The dangers faced by lady soccer players from Iran

Some terrible facts about why some Iranian lady soccer players forfeited a chance for asylum overseas:

For most international athletes, the biggest concern is losing the game. For Iranian women, the real fear is losing your life. That’s how dangerous the situation has become for a group of national soccer players, whose story at Australia’s Asia Cup quickly became the very human face of the regime at war with America. Torn by the chance to run from the cruelty of their homeland, but knowing their families could die for it, all but two girls made the ultimate sacrifice — turning their backs on a chance for freedom to embrace a fate even they know is uncertain.

For the last two weeks, the world has been riveted by the international soccer tournament Down Under for one reason: the hijab-wearing team from Iran. Days after bombs started raining down on their homeland, the players stood a half a world away on the turf in defiant silence as their national anthem played. Their quiet protest sent a powerful message on the global stage, but it also put them in the crosshairs of a murderous regime that spent the last several months slaughtering thousands of its own for less brazen acts.

Despite their hero status in Australia, the women were labeled “wartime traitors” by Iranian state media — a not-so-subtle ultimatum that led the team to sing the anthem for the rest of the tournament. But instead of boarding a plane for Tehran after their three straight losses, the women lingered for days at their stopover in Malaysia, alarmed about what awaited them when they touched down.

Awed by their courage, several world leaders weighed in, including President Donald Trump, warning the girls not to go home. Forcing them to go back to Iran could be a death sentence, he insisted. “Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister,” he urged Australia’s Anthony Albanese, “give ASYLUM. The U.S. will take them if you won’t.”

Albanese was already on it, promising anyone in the Iranian women’s delegation a chance at a new life with humanitarian visas. Seven accepted. Within 48 hours, five changed their minds, including the team’s captain. The players were “given repeated chances to talk about their options” but ultimately faced “incredibly difficult decisions,” Australia Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced last Saturday. Tina Kordrostami, a councilor for the Australian City of Ryde, explained that it was an “upsetting update,” but confirmed that “they are heavily intimidated and being communicated to directly by the regime.”

“I know families have even been detained,” Kordrostami said somberly. “I know family members are missing.” And one thing she wants people in the West to understand is that “Iranians within the country have in many ways given up on the West, and they are only relying on one another to survive this regime. So, when we do offer them a way out, it’s not often that easy for them to understand that it is, in fact, a way out.” She paused before adding, “We are very worried about them. We know for a fact that they will not be safe. I’ve mentioned this before. When you do break a contract as an athlete in Iran, you can face the death penalty. So, I know these women are young. I know that they are making an incredibly difficult decision, and I have the utmost respect for them.”

“Coercion is being used here, intimidation tactics,” Kordrostami stressed. “And we even had an individual amongst the girls within Sydney and Brisbane who was influencing them constantly in their ear, letting them know that whatever Australia is offering them, it will not work.” Asked if the players are being threatened, she answered unequivocally, “I don’t think that, I know that.”

I suspect part of the problem is that Australia's leftists allow coercers and other agents to dwell in the country, but that's a rather moot point. It's practically why the war against Iran has to be carried out and won, and the IRGC must be destroyed along with other dark enforcement systems they have.

Anti-Israel monsters protesting against visit of Israeli president in Australia are atrocious, but so is the local MSM coverage

The anti-Israeli Islamofascists in Australia predictably organized to commit violence at a location he was visiting. Herzog had the following to say to them:

President Isaac Herzog on Thursday delivered a pointed message to the anti-Israel protesters who have dogged his visit to Australia: Protest against Iran, not Israel and the Australian Jews who support it.

Addressing some 4,000 people at a large communal event on the last day of his solidarity visit, he said it was “obscure and odd” that heavy police protection was needed to ensure Jews could gather peacefully with the president of Israel, following the Bondi Beach terrorist attack in December.

“To all those protesters outside, go protest in front of the Iranian embassy,” Herzog said, adding that Iran operates an “empire of evil” responsible for mass bloodshed. Israel was “literally protecting the free world and its values” by combating that threat, he added.

One of the worst things about this incident is that the local press Down Under was sympathetic to the monsters, for whom the doors were flung wide open to live there in the years after the horror stories of sexual violence that occurred in the past quarter century and led to the Cronulla beach riots. Though here's one local columnist who did recognize what's wrong with the Islamofascists who led the whole debacle:

I have been an on-the-ground news reporter at protests in Australia and Europe.

Some became violent. One, a protest in London to oppose the Iraq War, was hair-raisingly so. [...]

The spectacle of armed police “bashing” an “innocent bystander” is usually the moment at which the thin veneer of civility peels away and some protesters become animals.

The ones who do often have no idea what the protest is about. They are professional anarchists. We saw them at work this week at Sydney’s Town Hall.

They weren’t there because they love Palestine. Most couldn’t identify Herzog in a police line-up or come close to pinpointing Gaza on a map.

They were there because they love to riot and a march in the name of geopolitical justice is a good foil for that. If it wasn’t Herzog it would be climate change. Or transgender activism.

The organisers of pro-Palestinian protests are shooting themselves in the foot by allowing their campaign to be hijacked by hooligans.

And they’re putting a bullet in their other foot by choosing the wrong moment to make their point.

I don’t know what the right moment is, but I know it’s not when Israel’s President is in Australia to pay respect to the victims of a national tragedy.

Well that's correct. There's a whole cottage industry devoted to pandering to violence-worshiping monsters out there, one that doubtless even includes predators who blame victims, including the people who were murdered in the Columbine bloodbath in Colorado in 1999, recalling a creepy character from Maine who did something like that a quarter century ago on an online forum. As I've long since been aware, a northeastern region like Maine's long been a subject of leftist indoctrination, so it may not be too surprising you could have people there who're hostile to Israel and even the victims of September 11, 2001. But it's still obviously as sad as it's repulsive. And this is a similar situation now going on in Australia.

Anthony Albanese has something in common with Jeremy Corbyn

Remember the UK Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who was sympathetic to the PLO in past decades? Well it turns out Australia's premier, Anthony Albanese, took similar directions back in the day too, explaining how it could come to a horrible situation like that at Sydney's Bondi beach:

Resurfaced news footage has revealed Anthony Albanese’s past appearances at pro-Palestine rallies earlier in his parliamentary career.

Sky News Australia host Sharri Markson revealed the clip on Wednesday evening while covering the Prime Minister’s state visit to the United States to visit President Joe Biden.

“Albanese has over his entire Parliamentary career spoken out against Israel and in support of Palestinians,” she said before cutting to the resurfaced footage.

In the grainy video, Mr Albanese can be seen protesting against Israel’s “occupation” of Palestine in Sydney’s Martin Place next to a sign reading “Stop the Israeli Slaughter: Free Palestine now”.

This was in 2023 when Sky first reported the revelations, and here's another note and photo provided by Jeffrey Grossman. And it explains perfectly how it got to a situation where Islamic terrorism could so easily have struck in an urban area. Albanese, like a number of other politicians of his ilk, including Corbyn, seek to appease the Religion of Peace and worst, have made clear whose side they're truly on.

I'm not convinced Albanese is sorry for his negligence and the tragedy it led to, and if Israeli president Isaac Herzog is planning to visit there, I'd say it's ill-advised. Albanese must take accountability only by resigning, and should be on trial for the tragedy he led to at Bondi beach.

Bondi beach jihadists actually had gun permits

In one of the most repugnant ironies for a country with severe restrictions on gun ownership, it turns out the jihadists who attacked Australia's Bondi beach on Hanuka actually had gun licenses:

The father and son terrorists who murdered at least 15 people and wounded another 40 at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration obtained their firearms legally, according to a Sunday New South Wales Police Force briefing.

The 50-year-old father, who was killed in the attack, had six firearms licensed to him, with NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon confident that all weapons were accounted for by law enforcement.

