Monday, January 05, 2026

01/05 Links Pt1: An Even Better Trump Solution for Gaza; After Venezuela, is Iran Next?; Inside Mayor Mamdani’s sneaky plan to scrap policies supporting Israel

From Ian:

Michael Doran: Giant Abroad, Midget at Home
To those unfamiliar with the anti-Zionist undercurrents of the New Right, the episode might well have appeared as a simple expression of Catholic devotion, which Vance’s online messaging apparatus made a point of rebranding as “Christian.” Lauren Witzke—a “Christian nationalist” former Delaware Senate candidate now aligned with Fuentes—circulated the clip with the caption: “The Vice President of the United States JD Vance opted out of the wall-kissing ritual in Israel, instead choosing to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.” This framing was enthusiastically adopted by other self-styled Christian nationalist influencers like Steve Bannon, who celebrated the need for “a Christian state of Jerusalem.”

Evangelicals, who form the backbone of Trump’s pro-Israel coalition, were pleased by none of this. Protestants contest the historical location of the crucifixion, with some favoring the Garden Tomb and others rejecting both sites as unproven.

The denigration of Israeli national symbols like the Western Wall entirely misreads how evangelicals—and many Catholics—understand the place. Evangelicals do not see a visit to the Wall as an act of submission to Jews. Jesus taught in the Temple; the Gospels and archaeology both attest to the site, and for evangelical theology the covenant with Israel and the covenant fulfilled in Christ are not competing dispensations but a single unfolding promise. To pray at the Wall is, in their view, to stand where Jesus stood and to honor the continuity of God’s dealings with His people.

And Vance, as a Catholic, had no need to play to sectarian sentiments. There is an unimpeachable Catholic precedent: John Paul II’s 2000 pilgrimage, during which he placed a handwritten prayer in the Wall’s stones—“God of our fathers… we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant.” When Vance’s allies mocked “kissing the wall” as a humiliation ritual imposed by Jewish donors, evangelicals and many Catholics saw not bravado but a gratuitous rupture with a shared sacred history. In the Vance–Carlson alignment, they recognized an effort to redefine that history—and to sever the covenantal bond that has long anchored the pro-Israel core of the conservative coalition.

This recognition triggered discontent among evangelicals, which erupted into open confrontation. On Dec. 2, 2025, prominent Christian Zionist Dr. Michael D. Evans—founder of the Friends of Zion Museum—told a Jerusalem Post reporter: “Right now we are having a movement within the MAGA movement that is anti-Israel. It is very serious because it is led by Tucker Carlson, who is very close to the vice president. He is coming out and saying worse things presently than the Nazi Party said at their platform in 1920.” Days later, at a gala event attended by PM Netanyahu and Sarah, his wife, Evans pledged to train 100,000 Christian ambassadors to combat antisemitism and defend Israel, signaling the deepening rift inside Trump’s grand domestic coalition.

Vance’s political use of his own religious journey is therefore clever, but brittle. The intellectual circle that appears to shape his worldview—Deneen and Vermeule, the Catholic integralists—has major influence online, but almost none in electoral politics or within the Republican Party. Catholics as a voting bloc are smaller than evangelicals. Whereas evangelicals overwhelmingly vote Republican, Catholics, traditionally, have been split nearly evenly between the parties, and in recent decades have been far less churchgoing. Furthermore, most American Catholics are not integralists; they are not seeking to impose a premodern moral architecture on a pluralistic, democratic society. If all the true Catholic integralists in the United States gathered for an annual conference, they could fill a mid-sized bistro in Lower Manhattan.

That wager—that Vance can maintain operational loyalty to Israel while gesturing toward a post-evangelical Republican future shaped by Tucker Carlson—puts at risk the most indispensable component of the MAGA coalition: evangelicals. Their support is structural, not ornamental. Trump’s original political breakthrough—uniting evangelicals, Orthodox Jews, traditionalist Catholics, married women, and portions of Black and Hispanic churchgoers in a governing majority—cannot survive any project that treats evangelical Zionism as expendable. The reason why is simple math: Subtract evangelicals (and Orthodox Jews) and the Trump majority becomes a minority.

