Regardless of who wins the upcoming presidential election, writes Ed Husain, a segment of the American left that has made common cause with radical Islam is likely to gain more influence in the Democratic party. This unlikely alliance is exemplified by Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, who comprise half of the “Squad”—a group of young congresswomen who represent the new face of the Democrats’ left flank.

This intersection has put aside their deep divergences on God, religion, family, homosexuality, and the role of women and united their activist base on campuses and community hubs in their shared hatred for Western history and capitalism. This counterintuitive union, which I have called the “Red-Green Alliance,” is similar to the revolutionary mindset that saw Iranian left-Islamists come together before 1979 with the encouragement of the French philosopher Michel Foucault. In Britain, Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labor party leader, had a similar Red-Green alliance last year with a view to winning the general election with 30 Muslim-influenced constituencies—only to lose disastrously.

But when push comes to shove, Islamism and “wokeness” do not mix. Iran’s Islamists killed thousands and exiled leftists. In Gaza, Hamas hanged leftists from tall buildings. Ask Egyptian feminists how the Islamists in Egypt treated them after the 2011 uprisings. Islamists debated in Parliament to reduce the age of consent for marriage for women from eighteen to nine.

[Moreover], the Red-Green Alliance wants to tear down the alliances of safety and stability that America and the West have supported in the Middle East. Omar has repeatedly attacked Egypt and the Gulf states. Yet the real risks of a Muslim Brotherhood-led, sexist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic government in Libya or Sudan have not seemed to trouble her and her allies.

Social-media users have mocked this week new Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich for a poorly translated letter. But far more interesting than the finance minister’s use of Google Translate (or some such technology) is what the letter reveals about the Jewish state. In it, Smotrich asks none other than Costco to consider opening stores in Israel.

Why?

Israel, reports Sharon Wrobel, has one of the highest costs of living of any country in the 38-member Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

This

has been generally attributed to a lack of competition among local importers and manufacturers. The top three local supermarket chains account for over half of the food retail market, limiting competition and putting upward pressure on prices. Meanwhile, import tariffs, value-added tax costs and kosher restrictions have been keeping out international retail chains.

Is the move likely to happen?

“We do see a recent trend of international retailers entering the Israeli market as some barriers to food imports from abroad have been eased,” Chen Herzog, chief economist at BDO Israel accounting firm, told The Times of Israel. “The purchasing power and technology used by big global retailers for logistics and in the area of online sales where Israel has been lagging behind could lead to a potential shift in the market and more competitive prices.”

Still, the same economist noted that in Israel “the cost of real estate and other costs such as the VAT on fruit and vegetables means that big retailers such as Costco may not be able to offer the same competitive prices than in other places.”