Anti-Israel protesters stage sit-in amid Netanyahu visit

Anti-Israel protesters donned Benjamin Netanyahu masks and smeared their hands with fake blood for a Sunday sit-in against the Israeli prime minister in Washington.

Activists led by the radical CODEPINK group demonstrated outside the the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby's annual conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

In addition to the masks, many protesters wore black-and-white "keffiyeh" scarves to give themselves a distinctly Arab look.

The protesters were expected to return on Monday, when Netanyahu is scheduled to address the conference.

Netanyahu — who opposes a pending nuclear deal with Iran — is in the United States for a scheduled Tuesday address to Congress.

The speech was arranged without President Obama's approval.

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Records show Heastie accepted cash from a convicted mobster

The state's newly minted Assembly Speaker, Carl Heastie, accepted cash from a mobster convicted of racketeering and steered thousands more to a man who did time for manslaughter, records show.

Between 2003 and 2008, more than $2,800 flowed into the Bronx Democrat's campaign coffers from Tri-State Employment Services and its top executives, including reputed Bonanno associate Neil Messina, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison last April in connection with a 1992 home-invasion murder.

Heastie also directed at least $250,000 to the Bronx Business Alliance. The now-defunct non-profit's head, John Bonizio, was convicted of manslaughter in 1982 for bludgeoning a man to death with a baseball bat. Bonizio also made a plea deal after being indicted in the same year for trying to bribe an NYPD detective.

"Associations like these seriously undermine his attempts to show that the Assembly Democrats have turned the page," a Democratic operative said of Heastie.

"As someone who is totally undefined in the public eye, this is a troubling first impression."

Heastie took over as Assembly speaker last month amid corruption charges against former Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Silver was arrested by the FBI in January for allegedly accepting nearly $4 million in bribes and kickbacks dating back to at least 2000.

Since 2000, Heastie has represented the northeast Bronx neighborhoods of Edenwald, Wakefield and Baychester, and currently serves as chairman of the Bronx Democratic Party, a post he eventually plans to give up.

Heastie said through a spokesman he did not know of Bonizio's brutal crime, which was reported in newspaper accounts in 1989, or of Messina's reputed ties to the Bonanno family.

"These contributions were made years ago, before the accusations, and [Heastie] will be donating them to charity," spokesman Michael Whyland said. "The Speaker has no input regarding the makeup of the [Bronx Business Alliance] board."

Heastie did not receive campaign contributions from Bonizio, state financial-disclosure records show. But Bonizio hasn't been quiet when it comes to political money. He's shoveled campaign cash to Mayor de Blasio, and to Council members Ritchie Torres and Annabel Palma, according to city campaign-finance records.

Bonizio told The Post he's paid his debt to society and hasn't done anything wrong for the last 35 years.

Messina went to federal prison last year for racketeering in connection with the 1992 home invasion death of a Brooklyn man. He served as president of a key division of Tri-State, which failed to disclose to the city and state that he'd been charged. The city recently announced it was cancelling a $10 million contract with Tri-State.

The downtown Manhattan firm did not return calls.

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Elderly woman killed in kitchen blaze

An elderly Brooklyn woman was killed after her kitchen caught fire in her Bay Ridge home Sunday night, authorities said.

Approximately 60 firefighters responded to the blaze at 8 p.m. and forced their way into the house on 77th Street near 5th Avenue, FDNY officials said.

A woman, believed to be in her 80's, was discovered unconscious on a couch inside the living room, according to Deputy Chief John Hodgens.

Several firefighters carried the victim out through the front entrance and immediately began performing CPR, Hodgens said.

She was rushed to Lutheran Hospital where she was declared dead , FDNY officials said.

One smoke eater was also taken to Lutheran Hospital for fatigue.

"She's very old and recently started sleeping down in the living room because she's unable to get up the stairs to the bedrooms," said a neighbor Steve, who declined to give his last name. "The smoke was seeping into my apartment and it set my fire alarm off."

The all-hands fire was put under control after about 35 minutes , officials said.

