Saudi Arabia: ‘Israel doesn’t get to decide’ on Palestinian statehood
Iranian court denies retrial for Jewish man facing execution; Jews raise $1.5 million to spare his life
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Despite international advocacy on behalf of a Jewish man facing execution, Iran denied the request for his retrial.
Advocates for Nathaniel Ghahremani said he killed a Muslim man in self-defense after he ran at him with a knife.
Iran is governed by Sharia law, which provides harsher punishments for non-Muslims who kill Muslims than in incidents when both parties are Muslim.
Arvin Natanel Ghahremani was involved in a 2022 brawl in the city of Kermanshah.
Court transcripts indicate that Ghahermani was working out at a gym when he was confronted by seven men, one of whom owed him money.
One of the mob, identified as Amir Shokri, stabbed Ghahermani with a knife. Shokri was killed after Ghahermani wrested the knife away and fought back in self-defense.
Ghahermani was convicted by a local court of being an “accomplice to the intentional murder of a Muslim” and for “intentionally inflicting nonfatal injuries.”
He was immediately sentenced to death by hanging, which cannot be appealed under Iranian law.
The only way to avoid capital punishment for the killing, under Iranian law, is if the defendant acquired forgiveness from the dead man’s family, something they refused to grant.
Iran International wrote, according to the IHRNGO, “the decision places Ghahremani at immediate risk of execution, underscoring a judicial process marred by oversight and lack of fair representation.”
Beni Sabti, who was born in Tehran and is an Iran expert for the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel told The Jerusalem Post, “In these last days and weeks, there have been international efforts to release him and get the Muslim family to forgive him and turn the execution to a prison term.”
He added, “Jews in the US and other countries raised funds amounting to over $1.5 million, including an offer of an apartment and the building of a mosque in the name of the dead Muslim man. It seems that they did not agree.”
Sabti explained, “I am not surprised. Most of the time, the regime and judiciary system do not cooperate with the person who is going to be executed.”
He added, “They enjoy it and do not care. They do not do anything to the change verdict.” Sabti emphasized, “In any hour we can hear the news that he can be executed.”
WATCH: EUROPEAN MUSLIMS CALL FOR GLOBAL CALIPHATE
He added that the Iranian regime can “say to a family he will be executed on Wednesday and the family comes on Monday and they say he has already been executed. This is Iran.”
NY Times: Migrant Hotels Make Visiting New York City More Expensive than Ever
John Binder(Breitbart)
The cost of illegal immigration is bearing out in the Big Apple and tourists are the latest to foot the bill.
New York City is more expensive than ever to visit, primarily due to Mayor Eric Adams (D) converting tons of hotels into shelters for newly arrived migrants, the New York Times reported Saturday. As Breitbart News has chronicled, Adams currently has about 65,000 migrants living in more than 16,500 hotel rooms across New York City.
The result has been skyrocketing hotel room costs for tourists who pay the price while hotels, often owned by the largest conglomerates, are raking in up to $185 per hotel room per night, whether migrants are staying in the room or not.
“The average daily rate for a hotel stay in New York City increased to $301.61 in 2023, up 8.5 percent from $277.92 in 2022, according to CoStar, a leading provider of commercial real estate data and analysis,” the Times reported:
During the first three months of 2024, when prices traditionally dip, the average stay was still 6.7 percent higher than during the same time period last year: $230.79 a night, up from $216.38 in 2023. [Emphasis added]
About 135 of the city’s roughly 680 hotels entered the shelter program, with many congregated in Midtown Manhattan, Long Island City in Queens and near Kennedy International Airport — all traditional magnets for tourists. Participating hotels are paid up to $185 a night per room, according to the city. Not a single one has converted back into a traditional hotel. [Emphasis added]
…
Beginning in late 2022, the city entered into a contract of up to $980 million with a hotel trade group to pay hotels that decide to shelter migrants under its “Sanctuary Hotel Program.” City officials said the hotels receive between $139 and $185 a night per room, whether or not the room is occupied, guaranteeing them a fixed stream of income. (Those rates do not include money the city is spending on food and other services for migrants; there have also been reports of hotels being paid more than $185 a night.) [Emphasis added]
Today, New York City — a city of almost nine million residents — has fewer than 122,000 available hotel rooms for tourists to compete for. Over the next three fiscal years, New Yorkers are projected to pay about $10 billion for migrants arriving in the city.
Like hotel rooms, rents have continued to soar across New York City as waves of migrants pour in undeterred by the prospect of being jobless and in shelters.
Most recently, Bloomberg reported that rents in New York City are “so high that only five percent are affordable for the average salary.”
“Soaring rents and high upfront costs mean that fewer than 5 percent of New York City apartments were affordable for the average local worker last year,” Bloomberg reported:
New Yorkers earned on average just under $89,000 last year, meaning they could afford up to $2,216 per month on housing without spending more than 30% of their annual income, according to a new report by Zillow Group Inc.’s StreetEasy and tech:nyc. Factoring in average upfront costs, which includes the first month’s rent, a security deposit and broker fees that amounted to $10,454 last year, the average worker could only afford 4.4% of rentals on the market without breaching that affordability threshold, the report said. [Emphasis added]
Despite illegal immigration sending hotel and housing costs to record highs, Adams has pleaded with President Joe Biden to more quickly get work permits to migrants who arrive at the nation’s southern border and are subsequently freed into the United States interior.
Experts have previously told Breitbart News that handing out work permits en masse to newly arrived migrants would serve as a pull factor for more illegal immigration at the southern border rather than a deterrent.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter here.
Elon Musk’s xAI Says It Has Raised $6 Billion to Develop Artificial Intelligence
(AP) — A group of investors will put up $6 billion to fund development of artificial intelligence by Elon Musk’s xAI.
The company said on its website Sunday that the Series B funding round will be used to take xAI’s first products to market and speed up research. xAI said it has made “significant strides” during the past year in developing the technology, which will continue in the coming months.
Investors in the latest round include Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Fidelity Management & Research, Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal and Kingdom Holding.
Musk wrote on the social media site X that before the investment, xAI had a valuation of $18 billion.
The funding should help Musk’s company compete in a race to develop artificial intelligence against Microsoft and Open AI, which created Chat GPT.
Musk announced formation of the company in July of last year and released its artificial intelligence chatbot called Grok in November.
