Peloni:  Iranian borne terrorism has cost the lives of thousands of American, it has cost billions in US dollars spent on failing half hearted attempts to contain Iran, and it threatens the future liberty, safety and survival of the American Republic. The time to recognize this reality is long past, but the moment to change the path which has thus far failed to deal with this threat is very much on the ballot in all 50 US states in the coming midterm elections.  If Americans want their children to avoid the same strategic challenges they have faced stemming from Iran being a terror state, they will support candidates which responsibly characterize Iran as the mortal threat to American liberty.  I have every expectation that this will prove to be the outcome of the US midterm elections in the coming months.  If this proves to be inaccurate, the future generations will come to face a far greater threat from Iran than anything thus far encountered.  I hope for a better future for America’s successive generations, and with it the means by which to lead the world towards a path made significantly safer without an Iranian terror state intent and capable of bringing the world to a state of perdition.

Aynaz Anni Cyrus | Aug 17, 2026

By Microbiz Mag – Flickr/, CC BY 2.0, Wikipedia

Americans are asking a reasonable question: Are we negotiating with Iran, fighting Iran, or trapped somewhere between the two?

The answer is all there.

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Dianna West | Diana W | Aug 17, 2026

I want to toss off a very heavy concept in the shorthand of social media. I know it will readily make sense to readers who already speak “American Betrayal,” but I also think the pieces link together within the context presented below.

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Peloni

Trump envoy Jarad Kushner meets with PM Netanyahu on August 17, 2026. Screengrab via Youtube.

A four-hour meeting which took place on Monday between Netanyahu, President Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner and Gaza Board of Peace representative Nickolay Mladenov produced what Israeli officials have described as being important understandings regarding Gaza. According to reports, the US came to accept Israel’s principal security condition that there would be no significant Israeli withdrawal from the Yellow Line without Hamas first being disarmed and Gaza being demilitarized.  Israeli freedom of action against any immediate threats emanating from Gaza would also be maintained, and complete disarmament of the Gaza Strip, particularly the removal of all heavy weapons, would be completed prior to any reconstruction in Gaza taking place. The Prime Minister’s Office described the discussions as having been “in-depth and constructive,” and noted that Netanyahu also agreed to establish two separate task forces, one which would deal with Gaza’s demilitarization and the other would deal with Gazan civilian issues.

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Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger | “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” | August 18, 2026

Signing of the Mecca Agreement by Erdogan, MBS, and Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif. Screengrab via Youtube.

*Since the 7th century, the life expectancy of intra-Muslim/Arab agreements, as well as Muslim agreements with “infidels”, have repeatedly proven to be determined by Islamic – not by Western – norms and regime-contingent.  Their survival has been decided by foundational Islamic precepts, as well as by the longevity of the specific (tenuous) regime, or the durability of their (tenuous) policies.

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People don’t like politicians who want to kill them.

by Daniel Greenfield | Aug 14, 2026

Who likes the DSA? A new Sienna poll of New Yorkers show it’s at 30% favorable, 47% unfavorable with 23% who don’t know what to think.

But Jews in particular don’t like it with 75% of Jews having an unfavorable view of the DSA to a 17% favorable view of the ‘un-kosher’ group.

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Peloni:  Election integrity and accountability is what distinguishes democracies from totalitarian regimes, making every democracy just one election heist away from falling.

By Pamela Geller | August 14, 2026

CAUGHT INSIDE MINNEAPOLIS POLLING BOOTHS: Minnesota Poll Workers Tell O’Keefe, Dressed in Muslim Garb and Cam Higby, in a Burka, That They Can Vouch for Eight Unregistered Voters

ELECTION JIHAD: Disguised As a Muslim, Reporter Offered Ballots in Other People’s Names—and Power to Vouch for Eight Unregistered Foreigners

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Alan Dershowitz | Aug 17, 2026

Amin al Husseini reviewing Bosnian SS volunteers during WWII.  By Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1978-070-04A / Mielke / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, Link

Among the most historically inaccurate libels directed against Israel is the false accusation that Israel was established as a colonial surrogate to imperialist European nations.

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Peloni:  This is a devastating report on US Naval preparedness.

