Editor's Notes: Only vocal moderate majority can carry Israel, Jews, Middle East forward - comment
From the Gulf to Capitol Hill to my own readers back home, I kept meeting the same person.
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I met Ben once. We were seated at the same dinner table.
At first, we did not recognise each other. Neither of us had any idea we would end up at the same table.
I asked him where I knew him from. He replied, “Ben, from Ben & Jerry’s.”
I smiled and said, “Nice to meet you. I’m Alex, Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern United States.”
This was at the height of the Ben & Jerry’s Israel controversy. I decided not to raise politics, out of respect for our gracious host. But I was also biding my time, because I suspected he would not be able to resist bringing it up.
About an hour into dinner, he came over to talk.
I saw it as an opportunity to understand where he was coming from, to explain a few things, and to keep the conversation as civil as possible. And to be fair, it was civil. He was pleasant, curious, and polite.
But quite quickly, I also realised he was completely ignorant about Israel.
He had never visited the country or the region. He had basic facts wrong, not only about the narrative, but about the foundations of the conflict itself: the makeup of the countries involved, the history, and the deeply rooted reasons each side sees the conflict the way it does.
For him, it was simple: there are people who appear oppressed, so someone must be the oppressor.
I do not blame Ben personally. He is a businessman who sells ice cream. Why should he be expected to understand Israel, the Middle East, or geopolitics?
The real problem is with those who treat him as an authority.
The media gives him a pedestal to speak about issues he clearly does not understand. And that is the absurdity of it all: taking an ice cream salesman and presenting him as a voice of moral clarity on one of the most complex conflicts in the world.
"I am appointing the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Chairman of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, William J. Pulte, to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence." - President Donald J. Trump
Congratulations to Director Pulte! 🇺🇸
So great to be back on the Hill recently with my client, #OhioJewishCommunities. @jfederations brought over 400 community leaders from across the USA advocating on Jewish safety & security. Once again, OJC led amazing bipartisan advocacy with all 17 offices in the delegation.
Beautiful day marching up Fifth Avenue with @MikeBloomberg for the annual Israel Day Parade.
The NYPD was not messing around with security: this was the most extensive security plan that the NYPD has ever put together for this event so that everyone could celebrate safely.
Thank you to every member of the NYPD who was out today protecting our city.
.@yadvashem will open its first education centre outside Israel in Germany. Today they announced that it will be in Munich. What an opportunity (and responsibility) to take Holocaust education and remembrance into the future. Thank you, Yad Vashem, for the trust you put in us.
I am grateful to serve as the first Chair of the J-50, a forum connecting leaders of the 50 largest diaspora Jewish communities with each other and with @IsraelMFA, and grateful to Foreign Minister @gidonsaar for his leadership in creating this important initiative.
At a moment of enormous challenge and opportunity for the Jewish people, strengthening the connection between Israel and diaspora Jewish communities matters more than ever. Together, we move forward with unity, partnership, and shared purpose. https://t.co/8V5whwrnuR
Yesterday, I led more than 90 colleagues in urging the Administration to dismantle the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and transition its responsibilities to transparent, accountable partners free from ties to terrorism.
The United States must ensure humanitarian aid supports peace, stability, and security in the Middle East, not organizations linked to Hamas.
The future of the Middle East will not be written in Tehran, Brussels, or the United Nations.
It will be written by strong nations that defend civilization, expand prosperity, and crush extremism without apology.
That future belongs to the Abraham Alliance: the United States, Israel, and the pragmatic Gulf Arab states.
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If Galindo wins. I will force a vote to expel her, everyday, until we achieve that objective! I will hold the floor everyday until she is gone. My grandmother was part of the kindertransport out of Berlin. Her parents were killed in Auschwitz. My kids are never going to “the camps”
I come from an Arab Christian family that has lived in the Holy Land for centuries.
Today, I have the honor of representing Israel to the Christian world.
This is my message to Christians everywhere.
Justice Department Announces Formation of Advisory Committee on Anti-Semitism
“President Trump has made combating antisemitism a top priority for this Administration, and we thank Leo Terrell for his leadership at the Department of Justice in helping to carry out this mission,” said Acting Attorney General @DAGToddBlanche. “Protecting civil rights of every American remains a core responsibility of the Department of Justice.”
🔗: https://t.co/YizGFMd9Lr