Tag: Israel

Anti-Gun Tennessee Activist Group Called to ‘Disrupt’ Nashville Businesses for Being Pro-Israel

Tom Pappert

The Tennessee Student Solidarity Network (TSSN) urged activists to “disrupt” a number of Nashville businesses on Saturday over their purported pro-Israel stance as part of the controversial Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Community organizing group Nour Nashville distributed a flyer on social media revealing a “BDS Direct Action” event scheduled for December 9. The group explained the post is a “call for action to disrupt businesses in support of genocide,” and urged its followers to message the TSSN “for details.” Neither Nour Nashville nor TSSN posted updates about their planned disruptions by press time.

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YoungkinWatch: Williamsburg Festival Denies Hanukkah Celebration Ever Scheduled After Governor Condemns Cancellation

Tom Pappert

A Williamsburg music and arts festival is denying it ever scheduled a menorah lighting to celebrate Hanukkah after Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) condemned the group’s purported decision to cancel it amid Israel’s defensive war against Hamas.

News broke on Sunday that the 2nd Sundays Art and Music Festival in Williamsburg canceled a menorah lighting scheduled for its December 10 event, with The Virginia Gazette reporting that festival founder Shirley Vermillion “said 2nd Sundays are inclusive to different religions and cultures,” and reported that Vermillion stated the menorah lighting “seemed very inappropriate” due to what the outlet called “current events in Israel and Gaza.”

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Muslims in Swing States Turning Against Biden

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Muslim Americans, some of whom live in crucial swing states, are set to launch a campaign that will officially oppose Joe Biden’s re-election bid in 2024.

Axios reports that the campaign, titled “#AbandonBiden,” launched on Saturday with a gathering in Michigan. It consists of left-wing Muslim Americans who oppose Biden’s support for Israel as the country wages war against the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas.

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Commentary: By Aligning with Hamas, the Left Has Run Aground on the Hard Rock of the Most Basic Value of the West – Choosing Life

Admin

I would have thought myself immune to all this. American public life has been a circus of lies for a while. Outright lies (“I did not have relations with that woman”), carefully parsed technical truths that meant to convey lies (the 50-odd members of the intelligence community, law enforcement, military, and the like who wrote that Hunter Biden’s laptop had all the hallmarks of Russian disinformation) — take your pick, we all have our favorites. I was at first completely dismayed, but now, it’s already baked into the price, as they say on Wall Street: Rather than wait for the crash, the value of the discourse is already steeply discounted. Such is our politics.

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Analysis: Biden’s Support from Independents Hits a Record Low, Democrat Support Wavers Over Middle East Turmoil

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President Joe Biden continues to trail former President Donald Trump by several percentage points with the latest national polls showing Trump ahead by four points and ahead in five of six battleground states. While Biden’s support has eroded within his own party, swing voters retracting their support is at the heart of the president’s plummeting polling numbers.

A collection of polling across the past month shows Biden losing double-digits with young people, minorities and Independents compared to 2020 as well as struggling with female voters in battleground states.

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After Recent Trip to Israel TN State Rep. Gino Bulso Says Biggest Need for Communities Attacked by Hamas Is a Freestanding Emergency Room

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee State Representative Gino Bulso (R-Brentwood) sat down with the Editor-in-Chief and CEO of The Tennessee Star Michael Patrick Leahy in the latest episode of The Tennessee Star Extra to discuss his recent overseas trip to Israel following the terrorist group Hamas’ October 7 attack on the country that left around 1,200 Israelis dead.

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Israeli Intelligence Had Hamas Plans a Year Prior to Attack: Report

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Israeli Defense Force

Israeli intelligence services obtained plans for the deadly Oct. 7 attack more than a year before it was carried out, The New York Times reported.

Hamas carried out the deadly terrorist attack on multiple locations in southern Israel Oct. 7, killing over 1,400 people, including at least 30 Americans. Israeli military and intelligence officials viewed the plans, which they named “Jericho Wall,” as being aspirational, according to The New York Times.

