Director American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, Creator of Jewish Virtual Library, Expert on US-Israel relations, Lecturer, Author/Ed of 23 books
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Articles by Mitchell Bard
The two-state solution is a suicide pact
(Oct. 28, 2026 / JNS) If the Palestinians had a state, would Iran have abandoned its nuclear ambitions? Would it have stopped financing Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis? Would Tehran cease threatening the Sunni Arab states? Would the Muslim Brotherhood disappear? Most important, would a Palestinian state have prevented Oct. 7? The answer to every question is almost certainly no.
Remarkable ignorance of ‘elite’ students
(Oct. 21, 2026 / JNS) Watching students at America’s most prestigious universities protest against Israel is more than infuriating. It raises a disturbing question: What, exactly, are these young people learning in exchange for their exorbitant tuition? They can recite slogans, denounce Israel and hurl accusations, but many know little to nothing about Middle East affairs and lack the most basic critical thinking skills.
Just how out of touch with reality is J Street?
What do Thomas Friedman, Rahm Emanuel, Ed Miliband and J Street have in common? All seem convinced that they know better than Israelis what is best for Israel. They profess support for Israeli democracy yet have little patience for Israeli choices that conflict with their prescriptions. Rather than persuade Israelis, they want their governments to pressure Israel into accepting policies its citizens overwhelmingly reject. J Street deserves particular scrutiny.
How out of touch with reality is J Street?
(Oct. 14, 2026 / JNS) What do Thomas Friedman, Rahm Emanuel, Ed Miliband and J Street have in common? All seem convinced that they know better than Israelis what is best for Israel. They profess support for Israeli democracy, yet have little patience for Israeli choices when those choices conflict with their prescriptions. Rather than persuade Israelis, they want their governments to pressure Israel into accepting policies its citizens overwhelmingly reject.
Netanyahu Was Warned About Hamas – Years Ago
As Israel approaches another election, a succession of reports has revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received warnings from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Israeli security officials about the growing danger of a Hamas attack. He was also repeatedly cautioned that the turmoil surrounding his judicial reforms was projecting an image of Israeli weakness that emboldened the country’s enemies.
Will Michigan Jews vote for antisemitism?
(Sept. 30, 2026 / JNS) We already know that Democrats, as a party, have decided that principles matter less than winning a majority in Congress, even if that means sacrificing Jewish security. In Michigan, the party is asking Jews to make the same choice: vote, out of solidarity, to put an antisemite in the Senate. Some Jews have lined up behind Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, with Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) leading the way after championing a Maine Senate candidate with a Nazi Totenkopf tattoo.
Does the British foreign secretary know British history?
(Sept. 23, 2026 / JNS) British Foreign Secretary Edward Miliband threw a tantrum in parliament, railing against “settler terrorism” as well as peaceful communities of Jews living in parts of their homeland because of their alleged threat to a two-state solution. The economic effects of the sanctions he announced will inevitably extend beyond the settlements, and harm Israelis and Palestinians alike. His performance raised several questions.
Broadcasting anti-IDF propaganda
(Sept. 16, 2026 / JNS) I was going through some old notes when I came across the following passage. Unfortunately, I failed to record the source, so I apologize to its author or authors: One of the major questions arising from the need for Jews to defend the Jewish community was whether to take retaliatory measures against the Arab population, on the pattern of the Arab attacks against the Jews.
Should we trust what students tell us about Israel?
I’ve been working with public opinion data for more than 40 years and have found it enormously useful. But polls sometimes raise more questions than they answer. That is certainly true of the latest Brandeis study, American Undergraduates and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, which attracted considerable media attention for its finding that most undergraduates believe that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. That headline is alarming. But what does it actually tell us?
Zionism won. Debate over.
(Sept. 9, 2026 / JNS) What is Zionism? Who is a Zionist? Are Jews abandoning Zionism? What do we do about anti-Zionism? The debate is incessant, and ultimately pointless. I am going to put my head on the chopping block voluntarily by suggesting that it is time to stop talking about Zionism. At this point, it accomplishes little but to provide Israel’s enemies and antisemites (often the same) a target. We don’t need to defend Zionism because Zionism won.
Should we trust what students tell us about Israel?
(Sept. 2, 2026 / JNS) I’ve been working with public opinion data for more than 40 years and have found it enormously useful. But polls sometimes raise more questions than they answer. That is certainly true of the latest Brandeis study, American Undergraduates and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, which attracted considerable media attention for its finding that most undergraduates believe that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. That headline is alarming.
Why the Gaza plan is doomed to fail
(Aug. 26, 2026 / JNS) Analysts have dissected U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan and rightly focused on the doubtful prospect that Hamas will disarm as the most obvious reason it could fail. But perhaps a more serious danger lies in what the plan leaves unaddressed: Palestinian education. The plan calls for the “deradicalization” of Gaza and for changing Palestinian “mindsets and narratives,” but it doesn’t explicitly mandate reform of schools, curricula or teacher training.
