By Martin Kramer, FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Was the feud between U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, first over settlements and then over Iran, a watershed? Netanyahu, it is claimed, turned U.S. support of Israel into a partisan issue. Liberals, including many American Jews, are said to be fed up with Israel’s “occupation,” which will mark its 50th anniversary next year. The weakening of Israel’s democratic ethos is supposedly undercutting the “shared values” argument for the relationship. Some say Israel’s dogged adherence to an “unsus­tainable” status quo in the West Bank has made it a liability in a region in the throes of change. Israel, it is claimed, is slipping into pariah status, imposed by the global movement for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS).

Biblical-style lamentations over Israel’s final corruption have been a staple of the state’s critics and die-hard anti-Zionists for 70 years. Never have they been so detached from reality. Of course, Israel has changed—decidedly for the better….

Read the rest here.

T. Belman. So the Arabs are invading our beaches and then some. The Left says “so it should be” whereas the right says “what can we do about it.” Moshe Feiglin and Martin Sherman advocate paying the Arabs to leave. There is no question that that is the best solution.

In the meantime, the Arabs present a problem. Jews want to have exclusive Jewish communities and schools and, yes, beaches. But they are prevented by our activist Court who worships equality. But even if we got rid of the Court’s intervention, how far would the right go to keep us separate?

I believe in having exclusive areas for Jews or Arabs and public areas where all are welcome. The trick is where to draw the line.

By Shmuel Sackett, JEWISH LEADERSHIP BLOG

I would imagine that in most parts of the world, if you want to know what is happening, you need to read the newspapers and talk to experts. In Israel, however, that is not what you do. For years, people found out the real news from taxi drivers but today, in the modern world, the #1 expert to talk to is… the lifeguard at the beach!
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By Victor Davis Hanson , NATIONAL REVIEW 

The history of nations is mostly characterized by ethnic and racial uniformity, not diversity.

Most national boundaries reflected linguistic, religious and ethnic homogeneity. Until the late 20th century, diversity was considered a liability, not a strength.

Countries and societies that were ethnically homogeneous, such as ancient Germanic tribes or modern Japan, felt that they were inherently more stable and secure than the alternative, whether late imperial Rome or contemporary America. Read more…

By Martin Sherman

“Commanders for Israel’s Security” are a group I would much rather respect than ridicule, but drivel is drivel, even when it comes from men with an illustrious past and an accumulated 6000 years of security experience

 One does not have to be a military expert to easily identify the critical defects of the armistice lines that existed until June 4, 1967

   Deputy PM Yigal Allon, former commanderof Palmah strike-force, 1976.

…historians a thousand years hence will still be baffled by the mystery of our affairs. They will never understand how it was that a victorious nation, with everything in hand, suffered themselves to be brought low, and to cast away all that they had gained by measureless sacrifice and absolute victory…Now the victors are the vanquished…

   Winston Churchill, in the House of Commons, 1938.
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The failure of France’s “peace” conference, on the one hand, and the success of Netanyahu’s fourth visit to Moscow on the other hand, were poetic bookends of the week.

By Caroline Glick, JPOST

There was something poetic about the events that bookended the past week of diplomacy. This week began with French President François Hollande’s “peace” conference and ended with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s state visit to Moscow.

From the perspective of both substance and style, the contrast between the two events couldn’t have been more striking.

France hosted yet another anti-Israel diplomatic pile-on. Hollande had hoped to show that France was stepping into the void left by the US’s abandonment of its position as world leader. But all the confab served to do was show how irrational and self-destructive France – and Western Europe – has become.
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Tenenbom tells truths that liberals, including liberal Jews, try to airbrush away. He sees Jews everywhere craven and cringing, trying to hide their Jewishness.

By Melanie Phillips, JPOST

Tuvia Tanenbom has a problem. His books sell so well he can’t find a publisher in the English-speaking world.

His last book, Catch the Jew!, was a spectacular international success. Published in Germany and, in English, in Israel, it shot to the top of numerous best-seller lists. His previous book, I Sleep in Hitler’s Room, was also a German best-seller.
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By Mordechai Kedar, INN

At this very moment, the Iraqi government is in the midst of a fierce offensive aimed at retaking the city of Fallujah and wresting it from the hands of ISIS. This military campaign was meticulously planned for several months with the help of American and Iranian advisors and representatives of the “Popular Forces” – a group of Shiite militias whose activities are indistinguishable from those of ISIS because they, too, mercilessly butcher, burn and eliminate their enemies, the only difference being that their enemies are Sunni rather than Shiite.

