Weekly roundup of world briefs

Zelensky: ‘I don’t feel the Israeli prime minister has wrapped himself in the Ukrainian flag’

By Ron Kampeas

(JTA) — Volodymyr Zelensky, the Jewish Ukrainian president under siege, said he was moved by pictures of Israelis standing in solidarity with his country during the Russian invasion — but not so much the Israeli leadership.

“I saw a beautiful picture today,” he said in remarks translated into Hebrew by YNet, the Israeli news outlet that managed to attend Zelensky’s press conference in Kyiv on Thursday. “Jews wrapped in Ukrainian flags by the Western Wall in Jerusalem. They prayed and I thank them for it.”

But, he said, “I spoke with the Israeli leadership, we have not bad relations — but these things are tested in times of crisis. I don’t feel the Israeli prime minister has wrapped himself in the Ukrainian flag.”

The Israeli government, wary of Russia’s overweening influence and presence in the Middle East, has been slow to robustly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, although it joined the United States in a U.N. General Assembly condemnation on Wednesday. (Tom Nides, the American ambassador to Israel, tweeted that Israel had been “helping rally more members” to join the vote.) Israel also reportedly has declined to share antimissile systems with Ukraine.

Zelensky spoke on Wednesday to multiple world leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. He noted each conversation on Twitter, including the one with Bennett — but the tweet about the Israeli prime minister stood out because Zelensky did not thank him, as he did the others.

Keira Knightley to voice German-Jewish painter Charlotte Salomon, who died in Auschwitz, for animated film

By Caleb Guedes-Reed

(JTA) — Keira Knightley is lending her voice to an animated film on the story of Charlotte Salomon, a German-Jewish painter who produced hundreds of works in hiding during World War II before being deported to Auschwitz.

“Charlotte,” set for release in theaters on April 22, follows Salomon from her early years growing up in Berlin, her aspirations to become a great artist and her escape to the south of France where she lived until her deportation and death.

While in hiding with her family, she painted approximately 800 works, which became an autobiographical series titled “Life? or Theater?: A Song-play.” Amsterdam’s Jewish Historical Museum showcased them all in a 2018 exhibition, which it has kept online in digital form. (The museum previously showed many of them in 1981 as well.)

The works were inspired by her own life, which was full of tragedy before the Holocaust — several family members had committed suicide. In hiding, her grandfather turned predatorial, and she poisoned him, admitting the deed in a 35-page letter.

“Only by doing something mad can I hope to stay sane,” says an animated Salomon, voiced by the two-time Academy Award nominee Knightley, in a released clip from the film. 

Her paintings were saved by family members who survived the war.

The film also stars Academy Award winner Jim Broadbent, Academy Award nominee Brenda Blethyn, Sam Claflin, Eddie Marsan, the late Helen McCrory, Academy Award nominee Sophie Okonedo and Mark Strong.

Read more about Salomon’s life on the Jewish Women’s Archive.

Billionaire Roman Abramovich to sell Chelsea FC, donate from sale to help victims of Russia-Ukraine war

(JNS) Russian Jewish businessman Roman Abramovich announced that he will sell the British soccer team Chelsea FC and said all money from the sale will be donated to help victims of the war in Ukraine.

In a statement posted on the Premier League club’s website on Wednesday, Abramovich said he had made the “incredibly difficult decision” and that it “pains” him to sell the company he bought 19 years ago. He will also not ask “for any loans to be repaid,” he stated.

“I have always taken decisions with the club’s best interest at heart,” the Russian billionaire said in his statement. “In the current situation, I have therefore taken the decision to sell the club, as I believe this is in the best interest of the club, the fans, the employees, as well as the club’s sponsors and partners. The sale of the club will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process.”

He explained that a charitable foundation will be set up where all net proceeds from the sale will be donated to help victims of the war. “This includes providing critical funds towards the urgent and immediate needs of victims, as well as supporting the long-term work of recovery,” he added.

“I hope that I will be able to visit [the stadium] Stamford Bridge one last time to say goodbye to all of you in person,” he concluded his statement by saying. “It has been a privilege of a lifetime to be part of Chelsea FC and I am proud of all our joint achievements. Chelsea Football Club and its supporters will always be in my heart.”

BBC Sport said Abramovich has already received offers for Chelsea.

The Russian businessman has recently been accused of being close to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, which he denies.

