RSS
Support for Israel Is Essential Element of German Policy, Interior Minister Tells Muslim Leaders in Berlin
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser addresses the 2023 meeting of the German Islamic Conference (DIK). Photo: Reuters/Bernd Elmenthaler
Germany’s interior minister on Tuesday challenged Muslim associations in Germany to condemn antisemitism without reservation as she reminded the community’s representatives that support for the State of Israel is a German “raison d’etat” — a non-negotiable element of the country’s foreign policy.
“Whoever wants to become a citizen of this country must know that,” Nancy Faeser declared during a speech to the two-day meeting in Berlin of the German Islamic Conference (DIK) on the theme of “combating antisemitism and anti-Muslim hostility in times of social division.”
The issue of antisemitism among the more than 5.5 million Muslims in Germany has become a national focus in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas pogrom in Israel. On Monday, Faeser and Holger Münch, president of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), revealed that a total of 3,532 crimes related to the Hamas onslaught six weeks ago have been reported, most of them perpetrated by Muslims.
Faeser’s speech to the DIK came as police in the southern state of Bavaria carried out raids on the homes of 17 people accused of spreading antisemitic hate speech and threats targeting Jews online. A statement from the Bavarian police provided details on three of the suspects, two of whom are dual citizens of Turkey and Germany. In an example of the venomous rhetoric pushed by the suspects, a message posted by one of them stated that the “sons of the Jews deserve nothing less than to be slaughtered and wiped out.”
In her speech on Tuesday, Faeser observed that “a spark is often enough for words of hatred to become acts of violence.” Calling on the Muslim associations gathered at the conference to combat antisemitism “even more visibly,” she argued that gestures of solidarity, such as visiting synagogues, were not enough, and that the state needed reassurance that extremist messages would not be spread during sermons in the country’s mosques.
Faeser specifically referenced the recent appearance of Abdul Bari Omar, a senior official of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, at a mosque in Cologne affiliated with Ditib, a Turkish-German Islamic association controlled by the Turkish government. “Can you guarantee that something like this will not happen again?” she asked pointedly.
The interior minister also emphasized that Israel has an inherent right to defend itself. “There is no ‘but’ when it comes to the terrible terrorist attacks of Hamas,” she said.
Faeser also spoke out against general bigotry targeting Muslims, expressing concern at the finding of a recent interior ministry report that one in two Germans harbors hostility towards Muslims. “We must not give room to those who declare Muslims to be the cause of all evil,” Faeser stated. “Whoever now creates a mood against Muslims under the pretext of combating antisemitism seeks to divide us.”
The post Support for Israel Is Essential Element of German Policy, Interior Minister Tells Muslim Leaders in Berlin first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
FBI Investigating ‘Targeted Terror Attack’ in Boulder, Colorado, Director Says
FILE PHOTO: FBI Director Kash Patel testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on President Trump’s proposed budget request for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
FBI Director Kash Patel said on Sunday the agency was aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado.
While he did not provide further details, Patel said in a social media post: “Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already, and we will share updates as more information becomes available.”
According to CBS News, which cited witnesses at the scene, a suspect attacked people with Molotov cocktails who were participating in a walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza.
The Boulder Police Department said it was responding to a report of an attack in the city involving several victims. It has not released further details but a press conference was expected at 4 p.m. Mountain Time (2200 GMT).
The attack comes just weeks after a Chicago-born man was arrested in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C. Someone opened fire on a group of people leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights antisemitism and supports Israel.
The shooting fueled polarization in the United States over the war in Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
The post FBI Investigating ‘Targeted Terror Attack’ in Boulder, Colorado, Director Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Terrorist Responsible for Death of 21 Soldiers Eliminated
An Israeli F-35I “Adir” fighter jet. Photo: IDF
i24 News – Khalil Abd al-Nasser Mohammed Khatib, the terrorist who commanded the terrorist cell that killed 21 soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip on January 22, 2024, was killed by an Israeli airstrike, the IDF said on Sunday.
In a joint operation between the military and the Shin Bet security agency, the terrorist was spotted in a reconnaissance mission. The troops called up an aircraft to target him, and he was eliminated.
Khatib planned and took part in many other terrorist plots against Israeli soldiers.
i24NEWS’ Hebrew channel interviewed Dor Almog, the sole survivor of the mass casualty disaster, who was informed on live TV about the death of the commander responsible for the killing his brothers-in-arms.
“I was sure this day would come – I was a soldier and I know what happens at the end,” said Almog. “The IDF will do everything to bring back the abductees and to topple Hamas, to the last one man.”
The post Terrorist Responsible for Death of 21 Soldiers Eliminated first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Stanley Fischer, Former Fed Vice Chair and Bank of Israel Chief, Dies at 81
FILE PHOTO: Vice Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve System Stanley Fischer arrives to hear Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney delivering the Michel Camdessus Central Banking Lecture at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, U.S., September 18, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
Stanley Fischer, who helped shape modern economic theory during a career that included heading the Bank of Israel and serving as vice chair of the US Federal Reserve, has died at the age of 81.
The Bank of Israel said he died on Saturday night but did not give a cause of death. Fischer was born in Zambia and had dual US-Israeli citizenship.
As an academic at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fischer trained many of the people who went on to be top central bankers, including former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as well as Mario Draghi, the former European Central Bank president.
Fischer served as chief economist at the World Bank, and first deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund during the Asian financial crisis and was then vice chairman at Citigroup from 2002 to 2005.
During an eight-year stint as Israel’s central bank chief from 2005-2013, Fischer helped the country weather the 2008 global financial crisis with minimal economic damage, elevating Israel’s economy on the global stage, while creating a monetary policy committee to decide on interest rates like in other advanced economies.
He was vice chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2017 and served as a director at Bank Hapoalim in 2020 and 2021.
Current Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron praised Fischer’s contribution to the Bank of Israel and to advancing Israel’s economy as “truly significant.”
The soft-spoken Fischer – who played a role in Israel’s economic stabilization plan in 1985 during a period of hyperinflation – was chosen by then Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as central bank chief.
Netanyahu, now prime minister, called Fischer a “great Zionist” for leaving the United States and moving to Israel to take on the top job at Israel’s central bank.
“He was an outstanding economist. In the framework of his role as governor, he greatly contributed to the Israeli economy, especially to the return of stability during the global economic crisis,” Netanyahu said, adding that Stanley – as he was known in Israel – proudly represented Israel and its economy worldwide.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also paid tribute.
“He played a huge role in strengthening Israel’s economy, its remarkable resilience, and its strong reputation around the world,” Herzog said. “He was a world-class professional, a man of integrity, with a heart of gold. A true lover of peace.”
The post Stanley Fischer, Former Fed Vice Chair and Bank of Israel Chief, Dies at 81 first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login