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North Carolina Lawmaker Faces Backlash From Local Jewish Leaders, Fellow Democrats Over Attacks on Israel, Zionists
Raleigh City Council member Mary Black. Photo: Screenshot
Last week, The Algemeiner reported that Mary Black, a member of the Raleigh City Council in North Carolina who recently filed for re-election, has come under fire for regularly attacking Israel and Zionists, despite her job having no apparent responsibilities concerning Middle Eastern affairs.
Since then, Black, 30, has come under increased scrutiny from the media, community members, and fellow Democrats. The North Carolina Democratic Party Jewish Caucus told The Algemeiner they have endorsed Mitchell Silver, a former New York City Parks Commissioner and Raleigh Chief Planner, who is running for the Raleigh City Council seat currently held by Black.
Rabbi Eric Solomon of Beth Meyer Synagogue, the largest congregation in Raleigh, publicly endorsed Silver this week in a widely read and shared social media post.
Over the weekend, a local progressive paper reported on some of the Jewish community’s concerns about Black. In addition, a group of more than 20 prominent Democrats wrote a letter asking the Wake County Democratic Party — which includes Raleigh — “not to endorse between Democrats in local elections in Raleigh this fall.” Multiple political insiders told The Algemeiner this is significant because there is widespread agreement that Black won her seat in 2022 in large part based on the endorsement of the Wake County Democratic Party.
Black has alienated many voters and members of the Jewish community by working closely with a pro-Hamas activist and spending much of her time in office attempting to have the Raleigh City Council pass a divisive, anti-Israel, one-sided Gaza ceasefire resolution. After several attempts, the resolution did not pass.
To get a better sense of how local Jewish Democrats are responding to Black’s intense and disproportionate focus on the world’s lone Jewish state and its supporters, The Algemeiner interviewed Conner Taylor, 2nd vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party Jewish Caucus; Linda Brinkley, president of the Wake County chapter of the caucus; and Lynn Schwartz, vice president of the Wake chapter caucus
The Jewish Caucus representatives were clear that while their statewide caucus has endorsed Silver in District A (the seat currently held by Black), the local Wake County chapter does not make or ask for specific endorsements when Democrats, such as Silver and Black, are running against one another.
Taylor explained that the Jewish community is concerned about much more than Black’s support for a ceasefire resolution. “For many of Raleigh’s Jews, I think the real turning point, that really galvanized the Jewish community, was her [Black’s] very close working relationship with Rania Masri.”
The Algemeiner was the first to report that in November, Masri spoke at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, declaring that Oct. 7 — when Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists invaded southern Israel and perpetrated the biggest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust — “was a beautiful day.” Masri expressed pride and admiration for Hamas and their paragliders and went on to “demand the eradication of Zionism.” In addition, Masri posted a video on Facebook that called Hamas fighters “heroes.”
In March, Masri asked her Facebook followers to vote for Black for “Best Politician in Wake County.” In June, a smiling Masri attended Black’s campaign kickoff event.
Taylor explained the “betrayal” felt by the Jewish community observing Black and Masri’s close working relationship, seeing Black pose for photographs with Masri, speak on a panel with the pro-Hamas activist, speak at a fundraiser with Masri standing behind her, and speak at a local rally standing with the controversial figure.
“A very important piece of context here,” Taylor shared, “is that Mary Black, in District A, represents the heart of Raleigh’s Jewish community. Two large synagogues are there … Many, many Jewish Democrats who voted for Mary Black in 2022 then had to see their member of City Council — who was supposed to be representing all of her constituents, including her Jewish constituents — openly embracing a woman [Masri] who has said that the rape and murder of Jews is a beautiful thing.”
Rabbi Solomon has attempted many times to start a dialogue with Black. Solomon, a political progressive, recently wrote a widely shared social media post in which he denounced Black’s “incitement” and endorsed her opponent Silver in the upcoming election.
