Weekly roundup of world briefs

Bank of Israel leaves benchmark rate unchanged

(JNS) — The Monetary Committee of the Bank of Israel decided on Monday to leave its key interest rate unchanged at 4.75 percent.

The war against terrorists in Gaza and Lebanon that began on Oct. 7 is having various economic effects, both on real activity and on the financial markets, the central bank noted. 

The bank has taken a number of policy measures to deal with the situation. The financial markets are functioning and a large part of economic activity is continuing as usual, it said.

In view of the war, the Monetary Committee said its policy is focusing on stabilizing the markets and reducing uncertainty. It has activated a program to sell foreign currency and to provide liquidity in the swap and repo markets.

The interest rate path, and the use of additional monetary policy tools, will be determined in accordance with this policy and with developments in the war, as well as with data on economic activity and the inflation dynamics, in order to continue supporting the markets’ stability and achieving the policy objectives and the needs of the economy, the bank said.

“Since the beginning of the war, the Bank of Israel has been holding ongoing assessments of the effect of the security situation on various economic and financial aspects, and has taken policy steps accordingly,” said BOI Governor Professor Amir Yaron.

“I will expand on that a bit later on. Naturally, a notable portion of the Monetary Committee’s discussions held in the past two days focused on the economic effects of the war. The Monetary Committee analyzed the various processes and their effect on economic activity and inflation, and at the end of the discussions decided to keep the interest rate unchanged at 4.75 percent,” Yaron said.

US Jewry shows solidarity in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem

(JNS) — A group of prominent American Jewish organizations has launched a billboard campaign in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem headlined “We stand with Israel” and “We stand with you.”

The campaign, which highlights the support for Israel from Jewish communities, celebrities and public officials from around the world, was initiated by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Jewish Federations of North America and Voices of Israel.

The organizers intend for the campaign to spread messages of unity and support from around the world, especially from American Jewry.

“The heart of the Jewish nation beats together with the citizens of Israel and it is important that the public knows and feels this support,” they said in a written statement.

AOC blames Christian fundamentalists for fueling Palestinian-Israeli conflict

By David Swindle

(JNS) — While many have focused on radical, Islamic fundamentalism following Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has decided to point fingers elsewhere: at Christian extremists.

“The country that is Israel today is not the Israel of the Bible,” the politician, known as AOC, told the New York radio program “Hot 97/WQHT” last week.

“It’s not just Islamic. It’s not just Jewish. It is also Christian,” the congresswoman said on Oct. 12 of the conflict. “In the United States of America, Christian fundamentalism and nationalism—which has also been extremely antisemitic—has also aligned itself with some of the most right-wing and authoritarian and inflammatory powers in the region.”

A spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez told JNS that her schedule was “slammed” and declined to comment.

On Oct. 20, Ocasio-Cortez wrote: “Release the hostages. Protect the innocent. De-escalate. Ceasefire now.” Similar words were used the day before as part of a protest in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building, which led to the arrests of 300 far-left activists.

“What angers me about the GOP’s attempts to turn the United States into a far-right Christian theocracy is how dishonest they are about it,” she wrote in 2019. “At least be forthright about your desire to subvert and dismantle our democracy into a creepy theological order led by a mad king.”

Hamas might release 50 hostages with dual citizenship

(JNS) — The Hamas terrorist group may release 50 hostages with dual citizenship it holds in the Gaza Strip, “separate from any broader deal,” The New York Times reported on Monday, citing an Israeli military source.

Qatar and the United States are negotiating the release of abductees with dual nationality separately from those who have only Israeli citizenship, the report claimed.

Israeli senior officials have previously said that Israel is not involved in any kind of negotiations related to the release of the Israeli captives.

Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Monday that the military has so far confirmed that terrorists kidnapped 222 persons during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, in which 1,400 people were massacred in Israel and more than 4,500 were wounded.

On Friday, Hamas freed two hostages for what it called “humanitarian reasons.”

“Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter, Natalie Shoshana Raanan, were released by the terrorist organization Hamas,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office confirmed. The pair were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz during the Oct. 7 invasion of the western Negev.

Also last week, Hamas released a video showing another Israeli abductee.

“I’m Mia Shem, 21 years old from Shoham. Currently, I’m in Gaza. I returned early Saturday morning from Sderot—I was at a party. I was seriously injured in my hand,” the woman says in the clip. She calls on Israel to “get me out of here as soon as possible.”

Shem, a dual French-Israeli national, was kidnapped while attending a music festival in the desert near Kibbutz Re’im, where Hamas gunmen murdered at least 260 festival-goers.

