Weekly roundup of world briefs

Biden and Harris concede Trump victory

(JNS) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke individually with President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, acknowledging Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential elections and offering to assist with his transition into power.

Biden called Trump and “expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition while emphasizing the importance of working to bring the country together,” the White House said on Wednesday.

His vice president, Kamala Harris, called Trump to concede the election, and to offer to help with his transition.

Trump “acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country,” said Trump spokesman Steven Cheung, according to the Associated Press. 

In a speech to her supporters at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Harris urged them to accept her loss and said she would help Trump with his transition.

“Folks are feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now, I get it. But we must accept the results of this election,” she said, adding: “The light of America’s promise will always burn bright, as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”

Soldier slain by Hezbollah rocket, bringing IDF toll to 781

(JNS) — An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed on Wednesday in a Hezbollah rocket attack on northern Israel, the military announced on Thursday.

The slain soldier was Sgt. Ariel Sosnov Sasonov, 20, of the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion, from Jerusalem.

Sasonov was killed when a rocket hit the town of Avivim, located along the border with Lebanon.

The IDF death toll in Gaza since the start of the ground operation on Oct. 27, 2023, stands at 368, while the figure on all fronts since Oct. 7, 2023, is 781.

Additionally, Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, a member of the Border Police’s Yamam National Counter-Terrorism Unit, was fatally wounded during a hostage rescue mission in Gaza in June, and civilian defense contractor Liron Yitzhak was mortally wounded in the Strip in May.

Hezbollah infiltrators killed by IDF hailed from two Asian countries

(JNS) — Several Hezbollah terrorists killed by Israeli forces after infiltrating into the country from Southern Lebanon were later found to be citizens of two unnamed Asian countries, Israel’s Army Radio reported on Tuesday.

They were brought to Lebanon by Hezbollah after the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, for this specific purpose, as it was believed they would be less conspicuous, according to the report.

Israel’s aerial and ground attacks over the past year in Southern Lebanon have been aimed at removing the Iranian-backed terror army’s ability to conduct an Oct. 7-style mass murder attack in northern Israel.

The Israeli ground operation that began on Oct. 1 is specifically targeting Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, which has been responsible for ongoing threats to Israeli civilian communities in northern Israel. The Radwan Force’s Galilee invasion plan served as the blueprint for the Hamas death squads which led the Oct. 7 attack on the western Negev.

Iran to execute three suspects in 2020 killing of top nuclear scientist

(JNS) — Iran’s judiciary said on Tuesday that it sentenced three people to death over the 2020 killing of the country’s leading nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

“The judicial processes of these three people were carried out in the Revolutionary Court of Urmia, and they were sentenced to death in the initial stage, and the case is currently in the appeal stage,” AFP quoted judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir as saying at a Tehran press conference.

The 59-year-old, considered the chief of Iran’s nuclear program, was under U.S. sanctions at the time of his death. He was targeted on Nov. 27 in a road ambush outside of Tehran that the regime blamed Israel for perpetrating.

“After some investigations, three people out of eight arrested in West Azarbaijan province were accused of committing espionage for the occupying regime of Israel,” Jahangir said.

They are also accused of “transporting equipment into Iran for the assassination of martyr Fakhrizadeh under the guise of smuggling alcoholic beverages.”

 Judiciary spokesman Massoud Setayeshi announced in December 2022 that nine people had been charged with the capital offense of “corruption on earth” for collaborating with Israel in the assassination.

Authorities in Iran on Monday executed a Jewish man, Arvin Nathaniel Ghahremani, who had been sentenced to death for murder, Iranian media reported.

“The sentence of retribution was executed this morning,” said Hamidreza Karimi, the prosecutor for Kermanshah in western Iran, according to the Mehr news agency.

The Islamic Republic executed 853 people in 2023—the most since 2015, London-based Amnesty International said last month.

Netanyahu offering millions for safe return of hostages

(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presented a new proposal that would see Jerusalem pay millions of dollars for each hostage in exchange for safe passage abroad for the captors and their families, Channel 12 reported on Monday.

Netanyahu previewed this type of proposal in a statement following the killing of Hamas terror leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza on Oct. 16.

“To the Hamas terrorists, I say—your leaders are fleeing and will be eliminated. I call on anyone holding our hostages: lay down your weapons and return our hostages, and we will allow you to leave and live. At the same time, I say that anyone who harms our hostages will pay with his life, and we will settle accounts with him,” added the premier.

