How the blood libel works: a thread.

Yesterday we saw how the blood libel works like lightening in the social media age, fed by corrupt organisations, amplified by politicians and reported on by credulous reporters.
The lie started with the UN’s emergency coordinator Tom Fletcher who told journalists that 14,000 babies would die in the next 48 hours unless Israel allowed sufficient aid into Gaza.
1/4 It was reported all over the online media all over the world, politicians made videos about it, it was repeated in the House of Commons. It’s in this morning’s newspapers. Because he said it and he’s from the UN.
But it was a lie akin to the ‘45 minutes’ dodgy dossier - and just as dangerous. 2/4

Quite astonishing exchanged in the House of Lords where Baroness Foster asked the government minister if there was oversight of how our money being sent to Palestinians was being spent.

Earlier this week David Lammy revealed a gift of £101m of our money to the Palestinian Authority - a group regarded as hopelessly corrupt by the Palestinian people (one reason why they are so unpopular).

The first answer the Minister gave was unbelievable. The second was perhaps worst.

👇🏼🧵

x.com/jfoster2019/st… Baroness Foster came back to the Minister to demand again what was our hard-earned money being spent on?

https://twitter.com/jfoster2019/status/1917330669388128567

Tonight is the first night of Passover.
Most religions use foods in a symbolic way and the Passover meal - the Seder - is a meal like no other with foods which are only eaten once a year.
The Last Supper is believed to have been a Passover meal (which is why Easter follows Passover/ Pesach and why it’s of interest to Christians even if Jesus had a different sort of Passover meal).

I’ve done a little thread for those who are interested 👇🏼🧵 Passover celebrates the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt until - eventually (after a miserable 40 years) they find a new land in Canaan which is roughly where Israel now is.
The Israelites had originally followed Joseph (he of the coat of many colours) into Egypt. When the Israelites became a large part of the population they were enslaved and an order went out that newly born males should be murdered.
Moses was one who escaped murder (that’s a whole other story) and he ended up becoming the leader of the Israelites and demanded ‘let my people go’.
When the Pharoah refused, God inflicted ever worse plagues on the Egyptians.
The worst was the final one - Jews were instructed to put lambs blood on their doors so the angel of death would ‘pass over’ their homes as he went to murder the first borns of others.
Pharoah finally allowed the Israelites to leave but they knew there was no time so the bread did not have time to rise; for eight days over Passover we eat unleavened bread or matzo which is like a giant Jacob’s cracker to commemorate this escape from slavery.
During the meal part of the matzo- the afikkomen is hidden for younger members of the family to find.

In September 2024 a story dropped which epitomised the problem the arts world has with the Jewish community.

A ‘rave’ production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream was scrapped just before its first performance at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre.

Very quickly it emerged that new controversial and political aspects had been added to the show. A pro Palestine and pro trans rap.

The Jews were blamed for the abrupt cancellation and ensuing loss of jobs. Not in so many words but we all knew who they meant when Equity etc called out ‘the growing culture of censorship created by funders and pressure groups. We are fighting for artistic integrity, as well as dignity for our members, and all working people.’

But an excellent investigation by @mollssimp for the Manchester Mill site shows the truth is very different.

👇🏼🧵 The story starts well enough. A rave version of the trippy Shakespearean comedy by hot young director Stef O’Driscoll. The plan was that as well as the usual Shakespeare punters, it would be aimed at school kids as it’s a popular set text.

The theatre had had its issues post Covid, like many in be sector but a few successful shows meant it was on a good roll.

Incredibly powerful testimony from released hostage Eli Sharabi who asks where the world was….

My name is Eli Sharabi.
I am 53 years old. I have come back from Hell. I have returned to tell my story.

I used to live in Kibbutz Be’eri with my British-born wife, Lianne,
and my daughters, Noiya and Yahel.
It was a beautiful community.
We were all passionate about creating the best life for our children and for our neighbors.
At 16, I left Tel Aviv for Be’eri, seeking a peaceful home away from the concrete city.
I found a loving community and knew I would raise my family there.
Many asked why we lived near Gaza – but to me, Be’eri was heaven.
Lianne came from Bristol, UK, as a volunteer.
She was meant to stay a few months but she met me, and we fell in love.
We were married for 23 years, and had two wonderful daughters and a dog, Mokka.

