• “No government in the world [kills] its people unless it is led by a crazy person,” Syrian President Assad told Barbara Walters, denying that he ordered all the deaths going on in his country. [AP/Vos Iz Neias?]
• Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s reclusive leader, made a rare public appearance to endorse Assad. [NYT]
• Meanwhile Hamas quietly and quickly is moving its staff out of Damascus. [WSJ]
• As the Republican Jewish Coalition candidates forum begins, it’s notable that Israel and Iran have been Republicans’ main foreign policy front against President Obama. [NYT]
• The notorious NGO funding bill likely won’t withstand court scrutiny, Israel’s attorney general informed Prime Minister Netanyahu. [AP/WP]
• Ben Smith reports that certain Democratic groups are trying to push the Israel conversation farther to the left. [Politico]
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.