By Zvi November

All Israeli politicians and most foreign supporters proudly proclaim that Israel ‘is the only democracy in the Middle East’. Actually Israel is a pseudo democracy because it is really a PARTYOCRACY. Israelis get to vote every few years for their favorite party. There are 14 parties now competing in the current election which will be held on the 9th of April. Most of the parties only represent a small sub-group of the populace. For instance, the hareidi parties represent the ultra orthodox. Shas represents religious Sephardim. The Jewish Home party represents modern, orthodox, nationalistic communities while several Arab parties supposedly promote Arab interests but expend most of their efforts supporting the Palestinian hot and cold wars against Israel. Indeed, Israeli Arabs invariably refer to themselves as ‘1948 Palestinians’. They, in effect, undermine Israel from within.
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In interview with CNN, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov denies Moscow allied with Iran in Syria, says countries do not see “eye to eye” • Pentagon reportedly weighing plan to maintain U.S. military base in southeastern Syria.

By Eli Leon, Daniel Siryoti and Yoni Hersch, ISRAEL HAYOM

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Photo: Reuters

Russia’s deputy foreign minister denied Moscow had formed an alliance with Iran in Syria and said the Kremlin was deeply committed to Israel’s security in an interview with CNN, Friday.

“We in no way underestimate the importance of measures that would ensure very strong security of the state of Israel. The Israelis know this, the U.S. knows this, everyone else, including the Iranians, the Turks, the government in Damascus. This is one of the top priorities of Russia,” Sergei Ryabkov told CNN.

Asked whether Russia and Iran were allies “on the ground” in Syria, Ryabkov said, “I wouldn’t use this type of word to describe where we are with Iran. We are working together with them … but we do not see at any given moment completely eye to eye on what happens.”
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“Israel should maintain control of the Golan Heights,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says, hinting support for congressional measure • Campaign to get U.S. recognition of sovereignty now has bipartisan support from key lawmakers in House and Senate.

By Ariel Kahana, ISRAEL HAYOM

“THE GIFT”

A handsome man, once a fighter pilot, walked into a sports bar around 9:58 pm. He sat down next to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the bar and stared up at the TV as the 10:00 news came on. The news crew was covering a story of a man on a ledge of a large building preparing to jump.

Alexandria looked at Jack and said, “Do you think he’ll jump?” Jack says, “You know what, I bet he will.” Alexandria replied, “Well, I bet he won’t.” Jack placed $30 on the bar and said, “You’re on!”

Just as she placed her money on the bar, the guy did a swan dive off of the building, falling to his death. She was very upset and handed her $30 to Jack, saying, “Fair’s fair… Here’s your money.”

Jack replied, “I can’t take your money, I saw this earlier on the 5 o’clock news and knew he would jump.”

Alexandria replies, “I did too; but I didn’t think he’d do it again.” Jack took the money. Alexandria went back to work at the US Congress.

Thus is the reasoning of socialists…they’ve seen societies that adopt socialism die repeatedly
throughout history, but think that it won’t happen again.

By Amil Imani, AMERICAN THINKER

For decades, the Democratic Party has shown by both words and deeds that they despise the U.S. Constitution while they bend over backward to embrace Islamists, illegal aliens, and anyone who hates America.  The left is interested only in power and nothing else – even if it means to sacrifice our national security and advocate open borders.

The liaison between American Muslims and the Democratic Party is frequently described as a marriage of convenience, where Muslims will ally with leftist politicians, who will gladly cede some of their power to this group of enforcers so conservative politicians and Christians who advocate self-defense and sane social policies are kept out of office.
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By treating anti-blasphemy initiatives and anti-western rejectionism as protected religious expression, Islamist enablers make a mockery of American values and freedoms.

By Matthew M. Hausman, J.D., INN

Secular progressives lack moral clarity when they preach détente with radical Islam while disparaging traditional Judaism and western religion.  They mock assertive Jews as chauvinistic or conservative Christians as puritanical, but defend doctrinal supremacists who despise liberal democratic values.

