RSS
The Free World Must Stand Up and Applaud Israel
A Houthi ballistic missile strike in the Palestinian village of Sa’ir. July 13, 2025. Credit: X/Twitter
In a world where the lines between good and evil grow increasingly blurred, it’s time to pause and face reality: the State of Israel is not fighting only for itself. Once again, Israel is carrying the burden of standing up to tyranny — often alone, often at great cost, and always in the face of global hypocrisy.
Back in 1981, Israel demonstrated what strategic vision and moral courage look like. When the Israeli Air Force destroyed Iraq’s nuclear reactor at Osirak in what was later dubbed Operation Opera, the international community — including the US at the time — condemned the strike. Editorials attacked it, the UN Security Council denounced it, and pundits predicted Israel’s diplomatic isolation. And yet, a decade later, when Saddam Hussein’s missiles rained down on Tel Aviv and Riyadh, the world finally realized: Israel had prevented a madman from acquiring nuclear weapons. By the time the Gulf War broke out in 1991, there was no more debate — Israel had done the right thing, at the right time, for everyone.
This happened again in 2007 — this time in Syria. A covert site in the Deir ez-Zor desert, quietly built with North Korean assistance, was revealed to be a nuclear reactor under construction. Once again, Israel launched a quiet, precise, decisive strike and eliminated the threat. It wasn’t until 2018 that Israel publicly acknowledged the operation — but the world had already benefited. Does anyone seriously believe that a regime capable of gassing its own citizens with sarin would have hesitated to use a nuclear bomb if it had the chance? And what if that reactor had fallen into the hands of ISIS? Hezbollah? Iranian-backed militias? It’s frightening to imagine — and easy to understand the disaster Israel once again averted.
And now, we are living through another chapter of the same story. This time, the central actor is the Islamic Republic of Iran– a regime that has been working for years to acquire nuclear weapons, violating every agreement, shrugging off sanctions, and openly declaring its goal of wiping “The Zionist Entity” off the map. But there’s a new geostrategic dimension to this threat: Iran’s ambitions are no longer regional. Its missile program now reaches over 2,000 miles — which means not just Tel Aviv and Riyadh are in range, but also Athens, Rome, Paris, and London.
Earlier this month, on Day 61 following President Donald Trump’s 60-day ultimatum to Tehran, Israel struck. Not out of emotion, but through a cold, calculated, surgical military operation aimed at achieving a single objective: to keep the world’s most dangerous weapons out of the hands of its most dangerous regime. Nuclear facilities, underground bunkers, Revolutionary Guard bases — all were targeted. In response, Iran launched hundreds of rockets at Israeli cities, including residential neighborhoods, hospitals, mosques, and schools. Dozens of civilians have already been killed — Jews and Arabs alike. And yet, Israel stands firm. Despite its small size, Israel now controls much of Iran’s airspace and has returned home with undeniable operational success.
American forces recently joined the mission to neutralize Iran’s nuclear capabilities — a threat not only to Israel, but to the entire free world. This move stands in direct contradiction to the voices who claimed that President Trump was simply fighting “Israel’s war.” He wasn’t. He was fighting the war of liberty, of stability, of every democratic nation threatened by terror-backed regimes with atomic ambitions.
And here’s the key point for the American reader: Israel did not act only on its own behalf. It did what other countries were too afraid to do. Many European nations — the same ones that routinely criticize Israel — lack both the will and the ability to confront Iran. But they will be the first to pay the price if Iran goes nuclear. If the free world does not want to get its hands dirty — it must at least let Israel do the job. If it refuses to intervene — it must provide intelligence, financial, and diplomatic support. And if it won’t do even that — then at the very least, it should stop pointing fingers.
This is not just Israel’s war. It is the war of every democracy. Every believer in liberty. Every nation that wants its children to grow up free from nuclear blackmail.
And a final word to decision-makers in Jerusalem: don’t fall into the trap of “regime change” dreams. That path has failed in Vietnam, in Afghanistan, in Iraq — and in Lebanon. It will fail in Tehran as well. Intervening in another country’s politics only unites the people around their flag and pushes moderate voices into silence.
Israel’s goal should remain clear and focused: prevent a nuclear Iran. Not to rebuild Persia. If democratic reform comes as a byproduct of that mission — all the better, especially for the Iranian people themselves.
But Israel must stay the course — with courage, precision, and restraint. And the free world? It must rise — and applaud.
Itamar Tzur is the author of “The Invention of the Palestinian Narrative” and an Israeli scholar specializing in Middle Eastern history. He holds a Bachelor’s degree with honors in Jewish History and a Master’s degree with honors in Middle Eastern studies. As a senior member of the “Forum Kedem for Middle Eastern Studies and Public Diplomacy,” he leverages his academic expertise to deepen understanding of regional dynamics and historical contexts.
The post The Free World Must Stand Up and Applaud Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Pro-Palestinian Rioters Splatter Israeli Singer With Red Paint, Try to Storm Stage at Concert in Poland
Illustrative: Anti-Israel protesters hold a banner that says, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” standing in front of the president’s palace in Warsaw, Poland, on Nov. 5, 2023. Photo: IMAGO/Marek Antoni Iwanczuk via Reuters Connect
Anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian demonstrators threw red paint on Israeli singer-songwriter and composer David D’Or and tried to storm the stage with a Palestinian flag during his performance in Warsaw, Poland, on Sunday night.
