Weekly roundup of world briefs

TAU scientists can detect Parkinson’s years before symptoms

(JNS) — Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered a method to detect protein aggregation, a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, potentially enabling diagnosis up to 15 years before symptoms appear.

This early detection could lead to preventive treatments for at-risk individuals, particularly those with genetic mutations common among Ashkenazi Jews.

Led by Prof. Uri Ashery and PhD student Ofir Sade, the team examined cells from Parkinson’s patients using super-resolution microscopy to detect abnormal aggregation of the alpha-synuclein protein, not in the brain, but in skin cells.

Parkinson’s, which affects 8.5 million people globally, is characterized by the destruction of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. By the time motor symptoms emerge, most of these neurons are already lost, making current treatments limited. The researchers hope that early identification of protein aggregation could prevent cell damage.

The researchers said they had already observed promising results in studies on mice and are conducting clinical trials on humans.

Supported by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the researchers aim to extend their findings to other neurodegenerative diseases.

Egypt, Iraq, Jordan accuse Israel of ‘pushing region toward all-out war’

(JNS) — The foreign ministers of Egypt, Iraq and Jordan on Wednesday condemned Israel’s “aggression” against Lebanon’s Hezbollah, arguing that Israel Defense Forces operations in Lebanon were “pushing the region towards all-out war,” Agence France-Presse reported.

Curbing the “dangerous escalation under way in the region … begins by halting Israel’s aggression in Gaza,” the officials said in a joint statement issued after a meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Earlier Wednesday, the IDF intercepted a Hezbollah surface-to-surface ballistic missile headed toward central Israel. The Iranian proxy claimed that the target of the attack was the headquarters of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.

Shortly after, the Israeli Air Force struck the launcher from which the missile was fired in the area of Nafakhiyeh, located some 12 miles to the east of Tyre in Lebanon.

Noa Kirel cancels Tel Aviv concert after Hezbollah missile attack

(JNS) — Israeli pop star Noa Kirel has canceled a concert scheduled for Thursday in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park after Hezbollah fired a ballistic missile at the coastal city.

Kirel said the decision was made with event organizers to ensure the safety of some 30,000 fans who were expected to attend.

A new date for the concert will be announced in the near future.

In May, Kirel finished in third place in the Eurovision Song Contest final in Liverpool. She performed the song “Unicorn,” co-written alongside Doron Medalie, Yinon Yahel and May Sfadia.

The 22-year-old IDF veteran from the central Israeli city of Ra’anana was aiming to become the fifth Israeli to win the song contest since the Jewish state first entered the annual event in 1973 and the first since Netta Barzilai and her song “Toy” emerged the victor in 2018.

Last month, Israeli media reported that Kirel’s team had paid a deposit to perform in New York City’s Madison Square Garden on June 30, 2024.

Herzog: Iranian terror leading Middle East ‘into the abyss’

(JNS) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog warned on Wednesday that Iran and its proxies were leading the Middle East to catastrophe, amid the ongoing wars against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“The Iranian [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] are leading the entire region into the abyss by ongoing terror,” Herzog said during an interview with CNBC.

“How come a small tribe of 50,000 people in Yemen has ballistic missiles and cruise missiles? Very few nations have [them],” said Herzog, referring to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, an Iranian proxy that has repeatedly targeted Israel with missiles and drones, as well as international shipping in the Red Sea.

“Israel did not want this war and is not interested in going to war with Lebanon. But Israel has been attacked … endlessly,” the president added. “These proxies are trying to close in on Israel from all sides of our borders. That’s the real situation now,” he added.

Tehran has been working according to this plan “for years,” he said, adding that its ultimate target was not Israel but “the entire free world.” 

On Monday, Iran’s new president said that Israel seeks to drag the Middle East into a full-scale war by provoking Tehran to join the conflict in Lebanon.

“We want to live in peace, we don’t want war. It is Israel that seeks to create this all-out conflict,” said Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City (Sept. 10-28). 

“We do not wish to be the cause of instability in the Middle East as its consequences would be irreversible,” he said, adding, “We will defend any group that is defending its rights and itself.”

Pezeshkian did not address Iran’s ongoing effort to obtain nuclear weapons, its promises to wipe Israel off the face of the earth or the fact that Hezbollah initiated the conflict when it began firing missiles on Israel’s north on Oct. 8.

Taiwanese firm says Hungarian partner made pagers used in Lebanon attack

(JNS) — Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo is denying a New York Times report that the pagers that exploded and wounded thousands of Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon on Tuesday were purchased from it.

According to the Times report, the communication devices were tampered with before reaching Lebanon.

The company said following the Times report that the models being carried by Hezbollah members were made and sold by a franchisee in Hungary, naming the partner as Budapest-based BAC Consulting KFT.

“According to our cooperation agreement, we authorized BAC to use our trademark to manufacture and sell in specific areas, but the development and production are solely their responsibility,” the company said. The model sold by BAC and that exploded was the AR-924, according to Gold Apollo.

Taiwan’s Commerce Ministry said on Wednesday morning that the communication devices that exploded were “processed” after being exported and that there was no record of exports from Taiwan to Lebanon that match the shipment. Taiwanese police also reportedly raided the Gold Apollo offices in New Taipei City.

Four soldiers KIA in Gaza, bringing IDF death toll to 713

(JNS) — Four Israel Defense soldiers were killed battling Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip’s southern city of Rafah, the military announced Wednesday morning.

The slain troops were named as:

Cpt. Daniel Mimon Toaff, 23, a deputy company commander in the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion, from Moreshet.

Staff Sgt. Agam Naim, 20, a paramedic with the 401st Armored Brigade’s 52nd Battalion, from Mishmarot.

Staff Sgt. Amit Bakri, 21, of the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion, from Yoshivia.

