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ABC has suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show indefinitely after comments that he made about Charlie Kirk’s killing led a group of ABC-affiliated stations to say it would not air the show. Kimmel, a veteran late-night comic, made several comments about the reaction to Kirk’s assassination on his show Monday and Tuesday nights. He said that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.” In his monologue on Monday, Kimmel said that “we hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” Kimmel said that Trump’s response to Kirk’s death “is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?” He also said that FBI chief Kash Patel has handled the investigation into the murder “like a kid who didn’t read the book, [guessing] his way through an oral report.” He returned to the topic on Tuesday night, mocking Vice President JD Vance’s performance as guest host for Kirk’s podcast. He said Trump was “fanning the flames” by attacking people on the left. “Which is it, are they a bunch of sissy pickleball players because they’re too scared to be hit by tennis balls, or a well-organized deadly team of commandos, because they can’t be both of those things.” ABC, which has aired Kimmel’s late-night show since 2003, moved swiftly after Nexstar Communications Group said it would pull the show starting Wednesday. Kimmel’s comments about Kirk’s death “are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. Nexstar operates 23 ABC affiliates. There was no immediate comment from Kimmel. President Donald Trump celebrated ABC’s move on the social media site Truth Social, writing: “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.” He also targeted two other late-night hosts, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, and said they should be canceled too, calling them “two total losers.” Kimmel’s contract is up at the end of next season, which ends in May 2026. On Twitter Wednesday night, White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich posted: “Welcome to Consequence Culture. Normal, common sense Americans are no longer taking the [expletive] and companies like ABC are finally willing to do the right and reasonable thing.” Authorities say Tyler Robinson, 22, who is charged with killing Kirk, grew up in a conservative household in southern Utah but was enmeshed in “leftist ideology.” His parents told investigators he had turned politically left and pro-LGBTQ rights in the last year. Utah records show he was registered as a voter, but not affiliated with either political party. His voter status is inactive, meaning he did not vote in two regular general elections. He told his transgender partner that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.” Kimmel, like CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, has consistently been critical of President Donald Trump and many of his policies on his ABC show. CBS said this past summer that it was canceling Colbert’s show at the end of this season for […]

President Trump calls on NBC to cancel Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers after Jimmy Kimmel got canceled.

Several airplanes had to abort landings amid strong winds at London’s Heathrow Airport on Monday. The highest wind gust of 78 mph was recorded on the Isle of Wight off England’s south coast, according to the UK Met Office.

Tensions boiled over Wednesday evening at the entrance to Prison 10, where a van transporting about 20 chareidi draft evaders was intercepted by demonstrators from major chassidic groups.

Witnesses reported that the protesters swarmed the vehicle as it approached the prison gates, demanding the release of the detainees and shouting at police and soldiers guarding the convoy. According to Galei Tzahal’s Daniel Grobais, the disturbance was not organized by the Peleg Yerushalmi but rather spearheaded by activists from the Ger community.

As the situation escalated into a full-scale confrontation, the van eventually turned around and departed the area, leaving behind a scene of chaos.

The clashes followed a wave of protests earlier in the week. On Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators rushed to the Rechasim Junction after an alert was issued on the Peleg Yerushalmi “Black Color” hotline about the arrest of a yeshiva student who had been declared a deserter. Police ultimately backed down, and the detainee was released.

Meanwhile, military police made sweeping arrests Wednesday at Ben Gurion Airport, taking into custody about 25 more chareidi draft evaders. In total, roughly 70 deserters have now been jailed in military prisons across the country.

Galei Tzahal further reported that the true figure is significantly higher than the official tally. Dozens of draft evaders are said to have turned themselves in prior to the airport crackdown, believing this might allow them to secure permits to travel to Uman for Rosh Hashanah. These individuals are not counted among the 70 currently listed.

Officials are now anticipating an unusually large Rosh Hashanah davening inside the military prison facilities, given the unprecedented number of detainees.