2,300-year-old gold ring found in Jerusalem’s City of David
(JNS) A gold ring dating from the early Hellenistic period set with a precious stone was recently found in the joint Israel Antiquities Authority-Tel Aviv University excavation in Jerusalem’s City of David.
The 2,300-year-old ring was discovered by Tehiya Gangate, a City of David excavation team member.
“I was sifting earth…and suddenly saw something glitter,” she recounted. “I immediately yelled, ‘I found a ring, I found a ring!’ Within seconds everyone gathered around me, and there was great excitement,” she said, adding, “This is an emotionally moving find, not the kind you find every day.”
The ring was manufactured by hammering thin pre-cut gold leaves onto a metal base. Stylistically it reflects the common fashion of the Persian and Early Hellenistic periods, dating from the late 4th to early 3rd century BCE and onwards.
The finds at the excavation “are beginning to paint a new picture of the nature and stature of Jerusalem’s inhabitants in the Early Hellenistic Period,” said professor Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University.
“Whereas in the past we found only a few structures and finds from this era, and thus most scholars assumed Jerusalem was then a small town, limited to the top of the southeastern slope (“City of David”) and with relatively very few resources, these new finds tell a different story: The aggregate of revealed structures now constitute an entire neighborhood,” he added.
“They attest to both domestic and public buildings, and that the city extended from the hilltop westward. The character of the buildings—and now of course, the gold finds and other discoveries—display the city’s healthy economy and even its elite status,” he said.
“It certainly seems that the city’s residents were open to the widespread Hellenistic style and influences prevalent also in the eastern Mediterranean Basin.”
The ring will be exhibited to the public at the free “Jerusalem Mysteries” conference hosted by the Israel Antiquities Authority on Jerusalem Day, June 5.
Exchanging Truth for Myths, George Floyd’s Deceptive Legacy
(American Greatness) May 25 marked the fourth anniversary of the death of George Floyd while in police custody. As expected, numerous politicians, activists and the corporate media have been actively beating the drums of outrage just in case anyone had forgotten the long summer of rioting over Floyd’s death in 2020.
The official narrative is that Floyd was murdered by a racist police officer named Derek Chauvin, simply for having the wrong skin color.
This narrative is furthered by self-serving “fact checks” from politicized outlets like PBS, USA Today, the New York Times and and NPR.
However, it’s a narrative that doesn’t stand up well to even modest scrutiny.
John LeFevre offers a reality-based alternative to the version of George Floyd as a sainted individual murdered by white supremacists.
LeFevre points out that, far from being an innocent bystander, singled out for his skin color, Floyd was a repeat offender who had been to prison 8 times for drugs and armed robbery.
What brought Minneapolis police in contact with Floyd on that fateful day was the suspicion that he had just committed multiple felonies including trying to pass a counterfeit 20 dollar bill.
Floyd’s original coroner’s report showed no evidence of suffocation or strangulation and his autopsy revealed a lethal amount of fentanyl in his system as well as clear evidence of heart disease.
Nevertheless, the myth persists that officer Chauvin deliberately killed the man by kneeling on his neck.
Floyd’s family graciously took a $27 million settlement from the city of Minneapolis before Chauvin’s trial had even concluded.
But the bigger story remains how so many well-funded and well-organized riots broke out simultaneously across the entire nation, causing billions of dollars in damages and numerous needless deaths.
In the years since Floyd’s death, police departments have faced ongoing calls for their defunding, even as crime continues to rise in many cities.
It’s possible to acknowledge the tragedy when a person succumbs to the results of his own bad decisions and yet resist the urge the twist the narrative in hopes of some perceived political advantage.
The politicians, activists and pundits who continue to push the lionization of George Floyd are being deceptive at best and outright evil at worst.
Gun battle breaks out between Israeli and Egyptian soldiers near Gaza border
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
An Egyptian soldier was killed Monday after a gun battle erupted between IDF and Egyptian troops stationed on the border separating Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
It is unclear what initiated the gunfight, though Israeli military sources told Hebrew-language media outlets that the incident was sparked by Egyptian soldiers who opened fire on IDF troops, prompting the Israeli soldiers to return fire.
The Egyptian soldiers reportedly shot at an IDF engineering corps unit operating on the edge of Rafah.
The Israeli army has launched an investigation into the incident, an IDF spokesperson said.
Egypt confirmed that one soldier was killed in the gun battle, adding that Cairo has opened its own probe into the shooting.
“The Egyptian Armed Forces are conducting an investigation through the competent authorities regarding a shooting incident in the border area in Rafah, which led to the martyrdom of one of the personnel,” the Egyptian army tweeted Monday.
A report by i24NEWS claimed that two Egyptian soldiers were killed Monday, with several more wounded.
Israeli security officials contacted their Egyptian counterparts to halt the shooting.
Last year, a 22-year-old Egyptian police officer, Muhammad Salah Ibrahim, opened fire and killed three IDF soldiers on the Israeli-Egyptian border.
Ibrahim was reportedly carrying a copy of the Koran with him at the time of the attack, along with several handguns, multiple knives, and additional ammunition – suggesting that he was possibly intending to carry out a larger attack within Israel.
Several months later, on October 8th, a gunman shot and murdered two Israeli tourists in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria.
The gunman was later apprehended by local police, and claimed he was carried out the shooting after he was provoked and lost control of himself.
Earlier this month, a dual Canadian-Israeli citizen, Ziv Kiefer, was shot and murdered while visiting Egypt for business.
Here’s how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could make the first debate stage under stringent Biden-Trump rules
(AP/ TJV additional reporting) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long argued that the biggest hurdle of his presidential campaign is the perception that independent candidates can’t win. He has looked to the debates as a singular opportunity to stand alongside Joe Biden and Donald Trump in front of a massive audience.
But to make the first debate stage, he’ll have to secure a place on the ballot in at least a dozen more states and improve his showing in national polls in one month.
With a famous name and a loyal base, Kennedy has the potential to do better than any third-party presidential candidate since Ross Perot in the 1990s. Both the Biden and Trump campaigns, who fear he could play spoiler, bypassed the nonpartisan debate commission and agreed to a schedule that leaves Kennedy very little time to qualify for the first debate.
Instead of having until September to get on enough state ballots to qualify for a debate, Kennedy now has about a month, AXIOS pointed out, whereas Perot had until September in 1992.
