert) July 12, 2026

British Jews shouldn't fear requesting kosher meals in hospitals

This week, a single statistic stopped me cold. Requests for kosher meals in British hospitals have reportedly halved in two years.

That number does not mean half of British Jews abandoned their faith. It means something far uglier. It means Jews, at the precise moment they are ill, frightened, and dependent on strangers, now hesitate before ticking a box that says: I am Jewish.

A kosher meal in a hospital should be boring, a footnote, one line on a dietary form swallowed up in the vast machinery of clinical care. Instead, it has become a test of nerve.

I write this from inside medicine, not from the stands. The UK’s National Health Service trained me. I have worked in it, loved it, argued with it, and defended it for more than 40 years, and I work in it still. At its best, it remains one of Britain’s great moral achievements: care according to need, not wealth; the stranger treated exactly as the neighbor. That is precisely why this moment is so painful.

The reports keep coming. Jewish NHS staff ostracized. Jewish patients feel unsafe. Patients afraid to tick the kosher box. In Sydney, two nurses were suspended after allegedly boasting they would refuse to treat Israeli patients and threatening to harm them. In Britain, doctors have been investigated over allegedly antisemitic posts. These are no longer isolated headlines. They are a pattern.

Australian hospitals have become dangerous for Jews

Weeks before first responders fought valiantly to save lives at Bondi Beach in Sydney in December last year, an international medical conference on the latest battle-tested techniques to treat gunshot wound victims in the critical minutes after injury was to be held in Perth.

Among the speakers was the former head of the Israeli military’s medical corp, Dr Elon Glassberg, who was to share how the Israeli army reduced battlefield mortality rates from gunshot and blast injuries to the lowest in history of any army in the world.

Anti-Israel doctors and nurses groups threatened to picket the conference with large-scale protests if the Glassberg session went ahead. The organisers capitulated and the conference was cancelled.

For protesting healthcare workers, it was a victory to be celebrated. “Thank you to everyone who wrote letters, made phone calls and made their concerns known. Free Palestine,” the Instagram account @hcw4palestinewa said. …

The Australian medical establishment has become actively antisemitic and pro-Hamas:
Many of the more than 30 doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals interviewed for this article cite this incident as one of many examples of how anti-Israel activism by healthcare workers since the October 7, 2023, massacre by Hamas has shaken the 2500-year-old bedrock principle of medicine, dating from Greek physician Hippocrates and his oath, which is that the best interests of patients always comes first. …

Using the exalted mantle of their medical professions, activist doctors and nurses routinely are amplifying anti-Jewish blood libels propagated by Hamas as well as adopting dehumanising anti-Jewish hate speech while often expressing support for proscribed terror groups such as Hamas that advocate mass slaughter of Jews.

By doing so, they are turning hospitals and medical clinics into ideological war zones instead of safe spaces where patients can be assured of getting the best possible medical care by empathetic healthcare providers. …

October 8:
Anti-Israel activism began almost immediately after the October 7 massacre when the protests that unfolded in Australian cities spilled into the wards and staffrooms of hospitals in Melbourne, Sydney and other capital cities.

Doctors and nurses wore “From the river to the sea” protest symbols to work and covered hospital toilet stalls and corridors with stickers that included a Star of David with a red line drawn through it.

At The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, which has received tens of millions of dollars from Jewish philanthropists, such stickers were stuck to the bedside wall of an elderly Jewish patient in the hours before he died.

Meanwhile, a war of words was waged online. Social media posts by pro-Palestine doctors and other healthcare professionals veered into hate speech, antisemitism, Holocaust inversion and support of proscribed terror groups.

“Doctors and nurses were posting Nazi symbols and little caricatures of Jewish people but using the word ‘Zionist’ instead of ‘Jews’,” Jewish pediatric neurologist Dr Carly Debinski says. “They were so virtuous and obsessive about vilifying Jewish people.”

“Stories involving needles keep coming up"

Jewish patients in Australian hospitals keep experiencing the same thing: once the medical professional treating them realizes they are Jewish, they reportedly struggle to insert IVs.

“It is an easy way to make someone suffer, and… pic.twitter.com/kpu8A4ncg3
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) July 12, 2026

The PA's War Against Jewish History

According to reports, the Palestinian Authority plans to build a mosque on the site of Solomon’s Pools, an ancient archaeological site located four kilometers south of Bethlehem. Solomon’s Pools are mentioned by Josephus Flavius in Antiquities of the Jews, who claimed that King Solomon visited the site. Archaeologists believe that Solomon’s Pools were built during the Hasmonean or Herodian periods, when large crowds of pilgrims visiting the Temple in Jerusalem required greater access to water.