{Matzav.com Israel}

Senior Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad reappeared Wednesday in a televised interview on Qatar’s Al Jazeera network, ending weeks of speculation about his fate following an Israeli airstrike in Doha that targeted top members of the terror group’s political leadership. Hamad, who had been rumored killed in the September strike, described surviving what he called a “horrifying barrage” of missiles that landed on the building where Hamas negotiators were meeting with advisers. “Less than an hour into the discussion of the American proposal, enormous explosions shook the building. We tried to flee as quickly as possible. By God’s grace we survived,” Hamad said, claiming that 12 missiles struck in under a minute. The strike—part of Israel’s Operation Summit of Fire—had thrown cease-fire talks into turmoil. Hamad accused Washington of duplicity, alleging that U.S. negotiators shifted terms and ultimately gave Israel a green light to bomb the session. “Our experience with the American mediator was bitter. There was no credibility on the American side. The Americans are partners in the ongoing genocide,” he charged. Hamad further warned Arab states that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to “change the face of the Middle East” and urged a unified Arab response. “We are not the only target; the entire nation is,” he said. His reemergence marks the second time a Hamas leader targeted in the Doha strike has appeared publicly. Tahir al-Nunu surfaced earlier in a separate Al Jazeera interview. Reports suggest the meeting included some of Hamas’s most senior figures, among them Khalil al-Hayya, Zahir Jabarin, Khaled Meshal, Mousa Abu Marzouk, and Izzat al-Rishq. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Three police officers were fatally shot and two wounded Wednesday in southern Pennsylvania, and the shooter was killed by police, authorities said. The officers were at the scene, amid rolling farmland, to follow up on a domestic-related investigation that began the previous day. “This is an absolutely tragic and devastating day,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a news conference. “We grieve the loss of life of three precious souls who served this county, who served this Commonwealth, who served this country.” “This kind of violence is not OK. We need to do better as a society,” Shapiro said. It was one of the deadliest days for Pennsylvania police this century. In 2009 three Pittsburgh officers responding to a domestic disturbance were ambushed and shot to death by a man in a bulletproof vest. Condolences began pouring in from police departments across the region on social media and people began leaving flowers at the headquarters of the Northern York Regional Police Department. “The grief will be unbearable but we will bear it,” said Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris, who pledged a full, fair investigation. The shooting erupted in the area of North Codorus Township, about 115 miles (185 km) west of Philadelphia, not far from the Maryland line, authorities said. Dirk Anderson, a farmer who lives across a two-lane country road from the scene, said he was in his shop “when we heard shots,” which he described as “quite a few.” He saw a helicopter arrive and a large police vehicle response. The two injured officers were in critical but stable condition at York Hospital, authorities said. Authorities did not identify the shooter, the officers or which police department they belonged to, or describe the circumstances of how they were shot, citing the ongoing investigation. Shapiro said he and other officials met with the slain officers’ families, who, while grieving, took the time to say how proud they were of their loved ones. Attorney General Pamela Bondi called the violence against police “a scourge on our society.” She said federal agents were on the scene to support local officers. The emergency response unfolded on a rural road in south-central Pennsylvania. Officers were keeping people well back from the scene, with some 30 police vehicles blocking off roads bordered by a barn, a goat farm and soybean and corn fields. Another officer in the area was killed in February, when a man armed with a pistol and zip ties entered a hospital’s intensive care unit and took staff members hostage before a shootout that left both the suspect and an officer dead. “We need to do better as a society,” Shapiro said. “We need to help the people who think that picking up a gun, picking up a weapon is the answer to resolving disputes. We need do better when it comes to mental health. “We need to do better when it comes to looking out for those who are in need so we don’t have to deal with tragedies like this,” he said. (AP)