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Anti-Israel, Pro-Palestine Rally Planned for After Dark in Nashville on Saturday

Kaitlin Housler

Another pro-Palestine, anti-Israel rally will be held in downtown Nashville this Saturday after the sun goes down, according to the new self-described “abolitionist” group Palestine Hurra Collective Nashville.

The “Shut It Down For Palestine” march will be held at 5:00 p.m. at the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Nashville, according to the group, which said the demonstration will be part of a “global mobilization for Palestine.”

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Knoxville City Council Rejects Far-Left Councilwoman’s Anti-Israel Resolution

Kaitlin Housler

Knoxville City Council did not pass a resolution condemning Israel and calling for a ceasefire between Israeli and Hamas forces during its Tuesday council meeting.

The resolution, according to its broad text, “calls on the U.S. Federal Government to urge an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine and to express the Council of the City of Knoxville’s support and solidarity with the people of Palestine facing genocidal levels of violence at the hands of the state of Israel.”

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Tennessee Rep. Kustoff Introduces Resolution Condemning Rising Antisemitism

M.D. Kittle

U.S. Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) joined Representative Max Miller (R-OH-07) this week in introducing a resolution condemning and denouncing antisemitism in the United States and around the world.

Kustoff and Miller, the only Republican Jewish members of the House, said it’s time to stand up to surging antisemitism infecting communities and institutions, including Congress.

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Northern Virginia’s Stafford County Public Schools Includes ‘Palestine’ While Excluding Israel in Multicultural Fair

The Center Square
'Palestine' poster at Stafford County Public School Multicultural Fair

A Northern Virginia middle school chose “Palestine” as their country to represent as part of a school district-wide multicultural fair, omitting any recognition of the State of Israel – including maps.

The fair was recently presented by the Stafford County Public Schools “to empower multicultural awareness” for students and the community. All 33 schools in the district participated, with nearly 1,000 in attendance. Schools “were able to choose the country they wanted to represent,” according to the school district.

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Pro-Palestine, Anti-Israel Rally to Be Held at University of Tennessee Knoxville Next Week

Kaitlin Housler

A pro-Palestine, anti-Israel rally will occur on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s (UTK) campus next week, according to the group Students for Justice in Palestine at UTK.

On Instagram, the group announced its plans to hold an art installation and rally for Palestine at the Pedestrian Walkway in the heart of the UT Knoxville campus on December 1 at 11:00 a.m.

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Commentary: Virginia AG Miyares and Marine Sergeant Major Exchange Roles

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Virginia’s Attorney General Jason Miyares and Sergeant Major Carlos Ruiz, the newest Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps basically changed jobs during recent events in Virginia and on the battlefield in the Middle East.

Known for their fearless service in combat and garrison advising senior officers, political presentations are not part of a Sergeant Major’s job description.

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Tlaib Faces Michigan Bar Complaint for Alleged Antisemitism, Spreading ‘Terrorist Propaganda’, Lies

Just the News

Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces a formal complaint asking the State Bar of Michigan to open an investigation into the Michigan Democrat, an active member of the state bar, over her alleged “repeated false statements, anti-Semitic comments, and spread of foreign terrorist propaganda” following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in about 1,200 deaths.

“Attorney Tlaib’s public statements have shown a complete disregard for the truth and serve only to enflame anti-Semitic hatred rather than promote the ends of justice,” the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, a free speech nonprofit, wrote in the complaint Monday to the Michigan bar.  

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Arizona Chapter of Volunteers for Israel Seeks Volunteers in Israel’s War Against Hamas

M.D. Kittle

Volunteers for Israel’s (VFI) Arizona chapter is seeking volunteers to work in a non-military capacity on Israeli Defense Forces bases, assisting in various support services.

“When you are actually here, it’s the most unique experience. It’s the only organization that has civilians coming to help on a base to assist doing things like packing food kits and medical supplies or cleaning helmets,” said Mindy Franklin, VFI southwest regional manager.