Though the left often cites constitutional principles to justify coddling Islamists, the Constitution does not mandate tolerance of religious extremism. Nor does it guarantee totally unfettered freedom of religion.  Freedom of belief is certainly absolute, but the exercise of religion is not when it compromises the rights of others. Moreover, government has a legitimate interest in monitoring extremist ideologies that threaten public health, safety, and welfare.
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VERY GOOD NEWS ISRAEL

In the 27th Jan 19 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

• Israeli scientists have strengthened white blood cells to destroy tumors.
• 14 severely disabled Israeli kids had fun racing in go-karts.
• Israel and Chad have restored diplomatic relations.
• Israeli drones will monitor and analyze Brazilian crops.
• Israeli technology powers devices using energy from radio waves.
• The UK’s first post-Brexit free trade agreement is with Israel.
• An Israeli company is to secure a Spanish port.
• A major discovery at the Biblical site of the Ark of the Covenant.

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Cairo officials: Hamas must decide whether group “takes its orders from Tehran or continues to implement understandings for calm” on Israel-Gaza border • Hamas must contain IDF attacks on Gaza if it wants Qatari cash, Egyptian official tells Israel Hayom.

By Daniel Siryoti, ISRAEL HAYOM

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi

Israel Hayom has learned that alongside Jerusalem’s decision to postpone the transfer of Qatari funds to Hamas following the escalation on Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, Egypt has issued the terrorist organization’s political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh an ultimatum. Cairo has made it clear Haniyeh must decide whether “Hamas takes its orders from Tehran or continues to implement the understandings for calm” formulated by the head of Egyptian intelligence Abbas Kamel.

A senior Egyptian intelligence official told Israel Hayom that senior Hamas members, chief among them Haniyeh, had contacted Kamel with the request that Israel be sent the message that “Hamas was not involved in the grave events on the border.”
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Meanwhile, Netanyahu reportedly urges US to keep troops at a base in southern Syria seen as key to countering Iranian forces

TOI STAFF

Immigration Minister Yoav Gallant at an event in Tel Aviv for lone soldiers serving in the Israel Defense Forces on January 24, 2019. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Immigration Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday said Israel has a plan in place to expel Iranian forces from Syria, as Bloomberg reported Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is urging the United States to keep American troops at a base seen as essential to countering Iran.

Gallant, a fresh addition to the ruling Likud party, did not provide further details but credited Israeli actions with preventing the emergence of an Iranian military presence in the Golan Heights.
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By Jeff Lukens, AMERICAN THINKER

All people may be equal, but all cultures are not.  The rise of Western civilization has led to the greatest progress in human history.  It has given the world democracy, freedom, affluence, equality before the law, the separation of church and state, and the notion of a sovereign state to protect it all.  No other civilization on the globe can make that claim.  Western civilization is the most prominent civilization because it is better than the others.  Yet this point is lost on many of those among us.

Western civilization is much more than a geographical area.  It is more about the idea of inalienable rights and the intrinsic value of the individual.  Beginning in about 1600 until about 1970, Western civilization was exported from Europe to the Americas and other parts of the world.  The advances in science, manufacturing, and free enterprise were markedly different from those in Asia or Africa.  Closing the gap on these differences in recent years is a result of non-developed countries adopting Western practices.
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By Clifford May, FDD

China, Russia and Iran are very different nations in very different parts of the world but they have three significant commonalities: All once were great empires. All are now ruled by men who aspire to build great empires anew. All regard the United States as their rival and adversary.

Al Qaeda and the Islamic State also dream of empire, one that would replace the Ottoman Empire, which collapsed in 1922, and its affiliated caliphate, which was abolished two years later.

Important to note: Iran’s rulers are not seeking to build a Persian or Iranian empire. Like al Qaeda and the Islamic State, they intend to resurrect a specifically Islamic empire, albeit one dominated by Shia rather than Sunni Muslims.

