On his podcast Friday‚ Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro interviewed an Arab-Israeli commentator from Nazareth‚ Israel who disputed the image of the Arab community of Israel as being monolithic in its opposition to the Jewish state. Shapiro spoke with Yoseph Haddad‚ the CEO of Together Vouch for Each Other‚ which notes on its website that it was “founded in 2018 by a group of young Israeli Arabs – Christians‚ Muslims‚ Bedouin and Druze‚ who felt determined to bring about change in the Arab sector of Israeli society‚ bringing the Arab community closer to Israeli society.” “I want to use this opportunity to maybe speak about something that we don’t hear usually in the media‚ especially in the Western media‚” Haddad began. “It’s the partnership between Jews and Arabs regarding the fight in Gaza and the situation here in Israel. Because as we speak right now‚ you have Christian‚ Muslim‚ Druze‚ and Jewish soldiers fighting in Gaza and fighting for our freedom. And at the same time‚ you have also the Arab-Israelis here contributing and donating a lot to the South and to the IDF.” “This is something people are not even talking about‚” Haddad continued. “The war is not between the Arabs against Jews or Jews against Arabs. It’s not even a war between Israelis against Palestinians. It’s literally between the IDF — which in my point of view‚ and it should be … a point of view of anybody else — is the good side against the barbaric side of a terrorist organization that killed and massacred Jews and Arabs.” “One of the great lies that’s been promulgated in the Western press is that Arabs‚ Muslims everywhere are enraged with Israel for defending itself against Hamas‚” Shapiro pointed out. “There’s a poll that came out recently in November from the Israel Democracy Institute‚ and it found that while 48% of Arab citizens said that they felt like they were a part of Israel in June‚ after the October 7th attack‚ that number spiked to 70% of Arab citizens who said that they felt like they were part of the country. Even if offered the possibility of other Western citizenship‚ 59% of Arab respondents said they would stay in Israel. So this idea that Israel is somehow an apartheid state — which is one of the contentions now being made‚ ironically enough‚ by South Africa — and that Israel is all about repression of its Arab citizens or that it’s committing a genocide is given the lie by the fact that Arabs are Israeli citizens‚ Arab Muslims are Israeli citizens.” “Ben‚ I’m smiling because you said it went from 40 to 70%‚” Haddad replied. “But actually‚ if you want the truth‚ if we go on the ground‚ I can tell you that the number is higher‚ higher than that. And sometimes if you take the camera off and you speak face to face with someone who just said‚ ‘Oh‚ I don’t I don’t want to be in Israel‚’ you would see him saying‚ ‘Israel is where I want to be. This is the only democracy in the Middle East.’” “I was a commander over Jewish soldiers in the IDF. The fact is that we are 20% of the population here‚ yet we are 30% of the doctors in Israel and 50% of the pharmacists in Israel.  The examples — I can go on and on and on‚” he declared. “So we understand one thing‚” Haddad asserted. “Those who claim that Israel is an apartheid state‚ it’s because there is only one motive in their head. And it is not to end the conflict. … As an Arab‚ it was very important for me to stand out and to speak because we are suffering. We are suffering. It’s the Israeli Arabs‚ it’s the Jewish Israelis‚ it’s also the Palestinians at the West Bank and in Gaza. They are all suffering because idiots out there in America or in Europe talking about a problem that does not exist.” “I need people to understand in America‚ in the West‚ that this war is not between Jews and Arabs. And I would keep fighting for that to make sure that people understand that. I mean‚ it really is amazing that the people suggest that it is‚ given the fact that the best-situated Arabs in the Middle East by far live in Israel‚” Haddad said. “If you just look at the Arab Israeli household income‚ average net income for four Arab Israeli households as of 2021 was about $3300 bucks‚ roughly $38‚000 a year‚” Haddad explained. “The GDP per capita in the Palestinian Authority annually is $3600. So in other words‚ in [an] Arab-Israeli family‚ living in Israel is going to earn in a month what it may take a year to earn if you are living under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority or under Hamas.” “The Israeli government is significantly better for Arabs than the Arab governance has been literally in any part of the Middle East‚” he said simply. Shapiro asked‚ “What kind of what kind of feedback and blowback have you gotten for saying these things?” “I get some really positive feedback and of course‚ other threats‚ and hate messages‚” Haddad answered. “But I want to tell you one thing: The people who are trying to intimidate me into silence; there’s a reason why they’re trying to do that. It’s because I’m exposing their lies and I’m showing the facts and the reality from the point of view of an Arab who lives in Israel.”

