AFP

Stockholm (AFP) – Sweden intends to expel up to 80,000 migrants who arrived in 2015 and whose application for asylum has been rejected, Interior Minister Anders Ygeman said Wednesday.

“We are talking about 60,000 people but the number could climb to 80,000,” the minister was quoted as saying by Swedish media, adding that the government had asked the police and authorities in charge of migrants to organise their expulsion.

The proposed measure was announced as Europe struggles to deal with a crisis that has seen tens of thousands of migrants arrive on Greek beaches, with the passengers — mostly fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan — undeterred by cold wintry conditions.
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Snopes has declared that the story on the UPS planes is bogus. I don’t quarrel with this as I have been able to find any mainstream account of it. But the reference to 680,000 green cards being issued to Muslims is well documented.

Breitbart’s Donald Trump ‘Definitely Not’ Doing Fox News Debate had 40,000 comments.

Dan Friedman. Shrewd: Trump evades the trap set for him by Fox News. Now wily and ballsy are two words we need to add to the list of Donald Trump’s talents. And hysterical and sleazy are two words we need to apply to pretend Republicans and the MSM, which now includes Fox. But you already knew that, I’m sure.

Google and Fox TV Invite Anti-Trump, Hitler-Citing, Muslim Advocate to Join Next GOP TV-Debate

by NEIL MUNRO, BREITBART

Fox News and Google have invited three YouTube personalities to ask questions at the Jan. 28 GOP debate — including a Muslim advocate who describes Donald Trump as a bigot and who visually portrayed him as being in agreement with national socialist Adolf Hitler.

“We have a presidential candidate whose loudest message reeks of hatred and Islamophobia… turning on the news now is scary, and oftentimes, humiliating,” the Muslim woman, Nabela Noor, says in a December YouTube video.
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By Nadav Shragai, ISRAEL HAYOM

Yes, we can add fortifications; we can surround ourselves with more fences and metal detectors; we can add more concrete blocks to stop ramming attacks; we can build another wall, another watchtower, add more barbed wire. Yes, we can add another line of defense. But it would be only a matter of time before the other side, inundated with inciting rhetoric and hate, outsmarts these measures and hits us where it hurts.

It turns out terrorism, even in its most primitive form, is no less creative that the defensive actions we take. We shut many doors only to see it breach its way through the windows. We paved bypass roads to avoid driving through Palestinian towns, but the terrorists overcome this obstacle. While defense measures are not meaningless, they can only do so much.
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T. Belman. The Left argues it stifles free speech. Regev argues that all countries criminalize subversion as does Israel. This bill doesn’t deal with subversion. It merely says don’t expect Israel to fund subversive activities or subversive speech.

Opposition MKs slam culture minister’s proposal to allow withholding of state funds from cultural institutions deemed subversive; Regev: proposal based on existing legislation.

By Moran Azulay, Roi Yanovsky and Ran Boker, YNET

Culture Minister Miri Regev (Likud) on Wednesday presented before a Knesset committee her new “cultural loyalty” bill, drawing criticism from several MKs.

The bill seeks to deny state funding to artists and cultural institutions who denigrate the state flag or state symbols; incite to racism, violence or terrorism; support armed struggle and terrorism against Israel; mark Independence Day as a day of mourning; or deny Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state. Regev said that her proposal is based on previous Knesset legislation.
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Defense minister urges Ankara to join anti-Islamic State alliance, slams presence of Hamas offices on Turkish soil

TOI STAFF

Turkey has permitted the Islamic State to send trained terrorists into Europe and funded the group by buying its oil, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said Tuesday, urging the country to join an alliance against terrorism.

Ankara “allowed the jihadists to move from Europe to Syria and Iraq and back home as part of the Daesh terror infrastructure in Europe,” the defense minister said, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym. Turkey “still hosts the Hamas external [sic] terror headquarters in Istanbul,” Ya’alon said during a press conference in Athens.
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Snow doesn’t seem to deter the small local community of Subbotnik Jews from faithfully trudging to their modest synagogue, where they continue to turn their hearts and their hopes toward Zion.

By Michael Freund, JPOST

Last week, amid subfreezing temperatures in a Ukrainian city founded by Cossacks, I saw living proof that the Jewish spark can truly burn brightly even under the most unlikely circumstances.