A sweeping investigation has uncovered how Iran is outsourcing terror worldwide, relying on international criminal syndicates to carry out assassinations, arson attacks, and intimidation campaigns that target Jewish communities, Israeli interests, and Iranian dissidents, the Jerusalem Post reports. According to intelligence reports, recently declassified government documents, and testimony from counterterrorism experts, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Ministry of Intelligence are increasingly enlisting drug cartels, biker gangs, and smuggling networks to do their dirty work. Analysts describe the strategy as “narco-terrorism”—a hybrid model that blurs the line between organized crime and state-sponsored terror, granting Tehran a shield of plausible deniability while its adversaries struggle to respond. Unlike traditional terror cells, criminal groups offer local reach, logistical sophistication, and deniability. Arrests and foiled plots from North America to Germany to Australia have revealed Iran’s fingerprints, though rarely in a way that can be prosecuted directly against the regime. “Because of its sophistication, its ability to avoid fingerprints on the ground, and support from criminal organizations, local collaborators, and the extreme left, Iran is managing to remove its name from many actions,” said Moran Alaluf, a counterterrorism researcher. In August, Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador after investigators tied the IRGC to arson attacks on Jewish institutions in Sydney and Melbourne. Across Europe, the Swedish-based Foxtrot Network—a drug cartel run by Rawa Majid, now reportedly living in Iran—has carried out assaults on Israeli embassies and Jewish targets at Tehran’s direction. The most chilling consequences are being felt in Europe, where Jewish communities have been forced to conceal religious symbols amid rising intimidation. German prosecutors recently charged an Afghan-born Dane with conducting surveillance on shuls and individuals in Berlin under orders from Iran’s Quds Force. “Awareness is rising,” said Sacha Stawski, a Frankfurt-based Jewish leader. “But for many, the choice is between hiding, leaving, or fighting back.” In Greece, authorities arrested an Iranian linked to anarchist groups who attempted to torch a shul in Athens. British intelligence says it has disrupted at least 15 Iranian plots to kidnap or kill dissidents and journalists. The United States has been a target for more than a decade. As far back as 2011, Iranian operatives attempted to hire a Mexican cartel to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s ambassador in Washington. More recently, U.S. prosecutors indicted IRGC assets for plotting mass shootings of Israeli tourists abroad and contracting American gang members for targeted killings of Jewish business leaders. Canada, too, has thwarted IRGC recruitment of local criminal gangs to carry out assassinations, including a plot against former Justice Minister Irwin Cotler. “Local criminal gangs can be recruited to act on Iranian orders, creating challenges for law enforcement,” warned Canadian analyst Joe Adam George. Western governments are scrambling to keep pace. In July, 14 nations including the U.S., U.K., and Canada issued a joint condemnation of Tehran’s strategy, warning of the growing fusion between organized crime and Iranian intelligence. The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned multiple groups and individuals, stressing that Iran “increasingly relies on organized criminal groups to maintain plausible deniability.” But experts caution that the world is still only seeing fragments of the bigger picture. “There are many dormant cells waiting for the green light,” Alaluf warned. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Britain is giving President Donald Trump a lavish welcome as he arrives for his second state visit, putting on a dazzling display of ceremony and tradition meant to highlight the bond between the two nations.

The festivities include a massive show of military strength, with more than 1,300 troops taking part and a formal 41-gun salute, capped by a formal banquet in royal style. All of it is designed to impress the American leader while the world watches amid global challenges.

Here are some of the highlights planned for the two-day visit.

When Trump and King Charles III greeted each other in the gardens of Windsor Castle, the moment was punctuated by the thunder of a 41-gun salute. The cannons, relics of World War I, fired from the castle’s east lawn. It was a distinction not afforded to Trump when he came in 2019.

The salute is reserved for the most meaningful occasions, such as the King’s official birthday or the anniversary of his accession. The booming guns were accompanied by both nations’ anthems, while additional rounds were fired near the Tower of London for symbolic effect. Reports indicate Trump was not given this honor during his earlier visit.

French President Emmanuel Macron was the last foreign head of state to be honored with such a salute from the Tower of London, during his state visit last July.

The welcome ceremony also featured 1,300 servicemen and 120 horses in a procession that officials described as the grandest for any state guest in recent memory.

The spectacle even outshone the pageantry arranged when Queen Elizabeth II hosted Trump during his first term, when the greeting was limited to Buckingham Palace and an afternoon tea with Prince Charles.

Following the official welcome, Trump and King Charles took part in a horse-drawn carriage ride through the Windsor grounds, heading toward the centuries-old castle as troops stood in formation.

They rode in the Irish State Coach, while Queen Camilla and First Lady Melania followed in the Scottish State Coach. Prince William and Catherine also joined the procession in a separate carriage.

