WASHINGTON – Vice President Mike Pence and a bipartisan slate of top members of Congress are scheduled to address AIPAC’s upcoming annual conference. An American Israel Public Affairs Committee official confirmed to JTA that Pence will keynote the conference scheduled for March 26-28 in Washington, D.C. Pence, who enjoyed a long relationship with the pro-Israel lobby as a congressman and later as Indiana governor – but as a local congressman in 2009, told AIPAC that he didn’t know of the three synagogues in his district – spoke last month at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual confab and has taken a lead in condemning recent anti-Semitic incidents.
Category: Israel
American Jews and the Trump Administration Aviel Sheyin-Stevens
After the election of perhaps the most pro-Israel U.S. administration in history, American Jews seem to have lost the plot. When Donald Trump was elected president of the U.S., many Jews sat shiva to mourn Hillary Clinton’s defeat as if it was a death in the family, making religion out of politics.
GOP-run committee backs Trump’s pick for US envoy to Israel
A Republican-led Senate committee on Thursday narrowly approved the nomination of the combative lawyer selected by President Donald Trump to be ambassador to Israel, setting aside concerns that David Friedman lacked the temperament for such a critical diplomatic post. Members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted largely along party lines, 12-9, to recommend that the full Senate consider Friedman’s nomination.
The West Bank settlement with close ties to Trump’s Israel envoy
Nearly 6,000 miles separate Washington D.C. from Beit El, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, and yet the two have never been closer. A direct connection runs between the White House and this small religious community perched on a windswept hill, near Palestinian communities.
ISIS Trading in Antiquities and People
With the Jewish holiday of Purim approaching, it is incumbent upon all decent people — whatever their religious persuasion — to fully understand that ISIS jihadists are the lineal descendents of the cruel and ancient Amalekites with their bestial destruction of people. In fact, “[i]n rabbinic literature , the reasons for the unusual eternal remembrance of Amalek are the following: Amalek is the irreconcilable enemy and it is forbidden to show mercy foolishly to one wholly dedicated to the destruction of Israel.
ZOA Praises FBI for Arresting Islamist, Anti-Israel, Anti-Trump Bomb Threatener
The ZOA praises the FBI for its investigation and arrest of Juan M. Thompson, a fired former reporter for a left-wing online newspaper and hate-filled, pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel, anti-white, anti-Trump, pro-Bernie Sanders, anti-western society, anti-American, Communist, anti-police radical Islamist, for allegedly perpetrating at least eight of the recent bomb threats against Jewish institutions. The ZOA also appreciates federal and local authorities’ continuing investigation of other recent anti-Semitic threats and vandalism.
Trump in Israel’s Eyes
If you watch Channel Two’s Arad Nir or Channel Ten’s Gil Tamari, or listened to Kol Yisrrael’s Matan Gutman, or any of the anchormen and anchor-women on Israel TV or Israel Radio, you will discover they not only despise Donald Trump but they think Trump is either mentally ill or anti-Semitic, or both. They were sure that Trump could never win.
Trump declares US ‘ready to lead’ even as he warns of engagements’ costs
President Donald Trump said in his first address to Congress that the US was “once again ready to lead” internationally amid concerns that his ‘America First’ policy and moves to curtail the State Department budget will do the opposite. “Our allies will find that America is once again ready to lead,” Trump said in an address that was largely dominated by domestic concerns.
Here are all 53 standing ovation lines from Trump’s speech to Congress
“Tonight, as we mark the conclusion of our celebration of Black History Month, we are reminded of our nation’s path toward civil rights and the work that still remains.” “Recent threats targeting Jewish community centers and vandalism of Jewish cemeteries, as well as last week’s shooting in Kansas City, remind us that while we may be a nation divided on policies, we are a country that stands united in condemning hate and evil in all its forms.”
President Donald Trump denounces anti-Semitism in newly forceful…
President Donald Trump on Tuesday condemned recent threats against Jewish community centers in the U.S. as “painful reminders” of lingering prejudice and evil, his first full-throated comments on the rise of anti-Semitic venom after pressure for him to speak out forcefully. With his somewhat delayed denunciation, Trump sought to reset his relationship with American Jews, which has been strained by a recent White House statement on the Holocaust, comments by some of his supporters and his own fractious exchange with a reporter for an Orthodox Jewish publication.
With Trump at helm, US takes seat at UN rights council
The US claimed its seat Monday on the Human Rights Council under the new presidency of Donald Trump, whose election has provoked deep concern over the body’s future. Over its 11-year history, the council has come in for criticism, including allegations that it has, at times, been co-opted by rights abusers who push resolutions attacking their geopolitical rivals, with genuine rights issues marginalised.
