By Vic Rosenthal, ABU YEHUDAH

This happened in September:

TEL AVIV, Israel — U.S. and Israeli officers broke ground in Israel on Monday for a permanent U.S. Army base that will house dozens of U.S. soldiers, operating under the American flag, and charged with the mission of defending against rocket and missile attack.

The American base, officers in Israel say, will be an independent facility co-located at the Israel Defense Forces Air Defense School in southern Israel, near the desert capital of Beersheba. Once completed, the base will house U.S. operational systems to identify and intercept a spectrum of aerial threats, along with barracks, recreational and other facilities required to support several dozen American air defenders. …
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Pieczenik is a very knowledgeable guy but he believes Mossad was involved in 9/11. Listen to him carefully. Much of what he says is not correct but some things are.

I received this email:

At 16:03 Steve Pieczenik says “It (US protecting Israel against Iran) has NO LEGITIMACY ON OUR (USA’s) PART- We have no national security interests in the Middle East with regard to Iran. Iran has DONE NOTHING TO [HARM] US.”

[Isn’t The US supposed to defend OUR ALLIES?! AND OUR National Interest- after all We Yankees are “The Great Satan” aren’t we?!]
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By Andrew C McCarthy, NATIONAL REVIEW

If the Justice Department is hell-bent on making a case, it plays an intimidating game of hardball. In July 2016, the Obama administration announced its decision not to prosecute Hillary Clinton for felony mishandling of classified information and destruction of government files.

In the aftermath, I observed that there is a very aggressive way that the Justice Department and the FBI go about their business when they are trying to make a case — one profoundly different from the way they went about the Clinton emails investigation. There, they tried not to make the case. That observation bears repeating today, as we watch Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of any possible Trump-campaign collusion in Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.
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Sister lobbies formed with the backing of the Israel Victory Project, an initiative of the conservative Middle East Forum think tank • Lawmakers urge U.S. to allow Israel to break from Washington’s dictates to ensure it has the upper hand in the conflict.

Israel Hayom Staff

Alongside U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to put together a framework for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, the Knesset Lobby for Promoting the Recognition of Israeli Victory and the U.S. Congressional Israel Victory Lobby are set to start working together on what they see as a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in which Israel will emerge victorious.

In a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, members of both lobbies are expected to sign an unprecedented joint declaration that will call on the American government to allow the Israeli government to act according to its own judgement in securing an Israeli victory in the conflict, rather than obeying U.S. dictates, as well as making a demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the national state of the Jewish people.
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By Daniel Pipes, ISRAEL HAYOM

In 1974, 2nd Lt. Hiroo Onoda of the Imperial Japanese Army was still fighting for his emperor, hiding in a Philippine jungle. He had rejected many attempts to inform him of Japan’s surrender 29 years earlier. During those many years, he senselessly murdered about one Filipino and injured three others each year. Only a concerted effort by his former commander finally convinced Onoda that the emperor had accepted defeat in 1945 and therefore he too must lay down arms.

The Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza are Onoda writ large. They formally acknowledged defeat by Israel 24 years ago, when Yasser Arafat stood on the White House lawn and recognized “the right of the State of Israel to exist in peace and security.” Trouble was, Arafat himself did not sincerely offer this act of surrender and most Palestinians rejected it.
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Mohammed bin Salman’s coup from above may have an even more profound impact on the region than the rise of ISIS.

Adam Garfinkle, THE AMERICAN INTEREST

It was on the fourth night, very early in the great Arabic tale, that Shahrazad, in telling the story of King Yunan and his evil vizier, says as follows: “Oppression hideth in every heart; power revealeth it and weakness concealeth it.”¹ It’s hard to say from Washington, DC, how oppressive it really is for a passel of princes (11 at last count) and assorted retainers (as many as 500, according to some reports) to be held under “hotel arrest” at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, but it’s easy to suppose that Mohammed bin Salman, the 32-year-old Saudi Crown Prince—and King in all but formal title—senses that his burgeoning power gives him license for a bit of what he no doubt considers necessary oppression. It no longer hideth entirely in his heart.
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Trump and Tillerson are ceding the advantage to Russia and Iran

The press corps spent the weekend obsessing about what Donald Trump thinks about what Vladimir Putin believes about Russian meddling in the U.S. election. #evergreentweets. The real news is Mr. Trump’s deal announced in Vietnam with the Russian strongman for the “deconfliction” of Syria. This is ceding the regional advantage to Russia and Iran.

