Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host and right-wing media personality, suggested on Monday that the U.S. had lost its “moral authority” because it has refused to call for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

“If you see a nation with awesome power abetting war for its own sake, you have a leadership that has no moral authority, that is illegitimate,” Carlson said at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he was participating in a discussion on the future of “storytelling.”

Josh Paul, a former director in the State Department Bureau of Political-Military Affairs who resigned in protest over military aid to Israel amid a flurry of media attention and applause, has joined Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), an advocacy organization headed by an anti-Israel activist that calls for a boycott of Israel.

Paul presented his decision as a moral stance in a resignation letter he posted online 10 days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack killed over 1,200 Israelis and the terror group took 249 hostages. Playing a role in the Biden administration’s support for Israel was one “moral compromise” too many after 11 years of involvement in U.S. weapons transfers. U.S. support for the war against Hamas, he wrote, is “built on confirmation bias, political convenience, intellectual bankruptcy and bureaucratic inertia,” as well as “blind support for one side.” 

When a delegation of Israeli hostage families came to the Colorado Statehouse last week, they were expecting to be welcomed by both sides of the legislature. But the families received a warm welcome only on the Senate side. Now, the House speaker is dealing with the fallout for revoking an invitation — at the last minute — for the hostage families to appear on the House floor, which has been a hotbed of anti-Israel sentiment since Oct. 7.

Speaker Julie McCluskie, in an exclusive statement to Jewish Insider, apologized for pulling back the invitation, as first reported by Colorado Politics, though some members of the House did attend the Senate ceremony. “While I believe we accomplished the goal of our joint ceremony (ensure a respectful and meaningful recognition that honors the message and experience these families came to share) I acknowledge I made mistakes in my communication about the visit, and I am sorry for the hurt that caused,” McCluskie said.

The Senate voted 67-27 on Sunday afternoon to further advance the supplemental aid package for Israel, Ukraine and other U.S. allies, setting up final passage by Wednesday.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has slowed the process to pass the bill, vowing to delay a final vote on the package for as long as possible. Paul’s tactics have so far also blocked potential votes on proposed amendments to the aid bill. But, with the support of 18 Republicans on Sunday’s vote, the bill is expected to pass the Senate comfortably.

The White House and progressive allies in the Senate are sending mixed messages about a new policy affecting U.S. military assistance to foreign nations, with the senators saying the new policy is meant to put leverage on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while Biden administration officials are downplaying its significance and arguing it has nothing to do with Israel specifically.

The group of Senate Democrats who pushed the White House to implement a memorandum imposing human rights and humanitarian aid-related conditions on all U.S. military aid said Friday that they see the new policy as a major step that introduces new restrictions and guidelines. They described the memo as prompted in significant part by Israel’s military activity in Gaza.

After a week of false starts in Congress, the Senate took its first step on Thursday toward passing a supplemental aid bill for Israel and other U.S. allies in an initial procedural vote that passed 67-32. Seventeen Republicans backed the bill, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) opposed it.

Thursday’s vote is a positive initial signal, but not a guarantee, that the bill will have the necessary support to ultimately pass the Senate. Some senators are vowing to drag the process out and others are seeking extensive amendment votes, making it likely that a final vote won’t come until next Tuesday or Wednesday and that lawmakers will be working on it through the weekend.

From the moment he descended from a chartered El Al plane in Israel, wearing a “Bring Them Home Now” dog tag to advocate for hostages held by Hamas, Argentinian President Javier Milei was embraced by Israelis.

The South American country’s new leader has made an international name for himself with his colorful style, libertarian policies and slogan “¡Viva la libertad, carajo!” – “Long live liberty, damn it!” – with which Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz greeted him on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport.

Democratic Majority for Israel is wading into an increasingly contentious House race for an open swing seat in California, endorsing Joanna Weiss over the other top Democrat, Dave Min, who is also facing opposition from a separate pro-Israel group that recently made an unexpected entry into the primary.

DMFI’s political arm announced on Thursday that it was backing Weiss, an attorney and activist, in its first round of non-incumbent endorsements for the 2024 election cycle. The new slate also includes a handful of moderate Democrats in competitive primaries for open seats in Virginia and Colorado as well as some challengers in Texas and Nebraska, among other states.