TURKEY HAS AGREED TO A CEASEFIRE.
THE KURDS HAVE ALSO ACCEPTED THE TERMS.
A GREAT DAY FOR EVERYONE

MEMRI

In his September 24, 2019 column in the Jordanian daily Al-Dustour, ‘Abd Al-Hamid Al-Hamshari wrote that the 9/11 attacks were planned by the U.S. National Security Council with the aim of destabilizing the Middle East and preventing the rise of an Arab power that would compete with the U.S. for hegemony in that region.

Al-Hamshari, who is a member of Jordanian human rights organizations,[1] adds that since 9/11, the U.S. has continued to sow chaos in the region by means of terror organizations like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, which it established, in order to redraw its borders along sectarian and ethnic lines and serve the interests of its ally, Israel.

It should be mentioned that, several days before the anniversary of 9/11, Al-Dustour posted another conspiratorial article on this topic, which claimed that the Muslims were the true victims of the attacks.[2]
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T. Belman.  Essentially Prager writes to Brin as a child of Russian emigres, we helped liberate you and now you or your company Google are stiffling our freedom of speech which is the mainstay of Freedom.  Is this the thanks we get?

By Dennis Prager, TOWNHALL   October 15, 2019

Dear Mr. Brin: Fifty years ago this week, when I was a 21-year-old college senior, I was in the Soviet Union, sent by the government of Israel to smuggle in Jewish religious items and smuggle out names of Jews who wanted to escape the Soviet Union and could then be issued a formal invitation to Israel.

I was chosen because I was a committed Jew and because I knew Hebrew and Russian. I was no hero, but the trip did entail risk. The Soviets did not appreciate people smuggling out names of Soviet citizens who sought to emigrate, information the Israeli government and activist groups in America used to advocate on their behalf.

My four weeks in the USSR were, of course, life-changing. This young American, lucky beyond belief to have spent his entire life in the freest country in the world, experienced what it was like to live in a totalitarian police state. People feared merely being seen speaking with a Westerner, lest the KGB arrest and interrogate them. People arranged to meet me at a certain tree in a certain park and only spoke to me while walking to avoid eavesdroppers. I met with Jewish engineers, doctors and professors who could find no work because they were known to the government to be “otkazniki,” or “refuseniks” — Jews who had applied for exit visas to leave the Soviet Union and been refused permission. I’m sure you know of them from your parents.

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T. Belman.  To drive this message home, the US should sell to Israel refuelling planes and bunker-buster bombs.

Unmentioned by Gordon is the fact that we will have to neutralize Hesbollah at the same time.

I would like a preemptive strike on Hezbollah before they convert their missiles into smart misiles.

They may actually make war with Iran less likely because they send the vital message that if Tehran attacks Israel, Jerusalem will hit back – and hard.

by  Evelyn Gordon

US President Donald Trump’s latest Middle East decisions cast Israeli airstrikes in Syria and (reportedly) Iraq in a different light. Previously, these airstrikes seemed to be aimed solely at preventing Iran from establishing military infrastructure in both countries that could threaten Israel. But it now turns out they were also sending an important deterrent message: If Tehran attacks Israel, Jerusalem will have no qualms about striking back.

The conventional wisdom has been that even if these airstrikes were necessary for Israel’s defense, they posed a real risk of escalation. And obviously, that remains a possibility.
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TOI

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman reiterates that his party won’t hold coalition talks with Likud unless they focus on “essence” and not the divvying up of ministerial portfolios.

“More than once or twice we’ve reached out to Likud in order to open negotiations and discuss essential matters,” Liberman writes on Facebook, rattling off issues such as military conscription of yeshiva students, public transportation on Shabbat and ending the government’s “surrender policy” in Gaza, among others.

“It’s incredible how much our requests have fallen on inattentive ears.”

