Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman reclassified crocodiles from wild animals to “<a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-902827">cultivated wild animal</a>s,” opening the door for them to be used to guard the country’s prisons holding Hamas operatives.
The regulation implemented Wednesday allowed crocodiles to be bred by government officials as long as they are held “in conditions determined by the [Nature and Parks Authority] director, to prevent their interference with nature,” the Times of Israel <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/likud-minister-reclassifies-crocodile-as-tended-paving-way-for-ben-gvirs-prison-plan/">reported</a>.
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who pitched the idea last year, celebrated the change online. 
“Ministers Ben-Gvir and Silman are collaborating and surrounding the prisons with crocodiles!” Ben-Gvir <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1442179624624396&amp;set=a.320758186766551">posted</a> on Facebook Thursday, adding an AI-generated image of himself with a pet crocodile and the caption, “You filthy terrorist, thinking about making a run for it? Think twice.” 
Ben-Gvir and Silman have taken inspiration from Trump’s “Alligator Alcatraz” that used the Everglades’s natural alligator population to deter its inmates from escaping, according to <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/world/israel-reclassifies-crocodiles-imitate-alligator-alcatraz/">NewsNation</a>.
Ben-Gvir hopes that Nile crocodiles will be placed at Ketziot Prison, which hosts many prisoners from Hamas.
Nile crocodiles are one of the most dangerous animals in the world. SeaWorld <a href="https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/reptiles/nile-crocodile/">notes</a> that Nile crocodiles can grow up to 20 feet long — half the length of a typical school bus — and can weigh over 1,500 pounds.
Not only do Nile crocodiles prey on hippos, zebras, or wildebeest, and they are one of the only known reptile species to actively hunt humans.
Neta Drori, the Environmental Protection Ministry’s legal adviser, wrote to Silman in June that there is no known precedent of using crocodiles to protect prisons, and noted that crocodile breeding in the past has led to the animals escaping and terrorizing local populations.
“With regard to the use in the United States, it was noted that this was a short-lived trial that was discontinued. It apparently took place in an area where crocodiles already occur in the wild, and there is therefore no basis for comparison,” Drori <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-902827">wrote</a>.
“Although Prison Service officials said they are aware of and prepared to ensure the animals’ physical welfare, among other things based on their experience with dogs, the organization apparently has no expertise in raising dangerous wild animals such as crocodiles,” Drori added.
Drori concluded that despite the reclassification of the crocodile, Israeli law requires legislative approval of the decision to add crocodiles to the country’s prisons.
Silman has rejected Drori’s opinion, citing testimony from senior officials that the bureaucratic framework allows her and Ben-Gvir to implement the crocodile plan.
The Nature and Parks Authority is expected to meet soon and discuss the legality of Silman and Ben-Gvir’s plan. 
“The minister is acting contrary to her own legal adviser, contrary to the legal opinion of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, contrary to the authority’s plenum, and contrary to the law. In other words, there is no legal basis for this,” an official told the Jerusalem Post.

Screenshot 2026-07-22 at 10.50.15 AM

Israel Wants To Surround Hamas Prisoners With One Of The World’s Most Dangerous Reptiles

Alligator

Crocodile

Hamas

Idit Silman

Israel

Itamar Ben Gvir

On Tuesday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) got hammered for another ignorant statement that clearly exposed her disgust for Israel.
The latest uproar erupted after the Bronx leftist took to social media to blast the pending National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). AOC claimed a specific provision in the defense package was an &#8220;existential threat to American sovereignty and democracy&#8221; that would &#8220;merge parts of our military with the IDF.&#8221;
It didn&#8217;t take long for the pushback to come crashing down.
Critics, lawmakers, and legal experts quickly tore apart the congresswoman’s alarmist claims, pointing out that Section 219 of the bill simply formalizes routine research, development, and technology-sharing between the United States and Israel. The provision involves zero military command mergers, creates no joint operational units, and transfers no American troops under foreign control. Instead, it expands administrative coordination on defensive tech like artificial intelligence, missile defense, and counter-drone systems — all cooperative practices the United States routinely maintains with key allies.
EPA Chief Lee Zeldin tore into the New York Democrat, suggesting she focus less on hostility toward Israel and more on basic reading comprehension and critical thinking.
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FALSE. <a href="https://x.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AOC</a>, instead of merging the part of your brain that hates Jews with the part of your brain concocting your daily lies, you should try merging the part of your brain responsible for reading bill text with the part of your brain responsible for critical thinking. <a href="https://t.co/BZeZ90k6MJ">https://t.co/BZeZ90k6MJ</a>
&mdash; Lee Zeldin (@LeeMZeldin) <a href="https://x.com/LeeMZeldin/status/2079949543949373554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) similarly blasted her claims as either wildly ignorant or deliberately deceptive, urging her to stop stoking anti-Jewish sentiment over standard legislative procedure. “Good grief, you are either obtuse or intentionally lying,” he wrote on X.
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Good grief, you are either obtuse or intentionally lying.
We are not merging our military with the IDF.
As we do with many of our allies, we enter into cooperative agreements, share intelligence, develop technology and ammunitions, and conduct military exercises together.
Stop… <a href="https://t.co/35fLHbt6Hb">https://t.co/35fLHbt6Hb</a>
&mdash; Mike Lawler (@lawler4ny) <a href="https://x.com/lawler4ny/status/2079953859301068820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, legal scholars emphasized that collaborative defense efforts — such as the jointly developed Iron Dome and David’s Sling systems — have been standard U.S. policy for decades, backed by laws signed under former President Barack Obama. Far from being an assault on democracy, they noted that passing defense legislation through normal congressional channels is precisely how constitutional sovereignty is supposed to work.
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Dear <a href="https://x.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AOC</a> Enough. The NDAA does not merge any part of our military with the IDF. A defense cooperation statute is not a threat to sovereignty, and a provision that survived committees and a floor fight is not a threat to democracy just because you don&#39;t like it. Let me explain: <a href="https://t.co/QEZYbDDvCc">https://t.co/QEZYbDDvCc</a>
&mdash; Mark Goldfeder (@MarkGoldfeder) <a href="https://x.com/MarkGoldfeder/status/2079750962978103775?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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There were others who bashed her ignorance:
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Just keep stoking that antisemitism.
&mdash; Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) <a href="https://x.com/Amy_Siskind/status/2079744023468609905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Why do all Jew haters lie? The NDAA creates a joint research &amp; development plan to help both the US and Israel. Either <a href="https://x.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AOC</a> didn&#39;t read the bill, or she is lying. Or both <a href="https://t.co/suuSQu1FKR">https://t.co/suuSQu1FKR</a>
&mdash; Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) <a href="https://x.com/JewishWarrior13/status/2079889785858961429?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Can you read?
&mdash; Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) <a href="https://x.com/RubinReport/status/2079972830876217813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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This is a lie. In no way does the NDAA merge the US and Israeli militaries totally, partially, or in whatever manner you believe. It encompasses a joint tech development agreement between the 2 nations which we have with other allies. Stop gaslighting
&mdash; Andrew C Laufer, Esq (@lauferlaw) <a href="https://x.com/lauferlaw/status/2079893959686406263?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2026</a></blockquote>
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For AOC, the misfire fits a well-established pattern of inflammatory rhetoric, open hostility toward Israel, and a shaky grasp on Middle Eastern policy.
Back in an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-ocasio-cortez-attacks-israel-then-admits-she-ryan-saavedra">infamous 2018 interview</a> on &#8220;Firing Line,&#8221; Ocasio-Cortez called Israel &#8220;occupiers,&#8221; only to stumble awkwardly when pressed on basic details, ultimately confessing on national television that she was &#8220;not the expert on geopolitics.&#8221;
More recently, AOC has doubled down on her hostility toward the Jewish state to appease her far-Left base. During a Democratic Socialists of America forum, she <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2026/04/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-israel-funding-arms-defense-dsa/">explicitly pledged</a> never to vote for any military aid to Israel, including purely defensive systems like the Iron Dome, which exist solely to intercept incoming rockets aimed at civilians.
Once again, the Squad leader&#8217;s urge to score online political points against Israel has left her exposed, proving that when it comes to basic facts, Ocasio-Cortez is still far out of her depth.

Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Holds Rally In Detroit With Sen. Bernie Sanders And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

AOC Hammered For More ‘Lies’ Regarding Israel

antisemitism

Defense

Lying

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani&#8217;s plan to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu came to a screeching halt and turned into a social media post on Tuesday night after he realized mayors cannot arrest foreign leaders. 
“My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here,” he said. “It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant.” 
Mamdani then said that even though his administration does not have the authority to arrest Netanyahu, he wants “to be equally clear, Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City.” 
Mamdani then called on President Donald Trump to execute the International Criminal Court’s warrant. On Monday, Trump said that Netanyahu will not be arrested “in any way, shape, or form while in the United States of America.” 
Trump’s comments came after Netanyahu&#8217;s office responded to Mamdani’s original arrest threat, saying, “The ICC is a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis. Its bogus arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu was issued by a disgraced former ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, a few days before allegations of sexual misconduct against him became public. It was a clear attempt by Khan to divert public attention and seek protection from scrutiny.&#8221;
“Instead of backing Khan&#8217;s criminal behavior, Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York,&#8221; Netanyahu&#8217;s office added. 
The Israeli prime minister is <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/mamdani-arresting-netanyahu-visits-nyc-un-general-assembly/">expected</a> to travel to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly this fall. 
While Mamdani focuses on condemning Netanyahu, New York City continues to face challenges with violent crime and the economy. On Monday, an anti-ICE activist lit an incendiary device at the entrance to the city’s largest immigration court. Months earlier, two men threw improvised explosive devices into a crowd of people protesting. The bombs did not detonate. 
Affordability — the centerpiece of Mamdani&#8217;s campaign — has also remained a major concern. In the last month, Manhattan&#8217;s median asking rent <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/13/us-news/nyc-housing-crisis-hits-defcon-1-as-rents-jump-to-more-all-time-highs/">climbed</a> to a record $5,295, an 8% increase from a year earlier. 
In his seventh month in office, Mamdani&#8217;s approval rating sits at under <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/zohran-mamdani-approval-rating-polls-popularity-32vr9jqhm">40%</a>. While Mamdani remains most popular with young New Yorkers, his popularity with baby boomers saw a large increase, from 21% to 35%, since he was elected.
Mamdani&#8217;s success has lifted the democratic socialist movement across the country with other members gaining traction. Two Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates recently won congressional primaries for U.S. House in New York City.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani Holds Press Conference At Deno’s Wonder Wheel On Coney Island

Mamdani’s Netanyahu Arrest Plan Goes Up In Flames

anti-Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu

New York City

Zohran Mamdani

A Brooklyn, New York, state assemblyman is calling on New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate whether New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani broke the law by threatening to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his upcoming visit to the U.N. General Assembly.
In a scathing letter to the state’s top prosecutor, Democrat state Assembly Member Simcha Eichenstein warned that Mamdani’s anti-Israel grandstanding crosses the line from political posturing into potential criminal official misconduct. Under New York law, mayors cannot simply order local police to arrest individuals without a judge-issued warrant or local probable cause. Because the U.S. does not recognize the International Criminal Court (ICC), and visiting heads of state enjoy absolute diplomatic immunity, Eichenstein argued that pressuring the NYPD to carry out an illegal arrest abuses executive power and threatens the independence of law enforcement.
“While elected officials possess the right to express their personal opinions, a public official cannot attempt to leverage their executive authority to direct local law enforcement actions against an individual based on personal, political, or ideological views,” Eichenstein wrote. “Furthermore, because the United States is not a party to the International Criminal Court (ICC), nor does it recognize the ICC, any ICC warrants carry no legal jurisdiction within the United States of America. &#8230; Under New York Penal Law § 195.00, a public servant who knowingly performs an unauthorized act, and misuses their official position to pressure law enforcement into making an arrest, may be guilty of official misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor.”
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🚨Today, I asked Attorney General Letitia James to review if NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani&#39;s actions ordering a city agency to explore arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu violates NY state law. New York’s Criminal Procedure Law prohibits mayors from meddling with or… <a href="https://t.co/SBWlsWNEbv">pic.twitter.com/SBWlsWNEbv</a>
&mdash; Simcha Eichenstein (@SEichenstein) <a href="https://x.com/SEichenstein/status/2079300247017115774?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
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“It is utterly ridiculous for the mayor of New York City to even suggest that he might have the authority to order the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu or any visiting foreign head of state,” CNN’s Elie Honig <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/cnn-legal-analyst-calls-out-utterly-ridiculous-claim-mamdani-netanyahu-arrest">pointed out</a>. “First of all, the mayor of New York City has zero law enforcement authority. He does not tell the Manhattan D.A., the NYPD, who to arrest, who to indict. &#8230; This warrant that we&#8217;re talking about here was issued by the ICC, the International Criminal Court, which we are not signatories to here in the United States. So, that warrant, issued by the ICC, has zero legal effect here in the United States.”
Mamdani, however, remained unrepentant. He <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyc-mayor-zohran-mamdani-israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu/">doubled down</a> in recent comments, claiming his legal team is actively exploring the city&#8217;s legal authority to potentially execute the ICC’s warrant when Netanyahu arrives in Manhattan.
President Trump declared that Netanyahu will not be arrested &#8220;in any way, shape, or form,&#8221; while Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman bluntly dismissed the mayor’s stunt as &#8220;clown&#8221; behavior. Local Jewish leaders and Israeli diplomats also slammed Mamdani, warning that his demagoguery actively fuels antisemitic hatred on New York streets.
Mamdani’s political theater looks even more absurd given the explosive scandal corrupting the tribunal he purports to enforce. The ICC faced severe backlash following shocking allegations that its then-chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/qatar-promised-to-look-after-icc-prosecutor-if-he-targeted-netanyahu-witness-claims">promised protection</a> by Qatar, which has hosted and funded Hamas, in exchange for pursuing warrants against Israeli leaders.
Reports reveal that Khan rushed the indictments just as serious sexual misconduct allegations involving a subordinate began to surface against him. Investigators probed audio recordings and evidence of a Qatar-linked intelligence operation designed to discredit Khan’s accuser by prying into her family background and attempting to tie her to Israeli intelligence. Khan allegedly used the pending Israeli warrants to pressure his accuser into silence, claiming any public scandal would undermine the tribunal&#8217;s cases.
Legal scholars have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-international-criminal-court-is-in-bed-with-our-enemies-and-its-time-we-clean-house">argued</a> these revelations prove the ICC is not an impartial judicial body, but an unaccountable political tool easily co-opted by hostile states.