Saudi crown prince: Israel could become ‘a potential ally’ if Palestinian issue resolved

(JNS) — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said Israel could become “a potential ally” if the conflict with the Palestinians is resolved, Saudi state news agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.

“We look at Israel as a potential ally but before that it should solve its problems with the Palestinians,” said Salman, reported Reuters.

Salman also said that the country could decrease investments in the United States.

“In the same way we have the possibility of boosting our interests, we have the possibility of reducing them,” he said, according to SPA.

Separately, Salman said in remarks to The Atlantic, carried by SPA, that his country wants to continue “detailed talks” with Iran to reach an agreement.

“Iran is a neighbor forever, we cannot get rid of them, and they cannot get rid of us,” he said, according to SPA.

Two Israelis stabbed in separate attacks in Palestinian village near Jerusalem

(JNS) — A Palestinian man at a butcher shop allegedly stabbed a 40-year-old Israeli on Thursday in the Palestinian town of Hizma near Jerusalem.

The Israeli man arrived at a military checkpoint with a stab wound and said that a man in a butcher shop in the town’s industrial zone had attacked him, reported Ynet.

The Israeli was taken to the hospital, and the IDF searched for the suspect.

A day earlier, a 48-year-old Israeli man was moderately wounded after being stabbed in the neck while in the same town.

This man also arrived at a checkpoint and said he was stabbed several times in a ceramics shop in the town.

According to the report, Israeli security forces believe the same suspect was behind both attacks.

Jerusalem court cancels Russian government’s ownership of Old City Courtyard

(JNS) — The Jerusalem District Court canceled the transfer of ownership of Alexander’s Courtyard in Jerusalem to the Russian government.

The ruling came after an appeal by the Orthodox Palestine Society of the Holy Land that had owned the church until it was transferred to the Russian government last year, reported Globes.

The court decision comes at a sensitive time as international pressure has risen on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Judge Mordechai Kaduri ruled that since former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu established the highly sensitive property near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City as a holy site, it is the Israeli government that should decide the issue, not the court.

According to the report, the issue now is up to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Alexander’s Courtyard, also known as the Church of Alexander Nevsky, had been registered during the reign of the Ottoman Empire to the Russian government.

In 2020, Netanyahu facilitated the transfer of the property to Russia in return for returning a young Israeli who had been arrested in Moscow for allegedly smuggling 10 grams of hashish and who was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.

Gantz announced more Israeli work permits for Gazans

(JNS) Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced on Tuesday his intention to immediately expand the number of Gazans who receive work permits to work in Israel, Kan reported.

The announcement was made during a tour of the Gaza border, together with Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi.

“Since Operation Guardian of the Walls, we created a new equation of deterrence. We are building up our force and our operational plans, and we are creating a new civilian equation directly vis-à-vis the residents of Gaza,” Gantz stated.

“We plan to expand the civilian humanitarian policy, including an immediate expansion of the number of employees who head out to Israel [for work],” he said.

The defense minister said that if the current quiet is maintained, progress could be made on a deal to release Palestinian security prisoners for the bodies of two IDF personnel and two living Israeli civilians in Hamas captivity.

“Unfortunately, the residents of Gaza are captives of the head of Hamas, who prevent them from making a living and having a better future for their children. The heads of Hamas and the residents of Gaza will be the ones who will bear the consequences if quiet is violated in Gaza or in other places,” said Gantz.

300 Ukrainian immigrants to arrive in Israel on Sunday

(JNS) — Some 300 Jewish immigrants from Ukraine are expected to arrive in Israel on Sunday as part of a joint operation led by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

The new immigrants are coming on three separate flights from Warsaw, Moldova and Romania and will include 100 orphans from Lasi.

They will be met at the airport by Minister of Aliyah and Integration Pnina Tamano-Shata, acting Jewish Agency chairman Yaakov Hagoel, and Fellowship president and CEO Yael Eckstein. Their emergency immigration was funded by the Jewish Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod and individual donors from around the world.

The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration will provide each immigrant with an extended benefits package and will arrange temporary housing in hotels across the country.

Israeli trauma-care team led by former top WHO official heads to Poland

(JNS) — Israel’s Dr. Dorit Nitzan is leading a humanitarian aid mission to Poland through the NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief organization. She and her team of physicians, nurses, social workers and a logistics expert from hospitals around Israel are expected to be in the area for at least the next two months.

Nitzan served as the World Health Organization’s regional emergencies director in Europe until last month. She recently retired from Geneva and returned to Israel.

