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In implied rebuke to Trump, Republican Party denounces Kanye West and Nick Fuentes
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Republican Party unanimously condemned as antisemitic Kanye West and Nick Fuentes, saying their beliefs have no place in “any political discourse.”
The official resolution passed on Friday at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting represents an implied rebuke to former President Donald Trump, who recently dined and consulted with the men, but does not mention him.
The resolution opposes “all forms of antisemitism, antisemitic statements and any antisemitic elements that seek to infiltrate the Republican Party.” It names West, the rapper and designer now known as Ye, saying he “has repeatedly made statements that are antisemitic, shameful, wrong, offensive, bigoted, and contrary to American and Republican principles.” It also names Fuentes, noting that he is a white supremacist.
Trump dined with West and Fuentes in November, not long after West launched a barrage of antisemitic statements on social media and interviews. Fuentes has long been known as an antisemite and a Holocaust denier.
“Resolved, that the Republican National Committee affirms antisemitism has no place in our political party, American politics, or any political discourse,” the resolution said.
Trump did not apologize for the encounter, even though it drew rebukes from some of his closest Jewish associates. Trump said West was an old friend in crisis, and that West brought along Fuentes, whom Trump claimed not to know and whose antisemitism he condemned.
Politico, which first reported planning for the resolution, said it was conceived by Shawn Steel, a national committeeman for the RNC. “I want to create a standard for all political parties in America, that we don’t tolerate bigotry, and in this particular case, antisemitism,” he told Politico.
The resolution also targeted a number of Democrats that Republicans see as antisemitic, in part because of their harsh criticism of Israel and in at least three cases, their endorsement of the boycott Israel movement.
The resolution reflects the party’s growing ambiguity about the former president. Trump was seen as the party leader until November, when the GOP performed poorly in midterm elections it was expected to sweep. The party blamed losses on Trump’s obsession with the false claim that he won the 2020 election, and on the poor performances of candidates, a number of them eccentric, whom Trump had endorsed.
Trump is still seen as a force to reckon with; he is the sole declared Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election. But there is greater willingness to move on from his legacy. A number of candidates once close to Trump are signaling they will soon announced their own presidential runs, including three with deep support among Jewish conservatives: former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
The RNC confab reelected Ronna McDaniel as its chairwoman, although it has underperformed since she first assumed the role in 2017. McDaniel is seen as close to Trump, a factor that helped her fend off challenges, and a signal of his continuing influence. Lee Zeldin, a Jewish Republican who served in Congress and just lost an unexpectedly close race for New York governor, briefly considered challenging McDaniel.
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The post In implied rebuke to Trump, Republican Party denounces Kanye West and Nick Fuentes appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Pete Hegseth Pledges Retribution After Islamist Gunmen in Syria Kills 2 US Soldiers and Civilian, Injuring 3
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on US President Donald Trump’s budget request for the Department of Defense, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, June 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
i24 News – Two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in an Islamic State attack on Saturday in Palmyra, Syria, where they were supporting counterterrorism operations, the Pentagon said.
Three others were wounded, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the attacker was killed by partner forces.
The Syrian Interior Ministry said that shooter in the deadly attack in Palmyra was a “member of the Syrian security forces who was influence by extremist ideology.”
President Donald Trump posted that “We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter. Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well.”
“This was an ISIS attack against the US, and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them. The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
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Israel Says It Kills Senior Hamas Commander Raed Saed in Gaza
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a car in Gaza City, December 13, 2025.REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
The Israeli military said it killed senior Hamas commander Raed Saed, one of the architects of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, in a strike on a car in Gaza City on Saturday.
It was the highest-profile assassination of a senior Hamas figure since a Gaza ceasefire deal came into effect in October.
In a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said Saed was targeted in response to an attack by Hamas in which an explosive device injured two soldiers earlier on Saturday.
The attack on the car in Gaza City killed five people and wounded at least 25 others, according to Gaza health authorities. There was no immediate confirmation from Hamas or medics that Saed was among the dead.
HAMAS SAYS ATTACK VIOLATES CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT
An Israeli military official described Saed as a high-ranked Hamas member who helped establish and advance the group’s weapons production network.
“In recent months, he operated to reestablish Hamas’ capabilities and weapons manufacturing, a blatant violation of the ceasefire,” the official said.
Hamas sources have also described him as the second-in-command of the group’s armed wing, after Izz eldeen Al-Hadad.
Saed used to head Hamas’ Gaza City battalion, one of the group’s largest and best-equipped, those sources said.
Hamas, in a statement, condemned the attack as a violation of the ceasefire agreement but did not say whether Saed was hurt and stopped short of threatening retaliation.
The October 10 ceasefire has enabled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to Gaza City’s ruins. Israel has pulled troops back from city positions, and aid flows have increased.
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Hezbollah Chief: Disarmament Would Be ‘Death Sentence’ for Lebanon
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Chief Naim Qassem gives a televised speech from an unknown location, July 30, 2025, in this screen grab from video. Photo: Al Manar TV/REUTERS TV/via REUTERS
i24 News – Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said on Saturday that it was not the responsibility of the Shiite terror group “to prevent aggression,” but rather the Lebanese state’s, and it is the responsibility of Hezbollah to engage “when the state and army fail to do so.”
In a recorded televised statement, Qassem sarcastically posed the question whether it was not Hezbollah that should be demanding the Lebanese Army’s disarmament if the latter fails to stop “Israel’s ongoing aggression.”
On the issue of disarming Hezbollah, Qassem said that disarming it in the manner currently proposed is a death sentence for Lebanon.
“Even if the sky falls, we will not be disarmed, not even if the entire world unites against Lebanon. We will not allow this and it will not happen,” Qassem said.