Can the U.S. win a bloodless war?
A U.S. sanctions-and-strikes strategy against Iran may be insufficient without defeating the regime that controls its army. Aug 26, 2026 4 mins read time Originally published at A U.S. sailor, assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), acts as a landing signalman enlisted during flight quarters, as part of “Operation Epic Fury,” May 30, 2026. Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy. By MITCHELL BARD JNS Gen. George S.
Faculty have long been a problem for Jews on campus
(Aug. 19, 2026 / JNS) The Anti-Defamation League has just published an alarming report on the role faculty play in campus antisemitism. What is astonishing is not the data. It’s that the report appeared in 2026. The study notes that “far less scrutiny has been directed toward the role of faculty and the classroom environment” than student activism. Really?
Israel Is Losing America — and Netanyahu Is Part of the Reason
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to accept responsibility for Oct. 7. Now he wants us to believe he has no responsibility for the collapse of American support for Israel. “I think there’s been a change because of the proliferation of social media, and the fact that sovereign countries have manipulated with bot farms and other things,” Netanyahu said.
Israel Is Losing America — and Netanyahu Is Part of the Reason
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to accept responsibility for Oct. 7. Now he wants us to believe he has no responsibility for the collapse of American support for Israel. “I think there’s been a change because of the proliferation of social media, and the fact that sovereign countries have manipulated with bot farms and other things,” Netanyahu said.
Can the US win a bloodless war?
(Aug. 12, 2026 / JNS) Gen. George S. Patton famously said, “No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his.” U.S. President Donald Trump is attempting something Patton never contemplated: winning without making most of the other side’s dumb bastards die at all. The theory is that economic strangulation—backed by precision strikes on hardware—will accomplish what armies have historically had to accomplish in the field.
The folly of negotiating with Islamists
(Aug. 5, 2026 / JNS) Imagine that after Sept. 11, American and European leaders had proposed negotiating with Al-Qaeda rather than destroying it. The discussion would not have centered on dismantling its terrorist infrastructure, but on what concessions the West should make to persuade Osama bin Laden to stop attacking it. Perhaps recognition of a new Islamic caliphate. Perhaps acceptance of sharia law. The idea is absurd.
The most successful political campaign of the modern era
(July 22, 2026 / JNS) Consider the evidence. The United Nations has been consumed by the Palestinian issue almost since its founding. Middle East Studies departments often question the legitimacy of one nation—Israel—while devoting extraordinary attention to a state that does not yet exist. Professors with no expertise in the Middle East sign petitions condemning the State of Israel and repeating talking points by Hamas, a terrorist organization.
Israeli teens take the UN stage for World Youth Skills Day Original
(July 17, 2026 / Tzofim Friendship Caravan) Ten Israeli teens performed six songs at U.N. headquarters in New York City on July 16 as part of World Youth Skills Day, whose 2026 theme, “Skills for a Shared Future,” calls on young people to help shape a world being reshaped by artiicial intelligence.
Vance suggests Israeli government-linked influence campaign targeted Trump admin’s Iran talks Original
(July 16, 2026 / JNS) U.S. Vice President JD Vance suggested on Wednesday that some elements within the Israeli government backed an influence campaign aimed at undermining the Trump administration’s negotiations with Iran, while emphasizing that Israel remains a U.S. ally.
The Haredi challenge is becoming Israel’s national security crisis Original
(July 15, 2026 / JNS) Israel has spent decades bracing for the enemies it can see: Iranian centrifuges, Hamas tunnels, Hezbollah rockets. It has built one of the most sophisticated defense establishments on earth to battle them. But the danger that may do the most lasting damage is growing inside the Knesset, the yeshivahs and the birth statistics themselves—and no missile-defense system can stop it. That threat is Haredi exceptionalism. And Israel’s leaders built it themselves.
The Doha deal: How Qatar purchased academic prestige Original
(July 1, 2026 / JNS) Qatar has used its wealth to persuade six universities to open campuses in Doha. These partnerships raise urgent questions about financial transparency, academic freedom, institutional independence and the price of access to authoritarian funding. Doha insists that these universities operate with “complete independence.” The record suggests otherwise. The campuses must operate in accordance with Qatari law and social norms, while many financial arrangements remain opaque.
The Prime Ministers Who Put Israel First
Shortly after Hamas’s October 7 invasion, I argued that presidents—not prime ministers—ultimately end Israel’s wars. Donald Trump has once again demonstrated the truth of that observation. But history also shows that Israeli prime ministers once accepted that while the United States is Israel’s indispensable ally, no American president can be allowed to dictate Israel’s security policy.
