Jewish Insider

29/08/2025

The newly open Senate race in Iowa could pit a House Republican seen as a conventional conservative against challengers likely to attack her from the right. The race could also be an early bellwether of the GOP’s direction as it moves toward the post-Trump era.

Multiple outlets reported on Friday that Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) will drop her bid for reelection in 2026 and retire from the Senate at the end of her current term. A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Ernst has been a staunch ally of Israel and an Iran hawk in the upper chamber, traveling to the region repeatedly since Oct. 7, 2023, and serving as a co-chair of the Abraham Accords Caucus.

Marc Rod reports:

Rep. Ashley Hinson is seen as a likely front-runner for the GOP nomination to succeed retiring Sen. Joni Ernst

29/08/2025

Speaking to members of the Florida Democratic Party Jewish Caucus over Zoom on Wednesday, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) Debbie Wasserman Schultz accused the Trump administration of not working in good faith to combat antisemitism, discussed recent Democratic National Committee votes on Israel and offered a strong defense of Israel against a growing chorus of critics.

Wasserman Schultz argued that a series of moves by the Trump administration — attempting to place new conditions on Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding, gutting the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and eliminating Justice Department programs focused on hate crimes — show that the administration’s focus on antisemitism isn’t genuine.

“None of that makes us safer, and all of it demonstrates that they don’t really care about taking care of our community. They aren’t concerned about antisemitism, they are concerned about maintaining power,” she said. “Let’s not let our community members believe the rhetoric and the BS.”

Marc Rod reports:

Speaking to the Florida Democratic Party Jewish Caucus, the congresswoman said Israel is ‘only interested in living in peace with their neighbors’

29/08/2025

A town hall organized by Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO) last week in St. Louis turned contentious as a large group of demonstrators turned out to heckle the freshman congressman — fresh off a trip to Israel — over his support for the Jewish state. A scuffle later broke out between security guards and some of the demonstrators.

The situation highlights the ongoing antagonism from local far-left activists against Bell, which could foreshadow a primary challenge to the congressman from former Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), whom Bell unseated, or one of her political allies.

Marc Rod reports: https://ji.news/44ztu

Wesley Bell for Congress

Former Rep. Cori Bush or a political ally could attempt to unseat the first-term congressman

29/08/2025

National security experts are warning that Jewish communities around the world could face increased Iranian threats following the recent accusation by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps orchestrated attacks last year on a synagogue and kosher restaurant in the country.

“We’ve seen Iranian pe*******on in many Westernized countries, with Australia now being the latest. Though to see direct evidence of a linkage to actual violence — not just disinformation campaigns or cyber campaigns — is very frightening,” Rich Goldberg, a senior advisor at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Jewish Insider.

Haley Cohen reports:

After Australia revealed the IRGC was behind two attacks on a synagogue and kosher restaurant, observers call for ‘increased awareness’ in the U.S.

29/08/2025

France plans to remove a call for the “right of return” for millions of Palestinian refugees to Israel from its declaration, made alongside 60 other countries, for a Palestinian state, Ofer Bronchtein, an advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, told Jewish Insider on Wednesday.

France and Saudi Arabia spearheaded a conference at the U.N. last month to call for a two-state solution, resulting in a declaration calling for Palestinian statehood that was signed by the entire European Union, Arab League and other countries, which is expected to be the text of a U.N. General Assembly resolution next month.

Lahav Harkov reports:

Macron advisor to JI: ‘We are not planning to force the return of Palestinian refugees’

29/08/2025

The Boulder chapter of “Run for Their Lives,” an organization that arranges weekly marches to advocate for the hostages held in Gaza, will no longer publicly advertise its walking route, the group announced on Wednesday.

The decision comes “following weeks of escalating harassment and threats,” including from a candidate for city council, the group said, less than three months after a Molotov cocktail attack on the group left a participant dead and injured 15 others.

The weekly walks will take place “under heavy security at undisclosed locations,” going forward, the organization said.

