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A rising South African cricket star dedicated an award to Israel. Then he was investigated for hate speech.
(JTA) — When 18-year old South African cricket player David Teeger was recognized with a “rising star” honor at a Jewish awards ceremony in October, he dedicated the accolade to Israel.
“Yes, I’ve been [given] this award, and yes, I’m now the rising star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel,” Teeger said, according to the South African Jewish Report. “And I’d like to dedicate it to the state of Israel and every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the Diaspora.”
Teeger, who observes Shabbat and keeps kosher, is the captain of South Africa’s under-19 cricket team, which is set to compete in its age group’s World Cup next year. He also holds a high-ranking leadership position at his prestigious King Edward VII School in Johannesburg.
In response to his pro-Israel comments, the local Palestine Solidarity Alliance filed a complaint with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, which launched an investigation into Teeger. He was reportedly suspended from playing cricket while the investigation was ongoing.
Respected barrister Wim Trengove, appointed to lead the inquiry, ultimately cleared Teeger of wrongdoing earlier this month. He ruled that Teeger’s comments did not violate the South African constitution or the code of conduct of his cricket team, the Central Gauteng Lions, according to the South African Daily Maverick newspaper.
“The Constitutional Court has made the point that the right to freedom of expression does not protect hate speech, but emphasized that the expression of unpopular or even offensive beliefs does not constitute hate speech,” Trengove wrote in his findings.
In a similar episode earlier this year, the South African Rugby Union disinvited an Israeli team from an international competition after facing pressure from the South African BDS Coalition, an affiliate of the Palestinian BDS National Committee that promotes the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. In that case, rugby’s global governing body ruled that the move was not discriminatory.
Though Teeger was cleared by the investigation, Jewish leaders in South Africa are displeased.
“Cricket South Africa should be ashamed of itself to subject a young schoolboy to a Maoist inquisition to test his ideological purity,” South Africa’s chief rabbi, Warren Goldstein, said in a YouTube video, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
Goldstein also took aim at the Palestine Solidarity Alliance, which he accused of having ties to Hamas and Iran. He said their supporters “celebrated the killing of 1,200 Jews on Oct. 7 [and] began a hateful campaign against Cricket South Africa,” according to the Chronicle.
Goldstein also accused South African President Cyril Ramaphosa of fomenting antisemitism in the country, where the government recently voted to suspend its diplomatic ties with Israel. “Mr. President, you have set the tone for all of this because the South African government’s targeting of Israel is in effect antisemitic,” Goldstein said in the video.
Pro-Palestinian sentiment is widespread in South Africa, where Apartheid rule discriminated against non-whites for much of the second half of the 20th century. Many contemporary pro-Palestinian activists claim that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is analogous to Apartheid South Africa.
Over 50,000 Jews live in South Africa today.
Mandy Yachad, a Jewish former cricket star who represented South Africa in international competitions, told the Chronicle he would boycott upcoming cricket events over what he called the “racist” treatment of Teeger.
“Not only will I not accept invitations to the pavilion as a former national player, but I will refuse to enter any of the grounds where the matches are being played,” Yachad said. “I love watching our teams, especially at the Wanderers and at Newlands, but not after what’s just happened.”
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Putin Apologizes Over ‘Tragic Incident’ with Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crash
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Photo: Reuters/Maxim Shemetov
i24 News – Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for what he said represented a “tragic incident” in Russian airspace involving an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane that crashed on Wednesday.
Flight J2-8243 crashed in a ball of fire near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from southern Russia where Ukrainian drones were reported to be attacking several cities. At least 38 people were killed while 29 survived.
“Vladimir Putin apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
“It was noted in the conversation that the Azerbaijani passenger aircraft, which was traveling according to its schedule, repeatedly tried to land at Grozny airport. At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks,” the Kremlin said.
The post Putin Apologizes Over ‘Tragic Incident’ with Azerbaijan Airlines Plane Crash first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israeli Official: Houthis More Technologically Advanced than Credited, Must Not Be Underestimated
FILE PHOTO: Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. Photo: Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
i24 News – The Houthis are more technologically advanced than credited and must not be underestimated, an Israeli official told i24NEWS, adding that the jihadist movement operating out of Yemen was “ideologically toxic.”
The Yemeni terrorists have displayed the relentless will to fight in campaigns against the Saudis and others, the official added. “The Houthis’ flag spells out their goals: destroy America, destroy the Jews, destroy Israel. They get most of their support from Iran and they are very extreme. Their ideology is clear: they want to destroy America and Israel, and are trying to take practical steps in that direction.”
In recent weeks the Houthis have escalated their attacks on Israel, firing ballistic missiles and drones at the Jewish state almost nightly and sending millions of Israelis into bomb shelters.
“The Houthis pose a threat to international security and global trade. Therefore, an international coalition should confront and eliminate this threat,” the official underscored.
Israel “has shown that it has the capability and the resolve to fight a multi front war, and it has had incredible accomplishments since it was attacked in October 2023. It has practically decimated Hamas, Hezbollah and Syrian capabilities. It has exposed Iran’s vulnerabilities and now is an opportunity to cooperate with an international coalition to reduce the Houthis.”
The post Israeli Official: Houthis More Technologically Advanced than Credited, Must Not Be Underestimated first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Raises New Demands in Ceasefire Talks, Refusing to Provide Lists of Hostages
A person walks past pictures of hostages kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7 attack by Hamas from Gaza, projected on a screen, in Tel Aviv, Israel, May 31, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Marko Djurica
i24 News – Negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages are still ongoing, yet Hamas is raising new demands regarding wounded hostages and refuses to provide a list of living hostages; moreover, whoever conducts the negotiations on their behalf does not necessarily control the happening on the ground, i24NEWS learned on Friday.
Israel applies heavy pressure on Hamas to live up to the promises.
While the Israeli negotiations team has returned from Doha, the talks for the hostage deal are still ongoing, not affected by the team’s physical presence. According to sources familiar with the details, Hamas poses serious problems that hinder the ability to close the deal, chief among them – the list of hostages whose release should be prioritized on humanitarian grounds.
Israel, i24NEWS can report, insists on complete lists of live hostages, but these have not yet been received. Also, as i24NEWS learned, Hamas refuses to release wounded hostages as part of the humanitarian list and attempts to demand special compensation for them.
Israeli negotiators are unwilling to accept changes to conditions established earlier and exert heavy pressure on the group from various directions.
Officials in Jerusalem say they hope that Hamas will decide to come together to conclude the deal, because the decision is entirely theirs.
Another serious concern for Israel, i24NEWS learned, is that those who conduct the negotiations on behalf of Hamas do not necessarily control the happening on the ground. This, as the dust has not yet settled on the decision-making and organizational structure of Hamas after the elimination of its leader Yahya Sinwar, making it extremely complicated to manage the talks. Israeli officials want to make sure that whoever represents the terrorist group vis-à-vis the mediators is also able to return the hostages from the hands of Hamas in Gaza.
At the same time, Jerusalem believes that the various conditions that pressure Hamas are still valid and even growing: the achievements against Hezbollah and against Iran, the collapse of Syria, and the weakening of the Shiite axis, the strikes in Yemen, the anti-terror activity in Judea and Samaria, the IDF activity in Jabaliya, in Beit Hanon and Rafah, as well as in the Karni-Netzarim corridor, together with the impending coming into office of the Trump administration, work to press Hamas to a point of great isolation, where it would be desperate for a ceasefire.
The post Hamas Raises New Demands in Ceasefire Talks, Refusing to Provide Lists of Hostages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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