This moment was intended to reflect the deep traditions of the monarchy and provide citizens the opportunity to see both the royal family and their American guest. Security concerns were said to have prevented a similar procession during Trump’s 2019 visit.

In another first, Trump was honored with a “joint flypast” of U.S. and British fighter jets. Aircraft painted the skies in red, white, and blue, as the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows team flew alongside American F-35s.

A marching band accompanied the pageantry with stirring music. The performance included the finest percussion and wind musicians of the armed forces, with appearances by the Royal Marines Band from Portsmouth, the Scots Guards band, and the Royal Air Force musicians.

The day will conclude with a glittering state banquet, where Trump and King Charles are both expected to deliver speeches.

Guests will be served a custom cocktail dubbed the Transatlantic Whisky Sour, made with Johnnie Walker, marmalade, pecan foam, and a toasted marshmallow garnish. But the famously abstinent Trump raised his glass of water for the toast.

After dinner, the wine list will be followed by vintage selections, including a 1945 port chosen in tribute to Trump as the 45th president, and a 1912 cognac recalling the birth year of his mother, who was Scottish.

The gourmet dinner menu offers courses such as Hampshire watercress panna cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad, organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes, and a vanilla ice cream bombe with raspberry sorbet and poached plums.

Tables will be dressed in immaculate settings, with five glasses per guest and floral centerpieces sourced from the royal gardens at Windsor.

Music from a string orchestra will accompany the evening, which will end with 12 pipers marching through St. George’s Hall. The historic chamber, dating back to 1353, is decorated with the coats of arms of every Knight of the Garter since its founding, according to the royal household.

{Matzav.com}

On Wednesday, the Knesset gave its approval for Tourism Minister Chaim Katz to take on the role of permanent construction and housing minister, formally succeeding United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzchak Goldknopf.

The vote ended with 41 lawmakers in support and 28 opposed. Katz, a Likud MK, will now hold the housing portfolio alongside his ongoing responsibilities as acting welfare minister and acting health minister. He has been serving as tourism minister since 2022. Prior to the appointment, Katz signed an agreement addressed to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu stating that he would relinquish the housing ministry if Goldknopf and his UTJ party return to the coalition.

Katz has already been functioning as acting construction and housing minister since July 15, following Goldknopf’s resignation along with the rest of UTJ in protest against developments with the chareidi draft legislation. Around the same time, Shas also exited the coalition over the same issue, prompting Katz to assume the interim welfare and health portfolios as well.

At that stage, only Katz and Justice Minister Yariv Levin were tapped to temporarily cover the responsibilities of the departing UTJ and Shas ministers. Levin has since been handling the interior, labor, and religious affairs ministries. The limited appointments initially suggested that Netanyahu intended to keep those ministries reserved should the chareidi factions eventually rejoin the coalition. Katz’s move into the permanent housing role was widely seen at first as a sign UTJ was not expected back.

Still, Katz’s signed commitment to vacate the role for Goldknopf if UTJ rejoins signals that the path may remain open for their return.

A similar approach was taken earlier this year when the Otzma Yehudit Party resigned from government in January over opposition to the hostage deal with Hamas. At that time, Netanyahu entrusted Katz with Otzma Yehudit’s three ministries until the party rejoined in March, once Israel renewed its Gaza offensive.

After the vote, Katz expressed gratitude for the confidence placed in him. “I thank the prime minister for his trust and the members of the government for their support,” he said. He pledged to continue advancing housing policy, adding, “I will do my utmost to continue the momentum of construction and to expand the housing supply, while removing bureaucratic barriers and improving services for the citizens of Israel.”

{Matzav.com Israel}

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa tells reporters in Damascus that ongoing negotiations with Israel to reach a security pact could lead to results “in the coming days.” He described the security pact as a “necessity” and said it would need to respect Syria’s air space and territorial unity and be monitored by the United Nations.

VP on the murder of Charlie Kirk: “This is a person… who was radicalized by the Far Left… and got so far down the path of radicalization that he killed my friend. That is not a ‘both sides’ problem. My friend is dead because of left-wing political radicalization.”

