Associated Press

2025-02-18

حقق فيلم 3  إيرادات إلى 478 مليون دولار حول العالم منذ طرح العمل يوم 20 ديسمبر من العام الماضى 2024، العمل من إنتاج شركة Paramount Pictures، ووصلت مدته إلى ساعة و50 دقيقة. وانقسمت الإيرادات بين 234 مليونًا و773 ألف دولار فى شباك التذاكر الأمريكى، و243 مليونًا و800 ألف دولار بشباك التذاكر العالمى. وذلك بعدما كشف النجم العالمى  أنه قرر المشاركة في بطولة فيلم  لأنه "يحتاج إلى المال بصراحة"، ظهر كاري بدور دكتور روبوتنيك الشرير. يشهد فيلم  تحالفًا غير متوقع بين سونيك (بن شوارتز) وتيلز (كولين أوشونيسي) ونكلز (إدريس إلبا) مع دكتور روبوتنيك حيث يتولون مواجهة خصم كيانو ريفز شادو ذا هيدجهوج. سألت وكالة Associated Press ، خلال العرض الأول للفيلم في المملكة المتحدة في لندن، عن سبب انضمامه للفيلم، بعد أن صرح بعد فيلم Sonic The Hedgehog 2 في عام 2022 أنه يفكر في اعتزال التمثيل. وأجاب قائلا:" عدت إلى هذا الكون لأنني، أولاً وقبل كل شيء، ألعب دور عبقري، وهو أمر مبالغ فيه بعض الشيء، ولكن الأمر فقط أنني اشتريت الكثير من الأشياء وأحتاج إلى المال، بصراحة". ...قراءة المزيد

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2025-02-14

وصلت إيرادات فيلم   إلى 472 مليون دولار حول العالم منذ طرح العمل يوم 20 ديسمبر من العام الماضى 2024، العمل من إنتاج شركة Paramount Pictures، ووصلت مدته إلى ساعة و 50 دقيقة. وانقسمت الإيرادات بين 233 مليونا و434 ألف دولار فى شباك التذاكر الأمريكى، و238 مليونا و900 ألف دولار بـ شباك التذاكر العالمى. وذلك بعدما كشف النجم العالمى  أنه قرر المشاركة في بطولة فيلم  لأنه "يحتاج إلى المال بصراحة"، ظهر كاري بدور دكتور روبوتنيك الشرير. يشهد فيلم  تحالفًا غير متوقع بين سونيك (بن شوارتز) وتيلز (كولين أوشونيسي) ونكلز (إدريس إلبا) مع دكتور روبوتنيك حيث يتولون مواجهة خصم كيانو ريفز شادو ذا هيدجهوج. سألت وكالة Associated Press ، خلال العرض الأول للفيلم في المملكة المتحدة في لندن، عن سبب انضمامه للفيلم، بعد أن صرح بعد فيلم Sonic The Hedgehog 2 في عام 2022 أنه يفكر في اعتزال التمثيل. وأجاب قائلا:" عدت إلى هذا الكون لأنني، أولاً وقبل كل شيء، ألعب دور عبقري، وهو أمر مبالغ فيه بعض الشيء، ولكن الأمر فقط أنني اشتريت الكثير من الأشياء وأحتاج إلى المال، بصراحة". ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-08

Tensions between Israel and the United States have intensified as Israeli officials have expressed deep frustrations over the Biden administration's decision to halt an arms shipment destined for Israel.  According to reports from NBC News, this move has exacerbated existing tensions, particularly following the recent developments in ceasefire and hostage negotiations with Hamas. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed to NBC News the significant frustration within the Israeli government over the .  This frustration has been compounded by Israel's perception that it was blindsided by Hamas' unexpected announcement earlier in the week, indicating acceptance of a ceasefire proposal that Israel claims it was not informed about in advance. The Biden administration's decision to pause the arms shipment was reportedly driven by concerns that Israel might be on the verge of launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. A senior U.S. administration official, speaking to the Associated Press, confirmed the temporary suspension, citing worries over Israel's potential military actions. In addition to the arms shipment delay, Israeli officials have alleged that the Biden administration was aware of modifications made to a ceasefire-prisoner swap deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar to Hamas.  However, they claim that the U.S. failed to inform Israel of these changes before Hamas publicly announced its acceptance of the ceasefire terms.  These claims have been refuted by a senior U.S. official, who asserted that American diplomats have maintained active engagement with Israeli counterparts throughout the negotiation process. Despite the strained relations, the U.S. remains committed to facilitating a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. U.S. officials believe that Israel has negotiated in good faith and that the ceasefire proposal presented to Hamas in April was the most comprehensive to date.  ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-08

The Biden administration temporarily halted a shipment of bombs to Israel last week amid concerns that Jerusalem was considering a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah without U.S. approval, a senior administration official revealed on Tuesday. In the latest report on delayed weapons shipments, the Associated Press cited a U.S. official who confirmed the Biden administration was looking to pressure Israel from backing down on the Rafah operation. The shipment delayed last week included 1,800 two-thousand-pound bombs and 1,700 five-hundred-pound bombs. The concern was that the bombs would be used in the densely populated area of Rafah where over 1 million Gazans are located. Reports indicate that since March, the Biden administration has not progressed with the transfer of additional weapons valued at approximately $1 billion to Israel. These potential deals encompass tank ammunition, military vehicles, and mortar missiles. Specifically, the proposed agreements involved the transfer of $700 million worth of 120mm tank ammunition, $500 million worth of tactical vehicles, and less than $100 million worth of 120mm mortar ammunition, as stated by American sources. Traditionally, the U.S. has provided significant military aid to Israel, a trend that intensified following Hamas' deadly attack on Israel in October.  On Monday morning, the IDF issued evacuation orders to residents of eastern Rafah, and that evening the war cabinet unanimously decided to press ahead with its moves into the last Hamas stronghold in the south of the enclave.  An Israeli official told i24NEWS that the current incursion was "limited," and said it was not the broad ground offensive that . On Tuesday morning, the IDF said it had taken full control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-07

