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September 7, 2025
Key Developments and What We're Discussing Today:
- Today, September 7, marks 702 days since October 7, 2023. The Hamas-led attack on Simchat Torah resulted in 1,182 fatalities (including 44 Americans) and over 4,000 wounded. 251 hostages (210 alive, 41 dead bodies) were taken during a day of brutal savagery and sexual violence. It was the largest single massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, with more than one in every 10,000 Israelis killed, and the third overall deadliest terrorist attack in the world to date.
- The 48 remaining hostages, 25 known to be dead, 20 thought to be alive, and three of unknown status, include the bodies of two Americans: Omer Neutra and Itay Chen. It is beyond outrageous that after all this time, they are still enduring torture and starvation in tunnels with no outside contact. It is beyond outrageous that no hostages have been released since June. Releasing the hostages is clearly not a priority for Trump and Netanyahu, but it's a top priority for us.
- Pro-Israel today does not mean blind support for Netanyahu's policies. It means pressure on Netanyahu to end the war, get back the hostages, and stand up to those in his coalition who want to annex the West Bank, which would mean the end of Israel as a democracy and wipe out much of the rationale for American support for Israel.
- Politics with Dana and Steve is co-hosting an event on September 18 in Chicago with Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, the leading (and my favorite) candidate in the Illinois 9th congressional district Democratic primary. See below for details.
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Greetings!
I'm reading Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright's new book, The Human Scale, which is set mainly in Hebron. It is, as one reviewer described it, "a novel of hard truths; a bitter indictment of the corrupt, cruel leaders on both sides who have caused immeasurable suffering."
At one point, the protagonists are discussing the Cave of Machpelah, and one asks the other, "You believe all this? That Abraham and Adam and Eve are real people and their actual bones are in the cave?"
The other answers with what he describes as an old joke to explain why it doesn't matter:
"There was a holy man in Beersheba. His job was attending the grave of a prophet, one of the minor ones, but any prophet gets respect if he has a proper tomb. Anyway, a young man comes to sit at the feet of the holy man and serves him for many years. Pilgrims visit. They pray. They consult the holy man. It's a living.
"One day, the holy man tells his servant it is time for him to find his own way in the world. He gives the young man a donkey, who is called Enoch, after one of the prophets that got thrown out of the Torah because he was nuts. So the servant mounts Enoch and they wander through the Holy Land for many years. Enoch got old and then he dies. And the young man who's not young now is heartbroken. He buries Enoch and puts a mound of rocks over his tomb and a sign that says 'Enoch,' so he'll know the spot when he visits again.
"The servant wanders on foot for many years and then he comes back to the place where his donkey died. He's surprised to find dozens of pilgrims who have come to pay tribute to Enoch. It is such a big deal that the that the old holy man in Beersheba hears about it and decides to see what's going on. There he finds his former servant. They greet each other after so many years, they have tea and break bread together, then the old holy man asks in a confidential voice who is actually buried in this grave. 'Enoch,' says the servant, 'the donkey you gave me.' And then the servant asks, "By the way, who's buried in your tomb?' And the holy man says, 'The father of your donkey.'"
Too many of us are caught up in who did what to whom and what happened when--whether in reality or in our myths--instead of how both sides can move forward and end the bloodshed.
No matter how we got here, no matter whose fault it was, the only answer to this conflict is a two-state solution: two states for two people, both giving up land that by right they think is theirs, neither giving up its narrative, resulting in an independent Palestinian state and a secure, democratic Jewish state of Israel.
As Danny Seidemann, an Israeli who has advised several Israeli and American governments about Jerusalem, once told me, it is regrettable that when opponents of a two-state solution say "mine is longer than yours," they mean history. What happened in the past is important. We cannot let it dictate our future.
If military action could win the release of all the hostages and permanently destroy Hamas without destroying all of Gaza and the people who live there, I'd be for it. But it can't.
That means pressure on Netanyahu to end the war, get back the hostages, and stand up to those in his coalition who want to annex the West Bank, which would mean the end of Israel as a democracy and wipe out much of the rationale for American support for Israel.
A temporary occupation pending agreement on a two-state solution is not ideal, but it is understandable and defensible. Israel can't cede the land unilaterally. We saw what happened after Israel did that in Gaza and Lebanon.