On October 7, my Heaven turned to Hell.
Sirens began, Hamas terrorists invaded, and I was ripped away from my family, never to see them again.

For 491 days, I was kept mostly underground in Hamas terror tunnels, chained, starved, beaten and humiliated. I was held captive in the darkness – isolated from the world – by Hamas terrorists.

They took pleasure in our suffering. I survived on scraps of food, with no medical attention and no mercy.

When I was released, I weighed just 44 kilos. I had lost over 30 kilos, nearly half my body weight. For 491 days, I held onto hope. I imagined the life we would rebuild.
I dreamed of seeing my family again. Only when I returned home, I learned the truth.

My wife and my daughters had been slaughtered by Hamas terrorists on October 7.

I am here today, less than six weeks after my release, to speak for those still trapped in that nightmare.

For my brother, Yossi, murdered in Hamas captivity, his body still held hostage.

For Alon Ohel, still 50 meters underground. I swore to him that I would tell his story.

For Hersh, Ori, Eden, Carmel, Almog, and Alexander, murdered in cold blood by their captors.

For every hostage still in Hamas’ hands.

I am here to tell you the whole truth.

On the morning of October 7, at 6:29 AM, the red alerts began to come through on Lianne’s phone.
I told her not to worry. “It will be over soon,” I said.
Minutes later, we heard that terrorists were infiltrating our community. They were inside the kibbutz.
Again, I reassured her. “The army will come, they always come”.
We heard gunfire, screaming, explosions.
And then, we heard the terrorists at our door.
We had no weapons, no way to fight back.
Lianne and I made a decision – we would not resist.
We hoped we could save our daughters. The door opened. Our dog barked.
The terrorists opened fire.
Lianne and I threw ourselves over our daughters, screaming for the terrorists to stop.
Suddenly, ten terrorists were inside my home.
They took our phones.
Two of them grabbed me.
They took my wife and daughters to the kitchen. I couldn’t see them any more.
I didn’t know what was happening to them.
I was screaming their names, and they were screaming mine.
I told Lianne not to be afraid.
But this was fear beyond anything I have ever felt.
Then I knew I was being taken. As they dragged me out, I called out to my girls:
“I will be back.”
I had to believe that. But that was the last time I ever saw them.
I did not know I should have said goodbye, forever.

Outside was like a warzone.
My peaceful home – my slice of Heaven – was gone.
I saw over a hundred terrorists filming themselves celebrating, laughing, partying in our gardens as they massacred my friends and neighbors.
They dragged me to the border, beating me the whole way. My face was swollen, my ribs bruised.
When we arrived in Gaza, a mob of civilians tried to lynch me.
They pulled me from the car, but the terrorists rushed me away into a Mosque.
I was their trophy. I thought about Lianne, Noiya and Yahel. Were they still alive?
For the first 52 days, I was held in an apartment.
I was tied up with ropes.
My arms and legs were tied so tightly the ropes tore into my flesh.
I was given almost no food, no water, and I couldn’t sleep.
The pain was unbearable. Sometimes, I would just faint from the pain, only to wake up to that pain again and again.
Then, on November 27, 2023, Hamas took me into a tunnel. Fifty meters underground. Again, the chains were so tight they ripped my skin.
They never took them off. Not for a single moment.
Those chains tore at me until the day I was released.
Every step I took was no more than ten centimeters.
Every walk to the bathroom took an eternity.
I cannot begin to describe the agony.
It was hell.
I was fed a piece of pita a day. Maybe a sip of tea.
Hunger consumed everything.
They beat me. They broke my ribs. I didn’t care.
I just wanted a piece of bread.
There was never enough food.
Sometimes, if we begged enough, we would get something extra.
We had to choose: an extra piece of pita or a cup of tea.
Sometimes, they threw us dry dates, and it felt like the greatest gift in the world.
We had to beg for food, beg to use the bathroom.
Begging was our existence.
We strategized over every meal.
One day, I cut myself with a razor, just to make them believe I was injured.
I collapsed on my way to the bathroom so they would think I was too weak and encourage them to give us more food.
It worked. They gave us more food.
We survived off those small victories.

