Weekly roundup of world briefs

US, UK again attack Houthi targets in Yemen

(JNS) — American and British forces carried out airstrikes on Houthi targets on Yemen’s Kamaran Island on Monday, Iranian state media reported.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported that there was no immediate information on casualties or damage following the coalition strike.

U.S. Central Command—the geographic command responsible for the Middle East—and the British Ministry of Defense did not immediately confirm the airstrikes.

Kamaran, Yemen’s largest island in the Red Sea, is located off the port city of Hodeidah. Both the isle and the port are under Houthi control.

Since the Iran-backed Houthis joined the war against Israel initiated by Hamas on Oct. 7, they have been launching drones and missiles at the Jewish state and disrupting maritime traffic in the Red Sea.

In December, the United States launched a multinational force to counter the maritime threat posed by the Houthis, who have targeted commercial vessels passing through the vital Bab el-Mandeb strait.

The Israeli Navy also bolstered its maritime presence in the Red Sea in response to the attacks from Yemen.

The Houthis have successfully hit the Jewish state on several occasions, the latest of which came on July 18, when a drone struck in central Tel Aviv, killing one civilian and wounding 10 others.

In retaliation, Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck a series of Houthi terrorist targets in Hodeidah Port on July 20.

The Houthis have threatened to avenge the attacks, with leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi vowing that a response is “inevitable and will come.”

Israeli couple heckled, hounded out of Reginald Hunter comedy show

(JNS) — Two Israelis were booed out of a stand-up comedy show in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh after they objected to a joke comparing the Jewish state to an abusive spouse.

The incident occurred when U.K.-based comedian Reginald D. Hunter, who was accused in the past of antisemitism for making light of the Holocaust, recounted how a recent documentary in which a woman described ill treatment at the hands of her husband made him think: “My God, it’s like being married to Israel.”

When the Israelis, who were seated in the front row, shouted, “not funny,” members of the audience heckled them. According to The Telegraph theater critic Dominic Cavendish, who was present at the event, epithets hurled included: “F*** off,” “Genocidal maniac,” “You’re not welcome” and “Free Palestine.” 

During the melee, Hunter, 55, taunted the couple: “I’ve been waiting for you all summer, where the f*** you been?”

As they exited the premises, he called out: “You can say it’s not funny to you, but if you say it to a room full of people who laughed, you look foolish.” 

In a post on X, the British NGO Campaign Against Antisemitism wrote: “Comedians are rightly given broad latitude, but they also have a responsibility to their audience. Reginald D. Hunter has laughed off his Holocaust jokes and another supposed joke about ‘typical f***ing Jews’ in the past but watching on and cracking jokes as Jews are hounded out of your show is a sickening low that cannot be disguised as comedy.”

The group said its lawyers were examining the incident.

Cavendish gave the show a one-star review.

Hunter’s earlier antisemitic incident took place in 2006, when he commented that he should go to Austria, where it is illegal to deny the Holocaust, get arrested for saying the genocide against the Jews did not happen, and tell the judge he was denying the Rwandan holocaust, not the Jewish one.

5.1-magnitude quake in Syria felt in Lebanon, Israel

(JNS) — A 5.1-magnitude earthquake centered near Homs, Syria, on Monday was felt in Beirut, Lebanon and in Israel as far south as Beersheba. 

The quake hit at 11:56 local time, and its epicenter was 21 kilometers (13 miles) east of Homs, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). It took place at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).

There were reports of collapsed houses near the epicenter, but no reports of injuries.

Israel suspends produce imports from Jordan over cholera concern

(JNS) — The Israeli Health Ministry’s National Food Service has requested a halt to shipments of some fresh fruits and vegetables from Jordan after positive test results cholera bacteria in runoff from the Yarmuk River, the largest tributary of the Jordan River.

This move is being made out of an abundance of caution, with the ministry emphasizing that there is no indication that cucumbers, peppers, zucchini and tomatoes on supermarket shelves are contaminated, and that they will therefore not be recalled.

The ministry added that the halt to imports was done to allow for time to verify that additional produce from Jordan was not affected and to verify that the crops are not watered with the contaminated water.

There is no concern that the cholera comes from Israel due to routine actions by the ministry including testing the water regularly.

Jordan’s Agriculture Minister Khaled Hneifat dismissed the Israeli concerns, according to Roya News. 