Midtown Manhattan Buildings Evacuated After Collapse Warning

Mamdani’s Netanyahu Threats May Have Broken The Law, NY Rep Says

United Nations

Buried beneath the streets of Jerusalem for more than 2,600 years, charred wooden beams from the destruction of Solomon&#8217;s Temple have finally seen daylight.
Archaeologists digging in the City of David have uncovered massive wooden beams, charred black and twisted by the inferno that consumed Solomon&#8217;s Temple during the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The timbers, once part of a roof over an inner courtyard near the Temple, did not simply survive by chance. As the building burned and its roof collapsed, melted plaster sealed the beams beneath the rubble, preserving them for more than two millennia.
The find, <a href="https://www.iaa.org.il/en/page_news/page/%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A2%D7%A5-%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%9E%D7%97%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%9F-%D7%94%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%92%D7%9C%D7%95-%D7%91%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%A8-%D7%93%D7%95%D7%93">announced</a> by the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University, comes just days before Tisha B&#8217;Av, the annual Jewish fast day mourning the destruction of both the First and Second Temples, 656 years apart.
Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the discovery underscores the Jewish people&#8217;s longstanding connection to Jerusalem.
&#8220;Jerusalem’s soil continues to provide tangible evidence of the city’s ancient past,&#8221; Eliyahu said. &#8220;The wooden beams burned in the destruction of the First Temple stand as a powerful reminder of the Jewish people’s presence in Jerusalem some 2,600 years ago. On the eve of Tisha B’Av, this discovery underscores that our connection to Jerusalem is rooted not only in faith, but also in history, archaeology, and collective memory. It is our responsibility to continue uncovering, preserving, and passing this heritage on to future generations.”
Researchers say the unusually well-preserved timber contains enough growth rings to potentially date Jerusalem&#8217;s destruction with unprecedented precision, narrowing estimates from centuries to as little as a decade.
&#8220;It is very rare in Israel to find wood with such a large number of growth rings,&#8221; Dr. Johanna Regev of the Israel Antiquities Authority and Weizmann Institute of Science, stated. &#8220;Here, in the City of David, we found beams with many rings, offering significant research potential – with more growth rings enabling higher dating resolution. Until recently, we could date finds from this time within a range of hundreds of years. Now, as we separate and collect the rings one by one in the field, we can attain much greater precision, potentially narrowing the dating range down to as little as ten years.&#8221;
Perhaps the most striking revelation, though, is not about the fire itself but about what came after. When Jerusalem&#8217;s exiles returned from Babylon to rebuild their shattered city, they apparently made a deliberate choice: rather than clear away every trace of the catastrophe, they built the new city directly atop the ruins of the old, letting the wreckage remain as silent testimony.
Archaeologists call this a &#8220;landscape of memory&#8221; — the same impulse, found across countless cultures, to hold onto evidence of loss rather than erase it.
The Temple these beams once framed was not an ordinary building. According to biblical tradition, King David purchased the site, Mount Moriah, in the tenth century BC, and his son Solomon built the First Temple there soon after. For nearly four centuries it stood as the center of Jewish worship and national life, expanded and restored by successive kings, until Babylon&#8217;s armies burned it to the ground.
A Second Temple later rose on the same spot, rebuilt after the exile and later transformed into a monumental structure under Herod the Great, before Roman legions destroyed it in 70 AD. Even after that second devastation, Jewish attachment to the site never wavered: through Roman bans, Byzantine restrictions, Crusader conquest, and Ottoman rule, Jews continued — whenever permitted, and sometimes when it wasn&#8217;t — to visit, pray, and mourn at the Temple Mount, culminating in Israel&#8217;s recapture of the site in 1967.
Now, just ahead of the fast that commemorates that ancient loss, the ground itself has offered up a fragment of the fire that started it all.
For the archaeologists who uncovered it, the beams are more than an artifact. They are a direct, physical thread connecting the mourners fasting this week to the very night, 2,600 years ago, when Jerusalem burned.
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Solomon’s temple

