The Left’s turn against Israel is complete with the NY Times’ latest antisemitic smear: Michael Goodwin!

 

Nicholas Kristof

For those who missed last week’s gutter-level low for The New York Times, here’s a catch-up — and the big picture meaning.

The focus is Nicholas Kristof’s bizarre column last Monday that repeated debunked claims that Israeli dogs had raped Palestinian prisoners. Among the landslide of criticism, the most frequent was that the author had swallowed, hook, line and sinker, garbage from sources widely known for peddling Hamas propaganda.

The key assertions Kristof makes are so outlandish that the Israeli government vows to file a defamation suit against him and the Times.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the writer and paper “defamed the soldiers of Israel and perpetuated a blood libel about rape, trying to create a false symmetry between the genocidal terrorists of Hamas and Israel’s valiant soldiers.”

The last reference, of course, is to the well-documented cases of Hamas terrorists raping women and children — and sometimes corpses — during and after the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion.

Those proven war crimes are a prime reason why the paper’s dogmatic defense of Kristof’s column is as outrageous as the column itself. By embracing without reservations the Hamas-tainted sourcing and the author’s claims that echo ancient antisemitic tropes about Jews, the Times has tied itself to wild assertions that most rookie reporters would suspect.

The tweet that sparked outrage online: “Tel Aviv is being conquered by religious people"

 Independent journalist Hila Tov sparked controversy after claiming that Tel Aviv is being “conquered" by religious Jews, and questioning why they choose to live “in the heart of secularism."

The journalist, who is the mother of Michael Hauser Tov of Haaretz, triggered a broad public uproar on social media.

The controversy began after Tov published a post protesting the presence of religious residents in her hometown, Tel Aviv. In the post, she included a photo of an armed religious man carrying a long gun alongside a father pushing a baby stroller.

“In a disturbing and revolting way, Tel Aviv is being conquered by kippah-wearers with guns, and by groups in the ‘Rosh Yehudi’ style," Tov wrote. “And don’t start with ‘there’s room for everyone’ - because there isn’t. Look at what’s happening in Arad, for example. The takeover of Tel Aviv is deliberate and systematic. If not to poke a finger in the eye, why come settled specifically in the heart of secularism?"

The post sparked a wave of harsh reactions from many users, some of whom accused Tov of antisemitism, with one commenter writing that “this tweet would probably sound even better in German."

Guy Levy, spokesperson for Likud, responded sarcastically by suggesting she open a dedicated email address where people could submit formal applications to move to the city for her approval.

On the other hand, a resident of central Tel Aviv who identified himself as secular expressed a more moderate view toward the religious presence: “I think we would gain a lot as a society if we stopped looking at people as groups and started looking at them as individuals. I have religious-Zionist friends - heaven forbid - who live in central Tel Aviv because they love the city, the proximity to the sea, and being close to friends. Not everything is part of some malicious plan."

Right-wing activist Ayelet Lash also criticized the remarks and pointed to what she described as hypocrisy on the left: “When we live in Judea and Samaria, you shout ‘get out of there.’ When we move to the Gaza border area, you shout ‘but why there?’ When we go to Metula, you shout ‘the religious are conquering Metula.’ When we arrive in Lod, you shout ‘why did you come to stir things up?’ You want coexistence with Nazi Arabs but can’t stand seeing your own brothers wearing kippahs within your radius. Tell me more about the inclusion, pluralism, humanity, and tolerance of the Israeli left."

The Yeshiva World News Posts a Flawed Poll that "MAJORITY OF ISRAELIS OPPOSE NETANYAHU"

As many have already read, Rav Dov Landau — the spiritual leader of Degel — instructed his representatives in the Zionist Knesset to leave the coalition, effectively triggering the collapse of the current government. Since national elections are already scheduled for October, this move is largely symbolic and politically unnecessary.

The real purpose, in my view, is to keep the Chareidi parties relevant at a time when more and more frum Jews are beginning to recognize that these parties operate primarily for their own interests. They do not participate in the responsibilities of the State, they do not recognize the State, and they avoid contributing to anything that benefits the broader population. Meanwhile, nearly every city with a large Chareidi population is listed among Israel’s poorest.

Now, in order to maintain their influence, they are turning against the very person who supported them for years — Netanyahu. They are already signaling openness to working with the Left and even with Arab parties if it brings financial gain. A report last week revealed that Rav Landau rejected a Left‑wing proposal two years ago that would have granted full army exemptions for yeshivah students. The reason? The deal did not include additional funding for the mosdos. This makes it clear that the issue is not Torah learning — it is money and control. The army debate is simply a convenient rallying cry for their base.

