The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions postponed votes on a pair of measures designed to combat antisemitism on Wednesday after a tense hearing and the passage of amendments that threaten to kill the measures if brought to a vote.

The Antisemitism Awareness Act would enshrine the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism into law for the purposes of enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, which bars discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin.

The testy hearing covered objections to the bill ranging from whether a Christian would be barred from saying that Jews killed Jesus, to the acceptability of making contemporary political allusions to Nazi Germany, to the comedy of Jerry Seinfeld and Joan Rivers.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) repeatedly hammered the IHRA definition’s 11 contemporary examples of Jew-hatred, arguing that they were all protected speech under the First Amendment and the Supreme Court’s 1969 ruling in Brandenburg v. Ohio.

“Brandenburg was a Nazi and an antisemite, and he said horrible things,” Paul said. “The First Amendment, the Constitution, the Supreme Court, ruled that you can say terrible things.” 

Some of the IHRA definition’s 11 examples of antisemitism, which include Holocaust denial and calling for the killing of Jews, are criminally banned in many countries but are likely protected in the United States by the First Amendment. The IHRA definition notes that criticizing the Israeli government isn’t necessarily antisemitic.

“That's unique about our country. In Europe, you can't say anything,” Paul said. “You say something about the Holocaust in Europe, you can go to jail. This is what we're doing. We're codifying what Europe did to speech. It's a terrible idea.”

The bipartisan act has long been supported by Jewish groups, including the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Federations of North America. 

It largely replicates an executive order that U.S. President Donald Trump signed in 2019, but the bill has lost the support of some Democrats and Republicans who object to aspects of the IHRA definition.

The committee chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) amended the legislation at the start of Wednesday’s hearing to include stronger language affirming that it would not infringe or diminish the rights to free speech or the free exercise of religion. 

He did so after some House Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), voted against its companion bill in the House in 2024, because they argued it would limit the ability of Christians to say that Jews killed Jesus.

Paul repeated that charge Wednesday, while saying that he thought that the belief that all Jews were responsible for killing Jesus is antisemitic.

He also submitted into the record the names of 400 Jewish-American comedians, who he said had used stereotypical language about Jews that might fall afoul of the legislation.

“This one's from Joan Rivers. She says, ‘I’m Jewish. I don't work out. If God had wanted us to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor,’” Paul said. 

“That's obviously very negative, that Jewish people think only of money and stuff, but she's Jewish, and it's funny or it’s not funny and it’s just her right to make a joke,” he said.

The Kentucky senator ultimately voted to help Democrats pass four amendments to the bill, at least two of which could act as poison pills and threaten Republican support.

The first of those amendments, proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), includes casualty figures from Gaza, which match those supplied by Hamas, in the legislation.

“No person shall be considered antisemitic for using their rights of free speech or protest under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States to oppose Benjamin Netanyau’s led war effort, which has killed more than 50,000 and wounded more than 113,000, 60% of whom are women and children,” the amendment reads.

It goes on to describe “the Israeli government’s devastation of Gaza” and “tens of thousands of children facing malnutrition and starvation.”

Another amendment from Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) implicitly criticizes as unconstitutional the Trump administration’s policy of seeking to deport anti-Israel campus protest leaders. 

The administration has alleged that some non-citizen protest leaders, including Mahmoud Khalil, are supporters of Hamas who threaten U.S. national security. Many Democrats argue that they are being deported for protected speech.

“Antisemitism is wrong. Authoritarianism is not the answer,” Markey said. “When a young person writes an op-ed in a student newspaper and gets whisked off the street in New Jersey to a prison in Louisiana with no charges, that is what we are debating today.”

The chairman repeatedly expressed exasperation at the number of amendments and the requests from Paul and the Democrats for more debate, saying that the time limits that he was procedurally forced to work under had been imposed by the Democratic leadership under the so-called two-hour rule.

“If you’re truly interested in having a fulsome debate and not just using this as a way to kill the bill, then I would ask you to call your floor leader and ask not to put the two-hour debate on us,” Cassidy said.

As the ranking member on the committee, Sanders objected to Cassidy’s request for unanimous consent to waive the two-hour limitation.

“I think that speaks volumes,” Cassidy said.

