Latest news with #AmYisraelChai
Fox News
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Regina Spektor show interrupted by anti-Israel protesters screaming, ‘Free f------ Palestine!'
Singer Regina Spektor had to pause her concert on Saturday thanks to raucous anti-Israel protesters in the crowd. During Spektor's performance in Portland, Oregon, multiple people in the audience began yelling "Free Palestine," prompting the musician to pause her set and get security to escort them out. "You're just yelling at a Jew," she told the hecklers before they were directed to leave the premises. Video footage captured by a fan, and reshared on TikTok by music outlet Stereogum, showed the moment one member of the audience began yelling, "Free f------ Palestine!" at the singer inside Portland's Revolution Hall. The protesters' outburst was met by cries from fed-up concertgoers, one of whom chanted, "Am Yisrael Chai" – or "The people of Israel live" – in response. The footage showed Spektor, a Jewish woman who immigrated to New York from the Soviet Union when she was a child, appearing to communicate with someone offstage to get security involved. "I don't know what he thinks he's doing," the singer told the crowd, referencing the outburst. Some in the crowd responded by applauding Spektor, and apologizing for the interruption. "I really appreciate the security," she added in a soft tone, prompting laughter from the crowd. Some yelled, "We love you!" Still, the outbursts weren't over. Another individual started screaming, "Free, free Palestine! Say it! Say it!" Again, someone responded, "Am Yisrael Chai!" By the time the lights turned on in the venue, revealing the crowd, Spektor quipped, "I thought this was different than the internet. This is real life." The crowd applauded again. Still another protester spoke up, saying, "There's a genocide happening." Spektor addressed the heckler, saying, "You can leave the show if you want. This is not an internet comment section. I know that you are mistaking my show for a YouTube video––" "I'm not," the heckler replied. "You are," Spektor shot back. "I'm watching children dying. That hurts," the anti-Israel agitator added. "Yeah, I think you should go because this is not the place for that conversation," the singer said. Elsewhere, Spektor told the crowd, "The only reason I even speak English is because I came here to escape this s---. I only speak English because I came from a country where people treated Jews as othered, and I'm being othered here, and it sucks." Spektor has publicly spoken out about the Israel-Hamas conflict in the past. Just days after the October 7 Hamas massacre, she mourned for Israelis and Palestinians alike in an Instagram post. "My tears are endless but my heart has enough room… Room for murdered, raped, and kidnapped innocent Jews. Room for bombed innocent Palestinians suffering and dying in Gaza. Fury at Hamas whose mission is exterminating Jews while hiding behind Palestinian human shields." As the post went on, Spektor criticized Israel's government, but defended the nation and its people. "Israeli government is NOT its people, like any other government on earth. Netanyahu does NOT speak for all Israelis, or all Jews living across the world. In the Middle East – Israel is the ONLY democracy with a chance to vote/protest/change its government. The ONLY land where LGBTQ people are able to live safely. The ONLY land which doesn't mandate women's dress or behavior." Reps for Spektor and Revolution Hall did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
New York Post
19-06-2025
- New York Post
Edan Alexander gets tearful hometown welcome after 584 days in Hamas' clutches: ‘Their child is our child'
Thousands of cheering supporters lined the streets of Tenafly, New Jersey, to welcome hometown hero Edan Alexander, who at last returned safely to his family after enduring nearly 600 days of hell as a hostage of Hamas. Alexander, wearing dark sunglasses and smiling from ear to ear, told The Post he was feeling 'great' and said it was good to be back as the SUV he rode in rolled down the tree-lined main drag. People in the jubilant crowd held banners and signs reading 'Welcome home Edan,' and wrapped themselves in Israeli flags. Some jumped up and down and sang 'Am Yisrael Chai' — a Hebrew phrase translating to 'the people of Israel live.' Advertisement 6 Hundreds of friends, family and residents gathered downtown to watch the release of Edan Alexander, the last living U.S. citizen kidnapped by Hamas. Getty Images 6 Edan Alexander waving from a car window. LP Media The 21-year-old Israel Defense Forces staff sergeant was one of 251 Israelis taken captive by the terror group during the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks, and the last living American hostage to be released. Advertisement 'We didn't know if he was alive for a long time and that was very hard to think about,' Gaia Hamani, 25, of nearby Alpine, whose brother went to preschool and high school with Alexander, told The Post. 6 Crowds await the arrival of Edan Alexander in Tenafly, NJ on Thursday afternoon. LP Media 6 Crowd of people waving as the police motorcade carrying Edan Alexander passes by. LP Media 'He left everything. He left the comfort of his home in New Jersey. He didn't have to go to the army. He volunteered to do that. It takes a lot of courage and strength to do that.' Advertisement After learning of his disappearance, Hamani said she and her mother put photos of Alexander in their wallets as a constant memento. 'We prayed for him all the time. I always think of him in relation to my brother — to think what he went through, I can't imagine,' she said. 6 Edan Alexander, 19 (pictured). Family Handout Alexander was severely tortured and often locked in a cage during his captivity, and frequently shackled at the hands and feet, deep within the terrorists' underground tunnel network, according to the Kan public broadcaster. Advertisement Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Alexander's freedom was achieved last month through Israel's military pressure in Gaza, as well as political pressure by President Trump. 6 People celebrate on the day Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, who was kidnapped during the October 7, 2023 attack, is released from captivity. REUTERS Hamani said she burst into tears when she was driving to the homecoming celebration and saw kids waving Israeli flags. Michal Fox, 51, of Englewood, a mother of four and a psychologist, said Alexander's safe return home was a bright, shining beacon of hope amid a long period of darkness for Jews both in Israel and the US. 'It's a great way for the community to come together. There are so many bad things that happened but we are going to celebrate him together,' she told The Post. 'It means to everyone that there is hope. There is resilience. He's the signature child, person for resilience and how we can get through things,' she added. 'I don't know them,' she said about Alexander's family, who were overjoyed at the news of his imminent release last month. 'I don't know anyone, but that's what the Jewish community does. We come together. Their child is our child.'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas politicians react to Israel's attack on Iran
