Feed aggregator

Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Sunday after the mayor questioned Israel’s identity as the Jewish state and renewed his calls for major changes to U.S. support for Israel.

Speaking in an interview with ABC, Mamdani challenged the concept of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people and argued for a sweeping overhaul of American foreign policy, including military assistance to Israel.

His latest comments came shortly after he referred to the pro-Israel lobbying organization AIPAC and its supporters as “monsters,” drawing widespread criticism.

Responding on social media, Danon accused the mayor of engaging in increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Israel and the Jewish community.

“Recently, Mamdani used blatant antisemitic language against AIPAC, calling them ‘monsters moving dark money.’ He then expressed sorrow over the elimination of a Hamas terrorist, and now says he does not support Israel as a Jewish state,” Danon wrote.

“When you connect all the dots, it becomes very easy to understand who Mamdani does support,” the ambassador added.

Mamdani has drawn repeated criticism over his comments and positions regarding Israel. During his mayoral campaign, he declined to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada,” a phrase many Jewish organizations have described as a call to violence against Jews. He also faced backlash for criticizing Israel on October 8, 2023, just one day after the Hamas massacre in southern Israel.

He has repeatedly accused Israel of committing war crimes during its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza and has pledged that, if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visits New York City, he would seek to have him arrested.

Controversy continued after Mamdani assumed office, when he rescinded several executive orders signed by his predecessor, Eric Adams, that dealt with Israel and antisemitism.

Among the orders he revoked was one issued in June 2025 formally adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism.

He also eliminated an executive order that prohibited mayoral appointees and city agency employees from participating in boycotts or divestment campaigns targeting Israel.

Since taking office, Mamdani has remained at the center of multiple disputes involving antisemitism. Most recently, he became the first New York City mayor to boycott the city’s annual Israel Day Parade, a move that drew sharp criticism from many Jewish leaders and pro-Israel organizations.

{Matzav.com}

The United States and Iran have reportedly agreed to temporarily halt military action following a tense exchange of attacks near the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, with diplomatic talks now scheduled to resume in Qatar later this week.

A Trump administration official told CNN on Sunday that both countries have agreed to de-escalate for the time being. “Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely,” the official said, confirming an earlier Axios report.

According to both CNN and Axios, American and Iranian representatives are expected to meet in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday in an effort to continue negotiations.

Iran, however, has not publicly confirmed the reported agreement, leaving uncertainty over Tehran’s official position regarding the planned talks.

Earlier Sunday, another senior administration official emphasized that negotiations surrounding the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding remain on schedule despite the recent military confrontation.

“Nothing has been canceled. Technical talks regarding the implementation of MoU are on track for the coming days as planned, and deconfliction channels are up and running after the Lake Lucerne Summit,” the official told CNN, referring to the recent Switzerland meetings led by Vice President JD Vance.

The diplomatic developments came after U.S. forces carried out two rounds of strikes over the weekend against Iranian positions near the Strait of Hormuz. American officials said the attacks were launched in response to what they described as repeated Iranian violations of the ceasefire agreement.

President Donald Trump issued a stern warning Saturday evening, signaling that the United States could escalate its military campaign if Tehran continues to violate the ceasefire.

“United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN! It is very possible that they will never learn!” Trump wrote.

He added, “There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”

Israel’s decision to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide triggered a furious response from Turkey on Sunday, with Ankara accusing Israel of exploiting history for political purposes and attempting to divert attention from the ongoing war in Gaza.

The dispute erupted after Israel’s Cabinet unanimously approved a resolution recognizing the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide. Turkish officials swiftly condemned the move, dismissing it as a politically motivated maneuver.

In a sharply worded statement, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry alleged that Israel was using the recognition to distract the world from its military campaign in Gaza.

