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☆ Middle East Crisis U.N. Says About 300,000 Gazans Have Fled Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

There has been intense bombardment and fighting around Rafah since Monday, when Israel seized control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, largely halting the flow of aid. Dozens of people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Rafah since then, local health officials say. Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets over parts of Rafah and over a part of northern Gaza on Saturday that ordered people to flee. “Forcing civilians to evacuate Rafah to unsafe zones is intolerable,” Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union’s top diplomat, wrote late Saturday on the social media platform X. Several countries and international aid groups have condemned the prospect of a full-scale Rafah invasion, saying it would be catastrophic for civilians.

Persons: Gazans, Israel, ” Josep Borrell Fontelles, Biden Organizations: United Nations, Rafah Indonesian Field Hospital Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Al, Israel, United

☆ New York Democrat who sharply criticizes Israel faces ouster threat
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Edward-Isaac Dovere | Manu Raju | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

By December, he was standing with hunger strikers outside the White House, upping his criticism of the actions in Gaza. Shelley Mayer, a state senator whose district largely overlaps with the congressional district, initially backed Bowman. New York state Sen. Shelley Mayer at a state Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in April 2023, in Albany. Explaining how his response to the Israel-Hamas war fits his district, Bowman cited a poll conducted by his campaign that he claimed showed an overwhelming majority in his district support a permanent ceasefire. The Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) has endorsed Latimer and is expecting to spend to boost him.

Persons: Jamaal Bowman’s, Manu Raju ”, Jamaal Bowman, Israel’s, Israel, Bowman, upping, He’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Netanyahu, Shelley Mayer, George Latimer, Sen, Hans Pennink, ” Mayer, “, ”, We’ve, ” Bowman, Rashida Tlaib, Jonathan Jackson, Cori Bush, Nathan Howard, Biden, Chuck Schumer, –, New Yorker, Usamah Andrabi, Jeenah, Latimer, Jimmy Carter, Hakeem Jeffries, Kevin Riley, Riley, Israel doesn’t, ” Latimer, he’s, he’d, ‘, ’ ” Bowman, Amy Paulin, it’s, ” Paulin, Jamaal, Mandel Ngan, Latimer hasn’t, Patrick Dorton, Jeremy Ben, Ami, Ben, ” Ben, Steny Hoyer, Hoyer, ” Hoyer Organizations: CNN, Democrat, United Nations, J, New York Democrats, Democratic, Westchester, Republican, Capitol, Fox News, ”, Reps, House, Iron, Democratic Socialists, America’s, Michigan Rep, Palestinian, Israel, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, New, George Latimer voters, Democrats, Washington Post, House Democratic, Conservative, Getty, Jewish Voters, Empowerment, Black, AIPAC, PAC United Democracy, Democratic Party, ” Maryland Locations: Gaza, Bronx, Westchester County, That’s, New York, Washington, Israel, Washington groaned, George Latimer . New York, Albany, Palestine, Palestinian, York, Palestinian American, ”, White Plains , New York, Yonkers, Rye, Brooklyn, Westchester, Scarsdale, Washington ,, AFP

As the Israeli military stepped up pressure on what it calls Hamas’s last stronghold in Gaza, fighting elsewhere in the Palestinian enclave on Sunday led to warnings that the militants might remain a force for a long time to come. Close-quarters ground combat between Hamas fighters and Israeli troops raged in parts of northern Gaza over the weekend, both sides said on Sunday, even as the world’s attention was largely focused on the southern city of Rafah, where Israel escalated military operations last week. It has become a familiar scenario in the Gaza Strip over the course of the seven-month war: After pitched battles, Israel declares an area clear of Hamas, only to return after the militants reconstitute their forces. On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said he was concerned that Israel’s failure to lay down a template for the governance of Gaza meant that its victories might not be “sustainable” and would be followed by “chaos, by anarchy and ultimately by Hamas again.”

