By Chris Menahan – Information Liberation
Jewish Insider reported on Sunday that two “pro-Israel voices” were among the dozens of National Security Council officials dismissed last week as part of a so-called “deep state” purge.
The pair were hired by “AIPAC favorite” Mike Waltz after he was appointed to serve as Trump’s National Security Advisor.
From Jewish Insider, “Top Middle East, Israel and Iran officials pushed out of NSC”:
The top National Security Council officials overseeing the Middle East and Israel and Iran portfolios — seen as pro-Israel voices in the administration — were among the dozens of officials dismissed in a widespread purge of the NSC on Friday, two sources familiar with the situation told Jewish Insider.
Eric Trager, who was the senior director for the Middle East and North Africa — the lead official on the Middle East — and Merav Ceren, the director for Israel and Iran, were both Trump administration political appointees but were pushed out in what one official called a purge of “the Deep State” inside the NSC.
[…] Trager and Ceren were hired under former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who was pushed aside after he added a journalist to an administration group chat about U.S. strikes on the Houthis, and after right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer accused him of staffing the NSC with a host of neoconservatives out of step with Trump.
“Those cut from the NSC will be moved to other positions in government,” Axios, citing US officials, reported last week.
In another interesting development highlighted by Jewish Insider, the Pentagon on Friday promoted Deputy Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson to serve as Press Secretary.
Earlier this year, Chuck Schumer and Jewish groups demanded Wilson be fired because she said Israel should fight its own wars, warned against the Great Replacement and knows the origin story of the Anti-Defamation League.
Wilson never apologized for any of these comments despite coming under significant pressure.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seems to have blown off the Israel Lobby’s attacks and promoted her regardless.
Though the White House has leaked multiple stories over the past few weeks suggesting the US is exercising independence from Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week that there is no rift between America and the Jewish state and revealed that President Trump pledged “I have absolute commitment to you” in a recent call.