Last night‚ the United States Central Command (CENTCOM)‚ as well as several other foreign countries that are part of an American alliance‚ struck at Houthi targets in Yemen. The Houthis are a ragtag group of terrorists who have taken over a large swath of Yemen after a massive civil war between the Houthis and the Saudis over control of the country. The Iranians have been funding the Houthis for years — and years and years. The reason all of this is happening right now is because the Houthis decided they were going to try to act as an Iranian proxy arm and generate support for Iran by attacking Israel and then shipping in the Red Sea. Now‚ shooting off a few rockets or missiles at Israel to get downed by American ships or by the Saudis didn’t have much of an impact on world opinion or on the world at large. But attacking ships in the Red Sea absolutely does. CENTCOM says the Houthis have carried out at least 27 attacks on commercial ships since mid-November. Between December 16 and January 4‚ according to the Wall Street Journal‚ the U.S. Navy said they had shot down 61 missiles and drones.  But the biggest problem with the hubbub in the Red Sea and in the Bab al-Mandab Strait is that a huge percentage of the world’s oil supplies travel through the strait‚ as well as a huge percentage of shipping. According to CNBC‚ shipping is down dramatically‚ and rates for freight traveling have skyrocketed. This group of pirates‚ in an attempt to generate support for Iran among the Arab street in the Middle East‚ has basically created massive costs for American and Western consumers‚ and they’ve shut down large swaths of world trade. Now‚ there is a 90% reduction year-over-year in traffic through the Red Sea from the prior year. WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show The allied attack was a telegraphed punch‚ meaning this entire exercise was designed to deter the Houthis‚ not designed to actually kill or destabilize them. The reason for telegraphing the attack was to allow Iranians to get their military forces out of the way so as not to provoke — and provoke some sort of escalation with Iran more directly — because Iran has tons of forces on the ground helping the Houthis in Yemen.  According to the Wall Street Journal‚ “The U.S.-led coalition launched more than a dozen strikes on Houthi rebel targets in Yemen two days after the Yemeni rebel forces defied an ultimatum to halt its attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea with a barrage of missiles and drones.” Those strikes were conducted by the United States and British forces. They were supported by Australia‚ Bahrain‚ Canada‚ and the Netherlands. The Saudis said they were concerned about the escalation. But in reality‚ Bahrain works very closely with the Saudis. Bahrain would not have joined this coalition or allowed its airspace to be used for an attack like this without the go-ahead from the Saudis. The Houthis say they’re not going to be deterred. The way this works in the Middle East is that‚ basically‚ terrorist groups provoke a response from an overwhelming power. They get their a**es absolutely kicked‚ then claim that‚ just because they survived‚ they won. That’s what’s currently going on in the Gaza Strip. Hamas provokes a gigantic Israeli military response‚ the largest Israeli military response to any attack since 1973. And they get their a**es absolutely handed to them‚ most of their fighters killed‚ and most of their leadership killed. Then‚ if they are breathing at the end of it‚ they claim victory. The Houthis are playing the same game. A Houthi official told the Wall Street Journal‚ “This is a brutal aggression.” Brutal aggression? Honest to God‚ if America and its allies want to commit “brutal aggression” against the Houthis‚ this guy would not be alive to talk about it. The question is whether this is going to deter further action from the Houthis. The answer is probably not‚ when a telegraph punches like this. It is very unlikely that is going to convince the Houthis to stop what they are doing. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP Iran’s other proxies‚ Hezbollah‚ the Houthis‚ do these sort of low-level attacks against Israel and its allies in the region in an attempt to establish credibility with the Arab street or the Muslim street. But they don’t want to provoke a general war. If Iran provoked a regional war‚ it would be the worst thing they ever did. Iran doesn’t want us to get into a war with them. The only question is whether the actions of Joe Biden‚ by effectively hitting empty buildings‚ is going to be enough to back the Houthis off or whether the United States and its allies are going to have to escalate their actions far enough by threatening to destroy the Houthis in order to back them down.