MIRACLE: 2,600-Year-Old Wooden Beams Emerge From The Ashes Of The First Temple

Jerusalem

Solomon's Temple

This is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qan5KnvolrM">monologue</a> by Mark Halperin adapted for The Daily Wire by permission from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@NextUpHalperin">Next Up With Mark Halperin</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@2WAYdotTV">2WAY</a>.
***
Israel has become such a defining issue within both parties, but primarily within the Democratic Party. That was put in sharp relief this past week when Mr. Massie of Kentucky, a Republican, put forward a bill that would have cut off aid to Israel. And he&#8217;s the only Republican who voted for his own bill.
Every other Republican voted no. The Democrats in the House were split down the middle. Half the Democrats voted yes. Half the Democrats voted no. Amongst those voting to cut off aid to Israel was the number two Democrat in the House, Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker, and AOC. This divides both parties, but it&#8217;s an issue the Democratic Party&#8217;s dealing with, and it&#8217;s also an issue that Israel&#8217;s going to have to deal with, and Israel supporters in the United States are going to have to deal with. I can&#8217;t tell you how often I hear this — hours after the vote from American supporters of Israel, including some members of Congress who are crestfallen by this. Both sides, both the people who voted to cut off aid to Israel and those who support that position and those who think it&#8217;s a horrible vote, both sides are calling this a watershed.
Why is this happening, and what is its significance? First, here are a couple of House Democrats who voted to cut off aid to Israel and their explanation about this moment. Here&#8217;s Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), “Think about this just for a moment. Starting today, a majority of Democrats in this building refused to vote to send billions of dollars in weapons to the Israeli military.”
A young congressman from Texas who clearly is proud about the fact that half the Democrats voted to cut off aid. Here&#8217;s another member of Congress. This is Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) explaining why she voted that way as well:
<blockquote>
One issue facing the Democratic Caucus this week is a piece of legislation by Thomas Massie on Israel cutting off funding $3 billion worth of aid to Israel. Yes. Where do you stand on that? I&#8217;ll be voting for it. How come? Well, because the Israelis are out of control. Lebanon, Gaza. There&#8217;s no reason for us to continue to make these investments at this time.
</blockquote>
Now, she&#8217;s from Illinois. These two representatives, part of half the Democrats in the House, including Nancy Pelosi, including AOC, who said something to the extent of, &#8220;Well, the amendment was flawed. It wasn&#8217;t a perfect piece of legislation, but they all felt they needed to send a signal.&#8221; Now, part of this is about Israel now, about Benjamin Netanyahu now, about what&#8217;s happened in Israel recently with Gaza. But part of it is broader than that. Part of it is a broader view of foreign policy and American aid, but part of it is a belief that the relationship with Israel has to change. And for those supporters of Israel, this is a watershed; this is a huge moment. Here&#8217;s a quote from Josh Gottheimer. He&#8217;s a Democrat congressman from New Jersey who voted very much against this piece of legislation. Josh Gottheimer is probably amongst the most pro-Israel members of Congress.
Here&#8217;s what he said in the New York Times. “Supporting the U.S.-Israel relationship is quickly becoming a minority view among congressional Democrats.” A shockingly seismic shift in a brief period of time.
Here&#8217;s Amy Siskind&#8217;s view. She&#8217;s a writer and a pro-Israel person on the Left. Here is her <a href="https://x.com/Amy_Siskind/status/2077563273000411614?s=20">tweet</a>, which really captures the views of many people in her party who oppose this piece of legislation:
<blockquote>
What a politically astute move by Thomas Massie for bringing this anti-Israel vote up in the House because he is a conservative Republican with blind ambition and 2028 aspirations. And he knows this issue will split the Democratic Party in half, which it literally did. Republicans voted unanimously against it and Democrats were split in half.
Ro Khanna, who&#8217;s a congressman from California, more about him in a moment, who morphs himself with the ease of J.D. Vance and his equally blind ambition was all too happy to comply and go along and to put Democrats on the record.
I hope and pray that Bibi loses in the election later this year because Lord, help us as this is still an issue ahead of 2028. It will be that wedge that will split our party in half. And if a normal Republican runs like a Rubio, we will lose the presidency. Mark my words. Those of you who are seemingly in this fever dream who have made this your number one issue in litmus test, take note. You are going to take down our party with you and our chances of winning back the White House in 2028.
</blockquote>
That seems perhaps premature, maybe cataclysmic to some, but I hear that from so many Democrats who aren&#8217;t as open about their fears as Amy Siskind is, because this issue really has become the hottest of hot buttons. We&#8217;ve seen how much this has tied Democrats in knots. We&#8217;ve seen how divided it&#8217;s made the party.
And we&#8217;ve seen how afraid Democrats who might want to run for president are of the pro-Palestinian, in some cases, pro-Hamas wing of their party. The group AIPAC, which has been the biggest supporter of Israel, is on the run. They&#8217;ve become a hot-button issue and an anvil around the necks of supporters of Israel. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) went to Israel and was in a confrontation with the Israeli military forces and settlers there. It made news. He has become the face — the poster child — of Democratic politicians who previously were friendly to Israel, now very hostile to Israel, adopting the description of what Israel has done in Gaza, calling it genocide. Ro Khanna went on <a href="https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/ro-khanna-jeremy-scahill-debate-israel-west-bank-resistance-fifa-world-cup">Drop Site News</a> and talked to reporters there, including a guy named Jeremy Scahill, about whether he would condemn those who would kill Israeli soldiers. I guarantee you that 10 years ago, Ro Khanna would&#8217;ve answered that question effortlessly.
This exchange has gotten wide currency amongst lots of people, including pro-Israel folks, as Ro Khanna struggles in this interview to answer what is no longer a simple question, apparently:
<blockquote>
SCAHILL: Military bases in the Gaza envelope. Did the Al-Qassam Brigades[…]have a right to kill Israeli soldiers? Yes or no? On October 7th, did Palestinians have a right to attack Israeli military bases in the Gaza Strip? Yes or no?
KHANNA: I mean, I think October 7th attack was a terrorist attack, so I don&#8217;t justify…
SCAHILL: Was it a terrorist attack when the first targets that were hit on the morning of October 7th were multiple military bases? Did Palestinian forces have a right to attack those military bases?
KHANNA: I am not for violent violence in any way. I mean, I am for making sure that we end the occupation.
SCAHILL: Did they have a right to do it, Congressman? Did they have a right to attack Israeli soldiers?
KHANNA: No, I&#8217;m not going to say that Hamas had a right to attack Israeli soldiers or kill Israelis. I don&#8217;t think that advances peace or advances Palestinian statehood.
</blockquote>
The fact that he struggled to answer that question, “Did Hamas have the right to kill Israeli soldiers?” So many people, as I said, have pointed out the struggle there to me. Leaders of the Democratic Party who are pro-Israel are either flipping, like Nancy Pelosi (Again, she downplayed her vote by saying the amendment was flawed, but they&#8217;re flipping to a position that really bothers pro-Israel folks), who has been such a staunch ally of Israel, including fundraising by pro-Jewish Americans. Nancy Pelosi and Ro Khanna have both moved. And yet Ro Khanna couldn&#8217;t answer that simple question. Here&#8217;s Rahm Emanuel, who went to Israel and gave a speech that was at times supportive of Israel and at times critical of Israel. Here he is in an interview after that widely discussed speech, talking about his own view of where things stand and the kind of problem Israel has.
<blockquote>
INTERVIEWER: There’s a different conversation within the Democratic Party about whether Israel should be allowed to buy weapons, even defensive weapons. What do you make of that?
EMANUEL: I want this to get across. Israel does not have a problem in the Democratic Party. Israel has a problem in America, and very specifically, a generational problem under 30.
INTERVIEWER: Are you the most acceptable thing, pro-Israel, acceptable in the Democratic Party today?
EMANUEL: Well, look, I consider myself pro-American, but there&#8217;s been a change in some elements of the party, and it&#8217;s a change because what&#8217;s happened and how things have played out have changed. I don&#8217;t support the Democratic socialists. I don&#8217;t support people that believe in open borders. And I also don&#8217;t support people that were celebrating on October 8th.
</blockquote>
So Rahm Emanuel&#8217;s a very smart guy, and he&#8217;s right. This is not just a Democrat problem. Although make no mistake, Israel has a big problem with the Democratic Party because the Democratic Party, in large part, has a big problem with Israel. But it is a problem with younger people, and it is a problem that therefore strains all of America, including the vice president. JD Vance, who has been one of the leading voices on this issue. When Republicans say, &#8220;Well, all our problems with Israel are with podcasters and bloggers and people on social media.” Israel&#8217;s got a problem with JD Vance. JD Vance, in an interview with Joe Rogan last week, said a number of things that no previous vice president would&#8217;ve said. In fact, Kamala Harris wouldn&#8217;t say these things in the presidential campaign, and it hurt her quite a bit. It hurt her quite a bit with the wing of her party, whose views of Israel have changed as Josh Gottheimer said so quickly and so dramatically; a lot of this is about Netanyahu.
A lot of this is about Gaza, but some of it is for the members of the Democratic Party who voted the way they did with Nancy Pelosi; some of this is for people in the Republican Party who feel the way JD Vance does about Israel&#8217;s sustained influence in the United States. Like many countries, Israel has influence in the United States. Israel gets aid from the United States, like many countries. I urge you to listen to the totality of what JD Vance said in his interview with Rogan about Israel. Listen to the whole thing. It&#8217;s interesting. But this is not out of context — as I&#8217;m about to show you. This is JD Vance saying things about Israel, which Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Dick Cheney — no previous American vice president or president would have said. And it&#8217;s another indication, along with the vote in the House, of how much things have changed.
This is JD Vance with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtxyvD58eDg">Joe Rogan</a>:
<blockquote>
VANCE: There are some people within their system we know beyond a shadow of a doubt who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely. But I definitely think you have seen this very discreet, extremely well-funded campaign to try to derail the negotiation and try to derail the deal. And again, there&#8217;s this Time article that came out yesterday, a friend sent it to me. It&#8217;s like worth reading because it lists a bunch of people who have quite literally been paid by a former Trump campaign person who was himself paid by certain elements within the Israeli government. And those people are attacking me viciously for quite literally trying to accomplish the negotiation objective that the president set for the country. What bothers me is actually when Americans allow, meaning American leadership, allows that influence to affect their judgment and to affect what they are advocating for.
</blockquote>
Again, I&#8217;m not saying he&#8217;s right or wrong. Factually, there&#8217;s support for some of the things he&#8217;s saying. But you see now in Rahm Emanuel and in JD Vance — Rahm Emanuel, longtime supporter of Israel, but as he&#8217;ll tell you, a critic of Bibi Netanyahu from the past — you see a change in where this debate is in America. In both parties, there&#8217;s an audience that&#8217;s loud and angry and visible that wants the relationship with Israel to change and believes it has to change. Now, some people say, maybe this will cool off after Netanyahu is out of office, and he might be out of office this year. But other people I&#8217;ve talked to say, no, this is bigger than Bibi Netanyahu. And it&#8217;s become a fetish for folks. Now I will say this: this is such an emotional issue. I have people in my life so pro-Israel that this period with young people and with members of Congress is amongst the most painful things they&#8217;ve seen in the National Town Square.
And then I have people in my life who say, &#8220;This is wonderful because the relationship with Israel has been so dysfunctional.&#8221; Vance said something else to Rogan that I think is also extraordinary and I think speaks to where this conversation should go. I don&#8217;t know that it will. Here&#8217;s JD Vance, I think, being accurate, and it could apply equally to Rahm Emanuel. Here&#8217;s JD Vance talking about where he thinks he should be seen as standing on Israel:
<blockquote>
VANCE: People don&#8217;t realize this. I&#8217;m actually in this&#8230; There&#8217;s this massive pro-Israel, anti-Israel debate in the United States of America. I&#8217;m like the reasonable moderate.
</blockquote>
The reasonable moderate. And you know what? It&#8217;s the truest thing he said in the interview because he is. He is like Rahm Emanuel and like some other people in both parties; he recognizes there&#8217;s no position that&#8217;s going to lead us to a better place and a stronger alliance with Israel.
There is either the AIPAC position or the traditional position of being with Israel, no matter what. And there&#8217;s no progress to be made in the position on the other side, against Israel, no matter what. The United States and Israel need to be allies. There needs to be a military-to-military relationship of some sort. There needs to be a cultural and economic relationship. But what we need is a productive discussion that isn&#8217;t just red-hot rhetoric in Congress, on social media, or the kind of interview we saw Ro Khanna do. What we need is people who are reasonable moderates on this issue.
They&#8217;re not the only voices that should be at the table. The pro-Israel voices should and will be at the table. The pro-Palestinian, pro-Hamas voices will be at the table. But what we need is a conversation led by people like JD Vance and Rahm Emanuel, who are positing the existence of a reasonable moderate position here, who are positing an understanding of the way it was and the way some people want it to be.
I underestimated this issue. Several months ago, when people told me this would be the dominant issue in the Democratic nomination fight in 2028, and that it would be a huge general election issue, the Republican nominee for president would also be under pressure to take a different position. I didn&#8217;t believe it. And now I&#8217;ve probably over-corrected. Now I see just how emotional this is, just how powerful it is, crystallized by that vote in the House, crystallized by that exchange with Ro Khanna, crystallized by the reaction to Rahm Emanuel&#8217;s speech in Israel, and crystallized by the words the vice president of the United States making an open accusation about Israel, that there are forces within the Israeli government, Israeli society who don&#8217;t want the war to end and are using their influence to try to keep the war going.
That&#8217;s an extraordinary claim for anyone of influence to make, even more so from the vice president of the United States. I&#8217;m going to keep reporting on this story because it is not going away.
***
Mark Halperin is an American journalist, political commentator, author, and founder of the interactive media platform 2WAY. He previously was political director for ABC News, where he also edited the Washington, D.C., newsletter The Note.

