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In a new human rights report released on Wednesday, the US for the first time calls the Arab residents of the capital "non-Israeli residents who live in Jerusalem."

The annual State Department report evaluates the state of human rights across the world. It has a chapter dealing with the situation in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem. In recent years its terminology has changed regarding those areas.

Two years ago, the report decided to omit the term "occupied" in reference to Judea and Samaria, and last year the report included strong rebukes of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas over their violation of human rights rather than just over Israel's record.

The administration's latest decision is in keeping with its principled stance of sticking to the truth and facts on the ground. The administration told Israel Hayom that the new definition of Arab residents in east Jerusalem reflects the reality in the capital,: On the one hand the Arab residents are not Israeli citizens but on the other hand, there is no Palestinian state either, and hence they cannot be considered Palestinian citizens.

In one paragraph dealing with the shortage of classrooms in the city, the report refers to Arab citizens in east Jerusalem without using the word "Palestinian" to describe their lack of Israeli citizenship: "Based on population data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, the NGO Ir Amim estimated in previous years a shortage of 2,500 classrooms for non-Israeli children resident in East Jerusalem and 18,600 non-Israeli children in Jerusalem were not enrolled in any school."

A senior administration official told Israel Hayom that "the goal of this report is to maximize accuracy. Being accurate and factual has been the hallmark of this administration's foreign policy."

The official added: "This report brings the region closer to peace because as it has been said repeatedly, peace can only be built on a foundation of truth, anything else will crumble and fail."

The administration further said that it was surprised by the strong disavowal by Israeli Arabs in northern Israel of the president's peace plan and its call for land swaps that would have some Israeli Arabs live in a new Palestinian state. One administration official said that for dozens of years, Arabs in Israel have called themselves Palestinians and therefore the US can't understand why they are so vehemently against becoming citizens of the Palestinian state. "This is a mystery," an official said.

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Phil Darivoff, chair of the museum's board, told The Philadelphia Inquirer the museum has been carrying millions of dollars in debt since it opened its 100,000-square-foot location at Independence Mall in 2010. The 150-million dollar terra cotta and glass facility replaced a small brick building about a block away.

The museum owes a little over 30 million dollars to bondholders and about 500,000 dollars to unsecured creditors, according to court documents.

"It is a weight on our shoulders that we have to get rid of," Darivoff said.

Museum officials said the bankruptcy proceedings won't affect museum operations or staffing.

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Hauser served as the cabinet secretary under Netanyahu after he returned to power in 2009, but their relationship goes back to the 1990s, when he worked as his spokesperson and close adviser.  They know each other like the palms of their hands.

Perhaps that is why even today, as a senior Blue and White lawmaker, despite being member of an alliance whose only goal is to unseat Netanyahu, Hauser refuses to go all out against the prime minister.

Yes, of course, he wants him to go and has heavily criticized him, but Hauser has always taken the high road, unlike so many other politicians in Israel.

Q: So what do you feel toward Netanyahu today?

"Netanyahu's policies are destroying Israeli society. In this era, we do not need more divisions and infighting. It is unforgivable, but this is what may be at the opening paragraph of his Wikipedia entry. Netanyahu's worldview is all about preserving political power, and sowing divisions. Over the long run, this could cast a shadow over his accomplishments as prime minister.

Q: I never really understood this position. You – Blue and White – are the ones who have been boycotting a PM-designate, Netanyahu, even though half of the electorate supports him. You have maligned the nationalist-haredi sector in a recent ad, and you keep calling people extremists. Blue and White MK Yair Lapid has made a career out of hatred and more hatred. So why is Netanyahu the only one who should be accused of sowing hatred?

"Netanyahu is leading Israel toward a Lebanonization of society, toward a rift like the one between Sunnis vs. Shiites. Rather than create a big tent for national unity and reconciliation, he is pursuing a policy of division by pitting us against one another. This is a destructive approach.

"Netanyahu has led a strategy that wants to erode the trust in the state institutions that have been built over the past seventy years through sweat and toil. We were a people without sovereignty that had realized a dream of many generations, and we managed to create a responsible sovereign entity with an exemplary society and matching institutions. However, he has deliberately undermined our national security systems, our academia, our cultural institutions, as well as our legal and media institutions, and brought about a situation that has threatened the resilience of Israeli society. He has done that while ignoring the challenges that lay ahead. He needed to prepare us for the 200,000 missiles that are aimed at northern Israel, for the Iranian threat, and the challenges from the Gaza Strip. He needed to show unity, but instead, he has shirked his duty. This is almost a crime against history."

