In order for you to understand what is happening in Israel and how Israelis view the Trump administration, you need to realize that Israelis are in Survival Mode. This doesn’t mean that our viewpoint is wrong. After all, our physical security is threatened in the worst way possible — the memory of the Holocaust is no longer recent history to learn from, but an immediate threat.

In many ways - it is still Oct. 7, 2023 here in Israel. And the world’s silence over the fate of the hostages as THE Humanitarian Crisis paints the way we view the “Rules Based Order” that former President Biden tried to defend and that current President Trump is threatening to destroy if it does change. It also paints the way we look at the rise of antisemitism in Europe and North America (not to mention Australia, S. America and everywhere else). Most of you (our readers) are concerned and possibly even feel threatened by the antisemitism of the “Free Palestine” movement, but do not appear to take it as seriously as we (Israelis) think you should.

Who’s right?

We don’t really know and only time will tell. We hope that your viewpoint is correct and that we are just a little paranoid. But the stakes are high. Over the past week or two, the attempts to deport non-citizens like Mahmoud Khalil who organized the anti-Zionist protests on university campuses and elsewhere that made Jews “uncomfortable” and “unwelcome” in the public sphere are being targeted as a First Amendment issue of Free Speech.

To Israelis, this looks ridiculous even if the power to deport could be abused in the future. The same is true of the $400 million being withheld from Columbia for failing to fulfill its duties under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Under that act, universities accepting federal funding are required by law to prohibit practices that have the effect of discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. The Civil Rights act was specifically designed to prevent this type “Academic Freedom”, whether it be done in the name of “Free Palestine” or for the promotion of “racial purity”.

The conclusion of the first stage of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal has many looking anxiously to the release of the remaining living hostages and the bodies of those killed in captivity. Sources in Israel believe that 24 hostages are still alive in the Gaza Strip, including 22 Israelis, one Thai and one Nepali.

In a significant escalation of protests, thousands of demonstrators have surrounded the Kirya, Israel's Ministry of Defense compound and IDF headquarters, demanding the immediate release of all hostages held by the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. In what they named "Operation Kirya Envelope", the protesters established encampments last night next to each gate of the Kirya, following the massive nationwide demonstration in which Israelis took to the streets in a plea to bring their loved ones home without further delays, partial deals, or drawn-out negotiations.

Meanwhile #qatargate continues in full force, with Netanyahu aides reportedly suspected of recently receiving six-figure sums from Qatar. Investigators say they were surprised by the size of the payouts, amounting to hundreds of thousands allegedly paid through outside firms.

The conclusion of the first stage of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal has many looking anxiously to the release of the remaining living hostages and the bodies of those killed in captivity. Sources in Israel believe that 24 hostages are still alive in the Gaza Strip, including 22 Israelis, one Thai and one Nepali.

In a significant escalation of protests, thousands of demonstrators have surrounded the Kirya, Israel's Ministry of Defense compound and IDF headquarters, demanding the immediate release of all hostages held by the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. In what they named "Operation Kirya Envelope", the protesters established encampments last night next to each gate of the Kirya, following the massive nationwide demonstration in which Israelis took to the streets in a plea to bring their loved ones home without further delays, partial deals, or drawn-out negotiations.

Meanwhile #qatargate continues in full force, with Netanyahu aides reportedly suspected of recently receiving six-figure sums from Qatar. Investigators say they were surprised by the size of the payouts, amounting to hundreds of thousands allegedly paid through outside firms.