Huckabee wants to remove his yellow pin, because it would mean all the hostages came home
One would expect the dedication of an ambulance to take place in the parking lot of a hospital, health clinic, or the organization to which the ambulance was donated - but not in a museum.
However, there are always exceptions to the rule, and the bulletproof ambulance donated to Magen David Adom by Samaritan's Purse and Harvest Christian Fellowship was dedicated at the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem just a few hours prior to the onset of Shavuot.
The date and the venue were not coincidental. King David, who made Jerusalem the capital of the Jewish people, was born on Shavuot, and the museum bears his name.
The ambulance which was the 42nd donated by Samaritan's Purse since October 2023 massacre by Hamas, was dedicated in the presence of scores of MDA personnel, including MDA global president and former Israel ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan past and present MKs and local authority officials, numerous Evangelicals including US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, US embassy staff, three generations of the family of Reverend Franklin Graham, the President of Samaritan's Purse, Senior Pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship Greg Laurie, and some dozen stills and video photographers.
Also present were returned hostages and members of hostage families including Karina Engel, who, with her two daughters, were abducted by Hamas and returned in November 2023 with the first of the released hostages. Her husband Ronen, an MDA volunteer, was murdered by Hamas and taken to Gaza, where his body is still in captivity. An ambulance in his memory was dedicated in January 2024.
Engel told her story with tears streaming down her face and her voice choked with emotion. She has developed a special relationship with Graham and his wife, who both hugged her when she finished speaking.
Huckabee said that when he came to Israel, he was asked what he wanted to do during his tenure. Pointing to the yellow ribbon pin on his jacket, he said that he wanted to take it off and never have to wear it again, because that would mean that all the hostages had come home.
Huckabee is familiar with the Samaritan's Purse, where his wife Janet has been a volunteer for years. He had high praise for the Evangelical aid organization, which he said, shows up wherever there is a calamity in the world and continues to help people who are in harm's way.
Referencing the saying in Jewish tradition, that he who saves a single life is as one who saves a whole world, Erdan said that through Samaritan's Purse and Harvest Christian Fellowship, many lives and many worlds had been saved. What they have done, he added, is a powerful proclamation that Israel is not alone. 'You answered hatred with hope,' he told the Evangelical leaders.
There was no better place than Jerusalem for the dedication of the ambulance, he said, because Jerusalem is the city holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and MDA staff and volunteers are made up of people of all faiths.
Erdan also pledged that Israel will never waver in its determination to defeat terror, and will never rest until all the hostages have been brought home. He declared that 'Israel's fight is civilization's fight against terrorism and radical extremism.'
Graham had been curious as to when the first ever hostages were taken prisoner and abducted, and found the answer in the Scriptures in Genesis 14, where Lot is taken hostage and Abraham goes to rescue him. Graham described Abraham as 'the first responder of his generation.'
Listing some of the things that Samaritan's Purse has done, Graham gave credit to many of those present. When President Isaac Herzog had asked him to provide an ambulance for the north of the country, he had turned to Laurie and had impressed on him that the ambulance had to be delivered immediately. In addition, 14 severely damaged ambulances were replaced.
Samaritan's Purse also concerned itself with people evacuated from their homes and placed in hotels. Instead of giving them food parcels, Samaritan's Purse gave them gift cards so that they could buy what they wanted and needed. The organization also thought of other ways to help. To determine the needs, Graham has been a frequent visitor to Israel.
Laurie considered it a privilege and an honor to be able to help Israel. 'We want to say to the People of Israel and to the Jewish People generally, that we stand with you, and that we want to do something tangible.'
Quoting the biblical blessing given by God to the Children of Israel, Laurie said: 'We are an extension of the blessing of the Lord.' He was also proud of the fact that (in 1948) the US had been the first country to recognize Israel's legitimacy.
In the face of antisemitism, Laurie has spoken aggressively on university campuses across America.
MDA Director General Eli Bin recalled that when watching President Donald Trump's inauguration on television, he had caught sight of Graham, and had sent a WhatsApp message to Erdan asking whether this was indeed their Reverend Graham. When Eldan confirmed that it was Graham, Bin's reaction was, 'Now we have two Israel ambassadors in the US.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Progs have abandoned progressivism, Columbia's ‘message of hope' and other commentary
Liberal: Progs Have Abandoned Progressivism 'Today's progressives aren't really progressive in the true sense of the term,' contends The Liberal Patriot's Ruy Teixeira. 'The quintessential moral commitment of midcentury progressives was to make American society truly colorblind.' Now, progs 'favor color-conscious remedies like affirmative action.' They view 'merit and objective measures of achievement . . . with suspicion.' Progressives used to be steadfast defenders of free speech,' but now, they inflate free expression 'with 'violence' and 'harm' and making people feel 'unsafe.'' And they 'prize goals like fighting climate change, procedural justice, and protecting identity groups above prosperity.' 'So can today's progressives be considered 'progressive' when they don't really support free speech, cultural pluralism and the open society? They cannot and voters, especially working class voters, are unlikely to consider them so.' Campus watch: Columbia's 'Message of Hope' 'Because Trump took a stand — and took the heat from progressives and the news media — things may finally change for the better at Columbia,' prays USA Today's Nicole Russell. 'Columbia University has agreed to pay [a] $200 million fine to the federal government to settle accusations that the school failed to protect Jewish students from antisemitism on campus.' Trump was 'standing against a culture on university campuses that promoted progressive values to the exclusion of dissenting opinions': 'Conservative students were shunned. And Jewish students were targeted because of Israel's defense of its citizens.' 'Institutions that accept taxpayer dollars must be held accountable.' 'This is a win for Trump, a scathing reprimand of higher education and a message of hope for American Jews.' Economy: Middle Class' Historic Gains 'Six months into his second term, President Donald Trump is delivering on his promise to create another middle-class economic boom,' cheers W.J. Lee at the Association of Mature American Citizens. Indeed, 'a new Treasury Department report reveals that middle-class and blue-collar workers are experiencing real-wage gains not seen in nearly 60 years': From December 2024 to May 2025, average hourly earnings for middle-class workers rose 1.7%, outpacing inflation. That 'translates to the most impressive half-year real-wage gain at the outset of a presidency' since Richard Nixon's 0.8% increase almost six decades ago. 'The only other time it came close to that? Eight years ago, during Trump's first term.' From the right: Climate Alarms Fall Flat 'The climate alarmists regularly seize on weather events they believe will help them exploit their narrative' but 'ignore contradictory information,' quips the Issues & Insights editorial board. Examples? 'The Northwest Passage is experiencing its third-highest level of sea ice extent in the last two decades,' despite Al Gore's 2009 warning that 'the Arctic polar ice cap could be gone during summer within five to seven years.' Similarly, 'efforts to attribute the deadly Texas flood . . . to human carbon dioxide emissions have been debunked,' and though 'a Tampa, Fla., meteorologist blamed 'climate change' . . . for 90-degree days having doubled in the city,' the average number of days reaching 95°F or higher in the state of Florida has not increased since 1895. Science beat: Fund University Research Locally 'Given the Trump administration's funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, the US must rethink how it endows innovation at American universities,' argue Thomas D. Lehrman and George Gilder at The Wall Street Journal. Publicly funded university research 'has fostered such innovations as the Global Positioning System, cancer therapies, recombinant DNA, and magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI.' That history shows that 'US technological leadership depends on creativity from our campuses.' States looking 'to lead in research and innovation should follow the school-choice playbook and establish a class of nonprofit organizations.' It falls on state leaders to support and 'accelerate the scientific research essential to competing with global rivals and inventing lifesaving technologies.' — Compiled by The Post Editorial Board


