RSS
South Africa Has Launched Another Effort to Attack Israel; Will It Ever Be Enough?
Anti-Israel protesters march through the streets of the township of Lenasia in Johannesburg, South Africa, Oct. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ihsaan Haffejee
It’s hard to express the extent of the disappointment that the Jewish community of South Africa have held towards the elected government of our country since October 7, 2023.
Despite rumors to the contrary, South Africa (or at least Johannesburg, the main Jewish city in the country) is still one of the easiest, safest places on Earth to live as a proud Jew — but you would be excused for thinking the worst based on the words and actions of our so-called leaders.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and his party, the African National Congress (ANC), have betrayed not just South Africa’s loyal Jewish community, but the very ideals on which post-Apartheid South Africa was formed: ideals crafted by the ANC itself under the exceptional stewardship of Nelson Mandela.
Immediately following Hamas’ unspeakably barbaric attack on Israel, the ANC’s minister of the department of international relations and cooperation (DIRCO) — Naledi Pandor — phoned the leaders of Hamas to offer her support. South Africa also took Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on patently false charges of genocide.
To no one’s surprise, South Africa is now spear-heading a brand new anti-Israel initiative called The Hague Group.
Joining South Africa in The Hague Group are the governments of Malaysia, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, and Namibia — all of which either have terrible human rights records of their own or, like South Africa, are so plagued by the likes of corruption and sky-high violent crime rates that it’s rather difficult to believe that the whole thing is anything but a cynical ploy to divert attention from their own countries’ woes.
It becomes increasingly difficult to give The Hague Group any benefit of the doubt, as its blatant one-sidedness and single-mindedness makes it clear that though its goals may be crouched in human rights, international law, and democracy, they are anything but noble.
It would be one thing if it was set up to enforce international law and UN resolutions against not just Israel, but against all countries across the globe — for example, if it was about protecting the Uyghurs in China, the Ukranians from Putin’s Russia or the women of Iran from the Islamic Republic, as well as advocating for the Palestinian people.
But obviously it has no interest in other conflicts or any actual genocides; the whole effort is only an attempt to demonize and destroy Israel.
There are obviously precisely zero references to the events of October 7th or even Hamas in any of The Hague Group’s writings. There is also no mention of the influence of the Islamic Republic, the Palestinian Authority’s “Pay-for-Slay” program, the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields, or the constant barrage of rocket attacks from the Islamic Republic’s direct proxies in Hezbollah and the Houthis.
When South African President Ramaphosa proudly announced the formation of The Hague Group at the end of February, he once again doubled down on laying all the blame for the current war and the whole conflict squarely at the feet of Israel.
But then, none of this was unexpected. This is a political party and leadership that directly phoned Hamas after October 7. And it’s the very same ruling party that has rolled out the red carpet for members of Hamas, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia, and war criminals like Vladimir Putin and Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president charged with effectively orchestrating the actual genocide in South Sudan.
No surprise, then, that the launch of The Hague group was attended by a who’s who of anti-Israel individuals and groups, including the likes of NGOs Al-Haq and Al-Mezan, both of which have ties to radical Islamism and include members linked to Hamas and the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine. As for Progressive International, the parent organization of The Hague Group, it includes numerous extreme far-left groups like Code Pink, Students for Justice in Palestine, Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC), Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and Momentum (UK), whose demonizations of Israel and praise for radical Islamist extremists would take too long to catalogue here.
To reiterate, South Africa is still a good place to live as a Jew. It’s just a place with a government, or at least a ruling party, that never misses an opportunity to squander any and all good will that comes their way. Some of it is incompetence. Some of it is corruption. And some of it, as in the case of The Hague Group, is about Soviet-era alliances that are as obsolete as they are dangerous — which is why the ANC has little shame about betraying the many South African Jews who joined the struggle against Apartheid and helped create a new South Africa. It also explains why South Africa is currently realigning the whole country with despotic regimes that represent the very opposite of the liberal-democratic ideals encapsulated in our constitution.
Of course, none of this will be of any help whatsoever to actual Palestinians — but for South Africa’s leaders, that’s besides the point.
Ilan Preskovsky is a freelance features writers, film critic and columnist whose work can most frequently be found on South Africa’s biggest news site, News24, and across a wide variety of local and international publications, both Jewish and otherwise.
The post South Africa Has Launched Another Effort to Attack Israel; Will It Ever Be Enough? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Pro-Hamas Protesters Clash With New York Police at Brooklyn College, Encampment Thwarted
Handcuffed man screams at law enforcement during a student-led protest against the ongoing war in Gaza at Brooklyn College on May 8, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York City. Photo: Michael Nigro/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect.
Pro-Hamas students clashed with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) on Thursday during an unauthorized demonstration at City University of New York, Brooklyn College, continuing a series of days in which law enforcement has been deployed to quell extremist disturbances.
