Melanie Shiraz being crowned Miss Israel 2025. Photo: Simon Soong | Edgar Entertainment

This year has been nothing short of magical, and I’ve been completely full of Israeli pride wherever I go. As the titleholder of Miss Netanya 2024, I had the honor of returning to the Miss Universe Israel 2025 stage — not just to cheer, but to welcome the contestants at the opening-night gathering. The event kicked off a full week of rehearsals, excitement, and unforgettable moments leading up to the crowning of the next Miss Israel.

The sash ceremony was filled with Jewish pride, as Israeli and American Jewish women stood side by side with one mission: to represent their Israeli cities and compete for the crown.

Over the course of the week, I had the privilege of getting to know many of them personally through conversations and video interviews, and they truly inspired me. Each carried her own unique story — from Miss Be’er Sheva, a professional equestrian, to Miss Tel Aviv, who told me how much she loves meeting new people along the Tayelet, the seaside promenade in Tel Aviv. Every woman who stepped onto that stage represented her city with grace and courage.

On the final night, Miss Israel 2024, Ofir Korsia, passed the crown to the new queen, Melanie Shiraz, who represented Caesarea. Though she lives in Tel Aviv, she shared with me that Caesarea has always been her favorite place in Israel — a symbol of beauty and history — and that’s why she chose to represent it.

One of the most unforgettable moments came just after her crowning, when Miss Universe Persia stood on stage alongside Miss Israel to show her love and support. It was a powerful, moving reminder that even between countries like Iran and Israel — where politics so often divide — love and respect can still shine through.

Getting to know Melanie before the show, I was struck by her warmth, kindness, and humility as she shared her journey with me:

“Even though I grew up in the US, Israel has always felt like home. At UC Berkeley, I took on leadership roles and proudly advocated for Israel and the Jewish community on campus. After graduating with a degree in Data Science and Interdisciplinary Studies focused on Israel, the first thing I did was book a one-way ticket here. I came back because I wanted to feel that deep sense of belonging you can only find in Israel. This crown isn’t just about beauty — it’s about showing the world that Israeli women are smart, strong, bold, and full of heart. That’s what I hope to represent as Miss Israel 2025.”

She made me proud to be both Israeli and Jewish.

This journey reminded me that what’s most important is the stories we share, the friendships we build, and the deep bond between Israeli and American women who proudly represented Israel together. That unity — rooted in our shared identity and love for our homeland — is the heart of who we are as Jews and what we strive to show the world.

Ayelet Raymond is an Israeli activist and the creative force behind the @Kosher_Barbie social media persona. She also holds the title of Miss Netanya in Miss Universe Israel 2024.

The post Beyond the Crown: What I Learned at Miss Universe Israel 2025 first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Palestinian children and their teachers celebrating the right to “return” to and reclaim all of Israel. Photo: Palestinian Media Watch.

The Palestinian Authority (PA)’s goal to destroy Israel and turn it into “Palestine” hasn’t changed.

At every opportunity, the PA invokes the “right of return” for all Palestinian “refugees.” PA leader Mahmoud Abbas recently stated that “the right of return is a sacred right,” that “Palestine is ours,” and that “the one who needs to leave is the occupation” — in other words, Israel:

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: “The return [of the Palestinian refugees] — don’t forget the return, don’t forget the return. Not for me; I’m a refugee and all are refugees.

I want to go, why not, this is my land. One day I will return, the right of return is a sacred right … Palestine is ours and Jerusalem is ours, and we will wait, Allah willing.

A short period, not a long one; not 20 years, much less. Rest assured the [Palestinian] state will return. We remain on our land, and we will not leave. The one who needs to leave is the occupation.” [emphasis added]

[Official PA TV, April 23, 2025]

Young Palestinian scouts were taught that same message for “Nakba Day” — the day of the “catastrophe” of the establishment of Israel. They marched with a sign proclaiming that “the refugee camp is the waiting station“:

Text on sign: “The refugee camp is the waiting station

[The following are cities and towns in Israel -Ed.]

Acre

Jaffa

Tzipori

Khirbet Al-Loz”

[Fatah Commission of Information and Culture, Facebook page, May 14, 2025]

Speaking on “Nakba Day,” Abbas stressed that he views the Palestinian refugees’ “right of return” as a “permanent and non-negotiable right” [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, May 16, 2025].

The PA claims that UN Resolution 194 grants a “right to return” not only to the 750,000 Arabs who left Israel during the war in 1948, but also to their 6-7 million descendants worldwide, even though the resolution itself makes no mention of refugee status being passed down in perpetuity.

Abbas has specifically mentioned that “1.5 million refugees” in Gaza alone should be allowed to flood Israel.

Photos from Nakba Day events in Tulkarem show scouts marching with keys symbolizing the right of return for refugees to their “homes” in Israel and girls with drawings, many of them featuring the PA map of “Palestine” that presents all of Israel together with the PA areas as “Palestine,” and large keys symbolizing the “right of return”:

The PA message to Palestinian children is that Israel has no right to exist, that all of Israel will become “Palestine,” and that all 6-7 million refugees will “return.”

