Thus, like the shipwrecked clinging desperately to its life raft, the AP holds tight to its enduring double standard in which only Israeli information “cannot be independently verified.” All that laborious effort, and still AP’s journalism sinks ever deeper.
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The Associated Press Doubts Israel, But Believes the Houthis and Hamas
Like ships passing in the night, the Associated Press’ recent account of Houthi attacks on international commercial vessels skirts around the reality of the far-reaching, destructive, and sometimes deadly nautical attacks.
Thus, in her Aug. 7 article, rookie AP reporter Fatma Khaled reports (“Egypt’s currency edges higher against the US dollar after price hikes“) — “Houthis have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea in retaliation against Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.”
Yet, most of the commercial ships that the Houthis have targeted lack any connection to Israel. As the AP itself has written on numerous occasions, including just two days earlier following an attack on a Liberian-flagged ship (“Missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels hits container ship in first attack in 2 weeks“):
The Houthis maintain that their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain as part of the rebels’ campaign they say seeks to force an end to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the war — including some bound for Iran.
Therefore, Khaled’s spin that the Houthi’s nautical attacks are “retaliation” for Israel’s war against Hamas is hardly above board.
The AP’s journalism is also adrift in its Gaza coverage in recent days, unmoored from immutable facts. Thus, in his Aug. 7 article, “Hamas names Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, as its new leader in show of defiance,” Bassem Mroue refers to the slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as a “relative moderate.”
This “relative moderate” is the same man whose record includes the following “relatively reasonable” sentiments, compiled by Palestinian Media Watch:
“We love death like our enemies love life!”
“We need the blood of the children, women, and elderly” to “ignite within us the spirit of revolution”
“Armed resistance is path, Palestine is from the sea to the river”
“Hamas won’t recognize Israel … armed struggle is a strategic choice”
“We will liberate West Bank and rest of Palestine just as we liberated Gaza — with Intifada”
Consistent standards likewise fail to provide a much needed anchor for the AP’s untethered reporting. Thus, Mroue accepts Hamas’ highly questionable fatality figures at face value, without even supplying any attribution.
“The death toll among Palestinians is now nearing 40,000,” he writes, despite AP’s own earlier analysis indicating serious credibility problems with casualty figures provided by the terror organization.
And, then, despite last October’s Al-Ahli hospital fiasco in which Hamas falsely grossly inflated the number of fatalities and blamed them on an Israeli airstrike when in fact a failed Palestinian rocket was the culprit, the AP again hurried to report Hamas’ contested fatality figures in a high profile deadly incident.
In “Israeli airstrike on a Gaza school used as a shelter kills at least 80, Palestinian officials say,” Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy (last updated Aug. 11, 1:13 am GMT) provide this skewed report:
An Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza early Saturday, killing at least 80 people and wounding nearly 50 others, Palestinian health authorities said.
Only three paragraphs later, does the AP inform readers:
The Israeli military acknowledged it targeted the Tabeen school in central Gaza City, saying it hit a Hamas command center in a mosque in its compound and killed 19 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters. Izzat al-Rishq, a top Hamas official, denied there were militants in the school.
While it took the AP three paragraphs before reaching Israel’s refutation of Hamas’ claims accusing Israel of at least 80 civilian deaths, it took exactly one sentence to loop back to Hamas, with its denial of Israel’s information that the army had targeted Hamas combatants using the educational facility as a terror command center.
Moreover, the AP writers devote multiple paragraphs to claims that the victims were uninvolved civilians. Yet, at no point did they recount that the Israeli military provided the names and titles of the 19 Hamas fighters it said were killed in the school — a list that later grew to 38. These details directly call into question the credibility of al-Rishq’s denial that there were militants in the school.
Today, the IDF and ISA struck terrorists operating in a Hamas command and control center, which was embedded inside a mosque in the Al-Taba’een school compound. Following an intelligence investigation, it can be confirmed at this time that at least 19 Hamas and Islamic Jihad… pic.twitter.com/97fw1Q9cHy
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 10, 2024
Tamar Sternthal is the director of CAMERA’s Israel Office. A version of this article previously appeared on the CAMERA website.
The post The Associated Press Doubts Israel, But Believes the Houthis and Hamas first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US Rep. Ilhan Omar Cruises to Victory in Primary Race, Ending Anti-Israel ‘Squad’ Losing Streak
US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) participates in a news conference, outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, April 10, 2019. Photo: Reuters / Jim Bourg
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), one of the most strident anti-Israel lawmakers in the US Congress, defeated Don Samuels on Tuesday night in the Democratic primary for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District.
Omar notched a decisive victory over Samuels, winning the race by roughly 13 percentage points. She received 56.2 percent of the vote compared to Samuels’ 42.9 percent.