Haley Cohen reports:

The Boulder chapter of ‘Run for Their Lives’ will no longer publicly disclose the location of its activities after participants have faced escalating harassment

29/08/2025

Lindsey Graham on Wednesday floated the possibility of punitive tariffs and visa restrictions in response to Norges Bank Investment Management’s — the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund — decision to sell its stake in the American machinery company Caterpillar in response to the Israeli military’s use of its products.

“To those who run Norway’s sovereign wealth fund: if you cannot do business with Caterpillar because Israel uses their products, maybe it’s time you’re made aware that doing business or visiting America is a privilege, not a right,” Graham said on X.

His comments came after the country’s sovereign wealth fund divested from Caterpillar over Israel’s use of its machines

29/08/2025

Grok’s antisemitic rants the result of ‘unintended update,’ company says in letter to lawmakers
The company’s head of legal affairs called the antisemitic rants Grok spewed the result of ‘a bug, plain and simple’

xAI, the parent company of the social media platform X and creator of the Grok artificial intelligence chatbot, said in a letter to lawmakers earlier this month that the antisemitic and violent rants posted by the chatbot last month were the results of an “unintended update” to Grok’s code.

The company’s letter, obtained by Jewish Insider, came in response to a letter led by Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Don Bacon (R-NE) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) in July that raised concerns about the screeds posted by Grok, saying they were “just the latest chapter in X’s long and troubling record of enabling antisemitism and incitement to spread.”

Marc Rod reports:

The company’s head of legal affairs called the antisemitic rants Grok spewed the result of ‘a bug, plain and simple’

28/08/2025

Ernst, Shaheen, Wilson criticize Israel’s Syria strikes as ‘destabilizing’

‘The Syrians are prepared to move forward with Israel to advance peace. It is unclear how long the door to this opportunity will remain open. We call on Israel to seize the moment,’ the lawmakers continued

Marc Rod reports:

‘The Syrians are prepared to move forward with Israel to advance peace. It is unclear how long the door to this opportunity will remain open. We call on Israel to seize the moment,’ the lawmakers continued

28/08/2025

European nations trigger ‘snapback’ sanctions on Iran
The sanctions will be reinstated in 30 days; Iran could come to an agreement with the West before then

France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered the snapback sanctions mechanism on Thursday, to reinstate all United Nations Security Council sanctions on Iran that had been lifted since the implementation of the 2015 nuclear deal.

The European parties to the Iran deal, known as the E3, notified the UNSC that they were triggering snapback sanctions due to Iran’s continued noncompliance with its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to which they are still parties despite the U.S. withdrawal in 2018.

If the UNSC does not adopt a resolution stopping the process — which is unlikely unless Iran reaches an agreement with the West, because it would be subject to vetoes from the states triggering the sanctions and the U.S. — all of the sanctions sunsetted in the framework of the 2015 deal will be restored in 30 days.

Lahav Harkov reports: https://ji.news/44x9h

28/08/2025

Sergio Gor’s White House departure could end ideological grip on hires

Sergio Gor’s expected departure from a key role in the White House, where he has vetted thousands of candidates for political jobs as the influential leader of the Presidential Personnel Office, is raising some questions about how his litmus tests and isolationist views will compare to his newly announced replacement, particularly with regard to national security hires.

Gor, 38, was nominated by President Donald Trump last week to be U.S. ambassador to India. If confirmed by the Senate, Gor, who was also tapped as special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs, will leave behind a powerful post at which he built a reputation as an ideological gatekeeper.

Matthew Kassel reports:

Gor’s isolationist litmus test made it more challenging for mainstream conservatives to serve in the Trump administration

28/08/2025

Humanitarian aid to Gaza must only go to civilians, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and World Food Program Executive Director Cindy McCain said in a joint statement following their meeting on Thursday.

“It was agreed that every effort must be made to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches the most vulnerable people where they are, and that humanitarian aid is provided exclusively to civilians,” they stated.

Lahav Harkov reports:

The World Food Program executive director posted a video from Gaza where she said the enclave is ‘at a breaking point’