New York Post
13 hours ago
- New York Post
Epstein scandal questions: Letters to the Editor — July 28, 2025
US District Court for the Southern District of New York/AFP via Getty Images The Issue: Ghislaine Maxwell talking to the DOJ amid a resurgence in interest in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Well, well, well: Ghislaine Maxwell, ice-cold procurer, sex-trafficker and co-conspirator with Jeffrey Epstein in a savage and sordid criminal enterprise is a resident in a rundown federal prison circled by razor wire ('DOJ big sit-down with Epstein madam Ghislaine,' July 25). That's appropriate. It's abhorrent to call Maxwell a socialite; she's a convicted felon. Advertisement Marc D. Greenwood Opelika, Ala. American presidents have been no stranger to scandal. Advertisement Thomas Jefferson dealt with allegations of a long-standing sexual relationship with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings. No less salacious was the Monica Lewinsky affair. Perhaps the most notorious was President Richard Nixon's participation in Watergate, which at its core was an attempt to illegally impact the outcome of an election. While these transgressions served to outrage the public, none involved the alleged molestation of dozens of underage girls, the current scandal impacting President Trump's second term. Although there is no evidence exposing the president's participation in Epstein's acts of degeneracy, one question remains on the minds of many Americans: Was Trump complicit in any way? Advertisement The truth may never be known, but one thing is certain — obfuscation and deflection are not its pathway. Jim Paladino Tampa, Fla. It appears that Maxwell is going to spill her guts in exchange for her freedom. Advertisement Makes sense, and she's definitely got the goods. But she will be living in fear for the rest of her life. Kreg Ramone Manhattan The step by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson to cease possible discussions about the Epstein files by shutting down the House of Representatives smells of desperation. Epstein died almost six years ago — by whatever means — and there is still no real action on releasing the files, despite Trump's assurances. The suggestion of allowing Trump more time to address the matter is farcical given how long it has been a lead item in most newspapers. The files are not going to be forgotten, and hopefully they won't be destroyed, so let them be seen. Let the truth be told. This applies to all countries and their governments. Dennis Fitzgerald Advertisement Melbourne, Australia Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! The Issue: French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to officially recognize Palestinian statehood. Regarding the pathetic country of France recognizing Palestine: Isn't this the same France that in 1942 rounded up thousands of Jewish citizens, among them almost 4,000 Jewish children, in a bicycle stadium and sent them to the Nazis for extermination ('Macron: France will recognize Palestinian state,' July 25)? Advertisement A total of at least 77,000 Jews were rounded up by the French police and sent to their horrible deaths. Why would we deal with France at all? I don't buy anything from the French and never will. Americans should boycott all of their cheap wine and anything else. Total isolation for this stupid, terrorist-loving country is a good solution. Or better yet, France should invite all the Palestinians there to make it their new homeland. Richard Smith Palmerton, Pa. Advertisement In fear of his ever-growing Muslim population, resulting from open borders, French President Emmanuel Macron will 'bend the knee' and recognize a Palestinian state at the antisemitic UN General Assembly in September. I wonder: Which portion of France will Maron cut out for his new Palestinian state ? Joe Alloy Yulee, Fla. Advertisement Want to weigh in on today's stories? Send your thoughts (along with your full name and city of residence) to letters@ Letters are subject to editing for clarity, length, accuracy, and style.


