Oren named Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) as two lawmakers who could assume parts of Graham’s mantle but said neither had the same impact or range of relationships.

By Debbie Weiss, The Algemeiner

The death of US Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) marks a “fundamental shift” in Israel’s relationship with Congress, leaving the country more dependent on President Donald Trump at a time when it has fewer lawmakers to turn to in Washington, former Israeli ambassador Michael Oren said in an interview with The Algemeiner.

Graham, one of Israel’s most dependable allies in Congress, died Saturday at 71 after what his office described as a brief and sudden illness.

His death prompted tributes from across Israel’s political spectrum, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several of his leading opponents mourning a senator whose support spanned the country’s deep partisan divisions.

Oren, who served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States during the Obama administration, said Graham became a crucial channel through which Israel could mobilize support on Capitol Hill during periods of tension with Washington.

“When we had a problem with Obama, Bibi would tell me to call Lindsey Graham,” Oren said, referring to the Israeli prime minister by his nickname. He added that Graham would then rally senators, including John McCain and Joe Lieberman, as well as other members of Congress.

Israel now has almost no equivalent recourse in Congress, Oren said. “That’s a fundamental shift against us. There’s no one we can complain to. Now we can rely only on Trump’s relationship with us.”

Oren named Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) as two lawmakers who could assume parts of Graham’s mantle but said neither had the same impact or range of relationships.

The breadth of Graham’s standing in Israel was evident within hours of his death. Netanyahu, opposition leader Yair Lapid, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, former Defense Minister Benny Gantz and ministers from the coalition’s far-right flank all described Graham as a personal friend who had repeatedly stood with Israel during war and diplomatic isolation.

“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends,” Netanyahu said. “America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “shocked and heartbroken,” calling Graham a “beacon of moral clarity” and a leader of the US-Israel partnership. Lapid said Graham had been “first and foremost a friend,” while Bennett said he had stood with Israel “through our darkest hours.” Gantz called him an “unwavering, unflinching, true friend.”

The breadth of the reaction was also visible across Israel’s sharply divided media. Political strategist Raz Sauber noted on X that veteran Israeli reporter Barak Ravid was “practically in tears over him” on Channel 12, while Channel 14 host Yinon Magal recited Kaddish, the Jewish mourner’s prayer, for Graham even though he was not Jewish.

Oren said Graham’s support was particularly notable because it could not be readily explained by domestic political incentives. He was not an evangelical Christian and represented a state with a relatively small Jewish population.

“He had two things: Clarity of vision and guts—he wasn’t afraid of anybody,” Oren said.

Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized Graham’s repeated visits after the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023. Graham returned to Israel several times during the ensuing war and defended its right to respond militarily.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who said he had long referred to Graham as both “the best senator and the best friend,” described his support for Israeli security as boundless.

Days after the Oct. 7 attack, Graham organized a delegation of five Republican and five Democratic senators to Israel.

At a news conference in Tel Aviv, he noted that 10% of the Senate had made the trip and joked that he could probably have brought the entire chamber with a larger plane.

That bipartisan role was central to Graham’s value for Israel. He favored an active American role abroad, strong military alliances, and the use of US power against governments and armed groups he viewed as threats to Washington’s allies.

Those positions increasingly put him at odds with isolationist currents in the Republican Party, while his close relationship with Trump gave him access to the White House.

Graham backed sanctions against the International Criminal Court over its pursuit of Israeli leaders and urged a harder line against Iran.

He had long advocated military action to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and supported the joint American-Israeli campaign against Iran earlier this year.

He was also a major advocate of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, an effort he had pursued since the Biden administration.

Oren said that while Graham had invested heavily in the initiative, he doubted the current Israeli government could bring his vision to completion.

According to an Axios report by Ravid, Graham had nevertheless been preparing a renewed diplomatic push after Israel’s late-October election and the US midterms, including planned visits to Israel and Saudi Arabia to assess the prospects for an agreement.

Without him, Oren said, “our challenges are now that much greater. He was actually indispensable.”

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Lawmakers could also seek a vote on whether to authorize or oppose further military action.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

President Donald Trump has told Congress that U.S. military operations against Iran are underway again, formally alerting lawmakers as questions return over whether continued action will require congressional authorization.

In a July 10 letter to Congress, Trump said “military action commenced” in the area, Punchbowl News reported.

Presidents are required under the War Powers Act to notify lawmakers within 48 hours of initiating a military attack.

The notice comes as the United States and Iran have traded military strikes over the past week and Trump has declared that the ceasefire between the countries is over.

The latest operations could prompt a new dispute over the War Powers Act’s limits.

Trump previously notified Congress of military action on March 2. The law permits U.S. forces to remain involved for 60 days following a presidential notification, with a possible 30-day extension.

Congressional approval is required for operations continuing beyond that period.

Both deadlines tied to the March notification have passed.

Whether the administration considers the latest strikes the start of a separate operation, potentially beginning a new 60-day period, remains unclear.

Lawmakers could also seek a vote on whether to authorize or oppose further military action.

Trump’s letter said no U.S. ground troops are in the area.