J Street Attacks Trump and David Friedman As Largest-Even Conference Kicks Off
Over a thousand supporters of J Street gathered on Saturday night in Washington, D.C. for the left-wing Jewish group’s annual conference. On the opening night of a three-day event that J Street’s leaders say will be its largest gathering ever, with more than 3,500 expected participants, it was clear that 2017 is going to be a turning point for this organization.
Pence: Administration backs Israel abroad, business at home
Vice President Mike Pence is assuring the Republican Jewish Coalition that he and President Donald Trump will work tirelessly on foreign and domestic issues important to the group, such as enacting business-friendly policies at home and supporting Israel abroad. “If the world knows nothing else, the world will know this: America stands with Israel,” Pence told the group Friday night.
Trump denounces anti-Semitism in newly forceful condemnation
President Donald Trump on Tuesday condemned recent threats against Jewish community centres in the U.S. as “painful reminders” of lingering prejudice and evil, his first full-throated comments on the rise of anti-Semitic venom after pressure for him to speak out forcefully. With his somewhat delayed denunciation, Trump sought to reset his relationship with American Jews, which has been strained by a recent White House statement on the Holocaust, comments by some of his supporters and his own fractious exchange with a reporter for an Orthodox Jewish publication.
Israeli jets strike outside Damascus – Syrian media
An Israel Air Force F-15 flies overhead during an exercise in the Golan Heights on February 23, 2014. Syrian media reported that Israeli aircraft targeted a Syrian Army convoy bearing weapons for the Hezbollah terrorist group early Wednesday morning.
Thomas Friedman: Israeli-Palestinian conflict isn’t improving
First you were tested by a rival – Russia – and utterly failed to appreciate the corrosive impact on our democracy of your indulgence of Russia’s hacking our election. And on Wednesday you’re going to be tested by a friend – Israel – and its prime minister, Bibi Netanyahu.
Ex-officials: Israeli leader spurned secret peace offer
Israel’s prime minister turned down a regional peace initiative last year that was brokered by then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, former American officials confirmed Sunday, in apparent contradiction to Benjamin Netanyahu’s stated goal of involving regional Arab powers in resolving Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians. Netanyahu took part in a secret summit that Kerry organized in the southern Jordanian port city of Aqaba last February and included Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
Ex-officials: Israeli leader spurned secret peace offer
Israel’s prime minister turned down a regional peace initiative last year that was brokered by then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, former American officials confirmed Sunday, in apparent contradiction to Benjamin Netanyahu’s stated goal of involving regional Arab powers in resolving Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians. Netanyahu took part in a secret summit that Kerry organized in the southern Jordanian port city of Aqaba last February and included Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
February 20, 2017: Seeking a solution
Seeking a solution With regard to “Did Trump nix the 2-state solution?” , the assertion that then-president Bill Clinton “wed the Israelis and Palestinians to the notion that the only resolution to the conflict is a two-state solution” flies in the face of historical factuality. The 1993 Oslo Accords did not require a sovereign Palestinian-Arab entity.
Israeli leader lauds ‘new day’ in relations with Trump’s US
” Israel’s leader says President Donald Trump told him it was a “new day” in Israeli-American relations. Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet Sunday that last week’s meeting with Trump in Washington was “historic” and strengthened the two countries’ longtime alliance.
Israeli leader lauds ‘new day’ in relations with Trump’s US
Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet Sunday that last week’s meeting with Trump in Washington was “historic” and strengthened the two countries’ longtime alliance. After eight years of testy ties with Barack Obama, Netanyahu seems to be relishing Trump’s warm embrace.
The Latest: Puzder withdraws nomination for labor secretary
The fast food executive says in a statement provided to The Associated Press that he was “honored to have been considered by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor and put America’s workers and businesses back on a path to sustainable prosperity.” Puzder says “while I won’t be serving in the administration, I fully support the President and his highly qualified team.”
Trump Blames Media, Judges, Democrats In Chaos Theory Tour-De-Force
Upending decades of U.S. policy on Israel-Palestinian conflict, he told the Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu that he “could live with” either a one state or a two state solution “that both parties want”. “To be honest, I inherited a mess at home and overseas”, he claimed as he spoke of jobs fleeing the country, instability in West Asia and the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.
Donald Trump Doesn’t Care if Israel and the Palestinians Make Peace
With an off-hand remark, the president indicates the status quo of U.S.-supported Israeli occupation is fine with him. We’ve long known that President Donald Trump has no filter, yet his every utterance now carries the weight of U.S. policy behind it.
Netanyahu and Trump push reset of US-Israel relationship
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made their debut Wednesday as chummy partners preparing to tackle the Middle East’s toughest challenges side by side. Netanyahu beamed at his new American counterpart and declared him the best friend Israel could possibly wish for, while Trump offered lofty praise for Israel, denounced the Iranian nuclear deal and declined to back a two-state solution – a longstanding, bipartisan US policy that the Israeli Prime Minister has questioned.
