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Tokyo Olympics: Games’ opening ceremony director SACKED on the eve of the event over Holocaust jokes

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Tokyo Olympics: Games’ opening ceremony director SACKED on the eve of the event over Holocaust jokes

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Organisers of the Tokyo Olympics have sacked the director of the opening ceremony just a day before the event takes place in the latest blow to the troubled Games. 

Kantaro Kobayashi, a 48-year-old comedian, was fired after a skit he performed in 1998 that made light of Nazi genocide resurfaced, including the moment he told his audience: ‘Let’s play Holocaust’. 

Seiko Hashimoto, president of Tokyo’s Olympic committee, said Kobayashi’s entire ceremony is now being ‘reviewed’ just hours before it is due to be performed, adding: ‘We’re still considering how to hold the opening ceremony tomorrow’.

However a spokesman for the Games later confirmed the ceremony would go ahead as planned with no amendments.

The comedian is just the latest big name to be sacked from the Olympic organising team this week after the opening ceremony composer was fired and a popular children’s author withdrew from a cultural event – both over historic bullying claims.

Meanwhile the number of Covid cases linked to the Games rose to 91 including more Czech and Dutch athletes amid fears the already-unpopular competition could turn into a super-spreader event.  

Tokyo Olympics: Games’ opening ceremony director SACKED on the eve of the event over Holocaust jokes

Footage circulating on social media purports to show Kobayashi and a comedy partner in a 1998 TV skit brainstorming games to play with children, when he jokes ‘let’s play Holocaust’

Kobayashi was sacked from his position as director of the opening ceremony just hours before the show is due to go on, with organisers saying they will now 'review' the entire performance

Kobayashi was sacked from his position as director of the opening ceremony just hours before the show is due to go on, with organisers saying they will now ‘review’ the entire performance

Table tennis player Pavel Sirucek and beach volleyball player Marketa Nausch-Slukova were the Czechs to test positive, as the country’s Olympic committee launched an investigation into the flight that brought the team from Prague.

Meanwhile Dutch taekwondo athlete Reshmie Oogink also tested positive, after skateboarder Candy Jacobs became a confirmed Covid case on Tuesday.

Sirucek and Oogink have now been ruled out of the games as they will miss their qualifying events while in isolation. The news is particularly heartbreaking for Oognik who recovered from injury to make the Olympics, and will likely not compete again.

In the unearthed sketch of Kobayashi, her performs alongside a comedy partner while pretending to be children’s entertainers. 

As they brainstorm an activity involving paper, Kobayashi refers to some paper doll cutouts, describing them as ‘the ones from that time you said ‘let’s play the Holocaust”, sparking laughter from the audience.

The pair then joke about how a television producer was angered by the suggestion of a Holocaust-themed activity.

In a statement, Kobayashi apologised, describing the skit as containing ‘extremely inappropriate’ lines.

‘It was from a time when I was not able to get laughs the way I wanted, and I believe I was trying to grab people’s attention in a shallow-minded way.’

Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a human rights group based in Los Angeles, said: ‘Any person, no matter how creative, does not have the right to mock the victims of the Nazi genocide. 

‘Any association of this person to the Tokyo Olympics would insult the memory of 6 million Jews and make a cruel mockery of the Paralympics.’

Hashimoto said she accepted full responsibility for hiring Kobayashi, adding that vetting should have been more thorough.

Keigo Oyamada, an opening ceremony composer, was sacked earlier this week over historic bullying claims

Keigo Oyamada, an opening ceremony composer, was sacked earlier this week over historic bullying claims

In a frank acknowledgement, she said there will be people who no longer want to watch the scandal-hit opening ceremony.

But, she added, she has no intention of stepping down and wants the event to go ahead. 

In a nod to the controversy the Games has courted, officials said Thursday that the opening ceremony has been adapted to include a segment paying tribute to all those suffering from or who have died of Covid in the last year.

An Olympic source told MailOnline: ‘There has been massive criticism of the games going ahead, particularly as spectators have been banned. 

‘The Olympics knows it cannot ignore the opposition or the fact that many of the nations are struggling with the virus back in their homelands.

‘The opening ceremony will have a segment that will state that sport can help the world to overcome adversity.

‘This was part of the rehearsal which was conducted on Wednesday.

‘It will focus on togetherness and how the youth of the world can help ease the catastrophic situation and give hope.’

Kobayashi, a well-known figure in theatre in Japan, is the latest member of the opening ceremony team to depart in disgrace.

The creative director for the opening and closing ceremonies, Hiroshi Sasaki, resigned in March after suggesting a plus-size female comedian appear as a pig – referring to her as an ‘Olympig’.

And on Monday, composer Keigo Oyamada, whose music was expected to be used at the ceremony, was forced to resign because of past bullying of his classmates, which he boasted about in magazine interviews.  

A four-minute musical piece he composed was removed from the ceremony, but organisers left it unclear Thursday how Kobayashi’s firing might affect the event.

‘We’re still considering how to hold the opening ceremony tomorrow,’ Hashimoto said. ‘I want to reach a conclusion as quickly as possible.’

Details of the opening ceremony have been kept under wraps, and strict coronavirus rules mean only around 950 people will be in the stands of the 68,000-capacity Olympic Stadium for the extravaganza.

That includes just 15 world leaders – down from some 40 in Rio in 2016 – with even Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister who was instrumental in getting the Games brought to the country, set to skip it.

In one piece of good news for Tokyo, US First Lady Jill Biden arrived in Tokyo on Thursday for the Games, marking the highest-profile individual to arrive so far. 

Biden is set to dine with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his wife and it is hoped may discuss getting crucial Covid vaccine supplies to Japan to boost its stuttering roll-out.  

