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Ian Kinsler wears Team Israel jersey to throw out first pitch at Texas Rangers playoff game

(JTA) — Ian Kinsler, the Jewish former MLB All-Star and Team Israel manager, wore a Team Israel jersey while throwing out the first pitch of the playoff game between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros on Wednesday night.

As both a player and a manager, Ian Kinsler has worn the jersey many times and in several different stadiums. But the choice to wear it at the game, along with a Texas Rangers hat — he played the first eight years of his 14-year MLB career with the Rangers — appeared to be a stand of solidarity with Israel as it deals with the fallout of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.

Kins to @Dutch_Oven45 to get us started! pic.twitter.com/BxRfljgLwn

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) October 19, 2023

The clip of the first pitch was shared widely across social media, with fans and Team Israel players commending Kinsler for his show of support.

“Ian Kinsler, in his own quiet way, has given the supporters of Israel a reason to feel very proud and have great respect,” Team Israel general manager Peter Kurz, who had recruited Kinsler to join the team, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency via text message. “There is no bigger platform today in America than the baseball playoffs, and by taking advantage of that platform to so proudly wear his Team Israel jersey as he got the honor of throwing out the first pitch, Ian has said to the world: ‘Israel means a lot to me, Israel is fighting a bitter and barbarian enemy, and I support the people of Israel in this war!!’”

Kinsler played for Team Israel in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo — for which he obtained Israeli citizenship — and managed the club at the 2023 World Baseball Classic in Miami.

Ahead of Team Israel pitcher Dean Kremer’s emotional playoff appearance just days into the war, Kinsler told the Dallas Morning News that he has been following the situation in Israel.

“It’s a tough time, and something that is hard to understand,” Kinsler said. “I stand in solidarity with the people of Israel, especially the IDF who are fighting to defend the country and its people. I know people who have been recalled to service and pray for their safety and their family’s peace of mind daily. Innocent lives are being lost on both sides and I pray for a quick resolution.”

Kinsler’s display of support in the playoffs follows similar acts by Astros star Alex Bregman, who drew a Star of David on his hat during the previous series, and Kremer, who wore a Star of David necklace as he became the first Israeli-American to pitch in the postseason. Last week, the Philadelphia Phillies held a moment of silence for Israel prior to their playoff game against the Atlanta Braves.


The post Ian Kinsler wears Team Israel jersey to throw out first pitch at Texas Rangers playoff game appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy

Thomas Barrack at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

i24 News – Lebanon’s daunting social, economic and political issues would not get resolved unless the state persists in the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy behind so much of the unrest and destruction, special US envoy Tom Barrack told The National.

“You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again,” he said, using the historical Arabic name for the region sometimes known as “larger Syria.”

The official stressed the need to follow through on promises to disarm the Iranian proxy, which suffered severe blows from Israel in the past year, including the elimination of its entire leadership, and is considered a weakened though still dangerous jihadist outfit.

“There are issues that we have to arm wrestle with each other over to come to a final conclusion. Remember, we have an agreement, it was a great agreement. The problem is, nobody followed it,” he told The National.

Barrack spoke on the heels of a trip to Beirut, where he proposed a diplomatic plan for the region involving the full disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese state.

The post Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a cultural forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11, 2024. Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Scherbak/Pool via REUTERS

i24 News – Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian leadership that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, the Axios website reported on Saturday. The Russian strongman also relayed the message to his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, the report said.

Iranian news agency Tasnim issued a denial, citing an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard.

Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “Any negotiated solution must respect Iran’s right to enrichment. No agreement without recognizing our right to enrichment. If negotiations occur, the only topic will be the nuclear program. No other issues, especially defense or military matters, will be on the agenda.”

The post Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool

i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is attending at least one meeting with Israeli officials in Azerbaijan today, despite sources in Damascus claiming he wasn’t attending, a Syrian source close to President Al-Sharaa tells i24NEWS.

The Syrian source stated that this is a series of two or three meetings between the sides, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also in attendance, along with Ahmed Al-Dalati, the Syrian government’s liaison for security meetings with Israel.

The high-level Israeli delegation includes a special envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as security and military figures.

The purpose of the meetings is to discuss further details of the security agreement to be signed between Israel and Syria, the Iranian threat in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s weapons, the weapons of Palestinian militias, the Palestinians camps in Lebanon, and the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza in the region.

The possibility of opening an Israeli coordination office in Damascus, without diplomatic status, might also be discussed.

The source stated that the decision to hold the meetings in Azerbaijan, made by Israel and the US, is intended to send a message to Iran.

The post Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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