By Ted Belman

Recently Nathaniel Berman, a Professor on International Law, wrote an article titled The Settlement Legality Debate: FAQ  It was extremely well argued.  I was not equipped to meet him head on or to refute his analysis.

A friend of mine from Canada, Mark Vandermass, entered the fray with
The Mandate is the foundation of Israel’s right to the land west of the Jordan River. I tip my hat to him.

Berman decided to take his arguments to task by commenting, and the subsequent comments from myself and others were well worth reading. So go to Vandermass’ article and read all the comments. You will be glad you did.

BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 466, May 15, 2017

Dr. Edy Cohen

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: No solution for the Palestinian refugee problem is possible so long as justice is not served for the Jewish refugees from the Arab countries.

The Palestinians and their erstwhile international champions are commemorating Nakba Day on May 15. Just as the Jerusalem mufti Hajj Amin Husseini, the Palestinian Arabs’ leader from the early 1920s to the late 1940s, would habitually condemn the Balfour Declaration from his World War II Berlin headquarters to ingratiate himself with his Nazi masters, so May 15, the date when the British Mandate ended and the state of Israel came into being, has become the day on which the Palestinians’ annually commemorate their self-inflicted “catastrophe” (or Nakba).
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DEBKA

US special forces, together with British and Jordanian elite troops, moved into southern Syria late Sunday, May 14. They were acting to counter the Syrian-Iranian scheme to nullify the American plan for posting Jordanian forces in southeastern Syria, which timed for the days before US President Donald Trump’s trip to the Middle East.

The US-led armored force with British and Jordanian units crossed from northern Jordan through the Tanf Border-Crossing between the Hashemite Kingdom, Iraq and Syria, and took up positions capable of consolidating their control of the main road between Palmyra and Baghdad. Some of their moves were coordinated with Israel.
(See map).
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T. Belman. On Mar 26/17, I posted  a book review of Harmony over Peace: Eternal values of the Hebrew Bible by Michael Derfler. In light of my posts today on Counter Culture and Jihad he suggested that the following chapter from his book would be very interesting to my followers. I think he is right.

By Michael Derfler

How can we explain the partnership of the Left with fundamentalist Islam against Israel?

Balak: Numbers 22:2 – 25:9

“Israel dwelled in Sheeteem, and the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab.” (Numbers 25:1)

Israel fought several nations before arriving at the border of the Land of Israel. The nation of Israel was never a threat to these nations; Israel only wanted to pass through their lands. In our reading, Balak, the leader of Moab, realized that military force alone would not stop the people of Israel from reaching the Land of Israel, so he enlisted Balaam to use his supernatural ability to curse Israel. When Balaam’s words failed, Balaam advised using “love” to accomplish Balak’s goal.[1] From these events we see that as Israel approaches the Land, there arises a drive to stop them, whether through force, words, or “love.”
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T. Belman. I really enjoyed this article. Helps explain a lot.

By Eileen F. Toplansky, AMERICAN THINKER

In fathoming the failure of Europeans to protect their own interests against the onslaught of Islamic jihadism, one is reminded of Ayn Rand’s quotation that “[r]eason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them[.]”

Bruce Bawer, an astute observer of the European scene, wonders how “Marine Le Pen lost in a landslide” given all the jihadist assaults against the French people and the very culture of France. Bawer offers three possibilities that include:
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This Man Has Over One Billion Views, Leftists Panic

Authors of proposed amendment to Basic Law: The Judiciary argue that petitions are being used as a political tool that bypasses the elected government • Israel Democracy Institute: Amendment is a blow to rule of law and public interest.

By Yair Altman, ISRAEL HAYOM

The Ministerial Committee on Legislation was scheduled to discuss on Sunday a proposed amendment to the Basic Law: The Judiciary that would allow an individual or group to petition the High Court of Justice only if they are personally harmed by the issue that is the subject of the petition.