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T. Belman.  It may be a non-starter for now but things will change.  Iran will be driven out and Syria will rejoin the Arab League. Ultimately Syria will need a new constitution that recognizes the independence of the Kurdish area and the Sunni areas. Saudi money will go a long way to influence a deal that suits their interests.

The Russians hope to recruit the West for the $250 billion-plus effort, but it’s a non-starter and Assad’s allies can’t do it alone

By David Rosenberg, HAARETZ

In the film “The Mouse that Roared,” the bankrupt Grand Duchy of Fenwick declares war on the United States in expectation that its inevitable defeat will open up American pockets for post-war reconstruction.

That political farce had some basis in reality. When the movie was made in 1959, America regarded itself as the leader of the free world, and had a deep sense of global responsibility and the money to act on it.
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By eradicating religion and national feeling, Europe fell asleep at the wheel and left itself open to tens of millions of Islamists who refuse to accept the continent’s liberal, secular values. Many Jews are hoping it re-embraces its Christian identity.

By Dror Eydar, ISRAEL HAYOM

1.  Europe killed God and eradicated its own nationalism. It didn’t happen in a single day; we’re talking about lengthy historical processes. The removal of the religious dimension, which had been dominant in European culture, became more prevalent during the Renaissance. Fascinatingly, Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity in 15^th-century Spain and lived as conversos [secretly practicing Judaism] contributed to this. Because of their tenuous social standing and questions about their identity, these Jews existed in an ideological no man’s land. Many became agnostics, who cast doubt on the truths of the old religions. Since they were more educated than the average person, they had a profound influence on the European elite. The process was bolstered by the French Revolution, which separated church and state, and grew more powerful in the 19^th century as science gained ground and increasingly freed itself from the church.

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T. Belman. When Trump became the Republican nominee for President, Pipes quit the GOP and said, “Trump’s boorish, selfish, puerile, and repulsive character, combined with his prideful ignorance, his off-the-cuff policy making, and his neo-fascistic tendencies make him the most divisive and scary of any serious presidential candidate in American history.” WOW.

That sweeping rejection of Trump is even stupider than his embrace of the moderate Muslims as the solution.

Perhaps on the same level is his belief that the “Deal of the Century” is “misbegotten”. In fact the Deal of the Century will be the biggest game-changer since the Six Day War.

His plan is a closely held secret, but the signals look worrying for supporters of the Jewish state.

By Daniel Pipes, WSJ

President Trump has spoken repeatedly about his desire to find the “deal of the century” to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While the president’s specific plan remains a tightly held secret, he and several aides occasionally drop hints about it. From what one can tell, it doesn’t sound good.

The first theme of Mr. Trump’s comments is neutrality toward Israel and the Palestinians. He had already expressed that in December 2015, when he insisted both sides “are going to have to make sacrifices” to achieve peace, and he has made many similar comments since. Mr. Trump seems not to recall that Israel has repeatedly made concessions since 1993, including turning over land and permitting a Palestinian police corps, only to be met with heightened Palestinian intransigence and violence.
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Read the fine print if you read the document.  Notice provisions and conditions such as,

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Ted Belman. Inbari is a friend of mine but I am happy to say that he is wrong. The Deal as I have often described it, in which Israel is sovereign over all lands west of the Jordan, has the approval of most Arab countries.

By Pinhas Inbari, JCPA

Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon (Arab press)

Recently, it was again reported that the White House team was about to publicize Trump’s “Deal of the Century,” but until now, apart from possibly Saudi Arabia, the deal has had no buyers in the Arab world, and certainly not among its supposed clientele, the Palestinians, Jordan, and Egypt.

Regarding the Palestinians, it is very clear: Mahmoud Abbas and the PLO are not prepared in any way for any deal that is less than their maximum demands, which are primarily the “right of return” and Israel’s withdrawal to the 1967 lines in general, and specifically to Jerusalem. Things are more complicated with regard to Jordan and Egypt.
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