Utah Sen. John Curtis previously said Congress should become involved if U.S. forces remained engaged after the initial 60-to-90-day period.

Earlier this year, he told the Deseret News that the administration would have to “show intent to wind this thing down.” Otherwise, Curtis said he could consider legislation limiting Trump’s military authority.

Separately, U.S. Central Command said Monday that a naval blockade affecting maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports would resume this week. The blockade was lifted on June 18 and is scheduled to be restored Tuesday.

The congressional notification places the status of U.S. military operations back before lawmakers as the administration continues military action against Iran without formal congressional approval.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly at 71, was one of Israel’s staunchest defenders in the Senate, opposing aid cuts and fighting the International Criminal Court on Israel’s behalf.

The post WATCH: Lindsey Graham’s storied legacy of defending Israel appeared first on World Israel News.

Earlier in June, the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee proposed a modest increase in the program for 2027 to $315 million.

By Andrew Bernard, JNS

Republican and Democratic senators expressed support for increased funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program on Tuesday during the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center’s annual visit to Washington.

Speaking to some 120 center members in the Russell Senate Office Building, Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) argued that the rise of Jew-hatred in the United States requires greater federal spending to protect Jewish institutions.

“That was brought home to me when my own synagogue, Temple Israel, was attacked in March,” said Slotkin, who is Jewish. “We need to be surging to the threat.”

Jewish organizations and interfaith groups, including the Orthodox Union, have called for funds to the security grant program to be increased to $1 billion annually, up from the $300 million that was appropriated in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s funding bill for the 2026 fiscal year.

Senators of both parties frequently express support for the program, which is designed to improve security features at houses of worship and other vulnerable non-profit sites.

But except for a one-year surge to $450 million in 2024 after the Oct. 7 attacks, funding levels have hovered between $250 million to $300 million since 2022.

Earlier in June, the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee proposed a modest increase in the program for 2027 to $315 million.

Rabbi Josh Joseph, the Orthodox Union’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, told JNS that the history of the program, which started with $25 million in 2005, shows that progress is still being made.

“We’re not at a billion yet, but we’re closer,” Joseph said. “If we keep pushing and we keep working, you heard from all the senators—they’re on board.”

“We’ll get to the $1 billion that we need,” he said.

Though the OU advocates for the Orthodox community in the United States, Joseph said this issue unites Jews of all denominations.

“We’re all speaking with one voice right now that we need safe and secure access to places of worship,” he said.

“We need safe and secure institutions, nonprofits, synagogues, shuls, temples, schools, places of gathering. We’re all agreed on that,” he added. “We are in lockstep.”

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Lander ran for New York City mayor last fall and cross-endorsed with Mamdani in an effort to thwart former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

By Jackie Hajdenberg, JTA

Brad Lander has ousted incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in New York City’s 10th Congressional District in a Democratic primary Tuesday night where the candidates’ views on Israel were a key issue, according an NBC News projection.

Lander, a former city comptroller backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, had 55,060 votes, or 65.8 percent, and Goldman had 28,445 votes, or 34 percent, with 92 percent of the ballots counted.

NBC News projected Lander the winner four minutes after the polls closed at 9 p.m.

Lander, 56, perched his campaign on a refusal to take money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobbying group.

Goldman, an attorney who led the first impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, was hailed for his efforts on that front, but his more supportive views on Israel have proven increasingly unpopular in his lower Manhattan and Brooklyn district in recent years.

“Democrats are painfully divided by our differences over the U.S. relationship to Israel and Palestine, and we have to face up to it squarely,” Lander said in his victory speech.

“Our party needs to admit that Joe Biden’s ‘hug Bibi strategy’ was a catastrophic failure.”

He invoked the famous words of Rabbi Hillel in Pirkei Avot: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am for myself only, what am I? And if not now, when?”

“I will be one of the Jewish members of Congress most willing to stand up loud for Palestinian human rights,” Lander added.

“I will stand firmly against bigotry aimed at Jews as well. That’s not two different jobs — that’s the same job. That’s the same job Rabbi Hillel gave us 2000 years ago.”

Lander continued, “We cannot keep paying for Netanyahu’s wars with our tax dollars. Democratic voters across the country are saying this loud and clear. What we need instead is a politics of shared safety: one that sees Palestinian kids in Gaza and the West Bank as created Betzelem Elohim — in the image of God just as much as Rosa and Marek,” he said, referring to his two children.

Mamdani introduced Lander at the victory party and called him a friend and a coworker. “Brad brings a kindness to this world,” the mayor said.

The primary result was not a surprise: polling by Emerson College last month indicated a lead of more than 30 points for Lander.

In his speech, Lander thanked Goldman for a “hard-fought campaign” and “and for his service to this community and to our country.”

“I want to specifically praise him for how he responded to some of the toxic rhetoric that he and his staff faced over the past couple of days with grace and with gratitude, that is something we need,” Lander added, referring to a an incident this week at a Brooklyn cafe  in which Goldman was refunded his payment a cup of coffee due to his views on Israel, and an online harassment from right-wing commentator Cam Higby targeting his chief of staff.

