Mideast War blowback

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University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill resigned from her post Saturday after facing intense criticism from the White House, lawmakers and high-profile alumni over comments she made during a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism.

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

Bok's message included a brief statement from Magill, who said in part that "it has been my privilege to serve as President of this remarkable institution."

In a five-hour House hearing Tuesday, Magill and her counterparts at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were grilled over how their institutions responded to the rise in anti-Jewish hate since Oct. 7.

In a two-minute video message posted Wednesday night on the social media platform X, Magill elaborated on her answer and condemned calls for the genocide of Jewish people in more unequivocal terms.

"I was not focused on, but I should have been, the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate," she said in the video.

"It’s evil, plain and simple," Magill added.

The national outcry
The university presidents' exchanges with Stefanik went viral on social media and drew furious criticism from political leaders in both parties, as well as Jewish community advocates, alumni and donors.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told reporters Wednesday that Magill's response was "unacceptable“.

Ross Stevens, a Penn alumnus and the CEO of the financial firm Stone Ridge Holdings, sent a letter to the university Thursday threatening to pull $100 million worth of shares in his company that are held by the university unless Magill vacates her post.

In the letter, which was obtained by NBC News, Stevens cites Magill's congressional testimony and says he is "appalled by the University's stance on antisemitism on campus."

Magill's high-profile critics included the billionaire investor Bill Ackman, who repeatedly called for her ouster on X

More than 700 members of Harvard University's faculty have signed a letter urging administrators to resist calls to remove the school's president amid an outcry over testimony she gave last week at a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism.

"We, the undersigned faculty, urge you in the strong possible terms to defend the independence of the university and to resist political pressures that are at odds with Harvard's commitment to academic freedom, including calls for the removal of President Claudine Gay," the letter says.

"The critical work of defending a culture of free inquiry in our diverse community cannot proceed if we let its shape be dictated by outside forces," the letter goes on to say. NBC News obtained the text of the letter from history professor Alison Frank Johnson, one of the faculty members spearheading the effort.

At Tuesday's four-hour hearing on antisemitism on college campuses, before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Gay, Magill and Sally Kornbluth, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, all condemned antisemitism and Islamophobia in broad terms and said they were working to combat them.

But when Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., asked the three leaders if a student calling for the genocide of Jews would break college codes of conduct, they repeatedly deflected the question.

Gay said “it depends on the context” and added that antisemitic rhetoric would be classed as “bullying, harassment, intimidation.”

Frank Johnson said 723 people had signed the letter by Monday afternoon — more than a quarter of the school's 2,452 faculty members. She declined to release the names of the signatories, but said in an email that she was "very, very pleased by how broad the base of support is!"

The letter was delivered to the Harvard Corporation, the governing body that could decide Gay’s fate less than six months after she assumed the role. Harvard's press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.

In a separate letter, the executive committee of the Harvard Alumni Association said it "unanimously and unequivocally" supported Gay. "We have full confidence in her leadership during this difficult time," the committee members wrote.

Several dozen activists calling for the United States to push for a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas briefly protested in a U.S. Senate office building on Monday before police ended the protest and took dozens into custody.

Groups, including the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights and Jewish Voice for Peace organized the protest, which called for the U.S. government to divert funds to domestic priorities such as affordable housing and childcare instead of further arming Israel with U.S. weapons.

One activist was arrested after he climbed up onto a 51-foot (15.5 m) high black steel sculpture by artist Alexander Calder. Others chanted "ceasefire now" and wore shirts with the slogan "invest in life" as they linked arms.

Three Northern California coffee house workers — seen in a viral video denying a Jewish woman access to a bathroom where there was anti-Israeli graffiti — are no longer employed there, owners of the eatery said.

The video was taken at Farley’s East in Oakland, where the woman wanted to take pictures of provocative scribbles she found objectionable, leading to a confrontation that owners called “shocking and unacceptable.”

Footage of the bathroom showed “Zionism = fascism” written on a mirror frame and “Your neutrality/apathy is enabling genocide” scrawled on a diaper-changing station.

When the woman asked to go back in to take pictures, she was blocked by at least three employees, a man and two women, who told her to get out.

