Video: Pollard speaks on Tuesday / Credit: Kan Reshet Bet

In the interview with Kan Reshet Bet, Pollard explained that he realized the full scale of the national failure through his own life: "I assumed my abandonment and the betrayal of me was an exceptional incident on Israel's part. But on October 7, I realized I was no exception. I realized the entire country was abandoned and betrayed. At that point, I concluded that I must do something to the best of my ability to prevent such a tragedy."

He directly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct during, particularly regarding the conflict with Iran and the air force's turning back after the attack in Beersheba due to US pressure: "Throughout the war, Netanyahu should have stood firm against Trump when it comes to Israel's security interests."

Regarding the meeting with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee and the backlash he received, Pollard dismissed all claims of a secret meeting, insisting it contained no details indicating improper involvement: "There was nothing secret in the meeting." Later in the interview with Kan Reshet Bet, Pollard leveled harsh criticism at the American intelligence community: "The CIA serves as a tool of the Democratic Party. My advice is that its branch here at the American Embassy should be cleaned out, and people who reflect the president's agenda should be brought in."

Speaking about his time in American prison, Pollard made public the trauma he experienced behind bars : "I was raped in prison as revenge for my actions for Israel. I'm glad that some of the hostages are talking about it now ." He added, "It is necessary to understand the monsters we are dealing with."

Pollard, who is contemplating running in the upcoming elections, linked his political aspirations to what he witnessed as an Israeli citizen after October 7 : "I concluded that I must do something to the best of my ability to prevent such a tragedy."

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Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf delivered the keynote address at the Tehran rally, stating that the anniversary represents Iran's resolve to remain independent and oppose what he termed foreign power control. He declared the nation's independence "will not be sold for any concession," and the "Death to America" slogan signifies "rejection of hegemony, not hostility toward the American people."

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Mk Nir Barkat (Likud) is accusing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid of having agreed in principle to the Biden administration opening a US consulate in east Jerusalem.

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In a letter to Bennett and Lapid ahead of Bennett's scheduled meeting with US President Joe Biden on Thursday, Barkat writes that he has already reached out to them both on the matter, but "neither you nor any cabinet member have bothered to make an announcement saying you will oppose the move."

Barkat is demanding that Bennett and Lapid make it clear that they reject the US request to open a consulate in east Jerusalem and "put an immediate stop to the intent to question the status of Jerusalem and establish an American consulate that will serve the Palestinians in it. There is an American Embassy in Jerusalem that opened in 2018, so there is no need for another diplomatic mission in addition to the embassy."

The Prime Minister's Office responded to Barkat's claims with a short message: "It never happened." Lapid's office also denied the claims.

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The vote was put forward by Republican Senators Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee.

Following the vote, Inhofe tweeted that the amendment "would make the US Embassy in Jerusalem permanent, effectively preventing it from being downgraded or moved. It's an important message that we acknowledge Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."

The US Embassy in Israel was relocated to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in 2018 under former President Donald Trump. Five months after declaring US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the new embassy was inaugurated in a festive ceremony.

In late April, while on the campaign trail as the Democratic presidential candidate, current US President Joe Biden said the US Embassy in Israel would remain in Jerusalem if he was elected, even as he called Trump's decision to move the diplomatic base from Tel Aviv "short-sighted and frivolous."

At the time, Biden told donors he'd reopen a US consulate in east Jerusalem to engage Palestinian leaders in talks about a "two-state solution" to the conflict.

"I've been a proud supporter of a secure, democratic Jewish state of Israel my entire life," Biden said at the time. But, he added: "My administration will urge both sides to take steps to keep the prospect of a two-state solution alive."

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Ahead of the three-year anniversary of US President Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, more than three-dozen Republican members of Congress have called for language in an upcoming must-pass appropriations bill that would prohibit American funding from being used to move the US Embassy in Israel from Jerusalem.

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In a December,  4 letter, a group of 43 Republicans in the US House of Representatives called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) to ensure that the 2021 State, Foreign Operations and Related Agencies bill, primarily funding the US State Department, which oversees embassies, includes language that prohibits funding from "being used to move the United States' embassy out of Jerusalem."

Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6, 2017, and moved the US embassy there from Tel Aviv five months later.

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"In a time when we are seeing the increasing normalization of relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors, we must ensure that the United States does not take a step backward by moving the US embassy out of Jerusalem, which is why we seek the prohibition of any FY21 funding in the State, Foreign Operations and Related Agencies bill being used to move the United States' embassy out of Jerusalem," wrote the GOP congressional members.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The US Embassy in Budapest condemned Monday an article published by Hungarian ministerial commissioner Szilard Demeter that compared billionaire George Soros to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

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"There should be no tolerance for Holocaust relativization and minimization of any kind," the embassy posted on its Twitter account.