“And I want to say to those who cast their votes for Dan, though we have some differences, I do feel strongly that we actually have so much more in common.”

Lander’s win in Tuesday’s primary in the heavily Democratic district, which runs from roughly below 14th Street in Manhattan to Brownstone Brooklyn and parts of Borough Park and Bay Ridge, is tantamount to winning the general election in November.

Both candidates identify as Zionists — Goldman said he is “unabashedly pro-Israel” — but Lander qualified his views as that of a “liberal Zionist.”

He is also a former member of the Democratic Socialists of America. But he left the group following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel, disappointed by the DSA’s participation in a pro-Palestinian rally on Oct. 8.

He says he had been a member since his freshman year of college.

“On October 8th, they advertised a rally that I thought was heinous, that spoke about Hamas in ways that I just thought were vile and I could not continue to be a member,” Lander said during a June 1 debate with Spectrum NY1.

Lander ran for New York City mayor last fall and cross-endorsed with Mamdani in an effort to thwart former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Mamdani then encouraged Lander to run for Congress and endorsed him in February in a video calling out AIPAC.

He was also endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif, former Manhattan Borough President and activist Ruth Messinger, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, IfNotNow, the Sunrise Movement, United Auto Workers and other progressive groups.

Lander has used the word “genocide” to refer to Israel’s actions against Palestinians in Gaza.

He has also long criticized AIPAC and what he says are the group’s contributions to Goldman’s campaign. But Goldman’s team said AIPAC was uninvolved in his campaign.

“Israel is not the most important issue in this district,” Goldman said during the June 1 debate.

Goldman had outspent Lander more than 7-to-1 on the airwaves, according to data from political advertising tracker AdImpact.

A multimillionaire and heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, Goldman had also pledged to personally match each dollar donated to his campaign.

Lander was also backed by a new super PAC called American Priorities, which has put forward $2 million into the primaries to fight AIPAC.

American Priorities is also backing New York State Assembly member and congressional candidate Claire Valdez, a Democrat in New York’s 7th Congressional District, and Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier in the 13th District. Both women are members of the DSA.

Lander appeared with Mamdani, Valdez and Chevalier in a post-Knicks game ad, where he passes a basketball to Chevalier, who also was at the Oct. 8 rally that he and Mamdani condemned. Mamdani, Valdez and Chevalier have been outspoken Israel critics.

In a 2025 interview with Zeteo, Lander said he would vote to recognize a Palestinian state and oppose the sale of weapons to Israel.

As comptroller, Lander maintained the city’s pension investments in Israeli military technology company Elbit Systems, which earned criticism from left-wing activists, but he defended the decision.

Goldman did not endorse Mamdani because he felt he “never fully got there,” he told The New York Editorial Board in late February.

Goldman has been endorsed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York City Comptroller Mark Levine, and various public housing advocates and local unions.

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Many lawmakers argue that military pressure created an opportunity to demand the irreversible dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program rather than unenforceable promises from the regime.

By Corey Walker, The Algemeiner

Conservative thought leaders and lawmakers have suggested that the controversial US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) could be derailed by Congress, citing intense internal turmoil over the deal within the Republican Party.

The White House has transmitted the agreement to Capitol Hill, beginning what is expected to be weeks of scrutiny over its substance and legality.

While the administration insists the memorandum is merely an interim framework, critics argue its practical effect — particularly its commitment to sanctions relief in exchange for future negotiations — could require congressional approval under existing law.

Under the proposed MOU, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on its highly enriched uranium stockpile, and commit not to pursue nuclear weapons.

In exchange, Washington would lift its blockade on Iranian ports, suspend certain sanctions, facilitate Iran’s return to global oil markets, and launch negotiations over a broader agreement during a 60-day window.

Critics say the most immediate legal obstacle concerns the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA), enacted in 2015 following congressional opposition to the Obama administration’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — the technical name for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

INARA requires Congress to review certain nuclear agreements with Iran before statutory sanctions can be lifted.

Whether the new memorandum qualifies under INARA remains contested.

Some legal scholars argue that because it is styled as an interim political understanding, it may fall outside the statute.

Others contend that if it effectively commits the US to sanctions relief in exchange for Iranian nuclear commitments, INARA applies.

Experts also warn that the executive branch lacks the authority to permanently erase sanctions without congressional consent — and Iran has long sought precisely that permanent assurance, not simply temporary waivers vulnerable to reversal by future administrations.

The Iran Sanctions Act is scheduled to expire at the end of 2026.

Many lawmakers are already discussing extending it before that deadline, which would preserve one of Washington’s most significant sources of leverage over Tehran and signal that Congress has little appetite for relaxing pressure on the Iranian regime.

Another unresolved issue concerns the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Although the memorandum does not publicly require removing the IRGC from the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organization list, analysts believe meaningful normalization of economic relations with Iran would become significantly more difficult without doing so.