Persons: Hamas’s, Antony J, Blinken, ” Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Israel

☆ University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Protesters Agree to End Encampment
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Dan Simmons | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Protesters at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will take down a pro-Palestinian encampment that had stood for two weeks under an agreement reached with the school, university officials said in a statement on Sunday. The encampment, believed to be the last one standing at a Wisconsin college, will be gone by Tuesday, they said. School officials had allowed the encampment to stand and occupy a broad patch of lawn between Mitchell Hall and a busy thoroughfare on the campus’s southern boundary, choosing not to call in the police. That approach differed from one at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where administrators in early May called in the police to break down the tents after negotiations failed. After the initial crackdown failed to end the encampment, Wisconsin-Madison later came to an agreement with protesters to break down the camp voluntarily before commencement ceremonies over the weekend.

Persons: Mark Mone Organizations: University of Wisconsin, School, Mitchell, Wisconsin -, UWM Popular University for Palestine Coalition Locations: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Israel, Gaza

☆ In Rome, Adams Sees a Model for Helping Migrants Assimilate
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Jeffery C. Mays | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It didn’t take long for Mayor Eric Adams of New York to articulate what he liked about a welcome center for migrants and asylum seekers that he visited on Sunday in Rocca di Papa, a town about 15 miles outside Rome. “In two months they’re going from migrant to participating in society,” Mr. Adams said after a 30-minute tour of the center, where migrants from countries including Syria and Sudan are processed, take Italian lessons and receive health care before being sent out for job opportunities. The mayor, who has called on the federal government to expedite work permits and relocation assistance for migrants, repeated that appeal after visiting the center, which is run by the Red Cross and receives funding from the Italian government. He said he wanted help from the Biden administration to develop something similar in New York, where more than 190,000 migrants have arrived over the last two years. Mr. Adams’s visit came on the last day of a three-day trip to Rome, where he met Pope Francis at the Vatican and spoke at an international conference on peace.

Persons: Eric Adams, Rocca, “, ” Mr, Adams, Biden, Adams’s, Pope Francis Locations: New York, Rocca di, Rome, Syria, Sudan, Israel

CNN —President Joe Biden is facing backlash from lawmakers in both parties over his ultimatum that a major Israeli offensive in the city of Rafah would result in a shut-off of some US weapons. “So if you’re worried about Palestinian casualties, the stated policy here actually doesn’t make a ton of sense,” Vance said. The president’s announcement amounted to a turning point in US-Israeli ties since the seven-month conflict between Israel and Hamas began in October. Still, the president’s aides said the message shouldn’t have been a surprise to their intended recipients in Israel given repeated warnings to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I think President Biden has taken forceful action – so much so there’s been a lot of blowback for his recent public statement.”CNN’s Kit Maher, Aileen Graef, Kevin Liptak, Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.

Persons: Joe Biden, CNN’s Erin Burnett, “, Republican Sen, JD Vance, CNN’s Dana, ”, Biden, ” Vance, Benjamin Netanyahu, Burnett, Israel, Lindsey Graham of, Graham, GOP Sen, Rick Scott of, Israel ”, Josh Gottheimer, Adam Smith, Erin Burnett, –, Netanyahu, Democratic Sen, Chris Murphy, Bash, Murphy, Antony Blinken, ” Blinken, Chris Van Hollen, Margaret Brennan, Van Hollen, ” Van Hollen, ” Murphy, ” Democratic Sen, Chris Coons, Van Hollen’s, there’s, ” CNN’s Kit Maher, Aileen Graef, Kevin Liptak, Jennifer Hansler, Kylie Atwood Organizations: CNN, GOP, Republican, Union, Hamas, Fox News, Democrats, House Democrats, Rep, Congress, Democratic, Connecticut, “, CBS, Ministry, Health, State Department, ” Democratic Locations: Rafah, Ohio, “ State, Israel, Rafah —, Gaza, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Rick Scott of Florida, New Jersey, Washington, ”, Iraq, Afghanistan, United States, Maryland, Chris Coons of Delaware

☆ Young Palestinians with amputated and injured legs find care in US — but face uncertain future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Aditi Sangal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Celina OdehShe is one of three Palestinians who received PCRF’s help to come to the US for leg injury treatment. At least 1,000 children in Gaza have had one or both legs amputated, UNICEF reported in December. Doctors feared that she may have needed both legs amputated, but with adequate care and treatment, she has avoided that outcome. An anxious wait to return homeEvacuating to the United States is not the obvious answer for all injured children, Hailat said. “We’re trying to limit how many people we bring to the United States.