Several groups with varying goals and diametrically opposed views are participating in the battle for Fallujah, but it is clear that the enmity between Sunni and Shiite Muslims is at the core of what is happening. The city’s residents and the ISIS fighters holed up in the city are Sunni, while the government, militias, “Popular Forces” and Iranians targeting them are Shiite.
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T. Belman. Shavit is way too optimistic about Yaalon’s chances. A May 17/16 Maariv poll showed Likud 26, Bayit Yehudit 14, Yisrael Beitanu 11, and the two religious parties 13, totalling 64 seats. He also presupposes that some center parties can join to reach more than 26 seats in order to get the first chance to form a government.

Even if they could, I believe that they couldn’t form a government because the religious parties won’t abandon Bibi who brought them in from the cold. They would have to be replaced by the Arab Joint List.

Yaalon is not as popular as Shavit says he is.

By Ari Shavit, HAARETZ

[..] Netanyahu and Ya’alon ostensibly were allies. Neither believed in peace now and both tried to prevent war tomorrow. Neither thought it was possible to end the conflict but made every effort to contain it.

But about a year ago the defense minister detected that the prime minister had a pretty radical agenda – he wanted to cut down to size the legal elite, the media elite and the military elite. I won’t lend a hand to that, the minister in charge of the army told his superior. I won’t support an attack on the rule of law and the media, and I won’t let you ruin the army.
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Israel’s response to a Ramadan terror attack: withdraw Ramadan freedom to murder Israelis.\

By Hana Levi Julian, JEWISH PRESS

Thanks to two Arab terrorists, the cost of Israeli self-defense has again come at a high price for Islamic worshipers and families who were looking forward to visiting each other in the next few weeks. But terrorists rarely take the concerns of “civilians” into account when waging “jihad” against Jews and Israelis.

The initial Israeli response to Wednesday night’s terror attack on the upscale Sarona Center in Tel Aviv by two Palestinian Authority gunmen from Yatta has been swift — and it may be followed by further actions.
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By Michael Curtis, AMERICAN THINKER

Russia is now back on the international scene, a significant geopolitical player. President Vladimir Putin, who reminds the world that during World War II the Soviet Union suffered the largest number of casualties, estimated at between 20 and 28 million of any country, is determined that Russia remain a world power in spite of its declining economy, largely due to falling oil prices. Putin has revived the May 9 military parade in Red Square. The current Russian posture is one of self-confidence, reminiscent of Russian life in the late 19th century, with its extraordinary rich cultural scene.
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Gary Bauer, AMERICAN VALUES

Barring some unpredictable development, the November election will be a choice between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Libertarian Gary Johnson and perhaps a center-right spoiler candidate in some states.

A new NBC News tracking poll finds Clinton leading Trump 48% to 44%. But when you factor in third-party candidates, the dynamics change significantly.

Offering voters the choice of Libertarian and Green Party candidates results in Trump leading with 40%, Clinton at 39%, Libertarian Johnson at 9% and Green Party nominee Jill Stein at 4%. If voters are given a generic choice of “Other,” the results are Trump 39%, Clinton 36% and “Other” 22%.
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Museums, governments can keep stolen works by waiting out legal clock

A visitor takes a photograph of a painting called ‘Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep’ that the Nazis stole

BY: Adam Kredo, FREE BEACON

Museums across the world, including in the United States, have been trying to run out the clock on legal statutes that would compel them to return high-priced works of art to Jewish victims of the Holocaust who had these precious items stolen by the Nazis during World War II, according to testimony before Congress.

Ambassador Ronald Lauder, council chair of the World Jewish Restitution Organization, disclosed to Congress on Tuesday that “governments, museums, and many knowing [art] collectors” have been amassing artworks originally owned by Jewish individuals who fell victim to Hitler’s Nazi death machine during the war.
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The war of the generals makes the media war and its latest French donor battle, pale in comparison.

