The Times of Israel is liveblogging Wednesday’s events as they unfold.
Israel-critic Bush falls in Missouri primary
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell has defeated US Rep. Cori Bush in a Democratic primary in St. Louis, marking the second time this year that one of the party’s incumbents has been ousted in an expensive contest that reflected deep divisions over the war in Gaza.
With over 95 percent of the ballots tallied, Bell has 51.2% of the votes, to Bush’s 45.6%,
Bush, a member of the progressive congressional group known as the “Squad,” was seeking a third term in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, which includes St. Louis city and part of St. Louis County. Bell is heavily favored to carry this overwhelmingly Democratic district in November, when his party is aiming to retake control of the US House.
Bell’s campaign received a big boost from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, whose super political action committee, United Democracy Project, spent $8.5 million to oust Bush. She was targeted after repeated criticism of Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas attack.
A statement from United Democracy Project says the wins by Bell and George Latimer, who beat Squad member Jerome Bowman in a New York primary in June, along with John McGuire’s defeat of U.S. Rep. Bob Good in a Republican primary last week in Virginia, “is further proof that being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics on both sides of the aisle. UDP will continue our efforts to support leaders working to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance while countering detractors in either political party.”
Bush says the donors behind AIPAC support former President Donald Trump and other Republicans.
“This is only the beginning,” Bush tells the AP. “Because if they can unseat me, then they’re going to continue to come after more Democrats.”
Report: Israel told US it took out Haniyeh; White House enraged by hit
Israel informed the US immediately following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh that it was behind the killing, the Washington Post reports, citing sources familiar with the White House’s thought process.
According to the newspaper, Biden administration officials were livid about the decision to take out Haniyeh, worrying it could upend months of careful negotiations toward a truce in Gaza.
The newspaper reports that US officials are also outraged over Israel failing to inform them before launching other operations to assassinate Hezbollah or Iranian commanders.
An anonymous Israeli official quoted by the Washington Post confirms that a phone call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden last week was “tense.”
Squad lawmaker Cori Bush trailing in primary to pro-Israel backed challenger
A second member of the so-called Squad of progressive congressional Democrats may be headed for early retirement following a primary challenge backed by pro-Israel groups.
With just over half the votes tallied, St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell leads strident Israel critic Cori Bush by a nearly 12 percent margin in the Democratic primary to represent Missouri’s 1st congressional district.
Bush, who rose to prominence leading protests in Ferguson after the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown, has been targeted by pro-Israel groups funding races against candidates most vociferously opposed to the Jewish state.
Much of Bell’s funding comes from groups that are affiliated with, or ideologically close to, the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. Political action committees aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs have spent at least $9 million in the race. Another pro-Israel PAC, Democratic Majority for Israel, has spent close to $500,000.
In June, Squad member Jamaal Bowman was defeated in a New York primary by local politician George Latimer, in a race that pro-Israel groups spent $14 million on.
Michigan’s Slotkin wins primary, to face GOP’s Rogers for Senate seat
Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin will face off against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers for a Michigan Senate seat in the November election.
Slotkin, a Jewish former CIA intelligence officer, defeats actor Hill Harper in the Democratic primary, while Republicans choose Rogers over Justin Amash, a former congressman of Palestinian heritage, and physician Sherry O’Donnell.
Both candidates will now compete for a seat left open by longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s retirement.
Slotkin enters the race with a massive fundraising advantage and emerges nearly unscathed from a sparse primary, while Rogers has the backing of national Republican groups and former President Donald Trump.
New York photojournalist accused of hate crime after documenting anti-Israel protest
A New York City journalist has been arrested on charges that he accompanied a group of pro-Palestinian protesters as they hurled red paint at the homes of top leaders at the Brooklyn Museum earlier this summer.
Samuel Seligson, an independent videographer, faces felony hate crime charges.
According to a criminal complaint written by a police detective, Seligson, 31, traveled with the group of vandals as they defaced the facades of two apartments belonging to the museum’s director and president. The activists are accused of spray-painting doors and sidewalks with messages that accused the two leaders of supporting genocide. A banner hung at the home of the museum’s Jewish president called her a “white-supremacist Zionist.”
Seligson’s attorney, Leena Widdi, says her client was acting in his capacity as a credentialed member of the media, describing the hate crime charges as an “appalling” overreach by police and prosecutors. She says police twice raided his Brooklyn home before he turned himself in early Tuesday.
While the complaint describes Seligson as a participant in the crime, a law enforcement official speaking anonymously says he was not directly involved in the spray-painting or property damage.
Anarchists posing as press
surrenders in antisemitic vandalism spree targeting Brooklyn Museum’s Jewish board members .Samuel Seligson, 32, of Brooklyn surrendered at the 7th Precinct stationhouse on the Lower East Side at around 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 6, less than a week after… pic.twitter.com/CspWVcx0zZ
— Viral News NYC (@ViralNewsNYC) August 6, 2024
The arrest has drawn condemnations from press freedom groups, while raising questions about the rights of a journalist to document illegal activity. Seligson, who is Jewish, is a fixture at New York City protests and has licensed and sold footage to mainstream outlets, including Reuters and ABC News.
