Mideast War blowback

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The constituency office of Labour Member of Parliament Sharon Hodgson was set ablaze, according to British media reports on Thursday. Six firefighting units were needed to extinguish the flames at 12:10 AM.

The arsonist graffitied: "328 days blood on your hands” on the office building, according to The Telegraph

While a motive is not yet known, the Telegraph noted that it has been 328 days since Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed in Gaza.

Hodgson is a member of Labour Friends of Israel. On the podcast Jonny Gould's Jewish State, she revealed that she is half-Jewish. Her father was Jewish, and her mother was not.

I really can't stand her. Frankly I don't care if she is autistic like I am, to me she's just a privileged rich girl with famous parents and a white savior complex.

I don't get the feeling that her "activism" is genuine at all.

Quotes from the weapon experts in the clip:
"These features are common but not exclusive to some models of Israeli hand grenades."
"Israeli forces are known to have used UAV-delivered incendiary munitions on previous occasions."
"It is clearly some kind of greande...most likely delivered by drone."

The majority of the US public, including the Republican “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement, opposes Israeli annexation of the West Bank, according to a Thursday poll.

Most respondents also backed a peace agreement that would include Israeli normalization with Arab states, and a Palestinian state.

The poll, by the progressive Alliance for Middle East Peace coalition, came out as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday signed an agreement to push ahead with the controversial E1 settlement expansion program that will cut across land that the Palestinians seek for a state.

The poll, shared exclusively with The Times of Israel, found that among all voters, around 80% considered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict moderately to extremely important, and among MAGA voters, the figure was 69%.

The survey asked respondents about Israel taking parts of the West Bank “by force” and officially making the areas part of Israel in annexation, “instead of working toward a broader peace agreement that includes a Palestinian state.”

Two-thirds of respondents, including 55% of MAGA participants and 84% of Democrats, said they would “push back against annexation.”

The majority also supported a hypothetical US-backed peace agreement that would include normalization between Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab countries, alongside Palestinian statehood. For MAGA supporters and Republicans in general, close to half would support such an agreement, more than a third would find it acceptable, and 61% of Democrats would back such a deal. Overall, 91% would either support or accept the arrangement.

A majority of respondents on the right were against a Palestinian state without normalization agreements, while in the center and on the left, a majority wanted or would accept a Palestinian state without normalization.

Most Republicans, 79%, and Independents, 52%, said US President Donald Trump’s leadership was “critical” for brokering a deal between the Israelis and Palestinians. For Democrats, 55% said Trump was not needed for a deal.

If Trump managed to broker a deal, his support would increase with three-quarters of Republicans and one-third of Democrats, although 57% of Democrats said they “wouldn’t care.”

A majority of every political group backed US financial support for peacebuilding initiatives between Israelis and Palestinians — 72% of Republicans, 67% of Independents, and 76% of Democrats. A majority of every group, including 73% of MAGA supporters, also said the US should spend more on peace-building than weapons for Israel.

British lawmaker, Shockat Adam, is drawing outcry after he referred to the Israeli army’s “blood-soaked tentacles” during an address in Parliament on Wednesday.

The comment by Adam, a Malawi-born businessman and optometrist who is an independent, came as the British Parliament discussed Israel’s strikes on Hamas leadership in the Qatari capital of Doha and as Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepared to host the Israeli president.

Adam said his niece and her young daughter had been at a library blocks from the scene of the Qatar strike.

After having witnessed the Israeli army massacre over 60,000 people in Gaza, 19,000 of whom are children, the blood-soaked tentacles of the Israeli army are now reaching closer to home, especially in my case,” said Adam, a longtime critic of Israel who decried the British government decision this week not to call Israel’s war in Gaza a “genocide.”

His phrasing drew criticism from those who said he was echoing longstanding antisemitic stereotypes about Jewish power. Octopuses have been a common element in antisemitic imagery, including that of the Nazis.

“If Shockat Adam has no idea of the historical significance of language like ‘blood-soaked tentacles,’ then he’s grotesquely ignorant, and in no position to participate in this debate,” tweeted Tomos Doran, a Welsh commentator. “If he *is* aware, then he really is just a Nazi. It’s pretty much as simple as that.”