Last night, Yeshiva World News ran the headline:

“MAJORITY OF ISRAELIS OPPOSE NETANYAHU: Poll Finds Most Believe He Should Leave Political Life.”

This poll comes from the far‑left newspaper Maariv, whose polling has been consistently inaccurate for the past decade. In contrast, Arutz Sheva published a poll just last week indicating that Netanyahu is still favored to return as Prime Minister in October.

So why did Yeshiva World News choose to highlight this particular, highly questionable poll?

Because their readers are beginning to question the logic behind dissolving the government. By promoting this flawed survey, they can claim that it’s not only Rav Landau who opposes Netanyahu — it’s supposedly the “majority of Israelis.” The Lazar Research Center, which conducted the poll for Maariv, uses opaque and non‑transparent methodology, raising further doubts about its reliability.

Mamzerani "the satmerer" releases a Nakba Day Video

 

Don't expect the Satmar Leadership to condemn Mazarani, they stick by their own! 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced widespread criticism from Jewish organizations and elected officials after releasing a Nakba Day video that opponents said unfairly portrayed Israel’s founding while ignoring key historical context.

The video, posted Friday by the mayor’s office shortly before Shabbat, highlighted Palestinian displacement during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation and included testimony from a Palestinian resident recalling her family’s departure from Jerusalem. The presentation described the Nakba as an ongoing experience for Palestinians.

Jewish advocacy groups and lawmakers quickly condemned the message, arguing it failed to mention the invasion of Israel by Arab armies after independence, the rejection of a U.N. partition proposal by Arab leaders and the displacement of Jewish communities from Arab countries in the years that followed.

The UJA-Federation of New York accused the mayor of presenting a selective version of history, while several state lawmakers said the video risked deepening tensions at a time of heightened antisemitic incidents in New York City.

Assemblymembers Simcha Eisenstein and Sam Berger were among those criticizing the use of city resources for the project, arguing the video promoted a political narrative hostile to Israel.

The backlash came as anti-Israel demonstrations tied to Nakba Day took place in Manhattan, where some protesters displayed Hezbollah flags and chanted slogans calling for Israel’s elimination.

Earlier in the day, Mamdani had praised authorities for arresting a suspect accused of planning an attack on a New York synagogue, stating that antisemitism and extremism would not be tolerated in the city.

Chardeim burning down the Jerusalem Light Rail

מי כעמך ישראל

A guard post at the light rail construction site on Bar Ilan Street in Jerusalem was set on fire during violent demonstrations. 

Firefighters rapidly contained the blaze before it could spread to heavy  machinery.

The dead soifer!

 

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Update on the Israeli strike that killed Hamas’s Gaza leader Izz al-Din Haddad

 

 Israel eliminates final senior Hamas leader in Gaza

Israeli forces eliminated senior Hamas terrorist Izz al-Din Haddad in an operation reportedly named “Sharp Courage.” 

Haddad had recently been hiding underground, and final approval for the strike was granted by the political leadership several days ago. 

Israeli forces also struck a vehicle that allegedly attempted to flee the scene. Haddad was considered the last remaining top Hamas figure in the Gaza Strip who had not yet been eliminated

 

 Four close associates of Haddad were reportedly killed in a vehicle while trying to leave an apartment used as a hideout. 

Three Israeli Air Force fighter jets participated in the airstrike on the Hamas leader. According to the military, the jets dropped 13 bombs. Vehicles departing from the location were struck, reportedly to prevent Haddad’s escape.

 A senior Israeli security official said that the strike targeting Izz al-Din Haddad was approved by the political echelon about a week and a half ago. During that time, Haddad was under "continuous" surveillance, and the strike was carried out this evening "due to an operational opportunity with a high probability of successful elimination," the official said.

 According to the Israeli military, Haddad was targeted by the Israeli Air Force shortly after intelligence officers at the Southern Command and Military Intelligence Directorate received information on his whereabouts. 

During the war, Haddad moved between numerous hiding places, surrounding himself with many hostages, including the female surveillance soldiers abducted from the Nahal Oz base, to avoid being targeted in Israeli strikes, a military source says. 

Haddad was the most senior Hamas military commander in Gaza and the last remaining senior official in the terror group who led the October 7 massacre. After the strike, Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly personally updated the family of former Gaza hostage Liri Albag on the assassination. Liri was held by Haddad in Hamas captivity. Albag responded on Instagram to the assassination attempt on Hamas military wing leader, writing:

 'Every dog has his day – and you're one hell of a dog.'

Imagine walking up to the Bais Hamikdash

 

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Watch Tens of thousands celebrate the Great Miracles of Yom Yerushlayim

 

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Zera Shimshon Parshat Bamidbar