Tokyo 2020 has been plagued by a series of gaffes and missteps by Olympic officials, including Hashimoto’s predecessor Yoshiro Mori, who resigned after claiming women speak too much in meetings.

Even before the latest series of firings, the Games were deeply unpopular in Japan with polls consistently showing a majority of Japanese do not want them to go ahead and do not expect to enjoy them.

The troubled Tokyo Olympics is due to kick off in just 24 hours but has been plagued by issues including rising Covid cases, with 91 now linked to the event

The troubled Tokyo Olympics is due to kick off in just 24 hours but has been plagued by issues including rising Covid cases, with 91 now linked to the event 

The Games are being held against the backdrop of rapidly rising cases in Japan (pictured) with Tokyo itself reporting a record daily case total on Wednesday

The Games are being held against the backdrop of rapidly rising cases in Japan (pictured) with Tokyo itself reporting a record daily case total on Wednesday

Scandal-by-scandal, how FIVE officials and artists linked to the Tokyo Olympics have been sacked

Japan thought it had the Olympics in the bag: By mid-2019, most of the venues had been finished on or ahead of time and the country was being hailed as the best-prepared host ever.

Now, after a year of delays due to the pandemic, the ‘best prepared’ country is stumbling from crisis to crisis: Forced to shut out crowds due to Covid with cases rising among athletes, and scandal after scandal hitting organisers.

No fewer than five officials and artists linked with the Games have now been forced to resign – three of them in the last three days.

Scandal-by-scandal, MailOnline looks back at who has been sacked so far:

Yoshiro Mori, organising chief, fired Feb 22

Mori, now 84, is a former Prime Minister of Japan and was appointed head of the Tokyo Olympic organising committee in 2014 at the age of 76.

At the time he dubbed organising the Games ‘my one last service to the country’, joking that he would barely live to see the event staged.

Even before his time as Olympic organiser, Mori was known for gaffes and undiplomatic comments – with Japanese media once describing him as having ‘the heart of a flea and the brain of a shark’.

True to form, in February this year Mr Mori quipped during an online meeting that women should have time limits placed on them during summits because ‘they talk too much’. 

Amid public outcry Mr Mori initially refused to quit though did apologise, before finally leaving his post a week later after petitions to oust him garnered widespread support

Hiroshi Sasaki, artistic director, quit Mar 18

A 66-year-old advertising executive, Sasaki was initially hired to oversee the Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies but added artistic director of the main Games to his CV after the event was pushed back to 2021 due to Covid.

Sasaki had been responsible for the torch handover ceremony between Brazil and Japan at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, which saw then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appear dressed as Super Mario. 

While discussing his changes to the opening ceremony with staff, he suggested lowering a plus-sized Japanese music artist into the stadium dressed as a pig – dubbing her an ‘Olympig’.

The comments were made in 2020 but only became public in March this year, prompting a speedy resignation from Sasaki.

Keigo Oyamada, composer, fired Jul 19

Better known by his musical alias Cornelius, 52-year-old rock musician Oyamada had been announced as a composer for the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on July 14.

Oyamada had composed a four-minute piece that would feature during the ceremony, organisers said, centered around the concept of ‘celebrating differences, empathizing, and living side by side with compassion.’

The announcement triggered an immediate backlash, as people reposed magazine interviews Oyamada had given in the 1990s where he appeared to brag about bullying disabled and minority ethnic classmates.

Incidents he described included forcing a boy with Down Syndrome to eat faeces and forcing another to masturbate in front of classmates.

Oyamada issued an online apology on July 15, before announcing he had quit on July 19.

Nobumi, children’s author, quit Jul 21

A popular children’s author in Japan, Nobumi was scheduled to appear at a cultural event linked to the Games in August.

Called ONE, the online event was billed as a way to ‘realize an inclusive society’ through music and dance.

However, Nobumi’s name became caught up in the scandal around Oyamada as people also began reposting historic bullying claims against the author.

People pointed out that Nobumi had written and spoken about being abusive towards a female teacher, and had mocked children with birth defects.

Organisers said they raised the comments with him in a meeting following Oyamada’s departure and he subsequently quit. 

Kentaro Kobayashi, opening ceremony director, quit Jul 22 

A comedian, director and artist, 48-year-old Kobayashi was put in charge of directing the new-look opening ceremony after the Games were delayed.

But, on the eve of the performance he helped devise, a clip of a 1998 TV routine in which he mocked the Holocaust appeared online.

In the clip, he and his comedy partner – part of a double-act known as the Rahmens – were dressed as famous children’s entertainers of the time.

The skit involves the pair discussing ideas to entertain children, when one of them pulls out a string of paper figures – prompting the other to ask where the figures have come from.

‘They’re from that time you said “let’s play the Holocaust”’, the other replies before the pair go on to make light of Nazi atrocities.

Kobayashi attempted to defend himself after the clip surfaced, admitting the lines were ‘extremely inappropriate’ but added they were from a time in his career when he was trying to get attention ‘in a shallow-minded way’.

The Tokyo organising committee subsequently ‘decided to relieve Koybayashi of his post’. 

 

In a recent poll, 68 per cent of respondents expressed doubt about the ability of Olympic organisers to control coronavirus infections, with 55 per cent saying they opposed the Games going ahead. 

It comes against the backdrop of rising Covid cases within the country driven by the more-infectious Delta variant which has seen Tokyo put into a state of emergency that bans large gatherings, meaning most events will take place without crowds.

On Thursday, the city reported a new daily high of more than 1,900 Covid cases – a rise of 155 per cent in a week – driven mostly by infections among the unvaccinated.

