UN rejects resolution calling for immediate cease-fire in Gaza

Several Democrat members of Congress have a long history of public support for an organization whose leader recently ignited a firestorm over controversial comments regarding Hamas' deadly attacks on Israeli citizens.

Nihad Awad, the executive director and co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), recently said that he was "happy to see" the October 7 Hamas invasion of Israel and that the Jewish state did not have a right to self-defense because it is an "occupying power."

"The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege — the walls of the concentration camp — on Oct. 7," Awad said at the 16th Annual Convention for Palestine in the U.S. on Nov. 24. "And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their land that they were not free to walk in."

He continued, "And yes, the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense — have the right to defend themselves. And yes, Israel as an occupying power does not have that right to self-defense."

Awad's comments forced the White House to scramble and scrub CAIR as a committed partner to fight antisemitism on its website. A White House spokesperson also strongly reprimanded his comments in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"We condemn these shocking, Antisemitic statements in the strongest terms," the White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "The horrific, brutal terrorist attacks committed by Hamas on October 7th were, as President Biden said, 'abhorrent' and represent 'unadulterated evil.'"

Meanwhile, dozens of federal lawmakers across the U.S. have previously expressed support for CAIR, as featured on the organization's website, and some remained silent when asked by Fox News Digital about the co-founder's stance on the horrific attacks that left 1,200 dead and others captured.

Sen. Krysten Sinema, I-Ariz., who is facing re-election in the 2024 cycle, previously applauded CAIR's work as "advocating for a more just society" and also accepted thousands of dollars in campaign donations from former directors and chairs of the group's Arizona chapter.

"This organization’s inspiring service is a testimony to your success in creating a nurturing and supportive, responsive organization," said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who is currently facing criminal bribery charges.

In 2019, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, praised the group "for empowering American Muslims nationwide in political and social activism through our country," as written on CAIR's website.

U.S. military sources tell Fox News Digital that American forces have been attacked 87 times in the Middle East since October 17.

The latest attacks against the U.S. by Yemeni Houthis are being viewed as a major escalation in the Middle East as the Israel-Hamas war continues.

American forces shot down 3 drones in Eastern Syria.

The French warship Languedoc shot down two incoming Houthi drones while patrolling the Red Sea on Saturday.

This comes on the same day that the Iranian-backed Houthi leaders announced that its forces would target any ships heading to or from Israel, effectively a virtual blockade of Israel’s ports that threatens Israeli commerce.

Fox News Digital's Jennifer Griffin and Andrea Vacchiano contributed to this report.

Hundreds of protesters assembled in Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon to show support for Palestinians amid the Israeli military's war against Hamas.

According to FOX 5 New York, the march began at the Brooklyn Museum shortly after 1 p.m. and headed towards New York City Hall.

Fox News Digital video shows a massive number of protestors flooding roadways, waving Palestinian flags and chanting. Dozens of NYPD officers were observed at the scene.

Protestors held up signs reading "Cease-Fire Now" and "Long Live the Resistance." Hundreds of protestors were also heard chanting "From the River to the Sea."

A growing body of Jewish students at the University of Pennsylvania have voiced their concerns about campus life in the wake of now-former university president Liz Magill’s controversial testimony earlier in the week. 

UPenn student Kevin Bina told FOX 29 that his fellow fraternity members "don’t even feel comfortable walking outside our house wearing their kippahs just because they don’t know if they’re going to be harassed." 

Another student, Leah Weinberger, said many Jewish students are reconsidering their application to UPenn after Magill’s testimony. 

Read the full article on the University of Pennsylvania by Bradford Betz

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Brooklyn to protest the Israeli government on Saturday afternoon, with at least one protester burning an Israeli flag.

Hundreds of demonstrators met outside the Brooklyn Museum on Saturday before moving onto the Brooklyn Bridge, according to FOX 5 New York.

One male protester was seen lighting an Israeli flag on fire on the pathway of the Brooklyn Bridge. Behind him, hundreds of demonstrators were chanting.

Another demonstrator climbed up the Brooklyn Bridge to wave a Palestinian flag. Protesters also released green smoke and help up anti-Israel signs during the event.

Fox News Digital reached out to the New York Police Department for more information, but has not heard back.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., applauded the resignation of University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill on Saturday.

Magill resigned Saturday after days of criticism following her appearance at a Congressional hearing Tuesday, where she failed to give a clear answer to Stefanik's question asking if calls for the genocide of Jews would violate university conduct.

