— Featured —

















Iranian Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani.



Trump Reasserts Deterrence, Prevents Escalation with Iran






The killing of Iranian Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani in a targeted US military strike last Thursday night ended the long, bloody career of Iran’s chief of terrorism and subversion <[link removed]>. 

Shoshana Bryendescribes Soleimani this way <[link removed]>: 

Soleimani was head of the Iranian militias that killed 608 American soldiers in Iraq and maimed thousands of others through the use of IEDs. He armed, trained, and commanded the Iraqi Kataib militia Hezbollah that was responsible for the killing of an American contractor in Iraq and the injuring of several American soldiers — and for attacking the US embassy in Baghdad, which directly precipitated the current situation.

And that’s only about the United States. Soleimani’s IRGC-controlled militias sent tens of thousands of troops, mostly Pakistani and Afghan, to Syria to commit large-scale ethnic cleansing of Syrian Sunnis and precipitating the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe. Soleimani’s IRGC-controlled militias ostensibly fought against ISIS in western Iraq, but committed a variety of crimes against Iraqi Sunni civilians there, as well. The arming of Hezbollah in Lebanon with precision missiles, now aimed at Israel, is a Soleimani-led IRGC operation. The establishment of Iranian missile factories in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq is a Soleimani-led IRGC operation.

Michael Doran, writing at the New York Times, says the killing of Soleimani has significantly weakened Iran and laid to rest the Obama administration’s Middle East strategy <[link removed]>: 

More than any other American military operation since the invasion of Iraq, the assassination yesterday of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the head of Iran’s Qods Force of its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, is a seismic event…Taking out the architect of the Islamic Republic’s decades-long active campaign of violence against the United States and its allies, especially Israel, represents a tectonic shift in Middle Eastern politics. …His departure will make Iran much weaker. It will embolden the country’s regional rivals —primarily Israel and Saudi Arabia— to pursue their strategic interests more resolutely. It will also instill in the protesters in Iran, Lebanon and, especially, Iraq, the hope that they will one day wrest control of their governments from the talons of the Islamic Republic.

In Washington, the decision to kill Mr. Suleimani represents the final demise of [President Barack] Obama’s Middle East strategy, which sought to realign American interests with those of Iran. Mr. Obama’s search for a modus vivendi with Tehran never comported with the reality of the Islamic Republic’s fundamental character and regional ambitions. President [Donald] Trump, by contrast, realized that Tehran’s goal was to replace America as the key player in the Middle East.

The American strike also killed another terrorist leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Rick Moranwrites <[link removed]>:

Also killed was Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a top Iraqi paramilitary leader whose long, bloody career includes attacks on American and other Western embassies, as well as being a founder of Kata'ib Hezbollah, a group responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers in Iraq.

…In some ways, killing al-Muhandis was more significant than the death of Soleimani. He's been an active terrorist against the US since the occupation of Iraq and helped create the umbrella Shia militia group Hashd al-Shaabi. Hashd was originally founded to fight ISIS in Iraq, but has morphed into a shadow organization exercising political and military control of Iraq on behalf of Iran.

The RJC praised the President’s action <[link removed]> and said that Soleimani’s death makes the world as safer place. Democrats and the mainstream media reacted differently, with many saying that we were getting into a disastrous and illegal war with Iran. (They were wrong.)

But what counted most was Iran’s response. On Tuesday, Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two military bases in Iraq <[link removed]> where American and coalition troops were stationed. 

Maj. Gen. Hossein Dehghan, the military advisor to the dictator of Iran, Ali Khamenei, told CNN <[link removed]>:

It was America that has started the war [by killing Soleimani]. Therefore, they should accept appropriate reactions to their actions. The only thing that can end this period of war is for the Americans to receive a blow that is equal to the blow they have inflicted. Afterward they should not seek a new cycle.

In other words, the missile attacks were a face-saving “blow” on America, but Iran did not want to continue or escalate the conflict with the US.

That would be why no Americans were injured or killed. Iran actually alerted the Iraqis hours before the attacks began, <[link removed]> and the Iraqis warned the US so that personnel could take cover. 

