Weekly roundup of world briefs

Acting deputy secretary of state to meet with J Street board at State Department

(JNS) — Victoria Nuland, acting U.S. deputy secretary of state, was slated to meet with the board of directors of J Street at the U.S. State Department on Wednesday. “Closed press coverage,” a public schedule from Foggy Bottom stated.

No more information was available from the State Department schedule. JNS sought comment from J Street but did not hear back.

Earlier this month, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, a union, joined the J Street board.

J Street self-identifies as “the political home and voice for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans.”

On Oct. 7, J Street said “Hamas’s murderous actions must be met with unequivocal condemnation from the entire international community.” 

“We hope for their swift and decisive defeat and urge the U.S. government to do everything possible to assist the State of Israel in confronting this threat, defending its citizens and preventing a slide into even further conflagration and suffering for Israelis and Palestinians,” it added.

In recent days, J Street has also issued press releases expressing deep concern “for the safety of Palestinian civilians and the over 100 hostages who are now caught in the massive Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, subject to a siege cutting off supplies of water, food, fuel and electricity, and awaiting an imminent ground invasion.”

It stated that Israel’s “call for the over 1 million civilians of northern Gaza to be evacuated within 24 hours is simply untenable—it is impossible to achieve within that timeframe and itself could lead to further catastrophe.”

Rep. Cotton introduces bill to reinstate Iran sanctions

(JNS) — Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has introduced bill S-301, legislation “to reinstate certain sanctions imposed with respect to Iran.”

His legislation calls for returning any sanctions “that were waived, suspended, reduced or otherwise relieved pursuant to an agreement between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, including any waiver that is the subject of the document entitled ‘Waiver of Sanctions with Respect to the Transfer of Funds from the Republic of Korea to Qatar” and transmitted to Congress on September 11, 2023.”

Thirty senators, all Republicans, co-sponsored the bill, including Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.,) Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.,) Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa.) The legislation has been referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.

Cotton has also recently proposed deporting any foreign nationals who support the Hamas terrorist organization and sending in special forces to recover American hostages.

Florida, Virginia donate medical and other needed supplies to Israel

(JNS) — On Tuesday evening, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis posted photos on social media of piles of boxes at an airport. “Two cargo flights loaded with 85 pallets of donated supplies are on their way to Israel,” DeSantis wrote.

“Florida stands with the people of Israel, and we will continue to help in any way we can as they fight back against Hamas terrorists,” added the Republican, who is also running for president.

“With the lack of leadership in Washington, we are stepping up to help our allies in Israel who are in need of supplies and our support,” DeSantis stated. “As we continue to bring back Americans who were stranded in Israel when the war began, we will also keep sending the necessary health-care supplies for Israel to care for those who have been injured.”

Per a press release from the governor’s office, the shipment includes: “735 bandages, nearly 5,000 hospital gowns, 84 IV kits, more than 30,000 needles, more than 30,000 syringes, 57 ventilators and more than 10,000 boxes of surgical gloves.”

It also includes “more than 1,000 children’s toys, more than 300 sleeping bags, more than 1,000 hygiene products and more than 2,000 articles of clothing.”

Florida sends two cargo flights, loaded with 85 pallets of donated supplies, to Israel on Oct. 17, 2023. Credit: Florida Governor’s Office.

Virginia is also pitching in to help Israel, as Jason Miyares, its attorney general wrote in a letter to 100 sheriffs’ offices across the state.

“Many Americans are stepping up to offer support or humanitarian relief to innocent Israelis and Palestinians,” Miyares wrote. “In that spirit, my office is coordinating efforts to collect surplus body armor, protective gear and tactical equipment from local law-enforcement departments that want to help the Israel Defense Forces fight terrorism in Israel and Palestine.”

In particular, the attorney general’s office is collecting expired equipment, which is required to be donated or discarded, and it will ship them to the IDF.

Israel is fighting for democracy and human rights in the face of absolute evil, and they need our support. 

Hilton hotel in Texas cancels Palestinian rights conference

(JNS) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott praised the decision to cancel the “Seize the Moment: US Campaign for Palestinian Rights National Conference” scheduled from Oct. 27 to Oct. 29 at a Hilton in Houston.

“Hilton Hotels in Houston was correct to pull the plug on the US Campaign for Palestine Rights event hosted by Hamas supporters,” Abbott, a Republican, wrote on social media. “Texas has no room for hate & antisemitism like that supported by Hamas. No location in Texas should host or sponsor USCPR.”

