‘We can’t say we didn’t know’: Israeli academics demand end to war on Gaza
More than 1,200 Israeli academics have issued an open letter calling on the heads of Israeli academic institutions to “speak out” and act to stop the war on Gaza. In the letter released on Tuesday, the academics, who identify themselves as the Black Flag Action Group, claim that, since Israel violated the ceasefire in March, almost 3,000 people have been killed in Gaza. The vast majority of them, the writers say, were civilians. In addition to the growing numbers of people killed by Israeli fire, the authors note, are the warnings of acute starvation being forced upon Gaza as a “result of intentional and openly declared Israeli government policy”. The academics’ letter is the latest in a growing number of open letters protesting the war from within Israel. However, while many other letters have objected to the political reasons for Israel’s latest offensive, or claimed that it puts Israel’s remaining captives held in Gaza at risk, the academics’ letter is unique in that it places Palestinian suffering at the heart of its objections to the war. Advertisement “As academics, we recognize our own role in these crimes,” the letter states. “It is human societies, not governments alone, that commit crimes against humanity. Some do so by means of direct violence. Others do so by sanctioning the crimes and justifying them, before and after the fact, and by keeping quiet and silencing voices in the halls of learning. It is this bond of silence that allows clearly evident crimes to continue unabated without penetrating the barriers of recognition.” “This is a horrifying litany of war crimes and even crimes against humanity, all of our own doing,” it continues. “We cannot claim that we did not know,” the letter adds. “We have been silent for too long. For the sake of the lives of innocents and the safety of all the people of this land … if we do not call to halt the war immediately, history will not forgive us.” According to the open letter, the signatories want the Association of University Heads in Israel, the Board of Academic Public Colleges, and the protest group Academics for Israeli Democracy to “act immediately to mobilize the full weight of Israeli academia to stop the Israeli war in Gaza”. In practical terms, that could mean organising strike action, as previous universities had previously threatened in protest at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing campaign to untether his government from judicial oversight, beginning in the early months of 2023. “What we’re saying is not that this is any more or less important [than the judicial reforms] but why not the war, too?” said Raphael Greenberg, a professor at Tel Aviv University who signed onto the letter, and who has staged daily protests against the war in Gaza since December. Advertisement “Academics have to be active,” he told Al Jazeera. Israel’s universities played a critical role in the initial resistance to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to reduce the powers of the Supreme Court, February 25, 2023 [Ilan Rosenberg/Reuters] Devastation in Gaza Through its nineteenth months of war on Gaza, Israel has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 123,000. According to the United Nations, it has destroyed or damaged 92 percent of homes and displaced hundreds of thousands of people, many multiple times. Until now, organised resistance from within Israel has been limited and largely restricted to the return of the captives taken during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. “For some of us, it’s been a cumulative process since October 7,” Ayelet Ben-Yishai, a professor at the University of Haifa, told Al Jazeera. “For others, I’d say it was the breaking of the ceasefire in March. That was a watershed moment for many, plus witnessing the starvation we’ve been forcing on Gaza ever since then.” Criticism within Israel of the country’s continued assault on Gaza, despite growing international condemnation, has increased. In April, roughly 1,000 current and former air force pilots, generally regarded as an elite unit within the military, wrote an open letter criticising a war they said only served “political interests”. Other open letters from within the military have followed, with many typically objecting to the political reasons behind the war, or claiming that the renewed offensive on Gaza endangers its remaining captives. Advertisement The open letter from the academics goes further in objecting to the suffering of Palestinians, a position that has been rejected by many Israelis. “I understand lots of people object to the war for different reasons,” Ben-Yishai said, “but right now, I welcome anyone that’s opposed to it.” “It sounds hollow, I know, but we wanted to make Palestinian suffering central. We wanted to say that we stand alongside and in solidarity with Palestinians. This was also about taking responsibility for what we are doing in Gaza and opening people’s eyes to it,” she said. Five-year-old Palestinian child Osama al-Raqab, who is suffering from severe malnutrition, receives treatment at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, May 26, 2025 [Haitham Imad/EPA-EFE] Sympathy for Palestinians? The position of the academics remains a marginal one within Israel. “There’s still an Israeli public taboo over showing any public sympathy for Palestinians,” Israeli political analyst Nimrod Flaschenberg previously told Al Jazeera, explaining the often low priority placed on protecting Palestinian lives among some in the antiwar movement. A march by nationalist youth led by the country’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir through Jerusalem’s old quarter on Sunday openly mocked the dead children of Gaza while physically attacking anyone perceived to be Palestinian. Perhaps more concerningly, a poll of Israelis published this week by Pennsylvania University showed 82 percent supported the forcible expulsion of Palestinians from both within Gaza and from within Israel’s borders. Almost half also backed the mass killing of civilians in enemy cities captured by the Israeli army. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump warns Netanyahu off Iran strike as nuclear talks continue
