Chicago Marxist yells 'Free, free Palestine' after 'brutal terrorist attack' on Israeli staffers in DC



Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot at close range as they left an event Wednesday evening at the Capital Jewish Museum building in Washington, D.C. The suspected gunman, a pro-Palestinian Marxist from Chicago, allegedly shouted, "Free, free Palestine!" after his capture.

According to FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, FBI police officers assigned to the bureau's Washington Field Office immediately responded and rendered aid after the attack. Despite their efforts and the efforts of members of the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, the victims both succumbed to their injuries.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry deemed the shooting a "brutal terrorist attack" and identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky, a research assistant in the embassy's political department, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, an aide who organized trips to Israel.

"Israeli diplomats and representatives around the world stand on the frontlines of Israel’s diplomatic efforts — defending the country with their very lives," said the ministry. "We will not be deterred by terror. We will continue our mission across the globe, with unwavering commitment to represent Israel with pride."

— (@)

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said that the "couple that was gunned down tonight in the name of 'free Palestine' is a young couple about to be engaged. The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem. They were a beautiful couple."

Leiter noted further that Israelis and Americans are resilient peoples who, together, "will overcome moral depravity of people who think that they're going to achieve political gains through murder."

'We are witnessing the terrible price of anti-Semitism and wild incitement against the State of Israel.'

The ambassador indicated that earlier in the evening, Attorney General Pam Bondi handed him a phone and on the other end was President Donald Trump, "who told me that his administration is going to do everything it could possibly do to fight and end anti-Semitism and the hatred that's being directed — the demonization and delegitimization of the State of Israel."

Trump, among the many Western leaders and diplomats who expressed sympathy for the victims' families and solidarity with Israel, noted early Thursday morning, "These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA."

"Condolences to the families of the victims," continued Trump. "So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!"

RELATED: Exclusive: Immigration agency to scour social media to prevent foreign pro-terror anti-Semites from getting benefits

Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump and Bondi for their "clear stance against anti-Semitism" and suggested that "we are witnessing the terrible price of anti-Semitism and wild incitement against the State of Israel."

Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters that prior to the shooting, the suspect was observed pacing back and forth outside the museum. After approaching four individuals, including Lischinsky and Milgrim, the suspect drew a handgun and opened fire.

Smith indicated that after the shooting, the suspect entered the Capital Jewish Museum, where he was detained by event security.

Once in custody, the suspect, Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, indicated where he left the weapon, "implied that he committed the offense," and shouted pro-Palestinian slogans, said Smith.

'We have nothing to do with this shooting.'

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino indicated early Thursday morning that the Washington Metropolitan Police Department was interviewing the suspect in conjunction with the bureau's Joint Terrorism Task Forces team.

Bondi told reporters late Wednesday that the "defendant, if charged, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

The Jerusalem Post reported that Rodriguez is a graduate from the University of Illinois who donated to Joe Biden's 2020 campaign.

RELATED: NYPD detains 80 'pro-Hamas thugs' accused of Columbia library takeover as Rubio targets visas

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

According to a now-deleted page on the website for the HistoryMakers, a research institution that documents and records black Americans' stories, Rodriguez served as an "Oral History Researcher," preparing "outlines and biographies of accomplished leaders in the African American community."

Rodriguez, who apparently also has a history of anti-white commentary, has been involved with the pro-Palestinian group Party for Socialism and Liberation. The PSL acknowledged that Rodriguez "had a brief association" with one of its branches but claimed his involvement ended in 2017.

"We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it," added the PSL.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser stated, "We will not tolerate acts of terrorism, and we are going to stand together as a community in the coming says and weeks that we will not tolerate the acts of terrorism that we will not tolerate anti-Semitism."

According to the Anti-Defamation League's latest annual audit, there were 9,354 anti-Semitic incidents last year, representing a 5% increase over the previous year, a 344% increase over the past five years, and a 893% increase over the past 10 years. The ADL report, released last month, said that 57% of the incidents last year were related to Israel.