Josh Howie, a Jewish right-wing political commentator, tweeted, “Pretty sure this country, including my grandparents, fought a war so that Nazis didn’t end up in Parliament.”

Adam did not draw a rebuke on the floor of Parliament, where the antisemitic symbol has been at the center of a previous controversy. In 2010, British MP Martin Linton faced criticism for warning voters of the “long tentacles of Israel” but later issued an apology after learning of the antisemitic roots of the language.

The BBC censured its own staff members on Thursday for calling Hamas a "terror group" contrary to the BBC's editorial guidelines.

During a 15 June 2025 news broadcast, a presenter referred to Hamas as "the terror group," leading to complaints from viewers.

Ok Thursday, the BBC's Editorial Complaints Unit decided that the use of the phrase breached its editorial standards and reported the presenter to management.

BBC's Editorial Guidelines say term 'terrorist' should only be used with attribution
"For reasons connected with due accuracy and impartiality, the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines say, “The term ‘terrorist’ should only be used with attribution, ie, when quoting or citing its use by others”.

As the ECU saw no material difference in this context between “terror group” and “terrorist group,” it found the use of the phrase complained of was a breach of the BBC’s editorial standards.

This implication is speculation. It could also be a false flag operation. There isn't enough evidence to make a conclusion, IMO. I would have though an attack by Israelis would further inflame opinion against Israel, which seems suspicious to me. Could it be a double feint? We simply don't have enough information as yet.

Add to that your comments about Greta Thunberg. You come off as a mouthpiece of Israel in the style of Bagdad Bob.

My comment about Thunberg is a personal opinion about an autistic person who has gone off the rails, IMO. I find it embarrassing to be associated with her.

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly endorsed a declaration outlining “tangible, time-bound and irreversible steps” toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, without the involvement of Hamas. Israel rejected the declaration, calling it a prize for the terror group.

One hundred and forty-two countries voted in favor of the non-binding resolution enshrining the New York Declaration, which also calls on Hamas to release all hostages and condemns the terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.

Joining Israel and the United States in opposing the resolution were Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, and Tonga. Twelve countries abstained.

It also calls for “collective action to end the war in Gaza, to achieve a just, peaceful and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the two-state solution.”

The declaration, which was endorsed by the Arab League and co-signed in July by 17 UN member states, including several Arab countries, also goes further than condemning Hamas, seeking to fully excise the terror group from leadership in Gaza.

Paramount condemned a pledge signed this week by more than 4,000 actors, entertainers, and producers, including some Hollywood stars, to not work with Israeli film institutions they claim “are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.”

The statement made Paramount the first major studio to respond to the pledge released on Monday.

“At Paramount, we believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire people, promote mutual understanding, and preserve the moments, ideas, and events that shape the world we share. This is our creative mission,” said the statement.

“We do not agree with recent efforts to boycott Israeli filmmakers. Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace,” the statement continued. ”

The global entertainment industry should be encouraging artists to tell their stories and share their ideas with audiences throughout the world. We need more engagement and communication — not less.”

Among the pledges’ signatories are actors Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Riz Ahmed, Javier Bardem, Joaquin Phoenix, Emma D’Arcy, Eric Andre, Elliot Page and Cynthia Nixon.

The pledge is distinct from other previous arts and culture Israel boycotts in naming specific Israeli cultural institutions that the letter’s signatories are boycotting. Those include major Israeli film festivals like the Jerusalem Film Festival, Haifa International Film Festival, Docaviv and TLVfest.

The pledge does not specifically target Israeli individuals. Instead, the document says the “refusal takes aim at institutional complicity, not identity,” and that “a few Israeli film entities are not complicit.”

Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever said Saturday he attended a concert by a German orchestra that was disinvited from a Belgian festival to show support for its Israeli conductor.

The cancellation of a planned performance at the Flanders Festival Ghent by the Munich Philharmonic over concerns about its Israeli future chief conductor, Lahav Shani, has triggered a storm of criticism and accusations of antisemitism.

