Dr. Jeffrey Blutinger, a professor of Jewish studies and history, was invited to San Jose State University to give a talk Monday about "finding a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
The prospect of a Jewish academic speaking freely about bringing an end to the war initiated by Hamas terrorists was evidently too much for anti-Israeli students on campus. Calling for "intifada," the radicals successfully shut down the talk, prompting police to escort the professor to safety.
KRON-TV reported that Blutinger, who teaches at California State University, Long Beach, intended to give a lecture titled, "Constructing a Just Solution: Where Israelis and Palestinians Go From Here." The talk was reportedly sponsored by a grant from Jewish Silicon Valley and hosted by the SJSU Jewish Studies Program.
Had the lecture not ultimately been censored by the hateful mob, Blutinger planned to discuss both "the road to the present situation" as well as "possible paths forward."
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Demonstrators reportedly blocked entrances and stressed that "Zionists are not welcome" at the taxpayer-funded university.
A memo from the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise obtained by the College Fix indicated that the event was initially "moved to a different location, but within 20 minutes of the lecture starting, the protests grew too large [and Blutinger] had to stop speaking and leave via police escort for safety concerns."
The Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area indicated on X that the "intimidation tactics employed against a Jewish speaker are deeply troubling."
Footage of the protest shows demonstrators wearing Palestinian scarfs clashing with police and screaming as the professor was whisked away. Other demonstrators, similarly hiding their faces, can be seen chanting "intifada" — an Arabic term frequently used to denote "getting rid of" Israel — while holding signs that said, "Ceasefire now," "Free Palestine," and "No justice, no peace."
Earlier today at @SJSU, a planned protest against guest speaker Prof. Jeffrey Blutinger's talk on achieving peace in the Middle East through a two-state solution escalated into violence. Protestors obstructed entrances, called for "intifada," and clashed with law enforcement.\u2026— (@)
Blutinger suggested it was unfortunate the radicals deprived students of an opportunity to learn, reported the Spartan Daily, a campus paper. The professor further stressed that the mob's successful censorship efforts amounted both to bigotry and an affront to academic freedom.
"They don't want Jews to speak," said Blutinger. "I think it's anti-Semitism."
"[Blutinger] tried to justify peace moving forward," Suhila Bennett, a radical amongst the protesters, told the Spartan Daily. "We want liberation, not to shake hands with our occupiers (or) to live neighboring with our colonizers."
The Palestine, Arab and Muslim Caucus of the California Faculty Association joined other extremists in denouncing Blutinger this week, calling him a "genocide-denier" in an Instagram post with the hash-tags "#fromtherivertothesea" and "freepalestine."
SJSU officials indicated no one was injured and no arrests were made, reported KRON.
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President Joe Biden cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday against executing a military operation in the Gazan city of Rafah. Hours later, Israel did so anyway, killing a handful of Hamas terrorists.
While Biden's national security spokesman claimed last week that such an operation would "be a disaster," Israeli commandos managed to successfully rescue two hostages: Fernando Simon Marmon, 61, and Louis Har, 70, both of whom were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak during the Oct. 7 massacre.
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According to Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, Israeli commandos carried out the hostage rescue mission in Rafah early Monday morning.
"The hostages ... were held captive in harsh conditions," said Hagari. "They were intentionally held in the middle of a civilian neighborhood, inside a civilian building to try and prevent us from rescuing them. But we did."
The Times of Israel reported that the Yamam counterterrorism unit executed the mission in concert with the Shin Bet security agency and the IDF around 1 a.m. in Rafah. The commandos battled their way to the second floor of an apartment building deep inside Rafah where the hostages were being held, then breached with explosives nearly an hour later.
Hagari noted that after blowing away three terrorists at the scene, the commandos "hugged and protected Louis and Fernando with their bodies."
"The troops pulled Louis and Fernando out of the apartment and rescued them under fire, until they reached the safe zone," continued Hagari.
As the rescue operation unfolded, Hamas terrorists in the area reportedly moved in on the rescuers. The Israeli Air Force apparently made quick work of them with multiple airstrikes on adjacent buildings. Extra to air support, the rescuers had the backing of the Israeli Navy's Shayetet 13 command unit and the 7th Armored Brigade while making their withdrawal.
Hagari indicated that "many terrorists were eliminated tonight in this action."
The Guardian, a leftist publication out of Britain often critical of Israel's self-defense, claimed that mosques and several homes were targeted by Israeli airstrikes, tanks, and ships. Reuters reported that 67 Palestinians were killed in the operation.
