If there were any doubt that Democrats are ecstatically lining up to echo the radical antisemitic rhetoric of hard-left zealots such as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib, and New Yorkers — even left-wing Jews — who are only too happy to support them, former New York City comptroller Brad Lander, a Jew who is running against incumbent Democrat congressman Dan Goldman, has made it abundantly clear.
Speaking at a mosque where the imam reportedly prayed for the “killing of infidels by [the] sword,” Lander not only vilified the state of Israel with the usual lies but also spoke of his hope for a “partnership” with Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib before concluding with a verse from the Quran praising Allah.
“I believe, as a proud Jewish New Yorker, that Israel&#8217;s genocide in Gaza is a desecration,” he began, resorting to the malicious lie about the Jewish state, before continuing, “is a violation of the understanding that everyone is created in God&#8217;s image — every one of those Palestinian kids in Gaza, just as divine as my beloved children.”
“And so, yes, in Congress, I will not vote for any more U.S. military aid to Israel, not the bombs that are destroying the hospitals and schools in Gaza, not the occupation in Lebanon, which is now, I believe, unfortunately, on its way potentially to being a genocide as well,” he blathered.
Then he turned to his hoped-for “partnership” with the most vehement anti-Israel members of Congress, declaring, “The kind of partnership I developed with Zohran. I hope to come to have with Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar and others in Congress to show we can build a city and a country and a world that everyone can afford and where everyone is welcome and where everyone&#8217;s humanity is respected.”
He later recited from the Quran in Arabic, “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate, say he is Allah, who is one, Allah, the eternal refuge, he neither begets nor is born, nor is there to him any equivalent.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
New York Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander recited a Quran verse at a Queens mosque, saying he hopes to partner with Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib in Congress. During the same event, the imam prayed for the Mahdi to kill infidels with his sword. <a href="https://t.co/ZoQ094kC5o">pic.twitter.com/ZoQ094kC5o</a>
&mdash; Open Source Intel (@Osint613) <a href="https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/2057357547992940627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
An Emerson poll showed Lander with an enormous 34-point lead over Goldman.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NYC CONGRESSIONAL POLLS with <a href="https://twitter.com/PIX11News?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PIX11News</a> 
NY12 Micah Lasher 22% Alex Bores 20% Jack Schlossberg 11% George Conway 10% 32% undecided
NY10 Brad Lander 57% Dan Goldman 23% 20% undecided
NY07 Claire Valdez 23% Antonio Reynoso 21% Julie Won 13% 43% undecided<a href="https://t.co/lxQTS6fT5K">https://t.co/lxQTS6fT5K</a> <a href="https://t.co/yYePKTb0Am">pic.twitter.com/yYePKTb0Am</a>
&mdash; Emerson College Polling (@EmersonPolling) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmersonPolling/status/2057402320074277042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Congressional Candidate Brad Lander Joins Court Watching Shift As US Judge Stops ICE Arrests In Immigration Court

Ultimate Betrayal: NY Jewish Dem Grovels To Anti-Israel Radicals To Buy An Election

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Brad Lander

Congress

Israel

New York City

Rashida Tlaib

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is gearing up for yet another political battle as the Israeli Knesset weighs dissolving early ahead of elections expected this fall. For many Israelis, the coming vote will be another referendum on Netanyahu himself. 
After years of political chaos, repeated elections, war, and deep internal divisions, the campaign is shaping up less as a debate over policy and more as a simple question facing the country yet again: whether Israelis want the Bibi era to continue.
Netanyahu is facing political pressure from multiple directions ahead of the upcoming election. His coalition is fracturing over the controversial issue of military exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Israelis, public anger over the failures surrounding the October 7 attacks continues, and opposition parties are attempting to unite.
Netanyahu is no stranger to political survival. Even before the October 7 attacks, Israel had already gone through four elections in just a few years as coalition governments repeatedly fell apart. Netanyahu himself served as prime minister from 1996 to 1999 and then again from 2009 to 2021, becoming the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history.
His current government is now approaching the end of his four half term in office, which is the maximum allowed under Israeli law and a rare achievement in Israel’s notoriously unstable parliamentary system. Elections must legally be held by October 27 at the latest. 
While the Israel Netanyahu governs today is different from the country that existed before October 7, focus is shifting back to deep domestic divisions.
Just prior to the Hamas attacks, Israel was consumed by internal division over Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms, with massive protests rocking the country and raising fears of a constitutional crisis. 
Then came October 7, the deadliest terrorist attack in Israeli history, followed by war in Gaza and escalating regional conflict involving Iran and its proxies. In the aftermath, a wartime coalition government was formed, temporarily muting some political tensions while all focus was on ensuring the Jewish state’s defense and survival. 
Now, even as negotiations with Iran continue to stall and fears of a broader regional war remain, Israeli domestic tensions are once again exploding ahead of a possible election.
At the center of the immediate political crisis is one of the most sensitive issues in Israeli society: military service exemptions for the Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, community. 
Netanyahu’s coalition included and depended on Haredi political parties that oppose drafting young men studying in religious seminaries, or yeshivas, into the Israel Defense Forces. Many ultra-Orthodox leaders fear military service could pull students away from religious studies, expose them to secular and forbidden lifestyles, or place them under non-religious authority structures. 
But after nearly three years of war, support has grown significantly among the broader Israeli public for requiring Haredi Israelis to serve alongside their peers. Many Israelis argue the military needs additional manpower to alleviate reservists who have carried an unsustainable burden through repeated deployments since October 7. Others say it is unfair that Haredi communities receive significant economic assistance without their young people serving in the military.
That is not to say that no Haredi Israelis serve in the military. While still a minority, some ultra-Orthodox men do enlist, including in the IDF’s all-ultra-Orthodox Hasmonean Brigade. The brigade, founded after October 7 in response to the needed manpower and the sense of duty that some Haredi men felt to protect their nation, operates as an all-male unit with religious accommodations for its soldiers. 
According to <a href="https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bj8by8ec11e?utm_source=chatgpt.com">Ynet</a>, the brigade has recently carried out raids targeting weapons and terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon, while its first class of soldiers also recently completed officer training courses.
If the Knesset dissolves this week, the timing itself would only move elections up by a matter of weeks, but it would create one significant complication. Israel will enter what is known as a caretaker government, in which the outgoing government continues governing with limited powers until a new coalition is formed after elections in order to avoid a vacuum in leadership. 
During that period, key appointments cannot easily be confirmed, which has become a major issue because Israel has still not finalized confirmation of a new Mossad director, a priority Netanyahu reportedly wants completed.
At the same time, caretaker governments can be advantageous to sitting prime ministers by giving them greater operational flexibility with an inactive Knesset. Dissolving the government early could also help ensure elections take place several weeks before the third anniversary of October 7, when public anger and emotions surrounding the attacks could intensify even further. 
The opposition is already preparing to make the next election a referendum on accountability for October 7.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has pledged that if he forms the next government, the very first cabinet meeting would establish a formal commission of inquiry into the failures that led to the October 7 massacre. Several opposition figures argue Israel must fully investigate what went wrong militarily, politically, and institutionally. 
Bennett is attempting to rebuild a coalition spanning the Israeli political spectrum. Politically, he is trying to convince centrist and left-leaning voters that he can pull support away from Netanyahu while also reassuring conservatives who abandoned him after he previously partnered with left-wing and Muslim Brotherhood-aligned Arab parties in 2021 to remove Netanyahu from power. 
Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot is also emerging as a major political figure. Viewed as a centrist with strong national security credentials, Eisenkot has become increasingly attractive to voters seeking military credibility without Netanyahu’s polarizing political baggage. His recently-founded Yashar political party has already caught the eye of many Israelis.
<a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-896302">Polling shows</a> the opposition could become significantly stronger if alliances form. According to a recent Maariv poll, 55% of Israelis surveyed said Netanyahu should retire from political life, while only 38% said he should continue running. The same poll found that if Eisenkot joined Bennett and left-wing opposition leader Yair Lapid on a joint list, the alliance could potentially win 49 seats in the Knesset. A minimum of 61 seats is needed to form a governing coalition.
It’s important to note that Israeli polling remains notoriously unreliable at this stage because the final political alignments remain unclear. A political insider compared the current numbers to early American presidential straw polls conducted before candidates officially announce their campaigns. 
Another insider added that the upcoming election will likely be another referendum on “Bibi,” with many voters sorting themselves into camps that are pro-Netanyahu, anti-Netanyahu, or anti-anti-Netanyahu — meaning voters who may not personally support Netanyahu but are exhausted by what they see as relentless political opposition to him. 
One insider described it as a type of political infection similar to Trump derangement syndrome.
“They will do anything to get rid of Bibi, even allying with those they have far deeper ideological disagreements with politically.”
Some of Netanyahu’s supporters see him as advantageous both because he is feared by his country’s enemies and because of his close relationship to President Donald Trump.
While some Americans believe removing Netanyahu from power could significantly alter Israel’s wartime posture, many analysts believe an opposition government would prosecute the wars in Gaza and against Iran-backed forces in largely similar ways. 
The bigger question may be whether a government without Netanyahu may be more open to international pressure for a Palestinian state in Gaza and parts of the West Bank, also known as Judea and Samaria. Especially if expanding the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia required concessions on Palestinian statehood. Some Israelis also believe that a different leader could repair their country&#8217;s relations with leaders in Europe and Democrats in the United States.
Netanyahu’s age and health may also become factors in the campaign. The 76-year-old prime minister has dealt with heart-related health issues in and recently underwent treatment for prostate cancer. 
For now, it appears Netanyahu intends to run again. It’s never been his nature to back down from a fight, especially one that could protect his legacy. But after years of political dominance, coalition maneuvering, and survival, the next Israeli election may become the clearest test yet of whether the country is ready to move beyond the Netanyahu era.