The strength of MAGA was never doctrinal purity. It was breadth—a unity of people who could never come together around a shared theology but could agree that the Progressive elite was assaulting their fundamental beliefs and their place in American life. That coalition survives only if its political vocabulary remains wide enough to include them. When the coalition fractures, so does the political foundation for a China strategy that can endure after Trump leaves the stage.

The United States will not lose the 21st century to Beijing on some distant battlefield. It will lose it here at home—in X posts and podcast studios—while the grand American majority assembled to prevent that outcome tears itself apart debating whether the Jews orchestrated 9/11.
An Even Better Trump Solution for Gaza
The Arab and Muslim countries, including Pakistan, will not disarm Hamas.

Pakistan -- which does not recognize Israel and does not regard Hamas as a terrorist organization –- was the first country to recognize Iran's Khomeini regime in 1979, just as, in 1947, Iran was the first country to recognize Pakistan's independence. Since then, not only has Pakistan had far closer relations with Iran than with Israel, but, after the Gaza War in 2023, has repeatedly called for Muslim nations to "unite against Israel."

Meanwhile, it is simply not realistic to assume that the Palestinian terror groups will voluntarily hand over their weapons.

These Arab and Muslim heads of state will only take action against Islamist terrorists when they pose a threat to their regimes, security and stability.

The Gaza Strip does not need peacekeepers and monitors. US President Donald J. Trump himself came up with the solution months ago, as he did this week for Venezuela: "We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition. So we don't want to be involved with having somebody else get in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years."

Developers would rush in to create Trump's original vision of a "Gaza Riviera": "Gaza would be under U.S. trusteeship for around ten years 'until a reformed and deradicalized Palestinian Polity is ready to step in its shoes.'"

Those Palestinians in Gaza who wish to leave would be able to do so without fear of being threatened or shot. The US could make sure that any terrorists who refused completely to disarm would, as Trump warned about "bad hombres" in Mexico be "taken care of." If there are legitimate concerns about US troops being put in harm's way, perhaps Gaza's neighbor to the east might help out.

Above all, Trump the master builder could oversee the successful development of some of the world's most magnificent real estate, as he said about Venezuela: "We are going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure... and start making money for the country."

Change the word "oil" above to "real estate development" for Gaza, and Trump will have delivered the most far-reaching peace ever in history -- twice -- to two separate hemispheres.

Arab and Muslim countries might object: it ruins their chances of attacking Israel more easily after Trump leaves office. That is precisely why a pervasive US or Israeli presence in Gaza is the only way to ensure the success of peace in Gaza, peace in the rest of the Middle East, and a spectacular future for the peaceful Palestinians who remain.


Maduro pleads not guilty before Orthodox Jewish federal judge
In a packed Lower Manhattan federal courtroom with dark wood-paneled walls, Alvin Hellerstein’s voice cut through the silence, as the senior judge addressed the tall man in orange prison garb standing before him.

“Are you Nicolás Maduro?” asked the 92-year-old judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

“I am the president of the Republic of Venezuela,” Maduro responded. “I am here kidnapped. I was captured at my home in Caracas.”

Before he could continue, Hellerstein interrupted. “There will be a time and a place for all of that,” the judge said, pressing the proceeding forward. “At this time, I just want to know one thing—are you Nicolás Maduro Moros?”

“I am Nicolás Maduro Moros,” the Venezuelan dictator said.

JNS was present in the courtroom as Hellerstein proceeded with the arraignment, reading the charges against Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as laid out in the federal indictment.

Maduro is charged with one count of narco-terror conspiracy; one count of conspiracy to import cocaine; a count of possession of machine guns and destructive devices connected to drug trafficking; and a count of conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Throughout the hearing, Maduro appeared calm, jotting notes as the proceedings unfolded. The former Venezuelan first lady, who was seated beside him, appeared more tense.

“I am here to provide a fair trial,” Hellerstein said. “That is my intent.”
Ben Shapiro: Trump DEPOSES Maduro!
The Trump administration launches an extraordinary mission to arrest and extradite Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, and we talk about what comes next; Iran may be on the brink of its own regime change; and Tim Walz drops out of his re-election bid.


Call me Back Podcast: After Venezuela, is Iran Next? - with Karim Sadjadpour
For more than a week, hordes of Iranians have taken to the streets and risked their lives to protest the Islamic regime. The regime’s attempts to suppress the protests are failing; instead, the unrest has spread from the capital city of Tehran to other cities and provinces. On Friday, President Trump warned that the U.S. would intervene if the Iranian state kills anti-regime protestors.

