Former deputy special envoy: Election a referendum on antisemitism
Ellie Cohanim, who was the deputy special envoy to combat antisemitism in President Donald Trump's first term, joined 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports' to talk about how the protests have impacted Jewish students on campus.
'I think that the election was a referendum on antisemitism and anti-Americanism,' Cohanim said. 'This country elected President Trump with a huge mandate because they reject that.'
Former hostage says Hamas ate to 'heart's content' while he starved
Cohanim said Trump taking aggressive actions towards alleged antisemitism, like pulling funding from Columbia University and the arrests of students like Rumeysa Ozturk for their suspected roles in protests, was a good thing.
Cohanim is reportedly on the shortlist for U.N. ambassador. She said she would be honored to serve in the Trump administration for a second time if picked for the role.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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New York Post
29 minutes ago
- New York Post
Dear President Trump: ‘Don't let my little brother die like this'
I haven't watched the video of my little brother Evyatar. I couldn't. Just hearing what's in it nearly shattered me: Evyatar, just 24 years old, barely skin and bones, digging his own grave in a Hamas tunnel, whispering that he hasn't eaten in days. Whispering that he's afraid he's going to die there. Advertisement That image now lives in my mind, even though I haven't seen it. I made a choice not to watch it — because if I do, I know I'll crumble. And if I crumble, I won't be able to fight for him. I won't be able to speak for him. So I keep going. Because I have no other choice. Even when the weight is unbearable. Advertisement Evyatar was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, a celebration of life and peace turned into a massacre. Since then, my family has lived in a nightmare. But nothing, nothing, prepared us for this. The video, released by Hamas as sick propaganda, shows my brother as a living skeleton. He is starving. His eyes are hollow. His voice is barely there. He counts the days without food and water. He marks time on the walls like a prisoner. He digs a hole and calls it his grave. This isn't just psychological torture. This is a methodical act of starvation, an intentional, calculated crime designed to break him, and break us. Hamas is using my brother's slow death to get attention. They're turning his pain into a political tool. Israeli hostage Evyatar David (right) and brother Ilay, (left) Family handout Advertisement My brother is being buried alive. And here's the most horrifying truth: He might only have days left to live. We don't have time for more speeches, more handshakes, more empty declarations. We need action. Now. I'm speaking directly to the leaders of the world. To President Trump. To every country that claims to stand for human rights. You are running out of time to save my brother. Don't let Evyatar die in that tunnel. Don't let him starve to death while you look the other way. Don't let him become a symbol we cry over after it's too late. Advertisement He is not a headline. He is not a bargaining chip. He is a human being. He is my brother. And he is still alive — barely. Never hurt anyone Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Let me tell you who Evyatar is. He's the middle of three siblings. He's gentle. He's goofy. He laughs at his own jokes and always makes people around him smile. He loves music, especially rock 'n' roll. He never hurt anyone. His only 'crime' was going to a party with his friends. That's who's dying in that tunnel. A kind, full-of-life young man who should be out in the world, falling in love, chasing dreams, living freely. Advertisement Instead, he's withering away in the dark, starved and forgotten. I don't know how to scream loud enough to make the world care. But I'm screaming anyway. Evyatar and the other hostages, all 50 of them, are victims of deliberate cruelty. The humanitarian aid that enters Gaza must reach them, too. Hamas' words and declarations are not enough. We need proof, real proof, that they are providing the hostages with food, water and medical care. Advertisement Every organization sending food and supplies to civilians must also demand proof that hostages are being fed and treated. And if Hamas refuses, the world must respond. Plea for 'one bold deal' Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters The only thing standing between the hostages and freedom is Hamas, the same terrorist regime that starves both its hostages and its own people. Every ounce of international pressure must be aimed directly at them. Advertisement Silence is complicity. You don't need to know Evyatar to fight for him. You just need to be human. To President Trump: Thank you. You've spoken out for the hostages. You've given our families hope. Now, we turn to you again — with everything we have left — and ask for your help. We believe, like the overwhelming majority of Israelis, that only a comprehensive agreement, one bold deal that brings all 50 hostages home, can end this nightmare and save Evyatar's life. Advertisement Mr. President, we know you care. Please, use your influence, your leadership, your strength, to bring Evyatar and all 49 other hostages home. We believe you can make it happen. We are running out of time. Help us bring them back before we are left with no one to welcome home at all. Please. Don't let my little brother die like this.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Red Cross to be 'neutral humanitarian mediator' as Netanyahu urges it to provide hostages aid