Japan as a whole reported some 5,300 Covid cases Thursday, up from 4,900 infections reported the previous day and the country’s highest toll since May 20. 

‘What we have worried about is now actually happening,’ Japan Medical Association President Toshio Nakagawa said at a weekly news conference. 

‘The surge in cases has been expected whether we have the Olympics or not, and we are afraid that there will be an explosive increase in cases regardless of the Games.’

More than 500,000 people in Tokyo have also signed petitions in a bid to stop the Olympics from being held.

Opponents vented their anger on the eve of tomorrow’s official opening with the NO OLYMPICS 2020 campaign group claiming the Games are a cynical bid to make money and gain political power at the expense of public health.

A spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We oppose the Olympic Games because they are a massive exploitation and destruction of people’s lives, livelihoods, public spaces, environment and democracy for the benefit of the IOC, the host city governments, politicians, developers and other capitalists. 

‘Tokyo Olympics has brought us many problems such as huge expenditures, evictions, and gentrification of parts of the city. 

‘Now, despite the pandemic, the Olympics are about to be forced on the Japanese people with disdain for their lives and livelihoods, and many people are against it. 

‘We strongly insist that the Tokyo Olympics should be cancelled immediately.’

Just 19 per cent of residents of the host city believe the Games can be held safely, with more than two-thirds demanding the event be cancelled, even at this late stage.

Pensioner Hideo Kora, 63, told MailOnline: ‘The Games should definitely be cancelled.

‘The number of coronavirus cases is rising and it’s not enough to hold the Games without spectators.’

Moe, 34, a businessman man, said: ‘It’s not an easy question, but if there are no spectators then I think it’s okay to hold the Games.

‘Of course, the athletes have made great efforts to participate so we should show consideration for their feelings.’

However some younger people continue to support holding the Games.

High School student Yu, 17, said: ‘I think the Games should go forward. ‘These events come along only once every four years and the athletes have trained hard. I’d feel sorry for them if it were cancelled.

Part-time worker Keisuke, 25, added: ‘I guess it’s better to hold them.

‘Although there is some impact from the coronavirus, it’s an event for the nation and the world, plus the athletes, so it’s better to continue, I think.’

The Olympic source added: ‘It is going to be hard for the athletes with no supporting crowds and somewhat surreal.

‘But in some way this will be all about natural sporting effort and it all being down to the athlete to get themselves into a medal winning position.

‘They will have to draw on, like never before, banks of energy, guile and self-determination without the roar of the spectators.’

Even with strict Covid rules in place, some 50,000 people are expected to arrive in Tokyo for the event – another sore point after Japan imposed strict border controls to keep the pandemic under control.

Japan has registered 850,000 Covid cases and 15,000 deaths to-date – relatively low figures for such a populous country.

But there are fears the Olympics could accelerate the country’s already-rising case totals because only 20 per cent of the population are vaccinated.

Already there have been 91 Covid cases linked to the Games – including among athletes, coaches, volunteers and staff.

That total only includes those who returned a positive test after arriving in Japan and does not include those diagnosed in their home countries before travelling.

The latest athlete to be hit is Czech table tennis player Pavel Sirucek who will have to withdraw from the competition to complete mandatory 10-day isolation. 

US First Lady Jill Biden is pictured arriving in Tokyo to attend the Olympics on Thursday, a day before the Opening Ceremony kicks off

US First Lady Jill Biden is pictured arriving in Tokyo to attend the Olympics on Thursday, a day before the Opening Ceremony kicks off

Jill Biden greets US diplomatic staff based in Japan as she arrived in Tokyo for the Olympics

Jill Biden greets US diplomatic staff based in Japan as she arrived in Tokyo for the Olympics

‘Today, we were informed that Pavel Sirucek has tested positive for COVID-19 and is placed in isolation,’ the International Table Tennis Federation said Thursday.

‘Pavel will be marked as Did Not Start in the table tennis competition, in accordance with the Tokyo 2020 Sport-Specific Regulations. We wish him a speedy recovery.’

The 28-year-old is ranked 52nd in the world.

It comes after Dutch skateboarder Candy Jacobs and Chilean taekwondo fighter Fernanda Aguirre withdrew from the Olympics after being diagnosed Wednesday. 

Japanese Emperor Naruhito, speaking at an IOC event on Thursday, acknowledged the difficulty in hosting the games during a pandemic – telling chief Thomas Bach that it is ‘not easy’ to keep infections down.

‘I express my deep respect for your efforts,’ he added.

Despite the opening ceremony taking place on Friday several competitions have already got underway, including soccer – with players from several teams taking the knee to protest racial injustice before kickoffs.

But the International Olympic Committee courted controversy after removing footage of them making the protest from highlight reels broadcast around the world – forcing a quick U-turn.

It comes after the IOC watered down a decades-old rule banning political protests from the Games after backlash from athletes.   

The concession under Olympic Charter Rule 50, which has long prohibited any athlete protest inside event venues, was finally allowed this month by the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC has tried to reconcile enforcing the rule while recognizing, and sometimes celebrating, the iconic image of American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising black-gloved fists on the medal podium at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

On Wednesday, the British and Chilean teams kneeled before the opening games and were followed by the United States, Sweden and New Zealand players in later kickoffs. The Australia team posed with a flag of Australia’s indigenous people.

Those images were excluded from the official Tokyo Olympic highlights package provided by the IOC to media including The Associated Press who could not broadcast the games live.

Official Olympic social media channels also did not include pictures of the athlete activism.

‘The IOC is covering the Games on its owned and operated platforms and such moments will be included as well,’ the Olympic body said Thursday in an apparent change of policy.

The IOC said hundreds of millions of viewers could have seen the footage watching networks that have official broadcast rights and ‘can use it as they deem fit.’

