Latest news with #proIsrael
Al Jazeera
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Israel to fund tour for MAGA and pro-Trump influencers: Report
The Israeli foreign ministry will fund a tour of the country by right-wing social media influencers from the United States, says a report. Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Sunday reported that the planned tour will feature 16 influencers, all under the age of 30, who support US President Donald Trump's MAGA (Make America Great Again) and America First campaigns. The influencers each have hundreds of thousands to millions of followers. They will be flown in to counter what the Israeli government sees as declining support for Israel among young Americans, the report said, without citing any date. 'With the rise of the America First movement and MAGA in American politics, it's essential for Israel that the movement adopt a pro-Israel position,' Yacov Livne, senior deputy director of the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Department of Public Diplomacy, was quoted as saying in the report. The Israeli foreign ministry aims to bring 550 influencer delegations to Israel by the end of the year through such tours, it said. '[While] older Republicans and American conservatives still hold pro-Israel views, positive perspectives towards Israel are falling across all younger age groups,' it said, according to the report. The influencers will be pushed to share messaging that aligns with Israeli policy regarding the Palestinians. 'We are working with influencers, sometimes with delegations of influencers,' an unnamed source from the ministry told Haaretz. 'Their networks have huge followings and their messages are more effective than if they came directly from the ministry.' The tour will be carried out through an organisation called Israel365, which is in a 'unique position to convey a pro-Israel stance that aligns entirely with the MAGA and America First agenda', Haaretz quoted the foreign ministry as saying. Israel365 promotes support for Israel, specifically among Christians, based on biblical principles. Its website says the group 'stands unapologetically for the Jewish people's God-given right to the entire Land of Israel'. The organisation also rejects a two‑state solution as a 'delusion' and describes its mission as defending 'Western civilization against threats from both Progressive Left extremism and global jihad'. The ministry said it has struck a 290,000-shekel ($86,000) deal to carry out the tour, Haaretz reported. Since the war on Gaza began in October 2023, Israel365 'deepened ties with MAGA and America First movements, appearing at their major events and helping recruit prominent conservative figures to visit Israel', the report added.
Telegraph
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Protesters arrested after ‘f--- your Jewish state' chants at pro-Palestinian rally
Arrests were made as pro-Palestinian protesters chanted 'f--- your Jewish state' in central London on Saturday. Pro-Israel counter-protesters chanted 'there is no genocide' at thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Marchers gathered across the country calling for the ban on Palestine Action to be reversed, amid police warnings that those showing support for the proscribed group faced arrest. Demonstrations were held in Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Truro and London as part of a campaign coordinated by the campaign group Defend Our Juries, which has already seen dozens arrested. In London, a small group of activists from campaign group Stop The Hate showed their support for Israel. One shouted: 'You use genocide as an excuse of your hatred for the Jewish state.' They were met with shouts of 'fascist' and 'f--- your Jewish state' by the pro-Palestinian marchers. As the march reached Parliament Square, a group of protestors holding blank signs gathered near the statue of Gandhi, before writing on them in marker pen 'I support Palestine Action' in defiance of the ban on showing support for the organisation. Officers made a number of arrests of Palestine Action supporters, who adopted the tactic of going limp, as counter-protesters shouted 'one more liar removed'. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who was leading Saturday's policing operation in London, said officers would be on alert over chants similar to the 'death to the IDF' slogan chanted by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury. He said: 'This is also the first large-scale protest on this issue since Glastonbury Festival where offensive chanting led by an artist on one of the stages prompted a police investigation. Investigations are also under way, led by Met officers, following similar uses of the same chant in London.' Police are continuing to investigate the Bob Vylan incident to establish whether any offences may have been committed. Mr Adelekan added: 'At previous protests, the area between the main march and any counter-protest has seen the most heated exchanges. Officers will be particularly alert to conduct, including chanting, in this area, and will be working with stewards to ensure crowds keep moving past this point. 'Where they become aware of behaviour that crosses the line from protest into criminality, they will intervene and take appropriate action.' He said those expressing support for Palestine Action 'will likely be committing an offence and will very likely be arrested', adding: 'I would urge those people to consider the seriousness of being arrested under the Terrorism Act and the very real long-term implications – from travel, to employment, to finances – that such an arrest is likely to have for their future.' Elsewhere, 16 people holding signs saying 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action ' were arrested on the steps of Truro Cathedral, in Cornwall, under terror legislation. Defend Our Juries said one of those arrested was Deborah Hinton, an 81-year-old former magistrate. The Met said more than 70 people had been arrested at similar demonstrations in Parliament Square over the past two weekends, while Defend Our Juries said a total of 120 had so far been detained across the UK. It comes ahead of a High Court hearing on Monday at which Huda Ammori, the co-founder of Palestine Action, will ask for the green light to challenge the Home Secretary's decision to ban the group under anti-terror laws. The ban means that membership of, or support for, the direct action group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Al Jazeera
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Canary Mission: How has it been used to target pro-Palestine activists?