“I am incredibly honored by this victory tonight,” Omar said to her supporters at a Minneapolis restaurant on Tuesday night. “I am honored to represent the people who welcomed me and my family as refugees to this incredible state.”
The congresswoman expanded on the margins of her 2022 reelection bid, in which she defeated Samuels by a narrow 2.1 percentage points.
Omar will represent the Democratic Party in the general election, where she will face off against Republican nominee Dalia Al-Aqidi — a pro-Israel, Iraq-born journalist, in November. Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, which comprises Minneapolis and local suburbs, has consistently supported Democrats in the past, and Omar is expected to easily defeat her opponent.
Omar’s victory breaks a losing streak this election cycle for members of the so-called “Squad” — a cohort of progressive, anti-Israel members of the US House of Representatives. Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) both lost their Democratic primary races to pro-Israel opponents in June and July, respectively.
Notably, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) did not heavily invest financial resources in Tuesday’s election. AIPAC, a major pro-Israel lobbying group, helped oust both Bowman and Bush by financially supporting their opponents. The group spent a staggering $14.5 million and $9 million to defeat Bowman and Bush, respectively.
In the months following Hamas’ slaughter of roughly 1,200 people throughout southern Israel on Oct. 7, the left-wing lawmakers have adopted a more adversarial posture toward the Jewish state. The Democratic electorate has simultaneously grown increasingly less supportive of Israel, according to recent polling.
Both advocates and critics of the Jewish state watched Omar’s race closely, considering it a potential indicator of whether anti-Israel views are still an electoral liability within the Democratic Party.
Since being elected to Congress in 2018, Omar has emerged as a harsh critic of Israel. She has accused the Jewish state of committing “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza and erecting an “apartheid” government in the West Bank. The lawmaker has also publicly declared support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement (BDS), an initiative which seeks to turn the Jewish state into an international pariah as a first step to its eventual destruction.
Omar was among the first members of Congress to call for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza, arguing that the Jewish state’s military operations “indiscriminately” killed Palestinian civilians.
The post US Rep. Ilhan Omar Cruises to Victory in Primary Race, Ending Anti-Israel ‘Squad’ Losing Streak first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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French Muslim Olympic Runner Suspended for ‘Unacceptable’ Anti-Israel, Antisemitic Social Media Posts
Paris 2024 Olympics – Athletics – Men’s 4 x 400m Relay Round 1 – Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France – August 09, 2024. Muhammad Abdallah Kounta of France in action during heat 2. Photo: Reuters/Sarah Meyssonnier
A French Muslim sprinter who recently competed in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris has been suspended by the French Athletics Federation for posting antisemitic and anti-Israel messages on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Two-time Olympian Muhammad Abdallah Kounta, 29, who competed in the 4×400-meter men’s and mix relay races during the Paris Olympics, posted hateful messages on X that “are as shocking as they are unacceptable,” France’s Minister of Sports Amelie Oudea-Castera said Wednesday in a French-language post on X.
“The federation’s president confirmed he has suspended the athlete and referred the matter both to the public prosecutor and to the federation’s disciplinary committee,” Oudea-Castera added.
A day earlier, an X account by the name Sword of Solomon drew attention to some controversial French-language tweets posted by Kounta between 2021 and 2024. In the various posts, Kounta praised Hamas terrorists responsible for the Oct. 7 deadly attacks in Israel, “incited hatred of Israel, trivialized the Holocaust and quoted a surah [chapter] from the Koran considering Jews and Christians as enemies,” according to Sword of Solomon, which also shared screenshots of the athlete’s tweets. Kounta additionally reposted a tweet that described France as a “country of degenerate racists” and liked the Facebook page of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is internationally designated as a terrorist organization.
After his old posts on X were resurfaced, Kounta — who made his Olympic debut in the 2020 Tokyo Games – posted a picture on social media of himself wrapped in a French flag and wrote in the caption: “I am French, Muslim and proud.” He then apologized if he had offended people with his past remarks.
“I’m against genocides and all forms of racism or injustice, and I don’t think I need to prove how much I love my country,” Kounta said. “People who were there in the Stade de France [where the athletic events took place] can attest to that fact.”
France has seen a record surge in antisemitic incidents since Hamas’ atrocities on Oct. 7, amid the ensuing war in Gaza.
The post French Muslim Olympic Runner Suspended for ‘Unacceptable’ Anti-Israel, Antisemitic Social Media Posts first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Canada Revokes Charity Status of Jewish Nonprofits Supporting Israel
Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters, primarily university students, rally at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square on Oct. 28, 2023. Photo by Sayed Najafizada/NurPhoto
Canada on Sunday officially revoked the charitable status of two Jewish nonprofit organizations that allocate funds to support projects in Israel, including the Jewish National Fund Canada, a move that JNF Canada described as a “wrong and unjustified decision” allegedly influenced by antisemites.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) made the announcement regarding JNF and the Ne’eman Foundation Canada in notices posted in the Canada Gazette, the government’s official newspaper. CRA said the charities failed to meet parts of Canada’s Income Tax Act but did not elaborate further.