Lanyon said that the police had little prior knowledge of the father and son, and their histories did not impact the ability of the deceased suspect to obtain firearms.

Somehow, it doesn't seem like an accident that the father-son duo had a license for gun ownership. There's doubtless more than a few cases, including one in France, where adherents to the Religion of Peace are being given privileges that Israeli descendants abroad possibly wouldn't receive by contrast, nor innocent women who need protection.

This article says:

The most shocking element, however, was that the weapons used during the incidents were fully licensed. Law enforcement officials confirmed that the attackers, Naveed Akram, 25, and his 50-year-old father, Sajid, were the licensed owners of at least six guns.

Sajid, who died during the exchange of gunfire, was reportedly a long-term gun enthusiast and had held his licence for years. He allegedly used his weapons for recreational shooting. His son was also fully licensed to carry firearms. The authorities are now investigating to determine how the pair were able to maintain their licenses despite their ideological extremism.

The investigation quite possibly will go nowhere. The corrupt authorities in these specific countries don't have the courage to take responsibility and admit they don't deserve the jobs they're in.

Update: making matters worse is that police at the scene were slow to react, and shot a civilian who tried to disarm one of the jihadists. It demonstrates that serious corruption runs deep in Oz's police establishment, and doesn't bode well for the country at all. Here's more on the subject.

Terrorist attack on Hanukah evening at Bondi Beach in NSW, Australia

Australia's premier Anthony Albanese's kowtowing to advocates of a palestinian state has resulted in tragedy on the eve of Hanuka:

Twelve people, including one terrorist, were killed in what has been designated a terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday evening. An additional 29 people were injured and a second terror gunman was arrested after the local Jewish community was directly targeted, according to Australian media.

A Chanukah by the Sea event with upwards of 1,000 attendees was scheduled to take place near a children’s playground from 5pm and had begun when the attack began at the iconic beach.

NSW State Premier Chris Minns confirmed of the 12 individuals killed in the attack, one “offender” has also been killed and another is in custody, the BBC reports.

He says the attack was “designed to target Sydney’s Jewish community.”

What should have been a “night of peace and joy” was “shattered” by a “horrifying, evil attack”, he adds.

There were well over 1,000 people in attendance tonight, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon says, celebrating the Jewish holiday of Chanukah.

Two state police officers were among those shot, ABC News reports.

Albanese can say whatever he likes, but this is at least partly the result of the petty politics he was advocating in the past few months. In the end, it was at the expense of the Jewish community, and even at the expense of victims of Islamofascism 2 decades ago in the Cronulla area.

Update: Israeli leaders are condemning Albanese's shoddy policies that led to this horrible tragedy.

What a new documentary about the Malka Leifer scandal reveals

There's been a documentary produced about the Malka Leifer sexual abuse scandal in Australia, and here's what it tells:

The documentary from director Adam Kamien and producer Ivan O’Mahoney tells the story of the sisters’ experiences, individually and collectively, from childhood abuse at home, through the betrayal of the seemingly safe haven of school, the long pursuit of justice, and finally to the trial itself.

Most notably, it spends long slabs of time with the sisters in the hotel where they stayed for the trial, able to support each other but not permitted to share details of their testimony. It captures the moment immediately after Erlich – who had written a book about her experiences – hears the full details of what happened to her sisters when they testify. And it captures the moment when Meyer hears that Leifer has been found not guilty on the charges relating to her abuse (while being found guilty of those relating to her sisters’ abuse).

It’s all incredibly intimate, up-close and raw. And it makes this most public case personal again.

For Meyer, the day of the verdict was complex.

“It was heartbreak. It was devastation,” she says. “Justice drove me for many years, and justice was denied.”

For months, she couldn’t speak about it, and for a while she thought she might never do so again. “And then I realised that ultimately, if I do that, I’m letting her win,” she says. “I felt she had won already by getting a not guilty verdict with my charges, and I thought I don’t want her to win, so I’m going to go out there and just start talking. And that’s what I did, and that really helped me to work on my healing.”

Is there a chance that verdict could be appealed? I realize they must've concluded the sentence Leifer will serve is enough, but considering she recently assaulted another inmate, that's why it'd be better to press further legal complaints against her, which'll hopefully ensure she won't be released in such a hurry. It's also apparent Leifer is a nut and needs serious psychological counseling, but she herself predictably refuses to take any.

Remarkably, Meyer remains a member of the Adass community, where she advocates on behalf of abuse survivors. Erlich and Sapper left the community, but each in their own way have slowly found a way to connect with their Jewish heritage on a different basis.

In the wake of her experience, says Sapper, “I needed to throw away everything that I knew, and that included religion and Judaism. I didn’t engage with it for many years. But over the past five or six years, I’ve married and had kids, and my husband’s family is a traditional [non-Orthodox] Jewish family, and I’ve learned Judaism and religion are separate things. I enjoy the culture and traditions in their family, it’s a beautiful connection time, so I’ve started to engage with that and see it’s not mutually exclusive.”

Erlich similarly had a period in which she totally rejected all things Jewish. But now she’s working with Pathways, an organisation that offers support to members of insular Jewish communities who are having issues and don’t know where to turn.

“It’s not at all about dragging people away from religion,” she explains. “It’s very much ‘here’s a safe space for you to have those questions, to decide what’s right for you’. I’m enjoying using the skills we learned through all those campaign years to do something really positive and create change.”

As I can see, the insular upbringing unsurprisingly clouded their view of the Judaist religion itself, no matter the sect or what customs they practice, and that's why ultra-Orthodox Judaism is simply not the sect to recommend. Anybody who practices Orthodox Judaism who isn't of Haredi background needs to let this serve as a vital lesson why they cannot allow the Orthodox sect itself to look like it's that horrifyingly prudish and hurtful to women. The point that may not be fully clear here is that ethnicity and religion are basically separate things. A similar point can possibly be made about Hindus and Hinduism in India.

The sisters’ experience was at once commonplace – someone in power recognised their vulnerability and mercilessly exploited it – and unusual – as members of a closed community that did nothing to educate its young women about sexual matters, they were uncommonly naive and isolated.

When they did recognise and report what had been done to them, it cost them enormously; they were suddenly cut off from the only community they had known, and thrust into a battle that would occupy years of their lives.

What got them through was the support of a few close allies (former premier Ted Baillieu in particular), and the fact they were doing it together.

“I think if any of us had been doing it alone, we would have not finished,” says Erlich.

“We’ve all given each other strength,” says Sapper. “If one of us is down, the others pull her up. We’ve just given each other that support all the years to get through it.”

“We would have burned out and crashed a lot earlier [if we’d done it solo],” says Meyer.

And if they had it all to do again?

“I’d do it, even if the result was the same, because of the accountability that perpetrators have when they’re put to the test,” says Meyer.

“Their name is there, they’re in court, they don’t know if they’re going to get guilty or not guilty. There’s a level of accountability in their community, in their family, regardless of whether you win it or not. It’s in their face.

“Any survivor who has the strength and support system to do so, go to the police, give your statement, and let’s get those perpetrators off the streets,” she implores. “I don’t regret it at all.”

Again, they did the right thing. And that the ultra-Orthodox community they grew up in doesn't provide sex education for anybody is repellent, and just makes clear how bad anti-sex hysteria happens to be everywhere, mainly when it comes to heterosexuality. Anybody who finds LGBT influence today horrific must recognize that poor conduct in religious societies put the keys in the ignition. In the past 15 years alone, there were offensive examples of Haredis opposing the idea of women singing, or how they dressed, taught men almost literally not to look at women, and these same communities have serious problems with sexual violence galore they make no genuine attempts to prevent. Anybody who recognizes this problem must leave these communities and not act like it's such a big deal, and any non-Haredis who understand this should make sure to give women like the Erlichs as much backing as possible. It's definitely good to know Pathways did.