Hauser says the peace plan US President Donald Trump put out several weeks ago can serve as a basis for national reconciliation.

He also insists that Blue and White's boycott of Netanyahu is "not personal." Rather, it is "a principled stand in line with the precedent Netanyahu himself applied to his predecessor Ehud Olmert when he was facing major corruption allegations."

Olmert was deemed unfit to serve [by Netanyahu] back in the day, because of his criminal behavior. "So perhaps Netanyahu should ask for his forgiveness now," Hauser quips.

"You can't have an exemplary society if you apply a double standard," Hauser explains. "If we let that happen, this will be a low point that will make Israel more like other countries in the region, in the bad sense of the word. This behavior is very similar to what you see in Arab states, but this is not what should happen in the Jewish state. You cannot turn a blind eye just because Netanyahu is the alleged offender."

Q: So what you are saying is that there is a conflict between your desire for national reconciliation and your attempt to make Israeli society exemplary, and you prefer the latter. But you can't have it both ways.

"This is the essence of the tragedy of Israeli politics. The criminal proceedings of a certain individual – Netanyahu – have become the be-all and end-all of Israeli politics. I am very sorry to see Netanyahu muddling the distinction between his personal future and the nation's future. He would have not dared doing this a decade ago. He has subordinated everything to his personal battle to get himself acquitted.

"Netanyahu has done a lot of good things, and he has been prime minister 14 years out of the 72 years of independence. I am not saying this just because I have to. But a person who is on trial for alleged criminal conduct cannot be at the nation's helm, just like you would not put a person who had just been indicted in charge of a school or a hospital."

Q: But even without the criminal charges, you will not sit with him in a government.

"True, but the criminal charges were the correct reason to boycott Olmert and they should also be the reason to do so with Netanyahu and anyone else. I am not saying he does not have the presumption of innocence, but only the courts can determine that for sure. If he is acquitted, he will have the full legitimacy to return to power."

Several months ago, Hauser provided helpful input to the Trump administration by making the case for demilitarizing the Gaza Strip. When he met with the peace team at the White House, he repeated what he has been saying in recent years: "Gaza is the only place on this planet where all the military capabilities are directed against citizens. It is a case study of what can happen in the north."

Hauser considers demilitarization as a matter of principle, and an over-arching theme that would be the main focus of the national security strategy for the next 25 years, not just in the Gaza Strip.

He believes it is important for the free world to make demilitarization a key component of the plan. From what was ultimately rolled out in the East Room, it is clear the Trump administration was convinced as well. Now Hauser wants to leverage the Vision for Peace into a national reconciliation plan, and that is why he agreed to this interview.

"The future of Judea and Samaria has fragmented our nation for generations. Trump's plan created a national consensus. The gaps between Blue and White and Likud are very small, smaller than what they were between Labor and Likud during the unity government of the 1980s. And now, for the first time in history, a US administration says the underlying premise of a deal does not have to involve the uprooting of civilians from their homes. The fact that our political establishment has accepted this is a great big step forward in this journey toward national reconciliation, which is critical, as far as I am concerned."

Q: Gantz said he will apply Israeli sovereignty together with the international community and that he has misgivings about the Trump plan. So will Blue and White accept the plan?

"The answer is yes."

Q: As detailed in the plan? 

"That is the intention, if the conditions are ripe. Listen, Netanyahu also tried to apply it immediately after it was rolled out but that didn't happen."

Q: So you don't believe Netanyahu will actually extend Israeli sovereignty.

"He has had 11 years, including three under Trump, to do so. These three years could have been used for more settlement activity, but they were squandered. Not only were no sovereignty moves taken, even strategic areas saw no settlement activity. For example, several miles from where we are right now, in the Har Homa neighborhood in Jerusalem, construction has been frozen [several days after the interview, Netanyahu announced new housing tenders]. For Netanyahu, everything revolves around his struggle in the courts, nothing is about the country's future.

"By the way, the Trump plan taught us that facts on the ground ultimately determine borders; political plans have to eventually take them into account. Netanyahu failed to enhance key Israeli interests by not building in Har Homa, and he failed to bolster the settlement blocs, which enjoy consensus. The bipartisan support for the Trump plan proves that Blue and White and Likud don't really have disagreements regarding Israel's foreign affairs. That's why I believe that a unity government is within reach. The gaps are only rhetorical."

Q: Does that mean that Blue and White will not uproot any settlement?