Staff Sgt. Dotan Shimon, 21, of the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion, from Elazar.

The death toll among Israeli troops since the start of the Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 27 now stands at 346, and at 713 on all fronts since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre, according to official military data.

Additionally, Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, a member of the Border Police’s Yamam National Counter-Terrorism Unit, was fatally wounded during a hostage-rescue mission in Gaza in June, and civilian defense contractor Liron Yitzhak was mortally wounded in the Strip in May.

Trump to visit heavily Jewish NYC neighborhood of Williamsburg

(JNS) — Former U.S. president and 2024 Republican nominee for the White House Donald Trump is scheduled to visit the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg on Thursday, home to a large Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish community.

Yeshiva World News reported about the planned trip to the New York City borough earlier this week, citing NYPD sources.

Trump‘s visit will include a stop at Gottlieb’s kosher restaurant at Roebling Street and Division Avenue for some schmoozing and noshing. The Ashkenazi eatery is frequented by Jews who follow the Satmar Hasidic dynasty, the headquarters of which is located in Williamsburg.

According to Yeshiva World News, Secret Service agents were spotted at the restaurant recently making security preparations for the visit by the 45th president, who is running for a second term in Washington against his Democratic opponent, current Vice President Kamala Harris.

State Department: Israel faces ‘inordinate criticism’

(JNS) — A reporter suggested at Tuesday’s U.S. State Department press briefing that Washington is “putting your both hands on this conflict and not allowing somebody else to take any actions to pressure Israel.”

“You’ll not allow the U.N. Security Council to put any pressure.  Any other countries or international agency in the world who will criticize Israel with an action, you will go against,” the reporter said. “And so you are actually holding this conflict with two hands and not allowing others to act.”

Matthew Miller, the U.S. State Department spokesman, rejected the ostensible question.

“First of all, I think the evidence of the past 11 months would very much contradict the idea that we can prevent any country in the world from criticizing Israel, because there has been inordinate criticism of Israel,” Miller said.  “There have been resolutions passed at the United Nations.”

“Countries are free to take the steps that they want,” Miller said. “You have seen a number of them across the world do that.”

“I get to play devil’s advocate here—when those countries tell you that maybe you should do something by toning down your support for Israel, you say no, that’s not just—that’s just not going to happen, correct?” Matt Lee, the Associated Press diplomatic writer, said.

“We obviously have a different assessment of what’s productive and what’s not,” Miller said.

Vance appears at Jewish Leadership Coalition fundraiser in New York City

(JNS) — Republican vice-presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) attended two fundraisers in New York City on Tuesday, the latter led by Jewish supporters.

Jonathan Burkan, senior vice president at Morgan Stanley, Palantir adviser Jacob Helberg and investor Keith Rabois co-hosted a Trump Jewish Leadership Coalition lunchtime fundraiser.

Speaking at the event, Helberg invoked the spirit of “one of my favorite authors, George Orwell,” in a call to “redouble our efforts” to elect former President Donald Trump and Vance.

“In Orwell’s dystopia, the Party reigned through doublespeak which meant usurping words to uphold contradictory beliefs and construct a dystopian artificial reality,” Helberg said. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that doublespeak has become the organizing principle of the Democratic Party.”

Challenging the foreign policies of Vice President Kamala Harris, Helberg said that “her plan for a strong Israel is an Israel without weapons. Her plan for a safe Iran is an Iran with enriched uranium.”

Lapid discusses hostage deal with Obama in DC

(JNS) — Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid met with former U.S. president Barack Obama in Washington on Monday, with the two political leaders discussing advancing a deal to return the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

“I met with former President Barack Obama at his office in Washington,” the head of the Yesh Atid party tweeted on Tuesday morning. 

“I thanked him for his public support and his efforts to secure the return of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza. I told him that we all need to work together to ensure a deal that will bring the hostages home,” he wrote.

Lapid also visited the White House on Monday, meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to talk about the 101 hostages remaining in Gaza and a potential ceasefire agreement to secure their release after nearly a year of captivity.

He was also scheduled to meet on Monday with South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham during his D.C. diplomatic swing.

Thousands chant ‘bring them home’ at NYC concert

By JNS staff

(JNS) — Thousands of people who thronged New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday night for a concert by the popular Israeli singer Ishay Ribo broke into a spontaneous chant of “bring them home” on behalf of the hostages still being held in Gaza.

A crowd of 15,000 attended Ribo’s second performance at the iconic venue in as many years; he became the first Israeli musician to ever perform there last September during a similar pre-holiday tour.

Ninety-seven hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza nearly a year after they were abducted during the Oct. 7 massacre.

Ribo also hosted fellow Israeli artists Idan Raichel and Eviatar Banai for several songs at the concert, including traditional Jewish prayer hymns.

One of Israel’s most internationally successful singers. The 35-year-old father of five who immigrated to Israel from France when he was 8 years old. Ribo had a religious upbringing in Israel’s biblical heartland, studied in a yeshiva and sang in a rabbinical choir during the last six months of his military service. Popular among both secular and religious audiences, he has released four studio albums, two of which have been certified gold and one which went platinum.

No response from federal agency about suspended flights to Israel

(JNS) — The Federal Aviation Administration, a U.S. federal agency, hasn’t responded to questions from Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) about its guidance to U.S. airlines in the wake of widespread canceled flights to Israel, Jewish Insider reported.

Molinaro, a member of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, had given the FAA administrator until Sept. 6 to respond, per Jewish Insider.

The lawmaker told the publication that “with no answers and Jewish travelers left in limbo, there’s a growing perception that the FAA and DOT,” the U.S. Department of Transportation, “are getting involved in anti-Israel politics. They fear this is a boycott.”