INTO THE FRAY: “Palestine”: Who has moral high ground?  

By MARTIN SHERMAN

The “Humanitarian Paradigm”, advocating funded emigration for the resolution of the “Palestinian problem”, will be the most humane of all options if it succeeds, and the least inhumane if it does not.

Even if the Palestinians agree that their state have no army or weapons, who can guarantee that a Palestinian army would not be mustered later to encamp at the gates of Jerusalem and the approaches to the lowlands? And if the Palestinian state would be unarmed, how would it block terrorist acts perpetrated by extremists, fundamentalists or irredentists? –Shimon Peres, The New Middle East (1993), on the perils of the two-state prescription.

Free institutions are next to impossible in a country made up of different nationalities. Among a people without fellow-feeling, especially if they read and speak different languages, the united public opinion, necessary to the working of representative government, cannot exist. –John Stuart Mill, On Representative Government, (1861) on the perils of the one-state prescription.
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February 24, 2017 | 2:37 pm | 5 Comments »

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Isaac Herzog Details His 10-point Plan for Israeli-Palestinian Peace  

T. Belman. And what happens if they don’t abide like they didn’t with Oslo requirements? Who decides if they are in compliance. Israel should be able, in its discretion, to decide and then to build houses and start the 10 year period again. Of course the PA will never agree to this. Also if we are going to allow them to build in area C we should also be allowed to build there beyond the settlements.

The reason that the left and the right differ so much is that the left values peace the right values the land first and foremost. The left is so enamoured with the TSS that they ignore the danger to Israel it brings with it. The right value the land so much they are prepared suffer the slings and arrows emanating from the international displeasure whereas the left can’t stand the ostracism..

Israeli opposition leader’s plan: Sides will agree on decade of calm, during which time West Bank will be a violence and incitement-free zone; settlement construction outside blocs will be frozen, with more powers to Palestinians – only then negotiations.

By Isaac Herzog, HAARETZ

A few days ago a dramatic report by Barak Ravid appeared in this newspaper about a secret summit meeting, held about a year ago in Aqaba by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, King Abdullah of Jordan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

It was on the basis of this meeting, whose occurrence the prime minister has confirmed, together with other steps taken at the same time, that I was prepared to examine with Netanyahu a national unity government in the period March-May 2016.

The information published in Haaretz on February 19 exposed a small part of the great opportunity Israel had to change the face of the entire Middle East, and which could have brought great hope to our people and to the nations of the region. The historic move, which for obvious reasons was covert, was intended to prevent more rounds of violence and bloodshed.
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February 23, 2017 | 8:58 am | 13 Comments »

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Saudi spy chief visits Israel, Ramallah  

DEBKA

The director of Saudi Arabia’s General intelligence agency, Khalid Bin Ali Al Humaidan, paid surprise visits to Ramallah and Jerusalem on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 21-22. Neither Palestinian nor Israeli officials have confirmed that the visit took place.

Last week, DEBKA Weekly carried an exclusive report that Iranian engineers were working round the clock on a project dubbed “Riyadh First,” for adding an extra 100km to the intermediate range of the Scud-C (600km) and Scud-D (700km) surface missiles, to enable them to reach the Saudi capital and explode in the center of Riyadh.
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February 23, 2017 | 7:43 am | Comments »

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Shaked Victorious: Four New Justices May Tame Hyper-Activist Supreme Court  

By David Israel, JEWISH PRESS

The Committee for Selecting Supreme Court Justices on Wednesday evening announced its four new appointments: Jerusalem District Court Judge Dr. David Mintz, Haifa District Judge Yael Willner, President of the District Court in Haifa Yosef Elron, and Tel Aviv District Court Judge George Kara.

The new judges will replace outgoing justices Naor, Rubinstein, Jubran and Zilbertal.
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February 23, 2017 | 6:28 am | 2 Comments »

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Why US corporate giants like Intel need fresh Israeli tech  

Mammoth American multinationals depend on ingenuity from small Israeli startups to drive their businesses forward.

