A lone Jewish person remains in Yemen, down from seven a month ago, according to a new United Nations report about the treatment of religious minorities in conflict zones.

The report, which was published by the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, described the treatment of religious minorities around the world. “In recent years, the rise in situations of conflict and insecurity has impacted communities of every religion or belief system, subverting their enjoyment of fundamental human rights, including freedom of religion or belief,” the report noted.

French Ambassador to the U.S. Philippe Ètienne weighed in on antisemitism in France and the Franco-American relationship following the AUKUS agreement last year during an appearance on Jewish Insider’s “Limited Liability Podcast.” Etienne, who previously served as an advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, was recalled by the French government last year in the fallout over a canceled contract for the French to sell submarines to the Australian Navy.

Following Amnesty International’s recent report that accused Israel of “apartheid” in its treatment of Palestinians, the group’s USA director appeared to go a step further on Wednesday, suggesting to a Woman’s National Democratic Club audience that the bulk of American Jews do not want Israel to be a Jewish state, but rather “a safe Jewish space” based on “core Jewish values.”

Paul O’Brien said one of Amnesty’s goals in publishing the report, which was roundly criticized by Israeli and American officials, is to “collectively change the conversation” on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “It needs to start first and foremost with the Jewish community,” O’Brien, who is not Jewish, said. 

Former Vice President Mike Pence had been expected to arrive in Morocco this week following a widely publicized multi-day jaunt through Israel, where he received an honorary doctorate, met with high-ranking government officials and had dinner with the GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson at her home in Jerusalem.

The trip to Morocco, according to a Pence confidante who informed Jewish Insider of the former vice president’s plans last month, was to be part of an effort to “buttress his faith” in the Abraham Accords, which many view as the signature foreign policy achievement of the Trump administration.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) mid-Thursday afternoon to thank Schumer and congratulate him on the anticipated passage of supplemental Iron Dome funding tonight as part of the 2022 appropriations bill, the Senate leader told Jewish Insider.

“It was held up by one Republican senator for too long, but we knew this was the way we could get it done,” Schumer said, adding that he was confident the omnibus spending bill “will pass tonight.”

Orthodox Jewish leaders from Queens and Long Island will announce their support for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday afternoon at a campaign event in Far Rockaway, Jewish Insider has learned.

The endorsements — from a range of activists in Far Rockaway, Queens, and the Five Towns area of Long Island — are an early stamp of approval from New York’s sizable and politically active Orthodox community, which represents a potentially decisive voting bloc in the upcoming Democratic gubernatorial primary.

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Perhaps the most moving moment of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s lightning-quick trip to Turkey to repair relations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was the warm welcome he received on Thursday morning from representatives of the Jewish community at the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Istanbul.

Shofars sounded as Herzog entered the 70-year-old synagogue, which has endured at least three significant terrorist attacks killing dozens of worshippers over the years. He shared with representatives of the 15,000-strong community details of what he described as a productive meeting with Ergodan the day before in Ankara.

A bipartisan group of House members, including 12 Democrats, sent a letter, obtained by Jewish Insider, to President Joe Biden on Thursday indicating plans to oppose the forthcoming Iran nuclear agreement and expressing their concerns about some of the publicly reported provisions. They’re joined by a few other House Democrats who expressed similar concerns about the deal to JI.

Writing in the letter, “from what we currently understand, it is hard to envision supporting an agreement along the lines being publicly discussed,” the members, 12 Democrats and nine Republicans, emphasize their concerns about the possibility of lifting both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and sanctions on members of the Supreme Leader’s inner circle.