Tag Archive for: terrorism

Roughly Half of Gen Z Voters ‘Are Sympathetic to Hamas’

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Last weekend, multiple anti-Semitic protests broke out on college campuses including Ohio State University, Columbia University, and Yale University. The demonstrators tore down American flags, chanted about the death of Israelis and praises of the October 7 attacks, as well as some injuries and arrests. Ever since the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas broke out, intense targeting of Jews in the U.S. sparked as well.

Initially, people questioned whether the anti-Semitism was new or simply uncovered by the Hamas terrorist attack. But now, as more protests occur, many worry that colleges have become a breeding ground for not only leftist agendas at large, but also for much of this resurgence of Jewish hatred. Considering the amount of anti-Semitism displayed on college campuses in recent months, the news that a survey found roughly half of Gen Z voters “are sympathetic toward Hamas” is, for many, not a shock.

Summit Ministries and RMG Research released data on Monday showcasing “the startling difference between the sentiments of all voters and Gen Z voters specifically, those born between 1997 and 2012,” Breitbart reported. These particular results, which involved 1,003 registered voters, highlighted Gen Z’s terrorist sympathies with the label, “Landmark poll: Gen Z sides with Hamas.”

The respondents were asked, “Do you believe that Israel’s wealth and military power make its campaign against Hamas unjust?” According to Breitbart, “While most voters across the board, 58 percent, believe that Israel’s campaign is ‘just’ — compared to 21 percent who believe it is unjust — only 42 percent of voters aged 18-24 believe Israel’s campaign against Hamas is just. A plurality of voters aged 18-24 believe Israel’s campaign against Hamas is unjust,” Breitbart reported. This is despite the fact that roughly 60% of Gen Z voters “agree with the U.S. government classifying Hamas as a terrorist group.”

The survey also revealed that “one-third of Gen Z voters believe Israel does not have the right to exist as a nation. Across the board, just ten percent hold that same sentiment, showcasing the radicalization of America’s youth.” Comparatively, a Pew Research Poll from March found “roughly six in ten Americans (58%) say Israel’s reasons for fighting Hamas are valid,” even if they did not all agree with how Israel responded to Hamas.

However, even though the majority of the U.S. voters appear to side with Israel amid the war, the poll from Monday made it unmistakenly clear that almost the majority of young voters do not.

Meg Kilgannon, Family Research Council’s senior fellow for Education Studies, shared with The Washington Stand, “When colleges and even primary and secondary schools are educating their students in the ‘oppressor/oppressed’ paradigm, it’s little wonder that Gen Z will identify with Hamas as indigenous and believe that Israel is a ‘colonizing’ force.”

She continued, “We know that this is totally and biblically inaccurate, but this is a generation that has been formed by social media very profoundly where these ideas are pervasive.” As such, it leads to “a situation where there is very little downside for being a pro-Palestine protestor on a college campus in most states,” especially considering the fact that “universities have policies where they provide the police force and the court system to meet their need for (social) justice.”

Unfortunately, Kilgannon concluded, “this horrific situation is sadly not surprising.”

 

AUTHOR

Sarah Holliday

Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Iran Attack on Israel Sparks Global Response

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On Saturday, startled Americans watched as news anchors broke into their regular programming for a special report: Iran had begun a full-scale attack on Israel. After decades of using terrorist proxies like Hezbollah and the Houthis, Tehran took direct aim at the Jewish nation for the first time in 40 years, launching more than 300 missiles and drones at its enemy to the east.

Iran’s offensive was a shocking twist on an already explosive situation in the region, as Israel continues its march against Hamas over the international pressure to end the war. And while Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had intercepted as many as 99% of the rockets fired from Iran, the assault marked a new and dangerous chapter in the Middle East tensions.

In Washington, President Joe Biden rushed back to the White House, calling for a G7 meeting to “coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.” Together with Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, Biden applauded Israel’s measures at self-defense but privately urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against retaliation.

“The president’s been clear,” White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby told NBC Sunday morning. “We don’t want to see this escalate; we’re not looking for a wider war with Iran,” he said before adding, “I think the coming hours and days will tell us a lot.”

In the weeks leading up to the strike, Netanyahu had “been preparing for the possibility of a direct attack from Iran.” He reassured the country that its “air defenses are deployed. We are ready for any scenario, both in attack and defense.” Here at home, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin backed up the prime minister, telling the press corps, “We do not seek conflict with Iran, but we will not hesitate to act to protect our forces and support the defense of Israel.”

The initial wave caused “very little damage,” Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant wanted people to know, but it did manage to accomplish something else: revealing Iran’s real intent. “Overnight, the whole world saw the true face of Iran — a terrorist state that attacked the State of Israel from a distance of 1,500 km and in doing so also attempted to employ all of its proxies.”

Iran’s political and military leaders celebrated the largely unsuccessful mission, calling the operation a “historic, powerful, victorious operation against [the] Zionist regime.” Meanwhile, Israel was carrying out its own counter-offensive, pounding Hezbollah targets in Lebanon early Sunday. “A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck a number of military structures in a complex belonging to Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces in the area of Jbaa in southern Lebanon,” the country’s forces announced. “Earlier during the night, IDF fighter jets struck Hezbollah military structures in the areas of Khiam and Kfarkela.”

As the weekend wore on, reaction from U.S. lawmakers poured in. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) insisted that “America must show our full resolve to stand with our critical ally. The world must be assured: Israel is not alone.” He put the blame for the weekend’s conflict, at least in part, at the president’s feet. “I will continue to engage with the White House to insist upon a proper response. The Biden Administration’s undermining of Israel and appeasement of Iran have contributed to these terrible developments.”

While the president is desperately working to keep Israel from engaging Iran directly, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) called for more forceful action from the U.S. “We must move quickly and launch aggressive retaliatory strikes on Iran,” she urged.

Members of Biden’s own party joined the chorus for a stronger show of support for Israel after weeks of publicly abandoning our Middle East ally with calls for a ceasefire. Asked by CNN’s John Tapper if he agreed with Blackburn’s strategy, Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said no, but reiterated, “I just think we should follow and have Israel’s back in the situation. I don’t agree with the president.” He’s “entitled to his own views and whatever he decides to do,” the colorful senator explained, “but I would never capitulate to the fringe [of the Democratic Party]. … [T]hat empowers Hamas, and Hamas is actually convinced they’re winning the PR war. And they’re never going to negotiate at this point.”

Over in the House, the weekend’s conflict is prompting leadership to pivot to crucial legislation on Israel. Legislation, several conservatives have pointed out, that Democrats refused to consider four months ago. “… The House will move from its previously announced legislative schedule next week to instead consider [aid proposals] that support our ally Israel and holds Iran and its terrorist proxies accountable,” Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) announced. “[T]here must be consequences for this unprovoked attack.”

An attack, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shook his head, that never should have happened. “So much for don’t,” the Trump official tweeted, referring to Biden’s one-word admonishment to Iran. “Don’t isn’t a national security policy,” Pompeo said last year when Biden made the comment. “It’s not even a deterrent.”

“When your Secretary of State declares near moral equivalence between good, our ally Israel — and evil, the Islamic Republic,” Pompeo pointed out over the weekend, “you get bad guys wreaking destruction.”

Former Israel Ambassador David Friedman was equally outraged by the administration’s tepid soundbites. “About six months ago, Biden looked Hezbollah and Iran in the proverbial eye and said ‘Don’t.’ Since then, Hezbollah has attacked Israel daily, almost 100,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes in the North with no idea when they will return, Iran has received $26 billion in sanctions relief and the US carrier strike forces have sailed away. US policy here is weak, confused and unproductive,” he argued.

And the Democrats’ confused messaging doesn’t help matters. After calling for the overthrow of Netanyahu last month, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) dared to say he “stands” with Israelis. “… [T]he United States will do everything we can to support Israel’s defense against Iran,” he claimed.

