Uncategorized
Israeli cabinet ministers cancel meetings with US Jewish organizations in the wake of protests
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Two Israeli ministers who have built relationships with Jewish leaders in the Diaspora canceled meetings at the last minute with American Jewish organizations in the face of protests.
One of the ministers, however, was still confronted by a demonstration, and one protestor was thrown to the ground by security guards.
Amichai Chikli, the minister of Diaspora affairs, canceled a meeting that was to have taken place Thursday with the Washington, D.C., area’s Jewish Community Relations Council and Jewish federation. Nir Barkat, the economy minister and former Jerusalem mayor and tech entrepreneur, canceled an event at a Boston-area synagogue scheduled for the same day.
The cancellations come after a week during which protests, often led by Israeli expatriates, have repeatedly disrupted the activities of Israeli officials visiting the United States for a pro-Israel parade in New York City last Sunday. The protests aim to support mass Israeli street demonstrations against the right-wing government’s effort to significantly weaken the judiciary.
In Boston, protesters confronted Barkat in his hotel, and a video posted to social media showed a protester rush past security toward Barkat, whose guards threw him to the ground. The protester was hospitalized and questioned by police. Barkat addressed the incident on Twitter by writing, “A political murder is only a matter of time in the state of Israel.”
“Thanks to the protest, there are those who have allowed the blood of elected officials to flow,” he wrote. “We’re on a slippery and dangerous slope. I am grateful to the guards of the personal security detail who rebuffed the attacker and prevented injury to me. Violence is the crumbling of the foundations of democracy.”
Barkat’s event was to have taken place at Temple Beth Elohim, a Reform synagogue in Wellesley, a suburb of Boston. The city’s Israeli consulate had rented the space for the speech weeks in advance, according to Haaretz, and when the congregation’s rabbi heard of the event, he said he planned to join in protests.
“It is very unusual that we find protesters outside our Temple building, even though a robust debate is consistent with Israel’s vibrant democracy and our Jewish tradition,” said Rabbi Joel Sisenwine, according to Haaretz. “I truly believe that the current judicial reform proposal, as currently stated, is a threat to Israel’s democracy.”
The Israeli embassy in Washington said Chikli canceled his appearance on Thursday because of a scheduling conflict. Federation and JCRC officials seemed surprised by the cancelation, saying it came at the last minute, and an Israeli-led protest movement, called UnXeptable, claimed credit for the cancellation.
Protests have dogged the itineraries of several Israelis in the U.S. over the past week. In recent days, a government minister canceled a speech in Los Angeles, and Israeli officials in New York were jeered both within and outside events, at Sunday’s parade and on the streets. Barkat was interrupted by protesters on Monday at a conference hosted by the Jerusalem Post, and Chikli was heckled at the parade, where he appeared to mock protesters.
A number of American Jews, among them organizations and individuals that historically have refrained from criticizing Israel, have spoken out against the judicial reforms and in some cases have joined protests in Israel and in the United States. They see the courts as a bulwark protecting vulnerable populations, including women, LGBTQ people, Arabs and non-Orthodox Jews.
—
The post Israeli cabinet ministers cancel meetings with US Jewish organizations in the wake of protests appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Uncategorized
Some Tankers Cross Strait of Hormuz Before Shots Fired, Ship-Tracking Data Shows
A satellite image shows the ship movement at the Strait of Hormuz on April 17, 2026, in Space. EUROPEAN UNION/COPERNICUS SENTINEL-2/Handout via REUTERS
More than a dozen tankers, including three sanctioned vessels, passed through the Strait of Hormuz after a 50-day blockade was lifted on Friday, shipping data showed, before Iran reimposed restrictions on Saturday and fired at some vessels.
Reopening the strait is key for Gulf producers to resume full oil and gas supplies to the world, and end what the International Energy Agency has called the worst-ever supply disruption.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday Iran had agreed to open the strait, while Iranian officials said they wanted the US to fully lift its blockade of Iranian tankers.
Western shipping companies cautiously welcomed the announcements but said more clarity was needed, including on the presence of sea mines, before their vessels could transit.
IRAN RESUMES RESTRICTIONS
The ships that passed through the strait on Friday and Saturday via Iranian waters south of Larak island were mainly older, non-Western-owned vessels and included four sanctioned ships, according to ship-tracking data.
Iran arranged passage for a limited number of oil tankers and commercial ships following prior agreements in negotiations, a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said.
Other ships have been seen approaching the strait and turning back as Iran said it would maintain strict controls as long as the US continues its blockade of Iranian ports.
The UK Navy reported on Saturday that Iranian gunboats fired at some ships attempting to cross the strait.
Some merchant vessels received radio messages from Iran’s navy saying the strait was shut again and that no ships were allowed to pass, shipping sources said on Saturday.
Ship-tracking data showed five vessels loaded with liquefied natural gas from Ras Laffan in Qatar approaching the strait on Saturday morning.
No LNG cargoes have transited the waterway since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.
Hundreds of ships have been stuck in the Gulf since the conflict started and Tehran closed the strait, forcing Gulf oil and gas producers to sharply cut production.
Top producers such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq and Kuwait say they need steady tanker flows and unrestricted passage through the strait to resume normal export operations.
Uncategorized
Trump Greenlights Russian Oil to Ease Strain on Global Markets After War with Iran
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington, DC, US, March 27, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
i24 News – The Trump administration has authorized a 30-day emergency waiver allowing the maritime purchase of Russian oil, reversing a hardline stance in an effort to stabilize skyrocketing global energy prices.
The Treasury Department announced Friday that the license for crude and petroleum products will remain in effect until May 16, 2026, responding to intense pressure from international partners struggling with the fallout of the war with Iran.
This policy pivot comes as a surprise after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested earlier this week that no further exemptions would be granted:
“As negotiations with Iran accelerate, the administration seeks to ensure oil availability for those who need it most. We must prevent a total price collapse for consumers while the geopolitical situation remains volatile.”
Ensuring global oil availability is paramount for the US as over 80 energy facilities in the Middle East have been damaged by recent war with Iran. With the November midterm elections approaching, record-high fuel prices at the pump remain a primary vulnerability for the Republican party. By allowing Russian oil back into the maritime flow, the administration hopes to neutralize “pain at the pump” before voters head to the polls.
Uncategorized
UK: Islamist Group Claims to Attack Israeli Embassy with ‘Drones Carrying Radioactive, Carcinogenic Materials’
A UK man has been arrested for allegedly threatening a group of Jews while wielding an ax on Rosh Hashanah. Photo: Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons.
i24 News – British police officers in protective clothing were seen investigating a “security incident” near the Israeli embassy in London on Friday, after a jihadist group put out a video showing it launching two drones allegedly carrying radioactive and carcinogenic materials toward the embassy.
“There is an increased police presence in Kensington Gardens and officers are assessing a number of discarded items. As a precaution, some of the officers who have been deployed are wearing protective clothing. We recognize this may concern local residents and the wider public,” police said in a statement.
“Counter Terrorism Policing London are aware of a video shared online overnight in which a group claims to have targeted the nearby embassy of Israel with drones carrying dangerous substances,” the statement further read. “While we can confirm that the embassy has not been attacked, we are carrying out urgent inquiries to determine the authenticity of the video and to identify any potential link between it and the items discarded in Kensington Gardens.”
The incident comes amid a steep hike in antisemitic attacks in Britain targeting Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions.
The group that released the video was identified as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, a shadowy entity with suspected ties to Iran. It has already claimed seven attacks against Jewish institutions, including an arson attack in London where four ambulances owned by the Hatzolah charity were torched.