'Deliberate and misleading': Israeli defense report refutes Hamas's claims of Gaza starvation - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

Their review reportedly found a gap between the deaths attributed to malnutrition as reported by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry and the cases documented.

 

Palestinians carry aid supplies they collected from trucks that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip August 10, 2025.

(photo credit: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters)

Israel refuted the claims of starvation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, stating that Hamas was behind “deliberate and misleading” publication of data, in a report published on Tuesday by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the IDF unit responsible for civilian affairs in Gaza and the West Bank. 

According to COGAT, Hamas portrays Gazan patients with severe pre-existing conditions as having died from malnutrition, saying that this was part of a coordinated campaign by Hamas “to discredit the State of Israel and achieve political gains.”

COGAT’s review reportedly found a gap between the deaths attributed to malnutrition as reported by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, and the cases documented and published with details in media and social media. 

ARMED PALESTINIANS ride on trucks carrying humanitarian aid near the Zikim border crossing from Israel into the northern Gaza Strip in June. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF accuse Hamas of blocking deliveries and stealing supplies, the writer notes. (credit: Ali Qariqa/Flash90)

Since early July, the report said that there had been an increase in the number of reported malnutrition deaths reported by the ministry. Until this June, 66 such deaths had been reported from the beginning of the Israel-Hamas War, and in July alone, more than 133 deaths were noted. 

Israeli report alleges deaths due to pre-existing medical conditions, health deterioration 

COGAT's review said that the Gaza Health Ministry did not release the names of these deceased, as it had traditionally done in the past. For example, on July 19, Hamas announced 18 malnutrition-related deaths, and on July 22, another 15, but COGAT's probe identified only a handful of cases, adding that this raises doubt about their credibility. 

The ministry said on Tuesday that over the past 24 hours, five people, including two children, died of starvation and malnutrition. 

The review added that following a case-by-case analysis of the published deaths, most of those allegedly dying from malnutrition had pre-existing medical conditions that led to the deterioration of their health, unrelated to nutritional status. 

COGAT also reported that some individuals had received medical treatments in Israel prior to the outbreak of the war, saying that the documented cases don't represent the condition of the general population in Gaza and present only extreme cases involving pre-existing illnesses. 

The report pointed to images circulated online of four-year-old Abdullah Hani Muhammad Abu Zarqa, with media claiming that his condition was due to hunger in Gaza. COGAT stated that following an investigation, they found that the young boy suffers from a genetic disease causing vitamin and mineral deficiencies, osteoporosis, and bone thinning, a condition affecting other family members. 

Prior to the war, Zarqa traveled with his mother to an east Jerusalem hospital to receive medical treatment. 

NGO the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said in response, “Anyone who reads the report is liable to think that the IDF entered the enclave, analyzed the status of the population - which has been denied comprehensive humanitarian aid for months now - and that then a set system was created to dispel the hunger,” most likely referring to the American-sponsored Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its food distribution sites.

Reports from the ground alleged that many experienced chaos at those sites, and that the IDF has, at several points, shot at the crowds to restore order.  

“This is not the case,” ACRI noted, adding, “obviously, the system failed.”

It explained that the points attempted to be proved by the report - that some of the individuals who Hamas claimed died from malnutrition had previous health complications- were all worsened by hunger, “so as to bring them to the point of death.”

“In the Gaza Strip, dangers related to malnutrition could have something to do with the extreme poverty and physical weakness that make it impossible to find food in some areas... Many wouldn't have died if they had access to food,” it said.

“This is what it means to experience hunger: First, the weakest die - people with background health conditions and newborns who aren't nursing because their mothers are starving, pregnant women, children, elderly, and the injured. If these population groups had received food, they wouldn't be on a death list,” said ACRI. 

“Rather than publish reports, the military should stop the fighting, remove the barriers to medical care, and begin to assess the true state of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.”

Sarah Ben-Nun and Reuters contributed to this report. 

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-863971

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France halts renewing work visas for El Al security personnel in Paris - Mathilda and Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Mathilda and Jerusalem Post Staff

According to the report, the decision was made by French authorities due to the ongoing war in Gaza and tensions between Israel and France.

 

EL AL flight at Ben Gurion International Airport, May 13, 2025.

(photo credit: NATI SHOHAT/FLASH90)

French authorities have stopped renewing work visas for El Al security personnel employed in Paris as ITAN staff (Israeli citizens working in diplomatic missions). Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that Israel’s embassy in France was handling the matter in conjunction with the French foreign ministry.

According to a Ynet report, the decision was made by French authorities due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas War and tensions between Israel and France.

Ynet reported that the work visas granted to Israeli staff gave them the ability to legally live and work in France, but halting the visas changes their status, and are they are now considered to be working and residing in the country illegally. Many workers were therefore forced to obtain diplomatic visas through the Israeli embassy, which only provides them with a temporary status.

American Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee responded to the reported development on social media, posting, “Say it ain’t so, France. Say it ain’t so! What happened to France?” 

Say it ain't so, France. Say it ain't so! What happened to France?https://t.co/yYINISH1Gh

— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) August 12, 2025

An El Al security guard in Paris told Ynet, “In the past six months, none of the employees whose work visas expired have received renewals.”

