Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
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(JTA) — Reactions from partisan American Jewish groups to President Donald Trump’s proposals for Gaza — that “all” Palestinians leave and the United States “take over” the territory — began flowing in just as soon as their leaders picked their jaws up off the floor on Tuesday night. The proposals — the latter of which was reportedly secret to even many in the Trump administration before the president aired it at a White House press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — elicited sharp revulsion from liberal Jewish grou...
(JNS) — U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff backed U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, arguing that a better life is not necessarily tied to a given piece of land. In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff emphasized that peace means improving financial conditions and opportunities. “Peace in the region means a better life for the Palestinians. A better life is not necessarily tied to the physical space that you are in today,” he said. “A better life is about better opportunity, better financial condition...
(JNS) — It will take at least a decade to rebuild Gaza, Mike Waltz, the U.S. national security adviser, told reporters on Feb. 4, per the White House pool report. Asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Jordan and Egypt to accept Palestinian to “clean out” Gaza—a move that both countries have rejected—Waltz told reporters that “President Trump is looking at this from a humanitarian standpoint.” “You have these people that are sitting with literally thousands of unexploded ordinance and piles of rubble,” he said. “At some point, we...
(JNS) — Below is the full text of the statement delivered by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Feb. 4, 2025: Thank you, Mr. President. I’m honored that you invited me to be the first foreign leader to visit the White House in your second term. This is a testament to your friendship and support for the Jewish state and the Jewish people. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House. That’s why the people of... Full story
(JNS) — Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, stated several times during the press briefing on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump has not committed to deploying American soldiers to Gaza. Trump announced on Feb. 6 that the United States would “take over,” “own” and “be responsible for” the reconstruction of Gaza. During the explosive press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said that the United States would redevelop Gaza’s waterfront as “the riviera of the Middle East.” He also said that...
(JNS) — About 65 percent of the structures in the Gaza Strip were destroyed during the year-long Israel-Hamas war, littering the enclave with hundreds of millions of tons of scattered debris, Hebrew media reported on Tuesday. Experts estimate reconstruction would take at least 10 years and cost tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News. The outlet commissioned Adi Ben-Nun, a Geographic Information System specialist and technical manager of the GIS center at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, to ana...
Thai hostages reunite with families in Israel By JNS Staff (JNS) — Five Thai nationals recently freed from Hamas captivity in Gaza were reunited with their families on Tuesday at Shamir Medical Center in Be’er Ya’akov, Israel. Relatives of four of the former captives traveled from Thailand to meet their loved ones and will accompany them home. Their visit was coordinated by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the National Insurance Institute, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Israel Defense Forces and the Thai Embassy. The freed hostages...
(JNS) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday described Hamas as an “evil” and “monstrous” organization that must be wiped out. During an interview on conservative talk radio channel SiriusXM Patriot, the top American diplomat condemned the terrorist group for its treatment of hostages. “This is an evil organization. Hamas is evil. It’s pure evil. These are monsters. These are savages. That’s a group that needs to be eradicated,” he said. He warned that its continued dominance in Gaza would prevent regional stability in the Middle Eas...
(JNS)- U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States will "take over" and rebuild the Gaza Strip during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. "The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too," Trump said. "We'll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings. " Trump said in the explosive press...
(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump called for “permanently” resettling Palestinians outside Gaza on Tuesday, as he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took questions from reporters at the White House. Trump did not say whether he thought Palestinians would have a “right” to return to Gaza but asked why they would want to return given the level of destruction. “I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza,” Trump said. “I think that Gaza has been very unlucky for them. They’ve lived like hell. They live like you’re living in he...
(JNS) — Saudi Arabia’s government on Tuesday contradicted U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that Ryadh may normalize ties with Israel even without the creation of a Palestinian state. Sitting alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump addressed Saudi-Israeli ties while answering questions from journalists on the subject. “Well, we’re going to see, and we’re dealing with a lot of people, and we have steps to go yet, as you know. And maybe those steps go forward, and maybe they don’t. We’re dealing...
(JNS) — The Trump White House has asked congressional leaders to approve about $1 billion in weapons sales to Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing U.S. officials. The sales would include more than $700 million in 1,000-pound bombs (4,700 in total), along with armored bulldozers worth more than $300 million, the officials said. The 1,000-pound bombs, referred to as “general purpose bombs,” consist of 4,500 BLU-110s and 200 Mk-83s. Caterpillar D9 armored bulldozers also are part of the sale. Although they are used to defen...
President Donald Trump said he is “not confident” that the ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war will last, adding that the United States could help rebuild Gaza. Trump, sitting in the Oval Office, made the comments following his inauguration Monday. A reporter asked whether he was confident he could “keep the ceasefire in Gaza and conclude the three phases of the deal.” “I’m not confident,” Trump responded. “That’s not our war, it’s their war. I’m not confident.” Then, presumably referring to Hamas, he added, “But I think they’re very weaken...