After undergoing medical examinations, Marmon and Har, Argentine-Israelis, were reunited with their families.
Hagari stressed that the mission underscored the importance and moral impetus of such operations, especially when "134 men, women, children and elderly are still being held hostage in Gaza."
Netanyahu, whom Biden has allegedly called an "a**hole" thrice in recent instances, celebrated the win Monday, stating, "This is a day of joy mixed with sadness: Joy over the release of our hostages and sadness over our fallen soldiers. However, I would like to tell you that the freeing of Louis and Fernando was one of the most successful rescue operations in the history of Israel."
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, joined other Israel critics in concern-mongering about the successful operation, stating, "I am especially concerned by the recent attacks on Rafah where the majority of Gaza's population has fled the destruction."
The Israeli prime minister welcomed the hostages home and stressed that "only continued military pressure, until total victory, will bring about the release of all of our hostages. We will not miss any opportunity to bring them home."
On Thursday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby claimed that an Israeli operation in Rafah "would be a disaster for those people, and we would not support it," reported the Washington Post.
A White House readout of Biden's Sunday call with Netanyahu indicates that the geriatric Democrat "reaffirmed his view that a military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the more than one million people sheltering there."
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A 6-year-old boy was butchered with a 12-inch military-style knife Saturday outside Chicago. While Wadea Al-Fayoume succumbed to the 26 stab wounds inflicted upon his little body, his 32-year-old mother, who was similarly stabbed dozens of times, is expected to survive.
The Will County Sheriff's Office indicated that "both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis."
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced Sunday that the Department of Justice has opened a federal hate crime investigation into the brutal slaying.
According to the WCSO, deputies responded to a report of a stabbing involving a landlord and a renter at a house on the 16200 block of S. Lincoln Highway in Unincorporated Plainfield Township Saturday just before noon. The township is roughly 40 miles southwest of Chicago.
The landlord, 71-year-old Joseph M. Czuba of Plainfield, was waiting for them at the driveway of the residence, seated upright and bloodied.
Inside the building was a gory nightmare.
Deputies found the boy and his mother, Hanaan Shahin, both riddled with stab wounds to their chests, torsos, and upper extremities. The murder weapon was reportedly a 12-inch serrated military-style knife with a seven-inch blade.A forensic pathologist retrieved the knife from the child's abdomen when conducting the autopsy on Sunday.
Officials indicated that during the attack, Shahin had fled into the bathroom and continued battling her attacker while calling 911, reported the New York Times.
The WCSO indicated both victims were taken to a local area hospital for treatment. While the boy ultimately succumbed to his wounds, Shahin is recovering and expected to survive.
Detectives determined that the boy and his mother were targeted due to their religiosity and "the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis."
Family members reportedly indicated the victims are Palestinian Americans.
WLS-TV reported the critically injured mother came to the U.S. from the West Bank 12 years ago.
Mariola Jagodzinski, a neighbor, told the Times she never had negative interactions with the suspect. She was also familiar with the victims, to whom she had given toys in the past.
"He was a playful child — really full of energy," said Jagodzinski. "Kids are innocent. This really destroys so many hearts."
Yousef Hannon, the boy's paternal uncle, stated Sunday, "We are not animals, we are humans. We want people to see us as humans, to feel us as humans, to deal with us as humans, because this is what we are," reported the Associated Press.
Czuba, who was initially taken to hospital with a cut on his forehead, was later later questioned at the Will County Sheriff's Office Public Safety Complex. While the suspect reportedly refused to comment on the brutal slaying, detectives reportedly collected sufficient evidence for him to be formally charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two hate crime counts, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the activist Council on American-Islamic Relations, lauded the WCSO "and all those who worked on what was a swift and decisive investigation that did not mince words. Their work sets a standard that I hope will be followed elsewhere. It really helps to have that level of closure for family and community before our darling Wadea is put to rest."
Rehab also claimed during a news conference over the weekend that Czuba had previously been kind to the boy but underwent a radical shift in thinking in recent days.
"[Czuba] built a tree house for the boy and allowed him to swim in a makeshift pool and brought him toys, but it wasn't until he started watching the news and hearing the statements that something changed," said Rehab.
The Associated Press indicated that attempts to reach out to the suspect's family have so far proven unsuccessful.
Czuba's initial court appearance is set to take place at 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet, Illinois.
Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a statement hours after the murder, noting that "to take a six year old child's life in the name of bigotry is nothing short of evil. Wadea should be heading to school in the morning. Instead, his parents will wake up without their son. This wasn't just a murder — it was a hate crime."
