The Times of Israel is liveblogging Saturday’s events as they happen.
NY governor orders state college to remove Palestinian studies job listing
NEW YORK — New York’s governor has ordered a state school to remove a job posting for a Palestinian studies teaching position this week, saying she wanted to ensure “antisemitic theories” would not be taught.
The job posting at Hunter College had called for a historian “who takes a critical lens to issues pertaining to Palestine including but not limited to settler-colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid, migration, climate and infrastructure devastation, health, race, gender, and sexuality,” according to screenshots published by the New York Post, which first reported the job announcement.
Following the coverage, Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, ordered the City University of New York school to remove the posting “and conduct a thorough review of the position to ensure that antisemitic theories are not promoted in the classroom,” her office says in a statement.
The CUNY Board of Trustees agreed, and university officials have since removed the posting for a “Palestinian Studies Cluster Hire,” which was marked as expired on Friday.
“We find this language divisive, polarizing and inappropriate and strongly agree with Governor Hochul’s direction to remove this posting,” say Chairperson William C. Thompson Jr. and Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, adding they will work “to tackle antisemitism on our campuses and combat hate in all of its forms.”
The governor’s statement adds that no class is being canceled.
The CUNY school says it will still hire a relevant expert.
“Hunter College took down the job listings following the concerns raised about the language used in the online posting. We will be reviewing the posting process and look forward to adding scholars with expertise in this subject matter to our distinguished faculty,” the college says in a statement, adding that expertise would include ”Palestinian history, culture, and society.”
Zelensky says ‘of course’ ties with US can be salvaged, declines to apologize after clash with Trump
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky says he believes Kyiv’s relationship with the United States can be salvaged, following a dramatic clash with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
“Of course” the relationship between the wartime allies can be fixed, Zelensky tells Fox News’s Brett Baier, adding that he does not want to lose the United States as a partner — while saying he wants Trump to be “really more on our side.”
Zelensky declines when asked about apologizing to Trump, saying, “I think that we have to be very open and very honest, and I’m not sure that we did something bad.”
The Ukrainian president also says that it would be “difficult” for Ukraine to hold off invading Russian forces without American support.
“It will be difficult for us,” Zelensky says when asked if Ukraine can win or hold off Moscow without Washington’s backing.
“That’s why I’m here. That’s why we speak about the future negotiations. It will be difficult without your support,” he adds.
Border control officers call off Sunday strike that would’ve shuttered airport
Border control officers have called off a planned 9-hour strike on Sunday that would have shut down Ben Gurion Airport and every other entry point into the country, after their union reached an agreement with the Finance Ministry.
The border control officers have been demanding higher pay and better personal protection.
Trump says Zelensky ‘overplayed his hand,’ insists on ‘a ceasefire now’ in Ukraine
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump says visiting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky “overplayed his hand” during their extraordinary Oval Office clash, and insists “I want a ceasefire now.”
Trump, who spoke to reporters while departing the White House for his Florida estate, also says he wants fighting in Ukraine to end “immediately” and accuses Zelensky of opposing a truce
US announces $3 billion in pending arms sales to Israel, including armored bulldozers
The US State Department has told Congress that it plans to sell nearly $3 billion in weapons to Israel, including thousands of bombs and $295 million worth of armored bulldozers.
According to the State Department, three separate sales were sent to Congress for approval.
One is for $2.04 billion for 35,529 MK 84 or BLU-117 heavy bombs and 4,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads. Deliveries are expected next year.
The second is $675.7 million for 201 MK 83 1,000-pound bombs, 4,799 BLU-110A/B 1,000-pound bombs, and 5,000 JDAM guidance kits. Deliveries are expected in 2028.
The third sale, estimated at $295 million, includes D9 Caterpillar bulldozers and related equipment. The deliveries of the bulldozers, which the Israeli military uses, are expected to begin in 2027.
In November it was reported that the former US administration was holding up the sale of the D9 bulldozers over the use of the machinery to destroy homes in the Gaza Strip, which the IDF says are used by Hamas.
The proposed sales “will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency says in a statement.