It remains unclear what caused the fire and officials are investigating.

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Parents rebel against bid to deny state aid to college students

Parents are rebelling against Gov. Cuomo's bare-knuckled strategy to deny state aid to nearly 400,000 "legal" college students if the Legislature refuses to provide tuition assistance to illegal immigrants or tax credits to supporters of parochial schools.

Long Island mom Christine Intrieri launched a letter-writing campaign to Cuomo and state lawmakers opposing the governor's controversial tactic after reading about it in Saturday's Post.

"I am outraged at Gov. Cuomo's ultimatum hidden within the Dream Act," Intrieri said, referring to the plan to provide tuition aid to college students who are undocumented residents.

She said she and her husband are "third-generation Americans" who work a combined 100 hours a week to stay afloat

Intrieri, of Lindenhurst, has a daughter who attends Loyola University in Maryland and a son who is a high-school junior, and depends on financial aid.

"Most of the colleges he is looking at are in New York state," she said. "I am terrified of the thought of being denied parent loans after taking them out for three years for my daughter. I don't know from year to year how my children's tuition will be met."

Addressing Cuomo's proposal, she said, "How dare you use these children as pawns to promote your agenda? . . . How dare you deny fourth-generation New York residents the opportunity to attend college? While I'm not opposed to the idea of children of illegal immigrants receiving aid to attend college here, to do so at the expense of families who have earned the right to be eligible is disgraceful."

Intrieri, a registered Republican who voted for Democrat Cuomo's re-election last fall, added, "I will NOT vote for anyone who supports this bill."

The gambit has even provoked a backlash from parents who support the governor's other education reforms, such as bolstering teacher accountability and improving failing public schools.
"It's radical," Staten Island parent Sam Pirozzolo said of the poison-pill amendment. "He's using college students as bait."

Cuomo ignited the furor when he linked the Dream Act and the Education Investment Tax Credit Act, which provides tax benefits to donors who contribute to parochial and private schools, to the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) in a recent budget amendment. The bill is crafted in such a way that the Legislature can't reject the Dream Act tax credit without also wiping out $1 billion in tuition grants to more than 372,000 students.

Cuomo — who is using his budget-writing powers to try to nudge the scandal-scarred Legislature to negotiate an ethics overhaul and education reform — appeared to back off the TAP proposal on Sunday.

"There is no need for hysteria," a Cuomo administration official told The Post. "The governor will not sign off on a budget without TAP, period."

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) vowed to protect tuition aid.

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Upstate towns threatening to secede from New York

More than a dozen upstate towns are threatening to try to secede from New York and become part of Pennsylvania because of projected economic losses over Gov. Cuomo's decision to ban fracking.

The town leaders from New York's Southern Tier region said they would be better off in the Keystone State after Cuomo put the kibosh on natural-gas drilling here.

Towns on both sides of the state boundary have the same geology, but only the businesses in Pennsylvania, where fracking is allowed, have been thriving, said officials from the 15 towns in Broome, Delaware, Sullivan and Tioga counties.

The group's Upstate New York Towns Association says it is now exploring secession over the issue, as well as over property taxes and low sales-tax revenue.

"We have no jobs and no income. The richest resource we have is in the ground,'' said Conklin Town Supervisor Jim Finch.

Secession would require approval from both the New York and Pennsylvania legislatures, as well as the federal government.

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Top cop’s winter advice — moisturize!

A top cop in Harlem is urging New Yorkers to say no to crack — by improving their skincare regimen.

"Fight winter itch by moisturizing your body after every wash and staying properly hydrated. #NYPD," Deputy Inspector Steven Griffith posted on the 26th Precinct's Twitter page Thursday.

The odd tweet featured before-and-after photos of Griffith's chapped mitts — a warning about the perils of dry skin.

Critics poked fun at the high-ranking cop for channeling his inner beautician.

"Busy day at your precinct?" one of his followers wondered.

"Courtesy. Professionalism. Moisturized," another quipped.

But celebrity skincare expert Renee Rouleau, 45, called it good advice for cops — and anyone who works outside in cold weather.