"Today, MK and I join our Muslim and Palestinian brothers and sisters in mourning this tragic loss and praying for the recovery of Wadea's mother. May Wadea Al-Fayoume's memory be a blessing," added Pritzker.
Garland announced late Sunday that the attack was being investigated as a federal hate crime.
"This incident cannot help but further raise the fears of Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities in our country with regard to hate-fueled violence," said Garland. "The Department of Justice is focused on protecting the safety and the civil rights of every person in this country. We will use every legal authority at our disposal to bring to justice those who perpetrate illegal acts of hate. No one in the United States of America should have to live in fear of violence because of how they worship or where they or their family come from."
WLS reported that the Chicago FBI Field Office, the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois said they have opened an investigation into the boy's murder.
The following message was posted from President Joe Biden's X account just before midnight Sunday: "Jill and I were sickened to learn of the brutal murder of a child and the attempted murder of the child's mother yesterday in Illinois. Our condolences and prayers are with the family. This act of hate against a Palestinian Muslim family has no place in America."
The message concluded, "As Americans, we must come together and reject Islamophobia and all forms of bigotry and hatred. I have said repeatedly that I will not be silent in the face of hate. We must be unequivocal."
The Illinois State Police suggested that as the Israeli-Hamas conflict proceeds, police will be beefing up communications and activity in the face of "elevated level of threats of violence and hate crimes related to the current conflict."
ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly said, "Everyone in Illinois — both law enforcement and community members alike — must remain on guard against both terrorism and hate crimes during this period of volatility. ... If you see something, say something, before it's too late."
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An American woman – who spent her life advocating for Palestinian rights – was murdered by Hamas terrorists in Israel, according to her family.
More than 1,300 Israelis have been slaughtered ever since Hamas terrorists executed a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7. There were also 29 Americans killed in the Hamas attacks in Israel, including 67-year-old Cindy Flash.
Flash – a native of St. Paul, Minnesota – was reportedly murdered by terrorists when she was hiding in a safe room inside her home in Kfar Aza, a southern Israel kibbutz close to the Gaza border.
Cindy's husband, 66-year-old Igal Flash, was also allegedly killed by Hamas terrorists in the safe room. Igal was a son of Holocaust survivors.
Before the massacre, the Flashs were going to have a pleasant day.
According to the New York Post, "On Saturday, the Flashs had planned to enjoy a picnic together, followed by an annual community kite-flying event where a DJ was going to play."
Their daughter, Keren Flash, described the chaotic scene, "We kept hearing shootings and gunfire, and bombs, and alarms, and just didn't know what was happening. Just our worst nightmares."
Keren and her husband Avidor Schwartzman also locked themselves in their own safe room along with their 1-year-old baby named Saar. The family survived the onslaught and were rescued by Israeli Defense Forces.
Keren revealed the final text messages she received from her mother before she was murdered.
Keren told USA Today of a message sent from her mother, "They are breaking down the safe room door. We need someone to come by the house right now."
"They managed to break into the safe room," the chilling final text message from last Saturday read.
Keren told CNN, "That was the last time anyone heard from them."
The daughter did know her parents' fate until Thursday when she learned the devastating news that they had been killed.
The only comfort that Keren Flash experienced from the heartbreaking tragedy was that she found out that her parents "apparently died instantly so at least it was quick and relatively painless."
The daughter recalled how her mother always fought for Palestinian rights.
"Whenever there was a military operation, (she) would always protest," Keren told CNN. "She was there protesting all the time so they won’t destroy it – so that people will see what’s happening because you don’t treat human beings like that no matter what their religious belief is and what their ethnicity is."
"They were some of the best people that I have ever known," she said of her parents. "They were good people. They cared about other people. They fought for other people's rights and other people's voices."
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Family: St. Paul native missing, feared dead in southern Israel www.youtube.com
A member of the so-called "Squad" called on the United States to accept Palestinian refugees. However, Republicans immediately pushed back on the idea to import thousands of refugees from Palestine.
Juliette Touma – spokesperson for the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees – estimates that 1 million people have been displaced in Gaza in just a week.
Progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) directed the U.S. to accept some of the 1 million Palestinian refugees.
"Fifty percent of the population in Gaza are children. The international community, as well as the United States, should be prepared to welcome refugees from Palestine while being very careful to vet and not allow members of Hamas," said Rep. Jamaal Bowman, according to the New York Post.