De Wever, who had already criticized the move, said he travelled to the German city of Essen on Saturday to “strongly condemn” the decision, and express his appreciation for Shani in person.

“There will never, ever be any room for racism and antisemitism in this country,” he wrote on X, alongside a photo of himself shaking hands with Shani in a concert hall.

“I insisted on conveying this message to him personally and expressing my appreciation for his contribution to the power of music.”


Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever said Saturday he attended a concert by a German orchestra that was disinvited from a Belgian festival to show support for its Israeli conductor.

The cancellation of a planned performance at the Flanders Festival Ghent by the Munich Philharmonic over concerns about its Israeli future chief conductor, Lahav Shani, has triggered a storm of criticism and accusations of antisemitism.

De Wever, who had already criticized the move, said he travelled to the German city of Essen on Saturday to “strongly condemn” the decision, and express his appreciation for Shani in person.

“There will never, ever be any room for racism and antisemitism in this country,” he wrote on X, alongside a photo of himself shaking hands with Shani in a concert hall.

“I insisted on conveying this message to him personally and expressing my appreciation for his contribution to the power of music.”

The Ghent festival organizers said this week they had decided to scrap the performance because Shani had not “unequivocally” distanced himself from Israel’s government, whose ongoing war in Gaza against the Palestinian terror group Hamas has triggered international uproar.

Relax! Nobody in their right mind will associate you with Greta Thunberg unless you start acting in the style of her.

You are of course entitled to your personal opinions on her. But you seem to be either disinformed or dishonest about them.

Greta Thunberg Caught in Fraud That Could End Her Activism Career

https://youtu.be/Kj4Zfme8V0k?si=hugBGexh3qInjOlg

The headline is extreme. I haven't seen anything that suggests Thunberg was complicit in the deception, but then I haven't seen anything that suggests she wasn't, either. What is in evidence in other videos is the bald-faced deception of another member who was on the flotilla, categorically stating that he observed a drone drop an incendiary device. There was no drone, and this was verified by the Tunisian government. The article presented previously about having evidence of an Israeli type of grenade was clearly a lie. There was no grenade. It was a flare that was ignited by a member on the boat.

I have seen that and several similar videos by pro-Israel influencers. It's a lot of big talk and no substance. If there were any credibility to it every right-wing pro-Israel media company would broadcast it as head news. "verified by the Tunisian goverment" You have more trust in them than in BBC Verify? If so, I rest my case.

The ship carrying Greta Thunberg as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla was reportedly attacked by a drone, but Tunisian authorities have denied this claim, attributing the fire to an internal incident.
Newsweek
+1
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Overview of the Incident
On September 8-9, 2025, the "Family Boat," part of the Global Sumud Flotilla on a humanitarian mission to deliver aid to Gaza, caught fire while anchored off the coast of Tunisia. The activists aboard alleged that the vessel was struck by a drone, causing the fire. This claim was made by crew members who reported seeing a drone above the boat just before the explosion occurred.
Newsweek
+1
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Conflicting Reports
Activists' Claims: Members of the Global Sumud Flotilla stated that the drone dropped an incendiary device onto the ship, which resulted in the fire, and emphasized that all onboard remained safe.
3
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Tunisian Authorities' Denial: In contrast, Tunisian officials asserted that there was no evidence of a drone strike and attributed the fire to a malfunction or accidental ignition within the boat, possibly from life jackets or other equipment. They indicated that initial investigations found no drones involved in the incident.
2
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5 Sources
Ongoing Investigation
The situation is under investigation by Tunisian authorities, who have indicated their commitment to ascertaining the true cause of the fire. Activists responded positively to this commitment, stating that they are awaiting more information.
WION
+1
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Conclusion
The incident involving Greta Thunberg's vessel remains surrounded by ambiguous and conflicting narratives. While the Global Sumud Flotilla asserts a drone attack, official statements from Tunisian authorities firmly deny such claims, suggesting the fire stemmed from an internal issue. The investigation continues as both sides seek to clarify what transpired during this tumultuous episode. As the situation develops, it is essential to rely on credible sources and verified information for an accurate understanding of events.