Canary Mission, an anonymous pro-Israel group and website, has been blacklisting pro-Palestinian students, professors and activists for more than 10 years. Now, the Trump administration has revealed that it has been using the list to target academics for deportation. What is the impact? In this episode: Darryl Li (@dcli) – Professor of Anthropology and Social Sciences, University of Chicago Episode credits: This episode was produced by Diana Ferrero, Noor Wazwaz, Tracie Hunte and Chloe K. Li with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Kisaa Zehra, Marya Khan, Melanie Marich and our guest host, Manuel Rápalo. It was edited by Sarí el-Khalili and Kylene Kiang. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Joe Plourde mixed this episode. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, Facebook, Threads and YouTube
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Pro-Israel lobby group members who complained to ABC about Lattouf harassed online, court hears
Members of a pro-Israel lobby group who complained to the ABC about Antoinette Lattouf have been harassed and vilified online since attempting to launch contempt proceedings against Nine newspapers, the federal court has heard. The alleged harassment on social media platform X was said to have reignited after a court hearing last month in which the members accused editors, reporters and lawyers from Nine of breaching a suppression order in the Lattouf case. On 25 June the federal court found the ABC breached the Fair Work Act when it terminated the casual broadcaster for reasons including that she held a political opinion opposing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. On the same day the court heard an application from members of a pro-Israel lobby group to refer contempt proceedings against eight individuals from the Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. On Monday Sue Chrysanthou SC, for the applicants, presented a letter to the court containing confidential instances of 'speculation, vilification and harassment' which have appeared on social media since Justice Darryl Rangiah heard their complaint. Nine's lawyer Tom Blackburn argued the letter was irrelevant and should not be admitted because any increased harassment of Jewish complainants is not the fault of journalists at the Age. 'Increased harassment, your honour, as we've said in our letter, is deplorable, but it's not our fault, and this is just irrelevant material in our submission,' Blackburn said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Blackburn said the backlash was more likely to have come as a result of the judgment handed down on the same day in which Rangiah found Lattouf was sacked 'to appease the pro-Israel lobbyists'. 'Well, we don't know whether the material tendered this morning, your honour, was caused by this application or by the main proceedings,' he said. The Lattouf judgment 'gained far more attention than the hearing of the intervening party's application', Blackburn said. 'So there's no necessary connection at all with increased harassment.' Rangiah accepted the letter as relevant to his decision. The group alleges the Age breached a suppression order issued by Rangiah in February during the high-profile unlawful termination trial. Nine submits the suppression order does not apply to articles published before it was made, and has asked the court not to refer Nine for contempt. The article exposed a coordinated campaign to have Lattouf removed from the ABC. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion During the trial Rangiah reminded the parties about his suppression order, asking any media who may have published the names of some of the people who complained about Lattouf to comply with the order. 'I made a suppression order last Monday. The solicitors acting for the applicants who sought the suppression order have written to the court asserting that a particular media organisation has published articles which disclose the identities of those protected by the suppression order,' he said at the time. Without admitting contempt, Nine newspapers removed the names of the people who had complained to the ABC on 18 March. Blackburn told the court individual journalists are not responsible for publishing or taking down their own articles, and journalists Bachelard and Jaspan should not be respondents, alongside editors Patrick Elligett and Bevan Shields and their lawyers. He also argued the Age newspaper does not control what is published on archival websites and social media, so any mention of articles which have been taken down is no fault of the respondents. Some archival websites have retained copies of the amended articles, including names of the complainants, the court heard. 'The other point is, your honour, that my clients don't control the webpage archive,' he said. 'They don't control [social media platform] X.' Justice Rangiah reserved his judgment.
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Immigration Officials Used Shadowy Pro-Israel Group to Target Student Activists
An senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement official testified in federal court on Wednesday that his office had used opaque pro-Israel blacklisting websites to help target international student activists for investigation and possible deportation. The admission by Peter Hatch, the assistant director of the Homeland Security Investigations department within ICE, appeared to be the first time that an administration official had acknowledged taking cues from the shadowy groups behind the sites, including Canary Mission, which has been accused of doxxing individuals engaged in pro-Palestinian activism. Mr. Hatch's testimony came during the third day of trial proceedings in a case that has emerged as a major challenge to the Trump administration's crackdown on foreign students. Lawyers representing the academic associations that sued the administration called Mr. Hatch as a witness to bolster their argument that detaining prominent critics of Israel was part of an official policy to chill political speech unaligned with President Trump's agenda. The government has denied that any official policy exists. Mr. Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other administration officials have consistently referred to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that swept across college campuses in response to the war in Gaza as detrimental to American interests. Mr. Rubio has denounced the campus protests as displays of support for Hamas, whose attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, set off the Israeli campaign in Gaza. The United States considers Hamas a terrorist organization. Mr. Hatch's testimony helped considerably to advance what is known about the sudden burst of student arrests that began in March of this year, when half a dozen noncitizen academics — including some of the most visible leaders in the pro-Palestinian movement — were abruptly whisked away by masked immigration officers. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
