Quotes of the Week:
“Students should stay home from Columbia, the campus protests are too dangerous.” — Rabbi Elie Beuchler, Columbia rabbi
“It is especially important that we remember the power of young people shaping this country today, of all days, as we once again witness the leadership of those peaceful, student-led protests on campuses like Columbia, Yale, Berkeley..." —US House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Top News:
The Hague could imminently be targeting Israeli leaders for war crimes. Mike Pompeo, former US Secretary of State: "The corrupt International Court of Justice in The Hague is looking to indict Israel for defending itself against terrorism… Biden should immediately reinstate sanctions against them .”
https://m.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-798932
* Tom Friedman suggests White House could restrict arms sales if Israel goes into Rafah. (Is Friedman setting policy now?)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/nyts-friedman-biden-could-restrict-arms-sales-if-idf-enters-rafah-over-us-dissent/
Unnamed White House officials said Rafah could result in limiting arms, thwarting a hostage deal, and making a regional alliance against Iran difficult. (What happened to the quid pro quo Israel was supposed to get for not retaliating ferociously against Iran?). I’ll have more to say about this whole thing in a few days.
* Videos of US hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin and two others released by Hamas.
https://m.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-798877
* Lebanon (still daily shelling Israeli civilian targets, with dozens of missiles landing yesterday including in Har Meron and Tsfat) to bring Israel to The Hague for war crimes. (?!) (And ps, the fox is suing the chickens for violence.) Also, Lebanon won’t stop shelling until Israel withdraws entirely from Gaza.
https://m.jpost.com/international/article-798873
https://m.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-798872
* New BashSquare’s “No Thanks” app scans products in the supermarket to identify as Israeli so customers can boycott. (Israel advocates suggesting you enter the application in the app store and report it as ‘Flag as inappropriate’ (the three dots on the side).
* Palestinian Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades announces suicide unit: A new unit of youth who 'sacrifice themselves in the way of Allah.'
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/389007
* Palestinian Authority accuses Hamas of manufacturing the humanitarian aid crisis, of attacking aid workers, and of stealing food.
https://m.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-798185
* US antisemitism
https://m.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-797976?dicbo=v2-lT2RD7j
And the rest of the news, in roughly chronological order:
Terrorism, with enough entries for its own headline:
Over 14 terrorist incidents last Sunday; Monday, car-ramming attack of three pedestrians by two (Hebron-based) terrorists in two separate incidents in Romema, (would have been worse except their gun jammed and their axe was abandoned in flight); Terrorists set fire to fields in Hamra right before Passover; attempted terrorism by a female terrorist in the Jordan Valley; shootings near two checkpoints; violent clashes in Shuafat, East Jerusalem; female terrorist in attempted stabbing Wednesday; Thursday night, machine guns fired by terrorists in Bat Hefer, central Israel (from Palestinians in Tulkarm); Two Palestinians caught in Benyamin farming town with hatchets Friday. Teenage girl stabbed by terrorist in Ramle Friday. Two Palestinians tried to break through a military checkpoint with machine guns.
* The Orthodox Rabbi at Columbia-Barnard advised over 290 Jewish students via WhatsApp last Sunday to return home until there is better campus safety for Jews.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/biden-blasts-alarming-surge-of-antisemitism-amid-anti-israel-protests-at-columbia/
Then Columbia canceled class because of the unrest:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/columbia-cancels-in-person-classes-for-today-president-denounces-antisemitic-language/
* Yale also beset by violent Palestinian protests; 30 arrested.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/dozens-of-pro-palestinian-protesters-arrested-at-yale-university-for-setting-up-tent-encampment/
(See more on campus shenanigans in next week’s analysis of US colleges.)