Pro-Palestinian protesters chanted in Poland, according to footage shared by i24 journalist India Naftali on X Monday and multiple international media reports.  The pro-Palestinian protest occurred during a march commemorating the on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Footage revealed a large number of police placed around the circumference of the protest. Ynet reported that the police were creating a buffer to ensure that the protesters did not interact with those participating in March of the Living. ‼️ A Palestinian protest is happening outside of Auschwitz now! THIS IS SICKENING. “A Palestinian protest is happening outside of now! THIS IS SICKENING,” Naftali commented. "I feel immense anger,” an Israeli March of the Living participant told Ynet. "If we thought never again, we received another blow to the head at Auschwitz with the realization that what was done to Jews on this cursed land, could be repeated especially after October 7. I face them fearless and proud with our national flag."Handprints on a wall at Auschwitz, March of the Living, May 6, 2024. (credit: CHEN SCHIMMEL) "They must not be allowed anywhere," Holocaust survivor Jacqueline Glicksman told the source. "On Holocaust Remembrance Day, let us hold our heads up high and unite with the memory of the six million who were murdered, in the Holocaust and all those massacred on October 7." “Through this protest we want to say that we bow down to the victims of the Holocaust too,” Omar Faris, president of an association of Palestinians in Poland, told the Associated Press in defense of the protest. “At the same time, we demand an end to war, an end to genocide.” ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-05

CIA Director William Burns is en route to Doha for a pivotal meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani amid uncertainty in negotiations to find a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas. According to reports from the Associated Press, an unnamed official familiar with the developments revealed that the talks are "near collapse." "The situation demands immediate action," stated the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.  "Burns is on his way to Doha for an emergency meeting with the Qatari prime minister aimed at exerting maximum pressure on Israel and Hamas to continue negotiating." The United States has been advocating for a resolution that would secure the release of some 30 hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a temporary ceasefire.  The ceasefire is crucial to prevent any Israeli military intervention in Rafah, a strategically significant area where the final Hamas battalions are concentrated. Despite relentless diplomatic efforts, Hamas has, rejecting what U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken termed "extremely generous" offers.  ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-02

The leader of , a Christian political party in Lebanon, sounded the alarm on Hezbollah and the low-level conflict with Israel that it has brought on Lebanon. His comments were published by the Associated Press this week and represent an important development in the Lebanese political landscape. They coincide with a BBC report that also revealed how the ongoing clashes have led some areas to be deserted. Hezbollah pretends that it is waging a successful war on Israel. In Israel, there is concern that this is the new normal, and there are discussions and disputes reported in Ynet on Thursday among about how best to deal with Hezbollah. However, not only in Israel is the war ruffling feathers. Samir Geagea slammed Hezbollah for its seven months of clashes with Israel that have harmed Lebanon. “No one has the right to control the fate of a country and people on its own,” Geagea said. “Hezbollah is not the government in Lebanon. There is a government in Lebanon in which Hezbollah is represented.” “All the damage that could have happened in Gaza…happened. What was the benefit of military operations that were launched from south Lebanon? Nothing,” Geagea said. Geagea is a unique figure in Lebanese politics. A CROWD in Tehran watches an address, on the screen by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in November. Hezbollah is virtually a state within a state, sucking the lifeblood out of Lebanon at the instigation of Iran, says the writer. (credit: WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY/REUTERS) He was formerly a commander in the Lebanese Forces when it was an armed group during the civil war in Lebanon. It was dissolved in 1986. Saudi helped broker a peace deal in Lebanon in 1990 to end the war. He was appointed Minister of State in 1990 but refused a role in government due to the Syrian occupation of the country. As revenge, Syria likely helped engineer his arrest and solitary confinement in prison for many years. Released after the Syrians were expelled in 2005 when Hezbollah murdered former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. He has been outspoken in the past, and his political faction has improved its standing in Lebanon in recent years. Not all the Christian parties in Lebanon oppose Hezbollah, Michel Aoun, another Christian leader, has worked with Hezbollah. Lebanon may be tired of the excesses of Hezbollah and how it is dragging the country into conflict. Hezbollah, for instance, backed the Iranian attack on Israel on April 13-14 and showed itself to be more a proxy of Iran, than a “defender” of Lebanon.  ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-02

A bill that would codify the IHRA's popular yet contentious definition of antisemitism passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a wide margin. The Antisemitism Awareness Act mandates government civil rights offices to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s , which has been endorsed by hundreds of local governments, corporations and universities. But the definition has also drawn criticism because most of its examples of antisemitism involve criticism of the state of Israel, including calling it a “racist endeavor.” The bill is moving forward at a time when criticism of Israel has been in the spotlight. Protesters at the pro-Palestinian encampments on campuses nationwide have harshly criticized Israel, with some using language decried as antisemitic. The bill’s passage would mean the definition would apply when officials adjudicate Title VI complaints alleging campus antisemitism.  Supporters of say it covers the range of ways antisemitism manifests in the present day. The definition’s opponents say it chills legitimate criticism of Israel. One hundred eighty nonprofit organizations urged Twitter to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism to help reduce Jew-hatred on the platform in 2022. (credit: AdoptIHRA Coalition) Those critiques did not hinder the bill, which passed Wednesday 320-91. Republicans voted 187-21 for the bill, and Democrats supported it 133-70. Eighteen members did not vote, split evenly between the parties. An identical version is under consideration in the Senate, and while it is in its early stages, it too is likely to pass. The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) applauded the movw, and said "this crucial legislation could not have passed without the hard work of CAM and the entire Jewish community". Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization, put out a statement saying, "CUFI has supported this legislation since 2016 and we welcome its passage through the House, especially at a time when colleges are being overtaken by outside, pro-Hamas, antisemitic agitators".  Jewish Federations of North America also expressed support, commenting on its relevance "during a time when Jewish students are being subjected to antisemitic harassment." But opponents of the IHRA definition in Congress included New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, the House’s longest-serving Jewish Democrat. “Speech that is critical of Israel alone does not constitute unlawful discrimination,” The Associated Press quoted Nadler as saying during a hearing Tuesday. “By encompassing purely political speech about Israel into Title VI’s ambit, the bill sweeps too broadly.” Kenneth Marcus, the chairman of the Brandeis Center for Human Rights and a Department of Education civil rights official under the Trump administration, said that the bill, should it become law, would be a useful tool on campuses given the recent turmoil. “From a federal perspective, this legislation won’t change current practice so much as it will reinforce it,” Marcus said in a statement, noting that both the Biden and Trump administrations have worked to combat antisemitism on campuses. “From a university perspective, however, there are few U.S. universities that are consistently applying the IHRA definition in appropriate cases. This legislation should put a stop to that.” How each lawmaker voted was not yet available, but a number, including Nadler, had said in advance they would oppose it. Others include Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the Washington Democrat who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Mike Johnson vs Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said passing the legislation was a priority, but the Republican no votes were a sign of how difficult it is for him to control the party’s far right and also of the increasing tendency on the Republican far right to reconsider, if not embrace, long-scorned antisemitic tropes. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who constantly clashes with me moderate Republicans, said she would vote against because she worried it would criminalize what she said was a Christian belief that the Jews were responsible for killing Jesus, a belief repudiated by many large Christian denominations.  Other bills with bipartisan backing that would combat antisemitism are wending their way through both chambers of Congress, including one that would set up a coordinator to monitor and combat domestic antisemitism, a counterpart to the existing State Department envoy to combat antisemtism overseas, a position currently held by the prominent Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-02

