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‘Fauda’ Star Idan Amedi Declines Invite to Israel’s Independence Day Ceremony
Idan Amedi gives a statement following his release from Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, January 25, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
Israeli singer and actor Idan Amedi declined an invitation to light a ceremonial torch in Israel’s upcoming state ceremony to mark its 76th Independence Day, which will take place in May.
The Fauda star wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday that he will instead stay at home to remember those killed in the Israel-Hamas war that began following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in the Jewish state.
“There is no greater honor than that, but unfortunately I will not be able to receive it this year,” Amedi said about being offered to light one of the torches at the Independence Day celebration, which this year will be themed “Israeli heroism.”
“We have encountered so many heroes since that black Saturday [Oct. 7], and I have fought alongside some of them, both in the past and during the current war,” Amedi added. “This year, I will stay at home and join in their memory like many people in Israel. I hope in the future to maybe have the right to light a torch thanks to the words I write, and not because of the war.”
Amedi was seriously injured in an explosion on Jan. 8 while fighting in the Gaza Strip as a reservist in the combat engineering unit of the Israel Defense Forces. Six soldiers were killed in the incident. After being discharged from the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan on Jan. 25, Amedi said, “I will come back to singing and acting and, with G-d’s help, I will also return to fight for my country.”
In his Instagram post on Wednesday, Amedi wrote it was clear to him that he was doing the right thing by joining IDF soldiers fighting in the Gaza Strip.
“Everywhere I went (in Gaza), I was met by surprised soldiers. Some of them asked me, ‘what are you doing here?’ Something in the picture didn’t add up for them,” he recalled. “But laying on the ground, dusty, with equipment and weapons, I felt more than ever that I belonged to my people. I was fortunate to meet the best of the nation’s sons and daughters, real heroes. But before that, people with dreams and passions, who were hungry and homesick.”
“I am proud of the choices I have made,” he noted. “It was clear to me that this time I was fighting for the future of my children, Yaeli and Jonathan, and that gave me strength and helped me give others the strength, even in the darkest of places.”
Many in Israel, including a number of mayors and local authority leaders, have said they believe Independence Day celebrations should be toned down this year considering those killed on Oct. 7, the 134 hostages who remain held against their will by Hamas in Gaza, and the IDF soldiers still fighting in the Hamas-ruled enclave.
Israel’s Independence Day, known as Yom Haatzmaut in Hebrew, will begin this year on May 13 in the evening and end on the evening of May 14.
The post ‘Fauda’ Star Idan Amedi Declines Invite to Israel’s Independence Day Ceremony first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to US President Donald Trump for 50 minutes on Saturday, condemning the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressing concern about the risks of escalation, the Kremlin said.
“Vladimir Putin condemned Israel’s military operation against Iran and expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.
Trump, for his part, described events in the Middle East as “very alarming,” according to Ushakov. But the two leaders said they do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on Iran’s nuclear program, Ushakov said.
On Ukraine, Putin told the US leader that Russia was ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians after June 22, according to state news agency RIA.
Trump reiterated his interest in a speedy resolution to the conflict, the Kremlin aide said.
Putin also congratulated Trump on his 79th birthday.
The post Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says
FILE PHOTO: Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi attends a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia July 11, 2023. Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
The latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks.
Albusaidi’s statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon.
A senior official of US President Donald Trump’s administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday’s talks had been cancelled.
Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped “the Iranians will come to the table soon,” the official said.
The post Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending
USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, Sept. 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Iran said the dialogue with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program is “meaningless” after Israel’s biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy, but said it is yet to decide on whether to attend planned talks on Sunday.
“The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran’s territory,” state media on Saturday quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
“It is still unclear what decision we will make on Sunday in this regard,” Baghaei was quoted as saying.
He said Israel “succeeded in influencing” the diplomatic process and the Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington’s permission, accusing Washington of supporting the attack.
Iran earlier accused the US of being complicit in Israel’s attacks, but Washington denied the allegation and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be “wise” to negotiate over its nuclear program.
The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was set to be held on Sunday in Muscat, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead after the Israeli strikes.
Iran denies that its uranium enrichment program is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump told Reuters that he and his team had known the Israeli attacks were coming but they still saw room for an accord.
The post Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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