IL 9th District Dem and pro-Israel candidate Laura Fine demonized by fellow Democrat Evanston mayor Biss for her AIPAC connections

Posted on February 11, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

EVANSTON ROUNDTABLE
Fine under fire for donation sources by Biss and others at candidate forum
Margo Milanowski
February 5th, 2026

At a Wednesday evening candidate forum held by the Central Street Neighbors Association of Evanston, State Sen. Laura Fine (9th District) came under fire from some other candidates regarding her campaign donation sources, including donations from previous donors to current president Donald Trump and reportedly from a fundraiser held by the head of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). “It should be very troubling that the overwhelming majority of Laura Fine’s donations come from AIPAC supporters,” Mayor Daniel Biss said at the forum, held at Northminster Presbyterian Church. “She supports a blank check of military aid for Israel.”  READ MORE

POLITICO In IL-09, friendly forum turns fierce A political forum that began politely turned raucous Wednesday evening when Mayor Daniel Biss accused state Sen. Laura Fine of accepting dark money and donations from Trump supporters.

CHICAGO SUN TIMES What to know about the 9th Congressional District Democratic primary race An astounding 15 Democrats are vying for the seat left open by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s retirement.

JEWISH INSIDER Daniel Biss reversed position on aid to Israel after launching congressional campaign Sources said the Illinois Democrat had also sought AIPAC’s support before launching his campaign, and then turned against the pro-Israel group; Biss denies the allegation

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN Biss calls encampment-related congressional letter featuring trustee criticism a ‘baseless attack fueled by’ AIPAC Northwestern trustee Michael Sacks slammed Mayor Daniel Biss in text messages with former University President Michael Schill in April 2024 for refusing to send Evanston Police Department officers to make arrests and clear the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow, according to a Wednesday letter to Biss from U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.). 

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Iran, Hamas: “From Cato the Elder, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Machiavelli”

Posted on February 10, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

WASHINGTON TIMES
A few words of advice on Iran and Gaza
Clifford D. May
February 10, 2026

“Carthago delenda est!” In case your Latin is rusty, that means “Carthage must be destroyed!” Cato the Elder would repeat the demand in every speech he gave in the Roman Senate. This was between the Second and Third Punic Wars in the 150s BCE. In case your history is rusty, too, the Punic Wars were between Rome (you know where that is) and Carthage (which was on the coast of what is now Tunisia). The conflict spanned 118 years, from 264 to 146 BCE. Talk about your “endless wars”! As a matter of fact, I intend to – after subjecting you to just three more paragraphs of ancient history. READ MORE

GATESTONE Khaled Abu Toameh: Hamas’s Secret Plan to Maintain Control of Gaza More than four months after the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip went into effect, Hamas has still not laid down its weapons despite repeated warnings by US President Donald J. Trump. Hamas, in fact, not only continues to rule large parts of the Gaza Strip that are still under its control but also seems to be working hard to rearm, regroup and reassert its control over areas of the Gaza Strip from which the Israel Defense Forces have withdrawn. According to Israeli security sources: “Hamas recently strengthened its control over the Gaza Strip by stealing humanitarian aid and selling it to local residents, recruiting young men in mosques, collecting taxes, and kidnapping and torturing anyone who dares to speak out against the terror group.”

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Saudi Arabia: “The surge in anti-Israel – and at times even antisemitic – language, evident across editorials, columns and state-aligned media, is unmistakable”

Posted on February 10, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

FDD
Why Saudi Arabia is turning back to Islamism – and against Israel
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
February 6, 2026

