It's awards season

(JNS) — The entertainment industry is abuzz as once again, the world awaits the high drama when envelopes are opened, and we find out who will get the Oscars, Grammys and other similar prizes. In between the stars doling out trophies to other stars, the audience is treated to edgy humor and lots of commercials. The winners thank their agents, their studio bosses, and, maybe, their spouses or parents. Even the losers get a generous “everyone wins” gift bag.

Washington, on the other hand, has been referred to as “Hollywood for ugly people.”

In recent weeks, former President Joe Biden stretched our sense of fairness by giving a Presential Medal of Freedom award to dark money donor and antisemite George Soros. At the same ceremony, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also a recipient, which the “Babylon Bee,” a satire news site, humorously called a “participation award.” During Biden’s last international journey, he awarded Pope Francis the same medal. The pope’s undeserved accolade came hot on the heels of his most recent and biased accusations of Israeli “cruelty” toward Gazans.

The U.S. Constitution empowers American presidents to grant pardons and clemency. While they can issue pardons at any time, many presidents use their last days in office to issue a flurry of pardons, consider it another Washington “award season,” one that comes every four years. Biden just set the record with more than 8,000 pardons, including murderers on death row, his entire family (with special attention paid to his troubled son, Hunter), and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, promptly awarded exonerations for those arrested and jailed for their participation in the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Concurrent with all this “awarding” generosity, at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, Israel faced an excruciating choice of how to negotiate with Hamas savages. After almost 500 days, the government was trying to secure the return of nearly 100 hostages held in Gazan tunnels. Israeli leaders faced pressure from two U.S. presidents, the shared agony of a nation, the continuing combat and death of soldiers, and existential geopolitical and military complexities.

Unlike the Hollywood accolades for the best of the best, Israel has had to “award” freedom to hundreds of heinous Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are convicted killers, to rescue their citizens from Gaza, including those who are already dead. In 2011, to win the release of Gilad Shalit, more than 1,000 prisoners were released, including Hamas senior leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, who was assassinated by Israeli forces in October.

In Israel, generation after generation, high school kids apply to join elite combat units in the Israel Defense Forces. They know that their society values those who serve and are willing to face the greater challenges. All things being equal, after the army and perhaps university, they hope to become part of the startup nation. They know the risks but being citizens of a nation surrounded by past/current/future enemies, they understand they have no real choice. They want to be awarded the opportunity to serve their beloved country.

While the selection of “Best Actress” might intrigue the movie-going population, the ebb and flow of Israeli geopolitics offers much darker drama. Corrupt organizations like the International Criminal Court and the United Nations sit on high, penalizing the Jewish state while ignoring the misdeeds of countries that are autocracies or led by tyrants, and that are, ironically, part of the world body’s “democratic” process. These organizations keep a heavy thumb on the scales of justice and the “award” systems that for decades have been rigged against Israel.

Let’s hope and pray that with this upcoming Trump administration, Israel will be supported because we share common values and, together, are willing to face down evil. Let’s hope and pray that in this upcoming season, the good guys will win the awards. Amen.

Alan Newman is the author of the novel “Good Heart“ and a pro-Israel advocate who holds leadership positions at AIPAC, StandWithUs and other organizations.