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Jews Are in a Global Emergency

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt speaks during the organization’s “Never Is Now” summit at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan in New York City, US, Nov. 10, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

A majority of Americans believe that American Jews are more loyal to Israel than the United States.

One-third of Americans believe that Jews talk too much about what happened to them during the Holocaust.

One-fifth of Americans believe that Jews are responsible for most of the world’s wars.

Since 1964, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has regularly conducted comprehensive studies of antisemitic attitudes in the United States.

In our new survey conducted in then J7 task force nations — countries with the largest Jewish populations outside Israel —  we found that nearly 40% of respondents in Europe, Latin America, North America, and Australia endorsed at least six antisemitic tropes like those mentioned above.

So, outside of our Jewish identity, why should this concern us as a society?

The answer is that these beliefs are some of the oldest and most insidious forms of antisemitism, and they don’t just endanger Jews, but threaten the health of democracy as a whole.

The dual loyalty trope, for example, dates back to the days of Judas in the New Testament, when antisemites often accused Jews of being loyal only to other Jews and a distinct Jewish agenda. This resulted in Jews being perceived as untrustworthy, implying they are inherently disloyal or possess dual loyalties.

After the founding of the State of Israel, a modern iteration of this ancient prejudice emerged and persists today: that Jews will always be more loyal to Israel than their countries of origin.

This is starkly illustrated by the mass expulsion of Jews from their homes in Arab countries under suspicion of dual loyalty, as supposed double agents. This suspicion also led to the arrest, murder, or forced expulsion of countless Jews. The Soviet Union was particularly adept at the promotion of this false charge, having conceived a global anti-Zionist movement in the 1950s and 60s, as a way of targeting its own Jewish population, as well as the State of Israel.

Many of those Soviet anti-Zionist tactics and rhetoric have been adopted by today’s anti-Zionists to harass American Jewish college students. Students have faced ongoing protests, encampments, and harassment as a Jew making their way to class.

In our survey, this age-old antisemitic allegation received the highest agreement of the 12 antisemitic beliefs presented. The dual loyalty canard was endorsed by a staggering 56 percent of all respondents across the J7 countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Although antisemitism remained on the fringes of these societies for years, rising slowly and steadily, Hamas’ October 7 massacre in Israel led to a sharp spike of global anti-Jewish hate. These atrocities swiftly breathed new life into ancient antisemitic tropes, with Israel being increasingly demonized, and support of Hamas becoming slowly normalized.

Illustrating this, we recorded that more than 15 percent of respondents in the J7 countries view the terrorist organization of Hamas “very” or “somewhat” favorably, a nightmarish and outrageous figure.

Even more concerning, 26 percent of these respondents belong to Generation Z (born 1997-2012), the next generation poised to shape our future.

Hand in hand with these disturbing findings, our survey unveiled that the trope that, “Jews are responsible for most of the world’s wars” has reached an all-time high, rising to 23 percent in Argentina (up from 13 percent in 2019); 19 percent in the United States (up from 5 percent in 2015); 17 percent in France, (up from 3 in 2023); and 17 percent in Germany, up from 4 percent in 2023.

Let’s be clear: these tropes aren’t just isolated thoughts; they represent deeply dangerous ideas about Jews that incite real violence.

For instance, the belief in Jewish control of government led to deadly antisemitic attacks at the synagogues in Pittsburgh and Poway, as well as the Colleyville hostage crisis. Inflammatory rhetoric surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has also contributed to a rise in antisemitic incidents throughout the years.

More specifically, we’ve all witnessed the global spike of anti-Jewish hate that overwhelmed our communities immediately following Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. From October 7 until the end of 2023, ADL has documented 5,204 antisemitic incidents in the United States alone — surpassing the total for all of 2022 combined.

As we confront this tsunami of antisemitic hate head-on, particularly in nations with large Jewish populations, it is apparent that this threat to our communities knows no bounds. Whether in the United States or France, and from the streets of Australia to Argentina, this hate spans across continents and seamlessly crosses borders.

Listen to what the data is telling us. We are in a global state of emergency.

To combat antisemitism, we must move beyond theoretical discussions and address it head-on, wherever it manifests. Antisemitic attitudes and endorsement of antisemitic tropes have profound, real-life consequences, leading to discrimination, violence, and the marginalization of Jewish communities. Whether propagated by the far-right or the far-left, whether targeting a Londoner or a New Yorker, antisemitism must be confronted — boldly and without hesitation.

Marina Rosenberg is Senior Vice President for International Affairs at the Anti-Defamation League, and a former ambassador and diplomat.

The post Jews Are in a Global Emergency first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Iranian Media Claims Obtaining ‘Sensitive’ Israeli Intelligence Materials

FILE PHOTO: The atomic symbol and the Iranian flag are seen in this illustration, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

i24 NewsIranian and Iran-affiliated media claimed on Saturday that the Islamic Republic had obtained a trove of “strategic and sensitive” Israeli intelligence materials related to Israel’s nuclear facilities and defense plans.

“Iran’s intelligence apparatus has obtained a vast quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime,” Iran’s state broadcaster said, referring to Israel in the manner accepted in those Muslim or Arab states that don’t recognize its legitimacy. The statement was also relayed by the Lebanese site Al-Mayadeen, affiliated with the Iran-backed jihadists of Hezbollah.

