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This Week:

• Israel, Lebanon Agree: Our Enemy is Hezbollah
• From Aid to Partnership – Changing the US-Israel Dynamic
• Fetterman, McCormick Say Democrats Have Worse Antisemitism Problem Than GOP
• RJC Celebrates America’s 250th Anniversary
• RJC Celebrates Massie Defeat at Gala Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary
• RJC in the News
• Short Takes
• Week's Best Tweets
• Upcoming Events

Israel, Lebanon Agree: Our Enemy is Hezbollah

JNS reports:

After a marathon negotiating session of over eight and a half hours at the US State Department, Israel and Lebanon announced an agreement to "swiftly advance the creation" of so-called pilot zones to gradually drive out the Hezbollah terror organization from south of the strategic Litani River in southern Lebanon, and immediately replace control of those positions with Lebanese Armed Forces troops.

… "I think we achieved something today which is relatively unprecedented," Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, told the press. "We brought the people of Lebanon to the understanding that we're not the enemy. Hezbollah is, and now we're going to work together to rid the country of this Iranian proxy on Israel's border, which deprives Israel of its security and the Lebanese people of their freedom."

From Aid to Partnership – Changing the US-Israel Dynamic

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a reporter this week that he wants to start the process of winding down US aid to Israel. The current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that includes $38 billion in direct military aid to Israel runs through FY 2028; a new one will begin that reduction of aid. Netanyahu said:

"The other thing I want to do is move away, in America, from aid to partnership. We're now working on a memorandum of understanding, which will bring down the aid," Netanyahu said… "I want it to keep going down, coming to zero, because I think we've come of age."

…"Israel has a robust economy, and I want us to go from aid to a partnership where we both invest equal amounts and both share equally in the fruits of our innovators and technologies," he continued. "I think that's very, very important. It will also take away the myth that Israel is depleting America's coffers."

JNS reports:

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) has introduced a House resolution calling for a reorientation of the US-Israel defense relationship "away from traditional foreign assistance and toward a new era of mutual cooperation, joint investment and shared technological development."

The measure would replace conventional US military assistance with a framework under which Israel would use its own funds to purchase US-made defense systems, emphasizing what Stutzman called a "trade over aid" approach.

… In a June 1 letter supporting the resolution, Netanyahu wrote that the proposal aligns with his vision to shift US-Israel defense ties "from aid to partnership."

Fetterman, McCormick Say Democrats Have Worse Antisemitism Problem Than GOP

Emily Jacobs and Marc Rod at Jewish Insider report on comments from the two Pennsylvania Senators:

Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Dave McCormick (R-PA) said on Tuesday that they believe antisemitism is worse on the left than on the right, arguing that the electoral success of far-left candidates with antisemitic records in Democratic primaries distinguished the left from the right, as similarly controversial candidates have struggled in GOP primary contests.

…Last month, Republican voters in Kentucky's 4th District ousted Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), one of the few anti-Israel Republicans in Congress, largely because President Donald Trump endorsed his primary opponent, Ed Gallrein. The outcome was cheered by the Republican Jewish Coalition as an example of party leaders showing no tolerance for antisemitism within the party.

…"My party has a more significant problem with Israel and standing up for it, although there are fringe elements in his party as well," Fetterman said.

… "I don't think we can have equality there," the Pennsylvania Republican continued. "We don't have many people in the Republican Party who are running for office with Nazi tattoos on their chests…"

Matt Kassel, also at the Jewish Insider, writes that some prospective Democratic Party presidential candidates appear to be counting on their anti-Israel records to raise their profiles in the party:

Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), as well as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), all of whom are seen as potential presidential prospects, have been among the party's most prominent critics of Israel on Capitol Hill amid a marked decline in Democratic support for the Jewish state.

…With intraparty conflict over Israel poised to inflect the 2028 presidential race, it would not be surprising if Khanna, Murphy or Van Hollen seized the national spotlight while championing Middle East policy positions that had once been considered off-limits for a viable campaign.

