Peloni: Historical memory provides an important context for a nation’s identity. Indeed, while many might prefer to pretend our history out of existence because of this truth, the historical, archaeological and Biblical record stands nonetheless. We are the heirs to the land of our forefathers, and this fact has been recognized by the modern age in the passage of international agreements and the victories of repeated battles which were each raised to obscure our ownership of the lands which are rightfully documented as our own, Eretz Yisrael.
Hadrian rebranded Judea to annihilate Jewish identity; modern pan-Arabists rebranded themselves to appropriate that identity.
Dr. Michael L. Wise |
Hadrian. Photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen – Own work, Public Domain, Wikipedia
Almost two millennia ago, the Roman Empire learned that it could not extinguish the Jewish people by sword alone. After the Bar Kochba revolt (132-135 CE), Emperor Hadrian razed Judean towns, rebuilt Jerusalem as a pagan outpost, and reached for a different weapon: he renamed the land “Syria Palaestina,” transplanting the memory of the long-vanished Philistines to sever Jews from their homeland.
Beware that I’ve deliberately used many useful links to help provide readers with information that they would have to spend countless hours, which I’ve done for them, in double checking and sourcing the pertinent material found below.
As the Gaza ceasefire struggles into its second month, a significant difference between the position of Israel and that of its chief ally, the United States, on the way forward is emerging. This difference reflects broader gaps in perception in Jerusalem and Washington regarding the nature and motivations of the current forces engaged in the Middle East. The subject of that difference is Turkey.
Peloni: A great deal of damage to the administration could have been avoided if this release of the Epstein material had been made six months ago instead of AG Bondi claiming there was nothing to release at the time. In fact, if all the evidence implicating wrongdoing is factual, and all of it pointed exclusively towards the Democrats, the screaming question remains as to why AG Bondi not only failed to release it as promised last spring, but that she also stated (rather unconvincingly) that there was nothing to release. Notably this was months after she had previously stated everything on this subject was on her desk for review before it would be released to the public. Indeed, the claimed demonstration of transparency being asserted with the release of the Epstein materials today stands quite at odds with the explanation of why Bondi tried to prevent the release of the material in the first place.
Republican strategist Scott Jennings said on the “PBD Podcast” on Friday that Democrats’ effort to use deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to damage President Donald Trump has backfired.
New revelations have led Democrats to face backlash for their interactions with Epstein, and Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett subsequently claimed falsely on Wednesday that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin received political donations from the deceased sex offender. Jennings said on the podcast that Crockett’s claim was an act of desperation after the House Oversight Committee released documents that exposed Democrats’ correspondence with Epstein.
WATCH:
“She’s the smartest person they could find. So they sent her to do this. And the reason is this, because they are desperate to make this a story about Trump and Epstein,” Jennings said. “And the only thing we found out in the last week is that it’s a story about Democrats and Epstein. You got [Clinton-era Treasury Secretary] Larry Summers asking for dating advice from Epstein.”
Summers chose to back away from public commitments in response to the newly unveiled emails, some of which indicated that he regularly communicated with Epstein 2013 to 2019. The correspondences showed Summers appearing to solicit romantic advice from Epstein about a woman he was pursuing at Harvard University, where he previously served as president.
“You got [House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries trying to raise money from Epstein. You got [Democratic Virgin Islands Del. Stacey] Plaskett being programmed by Epstein,” Jennings added. “They lost the narrative, so they sent out their smartest person, Jasmine Crockett, to try to reset the narrative, and it blew up in their face. They may regret going down this road.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer claimed on Tuesday that Democratic fundraisers sent a 2013 email inviting Epstein to an event or offering a private meeting with him, ABC News reported on Thursday. Jeffries called Comer a “stone cold liar” on Wednesday after the allegation.
However, Epstein did receive a campaign email from a fundraising company on May 7, 2013, describing Jeffries as “one of the rising stars in the New York Congressional delegation” and offering “an opportunity to get to know Hakeem better,” according to records published by Comer’s committee, ABC News reported.
Moreover, documents showed text messages between Plaskett and Epstein, in which the deceased sex offender advised her on how to question former Trump attorney Michael Cohen during his 2019 testimony.
Plaskett admitted on CNN’s “The Situation Room” on Wednesday that she would not have asked Cohen certain questions without the texts from Epstein.
Crockett claimed on CNN’s “The Source” Wednesday that she was not attempting to “mislead people” with her false claim about Epstein.
