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Greta Thunberg, Fellow Activists on Gaza-Bound Flotilla to Be Shown Oct. 7 Footage, Israel’s Defense Minister Says

An Israeli solider passes a bun to Greta Thunberg onboard the Gaza-bound British-flagged yacht “Madleen” after Israeli forces boarded the charity vessel as it attempted to reach the Gaza Strip in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade, in this still image released on June 9, 2025. Photo: Israel Foreign Ministry via Reuters

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and the group of international activists traveling with her on a boat to the Gaza Strip will be shown footage of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack after Israeli forces intercepted their vessel, Israel’s Defense Minster Israel Katz said on Monday.

Katz also called Thunberg an antisemite in a post on X and described all those aboard the ship as supporters of Hamas, the internationally designated terrorist organization that has ruled Gaza for nearly two decades and initiated the current war raging in the Middle East after massacring 1,200 people, wounding thousands more, and taking 251 hostages during its invasion of southern Israel.

The Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists also perpetrated widespread sexual violence, including torture and mass gang-rape, against Israelis during their onslaught.

“I instructed the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to show the flotilla passengers the video of the horrors of the October 7 massacre when they arrive at the port of Ashdod,” Katz wrote. “It is appropriate that the antisemitic Greta and her fellow Hamas supporters see exactly who the Hamas terrorist organization they came to support and for whom they work is, what atrocities they committed against women, the elderly, and children, and against whom Israel is fighting to defend itself.”

“The IDF will continue its war against the Hamas murderers with all its moral righteousness until they are subdued, all the hostages are released, and the security of the State of Israel is ensured,” Katz added.

Israeli forces boarded and seized the Madleen, operated by the pro-Palestinian Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FCC), during the early hours of Monday morning after Thunberg, 22, and the others on board tried to break the naval blockade of Gaza. Katz said on Sunday he instructed Israeli forces to stop the Madleen flotilla from reaching Gaza “and to take whatever measures are necessary to that end.”

“Israel will act against any attempt to break the blockade or assist terrorist organizations – at sea, in the air, and on land,” he added.

Israel imposed a naval blockade on Gaza in 2007, after Hamas seized control of the coastal enclave, in an effort to stop the Palestinian terrorist organization from obtaining weapons. The blockade has remained in place throughout the Israel-Hamas war that started 20 months ago, but in March, Israel also sealed off Gaza by land to further cut off Hamas from obtaining aid. Israel has let into Gaza some food to be distributed to civilians over the past two weeks.

The group of activists aboard the Madleen said they hoped to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and raise international awareness about the humanitarian crisis there. Israel dismissed their efforts, described them as merely a stunt.

“While Greta and others attempted to stage a media provocation whose sole purpose was to gain publicity — and which included less than a single truckload of aid — more than 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza from Israel within the past two weeks, and in addition, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed close to 11 million meals directly to civilians in Gaza,” said Israel’s Foreign Ministry. “There are ways to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip — they do not involve Instagram selfies.”

Israel released a video showing Israeli naval forces handing out water and sandwiches to those aboard the FCC after seizing the vessel. Among those on board was Rima Hassan, a French member of the European parliament. The Jewish community in France lambasted Hassan last year for arguing that French-Palestinians must be able to join the “Palestinian armed resistance” if their French-Israeli counterparts are allowed to serve in the IDF.

“The ‘selfie yacht’ is safely making its way to the shores of Israel … The passengers are safe,” read a post on Israel’s official account on X. The post also noted that the “tiny amount” of humanitarian aid aboard the vessel, that wasn’t consumed by the activists on board, will be transferred to Gaza “through real humanitarian channels.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said that when the yacht arrives at the Israeli port, arrangements will be made for the activists to return to their home countries.

Hassan posted on X that the crew on the ship were “arrested by the Israeli army in international waters around 2 am” on Monday. She shared a photo of all the crew members wearing orange life vests with their hands in the air as Israeli forces seized control of the ship.