Israel and USA grunge flags connection vector

What Explains The Seismic Democratic Shift On Israel?

DW Opinion

JD Vance

Ro Khanna

Ro Khanna was having a great week.
Everyone was feeding right into the publicity stunt he pulled by traveling to the West Bank and getting &#8220;detained&#8221; by Israelis. Ink was spilled in think-pieces, man-hours were spent on thorough &#8220;debunkings,&#8221; and Khanna got to fling all the slop he could in various Twitter fights.
In the attention economy age, things were going perfectly to plan. Ro was dominating the conversation.
There&#8217;s just one problem: it wasn&#8217;t enough for the people who it was meant to impress.
After his trip, Khanna did an interview with the terrorist-friendly third-worldist outlet Drop Site News, seeking to capitalize on his momentum. There, <a href="https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2077101764277399717">he was confronted</a> by journalist Jeremy Scahill.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
💢 Jeremy Scahill asks Rep. Ro Khanna:
“Do Palestinians have a right to kill Israeli soldiers, Congressman?”
“On October 7, did Palestinians have a right to attack Israeli military bases in the Gaza envelope? Yes or no?”
🎥 Watch Khanna’s response in the attached clip. Longer… <a href="https://t.co/x05LkvFxgU">https://t.co/x05LkvFxgU</a> <a href="https://t.co/CmZqgpahBZ">pic.twitter.com/CmZqgpahBZ</a>
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) <a href="https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2077101764277399717?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Do Palestinians have a right to kill Israeli soldiers, Congressman?&#8221;
&#8220;The first targets that were hit on the morning of October 7 were multiple military bases. Did Palestinian forces have the right to attack those military bases?&#8221;
Scahill, who does very cool things like call terrorists by their formal names (&#8220;The Qassam Brigades, Palestinian Forces&#8221;), subjected Khanna to a seven-minute struggle session where he repeatedly asked the Congressman to say October 7 was a good thing.
Khanna was forced to flail and give generic answers about &#8220;non-violent resistance&#8221; and even invoked Gandhi. But it wasn&#8217;t good enough for Scahill. He needed to endorse killing Israelis. He needed to say October 7 was justified. Anything less was insufficient.
I must say I delighted in the exchange. I will admit there was a time I fell on the more non-interventionist, anti-war side of foreign policy. I still do, to a large degree. But I was forced back toward the center as I realized gradually over time just how insane the &#8220;anti-war&#8221; faction is.
The reality is most of them aren&#8217;t anti-war when you scratch just a tad below the surface. What they actually are is anti-American and anti-Western. They side with terrorists, dictators, and adversaries of the United States. People like Scahill cry anti-imperialism and then have nothing to say about Vladimir Putin&#8217;s genocidal war of aggression against Ukraine.
Drop Site wasn&#8217;t the only one to call BS on Khanna&#8217;s stunt because it didn&#8217;t go far enough. Hasan Piker delivered the presidential hopeful a backhanded compliment, <a href="https://x.com/socialistadri/status/2077100119644656082">calling him &#8220;moveable&#8221; on Israel</a>, which is better than, say, Chuck Schumer.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨&#8221;If he&#8217;s movable on this issue, we can get others to be far, far more aggressive in their posture. I will take Ro Khanna over Chuck Schumer. I will take Ro Khanna over Haley Stevens. I will take Ro Khanna over Cory Booker.&#8221; Hasan Piker discussing <a href="https://x.com/RoKhanna?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RoKhanna</a>&#8216;s inconsistencies on… <a href="https://t.co/vre16FIuAZ">pic.twitter.com/vre16FIuAZ</a>
— adri ♡ (@socialistadri) <a href="https://x.com/socialistadri/status/2077100119644656082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
His audience&#8217;s reaction? To turn on Piker himself and call him impure.
The comments under Piker&#8217;s post and the Drop Site interview indicate that Khanna is learning a harsh lesson. Until he embraces out-and-out extermination of the Israeli state and support of Hamas, his silly games will get him nowhere. Only pure, uncut radicalism will do. He joined the <a href="https://x.com/Cavalorn/status/654934442549620736">leopards-eating-faces party</a>, and now he&#8217;s got to dislodge the teeth from his orbital bone.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8216;I never thought leopards would eat MY face,&#8217; sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People&#8217;s Faces Party.
— Adrian Bott (@Cavalorn) <a href="https://x.com/Cavalorn/status/654934442549620736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Gemini_Generated_Image_dlq4kldlq4kldlq4

