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Israel to honor Charlie Kirk with award for fighting antisemitism

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel will honor the late Charlie Kirk for his work combating antisemitism at a conference in late January, four months after the conservative activist was assassinated while speaking at an American university.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Wednesday evening that Kirk will be given an award at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism in Jerusalem. Several pro-Israeli leaders are expected to attend the event, among them Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

This year will be the second time Israel’s government hosts the conference, which it says is “dedicated to confronting antisemitism and Holocaust denial in today’s world.”

Kirk was a staunch supporter of Israel. After his death, Netanyahu described him as a “lion-hearted friend” of the country and a “defender of our common Judeo-Christian civilization.”

The Turning Point USA co-founder frequently invoked scripture and prophecy to urge American Christians and conservatives to stand by the country against its enemies.

But some of his comments about Jewish philanthropy and Hollywood drew accusations of antisemitism. And as debates over Israel have emerged among American conservatives, his legacy on the issue has become contested. Last year, speaking on The Megyn Kelly Show, he said support for Israel had become so rigid that he felt unable to voice even mild criticism of its policies.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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