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Arabs Are Not Our Enemies
Israeli model May Tager, holding an Israeli flag, poses with Dubai-resident model Anastasia Bandarenka, holding an Emirati flag, during a photo shoot for FIX’s Princess Collection, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 8, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Christopher Pike.
Baruch Hashem, Arabs are not our enemies. Forget the headlines, look in the Torah. And the Torah, our eternal blueprint for life, compels us to see beyond the politics of fear and into the eyes of Divine image-bearers. In fact, the Talmud (Sotah 10a) teaches that the very first Jews — Sarah and Abraham — chose to leave behind comfort and status not to isolate themselves from the world, but to embrace it.They pitched their tents at the crossroads of the desert, not to avoid Arabs, but to welcome them. Day after day, they prepared meals, washed the feet of dusty travelers, and shared their spiritual table with people of all backgrounds, including the Arab tribes that roamed the region. These were not theoretical gestures — they were daily acts of hospitality and human connection.
The midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 49:4) paints a vivid picture: when guests would eat in Abraham’s tent and begin to thank him, he would gently stop them and say, “Don’t thank me — bless the Creator of the world.” Thus, Arabs and others joined Abraham in not just eating bread but elevating it — blessing G-d together with him. This is not just a charming anecdote from ancient times. It is a blueprint for our time. As Dr. King taught us, our ultimate measure is not where we stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where we stand at times of challenge and controversy.
Our sages teach us that all human beings are created b’tzelem Elokim — in the image of G-d (Bereishis 1:27). This Divine imprint doesn’t discriminate based on ethnicity, nationality, or religion. It’s universal. So much so that when the Torah was given at Sinai, G-d also reaffirmed His covenant with all of humanity through the Sheva Mitzvot Bnei Noach — the Seven Noahide Laws — laws of basic morality, justice, and recognition of a Higher Power that were given not just to Jews but to the entire human collective (Sanhedrin 56a).
This means that even though Jews and Arabs may differ in covenantal obligations, our destinies are intertwined. We share the mission of revealing G-dliness in the world. Our unity is not uniformity. It is based on our shared capacity to bring light into dark places, to elevate the mundane, and to serve as ambassadors of Heaven on Earth.
But today, many struggle to see this vision. The brutality of terrorism, the images of war, the pain of loss — these are very real, and we must never minimize the suffering. We are commanded to defend ourselves (Haba l’hargecha hashkem l’hargo – Sanhedrin 72a), and those who commit acts of evil must be brought to justice. But we must also remember this: terrorists are not synonymous with Arabs. Just as extremists who twist our own religion do not represent Torah, terrorists do not represent the totality of our Arab friends and brethren.
We must not let the terrorists win by poisoning our hearts against each other. They win when we begin to view entire groups as subhuman. They win when we let fear erase faith. They win when we forget, as my mother taught me, that seeing the good is seeing the G-d in our fellow human being. As George Deek, a proud Arab who is Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, once told me, “A Middle East that has no room for a Jewish state has no room for humanity.”
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, once told the Sadigura Rebbe, Rabbi Avraham Yaakov Freidman, that our Arab brethren should be blessed — to be fruitful and multiply, and to join with the Jewish people in building a better world. This is a Torah vision — a redemptive one. Not based on naive utopianism, but on the prophetic promise of true peace. The prophet Isaiah (2:2–4) speaks of a time when “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” This isn’t just messianic poetry. It’s a mandate. The Torah demands we yearn for that day, work toward that day, and speak as if it can come today. As Maimonides taught us, we are obligated to await the Messiah’s coming “every day.”
Too often, we speak only of our enemies. But our sages teach, Aizehu gibor? Hakovesh et yitzro — Who is mighty? One who conquers their own negative inclinations (Pirkei Avot 4:1). Today, that yetzer hara is the voice that whispers, “They are all evil. Give up on hope.” But hope is a mitzvah. Faith in humanity is part of being a chiluk Elokai mimaal — a portion of G-d above. Let us distinguish, as Beruriah taught her husband Rabbi Meir, between evil actions and people, especially entire nations of people. Let us affirm the holiness of life while condemning those who seek to destroy it. And let us dare to dream, as Avraham once did, of a tent large enough to welcome all the children of G-d.
I pray for peace — not just the silence of gunshots and violence, but the song of genuine sisterhood and brotherhood. I pray that my Arab friends and brethren be blessed with prosperity, health, happiness, and holiness. And I pray that we, the Jewish people, never forget who we are: a nation charged with bringing blessing to kol mishpachot ha’adamah — all the families of the Earth (Bereishis 12:3) so we can “serve Him with one accord” (Zephaniah 3:9) in the Holy Temple which is the “…house of prayer for all peoples (Isaiah 56:7).”
And, to that, I say Amen.