“The Israeli government, which has systematically persecuted the Palestinian people before the eyes of the entire world and is being tried at the International Court of Justice on charges of committing genocide against the people of Gaza, is seeking to cover up its own crimes through the political decision it has adopted regarding the events of 1915,” the Ministry said, as quoted by AFP.

“Turkey will continue to work resolutely to bring an end to Israel’s expansionist and destabilizing policies in the region,” the statement added.

Turkey, which succeeded the Ottoman Empire, has long rejected the characterization of the 1915 killings, forced deportations, and imprisonment of Armenians as genocide, maintaining that the historical events should not be described by that term.

Israel’s latest move follows a significant shift that began last August, when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu publicly recognized the Armenian Genocide for the first time. Ankara angrily rejected those remarks at the time, insisting they were politically driven and lacked historical basis.

The question of officially labeling the atrocities as genocide has long been diplomatically sensitive. For years, the United States avoided using the term out of concern for its strategic relationship with Turkey. That changed in 2021, when President Joe Biden formally referred to the Ottoman Empire’s actions against Armenians as “genocide,” prompting a fierce backlash from the Turkish government.

Sunday’s announcement also comes against the backdrop of steadily worsening relations between Israel and Turkey. Although the two countries appeared close to restoring ties shortly before Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, relations have sharply deteriorated since then, with Turkish leaders—led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan—repeatedly launching harsh attacks against Israel.

Among the most pointed exchanges came in March of last year, when Erdogan denounced Israel as a “terror state” following Israeli strikes against terrorist targets in Gaza.

Months later, Erdogan escalated his criticism further, asserting that Netanyahu’s government posed the greatest threat to stability and security throughout the Middle East.

{Matzav.com}

Senior commanders in the IDF are warning that Hamas is rapidly rebuilding its military capabilities and preparing for another large-scale conflict with Israel, according to a report aired Sunday by Kan News. The assessment was presented last week to IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and reportedly paints a troubling picture of the terrorist organization’s renewed strength.

According to the report, senior officials from the IDF Intelligence Directorate and Southern Command told Zamir that Hamas has significantly accelerated its military production, manufacturing hundreds of explosive devices and anti-tank missiles every month. They also said the group has launched an aggressive recruitment campaign targeting young men between the ages of 18 and 22 and has resumed training members of its elite Nukhba force.

The briefing reportedly stated that Hamas is also working to smuggle drones and advanced communications equipment into Gaza through the Sinai Peninsula while continuing to rebuild its extensive underground tunnel network across the Strip.

Military officials further warned that Hamas remains firmly entrenched in Gaza, faces no meaningful internal opposition, and has shown no willingness to surrender its grip on the territory.

Kan News reported that Israeli defense officials have concluded that renewed military operations against Hamas are necessary and that this position has already been conveyed to American officials. However, the United States reportedly opposes restarting the fighting, preferring instead to preserve the current arrangements established under the recent agreement while continuing efforts to advance President Donald Trump’s broader regional peace initiative and the Board of Peace.

According to the report, Israeli security officials have expressed deep concern over Hamas’ military buildup, but renewed operations have not moved forward because of what was described as an American veto on resuming the war.

In a separate development, Kan News reported that a senior Hamas delegation headed by Mousa Abu Marzouk traveled to Moscow on June 10 for meetings with senior Russian government officials.

A Palestinian Arab source familiar with those discussions told the broadcaster that much of the meeting centered on Clause 8 of the proposed peace framework, which deals with the removal and storage of weapons in Gaza and addresses the issue of Hamas disarmament.

According to the source, Hamas indicated that it is prepared, in principle, to accept the provision, but only if several conditions are met. The terrorist group reportedly wants implementation to be handled exclusively by the “National Committee for the Administration of Gaza,” insists that any international stabilization force coordinate directly with Palestinian factions, and demands guarantees that weapons removed from Gaza will not be transferred to Israel or any other outside entity.

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani brushed aside speculation about a future White House campaign on Sunday, insisting he has no interest in changing the Constitution to make himself eligible for the presidency, even as he celebrated the growing influence of his political movement within the Democratic Party.

