Ron Skolnik

J Street Statement Opposing War With Iran - J Street We are appalled by President Trump’s reckless decision to launch a war of choice against Iran explicitly seeking regime change.

"We are appalled by President Trump’s reckless decision to launch a war of choice ... Iran does not present an imminent threat that requires launching a ‘preventive’ war. President Trump had a number of viable alternatives..." Good on @jstreetdotorg.bsky.social! jstreet.org/press-releas...

YouTube video by director's cat Eddie Vedder - Masters of War (Tribute Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary)

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain
#shabbatshalom
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwa2...

Trump appears to confuse Iceland and Greenland during speech in Davos President Trump appeared to confuse Iceland and Greenland multiple times during his Jan. 21 speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

You might be referring to this? www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

Trump raises prospect of 'friendly takeover' of Cuba, says Rubio in talks U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday raised the prospect of a "friendly takeover" of Cuba, telling reporters at the White House that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was dealing with the issue at a "ve...

Greenland, Venezuela, Gaza, Iran, Cuba, Canada. www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

75% of new Israeli voters lean right, shifting politics | The Jerusalem Post A new poll reveals that 75% of first-time Israeli voters identify as right-wing, signaling a significant shift in the political landscape.

Agreed. The move away from Israel long predates Gaza, and the current Netanyahu government. And I don't see that trend changing, given the apparently snowballing rightwing shift of the Israeli public. www.jpost.com/israel-news/...

I'd love to read it! Yes, it's an act of faith to believe that Jewish Americans and Jewish Israelis won't eventually grow apart. If younger people are turning away from Israel, it's probably just as much out a sense that 'these people aren't anything like me' as it is a purely ideological matter.

Fire everything: Iran’s 'doomsday order' Israel’s security establishment is examining the possibility that Tehran is preparing to activate the entire “Axis of Evil” against Israel, but officials

Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas no longer pose an existential threat to Israel, only a "headache" - even if they unleashed their entire arsenal, writes rightwing journalist Amit Segal, often considered a Netanyahu mouthpiece. www.israelhayom.com/2026/02/26/f...

This isn't about "Zionism" or "antiZionism", but about sociology: No surprise that two communities, even if from the same source, will diverge greatly over time given their widely different conditions.

The criminal wall: Knesset bill weaponizes faith against religious freedom | Editorial The Lack of Separation Between Religion and State in Israel Has Always Exacted a High Price in the Form of Religious Coercion and the Marginalization of Women,

The issue of Western Wall prayer isn't the most urgent one on the agenda. BUT: It might be the issue that sparks a realization by the Jewish American mainstream of the vast values gap that has opened between it and the Jewish Israeli mainstream. www.haaretz.com/opinion/edit...

Trump, seeking executive power over elections, is urged to declare emergency Activists who say they are in coordination with the White House are circulating a draft executive order that would unlock extraordinary presidential power over voting.

Once Trump's "War for to Avert Disaster in the Midterms" (i.e., his war on Iran) fails to rehabilitate his tattered image, unvarnished authoritarianism could be his next step.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

With Trumplicans set for a midterms thumping (if free/fair elections take place - a big 'if'), the attack on Iran appears to be Trump's Hail Mary, an effort to capture the massive support the Iraq II war initially gave to W. The circumstances, though, are entirely different.

In Trump’s Case for War, a Series of False or Unproven Claims

More notable than the NY Times' detailed refutation of Trump's flimsy "case for war" is its paralleling of this case to that of Bush Jr. in 2003 and his false claims trying to justify a war in Iraq. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/26/u...

Also, Lapid's Greater Land of Israel "title deed" reads like the metaphorical "loaded gun" in Chekhov's first act: Why introduce it into the story, unless it's going to be used later on?

Precisely. I'm guessing this is Lapid trying to be 'cute' because of the shift in the Overton Window and the mainstreaming of Kahanism. Whatever it is, it's not "Opposition", not an alternative and not leadership. (And, sadly, Yair Golan would want to merge forces with him.)

75% of new Israeli voters lean right, shifting politics | The Jerusalem Post A new poll reveals that 75% of first-time Israeli voters identify as right-wing, signaling a significant shift in the political landscape.