This item tells more that's alarming, including news about an older sister they had who sadly passed away:

An underlying theme is the crucial role their abusive family background played in the saga. Their mother abused them physically for minor infractions and regularly deprived them of food; their father was also “not a safe person”, Elly says. The children grew up living in fear of their parents, which made them vulnerable to Leifer’s predatory behaviour in the first place. They saw the Adass school as a safe haven, which Leifer exploited ruthlessly.

Their isolation from the wider world, which was a feature of both their family upbringing and the school’s ultra-Orthodox values, exacerbated their vulnerability. They didn’t even know the words for female genitalia, former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu, a close supporter of the sisters, reveals on camera.

Baillieu tells of how he accompanied Dassi to a meeting with Adass to ask Adass for an apology. The school used the advice of its insurer’s lawyer as an excuse not to give an apology at the time. It never gave her one.

By that stage, Leifer had fled to Israel, courtesy of the school’s support, where she lived as a free woman for more than a decade, during which she also abused other young girls in the ultra-Orthodox West Bank settlement where she lived with her family.

During this period, her supporters employed mafia-style tactics to intimidate the three sisters. Their older sister Dalia, who was a principal at an ultra-Orthodox school in Manchester, received a visit from two men from Israel. Dalia was told that if she didn’t convince her sisters to withdraw their police statements, her family would be ostracised. The two men met with her boss, and pressured him to fire her. Dalia refused to ask her sisters to back down. (Tragically, soon after this episode, Dalia started having chest pains and later died.)

The Adass network then flexed its political muscle: Israel’s Deputy Health Minister, Yaacov Litzman, a member of the Hasidic community, repeatedly intervened in the justice process to pressure a psychiatric panel to declare Leifer mentally unfit to stand trial and be extradited back to Australia.

Being ostracized is practically a badge of honor, considering all the harm inflicted. Of course, we should be vigilant and make sure they don't start resorting to worse tactics like hiring armed thugs. Suppose that happened, and then, as a result, they wound up doing the next awful thing that takes attention away from more serious issues like Islamofascism? That's one of the most repulsive things about this whole scandal, that it took attention away from the problems with jihadism, and no doubt, the leaders of the same Haredi community the 3 sisters grew up in couldn't give a damn about what even Oz is suffering from these days.

Here's some more information that's telling:

The girls were born into the ultra-Orthodox Adass community in Melbourne. The community is described in the documentary as insular and fundamentalist. Girls and boys were segregated. The girls’ education focused on preparation for marriage, rather than mastery of curriculum. The sisters received no sex education, and had no access to television or digital media.

The film shows how such communities avoid involving outside authorities. A former mayor of the Immanuel settlement in the West Bank, where Leifer fled from Australian justice, says on camera “we don’t believe in non-Jewish law”. Instead, sex offenders are “treated” by the community rather than handed over for punishment by the state.

Wrong. They don't believe in law that isn't ultra-Orthodox. That's practically why the repellent Litzman sought to sabotage efforts to have Leifer convincingly evaluated even by the Israeli courts. Of course, the psychiatrist who went along with Litzman because he threatened to have his license revoked was also a reprehensible coward and should be ashamed of himself for refusing to alert authorities, nor did he seek any kind of legal counsel that could've protected his job, if needed. That's why he should be disbarred from practicing medical topics.

The sisters tell the filmmakers that they were abused by their parents throughout their childhood. They were physically beaten, emotionally abused and deprived of food. Dassi says that when Leifer told her “this is what a loving mother does”, she believed it because she had never experienced a loving parental relationship. [...]

In 2008, Dassi’s allegations of sexual abuse by Leifer were brought to the attention of a teacher. The school board met and put the allegations to Leifer, who refuted them. The allegations were not taken to police. The same day, the wife of a school board member facilitated travel arrangements for Leifer to flee to Israel.

Dassi discovered her sisters had also been abused by Leifer. In 2011, Dassi, Nicole and Elly made formal statements to Victoria Police. Australia sought Leifer’s extradition from Israel in 2013.

Leifer was arrested in 2014 but later bailed. The prosecutor would later argue she feigned mental illness to escape proper hearings of her matter for many years. In 2018, she was again detained when evidence revealed she was living freely in the Immanuel settlement.

Kamien’s film integrates the complexities of the legal process with the experiences of Leifer’s victim-survivors. We see how Leifer was protected by senior religious and political figures. [...]

The sisters had to give evidence separately, without each others’ support in the courtroom. They describe on camera degrading experiences of cross-examination, including the insinuation that sexual activity with Leifer was consensual and that they had contaminated their evidence through collusion.

Retraumatisation is acute for Nicole, some of whose evidence was ruled inadmissible. The trial judge also decided that the jury could not hear evidence regarding how the school board assisted Leifer to flee to Israel. Former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu, a long time advocate for the sisters, claims in the documentary that these rulings limited the jury’s confidence to reach findings against Leifer.

After a three week trial and ten day jury deliberation, Leifer is found guilty on 18 charges relating to Elly and Dassi, including six charges of rape. She is sentenced to 15 years imprisonment, with an 11.5 year non-parole period.

Leifer is found not guilty of the charges relating to Nicole. Nicole describes this outcome as a “win” for Leifer. Her video diaries reveal grave emotional distress over subsequent months.

Surviving Malka Leifer tells several important stories. We see how the perceived interests of an insular religious community are prioritised over the victims of sexual abuse. We see how legal processes, especially when protracted, re-traumatise victims and maintain their vulnerability as abusers pose counter-narratives before courts.

To be sure, it's a documentary many should check out, but obviously, it's an adult subject that requires a strong stomach to view. And Meyer shouldn't associate with the Adass community, if this is how they still go about business. As for the parents, they should've been imprisoned for child abuse, and it's terrible if to date, they got away with it. Let's hope all their children will leave the Haredi lifestyle and if to remain in religion, choose the non-Haredi lifestyle instead.

Britain, Canada and Australia cater to jihadism

It's no shock at this point, but the far-left governments of 3 countries have now decided they want to recognize a "palestinian state" for the sake of virtue-signaling, and rewarding Islamic terrorism in the process:

The United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia announced on Sunday they now recognize Palestine as a state, despite accusations that it would be rewarding the Islamist Hamas terrorists behind the October 7th terror attacks on Israel.

One day before the beginning of the Rosh Hashanah Jewish New Year celebrations, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that the UK would recognize Palestine statehood. The move pre-empted plans from France to back the measure this week at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York.

Starmer’s telegraphed announcement was preempted by fellow G7 nation Australia and Canada, both of which announced Sunday they would also recognize the territory as a state shortly before Starmer’s statement.

This is also an attack on the USA, since, back in 2001, Gazans celebrated the destruction of the World Trade Center on 9-11, and now these European corruptocrats are desecrating the memory of thousands of American victims too.

For its part, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in response: “Recognition is nothing but a reward for jihadist Hamas – emboldened by its Muslim Brotherhood affiliated in the UK.

“Hamas leaders themselves openly admit: this recognition is a direct outcome, the ‘fruit’ for the October 7 massacre. Don’t let Jihadist ideology dictate your policy.”

Palestine lacks the fundamental aspects of statehood, such as clearly defined borders or a firm constitution and has not held meaningful elections in nearly two decades. Meanwhile, it continues to be a major sponsor of terrorism against its neighbour and top trading partner, Israel.

The move to recognise Palestine as a state will put Canberra, Ottawa, and London at odds with both Israel and the United States, with the Trump administration stressing its opposition to Palestinian statehood as it would be “rewarding Hamas” for the October 7th terror attacks on Israel.

During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Starmer amid his state visit to the UK this week, President Trump said that he has a “disagreement with the Prime Minister on that score, one of our few disagreements actually.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also previously accused the UK and others of rewarding terrorism by setting out plans to recognize Palestine as a state.

