RSS
‘Absolute Lies’: Israeli Minister Denounces New York Times Article
Israel’s minister of diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, in Krakow, Poland, Jan. 22, 2024. Photo: Beata Zawrzel via Reuters Connect
Israel’s minister of diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, has denounced a New York Times article that falsely accused the Israeli government of a “secretive” and “covert” campaign “to influence the US government.”
In a Hebrew-language post on X/Twitter, Chikli called the Times reporter “fake” and said that the story consisted of “absolute lies whose purpose is harming Israel.”
The Times article, published online, was headlined, “Israel Secretly Targets US Lawmakers With Influence Campaign on Gaza War.” A subheadline said, “Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs ordered the operation, which used fake social media accounts urging US lawmakers to fund Israel’s military.”
Notwithstanding the Times hype about the effort being “secretive” or “covert,” the Israeli ministry actually published a public request for proposals to advance digital initiatives.
In typical Times fashion, the article focused exclusively on Israel’s social media efforts, without mentioning at all that there are Iranian, Russian, and Chinese social media campaigns aimed at influencing American public opinion related to the war in the Middle East.
Even the context in the Times article was contentious. It said, “The United States has long been one of Israel’s staunchest allies, with President Biden recently signing a $15 billion military aid package for the country. But the conflict has been unpopular with many Americans, who have called for Mr. Biden to withdraw support for Israel in the face of mounting civilian deaths in Gaza.”
Actually the aid to Israel was part of a larger $95 billion package that also included $60 billion for Ukraine and $1 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza, as well as money to protect Taiwan. And the Times claim that “many Americans” want Biden “to withdraw support for Israel,” ignores polling that shows even more Americans — the overwhelming majority — support Israel, supported the aid to Israel, and think Israel is trying to avoid civilian casualties.
At least one former Israeli government official, Michael Oren, appeared to take the Times report seriously. “If the report is true, the campaign represents a flagrant violation of American law and an inappropriate interference in the internal politics of our most important ally,” Oren said in a social media post. “I call on the Government of Israel to immediately and thoroughly investigate the claim, to disassociate itself and denounce any such campaign, and to dismiss all the individuals involved.”
There’s a segment of journalists and opinion-makers out there who just want to bash Israel whatever the country does. If the Israeli government had not mobilized on social media, it’d be criticized for having poor public relations and doing a bad job of telling its story. And when the Israeli government does mobilize support on social media, it gets attacked for operating an “influence campaign.” Either it has too little influence, or it has too much influence. A reasonable person would reach the conclusion that what this is all about is not “influence” but Israel, and some people who intensely dislike it.
As a pro-Israel individual active on social media, let me tell you, if there’s some immensely orchestrated synthetic campaign to amplify pro-Israel voices, it doesn’t seem to have benefited me. Instead, I spend a lot of time blocking obnoxious comments from antisemitic or Israel-hating accounts.
It’s delusional to think that American public or congressional support for Israel is the product of a covert spending campaign rather than the result of shared values, religion, and national security and economic interests. Yet it fits perfectly with the worldview of New York Times land, which largely doesn’t share the values or the religion so can’t understand the durability of the US-Israel relationship.
To the Times, the only reason a member of Congress would vote for Israel is that they’ve been conned by a covert influence operation.
What’s remarkable is how few members of Congress have fallen for the New York Times‘ own campaign to erode support for Israel by falsely depicting American Jews as divided over the country and by demonizing Israel for conditions in Gaza that are Hamas’ fault. That Times influence campaign is costing a lot more than the $2 million the newspaper claims Israel spent.
The online comments on the Times article play into all the worst antisemitic stereotypes about Israeli “manipulation” of American democracy. Leave it to the New York Times and its readers to demonize a country for the sin of trying accurately to tell its own story. What bothers the Times most is the chance that Israel might be able to use new and democratic technology tell the truth to the American public without having to rely on the New York Times as an intermediary.
In other words, what really bothers the Times is the chance that the Israeli government can reach America without needing to grant an interview to Tom Friedman. The “influence” the Times is most worried of all about is its own. It is waning.
Ira Stoll was managing editor of The Forward and North American editor of The Jerusalem Post. His media critique, a regular Algemeiner feature, can be found here. He also writes at TheEditors.com.
The post ‘Absolute Lies’: Israeli Minister Denounces New York Times Article first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
North London Synagogue, Nursery Targeted in Eighth Local Antisemitic Incident in Just Over a Week
Demonstrators against antisemitism in London on Sept. 8, 2025. Photo: Campaign Against Antisemitism
A synagogue and its nursery school in the Golders Green area of north London were targeted in an antisemitic attack on Thursday morning — the eighth such incident locally in just over a week amid a shocking surge of anti-Jewish hate crimes in the area.
