Around the world, thousands of people have come out to rallies in solidarity with Israel following the most recent war with the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, and in protest against rising levels of antisemitism and severe anti-Jewish attacks in the wake of the conflict.
In London, hundreds of people braved the rain to gather near the Israeli consulate, including members of parliament and activists. In Australia, the Jewish community staged rallies in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane that were also attended by hundreds of demonstrators.
In the German capital of Berlin, hundreds of protesters turned out in front of the Brandenburg Gate to show solidarity with the Jewish state. A pro-Israel protest in The Hague, the Dutch city where the International Criminal Court is located, also attracted hundreds of supporters.
In addition, numerous events were scheduled in US cities like New York, Atlanta, Houston, and Los Angeles.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned of the risk of “long-lasting apartheid” in Israel if the Palestinians fail to obtain their own state.
The politician made the remarks in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper in reference to the clashes between Jews and Arabs that erupted in several Israeli cities during the latest Gaza conflict, which saw Palestinian terrorists in the coastal enclave fire over 4,000 thousand rockets at the Jewish state.
“It’s the first time and it clearly shows that if in the future we had a solution other than the two-state solution, we would have the ingredients of long-lasting apartheid,” he said.
Le Drian is one of the first senior French officials to use the term “apartheid” in reference to Israel. The Jewish state has vehemently denied any policy of racial discrimination.
At least nine people were injured in a blast at a plant producing explosive materials in Iran’s central province of Isfahan. The plant reportedly produces drones.
The explosion came days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) armed with explosives, which was downed by the Israel Defense Forces earlier this week, had been launched by Tehran. According to the premier, the UAV was made by the Islamic Republic and sent by Iranian forces toward the Jewish state from either Syria or Iraq.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards unveiled a new combat drone dubbed “Gaza,” hours after a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian terror groups took effect. It was not immediately clear where the UAV was manufactured.
The unmanned aerial vehicle was named as “an eternal honor for those who today in [Gaza] stand against the Zionists’ invasion and aggression,” Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami said at the unveiling event.
Israel will end virtually all COVID-19 restrictions on June 1, following a highly successful vaccination drive that has nearly stamped out new infections, the country’s Health Ministry said.
With the majority of the population having received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and about 92 percent of those aged 50 and older inoculated or recovered from the contagion, Israel has been gradually reopening its economy after three lockdowns.
The country reported only 12 new virus cases on Saturday, down from a daily peak of more than 10,000 in January.
However, Israel will continue to keep its borders closed to most incoming travel, though it has started to let in small groups of vaccinated tourists. The Health Ministry will also re-examine the requirement to wear face masks in closed spaces in two weeks time.
Relatedly, coronavirus chief Nachman Ash said he expects the vaccination of children aged 12 to 15 to begin soon, pending a final Health Ministry review.
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Recommended Reading
- Hamas’ Relentless Jihad (Prof. Efraim Karsh, Begin-Sadat Center For Strategic Studies)
- The IDF’s Spectacular Precision (James J. Marlow, Jewish News Syndicate)
- The Return of the Anti-Jewish Mob (Ben Cohen, Algemeiner)
- Israeli Lab ‘Switches Off’ Brain Connectors, Boosting Efforts to Treat Disorders (Nathan Jeffay, NoCamels)
