Latest news with #Zionism
Scoop
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Israel's Terrorist Attack On Iran: For What?
For 20 months, Israel's government and occupation forces have pursued a campaign of genocide in Gaza, interspersed with destruction and land grabs in the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria. Now Israel has indulged its long-held desire to attack Iran, a nation of 92 million people. Israel claims that this was a pre-emptive attack, a necessary act of self-defence to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. US State Department intelligence findings flatly contradict that claim. While it calls Iran a nuclear threat, Israel is the only Middle Eastern state with nuclear weapons – undeclared, uninspected, and therefore all the more dangerous. We, Jewish groups in 19 countries, believe that Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu acted to divert attention from Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza and its daily attacks and land seizures in the West Bank, and to extend Israel's imperial domination over more of the Middle East. He further seeks to extend his own rule (and evade jail). Netanyahu has long wanted to lure the US directly into war against Iran. Ultimately, he seeks to bring down the Iranian government, in denial of the right of the Iranian people to chart their own way forward. Shortly before it attacked Iran, the IDF virtually cut Gaza's last communications and imposed a complete siege on the West Bank. Hourly, it pursues genocide in darkness. On June 20, Al Jazeera counted over 170 Palestinians killed in Gaza this week, while they were trying to obtain the food that they have a right to obtain. It is too easy to condemn only Netanyahu, who is already on trial domestically and wanted internationally for crimes of genocide. The problem is wider. This regional war-crime spree is inherent in the logic of Zionism. Since 1947, the Zionist project has systematically expelled and murdered Palestinians. It has pursued territorial expansion and regional domination inspired by Western imperialism, while claiming victimhood as a persecuted Jewish collective. Israel's role remains dependent on the full support – diplomatic, military and economic – of Western powers. Donald Trump, ever ready to claim destruction as his own, openly refers to Israel's attack as an action 'we' undertook. The German Chancellor says that Israel is 'doing dirty work for all of us.' Global Jews for Palestine rejects Israel's atrocities and its racist narrative. This widening suffering and chaos will continue until all countries make it end. Governments must cease arming and justifying Israel's crimes, and instead they must impose effective sanctions on Israel. As the world's highest court has advised, we call on our governments to stop normalising and start bringing this disaster to its only credible end: ceasefire, accountability, and justice which realises the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. We, Jews from around the world urge all governments to abandon the racist, reckless project of Zionism and start the urgent work of justice. We pledge to continue and intensify our efforts to end occupation, genocide and the wider military adventures which threaten to engulf us all. MORE ABOUT GLOBAL JEWS FOR PALESTINE We are Jews from many countries, who are members of local, national and international networks and organizations. We are multi-ethnic and multigenerational and our members embrace a broad range of viewpoints on Jewish religious and ethical traditions. We are connected by our involvement in the struggle for Palestinian rights, and by our determination to work for justice. We oppose Zionism and all forms of racism and colonialism. We believe that it is our particular responsibility to challenge Jewish organizations whose alliances and actions undermine Palestinian human and national rights, promote Jewish exceptionalism, and overturn Jewish social justice traditions. At the heart of our work is the fight for Palestinian liberation and the struggle for a world free of racial and ethnic hierarchy, colonial domination, and unbridled militarism.
CBS News
14 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
New York State Regents review's definition of Zionism draws the ire of many on Long Island
There is controversy on Long Island over a New York State Regents exam study packet that some say inaccurately defines Zionism and includes factual errors. A mother told CBS News New York on Tuesday she wants more than an apology. What the review packet says Michelle Herman of Melville gives her daughter's 10th grade Global History Regents review packet at Half Hollow Hills East High School a failing grade. It defines Zionism as "an example of extreme nationalism." "To call Zionism extreme nationalism is propaganda. I consider myself a Zionist. There is nothing extreme about Zionism. It is loving my country," Herman said. The review includes historical inaccuracies and bias, including statements like, "Every war ended with Israel gaining more land" and "Jews taking land away from Palestinians." "It's incorrect. It's propaganda. It's biased," Herman said. Anti-Defamation League frustrated by the review packet The Anti-Defamation League says the nine-line summary is similar to what it has seen taught elsewhere. "Completely ignoring the first intifada, the second intifada, and many many decades of terrorist incidents. Before that, all the wars that Israel fought were wars of defense," the ADL's Scott Richman said. "It's skewed to show the Israelis as aggressors, as criminals, and Palestinians are completely innocent actors, and none of that is true." It set off a firestorm of comments at a recent board meeting. No one spoke in favor of the handout. "As a Jewish student sitting in a classroom and seeing the history of my people distorted and mocked was heartbreaking," one student said. Brian Conboy, the interim superintendent of the Half Hollow Hills School District acknowledged it, "contained language and ideas that were factually incorrect and offensive" and was not created by anyone in the district. He added the curriculum going forward will be vetted by experts. "On behalf of our district, we want you all to know that offensive and inaccurate material such as this do not meet our standards of excellence and are not something we take lightly. We can and will do better moving forward," Conboy said. Origin of the review packet remains a mystery The source of the study sheet is still a mystery. The New York State Education Department says it had no hand in it. A spokesperson for the school district said it has not found the origin. Herman said she wonders how many prior grades received the lesson. "We have been indoctrinating our own children and giving them the wrong information," she said. She is calling for accountability -- not to punish, but to educate -- and she wants what is wrong to be righted. The Education Department said it's taking the matter seriously and will continue to monitor and take appropriate action as needed.