…Vision 2030 – an ambitious plan to diversify Saudi Arabia’s oil-dependent economy, reshape its society, and position the kingdom as a global investment hub – now appears increasingly out of reach. As a result, the crown prince seems to have abandoned the Emirati model of economic transformation – moving from oil rents towards services – and replaced it with a Turkish-style approach: maskingbin  economic trouble with populist appeals to restored Islamic glory, beginning with hostility towards Israel. Saudi Arabia’s shift back towards Islamism may have been inspired by Qatar and Turkey… Meanwhile, Iran is no longer the existential threat that once pushed Riyadh towards Jerusalem. Over the past year, Israel has weakened Iranian proxies Hamas and Hezbollah, contributed to the downfall of Tehran’s ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and – in June – directly bruised Iran itself, significantly degrading the regime’s ability to project power across the region. READ MORE

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“According to experts, the growing Israel-Somaliland partnership could be a “game changer” for Israel, boosting the Jewish state’s ability to counter the Yemen-based Houthi terrorist group while offering strategic and geographic advantages amid shifting regional power dynamics”

Posted on February 9, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

ALGEMEINER
Somalia Warns Israel Against Military Base in Somaliland, Signs Defense Pact With Saudi Arabia
Ailin Vilches Arguello
February 9. 2026

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has warned Israel against establishing a military base in the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, as Mogadishu bolsters strategic ties with Middle Eastern states amid mounting regional tensions. At the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha on Saturday, Mohamud sounded the alarm over a potential Israeli military foothold in the Horn of Africa, while once again condemning Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a “blatant breach of international law. Somaliland, which has claimed independence for decades in East Africa but remains largely unrecognized, is situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden and bordered by Djibouti to the northwest, Ethiopia to the south and west, and Somalia to the south and east…Unlike most other states in the region, Somaliland has relative security, regular elections, and a degree of political stability — qualities that make it a valuable partner for international allies and a key player in regional cooperation. READ MORE

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“Blue-square politics will not save Jewish children. It offers cover to those who want a performative response to antisemitism — a response that costs nothing, risks nothing, and changes nothing”

Posted on February 9, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

FUTURE OF JEWISH
Blue-square politics will not save Jewish children.
Leo Pearlman
February 9, 2026

On Sunday night, during the Super Bowl, one of the largest shared cultural moments on the planet, an advert about antisemitism reached tens of millions of homes. Funded by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, it set out to “stand up to Jewish hate.” That really matters…Worse still, the advert’s internal message to Jews is profoundly troubling. We are shown an all-too-familiar caricature, a scrawny, bookish Jewish boy, the eternal Eastern European stereotype, being bullied in a school hallway. He is “saved” by an athletic Black teenager, who covers the hate message with a blue square sticky note. They hug, they walk off together into the light, problem solved. The message is unmistakable: The weak Jew is rescued by the strong non-Jew. Allyship arrives just in time, intersectional harmony prevails, the blue square to the rescue. Except this has never been the Jewish experience. Not historically, not now, and certainly not since October 7, 2023. READ MORE

YOUTUBE View the Sticky Note Advert

EJEWISH PHILANTHROPY Amid criticism, Kraft’s anti-hate group defends Super Bowl ad against antisemitism The head of the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate emphasized the ad was intended to persuade all Americans — not just Jews — and ADL survey research proved its effectiveness. A chorus of commentators criticized the advertisement, which is part of a $15 million media campaign that will also include ad spots during the Winter Olympics, for depicting Jews as victims in need of protection from non-Jews and for avoiding the reality that the source of many antisemitic incidents in schools stem from hostility toward or hatred of Israel. 

JNS American Jewish Committee’s annual “State of Antisemitism” There is a substantial gap between the ways that American Jews and the general U.S. public perceive the threat of anti-Jewish bigotry, according to the American Jewish Committee’s new annual poll on the state of antisemitism in America. The survey, released on Tuesday, found that nearly half of American Jews believe that antisemitism is a “very serious problem,” compared to only 28% of the general public. Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, told JNS that “America needs to wake up to the reality of what their Jewish neighbors are experiencing.”