El Al offices in Paris. (credit: X/Twitter)

El Al employee says 'this has never happened before'

He added, “This has never happened before, and no one has been granted new approvals. It seems they are trying to end the employment of El Al security personnel in France.”

According to Ynet, the airline’s management is referring its personnel to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, but many have been unable to obtain visas and have since returned to Israel.

In a separate incident on Monday night, El Al pilots reported to management that an air traffic controller at Paris’s Charles De Gaulle Airport shouted “Free Palestine” at them over the intercom as the plane was taxiing to the runway.

El Al told the Post on Tuesday that it is taking the incident “very seriously.”

“We are taking action on the matter with the authorities in Israel, who are in contact with the authorities in France,” the flagship Israeli airline said.

The airline emphasized that it would “continue to fly around the world with the Israeli flag on the tails of its aircraft with pride.”

Last week, El Al offices in Paris were vandalized in what the company called a “harsh anti-Israel incident,” with the doors and walls of the building sprayed with signs reading: “El Al genocide airline.”

The Israeli company decided to evacuate all its personnel from the French capital after the incident, with another foreign company providing services to customers at the terminal.

“The severe incident was discovered this morning and occurred while the building was empty, and there was no danger to the company’s employees,” the airline said in a statement.

“El Al views the incident seriously and is working on handling the matter with the authorities, following the guidelines of the competent authorities in France and Israel. El Al proudly flies the Israeli flag on the tails of its planes and condemns all forms of violence, especially antisemitic violence.”

The Post contacted the Israeli embassy in France for comment, but had received no response by press time.

Mathilda and Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-863962

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IDF chief: ‘New stage of the combat in Gaza’ - JNS Staff

 

by JNS Staff

The Israeli military will "achieve operational control" of Gaza City, "with the hostages at the forefront of our minds," said IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

 

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir holds a situational assessment to evaluate the military's readiness. Credit: IDF.

The Israel Defense Forces has entered a new phase in the war against Hamas, focused on securing operational control of Gaza City, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir confirmed on Monday.

“In accordance with the Security Cabinet’s decision, we are at the beginning of a new stage of the combat in Gaza. We will develop the best method, in line with the defined objectives, while maintaining the professionalism and principles that guide our operations,” said Zamir during a situational assessment with the General Staff to evaluate the military’s preparedness.

“We will do so with the readiness of the troops and weaponry, with the hostages at the forefront of our minds—we will do everything to protect their lives and bring them back home,” he continued.

The Israeli Security Cabinet voted overnight Thursday by “decisive majority” to approve Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to expand the war effort.

The forum voted on five principles: disarming Hamas, returning all 50 hostages, demilitarizing Gaza, achieving Israeli security control of the Strip and creating an alternative civil administration.

“The alternatives presented to the Security Cabinet—all are intended to defeat Hamas, with a full understanding of the implications in every aspect,” added Zamir. “The IDF will be able to achieve operational control of Gaza City, just as it did in Khan Yunis and Rafah. Our troops have conducted ground operations there before, and we will be able to do so again.”

Netanyahu on Friday reiterated that Israel will not occupy the Gaza Strip, saying the expansion of the war is aimed at destroying Hamas and freeing the local population from its regime of terror.

“We are not going to occupy Gaza—we are going to free Gaza from Hamas,” said Netanyahu.

“Gaza will be demilitarized, and a peaceful civilian administration will be established, one that is not the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, and not any other terrorist organization,” he continued. “This will help free our hostages and ensure Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future.”

Over the past three months, the IDF’s 401st Brigade, led by the 162nd Division, operated in the areas of Jabalia and Daraj Tuffah in northern Gaza as part of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” the army said Tuesday.

The troops carried out raids to clear the area of terror groups, striking Hamas and Islamic Jihad infrastructure, “above and below ground.”

In coordination with the Israeli Air Force, numerous terror targets were attacked by drones and fighter jets, including “structures, observation posts, and launch positions that posed a threat to our forces,” it said.

Dozens of terrorist gunmen were eliminated, while the ground troops also dismantled “dozens” of tunnel routes and shafts, the IDF added.

On Sunday, soldiers serving in northern Gaza “swiftly eliminated” a terrorist who had fired at them earlier, lightly injuring an IDF soldier, according to a separate statement. Artillery troops “identified and eliminated Hamas terrorists in support of the ground troops.”

In the southern Strip, the troops identified a terror cell attempting to plant explosives near a military position. An IAF aircraft struck and eliminated the terrorists, according to the statement.

Troops also continue to operate in the Khan Yunis area of the southern Strip, it stated. The soldiers “dismantled several significant and strategic underground infrastructure sites and eliminated terrorists who posed a threat to the troops in ground and aerial strikes.

“IDF troops are operating to defend the civilians of the communities near the Gaza Strip. Over the past day, the troops dismantled tunnel shafts and eliminated terrorists who posed a threat,” it added.

On Monday, the IDF struck Islamic Jihad terrorists in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah area, acting on Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) intelligence.

Soldiers serving in western Khan Yunis “struck and dismantled a structure from which mortars were launched toward IDF troops operating in the area,” according to that statement.

