By Raymond Ibrahim, AM THINKER

According to President Donald Trump, Christians in the Middle East are being treated in a manner that is “beyond disgraceful,” and Christianity is being “treated horribly and very unfairly, and it’s criminal.”  He said this in response to a question during his August 13 news conference.  He was asked, “How does the accord today between Israel and the UAE help struggling and persecuted Christians in the Middle East?”

Below is the president’s response in full:

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by Mordechai Nisan
Middle East Quarterly

Golda Meir (center) congratulates Moshe Sharett after signing Israel’s declaration of independence, May 14, 1948, as David Ben-Gurion (left) looks on. Israel promised its Arab citizens “full and equal citizenship.” But many Israeli Arabs openly challenge the principles underpinning Israel’s existence. (Photo: Frank Scherschel)

Issued in the midst of a sustained attempt by the Palestinian Arabs to destroy it at birth, Israel’s 1948 declaration of independence urged them “to participate in the upbuilding of the state on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions.”[1] The invitation to these inveterate foes to be fellow citizens was based on the belief that once their aggression had been defeated, they would resign themselves to a minority status in the nascent Jewish state.
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SHURAT HADIN

A satellite image released by the Israel Defense Forces showing sites near Beirut’s international airport that the army says is being used by Hezbollah to convert regular missiles into precision-guided munitions, on September 27, 2018. (Israel Defense Forces)

The horrible tragedy at the Beirut Port which left 185 Lebanese dead and thousands more wounded was the result of a massive stockpiling of dangerous explosives in civilian centers. And while the Lebanese population violently protests in the streets and demands an international investigation into who owned the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate and why it was being stored at the Port, it is clear it is only a matter of time before the next explosion goes off and large numbers of civilians are, Gd forbid, killed again.

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INVESTIGATIVE BULLETIN

Judicial Watch last month sued the U.S. Department of Education for records of money funneled from foreign governments to American colleges and universities. The numbers are big—billions of dollars—and difficult to pin down, despite federal reporting requirements. The foreign governments often are U.S. adversaries. What are they after?

In some instances, professors are pawns in long running games of technological theft. That’s the case of part-time UCLA Professor Yi-Chi Shih, convicted in Los Angeles in 2019 of trying to steal sensitive microchip technology and ship it to China, where it could be used for fighter jets and missiles.
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by Daniel Pipes, Spectator   August 14, 2020

This is my inaugural article as a columnist for The Spectator‘s U.S. edition. The editors explain:

The Spectator was established in 1828, and is the best-written and most influential magazine in Britain. In 2018, after a mere 190 years, we launched our US edition as a website, with the goal of bringing the same insight, original thought and writing to an American audience. We felt the American media landscape was missing something — a publication filled with ideas and wit that doesn’t take itself too seriously. …

Our writers hold no party line; their only allegiance is to clarity of thought, elegance of expression and independence of opinion. Our opinions range from left to right, their circumstances vary. We do not strive for impartiality — our motto is ‘firm, but unfair’ — but for originality and style. … The Spectator is more cocktail party than political party.

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Concept of ‘peace through withdrawal and weakness’ is gone, replaced by ‘peace through strength,’ PM says. ‘In the end,’ there will be ‘true peace’ with the Palestinians too

TOI STAFF 16 August 2020,

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discusses the Israel-UAE normalization deal at the PM’s office in Jerusalem, on August 13, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

A statement issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, in the wake of the August 13 announcement of full normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Last Thursday, together with US President Donald Trump and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, I declared the historic peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This is the first peace agreement between Israel and an Arab country in 26 years. It is different from its predecessors because it is based on two principles: “peace for peace” and “peace through strength.” Under this doctrine, Israel is not required to withdraw from any territory and together the two countries openly reap the fruits of a full peace: investments, trade, tourism, health, agriculture, environmental protection and in many other fields, including defense, of course.

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Two new polls released by channels 12 and 13 also show a rise in support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and mixed results for his Likud party. Blue and White crashes to 10-12 seats respectively.

By ILH Staff  08-17-2020 13:02

Two new polls released by channels 12 and 13 Sunday night indicate a rise in support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and mixed results for his Likud party. The polls also showed a significant increase in support for the right-wing Yamina party and its leader, Naftali Bennett.

The first poll, conducted by Midgam and published by Channel 12, showed that 76.7% of respondents back the peace deal with the United Arab Emirates over annexation, while only 16.5% preferred annexation. The rest, 6.8%, either had no preference or said they didn’t know.