Solomon explained why he went from voting for Black in 2022 to supporting one of her opponents in 2024: “I speak to CM [Council Member] Mary Black *privately* beseeching her to stop speaking/posting about the Gaza War as her words are a source of incitement. After the Pittsburgh Synagogue terrorist attack and the October 7th massacre, District A Jews are living in fear. I explain we need her help, not her antagonism. I am careful not to call her an antisemite but her focus on this issue above all others as well as the tenor and content of her comments lean into antisemitic tropes. Her positions are not pro-Palestinian; they are pro-Hamas.”
The rabbi noted that Black has held many community meetings during Shabbat and on a Jewish holiday, when observant Jews are unable to attend, and devoted significant time and energy to Israel-related issues that are “not relevant” to the City Council’s business.
“CM [Council Member] Black holds numerous District A community discussions on the Jewish Sabbath and one session on Hanukkah during the exact time when it is customary to light candles,” Solomon wrote in his social media post. “I find a way to attend the meeting, racing out by leaving my wife and children behind in hopes that a respectful, face-to-face meeting will help her realize the seriousness of the issue. Nearly all attendees agree with my words and urge her to stop bringing Gaza War resolutions to the council … I speak publicly against Mary Black because she continues to post insidious one-sided statements and videos that are not relevant to the City Council and continues to threaten me and my community.”
As reported by The Algemeiner, Black has publicly used the antisemitic slur “zios,” a term that was originally deployed by far-right extremists and has more recently been used by activists on the progressive far left. In an apparent attempt to delegitimize Israel and its supporters, Black has used an asterisk when discussing Israel, by writing “Isr*ael,” and misspelled Zionist as “xionist.” On a local Jewish social media group, a Raleigh resident explained, “She’s throwing around Zionist like a curse word.”
When asked about Black’s use of the word “zios,” Taylor responded, “It’s bizarre that a Democratic elected official is using online slang that originated with the grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.”
Black has also been accused of trivializing the Holocaust, implying that Israel has treated the Palestinians like the Nazis treated the Jews and comparing politics in Raleigh to “Nazi Germany.”
Taylor told The Algemeiner, “As someone who lost many family members to the Holocaust, I don’t think anything happening in Raleigh approaches the Holocaust or is comparable to the Holocaust. I think that is an incredibly bizarre statement regardless of what she may have meant by it. I think many, many of her constituents, just generally speaking, have viewed these social media posts about all of this as unsettling, as bizarre, as unprofessional, and as unbecoming of an elected official.”
Others have also described Black’s social media posts to The Algemeiner as bizarre and unsettling.
Black, a self-described “intersectional environmentalist,” recently shared a post on Threads that celebrated the attempted assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump. She also posted that those who she calls “zionologists” have taught her that “the massacre of children is justified because Babies [sic] voted for Hamas” and has expressed concern that Palestinians have difficulty obtaining cilantro.
In 2022, Black was endorsed by the Wake County Democratic Party.
The Algemeiner reached out to local and statewide party leaders for additional information and comment for this story. Kevyn Creech, chair of the Wake County Democratic Party; Anderson Clayton, chair of the state party; and Jonah Garson, first vice chair of the state party did not respond.
In addition to attacking Israel, Black has recently attacked the United States, writing, “IM [sic] AMERICAN! We do war crimes for breakfast.”
Taylor told The Algemeiner that Jews in Raleigh, as well as the broader population, are unhappy with the polarization that has taken hold of the City Council and its intense focus on foreign affairs far out of the purview of local lawmakers.
Raleigh City council members Mary Black, right, and Christina Jones. Photo: Screenshot
“Many, many people in the Jewish community in Raleigh, over the past year, have been dismayed with how divisive the City Council has become,” he said. “There have been members of the City Council that have become hyper focused on issues happening thousands of miles away that the City Council has no ability to impact, to the neglect of local issues — things like schools, things like housing, things like transportation. In general, the Jewish community is really searching for, and supportive of, Raleigh-focused candidates for City Council, like … Silver.”
Taylor explained the enthusiasm that the statewide Democratic Party Jewish Caucus has for the candidacy of Silver.
“He’s a Raleigh-focused candidate. He is not campaigning on solving issues in Yemen or Gaza or Tibet or Ukraine,” Taylor argued. “He is focused on Raleigh, North Carolina … He is really a phenomenal candidate. He helped draft Raleigh’s 2030 comprehensive plan.”
