RSS
Anti-Israel Protesters Target European Synagogues Amid Escalating Antisemitism Crisis
A pro-Hamas demonstration in Zurich, Switzerland, Oct. 28, 2023. Photo: IMAGO/dieBildmanufaktur via Reuters Connect
Amid a surge in antisemitic incidents across Europe, anti-Israel demonstrators targeted synagogues in Poland and Switzerland over the weekend, heightening fears of further violence following last week’s antisemitic shooting in Washington, DC.
On Saturday, a pro-Hamas demonstration in Bern, the de facto capital of Switzerland, prompted a large-scale police operation and led to violent clashes as officers tried to contain the protest, leaving several police officers injured.
According to Swiss media reports, the march had not been authorized, yet around 2,000 protesters gathered and attempted to reach the city’s historic synagogue.
The demonstration was marked by antisemitic rhetoric and inflammatory chants, including the use of the banned slogan, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The slogan is popular among anti-Israel activists and has been widely interpreted as a call for the destruction of the Jewish state, which is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
Local law enforcement attempted to contain the violent protesters who were trying to reach the Jewish synagogue, using tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons to bring the situation under control.
During the clashes, five police officers were injured after protesters attacked them with fireworks and hurled objects.
Violent clashes at the Pro Palestinian demonstration today in Bern, Switzerland. According to local reports, the demonstrators were trying to reach a synagogue but were stopped by police, pic.twitter.com/D38dRSMNJI
— Elad Simchayoff (@Elad_Si) May 24, 2025
Michel Ronen, co-chair of the Jewish Community of Bern (JGB), said these latest incidents underscore the increasing threat that Jews are facing nationwide.
“We are deeply concerned about the high potential for violence at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Naturally, this also raises serious concerns within the Jewish community in Bern,” Ronen told the German newspaper Juedische Allgemeine.
“The fact that this radicalized group of protesters was able to get so close to the synagogue is a clear warning about the security risks facing Bern’s Jewish population. We urge the city of Bern to treat this serious threat with the utmost urgency,” he continued.
Jonathan Kreutner, secretary general of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG), condemned the fact that “radical pro-Palestinian protesters” were able to get so close to the synagogue on Saturday, expressing his full support for the local Jewish community.
“We strongly support the demand for heightened vigilance and the introduction of concrete, forward-thinking security measures in the city of Bern,” Kreutner said.
In a separate incident, anti-Israel agitators also set their sights on a Polish synagogue.
On Friday, an anti-Israel group burst into a synagogue in Bielsko-Biała — a city in southern Poland — disrupting a private Jewish event with antisemitic slogans, hateful rhetoric, and inflammatory chants.
The event at the historic synagogue in Bielsko-Biała was disrupted when members of a pro-Palestinian group stormed in mid-program, waving flags and shouting over Holocaust survivors taking part in the ceremony.
According to local media, Holocaust survivors and community members were subjected to antisemitic insults and slurs.
Following the incident, event organizers attributed the attack to incitement by members of Poland’s far-left Razem party, calling it “the most blatant act of antisemitism the city has witnessed in decades.”
The post Anti-Israel Protesters Target European Synagogues Amid Escalating Antisemitism Crisis first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
French Official Tells Paper Arab Countries Will Condemn Hamas, Trying to Get Palestinian Statehood Recognized
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks to the media on the day he attends the European Union Foreign Ministers council in Brussels, Belgium, July 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yves Herman
Arab countries will for the first time condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament early next week at a United Nations ministerial event in New York, a move meant to lure more European countries to recognize Palestinian statehood, France’s foreign minister said on Saturday.
In an exclusive interview with French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said the move was part of a long-planned initiative between France and Saudi Arabia.
“For the first time, Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament, which will seal its definitive isolation. European countries will in turn confirm their intention to recognize the State of Palestine. Half of European countries have done so, all others are considering it,” Barrot told the JDD.
“The British Prime Minister has stated his intention to do so. Germany is considering it at a later stage. We will launch an appeal in New York for other countries to join us in order to set in motion an even more ambitious and demanding process that will culminate on September 21,” Barrot added.
On Thursday French President Emmanuel Macron announced France would formally recognize the state of Palestine at the U.N. General Assembly on September 21, drawing condemnation from the U.S. and Israel.
Earlier on Saturday Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni called it counterproductive to recognize a Palestinian state before it is established.
On Friday a German government spokesperson said there were no plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.
At the upcoming United Nations event on Monday and Tuesday, France and Saudi Arabia plan to lay out a proposed post-war roadmap leading to a two-state solution covering security, reconstruction and governance, which will be compatible with the Abraham Accords negotiated by US President Trump, Barrot said.
The French minister added that in coming weeks the European Commission would take a tougher stance on Israel and demand a stop on building of any new settlement projects in the West Bank, and also an end to militarized policing of humanitarian aid distribution.
Barrot also called on fellow European countries to demand a removal of the financial blockade on the Palestinian authority so it can receive 2 billion euros he said it is owed.
The post French Official Tells Paper Arab Countries Will Condemn Hamas, Trying to Get Palestinian Statehood Recognized first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Jordan and UAE Drop Aid Into Gaza in First Airdrop in Months, Jordanian Source Says
An airplane drops humanitarian aid over Gaza as seen from northern Gaza Strip July 27, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday in their first airdrop in months, a Jordanian official source said.
The official said the air drops were not a substitute for delivery by land.
The post Jordan and UAE Drop Aid Into Gaza in First Airdrop in Months, Jordanian Source Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Trump Says Israel Will Have to Decide on Next Steps in Gaza, Pledges More Aid
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 8, 2025. Photo: Kevin Lamarque via Reuters Connect.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday Israel would have to make a decision on next steps in Gaza, adding that he did not know what would happen after the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with the Hamas terrorist group.
Trump underscored the importance of securing the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, saying they had suddenly “hardened” up on the issue, and said the US would provide more aid to the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
“They don’t want to give them back, and so Israel is going to have to make a decision,” Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his golf property in Turnberry, Scotland.
“I know what I’d do, but I don’t think it’s appropriate that I say it. But Israel is going to have to make a decision,” he said, while also claiming, without evidence, that Hamas members were stealing food coming into Gaza and selling it.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both appeared on Friday to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying it had become clear that the Palestinian group did not want a deal.
Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling “alternative” options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave.
Trump said he believed Hamas leaders would now be “hunted down,” telling reporters: “Hamas really didn’t want to make a deal. I think they want to die. And it’s very bad. And it got to be to a point where you’re going to have to finish the job.”
US TO PROVIDE MORE AID, TRUMP SAYS
Trump on Sunday said the US would provide more humanitarian aid to Gaza, where concerns are mounting about the worsening hunger, but wanted other countries to participate as well. He said he would discuss the issue with von der Leyen.
“We’re giving a lot of money, a lot of food, a lot of everything,” he said. “If we weren’t there, I think people would have starved, frankly. They would have starved, and it’s not like they’re eating well.”
He said he had spoken with Netanyahu and discussed a number of issues, including Iran. He said and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would also discuss Israel when they meet at Trump’s golf property in Turnberry on Monday.
Trump also noted said the United States was not acknowledged for earlier food aid for Gaza.
“No other country gave anything,” he said, calling out European countries in particular. “It makes you feel a little bad when you do that and, you know, you have other countries not giving anything… Nobody gave but us. And nobody said, Gee, thank you very much. And it would be nice to have at least a thank you.”
The post Trump Says Israel Will Have to Decide on Next Steps in Gaza, Pledges More Aid first appeared on Algemeiner.com.