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From Iran Nukes to Europe-Israel Diplomacy, New York Times Can’t or Won’t Get the Context Right

The New York Times building in New York City. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The New York Times came in with a big editorial denouncing antisemitism and infuriating the Jew-hating readers who populate its comment section — but its news pages keep spreading falsehoods about Israel.

Three recent examples show how Times reporters lack historical or even recent context.

A Times news article about Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway imposing sanctions on Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich includes this passage:

“Britain has already tried once to prevent us from settling the cradle of our homeland, and we will not allow it to do it again,” Mr. Smotrich posted on social media in Hebrew, referring to Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

The intended reference there actually seems to be not “Jewish settlements in the West Bank” but rather the infamous British “White Paper” of 1939 that sharply limited Jewish immigration into the British controlled mandate of Palestine. The White Paper capped Jewish migration at 75,000 over five years, during a moment when millions of Jews were desperately seeking to escape the Nazi onslaught. “After the period of five years, no further Jewish immigration will be permitted unless the Arabs of Palestine are prepared to acquiesce in it,” the White Paper said. It’s astonishing that this has somehow vanished from the Times‘ historical memory.

Another Times news article claimed, “The toll and imposition of a blockade, now partially lifted, in the territory [Gaza] have provoked growing international outrage, including among European states like France and Britain little inclined to sharp criticism of Israel in the past.” The idea that the outrage is “provoked” by Israeli actions rather than motivated by the growing and restive Muslim populations in France and Britain is questionable. There’s no outrage against Egypt, which also borders Gaza. And it’s inaccurate to say that France and Britain have been “little inclined to sharp criticism of Israel in the past.”

For example, in 2019 a French diplomatic statement said, “France condemns the decisions taken by the Israeli authorities on 5 and 6 August allowing for the construction of 2,304 housing units on the West Bank. These decisions come amid the troubling acceleration of settlement building on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. As stated in UN Security Council Resolution 2334, these settlements are contrary to international law. This policy further heightens tensions on the ground and gravely undermines the conditions for a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians based on a two-state solution.”

A brief for the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs reported, “For many years, France has been the driving force behind anti-Israel political attitudes in the EU. In addition, former Israeli UN ambassador Yehuda Blum noted, ‘The French at the UN were the leaders of every anti-Israel initiative originating in Europe throughout. Theirs was a totally unbalanced position. We counted them in the Arab camp.’”

In 2002, British and French foreign ministers met with Yasser Arafat at a time when George W. Bush was trying to freeze Arafat out.

A third example of Times cluelessness comes from the paper’s “live” news coverage of the war between Israel and Iran. “In his first television interview since Israel struck Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli intelligence found that Iran had enough uranium to build nine nuclear bombs but did not provide any evidence for that claim,” the Times said. The “did not provide evidence” phrase is a tic that the Times uses against people it doesn’t like in order to signal to readers that what those people say cannot be trusted.

The Times itself reported in December 2024, “Iran already has enough of a stockpile to make the fuel for four weapons in a matter of weeks or days.” Another recent Times article commented on Netanyahu’s claim of nine weapons by noting, “Other experts put the figure slightly higher, at 10, but the actual number would depend on how efficiently the Iranians prove to be at producing a warhead or a bomb.”

How much more evidence does the Times want? On June 9, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency spoke publicly about Iran, saying, “The agency cannot ignore the stockpiling of over 400 kg of highly enriched uranium.” An analysis put out the same day by the Institute for Science and International Security of the May 31, 2025, IAEA quarterly monitoring report says, “Iran can convert its current stock of 60 percent enriched uranium into 233 kg of WGU in three weeks at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), enough for 9 nuclear weapons, taken as 25 kg of weapon-grade uranium (WGU) per weapon … Iran could produce its first quantity of 25 kg of WGU in Fordow in as little as two to three days … Breaking out in both Fordow and the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP), the two facilities together could produce enough WGU for 11 nuclear weapons in the first month, enough for 15 nuclear weapons by the end of the second month, 19 by the end of the third month, 21 by the end of the fourth month, and 22 by the end of the fifth month.”

I guess the Times could litigate that Netanyahu is eliding the conversion from highly enriched to weapon-grade, but he’s giving a wartime television interview, not a technical nuclear briefing.

So, when the Times complains that Netanyahu “did not provide any evidence,” the newspaper is just displaying its own bias and lack of knowledge about the context, as surely as it did in the other examples. One thing for which there is surely a lot of evidence: the Times‘s own weak grasp of basic details, history, and context for the events unfolding in the Middle East.

Ira Stoll was managing editor of The Forward and North American editor of The Jerusalem Post. He writes frequently at TheEditors.com. His media critique, a regular Algemeiner feature, can be found here.

