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Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Jewish Restaurant in Philadelphia Targeted by Anti-Semitic Mob

Washington Examiner: Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) condemned a pro-Palestinian protest outside a Jewish restaurant in Philadelphia on Sunday as a “blatant act of antisemitism” as tensions continue to rise over the war between Israel and Hamas. Demonstrators gathered outside of Goldie, a Jewish and Israeli-owned falafel restaurant, waving Palestinian flags and chanting, “Goldie, Goldie, you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide.” The protesters called for the end of Israel and to “free Gaza.” People later placed stickers that read “Free Palestine” on the restaurant (Washington Examiner). Governor Josh Shapiro: Tonight in Philly, we saw a blatant act of antisemitism — not a peaceful protest. A restaurant was targeted and mobbed because its owner is Jewish and Israeli. This hate and bigotry is reminiscent of a dark time in history (X). National Review: White House spokesman Andrew Bates also addressed the mob’s actions, saying “it is antisemitic and completely unjustifiable to target restaurants that serve Israeli food over disagreements with Israeli policy, as Governor Shapiro has underlined.” The chanting at the restaurant was part of a broader rally in which demonstrators blocked traffic in downtown Philadelphia and marched through the neighborhood in which the University of Pennsylvania is located. Video taken near Penn’s campus shows a crowd of protesters chanting “long live the intifada” and “there is only one solution, intifada revolution” (National Review).

White House Presses Congress to Pass Ukraine Aid

Wall Street Journal: The U.S. will be unable to continue providing weapons and equipment to Ukraine if Congress doesn’t approve additional funding by the end of the year, the White House said on Monday, warning of devastating consequences on the battlefield if lawmakers fail to act. The letter marks one of the White House’s most forceful pleas for congressional action to date and lays out in detail the consequences of inaction. “There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment. We are out of money—and nearly out of time,” Shalanda Young, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget wrote. Without additional money, the U.S. won’t have the necessary resources to procure additional weapons and equipment for Ukraine or to provide resources from existing U.S. military stockpiles, Young said (Wall Street Journal). Axios: President Biden’s $106 billion proposed package for Israel and Ukraine has faced resistance among some in the GOP over its linking of funding for the two countries (Axios).

Investigator Finds Hamas Weaponized Sexual Violence Against Israelis During October 7 Attack

National Review: Cochav Elkayam-Levy, an Israeli academic appointed by the government to investigate crimes of sexual assault committed by Hamas on October 7, has confirmed that the terror group “weaponized” violence against women to break “the spirit of the Israelis.” “The torture of women was weaponized in the destruction of communities, in sowing general horror and in breaking the spirit of the Israelis,” Levy told the left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz in a wide-ranging interview on Thursday. “Suddenly seeing the big picture, how systematic it was, the extent of the violence – it was a punch in the stomach.” Levy established a task force, which he calls the “Gender Crimes War Room,” to investigate sexual violence perpetrated by several Palestinian terror groups that invaded the border communities surrounding the Gaza Strip. Levy’s conclusion is based on a growing number of eyewitness testimonials, photographic evidence, and the videotaped confessions of Palestinian terrorists who were apprehended by Israeli security forces. At least two have openly admitted sexual violence was a designed strategy of the Hamas invasion. “Soil them, rape them,” is how one operative described his instructions. Another recalled a commander telling his unit, “You have to step on their heads. Cut off their heads. Do everything to them” (National Review).

Leading Women’s Rights Advocate Confronts UN About Not Condemning Sexual Violence Hamas Used Against Israel

CNN: Sheryl Sandberg, a longtime advocate for women and girls’ rights, spoke out against Hamas’ use of sexual violence as a war tactic, saying at the United Nations Monday: “Rape should never be used as an act of war.” “Silence is complicity,” Sandberg said. “And in the face of terror, we cannot be quiet. That is why we are all here today to speak about unspeakable acts.” Sandberg, the former chief operating officer of Facebook (now Meta) and founder of the nonprofit group Lean In, spoke at an assembly hosted by Israel at the United Nation’s headquarters in New York on Monday (CNN). Fox News: More than 700 ambassadors and diplomats, representatives of UN agencies, Jewish organizations, and civil society organizations attended the event Monday. Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan told Fox News Digital that he “initiated the event because of the disgraceful silence of UN women” (Fox News).

White House Refuses to Condemn Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s (D-WA) Reprehensible Comments on Hamas Raping Israelis

Daily Wire: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stopped short of condemning Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) who said over the weekend that there should be “balance” in calling out Hamas terrorists for using rape and sexual violence against Israeli women (Daily Wire). Chris Houck: KJP refuses to directly address Democratic Congresswoman Jayapal’s comments about needing “balance” between Israel and Gazans when talking about sexual violence against women on Oct. 7 (X).