Netanyahu

They’ve Tried To Take Down Bibi Before. Here We Go Again.

Benjamin Netanyahu

Knesset

On Monday, Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk praised Israel for its incredible record of innovation.
Musk was asked at the 9th Annual Samson International Smart Mobility Summit, “Do you have a message to the Israeli innovators in the crowd?”
“I’m a huge admirer of the innovation coming out of Israel; honestly, I think objectively true that Israel punches far above its weight for a population,” Musk answered. “I think probably number one in the world. My hat is off to Israel for just how much incredible innovation — I say innovation per capita, Israel must be number one by far in the world.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> speaking live: “I’m a huge admirer of the innovation coming out of Israel, it is objectively true that Israel punches high above its weight — I think honestly number one in the world… innovation per capita, Israel is by far number one in the world.” <a href="https://t.co/PdICcVepsP">pic.twitter.com/PdICcVepsP</a>
&mdash; Michael Granoff (@mikejgr) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikejgr/status/2056275785443319917?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Indeed, the list of inventions and techniques Israel has created borders on staggering, considering the tiny size of the country.
Israel has pioneered numerous groundbreaking medical technologies, devices, and pharmaceuticals. In oncology, adoptive immunotherapy — using genetically modified T-cells equipped with chimeric antigen receptors — has achieved remarkable remission rates in blood cancer clinical trials.
In diagnostics, the NaNose breathalyzer can detect 17 different diseases, while Applied Spectral Imaging revolutionized cytogenetics using color-coded chromosome sorting. Israel is also famous for the PillCam, a swallowable capsule endoscopy camera that captures thousands of non-invasive images of the digestive tract.
In cardiology and emergency medicine, Israeli innovations include flexible cardiac stents (Medinol and InStent), the combat-proven Emergency Bandage featuring a built-in pressure bar to halt hemorrhaging, and the Bone Injection Gun for intraosseous fluid delivery. In patient care and rehabilitation, the ReWalk robotic exoskeleton enables paraplegics to stand and walk, while EarlySense offers contactless under-the-mattress patient monitoring. Notable pharmaceutical developments include Copaxone, a widely prescribed immunomodulator for multiple sclerosis, and Pluristem Therapeutics&#8217; placenta-based anti-radiation therapy.
Israeli scientists have significantly advanced the fields of chemistry, computer science, and mathematics, yielding multiple Nobel Prizes. Key breakthroughs include the mapping of ribosome structures by Ada Yonath, the discovery of the ubiquitin protein pathway for protein degradation by Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover, and the discovery of quasicrystals by Dan Shechtman.
In computer science, Israeli researchers co-developed the LZ77 and LZ78 data compression algorithms, which serve as the foundation for modern ZIP, GIF, and PNG formats. The country has also heavily influenced the development of temporal logic, automata theory, and zero-knowledge proof systems. In economics, the collaborative work of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky established prospect theory and the foundational tenets of behavioral economics.
Driven by necessity, Israel has developed a multi-layered missile defense architecture, most notably the Iron Dome for short-range rockets, alongside David&#8217;s Sling and the Arrow systems for ballistic missiles. In armored defense, the Trophy Active Protection System destroys incoming anti-tank missiles before impact.
Small arms include the iconic Uzi submachine gun, the Galil, and the Tavor rifle, alongside tactical innovations like CornerShot, which allows soldiers to shoot around corners via a hinged camera system. Israel was also a pioneer in modern drone warfare, engineering early real-time surveillance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and advanced loitering munitions. The military also birthed Krav Maga, an internationally adopted, hand-to-hand tactical self-defense system.
In computing and cybersecurity, Israel created the USB flash drive (DiskOnKey) and Check Point&#8217;s Stateful Inspection Firewall, which laid the blueprint for modern network security. Key Intel processor designs (8088 and Centrino) were developed in Israel, alongside Waze (crowdsourced navigation), ICQ (the first global instant messaging service), and Mobileye (vision-based driver assistance).
In agriculture and water, Israel revolutionized farming in arid zones through modern drip irrigation (Netafim), large-scale seawater reverse osmosis desalination, and wastewater recycling, reclaiming nearly 90% of its wastewater. Israeli scientists also genetically optimized commercial cherry tomatoes for long shelf-lives.
Food products like Bamba, a peanut snack credited with reducing pediatric peanut allergies, and Ptitim (Israeli couscous) are globally recognized. Finally, Israel pioneered energy sustainability by mandating highly efficient rooftop solar water heaters (Dud Shemesh).

