Feed aggregator

Francesca Albanese, a United Nations investigator who has frequently been accused of anti-Israel bias, is facing widespread condemnation after responding dismissively to the mother of a young woman murdered in Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The controversy erupted after Sonja Bohl-Dencker, whose daughter was killed during the massacre, described feeling intense hostility toward Israel while attending an event in Berlin honoring Albanese. Her remarks drew attention in Germany and beyond, prompting a response from the UN official that quickly sparked outrage.

Bohl-Dencker’s daughter, Carolin Bohl, a 22-year-old German fashion student and model, was among those murdered by Hamas terrorists during the assault on Kibbutz Nir Oz.

In an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, Bohl-Dencker recounted attending a film screening in Berlin in March at which Albanese was the central guest. She described the atmosphere at the gathering as deeply unsettling.

“I have never been in a room where I felt so much hatred,” Bohl-Dencker said. “Everywhere keffiyehs, terrible slogans and sheer hatred against everything connected with Israel.”

After a social media post highlighted the grieving mother’s comments, Albanese replied with a brief message that immediately ignited criticism: “Change medication.”

The remark attracted even greater scrutiny because of legal filings connected to Albanese’s own challenge against sanctions imposed by the United States. According to court documents submitted in that case, Albanese and members of her family sought medical treatment for conditions they said were brought on by the stress of the sanctions. The filings state that Albanese was treated for gastric ulcers, while her husband suffered from insomnia and severe anxiety.

Albanese has long been a polarizing figure because of statements critics say demonstrate a pattern of hostility toward Israel. Among the incidents drawing criticism were remarks delivered at an Al Jazeera conference that prompted rebukes from several European Union foreign ministers.

“The fact that instead of stopping Israel, most of the world has armed, given Israel political excuses, political sheltering, economic and financial support … We who do not control large amounts of financial capitals, algorithms and weapons, we now see that we as a humanity have a common enemy.”

Following the backlash, Albanese denied that she had characterized Israel as humanity’s common enemy.

She later stated that she “never, ever, ever said ‘Israel is the common enemy of humanity,'” and described the allegations against her as “completely false accusations.”

Questions surrounding Albanese’s views on Israel have persisted for years. Critics frequently point to social media posts uncovered in 2022 in which she asserted that the “Jewish lobby” exerts control over the United States.

At the time, Albanese rejected claims that her comments about the “Jewish lobby” were antisemitic, arguing that they had been “mischaracterized.” Nevertheless, controversy surrounding her statements about Israel has continued.

Since the Hamas massacre of October 7, Albanese’s comments have drawn even greater attention. She argued that the attack should be understood within a broader “context” and portrayed it as a reaction to Israeli “aggression.”

Earlier this year, Albanese again provoked criticism when she accused Israel of systematically abusing Palestinians.

In late March, Albanese claimed that the world has given Israel “a license to torture Palestinians,” alleging that “torture has effectively become state policy” in Israel.

{Matzav.com}

The Trump administration announced Thursday that federal authorities have located approximately 146,000 unaccompanied migrant children who entered the United States during the Biden administration and were later placed with sponsors, while officials say close to 300,000 children have yet to be found.

The figures were revealed during a press briefing at the Justice Department in Washington by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Officials said the number of children successfully located has risen dramatically from roughly 22,000 identified last summer.

“We found 146,000 kids so far — 146,000 kids. We still have nearly 300,000 missing,” Mullin said.

Mullin sharply criticized the previous administration’s management of unaccompanied minors, arguing that failures in oversight and monitoring resulted in hundreds of thousands of children effectively disappearing after being released into the country.

“When we start digging into these cases, and you start hearing the absolute horrific things that took place underneath the Biden administration, either true neglect at best and criminal at worst, to allow 450,000 kids to go missing throughout this country,” Mullin said.

Administration officials said that more than half a million unaccompanied migrant children crossed the southern border and entered the United States during the Biden administration without a parent or legal guardian accompanying them.

After arriving in the country, the minors were placed under the supervision of the Department of Health and Human Services before eventually being released to sponsors residing in the United States.

The Trump administration has made tracking down those children a major priority, directing multiple federal agencies to work together to determine where they are living and whether they are being properly cared for.

Officials declined to offer specifics about the methods used to locate the 146,000 children or provide a timeline for finding those who remain unaccounted for. They also did not disclose additional details regarding the condition or circumstances of the children who have already been identified.

A sophisticated cyber scam targeting supporters of Adirei HaTorah has been revealed after fraudsters created a deceptive look-alike website designed to solicit donations from unsuspecting members of the public.

According to Adirei HaTorah, the organization became aware on Wednesday of a targeted effort to impersonate the organization through a fraudulent website that closely resembled its official online presence. The fake site was reportedly used in conjunction with emails and text messages sent to potential donors in an attempt to redirect contributions.

Organization officials said they immediately launched an emergency response, working closely with cybersecurity experts and law enforcement authorities to contain the threat and protect the public.

“B’Siyata D’Shmaya, the fraudulent website has been successfully disabled and the payment processor has frozen the scammer’s account,” the organization said in a statement.

While the investigation remains ongoing, Adirei HaTorah emphasized that the breach appears to have been limited in scope. According to preliminary findings, the information accessed consisted only of certain names, email addresses, and phone numbers that were subsequently used to distribute fraudulent emails and text messages directing recipients to the fake website.

Officials stressed that there is currently no indication that the perpetrators gained access to the organization’s financial infrastructure, donor records, or sensitive payment information.

“Importantly, there are no indications that the malicious actor gained access to any of Adirei HaTorah’s financial systems or overall donor database, or that any financial information was compromised,” the statement noted.

The organization credited the rapid shutdown of the operation to the coordinated efforts of cybersecurity professionals, community members, and media outlets that quickly spread warnings about the scam.

“We extend our sincere appreciation to the many professionals and community members who immediately stepped forward, worked tirelessly, and helped identify and shut down this scam within hours of its launch,” Adirei HaTorah said. “We are also grateful to the media outlets that helped responsibly publicize the warning and alert the public. Mi K’Amcha Yisrael.”

In light of the incident, Adirei HaTorah issued several reminders to help community members protect themselves from future fraud attempts.

The organization said that all official text messages will originate exclusively from the phone numbers 848-261-8251 or 732-800-1524. In addition, all official email correspondence will clearly identify Adirei HaTorah as the sender and will be distributed only through the organization’s authorized communication channels.

Donors were also urged to verify that they are visiting the organization’s official website, www.adireihatorah.com, before making any contribution.

Adirei HaTorah further advised anyone who receives a suspicious email, text message, donation request, or website link purporting to represent the organization not to engage with it and to report it immediately.

Despite the attempted attack, organization officials emphasized that critical systems remain secure and that additional safeguards are being implemented to strengthen protections going forward.

“We remain committed to safeguarding you and your information and will continue implementing additional security measures to help prevent similar incidents in the future,” the organization said.

{Matzav.com}