Latest news with #Intifada
Politico
3 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Bloomberg pours more cash into Cuomo super PAC, bringing his total contribution to $8.3M
NEW YORK — Mike Bloomberg's vast wealth is continuing to power Andrew Cuomo's front-running mayoral bid. The billionaire former mayor contributed $3.3 million to a super PAC supporting Cuomo's attempted comeback in the nation's largest city — a donation made public on Wednesday that comes just days after Bloomberg gave $5 million to the group. With the latest gift, Bloomberg is now single-handedly responsible for one-third of the PAC's total haul of $24 million since it launched in March, according to a POLITICO analysis. Other real estate and finance executives who make up New York's monied elite, including billionaire Donald Trump supporter Bill Ackman, have poured cash into the group. A spokesperson for the super PAC, which is called Fix the City, did not comment on Bloomberg's latest contribution. The money — and the flood of mailers and TV ads funded by it — indicate Cuomo supporters are nervous about the rise of his principal opponent, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. The state lawmaker has been running a strong second to the ex-governor in most polls; a Marist College survey on Wednesday found Cuomo would defeat Mamdani after seven rounds of ranked-choice voting, 55 percent to 45 percent. But early voting is high in some neighborhoods that would appear to benefit Mamdani, and temperatures are expected to hit 100 degrees next Tuesday, which could suppress turnout among older New Yorkers Cuomo is counting on. Likely motivating Bloomberg, who had a rivalry with the former governor during their overlapping tenures, are Mamdani's far-left politics and criticism of Israel. He wants to raise taxes on the rich to pay for services like free bus fare and as recently as this week, refused to criticize the phrase 'globalize the Intifada,' calling it an expression of Palestinian rights. The former mayor endorsed Cuomo last week, and called him the 'one candidate whose management experience and government know-how stand above the others.' Cuomo is 67 and worked in and around government and politics his entire career; Mamdani is 33 and counters criticisms of his thin résumé with reminders of the scandals that drove Cuomo from office. The super PAC has been a significant source of support for the ex-governor, who is considered the favorite to win next Tuesday's Democratic primary despite tightening polls. The group has spent more than $14.8 million on TV ads — including a $5.4 million spot slamming Mamdani — according to media tracking firm AdImpact. The super PAC, which is subject to higher ad rates than campaigns, has easily outspent Cuomo's rivals and is the best-funded PAC ever to play a role in municipal elections in New York City.
Saba Yemen
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Jihad mourns death of its leader, Raeq Basharat, in Tubas
Tubas - Saba: The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine has moured the death of its leader, Raeq Abdulrahman Basharat, to the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic world. Basharat was assassinated by the Israeli special forces last night in the town of Tamoun, south of Tubas. In a press statement issued Wednesday, the Islamic Jihad Movement said, "The martyred leader played a prominent role during the 1987 Intifada and was subjected to an assassination attempt in 2002, during which his wife was martyred and his hands were amputated." It noted that Basharat had been arrested numerous times, totaling over nine years, and had gone on a hunger strike for 53 days in 2022 to protest his administrative detention before his release. It emphasized that Basharat "never hesitated to fulfill his duty and pursued his responsibilities with unwavering determination and resolve." The movement stressed that the targeting of leaders and mujahideen by the Israeli enemy's gangs will not weaken the resolve of the Palestinian people, nor will it weaken the resistance's will to continue confronting the occupation. Rather, their pure blood, which waters the land of Palestine, will produce generations more resilient and more formidable. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Fox News
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
The global intifada is here. Hamas-aligned networks brought terror to US soil and we need to stop it
For decades, "Globalize the Intifada" chants have rung throughout Europe and the Middle East, a blatant and unmistakable call for violence and terrorism against Israelis and Jews. But over the past two years, those chants have only intensified and multiplied, now making their way west to our United States. What started with campus protests has now turned to vigilante violence. This week in Boulder, Colorado, a man yelling "free Palestine" threw Molotov cocktails at peaceful protestors hosting an event to bring home the Israeli hostages, setting them ablaze. Two young staff members of the Israeli Embassy were murdered outside the Jewish museum, after which the shooter said, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza." Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's home was set on fire with his family inside because of "what [Shapiro] wants to do to the Palestinian people," given that he's Jewish. These are not isolated incidents. They are all organized and linked to one group: Hamas. The same terrorist ideology behind these attacks was on display on college campuses over the past two years in the form of violent anti-Israel and anti-Semitic encampments. Let's be clear, these are not the protests of the 1960s. Contrary to what the media may have reported, these were not student-driven "protests" at all. New lawsuits, filed by my organization, expose how the violent takeover of Columbia University's Hamilton Hall and the weeks-long encampments at UCLA were part of an organized, choreographed effort by career professionals to carry out Hamas' plans of violence, terror, and the eradication of Jews and Israelis. At UCLA, a rabbi, a doctor, and a law student sued National Students for Justice in Palestine and other anti-Zionist groups over encampments that were manned with a sword and "human phalanxes." Designated teams of security personnel surrounded the area armed with wooden planks, makeshift shields, pepper spray and tasers. Members of the groups involved in the lawsuit coordinated via social media and Google Docs ways in which to plan, fund, execute, and reinforce the encampment. And just a few days after the first encampment was dispersed by police, more than 40 protestors were found with metal pipes, bolt cutters, chains and padlocks, and manuals for "occupying" campus buildings. At Columbia University, a highly coordinated mob used violent, masked tactics reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan to storm the campus' Hamilton Hall. Armed with rope, zip ties, and crow bars, the masked invaders smashed their way through the doors and windows, and when they came across two people in their way – janitors, neither of whom were Jewish – they terrorized them, battered them, and mocked them. These two janitors sued the group behind the occupation, the People's Forum, for the assault, during which the assailants berated the janitors as "Jew lovers" for their employment. These aren't doe-eyed kids with signs calling for a more loving and peaceful world. These protestors are part of an expansive terrorist network taking advantage of those same doe-eyed students, using them to stoke violence and create chaos. This is an attempt to legitimize the terrorization of an entire group of people. This is the use of guerrilla warfare tactics against students and faculty in an environment that is supposed to be safe. What we are dealing with now is a highly organized, generously-funded, professionally managed campaign that has all the attributes of a military engagement – from detailed planning to careful mapping to precise logistical elements. This new realization requires a shift in strategy in how we fight back against these attacks. Up until now, most cases against universities were based on a single strategy: to hold taxpayer-funded colleges accountable for the hate that they allowed to become pervasive at their institutions. The goal of this strategy is two-fold. First, colleges should not be permitted to use taxpayer money to fund discrimination, especially when that discrimination prevents students from attending classes. Second, colleges should be incentivized to deal appropriately with the problems on their own campuses, so that neither the government nor lawyers have to handle them one-by-one. These previous cases that held universities accountable for their deliberate indifference to anti-Semitism have worked when they have forced these schools to admit to and confront the rampant anti-Semitism on their campuses. I developed this strategy during my time as the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Education twenty years ago. It underlies the ongoing congressional investigations and enforcement activities by the Office for Civil Rights, and it's similar to the strategy used by the Trump Task Force on Anti-Semitism to root out anti-Semitic harassment in schools. But a lot can change in twenty years, and this is no longer enough. To address this current reality, it is necessary to adopt new strategies to deal with it. We must hold perpetrators accountable for their criminal actions on campus, including both criminal prosecution and civil litigation. But that alone won't be enough. We must also disrupt the perpetrators' support and resources that are helping them to carry out these calculated, coordinated campaigns. In other words, we were previously addressing the symptoms of anti-Semitism by holding universities accountable. Now, we're also getting to the root of the problem by addressing those who fund, support, plan, and enable the anti-Semitic activity. Like the Muslim Brotherhood, which the Colorado attacker supported; the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), who praised the October 7th attacks; and Students for Justice in Palestine, who continually promote violence on campus and incite "the student intifada." Our protests have changed, just as our reality has. We must be ready to change with it. Kenneth L. Marcus' organization is representing the Columbia janitors and members of the UCLA Jewish community in both lawsuits.
NBC News
08-06-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Why were so many Thai farmers among the hostages held by Hamas?
