The test of any administration's policy is whether it is accepted -- even reluctantly -- by its successors. Obamacare is here to stay, mostly because Republicans didn't have the heart to repeal it (though Trump got rid of the individual mandate to buy health insurance, the most constitutionally offensive part of the law.) Now, the Jerusalem embassy is permanent U.S. policy.
That became clear earlier this year with news that the Biden administration was abandoning plans to open a separate consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem. The move was a strategic disaster, as it would have divided Jerusalem for diplomatic purposes and given Palestinians a claim on the city -- in return for nothing. It also violated international law, in terms of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which requires host country approval of foreign missions.
Now the Jerusalem embassy is here to stay. Trump deserves a standing ovation. But more than Trump's leadership, the latest development simply confirms that the Jerusalem embassy reflects existing reality on the ground -- that Jerusalem is Israel's capital -- as well as the interests of the United States, without hurting the interests of Arab allies in the region, who are still making peace with Israel.
This week's show will be slightly different from the norm: we'll focus on clips and topics, rather than guests -- and that, hopefully, will mean more input from the callers (unless you are all watching football on opening weekend).
Topics:
- The state of the economy
- The fight against crime
- The midterm election fight
- The struggle for peace between Russia and Ukraine
- The airstrike on the Venezuelan drug cartel
- The attempt to sink Kennedy
- The war in Gaza
- The case against Harvard
- The Trump presidency
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot 125, 7-10 p.m. ET / 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week's Torah portion includes several laws about conduct in civic and personal life, the common theme of which is boundaries -- setting bounds to what one may do at home, at work, and even in the battlefield.
One noteworthy passage concerns Amalek, the evil nation that attacked the Children of Israel as they made their Exodus from slavery to freedom. Deuteronomy 25:17-19 commands Jews to obliterate Amalek's memory.
The South African government accused Israel of genocide on the basis of a story about Amalek in the Book of Samuel, in which King Saul was commanded to wipe out the entire evil Amalekite nation.
Because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quoted this week's portion -- "Remember what Amalek did to you" (25:17), the South African government claimed he was commanding soldiers to commit genocide.
It was an absurd and malevolent misreading of the Bible and of Jewish tradition. The commandment, as observed by Jews today, is to remember the evil of Amalek and fight ...
