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Anti-Israel Protesters Storm Screening of Israeli Film at Toronto Festival
A scene from “Bliss (Hemda).” Photo: TIFF
Anti-Israel protesters interrupted a screening of an Israeli film at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Wednesday by demonstrating on stage before the show began and also chanting against the Jewish state outside the theater where the screening took place.
The film “Bliss (Hemda)” made its international premiere at the film festival. Before its screening began inside the TIFF Lightbox Cinema, a small group of approximately four protesters jumped on stage and shouted slogans against Israel, including “Free Palestine” as well as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which is widely interpreted as a call for the destruction of Israel, which is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
The protesters told the audience “Shame on all of you,” shouted multiple false claims, and held banners about Israel committing “genocide” against Palestinians, according to a video from the scene obtained by Israel’s N12. Another demonstrator introduced the group as “a coalition of Jewish people, filmmakers [and] artists and we say no to genocide.” They continued to protest while being escorted off the stage and out of the theater by security personnel.
As the protesters were led out of the theater, the audience began chanting “Bring them home,” calling for Hamas to release the 101 hostages that remain in captivity in Gaza since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel. The screening then proceeded as planned.
Outside the TIFF Lightbox Cinema, protesters chanted “Free Palestine,” against falsely accused Israel of genocide, held Palestinian flags, and raised anti-Israel posters, including one that said “Boycott Israel.” Another sign said “Turtle Island to Palestine, colonization is a crime,” and a separate poster read: “Bliss normalizes Israel apartheid.”
“Bliss” is a drama about an older married couple — played by Sasson Gabay, from “Shtisel” fame, and Asi Levi – confronting a number of challenges in their marriage, which is now intensified by the presence of two young men, who introduce new threats to their already fragile marriage. A synopsis of the film provided by TIFF stated that “Bliss” was written and shot before the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, but “certain scenes touch lightly on interactions between Jewish and Arab culture and language in Israel.”
The Hebrew and Arabic language film is directed by Shemi Zarhin, who was born in Tiberias and is now based in Tel Aviv. The director, who is also a screenwriter and novelist, has had previous films screened at TIFF. He told The Hollywood Reporter that “Bliss” was shot in locations across northern Israel that were later bombed and destroyed by Hezbollah missiles fired from southern Lebanon during the current Israel-Hamas war. A community center with a swimming pool that was a central location in the film was completely destroyed.
Watch a trailer for the film below.
The post Anti-Israel Protesters Storm Screening of Israeli Film at Toronto Festival first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy
Thomas Barrack at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo
i24 News – Lebanon’s daunting social, economic and political issues would not get resolved unless the state persists in the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy behind so much of the unrest and destruction, special US envoy Tom Barrack told The National.
“You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again,” he said, using the historical Arabic name for the region sometimes known as “larger Syria.”
The official stressed the need to follow through on promises to disarm the Iranian proxy, which suffered severe blows from Israel in the past year, including the elimination of its entire leadership, and is considered a weakened though still dangerous jihadist outfit.
“There are issues that we have to arm wrestle with each other over to come to a final conclusion. Remember, we have an agreement, it was a great agreement. The problem is, nobody followed it,” he told The National.
Barrack spoke on the heels of a trip to Beirut, where he proposed a diplomatic plan for the region involving the full disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese state.
The post Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a cultural forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11, 2024. Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Scherbak/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian leadership that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, the Axios website reported on Saturday. The Russian strongman also relayed the message to his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, the report said.
Iranian news agency Tasnim issued a denial, citing an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard.
Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “Any negotiated solution must respect Iran’s right to enrichment. No agreement without recognizing our right to enrichment. If negotiations occur, the only topic will be the nuclear program. No other issues, especially defense or military matters, will be on the agenda.”
The post Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool
i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is attending at least one meeting with Israeli officials in Azerbaijan today, despite sources in Damascus claiming he wasn’t attending, a Syrian source close to President Al-Sharaa tells i24NEWS.
The Syrian source stated that this is a series of two or three meetings between the sides, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also in attendance, along with Ahmed Al-Dalati, the Syrian government’s liaison for security meetings with Israel.
The high-level Israeli delegation includes a special envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as security and military figures.
The purpose of the meetings is to discuss further details of the security agreement to be signed between Israel and Syria, the Iranian threat in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s weapons, the weapons of Palestinian militias, the Palestinians camps in Lebanon, and the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza in the region.
The possibility of opening an Israeli coordination office in Damascus, without diplomatic status, might also be discussed.
The source stated that the decision to hold the meetings in Azerbaijan, made by Israel and the US, is intended to send a message to Iran.
The post Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan first appeared on Algemeiner.com.