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Bloomberg News Calls Imprisoned Hamas Terrorists ‘Political Prisoners’

Hamas terrorists kidnapping Israeli women at the Nahal Oz base near the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023. Photo: Screenshot

In her Aug. 26 Bloomberg Brief broadcast, Joumanna Bercetche erroneously reported about Palestinian prisoners to be released in a possible Israel-Hamas ceasefire.

She stated (18:50):

The goal here, which the US Administration and international community has been pressing for, is a cessation of hostilities but also the exchange of hostages and Palestinian political prisoners. [Emphasis added.]

Palestinian prisoners who would be released under the ceasefire proposal are in no way “political prisoners.”

Political prisoners are those held for their beliefs or political activity like participation in legal, non-violent demonstrations.

In the ceasefire negotiations, Hamas is holding hard and fast for its demands for the release of its terrorists and operatives — i.e., members of a designated terror organization. Hamas operatives are not “political prisoners.”

Palestinian journalist Abd Al-Bari Fayyad has made clear that Hamas is demanding the release of its members. He wrote:

… It seems that Hamas’ rigid position is closing the window on the negotiations for the release of the Israeli hostages, because it adheres to [its demand] to release all its operatives from Israel’s prisons in exchange [for the hostages]. [emphasis added]

Western nations do not regard incarcerated terrorists as political prisoners, as the European Council definition makes clear.

Palestinians who carry out terror attacks against Israeli citizens are not protesting their own (Palestinian) government with non-violent activity.

Hamas’ Ali Baraka has said that Hamas also seeks the release of Hamas prisoners held in the United States and Europe. Does Bloomberg believe that Hamas terrorists held in jail in the US and Europe are also “political prisoners”?

As Bloomberg itself has previously reported, among the prisoners released in earlier deals include Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 massacre, and Ahmed Yassin.

Hamas also demands the release of Marwan Barghouti, a former head of the Tanzim terror organization, who was convicted for the murder of five Israelis and the wounding of many more. Barghouti, like is colleagues in the rival terror organization of Hamas, is also no political prisoner.

Media outlets that have previously corrected erroneous references to imprisoned Palestinian terrorists as “political prisoners” include The GuardianIndependentChristian Science Monitor, and Deadline Hollywood.

In response to communication from CAMERA, editors added the following problematic clarification to its webpage carrying the broadcast:

 (In referring to an outcome of talks, our correspondent referred to the release of Palestinian political prisoners. Prisoners being held may not necessarily be for political reasons and may be operatives in the conflict.)

While CAMERA applauds Bloomberg’s prompt effort to address the broadcast’s error, the attempted clarification wrongly reinforces the false notion that at least some prisoners who could be released under a deal are political prisoners. CAMERA has requested that Bloomberg identify which Palestinian prisoners are being held for their political beliefs or protected political activity, as opposed to membership in a designated terror organization, and/or participation in terror activity.
Unless the media outlet is able to identify any political prisoners, a forthright revision of the inadequate correction is in order.
Tamar Sternthal is the director of CAMERA’s Israel Office. A version of this article previously appeared on the CAMERA website.

The post Bloomberg News Calls Imprisoned Hamas Terrorists ‘Political Prisoners’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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North London Synagogue, Nursery Targeted in Eighth Local Antisemitic Incident in Just Over a Week

Demonstrators against antisemitism in London on Sept. 8, 2025. Photo: Campaign Against Antisemitism

A synagogue and its nursery school in the Golders Green area of north London were targeted in an antisemitic attack on Thursday morning — the eighth such incident locally in just over a week amid a shocking surge of anti-Jewish hate crimes in the area.

The synagogue and Jewish nursery were smeared with excrement in an antisemitic outrage echoing a series of recent incidents targeting the local Jewish community.

“The desecration of another local synagogue and a children’s nursery with excrement is a vile, deliberate, and premeditated act of antisemitism,” Shomrim North West London, a Jewish organization that monitors antisemitism and also serves as a neighborhood watch group, said in a statement.

“This marks the eighth antisemitic incident locally in just over a week, to directly target the local Jewish community,” the statement read. “These repeated attacks have left our community anxious, hurt, and increasingly worried.”

