Early voting for the primary has already started. You can vote at designated locations on Wednesday, June 17, from 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.; Thursday, June 18, from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Friday, June 19, from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; and Sunday, June 21, from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. There is no voting on Monday, June 22. Tuesday, June 23, is from 6:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. at your regular location.
It is important to show our support for those who support our community and Israel. One tangible way is to go out and vote. This year, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who is a staunch supporter of Israel and the Jewish community, has progressive challengers. Although I am an attorney, I am often unfamiliar with judicial candidates. This year, I know one of them very well. Edmond Wong used to work in the office next to mine, and we participated in a guardianship matter. I found him to be intelligent, practical, and easy to deal with. I believe that he will be an outstanding judge.
Now on to my main topic. The agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding, between the United States and Iran is problematic, which is an understatement. Trump can put any spin he wants on it. It is a bad deal for Israel and a bad deal for America. I supported the action against Iran, but only if it was done properly. Trump, like the typical bully, can overpower weaklings, but when there is pushback by others, he backs down. Trump did not have the nerve to do what was necessary, even if it had to include ground troops, and instead caved to Iranian demands.
It is reported that there is a 60-day ceasefire, which continues the current ceasefire. This deal includes Israel and Hezbollah. Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz was open to shipping. Iran did not threaten to close it. Trump’s Memorandum of Understanding, which we have not yet seen, opens the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping. This includes allowing Iran to sell oil through the Strait. Iran may also be given financial relief. The rest of the agreement is reported to be a list of topics to discuss.
It is troubling that neither side wants to release the text of the agreement until after it is signed.
Iran has shown that it can close the Strait of Hormuz. This will not be the last time that it uses that newly found leverage. One of the stated goals of the war was regime change. There may be a new regime in Iran, but the new regime is just like the old one.
Also, Trump let Iran dictate the connection between the U.S.-Iran track and the Israel-Hezbollah track in Lebanon. He made a deal that required Israel to stop fighting without Israel being at the table. It reminds me of what happened in Munich in 1938, when the French and the British made a deal with Germany to give the Sudetenland, which was part of Czechoslovakia, to Germany without Czechoslovakia’s input. British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain relied on Hitler’s promises and said it would bring peace in our time. That did not work out too well.
Not only did Trump keep Israel away from the talks and make a deal that ties Israel’s hands, but he again publicly revealed his criticism of Netanyahu.
For example, he told a journalist how he felt about the Prime Minister and what he told him: “Why did Bibi have to do a [expletive] attack? I was so [expletive] off. I let him know. He has no [expletive] judgment. I let him know that.”
Trump commented on Truth Social about Israel’s response to Hezbollah firing into northern Israel: “This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.” He added, “Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process.”
I had predicted this outcome, that Trump would fold and hang Israel out to dry. The Trumpians were dismissing me out of hand, claiming that I suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome.
One of the few countries where Trump was popular was Israel. They are finding out, just like the Jewish Trumpians, that Trump only cares about himself. Israel should have seen what Trump has done to long-standing allies like Canada and NATO countries and should have realized that if he could treat them that way, why should Israel be different?
I look forward to reading how the hardcore Jewish Trumpians respond to the deal. It was not too long ago when I was reading in various right-wing Jewish papers how Trump was the greatest president ever for the State of Israel. How that has changed in a hurry. Now they are left with claiming that Harris would have been worse.
Of course, it is always risky to predict what a person will do once he is president. That being said, I doubt that Harris would have attacked Iran and then put Israel and the U.S. in a worse position than when they started.