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Israel Vows to Retaliate Against Iran for Attack on Oil Tanker

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Benjamin Netanyahu may be gone as Israel’s prime minister but just because there’s been a change in government doesn’t mean that Jerusalem’s policy regarding retaliation for being attacked has been altered one bit.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett issued a statement following a suspected Iranian attack on an oil tanker in the Arabian Sea that was every bit as strong as anything Netanyahu would have said.

“They can’t sit calmly in Tehran while igniting the entire Middle East — that’s over,” Bennett said Tuesday during a meeting with military officials. “We are working to enlist the whole world, but when the time comes, we know how to act alone.”

“I say absolutely that Iran is the one that carried out the attack against the ship,” Bennett added. “The thuggish behavior of Iran is dangerous not only to Israel but also to the global interest in freedom of shipping and international trade.”

The suspected Iranian drone attack on the Mercer Street tanker happened off the coast of Oman and killed two civilians. The ship was owned by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer. Iran has denied it was responsible for the attack. (Read more from “Israel Vows to Retaliate Against Iran for Attack on Oil Tanker” HERE)

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Two States Looking At Banning Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream

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At least two Republican-led states are now considering banning Ben & Jerry’s ice cream after the company announced on Monday that it would no longer sell its ice cream in “occupied Palestinian territory.”

Both Texas and Florida officials have come out against Ben & Jerry’s, threatening to invoke state laws to punish companies that advocate or act to boycott, divest, or sanction Israel. America’s strongest ally has decried the ice cream giant’s move as anti-Israel and antisemitic.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas State Comptroller Glenn Hegar are threatening to add Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever, to a blacklist of organizations that boycott Israel. That would make both companies ineligible for investments from the states’ pension funds. Florida passed an anti-BDS law in 2016 that limited interaction with companies that boycott Israel. DeSantis has formally requested that the Florida Board of Administration place the ice cream company and Unilver on a “continued examination” list.

“Should the State Board of Administration affirmatively place Unilever and its corporate entities on the Scrutinized Companies List and these companies do not cease the boycott of Israel as required by Florida law, the Board must refrain from acquiring any and all Unilever assets consistent with the law,” DeSantis noted in a letter. (Read more from “Two States Looking At Banning Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream” HERE)

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Israel Is Ready To Go to War With Ben and Jerry’s

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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the head of Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, Tuesday that the ice cream maker’s move to halt sales in “the Occupied Palestinian Territory” could carry “severe consequences.”

“Prime Minister Bennett spoke with Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever which owns Ben & Jerry’s and made it clear that he views with utmost gravity the decision by Ben & Jerry’s to boycott Israel and added that this is a subsidiary of Unilever, which has taken a clearly anti-Israel step,” the prime minister’s office said on Twitter.

“Prime Minister Bennett emphasized that from the perspective of the State of Israel, this is an action that has severe consequences, including legal, and it will take strong action against any boycott directed against its citizens.” . . .

The threatening statement comes after Ben & Jerry’s caved to pressure by online protesters, announcing Monday it would halt sales in “the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

“We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT),” the company said in a statement.

(Read more from “Israel Is Ready To Go to War With Ben and Jerry’s” HERE)

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/miss604/4528823682/

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Investigation: Israeli Spyware Was Used to Target Phones of Journalists and Activists Worldwide

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By Washington Post. Private Israeli spy software was used to hack dozens of smartphones that belonged to reporters, human rights activists, business executives and the fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a sweeping investigation by the Washington Post and 16 other news organizations.

The military-grade spyware was reportedly licensed by the Israeli spyware firm NSO Group. The investigation discovered that the hacked phones were on a list of more than 50,000 numbers based in countries known to surveil people.

The list of numbers were shared with the Post and other media organizations by Paris-based journalism nonprofit Hidden Stories and human rights group Amnesty International.

NSO Group denied the findings of the report in several statements, arguing that investigation includes “uncorroborated theories” based on “misleading interpretation of leaked data from accessible and overt basic information.” (Read more from “Investigation: Israeli Spyware Was Used to Target Phones of Journalists and Activists” HERE)

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Israeli-Made Spyware Used to Monitor Journalists and Activists Worldwide

By OCCRP. In Hungary, Szabolcs Panyi exposed spy intrigue and murky arms deals. In India, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta probed the ties between business and political interests. In Azerbaijan, Sevinj Vaqifqizi caught vote-rigging on tape.

Separated by thousands of miles, these journalists have one thing in common: their governments considered them a threat.

All three were among dozens of journalists and activists around the world whose smartphones were infected by Pegasus: spyware made by Israeli firm NSO Group that is able to secretly steal personal data, read conversations, and switch on microphones and cameras at will.

The attacks were revealed by The Pegasus Project, an international collaboration of more than 80 journalists from 17 media organizations, including OCCRP, and coordinated by Forbidden Stories.

