RSS
At New Hampshire event, Republican presidential candidates point to Iran and Biden in aftermath of Hamas attack
NASHUA, New Hampshire (JTA) — The spotlight was on Israel at a Republican Party summit in New Hampshire on Friday, where several Republican presidential candidates and other party leaders spoke to hundreds of local voters and GOP members.
The candidates condemned Hamas’ attacks in Israel and stood universally behind the Jewish state, putting the blame for the violence on Iran and its financial backing of Hamas.
Many also pointed to Joe Biden and his administration’s foreign policy decisions.
“There would be no Hamas if it wasn’t for Iran,” Nikki Haley, the United States’ former representative to the United Nations, told the crowd. “And what did the Biden administration do? He loosened all the sanctions that gave billions of dollars to Iran. Interestingly enough, China, number one importer of oil in Iran. Russia, getting their drones from Iran. Look at the triangle, because the triangle is real.”
Hamas’ attack requires “an overwhelming response by the state of Israel,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, citing Hamas’ violent attacks, some of which were filmed and shared on social media, including contested reports of “decapitated babies.”
“The only thing that’s going to end this is for Israel to uproot all the infrastructure that Hamas has done, all the terror accoutrements, and make Hamas no more,” he said.
Like Haley, other candidates sought to tie the conflict in Israel to other global security issues, including Russia and China.
“We have four real bad actors in this world right now: China, Russia, North Korea and Iran,” said Chris Christie, the former governor from New Jersey. “And they are now working together to try to disrupt the world, to fill a vacuum that unfortunately has been left, in my opinion, by our country in world leadership.”
None of the candidates mentioned the Palestinian casualties that have resulted from Israel’s counterattacks or the mounting humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. Over 400,000 people have been displaced in Gaza so far, according to the United Nations, while Gazans have few places to go following a warning issued by Israel to evacuate the north ahead of an expected ground invasion.
New Hampshire will be the first to vote in the primary elections early in 2024, though an exact date has not yet been set.
As of last week, Donald Trump maintains a strong lead in the Granite State with 49 percentage points followed by Nikki Haley (19%) and Ron DeSantis (10%).
Jews represent less than 1% of the population in New Hampshire, about 10,000 people. With over 70% of U.S. Jews identifying as Democrats in some national surveys, Jewish Republicans were not easy to find at Friday’s event.
But Judy Aron, a state representative from southwestern Sullivan County, was one of them. She said she was “beyond shocked” at the news of Hamas’ attack last week and worries about friends and family living in Israel. In New Hampshire, she says, both Jewish and non-Jewish communities have shown solidarity with Israel and are praying for peace together.
As for the candidates who spoke on Friday, Aron said she was happy with the Republicans’ condemnations of Hamas and expressions of support for Israel. She’s also disappointed with the Democratic Party for not punishing members of their caucus who have come out in support of “Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.”
“It’s definitely a stark difference between the peace that the Trump administration fostered versus this turmoil and hate that has been fomenting with the Biden administration,” she said.
—
The post At New Hampshire event, Republican presidential candidates point to Iran and Biden in aftermath of Hamas attack appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
RSS
Riding Anti-Trump Wave, Australia’s Albanese Secures 2nd term
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to the media during a press conference with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Aug. 16, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy
i24 News – Australia’s Anthony Albanese claimed a second term as prime minister on Saturday, in a comeback against once-resurgent conservatives that commentators said was powered by voters’ concerns about the impact of US President Donald Trump.
Peter Dutton, leader of the conservative Liberal party, conceded defeat and the loss of his own seat, echoing the fate of Canada’s conservatives and their leader Pierre Poilievre, whose election losses last week were also widely attributed to a Trump backlash.
Supporters at Labor’s election party in Sydney cheered and hugged each other as Albanese claimed victory and said his party would form a majority government.
“Our government will choose the Australian way, because we are proud of who we are and all that we have built together in this country,” Albanese told supporters.
The Australian Electoral Commission website projected Labor would win 81 of 150 seats in the House of Representatives, increasing its majority in parliament, with 68% of the vote counted.
The post Riding Anti-Trump Wave, Australia’s Albanese Secures 2nd term first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Israeli PM Netanyahu Postpones Upcoming Visit to Azerbaijan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, Feb. 16, 2025. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has postponed next week’s visit to Azerbaijan, his office announced on Saturday, in part due to recent developments in Gaza and Syria.
The prime minister’s office also cited “the intense diplomatic and security schedule” and said that the visit would be rescheduled, without announcing a new date.
Netanyahu was to visit Azerbaijan from May 7-11 and was expected to meet with President Ilham Aliyev. Israel and Azerbaijan maintain close security and energy ties.
The post Israeli PM Netanyahu Postpones Upcoming Visit to Azerbaijan first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Israel Says It Intercepted Missile Fired from Yemen; Houthis Claim Responsibility
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Israel’s military said on Saturday it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen and Houthi forces claimed responsibility for the attack, the third of its kind by the Iran-aligned group in 24 hours.
The Israeli military said sirens were activated in a number of areas in Israel after the missile was launched. No casualties or serious damage have been reported from the missile salvos.
The claim of responsibility, announced by the Houthis’ military spokesperson, came amid an intensification of US airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
In March, US President Donald Trump ordered large-scale strikes against the Houthis to reduce their capabilities and deter them from targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The deadly strikes on the group have been the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office in January.
The Houthis say their attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping are in solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Hamas terrorists and Israel in Gaza.
The group pledged to expand its range of targets in Israel in retaliation for a renewed Israeli offensive in Gaza launched in mid-March, breaking a two-month-old ceasefire after the mediated talks on terms for extending it broke down.
The post Israel Says It Intercepted Missile Fired from Yemen; Houthis Claim Responsibility first appeared on Algemeiner.com.