Publicly, Kennedy is expressing confidence that he will make the stage.
“I look forward to holding Presidents Biden and Trump accountable for their records in Atlanta on June 27 to give Americans the debate they deserve,” he posted on the X platform.
CNN has said candidates will be invited if they’ve secured a place on the ballot in states with at least 270 votes in the Electoral College, the minimum needed to win the presidency, and have hit 15% in four reliable polls published since March 13. The criteria mirror those used by the Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonpartisan group that has organized debates since 1988, except the commission’s first debate would have been in September, giving Kennedy more time.
Kennedy doesn’t appear to have met the polling criteria yet, although he has reached 15% or higher in at least Three polls meeting CNN’s standards.
Axios pointed out:
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He received 16% among registered voters in two polls from last month that meet CNN’s requirement, CNN/SSRS and Quinnipiac University.
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Kennedy drew 17% in a Marquette Law School Poll of registered voters out this week, another CNN-approved poll.
What to know about the 2024 Election
The ballot access hurdle is even tougher.
State officials have confirmed Kennedy’s place on the ballot in Delaware, Oklahoma and Utah, which have just 16 electoral votes between them. In California, Hawaii and Michigan, minor parties have selected Kennedy as their nominee, in effect offering up existing ballot lines, though the states have not formally affirmed Kennedy’s position. Adding them would bring Kennedy’s total to 89 electoral votes, though it’s not clear that his position in those states would meet CNN’s criteria.
Kennedy’s campaign says he has collected enough signatures in Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas, states with 112 electoral votes in total. But he has either not submitted the signatures or they have not yet been affirmed by state election officials.
Those states still only add up to 201 electoral votes.
Independent candidates like Kennedy face a labyrinth of laws that vary wildly from state to state but generally require hundreds or thousands of signatures and compliance with strict deadlines.
The patchwork of laws is littered with pitfalls. And the Democratic National Committee has pledged to scrutinize Kennedy’s submissions for mistakes that could keep him off the ballot or at least tie up his campaign’s time and money.
Kennedy, in turn, has resorted to secrecy and creative tactics in a sort of cat-and-mouse game to get on the ballot before his critics can thwart him. In California, Delaware and Michigan, Kennedy allied with little-known existing parties and received their nominations. In Hawaii, he formed his own political party to nominate him, and he’s pursued a similar strategy in Mississippi and North Carolina.
Elsewhere, he’s waiting to turn in signatures until the deadline to limit the time for critics to pore over them in search of errors. Getting on the debate stage next month would almost certainly require him to change his strategy and submit the petitions he’s sitting on as soon as possible.
Signatures are due in New York by May 28, which would get Kennedy 28 votes closer if they’re affirmed in time. He could then try to make an all-out push in a bunch of states with relatively easy requirements — many require 5,000 or fewer signatures, but they generally don’t bring many electoral votes — or focus on bigger states, such as Illinois with 19 electoral votes or Florida with 30.
Further complicating matters, some states aren’t yet accepting filings from potential independent candidates and won’t before the first debate.
Kennedy’s vice presidential nominee, Nicole Shanahan, who is divorced from Google co-founder Sergei Brin, committed $8 million from her personal fortune for ballot access, the campaign announced Thursday, declaring their $15 million effort “fully funded.”
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Israel: Civilians killed by fire that broke out after Rafah strike
(JNS) Noncombatants were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah on Sunday night due to a fire that broke out after the attack, an Israeli government spokesperson said on Monday.
The Israel Defense Forces earlier said that it was investigating Palestinian media reports that dozens of Gazan civilians were killed and wounded in the strike on a Hamas compound in the city’s northwestern Tel Sultan section.
The targets of the strike were named as Yassin Rabia, the head of Hamas’s Judea and Samaria headquarters, and Khaled Nagar, a senior official in the terrorist group’s Judea and Samaria wing.
The IDF spokesperson said earlier that the strike was carried out in accordance with international law, was based on intelligence and executed using precision weaponry. However, the spokesperson continued, “The claim is known that as a result of the attack and a fire that broke out in the area, a number of non-involved people were injured. The incident is under investigation.”
The IDF announced on Monday afternoon that the military advocate general ordered a probe into the incident led by the General Staff’s investigation mechanism—an independent body that is not subordinate to Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.
“The mechanism is investigating the circumstances of the deaths of civilians in the area of the attack. The IDF regrets any injuries to those not involved in hostilities,” the army statement said.
Rabia and Nagar carried out terrorist attacks in the early 2000s in Judea and Samaria that killed and wounded Israeli civilians and soldiers, the military said. They also transferred funds for terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria and planned and directed attacks there.
The Left’s Insane Hatred Of America Peaked Right Before Memorial Day
By Mary Rooke (Daily Caller)
While everyday Americans were preparing to celebrate Memorial Day with patriotism and somber remembrance of our heroic veterans, the left was once again revealing their unbridled hatred for the greatest country on Earth.
Progressive journalists are focusing on U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. as they launch unrelenting attacks over his use of classic American flags, including the “Appeal to Heaven” flag flown under George Washington, which became one of the most recognized emblems of the American Revolution.
An Appeal to Heaven flag at the Martha’s Vineyard 2022 4th of July parade? How could Justice Alito do this?? https://t.co/1vBil1HXK0
— Abigail Jackson 🇺🇸 (@abigailmarone) May 26, 2024
The left recently found out that two years after Alito’s wife flew the American flag upside down on Jan. 6, a symbol that America is in distress, the family flew the “Appeal to Heaven” flag at his New Jersey beach home. The liberal journalists are hoping their onslaught of attacks will increase the chances that Alito will recuse himself from the Jan. 6 cases.
“During the period the Appeal to Heaven flag was seen flying at the justice’s New Jersey house, a key Jan. 6 case arrived at the Supreme Court, challenging whether those who stormed the Capitol could be prosecuted for obstruction,” The New York Times reported. “In coming weeks, the justices will rule on that case, which could scuttle some of the charges against Mr. Trump, as well as on whether he is immune from prosecution for actions he took while president. Their decisions will shape how accountable he can be held for trying to overturn the last presidential election and his chances at regaining the White House in the next one.”
