This weekend brought sharp contrasts fom Israeli-Druze solidarity in the face of an Islamist threat in Southern Syria, to a beloved children’s character’s account hijacked with anti Jewish hate, to Jewish LGBTQ+ Londoners creating their own space when Pride refused keep them safe.

Southern Syria: The Druze at the epicentre.
Suwayda governor and Druze community leaders report clashes between HTS-aligned forces and local militias. Israel conducted drone strikes targeting heavy armour entering Druze regionsv justifying its actions under a decades‑old moral duty (התחייבות מוסרית) to protect the Druze, who are tightly integrated into Israeli society (~143,000 strong) under the concept of “Brit Damim” (“Covenant of Blood”).

Elmo’s X: Antisemitic and racist Abuse from the verified Account.
Vile antisemitic posts appeared on the verified @Elmo handle. The brand and platform collectively attribute them to an unauthorized intrusion a claimed hack by an “unknown actor.” No credible evidence links it to the franchise or Sesame Workshop’s values.

London Pride (July 5): Massive turnout; missing Jewish float.
Over 35,000 participants and 1 million spectators joined the procession. Yet Keshet UK, the Jewish LGBTQ+ organisation, pulled out citing insufficient antisemitism safeguards a refusal by the organisers to provided antisemitism training for stewards effectivly excluding jews from the event in the face of sharp rises in antisemitic hatred in the UK.

An alternative Jewish pride was held in Soho outside the Israeli Mznon resturaunt, over 2,000 Jewish LGBTQ+ individuals and allies gathered in Soho for their own celebration of joy, resilience and identity.

#Druze #Suwayda #BritDamim #JewishDruzeSolidarity #ElmoHack #LondonPride #KeshetUK #JewishInclusion