As seen in footage captured by “FreedomNews.TV,” students rocked officers with blow after blow to obstruct their being arrested for trespassing, prompting as many as six others to rush in to help with detaining one person at a time. The melees are unlike any seen on a US college campus this semester.
BREAKING: Complete chaos is unfolding at Brooklyn College in NYC after terror supporters began attacking police.
The police are now fully engaged and making arrests. Pro-Palestinians only know violence. pic.twitter.com/Fp0WJGs0St
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) May 8, 2025
The aim of the group was to establish a pro-Hamas encampment on the East Quad section of campus, which they called a “Liberated Zone,” and several reports said that it attempted to block the entrance to the Tanger Hillel House after being prevented from doing so. FreedomNews captured several more fights between protesters and officers which were filmed in front of the Hillel building, where Jewish students socialize and seek support from their community.
“Tanger Hillel at Brooklyn College is appalled by the anti-Israel protest and encampment that took place on May 8, 2025 and violated campus policies and feared deeply troubling antisemitic rhetoric, including chants of ‘Say it loud, say it clear, we don’t want no Zionists here,’ and banners with inverted red triangles, a symbol widely recognized as a call for violence,” Tanger Hillel told The Algemeiner in a statement. “Targeting Hillel, the Jewish student center, is not a peaceful protest. It is harassment, intimidation, and an antisemitic act of aggression.”
The inverted red triangle has become a common symbol at pro-Hamas rallies. The Palestinian terrorist group, which rules Gaza, has used inverted red triangles in its propaganda videos to indicate Israeli targets about to be attacked. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), “the red triangle is now used to represent Hamas itself and glorify its use of violence.”
Brooklyn College told the New York Times on Thursday that it could not tolerate the group’s attempting to occupy the East Quad for an extended period of time, for which it appeared to be preparing by pitching tents. The students, a spokesman said, had been given “repeated warnings” to decamp and relocate their activities away from campus.
“The safety of our campus community will always be paramount, and Brooklyn College respects the right to protest while also adhering to strict rules meant to ensure the safe operation of our university,” he told the paper.
Law enforcement arrested a total of seven students, according to a local outlet, PIX11. The campus was later closed after successfully repelling the encampment.
Brooklyn College is one of several schools to foreclose the possibility of pro-Hamas students commandeering sections of campus for an extended period of time in recent weeks. Swarthmore College, Columbia University, and the University of Washington (UW) all did so between Saturday and Wednesday, securing arrests of over 100 students combined.
At Columbia University a pro-Hamas student group, Apartheid Divest (CUAD), occupied the school’s Butler Library and vowed not to leave unless school officials acceded to a list of five demands calling for, among other things, a boycott of Israel and divestment from armaments manufacturers.
According to The Columbia Spectator, the demonstration soon faltered after CUAD was out maneuvered by Columbia’s private security forces, who effectively detained the students inside the Butler Reading Room by locking it from the outsider to prevent others, including faculty who wished to offer themselves as “mediators,” from coming in. Meanwhile, the Spectator said, the university dispatched a team of “special patrol officers” and others who initiated negotiations to end the occupation but were unsuccessful.
Having reached an impasse, interim Columbia University president Claire Shipman — the school’s third new chief executive in two years — requested the help of the NYPD, a decision she justified in a statement as “necessary” for preserving Columbia’s academic mission. By the time the remarks were published, two Columbia officers had been assaulted by a crush of agitators who resolved to enter Butler by storming it.
The NYPD’s operation to clear Butler was quickly completed after officers arrived there at 7:25 pm, the time cited by the Spectator. Bundling them “20 at a time,” the officers relocated the students to an NYPD bus used for mass arrests. According to the last numbers, 80 people — students, non-students, and alumni — were arrested and issued court notices.
On Friday, the New York Post reported that Columbia has begun meting out disciplinary sanctions to those who participated in seizing Butler Library. Some 65 students have been suspended, the paper said, while 33 alumni and other persons have been banned from campus. According to Fox News, the US Department of Homeland Security has enquired about the immigration status of those involved, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that he intends to revoke the visas of any who are visiting students.
“We are reviewing the via status of the trespassers and vandals who took over Columbia University’s library,” Rubio said, writing on the X social media platform. “Pro-Hamas thugs are no longer welcome in our great nation.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post Pro-Hamas Protesters Clash With New York Police at Brooklyn College, Encampment Thwarted first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Israeli Officials, Jewish Groups Congratulate New Pope Leo XIV
American cardinal Robert Prevost, now known as Leo XIV, has been elected a new pope by the cardinal electors on the second day of the conclave. On May 8, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican. Photo: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect
Israeli officials and Jewish groups offered congratulations on Thursday following the naming of the new leader of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who has taken the name Leo XIV.