JNF announced in late July that it filed a lawsuit in the Federal Court of Appeal to contest the CRA decision, saying that the agency’s review process “was flawed and fundamentally unfair.” The Jewish group is also arguing that there is “reasonable apprehension of bias” in the audit that CRA conducted. They claim the CRA was pressured by antisemites and anti-Israel activists to revoke the group’s charitable status, and that it “was an important consideration” for the CRA when it decided to take action against the charity.
“As a Zionist-inspired organization, JNF Canada has many vociferous antisemitic detractors who we believe have influenced the decision-making process in this matter,” the nonprofit explained in a released statement. “We believe that arguably there is a reasonable apprehension of bias on the part of the CRA. This evidence of bias comes from the CRA’s own records, which show that the public pressure on the CRA and the Minister of National Revenue to revoke JNF’s status was an important consideration within the chain of authority at the Charities Directorate. A review of the record would leave a reasonable person with the impression that this pressure resulted in a biased decision.”
JNF Canada said it has evidence that the Charities Directorate was monitoring campaigns and comments made by those who are opposed to the group’s support for the Jewish state, specifically the anti-Israel nonprofit organization Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV), which has been involved in four complaints against JNF Canada.
“Given the current environment, the CRA’s decision will be seen as a victory for anti-Israel and antisemitic movements and groups,” the pro-Israel group added.
In a Q&A shared on its website on Aug. 1, JNF Canada said CRA claims the Jewish group “has failed to exercise adequate direction and control” over its primary intermediary in Israel, which is Karen Kayemeth Le’Israel (KKL). The Israeli organization focuses on developing the land of Israel “for a sustainable future,” “strengthening the bond between the Jewish people and its homeland,” and “supporting Zionist and environmental education,” according to its website.
In the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre in southern Israel, KKL-JNF provided support to communities impacted by the terrorist attack, raised funds, and bought ambulances and equipment for community emergency squads, The Jerusalem Post reported. KKL-JNF also established a special scholarship program that provided NIS 4,000 (roughly $1,075) to thousands of college students who were living in the Gaza border communities or Sderot at the time of the Oct. 7 attack.
JNF Canada explained that CRA usually takes certain measures, like negotiating compliance agreements or invoking sanctions, before drastically revoking an organization’s charitable status. But, in its dealing with JNF Canada, the CRA “not only skipped steps 1-3, it also refused to enter into a dialogue with us and to entertain our suggestions of new objects for our charity or to discuss a compliance agreement,” the Jewish group said. “We maintain that the CRA erred both in fact and in law and that the process was flawed and unfair, which is why we have ended up in court.”
JNF Canada also maintains that it has addressed CRA’s concerns about its work with KKL by taking steps such as reducing the number of its projects with the group and engaging in a compliant agreement with the Israeli charity.
“KKL works for JNF Canada, just like any other agent that we utilize. JNF Canada selects the projects we wish to support and we always have direction and control over all of the funds as we reimburse expenses upon receipt of valid expense reports. In short, we have addressed the CRA’s concerns.”
JNF Canada’s National President Nathan Disenhouse said in a released statement: “Similar to other charities that support the needs of children, workers, and vulnerable communities we would expect CRA to work with, not against, our charity. Our position is that it is unjust for CRA to revoke a charity because a charitable object that it accepted almost 60 years ago is now no longer considered to be a valid charitable object.”
“It is simply unjust to close a charity supported by over 100,000 Canadians based on reversing a decision the CRA made in 1967,” he continued. “Today’s legal appeal will allow JNF Canada’s concerns to be considered before an impartial legal process.”
Independent Jewish Voices Canada applauded the CRA’s revocation.
“It means Canadian tax money will no longer subsidize the JNF’s illegal support of Israeli apartheid,” the group said. It accused JNF of being compliant in “colonization, occupation and apartheid,” and added that while JNF will appeal the CRA’s decision, “we will again fight every step of the way to make sure they never use this loophole to finance Israeli crimes again.”
The Ne’eman Foundation did not respond to The Algemeiner‘s request for a comment about the CRA’s decision.
According to its website, the Ne’eman Foundation “supports projects that reduce or eliminate poverty, advance education, religion and quality of life, and promote charitable initiatives for community development in Israeli communities.” It provides a “secure financial link” between Israel and Canada and helps Israeli nonprofits build their donor bases in Canada.
With offices in Toronto and Israel, the foundation says it offers Canadians with a wide selection of tax-deductible projects in Israel “that are monitored to guarantee that allocated funds are used accordingly and comply with the requirements of Canadian tax legislation.”
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