By Abigail Klein Leichman, ISRAEL 21c
Intel "Be the Player" at Super Bowl. Photo courtesy

To understand the strong and rising impact of Israeli startups on the US tech scene, consider this month’s Super Bowl LI.

Intel and FOX Sports unveiled a 360-degree “Be the Player” replay technology  giving viewers an unprecedented, immersive player’s-eye view on the football championship.

The groundbreaking technology was first developed in Israel by eight-person Replay Technologies in collaboration with Intel, which then developed it further with a large team after buying the 3D video technology startup in March 2016 as the cornerstone of its new Intel Sports Group.
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February 22, 2017 | 7:53 pm | 2 Comments »

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Enjoy  

WHAT HE SAYS IS ALL TRUE BUT THIS PANEL NEVER TOOK PLACE

February 22, 2017 | 1:18 pm | 5 Comments »

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The end of Palestine  

By Daniel Greenfield

Palestine is many things. A Roman name and a Cold War lie. Mostly it’s a justification for killing Jews.

Palestine was an old Saudi-Soviet scam which invented a fake nationality for the Arab clans who had invaded and colonized Israel. This big lie transformed the leftist and Islamist terrorists run by them into the liberators of an imaginary nation. Suddenly the efforts of the Muslim bloc and the Soviet bloc to destroy the Jewish State became an undertaking of sympathetically murderous underdogs.

But the Palestine lie is past its sell by date.
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February 22, 2017 | 8:52 am | 6 Comments »

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SA’AR: No concessions for regional effort  

T. Belman. I totally agree. Regional Arabs will act in their best interests without an Israeli sweetener. They need us and we don’t need them. I have often stated that a deal with the region’s Arabs will not bear fruit and that the region is as intransigent as ever. Keep an eye on Saar.

Poll shows former minister is front-runner to replace Netanyahu.

BY GIL HOFFMAN, JPOST

Gideon Sa'ar

Israel should not be forced to pay a diplomatic price for security cooperation with moderate Sunni states in the region, former minister Gideon Sa’ar said Tuesday at an international conference on Strategic Challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean,organized by the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and B’nai B’rith International, at Bar-Ilan University.
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February 22, 2017 | 8:14 am | 4 Comments »

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‘Israel must not waste Trump’s presidency’  

By Benny Tocker, INN

Yoram Ettinger, the former Israeli consul in Washington, DC, on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to take advantage of President Donald Trump’s time in office to carry out meaningful moves.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Ettinger said Trump understands that a Palestinian state would be a “great burden” and is thus open to other alternatives.

“Israel must leverage these next four years and not spend the credit on being cautious and tiptoeing around so as not to offend the president,” he said. “We have to understand that the American president works using American considerations and he understands that a Palestinian state would be great burden, so he is going down a completely different path.”
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February 22, 2017 | 7:55 am | Comments »

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Egypt and Jordan: ‘No concessions’ on Palestinian state  

T. Belman. This is music to my ears. As you know, I am pushing the Jordan is Palestine option. The more intransigent the Arabs are, the more likely Kushner will opt for the Jordan solution.

Egypt’s President and Jordanian King reiterate their support for a two-state solution.

By Elad Benari, INN

King Abdullah and Al-Sisi

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan on Tuesday stressed there could be no concessions on establishing a Palestinian state.

The announcement, which was made in a statement after the two leaders met in Cairo, came after President Donald Trump’s administration suggested last week it would not insist on a Palestinian state for a Middle East peace agreement.
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February 22, 2017 | 7:48 am | 2 Comments »

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Trump issues long-awaited condemnation of anti-Semitism  

TOI

Trump says JCC bomb threats a ‘sad reminder’ of evil

During a press conference at the museum, Trump expands on his earlier condemnation of anti-Semitism, speaking directly about a recent wave of bomb threats against Jewish community centers across the US.

“The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community centers are horrible and are painful, and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil,” he says.