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Anti-war protesters gather outside White House, urge action against Israel
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the White House on June 18 evening to protest Israel's ongoing military actions in Gaza and Iran, calling for an end to the violence and urging President Donald Trump to resist deeper US involvement in the widening conflict. The protest, organised by the ANSWER Coalition, featured a sea of Palestinian and Iranian flags, keffiyehs, and signs reading 'No New War in the Middle East' and 'Stop US Weapons to Israel.' Demonstrators chanted in support of a 'people's arms embargo', demanding that US arms shipments to Israel be halted immediately. The protest comes as US officials weigh a possible entry into the regional war, following Israel's unprovoked attacks on Iranian soil and Iran's retaliatory missile launches. At one point, a small group carrying Israeli flags arrived, sparking tension as protesters began chanting against Zionism. Police intervened quickly, forming a bicycle barricade to separate the groups. A minor confrontation was observed when an officer pushed back a protester who refused to step away. Despite periods of heavy rain, the demonstration remained peaceful but impassioned, with chants for Palestinian liberation and an end to Israeli military actions across Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, and Yemen. While Israel claimed its attacks targeted Iran's Natanz enrichment site, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported damage to underground centrifuge halls. Iran accused Israel of also hitting residential areas. In response, Iran launched 400 missiles and drones at Israeli cities, including the much-touted Fattah-1 missile. The flare-up also follows statements made by US President Donald Trump, who stated Iran had reached out for negotiations but that it was "very late to be talking". Protests also took place across different cities in the US, with many taking to the streets of New York, Philadelphia, and Orlando to march against US involvement in the Iran-Israel war. Marches are expected to continue until June 21.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Judge says hate crime prosecution in Boulder, Colorado, attack can proceed
From left, Lisa Turnquist and Carrie Spyva-McIlvaine place a bouquet of flowers at a growing memorial outside of the Boulder County, Colo., courthouse after Sunday's attack Monday, June 2, 2025, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) DENVER — A federal judge said Wednesday that prosecutors can proceed with a hate crime charge against a man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a group of people demonstrating in Boulder, Colorado, in support of Israeli hostages. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, appeared in federal court in Denver for a preliminary hearing following the June 1 attack in Boulder that injured at least eight people. Investigators say he planned the attack for a year and was driven by a desire 'to kill all Zionist people.' Soliman's defense attorney, David Kraut, urged Magistrate Judge Kathryn Starnella not to allow the case to move forward. Kraut said Soliman's anti-Zionist statements and his online search for a 'Zionist' event to attack showed he targeted the demonstrators because of their perceived political views — their assumed support for the nation of Israel and the political movement of Zionism. An attack motivated by someone's political views is not considered a hate crime under federal law. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Hindman said the government alleged that the attack was a hate crime because Soliman targeted people based on their national origin — their perceived connection to Israel. Prosecutors are not alleging that Soliman targeted demonstrators, who carried Israeli and American flags, because he believed they were Jewish, noting that he has said that not all Jewish people are Zionists. Starnella acknowledged that some of the evidence undercut the government's allegation that the demonstrators were targeted because of their perceived national origin but said other evidence supported it. At this stage, the government gets the benefit of the doubt on questions about evidence, she said. Investigators say Soliman told them he had intended to kill the roughly 20 participants at the weekly demonstration on Boulder's Pearl Street pedestrian mall, but he threw just two of his over two dozen Molotov cocktails while yelling 'Free Palestine.' Soliman told investigators he tried to buy a gun but was not able to because he was not a 'legal citizen.' Federal authorities say Soliman, an Egyptian national, has been living in the U.S. illegally with his family. During his Wednesday appearance, Soliman's lower right arm and hand were wrapped in a thick bandage, with handcuffs around his wrists. Police previously said