Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

Worries About Trump 

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The piece by Varda Epstein below is an expression of worry and confusion over Donald Trump, and the possible cooling of his former warmth toward Israel. It does not offer any firm conclusion, but simply shows her mulling over all the ways in which he seems to be changing, by making a separate peace with the Houthis, dealing directly with Hamas behind Israel’s back in negotiations to free Edan Alexander, lifting sanctions on Syria without obtaining a quid-pro-quo from Ahmad al-Sharaa to sign a peace treaty with Israel, and falling head over heels in love with all the gold that glitters, and all the deals that are to be made, with the plutocrats in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.

More on Epstein’s animadversions on Trump, Israel, and the Gulf Arabs, can be found here: “Trump’s Cold Shoulder to Israel: Real or Rumor (Judean Rose),” by Varda Meyers Epstein, Elder of Ziyon, May 14, 2025:

Donald Trump, during his previous administration, brought us the Abraham Accords and established a U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. This time around, Israeli Americans voted for him in droves, there being a general feeling among us that Biden was bad for Israel and Trump the opposite of that. We were frightened for our hostages, needed weapons, and more importantly a strong voice in support of our war on Hamas. Trump appeared to tick all the boxes. We had high hopes.

It began so well. The president gave Israel carte blanche to do as it pleased in Gaza and helped us fight the Houthis. And though there was a feeling that the president was being wildly misled by Qatari puppet Witkoff, he was a good friend to Israel. We appreciated it and were glad we voted for him.

Then rumors of a rift began to flow, a narrative built from a sequence of events. The US would no longer help Israel fight the Houthis. Israel was excluded from the itinerary of Donald Trump’s Middle East tour. Trump accepted a very expensive private plane from Qatar. There was a secret US deal to free Edan Alexander that was in the works for months without Israel’s knowledge. The murmurs that Trump has turned against Israel have been gathering steam. Nobody I know wants to talk about it much, but there is thick nervous tension in the air.

That’s my sense, at least, though I keep looking for articles that prove me wrong. I don’t want to believe there’s a rift. But I don’t like the way Trump kept us out of negotiations for Edan Alexander and made us look weak, made Bibi look ineffectual, not in Trump’s good graces. I do understand that America and Americans come first, but in my view, the way this deal was done was really not cool.

It didn’t help that Edan Alexander’s mother Yael, pointedly thanked everyone but Netanyahu for freeing her son from captivity. Her failure to acknowledge him spoke volumes, especially since the deal was negotiated behind Israel’s back, making Bibi look sidelined.

Witkoff, of course, couldn’t help but rub it in, telling the hostage families that if only Israelis weren’t so divided, we’d be strong, the war would end, and the hostages come home. That was the sense of what he said anyway, if not his actual words.

But not everyone is worried. Ruthie Blum, senior contributing editor at JNS, for example, believes the buzz is baseless. In a recent op-ed, Is Trump Really Turning His Back on Bibi and Israel?, Blum says the gossip comes from two agenda-driven sources, isolationists and anti-Netanyahu Israelis. She also notes “conflicting versions of what is essentially gossip in disguise.”

Blum’s does an able job dissecting all the scuttlebutt. She paints a reassuring picture of how things stand between Israel and President Trump, and points to a recent meeting between Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer with several important members of the Trump team. “Another clue that Washington hasn’t turned its back on Jerusalem is that U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (doubling as interim national security advisor) and special Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff were present at the powwow [with Dermer].”

Is one meeting, with Vance, Rubio, and Witkoff talking to Ron Dermer, enough to relieve us of the worry that Trump and Netanyahu, so many reports suggest, no longer get along? A slim reed, indeed.

The meeting does suggest that the relationship remains strong. At the same time, JD Vance is a known isolationist, who in October said of the US-Israel relationship, “Sometimes we’re going to have overlapping interests, and sometimes we’re going to have distinct interests. And our interest very much is in not going to war with Iran. It would be a huge distraction of resources. It would be massively expensive to our country.”…

Vance knows what a waste of both men and money were the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with thousands of American casualties, and several trillion dollars spent and misspent. But an attack on Iran’s nuclear program would be completely different. It would not require an occupation of the country. Nor would such an attack require an invasion, or boots on the ground. The attack would last no more than a few days, in order to destroy, along with Israel’s help, the dozen nuclear sites needing to be hit from the air. No trillions of dollars would need to be spent. The entire operation, on the American side, would at most cost a billion dollars, and less than a week of bombing and airstrikes.

“Nothing so far suggests that there’s a rift between Washington and Jerusalem,” said Blum.

