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Efforts by Israel Defense Forces to “dismantle Hamas” and free the remaining hostages remains a work in progress that requires worldwide support, according to one Israeli diplomat.
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As Israel marked 100 days since the Oct. 7 attack on Sunday, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, including 30 Americans, and led to hundreds being taken hostage by the infamous terror group. Though more than 100 hostages have been released from Hamas custody, several have been presumed dead and more than 130 are believed to remain in captivity.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Anat Sultan-Dadon, the consul general of Israel to the southeastern United States, insisted that many within the media and international community are doing the Palestinian people and Israel a disservice by concluding that this is a war between Israel and the Palestinians – a notion she rejects.
“While we are still working in order to dismantle Hamas, make sure that it no longer has control of Gaza or the ability to carry any such attack in the future… we still have over 130 hostages who were brutally, as we know, taken that day into captivity in Gaza,” said Sultan-Dadon.
NETANYAHU CLARIFIES ISRAEL’S WAR GOAL IS NOT ‘PERMANENTLY OCCUPYING GAZA’ OR TO DISPLACE PALESTINIANS
Anat Sultan-Dadon, the consul general of Israel to the southeastern United States, told Fox News Digital that the media and international community are doing the people of Palestine and Israel a disservice by concluding that this is a war between Israel and the Palestinians.(Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
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“We continue to see the United States and others standing with us,” she added. “The fight against this terror organization that is an extension of the murderous Iranian ayatollah regime is not just Israel’s fight.”
Sultan-Dadon, who joined the Israeli diplomatic corps in 2004, said she believes there are some within the international community “who are standing on the wrong side of history.”
“Rather than stand against terror, they are choosing to side with terror as we are seeing it unfold now in the outrageous claims that South Africa has made to the ICJ,” she said, referencing South Africa’s case against Israel in the United Nations’ International Court of Justice that accuses the war-torn country of committing genocide.
People visit the site where revelers were killed on Oct. 7 in a cross-border attack by Hamas at the Nova music festival in Re’im, southern Israel, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. Sunday marks 100 days of war between Israel and Hamas, after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7th, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 250 others hostage. In the Gaza Strip, health authorities say the death toll already has eclipsed 23,000 people. ((AP Photo/Leo Correa))
Amid the country’s continued effort to eradicate Hamas, Sultan-Dadon insisted that some media outlets have not been “helpful in making the right distinction about what the two sides to this war are.”
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“Rather than placing Israel and the free world, as well as the Palestinian people, on the same side against Hamas, against terror, against those who glorify death and destruction, many in the international community and in the international media are drawing the false equation as if on one side is Israel, and on the other side is the Palestinians,” she said.
“This is not about the Palestinian people,” she added. “The Palestinian people are, themselves, the victim of this Hamas terror organization. They deserve to be free from the rule of a terror organization as well. By standing with and on the side of a terror organization, these countries, these people are doing a disservice to the Palestinian people they claim to be supporting.”
An Israeli army tank in the Gaza Strip during ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas.(Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)
Sultan-Dadon also highlighted the many calls demanding a cease-fire from Israel and questioned why more isn’t being asked of Hamas, which continues to engage.
“With all of these calls for a cease-fire, I think that there should be more questioning of Hamas and calling on Hamas for a cease-fire,” she said. “I think that so many people want to see a cease-fire. Why is that not directed at the terror organization who decided to open this attack, and who continues to fire rockets?”
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Palestinian Hamas terrorists are seen during a military show in the Bani Suheila district on July 20, 2017 in Gaza City, Gaza.(Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Noting that more than 14,000 rockets have been fired toward Israel by Hamas, Sultan-Dadon added, “Why are the demands for a cease-fire not being made of the terror organization that instigated this, that orchestrated this, that is continuing to attack Israel, and that is continuing to hold hostages?”
Supporters of Palestinians gather at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Oct. 14, 2023.(Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)
Regarding the rampant antisemitism that has swept across college and university campuses, Sultan-Dadon said she hopes to see the “wider community” step up and get involved.
BROWN UNIVERSITY UNDER INVESTIGATION BY DEPT OF EDUCATION OVER ALLEGED DISCRIMINATION AGAINST JEWISH STUDENTS
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“The current situation and the need to address it is being placed on Jewish organizations’ shoulders, and I think that we need to see the wider community step up,” she said. “Antisemitism is not a Jewish problem. Antisemitism is a moral deficiency of the entire society. I think that is how it should be looked at and that is how it should be addressed. It cannot be addressed effectively if it is considered to be a Jewish problem.”
Several from within the United States and around the world have called for a two-state solution, creating a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel. However, many argue that is not a viable option considering Hamas’ actions.
Ofri Bibas Levy – whose brother Yarden was taken hostage, with his wife Shiri and two children, Kfir, 10 months, and Ariel, 4 – and her friend Tal Ulus hold pictures of them during an interview with Reuters in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov. 13, 2023.(Reuters/Denis Balibouse/File Photo)
As the war in the Middle East rages on, the Biden administration’s insistence on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians is facing renewed criticism.
“I do not think a two-state solution is possible, and, even if possible, it is not advisable. For more than 50 years, hundreds of self-proclaimed ‘peacemakers,’ led by the United States, have attempted to coerce Israel and the Palestinians into a two-state solution,” former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman told Fox News Digital last week.
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This image made from undated bodycam video footage taken by a downed Hamas terrorist and released by Israel Defense Forces shows a Hamas terrorist walking around a residential neighborhood at an undisclosed location in southern Israel on Oct. 7.(Israel Defense Forces via AP)
Friedman, who served as the U.S. ambassador under former President Trump, said, “The efforts repeatedly fail regardless of who’s in charge and the reasons are profound and immutable: 1) the Palestinians are not willing to accept a Jewish state; 2) the likelihood of a Palestinian state becoming a terror state is extremely high, presenting an existential threat to Israel; and 3) the West Bank (referred to by biblical adherents as Judea and Samaria)is biblical Israel and, absent Israeli control, hundreds of Jewish and Christian holy sites will be destroyed.”
