Community president Moise Kahloun reported “many problems” in the heavily Jewish Sarcelles district, including “anti-Semitism and fear,” which has made it a different city than it had been in the past 40 years and has caused residents to leave for Israel.
While the Hezbollah leader is wont to issue empty threats against Israel, past experience teaches us that an overnight attack on Lebanon on Saturday attributed to the IDF will not go unanswered.
Tensions are running high in the Gaza Strip and in Judea and Samaria, and the slightest incident could cause things to spiral out of control. If Hamas, despite signals to the contrary, is fanning the flames, it will give Israel little choice but to mount a forceful response.
While criticism is being leveled at the Israeli ambassador to Washington and the US ambassador to Jerusalem over Israel’s entry ban on pro-BDS Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, the envoys are targets because of the trust they have with their nation’s leaders. It is precisely those relationships that make them so effective.
Israel's political system is clearly influenced by the security situation in the region. Every transitional government to attempt to make military moves in recent decades has paid for their actions with the loss of power.
Even some Trump allies concede that the president’s attempt to paint himself as more pro-Israel than Democrats is more likely to resonate with evangelical voters, who polls show are more supportive of Trump’s brand of pro-Israel policies than American Jews are.
Iran has used terrorist groups in the past to strike its regional foes and could mobilize them if the latest tensions with the United States lead to an armed conflict – dramatically expanding the battlefield.
The alliance between US President Trump and the Israeli prime minister has proved very beneficial for Israel, but given the controversy over the Tlaib-Omar affair, there are some who argue it is eroding support for Israel among progressives in the US.
For the first time in a long while, Israel must contend with heightened tensions in Judea and Samaria and Gaza. The recent terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria can be tied to Hamas' efforts to fan the flames but the Palestinian street in Gaza is still largely apathetic, and Israel must choose its responses wisely.
In retaliation for US sanctions on Iran, Hezbollah has increased its presence along the Israeli border so that it can attack the Jewish state at Tehran’s bidding.