The announcement from the Vatican was met with joyous celebration and surprise, with spectators noting Leo’s trailblazing status as the first ever pope from the United States. Individuals and organizations tied to both Israel and the Jewish community expressed hope that Leo would help foster positive relations between Jews and Christians.
Isaac Herzog, the [resident of Israel, posted a statement on X/Twitter, saying that he hopes to work alongside the pope to strengthen the friendship between Jews and Christians.
“We look forward to enhancing the relationship between Israel and the Holy See, and strengthening the friendship between Jews and Christians in the Holy Land and around the world,” Herzog wrote.
“May your papacy be one of building bridges and understanding between all faiths and peoples. May we see the immediate and safe return of the hostages still held in Gaza, and a new era of peace in our region and around the world,” Herzog continued.
The Israel Foreign Ministry also issued a congratulatory post on X/Twitter, saying that the organization hopes to forge a strong relationship with the new Catholic leader.
“We congratulate Cardinal Robert Prevost, Pope Leo XIV — the first American Pope — and Catholics around the world,” the ministry said. “We look forward to working together to further strengthen the relationship between the Jewish state and the Holy See. We hope to welcome you soon to the Holy Land.”
Jewish groups around the world expressed similarly optimistic sentiments about the new pope.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC), an organization that advocates on behalf of the Jewish community in the US, also acknowledged the naming of the new pope.
“We look forward to a close relationship with Pope Leo XIV as we continue to advance positive Catholic-Jewish relations for the benefit of Catholics, Jews, and all of humanity,” the AJC said.
The European Jewish Congress (EJC), an organization that advocates on behalf of the Jewish community within Europe, also expressed hope that the new pope would lead with “strength, wisdom, and compassion.”
“We extend our heartfelt wishes for strength, wisdom and compassion as he begins his mission as Supreme Pontiff,” the EJC added. “In an era that calls for moral leadership and unity across communities, we look forward to continuing and deepening the Catholic-Jewish dialogue, based on the Nostra Aetate declaration of 1965, rooted in mutual respect and shared values.”
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) similarly congratulated Leo.
“The WJC’s relationship with the Holy See spans decades and is grounded in a deep, ongoing commitment to interfaith dialogue. This partnership has centered on shared concerns such as the welfare of Jewish and Catholic communities, the fight against antisemitism and hatred, and the defense of religious freedom around the world,” WJC President Ronald Lauder said in a statement. “The WJC looks forward to continuing and deepening this essential dialogue under the leadership of Pope Leo XIV. At a time of global crisis, the importance of this relationship is only heightened.”
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also extended congratulations to the pope, expressing optimism that the new Catholic leader could foster “reconciliation among all faiths.”
“Congratulations to Pope Leo XIV and the Catholic community worldwide. I wish the first Pope from the United States success in fostering hope and reconciliation among all faiths,” Netanyahu said.
Leo XIV has not publicly expressed his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the ongoing war in Gaza. Relations between Israel and Leo XIV’s predecessor, Pope Francis, became increasingly tense in the months following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, an attack that started the war in Gaza.
In December, Francis unveiled a nativity scene which featured a depiction of an infant Jesus wrapped in a keffiyeh — a traditional Arab headdress that has been repurposed after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel to signal support for the anti-Israel activist movement. Some observers suggested that the scene in St. Peter’s Square — which was titled “Nativity of Bethlehem 2024” and designed by two artists from Bethlehem, Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi — effectively erased Jesus’s Jewish roots. Francis also accused Israel, without evidence, of inflicting a “famine” in Gaza and suggested that the Jewish state’s military tactics could be tantamount to a “genocide.”
The post Israeli Officials, Jewish Groups Congratulate New Pope Leo XIV first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Iran, US to Resume Nuclear Talks on Sunday After Postponement
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran has agreed to hold a fourth round of nuclear talks with the United States on Sunday in Oman, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday, adding that the negotiations were advancing.
US President Donald Trump, who withdrew Washington from a 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers meant to curb its nuclear activity, has threatened to bomb Iran if no new deal is reached to resolve the long unresolved dispute.
Western countries say Iran‘s nuclear program, which Tehran accelerated after the US walkout from the now moribund 2015 accord, is geared toward producing weapons, whereas Iran insists it is purely for civilian purposes.
“The negotiations are moving forward, and naturally, the further we go, the more consultations and reviews are needed,” Araqchi said in remarks carried by Iranian state media.
“The delegations require more time to examine the issues that are raised. But what is important is that we are on a forward-moving path and gradually entering into the details.”
The fourth round of indirect negotiations, initially scheduled for May 3 in Rome, was postponed, with mediator Oman citing “logistical reasons.”
Araqchi said his planned visit to Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Saturday was in line with “continuous consultations” with neighboring countries to “address their concerns and mutual interests” about the nuclear issue.
The post Iran, US to Resume Nuclear Talks on Sunday After Postponement first appeared on Algemeiner.com.