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Memo to all Jews: “The future of Jewish life will not be secured by pleading our case before the world”

Posted on February 8, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

MORNING MUSINGS
No More Pleading for Permission: The New/Old Jewish Priority
Peter Himmelman
February 8, 2026

Last week at the 92nd Street Y, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens spoke about the state of world Jewry. What stayed with me was not a political argument but a change of direction. He suggested that Jews have spent too many years pleading for understanding and too few years investing in the only strategy that has ever preserved us: becoming more Jewish. Listening to him, I felt the relief of hearing aloud what I have been saying, often to deaf ears, for decades…For millennia, until today, Jews have used a word that has vexed the world. They have used it stubbornly, courageously, with great faith, and at times at great cost. The word is no. No to serving idols of any kind. No to tyrants. No to cheap strains of universalism. No to assimilation into other faiths and ideologies. And no to a world that bows to the latest ism. Most vexing of all has been Jewish success despite that refusal. The world has often demanded that we dissolve into its fashions, and time and again we have answered with a single inconvenient syllable. READ MORE

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“The fact that a candidate as far to the left as Mejia could prevail in one of the most affluent, suburban districts in the country speaks volumes about the state of the party”

Posted on February 7, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

JEWISH INSIDER
Analilia Mejia’s lead in N.J. primary signals growing far-left influence in Democratic Party
Josh Kraushaar
February 6, 2026

The results in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District last night may not make national headlines, but should be sending a shock wave across Democratic campaigns and pro-Israel institutions. Analilia Mejia, the far-left, Bernie Sanders-endorsed activist, narrowly led in a crowded field of Democratic candidates in a primary election for an affluent, moderate-minded district, despite long odds. With most votes counted, Mejia leads former Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), who was considered the favorite, 29-28%. Former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, favored by pro-Israel groups and endorsed by Democratic Majority for Israel, finished in third place, winning just 17% of the vote. READ MORE

NBC NEWS How a pro-Israel super PAC made a losing bet to open Democratic primary season United Democracy Project, a super PAC affiliated with AIPAC, is expected to play a big role in Democratic primaries this year. It got off to a bad start in New Jersey on Thursday.

ALGEMEINER North Carolina Democratic Party Muslim Chair Says Zionists Are Nazis, and a ‘Threat to Humanity’ Elyas Mohammed, president of the North Carolina Democratic Party’s (NCDP) Muslim Caucus, recently posted on social media, “Zionists = Modern day #Nazis.” Mohammed, also a member of the NCDP’s State Executive Committee (SEC), posted, “#Zionists are a threat to #Humanity.” He has publicly referred to Israel as “IsraHell.”

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“Conservative New York Times columnist questions the effectiveness of current efforts against antisemitism, says impulse to seek external validation is ‘a fool’s errand’”

Posted on February 6, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

JTA
In 92NY talk, Bret Stephens urges ‘dismantling’ ADL, investing more in Jewish identity
Andrew Silow-Carroll
February 3, 2026

In a speech that described antisemites as an “axis of the perfidious, the despotic, the hypocritical, the cynical, the deranged and the incurably stupid,” Bret Stephens asserted that supporters of the Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish defense groups should largely abandon their current strategy for combating antisemitism and instead redirect their resources toward strengthening Jewish life itself. Stephens, the conservative New York Times columnist and founder of the Jewish thought journal Sapir, said antisemitism is largely impervious to appeals to tolerance, reminders of Jewish and Israeli accomplishments, or mandatory Holocaust education. READ MORE

CALL ME BACK WITH DAN SENOR PODCAST Bret Stephens’ State of World Jewry Address Bret Stephens at the 92nd Street Y. Stephens, who is also the editor-in-chief of SAPIR Journal, offers a bracing diagnosis of modern antisemitism and argues that it cannot be educated away, apologized for, or solved through allyship.

FREE PRESS The ‘Dirty Jew’ Ad Is Bad for Jews The ad features a kid, probably 15 or 16 years old, walking down the hallway of a run-of-the-mill public high school in Somewheresville, America. When he gets to his locker, he discovers that someone has slapped a yellow Post-it note on his backpack that says DIRTY JEW. As the kid stares at his backpack in horror, we hear snickering—other kids, all of them budding neo-Nazis, apparently. But then! Here comes our savior, a black peer.

