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Israeli Basketball Teams, Sports Minister Welcome Return of EuroLeague, EuroCup Games in Israel
Rokas Jokubaitis and Kevin Punter play during the match between FC Barcelona and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague at the Palau Blaugrana in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 5, 2025. Photo: Urbanandsport via Reuters Connect
Israeli basketball teams, sports officials, and President Isaac Herzog applauded the announcement on Tuesday that EuroLeague and EuroCup basketball games will return to Israel starting Dec. 1, following a two-year hiatus in which Israeli teams played their “home” matches throughout Europe due to the war with Hamas in Gaza.
“This is the right move. It is an important move,” Herzog said. “I call on all sports organizations around the world, in all sports: it is time to strengthen the shared spirit of sport, and the message that sport connects people, rather than divides them. Sport serves as a bridge of hope, fairness, and fraternity. Let’s play!!”
Herzog sent a letter to EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejūnas earlier this week, officially requesting the immediate return of EuroLeague games in Israel, the president shared.
Since the start of the Gaza war following the Hamas-led Palestinian terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Jewish state has been playing EuroLeague and EuroCup games in neutral venues outside of the country. Euroleague Commercial Assets (ECA) member clubs met on Tuesday to discuss the current situation in Israel and Gaza, following the recently announced ceasefire, and after “thoughtful deliberation,” ECA clubs decided to resume games in Israel in December, they announced in a released statement.
“Until then, Euroleague Basketball will continue to carefully monitor developments, stay in close contact with local and foreign authorities, visiting teams, and all relevant organizations … and ensure that the safety and well-being of everyone involved remain the top priority,” the statement read. “Euroleague Basketball and its participating clubs welcome the recent peace plan with optimism and hope. The organization reaffirms its belief in the power of basketball to bring people and communities together, and its commitment to contributing to peace through the shared values of sport, respect, and unity.”
Israel’s Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar said the decision “reflects the new international reality Israel is in following the signing of the agreement to bring the hostages home.”
“Sport is a bridge that connects us all, and the return of the games carries with it a powerful and meaningful message,” he added in a statement shared with The Algemeiner. “The State of Israel warmly welcomes the teams, athletes, staff, and fans who will be arriving in Israel.”
The last European basketball game played in Israel took place on Oct. 5, 2023, a mere two days before the Hamas-led massacre in Israel. Maccabi Tel Aviv, six-time champions, and Hapoel Tel Aviv are the Israeli basketball teams in this season’s Euroleague, while Hapoel Jerusalem is competing in the EuroCup.
“With the announcement of the end of the war, behind the scenes began strong work against the Euroleague in collaboration with all the factors in order to return the games to Israel as quickly as possible,” said Hapoel Jerusalem. “We are happy that the efforts have paid off, and after more than two years of wandering – we are coming home.”
Hapoel Tel Aviv thanked EuroLeague CEO Paulius Motiejūnas, the organization’s management, and all EuroLeague clubs “for their understanding and support.” The team’s owner, Ofer Yannay, said the move “is an important step towards returning to normality, and it is especially exciting to know that our fans will once again be able to attend EuroLeague games up close, right where they belong.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv said it had been working quietly “behind the scenes” to enable Motiejūnas to make the decision to resume top European basketball competitions to Israel.
“This is an achievement of great importance for Israeli sports and the State of Israel, also from a diplomatic perspective,” the team stated. “The Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball club has proven once again that it is one of the leading and most influential forces in European sports. We will meet soon at the arena.”
Ari Steinberg, president of the Israel Basketball Super League, said: “This is a right and fair decision in favor of European basketball and the joy of hundreds of thousands of fans in Israel.”
“Over the past few weeks, we have done everything we could, working with clubs and other partners, to bring matches home, and I am delighted that these efforts have paid off,” Steinberg noted. “We all hope that FIBA [International Basketball Federation] will also make a similar decision and will announce the return of the Champions League games (BCL) and national team games as soon as possible. This is an important moment for all of Israeli sports. Am Yisrael Chai (Long Live Israel).”
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Rep. Ilhan Omar says Stephen Miller’s comments on immigrants sound like how ‘Nazis described Jewish people’
Rep Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, on Sunday likened the Trump administration’s immigration rhetoric to Nazi depictions of Jews.
