Our last living hostage * The speech won’t reset US-Israel ties * Stop saying Zionist * The other draft dodgers * Why I wasn’t with Bibi in Washington

[Times of Israel]( [The Blogs Weekly]( Thursday, July 25, 2024 FROM THE BLOGS [Netanyahu’s speech won’t reset US-Israel relations]( By Ted Sasson and Chuck Freilich Absent a diplomatic process with the Palestinians, the vision the PM conjured of a regional alliance against Iran is a pipe dream Alon Gat [Why I didn’t go to Washington with my prime minister]( Netanyahu is needlessly continuing the war and delaying a deal to free hostages, including my sister – I won’t be his cheerleader Adele Raemer [He was our last living hostage in Gaza]( After 9 months clinging to hope, a family and a community must now face news of the death of Yagev Buchshtav of Kibbutz Nirim from the blogs [Biden’s legacy and Netanyahu’s missed moment?]( By David Makovsky The coming months hold hope for Saudi normalization, but only if the prime minister can put aside fear of his far-right coalition partners Avi Gil [Why did the Knesset sabotage Biden’s plan for Iran?]( A US-led regional alliance against the Islamic Republic and its proxies is vital to Israel’s strategic security interests. The government should take greater care Shay Szabo [Stop using the word ‘Zionist’]( The continued use of a term tied to the formation of the Jewish state fuels debate about its right to exist, when Israel is here to stay [The UN World Court war against the Jews]( By Anne Bayefsky When Hamas welcomes the ’advisory opinion,’ the rest of the world should immediately realize that anti-Israel bias is at play Irwin Mansdorf [The duping of America]( Psychological ploys by Iran and its proxies to recast terrorists as the underdogs have made strange bedfellows of radical Islamists and the progressive left Kendall Wigoda [So, you want to leave Israel. Where exactly are you going?]( Finding a country where you can communicate and work won’t be easy – and then there’s the small matter of antisemitism [Haredim aren’t Israel’s only draft Dodgers]( By Josh Feldman Scant attention has been paid to skyrocketing mental health exemptions for young men and religious exemptions for young women Rachel Sharansky Danziger [A gift of strength from Ukraine]( I asked the Jewish leaders and educators I was teaching what keeps them going, now years at war. Their answer was exactly what I needed to hear Menachem Bombach [The quiet revolution in Haredi society]( The most conservative of all the ultra-Orthodox, Hasidic Jews are also pragmatic: they are doing things differently now, and changing their world [Your rabbi is in pain]( By Betsy Stone The talk in the clergy support groups I facilitate is bleak – Jewish community leaders feel judged, unsupported and hopeless more choice voices Ruth Lieberman [Did you hear Bibi’s speech to Congress? (Spoiler: It was powerful)]( To Israel: We’ll destroy our enemies and bring our soldiers and hostages home to safety. To the US: Stand with us to end up on the right side of history Shuki Friedman [Protests are justified. Blocking roads is not.]( The freedom to demonstrate is at the very core of democracy, but it does not license public disorder and anarchy Kenneth Jacobson [30 years after AMIA, the Iranian threat remains]( The world’s apathy after Argentina and now October 7 is the same inaction against the Islamic Republic’s advancing nuclear capabilities. How does this end well? Jerry Isaak-Shapiro [Marvel’s Sabra was an Israeli superheroine – until suddenly she wasn’t]( Hollywood censoring Jews is nothing new, but roles off-camera or as side-kicks are a far cry from canceling Sabra’s identity [The Blogs Weekly]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]( [Unsubscribe]( from this List © 2024 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved