It only adds to the pain of this atrocity that something as obvious as ‘evil is bad’ needs to be said. Violence against civilians is abhorrent in all cases, under all circumstances, and hate crimes have no place in civilized society.

Twenty-one diverse pro-Israel organizations sent a joint letter to President Trump, urging him to permit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a free hand to extend Israeli sovereignty over Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. The letter comes in response to one from left-wing groups calling upon the President to indicate that he will “not support any Israeli proposals to annex the West Bank, in whole or in part.”

Jews have been connected to the land of Israel continuously for 37 centuries. ‘Palestinian Arabs’ are a late 20th Century creation, concocted for the sole purpose of thwarting the national state of the Jewish people.

The President’s clear recognition of the Golan Heights as an integral part of Israel from an historical, practical and strategic perspective is most welcome and truly heartwarming.