This constant wavering on the Left, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said, has given the entire world the impression that the president’s party “tacitly supports Israel’s opponents.” Perkins, who was in Israel three weeks ago meeting with Netanyahu, agrees that “what happened [Saturday] was the result of the Biden administration vacillating back and forth in its support of Israel.” As the prime minister told him last month, “If we are not decisive in our victory against Hamas, it’s going to incite Iran directly to attack us.”

Like other military experts, Lt. Colonel (Ret.) Bob Maginnis believes Iran anticipated that Israel would be supported by the U.S., yet launched the operation anyway. “That means the present deterrence in the region failed,” FRC’s senior fellow for National Security told The Washington Stand. For 40-plus years, Maginnis has written about Iran, including in his book “Never Submit,” which addresses the tragic history of the Islamic Republic and its tyrants. He believes, “They no longer fear the U.S. — and unless the U.S. and others increase their presence and demonstrated willingness to use force, much worse is likely on the horizon.”

The reality is, Maginnis warned, “Iran has the capability to reach out and damage Israel. Jerusalem is no longer safe in spite of separation provided by the Arabian landmass and the Persian Gulf. It also appears some of the Iranian weapons platforms used Iraqi airspace, a consequence of our disengagement with Baghdad.” As he put it, “The mullahs in Tehran are now out of the closet and openly engaging, threatening Jerusalem.”

And the price to Israel is steep. One of Iran’s goals is to exhaust Israel’s arsenal of “expensive anti-missile systems like Iron Dome Patriot, Arrow, and David’s sling,” he pointed out. “In other words, Iran is trading cheap drones for anti-drone, ballistic missile rockets fired by Israel and her Western allies.”

In other words, Perkins said, “Israel is fighting for its survival.” Preaching at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Sunday, the FRC president acknowledged that “we live in times of great uncertainty — both abroad and here at home. But we’ve been given clear instruction on how we as followers of Jesus Christ are to respond, “We’re to stand firm in the truth of God. Jesus warned us that these days would be coming. … God does not want us to be anxious. He does not want us to be worrying about this; He wants us to go to work.”

“This is the greatest threat that this nation of Israel has seen since its founding almost 76 years ago,” Perkins insisted. “And if we depart from our commitment to stand with Israel, I fear for our country’s future.” He announced that FRC and several churches around the country are declaring May 19 “Pray for and Stand with Israel Sunday.” It’s his goal to have churches all across America praying for the Jewish nation.

“While we may not have the political authority to negotiate and make decisions for our government … but as believers, we’ve been given the keys to the kingdom. And we need to exercise those keys. … We need to pray that God would show Himself mighty to save.”

AUTHOR

Suzanne Bowdey

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

Enjoying news and commentary from a biblical worldview? Stand with us by partnering with FRC.

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

American Evangelicals among ‘the Last Ones Standing with Israel’

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The Biden administration is applying a “double standard” to Israel, said Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, and “they’ve ramped up their rhetoric and their pressure on Israel” after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) accidentally killed seven aid workers in a drone strike last week. Due to the U.S. government’s desertion, “Israel is standing alone in the world,” Perkins added, and “evangelicals in America are really the last ones standing with Israel.”

By holding Israel responsible for the mistaken drone attack, the Biden administration is expecting more of our allies than of our own armed forces. “On August 29th of 2021, as the United States bungled their withdrawal from Afghanistan … the Biden administration fired a drone attack, and it killed 10 civilians,” Perkins recalled. “And there was no action taken for those involved in that.”

Israel’s isolation is evident from the global opposition to its planned operation in Rafah. “There is a double standard,” Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.), an evangelical himself, insisted on “Washington Watch.” “The Biden administration is putting pressure on Netanyahu to have a ceasefire and to stop and allow terrorists to remain in Rafah when we know there are thousands of terrorists that are literally hiding out in that last spot.”

Rafah has “become a symbol … in the sense that Israel keeps saying, ‘We have to go to Rafah.’ And so the entire world comes down against Israel saying, ‘You mustn’t go into Rafah,’” Center for Security Policy senior fellow Caroline Glick explained on “Washington Watch.” “The fact is that Rafah is the last redoubt of Hamas’s conventional forces, and they have to be destroyed.”

The debate over Rafah has “become sort of a stand-off between Israel and [the rest of] humanity that doesn’t want the Jews to succeed,” Glick added.

To defend its abandonment of Israel, the Biden administration has argued that an immediate ceasefire is necessary to protect the lives of Palestinian civilians. “Obviously, it’s a war time, there’s painful loss of life for civilians that are out there. That’s the painful difficulty of any war in any place,” said Lankford. “We’ve experienced that as Americans, [and] we do everything we can to be able to protect innocent life. Israel is also trying to protect innocent life.”

But Biden is applying pressure on the wrong party, Lankford insisted. “We really need to have pressure on Lebanon to back up Hezbollah [from the border]. We need to have pressure on Qatar. The Qataris could put pressure on Gaza and Hamas today and could release all of those hostages. But Qatar is choosing not to do that.”

While the media and now the Biden administration continually highlight the plight of Palestinian refugees, they neglect to mention that Israeli civilians also continue to face terror attacks and rocket barrages, and tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes. “There’s about 63,000 Israelis that have had to pull away from the northern border because of the constant attacks from Hezbollah,” Lankford noted.

“Israel is our ally. We need to stand with her. We need to help in every way we can, to help in the threat of terrorism that’s coming at them,” Lankford agreed. “We do want to end terrorism. We understand what it’s like to be attacked in a threat of terrorism.”

Besides the fact that Israel is our ally, Israel is engaged in a just, defensive war. Hamas initiated the current conflict by invading Israel without warning, pillaging, torturing, and killing without distinction. During that unprovoked raid, Hamas terrorists deliberately and brutally killed more than 1,200 Israeli civilians and kidnapped more than 200 victims as hostages, many of whom are still in captivity.

By contrast, Israel has not intentionally killed a single Palestinian civilian. While it’s true than many Palestinian civilians have been killed, that is only because Hamas terrorists deliberately surround themselves with as many civilians as possible, in order to maximize the collateral damage when Israel hits legitimate, military targets. It’s impossible to know exactly how many civilian casualties there have been in Gaza because the only casualty numbers reported from Gaza are produced by an organ of Hamas which does not distinguish between military and civilian deaths.

Lankford recently traveled to Israel, where people are feeling “abandoned” by the Biden administration, he said. “The folks in Israel that I talked to are really grateful to see folks on the ground saying, ‘No, there are Americans that do stand with you,’ including evangelical Christians and others, especially a lot of Republicans that are speaking out clearly to say, ‘We’re going to stand with Israel.’”

Not only do evangelicals support Israel for the same reasons liberals used to — basic human rights, national self-determination, etc. — but they have an additional affection for them as God’s chosen people under the Mosaic covenant, the nation of David, Isaiah, Peter, Paul, and Jesus. As the world’s progressive elite continues to unjustly demonize the Jews, American evangelicals are among the last voices in the world who will speak up for Israel, making their support even more essential.

AUTHOR

Joshua Arnold

Joshua Arnold is a senior writer at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

Enjoying news and commentary from a biblical worldview? Stand with us by partnering with FRC.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Experts: Biden Administration’s Foreign Policy Is Naïve

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President Joe Biden’s rapidly shifting Israel policy is taking criticism from foreign policy experts who believe the administration is fundamentally or deliberately misunderstanding the true nature of the situation. “The Biden administration either is not connecting the dots or frankly, they don’t care, which is actually more troubling,” suggested Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.

“The Biden administration fundamentally doesn’t understand the Israeli people,” Center for Security Policy senior fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs Caroline Glick lamented on “Washington Watch” Monday. “They think they can snap their fingers, and Israel will just salute them and do whatever they tell us. But the Israeli people — particularly since October 7th — understand the implications of the enemy’s calls to annihilate the Jewish people.”

“The Biden administration doesn’t understand the seriousness of purpose, not only of Israel, but of our enemies — of Iran, of Hezbollah, of Hamas, etc.,” Glick continued. “They think that they can just again snap their fingers and say, ‘It’s over,’ and we’re going to get it to a ceasefire. And it never happens that way.”

