New York Archives - CrossFireArarbia

Netanyahu: ‘Epstein Didn’t Work For Israel’

CrossFireArabia
February 7, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the renewed focus on the Epstein files to attack his predecessor Ehud Barak, saying that Jeffrey Epstein “did not work for Israel.”

The Jerusalem Post daily reported that Barak’s ties to Epstein received extensive media attention after the two met several times in 2015 and 2016, years after Epstein’s first criminal conviction. Photos circulated at the time showed Barak entering Epstein’s Manhattan residence in New York.

In his first public comment on the Epstein documents, Netanyahu wrote on US social media company X that Epstein’s “unusual close relationship with Ehud Barak doesn’t suggest Epstein worked for Israel. It proves the opposite.”

“Stuck on his election loss from over two decades ago, Barak has for years obsessively attempted to undermine Israeli democracy by working with the anti-Zionist radical left in failed attempts to overthrow the elected Israeli government,” he added, referring to his own administration.

Netanyahu accused Barak of engaging “in activities publicly and behind the scenes to undermine the government of Israel, including fueling mass protest movements, fomenting unrest and feeding false media narratives,” according to Anadolu.

Barak has been a vocal critic of Netanyahu for years and has repeatedly called for the government’s removal.

In mid-2025, Barak joined about 3,000 Israeli medical and health professionals in signing petitions urging the government to secure the return of captives held by Palestinian factions in Gaza, even if it required halting the war that began on Oct. 8, 2023, and lasted two years.

On Friday, US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the release of more than 3 million additional files to the public as part of the Epstein investigations.

Epstein, an American financier accused of running a large-scale sex trafficking operation involving underage girls, some as young as 14, was found dead in a New York jail in 2019 while in custody.

The case files include the names of numerous high-profile figures, among them the former British prince Andrew, former US President Bill Clinton, current US President Donald Trump, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, singer Michael Jackson, and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

News

Mamdani: First Muslim New York Mayor

CrossFireArabia
November 5, 2025

Muslim New Yorkers celebrated Tuesday night after Zohran Mamdani won the city’s mayoral race, becoming the first Muslim and South Asian to lead the Big Apple.

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Muslim New Yorkers celebrate Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral victory

Mamdani, 34, a Democratic Socialist and state lawmaker from Queens, defeated independent former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in what observers describe as one of the city’s biggest political upsets in years.

With more than 50% of the vote and a record-breaking turnout exceeding 2 million ballots, Mamdani’s victory sparked celebrations across neighborhoods like Astoria in Queens, where his grassroots campaign first began.

For many Muslim residents, the win carries deep emotional significance.

“I am very excited about this election,” Zamzam Ali, who lives in Brooklyn, told Anadolu during a celebration in front of a Yemeni cafe in Astoria. “Zohran Mamdani embodies the universal struggles that the general population of a city strive for — better living conditions, fair pay, affordable price and rent and equality for all.”

Ali said Mamdani’s victory also resonates on a personal level.

“Muslims have really struggled and been victims of discrimination in America since 9/11,” he said. “So, to see a Muslim become the mayor of the very city in which Muslims were blamed for all kinds of crimes and accused of terrorism — it’s phenomenal.”

Mamdani’s campaign centered on affordability and social justice, pledging rent freezes, free buses, universal childcare, and city-run grocery stores. He has also proposed raising the minimum wage to $30 per hour by 2030 and increasing taxes on corporations and millionaires to fund these programs.

Faizah, 31, who wanted to be identified only by her first name, said Mamdani’s proposals give her hope.

“As a teacher, I think that he has a lot of good policies with moving the funding so that teachers and parents can actually put more of their emphasis on to education,” she told Anadolu. “Rent is pretty insane in New York City, so freezing the rent is a big deal. I think he’s for the people.”

For others, the moment feels transformative.

“We’re very proud of him,” said Badger Shahbain, a Muslim New Yorker who has known Mamdani for years. “This is going to change history — the way he was able to win changes everything. I truly believe he’ll do a great job.”

