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US Lawmaker Blasts UN Agency for Teaching Children to ‘Hate Jews’
US Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) speaking at a hearing of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Aviation at the US Capitol. Photo: Reuters Connect
US Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, blasted the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) for teaching Palestinian children to “hate Jews,” calling on his fellow lawmakers to support a bill which would claw back funds from the controversial relief organization.
“This week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, we marked up a bill mandating that the State Department do everything that it can to recoup the millions of dollars, your dollars, that were sent to UNRWA before Oct. 7,” Mast said in a video uploaded to X/Twitter on Sunday. “This was a bill that I put forward, and we’ve been working on it for a number of months. Now, everybody knows how terrible UNRWA is, and that’s why my bill is bipartisan.”
In May, Mast and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) unveiled a bipartisan bill to rescind all remaining federal funding from UNRWA, citing the agency’s ties to “Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihadists” and condemning the relief organization as an “incubator for Palestinian terrorists.” The bill would direct the Secretary of State to revoke funding that has not yet been utilized by the agency.
The bill was ultimately tabled by the House Foreign Affairs Committee by a vote of 24 to 22 on July 11, which spilt along party lines.
Mast torched Democratic lawmakers for refusing to support legislation which would defund an organization which, Mast argues, promotes antisemitism and terrorism.
I am proud to announce that my bill clawing back misused funds to UNRWA has passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The notion that UNRWA serves American interests is a joke. Let’s get this across the finish line. pic.twitter.com/xnwJopFni6
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) July 15, 2024
“[D]espite UNRWA’s crimes being made public, there are still some House Democrats who would prefer to take a page out of Joe Biden’s book and disassociate from reality,” Mast said.
The lawmaker also slammed Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-MA) for her prior comments which defended UNRWA as “doing God’s work.” Mast further repudiated UNRWA as an agency which indoctrinates Palestinian children to “hate Jews.”
“Is it God’s work to take innocent people hostage or launch rockets at school buses or cities or cafes or malls or any innocent people they can find? I don’t think that’s the case,” Mast said.
UNRWA has faced significant controversy due to allegations of its connections with Hamas, the terrorist group which launched the ongoing war in Gaza by slaughtering roughly 1200 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7. UNRWA facilities and resources have been exploited by Hamas for various purposes, including the storage of weapons and the use of schools as launch sites for attacks against Israel.
Over 100 Israeli victims of Oct. 7 filed lawsuits against UNRWA in June for allegedly providing a “safe haven” for Hamas and “aiding and abetting” the terrorist group. Roughly 10 percent of UNRWA employees are tied to terrorist groups such as Hamas or the Islamic Jihad, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. Members of a 3,000 Telegram group were found to have celebrated the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, according to UN Watch. Evidence suggests that at least 30 UNRWA employees actively participated in Oct. 7, slaughtering civilians, taking hostages, and ransacking Israeli communities.
The House voted in March to defund UNRWA as part of a $1.2 trillion spending package to prevent a government shutdown.
The post US Lawmaker Blasts UN Agency for Teaching Children to ‘Hate Jews’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hezbollah Says Lebanon Move on Army Plan Is ‘Opportunity,’ Urges Israel to Commit to Ceasefire

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and members of the cabinet stand as they attend a cabinet session to discuss the army’s plan to disarm Hezbollah, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon, September 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati told Reuters on Saturday that the group considered Friday’s cabinet session on an army plan to establish a state monopoly on arms “an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason, preventing the country from slipping into the unknown.”
Lebanon’s cabinet on Friday welcomed a plan by the army that would disarm Hezbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the army had limited capabilities.
But it said continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon would hamper the army’s progress. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lebanese information minister Paul Morcos stopped short of saying the cabinet had formally approved the plan.
Qmati told Reuters that Hezbollah had reached its assessment based on the government’s declaration on Friday that further implementation of a US roadmap on the matter was dependent on Israel’s commitment. He said that without Israel halting strikes and withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s implementation of the plan should remain “suspended until further notice.”
Lebanon’s cabinet last month tasked the army with coming up with a plan that would establish a state monopoly on arms and approved a US roadmap aimed at disarming Hezbollah in exchange for a halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Qmati said that Hezbollah “unequivocally rejected” those two decisions and expected the Lebanese government to draw up a national defense strategy.
Israel last week signaled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the army took action to disarm Hezbollah. Meanwhile, it has continued its strikes, killing four people on Wednesday.
A national divide over Hezbollah’s disarmament has taken center stage in Lebanon since last year’s devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Iran-backed Shi’ite Muslim group.
Lebanon is under pressure from the US, Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah’s domestic rivals to disarm the group. But Hezbollah has pushed back, saying it would be a serious misstep to even discuss disarmament while Israel continues its air strikes on Lebanon and occupies swathes of territory in the south.
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem last month raised the specter of civil war, warning the government against trying to confront the group and saying street protests were possible.
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UK Police Arrest Dozens at Latest Protest for Banned Palestine Action