US president says an Israeli strike ‘would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution.’ United States President Donald Trump has said that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on any strike against Iran to give his administration more time to push for a new nuclear deal with Tehran, as several rounds of talks have been held in Oman and Italy. Trump told reporters on Wednesday at the White House that he relayed to Netanyahu a strike “would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution”. The Israeli leader has been threatening a bombardment of Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran has said it would respond with severity if any such attack were launched. In the meantime, Iran may pause uranium enrichment if the US releases frozen Iranian funds and recognises its right to refine uranium for civilian use under a “political deal” that could lead to a broader nuclear accord, two Iranian official sources told the Reuters news agency. The sources, close to the negotiating team, said on Wednesday that a “political understanding with the United States could be reached soon” if Washington accepted Tehran’s conditions. The sources told Reuters that under this arrangement, Tehran would halt uranium enrichment for a year. Advertisement The latest developments came as the head of the UN’s atomic watchdog group said that “the jury is still out” on negotiations between Iran and the US over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme. But Rafael Mariano Grossi described the ongoing negotiations as a good sign. “I think that is an indication of a willingness to come to an agreement. And I think that… is something possible.” The 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), placed limits on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. It collapsed after Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the agreement in 2018, leading to a sharp escalation in tensions and a breakdown in diplomatic relations. The key sticking point US officials have repeatedly said that any new deal must include a firm commitment from Iran to halt uranium enrichment, which they view as a potential pathway to building nuclear weapons. However, Iran has consistently denied seeking nuclear arms, insisting its programme is solely for civilian purposes. It has rejected Washington’s demand to eliminate enrichment capabilities, calling it an infringement on national sovereignty. It remains the critical sticking point after negotiators for Tehran and Washington met for a fifth round of Oman-mediated talks in Rome. Instead, Iran has reportedly proposed that the US publicly recognise Tehran’s right to enrich uranium under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and approve the release of Iranian oil revenues frozen under US sanctions. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Seven migrants die when boat capsizes at Canary Island dock
NewsFeed Four women and three girls died when a boat overcrowded with migrants capsized upon reaching a dock in the Canary Islands. They were attempting to transfer to a Spanish Coast Guard vessel when their own small boat tipped them into the water. Published On 28 May 202528 May 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Illegal immigrant arrested after allegedly threatening to assassinate Trump in handwritten letter
EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an illegal immigrant Mexican national in Wisconsin last Thursday after he allegedly mailed a handwritten note to an ICE officer threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump. Ramon Morales-Reyes, 54, entered the U.S. illegally on a minimum of nine separate occasions between 1999 and 2005. His criminal record includes arrests for felony hit-and-run, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct with a “domestic abuse modifier,” according to the Department of Homeland Security. He said he would self-deport after he shot the president in the head. An officer got the letter last week. MAN CHARGED WITH MAKING THREATS AGAINST ICE AGENTS, DHS SEC KRISTI NOEM IN ‘ALARMING’ SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS “We are tired of this president messing with us Mexicans – We have done more for this country than you white people – you have been deporting my family and I think it is time Donald J. Trump get what he has coming to him,” the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital, read. The letter’s authenticity was also confirmed by an additional ICE source to Fox News, reading: “I will self deport myself back to Mexico but not before I use my 30 yard 6 to shoot your precious president in is head – I will see him at one of his big ralleys [sic].” He reportedly appears to be referencing the .30-06 Springfield rifle. ICE DEPORTS MIGRANT GANG MEMBER WHO ILLEGALLY ENTERED US 10 TIMES AND IS WANTED FOR MURDER “Thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE “This threat comes not even a year after President Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, and less than two weeks after former FBI Director Comey called for the president’s assassination. All politicians and members of the media should take notice of these repeated attempts on President Trump’s life and tone down their rhetoric. I will continue to take all measures necessary to ensure the protection of President Trump,” Noem added. TEXAS MAN WHO VOWED TO SHOOT, KILL ICE AGENTS, SAID NOEM SHOULD BE IN ‘GULAG,’ CHARGED IN FEDERAL COURT: DOJ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Morales-Reyes remains behind bars at Dodge County Jail in Juneau, Wisconsin. He will be deported, DHS said. The arrest comes as DHS has sought to crack down on threats made to ICE officers. In April, the Department of Justice charged a Texas man with threatening to harm ICE agents. Similar threats made by a man in North Carolina last week also resulted in an arrest on federal charges.