The Prime Ministers Who Put Israel First
Shortly after Hamas’s October 7 invasion, I argued that presidents—not prime ministers—ultimately end Israel’s wars. Donald Trump has once again demonstrated the truth of that observation. But history also shows that Israeli prime ministers once accepted that while the United States is Israel’s indispensable ally, no American president can be allowed to dictate Israel’s security policy.
A rewarded regime and an unfinished fight Original
(June 26, 2026 / JNS) The Iranian regime that seized American hostages, murdered U.S. Marines and remains committed to destroying Israel stands to receive sanctions relief, unfrozen assets and hundreds of billions in cash if a final deal is reached. Even after the interim Memorandum of Understanding was signed, Israeli troops uncovered a major Iranian-built Hezbollah fortress in Southern Lebanon.
Trump’s capitulation will finance Iran’s revival Original
(June 24, 2026 / JNS) U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly criticized the Obama administration for providing Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for its participation in the nuclear agreement. He argued that Tehran was rewarded for bad behavior and given resources to expand its regional influence. He was right, which makes what he has now signed all the more indefensible.
IN FULL: Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address to the 2026 JNS International Policy Summit Original
(June 22, 2026 / JNS) Across the region, from Iran to Lebanon to Gaza, our enemies are seeking to rebuild, rearm and evolve in order to continue threatening our citizens and terrorizing our people. Israel is not opposed to a diplomatic outcome of the war. On the contrary, we seek peace. We dream of peace on all frontiers. However, recent developments are generating serious, legitimate concerns in Israel—concerns that must be addressed—because we in Israel are in the line of fire.
The day the Democrats endorsed antisemitism
(Jun. 17, 2026 / JNS) How desperate are the Democrats for power? They’ve shown they are willing to support a candidate with a Nazi tattoo, one who associated with the terrorist responsible for the World Trade Center bombing, as well as a range of anti-Israel “progressives” in their effort to retake the House and Senate. The result is the latest stage of a slide that began with the Democrats’ unwillingness to denounce the two antisemites in their congressional delegation.
Following the water back: Hiking Israel’s restored Tzalmon stream Original
(Jun. 17, 2026 / JNS) Like a modern-day Moses, I led my flock last week through parched terrain that I had never visited before, in search of a piece of land known to me by description only. Granted, this was on a weekend hike with my family, to which we arrived by car with a liter of sunscreen and a stack of beef jerky. Still, there was plenty of Moses-like pioneering spirit on our summertime stay in Nahal Tzalmon, a wadi in the Galilee that leads to the Sea of Galilee.
The day the Democrats endorsed antisemitism
How desperate are the Democrats for power? They’ve shown they are willing to support a candidate with a Nazi tattoo, one who associated with the terrorist responsible for the World Trade Center bombing, as well as a range of anti-Israel “progressives” in their effort to retake the House and Senate. The result is the latest stage of a slide that began with the Democrats’ unwillingness to denounce the two antisemites in their congressional delegation. Their descent began in February 2019 when Rep.
The day the Democrats endorsed antisemitism
How desperate are the Democrats for power? They’ve shown they are willing to support a candidate with a Nazi tattoo, one who associated with the terrorist responsible for the World Trade Center bombing, as well as a range of anti-Israel “progressives” in their effort to retake the House and Senate. The result is the latest stage of a slide that began with the Democrats’ unwillingness to denounce the two antisemites in their congressional delegation. Their descent began in February 2019 when Rep.
The day the Democrats endorsed antisemitism
How desperate are the Democrats for power? They’ve shown they are willing to support a candidate with a Nazi tattoo, one who associated with the terrorist responsible for the World Trade Center bombing, as well as a range of anti-Israel “progressives” in their effort to retake the House and Senate. The result is the latest stage of a slide that began with the Democrats’ unwillingness to denounce the two antisemites in their congressional delegation. Their descent began in February 2019 when Rep.
Amid anti-Israel activism in US educational institutions, 150-plus Christian students tour Jewish state Original
(Jun. 14, 2026 / Passages) Passages brought more than 150 American students to Israel recently to experience the country firsthand and engage directly with its people, history and contemporary realities. The summer 2026 delegation includes more than 55 high school students and 100-plus college students representing universities, ministries and Christian communities across the United States.
Herzog to host Somaliland president on first visit to Israel Original
(Jun. 14, 2026 / JNS) Israeli President Isaac Herzog is set to host Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi on Sunday in the first visit by a Somaliland leader to Israel. The meeting is set for 11:30 a.m. at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, where Herzog and first lady Michal Herzog will welcome Abdirahman and first lady Fardowsa Mohamed Roble in an official ceremony, according to the President’s Office.
Trump, the betrayer-in-chief? Original
(Jun. 11, 2026 / JNS) Much has already been written about Donald Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine, Europe and NATO. But nowhere has his reversal been more striking than in the Middle East. Not only Israel now finds itself abandoned, but America’s Gulf allies increasingly feel the same disillusionment.
