Defund Group Sponsors Berry: Lee Brown, NY Post, July 3, 2021“The policy is extremely problematic because as we know, ‘taking a knee’ and ‘raising fists’ are directly associated with justice for Black people,” the online petition says, calling it a “direct attack on athlete activists” like Berry. … “Policing is a violent institution that must end,” the group’s president, Rashad Robinson, has said. “We imagine a country where there is enough money to educate our children, care for our sick and feed those who are financially unstable. Defunding the police allows for this vision.” The group’s most recent campaign aims to “Take ACTION to Divest in NYPD. The NYPD has waged war against Black people and communities of color in NYC. And the only way to stop police violence is to stop siphoning tax dollars to the NYPD and invest in the material conditions that actually impact the safety of our communities,” the petition reads. A separate petition calls on Mayor de Blasio to “reduce the NYPD’s budget by $1 billion.”
___________________________________________________________________
“Despite our acceptance of a painful historic settlement recognizing the State of Israel on the 1967 borders in accordance with United Nations resolutions 242 and 338 and the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, Israel has violated these agreements and continued to steal the land, establish settlements, and create an apartheid regime and ethnic cleansing by military force.” [He is referring to Area C, which the Oslo Accords specifically stated Israel controls.] The world has begun to see Israel as it is: an occupying and apartheid state. I am confident that the contributions of the researchers participating in this conference will have an important impact on clarifying and explaining the truth about the myths and false narratives of this Zionist project created by the Western countries for purely colonial purposes.” – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remarked at the Al-Quds Open University in the Gaza Strip conference. (Jewish Press, July 6, 2021)
“I think it’s really important for these [House] members [Jewish Congresspeople critical of her] to realize that they haven’t been partners in justice. They haven’t been equally engaging in seeking justice around the world and I think I will continue to do that.” — Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar responding to CNN anchor Jake Tapper asking about her history of anti-Semitic tweets. (United With Israel, June 30, 2021)
“I really don’t understand the IDF’s involvement in rescue attempts of people tragically crushed under buildings in Miami. Their expertise is crushing buildings with people in them, not rescuing them.” — Anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour sparking fresh accusations of anti-Semitism after retweeting a thread that questioned Israeli rescue crews helping at the site of the collapsed building in Surfside, Florida. (United With Israel, July 6, 2021)
“I want to talk about happy things, man” – US President Joe Biden cutting off questions on Afghanistan at press conference. (NY Post, July 2, 2021)
‘A BIG VICTORY FOR POST-ZIONISM’ — FAMILY REUNIFICATION LAW DEFEATED (Jerusalem) — In an embarrassing blow to the new government, the Knesset failed to extend the so-called family reunification law, or Citizenship Law, after a vote on Tuesday at dawn. The vote ended 59-59, with rebel Yamina MK Amichai Chikli, who voted against the formation of the new government, voting alongside the opposition. Originally passed as an emergency measure at the height of the second intifada in 2003, the law prevents Palestinians married to Israeli citizens from automatically gaining residency and citizenship in Israel. Each year, law comes up for a vote that extends its powers for an additional 12 months. For the last 18 years, the law has easily sailed through the Knesset, strongly backed by right-wing parties. But this year, the opposition, led by former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party, seized upon the opportunity to highlight the lack of cohesion within the new government. (WIN, July 6, 2021)
CLEAR SIGNAL TO EU: UNAUTHORIZED BUILDING IS OVER (Jerusalem) — Israel’s decision to evict all 53 Jewish families from Evyatar should send a clear signal to the European Union (EU) that its days of financing and facilitating the building of unauthorized Arab structures in Area C are over. Area C comprises about 60% of the Judea and Samaria and has been under Israel’s full security and administrative control since the 1995 Oslo Accords were signed. (AFS, July 6, 2021)