he was taken to a hospital for unspecified injuries right after the attack. FBI agent Timothy Chan testified at Wednesday's hearing that Soliman burned himself as he threw the second Molotov cocktail. Soliman did not carry out his full plan 'because he got scared and had never hurt anyone before,' police wrote in an arrest affidavit. At least eight people were injured. Authorities consider 15 people and a dog as victims of the attack at the downtown Pearl Street pedestrian mall. One is a Holocaust survivor. Some are considered victims because they could have been hurt. Soliman is charged separately in state court with multiple counts of attempted murder, assault and offenses related to more than a dozen additional Molotov cocktails police say he did not use. Run for Their Lives, the group targeted in the attack, started in October 2023 after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. Federal authorities are seeking to deport Soliman's wife and their five children. They range in age from 4 to 18 years old and are being held in an immigration center in Texas, according to court documents. The White House said in a June 3 social media post that one-way tickets had been purchased for the family members, adding: 'Final boarding call coming soon.' A Colorado federal judge temporarily blocked their deportation with a restraining order on June 4. The case has since been transferred to Texas, where a federal judge on Wednesday extended the restraining order another two weeks. Lawyers for the family had asked to keep the order in place, even though government lawyers said in court documents that the family would be deported under the normal process, not an expedited one because the lawyers did not address the earlier comments from the White House. Colleen Slevin, The Associated Press
Axios
2 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Federal hate crime charge against Boulder Molotov suspect advances
A federal judge in Denver ruled Wednesday that there's probable cause to proceed with a hate crime charge against the man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at a gathering of people in Boulder earlier this month while shouting "Free Palestine." Why it matters: If the hate crime charge holds, Mohamed Sabry Soliman could face life in prison. The suspect is also charged with 118 counts in Colorado state court — including 28 counts of attempted first-degree murder — and remains jailed on a $10 million bond. The big picture: After the attack, Soliman told investigators he wanted to "kill all Zionist people." Now, the case hinges on whether Zionism qualifies as a national origin under federal law — qualifying it as a hate crime — or is deemed a political ideology. The outcome could set a new legal precedent and reverberate far beyond Colorado. Context: Zionism is often defined as a nationalist movement that supports the establishment and preservation of a Jewish state in the historical land of Israel. What they're saying: "The big debate is whether Mr. Soliman was motivated by [protesters'] national origin," Magistrate Judge Kathryn A. Starnella said during the roughly 2.5-hour hearing. "Ultimately, it's for a jury to decide," she said, but "there's probable cause for this case to proceed." State of play: At Wednesday's hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Hindman argued that Soliman's attack met the legal threshold for a hate crime because it was motivated by his perception of the victims' national origin — not just their politics. She said Soliman specifically targeted Zionists, whom he defined to federal investigators as people who support the existence of Israel and occupy what he considers Palestinian land. Hindman pointed to Soliman's own words to FBI agents: That he identified the Boulder group — Run for Their Lives — by the Israeli flags they carried and expressed no remorse, telling investigators it was "his dream to kill them all." One of the victims was a child in a wheelchair waving an Israeli flag and wearing a yarmulke, a federal investigator confirmed during Wednesday's proceedings. Other victims suffered burns on up to 60% of their bodies, and some remain hospitalized. The other side: Defense attorney David Kraut argued the case hinges on political ideology. The national origin of the victims "did not matter" to Soliman, Kraut said, accusing prosecutors of trying to "inject ambiguity" into federal hate crime law. Kraut noted Soliman repeatedly distinguished between Jewish people and Zionists and did not express animus toward Jews as a religious group. "The evidence is so clear" Soliman was "motivated by political viewpoints," not national origin, his attorney argued. Between the lines: In court, Soliman appeared alert and calm. The burns on his face — self-inflicted when he set himself on fire during the attack — appeared to have healed. He smiled when talking with his attorneys, but did not take the stand.