"I know Israel loves taking private property and saying it’s their own, but we gotta head," line chef Jesse Turner could be heard saying.

A women, who Turner identified to NBC News on Monday as the manager, said: "It is private property, I do need you to leave."

The workers eventually allowed the customer back into the restroom to take the images, as the man appeared to shout, "History didn’t start in 1948, lady," Turner said, in reference to the year Israel was established.

Both Turner, 29, and one of the female employees moments later added: "Free Palestine."

In a statement posted Saturday, Farley's owners Amy and Chris Hillyard apologized and said they should have taken more forceful action earlier.

"What began as a civil dialogue between our staff and a Jewish customer escalated into a situation that was shocking and unacceptable," said the owners. "Events like this strike fear in the Jewish community and perpetuate the rise of anti-Semitism in our community and around the world. We do not tolerate any behavior at Farley's that makes people feel unwelcome or unsafe."

The employees were "disrespectful and hurtful," said the Hillyards, without identifying them.

Turner said he, the manager and a barista — the three workers seen on video at the bathroom door — were all fired and four other Farley's employees have since quit in solidarity.

The footage widely seen since last week was shot 10 minutes after the woman had been challenging staff and blocking workers from the drink service counter, at the height of the Dec. 3 lunch rush, Turner said.

The bathroom graffiti had been up for weeks and the customer was given an email address to address her concerns to management, according to the former line chef, but she kept challenging workers to debate.

"She was harassing and berating staff," Turner told NBC News. "We told her ownership knows about the graffiti and it's up to ownership to deal with facilities."

The fired employee doesn’t regret voicing support for Palestinians, but does believe he should've done a better job keeping his cool in the moment

Claudine Gay, the embattled president of Harvard, will remain in the role, the university’s highest governing body announced Tuesday, following almost a week of outcry over testimony she gave at a congressional hearing on antisemitism.

"As members of the Harvard Corporation, we today reaffirm our support for President Gay’s continued leadership of Harvard University. Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing," the board said in a statement signed by the college’s fellows.

"President Gay has apologized for how she handled her congressional testimony and has committed to redoubling the University’s fight against antisemitism," the statement said.

Gay became the university's presidency less than six months ago. She is the second woman and first Black person to lead the Ivy League institution.

The news that Gay would remain in her office was first reported by the Crimson, citing an unnamed source familiar with the decision.

The Harvard Corporation also addressed accusations of plagiarism against Gay, saying in its statement that the university first learned of the allegations in late October. The board said the school carried out an "independent review" of her published scholarship in her career as a political scientist.

The board reviewed the results over the weekend and found "a few instances of inadequate citation." But the review did not find any violations of the university's standards for research misconduct, according to the board.

"President Gay is proactively requesting four corrections in two articles to insert citations and quotation marks that were omitted from the original publications," the board said.

I was not focused on, but I should have been, the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate. It’s evil — plain and simple,” she said in a video statement after the hearing.

Following the hearing, an SNL sketch mocked the three college presidents’ evasive answers, with Chloe Troast playing Donald Trump loyalist and “MAGA superstar” Ms Stefanik, who grilled the three women over the rise in antisemitism on campuses since the 7 October attacks on Israel.

“Antisemitism: Yay or nay?” screeched Troast’s Stefanik. “Yes or no: Is calling for the genocide of Jews against the code of conduct for Harvard?” she added.

Playing Harvard President Claudine Gay, Ego Nwodim replied saying it “depends on the context,” while Heidi Gardner, impersonating Ms Magill, told the hearing, “We are serious about stopping all forms of hatred,” before Troast’s Stefanik posed the same question to MIT President Dr Sally Kornbluth, played by Chloe Fineman.

If you don’t say yes, you’re going to make me look good, which is really, really hard to do,” Troast’s Stefanik said. “So I will ask you straight up. Do you think genocide is bad?”

Fineman’s Kornbluth then responded: “Could I submit an answer in writing at a later date?”

Unimpressed, Troast’s Stefanik reminded the three women: “Hate speech has no place on college campuses. Hate speech belongs in Congress, on Elon Musk’s Twitter, in private dinners with my donors, and in public speeches by my work husband, Donald Trump.”