Levi Y. Welton is a rabbi, stand-up comedian, and Lubavitcher Chossid. He can be reached at rabbiwelton@gmail.com
The post Arabs Are Not Our Enemies first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Al Jazeera Hit With Defamation Lawsuit by Syrian Jewish Ex-Refugee
The Al Jazeera Media Network logo is seen on its headquarters building in Doha, Qatar, June 8, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon
A defamation lawsuit was filed against the Qatar-based Al Jazeera media network on Wednesday by Abraham Hamra, a Syrian pro-Israel advocate and lawyer.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Hamra “is a Jewish refugee from Syria, born in Damascus. He fled Syria with his parents and siblings in 1994 at the age of eight, following the partial lifting of restrictions on Jewish emigration by the Syrian regime under President Hafez al-Assad in 1992.”
The Algemeiner obtained a copy of the complaint, which explains that, on Aug. 25, Al Jazeera posted a video claiming that Hamra was paid by the Israeli government to visit an aid site of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israel- and US-backed program that delivers aid directly to Palestinians, operating independently from UN-backed mechanisms.
“This accusation is false in its entirety. Plaintiff has never received any payment, compensation, or financial incentive from the Israeli government or any affiliated entity for visiting aid sites in Gaza,” the lawsuit claims.
“The visit by Plaintiff related to Israel and Gaza was undertaken independently, in his personal capacity, on his own dime, as an advocate for his community and to bear witness against misinformation,” the suit continues.
The UN and critics of Israel have expressed concerns that the GHF’s approach forces civilians to risk their safety by traveling long distances across active conflict zones to reach one of its four food distribution points, at times creating chaotic scenes where Israeli forces have used gunfire to control the crowd.
However, supporters of the GHF argue that it bypasses the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which often steals humanitarian supplies for its own purposes and sells the rest at inflated prices. The GHF has called on the UN to publicly condemn the killing of aid workers in Gaza and to collaborate in order to provide relief to the enclave’s population, accusing the UN of perpetuating a “vast disinformation campaign” aimed at tarnishing the foundation’s image.
The lawsuit notes that the social media post from Al Jazeera, which included the image of Hamra, “cites no sources for the ‘reportedly paid’ claim, and publicly available information about Plaintiff, including his professional bio, social media posts, and known activities, demonstrates he is an independent US attorney with no financial ties to foreign governments.”
Al Jazeera also “failed to conduct even basic fact-checking, such as contacting Plaintiff for comment or verifying the allegation, despite their status as a major media network with resources to do so,” according to the lawsuit.
Al Jazeera did not respond to a request for comment from The Algemeiner.
The lawsuit argues why the allegedly false claim rises to the level of libel, saying it “constitutes libel per se under New York law because it accuses Plaintiff of committing a serious crime, namely, violating FARA [the Foreign Agents Registration Act] by acting as an unregistered foreign agent for Israel, and tends to injure him in his profession as a lawyer.”
“FARA requires individuals acting as agents of foreign principals to register with the US Department of Justice, and failure to do so is a federal offense punishable by fines and imprisonment,” the suit says. “By falsely alleging Plaintiff was paid by a foreign government to promote its interests, the statement implies criminal conduct and undermines his professional integrity.”
Consequently, Hamra is seeking payment for damages of at least $1,00,000 and requesting a trial by jury.
Read the lawsuit here: Hamra v Al Jazeera ECF No. 1 Complaint
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US Lawmakers Launch Investigation Into Wikipedia Over Claims of Systemic Anti-Israel Bias
US Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC). Photo: Reuters
The US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has opened an investigation into the nonprofit that operates the Wikipedia website, demanding answers over concerns that hostile foreign actors are exploiting the popular online encyclopedia to spread anti-Israel propaganda and antisemitic narratives.
Republican Reps James Comer (KY), who chairs the committee, and Nancy Mace (SC), who chairs the panel’s subcommittee on cybersecurity, information technology, and government innovation, on Wednesday sent a letter to Maryana Iskander, chief executive of the Wikimedia Foundation, asking the nonprofit to turn over records showing how the platform polices disinformation campaigns that target articles related to Israel and the Middle East.
The lawmakers cited studies showing that pro-Russia networks and other state-backed operations have sought to manipulate Wikipedia entries on conflicts involving Israel, often by inserting anti-Israel or antisemitic framing designed to sway Western audiences. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), for example, published a report earlier this year arguing that “malicious” Wikipedia editors have inserted anti-Israel bias onto the site, oftentimes violating the organization’s neutrality policies in the process.
Meanwhile, a report from the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab found evidence of Russian-linked attempts to shape narratives used to train AI chatbots by twisting information about Israel.
“The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating the efforts of foreign operations and individuals at academic institutions subsidized by US taxpayer dollars to influence US public opinion,” Comer and Mace wrote. They emphasized the importance of stopping organized attempts to “inject bias into important and sensitive topics.”