If Jews aren’t safe in Israel, “Where do they go from here?” Perkins asked. He related an anecdote to demonstrate that “people go to Israel as kind of the last place of protection and safety for the Jewish people.” During a recent trip to Israel, he visited “one of the kibbutz that had been attacked just north of the Gaza border,” where residents told him they had emigrated from Europe “because of the rising anti-Semitism.” The perception that Israel is a safe place for Jews “was shattered on October 7th,” he explained, and “that’s the realization that really encompasses Israelis in Israel right now, that the rest of the world — at least here in America — doesn’t fully understand.”

Glick agreed that even “the Jews in the diaspora in the United States and Europe and in other countries are beginning to realize that” same fact. “The scale of the massacre and the savagery of what was done to Israel by Hamas … on October 7th has empowered and inspired anti-Semites of all kinds in the United States to openly attack Jews on the streets … in a way that nobody had experienced until now,” she said. “The idea that Jews can be safe anywhere if they’re not secure in Israel has just been shattered. It’s very clear that the security of all Jews everywhere is contingent on Israel defeating our enemies in Israel.”

Yet the Biden administration seems slow to recognize this, she complained. “There is a lot of ideological rigidity in the administration that’s very hostile to Israel and willing to accommodate Hamas,” said Glick. Based on their actions, “it’s almost impossible to not reach that conclusion.”

“The Biden administration is falling into the U.N. rhetoric right now of ‘Israel is always the problem,’” Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) pointed out during Monday’s “Washington Watch.” “If you go to the U.N., Israel is always the problem.”

But Lankford disagreed with that assumption. “The problem is Iran in the Middle East. They are the destabilizing force,” he said. “They’re funding the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah. It’s amazing to me,” he added, “that President Biden is chastising Israel right now for trying to defend themselves from the attacks that come from Gaza, but I hear absolute crickets about Hezbollah and their march to the south right now, and their militarization of that zone that’s supposed to be demilitarized.”

“The problem [is] the Qataris right now, that they’re not using the leverage that they really have” as one of Hamas’s chief financial backers, Lankford continued. “The pressure really needs to be placed on the people that could actually end this war. Rather than demanding Israel has a ceasefire, let’s demand [that] Hamas has a ceasefire, the Houthis [have] a ceasefire, Hezbollah has a ceasefire, [and that] Qatar uses its real leverage that it has to be able to get those hostages out.”

Glick criticized the Biden administration for believing that, “if they can just blame Israel for everything, then Iran will be happy and appeased and they’ll stop bothering America, at least until after the elections in November.” She skewered them for thinking that, “if they just say that there’s going to be a ceasefire, humiliate the government of Israel, [and] try to overthrow the government of Israel by sowing domestic subversion … that all the problem is going to go away.”

“That, of course, is not how things work,” Glick declared. “Nothing happens that way. Nothing.”

“There are people in that region that intensely hate our freedom, that intensely hate us as Americans,” Lankford noted. Radical Islamist extremists often repeat that “America is the Great Satan, and Israel is the Little Satan,” he said. “They’re really trying to be able to come after us and will do that [with] every opportunity.”

“Jews aren’t responsible for what happened,” protested Glick. “We’re not responsible for the hatred of others. We can only do our best to defend ourselves from that hatred. And that’s what we’re doing in this war.”

AUTHOR

Joshua Arnold

Joshua Arnold is a senior writer at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Israel Remains Steadfast in Goal of Defeating Hamas despite Pushback, Say Experts

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After six months of near-continuous battle in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday that they were withdrawing the 98th Division of troops from the Khan Younis area, with an IDF spokesperson saying that the move signals “another stage in the war effort.” As the Biden administration continues to call for an “immediate ceasefire” with 129 hostages still believed to be held by the Hamas terrorist group, experts and lawmakers say that Israel must be allowed to continue the fight in order to ensure the nation’s security.

“The war is not over,” said Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, an IDF spokesperson. “War can only be over when [the hostages] come home and when Hamas is gone.” The IDF went on to tell NBC News that the 98th Division had withdrawn in order to “recuperate and prepare for future operations.” The IDF’s Nahal Brigade still remains in central Gaza in order to “preserve the IDF’s freedom of action and its ability to conduct precise intelligence based operations.”

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that “he has decided on a date for Israel to enter Rafah” in southern Gaza, which is considered the last major stronghold of Hamas. In response, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller reiterated the Biden administration’s opposition to an invasion of Rafah, stating that Israel should use alternative methods of achieving its wartime goals.

Israel’s war against Hamas began last October 7, when Hamas terrorists massacred over 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilian men, women, and children. They also kidnapped 253 people, of which 105 have since been released. Israel has officially said that of the 129 hostages that remain in captivity by Hamas (including eight Americans), 34 are likely dead, with as many as 50 possibly deceased.

Disapproval of Israel’s war effort by the Biden administration has increased in recent days, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken appearing to compare Israel’s war effort with the terrorist tactics of Hamas during a press conference when he said, “If we lose that reverence for human life, we risk becoming indistinguishable from those we confront.” In addition, congressional Democrats have called for U.S. weapons aid for Israel to cease.

In response to the mounting criticism, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) declared on Sunday that “Washington must be united in our support for our great ally, Israel, as they fight for their sovereignty and right to exist.” He went on to emphasize that “it’s time to stop lecturing Israel on how it should best defend itself and begin equipping our friend with the resources necessary to eliminate the threat of Hamas, once and for all.”

Experts on the ground in Israel say much of the criticism is grounded in falsehoods. On Friday, Chris Mitchell, Middle East bureau chief for CBN News, joined “Washington Watch” from Jerusalem to give on how Israel is conducting the war effort.

“[A] lot of [Israelis] feel … there’s no comparison between them and the way Hamas has conducted this war,” he noted. “Israel has been doing … what they can to protect civilian lives, even though there tragically have been Palestinians killed in this war. And I would add that the inflated figure of 33,000 Palestinian [deaths] is inflated by Hamas for propaganda purposes. But to compare the way that Israel has conducted this war by trying to alert civilians to get out of harm’s way, by using leaflets, by sending text messages, by making phone calls to get out of a war zone … many military historians say [it is] unprecedented that the IDF actually telegraphs exactly what they’re going to do and actually puts IDF soldiers at risk. And I know I’ve talked to some Israelis here, and they know that their sons or daughters could be in harm’s way because of the way the IDF conducts its mission.”

Mitchell went on to describe how despite media reports of increased divisions within Israel, the nation remains largely united around the goal of defeating Hamas.

“The political climate here, I would say, is pretty steadfast in … rally[ing] around Prime Minister Netanyahu,” he observed. “[A] number of Israelis on the left side of the ledger may not agree with Prime Minister Netanyahu, but they certainly agree with the war goals that the War Cabinet has. … Benny Gantz, who’s one of the political opposition leaders, he called for a new elections just a couple of days ago. … I would say in the last few days that some of the divisiveness that was before October 7th has emerged a little bit, but I think there are other Israelis that are saying, ‘Listen, we’re in the middle of a war. We can’t afford elections, and we certainly don’t want to be undermined by other countries that want to come in and dictate what happens politically here.’”

Mitchell further underscored how determined the Jewish people are in defeating Hamas.

“I think a lot of Israelis and many Jews around the world think this is a time when Benjamin Netanyahu really has to make a decision for the state of Israel, for the Jewish people, whether or not they’re going to submit to sort of the dictates of the United States or actually have to go it alone. They do feel isolated right now and alone, but I think they also feel resolute in the sense that they believe that there’s no way that they can lose this war. There’s no way they can allow Hamas to remain a viable entity in the Gaza Strip.”

AUTHOR

Dan Hart

Dan Hart is senior editor at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

General: Afghanistan Withdrawal Enhanced New Terror Threat to America

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Resurgent Islamist terrorism poses a threat to the U.S. homeland, experts warned after a deadly attack in Moscow. “The deadly attack … has raised concerns that the terrorist group could potentially move to carrying out attacks in Europe and even here in the United States,” Family Research Council Action President Jody Hice summarized on “Washington Watch” Monday.