Local law enforcement confirmed they are reviewing CCTV footage and collecting evidence to identify the suspect and bring them to justice.

This latest anti-Jewish hate crime came just days after tens of thousands of people marched through London in a demonstration against antisemitism, amid rising levels of antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

In just over a week, seven Jewish premises in Barnet, the borough in which Golders Green is located, have been targeted in separate antisemitic incidents.

According to the Metropolitan Police, an investigation has been launched into the targeted attacks, all of which involved the use of bodily fluids.

During the incidents, a substance was smeared on four synagogues and a private residence, while a liquid was thrown at a school and over a car in two other attacks.

As the investigation continues, local police said they believe the same suspect is likely responsible for all seven offenses, which are being treated as religiously motivated criminal damage.

No arrests have been made so far, but law enforcement said it is actively engaging with the local Jewish community to provide reassurance and support.

The Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit charity that advises Britain’s Jewish community on security matters, condemned the recent wave of attacks and called on authorities to take immediate action.

“The extreme defilement of several Jewish locations in and around Golders Green is utterly abhorrent and deeply distressing,” CST said in a statement.

“CST is working closely with police and communal partners to support victims and help identify and apprehend the perpetrator,” it continued.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) also denounced the attacks, calling for urgent measures to protect the Jewish community.

“These repeated incidents are leaving British Jews anxious and vulnerable in their own neighborhoods, not to mention disgusted,” CAA said in a statement.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, the United Kingdom has experienced a surge in antisemitic crimes and anti-Israel sentiment.

Last month, CST published a report showing there were 1,521 antisemitic incidents in the UK from January to June of this year. It marks the second-highest total of incidents ever recorded by CST in the first six months of any year, following the first half of 2024 in which 2,019 antisemitic incidents were recorded.

In total last year, CST recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents for 2024, the country’s second worst year for antisemitism despite being an 18 percent drop from 2023’s record of 4,296.

In previous years, the numbers were significantly lower, with 1,662 incidents in 2022 and 2,261 hate crimes in 2021.

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Germany to Hold Off on Recognizing Palestinian State but Will Back UN Resolution for Two-State Solution

German national flag flutters on top of the Reichstag building, that seats the Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin, Germany, March 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Germany will support a United Nations resolution for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but does not believe the time has come to recognize a Palestinian state, a government spokesman told Reuters on Thursday.

“Germany will support such a resolution which simply describes the status quo in international law,” the spokesman said, adding that Berlin “has always advocated a two-state solution and is asking for that all the time.”

“The chancellor just mentioned two days ago again that Germany does not see that the time has come for the recognition of the Palestinian state,” the spokesman added.

Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and Belgium have all said they will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, although London said it could hold back if Israel were to take steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and commit to a long-term peace process.

The United States strongly opposes any move by its European allies to recognize Palestinian independence.

Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US has told other countries that recognition of a Palestinian state will cause more problems.

Those who see recognition as a largely symbolic gesture point to the negligible presence on the ground and limited influence in the conflict of countries such as China, India, Russia, and many Arab states that have recognized Palestinian independence for decades.

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UN Security Council, With US Support, Condemns Strikes on Qatar

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday condemned recent strikes on Qatar’s capital Doha, but did not mention Israel in the statement agreed to by all 15 members, including Israel‘s ally the United States.

Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with the attack on Tuesday, escalating its military action in what the United States described as a unilateral attack that does not advance US and Israeli interests.

The United States traditionally shields its ally Israel at the United Nations. US backing for the Security Council statement, which could only be approved by consensus, reflects President Donald Trump’s unhappiness with the attack ordered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Council members underscored the importance of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar. They underlined their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar,” read the statement, drafted by Britain and France.

The Doha operation was especially sensitive because Qatar has been hosting and mediating negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Gaza war.

“Council members underscored that releasing the hostages, including those killed by Hamas, and ending the war and suffering in Gaza must remain our top priority,” the Security Council statement read.

The Security Council will meet later on Thursday to discuss the Israeli attack at a meeting due to be attended by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.

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