SNL’s Bowen Yang, who played California Democratic Rep Mark Takano, then proceeded to ask the university presidents what they would do if a student on campus shouted that they had “poisoned the water supply,” to which Nwodim’s Gay responded that “if they poisoned it with diversity, that would be wonderful.”

The president of the online institution University of Phoenix, played by Kenan Thompson, was also featured in the sketch.

“Can you take a moral stance on anything? Can anyone here say yes to a single question?” Troast’s Stefanik shouted at Thompson.

“Well, my campus is the internet, so antisemitism is kind of our most popular major,” Mr Thompson said. “And our mascot is porn.”

The sketch prompted strong backlash from the public, university donors and politicians, with some questioning why SNL would make a mockery of a serious situation.

Conservative media personality Meghan McCain was among the critics, writing: “There is a 400% increase in antisemitic hate crimes since October 7th and SNL thinks it’s hilarious…. This is vile. Vile.”

Professor of Israel Studies Sara Yael Hirschhorn went further and wrote: “This is really appalling -- NBC do you think antisemitism is acceptable as the punchline of a joke about American society? This needs to be investigated by the FCC.”

The editor of the Jewish Chronicle, Jake Wallis Simons, also chimed in, writing: “Can’t believe SNL decided to mock those demanding tougher action on Jew-hatred on campus rather than those making excuses for calls for genocide.”

Meanwhile, the sketch also received some positive reviews, with one Harvard student saying the skit captured “how unable all the presidents were to give honestly pretty simple answers.”

Officers arrested 41 students on Monday following a demonstration at Brown University as students staged a sit-in and called for a cease-fire in Gaza, according to the Brown Daily Herald.

Providence Police Department and Brown Department of Public Safety officers arrested and booked all 41 students from Brown Divest Coalition who occupied University Hall on Tuesday afternoon and demanded the school divest from weapons manufacturers amid the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Herald.

“The disruption to secure buildings is not acceptable, and the University is prepared to escalate the level of criminal charges for future incidents of students occupying secure buildings,” University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in a statement to The Herald.

The arrests come just one month after twenty members of Jews for Ceasefire Now were charged with trespassing after staging a sit-in at University Hall, calling for divestment and a ceasefire, according to the Herald.

Given that this is the second prominent incident in recent weeks of students trespassing in a secure, non-residential building after operating hours, the University fully expects to recommend more significant criminal misdemeanor charges for any future incidents after the Dec. 11 sit-in,” Clark said.

The interim suspension of the group was based on multiple complaints of violating university policy, including disruption of classes, meals, and studying students; improper behavior by campus guests, and inappropriate use of space, according to a letter Monday, Dec. 10 from the Office of Student Affairs.

There were also allegations of vandalism to the Rutgers Business School, the letter says.

SJP is prohibited from participating in any university activity and promoting programs without permission from the student affairs office while suspended. Violations will lead to harsher punishments, the letter says.

Officials did not further detail the claims, however, a letter this week by Jewish Federation CEO Dov Ben-Shimon says SJP has repeatedly threatened and harassed Jewish students.

Ben-Shimon further said that SJP called Hamas's massacre of Israel "justified" and that pro-Palestinian students occupied the university's business school, "interfering with students’ access to their education."

About three dozen protesters calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war blocked all traffic on the southbound 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles for more than an hour Wednesday morning, snarling traffic for miles and sparking some physical confrontations with frustrated motorists trying to get the group off the highway.

The protest erupted shortly after 9 a.m. on the southbound 110 Freeway south of the 101 Freeway.

KNX News reported from the scene that protesters appeared to get out of cars on the freeway. The protesters then walked across all lanes, initially chanting “shut it down” then eventually linking arms and sitting in a line across the freeway, blocking all traffic. The group later erected a large menorah on the freeway while chanting slogans such as “Ceasefire now.”

With all traffic blocked, some frustrated motorists got out of their vehicles or off their motorcycles and physically confronted some of the protesters. Video from the scene showed several shoving matches, and at least one fight in which a person was thrown onto the hood of a car.

California Highway Patrol officers quickly intervened and tried to restore order. At least two motorcyclists, however, appeared to force their way through the protest line and rode away south.