After another week of headlines‚ it can be hard to parse through and find the most important political stories of the week. Many stories slip through the cracks as the media pulls Americans’ attention elsewhere. The following list of the week’s top stories is far from expansive‚ but just in case you missed them‚ here are some of the biggest stories The Daily Wire covered from Sunday‚ January 7‚ to Friday‚ January 12‚ 2024. Fallout From Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s Secret Hospitalization (Volodymyr Tarasov / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images) At the end of last week‚ the public was made aware of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s medical complications and hospital stay. It turns out President Joe Biden and other top officials in the administration were also told the alarming news around same time the public was informed.  U.S. officials reportedly told POLITICO that White House officials‚ such as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan‚ didn’t know about Austin’s hospital stay‚ which included some time in the intensive care unit‚ until Thursday of last week‚ three days after the Defense secretary was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.  “This should not have happened this way‚” one of the officials told POLITICO. Earlier this week‚ doctors at Walter Reed released a statement‚ revealing that Austin was hospitalized after experiencing complications from a urinary tract infection. The statement also said that Austin was treated in late December for prostate cancer. “Nobody at the White House knew that Secretary Austin had prostate cancer until this morning and the President was informed immediately after we were informed‚” Kirby said last Friday.  The 70-year-old Defense secretary and the Biden administration were slammed by both the Right and the Left with some lawmakers calling for Austin to resign.  “I have lost trust in Secretary Lloyd Austin’s leadership of the Defense Department due to the lack of transparency about his recent medical treatment and its impact on the continuity of the chain of command‚” said Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA). Biden Ramps Up Attacks On Trump And His Supporters Sean Rayford/Getty Images For the second time in as many weeks‚ the president went after former President Donald Trump and his supporters as the 2024 campaign heats up. On Monday‚ Biden spoke to his supporters at Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston‚ South Carolina‚ the site of the 2015 race-fueled shooting that killed nine black members of the church. Much of the speech focused on Trump as Biden compared his political rival and his supporters to “defeated Confederates‚” adding that Trump poses a threat to “democracy.” “After the Civil War‚ the defeated Confederates couldn’t accept the verdict of the war‚ they lost. So they say they embraced what is known as the lost cause‚ the self-serving lie that the Civil War was not about slavery but about states’ rights. They call that the noble cause. That was a lie‚” Biden said adding‚ “So let me be clear‚ slavery was the cause of the Civil War. There is no negation about that.” “Now‚ we’re living in an era of a second lost cause‚” the president added. “Once again‚ there are some in this country trying to turn a loss into a lie. A lie which if allowed to live will once again bring terrible damage to this country. This time the lie is about the 2020 election.” Speaking from Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston‚ Biden draws a line through the "lost cause" campaign of post-Civil War confederates and the lies spread by MAGA Republicans following January 6th. pic.twitter.com/2AckmSBdf1 — CAP Action (@CAPAction) January 8‚ 2024 Surprise Hunter Biden Appearance At Congressional Hearing Sparks flew at a Congressional hearing on Wednesday when Hunter Biden surprisingly showed up while lawmakers were meeting to consider a resolution to hold him in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena. House Republicans subpoenaed Biden in November as they continue their impeachment probe into his father and look into the Biden family’s foreign business dealings.  The drama on Wednesday began after the president’s son walked into the room and sat down with his lawyers. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) then went into a tirade directed at Biden‚ calling him “the epitome of white privilege” and calling for his arrest. .