By Guilio Meotti, INN

Israelis are great soldiers out of necessity, not because of militarism. The former chief of staff, the archaeologist Yigal Yadin, said that “in Israel a civilian is a soldier with eleven months leave.”

Some have called Israel “the modern Sparta.” Others, less benign, “the small Middle East Prussia.”

Because of its geographical location and the genocidal intentions of its foes, Israel can not afford a war of position and attrition, it has to win right away. It must have an army that goes hand in hand with the political leadership.
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T. Belman. You would think that the west would be more concerned with saving the Yezidis and the Christians in Iraq than creating the state of Palestine, but of course you would be wrong.

By Abra Forman, BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

The Islamic State burned 19 Yazidi women to death in iron cages before hundreds of spectators in Iraq last week, according to reports by activists and eyewitnesses. The women, whom ISIS militants had kidnapped and enslaved in the terrorist group’s notorious system of sex slavery, were sentenced to be burned alive after they refused to have sex with their jihadi captors.

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Terrorists open fire in Tel Aviv’s Sarona market, killing 4 Two terrorists neutralized.

By David Rosenberg, INN

Terrorists opened fire at the Sarona Market in Tel Aviv Wednesday evening, killing four people and wounding at least six.

One victim is reportedly in critical condition, while two are in serious condition, Magen David Adom (MDA) reported. The victims were taken to the Ichilov Hospital.

The venue of the attack, Sarona, an old Templar village incorporated into Tel Aviv, is a popular tourist destination.
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T. Belman. And for good reason. Regarding the API, Lavrov just affirmed that “There is no need to amend it.”, that “it is universally accepted” and that the Report that the Quartet is preparing will include “recommendations”. We know what that means. The US has prevented the publication of the report because it is not happy with the wording.

The US also thwarted the French conference.

PM rejects Lavrov claim that he accepted 2002 Arab Peace Plan; says Turkey deal could happen soon.

By Tova Lazaroff, JPOST

The US remains Israel’s chief ally and cannot be replaced by Russia, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday before flying home after a two-day visit to Moscow.

“It is not desirable or practical to replace the United States [with Russia]. The US is the cornerstone of our foreign relations,” Netanyahu told reporters.

He had visited Moscow for the third time this year, and had held his fourth face-to-face meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
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Moscow and Jerusalem are both ‘snubbed’ by the world and have finally found each other, but there are risks, warns Berel Lazar

BY RAPHAEL AHREN, TOI

MOSCOW – Israeli-Russian relations are reaching unprecedented heights, Russia’s chief rabbi said Tuesday, positing that the countries are rapidly improving ties because they are each “snubbed” by the international community.

“There’s never been a time when the ties were so close,” Rabbi Berel Lazar told The Times of Israel. “There’s no question that if you think back 40, 50 years — even 25 years ago when the relations started, it was still very cold. Israel was taboo. I remember those days when we dreamed of the Russian president visiting Israel; it was something nobody thought would be possible.”
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by Steve Kramer

At a special ceremony in Jerusalem to mark the unification of the city 49 years ago during the Six Day War, Prime Minister Netanyahu declared: “The idea of a divided, split, wounded city is one we will never return to.” That statement mirrors the Israeli consensus on the subject of Jerusalem.

But, the Europeans, and many others, feel they cannot remain on the sidelines without contesting the Jews’ claims to Jerusalem and its homeland. For whatever reasons, they yearn to establish a State of Palestine (despite the existence of the Hamas-ruled Gaza and Palestinian Arab-majority Jordan.)
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Uri Ariel calls for improving conditions in areas A and B, applying Israeli sovereignty elsewhere, says PM’s peace bid futile

BY RAPHAEL AHREN, TOI

MOSCOW – Israeli minister Uri Ariel proposed removing “a few thousand Arabs” from Area C of the West Bank –– the 60% of the territory fully controlled by Israel — and then annexing it.

In an interview with The Times of Israel on Tuesday, Ariel (Jewish Home), the agriculture minister, also said the Israeli right is unconcerned over recent peace overtures by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since they will eventually come to nothing. Nonetheless, Ariel, who opposes Palestinian statehood, complained that by invoking a desire for a two-state solution, Netanyahu is fueling the notion held by many Israelis that the creation of a Palestinian state is inevitable.
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