by Jonathan Spyer, The Jerusalem Report May 9, 2017

The mortar shells came early in the morning. At about 5. At regular intervals. Solemn and sinister. They were a reminder of how close it all was. We were in the old city of Damascus. There was still fighting in Jobar, about two kilometers away. The rebels had also counter-attacked from the east, from the suburbs in eastern Ghouta, in the previous week. A shell had landed in the precinct of the Umayyad Mosque. This was not in accordance with the line being promoted by the regime, according to which the rebellion was on the verge of defeat. But there it was.
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India went on to fight three further wars against Pakistan, in 1965, 1971 and 1999, while Israel has fought 10 more wars.

By Jonathan Adelman, JPOST

As Israel has emerged recently on the world stage, its foreign relationships have blossomed.

US President Donald Trump will be visiting Israel at the end of the month.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited Russian President Vladimir Putin five times in less than two years and speaks to him frequently on the phone. Netanyahu recently went on a tour of four African nations. Israel is working closely with Sunni Arab states that share a hatred and fear of Iran.
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For Chinese buyers, Israeli assets are not only more easily accessible than in the United States, they are also often cheaper, say lawyers and bankers.

BY REUTERS

HONG KONG/TEL AVIV – Struggling to seal deals in the United States as regulatory scrutiny tightens, Chinese companies looking to invest in promising technology are finding a warmer welcome for their cash in Israel.

Chinese firms have long hunted in the United States for deals to develop their technological know-how and open up new markets, but their quarry has become more elusive since late 2016 due to increased US protectionism and a tougher regulatory stance.
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Justice Minister doesn’t rule out action to restrict judicial power. ‘If the judges don’t do it themselves, the Knesset may have to act.’

By Ido ben Porat, INN

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) is not ruling out the possibility that the Knesset will need to restrict the the power of the judicial system and the right to file suit, in light of the fact that the courts in Israel have started to rule on security and other matters which ought to be determined by elected officials in the Knesset and government.
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By Ariel Kahana, TOI

We are one step away from what might be a historic moment without us realizing it. Near the end of this month, President Donald Trump will visit Israel for the first time. Also at the end of this month, Israel will celebrate its 50th anniversary of the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem. At the same time, President Trump will have to decide whether or not to execute the “Jerusalem Embassy Act”.

This 1995 legislation that was approved by the vast majority of Congress says the following: Read more…

T. Belman. The is no such thing as equality of values. Sooner or later a choice has to be made preferring one over the other. Israeli courts have long considered the value of democracy sacrosanct. They will continue to do so long after we have a Basic Law saying they are equal. The new law must establish the supremacy of the Jewish value. I see no problem in holding that the Jewish character of the state is the highest value. The whole idea of Zionism was to establish a Jewish state as opposed to a state of all its citizens or a democratic state. Being democratic should not be on an equal footing with being Jewish.

Avi Dichter has been working for six years on legislation to define Israel as a Jewish state. Now, with government backing, he says the controversial proposal is on its way to becoming law

BY RAOUL WOOTLIFF, TOI

[..] “This time, it’s going to pass,” he insisted, a day after the Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted unanimously in favor of throwing coalition support behind the proposal.

Judaism is already mentioned throughout the country’s laws, and religious authorities control many aspects of life, including marriage. But the 11 existing Basic Laws deal mostly with state institutions like the Knesset, the courts or the presidency, while Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty defines Israel’s democratic character. The nation state bill, proponents say, would put Jewish values on equal footing with democratic values.
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In the White House “Game of Thrones for morons,” Steve Bannon is trying to turn the president against his national security advisor.

BY KATE BRANNENMAY, FOREIGN POLICY

Inside the White House, opponents of Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, President Donald Trump’s second national security advisor, want him out. This week, they’ve made their campaign against him public, leaking to reporters details about the rocky relationship he has with his boss and trying to paint him as someone hellbent on overseas nation-building projects that are doomed to fail. The timing isn’t accidental. The effort to damage McMaster comes as the Trump administration decides what its policy should be in Afghanistan, a debate that’s pitting McMaster against Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist.
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By Carol Brown, AMERICAN THINKER

On Sunday, the people of France voted overwhelmingly for their demise. Of course, that’s not what they think they voted for. But it is.

They think they voted for “inclusion,” “fairness,” “diversity,” and all the rest of the hogwash served up by the leftist/globalist/communist/Islamo-fascists because hogwash is a favorite dish among useful idiots.

But make no mistake: the French people voted to assure their ruin by electing a candidate who doesn’t even believe there’s such a thing as “French culture.” Because, of course, France is “diverse.”
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By MICHAEL R. GORDON and ERIC SCHMITT, NYT

WASHINGTON — President Trump has approved a plan to arm Syrian Kurds so they can participate in the battle to retake Raqqa from the Islamic State, a strategy that has drawn deep opposition from Turkey, a NATO ally.

American military commanders have long argued that arming the Y.P.G., a Kurdish militia fighting alongside Syrian Arab forces against the Islamic State, is the fastest way to seize Raqqa, the capital of the militants’ self-proclaimed caliphate.