“We suspended the export of tomatoes to Occupation [Israel] last Monday, and the claims about bacteria are baseless,” Hneifat said.

He assured that “there are no types of bacteria in Jordanian agricultural products, and the ministry continuously conducts tests to protect Jordanian consumers.”

First half of year in France sees triple incidents of antisemitism from 2023

(JNS) — French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin discussed new data on the rise of antisemitism in the country following the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

The government official said on Friday at a ceremony commemorating an Aug. 9, 1982 terror attack at Jo Goldenberg, an Ashkenazi Jewish restaurant, that the first half of 2024 saw 887 antisemitic incidents, almost tripling from the 304 documented in the same period of 2023.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff attended the event, laying a wreath and lighting one of six candles memorializing the six individuals killed in a grenade attack that also wounded 22 others. “The United States stands in solidarity with you,” he said. “We cannot be silent, and we must not be afraid.”

Darmanin warned that antisemitism “no longer hides” and that “it is an insult to the dead, the wounded, the humiliated and our history.”

He also noted that to date, law enforcement has only captured one suspect in the attack.

‘Abhorrent antisemitic messages’ at Bethesda elementary school

(JNS) — The Montgomery County Police Department is investigating antisemitic vandalism discovered on Sunday at a Bethesda, Md., elementary school as a hate crime, the department stated.

Police officers were called to Bethesda Elementary School at about 7:15 in the morning on Sunday, per the department. The officers found “spray-painted antisemitic phrases in the parking lot area of the school and on a nearby building,” it added.

The department had no descriptions of suspects yet, it said on Monday, noting that it is reviewing surveillance footage and canvassing the area. “The graffiti was removed by Bethesda Urban Partnership, Montgomery County Public Schools and volunteers,” the department said.

JNS sought comment from the department.

The department didn’t state what the content of the graffiti was, but multiple media outlets reported that the statements spray painted on a school sign and on sidewalks and crosswalks included “Israel rapes men, women and children” and “free Gaza.” News outlets also reported that there is a farmer’s market held on the site.

Montgomery County “is home to the largest Jewish population in the state, with 45 percent of Maryland’s Jewish residents living in our community,” per the county council. 

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington stated that it is “appalled” by the Jew-hatred spray painted at the school. 

“As children and families were trying to enjoy a farmer’s market, they were instead witnesses to abhorrent antisemitic messages,” the Federation said. “Ahead of the new school year, it is critical that we make clear that this type of hate speech has no place here.”

US, European leaders endorse continued hostage negotiations with Hamas

(JNS) — Leaders in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and the United States came together on Monday to call for peace in the Middle East.

The White House released a joint statement from the Western nations advocating for Iran to cease its threats of aggression against the Jewish state. “We expressed our full support for ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions and reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza,” the coalition said.

The statement also endorsed efforts backed by U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts in Egypt and Qatar to continue talks between Israel and Hamas “later this week with an aim to concluding the deal as soon as possible.” The group urged that “there is no further time to lose.”

While Israel has agreed to continue negotiations, Hamas announced on Sunday that it would not participate in the talks set to resume on Thursday.

The national leaders insisted that “all parties must live up to their responsibilities” and that “unfettered delivery and distribution of aid is needed.”

The statement concluded by demanding that Iranian leadership “stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack,” in addition to defending Israel’s right to protect its people from “Iranian aggression and against attacks by Iran-backed terrorist groups.”

Serbia pulls sunken Nazi ship from Danube

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — A Nazi ship packed with explosives was raised from the Danube River in Serbia last week after eight decades underwater.

The Kriegsmarine Black Sea Fleet ship was among 200 vessels the Nazis scuttled in August 1944 to prevent them being captured by the advancing Red Army. Some 8,000 German soldiers and civilians who had been on board fled on foot to escape capture by the Soviets.

The shipwreck will be checked for remaining explosives and then displayed to the public.

“Every ship that is extracted undergoes a thorough inspection with the dismantling of any remaining explosives,” Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure Goran Vesić said. “This process takes about 10 days.”

Serbia plans to salvage another 21 of the vessels from the Danube in the E.U.-funded project in the coming months, with an estimated 80 others slated to be removed at a later date.

As the water level in the river drops due to summer heat and drought, parts of these wrecks often emerge, hindering navigation.

Musk ready to do more for Gaza in wake of Starlink activation

(JNS) — Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk hopes “to do more to help people in Gaza,” he tweeted on his social media platform X on Saturday.

