The US Withdrawal from Syria: A Blessing in Disguise?  

By Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen, BESA

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: However misconceived, President Trump’s decision to withdraw US forces from Syria might have a silver lining for Israel. It forces Jerusalem to reevaluate the basic assumptions of the “peace process” with the Palestinians that has been actively and coercively led in recent decades by successive US administrations.

The Oslo process took place under unique global circumstances. The Soviet Union had just collapsed and the Cold War had come to an abrupt end with the West’s clear victory. The US became “the only remaining superpower” and the “End of History” loomed over the horizon.

Read more…

December 30, 2018 | 4:50 pm | 1 Comment »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Yazidi girls as young as 11 being sold on private ISIS messaging app  

By Geoffrey Clarfield, POST MILLENNIAL

Syria withdrawal abandons Yazidi sex slaves

Since America became a world power after WWII, its policies in the middle east have ignored some of the worst practices, such as slavery, which occur almost daily.

In war-torn Syria and Iraq, there has been a dramatic upsurge.

We are talking about the systematic rape and enslavement of Yazidi women by ISIS fighters and the colluding citizens of this trade, all who have been living under the everchanging regimes of Iraq and Syria.
Read more…

December 30, 2018 | 3:22 pm | Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Is the US troop withdrawal going to take place as most people fear?  

Before watching this video, I wrote to a number of editors and activists my thoughts on the troop withdrawal. I stand by them even after watching the video:

Prior to Trump’s announcement of the intended withdrawal of 2000 US troops ( believe that the actual number of troops there may go as high as 4000.), it appeared to me that America’s occupation of the 30% of Syria to the east of the Euphrates together with the Kurds, put them in control of the whole ME (Iran, Iraq and Syria.). Yes they were on a mission to destroy ISIS and the job was almost completed (90% done) but they had another mission which was just beginning to be pursued and that is namely the push-back of Iran and perhaps even regime change there. Trump made no mention of this mission and few if any commentators referred to its existence. I found that surprising. I also found it surprising that these troops were considered superfluous and could be brought home yet the 5000 US troops in Iraq weren’t. Why was Iraq more important than Syria?

Read more…

December 30, 2018 | 3:04 pm | 18 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

GLICK: Why should Israelis vote if their vote is meaningless  

The question is how will the attorney-general’s decision on Netanyahu’s indictment impact his ability to govern in accordance with the will of the voters.

By Caroline B Glick, JPOST

In a recent conversation with a European ambassador, I asked about the possible consequences of the elections to the European parliament, which are scheduled to take place in May 2019. According to current polls, rightist, pro-Israel parties from a host of EU member nations are projected to win the vote in May.

I was curious about the impact the projected results may have on European Union policies towards Israel.

His answer was straightforward.

“European parliamentary election results aren’t particularly significant,” he said with a shrug.

“It’s true that pro-Israel rightist parties are expected to do very well. But their victories won’t impact the EU’s foreign policies or any of its substantive policies. All the substantive policy decisions are made by the European Commission in Brussels.”
Read more…

December 29, 2018 | 10:20 am | 8 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

ANALYSIS: Trump’s actions in Iraq and Syria recipe for disaster  

The president’s actions show he is out of touch with Middle East reality.

By Yochanan Visser, INN

US Defense Secretary James Mattis looks at US President Donald Trump

A week after he stunned not only the world but also his national security team by announcing he would reverse his new Syria policy and pull out all US troops from there, US President Donald Trump made another move which could destabilize the Middle East even further.

The President suddenly canceled his vacation at his private resort in Florida and flew to Iraq to pay a visit to the al-Asad airbase in Western Iraq which is home to a regiment US Special Forces.
Read more…

December 29, 2018 | 10:04 am | 25 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Book Review: Confronting The Deception: Inflamed by 9/11, fired up by eight bad years  

The author, Tabitha Korol, is an excellent writer who extensively researches her subject. I often publish her articles to much acclaim. If you click on the image of the book it will take you to Amazon where you can read other reviews and order the book.

Since 9/11, the United States, Israel, and cultures that still value our freedoms have been fighting a battle of survival on several fronts. The ideology born out of the Islamic attempt to claim Ground Zero as its caliphate is still being fueled by the Shadow Government. The seriously deceptive media hides the truths about Islam’s invasion into other countries and our own, concealing the consequent tectonic changes in the intruded societies, with the result that America’s needs for urgent analysis and discussion are suppressed.

