US commission ends Saudi trip after Jewish chair told to remove kippah

An American diplomatic trip to Saudi Arabia was cut off Monday after a Saudi official asked a Jewish member of the group to remove their kippah, a head covering traditionally worn by Jewish men.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) left Saudi Arabia early after the slight against Chair Abraham Cooper, who is also a rabbi, which occurred during a visit to the Diriyah UNESCO World Heritage Site in Riyadh.

“No one should be denied access to a heritage site, especially one intended to highlight unity and progress, simply for existing as a Jew,” Cooper said in a statement. “Saudi Arabia is in the midst of encouraging change under its 2030 Vision. However, especially in a time of raging antisemitism, being asked to remove my kippah made it impossible for us from USCIRF to continue our visit.”

“We note, with particular regret, that this happened to a representative of a U.S. government agency promoting religious freedom,” he continued. “USCIRF looks forward to continuing conversations with the Saudi government about how to address the systematic issues that led to this troubling incident.”

‘State of the Union is genocide’: Gaza protesters challenge Biden speech

United States President Joe Biden may have been preparing to address Congress, but protesters gathered outside of the US Capitol had their own message: “Stop funding Israel” and “Complete ceasefire now”.

About 150 protesters gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue – the arterial road that connects the White House to the seat of the US legislature in Washington, DC – ahead of the annual address on Thursday.

Organisers said they wanted to block Biden’s way, or at least make him find another route, as he travelled to the 9pm local (00:00 GMT Friday) speech. Five months into the war in Gaza, they said more pressure than ever was needed, with more than 30,000 Palestinians dead and nearly two million facing humanitarian catastrophe.

“As President Biden prepares to give the State of the Union address, we’re here to say, no more genocide with our tax dollars,” Cat Knarr, of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, told Al Jazeera.

“We see people now taking their anger into the voting booth and that is something that Democrats should be very afraid of,” Falcon said. “[Democrats] have lost the moral standing to use Trump as a fear tactic and people are tired of this.”

Italy #MeToo march excludes Israelis says Di Segni

ROME, MAR 7 - Friday's Women's Day March in Rome organised by Italian #MeToo movement Non Una Di Meno (Not One Less) excludes Israeli woman because its manifesto calls for a ceasefire in Gaza "to stop the genocide", and and end to "the apartheid and colonial occupation in Palestine", the chair of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, Noemi Di Segni, told ANSA Thursday. Di Segni said the "transfeminist" procession for 8 March "is absolutely not open to all. "It was not on 25 November (the last such march) and it is not now. "The manifesto highlights that there is only one kind of pain and horror to denounce, compared to a thousand that there are in the world, and already this explains that a choice of camp has been made, of being only on one side". Di Segni implicitly suggested the march by the Italian branch of the movement against patriarchal sex abuse and rape culture ignored the suffering caused by the brutal Hamas attacks that triggered Israel's hardline response on October 7. (ANSA).

El Camino Real Charter High students walk out over alleged antisemitism on campus

Students at El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills staged a walkout Tuesday to protest recent antisemitic incidents on campus.

The action, which was organized by a group of seniors, included students holding up Israeli flags and signs that read, "Stop the hate."

Danielle Eshed, a ninth-grader at the charter school within the Los Angeles Unified School District, told KTLA-TV Channel 5 that a fellow classmate screamed antisemitic comments at her and then attacked her.

“He called me a dirty Jew, and then I said something out of defense,” Danielle told the station. “He said he was going to beat me up, and I didn’t believe him until he got up, pushed me and started punching me repeatedly in the neck and the back.”

Gun store owner: Weapon traced to scene of Burnsville shooting was straw purchased

The owner of a Burnsville gun retailer confirmed to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that a gun part found at Shannon Gooden’s home was straw purchased and traced to his store.

Investigators say Gooden, 38, shot and killed two Burnsville police officers and one firefighter-paramedic before killing himself on Feb. 18.

John McConkey, the owner of the Modern Sportsman gun shop in Burnsville, said in an email, “One of the firearms found at the scene in the February 18th incident was traced to our Burnsville location.”