Report: Friedman will apologize for using a kapoa to describe liberal Jews
President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, is expected to apologize during his Senate confirmation hearing for derogatory statements he has made against liberal Jews. Representatives of the nominee told Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., who is the senior Democratic member of the Foreign Relations Committee that will hold the confirmation hearing, that Friedman will apologize for use of the term “kapo” to attack J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
The Putin-Netanyahu Bromance
“I know what America is. America is a thing that can be easily moved, moved in the right direction.
Why Arab Autocrats Haven’t Confronted Trump
You’d think, given the harsh anti-Muslim Trump administration in Washington, that the Arab kings and dictators would be lining up to condemn the ruthless sectarian laws being drawn up by an American President who approves of torture. All that claptrap about “bad dudes” and “Islamic terror”.
Tensions over Trump deepen fractures among American Jews
The early weeks of the Trump administration have widened divides between liberal and conservative Jews, setting off quarrels over anti-Semitism, Israel and the Holocaust. Well before the 2016 election, discussion over Israel had become so barbed among Jews that Jewish groups began organizing civility training so relationships and holidays wouldn’t be ruined.
Is Trump Heading Down the Rabbit Hole of Middle East Peace?by…
President Trump is predisposed to reverse most of his predecessor’s policies, so President Obama’s least favorite foreign leader is bound to receive a warmer welcome than he is used to. But in the last week, the noises coming out of both the White House and the State Department have indicated that, as was the case with all of his predecessors, there is going to be a considerable gap between Trump’s campaign rhetoric about Israel and the policies that he will actually pursue.
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The Left is getting massively out-Alinskyed, and the hilarious thing is that this band of withered hippies, unemployable millennial safe-space cases, and unlovable + unshaven libfeminists don’t even know it. Oh, their masters sure know it.
Netanyahu pledges to promote ‘responsible policies’ at Trump meeting
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would present “responsible policies” in talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, signaling to the Israeli far-right to curb its territorial demands in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu leaves for Washington on Monday and will see Trump at the White House on Wednesday for their first meeting since the Republican’s inauguration last month, with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and policy toward Iran on the agenda.
Not so radical: Trump foreign policy quickly loses its sharp edge
When President Donald Trump took a phone call from the leader of Taiwan in December and asserted that the United States might no longer be bound by the “One China” policy, his defenders hailed it as a show of strength – the latest delicate issue on which Trump was willing to challenge decades of diplomatic orthodoxy. On Thursday evening, Trump fell back into line.
Not so radical: Trump foreign policy quickly loses its sharp edge
When President Donald Trump took a phone call from the leader of Taiwan in December and asserted that the United States might no longer be bound by the “One China” policy, his defenders hailed it as a show of strength – the latest delicate issue on which Trump was willing to challenge decades of diplomatic orthodoxy. On Thursday evening, Trump fell back into line.
US opposes Palestinian’s appointment to top UN post
The Trump administration opposed the appointment of a senior Palestinian leader for a top United Nations post Friday over concern that the move would boost the Palestinian cause at the world body. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to the Ukraine ambassador, who serves as president of the Security Council, informing the council of his intention to appoint former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to be his special representative for Libya, according a copy of the letter shown to CNN.
Israeli groups sue to stop law legalizing settlement homes
In the first concrete attempt to counter the contentious new law legalizing thousands of West Bank settlement homes, two Israeli rights groups on Wednesday asked the country’s Supreme Court to overturn the measure. Adalah and the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center appealed to the high court, asking it to block implementation of the bill passed in parliament this week that sets out to legalize dozens of settler outposts built on privately owned Palestinian land.
We’ll lose college students if Israel becomes a partisan cause
So even while a typical bit of punditry over the past few presidencies was to assert that Bill Clinton, or George W. Bush, or Barack Obama was “the most pro-Israel president in history,” Israel advocates nevertheless kept their heads and painstakingly maintained strong relationships on both sides of the aisle. Now some are eagerly making the same grandiose claim about President Donald Trump – that he will be the greatest friend Jerusalem has ever had.
Sunday reflection: Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
Mixed Signals: Now, White House Says Israeli Settlement Building May Not Help Peace
The tone was more measured than previous pro-Israel announcements, but did not go so far as to condemn settlement activity. The Trump administration said on Thursday that Israel’s building of new settlements or expansion of existing ones in occupied territories may not be helpful in achieving peace with Palestinians, adopting a more measured tone than its previous pro-Israel announcements.
Israeli settler group shrugs off White House criticism
Israeli settlers on Friday shrugged off White House criticism of settlement construction, convinced they have the sympathies of President Donald Trump. The Palestinians, still wary of Trump, warned that the settlers’ hard-line stance could spell the end to a two-state solution to the conflict.