* Head of military intelligence Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva offered his resignation.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/04/22/world/israel-gaza-war-hamas
* Report that Iran is again waging war on women to distract from Israel loss.
https://m.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/iranian-activist-desperate-regime-waging-all-out-war-against-women-798173
* False accusations about mass graves in Gaza.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-rejects-baseless-claim-it-dug-mass-graves-at-gaza-hospital-analysts-also-doubt-charge/
And the confirmation that this is nonsense.
https://m.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-798509
* Barrage of 40+ Lebanon rockets to start Passover, including dozens to Tsfat.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/barrage-of-35-rockets-from-lebanon-targets-northern-communities-as-passover-begins/
* UNRWA insists Hamas staff are just a few bad apples. UN Watch Hillel Neuer said that report was “a complete whitewash, ignoring hundreds of pages and thousands of screenshots and videos with evidence of widespread terrorism by UNRWA staff, and its systemic refusal to stop it.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/unrwa-review-israel-hasnt-provided-evidence-that-agency-staff-were-terror-group-members/
* Wearing a kippah is now incitement in London.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/londons-top-cop-defends-officer-who-stopped-man-for-being-openly-jewish/
* US Senate approved the $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. (But now President Biden may delay or cancel it, if Israel enters Rafah.)
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/flashes/630082
* Qatar: “October 7 only a prelude.”
https://m.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/qatari-official-jews-are-murderers-of-prophets-october-7th-is-only-a-prelude-798358
* Hamas calls for escalation, and for Jordan to join the war.
https://m.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-798350
* French Jew raped, kidnapped to “avenge Palestine.”
https://m.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-798362
* “Miss Israel” attacked in NY
https://m.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-798376
* Hamas omitted from U.N. sexual transgressor list.
https://m.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-798385
* Egg smuggling in West Bank
https://m.jpost.com/israel-news/article-798382
* Robert Kraft, Jewish billionaire, owner of the Patriots, and one of Columbia’s biggest donors is cutting off his donations to Columbia because of their failure to protect Jewish students on campus. The Kraft Center at Columbia is named after him.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/columbia-university-responds-robert-kraft-pulling-support-antisemitic-violence.amp
* Power outages across Kiryat Shemonah as Lebanon fired dozens of rockets Wednesday.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240424-power-outage-in-northern-israel-due-to-missile-strikes-from-lebanon/amp/
* 4000 chickens in a coop killed by Lebanese missile Tuesday.
https://m.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-798435
* American chip company Nvidia buying Israeli start-up company Run:Ai for $700 million dollars.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s1w2iniwa#
* Hamas claims holding 30 abducted IDF soldiers.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/388953
* UK hate crimes up 10%.
https://m.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-798435
* Argentina seeking arrest of Iranian Interior Minister for 1994 bombing of the JCC.
https://m.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-798394
* Pro-Hamas Turkey trying to insert itself into Mideast politics.
https://m.jpost.com/middle-east/turkey-attempts-to-establish-a-foothold-in-the-palestinian-arena-arab-countries-refuse-798552
* Two-state ‘solution’ can only be reached when the descendants of the Palestinian refugees will be allowed to become Israeli residents, while areas considered to be allocated for a Palestinian state will be clean of Jews.
https://m.jpost.com/opinion/article-798504
* Canadian Jewish columnist Naomi Klein calls for anti-Zionism
https://m.jpost.com/diaspora/article-798505
* Palestine protesters set up an encampment, ala Columbia’s, in Harvard Yard. Harvard has restricted access to only Harvard ID holders. USC, U Texas and other campuses are similarly besieged.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/4/25/harvard-yard-protest-palestine/
* Germany back to funding UNRWA, rest likely to follow suit.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjqfya8wc
* Hamas will disarm for a pre-’67 borders’ Palestinian State. (I’m not including this in “top” news because we’ve heard it before and if you believe it, I have bridges for sale.) In October, the same Khalil al-Hayya said the goal of the October 7 massacre was to plunge the entire region into permanent war. And yesterday, al-Hayya said such a state would only be temporary; the terror group will continue on to destroy all of Israel.