Ro Khanna’s Unfortunate Encounter With Face-Eating Leopards

In a shameful flip-flop, Representative Adam Smith (D-WA), the ranking Democrat on the powerhouse House Armed Services Committee, <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2026/07/smith-says-he-was-pressured-to-vote-against-israel-aid-by-violent-far-left-activists/">surrendered</a> to the radical Left on Wednesday, voting to freeze $3.3 billion in vital U.S. military assistance to Israel just days after promising he would oppose the measure.
At the end of June, Smith told <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2026/06/top-house-democrats-oppose-massie-amendment-cut-israel-aid/">Jewish Insider</a> he planned to vote against the amendment, saying, “I’m against that. I don’t think it has support because it cuts off humanitarian aid, military aid — all aid for Israel. So I don’t think there’s support for it, but we’ll see.”
In Smith&#8217;s statement explaining why he flipped, he tacitly implied that a ruthless campaign of intimidation right at his doorstep might have played a part in his decision.
In a stunning statement posted to X, Smith hinted that a wave of aggressive far-left, anti-Israel agitators might have successfully bullied him into submission. The congressman detailed a catalog of terror targeted at his private life.
Radicals vandalized his family home, ignited a fire in his driveway, and launched disruptive late-night demonstrations that terrorized his quiet neighborhood. The thuggery didn&#8217;t stop there; unruly mobs repeatedly shut down his local town halls, and an innocent member of his congressional staff was physically assaulted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My statement on my vote in support of Rep. Massie&#39;s Amendment #8. <a href="https://t.co/gLoeYWiCNv">pic.twitter.com/gLoeYWiCNv</a>
&mdash; Rep. Adam Smith (@RepAdamSmith) <a href="https://x.com/RepAdamSmith/status/2077741622813470898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
But rather than standing strong against the lawless mob, the powerful defense lawmaker folded like a lawn chair.
The shocking capitulation comes as Smith stares down a tense August 4 primary challenge from two fierce anti-Israel activists. Critics say his vote smells of pure political survival, driven by an appetite to appease the most extreme elements of his party.
The $3.3 billion aid package was targeted by an amendment from Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) to strip funding from the 2027 State Department appropriations bill. While top Democrats like Representative Greg Meeks (D-NY) warned that defunding Israel during an existential crisis was dangerous policy, Smith broke ranks. Other progressives, like Representative Greg Casar (D-TX), cheered the cuts, blindly blasting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The amendment ultimately failed 104–314–10 (103 Dems for, 98 against, 10 present; Rep. Thomas Massie the lone GOP yes).
In his explanation, Smith tried to play both sides. He acknowledged that many of the radicals demanding America completely abandon the Jewish state actually deny Israel’s right to exist, pointing out their willful blindness to the horrific, violent extremism of Hamas. He claimed his vote was merely an attempt to grab the “attention of the Israeli government.”
Yet, no amount of political spin can mask the dangerous precedent. By backing down after his home was targeted and his staff attacked, Smith sent a loud and clear message to political extremists: terrorism works.

Navy Officials Testify Before House Armed Services Committee

Top Dem Folds To Anti-Israel Mob After Attacks On His Family

Adam Smith

Civil Terrorism

Vice President JD Vance told Joe Rogan he believes the White House &#8220;mishandled&#8221; the Epstein files in an interview that aired Wednesday, and claimed Epstein had connections at the &#8220;highest levels&#8221; of both American and Israeli intelligence.
&#8220;We absolutely screwed up the comms of the Epstein files,&#8221; Vance told Rogan as the two discussed the dramatic 2025 release of the files. &#8220;We just did. But do I think the reason we screwed up the comms is because we were trying to hide something? No.&#8221;
Vance pointed to former Attorney General Pam Bondi&#8217;s claim that the &#8220;client list&#8221; was sitting on her desk — a falsehood that drew massive backlash toward the administration once it was confirmed no such list existed. Bondi&#8217;s team then offered binders of &#8220;Epstein files&#8221; to right-wing influencers that held no new information and prompted even more scrutiny.
&#8220;The effect of it was to make people distrust the entire effort,&#8221; Vance explained. &#8220;Look, I know Pam, I like Pam.  I don&#8217;t think there was anything malicious going on. I think Pam was trying to respond to the political moment. I think she overstated what we have and what we didn&#8217;t have, and I think she got roasted for it publicly, by a lot of people, including me.&#8221;
The vice president maintained that he is one of the &#8220;OG Epstein conspiracy theorists,&#8221; and has gone down every possible rabbit hole on the subject. He&#8217;s convinced that the evidence showing Epstein blackmailed influential people was destroyed back in 2006 or 2007 — or that no one ever properly gathered that evidence.
<div id="attachment_1136427" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vance-tells-joe-rogan-trump-team-mishandled-epstein-case-alleges-intel-ties/us-politics-justice-epstein-5" rel="attachment wp-att-1136427"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1136427" class="wp-image-1136427 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2201631069-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2201631069-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2201631069-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2201631069-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2201631069.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;You go back to the original warrant back in 2008,&#8221; Vance said, pointing to Alex Acosta, who originally investigated Epstein. &#8220;What was he looking for? What was he allowed to look for? What were they collecting? It was not looking at a broader conspiracy.&#8221;
&#8220;So that happens, Epstein gets pinched. I think he goes to prison or maybe this is when he was on house arrest,&#8221; Vance explained. &#8220;Anything that existed from the 80s, 90s, up to 2006, 2007, anything that existed that we didn&#8217;t get back then, was disappeared.&#8221;
He added: &#8220;So when people say, has what you seen on the inside make you think that Epstein never blackmailed people or that Epstein never engaged in broader sex trafficking? No, absolutely not. What I have seen, and I&#8217;ve looked at most of the files, is that there just wasn&#8217;t dispositive evidence. And if that dispositive evidence ever existed, it was probably destroyed after 2006, 2007.&#8221;
Vance agreed with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles&#8217; assessment that on this topic, he is a conspiracy theorist. When Rogan pointed out that many people think Epstein was a Mossad agent, Vance lent credence to the idea.
&#8220;Yeah, Mossad or CIA or some other deep state, whether in America or Israel or another country,&#8221; he reflected. &#8220;Or both! Look he clearly had connections to the highest levels of American intelligence. He clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence.&#8221;
Vance then admitted there was no actual evidence in the files for those claims.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve asked, were there like, were there documents connecting Jeffrey Epstein directly to our intelligence agencies or anybody else&#8217;s, and the answer is no. But if that sh*t existed, it wouldn&#8217;t exist in 2026,&#8221; Vance claimed.
&#8220;One of the reasons I&#8217;m always careful and I say there are some elements within the Israeli government who don&#8217;t like our peace process, because there are a lot of elements within the Israeli government that actually do like our peace process, they recognize that this indefinite campaign is not good for them either.&#8221;
&#8220;The Epstein thing is interesting,&#8221; he continued, &#8220;because as much as I know Prime Minister Netanyahu is not a particularly popular person in the United States of America right now, Epstein seemed to be connected to the elements of the Israeli deep state that were left of center. I&#8217;ve always found that fascinating. It wasn&#8217;t like he was super connected to the right of center of Israeli politics.&#8221;
In the United States, Vance pointed out, Epstein was connected &#8220;across the board.&#8221;
&#8220;He had Republican friends, he had Democratic friends,&#8221; the vice president said. &#8220;He had much deeper connections to the Israeli left of center than right of center, I don&#8217;t know what that means, but I find that interesting.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1136425" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vance-tells-joe-rogan-trump-team-mishandled-epstein-case-alleges-intel-ties/patrick-mcmullan-archives-43" rel="attachment wp-att-1136425"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1136425" class="wp-image-1136425 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-590696434-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-590696434-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-590696434-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-590696434-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-590696434.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>(Photo by Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;I also just think there&#8217;s an element of, he was a scumbag, he was a very sick person, he built relationships with a lot of other rich and powerful people who just didn&#8217;t have any real moral judgement about the fact that the guy was obviously a scumbag,&#8221; Vance noted, before telling Rogan that Democrats continue to accuse the president of wrongdoing related to Epstein without any evidence.
&#8220;Who was the guy who narc&#8217;d on Epstein to the Palm Beach police?&#8221; Vance asked. &#8220;That&#8217;s in the Epstein files. It was Donald Trump!&#8221;
Asked by Rogan how the administration should have handled the matter, Vance responded that &#8220;we should have just dropped everything at the very beginning.&#8221; He acknowledged that it does take time to redact the documents when victims are involved, but they should have done it as quickly as possible.
Vance also said that he believes Epstein was absolutely trying to influence people and compromise people.
&#8220;There is a story there — I will go to my deathbed believing there is a story there, but I can&#8217;t prove it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And I promise there&#8217;s not some document, that at least I&#8217;m hiding, that allows us to prove exactly what was going on and how.&#8221;
Vance also used the interview to allege that opponents of his negotiations with Iran were being paid by Israel, referencing a <a href="https://time.com/article/2026/07/13/brad-parscale-israel-influence-operation/">TIME Magazine investigation</a> into former Trump campaign operative Brad Parscale&#8217;s paid lobbying efforts.
&#8220;I definitely think you have seen this very discreet, extremely well-funded campaign to try to derail the negotiation,&#8221; Vance told Rogan. &#8220;Those people are attacking me viciously for quite literally trying to accomplish the negotiation objective the president set for the country.&#8221;
&#8220;They&#8217;re leaking to reporters, they&#8217;re attacking me obsessively saying that we should not be negotiating with Iran, we should just keep the military campaign going indefinitely &#8230; people have come after me and said that I&#8217;m influenced by Qatar, that I&#8217;m influenced by foreign governments, that I take my marching orders from Tucker Carlson, there&#8217;s so much bullsh*t out there.&#8221;
&#8220;What I&#8217;m actually trying to do is accomplish what the president of the United States told me to accomplish,&#8221; Vance said.