Bowman is currently being investigated for pulling a fire alarm at the Cannon House Office Building during a House vote to avert a government shutdown.
Several prominent Republicans have vehemently objected to bringing Palestinian refugees into the United States.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared that the U.S. should not accept Palestinian refugees, but did offer a solution to the humanitarian crisis.
"Also I will say, and I don’t know what Biden’s going to do, but we cannot accept people from Gaza into this country as refugees," the GOP presidential candidate said during a campaign stop in Iowa on Saturday. "I am not going to do that."
"If you look at how they behave, not all of them are Hamas, but they are all anti-Semitic. None of them believe in Israel’s right to exist," DeSantis continued.
"None of the Arab States are willing to take any of them," he said. "The Arab States should be taking them if you have refugees. You don’t fly people and import them into the United States of America. So we're going to be very strong on that."
DeSantis hammered U.S. citizens who support and "praise" Hamas militants who executed terrorist atrocities against Israeli civilians last weekend.
"We've got some serious problems in this country, we've allowed a lot of these problems to fester," DeSantis noted. "But my view is very simple – if you don't like this country, if you hate America, you should not come to this country. We've got to start being smart about this."
On Thursday, DeSantis signed an executive order for the state of Florida to "carry out logistical, rescue and evacuation operations" to bring Floridians home from war-torn Israel. The executive order also provides necessary supplies to the people of Israel.
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Fellow Republicans also voiced strong opposition to resettling refugees from Palestine in the United States.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told the New York Post, "The U.S. is the most generous nation in the world, but we are in no position to accept additional refugees, especially from a region with as high a risk of terrorism, given our nation’s inability to secure our own border or vet those who are already here."
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) added, "Iran should take responsibility for any Palestinian refugees caused by its proxy . . . war with Israel. Iran is responsible for the death and destruction — it should be responsible for refugees as well."
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) declared, "The entire focus of the United States right now should be on rescuing American hostages, and making sure that Israel has every resource needed to defeat Iran backed-Hamas and defend its homeland. Some Progressive politicians are calling on the United States to take refugees from Gaza."
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he would oppose the resettlement of Palestinian refugees in the United States.
Meanwhile, Reps. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) and Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) are set to introduce legislation that would bar President Joe Biden from importing refugees from Palestine.
The bill – titled the "Guaranteeing Aggressors Zero Admission Act" or the "GAZA Act" for short – would prevent the Biden administration from issuing visas to Palestinian refugees.
Tiffany said on the X social media platform, "We can’t let President Biden abuse our parole and visa rules to bring unvetted Palestinians into American communities the way he did with thousands of unvetted Afghans."
The Israeli military has issued a warning to Palestinians that an all-out offensive will happen in the near future and Gaza residents should travel south to evade the combat operations targeting Hamas terrorists detaining hostages.
The evacuation area includes approximately 1.1 million Palestinians – roughly half of the territory's population.
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British author Douglas Murray told an audience in London, England, earlier this week — then reiterated in a related piece for the Spectator Thursday — that Western nations should tolerate neither violent rhetoric against Jews nor open declarations of support for Hamas, the terrorist organization that has in recent days massacred over 1,300 Israelis and at least 27 Americans.
While there are already laws on the books to deal with incitements to violence and support for terrorist organizations, Murray, the founder of the Center for Social Cohesion, thinks jail time is not enough. Instead, he has recommended that his country, home to at least 6.1 million non-citizens, exile for the guilty parties.
While Israel sees to its defense, Murray suggested that "what we can do here in Britain is to keep our own house in order. And our own house in Britain is in disarray. It is not acceptable. It should not be acceptable that the Jewish community among all the communities of this country, in this diverse country, should be the one community expected to accept with equanimity those who cheer on the murder of Jews and those who support the murder of Jews."
In the wake of the terror attacks waged by Hamas on Israel over the weekend, pro-Palestine protests cropped up across the Western world on the streets and online. In many cases, where pro-Palestinian calls for "resistance" went, anti-Semitic and pro-Hamas sentiments followed.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters took part Sunday in a New York City rally organized by the Democratic Socialists of America, which saw the Israel flag burned, a swastika flashed, and signs raised that read "any means necessary" and "resistance is justified," reported the New York Post.
The Indianapolis Star indicated that Palestinian protestors chanted Thursday night, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."
This chant was also popular at the anti-Israel rally in Toronto, Ontario, following the Hamas terror attacks.
British Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who has encountered the same chant across the Atlantic, suggested it "should be understood as an expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world," reported the Guardian.
