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At European Parliament, Urgent Call for Action on Women’s Rights a Year After Hamas Sexual Violence
The personal belongings of festival-goers are seen at the site of an attack on the Nova Festival by Hamas terrorists from Gaza, near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Oct. 12, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Global silence and inaction in the face of gender-based violence by Hamas were condemned at the European Parliament this week, where a panel of experts warned that the denial and rationalization of the rape of Israeli women during the Palestinian terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attack last year legitimized gender-based violence as a weapon of war and enabled other regimes, such as Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government, to continue their oppression of women.
“If the world continues to turn a blind eye, we embolden these regimes and open the door to more atrocities,” said Dr. Charles Asher Small, executive director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), which hosted the event.
“Antisemitism, as history shows, begins with Jews but never ends there. Today, the forces attacking Jewish people are the same ones oppressing women across the Middle East,” Small said.
The event, co-hosted by MEP Fulvio Martusciello and ISGAP, highlighted the deteriorating state of women’s rights in the region since the brutal Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on Israel, and came one year after the attack, in which women were subjected to widespread sexual violence, including rape, torture, and mutilation.
Numerous eyewitness accounts, video evidence, and investigations by the United Nations confirmed that these acts were committed systematically, targeting women as part of the broader assault. Victims were found naked or partially clothed, and survivors have since provided harrowing testimonies of the brutal attacks, most recently last week, on the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre.
(L-R) MEP Fulvio Martusciello, Manel Mslalmi, and Dr. Charles Asher Small speaking at the EU Parliament in Brussels, Oct. 15, 2024. Photo: Courtesy of ISGAP
Dr. Small and other panelists, including Claude Moniquet and Prof. Firouzeh Nahavandi, explored how extremism and political instability have compounded the suffering of women, who are often targeted both for their gender and their identity.
“The Oct. 7 attack was not just an assault on Israel but on the core values we claim to uphold — human rights, equality, and dignity,” Small said. He criticized the international community’s tepid response, noting, “The brutal murders and abductions of Israeli women by Hamas should have sparked global outrage, yet we faced silence, or worse, justifications disguised as resistance.”
The discussion also drew attention to the wider repression of women’s rights across the Middle East, with Qatar and Afghanistan cited as examples of regimes that suppress women’s freedoms while gaining international legitimacy. “Qatar funds radical movements while suppressing women’s rights,” Small noted, adding that the ongoing silence only emboldens such regimes.
“In Afghanistan, women can no longer speak publicly, let alone access education, and the world remains silent,” he said.
Manel Msalmi, president of the European Association for the Defense of Minorities, highlighted the “gendered nature of the violence” in the Oct. 7 attacks, stressing that women were specifically targeted for their gender with “unspeakable brutality designed to dehumanize and terrorize.” She urged the global community to respond with the urgency the atrocities demand.
“Whether in Iran, Afghanistan, or Gaza, women are systematically silenced, subjugated, and stripped of their most basic rights. It is disheartening that the international community has largely failed to respond with the urgency and outrage these atrocities demand,” Msalmi said.
“We cannot claim to stand for women’s rights, equality, or human dignity if we turn a blind eye to such barbarism,” she added.
The post At European Parliament, Urgent Call for Action on Women’s Rights a Year After Hamas Sexual Violence first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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UK Memorial to Oct. 7 Victims Vandalized Again Amid Surge in Antisemitism
A memorial in Brighton, southeastern England, honoring the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel, has been vandalized. Photo: Screenshot
A Jewish memorial in Brighton, southeastern England, dedicated to the victims of the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has been vandalized once again — one of more than 40 attacks on the site since it was first established.
On Wednesday afternoon, the memorial — which is located in Palmeira Square, in the coastal city of Brighton and Hove — was found badly defaced, with pages displaying victims’ photographs ripped from a folder and strewn across the pavement.
Members of the local Jewish community, who created and maintain the memorial, believe the vandalism occurred in broad daylight between 1 pm and 3.30 pm. They are now urging anyone with information to come forward.
Sussex County Police have confirmed that an investigation into the incident is currently underway.
“They threw the images of murdered children around like they were nothing. Evil unhinged,” Heidi Bachram, one of the volunteers who helps run the memorial, told the Jewish Chronicle. “There have been over 40 attacks on the site including vandalism, theft, and graffiti. The abuse has been relentless.”
“The memorial is not a political place. We simply mourn the murdered. We tell their stories,” Bachram continued. “It’s shocking that grief for innocents is met with such violence. The hate won’t stop us, and every night, a different victim’s story will be told [at the memorial]. We will never let them be forgotten.”
A psychopath has utterly DESTROYED our 7/10 memorial in Brighton AGAIN. Over forty times it has been attacked. The last pro-Pal who did it on camera got away with it, so I’m not surprised. I guess the release of a hostage upset the NASTY bullies. Our dead should not be a target. pic.twitter.com/lg2aNe4H0M
— Heidi Bachram
(@HeidiBachram) May 14, 2025
In less than a day, more than £1,500 has been raised and contributed to the ongoing GoFundMe campaign set up by the local Jewish community to help maintain the site and fund the development of a permanent memorial.
Following the Oct. 7 onslaught, Brighton’s Jewish community has held a daily vigil beside the memorial, honoring one of the approximately 1,200 victims or 251 hostages each evening.
After Sussex Police were called and attendees reconstructed the memorial, the community held Wednesday’s vigil honoring 88-year-old Chana Kritzman, who was critically injured by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 during her evacuation from Kibbutz Be’eri and died two weeks later in hospital.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the leading representative body of the UK’s Jewish communities, strongly condemned the latest vandalism, saying they were “appalled and heartbroken” by the incident.
