The US witnessed last night a nadir in its history when a prominent activist was assassinated purely for his views. This constituted an attack on free speech, on the capacity for discourse and hearing dissenting voices. Those incapable of countering his arguments opted to attack him. In the US – a symbol of the free world and Western democracy – one cannot accept circumstances where political-ideological debate culminates in murder.

Remarkable ability possessed by few globally

Kirk stood as a genuine friend of the State of Israel, a passionate advocate who decisively confronted pro-Palestinian activists, and with refined words, educated them thoroughly. His debates went viral online, and no one in the hasbara world (public diplomacy) could ignore his ability to make his case and the expertise he displayed.

He understood how to corner his opposition and guide them through planned maneuvers to leave them speechless. This represents a remarkable ability possessed by few globally. Additionally, he was a rhetorician brimming with style.

During the past two years, when the State of Israel's position hit bottom internationally, few worldwide stood with us proudly and powerfully, and Kirk ranked among the most prominent and significant of these. Specifically due to his standing and influence across the US, his backing carried tremendous meaning.

Currently, the pursuit continues for the attacker whose identity remains unknown, while everyone remains traumatized. I'm getting cancellation notices for event after event from my scheduled advocacy mission here.

It remains uncertain how the US will recover from this incident and its ultimate consequences, but clearly Kirk's assassination constitutes a defining moment. Each social advocate engaged in debates and ideological battles, particularly regarding Israeli advocacy, now faces genuine mortal danger.

A dark day for the US, and for Israel

Kirk was assassinated and became a casualty in his struggle for truth. He was assassinated there on stage with a microphone in hand while performing what he excelled at most. This marks a dark day in US history, but furthermore, it marks a dark day for the State of Israel which lost one of the finest and most genuine representatives it possessed, though he wasn't Israeli and though he wasn't Jewish.

During the past day, I've gotten inquiries from individuals asking whether Kirk's assassination will impact my mission and my advocacy efforts. So, yes, it will, since I hold numerous events similar to what took place at Utah Valley University, where he was shot, and thus I'll have to exercise far greater caution, verify security exists consistently, and remain vigilant and prepared constantly.

But will I halt due to this? Categorically no. One cannot fear confronting individuals who think differently and attempting dialogue while presenting them with facts. This is presumably what the attacker desired would occur. This is what the violent and antisemitic demonstrators would desire to occur. But if it were Kirk's decision, I'm certain he would request not to halt due to what occurred, but conversely, simply to persist and amplify.

May his memory be a blessing.

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Pro-Palestinian activists disrupted an international flight from Egypt to Minnesota by standing in aircraft aisles, clapping, chanting, and displaying Palestinian flags while repeatedly ignoring flight attendant instructions to stop their behavior. Fellow passengers documented the mid-air demonstration that prevented crew members from conducting normal flight operations.

"Free Palestine" Hate-Group Breaks Rules Without Fear

These Are the Minnesota Protestors Humiliatingly Booted from Egypt

They burn Jews alive, murder civilians, break laws. As long as they say 'Free Palestine' after it's excused.

Time to label them a domestic terrorist org. pic.twitter.com/tU0yiXzEs3

— Shirion Collective (@ShirionOrg) June 30, 2025

"They started singing chants while flight attendants repeatedly requested they cease," a Twitter user reported. "These individuals are insufferable." The independent European news account Visegrád 24 stated, "They were removed from Egypt and created a disturbance on their return flight to the United States. They disregarded flight attendants who instructed them to stop singing about Palestine aboard the aircraft."

An Israeli social media user commented, "They proceeded to harass flight attendants who repeatedly asked them to take their seats. Every 'Free Palestine' movement deserves placement on the no-fly list."

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Pro-Palestinian content creators are using their social media platforms to scrutinize Vice President Kamala Harris's stance on the Israel-Hamas war and sway American youth, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal. 

