David Friedman Would Be a Disaster as Ambassador

By Marc Daalder December 28, 2016

The advertisement is deceptively simple – a darkened image of Donald Trump smiling next to David Friedman, overlaid with four block-lettered words, the last in red: “He Called You Kapos.” This is J Street’s latest ad campaign, a stark reminder of the abuse that Trump’s pick for U.S. ambassador to Israel has showered on liberal…

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Give Ambassador David Friedman a Chance

By Jackson Richman December 28, 2016

Last week, President-elect Donald Trump nominated campaign adviser and bankruptcy lawyer David Friedman as U.S. ambassador to Israel. The appointment was understandably controversial in the Jewish community; Friedman’s stances on pertinent Israel issues are abhorrent to the Jewish left and increasingly left-leaning Jewish youth. Regardless, he must be given a chance to succeed. First, Friedman…

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Secretary of State Candidate John Bolton Won’t Bend on Israel Policy

By Jackson Richman December 6, 2016

Let’s play a game of “Who Said It? Secretary of State John Kerry or Secretary of State Candidate John Bolton?” (The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations met with Vice President-elect Mike Pence last Thursday and met with President-elect Donald Trump last Friday.) On the One vs. Two-State Solution: Quote #1: “The one-state solution…

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Will Trump’s Presidency Help Israel?

By Jackson Richman November 10, 2016

In an election between two of the most unpopular candidates in U.S. electoral history, real estate and media mogul Donald Trump accomplished the unthinkable – winning the presidency. His transition from the Trump Organization to political business in the Oval Office will entail a lot of challenges domestically and abroad. His domestic challenges will include handling…

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U.S. Aid Isn’t Good for Israel

By Jackson Richman October 19, 2016

The U.S. and Israel recently renewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The current version, signed in 2008, expires in 2018. According to officials, President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to an MoU that would provide more than $30 billion over a decade, which would include advanced weaponry systems. The continuation of…

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Will Trudeau be good for the Jews?

By Jenna Zucker November 27, 2015

Many are questioning the future of the Israel-Canada relationship following Justin Trudeau’s Oct. 21 inauguration as Prime Minister of Canada, but Benjamin Netanyahu’s congratulatory phone call to Trudeau suggests a continuing friendly relationship between the two countries. While Canada’s previous Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, was seen as a loyal and vocal supporter of Israeli policy…

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Why Should we Care About Bibi’s Speech to Congress?

By Amram Altzman February 2, 2015

I’ve written before about my how my hesitance to involve myself in the Israeli political process stems from a larger phenomenon I’ve noticed of the increasing separation between Israeli Judaism (and Israeli-Jewish culture) and American Judaism. Yet, the controversy over Prime Minister Netanyahu’s planned congressional speech and the upcoming Israeli elections are extremely important to…

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We Need Arguments, Not Echos

By Derek M. Kwait July 3, 2014

I don’t know how so many pundits had reactions polished and published within hours of the announcement of the news of the murders of Gil-ad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach, and Naftali Fraenkel. I wanted to take time to let the shock dull a little, then write something about it. My thoughts are still a little disjointed,…

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Syria Wants to Break International Law? We Have Bigger Problems.

By Eliana Glogauer September 16, 2013

On August 29, the Washington Post published an article titled “Nine Questions About Syria You Were Too Embarrassed to Ask.” The sixth question listed in this oversimplified piece of rhetoric asks, “Why hasn’t the United States fixed this yet?” This type of question illustrates a fundamental arrogance in the attitude of Americans, with regard to…

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Tonight’s Foreign Policy Debate

By Joshua Lapidus October 22, 2012

Are y’all as excited for the Presidential Foreign Policy debate as I am? Probably not – but prepare yourselves.  If I can’t get you fired up, the FP Debate Bingo/Drinking Game at the bottom of this post might. I’m excited because a few weeks ago this campaign was over. Romney made multiple foreign policy gaffes,…

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A Conservative Canada means support for Israel

By mmoncaster May 3, 2011

Canadians went to the polls today for a federal election and handed the Conservative Party a resounding victory. To be sure, the party’s success was never in doubt. But the magnitude of their dominance was unclear. It certainly is not anymore. The Conservatives (or Tories) claimed 167 seats in Parliament, more than the 155 required…

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