A new year’s confluence

In these early days of 2025, we are witnessing a confluence of events that should positively affect both American and Israeli futures. It is a step forward, from the dark days of 2023 and 2024, and notwithstanding the continuing loss of precious Israeli life, to a safer Israel and more peaceful world.

The stunning first term pro-Israel diplomatic successes of incoming President Donald Trump might well be eclipsed in his next four years. President Trump has already made clear his unequivocal animosity toward Hamas with his declaration that there will be “all hell to pay” if the hostages are not soon released. The Iranian government and the Houthis have a little more than two weeks to prepare for an America likely to unleash its considerable force on terrorist states. Our enemies are now in a knife fight with an American administration capable of delivering anytime, anywhere, incredible kinetic military force including bunker buster bombs. Also, in Trump’s quiver are crushing economic and diplomatic sanctions that can augment any warfare.

Axios stated that Iran is a “de facto nuclear capable state,” and this horrifying development is purely the handiwork of Biden and Obama. The days of Biden/Harris and Obama’s sellouts, appeasements, halfway measures, calls for ill-conceived “proportionality,” and premature “ceasefires,” are over.

Israel, by herself, has pivoted from the horrors of October 7^th to reshape the Middle East. She has a stranglehold on Gaza, defeated Hezbollah and figuratively decapitated their leadership, destroyed the entirety of Syrian military capability, and rendered defenseless the Iranian airspace. From exploding pagers to the precision killing of opponents’ leadership to the near perfect execution of enemy air defenses, all while maintaining its moral high ground, Israel with the will of her people and the bravery of her fighting force, awaits a closer partnership with America.

With somnambulating Joe Biden leaving the White House on January 20^th, with a debunked Barak Obama’s malign hold on the now withered Democrat party, and with the death of the disingenuous and Israel hating Jimmy Carter, America can look forward to Trump’s Republican Party, now powered with a popular vote mandate to lead and to succeed.

The Democrat party finds itself in the wilderness seeking new leadership and hoping to discover more appealing ideas. We can hope they will jettison the mendacious likes of milquetoast Kamala Harris, underhanded Senator Schumer and imposters including Georgia’s Ossoff and Warnock, who voted against providing military equipment to Israel. Maybe they will choose to heed the wisdom of Democrat Senator John Fetterman who said, “we must be in lock step with our ally Israel” or will stand closer to New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, who has draped himself in an Israel flag and has met with Israeli hostage families.

Most of the major American Jewish organizations need to toughen up and shed their “woke” catechism. They need to abandon the progressive intersectional common cause formulae which ally them with those who despise Israel. They must fully accept that the Islamic and progressive’s antisemitic and anti-Zionism hatred has metastasized, cratering our premier universities and increasing the occurrences of radicalized antisemitic incidents.

We must demand elimination or reeducation of Jewish organizations’ leadership that does not stand tall against any politician or party whose past performance has been antithetical to Jewish interests. Elliot Abrams in his recent book If You Will It details the growing dangers of assimilation and lukewarm commitment to Judaism, Israel and Jewish peoplehood. It should be required reading for any of the leaders who sit in the corner offices of Jewish institutions.

We hope that President Trump has surrounded himself with a wise coterie of advisors who will navigate the evolving Middle East Rubik’s Cube. He will have to moderate his isolationist tendencies and accept the realities that our Western world is under attack from well entrenched adversaries. Islamic terrorists, encouraged by Biden’s open borders to invade America, already have a dangerous foothold. The recent New Orleans attack is a case in point, and it validates President Trump’s mandate to restore law and order in our country.

Another year fans out in front of us and we have some good reasons to be optimistic. Yes, the 2024 election will install a president who has personal energy and thoughtful, muscular policies. The American Jewish community needs to avoid complacency and to support leaders and organizations that maximize the benefit of this unique confluence of emerging opportunities.