The conservative commentator on the antisemitism in MAGA media and why he condemns President Trump as corrupt yet sticks with him.
Monday, April 20, 2026
‘Whether people like Israel or not’: What six words in a Trump post reveal
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-893539
Israel has just fought shoulder to shoulder with the US, yet Trump's choice of words suggests that Israel has shifted from a broadly accepted ally to a debated one.
Just days before Independence Day, US President Donald Trump on Sunday posted a message on his social media platform praising Israel and extolling it as an exemplary ally.
“Whether people like Israel or not, they have proven to be a GREAT Ally of the United States of America. They are Courageous, Bold, Loyal, and Smart, and, unlike others that have shown their true colors in a moment of conflict and stress, Israel fights hard and knows how to WIN!”
Those words should put a smile on the lips of every Israeli. They should, but it is the opening six words that linger: “Whether people like Israel or not.”
The emphasis is not on what Israel represents or how that aligns with American values, but rather on what it delivers. This is a subtle yet significant shift – a more transactional framing: Israel moving from a natural partner to a useful one. This framing reflects a broader and troubling reality: Israel has become a dividing line within American politics, part of the culture-war terrain rather than, as it once was, a rare point of consensus.
Trump says talks to take place Tuesday, as Iran says it has ‘no plans’ to attend
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that talks with Iran on extending the ceasefire would resume on Tuesday, while the Islamic Republic indicated it was not planning to send a delegation and was pessimistic about the prospects of the talks.
Trump told Fox News that White House envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff would be heading to the Pakistani capital Islamabad for the negotiations, and if Tehran does not agree to a deal, the whole of Iran would be “blown up.”
He told the outlet that bridges and power plants in Iran would be targeted, repeating his threat to target civilian infrastructure — plans that appeared to have been halted after the ceasefire was reached nearly two weeks ago. The break in the fighting is set to expire on Wednesday if an extension is not agreed upon.
Sunday, April 19, 2026
Antisemites supporting Israel is weird. Jewish support of them is even weirder
Perhaps the most bizarre spectacle of the past month has been watching some of the world’s most wretched antisemites lining up to give their unalloyed support to Israel. Even more jarring has been their embrace by those who are supposed to advocate for Jewish safety.
In the US, there is Donald Trump, whose election was heralded by antisemites’ biggest public rally in the US in a generation, the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yet because Trump was also demonstrably pro-Israel in his foreign policy stances, notably moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, he receives ongoing support and endorsements from many pro-Israel pressure groups. Some of them were nervous when he criticised Israel’s lack of military preparedness for the Hamas attacks, but he’s now back in the fold, adding “#IStandWithBibi”to his Truth Social posts.
The rationale behind these reactions is twisted and wrong: Israel is supposed to be a homeland for Jews from the horrors of the pogroms, the Holocaust and antisemitism. Yet we are now reaching an illogical conclusion where organisations supposed to protect Jewish rights turn a blind eye to antipathy towards Jews as long as proponents support Israel.
Netanyahu fails the 'no' test
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/04/19/netanyahu-fails-the-no-test/
The ceasefire imposed on Israel in Lebanon, following the ceasefire imposed on it in Iran, following the ceasefire imposed on it in Gaza, has left Israel in a troubling position in which it is once again failing to convert the many operational achievements of the IDF into a strategic outcome.
In fact, after 925 days of fighting since October 7, Israel has failed to achieve a decisive result on any front. Hamas remains standing and is engaged in rapid reconstruction. Hezbollah survived a severe campaign and hollow threats of destruction. Iran may emerge from the confrontation stronger than before. Israel did inflict heavy damage on all three, as well as on the Houthis in Yemen, but by the end of the campaign it is seen as a country whose affairs are decided not in Jerusalem, but in Washington.
In a speech he delivered in the Knesset while in opposition, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that an Israeli prime minister is judged by one thing alone: his ability to say "no" to the president of the United States. In practice, against Donald Trump, Netanyahu failed. The US president's post on Friday, in which he said in large letters that he was forbidding Israel from attacking in Lebanon, was not only an operational directive. It was a public humiliation and a severe blow to Israeli power and deterrence.
Trump, it seems, is tired of wars. He is looking for a quick and elegant exit before being dragged back into them. In Iran, there is indeed a gap between his optimistic posts and the reality on the ground, in which the Strait of Hormuz was closed again, one day after reopening. But even Israeli officials involved in the talks believe that, at the moment, the space for agreement between the sides is greater than the space for disagreement.
The Pro-Israel Right Is Shifting the Definition of Anti-Semitism
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/08/anti-israel-anti-semitism/683765/
Extraordinary claims—such as the charge that the Jewish senator from Vermont is anti-Semitic to the point of spreading ancient slanders against his own people—require extraordinary evidence. Yet large segments of the conservative and even centrist wings of the American pro-Israel movement have whipped themselves into such a frenzy of paranoia that they are making accusations like this without much effort at justification.