Online activists have played a role in shaping the views of young people who oppose Israel's military offensive and the Biden administration's support for it.

Within hours of President Biden's decision to drop his re-election bid and endorse Harris as his successor, Ahmed Eldin, a former journalist of Palestinian descent with approximately 1.1 million Instagram followers, posted content highlighting Harris's past interactions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and her address to AIPAC. "Time to step up the pressure on Kamala," Eldin wrote, accusing the vice president of supporting the violence in Gaza.

Rosy Pirani, another pro-Palestinian content creator, has seen her Instagram following grow from about 225,000 to 734,000 since she began posting about the war. "The truth of the matter is Biden has isolated a lot of Democrat voters, especially young voters, along with Arab and Muslim voters," Pirani told the WSJ.

Join us for an exclusive meet and greet and Q&A with the incredible Rosy Pirani – a lawyer, humanitarian and social media activist!
Grab your tickets to see Rosy discuss the vital issues in the world right now & discover how we use social media to amplify our voices for the cause pic.twitter.com/DIqTMMx5YI

— (@sunduss_h) January 24, 2024

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has acknowledged the challenge of communicating the administration's position on Israel to young people, citing the emotional impact of images shared on social media. "You have a social-media ecosystem in which context, history, facts get lost, and the emotion of images dominates," Blinken said at a recent forum.

Pro-Palestinian influencers have used clips from White House and State Department briefings to highlight what they perceive as misleading statements or double standards in the treatment of Israelis and Palestinians by top Biden officials.

Harris has been more vocal than Biden in her criticism of Israel's conduct during the war, describing conditions in Gaza as "inhumane" and stating there would be "no excuses" if Israel didn't improve the flow of humanitarian aid. However, she continues to support Israel's right to defend itself and, like Biden, opposes an arms embargo on Israel.

The vice president has faced pro-Palestinian protesters at her campaign events, including a notable incident in Detroit where she suggested the demonstrators were indirectly supporting Former President Donald Trump.

While domestic attention has shifted with Harris at the top of the ticket, pro-Palestinian online activists are determined to keep the Gaza conflict in focus.

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An incident at an Officeworks store in Elsternwick, Melbourne, has sparked debate after a Jewish customer was allegedly refused service by a manager citing pro-Palestine views.

The recorded interaction, which has since gone viral, shows a confrontation between the customer and an Officeworks employee wearing a rainbow lanyard around her neck. When the customer requested that she laminate a newspaper article concerning Israel, the manager refused, stating, "I'm pro-Palestine." The customer responded, "That's okay, you're here to do a job of laminating."

The customer, seeking clarification, asked if this was an official Officeworks position. The manager responded, "It is an Officeworks, we have the right to deny jobs." However, when pressed further, she admitted, "No, that's my position." When asked to explain her refusal, the manager said, "I'm just not comfortable proceeding with it," referring to the article the customer wanted laminated. She added, "For political reasons, I'm not comfortable."

More proof that being "pro-Palestine" is a thinly-veiled dog-whistle for outright Jew-hatred.@Officeworks needs to terminate this employee with prejudice and send a clear message that this kind of racist and antisemitic behaviour has no place in an inclusive society https://t.co/gklCVvakAJ pic.twitter.com/uSLrwSOhcI

— Islamicide Register STANDING WITH ISRAEL (@IslamophobeReg) August 1, 2024

 The exchange grew tense as the customer questioned whether politics should play a role in Officeworks' service policies. The manager insisted, "We have the right to deny," but was unable to cite specific policies when asked.

As the situation escalated, the manager asked the customer to stop recording and threatened to call the police when he refused.

