יום חמישי, ג׳ תמוז תשפ״וThursday, June 18, 2026
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When a sovereign government fails to govern, neutralize hostile actors within its borders, and protect its neighbors from domestic threats, it forfeits its monopoly on defensive authority.
Iran’s entire asymmetric military strategy relies on its ability to inflict intolerable economic pain on the West by disrupting global energy markets.
In attempting to justify his unprecedented absence, Mayor Mamdani said that he has made his “views on the Israeli government abundantly clear.” Yet the Israel Day Parade is not a political rally for the Knesset, nor is it a blanket endorsement of every specific policy enacted by the government in Jerusalem.
After winning a decisive military victory in Operation Epic Fury, the United States cannot afford to sign a flawed document just to secure a fleeting public relations win.
It is incredibly easy to sit in a television studio thousands of miles away from the front lines of civilization and lecture a traumatized nation on the finer points of morality.
In fact, it is an agency whose very mandate is structurally designed to prevent the resolution of the Palestinian refugee crisis.
The primary source underpinning the claims is the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, an organization with documented ties to Hamas and a history of laundering incendiary, unverified claims against Israel.
If a state government can ignore its own founding charter to achieve preferred electoral outcomes, then constitutional protections are reduced to mere suggestions.
In his veto message, Mamdani attempted to wrap his decision in the noble cloth of the First Amendment and labor rights.
By pursuing the prosecutions on charges of “intentional assault” and the “unlawful practice of medicine,” the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office has effectively declared war on a 3,500-year-old cornerstone of the Jewish faith.
Screaming for violence and terror while barricading the sidewalks outside a synagogue is not a policy debate. It is a siege.
A sober look at all of this suggests that the party may have traded away its most formidable weapon when former Congresswoman Elise Stefanik was induced by President Trump and state party leaders to withdraw from the race to prevent a bruising primary battle.
In fact, Israel maintains a maritime blockade on the Gaza Strip for one singular, non-negotiable reason: to prevent the unfettered smuggling of advanced weaponry, ballistic missiles, and dual-use materials to terrorist organizations.
The UAE’s decision was undoubtedly at least partly driven by dissatisfaction with fellow Arab states for their lack of support during recent attacks by Iran.
Such displays of political courage – in the face of the growing antisemitic zeitgeist, especially in New York City – are rarer these days.
Predictably, the mayor bases his defense of his veto on a deliberately misleading distortion of the First Amendment.
How does a man carrying a shotgun even make it to the anteroom of a presidential event? What happened to the outer security perimeter?
What Mamdani is promising is cheaper eggs and bread not through operational efficiency, but through aggressive, unsustainable public subsidies.
Harris’s narrative deliberately ignores the brazen reality of Iranian aggression against the United States.
Stripping a democratic ally of the very tools required to dismantle terrorist infrastructure is not a “pro-peace” position. It is a policy that actively ensures a high death toll and provides a massive tactical advantage to Hezbollah and Hamas.
As we have been able to piece together from the many reports out there, the rescue was not just a triumph of American air superiority. It was a master class in the deep intelligence and special operations integration between the U.S. military and the Israeli Defense Forces.
It was a grotesque “loophole” that allowed a foreign entity to maintain lobbying offices in Washington, accept American taxpayer dollars, and concurrently sponsor the murder of American citizens abroad with legal impunity.
In no way did the United States go to Islamabad to negotiate a compromise with a peer adversary; it went to dictate terms of surrender to a defeated terror state.
As the Supreme Court reasoned, the Colorado law did not, in fact, protect children based on objective mental health principles; it actively banned speech simply because the state disagreed with the counselor’s mental health, theological and moral viewpoints.
While much of the political debate focused on the economic strain on cities and the influx of fentanyl, counterterrorism experts were quietly sounding the alarm about a much darker threat.
Last week the market sent a clear, unmistakable signal: investors are losing faith in the city. The city was forced to shrink its general obligation bond sale to $2.3 billion – $300 million less than targeted.
To be sure, the initial calculation behind Newsom’s rhetoric is a depressing reflection of the modern Democratic primary landscape.
