In a historic first for Germany, nearly 700 students at the University of Leipzig voted almost unanimously on 19 May to demand that their university sever all ties with Israeli academic institutions over the genocide in Gaza.
The location is significant.
For decades, Leipzig has been regarded as one of Germany’s strongest centers of the "Antideutsche" current, a tendency within the radical left defined by militant anti-nationalism and vocal support for Israel under the banner of combating antisemitism. Antideutsche activists also frequently clash with pro-Palestinian activists at demonstrations and events.
The adopted list of demands calls on the university to recognise and condemn the genocidal nature of Israel’s war on Gaza, including the scholasticide taking place there, a term used to describe the systematic destruction of educational institutions, students and staff.
Students demand an end to all cooperation with Israeli universities and institutions, and insist that the University of Leipzig neither participate in, promote, nor publicise collaborations or activities organised or hosted by Israeli universities.
In German first, Leipzig students vote for academic boycott of Israel
US and Israel 'actively working' to strip Jordan of Al-Aqsa custodianship, sources say
The US and Israel are "actively working" to strip Jordan of its historic custodianship of Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, and are pursuing a new arrangement that would see the management of the revered Muslim site closely align with Israeli interests, multiple sources have told Middle East Eye.
US, Jordanian and Palestinian officials, as well as western and Gulf Arab sources, told MEE that under the plan, championed by President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has no official role in the administration, and the US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, the authority of the Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf would abruptly end and a new body created by the Israeli government would declare the Al-Aqsa Mosque a "multi-faith centre".
According to the officials, all of whom requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, the "new arrangement" would grant Jews "equal access" to the Muslim site and formally allow large-group Jewish prayer.
Israel would also have a major say over the appointment of imams, preachers and senior mosque officials, and would also be involved in signing off on the content mentioned in Friday sermons.
Two US officials told MEE that Washington had drafted a paper on how they envisaged the mosque's future. The officials said that the Trump administration would like to see the Al-Aqsa Mosque stripped of its Muslim identity, with the site turned into a landmark tourist attraction that hosts all three Abrahamic religions.
Ukraine Condemns Russian Threats Against Foreign Diplomats as ‘Shameless Blackmail’
Russian threats against the foreign diplomatic corps in Ukraine, calling the Kremlin’s statements “shameless blackmail” aimed at intimidating the international community.
The ministry said the security situation in Kyiv remains consistent with the level of threat the capital has faced in recent months amid repeated Russian missile and drone attacks.
In its statement, the MFA expressed gratitude to foreign diplomatic missions and personnel who continue to work in Ukraine despite the ongoing risks.
Ukrainian officials thanked foreign diplomats for continuing their work in Ukraine despite Moscow’s attempts at intimidation. The ministry said it remains ready to assist and coordinate with foreign missions to strengthen their security.
The language of the American presidency doesn’t apply to Trump
Words matter. When describing a government, they inevitably carry moral weight.
Over the past 16 months, Trump and his appointees have so profoundly undermined the United States government that different words should be used to describe them than have been used to describe all previous administrations.
To begin with, they shouldn’t be called an “administration” at all. They should be referred to as a regime.
A regime flagrantly defies court orders, as have Trump and his appointees.
In February 2026, a federal judge, appointed by George W Bush, identified some 200 orders from the district of Minnesota that ICE had defied, concluding that it had “likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence”.
A regime also vilifies judges who rule against it and demands their impeachment, exactly as the Trump regime has done.
Stephen Miller delivers for Trump: 145,000 US kids separated from their parents
Stephen Miller, Donald Trump’s immigration czar and the architect of some of the government’s cruelest policies, doesn’t care what you think about him. He doesn’t care if you call him “Pee-wee German” or “Weird Stephen” or “Voldemort”, or any of the other nicknames he has inspired; his self-esteem is excellent.
