Mideast War blowback

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Internal political debates between American Jewish organizations have ground to a halt following the violent attacks in Washington and Boulder, with the community united and focused squarely on safety, Haaretz's Washington D.C. correspondent Ben Samuels said on the Haaretz Podcast.

"Acts like this are just so unimpeachably antisemitic that there really is no gray area," he said. "We're seeing a real unanimity from the community. Whatever disagreements they may have with [U.S. President Donald] Trump's crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters, or on what definition of antisemitism to adopt regarding criticizing Israel – these sort of attacks leave absolutely zero room for debate."

If, after the shootings of two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington D.C. two weeks ago, "panic was at a fever pitch" among American Jews, following the Boulder attack on a march for Israeli hostages "it is a five-alarm fire." Government money for police protection, increased FBI capabilities and better online monitoring are among other demands from American Jewish leaders "that needed to be met yesterday."

In an unprecedented move in Israel-UK relations, Britain will place sanctions on senior Israeli officials. The Times of London reported on Tuesday that Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir will face formal sanctions for their comments about Gaza.

Britain – joined by Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries – will enact asset freezes and travel restrictions on Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday.

The sanctions ban Smotrich and Ben-Gvir from entering the country or dealing with British financial institutions, similar to what senior Russians have faced due to the war in Ukraine.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy had earlier indicated that sanctions were forthcoming due to the ministers' statements, which he labeled "monstrous." Addressing the House of Commons last month, he declared.

"We are now entering a dark new phase in this conflict. Netanyahu's government is planning to drive Gazans from their homes into a corner of the strip to the south and permit them a fraction of the aid that they need. "Yesterday, minister [Bezalel] Smotrich even spoke of Israeli forces cleansing Gaza, destroying what's left of residents, Palestinians being relocated, he said, to third countries." He continued, saying, "We must call this what it is. It is extremism. It is dangerous. It is repellent. It is monstrous and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms."

In May, leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Canada issued a stern rebuke of Israel's intensified military operations in Gaza, calling the humanitarian crisis "intolerable" and urging an immediate halt to the offensive, according to a joint statement published on the UK government's website. The statement, released on May 19, 2025, also demanded that Israel allow unrestricted humanitarian aid into Gaza and condemned inflammatory rhetoric from Israeli officials suggesting forced displacement of civilians.

Several days later the British government imposed sanctions against key figures in the Israeli settlement movement in Judea and Samaria, as well as Israeli construction companies operating in the region.

Two Palestinian activists from Masafer Yatta in the West Bank were prevented from entering the U.S. upon arrival in San Francisco on Wednesday, after U.S. officials invalidated their visas.

Eid Suleiman Hadaleen and Awdah Hathaleen, who were traveling to the U.S. to speak to progressive Jewish synagogues and organizations, now stand to be deported.

hile the Trump administration has made its crackdown on pro-Palestinian student visa holders a central component of its attack on immigration and universities, this would appear to be the first case of Palestinian activists being denied entry into the U.S. on political grounds.

The activists from the village of Umm al-Khair were entering the U.S. as part of an interfaith program, with their visas sponsored by the Kehilla Community Synagogue in Piedmont, California. They were slated to discuss the plight facing the region, which was spotlighted in this year's Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land."

"They were coming here to do a speaker tour in the Bay Area, Boston and Washington, DC," said Ben Linder, co-chair of J Street Silicon Valley, who organized an event scheduled for Thursday night at the Los Altos United Methodist Church. "We have four different events in the San Francisco Bay Area in the next 48 hours that they were supposed to speak at.

Linder said J Street contacted three local congressmen to try and find a solution. "They were detained inside the San Francisco airport yesterday," he said. "They arrived from Qatar. Their visas were very valid. Their U.S. tourist visas were invalidated by the Customs and Border Patrol. They are being held and not allowed to communicate, and they will be deported today back to Qatar."

British band Massive Attack on Monday threatened to sue Israeli hasbara activist Hen Mazzig, after he claimed the group incited against Israel and praised the former Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

During the band's performance in London on Sunday, news footage was projected behind them, including a clip showing Sinwar walking through tunnels with his family.

Mazzig shared the video on his social media accounts and accused the band – who present themselves as peace activists – of glorifying Sinwar.

In response, Massive Attack reposted Mazzig's comment on Monday, saying that while they typically avoid using X due to its ownership by Elon Musk, the band is seeking his address to send a formal legal warning. Unless Mazzig deleted the tweet and issued a public apology, they would pursue legal action, they said.

The band then released a lengthy statement, saying, "Massive Attack categorically reject any suggestion that footage or reportage used as part of an artistic digital collage in our live show seeks to glorify or celebrate any featured subject."

"In the specific case of the film loop that includes reportage of Yahya Sinwar, the entire sequence interplays with scenes from Jean Cocteau's film Orpheus, creating both a placement and implicit tone of horrified lament; that an individual of power can take people down into hell," they added.

"It would be bizarre, and perhaps revealing, that any observer of the live show films would solely home in on the Sinwar/IDF footage and completely overlook all other controversial figures featured in the reportage loops," they said.

Mazzig has not yet responded to the band's statement and has not removed the X post.

Massive Attack, who have performed in Israel in the past, have highlighted Palestinian issues in their shows for years. During their current tour, which has been ongoing for about six months, they project videos featuring Palestinian flags, footage of Israeli bombings in Gaza and occasionally speeches by local political activists.