How to win back Democratic support for Israel Original
(Jun. 3, 2026 / JNS) Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland recently wrote an op-ed in The New York Times urging Democrats to abandon what he called their “reflexive and unconditional support” for Israel. The irony is hard to miss.
Have Trump and Netanyahu Cemented the U.S.-Israel Alliance or Destroyed It?
At first blush, the answer to the question in the title is clear from the fact that U.S.-Israel relations are closer than ever, evident from the joint fight against Iran and the reversal of nearly a century of misguided Middle East policy directed by Arabists. Alas, like vampires, the Arabists are seemingly impossible to kill and have found homes in the media and academia, awaiting the return of Democrats to power and their reincarnation again as decision-makers.
Have Trump and Netanyahu Cemented the U.S.-Israel Alliance or Destroyed It?
At first blush, the answer to the question in the title is clear from the fact that U.S.-Israel relations are closer than ever, evident from the joint fight against Iran and the reversal of nearly a century of misguided Middle East policy directed by Arabists. Alas, like vampires, the Arabists are seemingly impossible to kill and have found homes in the media and academia, awaiting the return of Democrats to power and their reincarnation again as decision-makers.
Trump is not a potted plant Original
( May 20, 2026 / JNS ) Some readers may remember that U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North testified at televised congressional hearings on the Iran-Contra scandal in 1987. At one point, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) suggested that North speak for himself, admonishing his lawyer, Brendan Sullivan, for constantly objecting to questions posed to the colonel. “Well, sir,” Sullivan responded, “I’m not a potted plant. I’m here as the lawyer.
Hey, Bret, why not close ‘The New York Times’?
( May 13, 2026 / JNS ) New York Times columnist Bret Stephens called for the Anti-Defamation League to be shut down, arguing that it has failed to end antisemitism. But what about institutions that not only fail to stop antisemitism but actively worsen it? If Stephens wants to protect American Jewry and Israel, then he should start with the institution that pays him. Since Oct.
The woman who made Iran’s bomb possible
( May 6, 2026 / JNS ) You can always count on the media to give a platform to former officials from the Obama and Biden administrations to rant about the current administration while ignoring their record of policy failures. The latest is Wendy Sherman, who served as undersecretary of state for political affairs during the Obama administration and as deputy secretary of state under former President Joe Biden.
ISIS-K operative convicted for role in 2021 Kabul airport bombing, other attacks Original
( Apr. 30, 2026 / JNS ) A federal jury in Virginia convicted an Afghan national of providing material support to the Islamic State’s Afghanistan affiliate, ISIS-K, in connection with multiple terrorist attacks, including the 2021 bombing outside Kabul’s airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and about 160 Afghan civilians, the U.S. Department of Justice stated on Wednesday. Mohammad Sharifullah was found guilty of participating in a years-long conspiracy to support ISIS-K.
EU Cites NGO Monitor Research in Budget Vote, Calls for Tighter Vetting
( Apr. 30, 2026 / NGO Monitor ) Today, the EU Parliament passed a budgetary resolution directly referencing Jerusalem-based research institute NGO Monitor as a catalyst for tightening regulations to ensure taxpayer funds do not end up with terrorist groups.
The false equivalence of campus hatred
( Apr. 29, 2026 / JNS ) One of the most troubling—and intellectually dishonest—trends on North American campuses today is the insistence on equating antisemitism with Islamophobia. University administrators, fearful of backlash from other minority groups, have adopted a reflexive “both sides” approach.
IMEU presents the greatest hits of Arab propaganda
( Apr. 22, 2026 / JNS ) When a poll says most Americans think that the Iran war serves U.S. interests, readers should check the source. For the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), this scrutiny raises doubts. IMEU is an advocacy group with an anti-Israel agenda, and its surveys show this bias; citing them as proof of American opinion is as reliable as quoting Hamas press releases as news. Its leadership and affiliations underscore this.
Mamdani weighs veto of protest buffer zone bill as demonstrators rally at City Hall
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Trump is not so unpredictable when it comes to Israel
( Apr. 15, 2026 / JNS ) I warned back on March 26 that U.S. President Donald Trump would likely end the war on terms that left Iran’s core capabilities intact, declare victory and once again cast Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Charlie Brown watching Lucy pull away the football. That is precisely what happened.
Claims Conference, Museum of Jewish Heritage kick off global film series for Holocaust Remembrance Day
( Apr. 11, 2026 / JNS ) The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference), in partnership with the Museum of Jewish Heritage–A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, announces its first-ever, global film series in commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day. All films were supported by the Claims Conference and focus on Holocaust-related topics.
IDF chief: Fight against Hezbollah continues with ‘great intensity’
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