That’s the take-away of the joint statement issued Saturday by the U.S. and Russia that “builds on months of fairly intense discussions” and “behind-the-scenes diplomacy,” according to State Department officials. The three-part strategy aims to achieve an “enduring defeat” of Islamic State, “de-escalate the civil war” and hold “U.N.-supervised and organized parliamentary and presidential elections.”
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Embroiled in a dispute with Hamas over control in Gaza, the Palestinian president is trying to drum up support and economic aid from the Saudis, official tells Haaretz

By Jack Khoury, HAARETZ

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud walks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a reception ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 7, 2017. HANDOUT/REUTERS

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has received full backing from Saudi Arabia regarding his position on the reconciliation with Hamas, particularly in regard to the issue of putting all weapons under a single authority, a senior Palestinian official told Haaretz.

The official, who is in Abbas’ inner circle, said the backing was received in regard to the dispute that erupted around implementing the reconciliation agreement. A disagreement over the issue of day-to-day security and the operation of the Palestinian security services is at the heart of the conflict, particularly as they pertain to the border crossings and the operation of the government in Gaza City.
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WSJ

The anti-corruption actions will help make Saudi Arabia a vibrant 21st-century economy.
At a news conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on June 7, 2016. Photo: faisal al nasser/Reuters

When Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s progressive reform program, last year, the international community responded with cautious encouragement. Few disputed the necessity for reform or thought it failed the test of ambition. But there were doubts about Saudi Arabia’s ability to deliver.

Some openly said Saudi Arabia would not be able to take the painful decisions and implement the difficult trade-offs needed to push through such dramatic change and transformation. The implication was that the old system and traditions would stymie any attempt to modernize our economy and society to the level we ourselves set.
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Six illegal Arab high-rise buildings in Jerusalem to be demolished in controlled explosion.

By David Rosenberg, INN

The City of Jerusalem, in conjunction with Israeli security forces, is planning a massive demolition operation against an illegal neighborhood on the northern edge of the city.

According to a report by Kan 11 Sunday night, the Jerusalem municipality is taking aim at six illegally-built high-rise apartment buildings in the village of Kafr Aqab, which sits inside the municipal boundaries of the capital.

Kafr Aqab, while under full Israeli sovereignty and nominally under the authority of the City of Jerusalem, is outside of the security fence around the city and remains largely beyond the reach of Israeli law enforcement officials. Building violations are common in Kafr Aqab, and city officials say the six-building neighborhood targeted for demolition was built with no authorization whatsoever.

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November 2, 2017 marked the centenary of the Balfour Declaration. It was  a 63 word document issued by British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lord Walter Rothschild.  It is considered one of the legal pillars of the Jewish nation  of Israel.  Israel  on May 15, 1948 in the midst of an invasion by five Arab Armies that failed through seven successive conflicts to extinguish the return of a people to a land they once occupied.

The  100th anniversary of this fortunate event was celebrated in London at a gala dinner with both Israeli PM Netanyahu and UK PM  Theresa May and representatives of the UK Jewish community and the Rothschilds.

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by Sam Westrop, ISLAMIST WATCH

Be sure to read the Daily Caller’s lead feature piece from Friday about an MEF campaign to identify and challenge millions of dollars of donations from major American corporate, community and independent foundations to prominent Islamist groups with long histories of links to terror and extremism.

Daily Caller: “Investigation: Foundations Gave Millions To Groups Accused Of Terror Ties”

In a nutshell: since 2000, 51 corporate foundations, 8 community foundations, 1 donor-advised fund, and 9 private foundations have given an astounding $5.6 million to seven Islamist groups: Islamic Relief USA, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Muslim American Society (MAS), the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), ICNA Relief (the latter’s charitable wing), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
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DEBKA

The Syrian UAV was sent over the Golan, likely with Russian approval, to probe Israel’s flexibility on the buffer zones for keeping Syrian/Iranian/Hizballah forces far from its borders.

The Syrian UAV which flew over the Golan demilitarized zone Saturday, Nov. 11, was a direct result of the failure of US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to reach an agreement in time for the Danang summit in Vietnam on the political and military future of Syria.