“The IDF and ISA will continue to operate against the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip,” the statement concluded. 

JNS Staff

Source: https://www.jns.org/idf-chief-new-stage-of-the-combat-in-gaza/

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UN puts Israel on notice over conflict-related sexual violence - Mathilda Heller

 

by Mathilda Heller

Danny Danon called the claims in the UN letter "outrageous," stating that "Israel rejects the threats and will not accept defamation of its defense and security forces."

 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured), in Berlin, Germany, May 14, 2025.

(photo credit: REUTERS/LISI NIESNER)

 

The United Nations has warned Israel that it may feature in the next report into perpetrators of sexual violence in conflict if it does not take 'necessary measures' to prevent sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. Hamas, however, was reportedly omitted from the report's section on sexual violence as a tactic of war.

News of the report was first relayed in a letter from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, on Monday.

In the letter, Guterres informed Danon that while Israel is not featured in the new UN Security Council report on Conflict Related Sexual Violence, the UN is still "gravely concerned" about "credible information of violations by Israeli armed and security forces."

However, Guterres said that due to "consistent denial of access to United Nations monitors, it has been challenging to make a definitive determination regarding patterns, trends, and systematicity of sexual violence in these situations."

Israel has been put on notice for potential listing in the next reporting cycle "due to significant concerns of patterns of certain forms of sexual violence," Guterres added. He urged Israel to take measures to ensure the immediate cessation of all such acts.

United Nations Security Council holds a session following Israel's security cabinet's decision to take control of Gaza City, August 10, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/EDUARDO MUNOZ)

He also issued six time-bound commitments, including the establishment of related enforcement procedures, investigation into all credible allegations, and unimpeded access for relevant UN entities - among others.

Israel rejects UN threats 

Danon expressed "outrage" at the claims in a letter of response on Tuesday, adding that "Israel categorically rejects the threats contained in your letter and will not accept the defamation of its defense and security forces, forces which are on the front lines of combating the very crimes your mandate exists to prevent."

The report itself has not yet been made public, however Danon said the section discussing Israel and the Palestinians is "riddled with distortions, selective omissions, and a deeply troubling moral equivalence between the barbaric sexual atrocities committed by the Hamas terror organization and its partners on October 7, 2023, and towards the hostages they have been holding since, and the unfounded, politically motivated allegations levelled against Israeli forces."

Danon added that Guterres's letter failed to take into account that Israel is a democratic state governed by the rule of law with "zero tolerance for sexual violence."

He also criticized the report for calling the detention of Palestinians - "often due to direct involvement in terrorist activity" - “arbitrary.”

"This is a politicized label and has no relevance to the topic of the abovementioned report," he said.

Danon also claimed that the figures mentioned in the report, even if taken at face value, do not establish a pattern as required for listing under UNSC resolution 2467.  

In addition, Danon found fault with Guterres's insinuation that Israel “denied access” to United Nations monitors, saying it "deliberately omits the clear security, operational, and impartiality concerns that have been repeatedly conveyed to your offices."

"Access cannot be granted to entities that have already prejudged outcomes and that, in some cases, have demonstrated bias against Israel in both language and conduct," he said. "These restrictions stem from impartiality concerns, not from unwillingness to investigate."

According to Danon, Hamas is "conspicuously absent" from the chapter of your report titled “Sexual violence including as a tactic of war and terrorism: patterns, trends and emerging concerns”, despite having committed such acts.

He demanded that the UN immediately remove any consideration of listing Israel in the Annex of following reports, and that it amend the report to accurately reflect both the systematic nature of Hamas’s crimes, including in the chapter pertaining acts of terrorism, and on the other hand reflect the absence of evidence establishing a pattern of conflict-related sexual violence by Israeli forces.

He also called for Hamas and associated organizations to be immediately designated as terrorist organizations and sanctioned accordingly in light of the report’s annex, which lists them as perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence.

Mathilda Heller

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-864041

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Netanyahu vows Israeli help on water crisis once Iran is liberated from ‘tyrants of Tehran’ - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

Prime Minister Netanyahu urges Iranians to fight for freedom, promising Israeli solutions to Iran's water crisis once Iran is free.

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to international media on the Gaza war, in Jerusalem, August 10, 2025

(photo credit: CHAIM TZACH/GPO) 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday released a video message addressed to the people of Iran, pledging that Israel would help solve the country’s severe water shortages once it is “free” from the current regime.

“Greetings from Jerusalem, to the proud people of Iran,” Netanyahu began. “Your leaders forced the 12-Day War on us, and they lost miserably. They lie through their teeth, but on rare occasions, they tell the truth.”

Netanyahu cited a recent comment from the Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, acknowledging deep national problems, including water scarcity. “‘We have problems with water, electricity, money, and inflation – where don’t we have a problem? There won’t be any water in the dams by September or October,” Netanyahu quoted him as saying. “He’s right. Everything is collapsing.”

The prime minister contrasted the situation in Iran with Israel’s water achievements, noting that the country recycles 90% of its wastewater – the highest rate in the world – and is a leader in desalination technology.