The PA, as well as the Palestinian national movement writ large, vehemently denies Jewish historical ties to the land of Israel. To this effect, the PA has carried out a systematic campaign of destroying Jewish archaeological sites, while reclaiming the sites as Palestinian heritage.

Article 18 of the Palestinian National Charter states:
“The claims of historic and spiritual ties, ties between Jews and Palestine are not in agreement with the facts of history or with the true basis of sound statehood. Judaism, because it is a divine religion, is not a nationality with independent existence. Furthermore, the Jews are not one people with an independent personality because they are citizens of the countries to which they belong.”

In December 2025, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations, Mahmoud Al-Habbash, stated that Jewish history is “pure lies and inventions... Just as they [the Israelis] stole the geography and the land, now they are attempting to steal the history. They are falsifying history to complete the facets of the plot, the takeover, the occupation, the theft, and the international deception process that Israel is carrying out in the Palestinian territories.” Speaking on Fatah’s Al-Awda television in August 2024, Al-Habbash said that “there was never any Temple, presence, or sovereignty of theirs” on the Temple Mount. Al-Habbash wrote on his Facebook page in November 2023: “We will not leave. This is our land, not the land of others. This is not their land… If someone needs to leave this land, then they are the [Israeli] terrorist oppressing occupiers who have no connection to this land.”

Speaking before the PLO Central Council, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas repeated the falsehood that the Jewish Temples were in Yemen. In August 2023, Abbas spoke before Fatah’s Revolutionary Council in Ramallah and stated that modern Jews have no connection to the ancient Israelites and are really descendants of the Khazars, a Central European tribe that converted to Judaism in the 8th century. In 2021, Abbas hosted a conference at Al-Quds Open University dedicated to “refuting the Zionist narrative”. Many speakers, such as PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh, repeated the Khazar origin myth and disputed any ties between modern Jews and the land of Israel.

In March 2023, Shtayyeh said that “Israel has falsified the history of Palestine. Since 1967, Israel has been conducting excavations and has not been able to prove that it has a direct or indirect connection to the land.” Similarly, in March 2023, Abbas’ spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina stated on official PA television that “there is no historical proof – despite all the excavations – that [the Jews] had any kind of presence in this land.”

Irwin Cotler and Joe Oliver: The "Nakba" Exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights Is a Disinformation Campaign

The "Palestine Uprooted" exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg demonstrates how a one-sided portrayal that advances an anti-Zionist political agenda can exacerbate burgeoning antisemitism and undermine the safety of the Canadian Jewish community.

Culture Minister Marc Miller called it an "error in curation" that "should be rectified." Misinformation and disinformation must not be used to propagandize a political, ideological, theological or partisan agenda. We should acknowledge Palestinian suffering, but it is also necessary to understand who caused it and who is perpetrating it and why.

Prior to Israel's independence, incoming prime minister David Ben-Gurion urged Arabs to stay. His comments were consistent with Israel's Declaration of Independence, which called on the Arab inhabitants to "participate in the building of the state on the basis of full and equal citizenship." Nevertheless, up to 750,000 fled, in part, at the urging of Arab leaders and fear of war, with the promise that they could return as soon as Israel was defeated. This evacuation would not have occurred had five Arab countries not declared war on Israel and then attacked it.

Yet 150,000 Arabs remained after the war and their descendants today constitute a Palestinian minority of over two million Israeli citizens. That contrasts with 3,500-4,000 Jews currently living in Arab countries. Nearly 950,000 Jews were driven out from countries they had lived in for two millennia, starting in 1947. So Jews also suffered a "Nakba," which the UN never recognized. Neither catastrophe was caused by the creation of the State of Israel, but rather by Arab hostility to its creation.

No group's refusal to recognize Israel has been more intense than that of the Palestinian leaders, with tragic consequences. On numerous occasions, Israel was prepared to sign a peace agreement with the Palestinian authorities but was repeatedly rejected.

Shopify president fears for future of Jews in Canada as families contemplate what was ‘unthinkable five years ago’

The president of Canada’s biggest tech company says antisemitism has been “normalized under the thinnest veil of advocacy,” and many members of the Jewish community are thinking about their future in Canada.

Harley Finkelstein was confronted, again, by an aggressive protester at Montreal’s Startupfest on Wednesday, the third time in two years he has been aggressively challenged in public for his support of Israel.

