The Latest From @MacTaskForce
A powerful statement from an Emirati official on Israel’s wartime support shows that Israel’s allies aren’t only located in the West.
The quote comes amid reports that Israel sent an Iron Dome system and troops to operate it to the UAE during the war with Iran, deepening already significant security cooperation between the two countries.
Since the start of the war in February, the UAE has been Iran’s most frequent target, with the regime firing thousands of missiles and drones at its territory.
In crisis situations, alliances become solidified. Israelis know very well but it’s like to live with missiles raining down overhead. That’s why they built the Iron Dome in the first place. Now it will serve to protect allies in their time of need.
Hezbollah is once again facing accusations of using civilian infrastructure for military purposes. The IDF released footage it says shows weapons hidden inside an ambulance in Lebanon, alleging Hezbollah has used medical vehicles and personnel to transport operatives and arms.
If confirmed, the use of medical infrastructure for military activity raises serious concerns under the laws of armed conflict. Doubtful the international community will say anything, though.
Dov Forman, great-grandson of Auschwitz survivor Lily Ebert, warned that his grandmother spent her life explaining that antisemitism does not begin with violence alone. Dov co-wrote a book with Lily while she was alive to explain just that. It begins when institutions go silent, and hide behind false ‘balance’ while Jews are being targeted. In a Fox News piece, Dov argues that Britain is failing to protect its Jewish community, citing both campus antisemitism and recent arson attacks in London.
We must not ignore the warning history gives us again and again. Hate grows when decent people hesitate, and when institutions refuse to name what’s happening for fear of political backlash. When a minority group is continuously under attack, “balance” is just another word for cowardice.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani vetoed a bill that would have created “buffer” zones around schools during protests, even as he allowed a related bill protecting houses of worship to take effect.
He said the school bill was too broad and raised First Amendment concerns.
On Yom HaAtzmaut, Druze Israeli activist Lorena Khateeb expressed how Israel’s independence has been defended by brave soldiers from many communities, including the Druze, whose courage and sacrifice are woven into the story of the state.
The bravery of Druze soldiers is part of why Israel can celebrate its independence. Their service reflects a truth too often ignored: Israel’s security apparatus is diverse, unified, and made up of people from many different backgrounds standing together to protect the country and all its citizens.
That diversity is one of Israel’s great strengths.
A Toronto Metropolitan University student is suing the school, alleging it failed to protect Jewish students from what the lawsuit describes as a “poisoned” campus climate. JNS reports the suit says Jewish students faced escalating hostility, intimidation, and exclusion while the university failed to respond adequately.
If Jewish students have to continuously go to court to demand basic protection and equal treatment, it signals institutional failure. Universities cannot claim to care about inclusion while allowing Jewish students to feel abandoned in their own classrooms and community spaces.
Hamas captivity survivor Yarden Bibas has now given his first full-length interview in Hebrew since his release, speaking openly about Shiri, the love of his life, and the small everyday moments with her that he misses most. His wife Shiri and their two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, were murdered in captivity in Gaza after being abducted on October 7.
The Bibas family became a symbol of everything Hamas stole from its victims. She was an innocent mother with her two children, a husband, a home, and a future. Yarden’s words are a reminder that behind stories that are just headlines in the West is a real family shattered forever. We cannot allow the world to forget what Hamas did to the Bibas family, or the truth of the kind of terror Hamas has promised to repeat.
North Carolina resident Angela Han Hicks and another co-conspirator were charged in an alleged terror plot against Congregation Beth Israel in Houston, with court documents saying the goal was to “kill as many Jews as possible” by driving through the synagogue. Bond is set at $10 million.
Another day, another planned attack on a Jewish site.
The threats facing Jewish communities are not exaggerated. They are real, and increasingly dangerous.