"Blue and White accepts the plan and its principle that Israel would not have to uproot settlements. On top of that, our platform is based on several key points: a united Jerusalem that is under Israeli sovereignty; the Jordan Valley remains our eastern border; developing the settlement blocs, and no moratorium on construction; no to another unilateral pullout like the 2005 Disengagement Plan, and above all, holding a referendum on any peace plan we pursue."

Q: On the one hand you are proposing a unity government based on the Trump plan, but on the other hand you have ruled out sitting with Netanyahu. So how do you square that circle? It looks impossible.  

"You are wrong. The political situation after the third election will be different because Netanyahu no longer has the option of getting immunity from prosecution. That is why the Likud's flexibility will be bigger."

Q: What does immunity have to do with this? His allies in the Knesset said they will not throw him under the bus.

"There are countless of statements by Netanyahu and others in Likud in which they explained that seeking immunity was necessary so that he can run the country. You can't run a country like Israel when you are holding a cabinet meeting on Sunday and then the next day you have to appear in court."

Q: But the law allows a prime minister to stay on the job until his trial and sentencing are over. 

"As someone who served as cabinet secretary, I know what the prime minister's work schedule looks like. I can tell you that you cannot run a country from the defendant's bench."

Q: So how are these elections going to end differently?

"In the March elections, Netanyahu and his allies got 60 seats. In the September election, he got 55 seats with his allies, and 300,000 Likud voters did not turn out. In these elections, there are going to be many more Likud supporters who are not going vote. The results will be much more definitive and therefore the entire discussion on the blocs and the unity government will be completely different."

Q: Will Blue and White form a minority government that will be propped up by the Arab parties?

"The government of Israel must cater to all citizens, Arab and Jews alike; those who voted for it and those who did not. The Joint Arab List has support from some of the Israeli Arabs, but it does not accept the central rationale of the state of Israel: creating a Jewish democracy. Therefore, it is not a political partner, not in the government and not from the outside."

Q: Is Benny Gantz qualified to serve as Prime Minister? Considering his flustered appearance in TV interviews, it looks like he will not be able to withstand the pressure.

"Criticizing him on how he talks is a cheap shot. Just look at the mistakes Netanyahu has made over the past several years. Gantz's actions pale in comparison. Suggesting that the way he speaks disqualifies him is not only ridiculous, it is also unfair and ignores what is unfolding on Netanyahu's side.

"I served as cabinet secretary when Gantz was the Israel Defense Forces chief, during a difficult time, and I saw him up close as an observer in the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet meetings. He is much more qualified than what Netanyahu was when he first assumed office. Of course, Netanyahu has had the experience of being prime minister for 14 years, but I could not disagree more with the claim that Gantz is unfit to serve. Doing a good interview does not tell you whether someone has what it takes to be prime minister. Yitzhak Shamir, who was one of the most important premiers we have ever had, would have also flustered in an interview with Dana Weiss."

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"The Americans decorate a facade to deceive others and to scare some. But, just as the magnificence of the 'Titanic' didn't prevent her from sinking, the glory of the US won't prevent it from sinking. And it will sink," said Khamanei.

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The Iranian leader also appeared to echo the campaign rhetoric of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, stating: "The truth is that with a 20-trillion-dollar debt, the US has one of the largest debts in the world today, and the gap between social classes is wider than ever."

"The current US President claims he has improved the economic situation there. Others say yes, it has become better, but only for the billionaires, not for the people of the US."

Though he did not name Sanders, the Vermont senator has stated on the record that the wealth of the five richest people in the United States has risen by more than 100 billion dollars since President Donald Trump was elected.

Khamenei also referred to former President Jimmy Carter's 2015 remarks regarding Supreme Court decisions on campaign financing.

"A former US President says the US is an oligarchy with unrestrained political bribery," Khamenei said. "Evidence of poverty is abundant in the US. People die in the cold or the heat, and there are many homeless people on the streets."

Khamenei also claimed that the wealth gap between blacks and whites in the United States has tripled over the past 50 years.

The Iranian leader called the US government "the epitome of rebellion, arrogance and tyranny."

Meanwhile, Iranian parliamentary elections will be held on Friday. The 7,148 candidates vetted by the regime will be running for 290 seats, but many plan not to vote, which could lead to a low turnout.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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In a statement, the military said the guided-missile cruiser Normandy boarded a dhow, a traditional sailing vessel, in the Arabian Sea on Sunday.