The memorandum arrives after months of conflict in which Israel and the United States carried out unprecedented military operations against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Many Republicans, along with numerous Democratic Iran hawks, argue that military pressure created an opportunity to demand the irreversible dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program rather than what they view as unenforceable promises from the Iranian regime.

Supporters counter that the MOU is not final or binding, and that diplomacy backed by credible military pressure offers the best chance of preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon while avoiding another major Middle East war.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) launched a sharp attack on the deal, warning that allowing Tehran to have a $300 billion reconstruction package “would make Iran’s payoff under President Obama’s 2015 deal look like a pittance by comparison.”

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), one of the staunchest defenders of Israel in Congress, called Iran a “terrorist regime” and warned that “certain aspects of this deal are a step in the wrong direction.”

He also cautioned that Iran could generate “between $150 million to $200 million dollars per day” from lifted oil sanctions.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) walked back his initial condemnations of the deal following conversations with the White House, expressing cautious optimism while stressing the need to secure the dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program.

“Whether or not the United States can reach an acceptable, verifiable deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program and other issues is yet to be determined, but I see little downside to trying,” Graham wrote.

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House investigators are being urged to examine Rep. Ilhan Omar’s amended financial filings.

By World Israel News Staff

House Republicans are calling for an investigation into the finances of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) after her reported net worth was dramatically revised from as much as $30 million to less than $95,000, amid renewed scrutiny surrounding the largest fraud scandal in Minnesota history.

According to a Fox News report, Omar attributed the discrepancy to an “accounting error” and previously undisclosed liabilities. She submitted an amended financial disclosure after an earlier filing indicated that she and her third husband, political consultant Tim Mynett, held assets worth up to $30 million.

After the figure drew widespread attention, Omar filed revised paperwork stating that the couple’s assets were worth between $18,004 and $95,000.

“As the busiest of people, it is very common for members and their spouses to rely on learned professionals like accountants to make calculations and determinations that appear on public filings,” an attorney representing Omar told The Wall Street Journal, which first reported on the financial questions. “While the error is, of course, unfortunate, there is nothing untoward, and nothing illegal has occurred.”

Tom Fitton, president of watchdog group Judicial Watch, expressed skepticism about Omar’s explanation.

“Ilhan Omar says her congressional financial reports have massive accounting error,” Fitton wrote on X. “She and her husband only worth 18k-86k, NOT $6 million-$30 million! Previously unreported ‘liabilities’ erase wealth!” he added sarcastically.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) has advocated for a congressional probe into both Omar’s financial disclosures and her alleged connections to the Feed Our Future fraud scheme, which involved the theft of approximately $250 million in Minnesota taxpayer funds under the guise of nutrition programs.

The scheme’s central figure, Aimee Bock, was recently sentenced to 42 years in federal prison for her role in the fraud.

The connection between Omar and the Feed Our Future scandal remains unclear, although evidence in the trial against Bock included communications between her office and the lawmaker.

The content of those emails was not disclosed to the public.

The post Why did Ilhan Omar’s net worth suddenly drop by $30 million? appeared first on World Israel News.

US Congressman Marlin Stutzman added that there is broad support in the United States for Dagan and for the efforts being led in Israel.

By JFeed

US Congressman Marlin Stutzman expressed support for Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria during a visit to Israel, saying after a meeting with Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan that sovereignty is an important issue and that Israel should have the land under one national framework.

Stutzman, a veteran Republican lawmaker, arrived in Israel for a short diplomatic visit that included meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the foreign minister and Dagan.

In a joint statement after the meeting, Stutzman emphasized the strength of the US-Israel relationship.

“The partnership between the United States and Israel is like brothers,” he said. “We are so strong together. We want more people to join the peace and prosperity that we can all enjoy.”

Stutzman then addressed the question of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, describing the area as strategically important to Israel.

“One of the important things is sovereignty in Judea and Samaria here in Israel,” he said. “It is important for Israel to have these lands together, under one umbrella as a state.”

He also referred to recent political activity on the issue, saying a symbolic vote had taken place and that support exists for the move.

“We will continue moving forward and finding more support so that people can live here in peace and prosperity,” Stutzman said.

He added that there is broad support in the United States for Dagan and for the efforts being led in Israel.

Dagan thanked Stutzman for what he called his firm support for Israel and for the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

“We feel what you are doing for the people of Israel, and especially for the pioneers in Judea and Samaria,” Dagan said. “We know that we are together.”

Dagan added that Israel and the United States share the same mission and face the same enemies.

“This is the same fight for justice and for the future of the entire world, of the United States and of Israel,” he said.

The meeting was part of Dagan’s ongoing effort to strengthen support in Washington for Judea and Samaria and to advance the application of Israeli sovereignty among US officials.

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Though AIPAC did not formally endorse Menefee during the campaign, pro-Israel voices have considered Menefee more reasonable on issues pertaining to the Jewish state.

By Corey Walker, The Algemeiner

Rep. Al Green (D-TX), one of the most outspoken critics of Israel in the US Congress, lost his reelection bid on Tuesday, marking a victory for Democrats seeking to rebuild support for the Jewish state within the party.