Finkelstein was verbally attacked while talking with former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre on stage. An anti-Israel political activist burst in, went to the side of the stage and filmed Finkelstein while asking about the Gaza war. Finkelstein told the protester he was embarrassing himself, and he was escorted out.

Columnist Jesse Kline keeps you up to date with what’s happening in Israel and the effects of antisemitism on life here in Canada. Friday mornings.

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Finkelstein discussed the event, and the current environment for Canada’s Jewish community, in an email interview with National Post:

Why do you think this has happened repeatedly at Startupfest?

It’s not about Startupfest. The festival is a celebration of entrepreneurship and one of the best things about the Canadian tech ecosystem. What’s changed is that visible Jews in public life have become targets, regardless of the venue or the topic. I’ve now been disrupted at a podcast about Jewish entrepreneurs, at the opening of a Jewish community centre, and at a fireside chat about building companies. None of those events had anything to do with politics. The only common thread is me, a proud Jew, on a stage.

UKLFI: Israel's Detention of Gaza Dr Hussam Abu Safiya - Natasha Hausdorff Explains

Israel's detention of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has become one of the most high-profile cases of the Israel-Hamas war.

International NGOs, UN officials, politicians and campaign groups have called for his release, portraying him as a doctor detained for refusing to abandon his patients.

But the IDF says Kamal Adwan Hospital was being used as a Hamas command centre, where more than 240 Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other suspected terror operatives were detained during a December 2024 operation.

Researchers have also highlighted Palestinian and Hamas-linked sources describing Abu Safiya as holding the rank of colonel within Hamas's Military Medical Services, alongside images showing him in military uniform, and social media in which he glorified the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023.

In this interview UKLFI Charitable Trust Legal Director Natasha Hausdorff examines the publicly available evidence surrounding Dr Abu Safiya, explains Israel's Incarceration of Unlawful Combatants Law, explores when hospitals can lose their protected status under international humanitarian law, and discusses wider concerns about the reliability of information emerging from Hamas-controlled institutions.

The discussion also examines UKLFI's review of reports of famine in Gaza which found that a highly influential report had been based on a single set of apparently anomalous data from northern Gaza. That report was in turn relied on by the UN Secretary General, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in relation to genocide allegations against Israel and the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in his reasons for seeking arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:28 Who is Dr Hussam Abu Safiya?
04:51 Israel's unlawful combatants law
07:26 When hospitals lose legal protection
09:00 Famine claims and disputed evidence
11:34 NGOs, international law and accountability

The most shameful moment in UN history had nothing to do with Israel. pic.twitter.com/uLUbYJwvAT
— Uri Kurlianchik (@VerminusM) July 12, 2026

Prominent Israeli-American surgeon Prof. Sharona Ross was set to address the 27th Lebanese Spring Congress of Surgery by Zoom.

Objections from Lebanese doctors, boycott activists and a Hezbollah-affiliated health minister led organizers to cancel her talk.

How does it help… pic.twitter.com/CHDZWR6gXT
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) July 12, 2026

Watch Coward Dale Vince walk off like a baby because he was called out on his cost of Net Zero making us poorer..
And he would not agree that Hamas are Terrorists.
He forgets who started it, when Hamas killed all those 378 innocent people at the Nova Music festival in Israel.. pic.twitter.com/4gznCkJ0qh
— NATHAN (@mbga_uk) July 12, 2026

Just your typical summer Sunday afternoon in the greatest city in the world: terrorist supporters at Tower Bridge and Waterloo Station chanting for the Labour Party's new darling, Hamas colonel Dr Hussam Abu Safiya. Hamish Falconer will be pleased with their work. pic.twitter.com/N8DNTXWT7l
— Subversive Force (@SubversiveForce) July 12, 2026

🇪🇸Spain in 1492: Expelled, killed, or forcibly converted all Jews.

🇪🇸Spain during the Holocaust: Closely aligned with the Nazis.

🇪🇸Spain after the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust: Accuses Israel of genocide.

🇪🇸Spain last year: Refused to grant asylum to… pic.twitter.com/iEDZH3CLjT
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) July 12, 2026

Stockholm pro-Palestine protest uses mock Auschwitz gate with word 'Gaza' to criticize Israel

Pro-Palestine activists staged a protest in central Stockholm on Saturday featuring a mock Auschwitz gate with ‘Gaza’ instead of ‘Arbeit Macht Frei.’