Judge takes step toward possible release of detained Russian Harvard scientist accused of smuggling
A federal judge in Vermont ruled in favor of a Russian Harvard scientist who was detained by ICE and accused of smuggling goods into the U.S. on Wednesday. Kseniia Petrova, 31, was first detained by ICE before being transferred to criminal custody earlier this month. Wednesday’s ruling ensures that if she is granted bail and released at her criminal hearing next week, ICE cannot detain her once again. President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking to deport Petrova back to Russia following her detention at Boston’s Logan Airport in February. She has worked as a researcher at Harvard Medical School for more than two years, and colleagues at the school testified in her defense at Wednesday’s hearing. Authorities charged Petrova with smuggling biological material after TSA at the airport allegedly found clawed frog embryos and embryonic samples in her luggage. RUSSIAN SCIENTIST AT HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL DETAINED BY ICE AT BOSTON AIRPORT The judge determined on Wednesday that Petrova is not a flight risk and does not pose any danger to the community. Her criminal bail hearing is set to take place next week in Massachusetts. The judge also noted that Petrova’s work at Harvard has benefited the U.S., as her team is focused on cancer research. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that Petrova allegedly denied having the biological material at first but later admitted to carrying it. Prosecutors also claim that Petrova’s text messages show that she was aware that she needed a permit to bring in the clawed frog embryos and embryonic samples that were allegedly found in her luggage. In one text message exchange cited by the office, Petrova was asked whether she had a plan to get the biological material into the U.S., and she allegedly responded by saying, “No plan yet. I won’t be able to swallow them.” Gregory Romanovsky, the attorney representing Petrova, argues that customs experts confirmed that his client “did not need a permit to bring her non-living scientific samples that are not considered biological material under U.S. Customs law.” Petrova said in a recent New York Times op-ed that she was returning to the U.S. after vacationing in Paris when she was detained by ICE in February. She also expressed her fear of being arrested in Russia if deported, as she has been a critic of the war in Ukraine. While she admitted in the op-ed to not filling out a customs form regarding the frog embryos in her luggage, she believed it would result in a fine or warning, not an arrest. “At Logan International Airport, I did not complete a customs declaration for frog embryos (for use in our lab’s research) in my luggage. I’m told this would normally result in a warning or a fine. Instead, my visa was revoked, and I was sent to a detention center in Louisiana,” Petrova wrote. Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
Senate Republican campaign committee ‘grills’ Chuck Schumer on National Hamburger Day
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is revisiting a much-maligned year-old photo from Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. The NRSC, which is the campaign arm of the Senate GOP, marked National Hamburger Day on Wednesday with a new video titled, “We Grill Right,” which spotlights Schumer’s viral social media post from last year’s Father’s Day. In the photo that appeared in the 2024 post, Schumer appeared to place a slice of cheese on an uncooked burger patty. ONLY ON FOX NEWS: SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S AIMING FOR IN 2026 “Our family has lived in an apartment building for all our years, but my daughter and her wife just bought a house with a backyard and for the first time we’re having a barbeque with hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill!” Schumer wrote in his post. Schumer was quickly grilled on X, formerly Twitter, by a chorus of conservatives who pilloried his cooking skills, and the longtime senator soon deleted the post. He was also called out by late-night host Stephen Colbert. DEMOCRATS’ NEW SENATE CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS KEYS TO WINNING BACK MAJORITY IN 2026 Fast-forward a year and the NRSC, in their video maligning Schumer, urged voters to “join a real party, the Republican Party. We grill right.” The NRSC was also selling related merchandise on its website, including beer koozies that read, “I grill like I vote. Right.” The NRSC also used their email release to also highlight recent reports, confirmed by Fox News, that some Democratic strategists and consultants were spending millions of dollars to better communicate with male and working-class voters, whom the party has struggled to court in recent election cycles. DEMOCRATS’ STRATEGY SESSION TO BETTER COMMUNICATE WITH MALE VOTERS RIDICULED “Shouldn’t take much to know how to grill a burger or correctly call a pick six, but apparently for Democrats, figuring out how to be a normal American takes at least $20 million — and even that won’t be enough,” NRSC regional press secretary Nick Puglia claimed in a statement. Republicans currently control the Senate with a 53-47 majority. The GOP aims to expand their majority in next year’s midterm elections. Fox News reached out to the rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for a response to the new attack by the NRSC, but the DSCC had yet to take a bite at the time this report was posted.