@RepNancyMace: "Who bribed Hunter Biden to be here today? That's my first question. Second question‚ you are the epitome of white privilege…what are you afraid of? You have no balls to come up here…" pic.twitter.com/Wd9WbMP5bJ — CSPAN (@cspan) January 10‚ 2024 Biden lasted just 30 minutes in the hearing before he and his legal team rose from their seats and left‚ prompting more criticism from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).  “I think it’s clear and obvious for everyone watching this hearing today that Hunter Biden is terrified of strong conservative Republican women because he can’t even face my words as I was about to speak to him. What a coward‚” Greene said. Closing Arguments In Trump’s New York Civil Business Fraud Trial  Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images Former President Donald Trump was in Manhattan for much of the week as he and his legal team stood before Judge Arthur Engoron and delivered closing arguments in his civil business fraud trial case. Initially‚ Trump had planned to give his own closing argument on Thursday‚ a highly unusual proposal since defendants rarely give a closing argument if they have lawyers to represent them. Nevertheless‚ one of Trump’s attorneys told Engoron that the former president wanted to speak during the closing arguments‚ a source told The Associated Press. But the plan fell apart.  In an email Wednesday afternoon‚ Engoron informed Trump’s lawyer Chris Kise that since he did not hear from Trump’s team “by the third extended deadline (noon today)‚ I assume that Mr. Trump will not agree to the reasonable‚ lawful limits that I have imposed as a precondition to giving a closing statement above and beyond those given by his attorneys‚ and that‚ therefore‚ he will not be speaking in court tomorrow.”  Trump’s lawyers had objected to Engoron’s insistence that Trump speaks only to “relevant” matters if he gives his own closing argument. Despite Engoron barring the former president from giving his own summation‚ Trump got in a few words anyway‚ launching into a six-minute-long speech where he slammed both Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James‚ according to the Associated Press. The lawsuit against Trump‚ brought by James‚ alleges that Trump‚ along with Donald Trump Jr.‚ Eric Trump‚ and Ivanka Trump‚ misled the value of his company’s assets in financial statements “over 200 times in 10 years.” Initially‚ James sought $250 million in fines for Trump‚ but according to a brief filed last week‚ James is now asking the judge to fine Trump more than $370 million.  Engoron‚ who has already rescinded some of Trump’s business licenses in New York‚ is expected to a verdict in the trial later this month.  Texas National Guard Takes Control Of Area Near Southern Border‚ Blocks Feds On Thursday evening‚ the Texas National Guard took over Shelby Park in Eagle Pass‚ Texas‚ a location where illegal immigrants have crossed in large numbers as the border crisis worsens under President Joe Biden. According to Fox News’ Bill Melugin‚ the Texas National Guard was also “restricting Border Patrol from accessing the area‚ saying the Feds ‘perpetuate illegal crossings.’” NEW: The Texas Military Department confirms the TX National Guard has seized control of Shelby Park in Eagle Pass (city property where mass illegal crossings are)‚ and is restricting Border Patrol from accessing the area‚ saying the Feds “perpetuate illegal crossings”. This is… pic.twitter.com/29UqFmWDsx — Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 12‚ 2024   The Texas Military Department and Republican Governor Greg Abbott confirmed the report with Abbott saying‚ “we are making clear that Texas will be a tough place to cross.” The state took action after the Biden administration has fought Texas on enforcing immigration laws with federal agents even removing barbed wire put up by the state to prevent illegal border crossings.   Some more of this week’s biggest political stories include: READ: Coalition Forces Strike Houthi Targets In Yemen After Repeated Attacks READ: Trump Joins Fox News Town Hall READ: DeSantis‚ Haley Trade Barbs In Contentious GOP Debate

The University of Alabama wasted no time locking down their future head football coach this week after legendary coach Nick Saban announced on Wednesday that he was retiring. The Crimson Tide hired Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer on Friday after he led his team to this year’s national championship game in only his second year leading the program. This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates.

'Secretary Blinken actually revoked the terror designation'

Capitalizing on government subsidies

They will attempt some sort of retaliation

Monkey see monkey do

'He is now back home with his family‚ where he belongs'

Gonzalez put out a statement hours later confirming that no one had been harmed