Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody attend the RFK Ripple of Hope Award Gala at the NY Hilton Hotel in New York, NY on Dec. 6, 2023. Photo: Stephen Smith/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

Jewish-American actor Mandy Patinkin castigated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip during a recent interview, likening them to his “Princess Bride” character’s so-called “revenge business.”

Patinkin, 72, made the comments during an episode of The New York Times podcast “The Interview” that was published on July 12. He was a guest on the show — hosted by David Marchese – alongside his wife, playwright and actor Kathryn Grody, and their son, Gideon Grody-Patinkin.

Patinkin starred in the 1987 film “Princess Bride” as Spanish swordsman Inigo Montoya, whose mission throughout the film was to avenge the murder of his father. Montoya repeatedly said to his enemies: “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Patinkin compared Montoya’s vengefulness to Israel’s actions during the Israel-Hamas war. During his appearance on “The Interview,” Patinkin quoted another of his character’s lines: “I have been in the revenge business so long. Now that it’s over, I do not know what to do with the rest of my life.”

Patinkin also called on Jews all over the world to “consider what this man, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his right-wing government is doing to the Jewish people all over the world.”

“They are endangering not only the State of Israel, which I care deeply about and want to exist, but they are endangering the Jewish population all over the world,” he claimed. Patinkin then called Netanyahu “the most dangerous thing, not just since Oct. 7.”

“To watch what is happening, for the Jewish people, to allow this to happen to children and civilians of all ages in Gaza, for whatever reason, is unconscionable and unthinkable,” he added. “And I ask you Jews, everywhere, all over the world, to spend some time alone and think, is this acceptable and sustainable? How could it be done to you and your ancestors and you turn around and you do it to someone else?”

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Patinkin has supported calls for a ceasefire to end the conflict that started after the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

His strong criticism of Israel has dated back years. In 2021, the actor posted a thread on X/Twitter calling for “liberation in particular for the Palestinian people, who have endured over 50 years of a brutal and dehumanizing occupation by the State of Israel.”

Grody said during the podcast interview that she hates “the way some people are using antisemitism as a claim for anybody that is critical about a certain policy.”

“As far as I am concerned, compassion for every person in Gaza is very Jewish,” said the actress.

“And the fact that I abhor the policies of [Netanyahu] does not mean that I’m a self-hating Jew or I’m antisemitic,” she added. “I feel the behavior, the politics of what he’s doing, is the worst thing for Jewish people. It’s like lighting a candle for anybody that has any antisemitic feelings.” She then got emotional when she said, “I really feel deeply troubled and horrified by what is happening in my name.”

Grody-Patinkin added that he believes Israel is “endangering” Jews around the world “by endangering those in Gaza.”

The family’s comments were criticized by many pro-Israel supporters on social media, who were upset at them for only finding fault with Israel and its Jewish supporters even though the war in Gaza was started by the Hamas terrorist organization and its massacre of Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023.

“Antisemitism is not Netanyahu’s fault,” said activist, author, and social media influencer Hen Mazzig in a post on X. “We cannot blame Jews for the hate and violence we face. It’s the same for any other group of people. You don’t blame the victim, you blame the perpetrator.” He also criticized Patinkin’s comments in an op-ed for The Jewish Chronicle, in which he wrote in part that the actor’s “logic is deeply flawed and dangerous.”

Barry Tigay, a retired psychologist, criticized Patinkin for spreading a “blood libel.”

“Shame on Mandy Patinkin for spreading a blood libel and Holocaust inversion against the Jews, Israel, and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Israel is fighting a just war by just means,” he wrote in a post on X.

The post Jewish Actor Mandy Patinkin Condemns Netanyahu, Israel’s ‘Unconscionable’ Military Actions in Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Iran is “ready” to respond to any renewed military attack, the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in comments carried by state TV on Wednesday, adding Tehran was capable of delivering “even bigger blows” to adversaries than the one delivered during the 12-day Iran-Israel war last month.

“Although we consider the Zionist regime [Israel] a cancer and the US a criminal due to its support of that regime, we did not seek war,” Khamenei said. “Yet whenever the enemy attacked, our response was forceful and firm.”

The Islamic Republic “not only does not fear America — it instills fear in it,” the Iranian leader added, speaking to the country’s judiciary officials in his second public appearance since the June 13-24 war with Israel.

During the conflict, Israel decimated Iran’s nuclear facilities as well as much of its air defense systems, missile launch capabilities, and top military commanders and nuclear scientists. The US also bombed three key Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel as fighting ensued, most of them hitting civilian areas.

A US-brokered ceasefire ended the conflict, and Washington has been pushing Tehran to negotiate a deal that imposes strict limits on its nuclear program, which Western countries believe is designed to build nuclear weapons. Iran claims its program is for peaceful purposes.

However, Iran‘s parliament said the country should not resume nuclear negotiations with the US until preconditions are met, in a statement reported on Wednesday by Iranian state media.

“When the US use negotiations as a tool to deceive Iran and cover up a sudden military attack by the Zionist regime [Israel], talks cannot be conducted as before. Preconditions must be set, and no new negotiations can take place until they are fully met,” the statement said.

The statement did not define the preconditions, but Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has previously said there should be guarantees there will be no further attacks against Tehran.

Tehran and Washington had held five rounds of indirect negotiations mediated by Oman prior to the 12-day air war, with US demands that Tehran drop its domestic uranium enrichment program reaching a dead end.

Last week, Araqchi reiterated Tehran’s position that it would not agree to a nuclear deal that prevents it from enriching uranium and would refuse to discuss extra-nuclear topics such as its ballistic missile program.

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was in no rush to negotiate with Iran as its nuclear sites were now “obliterated,” but the US, in coordination with three European countries, has agreed to set the end of August as the deadline for a deal.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday that Paris, London, and Berlin would trigger the United Nations sanctions snapback mechanism, which would reimpose international sanctions on Iran, by the end of August if there is no concrete progress regarding an agreement.

The post Iran ‘Ready’ to Respond to Any New Attack With ‘Bigger Blows,’ Supreme Leader Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Rescue personnel work at an impact site following a missile attack from Iran, in Bat Yam, Israel, June 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

Israel launched a national advertising campaign on Wednesday urging its citizens to resist the lure of spying for Iran, warning that the consequences far outweigh any financial reward.

The unusual drive comes a month after Israel fought a 12-day war with Iran over its nuclear program and follows an apparent surge in efforts by Tehran to recruit Israelis for espionage.

The campaign, entitled “Easy Money, Heavy Cost,” will run on radio, major internet sites, and social media platforms, and has been devised by Israel’s Security Agency, known as the Shin Bet, and the National Public Diplomacy Directorate.

In one of the two 20-second videos, a father is shown eating with his family, while the second shows another man having drinks with friends before a caption on the screen reads: “For 5,000 shekels is it worth ruining your life/family?”

The 5,000 shekels ($1,490) is an apparent reference to how much Israelis have been paid for cooperating with Iran.

The ad says people who took Iranian cash are now behind bars and warned that anyone helping Tehran faces up to 15 years in prison. “Easy money, heavy cost – don’t help the Iranian enemy.”

The National Public Diplomacy Directorate said Shin Bet and police have uncovered more than 25 cases of Israelis allegedly recruited by Iran for intelligence missions over the past year, with over 35 people indicted on serious security charges.

“The campaign carries significant national importance, especially in the aftermath of (the war with Iran), after which Iranian efforts to recruit operatives and execute missions inside Israel are expected to intensify,” it said.

For its part, Iran has executed several people over the past month after they were convicted of collaborating with Israel and facilitating covert operations in the country.

($1 = 3.3526 shekels)

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