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Forty Pro-Palestinian Protesters Arrested at University of Michigan

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Pro-Palestine, anti-Israel protest at the University of Michican

University of Michigan police arrested 40 people on campus Friday after breaking up a pro-Palestinian protest of hundreds, some of whom had forced their way into an administrative building.

“At least 200 people gathered Friday, calling for the university to divest from Israel,” Michigan Live reported Saturday. “Around 4 p.m., the demonstrators moved from the central campus Diag area to the Ruthven Administration Building.”

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Wisconsin Representative Says Universities Should Be Graded Publicly on Antisemitism

Just the News
Rep Grothman College

Congressman Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., says that universities should be graded in regard to antisemitism on a scale for the public to see. 

“On the antisemitic thing, groups ought to come out and rank the universities: A, B, C, D and E,” Grothman said on the Thursday edition of the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “Say if you have a Jewish child. Would you want them to go to this university?  What university would want to be labeled an F for Jewish children?”

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MTSU Student Newspaper’s Former Editor Says Faculty Adviser Was ‘In the Room’ When Editorial Board Drafted its Apology Letter to Placate ‘Free Palestine Crowd’

M.D. Kittle

The editorial board for the Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) student newspaper issued a statement Wednesday in defense of the newspaper’s faculty adviser following the publication’s apology for running a story on an MTSU student worried about his friends in Israel.

But Matthew Giffin, the former editor-in-chief of Sidelines who wrote the profile piece, told The Tennessee Star that associate professor Stephen Leon Alligood was “in the room” when the editor’s note was crafted.

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Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Tussle with Police Outside DNC Headquarters

Just the News

A group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed with police on Wednesday evening outside of the Democratic National Committee headquarters demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.

The ongoing conflict erupted in the wake of an Oct. 7 Hamas raid that saw its forces storm Israeli border towns, seize roughly 200 hostages, and kill about 1,200 civilians. The Israel Defense Forces have since mounted retaliatory strikes on Gaza and moved into the region to depose Hamas. The Israeli invasion has prompted significant international backlash due to concerns that Jerusalem’s tactics are conducive to civilian casualties in the densely populated area.

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Tennessee U.S. Rep. Kustoff’s Bill Would Revoke Tax-Exempt Status for Organizations Financially Supporting Hamas, Other Terrorist Groups

M.D. Kittle

U.S. Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN-08) joined Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL) in introducing legislation to revoke the tax-exempt status for any organization that provides financial support or resources to designated terrorist groups such as Hamas.

The bipartisan bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to terminate the tax-exempt status of terrorist supporting organizations.

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U.S. Rep. DesJarlais Commends Former Middle Tennessee State University Student Newspaper Editor for Standing Up to Terrorists

M.D. Kittle

U.S. Representative Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04) told The Tennessee Star that today’s media needs more reporters like Matthew Giffin.

Giffin resigned his position as editor-in-chief of Sidelines, Middle Tennessee State University’s student digital newspaper, after he said the publication’s editorial board caved into pressure by anti-Israel students who opposed his story profiling a MTSU student concerned about his friends in Tel Aviv.

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Nearly 60 Percent of Muslim Americans Polled Say Hamas Is ‘Somewhat Justified’ in Israel Attack

The Center Square

As pro-Palestinian protestors descended on Austin and other cities over the weekend, following a “day-of-rage” protests last month, a new poll reveals that a majority of Muslim-Americans surveyed – 57.5% – think the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas “was justified in attacking Israel as part of their struggle for a Palestinian state.”

Hamas, the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement), was designated by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. “It is the largest and most capable militant group in the Palestinian territories and one of the territories’ two major political parties,” according to the National Counterterrorism Center.

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Middle Tennessee Socialists Rally Behind Antisemitic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib

M.D. Kittle

In a show of solidarity for arguably the most antisemitic member of congress, the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is rallying around U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12) after she was disciplined by her colleagues in a rare congressional censure.

The local chapter’s X account reposted the national organization’s screed over the U.S. House of Representatives vote last week to punish Tlaib.