The decades-long ban on all demonstrations was eased by the IOC three weeks ago when it was clear some athletes – especially in soccer and track and field – would express opinions on the field in Japan.

Two reviews of Rule 50 in the previous 18 months by the IOC’s own athletes commission had concluded Olympic competitors did not want distractions on their field of play.

The new guidance allows taking a knee or raising a fist in pre-game or pre-race introductions but not on medal ceremony podiums. The IOC will still discipline athletes who protest on the podium.

Sports governing bodies still have a veto, and swimming’s FINA has said its athletes are prohibited on the pool deck from any gesture interpreted as protest. 

Olympic Committee vice-president branded a ‘mansplaining dinosaur’ 

The International Olympic Committee’s  vice-president has been branded a ‘mansplaining dinosaur’ after berating a female Australian politician about attending the Tokyo opening ceremony. 

John Coats began berating Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk following a press conference on Wednesday during which Brisbane – the capital of her state – was announced as the host of the 2032 Olympics.

Ms Palaszczuk, who was in Tokyo for the press conference, had previously said she would reject an invitation to be one of 950 VIPs attending the closed-door opening ceremony on Friday.

‘You are going to the opening ceremony,’ Mr Coats – who is also Australia’s most-senior Olympic official – told Ms Palaszczuk while leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. 

‘I’m still the deputy chair of the candidature leadership group,’ he continued, speaking through a plastic screen, ‘and so far as I understand, there will be an opening and closing ceremony in 2032.

‘All of you are going to get along there and understand the traditional parts of that, what’s involved in an opening ceremony.’

‘So none of you are staying behind and hiding in your rooms, alright?’

Palaszczuk – one of the most senior women in Australian politics – was visibly uncomfortable, staying silent throughout his monologue.

‘I don’t want to offend anybody, so,’ she said later in the press conference, before trailing off.

Australian lawmakers pilloried Coates for his behaviour, calling on him to apologise and even resign.

‘John Coates should resign on return from Tokyo,’ independent senator Rex Patrick tweeted. ‘He’s a social and political dinosaur who has spent far too long in the rarefied, self-interested @Olympics bubble.’

Pictured: John Coates (left) and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (second left) celebrate with other delegates after Brisbane was announced as the 2032 Summer Olympics host city during the 138th IOC Session in Tokyo on July 21, 2021

Pictured: John Coates (left) and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (second left) celebrate with other delegates after Brisbane was announced as the 2032 Summer Olympics host city during the 138th IOC Session in Tokyo on July 21, 2021

Social media users also called out Coates for his ‘bullying’ of the centre-left leader.

‘Someone asked what the definition of a mansplaining dinosaur looked like and Coates simply raised his hand,’ one tweeted.

Former Swimming Australia CEO Leigh Russell labelled it ‘disgusting’ while conservative MP Darren Chester called it a ‘disrespectful performance which reeked of arrogance’.

In a statement released by the Australian Olympic Committee, Coates said that his comments had been ‘completely misinterpreted by people who weren’t in the room’.

‘The Premier and I have a long standing and very successful relationship. We both know the spirit of my remarks and I have no indication that she was offended in any way,’ he said.

Palaszczuk, who is under political pressure for flying to Tokyo during the pandemic, played down the incident, telling public broadcaster ABC that Coates was ‘fantastic’ and the ‘driving force behind us securing the Olympics’.

Most Australians are prevented from travelling overseas due to strict international border closures, while about half the country’s population of 25 million is currently under lockdown.

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US Does Not Support Taiwan Independence, Says President Joe Biden

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US Does Not Support Taiwan Independence, Says President Joe Biden
President Joe Biden. Getty Images

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday (Jan 13) that the United States does not support the independence of Taiwan, after Taiwanese voters rebuffed China and gave the ruling party a third presidential term.

Earlier in the day, the Taiwanese ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate William Lai Ching-te came to power, strongly rejecting Chinese pressure to spurn him, and pledged both to stand up to Beijing and seek talks.

“We do not support independence,” Biden said, when asked for a reaction to Saturday’s elections.

The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 and has long said it does not support a formal declaration of independence by Taiwan.

It maintains unofficial relations with the self-governed island and remains its most important backer and arms supplier.

Beijing, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, fears that Lai could declare the establishment of a Republic of Taiwan, which Lai has said he will not do.

Biden has previously upset the Chinese government with comments that appeared to suggest the United States would defend the island if it were attacked, a deviation from a long-held US position of “strategic ambiguity”.

His comments on Saturday appear to be an effort to reassure Beijing.

Even so, Washington warned just hours ahead of the polls opening that “it would be unacceptable” for any country to interfere in the election.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Lai on his victory and said the United States “is committed to maintaining cross-strait peace and stability, and the peaceful resolution of differences, free from coercion and pressure”.

He said the US looks forward to working with Lai and leaders of all parties in Taiwan to advance their “longstanding unofficial relationship, consistent with the US’ One China policy”.

The Biden administration has feared that the election, transition and new administration would escalate conflict with Beijing.

Biden has worked to smooth relations with China, including agreeing to talk through differences on security matters at a California summit with President Xi Jinping in November.

Taiwan’s government expects China to attempt to put pressure on its incoming president after the vote, including staging military manoeuvres near the island this spring, two senior government officials said.

Former US National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and former Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg will arrive in Taipei on Sunday for post-election meetings with Taiwanese politicians, the de facto US embassy in Taipei said.

The delegation sent by Biden’s administration will hold talks with “a range of leading political figures” on Monday, the American Institute in Taiwan said in a statement.

China was angered in 2016 when then-president-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, the first such conversation between US and Taiwan leaders since president Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979.

