RSS
Celebrities Condemn Murder of Israeli Embassy Staffers in Washington
Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg, and Madeline Brewer as Bronte in a scene from season five of “You.” Photo: ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect
Madeline Brewer, from the fifth and final season of the hit Netflix series “You,” is among a handful of figures from the entertainment industry who have shared messages on social media denouncing the deadly shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers on Wednesday night in Washington, DC.
On Thursday, the 33-year-old actress – who plays Penn Badgley’s love interest Bronte in season five of “You” that dropped last month – reposted messages on her Instagram Story originally shared on social media by Bess Bell Kalb, a New York Times bestselling author and Emmy-nominated television comedy writer.
“Leaving explicitly Jewish spaces should not come with a lump of moral terror,” read one message posted by Kalb and reshared by Brewer, which refers to the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, where Wednesday night’s shooting took place. Kalb’s message also stated that “hunting and slaughtering Jews in the diaspora … is a step in the direction of mutual assured destruction. When either movement denies the geopolitical reality that the fates of Israelis and Palestinians are tied, there is no hope for mutual survival.”
Kalb further wrote in the message, shared by Brewer, that as a Jewish synagogue member and mother, whose toddler goes to a Jewish space every day for school, “I am begging you to check within your belief system for seeds of violence, and to commit to tending seeds of vital peace.”
In the caption of her post, Kalb called for “Tikkun Olam” (“repair of the world”), which is a Jewish concept that ultimately calls for social activism to build a better world. Kalb also shared a plea, saying, “May Jewish voices not be the only ones crying out for Jewish safety.”
Brewer, who also stars in the final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” currently airing on Hulu, is not Jewish. Others who shared messages on their Instagram Stories condemning Wednesday’s shooting include Amy Schumer, Debra Messing, and Emmanuelle Chriqui, the latter of whom said she is “utterly heartbroken” by the “senseless murder.”
Chriqui shared a message by US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) about the shooting and added: “This madness must stop! How does murdering 2 Jewish people in America free Palestine?? Make it make sense.”
“Please don’t be numb to these senseless murders,” she wrote in a separate Instagram Story, before sharing several posts by Israeli activist Hen Mazzig about the two victims.
Photo: Screenshot
Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago has been charged with first-degree murder for the deadly shooting of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, who were gunned down outside an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) at the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night. Lischinsky, an Israeli, planned to propose to Milgrim – his American Jewish girlfriend and colleague from Overland Park, Kansas – next week during their trip to Israel for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.
At the event for Jewish young professionals and diplomats, attendees listened to members of the Multifaith Alliance and IsraAID talk about humanitarian diplomacy and how to work together with a coalition of organizations to response to humanitarian crises throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, according to AJC.
Rodriguez was also charged with murder of foreign officials and related firearm charges. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime and “this is a death penalty-eligible case,” US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on Thursday.
“Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were murdered last night because of Antisemitism and lies. Please speak up!” Emmy-winning actress Patricia Heaton wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday. In a video on her Instagram page, she blasted “false narratives” and “lies” being spread about Israel in the US and around the world that incite violence against Israelis and Jews.
“If you are a decent human being, if you have any moral compass at all, if you have any knowledge of history, you will stand up and say something … the false narratives about Israel and the Jewish have got to stop being promoted,” said the former star of “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle.”
“Pray for this couple and their family and do something. Speak up,” she concluded.
Heaton, who is Christian, is the founder of the October 7th Coalition (O7C), which is a network of Christians who stand up against antisemitism in the US and support Israel’s right to exist.
Rodriguez killed the two victims when he opened fire on a group of four people exiting the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night following the AJC’s annual Young Diplomats Reception, police said. The lone gunman shouted “Free Palestine” before he was arrested at the scene soon after the shooting. Rodriguez initially opened fire on the victims, reloaded his weapon, and shot again “several more times” at closer range, according to an FBI affidavit made public. The affidavit also noted that when one victim tried to crawl away, Rodriguez shot them again.
At a court hearing on Thursday, a judge ordered Rodriguez to remain in detention. His next hearing is scheduled for June 18.
Lischinsky was a staff member of the political department at the Embassy of Israel in Washington with a focus on Middle East issues. Milgrim worked with AJC as a lay leader of AJC ACCESS, the group’s Young Professional Division, and was a member of the AJC-Mimouna Michael Sachs Fellowship for Emerging Leaders community, according to the Jewish organization. She began working at the Israeli embassy in Washington soon after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.
The post Celebrities Condemn Murder of Israeli Embassy Staffers in Washington first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official said, reviving hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations to end the almost 21-month war.
Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit,” a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day truce.
The Israeli negotiation delegation will fly to Qatar on Sunday, the Israeli official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has yet to comment on Trump’s announcement, and in their public statements Hamas and Israel remain far apart.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the terrorist group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.
Israeli media said on Friday that Israel had received and was reviewing Hamas’ response to the ceasefire proposal.
The post Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran
Tucker Carlson speaks on July 18, 2024 during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
US conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson said in an online post on Saturday that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which would air in the next day or two.
Carlson said the interview was conducted remotely through a translator, and would be published as soon as it was edited, which “should be in a day or two.”
Carlson said he had stuck to simple questions in the interview, such as, “What is your goal? Do you seek war with the United States? Do you seek war with Israel?”
“There are all kinds of questions that I didn’t ask the president of Iran, particularly questions to which I knew I could get an not get an honest answer, such as, ‘was your nuclear program totally disabled by the bombing campaign by the US government a week and a half ago?’” he said.
Carlson also said he had made a third request in the past several months to interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be visiting Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump.
Trump said on Friday he would discuss Iran with Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
Trump said he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently by recent US strikes that followed Israel’s attacks on the country last month, although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump also said Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium. He said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
Pezeshkian said last month Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research.
The post Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
The post Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.