Germany’s Merz to meet Netanyahu in Jerusalem
(JNS) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday in Jerusalem, Netanyahu’s office said Dec. 4.
The meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m., followed by a joint press conference at 12:30 p.m.
Merz, who leads Germany’s Christian Democratic Union, spoke with Netanyahu on Nov. 16, shortly after declaring in a speech that Berlin must “stand with Israel” as part of a renewed “Western alliance.”
A day earlier, Merz referenced Israel in a speech to the Junge Union Deutschlands — the youth wing of his Christian Democratic Union party — in Rust, near Stuttgart in western Germany.
“The position of the Federal Republic of Germany must be clear, where we stand. In the Western alliance,” Merz said, before pausing. He then added, “At Israel’s side, dear friends. I have not forgotten that,” as thunderous applause resounded.
Successive German governments have described a commitment to Israel’s security as a core principle of their foreign policy, rooted in the legacy of the Nazi regime’s near annihilation of European Jewry. At the same time, Berlin has funneled millions of dollars to Palestinian and other organizations that critics say work to undermine Israel’s legitimacy and oppose Jewish statehood.
Germany’s government has adopted a friendlier posture toward Israel than many other European countries since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
Rome synagogue memorial for 2-year-old killed in 1982 Palestinian terror attack vandalized
(JTA) — A synagogue in Rome and a memorial for a 2-year-old boy killed in a 1982 attack by Palestinian terrorists on the city’s Great Synagogue were vandalized on Monday by unknown individuals.
The plaque dedicated to Stefano Gaj Taché, who was killed in the attack that also left 37 injured, is located on the Monteverde synagogue, also known as the Beth Michael Synagogue, in Rome.
The unknown vandals spray painted black on the memorial, and also wrote “Free Palestine” and “Monteverde anti-Zionist and anti-fascist” on the facade of the synagogue, according to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
The vandalism was condemned by Victor Fadlun, the president of the Jewish Community of Rome, who said in a post on social media that the incident came amid “a climate of intimidation” where antisemitism has “become a tool of political protest.”
“We place our trust in the police and call for the government’s strong intervention to halt this spiral of hatred,” Fadlun continued.
The incident comes amid a recent series of antisemitic vandalism in Rome, an epicenter of pro-Palestinian activism that has continued to see large demonstrations even after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
More than 200 public figures back petition calling for Barghouti’s release
(JNS) — More than 200 cultural and public figures have signed a petition calling for the release of top Palestinian terrorist Marwan Barghouti, the group organizing the effort said on Wednesday, the third day of the drive.
Among the celebrities who signed the petition are anti-Israel activist Angela Davis; Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei; novelist Margaret Atwood; and actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Cynthia Nixon, Mark Ruffalo and Ian McKellen.
The list also includes several Jewish names, including Paul Simon, Stephen Fry, Miriam Margolyes, Naomi Klein, Nan Goldin, Peter Beinart, Gabor Maté, Ilana Glazer and Hannah Einbinder.
The petition expresses “grave concern at the continuing imprisonment” of the convicted terrorist, and denounces alleged “violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights” by Israeli prison authorities.
“We call upon the United Nations and the Governments of the World to actively seek the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison,” the statement adds.
Barghouti, 66, one of the most notorious figures of the Second Intifada, was convicted in 2002 for masterminding terror attacks against Israelis. He was sentenced to five consecutive life terms plus 40 years.
Guinness panned for refusing submissions from Israel, Palestinian territories
(JNS) — International criticism of Guinness World Records over its refusal to accept submissions from Israel or the Palestinian territories continued on Wednesday, with the London-based organization facing mounting pressure to reverse its decision.
The organization acknowledged the ban after a Jerusalem-based NGO, which facilitates altruistic kidney donations and had hoped to be profiled, went public with the news.
“It is deeply troubling that Guinness World Record is refusing submissions from Israel and the Palestinian territories,” the New York-based Anti-Defamation League wrote on social media, denouncing the “double standard” in correspondence with the group’s leadership and parent company. “We believe a quick course correction is warranted.”
The Jerusalem-based Matnat Chaim NGO, whose name means “Gift of Life” in Hebrew, said Wednesday that it had contacted Guinness World Records regarding an event it is planning next month, which will bring together 2,000 Israeli kidney donors in the hope of having the gathering entered into the Guinness Book of World Records.
However, the British organization informed the Israeli group two months ago that it was no longer accepting submissions from Israel or the Palestinian territories, the nonprofit said.
UN spokesman doesn’t name Albanese but refutes controversial comment on press freedom
(JNS) — Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, didn’t name Francesca Albanese in response to a question from JNS about the special rapporteur’s comment that appeared to partly justify an attack on journalists. But he rejected her statement in strong terms.
Albanese, whom the global body considers an independent “expert” and who has denounced Israel frequently in ways that U.S., Israeli and other diplomats have called Jew-hatred, drew criticism from across the Italian political spectrum, including the left, when she responded to an anti-Israel attack on the offices of Italian paper La Stampa on Nov. 28.
After the attack, Albanese, an Italian native, reportedly said that “we must not commit acts of violence against anyone, but at the same time this should also serve as a warning to the press to go back to doing its work.”
The comment was widely viewed as a threat that journalists should cover the war against Hamas in Gaza differently.