 

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Orthodox Mark Christmas, But The Celebration is Overshadowed for Many by Conflict

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Orthodox Mark Christmas, But The Celebration is Overshadowed for Many by Conflict
People burn dried oak branches, the Yule log symbol for the Orthodox Christmas Eve, in front of St. Sava church in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024. Orthodox believers in Serbia celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, according to the Julian calendar. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Orthodox Christians packed churches Saturday night for Christmas Eve services, a holiday overshadowed for many believers by conflict.

Traditions vary, but typically the main worship service for Orthodox Christians takes place the night before Christmas, which is Jan. 7.

Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, the world’s largest Orthodox denomination, led elaborate and well-attended services at Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. In ornately decorated vestments, dozens of priests and officiants took part, swinging smoking incense censers and chanting the liturgy.

In his Christmas message, broadcast just before the service Saturday night, Kirill spoke on the theme of sacrificial love, noting that Jesus Christ “saved us from the wrong path in life, from the wrong life orientation.” He also called for prayers for Russia, so that “no alien evil will could disrupt the peaceful flow of life.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin was joined by families of military personnel who have died in the war in Ukraine at Christmas Eve services at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence, in the western suburbs of Moscow.

In a statement congratulating Orthodox Christians, Putin highlighted the “efforts of religious organizations aimed at supporting our heroes — participants in the special military operation,” as the Kremlin refers to Russia’s efforts in Ukraine.

Officials said about a million people were expected to go to church in the Russian capital. But nighttime services were canceled in the Russian border city of Belgorod due to the “operational situation,” Mayor Valentin Demidov said.

Ukrainian attacks in Belgorod on Dec. 30 killed 25 people, officials there said, making it one of the deadliest strikes on Russian soil since the start of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine nearly 23 months ago. Rocket and drone attacks on the city continued throughout this week.

Russians and Orthodox in some other countries observe Christmas on Jan. 7.

But Ukraine, which is a predominantly Orthodox country, officially observed Christmas this year as a public holiday on Dec. 25. The change, enacted in legislation signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in July, reflects Ukrainians’ dismay with the nearly 23-month-old Russian invasion and their assertion of a national identity.

In neighboring Belarus, Christmas is officially celebrated with public holidays on both Dec. 25 and on Jan. 7. About 80% of believers are Orthodox, belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church, while around 14% are Catholics, living mainly in the west, north and center of the country.

President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for 30 years, calls himself an “Orthodox atheist.” He usually attends Christmas Eve services and lights a candle in an Orthodox church.

He wished Orthodox Christians a happy Christmas, saying in a statement that he is “convinced that by preserving the Orthodox traditions of mercy and moral purity, together we will create the best future for our native Belarus.”

Orthodox believers in Serbia marked the day by burning oak branches at services outside churches and temples, including hundreds who gathered at the St. Sava Temple — the biggest Orthodox church in the Balkans.

The young oak tree symbolizes Christ and his entry into the world, with the centuries-old tradition led by Serbian Orthodox church priests. As the fire was lit, dozens of people of all ages threw small branches of dried oak into the large bonfire.

“In these hard times, we need to come together in unity and to nurture peace, love, and respect towards each other,” Belgrade resident Mica Jovanovic told The Associated Press.

Celebrations in the Middle East were darkened by another conflict: the Israel-Hamas war.

In Bethlehem, where Orthodox Christmas Eve normally draws tens of thousands of tourists to visit the traditional birthplace of Jesus, roughly 100 observers milled about in Manger Square. They were nearly outnumbered by police officers and clergymen.

Christmas festivities were canceled in the West Bank town after the heads of major churches in Jerusalem asked their congregations to “forgo any unnecessarily festive activities” in light of the fighting in Gaza. The majority of Christians in the region are Palestinians, and Christian leaders have called upon observers to spend the holidays praying for peace and an end to the war.

Despite the cancellation of festivities, church leaders still gathered to welcome the arrival of patriarchs from different Orthodox churches — Greek, Coptic and Ethiopian — and a customary procession of Boy Scouts proceeded through Bethlehem, though without the usual fanfare. A midnight Mass was planned.

Samir Qumseyeh, a Palestinian Christian and founder of a Christian TV channel, has been filming the celebrations since 1996. He said this year’s observance was even more muted than at the height of the second intifada, when Israeli forces locked down parts of the West Bank in response to Palestinians carrying out suicide bombings and other attacks that killed Israeli civilians.

“Even during the intifada, still the festivals and the joy were there,” Qumseyeh said. “But this year, I am feeling very, very, very sad. But I understand why the church leaders had to do this. You cannot show joy when the people of Gaza are suffering.”

In Iraq, many Christians canceled Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, as well as in an act of continued mourning for the victims of a deadly fire that killed more than 100 people at a wedding in the predominantly Christian Hamdaniya area of northern Iraq in September.

Dozens of Iraqi Armenian Orthodox Christians attended Christmas Eve Mass in Baghdad but the celebration was limited to Christmas prayers and rituals.

“In 2023, we went through many crises, including the Hamdaniya tragedy which the entire world learned about, as well as to Gaza and our brothers in Palestine,” Gebre Kashikian, pastor of the Armenian Church in Baghdad, said at the Mass.

In Istanbul, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I presided over the Blessing of the Waters ceremony on the Golden Horn. The tradition sees the patriarch toss a wooden cross into the inlet, which this year nearly 50 swimmers competed to recover.

Kostas Kypros, from Alexandroupoli in Greece, emerged from the water clutching the crucifix. “I am very happy. I wish the best for everyone. I was lucky and I pulled out the cross,” Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported him as saying.