Vice President Vance Speaks At TPUSA Event In Athens, Georgia

Vance Tells Joe Rogan Trump Team ‘Mishandled’ Epstein Case, Alleges Intel Ties

Epstein Files

Jeffrey Epstein

Joe Rogan

Pam Bondi

A majority of House Democrats on Wednesday voted to block all U.S. security aid to Israel, escalating a contentious debate that has exposed deepening divisions within the party over America’s relationship with the Jewish state.
The legislative <a href="https://amendments-rules.house.gov/amendments/Amendment%20to%20HR.8595%20-%20Israel260615132213134.pdf">amendment</a>, which Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced, would have cut $3.3 billion in security assistance that the U.S. has pledged to Israel.
The amendment <a href="https://x.com/JakeSherman/status/2077494665285095668?s=20">ultimately failed</a> on the House floor in a 104-314 vote. All Republicans except Massie, joined by 98 Democrats, voted against the measure, while 10 Democrats voted present.
Internal Democratic divisions were on full display leading up to the vote. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who opposed the measure, urged his members to follow their conscience.
“In my view, there are more decisive ways to achieve the urgent change necessary when it comes to the far-right Netanyahu government,” Jeffries <a href="https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2077051888072114676?s=20">wrote in a letter</a> to his fellow Democrats. “Republican leaders are desperately trying to weaponize an amendment they do not support for nakedly partisan reasons.”
“However, given the strongly held views throughout the Caucus in this important area of foreign policy, we are not whipping this vote,” he added.
Whipping a vote is a conventional practice in which party leaders work to ensure they have enough support from rank-and-file members to pass or defeat a measure. Trying to thread the needle, Jeffries, without giving specifics, said the status quo has to go.
“Moving forward, it is my strongly held view that for the good of Israel and the Palestinian people, American policy in the Middle East must change,” he said.
Jeffries’ argument was not persuasive enough to win over his deputy, Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), the number two House Democrat.
“I think that this is a cynical effort with this amendment to divide people,” Clark <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/07/15/congress/katherine-clark-israel-aid-00998666">said</a> in an interview with <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/07/15/congress/katherine-clark-israel-aid-00998666">Politico</a>. “But it is also a chance to say clearly that the status quo is not acceptable.”
“There is no country that should be given a blank check for military aid that is not in line with our interests and values as Americans,” she added.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) also <a href="https://x.com/JakeSherman/status/2077489497080549785?s=20">voted</a> to strip Israel of U.S. military aid, describing the amendment as &#8220;ill-conceived&#8221; but saying she supported &#8220;the message that it sends.&#8221;
Some Democrats couldn&#8217;t help but tie the vote to President Donald Trump.
&#8220;Benjamin Netanyahu, like Donald Trump, is a corrupt authoritarian who should face criminal courts — not receive billions more for weapons,&#8221; Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA) <a href="https://x.com/RepRobertGarcia/status/2077428826020164057?s=20">said</a>. &#8220;The American people want lower housing costs and more affordable groceries, not more bombs and foreign wars.&#8221;
No matter how symbolic, the fissures exposed by Wednesday’s vote underscore the extraordinary shift underway in a Democratic Party that was once broadly supportive of military aid to Israel. The vote comes just weeks after three Democratic incumbents lost primary challenges, in part over their positions on Israel.
In April, a record number of Senate Democrats voted to block weapons sales to Israel. On Tuesday, Democrats also blocked an annual defense policy bill, citing objections to the war in Iran and drawing the ire of Republicans.
“For the first time in U.S. history, every Senate Democrat, led by Chuck Schumer, voted against starting debate on the overwhelmingly bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act,” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) <a href="https://x.com/SenDanSullivan/status/2077146029166617064?s=20">said</a> on X.
“It’s discouraging to see Senate Democrats caving to the far-left of their party.”