Traffic backed up for miles on the 110 Freeway, with the backup also impacting traffic on the 101 and 5 freeways. Surface streets in the area also quickly flooded with traffic as motorists scrambled to find a way around the mess.

The CHP declared an unlawful assembly on the 110 Freeway shortly before 10 a.m., and officers using zip-ties began arresting the protesters and escorting them to waiting patrol cars. Helicopter footage from ABC 7 showed officers flooding the freeway to make the arrests.

None of the protesters appeared to resist arrest in any way, and all of them were in custody by about 10:20 a.m.

CHP officials told reporters on the scene that 75 people in total were taken into custody.

Shortly after 10:30 a.m., the CHP reopened three southbound lanes of traffic, and the jam of vehicles slowly began moving again.

A group called IfNotNow Los Angeles had announced plans for a downtown protest Wednesday morning calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, although the organization did not indicate it intended to shut down the freeway. The group stated the protest was being held “to demand that all of our elected officials call for a lasting ceasefire and an end to U.S. support for Israel’s war on Gaza.”

An individual lodged a Palestinian flag in a menorah on the New Haven Green at a pro-Palestine protest on Dec. 9, which public officials, event organizers and Yale University leaders have since denounced as antisemitic. The menorah is up on the New Haven Green to celebrate the Jewish holiday Hanukkah.

The demonstration — organized by American Muslims for Palestine’s Connecticut chapter, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Connecticut, We Will Return Palestine and Yalies4Palestine — protested the United Nations’ response to the Israel-Hamas war, per an Instagram post announcing the rally.

In a Dec. 10 joint Instagram post by Yalies4Palestine and AMP CT, the organizers apologized for the incident, which they condemned as antisemitic, and said the individual who placed the flag atop the menorah was not affiliated with any of the organizing groups.

On Saturday, around 300 protesters marched through the Green, along Chapel Street, York Street, and then through Elm Street back to the Green, according to the New Haven Independent. Through the route, some chanted, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “There is only one solution: Intifada revolution.” Some protesters carried posters calling Rep. DeLauro to push for a ceasefire, among other posters.

During the protest, an unidentified masked individual climbed the menorah and stuck a Palestinian flag between the branches of the menorah. Below, several people surrounding the individual called for the person to “get down” and said “that looks bad for us,” according to a video from Forbes. According to the New Haven Independent, other protesters took down the flag from the menorah immediately after it was put up.

“These actions do not align with our goals of promoting respective dialogue and peaceful advocacy,” organizers wrote in their statement. “Moving forward, we will take further precautions to uphold our commitment to foster an inclusive and respectful environment for all participants.” They added that there is “no room for antisemitism” in their ““movement for Palestine.”

Two-thirds (About 67%) of young Americans between the ages of 18-24 believe that Jews as a class are oppressors and should be treated as oppressors, according to a new poll conducted by Harris Insights and Analytics and Harvard University's Center for American Political Studies (CAPS).

The poll, conducted among about 2,000 registered voters in the US, additionally found that more than half (51%) of 18-24 year olds believe that the long-term answer for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is for "Israel to be ended and given to Hamas and the Palestinians," although another question on the poll, asking if Israel has the right to exist, found that 69% of that cohort believe that Israel does have the right to exist.

Despite the data above, bipartisan support for Israel among Americans in general remains high, according to the poll. Some 63% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans believe that the US should be supporting Israel in the war against Hamas.

Support for aid to Israel that was recently approved is high as well among Republicans and Democrats, although more than half of independent voters oppose such aid.

Additionally, 84% of Americans said they believe that the October 7 massacre was a terrorist attack, with almost three-fourths (73%) saying it was genocidal in nature and 73% saying it was not justified by the grievances of Palestinians.

Among Americans between the ages of 18-24, some 73% also said they thought it was a terrorist attack and three-fourths (66%) said it was genocidal in nature, but 60% also said that it could be justified by the grievances of Palestinians.

Additionally, while 81% of all Americans said they support Israel over Hamas, only half of Americans between the ages of 18-24 felt the same.