"The weapons seized include 150 'Dehlavieh' antitank guided missiles (ATGM), which are Iranian-manufactured copies of Russian Kornet ATGMs," the statement said.

"Other weapons components seized aboard the dhow were of Iranian design and manufacture and included three Iranian surface-to-air missiles," it said.

The military said that the weapons seized on Sunday were "identical" to those seized by another US warship in November.

Last year, the guided-missile destroyer Forrest Sherman seized advanced missile parts believed to be linked to Iran from a boat it had stopped in the Arabian Sea.

In recent years, US warships have intercepted and seized Iranian arms likely bound for Houthi fighters in Yemen.

Under a United Nations resolution, Tehran is prohibited from supplying, selling or transferring weapons outside the country unless approved by the Security Council. A separate UN resolution on Yemen bans the supply of weapons to Houthi leaders.

The Houthis have built their arsenal using local manufacturing, foreign expertise and parts smuggled in from Iran, their ally, and elsewhere. The

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Prior to that, he served as a congressman for the district between 2013 and 2015.

Schneider, 58, was the managing principal of a life-insurance firm for six years until becoming the director of the strategic-services group at Blackman Kallick, followed by starting his own consulting firm in 2008.

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Schneider, who is Jewish, and his wife, Julie, have two children.

Q: As a Jewish member of Congress, do you mind giving our readers a quick overview of what it was like growing up?

A: I had a blessed childhood. I grew up in a loving family. My family is from Denver. Two of my grandparents grew up in Denver in a tight-knit Jewish community. My paternal grandfather was one of the founders of the Orthodox-Conservadox synagogues in Denver. My family was one of the first families to join a Reform synagogue.

Part of why I am comfortable in any community – Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative, Orthodox or otherwise – is because that's the family I have. Big family on my mom's side. She's one of six kids. My generation has 18 cousins, all very close.

Q: How do your Jewish values influence what you do in Congress?

A: I see everything through the lens of my Jewish upbringing, my Jewish values. I grew up in a home that took our Judaism seriously. I had my bar mitzvah, confirmation, lived in Israel for a year after college. Seeing the world from the perspective of tikkun olam, we have a responsibility to repair the world. In my office at home, I have a papercut of Hillel's famous quote: "If I'm not for myself, who will be? If I'm not for myself, what am I? If not now, when?"

The appreciation for the US-Israel relationship. I don't remember the Six-Day War in June of 1967; I was just 5 years old. But I remember the aftermath, conversations in my home with a book called The Six-Day War. It was a critical turning point for our community. I vividly remember the Yom Kippur War and being in the backseat of the car, leaving Yom Kippur services and the hush in the car as we listened to the radio and understanding the gravity.

You jump ahead to the First Lebanon War, and I was in college. I lived in Israel in 1983-84.

Q: What did you do during your year in Israel?

A: I was on a post-college program. I studied Hebrew and worked in a kibbutz wiring factory as an industrial engineer.

Q: What are the biggest issues facing the Jewish community in your constituency?

A: I don't know that there's one or even a shortlist. From all my years working in the community – whether it was the Federation, American Jewish Committee, other organizations – the importance of Jewish continuity, from generation to generation, is crucial.

At the same time, for the American Jewish community, in particular, we're part of the fabric of American life. Obviously, sitting here and talking to you in my office in the United States House of Representatives is a reflection of that. But it's our involvement in not just leadership roles, civic life in the broader community, but understanding that we have a place we're going to stay, building bridges with other groups. I spent four years as the chairman of the Alliance of Latinos & Jews in Chicago.

I think [what's] paramount in people's concerns at home and globally is the rise in anti-Semitism. I'm part of the Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism. I had my bill this summer on fighting BDS. The tensions for Israel and prospects of peace for Israel's security are a paramount concern to my community.

Q: What is your view on Iranian aggression and threats towards Israel? Do you agree with the Trump administration's approach in terms of the May 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the imposition of harsh economic sanctions?

A: There are three existential threats in the context of the US-Israel relationship and the global Jewish community.

The first threat is Iran in all of its forms. Iran can never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. That's why, when I first got to Congress, I said that it is imperative that we not just block Iran's path to a nuclear weapon, but we permanently close any and all paths they might have.

But it's beyond that. It's their ballistic-missile program, their involvement in supporting terrorist groups in the region, their interference in the region right now. They are entrenched not just in Lebanon with Hezbollah, but they're establishing permanent bases in Syria, creating traffic lanes for weapons to Syria and Lebanon through Iraq, and obviously, Yemen.