RJC Celebrates America’s 250th Anniversary

On Sunday night, the RJC celebrated America's 250^th birthday with a sold-out gala dinner in New York City. Our distinguished speakers included Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), Nassau County Executive and New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, former Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl, Newsmax Media CEO Chris Ruddy, and TV personality Emily Austin. The capstone of the evening was a conversation featuring US Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz and Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon, moderated by RJC National Chairman Senator Norm Coleman.

See details and photos from the event here. See videos of all the speakers here.

RJC Celebrates Massie Defeat at Gala Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary

Jewish Insider reports:

Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks celebrated his group's role in ousting Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) in his primary election earlier this month at the organization's sold-out "America 250" themed gala Sunday night, held at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan.

Stating that RJC spent more than $5 million to unseat Massie, Brooks told attendees to loud applause, "Let me say clearly tonight, it was a fight worth having and a victory worth celebrating."

"When someone repeatedly undermines support for Israel, trafficks in isolationism at a moment of global danger and refuses to stand with the Jewish community when it matters most, there has to be consequences," Brooks said.

"Being anti-Israel in today's Republican Party is not — unlike the Democratic Party — a path to success," said Brooks, who called defeating Massie a "critical victory" for the direction of the GOP and conservative movement. "It was a message that needed to be sent and a message that has been received," he added.

RJC in the News

JNS: Support grows for Caroline Glick as NY consul post considered

Caroline Glick has received a flood of support since reports surfaced that the veteran journalist and current international affairs adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being considered as Israel's next consul general in New York.

… Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, told JNS that Glick "is exactly the right choice to serve as Israel's consul general in New York. For decades, she has been one of the most clear-eyed and effective voices strengthening the bond between the United States and Israel."

Brooks emphasized that Glick "understands the dynamics of both countries and has never been afraid to speak the truth about the threats facing the Jewish people. At a moment when American Jews are confronting a historic surge in antisemitism and when Israel continues to fight for its very survival, Caroline Glick's conviction and clarity is precisely what this role requires."

JNS: Schumer backs Platner despite scrutiny over Nazi tattoo, online comments

During a press conference in Washington on Tuesday, reporters repeatedly asked [Sen. Chuck] Schumer about his support for [Graham] Platner.

...On the final question, Schumer added: "I endorsed Graham Platner. We're going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate," before leaving the podium.

…The Republican Jewish Coalition called the Democratic Party "spineless and shameful."

"A literal Nazi tattoo that glorifies the SS is not enough for the self-proclaimed 'Shomer' Chuck Schumer to rescind his endorsement of Graham Platner," the RJC stated.

Short Takes

Hamawy's terror ties could pose national security risk in House

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This week Democrats in New Jersey's 12^th Congressional District nominated Adam Hamawy to be their candidate for the US House. The district is rated D+12, meaning that in the last two presidential elections, the district's results were 13 points more Democratic than the national average. That makes it likely that NJ-12 will elect Hamawy in the general election in November.

Those voters were apparently not deterred by Hamawy's past affiliation with Islamist extremists, including Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the "Blind Sheikh", who was convicted of inspiring the 1993 bomb attack on the World Trade Center and conspiring to carry out other terrorist attacks in the US.

Hamawy also volunteered at the European Hospital in Gaza during Israel's war with Hamas, denying when he returned that there was any terrorist activity at the hospital or any tunnels underneath it. That claim has been proven false.

Now some lawmakers are warning that Hamawy could pose a national security risk if he becomes a congressman. They are urging that he be barred from serving on sensitive committees working on national security issues.

Justice Department Leader on Fighting Antisemitism Leo Terrell Takes His Work to a Higher Level and a National Tour

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Leo Terrell, who has been senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights and chair of the Department of Justice's antisemitism task force, announced that he is moving up to serve in the Office of the Associate Attorney General, where he will continue fighting antisemitism while working directly with Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward and Attorney General Todd Blanche.

In May the Justice Department announced that Terrell will oversee the creation of the DOJ's Antisemitism Advisory Committee, made up of "citizen leaders," and will embark on a 15-city nationwide tour to connect with local faith leaders and law enforcement officials about combating antisemitism.

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