Nothing? What about the separate peace agreement with the Houthis? The negotiations with Hamas over Edan Alexander that continued for months without Israel being informed? The trip to the Middle East that ignored Israel? The fawning over Mohammed bin Salman? The scandal of Trump accepting a Qatari offer of a $400-million plane, when Qatar is the chief financial backer and weapons supplier to the terror group Hamas?

We are still left, like Epstein herself, with gnawing doubts about Trump, and sharing the worries expressed by the Arab analyst who insists that Trump “is being played by the Islamists.” We need Trump to return to the sobriety of Washington, away from what for him has clearly been the enchanting spectacle of so much wealth. It’s an extreme case of cupboard love. Trump needs to consider not only the money to be made in deals signed in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi and Doha, by American weapons manufacturers and high-tech companies, and by his family, too, but also must never forget, as Epstein reminds him, that it is “Israel, and Israel alone, who stands as America’s faithful ally in the Middle East.”

Comments

  1. Trump is 2 characters combined out of 2 movies. The movies are Dark Knight and Back to the Future. Trump is the joker and Biff combined. Sorry but this should become more apparent week by week or month by month.

  2. I think the best thing Israel can and should do is cultivate close relations w/ everyone in Trump’s orbit other than him – Vance, Rubio, DeSantis, Gabbard, Kennedy, Thune, Johnson, et al. After all, Trump just has 4 more years, and if Israel can hold up for that long, then the next POTUS, whoever it is, is less likely to be as enamored w/ the likes of Qatar, Turkey or Iran as Trump is

  3. Not sure yet. Perhaps Trump really knows what he’s doing but then again perhaps not. Frankly, I am torn at present.

    • Trump is pulling a negotiating tactic of not taking a strong stance on anything. If no one knows the cards he is holding, then he has more ways to play. In negotiating, you want the other side guessing of suspecting all the wrong things, and you want them confused. Trump’s positions are confusing on purpose which is not bad or uncommon.

      The only stupid thing I have seen from him was during his first term. This time he has RFK Jr to keep on the straight and narrow path in that area.

  4. Perhaps he wants to be like Judge Ehud.
    “…19 But upon reaching the idols near Gilgal, he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” “Silence,” said the king, and all his attendants left him. 20Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat. 21And Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly.…”
    Judges 3

    But, probably not.

    • One of my fave stories from the Bible. Here’s my message from the Lord, just for you!

      Well, I’d hoped for more from Pres. Trump. I’d hoped that Francisco Gil-White would be wrong. But his analysis is based on whether a leader is truly for freedom or not, based on how they treat Israel, the bastion of ancient “semitic” values (recall, the Hammurabi Code). He makes a compelling argument. He said what we need to watch for in Trump 2. There’s a series of articles on his website https://franciscogilwhite.substack.com/

      I can see that it looks like Gil-White was the best bet, amid all of the analysts. Yes, everyone should be concerned, as he dawdles while Iran forges ahead.

      Those who say “Netanyahu is controlling the US” and “The Jews are running the world” are speaking as fools, we know, because it’s clear that the U.S. tells Israel what to do, holding them back, wheedling them, scolding them, rewarding them.

      The “art” of the “deal” is at work–and it won’t be a deal for Israel.

      In spite of all the good things Trump has done, and is doing, how any nation and person deals with Israel is the acid test. All who support a two-state solution is on the side of the radicals who want Israel exterminated. They are on the side of the perps, all the perps in the world, who want to see them decimated.

      I don’t want to be in that camp. May I forfeit my life before I go along with those schemes. The Lord will not look well upon those who fail this test, regarding his “brothers” (and sisters). The context of what he was speaking in those verses was the judgment of the nations, the goyim. How did they treat “MY people” is what will be determined as to their fate. As nations, and individuals.

      Anyway, I urge everyone to have a look at Gil-White’s writing. He was once a “cultural antisemite” which means, against Israel turfing out the “palestinians.” Until he was hired by UPenn to research on ethnic conflict, and turned up all that info about Hajj Amin al-Husseini…he was told he couldn’t present that info, it was against the policy of the university. He wouldn’t back down, so he was fired.

      Now, he is one of the most forthright champions of Israel, and presents his case very clearly, with lots of “receipts”…

      Sadly, I’ve come to see that he is right; Trump is almost certainly a “limited hangout.”

      This bodes ill for the world. So, we have to act accordingly.

      I also note that the recent election in Canada, where the Conservative candidate should have won. However, I am told that the national media, CBC, reported (gleefully) that over 500 volunteers went door to door to campaign against him and get new voters in to vote him out of his own riding. Pierre Poilievre was very pro-Israel, and supported the Jewish presence in Canada, was against violence, against climate foolishness, etc.–and Trump said he didn’t like him, he supported the newcomer, the globalist banker (who apparently has an office at Trump Towers?). Poilievre supported independent media, the right not to take vaccines, and said he would cut funding for the CBC (which receives millions from the Liberal gov’t every year).