"Hamas's lie of starvation resonates around the world, while the actual systematic starvation is against our hostages who suffer brutal physical and mental abuse," he said. The head of the regional International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Julien Lerisson, pledged that the organization would play a role as a "neutral humanitarian mediator and assist in the release of all hostages at any stage," in a conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, according to a statement from the aid organization. Netanyahu demanded that the ICRC provide food and immediate medical care to the remaining hostages in Gaza, while in the call, the Prime Minister's Office said. Lerrison told the prime minister that the ICRC continues to push for access to the hostages so that the organization can provide them with care and restore contact between them and their families, according to a statement from the organization. The prime minister demanded countries worldwide denounce terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and said their actions go against international law and the Geneva Conventions. "Hamas's lie of starvation resonates around the world, while the actual systematic starvation is against our hostages who suffer brutal physical and mental abuse," Netanyahu told the Red Cross official. "The world cannot stand idly by in the face of the shocking images reminiscent of Nazi crimes." The Red Cross has facilitated the transfer of hostages from the Gaza Strip into Israel following previous agreements between Hamas and Israel during the war. The organization has faced criticism for failing to provide aid to the hostages in the nearly two years since the war began from hostage families and Israeli officials. Status of hostages recently seen in propaganda videos The discussion between the two came a day after Hamas and PIJ published three hostage videos between Thursday and Saturday. The videos included Israeli captives Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, who both appeared emaciated. In the video of David, he said the terrorist organization had ordered him to dig his own grave. David's older brother, Ilay David, on Saturday, appealed for immediate international intervention to save the hostages, particularly mentioning Guy Gilboa-Dalal. The two hostages were last seen together in a propaganda video by the terrorist organization, where they were both forced to watch as other hostages were released in a deal back in February of this year. Earlier on Thursday, the PIJ published a video of hostage Rom Braslavski on their social media. The terrorist group claimed that this was the last footage of Braslavski before contact with his guards was lost two days later. "They managed to break Rom. Even the strongest person has a breaking point. Rom is an example of all the hostages," his family said. Danielle Greyman-Kennard contributed to this report. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hamas claims it is willing to cooperate with ICRC to deliver food, aid to hostages
Their statement came after a conversation between Netanyahu and the regional head of the Red Cross. Hamas claimed on Sunday night that they're willing to "respond to any Red Cross request to deliver food and medicine" to the hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, in a statement published to social media. The terrorist organization also claimed that they "do not intentionally starve prisoners, but they eat what our Mujahideen and all our people eat." Their statement came only after the head of the regional International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Julien Lerisson, told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a conversation that the ICRC continues to push for access to the hostages so that the organization can provide them with care and restore contact between them and their families, according to a statement from the organization. Netanyahu had demanded in the conversation that the ICRC provide food and immediate medical care to the remaining hostages in Gaza. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad released several videos of hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski over the weekend, in which the two appeared emaciated. In the videos, both talked about hardly having any food or water. The Foreign Ministry on Saturday drew attention to the different muscle and fat composition on the arm of a terrorist captured in the video Hamas published of David. 'Look at David's arms – an Israeli hostage, starved to the edge of collapse,' the Foreign Ministry wrote on X/Twitter. 'Now, look at the arm of his Palestinian Hamas captor – strong, well-fed, offering out a can for show.' 'The Hamas propaganda unit made a mistake. In minute 02:31 of their disgusting video, a Hamas terrorist gives Evyatar a can of food. One can see that the terrorist's arm is thicker than both Evyatar's legs. The only people being starved in Gaza are the hostages,' a diplomatic source told The Jerusalem Post. This is a developing story. Solve the daily Crossword