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“As Iran weakens, Arab states warn of war while quietly fearing the rise of unchecked Israeli power. The Middle East prefers a half-dead Iran, and a contained Israel, in one package”

Posted on February 5, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

ISRAEL HAYOM (by agreement with JNS)
When the Iranian threat collapses, a New Middle East emerges
Amit Segal
February 5, 2026

Abbas Araghchi will not be the first foreign minister to fly urgently to meet Americans in an attempt to prevent war. Before him came Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz, in a futile meeting with his counterpart James Baker. Saddam Hussein promised both President George H. W. Bush and President George W. Bush that the United States would discover hell in Iraq, that its forces would die there in droves, and that his country would stand firm. Aziz ended his life in a Baghdad prison; Saddam went to the gallows. The Iranians are no more flexible, no less fanatical, and burdened with the same problems as their hated Iraqi predecessors. Their almost last hope of preventing action lies with the Sunni states of the Middle East. Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia publicly warn that an American strike could escalate into a regional war. In practice, a Middle East expert told me this week, what truly worries them is the almost inevitable outcome of eliminating the ayatollahs’ regime: Israeli hegemony in the Middle East. READ MORE

FDD Negotiating With Iran Is Wrong. Doing So in Oman Is Worse The scheduled talks in Muscat between the United States and Iran on February 6 shines much needed light on the regional role of their host, the Sultanate of Oman. Oman cannot be regarded as a trusted intermediary. While the Gulf state has always claimed neutrality, boasting about its role in helping to secure the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the United States, it has maintained a close strategic relationship with Iran. Currently, Oman serves as a key hub for one of Iran’s most dangerous proxies, the Houthis in Yemen. The choice of Oman as the venue of the talks, which were originally to be hosted by Turkey, could spell trouble for American negotiators.

JPOST Missile barrages and cyber operations: Iran outlines multi-front war plan against US.  Iran has published a detailed concept for war with the United States, describing missile barrages, proxy escalation, cyber operations, and threats to global oil flows, according to the IRGC-linked Tasnim news agency.  The war scenario published by Tasnim begins with US strikes on nuclear and military sites in densely populated areas, followed by a rapid Iranian counter-barrage aimed at US regional base…The plan surfaced this week as US-Iran talks were set for Friday in Muscat, Oman, and after Donald Trump said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei should be “very worried,” raising fears of renewed escalation.

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“Memo to Trump: No one in the region wants the regime to survive…Turkey is essentially proposing that Iran and Turkey switch places, with Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the steward of all the mullahs’ ill-gotten gains”

Posted on February 5, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

COMMENTARY
Is Iran Attending Its Own Funeral?
Seth Mandel
February 3, 2026

Mideast summit this Friday looks like it will play host to a group of countries that claim to want to save Iran from U.S. strikes—but in reality want to bury the Islamic Republic alive. For Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which both plan to be represented at the meetup in Istanbul, it’s pretty straightforward. The Saudis are rivals for Iran’s influence and power projection around the Gulf, and Egypt stands to benefit from a loosening of Iranian proxies’ troublemaking in the Red Sea shipping lanes and its sponsorship of Hamas. The reason for Turkey and Qatar’s bad-faith participation in the summit becomes clear when you see the kind of proposed “solutions” coming out of Ankara. Haaretz reports: “Turkey might propose, among other things, that the enriched uranium in Iran — including around 440 kilograms (970 pounds) that are enriched to 60 percent — be transferred to Turkey, with a promise that it would never be returned to Iran.” READ MORE

ISRAEL HAYOM Turkey’s nuclear path is a risk Israel cannot ignore Ankara is using nuclear technology strictly for civilian purposes, but the infrastructure it is building could, under certain conditions, later help pave the way toward military applications. As long as the current president remains in power, efforts to edge closer to a nuclear weapons capability are unlikely to stop. The question is how long it would take, and how Israel should respond.

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