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Elaine Luria, in farewell to Congress accuses colleagues of peddling antisemitic ‘dual loyalty’ trope
WASHINGTON (JTA) — In her farewell speech to Congress, Elaine Luria, the Virginia Jewish Democrat, called out colleagues in the House of Representatives who she said insinuated the antisemitic dual loyalty trope about Israel.
“The first time I stood in this very place to speak on the floor of the House I rose as a Jewish woman to speak out against antisemitism, which has seen a rapid and alarming rise and has even reared its head among our colleagues in our own chamber, in the forms of claims of dual loyalty to those who show support for Israel, our strongest ally in the Middle East,” Luria said Wednesday.
Luria appeared to be referring to fellow Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. In 2019, Tlaib attacked Republicans who backed a bill targeting the Israel boycott movement, saying in a tweet “They forgot what country they represent.”
Omar the same year accused the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerhouse pro-Israel lobby, of buying influence. She apologized, but not long after, she said she should not be silenced for exposing the actions of a “powerful lobbying group” and for arguing against those who say “it is OK to push for allegiance to a foreign country.”
Luria, elected in 2018 among a class of women politicians who rode a wave of anger at former President Donald Trump, has been among the Democrats most closely allied with the traditional pro-Israel lobby. Last year she joined three other Democrats in a letter that effectively accused Omar and Tlaib of making antisemitic comments. A number of Jewish progressives have consistently defended Omar, saying accusing her of antisemitism is unwarranted.
A former Navy commander, Luria won twice in a district heavy with Navy veterans that trends Republican. She took a leading role in investigating alleged wrongdoing by Trump, despite knowing that it could backfire on her on her district. In an ad explaining why she voted to impeach Trump, she spoke of the oath she took to the Constitution and held up a weathered Hebrew bible. She lost by a few percentage points in Virginia’s 2nd District.
In her floor speech Wednesday, Luria also noted the broader rise of antisemitism and its dangers.
“I look back on that first speech I made as a member of Congress and I am even more concerned today about the rising frequency and pervasiveness of antisemitism,” she said. “I implore my colleagues to continue their quest to root out the scourge of vile and pernicious antisemitism.”
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The post Elaine Luria, in farewell to Congress accuses colleagues of peddling antisemitic ‘dual loyalty’ trope appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Tucker’s Ideas About Jews Come from Darkest Corners of the Internet, Says Huckabee After Combative Interview
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on during the day he visits the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – In a combative interview with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, right-wing firebrand Tucker Carlson made a host of contentious and often demonstrably false claims that quickly went viral online. Huckabee, who repeatedly challenged the former Fox News star during the interview, subsequently made a long post on X, identifying a pattern of bad-faith arguments, distortions and conspiracies in Carlson’s rhetorical style.
Huckabee pointed out his words were not accorded by Carlson the same degree of attention and curiosity the anchor evinced toward such unsavory characters as “the little Nazi sympathizer Nick Fuentes or the guy who thought Hitler was the good guy and Churchill the bad guy.”
“What I wasn’t anticipating was a lengthy series of questions where he seemed to be insinuating that the Jews of today aren’t really same people as the Jews of the Bible,” Huckabee wrote, adding that Tucker’s obsession with conspiracies regarding the provenance of Ashkenazi Jews obscured the fact that most Israeli Jews were refugees from the Arab and Muslim world.
The idea that Ashkenazi Jews are an Asiatic tribe who invented a false ancestry “gained traction in the 80’s and 90’s with David Duke and other Klansmen and neo-Nazis,” Huckabee wrote. “It has really caught fire in recent years on the Internet and social media, mostly from some of the most overt antisemites and Jew haters you can find.”
Carlson branded Israel “probably the most violent country on earth” and cited the false claim that Israel President Isaac Herzog had visited the infamous island of the late, disgraced sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“The current president of Israel, whom I know you know, apparently was at ‘pedo island.’ That’s what it says,” Carlson said, citing a debunked claim made by The Times reporter Gabrielle Weiniger. “Still-living, high-level Israeli officials are directly implicated in Epstein’s life, if not his crimes, so I think you’d be following this.”
Another misleading claim made by Carlson was that there were more Christians in Qatar than in Israel.
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Pezeshkian Says Iran Will Not Bow to Pressure Amid US Nuclear Talks
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2025, in Tianjin, China, September 1, 2025. Iran’s Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Saturday that his country would not bow its head to pressure from world powers amid nuclear talks with the United States.
“World powers are lining up to force us to bow our heads… but we will not bow our heads despite all the problems that they are creating for us,” Pezeshkian said in a speech carried live by state TV.
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Italy’s RAI Apologizes after Latest Gaffe Targets Israeli Bobsleigh Team
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics – Bobsleigh – 4-man Heat 1 – Cortina Sliding Centre, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – February 21, 2026. Adam Edelman of Israel, Menachem Chen of Israel, Uri Zisman of Israel, Omer Katz of Israel in action during Heat 1. Photo: REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
Italy’s state broadcaster RAI was forced to apologize to the Jewish community on Saturday after an off‑air remark advising its producers to “avoid” the Israeli crew was broadcast before coverage of the Four-Man bobsleigh event at the Winter Olympics.
The head of RAI’s sports division had already resigned earlier in the week after his error-ridden commentary at the Milano Cortina 2026 opening ceremony two weeks ago triggered a revolt among its journalists.
On Saturday, viewers heard “Let’s avoid crew number 21, which is the Israeli one” and then “no, because …” before the sound was cut off.
RAI CEO Giampaolo Rossi said the incident represented a “serious” breach of the principles of impartiality, respect and inclusion that should guide the public broadcaster.
He added that RAI had opened an internal inquiry to swiftly determine any responsibility and any potential disciplinary procedures.
In a separate statement RAI’s board of directors condemned the remark as “unacceptable.”
The board apologized to the Jewish community, the athletes involved and all viewers who felt offended.
RAI is the country’s largest media organization and operates national television, radio and digital news services.
The union representing RAI journalists, Usigrai, had said Paolo Petrecca’s opening ceremony commentary had dealt “a serious blow” to the company’s credibility.
His missteps included misidentifying venues and public figures, and making comments about national teams that were widely criticized.