September 21, 2025 | 06:09 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tempo English compiled the top 3 news on Saturday, September 20, 2025. Here are the highlights: Viral: Chinese Scholar Confronts Israeli Diplomat Over Gaza; Survey: Half of Americans Believe Israel Has Gone Too Far in Gaza; and Sixteen Activists Join Syahdan Husein in Hunger Strike at Jakarta Police Detention Center.
The following is the list of the top 3 news on Tempo English today:
1. Viral: Chinese Scholar Confronts Israeli Diplomat Over Gaza
A prominent Chinese scholar was seen confronting an Israeli official about the military offensive in Gaza in a video that has since gone viral on social media.
Yan Xuetong, dean of Tsinghua University's Institute of International Relations, clashed with Elad Shoshan, the military attaché at the Israeli embassy in Beijing, at the annual Xiangshan forum in Beijing on Wednesday, as reported by The Independent on Friday.
On the sidelines of the annual defense forum, Yan confronted the military representative, saying that Israel should only shoot "terrorists."
"Not the children! Not the women! When you [shot] the women and the children, you lost the legitimacy to carry out any actions for that reason," the scholar said in a video that went viral on Chinese social media platforms Weibo and X.
2. Survey: Half of Americans Believe Israel Has Gone Too Far in Gaza
As international concern grows over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, more U.S. adults view Israeli military action in the Palestinian territory as excessive compared to the early stages of the conflict, according to a new poll.
About half of Americans said Israel's military response in Gaza had been "excessive," according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, as reported by Arab News and Fox News on Friday. This number has risen from November 2023, when 40 percent said Israel's military action had been excessive.
The AP-NORC poll was conducted shortly after the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll of Palestinians has surpassed 65,000 as of Friday, and experts say that starvation conditions have developed in the city of Gaza. Nearly 90 percent of the population has been displaced as Israel continues its attacks.
3. Sixteen Activists Join Syahdan Husein in Hunger Strike at Jakarta Police Detention Center
Sixteen activists detained at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police have launched a hunger strike to protest their detention over the August 2025 mass demonstrations.
Among them is activist Syahdan Husein from the Gejayan Memanggil movement, who is believed to have initiated the action.
Fellow detainee Khariq Anhar, a student at the University of Riau, said the strike began on September 16 at Syahdan’s urging.
“We are tired of being detained. At Syahdan Husein’s initiative, we started the hunger strike,” Khariq wrote in an open letter shared on several civil society social media accounts on Thursday, September 18.
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UNGA to Condemn Israel Over Alleged International Law Breaches in Gaza
4 jam lalu
Countries participating in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session will condemn Israel's violations of international law in the Gaza Strip.
Rational Alignment in Multipolar Competition: India and Russia's Strategic Pull Towards China
5 jam lalu
Trump's punitive tariff barrage on Indian goods signaled to New Delhi that economic ties with US were less stable than many had hoped.
Viral: Chinese Scholar Confronts Israeli Diplomat Over Gaza
7 jam lalu
A prominent Chinese scholar was seen confronting an Israeli official about the military offensive in Gaza in a video that has since gone viral.
Gaza's Death Toll Reaches 65,200 in Israel's Genocidal War
8 jam lalu
At least 65,208 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023.
Prabowo to Voice Global South Interests at UN General Assembly
8 jam lalu
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to speak at the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, US on Tuesday, September 23.
Today's Top 3 News: Sixteen Activists Join Syahdan Husein in Hunger Strike at Jakarta Police Detention Center
21 jam lalu
Here is the list of the top 3 news on Tempo English today.
Survey: Half of Americans Believe Israel Has Gone Too Far in Gaza
22 jam lalu
A greater percentage of U.S. adults now view Israel's military action in Gaza as excessive than at the beginning of the war.
Portugal, Malta to Recognize State of Palestine This Week
1 hari lalu
The governments of Portugal and Malta are set to officially recognize the State of Palestine this week.
Italy's Largest Labor Union Holds National Strike in Solidarity with Palestine
1 hari lalu
The largest labor union in Italy held a national strike on Friday to protest Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip.
Japan to Forgo Palestine Recognition at UN General Assembly
1 hari lalu
The Japanese government has announced that it does not intend to recognize Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
