Tag: Israel

  • Kabul’s last Jew fearing Taliban divorces wife to be in Israel

    Kabul’s last Jew fearing Taliban divorces wife to be in Israel

    Zebulon Simentov, who is known as the last Jew of Kabul, divorced his wife over a Zoom call so that he can be allowed to enter his Holy Land, reports Dawn.

    Under Jewish religious law, a husband must agree to grant his wife divorce, which Simentov had refused to do for many years. But last month, he finally agreed to avoid any legal procedures from his wife, who lives in Israel.

    Simentov fled Afghanistan last month after the Taliban takeover and landed in Turkey on Sunday on what his rescuers say is a final stop before travelling to Israel.

    Rabbi Moshe Margaretten, whose non-profit group Tzedek Association funded Simentov’s journey, said he had spent the last few weeks living quietly in Pakistan.

    “We are relieved we were successful in helping Zebulon Simentov escape from Afghanistan and now into safety in Turkey. His life was in danger in Afghanistan,” said Margaretten.

    He said his group had looked into bringing Simentov to the United States (US) but decided that Israel was a better destination as he has many relatives, including five siblings and two daughters, already in Israel.

    Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in the Islamic States, greeted Simentov at the airport in Istanbul upon his arrival.

    He said he had an appointment to take Simentov to the Israeli consulate to arrange his entry to Israel. Under Israel’s “Law of Return”, any Jew is entitled to Israeli citizenship.

    Simentov was born in Herat, Afghanistan, in 1959 and used to run a kebab shop.

  • Israeli officers kill Palestinian woman after alleged stabbing, open fire on medical help

    Israeli officers kill Palestinian woman after alleged stabbing, open fire on medical help

    Israeli officers fatally shot a Palestinian woman who allegedly tried to stab the officers in one of the streets leading to Al Aqsa mosque, which is considered Islam’s third holiest site.

    An Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist heard the gunshots and found her body on the ground.

    The alleged attempted attack did not result in any casualties. Later, police opened fire at medical forces who arrived at the scene of her death.

    The police claimed that the 30-year-old deceased woman was leaving the Al Aqsa compound when she approached them [officers].

    In the West Bank, Israeli forces also killed a man by opening fire on him during an operation conducted by Israeli troops and border police. No Israeli forces were wounded in this incident.

    “During the operation, an armed [male] fired at the forces who were operating in the village during a riot,” police said.

    “Border police forces responded with gunfire and neutralised him,” they said, confirming his death to AFP.

    A total of five Palestinians were killed on Sunday after an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank which sparked gunbattles with Hamas fighters.

  • Our own people were involved in drone attacks says PM Khan

    Our own people were involved in drone attacks says PM Khan

    Addressing an election rally in Kotli, Azad Kashmir, Prime Minister Imran Khan said, “Our ally, the one we considered our friend used to do drone attacks on our country. Drone attacks used to occur in Pakistan both during the tenure of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo, Nawaz Sharif, and former President, Asif Ali Zardari’s time.

    They both used to condemn the attacks but deep with they had permitted for the attacks to occur. Why doesn’t any drone attack happen in my [PM Imran Khan] term.”

    “You should not blame the United States for the drone attacks, our own people were involved,” added the prime minister.

    PM Khan asked the people to question the Opposition as to what did they do for the betterment of their people while they were in power

    “Both PML-N and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) both had five years in power, how much did these two parties advocate for the people of Kashmir internationally?” questioned PM Khan.

    Khan reiterated that ever since the Indian Prime Miniter Narendra Modi’s party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came into power, the people of Kashmir have gone through the most turmoil.

    “The ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) being practiced by Modi is that of the Nazism, ‘borrowed by the German Nazi’,” said the PM.

    “India has the strongest lobby with Israel and our Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif) was busy inviting Modi to weddings for his own benefit.

    Earlier during the day, Prime Minister Imran Khan had rubbished talk of him “wishing to turn Azad Jammu and Kashmir” into a new province of Pakistan.

    “I do not know where all this talk has sprung from,” he said, dismissing any notion of such an idea.

    “But what I want to make clear now, is that in 1948, there were two United Nations Security Council resolutions which granted the people of Kashmir the right to decide their own future. According to the UN resolutions, the people had to decide whether they want to join Hindustan or Pakistan.

    “I want to clarify to all of you today. InshaAllah, a day will come, when all the sacrifices made by the people of Kashmir, will not be wasted. God will grant you that right. There will be a referendum, InshaAllah.

  • Israel ‘aiming for a religious war’, claims official Palestinian website Wafa

    Israel ‘aiming for a religious war’, claims official Palestinian website Wafa

    Israeli police clashed with Muslim protestors on Sunday at a flashpoint Jerusalem Old City shrine as Jews were headed there to mark a religious holiday, reports Dawn.

    According to the police, in the early hours of the morning, Palestinian “youths began throwing stones at the Temple Mount esplanade towards police forces, who dispersed them”. There were no official reports of arrests or injuries.

