For years, Jews accused or convicted of child sexual abuse in the US and elsewhere have used Israel's Law of Return, which grants automatic citizenship to Jewish ancestry, to relocate and avoid prosecution. Jewish Community Watch has documented more than 60 such cases since it began tracking them in 2014, and believes the true figure is significantly higher. Among the most cited cases: Malka Leifer, accused of sexually abusing more than 70 students at a Melbourne school, spent 13 years fighting extradition to Australia before being returned in 2021. Gershon Kranczer, wanted in New York, evaded prosecution in Israel for over a decade before his extradition the same year.
Ed Sheeran has said there is a reason he does not use his professional platform for politics, yet in 2022 he used that platform to headline a Concert for Ukraine, raise funds for humanitarian relief and declare, “I stand with Ukraine.” Critics have also accused him of framing the Gaza genocide as a mere “conflict,” and a photo of him meeting an Israeli hostage held since October 7 has resurfaced amid the criticism.
Robert Kraft says Ed Sheeran will donate $2 million to Palestinian humanitarian relief, and that he will match the amount himself. In a statement posted to Gillette Stadium's account, Kraft said Sheeran called him earlier Wednesday to propose the matching donation, though neither side specified which organizations would receive the funds. Kraft said he has "dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people," adding that all lives are worth protecting. He noted he has spent decades supporting programs that bring young Palestinians and Israelis together on business and job initiatives, and confirmed Sheeran plans to reach out to other venue owners to expand the effort. The pledges follow Macklemore's announcement Wednesday that he would donate $1 million in net earnings from Sheeran's Loop Tour to Palestinian relief organizations, days after being dropped from the tour. Macklemore said he was removed after making pro-Palestinian remarks onstage, including a political speech at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and has accused Kraft of pressuring other venues to bar him.
Macklemore has pledged $1 million, his full net earnings from Ed Sheeran's tour to six Palestinian relief organizations, days after he was dropped from the tour over his pro-Palestinian stage performances. In an Instagram statement, he said he wanted to "bring the conversation back where it belongs." Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots owner accused by Macklemore of pushing venues to drop him, responded by saying Sheeran had already asked him to match $2 million for the region. Kraft said he was not trying to silence Palestinian advocacy but objected to what he called offensive rhetoric toward the Jewish community, adding that he has long directed resources toward Palestinians as well.
🇬🇷🏠 A real estate advertisement aimed at Israeli buyers is attracting attention at Athens International Airport, where it promotes apartments in Greece starting at around €90,000. The ad, displayed in the arrivals area of Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, carries the slogan “Don’t go home without a home in Greece” and is associated with Palmo Group, a company targeting Israeli investors interested in Greek property. Israeli real estate firms and investors have been increasingly active in Greece, particularly in Athens and Thessaloniki, buying, renovating and managing properties.
U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged a $5,000 payment to every American adult if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in the November midterm elections, unveiling the proposal during a nearly two-hour speech at a campaign rally in Dallas, Texas. Branding the plan a "Trump dividend," the president told an enthusiastic crowd that voters would share in the rewards of Republican victory at the ballot box. The proposal, which would cover approximately 270 million adults, carries an estimated price tag of $1.35 trillion, according to projections. Trump did not detail how the program would be financed, though he suggested the payouts would stem from what he described as the country's "tremendous economic success" and could be partly funded through additional tariffs on foreign goods. He also pressed recipients to spend the money domestically, saying: "We don't want you going to Canada to spend the money. We don't want you going to China, to Germany. You have to spend the money in the United States." The president urged supporters to treat the midterm vote as a direct endorsement of his leadership, telling the crowd: "I want you to assume that I'm on the ballot." Warning that handing power to "radical left Democrats" would set the country back, Trump said the nation would spend the next decade trying to recover, adding: "We have a crazy, small, sick cloud hanging over our country, and we're going to defeat communism in America." He pointed to his second term as "the most successful two years of any presidency financially and in every other way," while acknowledging the historical difficulty his party faces in midterm elections.
Speaking to Geo TV on Tuesday, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said any spillover of the Yemen conflict into Saudi Arabia would activate the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, under which an attack on Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or Türkiye is treated as an attack on all three. "We are bound by the terms and conditions of this pact," Asif said. "God willing, we will honor them in case there is a need." His comments came hours after Houthi forces launched missile and drone strikes on southern Saudi Arabia, hitting Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran and wounding at least 73 people. Asif called the Houthis "non-state actors" and said the group risked serious consequences if it dragged Saudi Arabia further into Yemen's war, adding: "We don't need to respond to a brick with a stone." Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye signed the Makkah pact on August 7, 2026, to formalize collective defense commitments. Asif stressed the agreement is purely defensive, activated only in response to aggression against a member state.
💥 Adidas has started selling single shoes for Israeli soldiers who lost limbs while bombing Muslims in Gaza. The campaign features Shalev Biton, a former Israeli soldier who lost his left leg in Gaza in May 2021. 🖌️ @cihatkiyat
Israeli daily Haaretz has published a sweeping investigation exposing a critical intelligence failure surrounding the October 7, 2023, Al-Aqsa Flood operation, revealing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a direct warning from a regional leader but chose to ignore it. According to the report, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed placed a 45-minute phone call to Netanyahu approximately ten days before the Hamas incursion, relaying specific intelligence that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major escalation that would shake the region. The Emirati leadership reportedly obtained this information through Palestinian contacts and advisers aware of Sinwar's intentions, and due to the sensitivity of the matter, conveyed it directly to the prime minister rather than through Israel's intelligence services.
US rapper Macklemore is facing a petition calling for his removal from Ed Sheeran’s ongoing U.S. tour after he used his opening set at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to voice support for Palestinians. During performances on September 4 and 5, the rapper called for a “Free Palestine” and performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall,” while footage related to Gaza and the occupied West Bank appeared on stadium screens. His remarks drew both support and criticism from concertgoers. The Israeli-American Council subsequently launched a petition urging Sheeran, tour organizers, and venues to remove Macklemore from the remaining dates, arguing that the concert stage should not be used for political messaging.
Bollywood filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia has said anti-Muslim prejudice has become increasingly visible within India's film industry, arguing that the changing social climate has also reshaped the stories being told on screen. He made the remarks during the Editors Guild of India's Rajendra Mathur Memorial Lecture in New Delhi, where he discussed censorship, media freedom, and the state of Indian cinema. Dhulia said Bollywood cannot remain detached from broader social attitudes, adding that filmmakers are part of the same society where Islamophobia has grown. He suggested that the industry, despite its reputation for diversity, has also been affected by those prejudices. The director also said concerns over legal complaints and police action have created a climate of caution among writers and filmmakers, leading many to reconsider dialogue and storylines before they are written. He described self-censorship as an increasingly common reality in the industry. Dhulia further criticized the growing commercialization of Bollywood, saying business interests have weakened storytelling, while insisting that successful films ultimately depend on craftsmanship rather than political ideology.