During the victory party at Brooklyn’s Paramount Theater, Mamdani thanked supporters and called for unity. “We will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers … where the more than 1 million Muslims know that they belong,” he said to thunderous applause. “No more will New York be a city where you can traffic in Islamophobia and win an election.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) hailed Mamdani’s win as a “historic turning point” for American Muslim political engagement. “Mamdani’s ability to win while openly advocating for Palestinian human rights and experiencing a barrage of anti-Muslim hate also marks a historic rebuke of both Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism in politics,” the group said.

News

UN Condemns Israeli Onslaught on Gaza City

CrossFireArabia
September 16, 2025

The United Nations has condemned the deadly Israeli military offensive in Gaza City that occurred this past weekend, Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday.

The situation “is having an appalling impact on civilians enduring suffering and starvation,” he told journalists in New York.

“The United Nations condemns the deadly escalation of the Israeli military offensive which took place over the weekend across Gaza City, with scores of people reportedly killed or injured,” he said.

“We reiterate our call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel and full respect for international law.”

70,000 more uprooted

In a post on X on Sunday, the head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said that 10 of its buildings in Gaza City had been hit in the past four days alone, including seven schools and two clinics which were being used as shelters.

Almost 70,000 displaced people have headed south in the past few days, while UN partners counted 150,000 movements from north to south this past month.

Partners further reported that one third of malnutrition treatment facilities in Gaza City have shut down due to forced displacement orders, while the Ministry of Health today reported 425 deaths overall due to malnutrition and starvation in Gaza, about a third of which were children.

A call for ‘unimpeded humanitarian access’

Over the past few days, UN partners have managed to distribute 40,000 additional meals each day. As of Saturday, 558,000 daily meals were prepared and distributed by 20 UN partners to 116 kitchens.

“However, health services continue to be heavily constrained, since clinics have suspended their services due to insecurity and displacement orders,” warned Mr. Dujarric, adding that in Deir Al-Balah, only a few ambulances remain in order and are able to serve the thousands of people in need.

Additionally, 77 per cent of the road networks in Gaza have been damaged and according to UN aid coordination office OCHA, humanitarian aid continues to be obstructed.

On Sunday, only four of the 17 missions that the UN coordinated with the Israeli authorities were facilitated. Seven missions were denied, one of which was meant to deliver water tanks to the north, while another four were impeded in the field, and two were cancelled by the organisers.

Nevertheless, three humanitarian missions were accomplished, including the collection of fuel and food cargo from the Kerem Shalom/Karem Abu Salem crossing.

“Our humanitarian colleagues continue to call for unimpeded humanitarian access,” stressed Mr. Dujarric. “Aid should flow at scale through multiple crossings into and within Gaza, including the north,” accoeding to UN News.

News

‘We Love Israel’ – United States

CrossFireArabia
November 23, 2024

News

Barghouti: US Veto Show Complicity in Gaza Genocide

CrossFireArabia
November 21, 2024

The US administration’s use of the veto to frustrate the Security Council’s draft resolution to a Gaza ceasefire confirms it is a partner to the crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by Israel said Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative Movement.

America’s lone vote against the resolution in the face of all Security Council members, including its traditional allies, confirms the political isolation of the United States with Israel Barghouti told Jordan24.

The US vetoed yesterday a resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel’s bombardment of the Palestinian territory continues.

Let’s remember Dr. Refaat Alareer last words on… pic.twitter.com/Z6cyf9TqN5
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 21, 2024

He noted that this isolation was also evident in the last vote in the United Nations General Assembly, where it voted alone with Israel along with four weightless islands against 175 countries in the world.

Barghouti denounced the insistence of the Joe Biden administration – even in its last days – on its hostile approach to the Palestinian people, international law and international humanitarian law.

The US vetoed yesterday a resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

This is the fourth time that US President Joe Biden’s administration has vetoed a resolution calling for an end… pic.twitter.com/Ja6H4mXFVl
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 21, 2024

Barghouti pointed out that the American positions confirm the United States’ partnership in all Israeli crimes, not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank.

Barghouti pointed out that the US partnership with Israel is not limited to providing protection through the UN Security Council, but also through operating the largest air bridge to deliver American weapons and ammunition to the occupation, in addition to American aid and economic support for the occupation, stressing that “Israel cannot complete a week in its war on Gaza and Lebanon without American support.”