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Tufts University Student Government Passes BDS Motions
A statue of the school’s mascot, “Jumbo,” stands the campus of Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, U.S., November 27, 2017. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Tufts University in Massachusetts on Monday expressed disappointment that its student government — Tufts Community Union Senate — passed three resolutions falsely accusing Israel of apartheid and genocide, as well as demanding that the university stop selling Sabra food products, a priority of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement.
“We’re disappointed that a majority to pass three of the resolutions,” Tufts University spokesman Patrick Collins said in a statement to the campus newspaper, The Tufts Daily. “To be clear, as we have done in the past, we reject the boycott, divest, and sanction movement; we wholeheartedly support academic freedom and all our academic exchange and affiliated study abroad programs; and we will continue to work with all companies that we engage with and do business with now.”
The resolutions — written by a group which calls itself “Coalition for Palestinian Liberation” — divided the campus body, The Daily reported, noting that over 300 students packed the Joyce Cummings Center, where the senate convened, to spectate or deliver presentations on why senators should vote one way or the other.
Jewish students reported being verbally abused for sharing their opinions. After several said that anti-Jewish sentiment on campus is redolent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s and that they had personally lost family during Hamas Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, an anti-Zionist student told them, “Stop using generational trauma to justify another genocide.” Other Jewish students were heckled while speaking and another was allegedly spit on, prompting all of them to exit the Cummings Center early, according to campus media.
As they did so, according to a report later posted by Jewish on Campus (JOC), anti-Zionist students assailed them with antisemitic comments, vulgar expletives, and, JOC added, hand gestures. The Daily reported that Tufts spokesman Patrick Collins addressed the anti-Zionist students’ antisemitism, but also denounced “Islamophobic words” which, by chance, were not witnessed by the paper’s reporters nor detailed in their article.
“This is entirely unacceptable and should be met with condemnation from the entire community, regardless of individual perspectives on the resolutions,” Collins said. “We will be investigating these accusations thoroughly and will hold accountable any student found to engage in these behaviors.”
After hearing from students, lengthy debate ensued, and a vote did not take place until three in the morning, at which time the senate closed the session to the public and recorded their votes via secret ballot, thereby concealing from the students who elected them their stances on one of the most pressing political issues of their generation. Tufts Community Union Senate, considered four anti-Zionist motions in total, passing them nearly unanimously. A fourth, demanding the cancellation of study abroad programs in Israel, failed to pass — 16-16-3 — for not achieving a simple majority.
“These resolutions do nothing to bridge difference on campus, nor do they invite a critical exchange of ideas regarding the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian situation,” Tufts Hillel executive director Rabbi Naftali Brewer said in a statement on Monday. “Instead, they caricaturize [sic] and demonize Israel and only further marginalize so many in the Jewish community at Tufts.”
Arguing that the resolutions “force a binary choice,” Brewer added, “Either one is in sympathy with the suffering Gazans and wholeheartedly rejects Israel’s right to exist, or one is supportive of Israel’s right to exist and wholeheartedly rejects the plight of innocent Gazans. I am here to tell you that this is a false and dangerous dichotomy.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
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Melbourne Police Investigate Wave of Antisemitic Attacks, Including Synagogue Arson
Illustrative. Vandals defaced the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Australia on June 22, 2025. Photo: Screenshot
i24 News – A wave of antisemitic incidents across Melbourne is under urgent investigation by Victoria Police, after a synagogue was set alight, a Jewish-owned restaurant targeted by protesters, and a third attack saw multiple cars torched at a business in the city’s northeast.
The third incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. Saturday at a business on Para Road in Greensborough. Offenders set fire to three vehicles and sprayed graffiti on both the cars and a nearby building wall. One car was destroyed, and two others sustained moderate damage.
“There were references of antisemitism in the graffiti,” Dunstan confirmed, adding that the business had previously been linked to pro-Palestinian activism.
While police say no direct link between the three incidents has been established yet, they are not ruling out the possibility of coordination.
The attacks began Friday night, when a man was seen pouring a flammable liquid on the entrance of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and setting it alight around 8 p.m., while around 20 people were inside for Shabbat services. Worshipers quickly evacuated through the back, and the fire was contained to the front of the building. No injuries were reported.
Police have released an image of a suspect believed to be in his 30s, of Caucasian appearance, with a beard and long hair.
Just hours after the synagogue arson, a protest of around 70 people moved through Swanston Street before a smaller group gathered outside Miznon, a popular Jewish-owned restaurant in the CBD, chanting offensive slogans. One man was arrested and later released on summons for hindering police.
In response to the series of attacks, federal agencies including the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) have joined the investigation.
“This is disgraceful behavior by a pack of cowards,” said Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. “Any attack on a place of worship is an act of hate. Any attack on a Jewish place of worship is an act of antisemitism. There should be no hesitation in calling this what it is.”
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Trump Says Iran Has Not Agreed to Inspections, Give Up Enrichment
US President Donald Trump speaks at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not pictured), at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium.
He told reporters aboard Air Force One that he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump said he would discuss Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits the White House on Monday.
“I would say it’s set back permanently,” Trump said as he traveled to New Jersey after an Independence Day celebration at the White House. “I would think they’d have to start at a different location. And if they did start, it would be a problem.”
Trump said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff deepens over their return to the country’s nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel.
The U.S. and Israel say Iran was enriching uranium to build nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran’s facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority.
Iran’s parliament has passed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency’s inspectors will be able to return to Iran.
Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
The US and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran’s three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran’s nine tons of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg (880 pounds) enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade.
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