On March 22, terrorists armed with rifles, pistols, and knives opened fire at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow and lit fires that caused the roof to collapse, killing more than 100 concertgoers and injuring more than 500. Russian authorities have charged four men from Tajikistan with terrorism in the attack, for which the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) has taken credit.

General Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, recently warned that ISIS-K “retains the capability and the will to attack U.S. and Western interests abroad in as little as six months with little to no warning.”

ISIS-K’s Rapid Expansion

ISIS-K “morphed from a series of radical groups that were in eastern Syria [and] northern Iraq years ago, during the Obama administration,” Lt. Col. (Ret.) Robert Maginnis explained on “Washington Watch” Monday. During the Trump administration, a U.S.-led coalition dismantled the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), but not before its radical jihadis “spread elsewhere in the Middle East all the way to Afghanistan,” said Maginnis. Additionally, “they have tentacles not only in Central Asia, but all the way to northern and central Africa.”

The ISIS offshoot is “as radical an Islamic group as we’ve ever seen,” Maginnis described, to the point that they target other Islamists for their alleged compromises. Not only is ISIS-K “in contest with al-Qaeda and the Taliban,” as Maginnis said, but they have also attacked neighboring Muslim countries. In 2023, ISIS-K killed more than 60 people by bombing a political rally in Pakistan, and two ISIS-K suicide bombers killed 90 and injured more than 200 Iranians in January.

“They’ve got tentacles located in places like Tajikistan to the north … where the four suspects that were involved in the Moscow attack on the 22nd of March came from,” Maginnis continued. “One of the reasons I suspect they went after the Muscovites was because of the Chechnya battle that claimed tens of thousands of Muslim lives in 1990, but also because of the history of the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s.”

ISIS-K’s Deadly Tactics

From suicide bombings and assassinations directed primarily at the Taliban, ISIS-K “has grown more ambitious and aggressive,” according to Clemson University professor Amira Jadoon, launching an international, “multilingual propaganda campaign and expanding the types of attacks it conducts.” The Moscow terror attack is among ISIS-K’s deadliest and most hazardous operations to date.

“They’re a very vicious group of people, very radicalized with their radical version of Islamic faith,” Maginnis noted. “They’ve always had, like al-Qaeda, an interest in using weapons of mass destruction (WMD): chemical, biological, radiological instruments. … These things are very, very serious.”

Maginnis added that ISIS-K “would do everything they can to come to this country.” Even if they couldn’t bring a WMD to the U.S., he suggested they might “attack a nuclear facility, or they would let off some sort of bomb near a chemical site that would have a mass casualty impact.”

U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan

Terror attacks perpetrated by ISIS-K have already resulted in the deaths of American citizens. This group was responsible for the 2021 suicide bombing at the Kabul airport, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemembers, among nearly 200 casualties. That terror attack occurred amid the chaos of America’s precipitous withdrawal from the country.

In fact, Maginnis said the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan is one reason why ISIS-K has expanded its reach. “With our departure, they had not only more equipment that the Taliban didn’t claim, but also more freedom of navigation,” he said.

General Frank McKenzie, former head of U.S. Central Command, offered a substantially similar analysis Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “The threat is growing. It began to grow as soon as we left Afghanistan and took pressure off ISIS-K,” he warned. “We should expect further attempts of this nature against the United States as well as our partners and other nations abroad.”

U.S. Vulnerability to Attack

To Maginnis, this expectation of a radical Islamist terror attack heightens the urgency of securing the southern border. “With the open southern border, we’ve had many, many people that have crossed over that don’t have our best interests in mind,” he said. Even more concerning, many illegal border crossers evaded capture, leaving U.S. authorities “totally clueless on who they are, what their intentions are,” Hice added. “You would think those who sneak in … [are] probably here for nefarious reasons.”

ISIS-K “has a strong desire to attack our homeland. We should believe them when they say that they’re going to try to do it,” McKenzie declared. Maginnis agreed. “They would like to attack the ‘Great Satan,’ the United States, and will do everything possible to do that.”

Maginnis predicted that “there will be an effort by ISIS-K, which likely already has a number of its terrorists deeply embedded in the United States.” These terrorists “would like to use any mechanism of terror that they could,” he concluded. “There’s no doubt we’re vulnerable.”

AUTHOR

Joshua Arnold

Joshua Arnold is a senior writer at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

‘Facts Matter’: Poll Shows Americans’ Firm Rejection of Hamas-Linked Two-State Solution

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On the heels of a much publicized Gallup poll released Wednesday showing Americans’ shrinking support for Israel’s war in Gaza over the last four months, another poll is revealing that when people are informed about the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) alignment with the terrorist group Hamas, their support for a peace deal between the PA and Israel drops dramatically.

The survey, conducted by the public affairs agency Gideon300 in partnership with Scott Rasmussen’s RMG Research, found that “55 percent of American voters initially favor the U.S. encouraging Israel to make a peace deal with the Palestinian Authority.” However, after survey conductors informed the participants that the PA “wants to form a unity government with Hamas (including Cabinet positions for Hamas), pay Hamas Terrorists, and that 82% of PA supporters approve of the October 7th terrorist attacks by Hamas,” the percentage that still approved of the peace deal dropped down to 30%.

Notably, the survey also found that Democratic voters saw the “biggest swing towards negative sentiment” towards the peace deal after learning about the PA’s association with Hamas, from 73% of initial support down to 43% support (Republicans went from 38% to 19% and Independents went from 47% to 28%).

On Wednesday, Matthew Faraci, president of Gideon300, joined “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” to discuss the impetus behind his organization’s administration of the poll and what the results indicate.

“There’s a Harris/Harvard CAPS poll that they do quite regularly, and one of the things that we’ve seen in this poll back from the beginning, since October 7th, is that [Americans’] support for Israel hovers around 79 to 80%” versus support for Hamas, he pointed out. “[I]n fact, one of the interesting trends is that young people have actually trended more supportive [of Israel], which again, goes against everything you see from the propaganda official state media that we’re fed every day.”

But as Faraci went on to contend, the Biden administration is attempting to lessen the public’s support of Israel in order to put pressure on the Israeli government to give in to Biden’s preferred policy objectives, including a two-state solution.

“[P]art of the tension [between Israel and the U.S.] is clearly that the U.S. … doesn’t want Israel to finish the job and take out Hamas and invade Rafah,” he explained. “But the slight of hand, the quiet other thing that they are pressuring Israel for is that they ultimately want Israel to settle for a two-state solution, which means the end of Israel. And the State Department … is trying to polish up the Palestinian Authority and make them look more palatable. Because the question is, if there’s a two-state solution, who would such a solution be with? Who’s the person making the deal on the other end? And what the Biden administration is doing is saying, ‘Well, that’s going to be the Palestinian Authority, the more moderate, peaceful wing of the governance over there.’”

However, when Americans are presented with the facts regarding the PA, Biden’s policies aren’t well received, Faraci observed. “Once people started to learn the details of that, they swung in their opinion,” he noted. “I’ve never seen a swing this big in any poll I’ve ever done, and I’ve done hundreds of them.”

“So Matthew, are you saying facts matter?” asked Family Research Council President Tony Perkins.

“Shocking,” Faraci deadpanned in response. “Facts matter.”

AUTHOR

Dan Hart

Dan Hart is senior editor at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

As Israel Eyes Last Hamas Stronghold, Experts Urge Biden to Support Netanyahu

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Over the weekend, the Biden administration ratcheted up its rhetoric against Israel’s fight against the terrorist group Hamas, as Vice President Kamala Harris declared that there could be “consequences” for Israel if it invades the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah, which remains the last major stronghold of Hamas. Experts and lawmakers say that despite the difficult situation in Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees are encamped, the U.S. must support Israel’s military efforts to rid Gaza of Hamas in the wake of the terrorist group’s October 7 atrocities.

As opposition to Israel has grown within some segments of the Democratic Party’s voter base, prominent Democrats such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have vocalized an increasingly hard-edged position against Israel in recent weeks, with Schumer calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down on March 14. Secretary of State Antony Blinken continued the drumbeat last week, saying that a failed U.S.-led U.N. resolution calling for a ceasefire tied to the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas was meant to create “a sense of urgency.”