To be sure, Mamdani’s defenders maintain that his policies on Islamic beliefs and practices are in sync with New York City’s long history of accommodating Jewish New Yorkers. But this is a false equivalence that deliberately ignores the fundamental difference between passive accommodation and active endorsement.
It was a convenient, calculated lie, eagerly swallowed by European appeasers who wanted to believe Tehran’s weapons could only reach as far as Jerusalem or Riyadh.
In fact, the resolution demands that Iran immediately halt its attacks, but issues no such directive to the U.S. and Israel to halt their attacks on Iran. And the resolution was co-sponsored by a record 135 UN member states, signaling overwhelming international support.
When the Nassau County Executive launched his campaign for the governor’s mansion, he was billed as the ultimate pragmatic counterweight to the profligate, progressive left.
Can anyone imagine what the progressive reaction would be to a conservative Christian pastor or an Orthodox rabbi who stood in the Blue Room at the mayor’s invitation and preached violence against outsiders?
It should be noted that Carlson offers no hard evidence to support what in the final analysis are only his own opinions.
Allying with Moscow or Beijing offers only empty rhetoric and faulty hardware when a true existential crisis erupts. Allying with Washington and Jerusalem offers the protection of the most lethal, capable, and technologically advanced military apparatus in human history.
Both President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu recognized that the traditional Western diplomatic approach – appeasement, nuclear deals, and localized ceasefires – only nurtured Khamenei’s imperial project.
This is the hypocrisy of the modern academic bureaucracy. Hate speech is treated as a severe disciplinable infraction that demands immediate removal – unless the target is Jewish, in which case it is elevated to protected political discourse.
Plainly, for this mayor, private enterprise is inherently exploitative and the enemy, while public ownership is inherently virtuous and must be cut all possible slack.
By prioritizing quick exits and a Board of Peace over the total defeat of a genocidal proxy, the United States didn’t end the war or the Hamas threat – it merely enabled the next chapter.
How can a university like Georgetown honestly teach the history of the Middle East or the geopolitics of terrorism when its bills are largely paid by the very regime that funds the Muslim Brotherhood?
The Mayor seems to be interested in tenant suffering only when it can be used as a cudgel against the private sector. When the suffering happens under public auspices, he spins it as a function of federal underfunding rather than a failure of municipal mismanagement and responsibility.
In the real world, allowing a mentally ill person to sleep in a tent in sub-zero weather is not respecting their rights; it is abetting their deaths.
For Israel though, there is a special problem. By aligning with Turkey – a nation that has arguably become the primary champion of the Palestinian cause on the global scene – the Saudis are signaling that the Palestinian veto is back.
Although Mayor Mamdani’s deep-seated problems with things Jewish emerged during his mayoral campaign, we saw a ray of hope, however faint, when he pledged to retain the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism established by his predecessor, Eric Adams.
Last month, Vance rejected the notion that antisemitism is growing within the Republican Party, arguing that the focus should be on broader issues and not on internal fighting.
But we wonder about the role of faith leaders here. After all, the protests are being mounted against enforcement of a duly enacted federal law protecting the integrity of our borders – one of the core responsibilities of any government.
In a word, Samuels represents an educational philosophy that views rigorous testing and merit, not as diagnostic tools, but as implements of segregation.
By giving Turkey a formal executive role in the reconstruction of Gaza, the Trump administration is effectively laundering a major Hamas political patron.
In addition, as several commentators have pointed out, Nassau County’s political geography offered a natural launching pad for building coalitions across different constituencies, located as it is adjacent to the five boroughs and sitting at the intersection of urban and suburban New York – exactly what a Republican needs to compete statewide in a heavily Democratic state.
The New York Post Editorial board argued that with Mamdani in office, the city desperately needs some steady hands at the top, framing Menin as a necessary alternative to avoid the Council becoming a rubber stamp organization for the far-left agenda.
For decades, Venezuela served as a strategic hub for China, Russia, Cuba and perhaps most significantly for Iran. Thus, the removal of Maduro effectively disrupted this axis of aggressors in the Americas in practical ways.
Yet, even as she railed against the demonstrators, she was careful not to say anything about the substance of their message – which was decidedly anti-Israel – only about the manner in which they chose to deliver it.