“It reminds me of the way the Nazis described Jewish people in Germany,” Omar said in an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, commenting on a social media post by Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser, in which he suggested that “migrants and their descendants recreate the conditions, and terrors, of their broken homelands.” Miller, who is Jewish, is the architect of the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
Omar called Miller’s comments “white supremist rhetoric” and also drew parallels between his characterization of migrants seeking refuge in the U.S. to how Jews were demonized and treated when they fled Nazi-era Germany. “As we know, there have been many immigrants who have tried to come to the United States who have turned back, you know, one of them being Jewish immigrants,” she said.
Now serving as Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, Miller is central to the White House’s plans for mass deportations and expanded barriers to asylum. During Trump’s first term, Miller led the implementation of the so-called Muslim travel ban in 2017, which barred entry to the U.S. for individuals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, and pushed to further reduce a longtime refugee program.
Rep. Ilhan Omar: “When I think about Stephen Miller and his white supremacist rhetoric, it reminds me of the way the Nazis described Jewish people in Germany.” pic.twitter.com/GAjIMqFq26
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 7, 2025
Miller’s comments echoed similar rhetoric by Trump after an Afghan refugee was accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House last month, killing one.
Trump told reporters at a cabinet meeting last week that Somali immigrants are “garbage” and that he wanted them to be sent “back to where they came from.” The president also singled out Omar, a Somali native who represents Minnesota’s large Somali-American community. “She should be thrown the hell out of our country,” Trump said.
In the Sunday interview, Omar called Trump’s remarks “completely disgusting” and accused him of having “an unhealthy obsession” with her and the Somali community. “This kind of hateful rhetoric and this level of dehumanizing can lead to dangerous actions by people who listen to the president,” she said.
The post Rep. Ilhan Omar says Stephen Miller’s comments on immigrants sound like how ‘Nazis described Jewish people’ appeared first on The Forward.
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Nigeria Seeks French Help to Combat Insecurity, Macron Says
French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Pool
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has sought more help from France to fight widespread violence in the north of the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday, weeks after the United States threatened to intervene to protect Nigeria’s Christians.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has witnessed an upsurge in attacks in volatile northern areas in the past month, including mass kidnappings from schools and a church.
US President Donald Trump has raised the prospect of possible military action in Nigeria, accusing it of mistreating Christians. The government says the allegations misrepresent a complex security situation in which armed groups target both faith groups.
Macron said he had a phone call with Tinubu on Sunday, where he conveyed France’s support to Nigeria as it grapples with several security challenges, “particularly the terrorist threat in the North.”
“At his request, we will strengthen our partnership with the authorities and our support for the affected populations. We call on all our partners to step up their engagement,” Macron said in a post on X.
Macron did not say what help would be offered by France, which has withdrawn its troops from West and Central Africa and plans to focus on training, intelligence sharing and responding to requests from countries for assistance.
Nigeria is grappling with a long-running Islamist insurgency in the northeast, armed kidnapping gangs in the northwest and deadly clashes between largely Muslim cattle herders and mostly Christian farmers in the central parts of the country, stretching its security forces.
Washington said last month that it was considering actions such as sanctions and Pentagon engagement on counterterrorism as part of a plan to compel Nigeria to better protect its Christian communities.
The Nigerian government has said it welcomes help to fight insecurity as long as its sovereignty is respected. France has previously supported efforts to curtail the actions of armed groups, the US has shared intelligence and sold arms, including fighter jets, and Britain has trained Nigerian troops.
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Netanyahu Says He Will Not Quit Politics if He Receives a Pardon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participates in the state memorial ceremony for the fallen of the Iron Swords War on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem on Oct. 16, 2025. Photo: Alex Kolomoisky/POOL/Pool via REUTERS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he would not retire from politics if he receives a pardon from the country’s president in his years-long corruption trial.
Asked by a reporter if planned on retiring from political life if he receives a pardon, Netanyahu replied: “no”.
Netanyahu last month asked President Isaac Herzog for a pardon, with lawyers for the prime minister arguing that frequent court appearances were hindering Netanyahu’s ability to govern and that a pardon would be good for the country.
Pardons in Israel have typically been granted only after legal proceedings have concluded and the accused has been convicted. There is no precedent for issuing a pardon mid-trial.
Netanyahu has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in response to the charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, and his lawyers have said that the prime minister still believes the legal proceedings, if concluded, would result in a complete acquittal.
US President Donald Trump wrote to Herzog, before Netanyahu made his request, urging the Israeli president to consider granting the prime minister a pardon.
Some Israeli opposition politicians have argued that any pardon should be conditional on Netanyahu retiring from politics and admitting guilt. Others have said the prime minister must first call national elections, which are due by October 2026.
