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Thomas Joscelyn and Bill Roggio at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' "Long War Journal" have put together short bios for 22 of the leaders of the new Afghanistan government. Unsurprisingly, they are known terrorists:

The Taliban has announced the formation of an "interim government" to rule over Afghanistan. The Taliban’s regime will be known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

… Many of the Taliban leaders discussed below have either current or historical ties to al Qaeda. Indeed, some of them worked closely with al Qaeda throughout their careers. Some of them are US-designated terrorists.

Five of the newly-appointed Taliban leaders were once held at the detention facility in Guantánamo, but were exchanged for Bowe Bergdahl in 2014.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken commented on the new Afghan government yesterday in remarks at the Ramstein Airbase in Germany. He said:

Yesterday the Taliban named a new interim government. We’re assessing the announcement, but despite professing that a new government would be inclusive, the announced list of names consists exclusively of individuals who are members of the Taliban or their close associates, and no women. We’re also concerned by the affiliations and track records of some of those individuals. We understand the Taliban has presented this as a caretaker cabinet. We will judge it, and them, by its actions. The international community has made clear its expectation that the Afghan people deserve an inclusive government.

While we agree that the lack of representation for women and minorities is a problem, isn't the fact that terrorists are running Afghanistan now the biggest worry?

Barak Ravid, writing for Axios from Tel Aviv, reports:

President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett during their White House meeting that he will not abandon his plan to reopen the US consulate in Jerusalem, setting up a major point of contention between the administrations.

Ravid notes that reopening the consulate would be “an infringement on Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem” and something that the Israeli government would have to approve. That makes it a political landmine for the Bennett-Lapid coalition government, one that could topple the government and bring Benjamin Netanyahu back on stage, according to Ravid’s sources.

The Washington Times has a follow up report on President Joe Biden’s claim he had visited the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh after the horrific attack there that killed 11 people. The synagogue confirmed that he had not visited the synagogue, then or since.

The White House now says that the President was referring to a phone call with the rabbi of the synagogue.

The President came under fire for implying that he visited the synagogue after the attack. The Washington Times notes:

“The ultimate irony: the person who actually did visit in 2018 with members of the Jewish community? His predecessor,” the Republican Jewish Coalition said on Twitter.

This Saturday we will mark the 20^th anniversary of 9/11. An entire generation has been born and grown to young adulthood since the day 3,000 of our fellow Americans were murdered by terrorists on US soil. We must remember the lives lost, the incredible bravery of our first responders, and how we came together as a nation in the face of that attack.

But now, twenty years later, we must also pass those memories and the lessons we learned to the next generation and the generations after. To help us to remember and to teach, here are photos from September 2001 as well as a fine essay by Rabbi Benjamin Blech on the lessons of the day.

Afghanistan’s last Jew is bound for New York

Zebulon Simentov, widely considered “Afghanistan’s last Jew,” has been rescued from Kabul and taken to an unnamed neighboring country following the Taliban’s takeover of the country last month, an American-Israeli businessman who spearheaded the evacuation confirmed to Jewish Insider on Wednesday.

Forging the American-Israeli alliance of the future

Dr. Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies writes: "Shared Western values have been the cornerstone of the US-Israel relationship for more than 70 years. But that relationship now needs a greater sense of common purpose… The United States and Israel must clearly identify the interests and ideas that will sustain their alliance in the future. With foreign policy challenges mounting, the sooner the better."

Palestinians: Why Biden's aid will not bring peace

Khaled Abu Toameh writes that while the Biden administration moves to increase aid to the Palestinian Authority and strengthen Mahmoud Abbas' regime, Palestinians in the West Bank are “clearly unimpressed” by the Biden administration's money or Abbas’ leadership, according to a recent public opinion poll there. A majority of Palestinians in the West Bank prefer Hamas over Abbas and want to see Israel destroyed. In fact, Abu Toameh writes: “[T]he Biden administration is deluding itself by assuming that US funds could change the hearts and minds of the Palestinians.”

Watch Now: Replay of Past Virtual Events

You can see recordings of many past RJC virtual events. Go to the RJC homepage and scroll down to the "RJC Live" section. There's a drop-down menu there to select the video you want to see.

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