“The Israeli hostages were held 296 days longer than the Iranian regime held the American hostages in 1979-1981,” notes National Review’s Jim Geraghty. Their release is a huge success for President Trump — and for Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who “managed to get results where no one else had succeeded.” It’s “absurdly funny” that Biden alumni are trying to take some credit, when they “had plenty of opportunities” but never could “negotiate a deal like this one.” “Maybe it’s because no one in the Middle East really feared crossing the Biden administration. With Trump, you never really know what he’s going to do, so it makes sense to at least appear to be agreeable, play ball, and keep your options open.” Now it’s on to Phase Two: “Think Hamas is going to go gently into that good night? Heck, if Trump can make that happen, give him two Nobel Peace Prizes next year.”
The “carnage” of Oct. 7 was definitively “the result of Hamas’ intention,” affirms Commentary’s Seth Mandel. “Hours of Hamas communications,” including a “written directive that almost certainly came from Hamas honcho Yahya Sinwar himself” describe specific orders to burn Israeli villages, the “mass slaughter of civilians” and “the taking of hostages.” Even the “genocidal nature of the attack” was planned. “Every Gazan who stormed through the destroyed border fence that day” participated in an “explicitly genocidal attack,” and was ordered “to document it all.” Western activists have pretended the assaults were “disorganized” in order to “claim that the very worst crimes were unintended,” but in fact the Gazans who carried out these depredations “were following instructions.”
“For Virginia Democrats, racists are out, and would-be murderers are in,” observes Henry Olsen at the Washington Examiner, as their failure to denounce attorney general nominee Jay Jones — whose “horrific” and “violent” texts envisioning the murder of a political opponent and his family “should shock everyone” — demonstrates that for even supposedly moderate Dems, “direct expressions of support for political violence can be tolerated and rationalized.” Polls show that “a significant element of the Democratic Party’s base is at a minimum willing to tolerate political violence,” likely because “many think Trump is literally destroying America.” The Jones episode “reminds us of how deeply sick some elements of the extreme Left are.” Republicans need to “make this a partisan issue,” and force the Democrats to either own or “reject violent extremes.”
“After Israeli forces had detained and removed her from a flotilla supposedly carrying aid to Gaza, all-purpose activist Greta Thunberg arrived at Athens airport . . . to a raucous hero’s welcome,” grumbles Spiked’s Hugo Timms. “Thunberg and her crew clearly relished being treated like Nelson Mandela, making a long walk to freedom.” Her remarks were “so self-centered that it was hard to distinguish whose ‘suffering’ she was most agitated by — hers or the Gazans.” “Nearly every pronoun was first person — it was I, we and us.” “As with so much anti-Israel activism today, the Palestinian people were never really the main concern.” Thunberg’s flotilla was a high seas stage “for narcissistic self-promotion — and for revolting Israelophobia.”
“To actually repair the deficit with the working class, Democrats and grassroots organizers aligned with the party must finally accept they are losing the culture war,” argues the Liberal Patriot’s Justin Vassallo. Simply put, “the party line strayed from what reasonable voters are comfortable with.” Progressives ignore issues that “are leaving so many Americans hopeless” — from “the downside of legalized drugs” to “concern over public disturbances.” They prefer “ ‘equity’ to stronger educational standards.” Face it: “Working families want economic security and safe, healthy communities, not a cultural revolution.” That means “Democrats have no real choice but to change course on the issues that have cost them dearly.”
— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board