Americans believe Israel trying to avoid civilian casualties in defensive war
When asked if they think Israel is trying to avoid civilian casualties in the war against Hamas, 69% of Americans said that they believe Israel is trying to avoid such casualties. The percentage of Americans between the ages of 18-24 who thought the same was actually higher than the national average at 70%.

The majority of Americans (63%) also believe that Israel is just trying to defend itself, although the majority of Americans between the ages of 18-24 and between the ages of 25-34 believe that Israel is committing genocide.

Additionally, the vast majority of Americans (81%) said that Israel has a right to defend itself against terror attacks by "launching air strikes on targets in heavily populated Palestinian areas with warnings to those citizens." In contrast to the results on some other questions, this option had widespread support among young Americans, with a similar number (80%) of 18-24 year olds saying that Israel does have the right to defend itself in such a way. This percentage was slightly lower among 25-44 year olds.

Most young Americans support ceasefire that would leave hostages in Gaza
The poll additionally found that two-thirds of Americans between the ages of 18-24 are in favor of an unconditional ceasefire that would leave the hostages in Gaza and Hamas in power. Some 64% of Americans said that a ceasefire should only happen once the hostages are all released and Hamas is removed from power.

A similar question, asking if Israel should cease all hostilities now or keep going until Hamas is defeated and the hostages are released, found that 63% of Americans agree, while the sentiment is basically reversed among 18-24 year olds, with 57% of them thinking Israel should cease all hostilities now.

Additionally, almost three-fourths (74%) of Americans said they believe Hamas wants to commit genocide against the Jews in Israel, although only 58% of those between the ages of 18-24 said the same.

When asked if they think Hamas is an organization that can be negotiated with to create peace, more than three-fourths (76%) of 18-24 year olds agree. Among the totality of Americans, 64% disagree, saying that they believe Hamas is dedicated only to the destruction of Israel.
Two-thirds of Americans (66%) believe that Hamas is not supported by the majority of Gazans, although a similar number of those between the ages of 18-24 (64%) don't.

The vast majority of Americans (80%) believe that Hamas uses civilians as human shields – and three-fourths said they believe that Hamas, not Israel, is primarily responsible for putting Gazan civilians in harm's way.

Additionally, almost three-fourths of Americans (73%) said Hamas is primarily responsible for triggering the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, while a slight majority of Americans 18-24 said that Israel is primarily responsible.

Americans aware of growing antisemitism in US
In terms of antisemitism in the US, three-quarters of respondents said that they think antisemitism is growing in the US and almost two-thirds (65%) said they think discrimination against Muslims is growing there. Additionally, 68% think that antisemitism is prevalent on university campuses and 76% said Jewish students on campuses are facing harassment over being Jewish.

When asked "if a student calls for the genocide of Jews, should that student be told that they are free to call for genocide or should such students face actions for violating university rules?" more than half (53%) of Americans between the ages of 18-24 said that such a student should be told that they are free to call for genocide. Among the totality of American respondents, almost three-fourths (74%) said that such a student should face actions for violating university rules.

When asked who they think is responsible for antisemitism on campuses, 24% of Americans said it's always been there, 20% said students, 18% said left-wing political movements, 11% said university presidents, another 11% said foreign funding of universities, 7% said university professors, and 8% said that none of the above were responsible.

Americans unhappy with university presidents' response to antisemitism
While most Americans (62%) said that they felt that university presidents did not go far enough to condemn antisemitism on their campuses during recent congressional testimony, 67% of those between the ages of 18-24 said they thought that the presidents did.

Regarding whether "university presidents who said that calls for the genocide of Jews on their campuses are not necessarily a violation of their school’s code of conduct and harassment policies because it 'depends on the context' or 'whether speech turns into conduct'" should resign, almost three-fourths (74%) of Americans said that they should, as did a similar number (73%) of those between the ages of 18-24.

Approval of university presidents in general was low among Americans, with 64% saying that university presidents were failing to lead the next generation. Americans between the ages of 18-24 were split on the matter, with 51% saying university presidents are showing the right leadership and 49% saying they were failing to lead.

Police arrested “roughly 60” anti-Israel protesters inside the Capitol Rotunda Tuesday after a group led by controversial activist Linda Sarsour staged an illegal rally in the iconic venue.

