Antisemitism > Colombia's new right wing government about to flip antisemitism on its head

 

Colombia Will Renew Ties With Israel and Move Its Embassy to Jerusalem

Jul 20, 2026 10:00 am By Hugh Fitzgerald

2 Comments

Under its previous leftist regime, headed by a former Marxist guerrilla, Gustavo Petro, Colombia turned resolutely against the Jewish state. It supported South Africa’s attempt at the International Court of Justice to have Israel found guilty of “genocide.” It cut off diplomatic relations with the Jewish state. It voted against Israel at the UN. It recognized the state of “Palestine.” But the left lost the election in June to the conservative candidate. And now that incoming government promises to embrace the country its predecessor shunned. More on this reversal of fortune can be found here: 

Colombia to Withdraw Support for South Africa’s ICJ Genocide Case Against Israel as Ties with Jerusalem Are Restored

by Ailin Vilches Arguello, Algemeiner, July 17, 2026:

Abelardo de la Espriella, Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication

Colombia’s incoming government has pledged to withdraw the country’s support for South Africa’s contentious genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as Bogotá moves to restore diplomatic ties with Jerusalem and deepen bilateral cooperation.

According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the office of Colombia’s president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella — who won last month’s runoff and is due to take office on Aug. 7 — said his administration would “return to a responsible position in the international arena,” including by ending the country’s involvement in the ICJ proceedings once he assumes office.

The announcement followed a meeting in Washington on Wednesday between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Colombia’s incoming foreign minister, Omar Bula, where the two sides agreed to fully restore diplomatic and economic ties, exchange ambassadors, and scrap mutual visa requirements after years of strained relations.

Colombia’s incoming administration also intends to open an embassy in Jerusalem — a move recognizing the city as Israel’s capital — according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, marking a significant shift in Bogotá’s foreign policy toward the Jewish state.

Saar wrote that he and Bula had “outlined a detailed roadmap for the full and immediate restoration of diplomatic and economic relations between our two countries.”

Historically, Colombia has been among Israel’s closest partners in Latin America, maintaining strong security, economic, and diplomatic cooperation for decades. Relations deteriorated sharply under outgoing leftist President Gustavo Petro, who filed a declaration of intervention in South Africa’s case in April 2024 and severed diplomatic ties with Israel the following month over the war in Gaza.

Since Dec. 2023, South Africa has pursued its case at the ICJ, accusing Israel of committing “state-led genocide” in its war against Hamas in Gaza….

Israel has strongly rejected all allegations of genocide, calling South Africa’s case “baseless” and “politically motivated.”

Let’s say it again, ad nauseam: “Genocide” requires “intent.” The IDF has ever shown the intent to deliberately mass murder Gazans. The IDF has made tremendous efforts, by dropping millions oof leaflets, sending millions of text messages, and making millions of robocalls, to war civilians away from sites about to be targeted. It is Hamas that, by embedding its fighters and weapons in with Gazan civilians, increases the number of their casualties. As John Spencer, a West Point professor of urban warfare, has said, “Israel has implemented more precautionary measures to prevent civilian casualties in urban combat than any military in history.”

Just as soon as the newly-elected government in Colombia takes power, everything connected to Israel will change. Historically, Colombia always had good relations with Israel. But under the previous president, the left-wing Gustavo Petro (a former FARC guerilla), all that changed. Diplomatic relations with Israel were cut. Colombia consistently voted at the U.N. to condemn the Jewish state. Colombia supported South Africa’s attempt at the International Court of Justice to have Israel found guilty of “genocide.” And finally, Gustavo Petro’s regime recognized the state of “Palestine.”

The new Colombian President, Abelardo de la Espriella, has already announced that his government will immediately restore diplomatic relations with Israel and re-establish bilateral agreements on trade, technology, and security. It will withdraw its previous support of South Africa’s attempt to have Israel condemned at the ICJ. It will cease to vote against Israel at the UN. But most satisfying of all, Colombia’s next foreign minister, Omar Bola Escobar, in a meeting on July 15 with Israel’s foreign secretary, Gideon Sa’ar, has pledged that his government will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the ninth country to do so. That followed a declaration by President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella that Colombia would establish relations “like never before” with Israel once he takes the oath of office on August 7. Colombia is an important country; with 54 million people, it is the second-most populous Spanish-speaking country. This return to sanity in Bogotá is a big win for Israel.

Iran > Did Mojtaba Khamenei flee Iran?

 

According to World Israel News, he has. Buy why? Who is he afraid of: Americans, Israelis, or the IRGC?

Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has fled the country – report

 July 19, 2026

Mojtaba Khamenei (X)

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is reportedly issuing statements in the name of Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, after he left the country.