Earlier, members of Istanbul’s tiny Greek Orthodox community and visitors from neighboring Greece attended an Epiphany service led by Bartholomew I at the Patriarchal Church of St George in Istanbul’s Fener district.

Bartholomew I is regarded as the “first among equals” among patriarchs in Eastern Orthodoxy and the spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians. The patriarchate dates from the 1,100-year Orthodox Greek Byzantine Empire, which ended in 1453 when the Muslim Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, today’s Istanbul.

___

AP

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In a Year of Conflict, the Future of War Looks Very Similar to Its Past

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In a Year of Conflict, the Future of War Looks Very Similar to Its Past
Local militiaman Valery, 37, carries a child as he helps a fleeing family across a bridge destroyed by artillery, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, March 2. Emilio Morenatti/AP

Even well into 2022, long after the war in Ukraine had started, the media were still “reporting the last war,” so to speak. The New Yorker headlined a report on the Bayraktar TB2 drone that was widely considered to have won the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, “The Turkish Drone That Changed the Nature of Warfare.”

Little wonder, because the TB2 had proved formidable beyond its size, an unmanned drone that carried laser-guided bombs. Throughout the six-week war, Azerbaijan used the TB2 to startling effect, blowing up tanks and troops and then broadcasting video of the attacks. For a fraction of the cost of conventional fighter jets, Azerbaijan was able to dominate the airspace above Nagorno-Karabakh and win a swift victory.

The rest of the world noticed and militaries began to reassess what role small, cheap drones might play in future wars. When the Ukraine war started, the Ukrainian military used the TB2s to devastating effect, taking out Russian tanks, trains and even ships – and gleefully posting the footage to social media. A new era of war had begun, where a drone costing just a few million dollars could prove highly effective against one of the world’s most powerful militaries. The financial asymmetry was frightening.

Yet the two major wars of this year have shown that, while such asymmetry exists, the future of war is much more similar to its past.

Drones have fallen away from the Ukrainian battlefield, as Russia’s initially chaotic invasion has entrenched itself into defensive positions and its air defenses have adapted. Ukraine’s much vaunted counteroffensive has stalled – stalemated or defeated, depending on who you ask. All along Russia’s vast defensive lines in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s troops are bogged down, unable to punch holes through the lines.

Video taken recently of Ukrainian soldiers pinned down in a field outside Bakhmut looks like something straight out of World War I: the same bleak, treeless landscape, the sound of artillery slamming into fields while troops take cover in muddy ditches, the screams of the wounded. Ukraine’s war is brutal and grinding, its effect on people and landscapes unknown in recent wars.

That is, until the Gaza war. Just as the conflict started with a burst of new technology as Hamas used drones to disable surveillance systems, so it eventually ossified into a war from another century. Vast parts of Gaza were flattened by aerial bombardment and Israeli troops faced street by street battles. As in Ukraine, the civilian toll has been enormous.

That is because, at its heart, war hasn’t really changed, and perhaps can’t. Yes, there have been short, swift wars – the first Gulf war, for example. But war in general is a continuation of political persuasion by other means, and that means that war invariably affects the entire population, often as a method for persuading the politicians.

What has changed with Ukraine and Gaza is that these wars are now fought in full view of the world, and of a watching Western audience. The scale of the destruction is different, but the nature of it is not.

The devastation in Gaza or the ruination of Bakhmut are not new. This is what war looks like, and always has; it’s just that in the West, audiences have so rarely been confronted by its reality. These two wars have played out across the media for opposite reasons – in Ukraine, to persuade Western audiences to accept the choices of their politicians; and in Gaza to persuade them to oppose them. In both cases, the reality on television and phone screens has been a wake-up call to an audience thankfully unused to what real conflict looks like up close.

Just as the future of war hasn’t changed that much, nor has the nature of war, which is ultimately an extension of politics. What hasn’t changed in Ukraine or Gaza is the ultimate importance of what happens off the battlefield.

Those who wage wars easily forget that the purpose of war is not to keep fighting, but to bring the fighting to an end. Politicians, too easily lulled by the glory and rhetoric of war, forget this too.

In Ukraine, the initial idea of arming the Ukrainians was not to allow them to fight a years-long war, but to give them the ability to stalemate the Russians and bring them to the negotiating table. In Gaza, it was – or should have been – to destroy Hamas’ militant structure, not to punish the whole exclave.

In both cases, the longer the brutal war has gone on, the harder it has become for the politicians who are ordering the wars to find ways off the battlefield. A long war has bolstered the commitment of Ukrainians to fight, especially after so much loss of human life. The same is true on the Russian side, at least as regards political commitment: Vladimir Putin can’t back down from this very public fight. The exact same dynamic is on show in Gaza, with Israeli politicians using stronger and more forceful rhetoric, even as the war’s initial aims retreat further away.

This year of conflict has shown that the old wars don’t die away; new technology, new enmities and new political leaders simply emerge to fight the same old wars, the same old way, often again and again.

Faisal Al Yafai is currently writing a book on the Middle East and is a frequent commentator on international TV news networks. He has worked for news outlets such as The Guardian and the BBC, and reported on the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. X: @FaisalAlYafai

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The Hidden Dangers of Antisemitism and the Free Speech Debate

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The Hidden Dangers of Antisemitism and the Free Speech Debate
People gather at Harvard University to show their support for Palestinians in Gaza at a rally in Cambridge, Mass., on Oct.14, 2023. | Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty images

Jewish history is full of cautionary examples of failed emancipation. For millennia, Jews have often been perceived as the “other” in their host societies, a status that continues to this day despite appearances to the contrary in some countries. While the past century has witnessed various efforts to achieve civil and political rights for Jews, including religious initiatives like Reform Judaism and political movements like Zionism, these have not fully addressed the underlying issues.