“Anti-Semitism is horrible and it’s gonna stop and it’s got to stop,” he says.

February 21, 2017 | 5:47 pm | 6 Comments »

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How does placing sanctions on Russia help America?  

By Alex Markovsky, THE HILL

Americans, being a moral people, want their foreign policy to reflect the values we espouse as a nation. But Americans, being a practical people, also want their foreign policy to be effective. – George Shultz

A day after President Trump’s first dialogue with Vladimir Putin, leading congressional Republicans made clear they oppose any attempt by the new administration to wipe away U.S. penalties imposed on Moscow by Obama’s White House. “I’m absolutely opposed to lifting sanctions on the Russians,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “If anything, we ought to be looking at increasing them.”

McConnell is in good company with fellow Republican Sens. John McCain and Marco Rubio, and with Democrats, who see the fundamental aim of American foreign policy toward Russia as the perpetual confrontation of evil.
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February 21, 2017 | 3:05 pm | 5 Comments »

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The Logic of Trump’s Foreign Policy  

The basic contours of a consistent approach are beginning to take shape.

By Michael Auslin, WSJ

Displaying

Amid the seeming disarray of President Trump’s foreign policy, critics seem unable to make up their minds: Either Mr. Trump is upending America’s traditional postwar priorities, such as by denigrating NATO, or he is easily accommodating conventional wisdom, such as by accepting the “One China” policy. Which is it?

These critiques miss the logical thread that ties together Mr. Trump’s actions. Although it is too early to expect the president’s foreign policy to be fully fleshed out, especially after the abrupt resignation of Mike Flynn as national security adviser, the White House appears to be guided by a consistent approach.
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February 21, 2017 | 11:13 am | 3 Comments »

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OUR WORLD: Senator Menendez and the Pollard Effect  

Pollard’s disproportionate punishment is a powerful expression of official, state-sanctioned antisemitism in America.

BY CAROLINE B. GLICK, JPOST

Jonathan and Esther Pollard

Speaking to his ministers on Sunday about his visit last week to Washington, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heralded a new era in US-Israel relations. To a degree, he was correct.

When US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greeted Netanyahu and his wife Sara as they alighted from their car at the southern entrance to the White House, Trump demonstrated that the eight years of hostile treatment Israel suffered at the hands of his predecessor Barack Obama were no more.
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February 21, 2017 | 8:16 am | 9 Comments »

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Rubio: Settlements are the smallest obstacle to 2-state solution  

Participating in Senate hearing for David Friedman as Ambassador to Israel, Rubio explains why two-state solution is not viable.

By Hillel Fendel, INN

Marco Rubio

David Friedman’s nomination for United States Ambassador to Israel, which is to be voted on in the Senate on March 1, has provided many headlines – not least of which is Senator Marco Rubio’s speech of support for Israel and against the two-state solution.

Friedman was grilled by several Senators on Feb. 16, and was called on in particular to defend remarks that he has made in the past.

One Senator, however – former Presidential candidate Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) – took the opportunity not only to ridicule the need to do this, but to explain concisely why the U.S. should support Israel whole-heartedly and why a Palestinian state is not currently a realistic option.
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February 21, 2017 | 8:02 am | 5 Comments »

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Neither One Nor Two States  

By Ted Belman

Will that be one state or two?

Pres Trump told PM Netanyahu in their joint press conference on Wednesday, he that “likes the one both parties like.” He also said on another occasion that he wasn’t going to pressure Israel to make a deal.

The importance of his remarks is that the object of the exercise for the US is to make a deal rather than to create a Palestinian state. The push back on this has been substantial, not only from the EU and the UN but also from some officials in the State Department.

To deflect some of the criticism, the Nikki Haley, the US Amb to the U.N., framed it this way, “We absolutely support the two-state solution but we are thinking out of the box as well.” Read more…

February 21, 2017 | 7:15 am | 4 Comments »

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At secret summit, Netanyahu said to have offered freeze outside settlement blocs  

T. Belman. It is this deal in all probability, that Netanyahu and Trump want to build upon. So far we haven’t heard what is to happen with the settlements outside the blocs. Remember Bibi suggested that they remain in the Arab state and that the inhabitants can come back to Israel when they want. Remember also that Bibi told Kerry that he was prepared to these parameters in 2014 also.

