Welcome back! Here are some highlights from the past week.

My most recent column focused on the end of the week-long "truce" in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, the jihadist outfit responsible for the Oct. 7 pogrom that was the single biggest slaughter of Jews since Hitler. The government of Israel has been in an extraordinarily difficult position, tasked with impossible decisions about how to properly balance the humanitarian goal of the maximal return of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza with the military objective of the complete eradication of Hamas's military and governing capabilities. Stringing out the "truce" for as long as possible was a winning strategy for Hamas, and thankfully, the Israel Defense Forces have resumed full military operations in southern Gaza. They must not rest until Hamas is indeed completely eradicated; the reality is that no Israeli citizen can sleep at night, and no Jew around the world will feel safe again, until that task is completed. Hezbollah and its patrons in Tehran are also carefully tracking whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has the fortitude to finally finish the job in Gaza. Truly, the stakes could not be higher. Let's all hope that Netanyahu, and for that matter, the war-weary Israeli public, are up to the task.

For my most recent podcast episode, I analyzed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's thorough demolition of California Gov. Gavin Newsom in their high-profile debate last week; offered some unsolicited advice for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Republicans about what they should focus almost singularly on this month and throughout the new year (hint: immigration and the border!); discussed the legacies of the late former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and the late former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; discussed the latest updates in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza; and blasted the latest woke nonsense in our signature "Hammertime" concluding segment. You can listen to that episode on Apple, Spotify, or here. Also, a reminder: My show is now officially on the radio! You can tune in on Saturdays at 6:00 PM PDT/9:00 PM EDT and Sundays at 8:00 AM PDT/11:00 AM EDT to AM 770 KTTH (Seattle) to hear new episodes of "The Josh Hammer Show." If you are a radio station manager interested in bringing my show to your station, please email Jesse Edwards: j.edwards@newsweek.com.

In terms of other articles and media hits since our last newsletter, I wrote a (very snarky!) piece for the Daily Mail on the COP28 climate change boondoggle now ongoing in Dubai; co-authored a piece for The Federalist on the mainstream media's sanitization of Jew-hatred by tendentiously appealing to faux-"Jewish" groups/sources; joined "The Jenna Ellis Show" on Salem Podcast Network to preview last week's big debate between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom; joined "NTD Evening News" on NTD News to discuss the latest insanity from the pro-Hamas radical Left; joined "The Mitch Albom Show" on WJR 760 AM (Detroit) to discuss my recent talk at the University of Michigan that was disrupted and shouted down by pro-Hamas students; joined "Centerpoint" on TBN to discuss the end of the "truce" in Gaza and what we can expect from the next stages of the Israel-Hamas war; joined "The Rita Panahi Show" on Sky News Australia to discuss Elon Musk's pushback against false antisemitism accusations and skittish woke advertisers, as well as my recent Michigan talk that was shouted down; joined "Newsline" on Newsmax to discuss the 2024 GOP primary latest and the "hits & misses" of last week in U.S. politics; was quoted at length by AM 770 KTTH (Seattle) host Jason Rantz in his exclusive write-up about a wildly anti-Israel, ahistorical PowerPoint presentation now circulating in Issaquah School District; joined "Rita Panahi Overtime" on Sky News Australia to discuss Rep. Pramila Jayapal's (D-Wash.) vile downplaying of Hamas sexual violence, James Carville's insane comparison of Speaker Johnson to al-Qaeda, and President Biden's continued border/immigration woes; joined "The Megyn Kelly Show" on SiriusXM/YouTube to analyze the latest updates from the war in Gaza and the skyrocketing recent surge of antisemitism; joined Steve Bannon's "War Room" on Real America's Voice/Rumble to discuss the COP28 climate change junket (also the topic of my above-linked Daily Mail piece); and joined the "Steak for Breakfast Podcast" to discuss my aforementioned unsolicited advice for Speaker Johnson, the high stakes of the 2024 presidential election, and the great significance of Chanukah this year amidst rising Jew-hatred the world over.

Regarding public appearances, I am very excited for an event tomorrow at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., alongside my good friend Karol Markowicz (primarily of the New York Post), on the timely topic of "Jewish Gun Ownership and Self-Defense." On Sunday, I was also delighted to speak in Surfside, Florida, at a Miami Young Republicans pre-Chanukah/Israel solidarity reception.

Our additional highlighted right-leaning Newsweek op-eds from the past week include selections from Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.); Kevin Roberts, Ryan Williams, and Terry Schilling; Kenneth R. Weinstein; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi; and Stephen L. Miller.

Thanks for subscribing! Please share the word about this newsletter throughout your social circles. To my fellow Jews, I wish you a Chanukah sameach—may the light of your own menorah serve as a testament to the collective survival of the Jewish people today. I'm getting married on Dec. 17, so I may or may not be back in your inbox next week—we'll have to see!