Academia, from kindergarten to university, is disinviting valuable speakers, and turning patriots into globalists. Curricula, textbooks and teaching methods are being changed, inspiration quenched, and competition discouraged by an equalizing grading system, engineering the children’s psyche to produce a compliant, nonproductive generation.
Read more…

December 29, 2018 | 9:10 am | 1 Comment »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Analysis: Meeting between Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah of Jordan  

The Palestinian Authority leader felt a need to coordinate issues with Jordan, after Egypt drifted towards Hamas and took steps to establish Hamas as the main address for Gaza.

BY PINHAS INBARI, JNS  (Dec 25, 2018 / The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

On Dec. 18, Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas met with King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman. According to sources in Ramallah, the main reason for the meeting was a request from Abbas to the Jordanian king to help him with his efforts to prevent Hamas from solidifying its separation from the West Bank and to reinforce Abbas’s position that Ramallah is the only address for both Gaza and the West Bank.

These sources claim that King Abdullah listened to Abbas and supported his position. However, the king asked the P.A. leader not to rush to take further steps against Hamas.

Abbas felt a need to coordinate this issue with Jordan after Egypt drifted towards Hamas and took steps to establish Hamas as the main address for Gaza. On this issue, Egypt’s policy was closer to that of Qatar and Israel rather than that of Ramallah.
Read more…

December 28, 2018 | 9:01 pm | 2 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

INTO THE FRAY Palestine: What if the Six-Day War never took place?  

By Martin Sherman, IISS

If the “West Bank” was part of the “Hashemite Kingdom” up to 1967, how did it suddenly become the Palestinians’ long-yearned-for homeland which, up until then, they were submissively willing to cede to an alien potentate?

Not since the time of Dr. Goebels [Head of the Nazi Propaganda Machine] has there ever been a case in which continual repetition of a lie has born such great fruits…Of all the Palestinian lies, there is no lie greater or more crushing than that which calls for the establishment of a separate Palestinian state in the West Bank…From “Palestinian Lies” in Ha’aretz, 30-7-76, by former far-Left Meretz Education Minister, Prof. Amnon Rubinstein.

Read more…

December 28, 2018 | 2:11 pm | 7 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

American Jewry at the crossroads  

By Caren Besner, AMERICAN THINKER

Image result for hear no evil see no evil

On December 27, 2018, the Valencia Isles Israel Club had Zionist pro-Israel activist Alan Bergstein as its guest speaker, discussing “Will Israel Survive?” at Sharei Shalom Synagogue in Boynton Beach, Florida.  Not one Jewish person praised him or agreed with him after hearing his unique and courageous lecture that demonstrated the truth about modern anti-Semitism, predominantly coming from the left and Islamists.
Read more…

December 28, 2018 | 1:55 pm | 4 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Jordan’s king threatening Mudar Zahran’s parents  

MUDAR’S PARENTS HAVE BEEN CALLING HIM DAILY BEGGING HIM TO STOP HIS ANTI-KING ACTIVITIES AND TO PLEDGE ALLIGENCE TO THE KING. PROBABLY THE KiNG’S AGENTS FORCED THEM TO MAKE THE CALLS AND TOLD THEM WHAT TO SAY.

December 28, 2018 | 10:29 am | Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Annex Judea and Samaria  

Judea and Samaria should be returned to their rightful owners.

By Amil Imani, INN

When we dig into history books, we can hardly find people or countries that have gone out of existence for as long as 2,000 years and then reappeared and been reborn. Thus, it is indeed accurate to say that the rebirth of Israel, this beautiful ancient culture, people and the land is truly a miracle from God.

I believe time has come for Israel to unite all Israel. Historically and biblically, both Judea and Samaria have been undeniably part of the heritage of the Jewish people. They belonged to Israel 2000 years ago as they belong to Israel now. Arabs have absolutely no historic ties to Judea and Samaria. Historic ties are what your base assertions to a geographic area.
Read more…

December 28, 2018 | 7:40 am | 5 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Our Iranian War  

by Victor Rosenthal

Tuesday night Israel hit several locations in Syria, assumed to be weapons depots which possibly contained a shipment of Fajr-5 rockets from Iran. But it’s also being reported that “senior Hezbollah personnel” were hit, shortly after boarding a plane for Tehran, where they were planning to attend a funeral for an Iranian ayatollah. There is even a rumor – probably not true – that Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s “Quds Force,” was present and was killed in the attack. If only!

