Category: Other
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Israel’s military intelligence chief resigns, taking responsibility for Oct. 7 failures
(JTA) — Israel’s military intelligence chief resigned, saying he assumed responsibility for the intelligence failures that failed to prevent the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion that launched the current war. The resignation letter Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva sent Monday to the Israeli military chief of staff, Lt. Herzi Halevi, is unusual in that he assumed responsibility…
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House overwhelmingly passes Israel aid, even as dissent grows in both parties
WASHINGTON (JTA) — After months of debate, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved emergency defense assistance for Israel and humanitarian aid to Gaza on Saturday — but with a vote that demonstrated an erosion in the body’s once near-unanimous support for Israel aid. The House approved the $26 billion Israel-Gaza bill on Saturday in…
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In a first, US is reportedly set to sanction Israeli military unit for alleged human rights abuses
(JTA) — Israeli officials are decrying reports that the United States plans to sanction an Israeli military unit for human rights abuses, a step the State Department has never before taken. The report of sanctions comes amid escalating violence in the West Bank. Last week, an Israeli teenager was murdered in what authorities said was…
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South Africa’s president rehearsed genocide charge against Israel in meeting with local Jewish leaders
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the leadership of the South African Jewish community requested a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss rising antisemitism. The meeting took place in December, and the course it took surprised the South African Jewish Board of Deputies: Instead of discussing the safety concerns…
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US sanctions far-right Israeli activist Bentzi Gopstein and 2 groups in latest round of West Bank penalties
(JTA) — The State Department on Friday announced sanctions against Ben Zion “Bentzi” Gopstein, a prominent far-right Israeli activist, for his “destabilizing” activities in the West Bank, along with two Israeli organizations that raised funds for sanctioned settlers. The penalties were the third round of sanctions the State Department has levied against far-right Israelis in…
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100+ arrested in day of unrest and mass protest at Columbia U over Gaza and Israel
(New York Jewish Week) – With a phalanx of police outside its gates and student protesters crowding the street, Columbia University erupted in unrest Thursday over the Israel-Hamas war. The mass demonstration at New York City’s Ivy League school and its aftermath represented an escalation after months of tensions over the war. On Wednesday morning,…
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Police arrest son of prominent DC-area rabbi after alleged altercation with protesters outside Israeli Embassy
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Police arrested the son of a prominent Washington D.C.-area rabbi after he allegedly got into an altercation with protesters outside the Israeli Embassy. Two witnesses quoted in a Secret Service police arrest sheet accused Ezra Weinblatt, a real estate agent and the son of Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt, who leads Congregation B’nai Tzedek…
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Senate kills Mayorkas impeachment – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Voting along party lines, the U.S. Senate buried impeachment proceedings targeting the Jewish Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas. All 51 senators caucusing with Democrats voted on Wednesday to adjourn the impeachment before proceedings started. All 49 Republicans voted against adjourning, with one voting present on one count of impeachment. The vote brings…
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FBI investigations of anti-Jewish hate crimes tripled after Oct. 7, director says
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The number of FBI investigations into anti-Jewish hate crimes tripled in the months after Oct. 7, FBI director Christopher Wray told Jewish leaders on a call Wednesday. Wray also warned that, amid the Israel-Iran conflict, Iranian proxies could attack targets on American soil. “For just a few days after the Oct. 7…
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What to know as Columbia U president Nemat Shafik testifies to Congress about antisemitism on her campus
(JTA) — The hearing in Congress on Dec. 5 could hardly have been more consequential: Two of the three Ivy League university presidents who testified about antisemitism on their campuses soon resigned, while their leading interrogator, Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, morphed into an unlikely hero for American Jews, including many who tend to lean liberal.…