Do you know what it means to open a refrigerator?
It is everything.

Since October 7 2023 facts and untruths have vied for public attention.

It has been hard to know what to believe.

Which is why a new report released later today in the House of Commons is so important.

Led by esteemed British historian Lord Roberts of Belgravia it should put an end to the lies once and for all. It probably won’t.

But this has been 12 months work with multiple testimonies proving the sheer monstrousness of the attack which Roberts describes as “scenes of sadistic barbarism not seen in world history since the Rape of Nanjing in 1937.”

He adds: ‘This report will serve as a permanent memorial and enduring resource for governments, educators, and civil society in order to safeguard the truth against denialism and distortion.’

Among the findings: 👇🏼 * What unfolded over the course of the attack amounted to one of the worst terror outrages in the annals of history, leaving 1,182 dead including 18 UK citizens. This marks the largest number of UK deaths from a terror attack in the Middle East, and the second highest globally after 9/11.

* In total, citizens from 44 nations were either killed or taken hostage by Hamas and other groups. The victims were overwhelmingly Jewish Israelis, but the attackers showed no mercy and slaughtered Israel Arabs and Bedouins without hesitation.

* Years of planning went into the invasion. The origins can be traced back to 2018 when Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip established the “Joint Room for Palestinian Resistance Factions” to coordinate activities.

* Approximately 7,000 individuals took part in the large-scale, coordinated assault on 55 distinct locations.

* 18 UK citizens were killed including Rotem Kalderon, 66, a dual UK-Israel citizen who was previously unnamed. Her body lay undiscovered until two weeks after the attack at Kibbutz Be’eri. The report details the deaths of all 17 UK citizens killed on that day, and the two hostages that were taken – one who was then also killed in captivity, bringing the total to 18 dead.

* Deliberate killings of civilians took place at 26 locations. The youngest victim was new-born Naama Abu Rashed who suffered a gunshot wound while still in his mother’s womb and died just 14-hours after doctors performed an emergency delivery. The oldest victim was Moshe Ridler, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor, who was killed when Hamas invaders fired a rocket propelled grenade at the door of his safe room. Civilians account for 73% of the victims of 7 October.

* The biggest age group of victims was 18-30 – largely due to the attack on the Nova music festival, which account for 375 victims.

* Causes of death included shooting, burning, asphyxiation and grenade explosions.

* Desecration of corpses was widespread, including mutilation, beheadings and boobytrapping bodies with grenades. Dead bodies were taken as hostages.

* Detailed maps of villages (kibbutzim) and hostage taking manuals were found on the attackers who also designed special weaponry to breach the doors of civilian saferooms.

* Acts of sexual violence occurred across all sites during attack. Around 30 bodies were found to have been victim to sexual attacks. As described in the report: ‘One witness who received victims' bodies described a girl around 13-years-old, who arrived naked with signs of violence to the stomach area and both legs broken. Bodies of men and women who arrived at Shura also arrived with precise burnings to their genital area. Forensic analysis showed indications that gasoline was used to set victims' genitals on fire, which was corroborated by a video of a female victim who was set on fire with gasoline from the waist down.’

* There were multiple incidences of torture as described in the report: ‘Scans of bodies examined at the Abu Kabir National Institute of Forensic Sciences and reviewed by Dr Ahmed show victims who were bound, had limbs crushed or dismembered. A CT scan from the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute shows a parent and child bound together with metal wire and burned alive by their assailants.

* 119 breaches in the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel took place during the attack, and simultaneous incursions by air and sea. The attack included an unprecedented rocket barrage which placed 75% of Israel’s population, around 7.3 million people, under threat.

The investigation leading to today’s report was conducted by Lord Roberts, with support from a panel of UK parliamentarians. The panel heard testimonials from those directly impacted including family members of victims and hostages, academics and military experts. The report also drew on footage from GoPro cameras worn by Hamas operatives on the day and CCTV footage which captured the attack.