“We stand in solidarity with the Brighton & Hove Jewish community who have been unwavering in their commitment to hold a public service every single day dedicated to a different victim of the massacre,” the group said in a statement.
“We urge the authorities to investigate this incident fully and to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the board continued.
We are appalled and heartbroken by the news that the memorial in Brighton to the victims of the October 7 Hamas attacks has been vandalised. pic.twitter.com/Rgz7kOGfCL
— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) May 16, 2025
The United Kingdom has experienced a surge in antisemitic crimes following the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s attack on Israel, amid the ensuing war in Gaza.
In February, the Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit charity that advises Britain’s Jewish community on security matters, released data showing the UK experienced its second worst year for antisemitism in 2024, despite recording an 18 percent drop in antisemitic incidents from the previous year’s all-time high.
According to CST, there have been 3,528 antisemitic incidents reported in 2024, a decrease from the 4,296 incidents recorded in 2023. In previous years, the numbers were significantly lower, with 1,662 incidents in 2022 and 2,261 hate crimes in 2021. These incidents include 201 physical assaults, 157 cases of damage to Jewish property, and 250 direct threats.
The post UK Memorial to Oct. 7 Victims Vandalized Again Amid Surge in Antisemitism first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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New York City Mayor, Police Commissioner Detail Increased Security Measures for Israel Day Parade
Thousands of participants and spectators gather along Fifth Avenue to express support for Israel during the 59th Annual Israel Day Parade in New York City, on June 2, 2024. Photo: Melissa Bender via Reuters Connect
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch held a briefing on Friday morning to detail their “comprehensive security plan” to ensure the safety of New Yorkers at the Israel Day Parade on Sunday.
The theme of this year’s parade is “Hatikvah,” which means “the hope” and is also the title of Israel’s national anthem. Several former hostages — abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel — will march in the parade on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, including Andrey Kozlov, Ilana Gritzewsky, Aviva and Keith Siegel, Eliya Cohen, and Doron Steinbrecher. The hostages are marching to raise awareness for the 58 people still held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The logo of this year’s parade is a multicolored tree that has a yellow ribbon on its trunk, in solidarity with the hostages.
Almost daily, there have been anti-Israel protests in New York City, including on college campuses, and the city is facing an unprecedented uptick in antisemitism, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
“We will not tolerate any attempts to disrupt this event or engage those who come to celebrate,” Trish started the security briefing on Friday morning by saying. She then detailed measures that will be taken by the NYPD at the parade on Sunday, which include requiring spectators to enter the viewing area through designated screening entry points. No backpacks, chairs, large bags, and other items will be allowed.
Tisch added that, while currently the NYPD is not aware of any specific or credible threats related to the parade, nevertheless there will be a “robust and visible police presence” at the event, including uniformed police officers as well as bomb squads and both counterterrorism and surveillance teams. NYPD helicopters and drones will also be in the area and intelligence teams will be moderating social media for potential threats.
“The NYPD will be out there to make sure Sunday is safe, joyful, and everything that it’s meant to be,” Tisch concluded.
“We want to ensure we have a safe acknowledgement of Israel’s Independence Day on Sunday,” Adams added. “We look forward to the flags and beauty of this celebration.”
Adams announced earlier this week the establishment of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, the first office of its kind to open in a major city in the US. The new mayoral office will aim to tackle “all forms of antisemitism.”
“There is no place for antisemitism and hate in the state of New York. Plain and simple,” Adams said at Friday’s security briefing. “Those who spread hate want to divide us, but we must remain united. A hateful few will not dictate how the rest of us live.”
Adams is scheduled to march in the parade on Sunday. New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James are also scheduled to attend. The parade is organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York with support from the UJA-Federation of New York.
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Israel’s Yuval Raphael Advances to Grand Final of 2025 Eurovision Song Contest
Yuval Raphael from Israel with the title “New Day Will Rise” on stage at the second semi-final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in the Arena St. Jakobshalle. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa via Reuters Connect
Israel’s Yuval Raphael advanced to the grand final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest after a stunning performance of her song “New Day Will Rise” in the second semi-finals on Thursday night in Basel, Switzerland.
The 24-year-old, who is a survivor of the Oct. 7, 2023, Nova music festival massacre, performed an emotional ballad in English, French, and Hebrew that was written by singer and songwriter Keren Peles. The results of the semi-finals are based solely on public vote.
Ten acts from the second semi-final advanced to the grand final, including performers from Armenia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Malta. Raphael will compete in Saturday’s grand final against those acts and the qualifiers from Tuesday’s semi-final. They include performers from Albania, Iceland, Estonia, Portugal, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, Norway, San Marino, and the Netherlands. Also competing in the grand final is the Eurovision “Big Five” — Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Italy – and Switzerland, which was last year’s winner.
Unlike in the semi-finals, the results of the grand final are based on a combination of the televote and the jury vote, in which professional juries from all 37 participating countries vote for their favorites. Last year, a Eurovision jury member from Norway admitted that he refused to give points to Israel’s representative, Eden Golan, because of his personal resentment toward Israel’s military actions in the Gaza war.
There have been a number of public calls, including from national broadcasters and former Eurovision contestants, to have Israel banned from this year’s competition because of the country’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip targeting the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
During a dress rehearsal for the semi-final on Thursday afternoon, audience members booed at Raphael, whistled, and waved oversized Palestinian flags. Under rules of the competition, all flags are allowed but there are limitations on the size. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, which is organizing this year’s Eurovision events, said in a released statement that the audience members with the oversized flags were escorted out of the St Jakobshalle arena by security personnel.
The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest grand final will take place on Saturday night in Basel’s St Jackobshalle arena. The detailed results of the second semi-final will be revealed after the grand final.
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