Senator Ted Cruz of Texas sharply criticized New York’s Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, branding him both a “jihadist” and a “Marxist,” while claiming that the New York Stock Exchange has become overly “woke.”
Mamdani, who currently serves in the New York State Assembly, emerged victorious in the Democratic primary this past June, defeating Andrew Cuomo. The former governor is now mounting an independent bid in the general election. Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams — beset by numerous controversies, including a bribery indictment that was later dropped — officially withdrew from the race last week.
During an appearance on Kudlow on Fox Business, host Larry Kudlow pointed out that the Securities and Exchange Commission had just granted approval for a new Texas-based stock exchange. “Texas wins SEC approval for a new stock exchange that will challenge the New York Stock Exchange up here in the blue state of New York,” Kudlow said. “And here’s another one for you. You may have seen it in the paper. JPMorgan, the great banking operation, has now more employees in Texas than it does in New York. And of course, we’re about to elect a socialist mayor.”
Cruz responded bluntly. “Look, what’s happening is, New York is run by crazy people,” he said, before referring to Mamdani — who could become New York’s first Muslim mayor — as “a jihadist.”
“Mamdani, if he’s elected, is a Marxist. And you are going to see people who believe in free enterprise, people who believe in property rights, people who don’t want a jihadist radical who wants to defund the police fleeing New York City and coming, many coming to Texas,” Cruz said. “Look, I think the Texas Wall Street or colloquially known as ‘Y’all Street,’ which can I think is pretty funny, I think that’s gonna be a powerhouse that if you wanna go and not have a woke stock exchange trying to impose political ideology on you but, instead, simply have an avenue to raise capital, Texas is gonna be the place to do it.”
{Matzav.com}
By Avi Abelow
Trump’s Gaza deal is now official — and let’s be clear: this is a terrible deal.
Yes, I understand why some people are calling it “the best deal Israel can get right now,” and why Prime Minister Netanyahu felt pressured to agree.
But do not be fooled: this so-called diplomatic breakthrough, brokered by President Trump and agreed to by Qatar and several Arab regimes, is a ticking time bomb for Israel, America, and the free world.
Even if this is another layer of “4D chess”, like the psychological games Trump and Netanyahu played before the Iran strike, this deal still fundamentally empowers our enemies, rewards terror, and legitimizes the very ideologies that brought about the October 7th massacre.
Let’s not sugarcoat reality.
Even if Hamas rejects the terms, the mere fact that many of its terms are even on the table projects weakness. It elevates Islamic jihad terrorist actors as legitimate players. It sends the message that with enough bloodshed and enough hostages, evil wins a seat at the table. This is a diplomatic abomination.
The Trump Administration’s Blind Spot
Let’s face a painful truth: even the Trump administration, strong on Israel in many ways, made a critical strategic mistake by whitewashing the role of Qatar, and failing to confront the global threat of Islamic Jihad ideology.
Qatar isn’t just a Gulf state. Qatar is Hamas. Hamas is Qatar. It is the ATM of terror, the patron of Hamas, and the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the ideological factory of modern jihadism. That Qatar, complicit in the October 7th massacre, is being treated as a potential partner for Israel is nothing short of grotesque.
And Trump demanding that Netanyahu apologize to Qatar, without Qatar apologizing for its direct role in the Oct. 7th massacre and mass rape of Jews, is a moral stain and a strategic blunder. It may go down as one of the most dangerous concessions of his administration, because it reinforces a false narrative: that we can negotiate with jihadists, and come out safe.
A Deal That Legitimizes the Next Round of Terror
This agreement ignores the core causes of the conflict: the 1,400+ year theological, political, and cultural indoctrination that teaches generations of Arab Muslims that Israel must be destroyed. That indoctrination doesn’t go away with a ceasefire or a Trump “deal”. It is reinforced by it.
UN-funded schools, from Gaza to Samaria to Jerusalem, continue to churn out young minds soaked in genocidal hatred, funded by Western governments. This deal does nothing to confront that machinery of terror.
It simply repackages the problem in more palatable language.
Giving “regional Arab states” a foothold in Gaza may sound like progress. But when those states, like Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, are themselves tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, it’s a bait-and-switch. We’re not replacing jihadists who want Israel destroyed. We’re rotating them.
And the idea that the Palestinian Authority, steeped in corruption, terror-support, and the same genocidal education system, could be a “partner,” if changes are implemented, is a dangerous fantasy. One that even Netanyahu knows is false. Even if that is just a bond to throw Saudi Arabia, it is a mistake that keeps the genocidal dream of destroying Israel alive.
