Jerusalem News. 31 January 2025, 3 Shevat, 5785.
Contents:
1. Macron's Betrayal: How France Turned Its Back on Israel
2. Gazans Want to Leave Gaza.
3. Trump Signs Executive Order to Crack Down on Antisemitism in America.
4, New Zealand and Australia discriminate against IDF soldiers.
5. Father of former hostage Emily Hand says he would 'hesitate' to return to Ireland.
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1. Macron's Betrayal: How France Turned Its Back on Israel
https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/01/28/macrons-betrayal-how-france-turned-its-back-on-israel/
by Gregory Lyakhov
Extracts:
For decades, France and Israel stood shoulder to shoulder, their partnership a shining example of trust, strength, and shared purpose. But now, that bond is in serious danger. The reason? French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders are abandoning Israel because of pressure inside their country, and outside in the international community.
In the 1950s and 1960s, France was Israel's closest ally, supplying arms and technology when no one else would. The two nations collaborated on groundbreaking projects like the development of Israel's nuclear program, cementing their shared interests in security and innovation. During the 1956 Suez Crisis, they worked side by side, demonstrating the strength of their partnership against shared threats. France's support wasn't just strategic; it was a clear statement of solidarity with Israel's struggle for survival.
But the alliance wasn't just about military cooperation. Culturally and politically, the two nations mirrored each other in their commitment to democracy and Western ideals. French leaders like Charles de Gaulle saw Israel as a natural ally, and for years, France was Israel's leading supplier of weapons. This partnership wasn't just strong, it was essential to both countries' visions of stability and progress.
The cracks in the Israel-France relationship didn't appear overnight, but October 7, 2023, was the tipping point. In a single, devastating Hamas attack, 1,200 Israelis were killed, and over 200 were taken hostage. For Israel, it wasn't just an act of terror, it was a national trauma, the kind of event that reshaped a nation's worldview. Adjusting for population differences, Israel lost 15 times as many people as America did on 9/11.
Around the globe, world leaders stood in solidarity with Israel. Yet almost immediately from the outset, Macron's condemnation was coupled with a lecture on restraint in hopes of subduing Israel's reaction. Instead of unequivocal support, Macron criticized Israel's military tactics in Gaza as 'disproportionate' and even recommended a global arms embargo on Israel.
In Israel's darkest hour, the man who should have been a staunch ally chose political correctness over solidarity.
Macron isn't naive. His response wasn't a mistake; it was a deliberate strategy. France is working to position itself as a power in Middle Eastern diplomacy by strengthening ties with Arab nations. In 2023, France supported the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
In early 2024, French authorities banned Israeli defense companies from Eurosatory, one of the world's premier arms fairs. The message was clear: Israel, once a favored partner, was now a liability.
Macron's pivot away from Israel aligns perfectly with public sentiment in France. A 2024 poll revealed over 60% of French citizens support Palestinian causes. In France, the pro-Palestinian movement has gained unstoppable momentum.
Trade between France and Israel, which once topped $3 billion annually, has plummeted. Defense collaborations have ended, forcing Israel to deepen ties with other nations, particularly in Asia and the Gulf.
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2. Gazans Want to Leave Gaza
By
Jewish Press News Desk
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Abu Ali Express has posted a number of videos [below] of Gazans who went back to Northern Gaza to look at their homes and discovered that everything is gone. Their Hamas leaders brought total destruction down on them.
There's no life there anymore, and they want to leave Gaza. They want the gates opened so they can leave
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3. Trump Signs Executive Order to Crack Down on Antisemitism in America
By
Hana Levi Julian
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/us-news/trump-to-crack-down-on-antisemitism-deport-foreign-agitators/2025/01/30/
Extracts ONLY!
President Donald Trump is ratcheting up the efforts to address antisemitism in America with an executive order signed on Wednesday targeting anti-Jewish foreign agitators.