The phones of Panyi, Thakurta, and Vaqifqizi were analyzed by Amnesty International’s Security Lab and found to be infected after their numbers appeared on a list of over 50,000 numbers that were allegedly selected for targeting by governments using NSO software. Reporters were able to identify the owners of hundreds of those numbers, and Amnesty conducted forensic analysis on as many of their phones as possible, confirming infection in dozens of cases. The reporting was backed up with interviews, documents, and other materials. (Read more from “Israeli-Made Spyware Used to Monitor Journalists and Activists Worldwide” HERE)

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Vaccine Less Effective Against New COVID Variant

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A study conducted in Israel found that the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is somewhat less effective against the more infectious delta variant, though it was still found to be effective at preventing severe illness.

As The Wall Street Journal reports, the Pfizer vaccine protected 64 percent of immunized people during an outbreak of the delta variant, a sharp drop when compared to the 94 percent of people it had previously been shown to protect. However, the shot was still 94 percent effective at preventing severe illness, a slight decrease from the 97 percent that were kept from experiencing severe illness previously.

The data for the study was collected from June 6 through early July, according to officials from Israel’s Health Ministry. The data and the methodology of the study was not released, according to the Journal.

Some health experts expressed skepticism about the Israel study, saying mRNA vaccines like Pfizer have been shown to offer strong protection against COVID-19 infection.

(Read more from “Vaccine Less Effective Against New COVID Variant” HERE)

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Palestinian Terror Youth Summer Camps Begin: Planning ‘Demise of All Jews, Israel’ (VIDEO)

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Hamas’ military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, as well as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have opened registration recently for their annual summer camps for Gaza youth, where children as young as nine are trained in marksmanship, kidnapping, and tunnel warfare, as they’re encouraged to become next-generation terrorists.

This summer’s camps, which begin on Tuesday and are designed for young primary school students as well as college- and even post-college age Gaza residents, are dubbed “Sword of Jerusalem,” after Hamas’ recent conflict with the Jewish state, which began after the U.S.-designated terror group launched over 4,000 rockets at civilian population centers throughout the Jewish state last month.

Many camps carry anti-Israel themes and are named after terrorists who murdered Israelis in the past.

According to Hamas’ Telegram channel, the camps aim to “fan the flames of jihad [Islamic holy war] among the generation of liberation, instill Islamic values, and prepare the long-awaited army for the liberation of Palestine.”

(Read more from “Palestinian Terror Youth Summer Camps Begin: Planning ‘Demise of All Jews, Israel’ (VIDEO)” HERE)

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Israeli Vendor Booted From Philadelphia Food Truck Event

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An Israeli vendor was yanked from a Philadelphia food trunk event, prompting claims that organizers bowed to anti-Semitism — and leading to a decision to scrap the event on Sunday.

Food truck Moshava said its invitation to the “Taste of Home” event scheduled for Father’s Day was pulled because organizers feared protests over their Israeli ties.

“We are deeply saddened by this,” Moshava said on its Instagram on Saturday.

“The organizers of the event heard rumors of a protest happening because of us being there and decided to uninvite us from fear that the protesters would get aggressive and threaten their event.” (Read more from “Israeli Vendor Booted From Philadelphia Food Truck Event” HERE)

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New Israeli PM Warns U.S. Before Rejoining Iran Nuclear Deal

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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned the US and other nations seeking to rekindle the nuclear agreement with Iran to “wake up” following the election of a hardline judge as the country’s president.

Speaking at a televised cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Bennett said Ebrahim Raisi, a protege of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would establish a “regime of brutal hangmen,” Reuters reported.

“Raisi’s election is, I would say, the last chance for world powers to wake up before returning to the nuclear agreement, and understand who they are doing business with,” said Bennett, who replaced Benjamin Netanyahu last week after the former prime minister failed to form a new government.

“A regime of brutal hangmen must never be allowed to have weapons of mass-destruction,” Bennett said. “Israel’s position will not change on this.” (Read more from “New Israeli PM Warns U.S. Before Rejoining Iran Nuclear Deal” HERE)

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House Democrats Block Defense Assistance for Israel (VIDEO)

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A Motion to Recommit (MTR) that would have affirmed the U.S. policy of providing defense articles including munitions, aircraft, and technology to Israel was voted down by 217 House Democrats Thursday afternoon.

The measure would have required President Biden and his administration to develop “contingency plans to provide Israel with necessary defense articles and services” and allowed Biden to “direct the immediate transfer to Israel of such defense articles or defense services… necessary to assist Israel in its defense” when Israel is under military threat.

In a floor speech supporting the motion, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX)—who serves as the Republican Leader on the House Foreign Affairs Committee—noted last month’s rocket attacks by Hamas terrorists were “a stark reminder of the dangerous threats that Israel faces.”

(Read more from “House Democrats Block Defense Assistance for Israel (VIDEO)” HERE)

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Benjamin Netanyahu Ousted as Israeli PM

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Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest serving Israeli leader, was ousted as prime minister on Sunday after the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, voted to form a new government made up of a coalition of opposition groups pledging to heal caustic divisions caused by Netanyahu’s 12-year rule.

Netanyahu had failed to form a government after a March 23 election — the fourth in two years — and could not block the power-sharing agreement between the groups, headed by his former defense minister Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Bennett and Lapid will each serve two years as prime minister on a rotating basis. (Read more from “Benjamin Netanyahu Ousted as Israeli PM” HERE)

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