What the @Forbes story doesn’t say about the image in it’s story about a “controversial symbol” is that it’s from the Minnesota State Capitol building. https://t.co/vLHwdQQwKc pic.twitter.com/dyU5RFYnZb
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) May 25, 2024
“The disclosure about the new flag is troubling, several ethics experts said in interviews, because it ties Justice Alito more closely to symbols associated with the attempted election subversion on Jan. 6, and because it was displayed as the obstruction case was first coming for consideration by the court,” the outlet adds.
Far-left outlet Slate also jumped into the ring to sound the alarm over Alito’s flags with a piece hilariously titled,”Alito flag scandal: The second one is even scarier than the first.”
Slate argues that the “Appeal to Heaven” flag is “even scarier” than Alito’s flying the upside-down American flag because it’s a call to God to help heal America, and thus, it “means praying for the intervention of God’s forces on earth.” And as we saw with the outrage against Harrison Butker’s graduation address, if there is anything the left hates more than America herself, it’s Christianity.
Despite Alito being a Catechized Roman Catholic, Slate spends the piece equating the “Appeal to Heaven” flag as a symbol of charismatic Christianity and Christian nationalism.
“The spread of this symbol among various political conservatives shows just how much the Appeal to Heaven flag has caught on with Christian nationalists, defined as those who abide by the (ahistorical) belief that the United States was founded as an explicitly Christian nation and needs to be reclaimed as one. (A Christian nation can mean many things, but at its core, it means a government that operates by Christian values, with an explicit privileging of the Christian faith above other religions),” Slate wrote.
“Others interpret it as a symbol that God backs their specific conservative, Christian visions for the country. And it is also, now, inextricably linked to the violence of Jan. 6 and the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election results,” the outlet continues. “Some conservatives have pointed defensively to the flag’s origin in the Revolutionary War to justify the Alitos’ actions. The idea that the symbol is pulled from U.S. history could grant the flag a veneer of democratic legitimacy—but no one should confuse it for a contemporary democratic symbol. It’s a resurrected emblem, with a uniquely theocratic twist.”
“Regardless, anyone who owns one of these flags knows the most basic message behind it: America needs to be re-won for God. It involves Trump. But the goal will outlast him,” Slate states. (ROOKE: Biden Paints Morbid Picture Of Black College Grads’ Future In Speech Meant To Uplift Them)
In the left’s haste to find a reason to attack what appears to be Alito’s simple patriotism, Slate, The New York Times and others didn’t bother checking whether the “Appeal to Heaven” flag was flown at protests or within movements outside of the “scary” Christians.
Michelle Lhooq wrote a Substack piece called “MIDNIGHT JOYRIDE” that glorified the Black Lives Matter protests. The piece focused on an all-night rave in D.C. hosted by BLM supporters in Black Lives Matter Plaza. The featured image of her post is a D.J. working his booth in front of various signs, including a prominently displayed “Appeal to Heaven” flag.
These publications hate Christianity so much that they are willing to continue to destroy American idealism and patriotism in order to keep the faith out of the mainstream. Their attacks on Alito are not only because they want to sow doubt and confusion about whether he can give an unbiased ruling based on the facts of cases related to Trump or Jan. 6; it’s that they want any mention of Christianity or emergences of it in a positive way to be immediately equated to radicalism and stomped out in its infancy.
This Memorial Day, Americans should be looking at the left’s insanity and treating it as laughable attempts to denigrate the greatest country ever created. Only in America can you find a government created by the people, for the people, with the acknowledgment that it is not the government that bestows our inherent rights but God himself. These rights are protected by our laws and brave veterans who answer the call to risk their lives for these freedoms we hold dear.
While the left is intent on taking these rights away and turning America into a Communist country, for the moment, she is still free. Until that changes, Americans will continue to wave her flag, salute her veterans and pray for the dead.
German police stop Muslim terror attack on synagogue
By Daniel Greenfield, Frontpage Magazine
We hear a lot of talk about “Islamophobia”, but the proportion of Muslim terror plots against other people’s houses of worship is incredible and a truly global phenomenon.
There are so many that all you can do is say, “here’s another one.”
And here’s another one.
German authorities said on Friday that they have arrested two men suspected of plotting a knife attack on worshippers at a synagogue in the southwestern city of Heidelberg, The Associated Press reported.
The pair discussed “the killing of one or more visitors in the attack on the synagogue followed by death as martyrs, whereby the two persons wanted to be shot to death by police,” authorities said in a joint statement quoted by AP.
The two suspects are German citizens, with the 18-year-old also holding Turkish nationality, authorities said. Their names were not released.
One of the Muslim men tried to attack the police.
The 24-year-old, armed with knives, was shot during the search around three weeks ago when he ran towards a police officer and did not respond when spoken to.
He was injured. According to earlier statements by investigators, the suspect suddenly fled out of a window with several kitchen knives during the operation.
There he deliberately threw a knife at a police officer and ran towards him with other knives.
He was doing what his religion taught him to do. And these two men were far from alone. There is a reason this keeps happening over and over again, and it’s not about Israel or even Jews. It’s about Islam.
The sooner we come to terms with that reality, the sooner we can intelligently address the situation
Israel is Losing the Battle for Public Opinion
Israel is Losing the Battle for Public Opinion
By: TJVNews.com
The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza that began on October 7th has been marked not only by physical conflict but also by a significant battle for public opinion. Unfortunately, Israel’s efforts in this sphere have been notably ineffective, revealing a deeper, longstanding inadequacy in its strategic communication and public diplomacy. This failure is not a recent phenomenon but rather a continuation of historical missteps, particularly in addressing the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which has sought to isolate Israel on multiple fronts.
The most common failure in Israeli Hasbara. #Hasbara #Israel @LTCPeterLerner #FakeNews #Rafah #Gaza @IDF https://t.co/w9pKIkzWlw
— The Jewish Voice (@TJVNEWS) May 27, 2024
To understand the root of these failures, one must look at the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, established in 1999 under the leadership of Rabbi Michael Melchior. With a modest budget of approximately $2 million, the ministry aimed to foster better relations between Israel and the Jewish diaspora, combat anti-Semitism, and create educational and experiential programs about Israel.. This initiative was recognition of the need to engage and mobilize the global Jewish community in Israel’s defense on the international stage. However, to say that this kind of paltry budget could ever possibly serve to accomplish the lofty objectives set for it by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs is beyond ridiculous.