Against this backdrop, on Saturday, in a shocking military escalation, U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife while carrying out strikes on the capital city Caracas. Under Maduro, Venezuela has fostered warm ties with the Islamic Regime of Iran as well as Russia and China. Many see Trump’s action in Venezuela as an indication that he is willing to heighten American aggression against its enemies, including the Islamic Republic of Iran.

To discuss what to make of the societal upheaval in Iran – and how the historic events in Venezuela play a role here – Dan was joined by Karim Sadjadpour. Karim is an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a recurring guest on this podcast on all things Iran.


Dr. Oren joined Hugh to discuss what message Operation Absolute Resolve sends to the mullahs/IRGC



7 European countries condemn latest Israeli laws targeting UNRWA, NGOs
Several European countries on Monday condemned Israel’s latest legislative efforts against UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, saying that the law passed by the Knesset to prohibit electricity or water companies from supplying the agency’s facilities is a violation of international law and risks “grave humanitarian consequences.”

In a joint statement, Spain, Ireland, Norway, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia and Iceland called on Israel to reverse the legislation, which passed its third and final reading last Monday by a vote of 59-7. The law requires electricity and water providers to withhold or disconnect service from the agency’s facilities, as well as block the provision of communications and banking or financial services to the agency.

UNRWA — the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East — provides education, health care and aid to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Israel has alleged that more than 10 percent of UNRWA’s staff in Gaza have ties to terror groups, and that educational facilities under the organization’s auspices consistently incite hatred of Israel and glorify terror.

The recent measure is an amendment to two bills passed by lawmakers in October 2024, barring the agency from operating in Israeli territory and curtailing its activities in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank by banning state authorities from having any contact with it.

In the joint statement, the seven European nations said the measures “undermine the UN mandate, violate international law and run counter to the findings of the

International Court of Justice, while risking grave humanitarian consequences for the Palestinian civilian population and refugees.”


For Hamas Actually to Disarm, Trump Must Forget About All of Its Supporters: Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan, Iran – and the Palestinian Authority
Ever since Trump succeeded in implementing the first stage of his 20-point plan for ending the Gaza conflict, Hamas has received widespread backing from its supporters in Ankara, Doha, Islamabad and Tehran for ignoring demands to surrender its weapons.

Hamas's recalcitrance on the disarmament issue, moreover, has been reinforced by the support it has received from its backers in Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan and Iran to ignore the Trump administration's disarmament demand.

Israeli officials believe that Turkey, and Qatar, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, are instead working on alternative solutions that would not require Hamas to disarm. The Turks and Qataris have proposed that Hamas either transfer its weapons to the Palestinian Authority (PA), or to some kind of "secure storage under oversight." Behind both proposals lies the aim of preserving Hamas' influence in Gaza and ability to rearm. Israel insists, however, that Hamas must be weapons‑free.

Instead, all of Hamas's backers -- as well as the Palestinian Authority waiting in the wings to displace the group -- continue playing their dangerous double game of trying to be allies of both the Trump administration and Hamas's terrorist leadership at the same time.

In addition, Turkey, Qatar, Iran and Pakistan have never designated Hamas as a terrorist organisation – and believe that it is entitled to continue its "resistance" -- meaning terrorism –- against Israel.

It is commendable that the US president, rather than acting rashly, has continually offered adversaries -- such as Russia, China and Iran -- time to consider his requests. Hamas's allies, however, including the Palestinian Authority in its current form, have little incentive ever actually to comply with Trump's demands.


Iran plotting to assassinate Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa, IDF sources warn
Iran is working together with additional hostile elements to assassinate Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, IDF sources warn.

The warning was issued recently against the backdrop of the opening of contacts between Israel and Syria. It also comes amid rising regional tensions and is based on security intelligence indicating that Sharaa faces real threats and has been forced to invest significant efforts in protecting himself and stabilizing his regime.

It also comes as the defense establishment emphasizes that the lessons of October 7 require insistence on an IDF presence on Syrian territory. According to the security establishment’s position, this presence is defined as a “primary shield” for communities along the Israeli-Syrian border.