The American advocacy group StopAntisemitism said in a statement to Blaze News, "The murder of two Israeli embassy staffers at an event honoring Jewish lives is the tragic result of 600 days of Jews being targeted on the streets, on campuses, and even with a Jewish governor’s home set ablaze. This is the end result of chaos fueled by calls for intifada and tolerated Jew-hatred. A win for the pro-Palestine movement that seeks to erase Jewish identity from the world."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Leftists losing their minds that 'Mary' movie about Jesus' mother — who was from Israel — stars woman who's from Israel



November has not been a happy month for leftists.

Donald Trump was re-elected president a few weeks ago, resulting in left-wingers shedding actual tears and engaging in ill-advised freak-outs. Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina introduced legislation declaring that biological men shouldn't be allowed to use women's restrooms on Capitol Hill, punctuated with a "Period. Full stop. End of story." Which, of course, raised the ire of transgender-affirming lawmakers.

'Jesus, Mary, and everyone in this show should be Palestinian.'

Now leftists have something outside of Washington, D.C., to complain about.

See, it concerns a Netflix movie releasing Dec. 6 all about Mary, the mother of Christ. The trailer description reads, "In this coming-of-age religious epic, Mary is shunned following a miraculous conception and forced into hiding. When King Herod ignites a murderous pursuit for her newborn baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph flee to save his life."

Pretty non-controversial so far, right? Not so fast.

Turns out leftists have gotten word that the actress who portrays Mary, Noa Cohen, is from Israel — and leftists are losing their precious minds over it.

Some examples from X:

  • "Jesus, Mary, and everyone in this show should be Palestinian," one observer wrote.
  • "Palestinians aren’t available for the role?" another user wondered.
  • "A movie set in a time when Palestine was occupied played by the people who are colonizing Palestine now is beyond disgusting," another commenter declared.
  • "Easy to boycott as zionist Israeli[s] are in it," another user said.
  • "If they wanted authenticity they would have picked a Palestinian actress to play her given that all available genetic evidence suggests that modern [Palestinians] are the direct descendants of the inhabitants of the region at the time," another commenter noted.
  • "War criminal settlers are the main actors," another user stated. "My family will be boycotting this film @netflix."
  • "First Netflix taking all Palestinian content down and now they stream a movie about Mary with an all-Israeli cast whilst those same people are bombing the birthplace of Christ?" another commenter noted, while adding an accompanying video. "Boycott that s**t."
  • "The casting of an Israeli actress to play Mary, the mother of Jesus, is not just a casting choice—it's a clear political statement that trivializes sacred beliefs," another user exclaimed.

Other X commenters complained about what they characterized as the pale complexions of some "Mary" actors.

Director D.J. Caruso noted the following to EW last month in regard to the casting decisions: "When we started on this project, I immediately initiated a search for Mary. It was important to us that Mary, along with most of our primary cast, be selected from Israel to ensure authenticity."

You can view the "Mary" trailer here.

(H/T: Not the Bee)

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Pro-Hamas students protest 'war criminal' Hillary Clinton outside her Columbia University class



Pro-Hamas and anti-Israel students organized a sit-in demonstration outside of former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's Columbia University course on Wednesday.

Videos of the protest, obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, showed dozens of students waving Palestinian flags and chanting, "From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever." Protesters also held up signs reading, "Resist until victory," "Resistance is justified when people are occupied," "The Palestinian resistance is alive, not dead," and "Fa[s]cist bootlicker we know [yo]u," the Free Beacon reported.

'Clinton is touting her legacy of war crimes.'

The former secretary of state teaches a fall semester class called "Inside the Situation Room" at the university's Institute of Global Politics in the School of International and Public Affairs.

The sit-in was organized by the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs Palestine Working Group, which posted a notice about the scheduled protest on social media. The post featured an image of Clinton with crossed-out eyes and covered in red, blood-like splatters.

"Welcome to IGP: Israel Global Propagandists," it read, using the acronym to rename the school.

The advertisement also read, "Invade Iraq," "Arm Israel," and "Bomb Syria."

"We will not stand for genocide propaganda and the militarization of our campus. We call on all students to walk out of Hillary's sham class!" the organizers wrote.

The sit-in was also promoted by Columbia University Apartheid Divest and the school's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter.