This is exemplified in the text on the sign held by the girl below. It marks 77 years since the “Nakba,” negating Israel’s entire existence:

Text on sign: “77 years since the Nakba — on Nakba Day we will not forget the right of return. Our roots are deeper than the occupation [i.e., Israel]”

[Tulkarem Directorate of Education, Facebook page, May 18, 2025]

A girl holds a drawing of a woman embracing the PA map of “Palestine” and a large key symbolizing the “right of return”:

Text on drawing: “Do not be sad, O Palestine, victory is coming. O Jerusalem, peace will hover over you again”

[Tulkarem Directorate of Education, Facebook page, May 18, 2025]

Tulkarem Directorate of Education emphasized that the events above were designed by educators to “instill values” and “emphasize the right of return”:

The scout groups and guidance teams of the Tulkarem Directorate of Education marked the 77th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba through national activities and awareness activities that were organized in the directorate’s schools, with the participation of students, teachers, and the local community…

The directorate emphasized that these activities are part of the efforts to instill values of belonging and national awareness among the students to emphasize the [Palestinian refugees’] right of return and reject all forms of expulsion and occupation. [emphasis added]

[Tulkarem Directorate of Education, Facebook page, May 18, 2025]

In Nablus, Abbas’ Fatah partnered with schools and the PA Police for Nakba Day events, and here too children were taught that “return” is certain, posing with symbolic keys:

Text on key: “Return is a right and the will of a people”

Text on keys: “We remain as long as the hyssop trees and olive trees remain

Returning and staying

We will return”

Text on drawing: “Returning”

Posted text: “A national day to improve resolve at the Fadwa Touqan School

The Fatah Movement Nablus Branch’s Sbeih Abu Al-Saud sub-branch, in partnership with the [PA] Nablus Police represented by Deputy [Police] Commissioner Lana Mokhlalati, organized a national day to strengthen resolve in our blessed land on the anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba.”

[Fatah Movement – Nablus Branch, Facebook page, May 14, 2025]

In Hebron as well, educators promoted the key as a symbol of return, which appears below on the PA map of “Palestine” that includes all of Israel wrapped in a keffiyeh pattern, signifying Israel’s destruction:

Girls at the event held posters with pictures of Palestinian refugees:

Text on poster (right): “The right of return is a sacred right”

Text posted by the South Hebron Directorate of Education stressed that the purpose of the event, which was attended by educators, official figures, and representatives of institutions including Director-General of the South Hebron Directorate of Education was “to preserve the memory of the Nakba in the hearts of the students, and to strengthen their sense of affiliation to their homeland and the right to return to the Palestinian land.” [South Hebron Directorate of Education, Facebook page, May 19, 2025]

A filler on official PA TV also focused on the key of the refugee that “has not yet rusted”:

Text: “In the Nakba, a foreign minority attacked a national majority, expelled it from its land, and erased its cultural status. .. and documents of ownership whose owners are still waiting for the day of return that will constitute testimony to a right and a home …

The key has not yet rusted … Their [Israeli] Independence Day is our Nakba Day” [emphasis added]

[Official PA TV, May 14, 2025]

The author is a contributor to Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this story first appeared.

The post PA Teaches Children That Refugees Will Flood ‎and Take Back Israel — the ‘Original Homeland’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

State Senator Omar Fateh announces his candidacy for Minneapolis mayor during a press conference at City Hall, surrounded by supporters holding campaign signs.

Minneapolis mayoral candidate  and Democratic Socialist Omar Fateh, who recently secured the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) Party’s endorsement for mayor of Minneapolis, is drawing scrutiny over his statements regarding Israel amid a heated mayoral campaign.

Fateh’s victory at the DFL convention shattered expectations when he amassed a majority of delegate votes, surpassing incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey, who is Jewish. Moreover, Fateh’s unexpected victory has also drawn fresh attention towards his views on Israel-Palestine. 

Following the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, Fateh published a letter that was broadly critical of the Jewish state and called for an “immediate ceasefire.” Fateh drew an equivalency between Israel’s defensive military operations and the Hamas slaughter of 1200 people and abduction of 250 others. 

“ I am overwhelmed with sorrow for the victims of this violence as well as anger towards both the Israeli Government and Hamas who have senselessly injured and killed thousands of people in a matter of days,” Fateh wrote. 

“In the aftermath of the most deadly Hamas attack in Israeli history, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Israeli civilians, we have seen Israel respond with horrifying acts of violence and deprivation against the Palestinians of Gaza as well as an uptick in settler violence in the West Bank. Since the Hamas attacks, Israel has cut off water, power, fuel, food, and medicine to over two million people,” Fateh continued. 

Critics also point to a protest vote Fateh cast in the March 2024 Minnesota presidential primary. He chose “uncommitted” rather than supporting President Joe Biden, citing dissatisfaction with the administration’s position on Israel’s conflict with Hamas. He warned the Democratic party  that unless policy shifts dramatically on Israel, progressive ballots wouldn’t be guaranteed.

“With deep remorse for the actions of our country’s federal government, which shows no signs of wavering in its commitment to unconditional military and political support for Israel’s genocide in Palestine, announcing that I will be voting uncommitted on Super Tuesday,” Fateh wrote on X/Twitter. 

Fateh and his supporters rebut these allegations, arguing his positions stem from advocacy for equitable policy and human rights, rather than animus toward Jewish people or Israel as a state.

Jewish and moderate voters have expressed concern that Fateh’s positions might undermine communal trust or openness to diverse city constituencies. At the same time, progressive activists and Somali-American communities, a key component of his support base, see his positions as principled and grounded in solidarity with marginalized groups.

Fateh’s growing influence in Minneapolis politics  comes amidst  Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s political ascent in New York City. Recent polls suggest that the success of the two Democratic Socialists point to a possible generational shift within the Democratic party which is increasingly shaped by left-wing views on economics and Israel.

The Minneapolis general election is set for November 4, 2025. 

The post Minneapolis Mayoral Candidate Omer Fatah Criticized Israel After Oct. 7, Accused Jewish State of ‘Genocide’ in Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.