“In this brutal summer heat, you don’t even have clean, cold water to give your children,” Netanyahu said. “Such hypocrisy. Such disdain for the Iranian people.”

PM Netanyahu to the people of Iran:
As our founding father, Theodor Herzl, said of the Jewish state, “If you will it, it is no dream”

And I say to you, "if you will it, a free Iran is no dream."
Now is the time for action.
Now is the time to fight for freedom.

Iran Baraye Irani pic.twitter.com/0piWqVO8EJ

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 12, 2025

He recalled launching a Farsi-language Telegram channel nearly a decade ago to teach water management, which quickly attracted 100,000 followers. “The thirst for water in Iran is only matched by the thirst for freedom,” he said.

Netanyahu pledged that “the moment your country is free, Israel’s top water experts will flood into every Iranian city bringing cutting-edge technology and know-how.” He painted vivid images of restored lakes, flowing rivers, and rejuvenated parks. “Imagine water skiing again in the Karaj Dam… Imagine restoring the once stunning Urmia Lake in the northwest of Iran.”

Netanyahu accused the Iranian leadership of imposing “tyranny and poverty” on its citizens, diverting hundreds of billions of dollars to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis instead of funding domestic needs. “You don’t deserve leaders who flee the country while you suffer alone during a difficult war,” he said.

Netanyahu calls on Iranians to rise up, hold corrupt leadership accountable

Calling on Iranians to “take to the streets” and “protest tyranny,” Netanyahu urged them to demand justice and accountability. “Do not let these fanatic mullahs ruin your lives for a minute longer,” he said. “You are not alone. Israel stands with you. The entire free world stands with you.”

Netanyahu concluded by invoking Theodor Herzl’s famous saying: “If you will it, it is no dream.” Applying it to Iran, he said, “If you will it, a free Iran is no dream. Now is the time for action. Now is the time to fight for freedom.”

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-864050

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Iran Revamps Security Council, Signaling Survival Mode After Israeli Assault - Mardo Soghom

 

by Mardo Soghom

It’s Unclear Whether This Signals Moderation in Iran’s Approach to the West, or Is Aimed at Preventing Another Israeli Attack

 

An Iranian soldier on June 17, 2025, during the 12-day war with Israel.  Shutterstock

The Islamic Republic of Iran is forming a new National Defense Council and appointed a new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, though it remains unclear whether the moves signal defiance toward the West and Israel or preparation for potential concessions. One thing, however, is certain: The regime’s top priority is self-preservation, following a military defeat by Israel and mounting domestic crises it no longer can contain.

At the beginning of August 2025, websites close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council reported upcoming structural changes, including the creation of a new National Defense Council—a body that last existed during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. These reports also mentioned the appointment of Ali Larijani, the former three-term speaker of Parliament and a centrist figure, to the Supreme National Security Council. On August 5, President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed his appointment, replacing an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general who held the post for more than a year.

In his decree, the president called on the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council to “monitor and prioritize national security issues and risks, especially emerging and technological threats.”

Some Iranian observers interpret this move as a weakening of the hardliner faction led by Saeed Jalili, a radical politician who has exerted substantial influence over national security policy. Others see it as preparation to face a potential second round of Israeli attacks. Still others argue that the regime appointed Larijani to signal a softer stance to the West, aiming to buy time and avert further sanctions.

The Rouydad24 website in Tehran, summing up local media reactions, wrote on August 6: “The key question is whether Larijani’s return will bring a tangible change in the country’s security policy or merely place a familiar figure in a strategic position.” However, more than two months before the June 2025 Israeli air campaign, Larijani had threatened that if attacked, Iran would have no choice but to opt for nuclear weapons.

The formation of a defense council reflects the scale of the regime’s defeat during the 12-day war with Israel. Israeli forces caught Iran’s leadership off guard, eliminating a significant portion of its senior military commanders and nuclear scientists within the first hours of the campaign. Subsequent Israeli strikes—coordinated and targeted—devastated nuclear and military facilities across Iran, revealing the depth of Israeli intelligence penetration and damaging the regime’s credibility. Combined with escalating domestic crises—particularly water and electricity shortages—these failures have increased the risk of mass unrest.

Within this context, regime officials and state-aligned media in Tehran have repeatedly raised the alarm about a second Israeli assault. A renewed campaign would likely focus not only on military installations but also on personnel—including tens of thousands of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps troops and Basij paramilitary forces tasked with suppressing domestic dissent.

Under Iran’s constitution, the Supreme National Security Council holds three key responsibilities:

1. Defining defense and security policies within the general framework set by the supreme leader.
2. Coordinating political, intelligence, social, cultural, and economic activities in line with defense and security strategies; and
3. Mobilizing the nation’s material and moral resources to counter internal and external threats.

The constitution also empowers the supreme leader to resolve disputes among the branches of government and to form councils or bodies to that end. Analysts believe this provision serves as the legal basis for creating the defense council.

Several Tehran-based media outlets suggest that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei may have lost confidence in Iran’s military leadership and now seeks to centralize decision-making under a body more tightly supervised by the Supreme National Security Council. More likely, the new Defense Council will report to a Supreme National Security Council member, reinforcing its subordinate status.

