Opinion

At some level, even our harshest critics expect more from us. They hold us to standards they would never dream of applying to themselves or their allies. 

And as a lifelong New Yorker, I never thought I would see the day when the potential leadership of my city would defend terrorism, the very threat we, as Americans, are supposed to oppose.

Israel’s achievements have come as a direct result of its values. Nations with fickle values have ever-changing policies that lead to failure.

Today, less than half of the displaced residents have returned home. PTSD has surged 33% among residents, with children and parents bearing profound emotional wounds.

Since October 7 to now, Israel has been experiencing continuous significant and challenging security operations. When personal life is suspended, it becomes difficult to discuss commercial life.

For years, the West has oscillated between deterrence and diplomacy. The June war and the economic aftershocks that followed offer a third way: erosion.

We may be naive, but at the same time truly believe that there is a small and important opportunity for change.

The obsessive coverage against Israel in the Western media is the story of a world struggling to digest how a separatist people are establishing a powerful state that everyone has their eyes on.

As the evening concluded in mid-October of 2023 and in the aftermath of October 7, I thanked the former speaker of the House for his vocal support of the State of Israel, America’s greatest ally.

Students stand where terror struck, listen to the voices of residents, soldiers, survivors of terror and their families, and walk through towns scarred by war.