Liberman’s comments come a week before the expiration of Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s mandate to form a government. While Netanyahu can request a two-week extension, analysts have posited that President Reuven Rivlin is unlikely to agree.
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T. Belman.  The author suggests the following:

Instead of sanctions, the United States and Europe need to devise a mutually agreed plan of action with Ankara that would incorporate three major elements. First, they need to acknowledge that the policy of support to the Y.P.G. has ended; no long-term constructive engagement with Turkey can work otherwise.

Second, Turkey, the United States and Europe should restart a strategic dialogue to foster a common approach to the constitutional order and security arrangements for a new Syria. Otherwise, Moscow and Tehran will be in increasingly strong positions to reshape the regional order.

And third, Turkey’s western partners should incentivize Ankara to return to an agenda of domestic political reforms, which would also tackle the country’s longstanding Kurdish problem.

Much to think about.  But is the Islamist Erdogan the one to lead this.

By Sinan Ulgen, NYT Oct. 16, 2019

The United States and Europe are erroneously banking on sanctioning Turkey to contain the fallout in Syria.

Ras al Ain, Syria, during bombardment by Turkish forces on Wednesday.

ISTANBUL — The sudden decision by President Trump to endorse Turkey’s move to send its troops into Syria and pull out most of the American forces posted there seems to have shocked the country’s political and military establishment. American analysts and policymakers see events of the past week as largely benefiting Russia, the Syrian government, the remnants of the Islamic State and Iran.

Amid the great clamor of commentary, the United States and Europe are erroneously banking on sanctioning Turkey to contain the fallout. The harsh truth is that the United States, Europe and Turkey share responsibility for the creation of this crisis. They have all made a series of policy mistakes since the beginning of the Syrian war in 2011.
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The U.S. withdrawal makes Russia the new arbiter of everyone’s interests, including Israel’s.

By Jonathan Spyer, WSJ

Hassan Rouhani, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin in Ankara, Turkey, Sept. 16. Photo: Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

Mr. Assad has already deployed his forces in Tal Tamr, Manbij, Tabqa and Kobani—towns formerly under the exclusive control of Kurdish forces. Details have begun to leak from the proposed deal cementing the surrender of the Syrian Kurds to Mr. Assad. The Turkish offensive continues but has made little progress. The U.S. is still extricating its forces and moving them to the safety of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Vladimir Putin is now the indispensable strategic arbiter in Syria. None of the remaining pieces on the broken chessboard can move without Mr. Putin’s hand. The Assad regime owes its survival to Moscow’s air intervention in September 2015. This reporter and others who have spent time in Damascus note the impunity with which Russian security and other personnel conduct themselves. They are effectively beyond the reach of the local authorities.
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Tuvan Gumrukcu, REUTERS

ANKARA (Reuters) – President Tayyip Erdogan told U.S. President Donald Trump that Turkey will never declare a ceasefire in northeastern Syria and that it will not negotiate with Kurdish forces it is fighting in its offensive into the region.

Turkey pressed ahead with its offensive against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia in northern Syria on Tuesday despite U.S. sanctions and calls for it to stop, while Syria’s Russia-backed army moved on the key city of Manbij that was abandoned by U.S. forces.

The YPG, the key component of the forces who fought Islamic State, is seen by Ankara as a terrorist group linked to Kurdish separatist insurgents in Turkey.
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A wake-up call about extensive Kurdish human rights violations.

By Andrew Bostom, FPM

Uninformed savants across the political spectrum have pilloried President Trump for his eminently rational decision to draw down the U.S. troop commitment (initially, only 25, as it turns out!) to the Syrian morass (whose “dynamic” has remained largely unchanged since the late 1940s).

Most of the ire directed at Mr. Trump has to do with hand-wringing over our “Kurdish allies,” even after the President warned Turkey not to engage in its habitual behaviors — since Ataturk created his ethno-racst state — towards the Kurds. Regardless, here are a few salient points one should bear in mind about the Kurds which the hand-wringers conveniently ignore in their hagiographies:Kurdish predatory mass killings of Christians and Yazidis are well-characterized and went on for centuries. Grinding persecution continues to this day, as can be gleaned from detailed reports by both Assyrian and Yazidi organizations (here; here; here)
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By Aaron Feis, NY POST   
October 16, 2019

President Donald Trump attends a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Reuters

President Trump warned his Turkish counterpart in a letter that the world would “look upon you forever as the devil” if he didn’t find a peaceful resolution to tensions with Syria, it was revealed Wednesday.