We saw what happened after Israel ceded the Sinai to Egypt as part of a negotiated agreement: a peace agreement that has held for decades.
Annexation is a one-state solution that would leave Israel either not Jewish or not democratic (hint: it's going to be Jewish). After being told for decades that Israel is a democracy, an oasis of freedom in a sea of repression, many Americans will be less likely to understand why the U.S. is expending money and diplomatic capital to support Israel. The case for financial aid to a regional superpower and an economic success story will be harder to make.
The rationale for U.S. support for Israel is severely diminished if Israel violates international law by annexing the West Bank. A word beginning with the letter "a" describes two legal systems for two ethnic groups in one country. A word beginning with the letter "g" describes a campaign of mass starvation or mass deportation in Gaza.
We cannot let it get to that point. It's gone too far already. These are not pro-Israel results, even if they might be pro-Messianic, right-wing Jewish extremist results or if some right-wing Evangelical Christians think it's worth it to bring about the End of Days.
None of this excuses what Hamas did on October 7 and what it has done before or since. For whatever reason, Hamas has repeatedly expressed a willingness to agree to a deal that would end the war and free the hostages. Are they lying? We don't know. Netanyahu is afraid that if he calls their bluff, Hamas might say "yes." An end to the war means the beginning of an investigation into Netanyahu's corruption and his government's failure to prevent Hamas's attack on October 7.
Instead, Netanyahu said that even if Hamas agrees to a hostage deal, Israel will conquer Gaza. Instead, Netanyahu rejected detailed recommendations that would free all the hostages and end the war.
For how long can we confuse pro-Israel with pro-Netanyahu? For how long can we fail to understand that pressure on Netanyahu to end his dangerous policies is good for Israel?
The U.S. Hostages Family Forum wrote last week, "The truth is undeniable:
"42 hostages have been killed in captivity.
"8 have been rescued alive through military operations.
"140 were brought home alive through hostage deals.
"The lesson is clear: the only way to save lives now is through a deal.
"We have lost 900 of our soldiers. Our nation is bleeding. Our people are broken. There is nothing more Zionist, nothing more Jewish, than the urgent call to end this war and bring all our people home. Only then can we begin the long road toward healing, rehabilitation, and recovery from this tragedy."
Sruli Fruchter writes, "Blindly supporting whatever Netanyahu insists is best for Israel — such as annexing the West Bank to appease his far-right compatriots, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich — will prolong the country’s crisis. We must distinguish between the interests of Netanyahu and the Jewish state, always prioritizing the latter over the former."
Since the Israeli government is incapable of strategic, long-term thinking on this subject, it falls to us to raise our voices in support of the hostages, the Israelis demonstrating in the streets, and a two-state solution.
Democrats who understand this and who are using what leverage they have to pressure Netanyahu are pro-Israel. If we think they are not, we need to redefine what it means to be pro-Israel.
Upcoming Event. Alan & Andrea Solow, Jon Carson, Politics with Dana & Steve, and Mark & Margie Zivin are hosting Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, the leading candidate in the 9th Illinois congressional district Democratic primary (Rep. Jan Schakowsky is retiring), on Thursday, September 18, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm CT, in person in Chicago. RSVP and contribute here.
In Case You Missed It:
- Joel Swanson warns that Trump's directive singling out Jews on campus as the only specially protected minority group that benefits from DEI programs will not go well for us.
- U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled that the Trump administration used allegations of antisemitism at top U.S. universities as a “smokescreen” for advancing its political agenda.
- The State Department with mandatory reading for Jews who voted for Trump because they thought his priorities aligned with theirs.
- Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Co-Chair of the Congressional Jewish Caucus, will not seek reelection after a long and distinguished career for which we should all be grateful.
Tweets of the Week. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Zach Buchanan.
Video Clip of the Week. Some customers like to flex and say they know the owner.
Vintage Music Clip of the Week. Joe Frazier singing "Knock On Wood" on The Ed Sullivan Show the night before he fought Jimmy Ellis for the world heavyweight championship (Frazier won).
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I periodically update my posts on the IHRA definition of antisemitism and on why Democrats are better than Republicans on Israel and antisemitism. My definition of "pro-Israel" is here (it's a work in progress, as am I).
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