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President Donald Trump’s pro-Israel policies achieved historic results that made Israel more secure and strengthened the US-Israel relationship. The Abraham Accords are a key example of this, but this week we mark another: On December 6, 2017, President Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and stated that the American embassy would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The Joe Biden administration seems intent on undoing all the good that President Trump did regarding Israel. This week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was a featured speaker at the annual conference of J Street, a left-wing organization that claims to be “pro-Israel” but advocates for anti-Israel policies.

Adam Kredo reports at the Washington Free Beacon:

Secretary of State Antony Blinken elevated Palestinian claims to Jerusalem during a keynote speech on Sunday before the anti-Israel group J Street, which Blinken described as "a remarkable organization."

While the Biden administration "continues to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital," it is "central to the national visions of both Palestinians and Israelis, and must be a city for all of its people," Blinken said. He also touted the Biden administration’s renewed engagement with the Palestinian government, which includes nearly $1 billion in U.S. taxpayer aid, and accused "Israeli settlers" of perpetrating violence against Palestinians, a line that drew applause from J Street’s crowd.

Blinken’s engagement with J Street—an activist group that has positioned itself as the leading critic of incoming Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu—sparked concerns within the State Department and drew outrage from prominent pro-Israel groups, which accused the secretary of seeking to undermine Netanyahu’s government by elevating J Street’s far-left mission. Amid this criticism, Blinken told J Street attendees that he regularly consults with the group on Israel issues and that its views "inform our thinking" at the State Department.

RJC Board of Directors member Eric Levine writes at JNS that the Biden administration is turning on Israel to satisfy the far-left of the Democratic Party:

Angry that Israel’s free and fair election resulted in a victory for Benjamin Netanyahu rather than the Biden administration’s preferred candidate, Yair Lapid, the administration has adopted a policy towards Israel characterized by petulance, insults and slights. While this policy undermines both the U.S.-Israel relationship and America’s national security interests, it serves to advance President Joe Biden’s ambitions as he prepares to run for reelection in 2024 and stave off a primary challenge from the progressive left.

The toxicity of this approach is demonstrated by three notable examples: The recently announced FBI investigation into the death of Palestinian-American Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh; the keynote address delivered by Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the left-wing lobby J Street’s annual conference; and the Biden administration’s craven attempt to revive the disastrous 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Read the whole thing here.

Aaron Zitner at the Wall Street Journal writes about Jewish support for GOP candidates around the country and quotes RJC National Chairman Norm Coleman:

…[Donald] Trump won 30% of the Jewish vote, compared with President Biden’s 69% in 2020, the VoteCast survey found, and 33% of Jewish voters backed a Republican House candidate this year. Republican candidates drew higher support in some states, such as Florida, where GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis drew 45% of Jewish voters in his successful re-election campaign. In New York, [Lee] Zeldin, who is Jewish, drew 46% of Jewish voters in his unsuccessful campaign for governor.

… Some Jewish groups said that the Republican Party was the more welcoming party for Jewish voters, citing what they view as anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli positions on the political left.

… “The reality is, ‘I stand with Israel’ isn’t an applause line at the Democratic-base rallies, but it is at a Republican rally,” said Norm Coleman, the national chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition and a former Republican senator from Minnesota.

… Mr. Coleman said the Mar-a-Lago dinner would have no impact on Jewish support for the Republican Party, which he said was drawing voters of all backgrounds with its policies aimed at taming inflation and crime and securing the border, as well as for its support for Israel. He said he didn’t know what effect the dinner would have on support for Mr. Trump but called it "an inexcusable act."

The RJC put on a strong ground game in Georgia, getting the vote out for Herschel Walker in the Senate runoff election there. Earlier this week, Dmitriy Shapiro wrote at JNS:

Jewish organizations have also been heavily involved on both sides of the race, with the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) saying that it has deployed its entire “Victory Team” to Georgia to help the Walker campaign.

“RJC volunteers are conducting extensive Jewish grassroots outreach—making phone calls, knocking on doors, sending text messages—with an emphasis on early voting, which began earlier this week,” Sam Markstein, RJC national political director, said in a statement.

“Utilizing the most advanced, cutting-edge data operation in Jewish politics, RJC will be actively turning out Jewish voters for Herschel Walker and defeat Raphael Warnock—a rubber stamp for the disastrous Biden agenda that has resulted in skyrocketing costs of living, an unprecedented rise in crime, and foreign policy that has abandoned Israel and emboldened Iran,” Markstein continued. “Remember: Warnock called Israel a ‘land of violence and bloodshed’ and even praised notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan after Farrakhan called Jews ‘termites.’”

RJC elects new members to the Board of Directors

The Republican Jewish Coalition announced this week that Congressman Lee Zeldin of New York, Joshua Katzen of Massachusetts, Gabriel Groisman of Florida, and Larry Levine of Texas have been elected to the RJC Board of Directors.

A terrible concession to Putin’s Russia

Jim Geraghty writes at National Review about the Biden administration’s deal that exchanged WNBA player Brittney Griner, imprisoned in Russia for 10 months, for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Geraghty notes that the deal is good news for Griner and her family, but bad news for US deterrence and security.

China and the US are locked in a cold war. We must win.

Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Mike Gallagher (R-WI) write at Fox News that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the greatest threat to the US today. The new Republican-led House will set up a Select Committee on China. To win the new Cold War, McCarthy and Gallagher write, "[W]e must respond to Chinese aggression with tough policies to strengthen our economy, rebuild our supply chains, speak out for human rights, stand against military aggression, and end the theft of Americans’ personal information, intellectual property, and jobs.

RJC offices are open! Contact information for our offices can be found on our website. 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.