Colin Murphy: New York's Jews increasingly divided over Gaza war and the ‘heresy' of criticising Israel
Some see the conflict as a question of survival, while its opponents says they are victims of 'thuggish' targeting
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The largest Jewish city in the world is New York; Brooklyn alone is home to more Jews than any Israeli city.
So I took advantage of my recent time there to seek a better understanding of Jewish America — and its relationship to the conflict in Gaza.
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The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Iran was building warheads ‘capable of blitzing London' as twisted regime raced to have world's biggest missile arsenal
IRAN'S twisted regime was attempting to produce a terrifying two-tonne warhead which could obliterate London, Israel has warned. Tehran was said to be trying to build up the world's biggest ballistic missile arsenal to help them launch a global tirade of destruction, according to the Israeli foreign ministry. 8 Two Iranian ballistic missiles in the sky near Jerusalem at the start of the week Credit: Alamy 8 Footage posted to social media shows the moment an Iranian ballistic missile strikes an apartment building in Beersheba Credit: Twitter 8 The Kermanshah missile facility in Iran was left severely damaged in Israeli strikes Credit: AFP Officials in Tel Aviv said they successfully thwarted Iran 's plan to become the largest ballistic missile producer on the planet in tactical airstrikes alongside Donald Trump on June 13. The US struck Iran's nuclear programme and hit key nuke sites which were ordered by Trump who said they had "obliterated" the targets. But Israeli officials, who helped to orchestrate the "bunker buster" bombs with the US, have now revealed they also had a second objective in the weekend strikes . Oren Marmorstein, a spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry said: "We actually acted because of two existential threats. read more in Iran vs Israel "One was nuclear, and we acted when we did because Iran was at the 11th hour of being able to build a bomb. But the other was the ballistic threat." Tehran already boasted a concerning number of ballistic weapons prior to the conflict with US intelligence saying they had around 3,000 at their disposal. The latest Israeli intelligence though had pointed towards a much more dire figure emerging if Iran wasn't stopped. They claimed the regime was actively working on increasing production to over 20,000 ballistic missiles. Most read in The Sun Some even had a payload of one or two tonnes, Marmorstein said. The spokesman detailed the destruction which one missile could cause saying just last week, prior to the agreed ceasefire, four people were killed in the southern Israeli town of Beersheba in a missile strike. Inside Op Red Wedding – Israel's fierce wave of assassinations killing 30 Iran generals in first MINUTES of 12-day war "Imagine if Tehran sent 10,000 of those," Marmorstein added. "That threat was as existential to us as a nuclear bomb. "They were moving into industrial scale and about to become the number one ballistic missile producer in the world. "Some of these are intercontinental, which are not for us." He claimed these would have been able to reach into Europe with capitals such as London, Berlin and Paris all at risk. "They were getting closer and closer, almost to the point of no return ," Marmorstein said. Israel managed to wipe out dozens of missiles with more than half of their 300 missile-launchers also destroyed. A strike also targeted the military facility in Yazd which houses Iran's heaviest missile, known as the Khorramshahr. 8 A ballistic missile fired from Iran caused major damage to a residential block in Beersheba last week Credit: Getty 8 Israeli special forces check the remains of a ballistic missile found lying in northern Israel Credit: Reuters 8 Oren Marmorstein, a spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry, said Israel viewed the ballistic missile threat as as dangerous as the nuclear threat Credit: Fox The weapon is regarded as a copy of a North Korean missile carrying a two-ton warhead. The war in the Middle East lasted just 12 days as it quickly turned into a major conflict when Trump decided to strike the Iranian nuclear sites. The attacks helped to end the war with both Israel and Iran quickly declaring they had won the fight - despite Iran suffering a major blow to their nuclear capabilities. Despite a ceasefire being agreed, Trump has said he would "absolutely" consider bombing Iran again if it was ever needed. He told reporters in the White House he would "without question" attack the country if US intelligence pointed towards Iran enriching uranium to concerning levels. It comes as Iran held a funeral for the commanders wiped out in the war. The event was severely plagued by "Death to America" chants and the burning of Israeli flags across the day. Britain can never be safe against the threat of Iran if they aren't stopped By Chief Foreign Reporter, Katie Davis BRITAIN will never be safe until Iran's nuclear scheme is completely wiped out, Israel's ambassador told The Sun. Tzipi Hotovely said Israel did the UK a "huge service" by The diplomat said: "The Israeli people know they're facing a very radical enemy like the British people were fighting in the Second World War and that they must get to the point where it's being defeated. The Iranians have proven they have no interest in diplomacy. They were just using diplomacy to keep on running their nuclear programme. "And President Trump kind of lost patience with this type of behaviour. He said it clearly, I don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons. "We gave a chance to diplomacy. We backed up the American diplomatic plan - 60 days expired. "They didn't come to the table. That's what the Prime Minister said, they want to blow up the table, not to sit next to it. "And we are now certain that once this military operation is over, the world, the Middle East, Israel, Europe, everyone will have a safer world. "This is a war to end wars, not to begin wars." 8 Over a million people reportedly lined the streets of Tehran for the funeral of Iranian commanders Credit: Getty 8