Billionaire Elon Musk at the Samson International Smart Mobility Summit

Elon Musk Reveals What Makes Israel Different From The Rest Of The World

'Huge Admirer ... My Hat Is Off To Israel': Musk Hails Israel's Incredible History Of Innovation

Elon Musk

Innovation

Democratic New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani was slammed after his public statement championing &#8220;Nakba Day,&#8221; drawing sharp criticism from historians and policy analysts who accused the lawmaker of presenting a highly selective and revisionist version of the 1948 war.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today marks Nakba Day, an annual day of remembrance to commemorate the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians between 1947 and 1949 during the creation of the State of Israel and the year that followed.
Inea is a New Yorker and a Nakba survivor. She shared her story with us… <a href="https://t.co/z2PBOaJq5Z">pic.twitter.com/z2PBOaJq5Z</a>
&mdash; Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/2055402930677879076?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Happy Nakba Day to you and yours! I celebrate the failed attempt to Holocaust the middle eastern Jews. Are you with me?
&mdash; Katya Sedgwick (@KatyaSedgwick) <a href="https://twitter.com/KatyaSedgwick/status/2055444092029669724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The “Nakba” is the biggest load of cry-bully bullshit
In 1948 the Arabs waged a war of extermination against Jews
If they had won, all those performing pain today would be posting about a day of joy and celebration
But they lost &#8211; and now they cry crocodile tears to the world…
&mdash; leekern (@leekern13) <a href="https://twitter.com/leekern13/status/2055536883673768258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Shame on your <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYCMayor</a>. This is political propaganda masquerading as compassion.
Mamdani erases the fact that the Arab world rejected the UN&#39;s partition plan which would have created a Palestinian state and instead launched a war to destroy the newborn Jewish state in 1948.
He…
&mdash; Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) <a href="https://twitter.com/AvivaKlompas/status/2055404635385712963?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The “Nakba” was when an Arab paramilitary group led by a former colonel in the Nazi Wehrmacht &#8211; with an official emblem featuring a sword stabbing a Jewish Star of David &#8211; failed to carry out a second Holocaust against Jews three years after the Nazi Holocaust <a href="https://t.co/1NPY9KT8fZ">pic.twitter.com/1NPY9KT8fZ</a>
&mdash; Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼 (@DrewPavlou) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewPavlou/status/2055443530232041866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The Mayor of NY City is commemorating the Nakba, when Arab countries lost a war they started with Israel, and the Palestinians rejected every deal for a Two State Solution for the last 78 years.
That&#39;s only the real &quot;catastrophe&quot; here. <a href="https://t.co/aCTh3O6m4d">pic.twitter.com/aCTh3O6m4d</a>
&mdash; Joel M. Petlin (@Joelmpetlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/Joelmpetlin/status/2055422372065276355?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Nakba &#8211; the Arab failure to destroy Israel and drive the Jews into the sea. 
Since you like telling stories, explain to the people why the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem worked so closely with Hitler and the Nazis. <a href="https://t.co/XVAo6SBq6o">pic.twitter.com/XVAo6SBq6o</a>
&mdash; Dumisani Washington (@DumisaniTemsgen) <a href="https://twitter.com/DumisaniTemsgen/status/2055498887217942533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Mamdani’s public commemoration of the Nakba — the Arabic term for &#8220;The Catastrophe&#8221; — focuses heavily on the displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians during the founding of the State of Israel. By framing the event as a unilateral act of Zionist aggression, Mamdani completely erases the fact that Arab leadership initiated the hostilities, while simultaneously ignoring the systematic expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Jews from Arab lands during the same era.
Mainstream historians point out that the standard Nakba narrative promoted by figures like Mamdani portrays Palestinians as passive victims of an unprovoked disaster. This framing ignores the foundational geopolitical reality of 1948: the United Nations’ 1947 Partition Plan, which proposed a two-state compromise, was accepted by Jewish leadership but flatly rejected by the Arab Higher Committee and neighboring Arab states.
Following Israel’s declaration of independence on May 14, 1948, a coalition of five sovereign Arab armies — Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq — immediately invaded the newborn state. Rather than a localized skirmish, the invasion carried explicit, genocidal intent; Arab League Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Hassan Azzam notoriously declared at the time, &#8220;This will be a war of extermination and momentous massacre.&#8221;
Records from the era also indicate that a large portion of the Palestinian refugee crisis was exacerbated by Arab leadership itself. Documents show that invading Arab forces explicitly encouraged local Arab populations to temporarily vacate their homes to clear the way for incoming military forces, promising a swift victory that never materialized.
Perhaps the most glaring omission in Mamdani’s selective history, according to critics, is the total silence regarding the mirror-image displacement of Middle Eastern Jews.
Following their military failure to destroy Israel in 1948, Arab regimes across the region unleashed state-sanctioned campaigns of antisemitic violence, asset seizures, and forced expulsions. Approximately 850,000 Jews — who were peaceful citizens completely uninvolved in the Palestine conflict — were forced to flee ancestral homes in nations like Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, frequently escaping with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Analysts highlight a stark double standard in how both refugee crises were handled. While Israel successfully absorbed and integrated the 850,000 Jewish refugees from Arab lands, neighboring Arab states systematically refused to integrate Palestinian refugees, choosing instead to confine them to generational camps to use as political leverage against Israel. Furthermore, the narrative omits Arab-on-Arab opportunism, such as Jordan’s subsequent annexation of the West Bank and Egypt&#8217;s harsh military rule over the Gaza Strip.
Political commentators argue that Mamdani’s championship of the Nakba narrative goes beyond standard historical remembrance. Critics maintain that by defining the very birth of a sovereign Jewish state as an inherent &#8220;catastrophe,&#8221; the narrative is actively instrumentalized to delegitimize Israel&#8217;s right to exist.
By pushing a one-sided historical grievances framework, Mamdani and his ilk are trying to achieve what Arab armies failed to do militarily in 1948: the ultimate dismantlement of Israel as a Jewish state.
And of course, Mamdani has been silent about issues like this:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is an ALL GIRLS Jewish school in my district. I’m all for prayer and free speech, but why do a bunch of GROWN MEN need to do this right outside of a school full of little Jewish girls??? Is not this what MOSQUES are for? Is this intentional? Mayor Mamdani <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYCMayor</a> any words… <a href="https://t.co/iFRPnGVblQ">pic.twitter.com/iFRPnGVblQ</a>
&mdash; Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (@InnaVernikov) <a href="https://twitter.com/InnaVernikov/status/2055383482210066701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