    The incident took place on the Jewish festival of Tisha B’av, when according to tradition, both Jewish temples located on the Temple Mount were destroyed.

    The Waqf condemned the “violations and attacks” carried out by “Jewish fanatic groups, with the support and political cover of the Israeli government,” it said in a statement carried by official Palestinian website Wafa, claiming Israel was “aiming for a religious war”.

    Newly sworn-in premier Naftali Bennett, who is from Israel’s religious right but heads a coalition including leftist and Islamist parties, said he had “instructed that the organised and safe visits by Jews to the Temple Mount continue while maintaining order at the site”.

    In a second statement following the Waqf and PA condemnations, Bennett stressed that “freedom of worship on the Temple Mount will be fully preserved for Muslims as well”, pointing to the upcoming Eidul Azha.

  • Maryam Nawaz believes the govt has recognised Israel, as PTI fails to deny reports

    Maryam Nawaz believes the govt has recognised Israel, as PTI fails to deny reports

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday said she believed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has recognised Israel as “it is not presenting a denial” to reports and statements emphasising Pakistan’s reported acceptance of Israel.

    Maryam stressed the government should inform the nation of its decision on Israel. “It’s not your personal decision, it’s something that is linked to 220 million people of Pakistan.”

    Commenting on the Afghanistan situation, the PML-N leader asked the government to bring its own house in order first.

    “Your foreign policy should not alter in view of a changing political landscape. It should not be based on your political standing,” said Maryam, calling for a unified stance on issues.

    Responding to a question on whether the PML-N had entered a deal with the government, Maryam said, “Why do you people call everything a deal. This is an inappropriate question. Why will there be any deal? Are we mad to have a deal with those we are [fighting] against?” she questioned.

    Maryam further added, “PML-N is in the strongest position in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and if free and fair polls are held, then our party will win the election with an overwhelming majority.” She added that people had lost trust in the present system in view of “obvious rigging in the past elections”.

    The PML-N vice-president said the current approach of the government would take Balochistan further away. “I believe grievances of people of the province should be addressed,” she remarked.

    When asked for her point of view on Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s statement that Shehbaz Sharif should generally refrain from making emotional remarks in public and that his [Shehbaz Sharif’s] statement was taken out of context, Maryam replied that she agrees with Khaqan that Shehbaz’s statement was taken out of context.

  • Zulfi Bukhari to send defamation notice to Bilawal Bhutto

    Zulfi Bukhari to send defamation notice to Bilawal Bhutto

    Former Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfi Bukhari says he has decided to move ahead with defamation proceedings against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari after consulting with his legal team.

    Bhukari tweeted, “His [Bilawal Bhutto’s] poor understanding about most things again made him blurt out things fed to him, provoking issues he knows nothing about.”

    Bilawal Bhutto had recently called on the government to bring “all the facts” about Bukhari’s alleged visit to Israel before the public.

    Speaking to reporters in the parliament, Bilawal Bhutto said it would be “very easy” for the government to make public the flight manifest and flight path of the airplane that allegedly carried Bukhari to Israel during those dates.

    “If the [airplane] did not pick up Zulfi Bukhari, then who was taken on board” he asked, adding that he felt “something is fishy.”

    After Bilawal Bhutto’s statement, Zulfi Bukhari shared a clip of Bilawal’s speech and asked: “Someone who called Jews ‘brothers’ is now asking me to answer rumours.”

    Earlier this week, an Israeli publication alleged that Bukhari paid a secret visit to Tel Aviv as a messenger of Pakistani leader, a claim that was instantly denied by the government and personally by Bukhari.

  • ‘DID NOT go to Israel’: Zulfi Bukhari denies reports of secret visit to Israel, again

    ‘DID NOT go to Israel’: Zulfi Bukhari denies reports of secret visit to Israel, again

    Former Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfi Bukhari has denied going to Israel again, after Israel Hayom — an Israeli national Hebrew-language daily newspaper and news website — claimed on Monday that Zulfi Bukhari paid a brief visit to Israel in the last week of November 2020. The reported cited an unnamed source in Islamabad. Zulfi Bukhari tweeted that he did not go to Israel.

    This is Bukhari’s second denial regarding an alleged visit to Israel, months after Middle East Monitor claimed in a report that an adviser of PM Imran Khan visited Tel Aviv in November on his British passport. Middle East Monitor later apologised to Zulfi Bukhari for misreporting. “We accept Mr Bukhari’s refutation of the claims made in the report and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience it has caused,” concluded the letter dated December 23.

    Today, Zulfi Bukhari tweeted: “DIDNOT go to Israel. Funny bit is Pakistani paper says I went to Israel based on ‘Israeli news source’ & Israeli paper says I went to Israel based on a ‘Pakistani source’-wonder who this imaginative Pakistani source is.” He further added,” Apparently, I’m the only one who was kept out of the loop.”

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sherry Rehman and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khurram Dastgir Khan asked for a clarification from the government despite Zulfi’s denial.