Iranian media reported that dozens of Americans died in the missile attacks. John Hinderakerpoints out <[link removed]> that this false report, intended for internal consumption, provided Iranian leaders with the political cover they needed at home after the humiliation of Soleimani’s death. 

Since there were no American casualties, the US did not respond militarily and there was no escalation of the conflict. Instead, President Trump delivered remarks to the nation yesterday that were undoubtedly examined very closely by Iranian leaders.

In his remarks, President Trump talked about America’s strong military capabilities and announced that new economic sanctions would be imposed on the Iranian regime, making clear how America can and would respond if attacked again. At the same time, the President acknowledged the de-escalation of hostilities and left the door open for future negotiations. The speech was a master class in deterrence and diplomacy. (Transcript here <[link removed]>.)

Further Reading:



Tyler O’Neil: Report: Obama Administration stopped Israel from assassinating Soleimani in 2015 <[link removed]>

Alan Dershowitz: Easy Call: The strike on Soleimani was lawful  <[link removed]>

Joe Lieberman: Why can’t Democratic candidates simply admit Qasem Soleimani’s death makes Americans safer <[link removed]>



















Marchers at the "No Hate, No Fear" solidarity march in New York on January 5.



Thoughts on Anti-Semitism






The “No Hate, No Fear” march is over, but the topic of anti-Semitism never goes away. Here are two thoughtful commentaries that deserve your attention:

Eric Rozenman: It’s not ‘Antisemitism,’ it’s Jew-hatred  <[link removed]>

Ben Cohen: The multiple faces of anti-Semitism <[link removed]>

Editor’s note: In our article <[link removed]> last week about the stabbing attack in Monsey, NY, we referred to the location as “a Chabad rabbi's house.” Rabbi Chaim L. Rottenberg of Monsey is not a Chabad rabbi. He is the rebbe of the Koson Chasidim. We regret the error.

























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March 13-15 in Las Vegas: RJC National Leaders are invited for a terrific weekend of politics, policy, and poker at the fabulous Venetian/Palazzo Resort and Hotel. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from – and be heard by – some of the country’s foremost politicians, policy makers, and leaders, including featured speaker Ambassador Nikki Haley. It’s time to reserve your spot! Visit RJCVegasMeeting.org <[link removed]> for details and reservations. (This event is open to RJC Leaders; Leadership dues begin at the $1,000 donor level.)























• The Republican Jewish Coalition is hiring field staff for our advocacy efforts in support of President Donald Trump’s reelection in various battleground states.CLICK HERE <[link removed]> for details and application information. 

• The RJC PAC has endorsed a terrific slate of House and Senate incumbents, and we need them to continue their work on Capitol Hill! CLICK HERE to donate through the RJC PAC portal and show your support for our great candidates! <[link removed]>

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Our extremely popular red Trump kippah is now for sale for just $18. This includes shipping and handling. Supplies are limited. 


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— Short Takes —

















Pompeo 'disavows' Carter-era anti-settlement policy <[link removed]>The US rejects a 1978 memo determining that Israeli settlements in the West Bank violate international law, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday. The Secretary of State was addressing via video the Kohelet Policy Forum conference on the "Pompeo Doctrine" regarding the legality of Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria. 

Pompeo said the US is “disavowing the deeply flawed” Carter-era memorandum, written by then-State Department legal adviser Herbert Hansell, which called all Israeli settlements beyond the 1949 armistice lines illegal. This goes a step further than Pompeo’s statement in November that the US concluded that “the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law.”


Passing of former Cong. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA-8) <[link removed]>

We note with sadness the passing of former Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania this week. He was a staunch friend of Israel and the Jewish community. The RJC worked with him on many issues, including our strong opposition to President Obama’s Iran nuclear deal. He will be missed.

The Congressman’s brother, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) is also a strong supporter of Israel and an important voice on foreign affairs and defense issues in the House. The RJC has endorsed Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick for reelection in 2020.

















































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