Following the Holocaust, Zionism succeeded in establishing the state of Israel, but it did not resolve the fundamental issue of Jewish emancipation. That’s because the state is not secure or, in many ways, viable. Israel’s lack of internationally recognized borders and its ongoing inability or unwillingness to establish a lasting peace with the indigenous Palestinian population have exacerbated the idea that the country is not secure.

Rather than mitigating these challenges, Israel has spent substantial resources to build a vast military occupation to control virtually every facet of the lives of Palestinians. The resources required for this herculean task of domination largely come from abroad in the form of military aid and diplomatic cover from the United States. 

The dependence of a secular Jewish state on a predominantly Christian nation like the US is cause for concern, given the historical hostility between Christian societies and Jews. This stands in contrast to the narrative pushed by Israel’s current public relations campaigns, which don’t dwell on that dark history but instead argues that it is Muslims that have exhibited more hostility toward Jews. Throughout history, numerous Christian societies have exercised animosity toward Jews, on a scale far greater than their Muslim counterparts. Hostility, demonization, subjugation, and violence blighted the history of Jewish populations in Europe.

While the US is not a religious state, it is a majority Christian country that has witnessed a hard rightward shift in politics, marked by extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric in recent years. It seems inevitable that a savvy populist American politician will eventually raise questions about the loyalty of American Jews and the nature of the US’s special relationship with Israel. In fact, former President Donald Trump has already made such insinuations through comments about American Jews and his remarks calling Nazi marchers in Charlottesville “very fine people.” This is deeply disturbing but unsurprising from the perspective of Jewish history, which is marked with many episodes of such shifts. 

The recent uproar surrounding how American universities address antisemitism in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack could mark another turning point. The focus is on how institutions like Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania handle the increasingly heated debate over Israel and Palestine. Last month, the presidents of these universities were called before Congress to address these issues, leading to a hearing reminiscent of the McCarthy era. Republican members of Congress grilled these university leaders over the use of the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” by pro-Palestine activists.

This phrase, used by Palestinians for decades, calls for their freedom and equality from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River. However, the Israeli government and pro-Israel activists argue that it is a veiled call for the elimination of Israel and the Jewish presence in the Middle East. They tend to overlook the fact that Israeli settlers have also employed a similar phrase in their propaganda, and Israeli textbooks have frequently omitted any reference to Palestine on their maps. In 2013, the Guardian reported that 76 percent of maps used to educate Israeli children did not delineate boundaries between Palestinian territories and Israel, with Palestinian areas left unlabeled.

During the congressional hearing, a Republican lawmaker, who has previously advocated for the removal of “woke agenda” from American universities, questioned Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, about whether “calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard’s rules on bullying and harassment.” Gay responded that it depends on the context, which the New Yorker notes was the correct response since “any responsible determination of a policy violation is context-dependent.” After the hearing, the president of the University of Pennsylvania lost her job, and a new chapter in the debate about American freedom of speech began. 

The Israel-Palestine debate has now become a platform to discuss broader free speech issues in the US. While such discussions can facilitate real change, they are cause for concern in this case because the intellectual foundations of the debate seem weak. For instance, using a chant to advocate for Palestinian rights is not equivalent to advocating genocide, and attempts to link the two often rely on outdated PR talking points from Israel.

The more significant concern lies in how this debate could further fuel discontent among a growing number of Americans regarding the influence of Israeli politics on US discourse. Given the numerous pressing issues facing the average American, Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and its international public relations may not be at the forefront.

American politicians are able to see this opening for their campaigns. Donald Trump is the most obvious example, but others are bound to follow. Ironically, pro-Israel activists driven by a desire to fight antisemitism might well be flaming its fires through the blind adoption of Israeli talking points. If history serves as a guide, there may be consequences for this perceived overreach, which would almost certainly be unfavorable for the Jews.

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Joseph Dana is a writer based in South Africa and the Middle East. He has reported from Jerusalem, Ramallah, Cairo, Istanbul, and Abu Dhabi. He was formerly editor-in-chief of emerge85, a media project based in Abu Dhabi exploring change in emerging markets. Twitter: @ibnezra

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Megawati Soekarnoputri Meet Pope Francis Discusses Global Challenges For Human Fraternity

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Megawati Soekarnoputri Meet Pope Francis Discusses Global Challenges For Human Fraternity
Pope Francis on Monday received in audience members of the jury for the 2024 edition of the Zayed Prize. AP

Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, urged the advancement of human fraternity in all places and in all fields as a response to pressing global challenges, during a meeting with the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity 2024 judging committee at the Vatican on Monday.

Pope Francis encouraged the judging committee members – who collectively represent Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America – to further the values of human fraternity, both through the award and through their respective fields.

An honorary recipient of the award, Pope Francis said: “Human fraternity is imperative for our contemporary world, especially in the midst of ongoing conflicts. In wars, everyone loses, and it is the innocent who pay the price.” The Pope further urged the judging committee members to persist in promoting the values of human fraternity within their respective fields and domains.

For their part, the judging committee members expressed their gratitude to Pope Francis for His Holiness’ promotion of human fraternity values – including solidarity, environmental protection, and equality – through his pontificate.

They commended Pope Francis, as well as Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb, for coming together in 2019 to sign the historic Document on Human Fraternity, and affirmed that the values outlined in the Document on Human Fraternity serve as a compass in their selection process of the 2024 honoree(s).

The members of the independent judging committee are former president of Indonesia Megawati Sukarnoputri; Prefect Emeritus of the Holy See Dicastery for Oriental Churches His Eminence Cardinal Leonardo Sandri; Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis; U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Chair Rabbi Abraham Cooper; former Director-General of UNESCO and former Bulgarian minister Irina Bokova; and Secretary-General of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam.