The hotel said in a statement that due to “escalating security concerns in the current environment, the hotel has determined that it cannot serve as the venue for this event because of the potential risks to our team members and guests.”

Speakers for the event included keynote Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.); political activist Linda Sarsour; Diala Shamas, a lawyer at the leftist Center for Constitutional Rights; and Marc Lamont Hill, the former CNN commentator fired after advocating for the elimination of Israel.

Omar Barghouti, co-founder of the BDS movement who has declared the elimination of Israel as his goal, was also scheduled to address attendees via video.

The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights issued an “emergency” call on Thursday to stop the “Gaza genocide.” The group accused the U.S. government of funding genocide.

UN sanctions on Iran’s missile program expire

(JNS) — U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, which the international body unanimously adopted in July 2015, endorsed the Iran nuclear deal—officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—and made it international law.

The restrictions in the resolution “to constrain Iran’s ballistic-missile program are slated to expire” on Oct. 18, according to a statement by the U.S. State Department. 

Per Foggy Bottom, the resolution “was based on the assumption that Iran would take the necessary steps towards restoring confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program. This has not happened.”

“It is imperative that all states continue to take steps to counter Iran’s destabilizing ballistic missile-related activities through ongoing counterproliferation cooperation,” the State Department added.

“The United States has worked to disrupt Iran’s missile program since long before the U.N. Security Council imposed restrictions on it,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated. “We will continue to do so, using every tool at our disposal, so long as Iran poses a threat to security and stability in the Middle East region and around the world.”

Asked about the expiring sanctions earlier this month at a press briefing, Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesman at the State Department noted that “UNSCR 2231 is not the only tool that is at our disposal.”

“We have our own sanctions authorities. We have export controls. We have bilateral and multilateral engagements,” he said. “We have already effectively targeted the same networks and individuals that would have been covered under a 2231 UNSCR violation, and we’ll continue to use our own sanctions authorities to hold the Iranian regime accountable.”

The expiring penalties on Iran for missile tests are “yet another sign of the international community’s irresolution to say and do the right thing on Iran,” stated Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “It will, therefore, embolden Iran to double down on its terror proxies and arms proliferation. The more confident Tehran feels, the more lethal the threat.”

Israel Police chief threatens to bus pro-Hamas protesters to Gaza

(JNS) — Israel Police chief Yaakov Shabtai threatened on Wednesday to deport Arab Israelis to the Gaza Strip if they show support for Palestinians there.

His comments were posted to the police force’s Arabic TikTok and X channels on Tuesday and were reported by Israeli media after an unauthorized rally in Haifa on Wednesday night in support of Gaza was broken up by law enforcement. 

According to Israeli media reports, six protesters were arrested and one person was wounded during the rally. Another pro-Gaza protest in the Arab Muslim town of Tayibe in central Israel was reportedly broken up by police.

Shabtai said that there would be “zero tolerance” for pro-Gaza demonstrations in Israel while the country is in a state of war.

“Whoever wants to be a citizen of Israel, ahlan wa sahlan [welcome in Arabic]. Anyone who wants to identify with Gaza is welcome—I’ll put them on buses that will send them there, I’ll help them get there,” said Shabtai.

The Israel Police said on Thursday morning that 92 investigations have been opened into social media incitement since Oct. 7, the date of Hamas’s assault on communities near the Gaza border.

Most recent was the arrest on Thursday morning of a resident of the northern town of Nof HaGalil for supporting and inciting terrorism on social media.

The suspect, identified as a woman in her 20s, posted videos inciting terrorism and violence and expressing sympathy for the Hamas terror organization.

Investigators found on her phone other inciting videos, including several in which she is holding a gun. In another, she slashes an Israeli flag with a knife.

On Tuesday, police arrested Dr. Dalal Abu Amneh, an Arab-Israeli singer, social media personality and researcher at the Technion Institute.

Ramat Gan to rename light rail stop as tribute to Biden

By Avi Cohen

(JNS) — The Ramat Gan Municipality announced on Wednesday its decision to rename one of the city’s light rail stops after U.S. President Joe Biden in gratitude for his support for Israel as it wages war against Hamas.

The municipality has requested that the Israeli Transportation Ministry authorize the move.

The U.S. president had supported Israel not only with words but also with actions, said Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama

“He sent equipment and personally traveled to Israel, which was a historic event,” said Shama. “He proved to be a true friend of Israel who stands by its side as it faces its most difficult challenges since the establishment of the state.”

Nevertheless, some criticized the decision, arguing that the memory of the city’s fallen soldiers and murdered residents took precedence.