By World Israel News Staff

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is no longer inside the country and recent statements attributed to him were written by senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials, according to an Israeli security official cited Sunday by the Saudi broadcaster Al Hadath.

The official provided no evidence for the claim and did not identify the country where Khamenei was purportedly staying. Iran did not immediately confirm or respond to the report, which could not be independently verified.

According to the Israeli official, Khamenei has become completely disconnected from developments inside Iran, leaving IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi and other senior officers to compose statements in his name and present an appearance of leadership continuity.

The allegation would represent a significant escalation from previous reports describing Khamenei as isolated in a secret location with extremely restricted communications. Earlier American intelligence reporting said messages reached him through what officials described as “a labyrinth of couriers,” but did not indicate that he had left Iran.

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Questions surrounding Khamenei’s whereabouts, health and authority have persisted since he succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, following the previous supreme leader’s death in US-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.

The younger Khamenei was reportedly injured in the same attack and has not made a confirmed public appearance since his appointment on March 8. He was also absent from the extensive funeral ceremonies held for his father earlier this month, despite reports that he had sought permission to attend.

Iranian officials attributed his absence to injuries and the danger that a public appearance could allow Israel to locate or assassinate him. President Masoud Pezeshkian said in May that he had met Khamenei and that the supreme leader’s condition was improving.

The IRGC published what it described as a new photograph of Khamenei on July 11 and said he was in “complete health.” The image did not resolve doubts over his location or the extent to which he was personally directing government decisions.

Iranian state media have instead issued a succession of written messages attributed to the supreme leader. In a statement released Saturday, Khamenei purportedly said repeated American violations of a memorandum signed with Tehran had shown that President Donald Trump’s signature was “utterly worthless and devoid of credibility.”

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The statement also warned that Iran and the regional “resistance front” had “unforgettable lessons” for the United States as fighting between the two countries intensified.

The Israeli official cited by Al Hadath claimed those and other messages were not written by Khamenei, but by Vahidi and members of the Revolutionary Guard seeking to conceal the leader’s absence and maintain the appearance of a functioning command structure.

No independent evidence has emerged establishing who prepared or approved the written statements. Reuters reported earlier this month that senior Iranian sources believed Khamenei was continuing to make decisions while recovering, even though he was not well enough to appear publicly.

His prolonged absence has nevertheless become an increasingly serious political problem for the Islamic Republic. Iran’s supreme leader is constitutionally the country’s highest authority, with control over the armed forces, intelligence apparatus, judiciary and major elements of foreign and domestic policy.

Khamenei entered the office without the public political history or senior religious standing possessed by his predecessors. His influence before becoming supreme leader was largely exercised behind the scenes through his father’s office and his close relationships with Revolutionary Guard commanders.

Those ties have fueled speculation that the IRGC is exercising unprecedented control over the state while the supreme leader remains hidden.

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“The internal divisions in Iran are deep and threaten the very existence of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the Israeli official told Al Hadath.

The official also claimed that Iranian operatives had prepared a sophisticated plan to assassinate senior Israeli figures in central Tel Aviv in retaliation for Ali Khamenei’s death.

No details were provided about the intended targets, the alleged method of attack or whether any suspects had been arrested. Israeli authorities have not publicly announced the disruption of such a plot.

Iran and its allied organizations have repeatedly threatened to avenge the elder Khamenei’s killing. Vahidi said earlier this month that pursuing those responsible for the US-Israeli operation would remain a permanent Iranian priority.

The Israeli source separately claimed that Washington does not want Israel participating in offensive operations against Iran, even in response to an Iranian attack.

The United States has not publicly confirmed such a restriction.

Islam Downunder > Antisemitism Sky High; Government refuses to water down terrorist laws

 

In Australia, Antisemitism Now Sky-High

Jul 19, 2026 10:00 am By Hugh Fitzgerald11 Comments

The latest news from Down Under bodes ill for the nation’s Jews. The land of Botany Bay and We of the Never Never and Crocodile Dundee has become a place where Jews have been subjected nationwide to a sustained increase in harassment, vandalism, and arson. This includes recent incidents such as a Jewish family’s home in Adelaide being vandalized with swastikas and painted slurs.

The worst attack took place on Hanukkah, when Jews celebrating the holiday were mowed down on Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025, in a mass shooting. Two Muslim gunmen opened fire on the crowd, killing 15 and wounding 40. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for inciting the attackers.

