THE ICONOCLAST

Dutch Television interviewed Geert Wilders, leader of the  Freedom Party (PVV)  in the Hague Parliament on the 10^th anniversary of its founding.  Wilders had been voted  the top politician of the year in 2015.  The PVV’s towering standings in Dutch political polls vaulted  it over the ruling VVD-led  coalition of Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The irony is that Wilders left the VVD with predictions that he would never make junior minister.  Ten years hence, both he and the PVV appears as serious contenders in the 2017 general parliamentary election. The interview comes at a time when the events of the past year confirm Wilders’ and the PVV’s  concerns over the flooding of Europe and the Netherlands with Muslim migrants from the hot spots in the  Ummah seeking asylum. This has resulted in an enormous economic and social burden on the Netherlands.
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The military base that was hit by the car bomb is considered one of the most important military centers of the Russian forces on the Syrian coast, located some 15 kilometers from Latakia.

By Maayan Groisman, JPOST

Dozens of Russian generals at a military base near the eastern Syrian city of Latakia were killed Sunday afternoon in a deadly car bomb attack committed by two opposition factions, Ahrar al-Sham and Bayan movement, Syrian opposition groups reported on Wednesday.

According to the media office of Ahrar al-Sham, the two factions, in coordination with local jihadists who were located at the Russian military base, decided to bomb the car after they observed a gathering of senior Russian generals at the military base.
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By Clifford May..Pundicity/Washington Times

Imagine that your mission is to make sure the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians does not get resolved — not even now, a time when self-proclaimed jihadis are wreaking havoc throughout much of the Middle East and, as a consequence, Israel’s relations with Egypt, Jordan and even Saudi Arabia are improving. What policies might help you accomplish your mission?

Start with an idea the French have been floating: Convene a “peace conference,” announcing in advance that if progress isn’t made, the Israeli side will be held responsible and the Palestinian side will be rewarded. No crystal ball needed to predict how that will turn out.
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T. Belman. The IDF brass worry that a more aggressive approach to dealing with the current wave of terror and the absence of a diplomatic process could result in a third intifada as bad as the second. So the ultimate questions are:

1. will aggressive self defense cause a third intifada or be a deterrent to terror.

2. should Israel improve the economic situation for Palestinians in Gaza or J&S or punish the Palestinians economically.

3. should Israel foster among the Palestinians, hope or despair, i.e., does hope or despair cause terrorism.

By Ben Caspit, al Monitor

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot is an experienced officer with a long list of achievements under his belt. Nevertheless, on Feb. 17, he found himself caught in a political crossfire. It happened soon after he gave a talk to a group of high school students in the town of Bat Yam. When asked about the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) procedures for opening fire on assailants, given the wave of terrorism that has been overwhelming Israel for the past few months, Eizenkot said, “Every IDF force out on a mission receives beforehand rules of engagement. The IDF cannot speak in slogans, such as ‘if someone comes to kill you, arise to kill them first’ [Talmud, tractate Berakhot 58a]. … There have been cases in which a 13-year-old girl with scissors or a knife got into a confrontation with soldiers. I don’t want a soldier to empty a magazine on a girl with scissors.” The chief of staff emphasized that according to existing orders, soldiers are entitled to use force to eliminate threats.

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By Yaakov Lappin, ALGEMEINER

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is in a race against time, and their race is also relevant to how other Western powers will deal with the rise of radical, armed, Islamic groups proliferating across the Middle East.

As the IDF’s commanders look around the region, they see heavily armed, hybrid, Islamic sub-state foes that are replacing states. The traditional threat of hierarchical armies is fading quickly away, into obscurity.

The Sunni and Shiite jihadist entities on Israel’s borders — Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS-affiliated groups in Syria, Jabhat Al-Nusra, as well as elements of Iran’s IRGC forces — are all building their power and preparing for a future unknown point in time when they will clash with Israel.
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By Alex Alexiev, AMERICAN THINKER

In the past two weeks a number of events have taken place in Turkey that, taken together, indicate that this erstwhile U.S. ally is spinning dangerously out of control with neither Ankara nor Washington and its European allies having the slightest clue of what to do. It started several days ago with the Turkish artillery targeting the Kurdish YPG military units n Syria, a key U.S. ally against ISIS, as they made progress in taking over formerly terrorist-occupied terrain north of Aleppo. This was followed by Turkey enabling thousands of jihadists entering Turkish territory from Syria with all of their weapons and exiting back into Syria from a different border crossing to join the battle against the anti-Assad forces.
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By Conrad Black, NY SUN

[..]
In Great Britain, the defection from the Conservative government of the very colorful mayor of London, Boris Johnson, probably the most popular political figure in the country, to lead the campaign to take Britain out of the European Union has the makings of a decisive setback for the European federalist idea, and of a new turning for Britain — which remains one of the world’s most important countries, fifth in GDP, and one of only four to six countries with a seriously deliverable nuclear military capacity.
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WATCH TO THE LAST MINUTE.