However, despite these noble goals, the ministry was temporarily closed in 2007, and its responsibilities were transferred to the Prime Minister’s Office. This closure was indicative of a broader issue: a lack of consistent and coherent strategy in addressing the challenges Israel faced globally. The intermittent nature of the ministry’s existence and its limited budget undermined its ability to make a substantial impact.
Moreover, a problem that has existed for decades is the selection of Israel’s diplomatic corps; those people chosen to represent Israel around the world at consulates and embassies. Chief among the serious issues surrounding these foreign service personnel is that a great many of them are not fluent in English and are totally incapable of establishing effective contacts with the media. Be it in New York City, Washington or any city in the world, creating an efficacious media apparatus must be Israel’s main priority.
Israel is complying with international law and the mere suggestion that it is committing a genocide is insane. The recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling does not contradict how Israel is operating in Rafah at all. Israel has acted relentlessly to prevent casualties… pic.twitter.com/ChvyCnJFZ5
— Noa Tishby (@noatishby) May 25, 2024
It is also noteworthy to mention that many Israeli foreign service personnel, particularly in New York City have been selected to serve not because of their stellar credentials or serious work ethic, but because of reasons that are highly suspect. In other words, the consulate and embassy personnel are those that Israel desires to place abroad as they are considered malcontents, trouble makers and those with an agenda that roils the Israeli establishment. As such, the personnel, once stationed in New York or elsewhere do not take their jobs seriously as was evidenced on previous occasions when diplomatic personnel hit the New York City night life scene with frequent appearances at the trendiest clubs and discos, Some had brushes with law enforcement, which reflected quite negatively on Israel’s image.
The BDS movement, launched in 2005, has aimed to exert economic, cultural, and academic pressure on Israel to achieve various political goals. Despite its significant impact, the Israeli government’s response has often been reactive rather than proactive. Instead of crafting a comprehensive and positive narrative that highlights Israel’s contributions to the world and its legitimate security concerns, the response has often been defensive, focusing on debunking BDS claims without offering a compelling counter-narrative.
This failure to effectively counter the BDS movement’s narrative has allowed the movement to gain traction, particularly in academic and cultural institutions. The movement’s success lies in its ability to frame the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in simplistic terms of oppressor and oppressed, a narrative that resonates strongly with audiences unfamiliar with the complexities of the situation. Israel’s inability to present a nuanced and positive image of itself has led to increasing isolation and criticism.
Over a decade ago, the current Israeli UN ambassador Gilad Erdan them held the position in the government as Minister of Interior as well as heading up the Diaspora Affairs ministry. At that juncture, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs which was tasked with promulgating an effective public relations campaign has a $24 million budget to ensure its success. Unfortunately, no such campaign was undertaken due to infighting within the government and Erdan’s involvement in it.
During the 2023-2024 conflict with Hamas, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs attempted to step up its efforts by organizing delegations of security personnel from the Baltic states, Brazil, and Belgium to help combat anti-Semitic attacks. Additionally, in response to the global rise in anti-Semitism, the ministry allocated $2.2 million for protecting Jewish institutions and programs in Jewish schools.
While these efforts are commendable, they are reactive and limited in scope. The failure to communicate a positive and cohesive narrative during the conflict has resulted in widespread criticism and a lack of support from the international community. The ministry’s initiatives, though well-intentioned, have not addressed the root issue: the need for a strategic and positive communication campaign that can shift public opinion in Israel’s favor.
In January 2024, a report by the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University called for the dismantling of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. The report criticized the ministry as being politically motivated, lacking vision, and promoting few initiatives. It recommended that the ministry’s responsibilities be transferred to the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office, echoing sentiments from Israeli diplomats who believed the ministry was ineffective.
This critique highlights a fundamental problem: the lack of a coherent and well-resourced strategy to combat anti-Semitism and improve Israel’s global image. The ministry’s limited budget and political motivations have hampered its ability to carry out its mission effectively.
To address these ongoing failures, Israel needs to overhaul its approach to public diplomacy. This involves not only better funding and organization but also a shift in strategy. Israel must focus on proactive and positive messaging that highlights its democratic values, technological innovations, and contributions to global welfare. This includes creating compelling content that resonates with diverse audiences while effectively utilizing digital platforms to disseminate this content.
Moreover, there needs to be a concerted effort to engage with and educate the international community about the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, countering simplistic narratives that paint Israel in a negative light.
Israel’s ability to manage its image and narrative on the global stage has been consistently under scrutiny, particularly during conflicts such as the 2023-2024 war with Hamas. A critical element missing from Israel’s public diplomacy efforts is the effective engagement with Jewish media outlets worldwide, which could serve as powerful allies in shaping public perception. This failure reflects broader issues within Israel’s “hasbara” or public diplomacy strategy, which have long been criticized by both Israeli officials and Jewish media leaders.
Eylon Levy, a former Israeli government spokesperson, criticized the current state of Israel’s public diplomacy as “improvised,” highlighting the absence of a structured civilian communication effort. Levy emphasized the need for formalized and institutionalized communication channels that can operate effectively both in crisis and in peacetime, according to a report on The Jewish Insider web site. This ad-hoc approach has hindered Israel’s ability to build and maintain productive relationships with Jewish media outlets, which are crucial for disseminating Israel’s perspective and countering negative narratives.
Jewish media outlets, both in print and electronic forms, have expressed frustration with the Israeli government’s lack of engagement. Jodi Rudoren, editor-in-chief of the Forward, pointed out that while Jewish media are often at the forefront of addressing anti-Semitism and providing nuanced coverage of Israel-related issues, there is a disconnect in their relationship with the Israeli government, as was reported in The Forward. This disconnect limits their ability to receive timely and accurate information, which is essential for breaking major news stories and for the purposes of effectively countering misinformation.
Israeli media have also scrutinized the government’s messaging strategy. Haaretz, a prominent left-wing Israeli newspaper, has been critical of the government’s failure to maintain a consistent and effective public relations campaign. The publication highlighted instances of misinformation and inadequate responses to negative press, which have contributed to Israel’s struggles in the information war, according to Newstral.
A joint statement published by over 30 Jewish media outlets worldwide highlighted the rise of anti-Semitism in the wake of the 2023-2024 conflict and called for better coordination and support from Israeli authorities, according to a report in Israel Hayom. Despite these calls, many Jewish media professionals feel that their potential as strategic partners in Israel’s public diplomacy is underutilized.