“Samuel is being charged for alleged behavior that is protected by the First amendment and consistent with his job as a credentialed member of the press,” Widdi says in an email. “What is even more concerning, however, is that this member of the press is being charged with a hate crime.”
Seligson has been arraigned in Brooklyn on eight counts of criminal mischief, four of which are classified as a hate crime, and has been granted supervised release.
The June vandalism targeted four homes belonging to members of the Brooklyn Museum’s board, generating allegations of antisemitism and condemnations from across the political spectrum.
The activists wore face masks and dark clothing as they spray-painted slogans on the board members’ homes, according to court papers. They also hung banners featuring an inverted red triangle, a symbol used as propaganda by the Hamas terror group to celebrate attacks on Israelis.
Harris introduces running mate Walz at rally as passed-over Shapiro fires up Philly crowd
Vice President Kamala Harris has introduced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate at a boisterous rally in Philadelphia just hours after announcing the affable politician as her pick.
“I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris says, joking that the past two weeks since she stepped into the race have been “something of a whirlwind.”
“I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader.”
Speaking to a raucous crowd of more than 10,000 at Temple University, Harris describes Walz’s background as a former high school teacher and football coach, an Army National Guard veteran and a former congressman, before predicting that he would earn a new title in November: vice president of the United States.
“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big,” she says.
Walz beat out Pennsylvania’s popular governor, Josh Shapiro, for the No. 2 role. Shapiro had faced sharp criticism from the left, especially progressive groups and pro-Palestinian activists, over his support for Israel and his handling of college protests sparked by the war in Gaza.
Shapiro, an ambitious politician in his own right, struggled with the idea of being No. 2 at the White House and said he felt he had more to do in Pennsylvania, according to one of the people familiar with Harris’ decision.
Shapiro praises the Harris/Walz ticket at the rally in Philadelphia, receiving big applause from thousands of attendees during a fiery speech in which he attacks Republicans and promises to “work my tail off” to get Harris elected.
“I love you Philly. You know what else I love, I love being your governor,” Shapiro says. “I am going to continue pouring my heart and soul into continuing to serve you every single day as your governor.”
Shapiro, an observant Jew, tells the crowd he is “proud of my faith” and quotes from Ethics of Our Fathers, a Talmudic compendium of rabbinical philosophy.
“My faith teaches me that no one is required to complete the task but neither are we free to refrain from it,” he says. “That means that each of us has a responsibility to get off the sidelines, to get in the game, to do our part.”
He also offers a strong endorsement of Walz, telling the crowd that he is an “outstanding governor” and a “great patriot.”
Walz returns the compliment when he takes the stage later with Harris.
“My God, what a treasure you have in Josh Shapiro,” he says. “Holy hell, can this guy bring the fire.”
Ceasefire talks in final stage, Haniyeh replacement Sinwar has power to decide — Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Yahya Sinwar, named as the new leader of Hamas’s political wing, has the power to ensure that a ceasefire deal is reached halting the war in Gaza and freeing hostages.
Blinken notes that Sinwar “has been and remains the primary decider when it comes to concluding the ceasefire.”
Hamas’s announcement of its promotion of Sinwar “only underscores the fact that it’s really on him to decide whether to move forward with a ceasefire that manifestly will help so many Palestinians in desperate need, women, children, men who are caught in a crossfire,” Blinken says. “… It really is on him.”
Blinken says talks on implementing the deal after months of painstaking negotiations have continued despite the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, who Sinwar will now take over for.
Blinken says the effort to reach a ceasefire is in the final stage, but is threatened by tensions with Iran.
“We believe … there is no reason this should not be concluded and concluded quickly,” he says. “This is really a time for all of the parties involved to close this out, no delays, no excuses, no reason we can’t do something focused on getting to yes.”
After soldiers injured in Iraq, Austin says US will not tolerate attacks on troops
The United States will not tolerate attacks on American troops in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says, after rocket fire in Iraq wounded seven US personnel.
The Monday attack was the third in just over three weeks on Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq, which hosts American troops as well as other personnel from the US-led coalition against the Islamic State jihadist group.
“Make no mistake, the United States will not tolerate attacks on our personnel in the region,” Austin tells a news conference in Annapolis.
A US defense official said earlier in the day that the attack wounded five American military personnel and two contractors, all of whom are in stable condition.
An earlier Pentagon statement on a call between Austin and Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant described the rocket fire as an “Iran-aligned militia attack on US forces” and said the two agreed that it “marked a dangerous escalation.”
Austin says the Pentagon is sure the attack was directed by Iran-backed militias.
US telling Iran and Israel not to ratchet up conflict, Blinken says
The United States has communicated to Iran and Israel that there is a consensus in the Middle East that the current conflict must not escalate, Secretary of State Antony Blinken says.
“No one should escalate this conflict. We’ve been engaged in intense diplomacy with allies and partners, communicating that message directly to Iran. We communicated that message directly to Israel,” Blinken tells reporters.
Blinken, speaking after a meeting between him, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Australian counterparts, also says talks to achieve a ceasefire and hostage deal on the war in Gaza had reached their final stage.