control over areas with submarine communication cables raises fears of potential cyber warfare that could disrupt global internet connectivity amid and Bab al-Mandab Strait, posing significant threats to international trade and security in these waters.  Fahmi Mohammad, a technical specialist at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Sana’a, spoke to The Media Line about the extent of the Houthis’ technical capabilities to carry out such an attack and the extent to which the group’s leaders can exert political pressure through this card to achieve their goals. “The Ansar Allah group (the Houthis) controls the majority of the locations through which these cables pass,” he explained, noting that the fiber optic cables are located at the bottom of the sea and hundreds of meters below the earth’s surface. “Accessing [them] requires advanced capabilities that allow access to the depths of the sea and handling the cables.” Despite doubts about the , Mohammed does not rule out that the Houthis do have submarines and advanced weapons capable of carrying out such attacks “especially after Ansar Allah group announced It has many boats and submarines that are technically capable of reaching these cables.” Fahmy added that the Houthis, through the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the telecommunications and internet companies under its control, employ a group of engineers, some of whom work directly with the Chinese company Huawei.  Armed Houthi followers ride on the back of a pick-up truck during a parade in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and to show support to Houthi strikes on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, in Sanaa, Yemen January 29, 2024. (credit: KHALED ABDULLAH/REUTERS) “They [the Yemeni engineers] have sufficient technical capacity to participate in any military operation targeting submarine cables if Ansar Allah wanted that,” Mohammed confirmed. On February 24, HGC Global Communications Limited announced that access to the Internet in the East African country of Djibouti had become more difficult, according to the Associated Press. The press linked the outage incident to events in the Red Sea at the time. Additionally, the company said it was forced to intervene to divert and repair Internet traffic after four out of 15 submarine cables in the Red Sea were cut. Sixteen submarine cables pass through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, linking the continents of Asia and Europe and transporting 17% to 30% of global Internet traffic, serving more than two billion people. Speaking to The Media Line on condition of anonymity, Ali Al-Samman, a committee leader within Yemen’s Public Telecommunications Corporation, discussed the situation, noting he was not authorized to speak publicly. "The submarine internet cables that pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait are under our control,” he confirmed. “Any option proposed by the leadership of Ansar Allah group will be implemented to achieve its [the Houthis] goals, and it will not be reversed until the demands of Ansar Allah group, which is to end the siege on the Gaza Strip, is achieved." The same source added that the Houthis have the military and technological capabilities to control these cables fully. He said, "The Houthi’s political leadership took upon itself the duty of supporting the Palestinian cause and worked to do so through military operations.” “Yemen’s location, which intersects with the interests of the world, will preserve these interests unless they go against supporting the Palestinian cause,” Al-Samman explained. National Security and Strategy expert Omar Al-Raddad stressed to The Media Line that targeting submarine cables is an option for the Houthis if the American-British strikes continue and achieve their goals. "There are several factors that contribute to taking this option, including support from Iran, which may use this option to exert pressure during its discussions with the West, meaning, with support of Iranian technologies, there is an increased chance of such an attack occurring," Al-Raddad added. The Houthis control internet services in Yemen, including areas under the control of the internationally recognized government (IRG), and implement their policies in this sector according to their best interests. This includes blocking news websites and cutting internet services in some areas. Journalist Saddam Al-Huraibi spoke to The Media Line about this pressure card, stressing that the Houthis have used the internet and communications since their control of Sana’a. He added: “ I do not rule out that the Houthis will threaten or actually carry out military operations to target submarine cables in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.” Al-Huraibi confirmed that despite the televised statements by the Houthi’s leader, during which he spoke about continued military escalation and no intention to target submarine cables, leaders within the Houthi group hinted via social media platforms at the possibility of using this card within their military operations in the Red Sea. Pro-Houthi journalist Maher Al-Khaled confirmed this during an interview with The Media Line, saying, “Communication cables pass under lands which Yemen has sovereignty, and any option to use them is on the table if the United States, Israel, and their allies continue their military operations.” Since mid-November 2023, the Houthis have been targeting commercial ships heading towards Israel’s ports as part of operations that led to the detention of one ship, the sinking of another, and the exposure of many vessels to significant danger and even damage. In response to these operations, forces from the United States and Britain launched a series of attacks on Houthi targets. To respond to that, the Houthis declared that they would use all the available means for them to stand with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-02