NYC Mayor Mamdani Makes A Housing-Related Announcement

‘Cry-Bully Bulls***’: Mamdani Trashed After Shilling For ‘Nakba Day’

Palestinian

War of Independence

Zohran Mamdani

For decades, New York City mayors — from John Lindsay to Eric Adams — understood that standing with the Jewish community wasn’t just a political tradition; it was a moral imperative. They marched up Fifth Avenue in the Celebrate Israel Parade, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvVtu7iSfT4">built sukkahs</a> for visiting Israeli prime ministers, and declared themselves &#8220;brothers&#8221; to a community that forms the very backbone of the Big Apple.
But in 2026, that tradition has been unceremoniously torched by leftist Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani’s refusal to attend the Israel Day on Fifth parade is more than just a scheduling conflict; it is a calculated, partisan boycott. As Assemblyman Michael Novakhov (R-Brooklyn) rightly noted, this is a &#8220;disgraceful insult&#8221; to Jewish New Yorkers.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Zohran Mamdani has officially confirmed that he will boycott New York City’s Israel Day Parade — becoming the face of a Democratic Party now controlled by radical anti-Israel extremists.
After weeks of antisemitic chaos outside synagogues across our city, this should surprise… <a href="https://t.co/rhKZzxZPU0">pic.twitter.com/rhKZzxZPU0</a>
&mdash; Michael Novakhov (@MichaelforNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelforNY/status/2054593999097225375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
For a mayor to snub an event that brings 50,000 marchers to the streets — an event every mayor since Robert Wagner in 1964 has honored — is nothing short of a radical break from the city’s identity.
While Mamdani claims he won’t attend a parade for a state with a &#8220;system of hierarchy on the basis of religion,&#8221; his calendar tells a different story. This is the same man who proudly marched in the Pakistan Independence Day parade. Apparently, a state that enforces brutal blasphemy laws and enshrines a specific religion in its governance is perfectly fine for a photo-op, but the world’s only Jewish state is a bridge too far.
On Thursday, while the Jewish community reels from Mamdani&#8217;s snub, City Hall is celebrating &#8220;Muslim Day.&#8221; The contrast is staggering. While Mamdani and New York City&#8217;s government find the energy to host press conferences for his preferred constituencies, he exhibits a pathetic lassitude toward the antisemitic rot festering in his own streets.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Yet another one of these events planned at City Hall this week.
Particularly tone deaf after the violence we’ve seen directed at synagogues and Jewish neighborhoods over the past few days, but they REALLY want to make sure we understand who’s in charge now. <a href="https://t.co/q5vlXpkpii">pic.twitter.com/q5vlXpkpii</a>
&mdash; Hon. Vickie Paladino (@VickieforNYC) <a href="https://twitter.com/VickieforNYC/status/2054600253521776893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In neighborhoods like Midwood, the &#8220;mob&#8221; that Novakhov warned about is <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2054153512422944809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2054153512422944809%7Ctwgr%5Ea93ea06288579be4d5f10e6ec74cc83c12314519%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.dailywire.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1095129action%3Dedit">already here</a>. In the streets, &#8220;anti-Zionist&#8221; thugs have waved Hezbollah flags, shouting &#8220;Globalize the Intifada&#8221; and screaming &#8220;Remember Khaybar&#8221; — a chilling reference to the 7th-century slaughter and subjugation of Jews. Women have been dragged by their hair and residents harassed in their own doorways by masked agitators shouting &#8220;baby killer.&#8221;
And where is the mayor? He is busy evading questions about his double standards and hiding behind bureaucratic platitudes about &#8220;equal rights.&#8221; His administration’s response to these intimidation tactics has been one of profound indifference.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It’s almost 48 hours since <a href="https://twitter.com/WOLPalestine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WOLPalestine</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/PAL_Awda?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PAL_Awda</a> terrorized the Jewish community in Brooklyn. 
Yet, not a word from the Boy <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYCMayor</a> on X condemning the conduct of groups associated with <a href="https://twitter.com/NerdeenKiswani?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NerdeenKiswani</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/lsarsour?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@lsarsour</a> doing so.
But tomorrow it’s Muslim Day at City Hall. <a href="https://t.co/6xc2Q9TYnv">https://t.co/6xc2Q9TYnv</a> <a href="https://t.co/XaEcRxGEOA">pic.twitter.com/XaEcRxGEOA</a>
&mdash; SCOOCH.NYC (@david_sivella) <a href="https://twitter.com/david_sivella/status/2054634662371246104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
While the City Council recently <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/mamdani-vetoes-school-buffer-zone-bill-leading-jewish-groups-pan-profound-failure/">passed legislation</a> to protect houses of worship from these vitriolic sieges, the police are still waiting for the green light to actually enforce it.
Mamdani’s boycott isn&#8217;t a principled stand for human rights; it is a signal to the most radical elements of his base that the Jewish community is fair game. By refusing to stand with Israel, he has chosen to stand with the Jew-hating mob that feels increasingly emboldened under his watch.