The second bill under consideration on Wednesday, the Protecting Students on Campus Act, does not explicitly mention Jews or antisemitism but aims to bolster the Title VI investigation process at the Department of Education through a public awareness campaign and audits of the department’s civil rights investigations.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and the Democrats passed an amendment to the bill that would also require an audit of the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency, which could likewise undermine Republican support for the legislation’s final passage.

After saying that the votes on both bills would go forward during the meeting, Cassidy called a recess and then announced that the votes would be deferred until at least Thursday.

As we celebrate the 77th year of Israel’s independence this Yom Ha’atzmaut, the need for Israel’s existence as the world’s only Jewish state is paramount for the Jewish people’s survival. As we remember the brave men and women who died fighting to make the promised land a reality and celebrate all Israel has become, we must continue to push back against the rise of antisemitism and anti-Zionism that threaten Israel’s survival. To do that, we must not only advocate for a continued strong U.S.-Israel relationship and a secure Israel; we must fight antisemitism in the United States, and fortify and empower the Jewish community to take pride in our heritage.

Before 1948, many Jews returned to their ancestral homeland in support of founding a modern-day State of Israel and to escape the antisemitism and persecution they were facing across the globe. When Israel declared independence 77 years ago, new waves of Jews, especially from Arab lands, joined the pioneers and those who had continuously lived in the Land of Israel for millennia.

In the last 77 years, Israel has grown into a flourishing democracy, an economic powerhouse, and a leader in the fields of health care and technology. Israel is a haven in the Middle East for women’s and LGBTQ rights, with a robust judiciary and a diverse multiparty parliamentary system that offers the right to vote to all its citizens.

Today, however, the safety of Jews is once again under attack. Leading up to and following the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitism accelerated across the world, often resulting in dangerous and violent confrontations. 

Over the past decade, antisemitism in the United States has increased by 893%, according to the Anti-Defamation League, which also found that nearly one-half of the world’s adult population currently holds deeply entrenched antisemitic views. In the United States, hate incidents against Jews reached an all-time high in 2024.

Like every form of intolerance, antisemitism not only puts Jews at risk. It puts all of us at risk. It dehumanizes people and makes them targets.

In 2024, for the first time since the ADL began tracking Jew-hatred, its annual audit found that 58% of all reported antisemitic incidents were anti-Zionist—meaning they were attacks on Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and homeland for the Jewish people.

The normalization of anti-Zionism is threatening the civil rights of Jews around the world. Anti-Zionism goes beyond criticizing Israel; it perpetuates tropes and false narratives about Jews and Israelis, and proclaims that Jews do not have a right to self-determination.

Antisemitism and anti-Zionism threaten Israel’s security, its citizens and the Jewish Diaspora. On Oct. 7, Hamas and Palestinian terrorists invaded Israel's border and went on a rampage—killing, raping, mutilating and kidnapping civilians, soldiers and anyone in their path. They slaughtered some 1,200 men, women and children. Since then, Israel has endured relentless, near-daily attacks from not only Hamas but also from Hezbollah and other Iran-backed terrorist groups.

The very hatred that gives rise to these current attacks on Israel is what makes Israel’s existence vitally important for all Jews. To ensure the safety of Jewish people around the world, we must not only strengthen policies that combat antisemitism but, at the same time, maintain and strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Israel and the United States face a complex set of threats from shared enemies, including Iran, that jeopardize the safety of both countries. The ability of U.S.-Israel defense initiatives like the Iron Dome, David’s Sling and the Arrow defense system to repel the vast majority of Iran’s drone and missile attacks against Israel sends a strong message that keeps us all safe from Iran’s military aggression.

U.S.-Israel partnerships on technology, defense and medicine deepen the countries’ ties and introduce innovations that would otherwise be out of reach for most patients and citizens worldwide. Moreover, the Abraham Accords are normalizing previously strained relationships, creating new alliances and establishing economic ties in the Middle East that benefit the entire world.

This isn’t just a matter of policy. It’s personal.

Late last year, Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, surveyed Jewish women to collect their stories and be their voice. We found that antisemitism affected the daily lives of 64% of respondents. More than 60% of them reported feeling afraid, while more than 50% reported they have taken steps to hide their Jewish identity. The experiences the women shared included being yelled at and threatened by strangers in public; ghosted by close friends and family; excluded from activities; and isolated in their workplaces by managers, colleagues and customers. Many of the women shared that they are afraid of losing their jobs because they are Jewish.