“If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by Israeli occupational forces or forces that support Israel,” Thunberg, said in a video released by the FCC, filmed before the vessel was captured. “I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.”

Widely known for her campaign to end climate change, Swedish-born Thunberg has increasingly become a vocal anti-Israel activist, expressing solidarity with “Palestine and Gaza” less than two weeks after the Oct. 7 massacre, before the Israeli military even launched its ground offensive in Gaza. Thunberg did not denounce Hamas or mention the Palestinian terrorist group’s atrocities.

Then in November 2023, the young activist encountered a storm of criticism from politicians and Jewish leaders, some of whom accused her of being antisemitic, over a speech she delivered to a rally in Amsterdam that sought to insert opposition to Israel’s defensive war in Gaza into the environmentalist movement’s agenda.

Last year, Danish police detained Thunberg at a Copenhagen protest against the war in Gaza and Israel’s presence in the West Bank.

The post Greta Thunberg, Fellow Activists on Gaza-Bound Flotilla to Be Shown Oct. 7 Footage, Israel’s Defense Minister Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Ritchie Torres Says Netanyahu Has Done ‘Irreparable’ Harm to Democratic Party Relationship With Israel

US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) standing at the US Capitol in February of 2023. Photo: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), one of Israel’s most vocal supporters in Congress, delivered pointed criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, saying the longtime leader has “done harm” to Israel’s relationship with the Democratic Party and called for an end to the war in Gaza.

“If you’re a Democrat, and if you’re a Democrat of color and if you’re a Black Democrat, you take immense pride in Barack Obama. He represents one of the greatest achievements in politics. We take great pride in his presidency,” Torres said in an interview with . “To see a foreign leader visibly disrespect him in the manner that Bibi Netanyahu did, I feel did irreparable damage to the relationship with the Democratic Party.”

Torres offered a gloomy assessment of Netanyahu’s relationship with the Democratic party, arguing that “the damage may be irreparable.” He also cautioned that support for the Jewish state is rapidly “eroding” according to various polls. 

Furthermore, Torres stated that despite his strident support for Israel, he does not “consider myself having a good relationship with the Israeli government.” 

Torres said that Netanyahu “made a terrible mistake” in establishing a cozy relationship with President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, arguing that the Israeli premier politicized the US-Israel relationship. The progressive lawmaker said that there is a “legitimate perception that the present Israeli government is just aligned with the Republican Party.”

The remarks represent a notable shift from Torres, a New York Democrat who has historically defended Israel amid bipartisan divisions over the war. While maintaining his commitment to Israel’s security, Torres said Netanyahu’s government has failed to articulate a clear endgame in Gaza and warned that the ongoing military campaign is undermining both humanitarian values and strategic interests.

“There’s a real need to end the war, secure the release of the hostages, bring humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in distress.”

Torres cited prominent Israeli journalists and media figures that have warned that Gaza has approached “catastrophic” levels of hunger and that famine might be looming without a rapid policy shift. 

Torres’s comments come amid growing pressure from the Democratic base on centrist and progressive Democrats alike to take a firmer stance on Israel’s military operations, which have resulted in the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Israel launched its campaign following the October 7 Hamas attack that killed approximately 1,200 people and took over 200 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

Torres’s comments underscore a growing divide within the Democratic Party over the U.S.-Israel relationship. While the party remains broadly supportive of Israel’s right to defend itself, a significant faction ,including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)  and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) condemned the war in Gaza and called for a suspension of U.S. military aid to Israel.

 

The post Ritchie Torres Says Netanyahu Has Done ‘Irreparable’ Harm to Democratic Party Relationship With Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Israeli Defense Firm Lands Huge Deal With Germany

An Elbit Systems Ltd. Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is seen at Elbit’s drone factory in Rehovot, Israel, June 28, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Orel Cohen

On Monday, Elbit Systems Ltd., a military contractor based in Israel, announced it had received a $260 million government contract from Germany to spend six years installing Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) self-protection systems for defending Germany’s A400M aircraft fleet.