A coalition of advocacy organisations and fan groups called on European soccer federations to boycott Israel in a Times Square billboard that went live on Tuesday, kicking off the #GameOverIsrael campaign months ahead of the World Cup.

The billboard went up on Tuesday in New York, which is set to host eight matches in the World Cup next year, including the final. Canada and Mexico are co-hosting the quadrennial international competition with the United States.

The campaign calls on soccer federations in Belgium, England, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Scotland, and Spain to boycott the Israel national team and ban Israeli players from domestic competitions, citing the ongoing attacks in Gaza.

Reuters was not immediately able to reach FIFA, UEFA and the Israel Football Association for comment.

"As the United States prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, Americans must not allow our stadiums to become platforms for whitewashing war crimes," said American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee National Executive Director Abed Ayoub in a statement.

The ADC launched the #GameOverIsrael initiative with several European partners.
"We stand with our European counterparts and demand that every football governing body take immediate and decisive action to bar Israel from international competition," said Ayoub. "The world must tell Israel that the game is over, and there is no room in sports for war criminals."

The billboard, which was located near the intersection of Broadway and West 43rd Street, contains the word “genocide,” which ADC said was only approved by the billboard company after it saw the text of the U.N. commission’s report.

Spanish state broadcaster RTVE’s board voted on Tuesday to withdraw from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest to be held in May in Vienna if Israel takes part in the event.

Spain is the fifth country to make such a pledge, after the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland and Ireland, and is the first of the so-called “Big Five” — a group that also includes Britain, Germany, Italy and France — to do so.

Belgium has also threatened not to take part if Israel is allowed to participate.

These countries automatically qualify for the contest’s final round.

The measure, proposed by RTVE President Jose Pablo Lopez, garnered 10 votes in favor, four against and one abstention in the 15-member board, the broadcaster said in a statement.

As antisemitism continues to rise on university campuses, more than three-quarters of Jewish students around the world are afraid to share their identities publicly, a new study has found.

Some 78 percent of Jewish students now conceal their religious identity and 81% hide their Zionist identity on campus, according to a survey of 1,727 students in more than 60 countries conducted during the 2024–2025 academic year by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS).

The findings are in line with others that have shown a growing culture of fear and intimidation in educational institutions since Hamas launched the Gaza war with its deadly attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. A recent survey by B’nai B’rith International and the European Union of Jewish Students found that antisemitic and anti-Israel narratives are becoming normalized on campuses across Europe. In the US, 83% of Jewish American college students have experienced or witnessed antisemitism firsthand since October 7, ADL has found.

The survey found a global Jewish student population that is scared and isolated. One in three respondents said they knew Jewish peers who had been physically threatened, and nearly one in five knew peers who were physically attacked. Orthodox Jewish students reported double the rate of discrimination compared to others, while Jewish women were significantly more likely than men to conceal their identity.

Nearly one in three Jewish students (29%) said they experienced discrimination from their classmates, and 9% faced it from professors and other university employees, the survey found.

Illustrating the fear many students feel, the survey gave the example of an anti-Israel protest at the University of Vienna last year.

“There was an ‘Intifada Camp’ glorifying Hamas on campus, and our building already had antisemitic graffiti on it,” recalled Victoria B., a Jewish Studies student. “One day, I was terrified to attend a seminar — there were only 10 of us in the lecture hall, and there were rumors that camp participants would roam campus looking for ‘Zionists.’ We canceled the seminar and fled through the back exit. For a moment, I felt like it was the 1930s, and Jewish students were being chased from their universities.”

US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont describes Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza as “genocide,” becoming the first United States senator to make such a charge against the Jewish state.

While Sanders has led efforts in the Senate to block the sale of US bombs and firearms to Israel, he had previously stopped short of describing the war as a “genocide,” a charge that Israeli leaders have rejected as antisemitic “blood libel.”

But in a statement titled “It’s a genocide,” Sanders declares “the conclusion is inescapable.”

“Having named it a genocide, we must use every ounce of our leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire,” says Sanders.

A US immigration judge orders the deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, an anti-Israel protest leader at Columbia University in New York City.

