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Trump’s National Security Strategy reveals a painful truth: Israel is newly vulnerable
The central message of the United States’ new National Security Strategy should shake the foundations in Jerusalem: Under the Trump administration, the complex web of values-based diplomacy and global American leadership has been replaced by a Hobbesian vision of constant competition for resources based on self-interest alone.
In such a bleak landscape, the relationship with Israel, once deeply rooted in shared values and a foundational American commitment, is now based on interests also. The Middle East section of the strategy describes the security of Israel as an interest alongside the countries of the Gulf and other Arab nations.
“The key to successful relations with the Middle East is accepting the region, its leaders, and its nations as they are, while working together on areas of common interest,” the document says.
Past American administrations, including Republican ones like the two Bush presidencies, believed in spreading democracy – and in this context prized Israel as a fellow democracy, and indeed the only real one in the Middle East. Moreover, democracy and shared values, along with Israel’s special relationship with the U.S., were critical to Israel receiving the economically invaluable associate member status in the European Union in the 1990s.
The current document chides predecessors for trying to spread democracy to countries where it doesn’t fit and seems to value values not at all. So it is no surprise that there is no mention of the 2008 commitment – codified in law – to maintain Israel’s qualitative military edge (which even has been dignified with an oft-used acronym, the QME).
The main concern, however, is the basic posture of the document, which places the supreme emphasis on interests and not values.
“The affairs of other countries are our concern only if their activities directly threaten our interests. Our elites badly miscalculated America’s willingness to shoulder forever global burdens to which the American people saw no connection to the national interest,” the document argues. “They allowed allies and partners to offload the cost of their defense onto the American people, and sometimes to suck us into conflicts and controversies central to their interests but peripheral or irrelevant to our own.”
The departure from every administration in the post-War era is clear and overt. Yet the implications for Israel have gone almost unnoticed for two reasons.
First, more sweeping changes have sent shockwaves throughout the world. Russia and China, which were not truly singled out as direct threats, can be relieved. But Europe absorbed a series of broadsides, from fantastical and quasi-racist notions that it will become majority non-white (described as “non-European”), to encouragement of its far-right parties that aim to break up the union and attacks on its efforts to regulate tech (which is annoying Elon Musk, who absorbed a $140 million fine a few weeks ago for X’s digital skullduggeries).
Second, in Israel, which should be worried and aware of the change, there is infantile adoration for President Trump based on the patently false notion that he is a huge friend.
Trump is not a friend of Israel; he is a friend of Netanyahu. Why? Because both men embody the same populist-nationalist worldview: They believe in elected autocracy where the government is all-powerful, they share a disdain for liberalism, and they use external threats — fabricated, exaggerated, or distorted — to confuse and manipulate the public. It is no accident that Trump is drawn more to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin than to Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky: Putin has succeeded in turning an entire country into an absolute dictatorship. This is a model that many right-wing populists around the world quietly admire. Netanyahu is no different.
Trump tried to help Netanyahu at key electoral junctures with U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and by moving the embassy to Jerusalem. But Trump’s true foreign policy — as now revealed in the administration’s most official document — points to something entirely different: The moment Israel does not serve an immediate self-interested need, it becomes simply one ally among many.
It is true that the document is non-binding, and Israel still has other agreements and arrangements in place. But the new NSS faithfully tracks with Trump’s dog-eat-dog worldview. His willingness, for example, to ignore the QME was on vivid display last month when he agreed to sell Saudi Arabia the same level of F35s as Israel, joking with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in televised comments from the White House that Israel won’t be happy with that.
In the past, U.S. support for Israel might have been connected also to electoral victory and especially fundraising from Jewish donors – but that too is changing as support for Israel plummets among the U.S. public, especially among the far-right isolationist wing, and among American youth, because of the country’s brutality in the Gaza war and the generally illiberal posture of the Netanyahu government.
When the American vision of foreign policy is stripped of its moral foundation — a foundation that shaped the post-World War II global order — Israel is in a particularly precarious position. For years, Washington’s unwavering support was built not only on shared interests but on an idea: a shared Western identity, a liberal democracy standing against oppressive forces. Contrary to what many in Israel believe, Democrats carried this banner no less, and perhaps more, than Republicans. They understood the value of the region’s only democracy, even when it faltered.
But Israel abandoned the Democrats with surprising ease. Netanyahu led a dangerous gamble: full alignment with the Republican Party, based on the belief that interests and sympathy among Trumpists were stronger. Yet a partnership based on anti-Muslim animus and global populism is not a values-based alliance, and therefore it is easily discarded. Israel may be left depending on the support in the U.S. of evangelical Christians, which comes with its own complications.
In an environment where America views the world as an endless struggle for material power, and has little interest in discouraging authoritarians or standing up for shared values, Israel’s position weakens dramatically.
The new U.S. strategy makes it clear more than ever: The cards Netanyahu placed on the table were dangerous from the outset. Instead of safeguarding the bipartisan alliance with Washington — the alliance that has been Israel’s ultimate pillar of support — he made it dependent on one side of the political map, and that side no longer believes in shared values or commitments to democracies. When everything is transactional, nothing is assured.