 But among the stories of isolation, fear, uncertainty and sadness were stories of bravery, kindness and resilience. One respondent said, “The more hate I encounter, the more I speak out, and the more I wear my [Jewish] star and show my Judaism. I refuse to let hate rule the day.”

That is a lesson for all of us. As we continue to speak out against antisemitism and the need for a Jewish state, we must also build community, helping women and men feel empowered to take pride in and celebrate their Jewish and Zionist identities. Each time we speak out, stand up and show our values, we are helping people find the power to be brave and resilient. We are educating our communities, working to counter hatred and standing up for Israel’s right to exist.

He wasn’t even required to fight the terrorists who had overrun Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.

When the deputy company officer in the Israel Defense Forces commando unit told Lt. Jonathan Gutin that he did not expect him to take part since he didn’t have their training, the 20-year-old liaison officer newly assigned to the multidimensional unit had none of it.

“I’m with you all the way, brother,” he replied.

That morning, hundreds of Palestinian Arab terrorists had overrun the kibbutz on the border with the Gaza Strip, murdering nearly 10% of its residents while abducting scores of others, and now the small force that had rushed to the scene in the late afternoon was fighting back.

“His answer exemplified his composure, which was so typical of him,” his direct commander, 28-year-old Capt. Y, of Tel Aviv, recounted on Tuesday. “He did everything with an internal quiet, which testifies to his greatness.”

Gutin was killed in the battle at Kibbutz Be’eri, one of 19 IDF soldiers who fell in combat at the community.

‘Something planned by himself’

It was several years earlier, when Gutin was a senior in high school in the central Israeli city of Modi’in, where he focused on architecture, that he worked on a school project creating a home for lone soldiers in his hometown. The Israeli-born son of Russian immigrants, Gutin, who was an award-winning judoka in his youth, had a special place in his heart for soldiers who were serving in the IDF when their families lived abroad, even before he enlisted.

Now, his parents, who immigrated to Israel a quarter century ago, and his Israeli comrades in arms are turning his vision into a reality.

“The issue of aliyah and Zionism was very important to him,” said his mother, Ella Gutin, noting that her mother was a Holocaust survivor.  His father, Alexei Gutin, serves in the Jerusalem police force.

Last year, the family launched a nonprofit aptly named ‘I’m with you all the way’ in Hebrew to create a home for lone soldiers in Modi’in, which they plan to open in a rented house by the end of the summer following a fundraising launch next week. They hope to raise about $250,000 for the first three years of its operation.

“This is something Jonathan actually planned by himself and wanted to dedicate to lone soldiers,” said Alexei Gutin.

‘A deep motivation to work’

It was less than two months before the Oct. 7 massacre that Gutin was assigned to the special commando unit after undergoing officers’ training, determined to enter a combat unit despite an injury.

On the morning of the attack, most of his unit was at home ahead of a major operation they had been training for when the massacre broke out. He and his officers were rushed back to their base on an emergency call-up that fateful weekend. He was among the first to arrive at the base, his commander said.

“From my first meeting with him, I saw that he was top quality and someone with a deep motivation to work,” recalled Maj. Y., 27, of Elad, the deputy battalion commander in the unit. “I saw someone who did everything at the highest level.”

As they entered Be’eri to assist a force of IDF paratroopers, the commanding officer told Gutin that as a liaison officer from the communications corps, he did not have to join the fight, only to be rebuffed.

Later that afternoon, word spread in the unit, who were dispersed in various places in the south battling the invading terrorists, that Gutin was killed in the battle, as was the head of the unit, Col. Roi Levy, 44, in the nearby community of Re’im.

“At the very moment, it is hard to believe. You want to believe in your heart that maybe it is just a rumor or the chaos of war and that a little bit later, evening will come, and we will meet up and laugh about it together,” he said. 

As a rabbi, I’ve often had to juggle conflicting life-cycle events in a single day. I’ve gone from a funeral to a wedding, from a brit milah to an unveiling, and over the years, from happy occasions to cemeteries and back. This is precisely what is happening this week in Israel.

It is the annual season of emotional rollercoasters in Israel and for Jews around the world. First, we had the festive celebrations of Passover, tempered by the Yizkor memorial service on the final day of the chag. Then it was Yom Hashoah, as we remembered the Holocaust and our 6 million martyrs. And now we have Yom Hazikaron, where we recall and pay tribute to Israel’s fallen heroes, a day which, in recent years, has included all the innocent victims of terror.