Hamas condemns Trump’s Gaza resettlement plan as ‘ridiculous’ By Joshua Marks (JNS) — Hamas on Wednesday rejected as “absurd” U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to relocate Gazans from the war-torn coastal enclave. Speaking to reporters alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, Trump proposed that the U.S. take control of Gaza, resettle its Palestinian population elsewhere and transform the enclave, which he described as a “demolition site right now,” into a developed hub. Hamas official Sami Abu...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embarked Sunday on a Washington visit centered around a pivotal meeting on Tuesday with President Donald Trump. While the Prime Minister’s Office announced a Friday return to Israel, concurrent preparations suggest a possible extension until the following Sunday. The leadership summit will address all major regional and international issues and their interconnections: the status of the Gaza ceasefire, efforts to liberate the remaining hostages in the Strip, and subsequent phases of the...
Sa’ar hails Trump’s executive order to curb ‘disease’ of Jew-hatred (JNS) — Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Thursday praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to counter the scourge of Jew-hatred. “Thank you, President Trump, for your executive order to combat the disease of antisemitism. This critical step sends a clear message: the antisemitic support for Hamas’ October 7th atrocities will not be tolerated,” tweeted Sa’ar. “Your important decision helps ensure the safety of the Jewish people on campuses and elsewhere in A...
(JNS) — The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a nonprofit based in Los Angeles, is “deeply concerned” that Facebook parent company Meta is discontinuing its fact-checking policy and relying more on users to say which posts they deem unfactual. “This decision comes at a time of unprecedented surging antisemitism, particularly following the events of Oct. 7, making the rollback of critical safeguards exceedingly dangerous,” the center stated. “This reckless move disregards the immense responsibility social media companies bear in protecting vulnerable...
(JNS) — Israel-related issues dominated the Senate confirmation hearing of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on Tuesday to become the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Nearly every senator on the Foreign Relations Committee probed her views on the Jewish state and the region. The congresswoman vowed to use her seat in Turtle Bay to combat antisemitism just as she had done in Congress. “If you look at the antisemitic rot within the United Nations, there are more resolutions targeting Israel than any other country, any other crisis, com...
(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump revoked a host of what he called “harmful” executive orders and actions under former President Joe Biden, including Executive Order 14115 of Feb. 1, 2024, which sanctioned Jews living in Judea and Samaria accused of “undermining peace, security and stability in the West Bank.” “The previous administration has embedded deeply unpopular, inflationary, illegal and radical practices within every agency and office of the federal government,” Trump stated on Monday. “The injection of ‘diversity, equity and inclus...
(JTA) — President Donald Trump says he has asked Jordan to accept Palestinians from Gaza and plans to press Egypt to do the same. Trump said he spoke to Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Saturday, five days after being inaugurated for his second term and six days into a ceasefire that he pressed for in the Israel-Hamas war. “I said to him I’d love you to take on more because I’m looking at the whole Gaza Strip right now and it’s a mess, it’s a real mess. I’d like him to take people,” Trump told reporters Saturday night aboard Air Force One followi...
(JNS) — The U.S. has provided Israel with a written guarantee that Jerusalem can resume its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip if negotiations for the second and third phases of the ceasefire agreement fail, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told JNS on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden have provided Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an official missive confirming that “the State of Israel will be able to return to the war on day 43” if talks fail during the 42-day first phase of the a...
Sen. Cruz gives Trump drawings by children held hostage in Gaza By JNS Staff (JNS) — U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Sunday that he presented pictures drawn by Israeli children who were held hostage in Gaza to President-elect Donald Trump. “This week, I met with an Israeli hostage family who had been released from Gaza,” Cruz wrote on X. “The beautiful children drew pictures for President Trump, and they asked me to deliver them.” The Senator, who is a staunch defender of Israel and has emerged as a close ally of the president...
(Israel Hayom via JNS) — As Donald Trump reclaimed the White House, an extensive portfolio of international and domestic challenges awaits—with Israel’s security concerns commanding significant attention. Unlike his first term, Trump enters office on Jan. 20 following methodical preparation and with a clear grasp of both priorities and implementation strategies. The Iranian nuclear threat stands as the foremost security concern. Having withdrawn from the nuclear agreement in 2018 during his previous term, Trump demonstrates acute aware...
(JNS) — At a confirmation hearing, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said that as state secretary he’d belong to “perhaps the most pro-Israel administration in American history,” pushing Israeli-Saudi normalization and lifting sanctions from Jews in Judea and Samaria, among other actions. The emerging ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Rubio said, was “a foundation to build upon” in working toward peace between Israel and Palestinians and normalization of Israeli-Saudi ties as an extension of the Abraham Accords. “We’re still going to have so...
(JNS) — Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya repeated the terrorist organization’s commitment to the destruction of Israel in his first public remarks since green-lighting the truce deal with the Jewish state on Wednesday night, Jan. 15. According to al-Hayya, the terrorist group during negotiations succeeded in thwarting Israel’s “declared and hidden goals.” “Today, we prove that the occupation will never defeat our people and their resistance,” he said in a televised address from Doha which ran for some 18 minutes. Jerusalem “only secured...