Unfailingly gracious and respectful, his understated demeanor, balance, and unassuming brilliance made him the ideal mentor, and in fact, he guided the many who saw him as a role model.
rue to form, Maduro blamed what he termed “the extremist right” for the unrest that swept the country. He accused these groups of being supported by international Zionism.
Question! Are these the sort of rules that had the kind of urgent negative impact that would prompt a new mayor to act to get rid of them immediately upon taking office? Seems unlikely. In fact, they seem to be directed at real and growing problems faced by Jewish New Yorkers.
Plainly, he now has some measure of deniability as to claims of antisemitism. Yet we remain persuaded that he is still committed to a reinvention of New York in an Islamic image.
Following the June conflict, Iran emerged strategically paralyzed with its own military capacity – and that of Hamas and Hezbollah – at greater risk from Israeli military action than at any time in memory.
By bolstering Israel’s ability to defend itself, the U.S. enhances overall regional stability and reduces the likelihood of larger conflicts that would demand direct American military intervention.
Israel successfully lobbied to exclude Turkey from a Doha summit discussing the proposed multinational force for Gaza. Israeli leadership also is reportedly very determined to prevent Turkish military boots on the ground, viewing Ankara as a hostile force.
The problem, many argue, is the need to go beyond platitudinous sentiment and take decisive action against the root cause: the incitement of hate against Jews.
It is worthy of note that specific individuals, such as a UNRWA school principal who was identified as a politburo member and a Hamas commander in Lebanon who was identified as an UNRWA employee.
While this is surely an issue for Israelis to decide, we are also constrained to note that we think the pardon proponents have the better argument. A nation’s stability and strategic necessity must take precedence over what is largely esoteric conjecture about respect for the rule of law.
The prevailing opinion among legal experts is that, as mayor, Mamdani would lack the authority to order an arrest and any attempt to do so would be a legal and practical impossibility. The principal arguments against his authority are straightforward.
These groups openly seek to build a “south Lebanon-style resistance model” in Southern Syria, creating a second front of conflict aimed directly at Israeli population centers.
The federal rules of criminal procedure explicitly state that after a federal grand jury votes a “true bill” of indictment, it “shall be signed by the attorney for the government.” But the thing is, this signature is a ministerial act that ensures the authenticity of the document and the government’s intention to proceed with the prosecution based upon the grand jury’s finding.
Although not widely known, there is very little a NYC mayor can do respecting most of them in terms of new programming and tax revenues without specific authorization from the NYS government.
Predictably, Mamdani’s statement became the subject of intense scrutiny with critics alleging that his response was weak and equivocal – saying only that he “discouraged” the language the protesters used rather than unequivocally condemning it as the antisemitic incitement that it was.
Then there is the potential for enhancing Israeli security, which continues to be a key objective for U.S. policy in the Middle East.
It is still not clear where exactly the Saudi deal fits in but it plainly needs some oversight.
Kazakhstan’s joining the Accords has real benefits for Israel. And it is the same for the U.S. which reportedly anticipates that current bilateral trade and other cooperation amongst the three nations will be substantially enhanced.
Requiring an end to all city contracts with companies doing business with Israel and to institute other BDS (Boycott, Divestment Sanction) policies would likely make the city’s investment climate highly uncertain.
To be sure, Hamas and Hezbollah justify their political power and arsenals as necessary for defending against Israel. But as we all know, their weapons and desire for “a state within a state” have generally been the triggers of the violent confrontations with Israel.
Mamdani will have to face reality even before the get-go. Hopefully Mamdani will abandon ideology and embrace things as they actually exist and not how he would wish them to be.
In fact, Vance’s performance even drew the ire of Jewish conservatives who, increasingly of late, have been warning of rising antisemitism on the right.
Issues like antisemitism, contempt for law enforcement and disrespect for the rule of law, promotion of racial politics and delegitimizing American traditions, history and achievement thus undermining the glue that keeps us together as a country.
As The Wall Street Journal reported, as Israeli troops pulled back to facilitate the deal’s freeing the living hostages still held in Gaza, Hamas surged security forces in behind them – a public assertion of authority intended to make clear the group remains the enclave’s governing power.