In practical terms, Iran’s military currently has few tools left to respond to another Israeli air campaign or expected destabilization efforts. Israeli strikes have crippled Iran’s air defenses, and Israel maintains full control of the skies. Neither China nor Russia—despite their ties to Tehran—has stepped in to replace the destroyed systems. As a result, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij now appear more focused on suppressing internal dissent than defending against external threats.

Larijani’s appointment raises a critical question: Does it signal a shift toward moderation in Iran’s approach to the West, or is a tactical move aimed at preventing a second Israeli attack and forestalling the reactivation of United Nations economic sanctions over nuclear violations?

So far, Tehran’s public stance shows little sign of flexibility. The regime continues to assert its right to enrich uranium and maintain ballistic missile capabilities. It has offered no indication of backing away from its regional agenda of confronting Israel, nor has it signaled any intent to stop supplying military support to Russia in its war against Ukraine.

From this perspective, Larijani’s appointment and the establishment of the National Defense Council may reflect an effort to reorganize state institutions for survival, rather than a fundamental shift in foreign or defense policy. 

Mardo Soghom was a journalist and editorial manager at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty for three decades, overseeing the Iran and Afghanistan services until 2020, and was chief editor of the Iran International English website.

Source: https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/iran-revamps-security-council-signaling-survival-mode-after-israeli-assault

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UCLA holds emergency meeting after Trump demands $1b. antisemitism settlement - Michael Starr

 

by Michael Starr

UC President James Milliken said that the Justice Department had made the proposal to UCLA on Friday, on the heels of the university system’s offer to engage “in good faith dialogue."

 

PROTESTERS SUPPORTING Palestinians in Gaza gather at UCLA in May.

(photo credit: DAVID SWANSON/REUTERS)

 

The University of California Board of Regents held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the US federal government’s demand for a $1b settlement payment for antisemitism and civil rights violations, as well as the suspension of over half a billion in research funding for UC Los Angeles.

“UC’s leadership spent recent days evaluating the demand, updating the UC community, and engaging with stakeholders,” UC External Relations Vice President Vivian Turner said in a statement after the meeting. “Our focus remains on protecting students’ access to a UC education and promoting the academic freedom, excellence, and innovation that have always been at the heart of UC’s work.”

UC President James Milliken said that the Justice Department had made the proposal to UCLA on Friday, on the heels of the university system’s offer to engage “in good faith dialogue” regarding the July 30 $584 million freeze of UCLA’s federal funding.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a joint statement with other state officials that the settlement was offered in exchange for restoring the frozen medical and science grant funding. The funding had been frozen due to the university’s response to anti-Israel protests and the conduct of students and activists during the demonstrations.

The White House did not immediately respond to The Jerusalem Post’s request for comment on the proposal.

Governor of U.S. state of California Gavin Newsom attends a press conference in Beijing, China October 25, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/TINGSHU WANG)

Milliken warned on Friday that the $1b. settlement would “completely devastate our country’s greatest public university system, as well as inflict great harm on our students and all Californians.”

“Americans across this great nation rely on the vital work of UCLA and the UC system for technologies and medical therapies that save lives, grow the US economy, and protect our national security,” Milliken continued.

Newsom, Jewish officials slam settlement offer as weaponized justice system

Newsom and Jewish state officials attacked the settlement offer as an example of a weaponized justice system designed to undermine academic freedom.

“This isn’t about protecting Jewish students – it’s a billion-dollar political shakedown from the pay-to-play president,” the Californian officials said in a joint statement on Friday.

“Trump has weaponized the Department of Justice to punish California, crush free thinking, and kneecap the greatest public university system in the world. UCLA has taken aggressive, concrete steps to crack down on the vile scourge of antisemitism on campus, and we are confident Chancellor [Julio] Frenk remains committed to this critical work. As Jewish leaders and strong allies, we are united against Trump’s assault and will fight like hell because California will not bow to this kind of disgusting political extortion.”

Newsom argued that California had a strong record of confronting antisemitism on campus, launching the Golden State Plan to Counter Antisemitism in 2024 to create community partnerships, enhance security, and improve data collection.

Milliken had also responded to the initial funding freeze by arguing that the UC had taken extensive action against antisemitism, implementing revised discrimination policies, prohibiting encampments and identity concealment, and opposing boycotts of Israel.

“These cuts do nothing to address antisemitism,” Milliken argued in an August 6 statement. “The extensive work that UCLA and the entire University of California have taken to combat antisemitism has apparently been ignored.”

Frenk warned on July 31 that the suspension would affect grants that impact vital research, such as breakthroughs that had advanced transplant medicine or the understanding of invasive diseases.

“It is a loss for Americans across the nation whose work, health, and future depend on the groundbreaking work we do,” said Frenk.

The funding freeze came just a day after a July 29 settlement for a lawsuit brought by a Jewish professor and students over the alleged failure to prevent antisemitic discrimination during post-October 7 campus protests.

The university agreed to implement more policies to protect Jewish students and staff. It is also set to donate $2.33 m. to eight organizations that counter antisemitism and another $320,000 to UCLA’s counter-antisemitism initiative.