The protest was organized by the group Palestina Demonstration Stockholm in response to what they say is the wrongful detention of Palestinian pediatrician and hospital director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya by Israeli authorities.

The activists gathered to demand Abu Safiya’s immediate release, as well as “respect for international humanitarian law and protection for all healthcare workers in war and conflict.”

The case of Abu Safiya – who has been held in Israeli detention since September 2024 – has gained significant international attention. While Amnesty International, for example, refers to him as an “arbitrarily detained Palestinian health worker,” Israel maintains that he is actually a Hamas colonel.

The Stockholm protest, therefore, called for his release, as well as the release of Marwan Barghouti, and the protection of Gazan health workers.

Swedish pro-Pals enact their vile fetish under a mock up of the gates of Auschwitz. Disgusting creatures. pic.twitter.com/6J2UAsHn90
— Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) July 12, 2026

Stickers found in Amsterdam call for the hanging of "Zionists."

This is not a "criticism" of Israel. It is clear incitement against Israelis and Jews.

Everyone calling this protest, and not hate, is complicit. pic.twitter.com/aBQqYmO0Mh
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) July 12, 2026

If this scene had been in Monty Python, nobody would have thought it out of place https://t.co/gJ2gLRBB8Y
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) July 11, 2026

Solidarity with the people their country literally built a wall with razor wire to keep out. https://t.co/kD1XEePO4N
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 11, 2026

Some 300 evacuated after car with military-grade weapon found near Paris synagogue

Around 300 people were evacuated on Saturday, 11 July, from a neighborhood in Sarcelles, north of Paris, after a suspicious vehicle containing a military-grade weapon was discovered in the vicinity of a synagogue.

On Saturday evening, at around 9:30 p.m., the Anti-Crime Brigade (BAC) and General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) were informed of a possible Islamist terrorist attack targeting a synagogue in Sarcelles, potentially involving a Toyota vehicle.

The location of the vehicle was Rue Henri Dunant, 500 meters (about 550 yards) from the Great Synagogue, a cinema, and several restaurants.

France's specialized National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that the vehicle was unoccupied when it was discovered by security forces. It was also found to have been stolen, and its license plates had been partially removed.

PNAT confirmed that a Kalashnikov-type assault rifle with several magazines and a Beretta pistol, also loaded with a magazine, were both found in the vehicle.

Today 12th July, Emmanuel Macron unveiled a statue of Alfred Dreyfus in front of the Cour de Cassation, France’s highest civil court, which finally exonerated Dreyfus on 12 July 1906.

Here is an extract from from his powerful and timely speech;

“From now on, every July 12, a… pic.twitter.com/MqyevcCfTS
— Holocaust Awareness Ireland (@Holocaust_Irl) July 12, 2026

German parliament advances bill to criminalize denial of Israel's right to exist

The German parliament has advanced a bill that would make denial of Israel’s right to exist a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in prison.

The legislation received backing from Germany’s upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat. It will now travel to the lower house, the Bundestag.

Under the proposal, anyone who publicly or at a gathering denies the right of the State of Israel to exist, or calls for its elimination, would face punishment. In legal terms, this means Germany is expanding Section 130 StGB (its criminal code) beyond Holocaust denial to include existential denial of Israel.

According to the bill’s justification, existing criminal provisions (such as incitement of hatred, approval of criminal acts, or the use of symbols of terrorist organizations) currently apply only in individual cases and are insufficient.

Germany experiencing heightened antisemitism
The Bundesrat argued that Germany is experiencing heightened antisemitism, with the number of antisemitic incidents increasing from 1,957 in 2020 to 8,627 in 2024.

While many people in Germany have peacefully protested against the Israel-Hamas War and the suffering of Palestinian civilians, the Bundesrat stated that protests have also repeatedly included challenges to Israel’s legitimacy as a state.

The Bundesrat added that Israel’s establishment and acceptance by the international community are closely connected to Germany’s responsibility for the Shoah and the necessity of finding a secure homeland for Jews.

Therefore, the “denial of Israel’s right to exist ultimately not only relativizes the Holocaust but also disregards Germany’s constitutional order, which was created as a response to the violence and arbitrary rule of National Socialism [Nazism],” the Bundesrat said.

It is worth noting that the law would apply to public statements and assembly contexts, including online speech, but only if the act can reasonably promote antisemitic violence or arbitrariness.