Stephen Bryen | Weapons & Strategy | Aug 17, 2026

Abraham Lincoln, flagship of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, conducting routine operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Joey Sitter) The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.

On August 6, 2026 a Town Hall Meeting between Navy officials including Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and more than 200 family members of the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln took place at the Naval Air Station on North Island, San Diego. North Island is the home port of the Lincoln. The family members had been flooded by messages from their loved ones about deteriorating conditions on the Lincoln including moldy showers, water contamination, lack of supplies and bad food. The Lincoln by that date had been deployed for 260 days, with 240 consecutive days without a port visit.

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Peloni

Ahmad Vahidi. Photo by Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, Wikipedia

Linked below is an article by Tzvi Jasper relating an important report from the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Iran anticipated that the development of the now infamous MOU by the UA was actually an attempt for them to buy time for a larger attack by Israeli and American forces, and that, consequently, Iran came to prepare for a larger fight themselves. The WSJ goes on to report that Arab intelligence officials picked up evidence of Iranian leaders planning potential attacks on enemy territory, broadening the scope of the war and raising the cost for the US.

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We are in uncharted Big Brother territory.

Janet Levy | Am Thinker | August 17, 2026

Flock Safety Camera.  Photo by TexDoe – Own work, CC0, Wikipedia

Six years ago, police in Aurora, CO, drew weapons on Brittney Gillian, a black woman, and four minors—her sister, daughter, and two nieces, ages 17 to six years—forced them to the hot asphalt in a parking lot, handcuffed them, and turned their “Sunday fun day” outing into a nightmare. The officers had misidentified Gillian’s SUV as stolen, matching the plates but not waiting to cross-check the description of the vehicle the Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) network alerted them to: an out-of-state motorcycle.

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Peloni:  Peace is ever fleeting, which is why you must keep the powder dry, maintain a watchful eye, and be ever capable of out escalating all regional competitors.  This is the true basis of peace, and the only basis which might or should be relied upon.

Reports of regional forces joining together against Israel are mostly bad journalism • Rather than getting worked up over statements with little behind them, it is better to understand the logic of temporary peace

by  Prof. Eyal Zisser | Aug 16, 2026

The sensational report that one country in the region, Turkey perhaps, approached a neighboring country, Syria perhaps, and proposed that it sign a peace agreement with Israel “for show,” while in practice exploiting the sham peace to build up military strength that could later be turned against Israel, generated considerable interest and even alarm in Israel.

But in truth, this is a classic “dog bites man” story. Even if this were a serious report entirely unrelated to Israel’s approaching elections, which is by no means certain, there is nothing in it that is either new or surprising. This is, after all, the Middle East, where everyone talks and acts behind everyone else’s back, no one means what they say and, ultimately, everyone deceives everyone else: Arabs, Iranians, Turks and even Americans.

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Peloni:  Will China simply circumvent critical choke points by way of the arctic?

Francis Kapper Defense Reporter | Daily Caller | August 15, 2026

China is preparing to establish a regular commercial shipping route through the Arctic, potentially giving Beijing a dramatically shorter path to Europe while reducing its dependence on some of the world’s most volatile maritime chokepoints.

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The Israeli High Court has a long record of flouting the law when it comes to Arab parties’ participation in Knesset elections. 

Martin Sherman

As the October elections draw closer, the public debate focuses increasingly on the role of the Arab parties and the Arab electorate in the Jewish nation-state.

This distinction—between party and voter—is important for our discussion and is essential in illuminating a frequently misunderstood point in the public debate. This is particularly true in light of the rumors that a former senior police officer is planning to join the ranks of the Islamic Ra’am (The United Arab List) Party, an affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood—a move that would presumably obscure the true Islamist nature of the party among certain segments of the electorate.

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by Gerald A. Honigman

Screengrab via Youtube.

Rachel Griffin Accurso (aka, Ms. Rachel) originally created her Netflix streaming, You Tube series to assist her own children.