This sadly isn't really new, and the UK is where all the palestine propaganda first mainly began.

Update: Netanyahu's responded as follows:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded on Sunday to the declaration by the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada officially recognizing a Palestinian state.

"I have a clear message for those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the terrible October 7th Massacre: you are giving a huge reward for terror. I have another message for you: It won't happen. A Palestinian state will not be created west of the Jordan.

"For years, I have prevented the establishment of this terror state against tremendous pressure from home and abroad. We have done this with determination and with astute statesmanship. Moreover, we have doubled the Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria, and we will continue on this path. The answer to the recent attempt to force on us a terror state in the heart of our land will be given after my return from the US. Just wait," Netanyahu stated.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar commented on the move, noting, "Most countries have already recognized a 'Palestinian state' in the past. That was wrong even back then. But those same governments that have now decided to join in the recognition are also committing an especially immoral, outrageous, and ugly act. The governments that decided to do so after October 7, and while Israel is still engaged in a difficult military campaign against Hamas and its partners, will be remembered with eternal disgrace.

According to Sa'ar, "This is a reward for Hamas and a reward for terrorism. It is also an unjustified reward for the Palestinian Authority. Just recently, the United States announced steps against the PA and its leaders, among other things, due to its continued policy of rewarding terrorists with salary payments."

"I am encouraged by the responses of the opposition in the 'recognition countries,' which oppose their governments' moves in a clear and unequivocal manner and see them as a misguided and distorted move. Even in these countries, we still have many friends.

He pledged that "a Palestinian state will not arise—and it will not arise—is the opposition of the people of Israel. The people oppose this delusional idea by an overwhelming, unprecedented majority. Our future will not be determined in London or Paris. It will be determined in Jerusalem. We will continue to fight resolutely on the diplomatic front against moves that endanger Israel and its future. By our side will stand our friends in the world, and at their head—the United States of America. And Israel will win! Israel does not lie!"

There have been polls in Europe indicating the public there actually disapproves of this. Even so, these moves are already going to cause chaos in Europe 50 years ago.

Update 2: lawyer Alan Dershowitz also commented on the subject.

There's only so much wrong today with Australia's approach to terrorism

It's very bad that Australia's government under Anthony Albanese is being lenient on Islamic antisemitism and such. But there's also their ambiguous approach to terrorism in the legal system that needs to be considered (archive link):

It is 61 years since Justice Potter Stewart of the United States Supreme Court legitimised embedding definitional vagueness in the law, when he declared of what constituted obscenity: “I know it when I see it.”

Stewart made his 1964 observation in an opinion backing the court’s majority judgement that Louis Malle’s film The Lovers was not obscene, and a series of Ohio courts were wrong to say it was. Included in his published reasons, the seven-word treatise on applying judicial intuition where legal definitions are lacking was celebrated for injecting plain old common sense into a domain not generally known for it. But it’s also become an excuse for inserting concepts in the written law that are deliberately broad and leave lots of interpretive wiggle room, even if they underpin the most serious offences that carry grave consequences for those found to have committed them.

Terrorism is in this category. Almost a quarter of a century since the September 11 attacks in the US exposed serious holes in Australian law and prompted a legislating frenzy, the articulation of what terrorism actually is now faces interrogation, to determine if the relevant definitions – or absence thereof – are fair and reflect modern reality. [...]

“And – spoiler alert – nothing,” Blight told the audience at the Australian National University’s launch event. His issues paper notes that the High Court has considered the meaning of “religion” only in the context of a tax case. The paper observes that there is clearly overlap between religious, political and ideological motives, but itemising them in the definition suggests there are distinctions. Previous reviews, the most recent federally a decade ago, have canvassed removing either the reference to religion or the whole motive requirement, because of the risk that they target specific communities – particularly Muslims. This is because when many of the laws were designed, terrorism was perceived as being linked to Islam.

If they're going to remove all discussion of the Religion of Peace, they're not getting anywhere. No doubt, Communism is off the list too, and the left certainly made quite an effort in the past quarter century to remove it as a subject for discussion in cinema, for example. Some could argue Ronald Reagan has some blame to shoulder, since for somebody who called for elimination of Russian communism, he never applied the same standards to China, or even Cuba, and that, as a result, enabled a comeback of communism in Europe as much as anywhere else, even in the USA.

Unfortunately for this particular article, its author, Karen Middleton, has also written anti-Israeli rhetoric (archive link), that devastates the impact of the prior article:

Albanese took a question from independent MP for Mackellar Sophie Scamps – a question he knew was coming – who said messages were flooding into her office from constituents distressed at both Hamas’s terrorist atrocity in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the Palestinian people’s suffering from Israel’s response. Scamps asked the prime minister what message he had about social cohesion and the importance of Hamas and Israel acting to end the conflict. He used his answer to blast those he said were peddling misinformation and inflaming division in Australia, singling out the Greens. His emotion was visible as he called social cohesion “a national asset” and said it was “unacceptable” that “deliberate” misinformation was compounding Australians’ distress, especially those with connections to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

[...] “Children are starving,” Albanese said. “Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe, and Israel’s denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children seeking access to water and food, cannot be defended. Nor can it be ignored.”

The same day, the deputy Israeli ambassador, Amir Meron, briefed selected press gallery journalists, reportedly describing images of starving Palestinians as “false” and part of a Hamas-driven “false campaign”.

“We don’t recognise any famine or any starvation in the Gaza strip,” Meron was reported as saying. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly made similar statements.

Well if Mrs. Middleton's perpetuating falsehoods and fabrications against Israel, as this article strongly hints despite any suggestions to the contrary, then I'm not sure why she's saying in the previous item there's a problem with what definitions of terrorism are allowed in Oz or not. Does she think Israel's a sacrificial lamb, and that throwing them to the wolves will literally appease the enemy, despite what the koran dictates? That's quite a sorry approach there, I'm afraid. Very pathetic. So how does she expect to improve a dire situation in Oz, any more than anywhere else? I'm sorry, but she put any concerns back at square one, effectively damaging the prior message as a result.

Australian salon manager takes anti-Israeli position, will hopefully be evicted, and the local government causes anguish by barring Simcha Rothman from visiting

A disgusting salon manager in Melbourne has given hair salon businesses a bad name with her anti-Israel positions and vile language:

An Israeli man seeking a haircut at Juniper Salon in Bentley, Melbourne, was expelled after the owner, Katrina, identified his accent and branded him a “baby killer” responsible for “genocide in Gaza.” The incident, exposed through a viral confrontation by Jewish Australian journalist Avi Yemini, has fueled protests, legal threats, and a landlord’s vow to evict the salon, spotlighting a surge in antisemitism linked to the Israel-Gaza war.

The Israeli, a local resident, booked an appointment at Juniper Salon, known for specializing in curly hair. “I saw she specialized in curly hair here,” he told Yemini. “I booked for Monday at 12:00. She heard my accent, asked where I’m from. I said Israel, and she told me, ‘You can leave.’” Katrina escalated, shouting, “You’re a baby killer,” and slammed the door, declaring Israelis unwelcome. Yemini, from Rebel News, booked an appointment to confront her, capturing the exchange on camera.

“She admitted she kicked him out for being Israeli,” Yemini said. When challenged on Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act, which prohibits nationality-based discrimination, Katrina retorted, “Israelis aren’t a race,” and repeated, “They were a baby killer. Now, off.” She falsely claimed the man was in the “Israeli offense force,” ignoring Israel’s compulsory national service.

Yemini pressed her hypocrisy, noting the salon’s “progressive” branding, with Instagram posts proclaiming, “All the hate in the world is sold to you. All the love in the world is free,” and welcoming trans people. “Are Jewish and Israeli trans people safe with you here?” he asked. Katrina’s response, “Hell yeah. Look at my stickers. Um, definitely not”, exposed her selective inclusivity. [...]