Specifically, the committee is demanding records on possible coordination by nation-states or academic institutions to influence Wikipedia pages, internal arbitration files documenting how the site has handled editor misconduct, identifying data for accounts flagged for suspicious activity, and any analysis showing patterns of manipulation tied to antisemitism or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The letter also requests details of Wikipedia’s editorial policies to ensure neutrality and prevent the spread of bias.
Although the committee acknowledged that most online platforms face disinformation threats, the letter stressed that Wikipedia’s outsized influence as one of the most visited websites in the world and a key training source for artificial intelligence systems makes it especially important to prevent anti-Israel narratives from taking root unchecked.
The Wikimedia Foundation has previously stated that it takes action against volunteer editors who violate neutrality rules, but lawmakers say further transparency is needed to guarantee accountability.
However, a detailed investigation by Pirate Wires in October 2024 revealed that a powerful group of roughly 40 Wikipedia editors coordinated to “delegitimize Israel, present radical Islamist groups in a favorable light, and reshape the narrative around Israel with alarming influence,” particularly after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel. Notably, one editor removed mention of Hamas’s 1988 charter, which calls for the killing of Jews and the destruction of Israel, from the Hamas article just six weeks after the attack. The group also reportedly sought to suppress documented human-rights abuses by Iran, and a related effort by a Discord-based collective known as “Tech For Palestine” coordinated mass editing of articles related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
According to a report by the Jewish Journal, Wikipedia’s arbitration committee (ArbCom) permanently banned two editors outright for engaging in off-platform coordination tied to the “Tech for Palestine” Discord campaign, citing violations of policies. Additionally, the committee imposed indefinite topic bans on eight editors in the Israeli-Palestinian area for disruptive behavior such as non-neutral editing, personal insults, and misrepresentation of sources. In December 2024, ArbCom permanently banned two anti-Israel editors and placed restrictions on three others for violation of site policies in the Israeli-Palestinian topic area.
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Tunisian Brothers to Face Trial for Cutting Down Olive Tree Honoring Murdered Jew Ilan Halimi in France
A crowd gathers at the Jardin Ilan Halimi in Paris on Feb. 14, 2021, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Halimi’s kidnapping and murder. Photo: Reuters/Xose Bouzas/Hans Lucas
Two Tunisian twin brothers have been arrested in France after allegedly cutting down an olive tree that had been planted to honor Ilan Halimi, a young French Jewish man tortured to death nearly a decade ago.
According to the Bobigny prosecutor’s office, two 19-year-old undocumented men with prior convictions for theft and violence were arrested for vandalizing Halimi’s memorial in the northern Paris suburb of Épinay-sur-Seine.
Both brothers appeared in criminal court on Wednesday and were remanded in custody pending their trial, scheduled for Oct. 22.
They will face trial on charges of “aggravated destruction of property” and “desecration of a monument dedicated to the memory of the dead on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion,” offenses that, according to prosecutors, carry a sentence of up to two years in prison.
Both suspects were taken into custody around noon on Monday while returning to the crime scene, French media reported.
Investigators tracked them down after discovering two slices of watermelon left by the perpetrators at the base of the olive tree, which contained their DNA.
Halimi was abducted, held captive, and tortured in January 2006 by a gang of about 20 people in a low-income housing estate in the Paris suburb of Bagneux.
Three weeks later, Halimi was found in Essonne, south of Paris, naked, gagged, and handcuffed, with clear signs of torture and burns. The 23-year-old died on the way to the hospital.
In 2011, an olive tree was planted in Halimi’s memory. Earlier this month, the memorial was found felled — probably with a chainsaw — in the northern Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine.
Halimi’s memory has faced attacks before, with two other trees planted in his honor vandalized in 2019 in Essonne, where he was found dying near a railway track.
Hervé Chevreau, the mayor of Épinay, announced that a new memorial tree will be planted in the second half of September.
After the attack, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the incident, vowing that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
“Felling the tree in honor of Ilan Halimi is a second attempt on his life,” the French leader said in a post on X.
Halimi’s sister, Anne-Laure Abitbol, also condemned the incident, warning that public denunciations are no longer enough and calling for concrete action.
“In France, we are no longer safe, neither alive nor dead,” Abitbol told RTL in an interview.
“I feel less safe in France,” she said. “By recognizing a Palestinian state, Macron is encouraging antisemitism and failing to take action against antisemitic attacks in the country.”
Last month, Macron announced that France will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September as part of its “commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”
Israeli officials have criticized the move, which was followed by several other Western countries, calling it a “reward for terrorism.”
France’s Jewish community has faced a troubling surge in antisemitic incidents and anti-Israel sentiment since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Jewish leaders have consistently called on authorities to take swift action against the rising wave of targeted attacks and anti-Jewish hate crimes they continue to face.
According to the French Interior Ministry, 646 antisemitic incidents were recorded from January to June this year — a drop from the previous year’s first-half record high but a 112.5 percent increase compared with the same period in 2023, when 304 incidents were reported.