“Not another nickel! Not another dime! No more money for Israel’s crimes!” chanted members of the group, holding “Stop Arming Israel” signs.

It is illegal to hold demonstrations inside the Capitol, though violators of the prohibition are inconsistently prosecuted by the DC US Attorney’s Office after being arrested.

“We were aware of a group’s potential plan to take a tour of the US Capitol Building and then start a protest,” Capitol Police said in a statement.

“It is against the law to demonstrate inside the Congressional Buildings, so we brought in additional officers to be prepared for the moment the group would break the law. The group was screened when they entered the building. Once they broke the law, roughly 60 people were immediately arrested for [violating] D.C. Code § 22–1307 — Crowding, Obstructing, or Incommoding.”

The US Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether charges will be pursued against members of the group.

The rare Rotunda protest drew condemnation from conservatives, who likened it to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump battled with police inside the Rotunda as they disrupted certification of his Electoral College defeat.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) tweeted, “Insurrection happening now in the Capital!! [sic] Is that Linda Sarsour leading the Pro-Hamas Anti-Israel insurrectionists? Very serious ties to terrorists & Progressive Democrats if it’s her. Arrest them all and throw them in the DC gulag in solitary confinement just like J6’ers!”

Sarsour, the Brooklyn-born daughter of Palestinian immigrants, is an advocate of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which seeks to build global economic pressure on the Jewish state.

She drew outrage last month for ridiculing the “little posters” of hostages abducted by Hamas terrorists during the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people, including at least 33 Americans.

WARSAW, Dec 12 (Reuters) - A far-right Polish lawmaker used a fire extinguisher to put out Hanukkah candles in the country's parliament on Tuesday during an event with members of the Jewish community, provoking outrage and leading the speaker to exclude him from the sitting.

The disruption came ahead of a key vote on whether to approve newly appointed pro-EU prime minister Donald Tusk.

Footage posted on the website of private broadcaster TVN24 showed Grzegorz Braun of the Confederation party take the extinguisher before walking across the lobby of the parliament to where the candles were, creating a white cloud and forcing security guards to rush people out of the area.

Members of the Jewish community, including children, had gone to parliament at speaker Szymon Holownia's invitation for its annual Hanukkah celebrations.

The footage showed people in the vicinity covered in powder from the extinguisher.

Afterwards Braun took to the podium in the chamber where he described Hanukkah as "satanic" and said he was restoring "normality".

Asked just after the incident if he was ashamed, Braun replied: "Those who take part in acts of satanic worship should be ashamed."

Not sure if this qualifies as "Mideast War blowback," but there recently has been some rather extreme expression of anti-Jewish bigotry in Poland:

Far-right Polish lawmaker uses fire extinguisher on Hanukkah candles in parliament by Anna Koper, Reuters, December 12, 2023. Excerpt:

A pro-Palestinian protest shut down traffic in the area of La Cienega and Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills on Saturday. The crowd, marching in solidarity, prompted authorities to close off traffic in all directions, urging commuters to steer clear of the area.

Pro-Israel protesters on the opposite side of the street engaged in their own chants and demonstrations.

A group of pro-Palestinian supporters gathered outside the San Francisco County Jail on Saturday night to demand the release of people arrested in Union Square earlier in the day, a spokesperson for the group said at about 9:30 p.m.

Pro-Palestinian protesters took over Union Square in San Francisco on Saturday and an unknown number of people were arrested, according to San Francisco police.

Members of the Bay Area Palestinian Youth Movement organization called for supporters to gather outside of 850 Bryant St., the site of the jail.

At about 2 p.m., San Francisco police were facilitating the pro-Palestinian protest that drew hundreds of people demanding that the U.S. halt funding to Israel.

Officers began stationing at Market and Fifth streets. The group then moved to Union Square, where "several people began to commit crimes," ranging from assault to felony vandalism, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department said. The department said there was property damage as well.

A photo of a protester climbing the Union Square Christmas tree with a sign could be seen on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

It seems most of the civil disobedience protests that have disrupted people going about their daily lives have been done by Jews. I am starting to wonder if this is ratfucking designed to make antiwar Jews look bad.