The Only Path Forward: Hamas Surrender and Jewish Return to Gaza
Let’s be blunt: the only deal worth discussing is one in which Hamas surrenders unconditionally, all hostages are released, and Trump’s Gaza emigration plan is implemented. Anything else is theatre, deadly theatre, that kicks the can down the road, again.
We are not in a diplomatic crisis. We are in a moral war, a war the West, and Trump administration continue to remain oblivious on how to beat it.
And that war has only one outcome: the total defeat of jihadism by the West, with the Israel restoring Jewish sovereignty over Gaza, together with the removal of all those in our countries with the genocidal ideology that seeks to destroy us. Not just throughout Israel including Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, but from America, Britain, France, Germany, Canada etc.
Without their actual physical removal, the Western nations are doomed to self-destruct and fall to Sharia law.
So Why Did Netanyahu Agree? Strategic Realities
As bad as the deal is, I understand Netanyahu’s reasoning. He’s playing chess while surrounded by vultures. And as flawed as he is, he remains the only realistic Prime Minister of Israel capable of holding the line. Any of his political rivals on the center-left would have fully capitulated and left Israel in a horrible position. That’s not praise, it’s just cold fact.
Let’s unpack his strategic calculations:
1. The Deal Meets Israel’s Core Stated War Demands — In Theory
If these were enforced, the deal aligns with Israeli red lines. But enforcement is a massive “if,” especially when the same bad actors are still in the game.
2. Neutralizing Domestic Political Threats
The hostage issue was weaponized from the beginning, not to save lives, but to topple the Netanyahu government. By making a deal, with global support, to save all the remaining hostages in Gaza, Netanyahu has neutralized the destructive protest movement in the name of the “hostages”. He has stabilized internal politics and rebuilds short-term unity to move Israel forward.
3. Hamas Is Boxed In, For Now
Trump succeeded in getting buyin from the Arab world, that, for the moment, is putting pressure on Hamas.
If Hamas accepts the deal, they’re eliminated. If they reject it, they’re isolated. Either way, Netanyahu forces a lose-lose on Hamas, temporarily.
As Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey are not our friends. Their ideology is the same. Today Hamas is isolated. Tomorrow, or years down the road, the terror will just be rebranded.
4. Buying Time Before a Larger War
With war on the horizon against the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah again in Lebanon, Netanyahu and Trump both want the Gaza front dialed down. That makes sense tactically. But buying time without solving the root problem only guarantees a continuation of the war later.
The Long-Term Problem: The War of Civilizations
This isn’t a border conflict. This is a civilizational clash.
Islamic jihad is not new. It is a 1,400-year-old war of conquest, and Hamas, the PA, Hezbollah, and even Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Itan, Syria etc. are all soldiers in that war.
The West refuses to name it. Worse, it funds it.
No ceasefire, no agreement, no “Gaza under Arab control” solution will solve a war rooted in the idea that Jews don’t deserve to live, not in Tel Aviv, not in Hebron, not in Gaza.
The Silver Lining? Netanyahu’s Historic Shift in Rhetoric
At his UN speech, Netanyahu crushed the Oslo paradigm in words, which is historic for him. He made the following things clear:
This is new language for Netanyahu, and it’s huge, even though many of us wish he had spoken like this since he first took office in 1996. For the first time, Netanyahu is leading a diplomatic line to destroy the Oslo paradigm publicly.
If this deal is a stepping stone in that direction, it’s good, but we are still in dangerous territory.
But it definitely signals the start of a deeper strategic pivot.
Bottom Line: A Horrible Deal, But a positive Strategic Shift
This deal fails to address the core evil we face.
It appeases jihadists and reinforces the cycle of temporary calm followed by bloodshed.
It ignores the religious and ideological root of the conflict.
But perhaps, just perhaps, it also marks the beginning of the end of illusions.
If so, it’s our job to keep pushing, unapologetically, for the only solution that will bring real peace:
Gaza must be made Jewish again, with full Israeli sovereignty. And not just Gaza. Judea. Samaria. And all lands that they attack us from that we liberate, including our tribal lands of Dan, Naftali and Menashe, today known as Southern Lebanon and Southern Syria. Only land conquest and removal of all those who support killing us non-infidels is the way to beat back the Islamic jihad.
The enemies of Israel, and the freedom loving world, must be defeated, not bargained with.
And the Islamic jihad must be confronted head-on, not whitewashed.