NJ/NY Gotham FC v Boston Legacy FC

Mamdani’s Latest Slap In The Face To Jewish Voters

Anti-Semitism

Pakistan

Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman rebuked his party&#8217;s hypocrisy over foreign policy on Wednesday, saying Democrats have become the party of &#8220;Trump Derangement Syndrome.&#8221;
In a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMiKkhrGmWI">podcast interview with libertarian journalist Nick Gillespie</a>, Fetterman defended the Trump administration&#8217;s military campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Asked whether he trusts war assessments from President Donald Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, the swing-state Democrat did not budge.
&#8220;100%, I trust the Trump administration, and Trump a hell of a lot more than I would ever trust the Iranians or the Chinese or the Russians,&#8221; Fetterman said, adding, &#8220;We are all Americans. That&#8217;s what we&#8217;re forgetting. You know, the Democratic Party can&#8217;t become the TDS party. &#8230; And clearly that&#8217;s where we are right now.&#8221;  
&#8220;That does not mean you agree on every tactic that&#8217;s happened,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I don&#8217;t appreciate the gamification of the Iranian war.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
💥NEW: John Fetterman🇺🇸
“100% I trust the Trump administration and Trump a h*ll of a lot more than I would ever trust the Iranians, Chinese or Russians … We are all Americans.”
“The Democratic Party can’t become the TDS Party … And clearly that’s where we are right now.” <a href="https://t.co/7KvqfqoLCZ">pic.twitter.com/7KvqfqoLCZ</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/2054627896061239625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
Fetterman also called out Democrats&#8217; foreign policy double standards.
&#8220;We have a nuclear power at the cusp, and it&#8217;s entirely appropriate to hold them accountable for what they&#8217;ve done,&#8221; Fetterman said. &#8220;And clearly a lot of people in the world care and had strong opinions on Gaza, well then, why don&#8217;t you have the same kinds of views and condemn Iran too?&#8221;
Iran reportedly killed tens of thousands of its own citizens during a brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests aimed at overthrowing the government.
&#8220;The same people that were outraged about the war in Gaza. They gave no f*cks about Iran executing 30,000, 40,000 of its young people. Zero college campuses,&#8221; Fetterman said. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
💥NEW: John Fetterman: “The same people that were outraged about the war in Gaza, they gave no f*cks about Iran executing 30,000-40,000 of its young people.” <a href="https://t.co/JixRgkxldl">pic.twitter.com/JixRgkxldl</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/2054631551409803487?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
Fetterman has emerged as one of the most vocal pro-Israel voices in the Democratic Party since Hamas&#8217; October 7 massacre. 
“What would drive people to care that much about Gaza and then not care about Iranian protesters being killed?” Gillespie asked Fetterman. 
“It’s because the rifles weren’t in Jewish hands,&#8221; Fetterman replied, calling out the &#8220;antisemitism&#8221; and &#8220;indoctrination&#8221; that has spread on American college campuses. &#8220;So, without a doubt, without a doubt, my party&#8217;s become intensely anti-Israel. And it&#8217;s strange to me the most progressive part of the American conversation, we won&#8217;t stand, and we will betray the one single nation in the region that has the kinds of values and lives the way it has.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
💥NEW: Nick Gillespie: “What would drive people to care that much about Gaza and then not care about Iranian protesters being killed?”
John Fetterman: “It’s because the rifles weren’t in Jewish hands.” <a href="https://t.co/xzzLPSU646">pic.twitter.com/xzzLPSU646</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/2054635909480403229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2026</a></blockquote>

Senate Takes Up Funding Bill After House Passage

Fetterman Torches Democrats As Party Of ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’

Democrats

Donald Trump

Iran

John Fetterman

Trump Administration

A <a href="https://cc4e0711-9401-400e-ae14-65ae0400675b.filesusr.com/ugd/aab121_882e9391df384e169d29f16c0faefeac.pdf">landmark report</a> by the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes, released in May 2026, has concluded that Hamas and its collaborators used sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) as a “calculated,” “systematic,” and “integral” strategy during the terror attacks on southern Israel and against hostages in Gaza.
Based on over 1,800 hours of analysis and more than 10,000 photographs and videos, the report identifies &#8220;clear and convincing evidence&#8221; of patterned sexual torture intended to maximize pain and humiliate the Israeli nation.
A central finding of the report is the strategic and &#8220;weaponized&#8221; use of filming. Hamas terrorists did not merely commit atrocities; they documented them in real-time to &#8220;glorify and amplify&#8221; the suffering. The report identifies the &#8220;filming and digital dissemination of SGBV&#8221; as one of thirteen recurring patterns of abuse.
Perpetrators used GoPros, body-worn cameras, and the victims&#8217; own personal devices to livestream or record rapes, mutilations, and abductions. This content was often sent directly to the families of the victims or posted on community social media channels to maximize psychological terror. The report notes that these visuals turned &#8220;visibility itself into a weapon,&#8221; ensuring that the trauma extended far beyond the immediate physical act.
Even months after the initial attack, the report concludes that Hamas continued &#8220;digital abuse&#8221; by releasing staged footage of hostages in captivity. These videos, showing captives being taunted or tormented, were used to exert ongoing harm on the survivors&#8217; families and the Israeli public. By presenting women’s bodies as “trophies of war,” the perpetrators used digital media to cement a collective trauma that the report says is intended to be remembered for generations.
The report, led by human rights expert Cochav Elkayam-Levy, draws from firsthand testimonies of more than 10 survivors and hundreds of interviews with first responders, forensic experts, and medical staff. It outlines a gruesome catalog of 13 specific patterns of SGBV, including:
<ul data-path-to-node="7">
<li>
Sexual Torture: This includes the intentional burning of genital areas and the forced insertion of objects into genitalia.
</li>
<li>
Kinocidal Acts: The report coined this term to describe &#8220;kinocidal sexual acts&#8221; — crimes intended to destroy the family unit. This includes forcing family members to perform sexual acts on one another or raping victims in front of their loved ones.
</li>
<li>
Mutilation and Postmortem Abuse: Forensic evidence and photographs showed dozens of victims shot or burned specifically in their intimate areas, often after they were already dead, as a final act of desecration.
</li>
<li>
Targeted Commands: Evidence recovered from the bodies of militants included Arabic-to-Hebrew phrasebooks with commands such as &#8220;take off your pants&#8221; and &#8220;spread your legs,&#8221; indicating that sexual assault was a planned component of the mission.
</li>
</ul>
One of the most harrowing sections of the report details three separate incidents of gang rape at the Nova Music Festival. Witnesses described victims being &#8220;passed around&#8221; and screaming in ways described as &#8220;unheard of.&#8221; In many instances, the sexual violence was followed by immediate execution; witnesses recounted seeing women raped by multiple men before being shot in the head or mutilated.
The abuse continued in Gaza. The report includes previously unknown allegations involving two minors who were forced by their captors to perform sexual acts on each other while in captivity. Former hostages, such as Amit Soussana and Romi Gonen, have provided testimonies that corroborate the report’s findings of ongoing sexualized, cruel, and inhuman treatment in the tunnels of Gaza.
The report acknowledges the difficulties in gathering evidence, noting that the immediate aftermath was a chaotic active combat zone where standard forensic protocols were not always followed. This lack of initial forensic data was later &#8220;weaponized&#8221; by critics and deniers to discredit the survivors. Elkayam-Levy emphasized that the Civil Commission’s goal is to ensure this evidence — now carefully cross-referenced and geolocated — cannot be &#8220;denied, erased, or forgotten.&#8221;
The findings have been <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/12/middleeast/report-sexual-violence-hamas-oct-7-attacks-intl">endorsed</a> by various international figures and align with previous conclusions by UN Special Representative Pramila Patten, who found “reasonable grounds” to believe sexual violence occurred.
The Civil Commission concludes that these acts constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocidal acts. By documenting these atrocities in a digital archive, the researchers aim to provide a rigorous evidentiary record for future legal proceedings at the International Criminal Court and other bodies, ensuring that the victims are finally heard.