Protesters on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in Australia reportedly chanted "gas the Jews."
London, where at least 22% of the population are non-citizens, was no exception.
In the Spectator, Murray noted, "Within hours of the slaughter, people in London were driving around flying Palestinian flags and blaring their horns in celebration of the massacre. In Manchester the president of the local 'Friends of Palestine,' Dana Abuqamar, told Sky News, 'We’re really full of joy, full of pride at what has happened.' At a Free Palestine rally in Brighton one speaker who claimed she was a Palestinian said: 'Yesterday was a victory.' She described the massacres in Israel as 'so beautiful and inspiring to see.'"
"These people were not protesting against the Israeli counter-measures. They hadn't even had any counter-measures. They were protesting because Jews by the hundreds had been slaughtered in Israel and they wanted to wound us more," Murray told the London crowd.
"If you stand in Britain with the Hamas flag, you should not be allowed to be free in Britain. You should have your citizenship withdrawn. You should have your passport withdrawn. You should be deported," continued Murray.
Britain, like the United States and Europe, has long recognized Hamas as a terrorist organization. Accordingly, those found supporting or inviting support to the group can be jailed under the Terrorism Act for up to 14 years.
Whereas flying the Palestinian flag remains lawful, flying the Hamas flag is a criminal offense in the U.K., as one 22-year-old woman discovered Sunday in Brighton, England, reported France24.
Braverman told chief police constables in a letter early this week that they should clamp down on flags, songs, and other efforts to intimidate members of the Jewish community. Just last month, she noted that "uncontrolled immigration, inadequate integration, and a misguided dogma of multiculturalism have proven a toxic combination" for the West.
"It is Britain that has harbored Iranian Revolutionaries, Hamas supporters and others for decades. It is Britain who in the name of liberal democracy and 'tolerance' have given these people rights they would never give us in return," Murray wrote. "It is Britain who have been played for fools. Hamas is a proscribed terror organisation in this country. Expressing support for Hamas is expressing support for a terrorist group — a crime in the UK."
The author doubled down on his previous comments, challenging the British prime minister and home secretary to "[t]reat these people as we did the supporters of ISIS. Take their passports, strip their citizenship, forcibly remove them from this country. Britain and the West writ large neither want nor need them. They can take their chances in Gaza. The 'peace rave' is over."
It is against international law for a government to render a person stateless, but the U.K. has on a number of occasions made do. For instance, it managed to give an ISIS terrorist with dual citizenship the boot, making him once again Canada's problem.
Douglas Murray: ‘Treat UK Hamas supporters like Isis supporters’youtu.be
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In the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks over the weekend and the war now under way, Israelis are looking to bolster their security. To this end, the Israeli government is now relaxing some of its stringent gun laws to ensure that qualifying citizens can even the odds should they again become the last line of defense.
Whereas anywhere from 32% to 60% of Americans possibly pack heat, the BBC reported earlier this year that only around 2% of Israelis own guns.
Haaretz indicated in January that Israel, which has a population of just over 9 million people, had roughly 148,000 licensed gun holders, not including security forces, soldiers, policemen, and security guards. This number has apparently been on the rise on account of recent Islamist attacks.
According to the national security ministry, applications for gun licenses more than doubled in 2022, from 19,000 in 2021 to 42,236.
"I carry a weapon for the simple reason that I won't be defenseless. I will be able to protect myself and those around me," Hosha'aya Volman, a Jewish resident in the northern West Bank settlement of Kohav Hashahar, told the BBC.
The former minister of internal security relaxed the criteria for ownership somewhat in 2018, such that adults with combat military service with advanced infantry training can receive firearms. It also became easier for volunteers in emergency rescue organizations and residents in high-risk areas to acquire permits to carry weapons.
Nevertheless, the Algemeiner indicated that there remain various criteria applicants must satisfy in order to qualify.
Civilians can apply only for a pistol and are unable to acquire rifles. Additionally, civilians have only been allowed to have 50 bullets in their possession at any given time. Applicants must be 27 years old unless they've completed a two- or three-year military service, in which case they can apply on their 20th birthday. Eligible applicants must also pass a theoretical exam, present a health declaration signed by a doctor, pay a licensing fee, attend 4.5 hours of training, and demonstrate basic knowledge of the Hebrew language.
Despite the apparent difficulty of acquiring a gun in Israel, there has been ample evidence to suggest that an armed citizenry can be lifesaving.