New York City will be facing enormous governmental, fiscal and social challenges in the next four years and we believe that the former governor, who to be sure, brings a lot of baggage to his candidacy, is without question still the best suited among the three major candidates to get his arms around them.
This, even though in the course of her campaign for Attorney General, Ms. James – who was a leader in the legal assault on Trump – herself declared that she was running in order to bring Donald Trump down.
While we can appreciate their dilemma, it is nonetheless dismaying that they have failed to distance themselves from some of his beyond the pale positions.
One widely made anti-Israel argument is that its alleged withholding or conditioning aid to Gaza as part of its war against Hamas amounts to collective punishment because it impacts negatively on the innocent as well as the guilty. But the thing is, the same collective punishment argument has not been directed at Hamas where it actually does apply.
Both the letter and resolution stipulate a demilitarized state with Hamas playing no role, but as noted, that is a pipe-dream and essentially just a wave to political correctness.
To be sure, we continue to believe Hamas perpetrated the Oct. 7 massacre primarily to derail the Abraham Accords.
While there may have been some apparent or technical irregularities on Trump’s part, they never rose to the level of violations about which anyone makes into a federal case.
To the extent that the so-called “moderate” Palestinian Authority can be trusted – not an easy notion to accept – it is the implacable Hamas enemy that will soon resume being in charge of compliance, whatever it is that will be required of the Palestinians and there is no doubt about their untrustworthiness.
His anti-Israel outrages including sympathy for Hamas are in a special category and a special concern for our community. It’s time we all wake up to what would be coming with a Mamdani victory.
In true cavalry to the rescue American tradition, U.S. ambassador to Israel said the other day that if Israel decided to apply sovereignty in parts of the West Bank the U.S. would respect that decision and would not dictate terms to Jerusalem.
It seems that the New York State legislatures, with its extreme leftist Assembly and Senate leadership, have no intention of forcing Mamdani into moderation should he be elected New York’s Mayor. Yet Mamdani can only do what he says he wants to do if the legislature lets him do it.
We can readily understand the dilemma the three top democratic elected officials faced. Undoubtedly, he is not their preferred candidate and as noted, a particularly fraught one at that.
What seems to rankle all of them is that the targets were ostensibly gathered to work on a cease fire and hostage release deal and the attack was therefore counterproductive.
We don’t know whether Smotrich reflected the views of Prime Minister Netanyahu and or the Israeli government when he spoke. And it is certainly not for us to choose for Israel.
The New York Sun has reported that Mamdani plans to spend $65million on gender affirming care and has promised to investigate New York hospitals that stop providing the services and create an Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs at City Hall. Would this really address a pressing need for the city? He should be asked to tell us how.
Of course, the media is typically playing fast and loose with the facts. Even under the Biden administration, American defense officials were reporting that Israel was taking measures to spare enemy civilians from avoidable harm that were unprecedented in modern warfare.
According to The New York Times, the party’s divisions over Israel and the war in Gaza were on “messy display” at the meeting as members debated dueling resolutions about how to respond to Israel’s Gaza policy.
Although the court, by invalidating the fine, literally gutted the lawsuit and neutralized it, there was not a majority who were prepared to formally throw out the case altogether.
Of course, an enormously important part of the mix is the apparent full support of President Trump which sends a powerful message to Israel’s enemies.
Plainly, for that crowd, it is of no moment what the laws or tradition may require. What counts is whether the results work for you.
It is frightening to see that this sort of thing is embedded in our higher education. It is not hyperbole to suggest that our students – our future leaders – are in the thrall of dedicated ideologues who are proselytizing in the guise of educating.
Huckabee went on to challenge Starmer on how much food his government had sent to Gaza, noting that Israel has already contributed more than two million tons although Hamas seized much of it. Indeed, has anyone seen a malnourished Hamas terrorist in any of the pictures of them shooting their rifles into the air?
The Trump campus antisemitism campaign includes lawsuits and suspensions of massive research grants in the hundreds of millions of dollars. UCLA has recently had $584 million in research funding suspended.
The sense that Israel should give up trying to eradicate Hamas and that Hamas’s fictions had to be taken seriously despite its history of fabrications and staged crises was palpable and not at all helpful.