“In recent years, we have witnessed growing erosion of the criteria that limit the right to petition the High Court to people who are directly hurt by the issue of the petition,” the proposed amendment’s abstract reads.

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By Eyal Zisser, ISRAEL HAYOM

In 1970, Syrian forces invaded Jordan to assist the Palestine Liberation Organization in its fight against King Hussein, the father of King Abdullah, and bring down the Hashemite Kingdom. At the request of the U.S., Israel stepped up to help Jordan. The IDF was put on alert and the Syrians received a stern message from Jerusalem via Washington that if the Syrian forces continued to advance into Jordan, Israel would intervene in the ensuing battles. The aggressive message was effective, and the Syrians had other good reasons to stop before it was too late. The Syrian forces retreated back into Syria, and Jordan and the U.S. were in Israel’s debt.
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Hundreds of thousands of Israelis flocked to Mount Meron in the northern Galilee Saturday night for a pilgrimage and festival of bonfires and prayers honoring the famed Talmudic sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai.

The event, which takes place on the Lag B’Omer holiday, is one of the largest annual public gatherings in Israel, drawing mostly ultra-Orthodox Jews.
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Private and government professionals set up virtual war room to stave off WannaCry cyberattack, which affected over 70 countries

BY SHOSHANNA SOLOMON, TOI

As businesses resumed activities after the weekend in Israel, the nation was still assessing how many organizations and companies had been compromised by a massive electronic attack that hit over 70 countries around the world. But quick and joint action by cyber experts in Israel helped keep the attack at bay, a cybersecurity expert said on Sunday.

“We are still assessing the damage,” Sharon Nimirovski, the founder and CEO of Tel Aviv based cyber firm White Hat said in a phone interview. “We are working on this event around the clock and Israeli firms have been hit but we still believe it is minor. We are still investigating. The systems have been infected, but we don’t see damage. The attack reached the computers but was blocked.”
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T. Belman. Trump threw cold water on rampant speculation.

Israelis and Palestinians hold out great expectations for Trump’s arrival, hopeful the new president will articulate a path forward in their stalled peace process.

BY MICHAEL WILNER, JPOST

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump does not plan on hosting a trilateral summit with Israel and the Palestinian Authority during his trip to Jerusalem next week, senior Trump administration officials told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday.

Trump will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and, barring security complications, will also meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem during his first international trip as president.
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The left often supports anti-western radicalism the way their predecessors supported Communist dictatorships.

By Matthew Hausmann, INN

Donald Trump’s presidency has exposed deep divisions in American society which are being exploited by zealots seeking to suppress speech and quell dissent. In aping European-style social democracies that are imploding under the weight of unsustainable economic programs and collectivist mediocrity, foot soldiers of the left are hawking an agenda that leaves no room for debate. They claim diversity as a virtue but reject diversity of opinion, and seek to impose oppressive homogeneity on popular culture through stultifying political correctness. They also display contempt for western values – often expressed as kneejerk affinity for anti-western radicalism – in much the same way their intellectual forebears shilled for Communist dictatorships during the last century.

It seems useful idiocy never goes out of style.
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T. Belman. Dignity requires respect for the Palestinian narrative which as we know is a lie. Besides, why are they entitled to dignity given all their lies and breaches of all other deals made. Considering how they incite and advocate the killing of Jews, why are they entitled to dignity. The opposite, they should be controlled.

The fact that trump is even mentioning “self determination” and “dignity” for the Palestinians is a bad starting point for America to intervene in negotiations.

He should have promised Israel that all former treaties or agreements will be honoured inclujding the Palestine Mandate and res 242.