The immigration judge in one of his case, Jamee Comans, orders Khalil be deported to Algeria or Syria.

Comans says the grounds for the deportation include that Khalil committed “fraud” during the immigration process by deliberately concealing his ties to the UN agency for the Palestinians, UNRWA, and Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of anti-Israel campus activists.

Anti-Israel activists in the US have rallied behind Tarek Bazrouk, a New York resident who confessed to carrying out antisemitic attacks against three Jews.

In June, Bazrouk, 20, pleaded guilty in a federal court in New York to attacking the individuals because of their Jewish or Israeli identity. The victims of the attacks, which took place surrounding anti-Israel protests in 2024 and early 2025, were all wearing Jewish or Israeli symbols or were otherwise identifiable as such.

Ahead of Bazrouk’s sentencing on October 1, an array of activist groups have launched a campaign on his behalf. National Students for Justice in Palestine put out a call on Wednesday asking followers to send letters to the judge in the case requesting a lenient sentence for Bazrouk.

Tarek has been targeted in the broader repression tactic by the United States government to silence the movement for Palestinian liberation, and protect its genocidal interests,” the statement said, calling Bazrouk “our political prisoner.”

“We can show the court that Tarek’s community stands in unwavering support of him and demands his immediate liberation,” the statement said.

Other prominent activist groups that have backed Bazrouk include the Palestinian Youth Movement, Within Our Lifetime, Pal-Awda, the anti-Israel campus coalition Columbia University Apartheid Divest, and other student groups around New York City.

The activists urged their followers to write letters to the judge in the case requesting a lenient sentence, to write supportive messages to Bazrouk directly, and to donate to his jail commissary.

Supporters have donated more than $5,000 to Bazrouk, and nearly 2,000 signed a petition to the judge seeking to have him released.

He is facing a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

of the assaults took place surrounding anti-Israel protests in Manhattan. Bazrouk told the judge in the case that he, as a Palestinian, carried out the attacks “to express my outrage over Israel’s widespread killing and displacement of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.”

“I should have never used violence and should have never targeted any counter-protesters because of my perception of them as Jewish or Israeli,” he told the judge.

In April 2024, Bazrouk, while wearing a Hamas headband, scuffled with pro-Israel demonstrators at a protest outside the New York Stock Exchange. He was arrested during the altercation, and while he was being escorted to a police vehicle, he kicked a Jewish college student in the stomach.

In December 2024, at a protest near Columbia University, Bazrouk snatched an Israeli flag from two Jewish brothers while calling them “Nazis.” As the brothers followed Bazrouk through a crowd to retrieve the flag, he ambushed them from the side, punching one of the brothers in the face.

In January 2025, at another protest, Bazrouk jostled a Jewish counter-protester. The Jewish individual pushed Bazrouk away, who then punched him in the nose.

All of the victims were wearing kippahs, Stars of David, or Israeli flags, or were in groups singing Jewish songs. Two of the victims were Columbia University students.

Investigators found text messages from Bazrouk that corroborated his antisemitic motives.

A US Justice Department statement said Bazrouk self-identified as a “Jew hater.” He wrote to acquaintances, regarding Jews, “They are worthless,” “Allah get us rid of them,” derided a Jewish man as a “f*****g Jew,” and threatened to shoot Jews. He also told a friend he was “mad happy” to find out he has family who are Hamas members while he was visiting the West Bank and Jordan.

On Instagram, he posted a video of a Jewish child, told his followers to “get him,” and posted the name of the child’s Jewish school.

He also posted support for Hamas on social media. In addition, his phone had pro-Hamas and pro-Hezbollah propaganda, such as images of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, and he was in a chat group that received messages written by Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida.

In addition to the attacks, Bazrouk has been arrested at least 12 other times, including for drug dealing.

When investigators searched Bazrouk’s room, in an apartment he shared with his family, they found an airsoft gun that appeared to be an actual firearm, bullet casings, brass knuckles, four knives, including a switchblade and $750,000 in cash, the source of which remains unclear. He forfeited the cash to the authorities as part of his plea agreement.