Mondoweiss speaks with analyst Mitchell Plitnick about what the Democrats’ “Blue Wave” could mean for Trump’s foreign policy, how the Israeli elections could impact the United States, and how JD Vance is using Israel to position his political future.
“Everyone knows why we lost,” J.D. Vance said after the Republican wipeout in the midterm elections, and among the reasons he cited was Israel. For decades, the Israel lobby worked to keep Zionism’s bigotry off voters’ radar. Those days are over.
Turning Point USA’s annual conference is further proof that the debate over Israel on the right isn’t going away.
Mondoweiss interviews Andrew Day, senior editor at American Conservative, about the fierce debate over Israel (and Epstein) happening on the right, neoconservatism’s role within the Trump administration, and what a “post-Israel” GOP might look like.
Israel isn’t a vassal state of the U.S., JD Vance said. But when it comes to the ceasefire in Gaza and annexing the West Bank, Israeli decision-making is deeply intertwined with Washington’s current priorities.
The New York Times reports that Israel was planning to launch air strikes against Iran before the Trump administration called off the move.
Donald Trump’s closing speech to the Republican National Convention threatening Gaza ended a week of speeches featuring full-throated support for Israel, false allegations of campus antisemitism, and condemnations of pro-Palestine protests.
J.D. Vance is a strong supporter of Israel, and, like many U.S. Zionists, he attributes the allegiance to his Christianity.