Blagojevich roasts Dems: Calls Schiff the ‘Elvis’ of liars, says party preferred ‘coma’ patient to Harris
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich lambasted his Democratic Party as an unethical organization that collectively bolstered a “coma” patient over other contenders in order to advance their own political ends, and that they feature a “Hall of Fame for Liars” headlined by Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. Asked by Fox News’ Jesse Watters about his response to characterizations that Democrats preferred to cover-up former President Joe Biden’s infirmities rather than move on from him or accept President Donald Trump, Blagojevich said, “I’d say that guy hates the American people and hates his constituents and hates even Democratic voters.” “Shouldn’t we all wish good things for our country? Isn’t it right to hope that a president, even the one from the other party, can succeed to do good things for his country and good things for people?” Blagojevich said that proves Democrats “don’t care about America,” and quoted Tennessee Williams’ line that “the only thing worse than a liar is a liar that’s also a hypocrite.” ADAM SCHIFF TELLS EPA’S ZELDIN HE’LL CAUSE CANCER, AFTER SHELDON WHITEHOUSE SHOUTFEST “If they have any sense of patriotism… they ought to try to … atone for their sins…” Blagojevich said Democrats could have used the 25th Amendment to oust Biden and keep a Democrat in the White House; then-Vice President Kamala Harris; but instead believed, “maybe we’re better off with a brain-dead Biden as president than her.” “They’d rather have a comatose Biden than Kamala Harris,” Watters quipped in return. Blagojevich added that by contrast, Trump has been lied about in regard to Russian collusion and the Stormy Daniels affair, and that it should be Democrats considered the bigger mistruth-tellers. “Nobody who has any common sense could believe anything they say,” he said. KASH PATEL ENRAGES ADAM SCHIFF IN CLINTONIAN BATTLE OVER THE WORD ‘WE’, AND A JANUARY 6 SONG “And the king of the Democratic liars is Adam Schiff. If there was a Hall of Fame for liars, like, let’s say, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Adam Schiff would be Elvis.” Blagojevich, imprisoned following his 2008 ejection from office by the Illinois State Senate on claims he tried to “sell” then-Sen. Barack Obama’s seat, saw his federal sentence commuted by Trump after eight years served. The former governor has long maintained his innocence – previously telling Fox News he never tried to sell what became then-Sen. Roland Burris’, D-Ill., seat, and instead was a victim of malicious prosecution grounded in politics over proof. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP He has compared his prosecution to Trump’s own legal issues, as both men alleged politicized proceedings from U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald and New York State Attorney General Letitia James, respectively. “I know what they did to me, and I do know they did the same thing to Trump,” he told FOX-32 in February.