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Israel orders evacuations in northern Gaza as Trump calls for war to end
LATEST | Military escalation comes as new ceasefire effort beginsAt least 11 Palestinians killed in latest strikes, medics sayTrump calls for deal to end war and return Israeli hostages ©Reuters The Israeli military ordered Palestinians to evacuate areas in northern Gaza on Sunday before intensified fighting against Hamas, as U.S. President Donald Trump called for an end to the war amid renewed efforts to broker a ceasefire. "Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform early on Sunday.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Police examining Glastonbury performances labelled ‘hateful' and ‘grotesque'
Police continue to examine videos of comments made by acts Bob Vylan and Kneecap at Glastonbury as the festival enters its third day. Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, on Saturday led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of: 'Free, free Palestine' and: 'Death, death to the IDF', before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance. In a post on social media, Avon and Somerset Police said: 'We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon. 'Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.' Reacting on social media, the Israeli Embassy said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival'. A statement on X said: 'Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out—especially when amplified by public figures on prominent platforms. 'Chants such as 'Death to the IDF,' and 'From the river to the sea' are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination. When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence. 'We call on Glastonbury Festival organisers, artists, and public leaders in the UK to denounce this rhetoric and reject of all forms of hatred.' Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the scenes 'grotesque', writing on X: 'Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked. 'The cultural establishment needs to wake up to the fact this isn't protest, it's incitement. 'Less than 2 years ago, hundreds were raped and murdered at a music festival. It's not just the act but the gormless people clapping along and cheering. People with no idea what real terror is. 'They don't understand the evil ideology they're amplifying – and they don't care.' A BBC spokesperson said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance, a Government spokesperson said. They added: 'We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury. 'The Culture Secretary has spoken to the BBC director general to seek an urgent explanation about what due diligence it carried out ahead of the Bob Vylan performance, and welcomes the decision not to re-broadcast it on BBC iPlayer.' Kneecap, who hail from Belfast, have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. In reference to his bandmate's upcoming court date, Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would 'start a riot outside the courts', before clarifying: 'No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine.' In the run-up to the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, several politicians called for the group to be removed from the line-up and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said their performance would not be 'appropriate'. During the performance, Caireallain said: 'The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.' He also said a 'big thank you to the Eavis family' and said 'they stood strong' amid calls for the organisers to drop them from the line-up. O hAnnaidh, 27, wore a keffiyeh during the set, while member JJ O Dochartaigh, who performs under the name DJ Provai, wore his signature tri-coloured balaclava as well as a T-shirt that said: 'We are all Palestine Action', in reference to the soon-to-be banned campaign group. News broadcasts criticising the hip hop trio played from the sound system before they walked onto the stage were booed by the Glastonbury Festival audience. The trio opened with the song Better Way To Live from their 2024 album Fine Art and also performed tracks including Get Your Brits Out and Hood. Access to the area around the West Holts Stage was closed around 45 minutes before their performance after groups of fans arrived to form a sea of Irish and Palestinian flags. Earlier on Saturday, the BBC confirmed they would not be live-streaming the set but said the performance is likely to be made available on-demand later. O hAnnaidh was charged with allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah, while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a gig in November last year. On June 18, the rapper was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates O Caireallain and O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in Free Mo Chara T-shirts. He was released on unconditional bail until the next hearing at the same court on August 20.