“The situation is grave,” Nitzan said in a release. “Many of the refugees are elderly, women and children. They are exhausted, sick, injured and traumatized. Ukraine’s neighbors have opened their hearts and homes to these refugees, and we are joining in this enormous and critical undertaking to help those in need.”

NATAN is an Israel-founded all-volunteer multi-faith humanitarian organization. Its members have responded to global crises for the last 18 years, including in Haiti and Syria, the organization said.

The NATAN mission also will partner with WHO, the U.S.-based aid group Operation Blessing and the Mexico-based aid group CADENA, in coordination with Polish authorities, to deliver food, hygiene products, medical and other relief supplies to some of the estimated 500,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing the violence.

They will also provide primary medical and psycho-social care.

Israel, US hold first combined Red Sea operation of its kind against Iran-backed militias

(JNS) — Israel and the United States launched the first joint operation of its kind in the Red Sea to thwart threats by Iran-backed militias, Kan reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, an American intelligence-gathering aircraft that detects naval vessels landed at Uvda Air Force Base in southern Israel, and is taking part in naval activities together with the Israeli Navy.

“Cooperation with the Americans has been made possible after Israel’s joining of the Central Command’s Area of Responsibility,” the report said, referring to Israel’s move from the U.S. Military’s European Command (EUCOM) to Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for the Middle East.

The Red Sea patrols aim at uncovering Shi’ite militia activities aimed at conducting attacks at Israel from Yemen, among other missions, the report said.

The development comes after the Commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, stationed at Bahrain, V. Adm. Brad Cooper, told CNN that Israeli unmanned naval vessels were taking part in American operations in the Middle East.

In February, Kan reported that Israel enabled an American officer to take part, for the first time, in an Israeli Air Force exercise simulating long-range targets, including in Iran. The exercise reportedly involved tens of aircraft, and was held as Iran nuclear talks appeared to approach their final round.

Russia reportedly ‘trying to recruit Syrian fighters’ for Ukraine war

(JNS) — Russia is attempting to recruit Syrian fighters for its war against Ukraine, an American defense official quoted by multiple American media outlets said on Tuesday.

The official said a report by The Wall Street Journal the previous day on the recruitment effort was accurate, referring to a story about Moscow seeking out Syrian fighters with urban-warfare experience who could aid Russian invasion efforts of Ukrainian cities, like its capital of Kiev.

According to NPR, “the American defense official described the story as accurate, though the U.S. does not have estimates on the number or quality of the fighters Russia may have signed up.”

Russia has not commented on the reports.

“It’s not clear how long it might take such a group of Syrian fighters to reach Ukraine, how they would integrate with the Russian military or how effective they might be,” said NPR.

It noted, however, that the report on Russia’s recruiting effort “is the latest sign that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not going as planned.”

Russian ground maneuvers outside of Kiev and other cities have stalled in recent days, it noted, unlike more rapid movement into southern Ukrainian cities.

The American official said Russia deployed “nearly 100 percent” of its military forces last month to Ukraine’s borders.

IDF says it downed Iranian drones in foreign countries using F-35 jets

(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces revealed on Monday that it had used F-35 stealth fighter jets to shoot down two Iranian drones in foreign countries last March.

The AP quoted an unnamed official saying that the drones were launched from Iran and headed towards Israel.

The IDF stated: “The UAVs were intercepted in regional airspace in coordination with neighboring countries before they could enter Israeli skies.”

The drones were reportedly carrying handguns and explosives for the West Bank and Gaza.

A third drone launched from Iraq was shot down last May near Beit She’an during the war in Gaza, according to the IDF.

Israeli defense minister: ‘Now is the time to act on Iran’

(JNS) — Israel’s defense minister said on Monday that the time to act on Iran was now, before the ayatollahs’ regime was protected by a “nuclear canopy.”

“The world must mobilize to stop Iranian aggression,” said Benny Gantz in a post on social media, a day after Israel announced that the Israel Defense Forces had intercepted Iranian drones en route from Iran to Gaza last year.

Whether or not a new nuclear agreement is signed in Vienna between Iran and world powers, said Gantz, “it will not be the end of the road for us — nor should it be for the countries of the region and the world, which must continue to act against Iranian aggression.”

It is now, while a nuclear agreement is being negotiated in Vienna, he continued, that we must remember: “If Iran reaches the nuclear threshold, it will become even more dangerous to world peace. Now is the time for the world to mobilize to stop it.”