Memorial composed of photos of young Israelis killed during the terrorist attack on the NOVA Festival which took place on October 7, 2023 a few kilometers from Gaza

Weaponized Atrocities: The Landmark Report On Hamas’s Systematic Sexual Violence And Digital Terror

Atrocity

Hamas

Rape

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a &#8220;60 Minutes&#8221; interview that he wanted to see U.S. military aid to Israel reduced to $0 within ten years.
Netanyahu spoke with CBS News&#8217;s Major Garrett in an interview that aired on Sunday, and he said that his goal was to see an Israel no longer dependent on aid from the United States.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells 60 Minutes he wants Israel to eventually stop relying on U.S. military aid: “It&#8217;s time that we weaned ourselves from the remaining military support.” <a href="https://t.co/mEN4CWeXMW">https://t.co/mEN4CWeXMW</a> <a href="https://t.co/LIwJKrfMOQ">pic.twitter.com/LIwJKrfMOQ</a>
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) <a href="https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/2053549148998099293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Do you believe it&#8217;s time for the state of Israel to reexamine and possibly reset its financial relationship with the United States — meaning what the United States provides to Israel on an annual basis?&#8221; Garrett asked.
Netanyahu&#8217;s reply was unequivocal: &#8220;Absolutely. And I&#8217;ve said this to President Trump, I&#8217;ve said it to our own people. Their jaws dropped, but I said, &#8216;Look.'&#8221;
Garrett prompted Netanyahu to elaborate, asking, &#8220;What do you mean?&#8221;
&#8220;I want to draw down to $0 the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have, because we receive $3.8 billion a year, and I think that it&#8217;s time that we weaned ourselves from the remaining military support,&#8221; Netanyahu said.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-israel-does-not-want-americas-military-aid-money-anymore">Why Israel Does Not Want America’s Military Aid Money Anymore</a>
Garrett asked whether the Israeli Prime Minister was able to give him &#8220;a timetable&#8221; or an estimate as to when he thought that could be accomplished.
&#8220;I said let&#8217;s start now and do it over the next decade, over the next ten years, but I want to start now,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want to wait for the next congress, I wasn&#8217;t to start now, and it could go down very fast.&#8221;
Netanyahu also weighed in on the state of the ongoing war in Iran, saying that he believed much of what the United States and Israel set out to accomplish had come to pass, but that it wasn&#8217;t over yet.
&#8220;I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells 60 Minutes about the war in Iran. Netanyahu says highly enriched uranium must be removed from Iran and believes “it can be done physically.” <a href="https://t.co/N5XbvzpYa0">pic.twitter.com/N5XbvzpYa0</a>
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) <a href="https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/2053482816134955065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Donald Trump & Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu Says He Wants To Completely Change US-Israel Relationship

Military

military aid

The revelations of improper conduct involving the International Criminal Court (ICC) continue to grow, with the Wall Street Journal recently breaking a story suggesting that Qatar promised to assist chief prosecutor Karim Khan if he brought charges against Israeli officials. Khan made a sudden rush to issue the indictments just as sexual assault accusations against him were coming to light. Qatar’s role makes the affair about more than one man’s alleged crimes – it is about the dangerousness and lack of accountability of the ICC as an institution.
Qatar is not an ICC member state. But it does host and sponsor Hamas, making its involvement with a prosecutor investigating the Gaza war deeply problematic. This may explain a strange aspect of the ICC’s arrest warrants. In addition to Israeli leaders, the ICC indicted Yahya Sinwar and two other top Hamas leaders in Gaza. It was gross moral equivalence equating Israeli leaders defending their people after the October 7 massacre with the masterminds of that crime.
The Court presented these parallel indictments as proof of its evenhandedness. Yet from the beginning, there was an obvious asymmetry: the Court indicted Israel’s top civilian leader, but ignored Khaled Mashaal and the rest of Hamas’s political leadership. When Israel mooted the warrants on Sinwar and Mohammed Deif by killing them during the Gaza war, Khan did not seek to restore balance by bringing new indictments against Hamas’s top leaders, who happen to be based in Qatar.
As the accusations against Khan began to mount, he argued it was a plot to weaken the Court, hinting at <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/icc-netanyahu-prosecutor-sexual-assault-israel-gaza-d9bedee3">Mossad involvement</a>. That appears to be, like so many charges against Israel, an exercise in projection. Qatar hired investigators in a failed attempt to discredit the employee who made the sexual assault allegations. Khan appears to have been right that there was a foreign intelligence operation surrounding these allegations, just not against him.
Khan specifically tied his warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the charges against him, urging his alleged victim to remain silent because it would undermine pending “Palestinian arrest warrants.” This, along with the emerging role of Qatar, makes it impossible to separate the scandal around Khan from the Court’s Gaza war indictments. Yet the Court has been silent about the Qatar revelations, a marked contrast to its public condemnation of a Trump administration executive order imposing sanctions on ICC officials as interference with its “independent and impartial work.”
The only action that the ICC has taken so far is disciplinary proceedings against Khan himself. The most that can happen is that he loses his job. His accuser never turned to the Dutch police because she said his official immunity would protect him. However, under the ICC’s rules, the judges could waive that immunity if they wished. The Court’s refusal to allow a criminal investigation of Khan, even as the scope of the scandal expands, demonstrates the institution&#8217;s political nature.
At the same time, the Court seems fully intent on proceeding with the Netanyahu prosecution. Such serious prosecutorial misconduct could, at least in the United States, lead to the dismissal of even factually substantiated criminal charges. Here, the evidence does not even show that the alleged crime (purposeful starvation of civilians) even occurred, let alone was committed by the accused. As the dust settles in Gaza, the lack of mass starvation becomes ever more evident.
An American prosecutor would be loath to try a case with such manifest prosecutorial misconduct (notably, senior court officials knew about the allegations against Khan at the time the indictments were made but kept it quiet for six months, when it leaked to the press). But Netanyahu is not facing a jury of his peers, but rather a panel of international judges who likely share the Court’s institutional culture.
Qatar’s involvement shows the ICC to be even more dangerous than its critics thought. The rap against the tribunal has long been that it acts like a global independent counsel – an unaccountable prosecutor with no democratic restraints. But even worse, it now appears that hostile states can coopt it as a political weapon in an ongoing conflict.
This illustrates the need for the Trump administration to take decisive action against the organization. The sanctions the Treasury Department has imposed on individual court officers have inconvenienced them but appear to have done little to fundamentally weaken the organization or change its trajectory. A body politically motivated enough to maintain the Israel warrants in the wake of the growing Khan fiasco will certainly retaliate against Trump and his top officials once they are out of office.
The administration should impose institution-wide sanctions on the tribunal and vigorously enforce them. The ICC recently got some good news as Peter Magyar, Hungary’s prime minister-elect, vowed to rejoin after it had become the first EU country to quit. Magyar prioritized the issue because he is seeking EU funding, and Brussels ties its financial support to adhering to its foreign policy. America must adopt the same tough approach, insisting that countries receiving benefits quit the Court. For Europe, pushing countries to join the ICC is a matter of ideology. For America, pushing back should be seen as a question of national security.
Eugene Kontorovich is a professor at George Mason University Scalia Law School and a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom.

