Uncategorized
From Gaza to Ramallah: Palestinian Authority TV Erases Hamas Terror and Blames Israel
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas looks on as he visits the Istishari Cancer Center in Ramallah, in the West Bank, May 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman
No matter which terror organization accepts responsibility for carrying out a terror attack in recent times — be it the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (Fatah’s terror branch), Islamic Jihad, or Hamas — the Palestinian Authority (PA) consistently lies, denies there ever was an attack, and repackages the killing of the terrorist as the murder of an innocent man.
In the latest example, Hamas was proud to take credit for a terror attack that wounded two people.
Hamas published a celebratory poster on its official Telegram channel, praising 18-year-old terrorist Muhammad Raslan Mahmoud Asmar who carried out a “heroic stabbing operation” near Ateret. Hamas framed the attack as “Jihad — victory or Martyrdom” and painted Asmar’s death as his “wedding” to virgins in Paradise.
Text on poster: “‘Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allah. Among them is he who has fulfilled his vow [to the death], and among them is he who awaits [his chance]. And they did not alter [the terms of their commitment] by any alteration’ [Quran 33:23, Sahih International translation]:
The Islamic Resistance Movement ‘Hamas’ leads to the wedding
Jihad fighter Martyr Muhammad Raslan Asmar
Who ascended to Heaven on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, after carrying out a heroic stabbing operation
Near the settlement Ateret that sits on the lands of the northern Ramallah [district’s] villages
Which led to the wounding of 2 occupation [i.e., Israeli] soldiers.
This is Jihad – victory or Martyrdom” [emphasis added][“Hamas Movement – West Bank (reserve channel),” Telegram channel, Dec. 2, 2025]
The PA, however, at multiple times throughout the day, declared Asmar to have died in a policy of “summary executions” that Israel carries out “due to baseless excuses and pretexts:”
18:00
Text on screen: “Death as a Martyr of young [Muhammad Asmar] shot by the occupation northwest of Ramallah”
Official PA TV reporter: “In Beit Rima, from the early morning hours the Israeli occupation forces have imposed a strict siege on the village. They raided the village and began conducting a search operation … in the Martyr’s house… as part of a systematic policy they always employ against the families of the Martyrs …
At the same time, they are still holding the body of Martyr Muhammad Asmar, 18… under the pretext that he carried out a stabbing operation … as part of the systematic policy [Israel] employs to punish the families of the Martyrs. Furthermore, [Israel] prevents them … from conducting funeral ceremonies for them, as they deserve for their sacrifice and their deaths as Martyrs.” [emphasis added]
[Official PA TV, Dec. 2, 2025]
18:00
Official PA TV host: “Young Muhammad Raslan Mahmoud Asmar, 18, from the town of Beit Rima, was shot by the occupation and died as a Martyr northwest of Ramallah.” …
Official PA TV reporter: “A new Martyr has been added to the list of blood in Ramallah, while the criminals remain unpunished. Young Muhammad Raslan Asmar, 18, from Beit Rima was shot and died as a Martyr near the settlement of Ateret, before the occupation forces seized his body, as part of the ongoing policy of summary executions of residents.” [emphasis added]
[Official PA TV, Dec. 2, 2025]
20:00
Official PA TV newsreader: “Muhammad Raslan Asmar, 18, from Beit Rima was shot by the occupation and died as a Martyr.” …
Official PA TV reporter: “The Israeli escalation today, [Dec. 2, 2025,] comes due to baseless excuses and pretexts, in which it claimed that the young Martyr attempted to carry out a stabbing attack on the road leading to the main bypass road near the village of Umm Safa northwest of Ramallah, where young Muhammad Asmar, 18, was shot by the occupation and ascended to Heaven.”
[Official PA TV News, Dec. 2, 2025]
To PA TV, Asmar was not a terrorist, not an attacker, and not responsible for violence of any kind. Instead, viewers were told repeatedly that he was merely “shot by the occupation,” “executed,” and added to the “list of blood in Ramallah.”
This systematic cover-up of terrorism by the Palestinian Authority is not surprising.
The PA has never condemned the Hamas-led atrocities of Oct. 7, and when it addresses them at all, it limits itself to lamenting the consequences for Gaza — not the massacre itself. Against that backdrop, there was never any chance that the PA would acknowledge or condemn a Hamas attack near Ramallah. Just as it excuses, rationalizes, and erases Hamas’ responsibility for Oct. 7, the PA once again stripped a terrorist of all accountability, recast him as an innocent “Martyr,” and shifted every ounce of blame onto Israel — a deception in the service of terror.
Ephraim D. Tepler is a researcher at Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), where a version of this article first appeared.
Uncategorized
U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan calls Israeli government ‘evil’ like Hamas
Abdul El-Sayed, a U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan, said in an interview aired Sunday that the Israeli government is as “evil” as Hamas, sharpening his criticism of Israel in the closely-watched Democratic primary.
“Killing tens of thousands of people makes you pretty damn evil,” El-Sayed told CNN congressional reporter Manu Raja on the network’s Inside Politics program. “It’s not how evil is this one versus that one — Hamas: Evil, Israeli government: Evil. We can say both.”
