The removal of Majer came the day after an Israeli Air Force reservist was dismissed for a similar posting on social media.

An officer in the IDF’s intelligence branch has been removed from his reserve duty after a social media post that he refused to take part in a continuance of fighting, The Jerusalem Post confirmed Wednesday.

Michael Majer, an officer in intelligence, had written on X that he would not take part any continuance of action. His post criticized national leadership, stating that he was not going to obey decisions that he felt were contradictory to the best interest of the nation.

According to the IDF, Majer was permanently removed from his position on reserve duty.

“The thing that will most help protect my people now is to refuse to take part in the fighting in the service of a bunch of filthy traitors and in complete opposition to the interests of the people of Israel.”

Risking everything by speaking out against gov’t

Following the publication of his post, Majer emphasized that he made a difficult, personal decision to speak out as reservist, because it is a large part of his identity and social circle. He said that he stands behind every word he wrote, and even brought it up during his dismissal hearing.

“Every person must have red lines. As far as I am concerned, they were crossed a long time ago,” he wrote in response to his dismissal. “I will not take part in an action that is motivated by foreign interests and means abandoning the kidnapped to their deaths, sending soldiers to kill and be killed in vain, and continuing the multifaceted deterioration of the State of Israel. All of this under a regime that has long since lost all legitimacy and is solely for the preservation of its power.”

The removal of Majer came the day after an Israeli Air Force reservist was dismissed for a similar posting on social media, Israeli media reported. The IAF reservist navigator had written that they were fearful of the fate of the hostages and expressed extreme concern over efforts to fire Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and the attorney general. 

These comments mimicked those of a pre-October 7 world, where hundreds of reservists threatened to not show up for duty in protest.

Badar Khan Suri is a student and teacher at Washington DC’s Georgetown University

A US court has blocked the Trump administration from deporting a Georgetown University researcher who was detained by immigration authorities earlier this week.

Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national, is a postdoctoral fellow studying and teaching at the prestigious Washington DC institution on a student visa.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accused him of “spreading Hamas propaganda” and having “close connections to a known or suspected terrorist”.

Mr Suri’s lawyer and employer have denied the allegation. His lawyer said in a court filing that his client was targeted because of his wife’s “identity as a Palestinian and her constitutionally protected speech”.

In an order on Thursday, Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles said Mr Suri “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court issues a contrary order”.

In a sworn statement, his wife Mapheze Saleh said the detention “has completely upended our lives” and appealed to the court to allow Mr Suri to return home to his family.

“Our children are in desperate need of their father and miss him dearly,” she said. “As a mother of three children, I desperately need his support to take care of them and me.”

His arrest follows the detention or deportation of other foreign students and academics, including Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent Palestinian activist.

Mr Suri was arrested outside his home in northern Virginia on Monday night by masked immigration agents, according to legal filings seen by CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

He was told the agents were with DHS, the filings say, and they informed him the government had revoked his visa and he was now facing expulsion from the country.

Mr Suri was taken to Alexandria Staging Facility in Louisiana where he is being held, according to US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary at DHS, said on X that Mr Suri was “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media”.

She accused him of having “close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior adviser to Hamas” without providing any further detail.

Georgetown University Badar Khan SuriGeorgetown University
Mr Suri’s father-in-law is a former adviser to killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, the Washington Post and New York Times reported.

In her court statement, Ms Saleh said her father lived in the US for nearly 20 years while pursuing a master’s and PhD. “Afterward, he served as political advisor to the Prime Minister of Gaza and as the deputy of foreign affairs in Gaza,” she said.

Ms Saleh said he left the Gaza government in 2010 and “started the House of Wisdom in 2011 to encourage peace and conflict resolution in Gaza”.

Mr Suri’s court filings allege that he and his wife Mapheze Saleh – a US citizen of Palestinian descent – had “long been doxxed and smeared” online by an “anonymously-run blacklisting site”.

The BBC has contacted Mr Suri’s lawyer for more details.

A spokesman for Georgetown University told the BBC that Mr Suri had been “granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan”.

The institution was “not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention”.

“We support our community members’ rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas may be difficult, controversial or objectionable,” the spokesman said. “We expect the legal system to adjudicate this case fairly.”

Getty Images A woman holds up the sign of a watermelon to signify support for the Palestinians during a protest against Israel’s attack in Gaza at Georgetown University on 25 April 2025Getty Images
Students protested against Israel’s attacks in Gaza across several universities last year, including at Georgetown in Washington DC
In her post on X, Ms McLaughlin said Secretary of State Marco Rubio “issued a determination on March 15, 2025 that Suri’s activities and presence in the United States rendered him deportable”.

The BBC has contacted DHS to request more detail on the allegations against Mr Suri, and also asked the Indian embassy in Washington DC for comment.

Several students and academics have been investigated by US immigration officials in recent weeks, accusing them of advocating for “violence and terrorism”.

Khalil, a Columbia graduate and permanent US resident, was arrested on 8 March after being involved in pro-Palestinian protests on campus. He was accused of having ties to Hamas, which he denies.

Columbia student Leqaa Kordia, who is a Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested for “overstaying her student visa”. She had previously been arrested in April 2024 for taking part in protests at Columbia University, according to DHS.

Ranjani Srinivasan, another Columbia University student, chose to “self-deport”. Officials said her student visa was revoked on 5 March. Her lawyers say she attended a handful of protests and had shared or liked social media posts related to Palestinians in Gaza.

Brown University professor and kidney transplant specialist Rasha Alawieh, who is Lebanese, was deported after arriving at Boston airport. US officials said they found “photos and videos” on her cell phone that were “sympathetic” to the former longtime leader of Hezbollah and militants.

According to a transcript of her interview reviewed by Reuters, she told customs officials she did not support Hezbollah but had high regard for its leader because of her religion.

“I’m not a political person,” she said. “I’m a physician. It’s mainly about faith.”

As anticipation builds for the 2025 Continental People’s Choice Awards, distinguished legislators from across Africa have been named as nominees in recognition of their outstanding contributions to governance and democracy.

Among those shortlisted are Amason Kingi Jeffah, Speaker of the Kenyan Senate; Hanafy Ali El Gebaly, President of Egypt’s House of Representatives; Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; and Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, alongside other eminent parliamentarians from Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Ghana.

This prestigious award, organised by the Africa International Chambers (AIC) in partnership with Souq Nexus and facilitated by Integrated Management Resources (IMR), honours legislators who have demonstrated exemplary leadership, policy innovation, and unwavering dedication to their constituencies.

A distinguished Joint Award Screening Committee, led by Prof. Raju Chandrasekhar, meticulously selected the nominees based on their impact in advancing democratic principles and governance. Formal invitations for the grand award ceremony, slated for June 6, 2025, in Dubai, have been extended to the nominees.

The high-profile event will bring together policymakers, government officials, business leaders, and international dignitaries, providing a prestigious platform to celebrate legislative excellence and foster strategic dialogue on governance and development.

Beyond being an award, the Continental People’s Choice Awards is a globally recognised symbol of leadership and influence. The ceremony will not only highlight the achievements of Africa’s most distinguished lawmakers but also reinforce their credibility on national and international platforms.

With the world watching, the 2025 edition promises to be a defining moment in Africa’s legislative history, solidifying the honourees’ legacy as trailblazers of transformative governance.