But dissent from within the Democratic ranks on the party’s stance against Israel appears to be growing. On Sunday, Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) responded unequivocally to Vice President Harris’s remarks that a Rafah invasion would be a “huge mistake” and that the Biden administration would not rule out consequences against Israel if it moved forward. “Hard disagree,” Fetterman wrote on X. “Israel has the right to prosecute Hamas to surrender or to be eliminated. Hamas owns every innocent death for their cowardice hiding behind Palestinian lives.”

Last Friday, Lela Gilbert, a senior fellow for International Religious Freedom at Family Research Council who spent 10 years living in Israel, joined “Washington Watch” to discuss the current status of Israel’s war against Hamas and the Biden administration’s response to it.

“I think that what we’re looking at is a war during an election year and how our American policy may shift about a little more than usual [due to] trying to satisfy everybody with our decisions,” she observed. “… I think … our American president and his administration [are] try[ing] to get it over with as quickly as possible as we get closer to the election.”

Gilbert further argued that the events of October 7 must be the central issue guiding American policy, despite a legacy media and Democratic Party that wants to move on from it. “[W]e have to remember what happened on October 7th, which was the absolute genocide, the most brutal killing of Israeli women, children, babies. It was unbelievably bad. That’s not in front of people anymore. What’s in front of them now is the continuing efforts of the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to clean Hamas out of Gaza.”

Reports over the weekend indicated that those efforts are continuing apace, as the IDF said Saturday that it had “killed more than 170 gunmen and captured 800 terror suspects during its ongoing operation against Hamas at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital.”

What remains to be seen is how a potential invasion of Rafah would unfold. “We have no way to defeat Hamas without getting into Rafah and eliminating the battalions that are left there,” Netanyahu made clear last week. But with 1.4 million Palestinians currently packing the city, with thousands sheltering in refugee camps, it will likely be difficult for Israel to avoid significant casualties during a hypothetical invasion. Because of this, the Biden administration has urged Israel to come up with a “credible” plan to evacuate civilians.

However, tensions between the administration and Israel appeared to escalate even further on Monday as Netanyahu “canceled a planned trip to Washington by his top aides to discuss plans for an offensive” in Rafah due to the U.S.’s failure to block a China and Russia-backed U.N. resolution that “called for a ceasefire without conditioning it on the release of hostages.”

Gilbert, who also serves as a fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, acknowledged the difficulties with a hypothetical invasion of Rafah but also emphasized the danger of Hamas.

“[M]any of the people that are stranded in the cities that are being looked at now are definitely going to be sidelined and sometimes injured and maybe some killed, so we have to be compassionate about that,” she noted. “But on the other hand … I hope that America has the presence of mind to see that there’s no reason to protect Hamas, period. It’s doing nothing for the good people in Gaza, the ordinary citizens. It’s not good for anyone. … I think we should support every effort to clean house in these cities and get rid of as much of Hamas as possible.”

Gilbert concluded, “Israel has to be careful about being blatantly offensive, but I think right now Netanyahu has been down this road before. I trust him to make wise decisions and to do what he can to protect the Israeli people from another Hamas attack.”

AUTHOR

Dan Hart

Dan Hart is senior editor at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Is the White House Playing Political Games with Israel’s Soldiers and Hostages?

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After having lived in Israel for more than 10 years?” until 2017?” I suppose my emotional reaction to worrisome news from the Jewish State is a little more intense than some other Americans’ might be. My first response to reports of violence and death ?” wars and rumors of wars ?” is to immediately contact some half a dozen very well-informed Israeli friends to find out what’s really going on. Of course, what I primarily want to know is how serious are the reports? And what’s happening to them and their neighborhoods? Are their families alright?

But another question is always, “So … what are you hearing?”

My visit to Israel in August 2023 gave me a chance to happily celebrate life with my friends and their loved ones, and to catch up and enjoy face-to-face conversations. As always, there were the inevitable political questions, but mostly updates on our sons, daughters, grandchildren, and mutual friends. Concerns about potential conflicts are always relevant, but during those warm summer get-togethers, there was little talk of that.

However, just weeks after my return to the U.S., October 7, 2023 happened.

Early news broadcasts on that terrible morning were heart-stopping: some 1,300 Israeli women, men, children, and infants had been savagely tortured, gang-raped, mutilated, burned alive, and otherwise slaughtered by Hamas terrorists. The published accounts were physically sickening, and increasingly detailed subsequent news reports were horrifying. Videos of vicious abuses briefly appeared online, confirming the worst, most violent acts. Meanwhile, 253 hostages had been kidnapped. This assault included an attack on the Nova music festival in the same area adjacent to the Israeli-Gaza border. There Hamas terrorists killed more than 360 people and took as many as 40 hostages, many ?” if not most of whom ?” were viciously subjected to sexual violence.

In the days that followed, there was silence from my friends, nor did I comment on what I was learning from international reports. Rather than typical “bad news,” it felt like a terrible sickness had struck us all speechless. There were no words.

After the deadly offensive, the current chairman of Hamas’s “political bureau” and senior political leader of Hamas, had plenty to say. Ismail Haniyeh declared, “Today, the enemy has had a political, military, intelligence, security and moral defeat inflicted upon it, and we shall crown it, with the grace of God, with a crushing defeat that will expel it from our lands, our holy city of al Quds, our al Aqsa Mosque, and the release of our prisoners from the jails of the Zionist occupation.”

Of course, the next thing we knew was that Israel had declared all-out war against the Hamas terror group. A price had to be paid for the terrorists’ diabolical attacks, and rescues had to be attempted to return the remaining hundreds of captured innocents ?” many of whom have still not been freed. The Israeli response has been unsurprisingly fierce and violent.

Meanwhile, October, November, December, January, February passed. Now, in March of 2024, some of the hostages have been released, but another 130 are still held captive, and there are reports that around 30 victims are likely dead.

Shortly after October 7, Israel declared war on Hamas, and the world continues to watch the IDF’s determined efforts to decimate Hamas’s murderers and to destroy the terror group’s military infrastructure. These efforts also target Hamas’s maze of tunnels, along with caches of weaponry and stashes of cash in international currencies, hidden away in kindergartens, schools, hospitals, and family homes.

When Israel’s military launched its response to Hamas’s October 7 violence, the Biden administration was appropriately agreeable. President Joe Biden and his team expressed sympathy to the shattered survivors and the Israeli public’s horrified state of mind. It was, after all, the most violent attack on the country since the founding of Israel in 1948.

Today, however, that initially warm response has chilled. The more Israel’s military response succeeds in destroying the Hamas infrastructure in Gaza and its thousands of fighters ?” most of whom have been intentionally situated in residential areas, hospitals, schools, and mosques ?” the higher the human death toll has risen, including women and children. At the same time, of course, there is the agonizingly slow process of moving through the maze of tunnels that hide, not only remaining hostages, but also Hamas terrorist leaders and their minions.

Despite Joe Biden’s initial empathy for Israel, along with my Israeli friends, I am increasingly shocked by the ever-increasing arrogance of America’s leadership. Most amazing is their outrageous attempts to use this conflict to manipulate U.S. voters in the upcoming presidential election. There are two dangerous battles going on in Israel simultaneously ?” one against Hamas, but also continuous attacks by Hezbollah are striking Israel’s northern border. These parallel onslaughts are both funded and advised by Iran’s “Death to Israel” regime.

Yet today, in the midst of this significant international conflict, it seems that President Biden and his political allies, including Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), are making efforts to overthrow the elected prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, by calling for new elections. This is happening during the most violent war that has taken place in Israel since its founding. Are these activities an attempt to influence Muslim voters in key states during America’s upcoming election? Sadly, that seems to be true.