The salon’s landlord, furious, vowed to evict Katrina, citing prior issues and her “proud anti-Zionist” stance, which Yemini criticized: “Anti-Zionists believe they’re morally superior, but don’t know Zionism is intrinsic to Judaism.” The Israeli man plans to sue, potentially facing Katrina with a $100,000 fine and anti-discrimination training.

It's to be hoped she'll be out of a store unit, but this isn't the only problem coming from Down Under of recent. The Australian premier, Anthony Albanese, and his staff have banned Knesset member Simcha Rothman from attending a meeting with local Jewish residents who're suffering from anti-semitism that Albanese's government has practically enabled, even as they could arrange a virtual conference via computer link:

The group that organised speaking events for Israeli far-right politician Simcha Rothman says "the show will go on" and he will appear virtually in Australia after the Knesset member's visa was cancelled days before his scheduled visit.

In a social media post on Tuesday, the Australian Jewish Association declared that they would not "bow down" and Mr Rothman would address an event organised by the group via Zoom.

The politician, whose party is part of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing coalition, was due to appear in person at events in Australia within days, including one in Sydney next Thursday.

But on Monday, the government confirmed his visa had been cancelled, as Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke warned he would not accept people coming to the country to spread division.

Hours later, the Israeli government declared that it would revoke the visas of Australia's representatives to the Palestinian Authority.

Relations between the Australian and Israeli governments have soured over past months, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's announcement that Australia would recognise Palestinian statehood in September eliciting a furious response from his counterpart.

Their obsessions are some of the most poisonous around, and they've made Oz unsafe for Jews. Albanese is indeed a weak leader, as Netanyahu noted, and he'll go down in history in disgrace and shame. As for the part about LGBT ideology and the hairdresser's welcoming it to the salon, it's just like such people to otherwise favor such moral perversions, and another clue a lot of people supporting such ideologies and propaganda are antisemitic.

Even in prison, Malka Leifer continues to demonstrate how unrepentant and repellent she is

At least 2 years after the ultra-Orthodox sex offender Malka Leifer was convicted and imprisoned in Australia for her crimes against 3 students at the school she was once principle of, the repugnant woman has continued to confirm she's not fit to walk freely in society:

The former headmistress of a Melbourne school who raped her students has allegedly sexually assaulted a much younger woman inside Melbourne’s maximum security women’s prison. [...]

News.com.au earlier this year exclusively revealed that Leifer had kissed the troubled conwoman Samantha Azzopardi while locked up together inside the protection unit at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.

Azzopardi is best known for dressing up and posing as a vulnerable “schoolgirl” to get money from her victims.

News.com.au can now reveal that Leifer has been sent to solitary confinement at the facility in Melbourne’s north over an alleged incident involving a younger inmate — one that sources say happened in full view of “CCTV cameras”.

The incident allegedly occurred in late July inside the Murray Unit where inmates are segregated for their own protection.

A source with knowledge of the incident told news.com.au the alleged victim was “a young woman who was only recently moved to (protection) from the compound”.

“There was camera footage of it in the hallway of the Murray Unit,” the source said.

The alleged victim is believed to be a “young Koori girl” — an Aboriginal inmate in her 20s.

Leifer, who is a mother of eight children and is “disliked” in prison because she is “arrogant and entitled”, is now confined to a tiny cell for 23 hours a day where she cannot mix with other inmates.

Her only taste of freedom each day will include a 20-minute visit to the airing yard or a trip to the loungeroom where the TV does not work.

The added perks she has been accustomed to in prison, including a mircrowave and cooking equipment in her room, did not travel with her to an area of the prison referred to colloquially as “the slot”. [...]

Leifer’s new life inside solitary confinement will be much different to her previous living conditions.

If that means she's no longer allowed the privileges she previously had, that's good; she didn't deserve them in the first place, and anybody of her background who commits such abominable crimes doesn't even deserve kosher food. Why, it's shameful she'd even call herself a Judaist in the first place. Leifer's arrogance is no shock either, and it was reported in Israel a few years ago that she'd molested more than one inmate at a local women's prison, and even assaulted girls in the ultra-Orthodox enclave where she lived in Israel too. So, this news is no shock. Hopefully, she's cost herself any possible parole, and with any luck, she'll face additional charges that'll hopefully lead to an additional conviction for what offenses she's committed now.

News.com.au last month reported that the solitary confinement unit is subject to almost daily lockdowns, some of which mean inmates there spend 24 hours a day inside their cells. [...]

A different former inmate, who spent time with Leifer inside the protection unit before being released in March, told news.com.au Leifer was “a loner” who “used to sit in her room a lot”.

Then Azzopardi, 36, came along, and that changed.

When Azzopardi entered prison, the inmate says, the pair began spending a lot of time together.

“(Azzopardi) acts young. That’s the type of girl Malka likes,” they said.

“How f***ing wild is this. Her best friend in there is the one and only Malka Leifer. (Azzopardi) allowed Malka to kiss her on one occasion on the lips. Very strange stuff.”

Leifer’s victims said the details of Leifer’s alleged relationship with Azzopardi was deeply concerning.

“I just hope the community or members of her family have a deep hard think about reading these stories and maybe, just maybe, start to believe that Malka Leifer did actually abuse us,” Nicole told news.com.au.

Elly said it proved Leifer would never change.

“I guess part of me always wanted to believe there was some remorse, some understanding of her wrongdoing. Obviously that belief has diminished now, but mostly, I feel defeated and helpless at the knowledge there will be many other young vulnerable girls in the future that she will groom and take advantage of.”

Leifer’s victims were made aware of the new allegations against her over the weekend.

In a message to news.com.au, one of her victims wrote: “She has a pattern, it doesn’t stop just because she is in prison.”

A documentary titled Surviving Malka Leifer will premiere this week at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Directed by Adam Kamien, the film will delve into her victims’ youth and their brave campaign to hold Leifer accountable.

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu will make appearances in the film.

I sure hope it takes a very objective look at the dark side of Haredi society, though it's obviously a shame if not enough documentaries are made about the even more horrifying issue of Islamofascism. With that said, it's regrettable that Leifer's Haredi family/community is unlikely to reevaluate their view of her, and the news that was reported will most likely be kept concealed from said community. The disgusting woman's certainly where she belongs for the next decade, but assuming she lives that long, it's definitely chilling to think what she'll end up doing to more victims if she's allowed back into any community.

Australia's government demonstrates anti-Israeli policies

I think after cases like this one, no sane person should invest in Australia for a long time:

Australia’s federal government has revoked the visa of Israeli-American tech entrepreneur and public speaker Hillel Fuld, citing concerns over social media posts it claimed may pose a threat to public order.

Fuld, whose brother Ari was murdered in a 2018 Palestinian terror attack near the Gush Etzion junction, was scheduled to address events in Sydney and Melbourne organized by Magen David Adom Australia, but was informed of the cancellation while abroad. His visit was part of a global tour raising funds for emergency medical infrastructure in Israel.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs cited sections 116 and 128 of the Migration Act, which allow for visa revocation on the grounds that a person’s presence may risk the “health, safety or good order” of the Australian community. Officials pointed to a number of online statements by Fuld, including criticism of civilian casualty figures in Gaza and remarks about radical Islam.

I think this is definitely telling something - that the government of Anthony Albanese isn't all that different from that of Keir Starmer's over in Britain. One can only wonder what they think of even figures like Salman Rushdie?

In a statement, Magen David Adom Australia described the decision as “deeply disappointing,” stressing that Fuld’s appearances elsewhere had proceeded without incident. “His message is one of resilience, hope, and community support,” the organization said.

