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BBC Blasted for Choosing Anti-Israel Eurovision Contestant as Competition Rejects Calls to Boycott Jewish State

Olly Alexander in the music video for “Sweet Talker.” Photo: YouTube screenshot

The singer chosen by the BBC to represent the United Kingdom in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest has supported claims that Israel is committing genocide, ethnic cleansing, and “crimes against humanity.”

The BBC announced on Dec. 16 that pop singer Olly Alexander, 33, will compete on behalf of the UK at the international music competition, which will be held in Malmö, Sweden in May. The former frontman of the band Years and Years has also been nominated as an actor by the British Academy Film Awards.

In October, Alexander joined thousands in signing an open letter, penned by the LGBTQ activist group Voices4London, that accused Israel of perpetrating a genocide in and occupation of the Gaza Strip, as well as the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians. It further claimed that Israel is committing “unspeakable crimes against humanity” and has an “apartheid regime, which acts to ethnically cleanse the land” while “the Israeli military and Israeli settlers have continued to terrorize Palestinian people.” The letter also alleged that the “Israeli government continues to wipe out entire lineages of Palestinian families” and talked about “Zionist propaganda.”

The Israeli Embassy in the UK criticized the BBC for selecting Alexander for the Eurovision Song Contest after it was revealed that he signed the open letter.

“Clearly [Alexander] graduated from the Middle Eastern School of TikTok,” the embassy tweeted on Thursday. “We would be happy to arrange a trip for you to visit the #October7thMassacre sites in Israel, where the rights of LGBTQ+ are celebrated, protected, and cherished. Unfortunately, our neighbors can’t guarantee the same.” The message was reposted by Israel’s official X/Twitter account.

Campaign Against Antisemitism, a volunteer-based Jewish charity in the UK, also commented on the BBC’s pick on social media, posting, “When nearly seven in ten British Jews feel afraid to express their identity in public, [Alexander] must not be the person to represent our country.”

The BBC has been urged to drop Alexander as the UK’s act in the Eurovision Song Contest, but the public broadcaster has no plans to take any action against the singer since he signed the anti-Israel letter before he was chosen to represent Britain, according to The Telegraph.

The recent controversy surrounding next year’s Eurovision contest comes amid calls from musicians in Iceland to have Israel banned from the competition because of its ongoing war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza. However, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the contest, released a statement rejecting the demand to boycott Israel and reaffirmed the country’s participation in the competition.

Israel has yet to announce its representative for next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The Jewish state has been competing in the international competition since 1973 and has won four times, most recently in 2018 with Netta Barzilai’s song Toy. This year’s representative from Israel, Noa Kirel, came in third place during the contest in Liverpool.

The post BBC Blasted for Choosing Anti-Israel Eurovision Contestant as Competition Rejects Calls to Boycott Jewish State first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves Downing Street, following the results of the election, in London, Britain, July 5, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville

i24 NewsThe United States has warned the UK and France not to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at a UN conference scheduled for June 17 in New York, the Middle East Eye reported Tuesday.

France and Saudi Arabia will co-host this conference on the two-state solution, with Paris reportedly preparing to unilaterally recognize Palestine. France is also pressuring London to follow this path, according to sources from the British Foreign Office.

French media reports indicate that French authorities believe they have the agreement of the British government. Meanwhile, Arab states are encouraging this move, measuring the success of the conference by the recognitions obtained.

This initiative deeply divides Western allies. If France and the UK were to carry out this recognition, they would become the first G7 nations to take this step, causing a “political earthquake” according to observers, given their historical ties with Israel. The Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer threatened last week to annex parts of the West Bank if this recognition took place, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary David Lammy publicly opposes unilateral recognition, stating that London would only recognize a Palestinian state when we know that it is going to happen and that it is in view.

However, pressure is mounting within the Labour Party. MP Uma Kumaran, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the government was elected on a platform that promised to recognize Palestine as a step towards a just and lasting peace. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, believes that there is no legitimate reason for the United States to interfere in a sovereign decision of recognition, while highlighting the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump on this issue.

The post Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack

A small number of Jewish worshipers pray during the priestly blessing, a traditional prayer which usually attracts thousands of worshipers at the Western Wall on the holiday of Passover during 2020, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 12, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.

i24 NewsThe Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police thwarted another Iranian attempt to recruit Israelis, according to a statement on Tuesday, arresting a resident of East Jerusalem for allegedly carrying out missions for the Islamic Republic.

Iranian agents recruited the suspect, who in turn recruited members of his family. He is a resident of the Isawiya neighborhood in his 30s, and is accused of maintaining contact with a hostile foreign entity to harm the state by carrying out a terrorist attack against Jews.

The suspect had already begun perpetrating acts of sabotage and espionage, including collecting intelligence about areas in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall and Mahane Yehuda Market. He also hung signs, burned Israeli army uniforms, and more in exchange for payment totaling thousands of shekels.

He was also charged with planning a terror attack in central Israel, including setting fire to a forest, and was told to transfer weapons to terrorist elements in the West Bank.

The suspect’s sought the help of family members, including his mother. A search at his home revealed sums of cash, a spray can used in some of his activities, airsoft guns, suspected illegal drugs, and more.

His indictment is expected to be filed by the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office.

The statement said that the case is yet another example of Iranian efforts to recruit Israelis. “We will continue to coordinate efforts to thwart terrorism and terrorist elements, including those operating outside Israel, while attempting to mobilize local elements in order to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” the Shin Bet and Police said.

The post Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt holds a chart showing the development of antisemitic crime, during a press conference on Figures for Politically Motivated Crime in the Country, in Berlin, Germany, May 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Cybercrime in Germany rose to a record level last year, driven by hacker attacks from pro-Russian and anti-Israeli groups, the BKA Federal Crime Office reported on Tuesday as the government said it would boost countermeasures to combat it.

“Cybercrime is an increasing threat to our security,” said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. “It is getting more aggressive but our counter-strategies are also becoming more professional,” he said.

Some 131,391 cases of cybercrime took place in Germany last year and a further 201,877 cases were committed from abroad or an unknown location, a BKA report said.

The actors behind the hacker attacks on German targets were primarily either pro-Russian or anti-Israeli, said the BKA, adding targets were mostly public and federal institutions.

Ransomware, when criminals copy and encrypt data, is one of the main threats, said the BKA, with 950 companies and institutes reporting cases in 2024.

German digital association Bitkom said damage caused by cyberattacks here totaled 178.6 billion euros ($203.87 billion) last year, some 30.4 billion euros more than in the previous year.

Dobrindt said the government planned to extend the legal capabilities authorities could use to combat cybercrime and set higher security standards for companies.

The post Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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