Obama-nominated judge allows lawsuit targeting Musk’s role with DOGE to proceed, drops claims against Trump
An Obama-appointed federal judge has largely rejected the Trump administration’s request for the dismissal of a DOGE-related legal challenge, though she did dismiss President Donald Trump as a defendant, while otherwise allowing the wranglings to proceed. “Defendants seek to dismiss President Trump as a defendant because the court may not enjoin the President in the performance of his official duties,” a memorandum opinion notes, adding, “The court agrees.” The memorandum opinion and order are signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. ELON MUSK ‘DISAPPOINTED’ BY TRUMP’S SPENDING BILL, SAYS IT UNDERMINES WHAT DOGE IS DOING “Defendants’ motion to dismiss Count I against President Donald J. Trump, in his official capacity as President of the United States, is GRANTED. Defendants’ motion to dismiss Count I against all other defendants and Count II is DENIED,” the order declares. In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Justice Department spokesperson said, “This Department of Justice has vigorously defended President Trump’s ability to conduct official duties and will continue to do so whenever those actions are challenged in federal court.” DESANTIS GOADS CONGRESS TO FOLLOW FL’S DOGE BLUEPRINT AS MUSK’S CUTS STILL WAIT FOR VOTE More than a dozen states lodged a legal challenge regarding Elon Musk’s work on Trump’s DOGE cost-cutting initiative earlier this year. “This Court should restore constitutional order and, consistent with the Appointments Clause, enjoin Mr. Musk from issuing orders to any person in the Executive Branch outside of DOGE and otherwise engaging in the actions of an officer of the United States, and declare that his actions to date are ultra vires and of no legal effect,” the complaint filed in February declared. SPACEX’S STARSHIP FLIGHT 9 ENDS IN FAILURE AFTER BOOSTER LOSS: ‘SUCCESS COMES FROM WHAT WE LEARN’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP After heavily focusing on the effort, Musk later noted that he planned to reduce how much time he spends on it. Last week he declared in a tweet, “Back to spending 24/7 at work and sleeping in conference/server/factory rooms,” noting that he needed to focus on various business endeavors. “The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,” he noted on Tuesday, according to the Washington Post. “I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.”
A new law in this state bans automated insurance claim denials
As some health insurance companies have come under fire for allegedly using computer systems to shoot down claims, an Arizona law will soon make the practice illegal in the Grand Canyon State. Republican Arizona House Majority Whip Rep. Julie Willoughby sponsored the legislation, and it was recently signed into law by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. House Bill 2175 requires a physician licensed in the state to conduct an “individual review” and use “independent medical judgment” to determine whether the claim should actually be denied. PROPOSED BALLOT MEASURE IN BLUE STATE RAISES EYEBROWS OVER WHO IT’S NAMED AFTER: ‘ROAD SIDE LUNATICS’ It also required a similar review of “a direct denial of a prior authorization of a service” that a provider asked for and “involves medical necessity.” “This law ensures that a doctor, not a computer, is making medical decisions,” Willoughby said in a statement. “If care is denied, it should be by someone with the training and ethical duty to put patients first. That decision must come from a licensed physician, not an anonymous program.” The law will go into effect in July 2026, so insurers will have time to be ready for the changes, if any. NEW BIPARTISAN PROPOSAL TARGETS ‘ONE OF THE MOST EGREGIOUS’ KINDS OF FRAUD RAVAGING HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY “Arizona families deserve real oversight when it comes to life-changing medical decisions,” Willoughby said. “This law puts patients ahead of profits and restores a layer of accountability that’s long overdue.” The bill passed both chambers with nearly unanimous support. Several healthcare companies, like Cigna and United Healthcare, have faced accusations of using computer systems to deny claims in past years, according to ProPublica and FOX Business. MEDICAL SCHOOLS ‘SKIRTING’ SCOTUS RULING REJECTING RACE IN ADMISSIONS: REPORT Fox News Digital reached out to Hobbs’ office for comment. Similar legislation was signed into law in California last year, which was dubbed the “Physicians Make Decisions Act.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The lawmaker in the Golden State was specifically concerned about the rise of artificial intelligence. “Artificial intelligence has immense potential to enhance health care delivery, but it should never replace the expertise and judgment of physicians,” Democratic state Sen. Josh Becker said in a December statement. “An algorithm cannot fully understand a patient’s unique medical history or needs, and its misuse can lead to devastating consequences.”
EAM Jaishankar expresses gratitude to Italy for solidarity with India over Operation Sindoor: ‘We are thankful’
Lauding ties between India and Italy, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that relations between the two nations are on an upward trajectory and there is new momentum of political dialogue, visits, and interest in each other’s potential.