The Times of Israel is liveblogging Monday’s events as they unfold.
Suffering of Palestinian people is ‘front of mind,’ Biden says in Ramadan message
US President Joe Biden issued a message for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, saying that as Muslims gather around the world for the fasting month, “the suffering of the Palestinian people will be front of mind for many.”
“It is front of mind for me,” he adds.
“The sacred month is a time for reflection and renewal. This year, it comes at a moment of immense pain. The war in Gaza has inflicted terrible suffering on the Palestinian people,” says the president. “Nearly two million Palestinians have been displaced by the war; many are in urgent need of food, water, medicine, and shelter.”
The US, he says, will continue to “lead international efforts to get more humanitarian assistance into Gaza and “continue working non-stop to establish an immediate and sustained ceasefire for at least six weeks as part of a deal that releases hostages.”
Washington will also “continue building toward a long-term future of stability, security, and peace” that includes “a two-state solution to ensure Palestinians and Israelis share equal measures of freedom, dignity, security, and prosperity.”
“That is the only path toward an enduring peace,” he says.
UK government pledges extra cash for Muslims’ security
The British government on Monday pledged 117 million pounds ($150 million) towards protecting Muslim communities amid a rise in Islamophobia as it promises more action to tackle extremism.
The new funding, announced just over a week after extra cash was promised to enhance security for Jewish communities amid soaring antisemitism, will be used to protect mosques, Muslim faith schools and other community centers, the government says.
In February, the Community Security Trust said Britain recorded thousands of antisemitic incidents after the outbreak of war between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas in October, making 2023 the worst year for UK antisemitism since its records began in 1984.
The government had already given the CST, which advises Britain’s estimated 280,000 Jews on security matters, 18 million pounds (some $23 million) for 2024-25, taking the total funding up to 2028 to 70 million pounds ($88.6 million).
Tell Mama, a group that monitors anti-Muslim incidents, said last month there had been a 335% increase in cases since the October 7 Hamas massacre.
“Anti-Muslim hatred has absolutely no place in our society. We will not let events in the Middle East be used as an excuse to justify abuse against British Muslims,” Home Secretary (interior minister) James Cleverly says.
Shmuel Greenberg wins Beit Shemesh mayoral race, Haifa’s ex-longtime mayor Yona Yahav makes comeback
Beit Shemesh’s incumbent Aliza Bloch lost the mayoral race tonight to Degel Hatorah candidate Shmuel Greenberg, and Haifa’s former longtime mayor Yona Yahav made a comeback to lead the city, according to initial municipal election results tonight.
Beit Shemesh’s ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, population had launched a concerted push to retake the city, with Greenberg winning almost 60% of the votes, according to the results.
Yahav, 79, defeated David Etzioni for the position to lead the northern, mixed Israeli-Arab city of Haifa with over 60% of the votes.
Candidates were competing in run-off elections in 35 cities and villages across the country today after none managed to secure the 40% of ballots necessary to win in the first round of municipal elections two weeks ago.
In Rehovot, Matan Dil won the mayoral race, defeating Zohar Blum and incumbent Mayor Rahamim Malul.
In the West Bank city of Ariel, a political comeback for former Likud MK Oren Hazan was not in the cards. Yair Chetboun won that mayoral race with over 60% of the votes.
And in Efrat, long-time head of the regional council and incumbent Oded Revivi lost his mayoral bid to Dovi Shefler.
Today’s municipal vote was not a legal holiday, unlike the first round at the end of last month, and voting was restricted to between the hours of 1-10 p.m.
Israeli animated short film ‘Letter to a Pig’ loses Oscar bid
The Israeli animated short film “Letter to a Pig,” which was nominated for an Academy Award in the animated film category, did not win the award tonight at the event.
The Oscar in that category went to “War is Over,” an 11-minute animated film inspired by the music of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and co-produced by their son Sean Taro Ono Lennon.
“Letter to a Pig” deals with collective trauma from the Holocaust and remembrance. The 17-minute short, released in 2022 and directed by Tal Kantor, won best short film at the Israeli Film Academy Awards as well as a number of other accolades including “Best Narrative Short” at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
Some Oscar nominees wear red pins to call for Gaza ceasefire; protests snarl traffic outside event
Stars are arriving at the 96th Academy Awards, where protests over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza are snarling traffic near the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Several attendees, including Billie Eilish and Finneas, best song nominees for “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie,” wear “Artists for Ceasefire” pins.
The pins were handed out by Artists4Ceasefire, a group of actors, celebrities, and entertainment industry members who have signed an open letter urging US President Biden to call for “an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel.”
Some 400 artists have signed the letter, including Mandy Patinkin, Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere, and Susan Sarandon.
Other celebrities who are wearing the pins tonight include actor and comedian Ramy Youssef who stars in the film “Poor Things,” which is nominated for several awards.
“We’re all calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We’re calling for the safety of everyone involved. We really want lasting justice and peace for the Palestinian people,” Youssef said earlier on the red carpet, as cited by the Guardian.
The pins were also worn at previous entertainment industry events this year including at the Directors Guild of America Awards and the Grammys.
Meanwhile, scattered pro-Palestinian demonstrations are being held in the vicinity around the Oscars tonight.
Protesters have shut down the flow of traffic to the #Oscars red carpet, causing many attendees to get out of their cars and walk to the Dolby Theatre
????: Scott Feinberg pic.twitter.com/QBgWoFUbBG
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 10, 2024
Los Angeles police, which had expected protests, beefed up their already extensive presence. The Dolby Theatre and the red carpet leading into it are cordoned off for several blocks in every direction, though protesters disrupted traffic near security checkpoints on Sunset Blvd.