The second thing I talk about is that support for Israel has to be bipartisan.

The third is the connection between Israel and the Jewish community in the Diaspora.

We need to put pressure on Iran in conjunction with our allies. We need the support of the Europeans, in particular, the three European countries that were part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) –Germany, France and the United Kingdom – but also Russia and China.

We need to continue to put maximum pressure on Iran. I did not agree with the president's decision to pull out of the JCPOA at the moment in the way he did. It was the best tool we had to continue to put that pressure on Iran. We should have been strengthening our alliances, strengthening our toolbox to push back on Iran. If you look at where Iran is today, they've established a greater presence in the region and they are closer to a nuclear weapon than they were two years ago.

Q: You mention "maximum pressure." The Trump administration says it is instituting such a campaign. Do you agree with it?

A: I agree with parts of it. We have to put maximum pressure on Iran, but I think the administration can do a better job working with our allies to keep that pressure globally. And we have to have a long-term strategy not just on Iran. Some of the issues I see is a lack of strategy from this administration, but I believe the strategy has to be to block Iran's path to a nuclear weapon, block them further away from that nuclear weapon, and then to work with our allies to build our tools and resources, in our own case, to permanently close Iran's path to a nuclear weapon.

Q: Which parts of the administration's "maximum pressure" campaign do you agree with?

A: The intentions of putting pressure, the use of sanctions. I've always supported sanctions. I disagreed with the administration's unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA. I felt that we had more ability to squeeze pressure on Iran and working with our allies. I think the administration prematurely withdrew from the JCPOA.

Q: Given the rise in anti-Semitic sentiment and attacks, do you feel that the government doing enough to confront this challenge? 

A: We have to be doing more. Anti-Semitism is rising not just in the United States, but across the globe. We saw it in the attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh; we saw it in the attack in Poway, Calif. We've seen it this past Hanukkah, where you saw a series of attacks in New York.

Anti-Semitism comes from many corners; it's not a single-point source. We have it from the far-Right, from the far-Left and from international Islamist organizations and supporters of those organizations.

It is not new. I've often said that it is one of the oldest hatreds and we've seen its effects play out in many places across centuries. Most recently, last month, we commemorated the 75^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. I went on a trip with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Auschwitz in Poland and then to Israel for a ceremony at Yad Vashem. We need to speak out against it anywhere and everywhere. We need to establish an absolute intolerance, and we need to make sure that those who are trafficking in anti-Semitism are identified, are thwarted and, where appropriate, are punished.

Q: Jewish organizations have expressed concerns about the lack of funding to cover numerous institutions. Does Congress just address that through increased spending?

A: It's not just a matter of increased spending. Part of it is making sure we have the resources available to provide security for not just Jewish community organizations, but all community organizations facing the threat of attack. It's also a step in trying to mitigate and eliminate these threats.

One of the things I introduced this year is the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, and we're in the process of building support for that from members of the House. In this case, the Department of Justice, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security would track and monitor the groups that are a threat, report to Congress twice a year and then, based on the assessment, prioritize the resources.

Q: You expressed concerns about the president's Mideast peace plan. Do you agree with any of its components?

A: I put out a statement and was very clear on this: The principle of two states for two peoples, to ensure that Israel is forever a democratic Jewish state living in security, peace and prosperity with its neighbors. It's a principle I have long advocated and strongly support. The idea that Jerusalem will be unified and Israel will have control of its security. The idea that the Palestinians should have the ability to control their own destiny.

There were principles that were laid out in the plan that were articulated by the administration and embraced by both major political parties in Israel.

There are concerns I have about the plan. In particular, the contiguity of the proposed Palestinian state, but also I want to make sure that any Palestinian state doesn't have the capacity or ability to threaten the security and future of the Jewish state.

Q: What's your reaction to your fellow Democrats and critics who say that anti-BDS legislation, like the one that passed the Senate last year, goes against free speech?

A: I appreciate and share concerns on all matters about protections of civil liberties, including freedom of speech, articulated in our First Amendment. I'm proud of the fact that in Illinois, we were the first state to pass and implement anti-BDS legislation, and that has stood through the test of time because it respects and is protective of free speech. There are bills in other states that have raised concerns. I don't have that concern about the bills that have been presented in the House, and I've been a co-sponsor of legislation similar to what passed the Senate.

Q: You mentioned going to Poland with Speaker Pelosi. What stood out the most from that experience?