Walla has learned that in recent months, several discussions have taken place under the leadership of Defense Minister Israel Katz with the participation of senior defense establishment officials. At the end of the discussions, it was decided that the establishment’s position is that there should be no withdrawal from Syrian territory and the Mount Hermon region.

A senior IDF security source said that the army's senior officials endorsed the defense minister's position on the matter.


IDF kills two Hezbollah terrorists rebuilding Lebanon infrastructure
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday killed two Hezbollah operatives who were trying to rebuild the Iranian-backed terrorist organization’s infrastructure in southeastern Lebanon, the IDF said.

The military shared video footage of the aerial attack, which targeted vehicles in the area of Al-Jumayjimah, a small village in Lebanon’s Nabatieh Governorate, some 7 miles north of the border with the Jewish state.

The terrorists’ attempts to rebuild Hezbollah infrastructure constituted “a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the army said in the Hebrew-language statement, adding, “The IDF will continue to operate in order to remove any threat and protect the State of Israel.”

A truce between Jerusalem and Beirut went into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, following an intense two-month IDF military campaign that weakened Hezbollah’s leadership. The ceasefire was cemented by the Israeli and Lebanese governments and five mediating nations, including the U.S.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told the Al Araby Television Network on Dec. 6 that his government was seeking to disarm all armed groups in the country’s south, including Hezbollah, by the end of the year.

A U.S. deadline for demilitarization expired Wednesday night, with the IDF now waiting for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s go-ahead following his meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump last week.

Security sources told Israel Hayom on Wednesday that Lebanon falsely claimed progress in neutralizing Hezbollah. Beirut maintains that 90% to 95% of the territory south of the Litani River has been cleared of the terrorist group, but Israeli intelligence paints a starkly different picture.


State of Tel Aviv: Hamas. Gaza. Somaliland. Iran and the Mid-East. with Jonathan Conricus
Our first episode of Season 4 (FOUR!!!) kicks off with a tour de force featuring State of Tel Aviv and Beyond regular contributor and friend, Lt. Col. (Res.) Jonathan Conricus. We spoke longer than usual because there is so much going on, and we just went with a relaxed New Year’s Day vibe. This episode is divided into three sections: Part 1 deals with the entrenchment of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and how that situation must change. Part 2 focuses on Israel’s recognition of the nation of Somaliland recently. It’s a story that has been covered extensively in the Middle East but seems to have been overlooked by the European and North American press. It’s a fascinating development and one that has implications for regional power and security. Part 3 is an in depth look at what 2026 may hold in store for the Middle East generally, with a focus on Turkey, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and, of course, Israel. The only certainty is that there will be plenty of uncertainty.

And, of course, Venezuela comes up. How could it not? Especially since one of Venezuela’s closest allies was Iran. As Conricus wrote in a message to me today while en route to Florida for speaking engagements: “Isn’t it astonishing that today’s biggest abusers of other people and their rights, like Russia, Qatar and Iran, are the first and most consistent in pontificating about “restraint”, “international law” and moderation? Tyrannies should really not have a voice until they grow domestic democratic credentials. The chill factor for other despots must be intended and real.”


Behind the Curtain: Mamdani’s Antisemitism Is Only His First Step Toward Destroying the West
New York City holds a special place in the hearts and history of American Jews. It was the entry point into this nation as they escaped from the pogroms of Russia in the early 20th century, and then as a place of refuge after the Holocaust. Going all the way back to 1654, Jewish settlers entered New Amsterdam, and the Jewish community, culture, and religion were integrated into every aspect of the city from entertainment to business. In 1920, over 28% of New Yorkers were Jewish; and by 1950 there were over 2 million Jews living in the five boroughs. Today, New York has the largest concentration of a Jewish population in the world outside the city of Tel Aviv. (This makes it all the sadder that 32% of New York Jews voted for Mamdani, like chickens voting for Col. Sanders.)

And on his very first day in office, “little Muhammad” Mamdani (thank you Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee) proceeded to make New York City a more dangerous place for Jews. After earlier saying that a synagogue should not host a pro-Israel event, he rescinded former Mayor Eric Adams’ executive orders against BDS, making New York City’s policy one that says the city will not do business with any vendor that has any ties or does business with Israel or any Israeli company. He went even further in institutionalizing his Jew-hatred, rejecting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism, which is accepted worldwide and which the U.S. as a nation has adopted.