Persons: Ahed, “ Ahed, Bseso, ”, Tareq Hailat, Celina Odeh, Joe English, —, Israel —, Ahmed Damo, PCRF, PCRF Ayham, ’, Musalm, Hailat, Amber Alayyan, Alayyan, there’s, PCRF’s Hailat, “ We’re, malnourishment, worriedly, “ Organizations: CNN, Shriners Children’s, Palestine Children’s Relief, UNICEF, ”, Children’s Locations: Gaza, Greenville , South Carolina, United States, Israel, Chicago, Greenville

☆ Opinion: Eurovision’s slogan is ‘United by Music.’ The reality turned out very different
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Opinion Louis Staples | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The Eurovision Song Contest is a glittery and eccentric spectacle that rivals the Super Bowl for its attraction to audiences. When combined with the jury vote, Israel’s impressive public vote tally saw Golan finish in fifth place overall. Despite this, the EBU has always insisted that Eurovision is an apolitical music competition between broadcasters, rather than a political competition between governments. The 2023 contest in Liverpool was a moving display of unity — so much that Liverpool’s slogan, “United By Music,” was adopted by Eurovision for all future contests. On Saturday, there was very little sense that Eurovision was “united by music.” Some fans boycotted, while others mobilized online to vote for Israel.

Persons: Louis Staples, Celine Dion, Louis Staples Louis Staples, Greta Thunberg, Eden Golan, Israel, —, Lasagna, Golan, Nemo, Russia —, ”, Turkey, Isaac Herzog, Bambie, Joost Klein, AVROTROS, Martin Österdahl Organizations: Guardian, Rolling Stone, Wired, CNN, Super Bowl, Hamas, European Broadcasting Union, Eurovision, EBU, “ United, Music, Israel, Ukraine, Twitter, Facebook Locations: London, Slate, Switzerland, Swedish, Malmö, Gaza, Europe, Turkey, Israel, Russia, Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine, Liverpool, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Netherlands, Dutch

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war as Rafah invasion looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The Israeli military has ordered the immediate evacuation of several more neighborhoods in eastern Rafah as the Israeli military steps up its operations in the southern Gazan city. “They (Israelis) told us to leave the area in the morning,” one woman in al-Shabora, Rafah told CNN without giving her name. It comes as thousands of Gazans continue to flee Rafah after the Israeli military issued a call Monday for residents in the municipality of Al-Shawka and in the Al-Salam, Al-Jeneina, Tiba Zaraa, and Al-Bayouk neighborhoods in the Rafah area to "evacuate immediately." Israel has ordered Palestinians to leave to Al-Mawasi, a coastal town near the city of Khan Younis, where an “expanded humanitarian area” has been created. Satellite images obtained by CNN have shown that Israel’s current attacks in Rafah havedeveloped from airstrikes to ground operations.

Persons: “, Salam, Tiba Zaraa, Israel, Khan Younis Organizations: People, IDF, Israel Defense Forces, Spokesperson's, CNN Locations: Rafah, Gazan, al, Al, Khirbet Al, Shabora, Khan, ”

☆ In 1968, protests forced Columbia University to change graduation. Here’s what happened next.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Chelsea Bailey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Columbia University’s graduating class of 1968 was no stranger to protests. Graffiti on a blackboard at some point after protests began on April 23, 1968 at Columbia University in New York. Activist Mark Rudd, center, president of Students for a Democratic Society, addresses students at Columbia University on May 3, 1968. Students supporting the Columbia University sit-in and counter-demonstrators engage in a short-lived free-for-all outside Low Library at Columbia University on April 29, 1968. Although it took Columbia University years to recover and reestablish trust between the administration and the student body, several key changes emerged after the 1968 protests.

