Trump administration accuses UN Palestinian rights envoy of ‘virulent antisemitism and support for terrorism’
(JTA) — The Trump administration has called on the United Nations to remove Francesca Albanese, the U.N. rapporteur on Palestinian rights, alleging “virulent antisemitism and support for terrorism,” according to a letter obtained by The Washington Free Beacon.
The letter, dated June 20 and addressed to U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres, also alleges that Albanese claims to be an “international lawyer” but is not licensed to practice law.
Albanese, an Italian national, regularly accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza and has said that the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas must be put in a” context of decades of oppression imposed on the Palestinians.”
The administration’s warning comes on the heels of a new report by Albanese titled “From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide.”
In the report, Albanese recommends corporate entities “cease all business activities” linked with “human rights violations and international crimes against the Palestinian people,” and also calls on them to pay reparations to the Palestinian people.
Boulder firebombing victim Karen Diamond, 82, dies of her injuries
(JTA) — An 82-year-old victim of the firebombing attack at a Boulder, Colorado demonstration for Israeli hostages has died from her wounds.
The victim, Karen Diamond, “died tragically as a result of the severe injuries that she suffered in the attack,” according to a statement released by the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.
Diamond is one of 29 targets in the June 1 attack, of whom 13 suffered physical injuries, according to an amended complaint by the district attorney’s office. The suspect in the firebombing attack, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, will now face two counts of murder as a result of Diamond’s death.
Soliman was indicted on 12 hate crime counts last week, and his lawyer entered a not guilty plea for him Friday. He is accused of trying to kill eight people at the attack on the demonstration, Run for Their Lives, in which he threw two molotov cocktails at the group.
‘Rampant antisemitic abuse’ at Massachusetts schools, complaint states
(JNS) — Two public schools in Concord, Mass., are guilty of an “alarming pattern of antisemitic bullying, slurs, threats and retaliation,” leading at least one Jewish student to leave the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District “to escape the hostile climate,” according to a brief that the Anti-Defamation League and others filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights office on Monday.
The allegedly offending schools are Concord-Carlisle High School, which U.S. News & World Report ranks No. 20 among schools in the state and No. 539 nationally, and Concord Middle School, which the publication ranks No. 91 among middle schools statewide.
The school district “knowingly allowed its schools to become a hostile environment for Jewish students, and it has failed to promptly and effectively address this ongoing problem,” according to the 24-page filing from the ADL, Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and the law firm Mayer Brown. (JNS viewed a partially redacted copy of the brief.)
Karoline Leavitt meets hostages, vows continued US support
(JNS) — U.S. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt met with a group of recently released Israeli hostages in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, praising their courage and resilience while reaffirming the Trump administration’s efforts to secure the release of those still held by Hamas in Gaza.
“It was my honor to meet with another group of brave released hostages from Gaza,” Leavitt posted on social media.
“The horrors they faced while in Hamas captivity are unimaginable, but their strength, and their faith in God through it all, is beyond inspiring.”
She added that U.S. President Donald Trump remains focused on ending the war and bringing all remaining hostages home.
The meeting came as part of a broader push by U.S. officials to maintain pressure on Hamas and support ongoing negotiations.
In late June, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also held discussions with families of captives, reiterating the administration’s “unwavering commitment” to securing the release of all 50 known hostages.
Pentagon: US strikes set back Iran’s nuclear program by 1–2 years
(JNS) — The U.S. military’s airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have delayed the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program by up to two years, according to a new Pentagon assessment.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told reporters Wednesday that intelligence assessments continue to confirm the significant damage inflicted on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. “We have degraded their program by at least one to two years — intel assessments inside the [Defense] Department assess that…. I think we’re probably closer to two years,” Parnell stated.
The June 21–22 operation, described by defense officials as the largest B-2 stealth bomber mission in U.S. history, targeted key Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. The strike involved seven B-2 bombers, more than 125 aircraft, Tomahawk cruise missiles and 14 bunker-buster bombs.
Up to five years in prison for vandalizing private property with swastikas under new Virginia law
(JNS) — A Virginia law, which went into effect on Tuesday, makes it a felony to vandalize private property with a swastika “with the intent of intimidating any person or group of persons,” ARLnow reported.
The bill, HB 2783, passed the Virginia legislature in April.
The law creates a Class 6 felony for placing a swastika on someone’s private property without the owner’s permission.
If the swastika is “placed on a highway or other public place in a manner to place another person in reasonable fear or apprehension of death or bodily injury,” the action is also punishable under the new law.
Class 6 felonies carry prison terms of one to five years. They allow for lesser sentences, potentially with fines up to $2,500.
Anti-Jewish hate crimes increased by 20.5% in Massachusetts in 2024
(JNS) — For the first time in nearly 35 years, there were more recorded anti-Jewish than anti-black hate crimes in Massachusetts in 2024, the commonwealth stated on Wednesday.
Overall, hate crimes were down last year, but there was what the commonwealth called a “troubling” 20.5% increase in antisemitic hate crimes in 2024. The commonwealth said that this was the first time since 1991, when it began tracking hate crimes, that reported instances of Jew-hatred outpaced racist incidents.
Of the 456 hate crime incidents in the state in 2024, 153 (35%) reflected religious bias, according to the state. Of the religious bias incidents, 130 (85%) were antisemitism, according to the state’s data. There were also 10 incidents (6.5%) of anti-Muslim bias, in which four known offenders had committed against nine people. Per the state data, 33 known offenders committed anti-Jewish hate crimes against 97 victims.
Per state data, there were 107 incidents of anti-black hate, or about 31% fewer than antisemitic hate crimes. The state recorded 70 hate crime incidents based on sexual orientation.