“I never said that it was that Jeffrey Epstein. Just so that people understand, when you make a donation, your picture is not there. And because they decided to spring this on us in real time, I wanted the Republicans to think about what could potentially happen, because I knew that they didn’t even try to go through the FEC [Federal Election Commission],” Crockett said. “So my team, what they did is they Googled, and that is specifically why I said ‘a Jeffrey Epstein.’ Unlike Republicans, I at least don’t go out and just tell lies.”
Trump urged Republicans to support the legislation to release the Epstein files on Sunday, leading it to pass in the House with a 427-1 vote on Tuesday. The president announced he signed the legislation on Wednesday after the Senate passed it through unanimous consent.
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While global focus has shifted to other crises, Iran has rapidly and aggressively been accelerating its ballistic missile production at the speed of light. Pictured: Iranian Airborne Cruise Missile (Photo by Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0)
While global focus has shifted to other crises, Iran has rapidly and aggressively been accelerating its ballistic missile production at the speed of light.
Peloni: A not to be missed insightful discussion between Hoover Institute’s Mike Doran and Advisor to PM Netanyahu, Caroline Glick. The topics cover the Gaza resolution, regional threats (Turkey, Iran, Syria, Houthis and more), as well as a description of the US-Israel relationship.
Peloni: The ISF will never work for the very reason that is cited by Cohen below: “[Arab countries] are wary…of being perceived as doing the dirty work of the Israelis, and they are determined not to risk the lives of their soldiers in that regard.”
No matter the composition of the ISF, this would be true. Recognition and ‘peace’ treaties with Israel has hardly changed the reality that Arab states act in tto the stability of their own regimes, which includes satisfying the radicals in their own realm with false representations and baseless condemnations of Israel. Multiple examples might be chosen to exemplify this fact, for instance, with the UAE, whose domestic outlawing of the Muslim Brotherhood contrasts significantly with their call to ‘reform’ the UAE. The Arabs will always have a foreign face which is markedly different from their domestic face, and the reason is that they both serve to support their national interests and the survival of their respective regimes. Unfortunately, Israel is being forced to abrogate its own national interest yet again with the adoption of a farcical security force in Gaza which will seek to support foreign national interests at the expense of that of Israel.
The world is on the cusp of making the same mistake with Hamas that it did with Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006. Still, there is progress to be made if the involved parties pay attention.
Ben Cohen | FDD | Nov 21, 2025
No doubt, the passage of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2803 on the postwar reconstruction of Gaza was a triumph for American diplomacy. Drafted by the United States and eagerly endorsed by a host of Middle Eastern and Islamic nations on Nov. 17—among them Qatar and Turkey, two of Israel’s most insidious adversaries—the resolution garnered 13 of the 15 votes on the council. Russia and China, two of the five permanent members with the power of veto, decided not to oppose the resolution, meekly abstaining instead.
However, the diplomatic obstacles to securing the resolution’s passage pale in comparison with the political and strategic obstacles confronting its implementation.
A while back, after unpacking boxes from a recent move, I came across a wonderful surprise.
What I discovered was an example of what makes a middle school (or any) educator’s life worthwhile, despite the trials and tribulations teaching 12-14 year olds in that “in between” age, often too willing to engage in negative behaviors just “for show” to gain status among peers.
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger | “Second Thought: a US-Israel Connection” | November 21, 2025
Jean Leon Gerome Ferris’ The First Thanksgiving. Image by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris – This file was derived from: The First Thanksgiving cph.3g04961.jpg:, Public Domain, Wikipedia
*Thanksgiving was initially celebrated in November 1621 by William Bradford, the leader of the “Mayflower” and the 1621-1657 Governor of the Plymouth Colony (Massachusetts), who played a key role in establishing the civic foundation of the first permanent colony in New England. Bradford compiled a first hand 580-page-manuscript of the Mayflower’s 66-day-voyage, which arrived in Cape Cod on November 11, 1620. The manuscript is exhibited at the Massachusetts State Library.
Peloni: See summary below video 36min video with subtitles.
