In Gaza, We Thanked Trump for the Ceasefire. Now We Know How He Really Sees Us.
His “plan” is an insult to everyone here—and to our ancestors.
His “plan” is an insult to everyone here—and to our ancestors.
The relationship between Israel and the U.S. is not one of charity, according to national security expert Victoria Coates.
Over the years, the “material assistance” the U.S. has provided Israel has shifted from largely being economic to “become security assistance,” Coates, vice president of the Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation, told the “Problematic Women ” podcast.
“This is a mutual investment in our safety, and that has borne great dividends,” she said. “It’s not stuff we can talk about on the podcast, but I can just assure the audience that those are real.”
Coates argues that the partnership between the two nation’s keeps America’s adversaries in the Middle East at bay.
“There’s a reason the Iranians call us the big Satan and the Israelis the little Satan,” Coates said . “And everyone’s going to go after the little Satan first. But if they get the little Satan, guess who’s next?”
The relationship between Israel and the U.S. extends beyond the importance of the physical safety and survival of both nations and also includes a culture war—an issue Coates addresses in her new book, “The Battle For The Jewish State: How Israel—And America—Can Win .”
Coates joins “Problematic Women” to explain the history behind America’s friendship with Israel, and how the two nations can work together toward mutual national security and cultural interests, and to discuss President Donald Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu .
Also on today’s show, we discuss why the Trump administration is dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development. Plus, we break down our favorite red carpet looks from the Grammys.
Watch the show above.
The post Expert: US Also Protected by Its Investment in Israel appeared first on The Daily Signal .
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., expressed support for President Donald Trump’s ambitious foreign policy goals at a news conference Wednesday, praising the president’s talk of redeveloping Gaza and downsizing the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Johnson’s backing came the day after Trump stunned the world with his remarks at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu . The president mused about the future of Gaza, which borders Israel.
On Tuesday, Trump announced that the inhabitants of Gaza should be relocated to a “good, fresh, beautiful piece of land” and have the United States “take over” the territory to rebuild it as a place for “the people of the world” to live.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday morning, Johnson was not able to elaborate on the details of the proposal, but praised Trump’s initiative.
Asked point blank whether it is an “America first” policy for the United States to take control of Gaza, Johnson showed his unconditional support for Trump’s pronouncement.
“The initial announcement yesterday I think was greeted [with] surprise by many, but cheer by, I think, people all around the world. Why? Because that area is so dangerous, and he’s taking bold, decisive action to try to ensure the peace of that region,” the speaker said.
“It’s a bold move, certainly far bolder than what’s been done before, but I think we’ve got to stand unequivocally, in an unwavering manner as [House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn.] says, with Israel, our closest ally and friend in the Middle East. I think if we could bring control to that situation and bring about a lasting peace there, it would do well for everybody.”
Johnson also stood by Trump and Elon Musk’s work to restrict the excesses of USAID, a federal foreign- aid agency that the two have accused of wasteful spending and promoting far-left ideology abroad.
Pulling out a binder, he began to read a list of purported wasteful spending by the agency.
“You tell me if this is unreasonable—some of the stuff that the money is being spent on that we didn’t even know, crazy examples that came out. Look, $100 million on initiatives like expanding atheism in Nepal. That’s what American taxpayers should be paying for? No way. Transgender operas in Colombia, drag shows in Ecuador—no way,” said Johnson.
“We have a $36 trillion federal debt. It is a serious threat to the future and security of our nation. We’ve got to spend money better. And if this executive branch and this White House is going to take the initiative to dig in and find those details and expose them, we applaud it. We’re all onboard.”
The post Speaker Johnson Backs Trump’s Gaza Plan appeared first on The Daily Signal .
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Tuesday for the first time since Trump’s return to the White House to discuss national security issues in the Middle East, including Israel’s war with Hamas.
At two separate press conferences Tuesday, Trump struck a friendly tone with his Israeli counterpart.
“We have the right man, we have the right leader of Israel. He’s done a great job, and we’ve been friends for a long time,” the 47th president said.
Trump appeared optimistic about the possibility of Israel normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia and told the assembled press that the Saudis were not demanding a Palestinian state.