On Tuesday, the two groups were accused of preventing students from entering campus, the Free Beacon reported. A statue at the university was reportedly vandalized. They called the disruptive protests "just the beginning."

In a post on X, Columbia's Students for Justice in Palestine chapter wrote, "We're making it clear: War criminals are not welcome on campus. Hillary Clinton has actively engaged in war crimes against the peoples of Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Palestine."

"Hillary Clinton has used her power & influence to cause devastation across the globe. As secretary of state, Clinton backed arm deals to bomb Yemen, interfered in Haitian elections, & lied about 'mass rape in Libya' to support a regime change," the group continued. "In a class at Columbia University, 'In the Situation Room', Hillary Clinton is touting her legacy of war crimes as 'valuable learning experiences'. We're not buying it. The more they try to silence us, the louder we will be."

The group also issued a statement on Telegram praising Hamas' founder and current chairman, the Free Beacon reported.

"Sheikh Yassin was assassinated by the Zionists in 2004, but even in death, his legacy of unrelenting resistance in the face of oppression lives on," the group stated. "He lives on in his students, which includes the current head of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar—the man who fooled the Zionist entity—and all the Palestinian fighters who embody the steadfastness that Yassin taught."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Taking Sides In The Jewish-Arab Conflict Is Wreaking Havoc On Ivy League Universities

The reckoning continues for Ivy League presidents who allowed pro-Palestinian protesters to terrorize their campuses.

Anti-Israel group has meltdown after Harvard withholds degrees for 13 protesters



The Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee announced on Wednesday the Harvard Corporation voted to withhold degrees from 13 protesters who were set to graduate this year.

"The Harvard Corporation has officially voted to WITHHOLD DEGREES from 13 seniors for protesting the genocide in Gaza. This comes after over 1,500 students, 500 faculty and staff members, and 45 student organizations petitioned and fought against the repressive administrative board," HUPSC said.

"The Corporation has decided to ignore the people’s voice, all bets are now off," the group threatened.

'The organization will not be recognized and will not have access to university benefits.'

The group claims over a thousand students and faculty walked out of commencement in support of Gaza and the students who were not allowed to participate.

HUPSC said a new group, Harvard Jewish Alumni for Justice, pledged they will not donate to any Harvard school “without divestment from Israel and reversal of student sanctions" in response to Harvard cracking down on students.

The Ivy League college had suspended HUPSC in April, at the height of the college campus encampments, for organizing an unauthorized protest according to the Harvard Crimson. HUPSC was one of the many college groups that had cosigned a statement that stated it held “the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence” on October 7 and after.

“The organization will not be recognized and will not have access to university benefits and services during this time, including but not limited to use of campus space and appropriate use of the Harvard name,” the email from the school said. “If the organization continues to operate and commits additional violations during this suspension, the organization risks permanent expulsion, as provided in the Resource Guide.”

To ensure the encampment on campus did not grow from people who were not students or faculty, Harvard had to close the yard to the public.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Campus Radicals Go Bananas At The Colleges That Created Them

The same institutions of higher education that have brought us the DEI cult are cowering in fear of offending the genocide-defending pirates.

CEO warns left-wing college students they're 'breathing the vapors of a dangerous new, fake, and self-destructive religion'



Alex Karp — chief executive officer of data technology company Palantir — drew applause during a panel discussion when he issued a warning to college students, presumably over their growing inclination to support terror groups who want to wipe Israel off the map.

Check it out:

— (@)

"I am not a legislator," Karp said. "But I am running one of the coolest companies in the world, and I'm telling young people, 'You are breathing the vapors of a dangerous new, fake, and self-destructive religion when you are sitting at your elite school pretending because you watched TikTok twice and got an A+ on some crazy paper because your professor couldn't get a job anywhere else that you actually understand the world. And you're not welcome at my company.'"

Karp made his comment at the most recent Reagan National Defense Forum — and while the event took place in December, these specific words of his are just now getting traction on social media.

Elsewhere during the panel, Karp blasted companies that stayed silent in the wake of Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 terror attack against Israel.

"As far as I can tell, there are only three companies that have been publicly pro-Israel on Oct. 7," Karp said, according to Fox Business, as he named Booz Allen, Anduril Industries, and his company, Palantir.