UC Board of Regents Chair Janet Reilly said in a statement that “We have been clear about where we have fallen short, and we are committed to doing better, moving forward. Today’s settlement reflects a critically important goal that we share with the plaintiffs: to foster a safe, secure, and inclusive environment for all members of our community and ensure that there is no room for antisemitism anywhere on campus.”

The Trump administration’s demands have come after weeks of negotiation and investigation into American universities for their response to anti-Israel protest encampments, which Jewish students felt proliferated antisemitism and radicalism.

Columbia University and Brown University have agreed to pay over $220 m. and $50 m., respectively, but terse talks with Harvard University are ongoing.

Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.

Michael Starr

Source: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-864053

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Arms embargo on Israel splits Germany’s ruling party - Canaan Lidor

 

by Canaan Lidor

The head of the CDU's sister movement in Bavaria vowed to initiate "internal discussions on this within the coalition."

 

Joe Chialo at his home in Berlin in 2023. Courtesy of Chialo.

The German government’s decision last week to halt exports to Israel of weapons that may be used in Gaza elicited strong-worded condemnations by Jewish groups, and triggered an internal debate within the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), that German state’s branch of Merz’s Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), publicly objected to the ban, which the German leader announced on Aug. 8, and said it would initiate an internal coalition discussion about it.

“The CSU was not involved in this decision, and we consider it questionable. This would be a departure from decades of foreign policy continuity toward Israel and, as such, requires at least some explanation. We will hold internal discussions on this within the coalition,” Alexander Hoffman, head of the group of CSU parliamentarians in the Bundestag, the lower house of the German parliament, according to the Die Zeit newspaper.

Stephan Pilsinger, another Bundestag lawmaker from the CSU, warned that the move could cost Germany when it requires Israeli security assistance. “What happens if the Israeli government turns the tables and we no longer receive support from Israel, be it in air defense or Mossad intelligence for counterterrorism?” he told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. “Currently, we feel like we benefit more from Israel in terms of security policy than Israel benefits from us.”

Joe Chialo, the previous culture minister in the government of the state of Berlin, called Merz’s announcement a “betrayal” in an op-ed published by Bild on Saturday.

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“Now Germany is withdrawing military equipment from Israel of all places—knowing full well that at the slightest hail of rockets against Berlin or Munich, we would beg for protection of the Iron Dome,” he warned.

Merz announced the embargo on Aug. 8 in a statement. “The Federal government will, until further notice, withhold approval for the export of any military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip,” he wrote, adding that this was a response to the Israeli cabinet’s decision the previous day to intensify its military campaign in Gaza against Hamas.

The Jewish state “bears an even greater responsibility for ensuring the population’s needs are met” given its intent to intensify military efforts in Gaza, the statement read.

Israel’s ambassador to German, Ron Prosor, on Tuesday told the Welt newspaper in an interview: “Berlin and Jerusalem agree that Hamas must be disarmed. But now, the discussion is about disarming Israel. This is a celebration for Hamas,” he said.

In a post published on X shortly after Merz’s announcement, Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, joined Israel in criticizing the move. He called it a “change of course [that] contradicts all expressions of solidarity and promises that the Federal Chancellor has made since taking office.”

Israel, Schuster added, “is attacked daily by enemies in the Middle East and bombarded with rockets, not only by the terrorist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. To now deprive Israel of the ability to defend itself against such threats endangers its existence.” Germany, he added, “must increase its pressure on the terrorist organization Hamas instead of on Israel. The federal government should correct its chosen path as quickly as possible.”

The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), established in 2019 and whose advisory board is headed by former Jewish Agency for Israel chairman Natan Sharansky, called Germany’s decision “extremely disturbing.”

Germany “has taken this step in trying to prevent the Jewish State’s legitimate and necessary steps in defeating today’s modern Nazis, Hamas, who perpetrated the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman told JNS.

He noted that Merz “said only a few weeks ago that the State of Israel was doing the world’s ‘dirty work’.” Roytman added: “We hope that Germany reverses this decision as soon as possible and helps Israel continue the world’s dirty work and fight murderous fundamentalism for the good of all of us, Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.”

Canaan Lidor

Source: https://www.jns.org/arms-embargo-on-israel-splits-germanys-ruling-party/

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Violent crime in DC has fallen, but remains higher than most other American cities - Steven Richards

 

by Steven Richards

Not good enough? D.C. officials trying to push back against Trump’s federal control of city's law enforcement don't address the big picture.

 

Washington, D.C. officials continue to make the argument, as President Donald Trump takes over law enforcement in the nation’s capital, that violent crime has dropped by about 30% since the end of the pandemic. But D.C. is still statistically one of the most dangerous places among U.S. cities.

By asserting direct federal control over Washington, D.C.'s police department, the president hopes to address the declining but persistently high violent crime in the nation’s capital, which, according to the most recent data, ranks high in violent crimes, especially homicides. 

The executive action signed by the president on Monday marks the first time the chief executive has invoked Section 270 of the Home Rule Act to assume leadership of the city’s Metropolitan Police Department directly since Washington, D.C. was granted self-governance in the 1970s.  

