Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, met on Tuesday with Holocaust survivors scheduled to take part in Israel’s official Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

The survivors will participate in the symbolic torch-lighting ceremony, with six torches representing the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust.

Among the participants are individuals who will speak on behalf of the survivor community and recite the traditional Jewish memorial prayer, "El Maleh Rachamim," during the state event.

During the gathering, the Netanyahus heard firsthand accounts of the survivors' wartime experiences and their efforts to rebuild their lives in Israel. Netanyahu commended them, saying, "You are very moving in your personal stories, which are also our collective stories." He went on to say that, "We are here remembering deep sorrow and deep suffering, but also a great rebirth—something no other people has experienced."

British historian Arnold Toynbee had called the Jews fossils, which did not come back to life, said Netnayahu. However, he added, "We are not fossils. There is a life force in us—a great life force, which allowed us to overcome the most terrible things in human history and to return and rebuild our country and our state."

The prime minister also acknowledged the strength and dedication of younger generations, particularly those currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces.

"This generation, your grandchildren and great-grandchildren, are wonderful," he remarked. "I meet them in Gaza, on the Lebanese border. They may not know what the ‘Struma’ was, but they know they are fighting for our future and the survival of our people," he added, referring to the sinking of the MV Struma in February 1942. The vessel had been carrying nearly 800 Jewish refugees to Israel.

He added a broader reflection on Israel’s international posture: "I don’t need them to love us. I would be happy, but that’s not my goal. I want them to respect us. If you are strong, they respect you. If you are weak—they can love you and still destroy you. That is what they did to the Jews. They eulogized us," he said.

Sara Netanyahu, a child psychologist, shared her reflections on the survivors’ childhood experiences during the Holocaust. "These are stories of heroism, especially from you as children," she said. "To survive the Holocaust as children, with such resourcefulness and inner strength, in situations that are almost impossible to comprehend—that is astonishing."

On a more personal note, she noted that her father was the sole survivor of his entire family. "His entire family was exterminated in Poland, but he doesn’t even know where. He arrived in Israel as a young man in 1933—and that’s the reason he survived," she said.

The state ceremony took place Wednesday evening at Warsaw Ghetto Square in Yad Vashem and marked the beginning of Holocaust Remembrance Day, a national day of mourning and reflection observed throughout Israel.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will travel to Poland on Thursday to lead the 2025 March of the Living at the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp, marking 80 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camps and the end of World War II.

This year’s march, taking place on Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah), will feature 80 survivors aged 80 to 97, including survivors of multiple death camps and children who were hidden during the war. They will be joined by a delegation of 10 Israelis recently freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza, bereaved families, relatives of hostages still held, victims of terrorism, and representatives of Israel’s high-tech sector.

The former hostages participating in the march are Agam Berger, Hagar Brodutch, Chen Goldstein-Almog, Ori Megidish, Almog Meir Jan, Gadi Moses, Raaya Rotem, Eli Sharabi, Keith Siegel and Moran Stella Yanai.

They will be joined by family members of those murdered or still held captive, including the parents of Omer Shem-Tov; the parents of Hanan Yablonka and Ofir Tzarfati, both murdered and abducted to Gaza; the widow of Ron Binyamin; relatives of Shani Louk and Tomer Achimas, whose bodies were retrieved; Daniel Weiss of Kibbutz Be’eri, whose parents were killed or taken hostage; and Holocaust survivors who are grandparents of current hostages.

The delegation is being coordinated by the Hostages and Missing Persons Department in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Before the march, Herzog will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Oświęcim to discuss bilateral cooperation, antisemitism and ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. The two leaders will deliver joint press statements, lay a wreath at the Black Wall in Auschwitz, and tour the permanent Israeli Holocaust exhibit in Block 27. They will also meet with youth delegations from Israel and Poland.

The march will begin at 1 p.m. Poland time, and Herzog will deliver an address during the central memorial ceremony at Birkenau at 3:30 p.m., alongside Duda and the Holocaust survivors. Among the participants will be Aliza Wittis-Shomron, who fought in the Warsaw Ghetto, and Merrill Eisenhower Atwater, great-grandson of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who will march with survivors liberated by Allied forces, including Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, a former chief rabbi of Israel and chairman of Yad Vashem, who is a survivor of Buchenwald.

Security has been tightened in light of recent antisemitic demonstrations in Warsaw, but organizers stress the importance of continuing the tradition of remembrance and unity.

