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A seventh round of nuclear talks with Iran began on Monday, but there is little reason to think anything positive will result from them. For one thing, the US delegation isn’t even in the room, as Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh write at the Wall Street Journal:

Arms-control talks between Iran and the great powers resume Monday with a notable absence. At Tehran’s insistence, the US delegation won’t have a seat at the table—its members must wait in an antechamber to be briefed by the Europeans. The mullahs have always relished humiliating Americans, particularly those eager to prove their benevolent intentions. These negotiations will yield little, no matter how much money Washington releases or how ardently Biden administration officials describe any follow-on talks as important steps toward a diplomatic solution.

Richard Goldberg declares the talks over before they began, because of the Biden administration’s policy of appeasement:

The truth: the negotiations were over before talks began and, without a change in Washington’s strategy, Tehran will soon become a nuclear weapons threshold state.

… Biden’s strategy has turned out to be carrot-filled and stickless. The administration stopped enforcing its most important sanctions, allowing Iran to significantly increase its exports of crude oil to China. Washington would even unfreeze billions of dollars of regime assets to allow Iran to pay off its foreign debts… Biden has also avoided taking any actions that he thinks might provoke Tehran and jeopardize a return to the JCPOA.

… The results? To use a football metaphor, Iran was arguably backed up to its own 1-yard line at the end of 2020 and is now driving deep into America’s red zone after just 10 short months.

And Laura Kelly reports at The Hill:

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday said recent rhetoric and actions by Iran related to its nuclear program risk collapsing international talks in Vienna over reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The secretary also said whether Iran is participating in good faith in the indirect negotiations will be clearer in the “next day or so.”

We know the answer: “No, they are not acting in good faith.” How do we know? Kelly notes one reason:

Iran has engaged in nuclear activity barred by the JCPOA as talks are underway, enriching uranium at one of its facilities in violation of the agreement on top of carrying out, for months, other behavior banned by the deal.

This includes enriching uranium to 60 percent, far beyond the constraints of the deal and close to the 90 percent enriched uranium that powers a nuclear weapon, and blocking international nuclear inspectors from visiting key facilities.

Since Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) came to Congress in 2018, they have made many public statements that are virulently anti-Israel, with almost no pushback from House Democratic leaders. That tolerance for hate speech against Israel – and for the radical leftwing agenda both women espouse – has opened the door for more candidates like them to run for Congress and join the “Squad.”

One is a woman running in the Democratic primary for an open House seat in North Carolina. PJ Media reports:

Radical activist Nida Allam recently announced she will run for the seat of retiring Democrat Rep. David Price in North Carolina’s 6th congressional district. The Canadian-born 27-year-old’s entire political experience amounts to less than a year as a county commissioner. She does, however, have extensive experience in hating Israel.

Read more about Allam here.

Matthew Foldi at the Washington Free Beacon reports on another stridently anti-Israel candidate running for Congress in Michigan, Huwaida Arraf:

An anti-Israel activist who helped organize the 2010 flotilla of ships to the Gaza Strip and was the lawyer for a Palestinian terrorist who killed two Jewish college students is running for Congress as a Democrat in Michigan.

… The incumbent congresswoman whom Arraf is challenging told the Washington Free Beacon that the last thing the country needs is another "Squad" member.

"Huwaida Arraf is a Bernie Sanders-style socialist who does not share the views of Michigan's 10th Congressional District," Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI) told the Free Beacon. "The last thing we need in Congress is another member of the Squad, and that's exactly who she would align with if elected."

Allam is one of many candidates in the Democratic primary for the open seat in North Carolina and Arraf would like to unseat a Republican incumbent, so neither may succeed in winning a seat in Congress. The real question is how the Democratic Party will treat them during the process. Will they be hailed or denounced for their anti-Israel records?

The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) is seeking an Outreach Associate to assist with the accelerated growth of membership and to support programming and events in California. Candidates must be organized, motivated, and detail-oriented. This position is based in Los Angeles, CA.

For details about the position and how to apply, click here.

Tovah Lazaroff reports at the Jerusalem Post:

The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution 129-11 on Wednesday, that disavowed Jewish ties to the Temple Mount and called it solely by its Muslim name of al-Haram al-Sharif.

The text, referred to as the “Jerusalem resolution,” is part of a push by the Palestinian Authority and the Arab states across the UN system to rebrand Judaism’s most holy site as an exclusively Islamic one.

The United States, which opposed the text, said that the omission of inclusive terminology for the site sacred to three faiths was of “real and serious concern.” [Voting “no” were Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Hungary, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, United States. There were 31 abstentions.]

It was one of three texts on Israel, which the UNGA approved. The assembly voted 148-9, with 14 abstentions on a resolution… which demanded that Israel withdraw to the pre-1967 lines and that the international community refuse to "render assistance" to settlement activity. It also called for an international peace conference in Moscow.

Those countries which opposed the text were: Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The third resolution, approved 94-8 with 69 abstentions, called on Israel to withdraw from the Golan. Those that opposed the text were: Australia, Canada, Hungary, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and the United States.

Voting lists for all three texts are here.

Americans blame Biden for economic woes

A November I&I/TIPP Poll asked: “In general, how responsible are politicians in Washington for recent increases in gasoline and food prices?” The answer: 69% of those responding said politicians were responsible, while just 21% said they weren’t. Perhaps the most surprising result comes from looking at the political breakdown. There is little, if any, difference between Democrats (71%), Republicans (73%) and independents/others (68%). Finally, something on which all the major parties can agree.

Tribute to Sheldon Adelson z"l

In case you missed it, the video of the RJC tribute to the late Sheldon Adelson, which was held at the RJC Annual Leadership in Las Vegas last month, is available to view here.

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.

RJC staff have returned to their offices for in-person work. Contact information for our offices can be found on our web site. Please visit us online for the latest RJC news, to see details of upcoming events, and to donate to the RJC. Read past editions of this newsletter here.