Persons: Dr, Martin Luther King Jr, Grayson Kirk, John the Divine, Neal Boenzi, Kirk, ”, Mark Rudd, King’s, – Kirk, Richard Hofstadter, Hofstadter, ” Hofstadter, Stephen Smale, University's Organizations: CNN, Columbia, Cathedral, St, Columbia University, New York Times, US Marine Corps, Columbia Spectator, Democratic Society, Hulton, Institute for Defense, Spectator, Bettmann, Morningside, Sun, Hamilton Hall, Police, AP, New York City Police Department, Low Library, University Senate, University Locations: Vietnam, Gaza, New York, Columbia, Harlem, Morningside, Bettmann, Berkeley

☆ Israeli guards strapped wounded Palestinian detainees to their beds wearing diapers and fed them through straws, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewAn Israeli detention center is subjecting Palestinians to abuse, strapping detainees down to their beds, blindfolding them, and holding them in diapers, a new CNN report alleges. It has been the site of abusive conduct against some of the 70 Palestinian detainees, three Israeli whistleblowers told CNN. One whistleblower told CNN that beatings were "not done to gather intelligence. In a field hospital, wounded detainees were strapped to beds, dressed in diapers, and fed through straws, CNN reported. In November, Business Insider's Alia Shoaib reported on graphic videos appearing to show IDF soldiers abusing Palestinian detainees in the West Bank.

Persons: —, Mohammed Al, Insider's Alia Shoaib, Adnan Al Organizations: Service, CNN, Business, Medical, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, of Health, Guards, Shifa, Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Anadolu, Getty, West Bank, BBC, Military Locations: Israel, Gaza, Aqsa, Deir Al Balah, Negev, al

☆ Joost Klein: Eurovision disqualifies Dutch act over incident involving female crew member
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Matt Wells | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Malmo CNN —The Eurovision Song Contest was thrown into fresh turmoil Saturday when organizers disqualified the Dutch entrant hours before the grand final for a backstage incident involving a female crew member. “Swedish police have investigated a complaint made by a female member of the production crew after an incident following his performance in Thursday night’s Semi Final. While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the Contest,” the EBU said. The EBU said the disqualification of Klein did not involve any other performer or member another country’s delegation. Tensions brew in Malmo ahead of finalThe alleged incident involving Klein happened on Thursday evening after the second semi-final, the EBU said.

Persons: Joost Klein, ”, Klein’s, AVROTROS, Klein, Eden Golan, Israel, Switzerland’s Nemo, France’s, Alyona, Jerry Heil, Golan Organizations: Malmo CNN, European Broadcasting Union, Swedish Police Authority, CNN, Malmo Arena, EBU, Security, RAI, Croatia, Israel Locations: Malmo, Sweden, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Gaza

☆ Middle East Crisis U.S. Criticizes Israel for Failure to Protect Civilians in the Gaza Conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

The report also did not find that Israel had intentionally obstructed humanitarian aid into Gaza. Such a finding would have triggered a U.S. law barring military aid to countries that block such assistance. They argue that Israel has indiscriminately killed civilians with American arms and intentionally hindered U.S.-supplied humanitarian aid. Either would violate U.S. laws governing arms transfers to foreign militaries, as well as international humanitarian law, which is largely based on the Geneva Conventions. The United States provides Israel with $3.8 billion in annual military aid, and Congress last month approved an additional $14 billion in emergency funding.