Horrific! Two Jewish men doing outreach work in regional Australia have been inundated with sickening antisemitic vitriol, including calls for another Bondi Beach terror attack. pic.twitter.com/eoiwnRDIyN
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) July 12, 2026

A shocking story out of Adelaide with a Jewish family reportedly targeted over Shabbat pic.twitter.com/eyOnkpZwIn
— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) July 12, 2026

Hearing loss hope after breakthrough by Israeli scientists

A groundbreaking study by a team of Israeli researchers has raised hopes of a treatment for what has until been thought of as permanent hearing loss.

Scientists from the Tel Aviv University (TAU) Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences have identified a unique biological mechanism that could lead to the regeneration of hair cells in the inner ear.

Hearing loss is often caused by damage to these cells, which are crucial to hearing.

Humans are unable to replace them naturally when damaged, making hearing loss permanent, although artificial treatments – such as hearing aids – can be used to help offset the damage.

Now an Israeli team of experts, led by the dean of the faculty and Dumont Chair for Research of Hearing Disorders, Professor Karen Avraham, has uncovered a rare subset of supporting cells with regenerative potential that seem to act like a built-in backup system.

Researchers found that a small number of these supporting cells can change into new hair cells under the right conditions.

To trigger this, the team blocked a natural signalling system called the Notch pathway, which normally prevents these supporting cells from changing. Once that signal was switched off, the special "reserve" cells began transforming into new hair cells.

Israel’s under-20 women’s basketball team makes history with first European final

The Israeli women’s under-20 basketball team reached the finals in the FIBA EuroBasket tournament for the first time ever, after beating Belgium 78-69 on Saturday.

The team will face France in the final on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. (Israel time) in the European championship tournament, hosted by Lithuania.

Going into the finals, Israel’s Gali Raviv was top of the leaderboard for points per game with 28, along with the top efficiency per game with 31.7 and the highest number of assists, with 7.2.

“History!” wrote Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar in a post to his X account congratulating team on its success.

“Good Luck!” he wrote.

The semifinal match was also a first for the Israeli team. They beat Poland 80-79 in a comeback victory to secure their place in the semifinals.

Two years ago the Israeli squad came fourth in the European championship, the best placing ever for the women’s team.

Jerusalem Memorial Honors Six-Day War Veterans Killed on Oct. 7

The Ammunition Hill Heritage Site in the heart of Jerusalem, memorializing 36 paratroopers of the 66th Battalion who fell in the Battle for Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War, has evolved into a site for the battalion to remember its fallen throughout Israel's wars.

The newest addition marks five liberators of Jerusalem who were taken hostage and murdered by Hamas during or after the Oct. 7 massacre.

Amitai Yaakov Ben Zvi (80), Oded Lifshitz (83), Yoram Metzger (80), Avraham Munder (79), and Chaim Peri (79) all retired to the Gaza border community of Kibbutz Nir Oz, where Hamas massacred 47 residents and took another 76 hostage.

Hamas murdered Ben Zvi in his home. Lifshitz was murdered in 2024 while held captive by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. His remains were returned over a year later.

Metzger, Munder, and Peri were all killed in captivity and their remains were returned by the IDF on Aug. 20, 2024.

Exactly 20 years ago today: Hezbollah launched the surprise attack on an IDF patrol, kidnapped Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev — and triggered the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War. pic.twitter.com/X0YPZuX4gz
— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) July 12, 2026

On July 12, 2006, Hezbollah terrorists fired rockets at Israel to create a diversion for a cross-border attack on IDF soldiers patrolling the Israel-Lebanon border. Two soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, were then kidnapped by Hezbollah terrorists. This sparked the start… pic.twitter.com/9PpGUbwUqG
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) July 12, 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)

In 1939 a priest described how today's "anti-Zionist" antisemites work

2026-07-12T08:13:12.609-04:00

In 1939, Catholic priest Charles Owen Rice told a Pittsburgh audience how antisemites were beating the rap:

"These enemies of the Jew will define anti-Semitism as persecution of the Jew because he is a Jew. They will hold that because, to their anti-Jewish attacks, they affix a rider saying that they exempt good Jews, therefore, they are automatically absolved of anti-Semitism."

When you define antisemitism as "persecution of the Jew because he is a Jew" you are saying that it is only antisemitism when it has no logical excuse. But when Jews are accused of controlling the government, running Wall Street or dominating the media, that is not hatred of Jews as Jews - that could be a valid reason for antisemitism!

Where have we heard the definition of antisemitism as hating "Jews as Jews" before? Oh yes, just last month. And it was argued by the exact "good Jews" in their roles Rice was referring to.