Donald Trump likes to go onstage for his rallies to the music of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” A more fitting tune might be “Onward Christian Soldiers” for the candidate who has declared November 5 will be Christian Recognition Day. “We have to bring Christianity back into our lives,” he preaches to the faithful. Election Day 2024 will be “the most important day in the history of our country,” he said, pronouncing it “Christian Visibility Day.” (He uses both labels.) That is when Christians are “going to vote like never before,” presumably for him. As a Jew I can’t help wondering whether that will be followed by a night of broken glass. It sounds very much like he wants his minions to come out in force, literally, especially when he cites Psalm 109, which includes “calls for violence and revenge,” observed Robert P. Jones, founder of the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Paired with his attacks on the loyalty of American Jewry, Bill Barrow of the Associated Press sees this as part of the disgraced former president’s strategy to “frame this year’s election as a referendum on the strength of Christianity in the US.” This will be the second coming of Saint Donald, a man who by his own admission has never done anything wrong, calling himself “perhaps the most honest guy almost in the world.” Even the pope has the need to confess his sins, but apparently not the infallible who enters the courts declaring “I did nothing wrong.” And he’s not referring simply to the 34 federal criminal charges he is currently on trial for in New York. Former US President Donald Trump in Broome, Georgia, March 9, 2024 (credit: REUTERS) He is framing a second term as a holy crusade to defend Christianity against an assault by leftists who want “to tear down crosses.” He told the National Religious Broadcasters convention, “But no one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration, I swear to you.” Comparing himself to Jesus, he added, “I’m taking the bullets [and] the arrows for you.” He wants to shred the First Amendment, starting with freedom of the press (“enemies of the people”), freedom of assembly (shoot protesters), and the wall of separation between religion and state – historically, a critical protection for religious minorities, including Jews. His latest grift was pitching a $59.99 White Christian Nationalist God Bless the USA Bible during Holy Week just before Easter. It’s the King James Version of “my favorite book” for his fundamentalist followers. Of course, Trump pockets a commission on each Bible sold. couldn’t resist bringing that up at the recent White House Correspondents’ dinner (an event the thin-skinned Trump boycotted four straight years). “Trump’s so desperate, he started reading those Bibles he’s selling,” the president said. “Then he got to the First Commandment: ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’ That’s when he put it down and said, ‘This book’s not for me.’” Trump’s rhetoric is about much more than his cynical embrace of religion. Director Rob Reiner, who just released a documentary on the subject, said the rise of Christian nationalism is “a political movement, really, certainly not a spiritual or religious movement.” It is steeped in the great replacement theory, the racist conspiracy that white Americans and Europeans are being replaced by non-white, not-their-kind-of-Christians and other immigrants. Remember the neo-Nazi marchers in Charlottesville chanting “Jews will not replace us?” Trump prefers immigrants from “nice countries” like Switzerland, Denmark, and Germany (home of his grandparents), not third world “s***holes.” No mention of the Czech Republic or Slovenia, homes of his first and third wives. Trump insists “I don’t have a racist bone in my body!” Jonathan Martin in Politico disagrees; he called the former president a “race-baiting demagogue.” Trump has said he wants to establish a “federal task force to combat” “antiwhite racism” and “anti-Christian bias.” A new shows two-thirds of white Evangelical Protestants say they have a favorable view of Trump, as do half of white Catholics and non-Evangelical Protestants. At the opposite end of the scale are atheists with an 88% unfavorable opinion, 80% of black Protestants and 79% . IT IS puzzling that so many who describe themselves as Christian support a man who was divorced twice, married three times, is an admitted philanderer, was labeled a rapist by a court, was accused of covering up an affair with a porn star, bragged about grabbing women by the genitals, and was found liable for sexual abuse. “Most people who view Trump positively don’t think he is especially religious himself. But many think he stands up for people with religious beliefs like theirs,” Pew found. Only 8% of those holding a positive view of Trump actually think he is very religious. He recently changed his religious affiliation from Presbyterian to “nondenominational Christian,” he told Religion News Service. He’s never been known to be a regular churchgoer or as having strong religious beliefs. A poll by the nonpartisan PRRI showed 40% feel he “is mostly using religion for political purposes.” Two Presbyterian Church leaders who met with him early in his first term told CNN that he didn’t seem to understand the difference between mainline Protestants and Evangelicals. Antisemitism is a recurrent subtext for Trump. It is found in his social media postings, speeches, campaign memes and tropes, the company he keeps, ugly stereotypes about Jews and money, and even in his Rosh Hashanah message last year when he accused “liberal Jews” of voting to “destroy” the United States and Israel. Any Jew who votes for a Democrat or Biden “should have their head examined,” he has said. Lately, he has accused Biden of being an antisemite and having “totally abandoned Israel,” apparently because of his response to the Gaza war. To those who defend him by pointing out that two of his grandchildren and their parents, as well as many of his employees, are Jews, I’d refer them to historian Bryan Mark Rigg, who pointed out that a number of top Nazis, including Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Goring, had Jewish spouses or ancestry, likely even Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun. To win Evangelical support eight years ago Trump, who had been a pro-choice Democrat a few years earlier, went gung-ho against abortion and pledged to appoint judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade. He did it and they did, and he’s bragging about it. But lately he’s been having second thoughts, as it becomes apparent that decision was very unpopular, even among many Republican voters. Restoring abortion rights is proving a popular message for Democrats, and Trump is looking for a way to sound moderate without offending his stridently anti-abortion Evangelical base with its absolutist demands. They’re even talking about banning contraceptives and in-vitro fertilization. The demands of the religious Right go beyond reproductive rights to include banning books, prohibiting teaching about race, blocking same-sex marriage, and curtailing LGBT rights, school vouchers, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Trump could afford to be doctrinaire while appealing to his base during the primaries, but he needs the moderate swing voters who will decide the election in November. Will he be able to win their votes with his promises on “Christian Visibility Day,” November 5, with his religious crusade, $59.99 Bible, and vow to protect “the cross of Christ?” The writer is a Washington-based journalist, consultant, lobbyist, and former American Israel Public Affairs Committee legislative director. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-05-02

Hamas leaders said they were studying a ceasefire and hostage release proposal presented by Egyptian mediators and hoped to respond by Thursday, according to a statement the terror group sent to the Associated Press.  The current round of truce negotiations between Israel and Hamas appears to be serious, but the two sides remain far apart on a key issue: whether the war should end under the emerging deal. “It is very likely that tomorrow, Thursday, God willing, the mediators will receive a response,” the Hamas statement said. Later, a senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, said in an interview with in an interview with Lebanese media Al-Manar, "we have made it clear that our position is negative regarding the current negotiations plan.” He said, “Israel is trying to blackmail us with the Rafah operation.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel on Wednesday, holding a series of meetings with Israeli officials, while also planning to oversee the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza. His day consisted of meetings with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv, during which Blinken emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire and a prisoner swap deal between Israel and the Hamas terror group. He also met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant. To catch up on the full events from Wednesday, Read more in-depth updates on the Los Angeles Police Department is calling on the UCLA encampments to evacuate through the loudspeakers The LAPD has issued a "tactical alert" across the city related to the illegal gathering announced at a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA, preparing them to be on high alert of illegal activities tonight This post can't be displayed because social networks cookies have been deactivated. You can activate them by clicking manage preferences. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-30

