By WALTER RUSSELL MEAD and SEAN KEELEY, AMERICAN INTEREST

8. Israel

This year there’s a new name on our list of the Eight Greats: Israel. A small country in a chaotic part of the world, Israel is a rising power with a growing impact on world affairs. Although 2016 saw the passage of yet another condemnation of Israel at the United Nations, this time in the Security Council thanks to an American decision to abstain rather than veto, overall the Jewish state continues to develop diplomatic, economic and military power and to insert itself into the heart of regional politics.
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Buoyed by Trump’s ascent to power, here are the plans that could create irrevocable facts on the ground.

By Nir Hasson, HAARETZ

Benjamin Netanyahu visiting the East Jerusalem settlement of Har Homa,

Following Donald Trump’s ascent to power, several significant plans for building beyond the Green Line, in and near Jerusalem, are ready to be implemented soon, a paper prepared by the Ir Amim NGO says.

The plans could create irrevocable facts on the ground and effectively eliminate any options for a two-state solution, for a Palestinian capital in Jerusalem, or for retaining Palestinian continuity between the city and the West Bank, the NGO says.
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T. BELMAN. This article is very soft on the MB. Much more could be said to condemn them. The fact that Erdogan, who is also an Islamist supports them is no recommendation. The US should ban them without delay and deport their members. This ban should include CAIR.

Trump administration taking radically different approach than Obama, Bush; designation could trigger unexpected consequences

By Yaroslav Trofimov, WSJ

Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood supporters run from tear gas fired by police in Cairo in August 2013 during a police crackdown that the Brotherhood said killed hundreds of the group’s supporters.

In the immediate aftermath of the Arab Spring, the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates were winning elections across the Middle East—a testament to the Islamist movement’s popular appeal.

Now, President Donald Trump’s administration is considering declaring the Brotherhood a terrorist organization, something that could trigger a slew of unexpected consequences across the region.
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It is important to remind ourselves that so much of the international perception of Israel is being refracted through the prism of the globalist/ nationalist divide.

BY DOUGLAS ALTABEF, JPOST

Volumes have been filled on trying to understand the position of Israel in the world today, particularly its cold friendship with the Obama-led United States and its varying degrees of hostility with the European Union.

There have been explanations touching upon particular Israeli policies and personalities, and of course the combination of the two. Settlement construction, opposing the Iran deal, insufficient concessions to the Palestinians, brazen attempts to court public and legislative support, the list goes on, and the bill of particulars is long.
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Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly adopts resolution slamming Israel for humanitarian crisis in blockaded Palestinian enclave

By TOI

A European inter-governmental group accused Israel of engaging in “apparently systematic unlawful killings” of Palestinian civilians in the buffer zone areas between the Gaza Strip and Israel over the past several years, and of exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, also known as PACE, voted on Tuesday in favor of a resolution, based on an internal report on the humanitarian situation in the Hamas-ruled Palestinian enclave, which charges Israel with “excessive and intentional force without justification against Palestinian civilians in the buffer zone, including against farmers, journalists, medical crews and peaceful protesters, [which] runs blatantly counter to human rights principles and the international law-enforcement standards.”
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The Trump administration is preparing two executive orders that are likely to cause an earthquake in the Middle East.

By Hana Levi Julian, JEWISH PRESS

The New York Times reported Wednesday in a breaking story that the staff of U.S. President Donald J. Trump is preparing an executive order that would terminate funding for any United Nations agency or other international organization that gives full membership to the Palestinian Authority or the Palestine Liberation Organization.

In addition, the order terminates funding for programs or activities that fund abortion or circumvent sanctions against Iran or North Korea.

According to the report, the draft order also calls for terminating funding for any organization that is “controlled or substantially influenced by any state that sponsors terrorism” or is held responsible for persecution of marginalized groups, or systematic violation of human rights.
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Even if Israel and the West prop up the carcass of a failed Jordanian monarchy, how long can it last, as it will appear to be another colonialist land grab?

BY ERIC R. MANDEL, JPOST

With the emergence of Iranian hegemony from Afghanistan to Beirut, Israel’s security and intelligence establishment is watching not only threats from Gaza and Lebanon, but also other areas of potential instability, including locations that have been quiet for years; the Golan Heights and Jordan.

