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It is always gratifying to witness the rise of an American political figure, especially one who is a great friend of Israel and the Jewish people.

I had the opportunity to meet one such person thanks to Henry and Trudy Stern of Lawrence and Dr. Ben Chouake’s NORPAC. Congressman Jim Banks of Indiana’s 3rd District is in his fourth term and has declared his candidacy for the Senate.

The planned Ukraine spring counter-offensive is about to begin, with no end in sight. No world leader has been able to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. Stone Age war has been going on for over a year with one commentator, Luke Coffey of the Hudson Institute, stating, “US policymakers should see this war as a series of campaigns that will stretch for years instead of a disconnected series of battles lasting months.”

We are fast approaching September 13, which represents 30 years since the Oslo Accords were signed on the South Lawn of the White House when Bill Clinton was US President. It was one of Israel’s worst mistakes in its 75 years of statehood. The arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat was elevated by the international community into a statesman. He never changed his stripes. Israel has suffered immensely since Arafat and his minions were given diplomatic status and legitimized. Since the Oslo Accords were signed, at least 1,661 Israelis have been murdered. Many more have been wounded. Sixty-four Americans have been killed in Israel by Arab terrorists since the Oslo Accords were signed. There is not a whimper from the State Department.

Both Democrats and Republicans have recognized that Israel stabilizes and fortifies the powder keg called the Middle East. For the past 75 years, since the establishment of the modern State of Israel, this has been true. America needs Israel and Israel needs America. It is for all practical purposes a mutual admiration society.

Rabbi David Fendel, the rosh yeshivah of the Hesder Yeshiva of Sderot, spent this past Shabbos in Atlantic Beach. He has helped develop Sderot into a thriving and bustling metropolis for the past 30 years. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are graduates of Rabbi Fendel’s yeshivah. He has over 2,000 alumni. He is a remarkable and extraordinary man. I have visited Sderot multiple times on my missions to Israel. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman reminded me that we went to Sderot together in 2014. Nassau County will be partnering with Sderot in the near future.

There is a lot of time before the 2024 presidential election, but the core issues are taking shape now. Although the last election was won and lost over the COVID pandemic, it does not appear that this will even be one of the top ten issues even debated.