Free Republic

It is right to stop today and remember the lives lost a year ago on October 7th, 2023 in Israel. More than 1,100 Israelis were murdered that day. Unarmed men, women, and children. Why? Because they are Jews. And because they are citizens of a free, democratic, and stunningly successful Israel. Shockingly almost a hundred innocent October 7th victims are still being held hostage by the forces of Hamas, a self-avowed branch of the Muslim Brotherhood committed to the destruction of the Jewish state. How did it happen? Why did it happen? These questions remind me of the naïve Americans...

… Israel-Hamas War Many progressive voters have said Harris needs to end Israel's war against Hamas or cease providing Israel with weapons used in the fighting. But in her interview with Bash, Harris made it clear that she is "unequivocal and unwavering in my commitment to Israel's defense and its ability to defend itself." "That's not going to change," she said. That stance angered some progressives who have voiced their support for the Palestinians, including Representative Rashida Tlaib. "That's right. War crimes and genocide will continue," Tlaib posted on X (formerly Twitter) with a clip of the interview. Journalist Kylie...

For several weeks, the City of Chicago has been sitting on a request from a pro-Israel group to hold a solidarity march during the Democratic National Convention, even as it has granted permission for a coalition of pro-Palestinian activists to demonstrate when the proceedings kick off later this month. The Israeli American Council, a nonprofit organization representing Israeli-Americans that seeks to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Israel, filed two applications with Chicago’s Department of Transportation at the beginning of July, according to Aya Schechter, the group’s chief programming officer. But with just under two weeks remaining until the convention,...

Vice President Kamala Harris will hold her first campaign rally with her newly minted running mate next week in a key swing state, according to a report. The event will be held on Tuesday in Philadelphia, and Harris, 59, is expected to announce her selection by that date, according to Politico. Following the unveiling, Harris and her vice-presidential pick will campaign in seven swing states in four days – traveling to western Wisconsin, Detroit, Mich., Raleigh, N.C., Savannah, Ga., Phoenix, Ariz., and Las Vegas, Nev., after the Pennsylvania event, the outlet reported, citing the Harris campaign.

President Joe Biden hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday, likely marking the last time the two leaders will meet while both are in office, given Biden’s decision not to run again. Biden had denied Netanyahu a White House meeting for nearly a year after the latter won Israel’s elections in November 2022 — an extraordinary snub, motivated by the antipathy Democrats have for Israel’s statesman. They finally met in New York in September 2023, amid talk of a possible Saudi-Israeli peace deal that would have been a major diplomatic accomplishment for Biden. But the...

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Israel risks a “strategic defeat” if it does not work to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza amid its war on militant group Hamas in the region. “The center of gravity is the civilian population and if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat,” Austin said in a speech at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, Calif., on Saturday.

Joe Biden is facing a significant internal revolt against his administration's stance on the Israel-Hamas war, insiders have said - reflected in nationwide unease at the conflict, and his dismal polls. The president has been determined to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel following the Hamas terror attack of October 7, which killed 1,200 people. But he warned Israel's leaders in private and in public not to repeat America's mistakes post 9/11, and be blinded by rage and a desire for revenge. With 15,000 Gazans killed in seven weeks of bombardment, many inside the Biden administration feel that the White House should...

Anti-Israel protests at American universities have made headlines in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. And almost simultaneously, many conservative critics — including GOP presidential candidates — have used those protests as an opportunity to ramp up their assault on higher education, eagerly yoking them to their long-standing accusations of “liberal indoctrination.” Eliminationist chants, partisan DEI officers, angry mobs hey-hey, ho-ho-ing their support for terrorists — in terms of Republican's favorite straw men, the “woke,” liberal campus of 2023 has them all! Institutions of higher education, conservatives charge, are complicit in fostering an atmosphere of intimidation and even violence...

The bottom line is this: the modern home of antisemitism is the Democrat Party.That’s not to say that being a Democrat makes you an antisemite. Hardly. 7 in 10 Jews are Democrats, and many non-Jewish Democrats are anything but antisemites.But let’s face facts: the home of antisemites in America is the Democrat Party. While 80% of Republicans and nearly 70% of Independents support Israel, only 45% of Democrats do.Americans' sympathies overall lie with Israel in this conflict, but Democrats are splitBy a 61%-30% margin, respondents said their sympathies lie more with Israelis than Palestinians, but that's driven by Republicans (79%)...