Such political manipulation reflects shocking disrespect and disregard for Israel’s security and autonomy as a nation. It also insults the intelligence of those of us that recognize very well ?” in fact, more clearly than ever ?” those who wholeheartedly support the best interests of both the United States and Israel and those who do not. Painful as the Gaza conflict continues to be, alongside rumors of impending war at the Lebanon border, these betrayals of trust by the Biden administration will become increasing exposed as the U.S. approaches the presidential election on November 5.

Our responsibility as Christian believers is also becoming clearer now than ever: In the coming months, some actions are essential for those of us who love America and also support the State of Israel. We need to vigilantly watch, fervently pray, speak the truth, and stand with our allies and friends in Israel. They, their elected leaders, and their military men and women need our support today and every day ?” perhaps more than ever before.

AUTHOR

Lela Gilbert

Lela Gilbert is Senior Fellow for International Religious Freedom at Family Research Council and Fellow at Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom. She lived in Israel for over ten years, and is the author of “Saturday People, Sunday People: Israel through the Eyes of a Christian Sojourner.”

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Gunmen Open Fire At Moscow Concert Hall, Killing Dozens: REPORTS

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Gunmen attacked a concert venue in Moscow Friday, killing at least 40 people, according to multiple reports.

At least three men dressed in military fatigues and armed with rifles attacked the Crocus City Hall, a concert venue in a suburb of the Russian capital, RIA Novosti reported. An explosion and fire also has been reported, according to New York Times reporter Aric Toler.

“People in camouflage, at least three, burst into the ground floor of Crocus City Hall and opened fire from automatic weapons. There are definitely wounded,” a correspondent from the Russian state-owned agency reported.

Russian authorities said they broke up a planned ISIS attack on a Moscow-area synagogue on Mar. 7. The State Department issued a warning for Americans to avoid large gatherings on Mar. 7.

“The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours,” the alert said.

While initial reports indicated at least 12 died, the death toll from the reported attack has now climbed to at least 40, according to Wall Street Journal Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent Yaroslav Trofimov.

“Regardless of whether the direct perpetrators of this crime end up in the hands of justice, alive or dead, it is necessary at all costs to establish the names of those who ordered it and punish them without any mercy,” Democratic Party of Russia Senator Alexander Voloshin told RIA Novosti.

WATCH:

AUTHOR

HAROLD HUTCHISON

Reporter.

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‘A Great and Effective Door of Opportunity’: Perkins Visits Israel to Meet with Key Leaders

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Family Research Council President Tony Perkins touched down in Israel on Saturday, March 9 to meet with Israeli leaders and assure them of American Christians’ support. The next day, Perkins visited Re’im, the site of the October 7 attack where, as Perkins described it, “over 300 people were brutally murdered, tortured, raped, and abducted by both members of the Hamas terrorist army and civilians from Gaza who were the second wave that came in behind the fighters.” Perkins reported that Hamas’s October 7 attack “was not designed to be terrorist strikes, but an invasion and occupation of the various kibbutz that were attacked.”

While visiting Re’im, Perkins told The Washington Stand, “We prayed and repented for America’s complicit role through the funding of Hamas through the UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency] and through the billions released to Iran, which is the puppet master behind Hamas and the other rogue actors in the region.”

Perkins and his team also visited Kibbutz Be’eri, where at least 130 people were killed by Hamas insurgents on October 7. “We walked among the bullet-pocked houses where grenades were tossed into houses by terrorists and RPGs were fired at houses in an attempt to breach the reinforced walls of the safe rooms where families were hiding,” Perkins recounted. “When they could not get the families out of the safe rooms, they set the house on fire. When the smoke forced the families to open the bulletproof windows of the safe room for air, they waited outside the widows to toss in grenades.” Hamas forces also invaded the nearby city of Ofakim, which Perkins visited. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) cleared the city of Hamas soldiers on October 8.

On Monday, Perkins stopped in Samaria, along with mayor Yossi Dagan and Israeli parliamentarian Ohad Tal. Perkins explained, “Approximately 70% of what we read in the Bible took place in Samaria and Judea. This includes Bethlehem, Hebron, Shiloh, Schechem, and so many other places. It is also what is deceptively called the West Bank, as if it were not part of Israel.” He added, “We stood on the mountains of Samaria and looked down on Tel Aviv, showing how impossible it would be to defend Israel under the ‘two-state’ solution that is being promoted that would give the heart of Israel over to the Palestinians.”

“We stood on the Mount of Blessing and prayed for God’s peace and blessing upon Israel, recognizing that the blessing comes from God when we obey His word and walk in His ways,” Perkins recalled. “We also prayed for America to walk according to His word and ways.”

Perkins also met with Israel’s former ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer, who is now serving as the country’s Minister of Strategic Affairs. Perkins recounted, “In our meeting with Dermer, his opening question posed to me, but directed at the group in a lighthearted way, was, ‘You’re not going wobbly on us, are you?’ I assured him we were not going wobbly.”

Next, Perkins sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who “discussed the situation and made clear the resolve of Israel to protect itself and that victory must be complete, which is the elimination of Hamas.” Perkins said that Netanyahu “expressed appreciation for America’s support, past and present. Still, under the present political circumstances, which was not spoken about but understood, he asked for Christians in America to stand with Israel.” Afterwards, the FRC president prayed over the Israeli prime minister and attended a late-night worship service. As Perkins described it, “Everywhere we went, including at that worship service, people were so thankful for us coming to Israel at this time.”

After an interview with Dan Cohen of NewsMax, Perkins recalled that “a small crowd had gathered to watch, and one very elderly lady came up to me with tears in her eyes and said in broken English, ‘Thank you, thank you for coming to Israel,’ and she began weeping, ‘We need you to be with us.’” He continued, “There is clearly a sense that Israel, apart from America, is standing alone, and with President Biden’s statements, America looks wobbly. In one kibbutz, it was said by one person that many members of the community had come there to escape persecution elsewhere and that Israel had been the safe haven they had fled to — what now?”

His delegation also visited the site of the 1929 Hebron massacre, where nearly 70 Jews were killed by Palestinian Arabs before being evacuated by the British authorities. Perkins explained that the Hebron massacre, “while not in scope but in brutality, was a mirror of October 7.” He added, “Hebron, like Bethlehem, is a Palestinian area with just a small enclave of Jews living there that the media refers to as ‘settlers.’”

Perkins also met with Yossi Fuchs, Netanyahu’s chief cabinet secretary. “[A]gain,” recounted Perkins, “the focus was on Israel’s need for the church to be visible and vocal in their support of Israel because the threat is great.”

On the team’s final day in Israel, they visited with Holocaust survivors and a senior citizen choir at a Jewish Agency-sponsored retirement community. “That joy-filled event was followed by a very somber visit with families of hostages at the hostage headquarters in Tel Aviv,” Perkins recalled. “It was encouraging for both the families and for us that after hearing their ongoing grief and struggle, we prayed for them and hugged them. The impact was visible.”

Perkins concluded:

“Every generation has its test of how it will treat the Jewish people. While not all have persecuted this population, which represents less than half of a percent of the world’s population today, many remained silent. October 7 was preceded by growing antisemitism, and it has pulled back the curtain on even more, right here in America. What will our generation do? Ignore it until the horrifying evidence of the consequences of our silence can no longer be denied, or will we stand against it and heed the promise and warning of Genesis 12? There is a great and effective door of opportunity opening to the church to show love in a tangible way to the Jewish state of Israel by standing with them in their hour of need.”

AUTHOR

S.A. McCarthy

S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.

RELATED ARTICLE: Israel has become a partisan issue. Do American Jews care?

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

‘If Hamas Survives … Radicalism Will Be on Steroids All over the Planet’: Senator

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For a Democratic Party so consumed with the evils of insurrection, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had no problem calling for one in Israel. In a speech that would have astounded Capitol Hill a year ago, the highest-ranking Jewish official in America demanded that Israeli voters hold an unscheduled election to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring that the man hunting down the terrorists who tortured and killed 1,200 innocent people has “lost his way.”

