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How One Sri Lankan Wants to Change the Narrative About Israel
Shanuka Elangasekara. Photo: screenshot.
The country has 22 million people. The majority are Buddhist, with Hindu, Christian, and Muslim minorities. Her team works tirelessly across the nation, to muster support across cultures for the Jewish State, which she hopes will eventually “change diplomatic policy and forge an alliance with Israel.”
Elangasekara’s passion for Israel began back in 2000, when she was a law student, but it became full-time when she began the Israel Sri Lanka Solitary Movement in 2019. Since then, it has garnered a lot of attention at the local level. She explained that many among Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority are pro-Israel.
Elangasekara notably held a gathering on the 75th anniversary of Israeli independence, and another one after the October 7th massacre, where participants planted 1,200 trees to symbolize the lives lost.
“My goal is to reach the grassroots in Sri Lanka,” she said. “We have to change the distorted biased negative narrative the world upholds. There needs to be a gathering of nations around Israel and for Israel.”
Indigenous Vedda chiefs have attended her events, as have others in Sri Lanka.
“Sri Lanka and the Jewish world have had ties for many millennia” She said. “I can’t explain why our people and my staff have such a faithful passion for Israel, through several decades.”
Although Sri Lanka’s last Jew is believed to have died in 2016, there has been a historic Jewish presence there, according to sources, and it is believed that they all assimilated over time.
One of her team members, Krishantha Rathnaweera, said that his unexplainable love for Israel “just manifested when he was 12,” and he has been very supportive since.
Also notable in her work is hosting students and trying to use education to build an appreciation for Israel in the next generation.
There has been pressure on Sri Lanka to shut down Israeli embassies due to protests from pro-Palestinian agitators. Everyone in her group opposed the move, however. “Our histories are intertwined and there is much potential we can reach together,” she argued.
“When non-Jews spread the truth about Israel, it might be impactful” she suggested. She lamented that the lack of support and collaboration from Israelis has been discouraging to her team, as they have done a lot of dedicated work to improve the bonds. They hope this will change eventually.
She cited sectors that could improve if the nations had better bilateral ties, such as agriculture, archaeology, healthcare, and education. She also said that ongoing defense collaboration for the security of Israelis in Asia could be improved. There was recently a major threat against Israelis in the country.
Her team invites Israeli tourists to come visit her office to see what they’re doing firsthand to improve the relationship. Elangasekara feels that they can create a strong support base among the “Buddhist belt in Asia” and beyond.
The post How One Sri Lankan Wants to Change the Narrative About Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Rubio Heads to Israel Amid Tensions Among US Middle East Allies
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media, before departing for Israel at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, September 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard/Pool
US President Donald Trump’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio headed to Israel on Saturday, amid tensions with fellow US allies in the Middle East over Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Speaking to reporters before departure, Rubio reiterated that the US and President Donald Trump were not happy about the strikes.
Rubio said the US relationship with Israel would not be affected, but that he would discuss with the Israelis how the strike would affect Trump’s desire to secure the return of all the hostages held by Hamas, get rid of the terrorists and end the Gaza war.
“What’s happened, has happened,” he said. “We’re gonna meet with them. We’re gonna talk about what the future holds,” he said.
“There are still 48 hostages that deserve to be released immediately, all at once. And there is still the hard work ahead once this ends, of rebuilding Gaza in a way that provides people the quality of life that they all want.”
Rubio said it had yet to be determined who would do that, who would pay for it and who would be in charge of the process.
After Israel, Rubio is due to join Trump’s planned visit to Britain next week.
Hamas still holds 48 hostages, and Qatar has been one of the mediators, along with the US, trying to secure a ceasefire deal that would include the captives’ release.
On Tuesday, Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha. US officials described it as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests.
The strike on the territory of a close US ally sparked broad condemnation from other Arab states and derailed ceasefire and hostage talks brokered by Qatar.
On Friday, Rubio met with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at the White House, underscoring competing interests in the region that Rubio will seek to balance on his trip. Later that day, US President Donald Trump held dinner with the prime minister in New York.
Rubio’s trip comes ahead of high-level meetings at the United Nations in New York later this month. Countries including France and Britain are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood, a move opposed by Israel.
Washington says such recognition would bolster Hamas and Rubio has suggested the move could spur the annexation of the West Bank sought by hardline members of the Israeli government.
ON Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement to push ahead with a settlement expansion plan that would cut across West Bank land that the Palestinians seek for a state. Last week, the United Arab Emirates warned that this would cross a red line and undermine the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords that normalized UAE-Israel relations in 2020.
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Netanyahu Posts Message Appearing to Confirm Hamas Leaders Survived Doha Strike
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – In a statement posted to social media on Saturday evening, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Qatar-based leadership of Hamas, reiterating that the jihadist group had to regard for the lives of Gazans and represented an obstacle to ending the war and releasing the Israelis it held hostage.
The wording of Netanyahu’s message appeared to confirm that the strike targeting the Hamas leaders in Doha was not crowned with success.
“The Hamas terrorists chiefs living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza,” wrote Netanyahu. “They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war.” He added that “Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war.”
Israel is yet to officially comment on the result of the strike, which has incurred widespread international criticism.
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Trump Hosts Qatari Prime Minister After Israeli Attack in Doha
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
US President Donald Trump held dinner with the Qatari prime minister in New York on Friday, days after US ally Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an attack in Qatar on Tuesday, a strike that risked derailing US-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict. The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
Trump expressed annoyance about the strike in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sought to assure the Qataris that such attacks would not happen again.
Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani were joined by a top Trump adviser, US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended,” Qatar’s deputy chief of mission, Hamah Al-Muftah, said on X.
The White House confirmed the dinner had taken place but offered no details.
The session followed an hour-long meeting that al-Thani had at the White House on Friday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A source briefed on the meeting said they discussed Qatar’s future as a mediator in the region and defense cooperation in the wake of the Israeli strikes against Hamas in Doha.
Trump said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike, which he described as a unilateral action that did not advance US or Israeli interests.
Washington counts Qatar as a strong Gulf ally. Qatar has been a main mediator in long-running negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and for a post-conflict plan for the territory.
Al-Thani blamed Israel on Tuesday for trying to sabotage chances for peace but said Qatar would not be deterred from its role as mediator.