Persons: Biden, Israel “, —, President Biden, Israel, Israel’s, Israel ”, Brian Finucane, Finucane, “, Chris Van Hollen, Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr, ” “, ”, Josh Paul, Biden’s, John F, Kirby Organizations: State Department, Israel Defense Forces, President, Crisis, United, U.S ., Biden Administration, Israel, The State Department, Central Kitchen Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, U.S, Rafah, Congress, Geneva, Maryland, ”

Orleck and Tamari are among at least 50 professors arrested at campus protests across the country, according to a CNN review of police records, court filings, and news reports. (Since April 18, more than 2,400 students have been arrested amid protests on more than 50 campuses.) Officials from several universities where professors were arrested in connection with recent protests declined to comment on individual cases. All the professors, Blair said, were “expecting to get arrested.” Though Blair himself was not arrested, at least four other UCLA professors were that day. “I want to say some of my colleagues, particularly at Emory and Washington University, were treated much more brutally.

Persons: Orleck, whiplash, Steve Tamari, Louis, Tamari, “, Caroline Fohlin’s, Fohlin, Gregory Pflugfelder, Isaac Kamola, Alex Kent, ”, Kamola, “ There’s, Gregory Fenves, Fenves, Emory, Carol Folt, Andrew Guzman, Minouche Shafik, Joseph Howley, Graeme Blair, Blair, ‘, ” Orleck, she’d “, they’re, Sian Leah Beilock, WMUR, ” Tamari, Mo, Christine Tannous, Andrew Martin, hasn’t, ‘ Don’t, “ Don’t, ” Michael Allen, ” Allen, Allen, I’m, St . Louis, Michael Allen “, Chancellor Martin, Bikrum Gill, Gill, ” Gill, it’s Organizations: CNN, Dartmouth College, Washington University, Palestinian, Emory University, Columbia University, New York Times, American Association of University, ’ Center, Defense, Faculty of Columbia University, Getty, Emory, University of Southern, USC, Columbia, UCLA, Justice, Green, Hanover Police Department, Police, Louis Post, AP Protesters, Boeing Company, Israel Defense Forces, University, Desirée, Virginia Tech Locations: New Hampshire, St, Palestinian American, Atlanta, New York, Columbia’s, Palestine, Gaza, Los, Los Angeles, Dartmouth, Emory, Palestinian, American, Louis , Missouri, Missouri, Illinois, Louis, Washington, Israel, St .

☆ Isolated and Defiant, Israel Vows to ‘Stand Alone’ in War on Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Damien Cave | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ireland and Spain say they will recognize Palestine as a state by the end of the month. Even the United States — long Israel’s closest ally and benefactor — is threatening for the first time since the war began to withhold certain arms shipments. Seven months after much of the world pledged its support to Israel following a Hamas-led terrorist attack, the country finds itself increasingly isolated. Of greatest concern to Israel: splintering relations with the United States. This week, Mr. Biden said the United States was withholding delivery of 3,500 high-payload bombs.

Persons: —, Israel, Biden Organizations: Palestine Locations: Turkey, Israel, Ireland, Spain, States, Gaza, United States

☆ 10 Israeli soldiers hospitalized for wasp stings after their tank ran over a swarm's nest in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A swarm of wasps in the southern Gaza Strip injured twelve IDF soldiers. Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv treated the wounded soldiers, with one requiring intensive care. AdvertisementTwelve IDF soldiers were injured after being attacked by a swarm of wasps in the southern Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel reports. Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer admitted 10 of the wounded soldiers for treatment, with one requiring intensive care, said the report. In the wasp incident, the swarm was provoked by a tank rolling over its nest.