Charedi protesters hurled stones and sprayed tear gas at a military vehicle transporting bnei yeshiva to a military prison for refusing to enlist in the army. Two IDF soldiers suffered minor injuries from the tear gas, and one detainee managed to escape.

Five police officers were shot while serving a warrant in York County, Pennsylvania, with three in critical condition; the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, NBC reports.

Jerry Greenfield, who co-founded Ben & Jerry’s and lent his name to the famous ice cream brand, announced he is leaving the company amid growing tensions with parent company Unilever over its stance on the war in Gaza.

In an open letter addressed to the Ben & Jerry’s community, which his longtime partner Ben Cohen shared on X Wednesday, Greenfield argued that the company had lost its autonomy ever since Unilever restricted its social activism.

Disagreements between Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s go back to 2021, when the ice cream maker said it would halt sales in the West Bank, sparking controversy.

Since then, Ben & Jerry’s has taken its parent company to court, accusing Unilever of trying to muzzle it. The brand has also described the conflict in Gaza as “genocide,” a rare position for a major American corporation.

Greenfield explained that he could not remain with a company he believed had been “silenced” by its owner, despite assurances in their merger deal that were supposed to protect its mission. He said he could no longer “in good conscience” continue under those conditions.

“That independence existed in no small part because of the unique merger agreement Ben and I negotiated with Unilever,” Greenfield wrote in his letter.

Responding to his comments, a spokesperson for Unilever’s ice cream division, which owns the Magnum brand, said it “disagrees with Greenfield’s perspective and has sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world.”

Unilever added that Greenfield had only stepped down from his role as brand ambassador and noted that he is not involved in the legal proceedings against the company.

His resignation comes at a time when Ben & Jerry’s has been pushing for independence, calling for a spin-off as Unilever prepares to publicly list Magnum Ice Cream in November. The clashes over the brand’s outspoken position on Gaza have fueled this push.

Just last week, Ben Cohen urged Unilever to “free Ben & Jerry’s” in order to safeguard its social activism, but the proposal was rejected by new Magnum CEO Peter ter Kulve.

Cohen revealed that the company had attempted to arrange a sale to investors, valuing the brand between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion, but Unilever refused the offer.

Ben & Jerry’s began in 1978, when Cohen and Greenfield opened their first shop in a converted gas station. Even after Unilever acquired the company in 2000, the brand maintained its socially driven ethos—until now, according to Greenfield.

{Matzav.com}

Federal regulators are proposing to remove another artificial dye from the U.S. food supply — Orange B, a synthetic color that hasn’t been used in the U.S. for decades. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that it would seek to repeal the regulation allowing use of the dye approved in 1966 to color sausage casings and frankfurters. No batches of the dye have been certified, or asked to be used, since 1978, FDA officials said. “Its use has been abandoned by industry,” the agency said in a statement. “The color additive regulation is outdated and unnecessary.” But consumer advocates who have called for tougher FDA regulation of food dyes and other additives for decades have suggested it was an empty gesture. “It says they are currently willing to take mandatory steps only where it has no impact,” said Sarah Sorscher, who directs regulatory affairs for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group. The move follows the FDA’s decision in January to ban Red No. 3 because of potential cancer risk. That dye has been used far more widely in candies, snack foods and medicines. The Orange B proposal is separate from a successful push by the Trump administration this year to pressure top food manufacturers to voluntarily remove artificial food dyes from products ranging from cereals and yogurt to sodas. After a brief public comment period, it would take effect within 45 days. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary have pledged to remove petroleum-based dyes from U.S. foods, citing concerns about children’s health. Mixed studies have indicated that exposure to food dyes can cause behavioral problems in some children, including hyperactivity and attention issues. However, the FDA has maintained that approved dyes are safe and that “the totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.” Recently, the FDA included six food dyes widely used in the U.S. — Green No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2 — on a list of chemicals under agency review. Another approved dye, Citrus Red No. 2, is rarely used and found in small amounts in the skin of some citrus products. (AP)