El-Sayed, 41, is a physician and the son of Egyptian immigrants. He is seeking to channel the energy of the 2024 Uncommitted movement, which protested the Biden administration’s support for Israel in the war against Hamas in Gaza. He is also hoping to build on the surprise success of the New York City mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani in taking on the Democratic establishment.
He is locked in a dead heat with state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Rep. Haley Stevens. The primary is set for Aug. 4.
Earlier this month, El-Sayed faced backlash for appearing alongside streamer Hasan Piker, who has been accused of antisemitic rhetoric — including saying that Hamas “is a thousand times better” than Israel. McMorrow, who is married to a Jewish man, and Stevens, who is closely aligned with AIPAC, have both criticized El-Sayed.
In the CNN interview, El-Sayed defended his decision to campaign with Piker, framing it as an effort to reach voters who feel alienated from traditional politics. “My understanding of America is, it’s a place where we have freedom of speech,” he said.
#MISen Abdul El-Sayed on CNN Inside Politics: @mkraju: You said Israeli government is evil. Do you think they’re just as evil as Hamas?
El-Sayed: “Yes, killing tens of thousands of people makes you pretty damn evil. It’s not about how evil one is versus the other. Hamas —… pic.twitter.com/4GfJ5oCtqR
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) April 19, 2026
The Michigan Senate race is shaping up as one of the starkest tests of the Democratic coalition and how the party navigates policy towards Israel in Congress amid the wars in Gaza and Iran. The state is home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States.
Last week, 40 Senate Democrats voted to block $295 million for the transfer of bulldozers, used by the Israeli military to demolish homes in the West Bank and Gaza; 36 of them also supported a measure to block the sale of 1,000-pound bombs to the Jewish state. It shattered a previous high of 27 Democrats who backed a similar pair of resolutions of disapproval to block some weapons transfers last year.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who is Jewish, was among those who voted for the measures. In remarks as they announced their votes, Democrats highlighted their opposition to the Israeli government’s policies in the occupied West Bank, the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the war with Iran.
The post U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan calls Israeli government ‘evil’ like Hamas appeared first on The Forward.
Uncategorized
NYC Mayor Mamdani Unveils Major Tax Hike on Unoccupied Luxury Real Estate
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani holds a press conference at the New York City Office of Emergency Management, as a major winter storm spreads across a large swath of the United States, in Brooklyn, New York City, US, Jan. 25, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Bing Guan
i24 News – NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has officially introduced a controversial new tax targeting secondary residences valued at over $5 million.
The measure, designed to tap into the city’s vast concentration of unoccupied luxury wealth, is projected to generate roughly $500 million annually for the municipal budget.
“This tax is specifically aimed at the ultra-rich,” Mamdani stated, highlighting high-profile examples such as Ken Griffin’s $238 million Midtown penthouse and Alexander Varshavsky’s $20.5 million Columbus Circle residence.
While the city has yet to finalize specific evaluation criteria or the methods for distinguishing primary from secondary homes, the proposal has already become a flashpoint for economic debate.
The move has drawn sharp condemnation from billionaire investor Bill Ackman, who argued that the policy is fundamentally flawed.
Ackman contended that owners of luxury secondary residences contribute significant capital to the local economy without utilizing costly municipal services. He warned that the tax would likely trigger a corporate and high-net-worth exodus to low-tax jurisdictions like Miami, ultimately harming the city’s tax base.
President Donald Trump also entered the fray, denouncing the policy as “totally misguided” and claiming it is “destroying New York.” Trump, whose own extensive real estate holdings in the city could be impacted, argued that such taxation serves only to drive away the international investors who fuel New York’s development.
Implementation remains a significant question mark, as the tax could potentially affect nearly 13,000 property owners, including major figures like Jeff Bezos. Financial analysts point out that many of the city’s most expensive apartments are held through complex offshore structures and shell companies, making the identification and appraisal of these properties an immense administrative challenge for the city.
As the debate intensifies, the Mamdani administration faces a difficult path ahead in balancing its “tax the rich” mandate with the practical realities of New York’s competitive global real estate market.
Uncategorized
Iran Rebuffs Trump Announcement of New Peace Talks, State News Agency Reports
Iran rejected new peace talks with the United States, its state news agency reported on Sunday, hours after US President Donald Trump said he was sending envoys for talks in Pakistan and would launch new strikes on Iran unless it accepts his terms.
Trump posted on Truth Social that his envoys would arrive in Pakistan on Monday evening for negotiations, a timetable that would leave only a day for talks to make progress before a two-week ceasefire ends.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran,” he wrote. “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”
Iran’s official IRNA news agency cited no specific source in its report that Iran had rejected the talks.
“Iran stated that its absence from the second round of talks stems from what it called Washington’s excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach of the ceasefire,” IRNA wrote.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Iran’s rejection of the talks.
Earlier, a White House official said the US delegation would be headed by Vice President JD Vance, who led the war’s first peace talks a week ago, and also include Trump’s envoy Steven Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump had initially told ABC News and MS Now that Vance would not go.