Persons: —, Efrat Katz Organizations: Gaza, Gaza Division's Southern Brigade, Sheba Medical, Service, Gaza Division's, Brigade, Sheba Medical Center, IDF, US Marine, Business Locations: Gaza, Tel Aviv, Israel, Tel Hashomer, Kentucky, Nirim, Hamas

☆ Switzerland wins Eurovision after politically charged song contest upstaged by Israel controversy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Switzerland’s Nemo won a chaotic and politically fraught Eurovision Song Contest, triumphing in a competition in Sweden that was upstaged by controversy over the presence of Israel. But organizers the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) sharply defended Israel’s presence, and insisted the contest is non-political – a line that became increasingly untenable as artists, broadcasters and fans clashed over the presence of Israel’s singer Eden Golan. Ultimately a competitor was disqualified, just hours before the event – the Dutch contestant Joost Klein, who was kicked out of the final after an “incident” backstage. Ireland’s Bambie Thug told CNN in the build-up to the event that it was “the wrong decision” not to exclude Israel, as Russia had been two years ago. But for all the celebratory scenes that closed the show, the EBU will be relieved to see a rocky week conclude.

Persons: Switzerland’s Nemo, Eden Golan, Joost Klein, Ireland’s Bambie Thug, ”, … Organizations: CNN, Israel’s, Malmo, Eurovision, Protesters, European Broadcasting Union Locations: Sweden, Israel, Gaza, Russia, Swedish

☆ US Marine officer claims 40% of drones the IDF has shot down were their own, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A US Marine officer said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been shooting down some of its own drones. The officer said the IDF had been taking out 40% of their own UAVs, per The War Zone. AdvertisementThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been shooting down almost half of their own drones, a US Marine Corps officer has said. The Marine Corps told Business Insider that The War Zone report was accurately contextualized but declined to provide additional information. Reports have also emerged suggesting that the IDF had likely accidentally killed Israeli citizens during Hamas' attacks on October 7.

Persons: —, Michael Pruden, it's, Pruden, Efrat Katz Organizations: US, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Service, US Marine Corps, Marine Corps, Royal United Services Institute, Haaretz, Israel Air Force Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ Opinion | A Failure of Leadership at American Universities
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Protesting the world’s wrongs has been a rite of passage for generations of American youth, buoyed by our strong laws protecting free speech and free assembly. The highest calling of a university is to craft a culture of open inquiry, one where both free speech and academic freedom are held as ideals. The Constitutional right to free speech is the protection against government interference restricting speech. In the real world, though, this can get messy, and nuance is required when free speech comes into tension with protecting academic freedom. The earliest universities to adopt the principle of academic freedom did so to thwart interference and influence from totalitarian states and religious zealotry.

Organizations: don’t, American Association of University Locations: Israel

☆ The Long, Tortured Road to Biden’s Clash With Netanyahu Over Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden laid it out for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel long before letting the public know. For the first time, the president who had so strongly backed Israel’s war against Hamas was essentially threatening to change course. Six days later, on Feb. 17, Mr. Biden heard from Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. Despite the president’s warning, Mr. Blinken reported that momentum for an invasion of Rafah was building. Mr. Netanyahu responded defiantly, vowing to act even “if we need to stand alone.”

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Antony J, Blinken, Netanyahu, ” Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Munich, United States, Israel

☆ Anti-government protests demand release of Gaza hostages ahead of Israel’s Memorial Day
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Eugenia Yosef | Mohammed Tawfeeq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Protesters took to the streets of several cities across Israel on Saturday, demanding the release of all hostages held in Gaza ahead of Israel’s Memorial Day. Families of hostages held in Gaza also took part in anti-government protests, including in Tel Aviv, Caesarea, Rehovot, and Haifa. Many waved Israeli flags and held up signs with images of the Israeli hostages, calling on the government to bring them home alive. Israeli mounted police deploy during a rally calling for the release of hostages held in Gaza outside the defense ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on May 11, 2024. “The UK government has been working with partners across the region to secure the release of hostages, including British nationals.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yael Adar, Tamir Adar, Tamir, ” Adar, Jack Guez, Hagit Chen, Itay Chen, “, ” Chen, Abu Obaida, Popplewell, ” Obaida, Kibbutz, Channah Peri, brother Roi Organizations: CNN — Protesters, Israel Defense Forces, Getty, Al, Brigades, Minister’s, CNN, United Locations: Israel, Gaza, Israel’s, Tel Aviv, Caesarea, Rehovot, Haifa, AFP, Kibbutz Nirim, Israeli