    In November 2020, PM Imran Khan had said that the United States and some Muslim states, which he cannot name because of good ties with them, have been pressuring Pakistan to recognise Israel. However, PM Khan reiterated that Pakistan will never establish relations with the “Zionist” state until a just settlement of the decades-long Palestinian issue.

  • ‘How does stating facts make one anti-Semitic?’ questions Sheheryar Munawar

    ‘How does stating facts make one anti-Semitic?’ questions Sheheryar Munawar

    While Israel continues to commit atrocities against Palestine and Palestinians despite a ceasefire, many people, including Mark Ruffalo and Gigi Hadid who initially called out Israel for committing war crimes and genocide, have now steered the debate towards Antisemitism, urging people to stop harassing Jews for what Israel is doing. Furthermore, Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi was also labelled anti-Semitic by CNN journalist Bianna Golodryga after he accused Israel of having “deep pockets”.

    Read more – Celebs support SMQ after CNN reporter calls him ‘anti-Semitic’

    Following the brouhaha, Sheheryar Munawar, while sharing his thoughts on the matter, commented: “When reputable foreign media agencies quote more than 200 ‘dead’ (How? Did they one day just internally combust?) and, on the contrary, 12 Israelis ‘killed’, it proves Israel either has deep pockets or has Professor Xavier on their pay roll controlling minds.”

    “Or maybe ‘credible’ journalists choose to bring in their own personal biases when reporting on the region (which could count as what racist? No wait, there’s no word for it – it’s known as Islamophobia which in itself justifies the act by using fear as reasoning and takes blame away from the one committing it – wow),” continued the actor.

    Munawar further said: “Either way how does stating facts make one anti-Semitic? Does saying Arabs have a lot of oil money make you…umm wait, yeah no word for it…for the sake of argument, Islamophobic?”

    In a separate note, the actor explained: “There’s a difference between anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist. Just as every Muslim is not a Taliban, every Jew is not Zionist.”

    Munawar further said: “Am I or can the narrative from this side be called anti-Zionist? Yes! But we anti-Zionist because we are anti-fundamentalism, whether Muslim or Jewish.”

    Agreeing with Qureshi’s “deep pockets” remark, Sheheryar said: “But when Jewish toxic fundamentalism is backed by $3.8 billion dollars of US Military funding (sponsored by US tax payer money), then I have no qualms about calling a wolf a wolf specially when it doesn’t even have the courtesy to at least try and hide in sheep’s clothing.”

    Meanwhile, Hania Aamir called out a local media outlet for “yellow journalism” and portraying Qureshi in negative light.

    “Please choose your captions wisely. Other aspects of the interview could have been highlighted but you chose to highlight the one that portrays the only official Muslim representative who is being vocal about the genocide and calling a spade a spade in a negative light,” said Aamir, adding: “Also at a time when bringing about change on a matter of grave concern – terrorism, settler colonialism etc – is relying on social media you need to show a bit more responsibility.”

    “Yellow journalism will be called out. Goes for all other publications. Please use your words wisely and realise your responsibility,” asserted Hania.

  • Bangladesh drops ‘except Israel’ from passports

    Bangladesh drops ‘except Israel’ from passports

    The Bangladeshi passport had a note written on it that said it was acceptable for travel to all countries of the world except Israel.

    But a few months ago, Bangladesh dropped the words “except Israel” from the new electronic passports.

    Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen confirmed the country’s support for the struggle of Palestinians and condemned the Israeli aggression against civilians.

    Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said the words “except Israel” have been withdrawn from the passports for “administrative convenience”.

    “This move will not affect our position . We are strong supporters of Palestine,” said Momen.

    Gilad Cohen, the Israeli foreign ministry’s deputy director-general for Asia and the Pacific, said on Twitter: “Great news! #Bangladesh has removed travel ban to Israel. This is a welcome step.”

    The Bangladeshi foreign ministry statement, however, clarified that the removal of the observation has been done to maintain global standards.

    “The ban on travel of Bangladeshi passport holders to Israel remains unchanged. The Government of Bangladesh has not deviated from its position on Israel and Bangladesh remains firm on its long-standing position in this regard,” it added.

  • Former Israeli defense minister shows Islamabad’s Shifa Hospital as Hamas headquarters

    Former Israeli defense minister shows Islamabad’s Shifa Hospital as Hamas headquarters

    Israel’s former defence minister Naftali Bennett, in a video posted to YouTube on the Gaza situation, referred to Pakistan’s Shifa International Hospital as Hamas Headquarters where the Al-Qassam Brigade of Hamas has been operating.

    “Ever heard of Shifa Hospital? It is the largest medical complex in Gaza. It’s also where Hamas’ headquarters is located while they are conducting terror actions against Israel”, he explained while showing a picture of the Shifa Hospital building in the background.

    Read more – Gaza’s largest bookshop destroyed by Israeli airstrikes

    Shifa International Hospital is a care healthcare facility in Islamabad providing medical services to local as well as international patient communities for over 25 years.

    Social media users soon started calling out the ex-minister for the blunder.