Conservative: Nadler Legitimizes Anti-Zionism

Rep. Jerry Nadler, “upset that Republicans are forcefully condemning all forms of anti-Semitism,” encouraged lawmakers to vote “present” on a “GOP-led resolution denouncing anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism,” flags Commentary’s Seth Mandel. The lawmaker claims criticism of Israeli policies, such as judicial reform, could be seen as anti-Zionism, yet 54% of Israelis themselves opposed that. Nadler seems to resent Republicans putting Democrats “on the spot,” accusing “the resolution of ‘weaponizing Jewish pain.’ ” Yet the “danger” isn’t that “everything will be considered anti-Semitic,” but that “nothing will.” If that becomes “accepted wisdom, the current wave of anti-Jewish agitation will seem downright pleasant compared to what would come next.” And the congressman with the nation’s “second-largest Jewish constituency” will have played a part in it.

School wars: Texas Gov vs. Anti-Choice GOPpers

After 21 Texas House Republicans joined Democrats to kill an education savings accounts bill, Gov. Greg Abbott is “targeting legislators from his own party who oppose letting parents guide their children’s education,” cheers Reason’s J.D. Tuccille. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds got action by endorsing “primary challenges to members of her own party who opposed school choice.” GOP critics of choice say their “districts offer too few options to make choice practical.” But research on Florida shows “supply expanded to meet demand when that state made education funding portable.” In one poll, “66% of Democrats, 80% of Republicans, and 69% of Independents” back school choice. “Americans have already decided they want choice in education; it’s time for politicians of all parties to catch up.”

From the right: Nikki’s ‘Best Against Joe’ Edge

“If beating President Biden is actually what Republicans want to do, recent polls offer a strong rationale for why [Nikki] Haley may be the best option to do just that,” points out USA Today’s Ingrid Jacques. “Every survey in recent months has the former ambassador leading Biden in hypothetical matchups by a wider margin than [former president Donald] Trump — and her other leading GOP contender, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis,” as “Haley is more attractive to independent voters and women who are looking for an alternative to Biden.” While “Trump remains the dominant force in the Republican primary . . . there is still a chance to shift this dynamic.” If she can beat expectations in Iowa and New Hampshire, momentum “could turn things around.”

Eye on DC: The Emptiest Federal Offices

Much of the federal workforce is still all-remote. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) just shared “a ‘naughty list’ of federal agencies with the lowest employee occupancy rates” of their DC offices, reports the Federalist’s Tristan Justice: Both the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Social Security Administration are at just 7%; the Small Business Administration, 9%; the Department of Agriculture and General Services Administration, 11%. At 14%: “The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where one employee even called into a meeting from a bubble bath.” Ernst told The Federalist: “It’s time for Biden’s bureaucrats to get back to work, or forfeit their expensive, unused office space.”

Mideast watch: Why Arab States Nix Refugees

“Although Arab leaders have publicly condemned Israeli military operations in Gaza, they have no interest in allowing Palestinian refugees into their own countries,” notes Elizabeth Stauffer at the Washington Examiner. Why? They fear “that Hamas, which is known for blending in with civilians, would gain a foothold in their countries” and so “destabilize” them “and pose a serious threat to their national security.” Recall: “In 2017, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing the country of providing support for Islamist terrorists, including Hamas.” And support for Hamas runs high as 76% of Palestinians polled after the Oct. 7 attacks said: “Hamas was playing a positive role.” Yet “continued strong affiliation with the terrorist group will keep [Palestinians] down for generations to come. Maybe Israel can do for the Palestinians what they are incapable of doing for themselves.”

— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board