ISRAEL’S INTERIOR MINISTER SHAKED REVOKES HAMAS TERRORIST’S CITIZENSHIP (Jerusalem) — Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked signed off on the denaturalization of Ashraf Hassan, a member of Hamas who orchestrated an attack on an Israeli soldier and took advantage of his Israeli citizenship to move around the country freely in pursuit of his plans. (JNS, June 30, 2021)
BENNETT ADDS 5 BILLION LITERS OF WATER TO JORDAN’S DRAIN ON THE KINNERET (Jerusalem) — At the request of the Jordanian royal house, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has approved selling Jordan an additional 50 million cubic meters per year, over five years at the request of the Jordanians asked to purchase an additional amount beyond what they are already buying, due to their water shortage. (Jewish Press, July 2, 2021)
GANTZ OFFICIALLY OFFERS HUMANITARIAN AID TO A COLLAPSING LEBANON (Jerusalem) — Defense Minister Benny Gantz this week forwarded to Lebanon a proposal to send humanitarian aid through UNIFIL, considering the difficult economic situation, and against the background of Hezbollah’s attempts to bring Iranian investments into the country. Lebanon’s Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab appealed to the international community to help his country avert a looming disaster, warning that the country’s collapse would have repercussions on the stability of the entire region. (Jewish Press, July 6, 2021)
ISRAEL RANKS AMONG STRONGEST GLOBAL CYBER POWERS (Jerusalem) – As regards cyber power, Israel was ranked on a par with Australia, Canada, China, France, Russia, and Britain, and above Iran and North Korea, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The United States ranked highest on the list and was the only country in the highest-ranked category. (JNS, June 30, 2021)
ISRAELI EXPORTS EXPECTED TO REACH RECORD IN 2021 (Jerusalem) — Israeli exports are expected to reach a record of at least $120 billion in 2021, according to Israel’s Economic Ministry. The hi-tech sector is the most significant factor in export growth in recent years. Software and computer services, which make up the largest portion of hi-tech exports, have increased by more than 20 percent so far this year. JNS, June 30, 2021)
HEBREW UNIVERSITY UNDER FIRE AFTER ARAB TA PRAISES CALL TO KILL JEWS (Jerusalem) – The watchdog group Im Tirtzu filed a police complaint against Areej Khateeb, a teaching assistance at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who shared a post on her Facebook page calling for death to Jews. (WIN, May 27, 2021
BAHRAIN OFFICIALLY APPOINTS THE FIRST-EVER AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL (Manama) — Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa appointed Khalid Al Jalahma to head the Gulf country’s diplomatic mission to Israel. (Jewish Press, June 29, 2021
IRAN: ISRAEL IS BEHIND ATTACK ON ATOMIC FACILITY (Tehran) — Iranian spokesman Ali Rabiei said that Israel was behind the June 23rd drone attack on an Atomic Energy Organization of Iran building in the city of Karaj. The facility, which is used to manufacture uranium centrifuges, was targeted by an unmanned aircraft during the attack. (Israel National News, July 6, 2021)
IRAN ROCKED BY ANOTHER MYSTERIOUS BLAST AT REGIME WAREHOUSE (Tehran) — Iran was beset with another mysterious explosion and fire in a state-owned warehouse in the city of Karaj, near Tehran. Western reports said the warehouse was located in an area near several major factories and a storage site for dismantled nuclear equipment. (United With Israel, July 6, 2021
IRANIAN DISINFORMATION EFFORT WENT SMALL TO STAY UNDER BIG TECH’S RADAR (Tehran) — On June 13, as Benjamin Netanyahu ended his decade-long run as Israel’s prime minister, a Telegram channel dedicated to protesting him hummed with celebration. “And now prison, go to prison,” read a short message below a photoshopped image of Mr. Netanyahu behind bars. The 7,000 followers of the Telegram channel quickly spread the message to other groups and social media apps. The channel and the message were secretly part of an Iranian disinformation campaign. Iranian agents had infiltrated small WhatsApp groups, Telegram channels and messaging apps that Israeli activists used for intimate discussions among dozens to thousands of people. (NY Times, June 30, 2021