The March of the Living ceremony will be streamed live:
https://event.gpolive.co.il/live/landing-pages/president/

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir met with senior members of the Republican Party at U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Tuesday night.

"I had the honor and privilege of meeting with senior members of the Republican Party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate," Ben-Gvir tweeted on Wednesday morning.

"They expressed support for my clear stance on how action should be taken in Gaza—that food and aid depots should be bombed to create military and political pressure to bring our hostages home," he stated.

During the Mar-a-Lago dinner, Ben Gvir met with GOP House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and was invited to speak to members of Congress and senators from the Republican Party, his office added.

Addressing attendees in Hebrew through an interpreter, Ben-Gvir said, "I love you very much, I love the American people. We have a joint war against the jihadists—for many years, I've been fighting against them."'

He added: "Thank God, we've made a few changes in Israel in how we treat jailed terrorists. It used to be like a hotel over there. We took away all their privileges, canteen, showers, television, radio."

The statement from Ben-Gvir's office said that the Tuesday evening dinner also included dozens of "senior businessmen" from Miami.

Ahead of the dinner, Ben-Gvir visited a Miami-area police station.

As part of the minister's first-ever official visit abroad, which started on Monday, Ben-Gvir also met with Jewish community leaders, public figures and American government officials, his office stated.

Following his arrival at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Monday, Ben-Gvir was hounded by left-wing Israeli activists, who accused the right-wing minister of being a "racist" and a "terrorist."

After his arrival, Ben-Gvir met with members of the Boca Raton Jewish community, as well as the Aleph Institute, a group that supports Jewish inmates and is affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement.

On Monday, Ben-Gvir toured the Everglades Correctional Institute, meeting with Jewish inmates and observing rehabilitation programs.

The police minister also visited an Israeli supermarket in Hollywood, Florida, and stopped at a Jewish-owned gun store in the Miami area.

On Wednesday, Ben Gvir will leave for New York, including a stop at Yale University in Connecticut on Wednesday. There, he is set to meet with students and faculty at an off-campus event hosted by Shabtai, a global Jewish leadership society independent from the university.

The U.S. visit, which a spokesman for Ben-Gvir described to JNS earlier this month as "political-diplomatic," marks the minister's first official overseas visit since he joined the government in December 2022.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political opponents have jumped on an affidavit submitted on Monday to the High Court by Ronen Bar, the head of Israel's Internal Security Agency (Shin Bet), accusing the prime minister of acting in an illegal manner.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has denied the accusations by Bar, who was fired last month by the government. The PMO described his claims on Monday as “a false affidavit, which will be refuted in the near future.”

In the affidavit, Bar, who has been trying to hold onto his position as head of the secret service despite a March 21 government decision to fire him, admitted defeat, saying, "I will soon announce the date on which I will end my duties."

Bar then accused Netanyahu of insisting “on more than one occasion” that he act contrary to the General Security Service Law.

Specifically, Bar claimed Netanyahu had asked him to act against anti-government protesters, provide details about them and investigate the source of their funding.

In response, the PMO said on Monday, "The head of the Shin Bet has failed miserably in dealing with incitement against the political echelon, including the calls for murder against the prime minister and incitement against the ministers."

The Shin Bet director had "failed to prevent the firing of flares at the prime minister's residence in Caesarea by violent demonstrators who nearly burned to death a security guard and set fire to the house," it added, referring to the launching of two flares at Netanyahu's private residence in November 2024.

"The prime minister and government ministers have claimed time and time again in government and cabinet discussions that no enforcement action is being taken against the wild and violent incitement against them and their families," the prime minister's statement said.

"Neither they nor the prime minister ever asked for illegal action against the demonstrators but rather demanded equal enforcement that has not yet been implemented," it continued.

Bar also charged Netanyahu of telling him that in the event of a "constitutional crisis," or clash between the Supreme Court and the government, Bar would be obligated to obey the latter.

The security chief also said that Netanyahu tried to force him to express Netanyahu's opinions as if they were his own.

“In all such cases, these requests were denied,” Bar stated in his affidavit. “In many instances, Netanyahu asked me to discuss these criteria at the end of work meetings and made sure that the stenographer and the military secretary left the room so the exchanges would not be documented.”

The PMO has not yet submitted a court affidavit countering Bar's claims. According to Ynet, the prime minister isn't required to do so, and without one, the court can't address the Shin Bet chief's accusations.