“History will look upon you favorably if you get this done the right and humane way. It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don’t happen,” wrote Trump in the letter to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, confirmed as authentic by the White House. “Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool!”

The missive is dated Oct. 9, the day that Turkish troops began their foray into northern Syria against the Kurds — longtime US allies condemned as alleged terrorists by the Turks.

“Let’s work out a good deal!” the letter begins. “You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy — and I will.”
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T. Belman. The author of this article is the Chairman of Americans for a Safe Israel, AFSI. It was written 11 months ago when Trump first announced his intended withdrawal. Surprisingly like me he did not pile on. I will comment on it tomorrow.

Trump is cleverly seeing to it that Russia needs Israel to keep Iran at bay – or lose Syria to the Iranian octopus. He is also sending other messages to the Middle East Arab countries. It was written by him in November of last year when Trump first announced his pullout.

By Mark Langfan, INN

While many pundits have gone hysterical over President Trump’s Syrian pullout, President Trump really had no choice but to employ his own “Samson Option,” one in which he knocked over everyone’s toys and theories.

Firstly, President Trump isn’t “gifting” Putin a “Christmas present,” but rather is hanging a deadly Syrian Albatross on Putin’s neck.  Without American forces east of the Euphrates and American dollars helping Syrian reconstruction, Putin faces an Iranian victory in Syria, and a Russian loss.  In fact, Russian rapprochement with Israel is a direct result of American withdrawal.  Now, Russia has only Israel to help keep Iran’s gobbling up of Syria in check.  If Putin looks to Turkey to check Iran, the unacceptably high payment will be Turkish ownership of Northern Syria.

Putin is now hopelessly up a Syrian creek without a paddle.

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– President Erdogan Asks for Negotiations With Kurds in Syria…

President Trump has played this out perfectly.  By isolating Turkish President Recep Erdogan, and effectively leaving him naked to an alliance of his enemies, Erdogan is now urgently asking for the U.S. to mediate peace negotiations with Kurdish forces.

This request happens immediately after President Trump signed an executive order [See Here] triggering the sanction authority of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.  Erdogan called the White House requesting an urgent phone call with President Trump.

After President Trump talked to Kurdish General Mazloum Kobani Abdi, the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, President Trump then discussed the options available to President Erdogan.  As a result of that conversation, Erdogan requested the U.S. mediate negotiations.

T. Belman.  Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted on Sunday.  “This decision by President Trump will be a game changer – in all the wrong ways – for Turkey.” 

Not only did the removal of troops get Turkey and the Kurds to negotiate it also got the Kurds to accept autonomy only from Syria. Til then, the Kurds had demanded independance which the US didn’t support.

Thus I was right to resist piling on and to suggest there was a hidden agenda that justifies what Trump did.  Essentially he is ending the Syrian war by getting these two agreements. Without them the tail was wagging the dog. i.e., Trump was held hostage to intransigence.  A side benefit will be the normalization of relations between the US and Syria and the US and Russia and the US and Turkey.

By Richard Jack Rail, AT

It’s just too delicious.  President Trump ordered U.S. special forces out of Syria to a chorus of howling Democrats and all the old, experienced hands at State and, supposedly, the military.  (I had doubts as well.)  Democrats yelled that all hell was about to break loose.  The Pentagon pulled its hair.  Europe trembled and blanched.  The Mideast girded for something awful.

Everybody thought we had to keep our troops around so the Turks wouldn’t invade Northern Syria and kill off all the Kurds.  Everybody wanted them to negotiate with the Kurds and figured the only way to do that was little by little, by getting allies to reason with Turkey and hem and haw and maybe buy her off as in times past.  Meanwhile, we had to keep the two ancient enemies, Kurds and Turks, apart.