He added that he felt certain countries will take in Palestinian refugees from Gaza.
“Well, I think Jordan and Egypt will,” Trump said. “I say they will.” He also added that some countries had already reached out to help resettle the Palestinians in Gaza. When asked about Qatar in particular, Trump said, “Qatar is absolutely trying to help.”
The president said that the only reason the Palestinians displaced during the war wanted to go back to Gaza was because there was no alternative. “You can’t live in Gaza right now,” he said. Instead, Trump proposed that the United States take over Gaza and rebuild it.
“Level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,” Trump said. The president spoke of the many jobs and the opportunities for tourism an American Gaza could have for the region.
He said the area would become the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
When Netanyahu spoke, he reiterated his previously stated goals: “I support getting all the hostages out and meeting all our war goals that include destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and making sure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again.”
“We’re not going to give up on any of them,” he said of the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
For his part, the Israeli prime minister faces countervailing pressures from his right and left to end the truce with Hamas and destroy the terrorist group while simultaneously saving as many Israeli lives as possible.
Netanyahu also testified this week in his corruption trial back in Israel that is part of three separate cases against him, including fraud and bribery. The trial complicates his calculations regarding the war, given that there is a possibility he will go to prison after he ceases being prime minister.
The Trump meeting comes in light of the president’s ongoing support for the Jewish state. During his first term, Trump recognized Israel’s right to the Golan Heights , moved the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and negotiated the groundbreaking Abraham Accords.
Israel has claimed the Golan Heights, which is a plateau to the east of Israel proper, since it took the territory from Syria after the 1967 Six-Day War. It administered the region through the military until 1981 , when Israel’s parliament normalized the region under Israeli law. After Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria fell late last year, Netanyahu sent troops to secure the demilitarized buffer zone in the Heights . The United States remains one of Israel’s strongest supporters when it comes to Israel keeping the territory.
Since passing the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 , the United States had promised to fulfill its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital by moving its embassy there. That law sought to locate the embassy in the holy city by 1999 but allowed for the president to defer the move based on national security concerns. President Bill Clinton and all subsequent presidents, both Republican and Democrat, deferred the move until Trump initiated it during his first term and moved the embassy there in 2018.
The Abraham Accords, named after the biblical Jewish patriarch Abraham, who is revered by both Jews and Muslims, was a first Trump administration-negotiated agreement that normalized relations between the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain with Israel. The agreement has been a boon to the economies of those nations with an estimated $4 billion in trade occurring among them in 2023. The agreement has also led to increased military cooperation, with the UAE Air Force participating with Israel in joint military exercises.
As for what Trump and Netanyahu discussed behind closed doors Tuesday, some foreign policy experts expected Trump asked Netanyahu for a long-lasting ceasefire with Hamas that would enable Saudi Arabia and Israel to finally normalize their relations. In an interview with the Washington Post, James Jeffrey, a diplomat who worked for Trump during his first term, said that he thinks the president will push for a permanent ceasefire in the talks.
The current ceasefire deal was reached through the help of then-President Joe Biden’s envoy Brett McGurk and Steve Witkoff, who now serves formally as Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East. The deal facilitated the release of 18 Israeli hostages thus far from Hamas in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Thirty-three total hostages are expected to be released in Phase One of the deal , if it holds.
Trump and Netanyahu’s relationship has been strained at times. The then-presidential candidate met with the prime minister back in July 2024 at the latter’s request. It had been the first time the men had publicly spoken in person since Trump had left the White House in 2021. Reporting at the time was that Trump had been annoyed that Netanyahu quickly congratulated Joe Biden on his 2020 presidential win. He also blamed Netanyahu for pulling out at the last minute in the effort to kill Qassem Soleimani, one of Iran’s highest-ranking generals who operated with near impunity in the Middle East.
“We had everything all set to go, and the night before it happened, I got a call that Israel will not be participating in this attack,” Trump told the public in 2023. “I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down.” On Tuesday, though, Trump stressed cooperation and vowed to never let Iran get a nuclear weapon.
“We have a lot of fires, but we’ll put them out.”
The post Netanyahu and Trump Discuss Fate of Middle East appeared first on The Daily Signal .
Poison pill…