US Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) speaks during a House Education and The Workforce Committee hearing titled ‘Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism’ on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, Dec. 5, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ken Cedeno

During Tuesday’s Senate confirmation hearings, Rep. Elise Stefanik (D-NY), President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as United Nations (UN) ambassador, lambasted the “antisemitic rot” in the UN, vowing to restore “moral clarity” at the intergovernmental organization. 

“If you look at the anti-Semitic rot within the United Nations, there are more resolutions targeting Israel than any other country, any other crisis combined,” Stefanik said.

Stefanik continued by pointing out that members of the UN have refused to emphatically condemn the widely-corroborated and evidenced claims of systemic rape of Israeli women on Oct. 7 by the Hamas terrorist group. The congresswoman said she was “overjoyed” at the recent return of three Israeli female hostages—Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher, and Emily Damari—from the clutches of Hamas, which was made possible by the recent ceasefire deal between the Jewish state and the terrorist group. 

“We need to stay committed to ensuring every hostage is brought home. I’ve met with many hostage families. This position, we need to be a voice of moral clarity on the UN Security Council and at the United Nations at large, for the world to hear the importance of standing with Israel, and I intend to do that,” Stefanik said. 

Stefanik, one of the most stalwart allies of the Jewish state in Congress, reflected on the upcoming 50th anniversary of the controversial and “disgraceful” UN General Assembly Resolution 3379 which defined Zionism as “a form of racism and discrimination.” 

“At the time, our UN ambassador Daniel Patrick Moynahan spoke out strongly against that disgraceful resolution. That is the type of leadership that I hope to bring if confirmed to the United Nations,” Stefanik said. 

Beyond the UN, Stefanik also discussed her views on potential West Bank annexation. Stefanik fielded questions from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), one of the most vociferous critics of Israel in the Senate, regarding her view on the West Bank. Van Hollen asked Stefanik whether she agrees with right-wing Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that the Jewish state has a “biblical right to the entire West Bank.” 

“Yes,” Stefanik replied. 

Van Hollen responded that expanding Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank would prevent “peace and stability” in the Middle East. He encouraged her to rethink her position, urging her to consider the existing UN Security Council resolutions regarding the West Bank. 

Van Hollen and Stefanik also tusseled over whether Palestinians deserve “self determination” in the form of their own state. Van Hollen asserted that Stefanik privately expressed her support for a Palestinian state. However, Stefanik accused the Senator of misrepresenting her viewpoint, instead Palestinains “deserve so much better than the failures they’ve had from terrorist leadership.” 

In the year following the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in southern Isarel, Stefanik has established herself as one of the most vocal allies of the Jewish state. 

While serving on the Education and the Workforce Committee, Stefanik has lambasted administrators of elite universities for their mealy-mouthed condemnations of antisemitism and tolerance of anti-Jewish violence on campus. In December 2023, Stefanik engaged in a fiery back-and-forth with the presidents of Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology over  purported antisemitic campus atmospheres.

During the 2024 presidential election, Stefanik cut a video with Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), encouraging Jewish voters to throw their support behind Donald Trump. 

“This is the most important election cycle in our lifetime, and as we have seen on college campuses, the rot of antisemitism is real in the Democratic Party,” Stefanik said.

RJC—an organization which works to enhance ties between the Republican party and the Jewish community—praised Stefanik’s performance during the confirmation hearings. 

“By nominating Rep. [Elise Stefanik] to be the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, President Trump has sent a clear message: that we will stand by our cherished ally Israel and fight back against the vile antisemitism running rampant in Turtle Bay,” RJC wrote on X/Twitter. “RJC is proud to support Rep. Stefanik’s nomination, and strongly urges all US Senators to swiftly confirm her,” RJC continued. 

The post Elise Stefanik Calls Out ‘Antisemitic Rot’ At United Nations, Vows To Stress ‘The Importance of Standing With Israel’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, waits to welcome the senior Ukrainian delegation led by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, Dec. 30, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Damascus’s new authorities have denied circulating reports about a ban on goods imported from Iran, Russia, and Israel from entering the country.

Mazen Alloush, the public relations officer at the General Authority for Land and Maritime Crossings, told Enab Baladi, an independent Syrian media organization, that reports regarding the restriction of goods stem from pages impersonating the Syrian government.

This comes after an account on Telegram, under the name of the Syrian Land and Sea Ports Authority, claimed that the country’s Ministry of Finance had ruled the prohibition of goods originating from Iran, Israel, and Russia from entering Syrian territory, with authorities ordering their confiscation at all land and sea border crossings.

This fake account was also advertising several job openings at various border crossings, including Dara’a, Jdeidet Yabous, Kassab, and others.

However, the General Authority for Land and Maritime Crossings does not have any social media accounts, Alloush explained, adding that all decisions are issued exclusively by the official Syrian news agency (SANA).