Jewish advocacy groups have denounced the move as discriminatory. The Australian Jewish Association accused the government of singling out pro-Israel voices, warning it may deter Jewish visitors concerned over last-minute visa cancellations.

The move has also triggered condemnation from conservative media commentators. Writing in the Herald Sun, columnist Andrew Bolt described the Albanese government as “an enemy of free speech,” arguing the decision was based on selective quotes and political bias.

The controversy has extended beyond Australia’s borders. According to The Australian, a senior US diplomat reportedly raised concerns over the cancellation in a direct appeal to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, describing Fuld as “a respected figure” invited for a charitable cause.

Fuld himself responded to the decision by saying, “They accuse me of promoting hate and division, yet they are the ones spreading hate by excluding me for speaking the truth.”

This is not the first time the Albanese government has been criticized over its visa policy towards Israeli figures. In 2023, former Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked was denied entry to Australia over what authorities called “inflammatory” rhetoric.

So even though Shaked was a sellout to the left, it made no difference to Australia's government. Which, in the long run, failed to do anything proper regarding the Islamofascist presence in the country that led to the Cronulla riots in 2005. This is shameful.

According to government data, over 2,400 visas have been canceled under section 116 since 2013. Critics argue the provision has increasingly been used to silence controversial figures, rather than address legitimate threats.

Magen David Adom Australia has said it will seek to challenge the decision and remains committed to supporting emergency services in Israel.

Even so, anybody who's investing in projects that could be connected to the Oz government, including universities, should withdraw all backing at once. Australia's government, as it stands now, doesn't deserve any financial backing.

Hollywood releases include one farce and one repellent atrocity

For this season, two movies are premiering that're alternately laughable or disgusting:

Gone are the days of “It’s a Wonderful Life” wholesomeness for Christmas Day in the Hollywood community.

This year’s theatrical releases for December 25 include a film being touted for its explicit sexual content and a gothic horror film remake about a vampire who becomes obsessed with a young woman and takes over her sleep, giving her graphic nightmares.

First up, “Babygirl” starring Nicole Kidman has been generating buzz ever since it was first released following the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The movie’s description says, “A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern.”

[...] Another movie having a Christmas Day release is “Nosferatu,” a horror film starring Johnny Depp’s 25-year-old daughter Lily-Rose Depp.

The movie, written and directed by Robert Eggers, is a remake of the 1922 silent film by the same name and both are based on Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” novel from 1897.

The description calls it, “A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.”

It's plenty bad the horror genre's become so dominant, and all the while, comedy's been all but kicked to the curb in today's Hollywood. And as for the Kidman starring vehicle, what's so special about a tale of an older woman/younger man affair? Many of these specific filmmakers would no doubt be unwilling by contrast to produce a film about a older man/younger woman affair. We could do without this latest example of what Hollywood hypocrisy led to. The film industry in the USA now is just so creatively bankrupt.

Pro-parental Australian politician wins defamation lawsuit against pro-trans politician

One good form of news from Down Under:

An Australian politician will pay big for defaming a lawmaker who rejects transgender radicalism as a “Nazi.” A judge ruled Thursday that Victorian Liberal Party leader John Pesutto must pay $300,000 to MP Moira Deeming — but his economic damage will be far more extensive.

Deeming won election to the Victorian Legislative Council as a member of the Liberal Party (which, in Australia, is the more conservative party as compared to the Labour Party). Her first speech in parliament showed her dedication to parental rights, women’s privacy, and protecting children from the transgender movement. In March 2023, she took part in a “Let Women Speak” rally in Melbourne, featuring former actress Posie Parker (Kellie-Jay Keen).

That rally was gatecrashed by a group of neo-Nazis — much the way conservative events have been raided by the shadowy, little-known group calling itself The Patriot Front. The Lincoln Project has also sent paid actors cosplaying neo-Nazis to crash an event hosted by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R).

Pesutto seized on the event to accuse Deeming of “associating with” and offering “help” to Nazis and moved to expel her from the Liberal Party. The Sydney Morning Herald reports Pesutto was “fuelled by a ‘preoccupation’ with the political advantage the then premier, Daniel Andrews, would extract from the episode.” He began a media campaign to drum Deeming out of the party that became so effective that, at one point, Deeming’s young children began saying, “My mum’s a Nazi.” This May, Deeming’s fellow Liberal Party legislators voted 19-11 to expel her from the Liberal Party; she now serves as an independent MP and sits on the crossbench.

Federal Court Justice David O’Callaghan ruled that Pesutto had committed defamation by “using mass media to communicate a message to the general public in Victoria, to cause serious harm to Mrs. Deeming’s reputation. That is especially so in circumstances where the leader of her own Parliamentary party was moving for her expulsion from it.”

A source “close to the case” told The Herald Sun that Pesutto turned down an offer to settle for $99,000, only to lose a ruling three times that much. With legal fees, the source said, Pesutto faces $2 million over his “Nazi” remarks.

“I am just so delighted with today’s result, and I am very grateful to the court for their prompt consideration. I just want to say thank you to everybody who stood by me and we’re just going to get out there and continue to get back sex-based rights for women and child safeguards for children,” said Deming after the ruling.

Pesutto has refused to resign his leadership post over his self-inflicted humiliation. Liberal Party legislators are currently weighing how to proceed.

It is welcome news that no one — not even a prominent provincial party leader — can slur pro-family politicians with impunity.

Whiie this is impressive news, it's still a shame that Australia still suffers from severe antisemitism, which is equally dangerous, and has allowed violent Islamofascists and their sympathisers to run roughshod and attack Jewish sources. Some of said sympathisers include LGBT activists, sadly. And the Labour party is going to have to answer to stuff like that too, as is the local press.

Australia's Labour government is an embarrassment

There was an arson attack by Hamas and jihad worshipers at a synagogue in Melbourne, and the Labour government led by Anthony Albanese has to shoulder some blame, based in part on their anti-Israeli positions:

Sky News Australia presenter Sharri Markson on Friday ripped Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following the arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne, decrying the Prime Minister’s lack of leadership in preventing such attacks from taking place.

“It's impossible to overstate how devastating, how truly heart-wrenching this is for the entire Jewish community today across the country and, in fact, across the world. A synagogue, a Jewish place of worship, was firebombed, was set alight in Australia in 2024. Just the thought of it brings tears to my eyes. How can Jews in our country not be safe going to a synagogue?” said Markson, who is Jewish.

She then added, “It's not an isolated incident because just two days ago on Wednesday night, while I was going to air during my show, the great synagogue in Sydney was in lockdown because there were aggressive pro-Palestinian protests outside. We saw plans for another protest last week in Melbourne outside a synagogue.”

“There hasn't been enough political leadership to say, ‘You cannot protest outside a synagogue!’, and so when there were two Jews arrested just two days ago outside the great synagogue for holding the Israeli flag outside the great synagogue, yet none of the protesters were arrested. And why were they protesting outside a synagogue? They shouldn't have been allowed to protest outside a Jewish place of worship. What can their protest be against the Jewish people?...But when no action is taken, then one thing leads to another and you can see how a synagogue was then firebombed.”

This should also make clear not much has changed since 2 decades ago, when Muslims in Sydney rioted, and there were horrifying cases of Muslim gang rapes that took place at the time. Now, the government allows this kind of horror to occur as well, and if that's what they're going to enable, why must we believe they wouldn't allow sexual violence against non-Israeli women in Australia to occur again too? Albanese should resign. And any restrictions placed upon gun ownership in Australia that could help in self-defense are also a very bad thing.

Priest in Australia who was victim of jihadist stabbing forgives his attacker

The Assyrian priest who was stabbed by a jihadist at a church in Sydney, New South Wales, made a very sad, defeatist decision:

An Assyrian church bishop who was stabbed during a service at his Sydney church has publicly offered forgiveness to his alleged attacker.