Trump: ‘America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate’

(JNS) — Chants of “USA!” greeted Donald Trump as he took to the podium on Wednesday morning to deliver a victory speech after Fox News called the 2024 presidential race for the Republican candidate. 

“This is a movement like nobody has ever seen before. Frankly, this I believe is the greatest political movement of all time … and now it will reach a new level of importance because we are going to help our country heal,” Trump said at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. 

“Look what happened. Is this crazy?” he said to applause.

Trump thanked the American people for electing him as the 47th president and vowed to fight for all American citizens while in the White House.

“Truly it will be the golden age of America,” he said. “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.”

Trump thanked his wife, Melania Trump, and his family, who were with him on stage.

He then introduced his running mate, J.D. Vance.

“We just witnessed the greatest political comeback in the history of the United States of America,” said Vance.

“Under Trump’s leadership will never stop fighting for you … we will lead the greatest economic comeback in American history,” he added.

House Speaker Johnson: Trump victory ‘saved America’

(JNS) — “We have saved America,” House Speaker Mike Johnson tweeted on Wednesday, responding to Donald Trump’s projected victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

“The American people have spoken, and President Trump and Senator JD Vance are going to the White House. We are ready to get to work for the American people,” continued Johnson. A Republican congressman, he has represented Louisiana’s 4th congressional district since 2017.

The tweet came as Republicans celebrated following Trump’s victories in the crucial battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris only a narrow path to the White House.

Fox News called the elections, projecting Trump to become the 47th president. At time of publication, CNN and several other networks and media had not yet called the race.

Taking to the stage in Florida to deliver a victory speech, Trump said, “I want to thank the American people for the extraordinary honor of being elected your 47th president, and your 45th president.”

Herzog praises Trump, ‘dear friend of Israel’

(JNS) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog congratulated Donald Trump on Wednesday morning after Fox News declared the Republican the victor in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, calling him “a true and dear friend of Israel, and a champion of peace and cooperation in our region.”

“I look forward to working with you to strengthen the ironclad bond between our peoples, to build a future of peace and security for the Middle East, and to uphold our shared values. On behalf of the Jewish and democratic State of Israel, and all our people, I wish you much success,” tweeted Herzog.

Republicans win Senate control

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Republicans have won control of the U.S. Senate, retaking the majority for the first time in four years.

The Democrats, headed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), had led the upper chamber since 2021 by a slim 51-49 majority.

Control over the House of Representative is still up for grabs, with scores of races not called by early Wednesday morning. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted Republicans will keep “and grow” their majority.

A potential Republican sweep of both the Senate and the House would cement the GOP’s grip on power and ease the president-elect’s agenda as well as cabinet confirmation posts.

Going into Tuesday’s elections, Democrats had held 47 out of 100 seats in the Senate, along with four independents in the chamber who caucus with Democrats, giving the party a one-seat majority. With more Democrats up for reelection on Tuesday, Republicans had a significant edge.

Among the projected winners for the GOP in the Senate were Ohio Republican nominee Bernie Moreno and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, who cruised to victory in the race to replace Sen. Joe Manchin. 

Democratic efforts to oust Republicans Ted Cruz of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida failed.

Lawmakers in the House face voters every two years, while senators serve six-year terms.

Hamas says Trump to be tested on pledge to stop war

(JNS) — A senior Hamas official said on Wednesday that following Donald Trump’s election victory, he will be tested on previous statements that he can stop the war in Gaza.

“We urge Trump to learn from [President Joe] Biden’s mistakes,” Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Wednesday.

In an interview with Israel Hayom in March, Trump said that he supported Israel’s defensive war against Hamas and that he would have responded to Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack much the way Israel had. At the same time, he warned that the longer the war dragged on, the worse things would get for Israel.

“You have to finish up your war. To finish it up. You gotta get it done. And I am sure you will do that,” he said. “And we gotta get to peace, we can’t have this going on. And I will say, Israel has to be very careful, because you’re losing a lot of the world, you’re losing a lot of support, you have to finish up, you have to get the job done. And you have to get on to peace, to get on to a normal life for Israel, and for everybody else,” he added.

