Before his death, Charlie Kirk told Netanyahu that Israel faced a ‘5-alarm fire’ over PR strategy
(JTA) — Prior to his death, slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning the leader that Israel was losing support within the “conservative MAGA community” and exhorting him to do a better of job of making Israel’s case to the world.
Netanyahu teased the existence of a supportive letter from Kirk soon after the Turning Point USA co-founder’s assassination in Utah earlier this month. Now, the New York Post has obtained and published the letter, dated May 2.
In it, Kirk espouses his own staunch support for Israel but told Netanyahu he felt he was “defending Israel in public more than your own government.”
“I’m accused of being a paid apologist for Israel when I defend her; however, if I don’t defend Israel strongly enough, I’m accused of being anti-semitic,” Kirk wrote. “I know you’ve got a 7 front war and my kvetching pales in comparison. But I’m trying to convey to you that Israel is losing support even in conservative circles. This should be a 5 alarm fire.”
Indeed, support for Israel among Republicans has significantly waned over the course of Israel’s war in Gaza. A June poll by Quinnipiac University found that sympathy for Israelis had dropped by 14 points among Republicans over the last year. The drop has been sharper among younger conservatives like those targeted by Turning Point USA.
Tel Aviv stocks surge to record as Gaza peace hopes grow
(JNS) — Shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange surged to all-time highs Tuesday as investors welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s new plan to end the war in Gaza.
The benchmark TA-125 index closed up 3.1%, extending a rally that has pushed the index about 30% higher since the start of the year. The gains came after weeks of record-breaking trading in Tel Aviv as markets bet on prospects for regional stability and economic growth.
The rally capped a strong third quarter for Israel’s markets. On Tuesday, the Tel Aviv 35 Index rose 2.8% to close at a record 3,199.82 points, while the TA-125 finished at 3,250.03. Banks and insurers led the gains, with Bank Hapoalim climbing 4.1%, Leumi up 3.6% and Phoenix Financial soaring more than 7%.
Trading turnover reached more than 5.4 billion shekels ($1.6 billion) in equities Tuesday, while the shekel strengthened against both the dollar, with the Bank of Israel’s representative rate reaching 3.3060, the pound (4.4409 shekels) and the euro (3.8807 shekels). ICL Group was among the few notable decliners, slipping about 1.2%.
European soccer delays vote on Israel ban during Gaza peace talks
(JTA) — A vote on whether to suspend Israel from European soccer competitions is on hold after the announcement of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, according to a Sky News report.
A growing number of European countries have been pushing for a vote to boot Israeli teams from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which governs the sport in Europe. Israel has competed under UEFA’s umbrella since 1994 due to decades of boycotts by Middle East-based clubs in the Asian Football Confederation.
On Monday, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan to resolve the Israel-Hamas war and rebuild Gaza, with assured support from Israel and key Arab partners. Hamas has not yet responded to the proposal.
Sky News reports that European soccer leaders think that the application of UEFA sanctions on Israel is not appropriate with the plan on the table.
A UEFA ban might leave Israel unable to qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup.
The Trump administration decried the ban reports last week, with a State Department spokesperson saying, “We will absolutely work to fully stop any effort to attempt to ban Israel’s national soccer team from the World Cup.”
The Guardian reported that a UEFA ban might apply only to competitions that UEFA directly controls, and not to the World Cup, where UEFA runs the regional qualification process for FIFA.
Rapper Azaelia Banks announces performance in Israel to mark anniversary of Oct. 7
(JTA) — Rapper Azaelia Banks has announced that she will perform in Israel the week of the two-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks — and embark on a wide-ranging tour that includes a trip to a museum honoring an early Zionist leader who preached Jewish self-defense.
Banks’ performance, set for Oct. 9 in Tel Aviv, marks the artist’s first return to Israel since 2018, when she vowed never to come back following a series of racist encounters during her visit. The artist appeared to have a change of heart about Israel in June when she declared “I’m a Zionist” on social media.
In the performance announcement, Banks also said that Oct. 7 would be a day of “deep remembrance — honoring every life taken, every family touched.” She outlined an extensive itinerary for her visit, including stops at the Dead Sea, Israel’s Holocaust memorial museum Yad Vashem and the site of the Nova music festival.
She said she would also be meeting with Israeli soldiers and visiting the Jabotinsky Institute, a research center honoring Zeev Jabotinsky, the founder of revisionist Zionism who is a hero to some contemporary activists who believe Jews should fight antisemitism with force. The group Betar USA, which sees itself as reviving Jabotinsky’s mantle, shared Banks’ announcement and posted, “can’t wait to welcome her with Zionist love in Israel on October 3rd.”
The visit comes as over 400 artists and labels, including Bjork, Massive Attack and Paramore, have signed a petition titled “No Music for Genocide” calling for their music to be blocked from streaming in Israel.
Charlie Kirk to Netanyahu: ‘Communications intervention’ needed for Israel
(JNS) — Conservative activist and commentator Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed in September, wrote a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in May about how to help the Jewish state win the “information war,” the New York Post reported on Monday.
“The purpose of this letter is to lay out our concerns and outline potential remedies. Everything written here is from a place of deep love for Israel and the Jewish people,” Kirk wrote. “I think it’s important to be brutally honest with those you love. In my opinion, Israel is losing the information war and needs a ‘communications intervention.’”
In the seven-page letter obtained by the Post, Kirk outlined several suggestions on how the Jewish state can combat worldwide antisemitism and help influence public opinion back in favor of the Jewish state.
Recommendations included creating a rapid response team to combat misinformation, sending former hostages on press tours to discuss their experiences and providing ways for everyday Israelis to showcase their country “in their own words.”
“A paradigm shift is needed in how Israel presents itself to the world, especially on social media,” Kirk wrote, adding that Israel was losing support “even in conservative circles,” which “should be a five-alarm fire.”
Netanyahu acknowledged the letter during his video address in honor of Kirk.