Taylor discussed what he described as Silver’s “really robust housing and zoning policy ideas” which, he said, focus on development while protecting “existing communities.” The Jewish caucus’ 2nd vice chair added that Silver’s experience as a former New York City Parks Commissioner and Raleigh Chief Planner would benefit the Raleigh City Council, again noting that he is discussing local concerns rather than Israel or Gaza.
In a recent social media post, Black suggested that opposition to her candidacy was based on racism, noting the Democratic Jewish Caucus’ efforts to oppose her re-election.
In response to the accusation, Taylor told The Algemeiner: “We have endorsed an African-American candidate [Silver]. So, I’m not really sure how anyone could have the impression that our decision not to endorse Mary Black was related to her being African American when we have endorsed an African American for this same seat.”
Black’s social media posts are filled with concerns about racism and white supremacy. Yet, she has also harshly criticized what she calls “black capitalism.” On Threads, Black shared an image which read, “CAPITALISM RUINS EVERYTHING AROUND ME,” followed by the anarchy symbol. She also stated on Threads, “Black capitalism is truly a plague on our people.”
North Carolina civil rights leaders, such as the late Floyd McKissick, took the opposite view, embracing and championing Black capitalism and entrepreneurship in the state.
On Aug. 8, Black was endorsed by a local Democratic Socialists of America chapter “to keep her seat as an anti-Zionist leader on the Raleigh City Council.”
Black has recently dismissed concerns that she is antisemitic as being “funny.” She took to Threads this week to share, “Reading what I’ve written on social media about this war on Gaza and all the responses last week about me being antisemitic when this is who I am is so funny to me.”
Peter Reitzes writes about issues related to antisemitism and Israel.
The post North Carolina Lawmaker Faces Backlash From Local Jewish Leaders, Fellow Democrats Over Attacks on Israel, Zionists first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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UK to Ban Group Palestine Action Under Anti-Terrorism Laws
Police officers block a street as pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather in protest against Britain’s Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s plans to proscribe the “Palestine Action” group in the coming weeks, in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Britain said on Monday it would use anti-terrorism laws to ban the organization Palestine Action, making it a criminal offence to belong to the group after its activists damaged two UK military planes in protest at London’s support for Israel.
The proscription would put the pro-Palestinian group on a par with Hamas, al-Qaeda, or ISIS under British law, making it illegal for anyone to promote it or be a member. Those who breached the ban could face up to 14 years in jail.
Palestine Action has regularly targeted British sites connected to Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems as well as other companies in Britain linked to Israel since the start of the conflict in Gaza in 2023.
In its latest and most high-profile action, two of its members entered a Royal Air Force base in central England on Friday, spraying paint into the engines of the Voyager transport aircraft and further damaging them with crowbars.
“The disgraceful attack on Brize Norton … is the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action,” Home Secretary [interior minister] Yvette Cooper said in a written statement to parliament.
“The UK’s defense enterprise is vital to the nation’s national security and this government will not tolerate those that put that security at risk.”
She said the group‘s actions had become more aggressive and caused millions of pounds of damage.
Under British law, the Home Secretary can proscribe a group if it is believed it commits, encourages, or “is otherwise concerned in terrorism.” The banning order will be laid before parliament on June 30 and will come into effect if approved.
Palestine Action, which says Britain is an “active participant” in the conflict in Gaza because of military support it provides to Israel, called the ban “an unhinged reaction” which it would challenge, and accused Cooper of making a series of “categorically false claims.”
“The real crime here is not red paint being sprayed on these war planes,” it said in a statement.
Earlier on Monday, the group was forced to change the location of a planned protest after police banned it from staging a demonstration outside parliament, otherwise a popular location for protests in support of a range of causes.
The post UK to Ban Group Palestine Action Under Anti-Terrorism Laws first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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MAGA Commentators Clash Over Trump’s Choice to Bomb Iran
Tucker Carlson speaks on July 18, 2024, during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
US President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb three of Iran’s key nuclear facilities over the weekend has divided his longtime supporters, with some prominent voices in the so-called Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement opposing the strikes and others standing with the administration’s military action.