This doesn’t just affect New York Jews; it deeply affects our nation and beyond. New York City is not only the largest metropolitan economy in America; it is the largest in the world. In 2023, NYC generated a GMP of $2.3 trillion, nearly 10% of the entire United States GDP, and more by itself than many large countries such as Canada, South Korea, Australia, and even Russia.

Mamdani’s attack on Jews is not just about his Jew-hatred and being a devout follower of Islam. It is an attack on the financial wellbeing of Western culture.

It is easy to attack Jews, as anti-Semitism has been a popular hatred for centuries. Jews are an easy target for Mamdani, especially with all the anti-Israel rhetoric currently seen in mainstream media. (This, despite the horrors of Oct. 7 and the reality that if a similar attack happened on any other country’s soil, the world would support the total destruction of the attacking perpetrator.) But here’s what may happen if Mamdani’s anti-Semitic goals and practices are allowed to continue.

Because Israel has a vibrant, technology-driven economy, companies are more likely to relocate from New York City than to stop doing business with Israeli partners. Wealthy corporations with board members or owners who are Jewish could leave New York City and move their headquarters elsewhere. The stock exchange, and many of its ancillary businesses, would be deeply affected by these moves. Since no pro-Israel fundraiser or speaker would be allowed in the city, hotels and restaurants would lose tremendous amounts of income as those fundraisers are moved elsewhere. The entire economy of New York City would crash, to either a lesser or greater extent, and the Jews would be blamed by Mamdani and his cohorts.

As the economy of New York City is negatively affected, Mamdani’s long-term goal may begin to be realized. Our national economy and the global economy are very much tied to New York City, and what happens there affects the world. This would allow socialism to become more influential and, more importantly to Mamdani, would allow Islam to conquer economically what it could not accomplish militarily. As New York declines, it will leave an economic vacuum to be filled by players like Qatar and other oil-rich nations (another reason that President Trump’s involvement in the oil fields of Venezuela becomes so important for the U.S.). Islamic regimes could become international economic hubs, replacing New York City and fully controlling the world’s economy.
Inside Mayor Mamdani’s sneaky plan to scrap policies supporting Israel — and how he disguised it
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani used his sweeping executive order targeting his predecessor Eric Adams’ legacy as a way to disguise his intention to revoke city policies that support Israel, according to a report.

The far-left socialist never planned to extend Adams’ executive orders that supported the Jewish state, but his inner circle was concerned that his day-one overhaul would upset Jewish groups he’d vowed on the campaign trail to protect, the New York Times reported.

Mamdani’s lawyers briefed the newly minted mayor in recent days on how he could revoke the pro-Israel policies enacted by his predecessor — by either canceling all of Adams’ executive orders from 2025 or dealing with them one at a time, sources told the outlet.

Instead, Mamdani ultimately decided to rescind every executive order issued by Adams since the day he was indicted on federal corruption charges in September 2024, which included two key policies that protected Israel and combated antisemitism.

It allowed him to frame the sweeping executive order as a matter of good governance, the sources told the Times.

After issuing the order, Hizzoner insisted that it gave his administration a “clean slate.”

Among the revoked anti-Israel orders is one signed by Adams just last month that barred city officials from boycotting or divesting from Israel.

Another repealed an order that adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, which Adams’ administration said included “demonizing Israel and holding it to double standards as forms of contemporary antisemitism.”

The revocations drew immediate pushback from Israel, the Foreign Ministry of which accused Mamdani of dumping “antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.”

A coalition of US Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the UJA Federation of New York, said in a more stately criticism Friday that Mamdani “reversed two significant protections against antisemitism,” according to the Times.




Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



AddToAny

Printfriendly

EoZTV Podcast

Podcast URL

Subscribe in podnovaSubscribe with FeedlyAdd to netvibes
addtomyyahoo4Subscribe with SubToMe

search eoz

comments

Speaking

Speaking

translate

E-Book

For $18 donation








Sample Text

EoZ's Most Popular Posts in recent years

Search2

Hasbys!

Hasbys!

2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee

Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

Donate!

Donate to fight for Israel!

Monthly subscription:
Payment options


One time donation:

Follow EoZ on Twitter!

Interesting Blogs

Show All

Blog Archive

Copyright © Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News | Powered by Blogger
Blogger Templates