Netanyahu might be tempted to let the matter lie, but has an interest in submitting a counter-claim rather than allow the security chief's accusations to remain unanswered, the news site noted.

While failing to tell the truth in the affidavit could potentially open Netanyahu to criminal charges, there seems little risk as the truth would be difficult for the court to determine, Ynet said. Also, the High Court hasn't convened to weigh in on that issue, but whether or not the firing of Bar was justified.

Bar submitted a second, confidential affidavit to the court, which he said would support his claims.

Netanyahu has reportedly been attempting to oust Bar for months, citing the Shin Bet’s failure in the run-up to the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.

In his office's Monday statement, Netanyahu said "Bar is the father of failure and he has to go home."

Netanyahu announced on March 16 that he would seek Bar's dismissal, citing a lack of confidence and “ongoing distrust.”

“At all times, but especially in such an existential war, the prime minister must have full confidence in the head of the Shin Bet,” said Netanyahu in a statement released by the PMO.

“But unfortunately, the situation is exactly the opposite—I do not have such confidence. I have an ongoing lack of trust in the Shin Bet chief. A distrust that has only grown over time,” he said.

The Cabinet unanimously approved the dismissal five days later.

Bar sent a letter to the Cabinet when it met over his dismissal (he refused to attend the meeting) arguing that the discussion “does not comply with the legal provisions and rules concerning the termination of any employee’s tenure, let alone a senior official, and especially the director of the Shin Bet.”

In his affidavit, Bar repeated, “I see no legitimate basis for my dismissal on the grounds of ‘lack of trust’ by the government and its leader.”

Bar's dismissal has become the latest battle in an ongoing fight between Israel's legislative and judicial branches.

On April 8, Israel’s High court issued an injunction barring Netanyahu from firing Bar. "Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet, will continue to serve in his position pending a different ruling," the court said.

In its five-page ruling siding with the petitioners, the court alleged a conflict of interest on Netanyahu’s part given the Shin Bet's investigation into claims that Qatar paid some of Netanyahu’s staff.

Supreme Court Judge Daphne Barak-Erez suggested during the 11-hour proceeding that Bar's dismissal be put off until the conclusion of the investigation, which would put an end to the conflict of interest.

The government argued that according to Section 3 of Israel’s General Security Service Law, the government has the authority to “terminate the term of office of the head of the [Israel Security] Agency before the end of his term.”

The new director of the Eurovision Song Contest, Martin Green, has categorically rejected calls for a boycott of Israel that have been multiplying in recent weeks.

The 69th edition of the competition is to be held in Basel, Switzerland, from May 13 to 17.

Among those urging a boycott is Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, which called for a “debate” over Israel’s participation in this year’s Eurovision due to “concerns” over the situation in war-torn Gaza.

The Spanish broadcaster sent a letter to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which manages the event, “requesting a debate on the participation of Israeli public television" in the contest, referring to Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

But in a recent interview, Martin Green reiterated the contest’s fundamental philosophy: "Events like Eurovision are about reminding the world of the best it can be. What matters is what unites us, not what divides us."

A clear stance in keeping with the tradition of neutrality upheld by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), organizer of the event.

Green also clarified the very nature of the competition: “Eurovision is a competition between public broadcasters, not between nations, and it must not be used as a springboard for political sanctions. This fundamental distinction makes it easy to understand the guideline adopted by the EBU in the face of various political pressures."

In the face of frequent comparisons with Russia’s exclusion from Eurovision, Green made an important clarification: If Russia was banned from taking part following the invasion of Ukraine, it was because “the Russian TV channel broadcasting this competition was linked to the Russian government and did not respect the rules.” A nuance that rules out any equivalence with the Israeli situation, he noted.

This year, the choice of the Israeli representative has a strong symbolic dimension. Yuval Raphael, survivor of the Nova Festival massacres on Oct. 7, 2023, will be defending Israel’s colors with an evocative song: “A New Day Will Rise”.

Originally published by the European Jewish Press.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel soon on an official visit to Azerbaijan.

While the exact date of the trip has yet to be finalized, it is set to take place in the near future. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet in Baku with President Ilham Aliyev, with whom he shares a longstanding relationship marked by close cooperation. Azerbaijan, a Shi'ite Muslim country, maintains a notably friendly stance toward Israel.

The visit follows technical talks held in Baku two weeks ago between senior Israeli and Turkish delegations, aimed at preventing military friction between the two countries in Syrian territory.