Among the kidnapped are some 20 to 30 children and 10 to 20 people over the age of 60. The hostages include citizens of eight or nine countries in addition to Israel.

‘New York Times’ defends rehiring freelance writer who praised Hitler

(JNS) — Palestinian filmmaker Soliman Hijjy has posted on social media of being “in a state of harmony, as Hitler was during the Holocaust” and wrote, “How great you are, Hitler,” according to the media watchdog HonestReporting.

Hijjy freelanced for The New York Times from 2018 until 2021. Per the Times website, his last piece prior to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel was on July 14, 2021. Since Oct. 12, he has had nine bylines—four of them videos—in the Times. His most recent piece, which bears his sole byline, is titled: “At a hospital in southern Gaza, a backup generator becomes a critical lifeline.”

“We reviewed problematic social-media posts by Mr. Hijjy when they first came to light in 2022 and took a variety of actions to ensure he understood our concerns and could adhere to our standards if he wished to do freelance work for us in the future,” according to a Times spokesperson.

The spokesperson added that Hijjy “has maintained high journalistic standards. He has delivered important and impartial work at great personal risk in Gaza during this conflict.”

“For most normal businesses or organizations, an employee expressing support for Adolf Hitler is a clear red line with no second chance. Not, however, for The New York Times,” wrote Simon Plosker of Honest Reporting.

State Department says ceasefire would benefit Hamas, not stop rockets

(JNS) — During the U.S. State Department’s press briefing on Monday, spokesman Matthew Miller was asked whether Washington would support a call from European leaders for a “humanitarian pause in what’s happening in Gaza to bring in some aid.”

“We are in conversations with the Europeans about this question of getting humanitarian aid in, and we are in conversations with the government of Israel and the government of Egypt about how best to get humanitarian aid in,” Miller said.

“Whether you call it a pause or whether you call it a ceasefire, you have to think about what that would mean in this context when Israel has suffered this terrorist attack and Israel continues to suffer ongoing terrorist attacks,” Miller added.

“There are rockets, as I said a moment ago, that continue to be launched from Gaza targeting Israel. Any ceasefire would give Hamas the ability to rest, to refit and to get ready to continue launching terrorist attacks against Israel,” he said. “You can understand perfectly clearly why that’s an intolerable situation for Israel, as it would be an intolerable situation for any country that has suffered such a brutal terrorist attack and continues to see the terrorist threat right on its border.”

Detroit police: ‘Several persons of interest’ in murder of synagogue president Samantha Woll

(JNS) — The Detroit Police Department announced on Monday that it has identified “several persons of interest” in the murder of Samantha Woll, president of the egalitarian Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, over the weekend.

“The evening of Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, the victim, Samantha Woll, was at an event. She left that event and returned home at approximately 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning,” stated James E. White, chief of the Detroit police.

“She was discovered deceased outside her home at approximately 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning,” he added. “At this time, no evidence has surfaced suggesting that this crime was motivated by antisemitism.”

The Detroit police, which is working with the Michigan State Police and the FBI, added that it does not believe that there are risks to any groups or individuals.

Speaking at the funeral, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, on whose campaign Woll worked as political director, said that her deceased friend “may have been the nicest person that I have ever met or will ever meet in my lifetime.”

“Her killer will not rob us of the memory of her joy and warmth and kindness that she leaves behind in all of us and in all she’s done,” Nessel added.

Blinken marks 40 years since Beirut Marine barracks bombing, omits Iran

(JNS) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement on Monday marking the 40th anniversary of Hezbollah’s Oct. 23, 1983 bombing of the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, that included no mention of Iran.

Blinken noted that “241 U.S. military personnel, including 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers” were murdered in the attack, and that “a second suicide bomber killed 58 French paratroopers” minutes later. Six Lebanese civilians were also killed.

“The abhorrent and shocking attack on the Beirut barracks remains to this day the single deadliest day for the U.S. Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima,” wrote Blinken. “As we reflect on this day, and in light of the ongoing challenges in Lebanon and the region, we remain committed to building a brighter future for Lebanon, the Lebanese people and the broader Middle East.”

According to Gabriel Noronha, a fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America and a former special adviser on Iran at the U.S. State Department, Blinken’s failure to mention Iran was a “massive omission.” 

“As Blinken knows perfectly well, Iran funded, planned and directed the attack,” wrote Noronha. He noted that a Pentagon investigation had found many warnings of an impending attack that did not mention a precise target or time, but that the National Security Agency had intercepted a Sept. 26, 1983 message from the Iranian intelligence minister to Tehran’s ambassador in Beirut calling for “spectacular action against the American Marines.”