“I have a very, very secure, intact ego,” Miller told Fox News’s Jesse Watters this week after being asked how he felt about his wife, Katie Miller, potentially landing a big distribution deal with Paramount for her terrible Maga podcast. “I’ve never had a larger fan following,” Miller continued. “[A]ny man who works for President Trump is a man that is very, very strong and self-assured in his role.”
Well, yes, I suppose you’ve got to be a very, very strong man to separate babies from their parents – which is what Miller will forever be famous for. Back in Trump 1.0, Miller played a key role in implementing a “zero tolerance” border policy that systematically removed more than 5,000 immigrant children, some just a few months old, from their parents at the US-Mexico border. A Human Rights Watch report released in December 2024 found that as many as 1,360 children had never been reunited with their parents.
Swayed by all the outrage, Trump eventually signed an executive order ending the family separation policy in 2018. But the practice continues, albeit in a different form. A report released on Monday from the Brookings Institution estimates that more than 145,000 US citizen children have had at least one parent detained since the start of Trump’s second administration, amid a mass deportation campaign heavily influenced by Miller.
Thomas Massie Files To Run In 2028 After Losing To Trump-Backed Candidate
Days after losing the Republican primary to challenger Ed Gallrein, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) announced he has filed paperwork to campaign for his U.S. House seat in 2028.
Donald Trump endorsed Gallrein after Massie clashed with the president on several issues, including the Jeffrey Epstein Files and the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
“I filed with FEC for the 2028 House race,” Massie wrote on X on Monday. “This allows me to raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office. I haven’t made a final decision about which office to seek, if I run.”
The announcement came just hours after Trump described Massie, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who was also defeated by a Trump-supported GOP primary challenger, and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) as “losers” in a long-winded Truth Social post on Monday.
Navy chief undercuts Trump and Hegseth on Taiwan, Iran
Cao on Thursday told Senate appropriators that while the U.S. has “plenty” of missiles and interceptors, the Trump administration is holding off on some foreign military sales to “make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury,” referring to the official name for President Trump’s war with Iran.
Cao’s remarks — which contradict Trump’s claims that he may hold off on the arms sale to Taiwan as a “negotiating chip” with China — also discounts the administration’s narrative that munitions stockpiles are no cause for worry. But the coinciding issues may prove to be a benefit for Trump as he looks to rebuild America’s stockpiles while also seeking diplomatic gains with Beijing.
“On one hand, Trump wants to keep U.S.-China relations on a constructive path, at least until [Chinese President] Xi Jinping visits Washington in September, and on the other hand, there is a munition problem. So if you can delay the sale and/or delay delivery of the order and sort of help both of these issues at the same time, it makes sense,” said Evan Sankey, an analyst at the Cato Institute focusing on U.S. foreign policy toward China and East Asia.
Sherrill denied access to ICE detention facility in New Jersey
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) on Monday said she was denied access to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Newark amid protests outside the facility and a hunger strike within its walls.
The governor said being denied access to Delaney Hall, the detention center, raised “serious questions about what they are trying to hide from public view.”
“I have long opposed private detention facilities and will continue to advocate for the closure of Delaney Hall and against any expansion of mass detention facilities in New Jersey, like the proposed facility in Roxbury,” Sherrill said in a statement obtained by NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network. “I came today to hear from families and advocates, and what I heard from them was heartbreaking.”
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told The Hill that Sherrill’s visit to Delaney Hall was “nothing more than a political stunt on Memorial Day when visitation is currently suspended due to riots outside in the facility.”
US forces conduct strikes in Iran, Centcom says
U.S. Central Command (Centcom) on Monday said U.S. forces fired “defensive strikes” in southern Iran amid discussions to bring the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Tehran to an end.
These strikes were intended “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces” — specifically boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites, Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a Centcom spokesperson, told The Hill.
“U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” Hawkins said.
Earlier Monday, Reuters reported explosions in southern Iran in Bandar Abbas city and around coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. and Iran have held a ceasefire since April 7. The stalemate has seen few small attacks since last month, though none have violated the ceasefire’s terms.
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