D’Or was singing the Hebrew prayer “Avinu Malkeinu” at a finale concert for an annual Jewish cultural festival in Warsaw when an anti-Israel agitator in the audience approached the stage and hurled red paint on him. While the protester was being apprehended by security, another activist emerged from the audience, carrying a Palestinian flag, and tried to storm the stage while reportedly shouting “Free Palestine.” Both activists were quickly removed from the auditorium.
D’Or posted a video of the incident on Instagram and detailed what happened in a Hebrew-language caption.
“In the middle of the prayer our father our king, when I pray for a good year and for peace in the world, I closed my eyes, when I suddenly felt a cold splash on my face, I opened my eyes to see a strong red color, similar to blood,” wrote the singer. “On the clothes on my face and on the stage and the musicians. The playlist was like stained in blood.” He said the stains of red paint reminded him “of the horror sights of October 7th,” referring to the deadly Hamas-led attack in 2023 in which Palestinian terrorists killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages back to the Gaza Strip, starting the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
D’Or said after he was splattered with red paint, “in the stunned crowd a sound of horror and crying began. I realized that I must pick myself up and encourage them.”
“I continued to sing and asked everyone to close their eyes and pray for the people of Israel,” he added. “It wasn’t easy, my eyes were teary with pain and great sadness from the situation we got to. At the end of the show the audience sang along with me and we came out strong … What terrible days, may God have mercy. Praying for better days.”
D’Or’s performance on Sunday night, accompanied by Sinfonia Viva, closed off the 22nd edition of the Singer’s Warsaw Festival of Jewish Culture. The concert took place at the Moniuszko Auditorium.
D’or’s career spans over 35 years and he has performed with many philharmonic orchestras around the world, including the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony, the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Philharmonic Orchestras of Rome, London, Moscow, Shanghai, Budapest, Beijing, and Los Angeles. He has 17 gold and platinum albums and previously performed at the Vatican six times, the United Nations, in front of former US presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and had a close relationship with Israeli President Shimon Peres, who asked for D’or to sing at his funeral.
RSS
Florida Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Plotting Attacks Targeting Jews, Blacks
An American flag waves outside the US Department of Justice Building in Washington, DC. Photo: Al Drago via Reuters Connect
A man from Margate, Florida, man was sentenced on Friday to 25 years in federal prison for planning attacks against Jewish and Black Americans, the US Department of Justice announced.
John Kevin Lapinski, Jr., 41, previously pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, possession of a firearm by a person subject to a court order, possession of an unregistered silencer, and possession of body armor by a violent felon.
On Oct. 31, 2024, officers from the Margate Police Department responded to a call about shots fired in a residential neighborhood and discovered that Lapinski was the shooter. Inside his home, police officers found a shooting target that depicted a Black male covered in bullet holes. They also found Lapinski’s arsenal that included five firearms, more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition, two silencers, body armor, smoke grenades, a Ghillie suit used for camouflage, and tactical gear.
Officers additionally found maps of local schools, parks, and community sites with racial slurs, written by Lapinski, that targeted Black and Jewish people. Lapinski had also compiled a “target list” for attacks based on race and religion and it mentioned a Jewish member of Congress, local synagogues, Jewish-owned businesses, and other religious and ethnically identified sites, according to the Justice Department
“This defendant stockpiled weapons, tactical gear, and detailed attack plans to terrorize Jewish and Black Americans in our communities. His intent was not abstract — it was written on his maps, his targets, and his so-called hit list,” US Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said in a statement
“Thanks to the swift work of our law enforcement partners, his plan never became reality,” Quiñones added. “Instead of carrying out acts of racist violence, he will spend the next quarter-century behind bars. Let this sentence serve as a warning: hate-fueled violence will be met with decisive federal prosecution. We will disrupt your plans, seize your weapons, and ensure you never endanger the people of this district again.”
Investigators also linked Lapinski to a shooting in August 2024 that targeted the home and vehicle of a Jewish Florida resident.
RSS
Houthi Terrorists Raid UN Premises in Yemen, Detain At Least 11 People
Houthi policemen ride on the back of a patrol pick-up truck during the funeral of Houthi terrorists killed by recent US-led strikes, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 10, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Yemen‘s Iran-backed Houthi rebels raided United Nations offices in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Sunday and detained at least 11 UN personnel, the body said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Houthis, an internationally designated terrorist group, forcibly entered World Food Program premises, seized UN property, and attempted to enter other UN offices in the capital.
The raid followed an Israeli strike on Sanaa on Thursday that killed the prime minister of Yemen‘s Houthi-run government and several other ministers.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said in a separate statement that the 11 staff were detained in both Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah.
UNICEF, the UN Development Program and the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees are among other UN agencies with offices in one or both of the two cities.
Grundberg said the detentions were in addition to 23 other UN staff previously detained, some since 2021, and one who died in detention this year.