And this leads immediately to celebrations of Israel’s statehood and sovereignty, or, as some have cynically labeled it, Israel’s annual barbecue day.

Juggling contrary emotions and such powerful opposing feelings is never easy. If we Jews sometimes seem to be schizophrenic, well, now you know why.

But how do we manage? With all the wars, intifadas, never-ending terror attacks, and, most recently, the horrific Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, how have the people of Israel managed to retain their sanity and emotional equilibrium? Where does the now-renowned resilience of Israelis come from?

Of course, there is a sense of nationalism. Others talk of powerful feelings of peoplehood and shared destiny. I would suggest that for most Israelis, there is something much deeper: faith.

Since Oct. 7, in particular, we have witnessed completely secular soldiers and citizens shouting Shema Yisrael, “Hear, O Israel,” in moments of danger. We’ve seen nonreligious Israel Defense Forces heroes begging for tzitzit, tefillin, siddurim and tehillim, Psalms. Released hostages are sharing how, though they hardly went to synagogue, their faith kept them sane and hopeful, even in those dreadful underground circumstances. One recounted how she would repeat a single prayer—the only prayer she knew—day after day in those months of captivity, and how it never failed to strengthen her. Another shared how a little Torah booklet left behind by a chayal, an Israeli soldier, sustained her throughout his hundreds of days in captivity.

The phrase Am Yisrael Chai has become a cliché now, but its foundation is not only a sense of patriotism. It not only refers to the nation of Israel, the State of Israel, but the people of Israel, and it goes way beyond mere nationalism. It resonates with peoplehood, history and destiny—a higher calling that will never end.

We are not only the people of Israel. We are God’s people, and we have a mission to fulfill.

It never ceases to amaze me how Israel, with all its existential threats,  surrounded by mortal enemies on every side that plot its destruction (and would repeat Oct. 7 again and again, if they only could), is ranked at No. 8 on the top 10 list of happiest countries in the world, according to the World Happiness Report 2025. Somehow, Finland always wins, but Israel is the happiest country in the Middle East and also ahead of the United States of America. And this is even after Oct. 7!

It’s quite unbelievable, but it tells a compelling story. Clearly, the people of Israel enjoy a sense of purpose and fulfilment that lifts them beyond the regular routines of running to bomb shelters. Happiness in life is not just measured by creature comforts or in living a sequestered life far from the madding crowd, like the people in the Nordic region. Israel possesses a higher calling, and a higher and deeper purpose in life. There is something eternal about our existence that brings both meaning and happiness.

This same faith is reflected in the story of the Haftarah we read this week in synagogues around the world. It comes from ll Kings (7:3-20) and tells the tale of a great miracle promised by the prophet Elisha. Samaria was under siege by Aram, a formidable enemy with a large army. The siege led to a terrible famine, and people were dying of starvation. The price of food had skyrocketed beyond affordability.

Elisha prophesized to the corrupt Jewish King Jehoram that a miracle would occur the very next day, and that food would be available in such abundance that the prices would drop to rock bottom. One of the king’s courtiers responded skeptically that God Himself could not perform such a miracle. It was impossible. Elisha said that the courtier would see it happen with his own eyes but would be unable to partake of it.

The Haftarah tells the story of how the miracle unfolded. Indeed, true to Elisha’s word, the Aramean army was suddenly seized by inexplicable fear and fled in terror. The siege was lifted, and food became plentiful. In the mad dash by the people to find the provisions left behind, the cynical courtier was trampled to death. He did, indeed, see the prophet’s word fulfilled, but sadly, he didn’t live to benefit from it.

The word of God mandating our people more than 3,000 years ago with a national mission and destiny in our promised land and beyond, continues to nurture and sustain us through all our traumas and tsuris. We have experienced shock and loss, with thousands of us bereaved, injured and traumatized. But we have also experienced many remarkable miracles. Slowly but surely, our enemies are being defeated.

We continue to believe in our mission and our mandate. We are still happy people. Please, God, we will remain happy, strong and faithful, and live to celebrate our complete victory very soon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed “heartfelt gratitude” after the Hungarian parliament officially voted to withdraw the country from the International Criminal Court on Tuesday.

“On behalf of the people of Israel, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Hungarian People’s Assembly for withdrawing from the corrupt International Criminal Court,” Netanyahu wrote on Wednesday. “The ICC’s actions against Israel and its elected leaders are a betrayal of the principles the ICC was established to defend.”