By Dr. Aaron Lerner , IMRA

“Trump plans, in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to “reaffirm America’s unshakeable bond to the Jewish state” and in a meeting with Abbas to “express his desire for dignity and self-determination for the
Palestinians.” U.S. national security adviser H.R. McMaster – 13 May, 2017

About “self determination”  – its time for Prime Minister Netanyahu to make it absolutely clear that the only relevant form of “self determination” for the Palestinians is a form of autonomy.  A NECESSARY condition for any truly viable arrangement is that it does NOT provide for Palestinian sovereignty.
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By Neil Munro, BREITBART

In an interview with pro-globalist Economist magazine, Trump was asked: “Do you want to curb legal immigration?” Trump responded by saying he prefers merit-based immigration of skilled people. The interviewer pressed him again on the scale of legal immigration, asking “[are you] not looking to reduce the numbers?”

“No, no, no, no, we want people coming in legally. No, very strongly,” Trump replied, as two of his economic advisors sat beside him — top economic staffer Gary Cohn, and Steve Mnuchin, the Secretary of the Treasury.
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T. Belman. Everyone is advising Netanyahu to cooperate with Pres Trump. No one is telling Netanyahu what’s in it for Israel. Netanyahu’s obligation is to get a deal that Israelis want rather than to cooperate for the sake of cooperating. This is BS. If Trump is aiming for a deal that is a variant of Olmert’s deal, forget it. If Trump wants Israel to cooperate than give Israel a deal that warrant’s cooperation. The deal must appeal to the government rather than to Herzog. And the government must give the people what they want rather than to give Netanyahu what he will settle for.

I don’t like this pressure to cooperate without knowing what is in it for us. Netanyahu is like a moth who flies too close to the fire.

But wait. McMaster says Trump  “will express his desire for dignity and self-determination for the Palestinians”. Interesting. This coming from a President who has yet to endorse a Palestinian state. Could it be that Trump will only offer the Palestinians autonomy sufficient to express their self termination. If so Netanyahu is on board.  Israel would get to stay in the West Bank and perhaps build in much of Area C. Watch this carefully.

Opposition leader promises his support if Netanyahu attempts to make progress

BY TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF

US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt has “unequivocally” stressed that the White House is striving to achieve a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, the Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog said Saturday.

“Trump’s envoy to the Middle East told me unequivocally that the president of the United States is determined to reach an agreement between us and the Palestinians,” Herzog said during an event in the central Israeli city of Rishon Lezion.
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The U.S. president’s envoy, Jason Greenblatt, is suddenly getting chummy with peacenik Tzipi Livni, Bibi’s archrival

By Yossi Verter, HAARETZ

The anxiety seeping into the Israeli right wing ahead of Donald Trump’s visit is comparable only to the euphoria that gripped it when the ostensible master deal maker was elected U.S. president. What Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett and his political cohorts saw as the realization of a dream of generations turned into a potential nightmare. Read more…

Increased pressure from Abbas could push Hamas to try to pull off a cross-border raid | Israel’s massive anti-tunnel barrier is causing Hamas to up its posts on the other side ? which isn’t necessarily bad

By Amos Harel, Haaretz

Work on Israel’s anti-tunnel barrier on the Gaza border, 2017. Amir Cohen / Reuters

In recent weeks, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been gradually ramping up the pressure on the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip. One punitive measure has followed another: ceasing to pay the tax on imported fuel, slashing salaries by one-third for 45,000 civil servants in Gaza who are still paid by the PA, ceasing to pay for Gaza’s electricity from Israel.
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Thank you for proving Jews can’t trust the world’s promises!

By Mark Vandermass, ISRAEL TRUTH WEEK

Israel’s land title deed: The Mandate For Palestine w/Note re Trans-Jordan…the ORIGINAL two-state solution

Nathaniel Berman’s  The Settlement Legality Debate: FAQ, is not the gospel.

The author raises a number of interesting points for his views regarding the weakness of Israel’s claim to Judea and Samaria. As an advocate/trainer who teaches Zionist freedom fighters about Israel’s land title deed, the Mandate For Palestine, and how to use it to destroy the fake ‘occupation’ narrative, I am primarily concerned with his dismissal of those who use the Mandate as a foundation for defending Israel’s legal rights.

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