Karp insisted it's an issue business leaders need to solve, the outlet noted: "Like, somehow the corporate elite of this country thinks when it's time to make money, you stand up. And when it's time to stand up, you go play golf. And like, we've got to change that. That's our fault, that's no one else's fault."

Fox Business said the panel met to discuss the results of the Forum's sixth annual National Defense Survey, which found that most Americans want to increase military spending and provide security assistance to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.

Here's a longer video encompassing his "breathing the vapors" remark:

RNDF 2023 Panel 1 – Asking Americans: Polling on U.S. Global Engagement Ahead of 2024 youtu.be

(H/T: Not the Bee)

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

NYPD arrests over 150 pro-Hamas protesters at NYU as volatile demonstrations spread



The New York Police Department arrested more than 150 pro-Hamas protesters at New York University on Monday evening amid a wave of volatile demonstrations taking over university campuses.

Many of the detained anti-Israel protesters were students and faculty who had set up an encampment on the NYU campus. According to the school’s newspaper, Washington Square News, the pop-up campsite was formed by the NYU Palestine Solidarity Coalition, which consists of more than 20 on-campus groups.

The protesters demanded that the university divest from entities with ties to Israel and shut down its Tel Aviv site. Similar encampments have sprouted up at a number of universities across the country, including Columbia University, MIT, Yale, and the University of Michigan.

Fountain Walker, NYU’s head of campus safety, warned protesters that they would “face consequences” if they failed to leave the area by 4 p.m., according to Washington Square News.

“With the breach of the barricades early this afternoon, that requirement was violated, and we witnessed disorderly, disruptive, and antagonizing behavior that has interfered with the safety and security of our community,” Walker told the crowd. “If you leave now, no one will face any consequences for today’s actions — no discipline, no police.”

Despite the warning, the demonstration continued to grow, with activists outside campus arriving to support those inside the encampment.

Around 8:30 p.m. on Monday, NYPD officers in riot gear instructed the protesters to disperse, warning that they would be arrested for trespassing if they refused. Police then began handcuffing demonstrators with zip ties. The remaining protesters responded to the arrests by forming a circle around the encampment and linking arms.

A video captured by a reporter with the City showed faculty and students creating a human barrier between police and the rest of the protesters.

While students pray at one end of the plaza police enter through back entrance LRAD plays while line of faculty hold a line.
— (@)

Other videos shared on social media showed rowdy and disorderly protesters hurling chairs and other objects at NYPD officers.

Bottles and chairs thrown as NYPD Clears the NYU occupation encampment 'Liberated Zone', making mass arrests.\n\nFULL STORY: https://t.co/ogESGvZcpK\n\nVideo by @yyeeaahhhboiii2 Desk@freedomnews.tv to license
— (@)

By approximately 9:30 p.m. all of the demonstrators had dispersed or been arrested, Washington Square News reported. It noted that NYPD began releasing the detained students and faculty in groups of two to five around 3:50 a.m.

NYU spokesperson John Beckman said, “We witnessed disorderly, disruptive, and antagonizing behavior that has interfered with the safety and security of our community, and that demonstrated how quickly a demonstration can get out of control or people can get hurt.”

“We also learned that there were intimidating chants and several anti-Semitic incidents reported,” Beckman continued. “Given the foregoing and the safety issues raised by the breach, we asked for assistance from the NYPD. The police urged those on the plaza to leave peacefully but ultimately made a number of arrests.”

Some remaining protesters who were not arrested by authorities marched toward NYPD headquarters carrying flares late Monday evening.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Pro-Palestinian staffers resign from opinion magazine after magazine runs piece suggesting that the war has been brutal for both sides



As the conflict between Israel and Hamas has just passed its fifth month, pro-Palestinian activists have wasted no time in censoring and bullying pro-Israeli voices out of the cultural zeitgeist.

The latest casualty was Guernica Magazine's removal of a heart-wrenching piece of nonfiction written by Joanna Chen — a British writer and translator whose family moved to Israel after her brother was killed in a traffic accident.