The rise of Iran and the collapse of Syria have unnerved Sunni and Druse populations across the region, including those in Jordan and the Golan. They know that the United States and international bodies have acquiesced in the greatest ethnic cleansing of the 21st century, the removal of hundreds of thousands of Sunnis from Syria and Iraq.
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BY EVELYN GORDON, COMMENTARY

One demand that President Donald Trump repeatedly raised before taking office is for U.S. allies to contribute more to the costs of their defense. Given that Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. military aid, it would seem an obvious target for this demand. Indeed, asked by a reporter last March whether Israel should pay for American protection, Trump replied affirmatively. Thus, it’s worth recalling why Israel is America’s largest recipient of military aid, and why it’s cheap at the price.

Unlike all the other allies Trump complains about, Israel isn’t under America’s military protection and doesn’t want to be. It never has and never will ask American troops to defend it. The annual aid is intended to ensure that this situation continues, by helping Israel purchase the weaponry it needs to defend itself by itself. Israel is perhaps unique among American allies in that it genuinely doesn’t want America to protect it militarily. The belief that it must defend itself by itself is deeply ingrained in Israel and enjoys virtually wall-to-wall consensus, and this would remain true even if America gave it no military aid at all.
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Plan covers foreign relations and building in Judea and Samaria.

Arutz Sheva

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked presented her plan for national strength at the International Conference of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) Tuesday evening.

Shaked took a swipe at Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and spoke of the State Comptroller’s report on Operation Protective Edge at the start of her remarks. “I heard those who spoke in the Knesset yesterday about ‘shooting from the hip.’ I am here to present to you today a coherent strategic plan which was developed in recent months – a program of ‘National Strength.’ The program which we are promoting at this time is meant to create long-term security for Israel. The State Comptroller’s report is further evidence of the need for a fundamental change in the perception and conduct of Israel’s security.”

“The trends have changed, as I have described, but they carry, in essence, dangers as well as opportunities. I would like to focus today on the opportunities. There is an opportunity to evaluate new policies to maximize the benefit to the interests of the State of Israel.” Shaked said.
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DEBKAfile Exclusive Report

Israelis tend to get carried away by endless post mortems on long-past battles. A press leak Tuesday, Jan. 24, from a closed security cabinet war conference, that took place during the last anti-terror operation “Defensive Edge” in 2014 against Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, has resurrected old charges that the Netanyahu government had failed to appreciate the perils of Hamas’ terror tunnels.

That leak revealed Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the Jewish Home party, as having pushed with all his might for a proactive response to the Palestinian Hamas’ tunnels, whereas Moshe Ya’alon, then Defense Minister, urged restraint, backed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. For Bennett this leak represented big political kudos.
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By Yoni Kempinski, INN

Bennett calls for a ‘Marshall Plan’ for Judea and Samaria, including a ‘free tourism zone’ between Israel and Palestinian Authority.Speaking at a strategic affairs conference on Tuesday, Education Minister Naftali Bennett presented his vision for the future of Judea and Samaria, advocating partial annexation of the area, along with expanded autonomy for the Palestinian Authority and massive investment over the Green Line.

Bennett addressed a gathering organized by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an independent think tank at Tel Aviv University, slamming the two-state solution while presenting details for an alternative arrangement.
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Netanyahu: ‘We are building – and will continue to build.’ Announcement criticized by top settler body, which calls it a ‘disappointment.’

By Barak Ravid, HAARETZ

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The Left’s rage unleashed on the streets of Washington.

By: Matthew Vadum FPM

On Saturday, the nation’s capital was inundated with masses of loud, obnoxious, foul-mouthed Trump-hating women (and some men) at what was billed the “Women’s March on Washington.” The Guardian called the event a “spontaneous” action for women’s rights, while Vox spoke of a “huge, spontaneous groundswell” behind the march.

While the mainstream media bombarded news consumers with news stories claiming few Americans were interested in the inauguration festivities, television ratings for President Donald Trump’s inauguration were the second-highest Nielsen has recorded in 36 years, drawing 30.6 million TV viewers across 12 networks. Factoring in live streams provided by the networks, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and other online portals adds millions more viewers to the total. But what happened Saturday at the “Women’s March” was not spontaneous. No mass rallies are, especially on the Left.
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And it’s not because of Trump.