NETHERLANDS-JUSTICE-ICC

The International Criminal Court Is In Bed With Our Enemies And It’s Time We Clean House

DW Opinion

International Criminal Court

Qatar

An illegal immigrant was found guilty in a 2025 attempted knife attack at the Israeli embassy in London.
A jury found him guilty of preparation of terrorist acts and possession of two bladed articles May 1.
Abdullah Albadri, 34, tried to scale the fence around the embassy before armed diplomatic protection officers arrested him April 28, 2025, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cze25yz8dnxo">according</a> to the BBC.
“Why are you stopping me from making crimes?” Albadri asked the officers when they detained him.
An investigation after the attack found that Albadri wanted revenge against the Israeli government over the war in Gaza, <a href="https://news.met.police.uk/news/man-convicted-of-planning-terrorist-attack-at-embassy-of-israel-508882">according</a> to the Metropolitan Police.
“I want to do something to stop the war,” Albadri told the officers who arrested him.
He had arrived in the U.K. just 16 days before the attack, crossing the English Channel from France by small boat. It was the second time he&#8217;d illegally entered the country in the same manner in four years, the BBC reported.
Albadri said during the trial that he is a member of the Bedoon tribe and grew up in Kuwait. He spent five years in prison in his home country after becoming an activist.
He first entered the U.K. in August 2021 via small boat and claimed asylum. He claimed he took a truck that he thought was going to Manchester, but instead ended up in France.
He returned to the U.K. on April 12, 2025, where he spent almost two weeks homeless in London. Twelve days after his arrival, he began looking for the location of the Israeli embassy and looked up information about “suicide among enemies,” according to the BBC.
Albadri had copied a verse titled “the benefit of martyrdom,” which was found on him when he was arrested. He also wrote a note and sent a picture of it with a knife to his mother.
“I will attack in the way of Allah and for the sake of being free from humiliation in this world,” Albadri wrote in the note.
He also messaged his mother, “I chose the path of martyrdom.”
Albadri then traveled across the city to the Israeli embassy in Kensington Gardens. He was wearing a red and white Arabic scarf, which covered his face except for his eyes — which were hidden by sunglasses.
When Albadri reached the embassy, he saluted two officers and then attempted to scale the fence. The officers pulled him off the fence and pinned him to the ground.
Five officers, one in plainclothes, detained and handcuffed him.
“I want to make a crime inside there. Why are you stopping me? Why are you stopping me from making crimes?” he asked the officers. “Why didn’t you let me in? And then do what you want to do?”
Authorities believed that, based on the evidence collected and his statements at the time of his capture, Albadri might have been hoping to get shot by the officers in &#8220;suicide by cop.&#8221;
Albadri is set to be sentenced at a later date.

Kensington Gardens incident

Illegal Immigrant Found Guilty In Attempted Attack On Israeli Embassy

anti-Israel

Global Politics

Islamic terrorists

Detained flotilla activists were filmed performing gymnastics and forming a human pyramid aboard the Israeli naval vessel transporting them to Israel after they&#8217;d attempted — unsuccessfully — to breach the Gaza blockade.
Roughly 175 activists from more than 20 boats that were part of the “Global Sumud Flotilla” are being transported after Israeli forces intercepted part of the flotilla in international waters near Greece. The broader flotilla reportedly set sail from Barcelona, Spain, with more than 80 vessels.
According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the operation was conducted “peacefully and without casualties” and was intended to prevent a breach of what it describes as a lawful naval blockade on Gaza. 
Officials said <a href="https://x.com/IsraelMFA/status/2049858713352093891">there was</a> an “operational necessity to act early,” intercepting the vessels before they reached Israeli territorial waters to “prevent escalation” while minimizing friction and the risk of violence. They also alleged that the flotilla attempted to obstruct an Israeli merchant vessel.
Although the activists claim they were transporting humanitarian aid, Israeli officials mocked the effort as a “condom flotilla” and called it a publicity stunt rather than a serious humanitarian mission. As evidence, the Foreign Ministry posted a video showing what they claim are condoms and bags of drugs found on the vessels.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is the “medical aid” found aboard the PR stunt flotilla: condoms and drugs <a href="https://t.co/RKiHrGLWfw">pic.twitter.com/RKiHrGLWfw</a>
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraelMFA/status/2049591223258693891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“An initial inspection of the vessels revealed materials that appear to be drugs and contraceptives​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said. “This flotilla is another PR stunt — without humanitarian aid. These are professional provocateurs on pleasure cruises. ‘A condom flotilla’ — nothing more, nothing less.”
According to President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, humanitarian aid to Gaza has significantly expanded, and Hamas’ theft of food supplies dropped from roughly 90% to less than 1%.
“The ‘flotilla’ heading to Gaza is the performative love-boat activism of people who know nothing of and care even less for the condition of Gazans,” the Board of Peace <a href="https://x.com/BoardOfPeace/status/2049858508896543170">posted to X</a>. “It is distasteful to trade on the misery of people to build your social media profiles.” 
 