And Mr. Trump, who made fighting Islamist militants a priority during his campaign, again showed the high regard he has for Pentagon generals by endorsing their advice when faced with a policy dilemma.
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Frans Timmermans, First Vice President of the European Commission, denounces anti-Semitism.

By Yoni Kempinski, INN

Frans Timmermans, First Vice President of the European Commission, said on Tuesday that “there is no Europe without the Jewish Community”.

Timmermans spoke at the Conference of European Rabbi’s 60th Anniversary Gala Dinner, held in Amsterdam. The Gala Dinner was chaired by the Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam, Rabbi Eliezer Wolff.

“Europe is faced with a huge surge of anti-Semitism, which is inspired by people coming from elsewhere, who were raised with anti-Semitism. Our society should be helping them to get it out of their system and signs of anti-Semitism should not remain unaddressed. But sadly, we also face the eternal European anti-Semitism, which is live and kicking,” said Timmermans in his remarks.
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FOX NEWS

President Trump on Tuesday fired FBI Director James Comey, abruptly ending a rocky year-long stretch for the top law enforcement officer who came under fire for his handling of the Clinton email probe — and whose agency has been investigating whether Trump’s campaign had ties to Russia.

“The FBI is one of our nation’s most cherished and respected institutions, and today will mark a new beginning for our crown jewel of law enforcement,” Trump said.
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By Natasha Bertrand, BUSINESS INSIDER

Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates will testify at a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing Monday about Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Yates, who was fired from her position as acting attorney general after refusing to enforce an executive order by President Donald Trump in January, was due to be interviewed by the Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism on Monday about reports that she warned the White House in January about former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s contact with Russia’s ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak.
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JIHAD WATCH

• “NATO ally” Turkey threatens to strike U.S. forces partnered with Kurds
• Survey shows large percentages of Muslim men approve of honor killing, wife-beating, marital rape
• Pakistan: Christian pastor gets life imprisonment for “blasphemous” text message
• NY State Education Department promoted lesson plan teaching students to sympathize with Islamic jihad suicide bombers

‘Palestinian problem with us more than 120 years is fact we exist,’ says Science Minister. ‘I expect Trump to announce transfer of embassy.’

By Mordechai Sones, INN

Minister of Science and Technology Ophir Akunis (Likud) relates to US President Donald Trump’s attempts to renew the political process between Israel and the Arabs, noting that the Arabs have always been opposed to peace, stressing that he strongly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state.

In an interview with Arutz Sheva from the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York, Akunis said that Israel would not agree to a construction freeze in Judea and Samaria if the PA demanded it as a condition for starting negotiations.
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By Ted Belman

GIL HOFFMAN reports today that Netanyahu told a confidant in a private conversation Monday, “You don’t understand how much influence he has over Trump,” Evidently Netanyahu was furious about the American Jewish leader’s meeting with Abbas. Netanyahu also said ““Out of the people around Trump, he is my biggest challenge to overcome.””

Likud MK Anat Berko said Netanyahu is in favor of reviving diplomatic talks.
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The crooked European states, champions of human rights and feminism, are allied with Islamic regimes. Here is why.

By Giulio Meotti, INN

What do dictatorships such as Iran, China, Qatar, Sudan have in common with one of the most advanced democracies in the world, Sweden? A vote at Unesco which last Monday canceled the Jewish roots of Jerusalem, accusing Israel of being “the occupying power” in its own capital and holy city (“fake history” as Benjamin Netanyahu responded). That’s what.

Stockholm, in fact, was the only European country to vote in favor of the resolution of the UN agency for “culture” and science alongside the Arab-Islamic regimes on the day celebrating the independence of the Jewish State (my country, Italy, finally voted against the resolution, while France abstained).
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Makes no mention of concessions agreed to by Abbas

MEMRI

On May 7, 2017, the Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam published a detailed article on Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud ‘Abbas’s May 3 visit in Washington, titled “The Secrets and Details of President [‘Abbas’s] Visit and Talks in the U.S. Capital.” The article, by the daily’s U.S. correspondent ‘Abd Al-Rauf Arnaut, described ‘Abbas’s meetings with American officials as relaxed, and the hosts’ reception of ‘Abbas and his delegation as warm and respectful.
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By Robert Spencer, JIHAD WATCH

The Canadian Interfaith Conversation starts tomorrow, and will feature Ingrid Mattson and Amira Elghawaby as speakers.

Mattson is a former President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).

“The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) was established in July 1981 by U.S-based members of the Muslim Brotherhood with a background as leaders of the Muslim Students Association (MSA). As author and terrorism expert Steven Emerson puts it, ISNA “grew out of the Muslim Students Association, which also was founded by Brotherhood members.” Indeed, Muslim Brothers would dominate ISNA’s leadership throughout the Society’s early years. Striving “to advance the cause of Islam and serve Muslims in North America so as to enable them to adopt Islam as a complete way of life,” ISNA was highly dependent upon Saudi funding during its early years.” — from Discover the Networks
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