He called for his supporters not to retaliate over the attack but instead behave in a “Christlike” way. [...]

The church on Thursday released an audio statement from Emmanuel in which the bishop, speaking from his hospital bed, said he was recovering well and that he was praying for his alleged attacker.

“I forgive whoever has done this act,” he said. “And I say to him, ‘You’re my son. I love you and I will always pray for you.’

“And whoever sent you to do this, I forgive them as well in Jesus’s mighty name.”

“I have nothing in my heart but love for everyone. Whether that person is a Christian or not, it’s totally beside the point.”

He called on his supporters to pray instead of retaliate: “There is no need to be worried or concerned. And a piece of advice to all our beloved faithfuls – I need you to act Christlike.

“The Lord Jesus never taught us to fight, the Lord Jesus never taught us to retaliate, the Lord Jesus never said to us ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’.”

This is not a matter of "retaliation". This is a matter of failure to condemn a "religion" that's done the world more harm than good, and many Christians as much as Judaists have fallen victim to it over past centuries, as have apostates from Islam too. I'm sorry, but this is exactly why the Religion of Peace has had such a horrifying impact upon the globe. Because these figures of faith don't have the courage to call a spade a spade, and confront serious issues meat-and-potatoes style.

2 stabbing attacks in NSW, Australia, one by a mental case, the other by a Muslim

In the past few days, there was a horrifying stabbing murder of 6 people at a shopping mall in Sydney's Bondi Junction, apparently committed by a drifter:

Police in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) have identified the assailant who stabbed six people to death at a busy Sydney shopping center on Saturday afternoon before he was shot dead.

Australia-born Joel Cauchi, 40, was responsible for the attack at the Westfield Shopping Centre in Bondi Junction, in the city’s eastern suburbs, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

NSW Assistant Police Commissioner Anthony Cooke told reporters at a media conference on Sunday Cauchi suffered from yet unspecified mental health issues and police investigators weren’t treating the attack as terrorism-related.

“We are continuing to work through the profiling of the offender but very clearly to us at this stage it would appear that this is related to the mental health of the individual involved,” Cooke said. [...]

Six people — five women and one man, aged between 20 and 55 — were killed in the attack and 12 others remain in hospital, including a nine-month-old child, whose mother died during the attack.

This is most truly abominable, but if that wasn't a terrorist attack, what followed a few days later most definitely was. Now, another stabbing attack occurred at a Christian church in the same city, and this one appears to have been committed by a jihadist:

Sydney has been shaken by another stabbing attack with a priest and worshippers assailed by a knife-wielding man Monday in a suburban church.

Bishop Mari Emmanuel was preaching a live-streamed sermon at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in the city’s west when a man dressed in black approached the altar and allegedly stabbed the Christian Orthodox priest multiple times.

Horrifying footage of the incident, which was being broadcast live on the church’s YouTube page, shows Bishop Emmanuel look up in astonishment as the attacker suddenly rains down blows on his face and head, news.com.au reports.

Here's more (via Jihad Watch):

Sky News and the ABC both report the 15-year-old had been on bail facing several offences, including possessing a flick knife, stalking and property damage, until facing court in January.

The crimes were proven but dismissed in favour of a good behaviour bond, which remained active when he allegedly stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley the city’s west at 7.10pm last night.

Police described the alleged attack as a “terrorist act”.

Meanwhile, furious police have vowed to track down every “un-Australian” thug who attacked officers while they responded to the alleged terror attack, in scenes that rocked the nation.

Two separate task forces have been established after a 16-year-old male allegedly stabbed Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley the city’s west at 7.10pm last night.

One will probe the recent background of the alleged attacker, who was captured on a livestream of the bishop’s sermon shouting “Allahu Akbar” as he stabbed the bishop in the head, neck and torso at least eight times.

The bishop and priest Father Isaac Royel, who was also stabbed, remain in hospital in a stable condition. [...]

There is some confusion about what the teen says in response as it seems he was speaking in broken Arabic. According to reports, he had recently converted to Islam.

However, at a press conference in Canberra today, ASIO Director General Mike Burgess said the intelligence agency was aware of alleged remarks made by the teen referring to the bishop having offended the prophet Muhammad….

In another video circulating on social media, one of the men who helped to hold the teen down tells a female police officer that he “ran and grabbed him from behind and just pushed him down”.

“He kept saying: ‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar’,” he tells the officer.

All that does is make clear it's bad news when anybody of this sort converts to such a belief system. The creep likely did that to serve as an identity politics and protected class shield. That's what'll bring down the world for real very soon.

My condolences to all victims of the offenders.

Several western countries withdraw funding from UNRWA

Finally, following Israel's discovery that several employees of the UNRWA were involved in the October 7, 2023 massacre by Hamas, a number of countries are suspending their funding of the UN agency:

The United Kingdom, Italy, Finland, Canada, and Australia have all announced that they will suspend funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) over allegations that staff actively participated in the October 7th Hamas terror attacks on Israel.

On Friday, UNWRA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini that his agency has fired several staff members after receiving Israeli intelligence claiming that at least 12 UNWRA staff members participated in the Hamas terror attacks on Israel that saw the Palestinian Islamists butcher at least 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and kidnap over 250 more, some of whom remain in captivity to this day.

Following the revelations from Lazzarini, the Biden administration announced that it would suspend its funding towards the organisation.

In 2018, former President Donald Trump cut off funding entirely to the agency — which operates in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria — over evidence suggesting that schools run by UNRWA were indoctrinating Palestinian schoolchildren with anti-Jewish propaganda and staff members supporting terrorism. Yet, Biden’s White House reversed this decision and sent upwards of $700 million to the agency before suspending money on Friday.

On Saturday, several other Western nations announced that they would also halt funding to the U.N. agency. The British Foreign Office said in a statement per the BBC: “The UK is appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned.

So of course, Biden and company just had to continue funding to a movement that later ended up enabling misery for so many Israelis, and even before that, without a doubt, UNRWA even subjected many other countries to these horrors. It's not enough to "suspend" funding. It has to be stopped altogether, like Trump did when he was POTUS.

Update: here's a report on a dossier of accusations Israel's filed against a number of UNRWA workers who were involved in the terrorist attacks.

What the transsexual Nashville murderess' "manifesto" contained

Steven Crowder obtained the manifesto written by the now dead transsexual maniac at the Covenant school in Nashville, Tennessee, and what's really alarming is that it's filled with what amounts to anti-white racism, strongly indicating Audrey Hale was a self-hating white, as well as a self-hating woman. Here's more:

The writings include apparent motivations behind the attack and Hale's mindset. On one page, Hale writes "Wanna kill all you little c*******," one page from the alleged manifesto reads. "Bunch of little f****** w/ your white privlages f*** you f******."

Another page included an hour-by-hour calendar referred to by Hale as "Death Day," including everything from "getting dressed" and "eat breakfast" to "prepare for attack" and "time 2 die." Hale adds "I'm a little nervous, but excited too. Been excited for the past 2 weeks," Hale allegedly wrote. "Can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm ready... I hope my victims aren't."

Tennessee House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison commented on X (formerly Twitter) on the photos, calling for answers. "There was never a good reason to keep that monster's manifesto under lock, which is why I called for its release months ago. After reading this morning, I’m questioning even more why the anti-white racism & anti-Christian bigotry of Audrey Hale was covered up. We need answers," Rep. Faison says.

Her screeds are as repulsive as expected, and that this was concealed for several months is shameful. What this makes clear is that LGBT ideologues can be very hate-filled people, and very bigoted, not to mention self-haters.

Since we're on the subject, it's also worth noting that J.K. Rowling's taken issue with how courts in Australia are tantamount to forcing rape victims to refer to male predators with "preferred pronouns":

“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling unloaded on court systems that she said were embracing calls to address criminals by the gender with which they identify – even if that means a female rape victim would be asked to address her male rapist or alleged rapist as “she” or “her.”