Australia's Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion invited submissions, and the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network answered with 259 pages built toward a single demand: reject the IHRA definition of antisemitism, because anti-Zionists must not be called antisemitic no matter what they say about the Jewish state. To make that case, APAN enlisted three Jewish anti-Zionist scholars, and all three converged on the same highly restricted definition of antisemitism Charles Owen Rice identified that excludes nearly all antisemites.

Shaul Magid called antisemitism "the unmitigated and unwarranted hatred of, or animus against, the Jew qua Jew." Ilan Pappe called it "hatred of Jews because of who they are." Neve Gordon called it hatred "understood as hatred of Jews per se." All of these are restatements of "antisemitism is persecution of the Jew because he is a Jew" - in other words, for no valid reason. Apply that definition honestly and even the people accusing Jews of poisoning wells are exonerated, because they didn't hate Jews qua Jews - they only hated the poisoners! A reason is a warrant, and under Magid's, Pappe's, and Gordon's own test, a warrant is an alibi.

The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, written specifically to counter the IHRA definition, runs the identical maneuver. Its core definition turns on hostility to Jews "as Jews," the same restriction Rice's antisemites used and the same one Magid, Pappe, and Gordon rediscovered ninety years later. That framing lets the JDA wave off the ugliest charges against Israel: the genocide accusation, the apartheid libel, and the blood-soaked conspiracy theories about Zionist power, because none of it counts as hatred of the Jew as such. It's hatred of the Jew as an Israeli, an occupier, a colonizer, always with a warrant attached, which by the JDA's own logic means it's never really antisemitism at all.

JDA does contradict itself by giving examples of hating Jews for various reasons, but their examples are arbitrary: why should saying that Jews secretly spread COVID antisemitic but saying that Jews try to hide their genocide against Palestinians is not? Adding specific exceptions to "Jews as Jews" does not make the definition much better.

"Jews as Jews" describes one narrow slice of Jew-hatred, not the whole of it. Rice knew that in 1939, back when the warrants were finance and Bolshevism and a blood libel over Christian children. The same shrinking maneuver keeps resurfacing every time someone needs to excuse a particular hatred while condemning the rest, decade after decade, because it works: define real antisemitism as reasonless, and any hatred with a stated reason, however manufactured, gets to walk out the door labeled something else.

Here's the entire JTA article.

"Assail Those Who Mask Anti-Semitism" (Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, Sept. 15, 1939, p.7)

Minister Scores Purveyors of Intolerance Who Disavow Hate of "Good Jews"

Pittsburgh — (JTA) — Those who mask their anti-Semitism with the assertion that they are not opposed to "good Jews" were assailed by the Rev. Charles Owen Rice in an address here.

"One of the features connected with the present wave of anti-Semitism that is being stirred up is that some of the leading purveyors of anti-Semitism hotly deny that they employ a clever sophistry in their attempts to escape the stigma. They define anti-Semitism in a certain restricted sense and then they claim that their teachings and utterances do not bring them under the term.

"For instance, these enemies of the Jew will define anti-Semitism as persecution of the Jew because he is a Jew. They will hold that because, to their anti-Jewish attacks, they affix a rider saying that they exempt good Jews, therefore, they are automatically absolved of anti-Semitism. As a matter of fact the unctuous employment of the 'good Jews' qualifier generally intensifies the anti-Semitism of the statements as a whole. Also we can have attacks upon Jews, as Jews, without direct statements. The brutal crude, direct anti-Semitic utterances, are far less harmful than the subtle ones.

"Off hand I can give a partial list of some of the more commonly used anti-Semitic statements and inferences.

"It is anti-Semitism to exaggerate the power of Jews, whether it be power in finance, in industry, in newspaper publishing, in radio or anything else.

"It is anti-Semitism to say or hint that there is a mysterious central controlling Jewish, national or international, leadership.

"It is anti-Semitic to exaggerate the clanishness of Jews.

"It is anti-Semitism to speak of deliberate controlled Jewish campaigns against Christianity.

"It is anti-Semitic to exaggerate Jewish participation in Communism and similar movements.

"It is anti-Semitic to hint at, or charge, a tie-up between 'International Jewry' and International Masonry. The very term 'International Jewry' has definite anti-Semitic implications.

"You will note that these effective types of anti-Semitism consist of lies and exaggerations. Their harmfulness consists in their engendering a feeling of mixed fear and anger in the breasts of non-Jews. All of them have been proved false. They are damnably un-American, un-Christian and anti-social."

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)