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This Week:

• RJC Statement on the US-Iran MOU: Trust President Trump
• President Donald Trump Gets Bipartisan Support for Abraham Accords Expansion
• How Democratic Socialists of America are Reshaping the Democratic Party from the Inside
• RJC in the News
• Short Takes
• Week's Best Tweets
• Upcoming Events

President Donald Trump Gets Bipartisan Support for Abraham Accords Expansion

Matthew Foldi at the Washington Reporter writes that a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress is introducing the Abraham Accords Expansion Act of 2026.

The legislation calls for the Special Presidential Envoy for the Abraham Accords to expand the Abraham Accords' framework for normalizing relations with Israel into the Central Asia and the South Caucasus regions. That would significantly expand the impact of President Donald Trump's diplomatic win in 2020, which saw Israel normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Morocco. Other countries, including Kazakhstan in Central Asia, have also joined the Accords

Expanding the Abraham Accords to countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan would advance the interests of the US in that part of the world.

Rep. Craig Goldman (R-TX), one of the co-chairs of the House Abraham Accords Caucus, introduced the legislation, along with every co-chair of the bipartisan House Abraham Accords Caucus.

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See the co-sponsors here.

How Democratic Socialists of America are Reshaping the Democratic Party from the Inside

Samantha Jo Roth at the Washington Examiner writes:

The Democratic Socialists of America have spent years building influence inside the Democratic Party, recruiting candidates, building campaign infrastructure, and embedding operatives inside races stretching far beyond the deep-blue urban enclaves where the movement first gained traction.

Now, after a fresh wave of primary victories in 2026 races across the country and Mayor Zohran Mamdani's high-profile rise in New York politics, DSA-aligned candidates and organizers are becoming increasingly difficult for Democrats to ignore.

…The DSA's own election tracker underscores that growth. According to figures published by the organization, "Team DSA" candidates were involved in 133 races this cycle, with 14 wins already secured, 91 candidates still running, and 27 losses recorded so far.

"They're not a fringe group anymore," said Ruy Teixeira, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and longtime Democratic analyst. "Their influence is far more than people would have guessed it would be just several years ago."

RJC in the News

The Washington Free Beacon - No Comment From Airbnb as Chief Legal Officer Ron Klain Defends Graham Platner's Nazi Tattoo

[Ron] Klain climbed into the comments of an Instagram post from the Republican Jewish Coalition on Wednesday calling on Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to withdraw support for [Graham] Platner to call criticism of Platner's Nazi tattoo a "partisan attack."

JTA: Jacob Reses, Vance's Jewish chief of staff, to leave administration

"Jacob Reses has been an invaluable, loyal, and trusted hand to Vice President [JD] Vance and President [Donald] Trump," said Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition. "As a proud Jewish American, whose own family story carries the weight of our people's history, Jacob brought both conviction and clarity to one of the most consequential roles in Washington." Brooks added that the RJC has "no doubt he will continue to play a critical role moving forward."

AP: Trump Iran deal puts friendship with Israel to the test

Republican Jewish Coalition President Matt Brooks described Trump's criticism as little more than the inevitable disagreement among family members.

Brooks dismissed that any muted criticism of Trump's comments from his party represented a political mixed message because Trump has been reliably supportive of Israel as president.

"If Biden or Harris said something critical, it came from the position of someone who was hostile toward or didn't have the same level of support for Israel that President Trump has," Brooks said.

He noted the first Trump administration's role in moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the return of Israeli hostages from Gaza during the president's second term, among other acts.

Biden had criticized Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza, though Trump's criticism of Netanyahu comes with a "tremendous reservoir of goodwill on this issue that neither Biden nor Harris ever had."

570 KVI: RJC torches Democrats for backing ‘SS tattooed’ Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner

Speaking with Talk Radio 570 KVI host Ari Hoffman, Republican Jewish Coalition National Political Director and Communications Director Sam Markstein blasted Democratic leaders for continuing to stand behind [Graham] Platner despite mounting questions surrounding a tattoo resembling the Nazi SS Totenkopf symbol and a growing list of personal scandals.

"He is going to be one of our top targets, the Maine Senate race and defending Susan Collins," Markstein said. "Graham Plattner is SS tattooed, Schumer endorsed, and squad approved."

…Markstein argued that Platner’s candidacy reflects a broader problem inside today’s Democratic Party that "…have allowed this to fester and metastasize and turn into a serious full-blown problem for them," he said.

"As I like to say, the Democrats have a 105-degree fever and Republicans have a bit of a sore throat, but our antibodies have kicked in. The immune system is very strong, and we’re fighting back and fighting back hard."

Markstein pointed to other Democratic candidates who have recently faced scrutiny over anti-Israel activism, extremist associations, or alleged ties to controversial figures, arguing that Platner is part of a larger pattern rather than an isolated case.

Short Takes

Podcast: Israel on Trial

RJC Vice Chairman's Council member Kenin Spivak was a panelist on the "Get Real" podcast at RealClear Politics this week, hosted by RealClear publisher/RealClear Foundation president David DesRosiers.

The show featured Judge Roy Altman to discuss his new book, "Israel on Trial: Examining the History, the Evidence, and the Law."

The panel discussion examined the rise of anti-Semitism in America. In addition to Mr. Spivak, the panel included Federal District Court Judge Roy Altman, Alan Dershowitz, urban affairs expert Joel Klotkin, and Aspen Center for Human Development director Pamela Paresky.

JNS: US settles suit over Biden-era Judea and Samaria sanctions policy, vows no action against plaintiffs

A settlement between the Trump administration and plaintiffs who challenged former US President Joe Biden's executive order authorizing sanctions on certain Israelis and organizations in Judea and Samaria includes a commitment from the US government not to pursue sanctions against the plaintiffs and affirms that Israel and its citizens will be treated as close allies of the United States.

The Lawfare Project announced the settlement on Thursday, nearly two years after it helped fund a lawsuit challenging Executive Order 14115, which Biden signed in February 2024. The order authorized sanctions against individuals accused of undermining peace, security and stability in Judea and Samaria.

The lawsuit, filed in August 2024 by Texans for Israel, the Israel-based nonprofit Regavim and two Israeli residents, argued that the order was being used to target political advocacy and support for Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria rather than acts of violence.

… Eugene Kontorovich, a law professor at George Mason University who advised the plaintiffs' legal team, told JNS that the settlement highlights a significant policy shift from the Biden administration.

"Under any Republican administration, Israelis are never going to be sanctioned simply for advocating against aid to Hamas or advocating against illegal Palestinian construction, as some of our plaintiffs have done," said Kontorovich, who advised the legal team.

JNS: UNRWA fires 70 staffers after US watchdog probe into alleged terror ties, denies link to findings

A Trump administration official told JNS that the UN Relief and Works Agency's decision to dismiss 70 staff members is linked to an ongoing inspector general investigation into alleged ties between agency personnel and terrorist organizations, including involvement in the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

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