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France Continues to See Surge in Antisemitism, New Government Data Shows, Amid Rampant Hostility Toward Jews
Procession arrives at Place des Terreaux with a banner reading, “Against Antisemitism, for the Republic,” during the march against antisemitism, in Lyon, France, June 25, 2024. Photo: Romain Costaseca / Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect
Antisemitism in France remained at alarmingly high levels last year, with 1,320 incidents recorded nationwide, as Jews and Israelis faced several targeted attacks amid a relentlessly hostile climate despite heightened security measures, according to a newly published data.
On Thursday, the French Interior Ministry released its annual report on anti-religious acts, revealing a troubling rise in antisemitic incidents documented in a joint dataset compiled with the Jewish Community Protection Service.
Although the total number of antisemitic outrages in 2025 fell by 16 percent compared to 2024’s second highest ever total of 1,570 cases, the newly released report warns that antisemitism remains “historically high,” with more than 3.5 attacks occurring every day.
Over the past 25 years, antisemitic acts “have never been as numerous as in the past three years,” the report says, noting a dramatic spike following the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Les chiffres de l’antisémitisme en France en 2025 : un enracinement de la haine antijuive.
Le ministère de l’Intérieur a publié, ce jeudi 12 février 2026, les chiffres des actes antireligieux en France pour l’année 2025. Les données chiffrées concernant les actes antisémites… pic.twitter.com/PQXQfNwsqT
— CRIF (@Le_CRIF) February 12, 2026
Even though Jews make up less than 1 percent of France’s population, they accounted for 53 percent of all religiously motivated crimes last year.
Between 2022 and 2025, antisemitic attacks across France quadrupled, leaving the Jewish community more exposed than ever.
The most recent figure of total antisemitic incidents represents a 21 percent decline from 2023’s record high of 1,676 incidents, but a 203 percent increase from the 436 antisemitic acts recorded in 2022, before the Oct. 7 atrocities.
According to French officials, this latest report, which is based on documented cases and official complaints, still underestimates the true scope of the problem, largely due to widespread underreporting.
The first six months of 2025 alone saw more than 640 antisemitic incidents, a 27.5 percent decline from the same period in 2024, but a 112.5 percent increase compared to the first half of 2023, before the start of the war in Gaza.
The report also reveals a surge in physical attacks, totaling 126 incidents last year, with a striking 67.4 percent of all antisemitic acts aimed at people.
Of all recorded incidents, 30.5 percent of antisemitic outrages took place in private settings and 13.1 percent in educational institutions, but the true extent is likely higher, as these numbers do not account for school-related antisemitism reported by the French Ministry of National Education.
The latest data further indicates that anti-Israel rhetoric is fueling antisemitism, with one-third of incidents explicitly referencing Palestine or the war in Gaza.
The French government’s newly released figures come as the local Jewish community continues to face a growing climate of hostility, despite official efforts to increase security and curb the rise in anti-Jewish hatred.
In a shocking second antisemitic attack in less than a week, a 13-year-old boy in Paris was brutally beaten Monday by a knife-wielding assailant.
On his way to a synagogue in Paris’s 18th arrondissement, the schoolboy was physically attacked by a group of five individuals who beat him, pressed a knife to his throat, called him a “dirty Jew,” and stole his belongings, the French news outlet Le Parisien reported.
According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, the victim was walking to a synagogue, clutching his kippah in his hand rather than wearing it for fear of being recognized, when five attackers confronted him. The group then stole his AirPods, sneakers, and coat, and forced him to empty his pockets.
The boy also told authorities that he was shoved, punched in the face, and threatened with a knife to his throat before his attackers stole his belongings, shouting antisemitic remarks throughout the assault.
In a separate incident over the weekend, three Jewish men wearing kippahs were physically threatened with a knife and forced to flee after leaving their Shabbat services near the Trocadéro in southwest Paris’s 16th arrondissement, European Jewish Press reported.
As the victims were leaving a nearby synagogue and walking through the neighborhood, they noticed a man staring at them. The assailant then approached the group and repeatedly asked, “Are you Jews? Are you Israelis?”
When one of them replied “yes,” the man pulled a knife from his pocket and began threatening the group. The victims immediately ran and found police officers nearby. None of the victims were injured.
Last week, a Jewish primary school in eastern Paris was vandalized, with windows smashed and security equipment damaged, prompting a criminal investigation and renewed outrage among local Jewish leaders as targeted antisemitic attacks continued to escalate.
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Antisemitism bills head to NYC Council Committee to Combat Hate
The New York City Council committee is moving forward with a series of bills aimed at addressing the rise in antisemitism, including a controversial proposal that would limit protests outside houses of worship.
The newly created Committee to Combat Hate is set to hold a hearing later this month on seven related bills introduced last month by Council Speaker Julie Menin, who is Jewish. The measures include a proposal to establish a 100-foot buffer zone outside synagogues and educational centers, increased funding for security measures, expanded education on online harassment, and improved reporting of antisemitic incidents.