Thousands of protesters staged one of the largest pro-Palestinian marches Sunday in Rabat since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, demanding an end to Morocco's ties with Israel.

Protests of Israel's war in Gaza have repeatedly drawn thousands of people in Morocco since the conflict began more than two months ago, mostly led by pan-Arab and Islamist groups.

Sunday's march was co-organized by leftist groups and the outlawed but tolerated Adl wal Ihsan Islamists.

Most of the 10,000 protesters appeared to be Islamists with men marching separately from women, waving Palestinian flags and holding placards reading "resistance till victory," "stop Moroccan government normalization with Israel" and "free Palestine."

Morocco agreed to strengthen ties with Israel in 2020, under a deal brokered by the U.S. administration under then President Donald Trump that also included Washington recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

Protesters in Sunday's march also called for a boycott of brands they accuse of supporting Israel.

Despite their policy of normalizing ties with Israel, Moroccan authorities have continued to back the creation of a Palestinian state and have urged a cease-fire in Gaza and the protection of all civilians there.

Although Morocco and Israel have not yet completed the process of setting up full embassies in each other's countries as they agreed, they have moved closer together, signing a defense cooperation pact.

Congregants of Temple Beth Am headed to Saturday afternoon prayer services won’t be going to the synagogue that’s anchored their Jewish neighborhood in mid-city Los Angeles since the 1950s.

They will instead convene at a private home, the Conservative synagogue’s senior rabbi announced Thursday, due to safety concerns related to a pro-Palestinian protest organizers plan to hold at a park across the street.

The Dec. 23 protest at La Cienega Park is billed as “Black and Palestinian Solidarity for a Ceasefire this Christmas” with several organizations involved, including Black Lives Matter Los Angeles.

Rabbi Adam Kligfeld wrote in a letter to congregants that the decision to move the services was made out of an abundance of caution in light of the rally’s seeming resemblance to other protests, “many of which have resulted in violence and loss-of-life, and none of which seem particularly safe for Jews and Zionists.”

But ultimately the synagogue decided to limit potential conflict between people walking past the park on their way to services and the protesters.

“We decided that this was not Kol Nidrei. This was not a Bar Mitzvah,” Kligfeld said. “This is the Shabbat afternoon crowd — a lovely, committed, small, niche crowd that could be moved to someone’s house without incident.”

Still, the rabbi wrote in the letter that the decision to move the service off-site was “nearly unprecedented.”

Some Jewish Angelenos pointed to Beth Am’s retreat as indication that elected officials are not doing enough to protect the Jewish community.

Others wondered whether the protest was being held in a Jewish area deliberately.

Kligfeld said he didn’t think the rally was being held at nearby La Cienega Park with Temple Beth Am in mind, but added, “I don’t think it’s an accident that the rally is taking place in a very Jewy part of the city.”

A massive group of pro-Palestinian protesters in Chicago confronted lawmakers at their homes on Saturday and temporarily shut down an interstate to express support for Palestinians in Gaza.

The group, led by the "U.S. Palestinian Community Network," first stopped at the home of U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., in the city of Evanston, the group said on Instagram.

The demonstrators also confronted U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., at his home in Chicago, where they shouted chants of "Long live Palestine!"

At both locations and later on the interstate, they expressed support for a ceasefire and more support for Palestinians amid the war in the Middle East between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists.

Durbin spoke with protesters, according to a video posted by the group. He said he "will do more" to help Palestinian civilians but did not provide any specifics.

Then a caravan of nearly 100 vehicles then went toward O'Hare International Airport and disrupted traffic on I-190 and Manheim Road, according to FOX 32 Chicago. Both sides of the interstate were temporarily shut down, forcing traffic to remain at a standstill.

Traffic had resumed by 5 p.m., and the roadways were re-opened, the outlet reported.

Pro-Palestinians ambushed a Christmas community fundraiser for blind children in Australia as a stage for their anti-Israel activities.

The event, Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight, had 10,000 people in attendance and was broadcast live on Channel 9 as the crowd booed. The protesters raised Palestinian flags as they trampled across the stage and screamed about Gaza before they were dragged away by security.

"Well, it is the climate, isn't it?" a female host said.