The Executive Order reads as follows:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose. My Administration has fought and will continue to fight anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world. On December 11, 2019, I issued Executive Order 13899, my first Executive Order on Combating Anti-Semitism, finding that students, in particular, faced anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on university and college campuses. Executive Order 13899 provided interpretive assistance on the enforcement of the Nation's civil rights laws to ensure that they would protect American Jews to the same extent to which all other American citizens are protected. The prior administration effectively nullified Executive Order 13899 by failing to give the terms of the order full force and effect throughout the Government. This order reaffirms Executive Order 13899 and directs additional measures to advance the policy thereof in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, against the people of Israel. These attacks unleashed an unprecedented wave of vile anti-Semitic discrimination, vandalism, and violence against our citizens, especially in our schools and on our campuses. Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault. A joint report by the House Committees on Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability, Veterans' Affairs, and Ways and Means calls the Federal Government's failure to fight anti-Semitism and protect Jewish students 'astounding'. This failure is unacceptable and ends today.
Sec. 2. Policy. It shall be the policy of the United States to combat anti-Semitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence.
Sec. 3. Additional Measures to Combat Campus Anti-Semitism.
Sec. 4. General Provisions.
With this move, Trump has fulfilled a campaign promise made last year.
'I will inform every educational institution in our land that if they permit violence, harassment or threats against Jewish students the schools will be held accountable for violations of the civil rights law,' Trump said at an antisemitism event in Washington.
'It's very important Jewish Americans must have equal protection under the law and they're going to get it. At the same time, my Administration will move swiftly to restore safety for Jewish students and Jewish people on American streets.'
Antisemitism on American college and university campuses skyrocketed under the Biden Administration to 8,873 reported incidents nationwide in 2023, a 140 percent increase over such incidents the year before and the highest level recorded since the Anti-Defamation League began its tracking in 1979.
During his previous term, Trump issued an Executive Order on combating antisemitism by adding Jews to the list of minority groups protected against discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
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4. New Zealand and Australia discriminate against IDF soldiers.
New Zealand Denies Entry To IDF Reservist Who Fought In Gaza
https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2357769/new-zealand-denies-entry-to-idf-reservist-who-fought-in-gaza.html
New Zealand has begun requiring Israelis applying for visa to list details of their IDF service as a condition for entry, Times of Israel (TOA) reported on Tuesday.
At least one Israeli was denied entry to the country after providing details of their IDF service.
According to the report, in recent months, Israelis of reserve age who applied for tourist visas to New Zealand were asked whether they served in the IDF and whether they are active reservists. Those who responded positively were required to fill out extremely detailed questionnaires about their IDF service.
Questions included: 'Have you been associated with any group or organization that has used or promoted violence or human rights abuses to further their aims?' and 'Have you committed or been involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity, or human rights abuses?'
Reservists who couldn't reveal details of their IDF service because of security concerns were not granted exemptions and could not obtain a visa.
The report said that one soldier who served in Gaza during the current war was denied entry as a result of one of his answers on the questionnaire. He noted that he said that he was not involved in war crimes in Gaza.
New Zealand has apparently adopted its neighbor Australia's anti-Israeli and pro-terror policies, which forces Israelis to fill out similar questionnaires.
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5. Father of former hostage Emily Hand says he would 'hesitate' to return to Ireland.
https://chauhaninformationnews.quora.com/Father-of-former-hostage-Emily-Hand-says-he-would-hesitate-to-return-to-Ireland
The father of the released Irish-Israeli hostage Emily Hand has said he would "probably hesitate" to return to Ireland.
Thomas Hand was reunited with his then nine-year-old daughter Emily one month after she was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Thomas Hand says:
"Ive been a very proud Irishman all my life. I advertise the fact, I tell people yes Im Irish."
"I'm not so proud anymore. I'm actually embarrassed, ashamed to call myself Irish now. After what's happened to Emily, and they [Irish authorities] were integral in the whole process of it.
"Knowing everything Hamas has done, Im sure theyve seen the videos of their GoPros, theyve seen all the evidence."
"Recognizing Palestine as a state, very soon after their massive terrorist attack, it was almost a reward."
"They [the Irish government] must have seen all the atrocious videos that Hamas put online themselves and yet they were recognised. For me personally, it looked like they were being rewarded for what they did."