Free Republic

The U.S. expects Ukraine's response Wednesday to a peace framework that includes U.S. recognition of Crimea as part of Russia and unofficial recognition of Russian control of nearly all areas occupied since the 2022 invasion, sources with direct knowledge of the proposal tell Axios. -snip- What Russia gets under Trump's proposal "De jure" U.S. recognition of Russian control in Crimea. "De-facto recognition" of the Russia's occupation of nearly all of Luhansk oblast and the occupied portions of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. A promise that Ukraine will not become a member of NATO. The text notes that Ukraine could become part...

The U.S. military transferred around 90 Patriot air defense interceptors from storage in Israel to Poland this week in order to deliver them to Ukraine, three sources with knowledge of the operation tell Axios. Why it matters: Getting more Patriot missiles to Ukraine has been a top priority for the Pentagon to help Kyiv defend against Russia's attacks on its critical infrastructure. This is also the most significant delivery of weapons from Israel to Ukraine since the Russian invasion almost three years ago.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan presented President Biden with options for a potential U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear facilities if the Iranians move towards a nuclear weapon before Jan. 20, in a meeting several weeks ago that remained secret until now, three sources with knowledge of the issue tell Axios. Why it matters: A U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear program during the lame duck period would be an enormous gamble from a president who promised he would not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon, but who would also risk handing a fresh conflict over to his successor....

The Biden administration last week put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel, two Israeli officials told Axios. Why it matters: It is the first time since the Oct. 7 attack that the U.S. has stopped a weapons shipment intended for the Israeli military. The incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held, Israeli officials said.

The Biden regime has cut off ammunition supplies to Israel as they attempt to appease the growing anger among the left of the Democratic Party over America’s support for the war against Hamas. According to a report from Axios, the decision to put a hold on the ammunition shipment caused panic among the Israeli security services and is intended to prevent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from proceeding with an invasion of Rafah. Axios notes: The Biden administration last week put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel, two Israeli officials told Axios. It is the first time...

The Biden administration last week put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel, two Israeli officials told Axios. Why it matters: It is the first time since the Oct. 7 attack that the U.S. has stopped a weapons shipment intended for the Israeli military. The incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held, Israeli officials said.

Senior US officials say question of whether to speak with Smotrich, Ben-Gvir raised at White House meeting. A high-level meeting was held at the White House last week to discuss policy towards the new government in Israel, including the question of whether or not to hold talks with certain ministers from the "extreme right" Barak Ravid reported for "Walla". According to the report, this is the first meeting on the subject, which was held as part of a National Security Council forum, of which senior representatives from the State Department, the Defense Department and the American intelligence organizations are members....

Biden Admin. reportedly concerned Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir will be given important ministries in the Netanyahu govt. The Biden Administration is concerned that Benjamin Netanyahu will appoint Religious Zionism party chairman MK Bezalel Smotrich as Israel's next Defense Minister, journalist Barak Ravid reported for Axios. Smotrich had been seeking the Finance Ministry, but stated his willingness to allow the Shas party to be given that ministry if he receives the Defense Ministry in its place. The US Administration is reported concerned about Smotrich's hardline positions on Judea and Samaria and how Israel should respond to terrorism, as well as...

Former President Trump evoked antisemitic tropes about Jews in excerpts of an interview released on Friday and claimed that they “either don't like Israel or don't care about Israel.” In the interview with journalist Barak Ravid, portions of which were played on an episode of the “Unholy: Two Jews on the news” podcast released on Friday, Trump said that "there's people in this country that are Jewish — no longer love Israel. I'll tell you, the evangelical Christians love Israel more than the Jews in this country,” Trump said in an interview He also used common antisemitic tropes about Jewish...

"Former US president Donald Trump said that many American Jews don’t love Israel, otherwise, they would have voted for him and charged that Israel used to have “absolute power over Congress.” Trump’s comments from an interview with Israeli journalist Barak Ravid in July were broadcast Thursday on the Unholy Podcast, hosted by Yonit Levi of Israel’s Channel 12 news and Jonathan Freedland of The Guardian." "“There are people in this country that are Jewish, no longer love Israel. I’ll tell you, the evangelical Christians love Israel more than Jews in this country,” Trump said."

Former President Donald Trump was full of praise for terrorist-supporting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in a recent interview — while claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not want to reach a peace deal. Axios’ Barak Ravid, who conducted the interview with Trump for a new book about Trump’s peace efforts, reported Monday:

Trump accused Netanyahu of speaking up too quickly following what the former president has still yet to concede was a legitimate election. "Nobody did more for Bibi. And I liked Bibi. I still like Bibi," he said, referring to the former prime minister by his nickname. "But I also like loyalty. The first person to congratulate Biden was Bibi. And not only did he congratulate him, he did it on tape." Despite Trump’s condemnation of Netanyahu, the then-prime minister was not amongst one of the first world leaders to congratulate Biden for securing the presidential win. Netanyahu waited roughly 12...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he and President Trump discussed the possibilities of a U.S-Israel defense treaty as well as Israeli annexation of the Jordan Valley in the West Bank in their call last night. Why it matters: This is mostly about domestic political positioning for Netanyahu as he and opposition politician Benny Gantz stare down a Dec. 11 deadline to form a government. Netanyahu gave the impression that Trump was favorably disposed toward both goals and called on Gantz to form a unity government to accomplish them. Between the lines: If neither Netanyahu nor Gantz can get 61...

The Israeli angle: The Muller report, which examined Russian involvement in the US presidential election, showed that Donald Trump worked to counter anti-Israel bias at the United Nations even before he entered the White House. According to a report by Barak Ravid for Channel 13 News, Trump, his adviser Jared Kushner and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, worked with several foreign governments to prevent the Security Council Resolution condemning the Jewish presence over the so-called Green Line in December 2016, Flynn said during his interrogation by the FBI that Trump and his team saw the thwarted decision as a...

Netanyahu: Rather than soothing international public opinion, Abbas should choose between Hamas and peace with Israel.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas released a special message on Sunday in Arabic and in English on the occasion of Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, in which he decried the murder of Jews in the Holocaust as "the most heinous crime against humanity in modern history. This is the first time a Palestinian president has ever made such a public declaration.