A: It's a personal experience that I have to link 30 years prior. I went to Poland and Israel with the Jewish Federations of North America. There were about three buses. At Auschwitz, we got to be with Holocaust survivors. There was a gentleman named Naftali Lavie, who shared his personal story about how, when his father was separated by the Nazis, his father looked to Naftali, who was then 15, and gave two instructions: One was to protect his brother, who was 7 at the time; and two, continue the line of 38 generations of rabbis. Naftali protected his brother, and they survived the Holocaust and made it to Israel. Naftali became active in Jewish services in the community, but his brother grew up to be the chief rabbi of Israel.

In 2020, I followed the same steps. We went to Auschwitz and then we went to Israel to a ceremony at Yad Vashem: 39 delegations came, 41 heads of state. Only a select few had the chance to speak: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. There was one survivor who told his story: former Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Naftali Lavie's brother.

I had a chance to meet both of them. Personally, it was very important to be able to do that on my second trip as a Jewish member of the United States House of Representatives, representing my country. It's an experience I'll always remember.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) issued an "unequivocal apology" to congressional Democrats on Saturday over a Facebook ad slamming the "radicals" in the party as anti-Semites.

The ad in question, paid for by AIPAC, said that they were "pushing their anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli policies" down Americans' throats.

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The organization apologized and said that it deeply appreciated the support for Israel in the ranks of the Democratic Party and regretted the poor wording of a message that, however, "alluded to a genuine concern of many pro-Israel Democrats about a small but growing group ... working to erode the bipartisan consensus."

The matter of US-Israeli relations is one of the divisive issues in the current political debate in the Democratic Party, with some of the candidates in the Democratic presidential nomination contest – Bernie Sanders, Elisabeth Warren and Tom Steyer – hinting they were open to limiting US aid to Israel.

The restrictions would kick in should Israel push forth with the settlements, thus turning the aid into a point of leverage.

Warren also said she was willing to skip this year's AIPAC conference when responding to a question that slammed the organization over an alleged "unholy alliance" it is supposedly "forming with Islamophobes and anti-Semites and white nationalists."

Joe Biden, however, said that the idea of limiting or conditioning US military aid to Israel was "absolutely outrageous."

This article was originally published by i24NEWS.

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In that week, people have proclaimed him and his team anything and everything from the Messiah to Judas. The truth is he and his team are neither. President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner and Ambassador David Friedman are loyal patriots to the United States and the greatest friends Israel has ever had in the White House.

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Let's remember where we were as recently as December 2016. We were abandoned at the UN and were dictated the terms of a UN/EU style peace plan from then-Secretary of State John Kerry. That was certainly a low point in international relations for our great state of Israel.

Since that point our Kinneret (The Sea of Galilee) has nearly filled up – we haven't figured out how to thank Trump/Kushner/Friedman for that yet, but if we could, we would.

We have become energy independent in no small part because of our partnership with an American company, Noble Energy, in a deal brokered with Jordan and Egypt that could NOT have been possible without the tireless assistance of the United States.

The president and his team recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, moved their embassy there, got out of the Iran deal, recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, stopped funding UNWRA, declared settlements were not illegal, etc, etc, etc.

Then the president presented his Vision for Peace for the region. Let's understand what is in the vision and the importance of working in lockstep with the administration to achieve our goals.

1. Security:  This plan is not based upon hope or faith like the terribly flawed Iran deal. Rather, it is based upon enhancing Israeli security control and responsibility throughout all phases of this vision's implementation. At no time, let us repeat that, at no time does Israel's security posture weaken, it only strengthens. For this fact alone we should be eternally grateful to this administration, which understands that Israel is not the source of strife in the Middle East. We are the one bastion of stability and anything that hurts our stability will have a catastrophic domino effect on the entire region.
2. Jewish homes: This administration has been clear, one cannot "Judaize" Judea. Our roots and our homeland are quite literally in the name. Each and every Jewish home and their environs will eventually become part of civilian Israel. This means being able to build throughout Judea and Samaria like Jaffa and Haifa, like Tel Aviv and Bet Shemesh.
3. Jerusalem will be considered by the greatest power on earth undivided and eternal as the capital of Israel. This has been something we have been yearning for, for literally 2000 years, and it is coming to fruition.
4. Everyone is aware of the reality on the ground here: Our neighbors are not ready for peace. They may never be ready for peace. Each and every day we wake up and we pray three times a day for peace, we strive for peace, but we will not die for peace. This vision changes the entire paradigm of how the world looks at this supposed conflict. Instead of asking (demanding) that we take more risks for a peace that will probably never mature, this administration has been extremely clear through its vision for peace, that peace will come if, and only if, our neighbors make dramatic changes. In order to achieve peace, they must demonstrate that they will stop acting like Iran and begin acting like Canada. If, and only, if they cross these hurdles (of which we are highly doubtful they will ever achieve) then we can negotiate with them. To be clear: We want peace, we have always wanted peace and this is the only vision that actually acknowledges what it will take to get peace, no matter how difficult it is to imagine occurring.