"One down. Two to go," Stefanik posted to X Saturday. "This is only the very beginning of addressing the pervasive rot of antisemitism that has destroyed the most 'prestigious' higher education institutions in America. This forced resignation of the president of @Penn is the bare minimum of what is required. These universities can anticipate a robust and comprehensive Congressional investigation of all facets of their institutions negligent perpetration of antisemitism including administrative, faculty, funding, and overall leadership and governance."

Read the full article on Elise Stefanik by Adam Sabes

A New York City Jewish man was repeatedly punched and robbed on the first day of Hanukkah outside his home in Brooklyn. 

The suspect approached the victim in front of 906 Eastern Parkway just after 7:30 p.m., police said. The victim, a 40-year-old male, was wearing "traditional Jewish attire," per the NYPD. 

The suspect repeatedly punched the victim in the head and stole his cellphone while making an antisemitic statement, police said. 

Read the full article on antisemitism in NYC by Bradford Betz

A Russian diplomat has warned that Israel’s plan to flood Hamas tunnels in order to flush out the terrorists may constitute a war crime. 

"War crimes are snowballing — shocking reports have been circulated in recent days that Israel plans to flood underground facilities in the Gaza Strip with seawater," Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky said during a United Nations Security Council meeting this week. 

"According to open sources, the IDF has already built a system of pumps and pipes to pump seawater and is currently discussing with the United States practical aspects of such flooding: whether there will be enough water or if the tunnels’ ‘topography’ is fit for that and so on. Such a step, if made, will constitute a blatant war crime," Polyansky argued. 

Read the full article about Russia by Peter Aitken

Secretary of State Antony Blinken came under fire this week for what one combat-veteran lawmaker characterized as "lecturing" Israel's war cabinet, as the Biden administration faces pressure from its left flank to facilitate an end to fighting against Hamas in Gaza.

Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a decorated retired Green Beret, told FOX News that Israel will end up in a surrender if it continues to follow "President Biden's edicts."

"I think that will be a green light for Hezbollah, for the militias in Syria and their masters in Iran to realize their dream before they even get a nuke, of genocide in Israel and wiping Israel off the face of the Earth."

Read the article about Antony Blinken by Charles Creitz

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released video on Saturday that allegedly shows Hamas terrorists beating up civilians.

The IDF said on X that the aerial footage also depicts Hamas members stealing humanitarian aid.

"Hamas members beat civilians and steal the humanitarian aid they received from international organizations—facilitated by Israel," the IDF wrote.

"Hamas puts its terrorist goals over Gazans' needs," the post added.

University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill has resigned after widespread public outrage over her testimony to Congress on antisemitism. 

"I write to share that President Liz Magill has voluntarily tendered her resignation as President of the University of Pennsylvania. She will remain a tenured faculty member at Penn Carey Law," Board of Trustees Chairman Scott L. Bok wrote in a statement.

Magill resigned days after major donor Ross Stevens rescinded a $100 million gift to the school in protest of the college's handling of antisemitism on campus and her leadership. The board of Penn's Wharton business school also asked Magill to resign and the university's board of trustees held an emergency meeting Thursday as the school faced backlash over her comments.

Read the full article about Liz Magill by Adam Sabes and Chris Pandolfo

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday slammed the UN Security Council after the United States vetoed a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. 

Erdogan, who does not recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization, described UN leadership as the "Israel protection council," following a Friday vote in which the U.S. was the only member nation to oppose the measure. Erdogan also accused the West of "barbarism" and Islamophobia for the war in Gaza.

The vote in the 15-member council was 13-1, with the United Kingdom abstaining. The U.S. is one of five permanent members to have veto power, and its no vote canned the measure. 

Read the article about Tayyip Erdogan by Michael Dorgan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has allegedly told President Biden that his country will act militarily against Yemen's Houthi movement if the United States fails to do so, according to a report by Israeli publication N12News. 

The Iran-aligned group has been harassing Israeli and U.S. forces in the Middle East since the start of Israel's war with Hamas. 

N12News posted on X Saturday that Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s national security chief of staff, told journalists Amit Segal and Ben Caspit about its intention to respond to the group that has attacked and seized several Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab strait, a sea lane through which much of the world's oil is shipped.