Conflating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism is not new, but it has exploded in the post–October 7 era, in which the rising menace of genuine Jew-hatred on the left and right alike has been accompanied by a growing chorus of hyperbolic, bad-faith accusations. This dynamic might seem paradoxical, but the two phenomena exist in a natural symbiosis. Anti-Semites often insist they are being targeted merely for criticizing Israel; their defense becomes more effective when many people are, in fact, being called anti-Semitic merely for criticizing Israel.
Zionist antisemitism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_antisemitism
Zionist antisemitism or antisemitic Zionism refers to a phenomenon in which antisemites express support for Zionism and the State of Israel. In some cases, this support may be promoted for explicitly antisemitic reasons. Historically, this type of antisemitism has been most notable among Christian Zionists, who may perpetrate religious antisemitism while being outspoken in their support for Jewish sovereignty in Israel due to their interpretation of Christian eschatology. Similarly, people who identify with the far right, particularly in Europe and the United States, may support the Zionist movement because they seek to expel Jews from their countries and see Zionism as the least complicated method (in comparison to ethnic cleansing or genocide) of achieving this goal and satisfying their racial antisemitism.[a]
No rockets but no relief: Nahariya residents see no end to war despite Lebanon ceasefire
After six weeks of relentless Hezbollah attacks, residents of northern Israeli city feel bewildered and betrayed by the government’s seemingly sudden decision to stop fighting
“We’re not naïve,” said Guetta, whose parents immigrated to Israel from Libya. “This isn’t the end of this war or the end of the wars. As long as we’re here, there will be war.”
“The government capitulated to Iran and the United States,” Attias said glumly. “The Iranians say, ‘Yes, yes,’ but they do what they want.”
As Trump claims ‘no sticking points’ and that deal possible in days, Iran insists he’s lying
President says US will remove Iran’s enriched uranium ‘at leisurely pace,’ but Iran denies it; also claims Iran will stop backing Hamas, Hezbollah; US and Iranian officials say significant gaps remain
US President Donald Trump signaled growing optimism Friday about a potential deal with Iran to end the war amid a temporary ceasefire, saying negotiators could meet as soon as this weekend and that an agreement may be reached within days. He boldly claimed there were “no sticking points,” even as US and Iranian officials cautioned that major key issues remain unresolved.
The US leader spoke with several news outlets Friday and issued a long series of posts on his Truth Social network, following the Iranian announcement that it had opened the Strait of Hormuz as a response to the Israeli-Hezbollah ceasefire in Lebanon, with Trump predicting a deal to permanently end the war in a matter of days and saying that the US would remove Iran’s enriched uranium at a “leisurely pace.”
Iran swiftly denied any readiness to relinquish its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and it did not confirm another Trump claim, that it was ready to halt its support for proxy terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah — issues that have hitherto prevented an agreement.
IDF soldiers face threat from IEDs as Lebanon ceasefire terms prove weaker than previous deal
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bkb1ik11azl
Two days after the ceasefire in Lebanon took effect, it is already clear that its terms are less favorable than those agreed following Operation Northern Arrows at the end of 2024. Now, the main concern in the IDF is improvised explosive devices planted before the ceasefire in areas under Israeli control.
One such device in the village of Jabin, about 3.5 kilometers from the border, killed reservist paratrooper Barak Kalfon, 48, from the community of Adi in the Jezreel Valley on Saturday. Three other soldiers were wounded in the incident, two moderately and one lightly. Kalfon was among the first to enter the structure alongside the company commander. During the search, the explosive device planted by Hezbollah detonated. The initial assessment is that it was not remotely triggered.
Similar incidents have occurred during ceasefires in the Gaza Strip, and the IDF is placing particular emphasis on the threat. Defense Minister Israel Katz paid tribute to Kalfon, saying: “Barak was a brave and dedicated fighter and a devoted family man. In his civilian work as an engineer at Rafael, he made a significant contribution to Israel’s security, combining the highest level of professional commitment with many years of meaningful reserve service in defense of the state.”
Trump declares war in Lebanon over
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/423124
Updated US intelligence assessments indicate that Iran still holds a significant arsenal, amounting to roughly half of the capabilities it had before the outbreak of the conflict with the United States and Israel.
According to the data cited by The New York Times, Iran currently possesses 60% of its missile launchers and 40% of its UAV (drone) capabilities.
Tensions between the United States and Iran have once again reached a peak following a decision by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to once again close the Strait of Hormuz-less than a day after announcing its reopening following the ceasefire in Lebanon.
On Saturday, the IDF said that since the ceasefire came into effect, IDF soldiers south of the "yellow line" in southern Lebanon have identified in several incidents in which terrorists violated the ceasefire understandings by approaching from north of the yellow line toward IDF soldiers, posing an immediate threat.
Following their identification, and in order to remove the threat, the Israeli Air Force, together with ground forces, conducted precise strikes against the terrorists.
Artillery fire was carried out in support of the ground troops operating in the area, and terrorist infrastructure sites used to facilitate attacks were struck in response to the threats.
Earlier on Saturday, IDF soldiers identified a terrorist cell that violated the ceasefire understandings and approached IDF soldiers operating south of the ''yellow line" in southern Lebanon, a defense line dedicated to preventing an imminent threat to Israel’s northern communities.
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