The city’s deputy mayor assured critics that the fallen soldiers and residents would be honored as well.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

Israeli girl with autism thought kidnapped by Hamas found dead

(JNS) — Eleven days after Hamas’s terrorist onslaught began, rescue workers found the lifeless bodies of Noya Dan, a 12-year-old Israeli girl with autism, and her grandmother Carmela Dan, officials said on Thursday.

The two, residents of Kibbutz Kissufim and Kibbutz Nir Oz, respectively, had been assumed kidnapped by Hamas. On Wednesday, their bodies were found near the border fence, Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster reported.

Noya’s plight went viral on social media on Sunday after the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s X account enlisted the help of British author J.K. Rowling in an effort to help bring her home.

“Noya is sensitive, kind, funny and a massive Harry Potter fan,” Jerusalem wrote to the famed author, sharing a photo of the girl in a Harry Potter costume.

Rowling reposted the photo, stressing to her 14 million followers that kidnapping children is “despicable and wholly unjustifiable.

“For obvious reasons, this picture has hit home with me. May Noya and all hostages taken by Hamas be returned soon, safely, to their families,” wrote Rowling.

On Thursday, the ministry said, “We are devastated to announce that Noya and her grandmother’s bodies were found yesterday. Thank you, J.K. Rowling, for sharing her story with the hope that she would come home. Our hearts are broken. May their memory be a blessing.”

Noya’s uncle Ofer Calderon, his 16-year-old daughter and his 12-year-old son are still missing, Channel 12 quoted the family as saying.

“Today was a difficult day,” said Sharon Kaldron. “Carmela Dan and Noya Dan are no longer with us. May they be remembered for love. We continue to fight to bring Ofer, Sahar and Erez home.”

Hamas terrorists killed at least 1,400 Israelis and wounded more than 4,500 in a massive offensive launched from Gaza on Oct. 7, which included the firing of thousands of rockets at Israel and the infiltration of the Jewish state by terrorist forces.

Terrorists took at least 203 hostages from Israel to the Strip during the invasion, IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Thursday, adding that the number is not final.

“The IDF has been scanning the Gaza border area for bodies of missing Israelis, locating some, and many bodies are still waiting to be identified,” said Hagari.

Rescue volunteers on Thursday also located the bodies of 58-year-old Arik Peretz and his daughter Ruth, who suffered from muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy. The two had been missing since terrorists attacked the Supernova Sukkot Music Festival near Kibbutz Re’im on Oct. 7.

High Court postpones judicial reform hearing due to war

(JNS) — With Israel engulfed in a war with Hamas in Gaza, the High Court of Justice on Thursday decided to postpone a hearing related to the government’s judicial reform initiative.

Instead of this Sunday, petitioners against Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s refusal to convene the Judicial Selection Committee will be heard on Nov. 12, with submissions to the court able to be submitted until Nov. 5.

Supreme Court Justice Yael Willner’s decision came after Levin requested a postponement on Wednesday to submit his affidavit due to members of his legal team being mobilized for IDF duty as part of the largest reserve call-up since 1973.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel, one of the petitioners, opposed the postponement.

Judicial reform was moved off the legislative agenda after a unity government was formed that includes members of the opposition following the Hamas terrorist assault that began on Oct. 7.

US legations to lower flags to half-staff to honor Gaza hospital dead

(JNS) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken cabled all U.S. diplomatic and consular posts, authorizing them to lower flags to half-staff over those killed at a Gaza hospital on Tuesday.

The flags would be lowered “to observe national periods of mourning following an official proclamation by the host government with respect to the loss of innocent lives at the Al Ahli hospital blast on October 18,” The Times of Israel reported.

According to Blinken’s cable, diplomats were told to consider whether failing to do so “would expose the U.S. Mission to added security risk and/or isolate the U.S. Mission vis-à-vis like-minded embassies.”

U.S. missions in countries whose governments identify with Hamas and support terrorism were instructed to include a statement that the lowered flag was only to mourn the loss of innocent lives. 

The secretary of state did not request that flags be flown at mast-staff to honor those killed in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

The parking lot of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City was hit on Tuesday by an errant Islamic Jihad rocket targeting the Jewish state. Hamas claimed the blast killed hundreds and blamed Israel, as did Arab leaders as protests against Israel erupted in Muslim states. 

The IDF provided information, including aerial footage, recordings of Hamas members, and evidence from the blast site proving it was a locally made rocket. 

The U.S. government, after reviewing the evidence, has accepted the Israeli version of events, as have Western media outlets.