In the week since this vision has been released, most of the world has declared that this is something serious to be considered and negotiated on its platform. There are notable groups included in those in support, throughout Europe and Middle East, and even more noticeable are those against Iran, Hamas, the PA.

Do you know why the Gulf countries expressed support for this vision? Do you know why the prime minister was welcomed regally to Uganda and met with the new leader of Sudan?

We are a cutting edge 21^st-century regional power, that is true, but we have two secret weapons. One is G-d and the other one is our special and unique relationship with the US. Everyone around the world wants a piece of each. To hear people, regardless of rank and station, complain about the difference of opinion over timing for recognition is not only embarrassing, it is shameful.

This vision was presented as a vision, not a forced plan.  If our country chooses in the future to enter into negotiation based on this basis of the vision, we should not interfere.

But while the Palestinians cry hysterically, let it not be our camp that looks and sounds unhinged – let us set an example for the entire country. We the undersigned will work to get a government that will maximize the opportunities presented by this vision while safeguarding against those who will take this vision and use it as a platform to weaken us in every which way.

We pray every day for peace and know it will only come when we are strong on our own, and the world sees no daylight between Israel and the US. This vision accomplishes all of this and more. Thank you Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for forging such a strong and strategic relationship with President Trump, Jared Kushner and Ambassador Friedman –  the best friends we have ever had.

Oded Revivi is the Mayor of Efrat
Eli Shaviro is the Mayor of Ariel
Benny Kashriel is the Mayor of Maale Adumim
Asaf Minter is the Mayor of Elkana
Igal Lahav is the Mayor of Karnei Shomron
Shy Rosenzweig is the Mayor of Alfei Menashe
Nir Bartal is the Mayor of Oranit

The post An open letter from Judea and Samaria mayors appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The Ruderman Family Foundation, which commissioned the study and published its results earlier this week, said the findings upset the conventional wisdom on the apparent disconnect between the world's two largest Jewish populations.

According to the foundation, the study found that "80% of American Jews consider themselves pro-Israel and 67% feel an emotional attachment to Israel."

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The foundation further said that despite this strong affinity, most of the respondents said politics and institutional conduct between the sides were a cause for concern.

"Despite voices talking about a growing gap between the sides, the vast majority of American Jews are sympathetic to Israel, and most of them feel an emotional connection to the Jewish state. Moreover, more than 70% of Jews in the United States feel that their personal relationship with Israel is equal, or stronger, than it was five years ago. This is one of the largest surveys ever conducted among American Jews, and the findings have been released amid the fragile discourse that has developed in this area in recent years," the foundation said.

"While there is great support for the State of Israel, the Jewish community in the United States is also critical of the Israeli government's policies in various areas, particularly religious and state issues, as well as attitudes toward the Palestinians," the foundation stressed.

"It appears doomsday talks about an irreversible chasm between Israel and the American Jewish community were mistaken," President of the Ruderman Family Foundation Jay Ruderman said in a statement on Monday. "An overwhelming 80% of American Jews feel an attachment to Israel, including most non-affiliated and younger Jews. The time has come to diversify the discourse between the sides, bringing new faces and new ideas to the table. This relationship is more than politics and Jewish religious practices, and the conversation needs to reflect this simple reality."

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The Democratic Party had four years to prepare for the Iowa caucuses, and they once again squandered an opportunity.

The first-in-the-nation vote for the 2020 election was supposed to be a show of force for the Democrats, energizing at least half of the electorate and possibly captivating many more segments of the population.

But instead, they realized in the early hours of Tuesday that the special app that was designed to streamline the process had essentially stopped working and turned their big moment into a big farce.

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The Democratic officials say the glitches have not compromised the results, insisting that they are only dealing with "inconsistencies" in the digital tabulation of the outcomes of the 1,600 odd caucuses.

So they are now going to go back to the paper recordings for each and every caucus, but that may be too late to generate any meaningful outcome. Iowa is now history, and everyone is on to New Hampshire, and even if the new count does show a clear winner in the Hawkeye State, people will have their doubts as to the veracity of the official results.