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Israeli Gov’t Slams EU Critics as Belgium, Spain, Ireland Push Anti-Israel Measures Amid Iran War

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar attends a joint press conference with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (not pictured), in Rome, Italy, Jan. 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

As Israel wages a high-stakes campaign to stop Iran — long identified by the US as the world’s top state sponsor of terrorism — from obtaining nuclear weapons, some of its harshest critics in Europe are intensifying their condemnation of the Jewish state.

On Thursday, Belgium and eight other EU member states — Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — urged the European Commission to examine how trade “linked to illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” can be aligned with international law, the latest effort by the countries to block trading with Israeli communities in the West Bank.

In a post on X, Belgium’s Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said the decision came after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

“Upholding international law is a shared responsibility. In a rules-based international order, legal clarity must guide political choices,” Prevot said in a statement. “A united European approach can help ensure that our policies reflect our values.”

Foreign ministers of the nine European countries also sent a letter to EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas calling for the bloc to come up with proposals on how to discontinue trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank.

The letter came ahead of a meeting in Brussels on Monday when EU foreign ministers are set to discuss the bloc’s relationship with Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran.

“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.

On Wednesday, meanwhile, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares called on the EU to impose an arms embargo on Israel in a bid to end the ongoing war in Gaza — another attempt by one of Jerusalem’s fiercest critics to undermine its defensive campaign against Hamas following the Palestinian terrorist group’s invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

In the wake of Hamas’s onslaught, Albares has intensified his push for anti-Israel measures on the international stage, while positioning himself as a staunch advocate for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The top Spanish diplomat also called for de-escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, urging both sides to refrain from further provocations and to pursue diplomatic channels to address Tehran’s nuclear program.

“Right now, we need to de-escalate this exchange of missiles and bombs between Israel and Iran, and ensure that everything related to Iran’s nuclear program is properly resolved and that Iran moves away from having nuclear weapons through diplomatic negotiations,” Albares said in a statement.

Separately, Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris said he was “deeply concerned” by Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets, warning of a “very real risk of regional spillover.”

The Irish leader said he believed a “negotiated solution” was needed to address Israeli concerns over Iran’s nuclear program.

Responding to the government’s comments, Israeli Ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich said in an interview on “The Pat Kenny Show” that those who equate Iran’s actions with those of the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza don’t “understand international law, the rules of war and what is going on.”

“They [the Islamic regime] are deliberately, indiscriminately targeting civilians, while we target their nuclear program, their ballistic program,” the Israeli diplomat said.

“I didn’t hear any Irish condemnation when Iran violated the UN Charter and called repeatedly for the destruction of another UN member state — Israel,” Erlich continued. “So, it’s not that a threat that has come up just now … It has been going on for decades.”

She also cautioned that Iran’s ballistic missile program could eventually be used against European nations, emphasizing that the threat posed by Tehran extends far beyond Israel and endangers global security.

“Europe is concerned about it [and] so should Ireland,” Erlich said.

Spain and Ireland have been among the world’s leading critics of Israel during the Gaza war.

Other European leaders have expressed more support, however, especially following Israel’s preemptive strikes last week targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday endorsed Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, saying the Jewish state was doing the “dirty work” for other countries.

“This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us,” Merz told the ZDF broadcaster during an interview on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Alberta, Canada. “We are also affected by this regime. This mullah regime has brought death and destruction to the world.”

After conflict erupted between Iran and Israel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed support in a statement for “Israel’s right to defend itself and protect its people.”

According to Euronews, however, some EU officials opposed that choice of language.

“There was no consensus on saying Israel has a right to defend itself but Von der Leyen said it anyway,” one diplomatic source told the outlet.

The post Israeli Gov’t Slams EU Critics as Belgium, Spain, Ireland Push Anti-Israel Measures Amid Iran War first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Far-Left Groups Organize Pro-Iran Rallies Across US Amid Middle East Conflict

People gather for a ‘No War on Iran’ rally in New York City, US, June 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado

Several far-left groups are organizing pro-Iran rallies to signal their support for Tehran amid Israel’s ongoing efforts to dismantle the regime’s nuclear program and ballistic missile capabilities. 

The groups, which largely support the Palestinian cause, hastily organized the demonstrations in the immediate aftermath of Israel launching “Operation Rising Lion” last week. The demonstrations have been held in cities across the US in an attempt to dissuade the federal government from joining the Jewish state’s military operations against the Iranian regime. 

The groups which organized the demonstrations include ANSWER Coalition, Palestinian American League, Jewish Voice for Peace, Code Pink, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Peace and Freedom Party, and Democratic Socialists of America.

In New York City’s Manhattan borough, protesters on Friday gathered for a “No War on Iran” rally in which participants waved both Iranian and Palestinian flags. Police blocked the protesters’ access to the Israeli consulate.