According to the source, the customer has been attempting to resolve the issue privately with Officeworks and its parent company, Wesfarmers, since the incident occurred earlier this year. The company offered him a $100 gift card, but allowed the manager to keep her position, with "re-education training" implemented. The customer describes this as an "inadequate response" and has now made the incident public and taken the matter to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

Avi Yemini, a YouTube commentator, was outraged about the incident, saying, "Just imagine for a second the tables were turned, and a religious Christian, Jew, or Muslim was working behind that counter, and she walked up with the lanyard around her neck and asked to get an article about Gay Pride laminated, but the religious manager behind the counter refused service because it goes against their politics. The exact crowd who have embraced discriminating against Jews would be protesting outside every single Officeworks, demanding that the bigot be fired."

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McGill University in Montreal closed its downtown campus on Wednesday as police arrived in large numbers to help dismantle a pro-Palestinian encampment that had been in place for weeks, according to The Associated Press. A Montreal police spokesman reported that one person was arrested for assaulting a security agent.

The encampment, one of many that have appeared on university campuses since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, was described by McGill president Deep Saini as "a heavily fortified focal point for intimidation and violence, organized largely by individuals who are not part of our university community."

Police at McGill University are enforcing the law against the pro Hamas gangs. Mazol Tov pic.twitter.com/0kzo9SIBdg

— neveragainlivepodcast@gmail.com (@neveragainlive1) June 6, 2024

 Under heavy rain, protesters carried their belongings off campus as bulldozers and security forces took down the encampment on the school's lower field. Félix Burt, a 20-year-old protester, told AP, "That was officially the last stand. There's nobody in the encampment anymore."

In Quebec City, Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry told reporters it was time to remove the protesters from the encampment. Déry expressed hope that the atmosphere on campuses would be calmer by the fall semester, saying the current environment had become "toxic."

However, McGill student Zaina Karim, who was not inside the camp when the dismantlement began, insisted that protests would continue. "This is not the end at all," Karim said. Protesters have been demanding that the university disclose and cut its ties with Israel.

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Iran is secretly trying to fuel protests in the United States related to the Gaza conflict, according to Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines. In a statement released Tuesday, Haines revealed that Iranian operatives are posing as activists online and, in some instances, offering financial support to protesters.

"I want to be clear that I know Americans who participate in protests are, in good faith, expressing their views on the conflict in Gaza – this intelligence does not indicate otherwise," Haines said, as reported by CNN. She emphasized that many Americans targeted by this Iranian campaign may be unaware they are interacting with or receiving support from a foreign government.

New warning: Iran trying to stoke Gaza protests in U.S. - CNN https://t.co/FrMGVOgXzm

— Charlie Davis (@CharlesPDavis) July 10, 2024

 The DNI urged vigilance, particularly when engaging online with unfamiliar accounts or actors. This warning comes as protests over the Gaza conflict continue to spread across the United States, with college campuses becoming hotbeds of demonstration.

US officials believe that Iran, despite its historical support for Hamas, has been calibrating its response to Israel's military actions in Gaza to avoid direct, prolonged conflict. However, Tehran continues to seek ways to challenge both the US and Israel indirectly.

Haines noted that in recent weeks, "Iranian government actors have sought to opportunistically take advantage of ongoing protests regarding the war in Gaza." This aligns with previous warnings from US officials about Iran's increasingly aggressive foreign influence efforts.

The Gaza conflict has sparked intense debate and division within the United States, making it an attractive target for foreign actors like Iran looking to amplify discord. Protesters have expressed horror at the civilian casualties in Gaza resulting from Israel's military campaign against Hamas, which began after the October 7 attack on southern Israel.

This is not the first time Iran has been accused of meddling in US affairs. A US intelligence assessment from December revealed that Iran attempted to interfere in the 2022 midterm elections, aiming to exploit perceived social divisions and undermine confidence in US democratic institutions. CNN previously reported that Iranian operatives also prepared fake, AI-generated content as part of a campaign to influence US voters in the final weeks of the 2020 election campaign.

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On Sunday, tensions boiled over into physical altercations outside the Adas Torah synagogue in the Pico-Robertson area of Los Angeles, as pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israel supporters engaged in violent clashes, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.

