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Must-reads
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AJC Shows Solidarity for Syrian Kurds
AJC has watched with horror and anguish as the U.S. has abandoned its longtime support of Kurds in northern Syria, withdrawing troops and stepping aside so Turkey can take control of the region. On Friday, AJC became the first national Jewish organization in the U.S. to hold a solidarity event, convening diplomats, members of the Kurdish community, and an award-winning Kurdish journalist to discuss the current conflict. In the latest news, Turkey has agreed to suspend its military operations in northeast Syria for five days while Syrian Kurdish fighters evacuate the area. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the agreement is a “solution we believe will save lives.” Meanwhile, Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said because of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “we got what we wanted.” Kurds have stood up when we needed them most. Now it’s our turn to stand up. Watch now |
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United Nations Finally Confronts Antisemitism as a Human Rights Problem
The Times of Israel / 2-minute read
The United Nations General Assembly has received the first UN human rights report focused exclusively on antisemitism. The report examines and documents antisemitic violence, discrimination, and hostility that are “increasing in magnitude” and creating a “climate of fear” in Jewish communities around the world. The report finds that antisemitism is “toxic to democracy” and “threatens all societies in which it goes unchallenged.” In this column, Felice Gaer, director of AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, explains why AJC has called the report “historic.” On this week’s episode of People of the Pod, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief joins us to discuss the report’s findings. Read more |
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Europe: Do the Right Thing on Hezbollah
AJC Global Voice / 2-minute read
Pointing to the deadly attack in Bulgaria in 2013, AJC urged the European Union to take action against Hezbollah and declare all of it a terrorist organization. But in the end, the EU only designated Hezbollah’s military branch, legitimizing its so-called “political” faction in the name of maintaining diplomatic relations with Lebanon. This year, AJC is urging the EU to finish the job and designate Hezbollah a global terror organization in its entirety. In this column, originally published in German, AJC CEO David Harris makes the case that given the rise of antisemitism and the multiple thwarted attacks across the European continent, Europe’s arguments against placing Hezbollah in its entirety on the EU terrorism list are glaringly weak. It’s time. Read more |
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Veteran MP Quits Labour Party Over Antisemitism
The Guardian / 1-minute read
Veteran Labour Party member Louise Ellman has announced she is leaving the Labour party because antisemitism has become de facto under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. She said Jewish members have been bullied while antisemites have been welcomed. “The overwhelming majority of the Jewish community is fearful of what a Corbyn government might mean for Britain’s Jews,” she said. “I share those concerns. But this issue is not simply about the Jewish community. This is about the nature of our society.” Read more |
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