Also read Canadian FM Outdoes HimselF by Ruthie Blum.

Responding to stats showing capital leads nation in negative migration, Jerusalem Councilman explains where exactly the fault lies.

By Ari Yashar, INN

Jerusalem Councilman Arieh King explained on Tuesday night the figures published earlier in the day, according to which Jerusalem is leading the nation is negative migration as Jewish residents leave the city in far greater numbers than they are moving to it.
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T. Belman. The key issue that no one is discussing to whether Israel should be making life easier for Gazans so long as Hamas is dedicated to and working for our destruction. Building a port will strengthen Hamas. At the moment any shipments to Gaza can dock at Ashdod where Israelis check them out before allowing the goods into Gaza. How will a dedicated port do more for Gazans then the present arrangement?

Jewish Home Minister Ariel, calls for Hamas seaport

IDF intel chief warns despair in Gaza could explode toward Israel. That’s the concern.

Israeli military leaders say Gaza’s economic woes are leading to another war, while PM and defense minister stick to stringent security demands.

HAARETZ

Political and military officials over the past few weeks have once again begun discussing an Israeli position on the possibility of a seaport in Gaza. Renewed discussion of the issue, which was raised for a short time after the war against Hamas in the summer of 2014, is connected to the deteriorating economic conditions in the Gaza Strip, to the desire to seek long-term solutions that would help improve the situation and reduce the danger of a new outbreak of conflict with Hamas.
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Is this the best he can do?

By Gil Solomon, ARUTZ SHEVA

The Israel of today under Netanyahu’s leadership is a country where Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria has been effectively brought to a halt but Illegal “Palestinian” construction goes on in Jerusalem, the Negev and elsewhere with the latest loss of sovereignty a highway being built by the Palestinian Authority (PA) from Gush Etzion to the Dead Sea, all financed by the EU. It seems that all it takes for the Israeli Government to back off is for the PA to erect an EU logo at any construction site.
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Op-ed: The IDF is preparing for the next round of fighting with Hamas, which is expected to be much more intense than in previous operations. Yet, the spark which may start the fighting this time will be different. The Gazan population is at its boiling point, and when it explodes, the entire region will feel it.

By Alex Fishman, YNET

Just like every year, the IDF is getting ready for another violent round in Gaza this summer. The IDF Chief of Staff has created a deadline for the IDF to be prepared, focusing on equipment updates and training. No one knows the timing or what will be the direct cause of the next flare up, but it is clear that this near-yearly ritual illustrates the inescapable reality. Yet, this is not only the Israeli mindset.

The residents of Gaza who have left the Strip and spoken to Israelis reveal that this fatalistic mindset is also on the other side. In their opinion, a military confrontation is a certainty. They also believe that it will be a lot more aggressive, that Israel is sick of playing these games with Hamas, and that Israel will do everything to eliminate the organization.
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The Rebbe saw the danger hovering over the Jewish state and gave sage advice for the Jews in the Land of Israel.

By Rabbi Joseph Gerlitzky, INN
The writer is the Rabbi of Central Tel Aviv and Chairman of the Rabbinical…

There is a popular joke about a man standing trial for the murder of his own parents. After he is unequivocally proven guilty, the judge turns to him and asks: “Do you have anything to say in your defense?” The defendant replies, unhesitatingly: “Yes. I beg the court to show leniency due to my unfortunate situation. I was recently tragically orphaned of both my father and mother…”

Today, regrettably, this is no longer a joke, but a fact of life. We are constantly being bombarded by claims that Israel is “stuck” in the current political situation. That our inability to quash the murderous wave of terror now sweeping our streets leaves us no option but to return to the bargaining table; in other words – to surrender, to retreat, and to offer our enemies ever more gifts, beyond the capitulation and weakness we have already shown by freezing settlement construction, evicting Jews from their homes, and more.
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T. Belman. This article was posted by Debka yesterday. Late yesterday the US and Russia announced the ceasefire deal to take effect on Feb 27. But the deal is very complicated and many sides are not happy with it.