Aliyev recently met separately with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Syria's new ruler, Ahmad al-Sharaa (aka Abu Mohammad al-Julani), making Netanyahu's visit appear as a natural continuation of these diplomatic efforts.

Aliyev, who typically keeps his country's international dealings and ties with Israel under wraps, recently made a rare public statement: "Both countries are close friends of Azerbaijan. We are allies with Turkey, and Israel is a friendly nation to Azerbaijan. Over many years, this mutual friendship has proven itself during difficult times for both countries. Therefore, the current tension between them is very concerning and a matter of great worry for us. As is well known, Azerbaijan played a modest role in facilitating the first successful reconciliation between Turkey and Israel in 2023."

In addition to the Turkish-Syrian issue, Netanyahu and Aliyev are expected to discuss the full spectrum of bilateral and regional relations.

Israel and Azerbaijan maintain strategic ties, including the supply of oil and its derivatives to Israel—a flow that continued uninterrupted through Turkey even during wartime.

Azerbaijan shares a border with Iran, and relations between the two neighbors remain highly strained. The Islamic Republic has made repeated attempts to carry out terrorist attacks on Azerbaijani soil, including plots targeting Israeli diplomats.

According to foreign reports, Israel sells Azerbaijan advanced weapons systems. Recently, Energy Minister Eli Cohen visited Azerbaijan and signed cooperation agreements. Netanyahu's last visit to the country took place in 2016.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

The atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 were recorded by the terrorists themselves on their hip GoPro cameras, their mobile phones and even the phones of their victims.

Nevertheless, within hours, there were those in America and Europe denying that invaders from Gaza, after breaching the Israeli border at 119 locations, had carried out mass murders, sadistic sexual violence, mutilations, hostage-takings and the burning of babies.

That shouldn’t surprise you. After all, there’s my truth, your truth, and his, her and their truths, right?

No. Not right.

Andrew Roberts, one of the world’s most distinguished historians, understood this and it troubled him. He has seen how easy it is to propagate historical lies around the world and across generations.

Serious historiography, by contrast, requires forensic evidence, survivor testimony and other reliable data.

So he did the hard work necessary to produce the “7 October Parliamentary Commission Report Chaired by Lord Roberts of Belgravia.”

Extensively researched by Britain’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on UK-Israel, and published last month, this 300-plus-page document details almost everything that happened over “the two days between the unleashing of the assault on the morning of 7 October 2023 and the liberation of the last of the Kibbutzim.”

In that brief period, Hamas terrorists killed 1,182 people—one of the most lethal terrorist attacks in history.

Almost three out of four victims were civilians, the youngest a 14-hour old infant, the oldest a 92-year-old survivor of the Holocaust. The invaders abducted some 251 hostages. Today, 59 are still held captive, with 24 believed to remain alive in unspeakable conditions.

“Over 90% of those killed or taken hostage were Israeli citizens, including Jewish Israelis, Arab Israelis, and Bedouins,” the report reveals. “Citizens from 44 nations around the world were killed and taken hostage.”

“Hamas orchestrated and led the attack,” the report adds, “with 3,800 of its elite Nukhba forces and members of Izz al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades invading Southern Israel. They were supported by 2,200 individuals from other armed groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and civilians from Gaza. A further 1,000 individuals stayed in Gaza to operate rocket launchers and provide tactical support.”

The attack ranks as the “largest single massacre of Jewish people” since World War II.

Here, I want to mention another consideration that, in addition to respect for scholarship and truth, motivated Lord Roberts: Christian morality.

“As a Gentile,” he writes in the foreword, “I believe that it is vital to prevent the emergence of another, more modern version of Holocaust denial, namely 7 October denial. After the Holocaust, non-Jews like me owe the Jewish people nothing less.”

And by naming the victims—each and every one—and telling their stories, his report saves them from a statistical mass grave while bringing Hamas’s barbarism into sharp relief.

Start with the Nova Music Festival where more than 370 people—most of them young—were murdered in “the deadliest concert attack in history.” Among the incidents recounted:

Gabay could not run, so four other young women helped her get to an ambulance parked about 100 meters away. They hid inside the vehicle. It was already crammed with people. Hamas attackers arrived and saw immediately that there were people hiding in the ambulance. At 09:23, having fired on it with their rifles, they fired a thermobaric rocket-propelled grenade into it. Of the 20 people inside, 18 were killed, including Gabay.

Among the dozens of other locations where Hamas slaughtered innocents, the furthest from Gaza and the deepest into Israel was the city of Ofakim, in the western Negev desert.

