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Boycotts Don’t Target Specific Israeli Policies – They Target Israel’s Existence
Anti-Israel demonstration supporting the BDS movement, Paris France, June 8, 2024. Photo: Claire Serie / Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect
It is fundamental that Israel should exist and boycotts of Jews and Israelis are unacceptable.
Why is it necessary for this sentence to even be spelled out?
I, and I suspect many others like me, thought that the ceasefire in Gaza would lead to a decrease in antisemitism and anti-Israel activities. Well, how mistaken we were.
The announcement of a ceasefire was followed by anti-Israel demonstrations in Italy, Australia, and other places. Sanctions on Israel are still considered by the EU. The EU and Great Britain do not seem to be particularly concerned with the rising antisemitism and boycott of Jews in their countries.
On the contrary, the British police justified why soccer fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv will not be able to attend games because British police cannot provide sufficient safety. It is shameful that Michael D. Higgins, the antisemitic president of Ireland, will be replaced by an even bigger antisemite who was just elected as the incoming president.
The pressure to impose punitive actions on Israel for accusations of war crimes and genocide are not tied to actual events. I remember seeing posters against “the Israeli genocide in Gaza” in Athens, Georgia, a few weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and before the actual fighting in Gaza had started.
Why sanctions and boycotts should be imposed on Israel — not just on certain government members or officials, but also on trade, universities, and cultural events — is incomprehensible.
I suspect that under current conditions, the Israeli government would be targeted regardless of its composition, just like during the previous wars when the Labor Party was in power (you remember Golda Meir and Shimon Peres) and worldwide demonstrations were led against Israel. Tzipi Livni, a moderate who favored the two-state solution, could not travel to Great Britain because she was threatened by arrest as as “war criminal.” And this was in 2009, after one of the several “minor wars” with Gaza when she was foreign minister.
The United Nations, meanwhile, is only encouraging more actions against Israel. Accusing Israel of committing genocide and causing famine in Gaza when the data does not correspond to reality is a common practice, especially when the purpose is to blame solely Israel.
This is not to deny that the war resulted in many deaths, but two factors are either downplayed or not mentioned at all. First, Israel did not start and did not ask for this war. Second, Hamas made sure the death toll and the degree of destruction was as big as possible, using its own population as human shields and exaggerating data and statistics.
In recent days it became clear that there is no famine in Gaza. And yet, in a galling decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Court found that Israel is obligated to provide for all needs of Palestinians in Gaza and that UNRWA, an aid group known to be infiltrated by Hamas, must distribute the supply. Shouldn’t Hamas bear some responsibility for its own people, especially when it is in control of some of the territory?
And even now, the expectations are that Israel will stick to the terms of ceasefire even when they are violated by Hamas.
Whether the current ceasefire will lead to peace is uncertain, as Hamas refuses to give up its control over Gaza and so far has not accepted disarmament. It is very doubtful that the international force to be composed of members of armies from several Muslim countries, including Turkey and Qatar, will be willing to disarm Hamas.
And if Israel is required to disarm Hamas itself, their action will be followed by outrage from the predictable protagonists. The boycott calls will follow — and they will be just as despicable then as they are now.
Dr. Jaroslava Halper is a professor of pathology, emerita, at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. She escaped from communist Prague because of antisemitism, and lack of freedom and free speech. The gradual increase of antisemitism and anti-Zionism in certain circles in her second homeland, and the devastating October 7 massacre by Hamas, led her to realize that more active engagement is necessary to combat antisemitism, including anti-Zionism.
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US Strikes More Than 90 Iranian Military Targets on Kharg Island, CENTCOM Says
A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. Photo: 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS
United States forces executed a large-scale precision strike on Kharg Island in Iran on Friday night, the US Central Command said on Saturday.
“US forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets on Kharg Island, while preserving the oil infrastructure,” CENTCOM said.
The strike destroyed naval mine storage facilities, missile storage bunkers, and multiple other military sites, the US military said in a post on X.
President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to strike the oil infrastructure of Iran’s Kharg Island hub, unless Tehran stopped attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
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North Korea Fires Ten Ballistic Missiles Toward the Sea of Japan
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and wife Ri Sol Ju inspect an honour guard before leaving Pyongyang for a visit to China, this January 7, 2019 photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang January 8, 2019. Photo: KCNA via REUTERS.
i24 News – North Korea fired roughly ten ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan on Saturday, the South Korean military reported, marking a new act of defiance amid Seoul and Washington’s annual joint military exercises.
The launches, originating from the Sunan area near Pyongyang, were detected around 1:20 p.m. local time, according to a statement from the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The missiles were directed toward the East Sea—the Korean name for the Sea of Japan—though details on their range or trajectory were not immediately available. Earlier, the South Korean Ministry of Defense had already confirmed the launch of at least one unidentified projectile in the same area.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense also verified the incident, noting that a suspected ballistic missile had been launched from North Korea.
The launches come amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Since Monday, the United States and South Korea have been conducting their annual joint exercises, which will continue through March 19 and involve approximately 18,000 South Korean troops alongside an unspecified number of U.S. forces.
Pyongyang has sharply criticized the drills, calling them a rehearsal for invasion. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned this week that the exercises could trigger “terrible and unimaginable consequences.”
The missile tests also coincide with fading prospects for inter-Korean dialogue. Kim Jong-un recently dismissed outreach efforts from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, labeling Seoul “the most hostile enemy.”
The show of force occurred just hours after South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, during a visit to the United States, mentioned a potential meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un—a meeting Washington still considers possible.
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Dutch Authorities Investigate Explosion at Jewish School Claimed by Extremist Group
Police outside a Jewish school following an explosion that caused minor damages, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, March 14, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
i24 News – An explosion struck a Jewish school on Zeelandstraat in Amsterdam-Buitenveldert during the night between Friday and Saturday, Dutch authorities confirmed. Emergency responders, including police and firefighters, acted swiftly, and officials reported that the building suffered only limited damage. No injuries have been reported.
Mayor Femke Halsema described the incident as a deliberate attack against the Jewish community in the city, emphasizing that the authorities are treating the case “very seriously.” Security camera footage showing the individual who detonated the device is under investigation.
In an unverified online video, previously little-known group identifying itself as Ashab Al Yamim later claimed responsibility for the blast. The group released online footage appearing to show the small explosion followed by a fire outside the school. Its logo was also seen in videos related to an attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam earlier this week.
Dutch investigators are coordinating with the judiciary to determine the full circumstances of the attack and whether additional suspects were involved. Authorities noted that the organization had not been previously known to security services.
The explosion comes amid rising security concerns for Jewish institutions across Europe, following heightened tensions in the Middle East. The group behind the claim has also alleged responsibility for previous incidents targeting Jewish sites in Europe, including attacks in Liège, Belgium, and Rotterdam, though these claims remain unverified.
Jewish schools, synagogues, and community centers across the continent have stepped up security measures in recent weeks amid fears of potential threats to Jewish communities.