Today, Syria accepts ceasefire. ISIS and the al-Nusra Front remain fair game to both sides.

DEBKA Feb 22/16

President Vladimir Putin this week mounted a rescue operation to unsnarl his blueprint for a solution of the Syrian crisis from the blockage placed in its path by none other than Bashar Assad. The Syrian ruler won’t hear of Moscow’s proposals for ending the war, or even the cessation of hostilities approved last week in Munich by the 17-member Syria Support Group.
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‘There’s a general condemnation of the West that you hear in many places: Is America withdrawing, is the West withdrawing?’

For 30 years, Malcolm Hoenlein has run the American Jewish community’s most influential organization. He meets with presidents and prime ministers, security chiefs and business leaders, kings and princes. In a rare, lengthy and outspoken interview, he sets out his world view

BY DAVID HOROVITZ, TOI

For five days at Jerusalem’s Inbal Hotel last week, a parade of Israel’s most prominent politicians, analysts, defense heads, high-tech innovators and more took their turns to address a room filled with over 100 American Jewish leaders from the 52 member groups and the Leadership Council of the grandly titled Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations.

The American leaders, for whom this was a 42nd such consecutive annual gathering, came to Israel directly from Turkey and Egypt, where they were hosted in turn by presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
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T. Belman. How else can you explain why the government elites and mainstream media in the US and in the EU are supporting mass migration, global warming, political correctness, and anti-Israel policies which for the most part, contrary to public opinion.

BY VOICE OF REASON, THE LAST GREAT STAND

Evidence for the existence of a group of global elites whose intentions are to usurp legitimate governments around the world (including the U.S.), and replace them with an illegitimate One World Government is everywhere for anyone who takes the time to educate themselves and look!
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T. Belman. WaPo says “no” arguing both parents must be American citizens. The Volokh Conspiracy, a legal blog, says “yes” arguing that that he is a “natural-born citizen” as opposed to a “naturalized citizen”. I took WaPo’s position on Obama’s eligibility. There were also other arguments to me made against Obama’s eligibility. In Cruz’s case its more simple. He was born in Canada and only one parent was an American

By Mary Brigid McManamon, Washington Post

Mary Brigid McManamon is a constitutional law professor at Widener University’s Delaware Law School.

Donald Trump is actually right about something: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) is not a natural-born citizen and therefore is not eligible to be president or vice president of the United States.

The Constitution provides that “No person except a natural born Citizen .?.?. shall be eligible to the Office of President.” The concept of “natural born” comes from common law, and it is that law the Supreme Court has said we must turn to for the concept’s definition. On this subject, common law is clear and unambiguous. The 18th-century English jurist William Blackstone, the preeminent authority on it, declared natural-born citizens are “such as are born within the dominions of the crown of England,” while aliens are “such as are born out of it.”
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T. Belman. Does he not know or is he just lying like Obama does?

In two separate TV interviews, Trudeau insists that Islam is ‘not incompatible with free and open Western societies.’

By Ari Yashar, INN

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party has already made a number of eyebrow-raising statements since taking office last November, but on Sunday CIJ News revealed yet another questionable sentiment he raised twice in TV interviews in recent months.

In the two interviews, both with CBC, Trudeau insisted that Islam is “not incompatible with the Western secular democracy.”

In the most recent interview on January 31, he said “we need to make sure that we’re working with communities like the Muslim community, for example, to demonstrate that Islam is not incompatible with free and open Western societies.”
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T. Belman. This is not a mealy-mouthed motion. It denounces the “occupation and colonization of all Arab lands captured in 1967” and calls for the dismantling of Israel’s security fence and for the right of return for Palestinians to land in Israel. In other words the students bought the Arab narrative hook, line and stinker. This motion is a total rejection of Zionism and the state of Israel. It is also a rejection of the Jewish peoples right to self determination.

McGill University student group passes BDS motion in general assembly hours after Canadian government condemned BDS.

By Raphael Pock, ARUTZ SHEVA

As the Canadian Parliament passed a resolution to condemn the BDS movement by a vote of 229 -51 and received bipartisan support for the initiative, the picture on McGill campus in Montreal was the exact opposite.
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