The only thing keeping him from Torah? A bus ride. Every morning, thousands of children across Eretz Yisroel wake up with excitement. They put on their yarmulka, pack their seforim, and long to learn Torah. But for over 20,000 children from secular homes and communities, the day ends before it begins. Not because they don’t want to learn. Not because their parents don’t care. But because without a bus, a Torah school is out of reach.  That’s where Chinuch Atzmai steps in. Every single day, we bring these children from irreligious neighborhoods to Torah schools — their only chance to grow up with Torah and mitzvos. Without it, they remain in public schools, cut off from Yiddishkeit. For just $1 a day, you can sponsor a ride. You can be the reason a child doesn’t stay home. You can be the reason he brings home parsha, mishnayos, gemara, and the warmth of Yiddishkeit to his family. Your $1 a day fills the gap — and puts a child on the bus to Torah. CLICK HERE.

A Montreal judge has ruled that a 24-year-old man who assaulted a Jewish father in front of his children last month is not criminally responsible due to mental illness. The accused, identified as Sergio Preciado, was charged with assault causing bodily harm after video footage captured him pummeling a 32-year-old Orthodox Jewish man in Montreal’s Dicky-More Park. The video, which showed the attacker throwing the victim’s yarmulka into a fountain while the victim’s children looked on in terror, spread rapidly on social media and prompted condemnation from across the political spectrum. The provincial prosecutor’s office confirmed Wednesday that a psychiatric evaluation determined Preciado was suffering from a severe mental illness, likely schizophrenia, and was in the midst of a psychotic episode during the assault. “This is not a hate crime but a crime arising from mental illness,” prosecutors said in a statement, noting that Preciado had no prior diagnosis before his arrest. He has since been transferred to a psychiatric hospital rather than facing criminal prosecution. The ruling comes despite widespread assumptions that the assault was antisemitic in nature, given the victim’s visibly Jewish appearance and the symbolism of the kippah being desecrated. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the incident “a horrific act of violence,” adding, “Everyone in Canada has the right to live in safety. My thoughts are with the victim and his family as they recover.” Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, issued an even sharper rebuke, insisting the attack was motivated by antisemitism. “I just spoke with David, who was brutally attacked in front of his children simply because he is Jewish,” Sa’ar said. “I call on the Canadian government to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism and to name this crime for what it is—a hate crime. I invited David and his family to Israel, and I look forward to seeing them in Jerusalem soon.” Jewish advocacy groups in Canada echoed Sa’ar’s concerns, warning that the court’s ruling risks minimizing the gravity of antisemitic violence at a time when incidents have surged nationwide since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October 2023. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Two Labour members of the British Parliament said Tuesday evening that they were barred from entering Israel the previous day, with Israeli officials citing “public order” concerns.

The MPs, Peter Prinsley and Simon Opher, had been traveling to the West Bank as part of a parliamentary visit organized by the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU). Their trip was planned to examine medical and humanitarian initiatives in the area, meet with British diplomats in Jerusalem, and hold discussions with both Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations.

While attempting to cross into Israel from Jordan on Monday, the two lawmakers were stopped by border officials. Opher later told the BBC that they were detained inside a passport control office and eventually informed that entry was denied for reasons of “public order” before being “escorted to a bus” that returned them to Jordan. The MPs issued a joint statement saying, “It is deeply regrettable that Israeli authorities prevented [us] from seeing first hand the grave challenges facing medical facilities in the region and from hearing the British government’s assessment of the situation on the ground.”

The UK Foreign Office responded through a spokesperson, telling the BBC that “it is totally unacceptable and deeply concerning that yet again two British MPs have been denied entry to the occupied Palestinian territories by Israel.”

Hamish Falconer, Britain’s Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, wrote on X/Twitter that “this is no way to treat British parliamentarians.”

Prinsley, who is Jewish, also serves as a representative on the Board of Deputies.

He was recently found in violation of parliamentary standards after neglecting to disclose a fully funded “solidarity” trip to Israel in May, arranged by Labour Friends of Israel. Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority explained to The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday that the MPs were denied because “they were coming on behalf of an organization whose activities are banned in the country and whose members are not permitted entry into Israel; therefore, entry was denied.”

This is not the first such incident. Back in April, two other British MPs—Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang—were also blocked from traveling to the West Bank, with Israeli officials arguing that they planned to “spread hate speech” against Israel.

{Matzav.com}