Israel has taken root in very hostile conditions, putting down roots of freedom, modernity, democracy and tolerance in a region that has never known them.

By Giulio Meotti,, INN

I once tried to plant a bougainvillea in my garden. It was beautiful in spring and summer, but when a heavy winter arrived my lovely plant dried and died, since it was not suitable for the climate in central Italy.

Israel that celebrates 71 years of existence and resistance is like that bougainvillea: It has taken root in very hostile conditions, literally sprung from nothing, putting down roots of freedom, modernity, democracy, rights, culture and tolerance in a region that had never known these and where these roots had always died.

Melanie Phillips, Europe’s most brave supporter of Israel, once said: “The issue of Israel sits at the very apex of the fight to defend civilization. Those who want to destroy Western civilization need to destroy the Jews, whose moral precepts formed its foundation stones”.
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Over the weekend, Palestinian terrorists bombarded southern Israel with more than 600 rockets aimed at millions of innocent civilians, just two weeks after three former Israeli security officials once again proposed convincing Egypt to cede land to Hamas to mollify their appetite for violence.

By BY GREGG ROMAN AND CYNTHIA FARAHAT, THE HILL

In April 2016, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi announced that he was ceding two small Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, apparently as quid pro quo for a $16 billion investment deal. In Egypt, the move caused an uproar. In Israel, it led some ancillary security wonks to revive a scheme for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Seven months later, prominent Israeli veterans campaigner Benjamin Anthony unveiled the “New State Solution” (NSS), which would establish an independent Palestinian state spanning Gaza and a much larger adjoining coastal tract in the Sinai Peninsula to be donated by Egypt’s Sisi. The idea has been endorsed by a slew of former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers, notably Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Amir Avivi.
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By Peter Skurkiss, AMERICAN THINKER

Diversity is defined a something being composed of different elements. In sociological and political terms, it means the inclusion of people of different races, cultures, religions, and economic background into a group or organization. The politically correct party line is that this inclusion, often forced by quotas and government mandates, makes the organization stronger. But does it? Is diversity strength?

It depends. It depends upon the degree in which it is done and whether or not brute force is used to make it happen.

An analogy can be drawn from Eco 101, If labor is used to make a product, when a unit of capital is added to the process, the output increases. As you add successive units of capital, the output increases but at a lower rate. Eventually a point of maximum output is reached after which the addition of more capital leads to lower output. This is the area of diminishing returns or lower output. Read more…

The move could not have come without the Trump administration’s agreement, or at least its blind eye, senior Palestinian officials say

Jack Khoury, HAARETZ

Khalifa al-Kuwari, director of the Qatar Fund for Development, cuts the ribbon during the opening ceremony of a new hospital in Gaza City, April 22, 2019. AP

Palestinian Authority officials said Tuesday they were taken by surprise by Qatar’s pledge to give $480 million to the Palestinians.

Officials in Ramallah noted that the decision to appeal to Qatar for financial support marks a change in approach from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose ties with Saudi Arabia are tighter.

The Qatari funds to the PA and Gaza are slated for education, health and humanitarian support.
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Independence Day celebrations across the country see hundreds of thousands turn out to enjoy nature, watch Air Force flybys, and cook up a BBQ

By TOI STAFFToday, 3:20 pm

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Jordan is wary of the Mideast peace plan expected to be presented by the White House in June, after the Muslim month of Ramadan.

By Israel Kasnett, JNS

At the recent Washington Institute for Near East Policy dinner, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner voiced confidence in his upcoming proposal to resolve the seemingly intractable Arab-Israeli conflict, calling it “realistic” and “executable.” While the plan has been a tightly kept secret since its inception, rumors have been swirling about as to what it contains.

Israelis are worried, Palestinians are worried, and Jordan is worried as well.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II is nervous that he will lose his custodianship of the Temple Mount as part of the plan, and he has therefore declared that “Jerusalem is a red line, and we won’t change our stance. It is our duty to protect the Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.” According to the 1994 peace agreement between Jordan’s King Hussein and Israel, Jordan is the guardian of the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem.
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By Amil Imani

For decades, I delved into all sorts of Islamic books, read them and made notes of them. I contemplated, profoundly researched, spoke with some high-level Islamic scholars, tried to find a small hole, something that would lead me to believe that it is possible to either put the genie back into the bottle or, somehow, erase the elements of violence within Islam. But each time, I ran into a wall. How could this be? Like hundreds of others before me, I too realized, without violence, fear, anxiety and blood, Islam would slowly weaken and eventually die.

There are some brave activists who are currently working hard to somehow erase a few Suras and make a new Quran that is free from violence. While their intentions are honorable, they basically try to make a new religion out of old one with no divine authority that was, supposedly, bestowed upon Muhammad to launch his religion. This is impossible.

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By Jim Hoft, GATEWAY PUNDIT

In January, Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL) demanded the Department of Justice immediately cut off federal funding to the Nation of Islam.

The letter addressed to AG Matthew Whitaker cited the Washington Examiner’s December of 2018 report which revealed the Nation of Islam was receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funding to teach Islam to prison inmates.

According to the Examiner, Nation of Islam leaders have received at least $364,500 in contracts and awards from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and the Department of Justice between fiscal 2008 and fiscal 2019.

Thanks, Obama!

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By Christina Wong, BREITBART

BAGHDAD, IRAQ — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived Tuesday evening in Baghdad, Iraq, amid what he said were “very specific” and “imminent” threats from Iran against U.S. troops in the region.