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Congressman Ro Khanna, the California Democrat considering a 2028 presidential bid, has spent the past week accusing Israeli settlers and soldiers of unlawfully detaining him and other Americans on an overseas trip.
On July 8th, Khanna joined a delegation organized by Breaking the Silence, a left-wing activist group known for its criticism of Israeli military operations and policies in Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank. The group attempted to visit Khirbet Zanuta, a disputed site in the South Hebron Hills that has become a flashpoint in legal battles over unauthorized Arab construction. 
According to Israeli authorities, the delegation had entered a closed military zone without prior authorization and was stopped by civilian security personnel coordinating with military forces. Video released after the incident appears to show Israeli soldiers directing the group to wait for police.
Khanna has described the encounter in far more dramatic terms. During a Fox News interview, he claimed &#8220;the only reason we&#8217;re safe&#8221; was because U.S. Embassy official David Brownstein contacted senior Israeli officials.
&#8220;The only reason our lives are saved is because of the excellent work of the American embassy,&#8221; Khanna said in a Fox News interview, later adding that &#8220;American lives weren&#8217;t lost&#8221; because of the intervention.
Khanna has not publicly provided evidence that members of the delegation faced an imminent threat to their lives.
Khanna claimed that &#8220;Israeli settlers, brandishing American made M4s, detained me &amp; other Americans on my trip to Palestine.&#8221;
Available <a href="https://x.com/EFischberger/status/2076679130826117203">footage</a> from Khanna’s group shows armed local security personnel carrying rifles on slings, but does not appear to show weapons being drawn or pointed at members of the delegation.
Naomi Kahn of Regavim, an Israeli advocacy group that tracks illegal Arab building in Judea and Samaria, said Khanna used the situation as a publicity stunt.
&#8220;Ro Khanna&#8217;s visit was designed to be an anti-Israel PR stunt,&#8221; Kahn told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Khirbet Zanuta is an illegal outpost that was voluntarily abandoned after the outbreak of the war and the increased military presence in the area.&#8221;
Kahn said the High Court of Justice instructed the Israel Defense Forces to protect residents who wished to return to the site and that the military subsequently maintained the area as a closed zone. 
She noted that Khirbet Zanuta sits atop an archaeological site dating back thousands of years that was designated for preservation when Great Britain controlled the area in the mid-20th century. Regavim has argued that unauthorized construction at the site damaged archaeological remains.
Israeli police likewise disputed Khanna&#8217;s account.
“By law, civilian access to these areas is prohibited for safety and security reasons,” police told <a href="https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/california-dem-congressman-says-he-was-detained-by-israeli-settlers">Jewish News Syndicate</a>, adding that officers “witnessed no violence at the scene.”
Police said body camera footage showed that Breaking the Silence Executive Director Nadav Weiman, who was guiding the delegation, had previously been warned about entering the area and was informed that future violations could result in arrest.
“A review of body-worn camera footage confirms that the group leader was explicitly warned by officers, as this was not his first time violating the closed military zone order,” the statement said. “He was issued a final warning that any future violations would result in immediate arrest.” 
Khanna’s group was briefed on the military order once police arrived and then were allowed to leave the restricted area, according to police.
The presence of armed civilian security personnel at the scene was not unusual. Communities throughout Judea and Samaria maintain civilian security teams that coordinate with the IDF and police because of persistent terrorist threats in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referenced those security concerns during a recent appearance on NBC&#8217;s Meet the Press, where he was asked about settler violence and Khanna&#8217;s allegations.
&#8220;We&#8217;re a country of laws and people who break the law, we take them to court,&#8221; Netanyahu said. While acknowledging that a small number of Israelis engage in vigilante violence, he described the overwhelming majority of settlers as law-abiding citizens and argued that such incidents should be viewed in the context of &#8220;thousands&#8221; of attacks against Israeli civilians.
&#8220;There are 150 juvenile delinquents that are not part of that community,&#8221; Netanyahu said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t want vigilantes of any kind, and we are working to put them under the law.&#8221;
According to Israeli authorities, the security personnel who encountered Khanna&#8217;s delegation were not acting as vigilantes but as members of a civilian security team responding to reports that vehicles had entered a closed military zone.
When The Daily Wire visited the same site last summer, a civilian security team quickly arrived, confirmed that reporters had authorization to be there, and departed the scene.
But according to Israeli authorities, Khanna&#8217;s delegation had not coordinated entry into the closed military zone, prompting local security personnel to contact the army and police.
The Har Hevron Regional Council, which oversees Israeli communities in the southern Judean Hills, likewise disputed Khanna&#8217;s account of the encounter.
&#8220;Despite efforts to portray the incident as a &#8216;violent assault,&#8217; the facts on the ground tell a very different story,&#8221; the council said.
The council cited an eyewitness who said Palestinian activists and anti-Israel groups had repeatedly attempted to enter Khirbet Zanuta in recent weeks and had been turned away because of the area&#8217;s status as a closed military zone.
According to the eyewitness, two IDF reservists who also serve as local security volunteers approached the group and informed them they were in a restricted area. The group&#8217;s security guard allegedly responded that they would wait for the IDF and police to clarify the situation.
&#8220;At no point did the residents block the vehicles or assault anyone,&#8221; the eyewitness said. &#8220;A few minutes later, an IDF patrol arrived. At that point, the residents left the area and allowed the military to handle the situation.&#8221;
The IDF also disagreed with Khanna&#8217;s characterization of events. According to the military, troops were dispatched after receiving reports that Israeli civilians were blocking vehicles carrying foreign nationals and journalists. The IDF said soldiers dispersed the civilians and reopened the road, adding that soldiers &#8220;did not take part in blocking the road.&#8221;
&#8220;This should be an outrage to any American citizen,&#8221; Khanna said.
Kahn called Khanna an agitator and rejected that his status as an American congressman entitled the group to special treatment after entering a restricted military area.
“In any normal country, people who violate the law and trespass are blocked from entering, and are detained (at the very least). They are then arrested, arraigned, and either held over for trial or released on bail. Foreign agitators are either deported and banned re-entry, or sent to prison if there is no treaty with his or her home country.”
She added that “Khanna should have been treated to far less courtesy and hospitality.”
The confrontation was not the only aspect of Khanna&#8217;s trip that generated controversy.
During his visit, the congressman met with Hebron Mayor Tayseer Abu Sneineh, a Palestinian official convicted for his role in a deadly 1980 terrorist attack.
Abu Sneineh was one of the gunmen involved in an attack on Jewish worshippers returning from Sabbath prayers near Hebron&#8217;s Cave of the Patriarchs. Six people were murdered and 16 wounded in the shooting. Among those killed were two American citizens and a Canadian national.
An Israeli court <a href="https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/convicted-murderer-of-six-israelis-elected-as-palestinian-mayor-of-hebron-490664">sentenced</a> Abu Sneineh to life in prison for his role in the attack. He was released three years later as part of a prisoner exchange between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization and later returned to the West Bank following the signing of the Oslo Accords.
During the Fox News interview, Khanna accused Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Leiter of lying about the trip.
Leiter had previously said Israeli officials encouraged Khanna to meet with survivors of the October 7 Hamas massacre, visit Israeli border communities, and hear from families affected by the war. According to Leiter, Khanna declined those opportunities and instead chose to coordinate his itinerary with Palestinian activists.
&#8220;We suggested he visit with survivors of the October 7 massacre,&#8221; Leiter said. &#8220;He ignored that and he decided to coordinate his trip not with Israel, but with Palestinian activists.&#8221;
Khanna rejected the characterization, insisting Israeli officials had been informed of his travel plans and saying he specifically wanted to participate in a Palestinian-led tour because he had already visited Israel multiple times and heard the Israeli perspective.

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The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) vetoed a deal between Volkswagen and Rafael — an Israeli defense technology company — to utilize one of the auto company’s struggling plants that is at risk of closing, according to Bild, a German newspaper.
In late April, a prospective solution to save Volkswagen’s Osnabrück plant emerged when Volkswagen signed a letter of intent with Rafael to manufacture Iron Dome components for missile defense systems at the facility, with production scheduled to end next year, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/vw-investor-qatar-complicates-plant-deal-talks-with-israeli-arms-maker-sources-2026-06-17/">according</a> to Reuters.
Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund opposed Volkswagen’s deal with Rafael to repurpose the plant, which has around 2,300 employees who are at risk of losing their jobs. 
The QIA holds major influence as Volkswagen’s third-largest shareholder, with 10.4% of the total share capital and 17% of Volkswagen’s voting rights, The Jerusalem Post <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-902126">reported</a>. 
The QIA vetoed the deal due to the hostility between Israel and Qatar, which would complicate Doha’s position in the Middle East’s conflict. Qatar has extensively supported Palestine and has no diplomatic ties to Israel. Instead, Qatar became a mediator for Israel and Hamas, where Hamas has a political office, according to Reuters.
In an attempt to find a solution, Lower Saxony, a German federal state and major Volkswagen shareholder, could join the collaboration ⁠between Volkswagen and Rafael, two sources told Reuters.
Olaf Lies, the State Premier of Lower Saxony and a member of Volkswagen&#8217;s supervisory board, declined to comment on QIA&#8217;s move but implored the auto company to find a long-term solution for the Osnabrück branch. 
“I ​expect the company to live up to this responsibility and present ​the announced decisions in a timely manner,” Lies told Reuters. “The state will provide constructive support wherever it is appropriate and possible.”

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