☆ Opinion | Reading and Protesting on Campus
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Yet Mr. Douthat somehow suggests that a handful of anticolonial texts read in the yearlong course are fueling widespread antisemitism. Mr. Douthat fails to explain how students go from Gandhi’s passive resistance or Bhimrao Ambedkar’s civic liberalism to condoning Hamas’s terrorism. Even a course as expansive as “Contemporary Civilization” cannot cover everything. “Contemporary Civilization” requires that students think critically about a wide range of ideological commitments, including classical liberalism, civic republicanism and Judeo-Christian-Islamic thought. Mr. Douthat should know better.

Persons: Ross Douthat, Douthat, condoning, Frantz, Hannah Arendt’s, Douthat’s, “ Locations: Gaza

☆ A Rising Democrat Leans Into the Campus Fight Over Antisemitism
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Katie Glueck | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A few hours after Columbia University canceled its main commencement ceremony following weeks of pro-Palestinian student protests, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania was in his office in Harrisburg, taking stock of the ways he sees universities letting students down. “Our colleges, in many cases, are failing young people,” he said in an interview this week. “Failing to teach information that is necessary to form thoughtful perspectives. They are willing to let certain forms of hate pass by and condemn others more strongly.”Mr. Shapiro — the leader of a pre-eminent battleground state, a rising Democrat and a proudly observant Jew — has also emerged as one of his party’s most visible figures denouncing the rise in documented antisemitism after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Persons: Josh Shapiro, ”, “, Mr, Shapiro —, —, Shapiro Organizations: Columbia University, Gov, Pennsylvania, Israel Locations: Harrisburg, “, Israel

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, looming Rafah invasion, Israel Eurovision participation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Police face pro-Palestinian protesters in central Malmo during the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Malmo Arena, Sweden, on May 9. More than 150 million people around the world will watch Saturday's Eurovision final on TV, and around 15,000 fans will gather inside the Malmo Arena. Those protesting or boycotting the song contest say it is “artwashing” the conflict; others defend Israel’s inclusion, insisting the contest should not be dragged into geopolitics. And they are leading to perhaps the tensest three minutes in the contest’s history, when Israel’s competitor, Eden Golan, performs live. “I would imagine the scale of it in Malmo would be bigger than anything we’ve ever seen before.”Read the full analysis.

Persons: Johan Nilsson, ” Paul Jordan, ”, Weeks, Eden Golan, ” Jordan, “ Organizations: Malmo Arena, Getty, Music, Malmo, Eurovision, CNN Locations: Malmo, Sweden, AFP, Swedish, Gaza, Israel

☆ Opinion | Biden’s Real Mistake in Pausing Military Aid to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It is unfortunate that President Biden chose to announce his pause of some weapons sales to Israel while on a political campaign swing through Wisconsin. I use that word — “unfortunate” — not because I don’t understand why Biden did so, but because the move has enabled Benjamin Netanyahu to deflect attention from the fact that the most dangerous leader threatening Israel today is not Biden but Bibi. Netanyahu’s policies have not and will not produce a sustainable victory in Gaza, cannot secure Israel against its greatest existential threat — Iran — and are endangering world Jewry and undermining America’s broader Middle East strategic needs and goals. That is the real source of tension between Washington and Jerusalem today. It is not Biden’s temporary hold on sending Israel a fresh supply of 2,000-pound bombs and some other offensive weapons — which Biden has been warning Israel for months that he would do if Israel attempted to pulverize Rafah, the way that it did Gaza City and Khan Younis, without an evacuation of civilians.

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bibi, Israel, Khan Younis, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Hamas ❤️ Biden Organizations: Israel, National Security, Hamas Locations: Israel, Wisconsin, Gaza, Iran, Washington, Jerusalem, Rafah

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