"Maybe he's trying to have less manly hands. Maybe when he holds his wife, he doesn't want his hands to be rough," she said.

Griffith didn't return calls seeking comment — and beauty tips.

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Russia blames model, Islamic extremism for Putin foe’s murder

Russian officials are serving up preposterous motives in the murder of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov as tens of thousands of his supporters plan to march Sunday in his memory.

Kremlin allies are blaming Islamic extremism and the 55-year-old Nemtsov's relationship with a 23-year-old model as possible motives for his murder on a bridge steps from Red Square.

Few dared suggest another motive: Nemtsov was a dogged critic of President Vladimir Putin.

The former deputy prime minister and prominent liberal political figure was gunned down late Friday as he walked across Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge with his girlfriend, Ukrainian model Anna Duritskaya.

Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov speaks as Russian anti-Putin opposition activists hold a "March of Millions" rally in 2011.Photo: Getty Images

"We have established that she recently flew from Moscow to Switzerland to have an abortion," the state-controlled newspaper Izvestia "reported," citing a law-enforcement source.

"The investigators are trying to establish whether Nemtsov was her only partner, and we are not excluding the possibility there was a personal conflict over her," the report climaed.

Putin himself, meanwhile, vowed Saturday to punish Nemtsov's killers and denounced the slaying as a "political murder" to discredit the Kremlin.

"We will do everything to ensure that the perpetrators of this foul and cynical crime and those who stand behind them are properly punished," he said in a statement that offered condolences to Nemtsov's mother.

Russia's Investigative Committee, which reports directly to Putin, said it would probe several theories — including claims that the killing was an attempt to destabilize Russia and make Nemtsov a martyr, or that it was linked to the Ukrainian conflict, or that it stemmed from his support of Charlie Hebdo journalists under threat by Islamic extremists.

"Nemtsov could have been a kind of sacrifice for those who stop at nothing to attain their political ends," said committee spokesman Vladimir Markin.

Nemtsov's backers called the claims red herrings.

Hours before his murder, Nemtsov went on the radio to urge people to join in a protest Sunday against Russia's involvement in Ukraine. His supporters now plan to hold a vigil in Red Square instead to honor him.

"Boris declared that he would reveal persuasive evidence about the involvement of Russian armed forces in Ukraine," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said. "Someone was very afraid of this. Boris was not afraid. The hangmen and executioners were afraid. They killed him."

With Post Wire Services

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Derek Fisher: Knicks can learn from Mason’s on-court toughness

Anthony Mason died Saturday morning, almost two decades after he last played for the Knicks. But as the organization mourns the late Mason's life, they also can learn from him.

The Knicks had a moment of silence for the rugged Queens native before Saturday's game against Toronto at the Garden, and paid video tribute to the fan favorite who died from congestive heart failure. As coach Derek Fisher said the team's thoughts are with his family, he also said their thoughts also should be on emulating his toughness.

"He'll be with us as we go on this season. He embodied a lot of what we're continuing to try and do here,'' Fisher said. "[He was] just gritty and very determined to get the outcome that he sought. Whatever it took to help his team win is what he was willing to do. That's a skill and a talent in itself.

"As you try and talk to players about how to play the game and how to have a role and be selfless within the team, he's one of the guys that quickly come to mind and that you … will always be able to use as an example of how you can be extremely impactful on a team without necessarily scoring 20 points a game."

"Many guys were barely born when he was excelling as a player. A lot of times we don't appreciate who a person was and what they stood for until they're gone. Maybe some of our players who are playing now will get a chance to appreciate and embrace more of what Anthony Mason stood for and how much of that we need to still be carrying with us going forward as we try to turn this organization around.''

Mason's came up from Springfield Gardens through the USBL to helping the Knicks to the NBA Finals. Lance Thomas, who was born in Brooklyn and played at St. Benedict's in Newark, watched Mason as a kid and appreciated his game and path to the NBA.