Negotiations would ever happen only if our troops stayed.
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The mayor of Livermore California explains Trump’s popularity and success. This is perhaps the best explanation for Trump’s popularity

Julian McCall  Published on June 16, 2018

Marshall Kamena is a registered Democrat and was elected mayor of Livermore, CA.. He ran on the democratic ticket as he knew a Bay Area city would never vote for a Republican. He is as conservative as they come. He wrote the following from an article, originally written in July 2017, by Evan Sayet and his opinion he expressed as a columnists for Townhall.com were his own and did not represent the views of Townhall.com, were mistakenly attributed to Marshall Kamena by me.

Trump’s ‘lack of decorum, dignity, and statesmanship’ By Evan Sayet in his article “He Fights”.

My Leftist friends (as well as many ardent #NeverTrumpers) constantly ask me if I’m not bothered by Donald Trump’s lack of decorum. They ask if I don’t think his tweets are “beneath the dignity of the office.”

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T. Belman. Keep in mind that this is a NYT article. All reporting that I have read start with the Oct 6 phone call.   They neglect to give the background which proceeded it. From the time a year ago when Trump started to remove troops, Erdogan has been pressing his demands which have not changed.

In a speech to the UN, on Sept 24/19, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an proposed ‘safe zone’ for refugees in Syria

Surely there were many discussions over the year leading up to the Oct 6 call.

In meeting the Turkish leader, the vice president is expected to reiterate President Trump’s demand for a negotiated cease-fire.

By Katie Rogers and Eric Schmitt, NYT  Updated 8:35 p.m. ET

American Special Forces soldiers in the northern Syrian city of Manbij in February 2018.Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey in Ankara on Thursday to relay President Trump’s demand that Mr. Erdogan negotiate a cease-fire in Syria and to reiterate the president’s threat to impose economic sanctions if he does not comply.

The president’s sending of the delegation — to also include his national security adviser, Robert C. O’Brien, and the State Department’s special envoy for Syrian affairs, James F. Jeffrey — is part of a scrambled effort to wrest back control of a chaotic situation in Syria that has endangered American forces there even as they prepared to leave.
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Syria’s refugee flows, violence and instability have pushed us to the limit of our tolerance.

By Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, WSJ  Oct. 14, 2019 6:57 pm ET

Turkish civilians wave at an army convoy driving toward Syria, Oct. 9. Photo: bulent kilic/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, no country has felt the pain of the ensuing humanitarian crisis more severely than Turkey. We took in 3.6 million Syrian refugees—more than any other country—and spent $40 billion to offer them education, health care and housing. Our culture of hospitality compelled us to shoulder the burden of hosting millions of war victims with very little help from the international community.

Yet at a certain point, Turkey reached its limit. My administration repeatedly warned that we would be unable to stop refugees from flooding into the West without international financial support. Those warnings fell on deaf ears as governments, eager to avoid responsibility, portrayed as a threat what was intended as a mere statement of fact.
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The United States could soon discover, similar to Israel in the cases of Lebanon and Gaza, that while it’s very easy to leave Syria and remove the forces stationed there, the Syrian problem, not to mention the ISIS problem, won’t leave quite as easily and Washington will have to confront them again – perhaps on US soil as well.
By Prof. Eyal Zisser, TOI

The withdrawal of American forces from northern Syria and the abandonment of the Kurds to the mercy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, brings to an end Washington’s involvement in the war in Syria; a failed involvement, lacking in purpose and objective, which could have disastrous consequences for America’s friends in the region.

US President Donald Trump was right in saying that his country has never had a particular interest in Syria, a country he described as nothing but “sand and death,” divided along ethnic and tribal lines and now a playground for Russia, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and even Israel.

But American forces didn’t enter Syria to end the bloody war raging there, nor did they ever purport to be the bearers of liberty and justice for the Syrian people. They also didn’t go there – as Israel had hoped – to curb Iranian expansionism.
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