https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/389845
US and Israeli officials cited in the report said Sinwar is hiding near hostages, using them as human shields. American officials believe Israel has comparable or superior intelligence on the Hamas leader’s whereabouts.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/presidential-candidates-crime-politics-trump-biden-f94380b4
“Biden’s attack on Trump’s corruption is a direct hit that’s being covered fairly and honestly in the newspapers, and it’s on multiple fronts,” said Joel Benenson, a Democratic pollster who worked on Barack Obama’s and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaigns. “Whereas the attack on Hunter Biden is a bank shot. And I think direct attacks and direct hits are much more potent and are going to ring much more true.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/15/biden-trump-corrupt-poll/
Yahoo and YouGov asked the same questions in May. Then, the gap between Biden and Trump on the “too corrupt” question was in the double digits, while “too incompetent” was in the single digits. Since then, the “corrupt” gap narrowed and the “incompetent” gap widened — thanks largely to shifts among Republicans.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/09/trump-oil-industry-campaign-money/
Trump’s response stunned several of the executives in the room overlooking the ocean: You all are wealthy enough, he said, that you should raise $1 billion to return me to the White House. At the dinner, he vowed to immediately reverse dozens of President Biden’s environmental rules and policies and stop new ones from being enacted, according to people with knowledge of the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/biden-not-first-u-president-172558453.html
Dwight D. Eisenhower threatened economic sanctions and an aid cutoff to force Israel to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula after it invaded Egypt in 1956. Gerald Ford warned that he would reevaluate the entire relationship in 1975 over what he considered Israel’s recalcitrance during peace talks with Egypt. George H.W. Bush postponed $10 billion in loan guarantees in 1991 in a dispute over settlements in the West Bank.
Israel's military spokesman says the army has the weapons it needs to press ahead with its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari was asked at a news conference whether the army can conduct the operation without U.S. arms.
“The army has armaments for the missions it plans, and for the missions in Rafah too — we have what we need,” Mr. Hagari said.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4657284-biden-israel-rafah-weapons-fire-all-sides/
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller, asked at a Thursday media briefing by The Hill about the criticism that Biden should have taken action at an earlier stage to rein in Israel, said:
“Our policy responds to the facts on the ground. We made clear at the outset of this conflict we wanted to see Israel defeat Hamas. We wanted to see Israel dismantle Hamas and prevent its ability to launch the terrorist attacks of Oct. 7 again. They’ve largely succeeded in that goal.”
But Miller added, “We also respond to the increasing civilian death toll and while we’ve seen the daily count come down — because of steps that Israel’s taken that we have urged — it hasn’t come down enough.”
Answers like that underline what a complicated knot Biden is trying to unpick.
https://mishpacha.com/the-gap-is-wide-but-we-can-bridge-it/
Since Simchas Torah, our people have been actively engaged in an existential battle against an enemy intent on destroying us. Hundreds of Israel’s precious soldiers have given their lives, and thousands have been wounded in defense of our land and its inhabitants, changing the lives of their families forever. Thousands of Israelis have been living for months with the unimaginable tension of having a child, spouse, parent, or sibling on the front lines as they await the dreaded knock on the door.
There is an unbridgeable gap between them and those of us — the vast majority of both the Israeli chareidi population and of American Jewry — who have not shared that experience and who cannot possibly imagine it. A dear friend lost his son, a reservist who was exempt from service as a father of six but nevertheless went voluntarily to the front lines. Thinking of his child who literally gave his life for the Jewish People and of the wife and children who proudly encouraged him and sent him into battle, my friend cannot bear hearing others bandy about the term “mesirus nefesh” to describe things like traveling three hours to a wedding or staying after an event to clean up. Those of us far from the front lines really have no clue what true mesirus nefesh is.
https://www.axios.com/2024/05/10/israel-gaza-biden-rafah-donors
Mark Mellman, the president and CEO of the influential group Democratic Majority for Israel, told Axios that "there has never been a president more pro-Israel than Joe Biden but at the same time we are very concerned about what appears to be a significant shift in US policy."
He added: "There are a lot of people in the pro-Israel community who are very worried, very upset and very angry."
"We don't know what the consequences are going to be politically."
Israeli officials and analysts said Biden’s warning appeared to be a political message that in the short term wouldn’t affect Israel’s ability to wage war. But the country’s long-term ability to fight on several fronts could be threatened if the U.S. president followed through on his threat to pause more weapons deliveries if Israel launches a major assault in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. More than one million Palestinians are sheltering there from the war.
The pause risks one of the worst crises ever in Israeli-American relations, drawing comparisons to President Ronald Reagan’s decision to delay delivery of F-16 jet fighters to Israel during its bombardment of Beirut in 1981.
Netanyahu responded to Biden in a video message released on Thursday, saying, “If we need to stand alone, we will stand alone. As I’ve already said—we will fight with our fingernails.”
Michtav M’Eliyahu (Vol 1 page 35) We are commanded to love work. He who is a craftsman and earns a living from it should not view work with contempt since it is only because of necessity that he is working and should not be jealous of the leaders and rabbis who are not working. Thus the emphasis is on loving working as the gemora (Berachos 8) states that one who benefits from his own labor is greater than one who fears G-d i.e., greater than one who benefits from Torah and the fear of G-d it contains (for example Rav who was a rosh yeshiva and leader) because of the dangers and corruption of pride
Michtav M’Eliyahu (Vol 1 page 35) And the Mishna said and hate the rabbinate because the rabbinate and leadership cause degradation although it is never possible for the world to exist without leaders and rabbis. There are times a person has to be a rabbi, but it will be for him only out of necessity, but he will hate the rabbinate to make a living from it and love the job more...
Mr. Biden repeats his mistake, coercing Israel instead of using U.S. leverage with the Arab ally that holds the cards. Qatar funds Hamas and hosts its leaders. Yet rather than apply pressure, Mr. Biden quietly extended the U.S. military’s stay at Al Udeid air base in Qatar for another decade, CNN reported in January.
Miller notes that most media outlets reported Hamas’s statement that it had accepted the Qatari and Egyptian mediators’ hostage deal proposal at face value.
“I don’t blame the reporting. It’s what the [Hamas] statement said. But it’s not an accurate reflection of what happened… Hamas did not accept a ceasefire proposal. Hamas responded and in their response made several suggestions.
Hours after Israel’s military told them to seek a new place of safety, Gazans in the southern city of Rafah took to the streets Monday night to celebrate: At the 11th hour, Hamas said it had accepted a proposal for a cease-fire. People cheered. Sweets were passed around.
A few hours later, it became clear that the celebrations were premature. The agreement accepted by Hamas turned out to be a counteroffer that Israel hadn’t seen and wouldn’t agree to, shattering hopes of an imminent end to months of hostilities.