Christian Menefee walloped Green, garnering 69.4 percent of the Democratic primary vote compared to Green’s 30.6 percent.

The whopping margin represents a humiliating sendoff for the progressive 11-time incumbent.

Green’s defeat marks the latest sign that while anti-Israel activism has grown louder inside the Democratic Party, animus toward the Jewish state does not possess enough salience to buoy a fledgling campaign.

The loss was quickly hailed by pro-Israel activists and centrist Democrats as evidence that Democratic primary voters are pushing back against rhetoric they argue has increasingly blurred the line between criticism of Israeli policy and broader hostility toward pro-Israel Jewish Americans.

“Congratulations Rep. Christian Menefee on your victory tonight over one of the most outspoken anti-Israel voices in Congress,” the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the foremost pro-Israel lobbying group in the US, posted on social media.

The race unfolded amid intensifying national tensions surrounding the role of AIPAC, which has become a lightning rod in Democratic politics.

Progressive activists and anti-Israel groups such as Track AIPAC have sought to portray ties to the pro-Israel lobby as politically toxic, while many mainstream Democrats have argued those attacks unfairly stigmatize pro-Israel Jewish participation in politics.

Though AIPAC did not formally endorse Menefee during the campaign, pro-Israel voices have considered Menefee more reasonable on issues pertaining to the Jewish state.

During a debate in the days leading up to the primary election, Menefee called for “peace” in Gaza but stopped short of accusing Israel of war crimes or genocide.
“Look, what I want is peace, now,” Menefee said.

“I want a lasting ceasefire so that not a single baby in either Israel or Gaza has to worry about being bombed.”

Following his defeat, Green issued a retort to AIPAC, denying that he’s “anti-Israel” while accusing Israel of “genocide” in Gaza.

“Afraid to come out during the election, AIPAC has finally reared its ugly head its insidious prevarication,” Green said in a statement.

“I am not anti-Israel; I am anti-sending any more of hardworking American’s tax dollars to Israel. AIPAC, which has not denounced the genocide in Gaza, seems to perceive every person who denounces the slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinian men, women, and especially children under the leadership of Prime Minister Netanyahu as anti-Israel.”

Green had emerged as one of Congress’s sharpest critics of Israel following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish state, opposing military aid packages for Israel and accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of committing crimes against humanity in Gaza.

But political analysts say his defeat highlights the limits of anti-Israel messaging in competitive Democratic contests, particularly among older Black voters, moderates, and suburban Democrats who continue to support Israel’s existence as a Jewish state while backing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

An increasing amount of data also indicates that the Israel-Hamas conflict remains a low priority for voters.

Tuesday’s result also comes as Democratic leaders struggle to contain escalating internal divisions over Israel.

Earlier this year, the Democratic National Committee rejected a resolution condemning AIPAC’s influence in Democratic primaries, despite mounting pressure from progressive activists.

At the same time, some prominent Democrats backed by pro-Israel groups have openly criticized Israeli settler violence in Judea and Samaria and called for humanitarian protections for Palestinians, underscoring that support for Israel within the party is evolving rather than disappearing.

Some prominent Democrats have gone further, outright accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza during its defense war against Hamas.

Still, Green’s defeat is likely to energize pro-Israel organizations heading into the 2026 midterms, where Democratic incumbents supportive of Israel have increasingly found themselves targeted by progressive challengers running on anti-AIPAC and anti-war platforms.

Though support for Israel has become increasingly difficult to maintain in the Democratic Party, a slew of AIPAC-endorsed candidates emerged victorious in recent Democratic primary competitions, suggesting that support for the Jewish state is not a deal-breaker for most voters.

Reuters reported earlier this month that more than 100 Democratic candidates nationwide have aligned themselves with anti-AIPAC organizations, reflecting a growing generational divide inside the party over US-Israel relations.

But Tuesday’s result suggests that, at least in some districts, Democratic voters remain resistant to candidates whose critiques of Israel are viewed as too sweeping or ideologically rigid.

For pro-Israel Democrats already anxious about rising antisemitism and growing hostility toward Jewish institutions after the Oct. 7 massacre, Green’s loss was seen not just as a local political upset but also as a warning shot to the party’s activist left.

The post US Rep. Al Green, one of Israel’s fiercest critics in Congress, loses primary battle appeared first on World Israel News.

Stutzman and Hamadeh are both considered strong supporters of Israel.

By JNS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday evening in his Jerusalem office with U.S. Reps. Abraham Hamadeh, R-Ariz., and Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., according to his office.

Separately, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he also met the Republican lawmakers, describing “in-depth” talks on regional issues including Lebanon and Syria.

Sa’ar said he emphasized protecting Syria’s minorities and outlined Israel’s objectives in Southern Lebanon, including defending Israeli civilians from Hezbollah attacks “and dismantling the terror kingdom it built there.”

Stutzman, who represents Indiana’s 3rd district in the U.S. House, shared the premier’s X post of their meeting, writing, “Pleasure to meet with you again Mr. Prime Minister.”