UN HEAD URGES BIDEN TO LIFT IRAN SANCTIONS (NYC) — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on the Biden administration to lift sanctions on Iran as stipulated by the 2015 nuclear accord. He also requested that the U.S. extend waivers on Iran’s oil trade and nuclear non-proliferation projects. The Biden administration had extended those waivers for four months on March 31. (JNS, June 30, 2021)
ARAB ORGANIZATION WAIVES MILLIONS IN EUROPEAN FUNDS AFTER REFUSING TO DISAVOW TIES TO TERRORISM (Jerusalem) — The Burj Al-Luqluq Social Center Society, which operates in the Old City of Jerusalem, has turned down a massive grant from France following its refusal to disconnect any ties it may have to terrorist organizations. Burj Al-Luqluq runs educational and nationalist programs, including on “heritage and national struggle,” and serves as a community center for Jerusalem’s Arabs. (Jewish Press, July 6, 2021)
HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES $3.3B SECURITY ASSISTANCE TO ISRAEL, AGREED UPON IN 2016 (Washington) — The US House Appropriations Committee voted Thursday (July 1) to fully fund $3.3 billion in security assistance to Israel. President Joe Biden promised weeks ago that America would make sure the Iron Dome system was resupplied with Tamir interceptor missiles so that civilians would not have to worry about being targeted in more rocket attacks. (Jewish Press, July 1, 2021)
FARRAKHAN DEFENDER APPOINTED TO TOP POST AT US UNIVERSITY (Washington) — Dr. Julianne Malveaux, a defender of Louis Farrakhan, was appointed dean of ethnic studies at California State University Los Angeles. Education Next, an education journal unearthed several quotes calling her appointment into question. Besides being a Holocaust denier, Farrakhan consistently blames Jews for the world’s ills, referring to Jews as the “synagogue of Satan.” (United With Israel, July 4, 2021)
‘I WAS SHOCKED’: BIDEN KNEELS BEFORE ISRAELI MOTHER OF 12 AT PRESIDENTIAL MEETING (Washington) — Rivka Ravitz, chief of staff for outgoing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, told Talkline host Zev Brenner that she was shocked when U.S. President Joe Biden knelt and bowed before her during a meeting at the White House on June 28. The two leaders were having a “nice small chat” when Rivlin pointed towards Ravitz and said, “This is my chief of staff. She is very Orthodox, and you won’t believe how many children she has.” Biden asked how many, and Rivlin answered, “12 children.” Then he said, “You know what? I have to go down on my knees for honoring you for having 12 children,” before lowering himself to the floor on one knee and bowing his head. (WIN, July 4, 2021)
NY RANGERS’ ADAM FOX BECOMES FIRST JEWISH WINNER OF MAJOR NHL AWARD (NY) — Adam Fox, a Jewish hockey player with the New York Rangers, was named the winner of the 2020-21 James Norris Memorial Trophy. The trophy is giving annually to the National Hockey League’s (NHL) top defenseman and Fox, 23, has become the first Jewish player to win a major NHL award. (Jewish Press, July 2, 2021)
FIRING OF UNIVERSITY OF SASK. SURGERY PROF WHO VOICED SAFETY CONCERNS ABOUT COVID SHOTS FOR CHILDREN ‘DEEPLY DISTURBING’: LAWYER (Saskatoon) — The University of Saskatchewan violated one of its professors’ Charter rights by suspending Dr. Francis Christian from teaching duties and firing him as of September for raising concerns about children being vaccinated without informed consent, says a constitutional lawyer. The clinical professor of general surgery and a practising physician was informed of his suspension and firing while the university reviews his conduct and social media activities. In a June 17 statement to media that was also issued to over 200 doctors, Christian—who says he is a “very pro-vaccine physician”—expressed concerns about children as young as 12 being administered the m-RNA COVID vaccine. (Epoch Times, June 26, 2021)
________________________________________________________________________
FOR FURTHER REFERENCE
BDS Statements From Students, Faculty, And Journalists Proliferate As Pushback Yields Some Results. BDS Statements From K-12 Teachers Shows CRT Influence: Alex Joffe, SPME, June 29, 2021 — June was characterized by sweeping statements from academics and journalists declaring the impossibility of objectivity and evenhandedness when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and pledging absolute fealty to the Palestinian cause.