توفى الممثل الأمريكي «» عن عمر ناهز 87 عامًا، وقال ابن عمه نييل جوست في تصريحات لموقع «Associated Press» أن «لويس» تم العثور عليه ميتًا في منزله بمدينة كاليفورنيا الأمريكية أمس الجمعة ولم يتم الإعلان بشكل رسمي عن السبب وراء الوفاة. من هو لويس جوسيت جونيور؟ عُرف جوسيت بأنه ثالث مرشح من أصحاب البشرة السمراء في تاريخ الأوسكار يرشح للجائزة، وفاز بها لأول مرة عام 1983 كأفضل ممثل في دور مساعد عن فيلم «An Officer and a Gentleman» ليدخل التاريخ من أوسع أبوابه. وكانت انطلاقة «جوسيت» في هوليوود من خلال المشاركة بعدد من الأعمال التلفزيونية والسينمائية بداية فترتي الستينات والسبعينات والتي حجزت له مقعدًا ضمن أبرز النجوم في هذا الوقت ومن أبرز هذه الأعمال فيلم «A Raisin in the Sun» عام 1961، مسلسل «The Nurses» عام 1962، وتوالت النجاحات وسط تعاونه مع أهم وألمع النجوم والمنتجين ولفت الأنظار لموهبته الكبيرة. لويس جوسيت يجسد السادات لويس جوست جونيور أثار «جوسيت» جدلًا كبيرًا عندما قام بتجسيد شخصية الرئيس الراحل محمد أنور السادات بالمسلسل القصير «Sadat» عام 1983 ورشح لجائزة الإيمي وجائزة جولدن جلوب كأفضل ممثل في دور رئيسي بمسلسل تلفزيوني محدود، وسبب المسلسل أزمة بين السلطات الأمنية في مصر وبين شركة «Columbia Pictures» وتم منع المسلسل من العرض بمصر في النهاية. كانت آخر مشاركاته الفنية بالفيلم الغنائي الموسيقي «The Color Purple» عام 2023 ورشح الفيلم لجائزة الأوسكار مؤخرًا أفضل ممثلة في دور مساعد. يذكر أن يشارك ببطولة عدد من الأعمال السينمائية والتلفزيونية والمقرر عرضها خلال الفترة المقبلة أبرزها فيلم الدراما والكوميديا «If» بطولة الممثل الكندي ريان رينولدز والمقرر عرضه تجاريًا بشهر مايو المقبل. إقرأ أيضًأ.. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-30

A Friday to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey was forced to divert to Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, New York, due to high winds and turbulence, several media reports stated Saturday. Steward International Airport is 60 miles north of New York City. Some of the were taken to hospital upon arrival in New York, according to Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus, cited by Associated Press. The remaining passengers were left to rest at the airport. Seven passengers were taken to Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall with minor injuries, some of which reported possible motion sickness, according to New Windsor EMS. Passengers walk in the arrivals hall at the Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on March 8, 2021. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90) "We had 320 people on" said Michael Bigg of New Windsor EMS, according to ABCNY7. We evaluated about 30 people and transported seven to a local hospital just for observation. There were no major injuries or ailments, but most people wanted to get checked out at the emergency room." The 11-hour flight had been disrupted when they were only 750 feet from the ground due to experiencing "wind shear," ABCNY7 reported. Wind shear is when the wind suddenly changes direction. "Oh, it was like Six Flags," passenger Roi Gonen told the source. "My heart just jumped a couple of times. I was texting my wife just in case." "Two seats behind me, I saw a woman vomiting," he said while describing the panic passengers expressed. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-29

I want to start this article by saying that Amit Soussana is quite possibly one of the bravest women I have ever encountered. Soussana, a released Gaza hostage, was the first survivor of Hamas’s systemic sexual abuse to come out publicly and speak about her plight in an interview this week with The New York Times. She was held by a man named Muhammad in what seemed to be a child’s room covered in photos of Spongebob Squarepants. He would grope her, lift her shirt, and at one point, he forced her to commit a sexual act on him. He hit her repeatedly, pointed a gun at her, and made her do it. There are no words to describe how difficult it must have been to come forward and tell this enormously horrific and traumatizing experience – and to the Times, no less, one of the most circulated publications in the world. But one of the biggest challenges of coming forward is concern over the response, to be sure, and unfortunately, Israel’s opponents did not disappoint. The interrogation of Islamic Jihad terrorist Manar Mahmoud Muhammad Qasem (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) X (formerly Twitter) was filled with talkbacks claiming that Soussana was lying, that the article was sharing Israeli propaganda, and in more extreme cases, arguing that the rape of Israeli women was justified. As a human being on this earth, but especially one with even a shred of empathy, that should have hurt to read. As a woman who knows what it is to face gender biases and sexism, it was nauseating. Equally nauseating was finding out that one week prior, Associated Press freelance photographer Ali Mahmud won the Team Picture Story of the Year award for his photograph of Shani Louk’s half-naked corpse as Hamas terrorists were driving it away on October 7. The photograph was taken in close quarters. The photographer stood mere meters away from the terrorists and captured the image. Pictures of the Year International, the photojournalism competition that awarded Mahmud, shared the photograph on its Instagram, praising the photographer. Louk’s name was not mentioned anywhere. Mahmud was named in the lawsuit by October 7 victims’ families last month against Reuters and the Associated Press, which claimed that they had employed photojournalists who accompanied the Hamas terrorists on their massacre. These two incidents, one after the other, have brought forth more than anything, that Israeli women have had to put up with some of the worst conditions imaginable. Still, I do not turn my head to the anti-Israel crowd but rather to women around the world. Women have historically faced discrimination, harassment, and violence solely based on their gender. We share this trauma bond. This shared experience should foster solidarity and empathy among women, but Israeli women have felt more alone than ever before, abandoned by their sisters abroad. What happened to #MeToo? What happened to “believe the victims?” We are accustomed to facing skepticism, victim-blaming, and institutional barriers to justice, but not from one another: not from other women. Their refusal to listen, to recognize that Israeli women have been so victimized, opposes any precedent other Israeli victims may have had to come forward. By believing and amplifying the voices of women who have experienced sexual violence and femicide, we can ensure that their stories are heard and their experiences validated. By ignoring them or calling them liars, we shut them up. By demonstrating belief and empathy toward other women, we also set a powerful example for future generations. By refusing to do so, we teach them that it is alright to silence other women and deny their right to support or solidarity. To all those who refuse to believe or simply ignore or turn away from Israeli victims of sexual violence, there is something deeply disturbing about your choices, and your attempts at self-justification of these choices only further prove how depraved this mentality is. But women, other women, look up. We have worked so hard to create a nurturing community of understanding, empathy, and solidarity, and you will throw all of that out of the window just because it does not align with your political narrative. Believe all women – Israelis included. Do that, or prove your hypocrisy. The writer is deputy editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-28