The vast majority of respondents in the poll, 85.8%, also said the UAE deal would not change their vote if Israeli elections were held today. Meanwhile, 7.5% said the diplomatic breakthrough would change their vote, while 6.6% said they hadn’t decided yet.

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Weaver faces her first court hearing this morning

By Peter Barry Chowka, AM THINKER

New media reporter Millie Weaver is scheduled to have her first court hearing this morning after a weekend in jail following her arrest last Friday. Weaver’s arrest came on the eve of the release of her 82-minute documentary Shadow Gate that is an exposé of the Deep State with the assistance of two individuals identified as whistleblowers. Her arrest and incarceration in the Portage County Jail in Ravenna, Ohio immediately raised suspicions that she was being subjected to a scary new level of intimidation and censorship.

Millennial Millie, as Weaver is known, is a conservative rising star on the new and alternative media landscape, having worked as a reporter and contributor for Infowars since 2012 and lately on her own, as well. She has developed a loyal following and there is widespread interest in the outcome of the legal case against her.

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Some view the UAE decision as a trial balloon, and will react positively based on how the next weeks and months play out.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN, JPOST   AUGUST 16, 2020 19:30

Flags of Arab League member countries on display at Beirut’s Phoenicia Hotel, Lebanon January 18, 2019  (photo credit: MOHAMED AZAKIR / REUTERS)

In the wake of the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, there are rumors that several other states could be next to sign an agreement with Israel. While there are hurdles to normalizing relations with some states in the Middle East, there are others who view the UAE decision as a trial balloon and will react positively based on how the next weeks and months play out between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi.

What follows is a list of some countries that reports suggest may be in line to normalize relations.Bahrain

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T. Belman. Obviously, Hezbollah must go. I wouldn’t be surprised to see events happen designed to bring that about.

Discussions about countries making peace with Israel come in the wake of the United Arab Emirates agreeing to normalize relations with the Jewish state.

By Seth Frantzman, JPOST

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gives a televised speech following Tuesday’s blast in Beirut’s port area, Lebanon August 7, 2020 in this still picture taken from a video(photo credit: AL-MANAR/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Lebanese President Michel Aoun made a cryptic comment over the weekend when asked about Lebanon and Israel making peace. “That depends,” Asia Times quoted him as saying. “We have problems with Israel, and we have to resolve them first.”

This was taken to mean that such a peace was possible. It isn’t.

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By Ted Belman

Former Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told Yuval Karni on the morning show of the Knesset Channel that “There are rumors that former ambassador Nikki Haley will run as vice president [alongside Trump].”

“I know it`s being considered.”

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Nikki Haley and Kamala Harris are both first-generation Americans of Indian descent and are among very few women of colour who have managed to reach top ranks in their respective parties.

By EurAsian Times Desk     August 13, 2020

Netizens are rejoicing the nomination of Indian-origin Kamala Harris as Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s running mate, who had announced in March, his plan to select a woman as his vice president. On the other hand, incumbent President Donald Trump has made no such announcement for his second term presidency.

According to reports, there has even been speculation that Trump might switch out Vice-President Mike Pence for another Indian-origin politician – Nikki Haley as his running mate in the hopes of boosting his lagging approval numbers among the broader electorate.

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T. Belman. What is important is that these people are openly defying the King. That’s treason in Jordan. If the King were stronger he would attack them and arrest them. But he suffers in silence. He doesn’t want protests to escalate.

August 16/20

By Tyler Durden, ZeroHedge

It has been an miserable five years for Turkish citizens who have seen their purchasing power slashed by more than half, and it’s only getting worse.

The Turkish lira has cratered against the dollar and most developed currencies, plunging from 3 TRY per dollar, to a record low 7.37 last week after a brief and valiant attempt at imposing shadow capital control by Erdogan (who is now de facto head of the Turkish central bank) failed miserably at the end of July, and not even a draconian hike in overnight funding rates above 1000%  last week (to crush the shorts) was able to prevent a plunge in the Lira to new all time lows.

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By CHRISTINE DOUGLASS-WILLIAMS, JIHAD WATCH

Reminder: Calais became known as the “Calais jungle” and for good reason: it became a violent no-go zone when it was invaded by Muslim migrants. This was the scene:

Marauding gangs attempted to storm the motorway leading to the port as the crisis in the town spirals out of control….Refugees lit fires and barricaded the road as they tried to ambush traffic heading to the ferry terminal. The chaos forced traffic to a standstill for over an hour as heavily armed officers desperately battled to restore order.

The violence became a threat to truckers passing through, as well as to tourists. In response, France made the decision to build a  “Trump-style” wall to keep illegal Muslim migrants from crossing into Britain from Calais.
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