“Shortly after the attack, the White House confirmed they knew the Iranian Embassy in Beirut disbursed $1 million to carry out the bombings,” added Noronha. “Just this March, a New York federal judge [found] Iran responsible for $1.68 billion in damages from the attack, something Blinken/State Department staff were certainly aware of.”

This was why Blinken’s omission of Iran was “notable and troubling,” he said. “Let me assure you as the person who used to write the secretary of state’s statements on Iran that this isn’t some innocent/absent-minded mistake. This statement has probably been drafted and debated [for] the past two weeks—and I bet there was an argument over this too.”

El Al puts captive Israelis’ photos on seats of aid flight

By Pesach Benson

(JNS) — One El Al plane that arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on Oct. 24 wasn’t filled with passengers or suitcases. In the absence of passengers, the charter flight—which was delivering medical supplies—placed photos of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza on the seats.

Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Monday that the military has so far confirmed that 222 people were taken hostage by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

“We all feel so helpless because everyone knows someone in Israel, or has a family member fighting in Israel,” said Lizzy Straus of CareOne, a U.S. senior care provider which was among the sponsors of the delivery.

“Knowing that you’re doing everything you can to help them changes things. It gives you hope. A lot of hope and love that went into everything that’s been happening, and we’re grateful to have been able to partner with some wonderful organizations,” said Straus.

While the cargo hold was packed with 16 pallets of medical equipment, nearly all of the Dreamliner’s 271 seats contained duffel bags loaded with medical supplies earmarked for United Hatzalah, an Israeli voluntary emergency response organization.

Items delivered included ventilators, suction devices, feeding tubes, gauze and tourniquets.

A similar delivery arrived in Israel on Oct. 18, and more are planned.

Also sponsoring the delivery were El Al and the New York-based Amudim Community Resources, in conjunction with Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry, while other organizations and individuals assisted with donations and packing.

Hamas claims to have 35,000 fighters in Gaza

(JNS) — Hamas says it has 35,000 armed supporters in the Gaza Strip, the TASS Russian News Agency reported on Tuesday, citing the Al-Hadath television channel.

“We have 35,000 [armed] supporters amassed in Gaza and we are ready [for further ‘resistance’],” the channel quoted a spokesman for the terrorist organization as saying.

The comments come as Israel prepares for a massive air, ground and sea invasion of the Gaza Strip to destroy Hamas after the Oct. 7 massacre of at least 1,400 Israelis.

Israeli forces will face a network of terror tunnels underneath the Strip that Brig. Gen. (res.) Professor Jacob Nagel, former acting head of Israel’s National Security Council, recently said could reach into the thousands of kilometers.

“The aim, as we have said, is to destroy Hamas’s capabilities. People do not understand what is beneath Gaza. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of kilometers of tunnels under the Strip. These are mainly located under the north of Gaza, therefore we are moving people to the south of the Strip,” Nagel said in an interview with Globes.

US Jews supply thousands of tzitzit to Israeli soldiers

(JNS) — As the Israel Defense Forces prepare to move into Gaza to destroy the Hamas terrorist group, an American rabbi affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidic movement has launched a campaign to supply Israeli soldiers with tzitzit, or ritual fringes.

By wearing fringes on a four-cornered garment, religious Jews fulfill the biblical commandments mentioned in Numbers 15:37-41 and Deuteronomy 22:12.

As of Thursday, the fundraising drive under the slogan “Spiritual Armor” has raised almost $50,000, delivering some 3,000 pairs of tzitzit to IDF troops.

“We know that tefillin [phylacteries] and tzitzit are our spiritual armor which provide special protection,” Rabbi Shmary Gurary, director of development at Bnos Menachem Girls’ School of Crown Heights, N.Y., told Anash.org.

The idea was born after “a dear friend who works with soldiers throughout the year reached out to me,” Gurary said. “He informed me that many soldiers, most of whom do not ordinarily wear tzitzit, would like to wear tzitzit on the battlefield.”

The Israel-based Ptil Tekhelet organization, which claims to have discovered the long-lost blue dye used in tzitzit, is also raising money in an effort to offer free tzitzit dyed with tekhelet to IDF soldiers.

“Since the start of the war, we have received an unexpectedly large number of requests from soldiers for tekhelet,” the NGO said, adding that it had already provided “hundreds” of soldiers with the religious garment.