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Peloni:  If this report is correct, we should take note of the willingness of Trump to accept a complete reshuffling of the agreement while holding Netanyahu to his commitment “in principle” for having in fact agreed to the original plan as described in UNSC Resolution 2803.  Netanyahu should never have agreed to that original plan, but he certainly should not be compelled to agree to the subsequent radically changed plan based on those original assurances.  The willingness of the US to hold Israel responsible for these altered terms while knowing that these terms completely erase the need for Hamas to be initially disbanded and disarmed demonstrates the lack of seriousness for the required outcome.  Also, while the US is insisting that Hamas will have no role in Gaza going forward, Jarad Kushner found it important to raise Hamas to having been fully recognized by the US diplomatically while giving them full authority to negotiate the terms under which Gaza will be ruled going forward, which wasn’t even true in the lead up to the terms included in UNSCR 2803.   The obvious next step is to threaten Israel with the loss of “diplomatic backing” for failing to fulfill the terms it never agreed to accept.  Netanyahu should stand his ground and insist upon the original terms.  This retreat by the US demonstrates a loss of credibility with both its allies and its enemies whiles still holding firm to its need to pretend that a meaningful deal is being enforced.  Hamas must be fully disarmed or destroyed, and the Strip must be fully demilitarized prior to Israeli withdrawal.  If this fails to be the case, it will only serve to damage Israeli security and American credibility going forward.

Trump administration says Israel is ‘playing games’ over Hamas disarmament plan

All Israel News Staff | Published: August 16, 2026

Screengrab via Youtube

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner held a face-to-face meeting with senior Hamas leadership in Egypt on Sunday, launching a diplomatic journey to advance the U.S.-backed disarmament and peace plan that will take Kushner to Israel on Monday.

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Rabbi Jacob Herzog | X | Aug 7, 2026

A Challenge to the King of Jordan from the Rabbi of the Arabian Peninsula

The king sent Bishr Al-Khasawneh, his former prime minister, to threaten in an interview today that a new Black September will happen against the Palestinian majority in Jordan, and that no one can falsify the facts, according to him, and that the right of return will be implemented and preserved.

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Peloni:  Avi Abelow draws attention to the paradigm shift which has taken place under Netanyahu during the last three years, and warns of the move back to October 6 would be the consequence of voting Eisenkott, Bennett or others into office simply to choose someone other than Netanyahu in the coming election.    Abelow goes further by adding that while the diplomatic shift is not yet where it needs to be to secure Israel’s security, things have significantly changed more closely to doing so than ever before.

Avi Abelow

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister, State of Israel. Photo by Chatham House – Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister, State of Israel, CC BY 2.0, Wikipedia

As fighting with Hezbollah returns, let’s talk about the latest in Lebanon….

What gets little attention, especially as we begin election season her in Israel, is how Netanyahu totally changed the rules of the Middle East.

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UPDATE: Raylan Givens: “Details from the rare meeting: Senior Hamas officials assured Kushner of their commitment to disarming, according to a source familiar with the meeting. The source said that the meeting, which lasted 90 minutes, was “very productive” and that “it was important for Kushner to receive this commitment from them personally.” “

Peloni:  With his move to meet directly with Hamas in his lead up to meeting Netanyahu, Kushner appears to be signaling an elevation of Hamas to a diplomatic level not yet bestowed on the terror organization, which is quite in keeping with the Roadmap having been a revision of the original 20 Point Plan which was re-imagined specifically to suit Hamas demands, despite it both reordering and re-inventing what had already been set as Trump’s accepted deal and enshrined in the UN Security Council Resolution 2803.  Netanyahu should stand firm and continue rejecting this surrender to Hamas, even as Kushner is coming to pressure Netanyahu to do the opposite.

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Peloni:  This was a highly productive discussion between udson Institute Senior Fellows Michael Doran and Ludovic Hood, Research Fellow Zineb Riboua, and Behnam Ben Taleblu, FDD’s senior director of the Iran Program regarding the Iranian problem, how it has been managed (by past and present administrations), the failures incurred and what might or should come next.  Of particular import in this highly informative video is Ben Tableu’s warning about the very real possibility that the US must be prepared to grapple with the coming success of its economic war on Iran, ie it must anticipate so as to preempt Iran’s response when or if US policies really do bring the regime to its knees.

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