Earlier in the week, demonstrators organized a “Solidarity With Iran” rally in which activists called on ideological allies to “support the brave Iranian and Palestinian people fighting for all free people worldwide.”

“Iran, Iran makes us proud! Burn Tel Aviv to the ground!” participants chanted. 

“Iran is defending itself against terrorist aggression from the US and Zionist regimes,” the Bronx Anti-War coalition, which helped organize the event, said in a statement. 

In Washington, DC, meanwhile, another pro-Iran gathering assembled at Lafayette Park to lend support to Tehran. Participants in the demonstration were seen holding signs reading “Hands Off Iran!” and “Money for people’s needs, not war w/ Iran!” Despite the blistering summer heat, the demonstration marched from the park to the front of the White House. 

On the other side of the country, in Sacramento, California, a group of anti-Israel activists organized a “No War on Iran” demonstration to condemn Israel’s preemptive strikes against Iran’s nuclear program. 

Organizers have linked the demonstrations to a broader resistance against what they view as the Trump administration’s reckless foreign policy and disregard for constitutional limits on presidential war powers. 

“Millions of people across this country have had enough of endless war,” one protester said in San Francisco. “This is not just about Iran. This is about standing up to a government that keeps dragging us into conflicts without our consent.”

Protesters carried signs reading “No War on Iran,” “Stop US-Israeli Aggression,” and “Honor the War Powers Act,” calling for Congress to assert its constitutional authority to determine if the US goes to war.

At the heart of the mobilization is a push from some Democrats and isolationist Republicans in Congress to pass a War Powers Act resolution set for debate in the coming days. The measure would prohibit US President Donald Trump from launching military strikes against Iran without explicit congressional approval.

Though Trump has not indicated whether he plans on approving an American strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, the president has suggested that he might green-light military operations if the regime does not strike an agreement to rein in its uranium enrichment activities.

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Antisemitic Incidents in Argentina Surge by 15% Amid Global Rise, New Report Finds

Argentina’s President Javier Milei attends a commemoration event ahead of the anniversary of the 1994 bombing attack on the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) community center, marking the 30th anniversary of the attack, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 17, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Martin Cassarini

Argentina experienced a 15 percent increase in reported antisemitic incidents last year, as the Hamas-led massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in the Middle East sparked a rise in hate crimes, according to a report issued by the country’s Jewish umbrella organization on Thursday.

The Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA) presented the 2024 Annual Report on Antisemitism in Argentina, which recorded 687 anti-Jewish hate crimes — up from 598 antisemitic incidents in 2023 — marking a notable surge in antisemitic activity in the country.

According to the report, X and Facebook were the main platforms where hate messages were spread. However, antisemitic incidents also increased in public spaces, schools, and even neighborhoods.

“Hate may change its form, but it never truly disappears,” DAIA said in a post on X. “Behind every statistic is a story — a person, a community, a wound.”

The study indicates that 66 percent of the antisemitic incidents originated in the digital realm, with a significant rise in Nazi symbols and conspiracy theories.

There was also a 34 percent increase in reported physical assaults, with such hate crimes rising in schools and neighborhoods.

“At DAIA, we are committed every day to raising awareness, reporting, and eliminating antisemitism in all its forms,” the organization said in a statement. “Because staying silent is part of the problem.”

The report explains that the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel has triggered a surge in antisemitic expressions, with 39.5 percent of the hate crimes involving discourse related to the war in Gaza, followed by 23.5 percent involving Nazi symbolism.

Argentina has been hardly alone in reporting a surge in anti-Jewish crimes. According to the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency for Israel, there was a staggering 340 percent increase in total antisemitic incidents worldwide in 2024 compared to 2022.

For example, the United States reported a 288 percent increase in antisemitic atrocities last year compared to 2022, while Canada experienced a 562 percent surge over the same period.

In Europe, France saw a surge of over 350 percent in antisemitic incidents, while the United Kingdom recorded a 450 percent spike, with nearly 2,000 acts of antisemitism in just the first half of 2024.

In South Africa, antisemitic incidents rose by 185 percent, while Australia experienced a sharp increase of 387 percent.

At the global level, the report found that 41 percent of incidents involved antisemitic propaganda, 15.5 percent included acts of violence, and around 25 percent were related to Israel.

The research also revealed that online antisemitism surged, rising by more than 300 percent.

With Argentine President Javier Milei among the most vocal supporters of Israel, Argentina has become a key player in global efforts to combat antisemitism and terrorism, while defending democracy and Israel’s right to exist.

Last year, for example, more than 30 countries led by the United States adopted “global guidelines for countering antisemitism” during a gathering of special envoys and other representatives from around the globe in Argentina.

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