By Mazal Mualem, AL MONITOR Posted January 20, 2017

The political discourse in Israel’s ruling Likud Party is undergoing a refreshing change. After proposing all kinds of populist laws and issuing all sorts of populist declarations, one Knesset member is trying to get his party to discuss a diplomatic plan designed to serve as an alternative to the vision of the Oslo Accord and the two-state solution.

On Jan. 14, Yoav Kisch, a former air force pilot and now a Knesset member for the Likud, presented an “autonomy plan” that he formulated over the past few weeks. Now he is trying to bring it up for discussion in the Likud Party’s governing institutions. Kisch claims that it makes no sense for the largest party on the right to reject the two-state solution without having a comprehensive diplomatic vision for resolving the conflict with the Palestinians along those lines. This, he continues, is especially necessary for “the day after the Obama administration.”
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Officials say outgoing administration notified Congress of move just before Trump’s swearing-in, despite Republican opposition.

The Associated Press Jan 23, 2017 11:42 PM

Officials say the Obama administration in its waning hours defied Republican opposition and quietly released $221 million to the Palestinian Authority.

GOP members of Congress had been holding up the money.

A State Department official and several congressional aides say the outgoing administration formally notified Congress it would spend the money Friday morning, just before Donald Trump became president.

More than $227 million in foreign affairs funding was released at the time, including $4 million for climate change programs and $1.25 million for UN organizations.
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Mike Pompeo has been one of Congress’ most outspoken critics of Barack Obama’s foreign policy, particularly the Iran nuclear deal.

By Amir Tibon, HAARETZ

Mike Pompeo, who was confirmed on Monday evening by the Senate to run the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, has a record as a strong supporter of the Israeli government and a fierce critic of the Iran nuclear deal. Pompeo’s nomination was approved by a vote of 66-32 on the Senate floor, with the support of all Republican Senators except Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and an additional 15 Democrats, among them Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA.) 

Pompeo spent the last five years representing Kansas’ 4th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and was among the most outspoken Republican critics of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy in the Middle East. As recently as last November, mere days after Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 elections, Pompeo declared on Twitter, with regards to the Iran nuclear deal, “I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.” The tweet was published before Trump announced Pompeo was his candidate for CIA Director. On Monday night, Pompeo’s Twitter account was taken off the social network, in line with CIA policy. 
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T. Belman. To delay is to empower the enemies. Conversely, to fly in their faces and move it without hesitation, puts the “stakeholders” back on their heels. They must understand that they have no say in the matter. The US can place their embassy any where they want in Jerusalem, even the eastern part of Jerusalem. For the last 8 years, the Arabs have had a field day imposing their will on Israel regardless of their rights or their violation of Oslo. It is imperative that the tables be now reversed. But more important than moving the embassy is for the US to approve Israeli construction in Jerusalem and approve of the annexation of the settlement blocs. The US should also say unequivocally that the settlements are legal.

It bothers me that the Trump team now emphasizes that a settlement with the Palestinians can only come about through direct negotiations. These moves by Trump tie our hands and his. Negotiations gives too much power to the Palestinians. It gives them a veto on everything. Not acceptable.

If the US ignores their Arab allies and moves the Embassy, the Arabs will still need American support. These matters can and should be decoupled.

BY MICHAEL WILNER, JPOST 23 JANUARY 2017

Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and other Arab allies have warned the White House of severe repercussions should it proceed with the move.

Washington. Once committed to quickly moving America’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Trump administration is now expressing caution, promising only to review the matter extensively and in consultation with “stakeholders” in the conflict.
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By Andrew G. Benjamin

WIKI: The Wannsee Conference (German: Wannseekonferenz) was a meeting of senior government officials of Nazi Germany and SS leaders, held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee on 20 January 1942. The purpose of the conference, called by the director of the Reich Main Security Office SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich, was to ensure the cooperation of administrative leaders of various government departments in the implementation of the final solution to the Jewish question, whereby most of the Jews of German-occupied Europe would be deported to Poland and murdered. 

France was a part of the plan.

And the irony of ironies? The idea for the “Zionist Entity” began in France. Read more…