      I’ve been paying attention to various elections around the globe, and seeing who wins, and who is supported and endorsed, etc., by the USA and Europe, and the globalists–are they all on the same page?

      Next thing, the Syrian thug visiting at the White House? Maybe not quite yet…

      Now I’m more jaded than ever about the situation. My only real hope is THE Lord Jesus Christ! Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

      Because we are being bamboozled, on multiple fronts. Time to wake up.

  5. Trump is ingenious. With his moves, he has cut Iran, Russia, and China off at the ankles in the region. He has told Israel that you are perfectly capable of defending yourself, we have your back, but you do not need our clearance to defend yourself. With a handshake in Syria, he has cut Iran out. China is losing out in the region big time. With his speech before the Middle East leadership, he has quietly come down on the side of the Sunni against Shi’a Iran. The Abraham Accords are the Blueprint to peace in the Middle East. What makes it so good it is an economic agreement, not a political one. Signing agreements with Qatar is important, along with the UAE, which wants to make Gaza into a Mediterranean version of Dubai. This will solve the Gaza problem because it will be Arabs who will deal with the Palestinians. When you are Palestinian, make a good living working in the 3,000-foot-tall Sullam al samá Tower, who cares about Israel.

    • Transsmater: I am much inclined to agree with what you stated (and you stated it well) but a doubt still lingers in my mind, to wit, Trump does not comprehend how iniquitous (and patient) the Islamic religion is.

      Yes, this is my concern.

    • Transmaster, his recent moves do not suggest that he thinks Israel is perfectly capable of defending themselves (which they are): It’s more of a “go, pound sand” attitude. First, he told Israel not to attack Iran: he wants to work out a deal. Then he signed an agreement w/ the Houthis so that their attacks on either the US or Red Sea shipping would cease, but the latter still had enough ammo to almost successfully attack Ben Gurion Airport. Then he told Netanyahu to let him know if Turkey causes any problems, and he’s just sold more military toys to Turkey, which is a threat to its neighbors (Greece, Armenia, Cyprus) and had recently supplied Pakistan w/ drones to attack India. Then there was first the recognition of the HTS regime in Damascus, and then the deals he signed w/ Qatar. Qatar already spends billions in the US, particularly in our academia, w/ an emergence of antisemitism that we’ve rarely seen in this country

      For Trump, the only weapon he thinks he has are tariffs, and that Silicon Valley cliche comes to mind: “If the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem will look like a nail”. So he thinks that every country is only interested in trade w/ the US, and getting rich that way. Good thing he wasn’t around in the 1930s, or else he’d have threatened to tariff Hitler, or sent his trade representatives to Nuremberg to try & armtwist him into not invading anyone by the use of economic sanctions

  6. Some other people that create *worry.*

    “‘Disgusting’: State Capital to Fly Palestinian Flag Over City Hall”

    “In an utterly shameful move, Providence, Rhode Island, plans to raise a Palestinian flag over City Hall on Friday — a decision that spits in the face of American values and Christian principles.

    This isn’t just a foreign flag; it’s a symbol bandied by Hamas, a terrorist group that has spilled innocent blood, including that of Americans and Israelis, in its vile jihadist campaign.
    The Providence City Council announced the event on X, scheduling the flag-raising for noon, complete with remarks from elected officials and community members on the City Hall steps.

    What should be flying high are the Stars and Stripes and the Rhode Island state flag — symbols of unity, freedom, and faith in God — rather than a banner tied to violence and division.

    One X user nailed it in response to council’s post: “This is really disgusting. I’m sure it also violates some statute. The only time another flag should be put up there is if you’re conquered.”
    No government building should ever hoist a foreign flag, especially not one associated with a terrorist organization like Hamas, which has been designated as such by the U.S. government since 1997.

    Another X user captured the outrage perfectly: “So you’re having a flag raising event, but not with an American flag. Not with a Rhode Island flag. It’s with a Palestinian flag. The same flag that Hamas waves.”

    They continued, “If only you guys cared about America, Americans, and especially your constituents as much as you care about some non-existent country alleged to be thousands of miles away which a designated terrorist organization is fighting for.”

    Mayor Brett Smiley, in a pathetic attempt to dodge responsibility, told WJAR-TV he had no real say in it.”
    ““If it was up to me I wouldn’t have flown this flag,” he said. “It came in from a constituent via the city council and I had no grounds to deny it.”

