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Wikipedia Editors Vote to Accuse Israel of Genocide During Ongoing Hamas War in Gaza
An Israeli soldier stands in a tank, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, near the Israel-Gaza border, in Israel, June 4, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Editors of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia have renamed an entry that now outwardly accuses Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip during the country’s ongoing war against Hamas terrorists responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel.
After months of debating the matter, editors decided that the Wikipedia article “Allegations of genocide in the 2023 Israeli attack on Gaza” should be renamed “Gaza genocide,” Ynet reported. The Wikipedia entry cites academics, historians, scholars, legal experts, and others who support the false accusation. Among the experts repeatedly cited is Francesca Albanese, the United Nations’ notoriously controversial special rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Palestinian territories. Albanese has an extensive history of using her role at the UN to denigrate Israel and seemingly rationalize Hamas’ attacks on the Jewish state.
A month after the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, Albanese said she believes that Israel does not have the right to defend itself against Hamas. In early June, she criticized Israel for rescuing four hostages who were abducted by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 and held captive in the Gaza Strip. Both the US and Israel have called for her to be removed from her position, and UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer said in June that she is “the first UN special rapporteur in history to be condemned by France, Germany, and the US for antisemitism.” A spokesperson for the US State Department told Fox News that Albanese’s “allegations of genocide are unfounded.”
“Various observers, including United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, have cited statements by senior Israeli officials that may indicate an ‘intent to destroy’ (in whole or in part) Gaza’s population, a necessary condition for the legal threshold of genocide to be met,” the Wikipedia article states. “A majority of mostly US-based Middle East scholars believe Israel’s actions in Gaza are intended to make it uninhabitable for Palestinians, and 75 percent of them say Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute either ‘major war crimes akin to genocide’ or ‘genocide.’”
The Wikipedia entry also cites international organizations and news websites as sources, including the prominent anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace and Turkey’s anti-Zionist, state-run news agency Anadolu. Gaza’s Ministry of Health (MOH), which is run by Hamas, is the source for the casualty statistics mentioned in the article.
It has previously been reported that the MOH makes no distinction in its casualty figures between civilians and Hamas terrorists, and experts have cast doubt on the reliability of casualty figures coming from Gazan health authorities. The MOH admitted in April that it had “incomplete data” for 11,371 Palestinian fatalities it claimed to have documented at the time.
The Wikipedia entry additionally features alleged statements from members of the Israeli government that have been misinterpreted, misrepresented, or not said at all, and still used to support claims of an Israeli “genocide” in Gaza. The page further mentions other notable figures who have falsely accused Israel of genocide, including Jewish Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), climate activist Greta Thunberg, rapper Macklemore, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.
Wikipedia editors who are opposed to the article’s title change said it violates Wikipedia’s policy on neutral titles and accused the online encyclopedia of being biased against Israel, Ynet reported. They suggested adding words like “allegations” in the new title and argued that Wikipedia kept the word in another title — “Allegations of genocide in the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel” — but removed the term when it came to accusing Israel of genocide.
In June, Wikipedia editors voted that the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a “generally unreliable” source for information about antisemitism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Dozens of Jewish organizations signed an open letter lambasting Wikipedia for the decision.
The post Wikipedia Editors Vote to Accuse Israel of Genocide During Ongoing Hamas War in Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft
The opening tip between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 13, 2020. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
In a landmark night for Israeli basketball, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, marking the first time two Israeli players have been drafted in the same year.
Saraf, a 19-year-old guard known for his explosive athleticism and creative playmaking, was taken with the 26th pick. A standout with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and a rising star on Israel’s youth national teams, Saraf gained international attention with his electrifying scoring and commanding court presence.
With the 27th pick, the Nets selected 7-foot center Danny Wolf out of the University of Michigan. Wolf, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship and represented Israel at the U-20 level, brings a versatile skill set, including sharp passing, perimeter shooting, and a strong feel for the game. After his name was called, Wolf grew emotional in an on-air interview, crediting his family for helping him reach the moment.
“I have the two greatest brothers in the world; I have an unbelievable sister who I love,” Wolf said. “They all helped me get to where I am today, and they’re going to help me get to where I am going to go in this league.”
The historic double-pick adds to the growing wave of Israeli presence on the NBA stage, led by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who just completed a breakout 2024–25 season. After being traded to Portland last summer, Avdija thrived as a starter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. In March alone, he posted 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, including two triple-doubles.
“I don’t think I’ve played like this before … I knew I had it in me. But I’m not really thinking about it. I’m just playing. I’m just free,” Avdija told reporters in March
With Saraf and Wolf joining Avdija, Israel’s basketball pipeline has reached unprecedented visibility. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the moment “a national celebration for sports and youth,” and Israeli sports commentators widely hailed the night as “historic.”
Both Saraf and Wolf are expected to suit up for the Nets’ Summer League team in July. As the two rookies begin their NBA journey, they join a growing generation of Israeli athletes proving that their game belongs on basketball’s biggest stage.
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Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.
Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
The post Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Ireland Becomes First European Nation to Advance Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements
A pro-Hamas demonstration in Ireland led by nationalist party Sinn Fein. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Ireland has become the first European nation to push forward legislation banning trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — an effort officials say is meant “to address the horrifying situation” in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris announced that the legislation has already been approved by the government and will now move to the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.
“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Harris said during a press conference.
The Irish diplomat also told reporters he hopes the “real benefit” of the legislation will be to encourage other countries to follow suit, “because it is important that every country uses every lever at its disposal.”
Today Ireland becomes the first country in Europe to bring forward legislation to ban trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza.
Every country must pull every lever at its disposal. pic.twitter.com/Z4RTjqntEY— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 24, 2025
Joining a growing number of EU member states aiming to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Ireland’s decision comes after a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal.
The ICJ ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Once implemented, the law will criminalize the importation of goods from Israeli settlements into Ireland, empowering customs officials to inspect, seize, and confiscate any such shipments.
“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris said. “I have made it consistently clear that this government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”
“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-state solution,” the Irish diplomat continued. “This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.”
Harris also urged the EU to comply with the ICJ’s ruling by taking a more decisive and “adequate response” regarding imports from Israeli settlements.
“This is an issue that I will continue to press at EU level, and I reiterated my call for concrete proposals from the European Commission at the Foreign Affairs Council this week,” he said.
Last week, Ireland and eight other EU member states — Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — called on the European Commission to draft proposals for how EU countries can halt trade and imports with Israeli settlements, in line with obligations set out by the ICJ.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas.
“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.
It is regrettable that even when Israel fighting an existential threat which is in Europe vital interest – there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession.
Shameful! https://t.co/lxm9qm8sM1— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 19, 2025
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