“A new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of Israel, at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.” How unbelievably on brand for Democrats. They’re putting the political calculations of an election year ahead of the greater good. What happened to Biden’s October promises, “We’re going to stand with you,” “We’ll walk beside you in those dark days,” and “We’ll walk beside you in the good days to come”? The second the Left’s base of Muslim sympathizers started screaming its support for Palestine, Democratic leaders dropped the Jewish state faster than you can say “two-state solution.”

Of course, the other irony here (apart from Schumer’s meddling in a foreign democracy) is that Americans are the ones living under a virtually incoherent president whose failed policies have led to the dumpster fire we’re seeing in the Middle East, China, and our southern border. It’s Biden’s country, not Netanyahu’s, that has “lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.” And yet the Left would have been apoplectic if a Republican stood on the Senate floor and railed about the need for a special election.

Netanyahu, it may surprise Schumer to know, actually has more domestic support than his longtime rival Benny Gantz (47-37%). Unlike the prime minister’s fickle friends in the U.S., the Israeli people understand the need to eliminate the monsters who raped, incinerated, and kidnapped their loved ones. “This is World War II for Israel,” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) insisted on “Washington Watch” Wednesday. “This is Pearl Harbor and 9/11 rolled into one. Did anybody suggest to our country after Pearl Harbor, ‘Be careful how many Germans or Japanese you kill’”? he wanted to know. And yet, that’s exactly how Democrats are admonishing Israel in Gaza.

“I don’t want innocent people to die,” Graham admitted to Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, “but Israel has to destroy Hamas. Hamas is using the Palestinian people as shields. And I’m going to give Israel the time and the space it needs to destroy Hamas militarily. No more October 7th. This is the largest loss of life of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. … Israel is the good guy. Hamas is the bad guy. And Iran is the Great Satan. Without Iran, there would be no attack.”

Another thing Democrats tend to forget, Graham said, is that 33 Americans were killed in this attack. “And if Hamas could, they would add a lot of zeros to that 33. The radical Islamists, they want to kill the state of Israel. They want to the world to bow down to Islam under their terms. They would come after us if they could.”

So when Biden says that an Israeli invasion of Rafah is a “red line,” he’s ignoring the fact that there are six brigades of Hamas fighters still left — four of them in Rafah, Graham explained. “We have to let Israel destroy Hamas militarily. It would be like putting 80% of a fire out. You’ve got to put all the fire out. So I am challenging the Biden administration to say that if the hostages are released, the war is not over. The war is over when Israel destroys Hamas militarily, when they can have the peace of mind never to have another October 7th. It is not over until that day comes to my friends in Israel.”

And if the international community wants to criticize someone, criticize Hamas for using the million people in that area as human shields. But they won’t, Graham shook his head, “because anti-Semitism is alive and well.” He pointed to the dangers that Jewish people are facing all over the world. Even in Nashville, the senator said, Jewish schools are turning into armed camps because of the threats.

“… If you just watch the news, [you’d think] Israel was the bad guy,” Graham pointed out. But “here’s what I would say to the international community: ‘If Hamas survives, they’re coming after you.’ … If they’re still standing when this is over, radicalism will be on steroids all over the planet. ISIS is coming back in Afghanistan. … We’re in a religious war, my friend. Radical Islam wants to bend everybody to their will, and they will kill in the name of God. And that’s what I want you to understand. Dying is first prize for these nut jobs.”

The game-changer Perkins and Graham agreed would be for Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalize relations. “If you could have Saudi Arabia recognize the Jewish State for what it is — a Jewish state, the keeper of the mosque in Mecca and Medina, the center of the faith, it would end the Arab-Israeli conflict.” Think about why this attack happened, he pressed. “On October the 7th, the Iranians live[d] in fear of the Arabs and the Israelis making peace. It would isolate the ayatollah even more. This attack was generated by support from Iran. [And] Iran’s nightmare is for the Arabs — Saudi Arabia and Israel — to make peace and live together and build on the Abraham Accords. They did this to stop reconciliation.”

So frankly, Graham insisted, “the red line should be against the Iranian ayatollah — not against Bibi [Netanyahu]. Bibi is not the problem. The root of all evil is the religious Nazi running Iran: the ayatollah.”

With sobering clarity, the South Carolina senator’s tone changed. “We live in the most troubled times I can remember since I have been in politics. The world is on fire. Russia has invaded Ukraine. China is up to no good all over the planet, and our Jewish brothers and sisters are trying to be annihilated. It is now time to stand strong and without apology for our friends in Israel.”

AUTHOR

Suzanne Bowdey

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

The ‘Ceasefire’/’Red Hand’ Pin Worn by Actors at the Oscars is the Symbol of Jews Torn Limb From Limb and Cannibalized

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The Muslim hordes ate his organs.

Why don’t these left-wing Nazis just wear a swastika and be done with it?

Remembering the Ramallah Lynching, 20 years later

Jerusalem Post

On October 12, 2000, IDF reservists Vadim Norzhich and Yosef Avrahami were lynched by a Palestinian mob while detained at the el-Bireh police station in Ramallah after accidentally entering the Palestinian Authority (PA) controlled city.

Marking what would become the onset of the more violent Second Intifada following the collapse in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations at Camp David in July, the events of October 2000 became among the most brutal timeframe in the history of relations between the two peoples. The Ramallah lynching itself also became one of the first mass publicized incidences of political violence in the internet age, having been widely broadcasted in Israel and around the world.

The event began when Norzhich and Avrahami, two IDF reserve duty soldiers, drove in their civilian vehicle to a meeting point at the settlement of Beit El, when according to accounts, the reservists were unfamiliar with the West Bank road system and drove through the military checkpoint outside Beitunia. From there, they entered the Palestinian city of Ramallah.

Arriving to a Palestinian roadblock, the reservists were detained by PA policemen and taken to the local police station in Ramallah’s twin city el-Bireh, close to the headquarters of PLO chief Yasser Arafat. The detention of the two reservists incidentally came at the same time of a funeral service Palestinian youth who had been killed by Israeli forces a few days earlier. Likewise, over 100 Palestinians  has been killed in violent confrontations with Israeli security forces in the weeks prior.

According to accounts, rumors spread that Israeli undercover agents were being detained at the police station, prompting a crowd of over 1,000 to gather calling for their deaths. While Israeli intelligence got word that the reservists were being detained and a crowd was gathering, the IDF allegedly decided against a rescue operation due to the presence of PA security forces in the area. Haaretz and Maariv, The Jerusalem Post’s sister publication, also reported that 13 Palestinian policemen were injured trying to prevent the mob from storming the station and conducting the lynching.

The IDF reservists were murdered by the crowd via beatings and stabbings, with one Italian news outlet later capturing the infamous photo Aziz Salha raising his blood-soaked hands to the cheering crowd.

The reservists’ bodies were then thrown out the window, mutilated and set on fire. The bodies were then dragged to Al-Manara Square in the city center. PA security forces, aware of the seriousness, attempted to confiscate film showing the events.

Continue reading.

AUTHOR

Pamela Geller

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EDITORS NOTE: This Geller Report is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

U.S. Must Stop Funding ‘Corrupt, Anti-Semitic, Terror-Complicit’ U.N.R.W.A. Agency: Congressman

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The Biden administration’s rhetoric has condemned the October 7 terrorist attack on Israeli civilians, but its deeds have made the U.S. one of the top contributors to terrorist incitement, according to a senior congressmen seeking to cut all financial ties to a terror-tied U.N. organization.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was established after 700,000 Palestinians were displaced by the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which culminated in the establishment of the state of Israel. Today, UNRWA reports 1.7 million refugees, only 200,000 of them the original refugees, as the great-grandchildren of the 1948 population have joined the list. International intelligence found 12 members of UNRWA took part in the October 7 terrorist attack — which included numerous kidnappings, rape as a tool of torture, and murdering of Israeli civilians. But they say that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

UNRWA has “spawned this cycle of hate,” Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), senior member on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and co-chair of the House Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism, told “Washington Watch with Tony Perkins” on Monday.

