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‘Death to the Jews’ chants heard at Berlin pro-Palestinian rally
(JTA) — Berlin police are investigating a pro-Palestinian rally where demonstrators allegedly chanted “Death to the Jews” and “Death to Israel,” phrases that if verified could be criminal offenses under Germany’s strict post-World War II hate speech laws.
Hundreds of people showed up in the Kreuzberg and Neukölln neighborhoods on Saturday at a rally organized in response to the police clashes with Muslim worshipers at the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem last week. In video captured by a watchdog called Democ, many were also shown praising the Qassem Brigades armed branch of Hamas, the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip and is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union.
Some additionally chanted “Tel Aviv, the answer will come.”
In the aftermath, authorities have launched investigations into incitement of hate and have been scouring videos of the event. Iris Spranger, the Berlin city government’s interior senator, condemned the antisemitic statements in a tweet on Monday, writing “Hate has no place in our society.”
“The rule of law must be applied consistently,” said Josef Schuster, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, in remarks to the Jewish community newspaper Jüdische Allgemeine.
The non-partisan Jewish Values Initiative group called on the Berlin police and interior ministry to explain why they allowed the march to continue despite the antisemitic slogans, and why there were no arrests on site. Elio Adler, head of the group, said the police’s failure to make arrests has done “immense damage.”
Israeli police removed Ramadan worshipers from the Al-Aqsa Mosque last week, in response to their plan to occupy the site overnight. In the days after, rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip, and two terror attacks left three Israelis dead.
The German-Israel Society and the Jewish Values Initiative have also now demanded that authorities consider a federal ban on the Samidoun association, which advocates for the release of Palestinian prisoners. Observers said the group was involved in organizing the demonstration.
“We have long been pushing for a ban on this supposed ‘aid organization’” Adler said in a statement.
“The several hundred demonstrators don’t represent all Muslims in Germany,” he emphasized. “But their behavior is hardly unusual; and one hears far too little criticism of this hate from within their own community.”
Manuel Ostermann, German police’s union deputy chairman, called the demonstration “the very image of shame.”
For the third year in a row, Berlin authorities have banned the Al-Quds Day march, a demonstration that protests the formation of Israel. Organizers had applied for a permit for some 2,000 participants to demonstrate next weekend in Berlin.
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The post ‘Death to the Jews’ chants heard at Berlin pro-Palestinian rally appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Netanyahu, Smotrich to Meet on Israeli 2026 Budget that Faces Battle for Approval
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich during the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and senior ministry officials will present Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Sunday with the state budget and planned structural reforms for 2026, Smotrich’s office said.
“The Finance Minister will present to the Prime Minister the necessary measures to ensure continued economic growth and to combat the high cost of living,” it said.
It added that cabinet ministers would vote on the budget on Dec. 4 but it is unlikely the budget would be approved by year end.
According to Israeli law, the budget must be approved by parliament by the end of March or new elections are triggered.
Its final approval faces an uphill battle that could ultimately lead to new elections.
The government has splintered in the past two years over the Gaza war, the ceasefire which has halted it and demands by ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties to exempt Jewish seminary students from mandatory military service.
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Hamas Delegation Meets Egypt Spy Chief, Says Israeli ‘Breaches’ Threaten Ceasefire
Palestinian women look out of a window near the site of Saturday’s Israeli strike in the Central Gaza Strip, November 23, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/File Photo
A senior Hamas delegation met Egypt’s intelligence chief in Cairo on Sunday to discuss the ceasefire agreement and the situation in Gaza, the group said, as both Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group continue to trade accusations of truce violations.
Egypt, Qatar and the US have been mediating between Hamas and Israel, securing the ceasefire that came into effect last month.
In a statement, the group said it reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in its meeting with Egypt’s intelligence chief, but accused Israel of “continued violations” that it said threatened to undermine the deal.
Hamas, whose delegation included its exiled Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya, called for a “clear and defined mechanism” under the supervision of mediators to document and halt any breaches of the deal.
The movement said it also discussed with Egypt ways to urgently resolve the issue of Hamas members in Rafah tunnels, adding that communication with them had been cut off.
Reuters reported earlier this month that mediators were trying to address the fate of a group of Hamas fighters holed up in tunnel networks in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said the country’s military killed five senior Hamas members on Saturday after a fighter was sent into Israeli-controlled Gaza territory to attack Israeli soldiers there.
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Report Alleges Qatar Invested Billions in US Schools to Promote Islamist Ideologies
The clock tower at Cornell University. Photo: Clarice Oliveira.
i24 News – An explosive report from the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), cited by the New York Post, claims that Qatar has invested roughly $20 billion in American schools and universities as part of a strategy to promote Islamist ideologies.
ISGAP says the funding aligns with the objectives of the Muslim Brotherhood and represents a deliberate influence campaign on U.S. campuses.
According to Dr. Charles Asher Small, executive director of ISGAP, the Qatari ruling family maintains close ideological ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and leverages its financial resources to promote their worldview.
The report notes that much of this support flows through the Qatar Foundation, which funds universities, schools, and cultural institutions across the United States.
Cornell University is highlighted as a major recipient, reportedly receiving nearly $10 billion. The institution has recently faced controversy over its handling of antisemitic incidents following the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, including the arrest of a student for making death threats against Jews and the suspension of a history professor who described the Hamas attack as “exhilarating” during an anti-Israel rally.
In November, Cornell announced an agreement with the Trump administration to retain over $250 million in federal funding, effectively ending several investigations into allegations of racial discrimination and antisemitism.