It's all so sad. It fits together "nicely" with the latest poll data. www.jpost.com/israel-news/...

לפיד מפתיע: "תומך בארץ ישראל השלמה" - כיפה ברקע אמירתו של השגריר האקבי על שליטה מהפרת ועד הנילוס, יו"ר האופוזיציה נשאל אם הוא תומך ברעיון. לפיד השיב כי "הקושאן שלנו על ארץ ישראל הוא התנ"ך", אך הדגיש את שיקולי הביטחון והמדיניות

Lapid's remarks in the original Hebrew. www.kipa.co.il/%D7%97%D7%93...

Israel opposition leader backs ‘biblical borders’ and Jewish control over Middle East Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid has doubled down on controversial comments by US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, who recently said “it would be fine” if Israel took control over much of the Middle …

The full Hebrew interview is a bit more nuanced, but Lapid explicitly asserts that Israel holds a "title deed" from the river to the sea, by virtue of a religious document. www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260226-isr...

Add your name to the @jstreetdotorg.bsky.social letter to MoCs"
"We write as Jewish pro-Israel and pro-democracy Americans who are watching a foreign policy disaster unfold in real time ... a major war ... with no clear objective, no plan for the day after ..."
act.jstreet.org/sign/No-to-w...

Dems vow to force votes on Iran war powers next week The sponsors of the war powers legislation, Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, had initially planned to hold a vote this week.

The Hill reports: "The resolution is expected to fail, given the overwhelming opposition from Republicans and a small handful of Jewish Democrats." Gottheimer and Moskowitz have announced their opposition, but I hope other Jewish Democrats announce their support. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

Israelis Divided on Participation in a Potential US Attack on Iran 44% of the total sample supports direct military involvement in a potential US attack on Iran while 50% support participating only if Israel is attacked by Iran. The largest share (49%) think that Isr...

Source: January 25-29 Israel Democracy Institute poll. en.idi.org.il/articles/63348

More data suggesting Golan is out of step with his base on Iran. "In the event of an American attack against Iran, what do you think should be the extent of Israel’s involvement? (Jews; %)". Clear majorities of his potential voters reject involvement unless Israel is attacked.

Israeli Consulate pulls funding for Atlanta Jewish Film Festival over juror’s social media posts The Israeli consulate is ending its partnership with AJFF over a festival juror’s views on Israel and the war in Gaza.

While antisemitism is a very real phenomenon, Israel's gov't has shown that it's not an unbiased arbiter of what is/isn't, repeatedly, tendentiously blurring the line btwn antisemitic and anti-its policy. Hopefully @nexusproject.bsky.social will weigh in soon. roughdraftatlanta.com/2026/02/23/i...

Scoop: Witkoff says any Iran nuclear deal should last indefinitely He made the remarks in a private gathering with AIPAC donors.

The idea of an eternal deal that obliges until the end of time seems downright childish, and sounds more like a demand designed to be rejected so that the planned American assault becomes 'justified'. www.axios.com/2026/02/25/w...

Indeed.

The sentence is up to 7 years!
The vote in preliminary reading was 56-47. In other words, this wasn't a vote in which only a few 'true believers' show up and push a bill through an apathetic Knesset. This was Netanyahu's coalition en masse offering a middle finger to women, the Jewish Diaspora, etc.

Knesset advances bill that would outlaw egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall The Bill Submitted by Far-right Lawmaker Avi Maoz Gives the Authority on Holy Sites to the Chief Rabbinate and Allows for a Prison Sentence of Up to Seven Years Women of the Wall: A 'Black Day for the...

Off the rails. Israeli voters have a chance (one last chance?) this year to at least stop the bleeding. (Apologies for mixed metaphor.)
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Americans have no idea why seems bent on attacking Iran. But even if possible reasoning is introduced, a majority would still be opposed. www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-s...

Only 3 of 10 Americans believe a war on Iran would primarily serve US interests. A small plurality doesn't know, meaning they probably just don't get why Trump would be starting a war in the first place.

Of those expressing an opinion, a 5 to 2 majority of Americans overall, and of independents specifically, oppose attacking Iran. University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll by @stelhami.bsky.social. criticalissues.umd.edu/feature/do-a...