Sydney Opera House by Diliff, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

These attacks on Jews have almost always been the sinister handiwork of Muslims who have in recent years been allowed into Australia in great numbers; there are now close to one million Muslims in the country. They have brought with them, and then spread, the virus of antisemitism. That pathological condition has now risen to vertiginous levels, and as a consequence more Australian Jews are making aliyah to Israel or moving to North America. More on their plight, and their flight, can be found here: 

Australian antisemitism ‘passed point of no return,’ Jewish leader tells ‘Post’ after emigrating

by Mathilda Heller, Jerusalem Post, July 16, 2026:

Australian antisemitism “has passed the point of no return,” former president of the Australian Jewish Association, Dr. David Adler, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday. Adler recently relocated to Israel, citing the surge in antisemitism in Australia.

While the family only arrived on July 9, Adler told the Post that aliyah has been in “preparation for a long, long period of time.”

“We’ve seen a general deterioration in Australia for a long time,” he told the Post. “Australia has essentially outsourced its manufacturing. Its defense capacity is down. National identity is being lost. Education standards are down. There is a crazy socialist activism, left-wing activism. Those things have been building gradually. But no doubt October 7 unleashed a level of antisemitism and anti-Israel extremism that I didn’t think could occur in Australia.”

“On October 8, there were some leaders of the Muslim community and some Muslim groups in Australia celebrating on the streets. On October 9, we had the riots in front of the Opera House.”

What Adler found the most shocking was that the authorities “failed to act” after these incidents.

“There was not a single arrest from the riots at the Opera House, despite a number of laws being broken. And that area, I know from security experts, is covered by high-definition CCTV. However, the authorities chose not to act and instead warned the Jewish community not to go there,” he explained.

These Muslims, remember, appeared in force on October 8, 2023 to demonstrate in front of the Opera House in Sydney, one of the most famous buildings in Australia. They came out to celebrate the orgy of torture, gang rape, mutilation (genitals cut out or off, eyes gouged out), and murder that Hamas had carried out the day before. And the police did nothing.

The next day, a pro-Palestinian mob marched from the Sydney Town Hall to the Opera House. Chants heard at the rally included “f*** the Jews” and “f*** Israel.” Other chants called for the destruction of the Jewish state and the establishment of a state of “Palestine” to replace it: “From the river to the sea/Palestine will be free.” And there was also a call to exterminate not Israelis, but all Jews: “Gas the Jews.” Again, the police did nothing. There were no arrests. The authorities “chose not to act and instead warned the Jewish community not to go there.”

Australia’s finest poet, the late Les Murray, who seldom commented on current events, made an exception when he championed Israel’s right to take part in the Asian Games. How would he react if he saw his country today?

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Australian government rejects ‘Islamophobia’ envoy’s recommendation to discount role of religion in terrorist acts

Jul 19, 2026 3:00 pm By Robert Spencer3 Comments

Australia’s “Islamophobia” top dog, Aftab Malik, recommended that the government discount religion as a motivating factor in terrorist acts. This was clearly an attempt to prevent the Australian government from discovering or shedding any light upon the role of Islam in the motivations of jihad terrorists. Anyone who dared to note that jihad violence was being committed in accord with Islamic texts and teachings would have been dismissed as “Islamophobic.” Surprisingly, Albanese rejected this recommendation, but Aftab Malik will no doubt keep pushing.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Australian Government, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
Anthony

Anthony Albanese releases government’s response to Islamophobia report

by Lexie Jeuniewic, David Lipson and Keane Bourke, ABC.net.au, July 17, 2026:

The Albanese government’s long-awaited response to its special envoy’s report on Islamophobia has rejected calls for an overhaul of counter-terror laws, focusing instead on a new education task force and expanded community liaison teams for police.

The government has committed to a package of new measures across education and awareness, protection and support, social cohesion, and accountability.

The response includes a review of the education curriculum to strengthen racial and religious tolerance, new multicultural grant programs and additional mental health support, especially for Muslim women.

The government’s response comes 10 months after special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, released his report with 54 recommendations.

The author of a landmark report on Islamophobia in Australia says the federal government is taking too long to act on the issue.

Releasing the government’s response in Sydney on Saturday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended his decision not to adopt all of the recommendations.

“We’ve said it’s independent advice. What we don’t do is we don’t contract out government,” he said.

“Some of [the recommendations] we have adopted in full and are acting on already. Others we’ll give further consideration to.”

Mr Albanese also sought to explain why he rebuffed a push to water down the importance of religion and ideology in defining terrorism in federal laws over Mr Malik’s concerns they could lead to discrimination.

“We operate our terror laws on the basis of appropriate advice from national security agencies,” Mr Albanese said.

“But primarily, we sit in the National Security Committee of the government, and we take advice from our security agencies. I have confidence in them.”

Mr Malik’s submission to the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion in June made 17 recommendations, including amending the definition of “terrorist act” in federal laws, “to reduce a reliance on ideological, political or religious motivation as a central criterion to the offence”….