Indeed, while the snow in Krivoi Rog may be kneedeep, blocking roads and turning thoroughfares into slippery escapades, that doesn’t seem to deter the small local community of Subbotnik Jews from faithfully trudging to their modest synagogue, where they continue to turn their hearts and their hopes toward Zion.
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NEW YORK, January 26, 2016 — Morton A. Klein,, president of The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) released the following statement:

The European Union (EU) (with the Obama administration’s support) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) are once again waging perverse diplomatic warfare to attempt to deny the fact that Israel has the strongest legal right to areas over the 1949 Armistice lines, including the Jewish towns and communities in Judea/Samaria (misleadingly so-called “settlements”), the eastern portion of Jerusalem (the old city, also called the City of David after the Jewish King David who ruled there), and the Golan Heights.

Specifically:
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By Ted Belman

Now that Isaac Herzog, Head of Zionist Union, presented his plan for unilateral separation and for retaining control of Judea and Samaria, Yair Lapid, Head of  Yesh Atid, is making his move.

After claiming that the next election will center on Netanyahu or him for Prime Minister, he position himself to the right of Herzog, claiming the center.

“I come from a home with the legacy of the nationalist camp,” he said, noting that his father, former minister Yosef “Tommy” Lapid, was a follower of former prime minister Menachem Begin. “I am enthusiastically in favor of annexing the Golan. My principle says maximum Jews on maximum land with maximum security and with minimum Palestinians.”

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T. Belman. My long time readers will know that I unabashedly supported Sara Palin. This article brought back many memories. The author was a senior adviser to the McCain Ticket and no particular fan of Palin’s. All the more interesting that she recognizes her strong suit as has Trump. When Palin was governor she had a 87% approval rating, the highest in the nation by far. She accomplished this by working across the aisle and producing important legislation. Her public appeal was based on her fearless attacks on the establishment and the media. Trump is merely catching the wave that she built. If you look at many of his policies though ill defined, he is again building on what she identified.

Trump went all in and hired Michael Glassner, her campaign manager, who ran her aborted campaign for the Republican nomination in 2012. No doubt this time around, she will be repeatedly stumping for Trump as she put if. She will bring in the conservative base even though Trump is a New York liberal.

By NICOLLE WALLACE, NYT

DONALD J. TRUMP has made a shrewd bet. For the first time since he descended an escalator in Trump Tower last June to announce that this time, he really was running for president, he ceded control of his campaign message. He handed the Trump-bedecked podium over to Sarah Palin.

Mr. Trump’s bet: When the politician most fluent in American rage roars, the movement she gave voice to in the fall of 2008 will roar back today.
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T. Belman. I would have added that India abstained for the first time in an anti-Israel UN resolution. So notwithstanding the great relations, she is not yet ready to vote “no”.

By SUZANNE D. RUTLAND, JPOST

“One day India may discover that her one-sided orientation in the Middle East is neither moral nor expedient.

She may yet adopt a truly independent policy between the Arab states and Israel; only then will she be able to become a factor working for peace in the area which Indians call ‘West Africa.” – Dr. S. Levenberg, January 4, 1957, Jewish Observer and ME Review, p.14 Despite the optimism of this hope expressed by Jewish Agency representative Dr. S. Levenberg, it took 35 years before it was realized.
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T. Belman. This is a life and death issue to Israel. Why is Canada interfering. If a true friend, Canada would be sending a supportive message rather than a tough message. Canada said:

“As a steadfast ally and friend to Israel, Canada calls for all efforts to be made to reduce violence and incitement and to help build the conditions for a return to the negotiating table,”

That message should have been addressed to the PA, not Israel so far as violence and incitement are concerned. Everyone has abandoned the negotiating track except Canada. That was a worthless message that Canada didn’t need to send.

In all probability Canada is coordinating with the US and the EU regarding how to pressure Israel whereas the Harper government ran contrary to the prevailing winds.

Canada to send ‘tough message’ on violence to ally Israel

REUTERS/JPOST

Federal government said on Monday it was delivering a “tough message” to Israel as a good friend after expressing concern about Israeli-Palestinian violence, Israeli settlements and unilateral Palestinian moves.
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By Ted Belman

Amb Shapiro refused to apologize for his remarks or change a word in them, but he did manage an apology of sorts for its timing.