A freelance photojournalist, Ali Mahmud, contributed to the Associated Press winning first place for the Team Picture Story of the Year last week for taking a photo of 's half-naked corpse as it was being driven away by Hamas terrorists on . According to the Pictures of the Year program's website, the category "recognizes the collaborative effort of a photography staff covering a single topic or news story. It is a narrative picture story that consists of images taken as part of a team effort to cover a single issue or news story." Other photos, mostly attributed to other photographers on behalf of the Press, took photos of destroyed or damaged buildings in Gaza, injured or dead Palestinians, Israeli mourning at funerals or fleeing from rockets attacks. The program posted news about the Press's victory, alongside Mahmoud's photo of Louk on Instagram, where they came under immense criticism from users. Louk's name is not mentioned anywhere in the program's Instagram post. "There is a dead body of a partially unclothed human being, a young woman who was brutally murdered and probably raped. This cannot be real. Please remove this photo," one user wrote, while another said "She has a name. Shani Louk. Her family specifically requested that we remember her laughing and living. Take this down and show some respect. If you want to post our Shani, find a photo she consented to." SOLDIERS PAY their respects at the Nova music festival site in November. ‘Beyond the sounds of the shofar, guns, music, prayers, livestock, and bombs, I also heard the whispers,’ says the writer. (credit: MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP) Mahmud, who took the photo of Louk, had his name mentioned in an earlier report when parents of Louk and other Nova massacre victims last month for their employment of photo-journalists who accompanied the terrorists on their pogrom, and contends that AP ignored close connections the photographers had to terrorist organizations, to which they said they nor have we seen any evidence – including in the lawsuit – that the freelance journalists who contributed to our coverage did." Michael Starr contributed to this report. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-26

The 1.6-mile (2.57 km) long Francis Scott Key Bridge in, has partially collapsed after a ship hit it, and as many as seven people may be in the water, officials said on Tuesday. A live video posted on YouTube showed a ship hitting the bridge, after which major portions of the spans collapsed into the Patapsco River. Unverified videos posted on social media X also showed the impact and collapse. Reuters could not immediately verify the videos. A bridge collapsed in the US state of Maryland after a ship collided with itThe 3 km long Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland collapsed into the water overnight after a cargo ship collided with it, Fox Baltimore reported on Tuesday. The Baltimore City Fire Department described the collapse as a and said workers were searching for seven people in the river. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort sails under the Francis Scott Key Bridge in morning fog and snow flurries, as it leaves the port of Baltimore, Maryland, January 6, 2002 (credit: REUTERS/Joe Giza JG) Baltimore police said they had been notified of the incident at 1:35 a.m. ET (535 GMT) on Tuesday. MAJOR BALTIMORE TRAFFIC ALERT: AVOID I-695 southeast corridor. I-695 Key Bridge collapse due to ship strike. Active scene. Use I-95 or I-895. The Associated Press reported that multiple vehicles had fallen into the water. Ship tracking data from LSEG shows a Singapore-flagged container ship, the Dali, at the location along the Key Bridge where the accident occurred. The registered owner of the ship is Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, and the manager is Synergy Marine Group, as shown by the LSEG data. Synergy said it would issue a statement on the incident. Reuters could not immediately reach Grace Ocean for comment. "All lanes closed both directions for incident on I-695 Key Bridge. Traffic is being detoured," Maryland Transportation Authority said in a post on X. "I'm aware of and en route to the incident at the Key Bridge... Emergency personnel are on scene, and efforts are underway," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on X. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-22

With his inappropriate call for Israelis to elect a new prime minister now, during a war, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has put Israel in danger. That’s because it’s not A horrible conflict with Lebanon is looming on the horizon, and he has brought it closer. The main problem with is not its content but how it’s perceived. In this post-fact world of attention spans like a gnat’s, perception is reality. How many laypeople either heard or read Schumer’s entire speech? Anybody? Or do they leave it to us analysts, who make a practice of reading everything we can get our hands on—like that 2009 interview with a top Palestinian negotiator who disclosed Israel’s offer of a state, the one the Associated Press banned me from writing about—but I digress. Israel's military operates in the Gaza Strip during a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, on November 27, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT) Schumer’s 6,000-word speech is well-balanced, expressing views that many, possibly most, Israelis could live with. Besides calling for replacing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu through elections, he declares that extremists like cabinet ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir should not be in positions of leadership. Schumer also advocates deposing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, not necessarily through elections. He criticizes Abbas for the Palestinian Authority’s encouragement of terrorism and failure to improve the lives of its people. He blames Hamas, not Israel, for the current conflict and the humanitarian crisis it has caused, and he insists that Hamas and its supporters must not be a part of Palestinian leadership. He concludes that the only sustainable, peaceful permanent arrangement is a two-state solution—a demilitarized Palestinian state next to Israel. If an Israeli had written that, it would have received little notice because all those points are decidedly mainstream here. The problem is that it came from the top US senator—a proud, pro-Israel Jew at that—and the reporting singled out only his call for elections to replace Netanyahu, who, Schumer says, has “lost his way” and puts his political survival above the welfare of the nation. All his other points got lost, because in this era of anti-social media, information overload, and superficial headline-glancing—one point is what most people see, no more. Therefore, that’s what the politicians respond to. So enemies of the US and Israel perceive Schumer’s speech as another crack in the foundation of one of the most durable alliances in modern history, one that has benefited both sides almost beyond measure. Perception is reality. It’s not just theory; it has practical effects here. Israel is engaged in another smoldering war that you don’t hear much about because of all the attention to Gaza. Since Oct. 7, when Hamas sent thousands of bloodthirsty terrorists across Israel’s border with Gaza to kill, maim, burn, and rape more than 1,000 Israelis and , Hezbollah has joined the battle from Lebanon. In the last five months, Hezbollah has fired more than 3,000 rockets across Israel’s northern border, forcing the evacuation of 96,000 Israelis from 28 northern villages. These Israelis have been living in hotels and guest houses and crashing with relatives for nearly half a year, as Hezbollah pounds their empty homes with rocket after rocket after rocket. Israel’s military responds with airstrikes against Hezbollah bases and terrorists and the like, mostly in Lebanon but also in Syria—though there is no illusion that such pinpoint strikes can stop the rocket fire. Hezbollah is said to have more than 100,000 rockets, some of them longer-range guided missiles, aimed at all parts of Israel.Is there a nation in the world that would put up with this kind of destruction and threat for five months without an all-out response? Of course not. So what’s holding Israel back? The main factors are the hope that Hezbollah will stop its attacks when the Gaza war is over, and the reluctance to trigger a full-scale war with Lebanon that would include massive bombardments of Israeli cities with powerful rockets. Lurking in the back of Israelis’ minds is the prospect that a newly critical US might limit or even halt the supply of weapons and ammunition if it doesn’t like Israel’s behavior. The link between Hezbollah and Hamas is their sponsor, Iran. Iran’s goal is, simply put, to kick the US out of the Middle East. Attacking Israel, seen as a US proxy, is one step in that direction. Arming Yemen’s Houthi rebels to target international shipping in the Red Sea is another. That brings us to the danger of Schumer’s call to replace Israel’s leader. It’s perceived as a schism between the US and Israel, leaving Israel weaker than ever before. That makes it tempting for Iran to egg its Hezbollah proxies on toward a major war. And what would be Israel’s response? In a just world, Israel would unleash its full arsenal to eliminate Hezbollah as a threat, even if that meant turning Lebanon into a pile of rubble like much of Gaza. But this isn’t a just world, as the fact-free propaganda barrages against Israel over its counterattack in Gaza show so clearly. Such an Israeli response to Hezbollah’s terrorist rocket strikes would no doubt trigger another round of marches, protests, boycotts, and threats from all quarters—even the threat of the ultimate nightmare, cutting US military assistance to Israel. That’s how Chuck Schumer has put Israel in danger—not by his obviously inappropriate and unacceptable meddling in Israel’s internal politics but by emboldening Iran and its henchmen on Israel’s borders to escalate their terrorism, step up their attacks, and provoke as big a war as possible. Clearly, the Jewish senator from New York did not intend that. It doesn’t matter; in this TikTok world, only perception matters. Mark Lavie has been covering the Middle East for major news outlets since 1972. His second book, 'Why Are We Still Afraid?', which follows his five-decade career and comes to a surprising conclusion, is available on Amazon. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-19

