Arlene Kushner | August 13, 2026
Every so often these days, I check the news and feel a sudden urge to bang my head against the wall. That urge – which I think can be readily understood by many of my readers – is fleeting. Neither my head nor the wall is at real risk. Rational thinking holds sway and I proceed with my consideration of the latest happenings.
On some occasions, I am sustained by news that is good.
And on rare occasions something extraordinary takes place that buoys me up. Today, I want to begin with something extraordinary.
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Boy George? I may have heard the name. But, honestly, I didn’t know who he was. A flamboyant Grammy-winning British singer and songwriter. And no, not Jewish.
Now he has released “We Will Dance Again,” a musical tribute to the young people killed at the Nova Music Festival on October 7 and a forthright defense of Israel. The lyrics are hard-hitting and tell it straight.
Boy George. Screenshot via Youtube
He is taking plenty of flack for his position, especially from within his world. But he has no intention of backing down. From what I have been reading, a readiness to embrace moral clarity is not new to him. But he says he doesn’t deserve any special recognition – he just needs “to behave like a human.”
Listen to his song, bookmark it and share it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ29Cp3I1ik
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As we are on the subject of telling the truth about the situations Israel must contend with, I share this:
“According to a study commissioned by UNICEF, acute malnutrition for children under five years old is lower in Gaza than in all neighboring Arab states, and in some European countries as well.
“In Gaza, the proportion of acute malnutrition is between 0.2% and 0.8%, significantly better than in countries such as Egypt (2.9%), Jordan (2.0%), Syria (>12.0%) and Bulgaria (4.0%), the study found.”
(emphasis added)
https://www.jns.org/live/breaking-news#0000019f-db64-de64-a1bf-df74569c0000
There is no famine in Gaza. The accusation regarding this is a blood libel.
This too needs to be shared.
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And then we have a video in which Piers Morgan interviews US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on the subject of Hamas in Gaza. Rabbi Pesach Wolicki (pictured) comments on the side.
In the course of the discussion, there is reference to Hamas denial of wrong-doing in Gaza. To illustrate, Morgan shared a clip of an earlier interview he had done with Hamas leader Gh?zi Hamad, who maintained that Hamas had done absolutely nothing wrong. There may have been some “accidents,” you see. But they had nothing to do with Hamas leadership.
Wolicki at this point (minute 4:37) referred to a substantial documented report – “Silence No More” – that was put out after two years of meticulous research. It draws in part on materials found on the bodies of Hamas attackers. Among those materials were phrase books, Arabic to Hebrew, that included instructional phrases (in Hebrew!) to use during rapes. (“Take off your pants, lie down…”)
For this, there are no words.
The report, I note here, was put out by the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children (https://www.civilc.org/). I have written about it before.
Huckabee then followed with a description (minute 8:50) of the GoPro cameras that the terrorists strapped to their heads, enabling videotaping of the raping and slaughtering. They were proud of what they were doing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwxKQaMlNGI
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This video is valuable because it includes specific information about the evils of Hamas. Some individuals – far too many – deny those evils. Others have simply chosen to forget about them. I urge you to bookmark this video for future reference and utilize it as appropriate.
The fight for the truth is a long and arduous one, and the more widely facts get out there, the stronger our position.
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But now, I turn to the inevitable question: What news item is most likely to make me want to bang my head against the wall?
In order to respond, I temporarily put aside discussion of Hamas in Gaza, with solemn promise to return. The issue remains critical but is more likely to promote a sense of rage and stiffen understanding of our need to act against Hamas. There is clarity: we need resolve and strength.
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Topping the list of issues that make me want to bang my head right now is the US–Iranian “conflict.”
Is it a war? Who knows. Are they negotiating? No clue. Depends on whose statements we rely upon, and the time of day. Iran apparently is negotiating with Oman regarding divided control of the Strait, but last reports indicate that this is not progressing well.
Trump says the US is in control of the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians say they are. And before opening the Straits to maritime traffic, they want huge funds, essentially reparation funds, in addition to a commitment from the US to never, ever, ever attack Iran again.
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The bottom line, as I see it, is that Trump is blowing it.
The Iranians are consummately evil, but they are not stupid. They are keenly aware of his ambivalence with regard to fighting a major war and the domestic pressures upon him. They see him as weak. There was a time, not so long ago, when many saw Trump’s vacillation as a ploy, to throw Iran off guard. Few continue to see the situation this way now.
Trump, the transactionalist, has failed to grasp the essential fact that Islamists respect only strength and power. When seeking to bring the Iranians to the table, at one point he attempted to draw them in by speaking about the prospect for them of a prosperous nation. But that is the language of a Western “deal-maker.” It is not the way to move the Iranians, who are willing to suffer as long as they can advance their agenda.
I must assume that his “advisors” have never enlightened him in this regard. That would have been difficult, because they also lack basic understandings. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are still on board. Both are themselves high-end “deal makers.” Another mistake Trump has made – relying on his close connections rather than experienced diplomats and professional negotiators.
There are two cultural vectors to deal with here: There is the traditional Persian approach to bargaining, known as bargaining in the Persian bazaar. It requires continuous tireless bargaining. And there is the Islamist mind set.
Now VP JD Vance – who is neither experienced diplomat nor professional negotiator – is heading the negotiations. Apparently Trump is viewing Vance with increasing favor. Multiple reports surfaced recently about the president quietly advising major donors to get behind Vance.
“’At the end of the day, we need to elect JD,’ Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with donors…”
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-told-donors-we-need-elect-jd
This alone is sufficient reason to make me think about banging my head against the wall.
And let me call attention to the fact that Vance’s position against war with Iran is well known, thus weakening his position as a negotiator who is prepared to be tough.
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Recently I read that Trump asked a close contact (and I paraphrase here): If we gain control of the Strait, declare this a win and end the war, do you think it will be all right?
And I must say, no, Mr. President, it will not be all right.
People in America may want lower gas prices and may be reluctant to commit to full war. But they are not so foolish as to think that what he was describing could be considered a win. Especially as Iran would mock and celebrate.
The American goal for the war was, at a minimum, preventing Iran from having the ability to go nuclear.
To open the Strait – which was, please remember, open before the war started! – but to leave enriched uranium in Iranian hands, along with their ballistic missiles, and to allow them to continue support for their proxies, would likely be seen as a failure by many Americans.
Certainly it would be seen thus in other parts of the world, most notably in the Arab world and by the Gulf states.
And this is one of the saddest parts of the story. The world is in turmoil, and the battle between the Islamists who seek to control the world and democracies of the world who stand against this is tightening.
Yet at this very juncture, it is the reputation of America that is suffering and a shift in international dynamics that is unfolding. Already there are reports of Trump losing respect in various capitals and wielding less influence. It is being said that it is no longer possible to count on American defense (look how he let the people of Iran down), and that new alignments must be nurtured.
Not all of these alignments will play well for Israel. Israel herself is in the process of establishing new alignments and strengthening old ones beyond the US. I will be looking at all of this.
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Is it too late for Trump to turn the situation around? He would need to reach a place of clarity and resolve, and soon. I suspect that he would achieve something closer to the electoral results he is seeking for the midterm if he did that. I doubt that he sees this.
There is talk of wearing down Iran, which is already fragile, via economic strangulation. US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth just testified to Congress about maintaining an economic blockade of Iran for as long as necessary.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/431675
We shall see…
I hope to begin again, when I next write, with some good news items. Our eye must remain on these.
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I ask, as I always do, that you please pray.
©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
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