The Hill
14 hours ago
- The Hill
Why Columbia gave in to Trump's extortion
On July 23, Columbia University entered into a resolution agreement with the federal government to settle claims that it didn't do enough to prevent harassment of Jewish students. Columbia promised to pay $200 million in fines, plus $21 million to settle employment discrimination claims. It also agreed to a raft of policy changes, pledging to further support Jewish students, to comply with laws banning consideration of race in admissions and hiring, to provide the government with admissions data and disciplinary information about international students, to ensure its Middle Eastern Studies programs are 'comprehensive and balanced' and to roll back DEI efforts. In return, the government agreed to close multiple civil rights investigations, release most of the $400 million in previously frozen research funding and consider future grant proposals from Columbia 'without disfavored treatment.' Earlier this month, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle President Trump's claims about prejudicial editing of a CBS News '60 Minutes' interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. Though many legal experts considered the suit baseless, Paramount executives feared it might become an obstacle to a multi-billion dollar sale of the company requiring approval by the Federal Trade Commission. That approval finally came, in a two-to-one vote, on July 24. In March, Paul Weiss, one of the country's top law firms, agreed to represent clients without regard to their political affiliation and perform $40 million in pro bono work for causes supported by Trump in return for termination of a manifestly illegal and financially crippling executive order restricting the firm's security clearances and barring its lawyers from federal buildings. The firm's offense? Primarily that it had a former partner who, while serving as a Manhattan prosecutor, had overseen the criminal investigation into Trump and then written a book urging his prosecution. These three cases demonstrate that, even in long-established democracies, a leader willing to ignore legal constraints and social norms ' has the cards,' as Trump would say, to settle personal scores with his long list of enemies, using one pretext or another. Columbia, Paramount and Paul Weiss could have all chosen to fight the Trump administration in court. Confronted with demands restricting its autonomy and authority, Harvard decided to sue. Rupert Murdoch, owner of the Wall Street Journal, seems inclined to fight Trump's lawsuit over his newspaper's reporting on Trump's birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. Faced with executive orders similar to the one directed at Paul Weiss, four other law firms chose to litigate rather than capitulate. But Columbia lacks Harvard's resources. The Wall Street Journal is not for sale. The law firms that sued did not confront as grave a risk to their billings as Paul Weiss and the eight other firms who struck similar deals. Critics have praised those choosing to fight and pilloried those choosing to settle. It is worth noting, however, that lawsuits can turn into settlements and settlements can collapse into lawsuits. Also, in these three cases, those deciding to fight cannot be made whole. Lawsuits can stop some administration tactics but cannot stop them all. Suing may prompt Trump to double down on penalties, but may also serve as a bargaining chip in settlement talks. And settlements, especially with the Trump administration, can serve as the prelude to more demands. As Claire Shipman, Columbia's interim president, put it, 'The desire for a simple narrative: capitulation versus courage, or talking versus fighting' ignores the reality 'that real-life situations are deeply complex.' No tactic will immunize a university, media corporation or law firm from a government willing to color this far outside the lines. And individual institutions have no pathway to protect the rule of law against a government willing to ignore it. Columbia's settlement does set a dangerous precedent. As Joseph Slaughter, a Columbia faculty member, stated, the agreement normalizes 'political interference in teaching, research and the pursuit of truth.' The administration is already using the settlement as a template for negotiations with other universities, including Harvard, Cornell, Duke, Northwestern and Brown. In our view, Columbia — which cannot survive as a research university without substantial funding from the federal government — had little choice but to cut a deal. Harvard may yet come to the same conclusion. It has won some short-term victories and will likely win more. But even if the university wins every case it brings, it cannot compel the government to award it future grants, issue visas to foreign nationals seeking to study or work at Harvard or block every perversely creative form of intimidation the administration dreams up. So even when it loses in court, the Trump administration still wins. Its goal is not just to intimidate its direct targets, but the sectors the targets represent: higher education, the media and law firms. These are the mainstays of the civil society of any democracy. Not coincidentally, they also house many of the president's most visible critics. Colleges and universities that care about their research funding, or fear the burdens of trumped-up civil rights investigations, must think twice about pursuing any action likely to incur the administration's ire. For this reason, many of them are already engaging in ' anticipatory obedience ' — terminating DEI programs, mandating tougher punishments for campus protesters and shying away from public statements on sensitive issues. As U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote when striking down Trump's executive order against the law firm WilmerHale, 'the order shouts through a bullhorn: If you take on causes disfavored by President Trump, you will be punished!' Law firms are listening, and even though those that sue are winning, a growing number are declining to take cases likely to upset the Justice Department, which is on the verge of becoming on a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump Organization. And as the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression has observed, Paramount's settlement in the '60 Minutes' case sends a 'chilling message to journalists everywhere.' Authoritarian governments routinely seek to undermine civil society, but strong popular opposition can force a change in behavior. Most Americans disapprove of Trump's assault on higher education and the legal system, but they can do more to make their voices heard — in the organizations they support, with their elected representatives and, of course, at the ballot box.