“Countries of moral clarity should take an example from Hungary and withdraw from the ICC,” he added.

Hungary first announced its intention to withdraw from the ICC at the beginning of April after hosting Netanyahu. Its withdrawal will make Hungary the only European Union member state that does not recognize the court’s mandate.

In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “war crimes” committed in the Gaza Strip.

The ICC Appeals Chamber reversed a ruling last week that had initially rejected Israel’s jurisdictional objections in November. While the court did not rule that the warrants would be suspended, the legal proceedings against Netanyahu and Gallant will effectively be put on hold until the lower ICC chamber holds additional hearings.

Twenty-four Senate Republicans signed on to the Stand With Israel Act, which would cut U.S. funding for any United Nations agencies that “expel, downgrade, suspend or otherwise restrict the participation of the State of Israel.”

“Israel is one of America’s greatest allies, and under President Trump’s administration, we will no longer tolerate—much less fund—the blatant antisemitism at the United Nations,” stated Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 

“This bill will send a clear message to the United Nations and any other antisemitic international organizations,” he stated. “If you want America’s money, you’ll need to respect our Israeli friends.”

The bill is structured based on long-standing legislation, which prohibits U.S. funding to any U.N. entity that elevates the Palestinian Authority to member-state status.

The U.N. General Assembly came close to doing that last year, granting the Palestinian Authority unprecedented rights for what it considers a “non-member observer state,” including to speak on any matter before the assembly and offering amendments to resolutions. 

Washington vetoed a resolution to that effect in the U.N. Security Council.

“For too long, the United Nations has allowed antisemitism to fester in its ranks while taking billions from American taxpayers,” stated Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a signatory to the new bill. “The Stand with Israel Act sends a clear message that America stands with Israel—and will hold the United Nations accountable.”

Leaked drafts of the Trump administration’s budgeting for the United Nations appear to portend massive cuts to the global body, beyond those that the administration has put in place since January. (The U.S. State Department hasn’t confirmed the reported drafts.)

Beyond Risch and Cotton, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Jim Justice (R-W. Va.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) are among the bill sponsors.

“For too long, many U.N. agencies have hurled false accusations at and deliberately targeted Israel, serving as useful idiots for Iran and its terrorist proxies,” McCormick stated. “I’m proud to join Chairman Risch and our colleagues in unequivocally standing up for our great ally, Israel, and pushing back on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias at the United Nations.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against entities involved in trading Iranian oil and petrochemical products, as part of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign.

U.S. President Donald Trump “is committed to driving Iran’s illicit oil and petrochemical exports, including exports to China, to zero,” Rubio stated on Wednesday.

Washington sanctioned what the State Department said are four sellers and one purchaser of Iranian petrochemicals, which are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The entities are based in Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. 

Vroom Marine Ventures FZE, a United Arab Emirates-based marine management company, which “has played a key role in the Iranian crude energy supply chain that transports millions of barrels of Iranian petroleum products,” was also sanctioned.

A pair of Gabon-flagged crude oil tankers managed by Vroom Marine Ventures were tagged as blocked property.

“So long as Iran attempts to generate oil and petrochemical revenues to fund its destabilizing activities, and support its terrorist activities and proxies, the United States will take steps to hold both Iran and all its partners engaged in sanctions evasion accountable,” Rubio stated.

David Horowitz, the Jewish conservative writer and founder of FrontPage magazine, in addition to an eponymous freedom center, died on April 29. He was 86 years old.

Known for his 1998 memoir Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey, about his journey from “red-diaper baby” born to Communist parents to conservative activist, and for his assertive responses to opponents on the left, Horowitz drew widespread accolades from the many who admired him, including those in government.

Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel and former Arkansas governor, wrote that Horowitz’s death was “heartbreaking news.”

“David was one of the most brilliant minds in the conservative movement and came to his convictions by intellectual honesty,” the envoy stated. “We will miss you, my friend.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote that Horowitz was “a friend and an extraordinary voice for liberty” and that as a “former Marxist, he powerfully understood the evil of the radical left. He loved America, and he was utterly unafraid to speak the truth.”

The pro-Israel Dutch politician Geert Wilders called Horowitz a “dear friend and ally.”

“David was an American hero, a giant, a warrior for freedom, one of the bravest patriots I have ever met,” Wilders stated.