On behalf of the committee, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam said: “Ahead of the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar signing the historic Document on Human Fraternity, we truly appreciate today’s meeting and inspiring conversation with Pope Francis, who has strengthened our resolve to carry out the values of human fraternity in our work together and apart.”

Megawati Sukarnoputri said: “It was an honor to meet with His Holiness Pope Francis today and discuss not only common concerns for the state of humanity, but also how we as a judging committee can contribute to addressing them.”

Cardinal Sandri said: “Following our discussion with His Holiness Pope Francis, as a judging committee we are reminded of our shared responsibility to recognise individuals and entities who are spreading the values outlined in the historic Document on Human Fraternity.”

Rabbi Abraham Cooper said: “The meeting with Pope Francis is a source of motivation in forging ahead with our efforts as a judging committee to select an awardee whose commitment to better humankind will inspire people the world over.”
Irina Bokova said: “I am pleased that the members of the judging committee share a common approach and understanding of the values of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, which aims to honor everyday heroes of human fraternity, compassion, and empathy, while also inspiring others to follow in their footsteps toward a more peaceful world.”

During their time in Rome, the 2024 judging committee will continue reviewing nominations to select the 2024 award honoree(s) – to be announced in February, in tandem with the UN-recognized International Day of Human Fraternity.
The award – which includes a USD $1 million prize – was established in 2019 following the signing of the historic Document on Human Fraternity by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Since the award’s inception humanitarian organizations, activists, and leaders from around the world have been honored including: Pope Francis (honorary recipient); the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb (honorary recipient); UN Secretary-General António Guterres; activist against extremism Latifa Ibn Ziaten; His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Haitian humanitarian organization the Foundation for Knowledge and Liberty (FOKAL); the Community of Sant’Egidio organisation; and Kenyan peacebuilder Shamsa Abubakar Fadhil.

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Israeli Forces Attack Church Compound In Gaza Just Days Before Christmas

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Israeli Forces Attack Church Compound In Gaza Just Days Before Christmas
Israeli armoured vehicles take part in a drill in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, near the border. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)

The Israeli military is accused of attacking a church compound in Gaza just one week before Christmas, killing two Christian women and displacing dozens of disabled Palestinians.

On Saturday, an Israeli sniper “shot in cold blood” mother Nahida Anton and daughter Samar Anton while they were walking to the Sister’s Convent inside the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, according to a statement from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Many Christian families in Gaza have been taking refuge inside the church compound since Israel began its heavy bombardment on the Palestinian enclave. Since Oct. 7, Israel’s destruction of Gaza has led to more than 18,700 Palestinians dead and thousands more buried under rubble, the Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday before the territory experienced a communications blackout that has since been partially restored.

Hours before the sniper attack, the patriarchate said that rockets fired from an Israeli tank hit the Convent of the Sisters of Mother Theresa, which is part of the church compound and home to 54 disabled people. The first rocket destroyed the building’s fuel sources and generator ― the convent’s only source of electricity ― and caused an explosion and massive fire that damaged the house. Two subsequent rockets on the convent rendered the home uninhabitable, according to the patriarchate.

Layla Moran, a member of British Parliament, said that she has several family members sheltering inside the same church compound. On Saturday, the lawmaker said that military forces had taken over a building opposite to the church and that “there are snipers at every window pointing to the church.”

Pope Francis, who has repeatedly spoken out against the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, expressed concern on Sunday about Israel’s church attacks, which he described as “terrorism.”

“I continue to receive very grave and painful news from Gaza,” he said during his weekly blessing. “Unarmed civilians are the objects of bombings and shootings. And this happened even inside the Holy Family parish complex, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick or disabled, nuns.”

Pope Francis delivers his blessing during the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican on Sunday. The pope spoke out during his blessing about the Israeli military's attack on Saturday against a church compound in Gaza, killing two women and displacing dozens of disabled people.
Pope Francis delivers his blessing during the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican on Sunday. The pope spoke out during his blessing about the Israeli military’s attack on Saturday against a church compound in Gaza, killing two women and displacing dozens of disabled people.
Alessandra Tarantino via Associated Press

The Israeli Defense Force told HuffPost that it is conducting a “thorough review” of the attack, claiming without evidence that soldiers were targeting a Hamas-related “threat that they identified in the area of the church.”

“The IDF takes claims regarding harm to sensitive sites with the utmost seriousness ― especially churches ― considering that Christian communities are a minority group in the Middle East,” the IDF said, maintaining its stance that soldiers only target terrorists and not civilians, despite the massive civilian death toll.

The IDF also said it received a letter on Saturday from the patriarchate describing the attack on the Holy Family Parish, but claimed that church representatives did not raise such concerns during a conversation hours earlier.

“Together in prayer with the whole Christian community, we express our closeness and condolences to the families affected by this senseless tragedy,” the patriarchate said. “At the same time, we cannot but express that we are at a loss to comprehend how such an attack could be carried out, even more so as the whole Church prepares for Christmas.”

The region is home to some of the world’s oldest Christian communities, with the Palestinian Christian population in Gaza dating back to the first century. Palestinian cities like Bethlehem, Ramallah and Nazareth hold annual Christmas parades and celebrate the holiday in churches across the area.

“Christmas celebrations are canceled this year, for it’s impossible to celebrate Christmas when our people in Gaza are going through a genocide,” Munther Ishaq, a pastor for Bethlehem’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, told Al Jazeera.

This year, Ishaq’s church set up its nativity scene depicting baby Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem, surrounded by rubble and wrapped in a Palestinian scarf called a keffiyeh.

 

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