The piece, entitled "From the Edges of a Broken World," tells the story of Chen's move from England to Israel and her work with Road to Recovery — "a nongovernmental organization founded by Yuval Roth, whose brother was kidnapped and killed by Hamas in 1993."

Chen wrote that the organization transported Palestinian children in need of lifesaving medical care to Israeli hospitals. Before the slaughter of 1,200 Israelis on October 7, volunteers would pick up Palestinian children — accompanied by parents and grandparents — from checkpoints near the West Bank. Chen wrote, "I usually drive to the Tarkumia checkpoint, close to Hebron, a fifteen-minute journey from my house in the Ella Valley."

"Before this present war, I would pick up my passengers around 5:30 a.m., everything still shrouded in shadow when I left the house," Chen continued.

She went on to recall the horrific events of October 7, writing that "sirens filled the air" and "rockets began falling close to my village." And despite all the uncertainty surrounding the attack and the fallout thereof, Chen said that she and her husband, Raz, "donated blood at a hospital in Jerusalem, waiting in line for six hours along with hundreds of other people."

After October 7, her work with Road to Recovery came to a screeching halt. She questioned how she could carry on knowing that Hamas "had massacred and kidnapped so many civilians," adding that Road to Recovery members had even been kidnapped, including Vivian Silver, "a longtime Canadian peace activist."

Chen noted that it was difficult to square what had happened to innocent Israeli lives on October 7 with what has since happened to innocent Palestinians dwelling in a dismantled Gaza. She went on to say that she started driving children to Israeli hospitals just weeks after October 7, even though members of her family were against it.

Despite the nuance and care given to such a sensitive subject, Chen's piece was quickly removed by Guernica Magazine for reasons that are still unclear. While the piece was archived and can still be read online, the site simply reads: "Guernica regrets having published this piece, and has retracted it. A more fulsome explanation will follow."

Blaze News has reached out to Chen and Guernica Editor-in-Chief Jina Moore Ngarambe for comment, but neither immediately responded to a request for comment.

Chen's story about a war-torn Middle East apparently did not sit well with pro-Palestinian activists — many of whom are within Guernica's ranks.

Sonny Bunch — the culture editor at the Bulwark — posted four screenshots to X on Sunday, appearing to show that individuals associated with Guernica Magazine planned to resign from their posts after Chen's piece was published.

Bunch wrote, "'Lefties doing ritual resignations from opinion mags because someone wrote a slightly challenging essay' remains one of my favorite Twitter subgenres."

— (@)

One such X user, Madhuri Sastry, wrote that she intended to resign as "co-publisher" from Guernica after Chen's piece was published. She also released a lengthy explanation as to why she intended to leave the outlet.

"I am resigning from my position as co-publisher of Guernica Magazine due to the publication of 'From the Edges of a Broken World.' It is, among many things, a hand-wringing apologia for Zionism and the ongoing genocide in Palestine."

— (@)

"I am deeply ashamed to see this piece in Guernica's pages, and sincerely apologize to the writers, readers, and supporters who feel betrayed by this decision. I stand by my courageous staff members who have been holding us accountable every step of the way. I am sorry we have let you down," she continued.

The X user went on to say that she was not responsible for any editorial decisions and noted that she had previously flagged a separate piece by Chen, entitled "Voices of Palestine," and suggested it not be published. Guernica appears to have taken Sastry's suggestion and decided not to publish it.

Sastry concluded her statement by calling for the resignation of "the editor-in-chief [Ngarambe], as the senior most person responsible for overseeing the processes that resulted in this publication decision." She also said that though there can be no redemption for this decision, there must "be accountability."

Shortly after members of Guernica announced that they would resign, the outlet quickly removed Chen's piece. Ngarambe has not yet provided an explanation as to why the piece was removed or why she made the editorial decision to publish it if it was not reflective of the outlet's political allegiances in the first place.

Another X user summed up Chen's piece, writing, "* Declined to serve in the IDF * Volunteered to drive Palestinian children to hospitals * Donated blood for Gaza in 2014 * Had complex feelings about the war And this is beyond the pale, really??"

— (@)

It is still not clear if those who threatened to resign have done so or if they merely threatened to do so.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!