Many of Ofakim’s residents are descendants of immigrants from Morocco, Tunisia, India, Egypt and Ethiopia, along with “a number of Gazan families who worked with the Israeli authorities and were resettled in Israel” when, in 2005, Israel withdrew its civilians and troops entirely from Gaza in hopes of achieving peace.

A few brief extracts from the report’s descriptions of other atrocities in other locations that day:

• The attackers killed Yakov Yinon, 78, and Bilha Yinon, 75—lifelong peace activists, and the parents of well-known activist Maoz Inon, 71. They were burnt alive in their house.

• Shlomi and Ayalet Molcho were killed along with their dogs and the cats they looked after.

• Hamas gunmen screaming “al Yahud” (Yahud is the Arabic word for “the Jews”) entered the house and Nadav Goldstein, who tried to brandish a piece of the bed as a weapon, was immediately shot dead.

• Dafna, 15, and Ella, 8, were taken by a separate vehicle into Gaza while their wounded father was taken there by foot. He did not survive the journey and his body was found near the border fence 10 days later. The two girls were stoned by crowds when taken to captivity in Gaza.

• According to a neighbour, Yazan Zakaria [a 5-year-old Bedouin boy] “was standing at the door of his house near a car. When the rocket exploded, the car was blown out of place and burned with a number of other cars ... Yazan was killed. He was blown into parts.”

• Chen ran outside to check on the safety of her children and saw them standing with a group of terrorists. She then went back inside to Yam and found that she had been shot in the face.

I know: Few, if any, of today’s ignorant Ivy League students and the tenured activists who indoctrinate them are likely to read this report.

But its existence will make it more difficult for historians of the future to be misled. The truth—again, I insist there is such a thing—may therefore prevail over time.

If so, Lord Roberts will deserve immense credit and incalculable gratitude.

Three members of the Mossad who carried out a covert operation in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah’s communications infrastructure have been selected to light a torch at the opening ceremony for Israel’s 77th Independence Day next week, Transport Minister Miri Regev announced.

The agents, whose identities remain classified, were responsible for disabling thousands of pager devices used by Hezbollah operatives across Lebanon. According to Regev, the operation dealt a significant blow to the Iranian-backed terrorist group’s coordination efforts and is a landmark achievement in psychological warfare.

Joining them is IDF soldier Elisha Medan, who lost both legs in an explosion in Gaza that killed four fellow soldiers. Medan, who has become a symbol of resilience and national unity, has dedicated himself to public service through lectures and advocacy.

Other torch lighters include:

• Emily Damari, a former hostage held by Hamas for 471 days, now recognized nationwide for her endurance and strength.
• Eli Sharabi, whose two brothers were murdered in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre and whose third brother remains in captivity. Sharabi has emerged as a leading voice for hostage families.
• Ben Shapiro, a U.S.-based conservative commentator and co-founder of The Daily Wire, known for his outspoken support of Israel in international forums.
• Oren Smadja, Israeli Olympic medalist and judo coach, honoring the memory of his son, IDF soldier Yonatan Smadja, who was killed in action in Gaza.
• Lt. Col. Faiz Fares, a Druze IDF commander who led rescue operations during the Oct. 7 attacks, personally saving dozens under fire.
• Lt. Col. (res.) Hagit Alon Ahrar, who continues to serve in the IDF reserves after her son was killed in a Hezbollah drone strike. A longtime educator, she has been a voice of perseverance and patriotism.

This year’s ceremony, under the theme “Bridges of Hope,” will recognize acts of courage, unity, and determination in the face of ongoing national hardship.

Regev emphasized that the torchbearers reflect the “best of Israeli society”—individuals who have risen to the challenge during a year marked by conflict, loss and resilience.

While America has long focused on defeating terrorist networks like Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, it has largely overlooked the ideological infrastructure that gave birth to them. At the heart of that ecosystem lies the Muslim Brotherhood—a transnational Islamist movement that has inspired, influenced and in many cases directly spawned the world’s most dangerous jihadist organizations.

Today, the Muslim Brotherhood and its ideological allies no longer operate in the shadows. They glorify terrorist attacks on American citizens, coordinate with U.S. adversaries like Iran and exploit both foreign and domestic platforms to spread extremist ideologies under the cover of civil society.