In Aqaba meet last Feb. with Kerry, Sissi and King Abduallh, PM reportedly presented five-point plan to launch regional initiative aimed at reviving peace talks with Palestinians

BY RAOUL WOOTLIFF AND STUART WINER, TOI

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem, on February 19, 2017.(Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

At a secret summit with Arab leaders on a regional peace push last year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly presented a five-point plan that included an offer to freeze construction in areas outside the settlements blocs in the West Bank.

According to a report early Monday in the Haaretz daily, which first broke the story of the meeting with then-US Secretary of State John Kerry, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Jordan’s King Abdullah, on February 21, 2016, Netanyahu asked in exchange for the freeze that the US recognize construction and expansion within the large settlement blocs, areas which are expected to remain part of Israel in any peace agreement with the Palestinians.
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February 20, 2017 | 2:07 pm | 4 Comments »

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Herzog: Right-wing ministers scuttled regional peace deal  

T. Belman. This deal involved the Obama/Kerry parameters, i.e., ’67 lines plus swaps and divided Jerusalem. It proposed a 10 year period to resolve the outstanding issues during which Israel could build in the blocs with everyone’s consent. During this period, “the area of dispute is clean of terror, incitement and adverse activities. And simultaneously, the Palestinians get more civil authority in Area C”. And what happens if it isn’t? In commercial contracts, lawyers provide for such breaches. They spell out the consequences.  But in Arab/Israeli deals they never do. I would remind you that Israel got this promise in Oslo. So Herzog is recycling the promise to get more consideration form Israel. We are therefore paying for it twice. THERE IS NO REASON THAT A DEAL MUST BE BASED ON 100% WITHDRAWAL.

Opposition leader says ‘history will judge Netanyahu’ for allowing his allies to derail agreement that would have ‘changed the region’

BY RAPHAEL AHREN, TOI

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog speaks at the 14th annual Jerusalem Conference of the 'Besheva' group, on February 12, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog on Monday confirmed reports that he entered negotiations to join a unity government last year in the framework of a secret regional agreement that was discussed at the time, arguing that the potentially historic deal fell through because Prime Minister Benjamin eventually caved in to domestic political pressures.

Addressing American-Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, Herzog (Zionist Union) said Netanyahu had been willing to appoint him foreign minister to oversee a process that would include a freeze on settlement construction outside the settlement blocs — areas of the West Bank that Israel would seek to retain under a peace deal — in return for international and Arab consent to building within the blocs.
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February 20, 2017 | 1:43 pm | 2 Comments »

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Trump Takin’ It to the Left: I’m Lovin’ It!  

Ignore the hit-jobs emanating from most of the MSM. Stand by Trump as he calls them out.

By Lloyd Marcus,  AMERICAN THINKER

I received this slick campaign video in my email, titled “How To Resist The Trump Agenda,” and thought it was a joke.  After realizing that the video was for real, I thought, “What the…?!”

Folks, I’ve been a black Tea Party guy from its beginning.  I penned, recorded, and performed “The American Tea Party Anthem” at over 500 Tea Party rallies on 14 national bus tours.

Thus, I witnessed that the movement was filled with white duped Obama voters who had realized he was driving us to a place we did not want to go: down the road to socialism.  Tea Partiers’ opposition had nothing to do with Obama’s skin color.  And yet despicable leftist fake news media portrayed opposing Obama’s unlawful overreaches as racist and unpatriotic.  Well, now that same immoral media is boldly leading the charge to oppose everything Trump while elevating every Trump resister to sainthood. Suddenly, leftists have decreed that opposing our president is the epitome of patriotism and moral righteousness.
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February 20, 2017 | 12:58 pm | 2 Comments »

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