Musk made his comment in reference to his Starlink satellite internet service, which started operating in the Gaza Strip three weeks ago. 

He attached a post from Emirati influencer Hassan Sajwani, who tweeted thanks to Musk for helping the UAE’s Gaza Field Hospital in Rafah.

The field hospital was set up in December. Its director, Dr. Sultan Al Kaabi, told the Emirati English-language daily The National that the Starlink service has allowed for live video medical consultations with patients.

“We added the service to cooperate with Emirati hospitals and specialists from different countries,” he said. “We get consultations about certain cases that we don’t have speciality [for] here in Gaza to provide the best treatment.”

Israel’s Communications Ministry approved Starlink’s use in Israel in February, enabling Israelis to access broadband services even in the event of disruption to ground-based communications.

“Starlink’s entry into Israel will enable advanced satellite communication routinely and during times of emergency,” said Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi.

Israel’s security authorities also approved the use of Starlink in the Gaza Strip on a limited, case-by-case basis, in instances where it has been confirmed that the entity in question poses “no concern of risk or possibility of endangering national security,” the ministry added in a statement.

Amman to let Israel use its airspace to repel Iranian attacks

(JNS) — Should Tehran attack, Jordan will allow Israel to use its airspace, a Jordanian official told Channel 12 on Saturday.

“We will allow Israel to repel the Iranian attack in our airspace,” the official said, adding that this “stems from a security interest and this is the policy, just as in April Jordan helped Israel stop the Iranian attack. It is ultimately an ally of the United States.”

The Arab Post news site also reported, citing security sources in Amman, that “the authorities in Jordan have informed Israel that they will allow its air force to intercept the expected Iranian attack in the kingdom’s airspace.”

The sources added, “There is security, military and intelligence coordination between Jordan and Israel regarding the expected Iranian response, which ensures that the Israeli Air Force is authorized to participate in intercepting potential Iranian attacks that may pass through the kingdom’s skies.”

The reports contradict Jordan’s public declarations in the media that it will not allow its airspace to be used by any foreign party.

On April 13, the Royal Jordanian Air Force participated in a coalition that helped shoot down nearly all of the more than 300 missiles and drones Iran fired towards Israel in its first-ever direct attack on the Jewish state.

Amman, a frequent and harsh critic of Israel’s war against Hamas, intercepted dozens of drones hurtling through its airspace towards Israel.

Israel OKs borders of new Jewish town in Judea

(JNS) — The Israeli Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration set borders for the new Judea town of Nahal Heletz, which will reinforce territorial continuity between the Etzion bloc and Jerusalem.

Nahal Heletz (or Neve Ori) was one of five communities that received approval in June in response to the Palestinian Authority’s push for statehood and support for international legal action against Israel.

The town, which was founded as a farm following the 2019 terrorist murder of 19-year-old Ori Ansbacher in the area, received full recognition from the Israeli government in a quid pro quo that saw Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich prevent the P.A.’s economic collapse.

Wednesday’s Civil Administration declaration allows the government to formally start the planning process for the nascent Jewish community.

Nahal Heletz, whose borders encompass some 150 acres, is strategically located and connects the Gush Etzion to Israel’s capital, with Neve Daniel on one side and Jerusalem’s Gilo neighborhood on the other.

The move will complicate the Palestinian Authority’s attempts to create territorial continuity between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

“The establishment of a new town is a historic moment,” Smotrich said. “About two months ago, the Security Cabinet approved my proposal for the establishment of five new towns in Judea and Samaria.

“No anti-Israel and anti-Zionist decision will stop the development of Jewish construction,” the minister added, vowing to “continue to fight the dangerous idea of ​​a Palestinian state and establish facts on the ground.”

Gush Etzion Council head Yaron Rosenthal praised Smotrich for bringing about a “new, well-established and large Jewish community.

“After hearing the exciting news of the establishment of the new town, and after jurisdiction was set within the boundaries of the Gush Etzion Council, the area of construction has now increased to hundreds of dunams,” he said. “The new town will create the connection between Gush Etzion and the capital, between Etzion and Zion [Jerusalem].”

Ten metric dunams equal one hectare, or 2.4711 acres.

Last month, the Defense Ministry approved the borders of Evyatar in Samaria, another one of the towns approved in June. The government also legalized Givat Asaf and Sde Efrayim in Samaria and Adorayim in Judea.