“Without the United States, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel.” —Donald Trump, June 3, 2026

There are moments in the life of a people when they are called upon to remember who they are.

Mr. President, thank you for asking a question you never intended to ask.

The people of Israel owe you our sincere gratitude for your friendship and support. History will remember your recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the relocation of the American embassy, the Abraham Accords, your efforts to bring our hostages home, your willingness to confront the threat posed by Iran, and your support during some of Israel’s darkest hours. Friends matter. Nations should never take friendship for granted, and the Jewish people have never forgotten those who stood beside us in times of danger.

But gratitude doesn’t negate honesty.

No friend, however loyal. No ally, however powerful. No president, however consequential, can be the author of Israel’s existence. That is not a criticism of America or of Donald Trump. It is simply a reminder of who we are.

The State of Israel is less than a century old. The Jewish people are more than three thousand years old.

Long before America existed, long before there were presidents, constitutions, or international alliances, there was already a people teaching its children that every human being is created in the image of one God. Long before the language of universal human dignity entered constitutions and declarations, the prophet Nathan stood before King David and condemned him for murder. Elijah confronted Ahab. Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa, dared to accuse the powerful of selling “the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals.” Isaiah declared that ritual without justice was an offense against God. In a world where kings claimed absolute power, the prophets of Israel proclaimed something astonishing: that even kings stand beneath the judgment of a moral law.

This........

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