Prime Minister Netanyahu in his second interview with Abu Ali Express Channel – the main headlines with references to the interview:
1. Renewed American Commitment: After the Prime Minister’s conversation last night with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Netanyahu says that… pic.twitter.com/qeGvToKPkV
Police announces latest indictment of Jewish Israeli over espionage for Iran
Photo by Amanda Slater from Coventry, West Midlands, UK – Noose, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikipedia
After passing a first out of three necessary readings in the Knesset last week, the “death penalty for terrorists” bill was discussed during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Peloni: In an important article, “Trump’s UN victory is a path to a stalemate in Gaza”, Jonathan S. Tobin challenges that rather than peace bein the ultimate conclusion of Trump’s efforts, it is far more likely that it will result in a stalemate pending the next attack by Hamas at some time in the future. Tobin explains that Pres. Trump secured U.N. Security Council approval for his 20-point Gaza plan, including a ceasefire, an International Stabilization Force, and a “Board of Peace” to govern Gaza. Tobin argues that despite the fanfare, the plan is unlikely to deliver real peace: Hamas is unlikely to disarm or relinquish control over parts of Gaza, and outside countries are unlikely to commit the blood and treasure required to remove it.
Arguing against what he calls “magical thinking” – the idea that technocratic governance or reconstruction alone will force Hamas out, Tobin suggests that a de facto permanent division may emerge instead, with a “yellow line” separating a rebuilt, U.S.-backed Gaza from a Hamas-controlled enclave. While this could reduce Hamas’s ability to launch major attacks, the war aim of Hamas being defeated would go unfulfilled. Tobin also expresses skepticism about the plan offering a credible path to statehood for Palestinians and describes the “credible pathway” language as being more aspirational than binding. Importantly, he also doubts that Arab states will actually risk stability or make sacrifices for Gaza’s reconstruction, ultimately arguing that without Hamas’s removal the plan would simply result in a new stalemate rather than achieving lasting peace.
Peloni: We should only be so fortunate as to see the ceasefire upended so that the war aims might actually be fulfilled by the only party with the capability, interest and integrity to do so, which is the IDF of course.
FDD | Nov 20, 2025
Latest Developments
Qatar Criticizes Israeli Strikes: The Qatari Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli strikes against Hamas positions in Gaza on November 19. The IDF launched the strikes after terrorists violated the nearly six-week-old ceasefire earlier in the day by opening fire on Israeli soldiers near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. No injuries were reported. Palestinian medics and the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health reported that at least 25 people were killed by the airstrikes, which were carried out in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City and in Khan Younis.
The U.N. Security Council voted on Nov. 17 to adopt Resolution 2803 regarding the Gaza Strip by what amounts to an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 13-0, including Arab and Muslim countries, and supported by a host of others. None of the 15 members of the UNSC voted against the resolution, and only two abstained: Russia and China.
The evening prior to having a cardiac pacemaker implanted in my body (still nervous and don’t like the idea), one of my six beautiful grandchildren asked me to read her about a very special pig who enjoyed being special and making others happy.
Peloni: The deference and legitimacy granted to the Saudi-French proposal in the Trump Gaza UN resolution is perhaps the greatest betrayal of Israel’s sovereignty as a Jewish state over the past century, as it legitimizes the Right of Return.
The Trump administration, which initially was vehemently opposed to the Saudi-French proposal for the promotion of the two-state solution (the “New York Declaration” of July 29, 2025), has now endorsed this initiative, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on September 12, 2025,[1] and accepts it as a source of authority in its diplomatic proposals.
Peloni: To be honest, I have high expectations that the terms will quickly be violated, even if they are dubiously accepted to begin with. Many of these points require a considerable amount of trust for parties which have no reason to trust either each other or the US. Of course, Trump’s negotiating style includes the use of significant means to leverage the parties towards accepting difficult terms. In particular, Point #20 will be difficult for both sides, but nearly impossible for Ukraine as its best elements of their armed forces include Azov. I have always worried about the Jewish community in Ukraine following the war, and this concern has not been lightened with the prospect of Ukraine having to chase a hasty peace before their battlefield losses are even more penalizing than they stand at this hour.
Trumps 28 peace plan for Ukriane and Russia in short
1. Ukraine’s sovereignty affirmed.
2. Russia, Ukraine and Europe sign a non-aggression pact.
3. Russia agrees not to invade neighbors and NATO stops expansion.
4. Russia and NATO launch a de-escalation dialogue.
Peloni: As Europe has consolidated significant support for the terrorist in Gaza, the terrorists have been consolidating significant support for their terrorist intentions against the Europeans. It is not too late for Europe to through off their cloak of ignorance and fight the scourge of oppression and terror which they are currently all too comfortable accepting. Of course, the elected elites in Europe have no stomach to fight for the future of their people, which leaves the matter to the people to fight for themselves as best they can til better leadership might be elected in the future.
Hadrian. Photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen – Own work, Public Domain, Wikipedia
