US ‘fully’ supports Israel’s right to self-defense, Hegseth tells Israel Katz
(JNS) — Pete Hegseth, the newly installed U.S. secretary of defense, reaffirmed the “unbreakable bond” between Israel and the United States in a phone call on Wednesday with Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister, said Pentagon spokesman John Ullyo.
Hegseth told his Israeli counterpart “that under President Trump’s leadership, the United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself, and that Israel is a model ally for the region.”
The U.S. defense secretary “also reiterated that the United States is committed to deepening the bilateral security relationship to enhance Israel’s ability to address regional threats and ensure that Israel has the capabilities it needs.”
AIPAC thanked Hegseth for his “strong support of Israel’s security and the U.S.-Israel relationship.”
Lee Zeldin confirmed as head of US Environmental Protection Agency
(JNS) — Lee Zeldin, a former Republican New York congressman, was confirmed on Wednesday as the new head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a Senate vote of 56-42.
Three Democrats voted with a majority of Republicans to confirm his nomination with two abstentions, according to the Senate Press Gallery.
“Confirmed! Thank you to the 56 senators for your vote and confidence,” Zeldin, who is Jewish, wrote on social media. “Grateful to President Donald Trump for having the faith in me to be part of his cabinet as EPA administrator. Make America Great Again!”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Zeldin will bring a “collaborative approach” back to the EPA.
The Republican Jewish Coalition offered congratulations. Currently, Zeldin sits on the RJC board.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also congratulated Zeldin on his win, saying “he will do an extraordinary job in his new post, and House Republicans look forward to working with Lee again to unleash America’s energy dominance, revamp our auto industry and roll back radical Green New Deal regulations.”
During Zeldin’s initial nomination, U.S. President Donald Trump said he “will set new standards on environmental review and maintenance that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way.”
Combative Jewish lawmaker Randy Fine, a Trump favorite, wins Florida GOP House primary
(JTA) — Randy Fine, a Jewish Florida state senator whose bruising demeanor has made him a new favorite on the right, easily won the Republican primary for an open House seat.
An Associated Press estimate showed that Fine took more than 80% of the GOP vote on Tuesday. The district is deep red, making his victory in the April 1 special election all but assured. He would replace Michael Waltz, who left Congress to become Trump’s national security advisor.
Fine decided to run in the district, even though he does not currently live there, after receiving an enthusiastic endorsement from President Donald Trump. He did not immediately return a Jewish Telegraphic Agency request for comment on his victory. But on social media, he made clear the spiritual reason why he ran. The northeast Florida district has few Jews but many conservative Christians.
“G-d saved @realDonaldTrump’s life so he could save the world,” the state senator wrote on social media. “And tonight, both of them, powered by my amazing family and all of you who voted for me, put me one step closer to being able to help him do that. I swear I won’t let any of you down.”
Fine has used his Jewish and ardent pro-Israel background to court controversy. Soon after announcing his candidacy, he tweeted “#BombsAway” at pro-Palestinian Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, which Muslim-rights groups and the Anti-Defamation League condemned as a threat. (Fine denied he meant the remark as a threat.) In his home state he has called progressive Jewish critics “Judenrat,” a term denoting Jewish councils who helped the Nazis.
Officials decry anti-Israel vandalism at NJ synagogue
(JTA) — Anti-Israel protesters graffitied the property of a New Jersey synagogue that was hosting a talk by an Israeli soldier, drawing condemnation from local officials.
On Sunday morning, January 26, anti-Israel demonstrators gathered in front of Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange, New Jersey, to protest a talk by members of the Israeli Air Force’s search-and-rescue unit. According to a statement by South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum, the protesters graffitied the driveway with the phrase “Terrorists This Way,” and drew an arrow that pointed toward the synagogue.
Collum wrote that police are investigating the incident as a bias crime.
“This act of intolerance is deeply disturbing and has no place in our community,” the mayor wrote. “We must come together, united in our commitment to stand against hate, bigotry, and discrimination in all forms. This is not just an attack on one group; it is an attack on the values that bind us all as neighbors.”
Rabbi Abigail Treu, who leads the Conservative congregation, wrote in a statement that protesters called passersby “baby killers.” She wrote that a neighbor had cleaned off the graffiti and thanked police for their response.
Trump orders development of ‘American Iron Dome’
(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order for the development of an Iron Dome-like missile defense shield for the United States.
Trump called to “immediately begin the construction of a state-of-the-art Iron Dome missile defense shield, which will be able to protect Americans,” according to ABC News.
The “American Iron Dome” will be a “comprehensive missile defense shield to [safeguard] the American homeland,” the report quoted White House staff secretary Will Scharf as saying.
Earlier this month, the Israeli Defense Ministry and Haifa-based Rafael Advanced Defense Systems signed a contract to expand the production of Iron Dome interceptors, marking the first procurement under a U.S. aid package worth $8.7 billion.
The aid, approved in April 2024, includes $5.2 billion for strengthening Israel’s missile defense systems.
In November, Reuters reported that Greece was negotiating with Israel to develop a 2 billion euro ($2.11 billion) anti-aircraft and missile defense system similar to the Iron Dome.
Several additional countries have voiced interest in purchasing the Israeli missile defense system, which has won international accolades for its performance during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
NJ man ‘inspired by Hamas’ pleads guilty over attempt to join Al-Qaeda affiliate
(JNS) — The U.S. Justice Department announced on Monday that a New Jersey man pleaded guilty to terrorism charges over his attempt to join al-Shabaab.
Karrem Nasr, a 24-year-old U.S. citizen from Lawrenceville, N.J., told an FBI informant and wrote on social media that he was inspired to join the Somali Al-Qaeda affiliate after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“I would like to become a martyr in the sake of Allah,” Nasr told the informant. “I think in coming years, inshallah, we are going to see here big events in Egypt and the other Arab countries. Inshallah if this happens, I will come back to Egypt, inshallah, to help the Muslims in Egypt in their struggle to establish here in Egypt.”
Nasr moved to Egypt in July 2023 and wrote on social media in November of that year that “jihad on your home turf” was “coming soon to a U.S. location near you.”
In December 2023, he flew from Egypt to Kenya, intending to proceed to Somalia to join and train with al-Shabaab. Kenyan authorities arrested him upon arrival, and he was then extradited to the United States.
Danielle Sassoon, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, stated that the Oct. 7 attacks inspired Nasr to pursue “death and destruction.”
“Karrem Nasr devoted himself to waging violent jihad against America and its allies,” she stated. “Now, instead of perpetrating a deadly attack in the name of a foreign terrorist group, Nasr resides in federal prison.”
Nasr pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The U.S. State Department designated al-Shabaab as a terrorist group in 2008.
Nasr is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