President Biden penned a November 2023 opinion article in the Washington Post, where he called for a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. “The Palestinian people deserve a state of their own and a future free from Hamas,” Biden wrote at the time.
According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), the Palestinian Authority, which oversees parts of the West Bank, and its ruling Fatah Party “have yet to condemn the Hamas [for the] October 7, 2023 mega-terror attack in southern Israel.”
Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ terror chief, appears during a ceremony on May 24,2021, in Gaza City.(Laurent Van der Stockt/Getty Images))
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to do everything he can to defeat Hamas, pledging last month to continue on with war efforts “until the end” and until “total victory” is achieved over the terrorist group.
Netanyahu has also pledged to “do everything possible” to free the remaining hostages who remain under Hamas control.
Fox News’ Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.
LAKE CITY, S.C. (WPDE) — A community art project with roots in Florence County is now on display on one of the nation’s biggest cultural stages.
ArtFields, the nationally recognized art festival based in Lake City, was selected as South Carolina’s official host for the National Scrollathon, a collaborative artmaking project that brings together people from across the country to share their stories through fabric scrolls.
The project is now being unveiled at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., giving Lake City and the Pee Dee region a place in a nationwide artistic celebration.
Created by brothers and artists Steven and William Ladd, Scrollathon invites participants to design personal fabric scrolls that reflect their experiences, hopes and dreams.
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The individual pieces are then combined into a larger work of art that represents communities from across the United States.
Earlier this year, dozens of residents in Lake City participated in the project through an initiative called “Tied Together,” creating scrolls that shared their personal stories and connections to their community.
Carla Angus, an ArtFields consultant, said the project’s impact comes from bringing people together through creativity and storytelling.
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“Everyone who was invited receives these strips of material and fabric, and they select their colors, they select what they want to put together and they create a story behind their scroll,” Angus said. “That’s what’s so powerful about the project because it brings all these different people together with different backgrounds and different experiences.”
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In addition to Lake City, Scrollathon events were held at other South Carolina cultural institutions, including the Gibbes Museum of Art and the International African American Museum.
Now, those local contributions are part of a much larger display.
More than 250,000 participants from all 50 states and U.S. territories contributed to the National Scrollathon.
The collection is being showcased at the Kennedy Center, where visitors can experience what organizers describe as a visual representation of the American story.
For Angus, seeing scrolls created in Lake City displayed alongside contributions from across the country is a proud moment.
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“When I look at those scrolls, I know those are thousands upon thousands of individuals that have shared their stories,” Angus said. “Now they have become one unified piece of artwork.”
Angus described the experience as surreal and said it demonstrates how art can connect people regardless of where they come from.
“It’s almost surreal because what we want to do is connect people through the arts,” Angus said. “To be a part of something that is so large, bringing so many states together, it shows how powerful art can be.”
The National Scrollathon will remain on display through Labor Day as part of the Kennedy Center’s yearlong celebration of America’s 250th anniversary and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
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For Lake City and Florence County residents, the exhibit represents an opportunity to see their stories become part of a national conversation, one scroll at a time.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Pets Alive! (APA!) received a $10,000 donation and 30 pet beds on Thursday.
The donation was from Robert Thiele, an Amazon delivery driver and owner of Clark Courier Services, which was named in honor of his late bulldog, Clark, who passed away this spring after a battle with cancer.
“I named Clark Courier Services after Clark because just like our drivers, he delivered smiles every single day. In a world full of best friends, Clark was the bestest,” said Thiele.
According to Amazon, the donated pet beds were given a second life through Amazon Re:Turn, which repurposes textiles from customer returns that could not be resold or donated.
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Amazon delivers $10,000 donation and pet beds to APA! (KXAN photo/Tim Holcomb)
Amazon delivers $10,000 donation and pet beds to APA! (KXAN photo/Tim Holcomb)
As a surprise for Thiele, APA! unveiled memorial plaques dedicated to Clark on shelter kennels, which were inscribed with his name and the words “forever delivering.”
“Our Delivery Service Partners are local, small business owners embedded in the communities they serve. Robert’s been delivering in Austin for nearly seven years, and he’s not just moving packages. He’s showing up for the people, the pets, and the neighborhoods around him. That’s what this program is about,” said Emma Crowley, Amazon spokesperson. “Today, we got to give a little back to someone who has and will continue to give so much to others.”
Alabama football is in a position to hear some positive recruiting news ‘soon,’ Touchdown Alabama has learned.
This news is expected to come from one of the top recruits the Crimson Tide hosted for an official visit this weekend, most likely in the form of a verbal commitment. This decision is coming off an ‘amazing’ official visit. Alabama will work to build its 2027 class over the next several weeks, with a long list of top recruits expected in Tuscaloosa in June.
Monshun Sales (5-Star WR), Hayden Stepp (5-Star CB), Osani Gayles (4-Star WR) , Kenneth Simon (4-Star LB), Avrian Pauley (3-Star DL), Mitchell Turner (4-Star DL), Antwan Jackson (4-Star Edge) and Nigel Newkirk (4-Star RB) were among the top prospects the Tide had on campus for an official visit this weekend.
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Alabama currently has commitments from six 2027 prospects. Three of those recruits are offensive prospects, with pledges from Elijah Haven, Trent Seaborn and Oakley Keegan. The defensive side is represented by Avrian Pauley, Kenneth Simon and Stevan Thornton.
Touchdown Alabama will provide updates on the Crimson Tide’s recruiting efforts throughout the next several weeks.
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