    What a cowardly cop-out.

    The city doubled down on that cowardice, telling WLNE-TV that this celebration was just like any other multicultural celebration.

    The Providence Young Republicans, meanwhile, “strongly condemned” the move and said that it was “inappropriate and deeply disappointing” — which is putting it rather mildly.

    Here’s the thing: This isn’t about “raising awareness” for Gaza, as some supporters may try to claim. It’s about pandering to radical leftists who prioritize anti-American sentiment over the safety and unity of our nation.

    Hamas has killed countless Israelis and wounded many more, to say nothing of the atrocities committed on Oct. 7, 2023. And it should go without saying that the group has killed Americans, too…..

    The City Council’s decision to already display a Palestinian flag in the City Hall chambers shows they’ve been flirting with this anti-American agenda for a while, and now they’re doubling down.”

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/disgusting-state-capital-to-fly-palestinian-flag-over-city-hall/ar-AA1ERBVa?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=ebfd2037b3ff4b99b7022370567b6ff6&ei=5

    • What’s it about the Palestinian flag that so turns on the Leftists, as opposed to flags of any other country? We have other enemies – China, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, Canada, EU,…. These are all countries (or entity in case of the EU) that exist: why not fly their flag if they so hate America? If they’re looking for causes, there is Kurdistan (which is also muslim), Balochistan (ditto), East Turkistan (same), Tibet (which ain’t),…. So what’s w/ their obsession w/ “Palestine”?

      • Good questions, Infidel. I have no idea why….support of evil is their gameplan, evidently.

        • Perhaps love of this flag is an unconscious spiritual event as it is the 4 colors of the horses of the apocalypse ? Don’t know but maybe ?

        • That’s their flag? You think it’ll have any stars or stripes? I think it’s more likely that it’ll be more similar to the Malaysian flag 🇲🇾, although that’s taken

          Honestly, thanks to the Second Amendment, I don’t think that will ever happen to the US. I do worry about Canada, though. Europe is already gone, and India is headed that way

  7. Trump is concerning to me because he fails to designate Islam as a Terrorist, Criminal Gang Enterprise against ALL Non-Muslims as taught in Islam’s Quran(Quran 9:5, 29, 111 and more). Instead, Trump is further ‘Islamizing” America and the West with Islam and its terrorists growing in acceptance and violence.

    Allah’s Islam, a Terrorist-Criminal Enterprise, and its predatory believers continually fund, promote, and practice ideological subversion, propaganda, bigotry, discrimination, deceit, supremacy, segregation, hatred, violence, and terrorism as taught in Islamic Law and in Islam’s Quran. Muslim actions should be legally challenged with a multi-faceted force of Western Laws like Muslims wield against Americans and Westerners because Islam violates USA Laws(Quran 9:5,29; 49:15; 60:4 and more).

    Like a Foreign Terrorist Organization(FTO) designated by the USA Secretary of State, Islam functions as a MUSLIM TERRORIST ORGANIZATION(MTO) fighting against Non-Muslims and NOT A PEACEFUL religion under Western Law because Islam funds, teaches, and promotes Terrorist Criminal Organizations with Muslims as Terrorists for Allah(Quran 9:5,29; 49:15 and more).

    Under Islam and Islamic Law, Muslims have the Legal Right and the Quranic Duty to terrorize Non-Muslims because neglecting this QURANIC DUTY is a Crime against tyrannical Allah. Jihad means warfare against Non-Muslims to ESTABLISH ISLAM’S RELIGION(Quran 3:151; 9:5, 29, 111; Muslim Law Manual: “Reliance of the Traveller”, o9.0 and more).

    More specifically, Islam, a terroristic-destructive way of life, is a Muslim Terrorist Ideology and Murderous, Criminal Enterprise of intolerance, continuous war, discrimination, segregation, supremacy, genocide, polygamy, propaganda, deceit, hatred, incitement, sedition, rape, terrorism, and violence against all Non-Muslims as taught in the Quran(Quran 2:208,216; 4:65, 89,95, 115; 5:14,64; 8:12,39,74; 9:5,21,29,36, 41,49, 73,88, 111,123; 21:92; 49:15; 60:4; 61:9-11; 89:14 and more).

  8. Trump, as shown by his total lack of empathy towards Ukraine, is both a narcissist as well as an ignoramus. Like his compadre, Vladimir Putin, he only cares about his power and image.
    It should come as no surprise that his policy in the Mideast will be opportunistic, a projection of his selfishness viewpoint. He will ultimately not care about Israel as it cannot do much for himself. On the other hand, all those rich petro-states…

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