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Several Texas leaders have shared their thoughts and reactions after Israel attacked Iran's capital early Friday. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed Israel struck Iran's nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz, and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel will face a 'severe punishment' over its attack on the country. Iranian missiles later struck Israel in retaliation. The Latest: Israel hit by missiles as Iran retaliates for strikes on nuclear sites News of the attacks has stirred up concern on social media, and several world leaders have posted their reactions. Lawmakers and politicians in Texas have also taken to the internet or issued statements in response to the attacks. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott posted on X Friday morning, 'Israel was forced to defend itself — and American interests — from the Iranian regime that was hell bent on building nuclear weapons that would have endangered the globe. Texas stands with our ally taking necessary action to protect its people & restore global stability.' Congressman Michael McCaul, chairman emeritus of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, released the following statement: 'President Trump gave Iran every chance to negotiate in good faith and to dismantle their nuclear program. 'Prime Minister Netanyahu was also clear: The alternative to diplomacy would be strikes on Iran — a message he reiterated to me when I met with him this month. Unfortunately, the regime chose not to take the path of peace — to prioritize their own interests over their people's. They brought this calamity on themselves. 'One thing is certain: Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon, and our world is safer for it. They would be wise to come to the table and make an agreement with President Trump while the offer still stands. If they instead choose to harm U.S. troops in the region, they will once again regret it.' Senator Ted Cruz appeared on Newsmax with Greg Kelly late Thursday and posted the clip on X. 'Iran said they would not dismantle their advanced centrifuges. That was a giant middle finger to President Trump,' Cruz said in the post. 'Tonight, we saw the consequences of Iran's defiance.' He also appeared on Fox News, asking viewers to pray for Israel, posting the same message in a another post on X. 'Here's my message to the Ayatollah: If you strike at America, I have every confidence that President Trump will respond with overwhelming force,' Cruz said in the post. Senator John Cornyn posted a message in solidarity with Israel on X Thursday night. 'Israel has an unquestionable right to defend itself. I am proud to stand with Israel. #AmYisraelChai,' the post said. Democratic Congressman Greg Casar posted in opposition to Israel's strikes. 'Netanyahu's reckless strike risks provoking a wider war and pulling in the United States. Trump must oppose Netanyahu's escalation and pursue a diplomatic path to deal with Iran's nuclear program. Trump must not violate the Constitution by involving American troops in Netanyahu's war without coming to Congress,' Casar said in a post on X. Casar followed that up with another post, criticizing President Trump. 'Trump promised peace and stability. Then, he picked reckless partisans for top foreign policy jobs. Now he's egging on escalation in a conflict he already made worse by tearing up a nuclear deal that was working. Trump's recklessness is undermining stability abroad and putting American lives at risk. Trump must reverse course and deescalate the situation.' Rep. Lloyd Doggett also opposed Israel's preemptive strike and criticized President Trump. Doggett posted the link to a New York Times story headlined, 'What to Know About Israel's Strikes on Iran's Nuclear Program and Military Leaders,' along with his thoughts on the strikes. 'Trump's weakness again on full display,' Doggett said in the post on X. 'Just as he is too weak to stand up to war criminal Putin on Ukraine, Trump is too weak to restrain Netanyahu from interfering in ongoing negotiations for a peaceful way to prevent Iran from going nuclear. George W. Bush restrained Netanyahu from launching such an attack, but Trump is incapable of doing the same. Trump's weakness heightens the danger of the US being pulled into another deadly and costly Mideast war.' Rep. August Pfluger backed Israel. 'Israel has every right to defend itself. The United States stands firmly behind Israel,' he said in an X post. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Roya News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Roya News
New Abraham Accords expansion announcements expected ‘very soon', says Witkoff
Steve Witkoff, senior advisor to US President Donald Trump and the administration's envoy to the Middle East, announced that new developments related to the Abraham Accords are imminent. Speaking at the 'Israeli' Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Monday during a reception marking 'Israel's' 77th Independence Day, Witkoff said, 'Very soon, we expect to hear many announcements related to the expansion of the Abraham Accords.' His remarks come ahead of Trump's upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar scheduled for next week—countries seen as central to ongoing efforts to widen regional normalization with 'Israel'. During his speech, Witkoff also addressed the Iran nuclear issue, declaring firmly, 'Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.' Speaking to reporters at the event, he confirmed that talks between the US and Iran had made some progress. 'I hope we're moving in the right direction,' he said. 'The President has stated his desire to resolve this issue diplomatically if possible, and we are working toward an agreement. Efforts are now underway to coordinate a fourth round of talks.' On the matter of 'Israeli' captives still held in Gaza, Witkoff expressed cautious optimism, noting that the US remains actively engaged in negotiation efforts. 'Our celebration is bittersweet because 59 hostages are still being held by Hamas,' he said. 'I'm in close contact with mediators in Egypt and Qatar, as well as with Israel—almost daily.' Recalling a moment during the release of female 'Israeli' soldiers, Witkoff shared a personal memory: 'I sang 'Am Yisrael Chai' with them. I thought that was the most emotional moment of my life. On behalf of President Trump, I tell you—we are working and hoping that next Independence Day will not just be a wish for joy but a joyful reality.' He concluded by calling for national unity in 'Israel', emphasizing it as the foundation of the country's strength. 'I call on Israelis to choose unity over division, vision over discord. When that becomes the choice, Israel's future will be bright,' Witkoff said.