Air raid sirens sound at Trump Heights on Golan

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Rockets fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon sent sirens blaring throughout northern and central Israel on Wednesday, including in the Golan Heights community named for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

The 10 projectiles launched by the Lebanese terrorist group in the late-morning attack, which came two hours after Trump’s victory speech, failed to cause any injuries.

The community on the strategic plateau was named Ramat Trump, or Trump Heights, in honor of the former president after the U.S., at his direction, in 2019 recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

It is the second Israeli community to be named after a sitting U.S. president after Moshav Kfar Truman, which is located east of Ben-Gurion International Airport.

A Hezbollah rocket killed 12 children in Majdal Shams, one of four Druze communities on the Israeli part of the Golan Heights, as they played soccer on July 24.

Hezbollah has fired more than 16,000 projectiles at Israel since the day after the Hamas-led invasion of the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023.

Two Jewish Democrats elected governor, in Delaware, North Carolina

By Izzy Salant

(JNS) — With Matt Meyer’s and Josh Stein’s election as governor of Delaware and North Carolina respectively on Tuesday, the two join four other Jewish governors—Jared Polis (Colo.), J. B. Pritzker (Ill.), Josh Green (Hawaii) and Josh Shapiro (Pa.)—all Democrats.

“It’s great to be at a point where a Jewish governor, even in states with small Jewish populations, is not unusual,” according to Mark Mellman, CEO of an eponymous polling and consulting firm and president of Democratic Majority for Israel.

“The Democratic Party is committed to equal opportunity and pluralism a fact reinforced by the fact that all six of these Jewish governors are Democrats,” Mellman told JNS.

The Associated Press called the Delaware gubernatorial race for Meyer, who defeated Mike Ramone, a member of the Delaware state House. With 90% of votes counted, Meyer was up 11.8 percentage points, with 274,823 votes, per the AP.

A former public school math teacher and small business owner, Meyer is a staunch supporter of Israel, which he has visited three times. He told Jewish Insider that “Israel is going through a really challenging time right now, and we have to do what we can to support what is one of America’s strongest allies in the world.”

Stein, North Carolina’s attorney general, was up nearly 15 percentage points on Republican Mark Robinson, with 2.6 million votes, with 83% of votes counted, per the AP, which called the race.

Robinson, the lieutenant governor of North Carolina, came under fire for social media posts, including calling himself “a black Nazi” and for quoting Hitler. Robinson denied having posted the comments.

U.S. President Joe Biden called Meyer and Stein, among others, to congratulate them on their election, per the White House pool report.

Craig Goldman elected as third Jewish Republican member of the House

By Izzy Salant, Menachem Wecker

(JNS) — Craig Goldman, a Republican member of the Texas state House, defeated Trey Hunt to become the representative of Texas’s 12th Congressional District. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) currently holds the seat but opted not to seek reelection.

Goldman is the third Jewish GOP member of the U.S. House of Representatives after incumbents Reps. Max Miller (R-Ohio) and David Kustoff (R-Tenn.).

Kustoff defeated Sarah Freeman in the state’s 8th Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. With 79 percent of votes counted, Kustoff was up 47.5 percentage points, with 235,357 votes, per the AP.

With 88 percent of votes counted in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, Miller was up more than 15 percentage points with 179,269 votes, per the AP, which called the race.

Goldman was up nearly 30 percentage points, with 192,808 votes and 78 percent of votes counted, according to the Associated Press, which called the race.

“Welcome to Congress one of my best friends,” wrote Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition. “So proud of you, brother.”

AIPAC, which endorsed Goldman, wrote shortly before 11 p.m. that “so far, 190 AIPAC-backed candidates have won their elections tonight.”

Goldman drew praise from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)—who chairs the House Republican Conference—and Aryeh Lightstone, a former senior adviser to David Friedman, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel.

On his campaign website, Goldman stated that he would stand with Israel, “the only true democracy in the Middle East.”

“The enemies of Israel are dangerous and relentless. The October 2023 slaughter of over 1,400 Israelis, including at least 36 Americans, at the hands of Hamas makes this reality abundantly clear,” he wrote. “While Israeli hostages remain captive in Gaza, it is critical that Israel is able to defend herself and ultimately is able to achieve its military objective: to dismantle Hamas.”

“There is simply no room for ambivalence or wavering on where the United States stands in this matter,” he added on the site. “The United States must continue to stand by Israel in its fight against the sheer brutality and inhumanity of Hamas.”