Rowling was responding to the news out of South Australia, where the courts have endorsed the use of preferred pronouns during regular courtroom proceedings as a “matter of respect” going forward, stating that the move was necessary for “ensuring public confidence in the proper administration of justice,” according to The Australian.

“Asking a woman to refer to her male rapist or violent assaulter as ‘she’ in court is a form of state-sanctioned abuse. Female victims of male violence are further traumatised by being forced to speak a lie,” Rowling said in a post on X.

[...] When one person said that she couldn’t imagine being compelled to do something like that, Rowling said she wouldn’t be cowed into complying. “Personally, I wouldn’t be compelled, I’d take contempt of court. It’s time for mass non-compliance with this bull***t,” she said.

That the court themselves released a statement claiming it's a "misunderstanding" is also quite offensive. Besides, if they're asking, that's tantamount to a demand and an order. Movements representing victims of sexual violence must speak out against this en masse and stand by their clients firmly. Rowling was absolutely correct to take issue with this.

If Israel accepts a "truce" with Hamas after the barbarism they visited upon defenseless women and children, they'll be making a grave mistake

Robert Spencer warns against the possibility that Israel will accept yet another "truce" with Hamas, after the savagery that was experienced this past week, which would only prolong the horror story for much more time, and enable more kidnappings of innocent civilians along with murders, lest we forget:

After brutally massacring over 600 Israelis and then suffering some retaliatory strikes from Israel, the bloodthirsty jihadis of Hamas now want a truce. The Israeli government is virtually certain to get immense pressure to agree to such a truce, but this is actually the last thing that Israel should do at this point.

[...] The establishment media and the leftist political elites will receive this with hosannas and take it as the dawning of a new era of peace — if only those dastardly warmongering Israelis will take Hamas’ olive branch. That is, however, not really what it is at all. For Hamas to be asking for a truce on Monday evening Gaza time, it must have had an extremely bad Sunday and Monday. For Islamic law only allows for a truce if Muslims are weak and need to gather strength to fight later more effectively, or if they’re fighting non-Muslims whom they think may accept Islam. “If Muslims are weak, a truce may be made for ten years if necessary, for the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) made a truce with the Quraysh for that long, as is related by Abu Dawud…Interests that justify making a truce are such things as Muslim weakness because of lack of numbers or materiel, or the hope of an enemy becoming Muslim…” (‘Umdat al-Salik, o9.16). This idea is founded on the Qur’an itself: “So do not falter and cry out for peace when you have the upper hand…” (47:35).

Western authorities never, ever demonstrate even the slightest understanding of this point, but this means that when a jihad group asks for a truce, it is admitting that it is losing and needs time to recover. The last thing that its non-Muslim foe should do at that point is actually grant it a truce. What it should do instead is press on toward final victory.

This has happened numerous times in the past: Israel makes headway against the jihadis, they ask for a truce, and the American government pressures the Israelis into accepting. The Netanyahu government should stand firm against all such pressure from the Biden regime. It should understand Hamas’ interest in a truce as a declaration of weakness, and destroy this evil organization’s power to terrorize innocent people once and for all.

If the Netanyahu government fails to make a serious raid and do whatever they can to rescue/avenge victims of kidnappings, they will have failed generations to come, and enabled jihadist organizations to continue to commit more of this violence for many more years. Any weakness on this issue will carry a very heavy cost, both morally and politically.

Update: Stephen Green at PJ Media points out how western countries have allowed many Islamofascists to enter their territory, and run anti-Israel rallies in their midst. I think some of the worst offenders for allowing these to happen are Canada and Australia, and even New York City back in the USA presents a chilling example.

A few more notes about the Malka Leifer scandal

Leifer's been deservedly sentenced to prison in the past week, and here's another article about the private investigators who exposed her deceit when she tried to feign mental illness and the Israeli court overseeing the case actually accepted her ruse unquestioned. What to ponder here is this:

Ms Aaronson now heads up Magen, which supports and advocates for sexual abuse victims in the orthodox Jewish community, and she hopes the case will embolden those who continue to suffer in silence.

"We know for a fact that there are many more perpetrators. Actually, also many more female perpetrators," she said.

Ms Aaronson remains concerned about the pockets of support that Leifer continues to receive from segments of the ultra-orthodox community.

"There's a tremendous cognitive dissonance. People do not want to believe that somebody who looks like them, who could be them, could do something so horrific," she said.

Investigative journalist Gabrielle Weiniger said she never thought justice would be served after witnessing farcical scenes playing out during many of Leifer's Israeli court hearings.

"People would shout at each other making a ridicule of the whole thing," she said.

Valid concerns indeed. But even more chilling is how much of this goes on in Muslim enclaves, and in contrast to a case like this, nobody in the MSM cares. The 3 sisters should seek to help victims of sexual abuse there too.

The Jerusalem Post even had an op-ed revisiting the queries of how this kind of monstrosity is allowed to take place:

The sentencing was a welcome, if much delayed, conclusion to a case that has dogged the Jewish world and put a magnifying glass on Israel’s arduous extradition process.

For close to a decade Leifer sequestered herself in the haredi community in Israel, as the state dragged its feet on efforts to bring the alleged pedophile to justice. When the legal proceedings finally began, the state accepted claims that she was unfit to be extradited, only revisiting the issue years later when recordings emerged of her apparently living a normal life. Victims had to campaign for a decade.

Various excuses were rolled out during the extradition hearings, including more psychiatric experts being brought in to debate her mental fitness. Discussions were held as to whether Australia would provide the proper “religious” rights if there were a conviction there.

Litzman shamefully protected Leifer

Former minister and United Torah Judaism MK Yaakov Litzman played a shameful role in stonewalling the efforts to extradite Leifer. He was convicted of pressuring the Jerusalem district psychiatrist into falsely stating that Leifer was mentally unfit to be extradited to Australia to stand trial, and he was given a slap on the wrist with an eight-month suspended sentence and a NIS 3,000 fine.

Sapper, in reaction to the sentencing, told KAN Bet on Thursday that Litzman’s efforts caused unmeasured trauma to Leifer’s victims, beyond the scars left from the actual abuse.

That was a serious wrong the court committed on their part, giving Litzman lenience after all the trouble he caused. But hardly surprising, based on how protected class status is prevalent in Israel for Haredis, along with LGBT ideologues and Islamists.

The Leifer case is symbolic of a larger problem in Israel. For many years, the country has been a place to which suspected criminals have fled, and Israel has been accused of being a safe haven for wanted persons.

It is unclear why the country didn’t take the Leifer case – and other similar cases – seriously, and instead opened its gates for people who are accused of being predators abroad.

We hope that Erlich, Sapper, and Meyer will find some closure with the sentence, which will keep Leifer behind bars for years to come. And we also hope Israel has learned the lesson that it can’t treat cases of this severity with the same cavalier attitude that enabled Leifer to escape justice for so long.

A related problem is that journalist Gal Uchovsky, another accused sex offender who, much like Leifer herself, is homosexual, was let off the hook almost entirely, and only the court of public opinion can hold him to account now. The legal system's lenience there stems from the same PC approach that enabled Leifer to evade justice for a time. There's a highly probable chance Uchovsky was let off the hook by contrast because he's a man, which makes his case an example of favoratism for homosexual men by the PC establishment, in contrast to lesbians. In other words, women are expendable, even if the culprit deserves what she's gotten, while men are considered protected class. And that's a very dangerous double-standard that's enabled even some male sex offenders in Haredi society to evade justice. And lest we forget, there's plenty of Muslim sex offenders who're likely getting away with their crimes even more.

So in order to put an end to these awful incidents, it's vital to put a stop to protected class statuses. But the Post, alas, is unlikely to make a serious argument to that effect.