Yoram Hazony, co-founder and president of the Herzl Institute in Jerusalem and a leader of national conservatism, wrote that Horowitz’s memoir “is still one of the most gripping autobiographical works I’ve ever read” and “no book is as good at describing what the left really is.”

Alana Newhouse, editor-in-chief of Tablet magazine, wrote that “whatever your politics, if you haven’t read Radical Son, you do not understand something central about America.”

‘A true original’

Horowitz also drew praise from within the Trump administration. “David inspired generations of bold conservative leaders, building a lasting legacy,” stated Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and U.S. homeland security advisor.

“He selflessly gave his time, energy, support and mentorship to young patriots fighting a corrupt and oppressive system,” Miller said. “I will always be grateful to him and will never forget his kindness.”

Writing on a personal social-media account, Harmeet Dhillon, assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights, said she met Horowitz when she was a “young campus activist” at Dartmouth College and he was an invited speaker.

“We became friends, and he asked me to write a chapter in his book, Second Thoughts on the 60s,” she stated. “Decades later, the Berkeley College Republicans invited him to speak on campus, but Berkeley wouldn’t let him, and I sued Berkeley over it and won. We maintained a legal and personal relationship after that for years.”

“David was a true original, a man unafraid of the woke mob and deeply committed to freedom of thought and speech,” Dhillon stated.

Horowitz was “a radical leftist turned conservative firebrand,” who “never lost his appetite for combat—or his belief in the power of ideas to shape history,” said Brian Anderson, the editor of City Journal. He added that Horowitz’s memoir “remains one of the most compelling political memoirs of the last few decades.”

‘Would I condemn Hamas?’

After Horowitz’s death, video footage recirculated on social media of him engaging at an event with an anti-Israel student during a question-and-answer period. “Will you condemn Hamas, here and now?” he asks the student.

“I’m sorry, what?” asks the student, clad in a headscarf and a keffiyeh. “Will you condemn Hamas?” he asks again, pronouncing each word with more emphasis.

“Would I condemn Hamas?” she says.

“As a terrorist organization. As a genocidal organization,” Horowitz replies.

“Are you asking me to put myself on a cross?” she asks.

“So you won’t,” Horowitz says. The student tells him that she will be arrested by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security if she says that she supports Hamas.

“If you don’t condemn Hamas, obviously, you support it,” he says with a smirk and an eye roll. “Case closed.”

Horowitz told the crowd that he had the same experience with the head of the Muslim Student Association at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He asked the student if he would condemn Hezbollah, and the student said that was too complicated a question to answer “yes” or “no.”

“So I said, ‘OK. I’ll put it to you this way. I’m a Jew. The head of Hezbollah has said that he hopes that we will gather in Israel, so that he doesn’t have to hunt us down globally. For or against it?” Horowitz told the audience. 

“For it,” the student in the keffiyeh said into the microphone.

“Thank you,” Horowitz said. “Thank you for coming and showing everybody what’s here. And you’re wearing a terrorist neckerchief.”

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, did not disclose the truth about where funding came from for a 2023 trip she took to Qatar, The Washington Free Beacon reported on Tuesday.

Qatar itself “covered $61,930 in travel expenses for Bowser and four staff members,” according to a letter obtained by WJLA/ABC7, the local ABC affiliate for the greater Washington, D.C., area, through a Freedom of Information Act request.

This directly contradicts claims from Bowser’s office that the D.C. Chamber of Commerce funded her December 2023 trip to Doha. Her office later claimed the U.S. Conference of Mayors financed the trip.

JNS reached out to Bowser’s office for comment.

Qatar reportedly referred to the trip as an “in-kind donation,” but Bowser did not record the trip with the District, nor did she sign a donation agreement, which is required by law. Her office is now making plans to file a donation agreement, two years after the fact. It reached out to Qatari officials in February for “a breakdown of the expenses the Qatari government paid for,” The Free Beacon reported.

WJLA also reported that the District has no records for Bowser’s trips to the Masters Golf Tournament in Georgia, as well as trips to Las Vegas, Miami, Mar-a-Lago and Dubai.

Qatar, which has come under scrutiny for providing a haven for Hamas terrorists, has been a main negotiator between Israel and the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip. However, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said on April 27 that chances for a hostage-and-ceasefire agreement with Hamas are “low.”