McConkey added, “We are working with the [Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension] to assist them with their investigation.”

Biden: Israel agrees to halt military activity in Gaza during Ramadan

U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel has agreed not to engage in military activities during Ramadan in Gaza, where it is at war with Hamas militants, and said the Jewish state risked losing support from the rest of the world as Palestinians die in high numbers.

Biden, who made his remarks during an appearance on NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers," said Israel had committed to make it possible for Palestinians to evacuate from Rafah in Gaza's south before intensifying its campaign there to destroy Hamas.

Biden, whose remarks were recorded on Monday and broadcast on Tuesday, said there was an agreement in principle for a ceasefire between the two sides while hostages were released.

"Ramadan is coming up, and there’s been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan, as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out," he said.

Journalist Laments That ‘You Can’t Hijack Planes’ in Protest Anymore

Mohammed El-Kurd, a celebrated Palestinian poet and The Nation‘s Palestine correspondent, wistfully lamented that “you can’t hijack planes” and therefore “just can’t be” anymore on X Monday.

“You can’t protest peacefully. You can’t boycott. You can’t hunger strike. You can’t hijack planes. You can’t block traffic. You can’t throw Molotovs. You can’t self-immolate. You can’t heckle politicians. You can’t march. You can’t riot. You can’t dissent. You just can’t be,” wrote el-Kurd.

In addition to his advocacy on behalf of would-be hijackers, El-Kurd has has argued that “Zionism is apartheid, it’s genocide, it’s murder” and even a “death cult.” Last fall, El-Kurd reacted to the October 7 terrorist attack in southern Israel by suggesting it was morally justified and mocking those who condemned it.

“The siege is the provocation. Forcing people to live in an open-air prison is an escalation. Occupation, colonization, and land-theft are the root cause of the ‘conflict.’ Everything else is retaliation,” he argued in one post.

Occupation, colonization, and land-theft are the root cause of the ‘conflict.’ Everything else is retaliation

Dozens killed during prayers at Burkina Faso mosque

Dozens of people have been shot dead at a mosque on the same day that a church was attacked, say the authorities in Burkina Faso.

It was during morning prayers that the gunmen surrounded the mosque in Natiaboani town.

"The victims were all Muslims, most of them men," a local resident told the AFP news agency.

More than a third of Burkina Faso is currently under the control of Islamist insurgents.

The attackers are suspected to be Islamist fighters who also targeted soldiers and a self-defence militia stationed locally that same day.

Local media describe (in French) a huge invasion by hundreds of machine gun-wielding militants on motorbikes.

Unverified reports on social media suggest the death toll from the mosque attack could be much higher than the count given by officials.

Palestinian Authority prime minister and government resign


Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and his government have submitted their resignations, he announced Monday.

“I would like to inform the honorable council and our great people that I placed the government’s resignation at the disposal of Mr. President (Mahmoud Abbas), last Tuesday, and today I submit it in writing,” Shtayyeh said in a post on Facebook.

The resignation comes as the Palestinian Authority (PA) comes under intense pressure from the United States to reform and improve its governance in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The PA has long been seen as corrupt by US politicians and Palestinians themselves.

The PA was set up in the mid-1990s as an interim government pending Palestinian independence after the Palestine Liberation Organization signed the Oslo Accords with Israel. It is headquartered in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and exercises nominal self-rule in parts of the territory.

Poland’s Sikorski Warns US to Aid Ukraine or Face ‘Profound Consequences’

Poland’s foreign minister warned of “profound consequences” for US alliances across the globe if Congress fails to approve more than $60 billion in proposed assistance to Ukraine.

Opposition from Republicans close to Donald Trump has held up aid for the war-ravaged country for months. A dearth of ammunition has left Ukraine’s forces increasingly outgunned as the war with Russia enters its third year with no end in sight.

“If the supplemental doesn’t go through and US allies are disappointed and get the idea that the United States might not be able to help even if the commander-in-chief wants to help you, that would have profound consequences for all of American alliances around the world,” the minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Balance of Power.”

“Some countries will start hedging, and others will be considering developing their own nuclear weapons programs,” he added.