NewsNation’s Leland Vittert provides his expert analysis and perspective on the Israel-Hamas war in the Oct. 27 edition of his War Notes column.
(NewsNation) — The news in one line: NYPD tells Jews in Brooklyn to stay home.
Very quickly we should look at the U.S. attack on Iranian militias. This is (likely) the beginning, not the end. Wait for Iran to strike back and test the Biden administration’s resolve. To be fair, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s statement puts the Iranians, not just their proxies, on notice.
We now have proof of what we told you last week: The civil war in the Democratic Party over supporting Hamas versus Israel is stunning. President Biden is down 11% among Democrats in the past month.
Axios reports it is largely because of his very public support of Israel.
The Democratic divide played out during our interview Thursday night with Representative Brad Sherman, D-Calif., when he couldn’t bring himself to condemn those who voted against the House resolution supporting Israel. This is more proof there are a lot of Democrat representatives worried about a challenge from the Left with Israel as a wedge issue.
How long can or will Biden defy young progressives and continue support for Israel? How much additional pressure will he put on Israel to delay their ground invasion? How much cover can he politically afford to provide as the media continues to beat the “evil Israelis pummeling Palestinian civilians” drum?
Things could come to a head this weekend, as tomorrow pro-Hamas groups will “flood Brooklyn” to rally for Gaza.
So, on Shabbat, a bunch of people will travel to an area with New York City’s largest concentration of Jews to chant, demanding and celebrating the murder of Jews. There are reports the NYPD advised the Orthodox community to stay inside. How is it possible that the largest police force in the United States can’t protest its citizens from violent mobs?
And, if the crowds are “peaceful” as all the activists claim, why is the NYPD worried? Of course, Jews living in New York City remember the riots of 1991.
For those drawing a moral equivalency, all the pro-Israel protests have a rally or chant to live in peace. All the pro-terrorist rallies have chants for the murder of Jews. It’s pretty simple.
As we predicted in Thursday’s War Notes, people (Jews) will get hurt. They did at Tulane University, and a witness will join On Balance Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
There is an increasing appetite to fight back, not on the streets, but publicly. The board members of universities that don’t stop pro-terrorist marches will be named and shamed. The same will have to donors toward Representatives Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Cori Bush. The Jewish community feels under threat in a way they haven’t since World War II, and this time will be very aggressive.
This Tweet from the Coalition of Jewish Values, showing a sign in Turkey barring Jews from entrance into a building, is just the start.
The Canary Project reports on the alleged ties between Tlaib and Hamas.
There will be a significant amount of money put behind this effort. It will grow significantly from simply naming and shaming the Harvard students who signed the initial letter blaming Israel.
And speaking of following the money, Northwestern University, my alma mater, is a perfect example. The university president refuses to condemn pro-terrorist marches, yet as president of the University of Oregon a few years ago, he was very concerned about antisemitic violence. What’s changed? Money from Qatar, for one.
And, of course, the antisemitism is coming from the Left this time around.
If only there were a journalism school that could teach students to follow the money. There is at Northwestern, so Qatari money now funds the teaching of America’s next generation of journalists.
Speaking of the Gulf, the UAE understands better than most the threat from both the Sunni and Shia groups. This warning from the United Arab Emirates foreign minister proved prophetic.
As a general rule, the United States is a few years behind Europe. Although, with our open Southern border, the explosion of unvetted illegal immigrants from countries fond of terrorism might speed up the process.
Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips will hit Biden on the border during his presidential announcement in New Hampshire. I know Phillips, but not well. He is one of the richest members of Congress and came to office a few years ago. He owned and ran a successful liquor and gelato distributor. His presidential bid comes from the center rather than to the left of Biden, but Biden’s overall weakness must be scaring Democrats.
This weekend is the Republican Jewish Conference in Las Vegas and most of the presidential candidates will speak tomorrow.
Never have Jewish voters and donors been more engaged and angry. Watch for how Republicans try to appeal to traditionally liberal Jews on the events of the past three weeks.
War Notes is off for the weekend.
Tune into “On Balance with Leland Vittert” weeknights at 7/6C on NewsNation. Find your channel here.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation.