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Commentary: Even ‘Red State’ Colleges Like MTSU are Folding to Antisemitic, Pro-Hamas Voices

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In the weeks since the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, students and faculty at colleges across the U.S. have given way to the pressures of antisemitic, pro-Hamas voices, abandoning moral clarity and sound judgment.

While students at Ivy League and coastal schools have been among the most prominent examples, students in deeply red, southern states have joined in supporting terrorism and suppressing pro-Israel voices.

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Commentary: Hamas Ally CAIR Has Been Operating with Impunity Inside America for 30 Years

RealClearWire

After Hamas massacred 1,400 men, women and children in Israel last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that the terror group “and its allies” could inspire attacks on Americans “here on our own soil.” He also told the Senate that the FBI is conducting “multiple, ongoing investigations” into people affiliated with the U.S.-designated terrorist group.

What Wray didn’t say is that the FBI has been investigating Hamas’ biggest ally in America for the past 30 years – without filing any charges. Launched in 1994 as a secret front organization to support Hamas, according to declassified FBI wiretap transcripts and FBI testimony, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has, in the decades since, become an accepted member of Washington’s lobbying community. The New York Times and other influential newspapers routinely describe CAIR as a “Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.”

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House Votes to Censure Tlaib for Anti-Israel Rhetoric on Second Try

Just the News

Republican Rep. Rich McCormick’s resolution to censure Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib for what he calls “promoting false narratives regarding the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, and calling for the destruction of the State of Israel” passed on Tuesday night. 

The final vote was 234-188 with 22 Democrats joining Republicans in approving the resolution.

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Pro-Hamas ‘Ceasefire Now’ Rally Takes Place in Nashville

Kaitlin Housler

Another pro-Palestine, pro-Hamas, anti-Israel rally organized by the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) took place at Centennial Park in downtown Nashville on Saturday.

The rally marked the fourth straight weekend of pro-Palestine, pro-Hamas, anti-Israel demonstrations in Nashville amid the terrorist group Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel that left over 1,400 Israelis and 32 Americans dead. Middle Tennessee DSA has organized each rally.

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Schumer Vows to Kill House-Passed Standalone Bill Providing $14 Billion to Israel

Just the News

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vowed to kill the House-passed bill providing $14.3 billion in aid to Israel in response to the Hamas terrorist attack.

“The Senate will not take up the House GOP’s deeply flawed proposal,” Schumer said on the Senate floor just ahead of the final House vote on Thursday. “Instead we will work together on our own bipartisan emergency aid package that includes aid to Israel, Ukraine, competition with the Chinese government, and humanitarian aid for Gaza.”

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Arizona Chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations Pushes Form Letters Aimed at Silencing Support for Israel

M.D. Kittle

The Arizona branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has prepared form letters to help Arab- and Muslim-Americans shut down expressions of support for Israel from their colleagues at workplaces and schools.

“Your team, here at CAIR-AZ, has prepared templatized documents to advocate for you and your loved ones at work and school. Your voice is powerful. Use these letters to keep that power in your hands. Please reach out to CAIR-AZ if you feel you have been discriminated against,” said Azza Abuseif, executive director of the Mesa-based chapter.

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George Soros’ Foundations Doled Out Millions to Groups Behind Anti-Israel Protests, Rhetoric

Just the News

Before the Israel-Hamas war began, a nonprofit called Adalah—The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel routinely released reports and filed petitions in the Israeli Supreme Court accusing the government of serious misconduct.

One report alleged Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration was “instituting racial segregation” and engaging in “Judaization” through its housing policy. Another claimed that Israeli police forced had “total impunity” to kill Palestinians. A third unsuccessfully argued that Israel should lift its travel ban on a Palestinian sheikh previously arrested in 2003 over allegations of raising millions for Hamas. He entered a plea agreement which banned foreign travel and requires monthly check-ins. Most recently, he spent 16 months in prison after being convicted of “inciting to terror.”

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