Six African countries form pro-Israel parliamentary groups
(JNS) — Six African countries have established pro-Israel parliamentary groups, strengthening diplomatic, economic and faith-based ties with the Jewish state amid regional geopolitical realignments.
The move, which was announced on Monday, two weeks after the Israel-Iran war ended with a ceasefire, was the latest in a growing diplomatic tug-of-war between supporters and opponents of the Jewish state in Africa. While South Africa has emerged as one of the fiercest critics of Israel worldwide, other African countries have pushed back and are now further strengthening ties rooted in a mix of shared interests and faith.
“Israel sees Africa as a strategic and values-based partner, and we continue to deepen our cooperation through initiatives in agriculture, healthcare and employment,” Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, who has led the government’s outreach to Africa, told JNS in a statement welcoming the move. “These growing ties reflect our shared values of liberty, innovation and faith.”
IDF hits Hezbollah terror site hidden in civilian structure in Lebanon
(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces overnight Wednesday struck a Hezbollah command center used by terrorists in the area of Yohmor in southeastern Lebanon’s Nabatieh Governorate.
According to the IDF, the site was operating under the cover of a civilian structure, underscoring Hezbollah’s systematic attempts to conceal its activities and advance terrorist attacks against the State of Israel.
Before the strike, numerous precautions were taken to minimize the risk of civilian harm, the military said.
Israel-haters launch symbolic rocket for ‘Palestine’ in Spain
(JNS) — A Spanish mayor on Sunday invited anti-Israel activists to launch the annual San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, where they lit a rocket-shaped firework while shouting “Long live free Palestine” as revelers held up a giant banner that read “destroy Israel.”
The Israeli embassy in Spain condemned the incident as a sign of “an obsession” with the Jewish state.
The traditional week-long festival features the well-known Running of the Bulls, in which the animals are let loose in sectioned-off parts of Pamplona as people run ahead of them.
France to indict six for 1982 Jewish restaurant terror attack
(JNS) — French prosecutors announced on Wednesday that they are seeking to bring six individuals to trial before a special terrorism court in connection with a 1982 attack on a Jewish restaurant in Paris, which killed six people and wounded 22 others.
One of the suspects, Walid Abdulrahman Abu Zayed, has been held in custody in France since late 2020. Arrest warrants for the remaining suspects have been issued, though it is not known whether the five are in France, Reuters reported.
The attack on the Chez Jo Goldenberg restaurant — carried out with grenades and machine guns — was the deadliest antisemitic assault in France since World War II. Israel and other Western intelligence agencies said it was perpetrated by the Abu Nidal Palestinian terrorist organization.
Dutch imam fired after visiting Israel, meeting President Herzog
(JNS) — A mosque in the Dutch city of Alkmaar fired its imam after he visited Israel with other Muslim faith leaders from Europe, the institution’s board said on Tuesday.
The Bilal Mosque in Alkmaar told the Islam Omroep, a Dutch-Muslim news site, that Imam Youssef Msibih was “immediately removed” from his position.
The dismissal comes just days after Msibih participated in a delegation of 15 imams and Muslim leaders from France, Italy, Holland, Belgium and the U.K. who paid a rare visit to Israel.
During the trip, Msibih made headlines on social media for singing an Arabic-language rendition of the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah.
