Free Republic

Evangelical Christians who have become used to the effective leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving prime minister, may have grave concerns about the newly formed coalition government. But I believe there is good reason to hope that this new government might be just what Israel needs. When I was asked by the New York Times about evangelical reaction to the potential ouster of Netanyahu, I replied, “Your average American evangelical would think it’s a tragedy if Netanyahu is out. It will be similar in many of their minds to Trump losing to Biden.” Despite those concerns, however,...

Secretary of State John Kerry is awfully frustrated with House Speaker John Boehner’s decision to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress this Tuesday. Here’s what Kerry had to say about Boehner’s daring invitation Sunday morning on ABC’s "This Week: “It was odd, if not unique, that we learned of it from the speaker of the House and that an administration was not included in this process," he said. "But the administration is not seeking to politicize this.” While insisting the White House has no political desires in regards to the foreign leaders' appearance (Kerry said they don't want it to...

Democrats are playing a dangerous game with Israel by snubbing the prime minister of America's staunchest Middle East ally. Four Democratic senators, as well as almost two-dozen House members, have already announced that they will not attend Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to a joint session of Congress on March 3. By doing so, they may curry favor with the White House, but they risk sending a dangerous message to Israel's enemies -- especially Iran. As recently as November, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that the only "cure" for Israel is to "be annihilated." Is it any wonder that Netanyahu...

The Obama administration is taking measures to undercut Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States. Top officials, including Vice President Biden, are being sent away when the Israeli head of government delivers his address in March. The friction between the Israel and the United States is looking more like a feud between the Soprano and Lupertazzi families (via Associated Press): In what is becoming an increasingly nasty grudge match, the White House is mulling ways to undercut Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming trip to Washington and blunt his message that a potential nuclear deal with Iran is bad...

For those who think the president's animosity toward Israel isn't expressed both personally and through policy, I've taken the liberty of "reprinting" a column from November 2011 as a reminder. Oh, and this notice has been added to give SOME readers, who shall not be named, something else to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. It's a good article. No, no, no: You're welcome. It's my pleasure to add this notice. I know it will make the article MUCH better. Really. Happy Thanksgiving. Well, I’ll say one thing for him: Obama certainly has been transformative when it comes putting the “personal”...

Seeking to create an analogy with the deal the United States negotiated with Iran to supposedly limit further production of its centrifuges, Secretary of State John Kerry chose to recall disarmament agreements between the United States and the Soviet Union. A better analogy would be the 1938 Munich Pact, which gave Hitler part of Czechoslovakia in the vain hope that war could be avoided. It is worth noting that several of the nations that were signatories in Munich, namely Germany, France and Britain, are also part of the current deal with Iran. There is another flaw in Kerry's analysis. Deal...