Demonstrators attend the “Lift The Ban” rally organised by Defend Our Juries, challenging the British government’s proscription of “Palestine Action” under anti-terrorism laws, in Parliament Square, in London, Britain, September 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
British police arrested dozens more people on Saturday under anti-terrorism laws for demonstrating in support of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned by the government as a terrorist organization.
Britain banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged military planes. The group accuses Britain’s government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Police have arrested hundreds of Palestine Action supporters in recent weeks under anti-terrorism legislation, including over 500 in just one day last month, many of them over the age of 60.
On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered near parliament in central London to protest against the ban on Saturday, with many holding up signs that said: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said officers had begun arresting those expressing support for Palestine Action. Police did not say how many arrests were made but a Reuters witness said dozens of people were detained.
Palestine Action’s ban, or proscription, puts the group alongside al-Qaeda and ISIS and makes it a crime to support or belong to the organization, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
“I can be unequivocal, if you show support for Palestine Action – an offense under the Terrorism Act – you will be arrested,” Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said on Friday. “We have the officer numbers, custody capacity and all other resources to process as many people as is required.”
Human rights groups have criticized Britain’s decision to ban the group as disproportionate and say it limits the freedom of expression of peaceful protesters.
The government has accused Palestine Action of causing millions of pounds worth of criminal damage and says the ban does not prevent other pro-Palestinian protests.
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Macron’s Meeting with American Jewry ‘Won’t Happen’ Amid Palestinian Recognition Drive, Surge in Antisemitism

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference in Paris, France, June 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
i24 News – French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to set up a meeting with American Jewish leaders later this month on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
i24NEWS has learned that the meeting won’t happen, firstly because Macron was only available for the meeting ahead of the UN General Assembly during Rosh Hashanah, and yet, a person invited to meet with Macron and who has knowledge of the discussions told i24NEWS the sit-down simply wasn’t going to happen, anyway.
“I think the organizations, for the most part, would not have participated,” the person said, adding that AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee would have likely received invitations, among other entities.
“The guy has a 15% popularity rating in France. It’s not our job to help him out,” the person said.
Asked by i24NEWS whether Macron’s push for greater Palestinian state recognition or his lack of action in tackling antisemitism at home led to the stance of organized American Jewry, the person said it’s more of “the climate” which allows one to say ‘Look, the American Jews met with me,’ regardless of the content.”
The person said they are sure, if a meeting would have happened, that everybody in the room would have taken a hard line with Macron, including his “statements on Israel, the failure to respond to antisemitism” and France’s announcement this summer that it will recognize a Palestinian state later this month, and is leading an effort to get more countries to do the same.
But, the person told i24NEWS they are convinced that, in the end, while no final decision actually had to be taken, there was enough pressure that a consensus would have been reached to decline the meeting.
Of the timing of Rosh Hashanah allowing for leadership to not be forced to officially say no to Macron, the person said “G-d saves us every time.”
Another source familiar with the matter noted that it cannot be ruled out that Macron may eventually succeed in arranging a meeting with certain representatives, as the organizations are not a single unified body. However, he is unlikely to be welcomed by the overwhelming majority of groups representing American Jewry.
i24NEWS has also learned that French President Emmanuel Macron explored the possibility of visiting Israel ahead of the convention, but was advised by the Prime Minister’s Office that the timing was inappropriate. The message came as Macron continues to push for recognition of a Palestinian state, a move Israel strongly opposes. Sources further told i24NEWS that Israel is weighing additional retaliatory measures against Macron, including the potential closure of the French consulate in Jerusalem, which primarily serves Palestinians in the West Bank.