Trump: "Violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals"

"I'm announcing a historic action to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam, and squalor, and worse. This is Liberation Day in D.C. and we're going to take our capital back," President Trump said at a White House press conference announcing his new executive order that places the capital police under the direct control of his Justice Department. 

“Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people, and we're not going to let it happen anymore,” he added. 

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, violent crime rates in Washington, D.C. skyrocketed to a 2023 peak, which saw high rates of carjackings, assaults, and the highest murder rate in decades. But, D.C. officials say that violent crime has declined significantly since that spike, in part due to efforts by the city to reform its criminal codes. According to the latest data compiled by the Center for Public Safety Initiatives, the murder rate in the capital city declined by about 30% in 2024 from 2023 levels. 

"It is true that we had a terrible spike in crime in 2023, but this is not 2023, this is 2025, and we've done that by working with the community, working with the police, working with our prosecutors, and, in fact, working with the federal government,” D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told MSNBC, responding to the president’s earlier comments about crime in the city.

The D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb also pushed back against the president, citing those statistics. "The Administration’s actions are unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful. There is no crime emergency in the District of Columbia. Violent crime in DC reached historic 30-year lows last year, and is down another 26% so far this year. We are considering all of our options and will do what’s necessary to protect the rights and safety of District residents,” he said.

Crime in D.C. at nearly pre-pandemic levels

Despite the declining rates, Washington, D.C. officials ignore the wider picture. 2024 data shows that D.C. still persists as one of the deadliest cities in the United States. The capital city has the fourth-highest murder rate among all U.S. cities, measuring behind only St. Louis, MO, New Orleans, LA, and Detroit, MI, according to the Center for Public Safety Initiatives, which analyzed 2024 data. 

According to an analysis by Jeff Asher, founder of AH Datalytics and former crime analyst for the City of New Orleans, D.C.’s current 2025 murder numbers are on track to match pre-COVID-19 levels, signaling a return to pre-pandemic rates. 

That would place the city among the most violent cities in the nation. The violent crime wave from which the city is beginning to pull itself out of is even more stark when compared with other national capitals in the same time period. In 2023, D.C. had a homicide rate of 40.9 homicides per 100,000 residents. By way of comparison, the 2023 rate for Mexico City stood at about 8 per 100,000. Bogota, Colombia boasted a rate of 14 per 100,000 in 2023. Quito, Ecuador boasted a rate of 45 per 100,000, just slightly higher than D.C. in that year.

Senseless murders, like a Republican congressional intern gunned down on his way home from work, have heightened scrutiny from Republicans about the city’s crime problem. Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, from Granby, Massachusetts, an intern in the office of GOP Rep. Ron Estes, was killed in a drive-by shooting last month near a downtown metro station. Tarpinian-Jachym is not believed to have been the intended target of the shooting, according to police. 

Carjacking and attempted murder on the rise

Along with murders, the capital city suffered a large spike in carjackings in 2023, which peaked at 140 individual incidents in June of that year, according to Metropolitan Police Department data. Despite a decline since that peak, carjackings still remain significantly elevated compared to pre-pandemic rates, the data show. 

Anecdotally, these incidents remain top of mind, especially for the Trump administration. At the Monday press conference, President Trump recalled the assault last week by 10 “juveniles” on former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine, known by his social media moniker “Big Balls.” Coristine had intervened to stop the group from assaulting and carjacking a woman in the early morning hours, Just the News previously reported. He was left beaten and bloodied, according to photographs taken at the scene. 

Complicating the picture, Trump said he would direct Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate whether the city is accurately reporting crime statistics. At the press conference Monday, the president insisted that crime in the federal district is getting worse, not better. The president pointed to the recent suspension of a Metropolitan Police captain who alleged that the department leadership was juicing crime numbers. 

“Juvenile offenders and crimes against persons, as they say, it's getting worse, not getting better. It's getting worse,” Trump said. 

“And we had a recent indication, and there was a story about a man who was… that just left. He quit because he was asked to do phony numbers on crime, and we're going to look into that,” the president said. 

FOP: "Altering crime statistics"

In May, a D.C. police commander was suspended and accused of improperly altering crime statistics for his area of responsibility. This suspension came just weeks after the captain, Michael Pulliam, filed an equal employment opportunity complaint against an assistant chief. Pulliam denies the allegations. 

The Fraternal Order of Police, the union which represents MPD officers, said that crime data manipulation is widespread in the department, directed by leadership to improve the numbers. 

“What we've heard through our members and through members of management that were willing to talk with the union is that this is a directive from the command staff, is that they want to make sure that these classifications of these reports are adjusted over time to make sure that the overall crime stats stay down,” FOP Chairman Gregg Pemberton told NBC 4 Washington. “And this is deliberately done.” 

MPD Chief Pamela Smith told the outlet that she could not comment on the ongoing investigation but that “[any] irregularity in crime data brought to my attention will be addressed immediately.” 

Steven Richards

Source: https://justthenews.com/nation/crime/dc-violent-crime-has-fallen-remains-higher-many-other-american-cities

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Trump Was Right the First Time: Fire Intel's CEO - Gordon G. Chang

 

by Gordon G. Chang

It is time to establish accountability in corporate America when it comes to the People's Republic of China.