Mohammad Mustafa, the incoming Palestinian Authority prime minister, unveiled a comprehensive blueprint aimed at tackling corruption and reconstructing Gaza during his tenure.  The plan, which includes the appointment of a technocratic government and the establishment of an independent trust fund for Gaza's reconstruction, signals Mustafa's commitment to revitalizing the Palestinian Authority. In a mission statement obtained by The Associated Press, Mustafa outlined his vision for a nonpartisan, technocratic government that prioritizes gaining the trust of the Palestinian people and garnering international support.  Key components of the plan include instituting wide-ranging reforms to combat corruption within PA institutions and seeking to reunify the West Bank and Gaza. Mustafa emphasized the need for an independent agency to oversee Gaza's recovery and reconstruction, along with an internationally managed trust fund to raise and allocate the necessary funds. However, the plan notably omitted any mention of Hamas, the rival faction to Abbas's Fatah party, raising concerns about the prospects for Palestinian unity. The announcement comes amid ongoing tensions between Fatah and Hamas, with Fatah accusing Hamas of exacerbating divisions through its actions on October 7. In response, Hamas and other factions have criticized Mustafa's appointment, warning that it could further deepen existing rifts within Palestinian society. Mustafa also reiterated the PA's commitment to holding presidential and parliamentary elections, although no timetable was provided.  Elections have not been held since 2006, and Abbas, whose mandate expired in 2009, has faced calls for his resignation from a majority of Palestinians. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-15

have obtained a new hypersonic missile and upgraded their current arsenal with warheads, Russian state media RIA reported on Thursday.  Citing an unnamed Houthi official, the terrorist group told RIA that they had tested a hypersonic missile “with high lethality” and are planning to add it to their arsenal. “The group’s missile forces have successfully tested a missile that is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 8,” the official said, adding that the weapon runs on solid fuel; Yemen intends to begin manufacturing it for use during attacks in Krasnoye. Arabian Seas and Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel.” Mach 8 is the equivalent of 9878.4 per hour. The US-based Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance categorizes a hypersonic missile as a missile which can “travel faster than Mach 5 [3800mph] and have the capability to manoeuvre during the entire flight.” The unnamed official also reportedly claimed that the group had been upgrading their northern-based stock of missiles and drones, modifying them to have explosive warheads.  A boy holds a rifle as he takes part in a pro-Palestinian protest by Houthi supporters in Sanaa, Yemen February 18, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH) The Houthis did not provide evidence to back their claims, according to the Associated Press. Last week, leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi reportedly said, "Our enemies, friends, and our people will see a level of achievement of strategic importance that will put our country in the ranks of few countries in its capabilities in this world," according to RIA.  Al-Houthi went on to threaten that the group would extend their attacks to ships heading toward the Cape of Good Hope in Africa's southern tip, according to the Associated Press. This would indicate the Houthis are eyeing a greater range of attacks, as the group has focused on ships traveling into the . The Houthis, whose official slogan translates to "God Is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam," claimed to have begun their maritime attacks in response to Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The group has attacked, sunk, and stolen a number of ships in their protest against the ongoing war. However, the that the attacks had prevented humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in Gaza and Yemen. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-03-09