The interim Damascus government established the Authority for Land and Maritime Crossings in late December 2024 after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Despite no official ban being in place so far, the Ministry of Economy is working on preparing “negative lists” to support local production and protect the agricultural calendar. 

Given that Syria has no formal ties with Russia, Iran, or Israel since the new administration took power after the fall of al-Assad’s regime in December, Damascus likely receives little to no imports from those countries.

Following the rebel takeover last year, the absence of official media has led to the widespread circulation of fake news.

This fake Telegram account also published a document, falsely claiming it was issued by Syrian authorities, that allegedly bans the entry of Israelis and Iranians through land, air, and maritime crossings.

Even though this document is false, Turkish Airlines announced last week a set of travel conditions for its resumption of flights to Syria, stating that these conditions, issued by Syrian authorities, allow citizens from all countries to travel, except for Iranians and Israelis.

After the collapse of al-Assad’s regime, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defense Forces to deploy in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria to protect their border and prevent terrorist attacks. This marked the first time since the end of the Yom Kippur War in 1973 that Israeli forces have remained in the area for more than a few hours.

At the time, Netanyahu referred to the collapse of Syria’s old regime as a “historic” victory for Israeli strategy and security, calling it “a pivotal step toward regional stability and peace.”

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Demonstrators take part in an “Emergency Rally: Stand With Palestinians Under Siege in Gaza,” amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Harvard University has settled two antisemitism lawsuits, which were merged by a federal judge in Nov. 2024, that blighted its reputation while feeding an impression that Ivy League universities have become bastions of anti-Jewish hatred and pro-terror ideologies.

As previously reported by the Algemeiner, Harvard was sued, separately, both by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (The Brandeis Center) and Students Against Antisemitism (SAA) in 2024. The Brandeis Center alleged that the university’s neglecting to discipline a professor whose mistreatment of Israeli-Jewish students was confirmed by a third-party investigator violated civil rights protections mandated by federal law. SAA, citing similar legal infractions, alleged that the university failed to quell an explosion of antisemitic behavior on the campus, including harassment and hate speech.

Harvard initially fought the suits in court, attempting to have their allegations thrown out of court on the grounds that they “lacked standing” and a “legally cognizable claim” even as it proclaimed “the importance of the need to address antisemitism at the university,” according to court documents.

With the settlement, which comes one day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump — who has vowed to tax the endowments of universities where antisemitism is rampant —Harvard avoids a lengthy legal fight that would have been interpreted by the Jewish community as a willful refusal to acknowledge the discrimination to which Jewish students are subjected.

“Today’s settlement reflects Harvard’s enduring commitment to ensuring our Jewish students, faculty, and staff are embraced, respected, and supported,” Harvard said in a press release. “We will continue to strengthen our policies, systems, and operations to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate and ensure all members of the Harvard community have the support they need to pursue their academic, research, and professional work and feel they belong on our campus and in our classrooms.”

Per the agreement, it will apply the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism to its non-discrimination and anti-bullying policies (NDAB), recognize the centrality of Zionism to Jewish identity, and explicitly state that targeting and individual on the basis of their Zionism constitutes a violation of school rules.

According to the Harvard Crimson, one plaintiff, Shabbos Kestenbaum, has declined to be a party to the settlement agreement and chosen to pursue an independent legal remedy, as well as representation by a new attorney.

All other parities commended the outcome of the case as progress.

“We are heartened that Harvard has agreed to take numerous important steps necessary to creating a welcoming environment free from anti-Semitic hate, discrimination, and harassment,” Brandeis Center chairman Kenneth Marcus said in a statement announcing the settlement. “We thank those within Harvard, including administrators, faculty, students, and alumni, who have worked tirelessly to achieve this result. In turn, we look forward to working with Harvard on the important work in this agreement to ensure that the rights of all students are protected.”

SAA attorney Marc Kasowtiz told Reuters, “These measures are going to very, very protective of the interests and rights of Jewish students on the Harvard campus.”

Harvard University is not the first elite university to settle a claim brought by Jewish students.

In June, Columbia University settled a lawsuit in which it was accused of abdicating its obligation to foster a safe learning environment amid riotous pro-Hamas protests that were held at the school throughout the final weeks of the academic year. The resolution of the case included Columbia’s hiring “Safe Passage Liaisons,” who will monitor protests, and “walking escorts,” who will accompany students whose safety is threatened around the campus. Other details of the settlement included “accommodations” for students whose academic lives are disrupted by protests and new security policies for controlling access to school property.

In July, New York University (NYU) agreed to pay an undisclosed sum of money to settle a lawsuit brought by three students who sued the school for responding, allegedly, to antisemitic discrimination “with deliberate indifference.” Like Harvard University, NYU agreed to formally recognize Zionism as a component of Jewish identity.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.

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