I’ve no doubt the Guardian would be aghast at the idea of ‘tokenism’ in any other community, but when it comes to anti Zionist and antisemitic Jews hating on other Jews it’s fair to say they are OBSESSED, especially around the time when we are celebrating our holidays (twisting the dagger that bit more painfully).
Let’s take a little look starting with this recent piece by Peter Beinart in which Jews are posited as dangerous murderers who, instead, should turn the other cheek when people are trying to kill us.
His Purim theme is summed up by the words:

‘With the blood of their foes barely dry, the Jews feast and make merry. That's the origin of Purim.
Purim isn't only about the danger Gentiles pose to us. It's also about the danger we pose to them.’ Naomi Klein is a favourite.
Here she is at Passover:
‘Zionism has brought us to our present moment of cataclysm and it is time that we said clearly: it has always been leading us here.
It is a false idol that has led far too many of our own people down a deeply immoral path that now has them justifying the shredding of core commandments: thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet.’

Some of the other places in London plastered with stuff for this organisation which was set up by the Muslim Brotherhood and which several European countries have stopped working with.
Among the charities Islamic Relief is said to fund is the Union of Good.
The UK government has described the Union of Good as a “group of charities believed to have Hamas links”. Acton Town:

London mayor @SadiqKhan proudly launched the Ramadan Lights last night.
The mayor first approved of this initiative in 2023 - London was also the first European city to host Ramadan lights.
They echo the Christmas lights which the West End is famous for.
While they are a sign of our inclusive city it is telling that only Christianity (we are still nominally a Christian country with our Head of State also being the head of the Church of England) and Islam get this treatment (although there is a large Chanukiah every year in Trafalgar Square and China Town looks incredible over the Chinese New Year).
The lights are sponsored by secretive billionaire property owner Asif Aziz who is apparently from Malawi 👇🏼 Aziz is behind the Aziz Foundation which, as well as funding the lights, creates scholarships for Muslim people who want to do MAs at British Universities.

According to the bumph: ‘We are excited about supporting the career progression of each of our scholars as they make meaningful contributions to their industry, community and society as a whole.’

He regularly donates to Labour, and in particular to Labour MPs in return for internships for Aziz Foundation young people.

In 2024, the Aziz Foundation donated £16,000 to Naz Shah, £18,414 to Afzal Khan, and £23,302.50 to Chi Onwurah. All these donations funded staff, on Aziz Foundation placements, to work in MPs offices.

He is also a huge landlord, known as ‘Mr West End’. His other title is ‘Britain’s meanest landlord’.
It is fair to say there is some controversy:

👇🏼

The posters showed Benjamin Netanyahu as a vampire, blood pouring from his mouth. They called Zionists Nazis and Netanyahu a war criminal.

This is how the BBC described them: This is the link:

bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

I regret to tell you that a Guardian sports writer has waded into the Israel/ Hamas conflict and it’s as low on facts, nuance and understanding as you would expect.
I haven’t got all day to do a fuller thread on how almost every sentence is wrong but here are a few highlights.
🧵👇🏼 To speak up for the Palestinians (because no one does this) means, he says, Jonathan is so very brave and risks ‘public excoriation’.

Perhaps; because I’m going to publicly take apart just a few of his ill-informed takes. Surely as a journalist he’d like to know when he gets facts wrong? Surely?

He writes: ‘Is starvation bad? Ack, it’s complicated.’
Of course forced starvation is bad. There is food insecurity in Gaza - not surprising as it’s a warzone - but there is no forced starvation. Israel has been feeding the same people it’s at war with and who are still holding 101 hostages for more than a year because it’s the right thing to do - this is despite the fact that armed groups and Hamas have been grabbing the food and then selling it to make money to buy arms.
Jonathan, the issue of food IS complicated and sorry if it’s too much for you to understand.

The Amsterdam mayor and police chiefs have written a full report into what happened re the hooliganism of the Maccabi fans and the ‘Jew hunt’ which set the city alight.
It is worth reading the report in full (link below) but I’ve highlighted some key areas.
Early on the Wednesday, police were already concerned about messages between groups opposed to the Maccabi supporters: ‘The police noted a significant level of aggression and willingness to act and in some cases mobilisation at specific locations.’ About 11pm ‘pro Palestinians’ graffitied the arena where the game was due to take place.
In central Amsterdam the Maccabi fans pulled down a Palestinian flag hanging from a building ‘shouting slogans’ and first attacked one taxi with a belt and then ‘other taxis were vandalised’.
There were online calls for ‘taxi drivers to mobilise’.
Later that night a large group congregated outside a Casino a group of Maccabi supporters were in. Police prevented any major incidents.