Israeli officials and media experts have acknowledged the shortcomings in the current hasbara efforts. Jonathan Conricus, a former IDF spokesperson, noted the importance of a well-structured communication strategy that includes professional, non-military spokespeople who can engage effectively with international and Jewish media. The Jewish Insider reported that Conricus advocated for the hiring of dedicated communication professionals, including social media experts and fact-checkers, to enhance Israel’s ability to manage its narrative.
Moreover, Matt Krieger, CEO of Gova10, a strategic communications firm, and the chief communications officer for a campaign to release Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin from Hamas captivity, emphasized the need for a more transactional relationship with key journalists. Krieger argued that building deep, lasting relationships with media professionals is crucial for ensuring consistent and favorable coverage, as explained in The Jewish Insider report. This sentiment is echoed by other media analysts who stress the importance of continuous engagement and information sharing, rather than sporadic interactions during crises.
To address these deficiencies, Israel must adopt a more strategic and inclusive approach to public diplomacy. This involves:
Institutionalizing Communication Efforts: Establishing a permanent, well-funded communication structure that operates effectively both during crises and in regular times.
Engaging Jewish Media: Proactively building relationships with Jewish media outlets worldwide, ensuring they have access to accurate and timely information.
Professionalizing Public Diplomacy: Hiring skilled professionals in various fields, including social media, graphic design, and fact-checking, to support a comprehensive and proactive communication strategy.
In conclusion, Israel’s failure to effectively leverage Jewish media outlets is a significant gap in its public diplomacy efforts. By addressing these structural and strategic shortcomings, Israel can better harness the influence and networks of Jewish media to support its messaging and counteract negative narratives on the global stage.
Movie Review: This is her, now, in space: J.Lo heads to a new galaxy for AI love story in ‘Atlas’
(AP)Let’s all be clear, if we weren’t already, that when it comes to Jennifer Lopez, it’s about the love story. Always the love story.
J.Lo the pop star, singing about rekindled love on her latest album, “This is Me … Now.” J.Lo the rom-com regular, making movies about seeking love (including the extremely autobiographical film of the same name.) J.Lo the real-life celebrity goddess, in countless headlines about … what else?
Love, for better or worse.
And so if we tell you that now, we have J.Lo in “Atlas,” playing a data analyst who travels to a planet populated solely by evil AI bots preparing to extinguish humanity, well, your only question really should be, “Where’s the love story?”
Glad you asked! Because there is one. It may not be with a human. It may actually be with a computer program. But there is one. Because “Atlas,” an often ridiculous sci-fi epic with dialogue cheesier than a Brie wheel but also an old-fashioned, human heart o’ gold, is a J.Lo movie. Through and through.
We’ll give the filmmakers some credit: “Atlas,” directed by Brad Peyton (“San Andreas”) is timely. And not just because Lopez has been in the news lately, but because the subject is AI — which has been in the news even more than Bennifer, believe it or not.
We begin our story on Earth, way off into the future, at a time where someone can say “Remember there used to be things called smartphones?” and everyone laughs. A montage of news reports informs us that things have not been going well for the human race. AI, created to advance humanity, has turned against it, killing over 1 million civilians.
The evil AI leader is Harlan (Simu Liu), who after turning on humanity has escaped to an unknown location far from Earth. But when an associate of his, Casca, is captured on Earth, the head of ICN, a coalition of nations fighting the AI menace, calls on Atlas Shepherd (Lopez) to help question him. Who better than the woman who’s devoted her life to the hunt for Harlan?
We learn Atlas is not a happy person. Also, she’s addicted to coffee – quad Americanos, to be precise. And she hates — absolutely hates — AI, for reasons unknown.
Anyway, Atlas deftly manages to obtain Harlan’s location from Casca, and soon finds herself begging to join a mission to his far-off planet to capture the villainous bot, with whom she shares a mysterious past connection. At first, mission commander Banks (Sterling K. Brown) objects strenuously, but quickly and rather illogically changes his mind. (Both Liu and Brown deserve much better roles than the generic, lifeless ones they’re given.)
Soon they’re off, to GR-39 in the Andromeda galaxy, where the ICN space rangers fall into a disastrous trap laid by Harlan. It’s here that Atlas meets the most important other person in the movie — well, not a person. It’s her AI software, who proves her crucial ally once Atlas is forced to crash land, in her mechanized battle suit, onto the planet.
The key issue is trust-building. Atlas, as we said, doesn’t trust AI. As the two get to know each other, the software gives himself (he has a “default” male voice) a name: Smith.
Atlas: “Is that really necessary?” Smith: “Names create an emotional reaction.” Atlas: “You’re a computer program.”
The plan consists of finding Harlan, defeating his dastardly plot to destroy humanity and getting off the planet – all while hopefully staying alive. At every step, Smith informs Atlas with all the data at his disposal how precisely desperate the odds are. This results in some amusing banter as Smith, voiced by Gregory James Cohan, “learns” sarcasm and humor.
As for Atlas, she needs to learn how to let down her guard – or rather, her brain walls. Her mistrust of AI leads her to stubbornly refuse (at first) Smith’s entreaties to use the “neural link” — a pathway into each other’s brains — that will vastly enhance Atlas’ chances of survival, combining her analytic capacity with Smith’s data access.
Harlan doesn’t appear until halfway into the movie, and we soon learn something about the tragic past he shares with Atlas. In any case, it’s Smith, not Harlan, that ultimately evokes real feeling from Atlas — and gives Lopez a chance to emote, which she does reasonably well given the mediocre dialogue. You could call it a futuristic triangle: Human, bad AI, good AI.
Who will win out? Our protocol, as Smith would say, doesn’t allow us to give spoilers. But you can guess one idea that emerges shining bright: It’s a four letter word that starts with “L.”
“Atlas,” a Netflix release, has been Rated PG-13 “for strong sci-fi violence, action, bloody images and strong language.” Running time: 118 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
Florida Panthers lose Game 3 of East finals, Rangers Up 2-1
(AP) — By most measures, the Florida Panthers dominated the New York Rangers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Florida had 108 shot attempts to New York’s 44, with 37 shots on goal to New York’s 23. The Panthers scored two power play goals, while killing off both of the Rangers’. They stormed back from a two-goal deficit with a pair of goals within two minutes of each other in the third period, sending the game into overtime with all momentum in their hands.