Mark Levin, the longtime conservative talk radio host and vocal pro-Israel voice, called out US Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for her disagreement with the US strikes, known as Operation Midnight Hammer.
On Sunday, Greene wrote on X, “I don’t know anyone in America who has been the victim of a crime or killed by Iran, but I know many people who have been victims of crime committed by criminal illegal aliens or MURDERED by Cartel and Chinese fentanyl/drugs.” She warned that “Neocon warmongers beat their drums of war and act like Billy badasses going to war in countries most Americans have never seen and can’t find on a map, but never find the courage to go to war against the actual terrorists who actually do kill Americans, invade our land, and make BILLIONS doing it day after day, year after year.”
In response, Levin labeled Greene a “shameless nitwit” and asked, “How incredibly dumb is this Marjorie Taylor Green? She doesn’t know anyone in America who has been a victim of crime or killed by Iran? You mean the thousands of Americans, especially military personnel, killed and maimed by the Iranian terrorist regime?”
Levin aimed his ire at other leaders on both left and right who he christened “America’s Iranian nukes coalition.” He wrote that “if the radical Democrats and their Isolationist fake MAGA reprobates had their way, Iran would have nuclear weapons. This is the new gravely dangerous coalition of Marxists-Islamists-isolationists-grifters. They’re represented by the likes of Bernie Sanders- AOC-Schumer-Jeffries and Rand Paul-Massie-MTG- Qatarlson-Bannon. And they’re giving aid and comfort to a regime that has murdered directly and indirectly thousands of Americans. Never forget. They will forever be opposed and challenged by we, the people — America First loving patriots.”
Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host-turned-podcaster, has faced recent accusations promoted by social media influencer Laura Loomer, alleging links to Qatar, claims which he denies, thus prompting Levin’s “Qatarlson” epithet. Carlson had clashed over Iran in a recent interview with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), reportedly watched by Trump.
Steve Bannon, the former Breitbart News CEO-turned-presidential adviser-turned America First podcaster, declared his disagreement with Trump’s invocation of America’s potential engagement toward regime change in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
“Is this because the ultimate goal is regime change?” Bannon asked. “And if that’s fine, Israelis, have at it. If you want regime change, go for it, baby. Just no participation by the United States government.”
The Daily Beast reported that according to anti-Trump biographer Michael Wolff, unnamed sources within the administration described how Trump had initially leaned toward the Carlson-Bannon isolationist position until shifting Friday under congressional Republicans’ influence toward seeing the value to his image of a successful strike. “The tenor of the phone calls was him saying, ‘I think I’m gonna look very good if I do this,’” Wolff said.
Further exposing the extent to which the Iran strikes have diverged from the last decade of the MAGA movement’s tilt toward isolationism, two of Trump’s former close allies who later parted ways with him and went on to criticize his actions have now voiced their support.
Former Vice President Mike Pence and former National Security Adviser John Bolton have both historically identified with former President Ronald Reagan’s “peace through strength” hawkish foreign policy philosophy. Each praised the bombings of Iran’s nuclear sites.
Pence said to Fox News on Sunday that even though “the president and I have had our differences,” he “couldn’t be more proud [sic] of President Trump’s decisive leadership in this moment or the extraordinary professionalism and courage of our armed forces that brought about this historic mission.”
On Sunday morning, the conservative magazine Washington Examiner published an article with the headline “Trump did the right thing in Iran” by Bolton, one of the conservative movement’s most steadfast and robust Iran hawks.
“It was long past time that Washington did more to aid Israel in defeating Iran and took direct action against Tehran’s nuclear proliferation efforts,” Bolton wrote. “There are undoubtedly additional measures now underway to protect American deployed forces and civilian personnel in the region against Iranian retaliation now that we have taken offensive military action. Similarly, we should continue bringing forward additional forces to bolster Israeli and Gulf Arab state defenses against Tehran military retaliation.”