Israel says it has retrieved the body of a 35-year-old Thai hostage who was abducted into Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. Nattapong Pinta was among 31 Thais taken by the Hamas militant group. Thailand's foreign ministry in a statement Saturday confirmed that Pinta, the last Thai hostage in Gaza, was confirmed dead. It said the bodies of two others have yet to be retrieved. The ministry has said 46 Thais have been killed during the war. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas. They were among tens of thousands of Thai workers in Israel. Here's a look at what they were doing. Why are there so many Thais in Israel? Israel once relied heavily on Palestinian workers, but it started bringing in large numbers of migrant workers after the 1987-93 Palestinian revolt, known as the first Intifada. Most came from Thailand, and Thais remain the largest group of foreign agricultural laborers in Israel today, earning considerably more than they can at home. Thailand and Israel implemented a bilateral agreement a decade ago to ease the way for workers in the agriculture sector. Israel has come under criticism for the conditions under which the Thai farm laborers work. A Human Rights Watch report in 2015 said they often were housed in makeshift and inadequate accommodation and 'were paid salaries significantly below the legal minimum wage, forced to work long hours in excess of the legal maximum, subjected to unsafe working conditions and denied their right to change employers.' A watchdog group found more recently that most were still paid below the legal minimum wage. How many Thai nationals work in Israel? There were about 30,000 Thai workers, primarily working on farms, in Israel prior to the attack by Hamas. In the wake of the attack, some 7,000 returned home, primarily on government evacuation flights, but higher wages than those available at home have continued to attract new arrivals. The Thai ambassador to Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya, recently said there are now more than 38,000 Thai workers in the country. What happened after some left? Faced with a labor shortage in the wake of the exodus, Israel's Agriculture Ministry announced incentives to try to attract foreign workers back to evacuated areas. Among other things, it offered to extend work visas and to pay bonuses of about $500 a month. Thailand's Labor Ministry granted 3,966 Thai workers permission to work in Israel in 2024, keeping Israel in the top four destinations for Thais working abroad last year. Thai migrant workers generally come from poorer regions of the country, especially the northeast, and even before the bonuses, the jobs in Israel paid many times what they could make at home.
Arab Times
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
How Thailand Laborers Became Hostages In The Israel-Hamas War
BANGKOK (AP) — Israel says it has retrieved the body of a 35-year-old Thai hostage who was abducted into Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war Nattapong Pinta was among 31 Thais taken by the Hamas militant group. Thailand's foreign ministry in a statement Saturday confirmed that Pinta, the last Thai hostage in Gaza, was confirmed dead. It said the bodies of two others have yet to be retrieved. The ministry has said 46 Thais have been killed during the war. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas. They were among tens of thousands of Thai workers in Israel. Here's a look at what they were doing. Why are there so many Thais in Israel? Israel once relied heavily on Palestinian workers, but it started bringing in large numbers of migrant workers after the 1987-93 Palestinian revolt, known as the first Intifada. Most came from Thailand, and Thais remain the largest group of foreign agricultural laborers in Israel today, earning considerably more than they can at home. Thailand and Israel implemented a bilateral agreement a decade ago to ease the way for workers in the agriculture sector. Israel has come under criticism for the conditions under which the Thai farm laborers work. A Human Rights Watch report in 2015 said they often were housed in makeshift and inadequate accommodation and 'were paid salaries significantly below the legal minimum wage, forced to work long hours above the legal maximum, subjected to unsafe working conditions and denied their right to change employers.'A watchdog group found more recently that most were still paid below the legal minimum wage. How many Thai nationals work in Israel? There were about 30,000 Thai workers, primarily working on farms, in Israel prior to the attack by Hamas In the wake of the attack, some 7,000 returned home, primarily on government evacuation flights, but higher wages than those available at home have continued to attract new arrivals. The Thai ambassador to Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya, recently said there are now more than 38,000 Thai workers in the country. What happened after some left? Faced with a labor shortage in the wake of the exodus, Israel's Agriculture Ministry announced incentives to try to attract foreign workers back to evacuated areas. Among other things, it offered to extend work visas and to pay bonuses of about $500 a month. Thailand's Labor Ministry granted 3,966 Thai workers permission to work in Israel in 2024, keeping Israel in the top four destinations for Thais working abroad last year. Thai migrant workers generally come from poorer regions of the country, especially the northeast, and even before the bonuses, the jobs in Israel paid many times what they could make at home.