“No,” Mamdani told ABC News’ “This Week” when asked whether the Constitution should be amended so he could one day run for president. “I think the Constitution looks good the way it is.”

Under Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution, only natural-born U.S. citizens who are at least 35 years old are eligible to serve as president.

Mamdani, who is 34, was born in Uganda and immigrated to the United States when he was about seven years old. He became a naturalized American citizen in 2018.

“I’m very excited to focus on New York City, but thank you for reminding me of my upcoming mortality,” Mamdani added after ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl noted that his 35th birthday is approaching.

Throughout the 2025 New York City mayoral race, Mamdani frequently criticized former Governor Andrew Cuomo, suggesting Cuomo’s political ambitions extended well beyond City Hall.

Although he rejected talk of a presidential run, Mamdani projected confidence about his growing influence within Democratic politics nationwide.

“Let them,” Mamdani snapped back when asked about Republican efforts to portray him as the face of today’s Democratic Party.

“We don’t have to ask ourselves what life looks like if a socialist wins. I won last November, and over the course of these last 6 months, what we’ve delivered.”

His comments came just days after three candidates he endorsed—Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier—won competitive Democratic primary contests, marking another significant victory for the party’s progressive wing.

The trio campaigned on an aggressively left-wing platform. Avila Chevalier, in particular, has drawn attention for past remarks and activism that included boasting about wiping her dirty hands on the American flag, advocating for the abolition of prisons and national borders, and accusing President Joe Biden of rape.

“I think we are seeing a hunger that is not just felt by New Yorkers, but frankly by Americans from coast to coast, for a new kind of politics, one that puts working people at the heart of it,” Mamdani said in explaining the success of the candidates he backed.

When questioned specifically about Avila Chevalier’s more controversial positions, Mamdani argued that her campaign centered on improving the lives of working-class Americans.

“The focus of her candidacy was about the struggle that working people are facing,” he insisted, when pressed about her call to abandon prisons and borders.

Asked directly whether he supports abolishing prisons, Mamdani responded, “There are prisons.”

“Safety is not something that’s up for debate.”

President Bill Clinton is downplaying concerns over the Democratic Party’s leftward shift after three Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates captured major victories in New York’s primary elections, insisting he remains optimistic about the party’s chances in this fall’s midterm elections.

“I think we’re in good shape for the fall,” Clinton told Fox News Digital when asked about the results of Tuesday’s primaries.

The victories by Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander, and Claire Valdez have intensified an already heated debate within Democratic circles over whether the party’s increasingly socialist wing represents its future. Supporters argue the candidates have energized voters and demonstrated a successful electoral strategy, while critics question whether such an agenda can appeal to a broader national electorate.

Clinton, however, appeared unconcerned by the outcome, signaling confidence that Democrats remain well positioned heading into November.

The president has traditionally aligned himself with the party’s more centrist wing in New York politics.

That was evident last year when he endorsed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary instead of socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani ultimately defeated Cuomo in the June 2025 primary before securing the party’s nomination for mayor.

The latest primary victories have once again exposed the ongoing ideological divide within the Democratic Party, as its progressive and moderate factions continue to compete for influence over the party’s future direction.

While many Democrats have embraced the party’s growing socialist movement and its candidates, others have warned against allowing socialism to become the party’s defining national identity, arguing instead for a continued embrace of capitalism.

Fox News Digital also sought Clinton’s reaction to the escalating situation involving Iran, but he declined to address the topic.

His refusal to comment came as the United States and Iran continue navigating a fragile peace agreement announced recently amid lingering regional tensions.

Although the two countries reached a ceasefire arrangement, U.S. forces carried out strikes against Iranian targets on Friday after Tehran attacked a commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Before those military strikes, President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States was negotiating with Iran from a “position of pure strength.”

{Matzav.com}