An Islamist murdered four people and wounded two others in a ramming and stabbing attack in Beersheba on March 22, 2022. The rampage was brought to an end by two armed civilians who blew the attacker away.
Another stabbing and car-ramming attack in the West Bank settlement of Ariel on Nov. 15, 2022, was brought to an end by armed civilians, aided ultimately by IDF soldiers.
On March 31, 2022, a civilian fatally blasted a Palestinian radical who had stabbed a 28-year-old on a bus near the West Bank settlement of Efrat.
In a comparable incident on July 19, 2022, a Palestinian radical stabbed a 41-year-old in the head with a screwdriver. The assailant was incapacitated by a news photographer who happened to be armed.
Critics have noted that Hamas terrorists might not have been able to so easily massacre hundreds at the Supernova festival in Re'im, Israel, over the weekend were there similarly armed citizens in the crowd, reported Newsweek.
According to Israeli officials, over 900 Israelis have been killed and 2,741 have been injured by Hamas. Fifty families have been notified that their loved ones were taken hostage.
Following the recent Hamas terror attacks on Israel, Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir indicated Sunday the country will ease its gun laws in hopes of arming "as many citizens as possible."
In a post on X, Ben-Gvir noted how the laws, effective Monday, would be eased:
These revised rules will reportedly impact thousands of Israelis.
Ben-Gvir had suggested doing something similar in January, stating, "I want more weapons on the streets, so that the citizens of Israel could defend themselves."
Jeffrey Gunter, a former U.S. ambassador and a Republican Jewish Coalition board member, told Just the News, "There's a great desire of Israelis to protect their homeland. ... And I think along with that will be an increased desire to have gun ownership."
In a response to a tweet from Donald Trump Jr., which suggested the recent attacks have highlighted the importance of the Second Amendment, Gun Owners of America wrote, "Israel JUST loosened firearm licensing, but many Israelis still don't live in an eligible region. Others simply cannot afford to wait a week for a telephone interview or need more than the allotted 100 rounds of ammo. A good first step, but Israel needs a Second Amendment ASAP!"
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The Times of Israel reported that in February, a bipartisan group of U.S. House representatives urged that Albanese get the boot for her refusal to condemn terrorism.
In a Feb. 24 letter, 18 representatives noted that "when challenged about her continued silence regarding [January's] Palestinian terrorist attack outside a Jerusalem synagogue that murdered seven, Albanese repeated her assertion that Israel is a colonial, apartheid regime."
They underscored that Albanese's routine refusal to condemn terrorism and her nasty comments "provide further proof of the deep-seated prejudice inherent to the United Nations' approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
Nearly 70% of all condemnatory resolutions in the U.N. General Assembly have targeted Israel since 2015, reported the Jerusalem Post.
Jay Sekulow and Robert Ash of the European Center for Law and Justice, a nonprofit human rights group, wrote to U.N. Secretary General António Guterres on April 19, arguing that Albanese was not only wrongheaded but factually incorrect.
Sekulow and Ash suggested that the special rapporteur failed "to consider two facts: (1) that 'occupation' presumes the existence of another sovereign whose territory is occupied and (2) that Israel has repeatedly stated that its application of the rules set forth in the Fourth [Geneva] Convention was for convenience and not because it was obligated to do so because of the lack of a foreign sovereign to whom such territory belongs."
"No Palestinian Arab political entity has ever possessed a single square centimetre of the territory it now claims to be 'occupied,' and the last foreign sovereign, Turkey (the successor state to the Ottomans), renounced its sovereignty in the 1920s," added Sekulow and Ash. "Regardless of the views one holds regarding the two foregoing facts, Israel's right to self-defence is inherent and undeniable."
Like Chikli and the American representatives, the ECLJ reasoned that "because Ms Albanese has openly sided with the Palestinians and concluded that the sovereign State of Israel may not defend itself and its people against Palestinian terrorist attacks, she has encouraged further violence and forfeited any claim to impartiality on her part. Her anti-Israel bias is on full display. Accordingly, she must be replaced forthwith."
The International Legal Forum comprising 4,000 lawyers similarly wrote to the U.N. last month demanding Albanese's termination, accusing her of exhibiting a "relentless, systematic and unhinged bias against Israel."
Albanese, an affiliate scholar at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University, was appointed to the position of special rapporteur in March 2022. She told the Middle East Eye, "This is neither the first nor the last time my mandate and persona will come under attack. ... An apartheid regime, as the international legal framework acknowledges, may resort to the persecution of persons and organisations opposing it."
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