Diane Abbott on her ‘romance’ with Jeremy Corbyn is hysterical. This bit, from a motorbike trip to France, is even funnier:

The way this story has been framed by the BBC is a masterclass in making the victim the oppressor.
It’s an example of why many British Jews think that the BBC is making record antisemitism in this country worse. @rburgessbbc @BBCNews
A deep dive:

bbc.co.uk/news/articles/… First it says the comedian apologised. Calling a racist joke an ‘unfortunate incident’ is not an apology and nor is stating a ‘regret’ for ‘any stress’.

I’ve been writing about entertainment for 20-odd years and I have never seen anything like this year’s Eurovision and this crop of performers.
Some of their behaviour I put down to pure Israel hatred and misplaced wokery but some of it makes clear that contestants are being bullied simply because of their proximity to a symbol of Israel.
This tallies with what I am hearing from others in the industry who are being pursued with relentless demands that they condemn Israel.
Britain’s Eurovision entry Olly Alexander has spoken of the stress he feels under simply because he signed a statement saying he would like a ceasefire and the return of the hostages.
These are some of the things that have happened this Eurovision: Obviously the threats to Israeli contestant Eden Golan are so serious that she has been more or less confined to her hotel. Other Israelis have been told to hide signs showing their country.
On Thursday night there was a mob of 10,000 people outside Eden’s hotel. There were seven arrests with one man being discovered with a knife.
This evening there is a new mob gathering and Eden had an escort of 100 officers to get to the arena:

thesun.co.uk/news/27861606/…

People keep sending me antisemitism.
Some of it is malicious & targeted at me.
Mostly it’s other Jews pleading, ‘what can you do about this?’
The problem is there is so much antisemitism it is overwhelming.
I’m going to show you some antisemitism, so you see it to 👇🏼🧵 Plain old antisemitism.
This woman is on TV on a @Channel4 show called First Dates.

Thread on Israel, what we know, and some background info as to why now:

At dawn this morning Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel through the crossing with Gaza in the south of the country.

They immediately began attacking civilians in nearby towns and kibbutzes. 1/ They also fired at least 2,200 rockets into southern and central Israel - with some headed towards Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
There are confirmed reports of at least 20 dead - although the toll is likely to be much higher - and 545 in hospital. 2/

I watched the Oh Jeremy Corbyn - The Big Lie so you don’t have too (trust me, it’s so amateur, laden with rubbish music and filled with cranks that it’s painful).
The main thrust appears to be that after coming close to electoral victory in 2017, mysterious establishment…1/ …forces threw everything they could at Corbyn to stop him becoming leader. Apparently only one thing stuck (and no, it wasn’t any of the reasons why the majority said they didn’t vote for him). It was the Jooooos 2/

If you want to understand how insidious gender ideology is for young people, you don’t need to look any further than the way the Tate Gallery explores the Brit Jewish artist Marlow Moss by retrospectively deciding she was non binary - but only in the information for kids.
👇🏼🧵 In this description for ‘Tate Kids’ the lesbian writer is given they/ them pronouns even though it acknowledges even her girlfriend called her ‘she’.

tate.org.uk/kids/explore/w…

It’s all kicking off on the FB Keir Starmer Supporters Forum with a Labour press officer telling women concerned about female safe spaces that they should go and join the Tories. 🧵👇🏼 The male ‘communications and social media co ordinator for the Labour Party’ was infuriated by this post about single sex services which hoped that Starmer had learned from the example of male trans identifying rapist in Scotland who was put into a woman’s jail.

There’s quite an interesting row brewing between press regulator @IpsoNews and newspapers where I’ve seen at least two female columnists call Scottish rapist Isla Bryson/ Adam Graham with male pronouns….this battle has been a long time coming. This is a ruling from a few years ago which sets out the problems newspapers have - even the Mail felt forced to change the pronouns of a male sex offender in the quotes of the woman he attacked:

ipso.co.uk/rulings-and-re…