The contract is just the latest in a string of blockbuster deals between Israeli defense firms and international militaries. Israeli defense exports to Europe jumped to 54% of overall defense exports last year, up from just over 33% in 2023, according to the Israeli media outlet Globes.

Elbit’s defense system works to counter infrared-guided missiles, with a focus on mobile anti-aircraft weapons. It offers the ability to track missile threats as they happen and also provides automatic protection without needed human action.

Other countries which have deployed the system include Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Brazil. In February, Morocco announced plans to purchase 36 Atmos 2000 self-propelled artillery systems from Elbit, making Israel the country’s third largest weapons supplier.

“This contract further strengthens Elbit Systems’ position as a leading global provider of DIRCM solutions,” Elbit president and CEO Bezhalel Machlis said. “Our systems are already trusted by numerous air forces and defense organizations around the world, and we are proud to support Germany in enhancing the protection of their strategic air assets. Our successful collaboration with Airbus DS on this important program is highly valued, and we are pleased that our advanced self-protection systems will contribute to the safety and operational readiness of the German A400M fleet.”

The announcement prompted Elbit’s share price to jump 1 percent on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE).

Since Israel’s 12-day war against Iran, Israel’s financial markets have been buoyed by significant foreign investment and renewed investor confidence. Over the past year, the TASE has repeatedly broken past its all-time highs, despite Israel’s multi-front wars.

On Friday, Germany announced that it would not join France in recognizing a Palestinian state. A government spokesperson said “Israel’s security is of paramount importance to the German government” and that “the German government therefore has no plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.”

On Monday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the country had no plans to sanction Israel and that “for now, we want to await the foreign minister’s trip and the talks that will be held with the Israeli government in the coming days.”

The post Israeli Defense Firm Lands Huge Deal With Germany first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Israel Says Brazil’s Exit From IHRA Shows ‘a Profound Moral Failure’

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reacts after meeting with Brazilian citizens, who were repatriated from the Gaza Strip, upon arrival at the Air Force base of Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 13, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

The Brazilian government has not yet confirmed its reported decision to withdraw from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), however both Brazilian media and the Jewish state have have done so.

On Thursday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated on X that “Brazil’s decision to join the legal offensive against Israel at the ICJ [International Court of Justice] while withdrawing from the IHRA, is a demonstration of a profound moral failure. At a time when Israel is fighting for its very existence, turning against the Jewish state and abandoning the global consensus against antisemitism is both reckless and shameful.”

On Wednesday, reports emerged of Brazil’s plans to join South Africa in charging Israel with genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). South Africa has argued the case against Israel since December 2023.

The Combat Antisemitism Movement’s Shay Salamon, Director of Hispanic Affairs, condemned Brazil’s withdrawal from IHRA in a Friday statement.

“The Brazilian government’s move is not only irresponsible, but also deeply alarming at a time of rising antisemitism worldwide,” Salamon said. “Denying the importance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) and abandoning its Working Definition of Antisemitism minimizes the Holocaust and disregards the history of a people who have been victimized by hatred for ages.”

Salamon stated that “Brazil is home to the second-largest Jewish community in Latin America, including many descendants of Holocaust survivors, and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has now turned his back on them. This decision, on top of his constant attacks on Israel, further confirms what was already clear — President Lula has normalized antisemitism in his official discourse. His approach represents neither neutrality nor diplomacy — rather, it’s complicity.”

Fernando Lottenberg, who serves as Organization of American States (OAS) Commissioner for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism, offered his analysis of Lula’s move in a thread of posts on X, saying that “this is a step in the wrong direction.”

“Although Brazil has not adopted the [IHRA antisemitism] definition nationally, it has been adopted in 12 Brazilian states so far, as well as in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo,” Lottenberg wrote. “The IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism is an important tool that, although not legally binding, has been adopted by more than 45 countries and 2,000 institutions around the world to help inform, identify, and combat antisemitism.”

The post Israel Says Brazil’s Exit From IHRA Shows ‘a Profound Moral Failure’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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