The U.S. Embassy in Budapest strongly condemns the statements made in a recent op-ed equating current debates in Europe with the horrific murder of millions of people during the Holocaust. There should be no tolerance for Holocaust relativization and minimization of any kind. pic.twitter.com/DNDuoonu2u

— US Embassy Budapest (@usembbudapest) November 30, 2020

In his opinion piece, Demeter referred to Europe as "George Soros' gas chamber," and called Soros "the liberal Führer" [whose] liber-aryan army deifies him more than did Hitler's own."

The piece prompted strong reactions from several Hungarian Jewish groups and opposition politicians and was also condemned by the Israeli Embassy.

More than 12,000 people, including numerous Hungarian public figures like Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony, have signed a petition demanding Demeter's resignation.

Demeter retracted the article following the backlash and deleted his Facebook account.

Deputy Prime Minister Mihaly Varga said that Demeter would remain in his position, saying that by retracting his article and deleting his Facebook account, Demeter "admitted his mistake" and understood that his article "could harm the memory of the victims."

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Security sources told Reuters that at least one rocket landed inside the US embassy compound and wounded three people. If confirmed, it would be the first time in years that such attacks on the Green Zone, which are regular, have actually hurt staff there.

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Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi condemned the attack in a statement from his office, and said that the continuation of such acts could "drag Iraq into becoming a battlefield."

Separately, Iraqi security forces shot at anti-government protesters in Baghdad, killing at least one person, and unidentified men set fire to sit-in tents in a southern Iraqi city, police and medics said, as months-long civil unrest escalated.

Anti-government protests erupted in Baghdad on Oct. 1 and quickly turned violent. Security forces and unidentified gunmen have shot protesters dead. Nearly 500 people have been killed in the unrest.

The protests are an unprecedented leaderless challenge to Iraq's Shiite Muslim-dominated and largely Iran-backed ruling elite, which emerged after a US-led invasion toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

In Baghdad, one protester was killed, police sources and medics said, and more than 100 others wounded across the country after the security forces tried to clear protest camps.

At least 75 of those wounded were in the southern city of Nassariya. A Reuters witness said protesters set fire to two security vehicles and hundreds of other demonstrators controlled key bridges in the city. Later, unidentified men set fire to tents that are part of a months-long sit-in in the city center.

Protests have flared in the last two days after populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, many of whose supporters had participated, said he would no longer be involved in anti-government demonstrations.

Sadr opposes all foreign interference in Iraq but has aligned himself more closely in recent months with Iran and the Tehran-backed parties that dominate state institutions in Baghdad.

Some demonstrators have accused the populist cleric of treachery to their cause.

Sadr has organized separate anti-American demonstrations aimed at pressuring US troops to leave Iraq, moves that critics say aim to eclipse the anti-establishment movement which has taken aim at all politicians including Sadr.

Sadr had called for demonstrations against the US Embassy in Baghdad and other cities on Sunday but cancelled them, with his office giving "avoiding internal strife" as the reason.

Earlier on Sunday, hundreds of university students had gathered in Tahrir Square, the main protest camp in Baghdad, chanting slogans against the United States and Iran.

Protests also continued in the cities of Kerbala, Najaf and Diwaniya, defying attempts by security forces to end their months-long sit-in, police sources and Reuters witnesses said.

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Titled "Heightened Middle East Tensions," the warning encourages US citizens in Israel to "remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness."

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The warning informs Americans that if mortars or rockets are fired on Israel, the Red Alert system might be activated.

"Treat all alerts as real; follow the instructions from local authorities and seek shelter immediately," the message counseled.

The US Embassy stated that US government personnel and their families might be restricted from "traveling to areas affected by rocket activity."

The Embassy assured readers it would "continue to review the security situation and provide additional information as needed."

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The three other rockets fell in the nearby Jadriya area, the military's statement said.

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The latest local media reports said six people were wounded in the attacks.

According to French news agency AFP, the attack – the second in so many nights – came just hours after the ambassador was summoned over the US strike that killed Iranian strongman Qassem Soleimani on Friday.

Iran has since vowed to avenge Soleimani's death, with its ambassador to the United Nations letting the Security Council know that Iran reserves the right to self-defense under international law.

Earlier on Sunday, in response to Soleimani's killing, Iraq's parliament supported a recommendation by the prime minister that all foreign troops, including American troops, be ordered out of the country.

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"The Iranian government, nation, and I strongly condemn the attacks," state TV quoted Khamenei as saying.

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The US military carried out airstrikes on Sunday against the Kata'ib Hezbollah militia in response to the killing of a US civilian contractor in a Friday rocket attack on an Iraqi military base.

US President Donald Trump accused Iran of orchestrating violent protests at the US Embassy in Iraq on Tuesday and said Tehran would be held responsible. Iran has rejected the accusation.

"Again that guy (Trump) has accused Iran for the attacks. You cannot do a damn thing. If you were logical, which you are not, you would see that your crimes in Iraq and other countries have made nations hate you," Khamenei tweeted.

"If Iran decides to confront a country, we will do that openly ... If anyone threatens our nation's interests we will fight back ... without any hesitation."

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