The Oct. 7, 2023 massacre in Israel—executed by Hamas, the Palestinian wing of the Muslim Brotherhood—was a grim reminder of this reality. That day, terrorists slaughtered entire families, committed mass rape and kidnapped civilians—including American citizens. In the aftermath, Islamist movements from North Africa to the Levant openly celebrated the atrocity. Brotherhood-affiliated political parties in Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan praised Hamas and condemned anyone who dared to speak out. This was not just regional posturing—it was ideological solidarity with terror.

But the threat didn’t stop in Gaza. Just weeks later, the Houthis in Yemen—aligned with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—launched a wave of attacks on U.S. warships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, resulting in American casualties. Meanwhile, Iran-backed militias in Iraq targeted U.S. troops, U.S. facilities and allies. These groups, while often sectarian rivals, are increasingly united by one goal: the destruction of American power and influence in the Middle East.

Despite theological differences, Islamist actors like Hezbollah, the Houthis and the Muslim Brotherhood have converged strategically. They share logistics, messaging and battlefield objectives. And they are increasingly supported by a broader ideological infrastructure: advocacy networks, political parties, mosques and media platforms that all echo the same message—resistance to the West, rejection of Israel and the imposition of religious authoritarianism.

In Egypt, once elected in 2012, Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi moved swiftly to place his authority above judicial review, suppress the press and consolidate power. The same authoritarian instincts are visible in Brotherhood-affiliated parties across the region. In Tunisia, the Ennahda Party revealed its radical nature after Oct. 7, praising Hamas and stoking division. In Morocco and Jordan, Brotherhood-affiliated parties have openly justified Hamas’s actions and continue to call for support of the group, even after the Oct. 7 massacre. These factions have actively intimidated dissenting voices, labeling critics of Hamas as traitors and demanding that governments take punitive action against individuals who challenge their pro-Hamas narrative—effectively stifling free speech and suppressing moderate perspectives.

This reality has dangerous consequences not only for American interests abroad but also for America’s internal cohesion.

In recent months, American campuses have seen a disturbing rise in pro-Hamas demonstrations, antisemitic rhetoric and open hostility toward Israel—all fueled by narratives long promoted by Brotherhood-linked groups operating in the United States. These organizations present themselves as civil rights advocates, yet many have documented ties to foreign entities that fund extremism. They leverage American freedoms—free speech, non-profit tax status, religious liberty—in order to weaken democracy from within.

The idea that democratic resilience alone can neutralize these threats is dangerously naive. Islamist movements do not seek to participate in liberal democracies—they seek to exploit them until they can replace them. They do not accept pluralism or debate—they seek dominance. Left unchecked, these networks do not just radicalize minds—they eventually claim lives.

So what should the United States do?

First, the Muslim Brotherhood must be formally designated as a foreign terrorist organization. This would allow the U.S. government to freeze assets, block travel and prosecute those providing material support. Past administrations have considered this step, but bureaucratic hesitation prevailed. The facts today make inaction indefensible.

Second, the United States must pursue legal and financial action against domestic organizations with clear ties to the Brotherhood or other foreign Islamist movements. Many of these groups receive funding from governments or private donors overseas, often through American banks. If American citizens or institutions are facilitating the spread of extremism—even unwittingly—they must be held accountable.

Third, Washington should impose travel bans on the leaders of Islamist movements that glorified the Oct. 7 massacre, and on their families. These individuals should not be allowed to visit, invest in, or operate within the United States. Such a policy would signal that praising terrorism disqualifies you from enjoying the privileges of the West.

Fourth, the United States should use its diplomatic and economic leverage to push partner governments to crack down on Islamist parties that incite violence and promote religious authoritarianism. Using strategic partnerships, the United States can help countries reform laws that currently allow extremist groups to dominate political discourse and silence dissent.

This is not a call for religious discrimination, nor a rejection of free expression. It is a recognition that certain ideologies—when organized, financed and weaponized—pose an existential threat to the freedoms they exploit. Islamist extremism does not remain in rhetoric—it translates into action. And when those actions result in the deaths of Americans, silence is not an option.

The war on terrorism has entered a new phase. Today’s most dangerous adversaries are not just in the mountains of Afghanistan or the deserts of Syria. They are political actors, social media influencers, and community organizers—sometimes even in Western capitals—who wear suits, speak in soundbites, and exploit liberal institutions to undermine liberal values.

If the United States fails to confront this ideological enemy now, we will pay the price later—in blood, in broken alliances and in diminished national security.

The time for complacency is over. The time to act is now.

Originally published by the Jerusalem Strategic Tribune.