The confrontation, which began at approximately 11 a.m. on the 9000 block of West Pico Boulevard, saw both sides resorting to pushing and punching. Inside the synagogue, an Israeli real estate agency was hosting an aliyah info session for interested LA residents. Mortgage advisors, attorneys, and real estate agents had begun meeting with prospective clients at noon.

Avi Nefoussi, a real estate agent working the event held in the synagogue, told Israel Hayom: "They targeted our event because they think we're showing Palestinian land for sale." The mob was "so aggressive, loud, and violent" that the company had to quickly call for extra security, "even a helicopter showed up." Nefoussi said he was scared for his life and was told by the event coordinators, "If they storm in, here are the emergency exit options." In a client meeting, Nefoussi recounted, "the couple was considering making aliyah in the future but are now considering it much sooner." "I think it is 1000% the time to get out of LA," he concluded.

Los Angeles Police Officer Tony Im stated that the riot was initiated by pro-Palestinian protesters, who were met with opposition from demonstrators waving Israeli flags. Videos shared on social media captured several instances of violence, with some pro-Palestinian rioters wielding protest sign handles and sticks as weapons. Police in riot gear were deployed to the scene, where they witnessed heated verbal exchanges and physical scuffles.

Cops should've busted out the nightsticks pic.twitter.com/W3ESiAjCPn

— Modern Talmud (@ModernTalmud) June 24, 2024

Ellie Anderson, a witness who was eating lunch with her parents at a restaurant in full view of the brawl, told Israel Hayom: "Everyone was so angry, screaming and fighting. My friend was sprayed with pepper spray in the eyes." Melanie Anderson, her mother, noted that she, "was amazed how intense these people were," and questioned, "Have they even been to Israel?" Geoffrey Anderson, Ellie's father, recalled: "A guy yelled 'intifada' and spit on a Jew, and then the Jewish guy responded and slapped him across the face."

During the incident, authorities made a single arrest, charging the individual with a misdemeanor for allegedly possessing a "spiked flag," which is considered a prohibited item at protests. Police did not provide further information about the person arrested.

Footage recorded by onlookers seemed to show law enforcement officers detaining at least two pro-Palestinian rioters from an SUV near the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Wetherly Drive. The video also showed an LAPD officer removing a young child from the vehicle's back seat.

Antisemitic mob blocking Jews from entering Adas Torah Synagogue in LA today, assaulting them and spraying them with BEAR SPRAY.

DEPORT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. pic.twitter.com/xg4HIpnYaz

— Modern Talmud (@ModernTalmud) June 24, 2024

In an interview with KCAL News, Rabbi Hertzel Illulian, the founder of the JEM Community Center in Beverly Hills, expressed his disapproval of the demonstration's location, stating, "Such protests don't belong in front of a synagogue. I don't believe Jewish or Christian people would stage similar demonstrations outside a mosque."

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More from the patriotic demonstration in London: good music, a calm and not masked crowd and some big Israeli flags that are waving with pride.

A pleasure for the eyes, ears and soul pic.twitter.com/zXSgaHl6NV

— Kilkenny Friends of Israel (@KilkennyOf) June 1, 2024

Pro Palestine protests at Tower Bridge.. pic.twitter.com/Vr9VZESJEJ

— London & UK Street News (@CrimeLdn) June 1, 2024

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French supermarket giant Carrefour denied this week reports of its plans not to open stores in Judea and Samaria due to pressure from anti-Israel elements.

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According to reports, shareholders and pro-Palestinian organizations, led by BDS, exerted pressure on the retail company to refrain from the move during a shareholder meeting. 

Video: Likud

When asked about the company's plans for Judea and Samaria, one of its top executives reportedly said that there were no plans to expand to settlements. 

Carrefour Israel later denied the reports, saying it was "not familiar with such a policy. Carrefour already sells its products across all of Israel."

It said that "the opening of Carrefour branches will be carried out according to a business plan and not political considerations." 

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