Hamas Official Promises More Attacks Against Israel

Townhall: In a recent interview with a Lebanese media outlet, a senior Hamas official claimed an attack much larger than what the world witnessed against Israel on Oct. 7 is coming in the near future (Townhall).Memri: Senior Hamas Official Osama Hamdan: I Promise that a War of Liberation Is Coming Soon – Not Just Another October 7 (X). Jewish Policy Center: Why do people have trouble believing Hamas/Iranian/Hezb leadership when they tell you what they think & what they’re planning? It seems clear to us (X).

Former American Ambassador Arrested for Spying on Behalf of Cuba Since 1981

Associated Press: A former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia has been arrested in a long-running FBI counterintelligence investigation, accused of secretly serving as an agent of Cuba’s government. Manuel Rocha, 73, was arrested in Miami on Friday on a criminal complaint and more details about the case are expected to be made public at a court appearance Monday. One of the people said the Justice Department case accuses Rocha of working to promote the Cuban government’s interests. Federal law requires people doing the political bidding of a foreign government or entity inside the U.S. to register with the Justice Department, which in recent years has stepped up its criminal enforcement of illicit foreign lobbying (Associated Press). NBC: Attorney General Merrick Garland said the arrest “exposes one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the United States government by a foreign agent.” The government claims Rocha has been working on behalf of Havana from November 1981 to now. He faces at least three criminal counts: Conspiracy to act as foreign agent to defraud the United States; acting as an illegal agent for a foreign government; and use of passport obtained by false statement (NBC).

Biden Forces Schools: Accept Woke Gender Ideology or See Funding Pulled

Just the News: A new Biden administration rule forces schools to comply with progressive ideology on gender and sexuality or risk losing the federal aid for free and reduced-price school lunches. The school lunch funding controversy began in May 2022 with an announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which handles federal help for school lunches. The USDA said at the time it would change its longstanding interpretation of Title IX, the law broadly governing discrimination protections in education. USDA said it would expand its previous prohibition against discriminating based on sex “to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.” That change has major legal and taxpayer dollar implications and is an unprecedented reinterpretation of the statute, according to experts. For instance, schools receiving Pell grants, FAFSA, or students who receive federally subsidized school lunch funding will be subject to the new Title IX interpretation or risk losing that funding. With an ever-growing number of orientations and gender identities, and despite the political divide on the issue, schools will now be forced to comply on the complex and highly politicized gender and sexuality issue (Just the News).

Michigan Governor Forces State to Undergo Massive Clean Energy Transition

National Review: Michigan is the latest state to embrace the self-destructive idea that it can completely wean itself from traditional energy sources. On Tuesday, November 28, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed two laws that all but ensure that the state will replace its reliable sources of electricity production with unreliable ones such as wind and solar. The result, according to a new Mackinac Center analysis, will be skyrocketing utility bills and days-long blackouts in the depths of winter. Under the first law, Michigan must meet a 100 percent “clean energy” mandate by 2040, easily one of the most aggressive targets in the nation. As a stepping stone, the state must come to produce 60 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2035, just twelve years from now. That’s a four-fold increase from its current use of those sources for 15 percent of its energy needs, which took decades and countless dollars and taxpayer subsidies to achieve. Governor Whitmer has now removed the right of towns and counties to restrict large-scale industrial wind and solar developments. Over the past five years, 26 proposed wind and solar projects have been stopped by townships and counties, reflecting residents’ concerns over the effects that massive new infrastructure might have on health, wildlife, utility bills, grid reliability, and property values. Now, a state commission, instead, has been given authority to approve siting for turbines and panels. If small towns don’t like it, tough. The governor’s handpicked commissioners will have the final say, and there’s no appeal (National Review).

10.

Spotify Announces Layoffs as Year Comes to a Close

Washington Examiner: Spotify announced Monday that it will lay off 17% of its workforce, stating that such cuts were necessary to “rightsize” the costs of the company. The latest round of layoffs comes after the company hired many employees in 2020 and 2021, which was done to take advantage of “lower-cost capital.” The total number of employees who will be affected through this downsizing of employment is approximately 1,500, according to a memo from Spotify CEO Daniel Ek (Washington Examiner). Just the News: Spotify’s announcement comes after several Big Tech companies such as Meta and Microsoft laid off employees over the past year (Just the News).