Stay strong. Strengthen your faith in Hashem, these are Geulah times. Do not be discouraged by developments, be encouraged. The hour of truth is coming, and we must meet it with courage, clarity, and uncompromising strength and emunah.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Avi Abelow heads PulseofIsrael.com/IsraelUnwired.com. This opinion piece first appeared at Israel National News.
{Matzav.com}
Greta Thunberg, the 22-year-old Swedish climate activist, has alleged that she endured inhumane conditions inside an Israeli detention center following her arrest aboard an aid flotilla attempting to reach Gaza. Thunberg claimed her holding cell was infested with bedbugs and that she was subjected to mistreatment during her confinement.
According to an email from Sweden’s Foreign Ministry — sent to Thunberg’s parents and later shared with The Guardian — Swedish officials met with Thunberg while she was being held in Israel.
In their correspondence, diplomats reported that Thunberg complained of exhaustion and dehydration, saying she had not been provided with enough food or water.
“She also stated that she had developed rashes, which she suspects were caused by bedbugs,” the email said. “She spoke of harsh treatment and said she had been sitting for long periods on hard surfaces.”
Thunberg further told Swedish representatives that she was compelled to pose for photographs while holding flags and asked whether those images had been distributed publicly.
It remains unclear which flags Thunberg was forced to hold during the alleged incident.
Israeli authorities intercepted Thunberg’s vessel on Thursday, one of more than 40 ships that took part in the so-called Global Sumud Flotilla. Several passengers were detained in connection with the coordinated attempt to breach Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza.
Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu dismissed the flotilla as part of a “de-legitimization campaign against Israel.”
Defense Minister Yisroel Katz described the flotilla as “a Hamas terrorist operation.”
Thunberg had previously been involved in another Gaza-bound flotilla in August, which was similarly halted by Israeli forces before it reached its destination. That interception triggered demonstrations in cities across the globe.
In the aftermath, Colombia expelled Israel’s diplomatic staff and announced the termination of its free trade agreement with the country. Turkish officials in Istanbul are reportedly investigating the August detentions.
Turkish activist Ersin Çelik, who also took part in the flotilla, told the state-run Anadolu News agency that “they dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others.”
Journalist Lorenzo D’Agostino described the scene differently, saying Thunberg was “wrapped in the Israeli flag” after her capture “and paraded like a trophy.”
A total of nine Swedish nationals, including Thunberg, were detained for participating in the flotilla.
“The Swedish embassy in Tel Aviv remains in contact with Israeli authorities to stress the importance of swift processing and the possibility of returning home to Sweden,” the Foreign Ministry’s email to her parents stated.
“Based on discussions with detained individuals, the importance of addressing individual medical needs was also emphasized.”
“Moreover, the embassy stressed that food and clean water must be provided immediately, and that all detainees must be given access to Israeli legal counsel, if desired.”
{Matzav.com}
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas expressed approval on Saturday of President Donald Trump’s declaration halting Israeli military operations and initiating talks on his proposed plan to end the conflict.
In a statement highlighting Hamas’ “positive” reaction and commending the group’s declared readiness to release all hostages, Abbas lauded Trump’s “tremendous” efforts to bring the Gaza war to an end and promote lasting peace. He also voiced gratitude to Arab and Muslim nations that have supported mediation efforts.
Abbas stated that the “State of Palestine” is ready to cooperate constructively with President Trump and the international community to realize a “just and lasting peace in accordance with international legitimacy.”
He outlined the Palestinian Authority’s main objectives as achieving a permanent ceasefire, obtaining the release of all hostages and Palestinian prisoners, facilitating the prompt flow of humanitarian aid through the United Nations, preventing the expulsion of Palestinians or Israeli annexation of territory, and beginning the reconstruction of Gaza.
Reaffirming his government’s claim of jurisdiction over Gaza, Abbas stressed that “sovereignty over the Gaza Strip belongs to the State of Palestine, and that the connection between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip must be managed through Palestinian laws and governmental institutions, a Palestinian administrative committee, and a unified security force under one law and order, with Arab and international support.”
He further urged world powers to pressure Israel to stop all “unilateral actions” that he said breach international law, citing settlement expansion, “settler violence,” assaults on holy sites, and Israel’s withholding of PA tax revenues used to cover debts and pay compensation to victims of terror.
“The sovereign Palestinian state is the natural partner for regional stability alongside the State of Israel,” Abbas said. “The time has come for a lasting peace that ensures security and justice for all peoples of the region.”
{Matzav.com Israel}