https://m.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-798593
* Peruvian police investigating a murder attempt of Israelis living in Cusco. The court found an Iranian and 2 Peruvians guilty, and sentenced them to 18 months in prison. The Iranian prisoner, Majed Azizi, is a member of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/peru-judge-orders-preventative-detention-for-iranian-2-others-in-thwarted-plot-to-kill-israelis/
* EU condemns Iran. (Likely to be short-lived.)
https://m.jpost.com/international/article-798636
* US and 17 others demand Hamas release their country’s hostages. (Seven months later.) Hamas, predictably, said no outright.
https://m.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-798658
* US military constructing humanitarian pier for Gaza. Israel is providing the security - you can see the end to this story coming, can’t you? Hamas will target those US soldiers, Israel will be blamed.
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/04/25/politics/us-military-begins-gaza-pier-construction
* Isra Hirsi, suspended from Columbia for setting up an unauthorized encampment is inexplicably back on campus with her mother, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
https://nypost.com/2024/04/25/us-news/ilhan-omars-daughter-returns-to-columbia-anti-israel-tent/amp/
* Amidst campus havoc, YU opens doors to students and faculty
https://m.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-798752
* UK pressuring Israel to allow inspection of prisoners in Israeli jails. (Opponents point out that no one has yet, seven months later, checked on conditions of Israeli hostages in Gaza.)
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240425-uk-asks-israel-to-allow-foreign-observers-to-visit-palestinian-detainees-report/amp/
* Bedouin-Israeli 29-year-old Sharif Sawad, a civilian truck driver, killed in Lebanese border strike.
https://vinnews.com/2024/04/26/bedouin-idf-driver-killed-on-northern-border-by-hezbollah-anti-tank-missile/
* Israel offers ceasefire for just 33 hostages. Hamas insisting on end to Gazan war for any hostage deal.
https://m.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-798797
* Ben Gvir injured in car accident Friday.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ben-gvirs-ribs-fractured-in-car-crash-wont-admit-he-ran-red-light-despite-footage/
* Israeli SNL-like show Eretz Nehederet’s woke students protests at Columbia spoof went viral again.
https://m.jpost.com/j-spot/article-798871
* Britain airports interrogating Israeli tourists
https://m.jpost.com/israel-news/article-798841
* Incitement to violence against Jews at Columbia
https://m.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-798842
* Yad Vashem jumps into campus fray
https://m.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-798849?dicbo=v2-cZ0Zvif
* Dutch non-Jews don kipot (but no mayors)
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/dutch-jews-and-non-jews-wear-orange-kippa-to-protest-antisemitism/
* Planned Turkish Gaza flotilla for now denied boats
https://www.timesofisrael.com/gaza-freedom-flotilla-blocked-in-turkey-after-being-denied-use-of-2-ships/
* Israeli defense successful because of yeshivas. omg.
https://m.jpost.com/israel-news/article-798907
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Chag Cherut, may we have a holiday of freedom (as they’re saying here in Israel now, instead of the traditional Chag Sameach, Happy Holiday.)
Instead of the traditional Passover phrase, “Leil HaSeder” (Seder night), this graphic of the Passover seder plate is the pun “Leil HaSedek” — “broken” night.). We are all broken until our hostages are free. #LetMyPeopleGo
Catch up on last week’s most-read pieces:
Throwback Thursday (Oct 27) - Zugzwang
https://open.substack.com/pub/fernmusing/p/war-day-202-throwback-thursday-to
Funny Friday
https://open.substack.com/pub/fernmusing/p/war-day-203-funny-friday-ambulance
The Seder’s rebellious child
https://open.substack.com/pub/fernmusing/p/war-day-199-seder-the-rebellious
Last Week’s Sunday Round-Up
https://open.substack.com/pub/fernmusing/p/war-day-198-sunday-news-round-up
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Please keep in mind that numbers are sometimes corrected by the press after their initial publication; aka, there might be a disconnect between what the linked article ends up concluding and what I’ve written here.
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