“These were very specific, these were attacks that were imminent, that is, they were attacks that were going to happen fairly soon, we heard about them, we’ve taken every action we can to deter them,” Pompeo told reporters from Breitbart News and other outlets traveling with him.

Pompeo was previously scheduled to head to Berlin from Finland, where he attended the 2019 Arctic Ministerial Council. However, the trip to Berlin was canceled to make the last-minute trip to Baghdad.
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Approximately $300 million will go to the P.A., while the rest will go to U.N. programs and electricity services in the West Bank and Gaza.greement

By JNS May 7, 2019 , 3:21 pm

Approximately $300 million will go toward the P.A. health and education budget, and the rest will go to funding United Nations programs and electricity services in the West Bank and Gaza.

Both P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh thanked Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
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By Richard Baehr, AMERICAN THINKER

Hatred of Israel, and its close cousin, hatred of Jews, have been commonly held and expressed sentiments on college campuses in the US, Canada, and Europe in recent years.  Anti-Israel speakers are invited to speak, paid handsome fees, and draw large audiences of enthusiastic students, faculty and administrators.  Anti-Zionist groups, often dominated by Arab or Muslim students, proliferate and ally with groups representing other minority groups in an effort to create an intersectionality of interests, where various minority groups all rally in support of any of the causes any of the individual identity groups support. Groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine and the misnamed Jewish Voices for Peace, regularly taunt and harass pro-Israel students, disrupt meetings and talks by pro-Israel groups, and try to prevent pro-Israel speakers from appearing on campus.
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Siren blares around country at 8 p.m., marking somber Memorial Day events, amid tensions in Gaza and controversy over a ceremony dedicated to both Israelis and Palestinians

By MICHAEL BACHNER, TOI

An Israeli soldier at a Memorial Day ceremony at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on Memorial Day, which commemorates Israel’s fallen soldiers and Israeli civilians killed in terror attacks, April 18, 2018. (Marc Israel Sellem/POOL)

Israelis will pay tribute to the country’s fallen soldiers and terror victims starting at 8 p.m. Tuesday, bowing their heads for a minute of silence as sirens will sound around the country, kicking off Memorial Day.

In all, 95 new names were added over the past year to the roster of 23,741 soldiers who died defending the country. They include 40 disabled veterans who passed away due to complications from injuries sustained during their service.

Sixteen names were also added to the list of terror victims who perished in attacks, bringing the total to 3,150. Four of them were killed on Sunday by projectiles fired by Palestinian terror groups during a two-day round of intense fighting in and around the Gaza Strip.
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The 700 rockets indiscriminately fired into Israeli population centres have presented Trump with an opportunity to do something before his “Deal of the Century.”

By David Singer, INN

The barrage of more than 700 rockets fired into Israel from Gaza this past weekend and the “pay for slay” policy pursued by the PLO to reward those Palestinian Arabs who murder and maim Jews cannot continue to be met by only pious condemnations from the United Nations or even from President Trump himself.

The fact that such evil practices violate international law and constitute war crimes are of little consequence as Hamas and the PLO continue merrily on their way to repeat these crimes with impunity over and over again.

The United Nations – ruled by a majority of 134 nations comprising the G77 – are impervious to ending the suffering being visited on Israeli civilians whilst condemning Israel’s responses to end these inhumane practices.
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By Blima Miller, AMERICAN THINKER

March 20, 2019 was a sad day for basic decency when Jordan Peterson’s fellowship at University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Divinity was unexpectedly revoked.  The Cambridge University Student Union tweeted its renunciation:

We are relieved to hear that Jordan Peterson’s request for a visiting fellowship to Cambridge’s faculty of divinity has been rescinded following further review.  It is a political act to associate the University with an academic’s work through offers which legitimise figures such as Peterson.  His work and views are not representative of the student body and as such we do not see his visit as a valuable contribution to the University, but one that works in opposition to the principles of the University.

Left-wing former IDF generals never warn of any risks to their suicidal policies. Knowing how to plan and conduct miitary operations and command soldiers does not make one a political prophet or statesman.

By Mark Langfan, INN

Imagine, (G-d forbid) if your 60 year-old mother had a sore toe that she could walk around on, and that wasn’t fatal, but just a bother. It would get better with a little aspirin, but didn’t go away.  Now, a doctor, a medical expert, comes around and hysterically urges your mother to have a “fantastic” operation for her sore toe but was silent on any risks of the operation.  And, then, during the operation, she died.

You found out the procedure had a 97.6% risk of mortality, and 99.99% probability that her toe would still hurt after the operation no matter what and that the doctor never warned of the operation’s fatal risks.  The doctor would be guilty of not just negligence but criminal negligence and criminal assault for not adequately disclosing the procedure’s risks to your mother and you.
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Middle East Forum  Sam Westrop  The Daily Wire  May 1, 2019

The large majority of U.S. government funding for Muslim groups goes to Islamic Jihadis

Research by the Middle East Forum has found that since 2007, federal government agencies have handed over $47 million to 61 Islamic institutions in the forms of 411 various grants and contracts.

On the face of it, this need not be of any particular concern. The government has long relied on contractors and charities from all faiths to implement its programs. Alarmingly, however, radical Islamic movements completely control 36% of the Muslim institutions that received government monies, taking 42% of the total funding. A further 36% of the grantees, which received 44% of the funds, operate under varying degrees of radical influence. A mere 14% of identified government funds given to Muslim organizations were directed toward institutions free of Islamist influence.
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