Metro Voice is providing this news brief update to keep you informed on the Israel-Hamas war. For the first time since the Hamas attacks, Israelis may have smiled at a comedy skit poking fun at American college campuses.
If you don’t laugh, you cry
An Israeli satire comedy troupe mocks American liberal youth showing support for Hamas.
Israeli television show Eretz Nehederet, meaning “wonderful country,” released a new clip on Sunday which has since gone viral.
The skit with a take on an Ivy League school, “Welcome to Columbia Untisemity,” opens with a doctored image of Columbia University’s logo. The new logo features the Palestinian flag with “from the river to the sea” inscribed below it and two crossed-out Magen Davids.
Here’s a brief look a the comedy skit:
The skit was meant to raise the spirits of Israelis (most of whom speak English) in light of anti-Jewish protests taking place across the United States.
China, Russia, and Iran spreading pro-Hamas propaganda
The New York Times reports that Russia, China, and Iran are colluding to erode international support for Israel.
Citing information provided by social media intel company Cyabra, the Times says the three nations are promoting pro-Hamas socia media posts since the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. It includes downplaying or outright denying the terrorist atrocities, while accusing Israel of committing genocide.
In addition, 1/3 of 40,000 separate Twitter accounts spewing pro-Hamas propaganda about the explosion at a Gaza hospital were discovered to be bots. Most of the propaganda follows links to state-owned media outlets of the three nations.
“It is being seen by millions, hundreds of millions of people around the world and it’s impacting the war in a way that is probably just as effective as any other tactic on the ground,” said Rafi Mendelsohn, the vice president of Cyabra.
Support Israel? Make your voice known
Congress is hearing from tens of thousands of anti-Israel activists across the country as protests continue. Of relgiously motivated attacks on inividuals in the US, Jews are account for almost 75% of the victims. This while they represent just 2.4% of the population. It’s essential that the friends of the Jewish community continue to urge our elected leaders to stand with Israel, according to the American Israel Publica Affairs Committee.
The group encourages Americans to TAKE ACTION: Click here to send an email urging America’s leaders to stand with Israel and give it the time, resources and support it needs in its war to protect its families and drive Hamas out of Gaza.
Israel’s parliament provided sedatives after viewing video of Hamas attack
A joint meeting of the many parties of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, viewed a video that was recently screened for journalists.
The videos, coupled with the evidence captured by security cameras and dashcams, were collected by the Israeli government and IDF. The gory images were compiled into a 43-minute video documenting a fraction of the horrors of the October 7 attack.
MK Eli Dallal left after 10 minutes. Likud MK Tsega Melaku reportedly fainted. Psychologists were called to the Knesset and the Knesset physician offered the MKs anxiety medication.
Labor Party MK Naama Lazimi watched most of the video, but couldn’t endure a particularly cruel photo of a murdered baby. “It was so painful and difficult that I had to leave. The image will be engraved in the depths of my soul forever,” she posted on X.
Today, members of the Knesset sat through a screening of video footage showing atrocities committed by Hamas during the October 7 massacre.
Many of them couldn’t watch the entire thing. pic.twitter.com/DMTdpGiBwJ— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) November 1, 2023
For the first time, the legislators saw evidence that Hamas was accompanied by Gaza citizens who flooded the border and participated in the atrocities.
MK Boaz Bismuth said the IDF should release the video to the public “so that the whole world will know what happened to us.”
After the Hamas attack, Israel’s previously opposed parties formed a unity government to lead the response.
Obama repeats misinformation about “occupation”
Former President Barack Obama denounced the attacks by Hamas but also spread misinformation about the political reality on the ground in Israel.
The former president, pro-Palesitian groups and media outlets continue to assert that the West Bank and Gaza are occupied by Israel.
The fact is, Israel left Gaza in 2005 and Hamas was elected in 2006 and has controlled it since. Israel’s participation in running parts of the West Bank are outlined by the Oslo Accord Peace Treaty signed by Israel, the PLO, and the US under Bill Clinton. The treaty separates the West Bank into three areas areas of administration: A: Palestinian control for both civil and security administration; B: Palestinian civil control with Israel handling security; and C: Israel is responsible for both.
Despite Hamas attacks, humanitarian corridor reopened
Israel on Sunday reopened a humanitarian corridor in the Gaza Strip. The move came after it was temporarily closed when Hamas fired mortars at IDF soldiers attempting to facilitate the safe passage of civilians on Saturday.
Avichay Adraee, the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic-language spokesman, tweeted on Saturday night that the military would again allow Gazan civilians to relocate southward away from the danger zone, on the Salah a-Din Road, Gaza’s main thoroughfare.
“If you care about yourself and your loved ones, head south according to our instructions. Rest assured that Hamas leaders are already taking care to protect themselves,” Adraee tweeted in Arabic, saying that traffic would be allowed on the road south between 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
–Compiled by Dwight Widaman from news services