The United States has become complicit, because “we are the biggest donor by far,” Smith told Perkins. The U.S. funded UNRWA to the tune of $6 billion between 1950 and 2018. Donald “Trump, to his credit, ended all funding for UNRWA when he was president. Then came Joe Biden, and he’s given them over $1 billion U.S. tax dollars, without any condition.” The Biden administration transferred as many taxpayer dollars to UNRWA in three years as previous administrations gave in more than a decade.

“UNRWA is a corrupt, anti-Semitic, and terror-complicit agency,” said Smith earlier that day at an international conference in Geneva. “UNRWA radicalizes Palestinian children with seething anti-Semitic hate — it is a child soldier factory. It is child abuse.”

Although President Joe Biden and 18 nations “paused” aid to UNRWA after last fall’s hostilities, this constitutes “only a pause pending outcome of an ‘investigation’ that appears to be woefully and unnecessarily limited in scope,” Smith told the “International Summit for a Future Beyond UNRWA,” hosted by UN Watch. “I remain deeply concerned that they too will not go beyond a look at the 12 UNRWA employees alleged to have participated in the October 7 atrocities.”

Israeli intelligence documents furnished to CBS News reportedly document the dozen UNRWA workers’ participation in the uprising, including taking part in kidnapping Israeli civilians.

But Israeli intelligence states 10% of all UNRWA’s 12,000 employees (or 1,200 people) have some kind of affiliation with Hamas, the ruling party in the Palestinian Authority.

They say 236 UNRWA workers have ties to the militant/terrorist wings of Palestinian groups, including 185 affiliated with Hamas and 51 with Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly found Israeli allegations about UNRWA’s participation in the October 7 atrocities credible but cannot verify the exact number of employees affiliated with the terrorist groups.

On February 10, Israeli intelligence said it discovered a tunnel beneath a UNRWA facility in Gaza City, nearly half-a-mile long and 59 feet deep, that leads to a Hamas intelligence hub. “The United Nations Relief and Works Agency has been knowingly providing material support for Hamas terrorists who committed unspeakable atrocities against over a thousand Israelis and dozens of Americans,” said Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “That support included salaries and facilities. Foreigners who knowingly funded UNRWA should be subject to sanctions and Americans who knowingly fund-raised for them should be investigated for criminal material support.”

A former investigator for the U.N.’s investigative body, the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), said the OIOS cannot impose a greater disciplinary measure than dismissal: Of the 12 in question, two have been reported dead, and the other 10 have already been fired. “I can confidently say that its investigation will amount to nothing,” wrote Peter Anthony Gallo in The Wall Street Journal.

Cutting off funding to the terror-linked U.N. agency enjoys bipartisan support. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Tenn.), the liberal co-chair of the House Israel Allies Caucus, said he would “applaud President Joe Biden’s decision to suspend UNRWA funding,” before tracing the previous seven years of troubling UNRWA activity.

“In 2017, UNRWA acknowledged the falsehood of its previous denials and fired its Gaza union head after he was revealed as part of Hamas leadership. A month prior, an UNRWA staffer was discovered to be [in the] Hamas politburo,” said Sherman. “In 2023, dozens of UNRWA teachers and staff were revealed to regularly praise Hamas and Hitler on social media. Yet UNRWA claims these staff are not teaching a pro-terror curriculum.”

Sherman has a 10.5% rating on FRC Action’s Scorecard.

Yet most of the Democratic Party base has aligned with the Palestinian cause. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), a Palestinian-American, urged her state’s sizable Arab community to vote “uncommitted” in Tuesday’s Democratic primary as a protest against Biden’s rhetorical support for Israel. Although Biden won handily, “uncommitted” racked up 13% of the vote, more than 101,000 votes as of this writing — far beyond its sponsors’ goals.

Smith, who is Sherman’s pro-life counterpart on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a veteran pro-life congressman who has long tried to reform the U.N. Palestinian relief organization. In 2003, he passed an amendment through the House of Representatives stating the UNRWA has “funded schools that promote anti-Semitism, allowed its facilities to be used as warehouses for weapons, bomb-making factories, terrorist training,” and based its actions on “anti-Semitic textbooks.” But the amendment never became law.

Two decades later, the body has “deep and widespread ties with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” Perkins pointed out on Monday. Although the U.S. designates Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) as terrorist organizations, the United Nations — and UNRWA — do not.

Smith introduced the Stop Support for UNRWA Act of 2024 (H.R. 7122) to defund UNRWA. The one-page bill states simply, “The United States may not make any voluntary or involuntary contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (referred to in this Act as ‘UNRWA’), to any successor or related entity, or to the regular budget of the United Nations for the support of UNRWA or a successor entity.” It passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee on February 6, 30-19. He offered an amendment saying the bill does not prohibit U.S. foreign aid to the region but believes it should be administered only by organizations the U.S. has vetted and found not to “promote violence, terrorism, or anti-Semitism” nor to employ those who “promote, espouse, or affiliate with such entities or individuals.”

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) has also introduced the Uncovering UNRWA’s Terrorist Crimes Act (H.R. 7202), which would account for UNRWA funding during the Biden administration and end all U.S. funding to UNRWA “directly or indirectly.”

Critics like Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) say, “UNRWA is beyond redemption. Disbanding the organization is the only solution.”

AUTHOR

Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson is senior reporter and editor at The Washington Stand.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Attacks in West Bank Highlight Futility of Two-State Solution: Expert

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Last week, an Israeli civilian was killed and several were left wounded after a Palestinian terrorist shot at cars around the Maale Adumim settlement. In response to the attack, Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, announced that over 3,000 housing units would be built in the West Bank, also known by their biblical names of Judea and Samaria. This decision, however, seems to have sparked further controversy.

As The Jerusalem Post reported, other than a short period of time during the Trump administration, “Israeli settlements in the West Bank have almost always been a thorn in the relations between Israel and the U.S.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken has already condemned the construction initiatives. He stated that he’s “disappointed” because “settlements are counter-productive to reaching an enduring peace” and “inconsistent with international law.” He added that the Biden “administration maintains a firm opposition to settlement expansion,” holding the belief that the settlements “only weakens … Israel’s security.”

Some have pointed out that Blinken’s comments, as well as Biden’s developing stance on the issue, are the opposite of “the Trump administration’s view in 2019, which did not consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank as inconsistent with international law.” But as Family Research Council President Tony Perkins pointed out on “Washington Watch” Monday, the Biden administration has only widened the “divide between the U.S. and our strategic ally Israel.”

In addition to that statement, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said that the claim Blinken made during Friday’s press conference, that Israel’s decision was inconsistent with international law, was simply “not true.” He stated that Blinken’s belief implies “the Jewish people have no right to live in their biblical homeland.” And ultimately, “It really is just a gut punch to those who take a theological view to biblical Israel.” And “people need to know,” Perkins added, “when you hear this term ‘West Bank,’ we’re talking about everything we read about in the Bible.”

But aside from the biblical significance, Friedman highlighted that “Biden’s been nothing but difficult on some of Israel’s most important issues.” For instance, Biden has pushed for a two-state solution, Friedman pointed out, “which nobody in Israel wants. … [N]obody with half a brain should want.” In the past, when a two-state solution was in place and the Palestinians in Gaza were self-governing, Perkins noted that “all they did was focus on how they could attack Israel.”

Not to mention that the people in Gaza “have yet to denounce the October 7th attacks on Israel,” Perkins said. As a matter of fact, the Palestinian National Authority (PA) “has a pension system … where they award funds to terrorists … based upon the severity of the terrorist attack,” Friedman explained. In short, “The more Jews you kill or wound or maim, the more money you get as a pension,” he said. “And this goes on to this day.” In other words, Perkins explained, “the PA is just hostility by another name.”

Biden’s agenda for Israel, Friedman argued, would only lead to “another terrorist state and another October 7.” Perkins agreed, adding, “It would not even be kicking the can down the road, because we know exactly what’s going to happen with this setup. They regroup and they attack again.” To which Friedman concluded, whether it’s a two-state solution or ceasefire the administration is pushing, “It’s just a terrible idea on many fronts.”

AUTHOR

Sarah Holliday

Sarah Holliday is a reporter at The Washington Stand.

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2024 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.