"Just a tenacious player," Thomas said. "That's something I looked up to. That's how my game is, just tenacity, getting after it. The fact that he's not here anymore is heartbreaking. You see how intense he was. Those guys were getting after it, the city was in a buzz. You see the panorama of the fans and everybody is going crazy. Hopefully we can get the franchise back to that."

"If you were a guy that was going against him, that probably was one of the guys you didn't want to go up against. Just for how physical he was and the toughness he brought to this team. He was perfect for that team. … You saw how hard he worked. He worked really hard and New York fans definitely appreciate a guy who does that. He became a fan favorite just off how hard he played.''

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ISIS beheader ‘Jihadi John’ was once a ‘lovely boy’

"Jihadi John," the ISIS savage infamous for beheading innocent captives, was once a "lovely, lovely boy," a former teacher says.

But the unidentified teacher, who worked at London's Quintin Kynaston school, admits Mohammed Emwazi did have a slight problem.

"We'd find that he'd get very angry and worked up and it would take him a long time to calm himself down," she told the BBC. "So we did a lot of work as a school to help him with his anger and to control his emotions."

The school's solution: sending the now 27-year-old executioner to anger therapy.

"It seemed to work,'' the teacher insisted. "He had a lot of respect for all of the work that had been done for him at our school."

In contrast to the stereotype of an impoverished loner driven to terrorism out of desperation, Emwazi came from the middle-class suburbs of London, loved "The Simpsons" and gadgets, and dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player.

"He went to a university of his choice, and from the way he started in year seven to how he blossomed until he left at the end of sixth form was a huge achievement for him," the teacher added.

Emwazi was far from devout while attending the high school, located in London's exclusive St. John's Wood neighborhood, another former pal told The Sun of London.

"He dressed like a gangsta rapper and was very into music at that time," a former female pal told the paper. "He was obsessed with Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Tupac Shakur," and enjoyed vodka and pot.

"I never saw him pray or wear Islamic dress," she said. "He would not even mention religion at all."

Emwazi graduated with a degree in computer programming from the University of Westminster, a college that at least one former student accused this week of being a hotbed for radical Muslims.

Emwazi was able to flee Britain although he belonged to a terrorist cell with ties to four attempted bombings in London, Britain's Guardian newspaper said Saturday.

Jihadi John (right) and as a child in 1996.Photo: The Sun; ZumaPress.com

After escaping to Syria in 2013 to join ISIS fighters, Emwazi came to public attention in the horrific video of the beheading of American journalist James Foley.

He was later seen in the gruesome beheading videos of US journalist Steven Sotloff, US aid worker Peter Kassig, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, and two Japanese nationals.

"I just can't believe he'd do that," his former teacher said.

The school is "shocked and sickened" by news of its infamous alum, this week's newsletter said.

Staffers are working with authorities to provide any help they can, the newsletter added. MI5 British Intelligence officers have already interviewed Emwazi's former teachers, according to recent reports.

British advocacy group Cage, which campaigns against the War on Terror, meanwhile declared this week that MI5's constant questioning of Emwazi — he'd been on its radar since at least 2009 — turned him into a radical.

Prime Minister David Cameron dismissed the claim as "reprehensible," adding that the public should support the intelligence agency's decisions.

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William Shatner to skip Leonard Nimoy funeral

There's a place Capt. James T. Kirk will not boldly go: To the funeral of his trusted science officer, Mr. Spock.

William Shatner said he can't make the Sunday service in California for "Star Trek" co-star Leonard Nimoy, who played the half-human, half-Vulcan officer on the USS Enterprise.

"I am currently in FL as I agreed to appear at the Red Cross Ball tonight. Leonard's funeral is tomorrow. I can't make it back in time," Shatner tweeted Saturday.

"I feel really awful. Here I am doing charity work and one of my dearest friends is being buried," Shatner said of the actor he has stated was like a brother to him.

As a consolation, he proposed a gathering to honor Nimoy in Palm Beach.

"So maybe tomorrow we come together here and celebrate his life," he wrote.

Nimoy died of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Friday at his home in the Bel-Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was 83.

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