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Amid War, Panama Is An Unexpected Beacon of Hope for Pro-Israel Advocacy
This month, I was invited to a discussion with the Consul General of Panama in New York, Elias Levy, who is deeply rooted in Panamanian and Jewish heritage. Levy will be leaving his post on July 31.
During the meeting, I shared my concerns about the shocking rise in antisemitism across the world, and was to hear Levy felt the same and was working to combat the rise in hatred against Israel. Levy has had a strong connection to Israel from a young age, as he won the prestigious Chidon Ha-Tanach at the age of 12 in Panama, and represented Panama in Israel.
Reflecting on his time in New York, Levy told me he believes that most people do support Jews and Israel’s right to live in peace, but that the nefarious voices of the worst actors drown out the silent majority of the many.
As someone who represents a foreign government, and also has great love for the State of Israel, Levy feels that the lack of education and misconceptions about Israel as a beacon of religious freedom are concerning.
“People don’t realize that Israel is a country with total freedom where you can practice any religion and enjoy LGBT rights. Many individuals think being against someone is a trend, such as being antisemitic. People see Israel and Gaza as strong versus weak. As Jews, we always pray for peace, and our desire is for peace in the region, including with all of Israel’s neighbors. I am sure Israel can achieve peace with the Palestinians when given the opportunity. However, for peace to happen, both parties need to truly want it.” Levy shared.
Levy’s goal is to create safe places for Jewish faith and culture to thrive without fear or discrimination, as seen in Panama, where the Jewish community lives peacefully among other cultures and coexists harmoniously with other religions.
Relations between Panama and Israel have been strong for decades. Recent highlights include a Free Trade Agreement in 2018, and strong support for Israel after the Hamas massacre of October 7. Levy’s statement also reflects Panama’s position that there can’t be a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, until there is a true partner for peace in the region.
Levy told me that the Jewish population of Panama is approximately 16,000, and the educational landscape has evolved to encompass five Jewish schools dedicated to nurturing a profound sense of cultural identity and Jewish heritage. I didn’t know that Panama was such a strong beacon of support for Israel — and hope that many Jews and people who support Israel come to learn about the ties between the two countries, and support Panama, just as Panama has supported Israel.
Levy’s message inspired me. I hope the horrific rise in antisemitism is a trend that will pass, and until then, Israelis and Jews in the United States — and in Panama — will continue to raise our voices and stand strong together to bring light and pride to our Jewish spirit.
Ayelet Raymond is an Israel activist, and the creative force behind the @Kosher_Barbie character and social media personality.
The post Amid War, Panama Is An Unexpected Beacon of Hope for Pro-Israel Advocacy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.