They lost.
New York’s Alex Wennberg scored the game winner 5:35 into the extra session, deflecting the puck past Sergei Bobrovsky as the Rangers survived a flurry of shot attempts from Florida in the final minutes before escaping with a 5-4 victory.
The Panthers dropped their second straight — the first time in the postseason Florida has lost back-to-back games — and New York took a 2-1 lead in the series.
“Anytime you lose a close one like that it’s obviously frustrating,” said Panthers center Sam Reinhart, who had two power play goals Sunday. “You can say we dominate but look at the mistakes that lead to their goals, so there’s areas of improvement for sure.”
Kaapo Kakko back in lineup for Rangers, taking spot of injured Jimmy Vesey
New York took a 3-2 lead in the second period when Alexis Lafreniere sliced through the Florida defense for his second goal of the night; then Barclay Goodrow scored a shorthanded goal less than three minutes later to double the lead.
Florida captain Aleksander Barkov said the Panthers weren’t frustrated, especially with plenty of time to respond in the third.
“We knew we needed to play a lot better than we were out there,” Barkov said.
They did.
Barkov and Gustav Forsling scored less than two minutes apart early in the third to even the game, and Florida pushed, with plenty of late chances to put the game away.
The Panthers were credited with 24 shot attempts over the last 8:10 of the third. None were successful. Only six of those 24 tries were on goal and needed to be saved. Nine were blocked, eight missed and one hit the post.
Igor Shesterkin made 33 stops in all to help the Rangers to their fourth overtime win of the postseason.
“Maybe that’s the thing,” Barkov said, “when you have the puck a lot in the offensive zone, you think ‘OK, we’ve had the puck so much, maybe they’re not going to go on the offense now.’ Then all of a sudden they go. But there’s a reason they’re a good team, so we’ve got to be aware of that.”
Game 4 will be Tuesday in Sunrise, Florida, with the Panthers looking to avoid falling into a 3-1 hole.
Reinhart said the goal will be refocusing mentally and physically. Florida coach Paul Maurice indicated a loss like Sunday’s could be useful motivation.
“Sometimes you want to keep the growl,” Maurice said. “A lot of times in the playoffs, it’s about making sure you keep that energy fully, cut off your losses and you let it go.
“Then there’s times you want to keep it, and eat it, and let it burn for a while and find a different kind of energy source, I think (when) you put up whatever we put up tonight and you don’t come away with a win, you should feel growly.”
What a new documentary can teach us about appeasing Islam
By Daniel Greenfield, Frontpage Magazine
For the first time since the aftermath of September 11, American troops are not officially engaged in the War on Terror. We have left behind Afghanistan to the Taliban and Iraq to Iran.
And are we at peace? Not in the least.
Hardly a month passes without an Islamic terrorist plot. American ships are under fire and Americans are being held hostage around the world.
The appeasers blame our support for Israel, just as they earlier blamed the War on Terror, but if we end our support for the Jewish State, as Biden is trying to do, will the Islamic terrorists leave us alone to live in peace?
Some argue just that.
Influential voices in politics and on social media tell us that we can have quiet if we cut and run from everywhere, end freedom of speech and make other changes to our way of life so that we no longer offend the hordes overrunning the world. And our country.
‘Dear Infidels’, a compelling new short documentary from PragerU, offers a dash of ice cold water from those who have been there, former Muslims and soldiers who have seen the enemy from the inside offer a timely warning that we have fundamentally misunderstood Islam.
Our response to Islamic terrorism has been defined by a Marxist binary of oppressors and oppressed. When we are attacked, the binary that pervades politics and the media, teaches us, it is because we are oppressors and the Jihadists are a liberation movement.
Rather than defeating the terrorists, we must end our colonialism, capitalism and oppressive ‘whiteness’. The Jihadists must be allowed to win as many times as it takes until they are fully empowered.
The Marxist binary is just as much of a lie when it comes to Islamic terrorists as it is when applied to BLM, the Bolshevik revolution, Castro’s Cuba, the Paris Commune or the Weathermen.
Islamism is not a reaction of the helplessly oppressed, suffering from ‘Islamophobia’: it’s an ancient totalitarian movement seeking to dominate all of mankind.
“You will kill Israelis, you will kill Americans,” an ex-Muslim recalls being told as a child in ‘Dear Infidels’. “Why should we kill Americans? They are not Muslim.”
It’s as simple as that. The Jihad against us is a primal mission that the PragerU documentary distills into its purest form.
“I’ve had these conversations with a high ranking Al Qaeda guy, and this guy lived in America,” Jason Tuschen, who had served on Seal Team 7, describes in ‘Dear Infidels’.
“And he was explaining it to me, we want to kill you, you’re either gonna convert or you’re gonna die.”
That stark binary choice is inescapable in the Muslim world where Christians, Jews, Hindus and Buddhists live in fear.
The tidal flows of migration have brought terror to western nations as well, and yet many of these nations continue to believe that they need to win hearts and minds, rather than learn basic history, secure their borders and expel those who won’t live in peace.
The false Marxist binary that Islamic terrorism is a response to oppression rather than a form of oppression has crippled our understanding and our responsiveness.
In the binary, Muslims are reacting to what we do, rather than acting. Islam is not an ideology that spent over a thousand years conquering much of the world, but a woeful minority.
To believe otherwise is to be accused of ‘Islamophobia’. And yet, for all that Americans are accused of this invented ‘bigotry’ after every Islamic terrorist attack, the real hatred is on the other side.
And it’s a hatred motivated by a conviction that Islam is the final answer.
And that those who reject Islam are contemptible and evil, ‘infidels’ who obstruct the new Islamic order.
“Serving in Iraq, I never saw hatred like that, they had this belief in this greater cause, to install a Caliphate, return to the greater glory of Islam,” Tuschen describes in ‘Dear Infidels’.
Islam has its own vision of an ideal world order based on the imposition of sharia law. And some of the military men in PragerU’s documentary had come face to face with its ugliest side.
“We came into this village and there was blood everywhere. They had just finished stoning this little girl,” Omar Vieira, formerly of SEAL Team 4, described. “Whether you’re Muslim or not, you have to abide by Sharia law.”