Read the full article about Benjamin Netanyahu by Michael Dorgan

University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill's job is increasingly at risk as university donors, lawmakers in both parties, alumni and Jewish groups have piled on criticism after her disastrous congressional testimony on antisemitism this week.

The Penn Board of Trustees will hold a meeting on Sunday at 5 p.m., the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, where Magill's future with the school may be decided. 

The question facing the board is whether Magill can continue to effectively fundraise and lead the university after the backlash against her handling of antisemitism at the school since the October 7 attack on Israel. Pressure is building on Magill to resign after she declined to outright state that calls for the genocide of Jewish people constitute bullying or harassment under UPenn's code of conduct during a congressional hearing on Tuesday. 

Read the full article about Liz Magill by Chris Pandolfo

Ofelia Roitman, a 77-year-old woman from Kibbutz Nir Oz who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7, said that her time in captivity reminded her of the Holocaust.

"I lived in Kibbutz Nir Oz where they took me from after laying me on the floor of the tractor," Roitman said in video released by the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum on Saturday. "Because I was alone, I was almost without any light and almost without any food."

"The food reminded me of the Holocaust," the 77-year-old woman explained. "I ate pieces of pita and kept it so that I would have something to eat the next day."

Roitman emphasized that all of the Israeli hostages should be released as soon as possible.

"I ask that you do more so that everyone can be released quickly," she added. "The days are very difficult, one day is like a whole week there. I ask that you do everything to free everyone."

Fox News Digital's Dana Karni contributed to this report.

The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum released video on Saturday of an interview with Margalit Moses, a 77-year-old woman who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7.

"My name is Margalit Moses, 77 years old from Kibbutz Nir Oz," Moses said in the interview. "On October 7th, I was kidnapped and taken down to the tunnels in Gaza."

The Israeli woman explained that she had difficulty sleeping, and that Hamas terrorists denied her use of her oxygen machine.

"At night I have to be attached to an oxygen machine, and I took it with me to Gaza so that I could sleep. One of the terrorists who got mad at me, took the device from me even though I told him it was my oxygen," she explained. "I spoke to him in Arabic and he understood the meaning but he didn't care."

"[For] 49 days I did not sleep, it was very difficult," she added. "There were mental difficulties, there were physical difficulties and every day that passes it becomes more and more difficult."

Fox News Digital's Dana Karni contributed to this report.

The State Department announced on Saturday that the U.S. government has approved a military sale to Israel worth around $106.5 million, as the Israeli military continues fighting Hamas terrorists.

In a press release, the State Department said that on Friday, officials "determined and provided detailed justification to Congress that an emergency exists," thereby bypassing a Congressional vote on the matter.

"The Secretary of State has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Israel of 120mm M830A1 High Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose with Tracer (MPAT) tank cartridges and related equipment for an estimated cost of $106.5 million," the press release read. "The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on December 8, 2023."

The State Department explained that the Israeli government requested to buy exactly 13,981 tank cartridges.

"Also included are publications and technical documentation; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; studies and surveys; and other related elements of logistics and program support," the State Department explained.

"The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives," the statement added. "Israel will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. Israel will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces."

Fox News Digital's Nicholas Kalman contributed to this report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video saying that he appreciated the United States' "correct stance" on the UN Security Council's alleged inability to properly condemn Hamas.

Netanyahu made the remarks in Hebrew, which were posted to X on Saturday.

"I very much appreciate the correct position that the United States has taken in the UN Security Council," the prime minister explained. "Other countries should also understand that it is impossible on the one hand to support the elimination of Hamas, and on the other hand to call for an end to the war that will prevent the elimination of Hamas.

"Therefore, Israel will continue our just war to eliminate Hamas and to achieve the other war goals we have set," he added.

The Israel Defense Forces said Saturday that a soldier was struck by a vehicle near a guard checkpoint in central Israel.

The incident took place near Tzrifin and the soldier involved was "seriously injured," the IDF said. 

Israeli police arrested a resident of Rahat and a resident of Qalqilya  on suspicion of involvement in the car accident. 

"The police are investigating the circumstances of the car accident near Tzerifin, in which a vehicle hit a pedestrian, after allegedly failing to respond to a police car," the police said in a statement.

Police said the victim is a young woman in her 20s.

"As mentioned, the police officers arrested the 2 occupants of the vehicle — a resident of Qalqilya and a resident of Rahat in their 20s, and according to the needs of the investigation, police will examine the need to bring them to a hearing in court or to request to extend their detention," police said.