If there could be such a thing as a silver lining on the worst day in the history of the State of Israel, it was that when 1,200 Israelis were , at least the international media were finally empathetic. The overwhelming majority of mainstream news websites and the front pages of newspapers the following day in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia focused on the savagery of Hamas’s rampage through Israel’s southern communities and the Supernova music festival. Photos of Israeli woman Noa Argamani being abducted from the festival to Gaza were featured on the cover of the New York Post with the headline “War Crime,” the Daily Mail with the headline “Don’t Kill Me,” and The Australian, whose cover proclaimed, “Israel’s 9/11: Unbearable cruelty of terror savages.” But it did not take long for top news sites to descend from empathy to dangerous moral equivalence, counting the casualties of Israeli civilians and their Gazan murderers together. At 11:41 a.m., just five fours after Hamas infiltrated into Israel to start murdering, raping and kidnapping, The New York Times headline online already read: “Gaza and Israel go to war after militants launch attacks.” Since October 7, when the IDF was caught completely unprepared and the Iron Dome was not even fully deployed because it was in “peacetime mode,” Israel’s security forces have done increasingly better on the military battlefield. The exact inverse has happened with the fight in traditional and social media, which gets more difficult every day as October 7 becomes more of a distant memory. Media wars. Israel’s fight in traditional and social media gets more difficult every day. (credit: AI, MICHAEL KATZ) By the end of the first week, media outlets around the world began implicitly blaming Israel for Hamas’s invasion and attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. Both The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press news agency echoed Hamas’s talking points, focusing on visits by Jews during Sukkot to the Temple Mount, crackdowns on Palestinian violence, settlement expansion, the Israeli-Egyptian Gaza blockade, and US-brokered Israeli-Saudi talks on normalization as impetuses for the Hamas attacks. The Washington Post added [to the mix] the establishment of the current Israeli government, as if Israelis had it coming for how they voted. As the international media’s coverage continued, the focus shifted entirely to Israeli airstrikes and then ground forces in Gaza, where most reports ignored the lengths to which Israel goes to prevent civilian casualties while rooting out the terrorists among them. Despite that challenge, it can be argued that the IDF learned its lessons from past mistakes and is handling public relations to the world better in Operation Swords of Iron than it has in the past. The best proof is to compare the current war to May 2021’s Operation Guardian of the Walls, when the IDF destroyed what was known as the . The army provided advanced notice about the forthcoming strike to everyone in the building so that they could evacuate safely. This warning also enabled the building’s collapse to be filmed from every angle, eliciting condemnation from around the world. By the time the IDF chief of staff permitted revealing that it was the cyber tower of Hamas – a legitimate military target – and it was being used to jam the Iron Dome missile defense system, the war was over and no one was listening anymore. Fast forward to this war, where PR is being run by IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, who said months before the war that the IDF’s English spokesmen are the “hourglass” that gives the army time to complete its goal of restoring security. To that end, the IDF’s international communications department has provided regular English briefings, sound bites, interviews, and press releases with maps and videos. When Israel was falsely accused of bombing Gaza’s Al-Ahli Arab Hospital and killing some 500 people – mostly women and children– on October 17, Hagari kept the IDF chief of staff and the commander of the Israeli Air Force up all night until proof was ready to be provided that it was not Israel but an errant Islamic Jihad rocket fired from the cemetery next door that hit the hospital parking lot. It took four hours, and by then nearly every international media outlet falsely accused Israel of killing hundreds of Palestinian civilians. In today’s world, proof to refute such reports is needed in four seconds, but in the past it would have taken four weeks. Israel suffered tremendous damage to its image from the reports, which were the impetus for violent anti-Israel protests around the world. But the high-profile incident also severely harmed trust in the media, who were caught reporting as gospel the lies they received from a terrorist organization. Such errors, along with reports revealing antisemitism and ties to Hamas among journalists covering the war, limited media pressure on world leaders that in the past had led to Israel ending operations in Gaza before long-term security was restored. Surprising successes on the mainstream and social media battlefields enabled the war to last long enough to accomplish Israel’s goals on the military front. Many of the media misfires were revealed by the pro-Israel watchdog HonestReporting. Just four days into the war, it uncovered that the main AP reporter covering the conflict in Gaza had used his social media accounts to compare Israel to the Nazis and publicly call for a “Palestinian revolt” and the annihilation of the Jewish state. Issam Adwan was suspended pending an investigation, and his byline has not been seen since. The New York Times got into trouble for shamelessly rehiring Nazi-sympathizing freelancer Soliman Hijjy, who was dismissed in August 2022 when HonestReporting exposed his Facebook post praising Hitler. Hiijy’s byline returned on October 12 and the newspaper initially defended his rehiring, but he has had no byline since October 19. HonestReporting made headlines around the world by questioning how Gazan photographers came into Israel relatively early into the events of October 7. CNN and AP both fired photographer Hassan Eslaiah, who took photos of a burning Israeli tank, and then of infiltrators entering Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Eslaiah’s strong support for Hamas killing Jews in his social media posts and a photo that surfaced showing him together with Hamas leader and massacre mastermind Yahya Sinwar made him lose his jobs. While Reuters initially defended its photographers and said reports questioning where they were on October 7 endangered them, HonestReporting revealed on January 8 that its photographer Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa had called on Gazans to cross the border into Israel on October 7 on Instagram Live. Fayq Abu Mostafa said he was in Israel “since the beginning,” detailed breaking into a home in Sderot, and told Gazans to go kidnap “female settlers.” A picture he took of an IDF soldier being dragged dead out of a tank was the cover photo of Reuters’ “Year in Pictures” for 2023; but Reuters backed down on February 21 and said the agency would no longer purchase photos from Fayq Abu Mostafa. News consumers tend to be unaware of Israel’s decision to forbid reporters and photographers from entering Gaza unaccompanied, which was intended to prevent harm to journalists. The IDF has facilitated the entry of as many embedded journalists as possible, but the last Gaza war where Israel permitted journalists to enter the Gaza Strip on their own was Operation Protective Edge in 2014, when they went in through the Erez Crossing, which Hamas destroyed on October 7. The impact of the decision has been that while the top journalists in the world parachuted into Israel and reported whatever they wanted with almost no limits, in Gaza media outlets have relied throughout the war on Gazan freelancers and ordinary Gazans with cellphone cameras. It has unfortunately become evident during this war that among the world’s top media outlets, the standards for hiring freelance writers, photographers, and cameramen are considerably lower in Gaza than elsewhere. The decision also increased the power of Qatar’s state media, Al Jazeera, which has a bureau in Gaza in war and peacetime. Many American news consumers who would not trust the state media of Russia or China trust Al Jazeera and do not know its agenda. That agenda includes destabilizing the Palestinian Authority and bringing Hamas to power in the West Bank. The IDF revealed evidence that were active terrorists in Hamas. Mohammed Wishnah held a senior role in the terrorist group’s anti-tank unit and taught young jihadis how to fire anti-tank missiles and make incendiary devices. Ismail Abu Omar was found to have accompanied Hamas terrorists into Israel on October 7, going to Kibbutz Nir Oz. Abu Omar joined Eslaiah and Fayq Abu Mostafa as Gaza journalists were proven to have entered deep into Israel on October 7, and more are expected to be revealed. This has all made it very difficult for Israel on the media battlefield. The empathy Israel received in the international media on October 7 is long gone. The massacre often goes unmentioned in background paragraphs nowadays. At press time, there is still hope that Hamas will be eliminated. But bad coverage of Israel is undoubtedly here to stay.■ Gil Hoffman is executive director and executive editor of HonestReporting. He served as chief political correspondent and analyst of The Jerusalem Post for 24 years. ...قراءة المزيد

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