“Islam is to govern all aspects, social, political, private, that affects everybody’s life.”
Appeasement, often held up as the solution by the Left and now by some influencers who claim to be conservative, is doomed because the root of Islamic grievances is not our foreign policy, it’s our beliefs and values, it’s our Constitution and our insistence on not being Muslim.
No amount of surrenders will ever be enough until we surrender our country and ourselves.
The long march of retreats that began with Obama have not brought peace, only more war.
The territories controlled by Islamic theocratic movements have grown sharply since September 11 and at the peak of the Arab Spring, they ruled much of North Africa and the Middle East, and as the war against Hamas continues in Gaza, they have much of the world behind them.
Europe, apart from a few outliers like Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, has made peace with Islam, and many American political leaders, including some on the right, are not far behind.
And that’s not new.
There was a time in the twentieth century when Communism and Nazism seemed inevitable.
The intellectual elites had abandoned the idea of America and had fallen to arguing over which totalitarian system to replace the Constitution with.
The Soviet Union, Germany and Italy appeared to be vital. They had radical new ideas for the elimination of personal freedom and feeding the individual into a relentless collectivist machine stamping out a new world order.
And now it’s happening all over again. The Islamist mobs chanting or praying en masse on campuses and streets, seizing control of public spaces and imposing their will, appear inevitable.
That is why ‘Dear Infidels’ is so vital.
The new PragerU documentary challenges the appeasement and defeatism that has taken over so much of the civilized world.
It reminds us that Islam is not a reaction, but an action, and that rather than blaming ourselves, we must understand that we are in a clash of civilizations over the fundamental issue of freedom.
Islam, like the Left, promises an ideal new world order in exchange for our freedoms. Appeasement is not an option. Our only choices are defiance or submission.
The men and women interviewed in ‘Dear Infidels’ faced those choices and reacted to them in their own ways, whether in their personal lives or on the battlefield, with courage and integrity.
But it’s not a choice that only they face.
As the power and violence of Islam grows in America, we will sooner or later all face that choice, whether to fly our flags and live free, to speak out and stay true, or to sell out our friends, neighbors and allies in the hopes of winning a reprieve.
PragerU’s ‘Dear Infidels’ is a warning and a challenge to a political and cultural leadership seeking an accommodation with a totalitarian ideology.
In a time of universal lies, it tells the truth. Men and women have been killed all over the world for telling that truth. They have been stoned, stabbed, bombed and beheaded for it. They have been censored, canceled and blacklisted for it.
And yet despite and because of that, it is vital that the truth must be heard.
Dear Infidels is currently free to stream at PragerU.
Leclerc’s win removes Monaco millstone. Ferrari boss hopeful the gap to Red Bull is closing
(AP) — Ferrari doubled its win tally from all last season and Charles Leclerc ended his barren two-year run in Formula 1 with victory from pole position at Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Eight races into this season, Ferrari and McLaren are looking like they might be able to challenge Red Bull. For F1 fans as a whole it offers hope of more competitive racing.
“It’s exciting and I hope it will be like this for the rest of the season,” Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur said after Sunday’s race. “It will be up and down until the end.”
It wasn’t last season, when Max Verstappen beat his own F1 record with an astounding 19 wins for Red Bull. His teammate Sergio Perez got two victories, and the only non-Red Bull driver to win was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr.
Leclerc and Sainz have one win each this year and so has McLaren’s Lando Norris. That makes it 5-3 to Red Bull so far — all Verstappen wins — while Leclerc’s Monaco pole on Saturday ended Verstappen’s bid for a record-extending ninth straight pole.
Vasseur feels the momentum could be shifting.
“You have a kind of snowball effect,” Vasseur said. “You have to continue like this.”
Ferrari’s Leclerc wins F1 Monaco GP after 1st lap crash takes out Perez and 2 other cars
The 55-year-old Frenchman has known Leclerc since they worked together at Sauber in 2018 in Leclerc’s F1 debut. They were reunited when Vasseur took charge at Ferrari in December 2022, but Leclerc didn’t win a race last year despite showing good pace in qualifying with five poles.
Some of Leclerc’s performances were inconsistent. He made some clumsy mistakes and he wasn’t showing the composure to go with his undoubted speed: Leclerc is considered the quickest in F1 along with Verstappen.
Vasseur felt Leclerc was putting too much pressure on himself, nowhere more so than in Monaco. It’s where Leclerc grew up and, much to his anguish, where he had failed to finish on the podium up until Sunday’s win.
With family and friends, including Prince Albert, watching him, Monaco was feeling like a curse for Leclerc.
He took pole in 2021, but could not even start the race due to a gearbox problem.
Exasperating enough, but worse was to come.
Leclerc led from pole in 2022 until Ferrari, under its previous leadership, made an erratic and incorrect call to change his tires after 22 laps and it cost him an odds-on victory.
Given all of this, Vasseur thinks that Leclerc’s win on Sunday will free him up mentally.
“It was an important one winning in Monaco, a weight off his shoulders. I think this one can help him a lot,” Vasseur said. “Last year he was a bit nervous. This time he was much, much more relaxed from the beginning.”
Leclerc agreed, saying he slept very well on Saturday night — although that was also down to what he ate.
When he got home, Leclerc made a quick decision, threw dietary requirements out the window and ordered a giant pizza.
“I ate like crazy yesterday night. I actually got too late at home and I couldn’t cook, so I ordered my favorite pizza, which is not the best preparation to race normally,” he said. “But I was like, ‘OK, maybe mentally it will help me to take the pressure off a little bit’. And yeah, that’s it. I slept really well.”
His favorite pizza?
Margherita, a traditional recipe of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil leaves, on which Leclerc likes to add his personal touch with “prosciutto crudo” (Italian dry-cured ham).
“Never pineapple,” he added.
Now, with the Monaco millstone lifted, a refueled Leclerc can focus on getting to the top. He is second overall, 31 points behind three-time F1 champion Verstappen.
Leclerc is confident his working relationship with Vasseur will prove successful.
“He’s got such a clear vision of what he wants to achieve and how he wants to achieve it. That’s his strength,” Leclerc said. “I’ve always been completely aligned with how he wants to do things.”
Next stop for Ferrari: the Canadian GP in two weeks’ time.
Montréal holds fond memories for Leclerc, who secured the second of his 34 career F1 podiums there in 2019.