 

• Here is a suggestion: Instruct the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into Tan. It is time to establish accountability in corporate America when it comes to the People's Republic of China.

• The sales were illegal under U.S. law — the university was added to the Commerce Department's Entity List in 2015 — and Cadence in late July pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit export control violations. Additionally, the company agreed to pay a fine of more than $140 million.

• To establish accountability, the Justice Department must investigate Tan's role in Cadence's long series of sales to the Chinese military.

• "[S]omeone operating at his level and who engaged with Chinese military-affiliated businesses cannot be a reliable partner to the U.S. ... So long as Tan remains as CEO of Intel, the U.S. government can never do substantial business with that firm because the risk of compromise is too great." — Brandon Weichert, senior national security editor of The National Interest, to Gatestone, August 2025.

Pictured: Intel headquarters in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet met Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel, on August 11.

"The meeting was a very interesting one," Trump posted on Truth Social immediately afterwards. "His success and rise is an amazing story. Mr. Tan and my Cabinet members are going to spend time together, and bring suggestions to me during the next week."

Here is a suggestion: Instruct the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into Tan. It is time to establish accountability in corporate America when it comes to the People's Republic of China.

First, the good news.

Tan can save the ailing American chipmaker.

He has the right vision for Intel, is extremely capable, and has the strength to take on the chairman of the company's board of directors, who wants to implement a misguided restructuring.

Tan is one of the most effective American executives anywhere. The markets know this: Intel's stock rose more than 13% the day the company announced he had been named the CEO, in March.

Tan has many other achievements. His U.S.-based venture-capital firm, Walden International, was formed in 1987 and has made over 500 investments, including those in more than 120 semiconductor firms. Tan also successfully turned around Cadence Design Systems, a San Jose, California-based firm designing hardware and software for chip-making.

Tan has the right vision for Intel. In recent months, he has been slugging it out with Frank Yeary, chairman of the board, who wants Intel to unload its manufacturing business.

Yeary has been working to sell Intel's foundry division to Taiwan's TSMC or spin it off. He also explored selling stakes to Nvidia and Amazon. Tan, on the other hand, wants Intel to stay in manufacturing to keep the United States in the game.

Tan is right. Intel does not need wizard financial types — Yeary is a former investment banker — auctioning off America in pieces to foreign bidders.

So, what is the problem with Tan staying at Intel?

Tan has a China problem he cannot shake. "The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign, immediately," Trump posted on Truth Social on August 7. "There is no other solution to this problem."

Trump was absolutely right.

Walden International invested in Chinese military tech companies and those implicated in Beijing's human rights violations, including Intellifusion, a Chinese AI business that is sanctioned for enabling surveillance in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Walden was also an investor in Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., SMIC, now China's largest chipmaker, and Tan served on its board until 2018. In China, he is known as "Mr. Chip" because he was largely responsible for developing that country's semiconductor industry. Walden, as the Wall Street Journal noted, invested in "some of the biggest names in China's chip industry" and "smaller companies that filled essential niche roles."

Tan's involvement in China and Walden's Chinese investments were not controversial at the time, but, given China's overt hostility to America, they were obviously ill-advised.

Tan could sell all his interests in China and remove the conflict that Trump mentioned, but the president was still right to say Tan must leave Intel.

Tan was CEO of Cadence Design Systems from 2008 to 2021. From 2015 to 2021, Cadence made 56 sales of semiconductor design tools, software, and other tech products to China's National University of Defense Technology, which, among other things, conducted simulations of nuclear explosions.

The sales were illegal under U.S. law — the university was added to the Commerce Department's Entity List in 2015 — and Cadence in late July pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit export control violations. Additionally, the company agreed to pay a fine of more than $140 million.

Tan failed to respond to a Reuters request for a comment on the Cadence guilty plea and fine, but he did respond to Trump's demand that he leave Intel. In a statement issued hours after the president's posting, Tan said he shared Trump's "commitment to advancing U.S. national and economic security" and that he was working with the Trump administration "to address the matters that have been raised and ensure they have the facts."

"I love this country," Tan, a naturalized U.S. citizen, added.

It's great that he loves America, but last decade he put every American life at risk. The Trump administration, therefore, must hold him accountable for transferring advanced technologies to China's military.

Up to now, the U.S. has rarely prosecuted tech executives for exporting advanced technology to China, and when it has prosecuted anyone, the penalties have been only slaps on the wrist. To establish accountability, the Justice Department must investigate Tan's role in Cadence's long series of sales to the Chinese military.

"One cannot but wonder — and we will never really know — just how connected to China's military and how badly compromised Tan really is," Brandon Weichert, senior national security editor of The National Interest, told Gatestone. "But we do know someone operating at his level and who engaged with Chinese military-affiliated businesses cannot be a reliable partner to the U.S."

No matter how much good Tan can do at Intel, that company will be tainted with ties to him. Said Weichert, "So long as Tan remains as CEO of Intel, the U.S. government can never do substantial business with that firm because the risk of compromise is too great."

• Follow Gordon G. Chang on X (formerly Twitter)

Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America, a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21828/fire-intel-ceo-tan

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