The synagogue and Jewish nursery were smeared with excrement in an antisemitic outrage echoing a series of recent incidents targeting the local Jewish community.
“The desecration of another local synagogue and a children’s nursery with excrement is a vile, deliberate, and premeditated act of antisemitism,” Shomrim North West London, a Jewish organization that monitors antisemitism and also serves as a neighborhood watch group, said in a statement.
“This marks the eighth antisemitic incident locally in just over a week, to directly target the local Jewish community,” the statement read. “These repeated attacks have left our community anxious, hurt, and increasingly worried.”
Local law enforcement confirmed they are reviewing CCTV footage and collecting evidence to identify the suspect and bring them to justice.
This latest anti-Jewish hate crime came just days after tens of thousands of people marched through London in a demonstration against antisemitism, amid rising levels of antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
In just over a week, seven Jewish premises in Barnet, the borough in which Golders Green is located, have been targeted in separate antisemitic incidents.
According to the Metropolitan Police, an investigation has been launched into the targeted attacks, all of which involved the use of bodily fluids.
During the incidents, a substance was smeared on four synagogues and a private residence, while a liquid was thrown at a school and over a car in two other attacks.
As the investigation continues, local police said they believe the same suspect is likely responsible for all seven offenses, which are being treated as religiously motivated criminal damage.
No arrests have been made so far, but law enforcement said it is actively engaging with the local Jewish community to provide reassurance and support.
The Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit charity that advises Britain’s Jewish community on security matters, condemned the recent wave of attacks and called on authorities to take immediate action.
“The extreme defilement of several Jewish locations in and around Golders Green is utterly abhorrent and deeply distressing,” CST said in a statement.
“CST is working closely with police and communal partners to support victims and help identify and apprehend the perpetrator,” it continued.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) also denounced the attacks, calling for urgent measures to protect the Jewish community.
“These repeated incidents are leaving British Jews anxious and vulnerable in their own neighborhoods, not to mention disgusted,” CAA said in a statement.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, the United Kingdom has experienced a surge in antisemitic crimes and anti-Israel sentiment.
Last month, CST published a report showing there were 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the UK from January to June of this year. It marks the second-highest total of incidents ever recorded by CST in the first six months of any year, following the first half of 2024 in which 2,019 antisemitic incidents were recorded.
In total last year, CST recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents for 2024, the country’s second worst year for antisemitism despite being an 18 percent drop from 2023’s record of 4,296.
In previous years, the numbers were significantly lower, with 1,662 incidents in 2022 and 2,261 hate crimes in 2021.
RSS
Germany to Hold Off on Recognizing Palestinian State but Will Back UN Resolution for Two-State Solution
German national flag flutters on top of the Reichstag building, that seats the Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, March 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Germany will support a United Nations resolution for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but does not believe the time has come to recognize a Palestinian state, a government spokesman told Reuters on Thursday.
“Germany will support such a resolution which simply describes the status quo in international law,” the spokesman said, adding that Berlin “has always advocated a two-state solution and is asking for that all the time.”
“The chancellor just mentioned two days ago again that Germany does not see that the time has come for the recognition of the Palestinian state,” the spokesman added.
Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and Belgium have all said they will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, although London said it could hold back if Israel were to take steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and commit to a long-term peace process.
The United States strongly opposes any move by its European allies to recognize Palestinian independence.
Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US has told other countries that recognition of a Palestinian state will cause more problems.
Those who see recognition as a largely symbolic gesture point to the negligible presence on the ground and limited influence in the conflict of countries such as China, India, Russia, and many Arab states that have recognized Palestinian independence for decades.
RSS
UN Security Council, With US Support, Condemns Strikes on Qatar
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned recent strikes on Qatar’s capital Doha, but did not mention Israel in the statement agreed to by all 15 members, including Israel‘s ally the United States.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with the attack on Tuesday, escalating its military action in what the United States described as a unilateral attack that does not advance US and Israeli interests.
The United States traditionally shields its ally Israel at the United Nations. US backing for the Security Council statement, which could only be approved by consensus, reflects President Donald Trump’s unhappiness with the attack ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Council members underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar. They underlined their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar,” read the statement, drafted by Britain and France.
The Doha operation was especially sensitive because Qatar has been hosting and mediating negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war.
“Council members underscored that releasing the hostages, including those killed by Hamas, and ending the war and suffering in Gaza must remain our top priority,” the Security Council statement read.
The Security Council will meet later on Thursday to discuss the Israeli attack at a meeting due to be attended by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.