Soleimani is a legendary figure in Iran, and the Quds Force is responsible for extraterritorial activities of the IRGC, including aiding terrorist groups like Hezbollah and various Iraqi militias, as well as carrying out terrorist operations all over the world. The Quds Force has been accused of providing the explosively formed penetrators used in IEDs with deadly effectiveness against US troops in Iraq. As a strategist and commander, he is highly competent and dangerous, and should be a prime target in an Israel-Iran war.
Read more…

December 28, 2018 | 6:32 am | 3 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Russia and Syria threaten to fire SA-5 missiles into central Israel if IAF air strikes continue  

DEBKA Dec 27, 2018 @ 9:49

A new Russian threat was received in Israel on Wednesday, Dec. 26: Any more air strikes and Syria’s SA-5 air defense missiles will be fired deep into Israel – like the one that shook several towns on Tuesday night in the middle of an IAF attack on Iranian sites in Syria. Israel’s air defense system missed the intruding missile; it exploded harmlessly in an unpopulated part of Mt. Carmel. By issuing this threat, Moscow confirmed that the Syrian missile was aimed deliberately at the Israeli heartland, and was not a stray from the attacks on Israeli aircraft, as some Israeli officials have claimed.

Read more…

December 27, 2018 | 7:52 pm | 12 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

As US troops leave Syria, the Syrian government must step in, Russia says  

AP

BEIRUT — Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Moscow expects the Syrian government to take over the areas where the U.S. troops are currently deployed following their withdrawal.

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized that the territories in eastern Syria should be handed over to the Syrian government in line with international law. She said Moscow is unaware of any details of the planned U.S. withdrawal from Syria, but added that the move would help peaceful settlement in Syria if implemented.

“If the troop withdrawal happens, it would have a positive impact on the situation,” Zakharova said at a briefing.

Read more…

December 27, 2018 | 7:44 pm | Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Syrian Kurdish leaders look to Russia and Assad  

By Ellen Francis, REUTERS

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Alarmed by a U.S. decision to leave Syria, Kurdish leaders who run much of the north are urging Russia and its ally Damascus to send forces to shield the border from the threat of a Turkish offensive.

Their call for a return of Syrian government forces to the border, which Kurdish fighters have held for years, points to the depth of their crisis in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to withdraw forces.

While little has changed on the ground yet – U.S. forces are still deployed and Trump says the pullout will be slow – Kurdish officials are scrambling for a strategy to protect their region from Turkey before the United States leaves.
Read more…

December 27, 2018 | 7:36 pm | Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

With Iran on Its Doorstep, Israel Quietly Readies Game-Changing Air Power  

By   

BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 649, November 21, 2017

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Israeli air power now has capabilities beyond any yet seen in military history. Its aerial strike capabilities are likely to prove decisive to the outcome of any military action taken against Iran in Syria.

Iran has big plans to create a military outpost in Syria, right on Israel’s doorstep. From there, the Islamic Republic could threaten and attack Israel in the future.

Israel is currently employing two tools to try and prevent this from happening: diplomacy and deterrence. Diplomatically, Jerusalem is reaching out to global powers and the international community, informing them of the consequences of Iran’s actions in a bid to create pressure on Tehran. To achieve deterrence, Israel is making clear to Iran and its agents that it has no intention of allowing them to proceed with their plans.

Read more…

December 27, 2018 | 2:00 pm | 9 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Did Israel ask US troops to withdraw.  

By Ted Belman

This was published in Hebrew by Arutz Sheva

-Orthodox reporter in the White House who publishes a column on what is happening in Ami magazine, claims that the withdrawal of American forces from Syria was made at Israel’s request.

“My sources confirmed to me that the withdrawal was made mainly at Israel’s request,” wrote Turks in his Twitter account, adding that “according to information Israel had planned a winter offensive against Hezbollah and there was concern that the Americans might be dragged in.” Defense Minister James Matisse opposed the Israeli plan. How it ended. ”

He added, “It is worth noting that while the White House refused to respond to my inquiry on the matter, it also did not deny it, and I note that Israel may not be the only factor behind the American withdrawal.”
Read more…

December 27, 2018 | 9:16 am | 3 Comments »

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free

Subscribe to Israpundit Daily Digest for Free
« Previous PageNext Page »