Antisemitic incidents continue to account for a majority of reported hate crimes in New York City. According to the New York City Police Department, antisemitic incidents made up 57% of all hate crimes reported in 2025. The trend has continued into the new year, with more than half of all hate crimes reported in January targeting Jews or Jewish institutions, NYPD data showed.
Menin, who is the first Jew to lead the city’s legislative body, said last month that the council would vote on her five-point plan to combat antisemitism at Thursday’s meeting, hoping to pass it on an “aggressive and fast timetable.” A council spokesperson said the timetable has since been modified to align with the Feb. 25 committee hearing. After that hearing, the Speaker will decide when the bills go to the full council for a vote.
The panel is chaired by Councilmember Yusef Salaam, who is Muslim and has spoken about the need to confront antisemitism alongside Islamophobia. “When antisemitism rises, Islamophobia often follows,” Salam said at a news conference when the speaker announced her plan. “When Islamophobia is tolerated, antisemitism finds new grounds to grow.”
Before she became speaker, Menin privately promised Inna Vernikov, a Republican from Brooklyn, to create a subcommittee dedicated to combating antisemitism. Instead, she formed a task force, co-chaired by Vernikov and Eric Dinowitz, a Democrat from the Bronx and chair of the seven-member Jewish Caucus. The appointment of Vernikov drew criticism for her incendiary remarks on social media about Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Party’s approach to antisemitism.
Mamdani, a strident Israel critic who faces scrutiny from mainstream Jewish organizations over his response to antisemitism and pro-Palestinian protests, said he broadly supports the package introduced by Menin but expressed reservations about the legality of the proposed 100-foot buffer zone around synagogues and other houses of worship. “I wouldn’t sign any legislation that we find to be outside of the bounds of the law,” he said.
On Wednesday, during a budget hearing at the state Legislature, Mamdani was questioned again about his response to antisemitic rhetoric, including the slogan “globalize the intifada,” that has been chanted at protests against the war in Gaza. “I strongly discourage the language, and I have not used the language,” Mamdani said.
Progressive groups that support Mamdani, including Jews For Racial & Economic Justice, Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, called on council members to reject the buffer zone bill. “When houses of worship host non-religious political events, they are making a choice with the knowledge that they might be protested for doing so,” the groups said.
Mamdani has faced criticism twice for his response to protests outside synagogues hosting events about real estate investment in Israel. On Jan. 8, protesters outside a Queens synagogue featured chants of “Say it loud, say it clear, we support Hamas here.” Though Mamdani quickly condemned the language, he had to follow up later to denounce Hamas.
Just after Mamdani’s election in November, he issued a mixed response to a demonstration outside Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue that featured anti-Israel and antisemitic slogans. He initially questioned the use of a sacred place for an event promoting migration to Israel. He later clarified his statement and said he would consider legislation limiting protests outside synagogues.
Critics said the response, which took nearly a day, was slow and undercut Mamdani’s repeated pledges to protect Jewish New Yorkers, and raised fresh questions about what kind of mayor he intends to be. New York City is home to the largest concentration of Jews in the United States.
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James Van Der Beek, ‘Dawson’s Creek’ star, had longstanding ties to Israel
(JTA) — James Van Der Beek, the beloved star of the 1990s television show “Dawson’s Creek” who married his wife in Tel Aviv in 2010, has died.
Van Der Beek died on Wednesday at 48, following a years-long battle with colorectal cancer.
“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning,” his family wrote on Instagram Wednesday. “He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity, and the sacredness of time. Those days will come. For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend.”
Van Der Beek’s breakout role, playing 15-year-old Dawson Leery in the hit teen drama “Dawson’s Creek” in 1998, earned him widespread acclaim and cemented him as a teenage heartthrob of the early 2000s.
Van Der Beek, who was not Jewish, met his wife, Kimberly Brook, in 2009 while traveling in Tel Aviv at a restaurant on Bograshov Beach.
In August 2010, the pair returned to Israel where they were married at the Kabbalah Center in Tel Aviv and toured around the country during their honeymoon.
In a post on Instagram in 2021, Van Der Beek recalled his time in Israel and Hebron, a city in the West Bank, detailing shouts of “Mazel Tov” from Israelis as well as the arrest of their tour guide by Israeli police.
“This is by no means a complete picture of the situation, and I won’t pretend to understand the geopolitical complexities fueling this conflict…,” wrote Van Der Beek. “But there’s a lot of humanity on both sides of that razor wire, and whatever ‘solution’ fails to recognize that… isn’t a solution.”
Van Der Beek is survived by his wife and their six children, Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.
Among the close friends and associates who mourned Van Deer Beek after his death were “Golda” director Guy Nattiv and Becky Tahel, an Israeli-American creative whose career in Hollywood began as a babysitter to the Van Der Beeks’ young children.
“Looking back at so many moments, so many evenings that became sacred because you were in them,” Nattiv posted on Instagram. “Birthdays, Jewish holidays, crowded tables, loud laughter, NFL games and concerts. James, you weren’t just present in our lives you were woven into them. Every piece of you lives inside our hearts now.”
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