The Republicans had a field day with the Democratic electoral fiasco.

"Democrat party meltdown. They can't even run a caucus and they want to run the government. No thank you," Donald Trump's campaign manager Brad Parscale tweeted.

So now it's official, the 2020 race is on, even if the people's voice has been muffled by glitches.

For all the mishaps, the Iowa caucuses are a celebration of democracy. It's good to know that the people are sovereign again, in light of the ongoing drama in Trump's impeachment trial and the Democratic lawmakers' efforts to unseat the only federal officeholder who is elected by voters in the 50 states.

In fact, apart from hurting our democracy, the trial has also hurt the very party that wants Trump removed from office: Four Democratic senators had to skip the campaign trail for two days this week because they were on jury duty on this trial, which is like any other trial but politicized.

I am so glad this ordeal will finally be over on Wednesday, when the Senate finally renders a non-guilty verdict and the country will be able to move on. Today Trump is expected to deliver the State of the Union address to the very Congress that has indicted him. So the Democrats will have a few hours to shine in the spotlight, despite missing every opportunity to do so, but the media will then shift gears and focus on Washington.

The media airwaves are full of speculation regarding former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's electoral prospects. Bloomberg is banking on voters uniting behind him after the four divisive votes in February: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.

Trump said that he would like to have Bloomberg as the Democratic nominee. Bloomberg has been rising in the national polls, but this doesn't mean anything in the American electoral system, because of the Electoral College.

Trump has called the Democratic apparent frontrunner Bernie Sanders "Crazy Bernie" and a communist, even though Sanders will likely be an easier general election candidate to beat.

Perhaps Trump thinks Sanders can create a movement, very much like what the Republican nominee did in 2016, which led him all the way to the White House.

In fact, both former Vice President Joe Biden and Bloomberg would be very competitive against Trump in purple states that will decide the election in November.

But both have so far failed to generate enthusiasm among the passionate Democratic voters who go to the caucuses and create the much-needed momentum in the early states.

Bloomberg hopes he can succeed where Rudy Giuliani failed: He wants to lie low until Super Tuesday, when more than 1300 delegates will be allocated in a whole slew of key states.

The race could very well be decided that day, but for Bloomberg that is a very big gamble. That said, the infighting among the candidates could result in him being the compromise candidate. We will find out in March.

I saw two candidates do their stump speech in Iowa this week. Pete Buttigieg wowed the crowd in his rally. I could feel the energy in the air. Biden, on the other hand, barely said a world that got more than polite applause.

And then there is Sanders. I wanted to see him up close, so I went to a Super Bowl party that he hosted at a local bar in Des Moines, only to discover that he had left before the game even started.

No wonder Trump calls him "Crazy Bernie." One of the most talked-about metrics for the electability of candidates is whether voters would like to have beer with them. Bernie flunked that test by refusing to have a good time with his own supporters.

"I don't know if the Iowa results will make things clearer; we will only get more questions," Sean, a Democrat who said he would caucus for Sanders, told me. "I think Sanders will at least take care of workers and people who are not wealthy in America. But we do not have a candidate who is a shoo-in for victory in November."

Michael, a sociology major at the University of Iowa, told me that the fact that Trump's impeachment trial is wrapping up will only help the president. "It's amazing how divided we are," he lamented.

We are indeed living in a split-screen reality. The trial resumed on Monday, with both sides presenting their closing arguments. Trump will deliver his address today, a day before lawmakers decide his fate, while his predecessor's vice president is trying to oust him, and with Americans, by and large, tuning out and preferring the Super Bowl. It looks like everyone is in their own little enclave.

Once the votes are fully in, we might get a sense of the message Democratic voters wanted to convey to party bosses. They may have sent the message that they want a candidate with passion and ideological fervor, or alternatively, that they want someone who could actually bring them back to power.

Regardless of who will become the Democratic nominee in the summer, the 2020 general election will be a child's play compared to the major mudslinging that will unfold in the fall of 2020.

The turbulence will be like four years ago, and then some, with Trump dominating the headlines.

In fact, the general election is already in full swing, because apart from various caucuses and primaries, the press is already transfixed with Trump, Trump and more Trump.

In fact, it appears that the 11 Democratic presidential hopefuls prefer to focus on Trump than offer a real platform for voters to rally around. All they have done so far is put forth general and confusing plans.

They are so luck they have Trump to keep them busy and unite them.

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