Hamadeh, who serves as the U.S representative for Arizona’s 8th congressional district, is the first Arab American elected to Congress from Arizona.

Hamadeh is the youngest child of Syrian immigrants and grew up in a mixed-faith household with a Muslim father and Druze mother; he is also of Kurdish descent on his paternal grandmother’s side.

Both men are considered strong supporters of Israel.

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Most Republicans, and the White House, say Trump’s actions are legal and within his rights as commander-in-chief to protect the US by ordering limited military operations to stop imminent threats.

By Reuters and The Algemeiner

Republican leaders of the US House of Representatives unexpectedly canceled a vote on Thursday on a resolution seeking to end the Iran war unless President Donald Trump obtains Congress’ authorization, two days after a similar measure advanced in the US Senate.

The vote had been scheduled to take place late Thursday afternoon, just before lawmakers left Washington for their Memorial Day recess.

The House had blocked three previous war powers resolutions in close votes earlier this year, with near-unanimous support from Republicans, underscoring the strong backing for the Iran war and the president within his party.

But the margins had become increasingly narrow—the last resolution failed on a tie vote—as weeks passed since the US and Israel began striking Iran on February 28.

Thursday’s measure looked likely to pass, given expected defections by a handful of Republicans and the absences of others.

“We had the votes without question, and they knew it,” Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told reporters after the vote was canceled.

He said the chamber’s Republican leaders had delayed the vote until early June, after the Memorial Day recess.

Democrats, and a few Republicans, have called on Trump ​to come to Congress for authorization to use military force, noting that the US Constitution says that Congress, ​not the president, can declare war.

They have expressed concerns that Trump may have entered the country into a long conflict without setting out a clear strategy.

Most Republicans, and the White House, say Trump’s actions are legal and within his rights as commander-in-chief to protect the US by ordering limited military operations to stop imminent threats.

Republicans control narrow majorities in both the House and Senate.

On Tuesday, the Senate advanced a separate but similar war powers resolution in a rare rebuke of Trump.

That procedural vote on whether to advance the measure for further votes was 50 to 47, as four of Trump’s fellow Republicans voted with every Senate Democrat but one in favor. Three Republicans missed that vote.

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Former NYC Comptroller and congressional candidate Brad Lander spoke at a New York mosque, called Israel’s war in Lebanon a genocide, and vowed to partner with antisemitic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to push anti-Israel legislation through Congress.

NY Democratic Congressional Candidate Brad Lander Recites Quran Verse at Queens Mosque, Says He Hopes to Partner in Congress with Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib; Imam Prays for Mahdi to Kill Infidels with His Sword pic.twitter.com/s4FWPLUaI5

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) May 21, 2026

The post WATCH: NY Congressional hopeful calls Israel’s war in Lebanon a genocide, recites Quran verse during mosque visit appeared first on World Israel News.

The rhetoric intensified over the past week as Bilzerian posted messages on X targeting Jews, Israel, and Fine personally.

By JFeed

A Florida congressional race has escalated into a broader political fight involving antisemitism, Israel, Azerbaijan, and Armenian-American activism after Rep. Randy Fine and candidate Dan Bilzerian traded accusations in a widening public feud.

The clash began after Fine criticized Bilzerian following the release of an Israeli Diaspora Ministry report that ranked the social media personality as the world’s leading antisemitic influencer for 2024.

Bilzerian, a dual US-Armenian citizen best known for his online persona, recently entered the congressional race despite having little political background. He has drawn repeated criticism in recent years for inflammatory comments about Jews and Israel.

During a 2024 livestream, Bilzerian called to “exterminate Israel” and said, “give me a rifle and send me the f*** over there,” remarks widely interpreted as advocating violence against Israelis.

He also described Hamas as a “resistance organization” after the October 7 massacre and referred to former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as “a hero.” He has also referred to Fine as a “fat Jew.”

The rhetoric intensified over the past week as Bilzerian posted messages on X targeting Jews, Israel, and Fine personally.

His posts included references to “Jewish supremacist parasites,” claims that Fine entered politics to help Jews and Israel, and broader allegations involving Jewish power and Israeli citizenship.

Jewish organizations and pro-Israel commentators accused Bilzerian of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories rather than engaging in criticism of Israeli policy.

The dispute then widened after Fine appeared in a media segment discussing antisemitism and dual citizenship in American politics.

A short clip circulated online showing Fine saying, “We don’t want Armenians to be able to serve in Congress.”

Armenian-American activists condemned the remark as discriminatory.

Fine’s supporters argued that the clip omitted the broader context, in which he was arguing that members of Congress should not hold foreign citizenship or foreign allegiances.

Fine later restated the position online, writing that Armenians, Somalis, Guatemalans, and Israelis should not serve in Congress if they are citizens of foreign countries.

The Armenian National Committee of America responded sharply, accusing Fine of anti-Armenian rhetoric and linking his comments to his support for Azerbaijan.

The group also criticized legislation tied to US policy toward Baku after Azerbaijan’s 2023 military operation in Karabakh, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but previously controlled by Armenian separatists.