They were at odds in particular on the depth of the buffer zone to be carved out between Syria and Israel. This is reported exclusively by DEBKAfile’s sources.
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The dish that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is preparing in Lebanon with the Hariri brothers may wind up overcooked

By Zvi Bar’el, HAARETZ

Lebanon’s Hariri family is on a wild roller coaster ride whose end is nowhere in sight. The head of the family, Saad Hariri, quit – or maybe was fired – his post as prime minister of Lebanon and is now under luxurious house arrest in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital.

The numerous media reports from the end of last week speak about the intentions of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to hand the reigns to Saad’s oldest brother, Bahaa El-Din Hariri, in his place. Relatives and senior members of Saad’s Future Movement (Al-Mustaqbal) party have been ordered to come to Riyadh and swear loyalty to Bahaa.
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Polygamy has been illegal in Israel since 1977, but in practice, authorities have looked the other way. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked has spearheaded a cabinet plan against it.

 BY BEN LYNFIELD, JPOST,

The first major step in what the government vows will be a major crackdown on polygamy among the Beduin has touched off an angry response from that community’s leaders, who distrust the motives behind the campaign.

Polygamy has been illegal in Israel since 1977, but in practice, authorities have looked the other way. However, in January, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, citing polygamy’s deleterious effect on Beduin women and children, spearheaded a cabinet plan to combat the phenomenon, including the prosecution of offenders.

Last month, the first such indictment was issued in the Beersheba Magistrate’s Court, sending shock waves through the Beduin community, where the percentage of men marrying more than one wife is estimated by women’s-rights groups to be around 40%.
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Critics of the plan say it violates international law by displacing a large number of Beduin from their ancestral lands.

BY BEN LYNFIELD, JPOST,

NIS 3 billion government plan aims to treat Beduin as citizens with equal rights and to better the status of Negev Beduin townships after years of neglect by the state, Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

But Beduin rights activists say its implementation would displace a large number of Beduin from their ancestral lands, in violation of international law.
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Ted Belman. When reading this hit piece, keep in mind who wrote it and who published it. The Palestinians have no national rights and no right to a state, no matter who much advocates claim otherwise. And the Palestinians living in Israel or Judea and Samaria, have more civil rights that any Arab living in an Arab country.

And don’t let them mislead you as to what the BDS movement is doing. It is not about calling for “divesting from a handful of U.S. companies that directly support the occupation and settlements, which are illegal under international law”.

Its about using the call for sanctions and divestment as a platform for demonizing Israel. Its victories are measured, not in how much economic harm they do Israel, but in how much damage they do to Israel’s reputation.  It specializes in using propaganda and false claims to delegitimate and smear Israel. A prime example it to reiterate as the author does here, that settlements are “illegal under international law.” No court of competant jurisdiction has ever held held this to be the case.

By Stephen Zunes, PROGRESSIVE

President Donald Trump’s recent nomination of Kenneth Marcus to the important post of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education constitutes a direct threat to academic freedom and freedom of association on college and university campuses.

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By PETER BAKER, NYT

President Trump with Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and a senior adviser, at the White House in July. Mr. Kushner is leading efforts to broker a Middle East peace deal.

WASHINGTON — President Trump and his advisers have begun developing their own concrete blueprint to end the decades-old conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, a plan intended to go beyond previous frameworks offered by the American government in pursuit of what the president calls “the ultimate deal.”

After 10 months of educating themselves on the complexities of the world’s most intractable dispute, White House officials said, Mr. Trump’s team of relative newcomers to Middle East peacemaking has moved into a new phase of its venture in hopes of transforming what it has learned into tangible steps to end a stalemate that has frustrated even presidents with more experience in the region.
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During the early part of November, the Israeli press extensively covered yet another cancellation of a pro-Israel speaker in America. This time the outrage occurred at Princeton University, one of America’s most elite universities, and was perpetrated by Hillel, the world’s largest Jewish campus organization! This isn’t trivial. It’s an example of the widespread assault on the 1st Amendment right of free speech.

Disclaimer: I quit the ACLU in 1978 when it protected the “right” of the neo-Nazi Nationalist Socialist Party of America to march in the heavily Jewish town of Skokie, IL. “Right” or not, it was a disgusting decision which, in my opinion, violated the spirit of the 1st Amendment.

Seeing the many articles in local Israeli papers about the Hillel chapter’s refusal to allow a speaker from Israel’s government to speak on campus, I thought I might write about it. I reasoned that our American friends must be outraged by yet another instance of the shutting down of free speech. I was wrong.
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