The offending words were:

“oo many attacks on Palestinians lack a vigorous investigation or response by Israeli authorities; too much vigilantism goes unchecked; and at times there seem to be two standards of adherence to the rule of law: one for Israelis and another for Palestinians.””

Today, he issued “regrets”, not apologies:

“There were just one or two lines that caused disagreement, but if this, God forbid, hurt the Meir family or anyone else mourning Dafna’s death, may her memory be a blessing, then of course I regret it.””

But he couldn’t stop there and said:

“We encourage Israel to continue all investigations of different violent incidents, because it’s very important to show commitment to the rule of law.”

He should shove his condescension and holier than thou attitude and constant preaching where the sun don’t shine. Israel doesn’t need the lawless Obama Administration to tell her the importance of the rule of law.

Cultural totalitarianism of the Postmodern era did the impossible – it changed the very nature of man

By Alexander Maistrovoy

In my correspondence regarding the events in Cologne, an editor of a Russian newspaper asked me a natural, but discouraging question; “Where were the German men?”, he inquired of me, perplexed.

Indeed, for us who grew up in Soviet Russia, it would be inconceivable that some drunk young people could publicly mock and harass girls on New Year’s Eve in the very center of Moscow or Saint Petersburg. If they dared to do this, they wouldn’t survive until the morning, they would become “martyrs” and would have their way with 72 virgins in a completely different realm.
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Filber Committee hands in recommendations that will allow conservatives to establish a TV channel and broadcast non-PC news.

By Gil Ronen, ARUTZ SHEVA

A governmental committee has handed in recommendations that will end the leftist monopoly over news content on Israeli television.

The inter-ministerial committee under Communications Ministry Director Shlomo Filber has recommended – according to multiple news reports Monday – to end the situation in which the only channels broadcasting news are Channels 2 and10.

Implementation of the recommendations will open up the communications market to competition and allow, among other things, an Israeli “Fox News” – that is, one or more channels that provide news content that is not liberal-leftist in nature.

The committee’s reforms are extremely important in Netanyahu’s eyes. He made sure to be appointed Minister of Communications himself, and placed Filber, whom he trusts, at the head of the committee. He also made all Coalition partners sign a document that states they agree to vote in favor of any reform in the communications market that he advances.
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Ted Belman. As I mentioned when I posted his plan, I considered it a right wing shift.

By GIL HOFFMAN, NATHAN WISE, JPOST

Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog vigorously denied reports Sunday suggesting that his new plan to separate from the Palestinians without creating a Palestinian state is intended to pave the way to enter Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

The plan is seen as shifting Herzog’s Labor Party to the Center, because it says a two-state solution is not currently realistic and calls for completing the security fence around settlement blocs.

A report on Israel Radio suggested that Herzog’s shift may have been aimed at bringing his party into the government and preempting a challenge to his leadership from former IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, who was cleared of potential criminal charges last week.
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Ministers Ya’alon, Shaked and Ariel to head up new government coordination group for Jewish activities in Judea and Samaria.

By Raphael Poch, JPOST

In an effort to end the coalition crisis that resulted from the eviction of some 200 Jews from their purchased homes in Hevron last week, the government has decided to create a joint commission to coordinate activities for Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria.
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T. Belman. I do not understand why Yaalon is involved in this decision. Normally, if you buy a property, you can move in. If someone wants to challenge your ownership they have legal process.  But here it appears that you can’t move in without Yaalon’s approval. It would appear that you have to prove to Yaalon’s satisfaction that your purchase was legal. Secondly Netanyahu said he would investigate and issue a report in a week. Why not in a day?

By TOVAH LAZAROFF, GIL HOFFMAN, HERB KEINON, JPOST

PM Netanyahu failed to quell all rebellion threats from Bayit Yehudi politicians who pledged to vote against the coalition on Monday to protest the forced eviction of Jewish families Friday from two homes in the West Bank city of Hebron.

Bayit Yehudi MK Bezalel Smotrich said he would continue to boycott Knesset votes, which could prevent the government from passing key legislation.
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