The argument has revived tensions over Israel’s strategic partnership with Azerbaijan, including defense cooperation and arms sales.

Armenian advocacy groups have long accused Israel of helping Azerbaijan, while Israeli and Azerbaijani officials have rejected those claims.

The fight has now moved far beyond a local congressional race, becoming a broader online clash over antisemitism, Israel, Armenian activism, Azerbaijan, and the use of dual-loyalty accusations in American politics.

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Hamawy is 1 of 13 candidates in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D.) in the deep-blue district.

By Jon Levine, The Washington Free Beacon

A New Jersey plastic surgeon who is the leading fundraiser in the crowded Democratic congressional primary was an associate of terrorist mastermind Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman—the “Blind Sheikh”—and served as a defense witness at the trial that ultimately saw the cleric put away for life, court records show.

Adam Hamawy, running in the Democratic primary to represent New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District with Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D., Minn.) endorsement, was a 26-year-old medical student when Abdel-Rahman’s lawyers put him on the stand to deny charges that the Blind Sheikh—whose followers carried out the 1993 World Trade Center bombing—had called for the murder of then-Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.

The New York Times reported on Hamawy’s participation in the trial at the time, but dozens of pages of testimony reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon reveal a yearslong relationship between the congressional candidate and the jihadist leader. Front Page Magazine first reported on their connection.

Hamawy and Abdel-Rahman met in 1991 when the Islamist firebrand delivered a lecture at Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School in Cliffwood, N.J.

From there, the Egyptian-born Hamawy said, he followed the Blind Sheikh to speaking events at mosques, visited the cleric in his home, and provided him with translation help.

During his testimony, which Hamawy began with a traditional “salam alaykum” greeting to the Blind Sheikh, he described taking a 13-hour car journey with Abdel-Rahman and some of his associates to a conference in Detroit called “Towards a Global Islamic Economy.”

Those associates were Sheikh Abdel Khalid “from the Salam Mosque” in Jersey City, referred to in the court records as a “jihad office.”

That mosque, where Abdel-Rahman preached, was the location where the conspirators behind the World Trade Center bombing would meet.

Also in the car was Emad Salem, an FBI informant and central prosecution witness who would help put the Blind Sheikh behind bars.

According to court documents, Abdel-Rahman told Salem he should turn his “rifle’s barrel to President Mubarak’s chest, and kill him.”

Hamawy, who told prosecutors he shared a hotel room with Abdel-Rahman at the conference, denied that he had heard the Blind Sheikh say anything to that effect.

But he did admit that the conference, where Abdel-Rahman appeared as a featured speaker, was not about economics.

When prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald asked Hamawy whether Abdel-Rahman talked “about conquering the land of the infidels” during the event, Hamawy said, “He might have, yes,” adding that “it wasn’t a commerce thing.”

Hamawy told Fitzgerald that he heard the word “jihad” more than once that weekend.

Several other speakers at the conference were well-known figures in the world of Islamist terrorism.

After Abdel-Rahman spoke, attendees heard from Dr. Ahmad Nofal, a Holocaust denier who has falsely accused Israelis of harvesting the organs of Palestinians.

A 1995 PBS documentary called Jihad in America describes Nofal as “a known recruiter of Hamas terrorists.”

Footage in the documentary shows Nofal boasting about a 1989 terrorist attack on a bus in Tel Aviv that killed 16, including one U.S. citizen and two Canadians.

Hamawy told prosecutors he had heard Nofal speak on further occasions after the Detroit conference.

The documentary also includes footage from the conference Hamawy attended. One speaker, Osama Bin Laden associate Hassan al-Turabi, spoke via video.

Al-Turabi, the alleged architect of the 1989 coup in Sudan, told the Associated Press in 1997 that “America incarnates the devil for Muslims,” adding, “When I say Muslims, I mean all the Muslims in the world.”

In his testimony, Hamawy told Fitzgerald that he had heard Abdel-Rahman speak about how the United States and Israel are “the enem[ies] of Islam.”

When Fitzgerald asked whether Hamawy heard “about how Muslims had to do jihad against the enemies of Islam,” Hamawy responded, “Of course. That’s what [Abdel-Rahman] always talked about. He talked about jihad, you know?”

Hamawy is 1 of 13 candidates in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D.) in the deep-blue district.

He has a significant fundraising lead over his opponents, totaling more than $540,000 in donations to his closest competitor’s $400,000.

In addition to Omar, Hamawy has received the backing of anti-Israel organizations like American Priorities—a new super PAC funded in large part by donors to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s (D., N.Y.) mayoral campaign—and Track AIPAC, which accuses pro-Israel politicians in the United States of being “foreign agents.”

The political arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations—whose leader, Nihad Awad, said he was “happy to see” Oct. 7—endorsed Hamawy in March.

According to the New Jersey-based American Muslims for Democracy advocacy group, there are more than 320,000 Muslims in New Jersey who make up about 3.5 percent of the state’s population, putting it in third place nationally after New York and Illinois.

The 12th District does not include the city with the largest Muslim population, Paterson, but does include the population hub of Middlesex County.