The reports did not include any details on the documents or how Iran had obtained them.

The intelligence reportedly included “thousands of documents related to that regime’s nuclear plans and facilities,” it added.

According to the reports, “the data haul was extracted during a covert operation and included a vast volume of materials including documents, images, and videos.”

The report comes amid high tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, over which it is in talks with the US administration of President Donald Trump.

Iranian-Israeli tensions reached an all-time high since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent Gaza war, including Iranian rocket fire on Israel and Israeli aerial raids in Iran that devastated much of the regime’s air defenses.

Israel, which regards the prospect of the antisemitic mullah regime obtaining a nuclear weapon as an existential threat, has indicated it could resort to a military strike against Iran’s installations should talks fail to curb uranium enrichment.

The post Iranian Media Claims Obtaining ‘Sensitive’ Israeli Intelligence Materials first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Israel Retrieves Body of Thai Hostage from Gaza

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

The Israeli military has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage who had been held in Gaza since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday.

Nattapong Pinta’s body was held by a Palestinian terrorist group called the Mujahedeen Brigades, and was recovered from the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, Katz said. His family in Thailand has been notified.

Pinta, an agricultural worker, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small Israeli community near the Gaza border where a quarter of the population was killed or taken hostage during the Hamas attack that triggered the devastating war in Gaza.

Israel’s military said Pinta had been abducted alive and killed by his captors, who had also killed and taken to Gaza the bodies of two more Israeli-American hostages that were retrieved earlier this week.

There was no immediate comment from the Mujahedeen Brigades, who have previously denied killing their captives, or from Hamas. The Israeli military said the Brigades were still holding the body of another foreign national. Only 20 of the 55 remaining hostages are believed to still be alive.

The Mujahedeen Brigades also held and killed Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, according to Israeli authorities. Their bodies were returned during a two-month ceasefire, which collapsed in March after the two sides could not agree on terms for extending it to a second phase.

Israel has since expanded its offensive across the Gaza Strip as US, Qatari and Egyptian-led efforts to secure another ceasefire have faltered.

US-BACKED AID GROUP HALTS DISTRIBUTIONS

The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave, with the rate of young children suffering from acute malnutrition nearly tripling.

Aid distribution was halted on Friday after the US-and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said overcrowding had made it unsafe to continue operations. It was unclear whether aid had resumed on Saturday.

The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral. It says it has provided around 9 million meals so far.

The Israeli military said on Saturday that 350 trucks of humanitarian aid belonging to U.N. and other international relief groups were transferred this week via the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.

The war erupted after Hamas-led terrorists took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the October 7, 2023 attack, Israel’s single deadliest day.

The post Israel Retrieves Body of Thai Hostage from Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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US Mulls Giving Millions to Controversial Gaza Aid Foundation, Sources Say

Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo

The State Department is weighing giving $500 million to the new foundation providing aid to war-shattered Gaza, according to two knowledgeable sources and two former US officials, a move that would involve the US more deeply in a controversial aid effort that has been beset by violence and chaos.

The sources and former US officials, all of whom requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that money for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) would come from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being folded into the US State Department.

The plan has met resistance from some US officials concerned with the deadly shootings of Palestinians near aid distribution sites and the competence of the GHF, the two sources said.

The GHF, which has been fiercely criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for an alleged lack of neutrality, began distributing aid last week amid warnings that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli aid blockade, which was lifted on May 19 when limited deliveries were allowed to resume.

The foundation has seen senior personnel quit and had to pause handouts twice this week after crowds overwhelmed its distribution hubs.

The State Department and GHF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Reuters has been unable to establish who is currently funding the GHF operations, which began in Gaza last week. The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution at so-called secure distribution sites.

On Thursday, Reuters reported that a Chicago-based private equity firm, McNally Capital, has an “economic interest” in the for-profit US contractor overseeing the logistics and security of GHF’s aid distribution hubs in the enclave.

While US President Donald Trump’s administration and Israel say they don’t finance the GHF operation, both have been pressing the United Nations and international aid groups to work with it.

The US and Israel argue that aid distributed by a long-established U.N. aid network was diverted to Hamas. Hamas has denied that.

USAID has been all but dismantled. Some 80 percent of its programs have been canceled and its staff face termination as part of President Donald Trump’s drive to align US foreign policy with his “America First” agenda.

One source with knowledge of the matter and one former senior official said the proposal to give the $500 million to GHF has been championed by acting deputy USAID Administrator Ken Jackson, who has helped oversee the agency’s dismemberment.

The source said that Israel requested the funds to underwrite GHF’s operations for 180 days.

The Israeli government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The two sources said that some US officials have concerns with the plan because of the overcrowding that has affected the aid distribution hubs run by GHF’s contractor, and violence nearby.

Those officials also want well-established non-governmental organizations experienced in running aid operations in Gaza and elsewhere to be involved in the operation if the State Department approves the funds for GHF, a position that Israel likely will oppose, the sources said.

The post US Mulls Giving Millions to Controversial Gaza Aid Foundation, Sources Say first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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