Instead, the board suggested those genuinely interested in helping should focus on the next phase of Gaza’s recovery, including applying pressure on Hamas to meet its obligations of giving up its arms to allow for reconstruction and a new government.
Amnesty International raised alarm over the activists’ detention, warning of “grave concerns” for their safety after being intercepted in international waters. The group called for their immediate release and said Israeli authorities must ensure access to consular support and humane treatment while in custody.
Israel released additional footage showing detainees appearing relaxed and even jovial aboard the naval vessels. In one video, activists are seen stretching, laughing, doing cartwheels, and forming a human pyramid.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Approximately 175 activists from more than 20 boats of the condom flotilla are now making their way peacefully to Israel.
In the video: the activists enjoying themselves aboard Israeli vessels <a href="https://t.co/0sz8kDpKLX">pic.twitter.com/0sz8kDpKLX</a>
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraelMFA/status/2049732314867864041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Notably absent from this flotilla was climate activist Greta Thunberg, who participated in at least two previous attempts to challenge the blockade. 
In late June, Thunberg was intercepted aboard a vessel in the “Freedom Flotilla,” leading to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/greta-thunbergs-flotilla-circled-by-israeli-forces-en-route-to-gaza">viral images</a> and videos of Israeli forces boarding the ship and distributing sandwiches. The Israeli government mocked the effort as a “selfie yacht.” She was also intercepted and deported during a similar flotilla in October 2025, which was likewise dismissed as a media stunt.
One notable figure reportedly involved in the current flotilla is Margaret Connolly, <a href="https://www.thesun.ie/news/16895843/ireland-israel-gaza-flotilla-arrests-catherine-connolly-sister-margaret/">the sister</a> of Ireland’s president, Catherine Connolly. She is aboard one of the vessels that has not yet been intercepted.
The flotilla accused Israel of carrying out a “violent raid” when detaining the boats, claiming that naval forces disabled vessels by damaging engines, jamming communications, and leaving boats stranded at sea while in the “path of a massive approaching storm.”
“While flotilla participants face a calculated death trap at sea, the people of Gaza remain the primary targets of a relentless, years-long campaign of starvation and slaughter,” the activists said. “The logic being deployed tonight is identical: the Israeli state creates the conditions for death, sabotages the means of survival, and then waits for ‘nature’ or ‘circumstance’ to finish the job.”
In response, Spain <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/spain-says-it-energetically-condemns-seizure-of-gaza-flotilla/">condemned</a> the detention of the 175 activists, which included Spanish citizens, and summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar <a href="https://x.com/gidonsaar/status/2049873574337434105">said</a> that, in coordination with the Greek government, activists transferred from the flotilla to Israeli vessels would be disembarked on a Greek beach in the coming hours. 
He thanked Greece for its willingness to receive the participants, adding that all those taken off the vessels were unharmed.
“Israel will not allow the breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza,” he said.

Flotilla

Detained Passengers Of ‘Condom Flotilla’ Practice Gymnastics On Israeli Navy Ship

In a startling new development surrounding the International Criminal Court (ICC), a witness statement claims that the Qatari government promised to “look after” prosecutor Karim Khan if he moved forward with arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/karim-khan-icc-prosecutor-benjamin-netanyahu-qatar-israel-7b62d474?mod=hp_opin_pos_1">reports</a>.
The accusation, which is supported by audio recordings reviewed by investigators, suggests a potential quid pro quo agreement between the Gulf state and the ICC&#8217;s top prosecutor. According to the witness statement submitted to the FBI, the promise of state protection was made while Khan was reportedly hesitant to issue the warrants.
“I want to issue the warrant, but I’m terrified to do it,” Khan told intermediaries, according to a recorded conversation cited in the report.
“If you do it, then we’ll look after you,” a voice described as linked to the Qatari state responded, according to the recording.
These revelations add to a layer of geopolitical intrigue to the scandal already engulfing Khan, who took a leave of absence in May 2025 following allegations of sexual misconduct involving a subordinate. Khan has denied the accusations and described them as part of an “orchestrated campaign” to discredit him.
Investigators are also examining whether a Qatar-linked intelligence effort sought to discredit Khan&#8217;s accuser, according to the report. The operation, involving London-based firms Highgate and Elicius Intelligence, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/nov/06/qatar-linked-intelligence-operation-targeted-icc-prosecutor-karim-khan-alleged-victim">allegedly sought</a> to find &#8220;links&#8221; between the female accuser and Israeli intelligence.
Documents and recordings indicate the firms investigated whether the victim—a Malaysian Muslim lawyer—had a “Jewish grandmother” or a secret Israeli passport. They even scrutinized her husband’s former employment at a company with a kosher-food subsidiary, speculating that a rabbi associated with the firm could provide “cover employment” for an agent.
The witness statement claims the intelligence operation also targeted Tom Lynch, a senior American ICC official who first reported the assault allegation, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Investigators reportedly attempted to link Lynch to the “Israel political lobby” in Washington.
Khan has denied any knowledge of or involvement in the intelligence operations. His lawyer said Khan never discussed the warrants with Qatari officials prior to the warrants and “was not offered or given (and would not have sought or accepted) any ‘promise’ by any state to ‘look after’ him.”
The Qatari government has dismissed the allegations as &#8220;unfounded.&#8221;
According to the report, individuals involved in the recordings referred to their employer as &#8220;the client country&#8221; or &#8220;Q country,&#8221; with one manager reportedly clarifying: &#8220;No, it’s the state.&#8221;
The controversy comes as the ICC’s governing body has voted to advance disciplinary proceedings against Khan. A United Nations inquiry previously found a “factual basis” for the sexual misconduct claims and allegations of retaliation against staff.
As the Dutch counterterror agency (NCTV) interviews ICC officials who may have been targeted by the spying operation, the cloud over the court’s objectivity continues to darken. Critics argue that if the prosecutor’s legal decisions were influenced by promises of state protection, the integrity of the warrants against Israeli leaders—and the ICC itself—may be permanently compromised.

United Nations Security Council Meets On Ongoing War In Sudan

Qatar Promised To ‘Look After’ ICC Prosecutor If He Targeted Netanyahu, Witness Claims

Menu