Abdel-Rahman was ultimately convicted of seditious conspiracy, solicitation to murder Mubarak, conspiracy to murder Mubarak, solicitation to attack a U.S. military installation, and conspiracy to conduct bombings.

That bombing plot included six targets: The United Nations headquarters, the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, the George Washington Bridge, the St. Regis and U.N. Plaza Hotels, and the FBI’s main New York office.

Conspirators also spoke of their desire to assassinate then-Sen. Al D’Amato (R., N.Y.) and attack Manhattan’s Diamond District.

Prosecutors accused Abdel-Rahman of leading a conspiracy to “levy a war of urban terrorism against the United States.”

His acolytes, in addition to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, carried out the assassination of Jewish Defense League founder Meir Kahane in 1990 and the 1997 Luxor massacre in Egypt that killed 62 people, most of them tourists.

Andrew McCarthy, who served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and led the Blind Sheikh’s prosecution, told the Free Beacon that Hamawy’s testimony was similar to that of other defense witnesses.

“As was uniformly the case with witnesses presented in the extensive defense case, his testimony—once cross-examination was over—did more to bolster the prosecution’s proof of a jihadist terrorism conspiracy against the United States than to help the accused,” said McCarthy, who now writes for National Review.

“The jury obviously credited Emad Salem’s account of the trip to Detroit. And the evidence that Sheikh Abdel Rahman called for the killing of Mubarak was so overwhelming—based on far more than Salem’s testimony—that his lawyers were reduced to arguing, in essence, that Mubarak had it coming. Not surprisingly, that’s not how the jury saw it.”

Hamawy did not respond to a request for comment.

The New Jersey congressional candidate’s relationship with the Blind Sheikh is not his only connection to terrorism.

The Free Beacon reported last week that Hamawy spent weeks in Gaza working at a hospital that functioned as a Hamas command center and dismissed reports that the terror group had tunnels under the building. Mohammed Sinwar, a mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, was killed in a tunnel underneath the hospital’s emergency room.

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Trump also raised objections to the War Powers Resolution itself, stating, “Every other president considered it totally unconstitutional, and we agree with that.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

President Donald Trump on Friday declared that fighting between the United States and Iran has been “terminated,” informing Congress ahead of a key deadline under the War Powers Resolution.

In a letter to congressional leaders, Trump wrote, “The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated,” following nearly two months of military activity. The notification comes as the statutory timeline under the 1973 War Powers Resolution reached its limit on May 1.

Under the law, a U.S. president may conduct military operations for 60 days without congressional authorization, after which the administration must end hostilities, seek approval from lawmakers, or request a 30-day extension citing “unavoidable military necessity regarding the safety of United States Armed Forces” during a withdrawal period.

The administration formally notified Congress within 48 hours of the initial airstrikes, triggering the countdown.

Despite declaring an end to hostilities, Trump indicated that the situation remains subject to change.

“Despite the success of United States operations against the Iranian regime and continued efforts to secure a lasting peace, the threat posed by Iran to the United States and our Armed Forces remains significant,” he said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a congressional hearing that the existence of a ceasefire affects the legal interpretation of the timeline.

“We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means, the 60-day clock pauses or stops,” he said.

Trump also raised objections to the War Powers Resolution itself, stating, “Every other president considered it totally unconstitutional, and we agree with that.”

Congressional Democrats challenged the administration’s position, arguing that the presence of a U.S. naval blockade does not constitute a ceasefire.

Republican lawmakers have largely supported the administration, voting almost unanimously against measures aimed at ending the conflict.

If fighting resumes, the administration could begin a new 60-day period under the law, consistent with actions taken by previous presidents during intermittent hostilities since the measure was enacted following the Vietnam War.

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Hegseth told lawmakers that some members of Congress represented “the biggest challenge” to the war effort.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defended the war against Iran during testimony before Congress, rejecting criticism that the conflict had become a “quagmire” and urging lawmakers to support a $1.5tn military budget.

Hegseth appeared before the House Armed Services Committee alongside Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in his first testimony since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. The conflict has been accompanied by a surge in gasoline prices.

During the hearing, Rep. John Garamendi of California described the war as a “quagmire” and a “political and economic disaster at every level.” Hegseth responded sharply.

“You call it a quagmire, handing propaganda to our enemies? Shame on you for that statement,” Hegseth said.

He also criticized lawmakers opposing the war effort, stating, “The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans.”

Hegseth characterized critics as “feckless” and said those disapproving of the war were creating conflict.

He described the conflict as “an existential fight for the safety of the American people” and said the administration was “proud of this undertaking.”

While requesting approval for increased military spending, Hegseth told lawmakers that some members of Congress represented “the biggest challenge” to the war effort.

As the hearing took place, protesters gathered outside carrying signs accusing Hegseth and Caine of “war crimes.”

Separately, President Trump posted an AI-generated image on social media showing himself holding a weapon amid explosions with the caption “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY.” In the same post, he wrote that Iran “better get smart soon.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump told aides he preferred maintaining a naval blockade over other options, including renewing strikes or ending the war.

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