Bolton warned that “peace and security in the Middle East are impossible while the ayatollahs rule in Tehran.” He urged that “overthrowing the current regime is a necessary, even if not a sufficient, condition to reach that goal. The sooner the better.”
Trump said after Saturday night’s strikes that the US was acting to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons but not seeking regime change. The next day, however, he seemed to entertain the idea. Writing on Truth Social, he posted: “It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!”
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Spain Pushes EU to Suspend Israel Trade Pact Amid Gaza Conflict, Sparking Division Within Bloc
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, and Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin hold a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, May 27, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Johanna Geron
Spain will formally petition the European Union to approve an “immediate suspension” of its association agreement with Israel — a pact governing the EU’s political and economic ties with Jerusalem — to protest what it calls human rights violations in Gaza.
On Monday, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced that the country will also ask the EU to approve an arms embargo on Israel and impose sanctions on individuals accused of undermining the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
“We have on the table a report by the High Representative, requested for many months by Spain, which clearly indicates what Spain already knew, that there is a flagrant violation of human rights at this time in Gaza by Israel and that, therefore, that association council between the European Union and Israel, which is precisely based on human rights, is being violated,” Albares said in a statement.
“The Palestinian Gazans need action and, therefore, the important thing today is not to denounce … we have done it for months,” the top Spanish diplomat continued. “It is not the denunciations that are going to stop this inhumane war in Gaza, it is the actions.”
“The time for words, for statements, is behind us,” Albares said, calling on the EU to show the “courage” to take concrete action.
Spain’s latest anti-Israel move follows a newly released EU-commissioned report accusing Israel of committing “indiscriminate attacks … starvation … torture … [and] apartheid” against Palestinians in Gaza during its military campaign against Hamas, an internationally designated terrorist group.
According to the report, “there are indications that Israel would be in breach of its human rights obligations” under the 25-year-old EU-Israel Association Agreement.
While the document acknowledges the existence of violence by Hamas, it states that this issue lies outside its scope — failing to address the Palestinian terrorist group’s role in sparking the current war with its Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.
Israeli officials have slammed the report as factually incorrect and morally flawed, noting Hamas embeds its military infrastructure within civilian targets and Israel’s army takes extensive precautions to try and avoid civilian casualties.
The eight-page document was set for discussion at Monday’s EU Foreign Affairs Council, followed by a personal briefing from EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas to the bloc’s leaders at the June summit later this week in Brussels.
“I will now address the results of the review with Israel,” Kallas said at a news conference following a meeting of European foreign ministers. “Our first goal is to change the situation on the ground and help humanitarian aid to get in.”
Kallas said she would return to the issue in July if there had been no improvement.
This latest anti-Israel push by several EU member states builds on Belgium’s recent decision to review Israel’s compliance with its trade agreement — a process initiated by the Netherlands and led by Kallas, after a majority of member states called for a formal probe.
Despite efforts by some European countries to undermine Israel’s defensive campaign against Hamas in Gaza, the Jewish state continues to have support within the EU.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has made clear that Rome opposes any suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
“Our position is different from that of Spain,” Tajani said in a statement, adding that maintaining open relations with Israel has helped facilitate the evacuation of civilians from Gaza.
Germany also does not support calls to suspend the pact governing Israel‘s relations with the EU.
“Our position is very clear — we do not support either a suspension or a partial suspension,” the official said at a German government briefing, according to Reuters.
For its part, Spain in recent years has been one of Jerusalem’s fiercest critics, a stance that has only intensified since Hamas’s onslaught on Israel.
Albares, with the backing of his government including Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, has actively pushed for anti-Israel measures on the international stage, all while portraying himself as a dedicated supporter of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the aftermath of the Oct. 7 atrocities, Spain halted arms shipments from its own defense companies to Israel and launched a diplomatic campaign to curb the country’s military response.
At the same time, several Spanish ministers in the country’s left-wing coalition government issued pro-Hamas statements and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with some falsely accusing Israel of “genocide.”
Last year, Spain officially recognized a Palestinian state, claiming the move was accelerated by the Israel-Hamas war and would help foster peace in the region. Israeli officials described the decision as a “reward for terrorism.”
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